[Video-Open]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]



(------------)
[LIVE=MICROWAVE FULL]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke]


More than a thousand people are saying their final goodbyes to former mayor and minister Noel C. Taylor.
(------------)


[Taylor-Funeral]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#99-36 TC1:21:30]
[GRAPHIC=Taylor]


The funeral service honoring the life and ministry of The Reverend Noel Taylor is beginning at this hour at the Roanoke Civic Center.
[Double Boxes=Melanie and joeD/Microwave]


Joe Dashiell is there, where the mourners are gathering.
[Live=JoeD Full/Microwave]
[SUPER=@Joe1;]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke;]


[Truck will probably take funeral feed while Joe talks] [We may take funeral full if underway] [Back to Joe]

( ad lib)



(Rollcue:about Noel Taylor's place in the history of the Roanoke Valley. )
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=walking the life]
[SUPER=01-Aletha Bolden/Harrison Museum]
[RUNS=:22]
[OUT Q=good memories of what he did.]




[Live=Joe Full/Microwave]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke;]
( ad lib)



[Double Boxes=Melanie and Joe/Microwave]



[Lilly]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=99-28 TC1:21:01]
[GRAPHIC=Benn Lilly]


A man sent to death row for killing a Virginia Tech student is going to get a new trial.
The Virginia Supreme Court made that ruling today in the case of Ben Lilly.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg/File Tape;]


The court says testimony from Lilly's brother could have helped persuade the jury to give him the death penalty, and that those statements should not have been admitted.
Lilly will have to stand trial again on capital murder and firearms charges.
He was convicted of killing Virginia Tech student Alexander DeFillipis more than four years ago.
(------------)



[dragging-death]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Legal scales]


A jury could be seated today in the trial of the third white man accused in last year's dragging death of a black man in East Texas.
The jury pool has been narrowed down to 50.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Beaumont, TX;]


Meanwhile, prosecutors yesterday told an appeals court in Beaumont, Texas, that a C-B-S News producer shouldn't be able to withhold transcripts from a Dan Rather interview with defendant Shawn Berry.
[SUPER=04-60 Minutes II;]


But C-B-S say the transcripts are immaterial to the case and would make journalists pawns to lawn enforcement.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]

[3:17:14]
[IN Q=.there's no evidence in this case......]
[SUPER=01-Chip Babcock/CBS Attorney;]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=what they want is the tapes.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


The jury pool finalized yesterday includes eleven blacks.
(------------)



[Seattle]


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


Residents are still concerned about their safety in the Seattle neighborhood where a gunman killed two boat repair workers.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Seattle, WA;]

[3:14:37]
Wednesday morning a man dressed in camouflage clothing opened fire at a shipyard company.
Two other men were wounded.
Police are trying to reassure people they're safe even with the killer still at large.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=This individual is not...]

((THIS INDIVIDUAL IS NOT A THREAT TO THE COMMUNITY AS SUCH... IN OTHER WORDS THIS IS NOT AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS GOING TO REPEAT THE ACT.))
[SUPER=01-Chief Norm Stamper/Seattle Police Department;]
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=repeat the act.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Still, extra police officers are patrolling the neighborhood and a nearby school remains locked down with extra security guards.
(------------)



[Boty-Ax]


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


It took more that two months for someone to find a deadly Botetourt County Accident.
(XXXXXXXX)

[TAKE MAP FULL SCREEN]
Some V-Dot workers stumbled on the accident scene yesterday afternoon on Route 43 near the Blue Ridge Parkway.
On August 31, state police believe Thomas J. Guidoy of Louisiana drove off the road, down and embankment and hit several trees.
He was the only person found in the car.
(------------)



[unemployment]


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


The nation's unemployment rate has dipped to four-point-one percent -- its lowest level in nearly 30 years.
Job growth was strong last month--with 310-thousand finding work.
Even with the unemployment rate dropping to four-point-one percent, inflationary pressures don't seem to be building.
(/////SOT/////)
[IN=]
[SUPER=03-New York, NY;]
[RUNS=:03]
[OUT=BELL RINGING]
(---------------)
[VO-NAT]


And that news from Washington today is getting an enthusiastic reception on Wall Street, where stocks are solidly higher.
The Dow rose by 200 points in the opening minutes.
(--------------)



