[HEADLINES]
[TALENT=Melanie]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
In Roanoke County they're still cleaning up a coal train derailment this afternoon.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
And Janet Reno says she's looking to find someone to handle the independent investigation of the 1993 Waco siege.
(/////////////)
[TALENT=Patrick]
[SS=None]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]
News 7 at noon is next.
[Derailment]
[ANCHOR=MElanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#99-31 TC51:04]
[GRAPHIC=Derailment]
Norfolk Southern rail crews have succeeded in getting about two dozen coal cars back on the tracks in the Starkey section of Roanoke County.
They derailed late yesterday.
[Double Boxes=Keith and Melanie/Microwave]
Keith Humphry has been watching the process above Route 419.
[Live=Keith Full/Microwave]
[SUPER=@Keith1;]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke Co.;]
( ad lib)
(Rollcue: passes underneath the railroad bridge.)
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]
[RUNS=:51]
[OUT Q=repairing the rail bed]
[Live=Keith Full/Microwave]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke Co.;]
( ad lib)
[Double Boxes=Keith and Melanie/Microwave]
(QUESTION: How long is the road going to be closed?)
[RENO-WAC0]
[ANCHOR=MELANIE]
[NEWSCAST=NOON]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Janet Reno]
Attorney general Janet Reno is vowing to get to "the truth" about the Waco controversy.... and she will name an independent investigator to so.
Her promise comes in the wake of FBI tapes that allegedly show incendiary devices were used during the standoff with the Branch Davidians.
Lisa Hughes has the latest from Washington.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Waco, TX/April 19, 1993;]
[SUPER=01-Janet Reno/Attorney General;]
[SUPER=01-Lisa Hughes/Reporting;]
[RUNS=1:25]
[OUT Q=cbs news washington.]
((Super: April 19, 1993
For six years, the FBI has stood by its story--that combustible tear gas canisters were NOT fired into the Branch Davidian compound. But the Justice Department has now seized what may prove to bean embarrassing videotape from the FBI's training facility. -_.a field commander asking for permission to fire the canisters at a concrete bunker on the property.
(PENETRATE IT WITH MILITARY ROUNDS)
_YOU CAN TRY IT _HE CAN TRY IT? YEAH, THAT'S AFFIRMATIVE)
(Super: Janet Reno/Attorney General
WE'RE DEDICATED IN THIS INSTANCE TO FINDING THE TRUTH AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO STOP UNTIL WE DO)
Attorney General Janet Reno today said she is close to naming an independent investigator who will get to the facts but also make recommendations. No question, she says. Public confidence is on the line.
(second Reno bite will go here )
Reno says there are still NO indications the FBI started the deadly fire at Waco. The canisters were fired into a bunker_NOT the main building--between seven and eight a-m-- hours before the fire in the compound.
(standup: Lisa Hughes, Washington DC
Two Congressional investigations into what happened at Waco are expected to begin this fall. Before then, Reno will likely have named her investigator. In all likelihood_a Republican who can do the job without
any apparent conflict of interest. Lisa Hughes. CBS News. Washington))
[fl-crash]
[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Plane Crash]
Several people are dead after an ambulance plane crashed early this morning in Florida.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-West Palm Beach, FL;]
[10;20:30]
The plane slammed into a strip mall while trying to make an emergency landing at Palm Beach International Airport.
There were seven people on board.
So far, the medical examiner has confirmed four deaths, but an F-A-A spokesperson say all seven were killed.
(------------)
[Plane-Problems]
[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morning]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=99-]
[GRAPHIC=Emergency Landing]
An emergency landing last night in Roanoke ended much differently.
(-----------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
The pilot of this single engine plane was forced to land it without a main landing gear.
Passenger Jeff Hoprich says it was locked in position and wouldn't come lose.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 09:06:31]
[IN Q=We didn't have]
((JEFF HOPRICH/PASSENGER: WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY OPTIONS WE WERE OUT OF OPTIONS AS TO HOW TO LAND THE PLAN AT THAT TIME. SO WE JUST HAD TO BRING IT DOWN WITH THE NOSE GAIN AND THE RIGHT MAIN GATE))
[SUPER=01-Jeff Hoprich/Passenger;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=main gate]
(-----------)
[VO-NAT]
The pilot and passenger on board were not injured.
Hoprich believes it was a mechanical adjustment completed while the plane was being painted in Delaware that led to the failure.
