WDBJ 7 morning news for 04/03/04

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[WRITER=jen]
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[ENG#1]
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[VO-NAT]
Coming up on News 7 Saturday Morning....... Independent Presidential candidate Ralph Nader brings his message to Hollins University.
[ENG#2]
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[VO-NAT]
And an internationally renown pianist makes music with the Roanoke Symphony. We will have more on those stories in just a few minutes.
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[2-shot toss to Hello]
[Hancock-Steel]
[AFTER A5]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
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[WRITER=jen]
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One person was injured in an accident at Hancock Steel in Roanoke County this morning.
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[vo-nat]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./This Morning;]

Officials say a person was trapped between equiptment for more than an hour.
There is no word on his condition or what caused the accident.
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[A10 NEXT]

[11Nader]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=cja]
[TAPE#=04-13 TC-13:54]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2004]
[ENG#=3]

Ralph Nadar spoke to a full house at Hollins University.
During his speech last night, the Independent presidential candidate lashed out against the two party system and what he calls misleading economic figures.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./Last Night;]

The independent presidential candidate gave a brief news conference followed by a speech to the students in the university theatre.
He talked mainly about health care, taxes, and the minimum wage.
And with news that 308-thousand new jobs were created in the nation last month- the independent candidate was quick to share HIS thoughts.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 00:17:40:15]
[IN Q=The jobs are]
((RALPH NADER/PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (I): THE JOBS ARE BEING CREATED NOW.....THE QUALITY OF THE JOBS.))
[SUPER=01-Ralph Nader/(I) Presidential Candidate;]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=quality of the jobs.]
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[VO-NAT]

But like most campaigns, there was mixed company as protesters petitioned outside.
Nader planned the trip to Hollins BEFORE he decided to run for president, and he says this won't be his last trip to Virginia.
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[11Cheney-Visit]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=rde]
[TAPE#=03-55 TC-2:02:17]
[GRAPHIC=Cheney]
[ENG#=4]

Vice-President Dick Cheney is expected to be back in the Roanoke Valley this month.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Wytheville/September;]
Republican party sources say he's going to be campaigning for Republican congressional candidate Kevin Triplett.
Triplett is running against Democrat Rick Boucher this November for the ninth district seat. According to sources, Cheney will be in Roanoke on Monday April 19th for a fundraiser. The exact time and location are not being released for security reasons.
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./September;]
Cheney visted Roanoke last September for a similar type of fundraiser but the event was closed to the public and the media.
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[11Rke-Symphony]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=04-09 TC-37:03]
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[ENG#=1]

A world renown pianist is returning to Roanoke for an encore this weekend.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=NAT SOUND OF PLAYING]
[RUNS=:05]
[OUT Q=NAT SOUND OF PLAYING]
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

The Roanoke Symphony is welcoming Jon Nakamatsu (KNOCK-uh-MOT-su)to the Jefferson Center tomorrow.
He burst onto the world stage in 1997 when he won the prestigious Van Cliburn (Klie-burn) International Piano Competition, the first American to do so in 16 years.
At that time, Nakamatsu (KNOCK-uh-MATT-su) was teaching German to high school students.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 4:43:35]
[IN Q=I studied German]
((JON NAKAMATSU/PIANIST: I STUDIED GERMAN AND EDUCATION AND LANGUAGE IN THE HOPE IT WOULD SOMEHOW BROADEN MY POWERS AS A MUSICIAN BUT ALSO THAT IT MAY GET MY JOB IN CASE PIANO DIDN'T WORK OUT.))
[SUPER=01-Jon Nakamatsu/Pianist]
[RUNS=:12]
[OUT Q=didn't work out]
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[VO-NAT]

Obviously the piano thing did work out.
You can hear it for yourself. Tickets are still available by calling the Roanoke Symphony box office.
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[11Park-Caboose]

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[TAPE#=04-04 TC-1:12:40]
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[ENG#=3]

Over the years, it's fallen victim to vandalism and the elements.. but some local school children are going full steam ahead with plans to rescue a piece of Lynchburg's history.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

This 1910 rail caboose is one of the last of its kind in Virginia.
It's part of a steam train that was placed in Lynchburg's Riverside Park in 1962 as a tourist attraction.
Students at Boonsboro Elementary School spent the past few months raising 53-hundred dollars to help with its restoration.
They were rewarded with a picnic in the park yesterday along with t-shirts and train whistles.
The Lynchburg Kiwanis Club is raising money to help restore the entire train.
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[11Cemetery-Goats]

