18:00-01

1-News-head

(----------------)
VO-NAT

A flight instructor dies at the controls of a twin-engine plane.
We'll hear from those who knew the 31-year old pilot... and learn how it happened.
(----------------)
ANCHOR=Keith

Also coming up on NEWS 7 at SIX:
The first-hand account of a woman struggling with whether to tell her parents she was getting an abortion at age 17. Sports-Head
ANCHOR=Mike

Tonight in sports, the Peach Bowl champion Cavaliers are honored by Roanoke City Council.
Rodman is fined and suspended for head butting a referee.
(----------------)
VO-NAT eng#

And the VMI Keydets give both Bart Bellairs and Bill Stewart six year contract extensions.
We'll from them and athletic Director Davis Babb tonight in sports.
(-------------)
WX-Head
TALENT=Robin
SS=None

Nature will throw the whole kitchen sink at us this week. Spring will definitely roar in Wednesday.

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Plane-Crash

ANCHOR=Keith
NEWSCAST=6
WRITER=tal
TAPE#96-14
GRAPHIC=None

Dense fog overnight may have contributed to a plane crash that killed the manager of the Mountain Empire Airport.
The aircraft crashed and burned on Interstate- 81 in Wythe County.
Tracy Altizer was on the scene early this morning.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=Just before one a-m
SUPER=04-Amateur Video; :00
SUPER=01-1st Sgt. D.A. Shaver/VA State Police; :16
SUPER=03-Wythe Co.; :24
SUPER=01-Brian Burkett/Asst. Airport Manager; :48
SUPER=03-Smyth Co.; 1:08
SUPER=@Tracy1; 1:13
RUNS=1:26
OUT Q=news 7 Smyth co.
(( Just before one a-m, a fireball split through the fog along the border of Wythe and Smyth counties.
Minutes before, the pilot of a twin- engine Piper Aztec had radioed Atlanta flight officials he had missed his first attempt to land at Mountain Empire Airport and was going to try again.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 4:44:46
((1ST SGT. D.A. SHAVER/VA STATE POLICE: HE HAD MADE A FLYBY, SO HE HAD MADE A PASS AND WAS CIRCLING BACK AROUND, AND AT THAT TIME THEY LOST CONTACT WITH HIM. ))
RUNS=:09

State police say the plane burst into flames after it clipped some trees, lost a wing, and crashed.
Firefighters recovered the body of 31 year- old James Preston Harris from the debris, which littered northbound I-81.
An experienced pilot, Harris ran a charter operation and sometimes taught flying lessons.
He was returning home from Lonesome Pine Airport in Wise County, where he had dropped off three passengers.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 8:31:34
((BRIAN BURKETT/ASST. AIRPORT MANAGER: HE'S AN EXCELLENT PILOT, REALLY GOOD. I'VE BEEN WITH HIM ON A LOT OF TRIPS, HE'S ACTUALLY TRAINED ME SOME TO FLY. HE'S AN EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT PILOT. ))
RUNS=:11

No one on the ground was injured, but northbound I-81 between Groseclose and Rural Retreat was closed for almost eight hours.
It reopened after the wreckage was taken in pieces to Mountain Empire Airport. suOfficials believe dense fog played a role in the crash, but the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate to determine if any mechanical problems were to blame. Tracy Altizer, News 7 Smyth County.))

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Burton

ANCHOR=Keith
NEWSCAST=6
WRITER=KHu
TAPE#96-11
GRAPHIC=Thomas Burton

He'd been shot by the time he was nine; stabbed at age 14.
Today Thomas Arthur Burton got a life sentence for murder.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Roanoke

