WDBJ 7 morning news for 04/29/04

[11Countess]

[ANCHOR=Kim]

[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=04-16 TC19:56]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]
[ENG#=1]

A woman convicted of killing her own mother will spend more than a decade behind bars.
Cindy Countess was sentenced to 14 years in prison for second degree murder.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/September 29;]

During her trial in September, Countess said she was intoxicated by the prescription drug Paxil when she killed her mother, 82-year-old Edna Dooley.
At her sentencing yesterday, Countess said she was dealing with depression, breast cancer and "caretaker burnout''
and still doesn't remember what happened during the scuffle.
The judge said he would recommend that Countess receive psychiatric care while in prison. He also ordered probation for at least ten years after she gets out.
(------------)

[PKGFootball-Disturbance]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=04-19 TC07:00]
[GRAPHIC=Shooting]
[ENG#=2]
Three UVa football players were arrested early yesterday morning just an hour after another player was shot outside of a dorm. Jean Jadhon reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Charlottesville/Last Season;]
[RUNS=:52]
[OUT Q=Jean Jadhon, News 7.]
(( Jamaine Winborne, one of the more popular UVa players during the last four years, was shot in the leg outside of the Hench dorm. His injuries are serious, but not life threatening. Police are searching for this man - Aaron Joshua Robinson, a 23-year-old UVa student, who is charged with malicious wounding in the shooting. The incident indirectly led to the arrest of three other UVa football players, including quarterback Marques Hagans - the projected starter this coming season. Hagans and his sophomore teammate Brandon Lee are charged with disorderly conduct while Kenneth Tynes faces a vandalism charge. Police say he threw a chair through a window at the dorm. All three were held in the Charlottesville- Albemarle regional jail before being released on $25 hundred dollar bonds.
Police say the players were part of a large gathering that materialized after the shooting.))
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[SS=none]
UVa Police Sergeant Melissa Fielding says police were attempting to clear out the crowd when the three players became unruly and aggressive toward police. When they refused to leave they were arrested. All three are scheduled to appear in Albemarle General district court next Tuesday, May 4th at 9 A-M.

[11Pitts-Body]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=503-04 TC1:46:35]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=3]

Pittsylvania County authorities are now investigating a murder.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pittsylvania Co.;]
The Medical Examiner has determined that human remains found near a field a few hundred yards off of Inman Road belong to a middle-age woman, and that she was murdered. Authorities are not releasing how she was killed. Investigators don't know who she was, or even how long her body had been in the woods. They say the bones were extremely weathered, and had been exposed for at least several seasons.
(-------------)

[911-Commission]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=911]
[ENG#=4]

The investigation into what, if anything, could have been done to prevent the September 11th attacks moves to the White House today, as President Bush and Vice President Cheney meet with the 9- 11 commission.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington, DC;]

The discussion will be held behind closed doors in the Oval Office.
The 9-11 panel wants to find out what the President did to prepare the nation for a terrorist attack before 9-11 and what actions he took that day.
Last month, former counterterrorism advisor Richard Clarke testified that Bush did NOT take the al-Qaida threat seriously enough.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I believe the Bush]
((RICHARD CLARKE/FORMER COUNTERTERRORISM ADVISOR:I BELIEVE THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION IN THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS CONSIDERED TERRORISM AN IMPORTANT ISSUE, BUT NOT AN URGENT ISSUE. ))
[SUPER=01-Richard Clarke/Former Counterterrorism Advisor;]
[RUNS=:07] (estimated bite runs time)
[OUT Q=not an urgent issue.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

President Bush is expected to tell the commission that he had no hints of when or where terrorists would strike the U-S.
However, there will be no tape recording or transcript of the meeting.
(------------)

[Iraq]

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

A plan to establish joint U-S-- Iraqi patrols in the volatile city of Fallujah today has been delayed.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Fallujah, Iraq;]

That, as the fighting between American troops and insurgents continues.
U-S warplanes pounded the region with laser- guided bombs.
Coalition commanders say they were responding to guerrilla attacks.
There have been conflicting reports on the number of Iraqis killed.
Several families have also left the city.
Meanwhile, a new C-B-S New York Times poll shows Americans are now evenly split on whether military action in Iraq was the right thing to do.
About 47 percent say it was.
That's down 11 percent from last month.
(------------)

[Kerry]

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

It appears Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry is getting closer to naming a running mate.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-File Tape;]
There's word that Kerry's campaign has begun background checks of former Presidential candidates Dick Gephardt and John Edwards, along with other possible picks to be on the Democratic ticket.
This, as the race for the White House gets uglier.
Supporters of Kerry and President Bush continue launching attacks at both candidates' military records.
(------------)

