WDBJ 7 morning news for 04/20/04

[PKG-Pitts-Budget]

[ANCHOR=susan]

[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=04-16 TC 4:57]
[GRAPHIC=none]
[ENG#=1]

Some say it's a crime.
Sheriff's deputies in Pittsylvania County are among the lowest paid in the area, some are even on food stamps.
As Justin McLeod discovered they're asking for a raise but getting one won't be easy.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Pittsylvania Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Harold Plaster/Pittsylvania Co. Sheriff; :12]
[SUPER=01-Coy Harville/Board of Supervisors Chairman; :49]
[SUPER=01-Danny Tate/Pittsylvania Co. Resident; 1:07]
[SUPER=@justin1; 1:14]
[RUNS=1:22]
[OUT Q=JM, News 7]
((((NAT SOUND OF DEPUTY OR RADIO))
It is their duty to protect and serve, a job that means big sacrifices and some say very little pay.
[SOT 14:51:14]
[IN Q=It's an embarassment really]
((HAROLD PLASTER/PITTSYLVANIA CO. SHERIFF: IT'S AN EMBARRASSMENT REALLY. YOU KNOW THEY PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE EVERYDAY.)) [Runs04]
[OUT Q=on the line everyday]

And they're having trouble making ends meet.
The starting salary in Pittsylvania County is nearly 24-thousand dollars.
As a result, the department has lost 12 deputies in the last three years.
[SOT 14:48:14]
[IN Q=They can go to]
((HAROLD PLASTER/PITTSYLVANIA CO. SHERIFF: THEY CAN GO TO STATE POLICE. THEY CAN GO TO OTHER PLACES AND START OUT ROUGHLY THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS MORE THAN THEY ARE MAKING HERE.)) [Runs06]
[OUT Q=ARE MAKING HERE]

The sheriff says the solution is a nine percent raise which would cost the county about 350-thousand dollars.
But the proposed 118 million dollar county budget currently has no raises for sheriff's deputies.
[SOT 15:13:56]
[IN Q=Right now]
((COY HARVILLE/BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CHAIRMAN: RIGHT NOW WE HAVE TO HOLD OUR LINE UNTIL THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTS TO SEE WHAT FUNDING WE CAN GET TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.)) [Runs06]
[OUT Q=make that happen]

Some citizens say it needs to happen regardless of whether more funding comes from Richmond.
At a public hearing Monday night, they made their case that's its a public safety issue.
[SOT 15:22:56]
[IN Q=Do you know]
((DANNY TATE/PITTSYLVANIA CO. RESIDENT: DO YOU KNOW THAT MANY DAYS AND NIGHTS THERE ARE ONLY 3 OFFICERS WORKING THE WHOLE COUNTY OF PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY?)) [Runs:05]
[OUT Q=OF PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY]
[SOT ]
[IN Q=]
((JUSTIN McLEOD: THE COUNTY BUDGET CALLS FOR NO TAX INCREASES SO UNLESS RICHMOND INCREASES FUNDING, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS SAYS IT IS UNLIKELY DEPUTIES WILL GET A RAISE THIS YEAR. JUSTIN McLEOD, NEWS 7.))))

[M'ville-Robbery]

[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=tco]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=none]

A North Carolina man is in custody after robbing a woman in Henry County. Authorities say 51 year old Cynthia Adkins Hairston was at Leatherwood Wash and Dry around 2 o-clock yesterday afternoon when 23 year old Gerald Lamont Whittington entered the laundry mat with his 4 month old daughter. Whittington struck Hairston several times in the head, took her purse then fled the scene in her car. Police later stopped the vehicle and arrested him. Whittington is charged with three felonies and is being held in the Danville City jail.
Meanwhile, Hairston was transported to the hospital for treatment.

[VOB-Columbine-Anniversary]

[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=mornin']
[WRITER=sba]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
[ENG#=2]
It was five years ago the nation watched a horrifying scene unfold at a Colorado high school.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Littleton, CO/April 20, 1999]
It was April 20, 1999 that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold brought guns and homemade bombs into school killing 12-fellow students and a teacher before turning the guns on themselves. Kacey Rueg-segger was shot that day while she studied in the library, todays she's studying to become a nurse.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I have flashbacks..]
((SOT KACEY RUEGSEGGER/FORMER COLUMBINE STUDENT :I HAVE FLASHBACKS AND NIGHTMARES AND PHYSICAL DISABILITIES BUT FOR THE
MOST PART I AM THROUGH IT....I HAVE A GREAT LIFE ..I'M HAPPY.))
[SUPER=01-Kacey Ruegsegger/Former Columbine Student]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=I'm through it.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Classes at the school are cancelled today and a candlelight vigil is planned for this evening.
(------------)

