WDBJ 7 news at 11 for 12/17/03

[News-Heads]

[ANCHOR=Jean]

[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jja]
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[ENG#=1]

Coming up on News 7-
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Reaction to the stay of execution for a Christiansburg man who was set to die tomorrow.
The mixed race secret daughter of Strom Thurmond speaks to reporters.
And all the FFE-Banquet highlights .. who won what next.
(------------)
[Talent=Jean]

And more snow in the forecast.
News 7 at Eleven is coming up.

[Video-Open]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jja]
[TAPE#=VidOpen]

[ENG#=2]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 20:58:16]
[IN Q=Well, I am cautiously]
((JIMMY TURK/ATTORNEY: WELL, I AM CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC AT THIS POINT.))
[RUNS=:03]
[OUT Q=AT THIS POINT]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The scheduled execution for a Christiansburg man is off tonight but the legal fight is far from over.
(------------)
[ANCHOR =Jean]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 at 11]

[Reid]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=03-41 TC1:34:39]
[GRAPHIC=James Reid]

In fewer than 24 hours, James Reid was scheduled to die by lethal injection for the murder of 87 year old Annie Lester.
But late this afternoon, a federal court decided to stay the execution. [***REID IN MONITOR***]
[DOUBLE BOXES=JEan & Justin/BAM;]

Justin McLeod is here now with details and reaction. Justin?
Jean, it is the way Reid was set to be put to death that may have saved his life for now.
[LIVE= Justin /FULL BAM]
[SUPER=@justin1]

The U.S. fourth circuit court of Appeals in Richmond granted the stay of execution based on a recent Alabama case.
Even so, there is still a chance Reid could be executed as scheduled tomorrow.
[ENG#=3]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg/1997; :00]
[SUPER=01-Jimmy Turk/Reid's Attorney; :19]
[SUPER=01-Louise Brown/Annie Lester's Niece; 1:12]
[RUNS=1:30]
[OUT Q=JUSTICE IS PERFORMED]
((((NAT SOUND OF COURT CASE IF WE HAVE IT))
This is not an issue of guilt or innocence.
James Reid admits he killed Annie Lester by strangling and stabbing her 22 times back in 1996.
The issue, his current lawyer says is whether Reid got fair representation from his original attorney.
[SOT 21:04:26]
[IN Q=It seems extremely]
((JIMMY TURK/REID'S ATTORNEY: IT SEEMS EXTREMELY UNFAIR THAT HE'S FORCED TO RELINQUISH HIS LAW LICENSE AND THE DEFENDANT HE REPRESENTED AND LIED TO IS ON DEATH ROW.)) [Runs09]
[OUT Q=on death row]

So James Turk filed appeal after appeal in several different courts.
Tuesday afternoon, a federal court granted Reid's request for a delay pending a U.S. Supreme Court decision in a similar case.
It has to do with an Alabama death row inmate who has chosen lethal injection but has damaged veins that prevent an injection in the arm.
What the Supreme Court must decide in Nelson v. Campbell is whether that is cruel and unusual punishment.
[SOT 21:00:54]
[IN Q=Mr. Reid's execution]
((JIMMY TURK/REID'S ATTORNEY: MR. REID'S EXECUTION ACTUALLY IS GOING TO HAVE BE CARRIED OUT IN A VERY SIMILAR FASHION.)) [Runs04]
[OUT Q=very similar fashion]

A fashion Annie Lester's family hopes comes sooner rather than later.
Her niece declined to talk to News 7 after the stay of execution was announced.
But she sat down with Rachel DePompa earlier in the day.
[SOT 13:31:02]
[IN Q=I can't say sorry]
((LOUISE BROWN/ANNE LESTER'S NIECE: I CAN'T SAY I FEEL SORRY HIM WHATSOEVER. BECAUSE THAT A MAN THAT BEAT A WOMAN THAT MERCIFULLY, AND STABBED HER AT HER AGE, ATTEMPT TO RAPE HER, I HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO SAY TO HIM, BUT JUSTICE IS PERFORMED.)) [Runs18]
[OUT Q=justice is performed]))
(-------------)
[LIVE= Justin /FULL BAM]

