WDBJ 7 morning news for 10/14/03

[2-1181-Signs]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=03-46]
[GRAPHIC=I-81]

One minor accident was all it took. Seven more accidents and backups of more than 20 miles were the result. But there are some efforts to to help prevent similar problems in the future on I-81, at least to the extent we saw Sunday.
Justin McLeod has the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=This is how]
[SUPER=03-Salem; :00]
[SUPER=04-Sunday; :11]
[SUPER=01-Rodney King/State Police; :16 (QUICK)]
[SUPER=@justin1; 1:14]
[RUNS=1:28]
[OUT Q=JM, News 7]
((((NAT SOUND OF CARS DRIVING BY ON INTERSTATE 81))
This is how we expect Interstate 81 to be, a smooth ride with very few problems.
It was anything but Sunday afternoon when motorists got stuck in traffic for hours.
[SOT :21]
[IN Q=Traffic was backed up]
((RODNEY KING/STATE POLICE TROOPER: TRAFFIC WAS BACKED UP FOR OVER 22 MILES AS A RESULT OF THE INITIAL ACCIDENT.)) [Runs04]
[OUT Q=initial accident]

An accident that happened around noon on northbound 81 in Salem.
Then one after the other, accidents kept popping up in the backup, damaging at least 16 vehicles.
It would take nearly 10 hours for traffic to get back to normal.
[SOT 2:07]
[IN Q=People just didn't have]
((RODNEY KING/STATE POLICE TROOPER: PEOPLE JUST DIDN'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET OFF THE INTERSTATE BEFORE THEY WERE JUST CAUGHT UP IN TRAFFIC AND HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO STAY THERE.)) [Runs07]
[OUT Q=to stay there]

But that will soon change.
V-Dot recently installed these permanent message boards on roadways leading to the interstate.
They'll be used to warn motorists of problems ahead and possibly how long the delay will be as well advise motorists on alternate routes.
Eventually, V-Dot will go a step further and provide real time traffic information over the radio.
[SOT 2:42]
[IN Q=It will give people some options]
((RODNEY KING/STATE POLICE TROOPER: IT WILL GIVE PEOPLE SOME OPTIONS EITHER TO GET OFF THE INTERSTATE AND MAYBE STOP AND GET THEM A BITE TO EAT AND GET OFF THE HIGHWAY FOR A LITTLE AWHILE UNTIL WE GET THINGS UNDER CONTROL OUT HERE.)) [Runs08]
[OUT Q=control out here]
[SOT ]
[IN Q=The radio component]
((JUSTIN McLEOD/REPORTING: THE RADIO COMPONENT COULD BE UP AND RUNNING BY SPRING AND WOULD BE SIMILAR TO THE ONE USED BY MOTORISTS FOR VIRGINIA TECH GAMES. AS FOR THOSE PERMANENT MESSAGE BOARDS WHICH YOU HAVE PROBABLY SEEN POPPING UP, THEY SHOULD BE OPERATIONAL BY THE FIRST OF THE YEAR. JUSTIN McLEOD, NEWS 7.))))

[11Sniper-trial]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=03-41 TC25:14]
[GRAPHIC=John Muhammed]

Jury selection for D-C sniper suspect John Allen Muhammed begins later today in Virginia Beach. The case was moved there because of the intense media publicity the case received in the Washington area.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Muhammed faces two capital-murder charges in the death of Dean Meyers.
Meyers was shot dead last year at a gas station near Manassas.
[SUPER=04-Last Year]

The DC-area shootings have already spawned several books and "made-for-tv" movies.
Legal experts say the publicity surrounding the case means finding an unbiased jury will be difficult.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 27:09]
[IN Q=THAT'S GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE]
((STEVEN BENJAMIN/CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: THAT'S GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE FOR ALL THE PARTICIPANTS IN THIS CASE IS JUDGING THIS CASE AND DELIVERING A VERDICT AND A SENTENCE BASED SOLELY UPON THE EVIDENCE THAT IS HEARD AT THIS TRIAL BECAUSE SO MUCH HAS ALREADY BEEN PUT OUT THERE.))
[SUPER=01-Steven Benjamin/Criminal Defense Attorney]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=ALREADY BEEN PUT OUT THERE.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Jury selection is expected to take several days.
Muhammad's alleged accomplice, John Lee Malvo, is scheduled to go on trial next month in Chesapeake.
(------------)

[11Odighizuwa]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=03-34 TC1:40:28]
[GRAPHIC=Peter O.]

