WDBJ 7 morning news for 05/27/03

[North-Pole]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

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

A British explorer is stranded at the North Pole with little food left, and is becoming desperate.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Pen Hadow got there by foot, but plans to take him out by plane have so far failed.
Foggy weather has kept the plane from coming.
Now Hadow's is waiting in freezing temperatures, with only two days of nuts and chocolates to keep him alive.
His website says he's the first person to walk from Northern Canada across the frozen sea to the North Pole alone.

His children helped him train.
Now they're waiting at home with their mother for his return.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I was watching]
((MARY HADOW/EXPLORER'S WIFE:I WAS WATCHING 'THE SOUND OF MUSIC' WITH MY LITTLE BOY THE OTHER DAY AND THEY STARTED SINGING 'CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN' AND I JUST HAD A LITTLE TEAR. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HE'S BEEN DOING, HE'S BEEN FOLLOWING HIS DREAM. ))
[SUPER=01-Mary Hadow/Explorer's Wife;]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=following his dream.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

But now Hadow says his dream is to get back home.
(------------)

[Iraq]

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

U- S Central Command says an American soldier is dead and seven other troops are injured after a firefight in the Iraqi town of Fallujah. Two un- identified attackers were also killed.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Baghdad, Iraq;]

This follows one of the most violent days for U-S troops since major combat in Iraq ended last month.
One U-S soldier was killed and three were injured when a humvee ran over a landmine in Baghdad.
In a separate incident, gunmen ambushed a U-S military convoy, killing an American soldier and wounding another.
(------------)

[AM-Saudi-Bombing]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=03-14 TC 3:28:04]
[GRAPHIC=none]

The recent terrorist bombings in Saudi Arabia have forced many Americans to flee that country.
One woman who grew up in Salem had to do just that.
As Justin McLeod explains, it wasn't an easy decision.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia/May 12; :35]
[SUPER=01-Lisa Azar/Salem Native; :48]
[SUPER=03-Salem; 1:15]
[SUPER=@justin1; :]
[RUNS=1:55]
[OUT Q=JM, News 7]
((((NAT SOUND OF LISA READING EMAIL))
Lisa Azar spends a lot of time in front of the computer these days.
It is one way she stays in touch with her husband who remains in Saudi Arabia, their home for the last six years.
It is also the place that was recently struck by terrorists. [21:38:14]
[IN Q=It was about nine]
((LISA AZAR: IT WAS ABOUT NINE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING WHEN I FIRST HEARD THE NEWS AND IT WAS VERY FRIGHTENING.)) [Runs06]
[OUT Q=was very frightening]

It was also frightening to look at in person.
Lisa's husband was in Riyahd on business when terrorists bomb blew up three housing compounds.
The blasts killed 41 people including several Americans.
[SOT 21:42:22]
[IN Q=He said it was awful]
((LISA AZAR: HE SAID IT WAS AWFUL THIS WAS LIKE A WAR ZONE, PEOPLE WERE WALKING IN A DAZE. I GUESS THEY COULDN'T BELIEVE IT EITHER, WE NEVER THOUGHT A COMPOUND WOULD, ESPECIALLY THAT KIND OF COMPOUND WOULD BE HIT.)) [Runs10]
[OUT Q=would be hit]

Lisa felt she and her kids were safe since their compound was located several hundred miles away from Riyadh.
But then the rumors started.
[SOT 21:40:58]
[IN Q=The guards were saying]
((LISA AZAR: THE GUARDS WERE SAYING OUR COMPOUND IS GOING TO BE HIT WITHIN 12 HOURS SO FINALLY OUR HUSBAND SAID IT'S NOT WORTH IT.)) [Runs07]
[OUT Q=not worth it]

And with that Lisa and their three kids fled Saudi Arabia for America.
They're now staying with her parents in Salem. ((QUICK NAT SOUND OF BASEBALL))
It is unclear if they'll ever return to Saudi Arabia.
That's because the family was scheduled to move to Riyahd but the bombings there have forced them to rethink their future.
[SOT 21:47:04]
[IN Q=It is a difficult decision]
((LISA AZAR: IT IS A DIFFICULT DECISION. ON THE ONE HAND IT IS EXCELLENT SCHOOL AND ALL THEIR FRIENDS BUT YET I HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THEIR SAFETY, IT IS REALLY HARD.)) [Runs12]
[OUT Q=it is really hard]
[SOT ]
[IN Q= ]
((JUSTIN McLEOD/REPORTING: IT IS ALSO HARD BECAUSE HER HUSBAND CONTINUES TO WORK IN SAUDI ARABIA. HE'LL BE BACK IN THE STATES IN JULY AND THE FAMILY WILL THEN DECIDE WHETHER THEY'LL RETURN AND LIVE IN RIYADH. JUSTIN McLEOD, NEWS 7.))))

