[HEADLINES]

[TALENT=Melanie]

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


Despite a religious holiday the bombing raids continue in Yugoslavia-- and now there's word of a clash between Albanian rebels and Serb troops.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]


And a video store is the site of an illegal gambling operation that Bedford County authorities have put out of business. (/////////////)
[TALENT=Kimberly]
[SS=None]


After a morning of scattered showers and thunderstorms, the skies have settled down a bit.
We're actually enjoying some sunshine this afternoon.
But we're NOT out of the woods yet..we could still see a few more thunderstorms later today.
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]


News 7 at noon is next.

[Bedford-Gambling]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#99-13 TC23:50]
[GRAPHIC=None]


The fifth phase of "Operation Zero Tolerance" is underway in Bedford County at this hour, as authorities have begun to round up dozens of suspected drug dealers.
[Double Boxes=Steve and Melanie/Starlink]


Steve Smallshaw is in Bedford today.. Steve how big of an operation are we talking about?
[Live=Steve Full/Starlink]
[SUPER=@ssm1;]
[SUPER=06-Bedford Co.;]


Melanie, Bedford County authorities are holding warrants for about thirty people, most of whom are wanted for selling L-S-D all across the county.
The sweep includes a woman who's accused of selling drugs out of the daycare center she ran in Big Island.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=The arrests]
[SUPER=03-Big Island/Wednesday; :00]
[SUPER=01-Mike Brown/Bedford Co. Sheriff; ]
[SUPER=Bedford Co./Today; ]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=no sympathy at all]

(( The arrests actually began Wednesday afternoon when police swept down on this daycare facility and arrested 36- year- old Monica Underwood Farmer on charges of distribution of LSD.
Police also seized several rifles from the home where she cared for at least a half dozen children.
Down the road, Farmer's husband was in trouble too.
36- year- old Anthony Ruffin Farmer faces LSD and marijuana distribution charges.. Farmer worked at the "Family Entertainment Center" in Big Island, which police searched and confiscated three illegal video poker machines.
Sheriff Mike Brown says he's had complaints about the backroom gambling parlor for years.
[SOT 5:31:54]

((SHERIFF MIKE BROWN/BEDFORD COUNTY: THESE PEOPLE CLAIMED THAT THEIR HUSBANDS HAD LOST ENTIRE PAYCHECKS HERE OR PORTIONS OF PAYCHECKS, AND AGAIN THAT TROUBLES ME ALSO.)) [RUNS11]
[OUT Q=troubles me also.]))
[Live=Steve Full/Starlink]
[SUPER=06-Bedford;]
( ad lib)



[Double Boxes=Melanie and Steve/Starlink]


[Ramey]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#99-1 TC1:54:17]
[GRAPHIC=Ramey]


The Henry County Sheriff's Department has now arrested three men that investigators believe were involved in Wednesday's murder and robbery at a convenience store.
Michael Anthony Ramey was picked up last night and early this morning two others were charged as accomplices.
[Double Boxes=Melanie and JoeD/Microwave]


Joe Dashiell is at Little Taylor's Grocery and Grill with more on these arrests.
[Live=JoeD Full/Microwave]
[SUPER=@Joe1;]
[SUPER=05-Henry Co.;]
( ad lib)
(Rollcue: county is breathing easier. )
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Henry Co./Last Night; :00]
[SUPER=01-Frank Cassell/Henry Co. Sheriff; :21]
[RUNS=:44]
[OUT Q=in the car during the shooting]
(-------------)
[Live=JoeD Full/Microwave]
[SUPER=05-Henry Co.;]
( ad lib)



[Double Boxes=Melanie and JoeD/Microwave]



[Dorothea]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=99-20 TC09:19]
[GRAPHIC=Martin Verdict]


A jury wants a Vinton woman to serve 10 years in prison for plotting to kill her husband.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co.;]


48-year-old Dorothea Martin sent her lover Thomas Gray 450-dollars in jail.
Prosecutors say that was to hire a hitman to kill her husband.
But that hitman turned out to be the sheriff, working undercover.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 21:55:10]
[IN Q=I've been prosecuting]

((I'VE BEEN PROSECUTING 15 YEARS ... IS UNUSUAL.))
[SUPER=01-Joel Branscom/Commonwealth's Attorney;]
[RUNS=:12]
[OUT Q=is unusual]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Martin's lawyers say she is innocent and they plan to appeal.
(------------)


[Kosovo]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Serbia Under Attack]


Ominous noises coming from Russia today threw a new shadow over the NATO operation in Yugoslavia.
Russian president Boris Yeltsin warned that the introduction of ground troops could lead to world war three.
NATO has said all along there will be no ground troops sent in.
Meanwhile, the bombing of yugoslavia continues.
Bobbi Harley reports from washington.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]

[11:30-update window]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Washington DC;]
[SUPER=03-Belgrade, Yugoslavia;]
[SUPER=01-Air Comm. David Wilby/British Royal Air Force;]
[SUPER=03-Moscow, Russia;]
[SUPER=01-Robin Cook/British Foreign Secretary;]
[SUPER=01-Bobbi Harley/Reporting;]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=CBS NEWS, WASHINGTON.]

