WDBJ 7 news at Noon for 12/05/03

[News-Heads]

[ANCHOR=Kim]

Up next on News-7, thousands of Southside residents are still without power after last night's storm.
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[ENG#=1]
[VO-NAT]

And, as another U-S soldier is killed in Iraq, officials say attacks are expected to rise.
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[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Leo]
[SS=None]
Expect a brief dig out period this afternoon, but another winter storm is on the way. I'll have the latest on what you can expect for your hometown in just a bit.
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[ANCHOR=Marya 2-Shot]

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[SUPER=@Marya1;]
[SUPER=@Brent1;]

[Video-Open]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
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[ENG#=2]

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[VO-NAT]

Many viewers in the News 7 area are without electricity as ice and tree limbs bring down powerlines.
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[Power-Outages]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=tbr]
[TAPE#=03-47]
[GRAPHIC=Power Outages]

As road conditions improve, Southside residents now have another worry: having their power restored. Martinsville was one area that was hit hard by outages.
[Martinsville DOUBLE BOXES= Marya/Jennifer Microwave;]

That's where we find Jennifer Wishon.
[LIVE=Jennifer/FULL]
[SUPER=@Jennifer1;]
[SUPER=05-Martinsville;]

((ROLLCUE:..AEP OFFICIALS SAY CREWS ARE RESPONDING.))

[ENG#=3]

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[VO]
[SUPER=03-Henry Co.;]
[RUNS=:25]
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[TAKE DOWNED POWER LINE BOARD]
Jenn will make an obvious cue to this.
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[LIVE=Jennifer/FULL]
[SUPER=05-Martinsville;]

[DOUBLE BOXES=Jennifer/Marya/Microwave;]

[WX-Tease] ((MARAY TOSS TO BRENT)) [12/4/2003]
[SS=NONE]

BRENT in WX-CENTER
[WXPRO/FULL] RADAR STORY

[SS=NONE]

(BRENT TOSS to MARYA)

[Christmas-Parade]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=tbr]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Winter Weather]

[ENG#=NONE]

Apparently a few localities aren't dreaming of a White Christmas ... parade.
Safety concerns over the weather are leading some to postpone them.
The Salem Christmas Parade scheduled for tonight has been rescheduled for Monday night at six.
Bedford has moved its parade to Saturday the 13th at 11 a-m.
And the New Castle Lions Club has also moved its celebration to next Saturday as has the town of Dublin.
Blacksburg has postponed its Holiday parade to tomorrow at one.
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[WEB ADDRESS]
For a continuously-updated list of weather-related closings and delays, go any time to our home page at wdbj7-dot-com.
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[NE-Storm]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Winter Weather]

[ENG#=4]

We're not the only ones getting hit by winter weather.
The northeast is next on the list for an early dose of winter.
And the nation's capitol is getting a one-two punch.
Teri Okita has more.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=The winter storm]
[SUPER=03-Gaithersburg, MD;]
[SUPER=01-Teri Okita/CBS News;]
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[OUT Q=Gaithersburg, MD.]
((TRACK: THE WINTER STORM WARNINGS CAME EARLY AND OFTEN TO THE WASHINGTON METRO REGION IN SOME PARTS, UP TO EIGHT INCHES OF SNOW FELL FRIDAY.
MOS: Snow, sleet, rain, and some ice.
TRACK: AFTER LAST FEBRUARYS BLIZZARD, EMERGENCY CREWS TOOK NO CHANCES DEPLOYING DOZENS OF SNOW PLOWS AND SALT TRUCKS ACROSS THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, VIRGINIA, AND MARYLAND. RESIDENTS ALSO TOOK HEED MAKING THE WINTER TREK TO THE LOCAL HARDWARE STORE.
MOS: I got a snow shovel today to deal with the snow we got this morning.
TRACK: ROADS ARE SLICK AND SLUSHY MAKING TRAVEL DICEY. AT THE AIRPORTS, ONLY MINOR DELAYS ARE REPORTED, AND MOST BUSINESSES AND SCHOOLS ARE OPEN. THE WASHINGTON REGION ISNT USED TO GETTING SNOW THIS EARLY IN THE SEASON. FOR SOME, ITS USHERING IN HOLIDAY CHEER.

