WDBJ 7 morning news for 05/31/03

[Open-Heads]

[ANCHOR=Marya]

[NEWSCAST=Sat Am]
[WRITER=jen]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

[roll cold out of the open]

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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=#4070;weekend headline banner]
[SUPER=@Marya1;]
[SUPER=@Brent1;]
Coming up on News 7 Saturday Morning....... Roanoke County's G-O-P nominates its candidates for County offices this morning -
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And U-V-A officials say Tech may still be able to score a seat with the A-C-C. We will have more on those stories in just a few minutes.

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[2-shot toss to Hello]

[11County-Races]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=jwa]
[TAPE#=03-12 TC1:16:51]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2003]
Roanoke County Republicans are meeting this morning to nominate candidaties for county offices and the board of supervisors.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.]

Earlier this week - Susan Simmons was unopposed in the race to win the G-O-P's nomination for Roanoke County Treasurer.
But on Wednesday, investment consultant Kevin Hutchins put himself in the running, and now, the nomination for Treasurer is the ONLY contested race for the Republican party.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT - 01:29:28 - 01:29:41]
[IN Q=I'm very familiar]
((SUSAN SIMMONS/(R) ROANOKE CO. TREASURER CANDIDATE; I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE TAX CODE OF VIRGINIA. I HAVE THE EXPERIENCE IN ADMINISTERING THAT. I ALSO HAVE AN MBA AND I'VE LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT AND THAT I WANT TO CONTINUE TO SERVE THIS COUNTY.)) ((KEVIN HUTCHINS/(R) ROANOKE CO. TREASURER CANDIDATE; TREASURER: I HAVE NINE YEARS IN THE INVESTMENT CAPITOL MARKET. I KNOW THE INVESTMENTS THAT ARE ALLOWED BY THE VIRGINIA STATE CODE THAT CAN BE UTILIZED IN THIS SITUATION. I THINK FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE THAT I'M DEFINITELY QUALIFIED FOR THIS POSITION.))
[SUPER=01-Susan Simmons/(R) Roanoke Co. Treasurer Candidate; :00]
[SUPER=01-Kevin Hutchins/(R) Roanoke Co. Treasurer Candidate; :14]
[RUNS=29]
[OUT Q=for this position.]
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[ANCHOR=Marya]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]

The G-O-P meets at 10 this morning at Cave Spring High School.

[11Pendergrass]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Virginia Tech]
Virginia Tech's Dean of Students is retiring after more than two decades years of service.
Barbara Pendergrass will retire on June First and move back to her hometown of Kinstree, South Carolina.
She's worked at the University since 1979 and became Dean of Students in 1998.

[11UVA-Visitors]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=03-13 TC1:11:01]
[GRAPHIC=ACC Big East]
The University of Virginia's President says Virginia Tech may still have a chance at a slot in the A-C-C.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Charlottesville]

John Casteen says he doesn't think the A-C-C expansion plan is a done deal yet.
He says U-V-A is still "very much at work" to see that its intra-state rivals, the Hokies, are included.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 13:19:28]
[IN Q=WE'RE LOOKING PRETTY CAREFULLY]
((JOHN CASTEEN/PRESIDENT OF UVA: WE'RE LOOKING PRETTY CAREFULLY AT THE ALIGNMENT OF DIVISIONS IN OUR CONFERENCE, WHO BELONGS TO WHICH DIVISION. AND I GUESS IN THE LONGER VIEW OF THINGS, IF A CONFERENCE OF NINE WORKS AND A CONFERENCE OF TWELVE WORKS, MAYBE A CONFERENCE OF THIRTEEN OR FOURTEEN WORKS. SO AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED ITS ANYTHING BUT A FINISHED DISCUSSION.))
[SUPER=01-John Casteen/University of Virginia President]
[RUNS=:18]
[OUT Q=ANYTHING BUT A FINISHED DISCUSSION.]
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[ANCHOR=Marya]
[SS=HOLD]

In their bid to expand, A-C-C officials are in Florida to visit the University of Miami.
They'll head to Boston College and Syracuse next week.
Mike Stevens will have more on that a little later in sports.

