[1-News-Head]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
An act of Congress gives many unemployed Virginians a second chance.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :06]
And, you have the power to choose your power provider.
But where are the options?
(------------)
[Sports-head]
[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Tonight in sports, Bonnie Henrickson loses one of her Lady Hokies, the Express is ready to cool off the Columbia Inferno, and
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Virginia Tech Quarterback Coach Kevin Rogers talks about being right in the middle of this weekend's Vick-Mcnabb matchup in the NFC playoffs.
(------------)
[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]
Getting ready to hunker down for a rather cold weekend. Talking overnight temperatures in the teens a little later.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Shannon 3-Shot]
News 7 at Six is next.
[Video-Open]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=Video Open]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 17:31:10]
[IN Q=we are]
((JOYCE SNEAD/VEC MANAGER; WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON THE PAPERWORK TO GET EVERYTHING SET UP, SET IN MOTION.))
[RUNS=:05]
[OUT Q=SET IN MOTION]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
With a federal extension of unemployment benefits now in place, the push begins in Virginia to reach those who are out of work.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[SS=NEws 7 @ 6]
Good evening, I'm Shannon Young.
Keith is off tonight.
[Unemployment]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=02-45 TC1:22:36]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 @ 6]
Beginning today, unemployed workers who had their extended benefits cut off, can start collecting again.
Congress approved a 5-month extension of the temporary payments and now, Virginia's employment offices are busier than ever.
Business Reporter Rachel Cannon takes a look.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=NATS]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville; :00]
[SUPER=01-April Bishop/Applicant; :05 QUICK!!]
[SUPER=01-Joyce Snead/VEC Manager; :13]
[SUPER=@Rachel1; :39]
[RUNS=1:25]
[OUT Q=RC, News 7, Martinsville.]
((NATS
April Bishop is hopeful and determined to find a job.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 17:45:28]
[IN Q=RIGHT NOW]
((APRIL BISHOP/APPLICANT; RIGHT NOW I'M UNEMPLOYED, I JUST MOVED BACK TO MARTINSVILLE FROM GALAX.))
[OUT Q=Galax]
Like so many other people living in Southside, finding full-time employment is a challenge.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 17:34:55]
[IN Q=we have]
((JOYCE SNEAD/VEC MANAGER; WE HAVE SEEN OVER 3-HUNDRED PEOPLE EVERYDAY THIS WEEK IT JUST CONTINUES TO ESCALATE.))
[OUT Q=ESCALATE.]
A lot of people are signing up for TEUC - Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation.
It provides benefits for unemployed workers whose regular benefits have run out.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 17:32:05]
[IN Q=IN THIS]
((IN THIS AREA YOU KNOW WE'VE BEEN HARD HIT ECONOMICALLY WE'VE LOSS THOUSANDS OF JOBS AND ARE ONLY REPLACING THEM WITH HUNDREDS, 2-HUNDRED JOBS AT A TIME.))
[OUT Q=TIME.]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 17:48:36]
[IN Q=at VEC]
((RACHEL CANNON/RCANNON@WDBJ7.COM; AT V-E-C OFFICES AROUND THE STATE OFFICIALS SAY ABOUT 11-THOUSAND TEUC APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN PUT IN, MANY OF THEM ARE FROM MARTINSVILLE. ))
[OUT Q=MARTINSVILLE.]
NATS
Snead says her office began collecting the applications before Congress approved the extension, in hopes it would go through.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 17:33:43]
[IN Q=so we would]
((JOYCE SNEAD/VEC MANAGER; SO WE WOULD HAVE THE CLIENT READY SO THEY CAN GET PAYMENTS IN A TIMELY MATTER.))
[OUT Q=MATTER.]
Under the extension, Congress made payments retroactive to December 29, the original cutoff date.
Those collecting when the benefits stopped, can begin a claim today.
For brand new TEUC applicants, the eligibility paperwork at this location is expected to be done by Monday.
A bit of good news to April Bishop, one of many looking to get through tough times.
