[1-News-Head]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
A new batch of barrels full of dirt and something yellow turns up on the site of Roanoke's new stadium.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :05]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
And a group of balloonists walks away from a flight into a tree-covered hillside.
(------------)
[Sports-head]
[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
In sports, the Hokies talk about meeting the hype head on against Central Florida, Al Groh gets defensive today, the Patrick Henry Patriots adapt to a new coach
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
and the Martinsville Astros begin their title series against the twins tonight.
(------------)
[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]
How high can the mercury go. Mid 90's at least for the metro areas tomorrow. Hot details ahead.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith 4-Shot]
News 7 at Six is next.
[Video-Open]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=Video Open]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
Crews starting construction on Roanoke's new stadium unearth an old headache...
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
More barrels related to a hazardous waste violation years ago.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
Good evening, I'm Shannon Young.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
And I'm Keith Humphry.
[Stadium-Construction]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=03-25 TC2:01:09]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
Crews have been excavating and grading the site for the last few days.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
It's set to be the future home of Roanoke's new stadium-amphitheater complex.
[***NEWS 7 IN MONITOR***]
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith Shannon & Marya /Newsroom Pod;]
Marya Jones says their discovery is just the latest problem for city officials already under fire for replacing Victory Stadium.
Keith and Shannon,
Workers found five old 55-gallon drums buried in the dirt yesterday night and this morning.
[LIVE= Marya /FULL Newsroom]
[SUPER=@Marya1;]
They don't THINK they're filled with hazardous waste, but they're testing them to make sure.
They ARE certain, however, that the barrels relate to an old city environmental problem.
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
[***MARYA'S MIC HOT***]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
A city spokesman says the barrels appear to contain soil and a yellow substance.
Crews bulldozing and grading the 24-acre site off Orange Avenue knew that they might come across them.... AND that there might be more.
[SUPER=04-1998;]
The site of the future stadium is right next to a Public Works Service Center where more than a thousand barrels were found to be illegally buried nearly six years ago.
Most were empty, but 58 of them contained hazardous waste.
The city spent more than a million dollars on fines and cleanup for the violations.
(-------------)
[LIVE= Marya /FULL Newsroom]
City officials say the latest barrels were found in what WILL become a parking lot for the new stadium.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Marya /Newsroom;]
Keith and Shannon, they say the discovery will NOT affect plans to move ahead with construction.
[Water-Main]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=03-28 TC1:08:11]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A water main break is causing some delays for motorists on Orange Avenue in Roanoke.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
A 6-inch water main under Orange Avenue near Gus Nicks Boulevard broke this afternoon.
One eastbound lane is closed as city utility workers try to fix it.
Westbound traffic is also delayed.
About 10 businesses along 460 are without water, but no homes were affected.
The city says water may be discolored for several hours, but that it's still safe to drink.
Repairs are expected to last until 11 tonight.
(------------)
[Bennett]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=03-22 TC1:56:15]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Invest.]
There's new information tonight in the Stephanie Bennett murder case.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
She's the Rocky Mount native and Roanoke College graduate found murdered in her Raleigh, North Carolina apartment in May 2002.
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co.]
Today her father came forward to offer a 100-thousand dollar reward for any information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=We are not]
[SUPER=01-Carmon Bennett/Stephanie's Father]
[RUNS=12]
[OUT Q=the money we're offering.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
This is in addition to the ten-thousand dollar reward the state of North Carolina has been offering in the case.
Police have said they have several concrete leads, but decline to say if they have an suspects.
(------------)
[Body-Found]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=03-33 TC30:30]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Roanoke Police have ruled out foul play in the death of a 19-year-old at a local hotel.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Yesterday;]
The teenager's body was found in his room at the Wyndham Hotel yesterday.
He was not from Virginia.
Police say the young man had locked himself in the room, using the chain.
They're still waiting for an autopsy to determine what caused his death.
(------------)
[SAT-scores]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=03-31 TC1:07:58]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Virginia students may be getting smarter...or at least they are getting better scores on the S-A-T.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@file]
Seniors in the state improved their S-A-T scores in both verbal and math.
The average score in Virginia on the verbal portion was 514, up four points from last year.
And that is seven points higher than the national average.
