WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 08/09/04

[1-News-Head]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]

Hundreds of Henry County residents will be heading back to work.
We'll tell you which company's bringing in new jobs.
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[ENG#=1]
[VO-NAT :04]
And some of the charges against this Wythe County family are dropped.
(------------)

[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=2]
Tonight on News 7 sports the Tech football team began two-a-day workouts today - we'll introduce you to true freshman quarterback Sean Glennon.
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[VO-NAT]
And the Martinsville Bulldogs strut their stuff tonight as our Friday Football Extra preseason visits take us to Henry County tonight.
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[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]

The tropical season looks to heat up but our long term local forecast does not. We'll explain in a few minutes.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon 3-Shot]

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

[ENG#=3]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 6:16:50]
[IN Q=more jobs]
((MORE JOBS DOWN IN SOUTHSIDE VA, THIS REGION IS COMING BACK 21))
[RUNS=:04 ]
[OUT Q=is coming back]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The future looks a little brighter in Southside, with the announcement of 500-new jobs.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[GRAPHIC=News7at6]

Good evening, I'm Shannon Young. Keith is off tonight.

[Henry-Economy]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=myr]
[TAPE#=04-26 TC11:02]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 @ 6]
It's an area that's been hit hard by job losses. Now, Henry County is making huge gains, with the addition of 500-new jobs. [***NEWS 7 @ 6 IN MONITOR***]
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & Myranda /BAM;]
Myranda Stephens is here with more on today's big announcement. Shannon, Governor Mark Warner announced that StarTek, Incorporated will
[LIVE= Myranda /FULL BAM]
[SUPER=@Myranda1;]
open a new technical support and customer care center in Collinsville, creating 500-new jobs over the next two and half years. Governor Warner hopes the five million dollar investment is the start of a new trend to help improve the area's economy.
[ENG#=4]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=What we've]
((GOV MARK WARNER; WHAT WE'VE SEEN WITH TULTEX A FEW YEARS AGO, AND THEN PILLOWTEX RECENTLY, IS THAT WHEN YOU RELY ON THAT SINGLE LARGE EMPLOYER, AND THEN THE INDUSTRY CHANGES THE WAY IT DID WITH TEXTILES, THE COMMUNITY CAN BE DEVASTATED WHEN THE LARGE EMPLOYER CLOSES DOWN 06))
[SUPER=@MarkWarner;]
[RUNS=14]
[OUTQ=large employer closes down.]
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Henry Co.;]
StarTek officials say they are well aware of the unemployment problems in Henry County, and are committed to make a permanent home there. StarTek already has one home in the state.
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg;]
Earlier this year, the Colorado-based company opened a call center in Lynchburg, creating more than 500-jobs there. Company officials say the progress they've already made there had a major influence on its decision to open another center in Virginia.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=We go through]
((GRANT LOMAS/STARTEK; WE GO THROUGH A LIST OF CITIES, WE START VERY BROAD AND THEN TRY TO DOWN SELECT, AND GIVEN THE EXPERIENCE WE HAD IN L'BURG, WE KNEW HENRY CO. WAS GOING TO BE A GOOD FIT 55))
[SUPER=01-Grant Lomas/StarTek;]
[RUNS=11]
[OUT Q=be a good fit]
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[VO-NAT]
The new call center will be located in the old Ashmore Sportswear building on Virginia Avenue in Collinsville. Officials say they hope to be up and running by mid to late October.
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[LIVE= Myranda /FULL BAM]
Of the 500-new jobs, the company says it hopes to fill 300 in the first 12-months of operation.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Myranda/Shannon/Microwave;]
Shannon, anyone interested in applying for those jobs can contact the Virginia Employment Commission.

[Franklin-Search]

[ANCHOR=Shan]
[NEWSCAST=6 p.m.]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=04-21 TC1:10:45]
[GRAPHIC=Muhammed]
[ENG#=1]

The Franklin County Sheriff's Office says a man wanted in connection with a shooting last night is most likely still armed.
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[VO-NAT]
Authorities are looking for 39-year old Hasan Ali Muhammed. They say he was one of three people involved in an argument in the 5300 block of Pleasent Hill Road yesterday afternoon that disintegrated into gunfire.
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co./Last Night;]
At least two people fired at least two firearms. Muhammed's thirty-something niece, Virginia Langhorne, was shot in the leg. Muhammed left the scene. A deputy later spotted Muhammed's truck but when he tried to stop the vehicle, Muhammed fled on foot. Authorities say he's most likely still armed but that they don't think he's out to hurt anyone.
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[B'burg-Assault]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rde]
[TAPE#=04-19 TC1:55:20]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=2]
Blacksburg Police are investigating a "person of interest" in connection with several sexual assaults.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg/July;]
Police say a man entered unlocked apartments last month in the northeast section of town and fondled women in their sleep. It happened four times at Terrace View and Oak Bridge apartments off Progress Street.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[SS=None]
Police are investigating 23 year old Timothy Andrew Darnall of Blacksburg. Darnall was arrested for an unrelated breaking and entering case and was released on bond. Arrest papers list him as a "person of interest" in several unsolved peeping tom, breaking and entering and fondling cases.

