[HEADLINES]

[TALENT=Melanie]

(----------------)
[VO-NAT]


Firefighters continue to battle a wildfire encroaching on Interstate-81.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]


And the New River Valley airport will now be getting a little international traffic.
(/////////////)
[TALENT=Patrick]
[SS=None]



[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]


News 7 at noon is next.

[NRV-Airport]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=99-21 TC1:24:20]
[GRAPHIC=News-7 at Noon]


International business and visitors will now be able to use the New River Valley Airport in Dublin.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Dublin]


In a news conference this morning, plans to designate the airport a Foreign Trade Zone and to open a customs office were announced.
That means passengers and parcels will be able to enter and leave the United States at the airport.
Officials estimate fifty New River Valley companies will ship an estimated four-thousand parcels from the airport in the first year of operation.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=One of our]
[SUPER=@boucher]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=market overseas]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


The old terminal is being renovated to serve as the customs office at a cost of 30-thousand dollars.
(------------)



[Boty-Fire]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=rsp]
[TAPE#=99-24 1:27:22]
[GRAPHIC=Brush Fire]


Firefighters now believe the wild fire burning in Botetourt County was started by a piece from a broken down car.

(XXXXXXXXXXXXX)

[TAKE FULL SCREEN MAP]
Firefighters continue to battle the blaze near Interstate 81 today.
With 90 percent of the fire contained, the remaining ten percent still threatens homes and visibility on the highway.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co.; :00]


Forestry Officials having been creating black lines to eliminate the brush that could fuel the fires.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 05:44:25]
[IN Q=We'll try to]

((CHRIS THOMSEN/RESOURCE FORESTER: WE'LL TRY TO CONSTRUCT ROADS WITH OUR BULLDOZER, WHERE THEY'RE NOT. AND WE'LL TRY TO USE THOSE EXISTING ROADS AND OUR NEW ROAD TO BASICALLY CIRCLE THE FIRE AND THEN START OUR BACK FIRE OFF OF THAT TO CONTAIN IT))
[SUPER=01-Chris Thomsen/Resource Forester; :19]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=contain it]


Officials say they will have to build the black lines by hand.
They hope they will protect nearby homes, but some residents are preparing to evacuate just in case.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT06:02:08]
[IN Q=I went in]

((SHERRY ALIFF/I WENT IN AND GOT ALL OF MY PICTURES AND IMPORTANT PAPERS TOGETHER AND PACKED IT ALL UP))
[SUPER=07-Sherry Aliff;]
[RUNS=:04]
[OUT Q=packed it all up]


And the fires have not only threatened homes, but visibility on the interstate.
Officials hope to fully contain the fire by tomorrow.
It's expected that more than 12-hundred acres will have burned.
(------------)



[henry-shooting]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=rsp]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Shooting]


A suspicious vehicle call turned into a suspected shooting and abduction.
Henry County deputies and State Police responded to the call late Saturday night only to discover Shannon Wright locked in the trunk of her vehicle with a gunshot wound to the head.
She told officers she was abducted at gunpoint at Riverside Plaza in the Axton area.
Police are looking for the suspect-- a white male with long blonde hair wearing blue jeans and a burgundy plaid shirt.

[Missing-Person]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]


A missing Pittsylvania County woman has been found safe.
66 year old Hazel Hedrick Brown of Gretna was found around ten this morning after spending two nights in the woods.
She's still being treated at Danville Regional Medical Center, where she's listed in stable condition.
Brown was reported missing after leaving the Moonshine Jamboree Saturday.

[Yeltsin]


[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Boris Yeltsin]


Once again, there's political turmoil in Moscow.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin fired his Prime Minister and his entire cabinet today.
David Hawkins has the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]

[10:01:50]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Moscow, Russia; :00]
[SUPER=@File; :36]
[SUPER=01-David Hawkins/Reporting; :53]
[RUNS=1:16]
[OUT Q=cbs news, moscow.]

