WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 02/12/99

[7E-Trashnet]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=98-82 52:08]
[GRAPHIC=Out of State Garbage]

Bloody sheets, used syringes, and biohazard bags.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond;]

That's just part of the one or two tons of illegal trash Governor Jim Gilmore showed off yesterday at a Capitol news conference.
[SUPER=04-Va. Dept. of Environ. Quality;]

The medical waste was caught on tape -- pouring off a Brooklyn trash truck into a central Virginia mega-landfill.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 13:02:00 ]
[IN Q=We have]
((GOV. JIM GILMORE: WE HAVE HERE SYRINGES. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY CONTAIN. WE DON'T KNOW WHETHER IT CONTAINED MEDICATION OR BLOOD. WE ARE ALL AWARE OF THE SEVERE PROBLEM OF CONTAGIOUS DISEASES, SOME OF WHICH HAVE NO CURE.))
[SUPER=@Gilmore;]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=no cure.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Virginia is pursuing a court order to ban other medical waste, looking into revoking illegal hauler's truck permits, and adding up fines against Houston-based Waste Management Incorporated.
(------------)

[7E-81-Enforcement]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=98-77 1:26:34]
[GRAPHIC=81 - More Patrols]

As efforts to improve safety on Interstate 81 escalate, speeds continue to escalate on the highway.
In a recent study, 35 out of 40 cars and trucks clocked in a one hour period were caught speeding well above the 65-mile an hour limit.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.]

The Governor has plans to re-assign as many as 50 state troopers to I-81. Once the new directive takes effect, the race may change.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 11:43:05]
((YOU KNOW THE SEMI'S SEEM TO BE TRUCKING ALONG ABOUT 75. THEY SEEM TO SET A NICE PACE FOR THE REST OF THE PEOPLE.)) ((YOU HAVE TRUCK DRIVERS RUNNING DOWN THE ROAD AT 70 MILES AN HOUR AND THEY'RE FIVE FEET OFF EACH OTHER'S BUMPER. AND TO ME THAT'S A BIGGER PROBLEM THAN SPEED IS.))
[SUPER=01-Barry Carlson/New York Motorist; :00 QUICK!!!!]
[SUPER=01-Robert Comfort/Florida Truck Driver; :05]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=the speed is.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The Governor's directive addresses that, too.
Gilmore wants troopers to watch for motorists following too closely and making improper lane changes.
Stepped up enforcement will begin in the next few days- -saturating certain areas-- especially those where Interstates intersect- -near Wytheville, Roanoke, Lexington and Staunton.
(------------)

[WIPE WIPE WIPE]

[7E-State-Police]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=sta]
[TAPE#=98-78 1:07:59]
[GRAPHIC=WIPE WIPE WIPE]

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

State police say speeding along the highway has become a huge hazard in recent years. A few major accidents along the interstate have just brought more attention to the problem.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 15.16.24 - 15.16.37]
[IN Q=We have had three]
((SGT. FRANK DUFFY/STATE POLICE: WE HAVE HAD THREE MAJOR CRASHES HERE ON THE INTERSTATE SYSTEM. ON INTERSTATE 81 -- THAT INVOLVED A LARGE NUMBER OF VEHICLES, TRUCKS AND CARS THEY HAVE GOT NATIONAL ATTENTION. ))
[Super=01-Sgt. Frank Duffy/State Police;]
[RUNS= 13]
[OUT Q=got national attention.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

State Police statistics indicate 15 people died in traffic accidents last year along Interstate 81 in Roanoke County, Botetourt, Montgomery, and Rockbridge County.
Duffy said he hopes the initiative makes it clear officers will have zero tolerance for speeders and will enforce posted speed limits on a strict basis.
(------------)

[7E-JPS-Conductor]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=98-79 1:21:46]
[GRAPHIC=JPS Plant Closing]

One hundred and eighty more textile workers will be out of a job come summertime.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Rocky Mount;]

J-P-S Conductor and Industrial Corporation says its Rocky Mount plant will shut down by June.
Employees here make the linings for women's jackets.
But officials say Far East factories can make clothes more cheaply -- so now they'll focus on their South Boston plant which is more modern.
Meanwhile Rocky Mount's town manager says a new program is in the works for laid off employees.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 10:43:29]
[IN Q=This consortium]
((THIS CONSORTIUM WOULD ASSIST IN JOB TRAINING. WE ARE CURRENTLY TRYING TO FIND A LOCATION FOR THIS JOB TRAINING EFFORT.))
[SUPER=01-Keith Holland/Rocky Mount Town Manager;]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=training effort]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The town manager says it's time to recruit computer software and communications companies -- NOT textiles.
(------------)

[7WEATHER]

