WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 01/23/96

08:25-01

7Robert-Dallas

ANCHOR=Beth
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=KHu
TAPEedit of #95-108
GRAPHIC=Gavel And Scales

A Roanoke County man convicted of sexually molesting neighborhoold children for more than a decade faces up to 185 years behind bars when he's sentenced in April.
Yesterday Robert Dallas pled GUILTY to 24 sex offenses.
(----------------)
V/O-NAT
SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;

It went on for 14 years at his house on Capito Street.
SUPER=03-Roanoke/Yesterday;

Dallas would win the children's trust by taking them to Burger King, the circus or to play Minature golf.
(-------------)
ANCHOR=Beth
SS=HOLD

One of the victims was in SECOND grade when the abuse began.
Only well into adult-hood did she muster up the courage to break off the relationship.

7Cross-Burning

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=kmc
TAPE#96-4
GRAPHIC=NONE

Authorities are looking for answers in a weekend cross burning at a home in southeast Roanoke.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Roanoke;

Police are still investigating who set fire to a four- and- a- half foot cross at 12-22 Tompkins Avenue.
The woman who lives there with her children believes the incident may have been motivated by her interracial relationship with a boyfriend.
One neighbor says the incident came as a shock.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT tape 2 19:06:30
IN Q=It's something
((DEAN CARTER/NEIGHBOR: IT'S SOMETHING, TO ME, A THING OF THE PAST, YOU KNOW-- SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN THIS DAY AND TIME WITH THERE BEING SO MANY INTERRACIAL RELATIONSHIPS. I JUST DON'T FEEL THAT IT'S THE USUAL THING ANYMORE. ))
SUPER=01-Dean Carter/Neighbor;
RUNS=:13
OUT Q=usual thing anymore
(----------------)
VO-NAT

Meanwhile, city officials say there's no excuse for such action.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 19:53:32
IN Q=That kind of
((DAVID BOWERS/ROANOKE MAYOR: THAT KIND OF BEHAVIOR IS NOT ONLY DEPLORABLE, IT'S AGAINST THE LAW. IT'S A FELONY IN VIRGINIA TO BE INVOLVED IN A CROSS BURNING AND I ANTICIPATE THAT THE COMMONWEALTH'S ATTORNEY WILL PROSECUTE THIS WHEN SOMEONE IS APPREHENDED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW. ))
SUPER=@Bowers;
RUNS=:14
OUT Q=fullest extent of the law
(----------------)
TALENT=Melanie
SS=NONE

N- Double- A- C- P officials say they too find such behavior "unacceptable", and look forward to the outcome of the investigation.

7Wheeler

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=kmc
TAPE#96-1
GRAPHIC=NONE

A Henry county animal control officer is back at work despite a conviction for falsifying records.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Martinsville/File Tape;

Gerald Wheeler also faced a felony drug charge.
He was accused of providing his son with Pento-barbital (Pen- toe- bar- bi- tall) to euthanize two dogs in Patrick county.
The drug charge was dismissed last month, when a judge ruled Wheeler lacked criminal intent.
(----------------)
TALENT=Melanie
SS=NONE

No word on whether he'll receive back pay for his suspension.

7session-96

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=
TAPE#none
GRAPHIC=Session '96

General Assembly Democrats plan to endorse a proposal that calls for 340 million-dollars more for higher education than Governor Allen has proposed in his budget.
An increase that large would reverse a six-year trend of declining support for higher education.
The request includes money to freeze tuition increases, buy computers and give raises to professors.

7schoolWatch

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=nle
TAPE#none
GRAPHIC=School info

Some schools are still delayed or closed today because or the flooding and remaining snow. take boards
(mel ad libs)

7Weather

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

The forecast today calls for increasing clouds, with temperatures in the low 50s.
The clouds will remain tonight, with a fifty percent chance of showers.
Lows will be in the 30s.
Tomorrow, the clouds will stay but the rain will end by morning.
It'll be windy and a little cooler - highs in the 40s.

