WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 07/21/04

[7Wx-Headline]

[ANCHOR=Kim]

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Good morning, I'm Kimberly McBroom......
After some patchy fog early, we'll enjoy another mostly sunny day.
But scattered showers return to the forecast later this week.
Brent Watts has the full forecast, coming up.

[7-11Cascades-Fall]

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A girl was airlifted to Roanoke Memorial Hospital yesterday after falling at the Cascades in Giles County. County officials say the girl fell 30 to 40 feet -- hitting rocks at the bottom of the waterfall -- causing trauma to her face, arms and legs. She's expected to make a full recovery. Officials are not releasing her identity - they say she went far beyond signs reading "do not go beyond this point."

[7-11Express]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
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[ENG#=1]

The Roanoke Express hockey team announced yesterday that the team is dissolving after 11 seasons in the Roanoke Valley.
The E-C-H-L pulled the plug when the Express owners couldn't find a buyer by one o'clock yesterday.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Last Season]

The Express has played in Roanoke since the 1993-94 season and made the playoffs every one of those years.
Tony MacAulay would have been coaching in his third season for the Express.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It's part of]
((TONY MACAULAY/EXPRESS HEAD COACH; IT'S PART OF THE BUSINESS. IT'S A PART OF THE BUSINESS THAT'S RAISED ITS UGLY HEAD. IT'S HAPPENED TO DIFFERENT TEAMS AND IT'S UNFORTUNATE . IT'S A SAD DAY FOR BASICALLY EVERYBODY AND WE'VE BEEN VERY APPRECIATIVE TO HAVE THE FANS AND THE BOOSTER CLUB, OUR MEDIA PEOPLE THAT HAVE FOLLOWED THE TEAM SO CLOSELY. THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD PEOPLE IN THE VALLEY THAT FOLLOWED HOCKEY.))
[SUPER=01-Tony MacAulay/Express Head Coach; :00]
[RUNS=:34]
[OUT Q=that followed Hockey.]
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[Anchor=Kim]
[Graphic=Express Folded]
The ECHL says termination of the membership comes as a result of the Express owners inability to operate the team next season.

[7-VOBReact-Express]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
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[ENG#=2]

Fans are obviously disappointed to hear the game is over for the Roanoke Express.
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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 necessarily 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 United Hockey League will decide to set up shop in Roanoke.
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[Anchor=Kim]
[Graphic=Express Folded]
The Express wasn't the only E-C-H-L team to be put on ice yesterday -- the Greensboro Generals were also dissolved.

[55-WXHeads]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
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Good morning, I'm Kimberly McBroom......
Turning mostly sunny today with highs around 90.
Brent Watts has your mid- week after the news.

[55-6Centra-Health]

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[ENG#=1]

Lynchburg General Hospital is gearing up to start a 64 million dollar renovation.
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[VO-NAT]

Centra Health yesterday 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.
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[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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[55-11AIDS-Grant]

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[ENG#=2]

Centra Health is also getting a grant for nearly one and a half million dollars to provide care for low income AIDS patients in central Virginia.
That grant apparently put a dent in the finances of a similar clinic in Charlottesville, which saw its funding drastically reduced.
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[SOT 11:39:00]
[IN Q=We defined a]
((TOM URTZ/CENTRA HEALTH: WE DEFINED A GEOGRAPHY THAT WE WANTED TO SERVE, WE RECEIVED A GRANT FOR THAT AND WE JUST WANTED CLARIFICATION THAT YES, OUR DEFINED GEOGRAPHY IS WHAT WE'RE GOING TO COVER.))
[SUPER=01-Tom Urtz/Centra Health;]
[RUNS=11]
[OUT Q=going to cover.]
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[ANCHOR=Kim]
[SS=None]

The money will help serve patients who drive more than an hour to other clinics around the region.

[55-11Verizon]

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[ENG#=3]

A lack of phone service in parts of the Roanoke Valley is taking its toll on businesses.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem;]
An underground fire Sunday cut off phone service to about 17-HUNDRED Verizon customers, forcing some businesses to close their doors, and others shuffling to work around it.
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[SOT 7:38]
[IN Q=it cuts down]
((7:38 IT CUTS DOWN ON YOUR OPPORTUNITY FOR SALE. IN THE SERVICE DEPT. WE TRY TO DO CALL BACKS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS TO KNOW WHEN THE VEHICLES CAN BE READY, WHEN THEY CAN PICK IT UP -- IF YOU CAN'T GET A LINE GOING OUT BECAUSE IT'S ALL STATIC THEN YOU'RE IN LIMBO.))
[SUPER=01-Renee' Turk/Saturn of Roanoke Valley;]
[RUNS=14]
[OUT Q=in limbo]
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[VO-NAT]
Some phone lines have been restored, but Verizon officials say it may be another two or three days before all of the lines are back up. In the meantime, the Roanoke is making temporary 9-1-1 cellphones available to the elderly and people with special medical needs.
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[55-11Bikers]

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[ENG#=4]

Bikers from all across the world descend on the Roanoke Valley this week.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
25-hundred bikers are in the Star City as part of Yamaha's Star Touring and Riding Association - "Star Days." Each year the group of bike enthusiasts gather in a different part of the country to see the latest in bike innovations and technology. The Visitors Bureau estimates the group will pump one-point-six million dollars into the area economy.
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[8Wx-Headline]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Cut-ins]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Mornin' Report]
Good morning, I'm Kimberly McBroom...... Early fog will give way to sunny skies. Warmer today and more humid, too.
Brent Watts has forecast details, coming up.

[8-6Gun-law]

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[ENG#=1]

The law says you can, but now, some resaurants in Virginia say you can't.
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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/RESTAURANT OWNER: 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/Restaurant Owner;]
[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.
(/////SOT/////)
[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 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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[8-11Express]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=04-22 TC1:04:38]
[GRAPHIC=Express Folded]

[ENG#=2]

The Roanoke Express hockey team announced yesterday that the team is dissolving after 11 seasons in the Roanoke Valley.
The E-C-H-L revoked the teams membership when the owners couldn't find a buyer by yesterday's one o'clock deadline.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Last Season]

The Express has played in Roanoke since the 1993-94 season and made the playoffs every one of those years.
Tony MacAulay would have been coaching in his third season for the Express.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It's part of]
((TONY MACAULAY/EXPRESS HEAD COACH; IT'S PART OF THE BUSINESS. IT'S A PART OF THE BUSINESS THAT'S RAISED ITS UGLY HEAD. IT'S HAPPENED TO DIFFERENT TEAMS AND IT'S UNFORTUNATE . IT'S A SAD DAY FOR BASICALLY EVERYBODY AND WE'VE BEEN VERY APPRECIATIVE TO HAVE THE FANS AND THE BOOSTER CLUB, OUR MEDIA PEOPLE THAT HAVE FOLLOWED THE TEAM SO CLOSELY. THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD PEOPLE IN THE VALLEY THAT FOLLOWED HOCKEY.))
[SUPER=01-Tony MacAulay/Express Head Coach; :00]
[RUNS=:34]
[OUT Q=that followed Hockey.]
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[Anchor=Kim]
[Graphic=Express Folded]
The E-C-H-L says termination of the membership comes as a result of the Express owners' inability to operate the team next season. The Roanoke Civic Center says it recently received some interest from the United Hockey League, and fans are hopeful a In another E-C-H-L note, the Greensboro Generals were also dissolved yesterday. team comes before next season.