[financial-bill]


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


You may soon be able to shop for loans, investments and insurance policies under one roof.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington DC;]

[3;05:05]
A bill passed by both the House and Senate will eliminate the legal barriers that have separated banks, investment firms and insurance companies.
It gets rid of depression era regulations that prevented these industries from getting into each other's businesses.
[SUPER=03-Little Rock, AR;]

[3:03:33]
President Clinton who is in Arkansas today on his anti-poverty tour, says he will sign the legislation into law.
(------------)



[Coverage]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Taylor]


Reverend Noel Taylor's funeral service is underway right now..
WDBJ is working with Cox Cable to bring the entire service to Roanoke Valley cable customers.
You can see the entire service on Channel Nine.

[Attleboro-fire]


[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Fire]


At least one person is believed to be dead in a fire on the grounds of the historic LaSalette Shrine in Attleboro, Massachusetts.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Attleboro, MA;]


Firefighters were able to locate one body inside the seminary, but they had to leave the area because the structure was crumbling around them.
At least one firefighter was taken from the scene on a stretcher.
The shrine is the site of America's largest holiday season outdoor light display, drawing hundreds of tourists each year.
(------------)



[egyptair-crash]


[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Egyptair Crash]


The seas are calmer this afternoon in the area where EgyptAir Flight 990 went down in the Atlantic.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Newport, RI;]


That could allow the Navy to lower a robot down 270 feet to the ocean floor to look for the plane's black boxes as well as debris and human remains.
The Navy also hopes to send down divers.
The black boxes and voice recorder are key to figuring out what caused the 767 to climb eight thousand feet before plunging in the Atlantic killing all 217 on board.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]

(( JIM HALL/CHAIRMAN, N.T.S.B.; "THEY STILL DO NOT HAVE ALL THE DATA THAT THEY NEED IN ORDER TO COMPLETE AN ANALYSIS ON THE BASIS OF THE RADAR DATA."))
[SUPER=01-Jim Hall/NTSB Chairman;]
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=OF THE RADAR DATA.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board says it will let families view some of the debris that's been brought ashore.
Some relatives are angry that they have not been allowed to see the wreckage.
(------------)



[S-NAACP-Gilmore]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Gilmore]


The Virginia N-double-A-C-P sent a letter to the Governor yesterday, asking him to publicly explain this:
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Free at]

((FREE AT LAST! FREE AT LAST! FREE AT LONG LAST!))
[SUPER=03-Richmond/Tuesday]
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=long last.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


The N-double-A-C-P says: "In the African American community, that statement is held sacred because it represents an ideal that still does not exist."
And, "If this country would live up to what it says, it would be a time to shout "Free at Last."
(------------)
[TALENT=Melanie]
[SS=HOLD]


A spokesman for the Governor says again: NO offense intended, he's a big fan of Dr. King, and he'll probably have nothing more to say.

[E-L'burg-Y2K]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-42 50:12]
[GRAPHIC=Battling the Bug]


Y-2-K won't be as exciting as some have made it out to be.
That's the word from business and government leaders in Lynchburg who say Y2K problems are more hype than reality.

Steve Smallshaw reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=About 75 people]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Gordon Howell/Crestar Bank; :24]
[SUPER=@ssm1; :33]
[SUPER=01-Charles Bennett/Lynchburg Police Chief; :50]
[SUPER=01-Doug Eggleston/American Red Cross; 1:06]
[RUNS=1:22]
[OUT Q=News7, Lynchburg.]

(( About 75 people turned out for this public meeting, wanting to know whether they too should be worried about the computer glitch known as Y2K.
Eighteen officials representing everything from banking to public works were on hand to answer their questions.
The good news is your power should stay on, your phone should work and your money won't vanish overnight.
[SOT 9:33:28]

((GORDON HOWELL/CRESTAR BANK: WE DON'T ANTICIPATE A PROBLEM, WE DON'T EXPECT THERE WILL BE A PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE GETTING MONEY OUT OF THE BANKS. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO LEAVE YOUR MONEY IN THE BANK WHERE IT'S SAFE AND DON'T TAKE IT HOME AND PUT IT UNDER A MATTRESS.))
[RUNS= 09]
[OUT Q=under a mattress.]

