WDBJ 7 morning news for 02/11/02

[11Plane-Ax]

[ANCHOR=Kim]

[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=02-12 TC-4:43]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Authorities are investigating a report of a downed plane in Floyd County.
Their search is expected to resume later today.
(XXXXXX)
[FLOYD MAP #4522 ESSC]
A witness on a cell phone alerted authorities that a small plane crashed into Buffalo Mountain in the southern portion of Floyd county. Reduced visibility has hampered search efforts.
(-------------)
[SUPER=03-Floyd Co.; :14+]
Last night, searchers took A-T-V's up on the mountain to try to find any wreckage. A state police spokesman says there is NO confirmation that a plane did crash, and no airfields are reporting a missing plane. Authorities hope to have better visibility today.
(------------)

[11Pipeline]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-04 TC-16:55]
[GRAPHIC=none]
[****ANCHOR TAG****]
A proposed natural gas pipeline continues to ignite debate.
Duke Energy wants to build a natural gas pipeline through several counties in Southwest Virginia.
But many are against the project.
And as Justin McLeod discovered, opponents are now fighting the plan on the local, state, and federal level.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:10:24]
[IN Q=Nat sound of Ron talking]
[SUPER=03-Patrick Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Ron Meadows/Pipeline Opponent; :15]
[SUPER=@justin1; :38]
[SUPER=01-Edd Martin/Stuart's Vice-Mayor; 1:01]
[RUNS=1:37]
[OUT Q=JM, News 7, Patrick County]
((((NAT SOUND OF RON TALKING))
It's an issue that has people fired up from Wythe County to Henry County.
The debate centers around a proposed 95 mile natural gas pipeline.
[SOT 1:02:32]
[IN Q=To have these ]
((RON MEADOWS/OPPONENT: TO HAVE THESE PIPELINE EASEMENTS RUNNING ACROSS THERE ALONG WITH EXISITING POWERLINE EASEMENTS WOULD JUST NOT BE A THING OF BEAUTY AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO STOP.))
[Runs= 12 ]
[OUT Q=trying to stop]

They're trying to stop the proposed pipeline called the Patriot Extension.
Duke Energy wants to build the pipeline beginning in Wythe County with it traveling through Carroll, Patrick, and Henry Counties before ending in Rockingham County North Carolina.
[SOT 51:10]
[IN Q=Duke Energy says ]
((JUSTIN McLEOD/REPORTING: DUKE ENERGY SAYS 87-PERCENT OF THE PIPELINE IS ALREADY CONTRACTED OUT FOR LONG TERM USE AND MOST OF THAT WOULD STAY RIGHT HERE IN VIRGINIA. BUT OPPONENTS ARGUE IN TERMS OF NEED THE PIPELINE WOULD DO VERY LITTLE TO BENEFIT THE INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES ALONG THE ROUTE.))
[Runs= 14]
[OUT=along the route]

Supporters of the proposed pipeline beg to differ.
They argue if you build it, they will come.
[SOT 37:23]
[IN Q=The pipeline may]
((EDD MARTIN/STUART'S VICE-MAYOR: THE PIPELINE MAY GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTRACT SOME INDUSTRY WE DON'T HAVE NOW.))
[Runs= 05]
[OUT Q=we don't have now]

Before the project can move forward, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission must first give the project the ok.
More than four thousand residents have signed a petition asking the commission to reject the current route.
Opponents are now asking Duke to build the pipeline through existing easements.
[SOT 1:05:14]
[IN Q=We intend to fight it]
((RON MEADOWS/OPPONENT: WE INTEND TO FIGHT IT JUST AS LONG AS WE POSSIBLY CAN.))
[Runs= 04]
[OUT Q=as we possibly can]

That fight may end up in the state and federal courts.
More than 300 landowners say the only way Duke will get their land is through eminent domain.
Justin McLeod, News 7, Patrick County.))
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[graphic=none]

Duke Energy says it hopes to begin negotiations with landowners sometime this spring.