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Lynchburg's newest public works employees have an insatiable appetite for their job.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

These Alpine billy goats have spent the past few weeks clearing some of the worst brush and overgrowth from a hillside in the Old City Cemetery.
They've helped uncover a 19th-century brick wall that cemetery officials weren't sure still existed.
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[SOT 14:09:38]
[IN Q=They are hard]
((JANE WHITE/OLD CITY CEMETERY: THEY ARE HARD WORKERS, THEY SEEM TO BE VERY HAPPY DOING WHAT GOATS DO BEST. THIS IS AN AREA WHERE WE COULD NEVER EXPECT PEOPLE TO COME IN AND CLEAN OUT. I DON'T THINK WE COULD PAY THEM ENOUGH TO COME IN AND DO THAT.))
[SUPER=01-Jane White/Old City Cemetery]
[RUNS=19]
[OUT Q=come in and do that.]
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[VO-NAT]

The goats are on loan from a Nelson County farm.
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[Malpractice-Insurance]

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[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Focus Health]
[ENG#=1]

Some doctors worry the cost of their malpractice insurance will eventually put them out of practice.
The insurance industry is blaming malpractice suits -- but some consumer advocates say that's just an excuse.
Sharyl Attkisson has details
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[SOT]
[IN Q=Dr. Paul Tudder figures he's delivered]
[SUPER=03-Leesburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Paul Tudder/OB-GYN Physician; :33]
[SUPER=01-Sharyl Attkisson/CBS News; :40]
[SUPER=01-P. J. Crowley/Insurance Industry Representative; :52]
[SUPER=01-Joan Claybrook/Public Citizen Consumer Group; 1:02]
[RUNS=2:11]
[OUT Q=Sharyl Attkisson, CBS News,Leesburg Virginia.]
((Dr. Paul Tudder figures he's delivered about 4000 babies in 21 years...

(NAT/SOT)
"THERE'S NO BETTER SOUND THAN THAT ONE"// DOC: "SOUNDS GOOD, HUH JOSH?" DAD: "SOUNDS PERFECT."

(SOT-DR. PAUL TUDDER, OB-GYN)
SHARYL: IS IT TRUE THAT YOU'VE NEVER BEEN SUED? TUDDER: NEVER.

(GRAPHIC #1 -- 2001-2: $23,000/ 2002-2003 $47,000/ 2004-5: $84,000)
...Never been sued, yet his malpractice insurance has gone through the roof. His premium was $23-thousand dollars in 2002. Then it jumped to $47-thousand. This year, he got a quote for $84-thousand dollars.
(GRAPHIC OUT)

(SOT-TUDDER)
IT PUTS ME ON YEARLY NOTICE WHERE THIS YEAR I THINK WE CAN SURVIVE. BUT NEXT YEAR, I DON'T KNOW.

(ATTKISSON BRIDGE)
The insurance industry claims all OB-GYN's are paying the price for what they call out-of-control malpractice awards... far beyond what victims deserve. They support limits on how much money victims can win in court.

(SOT-P.J. CROWLEY, INSURANCE INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVE)
MEDICAL MALPRACTICE COSTS ARE ALL ABOUT LAWSUITS, SETTLEMENTS AND JURY AWARDS.

(SOT-JOAN CLAYBROOK, PUBLIC CITIZEN CONSUMER GROUP)
SHARYL: IT'S JUST NOT THE CASE? CLAYBROOK: IT IS NOT THE CASE, BUT IT'S A GREAT, EASY EXCUSE.
Consumer advocate Joan Claybrook insists the rate hikes aren't about lawsuits... they're about the insurance industry making up for investment losses...investments are their main source of income.

(GRAPHIC #2)
In fact, from 2001 to 2002 when many OB-GYN's saw their rates DOUBLE... malpractice payouts to victims were actually on the decline... (GRAPHIC OUT)
But insurance companies were losing big on their investments.

(SOT-CLAYBROOK)
THE INSURANCE COMPANY DOES NOT WANT TO EXPLAIN HOW THEY SET THEIR PREMIUMS, SO THEY DIVERT PUBLIC ATTENTION AND BLAME IT ALL ON PEOPLE WHO ARE INJURED AND THEIR LAWYERS.

