WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 09/04/03

[1-News-Head]

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[VO-NAT]

Coming up on News 7-- piles of weapons... confiscated at just one of Virginia's airports.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon]

Plus a local pastor is arrested for sexual abuse.

[Sports-head]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Tonight in sports, the week two Friday Football Extra slate, Mike Stevens previews the Dukes and the Hokies, and

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[VO-NAT]

this Hokie, Fred Lee won't be on the field in Blacksburg Saturday.
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[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]

Flood watches have been dropped as the heaviest of the rain moves east leaving us with a delightful forecast. Details ahead.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon 3-Shot]

News 7 is next.
[Video-Open]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=Video Open]

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[VO-NAT]

More passengers are packing guns and knives.
It's a growing problem at Virginia's airports.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon ]
[GRAPHIC=News7at6]

Good evening, I'm Shannon Young. Keith is off tonight.

[Airport-security]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=03-33 TC37:40]
[GRAPHIC=Airport Security]

Airport screeners are seizing a record number of potential weapons from boarding passengers.
It is a security problem that officials say won't fly.
Meghan Muldoon has more.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=WE'RE SEEING MORE THINGS THAN WE]
[SUPER=03-Richmond; :03]
[SUPER=01-Chris Rhatigan/Transportation Security Administration; :20]
[SUPER=01-Tom Davis/Federal Airport Security Dir.; :58]
[SUPER=@Meghan2; 1:08]
[RUNS=1:30]
[OUT Q=MM, NEWS 7, RICHMOND]
(([SOT 14:06:35]
[IN Q=WE'RE SEEING MORE]
((TOM DAVIS/TSA, FEDERAL SECURITY DIRECTOR: WE'RE SEEING MORE THINGS THAN WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE.)) [RUNS:02]
[OUT Q=WOULD LIKE TO SEE.]

Guns, knives and novelty grenades are just some of the weapons passengers have tried to sneak past security screeners at Richmond International Airport.
Officials from the Transportation Security Administration say a record number of prohibited item have been confiscated over the last few months.
[SOT 14:17:13]
((CHRIS RHATIGAN/TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION: ACROSS THE NATION WE'VE FOUND THAT AIRPORTS WHETHER THEY'RE SMALL, MEDIUM OR LARGE HAVE HAD AN INCREASE OVER THE SUMMER IN THE NUMBER OF ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN INTERCEPTED AT THE CHECKPOINT.)) [RUNS:09]
This bin is filled with scissors seized by Richmond screeners in a period of just five days.
And look at how many pocketknives were confiscated during the same timeframe.
Officials at Roanoke Regional airport say they too saw an increase this summer in the number of passengers trying to board with prohibited items.
And there is troubling new intelligence that terrorists are trying to conceal weapons in electronic equipment like cd players, cell phones, cameras and laptop computers.
[SOT 08:32]
((TOM DAVIS/TSA, FEDERAL SECURITY DIRECTOR: WE'VE ASKED OUR SCREENERS NATIONWIDE TO BE MORE VIGILANT IN LOOKING FOR THOSE ITEMS.)) [RUNS:05]
TSA officials admit most people with prohibited items pack them inadvertently.
They want to educate passengers about what is or what isn't permitted.
[SOT :19:02]
((CHRIS RHATIGAN/TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION: PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO TEST THE SYSTEM WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS DON'T TRY TO TEST THE SYSTEM USE THE AIRPLANES FOR TRAVEL AND TO DO YOUR BUSINESS BUT IF YOU DO TRY TO TEST THE SYSTEM YOU WILL BE ARRESTED.)) [RUNS:12]
Their message is leave the scissors and knives at home and avoid the turbulence.
Meghan Muldoon, News 7, Richmond.))

[Holcomb]

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

The pastor of a church in Giles County is under arrest on charges he molested a young girl.
(XXXXXXXX)
[TAKE FULL SCREEN PIC] 52-year-old Roger Holcomb of the Pembroke Church of God is charged with two counts of aggravated sexual battery on a juvenile. Investigators say the girl attended his church and the abuse went on for about six months before social services reported it to authorities.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[SS=None]
Holcomb has been pastor at the Pembroke Church of God for about a year and a half. He is now being held inside the New River regional jail without bond.

[Harris-Charges]

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

In Lexington, a reporter is in more trouble with the law.
47 year old Jerry Harris, a reporter and columnist with the Lexington News-Gazette, was indicted yesterday on 15 counts of possessing child pornography.
Yesterday's indictment means Harris now faces a total of 30 charges.
(XXXXXX)
[take 4309ess FS]
He had already been charged with [ADD 4312essFS] six counts of aggravated sexual battery, [ADD 4313ess FS] six counts of forcible sodomy and [ADD 4318ess FS] three counts of taking indecent liberties with a child under 14.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[SS=None]

Rockbridge County officials began investigating Harris after allegations against him surfaced in May.
He was arrested three months ago and is currently free on bail.

