WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 05/14/99

[E-Power-Outages]

[ANCHOR=]

[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jha]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=AEP]
[SUPER=@melanie1]

The lights are still out in portions of Franklin County this morning after lightning struck a transformer.
A lightning strike left 4-thousand customers without power in the area of Rocky Mount, Boone's Mill, and Burnt Chimney.
A-E-P says about 800 customers were without power through the night. Crews worked through the night to get service restored to everyone affected.

[E-Missing-Man]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-19 8:58]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A Bedford man has been missing for days now... and there is still no sign of his whereabouts.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford]

31- year- old Jonathan David Fink is white, about 6-foot-1, 160 pounds, with black hair, hazel eyes, wearing glasses.
He may be wearing a green shirt, tan pants and carrying a cooler.
Fink was last seen leaving his home Monday.
Police say he suffers from a blood sugar condition that can cause confusion, if he doesn't maintain his diet.
Anyone with information should call Bedford Police.
(------------)

[E-Raleigh-Court]

[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin']
[WRITER=sta]
[TAPE#=99-22 23:20]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Renters appear to be on the increase in one Roanoke neighborhood, and homeowners are raising concerns about overcrowding.
The second in a series of meetings about the problem in the Greater Raleigh Court community was held last night.
Stacey Martin has more.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Carol Bottomly has been]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=01-Carol Bottomly/Greater Raleigh Court Renter; :13]
[SUPER=01-Skip Hollingsworth/Homeowner; :34]
[SUPER=01-Tam Roop/Roanoke City Planner; :58]
[SUPER=@Stacey1; 1:30]
[RUNS=1:40]
[OUT Q=SM, News 7.]
((Carol Bottomly has been renting half of this duplex on Laburnum Street for almost 30 years.
She said she's never had a problem with her landlord maintaining and caring for her unit.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 15.31.46 - 15.31.55]
[IN Q=This has been]
((CAROL BOTTOMLY/RENTER: THIS HAS BEEN A GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD AND I'VE HAD NO PROBLEM; NO LANDLORD PROBLEMS. EVERYTHING HAS BEEN FINE.)) [RUNS09]
[OUT Q=everything has been fine.]

But, many area residents believe her case is becoming more the exception-- as the rate of multiple-family housing, according to one study, nears 50 percent.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16.54.08 - 16.54.23]
[IN Q=I see with some]
((SKIP HOLLINGSWORTH/HOMEOWNER: I SEE WITH SOME OF THE INCREASE IN RENTAL PROPERTY IN THE AREA GOING UP AND NOT LANDOWNERS THAT ACTUALLY LIVE IN THE BUILDING, I SEE SOME OF THE ARCHITECTURE KEEP-UP COMING DOWN. I ALSO SOMETIMES FEAR FOR MY CHILDREN.)) [RUNS15]
[OUT Q=for my children.]

This is the second of three meetings bringing together landlords, homeowners and renters to work out a solution that will balance the push for rental units against efforts to prevent overcrowding.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16.41.48 - 16.42.10]
[IN Q=When you have]
((TAM ROOP/ROANOKE CITY PLANNER: WHEN YOU HAVE A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT AS A SINGLE-FAMILY AND THAT HAS BEEN AS I MENTIONED IN THE '60S ZONED MULTI-FAMILY WHAT YOU HAVE IS REAL STRESSES IN TERMS OF PARKING AND A GOOD BIT OF ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC FROM THE ADDITIONAL PEOPLE LIVING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT IT WASN'T REALLY ORIGINALLY BUILT FOR.)) [RUNS22]
[OUT Q=originally built for.]

