WDBJ 7 news at 11 for 03/16/99

[News-Heads]

[ANCHOR=Jean]

[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jja]
[TAPE#=Heads]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Next on News 7-
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

After last night's fatal Amtrak Crash- we take a look at local railroad crossings- Just how safe are they?
Some in Central Virginia push for time off to help commemorate Martin Luther King Junior.
And a Southside boy is hailed as a hero after saving a man's life.
(------------)
[Talent=Jean]
[graphic=none]

News 7 is next.
[Open]
[SUPER=#4064; News 7 at Eleven Headline Banner]
[SUPER=@Jean1;]
[SUPER=@Robin1;]
[SUPER=@Mike1;]

[Amtrak-Crash]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#Newspath LIVE; backup net-A]
[GRAPHIC=Amtrak Crash]

Four people are still missing after an Amtrak Train wreck late last night in Illinois.
[Double Boxes=Jean/Lee Cowan - Newspath]

Lee Cowan is at the scene with the latest on the search- and investigation.
[Live= Full/Newspath]
[SUPER=01-Lee Cowan/Reporting;]
[SUPER=05-Bourbonnais, IL;]
( ad lib)
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[SUPER=03-Bourbonnais, IL]
[SUPER=01-John Goglia/NTSB Spokesman;]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=CBS News.]
((AS THE SEARCH FOR THE MISSING CONTINUED UNDER THE ERIE GLOW OF FLOOD LIGHTS - INVESTIGATORS FROM THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD WERE TRYING TO SQUARE TWO VASTLY DIFFERENT STORIES. ONE FROM THE DRIVER OF A TRUCK, AND ONE FROM THE DRIVER OF A TRAIN.
FROM THE FRONT CAB OF THE NOW WRECKED CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, AMTRAK'S ENGINEER SAYS HE COULD SEE THE CROSSING LIGHTS FLASHING, AND THE SIGNAL GATES, DOWN. MOMENTS LATER THERE WAS A TRUCK, HE SAYS, THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO. THE TRAIN SLAMMED INTO THE BACK OF THE HEAVILY LOADED SEMI, RIPPING AT LEAST ONE OF THE PASSENGER CARS IN TWO AND DERAILING SEVERAL OTHERS. IN THE END, IT BECAME ONE OF THE THREE DEADLIEST CRASHES IN AMTRAK'S 28 YEAR HISTORY.
BUT THE TRUCK DRIVER SAYS HE NEVER SAW THE TRAIN COMING, AND THE SIGNAL DIDN'T ACTIVATE UNTIL HE WAS HALF WAY ACROSS THE TRACKS - SOMETHING INVESTIGATORS ARE BEGINNING TO QUESTION - ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF HIS POOR DRIVING RECORD AND NO INDICATIONS SO FAR OF ANY MECHANICAL FAILURES.))
[Live= Full/Newspath]
[SUPER=05-Bourbonnais, IL;]
( ad lib)

[Rail-crossing]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=99-9 35:40]
[GRAPHIC=Rail Safety]

The crash in Illinois once again focuses attention on railroad safety.
[double box=Jean/Eric=newsroom]

Eric Earnhart spent the afternoon with workers who deal with the problem every day. [take Eric full]
Jean This year, and in past years, Norfolk Southern has seen fewer collisions and fewer fatalities....
A big reason, they don't wait for trouble, they go looking for it.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Any place a]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg; :00]
[SUPER=@Eric1; :33]
[SUPER=01-Danny Gilbert/Crossing Safety Manager; :50]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; 1:00]
[RUNS=1:20]
[OUT Q=down 57 percent.]

((Any place a road intersects a railroad track is a point of danger...
That's why this Norfolk Southern safety team is on patrol... in Lynchburg today.
They ride in a special vehicle, getting a rails-eye view of the crossings, looking for safety problems... at this crossing, the white warning sign on the pavement is fading.

[SOT 00:28:20]
[IN Q=that is not]
(( DANNY GILBERT/GRADE CROSSING SAFETY MANAGER; ; THAT IS NOT TERRIBLE SHAPE, BUT IT COULD STAND NEW PAINTING. ))
[RUNS= 05]
[OUT Q=new painting]

That problem, and any other suggestions for improving crossing safety will be reported to VDOT.
[standup]
As cities and towns grow and change, so do traffic patterns. Crossings like this one, that are pretty much deserted, in a few months or years could be extremely busy.
That's why safety managers have to continually ride the rails and check the crossings.

