WDBJ 7 news at Noon for 10/27/99

[HEADLINES]

[TALENT=Melanie]

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

Gunmen burst into the Armenian parliament building killing several people including the prime minister.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

And he shot himself rather than face double murder charges, now Terry Leon Boyd is back in Washington D-C.
(/////////////)
[TALENT=Patrick]
[SS=None]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]

News 7 at noon is next.

[Armenia]

[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=shooting]

The prime minister of the former Soviet Republic of Armenia was shot dead today as he delivered a televised speech to his parliament.
(--------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Yerevan, Armenia;]

Gunmen burst into the parliament chamber.
Here you see them opening fire.
At least 8 people were killed.
Officials say the gunmen then seized several hostages and are holed up inside the parliament building.
The prime minister was shot in the chest and taken to a hospital where he died.
(---------------)

[Farmer]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-32 TC1:52:01]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]

A woman who was selling drugs out of a daycare center she operated in Bedford County pleaded guilty to drug possession charges today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co./April 1999]

36- year- old Monica Farmer was arrested last April when deputies raided her home in Big Island.
Prosecutors say Farmer was selling L-S-D while she cared for up to a dozen children.. but it was her husband who pressured her and her son David Underwood into it.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 9:54:16]
[IN Q=We considered]
((DIRK PADGETT/BEDFORD CO. PROSECUTOR: WE CONSIDERED AS AN ACT OF GRACE TO ALLOW THEM TO PLEAD GUILTY TO POSSESSION ON THE EXPRESSED CONDITION THAT HE NOT TAKE IT UNDER ADVISEMENT, THEY MUST HAVE A FELONY CONVICTION, THEY MUST HAVE TWO YEARS SUPERVISED PROBATION IN BEDFORD COUNTY. WE THINK THE BRAND IS ENOUGH FOR MR. UNDERWOOD AND MISS FARMER.))
[SUPER=01-Dirk Padgett/Bedford Co. Prosecutor]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=and Miss Farmer.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Padgett says 14 people arrested in last spring's roundup have all pleaded guilty to drug charges.
(------------)

[Elder-Abuse]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=99-35 TC1:39:20]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Elder abuse is said to be the fastest growing form of domestic violence in the country-- but few people know about it.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

To help raise awareness and assist elderly victims, U-S Cellular is providing wireless phones to L-O-A Area Agency on Aging offices in Roanoke, Lynchburg, and the New River Valley.
150 phones will be distributed to at- risk seniors, as part of U-S Cellular's national S.A.F.E. program.
They'll be pre-programmed to dial 9-1-1.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:10:41]
[IN Q=A lot of]
((SUSAN WILLIAMS/LOA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL HAVE TO BE EDUCATED ABOUT THAT. SO, WE'LL BE STARTING SMALL. AND WE WILL BE MONITORING THE CALLS TO 911, BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT THAT TO BE OVER USED. FOR INSTANCE, IF THERE WAS SOMEONE WHO REPORTED EVERY TIME SOMETHING THEY DIDN'T LIKE HAPPENED TO THEM. SO, WE'LL BE MONITORING THAT.))
[SUPER=01-Susan Williams/LOA Executive Director;]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=monitoring that]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The "S.A.F.E." program is being done in conjunction with Motorola.
(------------)

[81-Sinkhole]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=81 Sinkhole]

Another sinkhole has opened up along Interstate 81.
This one's next to Southbound lanes near mile marker 277 in Shenandoah County.
V-Dot says one of the southbound lanes will be closed most of the day.
V-Dot has spent more than a hundred thousand dollars to fix three other sinkholes in that area.

[Boyd]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Terry Boyd]

The fugitive who was captured in Roanoke County more than two weeks ago has been extradited to Washington D-C.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/October 18]

Terry Leon Boyd shot himself in the head earlier this month after he was confronted by state police on Interstate 81.
Yesterday, he was put in a D-C hospital.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=HOLD]

Officials say he's recovered enough to face trial.
Boyd is charged in the October first slaying of 53-year-old Ann East.
East's 65-year-old roommate was also found dead, though Boyd hasn't been charged in connection with her death.

