WDBJ 7 morning news for 08/13/03

[VOB-School-Board]

[ANCHOR=Kim]

[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=net L]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 Mornin']
A team looking into whether discipline and incidents of violence in the Roanoke school system were under-reported to the state has issued its findings.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
The three person team from the Virginia Department of Education visited the school system a month ago, following allegations that officials under- reported incidents of crime, violence and discipline. Last night, a spokesperson for the team told the school board they did NOT uncover any evidence of under- reporting during their week long stay. Board member Melinda Payne belives Roanoke schools are safe overall-- and says the job now is to convince the public.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 02:18:04]
[IN Q=I THINK ]
[SUPER=01-Melinda Payne/School Board Member;]
(( I THINK OVERALL WE HAVE SAFE SCHOOLS BUT IF I PERCEIVE THAT THEY'RE NOT SAFE THAT'S MY REALITY, AND I THINK THAT IF I HAVE A CHILD IN SCHOOL I WANT TO BE ASSURED THAT WHILE MY CHILD IS IN CLASS WHETHER IT'S AT HIGH SCHOOL, MIDDLE OR ELEMENTARY... THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE SAFE ON A DAILY BASIS.))
[RUNS=:21]
[OUT Q=DAILY BASIS.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Superintendent Wayne Harris told the school board that the under-reporting of crime and incidents of violence was not a problem on the part of principals. He says they reported the data and that the error occurred in the school system's central office.
(------------)

[11Sex-Shops]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=03-32 TC22:46]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Blacksburg town council has approved new restrictions for sexually oriented businesses.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg]

That means any business that sells adult novelty items or entertainment must be at least 500-feet away from places such as schools, churches and libraries.
The ordinance was approved unanimously and goes into effect immediately. There are currently no adult oriented businesses in Blacksburg, but town leaders say they wanted to be proactive.
(------------)

[11Rubatex-Stabbing]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A Thaxton man is under arrest after police say he stabbed a fellow employee at the Rubatex plant.
55-year old Saford F. Orange is charged with malicious wounding.
Officers say he stabbed 47 year old Charles H. Cunningham in the back after an altercation inside the plant yesterday afternoon.
Cunningham was treated and released from Bedford Memorial Hospital.
Orange is being held in the Blue Ridge Regional Jail.

[Terrorist-Plot]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Authorities in New Jersey have foiled an international plot to sell a weapon capable of shooting down an airliner.

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Newark, NJ;]

A British suspect was arrested at a Newark hotel after trying to sell the shoulder- fired missile to an undercover F-B-I agent posing as a Muslim terrorist.
At the same time, two other men were arrested and documents were seized in Manhattan.
Investigators believe the suspects are part of a money laundering scheme.
Authorities say more arrests are possible.
(------------)

[Computer-Worm]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

An Internet worm continues to take down thousands of home and business computers all over the world.
Whomever is responsible for it left a teasing message for Microsoft founder Bill Gates, telling him to fix his software.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-File Tape;]

The worm, called Lovsan (love- sahn) or blaster (blahster) is different from a virus, because it can target just about any computer on the Internet.
The infection causes computers using Microsoft software to shut down or re- start, but doesn't appear to cause any permanent damage.
(------------)

[11Firefighters]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=03-21 TC1:35:42]
[GRAPHIC=Wildfire]

The wildfires burning in Montana have closed down an entrance into Yellowstone National Park.
As firefighters struggle to get the upper hand, they'll get some help from about 100 firefighters from our region.

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Five crews left Roanoke yesterday afternoon for Montana.
They're helping to fight a massive wildfire in Flathead National Forest.
The Crazy Horse Fire as it is called- has already consumed nearly two thousand acres and none of it is contained.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:24:39]
[IN Q=Depending on the assignment]
((GREG SANDERS/FIRE MANAGEMENT OFFICER: DEPENDING ON THE ASSIGNMENT THEY GET THEY MAY BE DIGGING FIRE LINE OR MOPPING UP WHERE IT HAS ALREADY CONTAINED, PROTECTING HOUSES, OUR CREWS ARE VERSATILE, SO IT JUST DEPENDS ON THE NEED OF THE DAY OF WHAT WE'LL HAVE THEM DOING.))
[SUPER=01-Greg Sanders/Fire Management Officer]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=have them doing]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

