[Tax-Bill]

[ANCHOR=Kim]

[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]


The Senate will vote later today on a scaled- down version of President Bush's tax cut package.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington, DC;]

Overnight, the House approved the 330- billion dollar package, mostly along party lines.
Although it's less than half of what he wanted, Bush says the tax cut will turn around the slumping economy and create jobs.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=We believe]

((WE BELIEVE, THE MORE MONEY PEOPLE HAVE IN THEIR POCKETS, THE MORE LIKELY IT IS THAT SOMEBODY IS GONNA BE ABLE TO FIND WORK IN AMERICA."))
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=work in America]
(-----------)
[VO-NAT]


But many Democrats believe the tax cut will have a reverse effect, giving the most money to people who already have high paying jobs.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=At at time]

((REP. STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES/D- OHIO:AT A TIME WHEN THE UNEMPLOYMENT IS AT AN ALL TIME HIGH WE ARE GIVING TAX RELIEF TO THE WEALTHIEST OF ALL AMERICANS." ))
[SUPER=01-Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones/(D) Ohio;]
[RUNS=:08][OUT Q=of all Americans.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Republicans argue a major benefit goes to families with children.
By the end of summer, millions of Americans could see refund checks of 400 dollars per child.
(------------)



[SARS]


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


New information about the source of the SARS outbreak--
Researchers from the University of Hong Kong have found that the SARS virus originated from a civet (SIH-viht) cat.
A microbiologist is scheduled to explain the discovery at a news conference this afternoon.
Researchers had previously said severe acute respiratory syndrome had come from an animal and crossed into humans, but they were not sure which kind of animal.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization says SARS outbreaks in Hong Kong and China are now under control.

[11Festival]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=03-22 TC14:19]
[GRAPHIC=Festival Venue]


Festival in the Park kicks off tonight with the Doobie Brothers concert. But the band won't perform at Victory Stadium as originally scheduled.
(------------)
[VO-NAT - :22]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

Event organizers moved the concert to the Roanoke Civic Center because of concerns about rain and the potential for flooding. That announcement sent crews at the Civic Center scrambling to put the stage together, and prepare the floor for thousands of fans. However, even with the change, beer sales WILL be allowed at the Civic Center for this concert, but with a few restrictions.
(//////SOT/////)
[SOT - 13:19]
[INQ=We will have to...]

((STU ISRAEL/FESTIVAL IN THE PARK EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR; WE WILL HAVE TO KEEP SOME OF THE HOUSE LIGHTS ON, THAT'S AN ABC REGULATION, SO THEY CAN CHECK ID'S OR LOOK FOR UNDERAGE DRINKING. AND THAT'S AN ISSUE.))
[SUPER=01-Stu Israel/Festival in the Park Executive Director;]
[RUNS=8]
[OUTQ=and that's an issue.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT - :12+]

Only 10-thousand 500 buttons will be sold before the concert, and you can only buy them at the Roanoke Civic Center. All other activities are scheduled to stay at their original locations.
(------------)



[11Victory-Stadium]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jwi]
[TAPE#=03-25 TC21:15]
[GRAPHIC=none]


Plans for a new stadium- ampitheater combination in Roanoke are already in motion. The new facility is designed to replace an aging Victory Stadium. But it's the history of the stadium one group wants to preserve. Jennifer Wishon reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :06]
[SUPER=01-Brian Wishneff/Citizens for a Sensible Stadium Decision; :14] QUICK!!!
[SUPER=01-Darlene Burcham/Roanoke City Manager; :35]
[SUPER=@Jennifer2; 1:45]
[RUNS=1:53]
[OUT Q=JW, News 7, Roanoke]

((((NATS OF PRESS CONFERENCE)) They call themselves Citizens for a Sensible Stadium Decision. And they're fighting to keep the city from replacing a landmark.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 18:51:14]
[IN Q=There's absolutely]

