WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 07/20/04

[1-News-Head]

[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Minor League hockey is in the express lane... right out of Roanoke.
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[ENG#=1]
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
And commercial telephone customers are among those on hold until some major repairs can be made.
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[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=2]
Tonight on News 7 sports - Steve Mason will have reaction and fallout as the Express finally runs out of steam. Plus, Shaq bares all,
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[VO-NAT]

and Lance buries all - taking over the lead in the Tour De France.
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[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Leo]
[SS=None]

Hazy, hot, and humid weather returns with an increased chance for afternoon showers and storms. I'll have the details in your forecast.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon 4-Shot]

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

[ENG#=3]
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

The Express runs off the tracks.
[ANCHOR=Ketih 2-Shot]

Roanoke's minor league hockey team is dissolved
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[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

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

And I'm Shannon Young.
[Express]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=04-22 TC1:03:19]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

The Roanoke Express hockey team announced today that the team is disolving after 11 seasons in the Roanoke Valley.

[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

It's a loss not only for Express fans but for the Civic Center and the city of Roanoke. [***END OF AN ERA GRAPHIC***]
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Steve/BAM;]

Steve Mason broke the story late this afternoon and has more.
[LIVE= Steve /FULL BAM]
[SUPER=@Steve1;]

Keith and Shannon, The ECHL announced in a statement late this afternoon that the league board of governors has voted to terminate the membership of the Roanoke Express effective immediately. The ECHL went on to say that the termination of the membership comes a s a result of the Express ownership group's inability to continue to operate the team for next season. The news hit head coach Tony MacAulay hard.
[ENG#=4]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Tony MacAulay/Former Express Head Coach;: ]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Last Season; ]
[SUPER=01-Mina Boyd/Civic Center Facilities Director; :]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=]
(( ((TONY MACAULAY/EXPRESS COACH FOR TWO YEARS:))
Despite tireless efforts by Express general manager Chris Pollock, who was instrumental in bringing up the Express attendance by _______ nearly 400 fans this past season, the under 3 thousand fans who came out on average to games this year was the second lowest in franchise history.
The end of the Express means an immediate start up effort by Roanoke Civic Center facilites director Mina Boyd and her staff to fill the nealy 40 dates the Express has vacated. ((MINA BOYD/ROANOKE CIVIC CENTER FACILITES DIRECTOR:)) ))
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[LIVE= Steve /FULL BAM]

Mina Boyd told me today that following the announcement of the Express's demise, she was on the phone looking for other vendors to fill those dates. With permission from Roanoe City manager Darlene Burcham, Boyd says she will call the United Hockey League to see if they want to try and put a team in the Civic Center,
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Steve/BAM ;]
but time is running out on that, Keith and Shannon, more on this in sports.

[React-Express]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=04-25 TC49:24]
[GRAPHIC=Express Folding]
[ENG#=1]

Fans are obviously disappointed with today's news.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

We found a number of season ticket holders at Roanoke's Ice Station.
They believe the problem is with the owners and not a lack of fan support.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 17:51:33; 17:48:14]
[IN Q=I wish that the owners]
((JIM VANCLEAF/SEASON TICKET HOLDER: I WISH THAT THE OWNERS HAD GIVEN IT MORE OF A CHANCE. I THINK THERE IS A LOT OF IDEAS THAT COULD HAVE HELPED.)) ((KARINE PIERCE/SEASON TICKET HOLDER: I AM GOING TO MISS HOCKEY HERE IN THE AREA, BEEN A HOCKEY FAN FOR YEARS, IT'S THE ONLY THING I LOOK FORWARD TO IS HOCKEY.))
[SUPER=01-Jim VanCleaf/Season Ticket Holder; :00]
[SUPER=01-Karine Pierce/Season Ticket Holder; :09]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=forward to is hockey]
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[VO-NAT]

Fans tell us they're hopeful another team possibly from the U-H-L will decide to set up shop in Roanoke.
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[Verizon]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=04-32 TC04:12]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=2]

