WDBJ 7 morning news for 11/23/99

[Headlines]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

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

Snow and fog contribute to a deadly massive pileup near Denver.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

And a customer is badly burned at a Kabuki Japanese Steakhouse.
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

We'll be flirting with record high temperatures this afternoon as the mercury climbs to near 70.
But for right now, you'll be dealing with some patchy dense fog and drizzle for the drive into work.
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(ad lib live tease)
[2-shot]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

[CO-Accident]

[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident]

In Colorado, two people are dead and close to 30 injured in an 83 car pileup.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Golden, CO;]
[3:05;16]
It happened on an icy and foggy interstate outside of Denver.
Police say a car traveling too fast for conditions lost control and was struck by another vehicle.
Cars unable to stop then began sliding into each other.
Some motorists-- seeing what happened-- ran from their vehicles.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[3:05:35]
[IN Q=I got stopped in time]
[SUPER=01-Brian Armstrong/Motorist;]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=saw my car hit on]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[3:05:55]
Cars were stacked on top of each other like pancakes.
The injured were rushed to area hospitals.
At least seven remain hospitalized, one in critical condition.
(------------)

[E-220-Ax]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=99-57 :09]
[GRAPHIC=Accident]

Police think it may have been a chain reaction -
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
but they're not sure what caused the accident that left four cars damaged on Route 220 South in Roanoke last night.
Two people were taken to the hospital, apparently with non-life-threatening injuries.
The accident closed the Elm Avenue entrance to 220 South for mroe than an hour.
(------------)

[Kabuki-Accident]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A man eating at the Kabuki Japanese Steak House in Christiansburg is in the hospital after his face caught fire.

Apparently the man was sitting too close to the grill during the chef's routine fire ball demonstration.
He was taken to Montgomery Regional Hospital with first and second degree burns.
Managers at the restaurant say they have been doing this demonstration for 18 years and nothing like this has happened before.
So far no action has been taken against the restaurant.

[E-City-Water]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=99-38 1:16:52]
[GRAPHIC=Water Shortage]

Roanokers are still facing mandatory water restrictions, but as the drought has fallen from the headlines, conservation has also fallen short.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Carvins Cove]

The water level at Roanoke's main reservoir is now 17- point- nine feet below the spillway.
Typically, Roanokers have been saving between 20 and 40 million gallons of water a week... compared with the same period a year ago.
But recently, that figure has dropped.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 03:58:32]
[IN Q=It's something I have to say]
((CARRIE PRATT/ROANOKE RESIDENT: IT'S NOT SOMETHING I HAVE TO SAY I THINK ALL THE TIME, BUT MAYBE I'LL START THINKING ABOUT IT MORE NOW.))
[SUPER=01-Carrie Pratt/Roanoke Resident;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=about it more now.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[GRAPHIC=None]

City officials hope a new round of reminders will encourage water customers to conserve again.

[Ramdass-Execution]

[ANCHOR=MElanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=VA Death Penalty]

A man convicted of killing a convenience store clerk during a 1992 Fairfax County robbery is scheduled for execution tonight.
Bobby Lee Ramdass has a final appeal pending before the U-S Supreme Court and a clemency petition on file with Governor Gilmore.
In a letter to Gilmore, Ramdass said that seeing other death row inmates leave to be executed made him realize that he had no right to kill anyone.

[E-Hokie-Tickets]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=99-41 52:49]
[GRAPHIC=Hokie Ticket Frenzy]

Today's the deadline to postmark your application for Tech bowl tickets. But only alumni contributors and season ticket holders can apply in advance. Tina Tenret explains.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Try getting tickets]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :01]
[SUPER=01-Harry Parks/Class of '48; :33]
[SUPER=@Tina2; :55]
[RUNS=1:05]
[OUT Q=Tina Tenret News7 Blacksburg]
(( Try getting tickets to see Virginia Tech play in the Sugar Bowl and you'll hit this block.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 14:23:21]
[IN Q=I don't know]
((NAT SOT: I DON'T KNOW WHAT BOWL WE'RE GOING TO. WE MAY GO TO ANOTHER BOWL. WE HAVE QUALIFIED FOR A BCS BOWL BUT I D
ON'T KNOW WHICH ONE. THERE'S THREE OF THEM THERE, REALLY FOUR. AND I DON'T KNOW WHICH ONE WE'RE GOING TO.))
[RUNS= :12]
[OUT Q=WE'RE GOING TO]
Virginia Tech is not selling tickets to ANY bowl game -- yet. But about 6-thousand alumni contributors and season ticket holders have applied in advance. Harry Parks -- class of 48 -- bets he'll get a seat.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 14:27:00]
[IN Q=Nobody will have]
((NOBODY WILL HAVE A BETTER FOLLOWING AT THE BOWL GAME THAN US ... AFTER WE LEFT THEY WEREN'T SO CRITICAL.))
[RUNS= :16]
[OUT Q=SO CRITICAL]
Tickets go to advance applicants first -- then students -- then the general public. Meantime the football team's focusing on a short-term goal -- beat Boston College this Friday to stay undefeated. Tina Tenret News7 Blacksburg.))

