WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 11/26/98

[7E-Hugh-Finn]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#98-64 1:15:03]
[GRAPHIC=Right to Die]

Governor Gilmore exceeded his authority in the Hugh Finn case.
That's according to a Prince William County judge.
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@file;]

Michele Finn wanted her husband's feeding tube disconnected after he lived in a vegetative state for three and a half years.
Governor Gilmore tried unsuccessfully to intervene.
[super=03-Prince William Co.]

Finn's widow says she racked up 40-thousand dollars worth of legal bills fighting GIlmore.
Yesterday, a court said the state should pay her 13-thousand dollars.
(/////SOT////)
[SOT 21:20:05]
[SUPER=01-Greg Murphy/Michele Finn's Attorney ]
[super=01-Del. Bob Marshall/(R) Manassas;:]
[IN-Q=Taxpayers of Virginia]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=thought was the law.]
[TALENT=Melanie]
[SS=Hold]

The Judge ruled that the Governor exceeded his authority -- when he tried to intervene in the removal of Finn's feeding tube -- AFTER a court deemed the action legal.

[7E-Franklin-Murder]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=djo]
[TAPE#=98-75 1:19:32]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Investigation]

A North Carolina man who died in prison is the main suspect in the capital murder case involving a body found in Franklin County. Frank Kirkland, a known drug dealer, took his own life while in jail after being arrested on unrelated charges.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Officials say, based on the evidence, Kirkland had something to do with the murder of 23-year old (Willie Kathy) Willey Cathey. Cathey was found on a Franklin County driveway two weeks ago. It's believed his death was drug related.
(------------)

[7E-Pepper-Spray]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=98-71 45:25]
[GRAPHIC=Pepper Spray]

Roanoke County officials hope to wrap up their investigation into a pepper spray incident involving a 77- year old woman sometime next week.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./File Tape]

Goldie Akers was sprayed in the face on the morning of November 8th.
She was sitting in her parked car, facing the wrong direction when officer Russell Metcalf stopped to investigate.
Martinsville attorney Rickey Young says he was not surprised when he read about the incident in the newspaper.
In 1992, he represented a man who accused officer Metcalf of using excessive force during an arrest. The charge was dismissed.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 00:03:10]
[IN Q=So when I saw him]
((RICKEY YOUNG/MARTINSVILLE ATTORNEY: SO WHEN I SAW HIS NAME IN THE PAPER, I WAS LIKE, THERE HE IS AGAIN, MY FRIEND MR. METCALF. HE'S BACK. NOBODY BELIEVED US LAST TIME. MAYBE THEY'LL BELIEVE US NOW.))
[SUPER=01-Rickey Young/Martinsville Attorney;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=maybe they'll believe us now.]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[GRAPHIC=None]

County officials had hoped to complete their investigation of the most recent incident before Thanksgiving, but they say they still have a few issues to work out.

[7E-Ibarra]

[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=chu]
[TAPE#98-63]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The family of a man who died while working at Bassett Furniture has received a settlement from the company.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Henry Co.;]

After three years of fighting for his death benefits, the family of Gabino Ibarra (GAB-EENO EE-BEARA) announced yesterday that they've received a check.
The amount is believed to be about 64-thousand dollars.
Ibarra died in 1995 after falling through a 12-foot hole from the third floor of a Bassett warehouse.
His death benefits will go to his parents, who live in a shanty in the mountains of Mexico.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 6:46:12-:20]
[IN Q=I'd rather not thank]
((CAROL TRUJILLO/IBARRA'S SISTER-IN-LAW: I'D RATHER NOT THANK BASSETT BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT GOD IS A LITTLE BIGGER AND STRONGER THAN BASSETT AND EVERYBODY'S BEEN PRAYING ABOUT THIS.))
[SUPER=01-Carol Trujillo/Ibarra's Sister-In-Law;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=praying about this.]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]

In a statement from Bassett Furniture Industries, the company says it never wanted to deny benefits but just wanted proper evidence that Ibarra's parents were entitled to them.