[Gore-Bradley]

[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2000]

The two Democratic candidates for president.. Al Gore and Bill Bradley..meet head to head tonight for the first time.
Both square off during a televised town meeting in New Hampshire.
A new poll shows Bradley running neck and neck with Gore in New Hampshire.. the first state to hold a primary.
The vice president seems to have the most to lose.
Trying to run as both an incumbent.. and an outsider.
John Henning reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[10:01:54]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Bob Zelnick/Gore Biographer; :28]
[SUPER=01-Al Gore/(D) Presidential Candidate; 1:18]
[SUPER=01-John Henning/Reporting; 1:52]
[RUNS=2:07]
[OUT Q=for CBS News]

[Lung-cancer]

[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Lung Cancer]

It could be a big breakthrough in the fight against Lung Cancer
Experts say a new test called C-T scanning can detect the disease very early on.
It finds tumors when they are about the size of a pea.
Traditional chest x-rays detect tumors when they are the size of a quarter.
One study shows it could allow up to 80 percent of lung cancer patients to survive at least five years.
Right now only 15 percent live that long.

[Va-Obesity]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Obesity]

In other medical news, Americans are getting fatter, and Virginians are helping lead the way.
In 1991, ten-percent of Virginians were considered obese.
That ballooned to 18-percent in 1998, an 80 percent increase.
Only Georgia and New Mexico had more dramatic increases.
Nationally, nearly 18-percent of Americans were considered obese last year.
In general, southern states seemed to have the highest obesity rates, although it's unclear why.
[tease1] [HARD MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

An 800-year old tradition of British government is gone today.
Find out why when News-7 at Noon returns.
(--------------)
[VO-NAT ]

And forget about pets for companionship-- robots could be replacing them.
But no robot could ever replace Patrick Evans -- let's find out about the forecast.
(---------------)
[Talent=Patrick]
[Wx-Tease] [Weatherpro] [music up full] [comm1]

[STEWART-plane]

[ANCHOR=MEL]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Payne Stewart]

Investigators are searching again today in the 10 foot deep crater where the remains of Payne Stewart's LearJet are embedded.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Mina, SD;]
[3:00:47]
The jet crashed Monday killing Stewart and five others.
Investigators are hoping evidence gathered at a crash site in South Dakota will tell them what happened on the jet.
National Transportation Safety Board officials say there's no flight data recorder, and the cockpit voice recorder has not been found.
They add that the voice recorder is not likely to provide little information.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
((ROBERT FRANCIS/VICE CHAIRMAN, NTSB; THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER RUNS ON A CYCLE OF A HALF AN HOUR, SO GIVEN WHAT HAPPENED DURING THIS FLIGHT, IT'S UNLIKELY WE'LL GET VOICE INFO FROM THE CVR.))
[SUPER=01-Robert Francis/NTSB; ]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=from the CVR]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Medical experts fear the remains of the six victims may not reveal whether they suffered from rapid decompression.
Tissue samples are being analyzed at a lab.
In 1995, the F-A-A required all learjets to replace the valves that regulate pressure.
The operators of Stewart's Learjet say the valves were replaced as required.
(------------)

[Britain-House]

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

Democracy is sweeping through Britains House of Lords, a revolution that 's ended an 800 year old tradition.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-London, England;]
[10:08:05]
Half the upper House of parliament has been evicted.
Those going are members who got their seats simply by inheritance.
Only ninety will stay in office while a committee decides how a future House of Lords should look - a plan some critics call half-baked.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
((DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE/HEREDITARY PEER : DOING AWAY WITH HERDITARY PEERS IS THE EASY BIT AND WHAT TO PUT IN ITS PLACE IS DIFFICULT. THAT IS WHY IT HASN'T BEEN DONE IN DECADES IF NOT CENTURIES AGO AND I HAVE A FEELING THE GOVERNMENT DOESNT REALLY KNOW WHAT TO DO. ))
[SUPER=01-Duke of Devonshire/Hereditary Peer;]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=KNOW WHAT TO DO.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