[1-Sports]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=sports cut in]
[GRAPHIC=None]

In sports, Virginia Tech gets a win on the court and state college football teams gear up for the post season.
Denise Allen has more.
Good Morning Denise.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Good morning]
[RUNS=2:05]
[OUT Q=little bit]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
(Melanie ad lib toss to Kimberly/Wx)

[One-Steve]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]

[ON RECORD]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon;]
[SUPER=01-Beverley Dubelle/Author;]

(toss to stocks)
[STOCKS] [COMM] ((Archive: author))

[E-State-Revenues]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=99-45 50:31]
[GRAPHIC=Va. Budget]

More great budget news for Virginia.
The Gilmore Administration reports revenue collections up almost 11-percent for the first four months of this fiscal year.
That's mostly due to individual income tax collections rising more than 16-percent over last year.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/November 1998;]

That means wages are on the rise -- which state budget writers say should lead to the best shopping season in Virginia this decade.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 03:33 ]
[IN Q=Solid consumer]
((RON TILLETT/VIRGINIA FINANCE SECRETARY: SOLID CONSUMER FUNDAMENTALS ARE EXPECTED TO BOOST HOLIDAY SALES ABOVE THE STRONG RESULTS OF LAST YEAR'S HOLIDAY SEASON. IT REALLY IS THE BEST OF TIMES IN VIRGINIA.))
[SUPER=@Tillett;]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=best of times in Virginia.]
(-------------)
[TALENT=Melanie]
[SS=Tobacco Settlement]

Meanwhile, the Gilmore administration wants to spend a big chunk of Virginia's tobacco settlement money and federal highway funds up front, rather than spreading the settlement money over 25 years.
Under the plan presented yesterday, the state would take the 600 million in a lump sum.
The arrangement is similar to the way Lotto winners can take a reduced prize up front, rather than the full amount over a longer term.

[E-Health-Connections]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=tfl]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Health Check]

Students in Henry County public schools are getting on the road to better health.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Henry Co.; ]

Health Connections is a mobile clinic designed to provide roving health care to all nine thousand students in 21 schools.
Schools officials announced yesterday the clinic is staffed with one part-time and six full-time nurses.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT tc 00:11:14]
[IN Q=A lot of the children]
((SHERRY VESTAL/REGISTERED NURSE: A LOT OF THE CHILDREN SEE THEIR PHYSICIANS RIGHT BEFORE THEY START SCHOOL AND THAT'S THE ONLY ONE THEY GET UNTIL THEY NEED ONE FOR SPORTS IN HIGH SCHOOL, SO THAT'S OUR GOAL IS TO TRY TO PROVIDE A PHYSICAL FOR EVERY STUDENT. BECAUSE HEALTHY STUDENTS LEARN.))
[SUPER=01-Sherry Vestal/Registered Nurse; ]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=students learn.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Vestal is not only a nurse, but she's the only one licensed to handle the rig at the present time.
(------------)

[Health-Check]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=NET]
[GRAPHIC=Mornin Health Check]

In medical news, good news for folks who are dieting.
Doctor Dave Hnida has that story and more in this morning's Health check.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Dave Hnida/Reporting; :00 ]
[RUNS=1:43]
[OUT Q=CBS News, New York.]
((When it comes to dieting, you may think sugar is a four-letter word, but maybe not, at least according to researchers at Georgetown University.
VT=VO
They analyzed the diet of a typical American and found while sugar intake is high, it's not necessarily the main culprit when it comes to a bigger waistline. Instead, it's too many calories from all sources, meaning we're simply eating too much of everything. The researchers advice: the push away diet. Push away from the table after eating smaller portions. ON CAM If you're looking for some help in dropping a few pounds, the answer may be a product that's already shown to be safe and effective.
VT=VO
It's Zyban, the prescription drug used to help people quit smoking. A study from Duke University found when women went on a diet and were given Zyban they lost four times as much weight as women who simply went on a diet. Zyban is a derivative of the anti-depressant Wellbutrin, a drug that's been around for several years with a clean safety record. ON CAM And finally, there's few things as cozy as some nice holiday candles to put you in the holiday season.
VT=VO
Well in the spirit of throwing cold water on your candles comes a warning from the American Lung Association. They say vanilla, lavender and other scented candles can release lead, mercury and other toxins into the air. Especially dangerous are those candles, which have shiny metal wicks, these often contain pure lead. The association advice: go for candles made without additives, such as bees wax and keep candles away from drafty places where microscopic soot can be blown through a household. ON CAM And that' s a look at today's top health stories. I'm Dr. Dave Hnida for CBS News.))

