[News-Heads]

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[ENG#=1]
[VO-NAT]

Firefighters pulled residents to safety after their apartment building caught fire this morning.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]

And, an accident on Route 3- 11 in Roanoke County leaves one man injured.
[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=BRENT]
[SS=None]
Cooler weather's heading our way behind a cold front but first we have to deal with showers and thunderstorms. I'll have your weekend forecast.
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

Stay with us. News 7 at noon, starts right now.

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[Video-Open]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=2]
(------------)
[VO-NAT :06]
Radford Firefighters rescue trapped residents after an apartment building catches fire this morning.
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[Radford-Fire]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=jwi]
[TAPE#=04-23 1:16:30]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]


[ENG#=3]


The fire started around 5:30 on Downey Street.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Radford;]
There were reports of people trapped inside, and when firefighters arrived, ten residents were waiting on their balconies to be rescued.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 8:25:55]
[IN Q=Of course, the fires thing]
((LEE SIMPKINS: OF COURSE, THE FIRST THING WE DID WAS EVACUATE THOSE PEOPLE FROM THE BALCONIES AND THEN WE CONCENTRATED ON THE FIRE. THE FIRE STARTED ON THE SECOND FLOOR, CAME OUT THE REAR WINDOW AND LICKED ON UP TO THE THIRD FLOOR.))
[SUPER=01-Lee Simpkins/Radford Fire Chief;]
[RUNS=13]
[OUT Q=the third floor]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
All residents escaped unharmed - the only fatality was a pet dog. Officials say the fire was caused by an electrical problem, and estimate damages at more than 150- thousand- dollars.
Because of the damage - residents are not being allowed back into the building until further notice.
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[311-Accident]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=04-22 1:46:30]
[GRAPHIC=Accident]


[ENG#=4]


One man was injured in an accident on Route 311 this morning.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]
It happened around 10 o'clock near the Appalachian Trail crossover. Police say the driver told them he was heading up the mountain, when he lost control and went into a ditch. His truck then overturned and came to a rest on the roadway. The driver was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. Police say the accident is under investigation and charges are pending.
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[Iraq]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Iraq]


[ENG#=1]


A possible sign of cooperation today from the Shiite cleric at the center of a militant uprising in Iraq.
Iraqi authorities say Muqtada al- Sadr and his militia are following orders to leave the holy shrine where they've been hiding out for weeks. But the U-S military hasn't confirmed that.
Stacy Case reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Najaf, Iraq;]
[SUPER=01-Capt. Denis Pitdorn/US Task Force;]
[SUPER=01-Stacy Case/CBS News;]
[RUNS=1:37]
[OUT Q=Case, CBS News, Washington.]

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[Terror-Arrests]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]


[ENG#=None]


Attorney General John Ashcroft has announced more terror indictments--one of the suspects is from Northern Virginia.
Three Palestinian activists allegedly used U-S bank accounts to launder millions of dollars to support Hamas, which the U-S government has designated a terrorist organization.
Ashcroft says one of the men arrested is from Alexandria.
He and another were caught in Chicago, while the third is still at large overseas.

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[Beach-Bodies]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Investigation]


[ENG#=1]


A young couple reported missing early this week was found shot to death on a deserted beach in California.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Jenner, CA;]

22- year- old Lindsay Cutshall of Ohio and 26- year- old Jason Allen of Michigan were camp counselors.
They disappeared last weekend-- their car was found along a highway Wednesday.
A helicopter crew found the pair yesterday, who were in sleeping bags on the beach at the foot of a cliff.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Just a darn shame.]
((JUST A DARN SHAME. IT'S A REAL TRAGEDY TO THINK THAT SOMETHING HAPPENED TO A NICE YOUNG COUPLE THAT I UNDERSTAND WERE GOING TO BE GETTING MARRIED QUITE SOON. )) ((DAVE EDMONDS/SONOMA CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT.:IT MAY BE A HOMICIDE OR IT MAY NOT BE.THERE'S A NECESSITY TO COLLECT TRACE EVIDENCE AND TO PROTECT FOR POSSIBLE DNA EVIDENCE AND OTHER THINGS SO IT'S SLOW. ))
[SUPER=01-Dave Edmonds/Sonoma Co. Sheriff's Department; :08]
[RUNS=:19]
[OUT Q=so it's slow.]
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]