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

Taking a look now at your Friday forecast.. Today could shape up to be the warmest day yet, with temperatures forecasted to reach 70. It will be wet one though, with showers, storms, and windy conditions.
And a BIG change is ahead overnight. Temperatures will plunge into the low-20s, with the possibility of some flurries by morning...
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MAPS

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[7BIRTHDAYS!] 2/13/99
Saturday:

[SUPER=130-18/Jennifer Smith/Callaway]

Anniversary:
[SUPER=130-6th/Leroy & Nancy Nellum, Jr./Bedford]

[SUPER=130-15/Michael Waddy/Penhook]

[SUPER=130-1/Darius Poindexter/Penhook]

[SUPER=130-10/Angel Leftwich/Bedford]

[SUPER=130-31/David Holdren/Henderson, TN]

[SUPER=130-5/Zane Prillaman/Wirtz]

[SUPER=130-6/Jeb Stuart Gildon/Danville]

[SUPER=130-/Doris Fulcher/Salem]

[SUPER=130-/Raymond Jennings/Woodlawn]

No Pictures:

[SUPER=131-16/Michael Wooding/Salem]

[SUPER=131-/Sherri Davidson/Bedford]

[SUPER=131-/Bobby Van Dyke/Christiansburg]

[SUPER=131-15/Sylvia Cameron/Willis][cutopen]
[SUPER=19-Melanie/Moon;]

[45Cressell-Lawsuit]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Cressell]

Another court defeat for Emmett Cressell Junior, this time over jail conditions.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@file]

U-S District Judge Samuel Wilson ruled yesterday that Cressell is not entitled to exercise and an education while he's in jail.
In December, Cressell sued for 500-thousand dollars, claiming discrimination because he's the only Grayson County jail inmate who cannot take G-E-D classes or use the jail's exercise bike.
Cressell is serving a life sentence for the July 19-97 slaying of Garnett Johnson and is awaiting transfer to a state prison.
(------------)

[45E-Shelor]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=98-80 1:35:00]
[GRAPHIC=Shelor Tax Fight]

A Montgomery County judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Shelor automotive against the County.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg]

Yesterday, he ruled the car dealership may proceed with its million dollar lawsuit.
Shelor is suing over the merchants capital tax-- which is the yearly tax county businesses pay on unsold inventory.
Shelor officials say high volume businesses are at a clear disadvantage.
For that reason, Shelor would like the tax either abolished or lowered.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I don't]
((LARRY SHELOR/SHELOR AUTOMOTIVE PRESIDENT: I DON'T THINK THE LAWSUIT IS GOING TO DETERMINE WHAT HAPPENS, IT'S A POLITICAL PROCESS, AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN FIND SOMEWAY TO TALK TO THEBOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND FIND A SOLUTION THAT IS GOOD FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED.))
[SUPER=01-Larry Shelor/Shelor Automotive President; ]
[RUNS=15]
[OUT Q=everybody involved.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

On Tuesday, the County approached Shelor about dropping the lawsuit.
If Shelor would agree, County officials say they would overlook what they claim are newly discovered unpaid taxes.
Shelor says the deal was nothing more than quote "legal extortion."
(------------)

[45E-Peaks-Movie]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=98-76 1:36:49]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Hollywood may be coming to the Peaks of Otter, that's if the National Park Service doesn't get in the way.
Two area Congressman are among those trying to convince the Park Service that the production of a feature film could mean big returns for the region.
Joe Dashiell reports.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Warm temperatures and sunny skies]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Barbara Ring/Bedford Area Chamber of Comm.; :12]
[SUPER=07-Rebecca Jordan; :46]
[SUPER=07-Mimi Harris; :55]
[super=@Joe2; 1:04]
[RUNS=1:10]
[OUT Q=JD News 7 Bedford Co.]

((Warm temperatures and sunny skies bring hikers to the trails around Lake Abbott.
This spring, the scenery may also bring a hollywood film crew to the Peaks of Otter Lodge.
[SOT]
[IN Q=I think]
((BARBARA RING/BEDFORD AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: I THINK THE ECONOMIC BENEFIT FOR THE AREA AS WELL AS THE NUMBER OF TOURISTS IT'S GOING TO BRING THE PARKWAY IN THE FUTURE IS JUST GOING TO BE TREMENDOUS.)) [RUNS:08]
[OUT Q=tremendous]

Bedford County businesses are excited about the prospect of Sandra Bullock and Garth Brooks shooting the romantic comedy nearby ... Not so the National Park Service.
Officials have concerns about construction at the lodge, and the impact on parkway visitation.
Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Gary Everhardt says the lack of detailed plans has made it difficult to assess the impact of the project.
But on a sunny afternoon, parkway visitors were hoping the movie would be made.
[SOT]
[IN Q=I think it will help]
((REBECCAS JORDAN: I THINK IT WILL HELP TO ENHANCE THE AREA AS FAR AS PEOPLE COMING TO THE AREA AND ENJOYING THIS AREA, AND I THINK IT'S GOOD BUSINESS FOR THIS PLACE.)) ((MIMI HARRIS: I THINK WHEN IT'S OVER WITH, I DON'T THINK YOU'LL EVEN KNOW THEY'VE BEEN HERE.)) [RUNS 13]
[OUT Q=they've been here.]

