WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 07/15/03

[1-News-Head]

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[V/O-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
Transportation Safety officials take up the case of the Roanoke girl who died on a trip in a church van. We have a live report from Washington.
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[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
And a nationally-known bank fraud suspect is arrested near Lynchburg.

[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
The all-star game is set for tonight in Chicago - No ties please. Chip gets ready for a big event in Richmond and then New York. a the man whose seat belt was
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[VO-NAT]
originally blamed for Dale Earnhardt's death settles his difference's with NASCAR.
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[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]

Summer is in full bloom with higher heat and humidity along with a tropical system now ashore in Texas. Full forecast details coming up.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon 4-Shot]

News 7 is next.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
((HOW MUCH IS THE COST OF A CHILD'S LIFE ... CHILD SAFETY FIRST.))
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=CHILD SAFETY FIRST]
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
Government officials are looking at a traffic accident that killed a Roanoke girl two years ago.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
What they've found may lead to stricter safety standards for 15-pasenger vans.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Good evening, I'm Shannon Young.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

And I'm Keith Humphry.
[NTSB-Vans]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#03-28 TC26:58 vo; 03-17 TC1:40:07 Pkg]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

It's been more than two years since a Roanoke church van crashed in North Carolina.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

That crash killed 14 year old Jessika Lewis and injured 10 others.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Level Cross, NC/July 1, 2001]

They were on their way back to Roanoke from a church retreat when their 15-passenger van blew a tire.
The driver lost control and the van flipped several times.
Since that accident, Jessika's family has unsuccessfully lobbied the General Assembly to ban 15 passenger vans from transporting public school students...
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[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[SS=None]

The National Transportation Safety Board has also been investigating the accident, and others involving the vans, to see if the vehicles are unsafe.
[Double Boxes=Shannon and Meghan/Satellite]
Meghan Muldoon is in Washington DC tonight, where the NTSB discussed the accident.
[Live=Meghan Full/Satellite]
[SUPER=@Meghan1;]
[SUPER=05-Washington, DC;]
( ad lib)
(Rollcue: CAN DO TO REDUCE THE RISK)
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Ellen Engleman/NTSB Chairwoman; :00]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=ADOPTED AND IMPLEMENTED.]
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[Live=Meghan Full/Satellite]
[SUPER=05-Washington, DC;]
( ad lib)
[Double Boxes=Shannon and Meghan/Satellite]

[Stanley]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=03-32 TC04:01]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A woman investigators call one of the greatest bank fraud artists they've ever seen has been nabbed at a hotel near Lynchburg.
F-B-I agents and the Virginia State Police staked out the Howard Johnson's on Route 29 in Madison Heights last night,
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[VO-NAT]
waiting for 51-year-old Lottie Mae Stanley.
Stanley was wanted in at least twenty jurisdictions on numerous fraud charges. She had been featured on "America's Most Wanted" back in March.
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[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=None]

Agents also arrested 38-year-old Aaron R. Telke (TELL-kee) and recovered a child from the hotel room whom they believe had been abducted from Ohio.
Both Stanley and Telke are being held without bond.

[Carter]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=03-19 TC1:23:12]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]
A Pulaski County judge has thrown out the case against a man charged in the death of a local teenager.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pulaski Co./August 2002;]
33-year-old Edward Lee Carter was charged with distributing drugs to a minor, after he sold an eighth of an ounce of cocaine last May to 16-year-old Gaelen (GAY-len) Woods. Woods later died of an overdose. Carter's trial got underway yesterday, but today the judge dismissed the case, saying there was NOT enough evidence against him to go ahead with the trial.
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[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=HOLD]
Carter was originally charged with second-degree murder, but that charge was dropped after a preliminary hearing last September.

