WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 01/27/04

[1-News-Head]

[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

More layoffs coming, though employment prospects are not all bad.
(------------)
[ENG#=1]
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
And breaching the break in an Augusta County dam. We'll walk the frozen pond with property owner Bill Fauber.
(------------)

[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
[ENG#=2]
Tonight on News 7 sports - Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports offer up some preseason thoughts as the Cup cars test today in Vegas.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

And it's Media day at the Super Bowl as the Panthers and Patriots pose and practice for Sunday night's big game.
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[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]

Brief bursts of snow followed by very windy conditions. The wind chill is a factor again tomorrow morning.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith 4-Shot]

News 7 is next.
[Video-Open]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=Video Open]

[ENG#=3]
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

Another Southside plant is shutting down for good.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

While a Roanoke business will be telling some of its workers they'll be out of a job as well.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

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

And I'm Keith Humphry.
[Danville-jobs]
[NEWSCAST=6 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=03-54 TC45:08]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

A long-standing Southside factory is shutting its doors.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

As a result nearly two hundred people will lose their jobs.
[ENG#=4]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville/1996]

The Masonite Plant in Danville announced today it will close March 26th.
The company blames the closing on a lack of demand for its wood fiber products.
All 172 employees will receive severance packages and possibly extended benefits.
Masonite has been in Danville for more than thirty years.
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[Atlantic-Mutual]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6 p.m.]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=03-48 TC1:33:21]
[GRAPHIC=Layoffs]
[ENG#=1]

Employees at a Roanoke County insurance company will be told tomorrow whether their jobs will be eliminated.
(-------------)
[VO-NAT :30]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]
A spokesman for Atlantic Mutual confirms there will be layoffs but won't specify how many. Dave Mitchell says the company sent letters notifying employees about the impending cuts yesterday. In early December, Atlantic Mutual announced it would sell its subsidiary, Atlantic Specialty Insurance, to OneBeacon Insurance. At the time it was unclear how the 450-million dollar transaction would affect staff. More than 5-hundred of Atlantic Mutual's fifteen-hundred employees work at the building in Roanoke County.
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[Celanese-Jobs]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rde]
[TAPE#=03-53 TC50:55]
[GRAPHIC=New Jobs ]
[ENG#=2]

The news is better in Giles County, where dozens of new high paying jobs are on the way.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Giles Co.]

Celanese Acetate is expanding its Narrows facility and creating 55 new positions.
The company is already one of the New River Valley's largest employers with over a thousand workers.
The 10-million dollar investment will create new openings for chemists, engineers and technicians.
Celanese is the world's largest acetate producer, making the product for use in men's and women's apparel, linings, home fashions and various industrial products.
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[Winter-Weather]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=03-47 TC1:49:52]
[GRAPHIC=Winter Weather]

There were more cancellations and delays today as the latest wave of winter weather kept its grip on western Virginia.
Conditions improved on major highways, but the snow plows are still working around the clock and measuring their progress a few streets at a time.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith & JoeD /Porch Cam;]

Joe Dashiell is outside our studios in Roanoke tonight with more on the work that remains.
[LIVE= JoeD /FULL Porch Cam]
[SUPER=@Joe1;]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke]

Keith, since the storm arrived over the weekend, it has continued to bring snow and ice into the area... and that has kept state plows on the main roads and interstate highways.
V-DOT tells us it may still take some time before state crews are able to reach most neighborhood streets.
[ENG#=3]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=While the landscape]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Jean Ludwig/Roanoke Resident; :20]
[SUPER=01-Chad Hodges/Sledder; :41]
[SUPER=01-Terri Newman/Air Traveler; 1:02]
[RUNS=1:09]
[OUT Q=I'm doing this again.]

((While the landscape was still coated in winter white, the major roads on Bent Mountain were clear this afternoon.
Even as more frozen pellets hit the pavement in the Roanoke Valley, state and local snow-plows began to make progress on some neighborhood streets.
And residents who had hunkered down were beginning to venture out.
[SOT]
[IN Q=This is the first I've been out]
((THIS IS THE FIRST I'VE BEEN OUT SINCE SUNDAY SINCE IT STARTED HAVE YOU BEEN GETTING CABIN FEVER. YOU BET. TIME TO GET OUT AND MOVE ON.))
[RUNS= :10]
[OUT Q=get out and move on.]

If conditions were still too slippery for some, they were just right for young sledders who hit the hill at Monterey Elementary.
[SOT 02:56:50]
[IN Q=I had to beg my dad]
((I HAD TO BEG MY DAD TO BRING ME OUT HERE. IT'S REALLY FUN I BROUGHT SOME NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS THEIR NAMES ARE BRANDON AND JUSTIN AND WE'RE HAVING A GREAT TIME.))
[RUNS= :13]
[OUT Q=having a great time.]

