[1-News-Head]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
Several rainy days in a row have some local residents lamenting too much of a good thing.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :06]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
And, how to pay for the damage?
Flood damage caused months ago has yet to be repaired.
(------------)
[Sports-Head]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=sports head]
[GRAPHIC=none]
UNC still doesn't have a new basketball coach.
The Martinsville Speedway is hoping for an end to the rain.
Plus, we'll chat with an injured Hokie who is on the mend.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
And for the first time since 1939 - the opening round of the Masters is rained out.
(------------)
[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]
It's a rare weather day that finds snow, hail, wind damage, and flooding all making headlines but a storm in the Carolinas is doing just that. Details ahead.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Shannon 4-Shot]
News 7 is next.
[Video-Open]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=Video Open]
[GRAPHIC=News7at6]
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
Many in Southwest and Central Virginia are keeping an eye on the sky tonight.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
Rain continues to fall and creeks and rivers continue to rise.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
Good evening, I'm Keith Humphry.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
And I'm Shannon Young.
[Radford-Flooding]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=03-01 TC1:51:02]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
There are no serious flooding problems being reported right now, but heavy rain is still falling in many places.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
Folks in one area of Radford say whether it's a dowpour or light drizzle, the rain is a big pain.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Myranda & Keith-Shannon /Microwave;]
New River Valley Bureau Chief Myranda Stephens has more on drainage problems there
Keith and Shannon, it's a hefty price to pay, but city officials say they are considering a two-million dollar budget proposal
[LIVE=Myranda/FULL]
[SUPER=@Myranda1;]
[SUPER=05-Blacksburg;]
to build a new drainage system, that should fix the flooding problems in Sunset Village and Forest Park.
And residents say it's about time.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=IT MAY BE CALLED]
[SUPER=03-Radford; :00]
[SUPER=01-Ginny Burcham/Resident; :06]
[SUPER=01-Tom Starnes/Radford City Mayor; :40]
[RUNS=1:27]
[OUT Q=HER FEET WET]
((It may be called Sunset Village, but it's the RAIN that setting people off.
[SOT 4:28]
[RUNS:06]
((GINNY BURCHAM/RESIDENT: WE MOVED HERE IN 97 AND IT'S BEEN THAT WAY SINCE WE MOVED HERE AND I THINK IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THIS WAY 434))
For years, residents have dealt with flooding in and around their homes.
Ginny Burcham says the problem is so bad, family and friends don't want to visit.
[SOT 3:14]
[RUNS:07]
((THAT'S RIGHT THAT'S RIGHT I'VE HAD PEOPLE TELL ME THEY DON'T WANT TO HAVE COOKOUTS AT MY HOUSE BECAUSE THE MOSQUITOS ARE SO BAD 321))
Radford Mayor Tom Starnes says he's aware of the problem, and that the city is working to do something about it.
Wednesday night, the city council proposed to set aside two-million dollars in next year's budget to build a new drainage system.
[SOT 53:29]
[RUNS:17]
((MAYOR TOM STARNES: WHERE YOU GET THE WATER AWAY FROM THE HOMES AND THEN IT'S CONTROLLED WHEN IT'S REMOVED YOU JUST HAVE A LARGE POND AND YOU HAVE A SMALLER LINE GOING OUT THAN YOU DO HAVE COMING IN SO YOU CAN CONTROL THE RUNOFF THAT WAY 5346))
Starnes says the two-million dollars was originally slated to build a new road, but the council decided it could wait.
[SOT 54:35]
[RUNS:15]
((THAT HAVE PREVIOUSLY BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A HIGH PRIORITY ITEM BUT COUNCIL ELECTED TO MOVE THAT DOWNSTREAM A FEW YEARS AND TO CONCENTRATE ON THE STORM DRAINAGE PROBLEMS THAT THE NEIGHBORS HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING 5450))
And that's good news to Ginny Burcham, who says after six years, maybe now she can walk in her backyard, without getting her feet wet.))
(-------------)
[LIVE=Myranda/FULL]
[SUPER=05-Blacksburg;]
Starnes says the council will vote on the proposal next Monday.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Myranda & Keith-Shannon/Microwave;]
If it is approved work on the new system could begin as early as July.
[Southside-Flooding]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=03-04 TC1:15:04]
[GRAPHIC=Flooding]
Southside is seeing more high water, although not as much as during the last round of flooding.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville]
The Dan River basin is expecting minor to moderate flooding, mainly around South Boston.
Some secondary roads in the Mount Airy and Kentuck areas of Pittsylvania County have been closed.