[Salem-Fire]

[ANCHOR=Shan]
[NEWSCAST=6 p.m.]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE # 03-32 TC48:15]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]

The cause of a stubborn fire in Salem last month will be officially listed as "undetermined".
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[VO-NAT :45]
[SUPER=03-Salem/August 20;]
The assistant chief of the Salem Fire Department says the fire at the True Value Hardware store August 20th started in an area known as "the shed", a once-separate building that had been incorporated into the larger structure. Originally, investigators thought the fire started in the attic and may have been electrical in origin. They now say the exact cause is unclear, although foul play is *not* suspected. The case will remain under investigation. If new information comes to light, the official cause could be changed.
[SUPER=04-August 25;]
Meantime, Salem planned to open its water intake this afternoon. The intake had been closed following the death of hundreds of fish. There'd been concern contaminated runoff from the fire had caused the kill.
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[Rail-Solution]

[ANCHOR=Shannon ]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=03-30 TC1:46:38]
[GRAPHIC=81 Improvements]

As plans to improve Interstate 81 move forward, members of one citizens group fear the state is losing sight of an important option.
Members of the group, Rail Solution, say a growing number of local governments in western Virginia support their cause. [***RAIL ALTERNATIVE IN MONITOR***]
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & JOeD /BAM;]

Joe Dashiell has more on the issue.

Shannon, the state did call for rail alternatives when it solicited proposals for interstate 81 improvements...
[LIVE= JOeD /FULL BAM]
[SUPER=@Joe1;]
but now members of Rail Solution say they believe VDOT is pushing pavement, at the expense of rail.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=We need more balanced]
[SUPER=01-David Foster/Rail Solution; :00]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :18]
[SUPER=@Edwards; :42]
[RUNS=:58]
[OUT Q=a rail component as part of that.]
(([SOT]
[IN Q=We need more balanced]
((WE NEED MORE BALANCED TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IN VIRGINIA, AND WE CAN'T JUST KEEP LOOKING TO BUILDING MORE LANES OF PAVEMENT TO SOLVE EVERY CONGESTION PROBLEM.))
[RUNS= :11]
[OUT Q=to solve every congestion problem.]

David Foster isn't suggesting that rail improvements alone can solve Interstate 81's problem.
But he and other members of Rail Solution say they believe trains could divert a substantial amount of freight now carried by trucks.
They cite successful intermodal operations in Europe, and note that two dozen communities in the I-81 corridor are now encouraging VDOT to seriously consider the idea.
State Senator John Edwards hopes to win approval for a state rail authority would help to finance track improvements.
[SOT]
[IN Q=The Commonwealth]
((THE COMMONWEALTH HAS HISTORICALLY FUNDED HIGHWAYS AS WE KNOW. THE COMMONWEALTH HAS FUNDED AVIATION, FUNDED PORTS AND SHIPPING. AND IT'S NEVER REALLY GOTTEN INVOLVED IN THE PLANNING OR FINANCING OF RAILS. NOW IS THE TIME. WE'RE NOT GOING TO SOLVE OUR TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS UNLESS WE HAVE A RAIL COMPONENT AS PART OF THAT.))
[RUNS= :18]
[OUT Q=as part of that.]))
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[LIVE= JOeD /FULL BAM]

A 1999 study estimated it would cost more than two billion dollars to upgrade Norfolk southern tracks along interstate...
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & JOeD /BAM;]

Shannon, the railroad isn't pushing the improvements, but Senator Edwards say he believes NS executives will support creation of a rail development authority.

[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[SS=NONE]

Governor Warner's laid out his plan to give Virginia's children a better education... now the question is who will pay for it?
We'll look at the possibilities next on News 7 at Six.
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[VO-NAT]

Plus Virginia Tech is buzzing... as work get underway to create one of the world's biggest supercomputers.
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[Warner-Education]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=03-28 TC1:14:29]
[GRAPHIC=Mark Warner]

