WDBJ 7 morning news for 07/22/99

[Headlines]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
The sea that claimed his life will be the final resting place for John F. Kennedy Junior.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

And the prosecution wraps up its case in the Jim Druckenmiller rape trial.
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

After last night's thunderstorms, we're left with variably cloudy skies and areas of dense fog, especially around Lynchburg this morning.
Today promises to be a hot one...with highs in the 90s and the possibility of more thunderstorms.
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(ad lib live tease)
[2-shot]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

[Kennedy]

[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#None]
[GRAPHIC=JFK Seach]

Good Morning, I'm Melanie Moon. Family members prepare to say a final goodbye to john f. kennedy junior... by returning his remains to the waters where he lost his life.
The Navy ship, U-S-S Briscoe, is standing by off the coast of cape cod.. for Kennedy's burial at sea.
Cathy Moss joins us with the latest from Hyannisport, Massachusetts.
[Live=newspath Full]
[SUPER=01-Cathy Moss/Reporting;]
[SUPER=05-Hyannisport, MA;]
( ad lib)
[***ROLLED FROM NEWSPATH***]
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[SOT]
[4:57:47]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Off Martha's Vineyard;]
[SUPER=01-Adm. Richard Larrabee/U. S. Coast Guard;]
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=]
((locator: Martha's Vineyard, MA In a just a short while.... members of the Kennedy family will have to do the unthinkable once more... say good-bye to a loved one ... who died very young. John F. Kennedy Junior... was 38 when his plane went down into the cold waters of the Atlantic... killing him, his wife Carolyn and her sister Lauren. This morning-- he will be returned to the sea...
(nat)
The bodies of the three were identified and brought home by Senator Ted Kennedy.. after an exhaustive 5-day search by the Coast Guard and Navy.
SOT: Rear Adm. Richard Larrabee/Coast Guard
"We were able to bring closure to two families and I think that we realize is very important." The wreckage was discovered 116 feet below the surface of the sea, the victims-- still inside.
SOT: Rear Adm. Richard Larrabee/Coast Guard
" A dive with two divers supplied with air from the surface consisted of about 40 minutes at the bottom and during that 40 minute period of time, we were able to positively identify the three people that we had been looking for." The fuselage of the plane will be shipped to a Coast Guard base where investigators will continue to search for a reason why the Piper Saratoga went down. standup: Following the funeral, plans are moving forward to eulogize John Junior, Carolyn and Lauren . A private memorial mass is planned in New York City for Friday morning-- at the same Church John's mom Jackie once attended. Cathy Moss, for CBS News Hyannis Port.))
[Live=newspath FULL]
[SUPER=05-Hyannisport, MA;]
( ad lib)

[Strickler]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin']
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-18 TC1:25:17]
[GRAPHIC=Strickler Execution]

Convicted killer Tommy David Strickler went to his death last night still proclaiming his innocence in the murder of Salem native Leann Whitlock nine years ago.
Steve Smallshaw reports from Jarratt.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Witnesses say]
[SUPER=03-Jarratt; :00]
[SUPER=01-Larry Traylor/DOC Spokesman; :18]
[SUPER=01-Wayne Pike/Execution Witness; :47]
[SUPER=@ssm1;]
[RUNS=1:17]
[OUT Q=News7, Jarratt.]
(( Witnesses say 33- year- old Tommy David Strickler was calm but noticeably nervous when he was brought into the death chamber just before 9 p.m.
In a quiet, broken voice that was hard to understand, Strickler continued to deny he helped kill Salem native Leann Whitlock in 1990.
[SOT Traylor]

Strickler's last appeals had failed three hours earlier when both the Supreme Court and Governor Jim Gilmore refused to intervene in his execution.
Defense claims of new evidence carried no weight with the high court or with execution witness Wayne Pike.
Pike says justice was served.
[SOT Pike]
[Standup]
Members of Leann Whitlock's family had been scheduled to witness this execution tonight, but they did not show up.
Tommy Strickler was the 9th inmate to die in Virginia this year, the 22nd under Governor Jim Gilmore. Steve Smallshaw, News7, Jarratt.))

