WDBJ 7 morning news for 12/06/99

[Headlines]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

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

Five women are killed execution style in Baltimore, the search continues for the suspects in their murders.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

And it's official, Virginia Tech will play for the national championship at the Sugar Bowl.
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

Cloudy skies, with some lingering showers....but look for partial clearing a little later on.
Meanwhile, you don't need a coat out there this morning, but the passage of a cold front will really cool temperatures down by this evening.
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(ad lib live tease)
[2-shot]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

[Sugar-Bowl]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morning]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=99-40 TC1:56:31]
[GRAPHIC=Sugar Bowl Matchup]
[****ANCHOR TAG****]
The Hokies are headed to Sugar Bowl to compete for the National Championship.
They'll will face-off against the Florida State Seminoles January 4th.
And as Joy Sutton reports Tech fans are going wild.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=At least]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Mark Conover/Virginia Tech Student; :25]
[SUPER=01-Matt Wasatonic/Virginia Tech Student; :50]
[SUPER=@joy2; 1:02]
[SUPER=01-Greg Dunn/Virginia Tech Alumnus; 1:10]
[RUNS=1:30]
[OUT Q=N7 Christiansburg]
(((///// SOT /////)
[nat sound 5:59] ((nat sound with tech/vs florida state on tv))
[RUNS= 5]

At least 300 hundred Hokie fans packed inside Gobbler Town Restaurant in Christiansburg -- to hear the news they had all been waiting for -- that Tech would be going to the Sugar Bowl.
(///// SOT /////)
[nat sound of bus driving 10:13] ((nat sound of bus driving, horn honking))
[RUNS= 5]

And these Tech students already have their transportation to go to New Orleans.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT11:34]
[IN Q=It's going to]
((MARK CONOVER/TECH STUDENT: IT'S GOING TO BE 8 TO 12 OF US. WE'VE GOT OUR RV RESERVATIONS JUST OUTSIDE OF NEW ORLEANS ON THE BUS ROUTE.))
[RUNS= 7]
[OUT Q=bus route]

The students say their ride is like a mobile home -- complete with a refrigerator, sink, and beds.
But none of the passengers have Sugar Bowl Tickets.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 12:48]
[IN Q=Why go if]
((why go if you don't have tickets:CONOVER: WHY NOT. IT'S JUST GOING TO BE FUN TO BE DOWN THERE WITH ALL THE OTHER HOKIES))
[RUNS= 7]
[OUT Q=other]

These students are still hoping to get a ticket through the lottery process at Tech.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT14:27]
[IN Q=I know]
((MATT WASATONIC: I KNOW SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT AREN'T GOING. I TOLD THEM I'LL GIVE YOU MORE MONEY THAN ANYONE ELSE BECAUSE IT'S JUST THAT IMPORTANT TO ME. I HAVE TO GO))
[RUNS= 7]
[OUT Q=i just have to go]
(///// SOT /////)
[nat sound] ((nat sound cheering fans))
[RUNS= 5]
Many fans say they never expected the Hokies to go this far --- in such a short time.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 18:51]
[IN Q=I really didn't think]
((GREG DUNN: I REALLY DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD HAPPEN THIS FAST. I WAS REALLY THINKING THE NEXT FIVE TO SIX YEARS WE MIGHT GET THERE. IT'S BEEN AN INCREDIBLE YEAR. WE'RE VERY HAPPY, VERY ELATED, SHOCKED ALMOST))
[RUNS= 11]
[OUT Q=shocked almost]

But it's finally official -- and the T-shirts are out -- it's the Hokies versus the Seminoles -- competing the national championship.))
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Roy Stanley will have more on the January match-up later in sports.

[Switched-Babies]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Switched Babies]

A Stafford County judge is expected to decide this week whether to grant visitation to several relatives of a four-year-old girl who was switched at birth.
The biological grandparents and two aunts of Callie Conley are seeking to have her one weekend a month and for an unspecified amount of time during holidays and the summer.
Paula Johnson, who has custody of Callie, sought custody of the other child in the switch last month in a Buena Vista court.
Instead, she was granted visitation to see Rebecca Chittum, her biological daughter.

