WDBJ 7 news at 11 for 12/15/02

[News-Heads]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]

[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#]
[GRAPHIC=]
Coming up on News 7-
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
Classes are canceled at an area college after a small fire gets out of hand. Former Vice President Al Gore makes it official... No Gore for two-thousand four. Plus, a look at what Governor Warner is doing to get motorists to buckle up.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Teresa]
News 7 is next.

[Video-Open]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jwi]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 at 11]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 8:05:26]
[IN Q=We arrived at approximately]
((WE ARRIVED AT APPROXIMATELY 6:17 THIS EVENING, HAD HEAVY SMOKE THROUGHOUT THE BUILDING AND COMING OUT OF THE BUILDING ON THE EXTERIOR ALSO))
[RUNS=09]
[OUT Q=the exterior also]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Smoke causes thousands of dollars of damage to a Salem college.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 at 11]
Good Evening, I'm Teresa Hamilton.

[NBC-Fire]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=jwi]
[TAPE#=02-45 TC-45:17]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]

Day students at the National College of Business and Technology will have the day off tomorrow.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem;]
Salem and Roanoke City firefighters responded to a trash fire shortly after 6 this evening. Officials say the fire was contained five minutes after they arrived on the scene. The real damage was caused by smoke. The heating system was on when firefighter arrived and carried smoke all over the building.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 13:08:06]
[IN Q=We're mainly concerned]
((FRANK LONGAKER/NATIONAL BUSINESS COLLEGE PRESIDENT: WE'RE MAINLY CONCERNED WITH SMOKE DAMAGE RIGHT NOW AND IF WE CAN GET THAT CLEARED OUT PRETTY PROMPTLY THEN WE HOPE TO BE BACK IN OPERATION AS SOON AS WE CAN.))
[SUPER=01-Frank Longaker/National Business College President;]
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=soon as we can]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Day classes are canceled for tomorrow, but staff are asked to report to work on time. College officials say they'll spend tomorrow cleaning the inside of the building. Fire officials estimate the damage at 25- thousand dollars. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
(------------)

[Al-Gore]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
After sending mixed signals about whether he would run for the White House again, Al Gore gave the final word tonight.
Aleen Sirgany has more on the former Vice President's decision and the reasons behind it.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT came down at 9:30 pm]
[IN Q=It took just ]
[SUPER=04-CBS 60 Minutes; :00 HOLD THROUGH :08]
[SUPER=04-CBS 60 Minutes; :15-32]
[SUPER=04-Saturday Night Live; :47]
[SUPER=@sirgany1; 1:19]
[RUNS=1:31]
[OUT Q=CBS News, Washington.]
(( IT TOOK JUST SECONDS TO END THE SPECULATION.

(NAT SOT GORE - "I will not be a candidate for president in 2004...")

VISIONS OF A POSSIBLE POLITICAL RE-MATCH BETWEEN THE FORMER VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENT BUSH FADED FAST SUNDAY, AS AL GORE BROKE THE UNEXPECTED NEWS.

SOT - AL GORE/FORMER VICE PRESIDENT - "I personally have the energy and
drive and ambition to make another campaign, but I don't think that it's the right thing for me to do."
GORE SAID HE'S NOT THE BEST DEMOCRAT TO CHALLENGE BUSH IN 2004....BECAUSE MEMORIES OF THE BITTER 2000 RACE WOULD ULTIMATELY STEAL THE SPOTLIGHT. ...BUT THE FORMER V-P ADDED, HE BELIEVED HE COULD BEAT BUSH IN A REMATCH.
(nats...gore file)
THE TENNESSEE DEMOCRAT HAD BEEN GRADUALLY RE-ENTERING POLITICS OVER THE PAST YEAR....WITH MORE PUBLIC APPEARANCES...AND EVEN A STINT ON SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE....
MANDATORY COURTESY: SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
(NAT SOT)....ahhhhh....(gore sits at president's desk)

....PLAYING THE ROLE OF COMMANDER IN CHIEF..... GORE NOW ADMITS - 'ACTING' THE PART MAY BE THE CLOSEST HE'LL EVER COME.

