WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 02/25/03

[1-News-Head]

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[VO-NAT :06]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
A pre-dawn wreck on Interstate 81 takes one man's life and makes for weeks of cleanup work.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
And our Middle East expert, Colonel Dale Davis of V-M-I- -is standing by to talk with us by Satellite LIVE from Kuwait.

[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Tonight on News 7 sports - the weather is playing havoc with tonight's regional basketball and volleyball. We'll check in with the VMI basketball team.
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[VO-NAT]
and the Express's rookie goalie is back from Norfolk in time for tomorrow night's game with Trenton.
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[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]

Winter continues with light snow and freezing drizzle but Thursday will bring a bigger storm. Details ahead.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon 4-Shot]

News 7 is next.
[Video-Open]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=Video Open]

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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

An early-morning accident on Interstate 81 kills a Hardy man and sends a state trooper to the hospital.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Now, HAZMAT teams work to contain the damage to a nearby creek.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

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

And I'm Keith Humphry.
[Truck-Accident]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=03-03 TC54:41]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

The driver of a tanker truck died this morning after striking a state police car on the side of the road.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-SHot]

It happened just before 4, a few miles south of Buchanan.
[ANCHOR=Shannon ]
[SS=81 Deadly accident]

The wreck shut down a 5-mile stretch of interstate for nearly 6 hours... and caused a big mess in a nearby creek.

Marya Jones has more.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=51-year-old]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Sgt. Bob Ross/State Police; :08]
[SUPER=01-Lt. David Crotty/Troutville Firefighter; 1:06]
[SUPER=@Marya1; 1:18]
[RUNS=1:30]
[OUT Q=MJN7, Botetourt Co.]
(( 51-year-old Thomas Bradley Hurt of Hardy died after his tanker truck struck a state police car and overturned.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 3:21:53]
((SGT. BOB ROSS/VA. STATE POLICE: IT APPEARS THAT THE TRUCK DRIVER SAW THE OFFICER ON THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO MOVE OVER INTO THE LEFT LANE... WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO CORRECT AND MOVE TO THE RIGHT, THAT'S WHEN HE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. )) [RUNS:17]
Trooper Angel Graham had just pulled a van from Ohio over on the side of the road.
She was sitting in her police car when the truck hit her.
Sgt. Ross says she appears to have only minor injuries.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 3:22:37]
((BOB ROSS: WHEN I SAW HER, SHE WAS ANSWERING QUESTIONS, SHE RECOGNIZED PEOPLE. I THINK THE PROGNOSIS FOR A RECOVERY IS GOOD. )) [RUNS:15]
The van was also crushed -- but its passengers were treated for minor injuries and released.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
((NATS: CLEANUP.)) [RUNS:02]
But the clean up is far from over.
HAZMAT teams and a private contractor dammed nearby Mill Creek, trying to stop 75-hundred gallons of spilled diesel fuel from going even farther downstream.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:43:44]
((LT. DAVID CROTTY/TROUTVILLE FIREFIGHTER: WITH THE EXTRA WATER THE CREEK HAS IN IT FROM ALL THE RAIN AND SNOW, IT'S DEFINITELY ADDED TO THE CHALLENGE. THE DIESEL FUEL DEFINITELY GOT HERE FASTER THAN WE THOUGHT IT WOULD.)) [RUNS:11]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 3:19:31]
((MARYA JONES/NEWS-7: BECAUSE THE CREEK WATERS WERE TRAVELING SO FAST, THE DIESEL FUEL TRAVELED NEARLY TWO MILES FROM THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT. CONTRACTORS CLEANING IT UP SAY IT WILL TAKE NEARLY TWO WEEKS TO FINISH THE JOB. MJN7, BOTETOURT COUNTY. )) [RUNS:12]))

[Plantation-Accident]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=03-10 TC03:32]
[GRAPHIC=Accident]
Police say charges are pending against a driver who allegedly ran a red light and sent four people to the hospital.

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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]
The accident happened around four P-M at the intersection of Plantation and Hollins Road. Roanoke County police say the driver of a white Plymouth ran a red light and struck a Hyundai carrying two adults and two children. The four were taken to the hospital... their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
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[WIPE WIPE WIPE]

[Henry-Accident]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mpu]
[TAPE#=03-05 TC17:56]
[GRAPHIC=]

[WIPE WIPE WIPE]

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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Henry Co.]

