WDBJ 7 morning news for 02/21/04

[Open-Heads]

[ANCHOR=Joy]

[NEWSCAST=Sat Am]
[WRITER=jen]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
[roll cold out of the open]

[ENG#1]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Coming up on News 7 Saturday Morning....... The mega millions jackpot hit close to home...
[ENG#2]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
And crews worked all night to clean up an accident on Interstate 81. We will have more on those stories in just a few minutes.
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[2-shot toss to Hello]

[MegaMillions]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=cdo]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Megamillions Jackpot]
[ENG#=3]

A Virginia store sold the ticket that made one MegaMillions player mega rich.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-Virginia Lottery;]
Ticket sales soared around the country for the estimated 230 million dollar jackpot.
But only one winning ticket was sold. The winning ticket was purchased in Stephens City Virginia.
56 people matched 5 lotto numbers, missing only the megaball. They will each take home 175-thousand dollars. 209 people matched four numbers and the megaball. They've won 5-thousand dollars each.
Now here's a look at all the lottery numbers from last night.
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[Sat-Lottery]
[NEWSCAST=sat am]

[super=136-8 7 5/9 6 9 2/03 12 15 24 29/01 13 20 21 30/24;]
[super=#557;Esc]

[COMM]

[1181-Accident]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=03-53 TC1:08:52]
[GRAPHIC=I-81 Accident]

[ENG#=4]

Traffic is being re-routed this morning while crews work to clean up an accident that happened last night on Interstates 81 and 581.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./Last Night]

A car and two tractor trailers collided where Interstate 581 merges into I-81 North.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=The vehicle]
((C. D. JESSEE/VIRGINIA STATE POLICE; THE VEHICLE THAT WAS MERGING FROM 581 STRUCK THE ONE TRACTOR TRAILER, IT TURNED LEFT INTO THE SECOND ONE. AND BOTH VEHICLES WENT OVER THE GUARD RAIL.))
[SUPER=01-C. D. Jessee/Virginia State Police]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=over the guard rail.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

One of the tractor trailer drivers was pinned inside for about an hour. He was flown to Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
Three other people were taken to the hospital by ambulance. None of the injuries is believed to be life-threatening.
Crews are now working to get the rigs out of the median and clean up some fuel that spilled.
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[11Gas-tax]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=04-08 TC10:46]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[ENG#=1]

Leisurely drives and scenic road trips may soon cost a lot more in Virginia.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond/Yesterday]

The Senate yesterday passed a nearly four billion dollar tax increase.
The bill would boost spending on education, health care and transportation by raising the sales tax and cigarette tax.
The measure also increases the state's gas tax by nine and a half cents a gallon.
That would boost the state's gas prices to the fourth highest in the nation.
Opponents of the gas tax increase say it would also cost the state in other ways.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 05:21:31]
[IN Q=RIGHT NOW IF YOU HAVE AN INTERSTATE]
((MIKE O'CONNOR/VIRGINIA PETROLEUM CONVENIENCE AND GROCERY ASSOCIATION: RIGHT NOW IF YOU HAVE AN INTERSTATE TRAVELER OR YOU HAVE A LONG HAUL TRUCKER NINE TIMES OUT OF TEN THEY'RE STOPPING IN VIRGINIA BECAUSE THEY'RE MAKING THEIR INCIDENTAL PURCHASES. THAT'S ALL GOING TO COME TO AN END IF THIS PASSES.))
[SUPER=01-Mike O'Connor/Virginia Convenience & Grocery Association]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=TO COME TO AN END IF THIS PASSES.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The measure now goes to the House of Delegates which has so far rejected any tax increases.
(------------)

[Gas-Prices]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=sat am]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Gas Prices UP]

[ENG#=2]

Consumers most likely won't see a break any time soon in rising gas prices.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

