WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 07/12/04

[1-News-Head]

[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Legislators arrive in Richmond for the special session.
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[ENG#=1]
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
And a home in Franklin County explodes into flames.
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[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=2]
Tonight on News 7 sports - Marcus Vick's court date in New Kent is set and we'll have some information on his attorney for the case. Plus, the big league all-star starters are named,
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[VO-NAT]
and the Avalanche picks up a win this afternoon to close out its series with Potomac.
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[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]

High and dry or getting soaked. Those were your two options today. Details ahead.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon 4-Shot]

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

[ENG#=3]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
((IT MAY HAVE INCREASED THE CYNICISM SOME VOTERS HAVE ABOUT THE POLITICAL PROCESS.))
[RUNS=:05 ]
[OUT Q=the political process]
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

State lawmakers will return to Richmond tomorrow.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

Who's to blame for the special session and what is it costing the state?
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[ANCHOR=Ketih 2-Shot]

Good evening, I'm Keith Humphry.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

And I'm Shannon Young.
[Special-session]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=04-16 TC01:53]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Tomorrow marks the 116th day of what was supposed to be a 60-day session of the General Assembly.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

Lawmakers are returning to Richmond to fix a bill that inadvertently entitles weekend workers to a day of rest.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Meghan /State Microwave;]

Richmond Bureau Chief Meghan Muldoon reports on the potential fall-out. Meghan?
[ENG#=4]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THIS IS NOT THE]
[SUPER=03-Richmond; :]
[SUPER=01-Bruce Jamerson/Clerk of the House; :]
[SUPER=01-Robert Holsworth/Political Analyst; :]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=AGAINST ANY PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL AS TIME GOES ON.]
(( Believe it or not, this is not the first time Virginia has held two special sessions in one year.
[SOT 15:57:08]
((BRUCE JAMERSON/HOUSE OF DELEGATES CLERK: IT'S RARE USUALLY THE ONLY TIME TWO HAS BEEN CALLED IN ONE YEAR IS A TIME WHEN A CENSUS HAS BEEN DONE.)) [RUNS:05]
Redistricting often requires additional sessions. But this is probably the first time the oldest continuous legislative body in the western hemisphere has been hauled back to fix its own mistake.
Some political observers blame the error on the fact that Virginia's lawmakers have only two months to pore over thousands of bills.
[SOT :58:06]
((BRUCE JAMERSON/HOUSE OF DELEGATES CLERK: OUR LEGISLATURE IS VERY BUSY WITH BEING PART TIME AND ONLY USUALLY MEETING THIS PAST YEAR FOR 63 DAYS AND CONSIDERING THERE IS OVER 3000 PIECES OF LEGISLATION. IT IS BUSY.)) [RUNS:11]
Regardless of what or who is to blame, the incident may have damaged, at least temporarily, Virginia's reputation.

The New York Times ran a half-page article on the blunder.
Still experts say it is unlikely the mistake will have any lasting effects on lawmakers or governor Warner.
[SOT :51:25]
((ROBERT HOLSWORTH/POLITICAL ANALYST: IT'S GREAT FUN FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO MAKE FUN OF THE LEGISLATURE BUT BY AND LARGE IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY GOING TO BE HELD AGAINST ANY PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL AS TIME GOES ON.)) [RUNS:11]
[OUT Q=]))
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[LIVE=Meghan /FULL State Microwave]
[SUPER=05-Richmond;]

Normally, with expense reimbursements for food and mileage, a one-day special session would cost close to 26-thousand dollars.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Meghan/Microwave;]

But Senate and House leaders are discouraging members from taking their per diems so, at least, the special session will not be costly.

[Roanoke-Ax]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=04-25 TC42:05]
[GRAPHIC=Accident]
[ENG#=1]

An accident in northwest Roanoke this afternoon sent one person to the hospital and slowed traffic on a busy road.

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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

A pickup truck collided with a car on the 10th Street bridge near Loudon Avenue.
Emergency workers had to cut a door off to get the driver out of the car. No word on her condition.
Authorities say the driver of the truck appeared to be all right.
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[House-Fire]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=lfe]
[TAPE#=04-23 TC32:56]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]
[ENG#=2]