SOT - GORE "- "You never actually sat in the president's chair....no, no
I did not."
GORE'S EXIT OPENS THE FIELD TO A NUMBER OF OTHER DEMOCRATS...INCLUDING HIS FORMER RUNNING MATE, JOE LIEBERMAN, WHO SAID HE WOULD NOT RUN IF GORE DID....A SPOKESMAN SAYS HE'LL HAVE MORE TO SAY ON MONDAY.
VERMONT GOVERNOR HOWARD DEAN HAS ALREADY SAID HE WANTS THE JOB, AND MASSACHUSETTS SENATOR JOHN KERRY HAS FORMED AN EXPLORATORY COMMIITTEE.

(STANDUP) ALEEN SIRGANY/REPORTING
AND THE LIST OF OTHER DEMOCRATIC HOPEFULS GOES ON. SENATE LEADER TOM DASCHLE, CONGRESSMAN DICK GEPHARDT AND NORTH CAROLINA SENATOR JOHN EDWARDS ARE ALL CONSIDERING MAKING THE RUN. ALEEN SIRGANY, CBS NEWS, WASHINGTON.))

[Garrison-Lott]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-51 TC-20:54]
[GRAPHIC=Trent Lott]

Senator John Warner is among three Republicans calling on colleagues to meet to decide Trent Lott's future.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The Senator Majority Leader said recently the country would have been better off if the segregationist candidate had taken the White House in 1948.
Senator Lott has repeatedly apologized for his comments some have called racist.
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

One person who knows Lott is former Commonwealth's Attorney Sam Garrison.
The Roanoke attorney worked with Lott during Nixon's impeachment.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 14:29:26]
[IN Q=Over those months]
((SAM GARRISON: OVER THOSE MONTHS I PROBABLY HAD SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK AND I HEARD HIM TALK ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS AND FRANKLY I NEVER HIM UTTER A THING THAT CAME ACROSS TO ME AS RACIST.))
[SUPER=01-Sam Garrison/Former Commonwealth's Attorney]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=me as racist]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Garrison says he can't defend what Lott said but believes the Majority Leader did not mean any harm.
(------------)

[Burrow]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=11 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-41 TC-1:22:48]
[GRAPHIC=Burrow]

The federal fraud case against the former D-Day memorial president could go to the jury as early as tomorrow.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg/Friday]

Richard Burrow is accused of defrauding the state and two banks of millions that he used to help build the D-Day Memorial in Bedford.
Prosecutors say Burrow misrepresented the foundation's financial health when he applied for loans.
Burrow testified Friday that he fully expected donors to make good on millions in outstanding pledges.
Closing arguments are scheduled to begin tomorrow morning.
(------------)

[Judge-Crash]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=02-50 TC-15:51]
[GRAPHIC=Judge Jones]
A Chatham area judge and his mother remain hospitalized following a head on collision Friday afternoon.
(------------)
[VO-NAT 02-40 tc 1:53:39]
Judge George Jones is in guarded but stable condition-- his mother Doris is in critical condition. Jones has served as a General District Judge in Franklin and Pittsylvania counties for the past eight years.
(----------)
[anchor=Teresa]
[ss=Jones]
The accident happened in Cumberland County... when state police say the driver of another vehicle crossed the center line.

[Seat-Belts]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=11PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-49 TC-17:00]
[GRAPHIC=none]

We all know it saves lives, but many still refuse to wear their seatbelt.
Now Governor Warner hopes to change that.
But as Justin McLeod reports changing the law may be easier said than done.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Phillip Copley/Motorist; :09]
[SUPER=@markwarner; :24]
[SUPER=@justin1; :46]
[SUPER=01-Sgt. C.D. Jessee/Virginia State Police; 1:21]
[RUNS=1:41]
[OUT Q=JM, News 7, Roanoke County]
(( Every time he gets behind the wheel, Phillip Copley makes a point to buckle up.
[SOT 30:41]
[IN Q=It's very important]
((PHILLIP COPLEY/MOTORIST: IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR ME TO WEAR MY SAFETY BELT ESPECIALLY AFTER BEING IN THREE AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS.))
[Runs= 05]
[OUT Q=automobile accidents]

But not everyone does what Phil does.
Only about 70-percent of motorists here in Virginia buckle up.
Now Governor Warner is pushing tougher traffic safety laws.
[SOT 19:30]
[IN Q=We're going to propose]
((GOV. MARK WARNER: WE'RE GOING TO PROPOSE A PRIMARY SEAT BELT LAW SO THAT FAILURE TO WEAR A SEAT BELT WILL BECOME A PENALTY JUST LIKE SPEEDING OR ANY OTHER KIND OF THE RULES OF THE ROAD INFRACTION.))
[Runs= 11]
[OUT Q=road infraction]

