[1-News-Head]
[TALENT=Keith]
The Appeals Court rejects the case of Christy Brzonkala... the woman who sued Virginia Tech and two tech foo
tball players accused of raping her.
(---------------------)
Also on News 7 tonight, we'll take a ride of the longest single roadway in Virginia... assessing the need for pending improvements on Highway 58.
(--------------------------)
[Sports-Head]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Tonight in sports, we'll head to the state wrestling events in Salem, we'll also check in with the Salem Avalanche.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Plus, Dave Odom and his Demon Deacons get an unwanted Wake up call in the ACC tournament.
(------------)
[WX-Head]
[TALENT=Robin]
[SS=None]
Passing showers ahead on Saturday, sunny and cooler on Sunday. More on the forecast and our Friday Weatherschool up shortly.
[Video-Open]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=Video Open]
[GRAPHIC=News7at6]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The tables have been turned again-- as a federal court rules on the appeal of Christy Brzonkala's lawsuit and the constitutionality of an act of Congress.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
Good evening, I'm Keith Humphry.[Brzonkala]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#99-4 TC57:32]
[GRAPHIC=Lawsuit]
The former Virginia Tech student who sued the university and the two football players accused of raping her, has lost the latest round in federal court.
[Double Boxes=Keith and JoeD/Newsroom]
Joe Dashiell has more tonight on the appeals court ruling and the future of Christy Brzonkala's case.
[Live= Full/Microwave]
[SUPER=@Joe1;]
Keith, a case that made headlines here in Virginia... now has national implications.
And it appears to be headed for the U.S . Supreme Court.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Christy Brzonkala was one of the first]
[SUPER=@File; :00]
[SUPER=01-Larry Hincker/Virginia Tech Spokesman; :47]
[RUNS=1:10]
[OUT Q=the university has been exonerated.]
((Christy Brzonkala was one of the first people in the country to sue under the Violence Against Women Act, passed by Congress in 1994.
She claimed her civil rights were violated by Tony Morrison and James Crawford, the two football players who were accused of raping her.
But on a vote of Seven to Four, the Court of Appeals affirmed Judge Jackson Kiser's earlier ruling, that Congress had overstepped its authority when it approved the legislation.
Chief Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson wrote:
"to sustain this provision would signal that state governments are due no more than the sweet pieties of lip service and that no limits whatsoever exist on the exercise of congressional power."
Virginia Tech was sued under a different law that forbids discrimination on the basis of gender.
Officials at Virginia Tech said they are pleased with the court's ruling.
[INQ= I think]
((LARRY HINCKER/VT SPOKESMAN: I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TRAUMATIZED BY THIS INCIDENT, CERTAINLY CHRISTY BRZONKALA WAS TRAUMATIZED BY HER INCIDENT HERE AT VIRGINIA TECH, AND WE'RE SORRY FOR THAT, AND TWO FOOTBALL PLAYERS HAVE BEEN TRAUMATIZED BY THIS INCIDENT AND REALLY THE BOTTOM LINE IS A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN GOING AROUND TRYING TO FIND BLAME, FAULT IN PEOPLE, FAULT INSTITUTIONS FOR CERTAIN ACTIONS, WHERE THE TRUTH MAY NEVER BE KNOWN AND WE'RE GLAD AT LEAST WITH THIS RESPECT THE UNIVERSITY HAS BEEN EXONERATED.))
[RUNS24]
[OUTQ= been exhonerated.]))
[Live=JoeD Full/Newsroom]
It is unlikely that today's ruling by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals will be the last word on this case.
[Double Boxes=JoeD and Keith/Newsroom]
The lawsuit is viewed as a test case, and ultimately Keith the U- S Supreme Court is expected to consider the constitutionality of the Violence Against Women Act.
[US-58]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=chu]
[TAPE#=98-78 TC1:30:49]
[GRAPHIC=US 58]
Governor Gilmore has until April to sign off on a bill that provides millions of dollars in highway money to expand Route-58 across southern Virginia.
