[HEADLINES]
[TALENT=Kimberly]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
Ethnic Albanians are fleeing Kosovo by the THOUSANDS, but the White House is still holding off on sending any ground troops.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
And we'll have a live interview with "Touched by an Angel" star Della Reese about her new children's book.
(/////////////)
[TALENT=Patrick]
[SS=None]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[SS=None]
News 7 at noon is next.
[Kosovo]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#None]
[GRAPHIC=Serbia Under Attack]
A White House spokesman says there are still NO plans to send in ground troops, despite unconfirmed reports of "ethnic cleansing" taking place in Kosovo.
Meanwhile, refugees continuing fleeing that country.
Offficials estimate as many as 100- thousand ethnic Albanians have fled to Albania, Montenegro, and Bosnia.
Lisa Hughes has an update on the situation.
[Live=Lisa Full/Newspath]
[SUPER=01-Lisa Hughes/Reporting;]
[SUPER=05-Washington DC;]
( ad lib)
[****ROLLED FROM NEWSPATH****]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Streaming out of Kosovo]
[SUPER=01-Jamie Shea/NATO Spokesperson;]
[SUPER=01-Commodore David Wilby/NATO Spokesperson;]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=]
((STREAMING OUT OF KOSOVO.... REPORTEDLY AT THE RATE OF 4-THOUSAND PER
HOUR.... THESE ARE KOSOV'S HOMELESS. THE REFUGEES WHO HAVE MADE IT OUT
WITH THEIR LIVES-- BUT LITTLE MORE.
SOT: JAMIE SHEA/NATO SPOKESPERSON
REFUGEES ARE BEING FORCED TO GIVE UP PAPERS AND PASSPORTS ALMOST AS IF
IDENTITIES ARE BEING CANCELLED OUT.
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER EMMA BONINO ANNOUNCED TODAY SHE WILL TRAVEL TO THE REGION WEDNESDAY TO ASSES THE SCOPE OF THE TRAGEDY FOR HERSELF.
(NAT)
OVERNIGHT--NATO SAYS 6-SERB TARGETS IN KOSOVO WERE HIT BY ALLIED AIRCRAFT. YUGOSLAV TELEVISION IS SHOWING WHAT IT CLAIMS ARE AIR STRIKES IN A SUBURB OF PRISTINA. SEVERAL EXPLOSIONS -- THEN A BLACKOUT. THIS BUILDING -- BURNING OUT OF CONTROL -- IS A POLICE STATION IN PRISTINA. NATO MILITARY LEADERS SAY EFFORTS TO HIT MILITARY OPERATIONS ON THE GROUND ARE BEGINNING TO WORK.
SOT: Air Commodore David Wilby/NATO SPOKESPERSON WEAPONS ARE LAUNCHED...NO LOSSES.
WE ARE STILL LEARNING ABOUT THE LOSS OF THIS F-117 STEALTH BOMBER ON SATURDAY. PRESIDENT CLINTON HAS SPOKEN WITH THE PILOT WHO EJECTED SAFELY
AND WAS RESCUED BY MEMBERS OF A SPECIALLY-TRAINED TEAM. WHETHER THE
PLANE WAS SHOT DOWN BY A SERB MISSILE REMAINS CLEAR.
(NAT)
ALSO UNCLEAR ARE THE FATE OF THE REFUGEES-- TODAY TELLING HORROR STORIES
OF VIOLENCE AND EXECUTION-- HOPING TO ESCAPE THEIR HOMELAND BEFORE THEY
ARE AMONG THE CASUALTIES.))
[Live=Lisa Full/Newspath]
[SUPER=05-Washington DC;]
( ad lib)
[Cable-Car]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]
The navigator of the Marine jet that cut through an Italian ski gondola cable last year will plead guilty to charges of obstruction and conspiracy.
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@File;]
A Marine spokesman says Captain Joseph Schweitzer will enter the plea this afternoon at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
Schweitzer was the navigator aboard the E-A-six-B Prowler that clipped a cable carrying a ski gondola and sent 20 people plummeting to their deaths.
The pilot, Captain Richard Ashby, was acquitted of manslaughter charges stemming from that accident.
(-------------)[Roanoke-Fire]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=99-1 TC1:26:42]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]
Firefighters are calling a blaze in Northwest Roanoke this morning "very suspicious."
