[1-News-Head]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
Soccer under the lights at two high schools while the schools share a football stadium... best option... or a broken promise?
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
And a major economic development project in Martinsville is put on hold.
[Sports-Head]
[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Tonight on News 7 Sports - the commissioner of the SEC offers up some thoughts on expanding the conference.
Abe Naff picks up another honor,
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
and a teenager messes up more than her room today at the French Open.
(------------)
[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]
No big changes weatherwise as periods of sun will be followed by periods of showers. Forecast details coming up.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith 4-Shot]
News 7 is next.
[Video-Open]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=Video Open]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I'm asking you]
((I'M ASKING YOU NOT TO LIGHT THAT SOCCER FIELD.))
((WE FEEL RIGHT NOW THIS IS OUR BEST OPTION.))
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=this is our best option.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
A Roanoke County Committee proposes a shared football stadium and lighted soccer fields for two high schools.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
But the new plan is already generating opposition.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
Good evening, I'm Shannon Young.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
And I'm Keith Humphry.
[Hidden-Valley]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=03-11 TC1:27:30]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
School officials say they've considered many different options, and believe the plan outlined today is by far the best.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
But critics say school officials are breaking a promise not to light athletic fields at Hidden Valley High.
[***NEWS 7 @ 6 IN MONITOR***]
[TOSS ACROSS=Keith-Shannon & JoeD /Pulpit;]
Joe Dashiell is here tonight with more on the controversial proposal.
Keith and Shannon, members of the Roanoke County school construction committee approved the plan this afternoon,
[LIVE= JoeD /FULL Pulpit]
[SUPER=@Joe1;]
but one school board member warned that instead of solving a difficult problem, they were opening of can of worms.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=We looked at ]
[SUPER=01-Richard Flora/Construction Committee Chairman; :00]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :13]
[SUPER=01-Drew Barrineau/Roanoke Co. School Board; :27]
[SUPER=01-Michele Morgan/Hidden Valley Neighbor; :51]
[SUPER=01-Jerry Canada/Roanoke Co. School Board; 1:04]
[RUNS=1:18]
[OUT Q=that's the bottom line for me.]
(( [SOT]
[IN Q=We looked at]
((RICHARD FLORA/CONSTRUCTION COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: WE LOOKED AT MERIMAN ROAD. WE LOOKED AT HIDDEN VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL. WE LOOKED AT CAVE SPRING. WE LOOKED AT EVEN GOING SOMEWHERE ENTIRELY INDEPENDENT OF ALL OF THOSE.))
[RUNS= :11]
[OUT Q=independent of all of those.]
Of all the options, school officials say the best plan calls for renovations to Bogle Field at Cave Spring Middle School.
With 25- hundred seats on each side, the renovated stadium could serve both football teams equally.
Soccer games would move to lighted fields on each high school campus.
[SOT]
[IN Q=It's more than field utilization]
((DREW BARRINEAU/ROANOKE CO. SCHOOL BOARD: IT'S MORE THAN FIELD UTILIZATION, IT'S LIKE WE MENTIONED A WAY TO SAVE TAXPAYERS TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS, SAVE A SITE FOR FUTURE USE OF A SCHOOL, AND IT WILL SOLVE A BIG PROBLEM ALL IN SOUTH COUNTY.))
[RUNS= :13]
[OUT Q=all in south county.]
But as the school construction committee considered the plan, neighbors of Hidden Valley High School objected saying they believed the issue of lighted fields had been dealt with long ago.
[SOT 10:31:55 tape 2]
[IN Q=Lighting wasn't an issue]
((MICHELE MORGAN/HIDDEN VALLEY NEIGHBOR: LIGHTING WASN'T AN ISSUE, BECAUSE WE WERE TOLD THAT THERE WOULD BE NO LIGHTING ON THE FIELDS AT HIDDEN VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL. BOTTOM LINE, WE WERE TOLD THAT.))