The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the incident.
(--------)
[Holiday-Traffic]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Holiday Travel]
Some 35-millions Americans are expected to take to the roads this weekend.
That's the second-highest total ever.
Here in Virginia-- V-Dot hopes to ease traffic problems by suspending construction work.
Work was supposed to end at noon today.
[SS=Gas Prices UP]
And drivers will be paying more for those trips-- triple-A says a gallon of regular unleaded gas costs about one dollar and 15-cents.
That's seven cents higher than in July and 25 cents higher than the beginning of the year.
[tease1]
[HARD MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
Talks in the middle east could lead to some historic compromises.
Details of this peace agreement are still ahead.
(--------------)
[VO-NAT ]
And two years after Princess Diana's death, a French judge has made a ruling on the case.
That's next on News-7 at Noon.
But first let's check in with Patrick Evans.
(---------------)
[Talent=Patrick]
[Wx-Tease]
[Weatherpro]
[music up full]
[comm1]
[Diana]
[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Princess Diana]
A French judge has cleared nine photographers and a press motorcycle rider of any responsibility for the crash.
Diana's car was being chased by photographers at the time of the accident.
After two years and volumes of testimony, the French investigators have decided it comes down to speed, prescription drugs and alcohol.
Richard Roth has the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[9:02:21]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Paris, France/August 31, 1997; :00]
[SUPER=01- Laurie Mayer/Al Fayed Spokesman; 1:06]
[SUPER=01-Richard Roth/Reporting; 1:27]
[RUNS=1:42]
[OUT Q=cbs news London.]
((RICHARD ROTH REPORTS.
(SCRIPT)
(Super: August 31, 1997)
(crash scene at night)
NARR: BLAME FOR THE CRASH TWO YEARS AGO IN A PARIS TRAFFIC TUNNEL WAS PUT ON THE DRIVER WHO ALONG WITH PRINCESS DIANA AND HER COMPANION DODI FAYED WAS KILLED WHEN THEIR MERCEDES SEDAN SPUN OUT OF CONTROL.
(ritz video or stills of henri paul)
CHAUFFEUR HENRI PAUL WAS DRUNK, HIS BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL THREE TIMES ABOVE THE LEGAL LIMIT WHEN HE LEFT THE RITZ HOTEL TO GET BEHIND THE WHEEL, AND HE WAS TAKING ANTI-DEPRESSANTS.
THE COMBINATION OF DRUGS AND ALCOHOL, SAID FRENCH MAGISTRATES TODAY, MADE HIM LOSE CONTROL OF THE SPEEDING CAR.
AND THOUGH DODI FAYED TOLD HIM TO DRIVE, THE JUDGES SAID, HE DOESN'T SHARE LEGAL BLAME.
(fotogs in van)
THE INVESTIGATION EXONERATES THE PAPARAZZI - THE NINE PHOTOGRAPHERS AND
MOTORCYCLE DRIVER WHO'D BEEN FOLLOWING THE FAMOUS COUPLE. MANSLAUGHTER
CHARGES - AND CHARGES THEY FAILED TO ASSIST AT THE SCENE OF AN ACCIDENT - HAVE BEEN DROPPED.
(accident scene)
BUT IT DOESN'T SOLVE EVERY MYSTERY: A SMALL FIAT CAR, SIDE-SWIPED BY THE SPEEDING MERCEDES JUST BEFORE THE CRASH, WAS NEVER FOUND.
AND IT DOESN'T SATISFY DODI'S FATHER, RITZ HOTEL OWNER MOHAMMED AL FAYED.
SOT LAURIE MAYER/AL FAYED SPOKESMAN: there are lots of big questions ....to get to the bottom of.
ROTH O/C CLOSE: AS THE OWNER OF THE RITZ HOTEL WHICH HIRED THE DRIVER,
MOHAMMED AL FAYED FACES POSSIBLE CIVIL LAWSUITS, AND HE PLANS TO APPEAL. HE STILL CLAIMS HIS SON AND THE PRINCESS WOULD BE ALIVE -- IF PHOTOGRAPHERS THAT NIGHT HADN'T BEEN PURSUING THEM. RR, CBSN, London.))
[Israel]
[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Mideast peace]
Israeli officials say a mideast deal is very close.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Jerusalem, Israel;]
[10:11:44]
The Palestinians have accepted Israel's offer to release 350 prisoners, clearing a big hurdle involving talks on a Mideast peace accord.