[7WEATHER]

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

Taking a look now at your holiday forecast..
Winds could gust up to 25 miles an hour under partly sunny skies. Look for temperatures to be in the lower-60s.
Clear skies tonight, with a light breeze. Lows range from the mid-30s to about 40 degrees.
The extended forecast...
[CK/WX PRO=]
MAPS

[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Partly Sunny/Gusty Winds 15-25 MPH/60-65/Clear/Light Breeze/35-40;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
[7BIRTHDAYS!] 11/27/98
Friday:

[SUPER=130-5/Lawrence Crowder/Troutville]

[SUPER=130-13/Brandon Rutrough/Rocky Mount]

[SUPER=130-21/Devon Preston/Virginia Tech]

[SUPER=130-18/Stephanie Roop/Salem]

[SUPER=130-39/Beulah Kirtner/Radford]

[SUPER=130-6/Brittany Rigney/Vesta]

[SUPER=130-/Evelyn Broady/Clifton Forge]

Anniversary:
[SUPER=130-28th/Mr. & Mrs. George Allen/Saxe]

[SUPER=130-38/David Bowman/Dublin]

[SUPER=130-/Douglas Horstman, Jr./Blacksburg]
[cutopen]

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

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=98-79 1:50]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]

Hundreds of firefighters will spend their holiday battling a massive forest fire.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Augusta Co.]

The wildfire in George Washington and Jefferson National Forests has so far charred more than fifteen-hundred acres.
Some 450 firefighters from as far away as New Mexico and New Hampshire are joining forces to contain the blaze that was sparked Saturday.
They say the rain is NOT expected to help much.
Officials believe the fire was manmade.
(------------)

[45Botched-Robbery]

[ANCHOR=Mel]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=98-37 TC23:49]
[GRAPHIC=none]

A man who picked the wrong car to hijack will spend 14 years behind bars.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

On May 7th, 20 year old Antuan(an-Twan) Taylor paid 20 dollars for a stolen car and then went looking for money.
Prosecuters say that Taylor robbed a gas station worker who was walking to the bank with a large cash deposit.
When Taylors stolen getaway car would not start, he ran to the bank across the street.
Taylor then tried to steal Roanoke Police detective Ron Jones car. Jones chased Taylor for about 100 yards, tackeled him and recovered the money.
(------------)
[anchor=melanie]
[ss=none]
Taylor was sentenced this week.

[45E-Lake-PAB]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=98-68 1:03:15]
[GRAPHIC=SML]

Smith Mountain Lake Policy Advisory Board members may be paying more in rent if they're forced out of their current office.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@File;]

Ed Waters says if the Board does not fire its director, Hilde Hussa, he will pay them to move their office out of Bridgewater Plaza.
He says Hussa has brought negative publicity to Smith Mountain Lake by making it seem dirty.
For example, she took reporters to see volunteers cleaning up, but Waters says she constantly uses the words trash, garbage and debris.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 17:26:20]
[IN Q=She's done well]
((BOB WEBSTER/POLICY ADVISORY BOARD: SHE'S DONE WELL IN ORGANIZING THE NEW ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE. SHE HAS A LOT OF ATTRIBUTES YOU'D LIKE TO SEE IN A GOOD EFFICIENT ADMINISTRATOR. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME TIMES SHE'S SPOKEN OUT ON SUBJECTS AND IRRITATED PEOPLE. THAT WAS NOT INTENTIONAL.))
[SUPER=01-Bob Webster/Policy Advisory Board;]
[RUNS=:21]
[OUT Q=not intentional]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Board members are negotiating a lease on a new office across the street, it would mean an extra 900 dollars in rent money.
(------------)

[45E-Rocky-Mount]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=98-74 14:44]
[GRAPHIC=Franklin Co. Land Transfer]

Franklin County is so eager to get a new shopping plaza, it's willing to hand over more land to Rocky Mount.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co.;]

A super-Kroger shopping center that might also include restaurants and a movie theater is set for this land on Route 40 East of town.
But Kroger says it'll back out, unless the town or county runs sewer lines along this strip.
Franklin County supervisors agreed last night to give Rocky Mount about 83 acres and a share of the tax revenues.

That way the town will provide utilities.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=Hold]

This voluntary boundary adjustment is subject to two public hearings next month.