In fact, for six consecutive weeks they've continued to creep up. One reason is because of the high demand for gas at a time when the inventory is low.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT:48]
[IN Q=This year we probably reach]
((THIS YEAR WE WILL PROBABLY BE REACHING RECORD HIGH GAS PRICES OR AT LEAST COME PRETTY CLOSE TO IT))
[SUPER=01-Mantill Williams/AAA National Director;]
[RUNS=06]
[OUT Q=pretty close to it]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The average price for a gallon is about a dollar-65. That's up a nickel since Mid January.
If you're wondering why the prices vary by city or state, that has to do with taxes, and the type of gasoline you buy. Analysts says in order for consumers to see a drop in gas prices --crude oil prices would have the fall dramatically. They say that's unlikely because OPEC has announced it's cutting crude oil production.
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[6Volvo]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=03-54 TC1:16:28]
[GRAPHIC=Volvo]

[ENG#=3]

300 new jobs are coming to the Volvo truck plant in Dublin.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Dublin/File Tape]

The company plans to add a second shift starting in May.
Officials say strong orders for a new line of trucks will help raise employment at the factory to about 25-hundred people.
Volvo workers who had been laid off in the past couple of years will start hearing from the company next month.
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[11Global-Contact]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=04-10 TC04:51]
[GRAPHIC=New jobs]

[ENG#=4]

New jobs are also on tap for a Pulaski company.
(------------)
[VO-NAT - :22+]
[SUPER=03-Pulaski/Yesterday;]
Yesterday, Global Contact Services announced that the company wants to hire up to 110 new workers immediately. The telemarketing firm recently signed a contract with a major telecommunications company, causing the need for additional workers to handle increased call volume. G-C-S will be accepting applications and conducting interviews on Monday at the Virginia Employment Commission in Radford.
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[11Hotel-Roanoke]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=04-06 TC18:52]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[ENG#=1]

Repairs are underway at the Hotel Roanoke after sprinklers flooded several rooms.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Yesterday;]
Hotel officials say a guest unintentionally tampered with one of the sprinkler heads in a room on the fifth floor, causing flooding. The hotel was evacuated for nearly an hour. 6 rooms were damaged when water rushed under the doors, or cascaded to rooms below.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Some of them were...]
((GARY WALTON/HOTEL ROANOKE GENERAL MANAGER; SOME OF THEM WERE DAMAGED, BUT IT WASN'T ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT. WE JUST HAD SATURATED CARPET, SO WE WORKED THROUGH THE NIGHT, CLEANED UP THE WATER, REPLACED THE CARPETING AND PUT THE ROOMS BACK IN ORDER.))
[SUPER=01-Gary Walton/Hotel Roanoke General Manager;]
[RUNS=12]
[OUT Q=rooms back in order.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Of the 6 rooms that were damaged, four were ready for guests to stay in yesterday. The room where the flooding started and the room below it suffered heavier damage, and will likely not be repaired until early next week.
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[11Victory-Stadium]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=03-55 1:05:14]
[GRAPHIC=Bill Carder]

[ENG#=2]

He supported the new stadium and amphitheater, but Bill Carder says he will keep an open mind on the future of Victory Stadium if he wins election to Roanoke City Council in May.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Yesterday]

Carder says he stands by the decision council made in 2001 to build the new facility.
But in the wake of the vote to put the project on hold, he says he's willing to consider any new information.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=When the new council]
((BILL CARDER: WHEN THE NEW COUNCIL COMES FORWARD I'LL BE OPEN-MINDED. I'LL LISTEN TO THE INFORMATION, I'LL LOOK AT THE NEW DATA AND THEN MAKE THE DECISION THEN.))
[SUPER=01-Bill Carder/(I) Roanoke City Council Candidate;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=then make the decision then.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Carder says he doubts Victory Stadium can be fully renovated for ten million dollars, but says he's willing to consider the possibility.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Joy]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]

Carder is running for city council as an Independent.