[SOT 00:30:33]
[IN Q=we also look at]
(( DANNY GILBERT/GRADE CROSSING SAFETY MANAGER; WE ALSO LOOK AT SITE DISTANCE OBSTRUCTION, WHAT WE CAN DO TO IMPROVE THE SIGHT DISTANCE OF THE MOTORIST, WE ALSO LOOK AT EDUCATION, WHAT WE NEED TO DO, HOW WE NEED TO GET OUT AND EDUCATE THE PUBLIC MORE. ))
[RUNS= 12]
[OUT Q=the public more]

An example... after the Conrail merger, safety managers realized the combined company will route more traffic through Roanoke County...
New signs now warn that quiet crossings will be busier.
It's working... Since 1993 Norfolk Southern crossing collisions are down 40 percent. Collision fatalities are down 57 percent.)) [take Eric full]
(adlib)
[double box=Jean/Eric-newsroom]

[Ironto-ax]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=99-5 39:37]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Police say a man killed on I-81 today probably did NOT realize he was coming up on slow-moving traffic.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Montgomery Co.]

Police found no skid marks in the area where Harold Leslie (Bos-twick) Bostwick plowed into the back of a tractor trailer that was travelling about 30-miles an hour.
The accident occurred in the northbound lanes just past the Ironto rest area this morning.
Police believe Bostwick was from Narrows, but they have not been able to confirm that.
(------------)

[Jail-Death]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11p]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A Roanoke jail inmate was found dead this morning after killing himself with a razor blade.
(+++++++++)
[TAKE GFX PAGE FULL]
51-year-old Steve Brick was being held on federal bond violations.
Deputies made a routine bed check last night, and thought he was asleep.
When they tried to wake him this morning, they saw that he'd cut himself on his wrists and neck.
He was pronounced dead at the jail.
(+++++++++++)

[Greenbrier]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=98-78 1:42:21]
[GRAPHIC=Greenbrier Gambling]

The legislation still needs the governor's signature, but it now appears that voters will decide if gambling should come to the Greenbrier.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-White Sulphur Springs;]

The five star resort in West Virginia wants to open a Monte Carlo style casino for overnight guests... in the space that once served as a cold war bunker for members of Congress.
There is strong support in White Sulphur Springs, where many residents work for the resort, or benefit indirectly from its presence.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I feel like we already have it]
((I FEEL LIKE WE ALREADY HAVE IT IN WEST VIRGINIA, IN CHARLESTOWN WITH THE HORSE RACING AND IN CHARLESTON WITH THE DOG RACING TRACK, AND WITH THE GREENBRIER THE GENERAL PUBLIC ISN'T GOING TO BE ALLOWED TO GO AS FAR AS I KNOW SO, IT DOESN'T BOTHER ME A BIT.))
[SUPER=01-Melissa Dolin/Greenbrier Co. Resident; ]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=doesn't bother me a bit]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

But others, including United Methodist Minister Julian Sulgit (SULL-jit) are worried that gambling at the Greenbrier might bring more troubling proposals in the future.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=While I can't say]
((WHILE I CAN'T SAY THAT ANYONE KNOWS EXACTLY WHERE THAT WILL PROJECT NEXT, THERE IS A LOT OF FEAR THAT ONCE IT BEGINS AS IT DID PROBABLY WITH THE LOTTERY, IT WILL CONTINUE TO EXPAND.))
[SUPER=01-Rev. Julian Sulgit/United Methodist Minister; ]
[RUNS=:12]
[OUT Q=continue to expand.]
[ANCHOR=Jean]
[GRAPHIC=Hold]

There's no word yet on when the local referendum might be held. First the Governor must sign the legislation, and county officials must set a date.

