WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 08/27/04

[1-News-Head]

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[ENG#=1]
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
The son of a circuit court judge from our area is missing in a fatal frat fire at Ole Miss.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
And county authorities investigate a local Moose Lodge for allegedly taking a cut of the in-house poker games.

[Sports-head]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=none]
[ENG#=2]

In sports, the Friday Football Extra's week "0" rundown as several teams play tonight, Tech quarterback Bryan Randall is one of two Hokies who helped kids in Los Angeles this summer,
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[VO-NAT]

and exciting, wall banging qualifying highlights from Bristol.
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[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]

Problems in the tropics and the heat is on in our local forecast. Weekend details ahead.
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[ANCHOR=Keith 4-Shot]

News 7 is next.
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[ENG#=3]
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

Fire sweeps through a fraternity house in Mississippi.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

A student from Martinsville is missing and presumed dead.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Good evening, I'm Shannon Young.
[ANCHOR=Ketih 2-Shot]

And I'm Keith Humphry.
[Frat-Fire]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=04-30 TC30:21]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

The fatal fire struck the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity house at the University of Mississippi early this morning.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Three people are believed dead, 20 others made it out safely.
[ENG#=4]
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[VO-NAT]

19 year old Howard Stone is missing and presumed dead.
Stone was a Martinsville High School graduate and was in his sophomore year at Ole Miss. He was also the son of Circuit Judge Charles Stone.
[SUPER=03-Oxford, MS]

The other victims are from Mississippi and Atlanta.
Witnesses say the flames rose nearly two stories high this morning.
A university official says the fire may have started in the living area.
He added that the fraternity house had undergone a routine fire inspection last week before students moved in for the school year.
Problems that were pinpointed included a lack of fire extinguishers and doors blocked with mattresses.
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[Fire-Reaction]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=04-29 TC48:22]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Fire]
[ENG#=3]
Word of Stone's apparent death spread quickly through the Martinsville schools community. The high school's football team is in Salem for a scrimmage tonight, and that's where principal Thomas Fitzgibbons reacted to the news.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Howard was one of those kids]
[SUPER=01-Thomas Fitzgibbons/Martinsville High School Principal;]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=everyone really liked to be friends with.]
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[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[GRAPHIC=Hold]

We also talked with Howard Stone's basketball coach in the last hour. We will hear from him in reaction from Martinsville on News 7 at 11.

[VA-Hospitals]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=jwi]
[TAPE#=04-32 TC23:05]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=1]
They're not as heavily guarded as military facilities and the F-B-I is warning veterans hospitals could become targets for al-Qaida.
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[VO-NAT :35 +]
That was the warning in a bulletin released by the FBI today.
[SUPER=03-Salem;]
Officials at the V-A Hospital in Salem say they remain alert, but don't believe there's any immediate threat to the facility. In a statement released today, Veterans Affairs officials say the F-B-I bulletin serves as a warning and does NOT identify a credible threat. Still the hospital IS working with the Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement to make sure patients stay safe. Salem Police are also keeping an eye on the facility. Since 9-11, police say they've been keeping close watch over ALL government facilities in their jurisdiction.
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[Moose-Lodge]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=04-34 TC10:19]
[GRAPHIC=None]

State officials say a Roanoke County Moose Lodge took a gamble with the law and lost. Moose Lodge number 25-73 on Thompson Memorial Drive is now under investigation for allegedly running illegal poker games for profit. [***NEWS 7 @ 6 IN MONITOR***]
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith & Richard NEWSROOM; ]
Richard Lesko is here with details. In court documents, authorities say the lodge hosted monthly organized poker games as a way to attract new members.
[LIVE=Richard/FULL]
[SUPER=@richard1;]
They also attracted the attention of undercover agents. State gaming officials say small, private poker games are legal, but organized games where the house profits are not.

[ENG#=2]
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; ]
Around 7-30 last night, A-B-C investigators and Roanoke County Police executed the search warrant at the Moose lodge.

