WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 05/19/99

[7Star-Wars-React]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=99-16]
[GRAPHIC=Star Wars Premiere]

Star Wars, Episode One, The Phantom Menace premiered this morning at one minute after midnight. Can the film really live up to years of expectations and a multi-million dollar marketing campaign?
Eric Earnhart tells us what movie-goers had to say.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=they waited for hours]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Melissa Smith/Fan; :31]
[SUPER=01-Jason Hutchins/Fan; :38]
[SUPER=01-Eric Wolley/Fan; :44]
[SUPER=01-Amy Ratcliffe/Fan; :50]
[SUPER=@Eric1; 1:01]
[RUNS=1:10]
[OUT Q=EE, News 7]
(( They waited for hours for tickets....
They waited for hours for the best seats....
They've been wait for years to see the beginning of story we ALL know the ending to...
At 12:01 this morning, the waiting was over....
The Phantom Menace was here....

[natsot]

Two hours and fifteen minutes later they emerged.... tired, and, for the most part, thrilled.

[SOT 02:28:16]
[IN Q=it was incredible]
(( MELISSA SMITH/FAN; IT WAS INCREDIBLE, EVERYBODY NEEDS TO COME OUT AND SEE THIS MOVIE, IT'S AWESOME DID IT LIVE UP TO THE HYPE? I THINK IT WAS EVEN MORE SO..))
[RUNS= :07]
[OUT Q=even more so.]

[SOT 02:29:23 ]
[IN Q=it was awesome]
(( JASON HUTCHINS; IT WAS AWESOME, I LIKED IT A LOT, THE SWORD FIGHT GAVE ME CHILLS. ))
[RUNS= 05]
[OUT Q=gave me chills]

[SOT 02:31:14]
[IN Q=let me just]
(( ERIC WOOLLEY/FAN; LET ME JUST TELL YOU, WHEN THE MUSIC STARTED PLAYING AT THE END THERE, YOU'VE JUST GOTTA SEE IT.
AMY RATCLIFFE/FAN; IT WAS THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE THING I HAVE EVER SEEN, IT WAS WORTH EVERY CENT AND EVERY SECOND THAT WE WAITED. WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO SEE IT AGAIN? TOMORROW. ))
[RUNS= 17]
[OUT Q=tomorrow]

[standup] ONE SURE SIGN OF A SUCCESSFUL FILM, PEOPLE STANDING AROUND OUTSIDE THE THEATER TALKING ABOUT IT, AT 2:00 IN THE MORNING. IN ROANOKE COUNTY, ERIC EARNHART, NEWS 7.))

[7E-Missing-Woman]

[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=99-11 59:18]
[GRAPHIC=None]

No clues yet in the disappearance of a Pittsylvania County woman.... four days after she vanished.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Caswell Co., NC;]

Today, authorities scoured parts of the Dan River and surrounding areas for signs of 37-year-old Patty Jo Pulley.

She disappeared last Friday.
Her pickup was found Saturday just across the border in North Carolina... less than two miles from her home.
Members of her church have raised a 10-thousand dollar reward for information on her whereabouts.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 52:51 - 53:06]
[IN Q=We hope we find her]
((SHERIFF HAROLD PLASTER/PITTSYLVANIA CO.: WE HOPE WE FIND HER IN SAFE HANDS. AT THIS POINT, WE'RE PUTTING IT DOWN AS VERY SUSPICIOUS. WE DON'T HAVE ANY PHYSICAL EVIDENCE TO SHOW THAT THERE'S ANY FOUL PLAY INVOLVED RIGHT AT THIS POINT.))
[SUPER=01-Harold Plaster/Pittsylvania Co. Sheriff]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=right at this point]
(XXXXXXXXXXX)
[TAKE PHONE NUMBER FULL SCREEN]
If you have any information, please call Crimestoppers at 1-800 791- 0044.
(-------------)

[7E-Red-Cross]

[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=99-10]
[GRAPHIC=wipe wipe wipe]

[WIPE WIPE WIPE]

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

For one Red Cross official in the Roanoke Valley, the crisis in the Balkans is bringing a special assignment.

