WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 03/19/99

[7S-Sawmill-Fire]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=sta]
[TAPE#=99-]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]

Another Bedford County business has been hit by fire.
An explosion at a sawmill caused thousands of dollars in damages yesterday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co.;]

The president of the Otter River Lumber Company said a chipper motor exploded, causing flames to shoot through the roof.
No one was injured, but many workers were shaken up.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 15.44.09 - 15.44.25]
[IN Q=It was really]
((JIMMY MADDOX/PRESIDENT:IT WAS REALLY SCARY. WE'VE GOT TWO TANKS OVER THERE THAT'S GOT OVER PROBABLY 150 GALLONS OF HYDRAULIC OIL APIECE BUT THEY DIDN'T GO OFF. THAT'S WHAT WE KEPT HOPING. WE DIDN'T BURN A LOT. IF THAT WOULD HAVE WENT OFF YOU WOULD HAVE SEEN A LOT OF SMOKE.))
[SUPER=01-Jimmy Maddox/President;]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=lot of smoke.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The explosion happened at about 2:30 yesterday afternoon.
The damage is estimated at two-hundred-thousand dollars.
Maddox said he expects production to resume in a few days-- using backup equipment.
(------------)

[7County-Fires]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=sta]
[TAPE#=99-]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]

Helicopters were called in to Buchanan, and Botetourt and Roanoke counties yesterday. All were hit by forest and brush fires on the first day of the forest fire season.
Firefighters still don't know what caused most of the blazes, but they say a downed power line and heavy winds are to blame for one of the largest fires.
Stacey Martin reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=A helicopter began making]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.Yesterday; :00]
[SUPER=01-Lisa Shaffer/Local Resident; :23]
[SUPER=01-Bill Perdue/Local Resident; :53]
[SUPER=@Stacey1; 1:02]
[RUNS=1:14]
[OUT Q=SM, News 7, Roanoke County.]
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[SOT 18.08.01 - 18.08.13]
[IN Q=]
((nat sot))
[RUNS12]
[OUT Q=]

A helicopter began making the rounds late in the afternoon--carrying its load through the smoke and dousing the flames with gallons of water.
The blaze spread across eight acres and was fanned throughout the night by heavy winds--leaving hot spots flashing in the forest and residents fearing for their safety.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 19.03.08 -19.03.20]
[IN Q=We're talking about]
((LISA SHAFFER: WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LEAVING..AND CAUSE I DON'T THINK I CAN SLEEP WHILE IT'S STILL LIKE THIS. I'LL BE TOO AFRAID OF IT COMING DOWN WHILE WE'RE ASLEEP AND CATCHING THE HOUSE ON FIRE.)) [RUNS12]
[OUT Q=house on fire.]

This was the largest of several brush fires throughout the area including this one which burned alongside Martins Creek Road and covered about one acre.
Another one next to it burned across five more acres.
Area residents said the forest fires were some of the worst they'd seen in years.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 18.35.51 - 18.36.01]
[IN Q=Our lights flickered]
((PERDUE:OUR LIGHTS FLICKERED AND OUR CABLE TV WENT OFF AND THE TELEPHONE WENT OFF AND WE WENT OUT ON THE DECK TO SEE AND WE SAW SMOKE BACK BEHIND THE HOUSE.)) [RUNS10]
[OUT Q=behind the house.]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 18.55.59 - 18.56.10]
[IN Q=Crews plan to]
((STACEY MARTIN/REPORTING: CREWS PLAN TO SET UP A CONTROL LINE TO CONTAIN THE FIRE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. BUT, THEY DON'T EXPECT IT TO BE COMPLETELY OUT UNTIL THE NEXT RAINFALL WHICH IS EXPECTED ON MONDAY. STACEY MARTIN, NEWS 7, ROANOKE COUNTY.)) [RUNS11]
[OUT Q=SM, News 7, Roanoke County.]))

[7S-Licenses]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=99-5 40:13]
[GRAPHIC=None]

There will soon be a new Virginia drivers license.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]

D-M-V officials hope the new license is tamper-proof.
For clerks who have to check I-Ds for liquor or tobacco sales, juveniles are now on a vertical license.
There's even a bar code on the back that can swiped by a machine that registers if you're legal to make the purchase.
You get a heart symbol if you're an organ donor.
And for those who hate waiting at the D-M-V, the whole process of making the card now takes half the time.
The new licenses will show up in our region in May.
(------------)

[7WEATHER]

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

Taking a look now at your Friday forecast.. Another breezy day ahead. Expect sunshine and cooler temperatures, with winds out of the northwest. Highs will range from the mid-50s to about 60 degrees.
Clear and continued breezy tonight. Look for lows around thirty degrees.
The extended forecast...
[CK/WX PRO=]
MAPS

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[SUPER=314-Sunny & Cooler/Winds NW 10-20/55-60/Clear &/Breezy/28-32;]
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[7BIRTHDAYS!] 3/20/99
Saturday:

