WDBJ 7 morning news for 04/26/02

[Lopes]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

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

A singer with the Grammy-winning pop group, T-L-C, is dead.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-File Tape;]

Her record company confirms Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes-- shown here in the middle-- was killed in a car crash last night, while vacationing in Honduras.
Six other people in the car survived the accident.
The groups two other members -- Tionne ``T-Boz'' Watkins and Rozonda ``Chilli'' Thomas have issued a statement saying, ``We have truly lost our sister.''
T-L-C's hits include ``Waterfall'' and ``No Scrubs.''
The group declared bankruptcy a few years ago, but were working on a new album due out in the fall.
Lisa Lopes was 31.
(------------)

[Missing-Girl]

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

Today the search continues for a missing two- year- old boy in San Diego-- a city still reeling from the recent kidnapping and murder of a seven- year- old girl.
Melissa McDermott has the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-San Diego, CA; :00]
[SUPER=01-David Cohen/San Diego Police Spokesman; :09]
[SUPER=01-Melissa McDermott/Reporting; 1:04]
[RUNS=1:27]
[OUT Q=McDermott, CBS News, San Diego.]
(( POLICE OFFICERS, DOGS, VOLUNTEERS AND FAMILY MEMBERS SPENT THE NIGHT COMBING THE GOLDEN HILL NEIGHBORHOOD OF CENTRAL
SAN DIEGO. David Cohen/Spokesman, San Diego Police Department. SOT- 01:11:31 - "we're going throughout the park, we ha
ve detectives going door to door talking to people seeing if they saw anything, trying to see if they can figure out what happened to this little boy." THE LITTLE BOY IS JAHI TURNER. ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON THE 2-YEAR-OLD DISAPPEARED FROM T
HIS PARK. AND DESPITE THE MASSIVE EFFORT, SO FAR THE SEARCH HAS BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL. SOT-01:11:43 - "at this point we hav
e nothing that is leading us to him" THE BOY'S STEPFATHER TOLD POLICE HE LEFT THE CHILD ALONE FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES. WHEN HE RETURNED, JAHI WAS GONE. (NAT OF RESCUERS) FOR MANY OF THESE OFFICERS THIS IS THEIR SECOND SEARCH FOR A CHILD IN JUST 2 AND A HALF MONTHS. IN EARLY FEBRUARY A MASSIVE SEARCH FOLLOWED THE DISAPPEARANCE OF DANIELLE VAN DAM. WEEKS LATER THE GIRL'S BODY WAS FOUND ALONG A DIRT ROAD. THE 7-YEAR-OLD'S NEIGHBOR, DAVID WESTERFIELD, HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH KIDNAPPING AND MURDER. AND ON THURSDAY PROSECUTORS ANNOUNCED THEY WILL SEEK THE DEATH PENALTY IF WESTERFIELD IS CONVICTED. BUT AT THIS SAN DIEGO PARK, OFFICERS ARE HOPING THIS CASE WON'T TURN OUT AS TRAG C. HOWEVER THEY ARE PREPARED FOR WORST. 01:12:05- "we're treating it as a crime scene as to how we do the investigation because if it develops into a crime scene we can't go back and recreate what was here" MELISSA MCDERMOTT, CBS NEWS, NEW YORK. Music: ))

[Blake]

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

Prosecutors have answered one of the biggest questions surrounding actor Robert Blake's murder trial.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Los Angeles, CA;]

They've decided NOT to seek the death penalty for Blake, who's accused of killing his wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley last May.
They say Blake and his bodyguard, Earle Caldwell plotted the murder for months.
Instead, they'll recommend a sentence of life in prison without parole.
Blake's attorney is pleased with the decision. .
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 3:04:08]
[IN Q=I was sort of]
((HARLAND BRAUN/BLAKE'S ATTORNEY:I WAS SORT OF PROUD OF THE DA S OFFICE OF THE FACT THAT THEY WOULD DO THIS EARLY, CLEANLY, AND QUICKLY, AND GET IT OUT OF THE WAY. ))
[SUPER=01-Harland Braun/Blake's Attorney;]
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=out of the way.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Besides facing a murder charge, 68- year- old Blake is also accused of two counts of soliciting murder and conspiracy.
(------------)

[2-11Gibson]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=02-02 TC2:03:33]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A Franklin County man convicted of fatally stabbing of his mother and cousin will spend the rest of his life in prison. He avoided the death penalty because of his mental illness.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Rocky Mount;]

20-year-old James Gibson pleaded guilty to the capital murder of both relatives and received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co./Last Year;]

