[Tornadoes]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
The death toll now stands at 37 in the wake of tornadoes that caused a path of destruction from Kansas to Tennessee.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pierce City, MO;]
The cleanup has begun.
Residents are faced with everything from having to pull tree limbs out of a wall to getting pinned cars out of the road.
Missouri's Governor has called it the most devastating series of twisters his state has ever seen.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Pretty much]
((LEIGH KELLEY/RESCUER: PRETTY MUCH THE WHOLE TOWN IS GONE, THIS IS MY HOMETOWN AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT'S LEFT OF IT... THERE'S NOT MUCH. ))
[SUPER=01-Leigh Kelley/Rescuer;]
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=not much.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-Storm Productions;]
Dozens of tornadoes left a mark in several states, and even those who make a living hunting down twisters are in awe.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I can only]
((JEFF PIOTROWSKI/PROFESSIONAL STORM CHASER: I CAN ONLY RECOUNT OF 10 EVENT IN THE LAST 28 YEARS THAT WERE THIS EXTREME AND COVERED SUCH A LARGE AREA. ))
[SUPER=01-Jeff Piotrowski/Professonal Storm Chaser;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=such a large area.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
More funnel clouds were spotted last night in Michigan, but none causing damage like this.
(-------------)[11Jet-Service]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=03-11 TC51:36]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Air travelers can now jet in and out of Lynchburg.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]
Delta A-S-A has upgraded its local fleet and is now flying regional jets into the central Virginia area.
The improved service means more seats and flights in and out of Lynchburg, which is trying to recapture its market lost to other nearby airports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:26:35]
[IN Q=Lynchburg is open]
((CARL HUTCHERSON/LYNCHBURG MAYOR: LYNCHBURG IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS. AND WE'RE HOPING THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE BENEFICIAL BUSINESS TO BOTH LYNCHBURG AND A-S-A DELTA CONNECTION. WE WANT TO FLY AS MANY FOLK AS WE CAN FLY.))
[SUPER=01-Carl Hutcherson/Lynchburg Mayor;]
[RUNS=15]
[OUT Q=as we can fly.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
A half million dollar federal grant is helping to subsidize the jet service by guaranteeing the airline will not lose any money.
The grant is good for one year.
(------------)
[11TSA-Layoffs]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=03-14 TC3:03:28]
[GRAPHIC=Layoffs]
Meanwhile, thousands of airport security screeners around the country will lose their jobs, including nearly two dozen in our region.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/File Tape;]
The federal government will make 3-thousand cuts by May 31st with more planned by September 30th.
At Roanoke Regional Airport, 13-screeners will lose their jobs, bringing the total number at the facility to 35.
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg/File Tape;]
The Lynchburg Airport will go from 28 to 18 -screeners, a loss of ten jobs.
The Transportation Security Administration says the layoffs will save about 280-million dollars.
(------------)
[AM-Senate-Race]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=03-22 TC TC 1:19]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2003]
Many want the job, but only one can have it.
Last night, the six Republican candidates who want to replace State Senator Bo Trumbo took part in a debate at the Montgomery County Government Center.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Montgomery Co.]
The public heard from the candidate's on a number of issues including the state's budget shortfall, taxes, education, and what to do with Interstate 81.
The six candidates include former State Senator Brandon Bell, current Roanoke County Supervisor Butch Church, Salem GOP activist Brenda Johnson, Montgomery County businessman Jim Jones, Roanoke County Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Joe (OH- bin-chain) Obenshain and Botetourt GOP activist Dale Wilkinson.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:45:34]
[IN Q=I think it's a]
((LARRY LINKOUS/MONTGOMERY CO. REPUBLICAN PARTY: I THINK IT'S A WIDE OPEN HORSE RACE HERE, ANYONE CAN WIN, ANYONE CAN WIN WITH NOT A WHOLE LOT THE MAJORITY OF THE VOTE SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT THEY GET THEIR PEOPLE OUT TO VOTE AND I THINK THAT EACH OF THESE CANDIDATES RECOGNIZE THAT THEY GOT TO WORK HARD AND GET THEIR CANDIDATES OUT.))