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
A vacant house at the corner of 20th Street and Staunton Avenue went up in flames around 10-30.
Firefighters had everything under control in about 10 minutes.
Nobody was hurt.
The battalion chief said this was third time firefighters have been called to this house.
Authorities are trying to determine how the fire started.
(------------)
[Lilly]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Ben Lilly]
The appeal of the man convicted of the capital murder of a Virginia Tech student went before the U-S Supreme Court this morning.
(------------)
[VO-NAT Cut from 598-26 TC1:41:47]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg/February 12, 1997;]
Benjamin Lilly is on death row for abducting and killing Alexander DeFilippis.
Lilly's brother, Mark, gave a statement to police in which he said he had quote "nothing to do with the shooting" and blamed it on his brother.
Mark Lilly never testified during his brother's trial, citing his constitutional right to avoid self- incrimination.
The U-S Supreme court agreed to examine whether such statements should be allowed as evidence-- when the person refuses to testify.
The court has not ruled on the appeal.
(------------)
[Pritchett]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Bud Pritchett]
A jury has been seated and opening statements are underway in the Ironto rest stop murder case.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg/Friday;]
Livingston ``Bud'' Pritchett of Roanoke is charged with killing 57-year-old Estel Singleton in April 1997 at the Ironto rest stop.
If convicted, Pritchett could be sentenced to death.
Pritchett was arrested after an automatic teller machine videotape showed him trying to use Singleton's bank card.
(------------)
[Melton]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Legal scales]
The man who authorities say shot and killed a mother of three is scheduled to go to trial today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Halifax Co./August 20;]
44-year old Denny Coggins Melton of Semora, North Carolina is charged with the murder of Rhonda Bowes Stone.
[SUPER=03-Alton/File Tape;]
Stone was found dead in her Alton trailer August 7th.
Melton was picked up by North Carolina authorities two days after the murder on separate charges.
(------------)
[tease1]
[HARD MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
She's one of the stars of Touched by an Angel and she's also the author of a new children's book.
A live interview with Della Reese is still ahead on News-7 at Noon.
(--------------)
[VO-NAT ]
And state police turn their eyes eastward in the crackdown on speeders.
(---------------)
[Talent=Patrick]
[Wx-Tease]
[Weatherpro]
[music up full]
[comm1]
[Police-Brutality]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]
Jury selection began this morning in the police brutality case that shocked the nation.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-New York, NY;]
Four members of the N-Y-P-D are accused of torturing Haitian immigrant Abner (loo-EE'muh) Louima in the bathroom of the Brooklyn police precinct.
Louima was hospitalized for weeks after the incident.
Jury selection in the case will likely take a while.
Opening arguments are scheduled to begin April 20th.
(------------)
[S-I81-Crackdown]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=98-78; 2:02:15]
[GRAPHIC=Crackdown]
State police say they wrote 540 tickets in a seven countty stretch of Interstate 95 yesterday.
About 75 troopers patrolled the highway from Maryland to North Carolina and wrote hundreds of tickets.
The numbers of tickets written in other parts of the interstate have not been released.
Meanwhile, troopers were active in our part of the state as well.
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./March 11]
Accident PREVENTION is what it's all about- -now an average of once a week along the Interstate.
State police put in overtime again yesterday, part of Governor Gilmore's call for stepped up enforcement of traffic laws on I-81.
Troopers saturated the roadway from Winchester to Bristol... nabbing speeders and other violators without warning.
(------------)
[Reese-Interview]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#None]
[GRAPHIC=None]
She's the star of the popular C-B-S drama, "Touched by an Angel", and now she's spreading her religious faith into the realm of children's literature.
[Double Boxes=Kimberly and Della/Satellite]
Della Reese just written a book entitled, "God Inside of Me", and she joins us now via satellite to talk more about it.
Thank you so much for being with us today.
[Live=Della Full/Satellite]
[SUPER=01-Della Reese/Actress;]
[SUPER=05-Los Angeles;]
( ad lib)
(Questions:)
(You're a primetime t-v star, a licensed minister, what led you to add the title of "children's author" to that list?)
(I've read the book and it's a delightful web of characters in the form of dolls and the little girl who owns them, Keisha, doesn't always find them that much fun. )
(And the story is written to teach children to be more patient with others..)
(Do you believe, that we as a society tend to be too impatient-- is that why you chose this theme?)
