[11Fitzgerald]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin']
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=02-11 TC34:30]
[SS=Legal Scales]
When Ellen Marie Schenker was killed in a head-on collision back in November, state police said it was because a drunk driver hit her.
That WOULD have made it William Fitzgerald's THIRD drunk driving arrest in 10 years -- allowing prosecutors to charge him with felony murder.
As Marya Jones reports, Schenker's family watched Fitzgerald go free yesterday ... in part, because of a judge's omission.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=William Fitzgerald]
[SUPER=03-Rocky Mount; :00]
[SUPER=01-David Nixon/Fitzgerald's Attorney; :22]
[SUPER=@Marya1; 1:20]
[RUNS=1:33]
[OUT Q=MJN7, Rocky Mount.]
(( William Fitzgerald wheeled out of court a free man, after a judge dismissed murder and drunk driving charges against him.
Judge George Jones said that because Roanoke County judge George Harris convicted him of a previous drunk driving offense, but did NOT mark a box on paper saying he was guilty, the charges of murder during a THIRD D-U-I could NOT stand.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 36:22 - :28]
((DAVID NIXON: THE GENERAL DISTRICT JUDGE DID NOT MARK IT AS A CONVICTION AND AS LONG AS IT'S NOT MARKED AS A CONVICTION, IT CAN NOT BE COUNTED AGAINST HIM.))
[RUNS:06]
On November 2nd, state police say Fitzgerald stuck Ellen Marie Schenker head on ... killing her and injuring her son Tommy.
The accident happened just seven hours after he was released from jail for drunk driving.
State police found alcohol in his car.
Witnesses today said his blood alcohol level was .01 -- well below the legal limit of .08.
His attorneys say the wreck was the result of improper medication.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 37:56 - 38:05]
((DAVID NIXON: WE THINK THAT WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS CASE IS HE MERELY PASSED OUT, HE FAINTED AT THE WHEEL DUE TO THE LIBRIUM HE WAS PRESCRIBED BY A DOCTOR.))
[RUNS:09]
Schenker's husband and sons left the hearing disheartened.
Ron Schenker says: "I'm in total disgust that the man is now walking free that killed my wife because a judge didn't check a box that said he was convicted.... Courts work on technicalities and guilty people go free."
[SU 46:40 - :53]
((MARYA JONES/NEWS-7: THOUGH PROSECUTORS SAY THE JUDGE'S DECISION RULES OUT THE POSSIBILITY OF SEEKING A MURDER OR DUI CHARGE, THEY WOULD NOT RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY THAT THEY MIGHT SEEK A GRAND JURY INDICTMENT ON OTHER CHARGES LATER ON. MJNT, ROCKY MOUNT.))
[RUNS:13]))
[11Clower]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin']
[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 yesterday 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, out of jail on 100 thousand dollars bond.
Because Clower was such an influential manager in Henry County, a change of venue is possible.
[11Standoff]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin']
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=02-09 TC55:28]
[GRAPHIC=Standoff]
A neighborhood in Christiansburg was evacuated when a man threatened to kill himself in a tense standoff -
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.
(------------)
[Afghanistan]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=War on Terrorism]
Making international news this morning--
Afghanistan says it's foiled a coup plot, with the arrests of hundreds of people linked to a hard-line Islamic group.
A security official in Kabul says 350 people have been arrested.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Guantanamo Bay, Cuba;]
Meanwhile, the Pentagon confirms the U-S may have a second American Taliban in custody.
A detainee held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba told authorities he was born in Louisiana.
U-S officials have uncovered what appears to be a corresponding birth certificate in Baton Rouge.
The man was captured after a prison revolt in November.
(------------)
[Mid-East]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Israeli troops have broadened their military offensive in the West Bank.
Hundreds of Palestinians remain holed up in a historic church in Bethlehem, refusing to surrender.
And Egypt cuts most of his diplomatic ties to Israel.
Teri Okita has a wrap-up.
