[Headlines]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
A pre-trial hearing is sheduled for today in the rape case against N-F-L quarterback Jim Druckenmiller.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
And two congressional hearings are set for today into allegations of Chinese spying.
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
Temperatures still running a bit below normal today, with a few clouds on the horizon.
But high pressure arriving tomorrow promises a sunny and warmer holiday weekend.
All the forecast details, coming up.
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(ad lib live tease)
[2-shot]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[Druckenmiller]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Druckenmiller Rape Charge]
A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for later today in the rape case against Jim Druckenmiller.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg/April 28]
A recent Virginia Tech graduate says the former Tech quarterback raped her March fourth at a house in Blacksburg, where the two attended a party.
Druckenmiller's attorneys say he had consensual sex with the woman after she aggressively pursued him throughout the evening of March third and the early morning hours of March fourth.
Druckenmiller is a backup quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers.
He will stand trial July 19th and could face a prison sentence of five years to life.
(------------)
[Hearing-SOL]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=SOL's]
State School Board members got an earful at last night's public hearing in Roanoke.
The topic was supposed to be rewards and penalties for SOL performance.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
Instead, parents and teachers spoke of the consequences they're suffering because of the SOL tests themselves.
They spoke about teachers with no time for creativity... drilling social studies students to remember names, places and dates.
Administrators, already faced with limited resources, voiced concerned about the prospect of further "punishment" from the state.
And parents told stories of children with damaged self-esteem.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=we realize]
(( TERRI FLANAGAN/PARENT; WE REALIZE THAT OUR CHILDREN MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE THINGS THAT THEY ARE TAUGHT , BUT THIS SOL THING IS GETTING OUT OF HAND. OUR CHILDREN ARE BEING PUSHED SO HARD THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY TIME TO THINK ABOUT BEING A CHILD ANY MORE. ))
[SUPER=01-Terri Flanagan/Parent; ]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=a child anymore]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Teachers say if the state intends to punish schools when students fail the tests, it should also provide the recources needed to get things right.
(------------)
[E-PH-Teachers]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=99-13 1:21:44]
[GRAPHIC=Education]
Students at the top of the class, and at the bottom receive their teacher's attention, but sometimes students in the middle are on their own.
A new program at Patrick Henry High School promises to change that.
(///// SOT /////)
[NAT SOT OF STUDENTS 00:52:01 TAPE 1]
[IN Q=Push Up, Push Up]
((PUSH UP PUSH UP. THERE YOU GO. GOOD JOB.))
[RUNS=:03]
[OUT Q=Good Job.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Floyd Co.]
About sixty rising sophomores have signed on with the ASSIST program. And ten teachers have volunteered to serve as mentors.
This week, small groups are visiting Apple Ridge Farm in Floyd County for exercises designed to build teamwork and trust.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=In the future]
((SHEREE WILLIAMS: IN THE FUTURE, WHEN LIKE WE'RE READY TO GRADUATE, WE'LL HAVE SOMEBODY TO TALK TO, AND IF WE'RE HAVING PROBLEMS WE CAN WORK THAT OUT WITH A TEACHER THAT WE TRUST. ))
[SUPER=01-Sheree Williams/Rising Sophomore; :]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=teacher that we trust.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Over the next three years, school officials hope the ASSIST Program will help students improve their academic performance, become more involved in school activities, and make stronger connections among students of different backgrounds.
(------------)
[china-spying]
[ANCHOR=kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are set to hear more details about Chinese espionage today.
Committees in both the House and Senate will hear from the chairman and ranking Democrat on the panel that wrote a report outlining two decades of Chinese spying on the United States.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington DC;]
[4:09:58]
The report arrived on Capitol Hill yesterday, 700 pages detailing a host of un-kept secrets that have propelled China into the modern nuclear age.
The report concludes China not only stole advanced weapons designs for every modern nuclear warhead in the U-S arsenal, but the computer codes to test them - giving China the ability to copy some of the most
deadly U-S missiles within a few years.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
(("IT IS SERIOUS NO DOUBT, ONE OF THE WORST COUNTER INTELLIGENCE FAILURE IN THE NATION'S HISTORY."))
[SUPER=01-Rep. Norm Dicks/(D) Washington;;]
[RUNS=06]
[OUT Q=in the nation's history.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
President Clinton says he will now put in place more than two dozen recommendations to protect Ameria's nuclear secrets.
