WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 04/02/98

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[Super=@Melanie1;]

[7E-VMI-Wade]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#98-30 TC 13:55]
[GRAPHIC=VMI]

New beating charges have surfaced at V-M-I.
That after attorneys for three freshmen made public documents in which the freshmen and three seniors admit beatings took place.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lexington/File Tape;]

The documents are part of a student-run honor committee probe that will be heard next week.
These are the second public allegations this academic year of upperclassmen spanking freshmen with belts.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 03:59:26]
[IN Q=I'm not]
((GEORGE WADE, JR./FORMER VMI FRESHMAN: I'M NOT REALLY SURPRISED THAT THERE WERE MORE PEOPLE BEING BEATEN. BUT I'M SURPRISED THAT IT'S OUT IN THE PUBLIC. I'M SURPRISED THAT THERE'S ANOTHER SITUATION THAT'S HITTING THE SPOTLIGHT.))
[SUPER=01-George Wade, Jr./Former VMI Freshman;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=the spotlight.]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Henrico Co.;]

George Wade, Junior withdrew from VMI in January, after alleging that upperclassmen mentors spanked him and other freshmen twice a week.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 03:54:22]
[IN Q=I felt like]
((I FELT LIKE MAYBE WHAT HAPPENED TO ME AT VMI WAS SOMETHING ISOLATED. MAYBE SOMETHING THAT WASN'T THE NORM AT THE SCHOOL. BUT NOW, TO FIND OUT ABOUT THIS SITUATION THAT SOUNDS ALMOST EXACTLY LIKE THE SITUATION I WAS IN, IT KIND OF SCARES ME, CAUSE IT'S GOING ON TO MORE PEOPLE THAN I IMAGINED.))
[RUNS=:19]
[OUT Q=than I imagined.]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]

Wade is still hoping a new independent prosecutor takes up hazing or assault charges in his case.
A V-M-I spokesman says there's NO proof beatings are widespread -- and they will NOT be tolerated.
(----------------)

[7-TORNADO]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cut-in]
[WRITER=MEL]
[TAPE#net-]
[GRAPHIC=tornado]

A deadly Tornado touched down near Richmond last night.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Hanover Co.;]

It killed a 13 week old baby and his mother.
Moments before the twister hit The woman's husband ran to his fathers house to warn him of the approaching storm.
He returned home minutes later to find only the foundation of his house, littered trees and debris.
The twister was part of a storm that crossed the central and nothern portions of the state, damaging homes, knocking down dozens of trees and leaving thousands without power.
(----------------)

[7DERAIL-LATEST]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Cut in]
[WRITER=MEL]
[TAPE#from tape 98-23]
[GRAPHIC=train derailment]

In Lynchburg, the investigation continues into Tuesday's train derailmaent.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg;]

Investigators with the National Transportation Safety board have arrived on the scene looking for answers.
Yesterday, cleanup crews finished removing the last of the flammable liquid acetone from the train's tanker car.
About half of the 20- thousand gallons in the tank spilled and caught fire when 65 freight cars rammed a Norfolk Southern train.
Investigators would not speculate whether the crew of the stationary train that was hit was giving any advance warning.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
((RUSSELL GOPER/NTSB INVESTIGATOR: WE DO KNOW THAT THE BRAKES ON THE CARS THAT ROLLED AWAY, HAD THEY BEEN APPLIED, WOULD HAVE FUNCTIONED PROPERLY. THEY DID WORK OKAY IN A TEST. ))
[SUPER=01-Russell Goper/NTSB Investigator;]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=they did work okay in a test.]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]

The question is whether those brakes were set before the cars broke away.
It will take about six months for the N-T-S-B to complete its report.
(----------------)

[75-Roanoke-Scam]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Cut in]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=598-14 13:12]
[GRAPHIC=Scam]

People often think of generosity when they think of the Roanoke Valley and its residents.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]

But county police believe someone is taking ADVANTAGE of that generosity.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 10:27:49]
[IN Q=We've been receiving]
((TOM KINCAID/ROANOKE CO. POLICE: WE'VE BEEN RECEIVING COMPLAINTS FROM SEVERAL NEIGHBORHOODS IN NORTH ROANOKE COUNTY THAT THERE IS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS COMING DOOR TO DOOR AT LATE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING, INDICATING THAT THEY NEED MONEY FOR FOOD, OR NEED MONEY FOR MEDICINES AND WE BELIEVE THAT THOSE THINGS ARE PROBABLY NOT TRUE, THAT THE MONEY'S BEING USED FOR OTHER PURPOSES.))
[SUPER=01-Tom Kincaid/Roanoke Co. Police;]
[RUNS=:18]
[OUT Q=for other purposes]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

