WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 12/11/96

08:25-01

cutopen

SUPER=@Melanie1;

7Reid

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=tal
TAPE#96-97
GRAPHIC=Reid

In Christianburg, chilling testimony from a teenager who said he heard James Reid say he wanted to kill all of the black woman in Christiansburg.
Two days later, 90- year- old Anna Lester was beaten and stabbed to death in her home.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Christiansburg;

Two other witnesses testified Reid approached them from the direction of Lester's home.
They said he reeked of alcohol and was covered in blood.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 2:13:53
IN Q=
((GARY EANES/WITNESS: HE HAD A BEIGE-LOOKING JACKET, BEIGE OR WHITE- COLORED JACKET AND IT HAD BLOOD ALL OVER IT. HE HAD WHITE TENNIS SHOES ON THAT WERE SOAKED IN BLOOD. ))
SUPER=01-Gary Eanes/Witness;
RUNS=:10
OUT Q=soaked in blood.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

Just a little while later, Lester's body was found inside her ransacked home.
SUPER=04-October 13;

Police say they found evidence which may prove Reid had been there, including a piece of his mail and a photo album.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 2:39:05
((TOM LAWSON/CHRISTIANSBURG POLICE INVESTIGATOR: I DISCOVERED MULTIPLE PICTURES IN THE ALBUM OF MR. REID. QUESTION: THE DEFENDANT? ANSWER: YES, THE DEFENDANT, MR. REID. ))
RUNS=:10
SUPER=01-Tom Lawson/Christiansburg Police Investigator;
OUT Q=the defendant, Mr. Reid.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

Judge John Quigley certified the murder charge against Reid to the grand jury.
(----------------)

7soering

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=ssm
TAPE#96-89
GRAPHIC=Soering

Convicted killer Jens Soering claims evidence was witheld from his murder trial six years ago--
A judge is giving his lawyers 2 months to produce the fingerprints to prove it.
Steve Smallshaw reports.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=It's been six
SUPER=03-Bedford; :05
SUPER=01-John McLees/Assistant Attorney General; :26
SUPER=01-Gail Marshall/Defense Attorney; :46
SUPER=@ssm1; :53
RUNS=1:10
OUT Q=News7, Bedford.

(( It's been eleven years since Derek and Nancy Haysom were stabbed to death in their Boonsboro home, six years since former U-V-A student Jens Soering was convicted of the crime.
Soering's new attorney claims two men who killed a Roanoke vagrant in 1985 could have murdered the Haysoms as well.
The problem is, that information was never given to Soering's defense counsel, who might have used it to his advantage at trial. ((JOHN MCLEES/ASST. ATTORNEY GENERAL: IF THE CONSTITUTION REQUIRED THE PROSECUTION TO TELL THE DEFENSE EVERYTHING FAVORABLE TO THE DEFENSE THAT THE PROSECUTION KNEW, THEN THAT WOULD MAKE THE PROSECUTION RESPONSIBLE FOR INVESTIGATING THE DEFENDANT'S CASE.))
But the defense says Soering deserves a new trial, back in the same court where he spent a long three weeks in the summer of 1990. ((GAIL MARSHALL/DEFENSE ATTORNEY: SO COMING BACK TO THIS COURT, THE HORRIBLE TRAUMA AND EXPERIENCE THAT HE HAD HERE, HE WAS NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.))
(/////SOT/////)
Su ((Six years after his convictions, Jens Soering will have to wait a few more months before he'll know if he'll get a new trial. Soering's attorney has been given sixty days to determine whether fingerprints at the Haysom crime scene match those of Robert Albright or William Shifflett. After that, written briefs will be filed with the court, but a decision from Judge William Sweeney may not be handed down until March. Steve Smallshaw, News7, Bedford.))
RUNS=:19
OUT Q=News7, Bedford.))