(NAT/SND)

Insurers admit they've lost money on investments, but insist that's not behind the skyrocketing rates, it's the lawsuits.

(SOT-P.J. CROWLEY)
TO THOSE WHO SUGGEST THAT LEGAL EXPENSES HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE COSTS OF INSURANCE OR THE COSTS OF HEALTH CARE IN OUR SOCIETY... THESE PEOPLE BELONG IN THE 'FLAT EARTH SOCIETY.'

(NAT/SND)

Caught in the middle, Dr. Tudder just hopes someone will find a way to deliver lower insurance rates..

(NAT/SOT)
'HOW GREAT"
...so he can keep delivering babies. Sharyl Attkisson, CBS News, Leesburg Virginia.))

[Focus-Health]

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[WRITER=jen]
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[JOY ONE SHOT]
There's an upcoming conference to help brain injury survivors and their families cope with the disability. [JOY/GUEST TWO SHOT]
[SUPER=01-Juanita Thornton/Brain Injury Association of Virginia]
[SUPER=01-David Walsh/Brain Injury Survivor]

Here to tell us more are Juanita Thornton with the Brain Injury Association of Southwest, Virginia and David Walsh, a brain injury survivor.

(++++++++++++)
[TAKE 100ESS FS] The Transcending Brain Injury Conference will be held on April 30th and May 1st and the Holiday Inn Tanglewood. To register call 540-831-5800. You must register by April 15th.
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Don't go away. News 7 Saturday Morning will be right back.

[bump][Decor-More]

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We're floating right into the heart of spring and what better way to spruce things up than with a fun, affordable fountain.
Angela Combs shows us how to make one
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[take Decor and More full screen] In this week's Decor and More...
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[IN Q=Today we're actually...]
[SUPER=07-Angela Combs; :00]
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[OUT Q=...Right after this.]
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[VO-NAT]
[ENG#1]
[SUPER=#4070;weekend headline banner]
Coming up on News 7 Saturday Morning....... A local lawmaker proposes a bill to break the state budget impasse.
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[VO-NAT]
[ENG#2]
And Vice President Cheney may be making his way back to the Roanoke Valley. We will have more on those stories in just a few minutes.
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[2-shot toss to Hello]

[11Bell-plan]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=04-02 TC-1:56:02]
[GRAPHIC=Va Budget]

[ENG=1]

Virginia taxes may be on the rise after all.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]

Some House Republicans are now saying they are willing to consider a half cent hike in the sales tax.
Legislators say they've been getting an earful from constituents who want the stalemate to end.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 12:39:09]
[IN Q=AS WE GET FARTHER FROM THE END]
((DELEGATE BOB MCDONNELL/R-VIRGINIA BEACH: AS WE GET FARTHER FROM THE END OF THE SESSION INCREASED SENSE OF URGENCY TO GET THE JOB DONE AND THAT'S WHY YOU SEE THESE OTHER IDEAS PERCULATING.))
[SUPER=01-Del. Bob McDonnell/(R) Virginia Beach;]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=YOU SEE THESE OTHER IDEAS PERCULATING.]
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[VO-NAT]

The House LEADERSHIP is still vowing to OPPOSE any tax increases.
In the meantime, a Roanoke legislator is offering his own solution to break the impasse.
Senator Brandon Bell introduced a bill yesterday that would allow localities to bring back the full amount of the car tax.
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[Model-Search]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
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[WRITER=jen]
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If you've dreamed of being a supermodel, but thought you didn't have the figure then you may just be what the Ford Model agency is looking for.
The modeling agency powerhouse is teaming up with Lane Bryant to find the next plus size supermodel.
Clark Powell explains how you could be their next big discovery.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-New York, NY;]
[SUPER=01-Audra Marie/Ford Model;]
[SUPER=01-Catherine Lippincott/Lane Bryant;]
[SUPER=01-Gary Dakin/Ford 12 Plus Models Agent;]
[RUNS=1:44]
[OUT Q=Clark Powell Reporting.]
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[ANCHOR=Joy]
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(+++++++++++)
[webaddress FS]
For more information, you can find a link on our homepage and click on "websites in the news".
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[wx next]

