WDBJ 7 news at Noon for 12/27/02

[News-Heads]

(------------)

[VO-NAT]

They say it's only the beginning.
A controversial company claims that it's cloned a baby girl, who was just born yesterday.
Details, straight ahead.
(-----------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

And A-E-P officials are gradually getting the lights back on for Roanoke Valley residents.
About 100 homes are still without power.

[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Brent]
[SS=None]
After a cold start, the mercury is slowly rising. We'll continue to warm up as we head into the weekend. By Sunday, expect highs in the mid 50's. Your hometown forecast coming up.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly 2-Shot]

News 7 at Noon starts right now...

[Video-Open]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 at Noon]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

It sounds like something out of a science- fiction movie...
A chemist in Florida says she's produced the world's first human clone.
(------------)

[Cloning]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 at 11]

Good Afternoon, I'm Kimberly McBroom.
The woman is the head of the group Clonaid, which
believes life on earth was cloned by aliens.
The group announced today that a cloned baby girl was born yesterday to an American woman.
Drew Levinson has the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Hollywood, FL; :00]
[SUPER=01-Brigitte Boisselier/Scientist; :06]
[SUPER=04-2001; :30]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Michael West/Cell Biologist; 1:05]
[SUPER=01-Drew Levinson/CBS News; 1:25]
[RUNS=1:32]
[OUT Q=Levinson, CBS news.]
((---
(LOCATOR: HOLLYWOOD, FL)

BRIGITTE BOISSELIER (bwah-suh-lee-AY') SAYS SHE HAS FULFILLED HER PROMISE.

(SOT: BRIGITTE BOISSELIER/SCIENTIST )

"I am very pleased to announce that the first baby clone is born."
THOUGH SHE OFFERED NO PROOF, THE FRENCH CHEMIST SAYS THE ONE DAY OLD BABY NAMED EVE IS A CLONE OF A 30 YEAR OLD AMERCAN WOMAN WHO DONATED HER DNA.

(SOT )

"The process we have been using is very close to the one described for Dolly Sheep."

(annimation)

SCIENTISTS FIRST CLONED DOLLY BACK IN 1997. AND THEY SAY THE PROCESS TO CLONE A HUMAN IS SIMPLE. THE CONTENTS OF A WOMAN'S EGG ARE REMOVED AND THE DNA OF THE PERSON BEING CLONED IS PUT INSIDE. THE EMBRYO IS THEN IMPLANTED IN A WOMB--AND THE RESULT IS A CLONE. BOISSELIER IS THE HEAD OF GROUP CALLED CLONAID. IT BELIEVES LIFE ON EARTH WAS CREATED BY EXTRATERRESTRIALS AND CLONING LEADS TO ETERNAL LIFE.

(JANUARY 2001)
IN A PREVIOUS INTERVIEW WITH CBS NEWS--DR. MICHAEL WEST--A CELL BIOLOGIST SAID HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE RISKS OF HUMAN CLONING.

(SOT DR. MICHAEL WEST/CELL BIOLOGIST)
"We would fully expect to have 10 of the pregancies fail with a spontaneous abortion for every one successful pregnancy."
CLONAID PROMISES TO PROVE THEIR CREATION TO THE WORLD USING INDEPENDENT EXPERTS. THOUGH BOISSELIER WON'T SAY WHERE THE BABY WAS BORN OR WHERE SHE IS SHE DOES SAY EVE IS HEALTHY AND SHOULD COME HOME IN THREE DAYS. PLUS THE BABY'S GRANDMOTHER THINKS SHE LOOKS JUST LIKE HER MOTHER. DREW LEVINSON, CBS NEWS. ))

[Narrows-robbery]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

A car stolen from a Roanoke woman in a Christmas day carjacking has been found.
Police say a man took the car at gunpoint.
Authorities say it was later used as a getaway car for a robbery of a convenience store in Narrows.
The 1998 Chevrolet Prism was located in Bland County and has been recovered for evidence.