It is common for firefighters in the East to help with western fires in the summer.
That's because firefighters from the west often help with eastern fires in the spring and fall.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:26:59]
[IN Q=In the last few years]
((HAROLD FISHER/VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY: IN THE LAST FEW YEARS WITH THE DROUGHT CONDITIONS WE HAD CONTINUOUS FIRE SEASON SO YEAH IT IS KINDA NICE TO HAVE A BREAK DOWN HERE.))
[SUPER=01-Harold Fisher/Virginia Department of Forestry;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=down here]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The firefighters are from the U.S Forest Service, the National Park Service, and Virginia's Department of Forestry.

They'll be working fourteen to sixteen hour days for the next two weeks before heading back to Virginia.
(------------)

[6-Short-Overview]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=03-23 TC1:32:24]
[GRAPHIC=Jennifer Short]

Friday will be the first anniversary of the grisly unsolved murders of the Short family in Henry County.
Marya Jones takes a look back.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=On August 15th,]
[SUPER=03-Henry Co./August 15; :00]
[SUPER=10-Frank Cassell/Henry Co. Sheriff/August 15; :09 QUICK!]
[SUPER=10-Kimmy Nester/Henry Co. Sheriff's Department/August 15; :28]
[SUPER=10-Garrison Bowman/"Person of Interest"/November 1; 1:35]
[SUPER=@Marya2; 1:42]
[RUNS=1:46]
[OUT Q=MJ News 7.]
(( On August 15th, 2002, Henry County wakes up to a nightmare: a missing little girl and two murdered parents.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT tape 02-32, tc 58:24 - :27]
((SHERIFF CASSELL: YOU CAN'T THINK OF A WORSE CASE SCENARIO THAN THIS.))
[RUNS= :03]

Michael and Mary Short are discovered by an employee of their mobile home moving business ... shot and killed in their sleep.
Their 9-year-old daughter Jennifer is nowhere to be found.
Even worse, investigators are left with no clues to suggest who did it and why.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT tape 1:10:05]
((KIMMY NESTER: FROM WHAT WE'VE SEEN HERE, IT'S HIGHLY LIKELY ONE PERSON COULD'VE DONE IT, BUT IT'S JUST AS LIKELY MORE THAN ONE PERSON MAY BE RESPONSIBLE.))
[RUNS= :05]

Six weeks later, a North Carolina man and his dogs find some of Jennifer's bones near a creek bed.
She's shot in the head ... but, again, her killer leaves no trace.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT tape 02-43, tc 38:10]
((SHERIFF CASSELL: I WOULD RISK EVERYTHING TO SAVE A LITTLE GIRL'S LIFE. BUT SHE'S GONE NOW AND SHE'S SAFE NOW. NO EVIL CAN BEFALL HER.))
[RUNS= :08]

Days later, a promising lead emerges.
A North Carolina landlord tells authorities his tenant, a carpenter named Gary Bowman, threatened to kill a Virginia mobile home mover and his family after a business deal gone wrong.
He then leaves his mobile home and moves to Canada.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT tape 02-44, TC 16:23]
((SHERIFF CASSELL: HE'S THE PRIMARY FOCUS RIGHT NOW. HAS BEEN FOR SOME TIME.))
[RUNS= :04]

... Enough that investigators go to Canada to interview Bowman.
He's held in jail as a material witness for nearly a month and brought back to the U-S.
Then he's questioned and let go.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT tape 02-35, tc 1:24:49 - :52]
((GARY BOWMAN: WHEN ALL THIS IS BEHIND ME, YOU'RE GOING TO GET BOTH BARRELS, BELIEVE ME.))
[RUNS= :03]

In an exclusive interview the next day, Bowman tells News-7 he's never met the Shorts.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT TAPE 02-45, TC 9:57]
((GARY BOWMAN: GOD KNOWS I DIDN'T DO THIS. I MIGHT BURN FOR SOMETHING ELSE, BUT I AIN'T GONNA BURN FOR THIS ONE, BABY.))
[RUNS= :04]

Almost a year later, sources say he remains the focus of the investigation. Marya Jones, News-7.))
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[SS=HOLD]
Tonight on News 7 at 6, Marya Jones will have more on where the investigation stands today.