[Police-suit]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=99-8 41:00]
[GRAPHIC=Lawsuit]

An attorney in private practice in Roanoke has sued two city police officers for the way they went about investigating a noise complaint at the lawyer's home.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Jonathan Rogers says it was a small, private going-away party for his oldest child- -who was about to go off to college in the fall of '97.
He recalls the event as "a magical moment..." that is, until Officers M-L Pendleton and M-G Vinyard arrived.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:47:25]
[IN Q=And they proceeded]
[SUPER=01-Jonathan Rogers/Attorney - Roanoke Resident]
[RUNS=20]
[OUT Q=down to the jail.]
[ANCHOR=Jean]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Pendleton is the officer who pepper- sprayed a man last year for failure to spit out a rock of crack cocaine.

[EEOC]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A school teacher claims he is a victim of discrimination and is suing the Pulaski County school board.
Ted Viers is 55 years old, and he's white.
For 20 years he'd been a Vocational Guidance Counselor... up until a year ago. He says he was replaced by a younger black woman.
The E-E-O-C granted him the right to sue in federal court.

[King-Holiday]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-3 1:14:47]
[GRAPHIC=MLK Day]

Should city employees and students in Lynchburg get the day off for Martin Luther King's birthday?
Most other localities already recognize the slain civil rights leader that way.. but it's become a hot issue in the Hill City.
Steve Smallshaw reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=The debate over]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Danette McCain/Concerned Citizens Committee; :16]
[SUPER=01-Ed Barksdale/Lynchburg Council Member; :29]
[SUPER=@ssm1; :36]
[SUPER=01-Rev. James Coleman/Court St. Baptist Church; :52]
[SUPER=01-Marie Harris/Lynchburg School Board Member; 1:11]
[RUNS=1:25]
[OUT Q=News7, Lynchburg.]
(( The debate over how to honor Martin Luther King is re-opening the same racial wounds that Lynchburg has suffered from for more than a year.
The same citizens committee that claims the city's minority students are treated unfairly has made the King holiday its latest cause.
[SOT 15:30:24]
((DANETTE MCCAIN/CONCERNED CITIZENS COMMITTEE: AND I THINK THAT WE AS A CITY AND YOU AS A CITY COUNCIL HAVE A VERY DIFFICULT DECISION TO DECIDE WHAT IS RIGHT FOR THIS COMMUNITY.))
[RUNS= 09]
[OUT Q=for this community.]

At least two council members agree that it's high time Lynchburg caught up with the rest of the country.
[SOT 15:48:45]
((ED BARKSDALE/LYNCHBURG COUNCIL MEMBER: WHY CAN'T WE JUST CLOSE UP SHOP FOR THAT ONE DAY, MARTIN LUTHER KING'S BIRTHDAY, AS THEY DO ACROSS THE COUNTRY?))
[RUNS= 07]
[OUT Q=across the country?]
[Standup 18:49:59] ((One concern is that it would cost Lynchburg about 200- thousand dollars in lost productivity and overtime if Martin Luther King's birthday was added to the list of city holidays. And some wonder whether giving children the day off from school is the best way to teach them about King's legacy.))
[RUNS= 16]
[OUT Q=King's legacy.]
[SOT 16:37:06]
((REV. JAMES COLEMAN/COURT ST. BAPTIST CHURCH: WE GUARANTEE YOU THAT WE WILL WORK IN PARTNER WITH YOU ON TO ENSURE THAT EVERY CHILD ON THAT DAY WILL LEARN AS MUCH AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN LEARN THROUGH WELL-PLANNED ACTIVITIES.))
[RUNS= 14]
[OUT Q=activities.]

After a three- year absence, the King holiday is back ON the school board calendar for next year.
But final approval is still two weeks away.
[SOT 18:35:33]
((MARIE HARRIS/LYNCHBURG SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER: SEEMS TO ME THAT WHAT WE NEED TO DECIDE IS DO WE WANT TO SUPPORT THIS GROUNDSWELL OF A COMMUNITY CELEBRATION?))
[RUNS= 09]
[OUT Q=community celebration?]

City council meanwhile will make its own decision on the King holiday next week.
Steve Smallshaw, News7, Lynchburg.))