Virginia's average score on the math portion also went up four points.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 13:09:12]
[IN Q=SINCE 1998 WHICH COINCIDENTALLY]
((CHARLES PYLE/VA. DEPT. OF EDUCATION: SINCE 1998 WHICH COINCIDENTALLY IS THE YEAR WE BEGAN SOL TESTING IN VIRGINIA WE'VE SEEN A SEVEN POINT RISE IN ACHIEVEMENT ON THE VERBAL PORTION OF THE SAT AND AN ELEVEN POINT INCREASE ON THE MATH PORTION AND SO THAT'S A CLEAR TREND OF INCREASED ACHIEVEMENT.))
[SUPER=01-Charles Pyle/VA Dept. of Education]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=CLEAR TREND OF INCREASED ACHIEVEMENT.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Locally, the average SAT math score for Roanoke City students was unchanged.
But the average score on the verbal portion dropped 15 points.
(------------)
[Schools]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=School Info.]
The summer heat is cutting the school days short in several communities.
(XXXXXXXXXX)
[TAKE SCHOOLTOUCH FS]
Bland County schools will dismiss at 1:00 tomorrow.
In Henry County, Elementary students will go home at noon. Middle School students will leave at 12:45. And High Schoolers will be dismissed at 1:00 tomorrow.
And in Martinsville, Druid Hills and Patrick Henry Elementaries will send students home at 12:30.
So how hot will it be tomorrow? Let's talk to Robin Reed.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[Tease#1]
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Robin/WX CENTER]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
[SS=NONE]
A controversial tax in the New River Valley could be cut in half.
That's next on News 7 at Six.
(---------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
Plus little wind and little fuel make for an unexpected landing for some balloonists.
(----------------)
[Merchant-Tax]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=03-29 TC1:19:30]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
Montgomery County may soon be cutting its taxes, in hopes of cutting its losses.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
Controversy over the county's merchant capital tax has been going on for almost a decade, but that could soon end.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Myranda & Keith-Shannon/Microwave;]
New River Valley Bureau Chief Myranda Stephens is here to explain.
Keith and Shannon, the purpose of enforcing a tax is to gain money, not lose it.
[LIVE=Myranda/FULL]
[SUPER=@Myranda1;]
[SUPER=05-Blacksburg;]
But each year, for the past several years, that's been the case in Montgomery County.
Instead rolling in the dough from its merchant's tax, the dough has literally been rolling out.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=they could]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg; :05]
[SUPER=01-David Hagan/Shelor Motor Company; :43]
[RUNS=:57]
[OUT Q=to do that]
(([SOT 3815]
[RUNS04]
((THEY COULD GENERATE 400,OOO DOLLARS BY SIMPLY MAKING A GOOD DECISION 19))
The current merchant tax for Montgomery County is a dollar-21-cents per $100.
But under the law, if the inventory is not in the county on January first, the merchants don't have to pay the tax.
Many area car dealers who say the tax is too high, have used that to their advantage, by simply moving their vehicles out of the county by the first of the year.
It's a practice that has cost the county thousands of dollars annually.
But perhaps no more.
The county is now considering lowering the tax, cutting it either in half or by a third.
However, some dealership owners say even a third is not enough.
[SOT 3741]
[RUNS14]
((OUR TAX WOULD GO FROM THAT POINT, SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND TO FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS OR WE CAN PAY 50-THOUSAND DOLLARS IN PULASKI COUNTY OR NONE IN RADFORD SO OBVIOUSLY NO IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE FOR US TO DO THAT.))))
(-------------)
[LIVE=Myranda/FULL]
[SUPER=05-Blacksburg;]
A public hearing is set for next month over which option the county should choose.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Myranda /Microwave;]
But Keith and Shannon, there's always that third option, and that's keeping the tax rate just where it is.
[Shoreline-management]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=03-21 TC1:55:40]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The shoreline management plan for Smith Mountain Lake is just days away from taking effect.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Smith Mt. Lake/Last Week]
Today, a steering committee assisting American Electric Power with the document met to finalize the plan.
Guidelines for beaches, rip-rap and fees were among the concerns addressed by the group.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I think]
[SUPER=01-Bill Rolfe/Bedford Co. Administrator]
[RUNS=:12]
[OUT Q=it's not going to please everybody.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
A-E-P will begin enforcing the plan next Tuesday, but it must still gain final approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
(------------)
[L'burg-Council]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=03-23 TC1:54:20]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Dollars signs are dominating the discussion among members of Lynchburg city council these days.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]
The panel is taking a two-day retreat to talk about budget issues and financial challenges facing the city.
