WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 09/07/99

[7S-School-Families]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=99-45]
[GRAPHIC=Education]

With a fresh new school year underway, many children are experiencing a whole new set of teachers and classmates.

But some local elementary schools are trying a different approach.
The new school year will bring the same classmates, even the same teacher.
Tina Tenret explains.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Eight year old Megan Eller]
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co.; :08]
[SUPER=07-Megan Eller; :14]
[SUPER=07-Zach Boitnott; :36]
[SUPER=01-Beth Hudson/Teacher; :54]
[SUPER=@Tina1; 1:01]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; 1:13]
[SUPER=01-Lynn Graves/Teacher; 1:30]
[RUNS=1:51]
[OUT Q=Tina Tenret News7 *****Tight Out**]
(((///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:26:00]
((nat sot: If you run out of room you should go on the back))
[RUNS:02]
Eight-year-old Megan Eller just graduated from second to third grade.
But the faces around her did NOT change.
The same children are in her class as last year.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:35:28]
[IN Q=I like them being]
((MEGAN ELLER: I LIKE THEM BEING IN MY CLASS BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS PLAY WITH ME AND THEY KNOW ME AND I CAN BE THEIR FRIENDS.)) [RUNS:11]
[OUT Q=I can be their friends]

Boones Mill Elementary School is trying this for the first time: keeping children together in so-called families as they jump to the next grade.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 11:05:01]
[IN Q=I like it]
((ZACH BOITNOTT: I LIKE IT BECAUSE A LOT OF MY FRIENDS I'VE KNOWN FOR A LONG TIME ARE IN MY CLASS AND I CAN DO A LOT MORE STUFF WITHOUT BEING EMBARRASSED.)) [RUNS:09]
[OUT Q=embarrassed]

They only stay together for two years -- then, the groups are reshuffled.
In the meantime, though, they do meet people outside their class.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:45:47]
[IN Q=They're not cliquey]
((BETH HUDSON: THEY'RE NOT CLIQUE-Y AT ALL. WHEN WE'RE ON THE PLAYGROUND THEY PLAY WITH EVERY CHILD.)) [RUNS:05]
[OUT Q=with every child]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 11:36:09]
[IN Q=THIS WHOLE IDEA]
((TINA TENRET/NEWS7: THIS WHOLE IDEA IS BASED ON A POPULAR BOOK CALLED THE BASIC SCHOOL WHICH TALKS ABOUT TURNING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOMS INTO COMMUNITIES AND TEACHING CORE VALUES LIKE HONESTY AND DISCIPLINE.)) [RUNS:13]
[OUT Q=HONESTY AND DISCIPLINE]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 14:01:43]
((zero plus seven what does that equal? seven!)) [RUNS:03]
Kipps Elementary School in Blacksburg is a three-year veteran of this system, taking it even one step further.
Teachers stay with the kids too.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 13:30:06]
[IN Q=I FELT IT]
((LYNN GRAVES/TEACHER: I FELT IT MADE US BETTER TEACHERS BECAUSE WE WERE ABLE TO DO BOTH GRADES. IN FIRST GRADE WE KNEW WHERE TO TAKE THE CHILDREN AND WHAT WAS EXPECTED IN SECOND GRADE.)) [RUNS:07]
[OUT Q=SECOND GRADE]

Parents who don't LIKE their child's teacher or classmates CAN opt out.
But those who stick with it say they've built confidence and close bonds.
Family style.
Tina Tenret News7 Franklin County))

[7S-Clinton]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=99-43 3:24]
[GRAPHIC=TS Dennis]

Federal assistance is heading to Virginia after President Clinton declared parts of the state a disaster area yesterday.
About a thousand people were left homeless after a tornado spawned by Tropical Storm Dennis ripped roofs off houses and apartment buildings in the Tidewater area Saturday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Norfolk;]