That penalty would be a twenty five dollar fine.
Currently, police may ticket motorists only if the officer initially pulls the driver over for another traffic violation.
[SOT 50:31]
[IN Q=17 states including]
((JUSTIN McLEOD/REPORTING: SEVENTEEN STATES INCLUDING NORTH CAROLINA HAVE PRIMARY SAFETY BELT LAWS. NOW THIS ISSUE HAS COME UP HERE IN THE PAST IN VIRGINIA BUT IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN DEFEATED. THE LAST TIME WAS IN THE YEAR 2000 WHERE THE LEGISLATION FAILED BY A 50/50 VOTE IN THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES.))
[Runs= 15]
[OUT Q=in the House of Delegates]

Governor Warner plans to push for the seat belt law in the upcoming legislative session which begins January 8th.
Opponents argue the law could lead to an invasion of privacy.
[SOT 31:27]
[IN Q=Eventually you will be]
((PHILLIP COPLEY/MOTORIST: EVENTUALLY YOU WILL BE ABLE TO PULLED OVER FOR EVERYTHING AND THAT'S NOT RIGHT.))
[Runs= 04]
[OUT Q=not right]

But law enforcement supports the measure arguing it could save lives.
[SOT 41:35]
[IN Q=It's very important]
((SGT. C.D. JESSEE/VA STATE POLICE: IT'S VERY IMPORTANT, WE'RE LOSING PEOPLE FOR JUST A SIMPLE THING OF JUST NOT BUCKLING UP THEIR SEAT BELTS AND IF YOU CAN SAVE ONE LIFE BY DOING IT THEN IT'S WORTH THE EFFORT TO DO IT.))
[Runs= 10]
[OUT Q=effort to do it]

The General Assembly will have the final say but it's clear this is not going to be an open and shut case.
Justin McLeod, News 7, Roanoke Co. ))

[220-Snow]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=11 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-44 TC-1:14:26]
[GRAPHIC=none]

A meeting scheduled for tomorrow will focus on a recent traffic nightmare.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./December 4th]

Two weeks ago, dozens of drivers found themselves stuck on Route- 220 south of Roanoke for up to eight hours.
That prompted many angry complaints from motorists who felt police and rescue failed to help.
Tomorrow morning, officials from the Roanoke County Police Department, the Franklin County Sheriff's Department, V-Dot, and the State Police will meet to discuss the issue.
They plan to discuss what happened and figure out a way to ensure it doesn't happen again.
(------------)

[Armstrong-73]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=02-46 TC-43:14]
[GRAPHIC=Interstate 73]
A state legislator says the decision to suspend work on the Route 58 expansion could also affect the future of a proposed interstate.
(------------)
[VO-NAT - :26+]
[SUPER=03-Patrick Co./File Tape;]
Delegate Ward Armstrong says a 272 million dollar shortfall in funding for Route 58 projects revealed last week is likely to put the Interstate 73 project on indefinite hold. Armstrong says he's not sure if the Virginia Department of Transportation will ever commit to the needed planning and development for I-73. The proposed interstate has been on the drawing board for years, and in our area would connect Interstate 81 to the North Carolina border.
(------------)

[Tease1]
[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[WRITER=rle]
[NEWSCAST=11p]
[SS=None]

One sick passenger on a cruiseliner may have caused hundreds of others to contract a stomach virus. That story just ahead on News 7 at 11.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
and four children are dead in the Northeast after slipping through thin ice.
(-------------)

[Sports-preview]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=in sports."]
(------------------)
((Hey, folks. Travis Wells here in the News 7 Sports Office. Coming up later, Tiki Barber leads the Giants to a Texas sized victory over the Cowboys in the Meadowlands. Michael Vick's magic runs out against the Seahawks, and the Redskins drop the regular season finale at the Vet, plus trade action heats up the hot stove league. All that and more in sports.))