They say they broke up a game in progress where dozens of people were playing. According to court documents, they seized boxes of poker chips, decks of cards, and more than 2-thousand dollars in cash. It was the result of an month-long undercover investigation where agents say they paid 60 dollars to enter a Texas Hold 'em tournament, and organizers took a cut of the entry fee.
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[LIVE=Richard/FULL]
Other games were also allegedly going on in a back room with the house profiting from the action. One of the members did speak about the search, and called the games harmless fun, and cheap entertainment.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith & Richard NEWSROOM;]
So far no charges have been filed, but state officials will be meeting with the Commonwealth's Attorney to determine how to proceed. A decision on that could come as early as next week.

[77-Accident]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=04-31 TC29:28]
[GRAPHIC=I-77]
[ENG#=3]
A tanker truck accident made a day-long mess of traffic just south of Virginia on Interstate 77.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Surry Co., NC;]
The trouble started just after six this morning when a truck carrying toluene (TOLL-you-een) overturned in North Carolina not far from the state line. Toluene is an extremely flammable chemical, so emergency crews blocked 77 in both directions. That shut down 19 miles of the Interstate, creating a lengthy detour. No word yet whether the highway has been re-opened.
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[81-Accident]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=I-81]

Traffic was also moving slowly for a while this morning at the I-81 interchange with I-77.
(+++++++)
[TAKE I-81 ACCIDENT MAP]
A tractor-trailer carrying canned spaghetti tipped over at exit 81.
At one point, crews had to close the southbound lanes to clear the wreck.
State Police say the driver had only minor injuries.
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[Fatal-81]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]
An early-morning accident on 81 took the life of a Blacksburg man. State police say 52 year old Kenneth Sterling Smiley was heading south near the Christiansburg exit just after midnight when he lost control and struck a guardrail. Police say Smiley was traveling at a high rate of speed and was thrown from his motorcycle.

[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
[WRITER=dse]
[SS=NONE]
[ENG#=APRISA]

He opened fire on three men trying to break into his house.
Still ahead, a prosecutor decides whether the shooter will face charges.
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Plus why the sound of construction is music to the ears of art lovers in Lynchburg.
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[1st-Wx]
[Henry-Body]

(MINI OPEN)

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=04-27 TC1:12:38]
[GRAPHIC=Shooting]
[ENG#=1]

The homeowner who allegedly shot and killed an intruder in Pittsylvania County last month will *not* face charges for the man's death.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pittsylvania Co./Last Month]

42-year-old Jerry Wayne Weadon died after he and two other men reportedly tried to break into this home near Dry Fork on July 23rd.
Police say the resident ... David Lee Gammon ... exchanged gunfire with the men, and Weadon was hit as he fled the scene.
Pittsylvania County prosecutor David Grimes says he has "no" evidence to charge Gammon at this time but adds that may change if new information comes to light.
The two other suspects ... Michael Robin Wilson and Timothy Willard Thornton ... are due in court next month.
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[Burrow]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=04-22 TC1:58:25]
[GRAPHIC=Richard Burrow]
[ENG#=2]
The judge in the Richard Burrow says he may call for two separate trials... one on the fraud charges, and a second one on the perjury counts.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
The former director of the D-Day Memorial Foundation was back in court, his lawyer arguing a host of motions today, just three weeks before trial is set to begin. The defense hopes to avoid having the jury hear evidence that Burrow lied when he was tried the first time- -as the government now contends. Burrow wants to sever- -or- -separate perjury from fraud.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=We felt]
((WE FELT... IMPROPRIETY OF TRYING IT AT THE SAME TIME... THAT WAS THE BASIS OF IT, THE CONSTITUTION OF FAIRNESS, UNFAIRNESS OF THAT. THAT WAS THE BASIS OF THE MOTION. The Judge agreed it wouldn't be fair to accuse Burrow in the second trial of lying at the first trial. Judge James Turk hopes he can try the case again without the jury knowing Burrow's been tried once already. Prosecutor Tom Bondurant said jurors are GOING to know that. He said he planned to TELL them that in his opening statement. Neither he nor the judge has had the last word on that. THE JUDGE SAYS HE'S GOING TO LOOK AT IT AND RULE LATER. YOU SEE, WE HAVEN'T REALLY RESPONDED YET TO THE MOTION. WE HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE CASE LAW.))
[SUPER=01-John Lichtenstein/Burrow's Attorney; :00]
[SUPER=04-File Tape; :18]
[SUPER=01-Tom Bondurant/Assistant U. S. Attorney; :33]
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[OUT Q=the case law.]
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[VO-NAT]
It also came out today that the government may call an expert on fundraising ethics to testify against Burrow.
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[Triplett]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2004]

