[7Wx-Headline]

[ANCHOR=Kim]

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[WRITER=kor]
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[GRAPHIC=Mornin' Report]



Good morning, I'm Kimberly McBroom......
Once again, we'll be basking in sunshine and above- normal temperatures.
Meteorologist Leo Hirsbrunner has the full forecast, coming up.
(+++++++++)

[take schooltouch fs]
But first, we have a couple of school announcements.
Craig County Middle School is closed today because of a broken water line.
And, Gretna Elmentary School is closed because of heating problems.

(++++++++++)[7-Highway-Safety]



[ANCHOR=Kim]
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[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Interstate 81]



[ENG#=1]


Today state police will start enforcing Virginia's first Highway Safety Corridor.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Last Week;]

The designated area is a 15 mile stretch of Interstate 81 between Ironto and Salem. State Police will be using aerial speed enforcement, VASCAR and motorcycle patrols to enforce the law.
Those who are caught speeding could be fined anywhere between 5-hundred to 25-hundred dollars. We'll have more on this story tonight on News 7.
(------------)


[7-VOB-School-Board]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
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[ENG#=2]


They've tried it once before and failed.
Supporters of an elected school board in Roanoke City will again petition for a referendum on the ballot.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]


The Roanoke Education Association wants to put a referendum on the May ballot that if passed, would allow voters to directly elect school board members.
The group needs to collect five thousand signatures, but so far they've only have a little over two thousand.
After recent scandals in the Roanoke school system, supporters thought their job would be easy but have found it to be difficult because of a similar drive that failed last spring.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:19:43]
[IN Q=I think there is]

((ANITA PRICE/ROANOKE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION: I THINK THERE IS SOME CONFUSION BECAUSE I KNOW JUST PERSONALLY THAT WHEN I HAVE APPROACHED PEOPLE AND SAID WOULD YOU LIKE TO SIGN THE PETITION FOR THE ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD, AND THEY SAY I'VE ALREADY SIGNED THAT AND THEN I ASKED THEM WHEN DID YOU SIGN IT BECAUSE IF YOU SIGNED IT LAST YEAR, IN THE EARLY SPRING, THEN THIS IS A WHOLE NEW PROCESS.))
[SUPER=01-Anita Price/Roanoke Education Association;]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=A WHOLE NEW PROCESS]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


The signatures gathered last spring cannot be used this time around so the groups have had to start from scratch.
Supporters concede it will be difficult--but are optimistic they can get the necessary signatures by the February second deadline.
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[7-11Towers-Wreck]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=03-55 TC26:04]
[GRAPHIC=Accident]



[ENG#=3]

Roanoke authorities are still investigating what caused a man to lose control of his car Saturday night.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Saturday;]

It happened shortly after 7:30 on Brandon Avenue near Towers Mall. Police say 62-year-old Joseph Davis' car hit a utility pole, snapping it.
The car then flipped over and ended up in the Arby's parking lot. Davis had to be cut out of the car and transported to Roanoke Memorial Hospital. He's listed in fair condition. Police say two other cars hit the pole's wires, but the teens in those cars were NOT hurt. The accident also knocked out power to more than a thousand customers in the area, including Towers Mall. A-E-P says some were without power for as long as seven hours.
(------------)



[55-WXHeads]


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



Good morning, I'm Kimberly McBroom......
High temperatures will again climb into the 50s-- but we're in a for a cooldown by mid- week.
Meteorologist Leo Hirsbrunner has your complete forecast, coming up.

(+++++++++)

[take schooltouch fs] But first, we have a couple of school closings to pass along.
Craig County Middle School is closed today because of a broken water line.
And, Gretna Elmentary School is closed because of heating problems.

(++++++++++)[55-11Floyd-Fatal]



[ANCHOR=Kim]
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[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident]



A Floyd County teenager faces nine charges from a fatal car crash.
The accident happened in November on Route 221.
The unidentified 17-year old driver is charged with 2 counts of manslaughter and driving under the influence.
Jonathan Quintrell and his fianc� Megan Hall were killed in the head-on crash.
Three others in the car with the 17-year old also face alcohol-related charges.

[55-11Furniture]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
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[TAPE#=03-47 TC1:27:37]
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[ENG#=1]


Several furniture makers in Galax say China is illegally dumping cheaper bedroom furniture into the U-S and it's flooding the market.
But now they say they're making progress to reverse the trend.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Galax;]


A recent 6 to zero vote by the International Trade Commission says there is a chance the U-S furniture industry is being damaged by cheaper Chinese imports. The ruling means the U-S Department of Commerce will now conduct its own investigation. Local furniture companies say this is a major step forward.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT:2:19:16:00]
[IN Q=We got to believe]

((JOHN BASSETT:WE'VE GOT TO BELIEVE IN OUR ABILITY TO COMPETE. I BELIEVE IN AMERICA AND I BELIEVE THE PEOPLE THAT WORK WITH US IN THESE FACTORIES ARE THE MOST EFFICIENT IN THE WORLD BUT THEY'VE GOT TO BE GIVEN A FAIR PLAYING FIELD TO PLAY ON.))
[SUPER=01-John Bassett/Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Company;]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=play on.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


