WDBJ 7 morning news for 05/19/02

[Open-Heads]

[ANCHOR=Marya]

[NEWSCAST=Sun Am]
[WRITER=jen]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

[roll cold out of the open]

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=#4070;weekend headline banner]
[SUPER=@Marya1;]
[SUPER=@Patrick1;]
Coming up on News 7 Sunday Morning....... A Federal judge puts Norfolk Southern's plans to close a Pennsylvania shop on track -

(------------)
and the man police believe killed a Pittsylvania County sheriff's deputy is behind bars this morning. we will have more on those stories in just a few minutes.

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[2-shot toss to Hello]

[Deputy-Investigation]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sun AM]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=02-06 TC-2:04:54]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Investigation]
State police have arrested the man they believe shot and killed deputy Frankie Betterton during a routine traffic stop..
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Yesterday, state police arrested 23- year old Roy Inge (INJ), Junior without incident...
[SUPER=03-Pittsylvania Co.;]
The Pittsylvania County man is charged with capital murder and use of a firearm---- and is being held without bond.
Inge is expected to be arraigned Monday morning in Pittsylvania County. State police say the two DID know each other-- but no other information about the investigation is being revealed.
(------------)

[Shot-Deputy]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sun AM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-21 TC-13:35]
[GRAPHIC=hold]
[***ANCHOR TAG****]

An outpouring of emotion is being shown throughout Deputy Betterton's community of Brosville.
Justin McLeod spent time there this weekend and has reaction from family and friends.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Pittsylvania Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Tammy Jordan/Family Friend; :09]
[SUPER=01-Dennis Alverson/Family Friend; :36]
[SUPER=01-Bernie Jordan/Former Co-Worker; 1:05]
[SUPER=01-Gary Goodson/Pittsylvania Co. Sheriff's Department; 1:23]
[RUNS=1:46]
[OUT Q=JM, News 7, Pittsylvania Co.]
((((NAT SOUND OF INVESTIGATORS AT THE SCENE))
As investigators continue to piece together exactly what happened, family and friends continue to ask why.
[SOT 18:05]
[IN Q=It makes me very]
((TAMMY JORDAN/FAMILY FRIEND: IT MAKES ME VERY ANGRY. ALL HE WAS DOING WAS HIS JOB, JUST DON'T KNOW WHY ANYTHING LIKE THAT HAD TO HAPPEN TO HIM.))
[Runs= 10]
[OUT Q=happen to him]

It happened here on Route 58 just west of Danville around 2:15 Friday afternoon.
The sheriff says it was a routine traffic stop.
At some point, Deputy Frankie Betterton was shot once in the head.
We're told the gunshot came from the passenger side.
[SOT 14:21]
[IN Q=Angry, just disgust]
((DENNIS ALVERSON/FAMILY FRIEND: ANGRY, JUST DISGUST, VERY UNCALLED FOR IT WAS A SITUATION THAT SHOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED.))
[Runs= 09]
[OUT Q=never have happened]

To understand why people are so angry, you have to know a little about Frankie Betterton.
Friends describe him as a family man, well liked in the community, and someone who always wanted to be a cop.
He joined the Pittsylvania County Sheriff's office back in September of 1999.
Before that Betterton worked at Chatmoss Cable with Bernie Jordan.
[SOT 16:38]
[IN Q=We even tried to]
((BERNIE JORDAN/FORMER CO-WORKER: WE EVEN TRIED TO GET HIM TO COME BACK TO WORK FOR US UP HERE A LITTLE WHILE BACK BUT HE JUST WOULDN'T HAVE IT. DEPUTY SHERIFF WAS IT. IT WAS THE MAIN THING HE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO BECAUSE HE FELT LIKE HE COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND I THINK HE DID.))
[Runs= 10]
[OUT Q=I think he did]

He clearly made a difference at the Sheriff's office.
As his body was being removed, his colleagues stood by and saluted their fallen colleague.
[SOT 13:55:08]
[IN Q=We are going]
((MAJOR GARY GOODSON/PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT.: WE ARE GOING TO SEEK SOME COUNSELING AND DEBRIEFING FOR OUR MEN THAT WERE HERE ON THE SCENE AND THAT HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS CASE AND ITS JUST GOING TO BE AN AWFULLY LONG WEEKEND FOR US.))
[Runs= 09]
[OUT Q=weekend for us]

And for all law enforcement.
Officers at several departments including Danville are currently wearing a black ribbon around their badges.
Justin McLeod, News 7, Pittsylvania County.))
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[ANCHOR=Marya]

Betterton's family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to place cameras in sheriff's deputies' cars.
(++++++++++)
[GRAPHIC=TAKE FS]

Donations can be made to Brosville United Methodist Church Camera Fund.
1-2-6-4-8 Martinsville Highway, Danville, Virginia, 24541.