(XXXXXXXXXXX)
[TAKE MAP FULL SCREEN]
It's the longest road in the Commonwealth, running from Cumberland Gap all the way to the ocean.
Business and community leaders in Patrick County say improvements to US-58 are critical to economic development there.
Christy Hubley has the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=40-to-60 tractor trailers haul]
[SUPER=03-Patrick Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Terri Birkett/Stuart Flooring; :25]
[SUPER=01-David Hoback/County Administrator; :53]
[SUPER=@Christy2; 1:15]
[RUNS=1:27]
[OUT Q=News 7, Patrick County.]
(( Every day, 40-to-60 tractor trailers haul lumber in and out of Stuart Flooring.
Drivers make the part of the trek on a 2-lane section of Route-58.
Some sections of the road, like the windy stretch to and from Lover's Leap, are difficult to manuver for a big rig.
Stuart Flooring says it has a tough time convincing trucking companies to do business with them because of Route-58.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 21:54-22:02]
[IN Q=It's not very easy]
((TERRI BIRKETT/STAURT FLOORING: IT'S NOT VERY EASY AND IT WILL LIMIT TRUCKS THAT YOU CAN GET IN HERE THE TRUCKING COMPANIES THAT ARE WILLING TO COME IN HERE IT LfIMITS THAT.))
[RUNS:08]
[OUT Q=it limits that.]
Southside share of the 208-million dollar bond package wouldn't be used to continue road work that's already underway.
More money would still be needed to finish the job of making US-58 four lanes from beginning to end.
County officials say it's important that that happens, if Patrick County is expected to attract new industries.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 22:40-59]
[IN Q=Everyone is out there]
((DAVID HOBACK/COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR: EVERYONE IS OUT THERE ATTEMPTING TO RECRUIT THE SAME INDUSTRIES THAT WE ARE INTERESTED IN GETTING AND WHEN THEY HAVE ACCESS TO AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY LOTS OF AVAILABLE WATER AND SEWER INFRASTRUCTURE AND OTHER THINGS THAT ARE ATTRACTIVE TO INDUSTRY IT JUST PUTS YOU AT A COMPETATIVE DISADVANTAGE.))
[RUNS:19]
[OUT Q=competative disadvantage.]
If the governor does not approve the money to keep the US-58 improvement project going, legislators say they'll go back to work to make sure it doesn't come to a complete stop.
Christy Hubley, News 7, Patrick County.))
(-------------)
[Road-Construction]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=THa]
[TAPE#=98-82 TC1:13:48]
[GRAPHIC=Highway Improvments]
The wheels are rolling on a massive construction project along South Main Street in Blacksburg.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]
This week, road crews began removing trees and vacant buildings to make way for a new interchange and bypass.
V- DOT officials expect the construction to take a little more than three years to complete due to the complicated bridge work involved.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=This construction ]
((DAN BRUGH/VDOT RESIDENT ENGINEER:THIS CONSTRUCTION PROJECT THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE NOW IS, THERE'S, NOT EVER BEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS AROUND HERE BEFORE AND PROBABLY NOT LIKELY ANYTIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE.))
[SUPER=01-Dan Brugh/VDOT Resident Engineer; :00]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=near future.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The Blacksburg project is considered phase two of what's known as the THREE- A bypass.
Construction on phase ONE began about a year ago in Christiansburg.
(------------)
[Franklin-Wreck]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=98-79 TC1:43:47]
[GRAPHIC=Accident]
The casualties included a number of concrete gnomes.
But everyone else is O-K.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Boones Mill;]
A tractor trailer veered off highway 220 in Boones Mill this morning.
It took out a utility pole and a roadside display of statues and lawn ornaments.
The man who owns the gas station that sells the statues said he didn't know how much damage was done.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 19:03:05]
[IN Q=nobody's hurt]
((GARY HUNT/STORE OWNER: NOBODY'S HURT, THAT'S THE MAIN THING. THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT, REALLY. IT'S JUST LIFE.))