[Crigger]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rde]
[TAPE#=04-25 TC1:06:19]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]
A Wythe County family will not go to jail over animal cruelty charges.
But, family members may NEVER be allowed to own another pet. The family was arrested last month after 65 year old Esther Crigger was found dead and partially eaten by her dogs.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & Rachel/Microwave;]
New River Valley Bureau Chief Rachel DePompa explains the agreement reached in court today. Rachel?
[LIVE= Rachel /FULL Microwave]
[SUPER=@Rachel1;]
[SUPER=05-Blacksburg;]
Shannon, prosecutors dropped the animal cruelty charges, but kept the civil charges. This means, four members of the Crigger family won't be going to jail, but their dogs were turned over the state. Lawyers for the Criggers call it a small victory, but say this case is FAR from over.
[ENG#=3]
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[SOT]
[IN Q=These 22 dogs]
[SUPER=03-Wythe Co./July;:00]
[SUPER=01-David Saliba/Elmer Crigger's Attorney;:18]
[RUNS=1:15]
[OUT Q=incapacitated adult.]
((NATS: DOGS... These 22 dogs taken from the Crigger's home in Wythe County have now MULTIPLIED. 18 puppies have been born in the animal shelter and two more are expecting. The dogs are NOW property of the state and up for adoption.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT:1:09:00 ]
[IN Q=We were]
((DAVID SALIBA:WE WERE ABLE TO REACH AN AGREED DISPOSITION ON THAT WHICH RESULTED IN THE ANIMALS BEING FORFEITED TO THE COMMONWEALTH AND THE CRIMINAL CHARGES ACTUALLY BEING DROPPED. OR NOT PROSECUTED. )) [RUNS:11]
[OUT Q=not prosecuted.]

[INSERT GRAPHIC OF THE CRIGGERS for 12 seconds.] But 79 year old Elmer Crigger and his three sons, Daniel, Donald and Timothy WILL have to pay for the dogs care until they are disposed of and they can NOT own another companion pet without court approval. [END GRAPHIC] Even so, Elmer Crigger's lawyer calls the court's decision a small victory for the family.

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[SOT:1:30:00 ]
[IN Q=We were]
((DAVID SALIBA:WE WERE CONFIDENT THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SHOW ANY WILLFUL OR INTENTIONAL NEGLECT. WE HAD A SOLID DEFENSE ON THE CRIMINAL CHARGES. )) [RUNS:09]
[OUT Q=criminal charges.]

The Criggers have another hearing next month for the death of 65 year old Esther Crigger. Police say her respirator was unplugged, her diaper was never changed and her dogs had eaten her left arm down to the bone. Elmer, Donald and Daniel Crigger are each charged with one count of abuse and neglect of an incapacitated adult.))

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[LIVE= Rachel /FULL Microwave]
[SUPER=05-Blacksburg;]
Prosecutors are still waiting for evidence to come back from the medical examiner before deciding how to proceed with the charges. They're trying to figure out if Esther died before or after her respirator was unplugged.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & Rachel /Microwave;]
In the meantime, shannon, the animal warden says the dogs are available for adoption and will be held until Friday. After that, they'll euthanize the animals.

[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[SS=NONE]
[ENG#=APRISA]

Still ahead on News 7, sheriff's deputies pull double duty, as they help fight a fire in Central Virginia.
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[VO-NAT]

And the golden leaf may have lost some of its shine, but the start of the annual tobacco auction can still bring in big bucks.
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[1st-Wx]
[White-Hardwick]

(MINI OPEN)

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=04-23 TC1:03:09]
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A Roanoke Judge heard two different stories today, as a controversial landlord and the woman he accuses of harassing him, faced off in General District Court.
Both left the courtroom with convictions. [***NEWS 7 @ 6 IN MONITOR***]
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & JoeD /Newsroom;]

Tonight Joe Dashiell is here to sort out the latest chaper of this continuing dispute.
Shannon, this case involves Bill White,
[LIVE= JoeD /FULL Newsroom]
[SUPER=@Joe1;]
the Roanoke landlord who operates overthrow-dot- com, an extreme website that has included anti-semitic and racist language.
Erica Hardwick-Hoesch is the former neo-nazi who was passing out fliers with the title, "Meet Your Local Racist," when White confronted her and another man, George Pierce, on July 6th.
[ENG#=1]
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[SOT]
[IN Q=What happened next]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=01-Bill White; :08]
[SUPER=01-Erica Hardwick-Hoesch; :22]
[RUNS=:56]
[OUT Q=Mr. White, stop it right there.]