Burton had testified at trial that he wasn't there the night two men forced their way into the home on Memorial Avenue.
Randall Carter was shot and killed over 190 dollars and a bag of marijuana. At sentencing Burton still insisted he's innocent.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 14:44:15
IN Q=
((I KNOW I'M NO ANGEL, SIR. I HAD A LOT OF PROBLEMS AS A KID, AND SOME AS AN ADULT, TOO. BUT I'M NO MURDERER. I'VE NEVER KILLED ANYBODY. AND I'M SORRY FOR THAT FAMILY OVER THERE. I'M SORRY THAT YOU LOST YOUR HUSBAND AND YOUR SON, BUT I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. I FEEL MORE SORRY FOR MY FAMILY. I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS COULD HAPPEN TO ME. I JUST FEEL IT'S A TRAVESTY FOR ME, FOR MY WHOLE FAMILY. YOU HAVE MAINTAINED YOUR INNOCENCE, AS IS YOUR RIGHT. I DO NOT ASK YOU TO ADMIT OR ACCEPT GUILT. HAVING HEARD THE EVIDENCE, I HAVE FOUND YOU GUILTY OF MURDER IN THE FIRST DEGREE AND OF ROBBERY.))
SUPER=01-Thomas Arthur Burton/Convicted Killer; :00
SUPER=Judge Clifford Weckstein/Roanoke Circuit Court; :21
RUNS=:36
OUT Q=and of robbery
(----------------)
VO-NAT

A life sentence for murder, plus 20 years for the robbery.
(----------------)

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Henry-Shooting

ANCHOR=Keith
NEWSCAST=6pm
WRITER=THa
TAPE#None
GRAPHIC=Shooting

A shooting this morning in Henry County critically injured a Martinsville man.
Authorities say 26- year old Troy Lamont Pitzer was shot at least once in the stomach.
The shooting happened around four- 30 at a home in Ridgeway.
Witnesses told investigators they did NOT see what happened, but heard gunshots after Pitzer answered a knock at the door.
Witnesses say the shooter drove away in a white car.
Authorities don't have a motive, but do have suspects.

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Fitzgerald

ANCHOR=Keith
NEWSCAST=6pm
WRITER=THa
TAPE#96-19
GRAPHIC=Ronald Fitzgerald

A Pittsylvania County inmate on death row will NOT have a second chance in court anytime soon.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Chatham/January 1994;

The U-S Supreme Court today refused to hear Ronald Fitzgerald's appeal.
Two years ago a Pittsylvania County jury found Fitzgerald guilty of robbing and killing an acquaintance and a taxi driver.
He was also convicted of raping a 13- year old in her Chatham home and a woman at an Altavista motel bathroom while the woman's two children were in the adjoining room.
During the trial, defense attorneys argued for "life in prison".
They described Fitzgerald as "mildly retarded".
(-------0---------)


Tease#1
HARD MUSIC UNDER
ANCHOR=Keith
SS=NONE

Still to come on News 7 at Six--a court appearance for a school principal accusing of striking a student.
(---------------)
VO-NAT

And a national television program tells the story of a woman missing and feared kidnapped on a Virginia highway--state police say viewer response has been encouraging.
(----------------)
ANCHOR=Robin
wx ad lib Roll Lake Level MUSIC UP FULL
COMM#1
Roll
TALENT=Robin
SS=NONE
SUPER=#C-380; Weather Roll
SUPER=80-60/35/0.00/55/41/0.00/58/39/0.00/59/41/0.00;
SUPER=81-52/43/0.05/57/39/0.00/56/34/0.00;
SUPER=82-1.01/minus/0.93/10.00/plus/2.40;
SUPER=84-

---

McIntosh

ANCHOR=Keith
NEWSCAST=6p
WRITER=rjo
TAPE#96-17
GRAPHIC=Michael McIntosh

A Roanoke School principal was in court today to answer charges he assaulted one of his students.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Roanoke;

35-year-old Michael McIntosh is principal at Noel C. Taylor Learning Academy-- a school for troubled kids.
He's accused of striking a child last October on campus.
McIntosh says he is confident the outcome will be in his favor.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 14:13:07
IN Q=We're looking forward
((JOHN P. FISHWICK/DEFENSE ATTORNEY: WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR DAY IN COURT. WE ASKED THE JUDGE TODAY FOR A QUICK TRIAL DATE OF APRIL 12TH. WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE TRUTH COMING OUT IN THIS CASE. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF WITNESSES WHO WILL BE TESTIFYING AND WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING OUR HEARING.))
SUPER=01-John P. Fishwick/Defense Attorney;
RUNS=:12
OUT Q=having our hearing.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