Rachel Cannon, News 7, Martinsville.))
[Sheltered-Workshop]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=02-47 TC1:15:32]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A Lynchburg non-profit agency that employs disabled adults has been cited for a number of safety violations and now faces a hefty state fine.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & Steve/L'Burg Bureau;]
Steve Smallshaw is in our Lynchburg newsroom.. Steve how did the situation come about?
[LIVE=Steve/FULL L'Burg Burea]
[SUPER=@ssm1]
[SUPER=05-Lynchburg]
It started with a complaint received by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry about unsafe conditions at the Lynchburg Sheltered Workshop.
Safety investigators paid a visit there last fall.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=During a month's]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg; :00]
[SUPER=03-Altavista/File Tape; :40]
[RUNS=53]
[OUT Q=more than 25 years.]
(( During a month's worth of inspections, state regulators found a total of 21 violations, ten of them considered serious.
Documents obtained by News7 show the violations include not having emergency wash stations where chemicals were being used, poorly stacked material in the warehouse, forklift drivers not being retrained after they'd been involved in an accident.. and most seriously, workers possibly being exposed to asbestos during the cleaning and removal of floor tile.
Among the non-serious infractions were poorly lit exit signs, failure to perform a workplace hazard assessment, and the poor labeling of hazardous materials.
All told, the violations carry a fine of close to 12-thousand dollars.
The Sheltered Workshop.. like this one in Altavista.. employs mentally and physically disabled adults to perform light manufacturing and assembly jobs.
Lynchburg's workshop has been in operation for more than 25 years. ))
(-------------)
[LIVE=Steve/FULL L'Burg Bureau]
[SUPER=05-Lynchburg;]
Workshop director Dave Taylor could not comment on camera today, but told us he's still reviewing the report and wants to work with OSHA to resolve all the concerns.
Taylor also says the Sheltered Workshop is "a very safe place to work".
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & Steve/L'Burg Bureau]
He has until January 30th to decide whether to settle the case and pay a reduced fine or contest findings and ask for a hearing with state officials.
[Patrick-Fatal]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident]
A Patrick County man died this morning when a tractor trailer flipped onto his pickup truck.
(XXXXXXXX)
[TAKE MAP FULL]
61 year old Norman Reggie Puckett of Ararat was headed westbound on Route 773 when he approached a tractor trailer.
The rig's load shifted as it rounded a curve and rolled onto Puckett's vehicle.
Puckett died at the scene.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[SS=HOLD]
The driver of the tractor trailer, 27-year old Joe Martin of Claudville, was not hurt.
[Police-Chase]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=02-51 TC43:33]
[GRAPHIC=Accident]
The suspect in a Roanoke police chase that ended with an accident yesterday made his first appearance in court this morning.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
42 year old Christopher Powell of Roanoke was arraigned on three counts of attempted capital murder, felony eluding police, and possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute. He is being held at the Roanoke City Jail without bond.
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Yesterday;]
The charges stem from a drug investigation and chase that ended with a wreck at the intersection of 19th Street and Orange Avenue yesterday afternoon.
The man Powell hit, 62 year old Clifton Jones, is in fair condition with internal injuries at Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
News 7 spoke with his wife Hazel this morning, and she says it's a miracle Jones didn't suffer more significant injuries.
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[DirecTV]
[ANCHOR=Shan]
[NEWSCAST=6 p.m.]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=03-03 TC05:13]
[GRAPHIC=Satellite TV]
If you want satellite television but don't want to give up your local programming, you're in luck.
DirecTV says, by this summer, you won't have to choose between the two.
The company plans to add local programming to nearly twenty markets, including Roanoke and Richmond, by the end of June.
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[VO-NAT :06]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
A local dealer for the Dish Network, a competitor of DirecTV, says they're not far behind.
(///// SOT at :06 /////)
[SOT 1:44-2:11]
[IN Q=Dish Network has Roanoke on the list...]