[Marketwatch]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=NET]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]

In business news, short term interest rates remain unchanged.
Alexis Christoforous has that story and more in this morning's Marketwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Alexis Christoforous/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:42]
[OUT Q=in New York.]
((INVESTORS LIKED WHAT THE FED HAD TO SAY TODAY.. FEDERAL RESERVE CHIEF ALAN >GREENSPAN AND COMPANY LEFT SHORT TERM INTEREST RATES UNCHANGED... THE FED >SAID THE ECONOMY IS SHOWING SIGNS OF IMPROVING AND THAT RATES SHOULD REMAIN
>LOW FOR =QUOTE= A CONSIDERABLE PERIOD OF TIME.
> >THE DOW MOVED UP 92 POINTS TO CLOSE JUST SHY OF A TWO MONTH HIGH > >THE SP 500 TACKED ON NEARLY 10 > >AND THE NASDAQ MOVED UP 25 POINTS > >ON THE STOCKS TO WATCH LIST: Applied Materials. The world's largest maker >of >microchip production tools posted a quarterly loss of 2 cents a share. >Applied Materials said chip makers held off on plans to aggressively expand >and upgrade their factories. > >A FEDERAL JURY IN CHICAGO HAS ORDERED MICROSOFT TO PAY 521 MILLION DOLLARS >TO A SOFTWARE COMPANY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AFTER FINDING THAT >MICROSOFT INFRINGED ON A PATENT. THE SOFTWARE GIANT PLANS TO APPEAL THE >VERDICT. > >MEANTIME, >THE INTERNET WORM ATTACKING THOUSANDS OF MICROSOFT WINDOWS OPERATING >SYSTEMS >SINCE YESTERDAY HAS NOT ATTACKED THE COMPANY'S STOCK. SHARES OF MICROSOFT >MOVED UP 12 CENTS. > >TWO AND A HALF YEARS AFTER ITS CORPORATE MARRIAGE AOL TIME WARNER WANTS TO >DROP "AOL" FROM TIS NAME. >THE ONLINE SERVICE PROVIDER SAYS SCANDALS SURROUNDING THE LARGER COMPANY IS >HURTING ITS CONSUMER BRAND. AOL TIME WARNER'S BOARD WILL CONISDER THE NAME >CHANGE NEXT MONTH. > >THE COMIC BOOK PUBLISHER MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT IS SEEING GREEN.. >THE CORPORATE HOME OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK AND SPIDERMAN SAW ITS PROFITS >NEARLY QUADRUPLE IN THE SECOND QUARTER THANKS TO STRENGTH IN ITS LICENSING >AND FEATURE FILMS. > Marvel says products based on the Incredible Hulk and Spider-Man > were especially successful. > > >TRACK ALL THE PREMARKET ACTION AT CBS.MW.COM IN NEW YORK I'M AC.))

(tape tosses to stocks)
[STOCKS] [COMM]

[Iraq]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Iraq Casualties]

U-S military officials say another American soldier has been killed in Iraq.
He was killed and another was wounded today when their convoy hit a roadside bomb just south of Tikrit.
[SS=After Saddam]

Meanwhile, American soldiers have made more progress.
They captured one of Saddam Hussein's former bodyguards, as well as an Iraqi general.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-File Tape;]

Meanwhile, U-S troops in Iraq can expect to be there for a while.
Their commander says soldiers will serve one- year rotations, leaving the country for short rest periods.
The announcement does NOT come as good news for many soldiers who are already on the edge because of the constant attacks against them and the intense 110- degree heat.
(------------)

