WDBJ 7 morning news for 12/10/99

[Headlines]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
Rescuers equipped with night vision gear are searching for seven Marines still missing after their helicopter crashed into the ocean near San Diego.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
Three soldiers are dead and 16 injured after a U-S Air Force plane made an emergency landing at Kuwait International Airport.
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

Bring along those umbrellas this morning....a fast- moving storm system promises some signficant batches of rain throughout the day.
Temperatures stay on the rather mild side this afternoon...with highs nearing 60.
The weekend outlook is coming up. [2-shot]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

[Layoffs]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=99-]
[GRAPHIC=Tultex Chapter 11]

Tultex Corporation plans to lay off another 350 people in Henry County within two months.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville;]
A company spokeswoman said yesterday that half of those layoffs will take place with the closing in 60 days of a customer service center and warehouse. The layoffs are linked to the clothing manufacturer's filing in federal court last week to reorganize.
At that time, Tultex dismissed 26-hundred employees.
(------------)

[11Tultex]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=99-42 1:35:13]
[GRAPHIC=Tultex Chpt. 11]

The hundreds who were laid off at Tultex are wondering what they'll do now -- and what happens to their benefits.

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Vinton]

Some of them began to get their questions answered last night in Vinton.
Women who worked at the now closed Roanoke sewing plant went to the town hall.
They met with representatives from the U-S Department of Labor.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT "Tultex Mtg" tape at 20:37:10]
[IN Q=as long as]
((BILL SEILER/US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR: AS LONG AS PEOPLE ... CONTINUE ON WITH THEIR JOBS AND CONTINUE ON WITH THEIR LIVES.))
[SUPER=01-Bill Seiler/U.S. Dept. of Labor;]
[RUNS=17]
[OUT Q=CONTINUE ON WITH THEIR LIVES]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Topics at the meeting included insurance and 4-0-1-Ks.
Anyone who missed the meeting can contact the Department of Labor's office in Washington or Senator Chuck Robb's office in Roanoke.
(------------)
[wipe wipe wipe]

[11Retail-Tultex]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=99-38 1:46:21]
[GRAPHIC=wipe wipe wipe wipe]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Henry Co.;]

The troubles at Tultex also mean hard times for some Martinsville and Henry County businesses.
Tultex was Ben Copenhaver's number one customer until last week.
His company has made sticker labels for Tultex for more than two decades.
But as textile jobs have left the country, he's lost some of his best clients.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:18 - :24]
[IN Q=We've lost four to five customers]
((BEN COPENHAVER/HAVERLINE LABELS OWNER: WE'VE LOST FOUR TO FIVE CUSTOMERS TO BANKRUPTCY IN THE LAST YEAR... AND IN 25 YEARS, WE'VE NEVER LOST ONE.))
[SUPER=01-Ben Copenhaver/Haverline Labels Owner;]
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=never lost one.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Work has halted at K-T-I Energy's 14-person Martinsville plant, where Tultex was the ONLY customer.
The plant supplied steam for Tultex's cloth production.
No one there has been laid off.
But the Virginia Employment Commission reports that two other local companies are cutting back on staff because of Tultex's problems.
(------------)

[MILITARY-CRASH]

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

A massive search continues off the Southern California coast this morning for seven Marines whose helicopter crashed during a training mission yesterday.
A San Diego newspaper reports a rappelling rope dangling from the chopper may have snagged on a Navy ship, causing the crash.
Manuel Gallegus reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[3:00:47]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Off San Diego, CA;]
[SUPER=01-Manuel Gallegus/Reporting;]
[RUNS=1:12]
[OUT Q=CBS News]
(( LOCATOR: SAN DIEGO
THE SEA KNIGHT HELICOPTER WENT DOWN ABOUT 25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SAN DIEGO. ELEVEN MARINES WERE QUICKLY PULLED FROM THE WATER...AND THE SEARCH IS ON FOR ADDITIONAL SURVIVORS.