The U-S has been taking part in the negotiations.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=The partys]
((MADELEINE ALBRIGHT/SECRETARY OF STATE: (APPROX) THE U-S IS PLAYING A ROLE DEEMED USEFUL BY BOTH SIDES... I WAS THERE AS A FACILITATOR... I DON'T WANT TO INTRODUCE A NEW TERM... BUT MAYBE I WAS THERE AS A HANDMAIDEN.))
[SUPER=01-Madeleine Albright/Secretary of State;]
[RUNS=:18]
[OUT Q=as the handmaiden.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
There is one more sticking point, but officials expect both sides to sign a deal tomorrow.
(------------)
[Foreclosures]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=99-26 1:37:36]
[GRAPHIC=None]
While Virginia unemployment is at it's lowest level in a half century, some companies are still down sizing or closing up shop.
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co.]
The results are taking a toll on one county in our area.
Real estate agent John Glasgow says recently the amount of foreclosures in Franklin County has increased.
Glasgow attributes the increase in foreclosures to the several area plant closings.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 02:22]
[IN Q= I think what you're]
((JOHN GLASGOW/REAL ESTATE AGENT: I THINK WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN IN THE AREA FOR A LONG TIME, WHO HAVE WORKED IN THE AREA FOR A LONG TIME AND HAVE GOTTEN LAID OFF))
[SUPER=01-John Glasgow/Real Estate Agent]
[RUNS=:05]
[OUT Q=gotten laid off]
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
And The Franklin County Commissioner of Revenue Office agrees.
And it's not just new homeowners who have trouble but also those who have been homeowners for years.
(-------------)
[Power-Deregulation]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Power Deregulation]
18-thousand American Electric Power customers in Central and Southwest Virginia may get a sneek-peek at power de-regulation.
A-E-P wants to let them buy power from any electricity supplier registered in the state by early 2001.
The idea is to help the company and consumers prepare for 2002, when retail electric deregulation arrives in Virginia.
[E-VMI]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=99-25 1:34:57]
[GRAPHIC=VMI]
V-M-I is defending it's right NOT to disclosure information about the dismissal of a top cadet in June.
They were in court yesterday trying keep information about the incident from the media.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lexington/File Tape;]
The report is sealed... and discusses an incident in which a top cadet allegedly pressured three female students for sex.
Yesterday, attorneys for the Roanoke Times argued
[SUPER=03-Danville;]
that the facts of the report can be made public, while still protecting the students' privacy.
But V-M-I officials told Judge Jackson Kiser that releasing any more information would betray the confidence ... and identities ... of the three women involved.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:41:00 - :08]
[IN Q=I think that right now,]
((COL. MIKE BISSELL: I THINK THAT, RIGHT NOW, THE CONFIDENTIALITY THAT WE'VE BUILT INTO THE CORPS FOR REPORTING INCIDENTS IS WONDERFUL. AND I DON'T WANT TO MIRE THAT AND I DON'T WANT TO DETER THAT. ))
[SUPER=01-Col. Mike Bissell/VMI;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=don't want to deter that.]
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]
The judge says he won't make a ruling until attorneys for the Justice Department and V-M-I submit proposals on HOW MUCH detail from the report is safe to reveal.
[Bank-Robbery]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=jha]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Bank Robery]
The man who robbed a bank in Ararat is still at large.
Patrick County authorities say a man entered B B and T yesterday, gave the teller a note, and left with an undisclosed amount of money.
State police and FBI agents are investigating, and are following leads on a suspect.
[Tease2]
[SOFT MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
Still ahead on News-7 at Noon, we'll take a look at one Roanoke church's holy answer to water restrictions.
(-----------------)
[VO-NAT ]
And on the Outer Banks where there's been too much water, some residents are returning home.
(-----------------)
[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #2]
[Baptismal-Tanks]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=99-34 TC34:00]
[GRAPHIC=Water Restrictions]
If PRAYERS for rain go unanswered, a Roanoke preacher has another alternative to conserve water.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
The Reverend Frank Feather of Forest Park Baptist Church has installed a pipe that recycles water in the baptismal.