An overturned tractor trailer spilled 48-thousand pounds of particle board onto Route 220 in Henry County this morning.
Troopers say the driver from Pennsylvania was treated for minor injuries and released.
He was charged with failure to maintain control.
Crews finished cleaning up around four o'clock this afternoon. Route 220 is now fully open to traffic.
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[Monty-Fatal]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=fatal Accident]

An accident this morning in Christiansburg killed a man and left his wife in serious condition. Carl and Carolyn Michaels, both 78, were taken to Roanoke Memorial Hospital, after their car collided with a dump truck at the intersection of Roanoke Street and Woodland Drive.
Carl later died. The driver of the truck was not hurt.
[Dale-Davis]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=02-53 TC1:03:25]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
The prospect of war with Iraq is overshadowing daily life: world politics, the economy, even day to day conversation here at home.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
Our Middle East expert is now in Kuwait.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Davis/KU Digital]
Lieutenant Colonel Dale Davis of V-M-I joins us now for a LIVE interview from Kuwait City.

[ANCHOR=Keith]
(first question)
[SUPER=01-Lt. Col. Dale Davis/VMI Dir. of International Programs]

(Dave Will Call for Video Over Saddam Interview Question)
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Baghdad, Iraq]
[RUNS=:40]
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(adlib Interview)

[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
[SS=NONE]

Kids enjoyed some extra time off this winter... but students in one school system will pay for it this spring.
That's still ahead on News 7.
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

And it's a long walk home for some area residents, thanks to last weekend's flooding.
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[Piney-Branch]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=03-07 TC29:50]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Residents of a Bedford County subdivision were stranded by the weekend's heavy rain.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

They lost their only access when a section of Piney Branch Road began to collapse on Saturday.
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=Flooding]

Now they're searching for some assistance, and Joe Dashiell reports, help has been hard to find.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=Residents of the Oakcrest Hills subdivision]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Ann Shumate/Subdivision Resident; :14]
[SUPER=@Joe1; :26]
[SUPER=01-Angela Hair/Subdivision Resident; :42]
[SUPER=01-Jack Jones/Public Safety Director; 1:05]
[RUNS=1:22]
[OUT Q=JD News 7 Bedford County]

((Residents of the Oakcrest Hills subdivision are hiking, now that a gaping hole has appeared in their road.
Declared unsafe for cars and trucks, their only access is now just a narrow walking path.
[SOT]
[IN Q=I think it stinks]
((ANN SHUMATE/SUBDIVISION RESIDENT: I THINK IT STINKS. I THINK THEY NEED TO GET UP HERE AND FIX THIS ROAD, BEFORE SOMEBODY GETS HURT.))
[RUNS= :07]
[OUT Q=before somebody gets hurt.]

The road gave way during the weekend's heavy rains, after debris clogged two culverts running underneath. [STAND-UP BRIDGE]
Residents first noticed cracks in the pavement on Saturday morning and the road has been crumbling ever since, and with the threat of more bad weather this week, they're concerned they may lose what's left.
Angela Hair is seven months pregnant, and other neighbors require medical care.
[SOT]
[IN Q=And if ]
((ANGELA HAIR/SUBDIVISION RESIDENT: AND IF BEDFORD COUNTY SAYS IT'S NOT THEIR PROBLEM, AND THE STATE SAYS IT'S NOT THEIR PROBLEM, AND THE ASSOCIATION DOESN'T HAVE THE MONEY TO FIX THE ROAD, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO.))
[RUNS= :11]
[OUT Q=what are we going to do.]

Bedford County officials say they are seeking permission to cross adjoining property in the event of a fire or other emergency.
But neither county nor state officials say they can spend public money on a private road.
[SOT]
[IN Q=It's sad]
((JACK JONES/PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR: AND IT'S SAD BECAUSE THE PEOPLE NEED SOMETHING IMMEDIATELY, AND WE'RE STILL DISCOVERING AND CHECKING AND ASKING MORE QUESTIONS, AND THEIR SECTION OF ROAD IS ERODING.))
[RUNS= :10]
[OUT Q=road is eroding.]

