WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 09/10/97

08:25-01

THIRTY-WEATHER

ANCHOR=KIMBERLY
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LOCAL RADAR LOOP

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7E-VMI

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=Morn
WRITER=afr
TAPE#97-61
GRAPHIC=VMI

After allegedly striking an upperclassman, a female rat at the Virginia Military Institute is on her way home.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Lexington/Last Month;

The incident happened during normal rat-line drills.
V-M-I spokesman Mike Strickler says violence is not tolerated at the school.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 6:28:54
IN Q=THE RAT LIN
((THE RAT LINE TEACHES SELF CONTROL, SELF CONSTRAINT, UNDER STRESSFUL SITUATIONS. THAT'S THE SITUATION, AND IT DIDN'T HAPPEN IN THIS CASE. THAT JUST DIDN'T HAPPEN IN THIS CASE. ))
SUPER=01-Col. Mike Strickler/VMI Spokesman;
RUNS=:12
OUT Q=IN THIS CASE
(----------------)
VO-NAT

Strickler would not say much more about the incident.
But he would say this is not the first case of a freshman hitting an upperclassman.
It's just the first time a woman has been involved.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 6:28:33
IN Q=IT HAS HAPPENED
((IT HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST, BUT IN RECENT YEARS, THE PENALTY HAS BEEN SUSPENSION.))
RUNS=:05
OUT Q=SUSPENSION
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VO-NAT

The woman is suspended for two semesters-- and Strickler said she'll be welcomed back if she wants to return next fall.
Sources say the woman is from Northern Virginia.
Her father has reportedly said V-M-I handled the situation appropriately.
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7E-Cove-Search

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=Morn
WRITER=tfl
TAPE#97-53
GRAPHIC=NONE

The search continues for a missing man, authorities think drowned in Botetourt County.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

53- year- old Cecil Donald Short disappeared at Carvin's Cove while fishing Sunday morning.
SUPER=03-Botetourt Co.;

Family members say Short had naval training and was an excellent swimmer.
They say he may have had a stroke and fallen into the water.
The Virginia Game Department says they'll exhaust all resources before deciding when to call off the search.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 3:52:40:23
IN Q=We'll consult with
((SGT. STEVE PIKE/VA GAME WARDEN:WE'LL CONSULT WITH THE DIVER AND THE CANINE HANDLERS AND BASED ON THEIR OPINION OF WHAT'S HAPPENED HERE IF WE'VE COVERED THE AREA WELL ENOUGH ))
SUPER=01-Sgt. Steve Pike/Virginia Game Warden;
RUNS=:14
OUT Q=well enough
(----------------)
VO-NAT

Short's relatives say they'll keep vigil on the docks until they have some information on what happened.
(----------------)

7Gov-Tobacco

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=Morn
WRITER=lba
TAPE#NONE
GRAPHIC=tobacco

A three day meeting was wrapped up in Hot Springs yesterday where the Southern Governors Association asked Congress and the White House to protect tobacco farmers.
They passed a resolution calling for the health cost settlement between states and the tobacco industry to include assistance to farm families and their communities.
The governors also elected Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Rossello as new chairman -- and they decided to focus in the coming year on expanding trade with Latin America.

7E-Pennington

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=Morn
WRITER=jmc
TAPE#97-66
GRAPHIC=Legal Scales

A man convicted of murdering a Roanoke County woman is getting a new trial.
Frank Pennington will be on trial for the killing in February.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Salem/April 1995;

A jury two years ago convicted Pennington of the murder of Bonnie Sue Mullins.
Mullins was shot in the face at the front door of her home in the Mount Pleasant section of the county.
Pennington won his appeal, and was set to be re-tried next week.
But a judge gave his attorneys today more time to test possible new evidence.
(----------------)

7E-Breedlove

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=Morn
WRITER=THa
TAPE#NONE
GRAPHIC=NONE

A teacher's aide is accused of having consensual sex with a 13- year- old student at Auburn High school in Riner.
Twenty-five- year- old John Breedlove of Roanoke was arraigned yesterday.
Sheriff's officials say the incident happened at the school last week while Breedlove was working.
If convicted-- Breedlove faces up to ten years in prison.