But officials say the flooding is confined to the usual low-lying areas and is not a widespread problem at this point.
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[Tree-Accident]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=03-07 TC1:19:49]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A-E-P had its own flood of sorts today -- of flood of power outage reports.
The utility says storms left more than eight thousand customers in the dark this afternoon, mostly in the Lynchburg, Rocky Mount and Fieldale areas. Most service has been restored.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co.]
Those heavy rains have soaked the soil, and when the winds came, that brought down trees in many parts of southwest and southside Virginia. This morning, one Bedford County motorist discovered that the hard way.
State Police say the driver was distracted by another car pulling out of a driveway and didn't see the large tree that had fallen across route 626 near Smith Mountain Lake State Park.
He was treated for minor injuries, and employees of the Virginia Department of Transportation used chainsaws to clear the lumber from the road.
(------------)
[Parks-Damage]
[NEWSCAST=6 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=03-05 TC1:22:36]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
Roanoke officials are still trying to figure how to pay for the damage caused by flooding in February.
[ANCHOR=Keith 4-Shot]
Now they fear more rain could lead to more problems.
[***FLOODING IN MONITOR***]
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Justin /Pulpit;]
Justin McLeod joins us now with more on the situation. Justin?
Keith and Shannon, cleanup in many ways is just getting underway and could cost thousands of dollars.
[LIVE= Justin /FULL Pulpit]
[SUPER=@Justin1;]
And for that reason, the city's parks and recreation director says more rain is the last thing they need right now.
Flood stage for the Roanoke River is about ten feet and currently the river is projected to crest at nine point seven feet.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
The possibility of more flooding comes at a time when two city parks still remain closed due to February's floods.
City leaders say it could cost nearly eighty thousand dollars to cleanup and fix parts of Smith and Wasena Parks.
The city applied for federal funds to pay for the cleanup but the federal government turned the request down.
The city is now appealing.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:26]
[IN Q=We've done some claims]
((STEVE BUSCHOR/PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR: WE'VE DONE SOME CLAIMS AND ALSO DOWN SOMETHINGS WITH FEDERAL FEMA AND ASKED FOR MONEYS TO HELP US ASSIST IN THAT PROCESS AND WE'RE LOOKING TO HEAR FOR THEM. AND AS SOON AS WE HEAR FROM THEM WE HAVE PROPOSALS OUT THERE WITH CONTRACTORS THAT ARE GOING TO ASSIST IN GETTING THIS CLEANED UP.))
[SUPER=01-Steve Buschor/Parks and Recreation Director; :]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=this cleaned up]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The Parks and Recreation Department should hear within the next few days whether federal funds are on the way.
If the city is denied once again, leaders say they'll have to rely on volunteer groups to cleanup the parks.
(------------)
[LIVE=Justin /FULL Pulpit]
Right now, it looks like Smith and Wasena Parks will remain closed until at least the end of spring.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Justin /Pulpit;]
Keith and Shannon, as for all that debris that is along the river and caught in the trees, the city has applied for a separate FEMA grant to pay for that cleanup.
[81-Accident]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=81-Accident]
An accident involving a car and a tractor-trailer is backing up traffic on Interstate 81.
State police say the wreck was in the southbound lanes, at mile marker 130, two miles south of the Dixie Caverns exit.
At least one lane is open, but drivers can expect delays in that area for a while.
[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
[SS=NONE]
Henry County officials are investigating the death of a teenage girl.
More on that when News 7 returns.
(---------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
And dozens of volunteers work to get your donations to our troops overseas.
(----------------)
[Picard]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=03-02 TC1:57:04]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
Did he kill a Franklin County mother of four or just stumble onto a crime scene?
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-SHot]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Rocky Mount;]
That was the question raised in a preliminary hearing for Christopher Picard today.
Picard is charged with the capital murder of 38-year-old Lori Metts Hodges Boyd, a school bus driver and teacher's aide.
She was found strangled in the back of her burned- out car last September.
Five days later, deputies arrested Picard, a 22-year-old saw mill worker.
A forensic expert says Picard's fingerprint was on Boyd's cellphone and his footprint was on her shorts, which were found near her body.
Picard's attorney says his client came across the items while walking near his house.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 19:29:25]
[IN Q=Chris walked into]
((WILLIAM STANLEY/PICARD'S ATTORNEY: CHRIS WALKED INTO THAT CRIME SCENE THAT WAS UNKNOWN AS A CRIME SCENE AT THAT TIME.... HE FOUND THE CELLPHONE AND OTHER ITEMS AND THAT IS THE ONLY CONNECTION THAT MR. PICARD HAS TO THIS CRIME SCENE AND THIS CRIME ITSELF. HE DID NOT COMMIT THIS MURDER. ))
[SUPER=01-William Stanley/Picard's Attorney;]
[RUNS=:18]
[OUT Q=commit this murder.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Picard's attorney says the two did NOT know each other.