[Traffic-death]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident]

Injuries from a traffic accident yesterday morning have killed an 83-year-old Roanoke man.
Ray Douglas Maddox of Southeast died last night of internal injuries sustained in a crash in Garden City.
Maddox had been driving alone in his 1992 Ford pickup, when it struck a parked truck.
He refused treatment at the scene, but was later taken to the hospital by family members.
This is Roanoke's ninth traffic fatality this year.

[Power-Outage]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=12]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=02-52 TC-59:35]
[GRAPHIC=none]

About 100 homes in the Roanoke Valley are still without power from the Christmas Day winds.
(------------)
[VO-NAT - :22+]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]
The problems began Christmas morning when high winds knocked down trees and power lines. A-E-P is working on 70 different disruptions, and are starting to see outages from other sources. At one point, 55-hundred customers in the Roanoke Valley were without power, but only 6-hundred were without power last night. A-E-P hopes to have power restored to all customers by the early afternoon.
(------------)

[Chechnya-Blast]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Explosion]

A powerful explosion has devastated government headquarters in the capital of Chechnya.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Grozny, Chechnya;]

The Russian government says at least 35 people were killed in the blast, and 60 others were injured.
Russian media say two bombers drove vehicles into the Chechen government compound.
The explosion wrecked the building which was one of a few re- built after Russian troops seized the capital two years ago.
(------------)

[North-Korea]

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

U-N weapons inspectors were expelled from North Korea today.
The inspectors had been monitoring the country's nuclear program, one that appears to be coming back after eight years in hibernation.
Elizabeth Sanchez reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Elizabeth Sanchez/CBS News; :52]
[RUNS=1:02]
[OUT Q=Elizabeth Sanchez, CBS News, Washington.]
((
In a letter from North Korea, U-N inspectors are being told they are no longer welcomed in the communist state. The conflict is over plans to reactivate this nuclear facility, shut down in 1994 in a deal with the U-S.
Experts say this reactor could produce a nuclear weapon within a few months with the help of fuel rods had been moved in. North Korea's state news agency says the United States is rushing towards conflict by demanding that it scrap its nuclear program before dialogue could begin. South Korean leaders met today to discuss the North Korea nuclear issue:
Nat (KOREAN LEADERS)
South Koreas foreign minister says they are searching for a way to peacefully resolve the problem through close international cooperation. But the U.N. inspectors were the last means of monitoring the country's nuclear program, and their expulsion is sure to escalate tension.
STAND-UP: North Korea says it is reactivating the plant to produce electricity to make up for lost fuel oil supplies. But the US doesn't buy it. ))

[Iraq-Money]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=12]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=02-47 TC16:36]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A Seattle judge has set bond for an Iraqi-American accused of violating federal law by channeling millions of dollars to Iraq.
That decision could have implications for a local man also charged in the case.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Malik Al Maliki is the Roanoke resident accused of conspiring to launder money and send it to Iraq.
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Monday;]

Earlier this week, supporters in western Virginia said he was helping them wire money to their families.
He appeared in federal court for a second bond hearing this morning.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[GRAPHIC=none]

On Monday, a U-S magistrate said he would consider Al Maliki's request for bond after the main defendants had their detention hearings.
On Tuesday, a magistrate in Seattle set bond for the alleged ringleader in the case at 100- thousand dollars.
[Tease1] [HARD MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
Still to come on News 7 at Noon, law enforcement officers beef up their patrols for drunk drivers.
(--------------)
[VO-NAT ]
and folks don't have any time to spare to bowl down memory lane at a local landmark.
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[music up full] [comm1]

[11Shopping]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=12]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=02-46 TC1:01:33]
[GRAPHIC=Christmas Shopping]
Shoppers crowded the malls yesterday, returning that no-so-perfect gift, or buying themselves a post-holiday treat.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg]

Many bargain hunters were out in force yesterday to take advantage of the after-Christmas clearance sales.
Others returned the gifts not found on their Christmas lists.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 15:09:11]
[IN Q=I GOT SOME SWEATERS]
[SUPER=01-Rob Masri/Shopper; :00]
[SUPER=01-Marcella Hopkins/Shopper; :11]
[SUPER=01-Raja Masri/Shopper; :19 QUICK!!!]
[RUNS=:22]
[OUT Q=AFTER THE CHRISTMAS YES.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

