WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 07/13/02

[1-News-Head]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Coming up on NEWS 7 at six... A Danville National Guard unit prepares to bid farewell to family and friends-- They've been called to assist with Homeland Defense.
(--------)
[anchor=Teresa]
[ss=]
And, a Montgomery County man is charged with molesting two little girls.

[Sports-head]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Tonight in sports, a check on the Commonwealth Games baseball tournament, Lance Armstrong crashes at the Tour de France, and
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[VO-NAT]

Roanoke's Dickey Linkous is high on the leaderboard after three rounds at the Crown Royal Open.
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[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]

Rainshowers passing through most of the region. But otherwise, another fall-like day. Temperatures barely reaching the 70 degree mark in some places. It looks like one more day of cooler weather, then the warm-up begins. I'll have your forecast coming up. [Video-Open]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=Video Open]
[GRAPHIC=News7at6]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 1:16:58]
[IN Q=We know it is going]
((MAJOR PAUL GRIFFIN: WE KNOW IT IS GOING TO BE HERE IN THE UNITED STATES WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHERE.))
[RUNS=:04]
[OUT Q=know exactly where]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

A local National Guard unit gets its marching orders.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Teresa]

Good evening, I'm Teresa Hamilton

[Natl-Guard]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=6 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-24 TC-52:15]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 at 6]
For the first time since the Korean conflict, an entire local National Guard battalion is being called to active duty.
It is a unit that stretches from Chatham to South Boston to Martinsville. Justin McLeod has more on their mission and why they're needed.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:30:52]
[IN Q=Military status is]
[SUPER=03-Danville; :00]
[SUPER=01-Maj. Paul Griffin; :27]
[SUPER=@justin1; :44]
[SUPER=01-Maj. Fred Bolton; 1:02]
[SUPER=01-Scott Patterson/National Guard Soldier; 1:16]
[RUNS=1:32]
[OUT Q=JM, News 7, Danville]
((((NAT SOUND OF WOMEN TALKING; 1:30:52 "MILITARY STATUS IS"))
The people you see here are about to give up a year of their lives....to serve their country.
[SOT 1:38:46]
[IN Q=If this is what I got]
((SHAWN RANDLEMAN: IF THIS IS WHAT I GOT TO DO I HAVE TO DO WHAT I HAVE TO DO. I DON'T MIND SERVING MY COUNTRY.))
[Runs= 04]
[OUT Q=serving my country]

It is a sentiment shared by all 318 members of the first battalion 246th Field Artillery unit.
They've been called to active duty to help with homeland defense. (SHOT OF HELICOPTER AT 1:08:11)
This is all in response to the terorist attacks on September 11th.
[SOT 1:16:23]
[IN Q=We know through our]
((MAJ. PAUL GRIFFIN: WE KNOW THROUGH THE MOBILIZATION ORDER THAT WE WILL BE DOING A SECURITY TYPE MISSION.))
[Runs= 07]
[OUT Q=security type mission]
((QUICK NAT SOUND AT 1:29:58))
It's a mission that officially begins August 1st.
[SOT 1:41:35]
[IN Q=These troops will spend]
((JUSTIN McLEOD/REPORTING: THESE TROOPS WILL SPEND THE NEXT WEEK HERE IN DANVILLE DOING A LOT OF THE PAPER WORK YOU SEE HERE. FROM THERE THEY'LL GO TO NEW JERSEY FOR SEVERAL WEEKS OF INTENSE TRAINING. AFTER THAT, IT IS NOT EXACTLY KNOWN WHERE THEY'LL BE STATIONED BUT WE DO KNOW IT WILL BE SOMEWHERE HERE IN THE UNITED STATES.))
[Runs= 13]
[OUT Q=in the United States]
((NAT SOUND OF STAMPING 1:15:30))
Before the troops can leave, their affairs must be in order.
They go through a complete medical checkup.
A lot of them also seek family assistance.
[SOT 1:19:42]
[IN Q=Once their out of the area]
((MAJ. FRED BOLTON: ONCE THEIR OUT OF THE AREA THE GOAL IS TO FAMILY TO BE SELF SUFFICENT AND FOR THE FAMILY TO BE PREPARED FOR THE SOLDIER TO BE AWAY FROM HOME.))
[Runs= 08]
[OUT Q=away from home]

It is a goal that can be difficult for financial and personal reasons.
[SOT 1:37:04]
[IN Q=It's kind of hard]
((SCOTT PATTERSON: IT'S KIND OF HARD BECAUSE I AM EXPECTING A BABY. MY WIFE IS KINDA TAKING IT HARD.))
[Runs= 08]
[OUT Q=taking it hard]

A hard choice but a price these men and women are willing to pay in the name of freedom. (SHOT OF FLAG)
Justin cLeod, News 7, Danville.))

