[7-Vinton-Police]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=99-52]
[GRAPHIC=Vinton Police Protest]
Emotions remain high in Vinton as town residents had another chance to voice their concerns over the resignation of Ricky Foutz.
Kate Weidaw has the story.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I think this]
[SUPER=03-Vinton; :08]
[SUPER=01-Beth Obaugh/Foutz's Stepdaughter; :58]
[SUPER=@Kate1; 1:12]
[RUNS=1:30]
[OUT Q=kw news 7 Vinton]
(([SOT 7:36:13 #1]
[INQ=]
((I THINK THIS NEEDS TO BE ACTED ON YOUR HEMMING AND HOLLERING AND TRYING TO DODGE THE BULLET THE BULLET HAS BEEN SHOT ANSWER IT.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 9]
Tempers flared as Foutz supporters voiced their opinions.
A petition with 250 names on it was given to council stating Foutz's salary should be paid until he can collect his full retirement package in three years.
Many residents couldn't understand the reasoning behind council's decision.
[SOT 8:20:15 #2]
[INQ=]
((WHEN THE DECISION WAS MADE TO PUT RICK FOUTZ OUT HERE WHY WASN'T THE DECISION MADE TO PAY HIM UNTIL YOU GOT THE REPORT BACK.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 7]
The mayor says officials had been briefed by the special prosecutor on some details of the investigation.
But citizens want to know why they know secret information, and if it's not secret - why they're not sharing it.
[NAT SOUND]
[RUNS= :03]
[8:03:10 #1]
Foutz's daughter was visibly upset but says her dad is doing fine amid all the controversy.
[SOT 8:29:00 #2]
[INQ=]
((BETH OBAUGH/FOUTZ'S DAUGHTER: WE'RE ALL BE STRONG WE KNOW SOMETHING GOOD IS GOING TO COME OUT OF THIS IN THE END.))
[OUTQ]
[RUNS= 6]
And after an hour of residents and council going in circles -- council decided to vote on the petition at its next meeting.
[STANDUP]
[INQ=]
((KATE WEIDAW/REPORTING: ONE COUNCIL MEMBER SAID WHEN THE SPECIAL GRAND JURY REPORT COMES OUT SOME TIME NEXT YEAR, IF ONE OR BOTH OF THE MEN ARE CLEARED OF ANY WRONG DOING THEY WILL BE GIVEN FULL RESTITUTION. RESIDENTS SAY THEY WILL BE BACK FOR THE NEXT MEETING IN TWO WEEKS. KATE WEIDAW NEWS 7 VINTON.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS=]
))
[7-School-Prayer]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Lynchburg Seal]
The difficult decision of whether to continue prayer before meetings remains for members of the Lynchburg City School board.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]
The American Civil Liberties Union says that prayer violates the separation of church and state.
It's willing to represent for free any student who opposes the prayer and wants to take the school board to court.
Three different conservative legal groups have offered to defend the board.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=we are all]
((ELLEN NYGAARD/SCHOOL BOARD CHAIRMAN: WE ARE ALL VERY THOUGHTFUL INDIVIDUALS AND HAVE OUR OWN RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. WHAT WE HAVE TO WRESTLE WITH NOW AS A BODY IS DECIDE HOW DOES THAT FIT INTO OUR ROLE AS PUBLIC SERVANTS AND, AS YOU INDICATED, HOW FAR WE WANT TO GO AS FAR AS PROMOTING THIS, IS IT PART OF OUR MISSION OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS.))
[SUPER=01-Ellen Nygaard/School Board Chairman]
[RUNS=:19]
[OUT Q=missions of public schools.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The A-C-L-U is giving the board time to make up its mind, but a decision on whether to keep praying could still be weeks away.
(------------)
[7Weather]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Here now is a look at your mid-week forecast.
Partly cloudy today with some winds.
Highs in the low to mid 60s.
Tonight clear skies with lows in the low 30s.
The extended forecast....