[11Thomson]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=03-24 TC1:24:33]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Gary Thomson, the chairman of the Virginia's Republican party, has stepped down after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting in the unauthorized publication of a wire transfer.
Meghan Muldoon has more.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=FOR THE PAST 16 MONTHS]
[SUPER=@file; :00]
[SUPER=@MarkWarner; :48]
[SUPER=01-Scott Leake/Virginia Republican Caucus; 1:14]
[SUPER=@Meghan1; 1:26]
[RUNS=1:41]
[OUT Q=MM, News 7, Richmond.]
(( For the past 16 months, federal and state authorities have been investigating allegations that Republican staffers listened in on two Democratic conference calls in March of last year and then distributed transcripts of the calls to Republican state leaders.
Ed Matricardi pleaded guilty last month to one felony count for illegally accessing the calls.
But it hasn't stopped there.
Gary Thomson, Matricardi's boss, now admits that he found out about one of the calls and what was said on it even though he previously denied the allegation.
[SOT 10:31:20]
((HAVE YOU SEEN ANY KIND OF TRANSCRIPTS OF CONFERENCE CALLS? NO I HAVE NOT.)) [RUNS:04]
Thomson was charged with knowing Matricardi intended to distribute transcripts of the call and did nothing to stop him.
Thomson claims he was not aware that what he did was, technically, a misdemeanor.
Governor Warner finds that hard to believe.
[SOT 10:26:03]
((GOVERNOR MARK WARNER: PEOPLE KNOW WHAT'S RIGHT AND WRONG. WHEN YOU LISTEN IN ON SOMEONE ELSE'S PHONE CALL THAT'S WRONG. YOU CAN ASK MY THREE KIDS AND THEY'D SAY YOU DON'T LISTEN IN ON SOMEBODY ELSE'S CALL WHEN YOU'RE NOT INVITED AND FOR ADULTS TO SAY OTHERWISE IS A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN A BIT DISINGENUOUS.)) [RUNS:17]
Warner says he thinks Republican leaders need to ask more questions.
But one party official say the legal matter is already behind them.
[SOT :38:08]
[IN Q=THIS IS THE ACT]
((SCOTT LEAKE/VIRGINIA REPUBLICAN CAUCUS: THIS IS THE ACT OF ONE OR PERHAPS TWO OR THREE INDIVIDUALS BUT IT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT PERVADES THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IN VIRGINIA AND I DON'T THINK ANYONE WHO IS REASONABLE OR FAIR-MINDED WOULD SAY THAT.)) [RUNS:12]
[OUT Q=FAIR-MINDED WOULD SAY THAT.]

Thomson has been ordered to pay a two-thousand dollar fine and serve two years of probation.
Republican Party officials says they want to replace him as soon as possible.
At this point, Kate Obenschain Griffin has emerged as the frontrunner to be the next chairman.
MM, News 7, Richmond ))
(-------------)

[11Griffith]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=03-22 TC1:36:08]
[GRAPHIC=Morgan Griffith]

The House Majority Leader says the state GOP will weather Thomson's departure just fine. Delegate Morgan Griffith said yesterday that he supports the Chairman's decision to resign because, as a leader he should have been more aware of the repercussions.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :06]
[SUPER=03-Salem;]
Griffith describes Thomson as hard-working and sincere but says the party's full of qualified individuals.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 4:19-4:32]
[IN Q=I don't know that it affects...]
((DELEGATE MORGAN GRIFFITH/8TH DISTRICT: I DON'T KNOW THAT IT AFFECTS THE PARTY 'CAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF GOOD PEOPLE. CERTAINLY THERE WILL BE SOME MOURNING... WE HAVE LOTS OF FOLKS AND SOMEBODY WILL STEP UP AND TAKE HIS PLACE AND WE'LL MOVE ON.))
[SUPER=@Griffith]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=and we'll move on.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]
Griffith says he's been concerned since the eavesdropping scandal broke because early reports indicated Thomson had some knowledge of the incident which could have indicated he'd done something improper.

[11Lincoln-Terrace]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=03-20 TC2:05:55]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Students at one Roanoke school will return to class on time despite construction delays.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Renovation work at Lincoln Terrace Elementary School is several weeks behind schedule.
Workers are installing a new roof, bathroom fixtures, windows and doors, as well as a central heating and cooling system.
Despite the delays, administrators say school will open on schedule August 25th.
Some classes may have to be relocated and construction may be limited until after school.
The project is expected to cost just over two million dollars.
(------------)

(Kimberly tosses to bump)

[bump-chyron]

[comm #3]

[11Chatham-Drowning]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=None]

An eight-year old boy drowned at a church pool party in Pittsylvania County.
The Life Saving Crew pulled the child from a private pool on Bob Neal Road in Chatham just after eleven yesterday morning.
The boy was part of a group from Mount Hermon Baptist Church in Danville.
The exact cause of death is unknown, but investigators are calling it accidental.
The boy's name was not released.

