WDBJ 7 morning news for 07/03/98

[Headlines]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
About 40-thousand people have been forced out of their homes because of wildfires in northeast Florida.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

And a judge throws out a lawsuit against Blacksburg and the police department stemming from the death of a suspect.

[ANCHOR=Steve]
(ad lib weather)

(ad lib live tease)
[2-shot]

[BRUSH-FIRES]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=MEL]
[TAPE#FEED]
[GRAPHIC=Brush Fires]

Good Morning, I'm Melanie Moon.
The worst fires in Florida's history show no sign of giving in to firefighter's efforts this morning.
Tens of thousands have been forced to evacuate.
Lee Cowan has the latest.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[5:00:00-backup]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Ormond Beach, FL;]
[SUPER=01-Lee Cowan/Reporting;]
[RUNS=1:38]

[OUT Q=CBS NEWS][CLINTON-china]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=MEL]
[TAPE#net-]
[GRAPHIC=Bill Clinton]

President Clinton leaves Hong Kong for home tonight.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Hong Kong;]
[4:03:07]
Today, he's helping china celebrate one year of rule in Hong Kong, speaking up once again for freedom and human rights.
The president called on the once-booming colony to help lead Asia out of its turbulent financial times.
The white house has billed this speech the "second most" important of his trip.
(----------------)

[E-Taylor]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=THa]
[TAPE#98-46 40:24]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the mother of a man gunned down by Blacksburg police, saying a jury would find that officers acted reasonably.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg/August 9, 1995;]

Federal judge Samuel Wilson yesterday threw out the lawsuit filed against the town and several of its officers by Maurice Taylor's mother.
Taylor was shot 12-times after he pointed a mock handgun at three police officers attempting to arrest him inside the drug store.
The judge who dismissed the case wrote that the use of deadly force in this incident was justified and that it was Taylor who set the deadly chain of events in motion.
(----------------)

[S-Branham]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#98-31 TC 1:59:49]
[GRAPHIC=Hold]

A game of horseshoes-turned-deadly led to certification of murder charges in Amherst yesterday.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Amherst]

Police say 29-year old Kenneth Eugene Branham of Amherst County killed one man and wounded two others during a party on Memorial Day weekend.
Branham allegedly used a 12-guage shotgun to kill Richard Lee Eubank and wound Bobby Beverly and Ricky McDaniel.
Authorities believe Eubank was an innocent bystander when Branham went to confront Beverly and McDaniel about an argument they'd had earlier in the day.
Branham faced a preliminary hearing yesterday and may be indicted by a grand jury in October.
(----------------)

[Simmons-Plea]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=net-A; from 97-11, 4-23-97]
[GRAPHIC=Hold]

Brent Simmons will serve 20 years in prison.
(-------------)

Simmons is accused but not convicted of murdering two James Madison University students in 1996.
The victims were his former girlfriend, Margaret Olson, and her new boyfriend, Keith O'Connell.
Simmons' trial earlier this year ended in a mistrial when the jury deadlocked.
(--------------)
[anchor=Melanie]
[ss=hold]

Yesterday Circuit Judge Porter Graves accepted the 20-year plea agreement.
But relatives of the victims opposed the deal.
Graves says he agreed to the plea bargain because of the strong chances for Simmons' acquittal in a future trial.