(There are so many beautiful illustrations in here too..so even if children aren't old enough to read yet, they can still get a lot out of it.)
[Tease2]
[SOFT MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
If you like spring weather-- you'll like the work-week forecast.
Patrick will have the details in a few minutes.
(-----------------)
[VO-NAT ]
And the NCAA men's champioship will be decided tonight-- but Duke won't take home BOTH trophies.
More on the women's championship later in sports.
(-----------------)
[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #2]
[WebWatch]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=Web Watch]
[GRAPHIC=Web Watch]
The U.S. military may dominate the battlefields, but on-line, hackers may have the upperhand.
And, are your kids homework lessons a little too advanced?
Eric Earnhart leads us to some answers in this weeks' Web Watch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=While they may be]
[RUNS=1:22]
[OUT Q=EE, News-7]
(([intro]
[RUNS :05]
While they may be making an impressive showing over Kosovo, the U.S. military's key computerized communication systems are seriously vulnerable to a cyber-attack, according to the National Research Council.
The pentagon admits the weakness and says it's working on it, but the Research Council says the problem isn't receiving the same attention as traditional defense systems.
Visit Roanoke College without leaving home.
The school website now has a virtual tour that officials hope will attract prospective students from a wider area.
If your kid's homework gives YOU a headache when you try to help... no sweat... as in NoSweat-dot-com.
The homework-help site is like an on-line encyclopedia, and offers homework assistance from elementary school to college levels.
OK, enough work, here are the FUN sites.
Like BAD movies? Ohthehumanity-dot-com tells you where to find the worst of the worst.
You can post your OWN bad-movie review.
And you TOO can write a hit alternative rock song... with the Alanis Morisette lyrics generator. Type in one thing you hate, Six plural nouns and the name of an ex-boy or girlfriend.
You'll be on the charts in a week.
For links to these sites, click on WebWatch, on the WDBJ website at WDBJ-7-dot com.))
[Stocks]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE# none]
[GRAPHIC=stocks]
On Wall Street at Noon, the Dow was UP 158 points.
[tease3]
[SPORTS MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
The Blue Devils go for another national championship tonight. That story is just ahead in sports.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT ]
And major leaguers playing ball in Cuba!
It could open doors that have been closed for 40 years.
(---------------)
[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #3]
[Cuba-Ballgame]
[ANCHOR=Patrick ]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=News-7 Sports]
For the first time since 1959, a U-S major league baseball team has played a game in Cuba.
Some 50-thousand people yesterday watched the Baltimore Orioles take on a Cuban all-star team.
The Orioles won 3 to 2 in extra innings, but as Lee Cown reports, the importance goes far beyond the score.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 4:10:32]
[IN Q=nat]
[SUPER=03-Havana, Cuba; :03]
[SUPER=01-Ray Miller/Orioles Manager; :12]
[SUPER=04-ESPN - MLB; :15]
[SUPER=01-Mike Fetters/Baltimore Orioles; :41]
[SUPER=01-Lee Cowan/Reporting; 1:03]
[RUNS=1:40]
[OUT Q=Havanna Cuba]
((THE LEADER OF THE ONLY COMMUNIST COUNTRY IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE
SUDDENLY FOUND HIMSELF FACED WITH A TEAM OF AMERICAN HEROES.
POLITICS ASIDE, FIDEL IS A FAN.
SUPER: RAY MILLER/ORIOLES MANAGER
SOT: .. he said not to worry, you are playing in front of the greatest fans.."
(NAT DOUBLE PLAY)
SUPER: CTSY: ESPN/MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
AFTER ALL, BASEBALL IS BASEBALL AND A WIN IS A WIN.
NAT (HOMERUN)
AFTER A 40 YEAR ABSENCE, THE U.S. RETURNED TO HAVANA, TO EKE OUT A VICTORY OVER THE CUBAN ALLSTARS. THREETWO IN EXTRA INNINGS BEFORE A PACKED STADIUM WHERE HISTORY MADE A HOMERUN.
SUPER: MIKE FETTERS/BALTIMORE ORIOLES
SOT:"as a player, it's just a game, but as you can see, it's more than that for everyone else."
Super: B.J. CURHOFF/BALTIMORE ORIOLES
SOT" Nobody came down here thinking about making history. We came down here to play a baseball game, and I think you
saw a very good one."