[Biz-Brief]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]

In business news, Both the Dow and the Nasdaq closed higher yesterday.
Stan Case has more in today's business brief.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Stan Case/Reporting; :]
[RUNS=1:12]
[OUT Q=I'm Stan Case.]

((STOCKS RALLIED TO A HIGHER CLOSE TUESDAY AFTER THE FEDERAL RESERVE DECIDED TO LEAVE INTEREST RATES UNCHANGED AT ONE-PERCENT.

THE DOW GAINED 92 POINTS...AND THE NASDAQ WAS UP 25.

J-C PENNY COMPANY HAS POSTED A SECOND QUARTER LOSS OF TWO-CENTS PER SHARE.
THAT'S UP FROM A LOSS OF FIVE-CENTS PER SHARE A YEAR EARLIER.
THE RETAILER SAYS POOR PERFORMANCE FROM ITS ECKERD DRUG-STORE CHAIN CONTRIBUTED TO THE ONE-MILLION DOLLAR LOSS FOR THE QUARTER ENDING JULY 26-TH.
J-C PENNY SAYS IT EXPECTS ECKERD TO ALSO CAUSE A DRAIN ON THE COMPANY'S THIRD QUARTER EARNINGS.

DEERE AND COMPANY REPORTED A 68-PERCENT JUMP IN ITS THIRD QUARTER PROFITS.
DEERE,ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGER FARM EQUIPMENT MAKERS, POSTED EARNINGS OF A DOLLAR-TWO PER SHARE.
THATS UP FROM 61-CENTS PER SHARE A YEAR AGO.
THE COMPANY SAYS SAYS FAVORABLE FOREIGN EXCHANGE RATES CONTRIBUTED TO ITS REVENUE.

A FEDERAL JURY HAS ORDERED MICROSOFT TO PAY 521-MILLION-DOLLARS TO THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AND A SMALL CHICAGO BASED TECHNOLOGY COMPANY.
THE JURY RULED MICROSOFT INFRINGED ON A PATENT OWNED JOINTLY BY THEM.
THE SOFTWARE GIANT SAYS IT PLANS TO APPEAL THE DECISION.

WITH THE BUSINESS BRIEF, I'M STAN CASE.))
[TAPE TOSS TO STOCKS] [STOCKS] [COMM]

[Early-Years]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Early Years]

Back to school often means football practice, play rehearsals, and club meetings-- and that's not even counting CLASSES.
It's not always convenient for parents to give their kids a lift to all those extra- curricular activities, but there IS an alternative.
(++++++++++)
[TAKE FS EARLY YEARS]
In this week's "Early Years" segment, we'll tell you about a service offered by Valley Metro.
(++++++++++)
[PERF SET 2-SHOT]
Donna Wood Chamberlain joins us today with more on that.
Good Morning, Donna.
[SUPER=01-Donna Wood Chamberlain/Valley Metro;]

(This all part of Valley Metro's Back to School campaign-- is this after- school chauffer service something that most k
ids in the valley can take advantage of?)

(What's happening this Saturday at the BAck to School Extravaganza at Breckenridge Middle?)

(You all are also offering another kind of service-- this one of a more serious nature-- home fingerprinting kits...)

Thanks so much for coming in today, Donna.
(++++++++++)
[FULL SCREEN WEB PAGE ADDRESS]
For more information, and a complete list of Valley Metro displays, you can find a link to their web site by logging onto our web page, W-D-B-J-7-DOT-COM.
(++++++++++)
[ANCHOR=KIMBERLY]
[SS=none]

Stay with us.
News 7 Mornin will be right back.
[BUMP]

[COMM][Danville-Fatal]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident]
Danville police say charges are pending after a two-vehicle resident killed one of the drivers. Edward McKinley Stowe of Danville died early today, several hours after the accident along Piney Forest Road.
Police say a vehicle crossed the median lane and struck his Lexus S-U-V, which then overturned. Investigators say Linda Bluher Eanes was driving the second vehicle. We have no word yet on her condition.