WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 11/25/03

[7Wx-Headline]

[ANCHOR=Kim]

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

Good morning, I'm Kimberly McBroom......
Waking up to temperatures in the teens and 20s in some places today, with highs only climbing to near 50.
Metereologist Leo Hirsbrunner has the complete forecast, after the news.

[7-Roanoke-Fire]

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

Fire gutted a house in Roanoke this morning.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/This Morning;]
Officials say the blaze broke out around 4 a-m in a vacant house in the 21-hundred block of Staunton Avenue. Neighbors say no one has lived there for about two weeks. There's no word on what caused the fire. Authorities are investigating.
(------------)

[7-11Gretna-Murder]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=03-41 TC1:01:52]
[GRAPHIC=Shooting]

A shooting outside a high school playoff game last week has lead one school to beef up its security.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Gretna;]

Gretna High School moved this week's regional championship game against Rustburg from Friday night to Saturday at 1:30.
It's also hired extra deputies to patrol AND block off parts of Coffey Street, outside the stadium.
That's where 29-year-old Lynndell Powell was fatally shot Friday night after an argument.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 6:02]
[IN Q=At this point,]
((DEBORAH POWELL/PRINCIPAL: AT THIS POINT WE FEEL SAFE, WE FEEL SECURE, WE'RE PREPARED TO PLAY SATURDAY AND WE'RE READY TO MOVE ON TO STATE SEMIFINALS AND STATE FINALS. ))
[SUPER=01-Deborah Powell/Principal;]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=state finals.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

23-year-old Edwin Rontae Hodnett of Chatham and 19-year-old Jonathan Lynn Carter of Danville face first degree murder charges.
School officials emphasize that neither suspect attended the game and that no Gretna students were involved.
(------------)

[7-AMBeyer-Dean]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=03-]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2004]

Democratic candidates are gearing up for the state's primary, which is set to take place in about two months.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

About 25 Howard Dean supporters gathered last night in Roanoke for an organizational meeting.
Leading the discussion was former Lieutenant Governor Don Beyer who is currently Dean's national campaign treasurer.

Beyer says the state will be instrumental in deciding who will be the democratic nominee.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:12]
[IN Q=It's very important]
((DON BEYER/HOWARD DEAN'S CAMPAIGN TREASURER: IT'S VERY IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW. TWO WEEKS TO THE DAY AFTER THE FIRST BIG PRIMARY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, AFTER NEW HAMPSHIRE THEY GO TO SOUTH CAROLINA AND OKLAHOMA AND ARIZONA BUT THEY COME BACK TO VIRGINIA SO IF PEOPLE CAN DO VERY WELL IN IOWA AND NEW HAMPSHIRE BUT THOSE ARE NOTHERN ALL WHITE FAIRLY LIBERAL STATES, THEY COME WIN VIRGINIA THAT REALLY MARKS THEM AS A NATIONAL CANDIDATE.))
[SUPER=01-Don Beyer/Howard Dean's Campaign Treasurer;]
[RUNS=:22]
[OUT Q=as a national candidate]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The state's Democratic presidential primary is Tuesday, February 10th.
Dean plans to campaign throughout the commonwealth and there's already talk about making a trip to Roanoke or Blacksburg.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[SS=HOLD]

John Kerry has already visited Roanoke and so has Bob Graham who has since dropped out of the race.

[55-WXHeads]

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

Good morning, I'm Kimberly McBroom......
Chilly as you first head out today, with temperatures only climbing another 20 degrees for the daytime high.
Meteorologist Leo Hirsbrunner has the seven day outlook, in just a few minutes.

[55-11Amherst-Shooting]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=03-45 TC46:20]
[GRAPHIC=Shooting]
Amherst County police hope to make an arrest in a shooting that critically injured a Lynchburg man.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Amherst Co.;]

Authorities say 32-year-old Richard Lee Law was shot at least once during an altercation outside the Quik-E convenience store near South Coolwell Road.
Law then reportedly drove his car across Route 29, jumped a curb, and smashed through the wall of a vacant restaurant near the Knight's Inn.
He's in critical condition.
(------------)

[55-11Alleghany-Water]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=03-]
[GRAPHIC=none]

The owner of a water company in Alleghany County says he's doing all he can to wash away the area's water problems.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Alleghany Co./File Tape;]
Valley Ridge Water Company was issued a notice in September, that it had until the beginning of December to come up with a plan to correct its health violation. The state health department said the spring system the company was using posed a health risk to customers, and that the company had 18-months to find an alternative. But, Valley Ridge owner Doodlebug Dressler says two months to develop a plan just isn't enough time.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 200]
[IN Q=they said that]
((THEY SAID THAT WE HAD TO HAVE ENGINEERING STUDIES DONE IN LESS THAN 60-DAYS, AND ANYONE KNOWS YOU CAN'T DO ENGINEERING STUDIES IN 60-DAYS))
[SUPER=01-Ed Stein/Dressler's Attorney;]
[RUNS=08]
[OUT Q=in 60-days]
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Yesterday, a judge granted Dressler a two-month extension. Right now, residents in the Valley Ridge area are using water from the county's well system.