Federal agents are helping determine the cause of a house fire in Franklin County this morning.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co.]
A neighbor said he heard an explosion before fire broke out at a house on Pine Haven Lane near Smith Mountain Lake early this morning. The house was unoccupied at the time. It is a total loss with damage estimated at about 125-thousand dollars. Officials say the owner lives in Florida. It took fire crews from Glade Hill, Scruggs, and Smith Mountain Lake two hours to extinguish the blaze.
No one was injured. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives joined the investiagtion due to the unusual circumstance of the fire.
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[Wythe-Abuse]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rde]
[TAPE#=04-22 TC53:32]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=3]
A Wythe County family accused of neglecting an elderly woman faces new charges today. This time for neglecting their animals.
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[VO-NAT]
79 year old Elmer Crigger, and his sons Daniel, Donald and Timothy Crigger are all charged with one count of animal cruelty to 22 dogs, a class one misdemeanor.
[SUPER=03-Wythe Co./Last week;]
Last week, deputies discovered the body of 65 year old Esther Crigger at their home in the Speedwell section of the county. They say her dogs were eating her left arm. Elmer, Donald and Daniel Crigger are already charged with abuse and neglect of an incapacitated adult. Over the weekend animal control officers rounded up the dogs. One is still missing and another is in critical condition at a vet's office. The dogs are being held at the animal shelter. A court date is scheduled for next week to decide what to do with the animals.
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[Rubatex]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=04-18 TC1:26:37]
[GRAPHIC=RBX Bankruptcy]
[ENG#=4]

A Buchanan plant now up for sale may soon have a new owner.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Buchanan/File Tape;]
Attorneys for a company in Richmond say they hope to close a 3-point-9 MILLION dollar deal next month to buy Groendyk
(Grun-dike) Manufacturing.
The silicone foam company is owned by R-B-X Holdings, the same company that owns Rubatex.
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co./File Tape;]
Meanwhile, talks continue between Rubatex and its union workers. Last week, the company was denied a motion to terminate a collective bargaining agreement with the workers, in order to close a one-point-one million dollar deal with a prospective buyer in Germany.
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[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=HOLD]
A judge is now working with both sides to help settle the deal.

[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
[SS=NONE]
[ENG#=V10]

Still ahead on News 7, the VMI grad whose men captured Saddam Hussein captures the imagination of local teenagers.

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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

Plus Lynchburg aims for more tourists as it fires up its newest attraction.
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[1st-Wx]
[Hickey]
(MINI OPEN)
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=04-21 TC35:25]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

Colonel James Hickey says it was a simple plan that lead to the capture of Saddam Hussein.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

But today, the Virginia Military Institute graduate said months of hard work, and an element of good fortune made it possible. [***IRAQ IN MONITOR***]
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & JOeD /NEwsroom;]

Hickey described that December day during a visit to Lexington .
Joe Dashiell caught up with him there.
Keith and Shannon, Colonel Hickey and his soldiers have returned from duty in Iraq.
[LIVE= JOeD /FULL Newsroom]
[SUPER=@joe1;]
They're now reorganizing, re-equipping and retraining at Fort Hood Texas.
But in mid-December they were closing in on Saddam Hussein.
[ENG#=1]
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[SOT]
[IN Q=OPENS ON NAT SOUND]
[SUPER=03-Lexington; :00]
[SUPER=01-Col. James Hickey/Brigade Commander; :19]
[SUPER=04-December 14, 2003; :40]
[RUNS=1:16]
[OUT Q=a bit of role reversal I guess.]
(( [OPENS WITH STANDING OVATION] High school students attending VMI's Junior War College gave Hickey a hero's welcome.
A 1982 graduate of VMI, he was in command of the 1st Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division, when his soldiers pulled Saddam Hussein from his spider hole last December.
[SOT]
[IN Q=It just came together that day]
((IT JUST CAME TOGETHER THAT DAY AND I CAN TELL YOU IT WENT OFF WITHOUT A HITCH. THE PLAN WAS SIMPLE , BUT THE PLAN WAS EXECUTED AS WE ENVISIONED IT. ))
[RUNS= :14]
[OUT Q=as we envisioned it.]
There was an element of good fortune in Saddam's capture, Hickey told reporters, but that good fortune was the result of months of hard work. He wasn't with the troops who found Saddam, but visited the site, and the spider hole, a short time later.
[SOT]
[IN Q=He was living]
((HE WAS LIVING IN VERY VERY PRIMITVE BASIC CONDITIONS, VERY POORLY KEPT, A LOT OF OPEN CONTAINERS OF FOOD HALF EATEN PIECES OF FRUIT. CLOTHES HANGING FROM EVERY PIECE OF FURNITURE WITHIN HIS ROOM THE PRESIDENTIAL SUITE, AND FROM LOW-HANGING BRANCHES ON THE FRUIT TREES IN THE ORCHARD.)) ((AT THE TIME I WAS RESIDING IN ONE OF HIS SMALL PALACES ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF TIKRIT THAT WAS WHERE I HAD MY HEADQUARTERS, SO IT WAS A BIT OF A ROLE REVERSAL I GUESS. ))
[RUNS= :25]
[OUT Q=role reversal I guess.]))
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[LIVE= JoeD /FULL Newsroom]