Peter Odighizuwa (oh-dig-ih-ZOO'-uh) is now indicted on capital murder charges.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Grundy/September 26;]
The former Appalachian School of Law student is charged in the shooting deaths of his dean, a professor and another student in January of last year. He now faces three counts of capital murder, three counts of attempted capital murder, and six weapons charges. In September a judge ruled Odighizuwa was mentally competent to stand trial, despite being diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic.
(------------)

[Consumer-Watch]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

You may soon find yourself shelling out more cash for one product -- and less for another. Paul Reece has details in this edition of Consumer Watch.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=(Music open)]
[SUPER=01-Paul Reece/Reporting; 1:00]
[RUNS=1:14]
[OUT Q=With Consumer Watch, I'm Paul Reece.]
((GASOLINE PRICES ARE LOWER BUT THAT MIGHT NOT LAST LONG. THE LUNDBERG SURVEY SAYS THE PRICE OF GAS NATIONWIDE DROPPED BY AN AVERAGE OF NEARLY FOUR CENTS OVER THE LAST TWO WEEKS. IT'S CURRENTLY A DOLLAR-58 A GALLON FOR SELF-SERVE REGULAR. BUT ANALYSTS EXPECT PRICES TO GO UP AGAIN SOON DUE TO INCREASING CRUDE OIL COSTS.

-----------------

STARBUCKS HAS UPGRADED ITS POPULAR PRE-PAID PURCHASE CARD. THE NEW VERSION, CALLED "DUETTO", DOUBLES AS A VISA CREDIT CARD. WHEN USED AS A CREDIT CARD, CUSTOMERS EARN POINTS THAT CAN BE REDEEMED FOR STARBUCKS BEVERAGES AND MERCHANDISE. MORE THAN 16 MILLION STARBUCKS CUSTOMERS CARRY THE ORIGINAL PREPAID PURCHASE CARD. IT WAS INTRODUCED ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO.

--------------------

WATCH FOR LOWER PRICES FOR ORANGE JUICE. FLORIDA ORANGE GROWERS SAY THIS YEAR WILL GIVE THEM THEIR LARGEST CROP EVER. PLUS, DEMAND FOR ORANGE JUICE IS LOWER FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, INCLUDING THE POPULARITY OF THE ATKINS DIET. FLORIDA ORANGE GROWERS HAVE FACED SLIPPING PRICES FOR MORE THAN A DECADE. WITH CONSUMER WATCH, I'M PAUL REECE.))

[Marketwatch]

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

In business news, Wall Street hopes to build on yesterday's start-of-the-week rally.
Alexis Christoforous has that story and more in this morning's Marketwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Good morning]
[SUPER=01-Alexis Christoforous/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:28]
[OUT Q=I'm Alexis Christoforous.]
((Investors are bracing for more quarterly scorecards from corporate America > today.. among the companies due to report earnings today: Delta Airlines, > Intel, Johnson and Johnson and Bank of America. > > Yesterday, a better than expected profit report from cellphone giant > Motorola helped give stocks a Columbus Day lift. > > the dow rallied 89 points > > while the nasdaq moved up 18. > > put the video and dvd rental company Hollywood Entertainment on your > stocks to watch list. Hollywood Entertainment said third-quarter profit > dropped 36 percent from a year-ago, when results were helped by a tax > benefit. > > AND KEEP YOUR EYE ON SHARS OF HARRAH'S..THE SOUND OF COINS AT THE CASINO > MAY SOON BE A THING OF THE PAST. HARRAH'S BOUGHT 11 THOUSAND THOUSANDS OF > COINLESS SLOT MACHINES.. YOU PAY WITH TICKETS INSTEAD OF CASH. > > The media giant AOL Time Warner will officially be renamed Time Warner > this Thursday. The ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange will be > "TWX," resurrecting Time Warner's symbol before it was acquired by America > Online in January 2001. The move reflects the many problems America Online > has had since the takeover. > > microsoft is joining forces with the mobile phone operator vodaphone to > bring a wide array of mobile data services to your personal computer. > The two companies plan to launch a device that you can attach to your pc > allowing you to pay for goodds and services bought over the internet via > your monthly mobile phone bill. > > TRACK THE PRE MARKET ACTION AT CBS.MW.COM IN NEW YORK I'M AC ))