The President was in Norfolk speaking at an elementary school.
The declaration makes the state eligible for federal aid and is aimed at the Hampton area, where the tornado caused more than seven million dollars in damage.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:37:34]
[IN Q=150 homes were]
((PRESIDENT CLINTON; 150 HOMES WERE DESTROYED AND SIX PEOPLE WERE INJURED. AS WE PRAY FOR THEIR SWIFT RECOVERY, WE ARE ALSO ALREADY WORKING ON THOSE WHO LOST THEIR HOMES, AND TO HELP THEM GET THEIR HOMES AND PROPERTY BACK. ))
[RUNS=13]
[OUT Q=property back]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Earlier today the President helped fix a computer desk at another elementary school, as he attacked the Republican tax cut plan, saying it would take money away from school renovation projects.
(------------)

[7WEATHER]

[ANCHOR=KIMBERLY]
[NEWSCAST=CUTI]
[WRITER=KMC]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Taking a look now at your Tuesday forecast...we'll see early morning fog which will give way to partly cloudy skies. Temperatures will be in the mid-to-upper 80's. Tonight will be partly cloudy with some areas of fog the temperatures will be in the low-to-mid 60's. The extended outlook calls for...

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[SUPER=314-Fog Early,/Then Partly Cloudy/85-89/Partly Cloudy/Areas of Fog/60-65;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]

[45E-Holiday-Traffic]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=jja]
[TAPE#=99-38]
[GRAPHIC=Highway Safety]

The remnants of Tropical Storm Dennis may have dampened some holiday travel plans,
(---------------)
[VO-NAT]
[Super=03-Roanoke Co.;]

But cancelled beach trips and cookouts meant fewer people on the roads- and that meant fewer accidents.
While highways were busy- they were not nearly as packed as a typical Labor Day Weekend.
Rainy weather also prompted people to slow down.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 15:06:41]
[IN Q=]
((SGT TOM FOSTER/VA STATE POLICE: YEA WE DO SEE A REDUCTION IN SPEED AND WHEN WE HAVE A REDUCTION IN SPEED WE HAVE A TENDENCY TO REDUCE THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CRASHES WE HAVE.))
[SUPER=01-Sgt. Tom Foster/State Police]
[RUNS=08]
[OUT Q=crashes we have.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

So far in this region, which covers 14 counties in Virginia, there have been 111 accidents this weekend.
State police say that's down from 147 last year.
There were no highway fatalities on Labor Day weekend this year in the region.
(------------)

[45S-Wetlands]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=99-30 1:15:55]
[GRAPHIC=Gilmore]

Governor Jim Gilmore's plan to help protect the state's wetlands has a few critics.
Ellen Qualls has the story.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=He's trying]
[SUPER=03-Richmond/February 11; :00]
[SUPER=01-Wilmer Stoneman/Virginia Farm Bureau; :23]
[SUPER=01-John Paul Woodley/Secretary of Nat. Resources; :50]
[SUPER=@Ellen2; 1:07]
[RUNS=1:43]
[OUT Q=Qualls, News 7, Richmond.]
(( He's trying so hard to counteract the image that Virginia Republicans don't care about the environment.
So how was Jim Gilmore to know that just five months after he took office, a federal court decision would lift U-S Army Corps of Engineers oversight of wetlands?
It's called the Tulloch decision-- and it's meant eight thousand acres of wetlands have been planned for draining in Virginia in just over a year.
[SOT 11:35:47 ]
((WILMER STONEMAN/VIRGINIA FARM BUREAU: AND HIS DIFFICULTY IS THAT HE'S MADE THE COMMITMENT. AND NOW WE'VE GOT A FEDERAL LOOPHOLE THAT IS ON ONE HAND TAKING AWAY SOME OF THOSE WETLANDS. SO HE'S, IN MY OPINION, BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE.)) [RUNS:17]

[SOT 10:35:44]
((JOHN PAUL WOODLEY/VIRGINIA SECRETARY OF NAT. RESOURCES: WELL I WOULD SAY THAT WILMER'S PROBABLY RIGHT ABOUT THAT.))