[B'Burg-Murder]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Investigation]
An update now to a Blacksburg murder case. Police have identified the victim as 20- year old Marika Ariel Cooper. 26- year old Michael Stevenson Parks is charged with second degree murder. Authorities say it's possible Cooper and the suspect may have known each other.

[Foundry-Embezzlement]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=02-16 TC-1:42:58]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Several former union officials have entered guilty pleas to charges of conspiring to embezzle more than 17- thousand dollars. The charges against the four involved embezzling from the union and a disaster relief fund at a plant in Radford.
(------------)
[VO-NAT 02-01 56:28]
[SUPER=03-Radford/March 2000;]
The relief fund had been established to help workers at the Intermet New River foundry, where three people were killed in a March 2000 explosion. The former union officials are Edward Alexander Ramsey, William Edward Fricker of Dublin, Joseph William Burros of and Rhonda Lorraine Creed. A fifth defendant, Elizabeth Jane George, remains at large.
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[Molest-Charges]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]

A man charged with sexually molesting two girls faces possible life terms if convicted. The Montgomery County Sheriff's office has charged 28 year old Charles Melvin Silcott, Junior of Elliston with molesting the girls, ages 5 and 6, last night in the Lafayette section of the county. The charges include abduction and aggravated sexual battery. Investigators say the girls were not seriously hurt.

[DUI-Driving]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=6 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-28 TC-08:04]
[GRAPHIC=none]

It will take longer than expected for drunk drivers in Roanoke County to pay for the problems they cause.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/File Tape]

The Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance in March that allows the county to recover the expense of responding to wrecks caused by drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
But before the fees can go into effect, the General Assembly must amend the current law and that won't happen until at least next year.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 52:33]
[IN Q=This is such a positive]
((BUTCH CHURCH: THIS IS SUCH A POSITIVE ACCOUNTABILITY THAT I DON'T CARE HOW TOUGH IT IS I'M GOING TO FIGHT FOR IT BECAUSE IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. AND SOMETIMES THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS NOT THE EASIEST THING TO GET PASSED. I REALLY FEEL THAT I'M GOING TO GET SUPPORT FOR IT AGAIN BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE TIRED OF EVERYONE HAVING TO LOOK THE OTHER WAY FOR ACCOUNTABILITY.))
[SUPER=@church]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=way for accountability]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The fees would range from 500 to a thousand dollars and would be in addition to any criminal penalties.
Church says the money collected would be earmarked back to the E-M-S and safety divisions.
(------------)

[Roanoke-Symphony]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=02-26 25:38]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A french horn player is suing the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/May 2001;]

Carolyn Clark claims she was fired unfairly after getting a bad performance review.
She says the orchestra violated her contract by not giving her time to improve after it dismissed her.
Clark has commuted to Roanoke from New York City to play with the orchestra for the past 14 years.
The orchestra is standing behind music director David Wiley, who gave Clark the performance review.
The orchestra's executive director calls the lawsuit meritless.
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[Amphitheater]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=6 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-19 TC-1:01:03]
[GRAPHIC=none]

More entertainment is coming to the city of Danville.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville]

Construction is almost complete on the new Carrington Pavilion.
The amphitheater will be located behind the Danville Science Center and will seat 12-hundred people with room to accomodate another 45-hundred on the lawn.
The one point 75 million dollar project is being financed by city money and funds provided by the Carrington Foundation.
The first scheduled event for the Carrington Pavilion will be the Music Man performed by the Danville Little Theatre August 23rd through the 25th.
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[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[SS=NONE]
Still ahead on News 7 at 6, the Standards of Learning test is coming under fire from some Virginia educators...
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[VO-NAT]

and the Hotel Roanoke is celebrating an award which puts them in elite company. Both stories in just a few minutes, but a quick look now at the forecast with Brent in the WeatherCenter.
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[Hotel-Roanoke]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=6 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-04 TC-1:51:02]
[GRAPHIC=none]

One area restaurant is experiencing a feeding frenzy.
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[VO-NAT - :26]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

