12:00-01

NOON-HEADLINES

TALENT=Melanie
SS=None
(----------------)
VO-NAT


A plea is reached in the trial of a Montgomery County man accused of brutally murdering his wife,
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ANCHOR=Melanie

and a manhunt is underway in Roanoke for a man suspected of starting a house fire following a domestic dispute.
(/////////////)
TALENT=Patrick
SS=None


Showers will taper off later this afternoon, and cooler temperatures will move in for tonight and tomorrow. I'll have the complete weather story coming up.
(/////////////)
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=None


Don't go away, the News is next.

Overby


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=tal
TAPE#96-23
GRAPHIC=overby


Jury selection in the trial of a man accused of killing his wife came to an abrupt halt today, as Scott Overby pled no contest to a charge of capital murder.
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VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Montgomery Co./File Tape;


Overby had already admitted strangling his estranged wife, Sheila Ann Stafford last August.
And yesterday he pled guilty to defiling her body by sexually assaulting her with various objects, urinating on her, and mutilating her body with a knife.
His lawyer says listening to the details described for prospective jurors proved too much.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 10:52:18
IN Q=

((JIMMY TURK/OVERBY'S LAWYER: HE JUST COULDN'T COPE WITH GOING BACK OVER AND AND SEEING VISUALLY ALL THE PICTURES AND REMEMBERING ALL THE EVENTS THAT OCCURRED WHEN HE TRAGICALLY TOOK HIS WIFE'S LIFE. ))
SUPER=01-Jimmy Turk/Overby's Lawyer;
RUNS=:16
OUT Q=his wife's life.
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VO-NAT


With no plea bargain, Overby may still face the death penalty.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 10:46:56
IN Q=

((PEGGY FRANK/ASST. MONTGOMERY CO. PROSECUTOR: WE WOULD NOT AGREE TO ANY PLEA LESS THAN THE DEATH PENALTY, LIKE LIFE IN PRISON OR ANY OTHER ON THE RAPE OR THE OBJECT PENETRATION. ))
SUPER=01-Peggy Frank/Asst. Montgomery Co. Prosecutor;
RUNS=:10
OUT Q=the object penetration.
(----------------)
VO-NAT


It's now up to the judge to decide whether Overby is guilty of capital murder, and whether he should be sentenced to die.
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Roanoke-Fire


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=cro
TAPE# 96-39
GRAPHIC=fire


Roanoke police are looking for a man accused of burning a home and a car following a domestic dispute this morning.
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VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Roanoke;


It happened at the 1600 block of Keswick Avenue.
Police say 23-year-old Robin Williams and Benjamin Greene where in an apartment sleeping when Williams' ex-boyfriend came to the residence.
Both were awakened when the suspect allegedly set Greene's car on fire, and then threw burning objects into the apartment.
Greene fired several shots with a handgun and scared the suspect away.
He and Williams escaped the burning house with numerous burns and cuts.
Williams was taken to the hospital.
Her injuries did not appear to be life threatening.
Police say the suspect is wanted for attempted murder and several other charges.
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NM-Fire


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


Thousands of acres in the West are going up in smoke.
In Arizona, more than a thousand firefighters are battling range fires that have consumed some 43-thousand acres.
In Southern California, changing weather conditions offer hope to firefighters trying to put out wildfires in Ventura and San Diego counties that have have burned eleven-thousand acres.
And the Los Alamos, New Mexico, nuclear lab is still in the path of the Dome Fire -- a fast moving blaze that has swept over 14 thousand acres.
Julie Havel reports.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=
SUPER=03-Near Los Alamos, NM; :00
SUPER=01-Denny Erickson/Los Alamos National Laboratory; :18
SUPER=01-Jackie Faike/U.S. Forest Service; 1:03
SUPER=01-Julie Havel/Reporting; 1:23
RUNS=1:42
OUT Q=just aren't sure how it's gonna go.
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=HOLD


That was Julie Havel reporting.

