WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 07/20/04

[7Wx-Headline]

[ANCHOR=Kim]

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

Good morning, I'm Kimberly McBroom......
Patchy fog will give way to mostly sunny skies today with high temperatures in the mid 80s.
Steve Pardon has your complete forecast, coming up.

[7-Roanoke-Shooting]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=dgr]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Shooting]

One man is in the hospital after being shot in Roanoke. Police say they responded to a man down call around 2:30 this morning and found the man shot in the abdomen. He was taken to the hospital for treatment. The incident is still under investigation.

[7-11Phone-Service]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=bda]
[TAPE#=04-27 TC33:42]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[ENG#=1]

Crews are still trying to restore phone service after an underground fire disrupted service to parts of Roanoke and Salem.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem;]
Northwest Roanoke has been hit hardest. Verizon officials won't specify exactly how many people are affected, but say it could reach the thousands. Crews worked through the night to splice in new cables in place of the burned ones. Service will not be fully restored for a few days. Until then, the City of Roanoke is making temporary 9-1-1 cellphones available to the elderly and special medical needs citizens in the affected areas.
(------------)

[7-11City-Council]

[ANCHOR=Kiim]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=04-31 TC04:28]
[GRAPHIC=Victory Stadium]

[ENG#=2]

The Victory Stadium issue continues to divide Roanoke City Council. It plans to create a new committee to weigh the future of the stadium, and the need for new athletic facilities.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Earlier this year, council put the construction of a new stadium and amphitheater on hold, and the May election brought two Victory Stadium supporters to council.
But some members of council say they're not ready to abandon plans for a new facility.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Heck no we don't want to waste]
((RUPERT CUTLER/ROANOKE CITY COUNCIL: HECK NO WE DON'T WANT TO WASTE ALL OF THE TIME MONEY INVESTMENT WE'VE ALREADY MADE IN THE WILLIAMSON ROAD ORANGE AVENUE SITE. THAT'S GOT TO BE AMONG THE ALTERNATIVES WE LOOK AT JUST AS INTENSIVELY AS WE LOOK AT VICTORY STADIUM.)) ((SHERMAN LEA/ROANOKE CITY COUNCIL: I THOUGHT THE WILLIAMSON ROAD PROJECT WAS DEAD. AND NOW WE'VE GOT THAT BACK ON THE TABLE. WE'VE GOT HIGH SCHOOL STADIUMS ON THE TABLE, AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOING WITH THIS. AND I'M DISAPPOINTED FROM THAT STANDPOINT.))
[SUPER=01-Rupert Cutler/Roanoke City Council; :00]
[SUPER=01-Sherman Lea/Roanoke City Council; :18]
[RUNS=:31]
[OUT Q=disappointed from that standpoint.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The 14- member citizens committee will consider the options for athletic facilities, including the renovation of Victory Stadium, and NEW construction.
Members of city council will study the need for an amphitheater, or similar entertainment venue.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=Deer Management]

In other action, the city is seeking permission from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to use bait in its deer management program.
Last winter, sharpshooters killed more than 100 deer, but city officials say that did not have a major impact on the overpopulation of deer.

[55-WXHeads]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Cut-ins]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Mornin' Report]
Good morning, I'm Kimberly McBroom...... It'll be another gorgeous summer day, one the morning fog burns off. Highs will climb into the mid 80s.
Steve Pardon has your seven day outlook, up next.

[55-Roanoke-Shooting]

[55-11Bus-Accident]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=04-19 TC1:23:09]
[GRAPHIC=Accident]

[ENG#=1]

One group's trip to the Salem Music Games hit a sour note--
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co.;]
Some of the staff members for the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps were on their way to the event around 6:30, when they got into an accident on 460 in Bedford County. Police say one of the vehicles traveling in the caravan ran into another, after a tractor trailer ahead of them made a sudden stop.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 6:50]
[IN Q=unfortunately we were]
((JOHN BURGAN/CROSSMEN DRUM AND BUGLE CORPS; UNFORTUNATELY WE WERE A LITTLE DELAYED HERE, AND WE'LL BE DELAYED THE REST OF THE EVENING. 55 NOW WE'VE JUST GOT TO REGROUP AND PICK UP THE PIECES AND MAKE OUR WAY TO DENVER FOR THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.))
[SUPER=01-John Burgan/Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps;]
[RUNS=09]
[OUT Q=for the national championship]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
No one was hurt in the accident, and all of the group's performers were already at the games. Police have charged the driver of the bus with following too close.
(------------)

[WIPE WIPE WIPE]

[55-11Andrew-Lewis]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=04-16 TC2:03:16]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[ENG#=2]

One Salem school is passing its summer assignment with flying colors.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem]

The final phase of the renovation at Andrew Lewis Middle School is in full swing.
The work includes gutting the entire front of the building and expanding the library.
Construction was expected to last until May but it now looks it'll be finished by Thanksgiving.
The expansion in the back of the school is already complete and includes 26- classrooms and a new cafeteria.
(------------)

[55-11Brackman-Cup]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=lfe]
[TAPE#=04-20 TC1:23:16]
[GRAPHIC=Brackman Cup]

