[PKG-BOV-Tech]
[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=03-22 TC 45:51]
[GRAPHIC=Tech/ACC]
After once being snubbed, Virginia Tech is now invited to join the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Justin McLeod has details and reaction.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=01-Charles Steger/Virginia Tech President; :19]
[SUPER=01-William Latham/Virginia Tech Board Member; :30 (QUICK)]
[SUPER=01-John Swofford/ACC Commissioner; :50]
[SUPER=@justin1; 2:00]
[RUNS=2:11]
[OUT Q=JM, News 7]
((((NAT SOUND OF THE VOTE ON TAPE 1 3:28:06 "ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE RESOLUTION......BY SAYING I, "I"))
And with that, Virginia Tech's Board of Visitors unanimously agreed to enter talks with the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Virginia Tech's president says the ACC and the university would be a perfect fit.
[SOT 3:32:56; TAPE 2]
[IN Q=We have a lot]
((CHARLES STEGER/VIRGINIA TECH PRESIDENT: WE HAVE A LOT OF TIES WITH THESE SCHOOLS AND WE THINK THIS WILL ENHANCE THOSE RELATIONSHIPS.))
[Runs04]
[OUT Q=those relationships]
A relationship that does include Tech's main rival.
[SOT 3:24:46; TAPE 1]
[IN Q=I think we also]
((WILLIAM LATHAM/BOARD MEMBER: I THINK WE ALSO NEED TO THANK THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA IN THE PART IT HAS PLAYED IN THIS OPPORTUNITY IF IT OCCUR.))
[Runs09]
[OUT Q=If it occurs]
It did occur just after five o'clock Wednesday evening.
After weeks of speculation, rumors, lawsuits, and several different plans, the A-C-C- officially announced Virginia Tech and Miami have been invited to join the conference.
[SOT 1:56:35]
[IN Q=Certainly these two schools]
((JOHN SWOFFORD/ACC COMMISSIONER: CERTAINLY THESE TWO SCHOOLS COMING IN THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE ADD DRAMATICALLY TO THE ACC AND STABILIZES US FOR THE FUTURE CONSIDERABLY.))
[Runs11]
[OUT Q=future considerably]
It will now be up to President Charles Steger to negotiate and then decide whether to join the ACC.
Steger has already said Tech would be inclined to accept an offer.
He realizes the decision will draw praise and criticism.
[SOT 3:36:08; TAPE 2]
[IN Q=I get all kinds]
((CHARLES STEGER/VIRGINIA TECH PRESIDENT: I GET ALL KINDS OF OPINIONS AND I THINK THERE WILL BE PEOPLE WHO DISAGREE WITH WHAT WE HAVE CHOSEN TO DO AND WE CERTAINLY RESPECT THEIR RIGHT TO DO THAT.))
[Runs06]
[OUT Q=to do that]
Those who may disagree include Syracuse and Boston College since they are no longer part of the ACC expansion plan.
Criticism may also come since Virginia Tech said recently it would not join the ACC if invited.
And then there's the issue of Tech joining a conference it was suing just days ago.
[SOT 3:25:42; TAPE 1]
[IN Q=I'm still concerned]
((BOARD MEMBER: I'M SOMEWHAT CONCERN HOW THIS WILL BE PERCEIVED IN THE PUBLIC SINCE WE WERE PART OF THE LAWSUIT AGAINST THE ACC.))
[Runs10]
[OUT Q=against the ACC]
[SOT ]
[IN Q= ]
((JUSTIN McLEOD: THERE'S NO INDICATION HOW LONG VIRGINIA TECH WILL TAKE BEFORE DECIDING WHETHER TO JOIN THE ACC. BUT WE BELIEVE IT WILL COME BEFORE MONDAY BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN THE PENALTY FOR LEAVING THE BIG EAST JUMPS FROM ONE MILLION TO TWO MILLION DOLLARS. JUSTIN McLEOD, NEWS 7.))))
