WDBJ 7 news at Noon for 05/10/96

12:00-01

NOON-HEADLINES

TALENT=Melanie
SS=None
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VO-NAT

Straight ahead on News 7,
A wave of heroin patients has overwhelmed emergency rooms in North Philadelphia.
Several people remain in critical condition,
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ANCHOR=Melanie
and the military says more than a dozen are dead after two military helicopters collide during war games at Camp Lejeune.
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TALENT=Patrick
SS=None
(patrick ad lib)
(////////////////)
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=NONE

Don't go away, the news is next.

CHOPPER-CRASH

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=NOON
WRITER=MEL
TAPE# net
GRAPHIC=chopper crash

The Pentagon says more than a dozen marines were killed after two military helicopters collided this morning at Camp Lejeune.
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VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Camp Lejeune, NC;

Military officials confirm 16 people are dead and only two survivors have been found so far.
It happened in the dark, during military exercises.
The C-H-46 Sea Knight and A-H-I Cobra choppers were involved in joint U-S-British exercises.
SUPER=03-Washington DC;

President Clinton offered words of sympathy during a speech today honoring the U-S Air Force Academy.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=
((OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO THE FAMILIES, THE LOVED ONES, THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES, OUR PRAYERS ARE WITH THOSE WHO ARE IN NEED FOR A SPEEDY RECOVERY. ))
RUNS=:10
OUT Q=for a speedy recovery.
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VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Camp Lejeune, NC;

Air operations connected with the maneuvers have been suspended.
But today other military exercises continued on the beach at Camp Lejeune.
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Lethal-Heroin

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=mel
TAPE# none
GRAPHIC=drug use

At least eleven people are in critical condition in Philadelphia hospitals today after taking a lethal form of heroin known as "homicide."
The city's emergency rooms were flooded last night with nearly 100 people, thrashing and violent from the drug.
The situation got so bad that one hospital had to close its emergency room for close to four hours so doctors could handle the patient load.
Stephanie Stahl has more.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=
SUPER=03-Philadelphia; :00
SUPER=01-Tom Nestel/Philadelphia Police Officer; :24
SUPER=01-Becky Stuhlemmer/Episcopal Hospital; :55
SUPER=01-Stephanie Stahl/Reporting; 1:05
RUNS=1:17
OUT Q=FOR CBS News.

AIDS

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=NOON
WRITER=MEL
TAPE# net
GRAPHIC=aids

It's being called a milestone in AIDS research.
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VO-NAT

Government scientists have isolated a protein that the AIDS virus uses to launch its attack on cells.
It's called Fusin, and it may be the key in unlocking the mystery behind the deadly virus.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=
(( DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: IT'S A MECHANISM THAT THE VIRUS USES TO EFFECTIVELY ALLOW ITSELF TO GET INTO A CELL WHERE IT THEN INFECTS THE CELL AND DOES THE DAMAGE OF DESTROYING THE BODY'S IMMUNE SYSTEM. ))
SUPER=01-Dr. Anthony Fauci/Nat'l Institutes of Health;
RUNS=:10
OUT Q=body's immune system.
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VO-NAT

Scientist say the discovery will help them develop new drugs that act against H-I-V by binding to Fusin and preventing H-I-V from entering cells.
But they caution, Fusin provides the key for just one strain of the AIDS virus.
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Riots

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

A massive manhunt continues in Hong Kong this afternoon for nearly 140 Vietnamese refugees after they escaped from a detention camp.
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VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Hong Kong;

About 60 other refugees who fled in the mass breakout have been recaptured.
The attempt to flee came as the refugees were facing a deadline for deportation back to Vietnam.
Armed with homemade weapons the detainees crashed through the main gate of the camp, setting buildings on fire as they fled.
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tease#1
HARD MUSIC UNDER
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=NONE

Still to come on News 7,
A Roanoke man could face up to a year in jail for making a threatening phone call,
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VO-NAT
and Iron Gate's one police officer is convicted of reckless driving.
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WX ad lib viewernet music up full comm1

Obscene-Calls

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=KHu
TAPE# 96-42
GRAPHIC=none

A Roanoke man is charged with making a threatening telephone call to a teen-age girl, and police suspect he's called other girls in the area.
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VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Roanoke