[E-Druckenmiller]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=THa]
[TAPE#=99-37 16:33]
[GRAPHIC=Druckenmiller on Trial]

The defense will continue its case when the trial of Jim Druckenmiller resumes later this morning.
The prosecution wrapped up its case yesterday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg;]

The athlete, who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, is accused of raping a 22- year old woman at a party in Blacksburg, back in March.
Yesterday the young woman took the stand telling jurors she passed out and that when she woke up she found Druckenmiller on top of her.
She says she never yelled for help because she was disoriented and scared.
She also told the jury she had NOT been flirting with the athlete earlier in the evening.
(-------------)
[anchor=Kimberly]
[ss=hold]

Her testimony conflicts with that of several defense witnesses who testified that the young woman had been rubbing against Druckenmiller and telling him she wanted him.

[Columbia]

[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Columbia Launch]

Another disappointment for Eileen Collins and the other Columbia astronauts.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Kennedy Space Center, FL;]
[4:09:12]
Collins -- the first woman to command a shuttle mission -- and her crew were strapped in and ready to fly early today, when a thunderstorm forced NASA to scrub the launch.
It's the second time the science mission has been postponed.
Tuesday the launch was called off seven seconds before liftoff when a sensor indicated a dangerous hydrogen buildup in the engine compartment.
It turned out to be a false alarm.
The crew's big job will be to deploy a one and a-half billion-dollar X-ray telescope that NASA plans to use to explorethe universe.
NASA will try to launch Columbia again tomorrow.
(------------)

[1-Sports]

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

In sports, the Barber twins are lending a hand to Habitat for Humanity.
Here's Mike Stevens with the details..
Good Morning Mike.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=good morning]
[RUNS=1:39]
[OUT Q=a little bit]

[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]
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[SOT]
[IN Q=today on]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon; :00]
[SUPER=01-Roddy Moore/Blue Ridge Institute; :17]
[SUPER=03-Ferrum; :30]
[RUNS=3:07]
[OUT Q=News 7 Mornin' Returns]

(tape tosses to stocks)
[STOCKS] [COMM] ((Archive: farm museum ferrum))

[Lewis]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=99-17 TC1:41:56]
[GRAPHIC=Verna Lewis]

Salem physician Verna Lewis was convicted last night of tax evasion.
Keith Humphry has the verdict.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=Dr. Lewis is]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=@file; :16]
[SUPER=01-Tony Anderson/Dr. Lewis' Attorney; :26]
[SUPER=01-Joel Miller/Federal Tax Prosecutor; :57]
[SUPER=01-Karen Peters/Federal Prosecutor; 1:12]
[SUPER=@keith1; 1:21]
[RUNS=1:36]
[OUT Q=courthouse in Roanoke.]

(( Doctor Lewis is a pysiatrist- -specializing in rehabilitative medicine at Lewis Gale since 1988.
She admitted under oath that she'd falsified documents, even asked others lie to the I-R-S about work they'd done for her.
She said it was her accountant's idea.
C-P-A Bill White was not a defendant in the case, though the revenue agent who investigated Dr. Lewis recommended Councilman White be prosecuted.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 23:37:40]
[IN Q=Bill White received]
((TONY ANDERSON/DR. LEWIS' ATTORNEY: BILL WHITE RECEIVED A FULL GRANT OF IMMUNITY. I WOULD SUGGEST IF YOU DON'T RECEIVE A GRANT OF IMMUNITY, YOU DON'T NEED ONE. BUT IF YOU DO GET ONE, THERE MUST BE SOME REASON FOR IT.)) [RUNS10]
[OUT Q=reason for it.]

