WDBJ 7 news at Noon for 01/18/05

[News-Heads]

[ANCHOR=Kim]

Attorney General Jerry Kilgore announces he's stepping down to run for Governor full-time.

Now there's speculation as to who his replacement might be.
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[ENG#=1]
[VO-NAT]

And, the tough questions have started for Secretary of State nominee Condoleezza Rice as her confirmation hearings get under way.
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[Video-Open]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=2]
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[VO-NAT]
Attorney General Jerry Kilgore resigns from office to focus more time on running for governor.
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[Kilgore]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=jwi]
[TAPE#=501-01 6:45]
[GRAPHIC=]
The Attorney General told his staff this morning that he'll resign effective February 1st to focus full time on his gubernatorial campaign.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Kim and Jennifer /Microwave;]
Richmond Bureau Chief Jennifer Wishon is here now with more on this story. Kimberly, Jerry Kilgore is not the first attorney general to resign office early to make a run for the governor's office.
[LIVE=Jennifer/FULL]
[SUPER=@Jennifer1;]
[SUPER=05-Richmond;]
Kilgore says he's resigning now at the beginning of the session so the Republican controlled legislature can pick his replacement before it gets bogged down at the end of the session. If he'd waited untilt he end of the session Democrat Governor Mark Warner would have been able to choose his replacement - a decision Kilgore says would have been too unpredictable. ((ROLLCUE:...))
[ENG#=]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:16:13]
[IN Q=I'm excited about the opportunity]
[SUPER=@Kilgore;]
[RUNS=13]
[OUT Q=on my replacement for attorney general]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Kilgore is recommending Judy Jagdmann take his place. Jugdmann has worked in the Attorney General's office since Kilgore took office. Kilgore hopes the General Assembly will make a decision on his successor before he leaves office on February 1st. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor Tim Kaine- likely Democratic nominee for governor- says he thinks Kilgore's resignation shows he's more concerned with raising money than fulfilling his promise to the people of Virginia who put him in office.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:12:16]
[IN Q=We in state office are not]
[SUPER=@Kaine;]
[RUNS=17]
[OUT Q=narrow interest in raising money]

[LIVE=Jennifer/FULL]
[SUPER=05-Richmond;]
((Jenn adlibs- tosses to Kim))

[DOUBLE BOXES=Kim and Jennifer/Microwave;]

[Interstate-81]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=tbr]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Interstate 81]

[ENG#=None]

The left lane of southbound Interstate 81 near Christiansburg will be closed for several hours.
The Department of Transportation is cleaning up lumber from an accident over the weekend.
Motorists should expect delays between mile markers 115 and 116 around Christiansburg.
Also the right lane of Interstate 81 north of Buchanan will be closed for three hours as crews repair damage to the Route 614 bridge.

[Rice]

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

[ENG#=4]

As she faces questions from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Condoleezza Rice says "the time for diplomacy is now."
During confirmation hearings, the Secretary of State nominee vowed to strengthen ties with allies who are against the Iraqi war.
Aleen Sirgany has more from Washington.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Washington, DC; :00]
[SUPER=01-Condoleezza Rice/Secretary of State Nominee; :10]
[SUPER=01-Sen. Joe Biden/(D) Delaware; :33]
[SUPER=01-Aleen Sirgany/CBS News; 1:22]
[RUNS=1:31]
[OUT Q=Sirgany, CBS News, Washington]

[Cold-Wx]

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

[ENG#=1]

If you think it's cold where we live, think about the folks up in Embarass, Minnesota.

Yesterday, the temperature there dropped to 54- BELOW zero.
The bone-chilling weather didn't break the record, but it did force people to bundle up.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I got some long underwear]
[SUPER=01-Jared Fertig/Longtime Minnesota Resident;]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=really heavy boots.]
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Duluth, MN;]
While Embarass was the coldest spot in the country yesterday, the Arctic air spread throughout Minnesota and all
the way down to the normally mild Gulf Coast....
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[Iraq]

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

[ENG#=2]

With just 12 days left before Iraq's election, officials have announced that the country's borders will be closed, from the day before the election until the day after.
And while pre- election violence continues, there was some good news today.
David Hawkins explains.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-David Hawkins/CBS News; :00]
[SUPER=04-File Tape; :09]
[SUPER=03-Baghdad, Iraq; :25]
[RUNS=1:14]
[OUT Q=Hawkins, CBS News, Baghdad.]

