WDBJ 7 morning news for 05/31/99

[Headlines]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
Word of another NATO attack on civilians in Yugoslavia today one day after nearly a dozen were killed by nato missileson a crowded bridge.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

And it last day of travel for Conrail trains as Norfolk Southern and C-S-X get ready to split up the railroad.
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

Fire up the grills...we have just the kind of weather you want for a Memorial Day...mostly sunny skies and very warm temperatures climbing into the upper 80s.
But once the holiday's over...needed showers return to the forecast for later this week.
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(ad lib live tease)
[2-shot]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

[NS-Merger]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Conrail]

This is last day for Conrail trains.
Tomorrow, Norfolk Southern and C-S-X will split up the railroad as a more than 10-billion dollar deal takes effect.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@file;]

The railroads say they'll restore competition to a number of Northeast cities.
They also believe they can put a dent in truck competition-- predicting one million fewer trucks on highways over three years.
N-S also predicts a lot more rail traffic through Western Virginia.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]

N-S and C-S-X are hoping for a smooth transition.
During the last major rail takeover in 1996-- delivery delays were common.

[KOSOVO]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Serbia Under ATtack]

For the second time in two days, the Serbs are accusing NATO of killing civilians in Yugoslavia.
The Yugoslav news agency says at least eleven people died when NATO missiles hit a medical facility and a nearby retirement home.
(-------------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Varvarin, Yugoslavia;]
[4:04]
Today's attack follows yesterday's bombing of a bridge that reportedly was crowded with shoppers.
Serb reports say eleven people died in that strike.
NATO officials say only that the bridge was attacked, calling it a legitimate target.
(///////SOT////////)
[IN=THE FACT THAT...]
[4:05:00]
[SUPER=01-Jamie Shea/NATO Spokesman;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT=THE BRIDGE ANY LESS A MILITARY TARGET.]
(--------------)
[VO-NAT]

Eyewitnesses say up to five civilan cars were on the bridge at the time of the attack.
(---------------)

[Stampede]

[ANCHOR=Mealnie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A deadly end to a beer festival and rock concert in the former Soviet republic of Belarus.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Minsk, Belarus;]
[4:06:53]
More than 54 people were killed last night and more than 300 injured in a stampede.
A local beer company sponsored the festival, and authorities say many in the crowd of over two-thousand were under the influence.
When it started raining, people flocked to an underground passageway -- and that's when it turned deadly.
Women in high heels tripped on the slippery floor of the tunnel and were trampled by the oncoming crowd.
Those still outside had no idea what was going on and kept pushing to get in, causing a bigger crush.
(------------)

[Discovery]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The International Space Station has visitors again.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Seven astronauts from the space shuttle discovery opened the hatches to the station last night.
An American and a Russian astronaut led the way.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 4:26:14]
[IN Q=The International]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=in orbit]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The astronauts will spend three days making repairs and deliveries to the station.
They'll try to fix a broken U.S. communication system, replace electrical meters on Russian batteries and install mufflers inside the Russian-built module.
They'll also unload 36-hundred pounds of spare parts, computers, water and clothes for the men who are due to move in next March.
(------------)

[1-Sports]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=sports cut in]
[GRAPHIC=None]

In sports, the Knicks take game one of their series with the Indiana Pacers.
Roy Stanley has those highlights and some baseball action.
Good Morning Roy.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[RUNS=1:52]
[OUT Q=later on Mornin]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
(Melanie ad lib toss to Kimberly/Wx)

[One-Steve]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]

[On Record]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon;]
[SUPER=01-Carole Doddridge/Cookbook Author;]

(toss to stocks)
[STOCKS] [COMM] ((Archive: cookbook))

[national-memorial]

[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Memorial Day]

America's war dead -- as well as the men and women involved in the Kosovo mission -- will be on President Clinton's mind today.
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington DC;]
[4:15:29]
He'll go to Arlington National Cemetery this Memorial Day, where aides say the president will ask for prayers for those serving in Operation Allied Force.
Mr. Clinton arrived home from his vacation in Florida last night.
Meantime, for the 12th year in a row, music lovers gathered on the lawn in front of the U-S Capitol for the National Memorial Day concert.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=04-PBS;]
[RUNS=:05]
[OUT Q=nats of music]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

