WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 06/22/98

[7I-81-Ax]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=djo]
[TAPE#=98-34]
[GRAPHIC=Accident]

A Tennessee woman is in stable condition this morning after crashing her car along I-81 yesterday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Radford;]

State police say Claire Marie Hayes Johnson, of Chattanooga, swerved to avoid being hit by another car entering traffic off of exit 109.
Johnson crossed the southbound lane, struck an embankment and landed in a ditch.
She was taken to Radford Community Hospital.
No one else was injured, but traffic was slowed to a crawl for about an hour.
(------------)
[wipe wipe wipe]

[E-Motorcycle-Ax]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=sta]
[TAPE#=98-31; 14:44]
[GRAPHIC=wipe,wipe,wipe]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co.;]

A Collinsville woman is listed in very serious condition this morning following a motorcycle crash in Bedford County yesterday.
Patricia Deatherage was one of four people injured in the accident along Route 1-22 shortly after 2 p-m.
Police say the driver of one of two motorcycles travelling together lost control and slammed into the other.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=Accident]

Deatherage was airlifted to Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where she is in the neurotrauma intensive care unit.
3 others were taken to a nearby hospital.
They are Grady Deatherage also of Collinsville, and Gary and Donna Thurman of Penhook.

[7Nude-Hikers]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=djo]
[TAPE#=98-40; 108:08]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Yesterday was the Summer Solstice, the first day of the season.
For some Appalachian Trail hikers that meant baring it all in an effort to become one with their surroundings.
David Johnson has more on "Nude Hiking Day".
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It is said]
[SUPER=03-Catawba; :01]
[SUPER=01-Don MacDougall/Appalachian Trail Conference; :06]
[SUPER=03-Craig Co.; :18]
[SUPER=@David1; :48]
[RUNS=1:17]
[OUT Q=DJO, News 7, Catawba.]

((It is said that people do it as a way to get closer to nature.
[SOT=10:42:24]
[IN Q=THEY'RE OUT HERE]
((DON MACDOUGALL/APPALACHIAN TRAIL CONFERENCE SPOKESMAN; THEY'RE OUT HERE IN THE WOODS AND THEY'RE COMMUNING WITH NATURE. SO WHAT BETTER WAY TO DO IT THAN TO HIKE NAKED. I MEAN YOU'RE AS FREE AS EVERYTHING AROUND YOU.)) [RUNS:11]
[OUT Q=AROUND YOU.]

It is unknown why those who participate do it.
And, no one seems to know how the tradition got started.
Some speculate it can't be too comfortable.
[SOT=10:42:46]
[IN Q=I HAVE A]
((MACDOUGALL; I HAVE A HARD TIME HIKING WITHOUT A SHIRT ON, LET ALONE WITHOUT A PAIR OF SHORTS. YOU COME THROUGH SOME AREAS THAT ARE FAIRLY WOODED AND THE GRASSES SOMETIMES AREN'T MOWED REAL WELL SO YOU GET STUFF STRATCHING AGAINST YOU. IT'S ONE THING WHEN IT'S ALWAYS ON YOUR LEGS AND ARMS, BUT WHEN IT'S ON PLACES THAT AREN'T NORMALLY EXPOSED, IT CAN BE KIND OF UNCOMFORTABLE.)) [RUNS:20]
[OUT Q=OF UNCOMFORTABLE.]
[STANDUP/15:45:19] ((DAVID JOHNSON/REPORTING; MACDOUGALL SAYS NUDE HIKERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO TAKE THEIR CHANCES IN PLACES LIKE SINKING CREEK MOUNTAIN RATHER THAN THE MORE POPULAR SPOTS LIKE MACAFEE'S KNOB. BUT APPARENTLY NOT EVERYONE IS FAMILIAR WITH SINKING CREEK MOUNTAIN.)) [RUNS:12]
[SOT=10:45:28]
[IN Q=IF YOU'RE INCLINED]
((MACDOUGALL; IF YOU'RE INCLINED TO BE HIDING OR TRYING TO COVER UP WHEN YOU SEE PEOPLE IN THOSE AREAS, YOU WOULD HAVE TO DO THAT ALL DAY LONG. AND YOU WOULD ALSO BE APT TO OFFEND PEOPLE THERE.)) [RUNS:12]
[OUT Q=PEOPLE THERE.]

Something this group is not too concerned with.
The penalty for getting caught hiking in the buff can be a fine for indecent exposure.
David Johnson, News 7, Catawba.))