The couple was planning to marry next month.
(------------)

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[Missing-Girl]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Hold]


[ENG#=2]


The disappearance of a seven-year-old Arkansas girl is now a murder investigation.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Gilmore, AR;]

Searchers found Patricia Miles' body last night in a field.
She'd been missing for nearly a week.
Jo Ann Buchanan, who occasionally babysat the girl is in jail on a million dollars' bond.
Prosecutors are re- thinking the kidnapping charges against her.
So far, investigators haven't offered a motive, and Buchanan has refused to cooperate with authorities.
(------------)

[Tease1] [HARD MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[WRITER=tbr]
[ENG#=Aprisa]

Coming up next on the newscast, residents of one neighborhood are evacuated after a gas plant catches fire in Texas.

(--------------)
[VO-NAT ]

Plus a new study could change some doctors minds when it comes time to prescribing arthritis medications.
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[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #1]

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[PKG-SOLs]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=04-31 TC 20:41]
[GRAPHIC=]
[ENG#=]

Virginia's high schoolers are working to make the grade, but when seniors had to pass the Standards of Learning in order to graduate, some fell below the mark.
Justin McLeod has more.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Bedford; :00]
[SUPER=01-Mickey VanDerwerker/SOL Critic; :09]
[SUPER=@file; :15]
[SUPER=01-Charley Pyle/Virginia Department of Education; :24]
[SUPER=@Justin1; 1:32]
[RUNS=1:43]
[OUT Q=JM, News 7.]
((((NAT SOUND OF TYPING AT 18:02:30))
Typing away is something Mickey VanDerwerker does a lot of.
She runs a website called SOLreform dot com.
[SOT 17:55:03]
[IN Q=There's no way]
((MICKEY VANDERWERKER: THERE'S NO WAY FORTY FIVE ITEMS CAN MEASURE WHAT A KID HAS LEARNED OR NOT LEARNED.)) [Runs04]
[OUT Q=LEARNED OR NOT LEARNED]

She along with many others predicted a larger number of high school seniors would fail the SOL's, therefore be unable to graduate on time.
Did those predictions hold up?
[SOT :59]
[IN Q=Right now we]
((CHARLES PYLE/VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: RIGHT NOW WE HAVE SOME REAL PRELIMINARY PROJECTIONS BASED ON THE SURVEY WE DID IN THE SPRING THAT ABOUT SIX PERCENT OF THE SENIOR CLASS WAS NOT GRADUATING ON TIME.)) [Runs09]
[OUT Q=GRADUATING ON TIME]

The state is still weeks away from receiving final numbers.
But we checked with several local school systems and here's what we found. [GRAPHIC]
These are seniors who failed the SOL's or required course work by the time school ended.
Roanoke City had the highest with fifteen.
Many other school systems had fewer than ten.
Critics like Mickey concede the numbers are lower than some expected, but points out fewer kids took the test.
[SOT 17:52:50]
[IN Q=The number of kids]
((MICKEY VANDERWERKER: THE NUMBER OF KIDS WHO ARE LOST BETWEEN NINTH AND TWELFTH GRADE, THOSE NUMBERS SEEM HIGH TO US.
IT'S ABOUT QUARTER OF THE KIDS DON'T MAKE IT.)) [Runs07]
[OUT Q=KIDS DON'T MAKE IT]

