WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 04/25/02

[1-News-Head]

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[V/O-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot 2-Shot]
The farewell to former Mayor Wick Anderson includes tributes both personal and political.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
And a sentence of life without parole for a young man who admits to double murder.

[Sports-head]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

In sports, is one of the area's and one of Virginia's top high school basketball players heading elsewhere? We will take a closer look at Tech quarterback Bryan Randall
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[VO-NAT]

and the Avalanche talks about not letting it's ego get out of hand despite being in first place.
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[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]

Gusty winds will diminish as the evening wears on. Tomorrow is the transition day before more showers arrive late Saturday. That story and our Thursday WeatherSchool question just ahead.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon 4-Shot]

News 7 at Six is next.
[Video-Open]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=Video Open]

(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 23:30:03]
[IN Q=And so today]
((AND SO TODAY WE COME TO SAY THANKS TO GOD FOR A LIFETIME OF SERVICE.))
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=a lifetime of service.]
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

Roanoke honors a former mayor, lawmaker and civic leader.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Family and friends pay last respects to Wick Anderson.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Good evening, I'm Shannon Young.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

And I'm Keith Humphry.
[Anderson]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=02-08 TC1:28:32]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-SHot]

Wick Anderson was known as Roanoke's youngest mayor.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-SHot]
And his career of public service also carried him to the Virginia House of Delegates.
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[SS=None]

But today he was also remembered as a longtime civic leader, a gentleman and good friend.
Joe Dashiell attended Anderson's funeral service this afternoon.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Wick Anderson was a member]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=01-Rev. Amos Rideout/South Roanoke United Methodist Church; :11]
[SUPER=01-George Kegley; :38]
[SUPER=01-Ray Garland; :44]
[SUPER=01-Jack Parrott; :50]
[RUNS=:56]
[OUT Q=Joe Dashiell News 7 Roanoke]

((Wick Anderson was a member of South Roanoke United Methodist Church... and its pews were filled with his family and friends and the public officials with whom he served.
[SOT 23:20:34]
[IN Q=There was a freshness about Wick]
[RUNS:12]
[OUT Q=what was sound about life.]

Elected to City Council in the late 50s, anderson served as mayor from 1960 to 1962.
He represented Roanoke in the Virginia General Assembly for eight years...
He was twice a candidate for Congress, and after swithing to the Republican party made another run for Roanoke Mayor.
[SOT]
[IN Q=Wick was a fine fellow]
((GEORGE KEGLEY: WICK WAS A FINE FELLOW. HE STARTED AS A NEWSPAPER REPORTER, TURNED TO THE LAW, A GOOD MAN FOR THE COMMUNITY.)) ((RAY GARLAND: HE WAS A NATURAL FOR ROANOKE. HE HAD A REAL AFFINITY WITH THE CITY AND A LOVE FOR THE CITY.)) ((JACK PARROTT: AND HE'S JUST ALWAYS BEEN A REAL GOOD FRIEND AND WE'LL MISS HIM.)) [RUNS:17]
[OUT Q=and we'll miss him.]

Joe Dashiell News 7 Roanoke))

[Cole]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=02-23 TC03:52]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Families and friends of U-S-S Cole sailors greeted the crew as the ship returned to Norfolk this morning
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Norfolk]

The Cole returned to its homeport after undergoing extensive repairs at a Mississippi shipyard.
The ship was damaged by a terrorist bombing while docked in Yemen in October 2000.
Seventeen members of the Cole's crew died in that incident and are now memorialized on board.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=You can say what]
[SUPER=01-Douglas Hancock/Served on the Cole;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=always be the Cole.]
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[VO-NAT]

The ship will now enter the rotation, preparing for its next deployment as a member of the U-S-S Enterprise battle group.
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[Gibson]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=02-02 TC2:01:52]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]

A 20-year-old Franklin County man will spend life in prison for the stabbing deaths of his mother and cousin.
Today, James Gibson pleaded guilty to capital murder and was sentenced to life without parole... thereby escaping the death penalty. [***NEWS 7 @ 6 MONITOR***]
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith & Marya ;]

Marya Jones says the plea left at least ONE question unanswered for the victim's families.
Keith, what NO ONE can answer is WHY.
[LIVE=Marya /FULL]
[SUPER=@Marya1;]

Even James Gibson can not explain what drove him to repeatedly stab his mother and cousin to death last year.
Prosecutors say that that lack of motive, along with the defendant's mental illness, compelled them to accept Gibson's guilty plea ... and spare him the death penalty.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=James Gibson]
[SUPER=03-Rocky Mount; :00]
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co./Last Year; :16]
[SUPER=01-Cliff Hapgood/Commonwealth's Attorney; :33]
[SUPER=01-David Furrow/Gibson's Attorney; :57]
[SUPER=01-Joann Menefee/Family Friend; 1:18]
[RUNS=1:23]
[OUT Q=today, it's over.]
(( James Gibson quietly told his family he was sorry "for everything that has happened."
Last June, he summoned deputies to his house, saying he'd done something bad.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 9:56 - 10:00]
((THEY FOUND, REALLY, A SCENE OF ALMOST INDESCRIBABLE HORROR.))
[RUNS= :04]

Investigators found George Patterson stabbed 18 times in a living room chair, where he'd apparently been sleeping.