Terri Newman wasn't having a great time... but she tried to keep a positive attitude as she tried to catch a flight to Michigan.
Stuck in Lynchburg since Sunday, she tried her luck at Roanoke Regional this afternoon.
[SOT]
[IN Q=Actually checked back into the hotel]
((ACTUALLY CHECKED BACK INTO THE HOTEL THREE DIFFERENT TIMES. I FEEL IT WAS SORT OF LIKE LIVING GROUNDHOG DAY, YOU KNOW THAT MOVIE GROUNDHOG DAY, I'M DOING THIS AGAIN.))
[RUNS= :08]
[OUT Q=I'm doing this again.]))
(-------------)
[LIVE= JoeD /FULL Porch Cam]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke;]

Terri Newman was frustrated with the delay, but glad to be waiting for a flight in Roanoke rather than a larger airport packed with unhappy passengers.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Robin & JOeD /Porch Cam;]

Robin Reed is in the weather center tonight with the forecast. Robin is there any hope for Terri and the rest of us who feel like we've seen enough of this snow?

[VDOT-Drivers]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rde]
[TAPE#=03-50 TC1:30:23]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]
[ENG#=4]

V-DOT crews continue to work around the clock to clear the roads.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Montgomery Co.]

Drivers in the New River Valley were finally able to get to some of the secondary roads and side streets today.
But, even after the roads were plowed drivers still found a layer of ice and frozen packed down snow.
Seven year plow driver Kevin Light say it's from people driving on the snow before it's cleared.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT:3:27:45:00]
[IN Q=If they hadn't]
((KEVIN LIGHT:IF THEY HADN'T BEEN ON THE ROAD YOU'D BE ABLE TO GET TO THE SURFACE BUT IF THEY'VE BEEN ON IT AND PACKED IT DOWN YOU'RE GONNA LEAVE A LITTLE BEHIND AND IT MAKES IT A LOT SLICKER FOR THEM.))
[SUPER=01-Kevin Light/VDOT Plow Driver]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=for them.]
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[VO-NAT]

V-DOT says until the temperature rises the neighborhood streets will remain very slick.
Crews are putting down gravel to try and create some traction on these roads for drivers.
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[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
[SS=NONE]
[ENG#=V10]

Still ahead on News 7, investigators say children and a lighter caused a deadly fire.
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

And mother nature may have frozen the debate over what some say is a dangerous dam.
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[Roanoke-Fire]
(MINI OPEN)
[NEWSCAST=6 p.m.]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=04-01 TC16:23]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

An apartment fire that killed a Roanoke boy will be recorded as an accident.
[ENG#=1]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
(------------)
[VO-NAT :30]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/January 18;]
3-year old Keontae (Kee-ONN-tay) Harris, also known as Kiante (kee-ONN-tay) Poindexter, died after his family's Tinker Creek Manor home ignited January 18th. Roanoke Fire and Police investigators say children in the residence caused the fire while playing with a lighter. Neighbors and the boy's mother blame his death on the apartment's windows which were sealed shut. Police say the building's smoke detectors were also faulty. Two days after the fire maintenance crews searched the complex, looking for safety hazards.
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[Patterson]

[ANCHOR=Keith ]
[NEWSCAST=6 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=04-03 TC10:02]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=2]

A Roanoke man will not be held responsible in the death of a three year old boy who shot himself in the head.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/July 2002]

Juwan Marcus Smith accidentally shot and killed himself with a nine millimeter pistol.
The boy had been left in the care of Rodney Patterson.
Police believe the three year old found the gun beside Patterson's bed.
As a result, Patterson was charged with felony child neglect.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=None]

After the Commonwealth presented its case today, Judge William Broadhurst acquitted Patterson of the charges.

[L'burg-Council]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=03-52 TC1:06:58]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=3]

A Lynchburg city council member will keep her post while the city researches whether she is in violation of a federal agency's conflict of interest rules.
Two weeks ago, a Richmond councilwoman was forced to step down because she headed an agency that gets money from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

Joan Foster's employer.. the Alliance for Families and Children.. also receives HUD money in the form of block grants.
But the city's attorney points out that Foster does not oversee any HUD-related programs.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 17:16:03]
[IN Q=Her salary is]
((WALTER ERWIN/LYNCHBURG COUNCIL MEMBER: HER SALARY IS NOT PAID FROM THOSE BLOCK GRANT MONEYS. SO ALL OF THOSE ARE FACTORS THAT NEED TO BE POINTED OUT TO HUD AND ASK WHAT THEIR OPINION IS ON THIS UNIQUE SITUATION WE HAVE IN LYNCHBURG.))
[SUPER=01-Walter Erwin/Lynchburg City Attorney]
[RUNS=14]
[OUT Q=we have in Lynchburg.]
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[VO-NAT]

