WDBJ 7 morning news for 01/17/03

[National-Wx]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Winter Weather]

The quick- moving storm is keeping road crews busy across much of the East.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

In North Carolina, authorities report more than 480 accidents throughout 17 counties.
Up to eight inches of snow is expected in the western part of the state.
Much of the South is seeing significant amounts of the white stuff.
Parts of Kentucky and Tennessee could also see around a half-foot.
(------------)

[Iraq]

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

In other news,
Saddam Hussein is vowing to defend his country and defeat his enemies.
In a speech today marking the 12th anniversary of the Gulf War, the Iraqi leader said his army, people, and leadership are "fully mobilized" and ready to fight U-S agression.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Baghdad, Iraq;]

Meanwhile, U-N inspection teams continue searching in Iraq, a day after making their first major discovery.
Yesterday, inspectors found 11 empty and "undeclared" chemical warheads near Baghdad.
Iraqi officials claim they are short- range shells, and were mentioned in their declaration.
(------------)

[11D'Ville-Fire]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]

Authorities are still trying to figure out what started a blaze at Paul's Automotive on Highway 58 in Danville.
The fire broke out around 2 yesterday, causing heavy damage.
Because the business processes automotive chemicals, state and local haz-mat crews were called out.
It's believed that any hazardous materials were kept within the site.

[11Burrow]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=02-51 TC51:18]
[GRAPHIC=Richard Burrow]
No decision has been made on whether former D-Day Memorial President Richard Burrow will be tried again.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg/December 16]
A federal jury in Lynchburg ended up deadlocked, seven to five in favor of acquittal. That night, the U-S Attorney said he'd need a couple of weeks to decide whether to pursue the fraud charges against Burrow. Now, one month later John Brownlee is still not saying. His First Assistant says no decision has been made, yet.
(------------)

[11Route-220]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=02-47 TC1:19:47]
[GRAPHIC=Winter Weather]

Motorists on Route 220 fared THIS snowstorm better than the last one.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./Last Night;]

The snow started falling on 220 just as many people started their commute home.
But V-DOT and public safety officials worked together to prevent a repeat of what happened during the LAST snowstorm.
[SUPER=04-December 4;]

Hundreds of motorists were stranded in Roanoke County for hours without a plow or emergency vehicles in sight.
Roanoke County Police are now coordinating with Franklin County, state police and V-DOT so they ALL can respond when problems arise.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:41:14]
[IN Q=We do now]
((WAYNE HAYNES/ROANOKE CO. POLICE: WE DO NOW HAVE THE ABILITY AFTER MEETING WITH VDOT TO WHERE WE CAN COMMUNICATE ACTUALLY WITH THE INDIVIDUALS OUT IN THE TRUCKS AS OPPOSED TO HAVING TO TRACK THEM DOWN. ))
[SUPER=01-Wayne Haynes/Roanoke Co. Police Department;]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=to track them down.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

V-DOT spread a salt solution from Roanoke to Boones Mill and had trucks in place along 220 before the snow started falling.
(------------)

[11Health-Insurance]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=02-48 TC1:03:52]
[GRAPHIC=None]
In business news, Unionized G-E workers took the picket lines this week over rising health care premiums and they're not the only ones dealing with the issue.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :19]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
Small business owner Bart Wilner says his annual health care premiums for 10-employees add up to 40-thousand dollars.

He says during 20-years of operating Entre (entree) Computer Center, premiums have continued to go up while providing less coverage. Carter Garrett, a benefits consultant, offers a number of explanations why.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 02:04:33]
[IN Q=i think]
((CARTER GARRETT/BENEFITS CONSULTANT; I THINK THE LACK OF EDUCATION TO THE EMPLOYEE ON THE PART OF THE EMPLOYER OF THE CONTENTS OF A CONTRACT AND HOW TO BE A BETTER PURCHASER IS LACKING. WE NEED MORE EDUCATION AS TO WHY THEY'RE GOING UP AND HOW THEY CAN USE TO CUT DOWN COST.))
[SUPER=01-Carter Garrett/Benefits Consultant;]
[RUNS=:19]
[OUT Q=CUT DOWN COST.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@file]
Garrett adds that malpractice costs, lack of government payment and the cost of doing business also play a role. He says it's not unusual for a small business like Entre Computers to see a 22-percent hike each year.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[SS=none]
Now here's a look at your local stocks.
[STOCKS] [COMM]

