WDBJ 7 morning news for 12/14/04

[11Jefferson-Forest]

[ANCHOR=Justin]

[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=04-51 TC19:51]
[GRAPHIC=None]

It's the debate that won't go away -- what to do with Jefferson Forest High School.
The Bedford school board now wants to build a new JF, but Supervisors say "not so fast".
Justin McLeod has the story.
[ENG#=1]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Bedford; :00]
[SUPER=01-James Blevins/Bedford School Superintendent; :16]
[SUPER=01-Bobby Pollard/Bedford Co. Supervisors Chairman; :42]
[SUPER=01-Robert Bashore/Bedford Co. Supervisor; :54]
[SUPER=@justin1; 1:15]
[RUNS=1:27]
[OUT Q=JM, News 7]

((((NAT SOUND OF SUPERINTENDENT DURING MEETING))
Bedford's School Superintendent had some explaining to do.
He was called before the Board of Supervisors to justify the school board's decision to abandon plans to renovate Jefferson Forest High School.
[SOT 3:33:58]
[IN Q=The board dropped]
((JAMES BLEVINS/BEDFORD SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT: THE BOARD DROPPED PLANS TO RENOVATE JF WHEN THE RENOVATION COST HIT 38.5 MILLION.)) [Runs06]
[OUT Q=38.5 MILLION]

The school board now wants to build a new smaller JF near the current site and then a combination middle and high school near Route 460.
Under state the law, the county can contract out the design, construction, and financing of new schools.
The school board is talking with two developers to build the schools and has rejected any proposals that include renovation.
[SOT 3:37:42]
[IN Q=They said it wasn't]
((BOBBY POLLARD/CHAIRMAN OF SUPERVISORS: THEY SAID IT WASN'T ENOUGH INFORMATION IN IT. I HAD A THICK BOOK OF INFORMATION, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR.)) [Runs06]
[OUT Q=THEY'RE LOOKING FOR]

But at least one Supervisor believes building several new schools now will eliminate the need down the road.
[SOT 3:18:34]
[IN Q=If we're going]
((ROBERT BASHORE/SUPERVISOR: IF WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING THIS IN THE NEXT TEN TWELVE YEARS AND WE MAY IT'S LIKE THE FRAME FILTER, PAY ME NOW OR PAY ME LATER.)) [Runs09]
[OUT Q=or pay me later]

But how much is this all going to cost taxpayers?
The bidding process allows the school board to keep mum about the price tag.
[SOT 3:28:06]
[IN Q=At what point]
((ROGER CREEK/SUPERVISOR: AT WHAT POINT DOES THE PUBLIC KNOW. THEY'RE THE ONES WHO HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS, THE COST OF THIS PROJECT.)) [Runs05]
[OUT Q=THE COST OF THIS PROJECT]
[SOT ]
[IN Q=The public]
((JUSTIN McLEOD/REPORTING: THE PUBLIC PROBABLY WON'T KNOW THE PRICE TAG FOR ANOTHER FEW MONTHS. THE SCHOOL BOARD IS EXPECTED TO CHOOSE A DEVELOPER IN JANUARY AND THEN IT GOES TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FOR FINAL APPROVAL. JUSTIN McLEOD, NEWS 7.))))

[11Bedford-Flag]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=04-49 TC23:43]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=2]

The school issue wasn't the only controversial matter facing Bedford County Supervisors last night. They also had to consider a question involving the Confederate flag.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford]

A group wants to display some Confederate flags around a Civil War Memorial in front of the Bedford County courthouse.
It's been allowed in the past, which has angered some in the community.
Supervisors voted to allow the Confederate national flag to be flown during the month of April, as well as on Memorial Day and Lee Jackson Day.
(------------)

[Peterson]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=Scott Peterson]
[ENG#=3]

Now that the jury has recommended the death penalty for Scott Peterson, his attorney says he'll pursue every appeal possible to save his client's life.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Redwood City, CA;]

After deliberating for 11 and-a-half hours over three days, jurors decided Peterson deserved to die for killing his wife, Laci and their unborn son.
For all the emotion outside the courthouse, it was Peterson's LACK of emotion that sealed his fate in the minds of the jury.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=He lost his wife]
((STEVE CARDOSI/JURY FOREMAN: HE LOST HIS WIFE AND HIS CHILD AND IT DIDN'T SEEM TO PHASE HIM.)) ((RICHELLE NICE/JUROR: SCOTT PETERSON WAS LACI'S HUSBAND, CONNOR'S DADDY, THE ONE PERSON WHO SHOULD HAVE PROTECTED THEM.))
[SUPER=01-Steve Cardosi/Jury Foreman;]
[SUPER=01-Richelle Nice/Juror; :05]
[RUNS=:09] (ESTIMATED BITE RUNS TIME)
[OUT Q=should have protected them.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Peterson will be formally sentenced February 25th, when the judge will decide whether to uphold the jury's recommended sentence or reduce it.
(------------)