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

Coming up next, Virginia Tech releases the name of its graduate who died in the tsunami.
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[VO-NAT ]
Also we'll hear the unusual story of a man who accidentially shot a nail into his head and didn't even know it.
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[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #1]

[Tsunami-Victim]

[ANCHOR=]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=rde]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Tsunami]

[ENG#=1]

Virginia Tech has released the name of a former student who died in the Southeast Asian Tsunami.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Sri Lanka/File Tape]
Chandra Wijesundera (Wi-je-sun-der-a) was a 1988 graduate of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The alumnus, his wife and youngest son were killed on a train in Galle (Gawl), Sri Lanka, when it was stuck by the tsunami wave. He's survived by his eldest son
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[ANCHOR=KIMBERLY]
[GRAPHIC=Hold]

So far, six students have returned safely to campus, and another six lost family and friends. On Friday, January 28th the University will host a Parade of Flags. Students will walk the campus with the flag of their nation, and meet in Burruss Auditorium to reflect on the tragedy.

[Nail-Head]

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

A Colorado man is recovering after accidentally shooting himself in the head with a nail gun.
But what makes this story so unique, is that he apparently didn't even know he'd done it.
Jennifer Miller reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Littleton, CO;]
[SUPER=01-Sean Markey/Neurosurgeon;]
[SUPER=01-Patrick Lawler/Accident Victim;]
[SUPER=01-Jennifer Miller/CBS News;]
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=Miller, CBS News, Denver.]
(( pkge: (LOCATION: LITTLETON, COLORADO) PATRICK LAWLER IS ONE LUCKY PATIENT. WHAT HE FIRST THOUGHT WAS A NAGGING TOOTHACHE TURNED OUT TO BE A NAIL WEDGED INTO HIS BRAIN. IT HAPPENED WHILE HE WAS WORKING CONSTRUCTION IN A COLORADO SKI TOWN. HIS NAIL GUN SHOT NEARLY A FOUR INCH NAIL RIGHT INTO HIS FACE,
Sean Markey/Neurosurgeon The nail took off right beneath the cheek bone, behind the eye, the base of the skull and came to rest about an inch and a half inside the brain."
BUT IT HAPPENED SO FAST PATRICK SAYS IT FELT LIKE THE GUN HAD SIMPLY RECOILED.
PATRICK LAWLER/ACCIDENT VICTIM Like getting hit with a bat."
EVEN MORE SURPRISING, THE NAIL SAT THERE FOR SIX DAYS BEFORE PATRICK COULD NOT LONGER TAKE THE PAIN AND WENT TO A DENTIST ... WHO TOOK ONE LOOK AT PATRICKS X-RAYS AND SENT HIM STRAIGHT TO A SURGEON.
Sean Markey/Neurosurgeon "It's conceivable, hard to believe, I know when I was in the OR it was hard to believe that someone could have a nail in the head for a week and not know it."
DOCTORS SAY PATRICK WILL EVENTUALLY BE AS GOOD AS NEW, BUT HIS MEDICAL BILLS COULD GIVE HIM MORE HEADACHES. HE DOESN'T HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE OR WORKMAN'S COMP.
PATRICK LAWLER/ACCIDENT VICTIM "Self employed on the job so I would have had to carry my own insurance and I didn't have insurance and I didn't think I'd shoot myself with a nail."
HE PLANS TO FRAME THE NAIL AS A SOUVENIR ... AND GET A NEW JOB MAKING PIZZAS. JENNIFER MILLER CBS NEWS, DENVER ))

[Buchanan-Parking]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=sba]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[ENG#=3]

A proposal which would keep truckers from parking in downtown Buchanan has been re-routed.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Buchanan]
Last week the town council introduced a code which would keep commercial vehicles from parking on Buchanan streets from eight at night, until eight in the morning. Residents came out against the proposal- worried it was discriminating against truckers and would keep some local residents from earning a living. The board tabled the issue. No word on when it could re- appear on the agenda.
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[11Death-Penalty]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=jwi]
[TAPE#=04-50 1:10:05]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=4]