[Iraq]

[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=mornin']
[WRITER=sba]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Iraq]
[ENG#=3]
Things are somewhat quiet in Iraq this morning as talks on both sides are keeping major violence at bay- for now.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
This, after another country has announced it will be pulling out of Iraq. The Honduran President has pledged to pull his country's 370-troops out in the shortest time possible. The news follows Spain's announcement its 13-hundred troops will leave Iraq in the next six weeks.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=We were disappointed...]
((COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: WE WERE DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ACTIVE CAMPAIGN AND SUDDENLY TROOPS ARE BEING WITHDRAWN.))
[SUPER=01-Colin Powell/Secretary of State]
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=.. being withdrawn.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Honduran and Spanish troops have been serving in the south where coalition forces are locked in a standoff. Peace talks are also ongoing in Fallujah where American officals and local leaders have reached an agreement which calls on insurgents to turn in their weapons.
(------------)

[Woodward-Book]

[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=mornin']
[WRITER=sba]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
[ENG#=4]
Author Bob Woodward's latest book is stirring up controversey.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington, D.C.]
Woodward claims in his new book, Saudi Arabia made a secret deal with President Bush to lower oil prices in months leading up to the election. Saudi officials say the claims are untrue, while the Bush White House denied the allegations. Woodward's book also claims there's a deep divide in the administration concerning the war in Iraq. Colin Powell is described as a cautious diplomat -wary of war. Meanwhile, Dick Cheney is said to be a steamrolling force obsessed with Saddam and taking him out.
(------------)

[11State-Budget]

[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=VA Budget]

No action is expected on the state budget today.
A Senate counterproposal to a House tax plan will *NOT* be ready as intially expected.
Senate leaders worked the telephones over the weekend and yesterday tried to draft a tax package favorable to middle-of-the road Democrats and Republicans in both the House and the Senate.
Full afternoon Senate and House sessions were scheduled for today, but late yesterday they were reduced to ``pro forma'' sessions.
No business will be conducted at the sessions, which involve only a handful of legislators.

[11Radford-Taxes]

[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rde]
[TAPE#=04-12 TC34:20]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=1]

Roanoke's budget is growing by 7 million dollars but taxpayers won't have to pay any more to cover the increase.
City leaders say the increase can be covered by a growing tax base, instead of new or higher taxes.
They also say teachers can expect an average raise of three percent.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Radford;]
Meanwhile, Radford city council *is* considering a few tax and fee increases. If approved, a pack of cigarettes would cost an extra 15 cents. Officials estimate the tax could mean an extra 50-thousand dollars a year. Council members are also thinking about increasing electric rates, which could generate another 60-thousand dollars. Officials say the tax increases may not be necessary. It all depends on what legislators decide to do with the state budget.
(------------)

[Marketwatch]

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

In business news, Gas prices continue to rise.
Alexis Christoforous has that story and more in this morning's Marketwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Alexis Christoforous/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:29]
[OUT Q=in New York, I'm AC.]
((> THERE IS NO RELIEF FOR CONSUMERS AT THE GAS PUMP. THE GOVERNMENT SAYS THE > NATIONAL PRICE FOR GASOLINE HIT A RECORD HIGH FOR THE FOURTH STRAIGHT > WEEK, UP 2.7 CENTS TO A DOLLAR-81 A GALLON > THAT'S 29 CENTS HIGHER THAN THIS TIME LAST YEAR. STRONG CONSUMER DEMAND > AND TIGHT FUEL SUPPLIES ARE PUSHING UP PUMP PRICES. > > THE NATION'S AIRLINES ARE ALSO FEELING THE PINCH AT THE PUMP. SOARING JET > FUEL PRICES PUT MORE PRESSURE ON AIRLINE STOCKS YESTERDAY..JET FUEL IS THE > SECOND BIGGEST EXPENSE FOR AIRLINES BEHIND LABOR COSTS... > > ONE AIRLINE TO WATCH TODAY: US AIRWAYS ... THE COMPANY'S CEO AND PRESIDENT > DAVID SEIGEL RESIGNED...ONE YEAR AFTER THE AIRLINE EMERGED FROM > BANKRUPTCY. > > ALSO ON THE STOCKS TO WATCH LIST: KRAFT FOODS .. THE MAKER OF OREO COOKIES > AND VELVEETA CHEESE SAID FIRST QTR PROFIT FELL 33 PERCENT. > > ON WALL STREET YESTERDAY, THE SUDDEN DEATH OF MCDONALD'S CEO, JIM > CANTALUPO AND ANXIETY OVER HIGHER INTEREST RATES KEPT A LID ON STOCKS > > THE DOW LOST 14 POINTS, MCDONALD'S LED THE SLIDE, DOWN ABOUT 2 PERCENT > AFTER THE COMPANY'S CEO DIED OF AN APPARENT HEART ATTACK AT THE AGE OF 60. > > THE NASDAQ CLIMBED 24 > > AND SOME BIG NAMES ARE OUT WITH EARNINGS TODAY... INCLUDING LUCENT > TECHNOLOGIES, MOTOROLA, PHILIP MORRIS AND SPRINT. > > FIND OUT MORE AT CBS.MW.COM IN NY I'M ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS.))

