WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 01/19/04

[1-News-Head]

[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

The smoke detectors were working but the windows weren't.
Neighbors say a lack of maintenance led to the death of a child.
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[ENG#=1]
[VO-NAT :04]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
And, rallyers raise their voices to echo Dr. Martin Luther King.
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[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=Travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
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[GRAPHIC=]
[ENG#=2]

Tonight in sports, an ODAC basketball preview, receiver Larry Fitzgerald may have played his last game for Pittsburgh,
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[VO-NAT]

and the winds of change are blowing through Nascar as the 2004 season draws closer.
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[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]

Going for the cold forecast this time around. Readings in the lower teens highlights the weather tonight.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon 4-Shot]

News 7 is next.
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[ENG#=3]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It's a shame...]
((IT'S A SHAME THAT IT TOOK THIS ... BUT MAYBE AFTER THIS, MANAGEMENT WILL BE BETTER...))
[RUNS=:05]
[OUT Q=be better..]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
A weekend fire claims the life of a small child.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
Now management at a local apartment complex is taking action.
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[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

Good evening, I'm Keith Humphry.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

And I'm Shannon Young.
[Fatal-Fire]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sba]
[TAPE#=03-44 TC1:35:12]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
This weekend 3-year-old Kiante Poindexter was killed when his family's home caught on fire.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
His mother claims the child could have been saved if it weren't for windows which were sealed shut. [***NEWS 7 @ 6 IN MONITOR***]
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Susan /BAM;]
Susan Bahorich has been following the story. Susan, are changes in the works for Tinker Creek? Keith and SHannon, residents of Tinker Creek Manor apartments hope so...
[LIVE= Susan /FULL BAM]
[SUPER=@Susan1]
They say they've been complaining of problems for years, and little has been done.
[ENG#=4]
(//////SOT/////)
[IN Q=maintenance crews]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :]
[SUPER=01-Donna McGeorge/Tinker Creek Resident; :]
[SUPER=01-Kathy Morgan/Tinker Creek Resident; :]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=.. CORRECTED AT THAT TIME,.]
(([///// SOT /////]
Maintenance crews are out in full-force... knocking on doors, talking to residents, checking windows and smoke detectors. ((nats)) Donna McGeorge has lived in Tinker Creek with her family for the last seven-years- through the good times and bad.
[SOT]
((Donna McGeorge: I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF MYSELF AND MY CHILDREN. A LOT THINGS NEED TO GET DONE DOWN HERE. SOMETIMES THEY DON'T HAVE FUNDS TO FIX ITEMS, I'M VERY CONCERNED.))
[RUNS= :12]
These items run the gamet from smoke detectors and extinguishers to the furnace. After the Sunday morning fire that took the life of 3-year-old Mookie as he was known, McGeorge is even more concerned. ((McGeorge: THE FURNACE VERY OLD, I ASKED THE LANDLORD TO CLEAN OUT, SAID THEY DIDN'T DO THAT...))
[RUNS= :05]
Concerns are all these neighbors can talk about... Down the street, next to the shell of the house where the little boy was killed, Kathy Morgan is picking up the pieces after firefighters used her attic to put out the blaze. While her windows open, they don't necessarily stay up. ((Kathy Morgan, concerned resident: I COMPLAIN UNTIL THEY FIX IT, SOMETIMES SHE SAYS THEY DON'T HAVE THE FUNDS, BUT I PAY MY RENT AND I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO LIVE WITH SOMETHING THAT'S NOT WORKING RIGHT.))
[RUNS= :12]))
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[LIVE= Susan /FULL BAM]

Artcraft Management, the company that owns Tinker Creek Manor apartments, says it is working hard to provide affordable housing to those who need it. While, the company's owner says windows should never be sealed, his company is working to rectify any problems. Earl Ferguson tells news 7, that maintenance crews checked between 400 to 500 windows today and out of those- only two were sealed.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Susan /BAM;]
While Ferguson admits that's two too many, he and his staff are working to make sure the complex is safe for everyone.

[Church-Vandalism]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=03-42 TC1:30:20]
[GRAPHIC=none]

The pastor of a Roanoke church vandalized last week says he feels sorry for the people believed to be responsible.

