08:25-01

7Wheeler

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=tal
TAPE#96-45
GRAPHIC=Wheeler


A Wythe County teenager may plead guilty to killing a sheriff's deputy- now that a judge has ruled he will not face the death penalty.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Wytheville;


A circuit judge ruled for the second-- and final time that Christopher Shawn Wheeler may not be tried for anything higher than second degree murder.
That would mean a maximum of 40 years in prison.
Defense lawyers say that's a fair sentence given Wheeler's age and turbulent childhood.
But prosecutors are still considering whether to pursue other avenues.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 22:46:09

((KEITH BLANKENSHIP/ASST. WYTHE CO. PROSECUTOR: WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE FACT THAT THE JUDGE HAS ALREADY EXPRESSED HIS UNWILLINGNESS TO PERMIT US TO SEEK THE DEATH PENALTY ANYWAY, THEN IT MAY NOT HAVE THAT MUCH SIGNIFICANCE IN SENTENCING, MAYBE A COUPLE OF YEARS. I THINK SOMEONE SAID WE'RE ARGUING OVER A FEW YEARS. )) ((JONATHAN VENZIE/WHEELER'S LAWYER: THERE IS NO WAY TO MINIMIZE THE TRAGEDY OF WHAT'S HAPPENED HERE. CLIFF IS GONE FOREVER. THIS BOY'S ADULT LIFE IS ESSENTIALLY GONE AS WELL. ALL THAT CAN BE DONE IS TO TRY TO RESOLVE THIS CASE, AND NEITHER SIDE WINS HERE. ))
SUPER=01-Keith Blankenship/Asst. Wythe Co. Prosecutor;
SUPER=01-Jonathan Venzie/Wheeler's Lawyer;:17
RUNS=:29
OUT Q=side wins here.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Wythe Co./December 1994;


Wheeler allegedly shot Deputy Cliff Dicker in December of 19-94, when the deputy tried to serve him with juvenile petitions.
(----------------)




7Reynolds


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cuitn
WRITER=cro
TAPE# edit of 96-33 -- showalter
GRAPHIC=murder investigation


An autopsy has failed to show the cause of death for 25 year old Alicia Showalter Reynolds.
A State police spokeswoman declined to say why it could not be determined.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

photo of alicia
The young woman vanished in March while traveling from Baltimore to Charlottesville to meet her mother.
SUPER=03-Lignum/File Tape;


Her car was abandoned on U-S 29 near Culpeper. Her body was found in May about 15 miles away.
Police believe she stopped for a man who convinced her that something was wrong with her car.
(-------------)


7Henry-Ambulance


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=kmc
TAPE#96-57
GRAPHIC=NONE


For a six-month trial period, a commercial ambulance service will provide back-up for Henry County rescue squads.
Residents, though, are having to pay for it.
Kimberly McBroom explains.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=After dialing 9-1-1
SUPER=03-Henry Co.; :00
SUPER=01-Benny Summerlin/Henry Co. Public Safety Dir.; :46
SUPER=01-Ronnie Stone/Stone Ambulance Service; 1:09
SUPER=@Kimberly1; 1:23
RUNS=1:35
OUT Q=News 7, Henry County


(( After dialing 9-1-1, Henry county residents usually expect to see these vehicles coming to their aid.
But with nearly eight- thousand rescue calls a year, volunteer squad members are stretched to the limit.
There've been delays in response time.
Last April, there was even an incident when rescue failed to respond at all.
But more help is on the way.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 5:44:30

((RONNIE STONE/STONE AMBULANCE SERVICE: OUR PEOPLE ARE TRAINED. OUR VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED, AND WE STAND READY TO SERVE THEM. ))
RUNS=:05


Starting Monday, Stone Ambulance Service will answer any call the county does not respond to within five minutes.
County officials say the back- up plan is no reflection on the volunteer squad members.
They say the patient is the number one priority-- and so far, residents have been understanding.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 4:22:05

((BENNY SUMMERLIN/HENRY CO. PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR: FOR THE MOST PART, RESPONSE HAS BEEN POSITIVE. PEOPLE REALIZE IF THE VOLUNTEER RESCUE SQUAD IS NOT AVAILABLE, THEY MAY BE TIED UP ON ANOTHER EMERGENCY CALL. THEN IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE SOMEBODY TO RESPOND. ))
RUNS=:10


