WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 09/29/03

[1-News-Head]

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Slam dancing near a third floor window proves fatal for a Virginia Tech student.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
And there's a verdict in the case of a Roanoke woman who killed her 82-year old mother last year.

[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Tonight Tech 2003 report takes us to Piscataway, Charlottesville and Morgantown.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
And UVa's Connor Hughes is the ACC player of the week.
(------------)

[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]

The forecast highlights include clear and dry air which means very chilly conditions overnight. More on the chances for patchy frost in a moment.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith 3-Shot]

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

(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 5934]
[IN Q=as soon]
((5934 AS SOON AS WE POKED OUR HEADS OUT THE WINDOW, WE RAN DOWNSTAIRS AND SAW WHAT HAPPENED AND IT WAS, JUST PRETTY BAD 45))
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=just pretty bad]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
A night of partying proves fatal in Blacksburg. Now, many people are wondering whether a fatal fall could have been prevented.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[GRAPHIC=News7at6]

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

[Blacksburg-Fall]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=2:03:23 on 03-29]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 @ 6]

One person died and five others were seriously hurt following a private concert last night in Blacksburg. It happened just after ten o'clock at an apartment building known as the Solar House.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Myranda & Keith/Starlink;]
New River Valley Bureau Chief Myranda Stephens is there now with more. Myranda? Keith, people around here call this place the Solar House because of all its windows.
[LIVE=Myranda/FULL Starlink]
[SUPER=@Myranda1;]
[SUPER=05-Blacksburg;]
But, last night those windows proved deadly in what was supposed to be a night of fun. [***ROLLED FROM STARLINK***]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Derek Rhodes/Neighbor; :00]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :11]
[SUPER=01-Chris Drake/Resident; :43]
[RUNS=1:07]
[OUT Q= long as they were safe. ]
(([SOT 5919]
[RUNS10] ((DEREK RHODES: AND WE LOOKED OVER AND WE SAW PEOPLE LYING ON THE GROUND AND THERE WAS A FEW MORE FALLING OUT)) Police say more than 50-people were in this third floor apartment attending a private concert by the band Death by Stereo. Officers say during the show, many were "slam dancing," when a group of them were pushed against a window and fell.
[SOT 204]
[RUNS03] ((THE WHOLE FRAME, THE WHOLE THING JUST COLLAPSED.)) Five people were taken to Montgomery Regional Hospital, including Virginia Tech sophomore, Daniel Martin, who later died. Another, 21-year-old Jason Michael Kontkanen, was airlifted to Roanoke Memorial and was last listed in critical condition.
[SOT 2120-2125; 2135-2138]
[RUNS08] ((CHRIS DRAKE/RESIDENT: IT WAS PRETTY TERRIBLE JUST THINKING ABOUT IT, BECAUSE I'VE GONE TO TONS OF SHOWS UP THERE...AND SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED.)) The owner of the building, Homer Hurst, says a group of students began hiring bands to play inside the apartment a couple of years ago and the traditon just continued from there. He says each time though, they got his permission and he didn't have a problem with it, as long as they were safe. ))
(-------------)
[LIVE=Myranda/FULL Starlink]
[SUPER=05-Blacksburg;]
We spoke to officials from the town, and they say they are conducting their own investigation as far as whether any building codes were violated for these concerts.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Myranda & Keith/Starlink;]
Keith, police say it appears this was an accident, and they are NOT filing any charges at this time.

[Balcony-Collapse]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=03-34 TC1:20:49]
[GRAPHIC=None]

This is not the first time an incident such as this has happened in Blacksburg.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg/October 11, 1985]

17 years ago, nine people were injured when a crowded balcony collapsed at the Foxridge Apartments.
Operators of the apartment complex said the balcony was overloaded with as many as 20 people and three kegs of beer.