Michael Obremski lives at the Plaza Tourist Court Motel on Williamson Road.
Police searched his motel room Wednesday and seized 14 items, including pornographic magazines, names and phones numbers, some marijuana and nine video tapes.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=I had some
((MICHAEL OBREMSKI: I HAD SOME TAPES WITH SOME MUSIC AND I HAD SOME MOVIES AND WHY TOOK THESE I DON'T KNOW, BUT THEY TOOK THEM, I GUESS TO CHECK WHAT WAS ON THEM. But it doesn't involve anything you're accused of? NO I'D RATHER NOT SAY ANYTHING ELSE UNTIL I GET A LAWYER.))
SUPER=01-Michael Andrew Obremski/Suspect;
RUNS=:12
OUT Q=get a lawyer.
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VO-NAT

Obremski is free on bond.
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ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=NONE

Police suspect Obremski has made threatening calls to scores of girls in Roanoke, Roanoke County and Botetourt County.
The girls ranged in age from 8 to 18.
The male caller always asked for them by name.

Wheeler

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=tal
TAPE#96-40
GRAPHIC=wheeler

Prosecutors will NOT be allowed to seek the death penalty against a teenager charged in the killing of Wythe County sheriff's deputy Clifford Dicker.
Circuit Judge Colin Campbell issued a ruling this week that Christopher Shawn Wheeler may not be tried for any charge higher than second degree murder.
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VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Wythe Co./File Tape;

Wheeler, who was 15 at the time of the offense, confessed to shooting Dicker when the deputy tried to serve him with papers.
But a juvenile court judge threw out the confession because an adult guardian was not present when police questioned Wheeler.
That judge then ruled Wheeler could be tried as an adult for second degree murder.
Prosecutors tried to get the capital charge reinstated in circuit court, but Judge Campbell ruled that would circumvent the juvenile transfer provisions.
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sandy-level

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=tha
TAPE#96-39
GRAPHIC=drug bust

A Henry County community that made national headlines is once again in the spotlight.
double boxes teresa/Melanie

Teresa Hamilton joins us from our Danville Newsroom with details of an undercover drug bust early this morning in Sandy Level.
ANCHOR=Teresa
SUPER=@Teresa1;
SUPER=05-Danville;

Authorities moved in quickly, arresting ten people, including one juvenile.
All are believed to be Sandy Level residents and major players.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=The operation
((FRANK CASSELL: HENRY CO. SHERIFF: ))
SUPER=01-Frank Cassell/Henry Co. Sheriff;
RUNS=:00
OUT Q=first of the year.
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***teresa's mic hot***
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Henry Co.;
((vo runs : ))
LIVE=teresa/FULL
SUPER=05-Danville;
(TERESA AD LIB)
DOUBLE BOXES TERESA/Melanie
(QUESTION: What role if any did the U-S News and World Report magazine article
play in this morning's drug bust?)

Players-Case

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=tal
TAPEedit of #96-25
GRAPHIC=legal scales

Assault and battery charges have been dismissed against former Virginia Tech linebacker George Del Ricco and quarterback Jim Druckenmiller.
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VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Blacksburg/Yesterday;

No one saw if Druckenmiller threw a punch in a fight outside a Blacksburg bar in March, so the judge threw out his case for lack of evidence.
And of all the witnesses who saw the fight, only the victim testified that Del Ricco threw a punch.
The judge said he believed Del Ricco may have hit the victim, but because he wasn't convinced beyond a reasonable doubt he had to dismiss the charges.
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Phillips

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=JoeD
TAPE#96-28
GRAPHIC=legal scales

A judge in Botetourt County has upheld the reckless driving conviction of Iron Gate Police Officer Jim Phillips.
But as Joe Dashiell reports, Phillips is considering another appeal.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=On the morning of March 1st
SUPER=03-Iron Gate/File Tape; :00
SUPER=07-Dennis Dew; :14
SUPER=01-Jim Phillips/Iron Gate Police Officer; :33
SUPER=01-Judge George Honts/Botetourt Co. Circuit Court; :52
SUPER=@Joe2; 1:02
RUNS=1:11
OUT Q=JD News 7 Fincastle

((On the morning of March 1st, Jim Phillips was pursuing a motorist he believed was driving with a suspended license.
Along a narrow stretch of US 220 in Botetourt County, he crossed a double yellow line to pass a slow- moving truck.
SOT DENNIS DEW #1 17:41:29
IN Q=He jumped out
((HE JUMPED OUT IN FRONT SO QUICK I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES AND I WAS JUST PRAYING THAT HE WOULDN'T HIT. ))
RUNS=:10
OUT Q=wouldn't hit.