(///// SOT /////)
[IN Q=Israel widened its]
[SUPER=03-Nablus, West Bank; :00]
[SUPER=03-Bethlehem; :09]
[SUPER=01-Raanan Gissen/Israeli Government Spokesman; :22]
[SUPER=01-Ahmed Korei/Palestinian Legislative Council; 1:00]
[SUPER=01-Ari Fleischer/White House Press Secretary; 1:16]
[SUPER=01-Teri Okita/Reporting; 1:30]
[RUNS=1:41]
[OUT Q=Okita, CBS News, Washington.]
((
ISRAEL WIDENED ITS MILITARY ASSAULT WEDNESDAY, BY ROLLING TANKS INTO
NABLUS -- THE LARGEST CITY IN THE WEST BANK.
THERE, ISRAELI TROOPS AND ARMED PALESTINIANS ENGAGED IN HEAVY FIGHTING
... AS THEY HAVE BEEN FOR TWO STRAIGHT DAYS IN THE HOLY TOWN OF
BETHLEHEM.
(NAT - HELICOPTER FLARES)
ISRAELI HELICOPTERS TRIED TO WARD OFF POSSIBLE MISSILE ATTACKS, WHILE
HUNDREDS OF PALESTINIANS REMAINED HOLED UP IN THE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY
-- ONE OF CHRISTIANITY'S MOST SACRED SITES.
(SOT RAANAN GISSEN, ISRAELI GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN)
They return to their old practice of trying to use churches and
holy sites in Bethlehem as a refuge and as bases from which they
can attack our forces.
CLERGYMEN -- OFFERING TO HELP END THE STANDOFF -- WERE TURNED AWAY AT AN
ISRAELI CHECKPOINT.
(SOT - ANGLICAN BISHOP/NO NAME GIVEN)
"We are here to make peace."
WITH NEARLY ALL OF THE MAJOR WEST BANK TOWNS NO LONGER UNDER PALESTINIAN
CONTROL, ISRAELI SOLDIERS PATROLLED DESERTED STREETS -- AND ENFORCED
STRICT CURFEWS.
(SOT: AHMED KOREI/PALESTINIAN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL) -- 14:36:21
"What we are facing is the most brutal terror that is state organized
terror from the Israeli side."
SHOWING A SLIGHT CHANGE IN POLICY, THE WHITE HOUSE SAID PRESIDENT BUSH
WOULD BE OPEN TO DISCUSSING A MIDEAST PEACE DEAL ... WHETHER OR NOT A
CEASEFIRE WAS REACHED.
(SOT: ARI FLEISCHER/WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY)
"The President remains committed to both a political solution and to a
dimunition of the violence."
(NAT - PROTEST)
MEANWHILE, TENSIONS HEATED UP AROUND THE REGION ... AND EGYPT ANNOUNCED
IT WAS SUSPENDING MOST OF ITS DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH ISRAEL.
(STANDUP)
FACED WITH MOUNTING PRESSURE TO INTERVENE, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN
POWELL SAYS HE'S NOW CONSIDERING WHETHER TO MEET WITH ISRAELI AND ARAB
LEADERS DURING A TRIP TO EUROPE NEXT WEEK.
TERI OKITA, CBS NEWS, WASHINGTON.
))[Marketwatch]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=NET]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]
In business news,
Unrest in the Mid-East doesn't stop crude oil prices from falling.
Alexis Christoforous has that story and more in this morning's Marketwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=as the market]
[SUPER=01-Alexis Christoforous/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:32]
[OUT Q=your local stocks]
((AS THE MARKET TRIES TO PICK ITSELF UP OUT OF A SLUMP, INVESTORS WILL BE
GREETED WITH SOME GOOD NEWS FROM DELL COMPUTER.
(gr)
AFTER THE CLOSING BELL, DELL REPEATED ITS PROFIT TARGET FOR THE FIRST
QTR OF
16 CENTS A SHARE. AS FOR REVENUE, DELL SAID SALES SHOLD ONLY DECLINE 2
PERCENT INSTEAD OF THE
PREVIOUS 3-5 PERCENT FORECAST.