[E-Hemp-Store]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=sta]
[TAPE#=98-54 98-54]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A store-owner in downtown Roanoke says the product he sells may provide a solution to the tobacco debate.
But local police are keeping an eye on the Blue Ridge Hemp Company, which sells products made from hemp, a marijuana look-a-like.
Stacey Martin has details.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Hemp has had]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :05 QUICK!!]
[SUPER=01-Kerry Underwood/Owner; :17]
[SUPER=03-Vinton; :25]
[SUPER=01-W. F. Brown/Vinton Police Department; :32]
[SUPER=04-File Tape; :40 QUICK!!]
[SUPER=@Stacey2; :49]
[RUNS=1:13]
[OUT Q=SM, News 7, Roanoke.]
((Hemp has had a twisted history in the U-S--now add one more knot--soap, rope--yes, even camel-colored Adidas tennis shoes, ALL made of 100 percent hemp-- giving customers at this store a new look at an old fabric.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 16.18.24 - 16.18.34]
[IN Q=Usually when they]
((KERRY UNDERWOOD/OWNER: USUALLY WHEN THEY LEAVE HERE THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT IDEA ABOUT HEMP AND THEY DON'T FEEL THE SAME WAY.)) [RUNS10]
[OUT Q=lot of questions.]

While hemp is a close cousin, it's NOT marijuana, though you'd have a hard time convincing officers of the law, who may think suspected growers were trying to string them along.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 15.32.37 - 15.32.45]
[IN Q=If we would]
((LT. W.F. BROWN/VINTON POLICE DEPT.: IF WE WOULD GO INTO A HOUSE AND THEY HAD SEVERAL DIFFERENT PLANTS AS WE HAVE DONE BEFORE AND THEY WOULD TRY TO EXPLAIN TO US THAT THEY WERE GROWING THIS FOR HEMP ROPE I WOULDN'T BELIEVE IT.)) [RUNS08]
[OUT Q=wouldn't believe it.]

That's because growing ANY type of cannibas was banned in the United States in the 1970s.
However, Underwood gets around the law by importing only finished products.
And, while he's in business to make a profit, he's hoping hemp will help revive the future of farming.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 16.19.45 - 16.19.54]
[IN Q=Our farmers are]
((KERRY UNDERWOOD/OWNER: OUR FARMERS ARE GETTING READY TO LOSE THEIR ONLY CASH CROP WHICH IS TOBACCO. AND, EVERYONE KNOWS THAT AND EVERYONE YOU TALK TO KNOWS THAT TOBACCO IS ON ITS WAY OUT. WHY NOT GIVE THEM HEMP TO GROW?)) [RUNS09]
[OUT Q=hemp to grow?]

After all, Underwood says, they'd only be taking a hint from the past.
Stacey Martin, News 7, Roanoke.))

[1-Sports]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=sports cut in]
[GRAPHIC=None]

To sports now, race fans are disappointed with the postponement of the Pepsi 400 in Daytona.
But as Roy Stanley tells us, the competitors agree with yesterday's announcement.
Good Morning Roy.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Good Morning]
[RUNS=1:29]
[OUT Q=later on morning.]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
(Melanie ad lib toss to Kimberly/Wx)

[One-Steve]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#M98-7]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]

[Roll Cold out of Break]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=welcome back]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon; :00]
[SUPER=13-Jason Mullis/Director, Co-Writer; :16]
[SUPER=12-Radford; :45]
[RUNS=2:48]
[OUT Q=News 7 Mornin' Returns]

(tape tosses to stocks)
[STOCKS] [COMM]

[S-Hiring-Freeze]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#98-53 12:57]
[GRAPHIC=Virginia State Seal]

A four-year-old hiring freeze in Virginia's state government is beginning to thaw.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond/Tuesday;]

Governor Jim Gilmore's signed an executive order, implementing a new hiring policy.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 15:09:52]
[IN Q=When an agency]
((DAVID ANDERSON/COUNSEL TO THE GOVERNOR: WHEN AN AGENCY HEAD DECIDES THAT THEY WANT TO FILL A VACANT POSITION, THEY WILL SEND A REPORT OF THAT UP TO THEIR CABINET SECRETARY. THE CABINET SECRETARY WILL HAVE FIVE DAYS TO REVIEW THAT, DETERMINE WHETHER IT'S WARRANTED OR NOT. IF IT'S WARRANTED, THEN THE AGENCY HEAD WILL GO AHEAD AND ADVERTISE THE POSITION.))
[SUPER=01-David Anderson/Counsel to the Governor; ]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=the position.]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond/December 1994;]

Former Governor George Allen froze state hiring in 1994.
By the end of Allen's term, many exceptions to the freeze had been granted-- after concerns that needed positions were going unfilled.
(----------------)
[TALENT=Melanie]
[SS=Jim Gilmore]

Governor Gilmore's order specifically praises state workers as one of Virginia's "most valuable assets," and says productive people need an atmosphere of high morale.

