WDBJ 7 morning news for 04/01/04

[Iraq]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Iraq]
[ENG#=1]

More violence in Fallujah today, one day after a brutal assault on American civilians in the same area.
There are no reports of injuries this time, but witnesses say a Humvee was set on fire.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Fallujah, Iraq;]

Witnesses say insurgents attacked a military convoy near Fallujah, not far from the road where they ambushed and killed four American security workers.
Just a few miles away, five U-S soldiers died yesterday when a roadside bomb exploded under their personnel carrier.
Despite this week's violence, U-S officials insist that Iraqis fighting the coalition are in the minority.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=They're desperate]
((MARK KIMMITT/U. S. ARMY: THEYRE DESPERATE TO HOLD OUT, THEYRE DESPERATE TO TRY TO TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME AND THAT JUST ISNT GOING TO HAPPEN. ))
[SUPER=01-Mark Kimmitt/U. S. Army;]
[RUNS=:07] (estimated bite runs time)
[OUT Q=going to happen.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Meanwhile, officials say the attacks will NOT deter the reconstruction projects under way in other parts of Iraq.

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

[Missing-Student]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
[ENG#=2]

Police are searching for a suspect in the abduction of a University of Wisconsin student, who was found alive yesterday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Madison, WI;]

Audrey Seiler had been missing for four days.
Seiler was last seen leaving her apartment.
Her departure was caught on tape by a surveillance camera.
Police found the 20- year- old in a marsh not far from the university campus in Madison.
She was cold and dehydrated, but not seriously injured.
So far, officials aren't offering any details about how she escaped from her kidnapper.
(------------)

[11Roanoke-Stabbing]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=None]

Police say an argument led to a stabbing in Roanoke. The victim is hospitalized, and his alleged attacker is under arrest. Police have charged Darryl Beale with yesterday's stabbing in the 43-hundred block of Old Spanish Trail.
23 year old Ronnie Tannell Junior is undergoing treatment at Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

[11StarTek]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=04-15 03:54]
[GRAPHIC=New Jobs]
[ENG#=3]

Hundreds of new jobs on the way to the Hill City. StarTek Outsourcing Solutions will spend five-and-a-half million dollars to get going.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

StarTek has purchased the old Heilig-Meyers furniture store in the Plaza Shopping Center.
The building will be turned into StarTek's latest "customer service call center," one of nineteen in North America.
They expect to hire more than 540 people within the next year.
City leaders hope the business will help create more opportunities in the Plaza, which has seen several of its major stores close their doors.
(------------)
(+++++++)
[Take WDBJ7 Web FS]
[ANCHOR=Kim]

If you're interested in applying to StarTek, you can file your resume on line. There's a link on our home page at W-D-J-B--7-dot.com.
(-------------)

[11Dan-River]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=sba]
[TAPE#=04-03 58:26]
[GRAPHIC=Dan River Reorganization]
[ENG#=4]

The doors are still open at Dan River Fabrics in Danville, and the company says yesterday filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection should help keep them open.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville]

The textile company is Danville's largest employer.
A spokeswoman says the plant will not shut down, and all 3-thousand employees there will still have jobs, get paid and receive their benefits.
While employees of the plant are taking a wait and see approach, some are still worried.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT@15:33:28:24]
[IN Q=IT'S A MAJOR...]
((CALVIN FITZGERALD, DAN RIVER EMPLOYEE: IT'S A MAJOR IMPORTANT FACTOR TO THE CITY OF DANVILLE, AS MANY EMPLOYEES THAT THE COMPANY EMPLOYEES, ESPECIALLY WITH THE CRUNCH RIGHT NOW, DANVILLE WILL REALLY BE HURTING.))
[SUPER=01-Calvin Fitzgerald/Dan River Employee]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q= .. REALLY BE HURTING.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

A spokeswoman for Dan River says the Chapter 11 status will help the company reorganize its debts, and in the long run, it will help the business.
(------------)

[PKG-Foamhenge]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=04-12 TC 11:57]
[GRAPHIC=Foamhenge]
[ENG#=1]