Meanwhile, residents will meet on Saturday afternoon to plan their next step.
Joe Dashiell News 7 Bedford County))

[Flood-Insurance]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=03-09 TC02:47]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]
Willow River Apartment officials say most of the people living on the second and third floors are being allowed back in the buildings.
They know the cost of flood damage can be staggering. The Red Cross estimates it will spend 350-thousand dollars assisting flood victims in our area alone. But as individuals and families try and put their lives back together, what they can do may depend on whether they have flood insurance. [***FLOODING IN MONITOR***]
[DOUBLE BOXES=SHannon & Rachel /Pulpit;]
Business Reporter Rachel Cannon joins us with more, Rachel? Shannon, in talking with many flood victims there seems to be a lot of misconceptions about it.
[LIVE= Rachel /FULL Pulpit]
[SUPER=@Rachel1;]
We talked to a local agent about who is eligible, the average cost and what it covers.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=HEY, HOW ARE YOU]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=01-Holt Woodbury/State Farm Insurance Agent; :11]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Last Weekend; :22]
[RUNS=1:15]
[OUT Q=PRESENT A PROBLEM]
(( ((NATS 21:49:54 HEY, HOW ARE YOU TODAY.)) At this State Farm office in Roanoke, Holt Woodbury fields calls and customers, some about flood insurance. He says there are two big misconceptions about the coverage.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 21:49:17]
[IN Q=THE FACT]
((HOLT WOODBURY/STATE FARM INSURANCE AGENT; THE FACT THAT YOU KNOW IT'S TERRIBLY EXPENSIVE AND IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS IT'S NOT OR THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN AREAS THAT CAN'T GET IT AND THAT'S NOT TRUE.))
[OUT Q=NOT TRUE]
Flood insurance is a federal program provided through the National Flood Insurance Program. It's administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and sold by agents like Woodbury. NATS flooding It is available to virtually any homeowner or renter, even in a flood zone.
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[SOT 21:46:15]
[IN Q=the more]
((THE MORE LIKELY IT IS TO FLOOD OBVIOUSLY THE MORE EXPENSIVE THE COVERAGE IS GOING TO BE BUT EVERYBODY CAN GET FLOOD INSURANCE EVEN IF YOU ARE IN A FLOOD PRONE AREA. ))
[OUT Q=AREA]
Woodbury says the average flood policy for a homeowner is 360-dollars a year. For a renter it would be about 220-dollars. Where things can get expensive is in the deductible. It's not uncommon to have a double deductible of 5-hundred dollars each or one of 5-thousand dollars.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 21:47:39]
[IN Q=OBVIOUSLY]
((OBVIOUSLY THE HIGHER THE DEDUCTIBLE THE LOWER THE PREMIUM SO SOMETIMES IN ORDER TO MAKE COVERAGE AFFORDABLE PEOPLE DO CHOOSE TO GO WITH THE 5-THOUSAND DOLLAR DEDUCTIBLE UNFORTUNATELY IN THE EVENT OF A FLOOD IT COULD PRESENT A PROBLEM. ))
[OUT Q=PROBLEM.]))
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[LIVE= Rachel/FULL Pulpit]
Another thing people need to remember is that flooding is NOT covered under a regular homeowner's policy.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & Rachel /Pulpit;]
Shannon?

[River-Rescue]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=02-48 TC1:58:54]
[GRAPHIC=Flooding]

It's been asked by others, but now officials in Montgomery County are asking each other, could we have done more?

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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Elliston/Saturday;]
Rescue workers took more than two hours to save a father and son who were stranded Saturday in the North Fork of the Roanoke River. The son, 30-year-old Brian Quesenberry later died of hypothermia. Tonight, those who were involved in the operation plan to discuss what happened and what they might have done differently.
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[SOT 38:01]
[IN Q=DEFINITELY NOT]
((M.L. "PUG" WELLS/ELLISTON FIRE CHIEF: DEFINITELY NOT POINTING FINGERS, NO. WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THE MUTUAL AID THAT CAME TO THIS AREA TO ANSWER THIS EMERGENCY AND THEY DID A GOOD JOB. 38:12))
[SUPER=01-M. L. "Pug" Wells/Elliston Fire Chief;]
[RUNS=08]
[OUT Q=A GOOD JOB]
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[VO-NAT]
Wells says in his 45-years of experience he has never seen anything like Saturday's rescue, but taking time to evaluate incidents like that is not uncommon. At least seven different agencies are expected to attend tonight's meeting.
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[Stocks]

[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The market slammed the brakes on a sell-off and ended on the plus side. [TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-x/51.26/7909.50/x/6.60/1328.98;]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

