WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 06/15/04

[7-11Giles-Ax]

[ANCHOR=Susan]

[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=04-19 TC42:07]
[GRAPHIC=Accident]

[ENG#=1]

Crews have cleaned up a messy tractor trailer accident in Giles County.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Giles Co.]

State Police say a tractor-trailer crashed on Route 100 and spilled lime all over the road.
Troopers say the rig was crossing the bridge over Walker Creek about 5:30 yesterday when it ran off the shoulder and overturned.
The tanker was torn open in the process.
The driver was taken to the hospital but there's no word on his or her condition.
(------------)

[7-11Injured-Soldier]

[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=04-15 TC45:21]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[ENG#=2]

A local soldier is expected to recover after falling more than 20 feet from a watchtower in Kuwait last week.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Army private DeWayne Beckner of Cloverdale was climbing the tower Thursday to relieve another soldier, when an explosion went off, forcing him to lose his balance. The 21-year-old was taken to a military hospital, where he's expected to recover from head injuries.
[SUPER=03-Cloverdale;]
His parents, Allan and Susan Beckner, say they're just glad the situation wasn't worse.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 5:37]
[IN Q=i'm a little]
((ALLEN BECKNER/SON INJURED IN KUWAIT: I'M A LITTLE SHAKEN UP I LOVE MY SON JUST HOPE HE IMPROVES SO HE CAN COME BACK HOME.))
[SUPER=01-Allen Beckner/Son Injured in Kuwait;]
[RUNS=08]
[OUT Q=come back home]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Beckner was deployed to Camp Udairi (yoo-Darey), 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.
(------------)

[7-VOBVan-Death]

[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=hold]

[ENG#=3]

There were more than 15-hundred fatalities involving 15 passenger vans between 19-90 and 20-02, and with the summer travel season under way, one Roanoke family says parents should be aware of the dangers.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Joe Erndt knows all too well the dangers of 15 seat passenger vans.
His daughter, Jessika Lewis was killed when a church van crashed in North Carolina almost three years ago.
Her family has been working ever since to put restrictions on the vans and to educate the public.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 3:37:35]
[IN Q=The tires are the big]
((JOE ERNDT/JESSIKA'S FATHER: THE TIRES ARE THE BIG PROBLEM. THEY INFLATED TIRES HEAT UP WHEN THEY TIRES BLOW AND THEY HAVE A VAN FULL OF CHILDREN IT'S A DANGEROUS SCENAIRO ESPECIALLY IF THEY DON'T HAVE THEIR SEATBELTS ON.))
[SUPER=01-Joe Erndt/Jessika's Father; :]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=their seatbelts on]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Jessika's family has been working to ban at the state level the use of 15 passenger vans to transport students.
Legislative efforts however have failed on two occasions.
It is unclear whether the legislation will be re-introduced next session.
(------------)

[55-WXHeads]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Cut-ins]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Mornin' Report]

Good morning, I'm susan bahorich...... it's going to be another wet one out there. Pop-up storms with temperatures about 80 degrees. Steve Pardon will have your full forecast in just a few moments.

[55-11Smart-Road]

[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=rde]
[TAPE#=04-28 TC06:07]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[ENG#=1]

Experiments with Blacksburg's Smart Road are set to make your drive in rainy weather a little safer.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]
Researchers are trying to develop better pavement markings, so drivers can see when it's raining. Officials have built a series of pipes that hang over a roadway and simulate rain.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT:1:15:27:00 ]
[IN Q=We're trying]
((RON GIBBONS: WE'RE TRYING TO FIND A BETTER TECHNOLOGY FOR PAVEMENT MARKINGS. THAT WILL GIVE US GREATER VISIBILITY DISTANCE FOR A DRIVER.))
[SUPER=01-Ron Gibbons/Lighting Research Scientist;]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=for a driver.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The research is funded by the Federal Highway Administration and V-DOT and is expected to take a few more years to complete.
(------------)

[55-11SOLs-Graduate]

[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=04-26 TC14:02]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[ENG#=2]

Virginia's dropout rate goes up at the same time graduation requirements get tougher, and one groups says there's a connection.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]

JustChildren, a child advocacy group, says thousands of students will not receive their diplomas this month.
They say the S-O-L requirements and a disparity in school funding are to blame.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 10:53:47]
[IN Q=ONE OUT OF EVERY FOUR]
((STONEWALL ODOM/SUPPORTS SUSPENDING SOL REQUIREMENTS: ONE OUT OF EVERY FOUR SCHOOLS IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA ARE UNACCREDITED. WE'RE PUNISHING STUDENTS, ASKING THEM TO PERFORM PRIOR TO ASKING THE SCHOOLS TO PERFORM.))
[SUPER=01-Stonewall Odom/Supports Suspending SOL Requirements; :]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=PRIOR TO ASKING THE SCHOOLS TO PERFORM.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