But how much will residents have to pay for the extra assistance?
Costs range from 175- dollars, plus mileage for basic emergency care, to 300- dollars for advanced life support.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 5:44:37

((STONE: WE HOPE THAT BY DOING A GOOD JOB AND LETTING THE COUNTY RESIDENTS AND CITY RESIDENTS KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO FOR THEM, THEY WON'T BE AS APPREHENSIVE IN CALLING THE COUNTY DISPATCH. ))
RUNS=:13
(/////SOT/////)
SOT last one, please

((KIMBERLY MCBROOM/NEWS 7: STONE SAYS THE BACK- UP PLAN DOES NOT MEAN TO COUNTY INTEND TO PRIVATIZE RESCUE SERVICES IN THE FUTURE. HE SAYS IT'S JUST ANOTHER WAY TO GET PEOPLE THE HELP THEY NEED, WHEN THEY NEED IT. KIMBERLY MCBROOM, NEWS 7, HENRY COUNTY. ))
RUNS=:12
OUT Q=NEWS 7, HENRY COUNTY

))

7Weather


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


Turning now to the forecast -
It's going to be partly sunny today with less humid conditions.
Highs will be near 80 degrees.
For tonight, it's going to be cloudy with a slight chance of rain.
Lows will be in the mid 60s.
Looking ahead, tomorrow will be cloudy with highs in the upper 70s and a 40 percent chance of rain.

55Hearing


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=tal
TAPE#edit of 96-45
GRAPHIC=Wheeler


A judge has ruled for the second and final time that a Wythe County teenager may not be tried for anything higher than second degree murder for the shooting death of a Sheriff's deputy.
That means Christopher Shawn Wheeler may never face the death penalty, or even life in prison.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Wytheville;


Wheeler's attorney's say it also means their client may plead guilty.
A second degree conviction would mean maximum 40 year prison term.
Defense attorney's say that's a fair sentence given Wheeler's age and turbulent childhood.
But PROSECUTORS are still considering whether to pursue other avenues.
SUPER=03-Wythe Co./December, 1994;


Wheeler allegedly shot Dicker in December of 1994, when the deputy tried to serve him with juvenile petitions.
(----------------)




55Ashe-Statue


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=equ
TAPE#96-47
GRAPHIC=NONE


After more than a year of racially divisive debate, a bronze statue of black tennis champion Arthur Ashe has joined Robert E-Lee and other Confederate icons on Richmond's Monument Avenue.
Ashe died in 19-93 from complications of AIDS contracted during heart surgery.
Ellen Qualls reports.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=The symbols
SUPER=03-Richmond; :00
SUPER=@Ellen2; :17
SUPER=01-Johnnie Ashe/Arthur Ashe's Brother; :28
SUPER=01-Doug Wilder/Former Governor; :33
SUPER=07-Donna Jackson; 1:01
SUPER=01-Walter Ring/Protester; 1:11
SUPER=07-Jerry Williams; 1:16
RUNS=1:30
OUT Q=Qualls, News 7, Richmond.

(( The symbols of southern heritage have dogged this statue's path every step of the way to Richmond's Monument Avenue.
Nothing new for the face behind the white dropcloth.
nat sot boys choir
runs=:06


But on what would have been his 53rd birthday, the late tennis champion and civil rights activist Arthur Ashe got a mostly warm welcome from a city that once banned him from playing on its whites-only courts.
sot TAPE TWO 02:04:44

((JOHNNIE ASHE/BROTHER OF ARTHUR ASHE: ARTHUR ASHE IS A TRUE VIRGINIA HERO. HE BELONGS HERE.))
runs=:05



SOT TAPE TWO 02:28:26

((DOUG WILDER/FORMER GOVERNOR: IS IT BIG ENOUGH? IS IT WIDE ENOUGH? ARE THE CLOTHES RIGHT? WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN? IT IS OF NO MOMENT WHEN A THING IS RIGHT THE TIME IS ALWAYS RIGHT AND THIS IS RIGHT FOR ARTHUR ASHE TODAY.))
RUNS=:15



nat sot tape three UNVEILING 02:42:29
runs=:06



sot 02:53:31

((DONNA JACKSON: I GUESS I'M HERE BECAUSE I THINK IT'S A GREAT STEP FOR RICHMOND, AND INTO THE FUTURE, AND AWAY FROM RACISM. JUST ONLY A FOCUS ON OUR PAST AND OUR CONFEDERATE HISTORY AND STUFF.))
runs=:10