[Iraq]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=Iraq/US Troops]
[ENG#=4]

The U-S military says more Marines have died in action in Iraq-- taking the number of Marines killed in the past three days to at least 10.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Baghdad, Iraq;]

Another car bombing rocked a checkpoint of the Green Zone in Baghdad.
It's the second attack in as many days near the area that houses U-S headquarters, as well as Iraq's interim government.
The new violence comes exactly a year after Saddam Hussein's capture.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=These are Saddam loyalists]
[SUPER=01-Scott McClellan/White House Press Secretary;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=Iraqi people.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Insurgents are stepping up attacks against U-S and Iraqi forces ahead of next month's elections.
The country's interim president says Washington was wrong to dismantle Iraq's security forces after last year's invasion.
(------------)

[Marketwatch]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=NET]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]
[ENG#=1]

In business news, don't be surprised if interest rates take another nudge upward today.
Marcella Palmer has that story and more in this morning's Marketwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Market Players]
[SUPER=01-Marcella Palmer/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:07]
[OUT Q=In New York, I'm Marcella Palmer.]
((MARKET PLAYERS SHOULD BE AWAITING WORD FROM U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE POLICY MAKERS WHO MEET TODAY TO DECIDE U-S INTEREST RATES. MOST ANALYSTS EXPECT A QUARTER POINT HIKE TO 2 AND A QUARTER PERCENT. ALSO DUE OUT TODAY... AMERICAN TRADE DATA, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO SHOW A LARGE DEFICIT. IN THE NEXT DAY OR SO, SPRINT AND NEXTEL COULD CONFIRM A 36-BILLION DOLLAR MERGER... BUT ACCORDING TO PUBLISHED REPORTS, VERIZON AND U-K PARTNER VODAFONE MIGHT STEP IN WITH A RIVAL BID FOR NEXTEL. AND AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF OF REJECTING 5 ORACLE TAKEOVER BIDS, PEOPLESOFT'S BOARD FINALLY AGREES TO BE BOUGHT BUY ITS LARGER RIVAL ORACLE, FOR AN UNSOLICITED 10.3-BILLION DOLLARS. U.S STOCKS TRADED MONDAY HIGHER. CRUDE OIL CLOSED AT $41.01 A BARREL. THE DOW THE DAY UP 95 .... AND THE NASDAQ CLOSED THE DAY UP 20. FOR ALL THE REALITY PRO SPORTS GAMERS OUT THERE... ELECTRONIC ARTS SAYS IT HAS SIGNED EXCLUSIVE FIVE YEAR LICENSING AGREEMENTS WITH THE NATIONAL FOOT- BALL LEAGUE, AND THE MARKETING GROUP REPRESENTING PLAYERS, TO CREATE INTERACTIVE FOOTBALL GAMES. THE AGREEMENTS GIVE E-A GAMES THE RIGHTS TO USE NFL STADIUMS, TEAMS AND PLAYERS IN ITS VIDEO GAMES. FOR MORE ON THE MARKETS, LOG ON TO OUR SITE AT... CBS DOT MARKETWATCH DOT COM. IN NEW YORK I'M MARCELLA PALMER. ))

(tape tosses to stocks)

[STOCKS] [WOOD ROGERS SPONSOR BOARD 5185 ESSC] [COMM]

[11Brown]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=04-47 TC40:30]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=1]

A rapper will *not* face charges of assaulting a Roanoke police officer.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@File;]

City police say they won't pursue charges against David Brown, known as Young Buck, of the group G-Unit.
A fight broke out at the group's show at the Roanoke Civic Center last month.
But Brown's legal troubles aren't over. He was arrested in connection with a stabbing at the Vibe Music Awards last month.
(------------)

(Kim tosses to bump)

[81-Ax]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morning]
[WRITER=dgr]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=81-Accident]

Drivers headed southbound on Interstate 81 in Pulaski County can expect delays and detours. State police dispatchers say an accident with one or two cars is blocking both southbound lanes at exit 103. Traffic is expected to be diverted onto Exit 105. It's unclear how long cleanup will take, or if there are any injurie

s.[VOBJefferson-Forest]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=04-52 05:05]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=1]