[E-Jubilee-Heights]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#98-41 1:08:47]
[GRAPHIC=Habitat for Humanity]

Habitat for Humanity has kicked off a new project in Lynchburg's Jubilee Heights subdivision.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

City officials helped break ground yesterday for the Jubilee Family Development Center on Florida Avenue in Lynchburg.
The 14-thousand square foot center will offer educational and recreational activities for the neighborhood's young children.
Habitat needs to raise 300-thousand dollars to fund the first phase of the project.
Construction should be finished by this winter.
(----------------)

[Health-Check]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=NET]
[GRAPHIC=Mornin Health Check]

In medical news, Federal researchers report a significant drop in the death rate for U-S infants.
And some scientist say a vaccine intended to prevent AIDS may instead cause the disease.
Melinda Wittstock has the details in today's Health check.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Melinda Wittstock/Reporting; :00 ]
[SUPER=@file; ]
[RUNS=1:14]
[OUT Q=I'M MELINDA WITTSTOCK, CBS NEWS, NEW YORK]
((
GOOD MORNING.
ENCOURAGING NEWS ABOUT AMERICA'S INFANT MORTALITY RATE.
VT=VO
((vo))
HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY THE NUMBER OF BABIES WHO DIE BEFORE THEIR FIRST BIRTHDAY HAS DROPPED BY ABOUT A THIRD SINCE 1980.
ACCORDING TO THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL... MORE INFANTS ARE LIVING THANKS TO IMPROVEMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY AND HEALTH CARE SERVICES.//
VT=VO
((vo))
DOCTORS ARE PLACING THEIR BETS ON A NEW AIDS VACCINE...
BUT SOME MEDICAL EXPERTS ARE CONCERNED THAT THE VACCINE MAY END UP GIVING PEOPLE H-I-V..INSTEAD OF PREVENTING IT.
IN STUDIES DONE ON MONKEYS, SCIENTISTS SAY THE WEAKENED AIDS VIRUS MUTATED INTO A MORE POTENT FORM-- EVENTUALLY CAUSING THE MONKEYS TO CONTRACT THE DISEASE.
RESEARCHERS SAY THE VACCINE CURRENTLY BEING TESTED ON HUMANS IS SAFE BECAUSE IT DOESN'T CONTAIN LIVE STRAINS OF THE VIRUS.//
VT=VO
((vo))
MEANTIME, SCIENTISTS ARE TRYING TO USE HARMLESS E-COLI BACTERIA TO WIPE OUT A DEADLY FORM OF THE GERM FOUND IN CATTLE.
RESEARCHERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA ARE FEEDING COWS THE SO-CALLED GOOD E-COLI...AND WITHIN WEEKS, THE BAD STRAINS ARE KILLED.
U.S. OFFICIALS SAY BETWEEN TEN AND 20-THOUSAND PEOPLE ARE INFECTED WITH E-COLI EACH YEAR.
MOST OF THESE ILLNESSES ARE LINKED TO UNDERCOOKED GROUND BEEF.
AND THAT IS A LOOK AT TODAY'S MEDICAL NEWS. I'M MELINDA WITTSTOCK, CBS NEWS, NEW YORK))

(ad lib to weather)

[Two-Steve]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#M98-7]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]

[Cold out of break]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Welcome Back]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon; :00]
[SUPER=07-Sherrie Austin; :22]
[SUPER=12-Radford; :38]
[RUNS=1:35]
[OUT Q=it works it happens]