Phone service is still on hold for hundreds of people in the Roanoke Valley, as a result of an underground fire over the weekend. Myranda Stephens has more on how the hang-up is affecting area businesses.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=It's the company ]
[SUPER=03-Salem; :00]
[SUPER=01-Angelle Wright/Subway Store Manager; :12]
[SUPER=01-Renee' Turk/Saturn of Roanoke Valley; :27]
[SUPER=@Myranda1; :55]
[SUPER=01-Jim Griffith/Verizon; 1:04]
[RUNS=1:29]
[OUT Q=Myranda Stephens, News 7, Salem]
((It's the company that made the question "Can you hear me now?" popular. But, for hundreds of Verizon customers in the Roanoke Valley -- the reception is NOT good.
[SOT 1:53]
[RUNS04] ((I WAS SHOCKED CAUSE I KEPT CALLING AND COULDN'T GET AN ANSWER AND I'M LIKE WHY IS THE PHONE NOT WORKING.)) An underground fire Sunday cut phone service to about 17-hundred residential and business customers. Forcing some businesses to shut down completely, and others shuffling to work around it.
[SOT 241]
[RUNS07] ((THOSE THAT DID COME IN WE WENT ON AND ACCEPTED THEIR CHECKS, NO ONE LEFT DISGRUNTLED - THEY FOUND THE CASH AND WE WORKED IT OUT.)) [NATS OF DIAL TONE @ 10:19] [RUNS03] But, working it out is NOT as easy for businesses like Saturn of Roanoke Valley, where half their service relies on phones.
[SOT 6:16]
[RUNS07] ((654 IT'S REALLY CUTTING YOUR BUSINESS BY AT LEAST 50-PERCENT .... BOTH GO DOWN)) [STANDUP @ 26:24] [RUNS07] ((CREWS ARE WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE, BUT AS YOU CAN SEE IT'S NOT AS SIMPLE AS SPLICING A COUPLE OF CABLES. ))
[SOT 1500]
[RUNS15] ((NO IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME, AND DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF CABLE THAT IT IS, SOME SPLICES TOGETHER MORE EASILY AND MORE QUICKLY, OTHERS TAKE MORE TIME AND A DIFFERENT PROCEDURE, SO I EXPECT IT'S GOING TO TAKE US A FEW DAYS TO GET EVERYTHING BACK TOGETHER AGAIN.)) Which means customers will need to hold on to patience just a little longer, before they hang it up. Myranda Stephens, News 7,Salem. ))

[L'burg-Ax]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=04-21 TC46:30]
[GRAPHIC=Accident]
[ENG#=3]

Lynchburg police are investigating an accident that killed an elderly woman.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

It happened on Old Forest Road around three o'clock.
Authorities say 70 year old Shirley Terry of Hurt was headed west when her vehicle veered off the road and took out the porch and corner of a house.
She was dead on arrival at Lynchburg General Hospital.
Police say a medical problem may have caused the crash.
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[Gun-law]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=04-16 TC02:04]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=4]

Instead of no shirt, no service, some restaurants in Virginia are now enforcing a no-gun policy.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@File]

While it is legal in Virginia to openly carry a pistol, some restaurants are closing their doors to customers who display holstered handguns.
Business owners argue that those who carry guns while drinking alcohol are a threat to safety.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 13:11:39]
[IN Q=I'M FINE WITH THEIR NEED TO HAVE A GUN]
((MIKE BYRNE/BANNED GUNS IN HIS RESTAURANT: I'M FINE WITH THEIR NEED TO HAVE A GUN. I THINK GUN RIGHTS IS A WONDERFUL AMERICAN RIGHT, I JUST DON'T THINK WHEN YOU DRINK ALCOHOL YOU SHOULD HAVE A GUN AT YOUR HIP.))
[SUPER=01-Mike Byrne/Banned Guns from His Restaurant; :00]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=SHOULD HAVE A GUN AT YOUR HIP.]
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[VO-NAT]