Some Bedford County Supervisors want the message to be heard loud and clear: RENOVATING Jefferson Forest High School should still be an option.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford]

Last night, some Supervisors questioned why the school board abandoned plans to renovate JF.
The school board says it would cost too much and would rather build a new smaller JF near the current site and then a combination middle and high school near Route 460.
A price tag has yet to be disclosed publicly which bothers some Supervisors.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 3:38:33]
[IN Q=It's a very]
((BOBBY POLLARD/BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CHAIRMAN: IT'S A VERY EXPENSIVE PROCESS AND IF WE GO WITH THIS THERE'S POTENTIAL OF LOSING A LOT OF TAX PAYER'S MONEY MAY BE THERE.))
[SUPER=01-Bobby Pollard/Bedford Co. Supervisors Chairman;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=may be there]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The school board is using a state law that allows localities to contract out the design, construction, and financing of the new schools.
The law also allows the county to keep the price tag under wraps for now.
(------------)

[11Wythe-Murder]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=04-46 TC40:17]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]
[ENG#=2]
Two Wythe County teenagers accused of murder have apparently reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. It means that a trial scheduled to begin today will not be necessary. The jury has been dismissed, and court officials indicate they expect guilty pleas.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Wythe Co./File Tape]

15- year old Nakisha Waddell and 16- year old Annie Belcher were scheduled to go on trial for the death of Waddell's mother, Vaughne Thomas. Thomas was found stabbed to death and buried in the backyard of her Max Meadows home on Memorial Day.
(------------)

[11Missing-Man]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=sba]
[TAPE#=04-39 1:47:17]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=3]
Five months after a man's disappearance, a Roanoke family is still searching for answers.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
82-year-old James Clayton Hall was last seen July 11th, right before he left on a solo camping trip in the Jefferon National Forest. At the time state and local search teams were called out to comb the area, but Hall never turned up.
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
Ann Divers, who was married to Hall and is the mother of his six-children, says she'd like to see more done with the case.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT@9:49:19.25]
[INQ=I want them to...]
((ANN DIVERS, HALL'S EX-WIFE: I WANT THEM TO FIND THEIR FATHER, FIND OUT SOMETHING ABOUT THEIR FATHER BECAUSE IT'S HURTING THEM. IT THEY LOSE ME THEY WON'T HAVE NOBODY. (CRY) AND I KNOW I CAN'T LIVE MUCH LONGER LIKE I AM..))
[SUPER=01-Ann Divers/Hall's Ex-Wife]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=.. like I am.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Botetourt County Sheriff Ronnie Sprinkle says his office is working with the Virginia State Police to take a helicopter over the area. Sprinkle says he'll continue working on the case until Hall is found.
(------------)

[2Peterson]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=Scott Peterson]
[ENG#=4]

Laci Peterson's family says justice has been served.
But Scott Peterson's attorney says he'll continue fighting to keep his client off death row.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Redwood City, CA;]

After deliberating for 11 and-a-half hours over three days, jurors decided Peterson deserved to die for killing his wife, Laci and their unborn son.
For all the emotion outside the courthouse, it was Peterson's LACK of emotion that sealed his fate in the minds of the jury.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=He lost his wife]
((STEVE CARDOSI/JURY FOREMAN: HE LOST HIS WIFE AND HIS CHILD AND IT DIDN'T SEEM TO PHASE HIM.)) ((RICHELLE NICE/JUROR: SCOTT PETERSON WAS LACI'S HUSBAND, CONNOR'S DADDY, THE ONE PERSON WHO SHOULD HAVE PROTECTED THEM.))
[SUPER=01-Steve Cardosi/Jury Foreman;]
[SUPER=01-Richelle Nice/Juror; :05]
[RUNS=:09] (ESTIMATED BITE RUNS TIME)
[OUT Q=should have protected them.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Peterson will be formally sentenced February 25th, when the judge will decide whether to uphold the jury's recommended sentence or reduce it.
(------------)

[Mars-Water]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=1]

It might not have been a case of water, water everywhere--
But there's more evidence it once existed on Mars.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Nearly a year after touching down on Mars, NASA's twin surface rovers are still turning up evidence that there was once ample water on the Red Planet.
NASA says the rover, Spirit, has found a mineral linked to water.
On the other side of the planet, the rover Opportunity has recently spotted frost and clouds, marking seasonal changes.
(------------)

[Trigger]

[ANCHOR=None]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[ROLL TRIGGER OUT OF BREAK]

[ENG#=D1]

[TWO-STEVE NEXT]

[Biz-Brief]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]

In business news, the closely-watched S-and-P 500 stock index hit a new high for the year Monday. It closed not only at its best so far for 2004, but at its highest level since a month before the 9-11 attacks. Now here's a look at local stocks.
[STOCKS] [WOOD ROGERS SPONSOR BOARD 5185 ESSC] [COMM]

[Winner]

[ANCHOR=None]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jen]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[ROLL OUT OF BREAK]

[ENG#=D1]

[SUPER=45-Robin Fornwalt/Hot Springs;]

[MINI-OPEN NEXT]

[2-81-Ax]

Traffic is being diverted onto Exit 105 through Radford and onto Route 11 where until drivers can get back onto 81. It's unclear how long cleanup will take, or if there are any injuries.

