Morning news AM cutins on WDBJ 7 01/10/96

08:25-01

7WESTVACO

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=
WRITER=MEL
TAPE#
GRAPHIC=

The big storm that dumped several inches of snow on Virginia this week will add up to 20 million dollars.
That's the word from Governor Allen.
The commonwealth remains under a state of emergency because of the storm, which has claimed the lives of at least thirteen people.
Meantime the reminents of the storm of the storm forced the evacuation of the Westvaco plant in Low Moor.
Heavy snow caused the roof to collapse this morning.
No one was injured in the incident and Westvaco officials say only 5 percent of the building's roof was damaged.
The plant will resume operation later today, after they assess the damage and mop up water from a broken fire line.

7Nite-Snow

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=kmc
TAPE#96-02
GRAPHIC=Snowbound 96

The piles of snow continues to keep motorists off the road.
Transportation officials say it will be several days before things are completely back to normal.
But Kimberly McBroom spoke with some snowbound folks who said goodbye to the car and set out on foot.
(///SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=When it's this much
SUPER=03-Botetourt Co.; :00
SUPER=03-Roanoke; :12
SUPER=07-Rick Church; :28
SUPER=@Kimberly2; :40
SUPER=01-Laura Bullock/VA Dept. of Transportation; :46
RUNS=1:02
OUT Q=McBroom, News 7

(( When it's this much of a challenge to make it out of your driveway-- it's no wonder there's an outbreak of cabin fever.
But while secondary roads are still rough going-- people are starting to come out of the woodwork.
Several people made it out to catch a movie-- escaping the confines of home.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 6:50:33
((STEVE LASH AND BETTY GILLESPIE: TOO MUCH OF EVEN A GOOD THING CAN BE BAD. YOU GET ON EACH OTHER'S NERVES, I THINK AND NEED TO GET OUT. ))
RUNS=:06

And cooped up customers made for a busy couple of nights for neighborhood restaurants.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 7:29:09
((RICK CHURCH: WHEN YOU CAN GET OUT AND SEE WHEN EVERYBODY ELSE IS OUT WALKING AROUND AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO STAND AROUND WITH THE DOG AND THE CAT LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW ALL DAY LONG.))
RUNS=:08

But if you weren't able to get out of hibernation-- keep in mind that crews are working round the clock to get your street clear.
But it's going to take a while. (/////SOT/////)
SOT bullock tape 20:43:00
((LAURA BULLOCK/VIRGINIA DEPT. OF TRANSPORTATION: THE BYWORD FOR NOW IS PATIENCE. AND I KNOW THAT IS HARD TO COME BY, PROBABLY AS HARD TO COME BY AS MILK IN SOME PLACES, BUT WE REALLY NEED TO ASK PEOPLE FOR THEIR PATIENCE. ))
RUNS=:10

Patience being a virtue most of us will have to find.
Kimberly McBroom, News 7.))

7NRV-Roads

ANCHOR=Mel
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=tal
TAPE#95-106
GRAPHIC=

After the wind slowed them down on Monday, VDOT had made good progress yesterday in Giles County, with 90 percent of the secondary roads plowed. Pulaski County roads are now 75 percent passable.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Montgomery Co./Yesterday;

Drifting snow does remain a problem in many areas.
In Montgomery County, forty percent of the secondaries were still CLOSED as of late yesterday.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 57:40
IN Q=
((MONICA SHELOR/MONTGOMERY CO. RESIDENT: I JUST CAME OUT TO SEE HOW THIS ROAD WAS LOOKING, JUST TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE FOR WALK FOR A WHILE. ))
SUPER=01-Monica Shelor/Montgomery Co. Resident;
RUNS=:05
OUT Q=for a while.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Floyd Co.;

V-DOT hopes to have most of the roads passable today, but it may take longer in some of the outer-lying areas.
(----------------)

7Wilson

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=spr
TAPE#96-01
GRAPHIC=Murder

Roanoke County police have arrested a man in connection with the fatal beating of a mechanic whose body was found at the shop where he worked.
He is in jail awaiting an arraignment and bond hearing.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./January 2;