Three of the victims later sued the apartment complex and the architects arguing management should have warned residents of the structure's load limits.
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[Countess]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=03-32 TC1:26:13]
[GRAPHIC=None]
An expert in prescription medication said it could have been the anti-depressant Cindy Countess was taking that led her to kill her mother. In the end however the judge didn't buy the theory that she was involuntarily intoxicated by Paxil.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 15:38:25]
[IN Q=I think the]
[SUPER=02-Judge Clifford Weckstein/Roanoke Circuit Court]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Kenneth Brasfield/Pharmacologist;]
[SUPER=01-Billie Carter/Victim's Sister; ]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUTQ=I THINK HE'S WONDERFUL]
((((I THINK THE COMMONWEALTH HAS PROBABLY PROVED THAT YOU'RE GUILTY OF RECKLESS, DELIBERATE AND PREMEDITATED MURDER, AND CERTAINLY PROVED THAT YOU ARE GUILTY OF MALICIOUS MURDER. ACCORDINGLY I FIND YOU GUILTY OF MURDER IN THE SECOND DEGREE.)) [RUNS:13]
[OUT Q=in the second degree.]
The judge's verdict sent Countess into the kind of histrionic behavior she'd exhibited the night she killed her mother.
Countess herself had told the court last week about "duking it out" with her mother, 82-year old Edna Dooley. She said they were "flogging one another," though she described it like a hallucination, as if it were someone else involved in the fight. A pharmacologist testified that's not uncommon for people to loose their short-term memory on Paxil, and even become homicidal.
[11:39:25 TAPE #2]
((AND IT'S ALSO COMMON FOR PEOPLE TO FILL IN ON THEIR OWN AND IT'S NOT ALWAYS ACCURATE.)) [RUNS07] Prosecutor Alice Ekirch concluded her closing argument demonstrating how Countess had not only beat her Mother, but stomped her repeatedly. The trial pitted family members against one another. Countess's sister testified on her behalf, while a brother testified for the Commonwealth. One of victim's sisters indicated she was content with the verdict in her niece's case. [15:55:55] ((EDNA AIN'T GOT NO LIFE NOW. WHATEVER THE JUDGE DECIDES SUITS ME. I THINK HE'S WONDERFUL.)) [RUNS:10]))
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=Sentencing]
The same judge will sentence Countess later... once a pre-sentence report is prepared. She can get up to 20-years for second- degree murder.

[Killen]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=03-40 TC1:14:50]
[GRAPHIC=Jerry Killen]

The trial of a Pulaski County man charged with murdering his wife is underway... despite a last-minute attempt to avoid it.
36-year-old Jerry Killen's attorneys asked the judge to throw out Killen's confession, saying police had ignored his request for a lawyer.
But the judge denied it and went ahead with jury selection. It was still underway tonight.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pulaski/August 28, 2002;]

Police found Amanda Killen's body in front of the couple's home last August.
She was 24-years-old.
First, Killen told them it was a drive-by shooting, but he later confessed and was charged with second-degree murder.
The trial continues tomorrow.
(------------)

[Roanoke-Times]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=03-31 TC1:55:38]
[GRAPHIC=Do Not Call]

It won't stop the court battles ... but President Bush signed the Do Not Call List into law today.
That's bad news for one local business that relies heavily on telemarketing.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

The Roanoke Times gets half of its new subscriptions through phone solicitations.
14-thousand people a year sign up when they're called.
But as of this month, 324-thousand people in the newspaper's target region have placed themselves on the Do Not Call list.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 25:39]
[IN Q=It's just going]
((DAN WHEELER/CIRCULATION DIRECTOR; IT'S JUST GOING TO BE KIND OF A WAIT AND SEE RIGHT NOW. WE'VE ESTIMATED TO LOSE 50 PERCENT, BUT WE CERTAINLY DON'T KNOW. IF WE LOSE MORE THAN THAT, WE'LL COME BACK WITH A NEW GAME PLAN OR MAYBE IT WON'T BE QUITE AS BAD. ))
[SUPER=01-Dan Wheeler/Circulation Director; ]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=quite as bad.]
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[VO-NAT]

The paper says even if the Do Not Call registry is thrown out by the courts, it still won't contact people on the list.
It's focusing instead on reaching customers through direct mail, special promotions and kiosks at special events.

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

One town in our area is wired for the worst.
More on its new emergency- information system next on News 7.
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[VO-NAT]

Plus, we'll see how a Baptist relief team is feeding thousands hit hard by Isabel.
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[Homeland-Security]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=03-33TC1:08:10]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The town of Blacksburg is now on alert.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg]

Today, town leaders unveiled the Blacksburg Alert project.
It's technology that allows Blacksburg to send a single message through multiple communication devices.
For example, residents can be informed immediately of emergencies by e-mail, cell phone, fax, or telephone.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 23:49:46]
[IN Q=We don't have a lot]
((BRUCE BRADBERY/BLACKSBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT: WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF EMERGENCY SITUATIONS THAT REQUIRE TOWN WIDE NOTIFICATIONS AND WE HOPE IT CONTINUES THAT WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF SITUATIONS THAT REQUIRE TOWN NOTIFICATIONS WHEN IT DOES WE DON'T WANT TO BE LEFT WITHOUT SOME SYSTEM.))
[SUPER=01-Bruce Bradbery/Blacksburg Police Department; ]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=without some system]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Town residents can also use the technology to be informed about things such as upcoming meetings or delays in trash pickup.
The software for the project is provided by tele-works which is a Blacksburg based company.
Only six communities in the country are using the technology currently.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=None]

Residents can sign up for Blacksburg Alert by registering on the town's website.