Governor Warner brought his intentions to fully fund K-through-12 Standards of Quality to Roanoke today, and there is already disagreement on how to pay for the move.
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[VO-NAT - :11]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
Warner says Roanoke County will be one of the three localities to participate in a test program. State auditors will analyze the school system and try to streamline expenses.
(//////SOT/////)
[SOT - 50:17]
[INQ=If we can identify...]
((GOV. MARK WARNER; IF WE CAN IDENTIFY WAYS OF HOW A SCHOOL DIVISION CAN SAVE MONEY, THAT BENEFITS THE STATE AND LOCAL TAXPAYERS WHO ARE PAYING FOR THEIR SCHOOLS THROUGH PROPERTY TAXES AND OTHER LOCAL TAXES.))
[SUPER=@markwarner; :05]
[RUNS=12]
[OUTQ=and other local taxes.]
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[VO-NAT - :11]
Delegate Jim Shuler says cutting back expenses is just part of the funding answer, and that the General Assembly will have some difficult decisions on how to come up with the 500-Million dollars.
(//////SOT/////)
[SOT - 51:54]
[INQ=The present General...]
((DEL. JIM SHULER/(D) BLACKSBURG; THE PRESENT GENERAL ASSEMBLY HAS BEEN ENAMORED WITH FEE INCREASES IN THE BUDGET, THEY MAY HAVE TO CONSIDER SOMETHING MORE SUBSTANTIAL TO MOVE VIRGINIA FORWARD.))
[SUPER=@shuler;]
[RUNS=09]
[OUTQ=to move Virginia forward.]
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[VO-NAT - :13+]
Meanwhile, some higher education officials say they are happy to see Warner's commitment to education, but are disappointed that he would embark on a new spending plan without reversing the cuts colleges have suffered in the past two years.
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[Missing-Couple]

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

Roanoke police are looking for a missing couple from an assisted living center.
(XXXXXXXX)
[TAKE FULL SCREEN PICTURE]
John and Sara Crow have been gone since last night.
But they're in their 70's, and have health problems.
John Crow is 75 and has dementia. His wife is 78 and suffers from Alzheimer's.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[SS=None]

The couple stopped at a store off I-81 in Botetourt County last night to ask for directions.
But as of early this morning they hadn't returned home.

[ATM-Suspect]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=03-38 TC58:08]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Roanoke police are also hoping some pictures from an A-T-M will lead them to a thief.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-Surveillance Photos]

Police believe the man in this surveillance video took a woman's purse from her home last June.
They say he also stole some of Thelma Cole's jewelry, checks and credit cards.
Police would like anyone who recognizes him to call the detective division, or Crime Line.
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[Mastrapasqua]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=03-35 TC25:20]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A former Lynchburg cop suspected of driving drunk during a motorcycle crash last spring won a partial victory in court today.
Bedford circuit court judge James Updike ruled that the blood alcohol tests for Chris Mastrapasqua (mass-truh-PASS-kwah) could NOT be used in court against him.
Updike said the investigating state trooper did not have enough probable cause to have the blood drawn the night of the accident.
But prosecutors WILL have access to Mastrapasqua's hospital records, which could still help them prosecute the D-U-I charge.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:19:04]
[IN Q=For me to]
((RANDY KRANTZ/BEDFORD CO. PROSECUTOR: FOR ME TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS APPROPRIATELY I HAVE TO REVIEW THE EVIDENCE AND WHAT WE FOUGHT FOR TODAY WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE EVIDENCE AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE'LL GET TO SEE THAT EVIDENCE.))
[SUPER=01-Randy Krantz/Bedford Co. Prosecutor]
[RUNS=09]
[OUT Q=see that evidence.]
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[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[SS=None]

Mastrapasqua has since resigned from the Lynchburg police department.
His trial is set for November.

[Stocks]

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

Another winning day on Wall Street. [TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-x/19.44/9587.90/x/16.08/1868.98;]

The DOW gained 19 points.
NASDAQ rose 16 and scored its longest winning streak in more than three years.
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[VO]
[SUPER=271-h/0.11/73.42/i/0.11/41.78/h/0.03/29.31/i/1.19/73.50/i/1.76/76.24;]
[SUPER=272-h/0.34/37.46/h/0.10/15.55/h/0.08/7.00/i/0.30/60.95/h/0.20/31.32;]
[SUPER=273-i/0.22/7.32/h/0.47/38.30/h/0.13/19.60/i/0.13/19.50/h/0.27/7.17;]
[SUPER=274-h/0.51/10.00/i/0.26/61.14/h/0.40/36.65/i/0.01/42.72/h/0.10/60.08;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]

[Gring]

[ANCHOR=Shan]
[NEWSCAST=6 p.m.]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=03-39 TC05:38]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The President of Roanoke College wants to take it easy on the shore of Smith Mountain Lake.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :30]
[SUPER=03-Salem/August 11;]
David Gring announced his retirement this morning. He says he's *not* sick and he's *not* taking another job, that he just wants to relax and enjoy his kids and grandkids. Gring has headed up the Salem institution since 1989. He says he has accomplished his goals and is especially proud of the school's Phi Beta Kappa members for recently being awarded their own chapter. Gring himself is a Phi Beta Kappa key holder. His retirement will take effect at the end of the academic year.
(------------)

