WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 06/14/04

[1-News-Head]

[ANCHOR=Keith]

More than 2-thousand Virginia high school seniors couldn't graduate with the rest of the class, because their S-O-L sc
ores failed to pass the grade.
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[ENG#=1]
[VO-NAT]
And the surveillance photo that could help find a female armed-robbery suspect.
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[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
[ENG#=2]
In sports, a local author unveils his book about one of golf's great treasures in Pinehurst, Chip Sullivan plays for kidney research,
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[VO-NAT]

and Bobby Labonte talks about his season, a model of consistency to date
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[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Leo]
[SS=None]

Muggy and stormy will pretty much be the weather theme over the next few days. I'll have your hometown forecast.
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[ANCHOR=Keith 3-Shot]

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

[ENG#=3]
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[SOT 10:51:30]
[IN Q=WE SUPPORT HIGH STANDARDS]
((WE SUPPORT HIGH STANDARDS BUT DON'T SUPPORT PUNISHING CHILDREN. ))
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=PUNISHING CHILDREN.]
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[VO-NAT]
Virginia's high school diploma requirements have gotten tougher.
Some wonder if that's why more students are dropping out.
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[ANCHOR=Keith]
[GRAPHIC=News7at6]

Good evening, I'm Keith Humphry.
Shannon is off tonight.

[SOLs-Graduate]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=04-26 TC12:24]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 @ 6]

Virginia's high school dropout rate is on the rise.
One group is blaming the S-O-Ls for the growing number of students who are A-WOL.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith & Meghan /State Microwave;]

Richmond Bureau Chief Meghan Muldoon joins us now with more.
This is the first year that seniors must pass Standards of Learning exams in order to earn a standard diploma.
[LIVE=Meghan /FULL State Microwave]
[SUPER=@Meghan1]
[SUPER=05-Richmond]

As a result, one child advocacy group says thousands of students will now go without one.
[ENG#=4]
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[SOT]
[IN Q=OVER 24-THOUSAND VIRGINIA STUDENTS WHO]
[SUPER=03-Richmond; :00]
[SUPER=01-Stonewall Odom/JustChildren; :17]
[SUPER=01-Charles Pyle/Virginia Dept. of Education; :50]
[SUPER=01-Steve Haner/Virginia Chamber of Commerce; 1:12]
[RUNS=1:27]
[OUT Q=DON'T HAVE THE BASIC SKILLS NECESSARY.]
(( Over 24-thousand Virginia students who were freshmen four years ago did not receive their diplomas this month with the rest of their class.
JustChildren, a child advocacy group, says the tougher S-O-L requirements and the disparity in school funding are to blame.
[SOT 10:59:08]
((STONEWALL ODOM/JUSTCHILDREN: YOU CANNOT EXPECT A CHILD WHO DIDN'T HAVE ADEQUATE BOOKS COMPETE WITH A CHILD WORKING WITH A LAPTOP.)) [RUNS:08]
The group says students without high schools diplomas are more likely to end up in jail or live in poverty.
So members are asking Governor Warner to investigate the impact of S-O-L testing on Virginia's low income and minority students.
State education officials say this year's drop out rate is only slightly higher than last years and that there is no indication that SOL exams are prompting students to leave school.
[SOT 12:29:36]
((CHARLES PYLE/VA. DEPT. OF EDUCATION: THE SCHOOL DIVISIONS HAVE DONE A TREMENDOUS JOB IN PREPARING STUDENTS TO MEET THESE HIGHER STANDARS GRADUATION 2004 IS NOT GOING TO BE THAT MUCH DIFFERENT THAN GRADUATION 2003.)) [RUNS:15]
Supporters of tougher diploma requirements include Virginia's business community.
They say the higher standards are necessary.
[SOT 15:15:52]
((STEVE HANER/VA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: THE DIPLOMA HAS GOT TO MEAN SOMETHING IT'S GOT TO HAVE SOME MEAT BEHIND IT. WE'VE HAD COMPLAINTS FOR YEARS OF PEOPLE HIRING PEOPLE FOR JOBS WITH HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMAS AND YET THEY CAN'T READ, CAN'T DO BASIC MATH. DON'T HAVE THE BASIC SKILLS NECESSARY.)) [RUNS:15]))
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[LIVE=Meghan /FULL State Microwave]
[SUPER=05-Richmond;]

I checked with some local school systems.
In Roanoke City only 15 out of 581 students failed to receive their standard diploma because of low SOL scores. However, those students are allowed to retake the test until they pass.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith & Meghan/Microwave;]

Keith, Roanoke County says all of its high school seniors passed the S-O-Ls and graduated on time.