[11Senior-Center]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=03-52 1:34:38]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[ENG#=3]

A Lynchburg man says he has the answer to the city's lack of space for its senior activities programs.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

Orion Templeton bought this building on Wiggington Road last fall and is renovating it before turning it over to the city.
Lynchburg will use it as a senior center to house programs that don't have a permanent location.
Templeton says it's his way of giving back to a city that helped him become a successful developer over the years.

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[6Howard]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=04-04 TC29:38]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2004]

[ENG#=4]

A Lynchburg minister has thrown his hat into the ring of candidates for city council.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

Anthony Howard says he's gathering signatures for a run at the Ward Two seat being vacated by Ed Barksdale.
Howard says council needs some fresh faces to move the city forward.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:06:30]
[IN Q=I believe that]
((ANTHONY HOWARD/LYNCHBURG COUNCIL CANDIDATE: I BELIEVE THAT THE CITY RIGHT NOW IS GOING THROUGH SOME SERIOUS CHANGES. ONE OF MY AGENDAS IS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO PROBABLY PUSHING THE ISSUE OF A CIVIC CENTER BEING HERE IN THE LYNCHBURG AREA, AND WORKING WITH YOUTH, AND PUTTING THE YOUTH PROGRAMS IN PLACES NOW.))
[SUPER=01-Anthony Howard/Lynchburg Council Candidate]
[RUNS=14]
[OUT Q=in places now.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

This is Howard's first run at political office.
James Mundy also may be seeking the Ward Two seat.
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[Focus-Health]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=jen]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=none]

[ENG#=1]
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[start animation]
[runs=04]
[end animation]
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[JOY ONE SHOT] If you're in a nursing career you might want to consider the Veterans Administration Medical Center. [JOY/GUEST TWO SHOT]
[SUPER=01-Mary Wright/Veterans Administration Medical Center]
The Center is holding a job fair next Friday. Here to tell us more is Mary Wright a nurse manager with the Veterans Administration Medical Center.

[ENG#=2]
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[super=@FILE]
[roll tape over interview]
[runs=:40]
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(+++++++++++)
[TAKE HEALTH BOARD FS]

The job fair will be held next Friday February 27 from 9am to 3pm.
At building #5 in the auditorium. Registration is NOT required. If you would like more information call 540-982-2463.

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[ANCHOR=JOY]
Don't go away. News 7 Saturday Morning will be right back.

[bump][Fat-Tuesday]

[ANCHOR=Brent @ BAM]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=jen]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Fat Tuesday FS BAM]

You don't have to go all the way to New Orleans to enjoy a taste of Mardi Gras. The Community High School is holding its second annual "Fat Tuesday Celebration" this week. Here to tell us more about what you can expect is Shirley Ziegler [check spelling when she arrives!!!], a board member for the school. Good morning Shirley.

[SUPER=01-Shirley Ziegler/Community High School Board Member;]

Basic Info - - Gourmet Desserts - Live Music - Theatrical performance - Silent Auction - Cash Wine Bar - link on our website for more info "websites in the news"

(++++++++++)
[Take info board fs]
The Fat Tuesday Celebration takes place Tuesday from 7 to 9 at Fitzpatrick Hall in the Jefferson Center. Tickets are 15 dollars for adults, 5 dollars for children and 30 dollars for families. For tickets or more information, call the school at (540) 345-1688 or visit our homepage and click on "websites in the news"
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[ANCHOR=BRENT]

News 7 Saturday morning will be right back

[toss to bump]

[2Open-Heads]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat Am]
[WRITER=jen]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
[roll cold out of the open]

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ENG#1]
[SUPER=#4070;weekend headline banner]
Coming up on News 7 Saturday Morning.......
The winning MegaMillions ticket is drawn in Virginia.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ENG#2]
And a tax hike at the gas pumps may leave some considering to hitch hike. We will have more on those stories in just a few minutes.
(-------------)

[2-shot toss to Hello]

[Iraq-Hoax]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
[ENG#=1]

