WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 08/26/03

[7Wx-Headline]

[ANCHOR=Kim]

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

Good morning, I'm Kimberly McBroom......
Hot and humid today with highs in the 90s.
Meteorologist Leo Hirsbrunner has details, up next in the forecast.

[7-VO-Bedford-Supervisors]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=03-]
[GRAPHIC=none]
A controversial road plan has been brought to a screeching halt by a Bedford County supervisor.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford;]
Last night, County supervisor Kirby Richardson made a motion asking that the million dollar project plan be essentially killed. The motion to remove the project from the county's secondary road plan was approved by the remaining supervisors. The plan would have widened the intersection of routes 608 and 626 near Smith Mountain Lake. Richardson approved the project last fall. He also filled out one of the Highway Department's comment sheets in favor of the plan. State Police found four dozen similar sheets, and a special grand jury is now investigating whether Richardson had a hand in falsifying the forms.
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[7-11Powell]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Am Cutins]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=03-30 TC1:34:$6]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Invest.]

After ten years a Halifax man has admitted to his part in two murders in Southside.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

29 year old Louis Jordan Powell, Junior pled guilty to two counts of first-degree murder yesterday.
[SUPER=03-Halifax Co./December 1993;]

Investigators say Powell admitted to a role in the deaths of Joseph Gibbons and John LaPrade.
The two men were shot to death inside a car at the Riverdale Amoco in Halifax County in December of 1993.
Two other suspects are awaiting trial on capital murder charges -- Dexter Lamont Dixon of South Boston and Verlie Marion Word of Halifax.
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[7-11Pillowtex]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Am Cutins]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Pillowtex Bankruptcy]

Some Pillowtex workers may not lose their jobs, at least not yet.
The bankrupt textile maker wants to pay up to five-point three million dollars to retain key employees during its liquidation.
Yesterday the company asked a bankruptcy judge to approve the payments for 143 salaried workers.
Pillowtex also asked the judge to approve a plan to designate two and a half million dollars of its assets to pay off outstanding medical claims for laid-off workers.

[7-11Lee-Hospital]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Am Cutins]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=03-25 TC2:00:21]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The ending of a bankruptcy case may help out Lee County schools.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pennington Gap;]
Officials announced yesterday that the Lee County Community Foundation would be formed with proceeds from the sale of what's now known as the Lee Regional Medical Center. A Florida company bought the hospital out of bankruptcy and scandal in 2001, paying close to 25-million dollars. That was after an administrator admitted to embezzling almost two million dollars from the facility. Attorneys say all creditors will be paid in full by Labor Day and that more than 1-and a half million will be set aside to improve the county's healthcare and education.
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[55-WXHeads]

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

Good morning, I'm Kimberly McBroom......
Dress accordingly if you're going to be spending much time outside today.
The hot weather continues, as highs reach the lower 90s.

Meteorologist Leo Hirsbrunner has details, in just a few minutes.[55-5-Warner-budget]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Am Cutins]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=503-01 39:47]
[GRAPHIC=State Budget]

The state's economy may be on the rise, but Governor Mark Warner says it is still facing fiscal challenges.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :25]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]

Warner told lawmakers yesterday that the state will avoid a repeat of last year's drastic budget cuts.
That's because Virginia finished the fiscal year with a 55 million dollar surplus.
It is the first budget surplus in three years.
The governor also says job growth in the state has increased for the past three months.
But Warner warns that despite signs of an economic recovery, the state still faces "significant fiscal challenges."

(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 10:20:33]
[IN Q=THIS NEXT BUDGET WILL AGAIN TEST]
((GOVERNOR MARK WARNER: THIS NEXT BUDGET WILL AGAIN TEST OUT ABILITY TO COME TOGETHER TO MAKE TOUGH CHOICES THAT WILL NOT JUST BALANCE THE BUDGET, BUT BALANCE OUR BUDGET IN A WAY THAT MAKES THE STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS THAT WILL STRENGTHEN VIRGINIA'S FUTURE. THE EASY SOLUTIONS AND EVEN THE NOT-SO-EASY SOLUTIONS ARE PRETTY MUCH GONE.))
[SUPER=@MarkWarner]
[RUNS=:22]
[OUT Q=SOLUTIONS ARE PRETTY MUCH GONE.]
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[VO-NAT]

