WDBJ 7 morning news for 07/08/02

[Hughes]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

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

As President Bush winds up a long weekend at his summer home in Maine, he has a lot on his agenda this week.
The President is working on a major speech on corporate responsibility, just as the first hearings begin on the WorldCom scandal.
Also today, Bush will lose a key member of his inner circle, counselor Karen Hughes.
Mark Knoller has more on that.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Karen Hughes/Bush Counselor; :00]
[SUPER=03-Washington, DC; :20]
[SUPER=01-Mark Knoller/Reporting; 2:04]
[RUNS=2:06]
[OUT Q=Knoller, CBS News, Washington.]

[TX-Floods]

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

Much of the rain has stopped for now in south-central Texas, but residents are still keeping an eye on the rising floodwaters.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Near San Antonio, TX;]

President Bush has declared 13 Texas counties federal disaster areas.
Texas Governor Rick Perry is asking for similar declarations for 17 other counties.
He toured the devastation by helicopter yesterday.
The flooding has led to tens of millions of dollars in property damage, and has claimed eight lives.
But for hundreds of families who survived the flooding rains-- their homes did not.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I'll go back]
((MARY LEE MAXWELL/FLOOD VICTIM:I'LL GO BACK THERE AND HAVE A GOOD CRY AGAIN, IT'S ALL I CAN DO. I HOPE GOD WILL HELP ME THROUGH THIS". ))
[SUPER=01-Mary Lee Maxwell/Flood Victim;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=through this.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

More than 30 inches of rain fell in parts of south-central Texas last week alone, with more thunderstorms in the forecast.
(------------)

[11Waffle-Shooting]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-18 TC-1:15:22]
[GRAPHIC=Shooting]
A fight inside a Roanoke County restaurant escalated into gunfire in the parking lot. Police are still trying to piece together what happened yesterday morning.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.]

Officers say multiple shots were fired just outside the Waffle House restaurant, near Peters Creek Road and 5-81.
Detectives say two people exchanged words inside the restaurant before the shooting happened around five o'clock.
18 year old Vernon James Jones, Junior suffered a superficial wound.
He was treated and released from Community Hospital.
Police say they have no suspects, but believe anywhere from five to ten people were involved.
(XXXXXX)
[TAKE ROA. COUNTY FS]
If you have any information, you are urged to call the Roanoke County Police Department at 561-8094.
(XXXXXX)

[11Church-Group]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-22 TC-1:23:03]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Members of a Roanoke County church are on a mission to enhance the lives of others.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.]

More than 60 members of the Cave Spring United Methodist Church departed yesterday morning for West Virginia.
They're taking part in the annual Appalachian Service Project.
They'll be spending the next week sprucing up and repairing homes for residents who are less fortunate.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:51]
[IN Q=You won't believe]
((SARAH LYON/VOLUNTEER: YOU WON'T BELIEVE THE STUFF WHAT WE CAN DO FOR THESE PEOPLE. THEY HAVE CLOSE TO NOTHING. LAST YEAR, WE PUT UNDERPINNING AROUND THIS TRAILER. WE BUILT A PORCH FOR THEM AND PUT INSULATION IN BECAUSE THEY HAD NO WAY KEEP THE COOL AIR FROM GETTING UP UNDER THEIR TRAILER.))
[SUPER=01-Sarah Lyon/Volunteer; ]
[Runs=:14]
[OUT Q=under their trailer]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

This is the 13th year United Methodist Church has taken part in the program.
Most of the volunteers are young people.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 6:36]
[IN Q=I think most of the]
((BRUCE PRILLAMAN/ORGANIZER: I THINK MOST OF THE YOUTH HERE ARE AWARE THAT IT'S TO GIVE AND YET YOU WILL RECEIVE SO MUCH MORE SO BASICALLY IT IS A MINISTRY WHERE YOU GET MORE THAN YOU GIVE.))
[SUPER=01-Bruce Prillaman/Organizer]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=than you give]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The church raises the 15-thousand dollars needed for the trip.
The volunteers will work during the day and then each evening they plan to learn more about the Appalachian culture and history.
(------------)

[Marketwatch]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=NET]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]

In business news, Wall Street finished the week with a bang on Friday with the Dow soaring nearly 325 points... it's 10th best day ever! But will that rally continue? Jean Lee has that story and more in this morning's Marketwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Jean Lee/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:07]
[OUT Q=CBS MARKETWATCH, NEW YORK]

(tape tosses to stocks)
[STOCKS] [COMM]

