WDBJ 7 morning news for 07/21/04

[11Express]

[ANCHOR=Kim]

[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=04-22 TC1:04:38]
[GRAPHIC=Express Folded]
[ENG#=1]

The Roanoke Express has announced that the team is disolving after 11 seasons in the Roanoke Valley. The ECHL pulled the plug yesterday after deadline passed for the owners to score a legitimate offer to buy the team.
(------------)
[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.]
(------------)

[VOBReact-Express]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=04-25 TC49:24]
[GRAPHIC=Express Folding]
[ENG#=2]

Fans are disappointed to hear the game is over for the Roanoke Express.
(------------)
[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]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

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

[11Cascades-Fall]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=bda]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A girl was airlifted to Roanoke Memorial Hospital after a fall at the Cascades in Giles County. County officials say the girl fell some 30 to 40 feet, but will make a full recovery. She struck the rocks at the bottom of the waterfall, causing trauma to her face, arms and legs. Officials are not releasing her identity. They say she went far beyond signs reading "do not go beyond this point."

[911-Commission]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=911]
[ENG#=3]

The report from the 9-11 commission comes out tomorrow.
Officials say it's critical of intelligence lapses, but stops short of saying the terrorist attacks could have been prevented.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington, DC;]

Today leaders of the commission will brief National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and White House counsel Alberto Gonzales.
Those who have seen the report say the harshest criticism is leveled at the C-I-A and F-B-I.
Meanwhile, former Clinton security adviser Sandy Berger is under fire for taking classified terrorism documents to prepare for his testimony before the panel.
Berger says he made an honest mistake.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Everything I have done]
((SANDY BERGER/FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: EVERYTHING I HAVE DONE ALL ALONG IN THIS PROCESS HAS BEEN FOR THE PURPOSE OF AIDING AND SUPPORTING THE 9/11 COMMISSION, ANY SUGGESTION TO THE CONTRARY IS SIMPLY ABSOLUTELY WRONG. ))
[SUPER=01-Sandy Berger/Former National Security Adviser;]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=simply absolutely wrong.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

A spokesman for the 9-11 commission says the investigation won't affect the panel's report.
(------------)

[Iraq]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Iraq]
[ENG#=4]

A roadside bomb has claimed the life of another U-S soldier in Iraq.
Officials say the soldier was on patrol, when the bomb detonated just north of Baghdad.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

As Filipinos celebrate the release of former hostage Angelo de la Cruz, Iraqi insurgents are taking aim at Japan.

Kidnappers released the truck driver a day after the Philippine peacekeepers left Iraq.
Militants are telling Japan to follow suit, or else their troops will be targets.
The group believed to have made the threat is now denying it.
Either way, Japan says its troops are staying.
(------------)

[5-Gun-law]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mmu]
[TAPE#=504-02 1:24:44]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=1]

Gun owners and restaurant owners are battling it out over the right to pack heat.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@File;]

It IS perfectly legal in Virginia to openly carry a pistol.
But some restaurants in Richmond and Northern Virginia are banning gun owners from displaying holstered handguns.
Business owners argue that guns and alcohol don't mix.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 1::]
[IN Q=WHEN I READ SOMEBODY]
((MIKE BYRNE/BANNED GUNS FROM HIS RESTAURANT: WHEN I READ SOMEBODY COULD BRING THEIR SIX-SHOOTER IN AND ORDER A SANDWICH AND FELT THE NEED TO BRING IN A GUN. I'M FINE WITH GUN RIGHTS, I JUST DON'T THINK WHEN YOU DRINK ALCOHOL YOU SHOULD HAVE A GUN AT YOUR HIP.))
[SUPER=01-Mike Byrne/Restaurant Owner; :00]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=SHOULD HAVE A GUN AT YOUR HIP.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

But gun right supporters say the issue is not about alcohol.
They say those who openly carry guns are law-abiding citizens.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 1::]
[IN Q=GUN OWNERS BASICALLY WANT TO GO]
((PHILIP VAN CLEAVE/VIRGINIA CITIZENS DEFENCE LEAGUE: GUN OWNERS BASICALLY WANT TO GO INTO A RESTAURANT AND ENJOY A MEAL. YOU CAN EAT A MEAL WITHOUT DRINKING ALCOHOL.))
[SUPER=01-Philip Van Cleave/Virginia Citizens Defense League; :]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=MEAL WITHOUT DRINKING ALCOHOL.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Attorney General Jerry Kilgore issued an opinion today stating that business owners have a right to ban gun-toting customers.
(------------)