McIntosh has been suspended from his job pending the outcome of the case.
(----------------)

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Parental-notification

ANCHOR=Keith
NEWSCAST=6pm
WRITER=tho
TAPE#96-16
GRAPHIC=Abortion

Parental notification almost became law in Virginia this year. And the debate continues:
Should a teenager who wants to have an abortion be required to tell her parents?
Intern reporter Tracey Hoffman talked with both supporters and opponents.

(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q= Parental notification
SUPER=03-David Nova/Planned Parenthood; :17
SUPER=03-Ruth Fielder/Crisis Pregnancy Center; :38
SUPER=19-Tracey Hoffman; :51
SUPER=00-"Sarah"; 1:07 (super on far right!)
SUPER=04-File; 1:52
RUNS=2:24
OUT Q= Hoffman, News 7.

((Parental notification was one of the final topics deliberated this past session and eventually killed in the General Assembly.
The bill laid out a procedure requiring parents or guardians to be notified before an abortion was performed on a minor.
Opponents to the bill said that it could put young girls' lives in danger.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 15:43:01-15:43:18
IN Q= There would be
((DAVID NOVA/PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF THE BLUE RIDGE; THERE WOULD BE MINORS WHO WOULD DELAY GETTING AN ABORTION FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS. DELAY TELLING THEIR PARENTS. HAVE DELAYS GOING TO A JUDGE. DELAYS TRYING TO FIND SOME PLACE TO GO FOR A LEGAL ABORTION AND THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE AND MORE MINORS WHO WOULD HAVE HAD SECOND TRI-MESTER ABORTIONS.))
RUNS=:17
OUT Q= second tri-mester abortions.

Supporters said that it would make minors answer to their parents.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=
((RUTH FIELDER/CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTER OF THE ROANOKE VALLEY, INC.; SO WE SEE THIS PARTICULAR PARENTAL NOTIFICATION BILL AS BEING A WAY TO MAKE MINORS ACCOUNTABLE TO THEIR PARENTS SO THEIR PARENTS CAN LOOK OUT FOR THEM.))
RUNS=:11
OUT Q=out for them.
Standup bridge
Statistics say that one million teens become pregnant each year and that the U-S is leading the industrialized world in teen pregnancy rates. Narrator
This woman who is twenty faced a difficult decision when she was seventeen--by having an abortion and not telling her parents.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 15:21:39-15:21:59
IN Q= People don't realize
(( PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE AND I DON'T THINK LEGISLATORS REALIZE THE KIND OF TRAUMA THE GIRLS REALLY HAVE TO GO THROUGH, WOMEN REALLY HAVE TO GO THROUGH IN MAKING A DECISION LIKE THIS AND FOR A GIRL TO WORRY ABOUT MAKING THAT DECISION AND THEN ALSO WORRYING ABOUT HOW SHE IS GOING TO GO OUT OF STATE.))
RUNS=:20
OUT Q=out of state.

Though every young girls' situation is different--the main factor is the same--they're pregnant and they have a lot of difficult decisions to make.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 15:19:00-15:19:18
IN Q= I didn't tell
(( I DIDN'T TELL MY PARENTS. I FELT THAT I NEEDED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY ACTIONS MYSELF AND EVEN THOUGH I KNOW THEY WOULD HAVE SUPPORTED ME, I DIDN'T THINK THAT IT WAS MY RIGHT TO ASK FOR HELP. I WANTED TO TAKE CARE OF IT MYSELF.))
RUNS=:18
OUT Q=of it myself.