Some wonder if tougher SOL requirements are too blame.
It could be years before either side can say for sure but in the meantime, the state says so far, so good.
[SOT 2:27]
[IN Q=Certainly we hope]
((CHARLES PYLE/VIRGINIA DEPT. OF EDUCATION: CERTAINLY, WE HOPE THAT EVERY STUDENT WILL GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL BUT THE PROJECTION THAT WE'VE SEEN IS CERTAINLY A FAR CRY FROM A FEW YEARS AGO THAT AS MANY AS 25-PERCENT OR 20-PERCENT IN THE TWELFTH GRADE WOULD NOT GRADUATE IN 2004.)) [Runs16]
[OUT Q=GRADUATE IN 2004]
[SOT ]
[IN Q=The seniors who failed]
((JUSTIN McLEOD/REPORTING: THE SENIORS WHO FAILED WERE ENCOURAGED TO RE-TAKE THE TEST IN SUMMER SCHOOL AND MANY DID. SO WHEN FINAL NUMBERS ARE RELEASED, THEY WILL MOST LIKELY BE LOWER THAN THEY WERE IN MAY. JUSTIN McLEOD, NEWS 7.))))

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[11Paving]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=04-37 TC01:13]
[GRAPHIC=None]


[ENG#=2]


Some Franklin County residents think VDOT is heading in the wrong direction path when it comes to repairing their road.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co.]

VDOT officials say they're forced to take the cheap route-- using tar and gravel, instead of asphalt-- to repair 20-miles of Route 40 in Franklin and Patrick Counties.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 44:43]
[IN Q=RIGHT NOW WE ]
((C. B. REYNOLDS/VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION; RIGHT NOW WE HOPE WE'VE GOT 225-THOUSAND DOLLARS TO SPEND ON THIS KIND OF REPAIR, WE DEFINITELY DON'T HAVE THE MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF PAVEMENT. REPORTER: SO IT IS ABOUT THE MONEY? REYNOLDS: IT'S A MONEY ISSUE, YEAH.))
[SUPER=01-C. B. Reynolds/Virginia Department of Transportation;]
[RUNS=11]
[OUT Q=MONEY ISSUE, YEAH.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

VDOT says it's getting about 30 complaints about flying stones and dust every day.
Officials say conditions should improve when the work is finished in about two weeks.
(------------)

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[TX-Blast ]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]


[ENG#=3]


For the second time in two days a gas storage facility in Texas has erupted into flames.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Moss Bluff, TX;]

Authorities say it could take days for the fire to burn itself out.
Evacuations around the facility, just north of Houston, were expanded from a one- mile to a three- mile radius after the fire intensified.
Witnesses say it was a scary spectacle--
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It just blew...]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=100 foot tall.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Officials say more than 100 people are affected by the new evacuation order.
So far, there are no reports of any injuries.
(------------)

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[Pain-Relievers]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=tbr]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHICMedical News]

[ENG#=4]


A few years ago, a drug class called Cox- 2 inhibitors were thought to be the best answer for arthritis.
It could stop the pain without the gastro- intestinal side effects other pain relievers can cause.
That idea ended in 2001 when research led doctors to believe the Cox 2 pills might increase the risk of a heart attack.
But now a new larger study is changing doctors' opinion again. Doctor Mallika Marshall reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-New York, NY; :00]
[SUPER=01-Lynn Parker-McBride/Osteoarthritis Patient; :13]
[SUPER=01- Dr. Mallika Marshall/CBS News; :41]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Michael Farkouh/NYU School of Medicine; :52]
[RUNS=1:41]
[OUT Q=CBS NEWS.]
(((New York, NY) LYNN PARKER-MCBRIDE WORKS AS A NURSE.... BUT FOR THE PAST DECADE SHE'S ALSO BEEN A PATIENT. IN HER 30'S SHE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS AT TIMES LEAVING HER IN EXTREME PAIN.

(SOT-Lynn Parker-McBride/Suffers from Osteoarthritis)
"I was debilitated to the point of having a leg brace, you know, my husband had to carry me upstairs at night, I couldn't walk."
DRUGS LIKE MOTRIN AND IBUPROFREN COULD TAKE AWAY THE PAIN, BUT HER STOMACH COULDN'T HANDLE THE HIGH DOSES. WHEN A STOMACH FRIENDLY CLASS OF DRUGS CALLED COX-2 INHIBITORS CAME OUT.... BETTER KNOWN AS VIOXX AND CELEBREX.... LYNN SEEMED LIKE A PRIME CANDIDATE.... BUT SHE ALSO HAS A FAMILY HISTORY OF HEART DISEASE.

