WDBJ 7 news at Noon for 03/18/99

[HEADLINES]

[TALENT=Melanie]

(----------------)
[VO-NAT]

A Roanoke man has been arrested for allegedly killing his girlfriend.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

And Investigators hope to get some insight into the Amtrak crash after last night's reenactment.
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[TALENT=Patrick]
[SS=None]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]

News 7 at noon is next.

[Early]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=12]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=99-9 TC37:27]
[GRAPHIC=Murder]

An early-morning argument ended in death for a 31-year old Roanoke woman.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Police arrived at the 16-hundred block of Eastern Avenue at about 5-30 this morning, and found Destrian Turner in the living room of the apartment she shared with her boyfriend.
Police described her wound as serious and said it looked like there had been a struggle.
(XXXXXXXX)
[TAKE FULL SCREEN PHOTO]
Luther O'Neill Early told police that he'd been arguing with Turner.
At first he said he went for a walk... only to return and find her dead.
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[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=HOLD]

Early agreed to go downtown and talk with detectives where he admitted he'd inflicted the fatal injuries.
Early was charged with murder.

[Train-ax]

[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Bourbonnais, IL;]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Amtrak Crash]

Crash investigators today are expected to wrap up their worka at the scene of Monday's deadly Amtrak accident in Illinois.
Andrew Colton has the latest.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[11:30-UPDATE WINDOW]
[IN Q=Many of the questions..]
[SUPER=03-Bourbonnais, IL; :00]
[SUPER=04-Last Night; :21]
[SUPER=01-Andrew Colton/Reporting; :50]
[RUNS=1:02]
[OUT Q=CBS NEWS Bourbonnais, IL.]
(( MANY OF THE QUESTIONS INVOLVING THE ILL-FATED CITY OF NEW ORLEANS MAY BE ANSWERED TODAY.
CBS NEWS HAS LEARNED THAT INVESTIGATORS HAVE LOCATED AN EYEWITNESS TO THE ACCIDENT.
THEY PLAN TO INTERVIEW THE LOCAL RESIDENT TODAY.
OFFICIALS HOPE HIS ACCOUNT CAN CLEAR-UP DISCREPENCIES BETWEEN THE DRIVER'S STORY AND INVESTIGATOR'S PRELIMINARY FINDINGS THAT THE CROSSING GATES WERE IN PROPER WORKING ORDER.
(SUPER: LAST NIGHT)
(NATZ OF RECREATION)

INVESTIGATORS WILL ALSO BE STUDYING DATA GATHERED LAST NIGHT AT A RE-CREATION OF THE ACCIDENT.
ONE PIECE OF INFORMATION FROM THE TEST IS ALREADY KNOWN... APPARENTLY THE TRUCK DRIVER WOULD HAVE HAD A LONG LINE OF SITE TO SEE AN ON-COMING TRAIN. OFFICIALS ALSO PLAN TO VISIT AGAIN WITH THE ENGINEER TODAY. UNDER HEAVY SEDATION SINCE THE ACCIDENT, HE STILL HAS BEEN UNABLE TO CONFIRM HIS ORGINAL ACCOUNT THAT THE TRUCK TRIED TO ZIGZAG THRU THE CROSSING TO BEAT THE TRAIN.
(COLTON STANDUP)
N-T-S-B OFFICIALS ARE EXPECTED TO WRAP UP THEIR INVESTIGATION HERE AT THE SCENE TODAY.
PHYSICAL EVIDENCE AND DATA WILL BE STUDIED IN THEIR LABS AS THEY SEARCH FOR THE CAUSE OF AMTRAK'S THIRD MOST DEADLIEST ACCIDENT.