[11Kilgore-Lawsuit]
[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=03-17 TC1:11:32]
[GRAPHIC=TEch ACC Lawsuit]
Virginia Tech could end up on the other side of the Big East lawsuit against the A-C-C.
The university is no longer a plaintiff in the lawsuit, but Attorney General Jerry Kilgore says the school could find itself as a defendant.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :09]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]
Kilgore says Virginia Tech withdrew from the lawsuit yesterday in order to get an invitation from the A-C-C, but that further legal issues may arise.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 12:59:41]
[IN Q=NONE OF THIS HAS BEEN EASY]
((ATTORNEY GENERAL JERRY KILGORE: NONE OF THIS HAS BEEN EASY, TEMPERS HAVE FLARED ON ALL SIDES
WITHOUT THE LITIGATION WILL BE IN THIS POSITION TODAY. ))
[SUPER=@Kilgore]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=BE IN THIS POSITION TODAY.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Kilgore also credited University of Virginia President John Casteen and Governor Mark Warner with helping Tech in its bid.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Marya]
[SS=HOLD]
A statement issued last night by the remaining plaintiffs says that Syracuse and Boston College belong in the Big East.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit say they're holding out hope that Miami and Virginia Tech will remain conference members.
[11Tech-Reaction]
[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=03-13 TC1:51:08]
[GRAPHIC=Tech/ACC]
Not everyone at Virginia Tech is thrilled over the news.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]
Many students and faculty say they never doubted Tech would accept an offer to join the A-C-C, if given the chance.
But, with everything that has happened, Tech filing a lawsuit against the A-C-C and accusing schools like Miami and Boston College of betrayal, many say Tech will end up looking hypocritical and that it's better off staying in the Big East.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 5:56]
[IN Q=i think it will]
((NICHOLAS MORMAN/STUDENT: 5:56 I THINK EVENTUALLY IT'LL GET STRONGER AND IF WE CAN STAY A TOP TEAM IN THE CONFERENCE RATHER THAN GOING TO THE ACC WE'RE GOING TO BE ON THE BOTTOM OF THE RUNG. I THINK THAT'S TO OUR ADVANTAGE 602))
((CLARK SIMMERS/STUDENT: 509WITHOUT THE LAWSUIT I WOULD DEFINITELY SAY IT'S A PLUS. IT WOULD BE GREAT TO BE IN A CONFERENCE WITH ALL OF THE OTHER SCHOOLS...VERY TALENTED 523.))
[SUPER=01-Nicholas Morman/Student; :00]
[SUPER=01-Clark Simmers/Student; :08]
[RUNS=20]
[OUT Q=very talented]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
On the other hand, others say Tech made the right decision.
(//////SOT//////)
[SOT 1240]
[IN Q=without Miami]
((MATT WATSON: WITHOUT MIAMI IN THE BIG EAST...I THINK TECH SHOULD GO WHEREVER MIAMI GOES. ))
[SUPER=01-Matt Watson/Student;]
[RUNS=09]
[OUT Q=miami goes]
(------------)
[6-Beamer]
[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=03-25 TC48:32]
[GRAPHIC=Frank Beamer]
Virginia Tech head football coach Frank Beamer is out of the hospital.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg/Last Season]
Beamer was admitted to Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta on Tuesday after experiencing chest pains.
He underwent some tests that found no blockages in his heart and was released yesterday afternoon.
Beamer then returned to his vacation home in Georgia.
(------------)
[Soldiers-Attacked]
[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=mornin]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Iraq Casualties]
In other news this morning, an American soldier is dead after an ambush on the outskirts of Baghdad.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Baghdad, Iraq;]
A military vehicle was attacked this morning on a road leading to the Baghdad International Airport.
Soldiers say someone detonated an explosive device by remote control.