Annette Gibson was discovered in the bedroom, stabbed 14 times.
She had been stripped of her clothes and washed clean, but Prosecutor Cliff Hapgood says she had NOT been sexually violated.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 18:13 - :20]
((CLIFF HAPGOOD/COMMONWEALTH'S ATTORNEY: WE WERE ALSO VERY INTERESTED TO NOTE WHETHER THERE WAS A SEXUAL MOTIVE SINCE WE DO NOT NORMALLY SEE A BODY TREATED IN THIS PARTICULAR WAY.))
[RUNS= :07]

Gibson told investigators he had been playing games on the Internet and suddenly "got the notion" to kill them with a 6-inch Army knife.
His attorneys say Gibson is in the early stages of schizophrenia, but is not mentally ill enough to be considered insane.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 35:44 - :49]
((DAVID FURROW/GIBSON'S ATTORNEY: IT CAME BACK THAT HE HAS A SCHIZOID PERSONALITY AND HE'S GOING TO GET WORSE AS HE GETS OLDER.))
[RUNS= :05]

Gibson's father and sister have stood by his side since the killings.
He told them he loved them as he was hauled off to prison.
For relatives of George Patterson, who sat on the OPPOSITE side of the courtroom, the plea brought a measure of relief.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 30:43 - :48]
((JOANN MENEFEE/FRIEND: THEY WANTED CLOSURE AND THEY STILL HAVE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS, BUT, TODAY, IT'S OVER.))
[RUNS= :05]))
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[LIVE= MARYA/FULL]

By all accounts, he got along well with both his mother and cousin.
Gibson will serve his life sentence in a maximum security prison, such as Red Onion or Wallens Ridge.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith & Marya;]

[Eavesdropping]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Thirteen phone numbers that dialed into two Democratic Party conference calls cannot be traced to invited participants.
That's what the head of the Democratic Party of Virginia says.
Larry (Frahm-ee) Framme also says the callers have NOT been identified, but in his words, "there are a number of people out there sweating.''
State Police and the Commonwealth's Attorney in Richmond are investigating possible illegal eavesdropping by Republicans during the two calls.

[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
[SS=NONE]

Still ahead on News 7 at Six, meet a local high school student... with international business connections.
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

And later, today wasn't a holiday... so why were these students parading down the streets of Christiansburg?
We'll explain.
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[Rice]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=02-06 TC1:29:14]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

A former computer programmer from Maryland has pleaded "not guilty" to charges he murdered two women in the Shenandoah National Park six years ago.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-SHot]

Darrell David Rice made his first appearance in a federal courtroom in Charlottesville this afternoon..
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Steve/L'Burg Bureau;]

..Steve Smallshaw was there, Steve what are prosecutors saying about their case against Rice?
At this point very little..
[LIVE=Steve/FULL]
[SUPER=@ssm1]
[SUPER=05-Lynchburg]
Darrell Rice has actually been in prison since 1997 for assaulting another woman in the national park..
..now he's facing a possible death sentence for what prosecutors call a federal hate crime.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=34-year-old]
[SUPER=03-Charlottesville; :00]
[SUPER=03-Shenandoah National Park/May 1996;]
[SUPER=01-Tom Bondurant/Asst. U. S. Attorney; :36]
[SUPER=01-Fred Heblich/Defense Attorney; :57]
[RUNS=1:10]
[OUT Q=defense of the case.]
(( 34-year-old Darrell David Rice seemed calm and composed as he appeared in court wearing a black and white jail jumpsuit to face federal murder charges.
Rice pleaded not guilty to killing Julianne Marie Williams and Laura Winans as they camped in the Shenandoah National Park in May of 1996.
He's reportedly told investigators he killed the women because they were lesbians.. the federal government considers it a hate crime that could warrant a death penalty prosecution.
State authorities are also looking at Rice as a possible suspect in four other unsolved killings in 1996 and 1997.. they're asking the feds to help them out.
[SOT 17:59:20]
((TOM BONDURANT/ASST. U.S. ATTORNEY: WE HELP EVERY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENT THAT COMES FORWARD AND ASKS FOR HELP.. ALWAYS HAVE AND ALWAYS WILL.. BUT THIS CASE DEALS WITH THE SHENANDOAH MURDER CASE AND I'M JUST NOT GOING TO COMMENT ON ANYBODY ELSE'S INVESTIGATION.))
[RUNS= 10]
[OUT Q=else's investigation.]

