WDBJ 7 morning news for 09/12/99

[11Rubatex-Strike]

[ANCHOR=Denise]

[NEWSCAST=sun Am]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=99-43 6:33:11]
[GRAPHIC=Strike]

Union workers at Rubatex in Bedford have voted to strike.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford;]

Members of the United Steelworkers Local 240 met at the Bedford Middle School yesterday.
They voted 299 to 12 in favor of a walkout.
Union members rejected a new contract proposal, saying in includes unfair labor practices.
They say the new deal would require them to work different shifts, and pay part of their insurance premiums.
New employees would not be part of the pension plan.
Rubatex makes rubber products like sheets and tubing. Company officials were not available for comment.
(------------)

[11Sexual-Assault]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=none]

The Blacksburg Police Department is asking for your help to find a man who has been charged with indecent exposure and sexual assault.
Since August 29 of this year this man has exposed himself to four females in downtown Blacksburg between College Avenue and Country Club Drive.
(------------)
[TAKE FULL SCREEN PINNACLE]
He is described as white between the ages of 18 and 24.
He stands between five foot nine and five foot eleven inches tall with light colored hair and a goatee. [TAKE FULL SCREEN PINNACLE] If you have any information please contact the Blacksburg Police department at 540-961-1150 or the Tipline at 540-981-1819.

[East-Timor]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sun aM]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Indonesian President B.J. Habibie will reportedly make an announcement today about East Timor.
He's been meeting with military advisers under increased pressure for a U-N peacekeeping force in the province.
Indonesia has so far rejected any intervention.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Dare, East Timor;]

This news comes after the slaughter of more than 300 people in Dare.
U-N officials say Indonesian troops are participating in the killing of East Timorese.
President Clinton says any peacekeeping force for East Timor should be made up largely of Australians and Asians.
But he says Americans also may be involved, in a ``limited way.
(------------)

[11Clifton-Bones]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sun Am]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=99-26 1;46:35]
[GRAPHIC=none]

A Clifton Forge church group made a strange discovery while repairing an old house.
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Clifton Forge]

They found what is suspected to be human bones yesterday.
The bones were discovered when the group was digging underneath the porch of this house on Main Street that is more than 80 year old.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 07:47:43]
[IN Q=There was a rib]
[SUPER=01-Glenn Linthicum/Clifton Forge Baptist Church]
((GLENN LINTHICUM/PASTOR CLIFTON FORGE BAPTIST CHURCH:THERE WAS A RIB BONE. SEVERAL BONES THAT I WOULD SAY WERE LEG BONES. THERE WERE VERTEBRAE AND THEN BROKEN CHIPS))
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=bone chips]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Investigators say there is a possibility the bones could be from an animal.
The Clifton Forge Police Department will be conducting tests to determine where they came from.
(------------)

[11Habitat-Home]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sun Am]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=99-38 00;13:56]
[GRAPHIC=none]

It's a first for Habitat for Humanity. The group is building a wheelchair accessible home.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Nat sound of hammers]
((NAT. SOUND OF HAMMERS.))
[RUNS=3]
[OUT Q=Nat sound of hammers]

A special lot had to be chosen for this home to make it easily accessible for it's new owner Kiona Howard.
This home and others are being built as part of a new revitalization project in the Loudon - Melrose Neighborhood.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:19:45]
[IN Q=This summer habitat]
((TERRY SMITH/HABITAT FOR HUMANITY: THIS SUMMER HABITAT GOT THE DEED TO 8 LOTS IN THE LOUDON - MELROSE NEIGHBORHOOD AND WE'RE BUILDING ON FOUR OF THOSE LOTS THIS FALL))
[SUPER=01-Terry Smith/Habitat for Humanity]
[RUNS=9]
[OUT Q=those lots this fall]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Students from Roanoke College are helping to build the new wheelchair accessible home.
Habitat hopes it will be ready before the end of the year.
(------------)

[Sinusitis]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sun am]
[WRITER=tfl]
[TAPE#=Health check]
[GRAPHIC=health check]

An estimated 38 million Americans suffer from chronic sinus infection.
For those sufferers relief is on the way.
Mayo Clinic staff members have discovered the cause of sinusitis.
Dennis Douda (DOUGH-dah) reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT - 10NA - 10:16:00]
[IN Q=Anything that causes]
[SUPER=03-Rochester, MN; :00]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Karin Evan/Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist; :20]
[SUPER=04-Mayo Clinic; :36]
[SUPER=01-Dr. David Sherris/Mayo Clinic; :48]
[RUNS=1:12]
[OUT Q=CBS News]