The Regency Room at the Hotel Roanoke has been recognized as a Distinguished Restaurant of North America.
The DiRoNA Award was established in 1990 to promote the fine dining industry.
Only 768 restaurants in the world hold this distinction, 12 are in Virginia.
An anonymous 75-point inspection was conducted to review the quality of the food and wine, service, as well as the physical property and decor.
The Regency Room will pick up its award in September.
(------------)

[VBA]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=02-13 TC-1:59:34]
[GRAPHIC=none]
The Virginia Bar Association meeting is in full swing this weekend in Bath County.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bath Co./Yesterday;]
This is the one- hundred twelfth year for the summer conference which is taking place at the Homestead in Hot Springs.
Yesterday-- the Reverend George Conway lead a panel discussion for the attorneys on the pros and cons of Virginia's "Standards of Learning" exams. Conway, who's headmaster of Saint Anne's-Belfield School in Charlottesville, is opposed to S-O-L's.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 00:14:14]
[IN Q=ALL THAT]
[SUPER=01-Rev. George Conway/St. Anne's-Belfield School; ]
((ALL THAT TESTING DOESN'T REALLY GET TO THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM. THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM IS, WHAT DO THESE KIDS NEED TO KNOW?))
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=KIDS NEED TO KNOW.]
(------------)
[anchor=Teresa]
[ss=none]
The Bar Association conference will wrap up tomorrow.

[Woodrow-Wilson]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=6 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-17 TC-1:35:23]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Educators at one southside school are welcoming the state's help to make the grade.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville/File Tape]

Danville's Woodrow Wilson Magnet School is one of 34- schools in the state that will be helped by Governor Mark Warner's plan to improve student achievement.
Woodrow Wilson is currently accredited with warning because of low S-O-L scores.
Students did improve in math and science but still have ways to go in social studies.
School officials hope becoming a year round school in August will help raise those scores.
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[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[GRAPHIC=none]

The state will also send a team of educators in the coming weeks for twelve days to make suggestions for improvement.

[Tease#2]
[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[SS=NONE]
Up next on News 7 at 6, it's a game that tests speed, skill, and elusiveness...
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[VO-NAT]
Shannon Young will take us to a paintball battle that's catching on nearly as fast as the game is played. Stay with us, NEWS 7 at six will be right back.
(----------------)

[Paintball]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=Weekend]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=TimeOff #4 TC-18:26]
[GRAPHIC=none]

An up and coming sport is painting part of a local city every color but red. In this week's Time Off Shannon Young gears up for a round of paintball.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Alright guys, game starts in five seconds!]
[SUPER=03-Salem;:00]
[SUPER=01-Bruce Stec/Paintball Player;:22]
[SUPER=01-Steve Blecher/High Velocity Paintball Field;:39]
[SUPER=@Shannon2;:49]
[SUPER=01-Tom Tucker/Paintball Player;2:10]
[RUNS=2:40]
[OUT Q=STD]
((