The cars didn't hit, but Dennis Dew believes they would have if he hadn't reacted quickly.
Phillips told judge George Honts the encounter wasn't that close and never threatened either driver.
SOT JIM PHILLIPS #2 18:23:31
IN Q=And I immediately
((JIM PHILLIPS/IRON GATE OFFICER: AND I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT THAT HE HAD SEEN MY EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT, BECAUSE WHEN I EASED OUT, SAW THE TRAFFIC, AND SAW HIM PULL OVER AND SLOW, I KNEW I HAD ADEQUATE SPACE IN WHICH TO PASS.))
RUNS=:12
OUT Q=in which to pass.

Prosecutor Joel Branscom argued there was no emergency that justified Phillips actions and judge Honts agreed.
SOT JUDGE HONTS #4 19:03:27
IN Q=It seems to me
((IT SEEMS TO ME THE STANDARD HERE IS THAT OF A REASONABLE PERSON AND THE DISCRETION CAN EITHER BE EXERCISED OR ABUSED AND I MUST CONCLUDE IN THIS CASE THAT IT WAS ABUSED.))
RUNS=:10
OUT Q=that it was abused.
STAND-UP CLOSE
Phillips remains on administrative leave, but he and his attorney say they are considering the possibility of another appeal.
Joe Dashiell News 7 Fincastle))
Tease#2
SOFT MUSIC UNDER
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=NONE

When News 7 returns,
We'll tell you what's on schedule for this year's Festival In The Park,
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VO-NAT
and money for garden projects around the state is being weeded out.
Now it's up to the localities to keep them growing.
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Festival

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=bmy
TAPE#96-33
GRAPHIC=festival in the park

Festival in the Park is just around the corner.
Last year rain dampened attendance at much of the 11 day event,
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VO-NAT
SUPER=@file;

but this year organizers are optimistic about the weather.
They say they've expanded the festival to include a little more of everything.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=We've expanded sporting events
((WENDI SCHULTZ/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FESTIVAL: WE'VE EXPANDED SPORTING EVENTS, WE'LL HAVE AN IN LINE SKATING CRITERIUM, WE HAVE EXPANDED SENIOR CITIZENS' DAY FROM 10 TO 3 WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES AND ENTERTAINMENT. THERE IS A FREE SHUTTLE FOR SENIORS. ALL OF THIS WILL BE FREE. ))
SUPER=01-Wendi Schultz/Festival Executive Director;
RUNS=:18
OUT Q=will be free.
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VO-NAT

This year there will be plenty of food, more than 35 hands- on activities for children... and even a computer art contest for kids.
The opening concert features country music star Aaron Tippin at Victory Stadium Friday, May 24th.
Buttons for Festival in the Park are three- dollars in advance and six- dollars at the concert gate.
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Postal-Workers

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=cro
TAPE# 96-41
GRAPHIC=none

Tomorrow mail carriers in Southwest Virginia will not only pick up your mail -- but cans of food for those in need.
ANCHOR=Melanie 2 shot

Donations are needed for the third annual postal service food drive.
Roanoke Postmaster Billy Martin and Mike Hepler, special events manager at Second Harvest FoodBank, are here to tell us about it.
Mr. Hepler, what's the food bank situation and who will benefit?
SUPER=01-Mike Hepler/Second Harvest;

(What kind of items are you looking for?)

(Mr. Martin, we've taped a demonstration, why don't you walk us through it?)
SUPER=01-Billy Martin/Roanoke Postmaster;
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VO-NAT
RUNS=:30
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(When and where will collections be made?)

ANCHOR=Melanie

Patrick will be right back with Growin' It.

