WDBJ 7 morning news for 06/21/98

[Bus-Accident]

[ANCHOR=Steve]

[NEWSCAST=Sun AM]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Bus Crash]

Seven people are dead and 18 injured after a Greyhound Bus slammed into the back of a parked tractor trailer yesterday in Decorum Pennsylvania.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Decorum, PA]
The bus was headed from New York to Pittsburgh when it hit the truck parked on the side of the highway.
The bus driver, 51 year old Scott Wisner, his wife and his son were among the people killed. The family was on board for what was already scheduled to be Wisner's last ride.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=the driver]
[SUPER=01-Craig Lentzsch/President & CEO of Greyhound]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=to retirement]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The cause of the wreck is still unknown.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
(------------)

[Train-Derail]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Sun AM]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=train derailment]

Authorities in West Virginia are investigating the cause of a chemical train derailment in Huntington.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Huntington, WV]
Over one hundred families were evacuated from the area while workers tried to contain 30 thousand gallons of formaldehyde spilled from the wreck.
Seven people were sent to the hospital with resperatory problems. Six were treated and released but the trains conductor remains hospitalized.
The accident occured near the banks of the Ohio River. Officals say dikes built around the spill prevented any of the chemical from reaching the water.
Residents will be allowed to return to the area after air quality measurements have returned to normal.
(------------)

[Bombing-Jury]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Sun am]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

It's been three years since the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City.
Yesterday, the jurors who convicted Tim McVeigh of the crime returned to the site of the blast.
Dave Fehling has more.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Oklahoma City, OK; :00]
[SUPER=01-Marlene Wichael/Juror; :10]
[SUPER=01-Diane Leonard/Widow of Victim; :44]
[SUPER=01-Jim Osgood/Jury Foreperson; :58]
[SUPER=01-Dave Fehling/Reporting; 1:05]
[SUPER=01-Tonya Stedman/Juror; 1:15]
[RUNS=1:33]
[OUT Q=News, Oklahoma City]
((Marlene Wichael spent an intense two months as a part of the Denver jury that sent Tim McVeigh to death row for the OK bombing.
Sound bite Marlene Wichael/Juror
Now for the first time in person she and the rest of the jury came to the site and saw what the truck bomb did. They stood where so many were crushed to death and from Marlene Wichael that's where the tears couldn't be held back.
Welcomed by OK gov as honored guests. The jurors are spending the weekend with the families of victims and survivors.
Sound bite Diane Leonard/Widow of Victim
FILE
McVeighs attorney had critcized the jurors trips saying it could leave the impression that the verdict was based on sympathy and not on fact. But the jury fore person said he has never had second thoughts.
Sound bite Jim Osgood/Jury Foreperson
Standup Dave Fehling
Tonya Stedman/Juror
Not every question has been answered not even closure said one juror but now after this visit the men and women who found Timothy mcVeigh guilty have a new way to look at the bombing...they've been there.
Dave Fehling, CBS News, OK City))

[Congress-Votes]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Sun am]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Congressman tackled three major issues this week: tobacco legislation, tax reform and education.
Most of Virginia's congressmen voted with the majority.
(------------)
[Take pinnacle board # 1020]

The key vote to kill the tobacco legislation took place on Wednesday.
60 votes were needed to keep the bill alive.
[take pinnacle board # 1021]

Senators Chuck Robb and John Warner both voted against it.
[take pinnacle board # 1022]

Over in the House, a bill to abolish the existing tax code was narrowly approved.
[take pinnacle board # 1023]

Congressmen Virgil Goode and Bob Goodlatte supported it; Rick Boucher was against it.
[take pinnacle board #1024]

The House also considered a move to promote savings for education.
Again, it found favor with conservatives and was approved.
[take pinnacle board # 1025]

Goode and Goodlatte voted with the majority; Rick Boucher came out against it.
(------------)

[Methodists]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Sun am]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Education]

The Virginia AnnualConference of the United Methodists Church is asking five Methodist colleges in Virginia to go dry.
The measure was proposed by delegate Andrew Pearson of Winchester.
The conference voted to ask that alcohol be banned rather than accept another proposal asking th schools to discourage the use of alcohol on campus.
The United Methodist supported schools in Virginia are Ferrum, Randolph-Macon Women's College, Randolph-Macon, Virginia Weslyan and Shenandoah University.
There's no word yet on what the schools plan to do about the request.

