WDBJ 7 morning news for 03/26/03

[Iraq]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=War in Iraq]
[SUPER=219-Kimberly McBroom/kmcbroom*wdbj7.com;]

As many as 500 Iraqis have been killed in desert fighting, amid fierce sandstorms.
The weather's slowed down the U-S drive toward Baghdad.
In other developments, Iraqi television is back on after a missile attack knocked it off the air early today.
Baghdad's international satellite channel is still off.
And British forces are battling Iraqi militia troops in the key southern city of Basra.
The British say they want to capitalize on what appears to be a growing uprising against Saddam Hussein in that area.
Drew Levinson has the latest now from Kuwait City.
[LIVE=NEWSPATH/FULL]
[SUPER=201-Drew Levinson/CBS News;]
[SUPER=205-Kuwait City, Kuwait;]

((ROLLCUE:...))
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=204-File Tape;]
[SUPER=203-Baghdad, Iraq;]
[SUPER=203-Basra, Iraq;]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=back to you.]

[LIVE=NEWSPATH/FULL]
[SUPER=205-Kuwait City, Kuwait;]
(( THE ROAD TO BAGHDAD CONTINUES TO BE A DEADLY ONE.... BUT IT'S THE ENEMY WHO IS SUFFERING MAJOR CASUALITIES. MARINES SAY THEY TOOK OUT THIS BUS BECAUSE IT WAS FILLED WITH IRAQI SOLDIERS TRYING TO JOIN THE FIGHT IN AL NASSARIYAH. THOSE WHO WEREN'T KILLED BECAME PRISONERS OF WAR. INSIDE THE CITY U-S TROOPS HAVE SECURED A HOSPITAL BEING USED AS A MILITARY STAGING AREA FOR IRAQI FORCES. MORE THAN THREE-THOUSAND CHEMICAL SUITS AND STOCKPILES OF AMMUNITION WERE CONFISCATED.
(map)
OTHER TROOPS HEADED FOR BAGHDAD INFLICTED HEAVY CAUSALITIES ON THE ENEMY IN AN NAJAF. AFTER BEING HIT BY IRAQI FORCES DURING A SANDSTORM.... U-S TROOPS USED THERMAL IMAGING EQUIPMENT TO TARGET THE ENEMY.
(vo)(File)
THE DIVISION THEN OPENED FIRE WITH 25 MILLIMETER GUNS ON TOP OF BRADLEY FIGHTING VEHICLES. IT'S BELIEVED HUNDREDS OF IRAQI TROOPS WERE KILLED.

(nats)
IN BAGHDAD THE LATEST BOMBING TARGET WAS IRAQ'S STATE TELEVISION. SADDAM HUSSEIN'S NETWORK WAS KNOCKED OFF THE AIR FOR THREE HOURS BEFORE GETTING ITS SIGNAL BACK.

(nats)
IN BASRA BRITISH TROOPS FACE THE CHALLENGE OF FIGHTING A HIDDEN ENEMY. THE ROYAL ARMY IS BLOWING UP TANKS LEFT BEHIND BY IRAQI MILITIA MEMBERS WHO HAVE RETREATED INTO THE CITY OF ONE POINT THREE MILLION. BUT THE PEOPLE OF BASRA MAY BE FIGHTING BACK. THERE ARE REPORTS OF AN UPRISING AGAINST SADDAM HUSSEIN'S FORCES.
))

[Bush-War]

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

Today President Bush will visit Central Command headquarters in Florida for a briefing.
He'll also have lunch with some troops.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Tonight, Bush will meet with British Prime Minister Tony Blair at Camp David.
On the agenda, a progress report on the war.
They'll also discuss the creation of a new Iraqi government once the fighting is over.
A post- war Iraq could still be months away.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=We cannot know]
((WE CANNOT KNOW THE DURATION OF THIS WAR, YET WE KNOW THE OUTCOME -- WE WILL PREVAIL.))
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=we will prevail.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Despite the President's words, public confidence has slipped.
Only 32- percent of those polled now say the mission is going very well, down from 44- percent.
Pollsters say setbacks in the military campaign explain the country's changing mood.
(------------)