SOT: I think it was very cool.

SOT: We are getting ready for Christmas and that puts you in the spirit.

(Super: Teri Okita/Reporting)
STANDUP: Meteorologists say the worst is yet to come. Another storm system from the Midwest could bring six to 10-more inches of snow between midnight and dawn. Teri Okita, CBS News, Gaithersburg, MD.))

[Reagan]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mjo]
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[ENG#=1]

Some conservative Republicans want to see Ronald Reagan's face on the dime instead of Franklin Roosevelt's.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@File;]

They've introduced a bill in Congress to change it.
They say Reagan is a symbol of modern-day society, while Roosevelt represents the past.
It's not unusual to change images on a coin, but it IS normal to wait until after a person is dead before honoring them.
A new article out this week in "People" magazine says Reagan's health has deteriorated so much he can no longer speak, feed himself or recognize his family.
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[11Clower]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=03-46 TC46:35]
[GRAPHIC=Sid Clower]

[ENG#=2]

Just two days after being released on state charges, Sid Clower's been indicted by the feds.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-File Tape]
The former Henry County Administrator is named in six counts of tax evasion and fraud. The indictment alleges Clower under-reported his income by as much as 97-thousand dollars in one year. He has admitted stealing 800-thousand during the decade he worked for the County.
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[ANCHOR=Marya]
[SS=HOLD]
Clower served about a year at a state prison, then three months in a half-way house, before his release Monday.
The federal indictment was returned under seal in Charlottesville on Wednesday.
It was unsealed yesterday, only after Clower was released on an unsecured bond.
[Tease1] [HARD MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

[ENG#=V10]

Coming up next on the newscast, a federal prosecutor is found stabbed to death in Pennsylvania.
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[VO-NAT ]

Also, 36 people are killed as four suicide bombers attack a train in Russia.
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[COMM BREAK #1]

[Russia-Bomb]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mjo]
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[ENG#=1]

Russia's national security service now says four attackers are responsible for a deadly bombing on a commuter train.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Rostov-on-Don, Russia;]

The blast killed 36 people and wounded dozens more during rush hour.
Three of the four suicide attackers are believed to be women.
The bombing happened near Chechnya, where rebels are locked in a vicious war against the government.
Russian President Vladimir Putin calls it an attempt to destabilize the nation on the eve of parliamentary elections.
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[Iraq]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Iraq]

[ENG#=2]

