WDBJ 7 news at Noon for 10/19/95

12:00-01

NOON-HEADLINES

TALENT=Melanie
SS=None

The House prepares to vote on the Republican's Medicare overhaul.
More details on the Oklahoma City bombing.
And Norfolk Southern tries to trim the work force by offering buyout packages.
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TALENT=Patrick
SS=None

Major changes in the forecast, after we've gotten used to all this terrific weather. Look for clouds and showers as we move into the weekend, stay tuned for the complete outlook.
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ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=NONE

Stick around. News 7 at Noon is next.

Medicare

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=mel
TAPE# net
GRAPHIC=medicare

The house votes today on a sweeping Republican plan that will re-make Medicare as we know it.
G-O-P leaders predict passage but the eve of Medicare's overhaul was not an easy one on Capitol Hill.
Rick Jackson reports on the plan, and the protests.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=
SUPER=03-Washington DC;
SUPER=01-Rep. Dick Gephardt/House Minority Leader;:12
SUPER=01-Rep. David Bonior/Minority Whip;:51
SUPER=01-Rick Jackson/Reporting; :59
SUPER=01-Rep. Newt Gingrich/Speaker Of the House;1:15
RUNS=1:47
OUT Q= CBS NEWS, New York.

CLINTON

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=tst
TAPE# net
GRAPHIC=Clinton

While House members debated the measure this afternoon, President Clinton told reporters if the Republican plan goes through, it won't get past his desk.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=My message
((MY MESSAGE TO THE REPUBLICANS IS SIMPLE. I WILL NOT LET YOU DESTROY MEDICARE, AND I WILL VETO THIS BILL. I HAVE TO DO THAT TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO PROTECT THE INTEGRITY OF THIS PROGRAM.))
SUPER=03-Washington DC;
RUNS=:15
OUT Q=of this program.
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=Clinton

President Clinton says while Republicans are trying to gut Medicare, their own figures show they're planning a 43- billion dollar tax hike for working families.

ok-bombing

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=mel
TAPE# net
GRAPHIC=none

The President also criticized lawmakers for their failure to enact anti-terrorism legislation.
He noted that six months after the Oklahoma City bombing, House leaders still haven't scheduled the bill for a final vote.
Meantime, a man who has pleaded guilty to charges connected to the April 19th attack reportedly has provided some damaging evidence against suspect Timothy McVeigh.
The "Dallas Morning News" reports that Michael Fortier told authorities
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=@File;
McVeigh showed him a truck-bomb diagram and asked for his help in testing explosives for the attack.
Fortier has pleaded guilty to charges that include failing to tell authorities what he knew about the plot before it was carried out.
He will be sentenced after testifying against McVeigh and Terry Nichols in a trial scheduled to begin in May.
(----------------)

ruby-ridge

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=NOON
WRITER=mel
TAPE# net
GRAPHIC=washington dc

Also on the hill, Senate hearings on the Ruby Ridge standoff should wrap up today with the testimony of F-B-I director Louis Freeh.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Washington DC;

The hearings have brought about changes in F-B-I procedures and deadly force rules.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=
((JAMIE GORELICK/DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: UNDER THE NEW POLICY, LAW ENFORCMENT AND CORRECTIONS OFFICERS MAY USE DEADLY FORCE ONLY WHEN THE OFFICER HAS A REASONABLE BELIEF THAT THE SUBJECT OF SUCH FORCE POSES AND IMMENENT DANGER OF DEATH OR SERIOUS PHYSICAL INJURY TO THE OFFICER OR TO ANOTHER PERSON. ))
SUPER=01-Jamie Gorelick/Deputy Attorney General;
RUNS=:14
OUT Q=or to another person.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Ruby Ridge, Idaho/1992;

This follows extensive criticism of the rules used by the F-B-I during Ruby Ridge which resulted in the deaths of White seperatists Randy Weaver's son, his wife, and a federal agent.
The Justice Department has found that the orders were poorly worded and hard to comprehend.
(----------------)
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=NONE

Today Freeh is expected to explain how the F-B-I will apply the new policy.