Co-workers of Christopher Lee Wilson found him dead when they opened the General Imports Sales and Service garage on January second.
An autopsy found he died from a blow to the head with a blunt object.
Police arrested 19- year- old Christopher Saul Saturday.
Saul is charged with capital murder.
The weather has prevented his arraignment.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 15:15:24
IN Q=He was originally
((CAPT. RAY LAVINDER/ROANOKE COUNTY POLICE: HE WAS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED TO BE ARRAIGNED ON MONDAY. I'M ASSUMING HE'LL BE ARRAIGNED AS SOON AS THE COURTS ARE OPEN. ))
SUPER=01-Capt. Ray Lavinder/Roanoke Co. Police;
RUNS=:08
OUT Q=are open
(----------------)
VO-NAT

Right now Saul is the only suspect in the case.
Police have not nailed down a motive, but think Wilson might have been killed during a robbery attempt.
(----------------)

7WEATHER

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=
WRITER=MEL
TAPE#
GRAPHIC=

Turning now to the weather.
Today will be partly sunny and breezy with highs in the 30's.
Tonight will be clear and cold with lows in the mid teens.
And looking ahead.
Cloud coverage will increase with highs in the upper 30's.
And the chance for more snow returns on Friday and into the weekend.

55Roof-Collapse

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=bmy
TAPE#edit
GRAPHIC=

Virginia remains under a state of emergency this morning because of the big storm of '96.
The winter blast is blamed for 13 deaths in the commonwealth.
Governor Allen says the storm could cost the state 20 million dollars in clean-up costs.
Meantime in Low Moor this morning workers at the Westvaco plant are cleaning up after snow caused the roof to collapse.
Forty employees were evacuated, but no one was injured. About five percent of the roof was damaged.
Westvaco officials say the plant will resume operation later today, after they assess the damage and mop up water from a broken fire line.

55Henry-Snow

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutinmorn
WRITER=THa
TAPE#95-111
GRAPHIC=

The Storm of '96 has created a major obstacle for the Henry County Sheriff's Department. As Teresa Hamilton reports, residents were not the only ones caught without a four- wheel drive.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=When the
SUPER=@Teresa1; :10
SUPER=03-Henry Co.; :25
SUPER=01-Sgt. E. H. Painter/Henry Co. Sheriff's Dept.; :38
SUPER=01-Sgt. Kimmy Nester/Henry Co. Sheriff's Dept.; 1:02
RUNS=1:22
OUT Q=Hamilton, News 7.

((When the sky opened, dumping snow up and down the East Coast.
It left countless rescue crews in a bind-- including the Henry County Sheriff's Department.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=Since Saturday

Since Saturday, fire and other emergency calls in Henry County and Martinsville have increased 41- percent.
But with a lack of four wheel drive vehicles-- some of those calls have gone unanswered.
RUNS=:00
OUT Q=gone unanswered

The Sheriff's Department owns just three four- wheel drive vehicles.
So when the going got tough, the Sheriff's Department got down to business, borrowing additional vehicles from Parks and Recreation, as well as Animal Control.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=We did
((SGT. E. H. PAINTER/HENRY CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT.: WE DID HAVE ACCESS TO SIX, USING THIS ANIMAL CONTROL VEHICLE, WE LOST ONE TODAY, SO WE'RE NOW DOWN TO FIVE. THEY COULD CALL AND GET THIS THING BACK ANY DAY WHICH WOULD ONLY LEAVE US FOUR WITH OUR DEPARTMENT. ))
RUNS=:12
OUT Q=with our department

To make matters worse, the four- wheel drive vehicles on loan don't have police radios.
And, should the officers need to make an arrest, the borrowed vehicles aren't equipped with cages to protect the officers from suspects.
(/////SOT/////)
19:42:47
SOT
IN Q=We're making
((SGT. KIMMY NESTER/HENRY CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT.: WE'RE MAKING DUE, BUT IT CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO HAVE MORE AND WE COULD GET MORE SNOW ON TOP OF THIS. ))
RUNS=:09
OUT Q=on top of this.

Whether that happens is out of Kimmy Nester's hands, just like the decision to purchase additional vehicles. That's up to the County Board of Supervisors.
Teresa Hamilton, News 7.))