FLOODS


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=MEL
TAPE# net
GRAPHIC=flooding


And while the west is trying to put out flames the MIDwest is struggling to stay above water.
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VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Cape Girardeau, MO;


In Missouri, four people are dead after a storm damaged buildings, knocked out power to thousands of homes, and derailed a train in a freak mudslide.
Forecasters say that by week's end, parts of Indiana could see near record flooding.
So far about 500 people have been evacuated from their homes in Indiana.
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GAS-PRICES


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


The American Petroleum Institute calls President Clinton's idea to release stockpiled oil to bring down gas prices a little more than a drop in the bucket.
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VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Coral Gables, FL;


Yesterday the president said he would authorize the sale of 12-million barrels of oil from the nation's strategic oil reserves.
An institute economist says it may have some impact on prices, but the real impact depends on improving production from the world's oil fields.
The recent rise in the cost of gas is prompting Congress to consider a repeal of the President's 19-93 gas tax.
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FAT-DRUG


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=mel
TAPE# edit from NET A
GRAPHIC=medical news


The F-D-A has approved the first anti- obesity drug in 22 years.
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VO-NAT


The drug DEXFENFLURAMINE (dex-fehn-FLOO-rah-meen) fools users into feeling full so they lose weight.
Worries about the drug's negative effects on animals were thought to be insufficient to prevent widespread use by humans.
But critics say, at high doses, dexfenfluramine can be toxic and can cause nerve damage.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=

(( DR. MARK MOLLIVER/JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: ONCE A DRUG IS APPROVED AND ON THE MARKET, THERE IS NO WAY TO REGULATE HOW MUCH PEOPLE WILL TAKE..OR EVEN HOW MUCH DOCTORS WILL PRESCRIBE. ))
SUPER=01-Dr. Mark Molliver/Johns Hopkins University;
RUNS=:13
OUT Q= doctors will prescribe.
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VO-NAT


The drug is due on the market this summer.
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tease#1

HARD MUSIC UNDER
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=NONE


When we come back --
What a judge decided in the case of two girls accused in a drowning hoax,
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VO-NAT

and a man charged with 35 deaths in Tasmania is causing problems for the hospital that's treating him.
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WX ad lib viewernet music up full comm1

Australia


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


A hospital says it's recieved several threats because it's treating the suspect in Australia's worst modern-day mass killing.
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VO-NAT


Twenty-eight year old Martin Bryant has been formally charged with murder in the weekend deaths of 35 people in Tasmania.
SUPER=03-Port Arthur, Australia;


He's hospitalized for burns suffered in a fire he apparently set at a cottage where he held three hostages.
Bryant faces life in prison if convicted.
Australia has no death penalty.
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GILES-HOAX


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=
WRITER=MEL
TAPE# edit
GRAPHIC=legal scales


A Giles County judge has dismissed charges against two teen-age girls, ages 16 and 14, who reported that the younger girl had jumped to her death from a bridge near Pembroke.
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VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Giles Co./February 19;


Authorities had charged each teen with one count of making a false report after the 14-year-old was found alive two days after she reportedly jumped.
Rescuers put their own lives on the line, braving the icy waters of the New River in search of the girl's body.
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Child-Mourning


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=Noon
WRITER=rjo
TAPE# edit of
GRAPHIC=none


When young children die who helps their family, friends, or classmates deal with the loss?
Just recently the Lexington community experienced such a tragedy.
(----------------)
VO-NAT


Ten-year-old John Pickral was killed in an apparent accidental shooting on the range of the Virginia Military Institute.
He was shot by V-M-I Shooting Coach Jim Thorpe.
Last night Thorpe told authorities
SUPER=03-Lexington/File Tape;

he thought the pistol was empty when he pointed it at his hand and pulled the trigger.
The bullet went through his hand and struck Pickral in the chest.
Pickral was a fourth grader at Waddell Elementary school in Lexington.
Counselors, teachers, and volunteers have been called in to help his classmates with the grieving process.
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ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=none


Ron Jones is in our studio with an expert to explain that healing process.
ANCHOR=ron 2 shot
SUPER=@Ron1;


Thanks Melanie-- Dr. Wally Scott of Family Service of Roanoke Valley has been practicing in adolescent counseling for 16 years.
He's here to give us some advice on how to assist kids who are grieving.
(ron q & a)
SUPER=01-Dr. Wally Scott/Professional Counselor;
(ron toss to mel)
Tease#2