((JERRY CANADA/ROANOKE CO. SCHOOL BOARD: THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT THE RECOMMENDATION TO HAVE A LIT FIELD OVER AT HIDDEN VALLEY WOULD BE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE KIDS AND THE SCHOOLS. THEY CAN GET A LOT MORE DONE, A LOT MORE ACCOMPLISHED BUT IT STILL GOES BACK TO AN OLD AGREEMENT WE REACHED WITH THE CITIZENS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WE WOULDN'T HAVE LIT FIELDS OVER THERE, THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE FOR ME.))
[RUNS= :28]
[OUT Q=bottom line for me.]))
(-------------)
[LIVE= JoeD /FULL Pulpit]
School Board members Jerry Canada and Marion Roark said they could not support lighting the soccer fields, but the rest of the board did.
[TOSS ACROSS=Keith-Shannon & JOeD /Pulpit;]
So Keith and Shannon, unless a member reconsiders between now and the final school board vote in July, it appears the new proposal will win approval.
[Axiom]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=03-17 TC33:01]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]
A promising jump start for Martinsville's sluggish economy is now on hold.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville/Last December;]
[TAPE#=02-45 TC42:41]
Axiom Technologies is delaying its move into its intended headquarters, the former Coca Cola plant.
Last December, economic development officials along with Governor Mark Warner welcomed the start up communications component company to Virginia.
Officials said it meant a five-million dollar investment and 250-jobs for the area.
A release from the city says national economic conditions have slowed the company's financing but that they will be working to keep the deal alive.
State and local grants for the project had not been spent and Axiom has offered to reimburse the city about seven-thousand dollars for engineering work.
(------------)
[Hooker-Furniture]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=02-37 TC34:11]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The closing of a furniture plant in North Carolina will mean more work in Roanoke and Martinsville.
Hooker Furniture announced today it will shut down its plant in Kernersville, North Carolina this summer.
About 270 employees will lose their jobs.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville/File Tape]
The company will shift production to its remaining plants in Martinsville and Roanoke, as well as two locations in North Carolina.
Hooker blames the closings on the economic dowturn and a flood of lower-priced imported products.
(------------)
[Warner-budget]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=03-15 TC3:18:06]
[GRAPHIC=VA Budget]
The state's ailing budget is getting a financial boost from the federal government.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]
Virginia will receive an estimated 415 million dollars in federal aid as part of President Bush's tax cut and spending plan.
Governor Warner says the money represents much-needed revenue as the state deals with a budget shortfall and the additional costs of homeland security.
Warner says the federal money will allow the state to avoid further budget cuts this year.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 16:01:26]
[IN Q=WHILE I'M PLEASED]
[SUPER=@MarkWarner]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=IS NOT GOING TO GO AWAY.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The governor says a portion of the money is earmarked for Medicaid.
He says the rest of the money will likely go toward funding education, economic development and law enforcement.
(------------)
[Education-Budget]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Meanwhile, the state Board of Education gave a tentative O-K to more than 300-million dollars worth of public school improvements.
Some of the revisions include funding for more assistant-principals and the lowering of the minimum pupil-teacher ratio in secondary schools.
The lower ratio would allow teachers to have a daily planning period.
A final vote on the recommendations is scheduled for June 25th.
They'll then be forwarded to the Governor and the General Assembly.
[Missing]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6 p.m.]
[WRITER=jwa]
[TAPE#=03-13 TC1:06:02]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The Pittsylvania County sheriff's deparment took to the air today, continuing its search for TWO people seen falling from bridges over the last five days.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pittsylvania Co.]
Authorites searched 13 miles of the Staunton River by helicopter today, after a man was seen falling from the Staunton River Bridge in Hurt last night.
A boat search was not possible because of debris and dangerous conditions of the river.
The search lasted more than an hour and could resume as early as tomorrow, weather permitting.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Meanwhile, the sheriff's department is still looking for a woman seen going over the railing on Stateline Bridge Road in Cascade over the weekend.