ANDREW COLTON, CBS NEWS, BOURBONNAIS, ILLINOIS.))[Kosovo]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The leaders of the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo could sign the U-S-backed peace deal today in Paris.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Paris, France;]
[7:05:39]
The agreement would give the Albanians self-rule in Kosovo -- but not the independence they want.
It calls for NATO-led troops to enforce the peace deal -- a condition Yugoslavia's Serb leadership rejects.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
((THE SERBS...HAVE NOT PARTICIPATED IN NEGOTIATIONS HERE BUT AS WE HAVE SEEN WITH THE MOUNTING TROOPS IN KOSOVO, THEY ARE NEGOTIATING ON THE GROUND AND SAYING 'NO, WE DON'T WANT TO NEGOTIATE, WE ACTUALLY WANT TO RESOLVE THIS BY WAR'. ))

[SUPER=01-Venton Surroi/Albanian Delegate;]
[RUNS=:18]
[OUT Q=don't want to negotiate.]
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[VO-NAT]

The State Department says by blocking a settlement at the Paris talks the serbs are getting closer to triggering NATO military strikes.
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[Ireland]

[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Two opposing Northern Ireland politicians meet today in the United States -- after being told they hold the lives of many of their countrymen in their hands.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington DC;]
[7:08;49]
Former Senator George Mitchell sent the message to Protestant leader David Trimble and Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams, as Mitchell was honored at the White House last night for his peace efforts in Northern Ireland.
President Clinton presented Mitchell with the presidential medal of freedom.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
((THE EVENTS OF THE PAST YEAR HAVE SHOWN THE GREAT PROMISE OF PEACE, BUT THEY HAVE ALSO HAVE SHOWN THAT HUGE OBSTACLES REMAIN TO A DURABLE AND LONG LASTING PEACE.))
[SUPER=01-George Mitchell/Former Senator;]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=and long lasting peace.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Portadown, N. Ireland;]
[7:13:13]
Meantime, St. Patrick's day in Northern Ireland was marred by violence.
Great Britain wants Trimble to have a new power sharing government in place by Good Friday, April Second.
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[tease1] [HARD MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Wythe County deputies score a big bust on Interstate 81.
That's just one of the stories still ahead on News-7 at Noon.
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[VO-NAT ]

And we'll hear from a Roanoke man caught in the middle of the medical marijuana debate.
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[Talent=Patrick]
[Wx-Tease] [Weatherpro] [music up full] [comm1]

[Olympics]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Olympic Rings]

The International Olympic Committee is changing the way it chooses sites.
The I-O-C announced today that the 2006 Winter will be chosen from two finalists.
The I-O-C members will retain the final vote.
That's a big shift from letting committee members choose from all the candidates.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lausanne, Switzerland]

The I-O-C President says the action will restore confidence in the games.
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[SOT 11:02:25]
[IN Q=The world needs]
[SUPER=01-Juan Antonio Samaranch/I. O. C. President]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=had till now.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The committee also annouced the creation of its first ethics comission.
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[Star-Wars]

[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Sixteen years after then-President Ronald Reagan proposed a missile defense system called "Star Wars" by opponents, the Senate has passed a scaled down version.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington DC/Last Night;]
[7:04:37]
The bill commits the Pentagon to building a national defense against limited ballistic missile attack.
The bi-partisan support for the bill is expected to be repeated today when the House takes up its own version of the bill.
(------------)

[Marijuana-Bust]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Marijuana Bust]

What began as a routine traffic stop on Interstate 81 in Wythe County ended with police seizing 300-pounds of marijuana.
On March Tenth, a Wythe County deputy stopped a vehicle.
The deputy called in a drug-sniffing dog which found the pot and led to the seizure.
The bust was made by the county's Special Patrol Unit, which targets people who use the interstates to transport drugs and weapons.

[E-Medical-Marijuana]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=99-7 38:18]
[GRAPHIC=Marijuana]

A new report commissioned by the federal government is fueling the debate over medical marijuana.
The study, by the independent Institute of Medicine confirms that marijuana has therapeutic value against pain, nausea, and loss of appetite.
And as Joe Dashiell reports, a Roanoke man has a personal interest in the national debate.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=E. Duane Howard]
[SUPER=07-E. Duane Howard; :05]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :13]
[SUPER=03-California; :40]
[super=@Joe2; :54]
[RUNS=1:19]
[OUT Q=JD News 7 Roanoke]
(( E. Duane Howard says the latest findings are long overdue.
[SOT 10:29:28]
[IN Q=It's something that people]
((IT'S SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE WITH VARIOUS MEDICAL PROBLEMS HAVE KNOWN FOR A LONG TIME.)) [RUNS :07]
[OUT Q=long time.]