sot 02:55:52

((WALTER RING: WE DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO HAPPEN TO IT. WE JUST WANT IT REMOVED FROM THE SITE. WE'RE NOT GOING TO PROMOTE VANDALISM OR DESTRUCTION OF IT, BUT WE ARE PROTESTING AS YOU CAN SEE.))
runs=:09



sot T 3 03:02:20

((JERRY WILLIAMS: I THINK RICHMONDERS -- I'M NOT FROM RICHMOND AGAIN. BUT I THINK PEOPLE WILL ACCEPT IT AND COME TO LOOK AT IT AND SAY "WOW, THAT'S A GREAT STATUE."))
runs=:06


So the jury's still out on the art -- but not on the grace and dignity of the man.
Ellen Qualls, News 7, Richmond.))

55Johnson


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=ssm
TAPE#96-49
GRAPHIC=NONE


Meanwhile, efforts are being made to remember the Lynchburg man responsible for teaching Ashe the game of tennis.
(----------------)
VO-NAT


Dr. Walter Johnson died 25 years ago, but his Pierce Street home still stands today.
SUPER=03-Lynchburg;


Next to it is the court where Dr. Johnson taught inner city black children the game of tennis during the days of segregation.
Arthur Ashe and fellow Wimbledon champion Althea Gibson were just two of Johnson's students.
City leaders say it's time Johnson's work was properly honored.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 1:53:36
IN Q=I think there

((JUNIUS HASKINS/LYNCHBURG COUNCIL MEMBER: I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE CITY ALREADY ARE TALKING ABOUT AND INTERESTED IN DOING SOMETHING AND WE'RE GOING TO SEE MORE EFFORT BEING PUT FORTH IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE TO MAKE SOMETHING GRAND HAPPEN IN THAT AREA.))
SUPER=01-Junius Haskins/Lynchburg Council Member; :00
RUNS=:13
OUT Q=in that area.
(----------------)
VO-NAT


Plans call for rebuilding the tennis court and renovating the house.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 3:11:37
IN Q=We are so

((HEIDI JAMES/LYNCHBURG HISTORICAL FOUNDATION: WE ARE SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE BEEN THE CITY WHERE DR. JOHNSON LIVED AND TRAINED THESE WONDERFUL ATHLETES AND WE DEFINITELY THINK THAT THIS IS A LANDMARK FOR LYNCHBURG.))
SUPER=01-Heidi James/Lynchburg Historical Foundation; :00
RUNS=:12
OUT Q=landmark for Lynchburg.
(----------------)
VO-NAT


A committee is being formed to raise money for the renovations.
(----------------)



55Weather


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


Turning now to the forecast -
It's going to be partly sunny today with highs will be near 80 degrees.

8Chris-Wheeler


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=tal
TAPE#96-45
GRAPHIC=Wheeler


A Wythe County teenager charged with killing a sheriff's deputy may never face the death penalty, or even life in prison.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Wytheville;


A circuit judge ruled for the second-- and final time that Christopher Shawn Wheeler may not be tried for anything higher than second degree murder.
That would mean a maximum of 40 years in prison.
Defense lawyers say that's a fair sentence given Wheeler's age and turbulent childhood.
But prosecutors are still considering whether to pursue other avenues.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 22:46:09

((KEITH BLANKENSHIP/ASST. WYTHE CO. PROSECUTOR: WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE FACT THAT THE JUDGE HAS ALREADY EXPRESSED HIS UNWILLINGNESS TO PERMIT US TO SEEK THE DEATH PENALTY ANYWAY, THEN IT MAY NOT HAVE THAT MUCH SIGNIFICANCE IN SENTENCING, MAYBE A COUPLE OF YEARS. I THINK SOMEONE SAID WE'RE ARGUING OVER A FEW YEARS. )) ((JONATHAN VENZIE/WHEELER'S LAWYER: THERE IS NO WAY TO MINIMIZE THE TRAGEDY OF WHAT'S HAPPENED HERE. CLIFF IS GONE FOREVER. THIS BOY'S ADULT LIFE IS ESSENTIALLY GONE AS WELL. ALL THAT CAN BE DONE IS TO TRY TO RESOLVE THIS CASE, AND NEITHER SIDE WINS HERE. ))
SUPER=01-Keith Blankenship/Asst. Wythe Co. Prosecutor;
SUPER=01-Jonathan Venzie/Wheeler's Lawyer;:17
RUNS=:29
OUT Q=side wins here.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Wythe Co./December 1994;