(++++++++++)[Rocky-Mount]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sun AM]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=02-20 TC-1:19:52]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]
Fire damaged the Rocky Mount Post Office last night.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Rocky Mount/Last Night;]
After a preliminary investigation, fire officials say a fan plugged into a wall may have started the fire. The post office suffered mostly smoke and water damage. The blaze was quickly extinguished, and nobody was injured. The post office had recently completed a renovation of the building. There's no word on whether any mail was lost or damaged.
(------------)

[Cove-Drowning]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sun AM]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=02-15 TC-1:40:19]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Rescue crews will resume searching this morning for a man believe drowned in Carvins Cove.
(------------)
[VO-NAT - :36+]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co./Yesterday;]
Fire officials say 23- year old Aaron Flory of the Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, was swimming with two friends around three o'clock yesterday morning. The three were apparently swimming towards an island near the reservoir's dam, when Flory started struggling to stay afloat, before disappearing beneath the water. Dive teams searched the cove most of the day yesterday, and a SONAR unit is being used to scan the bottom of the reservoir. Fire officials say Flory has relatives in Botetourt County, and was visiting a friend who recently graduated from V-M-I.
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[NS-Closing]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sun AM]
[WRITER=jen]
[TAPE#=02-13 tc 51:35]
[GRAPHIC=none]

After months of debate from state legislators and union officials, a Federal appeals court has ruled that Norfolk Southern CAN close up shop in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@file]
Workers and politicians had appealed a plan to close the car repair shop in Hollidaysburg since it was announced last fall... saying the railroad had promised to keep it open when federal regulators decided to allow Norfolk Southern and C-S-X Corporation to take over Conrail in 1999. But the court said in a decision released Friday that it found NO evidence N-S agreed to maintain the facility regardless of economic conditions. The shop is one of the largest rail-car repair shops in the world - but the Virginia Based company says it can get the same work done in other facilities - including those here in Roanoke. Norfolk Southern says it has no timetable on when the shop will close.
(------------)
[anchor=Marya]
[ss=none]
If the court had ruled to keep the Hollidaysburg shops open, it could have meant cutbacks in Roanoke.

[Tease#1]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sun Am]
[WRITER=jen]
[SS=None]
[BOTH MICS HOT]
Still to come on News 7 Sunday Morning....... A upcoming event will catch kids hook, line and sinker -
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[VO-NAT]
and we'll take a look back at Halifax's history - We'll have details on that after the break!

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[Lotto]
[Break #1]

[Time-Off]

[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Sun AM]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=Time Off #4 TC-2:21]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Named for the Second Earl of Halifax by the English.. Halifax county has a rich history that spans hundreds of years.

At one time it even included what are now the counties of Franklin, Patrick, Henry, Pittsylvania and part of Bedford.

Shannon Young takes this week's "Time Off" back in time.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=In 1865, right after the surrender...]
[SUPER=01-Chip Pottage/Resident Historian; :06]
[SUPER=03-Halifax Co.; :24]
[SUPER=@Shannon2; :44]
[SUPER=01-Kenneth Cranford/Composer; 1:47]
[RUNS=2:34]
[OUT Q=STANDARD]