48-year old Dreama Whisman (WISS-man) was convicted of a SIMILAR scam two years ago.
Police have NOT yet charged anyone in THIS case.
But Whisman's former pastor says she used his church's name recently to get money.
(////////////)
[SOT 11:30:50]
[IN Q=I wasn't aware]
((REV. TROY WEBB/GLAD TIDINGS ASSEMBLY OF GOD: I WASN'T AWARE THAT SHE WAS BACK INTO DOING WHAT SHE WAS DOING, MIS- REPRESENTING THE TRUTH AND TRYING TO OBTAIN MONEY FROM PEOPLE. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT UNTIL PROBABLY THREE OR FOUR MONTHS AGO.))
[SUPER=01-Rev. Troy Webb/Glad Tidings Assembly of God;]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=MONTHS AGO]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Meanwhile, News-7 interviewed Whisman OFF-camera.
Whisman says she's paid back money that she's borrowed, and is currently undergoing counseling.
(------------)

[7E-Kids-Health]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Cut in]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#98-31 9:45]
[GRAPHIC=health insurance]

The fight continues over how to provide health insurance to more children of Virginia's working poor families.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond;]

A bi-partisan coalition of lawmakers left Richmond last month with budget language that could force Governor Jim Gilmore to veto ALL state Medicaid funding if he tries to veto their child health plan.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 02:35:35]
[IN Q=The General Assembly]
((GOV. JIM GILMORE: THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY CERTAINLY TRIED TO TIE ALL MEDICAID FUNDS TO THIS EXPANSION OF MEDICAID. THAT'S WHAT THEY HAVE ATTEMPTED TO DO. BUT WE'VE GOT A LOT OF CHOICES AND A LOT OF OPTIONS. LET'S SEE IF WE CAN'T DELIVER A GOOD, SOLID, PRIVATE PLAN FOR THE KIDS OF VIRGINIA.))
[SUPER=@Gilmore;]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=kids of Virginia.]

[7Weather]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
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[WRITER=lfi]
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Your Thursday forecast features mostly sunny skies, breezy conditions and highs in the low to mid-70s today. Look for clear skies overnight and cooler temperatures down in the upper 40s tonight.

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[7BIRTHDAYS!]4/3/98
Friday:

[SUPER=130-16/Amanda Tate/Martinsville]

Wow!
[SUPER=130-61st/Ed & Anne Surface/Sugar Grove]

[SUPER=130-9/Kristen Robinette/Pilot]

[SUPER=130-8/Ethan Alls/Riner]

[SUPER=130-10/Justin Seate/Roanoke]

[SUPER=130-50th/Wesley & Marguerite Wickline/White Sulphur Springs]

[SUPER=130-14/Ben Clements/Rocky Mount]

[SUPER=130-57/Ronnie Allie/Roanoke]

[SUPER=130-57/Janet Doran/Roanoke]

[SUPER=130-11/Rachel Dillon/Lancaster, PA]

[SUPER=130-10/Adam Cregger/Pulaski]

[SUPER=130-80/Hazel Scaggs/Riner]

[SUPER=130-8/Daisha Gardner/Elliston]

[SUPER=130-8/Phileshia Thompson/Elliston]

No Pictures:

[SUPER=131-32/Michael Thomas/Maybrook]
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[Super=@Melanie1;]

[452-TORNADO]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Cut in]
[WRITER=MEL]
[TAPE#net-]
[GRAPHIC=tornado]

Tornadoes having been tormenting many parts of the country lately and the most recent occurred in Richmond last night. A newborn baby and his mother were killed.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Hanover Co.;]

Moments before the twister hit the woman's husband ran to his fathers house to warn him of the approaching storm.
In the few minutes he was gone, the twister made a direct hit on his house. Nothing was left but the brick foundation and front steps.
The dead have been identified as 39 year old Sheila Giles and 13 week old Jeremiah. [4:15:15]
The twister emerged from a line of severe thunderstorms that damaged homes and uprooted trees in the central and northern portions of the state.
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[455-Roanoke-Scam]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Cut in]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=598-14 13:12]
[GRAPHIC=none]

A warning to those living in the Roanoke Valley.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]