SOFT MUSIC UNDER
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=NONE


Coming up
Alzheimer's patients will soon have a new home in Roanoke County,
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VO-NAT

and Las Vegas is topping itself yet again.
The sky's the limit for this new attraction.
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Richfield-Center


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=12
WRITER=JoeD
TAPE#96-27
GRAPHIC=health care


Richfield Retirement Community has announced plans to build a 100- bed center for Alzheimer's patients.
The four- million dollar facility will be the largest of its kind in western Virginia.
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VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;


The center will be located on Richfield property in western Roanoke County. It will employ 100.
Officials say almost 30- thousand people within a 100- mile radius of the Roanoke Valley suffer from Alzheimer's or related problems.
Construction will begin this fall, and the project should be complete by the end of next year.
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VEGAS-TOWER


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=NOON
WRITER=MEL
TAPE# net
GRAPHIC=none


Another project -- this one a mega resort -- opened today in Las Vegas.
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VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Las Vegas, NV;


Last night thousands of V-I-P guests and media from around the world got their first look at the Stratosphere Tower.
Plenty of brave souls tried out the resort's rooftop roller coaster.
But the highlight of the evening was a 50- thousand dollar fireworks show.
The casino-hotel opens with 15- hundred rooms, and crews are rushing to add another one- thousand by December.
The 135 story tower is the tallest building west of the Mississippi.
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City-Budget


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=kmc
TAPE#96-38
GRAPHIC=Roanoke City Seal


Some Roanoke city residents trashed the idea of automated garbage collection, while others thought it was a sweet idea.
Meantime, others called for more money for inner- city children, as well as for greenways.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Roanoke/Last Night;


Those were just a few of the comments presented at last night's hearing on the 1996-97 Roanoke City budget.
A plea was made for more federal money to go toward centers for special needs children.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 20:00:40
IN Q=You all need to

((KAY HALE/WEST END CENTER: YOU ALL NEED TO SPEND MORE TIME IN OUR INNER-CITY POCKETS, NOT JUST DURING ELECTION TIME, AND SEE UP CLOSE THE TREMENDOUS LACK OF RESOURCES IN THESE AREAS, AND THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY. ))
SUPER=01-Kay Hale/West End Center;
RUNS=:11
OUT Q=future of our city
(----------------)
VO-NAT


Meanwhile, Roanoke's consideration of automated trash collection was foul to some-- who say it would cost too much.
But others believe the so-called one-armed bandits are a good alternative.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 20:06:09
IN Q=It's big and it's

((CHARLES HANCOCK: IT'S BIG AND IT'S UGLY, BUT I'D PERFER TO SEE THAT OVER THE TORN- UP BAGS OF GARBAGE STREWN ALL OVER THE YARDS. ))
SUPER=07-Charles Hancock;
RUNS=:07
OUT Q=all over the yards
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VO-NAT
SUPER=04-File Tape;


And making Roanoke more biker-friendly was on the minds of a few speakers-- who say they want funding for a Greenways coordinator.
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Stocks


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


Stocks are lower today.
On Wall Street at Noon the Dow was DOWN 13 points.
tease#3

SPORTS MUSIC UNDER
ANCHOR=Melanie


Next on News 7 at noon
A NASCAR driver undergoes surgery,
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VO-NAT

and U-V-A is sending more than a dozen athletes to this summer's Olympics.
We'll show you who made the cut.
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MUSIC UP FULL comm4

Elliott


ANCHOR=patrick
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=Mike
TAPE#R-32
GRAPHIC=ELLIOTT


Bill Elliott is out of surgery and resting at a medical center in Birmingham, Alabama following his accident Sunday in Talladega.
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VO-NAT eng#
SUPER=03-Birmingham, AL/Last Night; :00


Last night Elliott underwent a successful two hour operation to repair a broken leg, that was fractured just below the hip.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q="This area...

((DR. RICHARD SANDERS/ELLIOTT'S SURGEON:))
SUPER=01-Dr. Richard Sanders/Elliott's Surgeon; :00
RUNS=:16
OUT Q=... plate."
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VO-NAT con't
SUPER=03-Talladega, AL/Sunday - ESPN; :00


A team of surgeons worked on the break, which is characterized as an unstable fracture.
And for that reason it will likely be several months before Elliott drives again.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q="You gotta...