[5-Bath-Trailer]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Residents of the Bath County Trailer Park get to keep their homes.
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[VO-NAT - 17]
[SUPER=03-Bath Co.;]
The owner of the park had planned to close the property tomorrow, but Cedar Creek Associates agreed to buy the park and keep it running. If the sale had NOT been agreed to, residents would have packed up their belongings this weekend, and tried to find affordable housing elsewhere in Bath County.
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[SOT 14:09:25/14:05:19]
[IN Q=I was relieved...]
((NANCY COLVIN/PARK RESIDENT; IF WE HAD TO MOVE WE WOULD HAVE HAD TO SELL OUR TRAILER WE JUST BOUGHT, DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT.)) ((RHONDA ROBERTSON/PARK RESIDENT; I WAS RELIEVED, I WAS RELIEVED, BECAUSE I WAS GLAD THAT I DIDN'T HAVE TO MOVE. I DON'T KNOW WHERE I WOULD HAVE WENT, I DON'T KNOW WHERE I WOULD HAVE WENT.))
[SUPER=01-Nancy Colvin/Park Resident;]
[SUPER=01-Rhonda Robertson/Park Resident;]
[RUNS=17]
[OUT Q=would have went (2x)]
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[VO-NAT - :14+]
Bath County has applied for a 1-point-4 million dollar Community Development Block Grant to help make repairs to the park's roads and septic system.
Officials expect to hear whether they have received the grant sometime in the next few weeks.
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[Diet-Pills]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=sat. a.m.]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=met]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]

A California judge has ruled that the maker of a popular diet pill made false claims.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-San Diego, CA;]

A judge in San Diego ordered the makers of Xenadrine to pay 12-point-5 million dollars to plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit.
The decision is believed to be the first in the country involving false and deceptive advertising of ephedra-based products.
The judge said Xenadrine's "before and after" magazine ads showed models and bodybuilders with exaggerated weight loss results. He also said Xenadrine distorted study results on the pill.
At least 43-hundred consumers have been identified as eligible to receive money from the class action lawsuit.
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[Computer-Checkup]

[ANCHOR=bRENT]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=jen]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

If your computer is showing signs of wear and tear, it may be time for a check-up. Regina Lewis explains.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Regina Lewis/Reporting; :18]
[SUPER=01-Geraldine MacDonald/America Online; :34]
[RUNS=1:15]
[OUT Q=Regina Lewis reporting]
((JUST LIKE YOUR CAR YOUR COMPUTER NEEDS TO BE MAINTAINED. BUT IT'S SOMETHING MOST PEOPLE DON'T THINK ABOUT, UNTIL LITTLE -- AND NOT SO LITTLE -- THINGS START TO GO WRONG
sot mos #1- it's not working as quickly as it used to.
sot mos #2- i lost all of my programs.
sot mos #3- i'm unable to access the internet.
sot lewis: so how do you keep your computer running on all cylinders? it's
easier than you may think. FIRST, RUN A COMPREHENSIVE COMPUTER CHECK-UP PROGRAM TO GAUGE THE OVERALL HEALTH OF YOUR COMPUTER AND HIGHLIGHT POTENTIAL PERFORMANCE ISSUES. IT TAKES A MATTER OF MINUTES AND SHOULD BE DONE AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH.
sot maconald: when you go through the check-up steps exactly the way we've
asked them to go through them it'll clean up your computer, can't harm your computer and might in fact improve your performance. HERE'S HOW IT WORKS ... THE TOOL SCOURS YOUR COMPUTER, DETECTS CRITICAL ISSUES &EVEN SERVES UP SOLUTIONS. IT'LL EITHER FIX THE PROBLEM, TELL YOU HOW TO DO IT YOURSELF, OR CONNECT YOU WITH AN ONLINE TECH SPECIALIST FOR HELP. THERE ARE
OTHER WAYS TO BOOST YOUR COMPUTER'S PERFORMANCE -UPGRADE YOUR MODEM --- OR ADD
MEMORY. BUT EXPERTS SAY THE SIMPLEST THING YOU CAN DO TO KEEP YOUR COMPUTER FINELY TUNED IS TURN IT OFF WHEN YOU AREN'T USING IT... THAT AND QUICK REGULAR CHECK-UPS WILL HELP KEEP THE MACHINE YOU USE ON THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY FROM STALLING. IN WASHINGTON, I'M REGINA LEWIS REPORTING. ))