7weather

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
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And taking a look at your mid-week forecast... Bring your umbrellas today, the forecast is calling for heavy rain at times with highs in the low to mid 70's.
Tonight looks stormy with lows in the mid to upper 60's and taking a look ahead....
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7BIRTHDAYS! 9/11/97
Thursday:

SUPER=130-33/Joe Harper/Troutville;

SUPER=130-11/Heather Savedge/Ridgeway;

SUPER=130-/Victoria Minnix/New Castle;

SUPER=130-8/Courtney Ferguson/Roanoke;

(Courtney's Grandfather)
SUPER=130-50/Dick Stiller/Roanoke;

SUPER=130-21/Rhea Moon/Lynch Station;

SUPER=130-11/Laura Young/Eagle Rock;

SUPER=130-8/Antonio Walker/Gretna;

(Business Manager - WDBJ)
SUPER=130-50!!/Ed Allen/Roanoke;

No Pictures:

SUPER=130-3/Caleb Aylor/Johnson City TN;

SUPER=130-/Cindy Fannon/Blacksburg;

SUPER=130-/James Moseley/Buchanan;

Movie Review
No one can say that Steven Seagal isn't determined. His last attempt to combine an environmental theme with action adventure did mediocre at the box office, yet he's back with another.
"Fire Down Below" pits Seagal against a slimy mine operator, Kris Kristofferson, who is using his Western Kentucky town as a toxic waste dump. Making big bucks at the cost of the citizen's health.
Seagal is a Federal EPA agent who comes to the small mining town to investigate. This creates lots of opportunity for Seagal to whup up on the good ole boys who don't want him nosing around. His love interest is sweetly appealing Marg Helgenberger, but the relationship isn't very convincing.
Seagal never changes. His hair doesn't change, his clothes don't change, his expression doesn't change and the outcome of each fight doesn't change. But there is something to be said for predictability.
"Fire Down Below" gets a C+. The music is good but sometimes intrusive, some was even written by Seagal. Cameo appearances by country music stars and the Hazard Kentucky setting do add some interest to the mix, but the movie takes an unmistakably condescending tone toward the mountain folk it depicts. cutopen
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55Rat-Suspension

ANCHOR=Kimberly
NEWSCAST=Morn
WRITER=afr
TAPE#net (edit of 97-61)
GRAPHIC=VMI

A Female cadet has been suspended at Virginia Military Institute for striking an upperclassman.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Lexington/Last Month;

V-M-I spokesman Mike Strickler says that the incident occurred under normal ratline procedures.
He says rat line is supposed to teach self control in stressful situations.
The cadet was suspended for two semesters, which means she would be allowed to return in the fall.
The woman reportedly is from Northern Virginia.
So far, 32 men and four women in the freshman class have left V-M-I since enrollment.
(----------------)

55S-Affirmative-Action

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=Morn
WRITER=equ
TAPE#97-59
GRAPHIC=Jim Gilmore

The debate over Affirmative action is heating up in the Virginia race for governor.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Richmond;

Yesterday Jim Gilmore refused to elaborate on statement he issued Monday on the subject.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 19:49:42
IN Q=Should a
((JIM GILMORE/R-CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR: Should a college be able to consider race when choosing among qualified applicants? OKAY. VERY GOOD. GO TAKE A LOOK AT THE STATEMENT. AND THE STATEMENT I THINK IS VERY THOROUGH AND VERY CLEAR AND VERY WELL CRAFTED.))
SOT 19:51:33
((MARK MINER/GILMORE SPOKESMAN: DON'T SCREW US THEN. READ THE STATEMENT AND QUOTE IT FOR WHAT IT SAYS.))
SUPER=@Gilmore;
SUPER=01-Mark Miner/Gilmore Spokesman; :20
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OUT Q=it says.
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VO-NAT

In Gilmore's statement, he says he favors minority RECRUITMENT to colleges -- but colorblind decisions on who's admitted.
(----------------)
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=Mark Earley

Gilmore's ticketmate, Republican Mark Earley takes a different view.
Attorney General candidate Earley says colleges MAY use race and gender as a factor in admissions, but he's against quotas.
SS=Don Beyer

That's where Democrat Don Beyer is on the issue.
State policy allows colleges to use race as one of many factors considered to achieve a diversified student body.

55E-Vouchers

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=Morn
WRITER=equ
TAPE#97-58
GRAPHIC=NONE

The candidates also can't agree on the issue of school vouchers.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Richmond;

Virginia Democrats yesterday blasted Republicans for even considering vouchers.
That means public tax dollars going to pay private school tuitions.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 21:07:38
IN Q=And you cannot
((DEL. DICK CRANWELL: AND YOU CANNOT SAY THAT YOU WANT TO MAKE THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS THE BEST THEY ARE AND AT THE SAME TIME CAST A VOTE THAT WILL IMMEDIATELY, IMMEDIATELY, WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING ELSE, TAKE 160-MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR AWAY FROM EDUCATIONAL SPENDING. AS THEY SAY IN RICHLANDS WHERE I GREW UP: THEM DOGS DON'T HUNT IN THE SAME PACK.))
SUPER=@Cranwell;
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OUT Q=same pack.
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VO-NAT

Cranwell says his estimate is just a starting point.
It comes from the 71-thousand Virginia students currently enrolled in private schools -- who would each get a voucher of around 23-hundred dollars each year.
The Democratic ticket opposes vouchers.
Republicans cautiously say they're willing to listen.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 19:51:43
IN Q=He has not
((MARK MINER/GILMORE SPOKESMAN: HE HAS NOT ENDORSED ANY SPECIFIC PROPOSAL ON VOUCHERS BUT BELIEVES THEY SHOULD BE ON THE TABLE. THEY SHOULD BE PUT ON THE TABLE.))
SUPER=01-Mark Miner/Gilmore Spokesman;
RUNS=:05
OUT Q=the table. 2nd REF!
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=NONE

In the race for the House in Roanoke County, Republican Al Bedrosian agrees with Gilmore.
He wants to consider vouchers and charter schools for Virginia.

