WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 03/25/99

[7E-Families-react]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=99-]
[GRAPHIC=Serbia Under Attack]

There's no sign the Serbs are ready to change their minds about peace in Kosovo, even after a night that saw NATO bombs strike military forces, air defenses and factories.
For many Roanoke Valley residents, this is a foreign war in an unfamiliar part of the world.
But for those with roots in Yugoslavia, it's hitting too close to home.
As Eric Earnhart reports, they hope the Americans watching truly understand what's at stake.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=From the time the bombing]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=07-Lucian White; :08]
[SUPER=01-Amrus Demaku/Yugoslavian Refugee; :27]
[SUPER=01-Merima Demaku/Yugoslavian Refugee; :52]
[SUPER=@eric2; :57]
[SUPER=07-Rocky Sluss; 1:03]
[SUPER=07-Barry Chitwood; 1:10]
[RUNS=1:42]
[OUT Q=EE, News-7]

((From the time the bombing started, the news was on at the Community Inn in Roaoke... patrons watching intently.
[SOT 00:52:10]
[IN Q=If they think]
((LUCIAN WHITE; IF THEY THINK THEY'RE DOING THE RIGHT THING, THEN I'VE GOTTA GO ALONG WITH... IF IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO WE GOTTA LIVE WITH IT.)) [RUNS 07]
[OUT Q=live with it]

But perhaps no one in Roanke is watching closer than Amrus and Merima Demaku... They fled Croatia 3 years ago. They have family in Kosovo... but say the fighting has left little else.
[SOT 13:07:29 ]
[IN Q=]
((AMRUS DEMAKU/YUGOSLAVIAN REFUGEE; THEY CLOSE SCHOOLS, THEY CLOSE HOSPITALS, CLOSE THE TV, RADIO, EVERYTHING, WE DON'T HAVE NOTHING THERE IN KOSOVO FOR NOW. )) [RUNS 14]
[OUT Q=for now]

They haven't heard from their families in 15 days... they fear the NATO bombing raids could kill them, but believe it is also the only way to save them.
[SOT 13:10:21]
[IN Q=that is only]
(( MERIMA DEMAKU/YUGOSLAVIAN REFUGEE; THAT IS ONLY HOPE, THAT AMERICA DO SOMETHING, THAT WE SEE THEM ALIVE)) [RUNS 07]
[OUT Q=see them alive]

But here on the street, some Americans, roughly half according to polls, have trouble supporting the offensive.
[SOT 00:56:48]
[IN Q=they've been]
(( THEY'VE BEEN FIGHTING EACH OTHER FOR 800 YEARS,SO WHY SHOULD WE GO AND STEP IN TEH MIDDLE OF IT NOW? )) [RUNS 06]
[OUT Q=of it now.]
[SOT 00:53:38]
[IN Q=gonna lose]
(( GONNA LOSE A LOT OF MONEY A LOT OF LIVES, AND A LIFE AIN'T WORTH IT.)) [RUNS 05]
[OUT Q=aint worth it]

But Amrus fears if NATO does nothing, a third world war could be the final result. Merima says, if NATO does NOT follow through... many more lives WILL be lost.
[SOT 13:09:57 ]
[IN Q=it doesn't matter]
((MERIMA DEMAKU/YUGOSLAVIAN REFUGE; IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S CHILD, IF IT'S WOMAN, IF IT'S OLD MAN, THEY'RE KILLING ALL. I JUST HOPE THEY UNDERSTAND THAT SOMBODY NEEDS TO HELP THAT PEOPLE. I JUST WANT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT)) [RUNS 16]
[OUT Q=help that people]))

[7Fisher]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=VA Death Penalty]

A man convicted of hiring a hit man to kill a teen-aged acquaintance is scheduled to die tonight. faces execution tonight.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford/1987;]

David Lee Fisher is the first person ever given a death sentence in Bedford County.
Lawyers for the 57-year-old have a final Supreme Court appeal pending and have asked Governor Gilmore for clemency.
If those pleas are rejected, Fisher will become the fourth man put to death in Virginia this year.
(------------)

[7E-L'burg-Murder]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-12]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Investigation]

Two are dead and another wounded following a domestic dispute in Lynchburg.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