[E-Prices-Fork]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=99-59 :11]
[GRAPHIC=none]

A government panel says it would be a bad idea for the community of Prices Fork to become a town.
(---------)
[VO-NAT 99-31 10:11]
[SUPER=03-Prices Fork/July]

Several public meetings have already been held on the subject.
The Commission on Local Government concluded that Prices Fork would be unable to provide basic services like water and garbage removal.
A judicial panel still must review the petition -- that will happen next month.
(-------------------)

[Baltimore-shootings]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Shooting]

Baltimore police are still searching for four suspects in the shooting deaths of five women last night.
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Baltimore, MD]

The bodies were discovered in a house and each had multiple gunshot wounds.
The shootings cap an unusually violent weekend in Baltimore which has had ten killings since Friday.
(-------------)

[Mars-lander]

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

Anxious optimism is slowly being replaced by a sense of frustration and disappointment as NASA scientists wait to hear from the Mars polar lander.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[3:00:50]
It's been nearly three days since the craft was supposed to gently touch down on the red planet's surface.
[SUPER=03-Pasadena, CA; ]

Scientists at the jet propulsion lab are using the deep space network of antennas and the mars global surveyor to listen for any signal from the lander.
But after another critical try, still nothing.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=we didn't get any signal..]
[SUPER=01-Richard Cook/Mars Polar Lander Team;]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=check that box off.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Scientists believe the craft is sitting on the mars surface in a kind of electronic hibernation, unable to find earth with its antennas.
They will try to send up new commands today, but if it doesn't answer, it could be another loss for the space agency.

(------------)

[1-Sports]

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

In sports, Roy Stanley has notes and highlights from around the N-F-L.
Plus, the Express' last minute comeback falls short.
Good Morning Roy.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Good morning]
[RUNS=2:14]
[OUT Q=later on Mornin]

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

[One-Steve]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#M99-6]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]

[Roll Cold out of Break]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=welcome back]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon; :00]
[SUPER=01-Dave Nunley/Home Depot; :19]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :40]
[RUNS=3:00]
[OUT Q=News 7 Mornin' Returns]

(tape tosses to stocks)
[STOCKS] [COMM] ((Archive: home enegry saving))

[us-cuba]

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

Fidel Castro is ordering the United States to return the young Cuban boy rescued off the Florida coast on Thanksgiving.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Havanna, Cuba;]

This announcement comes as Cuba beefed up its security forces outside the U-S mission in Havana.

The U-S has also heightened its own security at the mission.
[SUPER=03-Miami, FL;]

Cuban officials say Elian Gonzalez, who's mother drowned as she was trying to reach America, belongs with his father.
Elian is staying with relatives in Miami until a court decides his fate.
(------------)

[E-Blairs-Fire]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=99-60 :13]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]

A fire fighter in Pittsylvania County lost HIS home to a blaze last night.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pittsylvania Co.;]

The house belonged to a volunteer in the Blairs community.
The house was fully engulfed in flames when crews arrived shortly after six.
It took 30 minutes to bring the blaze under control.
The firefighter who lived there was NOT home at the time.
So far no word on a cause -- officials say the house is a total loss.
(------------)

[Health-Check]

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

how can you protect yourself against medical mistakes?
Doctor Dave Hnida has some tips in this morning's Health check.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Dave Hnida/Reporting; :00 ]
[RUNS=1:28]
[OUT Q=CBS News, New York.]
((A new study shows medical mistakes are the eight leading cause of death in America, that's more than highway accidents, breast cancer and even AIDS. Close to one hundred thousand people die because of medical mistakes every year, but even worse, most experts say this figure is probably too low. Now there are two main areas where mistakes take place. The first is the one that gets the most publicity, when you go under the knife.
VT=VO
You get an operation on the wrong arm, the wrong leg. Here's what you need to do before undergoing any medical surgery, or for that matter any medical test. Number one, ask what's being done, why is it being done and what happens if I don't have it done? And who's actually doing it? A main doctor, a resident, an intern, a technician. And last but not least, before surgery is done on an arm or leg, make sure the correct one is clearly marked. This is one some hospitals will even have you do yourself. ON CAM Now area number two, medication errors. And this really is the big one. Allergic reactions, the wrong medications, too strong a dose, they all contribute to medication being a scary thing. Now here's what you need to know. Identify and compare medications you are being given and if you don't recognize it, ask what you are being given. And if you don't recognize it, ask what it is and why you are taking it. Make sure the nurse giving you the medication checks your wristband to make sure you are you, and the medicine is for you. And by all means, ask about side effects. I'm Dr. Dave Hnida for CBS News.))

(ad lib to weather)

[Two-Steve]

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

[Small studio camera]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon;]
(Give away the truck)

[Double Boxes=KMC & SPA]
(toss to Kimberly)
((Archive: )) [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]

Baltimore police are looking for four suspects in a multiple shooting.
Last night police responded to a shooting report and found the bodies of five women in a house.
A police spokeswoman says the victims may have been related.
A vehicle matching the description of one seen by witnesses leaving the scene was later reported at a McDonald's where there apparently was an attempted carjacking.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kim]

Two more chances to communicate with the Mars Polar Lander have come and gone and still no contact.
NASA scientists acknowledge their team is getting more frustrated and tense, although they still haven't completely given up hope and will try again today to contact the lander.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

And they're celebrating in Blacksburg.
The final Bowl Championship Series rankings have been released and Florida State and Virginia Tech are number one and two.
That means the two will meet in January 4th's Sugar Bowl to play for the national championship.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

And that's what's making news on this Monday December 6th.
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

News 7 Mornin' will be right back.

