WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 08/07/03

[7Wx-Headline]

[ANCHOR=Kim]

[NEWSCAST=Cut-ins]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Mornin' Report]

Good morning, I'm Kimberly McBroom......
After enjoying some sunshine yesterday, we're seeing a return of wet weather today.
Brent Watts has details, up next in the forecast.

[7-11Pitts-Power]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=03-22 1:30:27]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Though a proposed power plant in Pittsylvania County has acheived state approval, there is a chance it my not be built.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Dry Fork/File Tape]

The State Corporation Commission has approved the White Oak Energy Center, a 680-megawatt gas- fired power plant Florida Power and Light wants to build in Dry Fork.
But F-P-L put the project on hold earlier this year because of a lack of need for electricity.
A company spokesperson said yesterday that the plant will be built only if a customer is found.
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[7-VOB-Galax-Fiddlers]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Musicians and music lovers alike are enjoying the sweet sound of traditional string music in Galax this week.
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[sot]
[in q=Nat sound]
((nat sound))
[runs=05]
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Galax;]
On Monday-- the Old Fiddlers Convention kicked off in Galax. The yearly event is hosted by the Galax Moose Lodge and draws thousands every year.
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[SOT 00:12:38]
[IN Q=I like this mountain ]
[SUPER=01-Houston Bowman/Musician;]
(( I LIKE THIS MOUNTAIN, COUNTRY ATMOSPHERE UP HERE....I LOVE BLUEGRASS MUSIC AND THEY PLAY A LOT OF IT UP HERE. SETTING OF IT AND EVERYTHING, GOOD MOUNTAIN AIR UP HERE. ))
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=air up here.]
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[VO-NAT]
This is the 68th year for the Old Fiddlers Convention. Organizers say last year's turnout was the biggest yet for the event, but say this year's attendance is going so well it may surpass last year's turnout when the convention wraps up Saturday night.
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[7-11Festivals]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=03-23 TC1:21:22]
[GRAPHIC=Fiddlefest]
Some changes are in store for the organizers of Roanoke's Fiddlefest.

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[VO-NAT :20]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./Last Month;]
[TAPE#=03-24 12:51]
They say attendance was low last month, but that they're already looking at ways to make it more appealing next year. Ideas include making the festival shorter, lowering ticket prices and using fewer venues. Fiddlefest lost a substantial amount of money its first time out and officials say individuals have taken out loans to cover costs.
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[SOT 00:23:22]
[IN Q=they see]
((MIKE CONNOR/FIDDLEFEST ORGANIZER; THEY SEE THE POTENTIAL FOR WHAT THIS FESTIVAL CAN BE AND THEY BELIEVE IN IT ENOUGH THAT WHATEVER DIFFERENCES WHATEVER LOSSES WE MAY HAVE OCCURRED THEY'VE STEPPED UP AND TAKEN CARE OF THAT, EVERYONE GETS PAID, EVERYONE HAS A SMILE ON THEIR FACE AND WE DO IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR.))
[SUPER=01-Mike Connor/Fiddlefest Organizer;]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=AGAIN NEXT YEAR.]
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/May;]
[FILE @ 03-18 TC 1:02:04] Festival in the Park is also seeing red after seeing lots of rain. Organizers say wet weather hurt ticket and concessions sales. The event lost 50-thousand dollars. Officials say they will have to tighten their belt and be creative to make up for the loss.
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[45-11Harris]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=03-31 TC39:55]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Roanoke School Superintendent Wayne Harris says he accepts responsibility for errors in the reporting of violence and discipline.
Yesterday, he revealed plans he hopes will enhance security and restore confidence in city schools.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Harris said a barrage of negative publicity has overshadowed many accomplishments.
In his state of the schools address, he defended the school system's response to recent controversies, but Harris also took responsibility for inaccurate reports that were sent to the state.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=There is no excuse for this]
((WAYNE HARRIS/ROANOKE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT: THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THIS AND AS THE LEADER OF ROANOKE CITY, I AM ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ERRORS THAT WERE MADE.)) ((BEV FITZPATRICK/ROANOKE CITY COUNCIL: THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE CLEARLY BEEN WILLING TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED AND HAVE SAID WE'RE GOING TO FIX IT, WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT RIGHT AND WE'RE GOING TO REESTABLISH TRUST WITH THE COMMUNITY IS VERY SIGNIFICANT.))
[SUPER=01-Wayne Harris/Roanoke City School Superintendent; :00]
[SUPER=01-Bev Fitzpatrick/Roanoke City Council; :12]
[RUNS=:23]
[OUT Q=is very significant.]
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[VO-NAT]

Harris also reported progress on the Standards of Learning. Five more schools have earned full accreditation. That's in addition to eleven schools that were accredited last year.
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[45-11Hidden-Valley]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=03-27 TC54:58]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Ronaoke County School Board may now be ready to vote on an issue that has been debated for months.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.]