While many store chains and retail analysts say this shopping season has been disappointing, some area retailers say they are happy with their holiday sales.
(------------)

[11Triangle-Lanes]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=12]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=02-49 TC24:17]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A Christiansburg landmark will close its doors early next month.
Triangle Lanes is feeling the effects of a growing area, and will be replaced by a drug store.
Joe Dashiell has more.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Ren]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg]
[SUPER=01-Ren Hollandsworth/Bowler; :11]
[SUPER=01-Steve Hollandsworth/Bowler; :30]
[SUPER=01-Jean Isani/Bowler; :38]
[SUPER=@Joe2; :44]
[SUPER=01-Bobby Swain/League Secretary; :59]
[RUNS=1:23]
[OUT Q=JD News 7 Christiansburg]

((Ren Hollandsworth has been rolling strikes here for 35 years, but not for long.
Open since 1960, Triangle Lanes will close January 5th to make way for Walgreen's.
[SOT REN HOLLANDSWORTH 37:36]
[IN Q=It's a place to come]
[RUNS= :10]
[OUT Q=over the years.]

Hollandsworth's son Steve, and grandson Seth have grown up at Triangle Lanes, and like many others counting there final frames here, these lanes hold special memories.
[SOT STEVE HOLLANDSWORTH 44:44:23]
[IN Q=We grew up here]
[RUNS= :08]
[OUT Q=most of my life]
[SOT JEAN ISANI]
[IN Q=This is like]
[RUNS= :06]
[OUT Q=some other store.]

Members of the Wednesday night league will move to another bowling alley, but there's no room to spare for the thursday night regulars. [NAT SOUND OF ANNOUNCEMENT 51:41]
[IN Q=Triangle Lanes]
[RUNS= :07]
[OUT Q=having you here.]
[SOT BOBBY SWAIN 29:14]
[IN Q=The people who really understand]
[RUNS= :08]
[OUT Q=make it through the year.]

Since the news broke, grateful patrons have covered one wall with graffiti... At the other end of the building, the salvage work is already under way.
Sixteen of the lanes are bound for another bowling alley... while the others will provide souvenirs of countless frames and fond memories.
Joe Dashiell News 7 Christiansburg))

[11Cutchins]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=12]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=02-48 TC36:27]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A former banker who helped run Virginia Tech and the Explore Park died earlier this week.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg/May 1988]

Clifford Cutchins the Third was 79-years-old.
He was rector of the Board of Visitors at Virginia Tech, his alma mater, and also served as chairman of the Explore Park's board of directors.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[SS=None]

Cutchins was a native of Southampton County.

[11Drunk-Driving]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=12pm]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=02-45 TC1:01:25]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Law enforcement officials will be out in force this holiday season, trying to catch drunk drivers.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-File Tape]

Authorities plan to conduct several sobriety check points to catch drunk drivers.
They hope to reduce the number of alcohol related fatalities in the state.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT1:14]
[IN Q=Last year during the Christmas season]
((DAN JESEE/VIRGINIA STATE POLICE: LAST YEAR DURING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON WE HAD 13 FATALITIES IN THE STATE THEN DURING THE NEW YEAR WE HAD 10. SO WE LOST 10 OF OUR CITIZENS OVER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND))
[SUPER=01-Dan Jessee/Virginia State Police]
[RUNS=13]
[OUT Q=over the holiday weekend]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Authorities say even if you have one drink you should not drive.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT1:50]
[IN Q=When you drink alcohol]
((WHEN YOU DRINK ALCOHOL THE VERY FIRST DRINK AFFECTS YOUR MORAL JUDGMENT. SO EACH DRINK JUST INCREASES THE CHANCES OF NOT MAKING THE RIGHT DECISION))
[RUNS=12]
[OUT Q=the right decision]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Authorities are also asking motorist to help spot drunk drivers.
If you see someone you believe is under the influence dial pound 77 on your cell phone or 9-1-1.
Give a description of the vehicle, a license plate number and the direction the vehicle was headed.
(---------------)