(oc)
DELL IS SCHEDULED TO HOLD ITS SEMI ANNUAL ANALYST CONFERENCE LATER TODAY.
(gr)
BUT DRUGMAKER BRISTOL MYERS LOWERED TIS PROFIT FORECASTS FOR THE FIRST
QTR
AND THE FULL YEAR.
(oc)
THE STOCK MARKET'S LOSING STREAK CONTINUED AS THE FIGHTING IN THE MIDDLE
EAST INTENSIFIES AND THE PROFIT WARNINGS MOUNT.
(gr)
THE DOW CLOCKED ITS FOURTH DOWN DAY OFF 115 POINTS
(gr)
NASDAQ LOST ABOUT 20 POINTS
(oc)
DISPUTE THE UNREST IN THE MIDEAST CRUDE OIL FELL BACK BELOW 28 DOLLARS A
BARREL AFTER A FIVE DAY RALLY. ANALYSTS WORRY THAT A RISE IN OIL PRICES
COULD HAMPER AN ECONOMIC RECOVERY.
DEAL MAKING HAS BEEN SLOW IN THE CORPORATE WORLD. ACCORDING TO DATA FROM
DEALOGIC, First quarter merger and acquisition
(gr)
deal flow fell to its lowest level since 1996, DOWN 21 PERCENT. THE
VALUE
OF ANNOUNCED MERGERS AND
ACQUISITIONS CAME IN AT NEARLY 274 BLN DOLLARS IN THE FIRST QTR COMPARED
WITH 496 BLN THE SAME TIME LAST YEAR.
(gr)
TRACK ALL THE PRE-MARKET ACTION AT CBS.MW.COM ... AT THE NASDAQ
(oc)
I'M AC FOR NEWS 7 MORNIN' NOW HERE'S A LOOK AT YOUR LOCAL STOCKS)).
(tape tosses to stocks)
[STOCKS]
[COMM]
[11Redistricting]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin']
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=02-15 TC43:24]
[GRAPHIC=VA Redistricting]
A Salem judge issued the final order to his ruling that the state's 2001 redistricting plan was racially gerrymandered.
That formality allows Democrats and Republicans to begin their appeals to the state Supreme Court.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem/File Tape]
Judge Richard Pattisall's final decree and judgment wraps up his involvement in a Democratic lawsuit challenging the Republican-drawn re-apportionment of House of Delegates and state Senate districts.
Pattisall found the re-alignment unconstitutionally packed election precincts dominated by Democratic-leaning black voters together into bizarrely shaped, far-flung districts.
His initial decision touched off weeks of partisan conflict and intrigues at the highest levels of state government.
(------------)
[11Kizer-School]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin']
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=02-05 TC1:18:32]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The fate of Lynchburg's smallest elementary school has been sealed.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]
Tuesday - the school board 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.
(------------)
(Kimberly tosses to bump)
[bump-chyron]
[comm #3]
[2-11Clower]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin']
[WRITER=jmi/tha]
[TAPE#=02-13 TC30:57]
[GRAPHIC=Sid Clower]
New information has com 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 yesterday 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, out of jail on 100 thousand dollars bond.
Because Clower was such an influential manager in Henry County, a change of venue is possible.
[11Flood-Aid]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin']
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=02-06 TC1:06:56]
[GRAPHIC=Flood Relief]
Nine Southwest Virginia communities ravaged by last month's floods will be getting federal disaster assistance.
(------------)
[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.
(------------)
[1st-Business]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=ckor]
[TAPE#=NET]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]
In business news this morning,
After being hurt by air travel commission cuts - travel agents are getting a now getting a blow from the ground...
Here's Barton Eckert with a look at the morning's top business stories..
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Good Morning]
[SUPER=01-Barton Eckert/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:45]
[OUT Q=in Washington.]
(( SCRIPT:
GOOD MORNING THIS THURSDAY THE 4TH OF APRIL.
HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS MORNING.
-------------------------
TRAVEL AGENTS ARE FEELING SOME MORE 'HERTZ' TODAY...