[ENG#=3]

Teachers are giving local law enforcement high marks for some recent work.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Covington]
The local chapter of the Virginia Education Association presented the Alleghany County Sheriff's Department with the Whole Village award. Teachers wanted to thank deputies for recovering the Brackman Cup and for their contributions to the community.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT:4:12:18]
[IN Q=MEMBERS OF OUR ]
((CAROLYN MEEKS/ALLEGHANY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT; MEMBERS OF OUR ASSOCIATION WERE REALLY IMPRESSED WITH THE WAY THE ALLEGHANY COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT HANDLED THE RECENT VANDALISM AT ALLEGHANY HIGH SCHOOL AND WE JUST REALIZED WHAT A COMMITMENT THEY HAVE TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF OUR COMMUNITY.))
[SUPER=01-Carolyn Meeks/Alleghany Education Association President]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=of our community]
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
A check for 250-dollars was also awarded to the Alleghany Crime Stoppers.
(------------)

[8Wx-Headline]

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

Good morning, I'm Kimberly McBroom......
Turning mostly sunny today after some patchy fog.
We'll enjoy highs in the 80s.
Steve Pardon has the full forecast, coming up.

[8-Roanoke-Shooting]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=dgr]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Shooting]

One man is in the hospital this morning after being shot in Roanoke. Police say they responded to a man down call around 2:30 this morning and found a man shot in the abdomen. He was taken to the hospital for treatment. The incident is still under investigation.

[8-6Kilgore-gangs]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=04-23 TC41:00]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[ENG#=1]

A new state survey shows gang activity is a problem in almost every community in Virginia -- including Roanoke.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@file]

The report shows that the number of gangs in Virginia is growing.
Attorney General Jerry Kilgore says many "homegrown" gangs, as well as national ones, are operating in Roanoke.
He says the region can no longer ignore the increasing gang activity.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 11:09:14]
[IN Q=EVERYONE KNOWS YOU HAVE TO ADMIT]
((ATTORNEY GENERAL JERRY KILGORE: EVERYONE KNOWS YOU HAVE TO ADMIT YOU HAVE A PROBLEM BEFORE YOU CAN DEAL EFFECTIVELY WITH THE PROBLEM. WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT ALL REGIONS OF THE COMMONWEALTH ONCE WE GIVE THEM THIS REPORT WILL RECOGNIZE THEY HAVE A GROWING GANG PROBLEM AND DEAL WITH IT.))
[SUPER=@Kilgore; :00]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=GROWING GANG PROBLEM AND DEAL WITH IT.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Roanoke's police chief says his department is aware of groups that call themselves gangs. But he doesn't believe in giving them that label.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:39:33]
[IN Q=By going out and calling]
((JOE GASKINS/ROANOKE POLICE CHIEF: BY GOING OUT AND CALLING THESE PEOPLE SOMETHING SPECIAL WE ENHANCE THEIR SELF-ESTEEM. THEY'RE CRIMINALS; THAT'S ENOUGH.))
[SUPER=01-Joe Gaskins/Roanoke Police Chief; :]
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=that's enough.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=None]

Gaskins says his department collects intelligence on these groups as part of its overall crime prevention efforts.

[8-6L'burg-Gangs]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=04-25 TC48:20]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[ENG#=2]

Gang activity is nothing new in Lynchburg, where police have been dealing with gang-related crime for more than two years.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg/August 2002]

Since the summer of 2002, Lynchburg police have been using different tactics to identify and arrest suspected gang members.
Authorities say they've had some success in curbing the rate of gang violence, but more work needs to be done.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 11:28:25]
[IN Q=Just because things]
((CAPT. WAYNE DUFF/LYNCHBURG POLICE DEPT.: JUST BECAUSE THINGS MAY BE, FOR EXAMPLE CRIME IS DOWN NOW IN LYNCHBURG AND JUST BECAUSE THAT'S THE CASE WE CAN'T JUST STOP OUR ACTIVITIES. WE NEED TO STAY ON TOP OF IT AND THEN TRY TO STAY A LITTLE AHEAD OF THE CURVE. I THINK WE WERE SOMEWHAT REACTIVE TO THE VIOLENT CRIME SPREES WE WERE HAVING IN 2002 WHICH SPARKED US TO DO SOMETHING.))
[SUPER=01-Capt. Wayne Duff/Lynchburg Police Department]
[RUNS=17]
[OUT Q=us to do something.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Duff says a number of Lynchburg government agencies are sharing information about potential gang problems.
(------------)

[8-11Phone-Service]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=bda]
[TAPE#=04-27 TC33:42]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[ENG#=3]

Power has been restored to some of the cables burned in an underground fire last night that disrupted service.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem;]
Northwest Roanoke and Salem was hit the hardest. Verizon officials won't specify exactly how many people are affected, but say it could reach the thousands. Crews worked through the night to splice in new cables in place of the burned ones. Service may not be restored to everyone until the end of the week. Until then, the City of Roanoke is making temporary 9-1-1 cellphones available to the elderly and special medical needs citizens in the affected areas. (------------)