WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 01/03/03

[1-News-Head]

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[V/O-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
Could this have been the unwitting work of the homeless?
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[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
And the fight is not over, despite approval of A-E-P's high voltage line through the National Forest.

[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Tonight on News 7 Sports - the Rodeo is town this weekend. The Roanoke Civic Center staff members will be quick change artists tomorrow.
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[VO-NAT]
And Lefty Driesell calls it quits after 41 years as a college head coach.
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[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]

We expect some clearing tonight but northwest winds keep the chill on as we head into Saturday. Weekend details just ahead. [Video-Open]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=Video Open]
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[SOT 2:22:55]
[IN Q=We had an]
((WE HAD AN ABANDONED BUILDING THAT WAS FAIRLY WELL INVOLVED WHEN OUR UNITS GOT ON THE SCENE AND WENT TO A SECOND ALARM FIRE.))
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=2nd alarm fire.]
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
Fire in an Evans Paint Company warehouse.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
The building serves as an unofficial homeless shelter.
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[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

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

And I'm Shannon Young.

[Evans-Paint]

[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=02-52 TC-1:08:00]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Police say the building along the railroad tracks on Cleveland Avenue is a common hang out for homeless people.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-shot]
Investigators theorize it was someone cooking inside the warehouse or just trying to stay warm who may have accidentally started the 100-thousand dollar blaze.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=The first call]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Last Night; :00]
[SUPER=04-Today; :14]
[SUPER=01-Jim Grigsby/Fire Chief; :36]
[SUPER=04-May, 2000; :46]
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[OUT Q=they got the fire out.]
(The first call came in around 10:20. It quickly went to a second alarm. Though the official Fire Department News Release indicated there was no one inside "at the time of the fire," city POLICE believe the building has been a virtual rooming house to the homeless. Evidence of transient residents litters the floor along side carefully- covered paint- sample displays. Arson investigators have not begun THEIR work. But it's apparent the fire started in the corner of the building that served as office space. Homeless people had staked out individual rooms in that area as bedrooms.
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[SOT 2:23:10]
[IN Q=You know, without]
((JIM GRIGSBY/FIRE CHIEF: YOU KNOW, WITHOUT JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS, WE HAVE AN ABANDONED BUILDING AND ALL UTILITIES SHUT OFF, NO SOURCE OF ELECTRIC OR POWER TO THAT, YOU HAVE TO ASSUME THE WORST CASE.))
[RUNS= 10]
[OUT Q=the worst case.]
The E-P-A cleaned out the abandoned warehouse almost three years ago, removing drums of hazardous materials. Amid the heat of the fire last night, firefighters were not sure all the old paint and poison had been safely removed, so they avoided going inside until they got the fire out.)