[Tobacco-Quota]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
A tobacco buyout could cost the government billions of dollars, according to industry supporters.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-File Tape; ]
Yesterday at his state's annual Farm Bureau convention, Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell said a buyout plan for the country's tobacco farmers could cost taxpayers up to 15-billion dollars. A federal buyout has been the dominant issue for the beleaguered industry. The buyout would pay farmers for surrendering their allotments that state how much tobacco they can grow.
(------------)

[Death-Row]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
A new report reveals there are fewer people on death row. According to the Justice Department-- the number dropped last year for the first time since the Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976. The drop from three-thousand-601 death row inmates in 2000 to three-thousand-581 last year was the first year-to-year decrease in a quarter century. The decline was part of a trend that has seen fewer people sentenced to die in recent years.

[River-Drowning]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
A steady stream of mourners have been visiting the edge of the Merrimack River in Lawrence, Massachusetts. That's where four young boys died yesterday after falling through ice. T-J Winnick has more.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Lawrence, MA; :00]
[SUPER=01-Jacques Fourneir/Witness; :32]
[SUPER=01-Bill Cunningham/Lawrence, MA Firefighter; :56]
[SUPER=01-Ronald Rand/Witness; 1:04 (QUICK)]
[SUPER=01-T.J. Winnick/Reporting; 1:08]
[RUNS=1:24]
[OUT Q=]
[anchor=Teresa]
[ss=none]
That was T-J Winnick reporting. He says several of the rescuers also fell through the ice-- but suffered only minor injuries.

[Cruise-Illness]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Cruise line officials say they think a sick passenger was responsible for a viral outbreak aboard the Carnival Conquest.
(------------)
[VO-NAT 15:40:32]
[SUPER=03-New Orleans, LA;]
More than 200 passengers complained of gastrointestinal symptoms during the cruise that left New Orleans on December eighth and returned today. Carnival says it's working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine the source. But officials say the passenger reported feeling ill two days before the ship left port. The company says it's treating the illness as a Norwalk-like virus -- the same germ that sickened hundreds of passengers on other cruise ships recently.
(------------)

[Tease2]
[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[WRITER=rle]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[SS=None]

Still to come on the newscast, a Bedford County public transportation program is hailed as a success.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
and it wasn't cookies that these girl scouts were singing about today, rather helping others in the holiday season. We'll have that and more when we return.
(----------------)

[Commercial]

[Pipeline]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=02-48 TC-22:18]
[GRAPHIC=none]
A 95 mile natural gas pipeline through Southwest Virginia will most likely seriously alter five trout streams.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Construction on the Patriot Extension is set to begin next year... connecting Wythe County to Rockingham County, North Carolina. Virginia's wildlife department says the company has secured permission to build the pipeline across five trout streams even during the spawning season--
(-----------)
[anchor=Teresa]
[ss=none]
The company will pay for any fish that are killed, plus 100-thousand dollars for the state wildlife agency to use in restoring streams that aren't involved in the pipeline project. But some environmental groups are still angered over the news.

[Sewer-Work]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=11 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-47 TC-30:42]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Traffic is back to normal on a busy Roanoke roadway.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Roanoke Utility Line Services replaced a sewer main today in the 2200 block of Orange Avenue near Gus Nicks Blvd.
One westbound lane was shut down for more than eight hours while the work was completed.
Sewer service to the area was not affected.
(------------)

[Bedford-Ride]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=jwi]
[TAPE#=02-52 TC-51:48]
[GRAPHIC=none]
A Bedford program appears to be on the road to success.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford;]
Last week, the Bedford County Board of Supervisors heard a presentation about how the "Bedford Ride Program" is changing lives. The idea for the program came about a few years ago when a task force determined non-emergency transportation was a major need in Bedford and surrounding areas.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 01:59:38]
[IN Q=As you know we]
((ROGER HENDERSON/BEDFORD COMMUNITY HEALTH FOUNDATION: AS YOU KNOW WE HAVE NO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM HERE AND THERE ARE A TREMENDOUS NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WERE HAVING PROBLEMS ACCESSING THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM DUE TO INABILITY TO GET A RIDE TO AND FROM THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE, TO AND FROM CHEMOTHERAPY, TO AND FROM DIALYSIS, PHYSICAL THERAPY AND MANY OTHER HEALTH DESTINATIONS.))
[SUPER=01-Roger Henderson/Bedford Community Health Foundation;]
[RUNS=17]
[OUT Q=other health destinations]
[VO-NAT]
(------------)
The program got off the ground about a year ago and now serves clients in Bedford City, Bedford County and surrounding areas. Eleven vehicles and more than one- hundred drivers help transport people to medical appointments or to a pharmacy. Henderson says the program is so successful because it involves neighbors helping neighbors.
(------------)

