WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 06/28/02

[1-News-Head]

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
A former electoral board member is indicted for misappropriation of public funds.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
And a 15-year old tells the judge he didn't set the tire fire, but the judge finds sufficient evidence to believe the boy's guilty.

[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Tonight on News 7 sports - the Indy Racing League is in the state this weekend. The Barbers close down their camp for another year, but not before touching folks throughout the community.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
And don't look now, but this wild man is coming to Roanoke tomorrow for two free shows.
(------------)

[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[SS=None]

Showers come to an end overnight, paving the way for sunshine this weekend, forecast details are straight ahead.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith 3-Shot]

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

(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 17:49:34]
[IN Q=I can't really]
((I CAN'T REALLY GO INTO THE DETAILS OTHER THAN TO JUST RESTATE WHAT IS IN THE INDICTMENT IN THAT HE IS CHARGED WITH INAPPROPRIATELY USING PUBLIC FUNDS.))
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=using public funds.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

A special grand jury hands down a 13-count indictment against a former member of the Lynchburg electoral board.
Prosecutors say Al Grant racked up tens of thousands of dollars in improper credit card charges.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[GRAPHIC=News7at6]

Good evening, I'm Keith Humphry.
Shannon is off tonight.

[Registrar]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=02-17 TC1:20:55]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 @ 6]

Six months after state police first started looking into Al Grant's spending, authorities now believe he misappropriated thousands of dollars in taxpayer money.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith & Steve/L'burg Bureau;]

Steve Smallshaw is in our Lynchburg bureau.
Steve, why did it take prosecutors so long to file charges?
Keith, a lot of the evidence in this case involves records from out- of- state hotels and restaurants,
[LIVE=Steve/FULL]
[SUPER=@ssm1]
[SUPER=05-Lynchburg]
and it took some time to track down exactly what Al Grant allegedly was paying for with his city-issued credit card.
With these indictments, it's safe to say authorities don't consider them to be legitimate expenses.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=In the end]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Bill Petty/Lynchburg Commonwealth's Attorney; :22]
[RUNS=1:08]
[OUT Q=how well I do it.]
(( In the end, they finally got the paperwork they needed.
After months of tracking down credit card receipts and other crucial financial documents, Lynchburg investigators felt they had enough to prove Al Grant abused his position as secretary of the local electoral board by racking up improper charges on his city-issued credit card.
[SOT 17:50:32]
((BILL PETTY/LYNCHBURG COMMONWEALTH'S ATTORNEY: THESE CRIMES DO INVOLVE EVIDENCE, OFTENTIMES EVIDENCE THAT'S OUT OF STATE, ARE LENGTHY AND THEY ARE VERY TIME-INTENSIVE.. THIS HAS BEEN A MAJOR FOCUS OF OUR OFFICE FOR SOME PERIOD OF TIME. AND SO WE'RE THANKFUL WE WERE ABLE TO WRAP IT UP, BUT IT WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT WAS GOING TO BE DONE OVERNIGHT.))
[RUNS= 21]
[OUT Q=done overnight.]

The charges reportedly include an Inaugural-night dinner party in Washington D.C. that cost taxpayers more than a thousand dollars.. as well as trips to places like Hilton Head and Atlanta where Grant allegedly had no legitimate electoral board business to conduct.
Petty's office came under fire in April for not having charged Grant earlier.. presumably because both men are Republicans.
[SOT 17:55:20]
((PETTY: I'VE BEEN ACCUSED OF A LOT OF THINGS IN THE LAST 25 YEARS. WE DO OUR JOB AND ALL I CAN DO IS DO MY JOB AND LET THE PUBLIC DECIDE HOW WELL I DO IT.))
[RUNS= 09]
[OUT Q=how well I do it.] ))
(-------------)
[LIVE=Steve/FULL]
[SUPER=05-Lynchburg;]

Al Grant could "not" be reached for comment on the case..
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith & Steve/L'Burg Bureau;]

He turned himself in to police this afternoon and was released on bond.. he's due in court for an advisement hearing on July 8th.