[Health-Check]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Sun am]
[WRITER=tfl]
[TAPE#=Wknd HC 28:15]
[GRAPHIC=Health Check]

The Virginia general assembly is considering a controversial sexual predator law and researchers at the University of Virginia finds even mild cases of low blood sugar in diabetics can impair driving ability.
Tonya Flory takes a look back at this week's medical news.
(/////SOT/////)
[IN Q=The general ]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Helen Harrah/Blue Ridge Community Services; :20]
[SUPER=@Tonya2; :50]
[SUPER=03-Charlottesville; 1:12]
[RUNS=1:50]
[OUT Q=Health Check.]

(([TAPE#=598-28 9:41]
[VO NAT] The general assembly is considering a bill to place sex offenders in mental health facilities after their release from prison. The National Mental Health Association along with some local critics want legislators to consider other alternatives.

Opponents say it's just a way of extending incarceration for violent sex criminals.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT ub 11 09 52]
[IN Q=One of our concerns]
((HELEN HARRAH/ADULT MENTAL HEALTH DIRECTOR:ONE OF OUR CONCERNS HAS TO DO WITH STIGMATIZING PEOPLE WHO HAVE A MENTAL ILLNESS WHO ARE NOT VIOLENT, WHICH IS THE LARGE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE, PLACING THEM IN THE SAME FACULTY WITH PEOPLE WHO MAY BE EASILY VICTIMIZED.)) [RUNS:18]
[OUT Q=easily victimized]
Harrah says the proposal would also mean an added financial expense that state psychiatric hospitals can't afford.
The state mental health department has already started training medical staffers about how to treat violent sex criminals.
[TAPE#=598-26]
[VO NAT]
A Food and Drug Advisory panel decided the fat substitute Olestra is safe.
The panel did go along with one proposed change. It recommended a new look at the labeling, to make sure people understand the possible side effects.
Some people who use Olestra experienced digestive problems.
But several studies showed the number of people affected was no higher than those who experienced problems with ordinary full fat chips.
[TAPE#=598-26]
[VO NAT] And earlier this week researchers from the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center released a finding on hypoglycemia research at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association. The study's lead investigator says results of the tests show patients don't realize their blood sugar is low until it's too late for treatment. In some circumstances-- like driving a car-- that can be fatal. Doctors tested 37 adults with diabetes and a history of severe hypoglycemia using a sophisticated driving simulator.
Results showed their driving was significantly impaired during the tests.
Tonya Flory, News-7 Health Check.))[HEADLINES]
[ANCHOR=Steve 2 shot]
[***No Music Under]
Here's a look at today's top stories.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Steve]
[SUPER=#4070;weekend headline banner]

Seven people died and 18 were injured in a Greyhound Bus accident yesterday.
The bus was headed from New York to Pittsburgh when it slammed into the back of parked tractor trailer on the side of the road.
The cause of the wreck is unknown.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Steve]

The owner of a G-M dealership in Salem says it is still to early to tell how the strike will affect Southwestern Virginia.
Carlos Hart of Hart Motors says that the strike has had no effect yet and he still has enough G-M- cars to last about 90 days.
Meanwhile, negotiations between striking workers and G-M are expected to continue today.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Steve]

Jurors who convicted Timothy Mcveigh in the Oklahoma City bombing trial have returned to the site of the blast.
For the first time they saw the effects of what the bomb did to the federal building.
The jurors are spending the weekend with the families of victims and survivors.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Steve 2 SHOT]

And that's what's making news on this Sunday June 21-st.
(toss to Andrew for Newsreel)

[Shenandoah-Reel]

[ANCHOR=Steve 2-Shot]
[NEWSCAST=Sun am]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=Newsreel]
(toss to Andrew for Newsreel)
[ANCHOR=Andrew 2-Shot]

Fire at a Roanoke County nursing home topped the news back in 1976.
[ANCHOR=Andrew Full]
[GRAPHIC=VA Newsreel]