[45E-Indian-Taxes]

[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#98-77 8:23]
[GRAPHIC=Thanksgiving]

A Thanksgiving tradition continues in Richmond.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond;]

Yesterday Governor Gilmore accepted the annual tax tribute from the two Indian tribes who live on Virginia's only Indian reservations.
The Mattaponi (matta-puh-NYE) and Pamunkey (puh-MUN-kee) Indians have paid their taxes to Virginia governors in the form of beaver pelts, turkeys, and deer since 1646.
(-------0---------)

[45WEATHER]

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

Taking a look now at your holiday forecast..
Partly sunny skies today, with gusty winds. Highs in the low- to mid-60s.
Overnight, clear skies continue, with a light breeze. Expect lows in the upper-30s. The extended forecast...
[CK/WX PRO=]
MAPS

[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Partly Sunny/Gusty Winds 15-25 MPH/60-65/Clear/Light Breeze/35-40;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
[cutopen]

[SUPER=19-Melanie/Moon;][8E-Hugh-Finn]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#98-64 1:15:03]
[GRAPHIC=Right to Die]

He exceeded his authority in the Hugh Finn case, and now Governor Gilmore is responsible for a 13-thousand dollar bill.
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@file;]

Michele Finn wanted her husband's feeding tube disconnected after he lived in a vegetative state for three and a half years.
Governor Gilmore tried unsuccessfully to intervene.
[super=03-Prince William Co.]

Finn's widow says she racked up 40-thousand dollars worth of legal bills fighting GIlmore.
Yesterday, a Prince William County judge said the state should pay her 13-thousand dollars.
(/////SOT////)
[SOT 21:20:05]
[SUPER=01-Greg Murphy/Michele Finn's Attorney ]
[super=01-Del. Bob Marshall/(R) Manassas;:]
[IN-Q=Taxpayers of Virginia]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=thought was the law.]
[TALENT=Melanie]
[SS=Hold]

The Judge ruled that the Governor exceeded his authority -- when he tried to intervene in the removal of Finn's feeding tube -- AFTER a court deemed the action legal.

[8E-Franklin-Murder]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=djo]
[TAPE#=98-75 1:19:32]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Investigation]

Franklin County authorities say the main suspect in a murder case is a North Carolina man who died in prison. Frank Kirkland, a known drug dealer, took his own life while in jail after being arrested on unrelated charges.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Officials say, based on the evidence, Kirkland had something to do with the murder of 23-year old (Willie Kathy) Willey Cathey. Cathey was found on a Franklin County driveway two weeks ago. It's believed his death was drug related.
(------------)

[8E-Forest-Fire]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=98-79 1:50]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]

Firefighters from across America are away from home on this Thanksgiving day- battling a wildfire in Augusta County.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Augusta Co.]

The wildfire in George Washington and Jefferson National Forests has now consumed fifteen-hundred and thirty acres.

Some 450 firefighters from as far away as New Mexico and New Hampshire are joining forces to contain the blaze that was sparked Saturday.
They say the rain is NOT expected to help much.
Officials suspect the fire was caused by a human.
(------------)

[8E-Ibarra]

[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=chu]
[TAPE#98-63]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Bassett Furniture has reached a settlement with the family of a man who died while on the job.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Henry Co.;]

After three years of fighting for his death benefits, the family of Gabino Ibarra (GAB-EENO EE-BEARA) announced yesterday that they've received a check.
The amount is believed to be about 64-thousand dollars.
Ibarra died in 1995 after falling through a 12-foot hole from the third floor of a Bassett warehouse.
His death benefits will go to his parents, who live in a shanty in the mountains of Mexico.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 6:46:12-:20]
[IN Q=I'd rather not thank]
((CAROL TRUJILLO/IBARRA'S SISTER-IN-LAW: I'D RATHER NOT THANK BASSETT BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT GOD IS A LITTLE BIGGER AND STRONGER THAN BASSETT AND EVERYBODY'S BEEN PRAYING ABOUT THIS.))
[SUPER=01-Carol Trujillo/Ibarra's Sister-In-Law;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=praying about this.]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]

In a statement from Bassett Furniture Industries, the company says it never wanted to deny benefits but just wanted proper evidence that Ibarra's parents were entitled to them.

[8E-Indian-Taxes]

[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#98-77 8:23]
[GRAPHIC=Thanksgiving]

Although he's made a name CUTTING taxes, Governor Gilmore was happy to accept a contribution for the state yesterday.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond;]

Gilmore accepted the annual tax tribute from the two Indian tribes who live on Virginia's only Indian reservations.
The Mattaponi (matta-puh-NYE) and Pamunkey (puh-MUN-kee) Indians have paid their taxes to Virginia governors in the form of beaver pelts, turkeys, and deer since 1646.
(-------0---------)