NAT (FANS CHEERING)
ON THE POLITICAL STAGE, IT WAS A COUP - ON THE FIELD IT WAS A BATTLE, IN THE STANDS IT WAS A SPECTACLE. ALL OF IT VANISHING ALL TOO SOON - A FEW FLEETING MOMENTS CAPTURED ON A SUNNY SUNDAY AFTERNOON.
(BRIDGE)
SUPER: LEE COWAN, CBS NEWS, HAVANNA
SOT'For eleven innings, Cubans have gotten a glimpse of freedom. For hours where politics faded away, leaving behind a
n empty stadium but not empty hearts.
SOT CUBAN FAN (SOT IN SPANISH)
I HOPE THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN, THIS FAN SAYS. BUT IT'S NOT UP TO HIM.
NAT (NATIONAL ANTHEM)
BASEBALL IS A GAME OF SKILL. POLITICS IS TOO. BASEBALL BROUGHT THEM BOTH TOGETHER,AND TWO NATIONS ALONG WITH IT. FOR THE SPORTS FAN, THE SCORE WAS SIMPLE. FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE, THAT SCORE IS A LITTLE MORE COMPLICATED. LEE COWAN, CBS NEWS HAVANNA, CUBA.))
[Women]
[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=rst]
[TAPE#=SP-33 (1:04:16)]
[GRAPHIC=Women's Final four]
The Duke women had already defeated perrenial champion Tennessee. A victory over Purdue on Sunday would complete their own run at a title.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-San Jose, CA/ESPN; :]
The two teams had a rough first half.
Duke's Lauren Rice hits this jumper and the Lady Blue Devils would take a 13 to 11 lead.
Purdue's Camille Cooper gets the pass inside and scores but the Lady Boilermakers trailed 22 to 17 at the half.
Duke would maintain that lead 5 minutes into the second half when Michelle VanGorp scores to make it 28 to 23.
But the Lady Boilermakers turn it up Stephanie White McCarty takes it to the hoop and scores to tie it at 28.
[SUPER=33-Purdue/62/Duke/45/;]
And the Lady Boilermakers take it inside again for a 2 point lead and Purdue wins the title game beating Duke 62 to 45.
(------------)
[Men]
[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=rst]
[TAPE#=SP-34 (29:15)]
[GRAPHIC=Men's Final Four]
But Duke still has a chance for a national championship. The Blue Devils square off with Connecticut tonight, to determine the men's title.
Duke is going after its third tchampionship in the 90's .. but it's the first appearance for the Huskies.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="It's just...]
[SUPER=01-Mike Krzyzewski/Duke Head Coach; :00]
[SUPER=01-Jim Calhoun/Connecticut Head Coach; :19]
[RUNS=:34]
[OUT Q=....asked for."]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[GRAPHIC=Hold Logo]
You can see the title game at nine here on Your Hometown Station.
[Race]
[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=rst]
[TAPE#=SP-37 (25:47)]
[GRAPHIC=TEXAS LOGO]
Terry Labonte picked a great place for the 21-st win of his career. It came in his home state.
Labonte took the checkered flag in the Primestar 500, at the Texas Motor Speedway.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke, TX/CBS Sports; :]
The lead would change several times in the first 40 laps of the race. Ward burton led after 37 but after 58 laps Mark martin was the leader of the race and Burton was second.
Then the problems continued for Jeff Gordon at Texas. He apparently blew a tire and hits the wall hard coming out of turn floor and slides down the track into the infield bringing out the caution on lap 69, his second D-N-F of the season.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="I don't think...]
[SUPER=01-Jeff Gordon/Second D-N-F; :00]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=......across the track.]
(-----------)
[VO NAT]
After several caution laps there was a new race leader. Terry Labonte passing Martin after 90 of the 334 lap race.
Ward Burton would work his way back to the front and he was the leader at the halfway point of the race.
Then Martin saw his chances at the win slip away he hits the wall coming out of turn number one bringing out the caution.
Terry Labonte passed Dale Jarrett with just over 12 laps to go and he holds on to win the Primestar 500 under caution after Jimmy Spencers crashes with four laps to go.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="Well I tell....]
[SUPER=01-Terry Labonte/Primestar 500 Winner; :00]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=...this is awesome."]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Patrick]
Jarrett was second, Bobby Labonte third, Rusty Wallace fourth and Jeremy Mayfield fifth.
[GRAPHIC=Hold Logo]
by SS