WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 04/04/02

[7-11Clower]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=jmi/tha]
[TAPE#=02-13 TC30:57]
[GRAPHIC=Sid Clower]
New information has come about in the embezzlement case involving Henry County administrator Sid Clower. Sources close to the investigation say Clower used some of the money he allegedly embezzled to pay child support for an illegitimate child. Yesterday, the court ordered a D-N-A sample taken from Clower-- Source say this is to confirm Clower is indeed the child's father. Sources also tell NEWS 7 that the child's mother was instrumental in initiating the criminal investigation.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Patrick Co.]

At a bond hearing in Patrick County this morning, the prosecution said Clower set up a blind mailbox to which Public Service Authority checks were sent.
From there, they allege Clower deposited those checks into his own bank account.
The state has four witnesses ready to testify against him in a July trial.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[tc:00:28:03]
[IN Q=If I'm wrong]
((DON CALDWELL/SPECIAL PROSECUTOR: IF I'M WRONG THEN I APOLOGIZE, EVERYBODY WILL HAVE A GOOD LAUGH AND WE'LL GO HOME. BUT IT APPEARS TO BE A RELATIVELY UNSOPHISTICATED SCHEME.))
[SUPER=01-Don Caldwell/Special Prosecutor]
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=unsophisticated scheme.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Clower arrived at his bond hearing with his arm in a sling... an injury he suffered when police tackled him last week as he threatened to commit suicide with a handgun.
His defense attorney claims his mood is quite different now.
[SOT]
[tc:00:30:40]
[IN Q=He's upbeat]
((SCOTT AUSTIN/DEFESNE ATTORNEY: HE'S UPBEAT HE'S DOING VERY WELL. HE'S MOTIVATED READY TO GET GOING ON THAT TO PROVE THESE ALLEGATIONS ARE FALSE.))
[SUPER=01-Scott Austin/Defense Attorney]
[RUNS=11]
[OUT Q=are false.]
(------------)
[Anchor=Kim]
[SS=HOLD]
Clower is under house arrest this morning, out of jail on 100 thousand dollars bond. Because Clower was such an influential manager in Henry County, a change of venue is possible.

[7-11Standoff]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=02-09 TC55:28]
[GRAPHIC=Standoff]
A man threatening to kill himself during a police standoff caused authorities to evacuate the neighborhood in Christiansburg.
They were evacuated before police say 43-year-old Kelly Walter Poe shot himself inside a trailer at the Dogwood Mobile Home Park.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg;]
At around noon yesterday police surrounded the area and evacuated 20-families when told about the suicide threat. Officials say, when negotiations with Poe were unsuccessful, a tactical team used tear gas to enter the residence. Poe was found with a fatal gunshot wound. The police department says none of the officers fired a shot. Residents were able to return home at around 2:45.
(------------)

[7-Advance-Auto]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Advance Auto]

A local company is moving up among America's top companies.
Roanoke Valley's Advance Auto Parts has been named to the Fortune one thousand list. It is listed as number 578 in the nation-wide business magazine.
The company went public last year and now has 24-hundred stores in 38 states.
Advance placed below Reader's Digest and above Scientific America on the list.

[45-11Meningitis]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=02-10 TC33:54]
[GRAPHIC=Meningitis]

A Virginia Tech freshman has bacterial meningitis, and is in critical condition at the University of Virginia Medical Center.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :18]
Health officials say 18-year-old Rayna Dubose is receiving aggressive treatment.
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]
Tech students experiencing meningitis symptoms, such as headaches, nausea, high fever and body aches are encouraged to seek treatment. But officials say the chances of the infection spreading are low....
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 15:43:34]
[IN Q=it's spread ]
((DR. TOM RYAN/VT MEDICAL DIRECTOR; IT'S SPREAD BY SECRETION FROM THE NOSE AND THROAT SO IT REALLY TAKES FAIRLY CLOSE AND INTIMATE CONTACT TO BE EXPOSED TO THOSE SECRETIONS SO PEOPLE WHO HAVE CASUAL CONTACT FRIENDS CLASSMATES....SAYING HELLO ARE NOT AT ANY INCREASED RISK AT ALL.))
[SUPER=01-Dr. Tom Ryan/Virginia Tech Medical Director;]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=INTIMATE CONTACT.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Officials say people who have been in close contact with DuBose are being treated with antibiotics.
(------------)

[45-11Redistricting]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=02-15 TC43:24]
[GRAPHIC=VA Redistricting]
Democrats and Republicans can now begin appealing to the state Supreme Court about a judge's ruling. A Salem judge issued the final order to his ruling, that the state's 2001 redistricting plan was racially determined.