[2VOBJefferson-Forest]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=04-52 05:05]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=1]

Some Bedford County Supervisors have a message for the school board: slow down on plans to build two new schools.
They believe renovating Jefferson Forest High School should still be an option.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford]

Last night, some Supervisors questioned why the school board abandoned plans to renovate JF.
The school board says it would cost too much and would rather build a new smaller JF near the current site and then a combination middle and high school near Route 460.
A price tag has yet to be disclosed publicly which bothers some Supervisors.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 3:38:33]
[IN Q=It's a very]
((BOBBY POLLARD/BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CHAIRMAN: IT'S A VERY EXPENSIVE PROCESS AND IF WE GO WITH THIS THERE'S POTENTIAL OF LOSING A LOT OF TAX PAYER'S MONEY MAY BE THERE.))
[SUPER=01-Bobby Pollard/Bedford Co. Supervisors Chairman;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=may be there]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The school board is using a state law that allows localities to contract out the design, construction, and financing of the new schools.
The law also allows the county to keep the price tag under wraps for now.
(------------)

[2-11Bedford-Flag]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=04-49 TC23:43]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=2]

Supervisors had to handle a second controversial issue last night, this one involving the Confederate flag.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford]

A group wants to display some Confederate flags around a Civil War Memorial in front of the Bedford County courthouse.
It's been allowed in the past which has angered some in the community.
Supervisors voted to allow the Confederate national flag to be flown during the month of April as well as on Memorial Day and Lee Jackson Day.
(------------)

[2-11Brown]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=04-47 TC40:30]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=3]

Roanoke police say they will NOT file assault charges against a well-known rapper.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@File;]

Police had considered charging David Brown with assault.
He's better-known as Young Buck, of the group G-Unit.
A fight broke out at the group's show at the Roanoke Civic Center last month.
But Brown's legal troubles aren't over.
He was arrested in connection with a stabbing at the Vibe Music Awards last month.
(------------)

[3Peterson]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=Scott Peterson]
[ENG#=4]

Now that the jury has recommended the death penalty for Scott Peterson, his attorney says he'll pursue every appeal possible to save his client's life.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Redwood City, CA;]

After deliberating for 11 and-a-half hours over three days, jurors decided Peterson deserved to die for killing his wife, Laci and their unborn son.
For all the emotion outside the courthouse, it was Peterson's LACK of emotion that sealed his fate in the minds of the jury.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=He lost his wife]
((STEVE CARDOSI/JURY FOREMAN: HE LOST HIS WIFE AND HIS CHILD AND IT DIDN'T SEEM TO PHASE HIM.)) ((RICHELLE NICE/JUROR: SCOTT PETERSON WAS LACI'S HUSBAND, CONNOR'S DADDY, THE ONE PERSON WHO SHOULD HAVE PROTECTED THEM.))
[SUPER=01-Steve Cardosi/Jury Foreman;]
[SUPER=01-Richelle Nice/Juror; :05]
[RUNS=:09] (ESTIMATED BITE RUNS TIME)
[OUT Q=should have protected them.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Peterson will be formally sentenced February 25th, when the judge will decide whether to uphold the jury's recommended sentence or reduce it.
(------------)

[2Iraq]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=Iraq/US Troops]
[ENG#=1]

At least 10 U- S Marines have been killed in Iraq in the past three days.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Baghdad, Iraq;]

Another car bombing rocked a checkpoint of the Green Zone in Baghdad.
It's the second attack in as many days near the area that houses U-S headquarters, as well as Iraq's interim government.
The new violence comes exactly a year after Saddam Hussein's capture.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=These are Saddam loyalists]
[SUPER=01-Scott McClellan/White House Press Secretary;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=Iraqi people.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Insurgents are stepping up attacks against U-S and Iraqi forces ahead of next month's elections.
The country's interim president says Washington was wrong to dismantle Iraq's security forces after last year's invasion.
(------------)

