WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 08/12/02

[1-News-Head]

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
What'll they do if one town herea-bouts actually runs out of water?
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
And the future of flying in and out of Roanoke and Lynchburg with U-S-Airways under bankruptcy protection.
[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]

And the short term forecasts hold little or no promise of significant widespread rainfall. We will have an update of Virginia's drought status.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith 4-Shot]

News 7 at 6 is next.
[Video-Open]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=Video Open]
[GRAPHIC=News7at6]

(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 22:21:45]
[IN Q=I think we]
((I THINK WE NEED TO PRAY. I THINK WE'VE OVERSTEPPED OUR BOUNDS WITH THE GOOD LORD AND WE ALL NEED TO PRAY.))
[RUNS=09]
[OUT Q=we all need to pray.]
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[VO-NAT]

Short of divine intervention, communities across the state continue to search for ways to deal with the prolonged drought.. as the situation grows more critical in central and Southwest Virginia.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=News 7 @ 6]

Good evening, I'm Keith Humphry.
We'll hear from Shannon later in the Newscast.

[Gretna-Water]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=02-25 TC1:19:45]
[GRAPHIC=Water Restrictions]

Virginia's water woes have trickled down to almost every locality.. and in at least one local town, the situation has reached a crisis point.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith & Steve/L'Burg Bureau;]

Steve Smallshaw spent the day with town leaders in Gretna.. Steve, how bad is it there?
Keith, the situation is severe in many areas across the state,
[LIVE=Steve/FULL]
[SUPER=@ssm1]
[SUPER=05-Lynchburg]
but Gretna may be the only locality that is actually due to run out of water in a few weeks.
Town leaders hope action they took today will help prevent just such a calamity.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=For better or]
[SUPER=03-Gretna; :00]
[SUPER=01-Michael Turner/Gretna Town Attorney; :24]
[SUPER=01-Glenna Lingafelt/Gretna Mayor; :32]
[SUPER=@ssm1; :41]
[SUPER=01-Fred Ingram/Pittsylvania Co. Supervisor; 1:15]
[RUNS=1:28]
[OUT Q=tank the water in.]
(( For better or worse, Gretna's newest tourist attraction is its town reservoir.
[natsot 22:06:01]
((I'VE BEEN HERE TWENTY YEARS AND I GUESS THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE EVER HAD ANY WATER RESTRICTIONS ON US.))
[RUNS= 08]

Even with conservation measures in place, the reservoir is quickly turning to mud.
If the town continues to draw about 100-thousand gallons a day, this supply will be gone by September.
[SOT 22:36:42]
((MICHAEL TURNER/GRETNA TOWN ATTORNEY: I THINK EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THIS IS A VERY DIRE TIME AT THIS POINT AND EVERYBODY'S COOPERATING QUITE WELL.))
[RUNS= 07]
[OUT Q=cooperating quite well.]
[SOT 22:35:56]
((GLENNA LINGAFELT/GRETNA MAYOR: BUT IT'S REALLY BEEN UPLIFTING, PEOPLE HAVE COME IN AND SAID CAN I HELP, CAN I DO THIS.. CITIZENS ARE DOING WHAT THEY CAN.))
[RUNS= 10]
[OUT Q=what they can.]
[Standup 22:33:56] ((The situation would be even more dire had Pittsylvania County not bought this 100-acre dairy farm back in January. Town officials hope to tap into an existing well on this property and they've also built a dam around a tributary to White Thorn Creek. The idea is to let the water collect here, then build a pipeline and pump it up to the town reservoir.))
[RUNS= 19]
[OUT Q=the town reservoir.]
[natsot 22:25:23]
((I DON'T SEE ANY ABNORMAL SITUATION HERE OTHER THAN YOU'RE THIRSTY..))
[RUNS= 05]

Town leaders met with officials from the D-E-Q and the Army Corps of Engineers.. both agencies okayed the project today.
The pipeline should be in place within a week.
[SOT 22:21:16]
((FRED INGRAM/PITTSYLVANIA CO. SUPERVISOR: IF THE TOWN OF GRETNA DIDN'T HAVE THE WHITE THORN CREEK ON THE BENNETT FARM DAIRY PROPERTY, THE TOWN OF GRETNA WOULD HAVE TO BRING IN WATER WITH TANKS AND HAVE TO TANK THE WATER IN.))
[RUNS= 15]
[OUT Q=tank the water in.] ))
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[LIVE=Steve/FULL]
[SUPER=05-Lynchburg;]

Pittsylvania County supervisors will hold an emergency meeting this week..
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith & Steve/L'Burg Bureau;]

They'll see what kind of financial help they can provide to the town.