(XXXXXXX)
[TAKE PINNACLE FS] Police arrested and charged 22-year-old Zachary Bryant and 35-year-old Christopher Martin with breaking and entering and felony property damage.
[ENG#=1]
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/January 14;]
Investigators say they got a tip from some folks in the community that the two men broke into the Mount Moriah Baptist Church and ransacked the place. Reverend Thomas Pleasant says he feels safer knowing the suspects are behind bars, but that the incident still bothers him.
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[SOT 2429]
[IN Q=i'm ]
((REV. THOMAS E. PLEASANT/MT. MORIAH BAPTIST CHURCH: I'M GLAD IN ONE WAY BUT IN ANOTHER WAY MY HEART IS SAD TO SEE SOMEBODY HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE COURT SYSTEM FOR DOING DAMAGE TO GOD'S HOUSE.))
[SUPER=01-Rev. Thomas E. Pleasant/Mt. Moriah Baptist Church;]
[RUNS=07]
[OUT Q=to God's house]
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[VO-NAT]
The church has since replaced the broken windows, but Pleasant says the building still needs a lot of work. Police say Bryant and Martin could face more charges.
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[Carroll-Murder]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rde]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Invest.]

A Hillsville woman is now accused of murder in a Carroll County shooting.
(+++++++)
[TAKE NIXON FS ]
The charges against 46 year old Elva Rosemary Nixon were upgraded to first-degree murder after the victim died late last week.
Nixon is being held without bond at the New River Valley Regional Jail.
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[ANCHOR=Keith]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]

Investigators say Donald Brady was shot four times in an apparent robbery attempt on his property at Laurel Fork in the Keno section of the county.
He died Wednesday at a North Carolina hospital.

[Amherst-Murder]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=03-50 TC1:24:48]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]
[ENG#=2]

Investigators in Amherst County are still tracking down leads in the murder of a New York City man over the weekend.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Amherst Co.]

The body of 23-year-old Phillip D. James of Harlem was discovered Saturday afternoon.
Police say James had been shot several times in the torso.. he was found down an embankment near the Harris Creek bridge on River Road.
Authorities aren't sure where James had been staying or why he was in the central Virginia area.
Anyone with information should contact the Amherst County sheriff's department.
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[King-March]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6 PM]
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[TAPE#=03-47 TC1:35:12]
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People across our country pause today to remember and honor the life of Doctor Martin Luther King Junior.
In Roanoke, the black community marked the occasion by holding a "March for Justice."
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & Justin/Microwave;]

So what does that exactly mean? Justin McLeod is live in Roanoke with an answer? Justin?
[LIVE= Justin /FULL]
[SUPER=@justin1]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke]
(adlib)
((ROLLCUE:...took that message to the streets of Roanoke.))
[ENG#=3]
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=01-Rev. Edward Mitchell/Roanoke Resident; :39]
[SUPER=01-Rochelle Loritts/Roanoke Resident; :47]
[RUNS=1:00]
[OUT Q=from being fulfilled, but we're living it every day. 2ND REFERENCE!!!]
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[LIVE= Justin /FULL Microwave]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke;]
(adlib)
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & Justin/Microwave;]

[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
[SS=NONE]
[ENG#=V10]

A Roanoke police Lieutenant fights against a reprimand and for the reputation of his sergeants.
More on that case when News 7 returns.
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Plus a new effort to keep teenagers out of Virginia's death chamber.
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[1st-Wx]
[Beason]
(MINI OPEN)
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[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=03-46 TC1:34:15]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
Roanoke's City Manager has refused to reverse the reprimand issued last Fall against a city police lieutenant.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
Lieutenant W. J. Beason challenged the written reprimand around the same time half the police force was filing grievances over "pay for performance" evaluations.
[ENG#=1]
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[SOT]
[IN Q=Typically, it's the rank]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
[SUPER=01-Gary Lumsden/Beason's Attorney; :20]
[SUPER=01-Lt. Bill Beason/Roanoke Police Department; :42]
[SUPER=@keith1; 1:14]
[RUNS=1:39]
[OUT Q=numbers they deserve.]
(( Typically it's the rank and file- -patrolmen and sometimes sergeants- -who file grievances over pay and department policies. Grievances from ranking officers are rare, though not unheard of. Lieutenant Bill Beason has to evaluate the sergeants who answer to him. [11:35:38] ((AS FAR AS I WAS CONCERNED THEY EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS.)) [RUNS:04] Last May he turned in scores ranging from 93 to 99 for his four sergeants, but those numbers exceeded the level defined by the city for "meeting expectations." [3-SHOT: 11:29:25] ((THAT MEANS IF THEY DO EVERYTHING PERFECTLY THE BEST THEY COULD EVER EXPECT TO GET IS AN 80.)) [RUNS:07] Beason's boss, Captain Bill Althoff, sent him a memo, saying those scores were "inordinately high." He pointed out that high-performing sergeants on other shifts were being rated in the "85-86 range." So Beason revised each of the evaluations, turning in scores in the mid-80's. [11:38:35] ((You did what you were told? EXACTLY. And reprimanded as a reward? I FOLLOWED THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE WRITTEN MEMORANDUM. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER I RECEIVED A WRITTEN REPRIMAND.)) [RUNS:17] In the meantime- -in response to a formal grievance, a circuit judge restored Sergeant Brent Asbury's score of 98. [12:30:10] ((THE CHANGE IS ABOUT A 1% DIFFERENCE. THAT BOILS DOWN TO ABOUT $500 IN ANNUAL PAY FOR SGT. ASBURY.)) [RUNS:07] [11:44:48] ((I FEEL NOW AS I DID THEN, THAT THEY GOT THE NUMBERS THEY DESERVE.)) [RUNS:04]))
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[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=None]
Lieutenant Beason has asked for a public hearing before a panel of the Personnel and Employment Practices Commission.