[Richardson]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=04-11 TC1:39:25]
[GRAPHIC=Kirby Richardson]
[ENG#=1]

A judge has ruled that former Bedford County supervisor Kirby Richardson has to pull his full jail sentence, despite health concerns that allowed him to return home last week.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co./Last Month]

Richardson was given a 30-day jail term last month for forging public documents.
His attorney says Richardson's health began to suffer while he was in jail, and Judge J. Samuel Johnston granted him a five-day furlough.
Richardson was due back in jail today, and Judge Johnston says he has to stay there unless he becomes too ill for jail staff to handle.
Then Richardson can have up to a seven-day furlough, but still must ultimately serve his entire sentence.
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[Amherst-Robbery]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=04-24 TC13:22]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=2]
Investigators have released a photo of the woman who robbed an Amherst County bank last week. They hope someone recognizes her and gives them a call.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Amherst Co./Friday]

The suspect walked into the B-B-and-T branch in Madison Heights Friday afternoon and handed the teller a note, claiming she had a gun and bombs.
She escaped with some cash, and police are still looking for her.
This is a photo from the bank surveillance camera. The suspect is a black woman, about 5-foot-3, heavy build and in her 40's.
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[SOT 8:19:09]
[IN Q=They could either]
((INVEST. LINDY INGE/AMHERST CO. SHERIFF'S OFFICE: THEY COULD EITHER RECOGNIZE THE HAT, THE STANCE, THE SHAPE OF THE BODY, THAT TYPE OF THING. AND THE HEIGHT PLAYS INTO IT.))
[SUPER=01-Invest. Lindy Inge/Amherst Co. Sheriff's Dept.]
[RUNS=09]
[OUT Q=plays into it.]
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[VO-NAT]

Inge says they've had a few calls but don't have any solid leads to go on at this point.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Amherst County sheriff's office.
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[House]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=04-29 TC09:31]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=3]
Radford University baseball team captain Shaun House admitted today to conspiring to defraud the student loan system.

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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Radford/May 10]
The third baseman had been turned down for two student loans in 2002. His mother suggested he re-apply, using his Uncle's name as a co-signer. House eventually got a 30-thousand dollar check intended for educational purposes. He used most of the money to purchase a Ford Expedition from a used car dealer in Blacksburg.
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[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=None]
The government says Shaun House won approval for the loan by producing a phony pay stub in the name of James Scruggs.

Scruggs was actually a Colonel in the Marine Crops at the time, not another Radford student as we reported last month.
House's Uncle was unaware his nephew had forged his name to the application. House graduated from Radford last month and will be sentenced in federal court in Norfolk in October.

[Goins]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=04-16 TC1:16:39]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]
[ENG#=4]
A murder suspect who tried to escape from custody last summer has chosen not to contest the charges against him.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/August 29, 2003]
Milan Goins had been apprehended in North Carolina and was being transported to the jail in Fincastle.
As they were passing through Roanoke, Goins slipped his handcuffed hands over Lieutenant K-K Parker's head and began choking him. Goins pled no contest today to attempted escape and felony assault and battery on a police officer. A third charge was dropped.
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[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=HOLD]
Goins was convicted last month of killing his cousin in Botetourt County.

[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=NONE]
[ENG#=V10]

On a rainy evening like tonight, lines on the highway can often be difficult to see.
Still ahead on News 7, how reserachers here in Western Virginia are working to make them brighter.
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[VO-NAT]

And it's a big dig for the Natural History Museum in Martinsville, but crews aren't looking for fossils or new artifacts.
They're looking for a new home.
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[Injured-Soldier]

(MINI OPEN)

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=04-15 TC45:21]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=1]

A soldier from Botetourt County- -now stationed in Kuwait- -is recovering in the hospital, after falling more than 20-feet from a watchtower.
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[VO-NAT]
Army private DeWayne Beckner of Cloverdale was climbing the tower Thursday to relieve another soldier, when an explosion went off and knocked him off balance. The 21-year-old was taken to a military hospital, where he's being treated for head injuries.
[SUPER=03-Cloverdale;]
His parents say this isn't the first time their son's life was threatened since he's been stationed in Kuwait. Earlier this year, he and his troops were shot at while riding in their Hummer.
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[SOT 807]
[IN Q=and then the]
((ALLEN BECKNER/SON INJURED IN KUWAIT: AND THEN THE SECOND ONE WAS ANOTHER EXPLOSION NEAR THE BASE, AND IT KNOCKED HIM AND SOME OTHERS OFF BALANCE AND HE HIT HIS HEAD. BUT HE WAS ABLE TO GET UP AND WALK AWAY -- BUT THIS ONE HE COULDN'T.))