[Fire-Promotions]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=02-53 TC-7:23]
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Dozens of Roanoke City's firefighters are moving up the career ladder.
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[VO-NAT :11]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
Chief Grigsby today promoted 35 officers ranging in rank from lieutenant to Deputy Chief. He says the promotional process may be the largest the department's ever seen.
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[SOT 2:19:47-2:20:11]
[IN Q=Well, it's the biggest one we're aware of...]
[SUPER=01-Jim Grigsby/Roanoke Fire-EMS Chief;]
((CHIEF JIM GRIGSBY/ROANOKE FIRE-EMS: WELL, IT'S THE BIGGEST ONE WE'RE AWARE OF. WE'RE SAYING TEN YEARS BUT IT'S PROBABLY THE BIGGEST IN THE HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT. WE HAVE 35 PROMOTIONS. WHAT HAPPENS IS, WHEN YOU HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL LIKE DEPUTY CHIEF SIMMONS WHO JUST RETIRED YOU FILL HIS POSITION, THEN YOU HAVE FOUR OTHER PROMOTIONS 'CAUSE OF THAT.
THERE'S A DOMINO EFFECT THROUGH THE RANKS SO THAT'S WHY WE HAD SO MANY TODAY.))
[RUNS=:24]
[OUT Q=had so many today.]
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[VO-NAT :20]
Chief Grigsby's new Deputy Chief is David Hoback. The department also marked a couple of milestones with the promotion of Nicole Wade, the first minority female to make Lieutenant, and Marci Stone, the first female in Roanoke ever to make First Lieutenant. The department hired its first woman in 1995. Since then, four women have earned an officer's rank.
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[Power-line]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=02-44 TC-1:56:29]
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The longest running powerline fight in the U-S is going another round. Today opponents say they will appeal the latest decision by the U-S Forest Service approving the project.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon/Rachel NEWSROOM POD;]
Business Reporter Rachel Cannon joins us now with more, Rachel? Shannon, American Electric Power wants to build a powerline that would start in West Virginia and stretch through three Virginia counties.
[LIVE=Rachel/FULL]
[SUPER=@Rachel1;]
They have been seeking to build the 90-mile transmission line for more than 10 years. But opposition from residents and environmental groups has made for a long fight.
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[VO-NAT :21]
[SUPER=03-Bland Co.;]
The latest appeal will be filed with the regional forester in Atlanta.
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
A Sierra Club Spokesman say the says the forest service did NOT give opponents enough chances to present their case. The appeal must be filed within 45-days. If accepted, changes could be made and resubmitted. If the appeal is denied, the next step is federal court.
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[SOT 00:16:35]
[IN Q=we're prepared]
((DAVE MUHLY/SIERRA CLUB; WE'RE PREPARED TO GO TO COURT IF WE NEED TO CERTAINLY WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS END AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THE REGIONAL FORESTER RULE IN FAVOR OF OUR APPEAL BUT WE CERTAINLY ARE READY TO TAKE IT FURTHER THAN THAT IF NEEDS BE.))
[SUPER=01-Dave Muhly/Sierra Club;]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=IF NEEDS BE.]
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[VO-NAT]
Muhly says grounds for appeal include procedures from the national environmental act not being followed. He is not sure when exactly it will be filed.
With the approval from the Forest Service, A-E-P says it hopes to start construction on the 287-million dollar project later this year.
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[LIVE=Rachel/FULL]
They say it will generate nearly 600-thousand dollars a year in property tax revenue for the three counties it will pass through.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon/Rachel POD;]
Shannon, opponents say the line is simply not needed and that they will continue to fight it.

[County-Fatal]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
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[WRITER=rle]
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[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident]
A woman was killed in a traffic accident in Roanoke County this morning. Authorities say 54 year old Joann Burton was on Pleasant Hill Drive turning left onto Brambleton Avenue when her car was struck by a Lexus S-U-V. Burton died a short time later. Authorities say both drivers were wearing seatbelts. No charges have been filed pending further investigation.

[Bedford-Fatal]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
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[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident]

One person was killed, another seriously injured in a single-car crash in Bedford County this afternoon.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co.]

The wreck happened on Route 122 just south of Big Island around three.
State police say the car was headed north on 122 when it apparently ran off the side of the road, hit a rock and flipped over, pinning the driver and a passenger inside.
Rescue crews spent twenty minutes getting the victims out of the car.
One was pronounced dead at the scene, the other was flown to Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
No other details have been released.
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[ABC-Cutbacks]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-46 TC-1:10:05]
[GRAPHIC=Budget Cuts]

You'll have one less hour to buy liquor at A-B-C stores across the state.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg]

The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control says its stores will now open at 11 in the morning rather than ten.
The move is to help the state save money and close a nearly two billion dollar budget shortfall.
The change will save about 175-thousand dollars this fiscal year and about 325-thousand dollars next year.
A-B-C officials pushed for the later opening rather than cut a day of operations from six a week to five.
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[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
[SS=NONE]
Still ahead on the newscast, employers in Lynchburg hope a new facility will produce the highly-trained workforce they need.
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

and this isn't the scene of a winter wonderland, or even discarded holiday decorations. Drivers on Interstate 581 get a strange sight after soap bubbles up on the side of the road.
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[CVCC-Building]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=02-54 TC-5:16]
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It started with a survey three years ago, in which Lynchburg-area employers said their biggest problem was finding properly trained applicants for their workforce.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