[Toss-2-Robin] Jean tosses to Robin in the Chromakey

[Tease1]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11p]
[SS=None]

Still ahead on News 7 -- a 1996 presidential candidate throws his hat in the ring again - this time for the year 2000.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]

And -- Hokie fans come out in droves bright and early today - even after the late night excitement on the hardwood last night.
The story when we return.
(-----------)

[Sports-Preview]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=Mike]
[TAPE#=Sports-preview]
[GRAPHIC=None]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="O-K....]
[RUNS=:23]
[OUT Q=....a few dear."]
((Hey folks this is Mike Stevens in the News 7 sports office on Your Tuesday night with highlights of a much needed Express win.
We'll meet a 10 year old golfer who can beat your pants off on the links.
And get a sneak peek at Steve Mason's upcoming stories on Tiki Barber - the new Boradway actor. Sports is few dear.))
(------------)

[Tech-Fever]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=THa]
[TAPE#=99-1 1:06:56]
[GRAPHIC=Hokie Fever]

Fans of the Women's Hokie Basketball Team were waiting in line when the Tech ticket office opened, this morning.

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]

By noon, more than one thousand fans had placed orders for tickets to Saturday's game against the Tennessee Lady Volunteers.
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg/Last Night;]

The Hokies advanced to the Sweet Sixteen after defeating Auburn last night.
Fans say support for the Hokies is overwhelming.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I've been]
((I'VE BEEN, SINCE JANUARY, COMING TO EVERY GAME WITH EIGHT THOUSAND, NINE THOUSAND FANS, IT'S BEEN GREAT, AND, YOU KNOW, THE ELECTRICITY IN THE STANDS HAS BEEN FABULOUS, SO, IT'S FUN. MY WHOLE FAMILY IS A TECH FAMILY, MY AUNTS AND UNCLES CAME HERE, MY MOM DID, WE GO TO ALL THE FOOTBALL GAMES, A LOT OF THE BASKETBALL GAMES, TOO.))
[RUNS=15]
[OUT Q=games, too.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Saturday's game will be played at the Greensboro Coliseum.
(------------)

[Forbes]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jja]
[TAPE#=net-B]
[GRAPHIC=Steve Forbes]

Steve Forbes kicked off his 2nd-presidential campaign in an unusual way- on the Internet.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Forbes made the announcement on the worldwide web- and then took part in a chat room.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:47:21]
[IN Q=The internet]
((STEVE FORBES/R- PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: THE INTERNET COMBINES THE BEST OF AMERICAN INGENUITY AND HIGH TECHNOLOGY BUT IT ALSO BUY SBACK PERSONAL INDIVIDUALITY IN THE NATIONAL POLITICAL PROCESS.))
[SUPER=01-Steve Forbes/(R) Presidential Candidate;]
[RUNS=20]
[OUT Q=POLITICAL PROCESS.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Forbes has set up a Web site for his campaign at Forbes 2-thousand dot com.
(------------)

[Democrats]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=98-79 2:01:06]
[GRAPHIC=Democrats]

Local Democrats are pushing the Governor to change some bills approved in the General Assembly.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Vinton;]

For example, they say patients should have the right to sue HMO's.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 13:24:57]
[IN Q=There's no empirical]
((THERE'S NO EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE THAT HAVING THE RIGHT TO GO TO COURT AGAINST YOUR H-M-O WOULD RAISE THE COST OF INSURANCE. IN TEXAS IT'S NOT RAISING THE COST OF INSURANCE.))
[SUPER=@Edwards;]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=cost of insurance]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The bill currently on the table lets patients APPEAL H-M-O decisions to an impartial staff, NOT sue them.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 14:10:46]
[IN Q=I believe]
((I BELIEVE THE BILL THAT ULTIMATELY PASSED WILL PREVENT HMO'S FROM MAKING BAD DECISION BECAUSE THERE'S AN OUTSIDE APPEALS PROCESS.))
[SUPER=@Griffith;]
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=appeals process]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Democrats also want the food sales tax to be cut by twice as much in half the time as the current bill spells out.

(------------)
[anchor=Jean]
[graphic=none]

The governor has until the end of this month to change, approve or veto bills.