Since he returned from Iraq, Hickey says he has heard a lot of sincere, honest questions about U-S involvement there, and concerns about how U-S forces are doing.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & JOeD /NEwsroom;]

But Keith and Shannon, he says he has been overwhelmed by the support of the american people for the men and wome

n who are serving their country in Iraq.[Pulaski-Grant]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rde]
[TAPE#=04-24 TC38:04]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=2]
Hundreds of people in Pulaski County are finally getting sewer service.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pulaski;]
More than two million dollars in federal money is on the way to pay for a new sewer line in the Highland Park subdivision near Dublin. 230 homes and more than 500 residents will get the new service. Officials say the line is desperately needed to help replace dozens of private septic systems that are failing
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[SOT6:36:47:00 TO :04 ]
[IN Q=THE SEPTIC]
((REP. RICK BOUCHER: THE SEPTIC SYSTEMS WERE INSTALLED MORE THAN 30 YEARS AGO AND FRANKLY SOME OF THE LOTS ARE TOO SMALL TO ACCOMMODATE A NEW SEPTIC SYSTEM SO AS THE FAILURE RATE INCREASES AND YOU CERTAINLY DON'T HAVE ANY ABILITY TO REPLACE SEPTIC SYSTEMS, THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE IS A PUBLIC WASTE WATER SYSTEM.))
[SUPER=@Boucher;]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=PUBLIC WASTE WATER SYSTEM.]
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[VO-NAT]
Construction on the sewer line will begin next summer. The service should be up and running by the spring of 2006
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[Stocks]

[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Stocks turned in a mixed showing today. [TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-x/25.00/10238.22/y/9.41/1936.92;]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

The DOW rose 25 points.
NASDAQ fell nine.
[SUPER=271-i/0.02/40.90/i/0.01/49.74/i/0.04/31.39/h/0.97/88.42/h/0.94/84.85;]
[SUPER=272-h/0.70/37.38/i/0.30/18.86/i/0.04/5.51/h/0.24/62.60/h/0.43/32.60;]
[SUPER=273-i/0.07/9.52/h/0.01/40.12/i/0.04/17.11/h/0.06/25.80/i/0.27/4.96;]
[SUPER=274-h/0.46/14.49/h/1.62/66.00/h/0.31/35.75/h/0.33/44.36/h/0.45/52.21;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]

[SPONSOR ANNOUNCE]
[COMMERCIAL]
[Chad-Price]
[NEWSCAST=6 p.m.]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=04-17 TC1:09:26]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

A fatal auto accident involving a Salem man last week is reverberating through the local music world.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
40-year old Chad Price was not only a father, husband and carpenter, his was the voice when the band "Mitchell's Edge" took the stage.
[ENG#=1]
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[SOT]
[IN Q=Mesmerizing, hypnotic, charismatic.]
[SUPER=01-Matthew Muller/Friend and Former Band-mate;]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./Last Week;]
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=last set's been played]
((Mesmerizing, hypnotic, charismatic. These are the words Chad Price's biggest fans use to describe his presence both in and out of the spotlight.
[SOT 9:18:35 - 9:18:48]
[IN Q=He was a great volleyball player...]
((HE WAS A GREAT VOLLEYBALL PLAYER, AND INCREDIBLE CARPENTER, HE TOOK PRIDE IN EVERYTHING THAT HE DID, HE WAS A GREAT MAN ALL AROUND.)) [RUNS:13]
[OUT Q=great man all around.]
Friend, business partner and former band-mate Matthew Muller says Price had the spirit and voice of an angel.
[SOT 9:14:58 - 9:15:15]
[IN Q=There's nothing artificial about it...]
((THERE'S NOTHING ARTIFICIAL ABOUT IT. HIS VOICE COULD BE SO SWEET AND TENDER AND AT THE SAME TIME WHEN HE WANTED HAVE AMAZING AUTHORITY AND THIS INCREDIBLE POWER THAT SENT CHILLS DOWN YOUR SPINE.)) [RUNS:17]
[OUT Q=that sent chills down your spine.]
That voice was silenced last week when Price's truck flipped on Route 460 near the Roanoke County/Montgomery County line. Muller, who-co-owned a construction business with Price, says the wreck shattered their goal to again team up musically.
[SOT 9:16:44 - 9:16:47 musically and professionally]
[IN Q=He was alll of my hopes...]
((HE WAS ALL OF MY HOPES AND MY DREAMS.)) [RUNS:03]
[OUT Q=and all of my dreams...]
[BUTT BUTT BUTT]
[SOT 9:17:14 - 9:17:24]
[IN Q=Up until a few weeks ago...]
((UP UNTIL A FEW WEEKS AGO I HAD EVERYTHING PLANNED OUT AND NOW, I DON'T KNOW, EVERYTHING'S CHANGED...)) [RUNS:10]
[OUT Q=I don't know, everything's changed...]
What hasn't changed is what Muller says Price stood for: strong faith, intense love for his daughter and an honesty that echoes even thought the last set's been played.))
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[ANCHOR=Shannon ]
[SS=None]
Price left behind a wife and 13-year old daughter. The family is setting up an account for donations. And Muller says a benefit concert may also be in the works.