[Giles-Water]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Water Restrictions]

A dramatic drop in a Giles County well is prompting calls for conservation there.
Officials say the water level in a Public Service Authority well has dropped fifty feet over the last six days.
The PSA is asking all Giles County residents who are not on private water systems to voluntarily conserve water. Officials are asking citizens of Glen Lynn, Rich Creek, Narrows, Pearisburg, Pembroke, and others who are billed by Giles County to refrain from watering lawns and washing vehicles.
The county is supplementing its supply with water from three other wells, but conservation measures will remain in effect until the area receives significant rainfall.

[Drought-Aid]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Drought]

Three more Virginia counties have been declared natural disaster areas because of the drought and excessive heat.

Bedford, Orange and Rockbridge Counties are the latest to join the federal list.
The designation by the U-S Agriculture Secretary means that farmers in those areas, and in 20 neighboring localities will be eligible for low- interest emergency loans to help cover their losses. Farmers have eight months to apply.

[Webster]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=02-21 TC1:31:02]
[GRAPHIC=Claude Webster]

Franklin County's Public Safety Director has resigned voluntarily, after being charged with drunk driving over the weekend.
Claude Webster was arrested Saturday when he ran his car through a fence.
No one was injured --
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@File;]
but a breath test showed his blood alcohol content at POINT -ONE- SIX -- twice the legal limit.
Deputy Director and Fire Marshall Bennie Russell has been named his temporary replacement.
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[BUMP SOTS]
[IN Q=]
[SOT 2:29:26 - :37]
((BENNIE RUSSELL/ACTING PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR: HE'S GOING TO BE MISSED. HE'S BEEN A MAINSTAY FOR THIS DEPARTMENT, WHICH IS 400 STRONG WHEN YOU COUNT ALL THE VOLUNTEERS, SO HE'S SOMEBODY WHO'S GOING TO BE MISSED DEARLY.))
[SOT 2:31:55 - 2:32:07]
((BONNIE JOHNSON/ASST. COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR: WE ALL HAVE A GREAT FONDNESS FOR CLAUDE AND WE HOPE THAT WHATEVER ISSUES HE HAS THAT THEY WILL WORK OUT AND WE WISH HIM WELL.))
[SUPER=01-Bennie Russell/Acting Public Safety Director; :00]
[SUPER=01-Bonnie Johnson/Asst. County Administrator; :12]
[RUNS=:23]
[OUT Q=wish him well.]
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[VO-NAT]

In February, Webster was placed on administrative leave for threatening another patron at a Wendy's drive-thru with a gun.
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[ANCHOR=Keith]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]

He's been Franklin County's Public Safety Director for nearly nine years.
At one point, he served on Governor Gilmore's E-M-S Advisory Board.
Our attempts to reach Webster today were unsuccessful.

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

It could satisfy one town's thirst for new jobs.
More on a possible Pepsi plant when News 7 at Six returns.
(XXXXXXXX)
[LIVE=Shannon Full/Microwave]
[SUPER=@Shannon1;]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke]
(Shannon Adlibs Live Tease)
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[Bankruptcy]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6 p.m.]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=02-23 TC1:12:50]
[GRAPHIC=US Airways Restructuring]
US Airways is the first major U.S. airline to declare bankruptcy after the September eleventh terrorist attacks.
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[VO NAT :33]
[SUPER=@file;]
Court proceedings are taking place in northern Virginia after the company filed for Chapter Eleven protection yesterday. Officials say they need the time to renegotiate contracts from whom they finance and lease their planes. US Airways had been struggling even before September eleventh rocked the airline industry. Then, after the attacks, the airline's main hub, Reagan National in Washington DC, was shut down for three weeks.
Company officials hinted that bankruptcy might be an option but reassured customers the move would not affect the flying public.
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[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith & Shannon/Microwave;]

[US-Airways]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6 p.m.]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=02-28 29:21]
[GRAPHIC=]

[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith & Shannon/Microwave;]