((What happened next outside an apartment building on Chapman Avenue is the subject of debate.
White says Hardwick Hoesch attacked him...
[SOT]
[IN Q=When I reach the top of the stairs]
((BILL WHITE: WHEN I REACH THE TOP OF THE STAIRS, MISS HARDWICK SAYS "HI BILL," AND THEN SHE TAKES A SWING AT ME WITH HER RIGHT FIST AND A SWING AT ME WITH HER LEFT FIST.))
[RUNS= :09]
[OUT Q=with her left fist.]

Hardwick Hoesch and two other witnesses testified it was White who came out swinging.
[SOT]
[IN Q=He was coming up those steps screaming]
((ERICA HARDWICK-HOESCH: HE WAS COMING UP THOSE STEPS SCREAMING ERICA WHAT ARE YOU DOING. ERICA WHERE ARE YOU GOING, OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT. WHEN HE GOT TO THE TOP OF THE STEPS HE GRABBED A FLIER OUT OF MY HAND, TOOK ONE LOOK AT IT AND PUNCHED ME IN THE HEAD.))
[RUNS= :11]
[OUT Q=punched me in the head.]

Ultimately, Judge Jackie Talevi convicted White of assault and battery and fined him 100 dollars.
He received a 250 dollar fine for contempt of court, after using profanity in the courtroom.
[SOT]
[IN Q=You were also given]
((BILL WHITE: YOU WERE ALSO GIVEN VERBAL NOTICE AFTER ASSAULTING ME TO LEAVE THE AREA AND NOT GO ONTO MY PROPERTY. AND YOU IMMEDIATELY RAN ACROSS THE STREET ONTO MY G.. D..... PROPERTY. JUDGE TALEVI: MR. WHITE STOP IT RIGHT THERE.))
[RUNS= :13]
[OUT Q=Mr. White, stop it right there]))
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[LIVE= JoeD /FULL Newsroom]

Citing conflicting testimony, Talevi dismissed the assault and trespassing charges against George Pierce. And she dismissed the assault and battery charge, and two of the three trespassing charges that Erica Hardwick-Hoesch was facing.
Hardwick Hoesch was convicted of trespassing on the day after her confrontation with White, and fined 75 dollars.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & JOeD /Newsroom;]

Shannon, this may not be the last we hear of this case. White has already noted an appeal to circuit court, and Hardwick-Hoesch says she is considering an appeal of her conviction.

[Pearisburg-Sex]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rde]
[TAPE#=04-27 TC51:42]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=2]

Two of the three people accused of sexually assaulting two teenage girls in Pearisburg were in court today.
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[VO-NAT]
24 year old Melissa Lynn Blankenship, her boyfriend-- 20 year old Ryan Jackson Craft and 22 year old Ryan Clay Gilmer face numerous charges including abduction and carnal knowledge of a juvenile.
[SUPER=03-Pearisburg/Last Week;]
Police say Blankenship-- who was a family friend-- picked the 14 year old girls up to go four-wheeling. Instead, they ended up at Blankenship's apartment on Wenonah Avenue where police say the girls were drugged with cough syrup and sexually assaulted. Bond was set at 35-thousand dollars for Blankenship. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for December.
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[Stocks]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
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The stock market's attempt at a rebound fizzled. [TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-y/0.67/9814.66/y/2.25/1774.64;]

The DOW lost a fraction.
NASDAQ fell two.
[SUPER=271-h/0.23/34.33/i/0.09/46.55/i/0.40/31.60/i/0.01/78.75/h/0.02/83.93;]
[SUPER=272-h/0.31/37.78/h/0.25/17.76/i/0.01/5.63/i/0.37/62.94/h/0.33/31.85;]
[SUPER=273-i/0.06/10.34/h/0.06/36.95/h/0.18/15.15/i/0.11/26.14/i/0.24/3.97;]
[SUPER=274-h/0.26/13.61/i/0.36/64.84/i/0.01/38.34/i/0.05/43.56/h/0.04/51.37;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]

[SPONSOR ANNOUNCE]
[COMMERCIAL]

[Gladys-Fire]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=04-18 TC2:05:02]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]
[ENG#=1]

Two people were taken to the hospital after their home in Campbell County caught fire this morning.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Campbell Co.]

