WDBJ 7 morning news for 09/13/02

[FL-Primary]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

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

It could be deja vu all over again in Florida--
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Miami, FL;]

Three days after the primary, officials are still searching for lost votes.
Bill McBride is claiming victory in the closely- watched race for the Democratic nomination for Governor.
But Janet Reno isn't ready to concede.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=We have had]
((JANET RENO/D- GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: WE HAVE HAD MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ELECTORAL PROCESS, I THINK THOSE QUESTIONS MUST BE ANSWERED." ))
[SUPER=01-Janet Reno/(D) Gubernatorial Candidate;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=must be answered.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Reno is behind by eight thousand votes.
But an additional 18- hundred un- counted votes have been found, and officials are looking to see if there are any more.
If enough of those votes to go Reno, there would be an automatic re-count.
After voting problems in the 2000 Presidential election, Florida bought a new system.
But many of those voting machines were broken on Primary day.
(------------)

[U-N]

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

Secretary of State Colin Powell will be trying to build support at the U-N today for a resolution setting a deadline for Iraq to disarm.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-New York, NY;]

Meanwhile, President Bush will meet with African leaders before leaving New York.
In a speech to the United Nations yesterday, the President said Saddam Hussein must let weapons inspectors back into Iraq.
Bush said if the U-N won't demand it, the United States will.
(------------)

[11Amherst-Murder]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=02-33 55:32]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A Lynchburg area woman killed her young son, then took her own life .. but Amherst County authorities aren't sure why.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Amherst Co.]

Deputies were called to this home at 208 Fairfax Circle around 11:15 yesterday morning.
That's where they found 44-year-old Cheryl An Bonfanti (bon-Fontee) and her four-year-old son Joseph dead of apparent gunshot wounds.
A handgun was found at the scene, but no motive has been determined.
(------------)

[11Parkway-Body]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=02-24 1:57:13]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Authorities have identified the body found along the Blue Ridge Parkway .. four months after the remains were first discovered.
(----------------)
[V/O-NAT SOT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./May 5]
An investigator fashioned a clay bust out of the skull.
A day after the bust was displayed last week, someone called saying he'd seen the man at a knife and gun show in Pennsylvania.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:06:15]
[IN Q=]
((BASED ON THAT TIP LAW ENFORCEMENT WAS ABLE TO CONFIRM THE MR. IMHAUSER HAD BEEN MISSING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. NOW DENTAL RECORDS HAVE POSITIVELY DETERMINED THE BODY WAS THAT OF HENRY IMHAUSER.))
[SUPER=01-John Brownlee/U. S. Attorney]
[RUNS=12]
[OUT Q=that of Henry Imhauser.]
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The F-B-I and Roanoke County police are still looking for help in determining how "Ike" Imhauser (IM-how-zer) died and how his body ended up on a parkway overlook.

[11Missing-Girl]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=02-31 49:52]
[GRAPHIC=Jennifer Short]

Henry County's Sheriff says if leads don't improve in the Jennifer Short case by next week, he's cutting back on manpower.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

It's been four weeks since the 9-year-old was snatched from her bed and her parents left dead where they slept.
[SUPER=03-Henry Co.;]

There are more than 20 state and local investigators on the case now, but Sheriff Cassell says he will gradually shift some of them to other work.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:37:10 - 17]
[IN Q=Certainly, I]
((FRANK CASSELL/HENRY CO. SHERIFF: CERTAINLY, I WON'T TELL THEM THEY CAN'T WORK ON IT WHILE THEY'RE WORKING ON OTHER CASES, BUT WE'VE GOT TO GET SOME OF THESE PEOPLE BACK ON ROUTINE STUFF BECAUSE THAT GOES ON.))
[SUPER=01-Frank Cassell/Henry Co. Sheriff;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=that goes on.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Cassell says he's certain Henry County WILL solve the case.
Starting today, divers plan to search parts of Philpott Lake ... Cassell won't say why.
Jennifer's relatives believe someone may be holding her.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 59:45 - :04]
((FRANK ARRINGTON/JENNIFER'S UNCLE: I FEEL SHE IS ALIVE AND THAT'S BEEN IN MY PRAYERS.... HOPE WE DO FIND HER ALIVE.))