[Tease2] [SOFT MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
Still to come on the newscast, Steve Mason checks in from the Continential Tire Bowl, where U-V-A and West Virginia are revving up for a win.
(-----------------)
[VO-NAT ]
and also, in this California town you CAN beat City Hall by BUYING it, and virtually everything else. We'll explain after the break.
(-----------------)
[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #2]

[Ecstacy]

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

Authorities in Australia probably ruined some holiday party plans.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Sydney, Australia;]

Australian police made their largest- ever seizure of the party drug, Ecstasy.
On Christmas Eve, they discovered three quarters of a million tablets worth 25- million U-S dollars in the back of a van.
Police say three men were arrested, following a four-month investigation.
Ecstasy is a popular drug in Sydney's dance club scene, and demand is expected to rise as party-goers prepare for New Year's Eve celebrations.
(------------)

[Town-Sale]

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

If owning a home is the epitome of the American Dream, imagine what owning a TOWN would be like?
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

For a couple million dollars, you can buy Bridgeville, California.
The entire town is up for sale on E- Bay.
Originally, the owners were expecting a bid of around 750- thousand dollars, but now the final offer could top two million.
Bridgeville includes 10 homes, four cabins, a cemetery, and even a backhoe.
But the current owners say it's the scenery that's the biggest selling point.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=You get a river]
[SUPER=01-Ed Lapple/Bridgeville Co-Owner;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=in the hills]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Lapple calls the town "paradise."
He says he plans to use proceeds from the sale to help out the Bridgeville Community Center, which he runs.
(------------)

[Stocks]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE# none]
[GRAPHIC=stocks]

On Wall Street at Noon,

[super=460-y/67/y/17;]

, the Dow was DOWN 67 points. Nasdaq has fallen 17 points.

(x=up y=down)
[tease3] [SPORTS MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
Coming up in sports, Boston College soars over Toledo.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT ]
and, The Cavs and Mountaineers put the pedal to the metal at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
(---------------)
[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #3]

[S-BOWL]

[ANCHOR=kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-125 15821TC]
[GRAPHIC=TIRE BOWL]

The first annual Continental Tire Bowl kicks off this Saturday at Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

But yesterday the two rivals, Virginia and West Virginia, took a break from practice to go racing. Steve Mason has more from the heart of Winston Cup racing.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=FIRST AUDIO]
[SUPER=@steve1; :00]
[SUPER=03-Concord, NC; :21]
[SUPER=01-Angelo Crowell/UVa Senior Linebacker; 1:06]
[SUPER=01-Al Groh/Kellogg's Passenger; 1:36]
[SUPER=01-Rich Rodriguez/Petty Car Passenger; 1:45]
[SUPER=01-Matt Schaub/UVa Quarterback; 2:00]
[RUNS=2:28]
[OUT Q=...NEWS 7 SPORTS."]
(------------)

[S-Eagles]

[ANCHOR=kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=sp-133 20332TC]
[GRAPHIC=ncaa fb]

The post-season bowl buffet continued last night, with Boston College scoring some points for the Big East in more ways than one.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Detroit, MI/ESPN; :00]
Eagles' head coach Tom O'Brien would watch his team play like it was in another world last night. BC scored touchdowns on its first six possessions against Toledo.
Eagles' quarterback Brian St. Pierre completed 25 of 35 passes for a career high 345 yards and three touchdowns in the 51-to-25 win. O'Brien becomes the first BC coach to win three bowl games in his career.
[SUPER=36-Boston College/51/Toledo/25;]
Toledo, on the other hand, committed four personal fouls and had two players ejected.
(------------)

[Father-Frost]

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

And finally this afternoon,
He's not Old Man Winter, but he's close.
Father Frost has arrived in Moscow to kick off the Russian holiday season.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Moscow, Russia;]

Shoppers flooded into stores to pick up their traditional New Year's gifts.
About 400 people braved freezing weather to welcome Father Frost as he lit a gigantic tree.
Father Frost is the Russian equivalent of Santa Claus.
He traditionally makes his gift- giving journey to children on New Year's.
Meanwhile, surveys show a growing number of Russians, more than 15%, now celebrate Christmas on December 25th. (------------) But most Orthodox Christians observe the holiday on January 7th.