The result is this: a 35-thousand square foot manufacturing technology center to be built on the grounds of Central Virginia Community College.
The facility will contain millions in new equipment to train students in various fields like electronics, machine tools and engineering.
The training center is the first of its kind in the area.
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[SOT 8:41:57//8:30:24]
[IN Q=There was a]
((DARREL STAAT/CVCC PRESIDENT: THERE WAS A REAL NEED FOR SKILLED PEOPLE, THAT A LOT OF THE BUSINESSES WERE DOING THEIR OWN TRAINING, OR BRINGING IN CONSULTANTS OR SENDING PEOPLE OUT OF STATE. IT WAS AMAZING WHAT WE TURNED UP . AND IT'S BECAUSE THIS SCHOOL JUST REALLY WASN'T REALLY FILLING THE VOID THAT WAS THERE.)) ((SEN. CHARLES HAWKINS/R-CHATHAM: IF WE PLAN TO BE PLAYERS IN THIS CENTURY WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN. THE ABILITY TO TRAIN A WORKFORCE WITH TODAY'S TECHNOLOGY IS NOT A LUXURY, IT'S AN ABSOLUTE NECESSITY.))
[SUPER=01-Darrel Staat/CVCC President; :00]
[SUPER=01-Sen. Charles Hawkins/(R) Chatham; :19]
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[OUT Q=an absolute necessity.]
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[VO-NAT]

Parts of two existing buildings are also being renovated to house additional training laboratories.
Construction should be finished by spring of next year.
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[Richmond-Statue]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mmu]
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The controversy over placing a statue of Abraham Lincoln in the former capital of the Confederacy may soon involve the state's Attorney General.
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[TAKE STATUE PLANS FS #]

A state lawmaker has requested an opinion from Attorney General Jerry Kilgore about the proposed statue for Richmond.
The U-S Historical Society commissioned the statue of the former President and his son, Tad, to mark the 138th anniversary of Lincoln's only visit to Richmond.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[GRAPHIC=none]

The idea has prompted criticism from the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Still, U-S Historical Society officials say the statue is a "done deal."

[Floyd-Fest]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6 p.m.]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=02-48 TC-44:41]
[GRAPHIC=none]

The organizers of the first ever Floyd World Music Festival are planning an encore presentation.
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[VO-NAT :21]
[SUPER=03-Floyd/September 29;]
The three day fall festival included workshops, an artists village, and a children's area along with hundreds of local and regional musicians and headliners. Organizers say this year's event will offer the same but with more workshops and late night music on the showcase stage, an expanded African Village and a repeat performance by the Kusun Ensemble.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Dozens of groups have already committed to performing at Floyd Fest 2003 to be held in mid-August. They include The David Grisman Quintet, The Hackensaw Boys, Donna the Buffalo, John Brown's Body, and Speech from Arrested Development.
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[TAKE WDBJ7.COM FS 4472ESSC] For more information check out Floyd Fest's webpage. You can find a link on our webpage at wdbj7 dot com.
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[United-Way]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=none]
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Despite tough economic times, the United Way of Henry County and Martinsville is calling its latest fund drive a success. The United Way met its 900- thousand dollar goal for the 2002-2003 campaign. Before closing its manufacturing operations in 2002, V-F Imagewear pledged 50-thousand dollars for each of the next five years to the United Way. The charity helps fund 23 human service agencies in Martinsville and Henry County, including the Salvation Army, Red Cross and all six volunteer rescue squads.