The soldier who died suffered a major wound to the face.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT @ :51 - 1:04]
[IN Q=The point we want to drive home]
(( ))
[SUPER=01-Sean McWilliams/U. S. Military Spokesman;]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=not gonna succeed in that.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
It's the latest in a series of attacks against occupation forces in Iraq.
At least 19 U-S soldiers have died in hostile fire since combat was declared over. Six British soldiers were killed Tuesday.
(------------)
[Iraq-Weapons]
[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=After Saddam]
An Iraqi scientist has given the C-I-A documents from Saddam Hussein's weapons program.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Iraq;]
He claims he hid the material from U-N inspectors in his garden on orders from the Iraqi government.
U-S officials say this isn't the "smoking gun" the Bush administration needs to prove its claims that Iraq had an active nuclear weapons program.
(------------)
[11Pitts-School]
[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=03-19 TC 55:28]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The leadership of several area school systems will change hands next week.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Chatham]
After eight years on the job, Superintendent Jerry Webb is leaving Pittsylvania County to take a job in Mississippi.
During his tenure, half the schools in the county became fully accredited.
He also oversaw the construction of four new middle schools which will open this fall.
Webb says community involvement was the key to his success.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 3:37:25]
[IN Q=It's a process of getting]
((JERRY WEBB/SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS: IT'S A PROCESS OF GETTING THE COMMUNITY INVOLVED. LETTING THE COMMUNITY HELP SET THE STANDARD FOR WHICH WE'RE STRIVING AND WE'VE ESTABLISHED A VERY HIGH LEVEL EXPECTATION THAT OUR PEOPLE ARE WORKING TO ACHIEVE AND IT'S GOING TO CONTINUE.))
[SUPER=01-Jerry Webb/Pittsylvania Co. Superintendent]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=GOING TO CONTINUE]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
It will continue under James McDaniel who has been the assistant Superintendent in Pittsylvania County for several years.
He'll begin his new position July first.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Marya]
[SS=None]
The city of Danville will also be getting a new school superintendent that day.
His name is William Torok and he's held a similar position in Lewisburg Pennsylvania for the last ten years.
[11Fieldcrest]
[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=03-18 TC1:37:38]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]
In business news, a union is taking legal action against the Pillowtex Corporation.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Fieldale/Last Week;]
[FILE TAPE#=502-03 1:52:05]
The Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees has filed a grievance against the company for delaying vacation bonuses for 53-hundred employees.
Pillowtex operates a plant in Henry County that employs about a thousand workers.
The North Carolina based company says paying the bonuses would violate agreements with bank lenders.
Pillowtex is dealing with financial problems and is up for sale
An arbitrator will hear formal complaints on the issue.
(------------)
[Marketwatch]
[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=NET]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]
In business news, The Fed cuts interest rates, but the news wasn't enough to boost stocks yesterday.
Alexis Christoforous has that story and more in this morning's Marketwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Alexis Christoforous/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:36]
[OUT Q=in New York.]
((THE FED DID THE EXPECTED AND CUT SHORT TERM INTEREST RATES BY A QUARTER
> POINT TO JUMP START THE ECONOMY...IT'S THE FIRST RATE CUT OF THE YEAR...
> BUT WHILE THE FED'S MOVE WAS ALREADY FACTORED INTO THE MARKET, SOME
> INVESTORS WERE DISAPPOINTED THAT IT WASN'T A MORE AGGRESIVE HALF POINT
> CUT...
>
> HERE'S HOW THE MARKET REACTED...
>
@1/8gr
> THE DOW SANK 98 POINTS
>
@1/8gr
> THE NASDAQ SLID NEARLY 3
>
(oc)
> rate cut is expected to have a limited effect on the average consumer.
>
> home equity loans, and rates on auto loans and credit cards are expected
> to dip slightly, since they are tied to the prime lending rate..
>
> but mortgage rates, which are already at historic lows are not expected to
> fall much further..
>
(gr)
> The disgraced enron corp has been barred from selling electricty and
> natural gas at market based rates anywhere in the us..
