WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 04/29/96

08:25-01

7Lake-Drowning

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=cro
TAPE# none
GRAPHIC=drowning

A three year old child died yesterday in drowning accident at Smith Mountain Lake.
The Bedford County Sheriff's Department says it happened at about four p-m in Moneta.
Rescue squad members tried to revive the child but the toddler later died at the hospital.
No other information about the incident has been released.

7Lexington-Shooting

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=spr
TAPE# 96-32
GRAPHIC=Pickral, John

Meantime the Lexington Commonwealth's Attorney is investigating the death of another child.
A ten year old boy was killed over the weekend in a shooting incident at at Virginia Military Institute.
Scott Prince has more.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=Family members
SUPER=03-Lexington/Saturday; :08
SUPER=03-Salem; :24
SUPER=@Scott1; :30
SUPER=01-Rick Birnbach/Valley Guns; :43
SUPER=03-Lexington; :56
RUNS=1:11
OUT Q=Scott Prince, News- 7
(( Family members describe 10- year- old John Pickral as a boy full of life.
He loved sports... especially hunting.
But his life came to an abrupt halt after a gun went off at the Virginia Military Institute Rifle Range.
Pickral was there to take a skeet shooting lesson from rifle coach Jim Thorp... the man left holding the 3-80 caliber pistol.
Police say the bullet went through Thorp's hand and into the chest of the 4th grader.
Before the incident happened, conversation focused on the gun show at the Salem Civic Center. standup 16:24:20
That's when Thorp took out the 3- 80... saying he had bought it at a gun show.
He retracted the slide to see if there was a round in the chamber.
What Thorp didn't know was that the magazine was loaded.
As he tried to put the gun away, it went off.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 16:05:52
IN Q=A .380
((RICK BIRNBACH/VALLEY GUNS: A .380 WOULD BE TREATED JUST LIKE ANY OTHER SEMI- AUTOMATIC PISTOL. IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE ITS CHECKED, HAVE THE MAGAZINE WITHDRAWN, MAKE SURE THAT WAS EMPTY, BRING THE SLIDE BACK LOOK DOWN THE ACTUAL BARREL AND IN THE MAGAZINE WELL, LOOKING FOR ANY CHANCE OF A LOOSE ROUND. ))
RUNS=:14
OUT Q=loose round

Pickral was pronounced dead at Stonewall Jackson Hospital... the same place where Thorp is recovering.
At this point no charges have been filed against the rifle instructor.
But V- M- I has turned the case over to the Lexington commonwealth's attorney.
Scott Prince, News- 7.))

7C'Burg-Shooting

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=jmo
TAPE# none
GRAPHIC=Police Shooting

A Christiansburg woman was shot yesterday by police who were responding to a suicide call at the Old Farm Village apartments.
According to a press release, a woman called 9-1-1 dispatchers and told them she was considering committing suicide.
Officers arrived and heard a shot fired.
Police say Stella Arcaro (ARE-CAR-ROW) then exited the apartment pointing a rifle at an officer.
The officer fired, striking Arcaro in the leg.
She's in stable condition at Montgomery Regional Hospital.
Police do not say if Arcaro is the woman who made the call to 9-1-1.

7L'burg-Fire

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=Mornin'
WRITER=ssm
TAPE#96-31
GRAPHIC=fire

Arson is suspected in an early morning fire in downtown Lynchburg.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Lynchburg

Lynchburg officials say the blaze at 24- hundred 12th Street was reported just after one.
The back porch to the Alco Vinyl Siding Company apparently had been set on fire, and the flames quickly spread to the rest of the building.
Firefighters spent more than an hour knocking the fire down.
Authorities say the neighborhood has had other arson problems in the past.
Fire marshals are waiting to talk to a man who was arrested for being drunk in public about the same time the fire broke out.
(----------------)

7Amtrak

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=cro
TAPE# none
GRAPHIC=amtrak

The last Amtrak bus from Roanoke to Clifton Forge has pulled out.
Amtrak officials have canceled the service because of lack of passengers and high costs.
The bus made its last journey yesterday.