One of England's most famous landmarks is now in our own backyard.
It is sort of an April Fool's joke but what it could bring to the area in terms of tourism dollars is no laughing matter.
Justin McLeod takes us for a tour.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=NAT SOT]
[SUPER=03-Rockbridge Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Mark Cline/Sculptor; :27]
[SUPER=01-Tina Duff/Rockbridge Co. Resident; :59]
[SUPER=@justin1; 1:31]
[RUNS=1:44]
[OUT Q=JM, News 7]
(( ((NAT SOUND OF UNVEILING))
You are looking at the unveiling of Rockbridge County's newest attraction.
It's a full size scale replica of Stonehenge.
[SOT 8:43:08]
[IN Q=Totally amazed]
((KARYN KOPP/NATURAL BRIDGE RESIDENT: TOTALLY AMAZED.))
[Runs= 02]
[OUT Q=totally amazed]

An amazement made possible thanks to sculptor Mark Cline.
Every April Fool's Day he likes to create something to make people laugh.
The idea for his latest project came totally by accident.
[SOT 8:30:47]
[IN Q=There's a place where]
((MARK CLINE/SCULPTOR: THERE'S A PLACE WHERE I BUY MY SCULPTING MATERIALS CALLED INSULATING BUILDING SYSTEMS. I WALKED IN THERE FIFTEEN YEARS AGO AND SAW THESE HUGE BIG BLOCKS OF FOAM AND IMMEDIATELY I THOUGHT FOAMHENGE.))
[Runs= 09]
[OUT Q=I thought foamhenge]

Foamhenge is now a reality on a hill off Route 11 near the Natural Bridge Zoo.
What makes it unique is that it's entirely made out of foam.
[SOT 8:31:06]
[IN Q=I could say]
((MARK CLINE/SCULPTOR: I COULD SAY THAT SCULPTING BLOCKS OF FOAM WAS A LITTLE BIT EASIER THAN CHISELING STONE.))
[Runs= 04]
[OUT Q=CHISLING STONE]

As a result, the project took only seven people and less than a week to complete.
The original took more than 15-hundred years.
[SOT 8:44:19]
[IN Q=It's impressive]
((TINA DUFF/ROCKBRIDGE CO. RESIDENT: IT'S IMPRESSIVE. I DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD LOOK SO MUCH LIKE ROCK BUT IT REALLY DOES. IT LOOKS A LOT LIKE ACTUAL STONE.))
[Runs= 05]
[OUT Q=ACTUAL STONE]

Each stone is made to look exactly like the ones in England.
They stand 13 1/2 feet tall and 4 feet wide.
Cline chose foam because it is easy to sculpt and should weather the elements just fine.
He hopes Foamhenge will attract visitors from all over the country.
[SOT 8:34:35]
[IN Q=It's no secret]
((MARK CLINE/SCULPTOR: IT'S NO SECRET THAT VIRGINIA TOURISM HAS BEEN SUFFERING ESPECIALLY SINCE SEPTEMBER 11TH AND I WOULD LIKE TO BRING TOURISM BACK TO LEVELS BEFORE SEPTEMBER 11TH AND EVEN ABOVE.))
[Runs= 09]
[OUT Q=AND EVEN ABOVE]
[SOT ]
[IN Q=Foamhenge is free]
((JUSTIN McLEOD/REPORTING: FOAMHENGE IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC BUT CLINE HOPES TOURISTS WILL THEN VISIT AND SPEND MONEY AT THE OTHER ATTRACTIONS IN THE AREA. FOAMHENGE WILL BE IN NATURAL BRIDGE UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR, POSSIBLY LONGER. JUSTIN McLEOD, NEWS 7.))))