[SUPER=01-Gary Hunt/Store Owner;]
[RUNS=07]
[OUT Q=JUST LIFE]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
State police charged the truck driver with wreckless driving, but said he wasn't speeding.
His truck spilled nearly a hundred gallons of gasoline, but police said they didn't expect any harm to people or the environment.
The wreck backed up traffic for more than an hour.
It was the second time in eight years someone crashed into that statue display.
(------------)
[Tease#1]
[HARD MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=NONE]
A big drug sweep is underway in Halifax County.
We'll have more on that when News-7 at Six returns.
(---------------)
[VO-NAT]
And there's help for farmers who saw their profits dry up or wash away over the last four years.
But time is running out to take advantage of it.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[wx ad lib]
[Roll]
[Lake Level]
[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM#1]
[Roll]
[TALENT=Robin]
[SS=NONE]
[SUPER=80-52/27/0.00''/50/22/0.00''/48/19/0.00''/45/21/0.00'']
[SUPER=81-54/25/0.00''/54/20/0.00''/48/18/0.00'']
[SUPER=82-0.35''/minus 0.13''/6.19''/plus 0.05'']
[SUPER=83-Down 0.86 foot/Down 1.57 feet][Severed-Head]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=99-3 TC59:57]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Richmond police have identified the body of a man found decapitated on Monday.
Police say he was 39-year old Henry Northington-- a Brunswick County native who had recently been living in Richmond.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond/Monday]
On Monday, a couple walking along the north bank of the James found Northington's head, which had been carefully placed in the middle of a walkway.
Later that afternoon, authorities located his torso about three quarters of a mile downstream, partially submerged in the river.
Homicide investigators are still looking into the case.
(------------)
[Drug-Bust]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=chu]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Authorities in Halifax County are arresting dozens of drug dealers tonight in their latest sting operation.
This one is called OPERATION STREET SWEEP and targets mainly street level drug dealers.
41-suspects face charges ranging from possessing marijuana to distributing crack cocaine.
Several of the suspects will face federal prosecution, because of their alleged connection to a major cocaine ring.
Today's arrests come after six-months of a joint investigation of the Halifax County's Sheriff's Office, South Boston Police, the D-E-A, and State Police.
[Carilion-fraud]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=98-83 TC1:08:27]
[GRAPHIC=Carilion ]
A quick reaction by Roanoke Police in a fraud investigation- -means Carilion Health System has already recovered a good deal of the half million dollars Carilion lost.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
Cathy Fulton was Carilion's full-time staff recruiter... until her position was eliminated at the end of 1997.
Right after she left, a routine audit revealed she'd defrauded the company.
She had 187-thousand dollars in the bank.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 14:23:15]
[IN Q=And fortunately through]
((SHARON BURNHAM/PROSECUTOR: AND FORTUNATELY, THROUGH THE QUICK ACTION OF ROANOKE POLICE, THEY WERE ABLE TO RECOVER A SUNSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF MONEY ON BEHALF OF CARILION. Keith Humphry/News 7: And yet, not enough to cover all of the loss? BURNHAM: NO, INDEED. THERE'S STILL A GREAT DEAL OF FUNDS OWED BY THESE DEFENDANTS.))
[SUPER=01-Sharon Burnham/Prosecutor]
[RUNS=15]
[OUT Q=by these defendants.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Fulton and her co-defendant Teresa Duggan owe another 226 -thousand dollars.
[Farmers-Aid]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=98-81 TC1:28:39]
[GRAPHIC=Farming]
For the first time in seven years the government is offering a financial aid package to farmers, but they have only a month to cash in on the deal.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co./November;]
As you can see, farmers profits dried up during last year's drought, and falling market prices hurt them even more.
Now the U-S-D-A is offering to pay part of their losses, not only from last year, but as far back as 1994.