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

[11Plymouth]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=03-35 TC1:16:25]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A Radford plant has closed its door for good, leaving dozens of people without jobs.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Radford;]
Plymouth, Incorporated terminated all of its operations Saturday. The company makes back-to-school paper products for brands like Crayola and C-V-S. Officials say the company has been struggling over the past three years, and recently filed for bankruptcy in August.

Martin Designs, an Ohio-based company, won the company's assets Friday, and will continue manufacturing products overseas.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 26:52]
[IN Q=the entire]
((JOEY ALTIZER/PLYMOUTH, INC. CFO; THE ENTIRE BACK TO SCHOOL INDUSTRY HAS BECOME SUCH A COMPETITIVE INDUSTRY ITSELF WITH COMPETITION OVERSEAS, THAT U.S. MANUFACTURING AGAIN, WAS COMING UP SHORT.))
[SUPER=01-Joey Altizer/Plymouth, Inc. CFO ]
[RUNS=13]
[OUT Q=coming up short]
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
57-workers lost their jobs. Plymouth has been in business in Radford since 1992.
(------------)

[11Flu-Shot]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=03-36 TC1:00:05]
[GRAPHIC=Flu Shots]

With flu season drawing near, doctors say you shouldn't have any trouble finding the vaccine.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :12]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]

Doctors at Cave Spring Family Practice started vaccinating patients last week.
They say October and November are the best times to start.
Unlike years past, THIS year there's no shortage of the flu vaccine.
(///// SOT /////)
[BUMP SOTS]
[IN Q=We've had some supplier backlogs]
[SOT 7:55:21]
((DR. KEVIN KELLEHER: WE'VE HAD SOME SUPPLIER BACKLOGS, BUT EVERYTHING'S SHOWING UP ON TIME, SO I THINK THERE'S PLENTY OF SHOTS THIS YEAR.))
[SOT 7:49:32]
((BUD NININGER/PATIENT: I DO IT EVERY YEAR AND I WAS JUST WAITING FOR THE VACCINE TO BECOME AVAILABLE AND IT'S HERE, SO I ALWAYS DO IT.))
[SUPER=01-Dr. Kevin Kelleher/Cave Spring Family Practice; :00]
[SUPER=01-Bud Nininger/Flu Shot Patient; :09]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=I always do it.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT :13+ pad]

The elderly and people with chronic illnesses are the most at risk.
Each year, 36-thousand people die from complications of the flu.
Doctors say MOST of those deaths could have been prevented with a flu shot.
(------------)

[Muhammed]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=John Muhammed]

Jury selection begins today for one of the two Washington, D-C area sniper suspects.
John Muhammad is charged in 13 shootings, but today he stands trial for only one.
Legal experts predict a "slam dunk" for the prosecution, even though public defenders have racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bills to be paid for by taxpayers.
Aleen Sirgany reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Today, lawyers in a]
[SUPER=04-Artist: William Hennessy, Jr.; :00]
[SUPER=03-Manassas/Last Year; :09]
[SUPER=01-Andrew Cohen/CBS News Legal Consultant; :47]
[SUPER=01-Aleen Sirgany/CBS News; 1:13]
[RUNS=1:25]
[OUT Q=Sirgany, CBS News, Washington]
(( PKG

(Sketches: William Hennessy, Jr.)
TODAY LAWYERS IN A VIRGINIA COURTROOM WILL BEGIN CHOOSING THE JURORS WHO COULD DECIDE WHETHER SNIPER SUSPECT JOHN MUHAMMAD IS SENTENCED TO DEATH.
(Manassas, Virginia/Last Year)
IN THIS TRIAL THE 42-YEAR-OLD IS CHARGED WITH KILLING DEAN MEYERS LAST OCTOBER. THE VIETNAM VETERAN WAS ABOUT TO FILL HIS CAR WITH GAS AT A MANASSAS, VIRGINIA STATION WHEN HE WAS GUNNED DOWN. AFTER AN EXTENSIVE SEARCH POLICE CONCLUDED IT WAS THE WORK OF THE SERIAL SNIPER THAT HAD THE AREA GRIPPED WITH FEAR.