[Bus-Garage]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=03-36 TC42:30]
[GRAPHIC=None]
School bus drivers in Roanoke are adjusting their routes. But it's doubtful you'll find many complaints.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
The Roanoke city school system now has a new transportation office and place for the drivers to park their busses. Construction on the nearly 12- thousand square foot facility began in April at a cost of nearly two million dollars. The city's 140- busses can now be washed on site and officials say the new facility also provides other perks.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 00:13:03]
[IN Q=We have a ]
((CHAUN DOOLEY/TRANSPORTATION SUPERVISOR: WE HAVE A LOT OF GOOD THINGS GOING ON, WE HAVE A MUCH LARGER FACILITY, WE'LL BE ABLE TO RUN MUCH MORE EFFICIENTLY AND WE HAVE A LOT MORE SPACE TO WORK WITH WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO ON SITE TRAINING, WITHIN OUR OWN FACILITY, A LOT OF POSITIVES COMING OUT. ))
[SUPER=01-Chaun Dooley/Transportation Supervisor; ]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=positives coming out. ]
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[VO-NAT]
The school system's old transportation facility is located near Orange Avenue and will be torn down to make room for the city's new stadium and amphitheater.
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[Clarke-Lipscomb]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=03-39 TC41:14]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2003]

Two local Democrats hoping to win a seat in the General Assembly picked up an endorsement and some campaign cash today in Lynchburg.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

Businessman Bob Clarke and firefighter Art Lipscomb won the approval of CenVaServ (SEN-vuh-serv).. a public education political action committee.
Both men completed surveys outlining how they would support public education if elected.
Their opponents.. a Republican and an Independent.. did not return the questionnaire.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:33:40]
[IN Q=We have looked]
((TOMMIE MCCUNE/CENVASERV PAC CHAIRMAN: WE HAVE LOOKED AT CANDIDATES WHO AGAIN AS I SAY HAVE THE SAME INTERESTS THAT WE HAVE FOR VIRGINIA'S TEACHERS. AND WE FEEL LIKE WHETHER THEY'RE DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN, IF THEY HAVE THE ANSWERS AND THE FEEL FOR THE FRIEND OF EDUCATION WE'RE LOOKING FOR THEN WE'D LIKE TO RECOMMEND THEM AND SEE THEM IN THE HOUSE OR THE SENATE.))
[SUPER=01-Tommie McCune/CenVaServ PAC Chairman;]
[RUNS=17]
[OUT Q=House or the Senate.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Both men also picked up a 250 dollar donation to their campaigns.
(------------)

[Stocks]

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

Wall Street finished higher, snapping a three-day slide from last week. [TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-x/67.16/9380.24/x/32.52/1824.59;]

The DOW rose 67 points.
NASDAQ gained 33.
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[VO]
[SUPER=271-i/0.36/70.02/h/0.15/43.50/h/0.52/30.00/h/1.22/70.40/i/0.08/78.72;]
[SUPER=272-h/0.48/36.28/h/0.02/15.52/h/0.05/6.95/h/0.85/62.15/h/0.50/30.37;]
[SUPER=273-h/0.04/6.63/h/1.16/35.71/i/0.28/17.91/h/0.07/18.50/h/0.07/7.46;]
[SUPER=274-i/0.10/9.88/h/0.18/60.53/h/0.09/32.68/h/0.11/41.79/h/0.43/57.23;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]

[Isabel-Baptists]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=03-35 TC56:03]
[GRAPHIC=Isabel]

When Hurricane Isabel knocked down trees and power lines, many Virginia residents were in need of some comfort food.
Meghan Muldoon shows us how Southern Baptists answered their prayers.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=WHEN DISASTER HITS, THE SOUTHERN]
[SUPER=03-Richmond; :00]
[SUPER=01-Jim Didlake/Mississippi Baptist Relief; :05]
[SUPER=@Meghan1; :13]
[SUPER=01-Dixie Kennedy/Baptist Relief Volunteer; :24]
[SUPER=01-Linda Morris/Hurricane Victim; :43]
[SUPER=01-John Chambers/Still Without Electricity; :48]
[RUNS=1:29]
[OUT Q=MM, NEWS 7, RICHMOND]
(( When disaster hits, the Southern Baptists hit the road.
[SOT 05:05:08]
((JIM DIDLAKE/STATE COORDINATOR, MISSISSIPPI BAPTIST CONVENTION DISASTER RELIEF: IT CAN BE TORNADO, HURRICANE, EARTHQUAKE, WHEREVER THERE'S A NEED WE RESPOND.)) [RUNS:04] NAT SOUND HOW ARE YOU TODAY? 54:15
The Mississippi Baptist Convention kitchen trailer rolled into Richmond last week.
And since that time has provided over 30-thousand hot meals to those without power.
But it is more than just about the food.
[SOT 02:38]
((DIXIE KENNEDY/BAPTIST RELIEF VOLUNTEER: THEY'RE JUST LOOKING FOR A LITTLE BIT OF HOPE. SOMETHING THEY CAN HANG ON TO UNTIL THEY CAN GET EVERYTHING BACK TO NORMAL IN THEIR LIVES.)) [RUNS:08]
Working with the Red Cross, the all volunteer, all Southern-baptist staff follows in the footsteps of Mother Nature, spreading grateful smiles and full tummies.
[SOT 11:53:54]
((LINDA MORRIS: IT'S GREAT HAVEN'T HAD ANY HOT MEALS WE'VE BEEN DOING THE BEST YOU CAN.)) [RUNS:05]

