[HEADLINES]
[TALENT=Melanie]
(///////sot//////)
[in=]
((PRESIDENT CLINTON:BY ACTING NOW, WE ARE UPHOLDING OUR VALUES, PROTECTING OUR INTERESTS, AND ADVANCING THE CAUSE OF PEACE."))
[runs=:06]
[out=THE CAUSE OF PEACE.]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
Three Serb jet fighters are destroyed in the first round of NATO airstrikes.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
And Governor Gilmore puts his signature on a bill that will make a trip to the grocery store a bit cheaper.
(/////////////)
[TALENT=Patrick]
[SS=None]
(ad lib)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]
News 7 at noon is next.
[Kosovo]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#None]
[SS=Serbia Under Attack]
NATO commanders are claiming success after last night's airstrakes at Serbian targets.
NATO says three Serb jet fighters were destroyed in the first round.
The Serbs claim at least 10 people were killed and civilians were wounded.
The White House says Serbian President Milosivec ``knows what he needs to do'' to halt allied air strikes-- halt the Serb offensive in Kosovo and ``sign on to a durable political settlement.''
Another day of bombing is expected.
Maureen maher is in Washington with the latest.
[Live=Maureen Full/Newspath]
[SUPER=01-Maureen Maher/Reporting;]
[SUPER=05-Washington DC;]
( ad lib)
[***ROLLED FROM NEWSPATH***]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Javier Solano/NATO Secretary General;]
[SUPER=01-William Cohen/Secretary of Defense;]
[SUPER=03-Toronto, Canada;]
[SUPER=01-Sen. John McCain/(R) Arizona;]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=]
[Live=Maureen Full/Newspath]
[SUPER=05-Washington DC;]
( ad lib)
((Damage pictures from the first U-S lead salvo have been slow to come. but NATO insists that some 40 key military and industrial sights in Serbia were hit in overnight raids.
(SOT/Javier Solano/NATO, Secretary General) "The initial reports at this time are that we have been successful."
Belgrade television also released video of the injured. claiming at least 10 deaths, mostly women and children who were living in military barracks.
(nat of bombs or missiles ..)
As American B-2 stealth bombers returned this morning from their first ever mission, no one was willing to commit to just how long the bombing could last, only that it will until Yugoslov President Slobodon Milsovic
agrees to the previously laid out terms for peace.
(SOT/William Cohen/Secretary of Defense) "There is no specific time frame, what we have indicated is we have a certain
objective and that is to deter him from moving forward."
But reports this morning out of Kosovo indicate that Yugoslavian troops have instead stepped up their attack on the Albanians .
(LOCATOR: TORONTO)
(nat, protestors)
Around the world, protestors voiced their objections to Operation "Allied Forces".., as Washington Politicians did the same on the potential of more American military involvement .
(SOT/Sen.John McCain/R-AZ) "What if Mr. Milosivic doesn't do what we want ? What is the next step? It's obviously groun
d troops and I don't support that."))
[E-Families-react]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=99-4 TC1:17:24]
[GRAPHIC=Serbia Under Attack]
[***ANCHOR TAG***]
Virginia seems far away from the trouble in Yugoslavia.
But for some families living in the area, the bombing campaign is hitting close to home.
Eric Earnhart talked with some Yugoslavian refugees who have lived here for 3 years.
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]))
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=HOLD]
Tonight at Six, we'll hear from a woman from Belgrade who now lives in the area.[Food-TAx]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Food Tax]
Governor Gilmore has signed a bill cutting the sales tax on food.
Gilmore made the announcement today.
The law goes into effect on July First and will be phased in over four years.
When fully implemented, shoppers will save two dollars on a 100-dollar grocery bill.
[Weather-Service]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=rre]
[TAPE#98-78 TC1:57:59]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Big changes are about to take place in the world of weather.
The National Weather Service office in Blacksburg will assume full forecasting responsiblilities next Monday.
[Double Boxes=Melanie and Robin/Microwave]
So we sent Robin Reed down to Virgnia Tech to find out how this affects us.