((BRIAN WISHNEFF/CITIZENS FOR A SENSIBLE STADIUM DECISION: THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH THE STADIUM OTHER THAN IT'S BEEN NEGLECTED FOR 60 YEARS.)) [RUNS05]
[OUT Q=for 60 years]

During the stadium's heyday Virginia Tech and VMI duked it out each year on the field. And high school football games drew larger crowds. But now the city has moved to a different trend in outdoor entertainment.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 25:43:11]
[IN Q=I personally encouraged]

((DARLENE BURCHAM/ROANOKE CITY MANAGER: I PERSONALLY ENCOURAGED THE COUNCIL TO LOOK TO A MULTIPURPOSE FACILITY BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS NOT PRACTICAL TO SPEND TEN TO TWELVE TO FOURTEEN MILLION DOLLARS ON A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL STADIUM ALONE.)) [RUNS14]
[OUT Q=football stadium alone]

This area on the corner of Orange Avenue and Williamson Road will be the home of the new facility.
[SOT 17:27:00]
[IN Q=We believe that is is]

((BRIAN WISHNEFF/CITIZENS FOR A SENSIBLE STADIUM DECISION: WE BELIEVE THAT IT IS A MAJOR MAJOR MISTAKE TO BUILD THE NEW FACILITY WHERE IT IS. IT'S IN A POOR LOCATION ALONG THE INTERSTATE, TRAFFIC TO IT IS TERRIBLE. THERE'S LITTLE TO NO ONSIGHT PARKING.)) [RUNS14]
[OUT Q=little to no onsight]

Wishneff says it'll cost twice as much to build a new facility as it would to spruce up Victory Stadium. He notes flooding won't be an issue once the city implements its flood reduction project, and the old stadium's location is more attractive. But city leaders say all those concerns have been considered time and time again. And the new stadium answers a city goal to become a regional entertainment capital and retain young people in the area.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 28:28:08]
[IN Q=We talked to promoters]

((DARLENE BURCHAM/ROANOKE CITY MANAGER: WE TALKED TO PROMOTERS ABOUT IT AND THEY WERE VERY ENCOURAGING THAT WE COULD PROBABLY PUT ON HALF A DOZEN TO MAYBE TEN EVENTS A YEAR THAT WERE AMPLITHEATER ORIENTED.)) [RUNS11]
[OUT Q=amplitheater oriented]

Stadium activists say it was young people that made the stadium triumphant in the past and a little touching up could make it victorious in the future. Jennifer Wishon, News 7, Roanoke.))

[Holiday-Travel]


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


If your holiday weekend plans take you away from home, you're not alone.
Triple- A says Americans will hit the road in record numbers this Memorial Day Weekend.
The company expects even a few more travelers than last year, when 35- million Americans were on the go.
That was the largest number in at least 10 years.
One good reason to hit the highway-- gas prices are down more than 20 cents from record highs two months ago.
The average is about a dollar-50 a gallon.

[11Community-Colleges]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=03-18 TC56:22]
[GRAPHIC=None]


It's going to cost more to attend Virginia's community colleges.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/File Tape]


Yesterday, the State Board for Community Colleges voted to increase tuition nearly seven dollars per credit hour.


This fall, in-state students will pay 59-dollars and 60-cents per credit hour.
About 94 percent of the state's community college students are Virginians.
(------------)



[6-Cornwell]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=03-17 TC30:33]
[GRAPHIC=None]


A former Botetourt County deputy convicted of sexual battery will not go to prison.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Fincastle/January]


Yesterday, a circuit judge gave Tracey Alan Cornwell a suspended sentence for fondling an 11-year-old girl.
The 39-year-old man admitted that he removed the child's bra one night last August.
But he denied touching her in any improper way.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[SS=None]


Cornwell had been a resource officer at Read Mountain Middle School.
He did NOT know the girl through his work at the school.

[Marketwatch]


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


In business news, Mortgage rates continue to fall.
Alexis Christoforous has that story and more in this morning's Marketwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Alexis Christoforous/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:39]
[OUT Q=in New York.]