Feather got the idea to recycle after repeatedly filling the 900- gallon- tank for each baptism at the church.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:38:45 ]
[IN Q=That bothered]
((REV. FRANK FEATHER/FOREST PARK BAPTIST CHURCH: THAT BOTHERED ME, BECAUSE AFTER WE GOT THROUGH, WE DRAINED THE TUB AND THAT WAS A LOT OF WATER TO RELEASE, ONLY TO TAKE TIME TO FILL THE TUB UP AGAIN-- PERHAPS, IN ANOTHER MONTH OR LESS.))
[SUPER=01-Rev. Frank Feather/Forest Park Baptist Church;]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=month or less]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The pipe's engineering resembles that of a rock garden, at a cost of under 100- dollars.
It takes two hours to recycle all of the water in the tank--- about the same length of time as an average Sunday
school and worship service.
And Feather says his congregation really likes it.
(------------)
[dennis]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=T-S Dennis]
Some Residents along North Carolina's coast are being allowed to return home today after Tropical Storm Dennis chased them out.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Cape Hatteras, NC;]
[4:14;36]
Persistent winds and waves have pounded the state's barrier islands.
The area's main highway is inundated with sand.
Many houses, piers and waterfront structures were severely damaged in the past few days.
Forecasters expect Dennis to stick around for a while... which is bad news for coastal businesses hoping to make money over this holiday.
(------------)
[Stocks]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE# none]
[GRAPHIC=stocks]
It's the kind of news Wall Street likes.
The unemployment rate dipped to four-point-two percent last month, that lowest jobless number in three decades.
The Dow has been up more than 150 points all morning.
At Noon, the Dow was UP 240 points.
[tease3]
[SPORTS MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
Still ahead in sports, Cal Ripken is the newest member of the 400-Club.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT ]
After several devestating accidents, Ernie Irvan will announce his retirement from racing
(---------------)
[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #3]
[Irvan]
[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Ernie Irvan]
Ernie Irvan is expected to retire from NASCAR this afternoon.
Irvan's scheduled a news conference in Darlington-- the sight of this weekend's Southern 500.
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Brooklyn, MI/August 20;]
On August 20-th, Irvan crashed during practice at the Michigan Speedway.
He was in the hospital for several days and has not raced since.
[SUPER=04-August 20, 1994;]
That crash happened five years to the day after the devastating wreck that sent Irvan to the hospital for weeks.
He didn't race for 14 months after the 1995 accident.
(-------------)
[S-FFE]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-44 10452TC]
[GRAPHIC=FFE]
It's Friday and that means football-- here's the rundown of the games we'll be covering on Friday Football Extra.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=FIRE]
[RUNS=:35]
[OUT Q=....LOGO COMES FULL."]
(---------------)
[Ripken-400]
[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Cal Ripken]
He already set the record for most consecutive games.
Now Cal Ripken has another honor to add to his resume.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Baltimore, MD]
Last night in Baltimore, Ripken became the 29-th member of the 400-home run club.
It was a three run shot that helped power Baltimore to an 11 to 6 win over Tampa Bay.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[SS=HOLD]
It was Ripken's first homer since July 25th after spending a month on the disabled list.
[S-Avalanche]
[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-46]
[GRAPHIC=AVALANCHE/HILLCATS]
Tonight marks the final regular season home game for the Salem Avalanche.
Last night they hooked up with the Lynchburg Hillcats.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem/Hillcats vs. Avalanche; :00]
It was fan appreciation night as the first 2000 folks through the gate got a free gift from the team.
It was also time for a couple of fan favorites to pick up awards. Jody Gerut won the Doug Million Memorial Award as the team's MVP, while Travis Thompson was named to the league's all-star team.
Rogelio Arias singles to left field and he will drive in Brian Anthony from second base as the Avalanche jumps in front 1-to-nothing.
Salem would pad its lead later in the inning with the bases loaded as Todd Sears doubles off the center field wall to score all three runs with the double. Salem is in front 4-to-nothing.
[SUPER=37-Lynchburg/3/Salem/5;]
That turned out to be the game winning play as the Hillcats rallied for three runs. But Salem wins it 5-to-3.
(------------)
[Clinton-fax]
[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The upcoming annual summit of Pacific Rim leaders in New Zealand will gather together a host of world leaders. Among them, President Clinton.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Mangere, New Zealand;]
[10:24:15]
But messages from White House security are causing some ruffled feathers.
A chicken processing plant in New Zealand, is being bombarded with top-secret faxes from the White House.
In place of an order for chicken wings, workers are receiving names and car registration details of military communications officials.
It's a huge embarrassment for the United States security network.
(------------)
by SS