WDBJ 7 morning news for 08/06/02

[2-Bush-Iraq]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

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

President Bush is still considering an invasion of Iraq after seeing a detailed plan of attack.
But with new pressure from the U-S, Saddam Hussein is now offering to show that his country is NOT making weapons of mass destruction.
Melissa McDermott reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Baghdad, Iraq; :00]
[SUPER=01-Kofi Annan/UN Secretary General; :57]
[SUPER=01-Melissa McDermott/Reporting; 1:19]
[RUNS=1:33]
[OUT Q=McDermott, CBS News, New York.]
((
PKG
A SEA OF PEOPLE TOOK TO THE STREETS OF BAGHDAD ON MONDAY BURNING AN EFFIGY OF PRESIDENT BUSH.... CHANTING "DOWN WITH BUSH, WE LOVE SADDAM HUSSEIN".

(SOT- no font)
"we are all ready to defend our country against any aggression which now America threatens to launch against us".
TODAY PRESIDENT BUSH IS STILL CONSIDERING WHETHER OR NOT TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST IRAQ. YESTERDAY MISTER BUSH WAS BRIEFED ON A DETAILED PLAN FOR INVADING THE COUNTRY. A PLAN WHICH COULD MEAN THE USE OF AMERICAN GROUND FORCES AND THE POSSIBILITY OF AMERICAN CAUSALITIES.

(SOT - BUSH)
"we understand the price of freedom is high but we are willing to pay the price. That's the message we're sending to the enemy and to our friends".
THE U-S THINKS SADDAM HUSSEIN IS DEVELOPING WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. THE IRAQI LEADER HAS SHUT OUT U-N WEAPONS INSPECTORS FOR NEARLY FOUR YEARS. BUT WITH NEW PRESSURE HUSSEIN IS NOW INVITING THEM BACK FOR TALKS.

(SOT - KOFI ANNAN/UN SECRETARY GENERAL)
"it is interesting that they write to invite inspectors to come in at this stage. It has not happened before."
U-S OFFICIALS AREN'T TAKING SADDAM'S OFFER SERIOUSLY. BUT U-N SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN IS WILLING TO EXPLORE ANYTHING THAT MIGHT HEAD OFF A WAR.

(SOT- ANNAN AGAIN)
"I think it would be unwise to attack Iraq given the current circumstances, what's happening in the middle east."
STANDUP: IF PRESIDENT BUSH DECIDES TO INVADE MILITARY OFFICERS SAY IT WOULD TAKE 60 TO 90 DAYS TO MOVE ALL THE FORCES INTO POSITION. THAT'S ABOUT HALF THE TIME IT TOOK FOR THE GULF WAR IN 1991. MELISSA MCDERMOTT, CBS NEWS, NEW YORK.
))

[11West-Nile]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=02-23 1:00:30]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus have carried the disease to Southwest Virginia.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

A dead crow found in Patrick County has tested positive for the virus.
The bird found in Claudville is the area's first reported case since West Nile appeared in New York three years ago.
[SUPER=04-File Tape]

The virus is spread to humans, birds and other mammals through the bite of an infected mosquito.
There have been no human cases reported in Virginia.
West Nile virus can cause death.
People over 50 are at the greatest risk.
State health officials say the public can help control the spread of the virus.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 12:56:29]
[IN Q=MOST OF THOSE SPECIES OF MOSQUITOES]
((DR. SUZANNE JENKINS/VA DEPT OF HEALTH: MOST OF THOSE SPECIES OF MOSQUITOES BREED IN SMALL AMOUNTS OF WATER THAT ARE FOUND IN CONTAINERS IN THE BACKYARD SO GET RID OF THAT WATER. THE SAUCERS UNDER THE PLANTS, THE TOYS THAT ARE LEFT OUT THAT COLLECT WATER, THE TARP ON THE WOODPILE THAT COLLECTS WATER, IF THAT'S THERE FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS MOSQUITOES ARE GOING TO HATCH OUT.))
[SUPER=01-Dr. Suzanne Jenkins/Va. Dept. of Health]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=GOING TO HATCH OUT.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Officials are also asking the public to help monitor the virus by reporting all dead birds to the local health department.
(------------)

[11Giles-Murder]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=502-10]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Officials say a family argument resulted in a deadly shooting in a small Giles County community...
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-White Gate;]
Last Wednesday at this home in White Gate, officials say a 17-year old boy shot his 19-year-old brother. The Commonwealth's Attorney released details about the case yesterday ... saying it was a violent domestic situation.

