WDBJ 7 news at Noon for 03/26/03

[News-Heads]

(------------------)

[VO-NAT]

Blistering sand storms caused some delay in the allied march to Baghdad.
But military officials say U-S forces are within striking distance of the Iraqi capital.
(---------------)
[ANCHOR=KIMBERLY]

And, some Franklin County students receive minor injuries when a chartered bus they were riding in crashes near Charlotte, North Carolina.
Details, straight ahead.
[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=LEO]
[SS=None]
Temperatures warm up as a cold front heads our way which will lead to a few scattered showers and thunderstorms across the area. I'll have your forecast.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=KIMBERLY 2-Shot]

News 7 at Noon starts right now...

[Video-Open]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

On the ground and in the air--
Allied ground troops are closing in on Iraq's capital city, while U-S airstrikes continue pounding Baghdad.
(------------)

[Iraq]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
[SUPER=219-Kimberly McBroom/kmcbroom*wdbj7.com;]

Good Afternoon, I'm Kimberly McBroom.
Further south, fierce fighting continues near the second- largest city in Iraq, Basra.
The Pentagon maintains that U-S troops are making good progress.
Meanwhile, there are more fears among allied forces that Saddam Hussein's regime may be ready to use chemical weapons.
A U-S general says three thousand chemical suits were found in a central Iraqi hospital that was used as an Iraqi base.
But he says the allies are prepared to deal with any potential chemical attacks.
Teri Okita joins us now, and brings us up to date from Kuwait City.
[LIVE=NEWSPATH/FULL]
[SUPER=201-Teri Okita/CBS News;]
[SUPER=205-Kuwait City, Kuwait;]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=203-Baghdad, Iraq;]
[SUPER=201-Vincent Brooks/Army Brigadier General;]
[SUPER=201-Ronnie McCourt/British Lieutenant Colonel;]
[SUPER=203-Umm Qasr, Iraq;]
[SUPER=205-Kuwait City, Kuwait;]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=back to you.]
((---
(LOCATOR: BAGHDAD)

A second day of sand storms turned the sky muddy orange and temporarily stalled the march to Baghdad. The U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division has stopped within striking distance of the Iraqi capital, preparing to join other American forces for a multi-pronged attack.

(Nats: Bombers)

At the same time, American B-52 bombers continue to pound targets across Iraq, including positions held by the elite Republican Guard. Baghdad is reeling from a direct hit on a busy market in the northern part of the city where many as 14 civilians may have been killed.

(Nat: Angry Baghdad Citizens)

Angry residents took to the streets in protest over the attack. Coalition leaders stress they are taking every precaution to avoid accidents.

SOT: Army Brigadier General Vincent Brooks
"Do everything we can to hit targets and minimize damage."
South of Baghdad, British forces on the edge of Basra waged a fierce battle with Iraqi troops, hammering targets with artillery fire. Inside the city, reports of a small uprising against Saddam's troops forced Iraqi militiamen to fire back with mortars to suppress it.

SOT: British Lieutenant Colonel Ronnie McCourt:
"The Desert Rats did engage enemy mortars who apparently were firing on the civilian population."

(LOCATOR: UMM QASR, IRAQ)

In Umm Qasr, the port is secure and humanitarian aid is finally reaching the people. Supply trucks have been limited by bad weather, but food, water, and medicine are beginning to arrive. A British ship loaded with additional provisions will dock as soon as the sea lanes are cleared of mines.
))

[Bush-War]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Meanwhile, President Bush visited the Army's Central Command in Florida, the hub of of war planning for the U-S.
He's there to officially thank military personnel for taking part in the war.
Aleen Sirgany reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=203-Tampa, FL;]
[SUPER=201-Tony Blair/British Prime Minister;]
[SUPER=201-Kofi Annan/U. N. Secretary General;]
[SUPER=201-Aleen Sirgany/CBS News;]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=Sirgany, CBS News, Washington.]

