[7Wx-Headline]

[ANCHOR=Kim]

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



Good morning, I'm Susan Bahorich.
Don't forget your sunglasses as you head out today.
It will be hot and humid with temperatures getting near 90.
Brent Watts will have your Friday forecast coming up after the news.




[7-11Syverson]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=04-26 TC18:03]
[GRAPHIC=Iraq]



[ENG#=1]



The war in Iraq has claimed the life of another V-M-I graduate.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


VMI says Army Major "Paul R. Sy-verson, the Third," was killed Wednesday near Camp Anaconda in Iraq.
Syverson grew up in Illinois and was a 1993 graduate of VMI.
[SUPER=04-2001]


He was assigned to the Fifth Special Forces Group and was no stranger to dangerous situations.
VMI says he was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his role in stopping a prison revolt in Afghanistan in 2001.
He was scheduled to return home from Iraq shortly.
(------------)



[7-11Henry-Fatal]


[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=04-21 TC24:24]
[GRAPHIC=Flooding]



[ENG#=2]


The body of a man presumed drowned in flash flooding in Henry County was found by rescue crews yesterday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Henry Co./Wednesday;]

Booker John Henry Hutson dissappeared Wednesday morning, after the car it's believed he was riding in, was washed away by a rain swollen stream on Meeks Road in southern Henry County. The body was discovered 3 miles downstream near the route 87 bridge in North Carolina. Police believe Hutson was with his ex-wife, 61 year old Louise Fuller, as they delivered newspapers. Fuller was found dead at the scene.
(-------------)



[7-VOBSchool-Bus]


[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=04-25 TC 8:51]
[GRAPHIC=none]



[ENG#=3]



School bus accidents around the commonwealth have decreased this year, but in our area the number of accidens have gone up.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./File]


Take Roanoke County for example.
It typically has one or two accidents a year but this school year Roanoke County had five.
Transportation officials say they cannot pinpoint exactly why but say overall buses are safe, it's usually the other driver's fault.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 7:12:57]
[IN Q=Four out of five]

((RICHARD FLORA/ROANOKE CO. SCHOOLS TRANSPORTATION DIRECTOR: FOUR OUT OF FIVE WERE DRIVER ERROR, THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED AND WE'RE NOT TALKING BRAND NEW DRIVERS. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN AROUND SEVERAL YEARS.))
[SUPER=01-Richard Flora/Roanoke Co. Schools Transportation Dr.]
[RUNS=:12]
[OUT Q=several years]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Preliminary numbers provided by the state show that for this past school year, the bus driver was at fault in 48-percent of crashes.
(------------)



[7-11Lyric]


[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=rde]
[TAPE#=04-27 TC09:46]
[GRAPHIC=None]



[ENG#=4]


Blacksburg's Lyric Theatre is getting a face-lift.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]

Crews will be updating the stage lighting for live performances. In the past, the theater's had to rent lighting equipment for its shows. Improvements will also be made to the theater screen. It will be moved and reconfigured, making the picture crisper for the movie going public. The renovations will cost about 70-thousand dollars. The theater will close on Friday June 25th and re-open Friday July 2nd.

(------------)[55-WXHeads]



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



Good morning, I'm Susan Bahorich.
We'll see sunny skies today with a chance of an afternoon thunderstorm.
Brent Watts will tell us what the weekend forecast looks like after the news.

[55-11Tuberculosis]


[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=04-14 TC1:55:00]
[GRAPHIC=none]



[ENG#=1]




Virginia health officials are calling the state's tuberculosis rate cause for concern.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


This week a 52-year old woman in Chesapeake died from the disease.
Health officials say the state's T-B rate declined for a number of years but has now leveled off.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 14:12:59]
[IN Q=WE HAVE PEOPLE IMMIGRANTS]

((DR. MARGARET TIPPLE/VA. DEPT OF HEALTH: WE HAVE PEOPLE IMMIGRANTS, REFUGEES AND OTHERS COMING TO US FROM PARTS OF THE WORLD WHERE THERE IS A LOT OF TB THEY BRING THEIR TB WITH THEM AND SOMETIMES THEY GET SICK AFTER THEY GET HERE SO OUR INCREASING NEWCOMER POPULATION IS ADDING TO OUR CASES.))
[SUPER=01-Dr. Margaret Tipple/Virginia Department of Health]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=POPULATION IS ADDING TO OUR CASES.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Health officials say the state usually sees over three-hundred cases of T-B each year.
Symptoms of tuberculosis include fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss.
(------------)



[55-11VDOT]


[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=04-12 TC1:39:46]
[GRAPHIC=None]



[ENG#=2]


Flat gas revenues and aging highways are making V-DOT's road construction program is run out of gas.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@File]


The Commonwealth Transportation Board approved a six-point-three billion dollar budget yesterday.
That is a significant reduction from last year.
The majority of the state's transportation dollars will be spent on maintenance costs.
V-DOT officials say that leaves no room for new road projects.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT :15:08]
[IN Q=THE PROJECTS THAT ARE UNDERWAY]