The case was certified to a grand jury for next month.
[Teen-Death]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Henry County officials hope an autopsy will answer some questions about a young girl's death.
The Sheriff's Department says a 13-year-old girl was found dead on the bedroom floor of her Ridgeway home Wednesday night.
A Lieutenant involved with the case says they're concerned because of the victim's age.
A family member found the body and called 9-1-1. A rescue squad transported her to Memorial Hospital.
Officials will not say if they consider the death suspicious but that an autopsy has been requested.
[Troops-Packages]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=cpa]
[TAPE#=03-14 TC2:41:05]
[GRAPHIC=Homefront]
Thousands of local people donated items for our troops overseas.
Now dozens of volunteers are sorting and shipping them.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=203-Roanoke]
Care packages will soon be sent to the units fighting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
And while routine items such as snacks, batteries, and greeting cards were all popular sendoffs, the Red Cross also welcomed items to help cope with the elements in the middle east.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="Sandstorms obviously..."]
[SUPER=201-Amy Whittaker/American Red Cross]
[RUNS=24]
[OUT Q="...folks to have."]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Workers say at least four-thousand pounds of items were donated.
(------------)
[Stocks]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Investors have grown more certain about the ultimate outcome of the war in Iraq, and that gave stocks a boost.
[TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-x/23.39/8221.33/x/8.86/1365.60;]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
The DOW gained 23 points.
NASDAQ rose nine.
(-------------)
[VO]
[SUPER=271-h/0.70/47.23/i/0.20/30.10/h/0.11/24.00/h/0.06/65.46/h/1.05/71.21;]
[SUPER=272-h/0.09/7.52/i/0.07/5.88/h/0.68/56.81/h/0.49/40.27/h/0.08/27.38;]
[SUPER=273-i/0.27/4.90/i/2.14/35.52/h/0.15/13.60/h/0.33/19.42/i/0.07/4.80;]
[SUPER=274-i/0.12/7.88/h/3.52/55.08/h/0.45/34.25/h/0.75/35.22/h/0.88/ 54.58;][SUPER=#555; Reset]
[Golf-Course]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=03-03 TC1:35:08]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
If you build it, they will come. At least that's what Buena Vista officials hope is the case about the city's latest project.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
They aren't talking about a baseball diamond in a corn field, but a city-owned golf course built from the ground up.
Richard Lesko has more.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Buena Vista; :00]
[SUPER=01-Ronnie Coffey/Parks and Recreation Director; :12]
[SUPER=01-Scott Dadson/Buena Vista City Manager; :37]
[SUPER=@richard2; :50]
[RUNS=1:27]
[OUT Q=RL, News 7, Buena Vista.]
(( There may be a lot more rough than fairways now, but in 15 months these fields will be shaped into Buena Vista's own 18 hole municipal golf course.
(//////SOT/////)
[SOT - 14:03:40 TAPE 1]
[INQ=I know in Buena Vista...]
((RONNIE COFFEY/PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR; I KNOW IN BUENA VISTA WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT BALL FOR A LONG TIME, DIFFERENT TYPE OF BALL, 5 TIME STATE CHAMPION, CHARLIE MANUEL HERE, THE BASEBALL HE GAVE ME, NOW WE'RE GOING TO START TALKING ABOUT THIS LITTLE BALL LIKE THAT, AND WE'LL TRY TO HIT THAT THING STRAIGHT.))
[RUNS= 13]
[OUTQ=hit that thing straight.]
At a price tag of about 7 million dollars the course is expected to be self sufficient in a few years, and will attract more people and players to Buena Vista.
(//////SOT/////)
[SOT - 51:32 TAPE 2]
[INQ=It's something that...]
((SCOTT DADSON/BUENA VISTA CITY MANAGER; IT'S SOMETHING THAT THE FOLKS IN THIS TOWN CAN BENEFIT FROM AN ADDED OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO PLAY A LIFETIME SPORT, AS WELL AS EXPANDING THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR THIS COMMUNITY.))
[RUNS= 13]
[OUTQ=for this community.]
City leaders are hoping to bring business in from all around the region, by providing a well designed course at a low cost.
(//////SOT/////)
[SOT - 52:20 TAPE 2]
[INQ=It's based on people...]
