[7E-Va-Storm-Damage]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#98-74 34:24]
[GRAPHIC=Winter Storm]


After leaving more than 300-thousand homes without electricity, Virginia Power officials say last week's ice storm is the worst to hit the state in five years.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Chesterfield Co.]


This morning, nearly 55-thousand homes and businesses are still in the dark, despite three round-the-clock efforts by Virginia Power crews.
But there is an end in sight.
(//////SOT//////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=The big circuits]

((TOM HYMAN/V.P. VIRGINIA POWER: THE BIG CIRCUITS ARE BACK IN. WE'RE NOW IN RESIDETIAL NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE RIGH HERE OFF OF ROUTE 5 HERE IN WILLIAMBURG. YEAH, WE'RE GETTING TO THE END OF THE LINE.))
[SUPER=01-Tom Hyman/Virginia Power Vice President;]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=of the line]
(---------------)

[vo-nat]
The power outages in freezing temperatures proved fatal to some elderly Virginians.
The State Medical Examiner yestrday confirmed that three deaths in the Richmond area were caused by hypothermia.
Each was discovered by neighbors, alone in their homes without power.
Two more Virginia deaths are being investigated as hypothermia-related.
At the height of the Christmas Eve storm, 310-thousand customers were without power, mostly in central and eastern Virginia.
(-------0---------)



[7E-L'burg-Sewer]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#98-68 1:43:41]
[GRAPHIC=Lynchburg Seal]


A little government help is making a 270 million dollar sewer repair bill easier to face for the city of Lynchburg.


State officials came through yesterday with a belated Christmas present.
Steve Smallshaw reports.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=A hundred years]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Pete Warren/Lynchburg Mayor; :18]
[SUPER=01-Sen. Steve Newman/(R) Lynchburg; :39]
[SUPER=@ssm2; :52]
[RUNS=:58]
[OUT Q=News7, Lynchburg.]

(( A hundred years ago, Lynchburg's sewer system was ahead of its time.. today, it allows unhealthy amounts of solid waste to overflow into the James River every time there's a heavy rain.
Fixing the problem is a 270- million dollar undertaking.. but three and a half million dollars from the state will help.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 5:12;39]
[IN Q=This assistance]

((PETE WARREN/LYNCHBURG MAYOR: THIS ASSISTANCE WILL HELP THE CITY ACCELERATE IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR CSO PROJECT, WHICH IS BY FAR OUR MOST IMPORTANT ENVIRONMENTAL PRIORITY AND CHALLENGE.)) [RUNS:09]
[OUT Q=and challenge.]


So far the city has received more than 11 million dollars in state and federal help.
If the economy continues to boom, these kinds of presentations could become an annual tradition.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 5:21:04]
[IN Q=This is an]

((SEN. STEVE NEWMAN/R- LYNCHBURG: THIS IS AN INITIATIVE WHERE THE GOVERNOR HAS LISTENED TO US AND HELPED US. CLEARLY TRADITION WILL HELP BE BENEFITTED BY ECONOMIC GOOD TIMES AND SO WE'RE ALL HOPING FOR THAT ON MANY LEVELS.)) [RUNS:13]
[OUT Q=on many levels.]


The extra help also means city residents won't see any more double digit increases in their sewer bills.
Steve Smallshaw, News7, Lynchburg.))


[7E-Rocket]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=98-70 1:49:21]
[GRAPHIC=None]


The Virginia Museum of Transportation is welcoming a long- awaited addition this morning.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]


The Roanoke rocket rolled through city streets yesterday on the way to its new home next to the Second Street Bridge.
Removed from Wasena Park a few months ago, the rocket had been under cover, while it was repainted and repaired.