Lewis was convicted of filing false tax returns, claiming a two-story addition to her Daleville home as an office expense- -including the weight room.
Aside from the condo in the Bahamas Lewis claimed as an educational expense, the prosecution pointed out Lewis deliberately altered documents in an attempt to fool the I-R-S.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 23:32:05]
[IN Q=Not just negligence]
((JOEL MILLER/U.S. TAX PROSECUTOR: NOT JUST MISSTATEMENTS THAT WERE HONEST OR INNOCENT, BUT WILLFUL VIOLATIONS OF THE LAW WHEN SHE KNEW BETTER. KAREN PETERS/PROSECUTOR: PEOPLE DON'T GET TO THIS POINT FOR MESSING UP ON THEIR TAX RETURNS. WHAT EVERY CITIZEN FEARS: "OH, IF I MAKE A SMALL MISTAKE ON MY TAX RETURNS, THE IRS WILL BE AFTER ME" THAT ISN'T THE CASE.)) [RUNS24]
[OUT Q=isn't the case.]
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[SOT]
[IN Q=Dr. Lewis will be]
((DR. LEWIS WILL BE SENTENCED LATER. WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHETHER SHE SPENDS TIME IN PRISON IS THAT SHE WILL UNDOUBTEDLY LOSE HER LICENSE TO PRACTICE MEDICINE IN VIRGINIA, HAVING BEEN CONVICTED OF EIGHT FELONIES. KEITH HUMPHRY AT THE FEDERAL COURTHOUSE IN ROANOKE.))
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=courthouse in Roanoke.]))

[E-Security-Bands]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=tfl]
[TAPE#=99-21 1:05:47]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The Maternity Care unit at Lewis-Gale Medical Center is beefing up security to protect newborns.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem; ]
Infants now have anklets to match their I-D bracelets. Transmitters with alarms are fastened around the baby's leg - the alarm goes off if the baby is taken off the maternity floor. Hospital personnel say it's just another security measure for the parents and babies.
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[SOT ub 10 19 45]
[IN Q=It was]
((ROSEMARY WINSLOW/DIR. MATERNITY SERVICES: IT WAS SOMETHING WE DECIDED TO IMPLEMENT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO BEFORE ANYTHING WAS IN THE PRESS ABOUT THE UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT HERE IN VIRGINIA.))
[super=01-Rosemary Winslow/Maternity Services Director;]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=in Virginia. - DOUBLE OUT-Q!]
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[VO-NAT]
The transmitters are applied just after delivery and don't come off until the baby is discharged from the hospital.
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[Health-Check]

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

In medical news, cigars may be facing stricter regulation.
Mika Brzezinski has that story and more in this morning's Health check.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Mika Brzezinski/Reporting; :00 ]
[RUNS=1:14]
[OUT Q=CBS News, New York.]
((ACCORDING TO THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE, AMERICAN BLACKS AND WOMEN MAY BE GETTING BETTER CARE THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT.
A PAST REPORT SUGGESTED THEY REGULARILY RECIEVED SECOND CLASS TREATMENT WHEN IT CAME TO HEART HEALTH CARE.
BUT THE JOURNAL NOW SAYS THE MEDIA OVER-INTERPRETATED THE RESULTS WHICH SURVEYED MORE THAN SEVEN HUNDRED DOCTORS. THEY SUGGESTED THEY WERE LESS LIKELY TO REFER WOMEN AND BLACKS FOR CERTAIN HEART PROCEDURES.

VT=VO
((vo)) IF FEDERAL REGULATORS GET THEIR WAY, CIGARS WILL BE SUBJECT TO THE SAME HEALTH WARNINGS AS CIGARETTES.
THE RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION WOULD BAN ADVERTSING FOR CIGARS ON BOTH TELEVISON AND RADIO. REGULATORS WOULD ALSO REQUIRE CIGAR BOXES TO HAVE WARNING LABELS.
THE PROPOSALS FOLLOW A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN THE SALE OF CIGARS OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS.

VT=VO
((vo)) THE HEAT WAVE MUCH OF THE NATION HAS SUFFERED THROUGH THIS SUMMER MAY BE JUST THE THING COUPLES HOPING TO HAVE A BABY BOY NEEDED.
A STUDY IN THE "NEW SCIENTIST" MAGAZINE SUGGESTS THAT THE BEST TIME TO CONCEIVE A MALE CHILD IS ONE MONTH AFTER A HEAT WAVE.
IF IT'S A GIRL YOUR HOPING FOR... YOU'LL WANT TO WAIT FOR A COLD SNAP.
ACCORDING TO DOCTORS, TEMPERATURE SEEMS TO PLAY A PART IN WHEN THE MALE SPERM STARTS TO MATURE.
AND THAT'S A LOOK 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#M99-3]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]

