WDBJ 7 morning news for 07/31/02

[2-Wildfires]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]

It's been a tough summer for firefighters out West--
Wildfires are burning from Oregon, to Colorado, to California.
On top of that, ANOTHER life has been lost in the line of duty.
Melissa McDermott has the latest.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Near Estes Park, CO; :00]
[SUPER=03-Mesa Verde National Park; :16]
[SUPER=03-Cave Junction, OR; :26]
[SUPER=01-Tim Birr/State Fire Marshal; :38]
[SUPER=03-Julian, CA; :43]
[SUPER=01-Fred Zapta/Resident; :52]
[SUPER=01-Melissa McDermott/Reporting; 1:06]
[RUNS=1:12]
[OUT Q=McDermott, CBS News.]
((

(natz)

(LOCATOR: NEAR ESTES PARK, CO)

THE WESTERN WILDFIRES HAVE CLAIMED ANOTHER LIFE... A HELICOPTER DROPPING WATER ON REMAINING HOT-SPOTS NEAR COLORADO'S ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK CRASHED LATE YESTERDAY...KILLING THE PILOT. IT WAS THE SECOND FATAL CRASH AT THIS FIRE IN TWO WEEKS.

(LOCATOR: MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK)

FURTHER SOUTH IN THE MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK, 26 HUNDRED ACRES HAVE BURNED, BUT SO FAR, FIREFIGHTERS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SAVE THE PARK'S SIGNATURE CLIFF DWELLINGS AND OTHER ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES.

(NATZ)

(LOCATOR: CAVE JUNCTION, OR)

IN SOUTHERN OREGON...TWO WILDFIRES CONTINUE TO GROW AND ARE THREATENING TO MERGE. SOME SEVEN THOUSAND HOMES COULD BE IN TROUBLE...TOO MANY FOR FIREFIGHTERS TO PROTECT.

SOT: TIM BIRR/STATE FIRE MARSHALL
"THAT'S A TOUCHY SUBJECT...IN SOME CASES WE ARE WRITING OFF HOMES."

(LOCATOR: JULIAN, CA)

IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY, SEVERAL BUILDINGS AND AT LEAST ONE HOME HAVE BEEN LOST TO A FAST MOVING WILDFIRE. ABOUT THREE HUNDRED PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FORCED FROM THEIR HOMES.

SOT: FRED ZAPTA/RESIDENT
"YOU BECOME COMPLACENT, YOU FIGURE, IT'S NEVER GOING TO GET US."
MORE THAN 5000 ACRES HAVE BEEN BURNED DESPITE THE PRESENCE OF 31 FIRE CREWS, 11 HELICOPTERS AND NINE AIR TANKERS.
ACROSS THE NATION, WILDFIRES HAVE BURNED MORE THAN 4 MILLION ACRES SO FAR THIS YEAR, DOUBLE THE YEARLY AVERAGE.
MELISSA MCDERMOTT, CBS NEWS

))[Train-Derailment]

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

Federal investigators say a rail in the area of Monday's Amtrak derailment was two-and-a-half- feet out of alignment.
Officials won't say whether that caused the wreck-- but say it IS a focus of their investigation.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Kensington, MD;]

Meanwhile, the company that owns the tracks is ordering all trains-- passenger and freight-- to travel 10 miles per hour BELOW posted speed limits whenever temperatures hit 90 degrees on consecutive days.
Officials believe excessive heat may have warped the tracks.
The accident injured more than 100 people.
(------------)

[11Clower]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=02-28 TC17:50]
[GRAPHIC=Sid Clower]

Nine years of stealing county funds got Henry County's former administrator just over one year in prison.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Henry Co.;]

A judge sentenced Sid Clower to 15 months in prison, three months in work release and 20 years' probation.
He'll also have to pay the county Public Service Authority 680-thousand dollars and hand over his retirement and savings.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 12:56:16]
[IN Q=He violated]
((ROSS BRYANT/HENRY COUNTY RESIDENT: HE VIOLATED PUBLIC TRUST, HE VIOLATED HIS MARITAL VOWS AND REALLY I THINK HE SHOULD BE PUNISHED FOR THIS.))
[SUPER=01-Ross Bryant/Henry Co. Resident;]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=punished for this.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Clower took the stand, but offered no explanation or apology for stealing nearly 800-thousand dollars in public funds.
Prosecutors say he spent it on travel and debt ... as well as three women and a child born from an affair.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]

Clower also apparently lied on his resume when he was hired by Henry County.
He said he had a Master's in Business Administration, when he only had a bachelor's degree in sociology.
Clower SHOULD go to a low-security prison, but much of his sentence could be spent in the Henry County jail.

