[National-WX]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

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


The dream of a white Christmas is coming true for states in the southern part of the country.
However, many of these places rarely get snow, which is making a mess of the roads and trouble for holiday travelers.
Melissa McDermott reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Oklahoma City, OK; :00]
[SUPER=03-Roswell, NM; :17]
[SUPER=03-Springfield, MO; :31]
[SUPER=01-Melissa McDermott/Reporting; 1:10]
[RUNS=1:24]
[OUT Q=McDermott, CBS News, New York.]

((
PKG

(NATS)(Oklahoma City, OK)

FOR SOME OF THESE KIDS IN OKLAHOMA CITY IT'S A GIFT THEY'VE NEVER RECEIVED BEFORE. A WHITE CHRISTMAS.

(SOT-MOS)

reporter: " when's the last time you've seen snow." kid: "never" reporter: "what do you think" kid: "it's cool"

(NATS)(Roswell, New Mexico)

THE CITY OF ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO HAS HARDLY ANY SNOWPLOWS TO CLEAR THE ROADS. THAT'S MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR SHOPPERS TO GET THOSE LAST MINUTE GIFTS. THEY'LL GET THEIR CHANCE TODAY.... WARMER TEMPERATURES WILL MELT AWAY THE SNOW.

(NATS)(Springfield, Missouri)

BUT THE SNOW WILL BE AROUND FOR A WHILE IN PLACES LIKE SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI. THE AREA HAS SEEN ABOUT NINE INCHES OF THE WHITE STUFF.....SLOWING DOWN HOLIDAY TRAVELERS AT THE AIRPORT.

(SOT-mos)

"a little bit of snow is good, but this, no"
IT'S ALSO MAKING FOR SOME VERY SLICK ROADS. THE WEATHER IS BEING BLAMED FOR SEVERAL TRAFFIC DEATHS IN OKLAHOMA AND KANSAS. ROAD CREWS ARE TRYING TO STAY ONE STEP AHEAD BY CLEARING AND SALTING THE STREETS. BUT DESPITE THE PROBLEMS ON THE ROAD... FOR MANY THIS IS A HOLIDAY TREAT.

(SOT- mos)

"what a pleasant christmas gift it is, isn't it, best recollection I've got, it's been about 14 years since we've had a good white christmas"
STANDUP: AND DREAMS WILL COME TRUE FOR OTHERS HOPING FOR A WHITE CHRISTMAS. THE STORM IS MOVING NORTH AND EAST WHICH MEANS SNOW TODAY FOR ILLINOIS, INDIANA AND OHIO. THE WEATHER SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO HIT THE ATLANTIC STATES AND NEW ENGLAND ON CHRISTMAS DAY. MELISSA MCDERMOTT, CBS NEWS, NEW YORK.

))[Weapons-Inspectors]


[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Iraq]


U-N weapons inspectors in Iraq are changing their strategy.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Baghdad, Iraq;]


Yesterday, experts questioned scientists connected to Iraq's weapons program for the first time.
Meanwhile, state- run television continues to show scattered pieces of a U-S drone.
An Iraqi jet shot the un- manned plane down in the No- fly zone.
U-S officials are describing it as a "lucky shot."
The plane is presumed to be a total loss.
(------------)


[11Iraq-Money]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=02-41 TC1:43:07]
[GRAPHIC=Malik Almaliki]


Friends of an Iraqi man living in Roanoke say his good deeds are being punished too harshly by the federal government.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]


About 30 people showed up to defend Malik Al Maliki at his detention hearing in federal court.
All say he was helping them wire money to their needy families in Iraq.
The federal government has charged Al Maliki with conspiring to launder money and send it to Iraq.
His friends came offering money, and even their houses, to pay his bond.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 15:02:42]
[IN Q=]

((KHALIL AL SHAIMRI/FRIEND: WE RUN AWAY FROM SADDAM HUSSEIN LOOKING FOR THE FREEDOM, LOOKING FOR THE FREE. AND WE NEVER FORGET OUR FAMILY, WE NEVER FORGET OUR KIDS. SO THIS WHAT HE DID ... HE JUST SENT OUR MONEY TO OUR FAMILY. THAT'S IT. ))
[SOT 15:20:02]

((HUSSEIN AL SAADY/FRIEND: I WORK HARD, I PAY TAXES. I THINK I CAN PAY 100 - 200 DOLLARS A MONTH SO MY FAMILY CAN SURVIVE ON IT.))
[SUPER=01-Khalil Al Shaimri/Friend; :00]
[SUPER=01-Hussein Al Saady/Friend; :11]
[RUNS=:19]
[OUT Q=can survive on it.]
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]


The U-S Magistrate said Al Maliki will have to stay in jail for now.
He'll get another chance to ask for bond on Thursday.
That's after two main defendants charged with the same crime have THEIR detention hearings in Seattle, Washington, later today.
Eventually, Al Maliki will be sent to Seattle to stand trial.