A deputy on routine patrol spotted the blaze in this home on Gladys Road around 10:45.
The residents were already outside, although both were suffering from smoke inhalation and one had minor burns to her hands.
The sheriff's deputy is also the chief of the Hurt Volunteer Fire Department and helped firefighters battle the blaze.
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[SOT 10:26:00]
[IN Q=Just like all]
((BRIAN DUDLEY/CAMPBELL CO. SHERIFF'S OFFICE: JUST LIKE ALL VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS, DURING THE DAY IT'S HARD TO GET HELP, SO THEY WERE A LITTLE SHORTHANDED, SO I ASSISTED WITH THE FIRE SUPPRESSION UNTIL THEY COULD GET ALL THEIR MANPOWER ON THE SCENE.))
[SUPER=01-Brian Dudley/Campbell Co. Sheriff's Deputy]
[RUNS=08]
[OUT Q=on the scene.]
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[VO-NAT]

It took crews about twenty minutes to bring the fire under control.
Authorities say it appears that a candle left burning in a bedroom was the cause.
The entire house incurred smoke and water damage.
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[Tobacco-Auction]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=04-17 TC1:46:48]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=2]

The decades-old tradition of the tobacco auction continued today as growers took their flue-cured tobacco to Motley's Warehouse in Danville.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville]

Agriculture experts from around the region say it's been a good year for the tobacco crop, after two straight years of extreme weather.
Congressman Virgil Goode and state senator Charlie Hawkins spoke at today's opening and defended the tobacco buyout bill now making its way through Congress.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 14:05:32]
[IN Q=The family farm]
((SEN. CHARLES HAWKINS/R-CHATHAM: THE FAMILY FARM IS THE BACKBONE AND WHAT HAPPENS TO THE FARM IS WHAT HAPPENS TO THIS NATION. AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT STAYS IN PLACE NOT ONLY FOR THE NEXT GENERATION, BUT FOR GENERATIONS AS FAR AS WE CAN SEE IN THE FUTURE.))
[SUPER=01-Sen. Charles Hawkins/(R) Chatham;]
[RUNS=15]
[OUT Q=see in the future.]
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[VO-NAT]

Many farmers have stopped taking their crop to auction, opting instead to contract directly with cigarette makers.

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[Sports Tease]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SportsTease]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=APRISA]
Coming up tonight on News 7 sports - the big leagues get a jump on Monday with a number of matinees. Martinsville gets the Friday Football Extra preseason treatment tonight.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
And we'll meet Tech quarterback Sean Glennon - a freshman who isn't lacking for confidence.
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[S-Glennon]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-180 ]
[GRAPHIC=TECH]
[ENG#=1]

The Virginia Tech Hokies began two-a-day workouts today. As always a lot of the attention this preseason is at the quarterback position where two true freshman are battling to back-up Bryan Randall. And one of them is definitely confident he can do just that.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=FIRST AUDIO]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg/August 7, 2003; :00]
[SUPER=01-Kevin Rogers/Va. Tech Quarterbacks Coach; :19]
[SUPER=01-Sean Glennon/VT Freshman Quarterback; :35]
[SUPER=01-Bryan Randall/VT Starting Quarterback; 1:13]
[RUNS=2:22]
[OUT Q=...WHAT IT REPRESENTS HERE."]
(( Before he even committed to play for the Hokies - Sean Glennon knew he could lead the Tech offense. On this visit to campus last August 7th before the start of his senior year in high school, he was chomping at the bit to throw during practice. ((KEVIN ROGERS:)) Some of those intangibles include an a sharp mind, the ability to apply learned information immediately, and most importantly - the desire and hunger to learn. ((SEAN GLENNON:)) ((KEVIN ROGERS:)) ((BRYAN RANDALL:)) As you've no doubt noticed by now - Glennon is confident enough in his abilities that he has chosen the almost sacred number 7 to be his jersey number for his freshman season and beyond.)) ((SEAN GLENNON:))

[S-Ville]

[ANCHOR=mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-176 TC10329]
[GRAPHIC=Friday Football Extra]
[ENG#=2]

Our preseason Friday Football Extra tour stops in Martinsville tonight for a look at Taylor Edwards and the Bulldogs.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville; :00]

Edwards is beginning his 23rd season in the Ville. He welcomes back 14 starters from last year's club that went 6 and 4 to reach the playoffs.
The Dogs will be a fast bunch with speed to burn at the skill positions.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Taylor Edwards/Martinsville Head Coach; :00]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=to gain yards."]
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[VO-NAT]

Getting those backs in the open could depend on how much a young offensive line has matured in the last year.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=make them better this year."]
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[S-MLB]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=sp-170]
[GRAPHIC=mlb]
[ENG#=3]

Three games in the American league already are in the books this afternoon. The Jays beat the Yanks 5-to-4, while the A's topped the Twins, and
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Baltimore, MD/MLB; :00]
the Orioles and red-hot Melvin Mora whipped Texas 7-to-3. Mora homered twice and drove in three runs as the Os completed a four game sweep and extended their winning streak to seven games.
[super=35-Texas/3/Baltimore/7;]
It's the Os first 7 and oh homestand since 1969. (------------)