WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 11/12/98

[7E-Accident]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=vga]
[TAPE#=98-74 6:37]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident]

An accident on Route 2-21 Tuesday killed an elderly Roanoke man.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.]
[from TAPE#=98-66 37:49]
88-year old Fred Thomas Heslep died Tuesday night after a car hit the driver's side of his vehicle at the intersection of 2-21 and Chatsworth Drive at about 6:30.
Police say the other driver, 23-year-old Taleena Charlesworth, will probably NOT be charged.
(------------)

[7E-Air-Bags]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=98-75]
[GRAPHIC=Airbags]

The airbag in your car may be a lifesaver, but if you have small children, it can also be a killer.
The federal government says the airbag can be turned off if it threatens you or your children, but that's often easier said than done.
Eric Earnhart reports.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Myra Guillams loves everything.]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=07-Mary Guilliams; :13]
[SUPER=@Eric1; :38]
[SUPER=01-Mary Cole/Airbag Victim; 1:01]
[RUNS=1:40]
[OUT Q=EE, News 7]
((Myra Guilliams loves everything about her new Suzuki... except the passenger side airbag...
After learning how the bags can injure or kill children in low-speed accidents... she worried about her son.

[SOT 01:14:47]
[IN Q=from time to]
((MYRA GUILLIAMS; FROM TIME TO TIME, HE'S HAD TO BE UP HERE, AND IT CONCERNS ME, NOT ONLY FOR HIM BUT FOR OTHER CHILDREN I'VE HAD TO HAVE UP FRONT.)) [RUNS07]
[OUT Q=have up front]

So she applied for and recieved government approval for a cut-off switch... but couldn't find anyone who would install it.
She said dealerships told her they didn't want to risk being sued.

[SOT 01:16:24]
[IN Q=It's crazy]
((MYRA GUILLIAMS; IT'S CRAZY THAT YOU CAN'T PURCHASE A CAR AND HAVE IT REPAIRED WHEN IT CAN BE A HAZARD TO YOUR FAMILY. )) [RUNS09]
[OUT Q=to your family]

Here at First Team Auto Mall, where Guilliams bought the car, they say there's a very good reason why they can't install a cutoff switch, it doesn't exist, Suzuki hasn't made the parts yet. Once they do they'll have to decide if they want to risk the liability of installing them.

Mary Cole knows the low-speed hazards of airbags first hand...
Her's activitated when her Honda was rear-ended at less than 15 miles an hour.

[SOT 01:29:32]
[IN Q=I couldn't see]
((MARY COLE/AIRBAG VICTIM; I COULDN'T SEE WHERE I WAS, I COULDN'T SEE OUT MY WINDOW BECAUSE THE BAG WAS IN MY FACE AND THERE WAS SMOKE. SO I DIDN'T.. A CAR HIT ME FROM BEHIND SO I DIDN'T KNOW IF I WAS OUT IN TRAFFIC... )) [RUNS11]
[OUT Q=out in traffic]

And she says it cost more than a thousand dollars to replace and repair the damage caused by the airbags themselves.

While she believes airbags are lifesavers in higher speed crashes... she's nervous in bumper to bumper traffic now... and doesn't like hearing she might not be able to find anyone to install a cut-off switch.

[SOT 01:32:29]
[IN Q=But I think you should]
((MARY COLE/AIR BAG VICTIM; I THINK YOU SHOULD DEFINITLY HAVE THE CHOICE TO TURN IT OFF)) [RUNS03]
[OUT Q=turn it off]

Guilliams says is she can find someone to turn her airbag off... she may have to get another car.
Eric Earnhart, News 7.))