[SOT 14:51]
[IN Q=]
(( WHEN YOU'RE IN A SITUATION YOU CAN'T GO TO THE STORE AND BUY ANYTHING IT'S GOOD TO HAVE :56.)) [RUNS:05]

[SOT 00:25]
[IN Q=]
((ITS A BIG HELP FOR US. :26 )) [RUNS:02]
[OUT Q=.]

The Southern Baptists say they spend between 40 and one hundred days a year cooking for disaster victims.
Their kitchen trailers have travelled as far away as California.
Volunteers say the grateful hugs and smiles they get from those they help make it worthwhile.
[SOT 02:53]
((WE GET MORE OUT OF IT THAN WE GIVE, LOTS MORE THAN WE GIVE.)) [RUNS:03]
Their kitchen will be closing up and pulling out of Richmond later this week.
They are heading back to Mississippi where they may not rest long.
It is still hurricane season after all.
Meghan Muldoon, News 7, Richmond.))

[Sports Tease]

[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Coming up on News 7 sports - UVa cleans up the player of the week honors.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
And the Hokies are headed to Rutgers this weekend, but we're also headed to Morgantown in tonight's Tech 2003 Report.

(------------)

[S-Tech2003]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-160]
[GRAPHIC=TECH 2003]

Tonight's Tech 2003 Reports is overflowing with information and for Tech fans it is all good news. For starters, News 7 sports has learned that the West Virginia series in football that was in serious jeopardy of ending, has been salvaged for the next two seasons.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=FIRST AUDIO]
[SUPER=01-Jim Weaver/Virginia Tech Athletic Director; :00]
[SUPER=03-Morgantown, WV; :10]
[SUPER=03-Piscataway, NJ/September 22, 2001; 1:21]
[SUPER=01-Frank Beamer/Virginia Tech Head Coach; 1:56]
[RUNS=2:04]
[OUT Q=...of showing that."]
(-------------)
((JIM WEAVER:)) (( Weaver made those comments to us on Saturday - just hours after signing the contract to extend the 91 year old series with West Virginia at least two more years in 2004 and 2005. Weaver now must turn his attention from an old rival to a new conference. Tuesday and Wednesday of this week he will be in Charlottesville for two days of meetings with his new ACC counterparts. The hope is that when they finish up on Wednesday, the football schedule will be completed along with the format for men's and women's basketball. ((JIM WEAVER:)) The Hokies know they will play 8 conference game in the ACC next season, but they're just not sure which schools they'll face. And several possibilities for basketball will be on the table, as well. ((JIM WEAVER:)) In other Tech news - the Hokies travel to Rutgers this weekend where things should be much different than than were on the Hokies last trip to Piscataway. It was just 11 days after the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Security at the stadium was high, Snipers were on the roof of the stadium and the Hokies began a new tradition that day of carrying the American flag on to the field with them at every game.)) ((FRANK BEAMER:))
(------------)
[talent=mike]
[graphic=tech 2003]
In a couple of other notes. Mike Imoh is the Big East special teams player of the week. Jason Lallis's MRI on his knee today was negative. There is no ligament tear. He's out 2 to four weeks.
[GRAPHIC=SYRACUSE]
And the start time for the Syracuse game was announced today. It will kickoff at Noon on October 11th.

[S-UVA]

[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-156 46:26]
[GRAPHIC=UVa]

UVa is 3 and 1 heading into round five of the season. Steve Mason has more on why these Cavaliers are playing like a bunch of bruised but not beaten prize fighters.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Charlottesville/Saturday; :00]
[SUPER=01-Matt Schaub/410 Yards Passing This Season; :15]
[SUPER=01-Al Groh/UVa Head Football Coach; :28]
[SUPER=@Steve1; :39]
[RUNS=:45]
[OUT Q=.....News 7 sports"]
(----------------)
[anchor=mike]
[graphic=ACC]

Kicker Connor Hughes is the ACC specialist of the week, tight end Heath Miller the lineman of the week and Jamaine W inbourne the conference defensive back of the week.