55Assembly

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=equ
TAPE#edit of 95-107 (6pm version)
GRAPHIC=general assembly

Today's General Assembly session will go ahead as scheduled, despite the additional snow that fell in Richmond yesterday.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Richmond/Yesterday;

The session must start on time because as of noon, the only two people still in office will be the clerks.
The Virginia State Police have been authorized to help lawmakers get there.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 04:40:12
IN Q=Very heavy
((DEL. WHITT CLEMENT/D-DANVILLE: VERY HEAVY SNOW. LOTS OF ACCUMULATION. YEAH I HAD SOME SECOND THOUGHTS. BUT WE MADE IT.))
SUPER=01-Del. Whitt Clement/(D) Danville;
RUNS=:07
OUT Q=made it.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

A flurry of bills is expected over the next few days on such issues as education funding, increasing rural speed limits, repealing the new concealed weapons law, and state worker pay raises.
(-------0---------)

55Hot-Line

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=cro
TAPE# none
GRAPHIC=general assembly

The General Assembly will provide a toll-FREE hot line to allow Virginians to express their views. ess/full
The Constituent Viewpoint hot line is open from seven a-m to seven p-m EACH legislative workday.
The hot line's toll-free number is (800) 889-0229.

55WEATHER

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=MEL
TAPE#
GRAPHIC=

Turning now to the weather.
Today will be partly sunny and breezy with highs in the 30's.
Blowing and drifting snow will continue to be a problem.
Tonight will be clear and cold with lows in the mid teens.
Looking ahead, cloud coverage will increase tomorrow with highs in the upper 30's.
And while were are still cleaning up from the weekend storm, it looks like another storm is heading dumping more snow on the region Friday and Saturday.
Highs will be in the 30's and 40's.

8Health

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=cst
TAPE#95-104
GRAPHIC=

Governor Allen says the storm that walloped the state and most of the East Coast could cost Virginia 20 million dollars.
He said a previous, less powerful storm in 19-93 that affected only two-thirds of the state had a price tag of nearly 19 million.
Virginia remains under a state of emergency because of the storm, which has claimed the lives of at least thirteen people.
The winter blast is taking its toll those with a critical need to get out.
Take for example, dialysis patients.
As Connie Stevens reports, many are relying on the kindness of strangers to get to their life-saving treatments.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=Without dialysis
SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00
SUPER=01-Trish Rappold/Crystal Spring Dialysis; :12
SUPER=01-Vicky Kelley/Crystal Spring Dialysis; :32
SUPER=01-Bob Lutjen/American Red Cross Blood Services; :52
SUPER=@Connie2; 1:08
RUNS=1:16
OUT Q=CS, News 7.
((
ANCHOR=Connie

These patients with kidney problems must undergo dialysis treatments three times a week-- and with all this snow, many have been desperate for rides to the area's outpatient dialysis centers.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 10:44:18
IN Q=We're real
((TRISH RAPPOLD/CRYSTAL SPRING DIALYSIS: WE'RE REAL FORTUNATE THAT THE PEOPLE AROUND THE AREA HAVE BEEN SO GOOD ABOUT BRINGING THESE PATIENTS IN TO US. ))
RUNS=:04
OUT Q=in to us.

The National Guard is even helping out, picking up those hard-to-reach patients in the Hum-Vee ambulance.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 11:07:32
IN Q=Humvee NAT SOUND leaving
RUNS=:04
OUT Q=Humvee NAT SOUND leaving

Maybe you don't have a set of wheels like this to offer, but there are other ways the community can help these patients.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 10:47:28
IN Q=If you have
((VICKY KELLEY/CRYSTAL SPRING DIALYSIS: IF YOU HAVE A NEIGHBOR THAT YOU KNOW IS ON DIALYSIS, MAYBE YOU CAN HELP THEM OUT AT LEAST TO THE STREET TO THE VEHICLE, THAT'S ANOTHER PROBLEM ONCE THE VEHICLE COMES TO PICK THEM UP, GETTING THEM TO THE STREET, ))
RUNS=:09
OUT Q=getting them to the street.