55E-Breedlove

ANCHOR=Kimberly
NEWSCAST=Morn
WRITER=THa
TAPE#NONE
GRAPHIC=NONE

A teacher's aide at a Riner High school faces up to ten years in prison if he's convicted of having sex consenual with a 13- year- old student.
Twenty-five- year- old John Breedlove of Roanoke was arraigned in Montgomery County General District Court yesterday.
Sheriff's officials say the incident happened at Auburn High the school last week while Breedlove was working.

55weather

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cut-in
WRITER=kmc
TAPE#
GRAPHIC=

Time to check out the mid- week forecast--
Rainy today, with heavy showers possible.
Cool highs in the low 70s.
Periods of rain continuing tonight, with a few thunderstorms.
Lows dropping into the 60s.
The extended forecast is calling for...
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8E-VMI

8E-Cove-Search

ANCHOR=Kimberly
NEWSCAST=Morn
WRITER=tfl
TAPE#97-53
GRAPHIC=NONE

Still no sign of a missing fisherman--
(----------------)
VO-NAT

Officials believe 53- year- old Cecil Donald Short drowned in the reservoir at Carvin's Cove while fishing Sunday morning.
SUPER=03-Botetourt Co.;

Family members say Short had naval training and was an excellent swimmer.
They say he may have had a stroke and fallen into the water.
The Virginia Game Department says they'll exhaust all resources before deciding when to call off the search.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 3:52:40:23
IN Q=We'll consult with
((SGT. STEVE PIKE/VA GAME WARDEN:WE'LL CONSULT WITH THE DIVER AND THE CANINE HANDLERS AND BASED ON THEIR OPINION OF WHAT'S HAPPENED HERE IF WE'VE COVERED THE AREA WELL ENOUGH ))
SUPER=01-Sgt. Steve Pike/Virginia Game Warden;
RUNS=:14
OUT Q=well enough
(----------------)
VO-NAT

Short's relatives say they'll keep vigil on the docks until they have some information on what happened.
(----------------)

85-Affirm-Action

ANCHOR=Kimberly
NEWSCAST=Morn
WRITER=equ
TAPE#597-32
GRAPHIC=campaign 97

Cozying up to the media is usually standard operating procedure for politicians during a campaign.
But sometimes they want a break from the attention.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Richmond;

Republican Jim Gilmore took that route yesterday -- sticking to a written statement on affirmative action on college campuses.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 19:49:42
IN Q=Should a
((JIM GILMORE/R-CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR: Should a college be able to consider race when choosing among qualified applicants? OKAY. VERY GOOD. GO TAKE A LOOK AT THE STATEMENT. AND THE STATEMENT I THINK IS VERY THOROUGH AND VERY CLEAR AND VERY WELL CRAFTED.))
SUPER=@Gilmore;
RUNS=:19
OUT Q=well crafted.
(----------------)
VO-NAT

In Gilmore's statement, he says he's for minority RECRUITMENT, but colorblind ADMISSIONS at colleges.
(----------------)
ANCHOR=Kimberly
SS=NONE

Democrat Don Beyer says he continues to support affirmative action efforts-- but NOT quotas.
Virginia law allows colleges to use race as a factor in admissions.

8Gov-Tobacco

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=Morn
WRITER=lba
TAPE#NONE
GRAPHIC=tobacco

The Southern Governors Association is making an appeal to Washington on behalf of tobacco farmers.
The governors ended a three-day meeting yesterday in Hot Springs.
They passed a resolution calling for the health cost settlement between states and the tobacco industry to include assistance to farm families and their communities.

8E-Breedlove

ANCHOR=Kimberly
NEWSCAST=Morn
WRITER=THa
TAPE#NONE
GRAPHIC=NONE

An Auburn High School teacher's aide is accused of having consensual sex with a 13- year- old student.
Twenty-five- year- old John Breedlove of Roanoke was arraigned yesterday.
Sheriff's officials say the incident happened at the Riner school last week while Breedlove was working.
If convicted-- Breedlove faces up to ten years in prison.

8weather

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cut-in
WRITER=kmc
TAPE#
GRAPHIC=

A rainy outlook for this Wednesday--
Heavy showers likely today, with highs in the low 70s.
Periods of rain, with thunderstorms possible tonight.
Lows in the mid to upper 60s.
The long- range forecast calls for some showers tomorrow, then sunny skies for the weekend.
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