[On Record] [Roll cold out of break]
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[SOT]
[IN Q=Today on]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon; :00]
[SUPER=01-Dave Allen/Blue Ridge Institute; :11]
[SUPER=03-Ferrum; :19]
[RUNS=1:19]
[OUT Q=show events and so on]

[Steve Live]

(I'll call for board)
[essc#8702]

[Double Boxes=SPA & KMC]
(Toss to Kimberly)
((Archive: farm museum ferrum))[2-HEADLINES]
[2-shot=Mel/Kmc]
[SUPER=#4049; Morning Headlines]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Here's a look at today's top stories.
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

The sea that claimed his life will be the final resting place for John F. Kennedy Junior.
Sources say a Navy destroyer, the U-S-S ``Briscoe,'' will return his remains to the waters off Martha's Vineyard this morning.
The cremated remains of Kennedy's wife and her sister will reportedly be buried with him.
Their bodies were recovered yesterday, five days after Kennedy's small plane crashed near the island off the Massachusetts coast.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kim]

The defense is expected to wrap up its case today in the Jim Druckenmiller rape trial.
Yesterday the woman who accuses the San Francisco 49er of rape testified that she passed out in a bed and awoke to find him having sex with her.
Druckenmiller, the woman, and others had been at two bars that March night, and ended up at a party at a Blacksburg home.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

And Eileen Collins is hoping the third time will be the charm.
Collins and her Columbia crewmates saw their shuttle launch postponed again early today, this time because of thunderstorms near the Kennedy Space Center.
NASA will try again tomorrow morning.
(--------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

And that's what's making news on this Thursday July 22.
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

News 7 Mornin' will be right back.

[Shuttle-Launch]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Columbia Launch]

Will the third time be the charm for Shuttle Columbia?
NASA will try to launch the shuttle Columbia tomorrow after scrubbing this morning's liftoff because of stormy weather.
This is being called a historic mission because Shuttle Columbia is being commanded by Eileen Collins.. the first woman in charge of a US space mission.
Bobbi Harley reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[4:49:51]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Kennedy Space Center, FL; :00]
[SUPER=01-Donald McMonagle/NASA Launch Manager; :32]
[SUPER=01-Earle Huckins/NASA Scientist; 1:11]
[SUPER=01-Bobbi Harley/Reporting; 1:20]
[RUNS=1:33]
[OUT Q=CBS News, Kennedy Space Center.]
(( TUESDAY THERE WAS A FAULTY INDICATOR. THURSDAY IT WAS MOTHER NATURE. IN EITHER CASE, THE RESULTS WERE THE SAME. THE SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA--AND ITS HISTORIC CARGO--STAYED ON THE LAUNCH PAD.
((NAT SOT))
LIGHTNING STRIKES NEAR KENNEDY SPACE CENTER DELAYED THE COUNTDOWN FOR NEARLY AN HOUR. AFTER THE INITIAL WINDOW FOR BLAST-OFF OPENED UP JUST OVERNIGHT... NASA EXTENDED THE WINDOW TWICE... BUT RAN OUT OF TIME BEFORE THE STORM MOVED OUT.
((SOT:DONALD McMONAGLE/NASA LAUNCH MANAGER)) "We would have... made the right decision"
COLONEL EILEEN COLLIN LEFT THE CREW MODULE FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS WEEK. HER FIRST TIME COMMANDING A SPACE MISSION AGAIN OPUT ON HOLD. FIRST LADY HILLARY CLINTON--AND HER DAUGHTER CHELSEA--DIDN'T GET TO SEE THE SHOW THEY EXPECTED.. TO WATCH THE FIRST WOMAN LEAD THE SHUTTLE INTO SPACE. ALSO ON HOLD HERE THE MISSION TO DEPLOY THE WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL X-RAY TELESCOPE. THE CHANDRA OBSERVATORY--A ONE-POINT-SIX BILLION DOLLAR PIECE OF EQUIPMENT WILL STUDY DEEP SPACE... AND IT'S TAKEN YEARS JUST TO GET TO THIS POINT.
((SOT:EARLE HUCKINS/NASA SCIENTIST))
"When we've waited 20 years.. one more day won't hurt us."))