[11Power-Plant]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-06 TC-17:03]
[GRAPHIC=none]

A proposed natural gas power plant in Danville has received approval from the State Corporation Commission.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville/April, 2001]

There's just one snag, the original builder has pulled out of the project.
The Mirant (Mirr-ent) Corporation recently canceled plans to build the plant citing the global recession and falling energy prices.
The company is working with the City of Danville to find another buyer for the project.
The plant would be built just east of the airport in the Airside Industrial Park.
(------------)

[Enron]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Enron Invest.]

Lawmakers say getting to the bottom of Enron's collapse has been like pulling teeth.
And this week, it's not expected to get any easier.
Former chairman Kenneth Lay still refuses to talk.
Jennifer Jones has the latest.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Washington, DC; :00]
[SUPER=03-Houston, TX/File Tape; :25]
[SUPER=01-Jennifer Jones/Reporting; 1:30]
[RUNS=1:50]
[OUT Q=Jones, CBS News, Washington.]
((
(PKG)

IF THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS -- GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF THE ENRON COLLAPSE WILL BE A MONUMENTAL TASK. BECAUSE TOP OFFICIALS WON'T TALK.

(nats..i take the fifth...i exercise my right..etc)
LAST WEEK, A PARADE OF FORMER AND CURRENT ENRON EXECUTIVES INVOKED THEIR FIFTH AMENDMENT RIGHT -- REFUSING TO TESTIFY. THIS WEEK -- EX-CHIEF KENNETH LAY, WILL APPARENTLY FOLLOW SUIT. A SPOKESWOMAN SAYS LAY WILL ALSO PLEAD THE FIFTH.

(same tape - nats..gavel)
SO LAWMAKERS, WHO WERE HOPING LAY WOULD SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE ENRON MESS, WILL BE LEFT IN THE DARK. RELYING ON OTHER WITNESSES, TO ANSWER THE MANY QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN. BUT THOSE WHO HAVE TESTIFIED -- HAVEN'T SAID MUCH.

(nats..skilling- 'i can't remember, i can't remember, i can't remember.')

LAY'S SUCCESSOR, C-E-O JEFFREY SKILLING, WAS GRILLED BY CONGRESS -- BUT SERVED UP LITTLE INFORMATION. SOME LAWMAKERS ARE EVEN QUESTIONING WHETHER HIS TESTIMONY WAS TRUE. HIS LAWYER SAYS HE WAS OPEN AND HONEST, AND HAS NOTHING TO HIDE.

(nats..enron company)
BUT INVESTIGATORS SAY THEY 'HAVE UNCOVERED EVIDENCE' OF DECEPTION WITHIN ENRON. COMPANY EXECUTIVES SOLD LARGE AMOUNTS OF STOCK -- AND STOPPED EMPLOYEES FROM SELLING SHARES IN THEIR 401 K PLANS. ENRON OFFICALS MAY SOON HAVE 'NOTHING TO DO' WITH THE COMPANY'S EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT PLAN. ...AS THE LABOR DEPARTMENT WORKS TO REPLACE THEM, WITH INDEPENDENT EXPERTS.

(STANDUP)
AS FOR KENNETH LAY -- IT TOOK A SUBPEONA TO BRING HIM BEFORE CONGRESS. AND IT WOULD LIKELY TAKE PROTECTION AGAINST PROSECUTION -- TO GET HIM TO TALK. BUT LAWMAKERS SAY THEY WILL NOT CONSIDER GRANTING LAY IMMUNITY -- BECAUSE THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT'S CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION CONTINUES. JENNIFER JONES, CBS NEWS, WASHINGTON.

))[India-Pearl]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

India's Prime Minister denies his country had anything to do with the kidnapping of American journalist Daniel Pearl.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Punjab, India;]

He made the statement at an election rally, after Pakistan's President accused India of playing a role in last month's kidnapping.
Pakistan's leader, (pur-VEHZ') ( moo-SHAH'-ruhv) Pervez Musharraf told "The Washington Post" on Friday that Indian intelligence agencies are suspected of involvement in the Pearl kidnapping.
Meanwhile, relations are tense between India and Pakistan.
They're locked in a bitter dispute over the region of Kashmir.
(------------)

[11Montvale-Bridge]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-09 TC-14:57]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Repairs continue on a bridge in Bedford County.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Montvale]