[Clifford]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6 p.m.]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=03-30 TC1:00:46]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The assault charge against Patrick Henry High School's former head football coach is expected to be dropped.
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[VO-NAT :22]
[SUPER=03-Halifax Co./Last Month;]
The attorney for Kevin Clifford says he hopes the paperwork associated with the "order of dismissal" will be completed tomorrow. The charge stems from November when Clifford was accused of slapping player Brett Moyer after a game in Halifax County. Clifford is appealing his conviction to a higher court but his attorney says it doesn't look like another trial will be necessary.
(///// SOT at :22 /////)
[SOT 8:57:26 - 8:57:44]
[IN Q=The deal calls for Coach Clifford to resign...]
((TONY ANDERSON/CLIFFORD'S ATTORNEY: THE DEAL CALLS FOR COACH CLIFFORD TO RESIGN. THAT HAS BEEN DONE. THE EWROTHY'S ON BEHALF OF THEIR SON WILL ENTER INTO ACCORD IN SATISFACTION IN WHICH THEY WILL ASK THAT THE CHARGES IN HALIFAX COUNTY BE DISMISSED. ))
[SUPER=01-Tony Anderson/Clifford's Attorney;]
[RUNS=:18]
[OUT Q=Halifax County be dismissed.]
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[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[SS=None]
Clifford resigned last week. News 7 had hoped to talk to him today but Anderson advised him against commenting on the case until all the paperwork is signed.

[River-Search]

[ANCHOR=shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=cda]
[TAPE#=03-14 TC4:26:20]
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A rescue effort is now being called a recovery effort in the search for a fisherman.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lexington;]
Officials believe 78-year old Graham Smith drowned yesterday in the Maury River. A fisherman for more than 40 years, Graham was with his brother Marshall in knee-deep water. As the water rose, Marshall turned around and his brother was gone. Crews were out all day today with no success.
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[SOT 16:12:39-16:12:49]
[IN Q=As of now, were going]
((RICK LAUGHLIN/LEXINGTON RESCUE: AS OF NOW, WERE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND CALL THE SEARCH. WE'LL BE CHECKING BACK HERE HOURLY FOR THE NEXT DAY OR SO TO SEE IF ANYTHING DEVELOPS.))
[SUPER=01-Rick Laughlin/Lexington Rescue]
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[OUT Q=IF ANYTHING DEVELOPS.]
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[VO-NAT]
Recent storms may have contributed to the rise in th water level.
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[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
[SS=NONE]

A local Marine just back from the Persian Gulf says it's not something he'd want to return to.
We'll hear from him when News 7 returns.
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Plus the revitalization of one city's riverfront is a step closer to reality tonight.
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[Bluffwalk]
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[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

The first earth was turned today for a multi-million dollar project that will create about a hundred jobs and put a new face on Lynchburg's historic riverfront.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Lynchburg Bureau Chief Steve Smallshaw reports.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=natsot]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Carl Hutcherson/Lynchburg Mayor; :24]
[SUPER=01-Hal Craddock/Bluffwalk Developer; :46]
[SUPER=01-Randy Parr/Lynchburg Restoration Co.; 1:12]
[SUPER=01-Rachel Flynn/Lynchburg Community Development; 1:23]
[SUPER=@ssm2; 1:30]
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[OUT Q=News7, Lynchburg.]
(( [natsot shovel 12:20:15]
[RUNS= 02]

They broke ground for the project Tuesday, but work has been going on for weeks.. and the idea for the Bluffwalk Center has been germinating for six years.
Architect Hal Craddock, whose grandfather used to own this old shoe warehouse, has put together 11 million dollars in investments, grants and tax credits to build what figures to be the centerpiece of Lynchburg's riverfront revitalization.
[SOT 12:10:29]
((CARL HUTCHERSON/LYNCHBURG MAYOR: ISN'T IT A JOY TO KNOW THAT ONE'S VISIONARY EXPERIENCE CAN BEGIN TO TAKE SHAPE AND BECOME REALITY.))
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[OUT Q=become reality.]

When it's finished, Bluffwalk will feature a hotel, conference center, restaurants and shopping.
By overhauling two vacant warehouses, Craddock says he's taking advantage of downtown's historic character.
[SOT 12:38:41]
((HAL CRADDOCK/BLUFFWALK DEVELOPER: I THINK THAT WE HAVE IGNORED OUR UNIQUENESS AND MOST OF IT'S DOWNTOWN AND WE NEED TO CELEBRATE IT AND BRING IT BACK TO LIFE. IT'S REALLY WHAT'S GOING TO SET US APART.))
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[OUT Q=set us apart.]