[Reel-Open]

[ANCHOR=denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sun AM]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=Reel Open]
[GRAPHIC=Virginia Newsreel]

The 51 Miss America contestants are in Atlantic City preparing for Saturday's pageant.
(-------------)
Among them, Lynchburg's Crystal Lewis, who will try to become the second consecutive Miss Virginia to walk away with the crown.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 99-24 1:58:18]
[IN Q=Nicole Johnson]
((NICOLE JOHNSON WAS CROWNED MISS AMERICA , AND WHAT A PERFECT TIMING ON THE 40-TH ANNIVERSARY FOR NICOLE TO CROWN A SUCCESSOR FROM HER SAME STATE))
[SUPER=01-Crystal Lewis/Miss Virginia]
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=her same state]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=dENISE]

It's happened before...In fact, the last time was in 1959 when outgoing Miss America Mary Ann Mobley crowned her successor from her own state. In this week's Virginia Newsreel, we'll learn a little bit about the pageant and the 2 Virginia woman who have worn the Miss America crown.
(////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=animation]
[RUNS=:05]
[OUT Q=stop animation]

[WIPE WIPE WIPE WIPE WIPE]

[Ms-America-Reel]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sun Am]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=Newsreel]
[GRAPHIC=wipe]

[wipe wipe wipe wipe]

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=21-Roanoke/1998;]
[SUPER=21-Nicole Johnson/1998; :22]
[Super=21-Atlantic City, NJ/1998; :53]
[SUPER=21-Galax/1978; 1:33 ]
[Super=21-Jeff Hirsch/Reporting; 1:46]
[RUNS=2:00]
[OUT Q=Virginia Newsreel]
((The Miss America competition was founded as a "bathing beauty" contest in 1921. It extended the summer tourist season in Atlantic City, New Jersey one week beyond Labor Day. The pageant is still held there each year, but not as a gimmick to keep people on the beach. Today, the competition provides personal and professional opportunities for young American women.
We talked to Nicole Johnson last year before she left for the pageant. She wanted to take her fight against diabetes to a national platform.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 598-25 1:11:12]
[IN Q=I've had]
((NICOLE JOHNSON;I'VE HAD DIABETES FOR 5 YEARS. I CAUGHT IT WHEN I WAS 19 YEARS OLD AND IT WAS A RESULT OF THE FLU. IT'S AN OBSTACLE THAT I HAVE HAD TO OVERCOME TO TRY TO WORK TO ACCEPT IN MY LIFE. AND THAT'S ACTUALLY MY MISSION AS MISS VIRGINIA TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC AND HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY DIABETICS TURN THEIR LIFE AROUND)) [RUNS19]
[OUT Q=life around]

Her dream came true. Johnson won the national title and brought diabetes awareness in the national spotlight.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:11:44]
[IN Q=Diabetes]
((Diabetes IS WHAT I HAVE HAD TO OVERCOME. EVERYBODY HAS A STUMBLING BLOCK AND THEY HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW THEY ARE GOING TO GET AROUND THAT STUMBLING BLOCK. SO I THINK I BRING THAT REALITY TO THE TITLE)) [RUNS10]
[OUT Q=to the title]

Despite a 20-thousand mile a month speaking tour, Johnson returned to Roanoke for a homecoming parade.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 598-35 40:17 ]
[IN Q=It is wonderful]
((NICOLE JOHNSON/IT IS WONDERFUL. IT'S SO GREAT TO BE BACK HOME AND WE ARE SO EXCITED THAT WE ARE GETTING READY TO START THIS PARADE IT'S JUST BEEN AMAZING)) [RUNS06]
[OUT Q=been amazing]
But Nicole wasn't the first Miss America from Virginia. In 1978, Kylene Barker won the title.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT newsreel 50:59]
[IN Q=nat sound song]
((nat sound song)) [RUNS05]
[OUT Q=song....miss america]

On October 16, 1978, She returned home to Galax for a parade in her honor. More than half the city turned out for the celebration. WDBJ Reporter Jeff Hirsch covered the festivities.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 51:48 NEWSREEL]
[IN Q=when they]
((WHEN THEY WRITE THE HISTORY OF GALAX, IT WILL PROBABLY HARD TO FIGURE OUT WHICH WAS A BIGGER MOMENT FOR THE CITY, THE DAY SHE BECAME MISS AMERICA OR THE DAY SHE CAME HOME))
[SUPER=01-Jeff Hirsch/Reporting]
[RUNS11]
[OUT Q=SHE CAME HOME]

That's this week's Virginia Newsreel.))