(((SCRIPT)
(Super: Moscow, Russia/This Morning)
(Yeltsin address/Yeltsin with Putin/Kremlin exteriors/Stepashim file)

In a televised address to the nation, Yeltsin named Vladimir Putin, a former KGB spy and the head of Russia's Federal Security Service... as the man he wants to replace him when he steps down next year. Russia is scheduled to hold presidential elections next summer... and Yeltsin is prohibited by the constitution from seeking another term. Yeltsin said the 46-year-old Putin was the best man to ensure the continuation of economic and political reforms in Russia into the 21st Century.
(Super: File)

Yeltsin fired Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin... to make way for his new favorite. Stepashin had held the job for less than three months. If approved by Russia's lower house of parliament, Putin will be Yeltsin's third prime minister in a year.
(Hawkins O/C close)

This is the first time Yeltsin has directly named his preferred successor. But it's an endorsement that cuts both ways. If Putin lasts... he'll have the political and financial weight of the Kremlin behind his candidacy. On the other hand, Yeltsin is so unpopular in Russia right now... his recommendation could turn out to more or a curse than a blessing. DH, CBSN, Moscow.))

[Van-Crash]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident]


13 people are dead after a van carrying farm workers slammed into a trailer.
The California Highway Patrol says the accident happened just south of the small town of Five Points in Fresno County.
Two other people were injured.

[Day-trading]


[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]


A new report from state regulators finds that the booming day trading industry is one filled with abuses.
The North American Securities Administrators Association charges that day-trading firms sometimes mislead their customers with promises of quick riches, and offer improper loans to keep investors in the market.
A look at one major day-trading firm found a whopping 70 percent of its customers were losing money.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Atlanta, GA/August 5;]
[stock #99-30 30:43]


The report comes in the wake of the Mark Barton shooting in Atlanta, which involved two day-trading firms.
Today's report finds there are now 62 day trading firms in the U-S, with 287 offices.
(------------)


[tease1] [HARD MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]


A prominent Roanoke minister prepares a final farewell.
That's just one of the stories still ahead on News-7 at Noon
(--------------)
[VO-NAT ]


And a battle is raging in Japan over national symbols and a heritage some would like to forget.
First let's talk to Patrick Evans.
(---------------)
[Talent=Patrick]

[Wx-Tease] [Weatherpro] [music up full] [comm1]

[JAPAN]


[ANCHOR=MEL]
[NEWSCAST=NOON]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]


54 years ago today, the U-S dropped its second atomic bomb, killing 40-thousand in Nagasaki, Japan.
But even as Japan remembers its war dead, debate is flaring over the country's flag and national anthemn.
Although widely used for years the symbols were not formally adopted by the government until today.
Barry Petersen reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Nagasaki, Japan; :00]
[SUPER=03-Tokyo, Japan; :38]
[SUPER=01-Barry Petersen/Reporting; :45]
[RUNS=1:35]
[OUT Q=cbs news, tokyo.]

(((SCRIPT)
(Super: Nagasaki, Japan)
(NAT SOT/Nagasaki anniversary ceremony)

In Nagasaki today...the echoes of Japans wartime past...remembrance of the second atomic bomb dropped on Japan that ended World War Two...and echoes of a militarism that some still fear today...so much so, they would not fly the flag..did not sing a national anthem, out of respect for the dead.
(Flag/Anthemn/Diet)

Indeed..until this afternoon...Japan had no legally designated flag or anthem...until approval by Parliament made it the law of the land. Indeed, Japan has no legally designated flag or anthem...but approval later today by Japan's parliament could make the one commonly in use..the law of the land.
(NAT SOT/BUDDHIST MONK/Protesters chant/x rated flag)

This despite protesters who braved Tokyos blazing heat and watchful police in the forlorn hope the whole idea would be scratched...
(Peterson STANDUP) IT SEEMS STRANGE THAT PEOPLE WOULD PROTEST HAVING A FLAG OR AN ANTHEM, ESPECIALLY ONE THAT HAS BEEN

USED HERE FOR CENTURIES BY TRADITION. BUT TO MANY PEOPLE, THE FLAG AND ANTHEM CELEBRATE JAPANS MILITARISTIC PAST WHICH THEY DON'T WANT TO SEE...EVER AGAIN.
(MOS SOT in Japanese)

THIS HONORS THE EMPEROR SYSTEM, says this man...AND BECAUSE OF THAT, SO MANY PEOPLE DIED..
(B&W/flag and NAT SOT/anthem)

Died in World War Two when the Japanese flag flew over much of conquered Asia...done in the name of the emperor...who is celebrated in the national anthem.
(Funeral)

It is still taking lives...one high school principal killed himself rather than carry out an order from his school district that students should honor the flag or sing the anthem...
(Official event)

A flag flown...an anthem sung....in a country where some see this as a step forward for their nations symbols...and others see shame. Bp, cbs news, tokyo))

[Manson]