[55-11Kroger-Recall]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Recall]

Kroger is recalling some macaroni salad sold at its stores.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture says it found Listeria in a sample of macaroni salad from a Kroger supermarket.
The agency's food lab detected the bacteria in a sample taken from a ten-pound tub of Deli Chef Sour Cream and Cheese Macaroni Salad.
It was labeled 'Best If Used By 11- 27 -03'.
The product was repackaged in smaller serving containers.
Anyone who bought the salad should check with the store.

[55-11Tech-Marketing]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=rde]
[TAPE#=03-39 TC1:50:33]
[GRAPHIC=Virginia TEch]

Hokie fans may soon be hearing and seeing the Hokie Bird as they surf the Internet.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]

Virginia Tech is the first University in the nation to partner with America On-line for a new type of internet homepage.
Subscribers are now able to search the web and read e-mail with a new Hokie-themed background.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT:16:32:00]
[IN Q=It'll be important]
((LOCKE WHITE: IT'LL BE IMPORTANT TO THE UNIVERSITY. WE'LL BE ONLY ONE CLICK AWAY FROM ALL THOSE PEOPLE SO THEY CAN COME AND CHECK UP ON VA TECH AND SEE WHAT THE UNIVERSITY HAS BEEN UP TO. ))
[SUPER=01-Locke White/Va. Tech Licensing and Trademark]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=been up to]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The University didn't make any money on the deal.
It's hoping the exposure alone will make it all worthwhile.
(------------)

[8Wx-Headline]

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

Good morning, I'm Kimberly McBroom...... Grab the heavy jacket today, with morning temperatures unseasonably cool out there.
Metereologist Leo Hirsbrunner has the Tuesday outlook, coming up.

[8-Roanoke-Fire]

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

A house in Roanoke caught fire this morning.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/This Morning;]
Officials say the blaze broke out around 4 a-m in a vacant house in the 21-hundred block of Staunton Avenue. Neighbors say no one has lived there for about two weeks. There's no word on what caused the fire. Authorities are investigating.
(------------)

[8-5-Tax-reform]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=503-05 1:40:31]
[GRAPHIC=Tax Reform]

Governor Mark Warner has unveiled the details of his tax reform. This morning he'll visit Roanoke as part of his statewide tour to drum up support for the plan.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond;]

Under the plan Virginia's sales tax would increase by a penny.
Smokers would pay 22 cents more for a pack of cigarettes.
And wealthy Virginians would see a higher tax bill.
Warner says his reform package will raise over 500 million dollars a year in additional revenue.
The plan also includes tax cuts.
The governor wants to trim the tax on groceries and complete the phaseout of the car tax.
The plan must first be approved by the General Assembly.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 14:13:36]
[IN Q=I THINK THIS PLAN IS FAIR TO THE PEOPLE ]
((GOVERNOR MARK WARNER: I THINK THIS PLAN IS FAIR TO THE PEOPLE WHO PAY THE BILL. SIXTY-FIVE PERCENT OF VIRGINIANS WILL GET TAX RELIEF IN THIS BUDGET AND THAT'S FAIR.))
[SUPER=@MarkWarner; :00]
[SUPER=01-Sen. John Watkins/(R) Midlothian; :11]
[RUNS=:22]
[OUT Q=AND THAT'S MY BIGGEST CONCERN.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Warner says his plan is necessary to preserve Virginia's fiscal integrity.
(------------)

[8-11Local-Reaction]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=03-36 TC1:50:26]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]
As Governor Warner kicks off that campaign, he'll also have to sell his reform plan to the public AND win over skeptical lawmakers.
But it won't be easy.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]

Customers of the Tobacco Company were grumbling about cigarette taxes long before the Governor announced his plans to seek a ten-fold increase in the state's tobacco tax.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I understand we have to ]
((BOB BERNAZOLLI: I UNDERSTAND WE HAVE TO INCREASE REVENUES, BUT IF YOU'RE GOING TO PUT A SIN TAX, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT THIS IS, A SIN TAX, DO IT ON EVERYTHING ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, NOT JUST TOBACCO.)) ((AMY LONG: I DON'T THINK IT'S REALLY FAIR TO RAISE THE TAX ON SMOKERS JUST BECAUSE WE SMOKE. THAT'S JUST NOT THE RIGHT THING TO DO.))
[SUPER=01-Bob Bernazolli; :03]
[SUPER=01-Amy Long; :11]
[RUNS=:18]
[OUT Q=not the right thing to do.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The proposed increase in the state sales tax may also be a hard sell- but people were more supportive in the check-out line at the Tanglewood Kroger, where most shoppers said they support the governor's plan to reduce the sales tax on food. (------------)