Virginia's Attorney General hopes to deliver that justice tomorrow.
Jerry Kilgore plans to ask the Supreme Court to overturn the 4th circuit's decision and continue the execution as scheduled.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Jean & Justin /BAM;]

Jean, Reid's attorney remains hopeful his client will eventually be granted a new trial and given a different sentence.

[Hinckley]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jja]
[TAPE#=]
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[ENG#=4]

The man who shot President Reagan and was acquitted by reason of insanity- can make unsupervised visits to his parents- AWAY from a mental hospital.
A federal judge made that ruling today.
Jennifer Donelan has more.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Jennifer Donelan/CBS News; 1:10]
[RUNS=1:23]
[OUT Q=standard outcue.]
((John Hinckley Jr. no longer poses a threat to himself or to others - that's the analysis from a doctor at the psychiatric hospital where Hinckley has been held for more than two decades. in Washington, DCTERMS. That kind of testimony, from hospital officials, prompted a federal judge to grant Hinckley unsupervised visits with his parents but only within a 50 mile radius of the hospital. It was March 1981 when Hinckley shot President Ronald Reagan and three others outside a Washington hotel. Hinckley said he shot the President to impress actress Jodi Foster. Hinckley was acquitted by reason of insanity and has spent the last 22 years at St. Elizabeths. Now hell be able to leave, but with some conditions. The 48 year-old won't need a hospital escort. He's been granted six local day trips and then two overnight visits. He wanted to go to his family home in Williamsburg, Virginia, but the judge said no. President Reagans family and the government continue to oppose Hinckley's request. Sarah Bradys husband Jim, Mr. Reagan's Press Secretary, was shot and paralyzed during the assassination attempt. She told the court she fears for their safety if Hinckley goes unsupervised. But when several psychiatrists said Hinckley's visits could actually make him less dangerous, it was enough to convince the judge to give the green light.))

[Flu-Shots]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=NET]
[GRAPHIC=Flu Season]
[ENG#=1]

If you have flu-like symptoms, don't visit folks in hospitals or nursing homes.
That's the word from Centra Health, the company that operates Lynchburg General Hospital as well as Guggenheimer Nursing Home in Lynchburg and Fairmont Crossing in Amherst.
Centra Health is asking anyone with a cough, runny or stuffy nose and sore throat not to visit.
Meanwhile, two local health departments are getting some more flu vaccine.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg/Friday]

The Roanoke City Health Department now has an additional hundred doses of the serum. But it's only available to those at high risk and on a first-come-first-served basis by appointment.
Lynchburg's Health Department has about 50 doses which it plans to give out at a clinic tomorrow starting at 8:30 a-m.
And if you're looking for Flu Mist, the nasal version of the vaccine, it's available at Martinsville's Health Department. The supply is limited.
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[Methadone]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=03-44 TC1:14:45]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=2]

Roanoke County residents are celebrating the announcement that a methadone clinic will not set up shop on Colonial Avenue.
And today, Roanoke City residents also found some encouragement in that news.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Plans for a methadone clinic on Hershberger Road have drawn sharp opposition in the city.
Opponents are hailing the Roanoke County developments, and say they hope a Tennessee company and city officials are paying attention.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 08:20]
[IN Q=Well I'm glad I truly am]
((WELL I'M GLAD I TRULY AM. I TALKED TO SOME OF MY BOARD MEMBERS THIS MORNING AND THEY WERE PROUD TO HEAR THAT, BECAUSE IT WAS GOING NEAR A SCHOOL AND RESIDENCE. IT SHOULDN'T BE NEAR NO ONE'S RESIDENCE, NO ONE'S SCHOOL.))
[SUPER=01-Perneller Chubb-Wilson/Roanoke SCLC President;]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=no one's school.]
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[ANCHOR=JEan]
[SS=None]

The property on Hershberger road is currently zoned to allow the methadone clinic, but opponents are hoping the company will also reconsider in the face of strong opposition from citizens.