[11Lottery-Winner]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=cja]
[TAPE#=04-11 27:37]
[GRAPHIC=MegaMillions]
[ENG#=2]
The winner of the second-largest lottery prize in history will be known later today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-February 20]
He or she is the sole winner of February's 239-million-dollar MegaMillions jackpot. The ticket was sold in Winchester. Yesterday, Lottery officials said someone claimed the jackpot. The ticket was validated and today in Richmond- the mysterious millionaire picks up their prize.
(------------)

[Marketwatch]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=NET]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]
[ENG#=1]

In business news, The first quarter of 2004 has ended on a down note for the Dow and Nasdaq.
Alexis Christoforous has that story and more in this morning's Marketwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Alexis Christoforous/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:25]
[OUT Q=in New York, I'm AC]
((> THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF 2004 WERE NOT EASY FOR WALL STREET.. THE DOW AND > THE NASDAQ CHALKED UP THEIR FIRST QUARTERLY LOSSES IN A YEAR YESTERDAY. > DISAPPOINTING REPORTS ON FACTORY ORDERS AND BUSINESS CONDITIONS IN THE > MIDWEST RAISED FEARS ABOUT THE HEALTH OF THE ECONOMIC REBOUND. > > THE DOW LOST 24 POINTS .. FOR THE QUARTER IT WAS DOWN 1 PERCENT. > > THE NASDAQ DIPPED 6 AND LOST MORE THAN HALF A PECENT FOR THE QUARTER. > > THERE'S NO RELIEF IN SITE AT THE GAS PUMP. BEGINNING TODAY OPEC WILL BEGIN > CUTTING OIIL PRODUCTION BY A MILLION BARRELS A DAY. > THE WHITE HOUSE QUICKLY ISSUED A STATEMENT SAYING IT'S DISAPPOINTED > WITH THE DECISION. THIS MEANS THERE WILL BE LESS OIL ON THE MARKET AT A > TIME WHEN DEMAND IS SOARING. > > ANALYSTS PREDICT THAT NATIONALLY, GAS PRICES WILL JUMP ABOVE 2 DOLLARS A > GALLON ON AVERAGE DURING THE PEAK SUMMER DRIVING SEASON. > > ON THE STOCKS TO WATCH LIST: > > BED BATH AND BEYOND SAID PROFITS JUMPED 37 PERCENT THANKS TO STRONG SALES > AT THE HOME GOODS RETAILER > > AND SALES AT STARBUCKS GOT A CAFFEINE BOOST.. SALES AT STORES OPEN AT > LEAEST A YEAR ROSE 12 PERCENT IN MARCH. THAT'S THE FIFTH STRAIGHT MONTHOF > DOUBLE DIGIT GAINS. STARBUCKS ATTRIBUTES SOME OF THE SALES RISE TO THE > ROLLOUT OF drive-through cafes in rural and suburban areas that have > proven highly profitable. > > FIND OUT MORE AT CBS.MW.COM IN NY I'M AC.)) > >

(tape tosses to stocks)
[STOCKS] [WOOD ROGERS SPONSOR BOARD 5185 ESSC] [COMM]

[Gas-Prices]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Gas Prices Up]
[ENG#=1]

With gas prices already at a record high, President Bush say's he's disappointed with OPEC's decision to cut oil production.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-File Tape;]

The White House is urging Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates to get the oil cartel to reverse the four percent production cut that takes effect today.
It'll push crude prices above 40- dollars a barrel and should mean even higher prices at the pump.
High gas prices have already become campaign fodder, with John Kerry blaming President Bush for diplomacy failure and a Bush campaign ad suggesting that Kerry supported taxes on gas.
(------------)

[Jackson]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Jackson]
[ENG#=2]

From allegations to accolades for Michael Jackson--
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington, DC;]

Today the embattled King of Pop will pick up a humanitarian award for his contribution to the AIDS effort in Africa.

Jackson is visiting the nation's capital ahead of a concert tour he hopes to make to Africa to raise money for AIDS prevention, treatment, and education programs.
Yesterday, Jackson discussed the AIDS epidemic with a handful of black lawmakers.
His D-C visit comes as a grand jury in California reviews child molestation allegations against him.
(------------)

[6-Rogers-Search]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=04-14 06:15]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=3]

A renewed search for evidence in a Roanoke murder case sent police underwater yesterday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
A State Police dive team searched a community lake a few hundred yards from Teresa Rogers' farm. The 77 year old woman was killed in January in her home on Lake Drive. So far, the murder investigation has focused on Teresa Rogers' son Christopher. Court records indicate he has given police what they consider "inconsistent statements." NO charges have been filed in the case.
(------------)