[Tire-Fire]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=02-20 TC1:51:18]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]
[***ANCHOR TAG***] It turns out that the boy accused of starting that huge tire fire in Roanoke County confessed last month. Then he recanted his confession. In court today, the 15-year old suspect was still insisting he didn't do it.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It took some]
[SUPER=03-Salem]
[SUPER=01-David Flynn/Roanoke Co. Police Detective; :10]
[SUPER=10-Tony Dow/April Arson Victim/June 13; :46 ]
[SUPER=01-Mac Doubles/Arson Suspect's Attorney; 1:06 ]
[RUNS=1:18]
[OUT Q=with me that he's set these fires.]
(( It took some dogged detective work and a bit of luck, but County Investigator David Flynn eventually focused on a boy who lives six miles away from where the fire started.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:11:45]
[IN Q=He knew facts]
((HE KNEW FACTS THAT ONLY THE PERSON WHO COMMITTED THE OFFENSE, WAS THERE OR WAS TOLD ABOUT THE OFFENSE WOULD KNOW.)) [RUNS 07]
[OUT Q=]
Flynn says the boy knew exactly where on Starlight Lane the fire had broken out.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:12:25]
[IN Q=He knew that]
((HE KNEW THAT THERE WAS MORE THAN ONE POINT OF ORIGIN WHERE THE FIRE STARTED. HE KNEW THAT IT WAS NEAR AN ABANDONED HOUSE WHICH WAS KEY.))
[RUNS= :09]
[OUT Q=which was key.]

[NAT SOT]
County resident Tony Dow provided the break in the arson investigation. About three weeks after the tire fire started, he returned home to find a group of boys setting a brush fire. He was not allowed to get into it in court, but Dow says he'd had trouble with these kids before.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT Dow tape @ 21:59:10]
[IN Q=They had]
((THEY HAD A WHITE CROSS OUT THERE, PUT A WHITE SHEET OVER THE MAILBOX WITH NAMES ALL OVER IT. RACIAL KINDS OF STUFF? YEAH, VERY RACIAL.))
[RUNS= 13]
[OUT Q=very racial.]
In court, though, Dow had to say he couldn't identify the teenager on trial. The boy's lawyer says police forced him to confess.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT Mac - 2:15:05]
[IN Q=]
((I THINK THE PROFESSIONALS KNOW HOW TO WORK PEOPLE WHO ARE SUSCEPTIBLE UNTIL THEY GET WHAT THEY WANT. HE'S DENIED CONSISTENTLY WITH ME THAT HE'S SET THESE FIRES.))
[RUNS= 09]
[OUT Q=set those fires.]))
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=HOLD]
The judge ordered the media not to name the juvenile suspect, as a condition of being allowed to attend today's hearing. Judge Philip Trompeter found sufficient evidence this afternoon to convict the child of arson. He'll decide what to do with the boy next month.

[221-Ax]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=02-25 TC32:10]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident]

An accident that killed a Roanoke County teenager has led to a manslaughter charge against the driver.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./May 18]

Police say a juvenile has been charged with aggravated INvoluntary manslaughter, and driving after curfew, in the death of 15-year-old Casey Bane.
Bane was killed in a crash on Bent Mountain Road last month. The car she was riding in went airborne after failing to get around a sharp curve.
Police refused to release the driver's name, age or gender.
(------------)

[Mayhew]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]

A Forest woman plans to plead guilty to embezzling thousands of dollars from a Bedford County bank.
23 year old Kristy Lynne Mayhew is charged with embezzling more than 33-thousand dollars from the B-B-and-T bank in the spring of 2001.
A hearing is scheduled for August 7th where she has signed an agreement to plead guilty.
She faces 30 years in prison and a fine up to a million dollars.