Warner will present his budget plan to the same House and Senate money committees in December.
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[55-11Lee-Hospital]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=03-25 TC2:00:21]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Lee County schools may capitalize from the ending of a "fairytale" bankruptcy case.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pennington Gap;]
Officials yesterday announced the Lee County Community Foundation would be formed with proceeds from the sale of what's now known as the Lee Regional Medical Center. A Florida company bought the hospital out of bankruptcy and scandal in 2001, paying close to 25-million dollars. That was after an administrator admitted to embezzling almost two million dollars from the facility. Attorneys say all creditors will be paid in full by Labor Day and that more than 1-and a half million will be set aside to improve the county's healthcare and education.
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[55-11Tech-Board]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Am Cutins]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=03-21 TC1:54:30]
[GRAPHIC=VIrignia Tech]

Construction for Lane Stadium's west end expansion has been given the green light.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]
Virginia Tech's board of visitors approved construction plans yesterday for the west side expansion. While the design phase for the project was still in the works, construction had been put on hold prior to Tech joining the A-C-C. The 52-and-a-half million dollar project includes the addition of two dozen suites, 800-new club seats, and a two-story museum.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2001]
[IN Q=first off]
((JOHN LAWSON/TECH BOV MEMBER: FIRST OFF, IT'S THE LARGEST CONSTRUCTION PROJECT THAT'S EVER BEEN DONE ON THE TECH CAMPUS. IT IS GOING TO BE VERY MASSIVE. 120-FEET TALL, OVER 400 FEET LONG AND THE THING THAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS PROJECT IS IT REALLY CATERS TO THE FANS.))
[SUPER=01-John Lawson/Virginia Tech Board of Visitors;]
[RUNS=12]
[OUT Q=to the fans]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
About 15-million dollars in private funding is still needed for the project. Officials say construction should begin as early as February and will NOT interfere with games.
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[8Wx-Headline]

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

Good morning, I'm Kimberly McBroom......
We'll be sweating it out again today, as the late summer heat and humidity linger.
Meteorologist Leo Hirsbrunner has the seven- day outlook, coming up.

[81-Ax]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=am cutin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Two tractor trailers were involved in an accident, and it's affecting traffic at this hour on Southbound Interstate 81.
Both lanes are now closed near Mile Marker 158, and traffic is being re- routed in that area.
Authorities suggest motorists traveling southbound use Route 11 as an alternative.
There was a chemical spill.
Between 200 and 300 gallons of diesel fuel spilled in the median.
Haz Mat crews are on the scene, and officials say it should all be cleared by noon.

[8-3-VO-Bedford-Supervisors]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=03-]
[GRAPHIC=none]

A stoplight for the controversial road plan that created controversy for a Bedford County supervisor.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford; ]
Last night, Bedford County supervisor Kirby Richardson made a motion asking that the million dollar project plan be essentially killed. The motion to remove the project from the county's secondary road plan was approved by the remaining supervisors. The plan would have widened the intersection of routes 608 and 626 near Smith Mountain Lake. Richardson approved the project last fall. He also filled out one of the Highway Department's comment sheets in favor of the plan. State Police found four dozen similar sheets, and a special grand jury is now investigating whether Richardson had a hand in falsifying the forms.
(------------)

[8-11Roanoke-Schools]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Am Cutins]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=503-00 40:51]
[GRAPHIC=None]

It was a pop quiz of sorts for Roanoke City and Cunty schools, as they opened on the first day of the new year.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :16]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]

At Mountain View Elementary, some mobile classrooms are still under construction.
The library has hundreds of boxes of books that need to be unpacked.
But after a weekend of hard work by volunteers, staff and their families, the building was ready for students.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 17:24:11]
[IN Q=I think we did]
((I THINK WE DID A GREAT JOB. IT WAS A TEAM EFFORT. LOOKING AT OUR BUILDING LAST MONDAY AND LOOKING AT IT THIS MONDAY, IT'S LIKE TWO DIFFERENT PLACES.))
[SUPER=01-Judy Price/Mountain View Elem. Principal;]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=two different places.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT :21]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

At Lincoln Terrace Elementary in Roanoke City, roof repairs are still underway.
But teachers and classrooms were ready to greet the students.
They have new central air conditioning and bathrooms are still being renovated.
Despite the work-in-progress, principals at both schools say the first day of school went surprisingly smoothly.
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