[7E-Mitch-Medic]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=sta]
[TAPE#=98-62 1:16:00]
[GRAPHIC=Mitch Aftermath]

Hurricane Mitch has devastated the school systems in at least one Central American country.
In Nicaragua, officials say classes will not resume in some schools until February.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

A local Vietnam vet is heading to Nicaragua to help distribute medical aid to the hurricane victims.
Curtis Cloud is working with the Penn Forest Church of God to recruit doctors and nurses.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 12.08.06 - 12.08.17]
[IN Q=They're going to be]
((CURTIS CLOUD: THEY'RE GOING TO BE EXPECTED TO GO OVER THERE FOR A ONE TO TWO WEEK MINIMUM AND A MONTHS TO TWO MONTHS MAXIMUM. I DON'T THINK ANYONE WOULD BE ABLE TO GO OVER THERE AND SPEND MUCH MORE TIME THAN THAT.))
[SUPER=07-Curtis Cloud;]
[RUNS=11]
[OUT Q=more time than that.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Cloud is hoping to organize teams of 5 to 10 volunteers.
The Penn Forest Church of God is overseeing the effort and will hold a meeting for volunteers November 18th and 19th.
You can contact the church if you'd like to help.
(------------)

[7WEATHER]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=CUTINS]
[WRITER=KMC]
[TAPE #=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Taking a look now at your Thursday forecast..
Another pleasant day ahead, with sunny skies, light winds and mild temperatures in the low- to mid-60s.
Clear skies overnight. Lows should drop into the lower-30s.
The extended forecast calls for some showers this weekend...
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MAPS

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[7BIRTHDAYS!] 11/13/98
Friday:

[SUPER=130-12/Marcus Day/Roanoke]

[SUPER=130-/Stephanie Poff/Copper Hill]

[SUPER=130-13/Kia Taylor/Roanoke]

Anniversary:
[SUPER=130-50th/Raleigh & Nannie Overstreet/Moneta]

[SUPER=130-12/Adam Cheslow/Salem]

[SUPER=130-38/Paula Marshall/Roanoke]

[SUPER=130-5/Hannah Palmer/Troutville]

[SUPER=130-3/Jeremiah Dunnavant/Lexington]

[SUPER=130-40/Kim Joyce/Collinsville]

[SUPER=130-11/Paul Robertson/Moneta]

[SUPER=130-16/Meagan LaPrade/Roanoke]

[SUPER=130-6/Shane Wheeler/Buena Vista]

[SUPER=130-1/Tori Scruggs/Rocky Mount]

Anniversary:
[SUPER=130-50th/Posey & Elsie Poindexter/Glade Hill]

[cutopen]

[SUPER=19-Melanie/Moon;][45E-Reasor]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#98-68 46:32]
[GRAPHIC=Virginia Capitol]

A state senator is stepping down and changing sides.
Bluefield State Senator Jack Reasor be taking over as C-E-O of the million customer Old Dominion Electric Cooperative.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond/File Tape;]

Reasor has been the Senate's expert -- protecting the interests of citizens in the move to deregulate Virignia's power industry.
Now he'll be playing for the other guys.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 22:44:47 ]
[IN Q=Well what]
((STEVE CALOS/COMMON CAUSE OF VIRGINIA: WELL WHAT HE'S DOING IS CERTAINLY LEGAL, BUT IT SMELLS. IT'S A LOSS TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY CERTAINLY. IT'S GAIN FOR THE INDUSTRY. AND I GUESS THAT'S ANOTHER REASON FOR CONCERN AS WELL.))
[SOT 11:23:39]
((SENAOR JACK REASOR: I THINK IT'S A GOOD CAREER CHANGE, AN OPPORUTNITY FOR ME AND IT'S GOING TO GIVE ME, I HOPE, A LOT MORE TIME WITH MY FAMILY AND HELP US TO PREPARE FOR OUR FUTURE.))
[sot 02:35:19]
((LARRY SABATO/U.Va. POLITICAL ANALYST: NO ONE WOULD BLAME JACK REASOR FOR DOING WHAT'S IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF HIS FAMILY AND HIS OWN CAREER. CLEARLY THERE ARE DEMOCRATS WHO ARE UPSET SINCE HE WAS AN ABSOLUTELY SECURE INCUMBENT.))
[SUPER=01-Steve Calos/Common Cause of Virginia; :00]
[SUPER=01-Sen. Jack Reasor/(D) Bluefield; :11]
[SUPER=01-Larry Sabato/UVa Political Analyst; :20]
[RUNS=:29]
[OUT Q=secure incumbent.]
[TALENT=Melanie]
[SS=hold]

A special election has NOT yet been scheduled to replace Reasor.