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Partly Cloudy/Light Winds/60-65/Clear/Skies/30-35;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
[45-L'burg-Schools]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-44 1:10:55]
[GRAPHIC=Lynchburg Seal]
The tradition of prayer at Lynchburg school board meetings could lead to a legal challenge.
Steve Smallshaw reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=For now]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Sterling Wilder/School Board Member; :10]
[SUPER=01-Walter Erwin/Lynchburg City Attorney; :34]
[SUPER=01-Ellen Nygaard/School Board Chairman; :52]
[SUPER=@ssm1; 1:08]
[RUNS=1:25]
[OUT Q=News7, Lynchburg.]
(( For now, they're simply calling it the "opening comment".. this time, school board member Sterling Wilder read a poem.. then finished with a short prayer.
[natsot 16:38:00]
((STERLING WILDER/SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER: GIVE US THE WISDOM TO KNOW HOW TO LEAD THEM EDUCATIONALLY, RECREATIONALLY AND MENTALLY. AMEN.))
[RUNS= 05]
But the American Civil Liberties Union says that prayer violates the separation of church and state.. it's willing to represent for free any student who opposes the prayer and wants to take the school board to court.
Three different conservative legal groups.. including the Rutherford Institute.. have offered to defend the board.
[SOT 10:52:02]
((WALTER ERWIN/LYNCHBURG CITY ATTORNEY: THE ATTORNEYS ARE GIVING THEM THEIR OPINIONS, THEIR THOUGHTS AND THEN THE SCHOOL BOARD WILL TAKE THOSE OPINIONS AND MAKE A DECISION.))
[RUNS= 07]
[OUT Q=make a decision.]
But for nine people who routinely make choices affecting thousands of students and millions of dollars.. this may be their toughest decision yet.
[SOT 10:54:12]
((ELLEN NYGAARD/SCHOOL BOARD CHAIRMAN: WE ARE ALL VERY THOUGHTFUL INDIVIDUALS AND HAVE OUR OWN RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. WHAT WE HAVE TO WRESTLE WITH NOW AS A BODY IS DECIDE HOW DOES THAT FIT INTO OUR ROLE AS PUBLIC SERVANTS AND, AS YOU INDICATED, HOW FAR WE WANT TO GO AS FAR AS PROMOTING THIS, IS IT PART OF OUR MISSION OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS.))
[RUNS= 19]
[OUT Q=of public schools.]
[Standup ]
((A representative from the A-C-L-U was at last night's meeting.. he says the poem that was read may be an acceptable alternative, but any prayer still creates a problem.
The A-C-L-U is giving the board time to make up its mind.. but a decision on whether to keep praying could still be weeks away.
Steve Smallshaw, News7, Lynchburg.))
[RUNS= 19]
[OUT Q=News7, Lynchburg.]))
[45-SOL]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=SOLs]
The President of Virginia's Board of Education says he's open to specific ideas about S-O-L'S, but says the tests are NOT going away.
Kirk Schroder has sent out a letter to the organizations that represent teachers, superintendents, principals and parents across the state.
The groups said last week they don't want SOL tests to be the single factor that determines state accreditation or graduation.
[45-E-BentMtn-Ax]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=99-54 30:54]
[GRAPHIC=Accident]
It's becoming a familiar sight, tractor trailor accidents on Bent Mountain.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.]
Last night a big rig careened off Bent Mountain Road while traveling down the mountain.
The truck - carrying frozen hams - went off the same curve where another truck crashed in September.
The driver was taken to the hospital.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[2:13:56 - :04]
[IN Q=He is]
[SUPER=01-C. M. Viar/Roanoke Co. Police]
[RUNS=08]
[OUT Q=not sure yet]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The driver's injuries are NOT believed to be life-threatening.
(-------------)
[45Weather]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Taking a break from the news to check weather...
Partly cloudy today with light winds and highs in the low to mid 60s.
Clear overnight, with lows in the 30s.