[Central-Snow]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Winter Weather]

It was a busy night in central Virginia, for motorists, tow truck drivers and local law enforcement.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg/Last Night]

Reports of multi-vehicle accidents involving six, eight.. even fifteen cars began pouring in as motorists found themselves unable to cope with the slippery roadways.
The Route 29 Expressway was shut down in both directions when a tractor trailer jack-knifed in the northbound lanes. Crews were forced to shut down southbound traffic in order to get tow trucks and emergency vehicles to the scene.
(------------)

[11Night-Snow]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Winter Weather]
In the Roanoke and New River Valleys, police were kept busy by a number of accidents.
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
[super=03-Montgomery Co.;]
The snow started in the area around 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon. It soon blanketed the roads, making many roadways slick in spots. VDOT crews were kept busy trying to clear the roads, while state police had their hands full with a high number of accidents.
(//////SOT/////)
[SOT - 2:16:31]
[INQ=Basically...]
((ROBERT ROSS/VIRGINIA STATE POLICE; BASICALLY WE'VE BEEN SWAMPED HERE IN THE ROANOKE VALLEY FROM THE 107 MILE MARKER IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, ON UP TO THE FRINGES OF BOTETOURT, AND OUR CALLS STARTED COMING IN AROUND 6 O'CLOCK, AND CONTINUED TO BUILD.))
[SUPER=01-Robert Ross/Virginia State Police;]
[RUNS=16]
[OUTQ=and continued to build.]
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
VDOT crews primarily focused on plowing the major interstates and highways last night, and say it could be later today until many secondary roads get plowed.
(-------------)

[Affirmative-Action]

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

In other news,
The Bush administration has filed a brief with the Supreme Court,
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington, DC;]

saying university admissions programs that give an edge to minority students are unconstitutional.
The administration is urging the Supreme Court to strike down affirmative action policies at the University of Michigan and its law school.
Three white students are challenging the school after being denied admission.
(------------)

[Cell-Phones]

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

Virginia motorists won't have to hang up the idea of using their cell phone while driving. A bill that would have made it illegal failed to get out of a committee at the General Assembly yesterday. Senate Majority Leader Walter Stosch said a study conducted by the Department of Motor Vehicles showed that only three-point-nine percent of accidents are caused by people talking on cell phones. He says that is NOT a compelling enough number to support the legislation.

[6-DMV]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=02-49 TC52:35]
[GRAPHIC=DMV]

A new audit of Virginia's Department of Motor Vehicles indicates that long lines are not the agency's only problem.
Richmond Bureau Chief Meghan Muldoon has more from the state capitol.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=FIRST THERE WERE THE CLOSINGS]
[SUPER=03-Richmond; :00]
[SUPER=@Reynolds; :12]
[SUPER=01-Del. Morgan Griffith/(R) Salem; :40]
[SUPER=01-Del. Bob Marshall/(R) Manassas; :45]
[SUPER=@MarkWarner; 1:03]
[SUPER=@meghan2;]
[RUNS=1:27]
[OUT Q=MM, News 7 Richmond.]
(( First, there were the closings and the layoffs.
Then came the long lines.
Now the state auditor says D-M-V is poorly managed, has cash-flow problems and is in need of more stringent fiscal controls.
[SOT 12:04:41]
[IN Q=THERE ARE SOME INHERENT]
((SENATOR ROSCOE REYNOLDS: THERE ARE SOME INHERENT PROBLEMS IN D-M-V THAT ARE COMING TO LIGHT.)) [RUNS:04]
[OUT Q=COMING TO LIGHT.]

In light of those problems, the governor has asked Secretary of Transportation Whitt Clement to clean up the agency.