In addition to the National Symphony Orchestra, other contributors to the concert included Gen. Colin Powell and Joint Chiefs of Staff head General Hugh Shelton and some Hollywood entertainers.
(------------)

[S-Bedford-Memorial]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jha]
[TAPE#=99-10; 2:03:40]
[GRAPHIC=D-Day Memorial]

Part of the National D-Day memorial will be unveiled at ten this morning in Bedford.
The larger-than-life piece of art features a soldier dragging another soldier up the shore.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford;]

The Sculptor who created "Across the Beaches" says it took about a year to complete...because of all the research involved in making sure the sculpture accurate and detailed.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 02:08:31]
[IN Q=A lot of Veterans]
[SUPER=01-Jim Brothers/Sculptor]
((JIM BROTHERS/SCULPTOR: A LOT OF VETERANS AND WIDOWS OF VETERANS THAT HAVE ALREADY SEEN THIS ACTUALLY CAME AWAY CRYING..IT'S STRANGE FOR A SCULPTOR TO BE HAPPY WHEN PEOPLE SHED TEARS..BUT THAT LETS HIM KNOW..I DONE WHAT I WANTED TO.))
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=wanted to do]
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[GRAPHIC=none]

The sculpture will be unveiled at the site of the future Memorial off of route 122 in Bedford.

[WebWatch]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=Web Watch]
[GRAPHIC=Web Watch]

Hackers are making news once again.
And, if you're looking to fill in your family tree you may find help on-line.
Eric Earnhart has more in this week's Webwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=More cyber attacks on]
[RUNS=1:13]
[OUT Q=EE, News-7]
(([intro] [RUNS :05] More cyber attacks on Government websites last week. The senate website shut down after hackers posted obscene messages.
The attack was allegedly in retaliation for ongoing FBI investigations of hacker activity... the FBI site was also hacked last week.

It's the premiere online site for finding your roots. The Mormon Church has posted its geaneological records online, listing 400 million names, some dating back to the year 1500.

If you're moving, here's one less thing to worry about. Get your change of address form at the U.S.Postal Service website.
Enter your new address and print out a customized form you can leave in your mailbox.

But don't log-off yet, as long as you're online, you might at well register your car.
The Virginia DMV website says it's the first in the country to offer online registration renewals.
You just need your rewnewal card, and a credit card.
For links to these sites, click on WebWatch, on the WDBJ website, at wdbj7-dot-com.))

[Health-Check]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=NET]
[GRAPHIC=Mornin Health Check]

In medical news, the F-D-A approves a new way to zap unwanted hair.
Mika Brzezinski has that story and more in this morning's Health check.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Mika Brzezinski/Reporting; :00 ]
[RUNS=1:10]
[OUT Q=CBS News, New York.]
(( RESEARCHERS MAY HAVE FOUND A BETTER WAY OF PREDICTING WHO IS MOST AT RISK FOR HAVING A HEART ATTACK.
VT=VO
((vo))
A STUDY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER FOUND THAT MEASURING LEVELS OF CERTAIN PROTEINS IN THE BLOOD.. WAS A MORE ACCURATE INDICATOR OF FUTURE HEART PROBLEMS... THAN MONITORING CHOLESTEROL.
SCIENTISTS SAY PEOPLE WITH A NORMAL CHOLESTEROL COUNT WERE STILL MORE LIKELY TO HAVE HEART ATTACKS... BECAUSE THEIR PROTEIN LEVELS WERE HIGH.//
VT=VO
((vo))
THERE'S A NEW METHOD FOR ZAPPING AWAY UNWANTED BODY HAIR.
THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION RECENTLY CLEARED THE WAY FOR THE LIGHTSHEER LASER.
IT WORKS BY EMITTING A LIGHT THAT TARGETS HUNDREDS OF HAIR FOLLICLES--
THEN, A SPECIAL TOOL COOLS THE SKIN.
AND UNLIKE SOME TRADITIONAL HAIR REMOVAL TREATMENTS, DOCTORS SAY THE LIGHTSHEER IS PAINLESS.. AND THE RESULTS ARE PERMANENT.// ONCAM ((on cam))
ONE OF THE MOST NUTRITIOUS DIET PLANS AROUND WASN'T CREATED BY SOME HOT SHOT DOCTOR--
IN FACT, IT WASN'T EVEN CREATED BY A HUMAN.
RESEARCHERS SAY MONKEYS EAT PLANTS AND FRUITS -RICHER- IN VITAMINS AND MINERALS.. THAN THE FOOD WE PUT ON THEIR DINNER TABLES.
FOR EXAMPLE, A MONKEY CONSUMES ABOUT SIX-HUNDRED MILLIGRAMS OF VITAMIN C A DAY.
THAT'S 10 TIMES THE DAILY RECOMMENDED ALLOWANCE FOR HUMANS.
AND THAT IS A LOOK AT TODAY'S MEDICAL NEWS. I'M MIKA BRZEZINSKI, 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;]
[SUPER=01-Carole Doddridge/Cookbook Author;]