It appears the older brother was fighting with his mother when the younger brother fired a gun. Officials will not release names in the case because the alleged shooter is a minor ... but a neighbor says the man killed was 19-year-old Hazen Smith. There's no word on criminal charges in the case. Prosecutors say they're still conducting interviews.
(------------)

[11Colclasure]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=tst]
[TAPE#=02-22 TC1:55:30]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The career criminal who tied local law enforcement agencies in knots in the 1980s has died.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-New Castle/1989; ]

John Colclasure died on Friday.
During the late 1980s, Colclasure kept police busy with a stream of plausible-sounding tips about where he'd hidden Gene McPherson's remains.
At one time, at least three sheriffs' departments, the State Police, and U. S. Navy divers were involved in searching for the body.
Colclasure indicated he'd been hired for the killing, because of Gene McPherson's involvement in a love triangle.

He may have been stringing police along to avoid a death sentence for at least one other murder.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=What will make]
((REPORTER: What will make you come clean and tell them where the remains are?)) ((JOHN COLCLASURE/CONFESSED KILLER: AGREEMENT NOT TO DIE.))
[SUPER=10-John Colclasure/Confessed Killer/1989; :02]
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=not to die.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Colclasure died Friday, in a Southhampton hospital. He'd suffered from liver disease.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Sooner or later]
((B. B. McPHERSON/CRAIG COUNTY SHERIFF: SOONER OR LATER, GOD WILL GET YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO. I THINK, I THINK GOD PUT IT ON HIM. HE SUFFERED A LONG TIME. I THINK HE SUFFERED FOR WHAT HE DID HERE.))
[SUPER=01-B. B. McPherson/Craig Co. Sheriff; :00]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=he did here.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Sheriff McPherson says he still hopes for a tip that will lead him to his brother's body.
(------------)

[Hearn]

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

The man who made phrases like "slam dunk" and "air ball" common basketball expressions has died.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-File Tape;]

Chick Hearn died last night, three days after falling and hitting his head.
Hearn had a career that lasted more than four decades.
He was the only voice of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Hearn called a record three-thousand-338 consecutive games before his streak ended last season when he underwent heart surgery.
Chick Hearn was 85.
(------------)

[911-Anniversary]

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

Today New York City officials will announce plans for the first anniversary of the September 11th attack.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-New York, NY;]

Tentative plans call for a solemn ceremony at Ground Zero.
Organizers are considering a 102- minute ceremony that would reflect the time between when the first plane struck the north World Trade Centertower, and when the tower finally collapsed.
(------------)

[Marketwatch]

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

In business news, Cisco Systems is expected to release its earnings report later today.
Alexis Christoforous has that story and more in this morning's Marketwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Alexis Christoforous/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:13]
[OUT Q=your local stocks]

((ALL EYES WILL BE ON CISCO SYSTEMS.

(GR)
THE NETWORKING GIANT IS SCHEDULED TO REPORTS ITS QUARTERLY EARNINGS AFTER TODAY'S CLOSING BELL. INVESTORS ARE WORRIED THE TECH BELLWHETHER MAY BRING MORE DISAPPOINTING NEWS.

(OC)
ON WALL STREET, THAT BIG END OF JULY RALLY IS BUT A DISTANT MEMORY...MORE WEAK ECONOMIC DATA ADDED TO CONCERNS THAT THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY IS ON SHAKY GROUND.

(GR)
THE DOW TUMBLED 269 POINTS... IT SLID ALMOST 700 POINTS THE PAST THREE DAYS.

(GR)
THE NASDAQ CARVED OUT FRESH FIVE YEAR LOWS DOWN NEARLY 42 POINTS.. THE NASDAQ HAS NOW LOST ALL ITS GAINS FROM THAT LATE JULY RALLY.

(OC)
STOCKS IN THE SPOTLIGHT:

(GR)
DISNEY SKIDDED TO AN EIGHT YEAR LOW.. MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE MAY CUT THE COMPANY'S DEBT RATING.. MAKING IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR DISNEY TO BORROW MONEY.

(OC)
A BIG COURT VICTORY FOR BIG TOBACCO.

(GR)
CALIFORNIA'S SUPREME COURT RULED THAT A 1988 LAW GIVES THE TWO CIGARETTE GIANT 10 YEARS OF IMMUNITY FOR CONDUCT BEFORE STATE LAWMAKERS STRIPPED AWAY THE PROTECTION IN 1998.

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

(OC)
AT THE NASDAQ I'M AC IN NY.))