(/////SOT/////)
[SOT ]
[IN Q=They just didn't design]

((RALPH SMITH: THEY JUST DIDN'T DESIGN IT TO SIT AROUND FOR 35 YEARS. WE HOPE THAT IT WILL BE HERE AND THE NEXT GENERATION WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE NEXT PAINT JOB.))
[SUPER=01-Ralph Smith/Ralph Smith Inc.]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=for the next paint job.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Officials at the Virginia Museum of Transportation say they're pleased to have the rocket re-united with the rest of their collection.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 00:51:23]
[IN Q=The rocket coming home]

((KAY STRICKLAND: THE ROCKET COMING HOME IS A GREAT EXCITING THING FOR US. ONCE AGAIN IT'S BESIDE A BRIDGE. AND IT'S TOTALLY RESTORED THANKS TO THE CITY OF ROANOKE AND RALPH SMITH. WE'RE JUST REAL THRILLED THAT WE CAN ONCE AGAIN HAVE THIS AS A LANDMARK FOR THE CITIZENS OF ROANOKE.))
[SUPER=01-Kay Strickland/Virginia Transportation Museum;]
[RUNS=:12]
[OUT Q=citizens of Roanoke.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


The Jupiter rocket has been a Roanoke landmark for more than 30 years.
It was brought to Roanoke from Hunstville Alabama in 1965.
(------------)


[7WEATHER]


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



Taking a look now at your Tuesday forecast..
Some scattered showers will fall today, under mostly cloudy skies.
Look for highs to reach the mid-40s.
Showers will end tonight, with some snow flurries possible by morning.
Lows will be in the upper-20s and low-30s.
The extended forecast...
[CK/WX PRO=]

MAPS

[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Mostly Cloudy/Scattered Showers/40-45/Rain Tapering Off/to Flurries Late/28-32;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]

[7BIRTHDAYS!] 12/30/98
Wednesday:

[SUPER=130-10/Brandy Steele/Christiansburg]



[SUPER=130-4/Holly Moses/Elliston]



[SUPER=130-6/Ashley Kitzmiller/Snow Creek]



[SUPER=130-13/Travis Hatcher/Christiansburg]



[SUPER=130-2/Antwann Wiley/Troutville]



[SUPER=130-2/Dillon Walters/Elliston]



[SUPER=130-59/Betty Lawson/Roanoke]


No Pictures:

[SUPER=131-/Nancy Jones/Rocky Mount][cutopen]
[SUPER=19-Melanie/Moon;]



[45Monty-Fall]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=THa]
[TAPE#98-65 1:42:58]
[GRAPHIC=None]


A construction worker is reported to be in critical condition this morning after falling 45 to 50 feet yesterday while working on the "Smart Road".
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Montgomery Co.;]


Authorities say 37- year old Wesley Burford was inside a concrete pillar when he slipped and fell into a pool of water.
The pillar will eventually support a bridge that will cut through Ellett Valley.
Burford was trapped for more than an hour before rescue crews were able to get him out.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It was cold]

((COLEN BISHOP/CHRISTIANSBURG RESCUE SQUAD:IT WAS COLD, KIND OF SCARY, BECAUSE THERE WAS NOTHING AROUND YOU EXCEPT FOR THE BASKET AS YOU WENT DOWN. ALL OF THE PEOPLE WERE TRYING TO HELP GUIDE THE BASKET BETWEEN THE METAL AND THE GUTTER AND THE REBARB GOING DOWN. ))
[SUPER=01-Colen Bishop/Christiansburg Rescue Squad; :00]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=going down.]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]


Burford broke both his legs and underwent surgery at Roanoke Memorial.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=none]


Authorities say Burford WAS wearing a safety harness.

[45Elliston-Ax]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=98-71 1:07:45]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident]


An accident in Elliston has taken the life of a Troutville woman.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Montgomery Co.]


It happened yesterday morning at about 11 o'clock.
Authorities say a dump truck collided with a car on the Route 460 straightaway.
The driver of the car, 51-year-old Vicki Suzanne Hopkins of Troutville, died shortly after the crash.
State Police are investigating, but so far no charges have been filed.
(------------)


[45E-Tax-Tips]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=98-72 1:22:14]
[GRAPHIC=Taxes]

[*****ANCHOR TAG*******]
Here's just one of several end of the year tax tips.
If you're thinking about converting your retirement account to a Roth I-R-A, now's the time to do it.
Scott Goldberg has more.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=With a Roth]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :20]
[SUPER=01-Gary Duerk/Brown, Edwards and Company; :25]
[SUPER=@Scott2; :40]
[RUNS=:48]
[OUT Q=SG N7]