((THE CROWDS AT THE MORTGAGE APPLICATION WINDOW ARE ABOUT TO GET EVEN BIGGER.
MORTGAGE RATES HAVE FALLEN TO THE LOWEST LEVEL ON RECORD.. FOR THE SIXTH STRAIGHT WEEK, RATES HAVE MOVED SOUTHBRINGING

(GR)

THE AVERAGE RATE ON THE BENCHMARK 30 YEAR LOAN TO 5.34 PERCENT.. THE LOWEST SINCE FREDDIE MAC BEGAN TRACKING MORTGAGES IN 1971. THE 15 YEAR DROPPED TO 4.73 PERCENT DOWN FROM 4.84 PERCENT LAST WEEK.

(OC)

Biotechnology stocks continue their ascent ..

(GR)

shares of Genentech touched a new 2-year high - that's after the company reported better-than-expected results for a key anti-cancer drug.

(OC)

on wall street.. stocks headed north as investors bet on an economic recovery in the second half of the year...

(GR)

the dow climbed 77 points

(GR)

while the nasdaq rallied more than 17

(OC)

Commercial e-mail generates over $7 billion in sales annually. that's according toa report by the direct marketing association.. that report is expected to be issued this week as congressional hearings about spam continue in Washington. The report says 36 percent of e-mail users, or 21 percent of all adult Americans, have bought a product or service because of commercial e-mail over the last year. And about 9 percent of e-mail users say they bought something after receiving an unsolicited advertisement.

(GR)

On your stocks to watch list: Gap... the retailer (will plug in earnings numbers when they are out)

(GR)

TRACK ALL THE PREMARKET ACTION AT CBS.MW.COM AT THE NASDAQ

(OC)

I'M AC IN NEW YORK.))

(tape tosses to stocks)

[STOCKS] [COMM]


[Iraq]


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


The Iraqi military is officially dis-banded.
The U-S civilian administrator says that a new defense force will be established.
He says it's being done to reassure residents that Saddam Hussein's regime is gone for good.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Basra, Iraq;]


Meanwhile, dozens of Iraqi policemen staged a protest outside a British army base in Basra, demanding a salary.
The officers have been working without pay since the fall of Saddam's regime.
Their protest ended peacefully after they were asked to present a detailed list of their former salaries.
(------------)


[Algeria-Quake]


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


Rescue workers are still hoping to find survivors amid the rubble in Algeria.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Algiers, Algeria;]


There are reports that a young woman was saved last night.
Wednesday's six- point- seven magnitude earthquake killed over a thousand people.
More than five thousand people were injured in the quake.
Hundreds of homes and businesses were reduced to rubble.
A resident says a small town near the epicenter looks like it ``had been bombed.''
(------------)


[11Tornberg]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A Christiansburg man is being held in Canada on child pornography charges. 33-year-old Aaron Tornberg was arrested and charged with two counts of child pornography, at the Queenston Bridge border crossing near Niagara Falls. Authorities say they found a computer in Tornberg's vehicle that had images of children having sex. Christiansburg police searched Tornberg's home yesterday, where officers say they found more photos and pornographic magazines. Tornberg currently has a website where he offers computer lessons over the Internet.

[Hollywood-Minute]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin']
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Ruben moves from the stage to the recording studio. And it looks like Rod Stewart and Rachel Hunter are officially ending their marriage. Paul Chambers has those stories in our Hollywood Minute.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=With the Hollywood minute]
[SUPER=04-"American Idol" - Fox; :04]
[SUPER=03-Seoul, South Korea/June 25, 1999; :32]
[SUPER=03-New York, NY/April 1993; :56]
[RUNS=1:20]
[OUT Q=I'm Paul Chambers.]