[VOB-Family-Support]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=03-12 TC 6:51]
[GRAPHIC=War in Iraq]
It's no doubt been a tough week for friends and family of those serving in the Middle East. But support groups are cropping up across the area to help anxious loved ones here at home.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=203-Roanoke/February;]
Hundreds of troops from western Virginia are among the soldiers now serving in Kuwait and Iraq. These are men and women who've left behind friends and family worried about their safety and wondering when and if they'll return home. Doctors and counselors with Carilion Health System recognize the strain this can put on a person, so every Tuesday they'll be holding support groups meetings for family and friends in Roanoke and the New River Valley.
(///sot///)
[sot 00:12:15]
[in q= It's a way]
((DR. RICK SEIDEL/CLINICAL PROGRAMS DIRECTOR; IT'S A WAY TO COME TOGETHER WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE SIMILAR CONCERNS AND SIMILAR NEEDS AND A CHANCE TO GIVE SUPPORT AND UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE NOT BY YOURSELF IN THIS KIND OF SITUATION, AND THAT WHAT YOU'RE FEELING IS QUITE NORMAL AND IT HELPS GIVE PEOPLE REASSURANCE AND FEEL BETTER. ))
[SUPER=201-Dr. Rick Seidel/Clinical Programs Director;]
[runs=:14]
[out q= and feel better.]
(--------)
[vo-nat] The meetings are every Tuesday at seven o'clock and are FREE of charge. In Roanoke, the meetings are at the Carilion Rehabilitation Center Auditorium on South Jefferson Street. In the New River Valley, they're being held in the Carilion St. Alban's hospital in Radford.
(------------)

[11Warner-bills]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=03-04 TC49:53]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Two state senators have indicated they would switch their votes on legislation that would repeal Virginia's estate tax.
The move could give Governor Mark Warner the room he needs to sustain his veto of the measure.
The bill barely passed in the General Assembly last month with the two-thirds support it would need to override a potential Warner veto.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]

Republicans say they will fight to override Warner's veto of a bill repealing the estate tax.
And they say they have the votes to reject his changes to two abortion bills.
Warner amended legislation banning partial-birth abortions and a bill requiring parental consent for minors seeking an abortion.
And he vetoed a bill creating a "Choose Life" license plate.
The governor also reinstated 50-thousand dollars that Republicans took away from Democrat Lieutenant Governor Tim Kaine.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 13:39:59]
[IN Q=IT WAS SOME PARTISAN POLITICKING]
((GOVERNOR MARK WARNER: IT WAS SOME PARTISAN POLITICKING. AND I THINK THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, THIS LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR AND FUTURE LIEUTENANT GOVERNORS NEED TO MAINTAIN A BASIC MINIMUM LEVEL OF FUNDING TO PERFORM THEIR DUTIES.))
[SUPER=@MarkWarner]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=TO PERFORM THEIR DUTIES.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Lawmakers return to Richmond next week to vote on the governor's changes.
(------------)

[11County-Supervisors]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=03-10 TC28:28]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Roanoke County tax rates won't rise this year, but a tight budget will bring an increase in some fees.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]

The supervisors have approved a 25- dollar booking fee at the county jail, and an additional five dollars in court costs to add four deputies and improve courthouse security.
Board members also increased the fee for ambulance transports, to help pay for additional paramedic firefighters.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT01:46:29]
[IN Q=To add ten additional firefighters]
((ELMER HODGE/COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR: TO ADD TEN ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTERS, TO DO THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO, AND INCREASE FEES THAT SHOULD BE AS EASY TO ABSORB AS THIS, I THINK, IS QUITE AN ACCOMPLISHMENT.))
[SUPER=@Hodge;]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=quite an accomplishment.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

County officials have also confirmed that a shortage of volunteers is forcing the Fort Lewis Volunteer Rescue Squad to disband. Career personnel have been answering rescue calls in the area for several months, so service there should not suffer.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Officials say the Fort Lewis Volunteer Fire Department is alive and well, and is not affected by the rescue squad's problems.