[7E-Va-2000]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=98-43; 36:01]
[GRAPHIC=Computer]

Half the work is done in Virginia's efforts to prepare state computers for the new millenium.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@File]

This year the General Assembly approved 48 million dollars to upgrade computers that aren't programmed to recognize the year 2000.
By the time the year 2000 gets here, taxpayers will have spent 115 million dollars on the problem, and state officials are hoping the computers will be ready.
(------------)

[7WEATHER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWCAST=CUTIN]
[WRITER=KMC]
[TAPE #=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Time now to check the Back-to-Work forecast--
After some widely scattered showers this morning, expect partly sunny skies and warm temperatures.
Highs in the upper 80s.
Partly cloudy tonight, with lows in the upper 60s.
Looking ahead to the next four days.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Morning Showers/Then Partly Sunny/85-89/Partly Cloudy/Light Winds/65-69;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]

[45Pitts-Fatal]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident]

A 25 year old man died in Pittsylvania County after after losing control of his pick-up truck.
State police say Christopher Smith of Gretna drove off the right shoulder of U-S Route 29 just south of Route 81 early yesterday.
Authorities say he then veered across two lanes of traffic into the median.

[45E-Henry-Budget]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=chu]
[TAPE#98-41 47:10]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Eating out and some entertainment could soon cost you more in Henry County.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Henry Co.;]

The Board of Supervisors is expected to vote today on the county budget-- which includes a four-percent meals tax.
It also includes a five-percent admissions tax to the Martinsville Speedway.
A county spokesman says the new taxes are needed to replace the tax revenue that will be lost when Dupont leaves the area.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 6:47:18-:34]
[IN Q=If we don't look]
((BILL FARRAR/PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER: IF WE DON'T LOOK FOR SOME WAY TO ACCEPT SOME RESPONSIBILITY AND REPLACE THIS REVENUE VOLUNTARILY THEN WE MAY BE IN A POSITION TO DO SOMETHING REALLY DISTASTEFUL LIKE TAKE A HARD LOOK AT THE REAL ESTATE TAX.))
[SUPER=01-Bill Farrar/Public Information Officer;]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=the real estate tax.]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]

Henry County's proposed budget tops 83-million dollars.
That's down more than two-million dollars from last year's budget.
(----------------)

[45E-Juneteenth]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=djo]
[TAPE#98-39]
[GRAPHIC=None]

After more than 130 years they're still celebrating a landmark declaration.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Radford;]

Radford was one of several national sites this weekend for the "Juneteenth (June-Teenth) Festival".
The celebration commemorates the signing of the "Emancipation Proclamation"--that put an end to slavery.
The document was signed in January of 1863.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT=12:20:31]
[IN Q=IT TOOK UP]
((PAUL HENDRICKS/EVENTS COORDINATOR; IT TOOK UP TO TWO YEARS BEFORE THE SLAVES IN GALVESTON, TEXAS KNEW THAT THEY WAS FREE. AND THAT CELEBRATION WAS JUNE 19TH, 1865. AND THIS IS WHY THEY HAVE CHOSEN TO MAKE JUNE 19TH THE NATIONAL HOLIDAY.))
[SUPER=01-Paul Hendricks/Events Coordinator;]
[RUNS=:21]
[OUT Q=national holiday.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The Festival included cultural arts and crafts, international cuisine, and Reggae music.
More than a dozen bands performed over the weekend.
Hendricks proposes to bring the Juneteenth celebration to Roanoke in the near future.
(------------)

[45E-Living-History]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=djo]
[TAPE#=98-44]
[GRAPHIC=none]

In Catawba, group of descendants to Civil War soldiers paid tribute to their heritage.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Catawba;]

The "Sons of Confederate Veterans" hosted a "living history" ceremony near Route 3-11 in Roanoke County.
That's very close to the site of part of David Hunter's Retreat after fighting in the Hanging Rock battle.
That all happened June 21st 1864.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT=14:51:34]
[IN Q=HUNTER WAS RUNNING]
((ROBERT "RED" BARBOUR/SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS; HUNTER WAS RUNNING LOW ON AMMUNITION IN LYNCHBURG AND GENERAL EARLY WAS HAVING THE TROOPS LOADED ON TRAINS. COMING IN AND GETTING OFF, THE TOWNS PEOPLE WOULD CHEER. SO IT LOOKED LIKE HE WAS RECEIVING TROOPS ALL NIGHT. SO DAVID HUNTER DECIDED TO PULL OUT.))
[SUPER=01-Robert "Red" Barbour/Sons of Confederate Veterans;]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=to pull out.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The re-enactment was complete with replicas of the clothing from that period and the artillery that was used.
These "guns" are said to be hand-crafted at Dixie Caverns and have been used in documentaries, including most recently "The Day Lincoln was Shot".
(------------)
[45WEATHER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWCAST=CUTIN]
[WRITER=KMC]
[TAPE #=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Shifting gears now to weather--
After some morning clouds and showers, Monday's outlook is partly sunny and very warm.
Highs in the upper 80s.
Partly Cloudy tonight, with lows in the upper 60s.
The extended forecast is calling for partly cloudy skies this week, with a few isolated showers.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Morning Showers/Then Partly Sunny/85-89/Partly Cloudy/Light Winds/65-69;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]