[SOT 8:00:26-8:00:37]
[IN Q=Alright guys, game starts...]
((AWRIGHT GUYS, GAME STARTS IN FIVE SECONDS! FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE, GO! GO! GO! GO! GO!))
[RUNS= :11]
[OUT Q=Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! (5 times)]
There are no bullets, no bloody wounds, no life or death scenarios, but make no mistake...this is a battle. Dozens of times a day, this Salem street corner witnesses war the paintball way.
[SOT 8:48:00-8:48:07]
[IN Q=Everybody's shooting. There isn't one person...]
((BRUCE STEC/PAINTBALL PLAYER: EVERYBODY'S SHOOTING. THERE ISN'T ONE PERSON ON THE FIELD WHO ISN'T SHOOTING. YOU'RE ALWAYS RUNNING, TRYING TO GET COVER. IT'S GREAT.))
[RUNS= :07]
[OUT Q=Trying to get cover...it's great.]
[SOT 8:57:02-8:57:11 - UNDER VIDEO, PLEASE]
[IN Q=You're bunkered down, crouching in your bunker...]
((STEVE BLECHER/HIGH VELOCITY PAINTBALL FIELD: YOU'RE BUNKERED DOWN, CROUCHING IN YOUR BUNKER, LOOKING FOR YOUR ENEMY WHO'S SHOOTING A 68-CALIBER PAINTBALL AT YOU.))
[RUNS= :09]
[OUT Q=68-caliber paintball at you.]
[BUTT BUTT BUTT]
[SOT 8:57:19-8:57:25 STEVE ON CAMERA]
[IN Q=And, you know, it's common nature...]
((STEVE: AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S COMMON NATURE, WHEN SOMEONE'S SHOOTING AT YOU YOU WANT TO SHOOT BACK.))
[RUNS= :06]
[OUT Q=you want to shoot back.]
According to Blecher, paintball is the fastest growing extreme sport in the world. He says the game got it's start in the early 80's when forestry and agricultural workers using paint to mark trees and cattle turned the markers on each other. Since then, nearly 100-variations of paintball have come to life, including the speedball being played today. All have a common denominator.
[SOT 8:54:10-8:54:19]
[IN Q=Basic rules are oone paintball...]
((STEVE BLECHER: BASIC RULES ARE ONE PAINTBALL ON YOU OR YOUR GUN, YOU'RE USUALLY CALLED OUT OF THE GAME.))
[RUNS=: 09]
[OUT Q=usually called out of the game.]
The paintballs consist of water-based paint surrounded by a biologically safe skin. High Velocity avoids red paint because of its resemblance to blood. Markers, or guns, are powered by carbon dioxide or compressed air.
[SOT 8:32:05-8:32:11]
[IN Q=Hit! Got hit? Yep.]
((SHAN: HIT! STEVE: GOT HIT? SHAN: YEP. STEVE: PLAYER OUT! LET HER OFF THE FIELD!))
[RUNS=: 06]
[OUT Q=let her off the field!]
Blecher sets his markers to fire at 285-feet per second. Doesn't sound too bad until you realize that object whizzing by your head is cruising at 193-miles an hour.
[SOT 8:54:35-8:54:45]
[IN Q=How dies it feel... when you get hit?]
((SHAN: HOW DOES IT FEEL WHEN YOU GET HIT? STEVE: LIKE A STING. ALMOST LIKE A BEE STING BUT YOUR ADRENALINE'S FLOWING SO HARD THAT YOU DON'T REALLY NOTICE IT.))
[RUNS= :10]
Blecher is big on safety. All players are required to wear a protective mask, go through a safety class and outfit their marker with a barrel cover between games.
[SOT 8:46:04-8:46:12]
[IN Q=This sport is actually safer than...]
((TOM TUCKER: THIS SPORT IS ACTUALLY SAFER THAN PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL OR FOOTBALL AS FAR AS ACCOUNTABILITY FOR INJURIES AND WHATNOT. YOU CAN'T BEAT IT.))
[RUNS= :08]
[OUT Q=You can't beat it.]
[SOT 8:41:20-8:41:28]
[IN Q=So, what'd you think?]
((STEVE: SO, WHAT'D YOU THINK? SHAN: IT WAS GREAT, BIG FUN BUT IT TAKES A WHILE TO GET USED TO THE GEAR AND THE EQUIPMENT. YOU WERE LIKE, "GRAB YOUR GUPPY" AND I WAS LIKE, "WHAT? WHERE?"))
[RUNS= :08]
[OUT Q=I was like, "what? where?"]
In the end, uncertainty is what it's about. Players say the adrenaline rush is what keeps them coming back for another chance at the thrill of victory...
[SOT 8:00:56-8:00:57]
((PAINTBALL ON LENSE))
[RUNS= :1]
...or the agony of defeat. Shannon Young, News 7, Salem.))
(++++++++)
[TAKE WDBJ7.COM FS] For more information about High Velocity Paintball, log onto our website at wdbj7 dot com and click on "weekend morning".
(------------)

[Sports tease]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Coming up in sports, we'll hit the links with local golfers at the Crown Royal Open, go racing with the Busch Series in Chicago, plus
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

intern reporter Megan Donald heads to lacrosse camp at Roanoke College.
(------------)

[S-Golf]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-128 1050]
[GRAPHIC=Crown Royal]

We start on the links where Roanoke's Dicky Linkous is the leader after three rounds at the Crown Royal Golf Championship.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Providence Ford/Comcast Sports Net; :00]

Linkous fired a 3-under par 69 this afternoon at Royal New Kent. Check out the nice lag from just off the green at the par four 14th. That enabled Linkous to save par. His round today included 4 birdies and he is now at 7-under for the tournament. He'll start tomorrow's final round with a 2 shot advantage. Ashley Plantation's Chip Sullivan also fired a 69 today and he sits at 3-under for the tournament.
(------------)

