WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 11/13/96

08:25-01

cutopen

SUPER=@Melanie1;

7Car-Fire

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=ssm
TAPE#96-82
GRAPHIC=NONE

Police in Lynchburg are awaiting an autopsy report for two people who died in an apparent murder-suicide.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Lynchburg;

The bodies of 29- year- old Sharon Gilliam and 34- year- old Dennis Oxford were found yesterday in a burning van outside the Lynchburg newspaper offices.
Police say Gilliam and Oxford had dated a few times and had a friendly relationship.
A suicide note left in a cooler outside the burning van provided authorities with a motive for the crime.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 8:07:14
IN Q=Without going
((LT. EUGENE WINGFIELD/LYNCHBURG POLICE: WITHOUT GOING INTO THE EXACT DETAILS OF WHAT WAS CONTAINED IN THE NOTE, OTHER THAN TO SAY THAT MR. OXFORD, WHO APPARENTLY LEFT THE NOTE, SEEMS TO BLAME MISS GILLIAM FOR A MEDICAL PROBLEM THAT HE MAY HAVE THOUGHT HE HAD.))
SUPER=01-Eugene Wingfield/Lynchburg Police; :00
RUNS=:14
OUT Q=thought he had.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

Police recovered a gun from inside the car that had been fired at least once.
Autopsies should reveal if one or both victims were shot to death before the fire was set.
(----------------)

7Gun-Plane

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=THa
TAPE#96-79
GRAPHIC=NONE

Federal law enforcement agents took a trip to Halifax County-
Authorities found one dozen high powered weapons in a plane that landed there Monday.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Halifax Co.;

The pilot was arrested minutes after landing at the Tuck Airport, near South Boston.
He's suspected of illegally smuggling guns from North Carolina to New York as part of an organized crime ring.
Members of a Joint Firearms Task Force had been tracking the plane from Greensboro.
They do not know why the pilot decided to land in Virginia-- he was apparently supposed to fly to New Jersey.
A flight instructor happened to be standing outside when the pilot landed.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=Probably
((MIKE CANNON/PART-TIME FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR:PROBABLY A MINUTE OR SO AFTER THAT A TWIN ENGINE PIPER LANDED, SO LIKE, QUITE AGRESSIVE, LIND OF LANDED LIKE LUNATICS, FLEW IN HERE AND ONE GUY GOT OFF AND ACTED LIKE HE HAD TO GO TO THE BATHROOM BADLY, BUT IT REALLY WAS JUST AN ACT, SO HE WENT INSIDE AND SEVERAL MORE THE POLICE CAME OUT AND THEY APPREHENDED OR GOT THE GUY AT THE PAY PHONE, PINNED HIM DOWN AND HANDCUFFED HIM AND READ HIM HIS RIGHTS AND TOOK HIM INSIDE. ))
SUPER=01-Mike Cannon/Part-Time Flight Instructor; :00
RUNS=:25
OUT Q=took him inside.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

Sources say guns like the ones found on the plane sell for about one thousand dollars each on the streets of New York City.
(----0------------)

7Danville-Fire

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=THa
TAPE#96-91
GRAPHIC=fire

A storage building was consumed by flames in Danville yesterday.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Danville;

Fire broke out at a building at the intersection of Industrial and Jefferson Avenues at around six.
When firefighters arrived there was no hope of saving the building-- which was used as storage for a local construction company.
About 20-fire fighters worked on the blaze.
Chief B-G Lewis says his main concern was keeping the fire from spreading.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=The building
(( ))
SUPER=01-B. G. Lewis/Danville Fire Chief; :00
RUNS=:16
OUT Q=drowned it.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

Fire officials are trying to figure out the cause of the blaze.
(----------------)

7Roanoke-Times

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=lbe
TAPE#net (edit of 96-93)
GRAPHIC=NONE

The Roanoke Times recently dropped its daily stock and mutual fund listings in favor of a seperate daily report.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Roanoke;

Last night its business editor told the Ad Federation of the Roanoke Valley why the paper did this.
John Levin explains that the rising cost of newsprint made the old stock page have less listings.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 19:33:41
IN Q=We said
((JOHN LEVIN/ROANOKE TIMES BUSINESS EDITOR: WE SAID THIS IS A PRODUCT THAT HAS A SEPARATE READER BASE. I WONDER IF SUBSCRIBERS WOULD BE WILLING TO PAY FOR IT. LOT OF PEOPLE SAID NO, IT WON'T FLY, FINALLY WE SET A DATE AND SAID COME OCTOBER 15TH, WE'RE GONNA TRY.))
SUPER=01-John Levin/Roanoke Times Business Editor;
RUNS=:19
OUT Q=we're gonna try.
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=NONE

19-hundred people have subscribed to the new report, which costs an additional 49-cents a week.