((TAMARA NEALE/VIRGINIA DEPT. OF TRANSPORTATION: THE PROJECTS THAT ARE UNDERWAY WE WILL COMPLETE THOSE BUT BASICALLY ONCE THOSE PROJECTS ARE COMPLETED THERE WILL BE FEW SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS LEFT IN THE PROGRAM.))
[SUPER=01-Tamara Neale/Virginia Dept. of Transportation]
[RUNS=:12]
[OUT Q=IMPROVEMENTS LEFT IN THE PROGRAM.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


V-DOT officials say the widening of Interstate 81 will NOT be affected by the decision.
That project will continue as planned.
(------------)



[55-11Driver-Course]


[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=jwi]
[TAPE#=04-11 TC1:43:56]
[GRAPHIC=None]



[ENG#=3]


The way to better training for Roanoke City and County Police is looking bright.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]

The two departments celebrated the opening of the "Laurel Mountain Driving Center" yesterday. The 30- acre facility was completed in March and boasts a classroom, driving course and skid pad. Officers helped keep costs down by donating thousands of hours of labor.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 52:10]
[IN Q=I've been doing]

((RANDY ROWLAND/ROANOKE CITY POLICE OFFICER: I'VE BEEN DOING CONSTRUCTION ALL MY LIFE AND I KNOW MANY OFFICERS WHO RETIRE AND LEAVE THEIR LAW ENFORCEMENT CAREERS AND NO ONE REMEMBERS THEM AFTER SEVERAL YEARS AND THESE ARE A COUPLE OF PROJECTS I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN AND MY NAME WILL BE HERE LONG AFTER I'M GONE.))
[SUPER=01-Randy Rowland/Roanoke City Police Officer;]
[RUNS=17]
[OUT Q=long after I'm gone]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Before the course was completed, officers had to travel hours to practice their driving skills. Attorneys for Roanoke County are now looking into the possibility of letting other departments use the course.
(------------)



[8Wx-Headline]


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



Good morning, I'm Susan Bahorich.
Sunny skies and hot temperatures are in store for us today with a chance of an afternoon thunderstorm.
Brent Watts will have your weekend forecast coming up.





[8-11Syverson]


[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=04-26 TC18:03]
[GRAPHIC=Iraq]



[ENG#=1]


Another V-M-I graduate has died in the war in Iraq.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


VMI says Army Major "Paul R. Syverson, the Third," was killed Wednesday near Camp Anaconda in Iraq.
Syverson grew up in Illinois and was a 1993 graduate of VMI.
[SUPER=04-2001]


He was assigned to the Fifth Special Forces Group and was no stranger to dangerous situations.
VMI says he was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his role in stopping a prison revolt in Afghanistan in 2001.
He was scheduled to return home from Iraq shortly.
(------------)



[8-11Bear-Rabies]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=jbu]
[TAPE#=04-17 TC38:10]
[GRAPHIC=None]



[ENG#=2]


The bear that was shot and killed inside Franklin Memorial Hospital Tuesday night did not have rabies.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Rocky Mount/Tuesday Night]

The Health Department tested the bear for the disease and the results came back negative. Game officials on the scene Tuesday night said the bear looked healthy, but requested a rabies test anyway to be sure.
In these surveillance photos you can see the bear wandering the halls and a patron standing only a few feet from it. Game officials have issued warnings about feeding bears because it may lead to more close encounters.
(------------)



[8-11Akubue]


[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=04-20 TC43:10]
[GRAPHIC=None]



[ENG#=3]



The Lynchburg officer who pepper-sprayed a black college professor during a traffic stop last year is said to have acted with the law and with department guidelines.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg/January 6]


Dorothy Smith-Akubue (ah-koo-BOO-ee) claimed she was mistreated when she was stopped for going 57 miles per hour in a 25-mile-per-hour zone October 18th.
But an internal review that was forwarded to the Justice Department found that Officer J.E. Keene was right to use force when Akubue resisted arrest.
She did not appeal her conviction.
(------------)



[8-11Roanoke-Retail]


[ANCHOR=Susan]
[NEWSCAST=am cutins]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=04-]
[GRAPHIC=None]



[ENG#=4]


Business at shopping malls around the country is good, according to industry leaders. That was the word yesterday at a luncheon hosted by the International Council of Shopping Centers.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

Leaders say tax cuts and an improving economy is fueling more spending. The head of the company that owns Towers Mall in Roanoke spoke to the conference, and says despite the departure of its anchor store, that mall is still successful.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT - 20:40]
[IN Q=You have to find...]

((GARY RAPPAPORT/TOWERS SHOPPING CENTER OWNER; YOU HAVE TO FIND YOUR NICHE, AND HEIRONIMUS WAS NOT ABLE TO DO THAT. AND TOWERS, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE SOME VACANCY BECAUSE OF THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY. WE'VE OWNED THE CENTER SINCE 1986 AND RIGHT NOW WE ARE WORKING WITH ANOTHER BIG ANCHOR FOR THE UPPER LEVEL AND THE INVESTMENT OF MORE MONEY IN TOWERS AND THE CITY OF ROANOKE.))
[SUPER=01-Gary Rappaport/Towers Shopping Center Owner; ]
[RUNS=20]
[OUT Q=and the city of Roanoke.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Rappaport says rising gas prices have not hurt business. Shoppers are just making fewer trips. (------------)
by SS