(([pre pro page 1]
With a Roth I-R-A, you pay taxes up front, but don't pay taxes on your earnings or withdrawals. [pre pro page 2]
If you convert your traditional I-R-A to a Roth account by Thursday, the government will let you spread out that up-front tax payment over the next four years.
But you won't be able to deduct Roth I-R-A contributions on your tax returns. [two shot]
Accountant Gary Duerk said it's probably a good idea to get a Roth if you're 50 or younger and expect your income to go up.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 3:57]
[IN Q=if you]

((DUERK: IF YOU THINK YOUR MARGINAL INCOME RATE WILL BE LOWER, THEN YOU PROBABLY OUGHT TO LET YOUR TRADITIONAL IRA ALONE.)) [RUNS09]
[OUT Q=ira alone]
[pre pro #4]


Some other tax tips to keep in mind this year:
In 19-98, you can deduct 400-dollars for each dependent child in your household who's younger than 17.
And you can deduct another 15-hundred for each child in college.
Scott Goldberg, News-7.))
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]


Thursday is the deadline for giving charitable contributions and gifts.
You can deduct money you donate to charities.
And you can give family members gifts of up to 10-thousand dollars without paying a gift tax.

[45E-Patch-Adams]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=tfl]
[TAPE#=98-77 27:24]
[GRAPHIC=none]


Patch Adams took an estimated 25 million at the box office over the holiday weekend making it the nation's number one movie.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT tc 12:28:06]
[IN Q=Why do you]

((WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE A DOCTOR? IS IT JUST ME OR DO WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO? IT'S JUST A QUESTION, I THINK IT'S THE QUESTION.))
[SUPER=04-Universal Pictures; :00]

[RUNS:06]
[OUT Q=the question.]
(-------------)

[vo-nat]
The film stars Robin Williams as a medical student with a funny bedside manner.
The movie is based on a true story, in fact the real Patch Adams attended the Medical College of Virginia 30 years ago...
He was constantly breaking rules, and finding himself at odds with professors.
[SUPER=03-Pocahontas Co., WV;]


A few years ago he told News 7 that his dream is to create a health care village in Pocahontas County, West Virginia... where there would be no malpractice insurance, and care would be free for the poor.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT ub 01:44:29]
[IN Q=We're not the]

((DR. PATCH ADAMS: WE'RE NOT THE ANSWER TO AMERICA'S HEALTHCARE PROBLEMS, WE ARE A STIMULANT AND AN IRRITANT, WE WANT TO IRRITATE ANYBODY WHO THINKS THEY CAN'T DREAM BIG.))
[SUPER=07-Patch Adams]

[RUNS:10]
[OUT Q=dream big]
(-----------)

[vo-nat]
Universal Pictures has donated 500-thousand dollars to help market Adams' hospital idea.
It would be called the Gesundheit Institute.
(-------------)


[45WEATHER]


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


Time now to check the Tuesday forecast--
Mostly cloudy today, with scattered showers mixed with wet snow at times.
Highs in the lower 40s.
Rain will taper off to flurries overnight, with lows around 30.
Expect much colder, blustery conditions for tomorrow and the rest of the week...
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Mostly Cloudy/Scattered Showers/40-45/Rain Tapering Off/to Flurries Late/28-32;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]

[cutopen]
[SUPER=19-Melanie/Moon;]



[8S-Va-Storm-Damage]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#98-75 1:45:03]
[GRAPHIC=Winter Storm]


Based on massive power outages, Virginia Power says last week's ice storm was the state's worst in five years...

(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Chesterfield Co.]