The bridge is located over Goose Creek on Route 460 in Montvale.
That section of road closed last month after a tanker involved in an accident hit both sides of the guard rail, knocking sections out.
V-Dot is taking this opportunity to make the guard rails safer by extending them.
Officials say they are waiting on several parts and hope to have the bridge open to all traffic within the next two weeks.
(------------)

[11Patrick-School]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=01-57 TC-1:20:32]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Plans to build a new school are getting attention in Patrick County.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Stuart]

The school board wants to build a middle school, arguing the current elementary schools are overcrowded.
The Board of Supervisors recently decided to put a referendum on the November ballot asking residents whether they want to build it.
The project would cost more than 13 million dollars.
And some residents are opposed to any increase in taxes to pay for a middle school.
The school board wants to have the new facility opened by the 2004 school year.
(------------)

[11Henry-Schools]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-07 TC-18:09]
[GRAPHIC=Henry Co. Consolidation]

In Henry County, the issue is not whether to build schools, but whether to close some.
The school board recently voted on a controversial reconfiguration plan that would close and consolidate several schools.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Henry Co.]

Under the current plan, Laurel Park High School would become a middle school next year.
But now the school's booster club is offering a bailout that could add up to more than a million dollars.
The boosters have proposed helping to fund the school system's projected deficit.
The only catch, the school board must keep Laurel Park as a high school and Axton Middle as a middle school.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:16:47]
[IN Q=I think its investing]
((ARDYS WINSLOW/LAUREL PARK BOOSTER CLUB: I THINK IT'S INVESTING BACK INTO OUR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION AND INVESTING BACK INTO THIS COMMUNITY. THIS IS A COMMUNITY SCHOOL, A COMMUNITY NEIGHBOR, AND A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESSES DEPEND ON A HIGH SCHOOL BEING HERE FOR REVENUE AND IF YOU CUT THE SMALL BUSINESS REVENUE YOU CUT THE STATE TAX REVENUE WHICH IMPACTS THE SCHOOL SYSTEM EVEN MORE.))
[SUPER=01-Ardys Winslow/Laurel Park Booster Club]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=even more]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Winslow says the boosters raised one point seven million dollars last year.
The school board has agreed to look into the proposal.
The school system first wants to investigate whether the plan is legal.
(------------)

[11Voting]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=02-11 TC-4:46]
[GRAPHIC=Voting]
New lines will affect some registered voters in Roanoke County.
(------------)
[VO-NAT - :28]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]
The registrars office is mailing more than 14-thousand new voter registration cards because of congressional redistricting. LAST year, the registrar's office sent out more than 50-thousand cards to voters in the county. But the congressional lines of the sixth and ninth districts were redrawn in December, so some of those cards are now obsolete. For the most part, redistricting should affect voters in Northern Roanoke County, Catawba, and part of the Poages Mill area.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 50:07]
[IN Q=If you get a new voter...]
((DIANE ST. JOHN/ROANOKE COUNTY REGISTRAR; IF YOU GET A NEW VOTER CARD THAT AFFECTS YOUR AREA, PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THE NOTICE INSIDE THE CARD, EXPLAINING IF YOU WENT FROM THE 6TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT TO THE NINTH, OR THE NINTH TO THE SIXTH, AND YOU SHOULD REPLACE YOUR OLD VOTER CARD AND PUT THIS ONE IN ITS PLACE AND USE IT FOR VOTER ID ON ELECTION DAY.))
[SUPER=01-Diane St. John/Roanoke County Registrar; :]
[RUNS=20]
[OUT Q=voter I-D on election day.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT - :10+]
Roanoke County added a Wildwood precinct at the Fort Lewis Elementary School. Also, the precinct in Glenvar will now be held at Glenvar Middle School, instead of Glenvar Elementary.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=none]
The new voter registration cards should be out in the mail early this week. If you have questions you can call the Roanoke County registrar.

(Kimberly tosses to bump)

[bump-chyron]

[comm #3]

[Wildfires]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Wildfires]

Firefighters in southern California are battling two major wildfires--
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Fallbrook, CA;]

Last night, the fires continued to burn in Fallbrook- just 60 miles north of San Diego.
Earlier in the day, flames engulfed more than 30 homes, many valued at over a half- million dollars.
What started as a brush fire quickly consumed more than two- thousand acres, as winds gusted up to 80 miles an hour.