JUST AFTER AIRLINES DECOMMISSIONED THE "CUT" OF THE ACTION THEY
WERE GIVING TRAVEL AGENTS .. HERTZ-- THE RENTAL CAR AGENCY OWNED BY
FORD- IS DOING THE SAME.
ANALYSTS SAY IF OTHERS FOLLOW, IT COULD REALLY HURT THE SMALLER
AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES...
--------------------------
AFTER A DOWN WEDNESDAY LOOK FOR WALL STREET TO REACT TODAY TO THE
LATEST INITIAL UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS.
ON ASIAN MARKETS OVERNIGHT .. IN TOKYO .. STOCKS UP FOR A TIME
BEFORE FALLING BACK.
--------------------------
MEMBERSHIP IN THE UNITED AUTO WORKERS UNION INCREASED ABOUT 4 1-3
PERCENT LAST YEAR, THAT'S A RANK-AND-FILE GAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN
MORE THAN TWO DECADES.
THE UAW MEMBERSHIP STOOD AT 701,818 AT THE END OF 2001.
UNTIL LAST YEAR MEMBERSHIP, WHICH DECLINED BY ABOUT 12 PERCENT IN
2000, HAD DROPPED STEADILY SINCE 1979, WHEN IT BOASTED 1 1-2 MILLION
MEMBERS.
THE UNION'S DOWN-SIZING HAS LARGELY BEEN DUE TO DETROIT'S BIG
THREE AUTOMAKERS, WHICH HAVE SLOWLY CUT THEIR BLUE-COLLAR WORK FORCES.
-------------------------
THERE'S PLENTY OF MONEY IN THE GAME OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL..
ACCORDING TO THE LATEST TEAM PAYROLL SURVEY.
THE AVERAGE SALARY OF A MAJOR LEAGUE PLAYER IS NOW $2.4 MILLION
DOLLARS. THAT'S $13-THOUSAND A DAY.. ALL SEASON LONG.
ALEX RODRIGUEZ , OF THE TEXAS RANGERS, IS ON TOP AT $22 MILLION.
THE NEW YORK YANKEES HAVE THE LARGEST PAYROLL. .. $26-MILLION.
THAT'S ABOUT FOUR TIMES THAT OF THE LOWEST PAID TEAM.. THE TAMPA
BAY DEVILRAYS.
--------------------------
AND THAT'S YOUR FIRST BUSINESS CHECK ON THE MORNING'S TOP
BUSINESS HAPPENINGS..
I'M BARTON ECKERT IN WASHINGTON.))
(tape tosses to stocks)
[STOCKS]
[COMM]
[11Meningitis]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin']
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=02-10 TC33:54]
[GRAPHIC=Meningitis]
A Virginia Tech freshman is in critical condition with bacterial meningitis 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.
(------------)
[5-Cancer]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin']
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=Mornin' Health Check]
A Virginia Tech professor is playing a role in improving a drug used to treat breast and ovarian cancer.
The medication is an improved version of the drug Taxol.
As Health Check Reporter Joy Sutton tells, it is currently in clinical trials.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=When he's not teaching]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;00]
[SUPER=01-David Kingston/Virginia Tech Professor;12]
[SUPER=@Joy2; :38]
[RUNS=1:10]
[OUT Q=N7 Mornin']
((
When he's not teaching students the fundamentals of chemistry, David Kingston can be found in the lab or in his office working to discover life-saving drugs.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT13:36:20]
[IN Q=It's a tremendously motivating thing to know]
((IT'S A TREMENDOUSLY MOTIVATING THING TO KNOW THAT WHAT I'M DOING IS NOT JUST ACADEMIC SCIENCE BUT HAS BENEFITS FOR PATIENTS AND CANCER SUFFERERS AND SO ON))
[RUNS13]
[OUT Q=and so on]
His contributions to improving the make-up of the cancer drug Taxol could make it more effective.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT13:38:23]
[IN Q=The hope is that the new]
((THE HOPE IS THAT THE NEW DRUGS WILL HAVE BETTER ACTIVITY THAT IS TO SAY THEY'LL BE MORE EFFECTIVE IN TREATING CANCER, FEWER SIDE EFFECTS AND MORE EASILY GIVEN))
[RUNS11]
[OUT Q=easily]
Kingston says just like the yew tree-which is the source of Taxol --there are many potential life-saving compounds locked-up in plants.