[JFK-Search]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Kennedy Burial]

A Navy destroyer is picking up Kennedy family members this morning for John F. Kennedy Junior's at-sea burial.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Off Martha's Vineyard;]
[4:57:47]
The cremated remains of his wife and her sister reportedly will be buried at sea with him.
Their remains were recovered yesesterday, five days after Kennedy's plane crashed off Martha's Vineyard.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
((SOT: REAR ADM. RICHARD LARRABEE/COAST GUARD "WE WERE ABLE TO BRING CLOSURE TO TWO FAMILIES AND I THINK THAT WE REALIZ
E IS VERY IMPORTANT."))
[SUPER=01-Adm. Richard Larrabee/U. S. Coast Guard;]
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=is very important.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

A large section of the plane's fuselage was also recovered and is being examined at a Coast Guard air station on Cape Code.
The head investigator in the crash says it will be at least six months before the cause of the tragedy is known.
(------------)

[E-JFK-Books]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jbi]
[TAPE#=99-19 1:19:29]
[GRAPHIC=wipe wipe wipe]

[WIPE WIPE WIPE WIPE]

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

People in our area can offer condolences to the Kennedy family by going to any of Roanoke's public libraries.
That's where area resident Duane Howard has placed memorial books.
He says that signing the books might help people cope with what he sees as a national tragedy.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 00:58:32]
[IN Q=It sort of]
((DUANE HOWARD/ MEMORIAL ORGANIZER: IT SORT OF SEEMED LIKE A NIGHTMARE, YOU KNOW, THAT WE WERE GOING TO WAKE UP THE NEXT MORNING AND THEY WERE GOING TO FIND HIM ALIVE AND WELL.))
[SUPER=01-Duane Howard/Memorial Organizer]
[RUNS=8]
[OUT Q=and well]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Howard says he remembers the Kennedy family fondly from his days at American Airlines and as a limo driver in Washingtpn D-C. He plans to send all the books to Senator Ted Kennedy in a couple of weeks.
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[2-Strickler]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin']
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-18 TC1:25:17]
[GRAPHIC=Strickler Execution]

Nine years after he killed a college student from Roanoke, Tommy David Strickler was executed.
Steve Smallshaw reports from Jarratt.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Witnesses say]
[SUPER=03-Jarratt; :05 QUICK]
[SUPER=01-Larry Traylor/DOC Spokesman; :18]
[SUPER=01-Wayne Pike/Execution Witness :47]
[SUPER=@ssm1;]
[RUNS=1:17]
[OUT Q=News7, Jarratt.]
(( Witnesses say 33- year- old Tommy David Strickler was calm but noticeably nervous when he was brought into the death chamber just before 9 p.m.
In a quiet, broken voice that was hard to understand, Strickler continued to deny he helped kill Salem native Leann Whitlock in 1990.
[SOT Traylor]

Strickler's last appeals had failed three hours earlier when both the Supreme Court and Governor Jim Gilmore refused to intervene in his execution.
Defense claims of new evidence carried no weight with the high court or with execution witness Wayne Pike.
Pike says justice was served.
[SOT Pike]
[Standup]
Members of Leann Whitlock's family had been scheduled to witness this execution tonight, but they did not show up.
Tommy Strickler was the 9th inmate to die in Virginia this year, the 22nd under Governor Jim Gilmore. Steve Smallshaw, News7, Jarratt.))

[E-Murder-Suicide]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=99-26 43:14]
[GRAPHIC=Pulaski Co. Murder Suicide]

Authorities still have not released the identities of the two people who died yesterday in an apparent murder-suicide.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pulaski Co.;]

It happened at the Camelot apartments in Fairlawn.
Neighbors say a woman was delivering some kind of document to her ex-boyfriend, when he pulled her inside and locked the door.
Neighbors say the woman's teenage daughter was outside the apartment when it happened and called police, who found two bodies just inside the front door.
Investigators say no names will be released until they finish notifying family members.
(------------)

[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-Roddy Moore/Blue Ridge Institute; :15]
[SUPER=03-Ferrum; :30]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; 2:32]
[RUNS=3:07]
[OUT Q=certainly a roadside attraction]

[Steve Live]

(I'll call for board)
[essc#8702]

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

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

[E-Prices-Fork]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=99-31 10:11]
[GRAPHIC=None]