[Scholarships]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-165 2431TC]
[GRAPHIC=FFE AWARDS]
[ENG#=]
The 20th annual Friday Football Extra awards banquet honored players and coaches from throughout the area tonight. Mike Stevens says it was also a night for scholars.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=FIRST AUDIO]
[SUPER=03-Salem/FFE AwardsBanquet; :00]
[SUPER=01-Jeff Highfill, Jr./2003 Noel C. Taylor Scholar Athlete; :23]
[SUPER=01-J.K. Thompson/Roy Stanley Scholarship Winner; :45]
[SUPER=01-Patrick Gevas/Roy Stanley Scholarship Winner; 1:06]
[SUPER=@mike1; 1:14]
[RUNS=1:26]
[OUT Q=...NEWS 7 SPORTS."]
(----------)
(( When the annual banquet began back in 1984 it was all about football - now 20 years later WDBJ-7 passed out three academic scholarships. William Byrd's Jeff Highfill made some history as he became the first person to win a player of the week and the $2000 dollar Noel C. Taylor scholarship in the same year. ((JEFF HIGHFILL, JR.)) Two Roy Stanley Memorial scholarships also were handed out at the banquet. Parry McCluer's J.K. Thompson - a basketball, tennis and golf star for the Blues won the $1000 athletic scholarship. ((J.K. THOMPSON:)) The $1000 Roy Stanley Journalism grant went to William Byrd's Patrick Gevas.)) ((PATRICK GEVAS:)) ((MIKE STEVENS:))

[TALENT=JEAN]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD LOGO]
Travis Wells will visit with more of tonight's winners including the team of the year and coach of the year honorees later in sports.

[Tease1]
[ANCHOR=Jean]
[WRITER=dse]
[NEWSCAST=11p]
[SS=None]
[ENG#=V10]

Still ahead on News 7, some Virginian's may be getting raise.
Find out what's in the the governor's new budget.
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[VO-NAT]

And he's fulfilled plenty of dreams on the racing circuit, now Ward Burton's fulfilling a dream at home in Southside.
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[Sports-Preview]

[ANCHOR=steve]
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[ENG#=4]
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[SOT]
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[RUNS=:23]
[OUT Q=in sports"]
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[State-budget]

(MINI OPEN)

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=03-43 TC1:33:37]
[SS=VA Budget]
[ENG#=1]

There is a pay raise in the future for Virginia's teachers, college professors and government employees.
The raise was included in the governor's budget which he rolled out today along with his tax reform proposals.
Meghan Muldoon has the details.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=THIS PUTS US ON THE PATH BACK]
[SUPER=03-Richmond; :04]
[SUPER=@MarkWarner; :26]
[SUPER=@Griffith; :51]
[SUPER=01-Del. Vince Callahan/(R) McLean; 1:11]
[SUPER=@Meghan2; 1:15]
[RUNS=1:23]
[OUT Q=MM, NEWS 7, RICHMOND.]
(( [SOT :17:31]
[IN Q=]
((GOVERNOR MARK WARNER: THIS PUTS US ON THE PATH BACK TO FINANCIAL STABILITY.)) [RUNS:03]
Governor Warner introduced a new state budget that includes nearly two-point-four billion dollars in new spending requirements.
Most of that money is earmarked for education, health services, transportation and public safety.
Warner is recommending an additional 144 million dollars for Virginia's colleges and universities.
Money he hopes will prevent the huge tuition increases seen in the past year.
[SOT 10:17:06]
((GOVERNOR MARK WARNER: IF THE STATE DOESN'T DO ITS SHARE YOU'RE GONNA SEE KIDS NOT BEING ABLE TO GET INTO THE CLASSES, NOT BEING ABLE TO GRADUATE AND PAY ENORMOUSLY HIGHER TUITIONS.)) [RUNS:07]
State workers, college faculty and school teachers are also slated for a three percent raise under Warner's budget but they won't see it until November 2005.
Warner told lawmakers that his tax reforms are necessary in order to preserve Virginia's AAA bond rating.
But some Republicans are not convinced.
[SOT .10:49:50]
((DELEGATE MORGAN GRIFFITH/R-SALEM: IT IS NEVER AS DIRE AS THE PROPONENTS OF TAX INCREASES WANT YOU TO BELIEVE. THE SKY IS NOT FALLING.)) [RUNS:08]
The Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee says Warner's budget is "ambitious" and that many proposals, like the one cent increase in the state sales tax, aren't likely to make it into law.
[SOT 22:37]
((DELEGATE VINCE CALLAHAN/R- CHAIR, HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS: ONE CENTS PROBABLY I WOULDN'T BE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THAT ONE.))
[RUNS:04]
[OUT Q=WOULDN'T BE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THAT ONE.]