> Enron and others were accused of using a variety of tactics to drive up
> power prices during the energy shortage in California and other Western
> markets during 2000 and 2001.
>
(oc)
> meantime the first person to go on trial in the collapse of enron - is Lea
> Fastow - the wife of former Chief Financial Officer Andrew Fastow. Lea
> Fastow has seven months to make what may be the biggest decision of her
> life: Stand trial or cooperate in the government's case against her
> husband.
> She is scheduled for trial Jan. 27 in a Houston federal court. She's
> accused of conspiring to help her husband and others fund Enron's illegal
> off-the-books partnerships and disguising kickbacks she and her husband
> received from their dealings.
>
@1/8gr)
> TRACK ALL THE PREMARKET ACTION AT CBS.MW.COM .
(oc)
> I'M AC IN NEW YORK.)
(tape tosses to stocks)
[STOCKS]
[COMM]
[Windshield-Death]
[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Closing arguments are next for a Texas woman accused of hitting a homeless man with her car.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Ft. Worth, TX;]
Prosecutors say Chante Mallard hit the man, drove home with him lodged in her windshield and left him bleeding to death in her garage for hours.
Experts testified Gregory Biggs could have survived if he had received immediate medical attention.
Mallard is a former nurse's aide.
She faces life in prison, if convicted.
(------------)
[Daycare-Van]
[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
A toddler in Tennessee is dead after being left inside a hot daycare van for eight hours.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Memphis, TN;]
Police say the two-year-old was picked up from her home in the morning, but her body wasn't discovered until the end of the day.
Children were even playing near the daycare van throughout the day, as she struggled to escape her car seat.
Police say no one checked the van, despite a reminder hanging from the rear view mirror.
Temperatures soared to 90 degrees in Memphis yesterday.
(------------)
[11Trooper-Baby]
[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=03-20 TC47:03]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Several law enforcement officers were part of a special delivery in Lynchburg.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]
Victoria Coleman was in labor and headed to the hospital yesterday morning when she realized the baby wasn't going to wait.
Fortunately she and her husband spotted state trooper Wayne Reed alongside Route 29 near Lynchburg.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:29:00]
[IN Q=She was about]
((RANDOLPH COLEMAN/FATHER: SHE WAS ABOUT TO HAVE THE CHILD RIGHT THERE. SHE DIDN'T HAVE ANY ANESTHETIC OR ANALGESIA, SO WE JUST HUNG ON, TROOPER FEE HELD HER HAND, I HELD HER OTHER HAND AND SHE PUSHED AND TROOPER REED AND INVESTIGATOR KEESEE WERE ON THE OTHER END AND EVERYTHING WENT GREAT.))
[SUPER=01-Randolph Coleman/Father]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=everything went great.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Trooper Reed, Sergeant Scott Fee and Investigator Kristin Keesee (kuh-SEE) from Campbell County all assisted in the delivery.
Silas Coleman came into the world in the back of Trooper Reed's patrol car.. Mother and baby are doing fine.
(------------)
(Marya tosses to bump)
[bump-chyron]
[comm #3]
[6-Camp-Jeep]
[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=03-15 TC3:44:30]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Thousands of people are expected to converge on central Virginia this weekend, all of them with one thing in common: they own a Jeep.
Steve Smallshaw has more on the return of a summer camp for cars.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Nelson Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Pete Hollinshead/Camp Jeep Organizer; :23]
[SUPER=01-Robert Sobieski/Camp Jeep Visitor; :48]
[SUPER=01-Debbie Massie/Business Owner; 1:14]
[SUPER=@ssm2; 1:26]
[RUNS=1:31]
[OUT Q=News7, Nelson County.]
(( After a year's hiatus, Camp Jeep is back home in the mountains of central Virginia.
For three weeks, crews have been getting the Oak Ridge Estate in Nelson County ready to host a horde of off-road vehicles and their owners.