One of the top concerns is how to pay city employees.. in particular police officers.. a more competitive salary.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 12:06:17//11:58:05]
[IN Q=I think when]
((ROBERT GARBER/LYNCHBURG COUNCIL MEMBER: I THINK WHEN WE'RE LOSING POLICE OFFICERS IN THE WAKE OF 9-11, THEY'RE GOING TO DIFFERENT PLACES FOR EMPLOYMENT, WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE BEING TRAINED BY THE CITY LEAVING AND WE HAVE TRAIN NEW PEOPLE AND THAT'S A BIG COST TO THE CITY THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT.))
((CHARLES BENNETT/LYNCHBURG POLICE CHIEF: I'M CONFIDENT THAT THE BEST DECISIONS POSSIBLE, THAT THIS COUNCIL CLEARLY IS COMMITTED TO THE WELL-BEING OF THE CITY AND THEY'LL DO THE VERY BEST THEY CAN AS WE DO IN DIFFICULT AND TRYING TIMES.))
[SUPER=01-Robert Garber/Lynchburg Council Member; :00]
[SUPER=01-Charles Bennett/Lynchburg Police Chief; :16]
[RUNS=25]
[OUT Q=DIFFICULT AND TRYING TIMES]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Council also hopes to establish a policy that will determine how and whether the city provides funding to non-profit agencies.
(------------)
[Balloon-Accident]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6 p.m.]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=03-37 TC03:59]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A young pilot is under investigation after ditching his hot air balloon in the trees.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :19]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co.;]
None of the five people on board was injured when the balloon went down on a hillside in Botetourt County this morning.
Troutville Emergency crews responded, cutting the basket out of the brush.
Pilot Colin Graham says he's been flying for seven of his twenty years and that, until today, he'd never had a problem.
(///// SOT at :19 /////)
[SOT 10:31:12-10:31:32]
[IN Q=The balloon floats with the wind...]
((COLIN GRAHAM/PILOT: THE BALLOON FLOATS WITH THE WIND. 45-MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT I START LOOKING FOR A LANDING SITE. USUALLY, I HAVE HALF OR MORE OF MY FUEL AND TYPICALLY LAND WITH ABOUT HALF MY FUEL ON BOARD. WHAT HAPPENED TODAY WAS WINDS WERE SO CALM I COULDN'T MOVE ANYWHERE.))
[SUPER=01-Colin Graham/Pilot;]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=calm I couldn't move anywhere.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT :12]
Graham says he tried to land in a field but that the property owner would not grant him permission to do so.
Virginia State Police are checking to see if any aviation laws were broken.
(------------)
[Stocks]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Wall Street has its first advance since last Thursday.
[TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-x/22.81/9340.45/x/6.33/1770.64;]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
The DOW gained 23 points.
NASDAQ rose six.
(-------------)
[VO]
[SUPER=271-h/1.00/75.00/i/0.05/39.95/h/0.07/28.47/h/0.72/71.63/h/0.23/77.89;]
[SUPER=272-h/0.32/35.68/h/0.21/15.41/h/0.06/6.95/h/0.24/61.16/h/0.03/29.88;]
[SUPER=273-h/0.17/6.57/h/0.41/37.11/i/0.12/18.83/h/0.06/18.34/h/0.10/6.55;]
[SUPER=274-h/0.20/9.44/h/0.17/60.92/h/0.21/35.01/i/0.37/42.40//Unchg/59.10;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]
[Printing-Plant]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=03-24 TC1:48:45]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
The building is up. Tons of equipment are assembled inside. And now the Roanoke Times is counting down the days until it puts a new printing press into full operation.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
Tonight, Joe Dashiell updates the newspaper's 32- million dollar expansion.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Most of the pieces are now in place]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=01-Chip Harris/Project Director; :18]
[SUPER=04-1956; :24]
[SUPER=01-Wendy Zomparelli/Roanoke Times Publisher; :35]
[SUPER=01-Dale Israel/Production Technician; 1:07]
[SUPER=@Joe2; 1:25]
[RUNS=1:39]
[OUT Q=JD News 7 Roanoke]
((Most of the pieces are now in place, and technicians are pulling paper through the massive Heidelberg Mainstream 80 Press.
Since we first visited the building in mid- march, truckloads of equipment have rolled into Roanoke from New Hampshire.
And a commissioning team is now making major progress toward full operation.
[SOT]
[IN Q=It's like a fine-tuned engine]
((IT'S LIKE A FINE-TUNED ENGINE. EVERYTHING HAS TO TALK TO EACH OTHER.))
[RUNS= :05]
[OUT Q=has to talk to each other.]