A Conneticut family is told their loved one has been killed in Iraq --only to find out it was all a lie.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Waterbury, CT]

Edward Valentin told his kids and other family member that the military had called him and said his wife, Betsy, had been killed in a explosion.
It turns out it was all a hoax. Valentin says he made it up to get public sympathy and so that the military would send his wife home early. But authorities believe had another motive. They believe he was trying to peruse a relationship with another woman.
Betsy Valentin was allowed leave from Iraq. She arrived home Friday to spend time with her kids before going back.
As far as her husband, he now faces several charges including falsely reporting a death, harrassment and lying to police.
(------------)

[11Logging]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=04-05 TC31:21]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[ENG#=2]

Three men accused of selling timber off of land that wasn't theirs each got two year sentences.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
Greg Mueller will also have to pay back 14-thousand dollars, along with co-defendants, Normand Turgeon and Ken Griffith. The judge pointed out that Griffith testified he owned the property, when "he knew good and well he didn't," as Judge Sam Wilson put it.
[SUPER=03-Floyd Co./February 2003]
The three men claimed they acquired the land by "adverse possession," but the jury didn't buy that.
(------------)

[11Burrow]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=03-49 1:57:58]
[GRAPHIC=Richard Burrow]

[ENG#=3]

The judge in the fraud case against Richard Burrow believes the hung jury in 2002 "sort of indicates those people had made up their minds" before they'd heard the evidence.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
In hopes of preventing that from happening again, the judge said yesterday he's inclined to move the case from Lynchburg or Roanoke. He gave the defense a week to pick one of the other divisions of the Western District of Virginia: Abingdon, Danville, Charlottesville or Harrisonburg.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=JOY]
[ss=hold]
Burrow is accused of mis-leading banks and investors in raising money to build the D-Day Memorial.

[11Peeper]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=cja]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=none]

A Virginia Tech employee accused of peeping has been fired.
(XXXXXXX)
[TAKE FULL SCREEN PINNACLE]
Witnesses say they saw 46-year old James Allen Smith, a dining hall employee, peering under stalls of a women's bathroom on campus on Monday. Afterwards, police discovered that Smith is a convicted sex offender in New Hampshire.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Joy]
[SS=None]
Tech officials say they perform background checks before workers are hired for 'security-sensitive positions,' but not necessarily jobs like Smith's. Smith was arrested Thursday, and released on bond.

[6Tax-plan]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=03-51 TC1:13:17]
[graphic=VA Budget]

[eng#=4]

The state Senate passed one of the largest tax increases in the state's history.
But not everyone will be footing the bill.
Richmond Bureau Chief Meghan Muldoon explains.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=THE SENATE VOTED TO RAISE THE SALES TAX]
[SUPER=03-Richmond; :00]
[SUPER=01-Sen. Richard Saslaw/(D) Springfield; :24]
[SUPER=@Meghan1; :40]
[SUPER=01-Sen. Charles Hawkins/(R) Pittsylvania Co.; :55]
[RUNS=1:13]
[OUT Q=MM, News 7, Richmond]

(( The Senate voted to raise the sales tax...the cigarette tax...and the gas tax while LOWERing other taxes.
In all, the tax package raises three-point-seven BILLION dollars for the state.
But shortly after the vote on tax hikes, the Senate turned around and approved a tax break.
One that would give tobacco companies like Philip Morris tax credits of up to six million dollars a year.
[SOT 01:49:39]
((SEN. RICHARD SASLAW/D-FAIRFAX: WE SHOULD NOT BE HANDING THAT MONEY OUT LIKE THIS. THIS IS DIRECTLY COMING OUT OF OUR POCKETS INTO THE POCKETS OF A COMPANY THAT SIMPLY DOES NOT NEED THIS.)) [RUNS:09]
Lawmakers from Southside and Central Virginia, whose economies rely heavily on the tobacco industry, defended the bill.
They say higher cigarette taxes will further harm an industry that is already suffering.
And that the tax credit is needed to keep jobs in Virginia.
They point out that North Carolina provides a similar tax break for its tobacco industry.
[SOT 02:01:44]
((SEN. CHARLES HAWKINS/R-PITTYSLVANIA CO: THIS IS ABOUT JOBS THIS IS NOT ABOUT CORPORATE PROFIT, NOT ABOUT BONUSES, STOCK OPTIONS, ITS ABOUT JOBS.)) [RUNS:07]
The bill now goes to the House of Delegates where the tobacco leaves carved into the ceiling serve as a reminder of just how important the crop once was.
MM, NEWS 7, RICHMOND.))
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[11V-Chips]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[ENG#=4]