7Route-221

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State highway officials say they've reached the halfway point in the process of choosing a consulting firm to map out the pathway and design for U-S Route 221 improvements along Back Creek.
Twenty-eight firms submitted proposals for the project by the April 19 deadline -- and Ron Cary of the Virginia Department of Transportation says one of them should get the job sometime this summer.
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2001 at the earliest.

7WEATHER

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

Taking a look now at the weather.
It will be partly cloudy today with highs in the mid to upper 70's.
Tonight rain and possible thunderstorms will develop with temperatures dropping into the low 60's.

55Lake-Drowning

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=cro
TAPE# none
GRAPHIC=drowning

A tiny drowning victim yesterday at Smith Mountain Lake.
The Bedford County Sheriff's Department says a three- year- old child drowned at the lake yesterday afternoon in Moneta.
Rescue squad members tried to revive the child but the toddler died at the hospital.
The sheriff's Department has yet to release any additional information on the incident.

55L'burg-Fire

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=ssm
TAPE#96-31
GRAPHIC=fire

Lynchburg authorities suspect arson in a fire that heavily damaged a downtown building early this morning.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Lynchburg

The blaze at 24- hundred 12th Street was reported just after one.
The back porch to the Alco Vinyl Siding Company apparently had been set on fire, and the flames quickly spread to the rest of the building.
Firefighters spent more than an hour knocking the fire down.
Authorities say that neighborhood has had other arson problems before.
Fire marshals are waiting to talk to a man who was arrested on a drunk in public charge at the same time the fire broke out.
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wipe wipe wipe

55Balcony-Collapse

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=jmo
TAPE# edit 96-21
GRAPHIC=None
wipe/wipe/wipe
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VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Blacksburg/Saturday;

In Blacksburg, inspections of balconies that collapsed over the weekend are now complete.
The two balconies at the Terrace View Apartment complex fell under the weight of nearly 40 students early Saturday morning.
Three people remain hospitalized.
Thirteen others were treated at local hospitals for injuries.
The apartment manager says the rental policy states only 10 people should be on the balcony at one time.
Town Manager Ron Secrist says he expects to get the results of the inspection early this week.
(----------------)

55Farris

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=equ
TAPE# 96-38
GRAPHIC=Farris, Mike

The conservative Christian Republican defeated by Don Beyer for the Lieutenant Governor job has landed a book and movie deal.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Richmond/June 1993;

Loudoun County constitutional lawyer Mike Farris hasn't ruled out another political run since his '93 defeat --
SUPER=03-Purcellville;
but he's ruled IN a sideline career as a novelist.
His first novel is called "Anonymous Tip" and is due out in October.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 07:48:57
IN Q=It's about
((IT'S ABOUT A SINGLE MOM WHO WAS TURNED IN FOR A FALSE CHILD ABUSE ALLEGATION BY HER EX-HUSBAND. AND SHE HAS TO FIGHT FOR HER CHILD AND THEN HER RIGHTS. AND IT'S A CHRISTIAN, JOHN GRISHAM-STYLE NOVEL. SO THEY'VE SIGNED ME TO A FIVE NOVEL CONTRACT. AND I'M ACTUALLY WRITING NUMBER TWO RIGHT NOW.))
SUPER=07-Mike Farris;
RUNS=:23
OUT Q=two right now.
TALENT=Melanie
SS=farris

The deal is through a Southern Baptist publishing house -- which is also considering two offers from filmmakers to bring "Anonymous Tip" to the movie screen.
Meanwhile, Farris continues his work as a national advocate for home- schoolers, and a national co- chairman for Pat Buchanan's Presidential effort.

55Common-Sense

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=Cutin
WRITER=lbe
TAPE#common sense
GRAPHIC=common sense

In this week's addition of "Common Sense", Len Besthoff explains how
investors can cash in on retail stocks. (/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=when a
SUPER=@Len1; :00
SUPER=01-Ken Gassman/Consumer Analyst-Davenport & Co.; :13
RUNS=:41
OUT Q=back to the newsdesk

55WEATHER

8Lake-Drowning

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=cro
TAPE# none
GRAPHIC=drowning

The child who drowned at Smith Mountain Lake yesterday has been identified as the grandson of Roanoke Delegate Vic Thomas.
The Bedford County Sheriff's Department says three- year- old Cole Patrick Thomas was at his grandfather's house, when he apparently wandered away and fell into the water.
The boy was discovered by his father.
Rescue squad members tried to revive the child but he later died at the hospital.