7VMI

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=eea
TAPE# 98-94
GRAPHIC=VMI

One of the first female cadets accepted to V-M-I says she's ready for the physical challenges ahead of her as a cadet.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Monterey;

Jennifer Jolin tells News 7 she doesn't expect to be treated differently than any other cadet.
She's a high school athlete and says she's feels prepared for the physical training.
SUPER=@file;

Jolin is also ready to wear a buzz-cut hair-style if required to, and doesn't think she'll encounter any more hostility than a male cadet would face on the rat-line.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 15:00:37
IN Q=most of the cadets
((JENNIFER JOLIN/FUTURE VMI KEYDET; MOST OF THE CADETS I'VE TALKED TO ARE PRETTY ACCEPTING OF THE FACT THAT IT IS GOING COED, THEY DON'T LIKE IT. BEFORE THE DECISION WAS MADE THEY DIDN'T WANT IT TO HAPPEN, SINCE IT DID, THEY'VE JUST DECIDED TO DEAL WITH IT AND ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES.)) 14:49:43 ((DAWN MARSHALL/ JOLIN'S MOTHER; i'M JUST SO UNBELIEVABLY PROUD OF HER TO HAVE THE COURAGE TO DO THIS. TO EVEN THINK ABOUT GOING TO THE SCHOOL WHEN THERE'S BEEN SO MUCH CONTROVERSY AND EVERYTHING.))
SUPER=01-Jennifer Jolin/Future VMI Keydet;
SUPER=01-Dawn Marshall/Jolin's Mother; :16
RUNS=:24
OUT Q=controversy and everything
(----------------)
SUPER=03-Lexington/November 15;

V-M-I has decided to issue skirts for female cadets to wear at social occasions.
Still no decision on women's hair, but a spokesman says they will probably wear it longer than the male cadet's buzz-cuts.
(----------------)

7WEATHER

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
TAPE#NONE

SUPER=X5000; SET DISSOLVE
SUPER=314-Cloudy/Possible Showers/55-59/Mostly/Cloudy/41-45;

SUPER=#555; RESET

One school announcement this morning, Greenbrier East High School in Greenbrier, West Virginia is closed today because a problem with the heating system.
Turning now to the forecast,
We are expecting a mild, but soggy day today.
Highs will be in the mid to upper 50s with showers possible.
Tonight it'll only drop down to the low to mid 40s.
7BIRTHDAYS !12/12/96

SUPER=130-8/Cole Conner/Lexington;

SUPER=130-13/John Bedwell/Galax;

SUPER=130-11/Whitney Antolick/Gretna;

SUPER=130-12/Rachel Jarvis/Pilot;

SUPER=130-81/Billy Moore/Gretna;

SUPER=130-16/Brian Mims/Moneta;

SUPER=130-40/Kenny Chrisley/Christiansburg;

SUPER=130-6/Kristy Wilkerson/Troutville;

SUPER=130-11/Lauren Travis/Pulaski;

SUPER=130-5/Neil Brown/Roanoke (Pam Mack Brown's son!)

No Pictures:

SUPER=130-/Cedric Alexander/Roanoke;

SUPER=130-7/Cameron Linkenhoker/Buchanan;

SUPER=130-47/Randall Baker/Christiansburg;

Movie-Review

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

Sylvester Stallone has taken his usual action adventure formula and added a disaster element in his new film "Daylight"--kind of "Cliffhanger" meets "The Poseidon Adventure".
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=

A wreck and explosion destroys the tunnel under the Hudson River between Manhattan and New Jersey.
Our hero-Stallone-braves whirling vent fan blades to try and rescue the stranded victims.
Unfortunately, he doesn't really have a plan for their escape and as soon as they survive one disaster, they're threatened by another.
There isn't much character development. "Daylight" relies primarily on action and special effects.
I give this one a "C". It's okay if you're in the mood for an old fashioned disaster flick that uses modern movie technology. cutopen
SUPER=@Melanie1;

55Soering

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=ssm
TAPE#96-89
GRAPHIC=Soering

Convicted double murderer Jens Soering will have to wait until next year to find out if he gets a new trial.
At issue is whether prosecutors withheld evidence that might have cleared Soering of the murders of his girlfriend's parents.
Steve Smallshaw reports.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=It's been six
SUPER=04-File Tape; :00
SUPER=03-Bedford; :
SUPER=01-John McLees/Asst. Attorney General; :26
SUPER=01-Gail Marshall/Defense Attorney; :46
SUPER=@ssm1; :53
RUNS=1:10
OUT Q=News7, Bedford.