[SUPER=01-Larry Linkous/Montgomery Co. Republican Party]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=get their candidates out]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Voter turnout will be important because party leaders have decided there won't be a runoff in the six way race.
That means the candidate who gets the most votes will be the nominee for the 22nd district
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[SS=HOLD]
The voting takes place Saturday from two until six at five locations around the district.
We should mention there is currently no Democrat candidate in this race.
[11Patrick-Robbery]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=tco]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Deputies are looking for a bank robber in Patrick County.
It happened at 11:16 yesterday morning at the Meadows of Dan branch of BB&T.
A white male entered the bank wearing a ski mask and a hooded sweatshirt and demanded money.
It's not known whether he had a weapon, but the man had his hand in his shirt the entire time.
He made off with an undisclosed amount of money and then took off on foot.
K-9 units were called out, but couldn't pick up the suspect's trail.
This is the first bank robbery in Patrick County in four years.
[Marketwatch]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=NET]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]
In business news, The blue light will shine a little brighter at Kmart today.
The company is emerging from bankruptcy.
The discount retailer, which spent just over 15 months under Chapter Eleven protection, has 600 fewer stores, new leadership and
a two billion dollar loan.
Kmart is calling 2003 a transition year, with a profit not projected until next year.
In other news, Alan Greenspan will take center stage in Washington later today.
Alexis Christoforous has that story and more in this morning's Marketwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Alexis Christoforous/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:19]
[OUT Q=in New York.]
((ALL EYES WILL BE ON ALAN GREENSPAN TODAY...THE FEDERAL RESERVE CHIEF
MEETS
WITH FELLOW POLICY MAKERS ON CAPITOL HILL TO TALK INTEREST RATES. MOST
ECONOMIST ARE BETTING THE FED WILL LEAVE RATES UNCHANGED AS POLICYMAKERS
WAIT FOR MORE CLUES ABOUT THE POST IRAQ WAR ECONOMY. BUT INVESTORS WILL
BE
LISTENING CLOSELY TO WHAT THE FED HAS TO SAY ABOUT THE STATE OF THE
ECONOMY
CISCO SYSTEMS IS THE STOCK TO WATCH TODAY. THE TECH BELLWHETHER REPORTS
EARNINGS AFTER THE CLOSING BELL...
Investors looking for signs that the weak economy is on the mend took
comfort from a report showing that growth returned to the U-S service
sector
in April. But a separate survey showed job-cut announcements surged 71
percent in April to over 146-thousand.
on wall street.. investors took a wait and see attitude ahead of today's
fed
meeting.
blue chip investors cashed in on recent market gains.. dragging the dow
down
51 points
while the nasdaq managed to squeeze out a one point gain...
AND KEEP YOUR EYE ON CRUDE OIL.. IT RALLIED ABOVE 26 DOLLARS A BARREL IN
THE
PREVIOUS SESSION. TRADERS ARE BETTING THAT GRADES OF GASOLINE USED IN THE
BIGGEST U-S CITIES MAY BE IN SHORT SUPPLY WHEN DEMAND PEAKS THIS SUMMER.
TRACK ALL THE PREMARKET ACTION AT CBS.MW.COM AT THE NASDAQ I'M AC IN
NEW
YORK.))
(tape tosses to stocks)
[STOCKS]
[COMM]
[11Indictments]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=03-07 TC2:00:55]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Invest]
Several homicide indictments were handed up yesterday in Roanoke.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Clinton Andrew Brathwaite was charged with capital murder in the death of Angela Arrington and three of her four children.
It happened last month at her Madison Avenue home. The children were eight, 10 and 13.
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/April 4]
Brathwaite had already been charged in the murders, but yesterday Grand Jury action added four counts of capital murder, one ATTEMPTED capital murder charge and five firearms charges.
A couple of old homicide cases have resulted in charges, too.
Twenty-one year old Brandon Green was indicted in the 2001 death of David Lee Tickle of Draper.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[SS=Legal Scales]
Twenty-nine year old Michael Eugene Johnson was indicted yesterday for voluntary manslaughter in the death last June of 41-year old Christopher Swanson McCoy. Police say McCoy had identified Johnson as the gunman before he died the day after the shooting.