((WITH THE HOLLYWOOD MINUTE, I'M Paul chambers.
LISTEN UP ALL YOU RUBEN STUDDARD FANS!!! THE NEW AMERICAN IDOL WINNER--ALSO KNOWN AS THE VELVET TEDDY BEAR--WILL REPORTEDLY BEGIN RECORDING HIS NEW ALBUM THIS WEEKEND.
IT'S SET TO DEBUT IN SEPTEMBER...BUT IF YOU WANNA HEAR A RUBEN JAM SOONER...HERE'S EVEN MORE GOOD NEWS. HE'LL RELEASE HIS FIRST SINGLE NEXT WEEK, "FLYING WITHOUT WINGS", WHICH HE SANG DURING THE AMERICAN IDOL COMPETITION. RUBEN IS SIGNED TO J-RECORDS...WHICH IS MUSIC MOGUL CLIVE DAVIS'S RECORD LABEL.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


MOVING NOW FROM A MUSIC IDOL TO A POP ICON...AN ATTORNEY FOR MICHAEL JACKSON SAYS LAWSUITS ARE TO BLAME FOR HIS RECENT HOSPITALIZATION. THE KING OF POP CHECKED INTO AN INDIANAPOLIS HOSPITAL ON WEDNESDAY...JUST BEFORE HIS SCHEDULED DEPOSITION IN A COPYRIGHT LAWSUIT. THE 44 YEAR OLD --WHO REPORTEDLY SUFFERED DEHYDRATION--WAS RELEASED A FEW HOURS LATER AND RETURNED TO LOS ANGELES. THE DEPOSITION WILL BE RESCHUDULED...NO WORD YET ON A DATE.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


AND AFTER FOUR YEAR OF SEPERATION...VETERAN ROCK STAR ROD STEWART IS OFFICIALLY SEVERING TIES WITH HIS ESTRANGED WIFE, MODEL RACHEL HUNTER. BRITAIN'S SUN NEWSPAPER REPORTS THE 57 YEAR OLD BRITISH SINGER AND 34 YEAR OLD HUNTER ARE FINALLY GETTING A DIVORCE. SINCE THEIR SPLIT, BOTH HUNTER AND THE TWICE-MARRIED STEWART HAVE BEEN LINKED TO OTHER LOVE INTERESTS. WITH THE HOLLYWOOD MINUTE, I'M PAUL CHAMBERS.))
(Kimberly tosses to bump)


[bump-chyron]

[comm #3]



[Biz-Brief]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]


In business news, Walt Disney is planning to sell its retail stores. The entertainment company has 548 stores nationwide. Disney says it's having problems securing capitol for the retail outlets. In other news, John Lisk takes a look at yesterday's closing numbers in today's business brief.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-John Lisk/Reporting; :]
[RUNS=1:20]
[OUT Q=I'm John Lisk]


((STOCKS MANAGED SOME STRONG GAINS THURSDAY, DESPITE ANOTHER RISE IN UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS.


THE DOW GAINED 77 POINTS ON THE DAY.
WHILE, THE NASDAQ WAS UP 17.


NEW CLAIMS FOR UNEMPLOYMENT JUMPED BY SEVEN-THOUSAND DURING THE WEEK ENDING MAY 17TH.
THE LABOR DEPARTMENT SAYS 428-THOUSAND AMERICANS FILED FOR FIRST-TIME UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS.
THAT NUMBER IS UP FROM 421-THOUSAND FOR THE PREVIOUS WEEK.
EXPERTS EXPECTED THE NEW CLAIMS TO DROP.
NATIONWIDE, THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE STANDS AT SIX-PERCENT.


BARNES AND NOBLE REPORTED A FIRST QUARTER LOSS OF THREE-CENTS PER SHARE.
THE BOOKSELLER EXPECTED TO TAKE AN EVEN BIGGER HIT BECAUSE OF THE WAR IN IRAQ.
ANALYSTS, TOO, WERE PESSIMISTIC; THEY HAD EXPECTED BARNES AND NOBLE TO LOSE NINE-CENTS.