[Milk-Prices]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=98-81 1:39:02]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Imagine losing ten-thousand-dollars a month.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co.;]

A Botetourt County dairy man says that's what's happening to the typical local dairy farmer.
The price a dairy farmer earns for milk plunged almost forty percent in the past month.
That's the biggest drop in 30 years.
The Farm Bureau says prices were expected to fall but not this quickly or sharply.
The Farm Bureau says supermarket prices will probably NOT drop.
But Kroger's supplier says he's lowered his prices by 49-cents a gallon.
(------------)

[Tease2]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11p]
[SS=None]

Still to come on News 7 at 11,
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
a Southside 7-year-old is credited with saving his neighbor's life.
We'll tell you how, when the News returns.
Stick around.
(-------------)

[lotto]
[SUPER=136-8 3 4/8 4 2 4/5 15 16 31 32/6 11 19 33 40/19]

NIGHT DRAWING=
Pick 3:
8-3-4

(eight, three, four)

Pick 4:
8-4-2-4

(eight, four, two, four)

Cash 5:
5-15-16-31-32

(five, fifteen, sixteen, thirty-one, thirty-two)

The Big Game:
6-11-19-33-40. Big Money Ball: 19

(six, eleven, nineteen, thirty-three, forty. Big Money Ball:
nineteen)

[Boy-Hero]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=chu]
[TAPE#=98-83 1:21:48]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A second grade hero - that's what one Henry County boy is being called tonight after saving a man's life.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Ridgeway;]

7-year old Derek DePeau (De POE) was playing with his sister in the wooded area behind their home in Ridgeway on Friday evening.
That's when he noticed smoke coming from the roof of an elderly neighbor's home.
He raced back to his house, grabbed the phone and called 9-1-1.
Derek told his parents about the fire, and they acted immediately.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:33:10-:21]
[IN Q=I just told them]
((DEREK DEPEAU/HERO: I JUST TOLD THEM THE HOUSE WAS ON FIRE DOWN BACK. MY MOM RAN STRAIGHT TO THE DOOR AND LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AND MY DAD WAS IN HERE. AND THEY BOTH RAN DOWN THERE AND GOT HIM OUT. ))
[SOT 1:37:09-:13]
((ALLEN DEPEAU/DEREK'S DAD: HE HAD THE PHONE IN HIS HAND AND HAD IT PRETTY MUCH UNDER CONTROL AND WE'RE REAL PROUD OF HIM.))
[SUPER=01-Derek DePeau/Hero; :00]
[SUPER=01-Allen DePeau/Derek's Dad; :12]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=real proud of him.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The family of the man Derek and his family saved from the fire sent them balloons, candy and flowers to show their appreciation.
The DePeaus say they're not heroes. They did what anyone else would have done and are just thankful they were home when the fire broke out.
(------------)

[Forecasts]
[SUPER=#577]
[SUPER=X5000]
[SUPER=330-Clear And/Pleasant/38-40/Sunny And/Very Mild/68-72]
[SUPER=331-Clear With/Light Winds/35-40/Sunny And/Warm/70-75]
[SUPER=332-Clear And/Chilly/30-32/Sunny And/Mild/62-65]
[SUPER=333-Clear/Light Winds/34-34/Sunny And/Pleasant/64-68]
[SUPER=334-Clear And/Cold/28-32/Sunny And/Milder/60-63]

[SUPER=X5001][S-Extra]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=none]

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Kissimmee, FL; :00]

Now to get you in the mood for today's temperatures in the 70's a little baseball from Florida.
The Braves' Ryan Klesko went two for four and drove in three runs against the Indians yesterday.
But Tom Glavine got rocked for five runs in just 3 and two thinrds innnigs as the Indians beat the Braves at Disney 12-to-10.
(------------)

[S-Express]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-38]
[GRAPHIC=EXPRESS/RICHMOND]

The Roanoke Express snapped a five game winless streak last night by beating the Richmond Renegades 4-to-1.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Richmond vs. Roanoke; :00]

The team wore special green jerseys for the game. They will auctionoed off on Friday night to help benefit the local Muscular Dystrophy Association.
The new threads would help out as the Express scores in the first on Mark Codotte's putback in tight. It's one to nothing Express.
Richmond would tie it up, but Roanoke forged ahead again as Kris Cantu sneaks one into the net on the sweet wraparound goal. It's now 2-to-1.
The Express would push the team lead to 3-to-1 with some great puck work.
[SUPER=38-Richmond/1/Roanoke/4;]
Calvin Elfring get the shot to go. And Roanoke snaps its three game home losing string with the 4-to-1 win.
(------------)

[S-NFL]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=NFL]

The NFL has been hopping today as the Lions traded Scott Mitchell to the Ravens for two future draft picks.
Also, the owners announced that Los Angeles will get the new expansion team instead of Houston. Both cities had been vying to have the 32nd team in the league.