Republican congressional candidate Kevin Triplett says he'll be speaking at the Republican convention.
Triplett says he's scheduled to address the delegates on Monday, between 11:30 and 12:30.
Triplett's running against ninth district Democrat Rick Boucher, and independent Seth Davis this fall.
Virginia senator George Allen will also be speaking at the convention in New York on Monday.
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[WIPE TO 7Too FS]
WDBJ will present the entire Republican Party Convention on our digital channel 7-2. Cox Digital Cable customers can watch on channel 107.
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[Stocks]

[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
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Stocks ended the week with a win. [TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-x/21.60/10195.01/x/9.17/1862.09;]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

The DOW gained 22 points today.
The NASDAQ rose nine.
[SUPER=271-i/0.31/37.27/h/0.15/49.13/h/0.04/32.33/h/1.17/81.42/h/0.81/89.01;]
[SUPER=272-i/0.09/39.63/i/0.01/18.40/h/0.03/5.75/i/0.03/64.69/i/0.02/32.77;]
[SUPER=273- /Unchg/10.83/h/0.18/38.30/h/0.05/16.83/i/0.09/27.92/i/0.08/3.42;]
[SUPER=274-h/0.33/14.19/i/0.40/68.05/i/0.05/38.96/h/0.09/46.57/i/0.32/53.56;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]

[SPONSOR ANNOUNCE]
[COMMERCIAL]
[Academy-Construction]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=04-28 TC1:17:57]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Before the first curtain can go up, the walls have to go up first .. but progress is being made on Lynchburg's new Academy of Fine Arts.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

Steve Smallshaw updates us on the construction.
[ENG#=1]
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[SOT]
[IN Q=natsot ]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Jean Meeks/Academy of Fine Arts; :24]
[SUPER=01-Richard Kordos/Academy of Fine Arts Director; :45]
[SUPER=@ssm2; 1:27]
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[OUT Q=News7, Lynchburg.]
(( [natsot construction noise]
[RUNS= 02]

In just the past few months, this city block between Main and Commerce Streets in Lynchburg has been transformed ... and will soon be a key component to the city's cultural scene.
Phase One of a 19-million dollar project is about three months from completion, but already the outline is apparent.
A new 450-seat studio theater has been framed up, along with classrooms, art space and offices.
[SOT 7:46:34]
((JEAN MEEKS/ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS: WE WILL BE ABLE TO OFFER CLASSES VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE OFFERED OVER ON THOMSON DRIVE AND WE WILL BE ABLE TO EXTEND OUR OFFERINGS AS WELL.))
[RUNS= 10]
[OUT Q=as well.]

The construction pace picked up when the Academy of Music and the Fine Arts Center merged last year, and the Fine Arts building on Thomson Drive ... to the dismay of some ... was slated for demolition.
[SOT 8:01:37]
((RICHARD KORDOS/ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS DIRECTOR: I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE PEOPLE COULD ASK IF WE'RE INCORPORATING THE VERY BEST OF ALL THE THINGS THAT WERE FOUND AT THE FINE ARTS CENTER AND THE BEST OF WHAT THE ACADEMY OF MUSIC HAD INTO ONE NEW ORGANIZATION .. IT'S GOING TO BE PRETTY DARN SWELL.))
[RUNS= 15]
[OUT Q=pretty darn swell.]