The extended forecast is calling for more sunshine and mild tempertures tomorrow....with rain developing and Friday and temperatures cooling off into the 50s.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Partly Cloudy/Light Winds/60-65/Clear/Skies/30-35;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
[8-E-Tultex]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=99-43 1:26:13]
[GRAPHIC=Tultex Chpt. 11]
The company that laid off twenty-six hundred workers is now helping its former employees search for new jobs.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville;]
Tultex called in career advisors to meet with displaced workers from five area plants this week.
Eleven-hundred in Martinsville and Henry County lost their jobs.
More than 250 workers showed up yesterday in Martinsville for some career counseling.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:20:22 - :29]
[IN Q=It really looks grim]
((WENDY AMOS: IT REALLY LOOKS GRIM FOR EVERYBODY HERE AT THE HOLIDAY SEASON, BUT I'M GOING TO HOLD MY HEAD UP HIGH AND I'M GOING TO KEEP GOING ON. ))
[SUPER=01-Wendy Amos/Former Tultex Worker;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=keep going on.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Since last week's layoffs, several furniture companies and another textile plant have announced they're expanding.
That will create more than 600 new jobs.
(------------)
[8-S-M'ville-Taxes]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=99-49 23:57]
[GRAPHIC=Hold]
After last week's bankruptcy announcement, Martinsville city officials are still trying to figure how Tultex will affect the city's future.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
It produced roughly nine percent of the city's real estate and property tax revenue.
Tultex still owes the city more than 650-thousand dollars in real estate and property taxes for THIS year.
It was the city's biggest water customer --accounting for about half of all Martinsville water and sewage use.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]
Martinsville doesn't know yet if it will ever get the money Tultex owes.
Any hole in the city budget could have an impact on taxes city residents pay.
[8-E-NS-Cars]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=99-42]
[GRAPHIC=NS]
Some of Norfolk Southern's coal cars are getting bigger, and so is the demand for coke.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
The N-S shops in Roanoke are adding four-foot walls to the tops of 725-cars.
The so-called "high tops" are specially designed to move coke.
Coke is a byproduct of coal that's used to make steel -- and Norfolk Southern says its acquisition of Conrail opened up new markets for coke along the east coast.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 3:39:12]
[IN Q=it's a direct]
((ANTHONY WADE/NORFOLK SOUTHERN: IT'S A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP TO THE NEW MARKETS THAT WE'VE ACQUIRED DUE TO THE ACQUISITION OF CONRAIL. TO SERVE THE STEEL CONSUMERS FORMERLY UNDER CONRAIL AND NOW UNDER THE NEW NORFOLK SOUTHERN .))
[SUPER=01-Anthony Wade/Norfolk Southern]
[RUNS=14]
[OUT Q=new norfolk southern]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
N-S is not hiring more workers to build the coke cars.
Last week, the railroad laid off 110 workers ... because international demand for COAL was -- and still is -- slumping.
(------------)
[8-E-Villarini]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=99-40]
[GRAPHIC=Villarini]
The former bank teller who was convicted of money laundering, now faces a four year jail term.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
47-year old Karen Villarini never admitted anything, implying that the 83-thousand dollar shortage bank examiners found was somebody else's fault.
Upon moving to Florida, she started depositing cash in small amounts. That got her convicted of money laundering, though the judge said it was a weak case.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:23:25]
[IN Q=Miss Villarini had many]
[SUPER=01-Jennie Waering/Prosecutor]
[RUNS=14]
[OUT Q=overwhelming.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[graphic=Hold]
Villarini will be allowed to report to prison after the holidays.
[8Weather]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Let's take a moment now to look at the forecast once more...
Partly cloudy skies today with unseasonably mild highs in the low to mid 60s.
Clear overnight, with a low of 30 to 35.
The five day forecast is calling for more sunshine and warm weather tomorrow....then becoming cooler and wetter on Friday.
Highs in the 50s and 60s...lows in the 30s and 40s.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Partly Cloudy/Light Winds/60-65/Clear/Skies/30-35;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
by SS