(([SOT 8:15:15-8:15:32]
[IN Q=In 1865, right after the surrender at Appomattox...]
((CHIP POTTAGE/RESIDENT/HISTORIAN: IN 1865, RIGHT AFTER THE SURRENDER AT APPOMATTOX GENERAL CUSTER WAS HERE AND CAME IN AND TOOK THE HOUSE OVER AS HIS HEADQUARTERS AND SCARRED THE DINING ROOM TABLE RIGHT HERE.))
[RUNS= :17]
[OUT Q=dining room table right here.]
The past blurs into the present in Halifax County, as is evident in Chip Pottage's dining room. Five generations of Pottages have lived in this home, each passing stories on to the next.
[SOT 18:15:48-18:15:59]
[IN Q=Then, in 1876 when they heard...]
((CHIP POTTAGE: THEN, IN 1876, WHEN THEY HEARD ABOUT THE MASSACRE OUT WEST THAT'S WHEN THEY HUNG UP THESE ARROWS IN THE DINING ROOM, THEIR REVENGE FOR CUSTER'S RUDENESS TO THE FAMILY.))
[RUNS= :11]
[OUT Q=Custer's rudeness to the family.]
But the story of Halifax County started long before Custer pitched a tent in the Pottage's yard. A stroll through the graveyard at St. John's Episcopal Church is as effective as any time machine.
[SOT ?????]
[IN Q=You just have to walk...]
((CHIP POTTAGE: YOU JUST HAVE TO WALK AMONG THE GRAVES AND THERE'S SOMETHING YOU CAN SAY ABOUT EVERYBODY HERE.))
[RUNS= :06]
[OUT Q=about everybody here.]

Weathered headstones mark the final resting place of soldiers from as long ago as the Revolutionary War. Centuries old poplars shade the graves of the nephew of Jefferson Davis, a Scottish baron and even those with ties to the White House.
[SOT 8:04:30-8:04:40]
[IN Q=There are two men here...]
[CHIP POTTAGE: THERE ARE TWO MEN HERE THAT ARE CONNECTED TO PRESIDENT JEFFERSON... A FIFTH GREAT-GRANDSON AND A MAN THAT BUILT THE BUILDINGS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA.]
[RUNS= :10]
[OUT Q=at the University of Virginia.]
Speaking of architecture, Halifax County boasts some of the best surviving examples from the 19th century. Plantation homes like Berry Hill dot the countryside and are sometimes included in local home tours. Those with an interest in the out of doors won't be disappointed, either. As far back as 1733 William Byrd surveyed the area and instantly fell in love.
[SOT 7:54:29-7:54:38]
[IN Q=He wrote, "The River Dan..."]
((KENNETH CRANFORD/COMPOSER: HE WROTE, "THE RIVER DAN FLOWS THROUGH THE LAND OF EDEN" AND THAT BECAME THE FIRST LINE OF THIS HYMN TO HALIFAX COUNTY, IF YOU WILL.))
[RUNS= :09]
[OUT Q=to Halifax County, if you will.]
Cranford's wrote the hymn for the County's anniversary celebration. He says the year-long party will include a series of concerts along with the usual events.
[SOT 7:56:58-7:57:17]
[IN Q=The Cantaloupe Festival...]
[KENNETH CRANFORD: THE CANTALOUPE FESTIVAL, HALIFAX COUNTY FAIR, WE HAVE A MARVOULOUS THEATER ORGANIZATION. ALL OF THESE THINGS CAN BE FOUND ONT EH SOUTH BOSTON/HALIFAX COUNTY WEBSITE. THERE ARE MANY REASONS TO COME HERE AND VISIT.]
[RUNS= :19]
[OUT Q=reasons to come here and visit.]
Or even, as the Pottage's have found, to stay.
[SOT8:07:34-8:07:38]
[IN Q=Like I told you, I'm just like...]
((CHIP POTTAGE: LIKE I TOLD YOU, I'M JUST LIKE BRIAR RABBIT IN THE BRIAR PATCH. I WAS BORN AND BRED HERE.))
[RUNS= :04]
[OUT Q=born and bred here.]
Shannon Young, News 7, Halifax County.))

[2-NS-Closing]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sun AM]
[WRITER=jen]
[TAPE#=02-13 tc 51:35]
[GRAPHIC=]

After months of debate from state legislators and union officials, a Federal appeals court in PENNSYLVANIA has ruled that Norfolk Southern CAN close up shop there.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@file]
Workers and politicians have appealed a plan to close the car repair shop in Hollidaysburg since it was announced last fall... saying the railroad had promised to keep it open when federal regulators decided to allow Norfolk Southern and C-S-X Corporation to take over Conrail in 1999. But the court said in a decision released Friday that it found NO evidence N-S agreed to maintain the facility regardless of economic conditions. The shop is one of the largest rail-car repair shops in the world - but the Virginia-based company says it can get the same work done in other facilities - including those here in Roanoke. Norfolk Southern says it has no timetable on when the shop will close.
(------------)
[anchor=Marya]
[ss=]
If the court had ruled to keep the Hollidaysburg shops open, it could have meant cutbacks in Roanoke.