That's why he's been collecting plant extracts from the rainforest in hopes of finding more anti-cancer drugs.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT13:41:14]
[IN Q=I think in the future we're going to see]
((I THINK IN THE FUTURE WE'RE GOING TO SEE MUCH MORE SPECIFIC DRUGS THAT TARGET PARTICULAR CANCERS VERY EFFECTIVELY. INSTEAD OF THESE GENERAL DRUGS THAT SORT OF KILL EVERYTHING INCLUDING BAD SIDE EFFECTS ON THE PATIENTS))
[RUNS12]
[OUT Q=side effedts on patients]
I'm Joy Sutton for News 7 Mornin'))
[2-Afghanistan]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=War on Terrorism]
350 people have been arrested in Afghanistan.
Authorities say they're linked to a hard- line Islamic group, and were planning to set off bombs throughout Kabul in the most serious threat yet to the post- Taliban government.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Guantanamo Bay, Cuba;]
Meanwhile, the Pentagon confirms the U-S may have a second American Taliban in custody.
A detainee held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba told authorities he was born in Louisiana.
U-S officials have uncovered what apears to be a corresponding birth certificate in Baton Rouge.
The man was captured after a prison revolt in November.
(------------)
[3-Mid-East]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
The Bush administration is rejecting an international call for the U-S to step aside as the primary mediator in the Middle East.
Secretary of State Colin Powell says he disagrees with European
foreign ministers calling for an international conference
to mediate a peace accord.
That, as Israel bears down harder on the West Bank.
Teri Okita reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Israel widened its]
[SUPER=03-Nablus, West Bank; :00]
[SUPER=03-Bethlehem; :09]
[SUPER=01-Raanan Gissen/Israeli Government Spokesman; :22]
[SUPER=01-Ahmed Korei/Palestinian Legislative Council; 1:00]
[SUPER=01-Ari Fleischer/White House Press Secretary; 1:16]
[SUPER=01-Teri Okita/Reporting; 1:30]
[RUNS=1:41]
[OUT Q=Okita, CBS News, Washington.]
((
ISRAEL WIDENED ITS MILITARY ASSAULT WEDNESDAY, BY ROLLING TANKS INTO
NABLUS -- THE LARGEST CITY IN THE WEST BANK.
THERE, ISRAELI TROOPS AND ARMED PALESTINIANS ENGAGED IN HEAVY FIGHTING
... AS THEY HAVE BEEN FOR TWO STRAIGHT DAYS IN THE HOLY TOWN OF
BETHLEHEM.
(NAT - HELICOPTER FLARES)
ISRAELI HELICOPTERS TRIED TO WARD OFF POSSIBLE MISSILE ATTACKS, WHILE
HUNDREDS OF PALESTINIANS REMAINED HOLED UP IN THE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY
-- ONE OF CHRISTIANITY'S MOST SACRED SITES.
(SOT RAANAN GISSEN, ISRAELI GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN)
They return to their old practice of trying to use churches and
holy sites in Bethlehem as a refuge and as bases from which they
can attack our forces.
CLERGYMEN -- OFFERING TO HELP END THE STANDOFF -- WERE TURNED AWAY AT AN
ISRAELI CHECKPOINT.
(SOT - ANGLICAN BISHOP/NO NAME GIVEN)
"We are here to make peace."
WITH NEARLY ALL OF THE MAJOR WEST BANK TOWNS NO LONGER UNDER PALESTINIAN
CONTROL, ISRAELI SOLDIERS PATROLLED DESERTED STREETS -- AND ENFORCED
STRICT CURFEWS.
(SOT: AHMED KOREI/PALESTINIAN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL) -- 14:36:21
"What we are facing is the most brutal terror that is state organized
terror from the Israeli side."