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

[Twin-Girls]

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

Doctors in Los Angeles have been working through the night to separate twin baby girls who are joined at the head.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-File Tape;]

The doctors had expected the surgery on the one- year- olds to last about 10 hours.
Now, they say the operation will take 24 hours.
The girls are from Guatemala.
Doctors have performed cranial separations only five times in the past ten years, and not all twins have survived the operation.
(------------)

[11City-Council]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=02-18 TC2:03:00]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The new year will bring new management to the city market building in downtown Roanoke.
But city officials have reassured tenants of the building they won't be left out in the cold.
Joe Dashiell has the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=The city market building]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=@Smith; :16]
[SUPER=@Bestpitch; :29]
[SUPER=@Burcham; :55]
[SUPER=@Joe1 1:08]
[RUNS=1:20]
[OUT Q=Joe Dashiell News 7 Roanoke]

((The city market building is a popular destination for the downtown lunch crowd... and an anchor of the market area...
But when rumors of new management surfaced, tenants began to wonder if the food court would survive... And in June they took their concerns to Mayor Ralph Smith.
[SOT]
[IN Q=And there's been a very small]
((RALPH SMITH/MAYOR:AND THERE'S BEEN A VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF TURNOVER. FOR SMALL BUSINESS IT'S BEEN EXCEPTIONAL. AND A NUMBER OF VENDORS HAVE STAYED THERE YEAR AFTER YEAR, AND WE JUST DON'T WANT TO LOSE THAT.)) ((BILL BESTPITCH/ROANOKE CITY COUNCIL: THEY PROVIDE A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY THAT IS DIFFERENT FROM THE TYPICAL FOOD COURT IN THE TYPICAL SHOPPING MALL WHERE YOU HAVE A BUNCH OF FRANCHISE ESTABLISHMENTS THAT ARE PRETTY MUCH LIKE ANY OTHER ESTABLISHMENT AT ANY OTHER MALL THAT YOU GO TO.))
[RUNS= :30]
[OUT Q=that you go to.]

The city is now searching for a new management company, but officials say they are committed to keeping the food court... and its vendors.
[SOT]
[IN Q=The city ownw the city market building]
((DARLENE BURCHAM/CITY MANAGER: THE CITY OWNS THE CITY MARKET BUILDING. WE REALIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT BUILDING AND REALLY THE IMPORTANT PART THE VENDORS ON THE FIRST FLOOR MAKE. AND WE'VE SENT THEM LETTERS THAT HOPEFULLY HAVE PROVIDED THE REASSURANCE THAT THEY'RE HERE TO STATE AND WE'RE HERE TO STAY.))
[RUNS= :14]
[OUT Q=here to stay.]

City officials will look for ways to use the upper floors more effectively...but they insist the food court is here to stay.
Burcham says she can't imagine what downtown would be like without it.
Joe Dashiell News 7 Roanoke))

(Kimberly tosses to bump)

[bump-chyron]

[comm #3]

[11Taliaferro]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=02-21 TC1:22:19]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Salem residents showed up by the hundreds last night to honor their former mayor.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem;]

A reception at the Salem Civic Center drew friends, colleagues and citizens who wanted to pay their respects to Jim Taliaferro and his family.
All remembered him as an independent and honest leader.
Taliaferro retired in 1996 after 22 years in Salem's top office.
He was diagnosed with liver cancer in December.
(///// SOT /////)
[BUMP SOTS]
[IN Q=Jim just loved]
[sot 12:26:42 - :54]
((RANDY SMITH/FORMER CITY MANAGER: JIM JUST LOVED SALEM... WE USED TO SAY HE DIDN'T SPEND IT LIKE IT WAS SOMEONE ELSE'S MONEY, HE SPENT IT LIKE IT WAS HIS OWN.))
[sot 12:22:42 - :52]
((THOMAS YEATTS/SALEM RESIDENT: HE TOOK THE TIME TO TALK TO ORDINARY PEOPLE... HE WOULD HEAR YOU OUT.))
[SUPER=01-Randy Smith/Former City Manager; :00]
[SUPER=01-Thomas Yeatts/Salem Resident; :11]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=hear you out.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Taliaferro will be buried morning at 10 o-clock at East Hill Cemetery.
His family is asking that in lieu of flowers, any donations be made to the D-Day Memorial in Bedford.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Salem city offices will be closed today between 9 o-clock and noon for the funeral.
Shuttle buses will run from City Hall and the Civic Center to the cemetery later today, starting at 9 o-clock.