Lawmakers will have an opportunity to craft their own budget in four weeks when the General Assembly convenes.
Meghan Muldoon, News 7, Richmond.))

[Witchcraft]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=cdo]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=3]

Educators aren't allowed to teach religion in public schools, but what about witch craft?
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Channelview, TX]
The mother of one Texas student discovered that her son was studying the Wicca faith in an after-school study group allegedly taught by a teacher at his middle school.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=will they let me come and teach;]
((REV. C.M. KELLY/BAPTIST MINISTER; WILL THEY LET ME COME AND TEACH CHRISTIANITY? NO THEY WON'T. WELL, THEY SHOULDN'T TEACH WITCHCRAFT. THAT'S A RELIGION))
[SUPER=01-Rev. C. M. Kelly/Baptist Minister;]
[RUNS=:06;]
[OUT Q=that's a religion;]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The school superintendent would not comment on any kind of personnel investigation, or confirm there was one. The mother was told that the teacher has been suspended.
(------------)

[Strom-Daughter]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jja]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=4]

She is Strom Thurmond's mixed race daughter, born out of wedlock.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Today Essie Mae Washington Williams stepped forward to tell the world the late U-S Senator was her father.
She did so at the urging of her children and says she at last feels completely free.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT :15]
((ESSIE MAE WASHINGTON-WILLIAMS; I FEEL AS THOUGH A TREMENDOUS WEIGHT HAS BEEN LIFTED FROM ME.))
[SUPER=01-Essie Washington-Williams;]
[RUNS=04]
[OUT Q=lifted from me..]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

When Thurmond was 22 years old he had an affair with the family's 16 year old black housekeeper.
Essie Mae first met her father when she was 16.
His quiet acknowledgement came in the form of money and yearly meetings. Essie Mae said Thurmond cared for her and she for him but few knew until now.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:08]
[IN Q=I am]
((I AM NOT BITTER. I AM NOT ANGRY I FEEL A GREAT GREAT SENSE OF PEACE IN THIS PAST YEAR.))
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=this past year.]
(-----------)
[vo-nat]
On Monday, a public conformation came from the Thurmond family.
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[Tease2]
[ANCHOR=Jean]
[WRITER=dse]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[SS=None]
[ENG#=V10]

It's something familiar to fliers since the days of Orville and Wilbur Wright -- flight delays.
The weather grounds many celebrations of the First Flight.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]

And thousands of soldiers get a laugh with Robin Williams.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=We're dropping]
((WE'RE DROPPING FLARES LIKE SPARKLERS, SPARKLERS. WHAT ARE YOU DOING THAT FOR? YOU'LL SEE.))
[RUNS=:04]
[OUT Q=you'll see.]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]

More on the comedian's visit to Iraq when News 7 returns.
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[Commercial]

[Halifax-Cove]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=03-47 TC54:20]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=1]

He's won five NASCAR races, including last year's Daytona 500, but South Boston native Ward Burton saw a different dream fulfilled today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Halifax Co.]