About 55-thousand homes and businesses are still in the dark this morning despite several all-night efforts by Virginia Power crews.
But it's the cold that's been a killer.
The State Medical Examiner has confirmed three deaths of elderly people in the Richmond area were caused by hypothermia.
Each was discovered by neighbors, alone in their homes without power.
Two more Virginia deaths are being investigated as hypothermia-related.
At the height of the Christmas Eve storm, 310-thousand customers were without power, mostly in central and eastern Virginia.
(-------0---------)


[8Monty-Fall]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=THa]
[TAPE#98-65 1:42:58]
[GRAPHIC=None]


While working on the "Smart Road" yesterday, a construction worker plunged nearly 50 feet.
37-year- old Wesley Burford is reportedly in critical condition this morning.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Montgomery Co.;]


Authorities say he was inside a concrete pillar when he slipped and fell--landing in a pool of water.
The pillar will eventually support a bridge that will cut through Ellett Valley in Montgomery County.
Burford was trapped for more than an hour before rescue crews were able to get him out.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It was cold]

((COLEN BISHOP/CHRISTIANSBURG RESCUE SQUAD:IT WAS COLD, KIND OF SCARY, BECAUSE THERE WAS NOTHING AROUND YOU EXCEPT FOR THE BASKET AS YOU WENT DOWN. ALL OF THE PEOPLE WERE TRYING TO HELP GUIDE THE BASKET BETWEEN THE METAL AND THE GUTTER AND THE REBARB GOING DOWN. ))
[SUPER=01-Colen Bishop/Christiansburg Rescue Squad; :00]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=going down.]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]


Burford broke both his legs and was flown to Roanoke Memorial where he underwent surgery.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=none]


Authorities say Burford was wearing a safety harness but aren't certain if it was properly hooked up.

[8Elliston-Ax]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=98-71 1:07:45]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident]


A woman from Troutville was killed in an accident yesterday morning in Elliston.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Montgomery Co.]


It happened at about 11 o'clock.
Authorities say a dump truck collided with a car on the Route 460 straightaway.
The driver of the car, 51-year-old Vicki Suzanne Hopkins, was seriously hurt in the crash.
She died a short time later.
State Police are still investigating, but so far, no charges have been filed.
(------------)


[8E-L'burg-Sewer]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#98-68 1:43:41]
[GRAPHIC=Lynchburg Seal]


A belated Christmas gift from the state is helping the city of Lynchburg with its whopping 270- million- dollar sewer repair bill
Steve Smallshaw reports.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=A hundred years]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Pete Warren/Lynchburg Mayor; :18]
[SUPER=01-Sen. Steve Newman/(R) Lynchburg; :39]
[SUPER=@ssm2; :52]
[RUNS=:58]
[OUT Q=News7, Lynchburg.]

(( A hundred years ago, Lynchburg's sewer system was ahead of its time.. today, it allows unhealthy amounts of solid waste to overflow into the James River every time there's a heavy rain.
Fixing the problem is a 270- million dollar undertaking.. but three and a half million dollars from the state will help.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 5:12;39]
[IN Q=This assistance]

((PETE WARREN/LYNCHBURG MAYOR: THIS ASSISTANCE WILL HELP THE CITY ACCELERATE IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR CSO PROJECT, WHICH IS BY FAR OUR MOST IMPORTANT ENVIRONMENTAL PRIORITY AND CHALLENGE.)) [RUNS:09]
[OUT Q=and challenge.]


So far the city has received more than 11 million dollars in state and federal help.
If the economy continues to boom, these kinds of presentations could become an annual tradition.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 5:21:04]
[IN Q=This is an]

((SEN. STEVE NEWMAN/R- LYNCHBURG: THIS IS AN INITIATIVE WHERE THE GOVERNOR HAS LISTENED TO US AND HELPED US. CLEARLY TRADITION WILL HELP BE BENEFITTED BY ECONOMIC GOOD TIMES AND SO WE'RE ALL HOPING FOR THAT ON MANY LEVELS.)) [RUNS:13]
[OUT Q=on many levels.]


The extra help also means city residents won't see any more double digit increases in their sewer bills.
Steve Smallshaw, News7, Lynchburg.))

[8WEATHER]


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


Checking the Tuesday weather outlook--
Mostly cloudy skies today, with scattered rain showers mixed with wet snow at times.
Look for highs in the lower 40s.
The showers will taper off to flurries by tonight, as lows drop to near 30.
The four day forecast is calling for lingering flurries tomorrow and much colder temperatures for the rest of the week.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]

[SUPER=#555; reset] [SUPER=314-Mostly Cloudy/Scattered Showers/40-45/Rain Tapering Off/to Flurries Late/28-32;]
by SS