WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 03/07/02

[7-11XGR-Budget]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=01-56 TC1:55:36]
[GRAPHIC=VA Budget]

House and Senate negotiators say they've settled the major budget issues that were holding them up.
The budget package reportedly includes modest pay raises and bonuses for state employees and teachers, and some money for museums and cultural groups that found themselves at the core of the budget debate.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]

Tuesday's midnight deadline came and went, and budget negotiations between the House and Senate eventually stalled over funding for the non-state agencies.
The House had included 24- million dollars for a number of groups, including more than 20 in western Virginia... but the Senate said the money was needed elsewhere.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Well I hope]
((SEN. WILLIAM WAMPLER: WELL I HOPE COOLER HEADS WILL PREVAIL AND WE'LL TRY TO LOOK AT IT VERY OBJECTIVELY AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL COME TO AN AGREEMENT THAT WILL MEET THE MUSTER OF BOTH HOUSES.)) ((DEL. VIC THOMAS: WE DON'T WANT ANY FIASCOS LIKE WE HAD LAST YEAR. WE CERTAINLY DON'T WANT THAT. I THINK WE WILL BE ABLE TO GET SOMETHING DONE.))
[SUPER=01-Sen. William Wampler/(R) Bristol; :00]
[SUPER=@thomas; :10]
[RUNS=:19]
[OUT Q=able to get something done.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The budget compromise reportedly includes about 13- million dollars for non- state agencies, but only about half of that will go to cultural groups. A state commission will decide how that money is distributed.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=VA Budget]

More details are expected today as the budget conferees brief other lawmakers. The full House and Senate are expected to vote on the budget Saturday.

[7-11Optical-Cable]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=01-57 TC1:50:21]
[GRAPHIC=Optical Cable]
Optical Cable Corporation has cleared a hurdle.
Two major Wall Street brokerage firms have dropped their lawsuits against the company.
The suits demanded Optical Cable hand over stock to pay back debts incurred by former President Bob Kopstein.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[PRE PRO PAGE 2]
In other company news.. the annual shareholder meeting is Tuesday.
Reporters are invited, but there is no word yet on whether cameras will be allowed inside.
Corporate executives haven't decided about a shareholder "question answer" period either.
Optical Cable reported yesterday that sales were down six MILLION dollars from last year.
(------------)

[7-11Advance-Auto]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Advance Auto]

Nine million shares of Roanoke's Advance Auto Parts are up for grabs.
About two million are coming from the company treasury.
The rest are being offered by three major shareholders.
Advance Auto closed at 43 dollars and 60 cents a share yesterday.

[45-11Haleos]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=02-02 TC57:13]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Montgomery County is footing the bill for lease payments of a local high-tech company.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :21.5]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]
Haleos in Blacksburg is getting help from the board of supervisors. They advanced 250-thousand dollars to the county's industrial development authority for lease payments to the bank.
Haleos is a struggling fiber optic company working to secure long-term funding for survival. A county spokesman says the county is protecting its investment and would like Haleos to stay.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 15:43:38 - :51]
[IN Q= WE feel its]
((ROBERT PARKER/MONTGOMERY CO. SPOKESMAN; WE FEEL ITS A GOOD MATCH FOR THE BUILDING A GOOD MATCH FOR THE ECONOMY IF THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN FOR ANY REASON THE COUNTY WILL SEEK TO BRING IN ANOTHER TENANT OR PURCHASER SIMILAR ATTRACTIVENESS CLEAN INDUSTRY LOTS OF INVESTMENT LOTS OF JOBS, HIGH PAYING JOBS.))
[SUPER=01-Robert Parker/Montgomery Co. Spokesman;]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=HIGH PAYING JOBS.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The Haleos building is owned by the I-D-A and was built in conjunction with the county in 19-98. Haleos officials say they're appreciative of the board's actions and they're still working to secure long-term funding to stay in business. The company's 85-employees are currently furloughed.
(------------)

[45-11UVA-Investigation]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Am Cutin]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=UVA]

Thirty-eight students have been forced to leave the University of Virginia, after a yearlong plagiarism investigation proved the students were guilty.
The school's honor committee states that of the 157 students accused of copying term papers in a physics class, 13 were found guilty.
25 admitted guilt and left school on their own.
Twenty students still await trial.
The class' professor started referring students to the committee in April, after a homemade computer program found duplicated phrases in his students' work during the past five semesters.