[Marketwatch]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=NET]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]

In business news, Stocks posted gains yesterday.
And, The New York Stock Exchange pulls the plug on Arab t-v station Al-Jazeera.
Alexis Christoforous has those stories and more in this morning's Marketwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Alexis Christoforous/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:35]
[OUT Q=in New York.]

((Buyers returned after a one-day retreat. Investors were encouraged by the lack of any new setbacks for the allied forces in Iraq.
Stocks did trim their gains after the Senate voted to slash President Bush's tax cut plan in half to 350-billion dollars.
Also, consumer confidence in March and February existing home sales both fell but by less than expected.

(GR)
the dow ran up 65 points

(GR)
while the nasdaq climbed 21.

(OC)
The New York Stock Exchange has barred the Arab t-v station Al-Jazeera, from broadcasting from its floor...citing a lack of space.. but Al-Jazeera said the NYSE is retaliating for its coverage of the war in Iraq.
Al-Jazeera, has broadcast from the exchange for about five years. This week it aired video of dead U.S. soldiers and interviews with prisoners of war. Al jeezera has since asked the Nasdaq stock market if it could broadcast from here. The nasdaq has denied that request.

(GR)
UAL, the parent of bankrupt united airlines is a stock to watch.. The machnists union has offered $2.5 billion in concessions over six years, less than what the airline wants. United has set a deadline of May first to reach long term contract changes.. as required by its bankruptcy lenders.

(GR)
The New York Stock Exchange is seeking to delist shares of Healthsouth. THe nation's largest operator of rehabilitation hospitals faces sweeping accounting-fraud allegations and financial liquidity concerns.

(GR)
TRACK ALL THE PRE MARKET ACTION AT CBS.MW.COM .. AT THE NASDAQ

(OC)
I'M AC IN NEW YORK.))

(tape tosses to stocks)
[STOCKS] [COMM]

[11LB-Soccer]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=03-08 TC41:58]
[GRAPHIC=None]

It's the first game of the season, but Lord Botetourt's soccer team has already suffered its two biggest losses OFF the field.
Two Cavaliers soccer players, both goalies, have died in traffic accidents in the past five months.
Marya Jones shows us how the loss of two teammates has not defeated the team's winning spirit.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Ben Smith/Lord Botetourt Soccer Player; :16 QUICK!]
[SUPER=01-Eric Lane/Lord Botetourt Soccer Player; :30 QUICK!]
[SUPER=01-Roy Prusak/Junior Varsity Coach; :45]
[SUPER=@Marya1; 1:07]
[RUNS=1:44]
[OUT Q=MJN7, Botetourt Co.]
(((///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
((NATS: silence.)) [RUNS:02]
Lord Botetourt started off its game with silence for a team member that couldn't be there.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 20:25]
((NATS: TEAM!)) [RUNS:01]
Strapping on black armbands, players dedicated this season to their former goalie, Andrew Wilkinson.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 9:08]
((BEN SMITH: THE REST OF THIS YEAR'S GAMES ARE FOR HIM AND WE'RE GOING TO TRY OUR HARDEST TO PLAY AND DEDICATE ALL OF THEM TO HIM.)) [RUNS:05]
Wilkinson, a 10th grader at Lord Botetourt and the Governor's school, died after a car accident Sunday... two days before the team's first game.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 18:35]
((ERIC LANE: HE PLAYED HARD, GOOD SOCCER, WAS A GOOD GOALIE. (STUMBLES) IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO REPLACE HIM.)) [RUNS:04]
And he's not the first team member they've had to replace this year.
Five months ago, Lord Botetourt lost another goalie, senior Travis Bird, in a traffic accident.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 15:51]
((ROY PRUSAK/JV COACH: TO LOSE TWO EXCEPTIONAL GOALIES, BESIDES THEIR TRAGIC LOSS, IT HURTS THE TEAM AND HOPEFULLY THEY CAN GET IT BEHIND THEM AND USE THAT AS A POSITIVE SIGN TO GET TOGETHER. )) [RUNS:10]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
((quick nats soccer game.)) [RUNS:02]
To get together and win for the teammates they lost.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 18:19]
((ERIC LANE: IT'S HARD BUT WE'RE GONNA PRETTY MUCH COME OUT HERE AND WIN FOR HIM. )) [RUNS:03]
(///// SOT /////)
[SU 44:34] ((MARYA JONES/NEWS-7: THE STUDENTS ARE FINDING OTHER WAYS TO HONOR THEIR TWO FRIENDS. THEY'RE RAISING MONEY FOR A SCHOLARSHIP AND WEIGHT ROOM IN TRAVIS BIRD'S NAME AND THEY SAY SIMILAR PLANS ARE IN THE WORKS FOR ANDREW.)) [RUNS:10]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:16]
((QUICK NATS: I JUST SIGNED MY NAME. I DID, TOO.)) [RUNS:02]
All the students have signed a banner, which they'll give to Andrew's family.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 18:48]
((ERIC LANE: THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU THINK IS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN TO ANYONE YOU KNOW AND YOU DREAD IT. AND WHEN IT COMES YOU JUST CAN'T DEAL WITH IT. THERE ARE NO WORDS. )) [RUNS:08]
But these players are keeping their eyes on the goal ... to honor two teammates they lost with a winning season.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
((NATS: APPLAUSE AFTER GOAL.)) [RUNS:02]
Marya Jones, News-7, Botetourt County.))