[Tech-Computers]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=03-27 TC1:39:53]
[GRAPHIC=Virginia Tech]

Virginia Tech is closer to becoming one of the nation's top research institutions.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]
The university today held an information session about its plans to build the world's largest supercomputing cluster at an academic institution.
[SUPER=04-Virginia Tech Video;]
Using more than one thousand of the world's fastest personal computers-- the Mac G-5s, engineers say the cluster will significantly enhance the university's research capabilities. They say the system will also be unique because of its hybrid reliability, which basically means it won't break down.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 12:48]
[IN Q=it's probably]
((SRINIDHI VARADARAJAN/VIRGINIA TECH DEPT. OF COMPUTER SCIENCE: IT'S PROBABLY GOING TO COMPETE AMONG THE TOP IN TERMS OF JUST ACTUAL PERFORMANCE GOING HEAD TO HEAD WITH THE TOP U.S. MACHINES.))
[SUPER=01-Srinidhi Varadarajan/Virginia Tech Dept. of Computer Science;]
[RUNS=07]
[OUT Q=top u.s. machines]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The five-point-two million dollar project began back in March and is being funded through a variety of grants, including one from the National Science Foundation. The first batch of computers is scheduled to arrive this Saturday. Engineers hope to begin testing sometime later next month, and have the system ready for full production by January First.
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[Sports tease]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Coming up, Tech's receiving corps just got a little less crowded, we'll have a look at the week two high school football schedule and
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Nascar heads to Richmond for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400.
(------------)

[S-Lee]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-155 TC3233]
[GRAPHIC=Virginia Tech]

The Virginia Tech Hokies have lost flanker Fred Lee after Lee visited with the coaching staff this morning and asked to be released from his scholarship.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :00]

The redshirt freshman from Pennsylvania was a high school all american before coming to Blacksburg. With the emergence of true freshmen David Clowney and Josh Hyman in a receiving corps led by Ernest Wilford, Lee's chance to contribute was certainly diminished. Lee will have four years of eligibility remaining.
(------------)

[S-JMU]

[ANCHOR=TRAV]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-153 3535TC]
[GRAPHIC=JMU]

When JMU rolls into Tech on Saturday the team will have a huge mountain to climb. But Mike Stevens says adversity is nothing new to this year's JMU team.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=first audio]
[SUPER=03-Harrisonburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Frank Beamer/17th Season at Virginia Tech; :28]
[SUPER=@mike1; :52]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg/September 7, 1985; 1:19]
[RUNS=1:35]
[OUT Q=...NEWS 7 SPORTS]
(------------)
(( JMU head coach Mickey Matthews is in his fifth season at JMU and while he would like to give Tech a game - he would really like to have son be able to join him on the sideline. Matthews' son, Clayton - a former receiver and punter for the Dukes was seriously injured in a car wreck on August 12th, and he is currently recovering at a rehab hospital in Georgia. ((FRANK BEAMER:)) ((STANDUP:)) ((FRANK BEAMER:)) In case you are wondering, the last One Double A team to come into Blacksburg and win was Richmond. The Spiders beat Tech 24-to-14 on September 7th of 1985. In Blacksburg, Mike Stevens News 7 sports.))

[S-FFE]

[ANCHOR=Travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-151 4100TC]
[GRAPHIC=FFE]
Week number two of Friday Football Extra it set for tomorrow night throughout the region. Here is a complete look at where your favorite school is playing. Keep in mind - the home teams are listed on the bottom of each matchup.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=LOGO & AUDIO FULL]
[RUNS=1:10]
[OUT Q=...logo comes full."]
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[S-Nascar]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-157 TC2430]
[GRAPHIC=Nascar]

A big Nascar weekend in the state capital gets underway tonight with the Craftsman Truck Series race at RIR, followed by tomorrow's Busch event and Saturday night's Chevy Rock & Roll 400.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Rusty Wallace/17th in Points Race; :00]
[SUPER=01-Jimmie Johnson/4th in Points Race; :09]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=look forward to it."]
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[United-Way]

[ANCHOR=Shan]
[NEWSCAST=6 p.m.]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=03-31 TC1:17:18]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The United Way is literally giving the community a hand.
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[VO-NAT :30]
[SUPER=03-Salem;]
At a kick-off celebration for the organization's Roanoke Valley fundraising campaign this morning the United Way introduced its new mascot. "The Helping Hand" will visit local classrooms to teach kids the value of reaching out to people in need. The local chapter announced it had set a campaign goal of six and a half million dollars for 2003. Earlier this year, it was projected that the *2002* campaign would come in just under that amount. Today's event was held at the American Legion in Salem. (------------)