Roop said city officials are following the meetings closely and eventually hope to use the solutions that come out of it in other parts of the city facing the same problems.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=The next and last]
((STACEY MARTIN/REPORTING: THE NEXT AND LAST MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR MAY 26TH. OFFICIALS HOPE TO COMPLETE THE PROCESS AND COME UP WITH A SOLUTION SHORTLY AFTER THAT. STACEY MARTIN, NEWS 7. ))
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=SM, News 7.]
))

[7WEATHER]

[ANCHOR=KIMBERLY]
[NEWSCAST=CUTIN]
[WRITER=KMC]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Taking a moment now to check the Friday forecast.
Chilly, with light rain and highs in the mid 50s.
Cloudy overnight, with a chance of rain and lows in the mid 40s.
The five day forecast is calling for a possibility of showers tomorrow morning...otherwise partly cloudy with a gradual warm-up.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Chilly, with/Light Rain/52-57/Chance of Rain/Winds NE 10-15/42-46;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]

[E-Power-Outages]

[ANCHOR=]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jha]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=AEP]
[SUPER=@melanie1]

The lights are still out in portions of Franklin County this morning after lightning struck a transformer.
A lightning strike left 4-thousand customers without power in the area of Rocky Mount, Boone's Mill, and Burnt Chimney.
A-E-P says about 800 customers were without power through the night. Crews worked through the night to get service restored to everyone affected.

[E-Water-Shortage]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cut ins]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=99-9 1:50:32]
[GRAPHIC=Water Conservation]

The rain that fell yesterday and overnight is helping some, but it's going to take a lot more to fix the water shortage problem in Roanoke.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

The city has been asking residents to cut back their water usage voluntarily.
But so far, it hasn't had a noticeable effect on Carvins Cove.
The city's main reservoir is almost 19 feet below full pond.
If it drops another five feet, the city will enact MANDATORY water restrictions since the VOLUNTARY cutbacks aren't helping.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 20:35:42]
[IN Q=not everyone]
((JESSE PURDUE: NOT EVERYONE'S DOING THAT. WE'D HOPE THAT IF WE DON'T GET RAINFALL THINGS ARE GOING TO GET WORSE.))
[SUPER=01-Jesse Purdue/Water Department Manager;]
[RUNS=08]
[OUT Q=GET WORSE]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

On Monday, city council will look over a plan to conserve Roanoke's water supply.
One option is buying water from Salem and from Roanoke County.. that would buy the city some time if this dry spell continues.
(------------)

[E-Science-Fair]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=THa]
[TAPE#=99-21 11:21]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A Blacksburg teen takes home tens of thousands of dollars in scholarship money after winning top honors at the International Science Fair.
Teresa Hamilton has the story.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Nisha]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Nisha Nagarkatti/Blacksburg High School Jr.; :15]
[SUPER=01-Don Linzey/Blue Ridge Science Fair Dir.; :52]
[SUPER=01-Julie Grady/Blacksburg High School Teacher; 1:17 ]
[SUPER=@Teresa2; 1:45]
[RUNS=1:51]
[OUT Q=NEWS 7, Blacksburg.]
((
Nisha (Nag-er-kah-tee) Nagarkatti may look like your typical high school junior.
But, in many ways, the 17- year old is in a league of her own.
Since the seventh grade, she's been researching why the human body can't fight cancer.
[sot]
[in q= My parents ]
((NISHA NAGARKATTI/BLACKSBURG HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR: MY PARENTS HAVE BEEN SUPPORTIVE IN ALL ASPECTS OF MY LIFE, THEY GAVE ME LOTS OF GUIDANCE IN TERMS OF MY RESEARCH PROJECT, BOTH OF THEM ARE SCIENTISTS, THEY WORK AT TECH AND SO WHEN THEY USED TO COME HOME WHEN I WAS YOUNG THEY USED TO TALK ABOUT RESEARCH THEREFORE I GOT INTERESTED AT A YOUNG AGE.))
[RUNS= 18]
[OUT Q= at a young age.]