[SUPER=01-Frank Arrington/Jennifer's Uncle;]
[RUNS= :08]
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=Hold]

Jennifer's relatives will hold a candlelight vigil on Sunday night at 8 o-clock, rain or shine.
They invite the public to bring a candle to Sissy's Flea Market on Route 220, across from the family's house.

[11Liberty-Bridge]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=02-36 41:03]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The Liberty Road bridge in Roanoke is still closed, but it could re-open next week.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :31]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
The bridge was damaged on Wednesday when it was struck by a vehicle on Interstate-581 that was too tall to pass underneath.
V-DOT says a couple of re-inforced concrete beams are damaged but that the bridge is still structurally sound enough to support traffic. Officials are talking about the use of a barricade wall to direct vehicles away from the damaged areas. Traffic on 581 is back to normal.
(------------)

[11Tech-Budget]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=02-32 TC 26:36]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Some Virginia Tech students may soon feel the effects of budget cuts.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]

The university will submit a budget plan to the Governor's office next Friday, to meet new state requirements that all state agencies reduce their budgets between five and fifteen percent.
Officials say that means looking at all angles--even canceling Fall commencement.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 5:32]
[IN Q=just yesterday]
((LARRY HINCKER/VIRGINIA TECH UNIVERSITY RELATIONS: I'VE HEARD FROM STUDENTS, "HEY, THIS IS TERRIBLE, HOW CAN YOU DO IT?" THE ANSWER IS, YOU CUT YOUR BUDGETS, THIS KIND, WE COULD BE TALKING AS MUCH AS 60-MILLION DOLLARS FOR VIRGINIA TECH))
[SUPER=01-Larry Hincker/Virginia Tech University Relations;]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=magic number]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Hincker says commencement usually runs the school about 30-thousand dollars.
He says, right now, it is just one of several other options.
(------------)

[Marketwatch]

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

In business news, Wall Street fell sharply yesterday. And, McDonalds stock has slid to a six year low.
Alexis Christoforous has those stories and more in this morning's Marketwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Alexis Christoforous/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:34]
[OUT Q=your local stocks]
((THE STOCK MARKET WILL TRY TO RECOVER FROM TRIPLE WHAMMY... SPEECHES FROM PRESIDENT BUSH AND FED CHIEF ALAN GREENSPAN AND MORE INDICTMENTS IN CORPORATE AMERICA.

(GR)
THE DOW TUMBLED 201 POINTS MORE THAN 2 PERCENT

(GR)
WHILE THE NASDAQ TANKED 35 POINTS LED LOWER BY CHIP STOCKS.

(OC)
Crude oil fell after President Bush told the United Nations that the U.S. will work with the world body to disarm Iraq, signaling that a unilateral U.S. attack won't happen anytime soon
THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO GO ON A SPENDING DIET.. THAT WAS THE MESSAGE FED CHIEF ALAN GREENSPAN GAVE LAWMAKERS TODAY.. GREENSPAN SAID THE ECONOMY HAS WEATHERED SEVERE BLOWS THIS PAST YEAR, BUT WARNED THAT THE BUDGET DEFICIT AND OVERSPENDING BY THE GOVERNMENT COULD HURT THE ECONOMY.

(GR)
Former Tyco International CEO Dennis Kozlowski and ex-CFO Mark Swartz were charged with looting the company of $170 million and running a $430 million stock swindle. TYCO'S FORMER GENERAL COUNSEL WAS ALSO CHARGED WITH FINANCIAL FRAUD. ALLTHREE MEN PLEADED NOT GUILTY.

(GR)
MCDONALDS SLID TO A SIX YEAR LOW.. AFTER A NUMBER OF ANALYSTS VOICED CONCERN ABOUT THE GOLDEN ARCHES RECOVERY PLANS, WHICH INCLUDE REMODELING SOME STORES. ONE FIRM LOWERED PROFIT ESTIMATES ON MCDONALD'S.

(GR)
AND AFTER THE CLOSING BELL, HONEYWELL WARNED THAT THIRD QTR AND FULL YEAR EARNINGS WILL MISS THE MARK.