((MATT WHITCOMB/ACS HOME ENTERTAINMENT PRESIDENT: DISH NETWORK HAS ROANOKE ON THE LIST TO BE ADDED BUT TECHNOLOGY HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THAT, BANDWIDTH AVAILABILITY, SATELLITE SPACE IS A FACTOR. JUST WHERE WE ARE ON THE LIST I COULDN'T SPEAK TO THAT AT THIS POINT BUT, I THINK IT'S NOT FAR OFF.))
[SUPER=01-Matt Whitcomb/ACS Home Entertainment President;]
[RUNS=:27]
[OUT Q=I think it's not far off.]
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Shan]
[GRAPHIC=Satellite TV]
Mike Pedelty (PEDAL-tee), a spokesman for local cable provider Cox Communications, says Cox has competed with satellite TV for years, and that cable has always been able to provide superior service.
[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[SS=NONE]
Cops in the New River Valley get some high-powered training in high-tech crime.
More on that when News Seven at Six returns.
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[VO-NAT]
Plus colleges and universities are cutting to make ends meet. Should they be able to cut tenured professors as well?
One Delegate says the state should do away with the lifetime job guarantee.
(----------------)
[XGR]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=02-46 TC1:23:54]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Governor Mark Warner and Republican lawmakers are at odds over the issue of raiding the Virginia Retirement System.
And one lawmaker wants to eliminate tenure at Virginia's colleges and universities.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & Meghan/State Microwave]
Meghan Muldoon has been following these stories in Richmond.
She joins us now from the State Capitol.
We're only a few days into the session
[LIVE=Meghan Full/State microwave]
[SUPER=@meghan1;]
[SUPER=05-Richmond]
but the political sparring has already begun.
Republican lawmakers say the Governor went fishing for political points and got caught in his own net.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=IN HIS STATE OF THE]
[SUPER=03-Richmond; :00]
[SUPER=@MarkWarner; :06]
[SUPER=01-Del. Morgan Griffith/(R) Salem; :23]
[SUPER=01-Del. Frank Hall/(D) Richmond; :42]
[SUPER=01-Sen. Creigh Deeds/(D) Bath Co.; :49]
[SUPER=01-Del. David Albo/(R) Springfield; 1:23]
[SUPER=01-Del. Dave Nutter/(R) Blacksburg; 1:45]
[RUNS=1:51]
[OUT Q=TO COME TO VIRGINIA TO WORK.]
(( In his State of the Commonwealth address Wednesday night, Governor Warner issued a warning to lawmakers.
[SOT 07:51:38]
[IN Q=LET ME BE CLEAR]
((GOVERNOR MARK WARNER: LET ME BE CLEAR, I WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY BUDGET AMENDMENTS THAT RAID THE VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEM.))
[RUNS:08]
[OUT Q=VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEM.]
Now, Republicans say Warner is doing that very thing himself.
Buried in the governor's budget is a provision to cut two-point-nine million dollars from the VRS pension fund.
[SOT 11:30:43]
[IN Q=WE WERE ALWAYS]
[RUNS:13]
[OUT Q=INTERESTING SITUATION.]
But Democrats say the Governor's proposal will have no impact on benefits.
[SOT 10:58:51]
[IN Q=HE REDUCED THEIR ADMINISTRATIVE]
[RUNS:08]
[OUT Q=TO DO WITH PENSIONS.]
[SOT 10:28:03]
[IN Q=HE'S NOT RAIDING]
[RUNS06]
[OUT Q=IT'S JUST POLITICS.]
It's not likely to be the last partisan battle with lawmakers facing reelection AND a 2.1 billion dollar budget gap.
[insert college cover here]The state's budget crisis has meant higher tuitions and the loss of 15-hundred faculty positions at Virginia's colleges and universities.
[insert college cover here]And now one lawmaker is going after tenure.
Delegate David Albo wants to eliminate the practice of granting lifetime job security to professors so that universities have more leeway to cut costs during economic downturns.