Tom Brown left Roanoke yesterday morning to join the international relief effort helping refugees from Kosovo.
His assignment will take him to northern Albania, where he will assist with the distribution of food.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 08:28:25]
[IN Q=It's a unique experience for me]
((TOM BROWN/AMERICAN RED CROSS: IT'S A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE FOR ME. THE RED CROSS HAS TRAINED ME AND NOW I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT THAT TRAINING INTO ACTION. TIME FOR ME TO GO.))
[SUPER=01-Tom Brown/American Red Cross]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=for me to go.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Brown is one of 13 American delegates to the international relief effort. He's not scheduled to return to the Roanoke Valley until late this summer.

[7WEATHER]

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

Taking a look at todays weather forecast--
It will be partly sunny with 10 to 20 mile-an-hour winds out of the northwest.
Temperatures reaching up into the high 70's.
Tonight will be mostly clear.
Temperatures between 50 and 55 degrees.
[CK/WXPRO=]
MAPS

[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Partly Sunny/Winds NW 10-20/75-79/Mostly/Clear/50-55;]

[SUPER=#555; reset][45E-L'burg-Schools]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-24 7:25]
[GRAPHIC=School Safety]

While the Columbine High School massacre has heightened fears about American schools, researchers say U-S classrooms are safer than the streets.
But they do point to a troubling development.
They say there's been a doubling of the presence of gangs in school since 1989.
Lynchburg educators hope popular crime prevention program will make hill city schools safer.
Steve Smallshaw reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It's already helped]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg/File Tape; :00]
[SUPER=01-Lt. Andy Vest/Lynchburg Police; :17]
[SUPER=01-Tracey Shaw/Lynchburg School Board Member; :41]
[SUPER=01-Susan Morrison/E. C. Glass Principal; :58]
[SUPER=@ssm2; 1:05]
[RUNS=1:10]
[OUT Q=News7, Lynchburg.]
(( It's already helped nab criminals and solve dozens of crimes.. now officials want to expand the Crimestoppers program into Lynchburg's two high schools.
Students who observe crimes or suspicious activity would be encouraged to call a toll- free number and report it.

[SOT 18:45:51]
((LT. ANDY VEST/LYNCHBURG POLICE: HOWEVER SOME STUDENTS ARE WORRIED THAT THEY'LL BE LABELLED AS A SNITCH OR AN INFORMANT, AND THIS WOULD GIVE THEM TOTAL ANONYMITY.))
[RUNS= 12]
[OUT Q=total anonymity.]

But some school board members were worried the crime line would replace the face- to- face relationship students already have with teachers and administrators.
They also fear it could encourage students to rat out their peers, even if the information is false.
[SOT 18:59:30]
((TRACEY SHAW/SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER: IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S INSTINCTIVELY TROUBLING TO ME, TO ESTABLISH A SYSTEM WHEREBY NINTH GRADERS OR WHOEVER ARE MAKING ANONYMOUS CALLS AND REPORTING ON OTHER NINTH GRADERS.))
[RUNS= 11]
[OUT Q=other ninth graders.]

But both high school principals support the idea.. they see it as just another tool for keeping their kids safe.

[SOT 19:01:18]
((SUSAN MORRISON/E.C. GLASS H.S. PRINCIPAL: IT'S NOT TO GO INTO AND TO CREATE A POLICE STATE, IT'S TO TRY TO CREATE A WAY TO KEEP OUR CAMPUS SAFE.))
[RUNS= 08]
[OUT Q=our campus safe.]

The board approved the Crimestoppers pilot program.. it takes effect next fall.
Steve Smallshaw, News7, Lynchburg.))

[45Star-Wars-React]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=99-16]
[GRAPHIC=Star Wars Premiere]

Critics called the Star Wars prequal a letdown.
But that didn't stop thousands around the country from lining up for midnight showings of "Episode One -- The Phantom Menace'' .
So the question is what did the die hard Star War's fans think?
Eric Earnhart has their reaction.
[SOT]
[IN Q=they waited for hours]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co; :00]
[SUPER=01-Melissa Smith/Fan; :31]
[SUPER=01-Jason Hutchins/Fan; :38]
[SUPER=01-Eric Wolley/Fan; :44]
[SUPER=01-Amy Ratcliffe/Fan; :50]
[SUPER=@Eric1; 1:01]
[RUNS=1:10]
[OUT Q=EE, News 7]

(( They waited for hours for tickets....
They waited for hours for the best seats....
They've been wait for years to see the beginning of story we ALL know the ending to...
At 12:01 this morning, the waiting was over....
The Phantom Menace was here....

[natsot]

Two hours and fifteen minutes later they emerged.... tired, and, for the most part, thrilled.