(Kimberly tosses to bump)

[bump-chyron]

[comm #3]

[11Tech-Protest]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=03-02 TC1:30:28]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Protests over Virginia Tech's new affirmative action policy continued yesterday, but this time demonstrators made their statement without saying a word.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]
Faculty members at Virginia Tech organized a silent protest yesterday. They're angry over the board of visitors' decision to cut affirmative action and sexual orientation from its discrimination policy. The group marched across campus. Some wore duct-tape over their mouths to symbolize how the board ignored their voices when it voted on the policy behind closed doors.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 11:26]
[IN Q=WE WANT TO BE]
((ANN KILKELLY/VT PROFESSOR: 11:26 WE WANT TO BE VISIBLE AS FACULTY AND WE WANT TO BE SEEN AS FACULTY WITH A VESTED INTEREST IN THIS ACADEMIC ENTERPRISE THAT WE ARE APART OF 11:34))
[SUPER=01-Ann Kilkelly/Virginia Tech Professor;]
[RUNS=08]
[OUT Q=we are a part of.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Demonstrators say they're pleased the board has called another meeting to review its actions, but they say until the policy is actually changed, they will continue to protest.
(------------)

[6-Bland-Cattle]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=03-07 TC56:26]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A farm owner now faces 63 counts of animal cruelty.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bland Co./March 13]

73-year-old Harry Thompson of Princeton, West Virginia was indicted on Monday in Bland County.
Bland County Sheriff's Deputies found about 64 dead cows on Thompson's farm.
County officials took possession of the remaining 160 animals on his farm last week.
A deputy says the cows were malnourished.
A veterinarian says Thompson had fed the cows poor-quality hay.
(------------)

[2-Missing-Girl]

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

Another missing teen story comes to a happy conclusion.
This time, it's a 14- year- old Michigan girl.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Goshen, IN;]

Lindsey Ryan had been missing since March first, when she left home to meet 56- year- old Terry Drake, a convicted murderer.
Police in Michigan say Lindsey met Drake at a church, then began communicating with him through E-mail.
After she went missing, Amber alerts were issued in Michigan, Indiana and then California.
Lindsey told police that she and Drake had been camping recently in the mountains northwest of Reno, Nevada. (------------) Drake now faces federal charges.