But gun right supporters say restaurant owners have no reason to be concerned.
They say those who openly pack heat have proven themselves to be law-abiding citizens.
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[SOT 14:57:40]
[IN Q=A LOT OF WHAT IFS]
((PHILIP VAN CLEAVE/VIRGINIA CITIZENS DEFENSE COUNCIL: A LOT OF WHAT IFS. I MEAN A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY WHAT IF THIS, WHAT IF THAT. I LIKE TO POINT OUT, IT ISN'T HAPPENING, THERE AREN'T ANY PROBLEMS.))
[SUPER=01-Philip Van Cleave/Virginia Citizens Defense League; :]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=THERE AREN'T ANY PROBLEMS..]
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[VO-NAT]

Attorney General Jerry Kilgore issued an opinion today stating that Virginia remains an open carry state.
But he says business owners do have a right to keep gun-toting customers off of their property.
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[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=2-Shot]
[SS=NONE]
[ENG#=V10]

A Central Virginia hospital is getting a huge addition.
More on that when News 7 returns.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=NAT MOTORCYCLE]
((NAT MOTORCYCLE))
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[OUT Q=NAT MOTORCYCLE]
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=2-Shot]

Plus thousands of bikers roll into Roanoke.
Find out why they're here.
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[1st-Wx]
[2Car-Insurance]
(MINI OPEN)
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=04-26 TC45:07]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-shot]
When you're shopping for a used car- -or making any major purchase- -it pays to be careful.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-shot]
Do your homework. Check it out. Know what you're getting.
[ANCHOR=Keith ]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Tonight we continue our series of reports on "claims recovery" vehicles.
[ENG#=1]
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[SOT]
[IN Q=We've already seen]
[SUPER=03-Pittsylvania Co.; :00]
[SUPER=03-Danville; :46]
[SUPER=01-John Moss, Jr./Crown Auto; 1:27]
[RUNS=2:27]
[OUT Q=to be able to tell them, I guess.]
(( We've already seen how wrecked vehicles are often salvaged, rebuilt and re-sold. Used car dealers buy them from insurance companies through a clearing house like Co-Part Auto Auctions. Most dealers are looking for a vehicle with minor damage and a clean title they can fix up and sell for a profit. They're supposed to disclose wreck damage and salvage history to the consumer. [9:43:45] ((Closing up in the middle of the day? YEAH. Why's that? BECAUSE OF Y'ALL. Why would you close just because we're here? I WAS TOLD TO.))
[RUNS= :10]
Crown Auto is one of many used car dealerships that buys wrecked cars from Co-Part, among other places. We visited Crown's Riverside Drive location last month. It does business downtown under the name "Auto Villa." We're still looking for Crown Auto's salvaged-vehicle buyer. [9:56] ((We were hoping to find John Moss. JOHN MOSS AIN'T UP HERE. I'M LITTLE JOHN. BUT JOHN MOSS AIN'T HERE.))
[RUNS= :07]
BIG John later stopped on the road side to talk with us but sped off when the camera approached. Behind Crown Auto's showroom on Route 58, there's a lot full of vehicles being repaired for retail. While we surveyed the inventory from a distance, the man who'd locked the gate on us drove up on a motorcycle. [9:57:00] ((I NEVER GOT NO PROBLEM DRIVING NO CAR THAT'S BEEN WRECKED. I DRIVE THEM EVERY DAY. AIN'T NOTHING WRONG WITH A WRECK CAR, IF IT'S BEEN FIXED RIGHT.))
[RUNS= :06]
July 1st we profiled Kim Adkins and the Tiburon she bought from Auto Villa. According to a complaint she filed in federal court, the car is actually halves of two cars- -from different model years- -spot- welded together. The day before the suit was served Auto Villa sent Adkins 34-hundred dollars to "settle" her complaint. Her lawyer returned the check. The dealership now says that was not a "settlement" offer but merely acceptance of Adkins' attempt to cancel the sale almost a year after she bought the car. The salesman had pointed out what she says he called "cosmetic damage." But she says he failed to disclose that it was the front of one car welded to the rear of another. [9:59:15] ((Could it be the salesman tells them it's been damaged, but doesn't tell them the extent of it? I GUESS THAT COULD BE A POSSIBILITY. I GUESS THEY DON'T SEE THE CARS WRECKED. SO THEY DON'T GET TO VISUALIZE EXACTLY WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE BEFORE TO BE ABLE TO TELL THEM, I GUESS.))
[RUNS= :14]))
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[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=None]
We'll conclude our series tomorrow at six with a look at what salvage history can do to an insurance claim.