Here's David Seidel with this week's Virginia Newsreel and more about the Shenandoah Nursing Home.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=animation]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./June 17, 1976; :09]
[SUPER=20-David/Seidel; 1:00]
[RUNS=1:14]
[OUT Q=Seidel, News-7]
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(([SOT]
[IN Q=The Lights]
((THE LIGHTS WERE ALL OUT ON MY SIDE WHERE IT STARTED AND EVERYTHING WAS FULL OF SMOKE. ))
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=full of smoke]

The fire began around two in the moring when a woman dropped a cigarette into some bedding.
Flames and smoke filled the second floor of the building, forcing some 175 residents out into the night.
More than a hundred fire, police and rescue workers fought the blaze.
Four elderly women were killed and 14 other residents were hospitalized.
Residents stayed with family or at nearby hospitals until the damage could be repaired.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[23:11]
[IN Q=we plan]
((WE PLAN TO GET EM BACK JUST AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN. AND OF COURSE THE SAFETY OF THE BUILDING IS OUR ULTIMATE CONCERN.))
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=ultimate concern.]

It was the second fatal fire at the nursing home in a year.
In March a woman was killed when a cigarette or lighter ignited her clothes.
Roanoke County and state invesitgators said neither fire was the result of negligence on the part of the nursing home.
That's Virginia Newsreel, I'm David Seidel, News-7.))

[Sports-Plays]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Sun AM]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#=sports-plays]
[GRAPHIC=MLB]

It's the first day of summer and what better way to celebrate it than head out to the ballpark for a look at America's favorite pass time.
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Chicago, IL/White Sox-Fox Sports]
In Chicago it was Minnesota showing off their golden gloves early with this great throw nailing the runner at first.

As the lead traded hands back and forth Chicago had some problems on defense.
But there wasn't anything wrong with Greg Norton's bat as he puts this base hit into center field scoring the runner to win it for the Sox in the ninth 8 to 7.
[SUPER=03-Denver, CO/Rockies-KWGN]
Further West the Dodgers tried to make it a clean sweep of the Rockies but Colorado came out swinging as Ellis Burkes puts this one over the fence.
LA wouldn't go down easy. Eric Carros continued his domination in the series with a 3 run double in the seventh.
But a nice defensive play in the rain enables the Rockies to hang on to this one pulling it out 7 to 6.
(------------)

[GM-Strike]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Sun AM]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=GM Logo]

Negotiations between the United Auto Workers and General Motors are expected to continue today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Detroit, MI]

The union is looking for restrictions on outside contracting by GM and the auto giant is looking for more productivity from its workers.
The 92 hundred laborers striking at 2 plants in Michigan have created enough of a supply shortage to cause more than one hundred thousand layoffs at other plants around the nation.
Only 2 GM plants in the United states were still running as of Friday.
(------------)

[11-GM-Reax]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Sun am]
[WRITER=djo]
[TAPE#=98-31; 142:47]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]

With most G-M factories shut down, some car dealers are wondering when the shortage of cars will hit the showroom.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem;]

At a dealership in Salem, they still have cars on the lot...
But the owner says it's too early to tell if the impact of the strike will eventually reach Southwest Virginia.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT=10:11:20]
[IN Q=IT HAS NO]
((CARLOS HART/HART MOTORS OWNER; IT HAS NO EFFECT ON US AT ALL AS OF YET. WE'VE GOT ENOUGH CARS TO PROBABLY LAST 90 DAYS AND THEN WE HAVE CARS THAT AREN'T MADE BY GENERAL MOTORS.))
[SUPER=01-Carlos Hart/Hart Motors Owner;]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=GENERAL MOTORS.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

A Roanoke G-M competitor says even if the strike drags on, he believes G-M customers looking for a new vehicle will probably wait rather than buy another brand.
(------------)

[Methodists]

