WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 11/21/02

[1-News-Head]

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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
Businesses, highways and a day-care center shut down, as a construction crew breaks open a natural gas line.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
And Lynchburg officials promise to fix what they recognize are serious problems at the top of the city police department.

[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
The Friday Football Extra playoff schedule is on the way. Plus, Bryan Randall tells us what he was thinking on that final toss into the end zone.
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[VO-NAT]
And West Virginia fans get a little carried away in Morgantown after last night's win over the Hokies.
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[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]

For the first time in this late fall season, winter weather advisories are in effect for the western mountains. We'll check that out in a moment.
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[ANCHOR=Keith 4-Shot]

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

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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

A natural gas leak creates major problems in Bedford County today.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Several major roads, businesses and a day care center were closed for hours.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Good evening, I'm Shannon Young.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

And I'm Keith Humphry.
[Gas-Pipeline]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#43:20 on 02-41]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

The danger is now over but residents are still feeling the effects.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Crews have shut off the gas, but until the line is fixed some homes won't have any heat.
(+++++++)
[Take Ruptured Line MAP] The rupture occurred at US 221 and Graves Mill Road. That's near Forest, and just a few miles west of Lynchburg City Limits.
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[ANCHOR=Keiht 2-Shot]
[Double Boxes=Keith-Shannon and Justin/Starlink]

Justin McLeod is near the rupture tonight. So what's the latest?
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[SUPER=01-Stephen Reynolds/Burger King Manager; :38]
[SUPER=01-Jack Jones/Bedford Co. Fire and Rescue; :58]
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[OUT Q=set this product off.]
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[DMV]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
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[TAPE#=02-40 TC1:25:30]
[GRAPHIC=DMV Closings]

One Republican lawmaker says he has evidence suggesting that politics played a role in the closing of D-M-V offices.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]

Delegate Bill Janis says he asked the D-M-V for the information they used to identify which offices to close.
He says he was told by a D-M-V worker that not all of the data had been compiled yet.
The lawmaker is questioning why that information was not collected before the decisions were made.
Janis points out that most of the closings were in Republican districts.
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[SOT 12:46:15]
[IN Q=PERHAPS THIS IS AN ATTEMPT]
((DELEGATE BILL JANIS/R- GOOCHLAND CO.: PERHAPS THIS IS AN ATTEMPT ON THE PART OF THE ADMINISTRATION TO REDUCE SOME OF THE RESISTANCE TO INCREASED TAXATION AMONGST REPUBLICAN VOTERS BY MAKING THEM FEEL RATHER ACUTELY THE PAIN OF THESE CLOSINGS AND REDUCTIONS EARLY ON.))
[SUPER=01-Del. Bill Janis/(R) Goochland Co.]
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[OUT Q=AND REDUCTIONS EARLY ON.]
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[VO-NAT]

A D-M-V spokesman denies the suggestion.
He says the agency looked at all 73 customer service centers when making the decisions.
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[King-check]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Fred King]
Salem Commonwealth's Attorney Fred King has donated 600 dollars to the city. He found out from the Commissioner of the Revenue that he would have owed that much- -over and above what he'd already paid the city last Spring- - if the car tax hadn't been partly repealed. So he sent the city treasurer a check today, as his personal protest. King would like to see the General Assembly revisit repeal of the car tax. He's been Commonwealth's Attorney in Salem 25 years, twice receiving Republican endorsement but always running as an Independent.