Another U-S soldier is dead after a bomb exploded near a mosque in Iraq.
The latest attack comes as U-S officials warn that soldiers may be seeing more of them in the months ahead.
Scott Rappoport has more.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=NATs sweeping glass]
[SUPER=03-Baghdad, Iraq;]
[SUPER=01-Scott Rapoport/CBS News.]
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[OUT Q=SR, CBS News, New York.]
((Nat/Sot sweeping shattered glass...
SHATTERED GLASS...IN A RIVER OF BLOOD. REMAINS OF THE DAY IN BAGHDAD, AFTER A BOMB EXPLODED -- KILLING AN AMERICAN SOLDIER AND AT LEAST FOUR IRAQI'S.
WITNESSES SAY IT HAPPENED AS A PACKED MINI-BUS AND A MILTARY CONVOY PASSED IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS ON THIS BUSY ROAD.
Sot: in arabic...then dip audio under...
"SUDDENLY A BOMB WENT OFF," THIS MAN SAYS. "I CAME RUNNING TO RESCUE PEOPLE. MOST OF THE INJURED WERE IRAQI'S WHO WERE IN THE MINI-BUS."
Nat/Sot other shattered glass cleaning nat...
IN ALL, AT LEAST 16 IRAQI'S WERE WOUNDED IN THE ATTACK - ONE OF TWO BOMBINGS IN AND AROUND BAGHDAD ON U.S. CONVOYS.
Nat/Sot the other bombing...
IN THIS ATTACK, 35 MILES NORTH OF THE CAPITAL, A U.S. ARMORED VEHICLE WAS HIT BY A ROCKET PROPELLED GRENADE. SO FAR...NO WORD OF CASUALTIES.
Nat/Sot protest sound... or drums...up and under...
THE ESCALATING, SEEMINGLY ENDLESS VIOLENCE DREW HUNDREDS OF IRAQI'S TO THE STREETS OF BAGHDAD IN PROTEST. DENOUNCING WHAT THEY DESCRIBED AS TERRORIST ATTACKS...AND VOICING SUPPORT FOR THE U.S. EFFORT TO BUILD A DEMOCRACY HERE.
Sot: Iraqi protestor...in arabic...up and under...
"DAMN YOU," THIS MAN SAYS. "WE WILL GO AHEAD WITH OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESS DESPITE THESE ACTS."
THIS AS U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY DONALD RUMSFELD, A KEY ARCHITECT OF THE WAR, IS SET TO VISIT BAGHDAD TOMMORROW.
A CITY WHERE TENSIONS AND DANGER ARE RUNNING HIGH.
SCOTT RAPOPORT...CBS NEWS...NEW YORK.))

[Troops-Return]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=03-53 TC4:50]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[ENG#=3]

Some Virginia-based soldiers will be home for the holidays.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Fort Eustis]

About 115 soldiers from the 10th Transportation Battalion returned home yesterday after 8 months in Kuwait.
Family members and friends gathered at Fort Eustis near Newport News to welcome them.
While in Kuwait, the battalion conducted port support operations.
[SUPER=03-Fort Lee]

Another unit returned to Fort Lee near Petersburg.
The two dozen soldiers of the 54th Quartermaster Mortuary unit have spent last eight months in Iraq.
There are still members of this unit in Iraq and in Afghanistan. They rotate every six months.
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[Prosecutor-Dead]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

[ENG#=4]

Authorities are vowing to find the killer of a federal prosecutor in Maryland.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lancaster Co., PA;]

Jonathan Luna, a U-S Attorney in Baltimore, was found stabbed to death about 70 miles away in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Authorities launched a massive search after he didn't show up for court Thursday.
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[SOT @ 00:19 in pkg]
[IN Q=We will]
(( Thomas DiBiagio/U. S. Attorney:We will find out who did this and we are dedicated for bringing person responsible to justice))
[SUPER=01-Thomas DiBiagio/U. S. Attorney;]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=to justice.]
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[VO-NAT]

The 38-year-old prosecutor was working on a case accusing two men of running a heroin distribution ring out of their music studio.
But both men had already entered guilty pleas and were due in court Thursday morning.
Authorities say Luna received a phone call and left home Wednesday night at midnight.
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[Economy]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=tbr]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[ENG#=None]

There's positive news on the job market.
The nation's unemployment rate fell one-tenth to five-point-nine percent last month.
And the Labor Department says employers added new jobs for a fourth straight month.
Still, some analysts in the financial markets are disappointed.
The level of job creation was not as strong as economists expected.
U-S companies added 57-thousand new jobs in November.
Grocery store strikes in California, Missouri and elsewhere were one negative factor.
They accounted for up to 30-thousand jobs being lost last month.
Employers last month boosted payrolls in most key sectors, except for manufacturing and retail.
The manufacturing industry lost 17-thousand jobs.
[Tease2] [SOFT MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Marya]

[ENG#=V10]

Coming up next on the newscast, Brent will have your detailed weekend forecast,
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[VO-NAT ]
Plus we'll look at some practical advice to help keep your Christmas tree healthy and safe.
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[Xmas-Tree]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=tbr]
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[ENG#=1]

This weekend is primetime for people shopping for a Christmas tree.
Millions are looking for the perfect evergreen, but they need to consider more than just the look of the tree.
Julie Vallese has more.