[45-11Thomas-Road]

[ANCHOR=Kimblery]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=01-62 TC1:48:38]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A group of Lynchburg residents is battling the law for the sake of the church. The Reverend Jerry Falwell and his congregation are challenging the limits on how much property a church can own.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

Falwell is suing the state over archaic laws that prevent churches from incorporating and owning more than 15 acres of land.
Members of Thomas Road Baptist Church voted Sunday to incorporate and take title to 150 acres of land where they want to build a new sanctuary.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:50:31]
[IN Q=So we're saying]
((JERRY FALWELL JR./LIBERTY COUNSEL: SO WE'RE SAYING TO THE JUDGE, WE VOTED TO INCORPORATE, THE STATE CORPORATION COMMISSION WON'T ALLOW US TO INCORPORATE. WE VOTED TO TAKE TITLE TO THE PROPERTY BUT WE CAN'T GET CLEAR TITLE BECAUSE OF THESE LAWS, SO PLEASE GIVE US SOME RELIEF.))
[SUPER=01-Jerry Falwell, Jr./Liberty Counsel]
[RUNS=15]
[OUT Q=give us some relief.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

A hearing in the case is set for later this month.
(------------)

[8-11XGR-Budget]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Am Cutin]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=01-56 TC1:55:36]
[GRAPHIC=VA Budget]
House and Senate negotiators say they have agreed on solutions to the major issues that divided them.
But, not before they missed a deadline.
The budget package reportedly includes modest pay raises and bonuses for state employees and teachers, as well as money for the cultural groups and museums that found themselves at the center of the budget debate..
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]

Tuesday's midnight deadline came and went, and budget negotiations between the House and Senate eventually stalled over funding for the non-state agencies.
The House had included 24- million dollars for a number of groups, including more than 20 in western Virginia... but the Senate said the money was needed elsewhere.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Well I hope]
((SEN. WILLIAM WAMPLER: WELL I HOPE COOLER HEADS WILL PREVAIL AND WE'LL TRY TO LOOK AT IT VERY OBJECTIVELY AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL COME TO AN AGREEMENT THAT WILL MEET THE MUSTER OF BOTH HOUSES.)) ((DEL. VIC THOMAS: WE DON'T WANT ANY FIASCOS LIKE WE HAD LAST YEAR. WE CERTAINLY DON'T WANT THAT. I THINK WE WILL BE ABLE TO GET SOMETHING DONE.))
[SUPER=01-Sen. William Wampler/(R) Bristol; :00]
[SUPER=@thomas; :10]
[RUNS=:19]
[OUT Q=able to get something done.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The budget compromise reportedly includes about 13- million dollars for non- state agencies, but only about about half of that will go to cultural groups. A state commission will decide how that money is distributed.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=VA Budget]

More details are expected today as the budget conferees brief other lawmakers. The full House and Senate are expected to vote on the budget Saturday.

[8-VOB-Glasgow-Chickens]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=none]
A Glasgow woman is ruffling some feathers over an ordinance that forbids residents from keeping or raising chickens in town limits.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Glasgow;]
Marie Moore was told she has 60- days to find new homes for her 30- or so chickens and ducks. In May of 2000, the town passed an ordinance forbidding chickens and ducks in town limits. The Moores were able to get by until a neighbor complained.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=You know]
((YOU KNOW YOU CAN GO TO THE STORE AND BUY EGGS BUT SOME PEOPLE ENJOY FRESH CHICKEN EGGS I HAVE BROWN ONES, I HAVE WHITE ONES AND I HAVE GREEN ONES YOU KNOW BUT THEY WANT THESE.))
[SUPER=01-Marie Moore/Glasgow Homeowner;]
[RUNS=15]
[OUT Q=but these want these.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The Moores are planning to appeal in hopes of keeping what they say are more like family pets. They say they should be able to keep them because they were raising the birds in their back yard before the ordinance was passed. (------------)