But supporters of the S-O-L program defend the higher diploma standards.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 15:16:45]
[IN Q=IT'S EASY TO BLAME THE SCHOOLS]
((STEVE HANER/VA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: ITS EASY TO BLAME THE SCHOOLS FOR THIS BUT TO SOME EXTENT AT SOME POINT THE RESPONSIBILITY HAS GOT TO BE WITH THE PARENTS AND STUDENTS TO DO THE WORK.))
[SUPER=01-Steve Haner/Virginia Chamber of Commerce; :]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=PARENTS AND STUDENTS TO DO THE WORK.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

JustChildren is asking Governor Warner to study the impact of S-O-L testing on Virginia's graduation rates.
State officials say a study is already in the works.
(------------)

[55-11Martinsville]

[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=jbu]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Hold]

[ENG#=3]

A museum in Martinsville will look to the future as it studies the past.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville]
The Virginia Museum of Natural History began excavating a site for a new building yesterday. In the 80's the state put the museum in an abandoned school house from the 20's. Now the museum will get a brand new building and triple its size.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It's a wonderfull thing for the]
((CAROLYN SEAY/MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS:IT'S A WONDERFUL THING FOR THE STATE OF VIRGINIA, NOT JUST MARTINSVILLE AND HENRY COUNTY, AND I THINK BUILDING IT IN MARTINSVILLE AND HENRY COUNTY.... WE'RE ON THE RISE. SO I THINK IT WILL BE AN ADDED ADDITION TO THE CITY OF MARTINSVILLE.))
[SUPER=01-Carolyn Seay/Marketing and Public Relations]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=THE CITY OF MARTINSVILLE]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
In 17 months when the building is finished the museum will begin the tedious process of moving the nearly 20 million artifacts into the new facility. Until then, tours will continue at the current building.
(------------)

[8Wx-Headline]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Cut-ins]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Mornin' Report]

good morning, i'm susan bahorich filling in for kimberly mcbroom. More rain and thunderstorms with temperatures around 80 degrees. Steve Pardon will have your full forecast in just a few moments.

[8-11Amherst-Robbery]

[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=04-24 TC14:13]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[ENG#=1]

Authorities in Amherst County are still looking for the woman who robbed a bank in Madison Heights last week.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Amherst Co./Friday]

The suspect held up the B-B-and-T in Amelon Square late Friday afternoon.
She escaped with some cash and is still on the run.
Police have released this photo of the suspect from bank surveillance cameras.. she's a black female, about 5-foot-3, heavy build and in her 40's.
She also has a noticeable scar on her left forearm.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 8:18:27]
[IN Q=Right now we're]
((INVEST. LINDY INGE/AMHERST CO. SHERIFF'S OFFICE: RIGHT NOW WE'RE JUST ABLE TO GET PICTURES AND PUT THEM OUT TO THE PUBLIC. WE HAVE GOTTEN A FEW CALLS, BUT RIGHT NOW WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING THAT WE CAN SINK OUR TEETH INTO.))
[SUPER=01-Invest. Lindy Inge/Amherst Co. Sheriff's Office]
[RUNS=12]
[OUT Q=sink our teeth into.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Anyone with information about the crime should call the Amherst County sheriff's office.
(------------)

[8-11Richardson]

[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=04-11 TC1:39:25]
[GRAPHIC=Kirby Richardson]

[ENG#=2]

Former Bedford County supervisor Kirby Richardson CAN go home if he gets too sick in jail.. but he still has to serve his 30-day sentence eventually.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co./Last Month]

Richardson was sentenced last month for forging public documents.
His attorney says Richardson suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure and being in jail has made those conditions worse.
Richardson was granted a five-day furlough last week but was due back in jail today.
Judge J. Samuel Johnston ruled yesterday that Richardson can have other furloughs if they're medically necessary, but he still has to serve his full sentence.
(------------)

[8-6Goins]

[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=04-16 TC1:16:39]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]

[ENG#=3]

A murder suspect pleads "no-contest" to charges relating to an escape attempt last summer
(------------)
[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.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Jean]
[SS=HOLD]
Goins was convicted last month of killing his cousin in Botetourt County.

[Radford-Fall]

[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=none]

[ENG#=none]

Two workers fell into a deep well at a public works building in Radford. Few details have been released, but a Radford police officer confirmed it happened around 9:30 last night. The well, which is normally used for holding liquid, was empty at the time. The two workers were taken to the hospital. Their conditions are not known.