WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 03/15/04

[1-News-Head]

[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

It looked like they'd composed a compromise state budget... tonight it looks like they haven't.
(------------)
[ENG#=1]
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
And, since when did prison time include painting? Local lawbreakers earn their stripes as volunteers.
(------------)

[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
[ENG#=2]
Tonight on News 7 sports - Thursday's NCAA broadcast schedule is set here on WDBJ-7. A day after the Terps rock Greensboro - Steve Mason looks ahead to the new ACC,
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

and the Tech women are hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament - we now have some start times for Sunday's games.
(------------)

[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]

Enough of this sunshine and warm temperatures. Mother nature has other plans for us tonight and tomorrow. Here is a hint, we need to check the radar in a moment.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith 4-Shot]

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

[ENG#=3]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 13:11:07]
[IN Q=In all]
((HOUSE MINORITY LEADER FRANK HALL: IN ALL FAIRNESS IT SEEMS WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO.))
[RUNS=:03]
[OUT Q=a long way to go.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Three extra days may not be enough.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

Time is running out AGAIN and the state still doesn't have a budget.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

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

And I'm Shannon Young.
[XGR-Budget]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=04-05 TC50:30]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

State lawmakers extended their session in order to reach a budget agreement.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

But the extra time has not broken the stalemate.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Meghan /State Microwave;]

Meghan Muldoon joins us from the State Capitol with more.
There was a glimmer of hope earlier today.
[LIVE=Meghan /FULL State Microwave]
[SUPER=@Meghan1]
[SUPER=05-Richmond]

The House came up with what they called a dramatic compromise.
But the Senate wasn't impressed
[ENG#=4]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Earlier in the day House conferees]
[SUPER=03-Richmond; :00]
[SUPER=01-Sen. John Chichester/(R) Fredericksburg; :]
[SUPER=01-Del. Phil Hamilton/(R) Newport News; :]
[SUPER=01-Del. Kirk Cox/(R) Colonial Heights; :]
[SUPER=@MarkWarner; :]
[RUNS=1:47]
[OUT Q=THERE WILL NOT BE A BUDGET.]
(( Earlier in the day House conferees presented their Senate counterparts with a compromise budget proposal they said would help break the logjam.
Their offer includes 625 million dollars in additional spending but doesn't come close to the Senate's level of funding.
And it does NOT include an increase in the sales or income tax.
The House's chief budget negotiator says everything in the proposal is negotiable EXCEPT general tax increases.
After studying the HOUSE compromise, Senate conferees said the numbers are too vague.
[SOT 01:55:34]
((SEN. JOHN CHICHESTER/R-FREDERICKSBURG: IN CERTAIN AREAS THEY DID MOVE TOWARD OUR POSITION. WHAT WE CAN'T IDENTIFY AND I'VE ASKED THE DISTINGUISHED CHAIRMAN OF APPROPRIATIONS TO HAVE THE STAFF ADVISE US WHERE THE MONEY HAS COME FROM.))

[RUNS:13]
House Republicans shot back.
[SOT 01:57:10]
((THE FUNDING FOR THESE INITIATIVES COMES FROM THE NUMBERS DIRECTLY OUT OF THE SENATE BUDGET THE HOUSE THERE IS NO FUNNY MONEY HERE.)) [RUNS:13]
House conferees say if the Senate is serious about compromising they should come up with their own proposal.
[SOT 16:11:36]
((DEL. KIRK COX/R-HOUSE BUDGET CONFEREE: WE'VE SEEN NOTHING FROM THEM I LOVE THE WAY I'VE SEEN NOTHING FROM THEM)) [RUNS:15] With concern mounting among legislators that three days will not be enough, Governor Mark Warner warned that he will call a special session if legislators adjourn tomorrow without a budget.
[SOT :03:11]
((GOV. MARK WARNER: IT WILL BE THE FIRST TIME IN VIRGINIA HISTORY THEY HAVEN'T DONE THEIR JOB. EVEN BACK IN 2001 THERE WAS AT LEAST A BUDGET TO REVERT TO THIS TIME THERE WILL NOT BE A BUDGET.)) [RUNS:09]
[OUT Q=there will not be a budget.] ))
(------------)
[LIVE=Meghan /FULL State Microwave]
[SUPER=05-Richmond;]

Have until midnight tomorrow night - that's when the extension expires
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Meghan/Microwave;]

Many here believe that unless there are some major developments tonight, another extension will be necessary.