[SUPER=01-Allen Beckner/Son Injured in Kuwait;]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=this one he couldn't]
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[VO-NAT]
Beckner was deployed to Camp Udairi (yoo-Dare-ee), Kuwait in January. His family says after he's released from the hospital, he will most likely be transferred back to Germany, his home base.
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[Teenage-Mothers]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6PM]
[WRITER=dse]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Older men are the targets of a new campaign to reduce teen pregnancy. The Virginia Department of Health campaign is designed to discourage older men from having sex with underage girls. Messages will be placed on billboards, posters, and drink coasters in Roanoke, northern Virginia and Richmond. Health department officials say that men over 21 are three times more likely than junior high boys to father children with junior high girls.

[Dish-Network]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rde]
[TAPE#=04-09 TC2:01:51]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]
[ENG#=3]
A Christiansburg company is celebrating a big milestone today.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg;]
Echo Star Dish Network recently signed up its 10 millionth customer. The Christiansburg office opened four years ago when Echo star had only 4 million customers. Officials say employees at the Christiansburg office have played a big role in the company's growth.
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[SOT:10:49:00 ]
[IN Q=This group]
((LORI DEAL: THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE KEEPS OUR CUSTOMERS SO THAT'S WHAT'S IMPORTANT. IN BUILDING ON THE BASE ALREADY HAVE WE'VE GOT TO KEEP THEM. THESE GUYS TAKE THE TECHNICAL SUPPORT CALLS AND MAKE SURE THOSE CUSTOMERS ARE HAPPY, WHICH IN TERM GETS US NEW CUSTOMERS.))
[SUPER=01-Lorie Deal/Echostar Director of Operations;]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=gets us new customers.]
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[VO-NAT]
The company held a barbecue this afternoon to celebrate and gave every employee an extra day off with pay. Echostar is in the middle of expanding its operation. The company plans to hire another 300 people by the end of the year.
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[Stocks]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
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Fears of inflation and higher interest rates pulled the markets lower. [TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-y/75.37/10334.73/y/29.88/1969.99;]

The DOW fell 75 points.
NASDAQ lost 30.
[SUPER=271-h/0.41/43.36/i/0.86/47.62/i/0.22/30.98/i/0.74/90.00/i/1.66/82.55;]
[SUPER=272-i/0.45/36.54/i/0.41/20.13/i/0.37/5.73/h/0.07/61.81/h/0.08/31.57;]
[SUPER=273- /Unchg/9.02/i/0.33/39.81//Unchg/17.00/i/0.50/24.49/i/0.72/5.28;]
[SUPER=274-h/0.83/14.48/i/1.34/64.21/i/0.25/36.01/i/0.70/46.95/i/0.82/56.38;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]

[SPONSOR ANNOUNCE]
[COMMERCIAL]

[Martinsville]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=jbu]
[TAPE#=04-14 TC1:48:42]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=1]

Scientists often dig to uncover the past, but a museum in Martinsville is digging for its future.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville]
Excavation began this morning at the site of the Virginia Museum of Natural History's new home.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=It's a big relief because two]
((CAROLYN SEAY/MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS:IT'S A BIG RELIEF BECAUSE TWO GOVERNORS BEFORE GOVERNOR WARNER, ONE GAVE US THE MONEY AND THE OTHER TOOK IT AWAY BECAUSE OF THE BUDGET CONSTRAINTS, AND WE HAVE THE MONEY NOW AND EVERYTHING IS LOOKING UP.))
[SUPER=01-Carolyn Seay/Marketing and Public Relations]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=and everything is looking up.]
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[VO-NAT]
Seventeen months and 12 million dollars from now the building will be complete. Then the job of moving 21 million artifacts begins.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=We will have five times]
((CAROLYN SEAY/MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS:WE WILL HAVE FIVE TIMES THE EXHIBIT SPACE WE HAVE NOW AND THAT IS A LOT. AND WE JUST NAMED THE NEW DESIGNER FOR THE EXHIBITS SO THEY'LL START THE PLANNING STAGES OF OUR NEW EXHIBITS NEXT MONDAY SO IT'S AN EXCITING PROCESS.))
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=so it's an exciting process.]
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[VO-NAT]
The current museum is housed in a renovated school building from the 1920's.
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[Smart-Road]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rde]
[TAPE#=04-20 TC37:19]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=2]
Blacksburg's Smart Road could pave the way for an easier drive in wet weather.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]
Researchers are trying to develop better pavement markings, so you can see them when it's raining. Officials have built a series of pipes that hang over a roadway and simulate rain. They're testing new technologies to make the lines on the road a little clearer.
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[SOT:1:15:37:00]
[IN Q=Typically]
((RON GIBBONS: TYPICALLY WHEN IT RAINS YOUR PAVEMENT MARKING'S FLOODS AND YOU CAN'T SEE THE WHITE LINE ANYMORE AND SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR TECHNOLOGIES THAT WILL GIVE US MORE DISTANCE.))
[SUPER=01-Ron Gibbons/Lighting Research Scientist;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=give us more distance.]
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[VO-NAT]
The research is funded by the Federal Highway Administration. V-DOT is expected to take a few more years to complete it. Smart Road officials say the findings could eventually become the basis for federal standards for ALL future roadways.