8L'burg-Fire

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=ssm
TAPE#96-31
GRAPHIC=fire

Lynchburg authorities believe a fire that destroyed a downton building this morning may have been arson.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Lynchburg

The blaze at 24- hundred 12th Street was reported just after one.
The back porch to the Alco Vinyl Siding Company apparently had been set on fire, and the flames quickly spread to the rest of the building.
Firefighters spent more than an hour knocking the fire down.
Authorities say the neighborhood has had other arson problems in the past.
Fire marshals are waiting to talk to a man who was arrested for being drunk in public.at about the same time the fire broke out.
(----------------)

8Balcony-Collapse

8Ultra-Light

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=ssm
TAPE# 96-26
GRAPHIC=None

Some say it's little more than an airborne go- kart, while others call it a parachute with a motor.
And while it may not be the fastest mode of transportation, it certainly looks like the most fun.
Steve Smallshaw shows us what all the hype is about.
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SOT
IN Q=Like most small
SUPER=03-Bedford Co.; :00
SUPER=@ssm1; :27
SUPER=01-Jeff Jensen/Buckeye Flying Parachutes; :37
SUPER=01-Dale Wilson/Owner; :52
RUNS=1:40
OUT Q=News7, Bedford County.

(( Like most small airports, the New London landing strip has seen all types of flying machines over the years... nothing, however, quite like Jeff Jensen's contraption.
Jensen is the only person in Virginia who sells the Buckeye Powered Parachute.
It's essentially a lounge chair with wheels, a 66 horsepower engine and prop, and one giant parachute.
Crank it all up and you've got yourself a flying machine.natsot takeoff
RUNS=:03
(/////SOT/////)
SU 19:49:59 (#2)
IN Q=Since he became
((Since he became a dealer in December, Jeff Jensen has sold two of the Buckeye machines. Judging from the attention they get from people on the ground, these flying parachutes practically sell themselves.))
RUNS=:11
OUT Q=sell themselves.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 18:34:29
IN Q=It's very
((JENSEN: IT'S VERY INTRIGUING, PEOPLE ARE VERY INTRIGUED BY IT. THEY SEE 'EM AND THEY JUST WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT 'EM.))
RUNS=:05
OUT Q=more about 'em.

Count Dale Wilson among that group.
He spotted Jensen in the air one day, tracked him down and went up for a two hour flight.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 18:33:23
IN Q=Didn't know what
((DALE WILSON/PARACHUTE OWNER: DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS WHEN I FIRST SAW IT. HE WAS SO LOW, AND YOU COULD JUST SEE HIM REAL WELL AND HE WAS WAVING, HE HAD ANOTHER GUY IN IT WITH HIM AND THEY WERE WAVING, NEATEST THING I EVER SAW. SO I HAD TO RIDE IN IT AND ENDED UP BUYING IT.))
RUNS=:14
OUT Q=buying it.

On this night, it took a few hours for the wind to calm down enough to take off.
As he soared leisurely over the airport, Jensen says the trip was worth the wait.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 19:24:50
IN Q=It's absolutely
((JENSEN: IT'S ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. SUN'S SETTING OVER THE MOUNTAINS, OVER THE PEAKS THERE IN ROANOKE, IT'S JUST GORGEOUS UP HERE THIS EVENING.))
RUNS=:08
OUT Q=this evening.

Believe it or not, Jensen says it doesn't take long to get the hang of piloting the parachute.
Once you've done that, the rest is a breeze.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 17:31:05
IN Q=Most of the
((JENSEN: MOST OF THE TIME YOU CAN JUST KICK YOUR FEET OFF THE PEDALS, JUST SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE RIDE.))
RUNS=:05
OUT Q=enjoy the ride.
natsot
RUNS=:02

Steve Smallshaw, News7, Bedford County.))

8WEATHER

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

Taking a look now at the weather.
It will be partly cloudy today with highs in the mid to upper 70's.
Tonight rain and possible thunderstorms will develop with temperatures dropping to the upper 50s. degrees. Looking ahead-- tommorrow the rain continues, and highs will be near 70