[581-Suds]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=02-45 TC-1:10:32]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Some drivers on Interstate-581 had the view of a big outdoor bubble bath today.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
Officials say a U-P-S package holding a five-gallon jug of liquid soap caused the mess. The box was dropped, soap leaked into a drain and thanks to today's wet weather, foam and suds came out on the side of the highway. The Department of Environmental Quality sent officials to the site. They declared the substance to be soap and not hazardous.
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[Sports Tease]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Coming up tonight on News 7 sports - the Left Hander steps aside. The Rodeo is in town
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[VO-NAT]
and Steve Mason checks in from the Roanoke Civic Center where the Dazzle and the Express hope to pull off a rare doubleheader tomorrow.
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[S-Lefty]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-135 3240tc]
[GRAPHIC=HOOPS]

We begin tonight with news from the hardwood. Lefty Driesell, one of the most colorful and successful coaches
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Harrisonburg/1990; :00]

in the history of college basketball is retiring after 41 years on the job. The 71 year old Driesell announced his retirement today as head coach of Georgia State - effective immediately. Lefty is the fifth winningest coach in NCAA history. He is the only man to post 100 or more wins at four different schools - Davidson, Maryland, JMU, and Georgia State. Assistant Michael Perry will take over the Georgia State program on an interim basis.
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[S-Change]

[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-140 20:37]
[GRAPHIC=Dazzle]

The Roanoke Dazzle is 7 and 11 so far this season and has won five in the month of December. Steve Mason says Roanoke's NBDL team and others are working hard for the people of the Star city.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=first audio]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=01-Cory Alexander/Dazzle Point Guard; :11]
[SUPER=@Steve1; :21]
[SUPER=01-Chris Zara/Roanoke Civic Center Operations; :40]
[SUPER=01-Kent Davison/Dazzle Head Coach;(QUICK!!!!!) 1:27]
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[OUT Q=....News 7 sports"]
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((A 5 and 4 December was not exactly what the Dazzle wanted for Christmas, but it is a start and the players say the team is improving each game and each week. ((:)) ((STEVE MASON:)) ((CHRIS ZARA/ROANOKE CIVIC CENTER OPERATIONS:))
The civic center crew has just over three hours to remove the 110 by 60 foot basketball. Some sections of the hockey class are still intact and the remainder of the glass must be installed and the hockey team benches must be put in as well. The quick change requires more work and more bodies. ((:)) The Dazzle is playing team ball off the court, allowing the civic center to keep the intricate safety net intact. ((:))
The Dazzle will play the altitude with a new team president. The NBDL told news 7 sports Friday that Joe Preseren has been replaced by Dennis Robarge, who has been Roanoke's marketing and community relations director siting that the league needed to go in another direction. In Roanoke Steve Mason news 7 sports.))

[S-Express]

[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-137 20:33]
[GRAPHIC=BAM]

After a couple of days off, the Roanoke Express will be back on the ice tonight at Trenton. And you can bet that one of the team's new year's resolutions will be to improve its consistency.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Perry Florio/Express Head Coach; :00]
[RUNS=:22]
[OUT Q=...intelligence every night" (2x)]
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[S-Rodeo]

[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-139 TC1546]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 Sports]

Nearly 300 cowboys and cowgirls have converged on Salem this weekend for the Valleydale
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem; :00]

World Championship Rodeo. More than 25 thousand dollars in prize money will be up for grabs. This afternoon the arena floor was transformed into a rodeo ring for the event which gets underway tonight and runs thru Sunday.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Lenore Rowe/Rodeo Promoter; :03]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=see a great show."]
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[VO-NAT]

Although the event will be indoors, the cowboys went thru some last minute preparations this afternoon to account for the cold temperatures outside.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Scott Mitchell/Cowboy from Texas; :04]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=get your hand jerked out."]
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[S-BCS]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=BCS]

College football's National Champion will be crowned tonight as number one ranked Miami takes on fellow unbeaten Ohio State. The defending the national champs are riding a 34 game winning streak and are heavily favored. Six of their 13 wins came by 7 points or less. If the game is close give the edge to the Buckeyes.