[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]

NATO officials say there's no evidence allied missiles hit a retirement home and neighboring sanitarium today in Yugoslavia.
But Serb reports say the attack left at least eleven people dead.
That's in addition to the eleven reportedly killed yesterday in a missile attack on a bridge.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kim]

The allied pilots flying over Yugoslavia will figure into President Clinton's Memorial Day speech.
He'll be at Arlington National Cemetery, where he's expected to ask Americans to pray for the fliers.
Clinton will also lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

A rock concert and beer festival have ended in tragedy with the deaths of 54 people in a stampede.
It happened in Belarus, where the victims were trampled in a pedestrian tunnel.
Over a hundred others were injured as the crowd looked for shelter when it began raining.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

And that's what's making news on this Monday May 31.
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

News 7 Mornin' will be right back.

[2-NS-Merger]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Conrail]

Say goodbye to Conrail.
Tomorrow, Norfolk Southern and C-S-X will split up the railroad as a more than 10-billion dollar deal takes effect.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@file;]

The railroads say they'll restore competition to a number of Northeast cities.
They also believe they can put a dent in truck competition-- predicting one million fewer trucks on highways over three years.
N-S also predicts a lot more rail traffic through Western Virginia.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]

N-S and C-S-X are hoping for a smooth transition.
During the last major rail takeover in 1996-- delivery delays were common.

[S-Salem-Vets]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=99-16; 36:26]
[GRAPHIC=none]

As the nation prepared to remember it's war dead, veterans rallied so their medical needs won't be forgotten.
Joy Sutton attended yesterday's rally in Salem and has this report.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Dozens of veterans]
[SUPER=03-Salem; 00]
[SUPER=01-Stephen Perkins/Veteran; :19]
[SUPER=01-Michelle Cone/V. A. Nurse; :34]
[SUPER=07-Lester Pate; :50 Quick!!!!]
[SUPER=@joy2; 1:20]
[RUNS=1:33]
[OUT Q=JSU, Salem.]
(((///// SOT /////)
[SOT 05:51:51]
[IN Q=Nat sound: no more]
((NAT SOUND: NO MORE CUTS)) [RUNS]
[OUT Q=cuts]

Dozens of veterans turned out to urge Congress to stop the drastic cuts to veteran health care services and increase funding.
They say the government has forgotten its' veterans...and broken its' promise to provide quality health care to those who have served this country.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 00:17:54]
[IN Q=It's just sad]
((STEPHEN PERKINS/VETERAN: IT'S JUST SAD THAT OUR NATION HAS FORGOTTEN ABOUT OUR VETERANS AND THEIR HEALTH CARE..AND WITH ALL THE CUTS AND EVERYTHING IT'S JUST A SHAME.)) [RUNS09]
[OUT Q=it's just a shame.]

Michelle Cone a nurse at VA medical center...told the crowd they've had to cut beds because of financial reasons.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 00:11:47]
[IN Q=The cuts to]
((MICHELLE CONE/NURSE: THE CUTS TO THE BUDGET ARE TREMENDOUS AND THEY KEEP CONTINUING...AND IF THEY CONTINUE..THIS VA WILL BE AFFECTED MUCH LIKE MANY THAT STILL STRUGGLE TO BE OPEN)) [RUNS10]
[OUT Q=struggle to be open.]

Thomas Pate is a patient at the VA Medical center...he and his brother Lester Pate came out to watch the rally.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 00:21:05]
[IN Q=He needs]
((LESTER PATE: HE NEEDS ALL THE CARE HE CAN GET...YOU KNOW)) [RUNS04]
[OUT Q=you know]

The American Federation of Government employees and Disabled American Veterans say the VA's current medical budget must be increased by 3 billion dollars to meet the health care needs of veterans.
Those who rallied are now urging Congress to take a stand.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 00:14:32]
[IN Q=we voted]
((MICHELLE CONE/VA NURSE: WE VOTED FOR YOU..WE'RE COUNTING ON YOU..AND THE VETERANS ARE COUNTING ON YOU...WITHOUT OUT US YOU DON'T HAVE A JOB.))
[OUT Q=you don't have a job.]