[SOT 11:34:23]
[IN Q=I JUST THINK IT WOULD]
[RUNS:11]
[OUT Q=TENURE OR NOT.]
[insert college cover here]But Montgomery County lawmaker Dave Nutter says Virginia Tech and Radford University officials are concerned that the measure will hurt their ability to recruit high-caliber faculty.
[SOT 11:18:40]
[IN Q=IT WILL MAKE IT]
[RUNS:06]
[OUT Q=TO WORK.]))
(--------------)
[LIVE=Meghan Full/State Microwave]
[SUPER=05-Richmond]
Opponents of the bill say it would be unwise for Virginia to eliminate tenure unless it is done away with nationally.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & Meghan/State Microwave]
With higher education already suffering from budget cuts, most lawmakers here say this is not the time to think about taking away another one of their assets.
[Cybercrime]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=02-41 TC1:59:32]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Police in Blacksburg are getting expert advice on how to fight crime--online.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]
Today, a group of officers from Blacksburg and Virginia Tech took part in a cybercrime training workshop, led by world-renowned cybercrime expert, J-A Hitchcock.
The former University of Maryland professor began training others in being safe online, when SHE became a victim of Internet fraud six years ago.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 14:16]
[IN Q=AND BECAUSE OF]
((J.A. HITCHCOCK/AUTHOR & CYBERCRIME EXPERT: AND BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED TO ME, MARYLAND WAS THE FIRST STATE IN THE COUNTRY TO PASS AN EMAIL HARASSMENT LAW. AND SINCE THEN I'VE HELPED GET LAWS PASSED IN OTHER STATES. AND NOW THERE ARE 43 STATES, INCLUDING VA THAT HAVE CYBERSTALKING OR RELATED LAWS 14:29))
[SUPER=01-J. A. Hitchcock/Author & Cybercrime Expert;]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=RELATED LAWS]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Hitchcock is the author of the book Net Crimes and Misdemeanors, in which she offers advice on how to handle anything from junk e-mail to online adoption scams.
(------------)
[Stocks]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Stocks ended the session virtually flat.
[TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-x/8.77/8784.95/x/9.29/1447.75;]
The DOW rose nine points.
NASDAQ also gained nine.
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[VO]
[SUPER=271-i/0.15/46.41/i/1.57/28.43/i/0.74/60.36/i/0.20/71.80/i/0.38/12.02;]
[SUPER=272-i/0.02/6.63/i/0.37/56.47/i/0.12/37.93/i/0.25/25.65/h/0.07/7.06;]
[SUPER=273-i/1.20/41.65//Unchg/16.10/i/0.29/20.51/h/0.02/2.40/i/0.18/41.20;]
[SUPER=274-i/0.20/10.00/i/0.68/58.45/i/0.32/40.14/i/0.44/37.86/i/0.30/51.62;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]
[Energy-Choice]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=02-48 TC55:21]
[GRAPHIC=None]
It's been more than a year since the state gave you the power to choose who provides your power.
But no one has taken advantage of it.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & Justin /Newsroom Pod;]
Justin McLeod joins us from the newsroom to tell us why. Justin?
Shannon, you could say electricity choice has so far produced very little choice.
[LIVE= Justin /FULL NEwsroom Pod]
[SUPER=@Justin1;]
That is because there are no competitors in any markets here in Virginia.
So in essence, you really cannot choose your energy supplier.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Last January, the State Corporation Commission kicked off a mutli-year, mutli-media ad campaign.
Providers like American Electric Power have begun offering retail choice to their customers.
But currently, no competitors exist in the marketplace even though nine companies have shown interest.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 14:35:19]
[IN Q=We've got the parimeters]
((TODD BURNS/AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER: WE'VE GOT THE PARAMETERS IN PLACE AND IF A MARKETER CHOSE TO ENTER THIS AREA AND CONTACT OUR CUSTOMERS AND OFFER ELECTRIC CHOICE, THE INFRACTSURE IS IN PLACE TO DO THAT.))