[Sadie-Jones]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sun AM]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=02-18 TC-29:21]
[GRAPHIC=none]
When a local woman died after more than a century of life-- one Botetourt man thought she should be remembered as more than just a number.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co./Yesterday]
Sadie Jones passed away in March-- at the age of 109- having apparently out-lived her entire family. So, few were there to reflect on Jones' long life when she was laid to rest at Coyner Springs Cemetery... and there was NO money for a headstone to mark her grave. A number was all that marked Jones' resting spot. That's when the Reverend Edward Mitchell decided to collect money for a proper service... saying he did NOT want a woman who'd lived so many years to just be a number.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 08:03:03]
[IN Q=I'm hoping that ]
[SUPER=07-Rev. E. M. Mitchell]
((I'M HOPING THAT THIS IS AN EYE OPENER FOR US TO REALIZE THAT THERE ARE SENIORS CITIZENS OUT THERE THAT REALLY DON'T HAVE MONEY, DON'T HAVE A WAY TO BE BURIED, THAT WE WOULD KNOW IT NOW AND WE WOULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE.))
[RUNS=12]
[OUT Q=make a difference.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Mitchell and others were able to raise 2- thousand dollars from the community. The money that was not used for Jones' headstone is now in a memorial fund.
(------------)

[Profile-Open]

[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Sun-AM]
[WRITER=RCA]
[TAPE#=Va. Profile]
[GRAPHIC=Va. Profile]

One local woman takes her civic duty seriously. Julia Bratton works at the polls on election day. It's a job she's been doing so since John F. Kennedy became President. Over the years, the Christiansburg resident says things have changed, including the end of paper ballots. New River Valley Bureau Chief Rachel Cannon has her story in this week's Virginia Profile.
(////////sot///////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=animation]
[RUNS=:05]
[OUT Q=stop animation]

[WIPE WIPE WIPE WIPE WIPE]

[VA-Profile]

[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Sun AM]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=Profile]
[GRAPHIC=wipe]

[WIPE WIPE WIPE]

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=VOTING BELL]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Julia Bratton/Veteran Election Worker; :14]
[SUPER=@Rachel2; :57]
[RUNS=1:09]
[OUT Q=RC, News 7, Christiansburg.]
(( [NATS VOTING BELL] On election day, if you cast your vote at the D-3 precinct in Christiansburg, this face may look familiar. Julia Bratton has worked the Montgomery County polling place for 41 years.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:21:58]
[IN Q=i just]
((JULIA BRATTON/VETERAN ELECTION WORKER; I JUST ENJOY IT I ENJOY THE PEOPLE AND LOVE TO BE WITH THEM.))
[OUT Q=THEM]
Since 19-61, Bratton says she's only missed one election year. She laughs as she recalls it being perhaps the most controversial race in history. The Presidential recount in 2000.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:27:20]
[IN Q=A FRIEND]
((A FRIEND OR TWO OF MINE CALLED AND SAID WELL I KNEW THIS THING WOULD HAPPEN IN FLORIDA BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T' THERE AT THE POLLS. (LAUGHING)))
[OUT Q=laughing]
A typical election day for Bratton includes arriving early at the polls. Along with greeting voters, election workers are counting ballots and completing paperwork.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:23:58]
[IN Q=as the ]
((AS THE YEARS WENT ON WE CAME ALONG WITH THE MACHINES WHICH HAS MADE IT MUCH EASIER.))
[OUT Q=EASIER.]
Bratton encourages people to vote and for more to come work at polling locations. Even though it's her 41st year...she has no plans of being absentee. Rachel Cannon, News 7, Christiansburg.))

[D'ville-Park]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sun AM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-07 TC-1:57:11]
[GRAPHIC=none]

A festive mood is taking over the City of Danville this weekend.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville]

The 28th annual Festival in the Park is taking place at Ballou Park.
More than a hundred arts and crafts vendors as well as plenty of activities for the kids make up this year's festival.
Also back this year is the second year of the "Pigs in the Park" barbeque cook-off. (------------) The three day event, which wraps up today, usually attracts nearly forty thousand people.