[L'burg-Robbery]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Shooting]

A convenience store clerk is hospitalized after he was shot during a robbery in Lynchburg last night.
Just after midnight, police say the suspect entered the 7-Eleven store on Wadsworth Street, shot one of the two clerks on duty and made off with a small amount of cash.
The gunman is being described as a black man, between 5-8 and 5 feet 10 inches tall, of medium build, wearing a black skull cap and a dark bandana over his face.
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Lynchburg police.

[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=NONE]

He inherits a party hit hard by controversy.
Hear what the new Executive Director of Virginia's Republican Party plans to do about it next on News 7 at Six.
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[VO-NAT]

Plus see how some area truck drivers are competing off road... in hopes of avoiding accidents on it.
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[GOP-director]

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

The state's Republican Party is stronger than before, so says its new Executive Director.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]

Aaron Leibowitz, a Texas native and father of two took over this week as head of Virginia's GOP.
Leibowitz succeeds Ed Matricardi, who resigned in March amid allegations of eavesdropping on Democrat's conference calls.
The state later dropped the felony charges, but a federal investigation is ongoing.
Leibowitz says Republicans feel good about how their party handled the recent controversies.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 14:38:16-30]
[IN Q=They have more faith in the party now]
[SUPER=01-Aaron Leibowitz/Republican Party of Virginia]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=more about them.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Leibowitz says he has never met Matricardi and that he's looking toward the future, not the past.
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[Flight-427]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=02-24 TC26:20]
[GRAPHIC=None]

One of Boeing's suppliers may have to shell out hundreds of millions of dollars for a plane crash that killed three people from our area.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Aliquippa, PA/September 1994]

A Pittsburgh jury says the airplane maker and Parker Hannifin Corporation are solely responsible for the crash of a U-S Airways jet, which fell more than a mile and slammed into a hillside near the Pittsburgh airport in 1994.
The crash killed 132 people.
Boeing had already settled with the airline and with the victims' families.
And now, Parker Hannifin -- which the jury says was 75 percent liable for the disaster -- may have to reimburse U-S Airways for most of the hundreds of millions of dollars it paid to settle suits brought by the families of those who died.
(------------)

[Accounting]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=csc]
[TAPE#=02-16 TC1:12:38]
[GRAPHIC=None]

17-thousand "Worldcom" employees, 13-hundred of them in Virginia, began receiving pink slips today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@file;]

The lay-offs come just days after the nation's second-largest long-distance company disclosed a massive accounting scandal which could force it into bankruptcy.
WorldCom revealed that internal auditors had improperly accounted for almost 4-billion dollars over the past two years.
So the company may have *lost* millions -- even as it was reporting profits.
Many C-E-O's are paid based on how their company performs, and experts say that may cause a few of them to bend the rules of accounting in their favor.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=15:07:33]
((THOMAS EDWARDS/HOLLINS UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR; BUT IT IS THIS PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN IN THE BUSINESS NOW FOR SOME TIME, OF NEEDING TO SHOW PROFITS NOW, RATHER THAN LATER.))
[SUPER=01-Thomas Edwards/Hollins University Professor]
[RUNS=10 ]
[OUT Q="...rather than later."]
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[ANCHOR=Keith]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The company's current and former C-E-O's have been subpoenaed to testify before Congress about their accounting practices.

[Stocks]

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

Stocks ended a volatile week with another choppy session. [TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-y/26.66/9243.26/x/5.78/1464.98;]

The DOW fell 27 points.
NASDAQ gained six.
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[VO]
[SUPER=271-i/0.23/54.51/h/0.42/40.02/h/1.76/70.36/h/0.60/18.53/h/0.03/6.92;]
[SUPER=272-h/1.23/66.20/h/0.23/53.62/i/0.85/29.05/h/0.21/18.71/i/1.60/47.50;]
[SUPER=273-i/0.10/19.90/h/0.49/23.38/h/0.06/0.54/h/0.81/43.68/h/3.04/15.44;]
[SUPER=274-h/0.19/67.72/h/1.04/100.58/h/0.92/40.15/h/0.23/38.18/i/2.69/55.01;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]