7WEATHER

ANCHOR=melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=none
TAPE#none
GRAPHIC=NONE

SUPER=X5000;SET DISSOLVE
SUPER=314-Partly/Sunny/41-44/Mostly Cloudy/Light Snow/28-32;

SUPER=#555;RESET

Turning now to the weather forecast,
Highs will be in the low 40s today--
Expect More frigid temperatures tonight, though with lows around 30. 7BIRTHDAYS! 11/14/96

SUPER=130-/Elmer Lucas/Rocky Mount;

SUPER=130-12/Perry Hardin/Natural Bridge;

SUPER=130-1/Taylor Webb/Troutville;

SUPER=130-9/Julia McGaha/Clifton Forge;

SUPER=130-/Louisha Coppins/Boones Mill;

SUPER=130-100/Mary Holland/Rocky Mount;

SUPER=130-12/Lovina Smith/Hillsville;

SUPER=130-41/Larry Cuddy/Roanoke;

SUPER=130-1/Emily Leweke/Roanoke;

SUPER=130-10/Brooke Clements/Rocky Mount;

7Movie-Review

ANCHOR=Larry
NEWSCAST=Mornin'
WRITER=ldo
TAPE# Ransom
GRAPHIC=none

The last Ron Howard movie--Apollo 13--blasted into the box office record books and now "Ransom" is among the top ten highest-grossing three-day movie debuts ever.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT TC 16:24:12
IN Q=He's so shy...
((RANSOM/TOUCHSTONE PICTURES: HE'S SO SHY. NEXT MONTH HE'S DOING THE UNDERWEAR BILLBOARD IN TIME SQUARE. OUCH. NAT SO...I HAVE YOUR SON. GIVE ME $2 MILLION OR YOU'LL NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN. ))
SUPER=
RUNS=:12
OUT Q=never see him again.

Mel Gibson plays a self made millionaire named Tom Mullin who with his wife--played by Rene Russo--live a parent's nightmare.
Delroy Lindo works for the FBI. When they get nowhere in finding Sean--played by Brawley Nolte--Tom makes a very risky move.
He offers the ransom money to anyone who will bring in the kidnapper, dead or alive.
His decision causes a rift in his almost perfect marriage and shocks the public and the kidnappers.
Director Ron Howard has focused his film on the effects the kidnapping has on a man like Tom Mullin.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT TC-16:54:02
IN Q=Instead, I'm...
((MEL GIBSON: INSTEAD, I'M OFFERING THIS MONEY AS A REWARD ON YOUR HEAD KIDNAPPER.))
RUNS=:04
OUT Q=your head kidnapper.

As well as on the escalating battle of wills between Tom and the Kidnapper.
"Ransom" gets an "A-". The movie takes a hackneyed plot line and breathes new life into it through good writing, fine performances, and taut direction. cutopen
SUPER=@Melanie1;

55Danville-Fire

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=THa
TAPE#96-91
GRAPHIC=fire

Flames were flaring over the skies of downtown Danville last night.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Danville;

Fire broke out at a building at the intersection of Industrial and Jefferson Avenues at about six.
When firefighters arrived there was no hope of saving the storage building.
The main concern was to stop it from spreading.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=The building
(( ))
SUPER=01-B. G. Lewis/Danville Fire Chief; :00
RUNS=:16
OUT Q=drowned it.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

Fire officials still don't know what sparked the blaze.
(----------------)

55P-L'burg-Council

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=ssm
TAPE#596-41
GRAPHIC=l'burg seal

A victory for civil rights advocates in Lynchburg yesterday.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Lynchburg;

A group known as the Legacy Project asked the city's permission to display in City Hall a large mural honoring local civil rights leaders.
Council okayed a new policy that sets guidelines for what can be displayed in municipal buildings.
Advocates say the mural meets all the new requirements.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 7:49:34
IN Q=There may be
((CHARLES CHURCH/LYNCHBURG CITY MANAGER: THERE MAY BE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT WOULD WANT TO HAVE DISPLAYS THAT WOULD BE OBJECTIONABLE TO THE COMMUNITY AND WE TRIED TO DESIGN THESE GUIDELINES TO REALLY GIVE A FOCUS ON LYNCHBURG, LYNCHBURG HISTORY, AND WHAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE IN A MUNICIPAL BUILDING AND PARTICULARLY IN THE DISPLAY CASE.))
SUPER=01-Charles Church/Lynchburg City Manager; :00
RUNS=:20
OUT Q=the display case.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

City staff members will decide what constitutes an appropriate display.
Their decisions can be appealed to City Council.
(----------------)

55Heated-Bridge

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=spr
TAPE#96-84
GRAPHIC=None

A new bridge should make things safer for winter travelers in Amherst County
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Amherst Co.;

The reason-- it's heated.
The bridge is located on U- S Route 60 just west of Amherst.
Sensors determine the temperature and precipitation levels on the bridge.
Once those factors reach a certain level, heat pipes underneath the structure automatically turn on... melting any snow or ice.
If it's successful, other similar bridges may be on the way.
There are only seven other heated bridges in the entire country.
Officials estimate the cost at 664- thousand dollars.
(----------------)