Burton and dozens of local and state officials gathered at his new 24-hundred acre wildlife conservation center in Halifax County.
The Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation was established six years ago to help educate children about the importance of wildlife and land management.
Burton says the "Cove" as the property is known will be a perfect setting to do that.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 15:25:51]
[IN Q=I've just always]
((WARD BURTON/NASCAR DRIVER: I'VE JUST ALWAYS BEEN PASSIONATE ABOUT WILDLIFE AND THE HABITATS IN WHICH THEY LIVE IN AND FEEL LIKE IT'S MY INHERENT RESPONSIBILITY TO TRY TO GIVE BACK.))
[SUPER=01-Ward Burton/NASCAR Driver]
[RUNS=11]
[OUT Q=try to give back.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Senator George Allen and Congressman Virgil Goode helped secure a million dollars in federal funding to help finance Burton's project.
(------------)

[NC-First-Flight]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=cdo]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=2]
Heavy rains didn't dampen the centennial celebration of flight in North Carolina today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Kill Devil Hills, NC]
It was 100 years ago today that brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright soared into the record books with the first powered flight.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=we remember one small machine;]
((WE REMEMBER ONE SMALL MACHINE AND REMEMBER THE GIANTS WHO FLEW IT.))
[RUNS=:06;]
[OUT Q=the giants who flew it;]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Today's re-creation of the flight didn't go exactly as planned. The replica of the airplane made its way down the launching rail, but then instead of soaring toward the sky--it landed in mud. A second attempt was scrapped due to low winds. The Wright brothers first flight lasted only 12 seconds and traveled just 120 feet.
(------------)

[WIPE WIPE WIPE]

[First-Flight]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11 P.M.]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=03-45 TC1:18:30]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[ENG#=3]

[WIPE WIPE WIPE]

(------------)
[VO-NAT :34]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

Aviators in Roanoke wanted to take to the skies to celebrate the anniversary of flight but they, too, were grounded by the weather. Regardless, a group of pilots met in the general aviation terminal this morning to be named members of what Mayor Ralph Smith calls the "Roanoke Air Force". Honorary flight commander, Wes Hillman, has been an airman since the early 1930s. Hillman and Mayor Smith sat briefly in a plane around 10:30, near the time the Wright Brothers made their virgin flight. In honor of the anniversary, the airport named today Customer Appreciation Day."
(------------)

[S-Extra]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=extra]
[GRAPHIC=none]
[ENG#=V10]

Highlights from our Friday Football extra awards banquet, Tiki Barber talks about his coaches firing, and the sports journal sportsman of the year
(----------)
[VO NAT ENG#]
[SUPER=03-Ferrum/This Season;]
But first our extra point. The New York Yankees signed 35-year-old free agent outfielder Gary Sheffield to a three-year contract. The Yankees did not announce financial terms but the deal, which includes an option for a fourth year, reportedly is worth $39 million. A seven-time All-Star, Sheffield has batted at least .300 in each of the last six seasons.

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[GO TO SCORES]
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[go to scores]
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[S-FFE]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-162]
[GRAPHIC=FFE]
[ENG#=1]