Hundreds of residents have been forced to evacuate.
[SUPER=03-Near Anaheim, CA;]

Meanwhile, a blaze near Anaheim began Saturday night, and quickly doubled in size from 600- acres to around 14- hundred.
(------------)

[1st-Business]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=ckor]
[TAPE#=NET]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]

In business news this morning, there's been a slight increase in gas prices over the past couple of weeks. And 1 in 4 people are content with living in an apartmart.
Here's Nathan Roberts with a look at the morning's top business stories..
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Nathan Roberts/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:21]
[OUT Q=in Washington.]
(( GOOD MORNING THIS MONDAY THE ELEVENTH OF FEBRUARY.
HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS MORNING.
--------------------------

WE'RE PAYING MORE TO FILL UP THE TANK... BUT JUST A LITTLE BIT.
ANALYST TRILBY LUNDBERG SAYS GAS PRICES ROSE LESS THAN HALF A CENT PER GALLON OVER THE LAST TWO WEEKS.
AS OF FRIDAY, A GALLON OF SELF-SERVE REGULAR AVERAGES A DOLLAR-ELEVEN.
MID-GRADE RINGS UP AT A DOLLAR-21, WITH PREMIUM AT A DOLLAR-30.
LUNDBERG SAYS PRICES WILL LIKELY STAY LOW.. DESPITE AN AGREEMENT BY OIL PRODUCING NATIONS TO CUT PRODUCTION.
--------------------------

ANOTHER WEEK... ANOTHER NO FROM FORMER ENRON C-E-O KENNETH LAY.
HE SAYS HE WILL NOT TESTIFY BEFORE THE SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE TOMORROW... INSTEAD ASSERTING HIS RIGHT AGAINST SELF-INCRIMINATION.
-------------------------- THE LABOR DEPARTMENT MEANWHILE WANTS TO
KICK ENRON OFF OF A COMMITTEE THAT OVERSEES THE COMPANY'S EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT PLAN.
THE GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN NEGOTIATING WITH ENRON LAWYERS FOR A MONTH TO REPLACE ENRON EXECUTIVES WITH AN INDEPENDENT REPRESENTATIVE.
--------------------------

WALL STREET STARTS THE WEEK UP .....
ALL THREE MAJOR INDICES SCORED GAINS FRIDAY...
--------------------------

IT'S NOT HIGH MORTGAGE COSTS THAT KEEP PEOPLE IN APARTMENTS... SOME JUST LIKE THE LIFESTYLE.
A NEW SURVEY FROM THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOME BUILDERS SHOWS THAT ONE IN FOUR PEOPLE NATIONWIDE LIVE IN APARTMENT COMMUNITIES... AND SAY COST, LOCATION AND DESIGN KEEP THEM THERE.
ODDLY, THOSE ARE THE SAME THREE REASONS WHY HOME BUYERS OFTEN PICK THEIR SPECIFIC HOUSES...
--------------------------

AND THAT'S YOUR FIRST BUSINESS CHECK OF THE MORNING'S TOP BUSINESS HAPPENINGS..
I'M NATHAN ROBERTS IN WASHINGTON.))

(tape tosses to stocks)
[STOCKS] [COMM]

[11Hinson]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]
A South Boston man is facing federal attempted murder, drug, and firearms charges. 60 year old Leo Hinson was arrested Thursday, following a lengthy investigation. Police say the probe revealed an organization involved in murder, money laundering, drug distribution, and alleged corruption of public officials and law enforcement officers. Hinson is being held without bond in the Roanoke City Jail. Authorities say additional drug and firearms charges may be filed.

[11USS-Cole]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=02-10 TC-1:58]
[GRAPHIC=USS Cole]
Family members of the victims of the U-S-S Cole bombing may seek monetary compensation.
(------------)
[VO-NAT 00-36 59:19 ]
[SUPER=04-File Tape; ]
About two- dozen family members met yesterday in Richmond with attorneys hoping to lobby Congress for a compensation fund. 17- sailors died in the October 12th terrorist attack-- including Pittsylvania County native, Timothy Saunders.
(------------)