[L'burg-Police]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=02-34 TC1:56:21]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Lynchburg leaders say they recognize there is a serious problem with the city's police department, and are pledging to do something about it. A survey of department employees showed a massive problem with morale, and distrust of superiors. Today Lynchburg's City Manager announced his plans to work with the department to increase morale and keep its officers on the force.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & Richard/Newsroom ;]
Richard Lesko joins us with more. In the survey, officers said the "good ol' boy" network governed disciplinary actions and promotions,
[LIVE= Richard /FULL Newsroom]
[SUPER=@Richard1;]
but dissatisfaction with pay and health benefits brought out the most negative responses. However most in the ranks said they would tolerate those issues if other major problems could be fixed.
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[SUPER=01-Kimball Payne/Lynchburg City Manager; :00]
[SUPER=10-Col. Charles Bennett/Lynchburg Police Chief/Sept. 23; :44]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg; :57]
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[OUT Q=of the department to do that.]
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((KIMBALL PAYNE/LYNCHBURG CITY MANAGER; I THINK WHAT THE SURVEY INDICATES SOME OF THE ATTITUDES, PRACTICES, AND THE STYLE OF MANAGEMENT AS WELL AS COMMUNICATION.))
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[OUT Q=as well as communication.]
[PRE-PRO ON TAPE] More than half of the officers who responded indicated they were seeking employment outside of the department, and almost a third said the department is not doing enough to protect its citizens. Only about 1 of 8 officers believed that the Command Staff would actually follow through on its promises, and most officers said discipline matters are NOT handled fairly. [END PRE-PRO TAPE] Lynchburg Police Chief Charles Bennett was not available for comment after undergoing a heart procedure, but News 7 spoke with him about the survey in September.
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[INQ=The idea is to ]
((COL. CHARLES BENNETT/LYNCHBURG POLICE CHIEF/SEPT. 23; THE IDEA IS TO IMPROVE CONDITION WORK TOGETHER WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT, AND WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CITY TO MAKE THIS AN ATTRACTIVE PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO STAY.))
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[OUTQ=place where people want to stay.]
Bennett is expected to be back on the job next week at the earliest. In the survey, specific references to Chief Bennett, one Major and three Captains were mostly negative, and the City Manager says everybody needs to work together to find solutions.
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[IN Q=I'm challenging both...]
((KIMBALL PAYNE/LYNCHBURG CITY MANAGER; I'M CHALLENGING BOTH THOSE WHO WERE NAMED AND THOSE WHO WEREN'T, EVERYBODY IN THE ORGANIZATION TO STEP UP AND BE PART OF THE SOLUTION HERE, AND IF PEOPLE ARE NOT WILLING TO DO THAT, THEN THEY NEED TO STEP ASIDE AND LET THOSE OF US WHO WANT TO WORK TOGETHER FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO DO THAT.))
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[OUT Q=the police department to do that.]))
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[LIVE=Richard/FULL]
The city is expected to hire a consultant to see whether these are widespread problems, or specific to Lynchburg.

[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & Richard/Newsroom Pod;]
In the meantime, the city manager is asking officers and supervisors to sit down with him to discuss the problems.

[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
[SS=NONE]

City officials are deciding the fate of a proposed shopping mall in South Roanoke at this hour.
We'll have the latest next on News 7 at Six.
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Plus some local college students will get a clean record... if they can pick up after themselves.
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[Shopping-Center]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=02-44 TC56:34]
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[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-shot]

Many residents want it, but Roanoke's Planning Commission isn't so sure.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-shot]

Some members appear uneasy over a proposed shopping center.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
Painter Properties wants to build an "upscale" center at the corner of Franklin and Wonju, but that would require a change in zoning.
So the planning commission has been meeting for hours today on the rezoning request.
Local residents say the area is in need of a natural food store, which is a prospective tenant for the site. The commission is questioning site plans, saying they are not specific enough to ensure construction will follow the city's comprehensive plan. At last word, the commision was still considering the plan. There is no indication if members will vote today, or delay a decision.
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[College-students]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=02-45 TC24:46]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Two dozen Roanoke College students have agreed to clean up their act ...and their neighborhood.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem]
They signed a plea agreement today promising to pick up the trash along Craig Avenue by eight o'clock the morning after a party. Residents had complained about parties and the trash left behind. 24 students were charged with misdemeanors for their failure to remove trash containers from the curb by seven A-M the day after garbage collection day. Under the deal accepted by a Circuit Court Judge today, the case against the students will be dropped at the end of the Fall semester, NEXT year, IF they stay out of trouble.
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[Housing-Fees]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=02-42 TC1:25:48]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Blacksburg apartment owners and their tenants could be forced to pay up... to help clean up.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]

A new ordinance would allow the town to charge rental owners an annual registration fee of 100-hundred dollars, for each unit in their building.
Officials say the fee would apply mostly to smaller apartment complexes, that DO NOT have on-site management.
The money would go toward the town's rental inspection program, started three years ago to protect tenants...but, some say, may end up hurting them.
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((HEATHER BROWNING/BLACKSBURG SPOKESPERSON: IT WOULD OF COURSE BE UP TO THE PROPERTY OWNERS AS TO HOW THEY WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THAT REGISTRATION FEE. 28:27 IT'LL BE LIKELY THAT A SMALL AMOUNT OF THE FEE WOULD BE PASSED ON TO THE RENTERS OF THEIR PROPERTIES IN ORDER TO COVER THAT COST 28:34))
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[VO-NAT]

Members of the New River Valley Apartment Council have already expressed concern over the ordinance.
A public hearing is set for December Tenth.
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[Stocks]