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

[11GOP-Cheney]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=04-01 TC2:00:38]
[GRAPHIC=Cheney]
[ENG#=1]

Vice President Dick Cheney returned to Roanoke to stump for ninth district congressional candidate Kevin Triplett.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

In his second visit to the valley in less than a year, Cheney spoke to Triplett supporters yesterday at the Wyndham Hotel.
Republicans believe the former NASCAR executive offers the best opportunity in years to unseat Democrat Rick Boucher. Yesterday, Triplett said the Vice President's visit has helped validate his campaign.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=He's optimistic]
((DICK CHENEY/VICE-PRESIDENT: HE'S OPTIMISTIC AND FULL OF ENERGY AND ONCE HE'S IN CONGRESS HE'S GOING TO USE ALL OF IT FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PEOPLE OF THE NINTH DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA.)) ((MIKE DENTON/WASHINGTON CO. GOP CHAIRMAN: I THINK WE'VE HAD SOME GOOD CANDIDATES IN THE PAST. SOMETIMES WE HAD GOOD CANDIDATES BUT NOT ENOUGH MONEY. I THINK THIS TIME WE'RE GOING TO HAVE MONEY AND A GOOD SOLID CANDIDATE WITH A GOOD WORK ETHIC, AND I THINK EVERYTHING'S COMING TOGETHER. I THINK THIS IS ONE OF OUR BETTER SHOTS IN QUITE A WHILE.))
[SUPER=@Cheney; :00]
[SUPER=01-Mike Denton/Washington Co. GOP Chairman; :10]
[RUNS=:23]
[OUT Q=one of our better shots in quite a while.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Triplett trails Boucher in fundraising, but the campaign says the Vice President's visit brought in more than 100-thousand dollars.
(------------)

[11Dems-Cheney]

[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=04-13 TC21:46]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]
[ENG#=2]

Virginia Democrats say that despite a visit from the Vice President, they are confident the Bush-Cheney machine won't hold much sway with Ninth District voters.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

They say people in Southwest Virginia aren't easily fooled by Washington rhetoric.
But Democrats are taking notice of the vice president's trip.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 15:02:34]
[IN Q=WHILE WE TAKE VERY CHALLENGER]
((LAURA BLAND/DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF VIRGINIA: WHILE WE TAKE EVERY CHALLENGER SERIOUSLY I DON'T THINK ITS ANY SURPRISE THAT THE BUSH/CHENEY MACHINE WOULD BE BROUGHT TO BEAR ON MANY CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS BECAUSE THEY'RE IN TROUBLE.))
[SUPER=01-Laura Bland/Democratic Party of Virginia]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=BECAUSE THEY'RE IN TROUBLE.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Democrat officials also criticized Cheney for taking money from Southwest Virginians while the Bush Administration is cutting programs that benefit the area.
(------------)

[11Voting-Machines]

[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=04-06 TC1:26:38]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2004]
[ENG#=3]