The ruling also could affect potential council candidate James Mundy.
Mundy oversees LYN-CAG which received close to 400-thousand dollars in HUD money last year.
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[Augusta-Dam]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=03-49 TC1:24:16]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=1]
State and local officials raised the alarm over the weekend of pending disaster in Augusta County. They issued a flash flood watch and recommended residents leave their homes, predicting a half-century- old dam could give way anytime.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Police served]
[SUPER=03-Augusta Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Bill Fauber/Property Owner; :06]
[SUPER=01-Frankie Coyner/Fauber's Attorney; :54]
[SUPER=01-Abner Johnston/Neighbor; 1:10]
[RUNS=1:27]
[OUT Q=potential for flooding.]
(( Police served the property owner with notice he had until 2:PM Monday to start draining the pond. [10:00] ((TWO STATE TROOPERS AND A COUNTY MOUNTIE, AT NIGHTTIME IN A SEVERE SNOWSTORM.)) [RUNS:05] The deadline came and went. Nothing was done about it. [10:25] ((MIGHT GO TO JAIL ANYTIME.)) [RUNS:02] Bill Fauber has gone back and forth, first saying he had no intention of draining the pond, that it was not a problem.
Then he threatened to knock a hole in the dam. The weather has solved the problem for now. It's frozen solid. [11:07] ((You'll have to drill into the ice? WITH A PICK, YEAH. And then create a channel? YEAH, CREATE A LITTLE CHANNEL HERE FOR THE WATER GOING OUT.)) [RUNS:10] The outer wall of the earthen dam has eroded. That's what drew the attention of public safety officials. [12:00] ((THAT'S A MINOR THING. I CAN FIX THAT WITH ROCKS OFF THE FARM HERE.)) [RUNS03] While we talked Fauber's lawyer arrived to size up the situation. [25:20] ((I'M NOT AN ENGINEER NOR AN EXPERT, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE A CORRECTABLE PROBLEM TO ME.)) [RUNS:05] County Emergency Services insist it's an imminent threat to nearby property owners. The railroad's issued a "slow order." Trains pass by at 10 miles an hour in case the dam breaks loose. [2:45] ((I WAS A LITTLE SURPRISED WHEN I RODE UP THAT I DIDN'T SEE SOMETHING GOING ON.)) [RUNS:03] Though Abner Joston would like to see something done, he thinks the problem's been blown out of proportion. He points to the South River, less than a mile away where, he says: debris poses a much greater potential for flooding.))

[Stocks]

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

Wall Street gave back much of yesterday's impressive advance. [TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-y/92.59/10609.92/y/37.79/2116.04;]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

The DOW fell 93 points.
NASDAQ lost 38.
[SUPER=271-i/0.90/40.72/h/0.19/55.00/i/0.09/31.79/i/1.45/78.50/i/0.24/82.00;]
[SUPER=272-h/0.22/37.51/i/0.25/22.70/i/0.06/6.96/h/0.40/63.23/h/0.05/34.19;]
[SUPER=273-i/0.01/10.38/i/0.49/45.02/i/0.09/18.64/i/0.09/23.25/h/0.19/8.40;]
[SUPER=274-i/0.17/12.12/i/3.05/73.36/i/0.69/37.08/h/0.09/47.14/i/0.18/54.43;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]

[SPONSOR ANNOUNCE]
[COMMERCIAL]
[Beheler]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=03-46 TC1:48:25]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

The New Year means a new beginning for Franklin County's A-B-C office.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
Resident agent Jimmy Beheler retired on the first of this month, after nearly 30-years on the job.
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[SS=None]
Myranda Stephens has more on Beheler's past and the agency's future.
[ENG#=1]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co.; :00]
[SUPER=04-May 1999; :24]
[SUPER=01-Jimmy Beheler/Retired ABC Resident Agent; :40]
[SUPER=@Myranda2; :51]
[RUNS=1:39]
[OUT Q=News 7, Franklin County]
(([NATS OF JIMMY READING BOOK @ 2336] These days, Jimmy Beheler spends more of his time READING about moonshine busts, than making them.
[SOT 18:24]
[RUNS04] ((THIS IS A WORM, THE CAP AND THE STEEL ITSELF 28)) For 29-years, Beheler headed Virginia's only Liquor Task Force out of Franklin County, taking down some of the state's most notorious bootleggers.
[SOT 02:52]
[RUNS15] ((NAMELY LIGHTNING STRIKE, OBVIOUSLY THAT RECEIVED THE MOST PUBLICITY. BUT THERE WERE OTHER INVESTIGATIONS THAT WEREN'T THAT PUBLICIZED BUT IT REQUIRED A LOT OF WORK 07)) More than 30-people were arrested during Operation Lightning Strike, from North Carolina to Philadelphia. But, Beheler says he's had enough of the whiskey business. He retired the first of this year, just four months after the A-B-C board closed its Rocky Mount office due to budget cuts. The closing, however, has NOT affected operations. Task force members now work out of their homes, and the A-B-C board is in the process of finding Beheler's replacement.