[SUPER=130-4/Alex Taylor/Roanoke]

[SUPER=130-2/Savanah Faris/Salem]

[SUPER=130-/Marie Barnette/Pulaski]

[SUPER=130-2/Joseph Hill/Danville]

[SUPER=130-36/Terri Leisure/Clifton Forge]

[SUPER=130-7/Chelsey Booth/Glade Hill]

Anniversary:
[SUPER=130-46th/Howard & Sylvia Marshall/Radford]

[SUPER=130-9/Kyle Gibson/Roanoke]

[SUPER=130-35/Johnny Lawson Jr./Buchanan]

No Pictures:

[SUPER=131-59/Vera Tickle/Bland]

[SUPER=131-/Tony Andrews/Lewisburg]

[SUPER=131-30/James Walker/Snow Creek]

Twins:
[SUPER=131-/Davie & Stevie Mitchell/Snow Creek]

[SUPER=131-12/Melissa Smith/Callaway][cutopen]
[SUPER=19-Melanie/Moon;]

[45S-Pitts-Ax]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=99-7 39:58]
[GRAPHIC=Accident]

A terrifying hour for a motorist in Pittsylvania County .
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pittsylvania Co.]

Yesterday, he was driving on Route 360 just outside the Danville city limits , when a tree limb fell on the roof of his car and caused him to run into a ditch.
Rescue crews worked for about 45 minutes to get him out.
The man was taken to the Danville hospital.
Officials say his injuries did not appear to be life threatening.
(------------)

[45S-Via]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=98-81 1:40:45]
[GRAPHIC=Dog Beating]

A Roanoke man will spend at least a year behind bars for beating a rottweiler puppy and duct-taping its mouth shut. 19- year- old James Anthony Via
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

was sentenced to 12 months in prison after entering a plea of no contest yesterday in Roanoke General District Court.
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/February 19; ]

He was arrested in February after two dogs disappeared from their owner's yard.
Sheeba was beaten severely, but is now recovering from her injuries.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 19:07]
[IN Q=She's getting back]
((SHE'S GETTING BACK TO BEING HERSELF AGAIN, PLAY WITH THE KIDS, PLAYING OUT IN THE YARD, PLAYING WITH MAX. IT'S JUST GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME? YEAH, IT TAKES A LITTLE TIME TO GET USED TO BRING BACK HOME AND EVERYTHING AFTER ALL SHE WENT THROUGH.))
[SUPER=01-Teresa Harmon/Dog Owner]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=after all she went through.]
(-----------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Via was also sentenced to 90 days in jail for brandishing a gun. He faces additional charges, but attorneys say negotiations may produce a plea agreement.

[45S-81-Patrols]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=98-78 1:45:40]
[GRAPHIC=Aerial Patrols]

State police continue their crackdown on Interstate 81.
News 7's Kieth Humphry takes to the sky for a birds eye view of the stepped up patrol.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=At ground zero]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; 00]
[SUPER=01-Don Childs/State Police Pilot; :39]
[RUNS=1:40]
[OUT Q=job, aren't you? Right.]

((At ground zero on the Interstate, traffic seems to bear down on us. It seems there's an endless line of vehicles- -flying by at 70 or 80 miles an hour.
[NAT SOT FULL- chopper]

Now THAT'S flying.
Literally flying seven or eight hundred feet above the Interstate- -Pilot Don Childs could use half a dozen pairs of eyes to keep track of everything.
In addition to navigating his State Police helicopter - -monitoring FOUR radios...
[nat sot full]

Not the least of which is the radio control tower for Roanoke Regional....
His primary task these days is to keep an eye on the ground.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 14:24:45]
[IN Q=]
(()) [RUNS]
[OUT=]

Troopers in patrol cars remain the first line of defense in the fight against speed and wreckless driving on the Interstate.
But Childs can see things the radar gun can't.
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[SOT 14:25:25]
[IN Q=As you can]
(()) [RUNS 20]
[OUT Q=break down lane]

It may come as a surprise to the average motorist that Childs is hovering overhead... but he knows his presence hardly goes completely un-noticed.
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[SOT 14:26:15]
[IN Q=If we had]
(()) [RUNS 05]
[OUT Q=Really oh yeah.]

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[SOT 14:37:25]
[IN Q=Most of the time]
(()) [runs 10]
[OUT Q=Aren't you? Right.]))