(LOCATOR: TAMPA, FL)

PRESIDENT BUSH NORMALLY GETS HIS DAILY TOP SECRET MILITARY BRIEFINGS AT THE WHITE HOUSE, BUT TODAY HE CAME TO THE SOURCE...CENTRAL COMMAND IN TAMPA, FLORIDA. WHILE THERE, HE SENT A MESSAGE TO THE TROOPS.

(SOT)BUSH

AND HE ONCE AGAIN BRACED THE COUNTRY FOR A LONGER AND MORE COMPLICATED CONFLICT THAN MANY EXPECT.

(SOT)BUSH

LATER TODAY, THE PRESIDENT WILL MEET WITH BRITISH PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR AT CAMP DAVID. BEFORE HIS DEPARTURE, BLAIR TOLD HIS PARLIAMENT SEVERAL STEPS ARE NEEDED TO PROVIDE HUMANITARIAN AID FOR THE IRAQI PEOPLE.

(SOT)TONY BLAIR/BRITISH PRIME MINISTER
"The first is to get a U.N. resolution on the humanitarian, the oil-for-food programmed and I hope that can be done in the next few days.
THE FIRST SHIPMENT OF AID HAS ARRIVED IN THE REGION. EVEN AS THE DESPERATELY NEEDED TRUCKLOADS OF WATER AND FOOD MADE ITS WAY TO THE IRAQIS, U-N SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN WARNED THE SITUATION IS BLEAK.

(SOT) KOFI ANNAN/U-N SECRETARY GENERAL
Im getting increasingly concerned about the humanitarian situation in this conflict

(STANDUP)
THE U-N SECRETARY GENERAL WILL MEET WITH BRITISH PRIME MINSTER TONY BLAIR TOMORROW FOR FURTHER DISCUSSIONS ON THE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION AND THE U.NS ROLE IN IRAQ. ALEEN SIRGANY, CBSNEWS, WASHINGTON.

[Abbott-Accident]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=12]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=03-11 18:00]
[GRAPHIC=Buss Accident]

More than 20 students from a Franklin County Middle School are being treated for minor injuries following an accident this morning in North Carolina. [Take Pinnacle MAP FULL***]
It happened around nine o'clock in the southbound lanes of Interstate 85 near Charlotte, when the chartered bus rear-ended a tractor-trailer.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Kimberly/JOE BAM;]

Joe Dashiell is here with more information.
[LIVE=Joe/FULL]
[SUPER=@Joe1]

Kimberly, the students are from Ben Franklin Middle School in Rocky Mount...
School officials and the hospital in Concord North Carolina confirm that the injuries are minor...
(-----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Concord, NC]

47 students were taken to Northeast Medical Center, where about half received treatment for minor injuries.
The sixth graders were travelling in three vehicles... on their way to Discovery Place in Charlotte when the accident happened.
The safety officer for Abbott Trailways described it as "a minor jolt..." that happened when another vehicle stopped suddenly in front of one of the buses.
(------------------)
[LIVE=Joe/FULL]
The Red Cross has been assisting the students... and the hospital will be serving them lunch. [Take Medical Center Phone Pinnacle Full] the students do have access to phone lines to call home... and any family members can call the hospital's central switchboard at (704) 783-3000. School officials tell us they are now calling all of the parents...Other buses are on their way to Charlotte to bring the students home Kimberly,
[DOUBLE BOXES=Kimberly/JOE BAM;]

And they should be back in Franklin County around five o'clock.
In the meantime, we're told that most of them are in the hospital's theater watching television.