At issue is whether there should be lighted athletic fields at Hidden Valley High School.
Some nearby residents have concerns about traffic, noise, and loitering late at night.
The school system has come up with eight restrictions including limiting the use of the field to just Hidden Valley's soccer team, and making sure the lights are off no later than nine o'clock.
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[SOT 49:58]
[IN Q=The biggest concession]
((MIKE STOVALL/SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER: THE BIGGEST CONCESSION IS THAT WE AS A BOARD HAVE AGREED NOT TO BIND FUTURE BOARD'S BUT WE WILL NOT PUT A FOOTBALL STADIUM ON THE PROPERTY AT HIDDEN VALLEY. AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THAT STATEMENT WE'VE DECIDED AS A BOARD NOT TO PUT A FOOTBALL STADIUM IN.))
[SUPER=01-Mike Stovall/School Board Member;]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=football stadium in]
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[VO-NAT]

Some will have trouble believing that statement because they feel the school board broke an earlier promise not to light the fields.
The board is expected to vote on the issue at its meeting next Wednesday.
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[8-11Pitts-Power]

[8-11Stolen-Horses]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=03-20 TC1:58:26]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Two missing horses in Craig County over the weekend may be the work of a horse theif.
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[V/O-NAT SOT]
Don LeSoine has had these Pintos only since mid-May. Friday night they disappeared. LeSoine thinks they were stolen. So he and his wife, Sue, got on the Internet and reported the theft to Stolen Horse International. Hawley and her foal were listed on the website, NetPosse-dot-com, as stolen horses.
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[SOT 16:40:35]
[IN Q=We finally got]
((SUE LESOINE: WE FINALLY GOT A PHONE CALL FROM A NEIGHBOR THAT THEY'RE IN HER BACK YARD. SOMEHOW THEY JUST SHOWED UP. Keith Humphry/NEWS-7: And you have no way of knowing whether any or all of this stuff really made a difference? I BELIEVE IT DID MAKE A DIFFERENCE. I BELIEVE THE FACT THAT WORD GOT OUT THAT THESE HORSES WERE MISSING WAS WHY THEY WERE RETURNED. DON LESOINE: AND THEY JUST SHOWED UP AGAIN IN THE SAME PLACE WHERE I JUST GOT DONE WALKING WHICH MAKES ME SUSPICIOUS. I HOPE I'M WRONG, BUT THEY'RE BACK. THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.))
[SUPER=07-Sue LeSoine; :00]
[SUPER=02-Don LeSoine; :19]
[RUNS=:31]
[OUT Q=MOST IMPORTANT THING.]
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[V/O-NAT SOT]
Don LeSoine says he'd become attached to Hawley and her as-yet un-named filly.
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[8-11-21-day-rule]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=03-19 TC1:52:27]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A Virginia state panel is trying to make it easier for wrongly convicted people to prove their innocence.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]

The group of lawmakers and judges yesterday recommended that the state abolish its 21-day-rule.
The panel wants to eliminate All LIMITS on the amount of time a wrongfully convicted person has to present evidence of his innocence.
Some say the state is not doing enough to keep innocent people from landing in jail in the first place.
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[SOT 09:54:49]
[IN Q=WE HAVE A LONG WAYS]
((STEVEN BENJAMIN/DEFENSE ATTORNEY: WE HAVE A LONG WAYS TO GO YET. UNFORTUNATELY IN THIS STATE IF A PERSON IS ACCUSED OF A CRIME THEY ARE NOT ENTITLED TO KNOW THE EVIDENCE AGAINST THEM PRIOR TO TRIAL AND THEY WILL BE REPRESENTED BY A COURT-APPOINTED LAWYER WHO IS THE LOWEST PAID IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.))
[SUPER=01-Steven Benjamin/Defense Attorney]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=PAID IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.]
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[VO-NAT]

The General Assembly is expected to vote on the panel's recommendation next year. (------------)