Investigators searched eight miles of the Dan River today after suspending the search Sunday.
[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
[SS=NONE]
It could have a big effect on what you watch and read.
More on the upcoming decision by the Federal Communications Commission.
(---------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
Plus one area flight school is about to be grounded for good.
(----------------)
[Media-Owners]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=03-10 TC1:35:18]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
In just days the Federal Communications Commission will make a decision that will affect the news you and your family depend on.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
The panel is considering changes in media ownership rules ... essentially, how many media outlets one company can own.
[***NEWS 7 @ 6 IN MONITOR***]
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Rachel / Newsroom Pod;]
Business Reporter Rachel Cannon looked into ways this may affect you, Rachel?
Keith and Shannon, right now current law limits how many television stations a company can own.
[LIVE= Rachel /FULL Newsroom Pod]
[SUPER=@Rachel1;]
But the F-C-C is considering increasing that number and allowing companies to own multiple stations in more markets.
The debate is on of how it would affect information for the public.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Wat Hopkins/VT Assoc. Professor of Communications; :13]
[SUPER=03-Richmond/February 27; :26]
[RUNS=1:20]
[OUT Q=WILL JUST INCREASE.]
(( Virginia Tech professor Wat Hopkins believes if the changes go through, the biggest impact will be on local news.
He says if large companies get bigger, the number of media voices will get smaller.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 17:05:03]
[IN Q=there will]
((WAT HOPKINS/VT ASSOC. PROFESSOR OF COMM.; THERE WILL BE FEWER INDEPENDENT VOICES FEWER OWNERS AND THOSE OWNERS WILL OWN MORE BROADCASTING ENTITIES AND NEWSPAPER ENTITIES.))
[OUT Q=entities]
At a public hearing on the topic in Richmond, critics of the proposal claim diversity and local programming will be hit hard.
Hopkins agrees, saying news will become more regional and national.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 17:00:20]
[IN Q=whenever you]
((WAT HOPKINS/VT ASSOC. PROFESSOR OF COMM.; WHENEVER YOU HAVE FEWER OWNERS MORE AND MORE OF THE DECISION ARE MADE BASED ON PROFIT.))
[OUT Q=PROFIT.]
But media companies are pushing for the changes, saying current rules are outdated and that convergence can work in favor of viewers.
Richmond-based Media General whose holdings include WSLS and two newspapers in our region says
[INSERT FULLSCREEN]
WHEN THE FCC RULE CHANGES, WE PLAN TO SWAP AND PURCHASE NEWSPAPERS AND BROADCAST STATIONS. OUR GOAL IS TO ADVANCE OUR CONVERGENCE AND CLUSTERING STRATEGIES IN THE SOUTHEAST. WE WILL BE INTERESTED ONLY IN PROPERTIES THAT PROVIDE GROWTH IN REVENUES, OPERATING PROFIT AND CASH FLOW.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 17:04:53]
[IN Q=THERE HAVE]
((THERE HAVE BEEN BUYOUTS FOR YEARS AND THAT WILL JUST INCREASE.))
[OUT Q=INCREASE.]))
(-------------)
[LIVE= Rachel /FULL Newsroom Pod]
The decision will be made on June 2nd.
Speculation is that the vote will go along party lines and that the rules will be changed to approve increased ownership.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Rachel /Newsroom Pod;]
Two members along with politicians had asked for the vote to be delayed but the request was denied.
[Humphries]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=none]
A Rockbridge County man is facing a murder charge, after going to the sheriff's department and saying he'd been in a fight.
Sheriff Robert Day says 38-year-old Reginald Humphries of Glasgow is charged in the death of David Lewis Fisher of Natural Bridge Stations.
Day says Humphries told deputies he hit Fisher with a piece of wood during a fight Monday.
Authorities found the body of the 36-year-old victim in a ditch near some railroad tracks.
Day would not say what the two men were fighting about.