This is considered the biggest constitutional shake up in Britain this century.
(------------)

[E-Mock-Election]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=99-40 1:01:16]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 99]

Virginia may have set a U-S record yesterday.
10-thousand high school students took part in what's believed to be the nation's largest Internet election ever.
Ellen Qualls reports.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=nat sot]
[SUPER=203-Henrico Co.; :06!!]
[SUPER=201-Adam Carter/Youth Leadership Initiative; :39]
[SUPER=201-Elizabeth Johnson/Student Voter; :49 ]
[SUPER=219-Ellen/Qualls; :58]
[RUNS=1:14]
[OUT Q=Qualls, News7, Henrico Co.]
(([nat sot]
[runs= 03]

They've been taught that control of Virginia's statehouse rests on next Tuesday's elections.
They've tried to learn about their local candidates.
[nat sot]
[runs= 02]

And now they've voted, just like their parents will next week-- except they're using the Internet for this mock election.
[sot 14:51:57 ]
((I KIND OF HAVE SECOND THOUGHTS ABOUT IT. YOU KNOW, SECURITY REASONS. AND CERTAINLY PEOPLE CAN HACK INTO THE INTERNET. BUT THE POLL ON THERE AFTER YOU REGISTER, IT ACTUALLY SHOWS IT'S ENCRYPTION.))
[runs= 12]

This is the signature project of U-V-A's new Center for Governmental Studies.
[sot 14:45:08 ]
((ADAM CARTER: HOPEFULLY, BY GETTING THEM USED TO VOTING, BY GETTING THEM INTERESTED AND WATCHING THE POLITICAL PROCESS, WE CAN CHANGE THE WAY THEY ACT THROUGHOUT THEIR WHOLE LIVES.)) [runs :09]

[sot 14:29:44]
((ELIZABETH JOHNSON/STUDENT VOTER: I CAN'T REALLY SAY THAT I'VE DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH ON MY OWN, BUT I'VE SEEN THE POSTERS...PRETTY INFORMED.)) [runs :08]
[sot standup]
[runs :16]))
[Tease2] [SOFT MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

The Braves have their backs against the wall.
Find out more later in sports.
(-----------------)
[VO-NAT ]

And some famous Marilyn Monroe memorabilia goes on the auction block tonight.
We'll have a preview when News-7 at Noon returns.
(-----------------)
[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #2]

[Monroe-Auction]

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

The much anticipated Marilyn Monroe memorabilia auction gets underway tonight in New York.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-New York, NY;]
[10:41]
Some one-thousand items from the movie star's life will be sold at Christie's auction house.
Among the noted items, the flesh colored gown Monroe wore when she sang ``Happy Birthday'' to President Kennedy.
It's expected to fetch a six-figure price.
Monroe left her possessions to her mentor -- acting coach Lee Strasberg -- when she died in 1962.
The collection is being sold by his widow.
The auction is being broadcast live on cable television, and the Internet.
(------------)

[Robots]