(((LOCATOR: THE WHITE HOUSE)
(NATS)

With NATO action against Yugoslavia continuing, President Clinton says the crisis is far from over...
(SOT: Clinton)
(LOCATOR: BELGRADE)
(NATS-Bombing pictures)

As bombs rained down on Belgrade for yet another night, the Allies say it looks like the Serb army is preparing for a long battle.
(SOT: Air Commodore David Wilby, British Royal Air Force) 915 "...the Serbian forces are digging in and we are seeing

an increased Serbian activity conducted on foot." NATO says it attacked more of the Serb Army's key facilities. Army barracks, a military police headquarters, even an oil refinery were hit. But during an attack on a telephone exchange in the Kosovar city of Pristina, a deadly error. A bomb missed its target, hitting a residential area nearby.
(NATS--Yeltsin )

Meanwhile, Russian President Boris Yeltin stepped up his sabre rattling. He warned NATO not to send group troops into Yugoslavia, saying THAT could lead to a THIRD World War. The British Foreign Secretary says Russia should have no fear of NATO.
(SOT: Robin Cook, British Foreign Secretary)There is nothing for Russia to fear...

Meanwhile a plan to house 20 thousand refugees at Guantanamo Bay Cuba may be scrapped. Officials say many refugees are now getting better care.)) [tease1] [HARD MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]


It's not George Washington chopping down cherry trees in the nation's capitol.
Find out who's responsible in just a moment on News-7 at Noon.
(--------------)
[VO-NAT ]


And severe storms rip through the mid-west leaving dozens injured.
First let's talk to Kimberly McBroom about our weather.
(---------------)
[Talent=Kimberly]

[Wx-Tease] [Weatherpro]
It was a rough morning for folks in Kentucky and Tennessee, as severe thunderstorms ripped across the region.
Even parts of FAR Southwest Virginia were under a tornado watch this morning.
But the current radar picture looks pretty clear over us now...with more isolated thunderstorms possible later on this afternoon.... [music up full] [comm1]

[Storm-Damage]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Severe Weather]


Spring brings a blast of deadly weather.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Cisco, IL;]

[4:01;16]
Tornadoes whipped through Iowa and Illinois last night killing two people and causing more than eight million dollars worth of damage.
High winds also killed at least two people in Cincinnati and damaged several homes.
(------------)


[TOURIST-REWARD]


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


No arrests have been made yet in the triple murder of those three tourists in California, but the case has led to one man being called a hero.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Modesto, CA;]


Jim Powers is the man who alerted police to the whereabouts of a rental car belonging to three missing sightseers in California.
Their families have presented him with a 50-thousand-dollar reward.
His call last month was the biggest break for officials trying to find out what happened to the trio during their trip to Yosemite National Park.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]

[yesterday's 8 newspath 8;18:15]
[IN Q=it's not going..."]

((POWERS:. IT'S NOT GOING TO GO TO WASTE, BY ANY MEANS. I'M GOING TO SEND MY KIDS TO COLLEGE AND BUY THEM SOME NEW CLOTHES." ))
[SUPER=01-Jim Powers/Reward Recipient;]
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=some new clothes.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]


The bodies of two women were found in the trunk of the burned-out car.
A third body was found about an hour's drive away.

[beavergate]


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


The National Park service is on the lookout for two tiny suspects wanted for defacing Washington's biggest springtime tourist attraction.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington DC;]

[4:22:05]
In less than a week, two busy beavers have chewed their way through nine cherry trees and nibbled four more near the Jefferson Memorial.
Park service officials are fighting back with wire netting.
And forget the monuments and the Smithsonian, the tourist are flocking to the tidal basin of the Potomac.
(////SOT/////)

[4:22:35-45]
[IN=we we're going...]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT=throw it open maybe.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


National Park Service officers are preparing traps to catch -- and relocate -- the busy beavers, who have been spotted swimming in the Potomac.
(------------)


[Titanic-exhibit]


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


A fascinating new Titanic exhibit opens this weekend in Orlando.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Orlando, FL;]


The permament display is created to be more of an extraction than musuem.
It features exact replications of various parts of the mighty ship, including the grand staircase.
It also feature over 200 Titanic artifacts, including a deck chair and a letter slipped into a bottle by a passenger as the ship went down in the Atlantic.
And a sure hit for the young Titanic fans,-- this outfit worn by Leonardo DeCaprio in the recent blockboster film.

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

[Tease2] [SOFT MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]


Next on News-7 at Noon-- we'll talk with author Margaret Bigger about her book Motherhoot.
(-----------------)
[VO-NAT ]


And later in sports, we'll check in at the Masters where there's a four way tie in the second round.
(-----------------)

[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #2]


[Motherhoot]


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


It's a lighter look at motherhood through the eyes of real people.
Margaret Bigger is the author-- as well as a Hollins graduate.
Thanks for joining us.
Tell us how you get the stories.
[SUPER=01-Margaret Bigger/Author;]


What's the most outrageous story you've heard?
Tell us what you're doing tonight.