Tuesday night, police say 27-year old Harry Eugene Mitchell shot and killed his ex-girlfriend-- Lisa A. Prior-- and wounded her sister.
Mitchell then apparently turned the gun on himself.
The shooting occurred at the home of the victims' mother on Bell Street.
Police say it was a domestic argument that got out of hand.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 9:39:42]
[IN Q=You try to]
((EARL BURNETTE/LYNCHBURG POLICE: YOU TRY TO LOOK FOR THE CAUSES OF IT AND TRY TO LEARN FROM IT AND HOPEFULLY MAYBE IF SIMILAR SITUATIONS OCCUR IN THE FUTURE, MAYBE YOU CAN HELP PREVENT IT BE EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ON SAFETY MEASURES WHEN THEY'RE INVOLVED IN A DOMESTIC SITUATION THAT COULD TURN VIOLENT.))
[SUPER=01-Cmdr. Earl Burnette/Lynchburg Police Department; :00]
[RUNS=15]
[OUT Q=could turn violent.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The injured woman-- 44-year old Debra Dawson-- is in satisfactory condition at Lynchburg General Hospital.
(------------)

[7Jackson]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Charles Jackson, Jr.]

A fugitive from New Jersey wanted for attempted murder, kidnapping and aggravated assault was picked up by Roanoke police during a routine traffic stop two weeks ago.
After checking his fingerprints, police identified the man as Charles Andre Jackson, Junior.
Jackson told police he was carrying a phony I-D because he realized he was a fugitive, and knew as a convicted felon, he was prohibited from having a gun.

[7WEATHER]

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

Taking a look now at your Thursday forecast..
Partly cloudy and cool with light winds out of the northwest. Look for highs to only be around fifty degrees.
Mostly cloudy tonight, as temperatures dip into the low-30s.
The extended forecast...
[CK/WX PRO=]
MAPS

[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Partly Cloudy/Winds NW 10-15/48-52/Mostly Cloudy/and Chilly/30-34;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
[7BIRTHDAYS!] 3/26/99
Friday:

[SUPER=130-16/Crystal Dalton/Gretna]

[SUPER=130-1/Summer Duncan/Christiansburg]

[SUPER=130-94/Elsie Ward/Farmville]

[SUPER=130-46/Steve Draper/Martinsville]

[SUPER=130-/Annabelle Strickler/Timberville]

[SUPER=130-50/Mary Quesenberry/Dugspur]

[SUPER=130-1/Justin Whitt/Radford]

[SUPER=130-16/William Wallace/Elliston]

[SUPER=130-/Rashelle Wade/Rocky Mount]

No Pictures:
Wow!
[SUPER=131-102/Grace Robertson/Roanoke]

[SUPER=131-/Dave Hurt/Lynchburg]

[SUPER=131-/Edith Bova/Roanoke]

[SUPER=131-/Sandra Amos/Roanoke]

[SUPER=131-/Brenlyn Plybon/Snow Creek]

[SUPER=131-/Delores Bowles/Blacksburg]

[cutopen]
[SUPER=19-Melanie/Moon;]

[45Fisher]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=VA Death Penalty]

The first person ever given the death sentence in Bedford County is scheduled to be excuted tonight.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford/1987;]

David Lee Fisher was convicted of hiring a hit man to kill a teenaged acquaintance.
Lawyers for the 57-year-old have a final Supreme Court appeal pending and have asked Governor Gilmore for clemency.

If those pleas are rejected, Fisher will become the fourth man put to death in Virginia this year.
(------------)

[45S-95-Crackdown]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=99-3 1:23:57]
[GRAPHIC=Crackdown]

First they hit I-81, and on Sunday state police will target I-95 in Eastern Virginia .
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-February 21]

The crackdown will be patterned after the big and highly-publicized operation along 81 on February 21st.
That resulted in 17-hundred tickets in just eight hours.
(------------)

[45E-Radford-Hospital]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=98-81]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A fifteen year effort has paid off in Montgomery County.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Montgomery Co.]

Yesterday Southwestern Virginia got a new hospital.
The New River Valley Medical Center was formally dedicated in the County.
The new facility has fewer beds than Carilion Radford Community - the hospital it's replacing.
But officials say the new technologies offered at the Medical Center will give area patients a leg up, compared with health care in many other communities.
And officials are also banking on the hospital's design to help the sick feel better.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[12:20:40-12:20:47]
[IN Q=It's as non-hospital]
((ARCHIE CROMER/RETIRED CARILION BOARD CHAIRMAN: IT'S AS NON-HOSPITAL AS YOU CAN GET... MORE LIKE SOME PLACE YOU RELAX.))
[SUPER=01-Archie Cromer/Retired Carilion Board Chairman]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=place you relax.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Patients were moved into the new facility over the weekend.
The Medical Center is expected to serve 60-thousand patients a year - it employs 750 people, and more than 100 physicians.
(------------)

[45E-Memorial-Bridge]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=ame]
[TAPE#=99-1]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Plans are in the making for a new bridge across the New River.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Radford]