[Iraq]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Just before the war started, Saddam Hussein reportedly made a big withdrawal from Iraq's Central Bank.
The New York Times reports Saddam ordered nearly a billion dollars be taken from the bank and sent to one of his sons.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Meanwhile, the female micro- biologist known to U-S officials as Mrs. Anthrax, is now in American custody.
Huda Mahdi Ammash is suspected of being involved in Iraq's biological weapons programs.
[SUPER=204-File Tape;]
It's unclear how much information she can provide in the hunt for weapons of mass destruction.
Ammash received her advance degrees from schools in the U-S.
(------------)
[Cuban-Prisoners]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
The Pentagon is preparing to release a dozen or more prisoners from the high- security terrorist compound in Cuba.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Guantanamo Bay, Cuba;]
About 660 prisoners are being held at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.
Many were captured during the war against al- Qaida in Afghanistan.
It's believed some of those being let go are as young as 13 to 16 years old.
A spokesperson for Amnesty International calls the upcoming release "a welcome step forward."
(------------)
[11Earthquake]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=03-21 TC01:08]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A small central Virginia town shook yesterday afternoon.
(XXXXXXX)
[TAKE MAP FULL]
A 3-point-9 magnitude earthquake struck near the town of Columbia on the James River.
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Columbia]
The quake struck around 12:30 and was followed by three aftershocks.
There have been no reports of damage, but folks in Columbia certainly got a jolt.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I just heard]
((I JUST HEARD BOOM. LAUGHTER))
((THEN WE HEARD THIS LOUD MUFFLED EXPLOSION AND THE BUILDING LITERALLY SHOOK, AND IT'S A CONCRETE BUILDING.))
[NO SUPERS]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=a concrete building]
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
Experts say earthquakes are not that unusual in that part of the state.
The Central Virginia Seismic Zone has a history of earthquake activity.
(-------------)
(Kimberly tosses to bump)
[bump-chyron]
[comm #3]
[11Roanoke-Fire]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=03-19 TC08:08]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]
One of the victims in Sunday's fire in Roanoke has died.
A spokesman for Carilion Hospitals confirmed that 49-year old Jo Ann Huffman had died.
And now there are indications the other person rescued from the burning King Street house had been stabbed in the back.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Sunday]
According to a search warrant affidavit filed in Circuit Court yesterday, Robin Anderson's wife, Jill, told police her husband had a 3-quarter inch stab wound on his lower back.
When they asked him if he'd been stabbed in relation to the fire, Robin Anderson was only able to nod affirmatively.
Police searched the house at 2703 King Street and seized several sharp objects.
(------------)
[11Callaway-Fire]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=03-08 TC1:34:18]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]
Owners of a Franklin County business destroyed by fire aren't sure if they will rebuild.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :17.5]
[SUPER=03-Callaway;]
A blaze ripped through Wayne Angell's lawn and auto center in Callaway on Friday night.
Yesterday, they're busy cleaning up the mess while investigators try and find the cause of the fire.
Angell serves as the Franklin County Board of Supervisors Chairman. He and his brother own the building.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 00:00:43]
[IN Q=we have]
((WAYNE ANGELL/BUSINESS OWNER; WE HAVE PAINT AND PAINT THINNER AND TIRES AND JUST A LOT OF COMBUSTIBLE ITEMS SO WHEN IT GOT HOT IT REALLY WENT FAST.))
[SUPER=01-Wayne Angell/Business Owner;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=REALLY WENT FAST.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Angell says it may be too expensive to get the business back to the size it was although he says they probably will operate something there.
Angell and his brother have owned the building for 31-years.
He says parts of it date back to 18-50 when it was used as a country general store.
(------------)
[Biz-Brief]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]
In business news, Kmart is emerging from bankruptcy today.
The discount retailer, which spent just over 15 months under Chapter Eleven protection, has 600 fewer stores, new leadership and
a two billion dollar loan.