(toss to Kimberly)





[Stocks]


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


On Wall Street at Noon, the Dow was DOWN 36 points.
[tease3] [SPORTS MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]


Still ahead in sports, the Blue Rocks are smothered by an avalanche of runs in Salem.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT ]


Plus, it's twenty-five years since Hank Aaron became king of the longball.
Find out how his legacy is being carried on, when News 7 at Noon continues.
(---------------)

[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #3]


[Avalanche]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-41]
[GRAPHIC=Avalanche]


A barrage of hitting, a strong performance from starter Josh Kalinowski and big relief innings from Ryan Seifert and Dave Johnson has the Salem Avalanche sitting pretty on top of the Carolina League.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem/Blue Rocks vs. Avalanche; :00]


The defending Carolina League champs-- the Wilmington Blue Rocks-- blew into town to start off the season.
We'll pick it up in the sixth, with the Avalanche up 2-to-1. With the bases loaded, John Lindsey lights up relief pitcher Edwin Gonzalez-- smashing this double to deep centerfield. Three runs score and it's 5-to-1 Salem.
It was almost deja vu later on in the same inning. This time Jose Gonzalez comes up with the bases full and he doubles off the wall to send three more runs home. It's now 8-to-1 Avalanche.
And still in the 6th - Jody (Gare-utt)Gerut smacks a two run homer
[super=37-Wilmington/2/Salem/11;]

off the top of the Virginia Lottery sign.
The Avalanche opens up the season with an impressive 11-to-2 victory over Wilmington.
(------------------)


[Hillcats]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-31]
[GRAPHIC=HILLCATS]


The Lynchburg Hillcats open up their season tonight at City Stadium against Winston-Salem.
(-----------)
[vo nat eng#]
[super=03-Lynchburg; :00]


The Hillcats have a veteran team returning to the Hill City. Yesterday, the team held it's annual media gathering and made some big promises.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="The lineup...]

((COREY POINTER:))
[SUPER=01-Corey Pointer/Lynchburg Hillcats Outfielder; :00]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=...the championship."]
(--------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[ss=hold!!!]


The Hillcats' play ball tonight at 7-05 at City Stadium.


[aaron]


[ANCHOR=]
[NEWSCAST=morning]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=MLB]


Long before Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron broke another "unbreakable" record.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@File;]

[yesterday's 4:34:14 or 7:45:52]
Twenty five years ago this week Aaron stepped up to the plate as his Atlanta Braves faced the L-A Dodgers.
On his first swing of the evening, Aaron hit his 715th home run, breaking Babe Ruth's lifetime mark and becoming the undisputed home run king.
[SUPER=03-Atlanta, GA;]

[4:13:45]
To commemorate this historic anniversary, Major League Baseball honored Aaron with a special ceremony prior to last night's Phillies/Braves game.
It also unveiled the new "Hank Aaron Award", to be presented during the World Series to the best "complete" hitter in both the American and National Leagues.
(------------)


[Masters]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=The Masters]


First round play in the Masters finished up this morning and there's now a four way tie for the lead.
Nick Price, Davis Love the Third, Scott MCcarron and Brandel Chamblee are all tied at three under par.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Augusta, GA]


Play was suspended last night because of darkeness.
But before it was, Love, McCarron and Chamblee had finished and were tied up.
This is Chamblee's first time competing in the Masters.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 4:17:09]
[IN Q=I wasn't]
[SUPER=01-Brandel Chamblee/Co-Leader]
[RUNS=:05]
[OUT Q=first shot]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


This is Scott McCarron's fourth Masters, but he says Augusta still inspires him.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=for some]
[SUPER=01-Scott McCarron/Co-Leader]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=place for me.]
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=HOLD]


Favorite David Duvall finished the first round at one under par.
Second round play is already underway.

[Christian]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-37]
[GRAPHIC=Express/Dayton]


The Roanoke Express will be looking to take a two games to none lead on the Dayton Bombers tonight, as the first round of the playoffs resumes at the Roundhouse.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Wednesday Night; :00]


Wednesday night, the often dysfunctional Roanoke power play came alive, as the team's first three scores of the game came with the advantage.
Tim Christian scored two of the first three goals, as Roanoke went on top 4-to-1 and eventually won game one 5-to-3.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="It's important...]
[SUPER=01-Tim Christian/Two Goals in Game One; :00]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=...as well."]
(-------------)
[VO-NAT CON'T]


Christian has not only made his mark in this best of five series, but he is also getting some national publicity for the Express, the E-C-H-L and himself.
This month's edition of Sports Spectrum magazine, a national publication that features christian athletes, has a special story on Christian and his faith.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="It's...]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=...faith like that."]
(--------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[ss=hold]

Face-off is at 7-30. And you can catch Christian and Company tonight at the Roundhouse.
by SS