[11Monitor-Turret]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=02-34 TC08:37]
[GRAPHIC=None]

After 140 years on the ocean floor, the gun turret of the civil-war ironclad Monitor has risen above the waves.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Off Cape Hatteras, NC]

Crews aboard the barge hoisting the relic whistled and cheered as the coral-encrusted turret was raised.
An American flag was mounted on it.
The Navy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration worked together on the six-point-five (m) million dollar project.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=That is the]
[RUNS=:05]
[OUT Q=in my life!]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The Monitor's round, revolving turret was a naval innovation that allowed the crew to maneuver out of harm's way while maintaining accurate fire by adjusting the turret-- a feature incorporated in virtually all modern warships.
(------------)

[6-Anthem-Earning]

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

In business news, one week after buying Trigon Health Insurance, Anthem Incorporated today reported a 47 percent jump in second-quarter earnings.
Officials say the rise was driven by strong membership growth.
The Indianapolis-based company also forecast growth of at least 15 percent next year.

[1st-Business]

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

Job cuts at U-S firms fell to their lowest level in 14 months.
Here's Barton Eckert with a look at the morning's top business stories..
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Barton Eckert/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:29]
[OUT Q=in Washington.]
(( GOOD MORNING THIS TUESDAY THE 6TH OF AUGUST.
HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS MORNING.
--------------------------

OUTPLACEMENT FIRM CHALLENGER GRAY AND CHRISTMAS SAYS JOB CUTS AT U.S. FIRMS FELL IN JULY TO THEIR LOWEST LEVEL IN 14 MONTHS.
THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SECTOR LED THE PACK OF JOB-CUTTERS.
CHALLENGER SAYS THAT THE ECONOMY SEEMS TO BE RIPE FOR A SIGNIFICANT SLOWDOWN IN CONSUMER SPENDING.
MEANWHILE GENERAL MOTORS WILL GIVE SALARIED WORKERS MERIT RAISES AVERAGING ABOUT 3.5 PERCENT. THEY HAD BEEN ON A WAGE FREEZE FOR TWO MONTHS...
--------------------------

FOR WALL STREETERS..NO MAJOR ECON DATA IS DUE OUT TODAY ... BUT NOT HELPING MATTERS.. THE PACE OF EXPANSION IN THE SERVICE SECTOR IN JULY SLOWED.
--------------------------

AN ASSISTANT TO A MERRILL LYNCH BROKER IS EVIDENTLY HELPING THE FEDS TURN UP THE HEAT IN MARTHA'S KITCHEN.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL SAYS THE MERRILL LYNCH ASSISTANT TOLD FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS THAT MARTHA STEWART SOLD SHARES OF IMCLONE BECAUSE HE WAS TOLD BY HIS BOSS.. THAT CLIENT, AND STEWART FRIEND, SAMUEL WAKSAL, IMCLONE'S THEN-CHIEF EXECUTIVE WAS SELLING.... AND TO LET STEWART KNOW.
THAT CONTRADICTS STEWART'S ACCOUNT.
-------------------------

WHEN REGIONAL AIRLINES FIRST AROSE, THEY WERE THOUGHT TO BE A SURE FIRE WAY FOR MID SIZE AIRPORTS TO GET MORE ROUTES, AND CHEAPER PRICES.
NOW, A NEW REPORT FROM THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT SAYS-- NOT ONLY HAVE THEY HELPED THERE-- BUT SMALLER CITIES, AND LONGER DISTANCE MARKETS ARE EVEN SEEING LOWER FARES.
AND AGGRESSIVE ADVERTISING FOR THE BUSINESS TRAVELER'S DOLLARS!
--------------------------

AND THAT'S YOUR FIRST BUSINESS CHECK ON THE MORNING'S TOP BUSINESS HAPPENINGS..
I'M BARTON ECKERT IN WASHINGTON.))

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

[11Chastang]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=02-25 TC1:10:14]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]
A Roanoke grand jury indicted a young man from Salem.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem/August 2001]
Twenty-year old Ben Chastang allegedly got caught up in a drug deal that went sour last summer. His best friend, Ryan Fischer, was shot and killed as he tried to get away. Yesterday, the Grand Jury charged Chastang with distribution of about 200-dollars worth of cocaine the night before the robbery and murder. He's charged with ATTEMPTED distribution of cocaine the night OF the murder near the Z-Mart on Melrose Avenue.
(------------)

[11Bunn]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=02-19 TC1:40:34]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]
A Postal Service employee pleaded not guilty to embezzling funds from the Pembroke Post Office.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
Thirty-one year old Joann Odettea Bunn allegedly stole about seven thousand dollars. Bunn allegedly pocketed the money for money orders she issued and took cash from the stamp vending machine.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[SS=HOLD]
The prosecutor described the thefts as a series of short-term loans Bunn issued herself on a rolling basis over a nine- month period. Since the loss was discovered earlier this year, Bunn has moved back to her home of Blacksville, Sou th Carolina.