[Truckers]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=02-21 TC36:51]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Dozens of truck drivers are in our area, trying to prove who handles their rigs better than anybody else in the state. Richard Lesko has more on the 18-wheeled competition.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Norman Melanson/Defending National Tanker Champion; :06]
[SUPER=03-Rockbridge Co.; :15]
[SUPER=@Richard1; :37]
[SUPER=01-Skip Goodrich/Overnite Truck Driver; 1:08]
[RUNS=1:30]
[OUT Q=RL, N7, Rockbridge County.]
(((//////SOT/////)
[SOT - 15:24:33]
[INQ=It gets to be...]
((NORMAL MELANSON/DEFENDING NATIONAL TANKER CHAMPION; IT GETS TO BE IN YOUR BLOOD AFTER A WHILE. YOU TRY TO DO IT ALL THE TIME AND COME HERE AND WIN THE STATE.))
[RUNS= 9]
[OUTQ=and win the state.]
More than fifty of the top truck drivers in Virginia are competing for the state title this weekend in Rockbridge County. They will have to tackle tight turns and tricky maneuvers, simulating what they might see out on the road.
(//////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[INQ=The first barrel]
((NORMAN MELANSON/DEFENDING NATIONAL TANKER CHAMPION; THE FIRST BARREL IS LIKE THERE'S A CAR BROKEN DOWN HERE, THERE'S ANOTHER IN THE MIDDLE, AND ONE AT THE END, BUT THE POLICE WANT TO GET YOU IN AND OUT OF THE STREET.))
[RUNS= 10]
[OUTQ=of the street.]
(//////SOT/////)
[SOT - 15:47:01]
[INQ=This competition...]
((RICHARD LESKO/RLESKO@WDBJ7.COM; THIS COMPETITION IS ABOUT MORE THAN JUST SKILL. DRIVERS ARE TESTED AND RETESTED ON THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF SAFETY PROCEDURES. IN FACT, NONE OF THE DRIVERS HERE HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT FOR AT LEAST THE PAST YEAR.))
[RUNS= 12]
[OUTQ=at least the past year.]
(//////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[INQ=NAT SOUND]
[RUNS= 4]
[OUTQ=NAT SOUND]
Drivers must also compete with each other on a written test that challenges their knowledge of safety procedures. Then they face the Virginia State Police who intentionally place five defects on the trucks. The drivers must do their standard safety inspection, and keep an eye out for anything out of place.
(//////SOT/////)
[SOT - 15:44:33]
[INQ=They'll take the fire...]
((SKIP GOODRICH/OVERNITE TRUCK DRIVER; THEY'LL TAKE THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER OUT, OR CHANGE THE LEVEL, TAKE THE TRIANGLES OUT OF THE BOX, OR PUT A BOLT ON THE TIRE, IN THE TREAD.))
[RUNS= 9]
[OUTQ=in the tread.]
And by keeping every lugnut in place and tires within the lines, drivers hope that competitions like these will help stop accidents before they happen. Richard Lesko, News 7, Rockbridge County.))

[Sports Tease]

[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Coming up tonight on News 7 sports - lots of motorports news from the IRL in Richmond to a motor cycle jumper coming to Roanoke. Plus - Wimbledon highlights -
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
and the Barbers try to inspire the most recent class of drug court graduates in the valley.
(------------)

[S-Tennis]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-123]
[GRAPHIC=wimbledon]
We begin tonight with today's results from Wimbledon notes. There were even more upsets on the men's side today as three of the top 10 men were knocked out. Fifth seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov lost to Belgium's Xav-E-Ay MUH-Leese in straight sets. Andy Roddick and Andrei Pavel also lost. Only two of the top 10 men remain.
(-----------)
[VO NAT ENG#]
[SUPER=03-Wimbledon, England/TNT; :00]
On the women's side today - Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati both won and advanced to the fourth round of play. The second-seeded Williams fought past Belgium's Els Callens 7-6, 7-6. Venus Williams Tim Henman and LleytonHewitt will be back on the grass courts tomorrow.
(------------)