[Death-Penalty]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=03-48 TC1:16:58]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=2]

A Northern Virginia lawmaker says he wants the state to stop killing children.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]

Delegate Al Eisenberg has introduced a bill to bar the execution of minors.
Currently, 16-year-olds who commit capital crimes are eligible for the death penalty in Virginia.
Eisenberg wants to raise the eligibility age to eighteen.
The Democrat says Lee Boyd Malvo, who was 17 at the time of the sniper shootings, should never had been tried as an adult.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT :54:37]
[IN Q=WE STILL HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION]
((DELEGATE AL EISENBERG/D-ARLINGTON: WE STILL HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM BECAUSE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE NOT COMPLETE, THEY ARE NOT FULLY FORMED. THEY ARE NOT ADULTS.))
[SUPER=01-Del. Al Eisenberg/(D) Arlington]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=THEY ARE NOT ADULTS.]
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[VO-NAT]

Legislation that would abolish the death penalty in Virginia has also been introduced.
But that bill was killed this afternoon in the House Courts of Justice Committee.
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[Stocks]

[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The Stock Market was closed today in observance of the Martin Luther King Holiday.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

We'll be right back.

[NO !!!! SPONSOR ANNOUNCE]
[COMMERCIAL]

[Adams]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
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[TAPE#=03-49 TC1:15:12]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2004]
[ENG#=1]

One of Lynchburg's four Ward representatives on city council says he's willing to serve another four years...if his constituents will have him.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

Car dealer Julian Adams has spent a total of 14 years on council.. the last four as the Ward One representative.
Adams says he brings a common sense, non-partisan perspective to the panel.
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[SOT 15:32:30]
[IN Q=The strength and]
((JULIAN ADAMS/LYNCHBURG COUNCIL MEMBER: THE STRENGTH AND FEROCITY OF THE PARTISANSHIP OFTEN OBSCURES THE REACHING OF THE BEST POSSIBLE SOLUTION FOR THE COMMUNITY. AND THE MORE PARTISANS THAT WE HAVE THE LESS LIKELY THAT WE'LL GET THE BEST SOLUTIONS TO THE VARIOUS ISSUES THAT CONFRONT US.))
[SUPER=01-Julian Adams/(I) Lynchburg Council Member]
[RUNS=19]
[OUT Q=that confront us.]
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[VO-NAT]

Adams is running as an Independent.
He says he won't raise or spend any money on his re-election campaign.
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[Bowers-Harris]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=03-45 TC1:54:56]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2004]
[ENG#=2]

One has served on Roanoke City Council for the last eight years. The other hopes to return after a four- year absence.
But neither man seeking the Democratic nomination for Mayor has time to waste.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/June 10, 2003]