NS-Buyouts

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=Noon
WRITER=lbe
TAPE# none
GRAPHIC=norfolk southern

For the second time in less than a month, Norfolk Southern is offering voluntary buyout packages to employees.
The first program was offered system wide.
About a hundred salaried workers in our area are eligible for that plan.
This latest offer, however, SPECIFICALLY targets 450 unionized clerks who all work in the Roanoke area.
Workers who decide to take up N-S's offer can get a lump sum payment of 35-thousand-dollars.
The ones over the age of 60 will get full medical coverage until they're eligible for Medicare.

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HARD MUSIC UNDER
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=NONE

Coming up next on NEWS 7,
Time is running out for a Virginia man who murdered his wife and children five years ago,
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VO-NAT
and investigators say a fire in downtown Roanoke this morning looks suspicous.
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wx ad lib
music up full
comm1

Mickey-Davidson

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=tal
TAPE#edit of 95-78
GRAPHIC=Davidson

Lawyers at this hour are preparing a last-minute appeal for Mickey Wayne Davidson -- who is scheduled to be executed tonight.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=@File;

Davidson was convicted of the 19-90 bludgeoning deaths of his wife and two step-daughters in Smyth County.
He said this summer that he deserves to die for the killings.
But a U-S District Judge in Richmond will hear arguments less than an hour from now on an appeal filed on Davidson's behalf.
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Wythe-Body

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=equ
TAPE#95-84
GRAPHIC=none

A man who dumped a body in nearby Wythe County in May pleaded GUILTY to murder yesterday in Henrico County.
The victim- Gregory Scott Spencer lived in and was murdered in a Richmond suburb.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Wythe Co./May 17;

But 23- year- old Brett Matthew Wisneski testified he wrapped Spencer's body in trash bags and drove it to Route 6-19 in Wythe County.
Henrico prosecutors say the murder was related to a drug debt.
(----------------)
TALENT=Melanie
SS=NONE

A letter from Wisneski to his girlfriend was presented in court.
In it, Wisneski said he beat Spencer to death with a baseball bat, after planning the murder for two weeks.
He wrote that he had no regrets -- it was "simply business."

Fire

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=NOON
WRITER=bmy
TAPE#95-74
GRAPHIC=fire

A building in downtown Roanoke was destroyed by a massive fire this morning that could be seen for miles.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Roanoke;

Crews responded quickly to the blaze at the former White Foundry building at 14th Street and Norfolk Avenue.
The building was gutted.
Firefighters say the floors are burned through, and portions of the roof are gone.
They say it's the last of several fires they've fought in that building over the past 10 years.
No one was injured.
Investigators believe the fire was deliberately set.
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SOFT MUSIC UNDER
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=NONE

Just ahead,
Lynchburg's planning commission isn't scoring many points with its residents about a proposed sports complex,
(--------------)
VO-NAT
plus an update on how a piece of jewelry is curbing domestic violence in the Roanoke Valley.
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music up full comm2

Kids-Guns

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=kmc
TAPE#95-76
GRAPHIC=none

Life is back to normal at Bassett Middle School after a student slashed a classmate with a razor blade.
What causes a child to bring a weapon to school?
Kimberly McBroom went in search of some answers.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=I don't remember
SUPER=01-Stephen Burton/Bassett Middle School Principal;:00
SUPER=03-Henry Co.;:13
SUPER=@Kimberly1;:31
SUPER=01-Dr. Michael Chiglinsky/Psychologist;:56
RUNS=1:24
OUT Q=McBroom, News 7

(( (/////SOT/////)
SOT tape 1 13:08:49
((STEPHEN BURTON/BASSETT MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: I DON'T REMEMBER IN THE YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN HERE THAT ANYBODY BROUGHT A WEAPON TO SCHOOL TO INTENTIONALLY DO HARM TO ANOTHER STUDENT INSIDE THE BUILDING. ))
RUNS=:10