[Live=Robin Full/Microwave]
[SUPER=@Robin1;]
[SUPER=05-Blacksburg;]
( ad lib)
(Rollcue:and things changed.)
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=]
(-------------)
[Live=Robin Full/Microwave]
[Robin Does Live Interview]
[SUPER=01-Mike Emlaw/N. W. S. Meteorologist]
[SUPER=05-Blacksburg;]
( ad lib)
[Double Boxes=Robin and Patrick/Microwave]
(Robin tosses to Patrick in Weather Center)
[WX-One]
[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[DOUBLE BOXES=Patrick and Robin/Microwave]
(Robin tosses to Patrick in the Weather Center)
WX-Tease
[WX-Pro=Full]
(Patrick tosses to Melanie for news tease)
[tease1]
[HARD MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
He's facing a capital murder charge and today, Bud Pritchett goes to trial.
That's the next story on News-7 at Noon.
(--------------)
[VO-NAT ]
And Jack Kevorkian rests his case in his own murder trial.
(---------------)
[music up full]
[comm1]
[Pritchett]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Bud Pritchett]
Jury selection is underway in the capital murder trial of Livingston "Bud" Pritchett.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg/File Tape]
Pritchett is charged with the April 1997 robbery and murder of 57-year old Estel Singleton at the Ironto rest area in Montgomery County.
Investigators arrested Pritchett after recognizing him on a videotape using Singleton's bank card at an automated-teller machine.
Pritchett's case has been postponed twice-- once because of a dispute over evidence and a second
time when Pritchett considered dumping his lawyers.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=HOLD]
We'll have more on Pritchett's trial tonight on News-7 at Five and Six.
[Fisher]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=VA Death Penalty]
The first person ever given a death sentence in Bedford County faces execution tonight.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford/1987;]
David Lee Fisher is scheduled to die for hiring someone to kill a teen-age acquaintance.
Lawyers for the 57-year-old Fisher 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.
(------------)
[Kevorkian]
[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Jack Kevorkian]
Closing arguments are underway in Dr. Jack Kevorkian's murder trial.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pontiac, MI;]
Acting as his own lawyer in his murder trial today tried to call the widow and brother of of the man he's accused of murdering.
But when the judge turned him down, Kevorkian made a surprise move.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[10:06;20-32][IN Q=]
((NO MORE WITNESSES, THE DEFENSE RESTS... WELL THEN BETTER DISCUSS JURY INSTRUCTIONS.))
[SUPER=01-Dr. Jack Kevorkian/Defendant;]
[RUNS=:12]
[OUT Q=jury instructions.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Kevorkian ended his defense without calling a single witness.
If convicted he could get life behind bars.
(------------)
[Microsoft]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]
While the Microsoft antitrust lawsuit is in recess Bill Gates has made a bid to settle.
But apparently the Government thinks he'll have to do better.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@File;]
[4:42:55]
Microsoft is still refusing to accept any restrictions on what new features it can add to its Windows software.
Nineteen states suing Microsoft have representatives in Washington today who will discuss the case.
(------------)
[AOL]
[ANCHOR=MELANIE]
[NEWSCAST=NOON]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Layoffs]
Northern Virginia based America Online is cutting 8 percent of its workforce.
The layoffs were widely expected after completion of the ten billion-dollar merger last week with Netscape.
Five hundred jobs are being cut from within Netscape.
The rest to come from AOL.
[Tease2]
[SOFT MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
We'll hear from Virginia Tech's new basketball coach in just a few minutes on News-7 at Noon.
(-----------------)
[VO-NAT ]
And next-- folks in Radford and Pulaski County get a look at what will replace this bridge over the New
River.
Stay with us.
(-----------------)
[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #2]
[E-Memorial-Bridge]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=ame]
[TAPE#=99-1 TC1:21:54]
[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 their first look at the plans.
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 for one month in 1994 due to a failed inspection.
It has since been stabilized, but its worsening condition is helping push the replacement forward.