WORLDCOM IS UNDER GOVERMENT INVESTIGATION AGAIN.
A SENATE COMMITTEE WILL DECIDE IF WORLDCOM--NOW CALLED M-C-I-- CAN GET GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS.
THE BANKRUPT COMPANY HAS ALREADY RECEIVED A CONTRACT TO BUILD A WIRELESS PHONE NETWORK IN IRAQ.
THE SENATE COMMITTEE WANTS JUSTIFICATION FOR THE CONTRACT AWARD FROM GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT OFFICIALS.
WORLDCOM AGREED EARLIER THIS WEEK TO PAY A 500-MILLION DOLLAR FINE TO THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION BASED UPON CHARGES OF ACCOUNTING FRAUD LAST YEAR.


WITH THE BIZ BRIEF, I'M JOHN LISK.))





[TAPE TOSS TO STOCKS] [STOCKS] [COMM]


[11Bank-Robbery]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=503-02]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Some high school students helped police put a bank robbery suspect behind bars.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :19]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]

Kelly Woodford and David Hoops stopped off at the Bank of Botetourt on Peter's Creek Road on the way to a doctor's appointment shortly after ten yesterday morning. When a teller told them the bank had just been robbed and pointed out the suspect's car, the Northside High School students say they raced off in pursuit.
(///// SOT at :19 ////)
[SOT 6:10-6:23]
[IN Q=It was scary though...]

((KELLY WOODFORD/PURSUED SUSPECT : IT WAS, IT WAS SCARY THOUGH, 'CAUSE I WAS SITTING THERE, DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THINKING HE'S GONNA TURN AROUND AND SHOOT CAUSE HE'S A BANK ROBBER BUT I MEAN THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE LICESE AND I WAS THE ONLY PERSON WHO COULD GET OUT AND GET IT.))
[SUPER=01-Kelly Woodford/Pursued Suspect;]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=could get out and get it.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT :14]

The suspect got away with an undisclosed amount of cash but was pulled over and arrested within the hour. No one was injured.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The F-B-I says 35-year old Jerome Brown of Queens is being held on a federal warrant for four bank robberies in New York. He has yet to be charged with yesterday's robbery which was the fifth in the Roanoke area in the past month.
[DESK 3-SHOT]

(toss to Steve for Weekend Preview)



[11Milliner]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=03-15 TC 3:10:59]
[GRAPHIC=None]


The odds were against her. But a the little girl who fell dozens of feet down a Roanoke County embankment is being called a "miracle girl."
(------------)
[VO-NAT :33]

Tessa Milliner suffered severe head injuries after slipping off a path along the Roanoke River earlier this month.
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./May 11;]

She was taken to UVA Medical Center in Charlottesville for treatment. The nine year old's family had quoted doctors as saying her chances of healing were slim to none. But now, her mother, Shannon Mabry (MAY-bree), says Tessa has been talking, laughing, playing and even walking with help. Tessa is back in intensive care after undergoing her second surgery yesterday. But Mabry says doctors are calling Tessa's progress so far "unbelievable."
(------------)



[2-11Pharmacist-Shortage]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=03-09 TC1:49:32]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Drug stores are feeling the effects of a pharmicist shortage.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co.]

In some cases the chain stores, such as C-V-S, have been relying on independent pharmacists like Tim Lucas to pick up the slack. At least twice in the past week, he's been asked to help out when C-V-S couldn't fill a regular shift. Lucas attributes the shortage to several factors... chief among them: the fact that the pharmacy degree is now a six-year program, requiring a DOCTOR of pharmacy. The growing demand for pharmacists is affecting salaries.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 13:24:15]
[IN Q=You know an average]

((TIM LUCAS/PHARMACIST; YOU KNOW AN AVERAGE PHARMACIST THESE DAYS IS TYPICALLY MAKING $80-90,000.))
[SUPER=01-Tim Lucas/Pharmacist;]
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=90,000]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

In some areas, there are signing bonuses and relocation allowances on top of that. (------------)
by SS