Growin'-It

ANCHOR=patrick
NEWSCAST=Noon
WRITER=PEV
TAPE#96-32
GRAPHIC=Growin It

The Master Gardener Program has been pruned out of the state budget, so localities are being asked to bear the costs.
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VO-NAT

Local projects like the Fishburn Rose Garden, along with other duties including seminars and consumer phone calls, are primarily handled by Master Gardeners.
Cooperative Extension agents rely on the volunteer Gardeners, as well as the work of a paid Coordinator.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=the paying
((JOHN ARBOGAST/ROANOKE EXTENSION AGENT: THE PAYING FOR WILL BE UNDER LOCAL FUNDS IN THE FUTURE FOR US HERE. BUT THESE ARE VOLUNTEERS, PEOPLE WHO HAVE TIME THERY'RE WILLING TO GIVE. THEY'VE MADE THE COMMITTMENT TO LEARN AND TO VOLUNTEER FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AND FOR THE EXTENSION SERVICE TO INFORM THE CITIZENS. ))
SUPER=01-John Arbogast/Roanoke Extension Agent;
RUNS=:15
OUT Q=the citizens
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ANCHOR=patrick
SUPER=NONE

The cost of the local coordinator will be shared by Botetourt, Craig, and Roanoke counties, and the city of Roanoke.
Total proposed allocations equal just over $41,000.

Economy

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=cro
TAPE# none
GRAPHIC=national economy

The government reports wholesale inflation was up less than market expectations in April.
The gain was four-tenths of a percent, but excluding volatile food and energy costs, prices rose only one-tenth of one percent.

Stocks

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

Stocks followed bonds higher after the latest report showed inflation is not a concern.
On Wall Street at noon the Dow was UP 33 points.
tease#3
SPORTS MUSIC UNDER
ANCHOR=Melanie

Stick around -
Thousands of athletes from around the state are warming up for the annual Commonwealth Games,
(----------------)
VO-NAT
and he was close to last yesterday, but overall, Lance Armstrong is still a strong first in the Tour Dupont.
(---------------)
MUSIC UP FULL comm4

Games

ANCHOR=patrick
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=Roy
TAPE#S6-10
GRAPHIC=Commonwealth games

It's time again to starting talking about the Commonwealth Games.
(----------------)
VO-NAT ENG#
SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :

Virginia Amateur Sports expects the 96 games to be bigger and better than ever since this is also an Olympic year.
An estimated 10-thousand amateur athletes from throughout the state will be competing in 44 different sports.
And one of the big draws this year is basketball.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q="Basketball is
((STUART ISRAEL/VAS DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT: BASKETBALL IS GETTING SO BIG. WE HAVE A LOT OF INQUIRIES FROM BASKETBALL TEAMS. WITH THE A.A.U. FADDING A 10 AND UNDER DIVISION, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF REQUESTS FROM THE 10-AND UNDER GIRLS. I WOULDN'T BE SUPRISED IF WE APPROACHED 150 BASKETBALL TEAMS.))
SUPER=01-Stuart Israel/VAS Director of Development; :
RUNS=:13
OUT Q=........basketball team."
(-------------)
ANCHOR=patrick
SS=Hold Logo

The games are scheduled July 12th through the 14th here in Roanoke.

Dupont

ANCHOR=patrick
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=Mike
TAPE#S6-9
GRAPHIC=DUPONT

Lance Armstrong finished back in the pack yesterday, but he still has a comfortable overall lead in the Tour Dupont after nine stages.
(----------------)
VO-NAT eng#
SUPER=03-Charlotte, NC/Yesterday; :00

The cyclists traveled 105 miles from Blowing Rock, North Carolina to downtown Charlotte.
And for the first time during the Tour Dupont a member of the U.S. Postal Service team won a stage.
Sven Tautenburg crossed the line first in Charlotte as the business district shut down to watch the finish.
Lance was 25th, his lead is nearly two minutes heading into today's 118 mile ride from Rock HIll, South Carolinia to Greenville.
(-------------)

wrap
(****patrick toss to mel****)

(**ad lib*)

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=noon
WRITER=amo
TAPE#none
GRAPHIC=none

Coming up in tonight's Health Check report on NEWS-7 at FIVE--
The fat is back...
Dieticians say fat stimulates the brain better than any other food, making you feel full.
And many people are giving up counting fat grams as restaurants introduce new items that are anything but light.
More on the story along with the rest of the day's news, weather and Buh-Bye. sports, tonight on NEWS-7 at FIVE, then stick around for NEWS-7 at SIX.