[11Verizon]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=04-32 TC05:58]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=2]
Some businesses in the Roanoke Valley are feeling disconnected from their customers.
(------------)
[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.
(///// SOT /////)
[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]
(------------)
[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, Roanoke is making temporary 9-1-1 cellphones available to the elderly and people with special medical needs.
(------------)

[6-Centra-Health]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=04-31 TC05:43]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=1]

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

Construction should start later this year and be finished by 2007.
(------------)

[Marketwatch]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=NET]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]
[ENG#=2]

In business news, Microsoft shareholders will see some more green.
Alexis Christoforous has that story and more in this morning's Marketwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Alexis Christoforous/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:35]
[OUT Q=in New York, I'm AC.]
((IF YOU OWN SHARES OF MICROSOFT YOU'RE IN FOR SOME CASH...
THE SOFTWARE GIANT WILL RETURN MORE THAN 75 BILLION DOLLARS TO SHAREHOLDERS OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS.. IT PLANS TO DO THAT THROUGH A COMBINATION OF A SPECIAL PAYOUT, STOCK BUYBACKS AND A HIGHER DIVIDEND. IT PLANS TO PAY A ONE TIME DIVIDEND OF 3 DOLLARS A SHARE AND DOUBLE ITS ANNUAL DIVIDEND TO 8 CENTS.
MICROSOFT IS RESPONDING TO INVESTOR PRESSURE TO RETURN SOME OF THE COMPANY'S 56 BILLION DOLLARS OF CASH TO SHAREHOLDERS.
ON WALL STREET.. INVESTORS LIKED WHAT FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN ALAN GREENSPAN HAD TO SAY TO CONGRESS...
THE DOW RALLIED 55 POINTS
WHILE THE NASDAQ SHOT UP MORE THAN 33
IN HIS MIDYEAR TESTIMONY BEFORE CONGRESS, GREENSPAN
CALLED ECONOMIC CONDITIONS THIS YEAR FAVORABLE AND REITERATED THAT THE THE FED IS READY TO RAISE RATES MORE QUICKLY IF INFLATION SUDDENLY PICKS UP.
THE EARNINGS PARADE CONTINUED AFTER THE CLOSING BELL:
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS SAID PROFITS SURGED IN THE FOURTH QUARTER..
SUN MICROSYSTEMS IS BACK IN THE BLACK AFTER A FOURTH QUARTER LOSS LAST YEAR
AND MOTOROLA POSTED A QUARTERLY LOSS BUT SAID SALES ROSE.
THE FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE IS SLAPPING THE EXCHANGE WITH A COUNTERSUIT. DICK GRASSO IS SUING HIS FORMER EMPLOYER FOR AT LEAST 50-MILLION DOLLARS. HE IS ALSO ACCUSING CURRENT BIG BOARD CHAIRMAN JOHN REED OF DEFAMATION. GRASSO WAS OUSTED BACK IN SEPTMBER OVER HIS 187MILLION DOLLAR COMPENSATION PACKAGE BACK
stay on top of your stocks and all the biz news at cbs.mw.com in ny I'm Alexis Christoforous.))

(tape tosses to stocks)
[STOCKS] [WOOD ROGERS SPONSOR BOARD 5185 ESSC] [COMM]

[Wildfires]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
[ENG#=1]

As firefighters worked in blistering heat to gain ground on several California wildfires, a new blaze erupted near a Los Angeles suburb.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Acton, CA;]

Winds gusting of 25 miles per hour quickly has spread the fire to more than five thousand acres.
Hundreds of people were ordered to evacuate and the fire threatened a private animal refuge.
The California fires have burned more than 40- thousand acres across the state, with the four largest fires costing nearly 20 million dollars to fight.
(------------)

[Jackson]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Jackson]
[ENG#=2]

Pop star Michael Jackson is denying published reports that he's about to add four more children to his family.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-File Tape;]

"US Weekly" reported that Jackson was going to become a father to quadruplets by way of a surrogate mother.
His publicist says that the story is "not true."
But a spokeswoman for "US Weekly" says the magazine is standing by its story.
The 45- year- old singer already has three children.
Jackson's facing trial in September on child molestation charges.
He's pleaded innocent.
(------------)

[11Tate]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=04-28 TC33:26]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=3]

A Danville man charged with murdering his girlfriend was convicted yesterday on UN-RELATED charges.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
32-year-old Stanley Tate is accused of murdering his girlfriend, Tamika Davis.
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co./May 24;]
She was found shot to death inside Tate's Franklin County home in May. Tate has been held in Danville on drug possession charges, which he was convicted of yesterday afternoon. Sentencing is set for September. Tate's preliminary hearing on the murder charge is scheduled for next month in Franklin County.
(------------)