[Tease#2]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat Am]
[WRITER=jen]
[SS=None]
[BOTH MICS HOT]
Mickey Rooney is being honored in Soutwest Virginia - and we caught up with him while in Roanoke. Hear about his loves and losses coming up
[ANCHOR=Brent]

and
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[VO-NAT]

After kicking around ideas on how to make it work, a Roanoke County school sports field is finally seeing the light.
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[Lotto Bump] [Break ]

[11Soccer-Lights]

[ANCHOR=Joy]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=04-10 TC-28:06]
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Some now call it a field of dreams, others say it's nothing but a nightmare.
After months of debate, Hidden Valley High School finally has its lighted soccer field.
Justin McLeod has reaction.
[ENG#=1]
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Phil Anderson/Hidden Valley High School Parent; :12 (QUICK)]
[SUPER=01-Dennis Layman/Hidden Valley High School Athletic Director; :28]
[SUPER=01-Ron Gabor/Nearby Resident; :52]
[SUPER=@justin1; 1:16]
[RUNS=1:29]
[OUT Q=JM, News 7]

((((NAT SOUND OF THE GAME))
Soccer games here at Hidden Valley High School sort of have a glow these days. ((NAT SOUND OF KICK))
They were kicked into high gear Friday night with a flip of the switch.
[SOT 26:18]
[IN Q=It's great]
((PHIL ANDERSON/HIDDEN VALLEY H.S. PARENT: IT'S GREAT. THIS HOW THE ATMOSPHERE SHOULD BE LIKE FOR HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS.))
[Runs= 04]
[OUT Q=HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS]

An atmosphere made possible thanks to a lighted field.
The school system spent 87-thousand dollars putting up four 70 foot light poles.
Administrators say without the lights it will be whole different ballgame.
[SOT 1:30:32]
[IN Q=Particularly before]
((DENNIS LAYMAN/HIDDEN VALLEY H.S ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: PARTICULARLY BEFORE DAY LIGHTS SAVING TIME IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO GET TWO GAMES IN. MATTER OF FACT IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE SO THE LIGHTS IS NEEDED.))
[Runs= 06]
[OUT Q=LIGHTS IS NEEDED]

But some say what is the good for the team bad for the neighborhood.
Many nearby residents oppose the project believing the school board broke an earlier promise not to light the athletic fields.
Now that they're on some say they'll learn to live with it.
[SOT 30:13]
[IN Q=They are fairly]
((RON GABOR/NEARBY RESIDENT: THEY ARE FAIRLY BRIGHT, THE ONES THAT ARE FACING THE HOUSE BUT IT STILL DOESN'T LIKE YOU SAY ILLUMINATE THE LIVING ROOM OR DINING ROOM.))
[Runs= 07]
[OUT Q=or dinning room]

That's because the lights have shielding on them to suppress the glare.
The school also planted trees to block some of the noise.
And school officials promise in most cases the lights will be off by nine o'clock.
[SOT 31:13]
[IN Q=That's acceptable]
((RON BABOR/NEARBY RESIDENT: THAT'S ACCEPTABLE. I WAS THINKING SOMEWHERE AROUND TEN WOULD BE THE LIMIT BUT NINE O'CLOCK IS ACCEPTABLE TO ME.))
[Runs= 06]
[OUT Q=acceptable to me]
[SOT ]
[IN Q=The lights will]
((JUSTIN McLEOD/REPORTING: THE LIGHTS WILL BE ON PRIMARILY FOR ABOUT 16 GAMES IN THE SPRING. NOW SOME RESIDENTS FEAR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM WILL TRY TO LIGHT MORE FIELDS IN THE FUTURE. THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR SAYS THERE ARE NO SUCH PLANS AT THIS TIME. JUSTIN McLEOD, NEWS 7.))))

[Hyperbaric-Treatment]

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[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=jen]
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[ENG#=]

There was hardly any hope when one little girl was born with an extremely rare condition no child has survived. But a doctor was able to save her life with a treatment derived from the air we all breath. Doctor Sean Kenniff explains.

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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Miami, FL]
[SUPER=01-Shannon Kenitz/Gracie's Mother;]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Richard Neubauer/Hyperbaric Oxygen Specialist]
[SUPER=01-Elizabeth Stevens/Physical Therapist]
[super=01-Dr. Sean Kenniff/CBS News;]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=std]