[Stocks]

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

A fairly upbeat status report on the economy from Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan sent Wall Street higher. [TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-x/55.01/10149.07/x/33.24/1917.07;]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

The DOW gained 55 points today.
NASDAQ rose 33.
[SUPER=271-h/0.98/36.83/i/0.06/48.77/h/0.14/32.00/i/0.58/92.40/i/0.12/85.26;]
[SUPER=272-h/0.29/38.16/i/0.10/18.25//Unchg/5.61/h/0.03/64.08/i/0.02/33.21;]
[SUPER=273-h/0.12/9.85/h/0.56/41.81/h/0.08/16.90/h/0.67/26.62/i/0.14/4.57;]
[SUPER=274-h/0.01/14.01/h/1.07/66.03/h/0.25/34.73/h/0.10/44.95/h/0.39/53.25;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]

[SPONSOR ANNOUNCE]
[COMMERCIAL]

[Richardson]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sba]
[TAPE#=04-23 TC42:35]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]
[ENG#=1]
A judge says a murder suspect needs a mental health evaluation before his trial in September.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Craig Co.]
22-year-old William Riley Richardson is accused of beating 65-year-old Richard Sarver to death in April . Richardson's lawyer says the suspect doesn't remember many of the events leading up to or during the attack.
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[****WIPE*****WIPE*****WIPE]

[Gallimore]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sba]
[TAPE#=04-24 TC49:26]
[GRAPHIC=]

[ENG#=2]
[****WIPE****WIPE****WIPE****]

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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Craig Co.]
Meanwhile, that same judge will not move another murder trial out of Craig County, at least not yet. Yesterday, the lawyer for 32-year-old Jay Gallimore asked for a change of venue. He's worried Gallimore, who is a lifelong Craig resident, would not be able to get an impartial jury trial. The judge denied his request, but *did* say he may reconsider if there's trouble seating a jury.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]
Jay Gallimore is charged with killing another man after a fist fight in March. His trial is set for November.

[Centra-Health]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=04-31 TC05:43]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=3]

A 64 million dollar renovation is set to get underway at Lynchburg General Hospital.
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[VO-NAT]

Centra Health today unveiled artist renderings of what its new five-story patient- care tower will look like.
The 140-thousand square foot addition will provide more than 100 new private patient beds.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 11:48:03]
[IN Q=We think we're]
((GEORGE DAWSON/CENTRA HEALTH CEO: WE THINK WE'RE COMPETITIVE IN OUR FACILITIES TODAY AND WE THINK WE NEED THIS SPACE FOR THE FUTURE. THESE ROOMS ARE GOING TO BE SOMETHING, IT'S GOING TO BE A BEAUTIFUL BUILDING.))
[SUPER=01-George Dawson/Centra Health CEO]
[RUNS=09]
[OUT Q=a beautiful building.]
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[VO-NAT]

Construction should start later this year and be finished by 2007.
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[Sports Tease]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]
[ENG#=V10]

Tonight on News 7 sports - on the same day Shaq checks into his new home, and the Dazzle gets its new schedule -

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[VO-NAT]
the Express shuts down the franchise leaving the Star City and the Roanoke Civic Center without a professional hockey team.
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[S-Fold]

[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=SP-172 1:42:29]
[GRAPHIC=Express Folding]

As we told you at the top of the newscast, the Roanoke Express hockey team will not play a 12th season. The team is disolving. [***END OF AN ERA GRAPHIC***]
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Steve/BAM;]