[L'burg-Accident]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=03-06 49:47]
[GRAPHIC=Accident]

Two multi-car pileups on the Lynchburg Expressway this morning backed up traffic and sent four people to the hospital.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

The first wreck occurred when this Ford truck and Mercury Topaz collided in the northbound lanes near the Main Street exit.
As traffic slowed down behind the first crash, seven more cars and a Budweiser truck collided.. the beer truck ending up on top of this small pickup.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 00:08:45]
[IN Q=We were stopped]
((GARY CLARK/MOTORIST: WE WERE STOPPED HERE WAITING FOR IT. AND THEN I HEARD BRAKES BEHIND US, I TURNED AROUND AND LOOK AND I SAW THAT BUD TRUCK ON TOP OF THAT OTHER TRUCK, HE RUN INTO HIM AND THEN HE CRACKED INTO US.))
[SUPER=01-Gary Clark/Motorist]
[RUNS=11]
[OUT Q=cracked into us.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

A total of four people were taken to Lynchburg General Hospital.. their conditions are not known.
Traffic on Route 29 North was blocked for more than an hour.
Police are still trying to sort out what happened before they decide whether to charge any of the drivers involved.

(------------)

[Standoff]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=tbr]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Police in Greene County near Ruckersville are in a standoff with a murder suspect.
Officers spotted 38-year-old George Minor this morning near Ruckersville.
He's accused of killing his girlfriend, 25-year-old Latisha Bolden, at his sister's home in Spotsylvania County early Monday morning.
Authorities say Minor ran into the Midway Gas Station at about seven this morning, and took two hostages.
Police have called in helicopters and armored vehicles to assist in the standoff.
Nearby, Greene County Elementary School is under lockdown.
[Tease1] [HARD MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

A fomer star basketball player from the state runs into legal trouble. We'll have the details after the break.
(--------------)
[VO-NAT ]
Also international health officials believe they have made an important discovery about a mysterious illness.
(---------------)
[music up full] [comm1]

[Mystery-Illness]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Officials with the World Health Organization believe they've made a connection between a pneumonia- like outbreak in southern China and the severe acute respiratory syndrome that's killed people all over the world.
The announcement comes as China raises its death count from the mystery pneumonia to at least 34 people.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Hong Kong, China;]

Meanwhile, worries over the spread of the illness has prompted officials in Hong Kong to have school children wear masks.
But nearly 60 schools have decided to play it safe and shut down after seven children contracted the disease.
(------------)

[11LB-Soccer]

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

The high school soccer season has just started, but already Lord Botetourt's soccer team has suffered its two biggest losses OFF the field.
Two players have lost their lives in traffic accidents in the past five months.
Marya Jones has more.
(///// 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.))

[11Sampson]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=03-09 TC20:26]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Former U-V-A basketball star Ralph Sampson is accused of NOT paying more than 51-thousand dollars in child support.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/1999]

The 42-year-old Sampson was indicted last week for failing to pay the money for one daughter who lives in Falmouth and another daughter in Charlottesville.
Sampson was released on bond yesterday after appearing in federal court in Georgia, where he lives.
His attorney says the child support was paid with a wire transfer several days ago.
[SUPER=04-1983]

Sampson was chosen as the first pick in the 19-83 N-B-A draft by the Houston Rockets.
He last played in the N-B-A in 19-91.
(------------)

[Animal-Abuse]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Dozens of starved animals were found dead on a farm in Wisconsin.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Near Cady, WI;]
Officials say the farm's owners will be charged with animal neglect. More than 100 dead sheep and cattle were discovered. Some of the animals were found stuck in the mud in a pasture, while others were frozen.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=As far as]
((DENNIS HILLSTEAD/SHERIFF:AS FAR AS ANIMALS, IT WAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE WORST THINGS THEY'VE EVER SEEN AS FAR AS ANIMAL NEGLECT. ))
[SUPER=01-Dennis Hillstead/Sheriff;]
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=animal neglect]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Another 200 sheep and 80 cows were found alive, though.
The 60- year- old farm owner has been ordered to provide feed for the surviving animals, instead of having them removed.
Authorities say a tip led them to the farm.
(-----------)

[Tease2] [SOFT MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

Coming up next on the newscast,
(-----------------)
[VO-NAT ]
we'll tell why some of the faithful believe a statue is crying for world peace.
(-----------------)
[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #2]

[11Family-Support]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=03-12 TC 6:51]
[GRAPHIC=None]

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.
(------------)

[Venezuela-Statue]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Hundreds of Venezuelan Catholics are standing in line to pray to a statue of the Virgin Mary.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=203-Caracas, Venezuela;]