[45E-Goldman-Radio]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#98-56]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Meantime, a former Democratic party chairman will be sharing his political views with a radio audience.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond;]

Paul Goldman is taking his talents to talk radio two hours every weekday on Richmond's new all news station.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 23:08:11]
[IN Q=Did you]
((PAUL GOLDMAN/TALK RADIO HOST: DID YOU KNOW THAT SINCE GOVERNOR HOLTON, WHO'S FROM YOUR WAY, WAS GOVERNOR, THE COST OF THE LEGISLATURE TO THE TAXPAYERS OF VIRGINIA HAS GROWN TO 50 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR? IT'S GONE UP 2500 PERCENT.))
[SUPER=01-Paul Goldman/Talk Radio Host;]
[RUNS=:19]
[OUT Q=hundred percent.]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]

Goldman and former lawmaker Alexander McMurtrie can legitimately take some credit in the current legal challenge to legislative pay raises.
(----------------)
[TALENT=Kimberly]
[SS=none]

Their legislative watchdog show hits the airwaves later this month.[45E-NRV-Veterans]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=djo]
[TAPE#=98-61 1:42:30]
[GRAPHIC=Veterans Day]

As the threat of war looms in the Gulf, yesterday was a time to remember past world conflicts and military heroes on Verterans Day.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Dublin;]
Close to home, a Dublin man was honored for his service during the Vietnam War.
I-C (Mau-drick) Modrick was held as a prisoner of War, and says yesterday's ceremony in his hometown was quite a contrast to his homecoming 30 years ago, when he says strangers spit at him.
(------------)

[wipe wipe wipe wipe*][45E-L'burg-Veterans]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#98-64 1:00:40]
[GRAPHIC=wipe]
(WIPE WIPE WIPE)
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
((NAT SOT GUNFIRE))
[RUNS=:04]
[OUT Q=nat sot gunfire]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg;]

Sounds of a rifle salute rang out over Monument Terrace in Lynchburg.
That's where veterans from every American conflict from World War One to the Persian Gulf war gathered to honor their fallen comrades.
Among them were six men who took part in the D-Day invasion in 1944.
(----------------)

[wipe wipe wipe][45E-WWI-Vet]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=djo]
[TAPE#=98-66 39:30]
[GRAPHIC=wipe wipe wipe]

[wipe wipe wipe]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

In Salem, 98-year old Cary Campbell said it was day for Americans to reflect on how wars affect the world.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT=13:53:07]
[IN Q=WORLD WAR ONE]
((CARY CAMPBELL/WWI VETERAN; WORLD WAR ONE WAS FOUGHT TO END WARS, BUT HAS NOT ENDED WARS. WE'RE STILL HAVING WARS AND WE WILL HAVE WARS AS LONG AS TIME LAST BECAUSE MEN WILL NOT ACCEPT ONE ANOTHER.))
[SUPER=01-Cary Campbell/World War 1 Veteran;]
[RUNS=:23]
[OUT Q=ONE ANOTHER.]
(------------)
[anchor=melanie]
[graphic=none]

Yesterday also marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War 1.

[45WEATHER]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=CUTINS]
[WRITER=KMC]
[TAPE #=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Checking the forecast--
Sunny and mild today, with highs in the lower 60s.
Clear skies overnight, with a light breeze.
Lows falling into the lower 30s.
The four day outlook is dry through tomorrow, with showers possible on Saturday.
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[cutopen]

[SUPER=19-Melanie/Moon;][8E-Franklin-Body]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=98-57 1:37:21]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Authorities in Franklin county are following a trail to North Carolina in their investigation of a black man found partially burned yesterday.
The unidentified man was found face down off Route 756 in the (SID-norsville) section of the County.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co.;]