Nisha's interest in cancer research recently paid off when she displayed her findings and took home top honors at the International Science Fair-- a competition that pitted Nisha against 12-hundred students from 47- countries.
And, while the 17- year old never thought she'd be deemed one of the world's top high school scientists, others weren't surprised.
[sot 16:55:17]
[in q=She is ]
((DON LINZEY/BLUE RIDGE HIGHLANDS REGIONAL SCIENCE FAIR DIR.: SHE IS INDUSTRIOUS AND YOU KNOW SHE DOESN'T GIVE UP, SO SHE HAS BEEN WORKING ON THIS PROJECT FOR THREE YEARS, TOOK HER TO THE INTERNATIONAL FAIR LAST YEAR AND SHE DIDN'T WIN ANYTHING LAST YEAR, SO IT WOULD HAVE BEEN REAL EASY TO GIVE UP SO SHE DIDN'T, SHE STUCK WITH IT.))
[runs= 18]
[out q= with it.]

Julie Grady is a teacher at Blacksburg High school and is also one of Nisha's biggest supporters.
[ sot 17:14:21]
[in q=She's extremely]
((JULIE GRADY/BLACKSBURG HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER: SHE'S EXTREMELY PLEASANT TO WORK WITH AND I THINK HER PEERS ENJOY HER VERY MUCH ALSO, BUT WHAT'S VERY NICE ABOUT WORKING WITH SOMEONE LIKE NISHA IS THAT IT REMINDS TEACHER THAT WE DON'T SEE THE INTELLECTUAL CAPABILITY OF OUR STUDENTS UNTIL WE SEE THEM DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS AND BE SUCCESSFUL AND SO IT'S A REMINDER TO US TO KEEP PUSHING THEM AND CHALLENGING THEM.))
[RUNS= 20]
[OUT Q= challenging them.]

It's a challenge that has truly paid off.
By winning the competition, Nisha took home 137- thousand dollars in scholarships and cash.
She also won an invitation to attend the Nobel Prize ceremony, later this year. Teresa Hamilton, NEWS 7, Blacksburg.))

[2E-Power-Outages]

[ANCHOR=]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jha]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=AEP]
[SUPER=@melanie1]

A-E-P says the all the lights are back on now.
A lightning strike left about four thousand homes and businesses without power in Franklin County and in overnight.
Crews worked through the night ot restore full service.

[E-Danville-Budget]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=99-16]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Danville has a new school budget.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville/1996]

Council approved 16 and half million dollars yesterday for City Schools next year.
That falls more than half-a-million dollars short of what school officials say they need to maintain all current jobs.
(-------------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[GRAPHIC=None]

But Danville Schools WILL be able to employ MANY of the 110 non-tenured teachers who were told in April that they might be laid off.

[E-Sudan]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=99-8 2:02:48]
[GRAPHIC=Sudan]

Soccer balls may be taken for granted in America, but they are greatly appreciated in some other countries like Africa's largest nation -- torn apart by poverty and civil war.
Steve Mason has the story, from Sudan.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=first audio]
[SUPER=03-Sudan/April; :00]
[SUPER=01-Arabam John/Soccer Player; :30]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/March; :43]
[SUPER=01-Charlie Tull/CMT Partner; 1:01]
[SUPER=01-Tiondo Simon/Soccer Player; 1:25]
[SUPER=@Steve1 1:40]
[SUPER=01-John/Sudan Relief Worker; 1:48]
[RUNS=2:10]
[OUT Q=News 7"]
(------------------)

[OSTRICH]
((Chasing an ostrich is hardly sport, these Africans in the Southern Sudan crave football. [nat sound soccer]
In this impoverished country engulfed by a civic war, recreation fields and supplies are almost non- existent. But harsh circumstances cannot crush a child's desire to play soccer. Using rags, These children have made a ball with their bare hands. [nat sound]
CMT partner Charlie Tull, who visisted Sudan last year on a missions trip, decided to act. ((:)) In late march his sporting goods store donated enough soccer shorts to dress three teams, volley ball nets, six volley balls and, most importantly, six soccer balls. ((:))
In this part of Africa, five soccer balls must meet the needs of five thousand children. The delivery prompting a flood of emotion when these supplies were delivered. ((:)) ((:)) ((:)) ((:))
CMT's delivery provides temporary relief for a small area of Sudan, but the shortage is still great. Children are for ced to juggle a war, survival and just being a kid in Southern Sudan. Steve Mason, News 7.))