WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 10/21/02

[7Wx-Headline]

[ANCHOR=Kim]

[NEWSCAST=Cut-ins]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Mornin' Report]

Good morning, I'm Kimberly McBroom...... grab the umbrella this morning for scattered showers throughout the day...

Meterologist Leo Hirsbrunner has the complete workweek forecast coming up in just a few minutes...

[7-11Tech-Cuts]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=jwi]
[TAPE#=02-37 TC-50:12]
[GRAPHIC=Budget Cuts]
The Appropriations Committee of the House of Delegates visited Virginia Tech to see first hand what state budget cuts mean for the university...
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]
Virginia Tech President Charles Steger talked to the committee about research efforts and the University's economic role in southwest Virginia.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 48:51:28]
[IN Q=We're one of the]
((CHARLES STEGER/PRESIDENT VIRGINIA TECH: WE'RE ONE OF THE LARGEST EMPLOYERS YOU KNOW WITH OVER 6,000 EMPLOYEES. WE HAVE RESEARCH EXPENDITURES, LAST YEAR 236 MILLION DOLLARS AND IN ADDITION, JUST AN EXAMPLE THIS WEEKEND WE HAD 65,000 PEOPLE COMING IN FOR THE FOOTBALL GAME SO WE ARE A VERY IMPORTANT ENGINE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE WHOLE WESTERN REGION OF VIRGINIA.))
[SUPER=01-Charles Steger/Virginia Tech President;]
[RUNS=21]
[OUT Q=region of Virginia]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Steger says the latest round of budget cuts are so large the school can't absorb the loss without harming the institution. When added together he says the cuts equal more than 70- million dollars. To put things in perspective, Steger says the operating budget for the College of Engineering alone is 40- million. The Appropriations Committee spent the day touring a few key research labs and the "Smart Road." Today, the committee plans to visit the Roanoke Valley Governor's School before heading to Carilion Health Systems for another meeting.
(------------)

[7-6DMV-Cuts]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=02-45 TC-3:50]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]
A local lawmaker says more cuts could come to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
(------------)
[VO-NAT - :16.5 from VMI-Tape]
State-wide, nearly 600 D-M-V workers will be laid-off and Virginia's Transportation Secretary says the situation could worsen.
[SUPER=03-Lexington;]
Secretary Whitt Clement spoke to the Virginia Transportation Conference in Lexington last week, just days after Governor Mark Warner announced the cuts.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT - 47:59]
[IN Q=To many citizens...]
((WHITT CLEMENT/VIRGINIA TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY; TO MANY CITIZENS, DMV IS THE FACE OF STATE GOVERNMENT. BUT THAT FACE IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT, OFFICES ARE GOING TO BE CLOSED ONE DAY A WEEK, THE 12 OFFICE CLOSINGS. SO, THE IMPACT IS GOING TO BE VERY REAL, AND IT'S NOT OVER WITH, THERE'S MORE TO COME.))
[SUPER=@clement;]
[RUNS=18]
[OUT Q=over with, there's more to come.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT - :08+]
[SUPER=03-Rocky Mount;]
D-M-V branches in Rocky Mount and Bedford are the only offices in our area to close. They are scheduled to close on November 15th.
(------------)

[7-11Toy-Run]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-31 TC-1:45:57]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Some local bikers hit the road for charity...
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem/Yesterday;]

The Salem Rotary Club sponsored the fourth annual "Ride Round the Valley Toy Run" in Salem yesterday afternoon.
More than forty bikers brought an unwrapped toy or donated ten dollars to participate in a ride around the Valley.
The toys will now be donated to the Community Christmas Store.
The bikers ended up collecting more than 400- dollars worth of toys.
(------------)

[7WEATHER]

[ANCHOR=Leo]
[NEWSCAST=cut -ins]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#none]
[GRAPHIC=none]

[LEO IN CHROMAKEY]

WEATHER PRO

[Desk 2-Shot=Kim and Leo]

(Good Bye!)

