[1-News-Head]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
Roanoke City Council extinguishes a burning issue by deciding against cuts at the fire department.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
Plus, classes may soon be out for good at one of only two accredited elementary schools in Pulaski County.
(------------)
[Sports-Head]
[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Tonight on the Big 7, the Tech women whip Notre Dame.
W&L gets ready to roll and hit the road.
The Western Virginia Education Classic makes official plans for the fall.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
And William Byrd's Whitney Morris wins this year's $16 thousand dollar Don Holliday Memorial Scholarship.
(------------)
[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]
The threat for severe weather is diminishing this evening. We also have time for a weatherschool question. Details coming up.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Shannon 4-Shot]
News 7 @ 6 is next.
[Video-Open]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=Video Open]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 02:58:29]
[IN Q=There is a majority]
((THERE IS A MAJORITY OF THE COUNCIL THAT IS SAYING VERY CLEARLY, DO NOT CUT THOSE POSITIONS.))
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=do not cut those positions.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
A controversial cost-cutting plan gets the axe.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
Members of Roanoke City Council say they won't balance the budget by cutting positions in the police and fire departments.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=SHannon 2-Shot]
Good evening, I'm Shannon Young.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
And I'm Keith Humphry.
[City-Budget]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=02-12 TC1:08:54]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
Roanoke is facing the most difficult budget process the city has seen in years.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
Officials say they have tried to spread the pain, but today members of council said they cannot support taking any police officers or firefighters off the street.
[***NEWS 7 @ 6 Monitor Graphic***]
[TOSS ACROSS=Keith-Shannon & Joe / Pulpit;]
Joe Dashiell is here tonight with more on a controversial proposal.
Keith and Shannon, the city was already facing a cut in state funding,
[LIVE= JoeD /FULL Pulpit]
[SUPER=@joe1;]
when officials learned this week that local revenues were also lagging.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Every recommendation]
[SUPER=@Burcham; :00]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :15]
[SUPER=@Bestpitch; :24]
[SUPER=01-George McMillan/Roanoke City Sheriff; :50]
[RUNS=1:00]
[OUT Q=that we have in the past.]
(([SOT 02:44:21]
[IN Q=Every recommendation]
((EVERY RECOMMENDATION THAT WE'VE MADE IN THIS BUDGET HAS A LITTLE BIT OF PAIN WITH IT, BUT WE THINK IT'S MANAGEABLE AND THINK IT CONTINUES TO PROVIDE THE LEVEL OF SERVICES THAT OUR CITIZENS WANT.))
[RUNS= :13]
[OUT Q=citizens want.]
City Manager Darlene Burcham and other officials say they wouldn't have recommended the cuts if they thought they would compromise public safety.
But members of city council weren't persuaded...
[SOT bestpitch]
[IN Q=I just have]
((I JUST HAVE A REAL PROBLEM SAYING THAT WE CAN'T FIND SOME OTHER WAY TO ADJUST THE BUDGET SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE AND KEEP THOSE THOSE THREE FIREFIGHTERS.))
[RUNS= :10]
[OUT Q=three firefighters.]
Council members reinstated three fire -ems positions and they encouraged the city manager to fill vacant positions in the Police Department.
In addition, council members learned that funding from the state compensation board will preserve four positions in the Sheriffs Department that were also slated to be cut.
[SOT 07:16 mcmillan]
[IN Q=We don't need to decrease]
((WE DON'T NEED TO DECREASE SERVICE, AND I'M EXTREMELY EXCITED THAT THEY PUT THOSE DEPUTIES BACK IN SO WE CAN MAINTAIN THE SAME LEVEL OF SERVICE TO THE CITIZENS THAT WE HAVE IN THE PAST.))
[RUNS= :11]
[OUT Q=that we have in the past.]))
(-------------)
[LIVE= Joe /FULL Pulpit]
Of course, preserving positions in public safety will mean that city officials must find savings in other areas.