(nats)
MUHAMMAD AND HIS ALLEGED ACCOMPLICE LEE MALVO ARE CHARGED IN 13 SHOOTINGS AROUND THE WASHINGTON, D-C AREA.... AND SOME OF THE STRONGEST EVIDENCE AGAINST THEM WAS FOUND IN THE CHEVROLET THE PAIR WERE ARRESTED TWO WEEKS LATER. IT INCLUDES THE BUSHMASTER RIFLE USED IN THE SHOOTINGS... AND A LAPTOP COMPUTER CONTAINING A VIRTUAL DIARY OF THE SLAYINGS.

(SOT/Andrew Cohen/CBS News Legal Consultant)
"I think it's a slam dunk because there is a circumstantial case against Muhammad. There is no sympathy for him with potential jurors, and it's going to be very difficult for him to point the finger at the younger defendant and say 'The younger defendant made me do it." :13
HOWEVER THE SUSPECT'S LAWYERS ARE SPARING NO EXPENSE. PUBLIC ATTORNEYS HAVE ALREADY BILLED VIRGINIA TAXPAYERS NEARLY 9-HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. THE QUESTION NOW IS CAN THE DEFENSE OVERCOME THE EVIDENCE?.
STANDUP: (Aleen Sirgany/CBS NEWS/Washington, DC) MUHAMMAD'S TRIAL IS EXPECTED TO TAKE ABOUT SIX WEEKS. MALVO'S WILL BEGIN ON NOVEMBER 10TH AND HIS ATTORNEYS HAVE SAID THEY PLAN TO MOUNT AN INSANITY DEFENSE. ALEEN SIRGANY, CBS NEWS, WASHINGTON.
))

[ACC-Lawsuit]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=BC/ACC]

Court news of a much different kind: just a day after announcing it will join the Atlantic Coast Conference, Boston College learned it will be sued by four other Big East schools: Connecticut, Rutgers, Pittsburgh and West Virginia

That suit should be filed later today in Connecticut.
It alleges that the A-C-C and Boston College conspired to weaken the Big East. Last week, a judge last week threw out a similar suit against the ACC on jurisdictional grounds.

[2-11Downtown-Traffic]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=03-32 TC1:48:01]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The reaction appears mixed so far to the new two-way traffic pattern on Campbell Avenue in downtown Roanoke. It's been effect now for just over a week.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Traffic engineers and downtown officials say it will take several weeks before it becomes clear how well the changes are working.
But they believe the two- way traffic will improve access downtown, and encourage more people to stop and shop.

Some business owners aren't convinced.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
((DAVID DIAZ/DOWNTOWN ROANOKE INC.: YOU TRY TO MAKE DOWNTOWN AS AMENABLE AND ACCESSIBLE FOR VISITORS TO GET IN AND OUT OF YOUR DOWNTOWN. AND ONE WAY STREETS DON'T DO THAT.)) ((CARL ROSEN/HENRI KESSLER FURS: PEOPLE COME DOWNTOWN TO WORK AND THEN THEY COME BACK TO PLAY. IF WE ARE FACED WITH A TRAFFIC JAM, MY FEAR IS THEY WILL NOT COME BACK DOWN TO PLAY BECAUSE THEY WALKED AWAY OR WERE DRIVEN AWAY WITH A BAD TASTE IN THEIR MOUTHS.))
[SUPER=01-David Diaz/Downtown Roanoke Inc.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Carl Rosen/Henri Kessler Furs; :11]
[RUNS=:25]
[OUT Q=bad taste in their mouths.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Rosen says he hopes the changes work, but he believes downtown Roanoke and city officials were wrong to move ahead with a proposal that a major segment of downtown businesses opposed.
(------------)

[Jail-Break]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

After a daring escape from jail, a Pennsylvania murder suspect has turned himself over to authorities.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Wilkes-Barre, PA;]