[45WEATHER]

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

Turning to your Friday forecast now--
Sunny and slightly cooler today, with gusty northwest winds.
Highs will be near 60.
Clear and still rather breezy overnight, as lows fall to near 30.
The extended forecast is calling for showers to develop by the latter half of the weekend... with highs staying in the mid and upper 50s.
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[SUPER=19-Melanie/Moon;]

[8Bieber]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=????]
[GRAPHIC=none]

NEWS 7 told you first about an embarrassing incident for some Virginia Democrats caught having a late night party in the General Assembly building.
At the time, we reported that the Capitol Police were refusing to release an incident report.
Minutes after our story ran last night, the Clerk of the state Senate called to provide some details.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]

Susan Clarke Schaar (SHAR) says the February 25th incident caused about 150 to 200 dollars in damage to the Senate Finance Committee meeting table.
The party included state Democratic party director Craig Bieber (BEE-ber) and three colleagues... one of whom was banging a gavel on the table so hard it left dent marks.
(------------)
[TALENT=Melanie]
[SS=none]

Schaar (SHAR) says a part-time member of her staff has been dismissed from her employment.
A member of U-S Senator Chuck Robb's staff in Richmond is reportedly still facing personnel action.
Craig Bieber told NEWS 7 he would NOT talk at the request of the Capitol Police because the matter is still under investigation.

[8S-Fugitive-Wanted]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-6 45:47]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Lynchburg authorities are on the lookout for a suspected drug trafficker who MIGHT be hiding out in the Hill City.
The man is also wanted in connection with several murders in New York City.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

29- year- old Chaka (SHA-kuh) Herbert Raysor (RAY-zer).. also known as Herbert Jones.. is a black male about 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 175 to 200 pounds.
Raysor is wanted for nine murders in Brooklyn, and has been indicted under the federal racketeering statute.
Lynchburg police believe Raysor has recently been or still is in the Hill City.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:07:19]
[IN Q=We feel we]
((MAJOR JACK LEWIS/LYNCHBURG POLICE: WE FEEL WE NEED TO MAKE PEOPLE AWARE, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO MAY HAVE HAD CONTACT WITH HIM OR KNOW HIM UNDER ANOTHER NAME, THAT MAY NOT BE AWARE OF WHY HE IS IN LYNCHBURG AT THIS POINT IN TIME.))
[SUPER=01-Major Jack Lewis/Lynchburg Police; :00]
[RUNS=15]
[OUT Q=point in time.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Lewis says Raysor is considered armed and extremely dangerous.
Anyone with information as to his whereabouts is urged to call Lynchburg police or Central Virginia Crimestoppers.

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

[8County-Fires]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=sta]
[TAPE#=99-]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]

The first day of forest fire season lived up to its name yesterday.
Blazes broke out in Buchanan, as well as in Botetourt and Roanoke counties.
Firefighters say a downed power line and heavy winds led to one of the largest fires in Salem.
Stacey Martin reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=A helicopter began making]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./Yesterday; :00]
[SUPER=01-Lisa Shaffer/Local Resident; :23]
[SUPER=01-Bill Perdue/Local Resident; :53]
[SUPER=@Stacey1; 1:02]
[RUNS=1:14]
[OUT Q=SM, News 7, Roanoke County.]
(((///// SOT /////)
[SOT 18.08.01 - 18.08.13]
[IN Q=]
((nat sot))
[RUNS12]
[OUT Q=]

A helicopter began making the rounds late in the afternoon--carrying its load through the smoke and dousing the flames with gallons of water.
The blaze spread across eight acres and was fanned throughout the night by heavy winds--leaving hot spots flashing in the forest and residents fearing for their safety.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 19.03.08 -19.03.20]
[IN Q=We're talking about]
((LISA SHAFFER: WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LEAVING..AND CAUSE I DON'T THINK I CAN SLEEP WHILE IT'S STILL LIKE THIS. I'LL BE TOO AFRAID OF IT COMING DOWN WHILE WE'RE ASLEEP AND CATCHING THE HOUSE ON FIRE.)) [RUNS12]
[OUT Q=house on fire.]

This was the largest of several brush fires throughout the area including this one which burned alongside Martins Creek Road and covered about one acre.
Another one next to it burned across five more acres.
Area residents said the forest fires were some of the worst they'd seen in years.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 18.35.51 - 18.36.01]
[IN Q=Our lights flickered]
((PERDUE:OUR LIGHTS FLICKERED AND OUR CABLE TV WENT OFF AND THE TELEPHONE WENT OFF AND WE WENT OUT ON THE DECK TO SEE AND WE SAW SMOKE BACK BEHIND THE HOUSE.)) [RUNS10]
[OUT Q=behind the house.]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 18.55.59 - 18.56.10]
[IN Q=Crews plan to]
((STACEY MARTIN/REPORTING: CREWS PLAN TO SET UP A CONTROL LINE TO CONTAIN THE FIRE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. BUT, THEY DON'T EXPECT IT TO BE COMPLETELY OUT UNTIL THE NEXT RAINFALL WHICH IS EXPECTED ON MONDAY. STACEY MARTIN, NEWS 7, ROANOKE COUNTY.)) [RUNS11]
[OUT Q=SM, News 7, Roanoke County.]))

[8WEATHER]

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

Before we finish the morning updates--here's another look at the forecast.
Sunny and breezy again today, with highs in the upper 50s to near 60.
Staying clear overnight, with lows around 30.
The weekend outlooks is partly sunny tomorrow, with rain possible by Sunday.
Highs in the mid and upper 50s.
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