[11Mayor-Debate]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=04-20 TC00:07]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2004]
[ENG#=3]

The future of Victory Stadium appears to be on the minds of many voters in Roanoke this year.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

With less than a week before the election, the N-double A-C-P held a candidates forum last night at the Jefferson Center.
Six of the candidates running for city council debated for ninety minutes; the four mayoral candidates an hour.
Among the issues brought up were whether to build or renovate Victory Stadium, school violence, the performance of city manager Darlene Burcham, and race relations in the city.
The election is Tuesday.
(------------)

[PKGNuisance-Law]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=04-07]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=4]

There are laws many of us break almost everyday.
There are consequences of course, but most think they get away with it.
So is that always the case?
Justin McLeod has three examples.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Tom Foster/Virginia State Police; :26]
[SUPER=01-H. F. Wallick/Roanoke City Police Department; :51]
[SUPER=01-Mike Pedelty/Cox Communications; 1:17]
[SUPER=@justin1; 1:30]
[RUNS=1:44]
[OUT Q=JM, News 7]
((((NAT SOUND OF CARS DRIVING BY ON INTERSTATE))
When you drive on or near the highway, you see plenty of trash.
You've probably wondered whether there's a law to punish littering.
[SOT 10:03:58; TAPE 1]
[IN Q=It actually is]
((SGT. TOM FOSTER/VIRGINIA STATE POLICE: IT ACTUALLY IS A CRIMINAL VIOLATION.)) [Runs02]
[OUT Q=criminal violation]

A violation that results in a minimum 250 dollar fine.
But it is a law that is rarely enforced. [GRAPHIC]
We checked with several localities and found in a typical year fewer than five tickets are issued for littering along the highway.
[SOT 10:07:18; TAPE 1]
[IN Q=We certainly will]
((SGT. TOM FOSTER/VIRGINIA STATE POLICE: WE CERTAINLY WILL TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO ENFORCE IT BUT AGAIN IT IS SOMETHING WHERE WE ACTUALLY GOING TO HAVE TO SEE IT AND THAT MAKES IT MUCH MORE DIFFICULT.)) [Runs07]
[OUT Q=MORE DIFFICULT]

It is not as difficult to catch those who play their music too loudly in their vehicle. ((QUICK NAT SOUND OF CAR RADIO BLASTING))
If you're caught doing it in Roanoke you could face up to six months in jail and a thousand dollar fine. [GRAPHIC]
But the city on average only writes about 186 noise violations for vehicles in a typical year.
[SOT 21:26:33; TAPE 2]
[IN Q=A lot of times]
((H.F. WALLICK/ROANOKE CITY POLICE: A LOT OF TIMES OFFICERS WILL BE TRAVELING DOWN THE ROADS THEMSELVES AND HEAR THE MUSIC VERY FAR AWAY AND OBVIOUSLY WITH THE ORDINANCE THE WAY IT IS DRAWN UP BEING WITHIN 50 FEET WITHIN THE CAR THAT IS THE MOST OBVIOUS WAY OF DETECTING IT.)) [Runs12]
[OUT Q=way of detecting it]
((QUICK NAT SOUND OF CABLE))
It's even more difficult to detect cable theft.
Cox Communications recently did an audit and found 10 percent of people who don't subscribe to cable actually have it illegally.
[SOT 2:58:00; tape 1]
[IN Q=With technology]
((MIKE PEDELTY/COX COMMUNICATIONS SPOKESPERSON: WITH TECHNOLOGY IT'S GETTING EASIER TO IDENTIFY THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT PAYING FOR CABLE. WE ACTUALLY HAVE THE ABILITY THROUGH A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT WE HAVE TO PUT ON A VEHICLE TO DRIVE THROUGH A NEIGHBORHOOD TO FIND A GOOD PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT PAYING FOR CABLE TELEVISION.)) [Runs11]
[OUT Q=ARE NOT PAYING FOR CABLE TELEVISION]
[SOT ]
[IN Q=As a result]
((JUSTIN McLEOD/REPORTING: AS A RESULT, COX IS NOW TAKING PEOPLE TO COURT, SOMETHING IT RARELY DID IN THE PAST. SO FAR THIS YEAR, COX HAS SUED 13 PEOPLE AND WON EVERY SINGLE CASE PROVING SOME LAWS ARE GETTING EASIER TO ENFORCE WHILE OTHERS ARE STILL HARD. JUSTIN McLEOD, NEWS 7.))))

