WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 12/24/96

08:25-01

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SUPER=@Melanie1;

7L'burg-Murder

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=7am
WRITER=ssm
TAPE#
GRAPHIC=

Lynchburg police have a suspect in custody in connection with the early morning death of a man in a downtown motel.
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VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Lynchburg

It happened at the Ramada Inn on Main Street around 1:30.
Police were called to the motel after 33- year- old James Michael David reported finding his friend unconscious in the room the two men were sharing.
The victim, whose identity has "not" been released, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators say they aren't sure of the exact cause of death, but it appears their may have been a fight inside the room.
James David has been charged with murder.. he was transported to the hospital soon after his arrest, complaining of a foot injury.
David remains held without bond pending a Thursday court hearing.
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7Airborne-Crash

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=spr
TAPE#96-88
GRAPHIC=Plane Crash

Officials from the N-T-S-B and F-A-A will return to Giles County today and continue their investigation into a deadly weekend plane crash.
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Pinnacle MAP
Sunday night, an Airborne Express cargo plane went down a few miles outside the town of Narrows... killing all six people on board.
Yesterday, the search for answers began.
Scott Prince was there.
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SOT
IN Q=The six
SUPER=03-Giles Co.; :00
SUPER=01-Bob MacIntosh/NTSB Investigator;:30
SUPER=@Scott1; :56 QUICK
RUNS=1:27
OUT Q=S.P., N-7, Giles County
(( The six victims were brought down the East River Mountain late in the day.
But up on top, countless pieces of debris still remain.
At this point investigators are still trying to figure out what caused the D-C 8 to crash, but they DO believe it was a mechanical problem... and not weather related.
They also say the half- dozen people on board knew the plane was in trouble minutes before it went down.
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SOT 2:00:23
IN Q=They were
((BILL MACINTOSH/NTSB INVESTIGATOR: THEY WERE OPERATING BETWEEN THIRTEEN AND FIFTEEN THOUSAND FEET AND CALLED IN AND SAID THEY REQUIRED IMMEDIATE DISSENT AND THEY WERE ALREADY IN AN EMERGENCY DISSENT. ))
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The plane was recently purchased by Airborne Express and those on board the ill- fated cargo flight were taking it on a test run.
It took off from Greensboro, North Carolina and was headed Northwest to Wilmington, Ohio.
But right before the crash, the flight path apparently changed. Stand up 2:17:39
((The plane was headed Southwest when it crashed into the mountain.
This is the point of impact.
And officials say wreckage is scattered across 2 acres.)) End Stand up
RUNS=:10

The force of the plane was so great, it dug out two house- size craters on the mountain side.
But officials were still able to locate the flight recorders among the debris.
The data was immediately taken from the scene and sent to Washington, D.C.
Investigators hope to complete their on- sight probe before the Christmas holiday.
However, the over all investigation could take months to complete.
Scott Prince, News- 7, Giles County.))

7Local-Peru

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=lbe
TAPE#net (edit of 96-97)
GRAPHIC=none

There is still no sign this morning that marxist guerillas in Peru are ready to end their standoff.
A family in Roanoke County has been nervously awaiting the release of two relatives since the situation began one week ago.
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VO-NAT

Kris Merschrod and his wife Stella were among the captured.
SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;

Stellas' sister lives here in Roanoke County.
Cecilia Alami was relieved to learn Sunday nightSUPER=03-Lima, Peru/Last
Night; that her brother- in- law was released, a few days after her sister.
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SOT 11:10:13
IN Q=He said
((CECILIA ALAMI/RELATIVE OF HOSTAGE: HE SAID HIS ONLY PREOCCUPATION THE WHOLE TIME HE WAS THERE WAS THAT WE WERE WORRIED FOR HIM. AND THAT THE ATMOSPHERE IN THERE WAS VERY MUCH RELAXED AND THAT HE DIDN'T UNDERGO ANY HARDSHIP.))
SUPER=01-Cecilia Alami/Relative of Hostage;
RUNS=:13
OUT Q=any hardship.
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VO-NAT

Merschrod told Alami it was a very relaxed atmosphere where he was being held.
He said the terrorists were not threatening the hostages with guns.
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7WEATHER

ANCHOR=melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
TAPE#NONE

SUPER=X5000; SET DISSOLVE
SUPER=314-Breezy/Occasional Rain/51-55/Clearing/Cold/25-29;

SUPER=#555; RESET

Turning now to the weather forecast, Temperatures are expected to drop today as a cold front passes. Highs are expected to be in the low to mid 50s.
tonight, it'll turn sharply colder, with lows in the mid 20s. 7BIRTHDAYS! 12/26/96

SUPER=130-93/Noah Basham/Shawsville;

SUPER=130-40/Kay Williams/Danville;

SUPER=130-/Katrina Watson/Pulaski;

(Anniversary)
SUPER=130-59th/Edward & Lucy Harris/Saxe;

SUPER=130-2/Harley King/Vinton;

SUPER=130-33/Patrick Dobbins/Radford;

SUPER=130-5/Dylan Harvey/Roanoke;

SUPER=130-12/Kevin Moran/Fincastle;

SUPER=130-7/Ashley Jones/Dublin;

SUPER=130-10/Heath Furrow/Christiansburg;

SUPER=130-1/Rachel Johnson/Vinton;

No Pictures:

SUPER=130-/Wanda Hurt/Lynchburg;
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SUPER=@Melanie1;

55L'burg-Murder

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=7am
WRITER=ssm
TAPE#96-92
GRAPHIC=murder