[Craig-Budget]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sba]
[TAPE#=03-55 TC1:34:43]
[GRAPHIC=VA Budget]
[ENG#=1]
The General Assembly's indecision is creating budget woes closer to home.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-New Castle]
In Craig County, Administrator Larry Moore is recommending no changes to last year's eight-point-eight million dollar budget. Moore says he can't bank on money he's not sure he'll have. Instead he's pushing for the county to start using its natural resources to produce revenue.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT@9:13:14]
[IN Q=We have 65-thousand...]
((LARRY MOORE, CRAIG CO. ADMINISTRATOR: WE HAVE 65-THOUSAND ACRES OF NATIONAL FOREST, WHICH REPRESENTS 52-PERCENT OF OUR COUNTY AND I'M TRYING TO FIGURE HOW WE UNIQUELY PROVIDE A PLACE THAT PEOPLE COME VISIT US, STAY FOR AWHILE, SPEND SOME MONEY AND THEN NOT STAY ON A PERMANENT BASIS.))
[SUPER=01-Larry Moore/Craig Co. Administrator]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=... permanent basis.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Craig County teachers are also taking a hit without a budget in place in Richmond. Superintendent Rose Martin says Craig County students have some of the highest test scores, but the starting teacher salaries are among the lowest in the state.
(------------)

[City-Schools]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=04-01 TC1:08:11]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Members of Roanoke City Council had plenty of questions today, but no major objections as they considered the plan to replace Patrick Henry High School.
While the 47- million dollar pricetag has raised concern, [***NEWS 7 @ 6 IN MONITOR***]
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & JoeD/Newsroom;]

Joe Dashiell reports city council and the school board now appear to be on the same page.
[LIVE= JoeD /FULL Newsroom]
[SUPER=@Joe1;]

Shannon, the pricetag for the new Patrick Henry has risen from early estimates of 38- million dollars to the current 46 point seven.
School board members considered cuts, but recently decided to support the full plan they say will produce a world-class high school.
[ENG#=2]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I was pleased]
[SUPER=@Wyatt; :00]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :07]
[SUPER=01-Bev Fitzpatrick/Roanoke City Council; :18]
[SUPER=01-Gloria Manns/School Board Chairman; :34]
[RUNS=:43]
[OUT Q=completing the other elementary school programs.]
(([SOT]
[IN Q=I was very pleased with what I heard]
((LINDA WYATT/ROANOKE CITY COUNCIL: I WAS PLEASED WITH WHAT I HEARD. I FELT THE SCHOOL BOARD AND THE SCHOOL SYSTEM WERE BEING VERY RESPONSIBLE.))
[RUNS= :06]
[OUT Q=were being very responsible.]

Council members who had raised objections about the rising cost of replacing Patrick Henry, were more supportive once the school board agreed to fund the additional debt service without asking council for more money.
[SOT]
[IN Q=I think what I am]
((BEV FITZPATRICK/ROANOKE CITY COUNCIL: I THINK WHAT I AM MOST APPRECIATIVE OF IS THE BOARD HAS TAKEN IT ON THEMSELVES TO FIND A WAY BY EXTENDING THE FINANCING TO ADD SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT WERE GOING TO BE CUT. ))
[RUNS= :09]
[OUT Q=that were going to be cut.]

Members of the school board said they were pleased with the exchange, confident that both high school projects will remain on track.
[SOT]
[IN Q=We intend to go forward]
((GLORIA MANNS/SCHOOL BOARD CHAIRMAN: WE INTEND TO GO FORWARD WITH OUR PLANS FOR STARTING PATRICK HENRY AND THEN FOLLOWING UP WILLIAM FLEMING AND THEN COMPLETING THE OTHER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAMS.))
[RUNS= :10]
[OUT Q=completing the other elementary school programs.]))
(-------------)
[LIVE= JoeD /FULL Newsroom]

Council members said they don't want the added cost to take money away from teacher salary increases.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & JoeD/Newsroom;]

And Shannon, they didn't vote on the plan today. Officials say it will take a couple of weeks to crunch the numbers and make sure the city can accommodate the additional debt.

[Halifax-Murder]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=03-51 TC1:45:32]
[GRAPHIC=Shooting]
[ENG#=3]

The search is on for a suspect in a double shooting this morning in Halifax County that left one person dead, another injured.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Halifax Co.]