[WXHeads]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Cut-ins]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Mornin' Report]

Good morning, I'm Kimberly McBroom.
It's a rainy Monday-- with showers expected off and on today.
Metereologist Leo Hirsbrunner has the full forecast, straight ahead.

[45-221-Accident]

[ANCHOR=kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Accident]

We have some traffic information to pass along before you head out on your morning commute. An accident is tying up traffic on top of Bent Mountain in Roanoke County. Authorities say it happened on Route 221 between Ivy Ridge and Old Shilling Road. No other information about the accident has been released.

[45-11History-Museum]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-38 TC-51:35]
[GRAPHIC=Budget Cuts]
State budget cuts are forcing Virginia's Museum of Natural History in Martinsville to crunch more numbers. And as Justin McLeod tells us, the museum is taking some steps to ensure it has a future.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville; :00]
[SUPER=01-Kathy Lineberry/Museum Visitor; :12]
[SUPER=01-Stephen Pike/Museum Director; :32 (QUICK)]
[SUPER=@justin1; :53]
[RUNS=1:41]
[OUT Q=JM, News 7, Martinsville]
((((NAT SOUND OF COMPUTER TALKING AT 24:55))
If you've ever wanted to learn about our natural history then the place to go is here at Virginia's Museum of Natural History.
[SOT 31:02]
[IN Q=It's a great place]
((KATHY LINEBERRY/MUSEUM VISITOR: IT'S A GREAT PLACE TO BRING YOUR KIDS TO LEARN ABOUT NATURAL HISTORY. IT'S FUN.))
[Runs= 08]
[OUT Q=it's fun]

It hasn't however been fun for the museum's employees.
On Tuesday, Governor Warner ordered the museum to cut its budget by 15-percent.
The next day, the museum's director was forced to lay-off six full-time workers.
[SOT :57]
[IN Q=We're cut to the bone]
((STEPHEN PIKE/MUSEUM DIRECTOR: WE'RE CUT TO THE BONE RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF OPERATING THE BUILDING BUT WE CAN DO IT.))

[Runs= 05]
[OUT Q=we can do it]

It won't be easy.
The museum already laid off three employees earlier in the year.
The latest round of cuts eliminated the exhibits department.
Luckily, future shows are already planned well into next year.
[SOT 46:03]
[IN Q=Not all of it is]
((JUSTIN McLEOD/REPORTING: NOT ALL OF IT IS BAD NEWS FOR THE MUSEUM. THE NEARLY 15-MILLION DOLLARS IN BONDS NEEDED TO BUILD A BRAND NEW FACILITY ARE STILL INTACT. IT WILL BE BUILT HERE ON STARLING AVENUE AND CONSTRUCTION IS SET TO BEGIN SOMETIME NEXT YEAR.))
[Runs= 13]
[OUT Q=sometime next year]
((NAT SOUND OF OPENING DRAWER AT 16:03))
The new building is needed now more than ever.
The current facility is too small and is more than 80 years old.
But for now, the museum will try to make the best of its current building and the state's financial crisis.
[SOT 2:26]
[IN Q=We'll be doing more fundraising]
((STEPHEN PIKE: WE'LL BE DOING MORE FUNDRAISING AND OUR SUPPORTERS WHO HAVE HELPED OUT WILL HAVE TO STEP UP AND WE'LL HAVE TO FIND NEW SUPPORTERS. BUT I THINK WE'RE LOOKING PRIMARILY TO THE FOLKS WHO ALREADY KNOW THE VALUE OF THIS INSTITUTION WHO CAN BRING OTHERS ALONG.))
[Runs= 10]
[OUT Q=bring others along]

After all, the museum could face even more state cuts later this year.
That's why the museum's director believes public support is needed now more than ever as the museum attempts to write a new chapter in its history.
Justin McLeod, News 7, Martinsville.))

[45WEATHER]

[ANCHOR=Leo]
[NEWSCAST=cut -ins]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#none]
[GRAPHIC=none]

[LEO IN CHROMAKEY]

WEATHER PRO

[Desk 2-Shot=Kim and Leo]

(Good Bye!)