(GR)
FOR MORE HEAD TO CBS.MW.COM ...

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

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

[Cheney]

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

Vice President Dick Cheney is getting a check-up today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-File Tape;]

Doctors in Washington will electronically scan Cheney's pacemaker to make sure it's working normally.
Cheney has had four heart attacks--but none as Vice President.
His spokeswoman says today's procedure is simple, and Cheney plans a normal work day.
(------------)

[Utah-Mudslides]

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

A major mudslide tears through a town south of Salt Lake City, Utah--
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Santaquin, UT;]

Early last night, witnesses say they heard a loud rumble, then saw part of the mountain above their homes come crashing down.
The three-foot-deep slide flooded basements, and covered cars with mud.
A canal break sent mud and water into area homes.
The community has been evacuated, but no one's been injured.
(------------)

[11L'burg-Gangs]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=02-27 1:35:00]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A group of black ministers says it's ready to do its part .. to help tackle Lynchburg's gang problem by going directly to the source .. the gang members. Steve Smallshaw has the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It was just a month]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg/August 13; :00]
[SUPER=04-Yesterday; :07]
[SUPER=01-Rev. Mark Everhart/Peaceful Baptist Church; :13]
[SUPER=04-Surveillance Video; :25]
[SUPER=01-Rev. Leroy Mitchell/Brookville Baptist Church; :38]
[SUPER=01-Wayne Duff/Lynchburg Police Department; 1:01]
[SUPER=@ssm1;]
[RUNS=1:34]
[OUT Q=Steve Smallshaw, News 7, Lynchburg]
(( It was just a month ago that Lynchburg police laid out their evidence of widespread gang activity in the Hill City.
Now a group of local clergy says it's ready to help provide a spiritual answer to the problem. ((REV. MARK EVERHART/PEACEFUL BAPTIST CHURCH: IT IS THE BREAKDOWN OF THE FAMILY AND THE MORAL ISSUE THAT HAS ARISEN THAT HAS ALLOWED THESE ONCE-DARLING YOUNG CHILDREN TO BECOME INVOLVED IN THESE ACTIVITIES.)) Activities like drive-by shootings, armed robberies, and violent clashes over drug turf. These pastors hope to identify and then sit down with the leaders of the city's gangs and help them reach more peaceful solutions to their problems. ((REV. LEROY MITCHELL/BROOKVILLE BAPTIST CHURCH: IF IT'S TERRITORY, THERE'S ENOUGH TERRITORY IN THIS CITY FOR EVERYBODY TO BE MORE THAN HAPPY WITH. IF THERE ARE ISSUES OF TIT FOR TAT, THEN WE CAN SOLVE THAT ALSO. WE'RE WILLING TO SAY THAT WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY IS IMPORTANT. WE'RE NOT TRYING TO SAY THAT THEIR VOICES ARE NOT IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT GOOD CITIZENS, WE WANT THEM TO BE GOOD CITIZENS.)) Police officers ay they'll take any help they can get. ((LT. WAYNE DUFF/LYNCHBURG POLICE: AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THE PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED AS BEING LEADERS OF THESE CERTAIN GROUPS WOULD BE AGREEABLE TO THAT, I DON'T KNOW AT THIS TIME.)) The timing and the place of the ministers' announcement was no coincidence. For several months, Miller Park has been a problem area for gang activity, and this weekend, it will host the citywide celebration "Day in the Park". Area clergy want residents to know this is still a safe place to bring your family. A community forum will address the gang problem later this month. Steve Smallshaw, News 7, Lynchburg.))

(Kim toss to bump)[AM-House-Fire]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Morning]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-37 TC 20:09]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]

A fire heavily damaged a house in Roanoke County.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.]

The fire broke out at this home in the 53-hundred block of Fallowater Lane off 419 just before 10:30 last night.
Firefighters arrived to find the house fully involved.
Investigators believe the fire started in the front bedroom, but they're still trying to determine a cause.
A father and his three kids were home but all got out safely.
Damage estimates top more than fifty thousand dollars.
(------------)

[11Fleming-Gun]

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

A Roanoke high school student is in trouble, after police acted on a tip. They went to William Fleming High School and caught a 15 year old student with a gun and drugs on school property.
The unidentified teen was charged with possession of a firearm on school property and possession of crack cocaine.