He offered no explanation for why he repeatedly stabbed his mother, Annette Gibson, and cousin, George (Oh-tha) Otha Patterson, inside their home last year.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 38:41 - :49]
[IN Q=Everybody]
((DAVID FURROW/GIBSON'S ATTORNEY: EVERYBODY WAS HAPPY. THERE WAS NO MONETARY OR SEXUAL MOTIVE. THERE WAS NO MOTIVE FOR THIS CRIME.))
[SUPER=01-David Furrow/Gibson's Attorney;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=for this crime.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Gibson's attorneys say he is in the early stages of schizophrenia, but his mental illness is not severe enough for him to be considered insane.
Before he was taken to prison, Gibson told his family he was sorry "for everything that has happened."
(------------)

[11Redistricting]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]

The state's politically explosive re-districting case was back in court.
Attorney General Jerry Kilgore filed his appeal in the case yesterday, asking the state Supreme Court to set aside a Salem judge's ruling -- and to do it quickly.
Kilgore's motion asks the state's high court to bar Judge Richard Pattisall from enforcing his order that new legislative lines be drawn, and new House of Delegates elections be held this year.
In March, Pattisall ruled that the Republican-dominated Legislature sought to win more seats by packing Democratic-leaning black precincts into fewer districts.

[11Eavesdropping]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=None]

There are new developments in the eavesdropping scandal.
Thirteen phone numbers that dialed into two Democratic Party conference calls can not 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.

[11USS-Cole]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jja]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

18-months after she left Norfolk on a routine deployment, the USS-Cole finally returned home.
(------------)
[VO-NAT 18]
[SUPER=03-Norfolk]

She bears no visible signs of the suicide boat attack which killed 17 of her crew-including Pittsylvania Native Timothy Lamont Saunders.
The scars are apparent though among the survivors and their families who met the ship yesterday.
Kesha Stidham suffered cuts and cracked ribs in the explosion.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 20:43:17]
[IN Q=]
((KESHA STIDHAM/COLE SURVIVOR: I HAVEN'T SEEN HER SINCE THE DAY THAT IT HIT SO IT'S LIKE RELIEF YOU KNOW. IT'S LIKE WELL SHE'S A PERSON. I GET TO SEE HER AND SHE' THAT SHE'S OK.))
[SUPER=01-Kesha Stidham/Cole Survivor;]
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=THAT SHE'S OK.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT 07]

Also yesterday anger.. seen in the face of Lou Gunn who lost his son and is still waiting for justice.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 20:43:50]
[IN Q=]
((LOU GUNN/FATHER OF COLE VICTIM: WELL IF THEY WENT ON AND TRIED TO SOLVE THE COLE INVESTIGATION WE WOULD NOT HAVE EVER HAD A 9-11. YOU KNOW THAT? BUT THEY DROPPED THE INVESTIGATION. THEY TOLD US THEY WAS GONNA DO IT AND THEY DIDN'T DO NOTHING. THEY WAITED AND WAITED AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED.))
[SUPER=01-Lou Gunn/Father of U. S. S. Cole Victim;]
[RUNS=12]
[OUT Q=AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT 06 plus pad]

The Navy spent 250 million dollars repairing the Cole and now the Ship will return to the fleet.
(-----------)

[11FBLA-President]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=02-05 TC1:51:47]
[GRAPHIC=None]

He's a high school senior jet setting with the likes of Bill Clinton, Colin Powell and Mike Bloomberg.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Floyd Co.]

When Sam Stephens isn't attending 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 says giving up his senior year experience is well worth it.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=You have to give]
((SAM STEPHENS/FBLA PRESIDENT: YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP SOME SACRIFICES. IT'S A TRADE OFF. I TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD, OR GO TO SCHOOL EVERYDAY. I'M NOT TOO DISAPPOINTED.)) [BUTT BUTT BUTT BUTT] ((STACIE BOLT/FBLA ADVISOR: I'VE NEVER MET ANOTHER PERSON LIKE SAM, HE'S DEDICATED, RESPONSIBLE, MATURE, HE DOES IT HIMSELF, JUST A VERY REMARKABLE STUDENT.))
[SUPER=01-Sam Stephens/National FBLA President;:00]
[SUPER=01-Stacie Bolt/FBLA Advisor;:12]
[RUNS=25]
[OUT Q=remarkable student.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Stephens was recently offered an internship at the American Embassy in Sweden by Colin Powell.
He plans to attend Johnson & Wales University in Denver next year and major in International Business.
(------------)

[5-Daughters-Work]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=502-07 TC1:44:35]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Countless parents and grandparents got a little extra help at work yesterday...
(------------)
[VO-NAT - :18.5]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]

It was "Take Our Daughters to Work Day" throughout offices across the nation.
Girls aged 10 to 18 observed their parents jobs to see what the working world offers women.
At Hollins University, nearly a dozen girls got a chance to visit a workplace with a high percentage of female role models.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT - 2:08:01]
[IN Q=In the development office...]
((KARLA TURMAN/HOLLINS UNIVERSITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT; IN THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE, WE HAVE 23-24 FULL TIME STAFF MEMBERS, AND THEY ARE ALL WOMEN. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF FEMALE INFLUENCES HERE WHICH YOU DON'T ALWAYS GET IN THE CORPORATE WORLD.))
[SUPER=01-Karla Turman/Hollins University Development Department;]
[RUNS=13]
[OUT Q=get in the corporate world.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT - :14+]
The day was designed in 1993 to expose girls to a wide range of career possibilities and encourage them to set goals.