[TOSS ACROSS=Keith-Shannon & JOeD /Pulpit;]
Keith and Shannon, city officials had plugged a one point four million dollar gap in the budget proposal... they're working overnight to find another 140- thousand dollars.
[Pulaski-School]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=02-06 TC1:49:48]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Some Pulaski County parents are unhappy with plans to close two elementary schools.
Officials want to shut down Northwood and Claremont Elementaries and put all the students into a new facility.
New River Valley Bureau Chief Rachel Cannon has both sides of the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Pulaski; :00]
[SUPER=01-Donna Dalton/Northwood Elementary Parent; :11]
[SUPER=01-Don Stowers/Pulaski Co. Superintendent; :51]
[SUPER=@rachel2; 1:25]
[RUNS=1:30]
[OUT Q=RC, News 7, Pulaski.]
((Nats
Donna Dalton lives next to Northwood.
It's convenient because she's raising her nephew and he's in second grade.
But a short walk isn't the only reason she's fighting to keep the facility open.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 58:18:07]
[IN Q=they have]
((DONNA DALTON/CONCERNED PARENT; THEY HAVE VERY SMALL CLASS SIZES THEY GET VERY INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION I THINK MAYBE THE LARGEST CLASS MIGHT HAVE 20-CHILDREN IN IT.))
[OUT Q=IN IT]
Dalton is leading a petition drive among Northwood supporters to convince the school board to reconsider plans.
Her main point...of the 8-elementary schools in the County, Northwood is one of only two receiving accreditation this year.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1"02"41]
[IN Q=these teachers ]
((THESE TEACHERS DO A WONDERFUL JOB AT THIS SCHOOL.))
[OUT Q=this school.]
Pulaski County School Superintendent Don Stowers praises faculty too.
But says declining enrollment numbers and outdated buildings are why a new facility is a good move.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:13:51]
[IN Q=THESE TWO]
((DON STOWERS/PULASKI CO. SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT; THESE TWO BUILDING PARTICULARLY ARE 50-YEARS OLD THEY HAVE SERVED THEIR USEFULNESS FOR US AND HAVE BEEN WONDERFUL FOR US OVER THESE YEARS BUT THEY HAVE SINGLE PANE WINDOWS THEY'RE NOT AIR CONDITIONED.))
[OUT Q=AIR CONDITIONED.]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:00:40]
[IN Q=they say ]
((THEY SAY THEY CAN'T USE IT BECAUSE THE SECOND FLOOR IT'S NOT HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE BUT THEY CAN THEY CAN PUT THAT ON THE FIRST PART AND HAVE THE OTHER CHILDREN GO ON THE SECOND FLOOR I BELIEVE THERE IS ROOM ENOUGH HERE.))
[OUT Q=ENOUGH HERE.]
Dalton says she plans to provide the board with alternatives.
Stowers says they will listen but,
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:15:55]
[IN Q=we have]
((DON STOWERS/PULASKI CO. SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT; WE HAVE TO THINK OF ALL OF OUR CHILDREN WE HAVE TO CONSIDER ALL THE CHILDREN IN THE COUNTY AND MAKE DECISIONS THAT ARE EQUITABLE FOR ALL OUR CHILDREN.))
[OUT Q=our children]
The earliest a new school would be ready is Fall 2004.
Rachel Cannon, News 7, Pulaski.))
[Civic-Development]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6 p.m.]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=New Jobs]
Martinsville has a New Jersey-based teleservice firm to thank for creating 125-new jobs.
Civic Development says it will add 75-positions at its facility on Lavinder Street and 50 more through an affiliate, Millennium Telemarketing.
The city's Economic Development Director, Tom Harned, says the move "confirms to other companies that they can maintain a quality workforce in Martinsville."
[Bridge-Suicide]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=02-09 TC1:31:58]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Another state agency is now questioning whether the death of a mentally ill Lynchburg woman last year could have been prevented.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]
48-year-old Theresa Wilkerson jumped to her death off the Rivermont Avenue bridge in August of 2001.