[2Marketwatch]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=NET]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]
[ENG#=3]

In business news, interest rates may increase by another notch later today.
Marcella Palmer has that story and more in this morning's Marketwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Market Players]
[SUPER=01-Marcella Palmer/Reporting; :00]
[RUNS=1:07]
[OUT Q=In New York, I'm Marcella Palmer.]
((MARKET PLAYERS SHOULD BE AWAITING WORD FROM U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE POLICY MAKERS WHO MEET TODAY TO DECIDE U-S INTEREST RATES. MOST ANALYSTS EXPECT A QUARTER POINT HIKE TO 2 AND A QUARTER PERCENT. ALSO DUE OUT TODAY... AMERICAN TRADE DATA, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO SHOW A LARGE DEFICIT. IN THE NEXT DAY OR SO, SPRINT AND NEXTEL COULD CONFIRM A 36-BILLION DOLLAR MERGER... BUT ACCORDING TO PUBLISHED REPORTS, VERIZON AND U-K PARTNER VODAFONE MIGHT STEP IN WITH A RIVAL BID FOR NEXTEL. AND AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF OF REJECTING 5 ORACLE TAKEOVER BIDS, PEOPLESOFT'S BOARD FINALLY AGREES TO BE BOUGHT BUY ITS LARGER RIVAL ORACLE, FOR AN UNSOLICITED 10.3-BILLION DOLLARS. U.S STOCKS TRADED MONDAY HIGHER. CRUDE OIL CLOSED AT $41.01 A BARREL. THE DOW THE DAY UP 95 .... AND THE NASDAQ CLOSED THE DAY UP 20. FOR ALL THE REALITY PRO SPORTS GAMERS OUT THERE... ELECTRONIC ARTS SAYS IT HAS SIGNED EXCLUSIVE FIVE YEAR LICENSING AGREEMENTS WITH THE NATIONAL FOOT- BALL LEAGUE, AND THE MARKETING GROUP REPRESENTING PLAYERS, TO CREATE INTERACTIVE FOOTBALL GAMES. THE AGREEMENTS GIVE E-A GAMES THE RIGHTS TO USE NFL STADIUMS, TEAMS AND PLAYERS IN ITS VIDEO GAMES. FOR MORE ON THE MARKETS, LOG ON TO OUR SITE AT... CBS DOT MARKETWATCH DOT COM. IN NEW YORK I'M MARCELLA PALMER. ))

(tape tosses to bump)
[BUMP] [COMM]

[3-HEADLINES] [Kim at Desk]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

Here's what's making news. An accident on I-81 in Pulaski County is blocking both southbound lanes. Southbound traffic is being routed through Radford. No word yet when the southbound lanes may reopen.
(----------------)
[ENG#=1]
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co.;]

Some Bedford County supervisors are still calling for renovations to Jefferson Forest High School, instead of construction of a new school.
The school board says that would cost too much, but hasn't yet revealed a price tag for the project.
(----------------)
[ENG#=2]
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[SUPER=03-Redwood City, CA;]
Jurors have recommended the death sentence for Scott Peterson in the murders of his wife Laci and unborn son.
But his attorney says he'll pursue as many appeals as possible to spare Peterson's life.
(----------------)
[ENG#=3]
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[SUPER=@File;]

It could be music to the ears of a well-known rapper.
Roanoke police say they will NOT file assault charges against David Brown of the group, G- Unit, following a fight at last month's concert.
(----------------)

[2-11War-Worlds]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=04-53 TC12:15]
[GRAPHIC=War of the Worlds]
[ENG#=1]
The Martians have arrived in Rockbridge County. So have production crews for "War of the Worlds."
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Rockbridge Co.]
Production on the Tom Cruise - Steven Spielberg movie began earlier this Fall. Yesterday was the first day of shooting in Virginia. The site is a closed set, conspicuously guarded. But some of the locals have managed to keep an eye on what promises to be one of the most expensive motion pictures ever made. Bob Toman (TOE-mun) watched the advance team virtually rebuild a forest.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT @2:11:40]
[IN Q=They replaced the cedars]
((ROBERT TOMAN/BUSTLEBURG RESIDENT; THEY REPLACED THE CEDARS WITH BIGGER CEDARS, SOME OF THEM. THEN THEY BROUGHT IN LOCUST TREES, 12 - 18"- -BIG CRANE, HAD A BIG HOLE, DOWN IN, WIRING IT, YOU KNOW.... (NODS)))
[SUPER=01-Robert Toman/Bustleburg Resident]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=wiring it, you know, (nod).]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Filming continues today. The movie is set to open next Summer.
(------------)