Shannon Young is at the Roanoke Regional Airport to tell us whether that promise is holding true. Keith, the airport's director says she can't imagine US Airways will cut local flights for a couple of reasons.
[LIVE=Shannon /FULL Microwave]
[SUPER=@Shannon1;]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke]
First, Roanoke is serviced by US Airways *Express* which is not one of the subsidiaries of US Airways Group that filed for court ordered restructuring. And second, US Airways, while struggling to regain customers after September eleventh, is not alone in that effort and that business is growing at about the same speed across the local board.
(///// SOT at top /////)
[SOT 17:14:44-17:14:54]
[IN Q=Just incrimentally. We were making great gains...]
((JACKIE SCHUCK/AIRPORT DIRECTOR: JUST INCRIMENTALLY. WE WERE MAKING GREAT GAINS FOR A NUMBER OF MONTHS BUT WE SEEM TO BE ALMOST A MIRROR IMAGE OF THE NATION AS A WHOLE. EVERYBODY'S STILL DOWN.)) [BUTT BUTT BUTT]
[SOT 17:15:23-17:15:35]
[IN Q=US Airways has been doing fine here.]
((US AIRWAYS HAS BEEN DOING FINE HERE. I MEAN, IN COMPARISON TO OTHER CARRIERS OPERATING OUT OF HERE, THEY'RE NOT HAVE ANY GREATER DIFFICULTY THAN THEY ARE. I HAVEN'T SEEN A DIVE IN THEIR NUMBERS VERSUS THE OTHERS.))
[SUPER=01-Jackie Shuck/Airport Director;]
[RUNS=:22]
[OUT Q=dive in their numbers versus the others.]
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[VO-NAT :15]
Shuck says, nationally, air travel is down about 8 or 9 percent but that the US Airways flights leaving Roanoke every day are full to a healthy degree. As it is, US Airways Express flights make up about half the seats leaving Roanoke Regional on a daily basis. But Shuck says she'd like to see US Airways make even *more* seats available to this area.
(------------------)
[LIVE= Shannon /FULL Microwave]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke;]
Speaking at a Roanoke Kiwanis meeting last month, US Airways district sales manager John Tingle mentioned that, if the company filed for bankruptcy it might one day have fewer planes which would obviously affect the flight schedule it currently holds.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith & Shannon /Microwave;]
But, Keith, he said that would be the only way customers would notice a change in service.

[Pepsi-Plant]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=02-19 TC1:53:52]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A needed economic boost may be on its way to residents of Wythe County.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :22]
[SUPER=03-Wytheville;]
The Pepsi Bottling Group is a step closer to using this land to build a 65-million dollar plant. The facility would employ 200 people. Town officials say Pepsi bought the 15-acres for about 500- thousand dollars. It's a deal the town has been working on for about nine months. While the Town Manager says a new plant isn't definite - they're optimistic.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 14:40:54]
[IN Q=we're just]
((WAYNE SUTHERLAND/WYTHEVILLE TOWN MANAGER; WE'RE JUST VERY EXCITED I MEAN ANYTIME YOU CAN ADD TWO HUNDRED JOBS AND 65 MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF TAX BASE THAT'S IS JUST A WONDERFUL SITUATION AND WE WANT IT TO HAPPEN.))
[SUPER=01-Wayne Sutherland/Wytheville Town Manager;]
[RUNS=:12]
[OUT Q=IT TO HAPPEN.]
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[VO-NAT]
The town is willing to build access roads and secure water sources to make it happen. Sutherland says the location is ideal for distribution, because of its proximity to Interstates 81 and 77. Neither town or Pepsi officials are saying if the new plant would mean the demise of existing Pepsi plants in Marion and Princeton, West Virginia.
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[Stocks]

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

Investors weren't making many moves ahead of tomorrow's Federal Reserve meeting. [TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-y/56.76/8688.69/x/0.59/1306.71;]

The DOW fell 57 points.
NASDAQ remained just about unchanged.
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[VO]
[SUPER=271-i/0.04/48.76/h/0.36/33.00/i/2.11/61.25/i/0.36/68.45/i/0.17/15.63;]
[SUPER=272-h/0.10/6.00/h/1.11/62.30/i/0.11/57.92/i/0.15/32.25/i/0.79/15.20;]
[SUPER=273-i/0.55/44.97/i/0.20/19.60/h/0.04/21.04/h/0.03/2.00/i/0.19/49.35;]
[SUPER=274-i/0.42/11.80/i/0.07/66.06/i/0.15/30.10/i/0.66/35.47/i/0.79/48.41;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]

[Mine-Safety]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=02-32 TC39:06]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Thanks to the heroic rescue of nine Pennsylvania coal miners, the mining industry is finally getting some respect.