[toss to marya at bam]

[2Open-Heads]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sat Am]
[WRITER=jen]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

[roll cold out of the open]

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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=#4070;weekend headline banner]
Coming up on News 7 Saturday Morning...... A judge says autopsy results will remain closed in the Peterson case ... after some disturbing information is leaked to the media.
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and improvements to Interstate 81 are up for an environmental review.
We will have more on those stories in just a few minutes.
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[2-shot toss to hello]

[11Smith]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=03-21 TC24:22]
[GRAPHIC=Guilty Plea]
A Roanoke man admits to shooting a Florida tourist outside a city motel in March.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Yesterday]

Derrick Wakie Smith pleaded guilty to eight counts including attempted capital murder, attempted robbery, car-jacking, abduction, and multiple firearm charges.
It was on the night of March 27th that Ryan Taboada (Tah--BOH-duh) and his family were about to check into the Holiday Inn Express on Gainsboro Road.
Smith shot Taboada after he refused to give him money and then took off in the family's SUV with a three year old girl strapped in the backseat.
The victim is now recovering at his home in Florida.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 4:51:03]
[IN Q=This man was shot full of holes]
((NEIL HORN/COMMONWEALTH'S ATTORNEY: IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME BEFORE HE IS EVEN ABLE TO TRAVEL SO THIS DOES SAFE A LOT OF MORE EXPENDITURE RESOURCE BY THE FAMILY AND A LOT OF EMOTIONAL AND THEY WOULD HAVE TO RELIVE THIS OVER AGAIN SO WE BELIEVE THIS WAS A GOOD OUTCOME FOR THEM.))
[SUPER=01-Neil Horn/Commonwealth's Attorney;]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=outcome for them]
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[VO-NAT]

Smith also pleaded guilty to robbing a Roanoke woman a week before the Holiday Inn Shooting.
He faces 3 life sentences plus another 31 years.
He will be formally sentenced on July 22nd.
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[Peterson]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sat. a.m.]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Peterson]

The autopsy report on Laci Peterson and her unborn son will remain sealed for now. So will search warrant and arrest records.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Modesto, CA;]

The judge says releasing the information could hamper the investigation and prejudice potential jurors.
Peterson's husband, Scott, is accused of killing his pregnant wife in their Modesto, California, home last December. The bodies washed ashore in April.
Yesterday, Laci Peterson's family went into the family's house and removed some items, prompting an angry response from Scott Peterson's defense attorneys.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1st bite]
[IN Q=They've]
((MATT DALTON: they've got zero evidence in this case, zero, and we have no idea if they planted evidence in there.))
[SUPER=01-Matt Dalton/Scott Peterson Defense Attorney;]
[RUNS=:04]
[OUT Q=planted evidence in there.]
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[VO-NAT]

The family reportedly had permission from investigators to enter the house.
Prosecutors in the case now say they want the autopsy report made public.
Someone leaked out part of the report saying the baby's body was wounded and had plastic tape around its neck.
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[11I-81]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=03-14 TC3:33:08]
[GRAPHIC=I-81 Widening]

State transportation officials were hoping to map out Interstate 81 improvements by the end of this year. Now, that decision will have to wait until an environmental review is completed.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]

V-DOT had solicited detailed proposals from Flour (floor) Virginia and Star Solutions, the two groups competing for the public private partnership.
But after consulting with the federal highway administration, state officials have decided to perform the environmental review first, a process that could take three to five years.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Bottom line is that VDOT]
((BOTTOM LINE IS THAT VDOT IS DEFINITELY MOVING AHEAD WITH PLANS FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO I-81, BUT I WANTED TO POINT OUT IT WILL SIMPLY TAKE TIME.))
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=it will simply take time.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Transportation Commissioner Philip Shucet (shoo-KET) says the change in plans will not delay improvements, because the environmental review would have been conducted before construction could begin.
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[ANCHOR=Marya]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]

Yesterday, Shucet also revealed the state has received conditional approval for tolls on Interstate 81, a central part of both proposals.