For Howard, the active ingredients in marijuana provide some relief from the effects of spasmodic torticollis, a neurological movement disorder that affects the muscles in his neck.
He has a prescription for Marinol, a synthetic form of the active substance in marijuana, but at 15 dollars a pill, it's a treatment he can't afford.
[SOT 10:35:37]
[IN Q= People looking at this story]
((PEOPLE LOOKING AT THIS STORY WILL THINK THIS ISSUE DOESN'T REALLY AFFECT ME, BUT IT DOES WHEN THEIR INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE PAYING FOR THE OUTRAGEOUS COST OF THIS DRUG.)) [RUNS :09]
[OUT Q=cost of this drug.]

Since 1996, voters in seven states have passed measures supporting the medical use of marijuana... but allowing its actual prescription would require a change in federal law, and so far congress is taking a hard line against it.
The president elect of the Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities, Howard isn't advocating the complete legalization of marijuana... but he does believe it should be available for legitimate medical purposes.
[SOT 10:31:50]
[IN Q=With people dying]
((WITH PEOPLE DYING OF CANCER AND AIDS, IF THERE'S A DRUG OUT THERE THAT'S GOING TO GIVE THEM ANY TYPE OF RELIEF, OUR GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE WILLING TO LET THESE PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO ANY DRUG THAT'S GOING TO MAKE THEIR LIFE MORE COMFORTABLE.)) [RUNS 15]
[OUT Q=their life more comfortable.]

Joe Dashiell News 7 Roanoke))
[Tease2] [SOFT MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Find out what's the hottest new C-D to hit record stores.
That's the next story on News-7 at Noon.
(-----------------)
[VO-NAT ]

And we'll find out who's the newest of CBS's Angels.
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[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #2]

[Pope-CD]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The Hottest New C-D about to hit the stores isn't by a rock band or a rap artist, it's the Greatest Hits of Pope John Paul the Second.
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[4:39:53]
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[RUNS=:04]
[OUT Q=(nats of CD)]
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[VO-NAT]

The C-D features the popes speeches, prayers and chants from the last twenty years set to music.
And with Sony distributin it it comes with a slick package, even Sony's President is pushing it from St. Peter's Square.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[4:41:37-45]
[IN Q=]
((PETER GELB/SONY MUSIC : IT STANDS ON ITS OWN AS AN ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTION TO THE WORLD OF MUSIC.))
[SUPER=01-Peter Gelb/Sony Music;]
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=to the world of music.]
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[VO-NAT]

The Pope even sings on his new C-D.
And it's expected to be a best seller, after all the pope already has a built in fan club, ---one BILLion catholics
worldwide.
But just in case it doesn't top the charts, Sony's already presented the pontiff with a Gold C-D, real 24 karat gold.
The C-D goes on sale next week.
(----------)

[Ali-Angel]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A living legend is making appearances in Salt Lake these days.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salt Lake City, UT;]

Muhammed Ali will guest star in an upcoming episode of Touched by an Angel...which films in Utah.
Even on the set, where folks are used to celebrities, everyone is in awe of the man called "The Greatest".
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[SOT]
[IN Q=He's my Michael jordan...]
[SUPER=01-John Dye/"Touched by an Angel";]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=he was the best.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The episode is about a young boxer...who fights out of hate...but learns to love himself and others when the angels introduce him to Ali.
(------------)

[Stocks]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE# none]
[GRAPHIC=stocks]

On Wall Street at Noon, the Dow was UP 26 points.
[tease3] [SPORTS MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Still ahead in sports, a star is born in New York.
Coming up, we'll tell you how Tiki Barber is getting noticed for more than his football skills.
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[VO-NAT]

Plus, when the Busch Series rolls into Atlanta again, will Mike Skinner be the defending champ?
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[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #3]

[Skinner]

[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=ssa]
[TAPE#=net-]
[GRAPHIC=NASCAR]

Mike Skinner is once again the winner of the Yellow Freight 300 Busch Grand National race.
Skinner had his first place points and money stripped after it was discovered he used unapproved engine parts on his car.
(------------)
[VO-NAT take from sp-27@1:31:09]
[SUPER=03-Atlanta, GA/Saturday;]

But, yesterday, NASCAR officials decided to reinstate his winnings. Skinner will still have to pay a 19-thousand dollar fine-- the largest in the history of the Busch Series.
The illegal cylinder heads were discovered during a routine inspection of Skinner's Chevrolet after Saturday's race.