55Blaze

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=JoeD
TAPEedit of #96-2
GRAPHIC=fatal fire

Roanoke fire officials have confirmed an extension cord was the source of Saturday night's fatal fire.
The blaze killed four children and their grandmother.
Investigators also say the home was not equipped with a smoke detector.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=The fire was probably
((JIM GRIGSBY/ROANOKE FIRE CHIEF: THE FIRE WAS PROBABLY IN THE INCIPIENT STAGE PROBABLY AS LONG AS A HALF HOUR TO AN HOUR. A SMOKE DETECTOR WOULD HAVE PICKED UP, THAT THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SMOLDERING AND BURNING.))
SUPER=01-Jim Grigsby/Roanoke Fire Chief;
RUNS=:09
OUT Q=smoldering and burning.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Roanoke/Saturday Night;

Investigators were able to trace the point of origin to an extension cord on the first floor.
They don't know if the cord was frayed, faulty or simply inadequate for the space heater it was powering.
They believe the cord ignited the carpet, clothing, or some other flammable material.
(-------------)
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=NONE

City codes require smoke detectors in rental property, but officials would not say whether they expect to cite the landlord for possible violations.
A current deed lists W-T-S of Virginia, Incorporated as the property owner.

News 7 was UNABLE to reach the principals of that corporation.

55R-S-V

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=cst
TAPE#95-111
GRAPHIC=Children's Health

Around the country, parents are being warned about an increase in cases of the R-S-V infection.
As Health Check's Connie Stevens reports, our region is experiencing epidemic proportions of the disease-- as it does this time every year.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=R-S-V stands for
SUPER=@File; ::00
SUPER=01-Dr. Mark McBride/Roanoke Pediatrician; :15
SUPER=03-Fincastle; :33
SUPER=01-Diona Thompson/Mother; :42
SUPER=@Connie2; 1:00
RUNS=1:30
OUT Q=C.S. News 7.
((
R-S-V stands for Respiratory Synctial Virus-- it's the virus that causes bronchiolitis, a potentially dangerous lung infection in children.
In adults, it manifests itself as a simple cold.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 13:05:06
IN Q=The virus does
((DR. MARK MCBRIDE/ROANOKE PEDIATRICIAN: THE VIRUS DOES CAUSE COPIOUS THICK SECRETIONS IN THE LOWER AIRWAYS, AND IN MOST OF THESE CHILDREN THEY HAVE HAD A COLD. IT BEGAN AS A COLD OR AN UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTION AND THEN PROGRESSED TO THE LOWER AIRWAYS. ))
RUNS=:13
OUT Q=lower airways.

Symptoms include a lingering cold, high fever, and shortness of breath.
Diona Thompson knows the signs well. Though he's fine now, her son Matthew, now four months old-- was hospitalized last month with R-S-V.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 10:35:40
IN Q=He's fine
((DIONA THOMPSON/MOTHER: HE COULDN'T GRASP HIS AIR IS WHAT IT WAS. WHEN THEY CAN'T BREATHE IN DEEP, THAT'S IT. ))
RUNS=:08
OUT Q=that's it.

R-S-V is very common--The Centers for Disease Control estimates that nearly all children have R-S-V disease by age two.
But 90-thousand children in the U.S. are hospitalized each year with the infection-- 45 hundred die of complications.
R-S-V can spell disaster at day-care centers.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 13:10:03
IN Q=Usually when
((DR. MCBRIDE: USUALLY WHEN ONE CHILD HAS IT, THEY ALL END UP GETTING IT. AND THE DAYCARES ARE ALMOST EMPTY AT THAT POINT. ))
RUNS=:07
OUT Q=that point.

Good news came last week in the treatment of respiratory infections.
The F-D-A approved RespiGam, the first drug designed to help premature infants and babies with chronic lung diseases-- they're most suspectible to R-S-V infection.
Still, the condition is very contagious-- it's spread through coughing and sneezing, so strict handwashing is highly recommended.
Connie Stevens, News 7.))

55Record-Bills

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=Cutin
WRITER=nle
TAPE#none
GRAPHIC=Session '96

Members of the House of Delegates have submitted a record number of new bills.
Yesterday was the deadline for filing legislation for the 1996 General Assembly.
House lawmakers submitted more than 18-hundred bills and resolutions, that's up from the previous record of 17-hundred-48 in 1994.
Senators filed 751 bills and resolutions by yesterday, short of the 1994 record of 867.

55schoolWatch

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=nle
TAPE#none
GRAPHIC=School info

Some schools are still delayed or closed today because or the flooding and remaining snow. take boards
(mel ad libs)

55Weather

8Robberies

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

Police are investigating a couple of armed robberies in the Roanoke Valley overnight.
The first one happened at about 8:30 at the Craig Avenue Superette in Salem.
Police say a man claiming to have a weapon robbed the store of some cash.
Several hours later, the Food Lion at Williamson and Peters Creek Roads in Roanoke County was robbed by a man with a small caliber handgun.
In both incidents, no one was hurt and the robbers got away.
There's no word on whether the two crimes are related.