One community rich in history may be in for a change.
It's just in the beginning phases - but if it's up to many of the residents, it could be quite a battle.
Kate Weidaw has the story of a community at odds with the idea of becoming a town.
(///// SOT /////)
[IN Q=Most of the folks]
[SUPER=01-Steve Moore/Opponent; :00]
[SUPER=03-Prices Fork; :09]
[SUPER=01-Louise Sumler/Opponent; :39]
[SUPER=01-Jim Noonkester/Supporter; :51]
[SUPER=@Kate2; :55]
[RUNS=1:34]
[OUT Q=KW News7]
(([SOT22:55:55 #2]
[INQ=Most of]
((STEVE MOORE/OPPONENT:MOST OF THE FOLKS WHO HAVE CHOOSEN TO LIVE HERE BECAUSE IT IS OUT IN THE COUNTRY AND IF WE WANTED TO LIVE IN A TOWN WE WOULD BE IN ONE.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS:] The proposal to turn the community of Prices Fork into a town is not settling well with residents. During a public hearing residents voiced their concerns over new and additional taxes, funding for a new form of government, police and fire departments, as well as new water and sewage hookups. For the last 35 years Louise and Don Sumler have lived in the community of Prices Fork and say the change would cost to much money.
[SOT 23:55:04 #1]
[INQ=]
((LOUISE SUMLER/OPPONENT: WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IS A LOT OF US ARE GOING TO HAVE TO MOVE TO ANOTHER COMMUNITY BECAUSE WE CAN NOT AFFORD THE ADDED EXPENSES.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS:06] Jim Noonkester, a real estate agent in Blacksburg, came up with the idea.
[SOT 5:27 #1]
[INQ=]
((JIM NOONKESTER/SUPPORTER: WE HAVE A LOT OF HISTORY A LOT OF HERITAGE AND WE WANT TO PROTECT THAT.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS:] But some residents think Noonkester has alternative motives for wanting the town. The real estate agent owns land in the community which he could profit off of with the change. Noonkester says that simply isn't true.
[SOT 7:00 #1]
[INQ=]
((JIM NOONKESTER/SUPPORTER: PEOPLE ALWAYS SAY THAT ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE OPPOSED TO IT BECOMING A TOWN.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS:] Supporters of the change say locals running the town would be more commited to the needs of the community. But many residents say if they get their way the 200 year old community will preserve their history by not changing. Kate Weidaw News 7.))

[S-Bassett]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=99-27 27:09]
[GRAPHIC=Bassett-EPA Settlement]

One of Henry County's biggest employers is paying more than half a million dollars to settle a federal complaint that it polluted the air.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Henry Co.;]

Bassett Furniture will pay 575-thousand dollars for allegedly violating the Clean Air Act.
The Environmental Protection Agency says that for years the company's boilers put out dust and soot above legal limits.
The company says those boilers have been fixed.
Bassett will also spend one-point-six million dollars to help prevent future pollution.
(------------)

[3-Sports]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=sports cut in]
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In sports, Lance Armstrong continues to dominate the Tour de France, but his results yesterday weren't as good.
Mike Stevens has the story.
Good Morning Mike.
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[ANCHOR=Melanie]
(weather toss)
[Local-Recap]
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[2-Shot=Mel/Kmc]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Now here's another look at today's top local stories:
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Convicted killer Tommy David Strickler went to his death last night still proclaiming his innocence in the murder of Salem native Leann Whitlock nine years ago.
Witnesses say 33- year- old Tommy David Strickler was calm but noticeably nervous when he was brought into the death chamber just before 9 p.m.
In a quiet, broken voice that was hard to understand, Strickler continued to deny he helped kill Salem native Leann Whitlock in 1990.
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

The defense will continue to present its side of the case this morning when Jim Druckenmiller's trial resumes.
The prosecution wrapped up its case yesterday.
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[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
(Kimberly mic hot)
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[2 shot=Mel/Kmc]
(Kimberly ad lib weather)
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[Double Boxes=Melanie/Kimberly and Steve]
(toss)
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(live ad lib, tease tomorrow)
(ad lib bye) [Double Boxes=Melanie/Kimberly and Steve]