[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]


Today also marks some other darks days in history.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@File;]

[7:09:56]
It was 30 years ago today that actress Sharon Tate, and four others were killed by members of the Charles Manson cult at the Los Angeles mansion Tate shared with her husband, film director Roman Polanski.
The next night Rosemary and Leno LaBianca were also stabbed to death by Manson family members.
Manson is now 64 and remains behind bars in California.
(------------)


[WIPE/WIPE/WIPE]

[FORD-Nixon]


[ANCHOR=MELANIE]
[NEWSCAST=NOON]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=wipe/wipe/wipe]


[WIPE WIPE WIPE WIPE]

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-August 9, 1974;]

[7:49:10]
And on this day 25 years ago, Vice President Gerald Ford was sworn in as President.
It came the day after President Nixon announced his resignation.
Gerald Ford was the first President of the U-S not ELECTED as president or as Vice President.
He was appointed Vice President to Nixon upon the resignation of Spiro Agnew.
(------------)


[mills]


[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]


The young female attorney who vigorously defended President Clinton during his impeachment trial has turned down an offer to be the next White House counsel.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@File;]


White House sources say Cheryl Mills told the President of her decision Friday after considering the offer for several weeks.
Had she taken the job, Mills would have made history on two counts.
She would have been the first woman and first African American to hold the prestigious post.
(------------)



[Kosovo-clashes]


[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]


One person has been killed and three others wounded in overnight violence in the Kosovar capital of Pristina.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Zitinje, Kosovo;]

[10:07:10]
South of Pristina, Serb homes continue to be burned and looted by members of the Kosovo Albanian community.
And as ethnic tension continues to grow in the province NATO-led peacekeepers have made 59 arrests in the last 24 hours.
(//////sot//////)
[IN=]

[10:08:35]
[SUPER=03-Mitrovica, Kosovo;]
[RUNS=:05]
[OUT=nat protesting]
(--------)
[VO-NAT]


Meantime, French troops guarding a bridge in a Kosovo mining town are using barbed wire to hold back protesters.
Today is the third day ethnic Albanians have tried to storm the bridge to reach homes in the Serb section of town.


U-N officials fear serious violence should they cross.
(------------)



[E-Fuller-Retirement]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=jha]
[TAPE#=99-22 1:59:15]
[GRAPHIC=none]


One of Roanoke's mos prominent pastors is stepping down from the pulpit.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]


Last night Doctor Charles Fuller told his congregation at First Baptist Chruch that he's retiring after 38 years as senior pastor.
His last service will be October 3rd.
Dr. Fuller declined to comment on camera about his retirement.
(------------)



[WebWatch]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=webwatch 16:57:13]
[GRAPHIC=webwatch]


Now for the latest news from cyber space.
Police are hoping the Internet will help them catch the vandals and looters at Woodstock '99.
And an original website that brought people into the future, didn't prepare for a future of it's own.
Eric Earnhart has more in Webwatch.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=If you were misbehaving]
[RUNS=1:30]
[OUT Q=EE, news-7]

(([intro] [RUNS :05] If you were misbehaving at Woodstock 99, the New York State Police may already have your mug shot on file.
The department is posting concert photographs on it's web site, hoping to identify the people in them.
One person is allegedly counting change stolen from a pay phone, another photo is captioned as a person breaking into an ATM machine. Other concertgoers are show allegedly fueling fires, and playing on downed sound equipment.


Police say they've received about 40 e-mails in response.
The associated press, which owns the rights to several of the pictures, is protesting their use without permission.
It's one way to clear the courtroom in Colorado. Soon lawyers won't have visit the courthouse to file a lawsuit, they can do it over the Internet.
Judges will be able to e-mail their orders and decisions. It's the first statewide internet-court system in the country... officials say it's an experiment... whether it spreads to other states will depend on how well it works here.
A piece of Internet history is about to disappear. The Cleveland Free-net came online in the 80's, and helped spark the Internet craze that led to web sites and chat-rooms. The old, text-based system will be unplugged at the end of September because it is NOT Y2K compliant.
For links to these sites, click on WebWatch on the WDBJ web site, at WDBJ-7-dot-com.))
[Tease2] [SOFT MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]


If you're thinking of getting a specialized license plate, you may want think again.
The details are still ahead on News-7 at Noon.
(-----------------)
[VO-NAT ]


And one of the few legal brothels in the U-S gets ready to close it's doors.
(-----------------)

[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #2]


[License-Plates]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=State Seal]


Have specialty license plates gotten out of hand in Virginia?
Some state legislators think so.
They say some are too controversial-- like the Sons of Confederate Veterans plate.
Others are just frivolous-- like a plate for collectors of pig memorabilia.
Charlottesville Senator Emily Couric says she won't vote for any more special license plates.
Even the sponsor of the Confederate plate bill says people agree that the program has gotten out of hand.