[11Amusement-Rides]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-16 TC-1:31:25]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Each year injuries at amusement parks send thousands to the hospital... Justin McLeod visited the Salem Fair to see what steps are in place to ensure safety.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Salem; :00]
[SUPER=@justin1; :26]
[SUPER=01-Tom DiDonato/Asst. Ride Superintendent; :55]
[SUPER=01-Danny Abner/Safety Consultant; 1:28]
[RUNS=1:46]
[OUT Q=JM, News 7, Salem]
((((NAT SOUND AT 52:27))
They're fast....scary (SHOT AT 54:02)...and definitely mind boggling. (SHOT AT 57:34) ((QUICK NAT SOUND OF A RIDE))
They're just some of the thrill rides at this year's Salem Fair.
[SOT 58:55; 59:12]
[IN Q=It's not something]
((RACHEL BELTZ: IT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU WOULD RIDE TWICE IN An HOUR.)) ((TONYA BELTZ: IT WAS AWESOME.))
[Runs= 03]
[OUT Q=was awesome]

Awesome but also sometimes dangerous. [TAKE GRAPHIC]
A recent study by the Consumer Product Safety Commission reports park rides sent more than ten thousand people to the emergency room in 1999.
[SOT 1:06:11]
[IN Q=Most of those injuries]
((JUSTIN McLEOD/REPORTING: MOST OF THOSE INJURIES WERE CAUSE BY THE RIDER NOT THE MACHINE. THAT'S PARTLY WHY THE STATE OF VIRGINIA RECENTLY PASSED A NEW LAW THAT WENT INTO EFFECT JULY 1ST. IT IS CALLED THE RIDER RESPONSIBILITY LAW AND IT BASICALLY SAYS YOU CAN BE CHARGED IF YOU ACT UP ON A RIDE.))
[Runs= 14]
[OUT Q=act up on a ride]
((NAT SOUND AT 17:55))
Even so, safety is taken very seriously here at the Salem Fair.
An independent safety consultant conducts a four day inspection before the fair opens. ((QUICK NAT SOUND OF HAMMERING))
Each ride then undergoes a two hour daily inspection.
[SOT 42:04]
[IN Q=These are machinery]
((TOM DiDONATO/ASST. RIDE SUPERINTENDENT: THESE ARE MACHINERY. THESE ARE JUST LIKE YOUR CAR. WHEN YOUR CAR BREAKS DOWN YOU DON'T BLAME IT ON ANYBODY YOU REPAIR IT. IT IS THE SAME THING WITH THESE MACHINES HERE. WHEN THEY BREAK, WE REPAIR EM. WE'RE CONSTANTLY ON TOP OF EVERYTHING.))
[Runs= 11]
[OUT Q=top of everything]

To prove it, we went along for an inspection. ((NAT SOUND "THAT'S WHAT THAT IS FOR" (SLAM) 23:45))
We watched as workers checked safety harnesses, pins, and did routine maintenance. ((QUICK NAT SOUND OF RIDE RUNNING))
Each ride also runs empty every morning.
And if something even small goes wrong, the ride is shut down immediately.
That happened to this ride even though the manufacture says it is still safe to operate.
[SOT 33:45]
[IN Q=If we set it on manual]
((DANNY ABNER/SAFETY CONSULTANT: IF WE SET IT ON MANUAL THE LIGHT NO LONGER WORKS AND WE CHOOSE NOT TO RUN THE RIDE UNLESS WE KNOW IT IS 100-PERCENT.))
[Runs= 07]
[OUT Q=100-percent]

Even then, accidents can and will happen.
But these guys work day and night to make sure your thrill ride doesn't turn into a fatal attraction.
Justin McLeod, News 7, Salem.))

[11Salem-Fair]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-24 TC-48:14]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Safety concerns haven't kept people away from the fair... in fact they're showing up in record numbers.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem]

The event is in its 15th year and is the second largest in the state.
A record crowd of more than forty thousand people attended the fair July fourth.
However, organizers do report crowds have been down when the temperature goes up.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 43:21]
[IN Q=The crowds still come]
((CAREY HARVEYCUTTER/SALEM FAIR DIRECTOR: THE CROWDS STILL COME BUT THEY COME LATER WHEN IT IS REALLY HOT. IT WAS EXTREMELY WARM AT THE MIDDLE PART OF LAST WEEK AND LATER PART. SO THE PEOPLE ARE SUPPOSE TO COME OUT AT 4:30, 5, 6 O'CLOCK COME OUT AT 7:30, EIGHT O'CLOCK WHEN IT GETS COOLER IN THE EVENING.))
[SUPER=01-Carey Harveycutter/Salem Fair Director;]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=in the evening]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The total attendance at the fair is expected to top more than 300-hundred thousand this year.
The Salem Fair runs every day until July 14th at the Salem Civic Center.
(------------)

(Kimberly tosses to bump)

[bump-chyron]

[comm #3]

[2-Hughes]

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

President Bush is losing a member of his inner circle today--
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington, DC;]

Karen Hughes, counselor to the President is leaving Washington.
By many accounts, Hughes is the most influential member of the White House staff.
Hughes say it is a personal decision, because her husband and son want to go back home to Austin, Texas.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=We missed]
[SUPER=01-Karen Hughes/Counselor to President Bush;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=that feeling]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Hughes adds that she'll continue to advise the President, who told her that her wants her to stay involved with his administration.
She says even though she'll lose proximity, but gain perspective.
(------------)