Over the next four days, Jeep people can camp out, talk cars and put their vehicles through a variety of off-road tests.
Organizers say it's all part of the Jeep experience.
[SOT 13:25:27]
((PETE HOLLINSHEAD/CAMP JEEP ORGANIZER: THAT THEY WANT TO BE A PART OF THE BRAND AND DO EVEN MORE THAN JUST DRIVE THEIR JEEPS EVERY DAY, THEY WANT TO COME TO AN EVENT WITH OTHER JEEP OWNERS AND HAVE FUN.))
[RUNS= 08]
[OUT Q=and have fun.]
[SOT 13:24:47]
((PETE HOLLINSHEAD/CAMP JEEP ORGANIZER: IT'S ALSO VERY CENTRALLY LOCATED FOR MANY JEEP ENTHUSIASTS. IT'S CLOSE TO THE NORTHEAST, CLOSE TO MAJOR, MAJOR CITIES LIKE WASHINGTON AND BALTIMORE.))
[RUNS= 09]
[OUT Q=and Baltimore.]
It's also close to cities like Lynchburg and Charlottesville, where this weekend hotel rooms are scarce and tourism officials are excited.
[SOT 13:50:41]
((ROBERT SOBIESKI/CAMP JEEP VISITOR: JUST FOR ALL THE GOOD EXPERIENCES I HEARD FROM OTHER PEOPLE THAT THEY HAD, JUST HOW BEAUTIFUL VIRGINIA IS, I KNOW FROM MY WIFE GOING TO SCHOOL HERE ALL THE PICTURES AND THE TIMES THAT I CAME TO VISIT HOW BEAUTIFUL IT IS HERE.))
[RUNS= 11]
[OUT Q=it is here.]
Business owners also figure to benefit.
[natsot 14:12:55 traffic]
[RUNS= 02]
[SOT 14:07:36]
(( I THINK PEOPLE COME BY AND THEY SEE CAMP JEEP THEY THINK 'OH, THEY WANT US IN THE AREA.'))
[RUNS= 04]
[OUT Q=in the area.]
At Debbie Massie's flower shop just up the road from Oak Ridge, she's already starting to see her business bloom.
[SOT 14:07:15]
((DEBBIE MASSIE/BLOSSOMS FLOWER SHOP: YESTERDAY WE SOLD SOME THINGS EVEN THOUGH IT WAS BEFORE CAMP JEEP ACTUALLY STARTED, WE SOLD SOME THINGS THAT PEOPLE WANT TO PUT OUT ON THEIR CAMPSITES, FLAGS, THINGS LIKE THAT (23) AND THEN PEOPLE HAVE COME IN HERE WITH THEIR ANNIVERSARY AND THEY COME IN HERE TO GET FLOWERS AND STUFF, SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO IT.))
[RUNS= 13]
[OUT Q=forward to it.]
Organizers say it's too early to tell whether Camp Jeep will be back next year.
Steve Smallshaw, News7, Nelson County. ))
[11Corvette-Caravan]
[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=bwa]
[TAPE#=03-21 TC47:20]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Hundreds of Corvettes will pull out the Roanoke Valley today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
The sports cars are part of the Mid-Atlantic Corvette Caravan traveling to Bowling Green Kentucky.
There, they will meet up with 14 thousand others cars to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the popular sports car.
One man's job is to document the entire trip. He's outfitted his Corvette with 4 different cameras, including one in the license plate.
(///// SOT //15:14:14///)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I'm going to...]
[SUPER=01-Mark Weamer/Video Vette;]
[RUNS=:12]
[OUT Q=...the action is going on.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
You can catch the Corvettes at their Kick-Off Ceremony this morning at 11:30 in the parking lot of National Tire and Battery at Valley View Mall.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Marya]
[SS=none]
News 7 Mornin' will be right back
(Marya tosses to bump)
[BUMP]
[COMM]
[11ITT-Strike]
[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=ITT Strike]
In business news, some Roanoke County workers are going back to the bargaining table.