[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The rally continues on Wall Street thanks to growing optimism about the economy and better-than-expected earnings. [TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
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[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-x/222.42/8845.43/x/48.10/1467.45;]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

The DOW climbed 222 points.
NASDAQ rose 48.
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[Ralph-Stanley]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=02-39 TC1:09:56]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

Ralph Stanley has recorded almost 200 albums during a career that's spanned more than fifty years.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

But the bluegrass legend didn't film his first music video until just this summer, when the "Down from the Mountain" tour came to the Roanoke Civic Center.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & JoeD /Microwave;]

Tonight, Ralph Stanley is back in town playing at the Jefferson Center... and Joe Dashiell spoke with him as he arrived this afternoon.
[LIVE= JoeD /FULL]
[SUPER=@Joe1]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke]

Keith and Shannon ... Ralph Stanley is a native of southwest Virginia, and he's no stranger to the Roanoke Valley... Still one of the busiest bluegrass musicians on tour, he plays hundreds of dates a year... and passes through the area often.
It looks like he'll have a sell out here tonight... and it was a special visit in August.
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(([OPENS WITH NAT SOUND OF VIDEO]
Ralph Stanley's stop at the Roanoke Civic Center came as the "Down from the Mountain" Tour, was coming to a close. Riding the wave of popularity that followed the release of the film "O Brother Where Art Thou"... Stanley and the rest of an all-star lineup played to packed houses across the country.
During their visit here... cameras joined Stanley on stage for his performance of the song, "Girl from the Greenbriar Shore." [NAT SOUND OF VIDEO]
Arriving at the Jefferson Center this afternoon, Stanley said...
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[LIVE= JoeD /FULL]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke;]

There are still a few tickets left for tonight's performance... but it looks like the show will sell out.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & JoeD /Microwave;]

Keith and Shannon, for those who can't make it tonight... the music video of "Girl from the Greenbriar Shore," filmed here in Roanoke, is airing on the cable channel CMT.

[Sports Tease]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Coming up tonight on the Big 7 - Bridgewater football sweeps ODAC honors, we'll check the high school football playoff schedule for tomorrow night.
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[VO-NAT]
and we'll hear what some of the principle players from last night's Tech - WVU game have to say about the finish.
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[S-Tech]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-132 14024tc]
[GRAPHIC=TECH/WVU]

If you saw the end of last night's Tech-West Virginia game - you are probably wondering why in the world didn't quarterback Bryan Randall throw that ill-advised pass to Christiansburg or at least into the upper deck of the south end zone- instead of risk what turned out to be the game ending interception in Tech's 21-to-18 loss. Here's what Randall had to say about the play.
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[SUPER=01-Bryan Randall/Virginia Tech Quarterback; :00]
[SUPER=01-Brian King/Made Game Saving Interception; :23]
[SUPER=01-Avon Cobourne/84 Yards Rushing vs. Tech; :54]
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[OUT Q=...THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED."]
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[vo nat con't]
[SUPER=03-Morgantown, WV; :00]
West Virginia fans got a little carried away and confused last night. After the game they burned couches in a massive bonfire and they tore down the goal posts - but not at Lane Stadium - instead they tore down the ones at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown.
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[S-ODAC]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-126 15534TC]
[GRAPHIC=NCAA FOOTBALL]
The Bridgewater College football team finished the regular season ranked second in the nation. The Eagles also got a first round bye in the NCAA division Three playoffs that open up this weekend.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bridgewater; :00]
Today, the Eagles also cleaned up in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's post season awards. Mike Clark, was selected by his coaching peers in the ODAC as the conference's coach of the year. Clark proved that he could reload this season, taking the leftovers from last year's Stagg Bowl runner-up team and going 10-and-0. One of the big reasons for the success was the play of linebacker Jermaine Taylor, number 99, who is the ODAC player of the year. And one other note - senior safety Brad McCrady out of Northside, has been named to the Verizon all-academic college division team. McCrady is a biology major.
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[S-FFE]

[ANCHOR=MIke]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-133]
[GRAPHIC=FFE]

The playoff continue tomorrow night for a number of Friday Football Extra teams. Here's the regional rundown for tomorrow night.
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[S-Bonnie]

[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-121 TC15851]
[GRAPHIC=Virginia Tech]

The Virginia Tech Lady Hokies open the season tomorrow night at the Cassell against UNC-Greensboro, and News 7 Sports has learned that former Lady Hokie, Reyna Dubose who had parts of all four of her limbs amputated, will be on the sidelines with her teammates.
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[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Bonnie Henrickson/Lady Hokies Head Coach; :00]
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[OUT Q=that's there everyday."]
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