[2-TX-Floods]

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

Flood waters in Texas have caused several deaths and tens of millions of dollars in property damage.
And with more rain in the forecast, the Governor of Texas is asking President Bush for help.
Steve Dunlop reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Abilene, TX; :00]
[SUPER=01-Gov. Rick Perry/(R) Texas; :32]
[SUPER=01-Angel Ximinez/Flood Victim; :45]
[SUPER=03-Near New Braunfels, TX; 1:10]
[SUPER=01-Mary Lee Maxwell/Flood Victim; 1:18]
[SUPER=03-Gonzales, TX; 1:24]
[SUPER=01-Steve Dunlop/Reporting; 1:30]
[RUNS=1:36]
[OUT Q=Dunlop, CBS News.]
((
PKG

(nats of rain and floods)
(AT :00 ABILENE, TX)

THIS WEEK MORE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED IN SEVERAL PARTS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS. AND THAT'S INSULT TO INJURY FOR PLACES LIKE ABILENE, TEXAS WHICH SAW RECORD SIZE FLOODS SWALLOW UP ENTIRE COMMUNITIES.

(NATS)
NEAR SAN ANTONIO THE WATERS ARE PULLING BACK... BUT THAT IS ONLY REVEALING THE DEVESTATION THAT HAS CAUSED TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN PROPERTY DAMAGE.

(NATS)
TEXAS GOVERNOR RICK PERRY GOT A FIRST HAND LOOK FROM THE AIR ON SUNDAY. WHEN HE RETURNED TO THE GROUND, HE WAS READY TO ASK FOR HELP.

(AT :32 SOT- GOV. RICK PERRY/(R) TEXAS)
" I'm asking President Bush to declare 17 more Texas counties as disaster areas, major disaster areas, expedite federal assistance to those counties."

(AT :45 SOT-Angel Ximinez/Flood Victim)
"how are you supposed to feel? I'm afraid to go in there"
ONE OF THOSE COUNTIES IS WHERE ANGEL XIMINEZ (HA-MEN-EZ) LIVES.

(NATS)

ON SATURDAY ANGEL WATCHED AS THE FLOOD WATERS RAVAGED HER HOME. ON SUNDAY SHE GOT HER FIRST LOOK AT THE DAMAGE LEFT BEHIND.

(SOT-ximinez again)
"this is my living room and there's my daughter's bedroom. You used to have to go around the wall to get there"

(AT 1:08 Near New Braunfels, TX)
IT'S THE SAME STORY FOR HUNDRED OF FAMILIES IN THIS PART OF TEXAS. FOR SOME A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES HAVE BEEN DESTROYED.

(AT 1:18 SOT - Mary Lee Maxwell/Flood Victim)
"I'll go back there and have a good cry again, it's all I can do. I hope god will help me through this"

(AT :1:25 Gonzales, TX)
TEXANS STILL ON DRY LAND HAVE NO INTENTION OF GOING THROUGH THE SAME GRIEF. THEY'RE MOVING OUT - BEFORE FLOODWATERS MOVE IN. STEVE DUNLOP, CBS NEWS.

))[2-11Waffle-Shooting]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-18 TC-1:15:22]
[GRAPHIC=Shooting]
Police are investigating a shooting outside a Roanoke County restaurant over the weekend. They say a fight inside the restaurant ended with gunfire in the parking lot.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.]

Officers say multiple shots were fired just outside the Waffle House restaurant, near Peters Creek Road and 5-81.
Detectives say two people exchanged words inside the restaurant before the shooting happened around five o'clock.
18 year old Vernon James Jones Junior suffered a superficial wound.
He was treated and released from Community Hospital.
Police say they have no suspects but believe anywhere from five to ten people were involved.
(XXXXXX)
[TAKE ROA. COUNTY FS]
If you have any information, you are urged to call the Roanoke County Police Department at 561-8094.
(XXXXXX)

[11Moran]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Congressman Jim Moran is disputing reports that he received preferential treatment from a credit lender, days before becoming a leading supporter of bankruptcy reform legislation that the company was pushing. The Washington Post says the Democrat from Alexandria closed on a home refinancing package worth 447-thousand dollars with M-B-N-A Corporation in 1998 -- then signed on as the lead Democratic co-sponsor of the wide-ranging bankruptcy reform bill four days later. Moran says the timing of the loan was "coincidental'' ... and the credit lender never lobbied him for the legislation.

[Worldcom]

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

Congress holds its first hearing today on the WorldCom accounting scandal.
The House Financial Services Committee has called current and former executives at WorldCom, as well as other key players.
Among those subpoenaed include current and former executives like former C-E-O Bernard Ebbers and former Chief Financial Officer Scott Sullivan.
It's not clear how much they'll say.