[8-2-RANGER-SHOT]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#net-G]
[GRAPHIC=Shooting]

Authorities have a suspect, AND what they believe is the murder weapon used to kill a Blue Ridge Parkway ranger in North Carolina yesterday.
The ranger was investigating a report that a man with a rifle was threatening visitors at a scenic overlook.
Authorities say the 36-year-old ranger took a bullet in the chest, despite the bulletproof vest he was wearing.
A suspect was taken into custody after a four-hour manhunt.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[4:05;33]
[IN Q=He's been]
(( BOB MILLER/NAT'L PARKS SERVICE: HE'S BEEN QUESTIONED WE ARE ALSO TRYING TO MATCH UP PHYSICAL EVIDENCE ON THE GROUND. WE FOUND A WEAPON. WE'RE LOOKING FOR SOME TRACKS TO TIE THAT TO THE INDIVIDUAL. ))
[SUPER=01-Bob Miller/National Parks Service;]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=tracks to tie that to the individual.]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[ss=Shooting]

This is the first time a Great Smoky Mountains National Park Ranger has ever been shot and killed in the line of duty.

[8-I-81-Ax]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=djo]
[TAPE#=98-34]
[GRAPHIC=Accident]

A car crash yesterday on I-81 sent a Tennessee woman to the hospital with injuries.
She's now in stable condition.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Radford;]

State police say Claire Marie Hayes Johnson, of Chattanooga, swerved to avoid being hit by another car entering traffic off of exit 109.
Johnson crossed the southbound lane, struck an embankment and landed in a ditch.
She was taken to Radford Community Hospital.
No one else was injured, but traffic was slowed to a crawl for about an hour.
(------------)
[wipe wipe wipe]

[8E-Motorcycle-Ax]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=sta]
[TAPE#=98-31; 14:44]
[GRAPHIC=wipe,wipe,wipe]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co.;]

Meanwhile, a motorcycle accident in BEDFORD county has a Collinsville woman listed in very serious condition.
Patricia Deatherage was one of four people injured in the accident along Route 1-22 shortly after 2 p-m.
Police say the driver of one of two motorcycles travelling together lost control and slammed into the other.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=Accident]

Deatherage was airlifted to Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where she is in the neurotrauma intensive care unit.
3 others were also taken to a nearby hospital.

[8E-Living-History]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=djo]
[TAPE#=98-44]
[GRAPHIC=none]

The contributions of those who fought the Civil War were remembered yesterday in Catawba.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Catawba;]

The "Sons of Confederate Veterans" hosted a "living history" ceremony near Route 3-11 in Roanoke County.
That's very close to the site of part of David Hunter's Retreat after fighting in the Hanging Rock battle.
That all happened June 21st 1864.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT=14:51:34]
[IN Q=HUNTER WAS RUNNING]
((ROBERT "RED" BARBOUR/SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS; HUNTER WAS RUNNING LOW ON AMMUNITION IN LYNCHBURG AND GENERAL EARLY WAS HAVING THE TROOPS LOADED ON TRAINS. COMING IN AND GETTING OFF, THE TOWNS PEOPLE WOULD CHEER. SO IT LOOKED LIKE HE WAS RECEIVING TROOPS ALL NIGHT. SO DAVID HUNTER DECIDED TO PULL OUT.))
[SUPER=01-Robert "Red" Barbour/Sons of Confederate Veterans;]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=to pull out.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The re-enactment was complete with replicas of the clothing from that period and the artillery that was used.
(------------)

[8E-Va-2000]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutin]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=98-43; 36:01]
[GRAPHIC=Computer]

The Commonwealth is half- way through the task of getting computers ready to turn their clocks over to the year 2000.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@File]

This year the General Assembly approved 48 million dollars to upgrade computers that aren't programmed to recognize the year 2000.
By the time the year 2000 gets here, taxpayers will have spent 115 million dollars on the problem, and state officials are hoping the computers will be ready.
(------------)

[8WEATHER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWCAST=CUTIN]
[WRITER=KMC]
[TAPE #=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Before we finish up this morning, here's a final check of the forecast.
Scattered morning shower will give way to partly sunny skies.
Highs in the upper 80s.
Partly cloudy tonight, with lows cooling into the upper 60s.
The four day forecast stays hot....
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=#555; reset] [SUPER=314-Morning Showers/Then Partly Sunny/85-89/Partly Cloudy/Light Winds/65-69;]