WDBJ 7 news at Noon for 05/15/98

[Sinatra]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

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The World today is mourning the loss of a Hollywood legend.
Entertainer Frank Sinatra passed away late last night in Los Angeles of an apparent heart attack.
Sinatra put out more than 200 albums, but he was also an acclaimed actor, winning an Oscar in 19-54 for his role in "From Here to Eternity."
Sinatra was 82.
Jonathan Freed joins us from Los Angeles with the latest.
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[County-Schools]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
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There appears to be a successful ending to negotiations between Roanonke County officials and a landowner who was facing possible condemnation.
County school board members wanted to build a new school on Charles Palmer's land.
Joe Dashiell reports.
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((Roanoke County officials and landowner Charles Palmer have been at odds over the scenic 70- acre tract.
It's the site the school board favors for a new high school, but Palmer has been unwilling to sell at the price the county orginally offered.
The school board contemplated condemnation, but twice delayed a vote on the issue to allow more time for negotiations, and it now appears a deal is in the works.
In a brief statement, school officials say the parties have reached an agreement subject to solving various legal requirements.
School Board Chairman Bill Irvin says officials were hopeful they could proceed without condemning the land, and he says he's pleased with news of a likely agreement.
Assuming remaing issues can be ironed out, Irvin says the architects will move forward with their work on a site plan, and begin to answer the questions of neighbors who want to know how the property will be developed.

Joe Dashiell News 7))[Wells]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
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The man police say shot his wife before killing himself in Bedford County yesterday was arrested for abducting another woman 4 years ago.
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Police say 36-year old Robert Wells shot his estranged wife in her trailer on Lazenbury Road yesterday, but spared their children.
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((LT. KENT ROBEY/BEDFORD CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT.: HE ASKED THEM TO LEAVE, EVIDENTLY HE DIDN'T WANT THEM TO SEE IT OR DIDN'T WANT THEM TO GET IN THE WAY OF IT. SO THE TIRES WERE CUT ON THE TWO CARS SITTING OUTSIDE THE RESIDENCE. APPARENTLY HE DISABLED THE PHONE AND THE CARS SO SHE COULDN'T GET AWAY FROM HIM.))
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co./May, 1994; :00]

In May of 1994, Wells was arrested for abducting his girlfriend at gunpoint in Campbell County.
A SWAT team was called out and surrounded his residence but he was not at home.
As police were leaving, Wells drove up and was arrested without incident.
He was sentenced to five years in jail on the abduction and firearms charges.
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[Cruz]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
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A federal judge is sentencing defendents in the Javier Cruz cocaine distribution ring at this hour.
Judge James Turk sentenced Gene Kinsey to 26 months in prison for his role as driver for the ring.
Kinsey's daughter Kim was also involved, but after her cooperation with prosecution, she received four years of probation.
Javier Cruz and Leo Rivera have both plead guilty to cocaine distribution charges.
They have yet to be sentenced.
Cruz has remained free awaiting sentencing largely for his role in helping federal prosecutors in other drug cases.

But in what may be foreshadowing, Judge Turk said in court this morning that he can't imagine Cruz will walk free.[

Alley-Trial]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
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Henry County's prosecutor says he wants ONE trial for Sharon Alley, who faces charges of abusing AND killing her 8-month-old baby.
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Alley lost custody of her baby daughter last fall after being accused of cracking the girl's skull by throwing her across a room.
The 8-month-old was stabbed to death on Mother's Day, and Alley is accused of the murder.
Meanwhile Alley's attorney is offering insight into questions about the baby's custody.
Her attorney said Juvenile Judge Susan Deatherage was told by the baby's father at the March hearing that the couple planned to reconcile.
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[INDONESIA]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
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At least 230 looters were killed overnight in Jakarta, Indonesia when they were trapped inside shopping malls that rioters set on fire.
It is the latest chapter in the anti-government violence that has ripped through the nation this week.
Barry Petersen has the latest.
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((The tragedy of yesterday's looting is only now beginning to unfold. Across Jakarta, looters broke into various shops and businesses, and also into two major department stores. What happened next was nothing but tragedy. While the looters were inside, the stores caught fire. The looters had no way to escape- they were trapped in the six-story buildings. Authorities say as many as 100 died in one and hundreds may have perished in the other building. It is still burning- they have yet to get inside.
The streets of Jakarta today belong to the troops, not the people. The army moved in tanks and drove them around town, so people understood who was in charge. For the people, their rage seemed to be spent.
What happened here happened all over Jakarta. This shop belongs to a Muslim family, they put signs up saying "we're Muslim". They even displayed their prayer rugs. But walk up the street, and see what happened to businesses owned by the ethnic Chinese- a minority group, but a wealthy minority. On them, the people took their revenge.
President Suharta returned late last night and went immediately into a cabinet meeting. He had been talking about, at least according to Indonesian press reports, stepping down. But officials around him say that is not in the cards. Bar