[6-Fundraisers]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Sun am]
[WRITER=djo]
[TAPE#=98-32]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Area fundraisers gave Dads the chance to celebrate their day a little early and other people got the opportunity to just clown around.
David Johnson has more.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=Father's Day]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :01]
[SUPER=01-Tamara Stinson/Junior Achievement; :28]
[SUPER=01-David Dix/Hooters General Manager; :58]
[SUPER=@David2; 1:13]
[RUNS=1:28]
[OUT Q=DJO, News 7.]
(( Father's Day was on the mind of officials with Junior Achievement as they hosted their "Father's Day Out" event along with Tanglewood Mall.
Organizers considered it a "feel good" type of event.
The idea was to get kids and fathers out playing games while enjoying the food and drinks.
There was a small fee for the food, drinks or events.
All of the proceeds went to Junior Achievement, a program which teaches youngsters how to better their quality of life.
[SOT=11:07:25]
[IN Q=THE WAY WE]
((TAMARA STINSON/JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT; THE WAY WE REACH THE KIDS WITH THE PROGRAMS IS BY ENLISTING BUSINESS PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY WHO ACTUALLY GO INTO THEIR CLASSROOMS AND THEY FACILITATE AGE APPROPRIATE HANDS ON ACTIVITIES WHICH HELP THE KIDS UNDERSTAND THESE BUSINESS CONCEPTS.)) [RUNS12]
[OUT Q=BUSINESS CONCEPTS.]

For those with a biking interest, there was the second annual Motorcycle Show sponsored by "Hooters".
The restuarant raised money by raffling off a weekend trip to a local resort, selling T-shirts and hosting a dunking booth contest.
Proceeds for this event went to the Children's Miracle Network.
[SOT=14:01:00]
[IN Q=WE'VE DONE SOME]
((DAVID DIX/HOOTERS GENERAL MANAGER; WE'VE DONE SOME THINGS FOR THEM IN THE PAST AND THIS YEAR WE'VE SOLD SOME BALLONS FOR THEM. LIKE THE MDA SHAMROCK. IT WAS TIME FOR OUR BIKE SHOW. WE NEEDED A CHARITY. WE THOUGHT THEY'D BE A GOOD ONE TO USE.)) [RUNS10]
[OUT Q=ONE TO USE.]

And people in the mood to clown around donated their time and money to a worthy cause in front of the Kroger's near the Towne Square Shopping area.
The Kazim Klown Unit entertained kids of all ages while selling hot dogs, sodas and other goods.
The Burn Unit and Children's Hospital benefitted from that group's effort.
David Johnson, News 7.))

[EarlyOpen]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=WKNDam]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#Profile Open]
[GRAPHIC=VA Profiles]

It's one of Lynchburg's best-kept secrets.. but a visit to Fort Early can reveal exactly how important a role the Hill City played in the Civil War.
Steve Smallshaw shows us more in this weeks "Virginia Profile".
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=animation]
[RUNS=:05]
[OUT Q=stop animation]

[WIPE WIPE WIPE WIPE]

[Early-Profile]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=WKNDam]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#Va Profiles]
[GRAPHIC=WIPE]

[WIPE WIPE WIPE WIPE WIPE]

(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Just about any]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg; :00]
[SUPER=04-Fort Early Photos; :40]
[SUPER=01-Frances Hedrick/Fort Early Women's Club; 1:00]
[SUPER=@ssm2; 1:51]
[RUNS=1:59]
[OUT Q=News7, Lynchburg.]

(( Just about any Lynchburg resident could tell you where to find Fort Avenue.. but ask them where Fort EARLY is and you might get just a blank stare.
The historic site for which the street is named is not exactly Lynchburg's best- known tourist spot.. but the folks who run it are nevertheless proud of what they have.
[natsot 10:41:11]
((THIS IS A PICTURE OF GENERAL DAVID HUNTER, WHO COMMANDED THE UNION ARMY AGAINST LYNCHBURG.)) [RUNS:07]
A devastating fire in 1980 almost convinced the city to turn Fort Early into a neighborhood park, but concerned citizens stepped in and rebuilt the reception hall and museum.
It's a single room dedicated to the only fighting Lynchburg saw during the Civil War.
In 1864, the Hill City was a vital supply line for General Robert E. Lee's army.. its hospitals were filled with Confederate wounded.
On June 18th, Union general David Hunter decided to attack.. but the defenses thrown up by Jubal Early and a phantom train helped keep the city free.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 10:44:01]
[IN Q=They had a]
((FRANCES HEDRICK/FORT EARLY WOMENS CLUB: THEY HAD A TRAIN FROM CHARLOTTESVILLE AND AFTER THEY BROUGHT THE SOLDIERS IN, THEY CONTINUED TO RUN IT BACK AND FORTH AND THEY WOULD HAVE GROUPS OF MEN AND SOLDIERS ON THERE AND THEY WOULD MAKE THIS BIG NOISE, AND SHOUTING AND EVERYTHING, AND SO IT WAS FELT THAT THE UNION ARMY THOUGHT REINFORCEMENTS WERE COMING.))
[RUNS:21]
[OUT Q=reinforcements were coming.]