Kordos is also excited about being part of the revitalization that is taking place along the city's riverfront.
[SOT 7:54:02]
((RICHARD KORDOS/ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS DIRECTOR: THERE'S A LOT OF MAJOR THINGS GOING ON AND A PERFORMING ARTS CENTER IS ALWAYS MAJOR, IT IS NEVER MINOR, IN IT ACTIVITY AND WHAT IT PROPOSES TO THE CITY. SO I THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE A VERY IMPORTANT ELEMENT TO THIS CONTINUED REVITALIZATION. WE DIDN'T START IT.. WE'RE JUST COMING IN ON IT AND SAYING 'WE'RE GOING TO BE HERE TOO'.))
[RUNS= 20]
[OUT Q=be here too.]

Once the new theater is built, restoration of the century-old Academy of Music will begin.
Kordos hopes to see that completed by 2007.
Steve Smallshaw, News7, Lynchburg. ))

[RU-Conference]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=]
[WRITER=jwi]
[TAPE#=04-33 TC15:38]
[GRAPHIC=Radford]
[ENG#=2]

Radford University could be leaving the Big South for the Atlantic Sun.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Radford/File Tape;]
The Board of Visitors today heard from Athletic Director Greig Denny about the possibility of joining the Atlantic Sun Conference. University officials say the Big South has been adding more and more football schools. They say the Atlantic Sun is attractive because of it's a basketball conference. The Board of Visitors has asked for a cost analysis and plans to re- visit the idea in November. School officials hope to make a decision by early Spring
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[Sports tease]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=APRISA]

Qualifying from Bristol, some Friday Football Extra teams start play tonight
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[VO-NAT]
and we will further preview the Tech/USC match up in the BCA classic set for tomorrow night with the story of how Tech QB Bryan Randall and linebacker James Anderson teamed up to help kids in California.
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[S-Qualify]

[ANCHOR=steve]
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[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-171 1:53:48]
[GRAPHIC=]
[ENG#=1]

The Sharpie 500 tomorrow night is race number 24 of 36 on the Nextel Cup circuit and Bud Pole Qualifying invaded Bristol today.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bristol, TN; :00]

Safe to say Michael Waltrip would have like dto have had this lap back as he loses control down the front stretch and hits the wall. He qualified 36th.
Jeff Gordon won his 4th Bristol pole in the last six races at the bull ring with a speed of 128.520 miles an hour. Now your starting grid.
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[wipe to qualifying boards]
[SUPER=#556]
[SUPER=X5013;]
[SUPER=0107-1. Jeff Gordon/128.520/2. Kasey Kahne/127.410/3. Sterling Marlin//4. Ryan Newman//5. Jamie McMurray//;]
[SUPER=X5009;]
[SUPER=0107-6. Tony Stewart//7. Mark Martin//8. Elliott Sadler//9. Jeremy Mayfield//10. Greg Biffle//;]
[SUPER=X5009;]
[SUPER=0107-11. Jimmy Johnson//12. Terry Labonte//13. Rusty Wallace//14. Dale Jarrett//15. Jeff Burton//;]
[SUPER=X5009;]
[SUPER=0107-16. Ward Burton//17. Brendan Gaughan//18. Robby Gordon//19. Bobby Labonte//20. Brian Vickers//;]
[SUPER=X5009;]
[SUPER=0107-21. Kevin Harvick//22. Casey Mears//23. Matt Kenseth//24. Kurt Busch//25. Carl Edwards//;]
[SUPER=X5009;]
[SUPER=0107-26. Ken Schrader//27. Jeff Green//28. Kenny Wallace//29. Kevin Lepage//30. Dale Earnhardt Jr.//;]
[SUPER=X5009;]
[SUPER=0107-31. Kyle Petty//32. Ricky Rudd//33. Tony Raines//34. Scott Wimmer//35. Ricky Craven//;]
[SUPER=X5009;]
[SUPER=0107-36. Michael Waltrip//37. Joe Nemechek//38. Jimmy Spencer//39. Scott Riggs/Prov/40. Todd Bodine/Prov/;]
[SUPER=X5009;]
[SUPER=0107-41. Mike Wallace/Prov/42. Derrike Cope/Prov/43. Morgan Shepherd/Prov/;]
[RUNS=:45]
[OUT Q=...last driver]
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[S-Interns]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=twe]
[TAPE#=SP-181 TC4832]
[GRAPHIC=BCA Game]
[ENG#=2]