(( It's been eleven years since Derek and Nancy Haysom were stabbed to death in their Boonsboro home, six years since former U-V-A student Jens Soering was convicted of the crime.
Soering's new attorney claims two men who killed a Roanoke vagrant in 1985 could have murdered the Haysoms as well.
The problem is, that information was never given to Soering's defense counsel, who might have used it to his advantage at trial. ((JOHN MCLEES/ASST. ATTORNEY GENERAL: IF THE CONSTITUTION REQUIRED THE PROSECUTION TO TELL THE DEFENSE EVERYTHING FAVORABLE TO THE DEFENSE THAT THE PROSECUTION KNEW, THEN THAT WOULD MAKE THE PROSECUTION RESPONSIBLE FOR INVESTIGATING THE DEFENDANT'S CASE.))
But the defense says Soering deserves a new trial, back in the same court where he spent a long three weeks in the summer of 1990. ((GAIL MARSHALL/DEFENSE ATTORNEY: SO COMING BACK TO THIS COURT, THE HORRIBLE TRAUMA AND EXPERIENCE THAT HE HAD HERE, HE WAS NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.))
(/////SOT/////)
Su ((Six years after his convictions, Jens Soering will have to wait a few more months before he'll know if he'll get a new trial. Soering's attorney has been given sixty days to determine whether fingerprints at the Haysom crime scene match those of Robert Albright or William Shifflett. After that, written briefs will be filed with the court, but a decision from Judge William Sweeney may not be handed down until March. Steve Smallshaw, News7, Bedford.))
RUNS=:19
OUT Q=News7, Bedford.))

55CFW

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=lbe
TAPE#edit of 96-95
GRAPHIC=NONE

The union representing 80-plus workers at the C-F-W directory assistance center in Clifton Forge complains contract talks are stalled.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Clifton Forge;

So the union filed four federal charges against C-F-W.
All involve what the union says is C-F-W's deliberate attempt to make the talks fail.
SUPER=03-Covington;

The workers' chief negotiator says this is one of the toughest bargaining agreements he's ever seen.
C-F-W officials say the charges are frivilous and to the best of their knowledge the company has not done anything that violates federal labor laws.
(----------------)

55WEATHER

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
TAPE#NONE

SUPER=X5000; SET DISSOLVE
SUPER=314-Cloudy/Possible Showers/55-59/Mostly/Cloudy/41-45;

SUPER=#555; RESET

Turning now to the forecast,
We are expecting a mild, but soggy day today.
Highs will be in the mid to upper 50s with showers possible.
Tonight it'll only drop down to the low to mid 40s.
cutopen
SUPER=@Melanie1;

8Reid

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cut-in
WRITER=tal
TAPE#96-97
GRAPHIC=James Reid

Two days before an elderly woman was brutally murdered inside her home, the man accused of the crime, James Reid, allegedly said he wanted to kill all the black women in Christiansburg.
A fifteen year old boy who lived in the house where Reid boarded testified to that yesterday.
Tracy Altizer has more.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=The judge certified
SUPER=03-Christiansburg; :00
SUPER=01-Gary Eanes/Witness; :14
SUPER=01-George Eanes/Witness; :27
SUPER=04-October 13; :39
SUPER=01-Tom Lawson/Christiansburg Police Investigator; :55
SUPER=@Tracy2; 1:05
RUNS=1:16
OUT Q=Altizer, News 7.
(( The judge certified murder charges against 53 year- old James Reid after hearing testimony from the boy, whom News-7 isn't naming because of his age, and others who say they saw Reid in blood-soaked clothes.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 2:13:53
((GARY EANES/WITNESS: HE HAD A BEIGE-LOOKING JACKET, BEIGE OR WHITE-COLORED JACKET AND IT HAD BLOOD ALL OVER IT. HE HAD WHITE TENNIS SHOES ON THAT WERE SOAKED IN BLOOD, AND HE HAD SCRATCHES ON HIS NECK AND FOREHEAD. )) S0T 1:59:45 ((GEORGE EANES/WITNESS: HE TOLD ME THAT HE GOT IN AN ARGUMENT OVER LOVE AND ALL KINDS OF CRAZY STUFF. AND HE TOLD ME THAT HE TRIED TO COMMIT SUICIDE.))
RUNS=:25