But he says his administration will continue to build a relationship with China.
Meantime, Chinese officials call the report a vicious slander.
(------------)
[1-Sports]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=sports cut in]
[GRAPHIC=None]
In sports,
The Glenvar Highlanders had a big day on both the softball and baseball diamonds--
Here with the details is Steve Mason.
Good Morning Steve.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Good morning]
[RUNS=2:16]
[OUT Q=Have a great day everybody]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
(Melanie ad lib toss to Kimberly/Wx)
[One-Steve]
[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#M99-3]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]
[Roll Cold out of Break]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=welcome back]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon; :00]
[SUPER=01-Michael Dowell/Director; :16]
[SUPER=03-Pulaski; :45]
[RUNS=2:41]
[OUT Q=News 7 Mornin' Returns]
(tape tosses to stocks)
[STOCKS]
[COMM]
((Archive: Iron Fine Arts Center))
[E-City-Manager]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=99-28 3:41]
[GRAPHIC=Roanoke City Seal]
A second public forum on Roanoke's City Manager search drew a few more people last night.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
About fifteen people attended the forum at the Jefferson Center.
The meetings are supposed to give citizens a chance to tell the search committee what qualities they want in a new City Manager.
Monday night's forum at the Civic Center Exhibition Hall was attended by only four people.
(------------)
[E-L'burg-Post-Office]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-15 TC43:20]
[GRAPHIC=Lynchburg City Seal]
Some Lynchburg residents are breathing a little easier after being assured they would NOT be losing their local post office.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]
About 75 residents attended a public hearing yesterday morning on the fate of the Rivermont Postal Station.
Postal officials want to move out of their current building and into a nearby commercial location to save money.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:06:39]
[IN Q=We're paying for]
((BILL HUSTON/LYNCHBURG POSTMASTER: WE'RE PAYING FOR 44- HUNDRED SQUARE FEET, WE ONLY NEED FOUR OR FIVE HUNDRED. I'M HEATING AND COOLING AND CLEANING THAT SPACE AND WE CAN'T CONTINUE TO DO THAT. AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO FIND A LOCATION IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA THAT WILL SERVE THE COMMUNITY.))
[SUPER=01-Bill Huston/Lynchburg Postmaster]
[RUNS=18]
[OUT Q=serve the community.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Huston (HYOO-ston) says there's a chance the post office could stay where it is, if a new lease could be worked out with the building's owner.
(------------)
[E-ToysRUs]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=99-20 17:38]
[GRAPHIC=Toys R Us Settlement]
Some needy kids in Virginia can look forward to holiday bonuses from Toys-R-Us.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
Virginia will get more than one million dollars in toys and cash.
It's part of a settlement with 43 states.
Toys R Us and three toy makers were accused of conspiring to keep some toys out of discount stores.
Virginia's piece of the 50-million-dollar settlement will be spread out over the next three holiday seasons.
Needy children will get toys and books, distributed through the Marines' Toys for Tots program.
(------------)
[Health-Check]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=NET]
[GRAPHIC=Mornin Health Check]
In medical news, a potentially deadly bacteria could be clinging to college campuses.
Jim (Chen-uh-vee) Chenevey has that story and more in this morning's Health check.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Jim Chenevey/Reporting; :00 ]
[RUNS=1:10]
[OUT Q=CBS News, New York.]
(( RESEARCHERS BEGIN HUMAN TRIALS ON TWO PROMISING DRUGS.. TO SEE WHICH
ONE WORKS BEST AT PREVENTING BREAST CANCER.
VT=VO
((vo))
MORE THAN 20-THOUSAND WOMEN CONSIDERED AT HIGH RISK FOR DEVELOPING
BREAST CANCER.. WILL TAKE EITHER TAMOXIFEN OR RALOXIFENE FOR THE NEXT
FIVE YEARS.
STUDIES HAVE SHOWN TAMOXIFEN CAN CUT A WOMAN'S CHANCES OF GETTING THE
DISEASE ALMOST IN HALF.
BUT THE DRUG ALSO INCREASES THE RISK OF UTERINE CANCER.
DOCTORS HOPE RALOXIFENE WON'T CAUSE THE SAME SIDE EFFECT.//
VT=VO
((vo))
A POTENTIALLY-FATAL BACTERIA COULD BE LINGERING ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES.