If you think there is too much sex and violence on TV, then why aren't you doing something about it?
You can and it's a lot easier than you think.
Justin McLeod tells us how.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Houston, TX/February 1; :00]
[SUPER=01-Steve Hartman/Lee Hartman & Sons; :35]
[SUPER=@justin1; 1:27]
[RUNS=1:38]
[OUT Q=JM, News 7]

((((NAT SOUND OF JANET JACKSON PERFORMANCE))
Whether you're watching the Superbowl half-time show or any night on television, it seems there is plenty of sex and violence on the airwaves but is it too much?
[SOT 16:53:48 16:52:01; 16:55:26]
[IN Q=No I don't]
((KEVIN POND/RADFORD RESIDENT: NO I DON'T THINK THERE IS TOO MUCH.)) ((INGRID STRELKA/ROANOKE RESIDENT: I'M A TEACHER AND I THINK THERE IS TOO MUCH.)) ((JENNIFER WATKINS/ROANOKE RESIDENT: I THINK THERE IS ENTIRELY TOO MUCH.)) [Runs05]
[OUT Q=entirely too much]

It appears many agree.
Last year, the F-C-C received more than 240-thousand complaints about tv and radio programs.
What you may not realize is that you can automatically block sexual or violent programming from your tv.
It's called the V-Chip.
[SOT 8:37:55]
[IN Q=It blocks the channel]
((STEVE HARTMAN/LEE HARTMAN & SONS: IT BLOCKS THE CHANNEL IT ACTUALLY CUTS IT OFF. YOU SEE NO PICTURE AT ALL AND IT COMES ACROSS THE SCREEN STATING NOT SUITABLE FOR THIS AGE.)) [Runs07]
[OUT Q=FOR THIS AGE]

It works like this.
You use your remote to put in a password and then you can block shows based on the TV ratings system.
For example, if a show has a rating of TV-14 you can set it so no one under 14 can watch it.
[SOT 16:53:15]
[IN Q=I don't think we]
((INGRID STELKA: I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ONE ON OUR TV.)) [Runs02]
[OUT Q=on our tv]

Actually she probably does.
Every television made since January 2000 is equipped with this technology but it seems hardly anyone is using it.
According to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 40 percent of parents now own a TV equipped with a V-Chip but only 17-percent of those parents actually use it.
[SOT 8:38:20]
[IN Q=And you have customers]
((STEVE HARTMAN/LEE HARTMAN & SONS: AND YOU HAVE CUSTOMERS WHO COME IN HOW OFTEN DO PEOPLE ASK ABOUT IT? NOT REAL OFTEN BECAUSE A LOT OF EM JUST DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S AVAILABLE)) [Runs08]
[OUT Q=THAT IT'S AVAIABLE]
[SOT ]
[IN Q=The study backs]
((JUSTIN McLEOD/REPORTING: THE STUDY BACK THAT UP. IT FOUND THAT OF ALL PARENTS WHO BOUGHT A TV AFTER JANUARY 2000, 53-PERCENT ARE NOT EVEN AWARE OF THE V-CHIP FEATURE. JUSTIN McLEOD, NEWS 7.))
[OUT Q=JM, News 7]))

[joy toss to bump]