The BCA Classic won't be the first brush with USC for Tech quarterback Bryan Randall and linebacker James Anderson. Travis Wells tells us about their L.A. education this summer.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :00]
[SUPER=03-Los Angeles, CA/Courtesy Athletes in Action; :11]
[SUPER=01-Bryan Randall/Hokies Quarterback; :30]
[SUPER=01-James Anderson/Hokies Linebacker; 1:00]
[SUPER=@travis1; 1:10]
[RUNS=1:57]
[OUT Q=News 7 Sports."]
((Bryan Randall and James Anderson will have quite the fan club on the west coast during Saturday night's game with USC. The two Virginians traveled to LA back in June as part of a sports ministry internship with Athletes in Action. During their three weeks in the city of Angels, the two counseled inner city youngsters between the ages of 6 and 13, while conducting football and basketball camps on the weekends. Randall and Anderson learned that South Central Los Angeles is a far cry from Blacksburg.
Bryan: James:
The trip wasn't without some irony. The two Hokies found their accommodations to be in a fraternity house just off the Southern California campus.
James: Bryan:
With that mission accomplished, Anderson is now clearly focused on his football mission. The redshirt junior overcame some odds, moving from 3rd on the depth chart to 1st at the whip linebacker spot during spring practice, where he hopes to be a regular contributor. Travis Wells, News 7 Sports.))
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[WIPE TO FULL SCREEN PINNACLE]
[ANCHOR=Steve]
And remember, tonight at 7:30, keep the dial on WDBJ for our half hour Tech/UVa and ACC half hour special, "A season of Uncertainty"
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[S-FFE]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=FFE]

Several high school football teams are playing games tonight.
(XXXXXXX)
[WIPE TO PINNACLE!!!!!!!!]
[@page1---------]

WDBJ-7 will bring you highlights of the Giles/Blacksburg game this evening along with the Floyd County/Patrick County game and the Rockbridge/Greenbrier contest.
(XXXXXXXXXX)
[GO TO PINNACLE 612] Also, please join us for our Friday Football Extra preseason special in just over a half hour, right here on your hometown Station.
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[Community-High]
[NEWSCAST=6 p.m.]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=04-21 TC1:57:31]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

They won't be making a living but they will be working 9 to 5.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
[ENG#=1]
(------------)
[VO-NAT :11]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/May 2004;]
The student government at Community High School recently voted to adopt a 9 to 5 school day. Administrators say the "work model" will free kids from having to do homework.
(///// SOT at :11 /////)
[SOT ]
[IN Q=We like the notion that a student...]
((LINDA THORNTON/COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL: WE LIKE THE NOTION THAT A STUDENT CAN DO HIS WORK, HE COULD GET ALL HIS WORK DONE WITH ASSISTANCE FROM TEACHERS DURING THE SCHOOL DAY.)) ((CONNOR HOGAN/RISING JUNIOR/COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL: )) ((CONNOR HOGAN/RISING JUNIOR, COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL: THERE WERE A LOT OF KIDS WHO WERE NEGATIVE TOWARDS IT BUT I THINK MOST OF THE STUDENT BODY HERE IS REALLY FOCUSED ON LEARNING AND ASCENDING IN THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS MORE OF AN EXCITING EXPERIENCE FOR THEM.))
[SUPER=01-Linda Thornton/Community High School; :00]
[SUPER=01-Connor Hogan/Community High School Rising Junior; :15]
[RUNS=:27]
[OUT Q=more of an exciting experience for them.]
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[VO-NAT:04]
Community High Schoolers will start the school year September 7th.
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