[RUNS:03 ]
Gilmore's own natural resources secretary says it may be his biggest headache right now.
[SOT 10:38:19]
((WOODLEY: IT'S DEFINITELY AN ISSUE THAT WE DID NOT ANTICIPATE THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO DEAL WITH. AND WE ARE IN FACT HAVING TO ADDRESS IT AND ADDRESS IT IN A WAY THAT'S TRYING TO BE RESPONSIVE TO CONCERNS BY BOTH SIDES.)) [RUNS:19]
If scientists now agree that wetlands filter water, harbor animal life, and control floods... who's against them?
[SOT 11:34:29]
((STONEMAN: THE FARMERS IN THE COMMONWEALTH ARE NOT ASHAMED TO, NOR DO THEY OBJECT TO PROTECTING WETLANDS IF THERE'S WATER IN IT.)) [RUNS:12]
The problem for farmers and homebuilders is they feel the definitions are too broad... leaving just plain flat spots with NO water protected from farming and ditch-digging.
One lobbyist says expect wetlands to be an obsession of the 2000 General Assembly.
Ellen Qualls, News 7, Richmond.))

[45S-Carvins-Cove]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=99-41 1:20]
[GRAPHIC=Water Supply]

Some good news to report for Roanoke residents.
The weekend showers have raised the level at Carvin's cove two and a half feet since Friday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Carvins Cove/Sunday]

Roanoke's main water supply is now 26-point-6 feet below the spillway.
It's been over a month since the level was that high.
Today, city council will consider changing its water conservation program.
Council may drop the requirement that customers cut water use by 25 percent, if the cove's water level reaches 30 feet below the spillway.
(------------)

[45WEATHER]

[ANCHOR=KIMBERLY]
[NEWSCAST=CUTI]
[WRITER=KMC]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Taking a break from the news to check the forecast...
Foggy early, then partly cloudy with highs in the upper 80s.
Partly cloudy skies tonight, with fog re- developing and lows in the lower 60s.
The five day forecast turns mostly sunny tomorrow...with scattered showers Thursday and Friday.
Highs in the 80s...lows in the 50s and 60s.
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[SUPER=314-Fog Early,/Then Partly Cloudy/85-89/Partly Cloudy/Areas of Fog/60-65;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]

[8S-Campaign-99]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=99-39 ]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 99]