The emotions young girls face when they find out they are pregnant can be traumatic--and even more so if they have to go out of state for the abortion.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 15:24:28-15:24:43
IN Q=The feeling I
((THE FEELINGS I HAD ARE JUST--THEY WERE JUST NOT KNOWING WHAT WAS GOING TO COME NEXT. I MEAN THIS WAS DEVASTATING, JUST TO BE 17 YEARS OLD AND TO FIND OUT I'M PREGNANT AND THEN TO BE FACED WITH GOING THROUGH AN ABORTION.))
RUNS=:15
OUT Q=through an abortion.

Even though parental notification was dismissed during this General Assembly session--that does not mean that it's gone forever.
Tracey Hoffman, News 7.))

---

Salem-Fire

ANCHOR=Keith
NEWSCAST=6p
WRITER=rjo
TAPE#596-05
GRAPHIC=Fire

Fire forced evacuation of an apartment building in Salem this afternoon.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Salem;

Fire officials say the cause appears to be faulty wiring from a stereo system.
The owner of the apartment was not at home at the time.
Police had to help evacuate this elderly man and his wife from their apartment when smoke began pouring from an upstairs window.
(/////SOT/////)
IN Q=Officer Melvin Lutts
SOT 13:00:15
((SGT. D.H. GIARLA/SALEM POLICE: OFFICER MELVIN LUTTS HELPED HIM OUT. WE WENT DOOR TO DOOR OF APARTMENTS AND WAS MAKING SURE EVERYBODY WAS OUT AND A FEW OF THE APARTMENTS HAD PEOPLE IN IT. AND WHEN HE SAW THAT THIS GENTLEMAN NEEDED HELP HE HELPED HIM OUT.)) BUTT, BUTT, BUTT
SOT 12:58:47
((HAZEL FRANCISCO/SALEM RESIDENT: I DIDN'T PANIC TOO BAD BECAUSE I KNEW MAYBE THAT IT HAD A LITTLE TIME BEFORE IT REACHED IN THERE SO WE JUST GOT OUR THINGS AND GOT OUT.))
SUPER=01-Sgt. D.H. Giarla/Salem Police;
SUPER=01-Hazel Francisco/Salem Resident;
RUNS=:20
OUT Q=
(----------------)
VO-NAT

No one was injured in the blaze.
Officials are still investigating.
(----------------)

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Road-Safety

ANCHOR=Keith
NEWSCAST=6pm
WRITER=bmy
TAPE#=596-03
GRAPHIC=NONE

More than 70 people have offered information about a man police believe has been stalking women in Virginia after the case was profiled on national T-V over the weekend.
State police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell says a 30-second segment on "America's Most Wanted" Saturday prompted calls to the show's 800 number and to Virginia authorities.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

Caldwell says authorities are following up on the tips as they search for Alicia Reynolds and the suspect in her apparent abduction.
Mrs. Reynolds was last seen getting into a dark-colored pick-up on U-S 29 near Culpeper on March Second.
Her abandoned car was later found on route 29.
(----------------)
ANCHOR=Keith
SS=NONE

More than a dozen other women have told authorities they've been approached by a man who matches the suspect's description. He reportedly got some of the women to pull over by indicating to them that they were having car trouble.

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Philip-Morris

ANCHOR=Keith
NEWSCAST=6pm
WRITER=lbe
TAPE#96-13
GRAPHIC=Tobacco

One of Virginia's largest industries suffered another damaging setback today.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Richmond/File Tape;

Government documents have surfaced in which former Philip Morris employees say the tobacco firm manipulates nicotine levels in cigarettes, knowing the substance acts like a drug.
That contradicts what the company told the federal government, which is considering regulating tobacco as a drug.
In reaction, Philip Morris stock plunged sharply today.
(-------------)
ANCHOR=Keith
SS=Hold

Just last week, for the first time ever, one of the nation's five largest cigarette companies agreed to settle a lawsuit over smoking.