[11Appox-Farmers]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=02-24]
[GRAPHIC=none]

A federal judge is still deciding whether Appomattox County farmers can use treated human waste to fertilize their fields.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Appomattox/February 19; :00]

County supervisors adopted ordinances last winter that severely restrict the use of bio-solids after residents voiced concern about the smell and possible health effects.
But a group of eleven farmers that already had state permits to use the waste is suing the county, claiming they're losing money and crops.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:19:39//16:23:12]
[IN Q=The fact is]
((DENNIS TORRENCE/OPPOSES BIOSOLIDS: THE FACT IS OUR COUNTY HAS NOT DENIED THESE FOLKS.. BELIEVE THEY'RE SIMPLY NOT SAFE ENOUGH.)) ((CECIL WOOLDRIDGE/SUPPORTS BIOSOLIDS: PEOPLE WHO OPPOSE IT, I FEEL LIKE IT'S A FEAR. NOBODY HAS GIVEN ME A SOLID FOUNDATION TO STAND ON OTHER THAN IT'S A FEAR.))
[SUPER=01-Dennis Torrence/Opposes Biosolids; :00]
[SUPER=01-Cecil Wooldridge/Farmer; :20]
[RUNS=30]
[OUT Q=other than it's a fear.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The farmers were seeking a preliminary injunction yesterday that would allow them to start using bio-solids immediately.
Judge Norman K. Moon says he'll issue his decision within a week.
(------------)

[6-Terrorism]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=02-04 TC2:02:42]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Could making Virginia safer put your civil rights in danger?
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-File Tape]

One proposal released this week by the Secure Virginia panel would allow the state to seize public property, anything from medical supplies to building space, in the event of an emergency.
Governor Mark Warner has asked the Attorney General to provide a legal opinion on the proposal.
Lieutenant Governor Tim Kaine sits on the anti-terrorism panel, and says concerns about civil liberties were taken into consideration.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 14:27:34]
[IN Q=I THINK WE WILL BE ABLE TO STRIKE THE RIGHT]
((LT. GOV. TIM KAINE: I THINK WE WILL BE ABLE TO STRIKE THE RIGHT BALANCE BUT THERE WILL BE CIRCUMSTANCES HOPEFULLY IT WON'T HAPPEN BUT IF THERE ARE WE NEED TO HAVE THE MECHANISMS IN PLACE SO WE CAN USE PRIVATE PROPERTY IF THAT'S NEEDED TO COUNTERACT ANY DISASTER.))
[SUPER=@Kaine]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=TO COUNTERACT ANY DISASTER.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Other proposals from the panel include greater scrutiny of foreign workers and beefing up the state's emergency web site.
(------------)

[6-Southside-Development]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Governor Warner handed out nearly three million dollars for Southside economic development yesterday.
The state grants will be used to develop property into marketable industrial development sites.
Danville and Pittsylvania County will get nearly one- point- four million for the Route 58 East Regional Industrial Park.
Henry County and Martinsville will get an equal amount for the Patriot Centre project.

[11Optical-Cable]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=02-21 TC1:13:57]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]
In business news, Optical Cable shareholders approved a reverse stock split.. in hopes of keeping the stock listed on national exchanges.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[NO SUPER] The split is one-for-eight and took effect at midnight. It means anyone who held eight shares of Optical Cable stock yesterday will hold just one share today. Nasdaq rules require listed stocks to hold net asset value of at least one dollar a share. Optical Cable has fallen well below that. Yesterday it closed at 24 cents. The company hopes that by reducing the number of shares, the price will exceed the one-dollar requirement.
(------------)

[Marketwatch]

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

I-B-M announced a three and a-half billion dollar deal. And, consumer confidence has declined over the past month.
Alexis Christoforous has those stories and more in this morning's Marketwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Alexis Christoforous/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:24]
[OUT Q=your local stocks]
((BIG BLUE IS MAKING A BIG ACQUISTION. IBM WILL BUY PRICEWATERHOUSE COOPERS CONSULTING BUSINESS FOR 3.5 BLN DOLLARS IN CASH AND STOCK. AS A RESULT, PRICEWATERHOUSE CONSULTING WILL NO LONGER PURSUE ITS PLANNED INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING WHICH WAS SCHEDULED FOR AUGUST. PRICEWATER HOUSE COOPERS, ONE OF THE BIG FIVE ACCOUNTING FIRMS HAS BEEN WANTING TO SEPARATE ITS CONSULTING BUSINESS FROM ITS ACCOUNTING BUSINESS.
INVESTORS TOOK A BREATHER ONE DAY AFTER ANOTHER SEE-SAW DAY:

(gr)
THE DOW DIPPED 31 POINTS, THAT'S ON THE HEELS OF YESTERDAY NEARLY 450 POINT RUNUP.