[Standup 00:51:11] ((Officials say if you do run into a problem on January 1st, it's more likely to be related to severe weather than it is Y2K. To that end it still wouldn't hurt to prepare like you would for a big snowstorm.. have some bottled water and non- perishable food on hand as well as a little extra cash.. the key is preparation, not panic.))
[RUNS= 17]
[OUT Q=not panic.]
[SOT 9:36:01]

((CHARLES BENNETT/LYNCHBURG POLICE CHIEF: BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE CERTAINLY CONCERNED ABOUT. IF YOU GO TO AN ATM AND IT DOESN'T WORK ON JANUARY 1ST, IT MAY VERY LIKELY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH Y2K.))
[RUNS= 13]
[OUT Q=with Y2K.]
[SOT 9:40:53/9:41:03]

((DOUG EGGLESTON/AMERICAN RED CROSS: WE'RE READY TO BE THERE TO HELP YOU OUT IN ALL OF OUR CAPACITIES.. BUT YOUR BEST PREPAREDNESS IS GOING TO BE FOR YOU TO BE READY TO TAKE CARE OF YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.))
[RUNS= 10]
[OUT Q=and your family.]


Officials say if Y2K has done anything, it's helped both government and citizens be better prepared for ANY emergency.. natural or man-made.
Steve Smallshaw, News7, Lynchburg.))

[E-Henry-Schools]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=99-34 1:51:33]
[GRAPHIC=SOLs]


Many administrators call the Standards of Learning tests unfair ...
But with school reputations and students' graduations at stake, some area schools are going to great lengths to prepare for them.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Henry Co.;]


Staff at John Redd Smith Elementary turned an SOL lesson into a costume party.
Everyone from teachers to the janitor took on roles as historical figures that appear in the SOL.
Students and teachers say the comedy and the costumes make the lesson more memorable.
(///// SOT /////)
[BUMP SOTs]
[IN Q=I'm going to ]
[SOT 1:11:42 - :44]

((AVA WINCKLER/4TH GRADER: I'M GOING TO PROBABLY DO PRETTY GOOD.))
[SOT 1:21:58 - 1:22:02]

((LISA ANGLE/COUNSELOR: I THINK THEY'LL RETAIN IT MUCH BETTER THAN IF THEY DID SEEING IT ONE TIME IN CLASS AND TAKING IT ON A TEST.))
[SUPER=01-Ava Winckler/4th Grader; :00 QUICK!]
[SUPER=01-Lisa Angle/Counselor; :03]
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=and taking it on a test.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Martinsville schools have opted for an 18-thousand dollar computer testing program to practice for the SOLs.
It tracks students' progress and helps them become more comfortable with the test.
Many administrators complain that SOL preparation is now the ONLY school curriculum.
(------------)



[E-Star-Birthday]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=99-38 57:45]
[GRAPHIC=None]


We've talked a lot about the Noel C. Taylor this week.
One of his favorite spots in the Roanoke Valley was the Mill Mountain Star.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.]


The late mayor would have enjoyed the ceremonies at the Community School yesterday.
Students, staff and parents held a 50th birthday party for the city's famed landmark.
There was cake, a speech by the current mayor, and the traditional serenade.
(///// SOT /////)
[NAT SOT]
[IN Q=]
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=happy birthday to you. ]
(----------)
[VO-NAT]


All in honor of a symbol that turns fifty years old this year, and, like the city it represents, is still shining.
(------------)



[Atlanta-pandas]


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


A very special delivery arrives in Atlanta.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Beijing, China;]

[10;05:04]
China is loaning its two giant pandas to the Atlanta Zoo for ten years.
The plane carrying the two year old pandas touched down this morning.
Researchers will study Lun-Lun (loon-loon) and Yang-Yang (yahng-yahng) to try to learn more about why the endangered animals show little interest in mating while in captivity.
Only two other zoos in the U-S have the pandas -- the National Zoo in Washington, D-C,
[SUPER=03-San Diego, CA;]

and the San Diego Zoo, home to the baby panda.
The 3 month old now tips the scales at more than eight pounds and is starting to get her teeth. (------------)
by SS