Deputies say the man suffered two fatal gunshot wounds.
He was wearing a sports shirt, underwear and gold bracelets, but no pants.
Deputies are pursuing leads in Rockingham County, North Carolina.
(------------)

[8E-Accident]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=vga]
[TAPE#=98-74 6:37]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident]

An elderly Roanoke man died following a car accident on Route 221 Tuesday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.]
[from TAPE#=98-66 37:49]
88-year old Fred Thomas Heslep died Tuesday night after a car hit the driver's side of his vehicle at the intersection of 221 and Chatsworth Drive around 6:30.
Police say the other driver, 23-year-old Taleena Charlesworth, will probably NOT be charged.
(------------)

[8E-Middle-School]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=THa]
[TAPE#98-69 56:59]
[GRAPHIC=Education]

Officials in Blacksburg are trying to come up with a plan to relieve overcrowding at local middle schools.
The majority of board members are supporting the idea of building a NEW middle schol and renovating the CURRENT one.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]

The majority of the board would also like to see a new Blacksburg high school built in the near future.
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg;]

The Board's decisions are only recommendations-- the ultimate decision is up the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors.
The school board decided to revisit the issue after Supervisors indicated the board should consider building a new high school and converting the currrent one into a second middle school.
The recommendation angered many parents and faculty who voiced their opinions -- before the school board decided to stick by its original position.
(/////SOT/////)
[7:51:00]
[SOT]
[IN Q=If you sink]
((GARY MCCOY/BLACKSBURG MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL:IF YOU SINK MILLIONS INTO A NEW HIGH SCHOOL IT IS DOUBTFUL THERE WILL BE MONEY LEFT OVER TO RENOVATE THE PRESENT MIDDLE SCHOOL OR THE VACATED HIGH SCHOOL SO WE AS MIDDLE SCHOOLS WIL AGAIN INHERIT OR BE LEFT WITH ANOTHER BUILDING THAT WE MUST USE THAT IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO THE MIDDLE SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY. ))
[SUPER=01-Gary McCoy/Middle School Principal; :00]
[RUNS=:19]
[OUT Q=school philosophy.]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]

The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors meets tonight and will likely discuss the issue.
(----------------)

[8E-Chinese-Teacher]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=98-58]
[GRAPHIC=none]

You've heard of Roanoke's Sister CITIES program-- now the Star City may adopt a sister STATE in China.
That would allow local doctors, judges and horticulturists to fly there.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

(Nee-eh We-fong) Nie Huifang is the latest visitor from Roanoke's sister city, (Lee Zhong) Li Jiang.
She's an English teacher who says classes in China are longer and more rigid, with less student input.
But she says her province, Yunnan, is very similar to Virginia.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 11:09:52]
[IN Q=The Virginia ham]
((THE VIRGINIA HAM ORIGINATED IN YUNNAN. SO I TELL PEOPLE FROM YUNNAN, COME TO VIRGINIA IF YOU WANT YUNNAN HAM.))
[SUPER=01-Pearl Fu/Exchange Program Coordinator;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=if you want Yunnan ham]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Fu also wants to include more than just teachers in the new exchange program.
She's recruiting other professionals to visit Yunnan as well.
(------------)

[8E-Avi]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=98-76 2:58]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Some local children got to meet one of their literary heroes at a local bookstore yesterday--
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
Last Night, nearly 150 kids turned out at the Ram's Head Bookstore to meet Avi (ah-vee).
The Newberry Award winner has written such books as "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" and "Nothing But the Truth".
Avi is in the area for a visit to Radford University.
His latest book is "Perloo (Purr-lew) The Bold"
(------------)

[8WEATHER]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=CUTINS]
[WRITER=KMC]
[TAPE #=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Shifting gears now to the Thursday forecast--
Sunny and mild today, with high temperatures in the lower 60s.
Tonight looks clear and cool, with a light breeze, as lows fall into the lower 30s.
In the extended outlook, partly sunny for Friday, with showers possible by Saturday.
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