[SOT 0358]
[RUNS16] ((I'M SURE THAT WHEN THEY MAKE A DECISION IT WILL HOPEFULLY BE A POSITIVE DECISION 07 THE WHISKEY BUSINESS HERE IS NOT GOING TO STOP AND I HOPE THEY REALIZE THAT 14)) In the meantime, Beheler says he's ready to take on new ventures, maybe even write his own book. And after 29-years fighting the moonshine business, the idea is worth a shot. Myranda Stephens, News 7, Franklin County.))

[Sports Tease]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
[ENG#=V10]
Coming up tonight on the Big 7 - Super Bowl Media day in Houston. We'll check in with the Panthers and Patriots.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
And as NASCAR testing continues tonight out in Las Vegas - the question for Jeff Gordon is - Hey man - who cut your hair?
(------------)

[S-Super]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-164 10058tc]
[GRAPHIC=SUPER BOWL]
[ENG#=]
What is traditionally one of the most bizarre days in sports took place today - Media Day at the Super Bowl.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Houston, TX; :00]
This is the one time all year when professional athletes have to answer questions like what is your favorite color, do you prefer Britney or Christina, is Jessica Simpson really that stupid - and will this really be a boring Super Bowl?

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=WE'RE THE MOST BORING...]
[SUPER=01-Brentson Buckner/Panthers Defensive Tackle; :00]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=...didn't he?"]
(-----------)
[VO NAT CON'T] One person who is sure to put some excitement into the thing for Panther fans is Stephen Davis. He practiced today and appears to be ready to roll.
(xxxxxxxxxxx)
[wipe to pinnacle 6351] And remember this is your home for Super Bowl 38 - Pregame coverage begins on Sunday at 2pm, and the kickoff is set for 6:25pm right here on Your Hometown Station.

(------------)[S-Gordon]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-162 5903TC]
[GRAPHIC=nascar preseason thunder]
[ENG#=2]

The Preseason Thunder rolls on in NASCAR as 42 Nextel Cup and Busch Grand National are testing this week out in Las Vegas. With the new "softer tire" technology that is being used this season, this test is considered one of the most important of the year.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Harrisburg, NC; :00]
This is an anniversary year for Hendrick Motorsports. 20 years ago Rick Hendrick became a car owner. In that time, his drivers have won five Winston Cup titles, a Busch title, three truck championships and over 100 races.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=YOU KNOW IN MOST....]
[SUPER=01-Rick Hendrick/Owner - Hendrick Motorsports; :04]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=...YOUR LAST RACE."]
(------------)
[VO-NAT con't]
The man who has taken Hendrick to the top is Jeff Gordon - who this year is lacking a little on top thanks to a spur of the moment, self inflicted hair cut.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=IT JUST DIDN'T...]
[SUPER=01-Jeff Gordon/63 Career Wins; :05]
[RUNS=:23]
[OUT Q=...cutting my hair."]
(----------)
[ANCHOR=MIKE]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD PRESEASON]
And we'll see if the new haircut helped Gordon pick up some speed tonight on News 7 at 11, as we check in on the testing session out in Vegas.

[S-Express]

[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-157 1:44:23]
[GRAPHIC=Express]
[ENG#=3]

The Express game against the Greenville Grrowl scheduled for tonight at the Roanoke Civic Center has been postponed.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]

That means the Express is on the road now for the next 10 games and will not play its next home game until February 17th.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Tony MacAulay/Express Head Coach; :00]
[RUNS=:34]
[OUT Q=,,upcoming month as well"]
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[S-East]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=BIG EAST]

The Virginia Tech and U-Conn women's teams meet for the final time tonight as Big East members. The Huskies comes into the game ranked 4th in the nation while the Hokies are 23rd. The much-anticipated showdown tips-off at the top of the hour and we will have highlights and postgame comments for you tonight on News 7 at 11.