Opponents of the death penatly want to see some changes made to Virginia law. They say if criminals are NOT old enough to vote or join the military then they shouldn't be executed.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond;]
That was the argument made by "Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty" yesterday. The group was in Richmond endorsing a bill that would abolish the death penalty for juveniles. Advocates of the legislation say teenagers shouldn't be treated like adults.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:39]
[IN Q=These people at that]
((DEL. AL EISENBERG: THESE PEOPLE AT THAT AGE ARE NOT FULLY FORMED. THAT PART OF THE BRAIN WHICH HAS TO DO WITH INHIBITION AND JUDGMENT IS NOT FORMED YET.))
[SUPER=01-Del. Al Eisenberg/(D) Arlington;]
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=is not formed yet]
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-December 20;]
Attorney General Jerry Kilgore has proposed enhancing the death penalty by eliminating Virginia's "trigger- man rule."
Under THAT legislation, anyone who significantly participated in a capital murder would be eligible for the death penalty.
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[11Band-Tech]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=04-53 TC 36:24]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ENG#=1]

Virginia Tech's band wants to make sure it is ready for this week's Presidential Inauguruation.
The Highty Tightys are one of the two local groups selected to be at Thursday's big event.
Justin McLeod has the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=(NAT SOT)]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Chip Caroon/Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets; :41]
[SUPER=01-Ben Thomas/Drum Major; 1:01]
[SUPER=01-Megan Watson/Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets; 1:21]
[SUPER=@justin1; 1:27]
[RUNS=1:39]
[OUT Q=JM, News 7]

(( ((NAT SOUND OF TROMBONE PLAYER PLAYING AT 1:13:38))
Virginia Tech's Highty Tighty band is playing an especially happy tune these days, ever since members found they'll perform in the presidential inauguration.
[SOT 1:18:01; 1:18:21]
[IN Q=Definitely one]
((CHIP CAROON: DEFINITELY ONE OF THE BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF MY COLLEGE CAREER.)) ((JENNA HARRISON/VIRGINIA TECH CORPS OF CADET: I HONESTLY WAS SO EXCITED THAT I WAS JUMPING UP AND DOWN SCREAMING.))
[Runs= 07]
[OUT Q=UP AND DOWN SCREAMING]

They'll be no screaming Thursday when 95 members of the regimental band march right past the president.
[SOT 1:20:46]
[IN Q=It definitely]
((BEN THOMAS/VIRGINIA TECH CORPS OF CADET: IT DEFINITELY MAKES IT VERY NERVE RACKING. WE WOULD BE FOOLS NOT TO BE NERVOUS.))
[Runs= 04]
[OUT Q=NOT TO BE NERVOUS]
((NAT SOUND OF THE BAND))
The band has been here before, in fact this will mark the 11th inaugural parade appearance for the Highty Tighties.

[SOT 1:16:33]
[IN Q=Even though]
((CHIP CAROON/VIRGINIA TECH CORPS OF CADET: EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE THE HISTORICAL PRESIDENCE BEING IN SO MANY TIMES WE HAD TO FIGHT BECAUSE WE DIDN'T GET IN LAST TIME SO WE CONTACTED AS MANY ALUMNI AS WE COULD TO START E-MAILING POLITICANS.))
[Runs= 11]
[OUT Q=e-mailin politicians]

It paid off.
157 marching bands auditioned to play, Tech is just one of thirty chosen.
[SOT 1:20:31]
[IN Q=It happens to be]
((BEN THOMAS/DRUM MAJOR: IT HAPPENS TO BE IN MY SENIOR YEAR WHEN I SELECTED AS DRUM MAJOR SO I HAVE THE HONOR OF SALUTING THE COMMANDER AND CHIEF AS WE PASS HIS PRESS BOX.))
[Runs= 08]
[OUT Q=HIS PRESS BOX]

The band will perform four songs.
They're practicing all this week up and down the streets of Blacksburg. ((NAT SOUND OF BAND))
Despite bitterly cold temperatures, members say they'll be ready.
[SOT 1:15:56]
[IN Q=Even if it is]
((MEGAN WATSON/VIRGINIA TECH CORPS OF CADET: EVEN IF IT IS SNOWING, RAINING, HURRICANE WE STILL PLAY JUST LIKE DURING THE MIAMI GAME DURING THE HURRICANE WE STILL PLAYED.))
[Runs= 05]
[OUT Q=WE STILL PLAYED]
[SOT ]
[IN Q= ]
((JUSTIN McLEOD/REPORTING: WHATEVER THE WEATHER THURSDAY, THE BAND WILL PERFORM FOR TWO HOURS. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THEM ON TELEVISION, THEY'LL BE TOWARDS THE END OF THE PARADE. WE SHOULD MENTION THE ENTIRE CORPS AT VMI WILL ALSO MARCH IN THE PARADE. JUSTIN McLEOD, NEWS 7.))))
[Tease2] [SOFT MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[WRITER=tbr]
[ENG#=Aprisa]
Still to come on the newscast,
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[VO-NAT ]
we'll look at the next BIG thing in air travel... and when we say big, we mean it.
(-----------------)
[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #2]

[New-Plane]

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

[ENG#=1]

The sky was the limit for today's ceremony in southern France, unveiling the world's largest passenger plane.