[8Wx-Headline]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Cut-ins]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Mornin' Report]

Good morning, I'm Kimberly McBroom.
Showers are falling across the region, with temperatures expected to stay in the upper 50s.
Metereologist Leo Hirsbrunner has the full forecast, right after the news.

[8-221-Accident]

[8-11Tech-Cuts]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=jwi]
[TAPE#=02-37 TC-50:12]
[GRAPHIC=Budget Cuts]
Lawmakers from the House Appropriations Committtee came to Virginia Tech, and talks of state budget cuts topped the agenda...
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]
Virginia Tech President Charles Steger talked to the committee about research efforts and the University's economic role in southwest Virginia.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 48:51:28]
[IN Q=We're one of the]
((CHARLES STEGER/PRESIDENT VIRGINIA TECH: WE'RE ONE OF THE LARGEST EMPLOYERS YOU KNOW WITH OVER 6,000 EMPLOYEES. WE HAVE RESEARCH EXPENDITURES, LAST YEAR 236 MILLION DOLLARS AND IN ADDITION, JUST AN EXAMPLE THIS WEEKEND WE HAD 65,000 PEOPLE COMING IN FOR THE FOOTBALL GAME SO WE ARE A VERY IMPORTANT ENGINE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE WHOLE WESTERN REGION OF VIRGINIA.))
[SUPER=01-Charles Steger/Virginia Tech President;]
[RUNS=21]
[OUT Q=region of Virginia]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Steger says the latest round of budget cuts are so large the school can't absorb the loss without harming the institution. When added together he says the cuts equal more than 70- million dollars. To put things in perspective, Steger says the operating budget for the College of Engineering alone is 40- million. The Appropriations Committee spent the day touring a few key research labs and the "Smart Road." Today, the committee plans to visit the Roanoke Valley Governor's School before heading to Carilion Health Systems for another meeting.
(------------)

[8-11Dazzle]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-41 TC-17:10]
[GRAPHIC=Dazzle]
A shot at making their hoop dreams come true brought dozens of athletes to the Roanoke Y-M-C-A...
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

That's where the Roanoke Dazzle held open player tryouts over the weekend for the N-B-D-L.
The tryouts gave players an opportunity to make the Dazzle's training camp for the upcoming season.
More than a hundred athletes from all over the country took part in this weekend's tryouts.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 8:15]
[IN Q=I just had a guy]
((KENT DAVISON/DAZZLE'S HEAD COACH: I JUST HAD A GUY SAY TO ME YOU KNOW COACH EVEN IF YOU CUT ME I'M GLAD I CAME AND HAD A CHANCE TO SHOW YOU HOW I CAN PLAY AND THAT'S A NEAT ATTITUDE.))
[SUPER=01-Kent Davison/Roanoke Dazzle Head Coach;]
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=that's a neat attitude]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Team management also has a new attitude.
The Dazzle has a new president and a new outlook for the upcoming season.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:57]
[IN Q=The two biggest things]
((JOE PRESEREN/DAZZLE PRESIDENT: THE TWO BIGGEST THINGS THAT WE HEARD FROM OUR FANS THAT WE FELT WERE LEGITIMATE COMMENTS WERE OUR TICKET PRICES BEING A LITTLE HIGHER THAN THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN AND WE NEEDED MORE WEEKEND HOME DATES AND WE'VE ADDRESSED BOTH OF THOSE.))
[SUPER=01-Joe Preseren/Roanoke Dazzle President;]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=both of those]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The Dazzle has lowered ticket prices in some cases by half of what they were last year.
The Dazzle begins its season November 15th.
Their first three games are home in Roanoke.
(------------)

[8WEATHER]

[ANCHOR=Leo]
[NEWSCAST=cut -ins]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#none]
[GRAPHIC=none]

[LEO IN CHROMAKEY]

WEATHER PRO

[Desk 2-Shot=Kim and Leo]

(Good Bye!)