[6-Webb-Layoffs]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=504-02 TC30:55]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]
[ENG#=]
In business news, a Galax furniture company has announced plans to lay off nearly a quarter of its workforce.
Webb Furniture Enterprises says it will eliminate 151-workers at two of its manufacturing plants in late June. Officials blame the layoffs on competition from cheap Chinese imports.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Galax/July 29;]
Webb Furniture was one of three Galax companies that signed a national anti-dumping petition against China last year.

The Department of Commerce is expected to rule on the petition June 17th.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[SS=None]
Webb Furniture employs about 700-people at its four plants.

[Marketwatch]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=NET]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]
[ENG#=2]

In other business news, Time Warner has released a strong first quarter earnings report.
Alexis Christoforous has that story and more in this morning's Marketwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Alexis Christoforous/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:43]
[OUT Q=in New York, I'm AC]
((MEDIA GIANT TIME WARNER IS OUT WITH A GLOWING PROFIT REPORT CARD. THE WORLD'S LARGEST MEDIA COMPANY SAID 1ST QUARTER PROFIT MORE THAN DOUBLED -- HELPED BY THE BOOM IN ITS FILM AND CABLE TV OPERATIONS. NET INCOME WAS 20 CENTS A SHARE VERSUS 9 CENTS A YEAR AGO. REVENUE TOPPED $10 BILLION. THE RESULTS WERE DRIVEN BY SALES FOR THE LORD OF THE RINGS FILM TRILOGY AND DEAMND FOR HIGH SPEED INTERNET SERVICE AT ITS CABLE UNIT.
TIME WARNMER'S AMERICA ONLINE UNIT CONTINUED TO SHED INTERNET SUBSCRIBERS -- LOSING 237-THOUSAND IN THE FIRST QUARTER.

JDS UNIPHASE ALSO STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE -- REPORTING A SMALLER THAN EXPECTED QUARTERLY LOSS OF $7-MILLION OR ONE CENT A SHARE. JDS UNIPHASE ATTRIBUTES THE NARROWER LOSS TO IMPROVED DEMAND FROM THE COMMUNICATIONS SECTOR.
STARBUCKS ONCE AGAIN POSTED DOUBLE DIGIT SAME STORE SALES GAINS APRIL... SALES AT STORES OPEN LONGER THAN A YEAR JUMPED 11 PER CENT.
ON WALL STREET, STOCKS TOOK IT ON THE CHIN AS INVESTORS WORRY ABOUT A SLOWDOWN IN CHINA'S ECONOMY.
THE DOW SLID 135 POINTS. WHILE THE NASDAQ TUMBLED ABOUT 43 POINTS.
NORTEL NETWORKS LED THE DECLINE AFTER THE TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT MAKER FIRED ITS CEO AND TWO OTHER EXECUTIVES AMID AN ACCOUNTING SCANDAL AND SAID IT WILL RESTATE ITS 2003 EARNINGS.
AND SHARES OF WALT DISNEY LOST GROUND... AFTER COMCAST THREW IN THE TOWEL AND DROPPED ITS NEARLY $60 BILLION TAKEOVER BID FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT AND MEDIA GIANT.
FIND OUT MORE AT CBS.MW.COM IN NY IN ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS.))

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

[Marriage-Tax]

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

The House has voted to keep the Bush tax cuts for married couples.
Some people face a tax increase next year, unless Congress makes permanent three changes in law that reduce what's known as the marriage penalty.
Opponents in the Senate are concerned about how to pay for it.
Meanwhile, Republicans say making the tax cuts permanent will help boost the economy.

[PKGRoanoke-Mayor]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=AM]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=04-]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2004]
[ENG#=2]

[+++ANCHOR TAG+++] Roanokers will choose a new mayor on Tuesday, and Nelson Harris says he's the candidate with the credentials.
In our third profile, Joe Dashiell takes a closer look at the Democratic campaign.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Nelson Harris may be]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=01-Rev. Nelson Harris/(D) Candidate for Roanoke Mayor; :32]
[SUPER=@Joe2; :47]
[RUNS=1:28]
[OUT Q=JD News 7 Roanoke]

((Nelson Harris may be making his first bid for the mayor's office, but he isn't making a first impression on voters. [NAT SOUND OF HARRIS]
The pastor of Virginia Heights Baptist Church, Harris has served on city council for eight years, and as a member of the city school board for four years before that.
Though recent controversies involving city schools and victory stadium may be a factor in the May fourth election, Harris says his experience sets him apart from the competition.
[SOT]
[IN Q=The same issues continue to surface]
((REV. NELSON HARRIS/(D) CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR: THE SAME ISSUES CONTINUE TO SURFACE AROUND SCHOOLS, NEIGHBORHOOD ISSUES, AND CITY INFRASTRUCTURE AND SPENDING AND THAT KIND OF THING, BUT I THINK RELATIVE TO MY CAMPAIGN, I'M REALLY TRYING TO STRESS MY RECORD OF SERVICE.))
[RUNS= :13]
[OUT Q=my record of service.]