[Girl-Scouts]

[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=11 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-40 TC-1:54:39]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]

The girl scouts brought a big holiday treat to Roanoke today.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 20:30:31]
[IN Q=NAT SOUND OF GROUP SINGING]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=NAT SOUND OF GROUP SINGING NAUGHTY OR NICE]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

The girl scouts held their holiday extravaganza this afternoon in the building that houses the Roanoke Festival of Trees.
125 troops from all over Southwest Virginia helped to decorate the "Celebrating the Spirit of Giving" tree.
The girl scouts have also collected more than 350 bears as part of this year's holiday service project.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 20:31:44]
[IN Q=They get a lot]
((FRANCES JENNINGS/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: THEY GET A LOT OUT OF IT. THEY REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO THIS EVERY YEAR AND THEY HAVE LITERALLY DONATED THOUSANDS OF GIFTS THROUGH THE YEAR FOR THIS PROJECT, 16 YEARS AS A MATTER OF FACT.))
[SUPER=01-Frances Jennings/Executive Director]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=as a matter of fact]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The teddy bears will be donated to four area agencies after Christmas.
The girl scouts chose bears because this is the 100th anniversary of the teddy bear.
(------------)

[S-Extra]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Tonight in sports, the Giants are still in the playoff hunt thanks to Tiki Barber, Michael Vick did his part for the Falcons in a loss, plus early season college hoops. But first in tonight's extra point,
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-MLB; :00]

After 2 days of no movement at all during baseball's winter meetings, the trade winds were blowing today in Nashville. The Phillies sent Jeremy Giambi to the Red Sox in exchange for right handed pitching prospect Josh Hancock. Giambi hit 20 homers last season. And that was 21 fewer than his Yankee brother Jason.
And the Mets have unloaded shortstop Rey Ordonez to the Devil Rays in an effort to reduce their payroll. Ordonez spent seven years in the Big Apple, winning three Gold Gloves. [go to scores]
[SUPER=#556;]
[SUPER=x5022;]
[SUPER=0100-/Carolina/14/j/Pittsburgh/30////Washington/21/j/Philadelphia/34///;]
[SUPER=x5009;]
[SUPER=0100-/Oakland/17/j/Miami/23///j/Jacksonville/29//Cincinnati/15///;]
[SUPER=x5009;]
[SUPER=0100-/San Diego/13/j/Buffalo/20///j/Seattle/30//Atlanta/24///;]
[SUPER=x5009;]
[SUPER=0100-/N.Y. Jets/13/j/Chicago/20///j/Indianapolis/28//Cleveland/23///;]
[SUPER=x5009;]
[SUPER=0100-j/Baltimore/23//Houston/19///j/Minnesota/32//New Orleans/31///;]
[SUPER=x5009;]
[SUPER=0100-j/Tampa Bay/23//Detroit/20////Kansas City/24/j/Denver/31///;]
[SUPER=x5009;]
[SUPER=0100-j/Green Bay/20//San Francisco/14////Dallas/7/j/N.Y. Giants/37///;]
[SUPER=x5009;]
[SUPER=0100-/Arizona/28//St. Louis/27/4//;]
[RUNS=:40]
[OUTCUE=last score."]
(------------------)

[S-Giants]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-127 TC15459]
[GRAPHIC=NFL]

The New York Giants are still very much in the NFC playoff race, and Jim Fassel's team can thank Roanoke's Tiki Barber for that.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-New York, NY/Fox Sports; :00]

This afternoon, the Gints jumped all over the Cowboys from the opening kick.
Barber got the home team on the board with a one yard dive in the first quarter, and things snowballed from there.
The defense got into it as Michael Barrow rocks Chad Hutchinson who coughs up the pigskin. Kenny Holmes picks up the loose ball and then does his best Tiki impersonation. Holmes rumbles 50 yards to the house for another score.
Back to Barber. This time Tiki breaks a tackle at the line of scrimmage and then breaks free to the outside. He goes down the sideline for a 60 yard gain. It was all part of an 81 yard afternoon for the Roanoker.
[SUPER=30-Dallas/7/N.Y. Giants/37/;]

That setup his backfield buddy Ron Dayne for a short touchdown. The Giants scored 21 first quarter points and roll past Dallas 37 to 7, staying in the thick of the wild card race.
(------------)