This is NOT a loan program -- farmers will get cash.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 14:26:16]
[IN Q=There's 2.4 billion]
((G.B.WASHBURN JR./FARM SERVICE AGENCY: THERE'S $2.4 BILLION IN THIS PROGRAM NATIONWIDE. IN ORDER FOR THIS AREA TO GET ITS FAIR SHARE WE NEED AS MANY APPLICATIONS AS WE CAN GET FROM FARMERS.))
[SUPER=01-G. B. Washburn, Jr./Farm Service Agency;]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=get from farmers]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
James Woods is planting this year's crop of peaches.
He and his son lost three-quarters of their apple crop last year to hail.
They're applying for help.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 13:41:46]
[IN Q=Just help you out]
((MARK WOODS/FARMER: JUST HELP YOU OUT IN THE LONG RUN SO YOU CAN EAT, I GUESS IS WHAT YOU'D SAY. TINA TENRET/NEWS7: SO IT'LL MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. MARK WOODS: OH YEAH.))
[SUPER=01-Mark Woods/Farmer;]
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=oh yeah]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
One catch: farmers who receive money must register for federal crop insurance for the next two years.
Applications are available at Farm Bureau offices.
They're due back by April 9th.
(------------)
[Jason-Project]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=pev]
[TAPE#]
[GRAPHIC=Jason Project]
Earlier in the week, we saw what leaf-cutter ants did to Patrick Evans' favorite hat.
(XXXXXXXXXX)
[TAKE FULL SCREEN MAP]
He's probably hoping today's encouter with a Peruvian bug goes a little better.
Patrick joins us live now from Peruvian rain forest.
(-------------)
[Live=Patrick Full/Satellite]
[SUPER=@Patrick1;]
[SUPER=05-Napo Camp, Peru;]
( ad lib)
[SUPER=01-Randy Morgan/Cincinnati Zoo;]
(ad lib)
[SUPER=05-Napo Camp, Peru;]
( ad lib)
[Double Boxes=Keith and Patrick/Satellite]
[Stocks]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]
A big day on Wall Street as the DOW finished above the 97-hundred mark for the first time ever.
[TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE ]
[RUNS=:25]
[SUPER=x5102;]
[SUPER=430-x/268.68/9736.08/x/44.22/2337.11;]
The DOW gained 269 points to close at 97-hundred 36.
Nasdaq gained 44 points.
[SUPER=431-hb/43a/h3a/87%/h2c/68d/hr/55#/h#/18#;]
[SUPER=432-h1@/40@/i!/4#/i!/39c/h%/53%/h1/50;]
[SUPER=433-h3@/103r/hg/63r/h&/29e/he/11e/h!/40;]
[SUPER=434-ia/13a/h1$/68$/h#/36*/u/88e/h3d/93e;]
[Judge-Davis]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6p]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=99-1 TC55:09]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Former judge B. A. Davis put his name on hundreds of opinions in the Franklin County courthouse.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Rocky Mount]
Today, they put his name on the building.
Davis was on hand for the unveiling of a plaque, naming the place where he spent most of his career: the B. A. Davis Courthouse Complex.
Davis was on the bench for 25 years, until he retired in January of last year.
(------------)
[Sports Tease]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Coming up tonight on News 7 sports, ACC hoop highlights from this afternoon, the Avalanche makes an effort to accelareate the arrival of spring,
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
And Steve Mason explores the very real but often scary practice of "cutting weight" as he checks in from this weekend's state wrestling championshis in Salem.
(------------)
[S-State]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=sp-26 2845TC]
[GRAPHIC=ACC]
At the ACC tournament this afternoon Maryland crushed Florida State 93-to-69 and N.C. State avenged its regular season ended debacle at the hands of Wake by beating the Demon Deacons 66-to-52.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Charlotte, NC/Raycom - JP Sports; :00]
Wake won by 29 last weekend and threatened to do the same today by running out to a 12-to-1 lead as State missed its first 11 shots.