[Walton-Kilgore]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=03-14 TC3:30:11]
[GRAPHIC=Percy Walton]
Today was scheduled to be Percy Walton's last.
But because of a stay of execution, Virginia's Attorney General says the case of the triple-murderer is likely to drag on for several months.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville/File Tape]
Walton was scheduled to die in the electric chair tonight for the 1996 murders of an elderly couple and a neighbor in Danville.
A stay of execution was granted after his attorneys argued that Walton is mentally retarded.
Both sides will now debate that issue in federal court in Roanoke.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 00:54:11]
[IN Q=WHAT WE HOPE TO SHOW AT THE END]
((ATTORNEY GENERAL JERRY KILGORE: WHAT WE HOPE TO SHOW AT THE END OF THE DAY IS THAT THE JURY VERDICT OUGHT TO BE CARRIED OUT, THAT THE INDIVIDUAL KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING FROM READING AND REVIEWING THE FACTS OF THIS CASE. IT WAS A VICIOUS ATTACK ON THREE INDIVIDUALS IN THE DANVILLE AREA. WE CONTINUE TO THINK ABOUT THE VICTIMS FAMILIES IN THESE CASES.))
[SUPER=@Kilgore]
[RUNS=:23]
[OUT Q=TO THINK ABOUT THE VICTIMS' FAMILIES IN THESE CASES.]
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[SS=None]
Last year the Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to execute a retarded person.
[Chesterfield-Shooting]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Shooting]
A shootout in suburban Richmond this morning killed a police officer and the suspected gunman.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Chesterfield Co.]
Chesterfield County police say rookie officer Ryan Cappellety responded to a "shots-fired" call around seven o'clock this morning.
The 23-year old officer died from injuries he sustained when a gunman opened fire on him and another Chesterfield County policeman.
A spokesman for the department says the gunman was killed when officers returned fire.
Cappellety was the first officer shot and killed in Chesterfield County history.
(------------)
[Stocks]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Investors continue to look ahead with confidence.
[TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-x/11.77/8793.12/x/6.55/1563.24;]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
The DOW gained 12 points today.
NASDAQ rose six and a half.
(-------------)
[VO]
[SUPER=271-i/0.10/59.89/i/0.76/41.33/i/0.72/28.53/i/0.61/74.23/i/0.65/74.34;]
[SUPER=272-h/0.05/8.77/i/0.02/6.61/i/0.50/63.50/h/0.17/41.80/i/0.04/28.27;]
[SUPER=273-h/0.21/6.69/h/0.29/33.34/h/0.14/15.57/i/0.23/21.04/i/0.10/6.37;]
[SUPER=274-h/0.20/7.40/i/0.13/59.09/i/0.19/37.28/h/0.06/39.50/h/0.85/53.35;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]
[Tech-Airport]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=03-09 TC1:59:35]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
It's been flying high for more than 50-years.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
But the Virginia Tech flight school will soon make its final departure.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]
The Virginia Tech Airport says it will officially end its flight training program this Saturday.
The decision comes after the university announced two years ago it was getting out of the airport business.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 426]
[IN Q=we operated]
((STEVE MOURAS/DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION: WE OPERATED THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTION PROGRAM AS A BREAK EVEN ENDEAVOR. WE ONLY CHARGED AS MUCH AS WE NEEDED TO RECOVER OUR COSTS SO THERE WAS NO EXPENSE TO THE UNIVERSITY BUT THERE NO GAIN TO THE UNIVERSITY.))
[SUPER=01-Steve Mouras/VT Director of Transportation;]
[RUNS=14]
[OUT Q=to the university. (2ND REFERENCE!)]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The Virginia Tech flight training program began during World War Two, when the R-O-T-C trained pilots for combat.
Eventually it opened to the public, where it has since averaged about 25 students per year.
(-----------)
[Sports Tease]
[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Coming up tonight on News 7 Sports - the SEC commissioner talks about the chances of expansion.