[S-Tiki]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-39 23:30]
[GRAPHIC=NFL]

And speaking of expanding, one of the league's rising stars is doing just that.
[GRAPHIC=tiki barber]

New York Giants running back Tiki Barber is stretching himself to the limit...not on the football field, but on the stage. Steve Mason has an exclusive preview of what's coming your way on News 7 sports tomorrow from New York City. Steve.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="mike]
[SUPER=@Steve1; :00]
[SUPER=03-New York, NY; :16]
[RUNS=:40]
[OUT Q=...tomorrow at 6"]
(------------------------------)

[S-Tech]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=SP-40 tc 24:19]
[GRAPHIC=Women's Final four]

After beating Auburn 76-to-61 Monday night, Virginia Tech is headed to the Sweet 16 and a date with destiny.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg/Last Night;]

Monday marked Tech's first victory over an S-E-C team in the N-C-Double-A Tournament.
The Lady Hokies now face the Southeastern Conference queens - the Lady Vols of Tennessee.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=it's a step]
[SUPER=01-Bonnie Henrickson/Va. Tech Head Coach;]
[RUNS=20]
[OUT Q=about continuing]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The next step in the chase for a national championship is in Greensboro.
The team didn't practice yesterday, but coaches started preparing for the Tennessee Volunteers.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Obviously]
(())
[RUNS=11]
[OUT Q=On saturday]
(------------)
[vo-nat]
[Super=03-Knoxville, TN/NCAA Productions;]

Pat Summitt's Volunteers reached the East regionals by beating Boston College Monday night 89-to-62.
Tip off for Saturday's nationally televised game is two o'clock in Greensboro.
(--------------)

[Sports Tease]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Still to come tonight we will warm up on the links as Roy Stanley takes us
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

to Martinsville to meet a 10 year old golfer who is making national headlines as one who may end up being the next Tiger.
(------------)

[S-Jerel]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=rst]
[TAPE#=SP-35 (31:09)]
[GRAPHIC=Jerel Graphic]

When most of us who are now beyond the age of 30 were just 10 years old we knew the only way we were going to get a hole in one was to hit the ball into the clown's mouth at putt putt.
But Martinsville's 10 year old Jerel Whiting isn't about clowning around. He has his eye on the PGA tour.
Roy Stanley has his story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=FIRST AUDIO]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville; :00]
[SUPER=01-Jerel Whiting/Junior Golfer; :22]
[SUPER=01-Brad Whiting/Jerel's Father; :44]
[SUPER=@Roy1; 1:43]
[RUNS=1:51]
[OUT Q=......NEWS 7 SPORTS."]
((At age 10, Whiting is already making waves on the junior golf tour. He was recently featured in National Geographic World after being named the player of the year in his second year competiting on the Plantations Junior Tour.
And then there's the comparison with his idol Tiger Woods. And Jerel hears that everywhere he plays.)) ((JEREL WHITING/JUNIOR GOLFER:)) ((The shy 10 year old hopes to pattern his game after Woods but it's his father Brad that got him started playing golf at the age of 4.
Those afternoon trips to the Linwood country Club were to improve Brads game but before he knew it, Jerel was putting up numbers better than dad.)) ((BRAD WHITING/JEREL'S FATHER:)) ((Jerel competed in the Junior World Cup golf tournament and finished 21-st out of 98 golfers.
And during a trip to Maryland, He shot a 90 from the white tees on the long Congressional Golf Course.)) ((JEREL:)) ((BRAD:)) ((ROY STANDUP:))
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In our video of the day Australia sets a new world record with -- a beer can.
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Emphasizing its beer-drinking reputation, Sydney, Australia rolled in a very large Draught Guinness replica.
It claims a spot in the Guinness Book of World records - as the largest beer can ever.
It stands 15 feet high, is six and a half feet wide, and it can hold over eight thousand times more beer than a standard can.
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(Weekday 6 only)
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