[Steve Live]
(ad lib into weather)
(ad lib weather)
[2-HEADLINES]
[SUPER=#4050; Headline Banner]
[2-shot=mel]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Here's a look at today's top stories.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Northeast Florida is bracing for an Independence Day holiday that could turn into tragedy.
Wildfires are threatening urban areas, and already more than 40-thousand residents have been forced to leave their homes.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

A federal judge throws out a lawsuit filed against Blacksburg and some of the city's police officers.
Maurice Taylor was shot and killed in 19-95 while police were trying to arrest him.
His mother filed a wrongful death suit.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[ss=none]

And Lawmen in Utah are waiting to see if their attempt to smoke out two fugitives works before setting more fires.
They sparked blazes in the heavy brush along the San Juan River yesterday to draw out the men, accused of gunning down a Colorado policeman in May.
And that's what's making news on this Friday July 3rd.
[anchor=Steve]

News 7 Mornin' will be right back.

[2-BRUSH-FIRES]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=MEL]
[TAPE#net-]
[GRAPHIC=Brush Fires]

Some 40 thousand residents have been forced to leave their homes in northeast Florida as high winds fan out of control brush fires.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Volusia Co., FL]
[4:00:41]
The flames now threaten a 45-mile stretch of homes just north of Daytona Beach where smoke, flames and shut-down highways forced the postponement of the first night races at Daytona International Speedway.
The worst fires in state history have charred some 290-thousand acres since Memorial day and damaged or destroyed more than 100 homes and businesses.
(----------------)

[2-CLINTON-china]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=MEL]
[TAPE#net-]
[GRAPHIC=Bill Clinton]

President Clinton is wrapping up his visit to China the way he started it, by urging the country to improve human rights.
In Hong Kong today he spoke to business and community leaders on the theme of building stability in Asia for the 21st century.
He urged Hong Kong to set the pace for rescuing Asia from its financial crisis.
The president heads home tonight.

[2-E-Taylor]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=THa]
[TAPE#98-46 40:24]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]

The mother who claims her son was wrongly shot by Blacksburg police has had her lawsuit thrown out of court.
A federal judge says a jury would have found that police acted reasonably when they shot and killed Maurice Taylor inside a Blacksburg Revco.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg/August 9, 1995;]

Judge Samuel Wilson yesterday dismissed the lawsuit filed against the town and several of its officers by the man's mother.
Maurice Taylor was shot 12-times after he pointed a mock handgun at three police officers attempting to arrest him inside the drug store.
The judge who dismissed the case wrote that the use of deadly force in this incident was justified and that it was Taylor who set the deadly chain of events in motion.
(----------------)

[2-Simmons-Plea]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=net-; from 97-11, 4-23-97]
[GRAPHIC=Hold]

A judge has approved a plea agreement for Brent Simmons, who will serve 20 years in prison.
(-------------)
[vo-nat]
[super=04-File Tape]

Simmons is accused but not convicted of murdering two James Madison University students in 1996.
The victims were his former girlfriend, Margaret Olson, and her new boyfriend, Keith O'Connell.
Simmons' trial earlier this year ended in a mistrial when the jury deadlocked.
(--------------)
[anchor=Melanie]
[ss=hold]

Yesterday Circuit Judge Porter Graves accepted the 20-year plea agreement.
But relatives of the victims opposed the deal.
Graves says he agreed to the plea bargain because of the strong chances for Simmons' acquittal in a future trial.

[Tibbs-Sentence]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Hold]

Life in prison is the sentence for a 19-year-old woman convicted of killing a Lynchburg native last year.
Kelly Ann Tibbs burst into tears yesterday as the sentence was read.
She then turned to the mother of her victim, Stacey Hanna, and apologized.
Tibbs is one of four women convicted of killing Hanna last summer in Chesterfield County.
Hanna had just moved to the Richmond area when she was killed for reportedly interfering in a lesbian relationship.