I-T-T Night Vision says it's resumed contract negotiations with union members.
About 600 employees went on strike this past weekend when a deal couldn't be reached.
Production at the plant continues.
[Biz-Brief]
[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]
Tyson Foods was fined 7 point 5 million dollars after the closing bell yesterday.
The world's largest meat producer pled guilty to 20 felony violations of the Clean Water Act.
Tyson admitted to ilegally discharging untreated waste water into a river from a poultry plant in Missouri.
In other news, Stan Case has more on yesterday's closing numbers in today's business brief.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Stan Case/Reporting; :]
[RUNS=1:20]
[OUT Q=I'm Stan Case.]
((STOCKS ABANDONED EARLY GAINS WEDNESDAY AS INVESTORS SHOWED DISAPPOINTMENT WITH THE FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD'S QUARTER-PERCENT INTEREST CUT AND LUKEWARM STATEMENTS REGARDING THE CURRENT ECONOMY. THE DOW LOST 98 POINTS, AND THE NASDAQ GAVE UP THREE. NEW HOME SALES ROSE 12-AND-A-HALF PERCENT IN MAY --THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE GAIN IN ALMOST 10-YEARS. THE COMMERCE DEPARTMENT SAYS LOW MORTGAGE RATES AND THE END OF THE WAR IN IRAQ CONTRIBUTED TO THE JUMP. PRE-EXISTING HOME SALES WERE UP, AS WELL. HOME RE-SALES ROSE ONE-POINT-TWO PERCENT TO AN ANNUAL RATE OF FIVE-POINT-92 MILLION HOMES. BOTH SETS OF FIGURES WERE STRONGER THAN FORECASTS. GENERAL MILLS REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER EARNINGS OF 59-CENTS A SHARE. THAT'S UP FROM THE 15-CENTS A SHARE OF A YEAR AGO WHEN GENERAL MILLS WAS BURDENED WITH THE PURCHASE OF PILLSBURY. THE COMPANY SAID IT EXPECTS FISCAL 2004 EARNINGS TO GROW BY AS MUCH AS 19 PERCENT, SURPASSING ITS LONG-TERM TARGET.
CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES POSTED A 34-PERCENT DROP IN EARNINGS FOR ITS SECOND QUARTER.
THE WORLD'S LARGEST CRUISE GROUP REPORTED EARNINGS OF 19-CENTS PER SHARE-DOWN FROM 33-CENTS LAST YEAR. THE MIAMI BASED COMPANY SAYS THE WAR IN IRAQ AND FEARS OF SARS CAUSED A DROP IN CRUISE BOOKINGS DURING THE EARLY-YEAR SELLING SEASON. WITH THE BUSINESS BRIEF, I'M STAN CASE.))
[TAPE TOSS TO STOCKS]
[STOCKS]
[COMM]
[11Warner]
[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=03-14 TC3:59:38]
[GRAPHIC=MArk Warner]
Governor Mark Warner's night-out is causing a stir.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]
The Washington Post reported Tuesday in a gossip column that Warner visited a racy nightclub on Saturday night.
The Post also noted that the governor was without his wife and children, who are on vacation.
The Family Policy Network says Warner has some explaining to do.
Warner admits he stopped by the Home nightclub in Northern Virginia, but says he didn't do anything inappropriate.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 12:56:11]
[IN Q=I HAD DINNER WITH]
((I HAD DINNER IN DC WITH A COUPLE OF OUT-OF-TOWN LAW SCHOOL ROOMMATES, FRIEND, WENT OUT FOR A DRINK AFTERWARDS.))
[SUPER=@MarkWarner]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=WENT OUT FOR A DRINK AFTERWARDS.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The Home nightclub is described on their website as a cross between the Playboy Mansion and Pee-Wee's Playhouse.
(------------)
A spokeswoman for Warner says the event has been "mischaracterized."