Hugo Selenski broke out of jail Friday night, by climbing down a 60- foot rope made of bedsheets.
Selenski surrendered to officers last night, who'd spent days searching for him. Authorities won't say where he spent the last three days, but add that there was no deal for his surrender.
Selenski is charged with killing two people whose remains were found in his yard.
(------------)

[Biz-Brief]

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

In business news, the Nasdaq composite index is at its highest level in more than 19 months. Yesterday's gains on Wall Street also lifted the Dow Jones Industrials and the S-and-P 500 to 16-month highs. Here's a look at Monday's closing stocks.
[STOCKS] [COMM]

[2-11Sniper-trial]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=03-41 TC25:14]
[GRAPHIC=John Muhammed]

Sniper suspect John Allen Muhammed goes on trial today in Virginia Beach. The case begins with jury selection.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Muhammed faces two capital-murder charges in the death of Dean Meyers.
Meyers was shot dead last year at a gas station near Manassas.
[SUPER=04-Last Year]

The DC-area shootings have already spawned several books and "made-for-tv" movies.
Legal experts say the publicity surrounding the case means finding an unbiased jury will be difficult.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 27:09]
[IN Q=THAT'S GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE]
((STEVEN BENJAMIN/CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: THAT'S GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE FOR ALL THE PARTICIPANTS IN THIS CASE IS JUDGING THIS CASE AND DELIVERING A VERDICT AND A SENTENCE BASED SOLELY UPON THE EVIDENCE THAT IS HEARD AT THIS TRIAL BECAUSE SO MUCH HAS ALREADY BEEN PUT OUT THERE.))
[SUPER=01-Steven Benjamin/Criminal Defense Attorney]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=ALREADY BEEN PUT OUT THERE.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Jury selection is expected to take several days.
Muhammad's alleged accomplice, John Lee Malvo, is scheduled to go on trial next month in Chesapeake.
(------------)

[2ACC-Lawsuit]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=BC/ACC]

Four Big East schools are expected to filed suit later today against Boston College .. two days after B-C announced it will join the Atlantic Coast Conference. Connecticut, Rutgers, Pittsburgh and West Virginia say they will file the suit later today in Connecticut.
It alleges that the A-C-C and Boston College conspired to weaken the Big East. Last week, a judge last week threw out a similar suit against the ACC on jurisdictional grounds.

[1181-Signs]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=03-46]
[GRAPHIC=I-81]

Efforts are underway to avoid the kinds of massive backups seen last weekend on Interstate 81.
One minor accident was all it took, but as Justin McLeod reports, you should see some changes in the near future.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=This is how]
[SUPER=03-Salem; :00]
[SUPER=04-Sunday; :11]
[SUPER=01-Rodney King/State Police; :16 (QUICK)]
[SUPER=@justin1; 1:14]
[RUNS=1:28]
[OUT Q=JM, News 7]
((((NAT SOUND OF CARS DRIVING BY ON INTERSTATE 81))
This is how we expect Interstate 81 to be, a smooth ride with very few problems.
It was anything but Sunday afternoon when motorists got stuck in traffic for hours.
[SOT :21]
[IN Q=Traffic was backed up]
((RODNEY KING/STATE POLICE TROOPER: TRAFFIC WAS BACKED UP FOR OVER 22 MILES AS A RESULT OF THE INITIAL ACCIDENT.)) [Runs04]
[OUT Q=initial accident]

An accident that happened around noon on northbound 81 in Salem.
Then one after the other, accidents kept popping up in the backup, damaging at least 16 vehicles.
It would take nearly 10 hours for traffic to get back to normal.
[SOT 2:07]
[IN Q=People just didn't have]
((RODNEY KING/STATE POLICE TROOPER: PEOPLE JUST DIDN'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET OFF THE INTERSTATE BEFORE THEY WERE JUST CAUGHT UP IN TRAFFIC AND HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO STAY THERE.)) [Runs07]
[OUT Q=to stay there]