ACCORDING TO A NEW REPORT, STUDENTS LIVING IN DORMITORIES AND COLLEGE
APARTMENTS.. ARE THREE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE INFECTED WITH MENINGITIS
THAN THOSE WHO LIVE OFF-CAMPUS.
RESEARCHERS SAY THE CROWDED CONDITIONS OF DORM LIFE MAY MAKE IT EASIER FOR THE BACTERIA TO SPREAD.
THE FINDINGS ARE IN TODAY'S JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.//
VT=VO
((vo))
AND EVEN COUCH POTATOES CAN GET IN SHAPE.
A VIGINIA STUDY LOOKED AT A GROUP OF SEDENTARY, BUT OTHERWISE HEALTHY
WOMEN.. WHO TOOK UP WEIGHT LIFTING AND OTHER RESISTANCE TRAINING.
AFTER ABOUT 14 WEEKS, THESE WOMEN SAW A SIGNIFICANT DROP IN THEIR CHOLESTEROL LEVELS.
THEY ALSO LOST SOME OF THEIR BODY FAT.
AND THAT IS A LOOK AT TODAY'S MEDICAL NEWS.
I'M JIM CHENEVEY, CBS NEWS, NEW YORK.))
(ad lib to weather)
[Two-Steve]
[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#NONE]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]
[On Record]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon;]
(I'll call for board)
[essc8700]
[Double Boxes=KMC & SPA]
(toss to Kimberly)
[2-HEADLINES]
[2-shot=Mel/Kmc]
[SUPER=#4049; Morning Headlines]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
Here's a look at today's top stories.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for later today in the rape case against N-F-L player Jim Druckenmiller.
A recent Virginia Tech graduate says the former Tech quarterback raped her March fourth at a house in Blacksburg, where the two attended a party.
Druckenmiller's attorneys says the sex with the woman was consensual. He will stand trial July 19th and could face a prison sentence of five years to life.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
Two congressional hearings are set for today into allegations of Chinese spying.
Among those testifying will be the head of a House committee which has issued a report concluding that China has spent the last 20 years stealing America's nuclear secrets.
Meanwhile, the White House is stressing that corrective action has been taken to tighten security.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
The Clinton administration unveils a proposal designed to reduce the number of bus and truck accidents on U-S highways.
Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater has ordered stepped up inspections of large vehicles and the appointment a special safety official.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
And that's what's making news on this Wednesday May 26.
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
News 7 Mornin' will be right back.
[SOL-hearing]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=99-29 TC00:20]
[GRAPHIC=SOL]
State School Board members took a tounge-lashing at last night's Public Forum in Roanoke.
The topic of the forum was supposed to be rewards and penalties for SOL performance.
But as Eric Earnahrt reports, that's not what people wanted to talk about.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Instead, parents and ]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :01]
[SUPER=01-Terri Flanagan/Parent; :12]
[SUPER=01-Charlotte Creasy/Parent; :34]
[SUPER=01-David Martin/Henry Co. Superintendent; 1:00]
[SUPER=@eric2; 1:14]
[RUNS=1:24]
[OUT Q=EE, News-7.]
((Instead, parents and teachers spoke of the consequences they're suffering because of the SOL tests themselves...
The told stories of children with damaged self-esteem.
[SOT 15:31:33]
[IN Q=we realize that our]
(( TERRI FLANAGAN/PARENT; WE REALIZE THAT OUR CHILDREN MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE THINGS THAT THEY ARE TAUGHT , BUT THIS SOL THING IS GETTING OUT OF HAND. OUR CHILDREN ARE BEING PUSHED SO HARD THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY TIME TO THINK ABOUT BEING A CHILD ANY MORE. ))
[RUNS= 16]
[OUT Q=a child anymore]
They spoke about teachers with no time for creativity... drilling social studies students to remember names, places and dates.
[SOT 15:18:38]
[IN Q=which makes learning]
(( CHARLOTTE CREASY/PARENT; WHICH MAKES LEARNING THIS ONE SOL MORE LIKE PREPARING FOR TRIVIAL PURSUIT -APPLAUSE- RATHER THAN BUILDING AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW SOCIETIES CHANGE. ))
[RUNS= 17]
[OUT Q=how societies change]
And administrators, already faced with limited resources... voiced concerned about the prospect of further "punishment" from the state.