[SUPER=01-Todd Burns/American Electric Power; :]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=in place to do that]
(-------------)
[LIVE= Justin /FULL Newsroom Pod]
A spokesman for the State Corporation Commission says there are several reasons why there may be no competitors in Virginia.
We'll look into that tonight at 11.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & Justin /Newsroom Pod;]
Shannon, we'll also tell you about one potential competitor here in southwest Virginia that may be an alternative to American Electric Power.
[Sports tease]
[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Coming up, Kevin Rogers offers a unique perspective on the Falcons-Eagles contest, the Express welcomes Perry Florio back tonight, and
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
an MLS Star pays a visit to Roanoke. We'll have details next.
(------------)
[S-Bond]
[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-139 20:17]
[GRAPHIC=Tech]
Tomorrow, Former Tech star Michael Vick faces his hero Donovan McNabb in an NFC playoff battle at the Vet.
[GRAPHIC=Michael Vick]
The Falcons quarterback is linked to the Philadelphia Eagles signal caller by their rocket arms and their roots. Steve Mason explains.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Green Bay, WI/NFC Wild Card; :00]
[SUPER=01-Michael Vick/24 TD's and 3,712 Total Yards This Season; :16 QUICK]
[SUPER=03-Philadelphia, PA/November 17; :32]
[SUPER=01-Donovan McNabb/17 TD Passes, 2,289 Yards Passing; :44]
[SUPER=01-Kevin Rogers/Virginia Tech Quarterback Coach; 1:23]
[SUPER=@Steve1; 1:36]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; 2:11]
[RUNS=2:52]
[OUT Q=....news 7 sports"]
(-----------------)
((Michael Vick defied the odds when he led the Falcons to a 27-7 wild card win over the Packers at Lambeau field, a performance that has earned him a chance to play against his idol Donovan Mcnabb.
((MICHAEL VICK:))
McNabb is coming off an 8 week layoff from a broken right fibula. Saturday, McNabb will try and prove he's 100 percent, while fans are hoping he proves the role model is still better than the next model.
((DONOVAN MCNABB:))
((:))
((STEVE MASON:))
((KEVIN ROGERS:))
While Rogers collects his paycheck in Blacksburg, his heart remains in the city of Brotherly love.
((:))
Rogers is still extremely close to his Syracuse protege and while he never coached Vick, Rogers has watched him and Mcnabb mature from their playing days in the Big East.
((:))
and now that Donovan's teacher is instructing Marcus, big brother couldn't be happier.
((:))
Kickoff Saturday night is set for eight PM. Steve Mason News 7 sports.))
[S-Griesser]
[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-142 TC417]
[GRAPHIC=Tech Hoops]
Virginia Tech Women's Basketball Coach Bonnie Henrickson has lost one of her Lady Hokies. Today, 6 foot freshman Maggie Griesser left the team.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :00]
Griesser shown here making the nice assist is from Springfield, Pennsylvania. She appeared in seven games this season, averaging 2.6 points per contest.
(------------)
[S-Express]
[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-134 TC4039]
[GRAPHIC=Express]
The Roanoke Express is back on the ice tonight in Columbia, South Carolina. The Inferno earned a 7-4 win over the Express on November 29th at the Roundhouse, and the two teams are very similar. However, their arenas couldn't be more different.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Perry Florio/Express Head Coach; :00]
[RUNS=:23]
[OUT Q=visited that city."]
(---------------)
[S-Clinic]
[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-138 ]
[GRAPHIC=Soccer]
Local youth soccer players got a treat this afternoon as Kansas City Wizards goalie Bo Oshoniyi was in town for a clinic.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
Oshoniyi was in the Star City, courtesy of the Rising Star Sports Camp. He won an MLS title with the Wizards in 2000, and this weekend's clinic provides an opportunity to pass along some knowledge not just about soccer, but about life as well.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Bo Oshoniyi/Kansas City Wizards Goalie; :00]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=pay attention and have fun."]
(------------------)
by SS