[11RC-President]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=tzi]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=None]

Roanoke College has selected its next leader.
(+++++++)
[Take O'Hara Pic FS] The board of trustees voted unanimously to name Dr. Sabine (sa-BEAN-a) O'Hara president of the school.
She comes to Roanoke from Concordia College in Minnesota, where she served as Vice President of Academics.
(------------)

[6-Triplets]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=04-07 52:26]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=4]
'It's a boy' times three for one Dublin couple, who became the parents of a rare set of identical TRIPLETS.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
Anderson, Bay and Campbell Moore were born Tuesday morning, weighing a little more than three pounds each. Their parents, Michael and April say they didn't use any fertility drugs, and in fact the hardest part of the birth may have been just getting to the hospital.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 4450]
[IN Q=once we got]
((MICHAEL AND APRIL MOORE: ONCE WE GOT ON 581 WE PASSED A SHERIFF'S TROOPER AND THEY PULLED UP BESIDE US AND I ROLLED DOWN THE WINDOW AND SAID I GOT TRIPLETS, MY WIFE'S IN LABOR HERE 03 AND WE NEED TO GO AND THEY LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND WERE LIKE GO, GO!))
[SUPER=01-Michael & April Moore/Parents of Identical Triplets;]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=like go, go!]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Only one in 8-thousand women give birth to triplets each year, and doctors say the odds are even greater for IDENTICAL triplets. The Moores also have a 2-year-old son, Riley. THEY say the odds of having another child are zero to none.
(------------)
(Kim tosses to bump)
[BUMP] [COMM]
[Trigger]

[PAGE#=Tri]

[ANCHOR=none]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=none]
[ENG#=R4]

[Roll out of break]

(//////SOT/////)

[RE-OPEN]

[Biz-Brief]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]
[ENG#=1]

In business news, Stocks closed lower yesterday. Stan Case has more in today's business brief.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Stan Case/Reporting; :]
[RUNS=1:13]
[OUT Q=I'm Stan Case.]
((FOLLOWING SOME SLUGGISH MANUFACTURING NUMBERS , THE AVERAGES FOUGHT BACK FROM A MORNING DIP TO CLOSE ONLY SLIGHTLY LOWER.

THE DOW GAVE UP 24 POINTS...
AND THE NASDAQ WAS DOWN SIX.

THE REGIONAL INDEX OF MANUFACTURING STRENGTH FROM THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PURCHASING MANAGEMENT-CHICAGO FELL TO 57-POINT-SIX IN MARCH FROM 63-POINT-SIX IN FEBRUARY.
ANY READING ABOVE 50 SIGNALS EXPANSION. ECONOMISTS HAD EXPECTED 61.
AND THE COMMERCE DEPARTMENT SAID MANUFACTURING ORDERS GREW BY A WEAK THREE-TENTHS OF A PERCENT IN FEBRUARY, COMPARED WITH A REVISED *DECLINE* OF *NINE*-TENTHS OF A PERCENT IN JANUARY.

BEST BUY, THE NATION'S NUMBER ONE ELECTRONICS RETAILER, POSTED FISCAL FOURTH-QUARTER PROFITS OF A DOLLAR-42 PER SHARE.

THAT'S UP FROM A DOLLAR-16 A YEAR AGO.
EARLIER THIS MONTH BEST BUY SAID SAME-STORE SALES WERE UP NINE-POINT-SEVEN PERCENT IN THE FOURTH-QUARTER.

CIRCUIT CITY, THE NUMBER *TWO* ELECTRONICS RETAILER, SAID FOURTH-QUARTER PROFITS ROSE TO 43 CENTS A SHARE, FROM 34 CENTS A YEAR EARLIER.
THE COMPANY ALSO ANNOUNCED IT WILL BUY ONLINE MUSIC SELLER "MUSICNOW" ...AND CANADA'S INTERTAN, WHICH WILL GIVE CIRCUIT CITY ITS FIRST CANADIAN RETAIL OUTLETS.