[2-Sugar-Bowl]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morning]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=99-40 TC1:56:31]
[GRAPHIC=Sugar Bowl Matchup]
[****ANCHOR TAG****]
It may not have been a surprise, but the news that Virginia Tech will play for the national championship has fans going wild.
Joy Sutton has more.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=At least]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Mark Conover/Virginia Tech Student; :25]
[SUPER=01-Matt Wasatonic/Virginia Tech Student; :50]
[SUPER=@joy2; 1:02]
[SUPER=01-Greg Dunn/Virginia Tech Alumnus; 1:10]
[RUNS=1:30]
[OUT Q=N7 Christiansburg]
(((///// SOT /////)
[nat sound 5:59] ((nat sound with tech/vs florida state on tv))
[RUNS= 5]

At least 300 hundred Hokie fans packed inside Gobbler Town Restaurant in Christiansburg -- to hear the news they had all been waiting for -- that Tech would be going to the Sugar Bowl.
(///// SOT /////)
[nat sound of bus driving 10:13] ((nat sound of bus driving, horn honking))
[RUNS= 5]

And these Tech students already have their transportation to go to New Orleans.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT11:34]
[IN Q=It's going to]
((MARK CONOVER/TECH STUDENT: IT'S GOING TO BE 8 TO 12 OF US. WE'VE GOT OUR RV RESERVATIONS JUST OUTSIDE OF NEW ORLEANS ON THE BUS ROUTE.))
[RUNS= 7]
[OUT Q=bus route]

The students say their ride is like a mobile home -- complete with a refrigerator, sink, and beds.
But none of the passengers have Sugar Bowl Tickets.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 12:48]
[IN Q=Why go if]
((why go if you don't have tickets:CONOVER: WHY NOT. IT'S JUST GOING TO BE FUN TO BE DOWN THERE WITH ALL THE OTHER HOKIES))
[RUNS= 7]
[OUT Q=other]

These students are still hoping to get a ticket through the lottery process at Tech.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT14:27]
[IN Q=I know]
((MATT WASATONIC: I KNOW SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT AREN'T GOING. I TOLD THEM I'LL GIVE YOU MORE MONEY THAN ANYONE ELSE BECAUSE IT'S JUST THAT IMPORTANT TO ME. I HAVE TO GO))
[RUNS= 7]
[OUT Q=i just have to go]
(///// SOT /////)
[nat sound] ((nat sound cheering fans))
[RUNS= 5]
Many fans say they never expected the Hokies to go this far --- in such a short time.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 18:51]
[IN Q=I really didn't think]
((GREG DUNN: I REALLY DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD HAPPEN THIS FAST. I WAS REALLY THINKING THE NEXT FIVE TO SIX YEARS WE MIGHT GET THERE. IT'S BEEN AN INCREDIBLE YEAR. WE'RE VERY HAPPY, VERY ELATED, SHOCKED ALMOST))
[RUNS= 11]
[OUT Q=shocked almost]

But it's finally official -- and the T-shirts are out -- it's the Hokies versus the Seminoles -- competing the national championship.))
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The Tech Athletic Department will receive 16-thousand tickets for the January 4th game.
But the ticket office has more than 24-thousand requests for those tickets.

[2-Switched-Babies]

[2-E-Prices-Fork]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=99-59 :11]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Don't expect to see the town of Price's Fork any time soon-- a government panel says it would be a bad idea.
(---------)
[VO-NAT 99-31 10:11]
[SUPER=03-Prices Fork/July]

Several public meetings have already been held on the subject.
The Commission on Local Government concluded that Prices Fork would be unable to provide basic services like water and garbage removal.
A judicial panel still must review the petition -- that will happen next month.
(-------------------)

[2-Baltimore-shootings]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Shooting]

Baltimore police are still searching for four suspects in the shooting deaths of five women last night.
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Baltimore, MD]

The bodies were discovered in a house and each had multiple gunshot vwounds.
The shootings cap an unusually violent weekend in Baltimore which has had ten killings since Friday.
(-------------)

[MISSING-POLAR]