[11Pitts-Murder]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Shooting]


Authorities in Pittsylvania County have a suspect in Sunday's fatal shooting.
They've issued an arrest warrant for a 23-year-old man, believed to be in the Danville area.
(XXXXXXXXXX)

[TAKE PINNACLE]
Samuel Jones, also known as "June Bug" is six feet tall, weighs 160 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes.
Authorities found the car yesterday afternoon, but still no sign of Jones.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[SS=Shooting]


Jones is wanted for the murder of 30-year-old Jonathan Edward Neal of Hurt.
Neal was found shot to death near an old quarry.
The sheriff's department isn't saying what might have led to the shooting.

[6-Poindexter]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=502-01 TC3:04:17]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Investigation]


The suspect in a deadly Roanoke fire has been on the run since May.
Now he's one of the most wanted fugitives in the U-S.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Jermaine Donnell Poindexter is now on the U-S Marshals Service Top 15 Fugitive List.
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/May 5]


The May fire at Hurt Park claimed the lives of Alice Jackson and her two small boys.
Poindexter- -also known as Askia Shabazz- - fled the area shortly afterwards, but Marshal Wayne Pike says he's confident he'll be found.
(------------)



[11Allen]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=02-48 TC33:57]
[GRAPHIC=none]


After being chosen the new Senate Majority Leader, Bill Frist says he'll work to heal the racial divisions caused by Trent Lott's comments.
(------------)
[VO-NAT AT TOP :08]
[SUPER=03-Washington, DC;]

Yesterday's vote was unanimous. Also agreed upon in the GOP camp is that the election is a move toward the future.
(///// SOT AT :08 /////)
[SOT 18:16:14-18:16:26]
[IN Q=And we all feel...]

((SEN. GEORGE ALLEN/(R) VA: AND WE ALL FEEL, ONE HUNDRED PERCENT OF US FEEL BILL FRIST IS THE MAN WHO CAN ARTICULATE AND ACCURATELY PORTRAY THE HEARTS AND MINDS AND ASPIRATIONS OF REPUBLICAN SENATORS.))
[SUPER=01-Sen. George Allen/(R) Virginia;]
[RUNS=:12]
[OUT Q=aspirations of Republican senators.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Frist will take over at the Senate's helm when the body reconvenes next month.

[Marketwatch]


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


In business news, It will be a short trading day on Wall Street.
Ed Crane has that story and more in this morning's Marketwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Ed Crane/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:26]
[OUT Q=I'm EC, CBS Marketwatch, NY.]

((GOOD MORNING, CHRISTMAS EVE MEANS AN ABBREVIATED TRADING SESSION ON WALL STREET TODAY, WITH MARKETS CLOSED ALL DAY TOMORROW IN OBSERVANCE OF CHRISTMAS DAY. IT WAS A TALE OF TWO MARKETS MONDAY, AS BARGAIN SHOPPERS DROVE TECH STOCKS HIGHER, AND RETAIL AND BANKING SELL OFFS SENT THE DOW LOWER.

(GR)

THE DOW, WHICH WAS POSITIVE UNTIL MID DAY CLOSED DOWN 18 POINTS,

(GR)

THE NASDAQ WITH STRENGTH IN CHIP, SOFTWARE AND INTERNET STOCKS GAINED 18.

(OC)

A COUPLE OF FACTORS WEIGHING ON THE DOW, CRUDE OIL IS NOW HVERING AROUND 32 DOLLARS PER BARREL WITH THE LABOR STRIKE BLOCKING OIL EXPORTS OUT OF VENEZUELA FOR A 4TH WEEK.
AND WHILE THE MALLS MIGHT HAVE BEEN JAMMED OVER THE WEEKEND, THERE WAS A LOT MORE BROWSING THAN BUYING.

(GR)

SALES WERE SOFT AND RETAIL STOCKS ARE BEING PUNISHED. AMONG THE LOSERS WAL
MART---TOYS R US AND FEDERATED.



(OC)

THE STRONGEST SEGMENT OF HOLIDAY SALES IS SAID TO BE ELECTRONICS, BUT ONE RETAILER, TWEETER HOME ELCTRONICS HAS PUT OUT AN EARNINGS WARNING DUE TO SOFT SALES AND THATS SENT TWEETER'S STOCK DOWN 33 PERCENT..

(GR)

BOTH YAHOO AND INKTOMI GAINED AFTER YAHOO ANNOUNCED PLANS TO BUY THE INTERNET SEARCH ENGINE FOR 235 MILLION DOLLARS IN CASH.

(OC)

THE CHIPS WERE UP, WITH INTEL, APPLIED MATERIALS AND ADVANCED MICRODEVICES GAINING.
SOFTWARE STOCKS WERE UP WITH ORACLE AND MICROSOFT ATTRACTING SOME NEW MONEY.

(GR)

OTHERS STOCKS TO WATCH, CITIGROUP WAS LOWER AFTER ANNOUNCING IT WILL TAKE A ONE POINT 5 BILLION DOLLAR CHARGE TO SETTLE ALL CLAIMS RELATED TO SALOMON SMITH BARNEY'S CONTROVERSIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANALYSTS AND MORTAGE BANKERS. AND U-S AIRWAYS SAYS IT HAS A PLAN TO CUT CLOSE TO TWO BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR IN EXPENSES, AND COULD EMERGE FROM BANKRUPTCY AS EARLY AS MAY.