[Sports Tease]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=V10]
Coming up tonight on News 7 sports - Marcus Vick has a familiar attorney on his side in New Kent.
The Avs play and win this afternoon,
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[VO-NAT]
and a number of junior golfers take a shot at making the state am field today at Hidden Valley.
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[S-Marcus]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-177 5246tc]
[GRAPHIC=MARCUS VICK]
[ENG#=1]

Marcus Vick's court date in New Kent on the reckless driving and marijuana possession charges has been set for Tuesday, September 21st which is the week of the N.C. State game in Blacksburg. Vick will be represented at the trial by attorney Larry Woodward.
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[VO-NAT]
The Virginia Beach based lawyer was a natural selection also was recently hired to represent Marcus's old brother Michael Vick with his endorsement deals. Woodward also is Allen Iverson's long-time attorney having represented him in not only his brushes with the law, but in his endorsement and contract negotiations.
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[TALENT=MIKE]
[GRAPHIC=UVA]
Woodward also has represented UVa football players. He was the attorney for Demetrius Dotson and Duane Fisher in 2000 when they were found guilty of marijuana possession in Albemarle General District Court.

[S-Avs]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ape]
[TAPE#=sp-180 2811tc]
[GRAPHIC=AVS]
[ENG#=2]

The Salem Avalanche played one of those businessmen's matinees this afternoon as the squad closed out its three-game series with the Potomac Cannons.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem; :00]
It was a hot day for afternoon baseball, but not too hot to get in a plastic ball and roll down the first base line. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when Salem's Ryan Kochen knocked this RBI double past the shortstop, sending left fielder Adam Seuss across the plate. The Avs didn't waste any time getting on the board again as the next batter John Fagan hits this sacrifice fly to left field, allowing first baseman Mark Saccomano to make it home. That made the score 2-to-nothing. The Avalanche got two more runs in the seventh. This one came from catcher Reinaldo Ruiz, who sends this RBI single past the second baseman, and shortstop Wade Robinson sneaks home to make it 4-to-1.
[SUPER=37-Potomac/4/Salem/5;]
The Cannons would tie it, but Salem get the 5-to-4 win.
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[TALENT=MIKE]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD AVS]
The Avalanche is off tomorrow night for the big league all-star break. The team is then home Wednesday through Saturday. All night games at Salem Memorial.

[S-Golf]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=5pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-172 13642TC]
[GRAPHIC=VSGA LOGO]
[ENG#=4]

The Virginia State Golf Association set up shot at the Hidden Valley Country Club today a number of golfers from the area attempted to earn a few coveted spots in the upcoming State Junior Open.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem/VSGA Junior Zone Qualifying; :00]
28 junior golfers in all up to age 17 took on the par 71 course. By the end of the day, 12 of the 28 had performed well enough to advance to the junior state open at the Bayside Golf Club in Virginia Beach on August 3rd.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=BITES]
[SUPER=01-Tommy Joyce/Hidden Valley Golf Pro; :00]
[RUNS=:21]
[OUT Q=...EVERY YEAR."]
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[TALENT=MIKE]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD VSGA]
The low score of the day was posted by Blacksburg's Lonto Griffin, who fired an even par 71.

[River-Fountain]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=04-20 TC1:11:26]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Lynchburg residents today got their first look at what is supposed to be the city's newest tourist attraction.
[ENG#=1]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

Engineers fired up the new Langley Fountain, built on an old railroad trestle in the James River.
The fountain is named for developer Bruton Langley who donated 100-thousand dollars towards its construction.
It pumps a stream of water more than 150 feet into the air that is visible from most anywhere downtown.
Some have expressed concern that spray from the fountain will fall on nearby railroad tracks and businesses along the riverfront.
City workers are testing the controls that would limit the height of the stream during windy conditions.
They expect to have it fully operational in two to three weeks. (------------)