Some say had Early not saved Lynchburg, the Civil War would have ended well before Appomattox the following April.
But still it remains one of central Virginia's lesser- known historical sites.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 11:09:55]
[IN Q=They have a]
((HEDRICK: THEY HAVE A LOT OF THINGS TO OFFER THAT FORT EARLY DOESN'T. BUT NONETHELESS, WE HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF HAVING THE ORIGINAL BREASTWORKS OF THE BATTLE OF LYNCHBURG IN 1864, AND I THINK IT FITS RIGHT IN THERE WITH IT.)) [RUNS:17]
[OUT Q=there with it.]

The Fort Early musuem is available for tours by appointment only.
But thanks to Jubal Early, the grounds are open year- round.
Steve Smallshaw, News7, Lynchburg.))[2-HEADLINES]
[ANCHOR=Denise 2 shot]
[***No Music Under]
Here's a look at today's top stories.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Denise]
[SUPER=#4070;weekend headline banner]

West Virginia officials have contained 30 -thousand gallons of formaldehyde that spilled from a train derailment yesterday in Huntington.
More than a hundred families have been evacuated.
Authorities don't know what caused the train to derail.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Denise]

Seven people died and 18 were injured in a Greyhound Bus accident yesterday.
The bus was headed from New York to Pittsburgh when it slammed into the back of parked tractor trailer on the side of the road.
The cause of the wreck is unknown.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Denise]

It has been three years since the Oklahoma City bombing.
For the first time the jurors that convicted Timothy Mcveigh returned to the site of the blast to see first hand the damage that was done.
The jurors are spending the weekend with the families of victims and survivors.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Steve **FULL**]

And that's what's making news on this Sunday June 21-st.

[Sports-Extra]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Sun AM]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=Sports Extra]
[GRAPHIC=none]

This is the only Olympic sport in which men and women compete against eachother.
And now the Equestrian event during the Commonwealth games is bigger than ever.
Denise Allen explains ancient art of dressage.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=nat sound]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :15]
[SUPER=01-Karen Vinsant/Dressage Judge; :30]
[SUPER=01-Diane Long/Competitor; :47]
[SUPER=07-Ellen Oliver;1:25]
[Super=@Denise2; 1:40]
[RUNS=1:57]
[OUT Q=News 7 Sports]
((
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
(()) [RUNS03]
[OUT Q=]

Once exclusively an activity of Royalty, it has since developed into a competitive sport.
These exercises use to prepare these steeds for the battlefield, now horse and rider are fighting for good scores in the ring.
Dressage is a method of training which develops the horse's three natural gaits.
Competitors say it requires the power of gymnastics and the grace of ballet.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
(())
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=]
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
(())
[OUT Q=]

In the beginner levels of Dressage the horse and riders perform figures such as circles and serpentines.
The team is judged on the smoothness of transitions from a walk to a cantor or a trot to a halt.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
(())
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=]
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
(())
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=]

The Commonwealth Games' Equestrian competition is June 27th.
About 150 riders are participating in the event at the Green Hill Equestrian Center in Salem.
Denise Allen News 7 Sports.
))

[New-York]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Sun am]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The Big Apple celebrated a big anniversary yesterday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-New York, NY;]

100 years ago, New York's five boroughs joined together.
The anniversary was celebrated with simultaneous fireworks in each of the boroughs-- lighting up 24 miles of skline.
(------------) Today, bells will be rung simultaneously in Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.