Rice couldn't afford to hire his own attorney.. Charlottesville lawyer Fred Heblich found out Thursday morning he'd been appointed to a case that already is generating enormous media attention.
[SOT 18:00:14]
((FRED HEBLICH/DEFENSE ATTORNEY: ANY DEATH PENALTY CASE IS AN IMPORTANT CASE, AND MY INITIAL FEELINGS ARE THAT I'M GOING TO BE BUSY FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE, INVESTIGATING THE CASE AND PREPARING THE DEFENSE OF THE CASE.))
[RUNS= 14]
[OUT Q=defense of the case.] ))
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[LIVE=Steve/FULL]
[SUPER=05-Lynchburg;]

Heblich says he has questions, if not concerns, as to why it took the government five years to bring a case against his client.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Steve/L'Burg Bureau;]

No word on WHEN Attorney General John Ashcroft might decide whether he wants to seek the death penalty in this case.. it's not likely to go to trial until next year.

[FBLA-President]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=02-05 TC1:50:29]
[GRAPHIC=None]

He's a high school student traveling the globe talking business with the world' s most influential political leaders.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Floyd Co.]

Sam Stephens is a senior at Floyd County High School.
He's serving as the national president of the Future Business Leaders of America.
His duties require him to travel about three weeks out of each month to give speeches promoting the business education of young people.
Stephens was also named National Student Leader of the Year... and with that award came a surprise internship offer from Colin Powell.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=For some odd]
((SAM STEPHENS/NATIONAL FBLA PRESIDENT: FOR SOME ODD REASON, I WAS CHOSEN THE NATIONAL STUDENT LEADER OF THE YEAR. COLIN POWELL WALKED OUT AND SURPRISED US. AFTERWARD, WE SAT DOWN FOR COFFEE AND HE OFFERED ME, IF I WAS INTERESTED, TO GO TO SWEDEN NEXT YEAR. ARE YOU INTERESTED? ABSOLUTELY, YEAH.)) [BUTT BUTT BUTT BUTT] ((STACIE BOLT/FBLA ADVISOR: I THINK SAM HAS A VERY BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD OF HIM. AS A TEACHER, HE HAS GIVE ME A REMARKABLE YEAR THIS YEAR. I WISH HIM THE BEST OF LUCK IN THE FUTURE.))
[RUNS=25]
[SUPER=01-Sam Stephens/National FBLA President;:00]
[SUPER=01-Stacie Bolt/FBLA Advisor;:16]
[OUT Q=LUCK IN THE FUTURE.]
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[VO-NAT]

Stephens will attend Johnson & Wales University in Denver next year where he will major in International Business.
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[Stocks]

[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A late round of buying allowed Wall Street to break this week's losing trend. [TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-x/4.63/10035.06/x/0.36/1713.70;]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

The DOW gained five points.
NASDAQ rose a fraction of a point.
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[VO]
[SUPER=271-h/6.15/57.50/i/1.38/46.30/i/0.66/70.84/i/0.15/20.38/h/0.10/7.30;]
[SUPER=272-i/0.33/66.10/h/0.41/56.75/i/0.45/32.05/i/0.49/22.80/h/1.09/47.80;]
[SUPER=273-i/0.24/22.54/h/0.78/21.66/i/0.03/0.77/h/0.08/54.86/i/0.16/15.75;]
[SUPER=274-i/0.24/67.41/h/2.46/82.12/h/0.52/41.42/i/0.30/37.45/i/0.45/57.00;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]
[Work-Day]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=02-16 TC18:18]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Countless parents across the nation had an extra pair of hands at work today.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
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[VO-NAT - :15.5]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]
Today was the 10th annual "Take Our Daughters to Work Day". At Hollins University, about a dozen daughters took their learning out of the classroom, and into the working world. The program teaches girls aged 10 to 18 about what it is like to hold down a 9-to-5.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
((PAT TUCKER/HOLLINS UNIVERSITY CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT; I REALLY NEVER WAS ABLE TO DO ANYTHING LIKE THIS. IT'S A NEAT WAY FOR GIRLS TO HAVE A VIEW OF WHAT BEING IN THE WORKPLACE IS LIKE.)) ((KARLA TURMAN/HOLLINS UNIVERSITY DEVELOPMENT OFFICE; HAVING THEM COME TO WORK AND SEE WHAT WE DO JUST GIVES THEM AN IDEA OF WHY THEY NEED TO KEEP WORKING ON THEIR EDUCATION, AND WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT.))
[SUPER=01-Pat Tucker/Hollins University Chemistry Department; :00]
[SUPER=01-Karla Turman/Hollins University Development Office; :12]
[RUNS=20]
[OUT Q=why it's so important.]
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[VO-NAT - :07+]
This was the final "Take Our DAUGHTERS to Work Day". Next year both girls AND boys will be invited to take part in the program.
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[Sports tease]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