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[Sports tease]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=V10]

A chat with Bobby Labonte about his solid sixth place standings in the Nextel Cup points, some of the areas best golfers team up for the Kidney foundation
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[VO-NAT]

and the late great Payne Stewart is one of the many stories surrounding the release of a book about Pinehurst.
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[S-NASCAR]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-178 7:39 ]
[GRAPHIC=nascar nextel cup]
[ENG#=1]

We are 14 races into the 36 race Nextel Cup season. The top 10 drivers and any other driver with in 400 points of the top spot will qualify for the 10 race shootout that decides the championship.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Concord, NC; :00]

One driver no doubt in contention is Bobby Labonte. He is sixth in the points race with no wins but five top five finishes.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Bobby Labonte/6th in Points Race; :00]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=.....stay on top of that"]
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[S-Skins]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-182 7:48]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 sports]
[ENG#=2]

Over a hundred golfers teamed up today for the National Kidney Foundation of the Virginias.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]

The seventh annual Kidney Foundation event was held at the Roanoke Country Club and the committee works hard to raise funding.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Paige Thomas/Kidney Foundation Golf Organizer; :00]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=...of the virginias"]
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[VO-NAT]

One major way the committee raises money for kidney research and funding is the skins game. Ashley Plantation pro Chip Sullivan competed as he prepares for a major PGA event.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Chip Sullivan/Skins Game Competitor; :00]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=....things of that nature"]
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[S-Book]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-168 12022tc]
[GRAPHIC=US OPEN GOLF]
[ENG#=3]

The second major of the season - the U.S. Open, is set to begin Thursday at the Shinnecock Hills golf club in Southampton, New York. Next year - the event return to Pinehurst. Mike Stevens takes a look at a new book perfect for a fathers day gift this weekend.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=FIRST AUDIO]
[SUPER=03-Pinehurst, NC; :00]
[SUPER=01-Bob Hartman/Author of "Tales From Pinehurst"; :14]
[SUPER=@mike2; :27]
[SUPER=04-1999 U. S. Open; 1:05]
[RUNS=1:45]
[OUT Q=...NEWS 7 SPORTS."]
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(( They've been hitting tee shots at Pinehurst for more than 100 years, and now a Roanoke author has taken a whack at scoring an ace with a new book on of the south's golfing Mecca's. ((BOB HARTMAN:)) The Michigan native, who is a former sports information director at Roanoke College and former owner of Heartland Bread has always been fascinated by Pinehurst's tradition. ((BOB HARTMAN:)) In 1999 - Pinehurst served as the backdrop for one of the greatest finishes in golf history - Payne Stewart's birdie on the final hole to beat Phil Mickelson. Now the open is coming back to this course in record time. ((BOB HARTMAN:)) The book is available locally at Barnes and Noble, Rams Head and on the web at Amazon dot com. Mike Stevens News 7 sports.))

[S-NBA]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-177 35:08]
[GRAPHIC=NBA playoffs]
[ENG#=1]

Game five of the NBA finals is tomorrow night at Detroit. Leading 3 games to 1 the Pistons can wrap up the series with the win. Larry Brown says he's winning the old fashioned way, hustle, defense teamwork.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Larry Brown/Detroit Pistons Head Coach; :00]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=.....thing s you can accomplish"]
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