A teenager make a mess of the seedings at the French Open -
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
and we'll chat with Patrick Henry high school talented junior tennis stars, who hope to bring home an individual state title next week in Richmond.
(------------)
[S-SEC]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-139 14415TC]
[GRAPHIC=SEC]
The Southeastern Conference is holding its annual spring meetings this week in Destin, Florida.
Hokies all over the country were hoping that expansion might be one of the hot topics for the athletic directors and coaches.
[GRAPHIC=TECH/SEC]
But the league's commissioner says that "expansion" is not a formal agenda item this week.
Still, he and his SEC cohorts are keeping a close eye on the ongoing ACC-Big East saga.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Mike Slive/SEC Commissioner; :00]
[RUNS=:23]
[OUT Q=...as you are."]
(------------)
[VO-NAT con't]
[SUPER=04-SEC; :00]
While the SEC appears to be locked in on holding at 12 teams for now, Slive says he believes a variety of odd or even numbered combinations can make for a successful league.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=BITE]
[RUNS=:28]
[OUT Q=...PERFECT NUMBER."]
(-----------)
[ANCHOR=mike]
[graphic=hold tech/sec]
When asked about the likelihood of taking in Tech in the future, Slive would only say the conference is "comfortable" where it is right now.
[S-Teen]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-149 10411tcTC]
[GRAPHIC=TENNIS]
The French Open continues to place of amusement and surprise.
Today a southern teenager crashed the elitist party at Roland Garros.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Paris, France/espn2; :00]
American Ashley Harkleroad a home schooled 18 year old from Roseville, Georgia knocked off ninth seeded Daniela Hantuchova 7-6, 4-6 and 9-7.
Harkleroad has yet to graduate from high school, but she and her school teacher Mom are learning the ins and outs of the professional game first hand.
Today she blew a 5-1 lead in the third set by losing five straight games, but somehow rallied to win the match.
(------------)
[talent=mike]
[graphic=hold tennis]
Crowd favorite Andre Agassi, who is seeded 2nd, almost had to pack his bags and head back across the Atlantic. He needed five sets to advance over 19 year old Mario Ancic. The match lasted over three hours.
The top seeded woman, Serena Williams, comitted 32 unforced errors,but still won easily in straight sets.
[S-Doubles]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-1147 13457TC]
[GRAPHIC=vhsl]
The triple A state individual singles and doubles championships hit the court June sixth and seventh in Richmond.
Lots of local fans will be pulling for Patrick Henry's Brock Newton and Tyler Early.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :00]
These juniors have been playing tennis together for over eight years. They are 22 and OH this season and have an overall high school record in three seasons of 62 and 4.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Brock Newton/Patrick Henry Junior; :00]
[SUPER=01-Tyler Early/Patrick Henry Junior; :12]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=......all the time"]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The pair looks more like two linebackers than tennis players on the court. Newton played football at PH and weighed as much as 240 pounds, but decided, as Early did, to focus on tennis. He's now 210 and both are extremely agile.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Joel Higham/Patrick Henry Head Tennis Coach; :00]
[RUNS=:26]
[OUT Q=.....hard to lob us"]
(------------------)
[VO-NAT]
The doubles pair reached the state quarterfinals in ninth grade and made it all the way to the semis last season, so this year, according to this duo, there is only one way to go, up.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[RUNS=:18]
[OUT Q=......new thing for me"]
(------------------)
[S-Naff]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-136 20042TC]
[GRAPHIC=FERRUM]
The Virginia College sports information directors have bestowed yet another honor on Ferrum's Abe Naff tonight.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Ferrum; :00]
Naff was named the state's college division coach of the year.
Naff just wrapped up his 17th season with the Panthers, and while his team was snubbed by the NCAAs, he did lead them to a first place finish in the Dixie regular season and a 29-and-6 record.
(------------)
Two players from Ferrum and W&L made first team honors, while three from Averett made first team honors.
by SS