This year's Presidential election will mark a change for Roanoke city voters.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
Voters will begin using new, touch-screen voting machines in November. Officials say a demonstration will be set up during the city's May election, but even if you don't vote then, they assure you you won't be left in the dark.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 11:06:18]
[IN Q=there will be]
((BERYL BROOKS/ROANOKE CITY REGISTRAR; THERE WILL BE STAFF FROM THE COMPANY THAT WILL ACTUALLY BE IN EACH PRECINCT. OUR MAINTENANCE MEN WILL ALSO BE TRAINED TO DO EASIER MAINTENANCE, MORE SIMPLE MAINTENANCE ON THE MACHINES. SO ANY ISSUES THAT WE HAVE, THERE WILL ACTUALLY BE ENOUGH STAFF IN THE CITY TO TAKE CARE OF ANY OF THEM.))
[SUPER=01-Beryl Brooks/Roanoke City Registrar;]
[RUNS=17]
[OUT Q=take care of any of them]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Officials say the machines are safer and easier than the mechanical ones used now. They say they're also more reliable, because voters can actually review their selections BEFORE submitting them.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Susan]
[SS=none]
News 7 Mornin' will be right back. [BUMP] [COMM]

[11Gun-Arrest]

[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=tzi]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A Franklin County man is under arrest after police say he took a rifle into a convenience store.
57-year old George Oscar Hodges allegedly entered the Redwood Minute Market yesterday and walked around the store briefly before another customer asked him why he had the gun.
Deputies say Hodges then hit the customer with the butt of the gun and left the store.
Less than ten minutes later, Hodges was apprehended when deputies spotted his vehicle.
He was arrested and charged with DUI, felonius assault, and other gun charges.

[Biz-Brief]

[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]
[ENG#=2]

In business news, The Dow and Nasdaq gained little ground yesterday. Stan Case has more in today's business brief.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Stan Case/Reporting; :]
[RUNS=1:19]
[OUT Q=I'm Stan Case.]

((THE NASDAQ AND OTHER MAJOR AVERAGES CLOSED NEAR UNCHANGED IN TRADING MONDAY OVER LIGHT VOLUME AND CONTINUED WORRIES ABOUT INTEREST RATE HIKES.

THE DOW WAS DOWN 14-POINTS...
WHILE THE NASDAQ WAS UP 24.

3-M SAYS ITS NET INCOME ROSE 90 CENTS A SHARE IN ITS FIRST QUARTER.
THAT'S COMPARED TO A 63 CENTS PER SHARE INCREASE DURING THE SAME TIME LAST YEAR.
THE COMPANY REPORTED THE FIGURES BEFORE THE START OF TRADING MONDAY.
3-M SAYS IT WAS BOOSTED BY THE WEAKER DOLLAR, IMPROVED SALES TO INDUSTRIAL CUSTOMERS AND STRONG DEMAND FOR PRODUCTS USED IN FLAT-PANEL DISPLAYS.

DRUGMAKER ELI LILLY POSTS EARNINGS OF 37-CENTS-A-SHARE IN ITS FIRST-QUARTER, AN INCREASE ABOUT THE SAME AS A YEAR AGO-- THE GAIN THEN WAS 38 CENTS.
THE COMPANY SAYS THE SLIGHT DROP CAME AS SPECIAL CHARGES OFFSET HIGHER DRUG SALES, INCLUDING NEW TREATMENTS FOR IMPOTENCE AND ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER.

MCDONALD'S RESTAURANTS LOSES JUST MORE THAN TWO-AND-A-HALF-PERCENT IN TRADING AMID UNCERTAINTY FOLLOWING THE UNEXPECTED DEATH OF ITS CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER.
JIM CANTALUPO DIED MONDAY MORNING FROM AN APPARENT HEART ATTACK AT A CONVENTION IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA.
THE WORLD'S LARGEST FAST-FOOD CHAIN HAS NAMED FORMER CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER CHARLIE BELL THE NEW PRESIDENT.

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

[Paws-Claws--April 20]

[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
[ENG#=3]
[NOTE ANCHOR TAG!!]
For many of us, losing a pet is like losing a family member. In this week's "Paws and Claws" segment, Doctor Debbye Turner looks at some of the ways pet owners are coping with their grief.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-New York, NY;]
[SUPER=01-Sara Champion/Grieving Pet Owner; :32]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Susan Cohen/Pet Loss Support Group Leader;]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Debbye Turner/Reporting; 1:55]
[SUPER=01-Edward Martin/Hartsdale Pet Cemetery; 2:12]
[RUNS=2:53]
[OUT Q=chat each week.]
(----------)
[ANCHOR=SUSAN]
[SS=none]
That was Dr. Debbye Turner reporting from New York. News 7 Mornin will be right back.
[Toss to bump] [BUMP - Paws and Claws music under] [COMM]