Wheeler allegedly shot Cliff Dicker in December of 1994, when the deputy tried to serve him with juvenile petitions.
(----------------)




8Autopsy


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=cro
TAPE# edit of 96-33 -- showalter
GRAPHIC=murder investigation


State police say an autopsy has NOT revealed how Alicia Reynolds died... and they won't say why the cause of death has not been determined.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

photo of alicia
The 25-year-old woman vanished in March while traveling from Baltimore to Charlottesville.
SUPER=03-Lignum/File Tape;


Her car was abandoned on U-S 29 near Culpeper - her body was found in May about 15 miles away.
Police believe she stopped for a man who convinced her that something was wrong with her car.
(-------------)


8Red-Cross


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=equ
TAPE#96-55
GRAPHIC=Red Cross


As Hurricane Bertha threatens to strik the East Coast, the Red Cross is preparing for her arrival.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Richmond;


The American Red Cross has set up its first hurricane watch center of the season in Richmond.
It was opened yesterday.
(/////SOT/////)
NAT SOT 07:08:22
IN Q=Don, this

((DON THIS IS MARY DUPREE WITH THE RED CROSS.))
sot 06:57:47

((CHERYL FAIRCHILDS/VA. RED CROSS: WE CAN CONTACT THE CHAPTERS IN THE AREA THAT ARE LIKELY TO BE IMPACTED. AND SEE IF THEY ARE READY TO OPEN SHELTERS -- YOU KNOW, THEY CAN HANDLE WHAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN TO THEM.))
SUPER=01-Cheryl Fairchilds/Va. Red Cross; :04!!!!!
RUNS=:14
OUT Q=to them.
(----------------)
VO-NAT


The Red Cross says disaster plans should already be in place and manpower and supplies are being lined up.
(----------------)



8Jail


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=THa
TAPE#96-53 (this is the six-pm version of henry-jail)
GRAPHIC=NONE


The Henry County Sheriff's department has needed extra help when dealing with drug dealers in the county for years... and now they're getting it.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Henry Co./File Tape;


The County found itself in the national spotlight earlier this year when U-S News and World Report ran an article detailing the department's struggle with drug dealers and other crime in the Sandy Level community.
The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services has since extended a helping hand.
Thanks to a two year grant, the Henry County Sheriff's department has been able to hire two additional drug investigators.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=It's hard

((LT. KIMMY NESTER/HENRY CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT.:IT'S HARD TO PLACE A VALUE ON IT BECAUSE WE'VE NEEDED THESE BODIES FOR MANY YEARS. WE FEEL NOW THAT WE'RE MORE FLEXIBLE, WE CAN WORK IN MORE PARTS OF THE COUNTY, AND STILL MAINTAIN CONTROL OF SANDY LEVEL. ))
SUPER=01-Lt. Kimmy Nester/Henry Co. Sheriff's Dept.; :00
RUNS=:09
OUT Q=of Sandy Level.
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=NONE


Henry County now has five full time drug investigators.
The new hires came on board July first.

8Olympians


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=spr
TAPE#96-52
GRAPHIC=1996 Olympics


They're speedy, pack a powerful serve, and they're on their way to the olymmpics.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Rocky Mount;


But Virginia Dillon and Donny Smawley are NOT athletes, they work for the Rocky Mount McDonald's.
They're two of thirty McDonald's employees in the Commonwealth that will work for the fast food chain in Atlanta during the games.
The trip to the Olympics certainly won't be all work for Dillon and Smawley.
When they're not serving up burgers, the duo has access to ANY Olympic event.
They'll also being staying in the Olympic Village with the athletes.
(----------------)



8Weather


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


Turning now to the forecast -
It's going to be partly sunny today with less humid conditions.
Highs will be near 80 degrees.
For tonight, it's going to be cloudy with a slight chance of rain.
Lows will be in the mid 60s. percent chance of rain. Looking ahead, tomorrow will be cloudy with highs in the upper 70s and a 40
by SS