[SMOKE-OUT]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#net-]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Law enforcement authorities are hoping to smoke out a pair of accused cop killers who are believed to be hiding in southeastern Utah. Fires were set yesterday in the rugged canyon country.
The reinvigorated effort to capture the two fugitives comes after a possible sighting on Sunday when they may have been spotted trying to steal a truck.
The search has been one of the West's largest manhunts, with more than 500 officers involved.

[E-Carilion]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=98-44 44:56]
[GRAPHIC=Carilion]

A high-tech system that transmits X-rays from one hospital to another has earned Carilion an award.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

The health-care company won Bell Atlantic's "Excellence in Networking Award" for this fiber-optic network.
It lets Carilion move lots of patient information in a short amount of time.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 17 22 17]
[IN Q=in some cases]
((DR. WAYNE GANDEE/RADIOLOGIST: IN SOME CASES THAT'S CRITICAL IN TERMS OF LIFE SAVING. OTHER TIMES IT'S A MATTER OF CONVENIENCE. IN EITHER CASE, THE MORE WE CAN REDUCE THE WAIT TIME FOR THE PHYSICIAN AND THE PATIENT, THE BETTER THE CARE PROVIDED.))
[SUPER=01-Dr. Wayne Gandee/Radiologist;]
[RUNS=11]
[OUT Q=CARE PROVIDED]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The quality of images transmitted on the system is almost as good as old-fashioned x-rays.
And the images can be sent from remote clinics to Roanoke Memorial Hospital in a matter of minutes.
Carilion was chosen from among 460 Virginia companies to receive the networking award.
(------------)

[Birthdays]
[SS=none]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT ]
[IN Q=(nat sot music)Fri.]
[RUNS=1:00]
[out= back to you.]

[Three-Steve]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#NONE]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]

[ROLL COLD OUT OF BIRTHDAYS]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Today on News 7]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon; :00]
[SUPER=13-Jason Mullis/Director, Co-Writer; :18]
[SUPER=12-Radford; :45]
[RUNS=2:29]
[OUT Q=Will pick it up]

[Steve Live]

[2-Shot=SPA & MEL]
(toss to Melanie)

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]
(ad lib toss to bump)
[BUMP-Chyron]
[COMM #6]

[2-S-Hiring-Freeze]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#98-53 12:57]
[GRAPHIC=Virginia State Seal]

A Virginia government hiring freeze in place since 1994 is coming to an end.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond/Tuesday;]

Governor Jim Gilmore's signed an executive order, implementing a new hiring policy.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 15:09:52]
[IN Q=When an agency]
((DAVID ANDERSON/COUNSEL TO THE GOVERNOR: WHEN AN AGENCY HEAD DECIDES THAT THEY WANT TO FILL A VACANT POSITION, THEY WILL SEND A REPORT OF THAT UP TO THEIR CABINET SECRETARY. THE CABINET SECRETARY WILL HAVE FIVE DAYS TO REVIEW THAT, DETERMINE WHETHER IT'S WARRANTED OR NOT. IF IT'S WARRANTED, THEN THE AGENCY HEAD WILL GO AHEAD AND ADVERTISE THE POSITION.))
[SUPER=01-David Anderson/Counsel to the Governor; ]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=the position.]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond/December 1994;]

Former Governor George Allen froze state hiring in 1994.
By the end of Allen's term, many exceptions to the freeze had been granted-- after concerns that needed positions were going unfilled.
(----------------)
[TALENT=Melanie]
[SS=Jim Gilmore]

Governor Gilmore's order specifically praises state workers as one of Virginia's "most valuable assets," and says productive people need an atmosphere of high morale.

[E-Lime-Kiln]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=sta]
[TAPE#=98-49 33:27]
[GRAPHIC=None]

New management for the Lime Kiln Theatre in Lexington says financial concerns have made efficiency a primary goal.