And hammers are flying elsewhere.. the Riverviews artists colony is nearly ready, Monument Terrace is being overhauled and the Ninth Street corridor is getting a complete facelift.
After decades of talk, things are finally starting to take off downtown.
[SOT 12:50:28]
((RANDY PARR/LYNCHBURG RESTORATION CO.: IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING, BUT IT'S FINALLY GOTTEN HERE.. IT'S LIKE AN AIRPLANE, WE'VE BEEN TAXIING FOR TWENTY YEARS BUT WE'VE FINALLY GOTTEN AIRBORNE.))
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[OUT Q=gotten airborne.]
[SOT 12:45:04]
((RACHEL FLYNN/COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR: IT'S VERY EXCITING TO SEE ALL THESE PIECES COMING TOGETHER AND SO QUICKLY AND SO MUCH INVESTMENT TAKING PLACE AND WE'RE HOPING THAT MOMENTUM WILL JUST CARRY ON AND KEEP BUILDING.))
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[OUT Q=keep building.]

Craddock hopes to open for business next spring.
Steve Smallshaw, News7, Lynchburg. ))

[Partnership]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=03-24 TC45:20]
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A new alliance in Blacksburg is set to bring major economic developments to the area.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]
The Blacksburg Partnership is a non-profit organization made up of leaders from the town, Virginia Tech and the business community. Its mission is to help stimulate the local economy through downtown revitalization, business corridor improvements and retail and urban economic development.
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[SOT 4908]
[IN Q=it's very much]
((BILL ADEN/BLACKSBURG PARTNERSHIP CHAIRMAN: IT'S VERY MUCH IN ITS INFANCY AND THERE'S A LOT OF PLANNING GOING ON RIGHT NOW, AND WE WILL EVENTUALLY LOCK INTO A PROJECT. WE'VE GOT SOME VERY EXCITING ONES OUT THERE ON THE HORIZON THAT COULD HAPPEN.))
[SUPER=01-Bill Aden/Blacksburg Partnership Chairman;]
[RUNS=12]
[OUT Q=that could happen]
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[VO-NAT]
Although most of the funding for the projects will come from donations and grants, Aden says the organization has already committed 150-thousand dollars of its own money over the next three years.
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[Dollar-Tree]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=03-29 TC22:44]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]

New shopping deals are coming to Roanoke.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
City officials say paperwork has been submitted this week to build a Dollar Tree store on Ferncliff Road near Home Depot in Roanoke. There is some surveying being done on the property and the city planning office has to complete site plan reviews. No word yet on when construction will start and how long it will take.
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[Salem-Fair]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6 p.m.]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=03-25 TC1:06:08]
[GRAPHIC=Next Business News]

The Salem Civic Center has just days to recover from what's being called a "phenomenal year" at the fair.
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[VO-NAT :32]
[SUPER=03-Salem/Sunday;]
The Civic Center's assistant director says he wouldn't be surprised if the annual event racked up record attendance. John Saunders says police estimated 30-thousand people were on the grounds at one time. It may be the end of the month before all the receipts are totaled, but the numbers already top last year, even though the Fair was one day shorter this year.
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[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=None]
Saunders says after weeks of rain, people were eager to get out of their homes. The Civic Center's now cleaning up in preparation for the Patty Loveless concert Thursday night.

[Stocks]

[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
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The Stock Market shrugged off a positive economic outlook from Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan. [TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-y/48.18/9128.97/y/1.54/1753.28;]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

The DOW fell 48 points.
NASDAQ lost a point and a half.
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[SUPER=274-i/0.32/8.68/i/0.81/61.54/i/0.55/36.95/i/0.35/41.57/h/0.67/57.32;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]

[Botetourt-Survey]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Life is good in Botetourt County ... even if it's growing too fast for some people.
So says a telephone survey of 500 county residents, picked at random.
(++++++++++++)
[TAKE PINNACLE PAGE 100]
The board of supervisors commissioned the survey six months ago. [PAGE 104]
91 percent of residents polled rated quality of life as good or excellent. [PAGE 102]
Nearly one-third said the county has gotten better. [PAGE 101]
BUT 54 percent said it's growing too fast.
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[ANCHOR=Keith]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Residents also said there's room for improvement in attracting jobs, improving schools and controlling population growth.