[SOT 02:28:16]
[IN Q=it was incredible]
(( MELISSA SMITH/FAN; IT WAS INCREDIBLE, EVERYBODY NEEDS TO COME OUT AND SEE THIS MOVIE, IT'S AWESOME DID IT LIVE UP TO THE HYPE? I THINK IT WAS EVEN MORE SO..))
[RUNS= :07]
[OUT Q=even more so.]

[SOT 02:29:23 ]
[IN Q=it was awesome]
(( JASON HUTCHINS; IT WAS AWESOME, I LIKED IT A LOT, THE SWORD FIGHT GAVE ME CHILLS. ))
[RUNS= 05]
[OUT Q=gave me chills]

[SOT 02:31:14]
[IN Q=let me just]
(( ERIC WOOLLEY/FAN; LET ME JUST TELL YOU, WHEN THE MUSIC STARTED PLAYING AT THE END THERE, YOU'VE JUST GOTTA SEE IT.
AMY RATCLIFFE/FAN; IT WAS THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE THING I HAVE EVER SEEN, IT WAS WORTH EVERY CENT AND EVERY SECOND THAT WE WAITED. WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO SEE IT AGAIN? TOMORROW. ))
[RUNS= 17]
[OUT Q=tomorrow]

[standup] ONE SURE SIGN OF A SUCCESSFUL FILM, PEOPLE STANDING AROUND OUTSIDE THE THEATER TALKING ABOUT IT, AT 2:00 IN THE MORNING. IN ROANOKE COUNTY, ERIC EARNHART, NEWS 7.))

[8E-Hidden-Valley]

[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=99-19 12:29]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A Roanoke county intersection will soon cause fewer hassles for motorists....
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]

State officials are putting a stoplight at the corner of Route 419 and Hidden Valley School Road.
They say year round activities at the junior high school clog this area with cars.
The stop light is designed to boost safety and reduce delays.
State officials also plan to widen the intersection.
(------------)

[8E-Colonial-Downs]

[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=99-22 35:31]
[GRAPHIC=Horse Racing]

Virginia's troubled horse race track may have run afoul of the state racing commission.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-New Kent Co./File Tape;]

An examiner for the Virginia Racing Commission is recommending sanctions against Colonial Downs.
In a report released yesterday, the examiner says the state's only pari-mutuel track has "deliberately defied" state orders.
Colonial Downs has failed to reach a contract agreement with the horsemen's association.
And the purse money it put up for this season falls below the level the Racing Commission ordered.
Colonial Downs could lose its license temporarily to operate off-track betting parlors around the state, and the track faces a possible fine.
(------------)

[8E-Missing-Woman]

[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=99-11 59:18]
[GRAPHIC=None]

There's still no trace of the Pittsylvania county woman who disappeared several days ago...
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Caswell Co., NC;]

Today, authorities scoured parts of the Dan River and surrounding areas for signs of 37-year-old Patty Jo Pulley.

[8E-Red-Cross]

[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=99-10]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Yugoslav officials say NATO has launched a daylight attack.
They say 14 missiles caused significant damage in southern Serbia today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

For a Red Cross official in the Roanoke Valley, the crisis in the Balkans is bringing a special assignment.

Tom Brown left Roanoke yesterday morning to join the international relief effort helping refugees from Kosovo.
His assignment will take him to northern Albania, where he will assist with the distribution of food.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 08:28:25]
[IN Q=It's a unique experience for me]
((TOM BROWN/AMERICAN RED CROSS: IT'S A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE FOR ME. THE RED CROSS HAS TRAINED ME AND NOW I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT THAT TRAINING INTO ACTION. TIME FOR ME TO GO.))
[SUPER=01-Tom Brown/American Red Cross]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=for me to go.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Brown is one of 13 American delegates to the international relief effort. He's not scheduled to return to the Roanoke Valley until late this summer.

[8e-Davidson's]

[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=THa]
[TAPE#=99-12 TC1:08:10]
[GRAPHIC=Business News]

A Roanoke-based business WON'T be closing its Blacksburg location as originally expected.
(------------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg/January 25;]

Davidson's had announced in January that it would be shutting down its Blacksburg location.
But the popular men's store that's been part of downtown Blacksburg for 40- years will remain open thanks, in part, to two local residents. (------------------) Wayne Patty, Senior and his son have signed on as partners with Davidson's beginning June first.