Steve Mason has more from head coach Tony MaAulay and Roanoke Civic enter facilites manager Mina Boyd. Steve
[LIVE= Steve /FULL BAM]
[SUPER=@Steve1;]
Mike, the ECHL gave the Express until one PM today to have a legitimate offer on the table from a possible owner . There were up to seven prospective buyers at one time and sources say the owners would have sold the team for a couple of hundred thousand dollars, well below the three quarters of a million bucks the team sold for back in 2001. But not one of those possible buyers came through today.
[ENG#=1]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Tony MacAulay/Former Express Head Coach; :]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Last Season; :]
[SUPER=01-Mina Boyd/Civic Center Facilities Director; :]
[SUPER=01-]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=]
(-------------)
((TONY MACAULAT/EXPRESS COACH FOR TWO YEARS:))
((MINA BOYD/ROANOKE CIVIC CENTER FACILITES DIRECTOR:))
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[LIVE= Steve /FULL BAM]

Now Mina Boyd told me today that she must now fill 38 dates vacated by the Express, remember the UHL, the hockey league that has a team in Richmond, the Riverdawgs. They were interested in putting a teram in the Roanoke Civic center but the season begins in October and that is not much time.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Steve/BAM ;]
Mike, we should also tell fans that the ECHL Greensboro Generals also were dissolved today.

[S-Dazzle]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-168 13837TC]
[GRAPHIC=DAZZLE]
[ENG#=2]

Ironically, the Express collapse comes on the same day that the Dazzle announced its schedule for next season. All along we've said if one of the two was to go here in Roanoke - it would be hockey - because the Dazzle is backed by the big bucks of the NBA. Even without hockey's collapse, the Dazzle had already secured a home schedule to its liking.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=BITE]
[SUPER=01-Kent Davison/Dazzle Head Coach; :00]
[RUNS=:21]
[OUT Q=...an watch you play."]
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[S-France]

[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-180 37:31]
[GRAPHIC=tour de france]
[ENG#=3]

Lance Armstrong is back on top after has recapturing the overall lead in the Tour De France.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Villard de Lans, France; :00]
And the move to win today's 15th stage comes right here. With a big burst Armstrong outsprinted his top two challengers to win the first stage in the Alps and close in on a record sixth straight title. Armstrong moved past Ivan Basso and 1997 Tour champion Jan Ullrich (yan OOL-rihk) to claim his second stage victory in the 2004 Tour and the 18th of his illustrious career.
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[S-Shaq]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-178 3122TC]
[GRAPHIC=NBA]
[ENG#=4]

Shaquille O'Neal has gone coast to coast and apparently he lost some of his luggage on the flight.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Miami, FL; :00]
Shaq joined Miami front office personnel and his new coach Pat Riley at the podium to show off his new jersey this afternoon and to warn folks of his new workout routine.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Shaquille O'Neal/Miami Heat;]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=...15 percent ha ha ha!!!]
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[Bikers]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sba]
[TAPE#=04-30 TC06:09]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
You may notice some added motorcycle traffic around Roanoke this week.
[ENG#=1]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
That's because 25-hundred bikers, mostly Yahama riders are in town for 'Star Days.' For the last six-years, Star Touring and Riding has held this event across the country.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT@6:04:50.01]
[IN Q=We look rough...]
((RITA YEARMAN, BIKE ENTHUSIAST: WE LOOK ROUGH, EVERYONE WEARS THEIR LEATHERS, SKULLCAPS AND EVERYTHING, BUT THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE WHO DO IT FOR SO MANY REASONS: RIDES FOR GOOD CAUSES, POKER RUNS FOR CHARITY - THIS ONE WILL RAISE MONEY FOR FEED THE CHILDREN.))
[SUPER=01-Rita Yearman/Bike Enthusiast]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=... feed the children.]
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[VO-NAT]
The bikers will load a semi-truck full of food Thursday and donate it to the Roanoke Rescue Mission. The convention and visitors bureau estimates the group will pump one-point-six million dollars into the area economy.

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