WITH THE BUSINESS BRIEF... I'M STAN CASE.))
[TAPE TOSS TO STOCKS] [STOCKS] [WOOD ROGERS SPONSOR BOARD 5185 ESSC] [COMM]

[6-D-Day-Donation]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=04-05 1:14:33]
[GRAPHIC=D-Day Memorial]
[ENG#=3]

The Overlord arch from the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford may be coming soon to a convenience store near you.

(///// SOT AT TOP /////)
[SOT 10:29:19 - 10:29:23]
((NATS OF SAWING))
[RUNS=:03]
(------------)
[VO-NAT :16]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]
Members of the Bonsack Ruritan Club are making banks shaped like the arch to collect donations for the D-Day Memorial Foundation. The Marines came up with the design and then asked the club to make them small enough to distribute throughout the community.
(///// SOT at :16 /////)
[SOT 11:02:45 - 11:03:02]
[IN Q=It's a long, drawn-out process...]
[SUPER=01-Lou Rader/Bonsack Ruritan Club;]
((LOU RADER/BONSACK RURITAN CLUB: IT'S A LONG, DRAWN-OUT PROCESS. THERE IS SAWING, GLUING AND PAINTING... BEFORE WE ASSEMBLE THEM.))
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=before we assemble them.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT :11]
The Bonsack Club wants to hear from you, if you're interested in putting an arch in your business. Rader says the banks should start appearing in local stores within the next month.
(------------)

[6-Air-Ambulance]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=04-10 26:16]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=4]

A new air transportation service will soon take off from Roanoke.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
Carilion and C-A Air Ambulance are joing together to provide jet service to patients who need to travel long distances, including those who were admitted to the hospital while visiting the area, and need to return home.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 3509]
[IN Q=most of the]
((MOST OF TIMES, IF THE PATIENTS AREN'T GOING BY A FIXED WING AIR SERVICE THEY'RE HAVING TO RIDE IN AN AMBULANCE FOR A LONG EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, SOMETIMES UP TO 18-HOURS IN THE BACK OF THE AMBULANCE AND THAT IN ITSELF IS CHALLENGING TO PROVIDE CARE FOR THAT LONG AND ALSO IT'S HARD ON THE PATIENT 26))
[SUPER=01-Paul Davenport/Carilion Patient Transportation Services;]
[RUNS=17]
[OUT Q=hard on the patient]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Officials expect to transport about a hundred patients a year using the jet, and they say most insurance companies will cover the costs. The new service is expected to begin this summer.
(------------)

[11Triplets]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=04-07 53:24]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=1]
Having identical twins is rare as it is, but how about identical TRIPLETS.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
That was the case for Michael and April Moore, who became the parents of three identical bundles of joy Tuesday morning at Roanoke Community Hospital. Babies Anderson, Bay and Campbell weighed-in at a a little more than three pounds each, without the help of fertility drugs. The Moore's already have a 2-year-old, and they say the odds of have any more children are very, very slim.
(------------)
(Kim tosses to bump)
[BUMP] [COMM] [Local-Recap]
[SUPER=#4059;Local Recap]
[2-Shot=Kmc/LHI]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

Now here's another look at today's top local stories:
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

Police say an argument led to a stabbing in Roanoke. Police have charged Darryl Beale with yesterday's stabbing in the 43-hundred block of Old Spanish Trail.
The victim, 23 year old Ronnie Tannell Junior is under treatment at Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

(----------------)
[ENG#=1]
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
StarTek Outsourcing Solutions expects to hire more than 540 people within the next year. The company has purchased the old Heilig-Meyers furniture store in the Plaza Shopping Center in Lynchburg.
The building will be turned into StarTek's latest "customer service call center," one of nineteen in North America.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Leo]
(Leo mic hot)
(///////////////)
(Leo ad lib weather)
(-------------)
[2-SHOT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

Now here's Keith Humphry with a preview of News 7 at Six.
(///// SOT /////)
[ENG#=3]
[SOT]
[IN Q=The proud mother]
[RUNS=18]
[OUT Q=on News 7 at 6.]
(-------------)
[Double Boxes=Kimberly/Leo and Steve]
(toss)
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(live ad lib, tease tomorrow)
[Double Boxes=Kimberly/Leo and Steve]
(ad lib bye)