[Stocks]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE# none]
[GRAPHIC=stocks]
On Wall Street at Noon, the Dow was UP 145 points.
[tease3]
[SPORTS MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
Still ahead in sports, Providence intervenes with some help for the Express.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
Plus, East meets West in an offensive flurry among the cornfields of Iowa.
We'll have the highlights from the McDonald's All-American game, when the News continues.
(---------------)
[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #3]
[Tech]
[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=sp-40]
[graphic=Tech hoops]
The Hokies have officially introduced their new coach. And as we told you yesterday, he's a man with lifelong ties to the commonwealth.
Roy Stanley has the story from Blacksburg.
(///// SOT /////)
[IN Q=FIRST AUDIO]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg/Yesterday; :00]
[SUPER=01-Ricky Stokes/New Virginia Tech Head Coach; :21]
[SUPER=01-Jim Weaver/Virginia Tech Athletic Director; :32]
[SUPER=01-Andre Ray/Virginia Tech Rising Senior; :51]
[SUPER=@Roy1; 1:02]
[RUNS=1:14]
[OUT Q=...news 7 sports."]
(------------)
[WIPE WIPE WIPE]
[Stokes]
[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-27]
[GRAPHIC=wipe wipe wipe]
[WIPE WIPE WIPE WIPE WIPE]
(------------)
[vo-nat]
[SUPER=04-1983-84 Season;]
Stokes played in two final fours, and was the captain of the UVA squad his senior season, before graduating in 19-84 with a degree in psychology.
He is considered an excellent recruiter and he is a Richmond native with strong ties to the state.
(------------)
[Stars]
[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-42]
[GRAPHIC=HIGH SCHOOL]
Defense took a back seat at the McDonald's high school All-American game in Ames, Iowa last night, as the two teams combined for a total of 269 points.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Ames, Iowa/ESPN; :00]
UVa's prized recuit for next season, guard Majestic Mapp from the Bronx, went down the wrong road in the first quarter, as Stanford Bound Casey Jacobsen beats him to the hoop and draws a foul.
Jacobsen was hot in this one. He had 15 points in the first quarter alone for the West.
[SUPER=33-West/141/East/128;]
Mapp would find his rhythm later in the game. He hits the big three pointer for the East. But the West wins the race 141-to-128.
(------------)
[Express]
[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=sp-31]
[GRAPHIC=Express]
As we told you yesterday, Express General Manager Tony Mancuso will leave the team at the end of the regular season.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
According to Mancuso, he and Express owners came to a mutual agreement that he would step down. One of the team's owners, Dick Yancey, confirmed that from his office in Harrisonburg.
Mancuso and the owners are still working together, but Mancuso had to address some family matters.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="I had]
[SUPER=01-Tony Mancuso/Outgoing Express G. M.; :00]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=...go back there"]
(------------------------------)
[VO-NAT]
Mancuso is the third Express front office employee to be let go in the last week, something that hasn't gone unnoticed.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="You]
((SCOTT GORDON/EXPRESS HEAD COACH:))
[SUPER=01-Scott Gordon/Express Head Coach; :00]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=....this has happened"]
(-----------------------------)
[VO-NAT]
Owner Dick Yancey adressed rumors that the team might be sold, saying they are NOT TRUE, and that the current owners intend to keep the team.
But former owner John Gagnon HAS expressed interest in buying the Express.
(----------------------------)
[Harmer]
[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-31]
[GRAPHIC=EXPRESS]
The Express has an uphill climb ahead, as the team tries to rebound from it's late-season slide. The team has won just 3 of its last 11 games, but help has arrived.
Duane Harmer flew back into Roanoke last night from Providence of the A-H-L to give the team a much needed boost on defense.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="I'm happy...]
((DUANE HARMER:))
[SUPER=01-Duane Harmer/35 Games With Express This Year; :00]
[RUNS=:23]
[OUT Q=....on a high."]
(--------------)
[Anchor=Patrick]
The Express next faces rival Hampton Roads tomorrow in Tidewater.
[ss=Express/Hampton Roads]
by SS