Democrats will choose their slate of council candidates during a firehouse primary at the Roanoke Civic Center on February 7th.
David Bowers is promising mail drops, phone banks and door to door campaigning, while Nelson Harris says he will attempt in two weeks, what would normally take two months.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=My friends say I should have]
((DAVID BOWERS: MY FRIENDS SAY I SHOULD HAVE MY HEAD EXAMINED, BUT MY HEART'S IN THE RACE. AND I WANT TO BE A PART OF IT ALL AGAIN AND GET INTO THE MIX WITH PEOPLE AGAIN. THAT'S WHAT I LIKE TO DO.)) ((NELSON HARRIS: WHILE I HAVEN'T ALWAYS ASPIRED TO BE THE MAYOR, I THINK RIGHT NOW THE TIMING IS GOOD AND THE OPPORTUNITY IS RIGHT FOR ME TO SEEK THAT OFFICE AND AGAIN BRING BACK THOSE THINGS THAT I THINK ARE IMPORTANT TO THE OFFICE OF MAYOR.))
[SUPER=01-David Bowers/(D) Candidate for Mayor; :00]
[SUPER=01-Nelson Harris/(D) Candidate for Mayor; :10]
[RUNS=:22]
[OUT Q=important to the office of mayor.]
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[ANCHOR=Keith]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]

So far, no Republican has announced a campaign for Mayor, but Mac McCadden is considering an independent bid, and others are expected to enter the race.

[Sports tease]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
[ENG#=V10]

Coming up, several Nascar drivers sound off on the sport's proposed changes for this season, Kobe gets hit in the wallet, and
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[VO-NAT]

Larry Fitzgerald's wallet should get fatter in the coming months in the NFL.
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[S-Media]

[ANCHOR=Travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-155 20401TC]
[GRAPHIC=Nascar media tour 2004]
[ENG#=1]

The 21st annual NASCAR Media Tour is taking place this week in North Carolina. The largest off-season media event in racing is all about change this year. Mike Stevens begins our week long reports from the tour.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=FIRST AUDIO]
[SUPER=03-Charlotte, NC; :00]
[SUPER=@mike2; :10]
[SUPER=01-Ricky Rudd/Wood Brothers Ford Driver; :28]
[SUPER=01-Terry Labonte/Kellogg's Chevy Driver; :59]
[SUPER=01-Jeff Gordon/Four-Time Cup Champion; 1:20]
[RUNS=1:51]
[OUT Q=...NEWS 7 SPORTS."]
(( More than 200 print and electronic media member from 22 states, France and the Netherlands are in the Queen City of Charlotte trying to make sense of the whirlwind changes that are hitting the most popular spectator sport in the world. Problem number one is replacing Winston with Nextel. Switching a sign is easy compared to switching names in one's brain. ((RICKY RUDD:)) There's a new gas, a new foreign player for the first time ever on the Truck series and a number of new faces. And then there's the new proposed points system that will be officially unveiled this week. It promises to reward winning more - but it also threatens to eliminate all but the top teams for the final 10 races of the year. ((TERRY LABONTE:)) ((JEFF GORDON:)) There have been more anticipated seasons in NASCAR, but none has been more uncertain that 2004. We hope to have some of the answers as the weeks progresses. Mike Stevens News 7 sports.))

[S-ODAC]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-159 TC20333]
[GRAPHIC=ODAC]
[ENG#=2]

The ODAC hardwood wars heat up again tonight at the Bast Center as Lynchburg pays a visit to Roanoke College. The Hornets are just 1 and 5 in the league in John Swickrath's inaugural season as Head Coach. But that win came on Saturday against W & L.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-John Swickrath/Lynchburg Head Coach; :00]
[RUNS=:19]
[OUT Q=add up to the big things."]
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[S-Kobe]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=NBA]
[ENG#=3]

Kobe Bryant has lost his sponsorship deal with McDonald's, costing the NBA star another endorsement while his sexual assault case proceeds in Colorado.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-McDonald's Commercial; :00]

A spokesman for the fast food chain says that the three year agreement between the two expired on December 31st and was not renewed. Bryant, the five time NBA all star, is averaging 22 points this season, but has missed the last week of action on the court with a shoulder injury.
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[S-Fitz]

[ANCHOR=travis]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-154 TC13810]
[GRAPHIC=NCAA Football]
[ENG#=4]

We finish up with one college football note. Pittsburgh receiver Larry Fitzgerald is likely headed to the NFL.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Charlotte, NC/2003 Tire Bowl; :00]

The standout sophomore petitioned the league to receive approval to enter this year's draft and it appears that he will be accommodated, despite being at Pitt for only two years. Although he is a sophomore, three years have passed since his high school class graduated. Fitz spent a post grad year at Valley Forge Military Academy. (------------)