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Toulouse, France;]

Airbus showed off its giant model 380, which is expected to revolutionize long-distance flight.
It'll replace the aging Boeing 747 as the largest passenger plane.
The new Airbus is more fuel- efficient, and can fly almost a thousand miles farther than the 747 without re-fueling.

The show model features a waterfall, armchairs, and a standup bar.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=We're only going]
((SIR RICHARD BRANSON/VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRLINES CHAIRMAN:WE'RE ONLY GOING TO HAVE 500 SEATS ON THE PLANE, WE'LL HAVE LOTS OF NEW INNOVATIONS, WE'LL PUT GYMS ON BOARD, PUT A CASINO ON BOARD. ))
[SUPER=01-Sir Richard Branson/Virgin Atlantic Airlines Chairman;]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=a casino on board.]
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[VO-NAT]

All that luxury doesn't come cheap-- the plane cost more than 13- billion dollars to develop.
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[Tease3] [SPORTS MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[WRITER=tbr]
[ENG#=Aprisa]

Coming up in Sports
(----------------)
[VO-NAT ]

a former Roanoke Valley hardwood heroine is making waves in her first year as a college starter.
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[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #3]

[S-RU]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-192 1:25]
[GRAPHIC=Radford]

[ENG#=1]

The Radford women's basketball team beat Coastal Carolina 55-41 last night at the Dedmon Center. Two lady Highlanders won awards this week.
Senior Taryn Causey was named Big South player of the week.
Causey posted a pair of 20 point games last week.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Radford; :00]
Former Northside star Corrie Fertitta is the Big South freshman of the week. She averaged 9 points and 9 rebounds for the Lady Highlanders last week. During the stretch Fertitta posted her first double-double.
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[S-Cavs]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-190 2:49]
[GRAPHIC=ACC]

[ENG#=2]

The 0 and 4 U-V-A men's basketball team is the only A-C-C team still looking for a win. Next comes Maryland in a road game.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Durham, NC/Last Night; :00]

Sunday night the Cavaliers lost at Duke 80 to 66. The Wahoos have now lost three straight conference contests, and head Coach Pete Gillen was searching for answers after the game as to why while his players remained upbeat.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Pete Gillen/UVa Head Basketball Coach; :00]
[SUPER=01-Elton Brown/Scored 11 Points vs. Duke; :12]
[RUNS=:30]
[OUT Q=.....make some noice in the acc tournament"]
(----------------------)
[VO-NAT(cont)]
It was a tale of two halves. That story was clear in J.J. Redick's performance. Redick had just 8 points in the first half, but burned the Wahoos in the second, scoring 20 points.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-J.J. Redick/Leading Scorer in the ACC; :00]
[RUNS=:23]
[OUT Q=......open looks"]
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[S-Vick]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-194 3:31]
[GRAPHIC=Va. tech]

[ENG#=3]

Virginia Tech welcomed back Marcus Vick yesterday during the team's first meeting.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :00]

Virginia Tech says the 20-year-old re-enrolled at the university, started classes and re-joined the team after being suspended for the fall semester. Vick says in a statement that he's excited to be back. He says he knows he hurt a lot of people who want him to succeed and he's hoping to make that up to them.
(------------)
[anchor=Kim]
[graphic=va. tech]
Vick will be a redshirt junior this fall. He played in 11 games in 2003 , throwing for 475 yards and two touchdowns.

Vick was arrested last February, along with teammates Mike Imoh and Brenden Hill, after a party with 14- and 15-year-old girls at the quarterback's apartment in Blacksburg. He also pleaded guilty to reckless driving and no contest to marijuana possession after a traffic stop last summer. Vick has requested not to address the media until the beginning of spring practice which begins March 24th. [REPRS@CL] SUPER=X4031; Fax/Copyright Noon/Weekends [SUPER=X4030; e-Mail/Copyright Noon/Weekends]