She'd suffered from a variety of mental problems and had repeatedly shown suicidal tendencies, according to her friends and family.
The Department of Rights for Virginians with Disabilities issued a 70 page report last week, claiming the local community services board misdiagnosed Wilkerson, and that her death was preventable.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It's real sad]
((DON WILKERSON/SUICIDE VICTIM'S FATHER: IT'S REAL SAD TO KNOW THAT WE'VE GOT PEOPLE WITH DEGREES, PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE THAT WOULD SAY SOMETHING...THAT GOES RIGHT BACK TO SHOW YOU THAT SHE WAS MISDIAGNOSED.))
((PHIL THEISEN/LYNCHBURG DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS: THERE SEEMS TO BE A COMMUNICATION PROBLEM IN THE AGENCY, FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, BETWEEN THE MANAGEMENT AND THE FRONTLINE WORKERS, AND THE MIDDLE MANAGEMENT IS CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT SITUATION. THE AGENCY TO US SEEMS TO BE MORE CONCERNED WITH ITS PUBLIC IMAGE MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.))
[SUPER=01-Don Wilkerson/Suicide Victim's Father;]
[SUPER=01-Phil Theisen/Lynchburg Depressive Disorders;]
[RUNS=29]
[OUT Q=than anything else.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The State Department of Mental Health originally found no evidence of abuse or neglect, but is reopening its investigation in light of last week's report.
(------------)
[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
[SS=NONE]
It could be called Win Ben Stein's Diploma.
Still ahead on News 7, find out where the t-v star will be giving a graduation speech.
(---------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
And state police say it's like a giant jigsaw puzzle... as they try to piece together what happened yesterday afternoon on Interstate 81.
(----------------)
[81-Wrecks]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=02-12 TC1:08:54]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
It's like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle that someone threw across the interstate...
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
That's how one state trooper describes the 40-car pileup he's now in charge of investigating.
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[SS=81-Accident]
Yesterday's chain of accidents on Interstate 81 near Salem created the area's biggest car pileup in at least a decade... and a big mess... one Marya Jones says may take days to sort out.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=DRIVING NATS]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./Yesterday; :00]
[SUPER=01-Jeremy Gift/Witness; :13]
[SUPER=01-Shannon Phipps/Driver; :51]
[SUPER=@Marya2; 1:20]
[RUNS=1:28]
[OUT Q=MJN7, Roanoke Co.]
(((///// SOT /////)
[SOT 3:03:25]
((NATS: DRIVING PAST BACKED UP TRAFFIC.))
[RUNS:02]
You can blame this backup on the rain.
State police say yesterday's 40-car pileup on Interstate 81 started when motorists followed too close during a heavy downpour.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:56:11 - :24]
((JEREMY GIFT/WITNESS: IT WAS 5:30 ON THE DOT AND IT STARTED POURING DOWN FAIRLY HEAVILY. I LOOKED UP AND I SAW BRAKE LIGHTS AND I SAW A TRUCK WHO WAS TRAILING ANOTHER SMALL TRUCK LOCK EM UP AND JACKKNIFE AND CAUGHT THE SIDE OF MY COWORKER'S TRUCK.))
[RUNS:13]
Two people remain in the hospital -- one man with a broken collarbone; another with severe cuts to his face.
Seven others were treated and released.
State police say some drivers may be charged.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 3:02:02]
((NATS: CLEAN UP OF TRUCK PIECES.))
[RUNS:02]
Right now, it's hard to say WHO started the destructive chain of events.
But state police say as many as 35 cars and three tractor trailers collided as they tried to stop on rain-slick roads.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:51:52 - 2:52:02]
((SHANNON PHIPPS/DRIVER: I STARTED SLIDING EVERYWHERE ...TRYING TO GET CONTROL OF IT. WHERE I LOCKED THE BRAKES UP... TRYING TO KEEP FROM HITTING PEOPLE.))
[RUNS:10]
The wrecks spread out over one- and- a- half miles. Southbound traffic backed up from Dixie Caverns to Cloverdale.