During a recent forum, Harris said the Grandin Theater, the Winston Link Museum, and the Higher Ed Center are examples of successful projects that have moved the city forward. The Riverside Centre and high school construction are pending plans that give him optimism for the future.
[SOT]
[IN Q=I think it's important]
((REV. NELSON HARRIS: I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT. IN FACT I THINK IT'S CRITICAL THAT THE MAYOR HAVE AS THE FIRST STRATEGY A SPIRIT OF COOPERATION, WORKING WITH OUR CITIZENS WITH OUR SCHOOL BOARD, WITH OUR CITY ADMINISTRATION WITH OUR EMPLOYEES AS A WAY TO DEAL WITH THE CHALLENGES WE ARE CONFRONTED WITH. ))
[RUNS= :21]
[OUT Q=deal with the challenges we are confronted with.]

And Harris hopes the voters will agree he's the candidate most qualified to make that happen.
Joe Dashiell News 7 Roanoke))

(--------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[SS=HOLD]

Tonight on News 7 at Six, we'll wrap up our campaign profiles with Independent George Sgouros (SCORE-us).
(Kim tosses to bump)
[BUMP]

[COMM][2-6-Webb-Layoffs]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=504-02 TC30:55]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=1]
In business news, Webb Furniture Enterprises in Galax says it will eliminate 151-workers at two of its manufacturing plants in late June. Officials blame the layoffs on competition from cheap Chinese imports.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Galax/July 29;]
Webb Furniture was one of three Galax companies that signed a national anti-dumping petition against China last year.

The Department of Commerce is expected to rule on the petition June 17th.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[SS=None]
Webb Furniture employs about 700-people at its four plants.

[Biz-Brief]

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

In business news, Stocks plummeted yesterday. And, Comcast has dropped its Disney bid, but shown an interest in Adelphia Communications. Stan Case has more in today's business brief.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Stan Case/Reporting; :]
[RUNS=1:15]
[OUT Q=I'm Stan Case.]

((U.S. STOCK MARKETS TANKED WEDNESDAY, WITH INVESTORS BAILING OUT OF A SLEW OF SECTORS AMID A VARIETY OF EXTERNAL PRESSURES.

THE DOW INDUSTRIALS TUMBLED 135-POINTS... AND ARE NOW IN NEGATIVE TERRITORY FOR THE YEAR.
THE NASDAQ DROPPED 43.

COMCAST DROPS ITS OFFER TO ACQUIRE DISNEY.... ORIGINALLY VALUED AT 54-BILLION DOLLARS.
COMCAST CITES NO INTEREST ON THE PART OF DISNEY'S EMBATTLED MANAGEMENT.
BUT THE NATION'S LARGEST CABLE COMPANY SAYS IT MAY INSTEAD BID FOR THE ASSETS OF BANKRUPT RIVAL ADELPHIA COMMUNICATIONS.
COMCAST ALSO REPORTS A FIRST-QUARTER NET PROFIT OF THREE-CENTS A SHARE, COMPARED WITH A LOSS OF 13-CENTS A SHARE DURING THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.

ROYAL DUTCH-SHELL SAYS IT WILL CUT UP TO 30 PERCENT OF ITS GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY STAFF BY 2006.
THE COMPANY SAYS IT PLANS TO ELIMINATE UP TO TWENTY-EIGHT-HUNDRED WORKERS AS IT STREAMLINES ITS GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY DIVISION.
SHELL ADDS, IT PLANS TO OUTSOURCE SOME OF THE JOBS TO MALASYIA OR INDIA.

THE MORTGAGE BANKERS ASSOCIATION SAYS DEMAND TO REFINANCE HOME LOANS SLUMPED LAST WEEK AS 30- YEAR MORTGAGE RATES ROSE ABOVE SIX PERCENT, ITS HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE LAST SUMMER.
THE TRADE GROUP'S INDEX OF DEMAND TO REFINANCE EXISTING MORTGAGES FELL FIVE-POINT-EIGHT PERCENT LAST WEEK... BUT APPLICATIONS FOR NEW LOANS INCREASED SLIGHTLY.

WITH THE BUSINESS BRIEF, I'M STAN CASE.))

[TAPE TOSS TO STOCKS] [STOCKS] [WOOD ROGERS SPONSOR BOARD 5185 ESSC] [COMM]