As our nation honors those who died in combat...the veterans are hoping that those who survived will not be forgotten.
And they're hoping that the White house and Congress will keep their promise to veterans...and save what they say is an ailing veterans health care system.
Joy Sutton, News-7, Salem.))

[2-Kosovo]

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

There is word this morning of another NATO attack on civilians in Yugoslavia.
Reports from a state-run news agency say at least eleven people are dead after missiles hit a retirement home and a neighboring sanitarium.
It follows yesterday's report of a deadly hit on a crowded bridge.
Alleny Pizzey has that story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[4:00:00]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Varvarin, Yugoslavia; :00]
[SUPER=01-Jamie Shea/NATO Spokesman; :58]
[SUPER=01-Allen Pizzey/Reporting; 1:17]
[RUNS=1:39]
[OUT Q=CBS NEWS VARVARIN.]
((vo: Hours after the attack...local fishermen still searched in vain for bodies. At least eleven people died and an unknown number were missing after two NATO warplanes struck this bridge. Eyewitnesses said the first jet came in low just before one p.m. local time. One missile smashed the bridge at the shoreline. Fourteen minutes later another attacked...two missiles slamming into the middle of the span. Among its victims was the local priest...beheaded as he tried to help the wounded. His body lay with seven others in a makeshift morgue at a church where had said mass. Stunned residents of the farming town the bridge served said the attack came as people were heading home from a market and feast day of the local saint.
NAT SOT Cop (v/o translator/NATO presser)
"There are no factories here....nothing..." vo: The police also insisted there were no military facilities. NATO explained the attack this way.
SOT Jamie Shea, NATO Spokesman
"Just because there isn't a tank on the bridge doesn't mean it isn't a military etc..." (Bridge/Bicycle/hat) vo: On the bridge at the time...eyewitnesses said...were up to five civilian cars. And at the river's edge...a smashed bicycle...and old man's hat...and two thick rivers of congealing blood. o/c: What people here cannot grasp is why NATO...which repeatedly stresses it tries to avoid civilian casualties...would target a bridge on a sunny Sunday at a time when civilians are most likely to be out and about.
(People and NAT SOTs)
vo: How...one man asked...can NATO expect to come as peacekeepers when they do this? A...P...CBS News, Varvarin))

[Kramer]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Four years ago, the bass player of the rock group Iron Butterfly vanished.
Now, Human remains that may belong to Philip ``Taylor'' Kramer have been found in Southern California.
The skeletal remains were recovered from a wrecked minivan that was found at the bottom of a 200-foot ravine in Malibu.
Authorities say it's not yet clear whether the driver died when the van crashed or whether foul play was involved.

[2-Stampede]

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

A rock concert and beer festival have ended in tragedy with the deaths of 54 people in a stampede.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Minsk, Belarus;]
[4:06:53]
It happened in former Soviet republic of Belarus, where the victims were trampled in a pedestrian tunnel.
Over 300 were injured.
It happened when the crowd at the festival rushed into an underground tunnel, seeking shelter from the rain.
Women in high heels tripped on the slippery floor of the tunnel and were trampled by the oncoming crowd.
Those still outside had no idea what was going on and kept pushing to get in, causing a bigger crush.
Authorities say many in the crowd of over two-thousand were intoxicated.
(------------)

[Three-Steve]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#M99-3]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]

[On Record]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon;]
[SUPER=01-Carole Doddridge/Cookbook Author;]

(I'll call for video-or just go if I forget or it looks boring)
(---------------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
[RUNS=1:21]
(---------------------)
[Steve Live]

[double Boxes=SPA & MEL]
(toss to Melanie)

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]
(ad lib toss to bump)
[BUMP-Chyron]
[COMM #6]
((Archive:cookbook))

[2-national-memorial]

[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Memorial Day]