The DOW gained 51 points.
NASDAQ rose seven.
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[VO]
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[SUPER=274-i/0.02/9.48/h/0.59/56.20/h/0.14/35.59/h/0.28/35.36/h/0.79/48.43;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]

[Roanoke-Schools]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Students in Roanoke City schools won't get a Spring break this year. The school system released its make-up day schedule today.
(XXXXXXXX)
[TAKE PINNACLE] Students will now have to attend class from March 31st through April fourth. Make- up days are also scheduled for Good Friday and Memorial Day.
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[Glass-Fight]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=02-51 TC1:44:20]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Three teenagers are facing trespassing charges for their involvement in a fight at E.C. Glass High School today.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

Police say hundreds of students were leaving school this afternoon when the altercation broke out.
A school resource officer had heard that members of rival gangs had been threatening a confrontation outside school.
Several police cars were in the area and responded but the fight was breaking up as they arrived on the scene.
Administrators say the three juveniles who were arrested are "not" students at E.C. Glass.
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[Sports Tease]

[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Coming up tonight on the Big 7 - the Express gets its goalie back. The weather is causing some problems with tonight's regional high school action.
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[VO-NAT]
Plus, the Keydets final year in the Southern Conference has been full of surprises and adjustments. Steve Mason will that story when we return.
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[S-VHSL]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-143 3242TC]
[GRAPHIC=VHSL]

This is a huge week for winter high school sports as far as tournament play. The weather that blew in this afternoon put administrators in a lurch. No where is that more evident tonight than with the Martinsville school system. Martinsville called off its volleyball game at Cave Spring at four this afternoon - moving it to tomorrow night at six.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-Piedmont District Tourney; :00]
The Martinsville boy's basketball team was supposed to play at Graham tonight in Bluefield. That game also was postponed - but not before the team bus was already halfway there. The rest of tonight's games from Wytheville to Abingdon to Buena Vista are still on at this time.
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[S-VMI]

[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-146 39:34]
[GRAPHIC=VMI]

The VMI basketball team has suffered through a season in which it lost its best player, and played with a depleted, injured line up. But head coach Bart Bellairs has managed to keep the fight in the Keydets despite the disappointing year on post. And last night the Keydets closed our their next to last regular season game in basketball just as they did in football with a win over their biggest rival - The Citadel. Steve Mason has more on the Keydets from Lexington.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=@Steve1; :00]
[SUPER=03-Lexington; :17]
[SUPER=01-Bart Bellairs/VMI Head Men's Basketball Coach; :33]
[SUPER=01-Radee Skipworth/VMI Junior Forward; 1:03]
[RUNS=1:42]
[OUT Q=...News 7 sports"]
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((STEVE MASON/NEXT WEDNESDAY, VMI WILL COMPETE IN THE SCHOOLS FINAL SOUTHERN CONFERENCE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT, WHICH TIPS OFF IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA. THE KEYDETS ARE OFF TO THE BIG SOUTH, AND, WITH THE WAY THE SEASON HAS GONE, LEAVING BEHIND THE 2002-2003 SEASON COULD NOT HAVE COME AT A BETTER TIME.))
((When Jason Conley, arguably the best player in the conference, decided to transfer from VMI to Missouri in early January, the Keydets hovered around the 500 mark. Since then, VMI has been beaten and bloodied, winning just one game while closing in on 20 losses. ((BART BELLAIRS/VMI HEAD MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH:))
One major bright spot for the Keydets has been forward Radee Skipworth. In a 16 game span from the end of December up through February 20th, Skipworth has been VMI's leading scorer in 14 of those contests and averaged 20.5 points in that stretch and he is doing it without Conley. ((RADEE SKIPWORTH/VMI JUNIOR FORWARD:)) ((:))
VMI wraps up the regular season this Saturday at Davidson. Steve Mason News 7 sports.))

[S-Express]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=sp-145 3716tc]
[GRAPHIC=EXPRESS]

The Roanoke Express returns to the Roundhouse ice tomorrow night for a mid-week skate against Trenton. This afternoon the team made a couple of roster moves. Defenseman Scott Balan who has been on the move between Norfolk and Roanoke all season, is back with the Admirals.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/This Season; :00]
In exchange the Express gets back goaltender Sebastian Laplante. The rookie net minder played in 1 game over the past weekend for Norfolk. He has played in 35 games for Roanoke this year. (------------)