((JAMES ANDREWS/ELLIOTT'S SURGEON:))
SUPER=01-James Andrews/Elliott's Surgeon; :00
RUNS=:18
OUT Q=...DISCHARGE HIM."
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ANCHOR=patrick
SS=HOLD ELLIOTT


Elliott is expected to be in the hospital for 7-to-10 days.
His streak of 395 straight races will now come to an end, with Tommy Kendall replacing him at Sonoma this Sunday.

Craven


ANCHOR=patrick
NEWSCAST=11pm
WRITER=Mike
TAPE#s6-4
GRAPHIC=CRAVEN


Ricky Craven was involved in a more spectacular crash on Sunday, but his injury news is much better today.
(----------------)
VO-NAT eng#
SUPER=04-ESPN/Sunday; :00


Craven spent part of Sunday night in the intensive care unit at the Carraway County medical center.
But after passing a battery of tests including a CAT scan, Craven walked out of the hospital under his own power, leaving with nothing more than bruises and a few scratches.
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Swim


ANCHOR=patrick
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=Roy
TAPE#S6-5
GRAPHIC==UVA LOGO


The University of Virginia will be well represented at the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta as no less than 13 current or former Cavaliers will take part as as players, coaches or trainers.
SS=SWIMMING


Roy Stanley has the story of Virginia swimmer who has the "Wright" stuff to bring a medal back to Charlottesville.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q="Most athletes...
SUPER=03-Charlottesville; :00
SUPER=01-Peter Wright/US Olympic Swimmer; :13
SUPER=01-Mark Bernardino/UVa Swim Coach; :53
SUPER=@Roy1; 1:27
RUNS=1:37
OUT Q=......news 7 sports."
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((Most athletes dream about competing in the olympics at an early age and Wright started his dream in 1984 after watching the olympics on T-V at the age of 11.)
(PETER WRIGHT/OLYMPIC SWIMMER: I REMEMBER WATCHING THE 800 METER FREESTYLE

RELAY, AND THE AMERICANS WIN, AND I THOUGHT IT WAS AN AMAZING THING. EVEN AS A LITTLE KID I THOUGHT WOULDN'T THAT BE GREAT JUST TO BE THERE. SO THAT'S WHEN THE DREAM STARTED.)) ((Wright's dream came true last month in Indianapolis, Indiana when he finished second in the 15-hundred meter freestyle competition.))
(NAT SOT: ))

((Mono and a broken arm all but wiped out Wright's senior season at U-V-A. But instead of giving up he took a year off from school and started training for the Olympic Trials.
Wright swims six miles in the morning grinding it out in the pool and six more miles in the afternoon working on his speed.)) ((MARK BERNARDINO/UVA SWIMMING COACH: HE ENJOYS THE MIND GAMES THAT GO ON I THE LONGER SETS AND THE LONGER RE\ACES, AND THE LONGER THE RACE GETS, THE MORE HIS BODY SEEMS TO ACCLIMATE TO THE SWIM, THE BETTER GROOOVE HE CAN PUT HIMSELF IN AND THE FASTER HE'LL GET. HE JUST KEEPS GOING AND GOING AND GOING. )) ((WRIGHT: IF YOU HAVE GOALS AND ARE FOCUSED, THAT'S THE ONLY WAY YOU ARE GOING TO GET THROUGH IT, AND THAT'S RIGHT NOW I COULDN'T HAVE ANY MORE REASON TO SWIM. SWIMMING AT TH OLYMPIC GAMES IS A INCREDIBLE HONOR, AND I REALLY WANT TO PERFORM WELL. SO ITS BEEN A LOT EASIER FOR ME THESE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS TO GET INTO THE WATER AND TRAIN HARD )) ((ROY STANDUP: MELANIE VOLARIO A FORMER UVA SWIMMER ALSO MADE THE US OLYMPIC TEAM. SHE WILL COMPETE AS PART OF THE WOMEN'S 400 METER FREESTYLE RELAY TEAM. IN CHARLOTTESVILLE, ROY STANLEY NEWS 7 SPORTS. ))
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wrap


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=amo
TAPE#none
GRAPHIC=none
(****patrick ad lib*****)
ANCHOR=Melanie 2 shot
SS=2 shot

That's it for News 7 at Noon. Thanks for watching.
by SS