News about Roanoke Catholic star guard J.R. Reynolds future plans, the Avalanche talk about keeping their fast start in perspective,
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[VO-NAT]
and News 7 sports spotlights Alleghany flame thrower Mike Bartley, a pitcher the pros are already looking at.
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[S-JR]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-104 57:43]
[GRAPHIC=Hometown Hoops weekly]

Sources tell News 7 sports today that Roanoke Catholic junior guard J.R. Reynolds, one of Hometown Hoops Weekly's top stars, is heading to Oak Hill Academy next year.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :00]

Sources say that the only thing that is keeping Reynolds from confirming his decision to attend Oak Hill is some paper work that needs to go through. Reynolds, under the guidance of Roanoke Catholic head coach Dick Wall, has helped lead the Celtics to three straight private school state championships. Reynolds averaged 23.2 points a game this past season.
(------------)
[anchor=steve]
[graphic=hometown hoops]

UVa mens basketball coach Pete Gillen visited Reynolds at Roanoke Catholic last week to make sure J.R. was still committed to Virginia since assistant Tommy Herrion left to assume head coaching duties at the college of Charleston. Reynolds says he is still committed to UVa.

[S-AVS]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-112]
[graphic=avalanche]

The Avalanche returns home this Sunday for a three game series with the Kinston Indians.
The Avs are in the middle of it's six game road swing this week. Salem plays the Myrtle Beach Pelicans tonight. The Avs are tied for first place in the Southern Division, but that means very little at this point in the season.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Stu Cole/Avalanche Manager; :00]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=....day of the season""]
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[S-Pitcher]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-110]
[GRAPHIC=Baseball]
[***ANCHOR TAG***]
Alleghany's baseball team is off to an 8 and 2 start this season. One major reason the Mountaineers are climbing to the top of the Blue Ridge District is pitcher Mike Bartley.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Vinton; :00]
[SUPER=01-Mike Bartley/Alleghany Junior Pitcher; :19]
[SUPER=01-Gary Rice/Alleghany Coach; :28]
[RUNS=1:35]
[OUT Q=......i think they're all good"]
(-----------------)

((He's 6 foot 4, 230 pounds, the most imposing pitcher in the area, yet Mike Bartley is a gentle giant. His coach calls him the nicest kid around, but his fast ball is simply wicked. Bartley has been clocked at 90 miles an hour and he also throws a change up and curve. ((:)) Bartley registered 96 strikeouts last year as a sophomore in leading Alleghany to the Blue Ridge District championship. This year, he's a marked man. His ERA is over 3 and he is the first to admit he has a lot to work on. ((:))
Mike is averaging over 10 strikeouts a game and major league scouts as well as big time college coaches have been out to see him play.)) ((:)) ((:))
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[anchor=steve]
[graphic=news 7 sports]

Mike's dream is to one day pitch in the major leagues

[S-RANDALL]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6PM]
[WRITER=mbr]
[TAPE#=SP-118]
[GRAPHIC=Tech Football]
Bryan Randall is the forgotten man at the quarterback position for Virginia Tech. The Hokies are concerned with Grant Noel's health after he tore an anterior cruciate ligament last week and looking toward the future with the pending arrival of All-American Marcus Vick.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg, Va/Virginia Tech Spring Game]
But, Randall made a statement with his play this spring, capping it off by completing 21 of 38 passes for 211 yards while quarterbacking both the Maroon and White Squads in Saturday's Spring Game.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT -- Bryan Randall -- 14:39:13]
[IN Q="I'm very satisfied...]
[SUPER=01-Bryan Randall/Virginia Tech Quarterback]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=...this spring."]
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
If Grant Noel cannot rehab his knee in time to return when practice begins in August, Randall will step into the starting position. He'll spend this summer preparing for just such a situation.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT -- Bryan Randall -- 14:38:56]
[IN Q="I'm going into...]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=...back-up or not."]
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[School-Parade]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=02-14 TC36:56]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

Students from Falling Branch Elementary are celebrating their book smarts in the streets today...
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg;]
Downtown Christiansburg played host to their patriotic parade this morning. The children successfully met the school's reading program challenge. Dubbed Reading Road Trip USA....teacher's say the students read more than 250-thousand minutes during the month of April. The parade was their reward. (------------)