What better holiday to get out and campaign, but during Labor Day?
And in Buena Vista, politicians were out for the unofficial kick-off of the campaign season for the General Assembly.
Despite the low voter turnout due to the rain...
Marya Jones reports it didn't affect the battle for votes .
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=NATSOUND MARCHING BAND]
[SUPER=03-Buena Vista;]
[SUPER=01-Harold Kidd/Buena Vista Mayor; :34]
[SUPER=@Marya1; :40]
[SUPER=@Earley; :51]
[SUPER=@Putney; :57]
[SUPER=01-L.F. Payne/(D) Former Congressman; 1:25]
[RUNS=1:47]
[OUT Q=MJN7, Buena Vista.]
(((///// SOT /////)
[natsound: marching band] ((NATSOUND: MARCHING BAND)) [RUNS:02]
No one works a Labor Day parade crowd like a pack of politicians. [NATSOUND: LT. GOV. JOHN HAGER] ((NATSOUND: HEY, HOW Y'ALL DOIN'? HAPPY LABOR DAY.)) [RUNS:03]
But even though strong rains all morning dispersed the crowds for a disappointing turnout... it didn't rain on the candidates' parade.
(///// SOT /////)
[sot 20:32:34 - :35]
((LF PAYNE: GREAT DAY FOR THIS.)) [runs:01]
(///// SOT /////)
[sot 20:37:16 - 20]
((REP. BOB GOODLATTE: IT'S A NICE RAINY DAY FOR A PARADE, ISN'T IT? WE NEED THE RAIN.)) [runs:04]
The parades have customarily attracted as many as 10,000 onlookers and political fanatics to Buena Vista. Not so this Labor Day.
[sot 21:03:06 - :12]
((MAYOR HAROLD KIDD: CERTAINLY, THE RAIN HAS HAD A LOT TO DO WITH THE CURTAILMENT OF ACTIVITIES TODAY.)) [runs:06]
(///// SOT /////)
[SU 20:56:52] ((MARYA JONES/NEWS 7: IF THE WEATHER CREATED SOME APATHY, THE STAKES OF THE ELECTION DIDN'T... ALL 140 GENERAL ASSEMBLY SEATS ARE UP FOR GRABS THIS YEAR. AND BOTH PARTIES ARE VYING HARD TO HAVE THE HONOR OF REDISTRICTING.)) [runs:12]
[sot 21:00:03 - :06]
((MARK EARLEY/(R) ATTORNEY GENERAL: WHEN IT COMES TO REDISTRICTING, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THE LINES ARE DRAWN FAIRLY.))
[runs:03]
[SOT 20:53:20 - :35]
((LACEY PUTNEY/DELEGATE: I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU A PROMISE. IF I GO BACK, I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT BUENA VISTA...INSTEAD OF BEING DIVIDED INTO THREE.)) [RUNS:15]
And while the General Assembly elections were the focus of the day, Buena Vista was crawling with future gubernatorial candidates.
Former Congressman LF Payne was the lone Democratic contender for that role on a stage full of Republicans.
(///// SOT /////)
[sot 20:40:53 - 20:41:05]
((LF PAYNE: WHILE THE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM IS THAT... THE DEMOCRATS ARE GOING TO DO JUST FINE. )) [runs:08]
And Attorney General Mark Earley and Lt. Governor John Hager made their appearances.
When General Assembly elections roll around in less than two months, these candidates hope voters have heard their message loud and clear.
Marya Jones, News 7, Buena Vista.))

[8S-Clinton]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=99-43 3:24]
[GRAPHIC=TS Dennis]

President Clinton's visit to Virginia yesterday brought relief in the form of federal assistance to declared disaster areas.
About a thousand people in the Tidewater area are now homeless after a tornado spawned by Tropical Storm Dennis ripped roofs off houses and apartment buildings Saturday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Norfolk;]

The President was in Norfolk speaking at an elementary school.
The declaration makes the state eligible for federal aid and is aimed at the Hampton area, where the tornado caused more than seven million dollars in damage.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:37:34]
[IN Q=150 homes were]
((PRESIDENT CLINTON; 150 HOMES WERE DESTROYED AND SIX PEOPLE WERE INJURED. AS WE PRAY FOR THEIR SWIFT RECOVERY, WE ARE ALSO ALREADY WORKING ON THOSE WHO LOST THEIR HOMES, AND TO HELP THEM GET THEIR HOMES AND PROPERTY BACK. ))
[RUNS=13]
[OUT Q=property back]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Earlier today the President helped fix a computer desk at another elementary school, as he attacked the Republican tax cut plan, saying it would take money away from school renovation projects.
(------------)

[8S-Carvins-Cove]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=99-41 1:20]
[GRAPHIC=Water Supply]

Many people's holiday plans were dampened by the rain, but the storms bought some relief to water levels in Carvins Cove.
It's up two and a half feet since Friday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Carvins Cove/Sunday]

Roanoke's main water supply is now 26-point-6 feet below the spillway.
It's been over a month since the level was that high.
City council will consider changing its water conservation program.
Council may drop the requirement that customers cut water use by 25 percent, if the cove's water level reaches 30 feet below the spillway.
(------------)

[8WEATHER]

[ANCHOR=KIMBERLY]
[NEWSCAST=CUTI]
[WRITER=KMC]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Your back-to-work forecast includes morning fog, then partly cloudy skies and highs in the upper 80s.
Partly cloudy overnight with more fog developing and lows of 60 to 65.
The extended forecast is calling for lots of sunshine tomorrow..then a return of showers to the forecast by Thursday.
Highs in the 80s..lows in the 50s and 60s.

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