[SOT 15:28:46]
[IN Q=we all know]
(( DAVID MARTIN/HENRY CO. SUPERINTENDENT; WE ALL KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO IMPROVE, AND WE WANT TO IMPROVE. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT PLACING ADDITIONAL PRESSURE ON EDUCATORS IN THE FORM OF THREATENING CONSEQUENCES WILL PRECIPITATE IMPROVEMENT. ))
[RUNS= 14]
[OUT Q=precipitate improvement]
Teachers say if the state intends to punish schools when students fail the tests, it should also provide the recources needed to get things right.
Eric Earnhart, News 7.))
[Columbine-parents]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=School Shooting]
The most seriously injured victim of the latest high school shooting says she has forgiven the boy charged with opening fire on her and five other students.
Stephanie Laster is back home after being released yesterday from an Atlanta hospital where she was treated for a bullet wound to the abdomen.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Littleton, CO;]
[4:04:29]
Meantime it was an emotional and difficult day in Littleton, Colorado yesterday as familes of the students injured and killed in the Columbine shooting visited the place where it happened more than a month ago.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=THEY REALLY QUITE]
((THEY REALLY QUITE FRANKLY THEY DON'T ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS..THEY JUST WANT TO SEE WHERE THEIR CHILD LOST THEIR LIFE..THEY KNOW THAT WE CAN'T DISCUSS WITH THEM."))
[SUPER=01-Chris Andrist/Jefferson Co. Sheriff's Dept.]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=discuss with them.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
While the families were arriving so too was a group from a Christian High school in Sarasota, Florida.
They joined hands in prayer and brought with them a plaque bearing the names of those who died at Columbine.
(------------)
[truck-safety]
[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Congress today is expected to release a report on the effectiveness of of the Office of Motor Carriers- the agency that oversees the safety of trucks and buses.
I'ts expected to call for more money, people and supervision.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington DC;]
[4:17:07]
It's estimated more than 100 people die every week in accident involving commercial trucks and buses on the nation's highways.
The Clinton adminstration calls this unacceptable so yesterday Transporation secretary Rodney slater unveiled plans to cut that number in half in ten years.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
(("THE GOAL OF A 50 PERCENT REDUCTION IS ACHIEVABLE IF WE PUT OUR MINDS TO IT AND WE ARE COMMITTED TO DOING JUST THAT."))
[SUPER=01-Rodney Slater/Secretary of Tranpsortation;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=TO DOING JUST THAT.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The plan includes doubling yearly inspections from 24 to 48.
Increasing penalties up to 10-thousand dollars for safety violations.
And new Technology to monitor the hours truck drivers spend behind the wheel.
(------------)
[E-Sheriff-Council]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-12 1:21:47]
[GRAPHIC=Simpson]
He says he was only trying to inspire his deputies to fight for a pay raise..
..but when Lynchburg sheriff Lawrence Simpson mentioned burning crosses on the lawns of city council members, he ignited a firestorm of controversy that could cost him his job.
Steve Smallshaw has the latest.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=As controversy]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Harry Shelton/Former Jail Employee; :14]
[SUPER=01-Gil Cobbs/Lynchburg Democratic Committee; :25]
[SUPER=01-Jack Mills/SCLC Bedford Chapter; :51]
[SUPER=@ssm2; 1:05]
[RUNS=1:11]
[OUT Q=News7, Lynchburg.]
(( As controversy continues to swirl around sheriff Lawrence Simpson, more questions are being raised about his character.
Former jailer Harry Shelton says he's heard Simpson make other inappropriate racial and ethnic remarks.
[SOT 12:56:35]
((HARRY SHELTON/FORMER JAIL EMPLOYEE: HE LOOKED AT THAT TICKET AND SAYS `WELL THIS DUDE'S CRAZY, LOOK AT HIS LAST NAME, HE'S A POLLACK'. AND HE SAID THAT IN FRONT OF SEVERAL OF THE DEPUTIES UPSTAIRS.))
[RUNS= 12]
[OUT Q=deputies upstairs.]
[SOT 21:17:56]
((GIL COBBS/LYNCHBURG DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE: THE SHERIFF IS NOT ALL BAD, NOT ALL BAD, BUT WHEN YOU DO THINGS YOU HAVE TO PAY A PRICE.))
[RUNS= 08]
[OUT Q=pay a price.]
The price Cobbs and others want Simpson to pay is with his job.
Lynchburg Democrats have drafted a letter to Simpson, asking that he resign.
Now, local citizens are talking about getting up a petition.. they'll need ten percent of the people who voted in the 1997 election to sign it, in order to ask a circuit court judge for a recall.