[Dog-Food]

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

Some consumer information for pet owners--
A Nevada company is asking customers to return dog food that may have come from a Canadian cow testing positive for mad cow disease.
The F-D-A says Pet Pantry International wants customers to search for products that were purchased by phone or E-mail.
The voluntary return is a precaution to prevent the discarded dog food from getting mixed with feed for farm animals.
F-D-A says there is NO known risk to dogs, and no evidence that dogs could transmit the disease to people.

[11D-Day-Memorial]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=03-09 TC1:55:02]
[GRAPHIC=National D-Day Memorial]
Many people celebrated Memorial Day at The National D-Day Memorial in Bedford.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :18]
[SUPER=03-Bedford;]
Hundreds gathered for a ceremony honoring veterans of the past and present. Children of World War Two soldiers who did not make it home from the D-Day invasion shared their stories. Memorial officials used the day to unveil the newest part of the site ... the beginning of a memorial wall.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 12:07:05]
[IN Q=it's been a]
((WILLIAM MCINTOSH/NATIONAL D-DAY MEMORIAL PRESIDENT; WE WERE ABLE TO PUT UP TODAY 40 OF THOSE PLAQUES AND WE HAVE ANOTHER 25 IN PRODUCTION AND IT'S BEEN A GRAND PROJECT I THINK FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED IN IT.))
[SUPER=01-William McIntosh/National D-Day Memorial President;]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=INVOLVED IN IT.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The names of all 43-hundred allied soldiers killed on D-Day will be engraved in plaques surrounding the interior of the site. The underwriting of each plaque is five-thousand dollars. Proceeds are going to the Memorial's debt, so far about 250-thousand dollars has been raised.
(------------)

[11Hidden-Valley]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=502-09 1:16:02]
[GRAPHIC=None]

It was a working holiday for some Roanoke County students.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :]
[SUPER=03-Bedford;]

45 Hidden Valley High School students spent their Memorial Day volunteering at the D-Day Memorial.
The students gave tours, recorded oral histories from veterans, and served water to the elderly.
The students are part of Hidden Valley's key club and say the work was hard but rewarding.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 12:39:10]
[IN Q=i think]
((KATIE RAINS/HIDDEN VALLEY HS VOLUNTEER; I THINK PEOPLE GIVE TEENAGERS A BAD REP FOR NOT CARING BUT THERE REALLY ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT CARE ABOUT OUR VETERANS AND REALLY WANT TO HELP OUT AND GENUINELY WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.))
[SUPER=01-Katie Rains/Hidden Valley H. S. Volunteer;]
[RUNS=:12]
[OUT Q=KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The students have decided to establish their own war memorial at school.
They will also plant five trees and add additional items like plaques and benches in future years.
(------------)

[Marketwatch]

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

In business news, Consumer confidence is expected to have gained ground again this month. The numbers will be released later this morning.
Alexis Christoforous has that story and more in this morning's Marketwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Alexis Christoforous/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:12]
[OUT Q=in New York.]

((Information:

(oc)
INVESTORS WILL BE GREETED WITH A PACKED ECONOMIC CALENDAR WHEN THEY RETURN FROM THE LONG HOLIDAY WEEKEND.

(gr)
LOOK FOR REPORTS ON CONSUMER CONFIDENCE, HOME SALES, DURABLE GOODS AND PERSONAL INCOMES AND SPENDING.

(oc)
ALSO, KEEP YOUR EYE ON AUTO STOCKS...

(gR)
IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS WE'LL BE GETTING REPORTS ON MAY AUTO SALES AND INDUSTRY EXPERTS EXPECT DISAPPOINTING NUMBERS - THAT'S DESPITE ZERO PERCENT FINANCING DEALS AND OTHER INCENTIVES.

(oc)
ON WALL STREET.. STOCKS PUT IN THEIR FIRST LOSING WEEK IN SIX...

(gr)
THE MARKET BEGINS WITH THE DOW UP 7 POINTS TO 8601

(gr)
THE NASDAQ SITS AT 1510.. UP 2 AND A HALF POINTS AHEAD OF THE HOLIDAY.

(oc)
AN ONLINE DATING SERVICE IS TURNING TO THE TELEPHONE TO BOOST REVENUE..., BEGINNING THIS WEEK.. Match.com subscribers will be offered a 15-minute conference call with a prospective date.The price will be $4.95 BUT more than half of Match.com's customers said they would not be comfortable giving out their phone number to an online acquaintance.

(gr)
TRACK ALL THE MARKET ACTION AT CBS.MW.COM...

(oc)
AT THE NASDAQ I'M AC IN NEW YORK.))
(tape tosses to stocks)
[STOCKS] [COMM]

[LA-Killer]

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

Louisiana police and the F-B-I want the public's help in finding a suspected serial killer.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Baton Rouge, LA;]

Authorities say Derrick Todd Lee is wanted for the killings of five women in and around the Baton Rouge area.
They say D-N-A evidence connects him to at least one of the murder victims, Carrie Yoder, whose body was found in march of last year near an interstate highway.
The head of the task force looking into the killings says Lee should be considered ''armed and dangerous.''
(------------)

[6-Blacksburg-Death]

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

Blacksburg police are hoping an autopsy will offer more clues about a man found dead Sunday morning.
The 25 to 30 year old man was found dead in the grass along South Main Street around 9:30.
A passer-by found the body.
Police are calling the death suspicious and hope to have more information later this week.