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

NASA scientists aren't holding out much hope they're going to be able to contact their 165 million-dollar Mars Polar Lander.
The latest attempt has failed.
They will be trying to send up new commands today, but if it doesn't answer, it could be another loss for the space agency.
Manuel Gallegus has the latest from Pasadena.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[3:00:50]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Pasadena, CA; :08]
[SUPER=01-Richard Cook/Mars Polar Lander Team; :18]
[SUPER=01-Sarah Gavit/Project Manager; 1:02]
[SUPER=01-Manuel Gallegus/Reporting; 1:08]
[RUNS=1:24]
[OUT Q=CBS NEWS, PASADENA.]
((ITS BEEN NEARLY THREE DAYS SINCE THE MARS POLAR LANDER WAS SUPPOSED TO GENTLY SET DOWN ON THE SURFACE OF THE RED PLANET. ANXIOUS SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN USING THE DEEP SPACE NETWORK OF ANTENNAS, AND THE MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR TO LISTEN FOR ANY SIGNAL FROM THE CRAFT. BUT AFTER ANOTHER CRITICAL TRY STILL NOTHING.
-SOT-RICHARD COOK, MARS POLAR LANDER
SCIENTISTS THEORIZE THE LANDER IS SITTING ON THE SURFACE OF MARS IN A KIND OF ELECTRONIC HIBERNATION, UNABLE TO FIND EARTH WITH ITS ANTENNAS. THEYVE BEEN SENDING THE CRAFT HELP SIGNALS FROM EARTH, BUT UNTIL FIRST CONTACT IS MADE, THEY CANT BEGIN TO KNOW WHATS HAPPENED.
-SOT- RICHARD COOK, MARS POLAR LANDER
THEY ALSO HAVE NO IDEA WHETHER THE MICRO PROBES SURVIVED. THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO SLAM INTO MARTIAN SURFACE AND SEND THEIR OWN SIGNALS.
-SOT-SARAH GAVIT, PROBES PROJECT MANAGER ))

[Three-Steve]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#M99-6]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]

[ROLL COLD OUT OF BIRTHDAYS]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon; :00]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :50]
[SUPER=01-Dave Nunley/Home Depot; 1:28]
[RUNS=2:10]
[OUT Q= products are reusable]

[On Record] [Steve Live]

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

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

[worcester-fire]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Fire]

A vigil continues outside a burned out building in (wuster) Worcester, Massachusetts where six firefighters lost their lives on Friday night.
So far only one body has been recovered.
Debris and hot spots are making things difficult.
The search and recovery mission is set to resume this morning.
Ron Sanders has more from Worcester.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[3;03;13]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Worcester, MA; :00]
[SUPER=01-Capt. Dennis Dolan/Worcester Fire Department; :15]
[SUPER=01-James Callery/Worcester Fire Department; :36]
[SUPER=01-Raymond Mariano/Worcester Mayor; 1:28]
[SUPER=01-Stephan Coan/State Fire Marshal; 1:49]
[SUPER=01-Ron Sanders/Reporting; 1:59]
[RUNS=2:09]
[OUT Q=Worcester Mass.]

[2-E-Blairs-Fire]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=99-60 :13]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]

The home of a Pittsylvania County firefighter burned last night.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pittsylvania Co.;]

The house belonged to a volunteer in the Blairs community.
The house was fully engulfed in flames when crews arrived shortly after six.
It took 30 minutes to bring the blaze under control.
The firefighter who lived there was NOT home at the time.
So far no word on a cause -- officials say the house is a total loss.
(------------)

[2-5-Motorcycle-Ax]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=599-10 1:52:24]
[GRAPHIC=Accident (generic)]

Salem police say charges are pending against the driver involved in an accident with a motorcycle.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem;]

It happened near Lewis Gale hospital, yesterday morning.
26- year old Scott Jones of Salem was the driver of the bike.
He was taken to the hospital but was NOT seriously injured.
Police have NOT released the name of the other driver.
(------------)

[3-Sports]

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

In sports, Virginia Tech is officially headed to the Sugar Bowl.
Roy Stanley has more.
Good Morning Roy.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Good morning]
[RUNS=2:29]
[OUT Q=great day everybody]

[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]

Florida State and Virginia Tech will face off in the Sugar Bowl on January Fourth.
The news has tech students and fans scrambling to make plans for New Orleans.
The Tech athletic department will receive 16-thousand tickets for the game, but the ticket office already has more than 24-thousand requests.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

The movement to turn Price's Fork into a town has suffered a setback.
The Commission on Local Government concluded that Prices Fork would be unable to provide basic services like water and garbage removal.
A judicial panel still must review the petition -- that will happen next month.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

A Pittsylvania County firefighter's home burned last night.
The house belonged to a volunteer in the Blairs community.
When crews arrived shortly after six- P-M, they say the house was fully engulfed in flames.
(-------------)
[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]