[S-Falcons]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-132 TC15445]
[GRAPHIC=Falcons]

Michael Vick didn't have near as good a day as Tiki did. In fact, it was one that he probably would just as soon forget.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Atlanta, GA/Fox Sports; :00]

Vick will probably see the Seahawks in his sleep.
Early in the game, his pass over the middle sails on him and it's picked off by the Hawks Ken Lucas. The I-N-T was just Vick's 5th of the season. The lefty was intercepted once more and fumbled leading to a Seattle score.
This wouldn't help things either. Vick falls on on already sore right thumb.
He did recover to throw a 12 yard TD pass to Trevor Gaylor late in the fourth quarter. That sent the game to overtime tied at 24.
In the extra frame, Vick got the Dirty Birds in position, but Jay Feeley missed a potential game winning field goal.

[SUPER=30-Seattle/30/Atlanta/24/;]
The Seahawks took advantage when Shawn Alexander found the endzone from 27 yards out and Seattle pulls the upset 30 to 24.
(------------)

[S-Packers]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-131 TC15012]
[GRAPHIC=none]

[WIPE to ENG!!]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-San Francisco, CA/Fox Sports; :00]

On the left coast, the Packers took another step towards the home field advantage in the playoffs.
Ahman Green rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown.
Brett Favre then got into the act with a 5 yard toss to Donald Driver for a TD. Favre went for 201 yards thru the air and the Pack led the Niners 17 to 6.
[SUPER=30-Green Bay/20/San Francisco/14/;]

Terrell Owens hauled in this 45 yard scoring reception from Jeff Garcia, but then check him out after he bulls into the endzone. He goes over and does a little cheerleading. But it wasn't enough as the Packers slipped past San Fran 20 to 14.
(------------)

[S-Skins]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-125 TC15312]
[GRAPHIC=Redskins]

As if the Redskins season couldn't get any worse, today in Philly it did. Not only did the Skins lose to the Eagles, they probably lost running back Stephen Davis for the final two games of the season.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Philadelphia, PA/Redskins vs. Eagles; :00]

Things went bad for the Skins right from the start. Davis makes a nice run for the first down, but then he coughs up the pigskin and gets slammed to the turf to boot. Davis left the game with a separated shoulder and did not return.

Deuce Staley rushed for 62 yards and touchdown for the Eagles today who led it 17-nothing.
That's when Patrick Ramsey went to work, finding Chris Doering for the 15 yard touchdown cutting the deficit to just 10. Ramsey threw for 213 yards and 3 scores.
A-J Feeley then rolled out and found former Hokie Antonio Freeman in the endzone for a 6 yard scoring
[SUPER=30-Washington/21/Philadelphia/34/;]
hookup. The Eagles went on to beat the Redskins 34 to 21 and claim the NFC East title.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Patrick Ramsey/Redskins Quarterback; :00]
[RUNS=:26]
[OUT Q=everything that we did."]
(---------------)

[S-Hoops]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-135 TC2001]
[GRAPHIC=Basketball]

There was plenty of college hoops this afternoon, including several barn burners.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Tucson, AZ/Fox Sports Net; :00]

We start in Arizona where Lute Olson got 13 points from Jason Gardner including 6 in the final two minutes and the top ranked Cats held off number 8 Texas 73 to 70.
[SUPER=03-Winston-Salem/Comcast Sports Net; :]

In the ACC, Wake Forest held SMU to 33 percent shooting, and Vytas Denelius tallied 12 points and 11 boards as the Demon Deacs pounded the Mustangs 73 to 49.
[SUPER=03-Atlanta, GA/Comcast Sports Net; :]

And we finish up in Atlanta, where Georgia's Jarvis Hayes poured in 29 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 95 to 83 win over the Zags from Gonzaga.
(------------)

[S-Soccer]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-139 TC151]
[GRAPHIC=Soccer]

We wrap things up tonight on the soccer pitch where the NCAA crowned a new national champion today in Dallas.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Dallas, TX/ESPN2; :00]

UCLA battled Stanford for all the marbles and the Bruins Aaron Lopez put in the only goal of the game in the second half lifting UCLA to its fourth national soccer title. The Bruins outlasted their Pac-10 rival
[SUPER=34-UCLA/1/Stanford/0/;]
(------------) Stanford one to nothing.