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

That was the message from the Assistant Secretary of Labor to a group of mining professionals in Roanoke today.
Dave Lauriski (Lor-iss-kee) was in Somerset, Pennsylvania, last month to help oversee the rescue of nine men trapped for more than three days in a coal mine.
He says the rescue has brought new and positive attention to an industry that used to suffer from a bad reputation.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 15:07:47 - :56]
[IN Q=I would certainly]
((DAVE LAURISKI/ASST. U. S. LABOR SECRETARY: I WOULD CERTAINLY HOPE THIS COUNTRY WOULD RECOGNIZE THAT WHAT THEY DO IS IMPORTANT AND THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT THIS INDUSTRY MEANS TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES.))
[SUPER=01-Dave Lauriski/Asst. U. S. Labor Secretary;]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=the United States.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The Mine Safety and Health Administration is still investigating the accident and trying to identify other mines around the country that could pose similar hazards.
Lauriski was one of several speakers at the mine safety conference being held today by Virginia Tech and the University of Utah.
(------------)

[VMI]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=02-24 TC1:10:35]
[GRAPHIC=None]
New "rats" at Virginia Military Institute will really get to prove themselves, now.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lexington/February, 1999]
While the physical demands have always been steep, the school has instituted what it calls "more focused training" that includes battalion runs on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Then there's the "crucible" exercise: a rigorous cross country run- -interspersed with parts of the obstacle course, a SWIM down the Maury River- -ending in a run up Hospital Hill back to barracks.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=None]
All this will take more time. So the Class of 2006 will arrive on Post this Saturday to get started.

[Sports Tease]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Coming up tonight on the Big 7 - the area's golf courses were extremely busy today. Plus, Lord Botetourt is in the Friday Football Extra spotlight tonight.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Plus, VMI prepares for another season with the same hurdles and the same optimism.
(------------)

[S-VMI]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-127]
[GRAPHIC=VMI]

With 20 seniors on the roster, optimism was the key word at VMI football Media Day this afternoon. As Travis Wells explains - win, lose or draw the Keydets will make history in 2002.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=FIRST AUDIO]
[SUPER=03-Lexington; :00]
[SUPER=01-Joey Gibson/VMI Senior Quarterback; :20]
[SUPER=01-Cal McCombs/VMI Head Coach; :40]
[SUPER=01-Matt Kluk/VMI Nose Tackle; 1:07]
[SUPER=01-Johnny Burnett/VMI Defensive Coordinator; 1:29]
[SUPER=@travis1; 1:43]
[RUNS=1:55]
[OUT Q=...NEWS 7 SPORTS."]
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[S-Cavaliers]

[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-125 TC3339]
[GRAPHIC=FFE]

Our FFE cameras are focused on Lord Botetourt tonight and the new head Cavalier Keith Robinson.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Daleville; :00]

Robinson replaces Tony Hart on the Cavaliers' sideline. The Radford grad has been an assistant coach and offensive coordinator at Botetourt for the past three seasons. He says the transition to head coach has been a smooth one.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Keith Robinson/New Botetourt Head Coach; :03]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=can't complain so far."]
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[VO-NAT]

Robinson inherits a team that returns eleven starters from a year ago, including 6 on offense and 5 on defense.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=this year's no exception."]
(-----------------)
[ANCHOR=MIKE]
[GRAPHIC=FFE]
And mark it down folks - the season premier of Friday Football Extra is coming up Friday night August 23rd.

[S-Skills]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-132 2442TC]
[GRAPHIC=GOLF]

The Roanoke Country Club hosted today's Southwest Virginia club pro tournament, skills challenge and skins game.

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
The skills challenge was not ready a challenge at all as Ashley Plantation's Chip Sullivan dominated things against Billy King, Tommy Joyce and Scott Wise. He won the long drive competition with a 335 foot blast. He also won the putting competition and the bunker shot battle. But the big winner today is the National Kidney Foundation of the Virginias.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=IT'S A GREAT CAUSE...]
[SUPER=01-Chip Sullivan/Ashley Plantation Pro; :00]
[SUPER=01-Billy King/Blue Hills Pro; :13]
[RUNS=:23]
[OUT Q=...THE CAUSE."]
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