[S-Indy]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-121 3017]
[GRAPHIC=NASCAR]

The Winston Cup circuit is off this weekend, but the Busch Grand National and Craftsman truck series drivers are part of a double header at the Milwaukee Mile. Meanwhile -
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond; :00]
NASCAR country is being inhabited by the Indy Racing League this weekend. The IRL drivers are in Richmond tonight qualifying for Saturday night's Sun Trust Indy Challenge. Last year the pole winning speed at Richmond was 160 mile an hour. Buddy Lazier won the race.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=BITE]
[SUPER=01-Buddy Lazier/Defending Race Champ; :00]
[SUPER=01-Helio Castroneves/IRL Points Leader; :14]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=...AT RICHMOND."]
(------------)

[S-Kid]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-118 15730tc]
[GRAPHIC=NASCAR]

A young man who hopes to one day make it in NASCAR or maybe the IRL is hurting tonight.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Callaway; :00]
Forrest Reynolds, the 13 year old New Castle native, who first caught our eye when he was 11 years old racing mini-cups at the Franklin County Speedway, was injured yesterday when he fell down a waterfall near his home in Craig County. He shattered his right elbow and suffered a mild concussion the fall. He is currently recovering at Community Hospital. It's been a rough year for the promising driver - who earlier this year broke his left foot. We wish him the best in his recovery.
(------------)

[S-Cycle]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-125 854TC]
[GRAPHIC=NEWS 7 SPORTS]

And if two wheeled vehicles are more your style you may want to head over to the Roanoke Valley's Harley Davidson dealership on Peters Creek Road.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Tomorrow morning at 11 and again tomrorow afternoon at two - motrocycle daredevil Bubba Blackwell will be on hand behind the showroom putting on two shows that are free to the public. Blackwell, has challenged or broken many of Evil Knievel's records on the years, but he also has his problems - last July at the Del Mar fair in California he crashed and was critically injured. That's tomorrow at the Roanoke Buell Harley Davidson dealership.
(------------)

[S-Barbers]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-124 TC2031]
[GRAPHIC=The Barbers]

Tiki and Ronde Barber wrapped up their 5th annual football camp this morning at Cave Spring. But their work here in the Valley wasn't just limited to the practice field. Travis Wells has more on the twins' visit to Roanoke's Drug Court.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Ronde Barber/Tampa Bay Cornerback; :24]
[SUPER=01-Austin West/Drug Court Coordinator; 1:10]
[SUPER=01-Tiki Barber/N.Y. Giants Running Back; 1:31]
[RUNS=1:53]
[OUT Q=..News 7 Sports."]
(----------------)
((Tiki and Ronde Barber have spent almost as much time coaching football this week as they have prepping for photo shoots. As if that wasn't enough, the twins also lent their names to another cause here in their hometown--the Roanoke Drug Court, which graduated 19 members earlier this week.
Ronde:
The drug court program isn't easy. It includes 12 to 24 months of therapy for substance abuse offenders. But now comes the real test for the graduates.
Ronde: Austin:
The Barbers' message to the court's latest class was simple yet poignant.
Tiki:
Hopefully, that inspired message was taken to heart. Travis Wells, News 7 Sports.))

[Lottery]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=02-27 TC04:37]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A retired meat cutter from Alexandria has won a Lotto South jackpot worth four-point-six million dollars.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Alexandria]

Richard (seh-MAN-skee) Szymanski and his wife Delores bought two tickets this week. One was worth five dollars.
The other one came up big.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Oh, we're just going]
((RICHARD SZYMANSKI-LOTTERY WINNER: OH WE'RE JUST GOING TO LEAD A QUIET LIFE, NOT TO ANYTHING FOOLISH...HOPEFULLY.))
[SUPER=01-Richard Szymanski/Lotto South Winner;]
[RUNS=09]
[OUT Q=foolish, hopefully.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

They also got a one million dollar bonus for buying their winning ticket in Virginia.
Lotto South is also played in Kentucky and Georgia. (------------)