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lexington;]

Jennifer Anderson took over the top position last month.
She says congressional cuts to funding for the arts have made it harder for local theatre groups to survive.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 18.14.19 - 18.14.32]
[IN Q=Things have changed]
((JENNIFER ANDERSON/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: THINGS HAVE CHANGED A LOT IN THE ECONOMY AND MONEY OF COURSE IS HARDER TO COME BY SO WE'RE HOPING JUST TO MAKE THINGS RUN A LITTLE MORE EFFICIENTLY--FIND SOME NEW SOURCES FOR FUNDING TO MAKE THINGS RUN A LITTLE BETTER, A LITTLE SMOOTHER IN THE CHANGING ECONOMY.))
[SUPER=01-Jennifer Anderson/Executive Director;]
[RUNS=13]
[OUT Q=the changing economy.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The theatre has already shortened its season--showing two instead of three shows to cut costs.
Anderson said they're also offering a raffle to raise money later this summer.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]

The theatre is in its fifteenth season and is currently featuring the off-broadway musical, Oil City Symphony.

[E-Mentors]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=98-50 29:32]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Virginia's welfare reform program has been in action for several months now... and the results are coming in.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

Officials say over half of those taking part in the "Virginia Initiative for Employment not Welfare program" now have full- time jobs.
They believe employment mentors can help those participants KEEP their jobs.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT tape 1 10:18:16]
((RUTH HENDRICK/EMPLOYMENT SERVICES: MAYBE JUST OFFERING GENERAL ASSISTANCE IN TIME MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING, SO THAT THE INDIVIDUAL IS ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY ARRIVE AT THEIR JOB AND COMPLETE THE TASKS NECESSARY, WITHOUT LETTING THEIR HOME LIFE INTERFERE TO THE POINT THAT IT AFFECTS THEIR ABILITY TO DO A GOOD JOB.))
[IN Q=Maybe just offering]
[SUPER=01-Ruth Hendrick/Employment Services;]
[RUNS=:19]
[OUT Q=ABILITY TO DO A GOOD JOB]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

A staffing shortage in employment services put the mentor program on hold for a while.
But Hendrick says at least five mentors are now trained, and she's hoping matches can be made in the next month or so.
(------------)

[E-Cat-Vaccine]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=tfl]
[TAPE#=98-48 23:26]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Pet vaccines may prevent some diseases, but one veterinarian says vaccines make some cats vulnerable to tumors.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; ]
The chance of an indoor cat getting feline leukemia is almost non-existent because cats get it from contact with an infected cat. Now vets are saying the vaccine for feline leukemia causes malignant tumors between the shoulder blades from repeatedly getting the shot in the same place.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 10 32 56]
[IN Q=Generally when]
((DR. CONNIE CANODE/VETERINARIAN:GENERALLY, WHEN WE USED TO GIVE THE VACCINES ONLY BETWEEN THE SHOULDER BLADES, THAT'S WHERE WE OFTEN FIND THEM, NOW VETS ARE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT WHERE THEY GIVE THOSE VACCINES AND MONITORING WHAT BRAND OF VACCINE YOU USE. THE VACCINES ARE SPREAD ACROSS THE BODY NOW, SHOULDERS ARE EVEN BACK LEGS, DIFFERENT LOCATIONS DIFFERENT TIMES.))
[SUPER=01-Dr. Connie Canode/Veterinarian; ]
[RUNS=:19]
[OUT Q=different times]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Doctor Canode says that way vets know what's causing the tumor in case it happens.
(------------)

[E-IHOP]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=mORN]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=98-43 TC 47:23]
[GRAPHIC=None]

If chocolate chip pancakes tickle your food fancy, here's some good news.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

The International House of Pancakes is under construction in Roanoke.
It's going up on highway 220 in the Tanglewood Mall area.
Another one is being built in Christiansburg.
The IHOP chain has nearly 800-locations across the United States.
The restaurant is known for serving breakfast -- big breakfast -- at all hours of the day.
The IHOPs in our area are scheduled to open in September.
(------------)