[VOB-Pipeline]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=03-11 tc 1:32:56]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Developers of the controversial Duke Energy Patriot Pipeline say they've got nothing to hide.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Wytheville/Yesterday;]
Yesterday, members of the media visited the site for an organized show and tell. The 94-mile pipeline extension will run from Wythe County to Rockingham County, North Carolina. Although Duke says the line will sit 50-feet below the bottom of the New River, many opponents of the project say it's a threat to the environment.
[SOT 14:51]
[IN Q=the pipeline's]
[SUPER=01-Rick Smith/Duke Energy;]
((RICK SMITH/DUKE ENERGY: THE PIPELINE'S IN THE SUBSOIL, SO ALL THE FISH LAST TIME I CHECK OUR DOWN IN THE WATER SO WE'RE GOING TO BE DOWN IN THE SOIL WELL BELOW THE RIVER BED. 59))
[OUT Q=the river bed]
[RUNS=08]
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[VO-NAT]
Drilling for the pipeline extension began in March.
Developers say they hope to have the first part of it in the ground next week, and in service by this Fall.
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[11Relay-Life]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=03-19 TC29:19]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Hundreds of walkers are taking great strides to find a cure for cancer this weekend.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co./Last Night]

They're taking part in the annual Relay for Life at Lord Botetourt High School.
The walk lasts 16 hours and raises money for cancer research.
It also honors those who have died and survived cancer.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 21:03:05]
[IN Q=The people who walk here]
((DONNA CRAWFORD/RELAY FOR LIFE ORGANIZER: THE PEOPLE THAT WALK HERE ARE FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, PEOPLE KNOW EACH OTHER AND IT'S JUST LIKE A COMMON GET TOGETHER.))
[SUPER=01-Donna Crawford/Relay For Life Organizer;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=common get together]
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[VO-NAT]

This year's Relay for Life features fifty teams.
Some came up with unique ways to raise money for this year's event.
This group decided to break boards.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 20:57:50]
[IN Q=We decided we would]
((BART McENTIRE/PARTICIPANT: WE DECIDED WE WOULD SELL BOARDS FOR FIVE DOLLARS A PIECE. IF YOU BUY A BOARD FOR FIVE DOLLARS, WE WILL BREAK IT. SO FAR WE'VE GOT 600 BOARDS AND THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS AND WE'RE ON THE WAY TO A GOOD GOAL.))

[SUPER=01-Bart McEntire/Participant;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=to a good goal]
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[VO-NAT]

Organizers hope to raise 75 thousand dollars.
The money will go to the American Cancer Society.
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[Eclipse]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=sat. a.m.]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Skygazers in the United Kingdom got a glimpse of a rare beauty last night.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-London, UK;]

An annular eclipse occurs when the moon covers only the centre of the sun, but leaves the edges exposed like a ring of fire.
Annular eclipses are rare -- the last one in the UK was 1921. The next one won't be seen until 2093.
Some people believe the eclipse carries special powers to illuminate the future and ward off evil.
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[toss to wx]

[Tease#2]

[ANCHOR=Marya 2-shot]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=jen]
[SS=None]
[BOTH MICS HOT] Coming up - Miami gets the Royal treatment from the A-C-C; but the Big East may be able to weather the storm yet. Mike Stevens has more on that in sports
[ANCHOR=Brent 2-shot]
And
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[VO-NAT]
Animation dives into a whole new world - See if the search for "Nemo" is making a splash with critics and moviegoers alike in today's Movie Review.
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[LOTTO] [BREAK]