(gr)
THE NASDAQ ENDED ON THE PLUS SIDE, UP ABOUT 9-POINTS

(oc)
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE SLID IN JULY TO ITS LOWEST LEVEL IN FIVE MONTHS. RISING UNEMPLOYMENT AND THE ROCKY STOCK MARKET RATTLED AMERICANS FINANCIAL SECURITY.

(gr)
MERRILL LYNCH TOLD A SENATE SUBCOMITTEE ITS DEALINGS WITH ENRON WERE APPROPRIATE AND PROPER. LEGISLATORS ARE INVESTIGATING WHETHER MERRILL ENGAGED IN TRANSACTIONS DESIGNED TO HELP THE ENERGY TRADER HIDE DEBT

(oc)
AND WHETHER IT FIRED ONE OF ITS ANALYSTS FOR ISSUING A RATING ON THE COMPANY THAT DISPLEASED ENRON'S MANAGEMENT.

(gr)
ON THE ECONOMIC CALENDAR: SECOND QUARTER GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT AND THE FEDERAL RESERVE'S ASSESSMENT OF BUSINESS CONDITIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

(gr)
TRACK ALL THE PRE-MARKET ACTION AT CBS.MW.COM ...

(oc)
AT THE NASDAQ I'M ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS IN NY.))

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

[11Outdoor-Dining]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=02-32]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A Roanoke restaurant is spicing up its menu.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
Last night, "Tavern on the Market" became the first downtown restaurant to take advantage of the city's new outdoor dining program. In April, council voted to allow restaurants around the Roanoke City Market to apply for a permit to use the city's sidewalks for outdoor dining.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 00:06:02 00:05:34]
[IN Q=I like the ]
((EZRA REESE/DINER: I LIKE THE COMMUNITY ATMOSPHERE YOU CAN SEE PEOPLE WALKING BY IT FEELS MORE LIKE A SMALL TOWN. BUCKLEY SIZEMORE/DINER: WE SHOULD ABSOLUTELY HAVE OUTDOOR DINING, COMPLETELY, I DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS A NEW THING HERE AND THAT MAKES SENSE BECAUSE WE COULDN'T FIND ANY OTHER PLACE WITH OUTDOOR DINING AND WE WERE SPECIFICALLY LOOKING FOR THAT.))
[SUPER=01-Ezra Reese/Diner; :00]
[SUPER=01-Buckley Sizemore/Diner; :07]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=looking for that.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Roanoke's City manager and two members of city council were among the first customers to try to out the new outdoor dining experience.
(------------)

[5-VT-Logo]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=502-01 1:55:15]
[GRAPHIC=Virginia Tech]

The Hokie Bird is getting a little brother. The University is unveiling a Hokie bird design that will be printed only on children's merchandise. New River Valley Bureau Chief Rachel Cannon introduces us to the Baby Hokie...
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Locke White/Director of Licensing and Trademarks; :12]
[SUPER=@Rachel2; :46]
[RUNS=:59]
[OUT Q=RC, News 7, Blacksburg.]
((Nats (unveiling) It's a new addition to Virginia Tech's logo family. The youngest Hokie is set to debut on kids products in the very near future.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:16:07]
[IN Q=It's a much]
((LOCKE WHITE/VT DIR. OF LICENSING AND TRADEMARKS; IT'S A MUCH MORE FRIENDLIER VERSION OF THE HOKIE BIRD THAT I THINK WILL APPEAR TO THE KIDS MORE.))
[OUT Q=KIDS MORE.]
Montgomery Regional Hospital is bringing the baby Hokie to their birthing center. New arrivals like Claire Branscome, born yesterday, will get Hokie certificates and baby Hokie bird t-shirts. Baby Claire is also automatically entered into this year's Crazy for the Hokies contest.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:17:12]
[IN Q=if you have ]
((LOCKE WHITE/VT DIR. OF LICENSING AND TRADEMARKS; IF YOU HAVE A CHILD IN THE FAMILY AND YOU HAVE A CAMERA ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS TAKE A PICTURE A PHOTO OF THE CHILD WEARING OR HOLDING A VIRGINIA TECH PRODUCT.))
[OUT Q=product]
Children must be 12 or under to enter and only one can be in the photo Four-winners will be chosen and given prizes. Entries are due by November 25th. Rachel Cannon, News 7, Blacksburg.))
(Kimberly tosses to bump)

[bump-chyron]

[comm #3]

[11Galax-Drugs]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Drug suspects are being rounded up in Carroll and Grayson Counties and the city of Galax.
Grand juries in Carroll and Grayson Counties handed up indictments for 28 people.
The six-month investigation focused on the sale of cocaine, methamphetamines and marijuana.