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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Peter Knop/Ticonderoga Farm; ]
[SUPER=01-Hal Stratton/Consumer Product Safety Commission;]
[SUPER=01-Julie Vallese/Reporting;]
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[Weather] [NOON WEATHER] [12/4/2003] [TWO SHOT]
[WEATHERNET/FULL] VIEWER PHOTO ROANOKE CURRENTS
[MUSIC UNDER] [COMMERCIAL]

[CK/WXPRO]WEATHER MAPS [WXPRO/FULL] FORECASTS EXTENDED FORECAST

[Stocks]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly 2-Shot]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE# none]
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On Wall Street at Noon, the DOW was DOWN 43 points. The NASDAQ has dropped 20.

[super=460-y/43/y/20;]
[Tease3] [SPORTS MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[ENG#=V10]

Coming up next in the newscast, a Virginia Tech player makes his SECOND All-American team.
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[VO-NAT ]

And NASCAR shows New York a little of life in the fast lane.
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[COMM BREAK #3]

[S-MAC]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=sp-161 2853]
[GRAPHIC=ncaa football]
[ENG#=]

The Mid-Atlantic Conference held it's championship game last night.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bowling Green, OH/ESPN2;]
15th -ranked Miami of Ohio and 23rd-ranked Bowling Green were pitted against each other. Ben Roethlisberger (ROTH-LIS-BURGER), who is expected to head to the NFL a season early, lit up Bowling Green's defense.
[super=36-Miami University/49/Bowling Green/27;]
The junior threw for 4 touchdowns and a total of 440 yards as the Redhawks take the game 49 to 27 and the MAC title.
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[S-Grove]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-152 14049TC]
[GRAPHIC=JAKE GROVE]
[ENG#=]

Former Jefferson Forest great Jake Grove continues to pick up postseason honors. Yesterday afternoon the Virginia Tech senior center was named to his second first-team all-America squad in the past 8 days.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]
The six-foot-three inch, 300-pounder was named to the football coaches association first team today. For the season, Grove graded out at 92 percent for more than 700 plays. He had 48 knockdown blocks.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=THE FIRST COUPLE...]
[SUPER=01-Jake Grove/Named First Team All-American; :04]
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[OUT Q=...go out there and have fun."]
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[ANCHOR=Marya]
[GRAPHIC=GROVE]
Grove also was named one of the six finalists for the Remington Award.
That honor goes to the top center in all of college football. The winner will be announced December 13th in Nebraska.
[GRAPHIC=KEVIN JONES]
Grove once again has some company on this All-America team. Kevin Jones joins him on the first team just as he did on the Football Writer's team.

[S-Express]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-157 12253TC]
[GRAPHIC=EXPRESS]
[ENG#=]

Roanoke Express veteran Rick Kowalsky is the ECHL's player of the month for November.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
Kowalsky led the Express and tied for the ECHL lead with 22 points in 13 games. He helped Roanoke win 10 of those 13 games and make a move in the Southern Division. Also, center Dan Carlson has been called up to the American Hockey League's Lowell Lock Monsters. The 24 year old leaves the Express leading the team in points, and second overall in the ECHL scoring race.
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[S-Kenseth]

[ANCHOR=Marya]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-154 11645tc]
[GRAPHIC=nascar 2003]
[ENG#=]

Tonight the NASCAR awards banquet takes over the Big Apple. This is the final event for long-time sponsor Winston and R.J. Reynolds. Matt Kenseth - this year's Winston Cup champ will be the last at the podium. He earned Roush Racing its first and only title after 15 years of trying and near misses in the Cup series.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=BITE]
[SUPER=01-Matt Kenseth/2003 Winston Cup Champion;]
[RUNS=:37]
[OUT Q=...IN SUCH A GOOD SITUATION."]
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[talent=Marya]
[graphic=hold nascar 2003]
The entertainment headliners for the banquet are Harry Connick, Jr. and LeAnn Rimes.
[Quickcast]

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