[Griffin]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]

There's a new face on Botetourt County's Board of Supervisors.
John Griffin began his work representing the Fincastle district this morning.
He was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Bonnie Mayo.
Griffin is retired from UPS and now runs his own housing construction and development business.
He'll fill the seat until the end of the year.

[Sports Tease]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Coming up tonight on News 7 sports - safety king Bill Simpson and NASCAR settle their differences, Chip Sillivan is getting ready for some VIP treatment,
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[VO-NAT]
and the 74th all-star game is tonight in Chicago. Should the players put on a show, or play to win. Sheffield and Bonds weigh in on just that when we return.
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Tonight's game at US Cellular Field - the home of the Whitesox - gets underway shortly after 8.[S-NASCAR]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-138 20026TC]
[GRAPHIC=nascar]
NASCAR has avoided a court date with Bill Simpson. The safety innovator and provider for many NASCAR teams was suing NASCAR
[GRAPHIC=DALE EARNHARDT OBIT]
for $8 million bucks after one of his seatbelts was blamed for the death of Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-2001; :00]
Simpson has always maintained that he didn't want NASCAR's money just an apology for the way they handled the Death of Dominator. The lawsuit has been completely dropped. Neither side will discuss the resolution other than to say they both agree their energies can be better used other than in litigation.
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[S-Tech]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=sp-137 20343tc]
[GRAPHIC=tech]

The more than 600 campers taking part in the Hokies' football camp this week aren't the only new arrivals in campus.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :00]
Two of the Hokies' top incoming freshman have arrived in Blacksburg to get their preseason physicals, and get aquainted with their new surroundings.
Xavier Adibi and Chris Ellis have a chance to be impact players before they leave Tech if not in their freshman seasons. The entire team - both freshmen and veterans report on August 6th.
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[S-Chip]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6PM]
[WRITER=kby]
[TAPE#=SP-151 705TC]
[GRAPHIC=CHIP SULLIVAN]
Local golf pro and former PGA Tour player Chip Sullivan will be playing in the Virginia State Open in Richmond at the Willow Oaks Country Club later this week.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-This Summer; :00]
Sullivan has competed in this type of event many times in his career and although he won the Maryland open last year, he has yet to win the Virginia State Open. He hopes this year will be different.
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[SOT]
[IN Q ="I won....]
[SUPER=01-Chip Sullivan/Ashley Plantation Pro; :00]
[RUNS =:12]
[OUT Q= "...that's for sure"]
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[VO-NAT]
Sullivan has also qualified for the PGA Championship, his first ever major. The championship will take place in Rochester, NY beginning August 14th. Although he has played in many tour events, he believes that a major will be much different.
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[SOT]
[IN CUE: "WE JUST..."]
[RUNS=:34]
[OUT Q="...normal tour event"]
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[TALENT=MIKE]
[GRAPHIC=CHIP]
We'll have more on how Chip is preparing for the his first major as the PGA championship draws closer.

[S-Tex]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-144 14722TC]
[GRAPHIC=COWBOYS]

One of the NFL's pioneers died today at the age of 83. Tex Schramm, the former president and general manager of the Cowboys
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-NFL; :00]
passed away this morning at his Dallas home. Schramm hired Tom Landry to be the Cowboys' first coach. He also was responsible for instant replay, sideline radios for the quarterback's helmets, and for something as simple as putting the flag on top of the goal posts. He was elected to the hall o fame in 1991.
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[Marine-Return]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=03-21 TC57:55]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

A Marine from our area who served in Iraq is happy to be back home.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

Friends and relatives greeted Lance Corporal Carlton Meador (MED-er) at the Roanoke Regional Airport last night.
Meador is in the Marine Corps, and spent the last six months serving in Kuwait and Iraq.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 56:29]
[IN Q=It's not]
((LANCE CPL. CARLTON MEADOR: IT'S NOT SOMETHING I WANT TO GO BACK TO. IT'S NOT A PLEASANT EXPERIENCE.))
[SUPER=01-Lance Cpl. Carlton Meador/U. S. Marine Corps;]
[RUNS=:05]
[OUT Q=not a pleasant experience.]
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[VO-NAT]

Meador brought back seven rolls of pictures and gifts for the entire family.
He's looking forward to spending time at home after a year away ... and says he doesn't want to go to the beach because he's already seen enough sand for one year. (------------)