[11Crystal-spring]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=02-22 TC1:48:32]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Until two years ago, Crystal Spring served Roanoke as a major source of drinking water.
Yesterday, the city celebrated as the spring flowed into the water system once again.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Yesterday morning, members of council and other city officials gathered for a toast, and a taste.
Construction of the new filter plant is two months ahead of schedule, and should be complete by October first. In the meantime, a temporary filter system has allowed the city to bring Crystal Spring back on line even earlier.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Today, it's one million gallons]
((BILL CARDER/ROANOKE CITY COUNCIL: TODAY, IT'S ONE MILLION GALLONS. ON MONDAY, WE'LL HAVE FOUR MILLION GALLONS RUNNING THROUGH OUR STATION HERE, SO YEAH IT'S A GREAT DAY.)) ((LINDA WYATT/ROANOKE CITY COUNCIL: AND FOR THOSE WHO QUESTION WHETHER THE WATER IS REALLY GOOD... IT'S GREAT.))
[SUPER=01-Bill Carder/Roanoke City Council; :]
[SUPER=01-Linda Wyatt/Roanoke City Council; :]
[RUNS=:12]
[OUT Q=it's great.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Crystal Spring has served as a source of drinking water for more than one hundred years, but two years ago, health department concerns forced the city to build the new filter plant.
With the additional supply from Crystal Spring and other new wells, the city hopes to cut "in half" the daily demand on Carvins Cove.
(------------)

[11Roanoke-Foundation]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=02-18 TC1:50:41]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The Roanoke Valley's Endowment Fund wants to put mentors in a handful of social service agencies.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :16]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
Yesterday, The Foundation for Roanoke Valley announced a multi-year grants initiative that will commit one million dollars to six agencies over a specific period of time. The executive director says the move changes the foundation's focus from charity to philanthropy.
(///// SOT at :16 /////)
[SOT 3:48:22-3:48:37]
[IN Q=The foundation discovered that there were...]
((ALAN RONK/FOUNDATION FOR ROANOKE VALLEY: THE FOUNDATION DISCOVERED THAT THERE WERE TWO MAJOR BARRIERS PRESENT: THE LACK OF STAFFING TO RUN MENTORING PROGRAMS AND A LACK OF VOLUNTEER MENTORS THEMSELVES.))
[SUPER=01-Alan Ronk/Foundation for Roanoke Valley;]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=lack of volunteer mentors themselves.]
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[SS=None]
The grantees include Apple Ridge Farm, The Area Agency on Aging, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Child Health Investment Partnership, Family Service of Roanoke Valley and the West End Center. The money will be used to find and train mentors and provide the agencies with the resources necessary to implement mentoring programs.

[6-County-Shooting]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=02-33 TC03:57]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A man apparently shot himself in the head in Roanoke County.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.]
County police report the man had recently returned to the area from New York City. He called his estranged wife, and she obtained a warrant against him. The man went to a vacant house on SOUTH Indian Grave Road in the Clearbrook area, where several shots were fired around four-A-M yesterday morning. Police say no one else was injured, but the man was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to Roanoke Memorial Hospital where the man is listed in critical condition last night.
(------------)

[2-11Optical-Cable]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=02-21 TC1:13:57]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]
In business news, Optical Cable shareholders approved a reverse stock split .. in hopes of keeping the stock listed on national exchanges.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[NO SUPER] The split is one-for-eight and took effect at midnight. It means anyone who held eight shares of Optical Cable stock yesterday will hold just one share today. Nasdaq rules require listed stocks to hold net asset value of at least one dollar a share. Optical Cable has fallen well below that. Yesterday it closed at 24 cents. The company hopes that by reducing the number of shares, the price will exceed the one-dollar requirement.
(------------)

[Art-Robbery]

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

It took persistence- and a lot of elbow grease-
But thieves managed to steal several centuries- old paintings valued at well over a million dollars
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Asuncion, Paraguay;]

Robbers spent two months digging an underground tunnel into a museum in Paraguay.
Police say they stole five masterpieces, and most likely fled the country with the loot.
Authorities found shovels and picks across the street from the museum in an empty shop, which they say the robbers apparently rented two months ago under false identities.
Officials at Paraguay's largest state-owned museum say a budget crunch has left them short on security guards.
(------------)

[11Locater]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=02-19 TC 1:30:06]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A new program in Bedford County could mean the difference between life and death for missing children.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co.]

The county recently received computer software for LOCATER.. which stands for Lost Child Alert Technology Resource.

The program enables police to print up a photo and description of a child within minutes of their reported disappearance.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 15:50:09]
[IN Q=In a matter]
((MIKE BROWN/BEDFORD CO. SHERIFF: IN A MATTER OF MINUTES WE HAVE E-MAILED THIS.. ...AND TO LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES.))

[SUPER=01-Mike Brown/Bedford Co. Sheriff]
[RUNS=17]
[OUT Q=law enforcement agencies.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

LOCATER is provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Only a handful of Virginia localities are using it. (------------)