They say the statue has been crying tears of blood as a call for peace in Iraq.
Worshipers have lined up to catch a glimpse of the statue at Belen College in eastern Caracas.
Tracks of red stains mark the cheeks of the blue- eyed statue, which sits in a wood- and- glass case inside the school's chapel. Workers at the school say the statue has been bleeding from its eyes since St. Patrick's Day in what they saw as a message of peace.
(------------)

[Stocks]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE# none]
[GRAPHIC=stocks]

On Wall Street at Noon, the DOW was DOWN 44 points. The NASDAQ has lost one point.
[super=460-y/44/y/1;]

[tease3] [SPORTS MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
Coming up...we'll tell you why Virginia Tech is already warming up on the Football field
(----------------)
[VO-NAT ]
and another former Hokie expresses interest in the men's basketball job,
(---------------)
[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #3]

[S-Tech]

[ANCHOR=kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=sp-148 1834tc]
[GRAPHIC=tech]

The Virginia Tech Hokies return to the football practice field this afternoon for the third of their 15 spring workouts.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :00]
The Hokies have 47 lettermen and 16 starters back from last year's 10-and-4 team, but the underclassmen are making this spring a lot of fun for the coaches.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="You know...]
[SUPER=01-Frank Beamer/Virginia Tech Head Coach; :00]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=...it every day."]
(------------)
[VO-NAT CON'T]
One of the subtle changes this season involves a numbers game. Kevin Jones has traded in his number 7 jersey for number 25 this season. Billy Hardee had the number last season.
(------------)

[S-Extra]

[ANCHOR=kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#= SP-136 12354TC]
[GRAPHIC=none]

[******WIPE***WIPE***]

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-New York, NY/1973; :00]
Allen Bristow is still interested in the Tech coaching job. Bristow was a key member of the 1973 NIT championship team with the Hokies that took New York by storm.
[SUPER=03-Charlotte, NC;]
Bristow played nine seasons in the NBA, and in 1991 he took over the Charlotte Hornets and coached the team for five seasons - winning 207 games. Bristow is now 51 years old and living in Marco Island, Florida. He's been friends with Jim Weaver for years, and he definitely wants to get back into coaching. From his home yesterday, he said it's been less than a week since he and Weaver spoke, and that he considers himself both a candidate and a consultant for the job.
(------------)

[S-Roy]

[ANCHOR=kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-140 11048TC]
[GRAPHIC=ROY OBIT]

It has been nearly a year since the passing of our friend and colleague Roy Stanley.
And while some of our grief has gone away, the honors for Roy have not stopped.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :00]
Last night his wife Katy, father Roy Miller, Senior and sister Rhonda Rogers were on hand as the Roanoke County Supervisors honored Roy's memory with a resolution.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=bite]
[SUPER=@Minnix; ;00]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=...lost someone too."]
(------------)
[VO-NAT con't]
[SUPER=04-Yesterday Afternoon;]
Earlier yesterday one of Roy's good friends was also honored. Geraldine Brickhouse Barber, the mom of Tiki and Ronde was named the Salem/Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce's citizen of the year.
(------------)

[S-WDBJ]

[ANCHOR=kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=men's final four]

(XXXXXXXX)
[GO TO PINNACLE 12998 ] Your Hometown Station is the place to be later this week for more March Madness. Thursday night Kentucky and Wisconsin play first. Then around ten o'clock, it's Duke and Kansas from the West regional.
(XXXXXXXXX)
[GO TO FRIDAY PINNACLE 12999] The Friday doubleheader has Texas taking on U-Conn, followed by Maryland and Michigan State. All the action is right here on WDBJ-7 this Thursday and Friday nights.
(------------)

[Quickcast]

[WXPRO/FULL] FINAL LOOK AT THE WEATHER
[REPRS@CL] SUPER=X4031; Fax/Copyright Noon/Weekends [SUPER=X4030; e-Mail/Copyright Noon/Weekends]