55WEATHER

8P-Car-Fire

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=abr
TAPE#596-28
GRAPHIC=none

Lynchburg Police are investigating an apparent murder-suicide, after a man and woman were found dead inside a burning vehicle.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Lynchburg;

The van was found burning in the parking lot of the Lynchburg News and Advance yesterday morning.
The bodies have been identified as 29- year- old Sharon Gilliam and 34- year- old Dennis Oxford.
Authorities also found a possible murder weapon.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 596-28 00:58:44
IN Q=We found a
((LT. EUGENE WINGFIELD/LYNCHBURG POLICE: WE FOUND A GUN IN THE VAN SINCE WE'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT IT. IT HAS BEEN FIRED. UNTIL THE AUTOPSY IS PERFORMED I DON'T WANT TO SAY AS TO THE NUMBER OF SHOTS AND SO FORTH. ALSO SOME MATERIALS WERE FOUND IN THE VAN THAT CAN BE USED AS A FLAMMABLE LIQUID. WE WILL HAVE TEST TO BE CONDUCTED ON THOSE AS WELL.))
SUPER=01-Eugene Wingfield/Lynchburg Police;
RUNS=:20
OUT Q=those as well.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

The two victims apparently dated a few times, but there was no indication of any trouble between the two.
A note found near the burning car offered some clues.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 96-82 00:41:17
IN Q=Without going
((LT. EUGENE WINGFIELD/LYNCHBURG POLICE: WITHOUT GOING INTO THE EXACT DETAILS OF WHAT WAS CONTAINED IN THE NOTE, OTHER THAN TO SAY THAT MR. OXFORD, WHO APPARENTLY LEFT THE NOTE, SEEMS TO BLAME MISS GILLIAM FOR A MEDICAL PROBLEM THAT HE MAY HAVE THOUGHT HE HAD.))
RUNS=:14
OUT Q=thought he had.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

Autopsies are expected to show if the two died of gunshot wounds before they burned in the fire.
(----------------)

8P-Gun-Plane

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=THa
TAPE# net-g from 96-79
GRAPHIC=none

A drug smuggling trail led investigators to Halifax County to arrest a pilot.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Halifax Co.;

The pilot of a small plane was arrested Monday, minutes after landing at the Tuck Airport, near South Boston.
Sources say the pilot is believed to be part of a RING smuggling guns from North Carolina to New York.
Members of a Joint Firearms Task Force had been tracking the plane since it left Greensboro.
Authorities do not know why the pilot decided to land in Halifax County-- he was apparently supposed to fly to New Jersey.
Whatever the reason, the arrest created quite a stir at the airport.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=It didn't
((BEN CLARK/TUCK AIRPORT EMPLOYEE:IT DIDN'T SCARE ME BUT I WAS EXCITED BECAUSE I HAVEN'T EVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE. ))
SUPER=01-Ben Clark/Tuck Airport Employee; :00
RUNS=:07
OUT Q=this before.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

When authorities searched the plane they found 12- high powered weapons.
Authorities say these weapons sell for about a thousand dollars apiece on the streets of New York.
(------0----------)

8Beasley

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=KHu
TAPE#96-77
GRAPHIC=None

A Salem sex-offender was released from prison yesterday after serving just half of his 12 year prison term.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Petersburg/1990;

James Gerald Beasley was convicted of abduction and malicious wounding.
Though his wife, Arlene, divorced him only last year, the 55- year- old former G-E worker told the Roanoke Valley probation office he intends to live with her in their home on Niblick Drive in Salem.
(----------------)
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=None

Commonwealth's Attorney Fred King expressed dismay last night that the parole board had failed to let him know Beasley was getting out.
He and Salem police were unaware Beasley was being released yesterday. State law leaves it up to the OFFENDER to check in with local authorities. Beasley has 30 days to do that.

8M'ville-Racing

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=kmc
TAPE#net (edit of 96-98)
GRAPHIC=NONE

Southside Virginia leaders want the General Assembly to declare their area the official Racing Region of Virginia.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Henry Co./September;

Leaders from Martinsville, Danville and South Boston hope that will boost their economies.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 16:53:30
IN Q=This area has
((STEVE SHEPPARD/MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY: THIS AREA HAS A RICH RACING TRADITION. NEXT YEAR, WE'RE GOING TO BE CELEBRATING OUR 50 TH ANNIVERSARY HERE AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY. AND WITH A GREAT RACING TRADITION HERE-- I THINK THAT THROUGHOUT THIS REGION, WE'RE TYING IT ALL TOGETHER FOR THE STATE OF VIRGINIA. ))
SUPER=01-Steve Sheppard/Martinsville Speedway;
RUNS=:13
OUT Q=for the state of Virginia
(----------------)
VO-NAT

If Southside does become a racing region, Sheppard believes race fans will fill the stands-- and stick around for the area's other attractions.
(-------------)