The Department of Commerce is expected to release its findings in May. That's when the International Trade Commission could vote to place a duty on China, essentially leveling the playing field for U-S furniture companies.
(------------)



[55-11Danville-SCLC]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
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[ENG#=2]


As Martin Luther King Day quickly approaches, civil rights leaders in Danville want to make sure his legacy isn't forgotten.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville;]


The Danville chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference is sponsoring three days worth of events celebrating Dr. King's work.
They include a youth night Friday and a candlelight march against violence on Sunday.
Black leaders say drug-related violence and the loss of area jobs are helping reverse some of the civil rights gains made in the 1960's.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 15:30:00]
[IN Q=Total integration]

((REV. WILLIAM KEEN/DANVILLE SCLC PRESIDENT: TOTAL INTEGRATION, THAT HAS NOT TAKEN PLACE. IF ANYTHING, WE'RE REVERSING BACK TO MORE SEGREGATION INSTEAD OF TOTAL INTEGRATION. SO, WE'RE STILL MAKING A PLEA TO THE WHITE AMERICANS TO GET OUT IN THE FIELD, TO COME OUT AND JOIN THIS MARCH IN STOP THE KILLING.))
[SUPER=01-Rev. William Keen/Danville SCLC Presidentl;]
[RUNS=18]
[OUT Q=stop the killing.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Sunday's march begins at 5 at the corner of Watson and Stuart Streets in Danville.
(------------)



[8Wx-Headline]


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



Good morning, I'm Kimberly McBroom......
Our run of mild weather continues for one more day, as highs soar into the 50s.
Meteorologist Leo Hirsbrunner has the seven- day outlook, in just a few minutes.

(+++++++++)

[take schooltouch fs] But first, we have a couple of school closings to pass along.
Craig County Middle School is closed today because of a broken water line.
And, Gretna Elmentary School is closed because of heating problems.
(++++++++++)




[8-11Disaster-Decalation]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=none]
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More counties in Virginia are being declared disaster areas.
The U-S Department of Agriculture declared Franklin and Roanoke Counties primary disaster areas because of last year's excessive rain.
Patrick County is also a primary disaster area because of damage from Hurricane Isabel.
That means farmers in those counties and the counties that border them are eligible for low-interest federal emergency loans.

[8-11Henry-School]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=sba]
[TAPE#=03-50 TC1:20:13]
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[ENG#=1]


The Henry County School Board wants to know exactly how much it is going to cost to consolidate schools.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Henry Co.;]

Yesterday, the board held a special meeting to get an itemized account of how much the plan to close five schools and combine several others will actually cost. Last summer, the board approved more than one-point-seven million dollars for the project. But according to newly released figures, renovations to two schools that would stay open will add another million dollars to the plan.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I get really nervous]

((MARY MARTIN: I GET REALLY NERVOUS WHEN I SEE ANTICIPATED FUNDS ALREADY AT A MILLION DOLLARS AND THERE MAY BE ROADS, THERE MAY HAVE TO BE THIS AND THERE MAY HAVE TO THAT. I GET NERVOUS WHEN YOU GET INTO THAT KIND OF MONEY, IT MAKES ME EDGY AS TO WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO NEXT YEAR.))
[SUPER=01-Mary Martin/Henry Co. School Board;]
[RUNS=:19]
[OUT Q=.. to do next year.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

A public meeting is scheduled tomorrow night at seven o-clock to futher discuss school consolidation. School board chairman Curtis Millner says the board will make a decision about the plan then.
(------------)



[8-11Kaine-transportation]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=03-54 TC34:37]
[GRAPHIC=None]



[ENG#=2]


Lieutenant Governor Tim Kaine says Virginia's lawmakers can not be trusted with the state's transportation trust fund.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond;]


Kaine says he will ask the General Assembly to approve a constitutional amendment prohibiting raids on the funds.
State law says the fund can be used only for road construction but the state budget trumps all other laws.
That has allowed legislators and the governor to dip into the fund for other purposes, as they did in 2002 to help balance the budget.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 1:39:45]
[IN Q=SOME OF THAT MONEY GOES TOWARD MASS TRANSIT]

((MICHAEL O'CONNOR/VIRGINIA PETROLEUM, CONVENIENCE AND GROCERY ASSOCIATION: SOME OF THAT MONEY GOES TOWARD MASS TRANSIT, RAIL, IT'S NOT ALL GOING TO ROAD CONSTRUCTION.)) ((LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR TIM KAINE: WHEN THE VOTERS SEE THE LEGISLATURE SLOSHING MONEY AROUND FROM DEDICATED FUND TO GENERAL FUND IT CAUSES THEM TO LOSE TRUST THAT THE MONEY WILL BE USED AS ADVERTISED.))
[SUPER=01-Michael O'Connor/Petroleum, Convenience & Grocery Assoc.; :00]
[SUPER=@Kaine; :10]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=MONEY WILL BE USED AS ADVERTISED.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Kaine says a constitutional amendment is necessary in light of recent proposals to increase the state's fuel tax.

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

by SS