Authorities were called to a mobile home on Country Lane near Clover around 7-A-M.
One person was pronounced dead at the scene.. another was taken to Lynchburg General Hospital.
Investigators spent the day processing the crime scene and trying to track down friends and family of the victims.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 15:02:56]
[IN Q=A lot of these]
((LT. STEVE CASSADA/HALIFAX CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT.: A LOT OF THESE FOLKS ARE RELATED. THIS IS SORT OF A COMMUNITY HERE WHERE EVERYBODY'S RELATED TO EVERYBODY ELSE, SO WE'RE TRYING TO RUN DOWN FOLKS NOW. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE AT WORK, LEFT EARLY, GOING TO WORK, THAT TYPE OF THING.))
[SUPER=01-Lt. Steve Cassada/Halifax Co. Sheriff's Dept.]
[RUNS=14]
[OUT Q=that type of thing.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Authorities have "not" released the names of the victims.
They are looking for a car whose driver may have information about the crime.
(------------)

[Green]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=03-54 TC1:44:19]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=4]
Power point technology is helping a criminal defense team- -not to make the case more understandable, but in hopes of convincing the jury how hopelessly complicated it is.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
It's the murder trial of Brandon Thomas Green. The prosecution says Green killed David Lee Sickle on Halloween night, 2001 in the projects "out of pure meanness."
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 11:37]
[IN Q=He was looking for]
((SHERI JONES/PROSECUTOR; HE WAS LOOKING FOR $30 WORTH OF CRACK. WHAT HE GOT WAS TWO GUNSHOT WOUNDS TO THE BACK.))
[SUPER=01-Sheri Jones/Prosecutor; :00]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=to the back.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[***KEITH ON CART***] The prosecutor paints a vivid word picture, drawing on language Green allegedly used to his cell-mate.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 11:44:30]
[IN Q=He bucked]
((HE BUCKED THE DUDE WITH HIS RACHET.))
[RUNS=:02]
[OUT Q=with his rachet.]
[***KEITH ON CART***] The defense says there are a number of witnesses with conflicting stories. Rhonda Overstreet flashes faces on the screen as Gary Lumsden predicts the evidence is going to be so complicated the jury may find it impossible to sort out who killed Davie Sickle.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 13:30:10]
[IN Q=It makes it]
((GARY LUMSDEN/GREEN'S ATTORNEY; IT MAKES IT A LITTLE MORE REAL AND UNDERSTANDABLE AND I THINK IT HELPS YOU FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE AS IT COMES IN FROM THAT POINT ON.))
[SUPER=01-Gary Lumsden/Green's Attorney; ]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=that point on.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Lumsden and Overstreet even put up a flow chart to outline how the players relate to one another, plus a time line of events. The trial is set for three days.
(------------)

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

The cons may outweight the pros in one New River Valley consolidation study... but Pulaski officials say they did find a few good ideas.
We'll check out the possiblities when News 7 returns.
(---------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

And they do more than pick up trash.
See how these inmates are paying their debts to society by helping Habitat for Humanity.
(----------------)
[1st-Wx]
[Pulaski-Safety]
(MINI OPEN)
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rde]
[TAPE#=03-53 TC1:37:10]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

When budgets get tight, many communities start to look at consolidation.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

It's often offered as an option to balancing the books...
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=None]
but it's also a road one little town might not be willing to travel.
New River Valley Bureau Chief Rachel DePompa reports.
[ENG#=1]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Pulaski police]
[SUPER=03-Pulaski; :00]
[SUPER=01-Gary Roche/Pulaski Police Chief; :20]
[SUPER=@Rachel1; :49]
[SUPER=01-Kenneth Fleenor/Safety Committee Chair; :59]
[RUNS=1:20]
[OUT Q=DePompa, News 7, Pulaski]
((Pulaski police officers have a little more pep in their steps today.
NATS- Hi how are you?
After reviewing a report this morning, a safety committee is recommending Pulaski *not* consolidate police and fire services with Pulaski County. The town council had only commissioned a study of the idea... but just the mention of consolidation was enough.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT:4:46:06:00 ]
[IN Q=The resolution was]
((CHIEF ROCHE: THE RESOLUTION WAS FOR A STUDY. FROM THERE IT DEVELOPED INTO A BELIEF CERTAINLY AMONG POLICE PERSONNEL AND AMONG CITIZENS THAT IT'D GONE BEYOND A STUDY AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ACTUALLY DOING IT.)) [RUNS:12]
[OUT Q=actually doing it.]