(STANDUP: Dr. Mallika Marshall/CBS NEWS)
IN 2001 RESEARCH SUGGESTED THAT COX-2 DRUGS MIGHT INCREASE THE RISK OF HEART ATTACK.... LEADING MANY DOCTORS TO STOP PRESCRIBING THE PILLS TO PATIENTS AT A HIGH RISK OF HEART DISEASE. HOWEVER, A NEW AND LARGER STUDY IS DEBUNKING THAT BELIEF.

(SOT-Dr. Michael Farkouh/NYU School Medicine)
"we can say safely that these drugs are not of a significant increase in heart attacks."
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY'S DOCTOR MICHAEL FARKOUH WAS PART OF THE INTERNATIONAL STUDY THAT LOOKED AT A NEW COX-2 INHIBITOR, NOT YET ON THE MARKET, CALLED LUMIRACOXIB (lou-mir-a-cox-ib). RESEARCHERS FOUND THE DRUG DOES 'NOT' CAUSE A SIGNIFICANT INCREASED RISK OF HEART ATTACK. BUT, THIS DOESN'T MEAN EVERY ARTHRITIS SUFFERER SHOULD START TAKING COX-2 PILLS. DOCTOR FARKOUH SAYS IT REALLY HAS TO BE PRESCRIBED ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS.

(SOT-Dr. Michael Farkouh/NYU School Medicine)
"that's really what we're telling our clinicians that in the right patients these drugs are safe."
UNTIL NOW LYNN CONTROLLED HER OSTEOARTHRITIS THROUGH DIET, EXERCISE AND THE OCCASIONAL MOTRIN. BUT KNOWING THAT SHE MIGHT BE ABLE TO USE COX-2 DRUGS GIVES HER A NEW OPTION. AN OPTION ARTHRITIS SUFFERERS LIKE HER EVERYWHERE MIGHT ALSO BE ABLE TO CONSIDER. DOCTOR MALLIKA MARSHALL, CBS NEWS.))
[Tease2] [SOFT MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[WRITER=tbr]
[ENG#=Aprisa]

Coming up next a well known bluegrass musician has died.
(-----------------)
[VO-NAT ]
Also we'll see who can cream the competition in a pie eating contest.
(-----------------)
[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #2]

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[Gordon]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=tbr]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]


[ENG#=None]


Bluegrass legend Charlie Waller, a self-taught guitarist and vocalist who founded the Country Gentlemen band, died Wednesday at his home in Gordonsville
The Country Gentlemen formed in 1957 in Washington, and Waller was still playing with the band until his death.
Charlie Waller was 69 years old.

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[Pie-Contest]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]


[ENG#=1]


It's every child's dream-- eating as much dessert as they can hold.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Des Moines, IA;]

Hundreds of people turned out for the pie eating contest at the Iowa State Fair.
Kids of all ages gorged themselves with chocolate cream pies.
While some appeared to savor every sweet bite, others devoured the treat and licked their plates afterwards.
Organizers say it didn't really matter who won the contest--
Everyone was a winner at the event.
They each received a "Participation Award" and a free meal.
(------------)

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[Stocks]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly 2-Shot]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE# none]
[GRAPHIC=None]

On Wall Street at Noon, the DOW and the NASDAQ were both up five points.
[super=460-x/5/x/5;]
[Tease3] [SPORTS MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[WRITER=tbr]
[ENG#=Aprisa]

Coming up after the break, we'll check out some of the young track stars trying to run down gold in Athens.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT ]

And a Wahoo tries to clear his name with the team's faithful fans.
(---------------)
[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #3]

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[Olympics]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Olympics]


[ENG#=1]