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

The next generation of robots in on display in Japan.
And as Barry Petersen reports.. the new world of cybernetic creations features everything from industrial helpers to robots that keep you company.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[10:13:13]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Tokyo, Japan; :07]
[SUPER=01-Barry Petersen/Reporting; :56 QUICK!!!!]
[RUNS=1:38]
[OUT Q=CBS NEWS, TOKYO.]
(((SOT: MEOW)
Its not what you think it is... IT JUST KIND OF CURLS UP IN MY ARMS...ITS GREAT. Tama paws and purrs and loves you...but a cat he is not. Hes a robot...on sale next year for a thousand dollars...the sort of pet, at the sort of show, R2-D2 could love...robots everywhere.
(Ping-pong ball)
Robots that can keep their eyes..make that sensors..on the ball....
(Guard robot/hits camera at end)
Or patrol the halls...although Guard-Robo still has a few bumps to work out...
(Sweep up/big remote)
This one cleans...assuming youre strong enough to hold the remote... ANCHOR LEAD:
(Eating)
Using this, disabled people can control a knife and spoon with just the movement of their cheek.
(Surgery/being fixed)
...with this, a doctor can perform surgery from miles away..it was broken when we stopped in...luckily the dummy was feeling no pain.
(STANDUP) ID LIKE YOU TO MEET MY NEW FRIEND MARILYN, NOT MONROE BUT PERFECT IN HER OWN WAY...MARILYN THE BARTENDER, WH
O NEVER SPILLS A DRINK, AND NEVER SAYS NO...WHY THANK YOU MARILYN, ILL TAKE ONE.
(Honda robot up steps)
Robots...like this experimental model..are moving slowly from factory floor into our homes. one step at a time...will they take over...well, they might just. IT WILL BE A LONG TIME BEFORE THE WORST CASE SCENARIO IS EVEN A POSSIBILITY. Most predict a somewhat nicer future...with plenty of robots there..
(Gloved hand of robot)
to give you a hand. Barry Petersen, CBS News, Tokyo))
[tease3] [SPORTS MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Still to come in sports, San Francisco quarterback Steve Young could be out for the rest of the season,
(----------------)
[VO-NAT ]
and the New York Yankees look for a World Series sweep after last night's come from behind win.
Patrick has the highlights, next.
(---------------)
[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #3]

[S-World]

[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=SP-44 tc 1:42:48]
[GRAPHIC=world series]

It was game three of the World Series last night and New York fans are ready to take out the brooms and start sweeping.
The Yankees got the 6 to 5 win and are now 3 and oh.
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-New York, NY/NBC Sports;]

The Yanks appeared in trouble, trailing 5 to 1 after the first four innings.
But they would come back.
Chad Curtis breaks into the lead with a solo homer in the fifth.
In the eighth, Chuck Knoblauch's two run dinger tied the game at five.
[SUPER=35-Atlanta/5/New York/6/Yankees Lead Series 3-0/;]

But it was all Chad Curtis in the tenth.
His second homer of the game gives New York the go ahead run and they win it 6 to 5.
(------------)

[Quarterbacks]

[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Niners]

In the N-F-L, San Francisco quarterback Steve Young appears done for the season.
The 49ers will likely place Young on injured reserve, which could signal the end of his career.
Young is expected to hold a news conference today to discuss his future.
[SS=Dolphins]

AND...Miami quarterback Dan Marino reportedly will miss two to three more weeks due to a neck injury.
Dolphins sources say Marino's soreness was triggered by a bone spur in his neck that has already benched him for two weeks.

[S-Tech]

[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-56 258TC]
[GRAPHIC=TECH FOOTBALL]

The Virginia Tech Hokies hope to avoid the "Pitt-Falls" of being one of college football's elite teams, when they play the Pitt Panthers this Saturday night. Mike Stevens says the Hokies' number three ranking in the national polls and the B-C-S rankings should give the Panthers plenty to shoot for.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=FIRST AUDIO]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Frank Beamer/Virginia Tech Head Coach; :28]
[SUPER=@mike1; :46]
[SUPER=01-Jamel Smith/Virginia Tech's Leading Tackler; 1:05]
[RUNS=1:29]
[OUT Q=...NEWS 7 SPORTS."]
((The BCS, or Bowl championship series rankings are based on so many factors and computer equations that Frank Beamer has trouble keeping it straight. ((FRANK BEAMER:)) Tech is a predictable third behind Florida State and Penn State in the first ranking. Their strength of schedule or their opponents overall poor record cost the Hokies some valuable points. ((FRANK BEAMER:)) ((MIKE STEVENS:)) ((JAMEL SMITH/TECH'S LEADING TACKLER:)) ((IKE CHARLETON/VA. TECH CORNERBACK:)) The game kicks off Saturday at seven in Pittsburgh. Mike Stevens News 7 sports.))

[Tech-Money]

[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Hold]

Virginia Tech's undefeated football season is increasing the school's bank account.
School officials are projecting about 250-thousand dollars more in T-V money this year than they had originally projected.
The third-ranked Hokies will make at least seven appearances on national television this year, including two on C- B-S, three on E-S-P-N, and two on E-S-P-N-Two.