And Warner will start requiring D-M-V officials to submit weekly reports detailing what corrective actions they are taking.
It is just one of the D-M-V issues the governor is dealing with.
For the fourth day in a row, House Republicans have taken to the floor to criticize the governor's D-M-V cuts and the long lines they created.
[SOT 02:41:32]
[IN Q=WHAT WAS GOING ON]
[RUNS:10]
[OUT Q=OTHER OPTIONS.]

[SOT 02:20:57]
[IN Q=BECAUSE YOU MAY BE STANDING THERE]
[RUNS:10]
[OUT Q=STANDING THERE SO LONG.]

Warner says finding a way to fund public education and mental health services would be a better use of the legislature's time.
[SOT 13:28:49]
[IN Q=DMV IS IMPORTANT, YES BUT]
[RUNS:06]
[OUT Q=VAST MAJORITY OF VIRGINIANS.]

Republicans are making D-M-V closings a political issue.
Yet, even Democrats are having a difficult time defending Warner's cuts.
[SOT 12:05:26]
[IN Q=THERE'S NO WAY TO CLOSE]
((SENATOR ROSCOE REYNOLDS: THERE'S NO WAY TO CLOSE A D-M-V OFFICE WITHOUT A LARGE AMOUNT OF SCREAMING BY THOSE AFFECTED BY IT.)) [RUNS:07]
[OUT Q=AFFECTED BY IT.] ))
(--------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[SS=HOLD]

House Republicans say restoring D-M-V services is one of their priorities this session.

(Kimberly tosses to bump)

[bump-chyron]

[comm #3]

[2-National-Wx]

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

It's a snowy and icy commute for many drivers along the East coast this morning.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

In North Carolina, authorities report more than 480 accidents throughout 17 counties.
Up to eight inches of snow is expected in the western part of the state.
Much of the South is seeing significant amounts of the white stuff.
Parts of Kentucky and Tennessee could also see around a half-foot.
(------------)

[2-Iraq]

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

In other news,
As the U-S builds its military presence in the Persian Gulf, anti-war protesters are also mobilizing.
Demonstrations are expected this weekend in a number of U-S cities, including Washington.
Meanwhile, Saddam Hussein says his country is ready to fight U-S aggression.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Baghdad, Iraq;]

Also in Iraq, U-N inspection teams continue their searches a day after making their first major discovery.
Yesterday, inspectors found 11 empty and "undeclared" chemical warheads near Baghdad.
Iraqi officials claim they are short- range shells, and were mentioned in their declaration.
(------------)

[11Harris]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=02-50 TC41:48]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Charges have been dropped against an Elliston woman accused of drugging her baby.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Montgomery Co./August 27;]

Regina Harris was charged with three counts of possession of a controlled substance...in connection with her infant son's death.
Toby Robert Harris was six-days-old when he died last May. At the time the medical examiner's office believed it was a drug overdose.
But, the office has now changed the ruling of Toby's death from a HOMICIDE to undetermined.
Because of this, prosecutors say they will not proceed with the case, at least for now.
(------------)

[2-11Burrow]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=02-51 TC51:18]
[GRAPHIC=Richard Burrow]
One month after the mis-trial of former D-Day Memorial President Richard Burrow, and we still don't know whether he'll be tried again.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg/December 16]
A federal jury in Lynchburg ended up deadlocked, seven to five in favor of acquittal. That night, the U-S Attorney said he'd need a couple of weeks to decide whether to pursue the fraud charges against Burrow. Now, one month later John Brownlee is still not saying. His First Assistant says no decision has been made, yet.
(------------)

[Sweden-Babies]

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

A new study shows that Sweden is especially friendly to new moms.
Researchers with the Mercer Human Resource Consulting firm rank Sweden first in a study of maternity benefits.
The group says Sweden gives moms up to 96 weeks off.
Swedish mothers also get about 80-percent of their salary for over half of that period.
The group notes that the U-S doesn't have a federal law requiring a minimum amount of maternity pay, although moms may get short-term disability or sick leave benefits.