Kmart is calling 2003 a transition year, with a profit not projected until next year.
In other news, stocks ended mixed yesterday.
Stan Case has more in today's business brief.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Stan Case/Reporting; :]
[RUNS=1:12]
[OUT Q=I'm Stan Case.]
((SELLING IN A BROAD RANGE OF BLUE-CHIPS CAUSED THE DOW TO LOSE GROUND MONDAY WHILE THE BROADER MARKET DRIFTED ALMOST AIMLESSLY.
AT THE CLOSE...
THE DOW WAS OFF BY 51 POINTS.
THE NASDAQ HAD MANAGED TO GAIN A POINT.
J.C. PENNEY SAYS IT EXPECTS SAME-STORE SALES FOR APRIL TO RISE BY AS MUCH AS THREE PERCENT.
THE TEXAS-BASED RETAILER ALSO SAID SALES IN THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS.
CATALOG SALES ARE EXPECTED TO DECLINE BY AS MUCH AS EIGHT PER CENT, WHILE AT THE COMPANY'S ECKERD DRUGSTORES FLAT SALES ARE PREDICTED.
COX COMMUNICATIONS REPORTED FIRST QUARTER EARNINGS THAT DID LITTLE TO PREVENT ANOTHER ROUND OF SELLING AMONG CABLE-TV STOCKS.
FOR THE QUARTER, COX LOST FIVE CENTS A SHARE, COMPARED WITH EARNINGS OF 22 CENTS A SHARE LAST YEAR.
THE YEAR-AGO QUARTER INCLUDED A 700-MILLION-DOLLAR GAIN FROM DERIVATIVES THAT WASN'T PRESENT THIS YEAR.
APPLE COMPUTER SHARES GAIINED ELEVEN PERCENT ON INITIAL RESPONSE TO ITS NEW iTUNES ONLINE MUSIC STORE.
APPLE SAID MORE THAN A MILLION SONGS HAVE BEEN SOLD SINCE THE SERVICE WENT LIVE ON TUESDAY.
THE SERVICE ALLOWS PEOPLE TO BUY SONGS FOR 99 CENTS EACH FROM A LIBRARY OF 200-THOUSAND TITLES.
WITH THE BIZ BRIEF, I'M STAN CASE.))
[TAPE TOSS TO STOCKS]
[STOCKS]
[COMM]
[11DMV]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=netE]
[GRAPHIC=DMV]
Early birds can now take advantage of the D-M-V's new operating hours.
(-----------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Last Week;]
Beginning this week, customer service centers will open earlier on Thursdays. In Roanoke it's now 8 a-m.
Operating hours on Thursdays had been changed to 10 a-m because of budget cuts, but officials say people prefer to go to DMV first thing in the morning.
Just last week, the Roanoke D-M-V had long lines of people who thought the office was open at 8. The office decided to open at 9 am to accommodate the crowd.
You can go to DMV's website to check the operating hours at your local service center.
(------------)
[2-11City-Council]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=03-06 TC1:57:27]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Two groups are joining forces under one banner, and officials hope the change will help Roanoke live up to its reputation as a festival city.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/June 2001]
Festival in the Park, and the city's Special Events Committee are merging to become EventZone, and the new organization will bring many different events under one umbrella.
Yesterday, city council approved a contract with EventZone to market downtown as an entertainment venue.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 08:26:09]
[IN Q=Because somebody]
((DARLENE BURCHAM/ROANOKE CITY MANAGER; BECAUSE SOMEBODY, TO USE MY TERM, IS GOING TO WORRY FULL TIME ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING DOWNTOWN, AND WHAT KIND OF FESTIVALS ARE WE PRODUCING. AND THERE IS AN EXPECTATION THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE MORE FESTIVALS AND EVEN BETTER FESTIVALS AS A RESULT OF THIS WHOLE ACTIVITY.))
[SUPER=@Burcham;]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=as a result of this whole activity.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Roanoke City School Board appointments were also on the agenda yesterday.
Chairman Gloria Manns was re-appointed, while Kathy Stockburger and David Trinkle were also selected to serve thre
e-year terms.
by SS