8Burning

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=kmc
TAPE#edit of 96-4
GRAPHIC=NONE

Police want to know who set fire to a cross on the lawn of one southeast Roanoke home last weekend.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Roanoke;

Firefighters put out the burning four- and- a- half foot cross at 12-22 Tompkins Avenue early Saturday morning.
The woman who lives there with her children believes the incident may have been motivated by her interracial relationship with a boyfriend.
One neighbor says the incident surprised him.
(/////SOT/////)
edit from field tape
SOT cross burning tape 2 19:05:42
IN Q=I think it's
((DEAN CARTER/NEIGHBOR: I THINK IT'S HIGHLY UNUSUAL, BECAUSE-- LIKE I SAY, IT'S BEEN YEARS SINCE I'VE EVEN SEEN OR HEARD OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS. SO, IN MY OPINION, IT'S HIGHLY UNUSUAL. ))
SUPER=01-Dean Carter/Neighbor;
RUNS=:10
OUT Q=highly unsual (double out)
(----------------)
VO-NAT

Roanoke city officials say there's no excuse for such action.
(/////SOT/////)
edit from field tape
SOT tape 2 19:54:01
IN Q=Cross Burning
((DAVID BOWERS/ROANOKE MAYOR: CROSS BURNING IS AN AWFUL THING, IT'S DEPLORABLE, IT'S CRIMINAL, IT'S AGAINST THE LAW, AND IT SURPRISES ME AND DISTURBS ME THAT IT WOULD HAPPEN HERE IN ROANOKE IN 1996. ))
SUPER=@Bowers;
RUNS=:12
OUT Q=roanoke in 1996.
(----------------)
TALENT=Melanie
SS=none

The N- Double- A- C- P says cross burning is "unacceptable" behavior, and is anxious to hear the result of the investigation.

8Dallas

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=KHu
TAPE#95-108
GRAPHIC=Gavel And Scales

In Roanoke County -- Mister Dallas' house was a favorite hang out of the neighborhood children.
It was a place with no rules.
Yesterday, 50-year old Robert Dallas admitted to molesting four children- entering guilty pleas in 24 separate sex offenses dating back to the late 1970's.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;

It went on for more than a decade in the house on Capito (CAP-uh-toe) Street.
SUPER=03-Roanoke/Yesterday;

Even the prosecutor says Dallas did a lot of NICE things for kids in the neighborhood: took them to putt-putt golf, Burger King, and the Circus.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 13:43:58
IN Q=
((AND IT'S JUST UNFORTUNATE THAT THERE'S A SITUATION IF SOMEBODY IS NICE TO CHILDREN THAT WE THEN LOOK BACK AND SAY, "WELL, GEE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE SOMEBODY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BECAUSE HE'S NICE TO CHILDREN."))
SUPER=01-Susan Cohen/Prosecutor
RUNS=:11
OUT Q=nice to children.
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=HOLD

One of the victims was in second grade when the abuse began.
Only well into adult-hood did she muster up the courage to break off the relationship.
Dallas faces up to 185 years in prison when he's sentenced in April.

8Boar-Walla

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=equ
TAPE#95-114
GRAPHIC=None

A bill in the General Assembly could affect exotic game preserves like Boar Walla in Allegheny County.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=@file;

It's NOT the first bill aimed at Boar-Walla -- and sponsors Creigh (KREE) Deeds of Warm Springs, Whitt Clement of Danville, and Bo Trumbo of Botetourt County want to make it clear it is NOT an anti- hunting bill.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 02:57:36
IN Q=It says you may
((SEN. BO TRUMBO/R-FINCASTLE: ))
SUPER=@Trumbo;
RUNS=:18
OUT Q=game animals
TALENT=Melanie
SS=none

Trumbo says game preserves could continue their hunting within fences, as long as they only hunt local game.

8schoolWatch

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=nle
TAPE#none
GRAPHIC=School info

Some schools are still delayed or closed today because or the flooding and remaining snow. take boards
(mel ad libs)
RUNS=:15

8Weather

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

The forecast today calls for increasing clouds, with temperatures in the low 50s.
The clouds will remain tonight, with a fifty percent chance of showers.
Lows will be in the 30s. It'll be windy and a little cooler - highs in the 40s. Tomorrow, the clouds will stay but the rain will end by morning.