Elements of the CURRENT press were installed in November 1948, and though the equipment was updated in the mid-80s, publisher Wendy Zomparelli says the transition to new equipment is a transformation for the newspaper.
[SOT]
[IN Q=If you can imagine]
((WENDY ZOMPARELLI/PUBLISHER: IF YOU CAN IMAGINE BEING A MECHANIC ON A 1948 CAR AND THAT'S ALL YOU'VE WORKED ON ALL YOUR LIFE AND THEN SOMEONE HANDS YOU THE KEYS TO A 2003 CAR. I MEAN WHEN THEY SAY PLUG IN THE COMPUTER, YOU WOULDN'T EVEN KNOW WHICH END OF THE CAR TO START WITH, SO THIS IS JUST A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT MACHINE FROM THE ONE THAT WE HAVE.))
[RUNS= :20]
[OUT Q=from the one that we have.]
A completely different machine that will have full color capability, higher print quality and greater speed.
Production technician Dale Israel spent three weeks training in New Hampshire, and another six weeks on site.
[SOT]
[IN Q=It's a world of difference]
(( ITS A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE. IT'S ALL NEW TECHNOLOGY TO US, WHAT WE'VE BEEN DEALING WITH FOR THE LAST FIFTEEN PLUS YEARS IS JUST SO OLD, AND NOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO THE NEW TECHNOLOGY, IT'S OVERWHELMING. BUT LIKE I SAID WE'LL BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT.))
[RUNS= :18]
[OUT Q=we'll be able to handle it.]
The new press will require fewer operators, but the newspaper promises no layoffs among production employees.
The expansion remains on schedule, and barring serious complications the newspaper should meet its October 27th deadline.
Joe Dashiell News 7 Roanoke))
[Sports tease]
[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
The Martinsville Astros begin the Appy League championship series, a look at the Patrick Henry football team
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
and the Hokies open the season against a team from Florida for the first time since 1967.
(------------)
[S-Hokies]
[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-149 15052TC]
[GRAPHIC=VIRGINIA TECH]
Virginia Tech's quest to live up to its preseason hype begins Sunday against Central Florida. Mike Stevens says the Hokies are well aware that the college football world will be watching.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=FIRST AUDIO]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg/2001 UCF Game; :00]
[SUPER=01-Frank Beamer/17th Season as Va. Tech Head Coach; :17]
[SUPER=01-Bryan Randall/Va. Tech Starting Quarterback; :31]
[SUPER=03-Orlando, FL/2000 Season; :46]
[SUPER=01-Nathaniel Adibi/VT Defensive End; :56]
[SUPER=01-Marcus Vick/VT Second String Quarterback; 1:18]
[SUPER=@mike1; 1:27]
[RUNS=1:40]
[OUT Q=....NEWS 7 SPORTS."]
(-----------)
[S-UVA]
[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-158 22:01]
[GRAPHIC=ACC]
UVa's opener against Duke is Saturday at seven PM at Scott Stadium.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Charlottesville; :00]
The UVa defense gave up 424 yards a game last season but that inexperienced unit has a year under its belt.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Al Groh/0-and-2 in UVa Season Openers; :00]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=..thats been gained"(TRIPLE OUT!!!!)]
(------------------)
[S-PH]
[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-150 TC3740]
[GRAPHIC=Friday Football Extra]
2003 will be a transitional year for Patrick Henry, the focus of tonight's Friday Football Extra Preview.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Doug Ross takes over the reins of the program after Kevin Clifford resigned over the summer.
Eight starters return, and despite the uncertainty around the program in recent months, the Patriots haven't missed a beat.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Doug Ross/Patriots Head Coach; :02]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=they're in good shape."]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Ross has got PH clearly focused on the precious present thanks to some help from his predecessors.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=2003, not 2002."]
(------------)
[S-Dimari]
[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-159 28:51]
[GRAPHIC=Tech]
On to basketball. Virginia Tech forward Dimari Thompkins has left the Hokies team
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :00]
and will not return to school due to personal and family matters. The six foot nine junior played in all 29 games for Tech a season a go and made 17 starts. He averaged 5.4 points and 4.4 rebounds a contest.
(------------)
[S-Astros]
[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-160 19:07]
[GRAPHIC=Baseball]
The Martinsville Astros open the Appalachian League's Championship series best of three tonight in Elizabethton.
(--------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville; :00]
The teams have combined for 84 wins this season and their battles have gone back and forth.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Mark Saccomanno/Martinsville Astros DH & Third Baseman; :00]
[RUNS=:23]
[OUT Q=come out a head""]
(------------)
by SS