[SOT 17:31:22]
((JACK MILLS/SCLC BEDFORD CHAPTER: GET HIM IN FRONT OF A CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE AND SEE WHAT HE'S GOT TO SAY TO THAT JUDGE. THAT'S WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN. THE MAN MADE A BIG MISTAKE AND EVEN THOUGHTS LIKE THAT ARE NOT TOLERABLE IN A SOCIETY TODAY.))
[RUNS= 16]
[OUT Q=a society today.]
Simpson has refused to comment.
Steve Smallshaw, News7, Lynchburg.))
[E-Carroll]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=THa]
[TAPE#=99-11 1:15:30]
[GRAPHIC=Cynthia Carroll]
A former teacher pleaded NO contest in court yesterday to charges she engaged in a sexual relationship with one of her students.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Radford;]
Cynthia Carroll is accused of having sex with the young man when she worked as a teacher and principal at the Three Angels Christian School in Radford.
Jeremy (Cull-tiss) Cultice, who's now 21, says the lenghty relationship began when he was 14.
He says he knew it was wrong but could NOT find the courage to ask for help.
Cultice finally broke his silence last year.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It's gotten]
((JEREMY CULTICE: IT'S GOTTEN EASIER, I CAN SLEEP A LITTLE BETTER NOW AND AT LEAST GET UP EVERY MORNING AND SAY WELL, I'M NOT THE BAD PERSON, IT'S NOT ME AND I CAN GO ON WITH MY LIFE TO SOME EXTENT BUT I'M NEVER GOING TO FORGET IT.))
[SUPER=07-Jeremy Cultice; :00]
[RUNS=:22]
[OUT Q=forget it.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
A judge will decide Carroll's fate in August.
If convicted, she could spend up to 70- years in prison.
(------------)
[S-Wheeler]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=99-21 17:57]
[GRAPHIC=Lawsuit]
The family of a Montvale man killed in a January industrial accident is filing a 10-million dollar lawsuit.
Lewis Wheeler, Junior's family claims he was killed when he got trapped inside an "automatic press" at Virginia Forge.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co./January 20]
They say the machine went into operation without warning.
Wheeler's widow alleges someone deliberately defeated the safety mechanism on the machine.
Virginia Forge is NOT among those named as defendants in the federal complaint.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]
Two Pittsburgh companies and a German firm ARE named... the manufacturers and distributors of the press.
[Three-Steve]
[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#M99-3]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]
[On Record]
[ROLL COLD OUT OF BIRTHDAYS]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Today on]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon; :00]
[SUPER=01-Michael Dowell/Director; :18]
[SUPER=03-Pulaski; :27]
[RUNS=2:28]
[OUT Q=down in georgia]
[Steve Live]
(I'll call for board)
[essc8700]
[double Boxes=SPA & MEL]
(toss to Melanie)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]
(ad lib toss to bump)
[BUMP-Chyron]
[COMM #6]
((Archive:iron fine arts center))
[E-E-Toys]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=99-22 42:54]
[GRAPHIC=EToys]
It's called E-toys- toys over the internet and it's welcome news for Pittsylvania County's troubled economy-
As Marya Jones reports the company is bringing hundreds of jobs to the area.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Pittsylvania County brought]
[SUPER=01-Sen. Charles Hawkins/(R) Chatham; :24]
[SUPER=@Marya1; :45]
[SUPER=01-Gerard ElChaar/eToys; 1:09]
[RUNS=1:33]
[OUT Q=MJN7.]
((NAT SOUND CLAPPING))
(([Guy holding up welcome sign]
Pittsylvania County brought out a warm welcome for the area's newest major employer, eToys.
The California-based internet toy retailer says it will bring 330 full-time and 900 holiday seasonal jobs to the area. Along with an investment of 14-million dollars.
The good news even made some local lawmakers feel like it WAS the holiday season.
[SOT 1:31:31 - 1:31:53]
[RUNS= :22]
((CHARLES HAWKINS/SENATOR-CHATHAM: IT IS CHRISTMAS. IT IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR. IT IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR JOBS THAT HAVE NOT ONLY A FAIRLY GOOD INCOME PROVIDED WITH THEM, BUT ALSO A FUTURE. THIS IS THE GROWING INDUSTRY THAT WE HAVE TO TAP INTO AND IT GIVES US ACCESS TO THOSE MARKETS AND THOSE JOBS THAT HERETOFORE HAVE NOT BEEN AVAILABLE FOR US. THIS GETS US IN THE BALLGAME.))