Lynchburg police have a suspect in custody in connection with the early morning death of a man in a downtown motel.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Lynchburg

It happened at the Ramada Inn on Main Street around 1:30.
Police were called to the motel after 33- year- old James Michael David reported finding his friend unconscious in the room the two men were sharing.
The victim, whose identity has "not" been released, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators say they aren't sure of the exact cause of death, but it appears there may have been a fight inside the room.
James David has been charged with murder.. he was transported to the hospital soon after his arrest, complaining of a foot injury.
David remains held without bond pending a Thursday court hearing.
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55crash

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=mel
TAPE#net
GRAPHIC=airborne crash

Federal officials are hoping flight data recorders will help them determine what brought down a cargo jet Sunday killing all six people on board. TAKE MAP
The Airborne Express plane went down in Giles County and is being called the worst air-craft disaster in Southwestern Virginia.
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VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Giles Co.;

Officials with Airborne Express say the plane was recently purchased and workers were taking it on a test flight from North Carolina to Ohio.
But the plane did not reach its destination, and instead crashed into East River Mountain causing a massive explosion.
Officials say the crew knew it was in trouble minutes before the crash.
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SOT
IN Q=
(( BOB MCINTOSH/NTSB: THERE WAS A DISTRESS CALL FROM THE AIRCRAFT TO THE AIR TRAFFIC SERVICES THEY WERE ON THE BORDER OF TWO AIR TRAFFIC SERVICE UNITS BETWEEN ATLANTA AND INDIANAPOLIS. ))
SUPER=01-Bob MacIntosh/NTSB Investigator;
RUNS=:11
OUT Q=Atlanta and Indianapolis.
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VO-NAT

Some 20 investigators sifted through the thousands of pieces of debris yesterday looking for clues.
They say it's still too soon to speculate, but they appear to be leaning toward mechanical failure as the cause of the crash.
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55WEATHER

8L'burg-Murder

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=7am
WRITER=ssm
TAPE#
GRAPHIC=

Lynchburg police have a suspect in custody in connection with the early morning death of a man in a downtown motel.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Lynchburg

It happened at the Ramada Inn on Main Street around 1:30.
Police were called to the motel after 33- year- old James Michael David reported finding his friend unconscious in the room the two men were sharing.
The victim, whose identity has "not" been released, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators say they aren't sure of the exact cause of death, but it appears there may have been a fight inside the room.
James David has been charged with murder.. he was transported to the hospital soon after his arrest, complaining of a foot injury.
David remains held without bond pending a Thursday court hearing.
(----------------)

8plane-crash

8Peru-Hostage

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=lbe
TAPE#96-97
GRAPHIC=NONE

The hostage situation in Lima, Peru is now a week old, with no signs of a resolution.
A Roanoke County woman's sister and brother-in-law were among those being held in Peru.
Her sister was released earlier, but her brother-in-law was just released Sunday.
Len Besthoff has more.
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SOT
IN Q=Our
SUPER=01-Cecilia Alami/Relative of Former Hostage; :00
SUPER=03-Lima, Peru/Sunday Night; :07
SUPER=04-Last Week; :22
SUPER=@Len2; :47
RUNS=1:22
OUT Q=LB, News-7.
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SOT 11:09:26
IN Q=Our
((OUR REACTION WAS ONE OF COURSE OF ABSOLUTE JOY. WE FELT THAT AT THAT MOMENT THAT OUR CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION REALLY STARTED. ))
RUNS=:07
OUT Q=really started.

Cecilia Alami says her brother- in- law, Kris Merschrod, tried to walk away from the hostage standoff after his release so he could go home, but he was eventually bused to a hospital with the other former captives.
Merschrod told her it was a pretty relaxed inside the Japanese ambassador's home.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 11:10:51
IN Q=On Wednesday
((ALAMI: ON WEDNESDAY MORNING, THEY ALL GOT UP GOT THE VACUUM CLEANERS OUT CLEANED THE HOUSE, MADE THE PLACE LOOK OKAY. AND HE REALLY SAID THAT THERE WASN'T ANY PROBLEM WITH FOOD EXCEPT FOR ONE DAY WHEN THEY HAD TO SPLIT A SMALL SANDWICH SIX WAYS.))
RUNS=:12
OUT Q=six ways.
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SOT 11:11:10
IN Q=I also
(( CECILIA ALAMI/RELATIVE OF HOSTAGE: I ALSO ASKED HIM IF THEY HAD HAD GUNS POINTED AT THEIR HEAD THE WHOLE TIME THEY WERE THERE. AND HE SAID NO, THAT THAT WASN'T THE CASE AT ALL.))
RUNS=:08
OUT Q=at all.

Merschrod believes his captors have more earnest intentions than The Shining Path, another rebel organization in Peru known for its violence.
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SOT 11:11:48
IN Q=He said that
((ALAMI: HE SAID THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE REALLY GENUINE, AND THEY WANT TO SEE SOME REFORM IN THE GOVERNMENT, THEY WANT REPRESENTATION IN THE GOVERNMENT IS WHAT THEY WANT. AND HE FELT THAT THEY REALLY WANTED TO COMMUNICATE AND DO SOME SERIOUS NEGOTIATING.))
RUNS=:13
OUT Q=serious negotiating.

Alami's sister, who's married to Merschrod, was released a few days earlier.
Merschrod also praised the efforts of the Japanese ambassador and the Red Cross in making the hostages comfortable.
Len Besthoff, News-7.))