[Biz-Review]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=Biz Review ]
[GRAPHIC=Business Review]
The countdown is on for a major media decision and Pulaski Furniture goes antique. News 7's Rachel Cannon has more in this week's Business Review.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=MUSIC AND GRAPHICS]
[SUPER=03-Richmond/February 27; :05]
[SUPER=01-Wat Hopkins/Virginia Tech Professor of Communications; :29]
[SUPER=03-High Point, NC; :42 ]
[SUPER=04-WGBH; :47]
[SUPER=01-James Kelly/Pulaski Furniture Executive Vice-President; 1:00]
[RUNS=1:13]
[OUT Q=MUSIC AND GRAPHICS]
(([MUSIC AND GRAPHICS]
[TAPE#=03-10 TC1:35:18]
On June 2nd the Federal Communications Commission will make a decision that will affect the news you and your family depend on. The panel is considering changes in media ownership rules ... essentially, how many media outlets one company can own, allowing larger ones to get bigger Virginia Tech professor Wat Hopkins believes if the changes go through, the biggest impact will be on local news.
(///// 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]
[MUSIC AND GRAPHICS]
[TAPE#=03-09 TC1:56:10]
Every piece of furniture has a story. That's the idea behind Pulaski Furniture's new collection based on the popular PBS televisioon show Antiques Roadshow.
The collection features reproductions of items seen and appraised on the show.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 02:20:08]
[IN Q=wwe put]
((JAMES KELLY/PULASKI FURNITURE EXEC VP; WE PUT A HANG TAG ON EVERY PIECE THAT SHOWS THE ORIGIN OF THE ORIGINAL PIECE WHERE IT CAME FROM WHERE IT SHOWS UP ON ANTIQUES ROADSHOW AND A BRIEF HISTORY.))
[OUT Q=HISTORY.]
[MUSIC AND GRAPHICS]
[TAPE# [MOWING] WAS DONE ON FRIDAY, DIDN'T HAVE TAPE NUMBER AT TIME OF WRITING.]
All the wet weather is keeping landscapers inside. Ed Staley says his employess are down to part time hours and they're at least three weeks behind schedule. Its the worst he's seen in thirty years. For News 7, I'm Rachel Cannon and that's this week's Business Review. [MUSIC AND GRAPHICS]))
[MARYA TOSS TO BUMP]

[Rudolph]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=jen]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

We do have a bit of breaking national news this morning.
Sheriff's deputies in Murphy North Carolina have arrrested Eric Rudolph, the man believed to be behind the Olympic Park bombing.

[Profile-promo]

[ANCHOR=Brent]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=Profile 6 tc 1:25:54]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Herschel Sizemore has been playing the mandolin since he was just a boy growing up in alabama.
(///// SOT /////)
[NAT SOT OF HERSCHEL PLAYING MANDOLIN]
[IN Q=Nats Music]
[RUNS=5]
[OUT Q=Nat's Music]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

A Roanoke resident since 1969, Sizemore is a bluegrass veteran with a new video out this week.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I'd like to say]
((I'D LIKE TO SAY IT WAS A LOT OF FUN, BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE A LOT OF WORK, A LOT OF WORK.))
[SUPER=07-Herschel Sizemore]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=a lot of work.]
(XXXXXXXXX)
[TAKE FS PROFILE PROMO - 9156ESSC]
We'll hear more from Herschel and his mandolin during this week's Virginia profile... tomorrow morning on News 7 Sunday Morning.
(XXXXXXXXX)

[sun promo] [ANCHOR-Brent] [Animation]
(///////SOT///////)
((Tomorrow on News 7 Sunday Morning.))
[RUNS=03]
[Brent on cam] It's only natural that
(XXXXXXXX)
[take 8700 ess FS] these campers are revving up for a retreat at Natural Bridge. [take 8701essc fs] It's the Volkswagon Bus Weekend - [take 8702essC FS] benefitting the Ronald McDonald House -
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[Animation full] Tomorrow on News 7 Sunday Morning.