SHOWING A SLIGHT CHANGE IN POLICY, THE WHITE HOUSE SAID PRESIDENT BUSH
WOULD BE OPEN TO DISCUSSING A MIDEAST PEACE DEAL ... WHETHER OR NOT A
CEASEFIRE WAS REACHED.
(SOT: ARI FLEISCHER/WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY)
"The President remains committed to both a political solution and to a
dimunition of the violence."
(NAT - PROTEST)
MEANWHILE, TENSIONS HEATED UP AROUND THE REGION ... AND EGYPT ANNOUNCED
IT WAS SUSPENDING MOST OF ITS DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH ISRAEL.
(STANDUP)
FACED WITH MOUNTING PRESSURE TO INTERVENE, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN
POWELL SAYS HE'S NOW CONSIDERING WHETHER TO MEET WITH ISRAELI AND ARAB
LEADERS DURING A TRIP TO EUROPE NEXT WEEK.
TERI OKITA, CBS NEWS, WASHINGTON.
))
[2-11Standoff]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin']
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=02-09 TC55:28]
[GRAPHIC=Standoff]
A tense standoff in Christiansburg evacuated a neighborhood when a man threatened to kill himself.
Police say 43-year-old Kelly Walter Poe shot himself inside a trailer at the Dogwood Mobile Home Park.
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[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.
(------------)
[2-11Fitzgerald]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin']
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=02-11 TC34:30]
[SS=Legal Scales]
When Ellen Marie Schenker was killed in a head-on collision back in November, state police said it was because a drunk driver hit her.
That WOULD have made it William Fitzgerald's THIRD drunk driving arrest in 10 years -- allowing prosecutors to charge him with felony murder.
As Marya Jones reports, Schenker's family watched Fitzgerald go free yesterday ... in part, because of a judge's omission.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=William Fitzgerald]
[SUPER=03-Rocky Mount; :00]
[SUPER=01-David Nixon/Fitzgerald's Attorney; :22]
[SUPER=@Marya1; 1:20]
[RUNS=1:33]
[OUT Q=MJN7, Rocky Mount.]
(( William Fitzgerald wheeled out of court a free man, after a judge dismissed murder and drunk driving charges against him.
Judge George Jones said that because Roanoke County judge George Harris convicted him of a previous drunk driving offense, but did NOT mark a box on paper saying he was guilty, the charges of murder during a THIRD D-U-I could NOT stand.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 36:22 - :28]
((DAVID NIXON: THE GENERAL DISTRICT JUDGE DID NOT MARK IT AS A CONVICTION AND AS LONG AS IT'S NOT MARKED AS A CONVICTION, IT CAN NOT BE COUNTED AGAINST HIM.))
[RUNS:06]
On November 2nd, state police say Fitzgerald stuck Ellen Marie Schenker head on ... killing her and injuring her son Tommy.
The accident happened just seven hours after he was released from jail for drunk driving.
State police found alcohol in his car.
Witnesses today said his blood alcohol level was .01 -- well below the legal limit of .08.
His attorneys say the wreck was the result of improper medication.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 37:56 - 38:05]
((DAVID NIXON: WE THINK THAT WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS CASE IS HE MERELY PASSED OUT, HE FAINTED AT THE WHEEL DUE TO THE LIBRIUM HE WAS PRESCRIBED BY A DOCTOR.))
[RUNS:09]
Schenker's husband and sons left the hearing disheartened.
Ron Schenker says: "I'm in total disgust that the man is now walking free that killed my wife because a judge didn't check a box that said he was convicted.... Courts work on technicalities and guilty people go free."
[SU 46:40 - :53]
((MARYA JONES/NEWS-7: THOUGH PROSECUTORS SAY THE JUDGE'S DECISION RULES OUT THE POSSIBILITY OF SEEKING A MURDER OR DUI CHARGE, THEY WOULD NOT RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY THAT THEY MIGHT SEEK A GRAND JURY INDICTMENT ON OTHER CHARGES LATER ON. MJNT, ROCKY MOUNT.))
[RUNS:13]))
by SS