And some motorists were stranded for nearly 4 hours.
V-DOT says in the future, motorists will have advance warning of trouble ahead.
The highway department plans to install more overhead message signs on Interstate 81, 581, and Route 460 by the end of the year.
Marya Jones, News-7, Roanoke County.))
[Robertson]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]
After two days of testimony, it took a Botetourt County jury just one hour to find a former prison guard guilty of dealing drugs to inmates.
Randy Robertson was convicted on two counts of distributing oxycontin and sentenced to serve 25 years.
Two inmates came forward alleging that Robertson, then a guard at the Botetourt County prison Camp 25, had tried to sell them the drug.
He was caught on tape trying to do it.
Robertson pleaded NOT guilty to the charges.
He'll be formally sentenced in August.
[Carroll-Arrests]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=kgu]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Authorities in Carroll County have arrested three people on drug charges.
Police say that 56-year-old Elmond Marshall of Fancy Gap, 33-year-old Kathy Renay Manning and 25-year-old Rhonda Ann Ousley of Hillsville are charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
Police also charged the three with possession of a firearm.
Officials found stolen property, money and drug paraphernalia at the home.
[Stocks]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Stocks ended in the red just a day after their best rally in eight months.
[TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-y/104.41/10037.42/y/45.80/1650.49;]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
The DOW dropped 104 points.
NASDAQ fell 46.
(-------------)
[VO]
[SUPER=271-i/0.65/59.30/i/0.14/45.82/h/0.42/74.42/i/0.13/20.06/i/0.51/7.07;]
[SUPER=272-i/0.80/64.95/i/0.45/56.83/i/1.36/31.49/i/0.06/22.05/i/0.94/46.29;]
[SUPER=273-i/0.65/22.83/i/0.57/20.94/i/0.01/0.71/h/0.21/55.27/i/0.64/15.58;]
[SUPER=274-i/0.51/67.90/i/0.18/100.90/i/1.19/40.15/i/0.31/37.73/i/1.40/54.99;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]
[Warner]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=02-07 TC1:44:51]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Governor Warner says he wants a prison chief who supports rehabilitation.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]
Warner responded today to the resignation of Ron Angelone, who headed the Department of Corrections for eight years.
[SUPER=@file]
Warner says he has no timeline for replacing Angelone.
The controversial director was best-known for his emphasis on prison security over prisoner rehabilitation.
Warner says he will appoint a prison director with different priorities.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 00:06:36]
[IN Q=I WANT TO MAKE SURE]
((GOVERNOR MARK WARNER: I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO HAVE A PRISON SYSTEM THAT PROTECTS AND KEEPS PRISONERS APPROPRIATELY INCARCERATED, THAT ALSO FOCUSES ON REHABILITATION AS WELL AS FOCUSING ON THE SAFETY OF THE DOC PERSONNEL.))
[SUPER=@MarkWarner]
[RUNS=:23]
[OUT Q=SAFETY OF THE DOC PERSONNEL.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Warner says finding Virginia's next prison chief may require a national search.
Angelone was appointed by Governor George Allen.
He has been asked to stay on until a successor can be found.
(------------)
[Stein-Speech]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
He's well known for boring his students in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
But some area Law School students hope Ben Stein will hold their attention.
Stein will speak at Washington and Lee's Law School Graduation this Sunday.
The actor, lawyer and former Presidential speechwriter was chosen by the 117 graduates.
[Sports Tease]
[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
A Byrd senior gets $16 thousand dollar scholarship.
W&L must hit the road.
The Tech women get a first round win.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
And we'll have details of the third annual Western Virginia Education Classic set for later this fall.
(------------)
[S-W&L]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-113 13442tc]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]
The Washington and Lee lacrosse team that won its NCAA opener yesterday must now hit the road for its second round matchup.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lexington/Yesterday; :00]
The Generals will next face Washington College Sunday afternoon at 1:30.