[Sports-Plays]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sun AM]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=sports plays]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 SPorts ]

A rookie race car driver was killed yesterday at the Laguna Seca Raceway in Northern California.
27-year-old Gonzalo Rodriguez was killed when his car hit a concrete wall at 160 miles per hour during practice for today's Shell 300.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Tallahassee, FL/ABC Sports;]

Number one Florida State beat tenth ranked Georgia Tech on plays like this 29 yard screen pass which put the Seminoles ahead 28 to 21.
Peter Warrick makes the 26 yard reception and Florida State goes on to beat ACC rival Georgia Tech 41 to 35.
(------------)

[Super-Recliner]

[ANCHOR=denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sun Am]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

WHAT MAKES A RECLINING CHAIR WORTH 900-DOLLARS? ALL THE GEAR YOU NEED TO NEVER HAVE TO LEAVE IT. DREW LEVINSON SHOWS US.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Novi, MI]
[SUPER=01-Mario Florenzo/Store Manager; :38]
[SUPER=01-Dennis Quatrine/Customer; :56]
[SUPER=01-Drew Levinson/Reporting; 1:29]
[RUNS=1:34]
[OUT Q=CBS News Novi, Michigan]
((
---
(LOCATOR: NOVI, MI)

IN THE SEEMINGLY ENDLESS FOREST OF CHAIRS-THERE'S ONE THAT STANDS OR RATHER RECLINES ABOVE THE REST.

(NATSOUND)
"This is the chair."
IT IS LITERALLY AN "OASIS"-THAT'S THE NAME OF LAZY BOY'S NEW-JUST ABOUT DO ANYTHING- CHAIR. WITH A BUNCH OF GIZMOS FROM A MASSAGE SYSTEM_..

(NATSOUND113604)
"_make a circle around your back."
TO A PHONE FOR ORDERING PIZZA_.TO A COOLER LARGE ENOUGH FOR A SIX-PACK-- THIS CHAIR SEEMS TO HAVE IT ALL. (NATSOUND MAKING THE CHAIR) THE COMPANY WHICH MAKES THE CHAIR IN TENNESSEE, UTAH AND MISSOURI INTRODUCED IT JUST IN TIME FOR FOOTBALL SEASON. IT'S PART OF LAZY BOY'S STRATEGY TO ATTRACT YOUNGER CUSTOMERS.

(SOT FLORENZANO 111402)
"Everybody associates it with your father's chair"
SO LAZY BOY LOADED THE 900 DOLLAR CHAIR WITH SPECIAL FEATURES.

(SOT MARIO FLORENZANO/STORE MANAGER 111408)
"We did add a few toys to it to attract the younger type generation-x people."
DENNIS QUATRINE IS NOT A GENERATION X-ER, BUT HE APPRECIATES THE ADDED COMFORTS.

(SOT DENNIS QUATRINE/CUSTOMER 114213)
"I Probably don't need a cooler and I'd probably better off getting up and going to the refrigerator but I just like gadgets and all the electronics."
WHAT'S NEXT-POSSIBLY BUILT IN STEREO SPEAKIERS AND A HIDDEN TABLE FOR LAP-TOP COMPUTERS.

(STANDUP DREW LEVINSON/CBS NEWS)
"With a cooler and a phone and a message unit this chair seems to have it all. You really have no reason to ever get out of it_well except for maybe one thing. Drew Levinson, CBS News, Novi, Michigan.))

[2-11Rubatex-Strike]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=sun Am]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=99-43 6:33:11]
[GRAPHIC=Strike]

Union workers at Rubatex in Bedford will not return to work tomorrow, instead they will be on the picket lines.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford]

Members of the United Steelworkers Local 240 met at the Bedford Middle School yesterday.
They voted 299 to 12 in favor of a strike.
Union members rejected a new contract proposal, saying in includes unfair labor practices.
They say the new deal would require them to work different shifts, and pay part of their insurance
premiums. New employees would not be part of the pension plan.
Rubatex makes rubber products like sheets and tubing. Company officials were not available for comment.
(------------)

[E-Coli]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sun AM]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

The family of a man who died of e-coli says the fair where he contracted the bacteria should be held responsible.

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington County, New York;]

79 year old Earnest Wester died of kidney failure Friday after getting the bacteria at the Washington County Fair.