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Business-Week

ANCHOR=Keith
NEWSCAST=6pm
WRITER=lbe
TAPE#96-15
GRAPHIC=None

A number of large employers in our area have made "The Business Week 1000".
The annual listing charts America's most valuable public companies.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

Number one on the list: General Electric.
G-E employs more than two-thousand people at its Drive Systems plant in Salem.
Other large employers with high rankings include Wal-Mart, DuPont, Abbott Laboratories, and Bell Atlantic.
(-------------)

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Stocks

ANCHOR=Keith
NEWSCAST=six
WRITER=sly
TAPE#=Stocks
GRAPHIC=NONE

On Wall Street the Dow soared 98 points, for a record close of 56 hundred 83.
NASDAQ was up too, nearly 15 points. (//////////)
RUNS=:25
SUPER=#D-69;

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City-Council

ANCHOR=Keith
NEWSCAST=six
WRITER=JoeD
TAPE#96-12
GRAPHIC=Roanoke City Sea;

Consideration of a ward system in Roanoke will soon be back on city council's agenda.
This afternoon, members voted to schedule a public hearing on the issue April 22nd.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Roanoke;

Supporters of the idea say council would better represent the city's neighborhoods, if some members are elected by district instead of at- large.
Though council rejected the idea last year, Councilman Bill White says supporters of a modified ward system believe they did not receive a fair hearing.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 03:28:02
IN Q=From the citizens that I hear
((BILL WHITE/ROANOKE CITY COUNCIL: FROM THE CITIZENS THAT I HEAR, THEY DON'T FEEL THAT THEY HAVE HAD DUE PROCESS, SO THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO BRING IT BACK AND LET'S GET IT DISCUSSED AND LET'S GET IT RESOLVED ONCE AND FOREVER.))
SUPER=@White;
RUNS=:11
OUT Q=once and forever.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

Also today, council endorsed the plan to build a new interchange on Interstate 581 south of Hershberger road.
That project still requires federal and state approval.
And council members also decided on a name for the Pedestrian Bridge between the Hotel Roanoke and downtown.
The new name? Market Square Walkway.
(----------------)

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Habitat

ANCHOR=keith
NEWSCAST=6
WRITER=spr
TAPE#96-10
GRAPHIC=None

New River Valley Habitat for Humanity is breaking new ground.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Pearisburg;

Instead of building a NEW house, volunteers are renovating an existing structure.
Bethel United Methodist Church was founded in 1869 by a group of freed slaves.
But thirteen years ago it was condemned.
The church was never torn down because it was considered an historical landmark.
Now, Habitat for Humanity officials believe they can transform the church into a three bedroom house-- and at the same time, restore most of the building's interior.
The renovation should be complete this fall.
(----------------)

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Sports Tease

ANCHOR=Mike
NEWSCAST=6pm
WRITER=Mike
TAPE#sports tease
GRAPHIC=NONE

Coming up tonight in sports, VMI's head football and basketball coaches get some job security by inking six year contract extensions.
(----------------)
VO-NAT ENG#

And bad boy Dennis Rodman gets slapped with a 6 game suspension and a $20 thousand dollar fine for using his head.
(-------------)

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S-VMI

ANCHOR=Mike
NEWSCAST=6pm
WRITER=Mike
TAPE#S6-1
GRAPHIC=VMI

VMI's two big revenue producing athletic programs, which are long on tradition, but occasionally short on stability, went a long way toward remedying that problem earlier today.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=FIRST AUDIO
SUPER=03-Lexington/This Afternoon; :00
SUPER=01-Bill Stewart/VMI Head Football Coach; :00
SUPER=01-Bart Bellairs/VMI Head Basketball Coach; :23
SUPER=01-Davis Babb/VMI Athletic Director; :37
RUNS=1:50
OUT Q=...TOUGH SITUATION."
(-------------)
(( With the Marshall museum and library as the backdrop, basketball boss Bart Bellairs and head football coach Bill Stewart inked six-year contract extensions that will keep them on the barracks into the next century. ((BILL STEWART/VMI HEAD FOOTBALL COACH:)) ((BART BELLAIRS/VMI HEAD BASKETBALL COACH:)) ((DAVIS BABB/VMI ATHLETIC DIRECTOR:))
Bellairs took VMI hoops to new levels this past season with 18 wins. He's also found a way to put people in the stands at Cameron Hall and get big name programs to play in Lexington. ((BART BELLAIRS:))
For the 43 year old Stewart, the 6 year deal is a God Send. After spending the past 16 years at 9 different programs, this is the stability he's wished for for his wife and 18 month old son.)) ((BILL STEWART:))
(-------------)
ANCHOR=Mike
SS=hold vmi