(GR)

GET MORE AT CBS DOT MARKETWATCH.COM.

(OC)

I'M ED CRANE CBS MARKETWATCH, NY.))




(tape tosses to stocks)

[STOCKS] [COMM]


[Iran-Crash]


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


Rescue workers have recovered the bodies of 25 victims who died yesterday when their plane crashed in central Iran.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Tehran, Iran;]


Authorities say 46 people were on board the plane.
All are reported dead.
State-run T-V reports the plane was loaded with Ukrainian and Russian aerospace scientists and executives.
One eyewitness said he saw the plane crash into the side of a mountain.
An un-identified Iranian aviation official says the plane lost contact with controllers minutes before attempting to land at an airport about 250 miles south of Tehran.
(------------)


[11Unemployment]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=02-44 TC1:35:04]
[GRAPHIC=None]


Unemployed workers are wishing for an extension this Christmas.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :17.5]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville;]

Regular unemployment benefits are scheduled to run out just days after Christmas. A payment extension for people who have not found work can only be put in place by Congress. Officials at the Virginia Employment Commission in Martinsville say thousands in Southside are affected.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 21:56:13]
[IN Q=with the]

((BARBARA REDD/VA EMPLOYMENT COMMISSION; WITH THE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS BEING AS THEY ARE IT'S BEEN RELATIVELY DIFFICULT FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE TO COME UP WITH EMPLOYMENT SUITABLE EMPLOYMENT IN 26 WEEKS TIME.))
[SUPER=01-Barbara Redd/VA Employment Commission;]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=WEEKS TIME]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Redd says they are hopeful an extension will be put in place before the December 28th cut off. V-E-C offices around the state are still taking applications for the extensions in case Congress decides to implement them.
(------------)



[6-Pulaski-Fund]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=02-47 TC16:35]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[****ANCHOR TAG****]
His life was cut short a week ago following a car accident.
Now, the family of a Pulaski County High School student is hoping to keep his memory alive through others.
New River Valley Bureau Chief Myranda Stephens has more.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=he was a quiet]
[SUPER=03-Dublin; :00]
[SUPER=01-Jeff Levy/Track Coach; :20]
[SUPER=@Myranda2; 1:09]
[RUNS=1:22]
[OUT Q=News 7, Dublin]
(([SOT 15:25]

[RUNS :05] ((HE WAS A QUIET GUY, HAD A REAL DRY SENSE OF HUMOR. HE WAS FUNNY 15:30)) Michael Casseri was a junior at Pulaski County High School, who excelled both IN and OUT of the classroom. He ranked eighteenth in his class and last year, won first place in a district championship meet for track and field.
[SOT 10:31]

[RUNS :07] ((HIS FATHER HAD GOTTEN HIM A NEW DISCUS WHICH WAS AN 80-PERCENT RIM DISCUS. HE WAS REALLY THROWING IT WELL AND WE HAD A LOT TO LOOK FORWARD TO THIS YEAR I BELIEVE 10:38)) But, those aspirations came to an end on the night of December 13th. While driving to visit his girlfriend, Michael ran off the road and struck a tree. The news of his death took a toll on both his classmates and the entire community.
[SOT 11:48]

[RUNS :10] (( HIS MOM WAS A TEACHER HERE, HIS DAD WAS A TEACHER AND A COACH HERE SO IT REALLY IMPACTED THIS COMMUNITY VERY TRAUMATICALLY 11:58)) But, Michael's memory will now live on through a scholarship fund set up by his parents. Already it's gotten overwhelming support.
[SOT 12:31]

[RUNS :11] ((WITHIN THE FIRST THREE OR FOUR DAYS OF DECIDING THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN THEY HAD ALREADY COLLECTED ALMOST TWO-THOUSAND DOLLARS AND RIGHT NOW THE FUNDS STANDS AT JUST ABOUT THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS 12:42)) Micheal's parents plan to hand out the scholarship in 2004, the year Michael would have been a senior. A way of remembering his spirit, while helping out those just like him. Myranda Stephens, News 7, Dublin.))
(XXXXXXXX)

[WIPE TO FULL SCREEN BOARD]
[ANCHOR=Kim]


The Michael (KUH-sehr-ee) Casseri Scholarship will be awarded to a track and field athlete, who demonstrates leadership and is at the top ten-percent of his or her class.
Donations to the fund can be made care of Coach Levy at Pulaski County High School.
5414 Cougar Trail Road in Dublin. The zip code is 24084.
(-------------)
(Kimberly tosses to bump)


[bump-chyron]

[comm #3]



[11Roanoke-Chase]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=02-52 TC55:30]
[GRAPHIC=None]


A police foot pursuit slowed traffic on Route 220 in Roanoke.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]


Dispatchers say they got a call about a man running in and out of traffic near the Elm Avenue Exit.
Officers responded around eight o-clock last night and took a California man into custody.
One officer hurt his knee and was taken to the hospital.
The suspect wasn't hurt but he was also taken to Roanoke Memorial Hospital for a mental evaluation.
No charges have been filed. (------------)
by SS