[11AIDS-Grant]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=04-17 TC1:20:50]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=4]

Centra Health is the recipient of a 1-point-3 million dollar grant to provide care for low-income or medically under-served 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.
(///// SOT /////)
[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.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[SS=None]

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

(Kim tosses to bump)
[BUMP]

[COMM][Biz-Brief]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]
[ENG#=1]

In business news, After the close of regular trading yesterday, Microsoft announced it will return 75-billion dollars in cash to its shareholders over the next four years. The company says it will do that by buying its own stock, boosting its quarterly dividend and issuing a special one-time dividend. Now let's take a look at your local stocks. [TAPE TOSS TO STOCKS] [STOCKS] [WOOD ROGERS SPONSOR BOARD 5185 ESSC] [COMM]

[6-Richardson]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=sba]
[TAPE#=04-23 TC42:35]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]
[ENG#=3]
A judge says a murder suspect needs a mental health evaluation before his trial in September.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-New Castle]
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.
(------------)

[****WIPE*****WIPE*****WIPE]

[6-Gallimore]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=sba]
[TAPE#=04-24 TC49:26]
[GRAPHIC=wipe]

[ENG#=4]
[****WIPE****WIPE****WIPE****]

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-New Castle;]
Meanwhile, that same judge will not move another murder trial out of Craig County, at least not yet. On Monday, 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=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]
Jay Gallimore is charged with killing another man after a fist fight in March. His trial is set for November.

[Early-Years]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Early Years]
[ENG#=1]

Many states across America now have the Amber Alert system in place. Some states, including Washington, are now going a step further, adding new technology to speed up the process of alerting the respective authorities.
(+++++++++++)
[Take FS Early Years] Kimberley Osias explains in today's Early Years segment.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Gary Locke/Washington State Governor; :14]
[SUPER=01-Randy Maynard/Kennewick Police Officer; 1:04]
[SUPER=01-Kimberley Osias/Reporting; 1:20]
[RUNS=1:50]
[OUT Q=to beat the clock for children.]
((FINDING A MISSING CHILD IS ALL A RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK...
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SAYS SEVENTY FOUR PERCENT OF CHILDREN WHO ARE KILLED IN AN ABDUCTION ARE MURDERED WITHIN THREE HOURS.

--SOT--

the more people out there who can be watching, on the lookout on the alert, the better the chances
--TRACK--
WASHINGTON STATE GOVERNOR GARY LOCKE AND 11 OTHERS ARE IMPLEMENTING NEW TECHNOLOGY TO FIGHT AGAINST TIME. IT'S A MAJOR ADVANCEMENT FROM THE CURRENT AMBER ALERT SYSTEM, WHICH IS USED IN MANY STATES.
ONCE THE FIRST RESPONDER INPUTS THE ABDUCTION INFORMATION INTO A WEB PORTAL...THAT IMMEDIATELY SENDS OUT A SIGNAL TO MULTI STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT, AIRPORTS AND BOARDER PATROLS AND OTHERS.

--SOT--

essentially the system is as easy as sending an email. It's that simple
--TRACK--
KENNEWICK POLICE OFFICER RANDY MAYNARD KNOWS CRACKING MISSING CHILDREN CASES IS USUALLY ANYTHING BUT SIMPLE. HE'S WORKED TWO...ONE IS STILL OPEN AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF, AND THE OTHER, USING THE NEW SYSTEM, SOLVED WITHIN HOURS.

--SOT--

we were able to get the names and the pictures of all four children involved. We were able to get the suspect's name his vehicle description and a picture of him uploaded into the web
STAND-UP
THE GENERAL PUBLIC CAN PARTNER IN THE PROCESS TOO...SIGN UP ON LINE AND NOTICES WILL BE SENT TO YOUR COMPUTER, FAX MACHINE, AND CELL PHONE...ALL IN REAL TIME WITH LOGISTICAL RELEVANCE

--SOT--

It builds this spider web map and as your county comes into that map now you are activated. so you are not engaged until it is a real issue to you
--TRACK--
THE NEW TECHNOLOGY COULD BE APPLIED TO NATURAL DISASTERS TOO...BUT FOR NOW IT AIMS ONLY TO BEAT THE CLOCK FOR CHILDREN.))

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[SS=none]
That was Kimberley Osias reporting. Mexico and Canada are looking into the new amber alert system too. Stay with us...News 7 Mornin' will be right back.
[BUMP] [COMM]