Police believe someone is taking ADVANTAGE of the generosity of Valley residents.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 10:27:49]
[IN Q=We've been receiving]
((TOM KINCAID/ROANOKE CO. POLICE: WE'VE BEEN RECEIVING COMPLAINTS FROM SEVERAL NEIGHBORHOODS IN NORTH ROANOKE COUNTY THAT THERE IS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS COMING DOOR TO DOOR AT LATE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING, INDICATING THAT THEY NEED MONEY FOR FOOD, OR NEED MONEY FOR MEDICINES AND WE BELIEVE THAT THOSE THINGS ARE PROBABLY NOT TRUE, THAT THE MONEY'S BEING USED FOR OTHER PURPOSES.))
[SUPER=01-Tom Kincaid/Roanoke Co. Police;]
[RUNS=:18]
[OUT Q=for other purposes]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

48-year old Dreama Whisman (WISS-man) was convicted of a SIMILAR scam two years ago.
Police have NOT yet charged anyone in THIS case.
But Whisman's former pastor says she used his church's name recently to get money.
(////////////)
[SOT 11:30:50]
[IN Q=I wasn't aware]
((REV. TROY WEBB/GLAD TIDINGS ASSEMBLY OF GOD: I WASN'T AWARE THAT SHE WAS BACK INTO DOING WHAT SHE WAS DOING, MIS- REPRESENTING THE TRUTH AND TRYING TO OBTAIN MONEY FROM PEOPLE. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT UNTIL PROBABLY THREE OR FOUR MONTHS AGO.))
[SUPER=01-Rev. Troy Webb/Glad Tidings Assembly of God;]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=MONTHS AGO]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Meanwhile, News-7 interviewed (WISS-man) Whisman OFF-camera.
Whisman says she's paid back money that she's borrowed, and is currently undergoing counseling.
(------------)

[45INSURANCE-KIDS]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Cut in]
[WRITER=MEL]
[TAPE#from tape number 98-31]
[GRAPHIC=health insurance]

Virginia lawmakers continue a quest to provide more health insurance for the children of indigent families.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond;]

A bi partisan coalition of legislators left Richmond last month with budget language that could force Governor Gilmore to veto ALL state Medicaid funding if he tries to veto their child health plan.
Gilmore's own plan would insure the same number of children but would provide less coverage.
The Governor opposes the legislature's Medicaid based plan because he believes its an expansion of welfare.
(----------------)

[45E-Cabin-Lake]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Cut in]
[WRITER=chu]
[TAPE#98-29 14:52]
[GRAPHIC=fire aftermath]

A Thanskgiving day apartment fire that dozens of tenants without a home as resulted in a lawsuit.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville;]

Lawyers for 98-tenants filed a ten and a half million dollar lawsuit yesterday afternoon in Danville Circuit Court.

Named as the defendants are the companies which owned and operated the apartment building.
[SUPER=04-November 1997;]

Fire investigators recently ruled the cause of the fire UNDETERMINED.
But the lawsuit claims faulty electrical wiring and substandard fire walls are to blame.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 5:53:38-:50]
[IN Q=That's not unusual]
((DEBRA CORCORAN/ATTORNEY: THAT'S NOT UNUSUAL IN A FIRE THEY CAN RULE THAT IT'S UNDETERMINED THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THERE WASN'T A LEGITIMATE CAUSE. IT JUST MEANS THAT THEY COULDN'T FIND IT. BUT THE EVIDENCE IS THERE AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO SUPPORT IT.))
[SUPER=01-Debra Corcoran/Attorney;]
[RUNS=:12]
[OUT Q=able to support that.]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]

The defendants have 21-days to respond to the lawsuit once they receive the paperwork.
(----------------)

[45Weather]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Cut in]
[WRITER=lfi]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Time now to take a look at today's sunny forecast--
Expect mostly sunny skies and a westerly breeze, with highs in the lower 70s.
Clear overnight and chilly, with lows falling into the mid to upper 40s.
Looking ahead to tomorrow...increasing clouds with a chance of showers especially by the evening [SUPER=X5000; S
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[82-TORNADO]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Cut in]
[WRITER=MEL]
[TAPE#net-]
[GRAPHIC=tornado]

Thunderstorms moving across the state yesterday spawned a deadly tornado that struck the Richmond area, killing a newborn baby and his mother.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Hanover Co.;]