The 20th Anniversary season of Friday Football Extra came to a close tonight with the annual awards banquet at the Salem Civic Center. Travis Wells recaps the night's festivities.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Salem; :00]
[SUPER=01-Jake Grove/Virginia Tech Center; :24]
[SUPER=01-Will Fields/Group A Coach of the Year; :55]
[SUPER=01-Keith Smith/Group AA Coach of the Year; 1:06]
[SUPER=01-Billy Miles/Group AAA Coach of the Year; 1:17]
[SUPER=@travis1; 1:31]
[SUPER=01-Norm Lineburg/Overall Coach of the Year; 1:44]
[SUPER=01-Robert Senseney/Gretna Team of the Year; 2:07]
[SUPER=01-Brandon Holland/Lee Cook Lineman of the Year; 2:23]
[RUNS=2:43]
[OUT Q=News 7 Sports."]
((15 individual student athletes took home player of the week honors and a goody bag from Your Hometown Station. They also got a surprise visit from someone who knows all about awards. Virginia Tech center Jake Grove, the former Jefferson Forest standout has grabbed his share of hardware of late, taking home the Remington Award for the nation's best center, and taking a spot on 5 All-American teams.
Jake:
Grove isn't the only one who needs more room in his trophy case. Will Fields of Bath County was named the top single A coach for the first time, as was Keith Smith of William Fleming in the double A ranks. Franklin County's Billy Miles was a repeat winner in Group 3A.
Will: Keith: Billy:
Travis:
Norm:
Robert Senseney's Gretna Hawks flew in as the team of the year on the heels of the school's first state title, just 7 seasons removed from a 44 game losing streak.
Rob:
The 7th Lee Cook Lineman of the Year Award went to Northside's Brandon Holland. The 6-6, 280 pounder is headed to Virginia Tech.
Brandon:
So the curtain falls on the 20th season of Friday Football Extra. But two a days are just 8 months away. In Salem, Travis Wells, News 7 Sports.))

[S-Fassel]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-150 TC14738]
[GRAPHIC=NY Giants]
[ENG#=1]

Another NFL coach was shown the door today. The New York Giants fired Head Coach Jim Fassel.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-NFL; :00]

Fassel's seven year tenure will come to an end after the final two games of the season. The Giants have struggled to a 4 and 10 mark with 6 consecutive losses. Fassel took the team to the playoffs three times including a trip to the 2001 Super Bowl.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Jim Fassel/Fired as Giants Head Coach; :02]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=right thing to do."]
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[SUPER=03-Landover, MD/This Season;]

Perhaps the firing hurt most for former Cave Spring and UVa star Tiki Barber, who considered Fassell much more than just a coach.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Tiki Barber/Giants Running Back; :00]
[RUNS=:26]
[OUT Q=..my entire life"]
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[S-Rock]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-154 12236TC]
[GRAPHIC=ROCOVICH]
[ENG#=4]

The Roanoke Valley Sports Journal would give out its Sports Personality of the Year award this afternoon.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :00]
This year's winner is John Rocovich, the Rector of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. Rocovich was a positive voice or reason in the Hokies' battle to gain entrance into the Atlanta Coast Conference earlier this year.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I'M IN MY....]
[SUPER=01-John Rocovich/Sports Journal's Personality of the Year; :00]
[RUNS=:26]
[OUT Q=...and Roanoke Valley."]
(------------)
[VO-NAT CON'T]
[SUPER=03-Greensboro, NC/July 1;]
Rocovich was the Hokies' spokesman in Greensboro the night of the historic ACC expansion announcement on July 1st. He also has been a key figure in the development of the Salem-Roanoke Valley baseball hall of fame.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=WHAT MOTIVATES...]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=...100 YEARS IN ROANOKE."]
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[Williams-Baghdad]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jja]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=1]

U-S troops in Baghdad got a taste of American comedy today.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
((GOOD MORNING BAGHDAD!!))
[Super=03-Baghdad, Iraq;]
[RUNS=03]
[OUT Q=MORNING BAGHDAD!]
(------------)
[VO-NAT 15 plus pad]

Robin Williams stole a page from his movie past to greet the troops in Iraq today.
The comedian had troops laughing as he stopped by the U-S base at the Baghdad airport- His performance for thousands is part of a U-S-O sponsored tour.
Last year Williams also visited troops in Afghanistan.
(------------)