ry Peterson, CBS News, Jakarta.))[CLINTON-PAKISTAN]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
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India's prime Minister admitted today the country has a bomb.
Following Monday and Wednesday's underground nuclear testing, government officials had been careful to say only nuclear DEVICES were tested.
Top U-S officials are now in Pakistan, trying to persuade its government from trying to match India with its own tests.
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And today at the G-8 Summit in England called for a strong denunciation of India for its nuclear blasts.
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(( REPORTER:DO YOU THINK THE PAKISTANIS WILL DETONATE A: NUCLEAR DEVICE, IS IT INEVITABLE? BILL CLINTON: NO, BUT THEY ARE UNDER A LOT OF PRESSURE TO DO SO. I HOPE WE CAN FIND A FORMULA, PERHAPS THOSE OF US WHO ARE AT THE G8 CAN MAKE A CONTRIBUTION, A FORMULA THAT WILL MAKE IF POSSIBLE FOR THEM POLITICALLY NOT TO GO FORWARD. ))
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[OUT Q= not to go forward.]
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President Clinton is attending a three-day economic summit with seven other world leaders.
At a meeting with Japan's prime minister Mr. Clinton thanked him for joining the U-S in imposing sanctions on India.

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[Hog-Farm]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
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[WRITER=chu]
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Pittsylvania County has finally passed a much-debated livestock law.
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County supervisors voted 4-to-3 in favor of the ordinance last night during a special meeting.
The new livestock law includes a 300-foot setback -- the distance large farming operations must be from their neighbors.
The push to develop new regulations began a year ago when an industrial hog farm from North Carolina tried to move into Pittsylvania County.
Local farmers say they just wanted the issue resolved so they could continue to operate.
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[Police-Memorial]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
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Since 18-92, fifteen Roanoke Police Officers have died in the line of duty, and yesterday the department honored them with a memorial service.
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As National Police Week comes to an end, communities across the country are recognizing the men and women who serve as sworn officers.
Yesterday at High Street Baptist Church, members of the Roanoke Department lighted candles for each of the men who lost their lives while performing their police duties.
This was the city's first memorial service for all fifteen, and the Department plans to make it an annual observance.
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[B'ford-Schools]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=sta]
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Block schedules will remain the same in Bedford County schools.
That determination came last night from the County's School Board.
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Some board members raised concerns that the block scheduling was allowing students to do homework in class.
However, most students at the meeting said block scheduling helped them better prepare for college.
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((TIM HECK/LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: IT HELPS YOU PREPARE YOURSELF AND BROADEN YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON COLLEGE AND EARN MORE CREDITS.))
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Block scheduling includes four 90-minute class periods--allowing students more time to study fewer subjects.
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[E-Tobacco-Planting]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=chu]
[TAPE#98-31 59:35]
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Southside tobacco farmers are taking advantage of the sunny weather after dealing with an unusually wet season.
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Recent rainy weather has put them about two weeks behind.
There are still wet and muddy spots in the fields--
--but growers and migrant workers are taking advantage of the break in the rain to get tiny bright leaf plants in the ground.
Tobacco experts say the infamous El Nino may be to blame for this unusually long wet weather season.
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((LARRY MCPETERS: WE'VE HAD WET WEATHER PERIODS AND PERIODS THAT CAME THAT WERE NOT CONDUCIVE TO GETTING LAND READY AND TOBACCO IN THE GROUND. BUT IT DIDN'T BEGING SO EARLY IN THE FALL. WE USUALLY HAD A BREAK WHERE WE COULD GET THESE THINGS DONE BUT IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S STAYING WITH US THIS YEAR.))
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[SUPER=01-Larry McPeters/Va. Cooperative Extension Agent;]
[OUT Q=with us this year.]
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[VO-NAT]

Barring any more weather problems, Southside tobacco should be ready to harvest by the end of July.
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[BABY-WHALE]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
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They're welcoming a new life at Sea World in Orlando.
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[4:26:13]
It's a boy, and it's a big one, a whopping 350 pounds and more than seven feet long.
Shamu gave birth to her calf yesterday.
It's been a long pregnancy for Shamu, 17 months.
No word yet on a name for the baby whale.
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[Trade]

[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=tbr]
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[GRAPHIC=Major League Baseball]

The Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly on the verge of trading All-Star catcher Mike Piazza to the Florida Marlins in a seven player deal.
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[SUPER=04-Major League Baseball]

The monumental deal would send Piazza and third baseman Todd Zeile to the Florida Marlins for outfielders Gary Sheffield and Jim Eisenreich, catcher Charles Johnson, and third baseman Bobby Bonilla. [Sheffield video cued ST5-15]
The deal reportedly hinges on Sheffield waving his no-trade clause.
The transaction would arguably rank as the biggest in baseball history.
The combined salaries of the players involved would be over 109 MILLION dollars. [************WIPE*****WIPE*******](------------)