W&L barely lost to this team in the regular season falling to the Shoremen 9-to-8.
If the Generals can win on Sunday they will advance to the national semi-finals.
(------------)
[S-Tech]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=TECH]
The Virginia Tech women opened up the Big East softball championships at the Moyer Complex today with an 8-to-3 upset of top seeded Notre Dame.
Carmen Farmer and Amy Voorhees each had two hits for the Hokies.
Ashlee Dobbe went the distance for the Tech for her 29th win of the year.
Tech now moves on in the winner's bracket. The Hokie will face Villanova tomorrow afternoon at one at the Moyer.
Villanova beat Syracuse 3-to-2.
[S-Devine]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-117 13511]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]
Speaking of Notre Dame, former Fighting Irish head football coach Dan Devine died today at the age of 77.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@file]
Devine coached in college at Arizona State, Missouri and Notre
Dame. He led the Irish to the 1977 national championship.
Devine was 172-57-and-9 over his 22 collegiate seasons, and is a
member of the college football Hall of Fame
His family says he failed to recover well from bypass surgery.
(------------)
[S-Classic]
[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-118]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 sports]
September 21st, Roanoke welcomes the Western Virginia Education Football Classic for a third straight year. Virginia Union, the defending CIAA champions, will play Livingstone College.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
Today, TAP and the Star City officially kicked off the event with a news conference that included many familiar faces.
TAP board of directors member Sherman Lea, himself a former graduate and football player at Virginia Union, introduced former William Fleming stars and now VU players Derrick Ruben and Marcus Smith, who will play on their home turf at Victory Stadium. The event, in three years, has itself become a victory.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Sherman Lea/TAP Board of Directors; :00]
[SUPER=01-Derrick Ruben/Virginia Union Defensive Tackle; :14]
[SUPER=01-Marcus Smith/Virginia Union Cornerback; :22]
[RUNS=:35]
[OUT Q=.....community as well"]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
TAP and organizers of the game also presented a gift to the family of WDBJ-7's Roy Stanley in memory of one of the biggest supporters of the event.
(---------------)
[S-Holliday]
[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-116]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 sports]
She's number one in her class of 230, she is a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and the RAM House and she is the senior class president. All of those factors made it easy for the Don Holliday Memorial Scholarship committee to give the prestigious award to William Byrd's Whitney Morris.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
This morning Whitney, who is the team captain for the basketball and soccer squads, collected her 16 thousand dollar scholarship to be spread out over her four years of college education at James Madison where she will study to eventually become a physicians assistant. The award is named after Don Holliday, who lost his battle with cancer, a situation that hit close to home for this particular scholarship recipient and her family.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Whitney Morris/Don Holliday Scholarship Winner; :00]
[SUPER=01-Dottie Morris/Whitney's Mom; :16]
[SUPER=01-Andy Morris/Whitney's Dad; :29]
[SUPER=01-Jerry English/Scholarship Co-Committee Chairman; :37]
[RUNS=:47]
[OUT Q=.....about her family"]
(-------------)
[anchor=mike]
[graphic=news 7 sports]
Whitney is only the second female in the scholarship's history to win the award.
[S-MLB]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-112 14123TC]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]
One game is already final in the major leagues this afternoon.
Milwaukee beat Chicago 9-to-4.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-San Antonio, TX; :00]
And in the NBA - Tim Duncan was officially presented with the NBA most valuable player trophy today.
Duncan edged New Jersey Nets guard Jason Kidd for the honors in the award's fifth-closest finish since the media began voting in 1981.
Shaquille O'Neal was third.
(------------)
[Open-House]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=None]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
Now that we have been in our "Building for the Future" for three weeks, we hope you can join us for a tour this weekend.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
(+++++++)
[Take Open House FS]
Our Digital Broadcast Center Open House runs Friday from 2 until 9, and Saturday from 9 until 5.
We'll offer autographs and answer your questions about digital television.
Take I-581 in Roanoke to Hershberger Road West.
(--------------)
by SS