New York State health officials say the strain of e-coli that's killed two people and sickened hundreds more has been found in a fairgrounds well.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 5:38:42]
[IN Q=there was]
[SUPER=01-Tracey Weaver/E.Coli Victim's Daughter;]
[RUNS=08]
[OUT Q=test it]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[super=03-Menard County, IL;]

AN outbreak of E-Coli in central Illinois has been linked to a cow pasture party.
18 of the 18-hundred people have been hospitalized and 127 more have become ill.
September 4th and was a free gathering known as 'Cornstock' for the members of eight bands, their families, and friends.
Health officials are trying to contact all of the party guests that came from 15 Illinois counties as well as six states including Hawaii.
(------------)

[Stranded-Tourists]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sun AM]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

A sightseeing tour took a wrong turn Friday night, stranding 19 people on a glacier in snow, wind and freezing temperatures.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Juneau, AK;]

The misadventures began when the Temsco Helicopters sight-seeing flight carrying a pilot and five tourists from the Crown Princess cruise ship failed to return on schedule.
The helicopter company sent four of its employees in two more helicopters to search for the missing party.
When those choppers failed to return, the Coast Guard was called in.
Three more helicopters dropped off the nine-person rescue team with food, tents and survival gear early Friday evening.
The team found the passengers alive and unhurt.
All 19 people were forced to remain on the glacier until Saturday morning because of darkness and poor weather that included falling snow, freezing temperatures and high winds.
(----------------)

[11Coal-Park]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sun Am]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=99-25 1:45:12]
[GRAPHIC=none]

These days many people don't know about a once booming business area that existed in Montgomery County. But as Joy Sutton tells us, some local college students want to change that.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT ]
[IN Q=People who]
[SUPER=03-Montgomery Co.;00]
[SUPER=07-Helen Hatcher;07]
[SUPER=01-Fred Lawson/Former Merrimac Coal Miner;25]
[SUPER=01-Mary LaLone/Radford University Professor;56 ]
[SUPER=01-Jennifer Zelinski/Radford University Student;1:09]
[SUPER=@Joy2;1:35]
[RUNS=1:45]
[OUT Q=N7 Montgomery County]
(( People who bike and walk along Huckleberry Trial are often unaware of the rich history surrounding them.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT12:30]
[IN Q=I'd be glad to]
((HELEN HATCHER: I'D BE GLAD TO KNOW MYSELF, CAUSE IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO FIND OUT WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT))
[RUNS= 8]
[OUT Q=all about]

This area use to be a coal mining community -- complete with a hotel and it's own way of life -- until 1934 when the coal mine shut down.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT00:19:41]
[IN Q=At one time this]
((FRED LAWSON/FORMER MERRIMAC COAL MINER: AT ONE TIME THIS YOU SEE COAL MINING OPERATION HERE WAS ACTUALLY THE MAIN STAY IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY. EVERYTHING WAS BASED AROUND THIS INSTEAD OF TECH AND RADFORD ARSENAL))
[RUNS= 12]
[OUT Q=Radford Arsenal]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=NAT Sound with students]
((NAT. SOUND FORMER MINERS TALKING WITH STUDENTS))
[RUNS= 5]
[OUT Q=Nat sound with students]

Students from a Radford University anthropology class are learning about this once vibrant community. And they're developing a plan to turn this area into a coal mining heritage park.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 21:25]
[IN Q=This is a hands]
((MARY LA LONE/RADFORD UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR: THIS IS A HANDS ON PROJECT WHERE THEY CAN LEARN HOW TO APPLY ANTHROPOLOGY, THEIR KNOWLEDGE TO HELP THE COMMUNITY DESIGN THIS PARK THAT WILL PROMOTE THE HERITAGE OF THE MINING IN THIS REGION))
[RUNS= 12]
[OUT Q=in this region]

And the students say they already have many ideas.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 23:51]
[IN Q=I'd like to see]
((JENNIFER ZELINSKI/RADFORD UNIVERSITY STUDENT: I'D LIKE TO SEE THE RECREATION OF SOME TOWN. SO IT ISN'T JUST LIKE THEIR IS A TRIAL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WOOD. SO THAT YOU COULD SEE PART OF THE COAL MINING, PIECES OF MACHINERY, SOME OF THE HOUSES.))
[RUNS= 15]
[OUT Q=of the houses]

The students plan to present their ideas to the community -- and are working with the Coal Mining Association.
So far the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors has voted to give about 70 thousand dollars to start the project.

That's good news for the students who want to make sure the history of the Merrimac mining community is never forgotten.
Joy Sutton, News 7, Montgomery County.))