Meanwhile, Congressmen Bob Goodlatte and Virgil Goode have scheduled a meeting with park service officials... They hope a change of heart will let the cameras roll.
Joe Dashiell News 7 Bedford County))

[45WEATHER]

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

Turning now to weather--
Showers and thunderstorms will be moving into the area today, with highs in the upper 60s.
A cold front will rapidly drop temperatures into the teens and 20s by tonight, with snow flurries possible.
And the long- range outlook includes colder weather for the weekend, with a gradual warm-up by Wednesday.
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[cutopen]
[SUPER=19-Melanie/Moon;]

[8S-Covington-Bomber]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=98-81 1:01:14]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]

A Greenbrier County judge has ruled that four people accused in a car bomb conspiracy CAN go to trial.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lewisburg, WV/Wednesday]

Attorneys for Carroll Eugene Humphries of Covington argued that too much time had passed to give him and his three co-defendants a fair trial.
But after a two-day hearing, the judge denied a motion to dismiss the case and will let it proceed.
There will be another motions hearing in about two weeks.
(------------)

[8E-Trashnet]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=98-82 52:08]
[GRAPHIC=Out of State Garbage]

Tons of medical waste are being dumped in Virginia.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond;]

Governor Gilmore showed off tons of illegal trash yesterday at a Capitol news conference.
[SUPER=04-Va. Dept. of Environ. Quality;]

The medical waste was caught on tape -- pouring off a Brooklyn trash truck into a central Virginia mega-landfill.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 13:02:00 ]
[IN Q=We have]
((GOV. JIM GILMORE: WE HAVE HERE SYRINGES. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY CONTAIN. WE DON'T KNOW WHETHER IT CONTAINED MEDICATION OR BLOOD. WE ARE ALL AWARE OF THE SEVERE PROBLEM OF CONTAGIOUS DISEASES, SOME OF WHICH HAVE NO CURE.))
[SUPER=@Gilmore;]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=no cure.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Virginia is pursuing a court order to ban other medical waste, looking into revoking illegal hauler's truck permits, and adding up fines against Houston-based Waste Management Incorporated.
(------------)

[8E-JPS-Conductor]

[8E-Shelor]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=98-80 1:35:00]
[GRAPHIC=Shelor Tax Fight]

The latest chapter involving Shelor Automotive and Montgomery County unfolded yesterday morning in circuit court.

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg]

A judge yesterday ruled the car dealership may proceed with its million dollar lawsuit.
Shelor is suing over the merchants capital tax-- which is the yearly tax county businesses pay on unsold inventory.
Shelor officials say high volume businesses, such as themselves, are at a clear cut disadvantage.
For that reason, Shelor would like the tax either abolished or lowered.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I don't]
((LARRY SHELOR/SHELOR AUTOMOTIVE PRESIDENT: I DON'T THINK THE LAWSUIT IS GOING TO DETERMINE WHAT HAPPENS, IT'S A POLITICAL PROCESS, AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN FIND SOMEWAY TO TALK TO THEBOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND FIND A SOLUTION THAT IS GOOD FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED.))
[SUPER=01-Larry Shelor/Shelor Automotive President; ]
[RUNS=15]
[OUT Q=everybody involved.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

County officials say if Shelor would agree, they would overlook what they say are newly discovered unpaid taxes.
Shelor said the deal was nothing more than quote "legal extortion."
(------------)

[8E-Bone-Marrow]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=chu]
[TAPE#=98-73 2:00:45]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A Southside community is pulling together in a big way -- for a little girl in need.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Durham, NC; :00]

Last week, we introduced you to Kandis Joyce, a nine-year old Martinsville girl who's undergoing treatment for leukemia at Duke University Medical Center.
Her best hope for a cure is a bone marrow transplant.
[SUPER=03-Martinsville; :12]

So yesterday in Martinsville, hundreds of people volunteered to become bone marrow donors.
After a simple blood test, they will be listed on a national registry and might one day save the life of someone with a deadly blood disease.
And maybe one of these potential donors will be a match for Kandis.
(------------)

[8WEATHER]

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

Before we finish the morning updates--
Showers and thunderstorms are likely today, with southerly winds bringing mild highs in the upper 60s.
Mostly cloudy and sharply colder by this evening, with flurries possible.
Lows in the lower 20s.
In the extended forecast, Saturday morning flurries...otherwise partly cloudy and cold this weekend....
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