Also, for those willing and able-- the American Red Cross is in serious need of blood donations.
They've extended hours in the Roanoke office, and are even willing to pick up donors and bring them in.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 11:43:47
IN Q=This is something
((BOB LUTJEN/AMERICAN RED CROSS BLOOD SERVICES: THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WILL TAKE MANY DAYS TO TURN AROUND AGAIN BECAUSE THE WHOLE EASTERN PART OF THE UNITED STATES THAT NORMALLY COLLECTS 15-16 THOUSAND PINTS A DAY IS REDUCED TO LESS THAN A DAY'S SUPPLY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. ))
RUNS=:16
OUT Q=throughout the country.

The only thing saving the system is that many elective surgeries have been postponed-- but still, the need is urgent.
Connie Stevens, News 7.))

8WESTVACO

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=
WRITER=MEL
TAPE#
GRAPHIC=

The remanants of the storm created quite a scare this morning for workers at the Westvaco plant in Low Moor.
Heavy snow caused the roof to collapse.
No one was injured in the incident and Westvaco officials say only 5 percent of the building's roof was damaged.
The plant will resume operation later today, after they assess the damage and mop up water from a broken fire line.

8Storm

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=bmy
TAPE#edit
GRAPHIC=snowbound

Meantime, Virginia remains under a state of emergency because of the Storm of '96. At least 13 people have died.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Botetourt Co.;

Governor Allen says it could cost Virginia 20 million dollars.
Road crews are working around the clock to clear all streets, but transportation officials say it's going to take awhile.
(/////SOT/////)
((LAURA BULLOCK/VIRGINIA DEPT. OF TRANSPORTATION: THE BYWORD FOR NOW IS PATIENCE. AND I KNOW THAT IS HARD TO COME BY, PROBABLY AS HARD TO COME BY AS MILK IN SOME PLACES, BUT WE REALLY NEED TO ASK PEOPLE FOR THEIR PATIENCE. ))
SUPER=01-Laura Bullock/Va. Dept. of Transportation;
RUNS=:10
OUT=their patience
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Montgomery Co./Yesterday;

40 percent of the secondary roads in Montgomery County were still closed yesterday afternoon.
BUT, 90 percent of the secondaries in Giles County and 75 percent in Pulaski County are passable.
SUPER=03-Henry Co./Yesterday;

Since Saturday, emergency calls in Henry County and Martinsville have increased 41- percent.
But some of those calls have gone unanswered because of a shortage of four- wheel- drive vehicles.
The Sheriff's Department has borrowed some, but they still put deputies at a disadvantage.
The borrowed vehicles do not have police radios and are not equipped with cages to protect officers from those in custody, if they have to make an arrest.
(----------------)

8Chris-Wilson

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=spr
TAPE#96-01
GRAPHIC=Murder

Roanoke County police have arrested a Roanoke man and charged him with capitol murder in the death of an auto mechanic.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./Janyary 2;

It was January second that 26- year- old Christopher Lee Wilson was found at the General Import Services on Brambleton Avenue.
An autopsy revealed he died from a blow to the head with a blunt object.
Early Saturday morning, police arrested 19- year- old Christopher James Saul.
Saul has not been arraigned because of the weather.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 15:15:24
IN Q=He was originally
((CAPT. RAY LAVINDER/ROANOKE COUNTY POLICE: HE WAS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED TO BE ARRAIGNED ON MONDAY. I'M ASSUMING HE'LL BE ARRAIGNED AS SOON AS THE COURTS ARE OPEN. ))
SUPER=01-Capt. Ray Lavinder/Roanoke Co. Police;
RUNS=:08
OUT Q=are open
(----------------)
VO-NAT

Right now Saul is the only suspect in the case.
Police haven't nailed down a motive, but think Wilson might have been killed during a robbery attempt.
(----------------)

8WEATHER

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=
WRITER=MEL
TAPE#
GRAPHIC=

Turning now to the weather.
Today will be partly sunny and breezy with highs in the 30's.
Tonight will be clear and cold with lows in the mid teens.
And looking ahead. And the chance for more snow returns on Friday and into the weekend. Cloud coverage will increase with highs in the upper 30's.