(ad lib to weather)

[Two-Steve]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#NONE]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]

[On Record]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon;]
[SUPER=01-Beverley Dubelle/Author;]

(I'll call for #)
[SUPER=16-(540) 721-7224/Beverley Dubelle;]

[Double Boxes=KMC & SPA]
(toss to Kimberly)
[2-HEADLINES]
[2-shot=Mel/Kmc]
[SUPER=#4049; Morning Headlines]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Here's a look at today's top stories.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

As many as 83 cars and trucks collided in heavy snow and fog on Interstate west of Denver yesterday.
Two people died in the accident and at least 29 were injured.
Police say a car traveling too fast for conditions spun out of control and hit another vehicle causing a chain reaction crash.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kim]

Embezzlement charges are expected to be filed against a former Virginia Tech employee.
Arthur Degener (DEGG-ner) taught engineering at the University while pursuing his P-H-D.
School officials suspect he embezzled close to 100-thousand dollars of money that was he supposed to use to purchase supplies for a lab renovation project.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

President Clinton's plan to improve worker's safety is coming under fire from some business groups.
The Labor Department hopes these new rules will cut back on workplace injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive stress disorder.
The government says it will cost businesses upwards of four billion dollars a year to fix the problems, a number business leaders say is grossly underestimated.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

And that's what's making news on this Tuesday November 23.
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

News 7 Mornin' will be right back.

[5-Tech-Audit]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=599-15 53:36]
[GRAPHIC=Tech Audit]

Virginia Tech Police say they'll seek indictments against a man who taught engineering classes at the University.

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

Police say Arthur Degener (DEGG-ner) -- seen here in a 19-88 yearbook picture -- may have embezzled about 98-thousand dollars in state funds.
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg]

Degener went back to Tech last year, working on his P-H-D and teaching undergraduates.
During that time, the school authorized him to buy supplies for a lab renovation project.
But this summer an internal audit suggested he may have spent money on himself.
Now ... Tech police say Degener may have embezzled about 98-thousand dollars.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[graphic=None]

No charges have been filed against (Deg-ner) Degener.
He declined to talk to News-7 and his lawyer did not return our calls.

[2-E-City-Water]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=99-38 1:16:52]
[GRAPHIC=Water Shortage]

As the drought and mandatory water restrictions have fallen from the headlines, conservation has also fallen short.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Carvins Cove]

The water level at Roanoke's main reservoir is now 17- point- nine feet below the spillway.
Typically, Roanokers have been saving between 20 and 40 million gallons of water a week... compared with the same period a year ago.
But recently, that figure has dropped.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 03:58:32]
[IN Q=It's something I have to say]
((CARRIE PRATT/ROANOKE RESIDENT: IT'S NOT SOMETHING I HAVE TO SAY I THINK ALL THE TIME, BUT MAYBE I'LL START THINKING ABOUT IT MORE NOW.))
[SUPER=01-Carrie Pratt/Roanoke Resident;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=about it more now.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[GRAPHIC=None]

City officials hope a new round of reminders will encourage water customers to conserve again.

[E-Rockbridge-Shelter]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=99-53 12:55]
[GRAPHIC=Domestic Violence]