(------------)

[WIPE WIPE WIPE]

[Rudd]

[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-27]
[GRAPHIC=wipe wipe wipe]

[WIPE WIPE WIPE WIPE WIPE]

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville/Last Fall; :00]

Meantime, Ricky Rudd and crew chief Bill Ingle have parted ways.
The two combined to win three races, including last year's Napa 500 at the Martinsville Speedway.
Rudd and Ingle simply decided it was time to part company.
Rudd will have four of his crew members acting as a crew chief committee this weekend in Darlington.
(------------)

[Replay]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=ssa]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=NFL]

In sports, instant replay is back in the N-F-L. The measure passed on a 28 to 3 vote at the owners' meeting in Phoenix.
But upon further review, the sale of the Redskins is still up in the air.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Raljon, MD/Last Season;]

The league has stalled a decision to make Howard and Edward Milstein and Daniel Snyder the team's new owners.
N-F-L Commissioner Paul Tagliabue says the league will hold a special meeting during the week of April fifth, after failing to get enough votes yesterday to approve the 800-million-dollar sale.
(------------)

[Tiki]

[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=sp-43]
[GRAPHIC=Tiki Barber]

One of the Roanoke Valley's favorite running backs could be coming to a theatre near you.
But these days, New York Giant Tiki Barber is living life on Broadway
Steve Mason reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=first audio]
[SUPER=03-New York, NY; :00]
[SUPER=01-Tiki Barber/"Berkeley"; :15]
[SUPER=01-Stasea Rosenblum/Actress & Play Creator; :40]
[SUPER=01-Sheri Rosenblum/Actress & Play Creator; 1:27]
[SUPER=@Steve1; 2:21]
[RUNS=2:34]
[OUT Q=....News 7 sports"]
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((Tiki Barber's acting career debuts off broadway in a play intitled "Seeing Double", a comedy that, ironically, centers around twin sistters who lead exact opposite lives. ((TIKI BARBER:))
Stacea and Sheri Rosenblum, who created the play, were introduced to Tiki at an off season New York charity event. His obvious connection with them and his interest in action lead to an audition. Barber beat out apporxamaelty 500 other actors for the part. ((:))
Tiki plays a Zen lawyer who uses his so called spiritual powers to put one of his fellow attorneys at peace with his stressful predicament. Larry Daniels lives with the twin sisters and dates one of them. ((:)) In one scene, the attorneys are playing catch with a football. When they finally throw it to Tiki, he drops it. A scene that hit a nerve and helped Tiki in his NFL career.))

[Soccer]

[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-32]
[GRAPHIC=Soccer]

Europe is the next stop for a teenager considered by many to be the top soccer player in southwestern Virginia.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :00]

Cave Spring's John Hartman, a member of the Roanoke Valley Youth Soccer Club's 16 and under team, has been chosen as one of the top 18 players from Maine to Virginia.
Hartman played in Germany last year, and he knows what to expect from the competition.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="It's...]
[SUPER=01-John Hartman/Will Play In Europe; :00]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=...over there."]
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[VO NAT CON'T]
The European tournament runs from March 27th through April 6th. Hartman is also a member of the United States National pool. This is comprised of players that could play in Youth National Team events later this year.
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[NCAA]

[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=NONE]
[GRAPHIC=MEN'S FINAL FOUR]

The Men's Division One tournament resumes tonight here on WDBJ-7.
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[WIPE TO PINNACLE PAGE 7505]
Both games are from the South region. St.John's takes on Maryland in the early game at 7:30 and then the late game will feature Auburn and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
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[WIPE TO PINNACLE PAGE 7506]
And tomorrow, the Duke Blue Devils hit the court to face Southwest Missouri State and then Miami of Ohio tangles with the Kentucky Wildcats in the nightcap.
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[Tech]

[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-26]
[GRAPHIC=Women's Final Four]

Tickets are going fast for Saturday's matchup between the Lady Hokies and the Tennessee Volunteers.
Only about four-hundred of the allotted 3000 tickets are left for fans planning to head to
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Knoxville, TN/Monday Night;]

the Greensboro Coliseum for the East Regionals.
If you want to see the Tech women battle the Lady Vols Saturday at two, your best bet is to get in touch with the (------------) Tech ticket office sometime today.