And he says that includes the recent incident involving one student cutting another student with a razor.
Burton says the situation got out of hand-- but there haven't been any similar occurences since then.
A new state law requires school officials to suspend students for 10 days if they bring weapons on campus.
And Burton says that seems to have done the trick.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT tape 1 standup 13:54:30
((Burton feels reports about youth violence have been blown out of proportion, and that by nature, children are the same as they ever were. ))
RUNS=:06
(/////SOT/////)
SOT tape 1 13:08:38
((STEPHEN BURTON/BASSETT MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A SHOW AND TELL. I'VE GOT A KNIFE AND I'M GOING TO BRING IT AND I'M GOING TO SHOW IT TO EVERYBODY SO THAT THEY CAN SEE HOW MACHO, OR COOL, OR BAD THAT I AM. ))
RUNS=:10

The motivation for agressive behavior usually comes from the child's home life-- according to one psychologist.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT tape 2 15:08:13
((DR. MICHAEL CHIGLINSKY/PSYCHOLOGIST: IT'S BELIEVED THAT MANY OF THESE FAMILIES USE PHYSICAL DISCIPLINE AS A FORM OF CONTROL-- AND EVENTUALLY, THAT CHILD WILL SEE THAT NEED AS BEING THE BEST WAY TO CONTROL OTHER CHILDREN-- A WEAPON IS THE BEST FORM OF CONTROL.))
RUNS=:14

Chiglinsky says parents should be advised to be watchful whenever their children are exposed to any form of violence.
He says even if it's just played out on television-- impressionable kids may try to act it out on their peers. Kimberly McBroom, News 7.))

AWARE

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=cro
TAPE# 95-27
GRAPHIC=domestic violence

This week has been declared a Week WITHOUT Violence.
One program aimed at stopping violence in the home is AWARE -- Abused Women's Active Response System.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=@File;

It's an alarm system consisting of a wall-mounted panel and a necklace pendant.
If a woman is in danger, all she has to do is push a button that sends a silent alarm to a monitoring facility, which in turn alerts police.
(-------------)
ANCHOR=Melanie/Darlene
SS=2 shot

It's been six months since the Turning Point Shelter in Roanoke implemented the program.
Here to give us an update is Turning Point Director Darlene Young.
How many women have been given the alarms?
SUPER=01-Darlene Young/Turning Point Director;
(Has anyone used them?)

(Have you observed any drawbacks to this program? Any room for improvement?)

(And if someone wants an alarm, how do they qualify, how much does it cost, and
what can they do to get one?)
n-w toss

Complex

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=iqu
TAPE#edit of 95-79
GRAPHIC=Lynchburg

A proposed 17-million dollar sports complex in Lynchburg met FIERCE opposition last night.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Lynchburg/Last Night;

About 300 people packed a Lynchburg planning commission meeting.
While just about everyone admitted the city needs more sports facilities, hundreds of people in the Sandusky area said "NOT in my back yard."
But others argued Lynchburg's great need for the sports facility.
Part of the complex would also be the NEW home for the Lynchburg Hillcats.
(-------------)
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=hold

The planning commission voted 5 to 1 in FAVOR of issuing a conditional use permit for the complex.
The project must still get a final okay from Lynchburg city council.

Stocks

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=cro
TAPE#none
SS=stocks

Stocks are narrowly mixed on Wall Street, as investors digest corporate news and economic information.
The government released information today on housing starts and jobless claims, pointing to a slowdown in the economy.
On Wall Street at noon, the Dow was UP a fraction of a point.
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SPORTS MUSIC UNDER
ANCHOR=Melanie

Still to come,
A NASCAR great is taking his Winston Cup Racing out of gear.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

And the speculations in England can now be put to rest.
Prince Charles made his first appearence with his TRUE love.
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MUSIC UP FULL comm4

Junior

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=Mike
TAPE#S5-19
GRAPHIC=JUNIOR JOHNSON

NASCAR legend Junior Johnson is leaving Winston Cup Racing.
A spokesman for Johnson racing says Junior has agreed to sell his primary team to driver Brett Bodine.
(----------------)
VO-NAT eng#
SUPER=03-N. Wilkesboro, NC; :00

Brett and Junior joined forces before this season and have struggled most of the year recording just 2 top ten finishes.
The team is currently 20th in the point standings.
Johnson has been involved in NASCAR racing since the early 1950s.
He won 50 events before retiring as a driver in 1966.
As an owner, his teams have won 139 races and five Winston Cup championships.
(-------------)
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=hold junior

Johnson is 64- years- old, and in his four decades of racing his cars have won more than 20- MILLION dollars.