Each coaches contract has a base salary of $70 thousand dollars for the first year.

---

S-Rodman

ANCHOR=Mike
NEWSCAST=6pm
WRITER=sma
TAPE#=BB96-4
GRAPHIC=Dennis Rodman

Chicago Bulls forward Dennis Rodman has been suspended for 6 games and fined 20 thousand dollars.
(----------------)
VO-NAT #eng
SUPER=03-East Rutherford, NJ; :00

The league fined Dennis the menace for head butting a referee after being ejected from this past Saturday's Bulls/Nets game.
Michael Jordan will not have his top rebounder back until April 2nd.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q="I'd rather
((MICHAEL JORDAN/BULLS GUARD:))
SUPER=01-Michael Jordan/Bulls Guard; :00
RUNS=:26
OUT Q=....basketball"
(-------------)

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S-UVa

ANCHOR=Mike
NEWSCAST=6pm
WRITER=Mike
TAPE#S6-4
GRAPHIC=UVA FOOTBALL

Weather problems and scheduling conflicts kept representatives from UVa from making their way to city council earlier this year,
(----------------)
VO-NAT eng#
SUPER=03-Roanoke/This Afternoon; :00

UVa head football coach George Welsh was unable to make it again today but his administrative assistant Phil Monahan did show up to accept a Jefferson Cup, a proclamation and some kinds words for the Barber twins.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q="The Roanoke Valley...
((MAC MCCADDEN:))
SUPER=@McCadden; :00
RUNS=:17
OUT Q=...CITED FOR THAT."
(-------------)

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S-Race

ANCHOR=Mike
NEWSCAST=6pm
WRITER=Mike
TAPE#R-31
GRAPHIC=MARTINSVILLE

Weather conditions were less than ideal yesterday at Martinsville, but that didn't keep Denton, North Carolina's Donnie Apple from winning the Miller 300.
(----------------)
VO-NAT eng#
SUPER=03-Martinsville/Yesterday; :00

Over 5000 fans braved the misty, cold conditions to watch 300 laps of Late Model Stock car action.
And there was plenty of action to watch.
But for the most part the racing was clean, and no one was happier about that than Apple.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=BITE
((DONNIE APPLE/MILLER 300 WINNER:))
SUPER=01-Donnie Apple/Miller 300 Winner; :00
RUNS=:12
OUT Q=...WITH A CAR."
(-------------)
Wx-Tape
SUPER=305-60/35/78/1989/15/1967/53/42/66/SE-12mph/29.75/f;

Promo
ANCHOR=Keith
(toss to Jean)
NEWSCAST=6
WRITER=spr
TAPE#Promo

The summer season means different things to different people.
For fire fighters, it means battling brush fires.
Double Boxes=Keith Jean

Jean Jadhon joins us in the newsroom with more on that.
TALENT=JEAN
SUPER=@Jean1;

Summer is still a few months away, but fire fighters are starting to get ready.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

Last year, nearly 750 firefighters battled flames in the mountains of Craig County.
When all was said and done, brush fires blackened nearly 5- thousand acres of national forest.
(----------------)
ANCHOR=JEAN
SUPER=@Jean1;

We'll show you what precautions are going on now, in order to prevent a repeat of last year.
Double Boxes=Jean Keith
on News 7 at 11. Join us for that story plus all the latest news, weather, and sports tonight