[6-Danville-Council]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=03-08 TC2:04:26]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Danville city leaders acknowledge they need to do less behind closed doors.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville/Last Week]

In the past two years, city council has had to fill two vacancies on council.
Both were decided in closed session.
For the first one, members appointed the runner-up from the previous election.
Council however did not do that for the second opening and appointed its own choice.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 11:18:31]
[IN Q=As a result]
((JOHN HAMLIN/DANVILLE'S MAYOR: AS A RESULT THE PUBLIC WAS QUESTIONING IN SOME WAYS HOW WE WERE GOING ABOUT FILLING THOSE VACANCIES AND WANTED TO PLAY A ROLE IN THE ACTUAL DETERMINATION OF WHO MAY GO INTO THE SEATS.))
[SUPER=01-John Hamlin/Danville Mayor]
[RUNS=:12]
[OUT Q=into the seats]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Mayor Hamlin appointed a citizen's committee to come up with a recommendation.
That report recommends council fill future vacancies in open session to give the public the chance to ask questions of the candidates.
(------------)
(Kimberly tosses to bump)

[bump-chyron]

[comm #3]

[11Bedford-Boys]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=03-11 TC1:24:11]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The author of The Bedford Boys signed copies of his book in Bedford yesterday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :18]
[SUPER=03-Bedford;]
Alex Kershaw says its an honor to be in the town that gave so many lives for the pursuit of freedom. His book tells the story of the 21-men from Bedford that were killed on D-Day. Kershaw says the story is not about the battle but instead the people and the community they left behind.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 13:19:37]
[IN Q=people were ]
((ALEX KERSHAW/THE BEDFORD BOYS AUTHOR; PEOPLE WERE VERY GENEROUS TO ME HERE THEY WERE THAT'S WHAT I EXPECTED FROM VIRGINIANS THAT LEGENDARY CHARM AND GRACE AT THE DROP OF THE HAT THEY WOULD MAKE ME LUNCH OR DINNER I WAS JUST VERY IMPRESSED BY THEIR HOSPITALITY.))
[SUPER=01-Alex Kershaw/The Bedford Boys Author;]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=BY THEIR HOSPITALITY.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Kershaw says he got to know seven or eight residents very well in researching and writing this book. Proceeds from yesterday's book sales will go the Bedford City-County museum.
(------------)

[Biz-Brief]

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

In business news, Wall Street resumes trading this morning after taking a break for the Memorial Day holiday. Stan Case has more in today's business brief.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Stan Case/Reporting; :]
[RUNS=1:21]
[OUT Q=I'm Stan Case]
(( AFTER A CLOSE ON FRIDAY THAT FEATURED MIXED RESULTS, U-S EQUITY MARKETS WERE CLOSED MONDAY FOR THE NATIONAL HOLIDAY.
THE DOW WAS SEVEN POINTS HIGHER ON THE DAY FRIDAY BUT WAS DOWN FOR THE WEEK. THE NASDAQ WAS UP TWO FOR THE DAY BUT ALSO LOST ON THE WEEK.
FROM GERMANY: ANOTHER INDICATION OF THE COMPLEXITY OF THE FINANCIAL MARKETS. STOCKS RALLIED ON THE GERMAN EXCHANGE MONDAY MORNING ON ENCOURAGING NEWS FROM THE COUNTRY'S LEADING ECONOMIC INDICATOR. BUT THAT ENCOURAGING NEWS ADDED STILL MORE TO THE RECENT STRENGTH OF THE EURO AGAINST THE U-S DOLLAR AND THE JAPANESE YEN. AND THAT STRENGTH, WHICH MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR GERMAN BUSINESSES TO SELL GOODS IN OTHER COUNTRIES, CAUSED STOCKS TO LOSE THEIR GAINS IN THE AFTERNOON. THE LONDON EXCHANGE WAS ALSO CLOSED ON MONDAY.
ENRON MIGHT BE ON THE RECEIVING END OF STILL MORE FEDERAL CRIMINAL CHARGES. A RECENT COURT FILING BY A DEFENDANT IN THE CASE SUGGESTS ADDITIONAL OFF-THE-BALANCE SHEET TRANSACTIONS HAVE COME TO LIGHT. A SERIES OF PREPAID OIL-AND-GAS TRADES BETWEEN ENRON AND CITIGROUP COULD TURN OUT TO BE "DISGUISED LOANS" TO ENRON. THE TRANSACTIONS, REFERRED TO AS "YOSEMITE," NEVER APPEARED AS DEBTS ON THE BOOKS OF THE ENERGY TRADING FIRM. CRITICS OF THE COMPANY SUSPECT THE YOSEMITE DEALS PROVIDED MORE THAN THREE-AND-A-HALF BILLION DOLLARS IN FINANCING FOR ENRON.
WITH THE BUSINESS BRIEF, I'M STAN CASE. ))

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