At the Athens games, it's the first big day of competition for track and field.
Manuel Gallegus introduces us to some of the young American hopefuls.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Athens, Greece;]
[SUPER=01-Manuel Gallegus/CBS News;]
[SUPER=01-Kenta Bell/Triple Jumper;]
[SUPER=01-Melvin Lister/Triple Jumper;]
[SUPER=01-Breaux Greer/Javelin Thrower;]
[SUPER=01-Tim Mack/Track and Field Pole Vaulter;]
[SUPER=01-Brenda Taylor/400 Meter Hurdler;]
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=Gallegus, CBS news, Athens.]
((
YOU KNOW WHO THE STARS ARE ON THE AMERICAN TRACK AND FIELD TEAM MAURICE GREENE...THE FASTEST RUNNER ON THE PLANET
STACY DRAGILA, THE WOMENS POLE VAULTING GOLD MEDAL DEFENDER
AND FIVE TIME OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS GAIL DEVERS AND JEARL MILES CLARK
-NAT-
STAND-UP-MANUEL GALLEGUS, ATHENS BUT THERE ARE DOZENS OF NEW FACES HERE FOR THE GAMESTHE UP AND COMING GENERATION
47 OF THE 118 TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES ARE UNDER 25EACH.WITH THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL STYLE. AND WHILE THE OLDER TEAMMATES ARE STILL IN THE PRIME THE YOUNG UPSTARTS ARE FAST ON THEIR HEELS
-NAT-
KENTA (kente) BELLAND MELVIN LISTERARE TWO OF THE TOP TRIPLE JUMPERS IN THE WORLD..

-SOT-KENTA BELL,

I thought I was going to be extremely nervous coming in couldnt sleepbut I think Im extremely prepared.
-SOT-MELVIN LISTER, TRIPLE JUMPER 7;25 #1
I wanna be the best at whatever I do..
ONE TIME BASEBALL PLAYER BREAX GREER HOLDS THE AMERICAN RECORD IN JAVELIN

-SOT- BREAUX GREERAMERICAN JAVELIN THROWER
I want it badlyI didnt come to get second.
POLE VAULTERS TOBY STEVENSON, TIM MACK AND HURDLER BRENDA TAYLOR ARE MEDAL HOPEFULS TOO.

-SOT-TIM MACK, USA TRACK AND FIELD POLE VAULTER 3;16;43
I feel real confident in that Ive done so many drillsthings are just gonna happen.

-SOT-BRENDA TAYLOR , 400m HURDLER
Its climbing to the top of that podium and its your national anthem and thats what Ive trained for and thats what Im going for.
THE YOUNGER ATHLETES ARENT ALL GOLD MEDAL FAVORITESBUT WITH THE BEST SPRINT, JUMP, OR THROW OF THEIR LIVESTHEY MAY JUST MATCH THE 20 MEDALS WON IN THE SYDNEY GAMES. MANUEL GALLEGUS, CBS NEWS ATHENS.
))

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[S-UVA]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-181 42:44]
[GRAPHIC=UVA]


[ENG#=2]


The Virginia football program held its annual "meet the team" day at Scott Stadium yesterday.
Hundreds of Wahoo faithful showed up, along with a surprise defensive player who took steps to clear his name.
Steve Mason has more on Ahmad Brooks and media day from Charlottesville.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Charlottesville; :00]
[SUPER=01-Ahmad Brooks/9 Tackles Per Game in 2003; :18]
[SUPER=01-Al Groh/Cavaliers Head Coach; :36]
[SUPER=01-Darryl Blackstock/Cavaliers Junior Linebacker; :41]
[SUPER=01-Heath Miller/Cavaliers Tight End; 1:00]
[SUPER=01-Elton Brown/Cavaliers Guard; 1:10]
[SUPER=@Steve1; 1:17]
[RUNS=1:37]
[OUT Q=..news 7 sports"]
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[REPRS@CL] SUPER=X4031; Fax/Copyright Noon/Weekends [SUPER=X4030; e-Mail/Copyright Noon/Weekends]