President Clinton pays tribute to America's fallen heroes today -- and to those flying over the Balkans.
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington DC;]
[4:15:29]
The president will deliver Memorial Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
Mr. Clinton arrived home from his vacation in Florida last night.
Aides say Clinton will ask prayers for those serving in Operation Allied Force. [4:18:43]
Meanwhile, Bikers from all over the world gathered in Washington D-C yesterday on a campaign for investigations into the whereabouts of servicemen still missing from the Vietnam War and other American conflicts.
They are protesting what they say is the U-S Government's continuing failure to recognize and locate prisoners of war and those listed as missing in action.
(---------)

[2-S-Bedford-Memorial]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jha]
[TAPE#=99-10; 2:03:40]
[GRAPHIC=D-Day Memorial]

Here in Southwest Virginia, Memorial Day will be celebrated with a special ceremony in Bedford.
Part of the National D-Day memorial will be unveiled at ten this morning.
The larger-than-life piece of art features a soldier dragging another soldier up the shore.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford;]

The Sculptor who created "Across the Beaches" says it took about a year to complete...because of all the research involved in making sure the sculpture accurate and detailed.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 02:08:31]
[IN Q=A lot of Veterans]
[SUPER=01-Jim Brothers/Sculptor]
((JIM BROTHERS/SCULPTOR: A LOT OF VETERANS AND WIDOWS OF VETERANS THAT HAVE ALREADY SEEN THIS ACTUALLY CAME AWAY CRYING..IT'S STRANGE FOR A SCULPTOR TO BE HAPPY WHEN PEOPLE SHED TEARS..BUT THAT LETS HIM KNOW..I DONE WHAT I WANTED TO.))
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=wanted to do]
(------------)
[ANCHOR=]
[GRAPHIC=none]

The sculpture will be unveiled at the site of the future Memorial off of route 122 in Bedford.

[Feedback]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=Feedback 26:06]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 Feedback]

Our story about a woman from Vinton who has filed a lawsuit over an allergy prompted a viewer to send us her thoughts.
Here's News-7's Feedback, with assignment editor Joe McKean.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Lisa Williams]
[SUPER=04-May 24; :00]
[RUNS=1:16]
[OUT Q=McKean, News-7.]
((Lisa Williams had to give up her career as a nurse, because she's allergic to the Latex gloves commonly used in the health care industry.
She blames the manufacturers and has filed a lawsuit in Roanoke's federal court, asking for back pay and damages.
"While I feel for the young woman with the allergy to the latex gloves," wrote a viewer from Roanoke, "I sit here and wonder just how far we are going to go in this lawsuit mess. Does anybody just stop and think that while this is too bad for the young woman but why in the heck should the industry that makes the gloves be held to task? I feel the same way about smoking. I did it and I quit. You have free will and if you want to keep on smoking you are to blame not the cigarette industry. Nobody wants to sit down and say "well, this is the way it is and I have to learn to live with it". My advice, get a life and stop trying to soak somebody to make up your 40% paycut."
We're always interested in what you think about current affairs and our news coverage.
If you'd like to write to us, the address is P.O. Box 7, Roanoke, 24022-0007.
To send a fax, use 540-343-7269.
Our e-mail goes to news@wdbj7.com.
And on our web site, wdbj7.com, you may take part in a moderated on-line forum.
Joe McKean, News-7.))

[3-Sports]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=sports cut in]
[GRAPHIC=None]

In sports, South Boston's Jeff Burton wins at Charlotte.
Roy Stanley is here with the highlights of that race and the Indy 500.
Good Morning again Roy.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[RUNS=2:10]
[OUT Q=great Day everybody.]

[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]

Norfolk-Southern is preparing to get a little bigger.
Tomorrow, N-S and C-S-X will split up Conrail.
The railroads say they'll bring increased competition to the Northeast, reduce truck traffic on the highways and bring more rail traffic to Western Virginia.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

Part of the National D-Day Memorial will be unveiled at ten this morning in Bedford.
The Sculptor who created "Across the Beaches" says it took about a year to complete...because of all the research involved in making sure the sculpture accurate and detailed.
The site of the future Memorial is off of route 122 in Bedford.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Dozens of veterans protested shrinking funding for veterans health care programs yesterday .
They say the government has forgotten its' veterans...and broken its' promise to provide quality health care to those who have served this country.
The American Federation of Government employees and the Disabled American Veterans say the V-A's current medical budget must be increased by 3 billion dollars to meet the health care needs of veterans.
(-------------)
[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]