But committee members say talk of consolidation may have lead to a few good ideas. For one the county and town both have dispatch centers that are next to the railroad.
NATS- RAILROAD

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=and the river]
((RACHEL DEPOMPA: AND THE RIVER. BOTH ARE GETTING OLD AND IN NEED OF UPGRADES.)) [RUNS:06]
[OUT Q=UPGRADES]

Consolidation talk may have opened the door to combining the two into one center.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT: 4:43:31:00 ]
[IN Q=This can be]
((KENNETH FLEENOR:THIS CAN BE A GREAT SAVINGS TO BOTH AND BE BETTER SERVICES. SO I THINK SOMETHING POSITIVE HAS COME OUT OF THE MEETING :38)) [RUNS:07]
[OUT Q=of the meeting.]

The committee is recommending town council also say no to consolidation, but say yes to more communication with the county about combining smaller services, while keeping police and fire jobs. Rachel DePompa, News 7, Pulaski.))

[Fire-Pay]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rde]
[TAPE#=04-07 TC35:00]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=2]

Pay raises may be in the works for the Pulaski Fire Department.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pulaski;]

The fire chief is asking town council for a one thousand dollar raise for all 10 members of the department.
He says entry level pay in the New River Valley averages 25-thousand dollars, but his members are making little more than 20-thousand.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT:4:42:25:00 ]
[IN Q=We've had]
((BILL WEBB/PULASKI FIRE CHIEF; WE'VE HAD SEVERAL RETIREMENTS IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, :25 WE'VE HIRED PEOPLE IN AT ENTRY LEVEL PAY AND THEY'VE BEEN UNABLE TO GO ABOVE THAT. WHICH IS NOT GOOD AND WE'VE HAD PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN THERE FOR AS MUCH AS TWO YEARS NOW AT ENTRY LEVEL PAY.))
[SUPER=01-Bill Webb/Pulaski Fire Chief; ]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=entry level pay.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Chief Webb also wants volunteer firefighters to get an extra two dollars per fire call.
The plan is headed to the finance committee and needs approval by town council.
(------------)

[Stocks]

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

Terrorism fears are again pressuring the stock markets. [TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-y/137.19/10102.89/y/45.53/1939.20;]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

The DOW tumbled 137 points.
NASDAQ dropped 45 and a half.
[SUPER=271-i/0.05/39.81/i/0.54/53.77/i/0.29/33.33/h/1.12/89.00/i/0.93/79.39;]
[SUPER=272-i/0.61/36.20/i/0.50/19.66/i/0.09/7.04/h/0.31/64.33/i/0.30/30.30;]
[SUPER=273-i/0.32/7.58/i/0.03/41.30/i/0.27/16.49/i/0.39/20.98//Unchg/5.62;]
[SUPER=274-i/0.63/13.37/i/0.99/69.55/i/0.61/37.30/i/0.77/47.48/i/0.58/57.90;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]

[SPONSOR ANNOUNCE]
[COMMERCIAL]

[81-Accident]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=04-03 TC45:32]
[GRAPHIC=81 Accident]
[ENG#=1]

An accident on Interstate 81 near Dixie Caverns tied up traffic for several hours this afternoon.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.]

State Police say the driver of a Surburban was heading north, pulling a trailer when it began to sway.
The vehicle eventually went up an embankement and overturned.
None of the seven passengers including a six month old baby was injured.
The driver from Rochester New York faces a reckless driving charge.
(------------)

[BV-Correction]

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

Buena Vista police continue to investigate an accident that claimed the life of a pedestrian Friday morning.
On Saturday, NEWS 7 reported charges had been filed. Buena Vista police say that is not true, that no one faces any criminal charges.
23-year-old William Tibbs was struck and killed while walking along 29th Street West about six o'clock Friday morning.

[Sports Tease]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
[ENG#=V10]
Coming up tonight on News 7 sports - we'll check out the March Madness broadcast schedule for Thursday here on WDBJ-7,
we have the start times for the women's NCAA at Tech,
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
and now that the ACC tournament is over - it's time to look ahead to the new ACC and how things will change next season on the hardwood.
(------------)

[S-WDBJ]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=MEN'S FINAL FOUR]
The NCAA men's basketball tournament - in my opinion the greatest sporting of the year - tips-off this Thursday and Your Hometown Station will have back-to-back bracket action for 12 hours.
(xxxxxxxxxxx)
[GO TO PINNACLE NCAA THUR. AFTERNOON 1010] We'll get things started on Thursday afternoon with the ACC tournament champion Maryland Terrapins taking on Texas El Paso. Coverage will begin at 12:10 with the tip-off set for 12:40pm. The second afternoon game on Thursday will pit Randy Dunton's Liberty Flames and St. Joes. That one is set to begin at 2:45.
(XXXXXXXX)
[GO TO PINNACLE NCAA THUR. NIGHT 1011] Thursday night the ACC takes center stage again- with the Duke Blue Devils and Alabama State playing at 7:10, and then right after that one North Carolina Tarheels meets Air Force. That game should tip-off around 9:40pm. Of course you'll get bonus coverage of the other games, and it's all right here on WDBJ-7.
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[S-ACC]