[S-West]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6:00pm]
[WRITER=rwa]
[TAPE#=SP-130 10:31]
[GRAPHIC=Commonwealth games]

The area's most elite high school baseball players continued play in the 13th annual Commonwealth Games baseball tournament today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem; :00]
Many feel that the West team, which represents Southwest Virginia, has its' best chance to win the gold in recent years thanks to a rich supply of talented players.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=BITES]
[SUPER=01-Jonathan Fulton/West Team Shortstop; :00]
[SUPER=01-Early Page/West Team Pitcher; :15]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=.......good chance of winning"]
(---------------)
[VO-NAT]

A first place finish and the exposure to top college and pro baseball scouts are not the only highlights of the week-end for one father/son tandem. Jefferson Forest coach and West team assistant Jim Thacker is here with his son, West team second baseman Brennan Thacker.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=BITE]
[SUPER=01-Jim Thacker/West Assistant Coach & Brennan's Father; :00]
[RUNS=:12]
[OUT Q=....from that approach."]
(---------------)
[anchor=travis]

The final competition for the bronze, silver, and gold medals will be held tomorrow afternoon at the Kiwanis Field in Salem.

[S-Lax]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mdo]
[TAPE#=SP-123 TC3302]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 Sports]

The Roanoke College Lacrosse team hosted its annual camp earlier this week in Salem attracting players from all around the country, but also giving local kids a place to learn about lacrosse. Intern reporter Megan Donald has more from Salem.
(----------------)
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="Our coach told..."]
[SUPER=03-Salem; :00]
[SUPER=01-Brandon Blais/ Florida Lacrosse Camper; :14]
[SUPER=01-Bill Pilat/ Roanoke Lacrosse Camp Director; :22]
[SUPER=01-Megan Donald/ Reporting; :30]
[SUPER=01-Jacob Pillis/ Eighth Grade Salem Lacrosse Player; :43]
[SUPER=01-Mack Johnson/ Freshman Salem Lacrosse Player; :51]
[RUNS=1:26]
[OUT Q="News 7 Sports."]
(---------------)
((Coming from as far away as Minnesota, Florida, Michigan and Texas, these kids have learned of the reputation of this
camp and have come to receive valued instruction. ((Brandon Blais)) ((Bill Pilat)) ((Megan Donald)) ((Jacob Pillis)) ((Mack Johnson)) ((Bill Pilate)) It's the first time in the camps 13 year history that an entire team from the valley has attended. The Salem team hopes to carry the skills they have learned to next spring when lacrosse season starts. In Salem, Megan Donald- News 7 Sports.))

[S-Tickets]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-118 TC20424]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 Sports]

Tickets went on sale this morning for the Western Virginia Education Classic to be played September 21st at Victory Stadium.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]

Virginia Union and Livingstone College will battle in the 4 o'clock contest on that Saturday. Today, players from the Roanoke Steam, Roanoke Dazzle, and the Roanoke Express were on hand to kick off the ticket sales campaign. All the proceeds from the game will go towards a great cause.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Annette Lewis/Director, TAP, This Valley Works; :00]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=to return to education."]
(-------------------)

[S-Busch]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-125 TC1749]
[GRAPHIC=Nascar]

The Nascar Winston Cup Series returns to Chicagoland Speedway for tomorrow's Tropicana 400. Today, the Busch Series drivers took their crack at the superspeedway just outside the Windy City.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Joliet, IL/NBC Sports; :00]

It was a long day for Virginia native Stacy Compton. Stacy spun at lap 11. And then at lap 102, Compton gets caught up in this multi-car crash. He finished ___ after getting tangled up with Mike Harmon.
Scott Riggs brought out the day's seventh caution when he made hard contact with the wall.
In the end, Johnny Sauter put Richard Childress back in Victory lane and picked up his first career win in the Tropicana Twister 300.
(------------)

[S-Tour]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-127 TC1150]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 Sports]

Stage 7 of the Tour de France was not a good one for American Lance Armstrong. Armstrong went from 3rd to 8th place overall after today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Avranches, France/OLN; :00]

Armstrong crashed about a mile before the finish, losing his place in the pack and finishing 27 seconds behind today's leaders. Armstrong, who was not hurt, is now 34 seconds behind the overall leader, Igor Galdeano. Today's events probably didn't hurt his chances of a fourth title much. He won last year's race by six and a half minutes and is expe(------------) cted to make up plenty of ground in the mountain stages.