But the Woldpack slowly worked its way back. Damon Thornton steps in the paints and throws down the jam to start the comeback.
Thornton got a little too agressive on the other end. Watch him accidentally tip in Josh Showmaker's miss in the Wake basket.
[super=33-N.C. State/66/Wake Forest/52;]
The Pack would finally tie it at halftime and go on to post a 66-to-52 win.
Wake's Robert O'Kelley aided the cause by committing 11 turnnovers by himself today.
(------------)
[talent=mike]
[graphic=acc]
Ga. Tech takes on North Carolia tonight at 7, here on WDBJ-7.
[S-NCAA]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=sp-35]
[GRAPHIC=NCAA LOGO]
Three area women's players are on the NCAA's district three academic all-american team. Liberty's Elena Kissaleva has a 3 point 7 gpa in Business management, and Radford Jenny Grant has a 3.95 in sports medicine.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :00]
Tech's Amy Wetzel is also on the team with her impressive three point 63 grade point average as a biology major.
Teammate Maria Albertson earned second team honors.
(------------)
[S-Wrestle]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-39 18:43]
[GRAPHIC=Wrestling]
The group A and 2A wrestling tournament began at the Salem Civic Center today. Crews are installing 500 additional seats for the championship. More fans and more media attention means more pressure. Despite only one weigh in, Steve Mason says, dropping weight is still an issue.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=first audio]
[SUPER=03-Salem; :00]
[SUPER=01-Blake Frost/Cburg. 103 Pound Wrestler; :15(QUICK!!!!)]
[SUPER=01-Chris Madonia/Wm. Byrd 112 Pound Wrestler; :27]
[SUPER=01-Kevin Dresser/Christiansburg Head Coach; :46]
[SUPER=@Steve1; 1:00]
[SUPER=01-Larry Hall/Group A & 2A Wrestling Tour. Director; 1:15]
[RUNS=1:36]
[OUT Q=...news 7 sports"]
(-----------------------)
((Christiansburg's Blake Frost, William Byrd's Chris Madonia, both placed second in the state last season, both are strong contenders for a title this season, yet despite another birthday, both are wrestling at the very same weight from a year ago.
((:))
Frost rarely goes 10 pounds over but for Madonia to make his 112 weight class, he cuts 14 pounds off his frame.
((:))
((:))
Byrd and Christiansburg join many other teams in the chase to catch Grundy. All three programs are lead by coaches who cut weight and won at the college level.
((:))
((:))
((:))
((:))
The measuring stick has to be the 12 time defending group 2A state champions. But whether a team is at the top or bottom, all are paying more attention to something more important than winning, the lives of these young athletes. In Salem, Steve Mason, News 7 sports.))
[S-Avalanche]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rst]
[TAPE#=SP-32 (48:11)]
[GRAPHIC=Salem Avalanche]
Spring is just around the corner because today in Salem the Avalanche held its media day at Salem Memorial Stadium.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem; :]
There will be a couple of changes at the stadium this season. The biggest being a second picnic area near the visitors bullpen along the first base line..
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="The second...]
[SUPER=01-Dave Oster/Avalanche General Manager; :]
[RUNS=:12]
[OUT Q=.....different atmosphere."]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
And Salem will have a new manager. He's Ron Gideon, who for the past two seasons has managed the Asheville Tourists of the South Atlantic League.
Gideon has been a part of the Rockies orginization for the past four years.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="This is the...]
[SUPER=01-Ron Gideon/Avalanche Manager; :]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=.....ball team."]
(--------------)
[TALENT=Mike]
[GRAPHIC=Hold Avalanche]
Gideon and his team will leave for the Rockies training camp in Tuscon, Arizona this Sunday.
[S-Vegas]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=VEGAS]
Qualifying at Las Vegas is winding up for the Winston Cup guys.
Right now Bobby Labonte is on the pole and Michael Waltrip is second.
I'll have your complete top 25 rundown tonight at 11.
[Wx-Tape]
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