110 women died in Virginia last year as a result of domestic violence.
That's one reason Rockbridge County is opening its first domestic violence shelter for women.
As Kate Weidaw tells us, it's a community-wide effort.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=The shelter]
[SUPER=03-Lexington; :00]
[SUPER=01-Elizabeth Pharr/Project Horizon; :21]
[SUPER=01-Gregg Mullen/Timberframers Guild; :53]
[SUPER=@Kate1; 1:05]
[RUNS=1:25]
[OUT Q=KW N7 Rockbridge Co.]
((The shelter is still under construction but a lot of heart and time has gone into it so far. This home that will keep battered women safe has brought a community together by raising money and literally raising the walls. Elizabeth Pharr with Project Horizon says there is a need for domestic violence shelters.
[SOT 2:48:40]
[INQ=]
((ELIZABETH PHARR/EX. DIR. PROJECT HORIZON: IT IS A MUCH MORE RECOGNIZED PROBLEM IN OUR SOCIETY PEOPLE ARE MUCH MORE WILLING TO COME FORWARD AND SAY I DO NEED HELP.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 8]
The shelter is named Lisa's House after Rockbridge County resident and school counselor Lisa Knick. In 1990 her husband, who was a police officer, shot and killed her. Her story has inspired Gregg Mullen with the Timberframers Guild to get others in his organization to donate the wooden frames for the house. Some frames have come from as far away as Washington State, many with symbolic carvings on them.
[SOT 2:54:16]
[INQ=]
((GREGG MULLEN/TIMBERFRAMERS GUILD: I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT PART ABOUT THIS IS LIKE THE OLD TIME BARN RAISING A NUMBER OF PEOPLE CAN BE INVOLVED A BIG COMMUNITY EFFORT AND IN A DAY YOU HAVE A HOUSE.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 9]
[STANDUP 2:59:34]
[INQ=]
((KATE WEIDAW/REPORTING: THE SHELTER SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF THE YEAR IT WILL HOUSE SIXTEEN WOMEN AND CHILDREN OFFERING FREE AND CONFIDENTIAL SERVICE.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 10]
Organizers hope Lisa's House will remind everyone that this is one community that will not tolerate domestic violence. Kate Weidaw News 7 Rockbridge County.))

[Jail-Hanging]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The Henry County Sheriff's Department is investigating an apparent suicide at the county jail.
Van Warren Tatum of Bassett hung himself in his jail cell around 2-45 yesterday afternoon.
He was traken to Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and pronounced dead on arrival.
Tatum was arrested yesterday morning on a misdemeanor charge for violating a protective order.

[E-Verna-Lewis]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=99-42 1:08:18]
[GRAPHIC=Verna Lewis]

Voodoo and witchcraft did NOT exactly come into play during the tax-evasion trial of Doctor Verna Lewis.
But her attorneys claim the government managed to make reference to such things, thereby "injecting race" into the case.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/July 21]

Prosecutor Karen Peters summed up the case at trial by saying Doctor Lewis had misled people, accusing Lewis of "hoodooing" her accountant.
The defense says that comment associates Lewis, "an African- American Physician, with the Black witch doctors of Africa... and the deep South."
So far there has been no response from the government.
(------------)

[2-Ramdass-Execution]

[2-Co-Accident]

[ANCHOR=Kimbrely]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident]

Thick fog, snow and icy roads provided a deadly combination on a Colorado interstate.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Golden, CO;]
[3:05;16]
Two people were killed and more than two dozen injured in and 83 car pileup west of Denver.
Police say the chain reaction crash began when a car traveling too fast for conditions lost control and was struck by another vehicle.
Cars unable to stop then began sliding into each other.
Some motorists-- seeing what happened-- ran from their vehicles.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[3:05:46-54]
[IN Q=so we ended up running up the hill...]
[SUPER=01-Shannon Rogers/Motorist;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=going off the road everywhere.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[3:05:55]
Cars were stacked one on top of the other.
Many of the injured were taken to area hospitals.
At least seven remain hospitalized.
(------------)

[Three-Steve]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#NONE]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]

[On Record]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon;]
[SUPER=01-Beverley Dubelle/Author;]

(I'll call for #)
[SUPER=16-(540) 721-7224/Beverley Dubelle;]

[double Boxes=SPA & MEL]
(toss to Melanie)

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]
(ad lib toss to bump)
[BUMP-Chyron]
[COMM #6]
((Archive: author))

[ergonomics]