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem/File Tape]

Judge Richard Pattisall's final decree and judgment wraps up his involvement in a Democratic lawsuit.
It challenges the Republican-drawn re-apportionment of the House of Delegates and state Senate districts.
Pattisall found that the re-alignment unconstitutionally packed election precincts dominated by Democratic-leaning black voters together in bizarrely shaped, far-flung districts.
His initial decision touched off weeks of partisan conflict and intrigues at the highest levels of state government.
(------------)

[45-Ferrell]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=02-03 TC1:03:18]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Bedford County's prosecutor is still debating over whether to press charges against a woman who allegedly shot herself, but told police she'd been shot by a stranger.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co./March 20]

44- year- old Linda Ferrell walked into the China Royal restaurant on March 20th and told employees an unidentified white male had shot her in the chest.
Police from three jurisdictions responded to search for the suspect, but it was later determined Ferrell had tried to commit suicide.
Commonwealth's attorney Randy Krantz says Ferrell is still undergoing a psychiatric evaluation and he's not sure whether she'll be found competent to stand trial.
If she is, Ferrell could be charged with filing a false police report.
(------------)

[8-11Standoff]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Am Cutin]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=02-09 TC55:28]
[GRAPHIC=Standoff]
Police say 43-year-old Kelly Walter Poe shot himself inside a trailer at the Dogwood Mobil Home Park.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg;]
At around noon yesterday police surrounded the area and evacuated 20-families when told about the suicide threat. Officials say, when negotiations with Poe were unsuccessful, a tactical team used tear gas to enter the residence. Poe was found with a fatal gunshot wound. The police department says none of the officers fired a shot. Residents were able to return home at around 2:45.
(------------)

[8-11Flood-Aid]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM cutin]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=02-06 TC1:06:56]
[GRAPHIC=Flood Relief]

After flooding damaged homes and businesses in Southwest Virginia -- - the federal government is offering assistance to nine affected counties.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-Last Month]

President Bush has granted a major disaster declaration for these counties: Dickinson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington and Wise as well as the city of Norton.
The declaration makes grants and loans available for eligible residents and businesses- it'll cover uninsured losses and pay for repairs.
It also makes housing assistance available.
The federal government will also help pay for efforts to prevent future flood damage.
(------------)

[8-11Kizer-School]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=02-05 TC1:18:32]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Lynchburg's smallest elementary school will soon be ringing its last bell.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

Tuesday - the school board voted 7-to-2 to close Elizabeth Kizer Elementary at the end of the school year.
Board members said the school system will save several hundred thousand dollars by closing the school and laying off 17 teachers citywide.
The city's schools are facing a 750-thousand dollar budget shortfall this year.
[SUPER=04-October 1999; :20]

Parents, students and teachers have been fighting against the closure for years.
The issue first came up in 1999 when school officials discussed closing Kizer or combining its students with those at Dearington Elementary.
The school's principal and president of the Parent-Teacher Organization declined to comment on the closure.
(------------)

[8-ITT]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=02-]
[GRAPHIC=ITT]
Roanoke City Police have gotten a helpful gift from a local business.
(------------)
[VO-NAT - :23+]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
I-T-T Industries is lending the department a dozen night vision goggles and accessories.
It's all part of the city's Homland Defense Initiative, and will be used in case of emergencies, and everyday law enforcement, if neccessary. Police say the gift will help keep officers safe at night, and in low light situations. (------------) The night vision equipment will be available for surrounding law enforcement agencies if needed.