Both witnesses said Reid approached them from the direction of the victim's house across the street. That was shortly before Lester's cousin found her body.
Inside Lester's home, police found a birthday card to Reid postmarked two days earlier. It was in a bag with a photo album.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 2:39:05
((TOM LAWSON/CHRISTIANSBURG POLICE INVESTIGATOR: I DISCOVERED MULTIPLE PICTURES IN THE ALBUM OF MR. REID. QUESTION: THE DEFENDANT? ANSWER: YES, THE DEFENDANT, MR. REID. ))
RUNS=:10

The forensic lab is still analyzing evidence from the crime scene and from Reid.
If the tests support police suspicion that Reid RAPED Lester, the charge against him could be elevated to capital murder. Tracy Altizer, News 7.))

8Schools

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutins
WRITER=kmc
TAPE#net (edit ot 96-100)
GRAPHIC=City Seal

Teacher pay raises took the spotlight at last night's school board meeting.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Roanoke

The School Superintendent recommended a pay raise for the next academic year.
But members of the Roanoke Education Association say it's still not enough.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 6:46:19
((ESTHER CIRASUNDA/ROANOKE EDUCATION ASSOC. PRES.: WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN REASON TO BELIEVE THAT IT IS A SCHOOL BOARD COMMITMENT AS OF LAST YEAR TO BRING OUR SALARIES TO THE NATIONAL AVERAGE, AND WE ARE ASKING THEM TO CONTINUE WITH THEIR PROMISE AND COMMITMENT. ))
SUPER=01-Esther Cirasunda/Roanoke Education Assoc. Pres.;
RUNS=:14
OUT Q=and commitment
(----------------)
VO-NAT

But Superintendent Wayne Harris instead suggested a four- point- one percent pay hike in the preliminary 1997- 98 budget.
The issue of employee absenteeism was also on last night's agenda.
The R-E-A leader believes teacher absences are getting too much negative attention.
She says teachers miss work because they're legitimately suffering from illnesses like high blood pressure, depression, and migraine headaches.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 6:51:51 Roanoke Schools tape
IN Q=That if we are
((ESTHER CIRASUNDA/ROANOKE EDUCATION ASSOC. PRES.: THAT IF WE ARE APPEARING TO BE MORE ABSENT, I DO FULLY BELIEVE THAT IT'S BECAUSE OF ILLNESSES AND NOT BECAUSE WE ARE IRRESPONSIBLE, OR IN ANY WAY, SLACKERS. ))
RUNS=:09
OUT Q=in any way, slackers
(----------------)
VO-NAT

The city school budget will not be formally approved until the board's March meeting.
(-------------)

8execution

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=lba
TAPE#none
GRAPHIC=none

Six men have died on Virginia's death row this year.
Larry Stout died last night for the murder of a Staunton shopkeeper.
In a final statement, Stout apologized to the family of victim Jacqueline Kooshian, the mother of two children.
About a dozen protesters waited outside the Greensville Correctional Center as the execution was carried out.
Three more executions are slated this month.

8WEATHER

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
TAPE#NONE

SUPER=X5000; SET DISSOLVE
SUPER=314-Cloudy/Possible Showers/55-59/Mostly/Cloudy/41-45;

SUPER=#555; RESET

Turning now to the forecast,
We are expecting a mild, but soggy day today.
Highs will be in the mid to upper 50s with showers possible. Tonight it'll only drop down to the low to mid 40s.