[Brothel-Closes]


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


The keys to one of the most famous brothels in the country are being handed over to federal officials today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Reno, NV;]

[4:34;39]
The Mustang Ranch in Nevada is being forfeited to the government-- and then it's being closed.
The court-ordered action comes after its former madam was found guilty of racketeering and conspiring to conceal the fact that a fugitive actually owned the bordello.
Brothels are legal in many Nevada counties.
(------------)


[Stocks]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE# none]
[GRAPHIC=stocks]


On Wall Street at Noon, the Dow was UP 24 points.
[tease3] [SPORTS MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]


Still ahead in sports, the "Dawg Pound" makes it's triumphant return to the N-F-L tonight.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT ]


And we'll get a status report on U-V-A's untested quarterback.
(---------------)

[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #3]


[Browns]


[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Copy]


After a four year absence, the Cleveland Browns are set to make their N-F-L return tonight.
They'll take on the Dallas Cowboys in the Hall of Fame Bowl in Canton, Ohio.
The Browns have been reborn as an expansion team after owner Art Modell took the original Browns to Baltimore.
It's also the start of the Tim Couch era in Cleveland.
The number-one pick in this year's draft will make his pro debut sometime during the first quarter.

[S-Tranquill]


[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-40 1:57:07]
[GRAPHIC=UVa football]


The 24th ranked Virginia Cavaliers return eight starters on offense for this upcoming season.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem; :00]


Offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill has been working with Dan Ellis, a high school All-American quarterback with little game experience but noted intelligence.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="I think]
[SUPER=01-Gary Tranquill/UVa Offensive Coordinator; :00]
[RUNS=26]
[OUT Q=...heat of battle]
(------------------)



[S-Golf]


[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=rst]
[TAPE#=SP-34 (1:46:58)]
[GRAPHIC=Golf Logo]


Tom Pernice won the Buick Open becoming the seventh first time winner on the P-G-A tour this year.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Grand Blanc, MI/CBS Sports; :]


Pernice shot a final round 65 to finish the tournament at 18 under par. He finished early and watched the others chase his score.
Tom Lehman, who started the day as the leader, needed to birdie three of the last holes to force a tie. He birdied 16 but missed the putt on the par three 17 to give Pernice the one shot win.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="It's a...]
[SUPER=01-Tom Pernice/Buick Open Winner; :]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=...great tournaments.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[GRAPHIC=Hold logo]


Bob Tway and Ted (Tree-buh) Tryba shared second with Lehman.

[S-MLB]


[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=rst]
[TAPE#=SP-29 (2:05:34)]
[GRAPHIC=Braves/Giants]


Ellis Burks hit 250-th home run to help lift the Giants over the Braves 5 to 2.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Atlanta, GA/KTVU; :]


It was another hot one in Atlanta yesterday.
With the Braves leading 1 to nothing Brent Mayne hits a single to left field Barry Bonds scores the run and the game was tied at 1 to 1.
The Giants would take the lead in the fourth. Ellis Burks hits this two run homer to center field his 20-th of the season the Giants led 3 to 1.
[SUPER=35-San Francisco/5/Atlanta/2/;]


San Franciso would add to that score later in the fourth when Marvin Benard hits a two run single to center field to make it 5 to 1 and the Giants win it 5 to 2.
(------------)



[S-Mets]


[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=rst]
[TAPE#=SP-39 (1:48:01)]
[GRAPHIC=Mets/Dodgers]


The New York Mets remain a half a game in front of Atlanta in the National League East, despite a loss to the Dodgers.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-New York, NY/KTLA; :]


A view of the Whitestone Bridge outside Shea Stadium.
The score was tied 1 to 1 until the second that's when Darren Dreifort hits this three run homer over the centerfield wall giving the Dodgers a 4 to 1 lead.
[SUPER=35-Los Angeles/14/New York/3/;]


Raul Mondesi would homer twice in the game this three run shot made it 9 to 1 and the Dodgers hold on to win it 14 to 3. (------------)
by SS