[AM-Headlights]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=02-32]
[GRAPHIC=none]

You either love em or hate em.
Some say they allow drivers to see better, others say they're nothing but a distraction.
We're talking about a new brighter headlight.
Justin Mcleod tells us why if you're blinded by the light the federal government wants to hear from you.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=01-Keith Odberg/Driver; :30]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Joe Blackstock/Optometrist; :49]
[SUPER=@justin1; :]
[RUNS=1:32]
[OUT Q=JM, News 7]
((((NAT SOUND OF CAR DRIVING BY))
They're hard to miss, and for some that's a problem.
[SOT 23:41:08; 23:41:42; TAPE 3]
[IN Q=They're kinda blinding]
((BONITA GREGORY: THEY'RE KINDA BLINDING, DISTRACTING.)) ((DOUG POINDEXTER: IT WAS A CAR BEHIND ME AND WAS REAL BLIND. I COULDN'T SEE)) [Runs:04]
[OUT Q=I couldn't see]

What they're having trouble seeing is a new brighter headlight called High Intensity Discharge or HID for short.
The lights are usually found on luxury cars and have a blueish tint.
According to manufacturers, HID headlights provide 70 percent more usable light than traditional headlights.
[SOT 11:34:39; TAPE 1]
[IN Q=I like the lights]
((KEITH ODBERG: I LIKE THE LIGHTS. THEY'RE MUCH BRIGHTER THAN THE OLDER LIGHTS AND IT ALLOWS ME TO SEE FURTHER DISTANCES.)) [Runs06]
[OUT Q=further distances]

The intensity of these lights meet all federal guidelines.
But many drivers complain the lights are blinding.
It is a complaint area optometrist say is all too common.
[SOT 4:08 TAPE 2]
[IN Q=So far the studies]
((DR. JOE BLACKSTOCK/OPTOMETRIST: SO FAR THE STUDIES THAT ARE OUT INDICATE NO DAMAGE TO THE EYE. IT'S JUST MORE OF DISCOMFORT THAN ANYTHING ELSE.)) [Runs06]
[OUT Q=than anything else]

It is a discomfort that has prompted numerous complaints.
So now the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is asking for the public's input on possible steps the government might take to reduce the glare.
But those who have HID lights hope the lights have a bright future.
[SOT 11:36:05 TAPE 1]
[IN Q=I think it's because]
((KEITH ODBERG: I THINK IT'S BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT USED TO THEM. ONCE THEY'RE ON MORE CARS I THINK PEOPLE WILL GET USE TO THEM AND LIKE THEM AS MUCH AS I DO.)) [Runs09]
[OUT Q=much as I do]
[SOT ]
[IN Q=The national highway]
((JUSTIN McLEOD/REPORTING: THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY SAFETY ADMINISTRATION HAS SO RECEIVED SEVERAL THOUSAND COMMENTS ON THIS ISSUE. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO WEIGH IN, YOU CAN DO THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT NHTSA DOT GOV. JUSTIN McLEOD, NEWS 7.))
[Runs= ]
[OUT Q=JM, News 7]))

[11Redistricting]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=02-28 1:11:32]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The state's politically explosive redistricting case was back in court.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]

The Virginia Supreme Court heard the appeal of a ruling by Salem Judge Richard Pattisall that the state's legislative lines were racially gerrymandered.
Earlier this year Pattisall threw out the new voting districts drawn by Republicans, saying the plan violated Virginia's Constitution.
Lawyers for the Attorney General's office argued yesterday that Pattisall acted with bias and that Salem was not the appropriate venue for the case.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:38:04]
[IN Q=JUDGE PATTISALL WENT OUT OF THE WAY]
[SUPER=@Kilgore; :00]
[SUPER=01-Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple/(D) Arlington; :10]
[RUNS=:19]
[OUT Q=IS AN ERRONEOUS ARGUMENT.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

If the redistricting plan is invalidated, it could mean new elections for the entire House of Delegates. (------------) A ruling from the Virginia Supreme Court is expected on November 1st.