Last night residents of Radford and Pulaski County got a preview of what's to come.
Two spans will replace the existing Memorial Bridge... and construction could begin by the end of next year.
The Virginia Department of Transportation held a public forum on the bridge design last night in Radford to hear feedback from residents.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[16:41:49-16:52]
[IN Q=We've been in need]
((WE'VE BEEN IN NEED OF THIS FOR A LONG TIME SEVERAL YEARS, THIS WILL BE A TEMENDOUS IMPROVEMENT FOR THE COUNTY AS WELL AS THE STATE.))
[SUPER=01-Winston Snead/Pulaski Co. Resident]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=well as the state.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[graphic=none]

The current bridge was closed in 1994 after a failed inspection.
It has since been stabilized, but its worsening condition is helping push the replacement forward.

[45E-Science-Musuem]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=98-78 1:56:30]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A new attraction is coming to Roanoke's science museum.
It will take movie goers on a high tech ride.
Scott Goldberg reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It's an old-school]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;00]
[SUPER=01-Ken Schutz/Science Museum of Western Va.; :14]
[SUPER=@Scott2; :48]
[SUPER=@Bowers; :53]
[RUNS=1:06]
[OUT Q=news-7]

((It's an old-school 35-millimeter projector now.
But by this summer, the system inside planetarium at the Science Museum of Western Virginia will project a high-tech IMAX-like digital experience.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 23:38:46]
[IN Q=have you]
((KEN SCHUTZ: HAVE YOU EVER SEEN AN IMAX MOVIE? IF YOU HAVE SEEN ONE YOU KNOW HOW COOL THEY ARE.)) [RUNS 04]
[OUT Q=THEY ARE]

The museum's executive director knows just how cool it will be when the 400-thousand-dollar upgrade is finished, and the planetarium adds exciting thrillers to its lineup of star shows.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 23:41:44]
[IN Q=for example]
((KEN SCHUTZ: FOR EXAMPLE, THE FEELINGS YOU HAVE WHEN YOU'RE ON A ROLLER COASTER. AND THROUGH THE OPTICS OF THE SYSTEM, IT TAKES YOU TO THE TOP OF THE COASTER AND THEN YOU GO DOWN AND YOU FEEL YOUR STOMACH LIFT AS THOUGH YOU WERE REALLY MOVING.)) [RUNS 10]
[OUT Q=MOVING]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT23:49:45]
[IN Q=WE CONTINUE]
((MAYOR BOWERS: WE CONTINUE TO WORK BEHIND THE SCENES...)) [RUNS 02]
[OUT Q=THE SCENES]

Meanwhile, Mayor Bowers said the city still plans to open another large-format theater -- a huge IMAX -- just blocks from the science museum.
And he said, downtown's big enough for both of them.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 23:51:49]
[IN Q=the more]
((BOWERS: THE MORE WE HAVE, THE MORE IT'S GOING TO ATTRACT. SO IF THEY COME DOWN FOR ONE EVENT, THEY'LL STAY FOR ANOTHER EVENT.)) [RUNS 05]
[OUT Q=ANOTHER EVENT]

Tickets at the science museum should cost about as much as a regular movie.
The theater's projected opening dated is July 2nd.
Scott Goldberg, News-7.))

[45WEATHER]

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

Taking a moment now to look at the forecast...
Partly cloudy today, with northwesterly winds.
Highs around 50.
Mostly cloudy and chilly tonight, with lows near 32.
The four day forecast is calling for partly sunny skies and a gradual warm-up by the beginning of next week.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Partly Cloudy/Winds NW 10-15/48-52/Mostly Cloudy/and Chilly/30-34;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
[cutopen]
[SUPER=19-Melanie/Moon;]

[8E-Families-react]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=99-]
[GRAPHIC=Serbia Under Attack]

NATO's bomb strikes last night apparently weren't enough to force the Serbs to compromise for peace in Kosovo.

To most of us here locally, the clash is a FOREIGN war.
But some Yugoslavian refugees living in Roanoke are watching the events in their war- torn homeland...and hoping Americans realize their significance.
Eric Earnhart reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=From the time the bombing]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=07-Lucian White; :08]
[SUPER=01-Amrus Demaku/Yugoslavian Refugee; :27]
[SUPER=01-Merima Demaku/Yugoslavian Refugee; :52]
[SUPER=@eric2; :57]
[SUPER=07-Rocky Sluss; 1:03]
[SUPER=07-Barry Chitwood; 1:10]
[RUNS=1:42]
[OUT Q=EE, News-7]