[11Urban-Business]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=sun Am]
[WRITER=jha]
[TAPE#=99-35 00:44:55]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Thirty six businesses gathered in Roanoke yesterday to show residents how much the valley has to offer.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
The event is called Urban Business Appreciation Day --- it gives businesses in the Northwest area advertising and pr
omotion opportunities they normally would not have.
It also gave residents a chance to see what businesses are advancing in the area.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:21:53]
[IN Q=to let everyone]
[SUPER=01-Nakia Price/Chamber of Commerce]
((NAKIA PRICE/ CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT WE DO HAVE ACTUAL BUSINESS THAT PROSPER AND ARE GROWING WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT EVERYONE GOT A CHANCE TO SEE FOR THEMSELVES.))
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=for themselves]

There were activities for everyone including music, food and face painting.
Between two and three thousand people participated in the event making it an even larger success than organizers had hoped.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:22:28]
[IN Q=we didn't]
((NIKIA PRICE/ CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: WE DIDN'T EXPECT THIS BIG OF A TURNOUT, ESPECIALLY IN THE FIRST YEAR IT WAS ESTIMATED MAYBE ABOUT THREE TO FIVE HUNDRED TO BE QUITE HONEST.))

[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=quite honest]

Coordinators say because of the successful turnout they plan to bring it back next year.
(------------)

[Sleeping-problems]

[ANCHOR=denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sun am]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Do you have trouble getting your child to sleep? Some 60-percent of
children are sleep deprived... and more than a quarter have some kind of sleep problem. Anne Peterson shows you how to help your kids fall asleep, stay asleep and wake up in their own bed... no matter what their age.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT sat Am 5NA 06:07:40]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Kansas City, MO; :00]
[SUPER=01-Deedra Lankford/Sleep Deprived Parent; :11]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Bryan Nelson/Pediatrician; 1:13]
[SUPER=01-Anne Peterson/Reporting; 1:27]
[RUNS=1:52]
[OUT Q=for CBS News ]
((Whether it's naptime or bed time... it's a time Deedra Lankford used to dread.
SUPER: Deedra Lankford -- Sleep-deprived parent. "It was hard.....somebody was up."
- - - Until 4 months, Chester was up every hour and a half to nurse....and Samantha, who's two, went through a series of night terrors in which she'd wake up screaming with a blank stare...disoriented and difficult to console. Unsure what to do about both of her children's sleep problems... Deedra and her husband turned to her pediatrician or help.
- -
"We had to predict....predict when it would happen again."
- - After 5 nights practicing this sleep therapy...
- -
"It worked... ...sleeping very well now."
As for her baby... the key was understanding that sleep is a learned behavior.
SUPER: Dr. Bryan Nelson -- Pediatrician "Ideally what you want parents to start early on is to put the child to bed when they're just starting to dose off...but have the bed be the last thing the child sees before he or she falls asleep."

- - - Deedra also eliminated all night time feedings and only gave her baby a water bottle when he woke up. Although it took 3 weeks to break the old habits...he's now sleeping 9 hours through the night.

"It's wonderful...happy when they wake up."
Anne Peterson for CBS News.))
(-------------)
[Anchor tag]
[Anchor=denise]
If you have an older child who has trouble falling asleep experts say
... look at the child's diet... is he or she eating chocolate or having caffeine or foods with artificial coloring or flavoring that can cause stimulation at bedtime? If so, you may want to eliminate that...and instead, offer a warm glass of milk ... which is a natural sleep inducer. Your child may have a medical problem like sleep apnea or enlarged tonsils. If you're concerned, talk to your pediatrician.

[sports-extra]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sunday Morning]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-48 tc 25:08]
[GRAPHIC=GOLF]

Golfers in the Roanoke Valley will have yet another course to choose from starting today.
This morning the brand new Ashley Plantation course in Botetourt County opens to the public.
Mike Stevens feed us our greens in this morning's "Sports Extra."
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Daleville; :00]
[SUPER=01-Chip Sullivan/Ashley Plantation Club Pro; :15]
[super=@mike2; :30]
[RUNS=1:40]
[OUT Q=news 7 sports]
(---------------)
((Former PGA touring professional Chip Sullivan is back in the valley anxious to find out how the area's long hitters and duffers alike will appreciate what Ashley Plantation has to offer. ((CHIP SULLIVAN:))
The drought condition this spring and summer delayed the opening the course until this weekend. Sullivan thinks it will provide area players with a new and interesting challenge. ((CHIP SULLIVAN:))
Right now, only the first nine holes of the course are open. And when completed the back nine will be a lengthy proposition for even the longest of hitters. ((CHIP SULLIVAN:)) In Botetourt County Mike Stevens News 7 sports.)) The course is located just off route 220 north between Daleville and Fincastle.