((MARYA JONES/NEWS 7: IT'S A DIFFERENT BALLGAME FOR THE THE AREA. ETOYS DOES ITS BUSINESS HERE ON THE INTERNET, WHERE IT SELLS CHILDRENS VIDEOS, SOFTWARE, MUSIC AND GAMES. LAST YEAR, THE COMPANY HAD SALES TOTALLING THIRTY-MILLION DOLLARS.))
[RUNS= :10]
This warehouse in Blairs will serve as eToys' East Coast shipping and distribution center...and company officials say the central location was only part of their decision.
[SOT 1:22:45 - 1:24:00]
[RUNS= :15]
((GERARD ELCHAAR/eTOYS: THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT THE SITE FROM VIRGINIA'S STRATEGIC LOCATION, ITS HIGHLY SKILLED WORKFORCE AND ITS DEDICATED OFFICIALS ...THESE WERE THE MAIN INGREDIENT IN OUR SELECTION PROCESS. ))
The distribution center is scheduled to open for business July of next year. Hiring is expected to begin in several months. Marya Jones, News 7.))
[E-Sammons]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=99-17 27:26]
[GRAPHIC=None]
After six years on the job, Franklin County's administrator is calling it quits.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co.;]
Macon Sammons is headed to Virginia Tech, where he will promote local economic growth.
He says he's already improved Smith Mountain Lake and created two industrial parks.
But sources say county supervisors have privately criticized his performance.
Sammons won't say.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 14:16:37]
[SOT 15:02:17]
[IN Q=How much of this]
((MACON SAMMONS/CO. ADMINISTRATOR: HOW MUCH OF THIS IS DUE TO PUBLIC PRESSURE FROM THE BOARD? I HAVE BEEN A CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER IN VIRGINIA LOCALITIES FOR 17 CONSECUTIVE YEARS. THAT'S A LONG TIME, A LOT OF NIGHT MEETINGS -- I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO A CHANGE.
butt butt butt
DON HUTCHERSON/BUSINESS OWNER: THE GUY HAS NEVER DONE ANYTHING BAD TO ME OR ANYTHING ELSE BUT WE NEED MORE DYNAMIC LEADERSHIP I THINK THAN HE WAS GIVING US.))
[SUPER=01-Macon Sammons/Franklin Co. Administrator;]
[SUPER=01-Don Hutcherson/Business Owner; :17]
[RUNS=:25]
[OUT Q=he was giving us]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[SS=NONE]
Sammons says his resignation is effective July second.
[3-Sports]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=sports cut in]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The Utah Jazz stay alive in the N-B-A playoffs--
And Winston Cup action is all revved up and ready to go in Charlotte.
Steve Mason's here with morning sports.
Good Morning Steve.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Hello again]
[RUNS=2:18]
[OUT Q=have a great Wednesday]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
(weather toss)
[Local-Recap]
[SUPER=#4059;Local Recap]
[2-Shot=Mel/Kmc]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
Now here's another look at today's top local stories:
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
Last night's public forum on the Standards of Learning was supposed to be about rewards and penalties for SOL performance.
Instead state officials were barraged with complaints from parents, teachers and administrators.
Teachers say if the state intends to punish schools when students fail the tests, it should also provide the recources needed to get things right.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for later today in the rape case against Jim Druckenmiller.
A recent Virginia Tech graduate says the former Tech quarterback raped her March fourth at a house in Blacksburg, where the two attended a party.
Druckenmiller's attorneys say he had consensual sex with the woman after she aggressively pursued him throughout the evening of March third and the early morning hours of March fourth.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
E-Toys, a California-based internet toy retailer, says it will bring 330 full-time and 900 holiday seasonal jobs to Pittsylvania County, along with an investment of 14-million dollars.
This warehouse in Blairs will serve as eToys' East Coast shipping and distribution center.
The distribution center is scheduled to open for business in July of next year. Hiring is expected to begin in several months.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
(Kimberly mic hot)
(///////////////)
[2 shot=Mel/Kmc]
(Kimberly ad lib weather)
(-------------)
[Double Boxes=Melanie/Kimberly and Steve]
(toss)
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(live ad lib, tease tomorrow)
(ad lib bye)
[Double Boxes=Melanie/Kimberly and Steve]
by SS