Wood

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=sma
TAPE#=R-30
GRAPHIC=Wood Brothers

A racing family who has been at it even longer than Junior, just recently decided to expand.
Steve Mason and photographer Lynn Eller traveled down to Stuart to get a look inside the Wood Brothers' new million dollar shop.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q="first audio
SUPER=03-Stuart; :00
SUPER=01-Eddie Wood/Team Owner; :11
SUPER=01-Glen Wood/Team Owner for 45 Years; 1:02
SUPER=@Steve1; 1:10
RUNS=1:35
OUT Q=...News 7 sports"

(( The Wood Brothers could only dream of doing this in their old shop, but with the opening of their 35 thousand square foot facility, that dream along with others has come true.
EDDIE WOOD/TEAM OWNER: THE OLD SHOP IF WE NEEDED TO MOVE ONE CAR FROM SECTION TO ANOTHER, IT TOOK FIVE PEOPLE TO MOVE IT, BECAUSE WE HAD TO PUSH IT OUT OF THE SHOP INTO THE ROAD, WITH CARS GOING BY, IT TOOK LIKE FIVE PEOPLE TO MOVE ONE, AND NOW IT TAKES TWO PEOPLE TO MOVE IT BECAUSE YOU ONLY HAVE TO MOVE IT FROM ONE AREA OF THE SHOP TO ANOTHER. ITS ALL ON ONE LEVEL.
The renovation includes a state of the art dyno room that is sound proof, a paint booth where workers can decorate the Citgo Fords, and five new employees that should add some spark to a team that has not won since 19- 93.
NOW WITH MORE ROOM WE'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE MORE CARS, MORE EQUIPMENT, WE'LL BE ABLE TO HIRE MORE PEOPLE. JUST BE BETTER PREPARED
There is still a great deal of moving to do, only a small fraction of the trophies and pictures have been relocated, but team owner Glen Wood has made that painful chore a fun one.
GLEN WOOD/HAS OWNED TEAM FOR 45 YEARS: I DROVE IT OVER HERE FROM THE OTHER SHOP, AND IT WASN'T DOING GOOD COMPARED TO WHAT I USED TO HAVE, SO I HAD TO DO SOMETHING TO IT TO GET IT GOING A LITTLE BIT BETTER
The new shop will have a new driver next year in Michael Waltrip. He visited the new facility sometime last week, and he realized his 6 foot 4 frame has already caused some problems. He's a lot bigger than Morgan Sheperd, so the Wood Brothers must first contend with getting this seat into this car, and then they must change the entire seat to pedal make-up. They'll deal with these problems before testing Michael for the first time in late November. In Stuart, Steve Mason, News 7 Sports.))

Prince-Charles

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=mel
TAPE# net
GRAPHIC=none

In London last night, there was romance and rumors of the fall of the House of Windsor.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-London;

The fury was created by the first public appearance of Prince Charles and his mistress, Camilla Parker-Bowles.
Their now public affair is renewing speculation that the Prince and Princess of Wales will divorce, sooner, rather than later.
Lady Camilla has long been rumored the prince's one true love.
(----------------)

wrap
NEWSCAST=NOON
WRITER=CST
TAPE# NONE
GRAPHIC=NONE
(mel toss to patrick)
(patrick ad lib)
ANCHOR=Melanie

And on Health Check today-- what everyone needs to know about the great Medicare debate.
We'll hear the League of Older Americans' concerns, on News 7 at FIVE. Have a good afternoon, and thanks for joining us. That's it for News 7 at Noon.