((From the time the bombing started, the news was on at the Community Inn in Roaoke... patrons watching intently.
[SOT 00:52:10]
[IN Q=If they think]
((LUCIAN WHITE; IF THEY THINK THEY'RE DOING THE RIGHT THING, THEN I'VE GOTTA GO ALONG WITH... IF IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO WE GOTTA LIVE WITH IT.)) [RUNS 07]
[OUT Q=live with it]

But perhaps no one in Roanke is watching closer than Amrus and Merima Demaku... They fled Croatia 3 years ago. They have family in Kosovo... but say the fighting has left little else.
[SOT 13:07:29 ]
[IN Q=]
((AMRUS DEMAKU/YUGOSLAVIAN REFUGEE; THEY CLOSE SCHOOLS, THEY CLOSE HOSPITALS, CLOSE THE TV, RADIO, EVERYTHING, WE DON'T HAVE NOTHING THERE IN KOSOVO FOR NOW. )) [RUNS 14]
[OUT Q=for now]

They haven't heard from their families in 15 days... they fear the NATO bombing raids could kill them, but believe it is also the only way to save them.
[SOT 13:10:21]
[IN Q=that is only]
(( MERIMA DEMAKU/YUGOSLAVIAN REFUGEE; THAT IS ONLY HOPE, THAT AMERICA DO SOMETHING, THAT WE SEE THEM ALIVE)) [RUNS 07]
[OUT Q=see them alive]

But here on the street, some Americans, roughly half according to polls, have trouble supporting the offensive.
[SOT 00:56:48]
[IN Q=they've been]
(( THEY'VE BEEN FIGHTING EACH OTHER FOR 800 YEARS,SO WHY SHOULD WE GO AND STEP IN TEH MIDDLE OF IT NOW? )) [RUNS 06]
[OUT Q=of it now.]
[SOT 00:53:38]
[IN Q=gonna lose]
(( GONNA LOSE A LOT OF MONEY A LOT OF LIVES, AND A LIFE AIN'T WORTH IT.)) [RUNS 05]
[OUT Q=aint worth it]

But Amrus fears if NATO does nothing, a third world war could be the final result. Merima says, if NATO does NOT follow through... many more lives WILL be lost.
[SOT 13:09:57 ]
[IN Q=it doesn't matter]
((MERIMA DEMAKU/YUGOSLAVIAN REFUGE; IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S CHILD, IF IT'S WOMAN, IF IT'S OLD MAN, THEY'RE KILLING ALL. I JUST HOPE THEY UNDERSTAND THAT SOMBODY NEEDS TO HELP THAT PEOPLE. I JUST WANT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT)) [RUNS 16]
[OUT Q=help that people]))

[8E-L'burg-Murder]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-12]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Investigation]

A domestic argument spun out of control in Lynchburg, leaving two people dead and another injured.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

Tuesday night, police say 27-year old Harry Eugene Mitchell shot and killed his ex-girlfriend-- Lisa A. Prior-- and wounded her sister.
Mitchell then apparently turned the gun on himself.
The shooting occurred at the home of the victims' mother on Bell Street.
Police say it was a domestic argument that got out of hand.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 9:39:42]
[IN Q=You try to]
((EARL BURNETTE/LYNCHBURG POLICE: YOU TRY TO LOOK FOR THE CAUSES OF IT AND TRY TO LEARN FROM IT AND HOPEFULLY MAYBE IF SIMILAR SITUATIONS OCCUR IN THE FUTURE, MAYBE YOU CAN HELP PREVENT IT BE EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ON SAFETY MEASURES WHEN THEY'RE INVOLVED IN A DOMESTIC SITUATION THAT COULD TURN VIOLENT.))
[SUPER=01-Cmdr. Earl Burnette/Lynchburg Police Department; :00]
[RUNS=15]
[OUT Q=could turn violent.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The injured woman-- 44-year old Debra Dawson-- is in satisfactory condition at Lynchburg General Hospital.
(------------)

[8Jackson]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Charles Jackson, Jr.]

A routine traffic stop in Roanoke two weeks ago led to the arrest of a fugitive from New Jersey...wanted for attempted murder, kidnapping, and aggravated assault.
After checking his fingerprints, police identified the man as Charles Andre Jackson, Junior.
Jackson told police he was carrying a phony I-D because he realized he was a fugitive, and knew as a convicted felon, he was prohibited from having a gun.

[8WEATHER]

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

Checking the Thursday outlook--
Partly cloudy today, with unseasonably cool temperatures.
Highs around 50.
Mostly cloudy tonight and chilly, with lows falling into the lower 30s.
The five day forecast is a mixture of sunshine and clouds, with highs rising from the 40s....into the 70s by next week.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=#555; reset] [SUPER=314-Partly Cloudy/Winds NW 10-15/48-52/Mostly Cloudy/and Chilly/30-34;]