[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-164 1:36:32]
[GRAPHIC=acc tournament]
[ENG#=1]

Maryland topped Duke for the ACC title yesterday in the last nine team tournament in the conference's history.
Steve Mason looks at expansion.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Greensboro, NC; :00]
[SUPER=01-John Swofford/ACC Commissioner; :14]
[SUPER=01-Pete Gillen/UVa Head Basketball Coach; :32]
[SUPER=01-Terry Holland/Coached UVa to 1975 ACC Tour. Title; :46]
[SUPER=01-Herb Sendek/N. C. State Head Coach; 1:07]
[SUPER=@Steve1; 1:53]
[RUNS=2:02]
[OUT Q=.......News 7 sports"]
(-----------------)

((The ACC will field 11 men's basketball teams next season in the first wave of expansion that will add Boston College in 2005. The days of playing everyone twice are over and each school will play each member once. ((:))
The concern is that rivalries from the loss of home and away series will suffer. ((:)) ((:)) ((:)) The league is once again traveling beyond tobacco road for the ACC basketball tournament with stops in Washington D.C., Florida and Georgia over the next several yearsNext year the tourney tips off at the MCI.)) ((:)) ((:)) ((STEVE MASON:THE ACC MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT HEADS TO THE MCI CENTER NEXT YEAR AND THEN RETURNS TO THE GREENSBORO COLISEUM IN 2006. THE SITES FOR THE TOURNEY ARE BOOKED THROUGH THE YEAR 2010 STEVE MASON NEWS 7 SPORTS.))

[S-Tech]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-167 3641tc]
[GRAPHIC=women's ncaa tourney]
The Virginia Tech women are playing host to the first two rounds of women's NCAA tournament this weekend at Cassell Coliseum. As you know - the NCAA likes to make sure the men's and women's games do not conflict.
(XXXXXXXXX)
[GO TO WOMEN'S EAST PINNACLE] As a result the women are playing on Sunday and Tuesday. Sunday afternoon's first round game with have the Hokies and Iowa Hawkeyes tipping things off at Noon. The Hampton and Penn State game will follow around 2:30. The Hokies are hoping to feed their guests a big helping of "home-cooking."
[ENG#=2]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=BITE]
[SUPER=01-Carrie Mason/Virginia Tech Point Guard; :00]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=...a huge advantage."]
(-------------)

[Habitat-Inmates]
[NEWSCAST=6 p.m.]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=04-04 TC50:35]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
The Roanoke Sheriff's office has more work than it can handle - and that's just for the inmates.
[ENG#=1]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
(//////SOT/////)
[SOT 15:43:27 - sawing]
((NAT SAWING))
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
[RUNS=:02]
[OUT=NAT SAWING]
(------------)
[VO-NAT :16]
If they're lucky enough to make the cut, prisoners in Roanoke can hold down a job with the city's Inmate Community Services Program. Today, 8-inmates spruced up a house for Habitat for Humanity. Their skills range from construction to landscaping to trash pick-up.
(///// SOT at :16 /////)
[SOT 15:41:39 - 15:41:46]
[IN Q=There's alot of work performed...]
((SGT. CLINTON THOMPSON/WORK SUPERVISOR: THERE'S A LOT OF WORK PERFORMED AND IT'S ALL FREE LABOR.))
[SUPER=01-Sgt. Clinton Thompson/Work Supervisor;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=it's all free labor.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT :07]
Jeff Stephenson is serving 6-months for drug offenses. He says the program gives him a different kind of high.
(///// SOT AT :07 /////)
[SOT 15:39:12 - 15:39:18]
((JEFF STEPHENSON/INMATE: I'VE TOOK SO MUCH AWAY FROM 'EM, IT FEELS GOOD TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY 'CAUSE I'VE BEEN TAKING AWAY FROM IT FOR YEARS.))
[SUPER=01-Jeff Stephenson/Inmate;]
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=taking away from it for years.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT :15]
Sex offenders, drug offenders and violent inmates are not eligible. Thompson says volunteers can earn credit for their work and have their sentence shortened. The city has 6-crews of four inmates each. Two of the crews are female. They work year-round.
(------------)