But that will soon change.
V-Dot recently installed these permanent message boards on roadways leading to the interstate.
They'll be used to warn motorists of problems ahead and possibly how long the delay will be as well advise motorists on alternate routes.
Eventually, V-Dot will go a step further and provide real time traffic information over the radio.
[SOT 2:42]
[IN Q=It will give people some options]
((RODNEY KING/STATE POLICE TROOPER: IT WILL GIVE PEOPLE SOME OPTIONS EITHER TO GET OFF THE INTERSTATE AND MAYBE STOP AND GET THEM A BITE TO EAT AND GET OFF THE HIGHWAY FOR A LITTLE AWHILE UNTIL WE GET THINGS UNDER CONTROL OUT HERE.)) [Runs08]
[OUT Q=control out here]
[SOT ]
[IN Q=The radio component]
((JUSTIN McLEOD/REPORTING: THE RADIO COMPONENT COULD BE UP AND RUNNING BY SPRING AND WOULD BE SIMILAR TO THE ONE USED BY MOTORISTS FOR VIRGINIA TECH GAMES. AS FOR THOSE PERMANENT MESSAGE BOARDS WHICH YOU HAVE PROBABLY SEEN POPPING UP, THEY SHOULD BE OPERATIONAL BY THE FIRST OF THE YEAR. JUSTIN McLEOD, NEWS 7.))))

[Church-Bus]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Authorities in Louisiana say the driver of a church bus that slammed into a tractor- trailer admits he fell asleep behind the wheel.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Tallulah, LA;]

Eight people were killed in the accident, and seven others were injured.
The bus was taking senior citizens from Texas on a tour of historical sites, when the driver crashed into the truck, which was parked on the shoulder of the highway.
Meanwhile, the truck driver suffered minor head and neck injuries.
(------------)

[Trigger]

[ANCHOR=none]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=none]

[Roll out of Break]

(//////SOT/////)

[S-Tech2003]

[ANCHOR=Kim/Steve P.]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=TECH 2003 93211TC]
[GRAPHIC=TECH 2003]

In this morning's edition of the Tech 2003 Report Mike Stevens is talking about the past, the present and the future.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=first audio]
[RUNS=2:47]
[OUT Q=...great Tuesday everybody."]
(-----------)
(( The Battle in Baton Rouge is officially delayed, Hall gets a much deserved Big East honor and a former Tech great is humbled by the current success on campus. Those are the items in this week's Tech 2003 Report. De Angelo Hall became the first player in BIG EAST history to return two punts for touchdowns in the same game this past Saturday and Virginia Tech defeated Syracuse 51-7 and jumped to number 3 in the national polls. The junior from Chesapeake scored on a 58-yard dash and a 60 yards gallop in less than 2 minutes.
Hall finished with five returns for 155 yards. He's currently 7th in the nation averaging 17 yards a return.
He also is a true junior who could bolt for the NFL a season early should he chose to do so. Right now that's not even an option. ((DEANGELO HALL:)) Hall's skills impressed former Hokie all-American Carroll Dale who was back on campus to be honored in the school's NFL Flashback ceremony. The Wise native played at Tech from 1956-1959 when he won southern conference player of the year honors. He also played on three title teams with the Green Bay Packers under Vince Lombardi. He has seen it all - but the magnitude of Tech's success has been a stunner. ((CARROLL DALE:)) Dale, is the athletic director at UVa-Wise where he has overseen the development of facilities and programs since 1991 including the Astroturf stadium that seats nearly 5000 fans. ((CARROLL DALE:)) And it's now official - the Hokies will NOT play LSU in Baton Rouge next season. That game has officially been moved to the 2007 season much to the displeasure of LSU head coach Nick Saban. And Tech also announced tonight that the Boston College game on November 22nd is completely sold out. Take care everybody and have a nice Tuesday.))
[Winner]

(///// SOT /////)

[SUPER=45-Joe Ilconich/Snow Creek;]

[Break Next] [3-HEADLINES] [Kim at Desk]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

Here's what's making news today.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

One day after accepting an invitation to join the Atlantic Coast Conference, Boston College learns it'll be sued by four other Big East Schools.
The lawsuit alleges the A-C-C and Boston College conspired to weaken the Big East conference.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
Jury selection gets under way today in Virginia Beach in the trial of Washington- area sniper suspect John Muhammad.
The trial is expected to take up to six weeks.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
Traffic experts say Sunday's major back- up on Interstate 81 shouldn't have happened.
V-DOT's hoping new message boards will help prevent a similar situation from happening again.
(----------------)