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

The Labor Department is coming to the rescue of thousands of American workers who each year suffer injuries on the job, injuries mostly caused by repetitive motion.
But industry is warning the new rules will cost more than anyone suspects.
Lee Cowan reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[3:25:47]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Washington DC; :00]
[SUPER=01-Ken Bush/UPS Worker; :09]
[SUPER=01-Alexis Herman/Secretary of Labor; :36]
[SUPER=01-Jerry Jasinowsky/Ntl. Association of Manufacturers; 1:25]
[SUPER=01-Lee Cowan/Reporting; 1:34]
[RUNS=1:50]
[OUT Q=cbs news Capitol Hill.]
((Ken Bush does this every day.
NAT/SOT BOX
NARR:
Loading and unloading And its getting old.
SOT/KEN BUSH/UPS WORKER
You got guys with knee injuries, and back injuries, just everything, it just takes its toll. NARR:
Hes like some 600-thousand other workers who suffer from a job related injuries each year, either from heavy lifting, or constant repetitive motion side effects of poor ergonomic environments, as theyre called.
Now the Labor Department is demanding a change, with sweeping and controversial new regulations that force employers to fix what employees say is wrong.
SOT/ALEXIS HERMAN, SECRETARY OF LABOR
My friends, this is the right thing to do, this is the smart thing to do, because good ergonomics is also good economics. NARR:
The new proposal would affect some 27 million workers -- everyone from nurses who lift heavy patients, to those who sit at keyboards -- requiring employers to identify and fix potential health problems and make it easier for workers to report a stress related injury.
Expected savings: some 300-thousand injuries a year and some 9 billion in disability claims.
But employers arent so sure.
Jerry Jasinowksi is president of the National Association of Manufacturers. He says the plan would cost employers more than 6 times what the government estimates, and to make matters worse, he says theres no science to back up the regulation.
SOT/JERRY JASINOWSKY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MANUFACTURERS
Lee: Ill conceived? Answer: If you dont know what causes certain injuries, and youre trying to regulate it, it is by definition ill conceived. COWAN ON CAM: Congress asked the National Academy of Sciences to look into workplace injuries, but the study isnt due to be released until next year. This proposal could take effect with a few months regulating a change in the way America does business. Lee Cowan, CBS News, Washington.))

[2-E-State-Revenues]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=99-45 50:31]
[GRAPHIC=Va. Budget]

Virginia is already expecting a big budget surplus, now there's more good financial news.
The Gilmore Administration reports revenue collections up almost 11-percent for the first four months of this fiscal year.
That's mostly due to individual income tax collections rising more than 16-percent over last year.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/November 1998;]

That means wages are on the rise -- which state budget writers say should lead to the best shopping season in Virginia this decade.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 03:33 ]
[IN Q=Solid consumer]
((RON TILLETT/VIRGINIA FINANCE SECRETARY: SOLID CONSUMER FUNDAMENTALS ARE EXPECTED TO BOOST HOLIDAY SALES ABOVE THE STRONG RESULTS OF LAST YEAR'S HOLIDAY SEASON. IT REALLY IS THE BEST OF TIMES IN VIRGINIA.))
[SUPER=@Tillett;]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=best of times in Virginia.]
(-------------)
[TALENT=Kimberly]
[SS=Tobacco Settlement]

Meanwhile, the Gilmore administration wants to spend a big chunk of Virginia's tobacco settlement money and federal highway funds up front, rather than spreading the settlement money over 25 years.
Under the plan presented yesterday, the state would take the 600 million in a lump sum.
The arrangement is similar to the way Lotto winners can take a reduced prize up front, rather than the full amount over a longer term.

[3-Sports]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=sports cut in]
[GRAPHIC=None]

In sports, the Hokies respond to the B-C-S polls and prepare for the last game of the regular season.
Denise Allen has the details.
Good Morning Denise.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Good morning]
[RUNS=1:53]
[OUT Q=great day]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
(weather toss)

[Local-Recap]
[SUPER=#4059;Local Recap]
[2-Shot=Mel/Kmc]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Now here's another look at today's top local stories:
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Roanokers are still facing mandatory water restrictions, but as the drought has fallen from the headlines, conservation has also fallen short.
Typically, Roanokers have been saving between 20 and 40 million gallons of water a week.
But recently, that figure has dropped.
City officials hope a new round of reminders will encourage water customers to conserve again.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

Virginia Tech Police say they'll seek indictments against a man who taught engineering classes at the University.

Police say Arthur Degener (DEGG-ner) -- may have embezzled about 98-thousand dollars in state funds.
While working on his P-H-D and teaching undergraduates, the school authorized him to buy supplies for a lab renovation project.
But this summer an internal audit suggested he may have spent money on himself.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Today's the deadline to postmark your application for Tech bowl tickets.
But only alumni contributors and season ticket holders can apply in advance.
About 6-thousand of them have already applied.
Tickets go to advance applicants first -- then students -- then the general public.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
(Kimberly mic hot)
(///////////////)
(Kimberly ad lib weather)
(-------------)
[Double Boxes=Melanie/Kimberly and Steve]
(toss)
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(live ad lib, tease tomorrow)
(ad lib bye) [Double Boxes=Melanie/Kimberly and Steve]