This was the 10th and last "Take Our DAUGHTERS to Work Day." Next year, girls and BOYS will be invited to watch their parents work.
(------------)
(Kimberly tosses to bump)

[bump-chyron]

[comm #3]

[2-Blake]

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

If he's convicted of killing his wife, actor Robert Blake won't die for the crime.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Los Angeles, CA;]

Prosecutors decided NOT to seek the death penalty for Blake, who's accused of killing his wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley last May.
They say Blake and his bodyguard, Earle Caldwell plotted the murder for months.
Instead, they'll recommend a sentence of life in prison without parole.
Blake's attorney is pleased with the decision. .
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 3:04:08]
[IN Q=I was sort of]
((HARLAND BRAUN/BLAKE'S ATTORNEY:I WAS SORT OF PROUD OF THE DA S OFFICE OF THE FACT THAT THEY WOULD DO THIS EARLY, CLEANLY, AND QUICKLY, AND GET IT OUT OF THE WAY. ))
[SUPER=01-Harland Braun/Blake's Attorney;]
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=out of the way.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Besides facing a murder charge, 68- year- old Blake is also accused of two counts of soliciting murder and conspiracy.
(------------)

[11Gibson]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=02-02 TC2:03:33]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A Franklin County man will avoid the death penalty for the fatal stabbing of his mother and cousin- because of his mental illness.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Rocky Mount;]

20-year-old James Gibson pleaded guilty to the capital murder of both relatives and received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co./Last Year;]

He offered no explanation for why he repeatedly stabbed his mother, Annette Gibson, and cousin, George (Oh-tha) Otha Patterson, inside their home last year.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 38:41 - :49]
[IN Q=Everybody]
((DAVID FURROW/GIBSON'S ATTORNEY: EVERYBODY WAS HAPPY. THERE WAS NO MONETARY OR SEXUAL MOTIVE. THERE WAS NO MOTIVE FOR THIS CRIME.))
[SUPER=01-David Furrow/Gibson's Attorney;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=for this crime.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Gibson's attorneys say he is in the early stages of schizophrenia, but his mental illness is not severe enough for him to be considered insane.
Before he was taken to prison, Gibson told his family he was sorry "for everything that has happened."
(------------)

[11Rice]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=02-06 TC1:30:32]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]

The man suspected of killing two female hikers in the Shenandoah National Park six years ago has pleaded "not" guilty to the crimes.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Charlottesville]

34-year-old Darrell David Rice was a computer programmer in Maryland.. He made his first appearance in federal court yesterday.
Rice reportedly told investigators he killed the women because they were lesbians.. Attorney General John Ashcroft says that makes it a federal hate crime.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 18:03:03]
[IN Q=And the concern]
((FRED HEBLICH/DEFENSE ATTORNEY: AND THE CONCERN WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL BEING INVOLVED IN IT AND GIVING A PRESS CONFERENCE IS IT JUST RATCHETS UP THE PUBLIC ATTENTION, AND THAT'S JUST IN ANY HIGH-PROFILE CASE, YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH PEOPLE LEARNING ABOUT THE CASE THROUGH THE NEWSPAPER BEFORE THEY COME TO SIT ON A JURY. IT'S NOT GOING TO HELP IN THE JURY SELECTION.))
[SUPER=01-Fred Heblich/Defense Attorney]
[RUNS=19]
[OUT Q=in the jury selection.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Rice may also be a suspect in several other unsolved killings from 1996 and 1997.
Prosecutors are deciding whether to seek the death penalty.
(------------)

[6-Anderson]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=02-08 TC1:28:32]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Roanoke honored a former mayor, lawmaker and civic leader yesterday.
Wick Anderson was known as Roanoke's youngest mayor.
His career of public service also carried him to the Virginia House of Delegates.
But yesterday, he was also remembered as a longtime civic leader, a gentleman and good friend.
Joe Dashiell has more.
(///// 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=07-George Kegley; :38]
[SUPER=07-Ray Garland; :44]
[SUPER=07-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 switching 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))