Moments before the twister hit the woman's husband ran to his fathers house to warn him of the approaching storm.
In the few minutes he was gone, the twister made a direct hit on his house. Nothing was left but the brick foundation and front steps.
The dead have been identified as 39 year old Sheila Giles and 13 week old Jeremiah. [4:15:15]
The twister emerged from a line of severe thunderstorms that damaged homes and uprooted trees in the central and northern portions of the state.
(----------------)

[8E-Cabin-Lake]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Cut in]
[WRITER=chu]
[TAPE#98-29 14:52]
[GRAPHIC=fire aftermath]

Residents of Danville's Cabin Lake Apartments were left without a home when fire destroyed their building.
Now, they're filing suit.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville;]

Lawyers for 98-tenants filed a ten and a half million dollar lawsuit yesterday afternoon in Danville Circuit Court.

[8E-Summer-School]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Cut in]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=98-27 TC 16:32]
[GRAPHIC=Virginia Tech]

Summer school at Virginia Tech could mean staying home and studying online.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]

Insects and Human Society is one of 20 summer school classes offered on the World Wide Web.
That means students can go home, get a summer job, and still work on their education.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT12:59:20]
[IN Q=you have a feeling]
((JAMES CAUDILL/DISTANCE LEARNING STUDENT; YOU HAVE A FEELING THAT IT'S JUST COMING RIGHT TO YOU, THE LECTURES, THE REAL AUDIO LECTURES THAT YOU GET, YOU DON'T KNOW REALLY THAT THERE'S A CROWD, THAT THEY WERE RECORDED IN AN ACTUAL LECTURE, YOU ALMOST FEEL LIKE HE'S TALKING TO YOU.))
[SOT 12:46:47]
((DR. TIMOTHY MACK/VA. TECH ENTOMOLOGY DEPT.; YOU CAN CLICK ON THAT AND LISTEN TO AN EXPLANATION OF WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT, THE HUMAN ELEMENT IS THERE, IF YOU DIDNT' UNDERSTAND IT, YOU CAN CLICK ON IT AGAIN, YOU CAN CLICK ON IT 35 TIMES IF YOU WANT TO. THAT'S NOT TRUE IN A CLASS, WHEN THE INSTRUCTOR SAYS IT, IF YOU MISSED IT YOU MISSED IT.))
[SUPER=01-James Caudill/Distance Learning Student;]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Timothy Mack/Entomology Department;]
[RUNS=:25]
[UT Q=you missed it]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Web technology allows students to watch video clips, listen to lectures, and even take a quiz, at their convenience.
(------------)

[8Slave-Ancestor]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Cut in]
[WRITER=djo]
[TAPE#=net b]
[GRAPHIC=none]

A West African man visited Roanoke last night spreading a message of unity through diversity. He has ties to the controversial film "Amistad" and says much can be learned about that time in history.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

Samuel Pieh (Pee-AH) is a descendant to the slave Sengbeh Pieh (Pee-AH), also known as Joseph Cinque (SIN-Kay).
[SUPER=04-Dreamworks; :01]

Cinque led an uprising on the slave ship.
The Amistad case made its way to the U-S Supreme Court and played an invaluable role in the early abolitionist movement, as depicted in the controversial box office hit.
Pieh (Pee-AH) told a Roanoke College crowd last night that the legacy of that historical time reminds us of what once was.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT=18:46:03]
[IN Q=WE LIVE IN]
((SAMUEL PIEH/MEMPHIS UNIVERSITY ASSOC. PROF.; WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE THERE IS SO MUCH DIVERSITY AND SO MUCH WE CAN ACCOMPLISH AS A GROUP, GOOD OR BAD. AND IT'S OUR CHOICE TO COME TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD BECAUSE I FEEL THERE'S MORE WE CAN ACCOMPLISH COMING TOGETHER TO GOOD THINGS THEN WE CAN BAD THINGS.))
[SUPER=01-Samuel Pieh/Memphis Univ. Assoc. Prof.]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=can bad things.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Pieh (Pee-AH) , who also had a bit part in the film, says Africa and America should better prepare for the turn of the century, which will be intolerable of mediocrity concerning global and educational issues.
(------------)

[8Weather]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Cut in]
[WRITER=lfi]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Taking a break from the news to check the weather outlook--
Lots of sunshine today, with pleasant high temperatures in the lower 70s.
Clear tonight, with light northwest winds cooling things down into the 40s.
And temperatures turn MUCH cooler in the extended forecast..
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