((SCOTT DADSON/BUENA VISTA CITY MANAGER; IT'S BASED ON PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO DRIVE UP TO AN HOUR TO PLAY UNDER 30 DOLLAR ROUND GOLF. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BASED OUR PRO FORMA ON. OUR GOLF DESIGNER WHO IS ONE OF THE TOP DESIGNERS IN THE COUNTRY BELIEVES IN THAT CONCEPT AS WELL, THAT THE FUTURE OF GOLF IS REALLY ABOUT THAT MORE INEXPENSIVE ROUND OF GOLF ))
[RUNS= 17]
[OUTQ=inexpensive round of golf.]
And if all goes according to plan, the first golfers will tee off on July 1st 2004, but until then the project remains a field of dreams.
Richard Lesko, News 7, Buena Vista.))
[Sports Tease]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Coming up tonight on News 7 sports - the Masters is washed out today - Martinsville is hoping for a break in the clouds for its big race weekend that fires up tommorow.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
and after an injury made him blue, Green is back and ready to impress this spring.
An update on defensive back Eric Green when we return.
(------------)
[S-Golf]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-144 5321TC]
[GRAPHIC=THE MASTERS]
The rain isn't just limited to our area.
Augusta, Georgia also is getting drenched.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Augusta, GA; :00]
So much so that the first round of the Masters was postponed today for the first time since 1939.
It has rained heavily at Agusta National since Sunday.
Tomorrow the hope is for the golfers to play 36 holes.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=THEY MUST SEE...]
[SUPER=01-Scott Hoch/Tees off at 7:50am Tomorrow; :00]
[RUNS=:19]
[OUT Q=...GONNA BE TOUGHER."]
(------------)
[ANCHOR=mike]
[GRAPHIC=masters]
Tiger Woods now tees off at 10:50 tomorrow. All will attempt to play 36 holes by darkness.
[S-Roy]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-134 12110TC]
[GRAPHIC=ACC LOGO]
The University of North Carolina is still without a basketball coach and once again Roy Williams can't make up his mind.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-New Orleans/Monday Night; :00]
The Kansas coach knows the job is his if he wants it - just as it was four years ago.
UNC and Williams issued statements today saying they would talk through the weekend and make a decision on Monday.
Williams was a UNC assistant for a decade.
(------------)
[S-Jon]
[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-147 1:05:17]
[GRAPHIC=Martinsville]
Martinsville Speedway is the fourth stop on this young Craftsman truck Series season this Saturday at one PM.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville; :00]
Jon Wood knows Martinsville all too well and he is coming off a second place finish at Mesa Marin. He seems to have his strategy for the half mile track ready to go.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Jon Wood/6th in CraftsmanTruck Series Points; :00]
[RUNS=:22]
[OUT Q=.....be up front at the end"]
(--------------)
[S-Craven]
[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-136 TC13032]
[GRAPHIC=Martinsville Speedway]
If you're looking for a darkhorse in this weekend's Virginia 500, Cup race - look no further than Ricky Craven.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville/Last Week; :00]
Craven has led at least 25 laps in each of his last four trips to the Martinsville Speedway, and he won the fall race two years ago. The Tide Pontiac driver already has a win this season and sits 6th in the points chase, proving that a single car team can be successful in Winston Cup.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Ricky Craven/6th in Winston Cup Points; :03]
[RUNS=:30]
[OUT Q=been able to do that."]
(-----------------)
[S-Green]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-149 3512TC]
[GRAPHIC=TECH]
All spring long, Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster has been playing shorthanded due to an unusual number of injured starters.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg/This Spring; :00]
But one player who has been making noise back on the field is defensive back Eric Green.
[super=04-August 5, 2002;]
The redshirt junior missed all of last season after injuring his knee before fall practice even started.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=FOR SOMETHING...]
[SUPER=01-Eric Green/Back After ACL Knee Surgery; :00]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=...NEXT SEASON."]
(------------)
[VO-NAT CON'T]
Green played in 23 of 24 games at cornerback his first two years at Tech. He feels like the knee is more solid than ever and that he's once again ready to challenge for a starting position.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I FEEL...]
[SUPER=01-Bud Foster/VT Defensive Coordinator; :21]
[SUPER=01-Mike Goforth/VT Director of Athletic Training; :34]
[RUNS=:39]
[OUT Q=A NEW MAN."]
(-----------)
[talent=mike]
[graphic=hold tech]
The Tech spring game is Saturday, April 19th at two.
Tickets are 5 bucks a piece with all proceeds benefiting the Rayna Dubose Fund.
by SS