[E-Cattle-Ranch]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=98-40 1:24:18]
[GRAPHIC=None]

How about a weekend getaway on a cattle ranch?
One Botetourt County family hopes that sounds appealing.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co.;]

Four generations have rounded up these herds the old-fashioned way -- with horses.
But it's tough to hang on when you're being driven out by big beef conglomerates.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 10:49:39]
[IN Q=It seems to me]
((LINDA PALMER/RANCHER: IT SEEMS TO ME THE PORK AND POULTRY PEOPLE HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB ADVERTIZING AND LOBBYING. THE CATTLE PEOPLE, THEY'RE SO INDEPENDENT, THEY DON'T GET TOGETHER.))
[SUPER=01-Linda Palmer/Rancher;]
[RUNS=:19]
[OUT Q=get together]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

But some who grew up on the farm have no intention of letting go.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 10:59:14]
[IN Q=I think]
((I THINK THERE'LL ALWAYS BE A NEED FOR BEEF WHETHER IT STAYS ON THE EAST COAST OR GETS PUSHED WESTWARD.))
[SUPER=01-Will Vest/Rancher;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=WESTWARD]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

For three hundred dollars you too can follow the longhorns for a weekend in August or September.
(------------)

[3-Sports]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=sports cut in]
[GRAPHIC=None]

In sports, former E-C-H-L coach and player Scott Gordon joins the Roanoke Express as head coach.
Roy Stanley has details.
Good Morning Roy.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Good Morning]
[RUNS=1:59]
[OUT Q=great day everybody.]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
(Melanie ad lib toss to Kimberly/Wx)
[Local-Recap]
[SUPER=#4059;Local Recap]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Now here's another look at today's top local stories:
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

A judge has ruled that the use of deadly force was necessary in the case of a man shot 12 times by Blacksburg police inside a Revco drug store.
The judge threw out a lawsuit filed by Maurice Taylor's mother against the town and several police officers.
Taylor was shot after pointing a fake handgun at officers who were attempting to arrest him.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Charges of murder and malicious wounding will stand against a man involved in a deadly game of horseshoes in Amherst County.
29-year old Kenneth Eugene Branham is charged with murdering Richard Lee Eubank and wounding two others with a shotgun on Memorial Day weekend.
A grand jury could indict Branham in October.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

A four year hiring freeze is coming to an end.
Governor Gilmore signed an order implementing a new hiring policy yesterday, saying state workers are one of Virginia's "most valuable assets".
Former Governor George Allen froze state hiring in 1994.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(Steve mic hot)
(ad lib weather)

[Promo]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net-O]
[GRAPHIC=Time Off OTS (9005)]

Like most of us, you're probably keeping your fingers crossed in hopes of nice weather for the July Fourth holiday...
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pulaski Co.;]

And if the sun is shining tomorrow, you might consider taking a trip down to the Claytor Lake State Park.
It's celebrating its 50th anniversary...not just with special events, but with a community project.
On anniversary weekends, the park is accepting donations of canned goods in lieu of parking fees.
So far, the park has collected more than five- thousand cans.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 2:12:58]
[IN Q=It's just fantastic]
((RICHARD JOHNSON/PARK MANAGER: IT'S JUST FANTASTIC, THE OUTPOURING, THE GENEROSITY, THE COMMUNITY HAS HAD. BUT IT'S A REALLY NICE THING THAT WE CAN DO TO GIVE SOMETHING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY))
[SUPER=01-Richard Johnson/Park Manager;]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=back to the community]
(------------)
[ANCHOR=MELANIE]
[GRAPHIC=TIME OFF FULL SCREEN (9402)]

Kimberly McBroom will profile Claytor Lake State Park in her "Time Off" segment.
Tune in for that tomorrow on News 7 Saturday morning.
(------------)
[2-shot=Melanie/Steve]
(live ad lib, tease tomorrow)
(ANDY GRIFFITH TRIVIA)
(ad lib bye)