SOT: LT. PAT RESTREPO/CAMP PENDLETON
"WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO THE SEARCH AND RESCUE IN HOPES OF RECOVERING ALL THOSE WHO WERE INVOLVED IN THAT ACCIDENT.
A SPOKESPERSON SAYS NINE MARINES ARE IN STABLE CONDITION, BUT TWO OTHERS WERE FLOWN TO A HOSPTIAL WITH MORE SERIOUS INJURIES. THE TWIN ENGINE HELICOPTER HAD TAKEN OFF FROM THE U.S.S. PECOS ON A ROUTINE TRAINING EXERCISE. RESCUE CREWS REPORT FINDING ONLY A SMOKE FLARE AND NO MAJOR DEBRIS FIELD...AN INDICATION THAT THE HELICOPTER MAY HAVE SUNK QUICKLY. HOWEVER.. OFFICIALS SAY ALL MARINES ARE TRAINED TO SURVIVE IN THE WATER.

SOT: RESTREPO
"AND SO THEY DO KNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN THEY ARE IN A PREDICAMENT IN WHERE THEY FIND THEMSELVES IN THE WATER AND NEEDING TO ESCAPE."

(GALLEGUS STANDUP)))

[KUWAIT-Crash]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=MORN]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Meantime, the Pentagon is investigating a fatal accident involving an Air Force C-130 in Kuwait.
A Kuwaiti official says three soldiers were killed and 16 injured when the plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Kuwait International Airport today without its landing gear.
Ninety six people were on board.
The Air Force says the plane was from the 61st Airlift Squadron

based in Little Rock, Arkansas.[One-Steve]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[***ANCHOR TAG***]
Science is fine-tuning the nose of drug-sniffing dogs.
Lisa Hughes explains.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Front Royal; :00]
[SUPER=01-Ken Molidor/Instructor; :39]
[SUPER=01-Lisa Hughes/Reporting; :53]
[SUPER=01-Carl Newcombe/U. S. Customs Service; 1:14]
[RUNS=1:51]
[OUT Q=Front Royal Virginia.]
(((NATS, WHAT IS IT? FIND IT! FIND IT!) What looks like a game you might play with any dog is really specialized training.
(nats)
for a potentially valuable law enforcer with natural talent.
(SOT, NO SUPER, TO WATCH A DOG FROM THE BEGINNING OF TRAINING TO LEARN
HOW TO USE HIS NOSEHOW TO DO THESE THINGS. IT S JUST AMAZING)
(NATS, WHATCHA GOT THERE, BABE?)
At the Customs Service canine training center outside Washington, DCdogs are taught to identify all major narcotics by sniffing them out on a towel. Find the towel? Get the reward.
(nats)
playtime. And a cheering section any team would be proud of.
(nats)
(super: Ken Molidor/Instructor WE WANT HIM TO KNOW THAT GETTING THAT
TOWEL WAS JUST THE BEST THING HE COULD HAVE EVER DONE IN THE WHOLE WORLD. SO WE RE JUST CHEERIN FOR HIM- YEAH! YOU RE A HERO!) A hero that can search for drugs five times faster than any human.
(super: Lisa Hughes/ Front Royal, VA)
TRAINING A DOG ISN T CHEAP. IN FACT, IT COSTS 10-TO-20 THOUSAND DOLLARS ON AVERAGE. BUT IF THE TRAINING PAYS OFF AND THE DOG MAKES A SEIZURE, THE CUSTOMS SERVICE INSISTS THE INITIAL COST IS WELL WORTH IT Last year alone, Customs Service dogs were responsible for 11-thousand separate drug seizures. Street value-3-point-1 billion dollars.
(super: Carl Newcombe/Instructor
WE VE INCREASED THE OPERATING COSTS FOR THE SMUGGLER. LET S FACE IT, THEY RE IN IT FOR THE PROFIT. AND IF IT COSTS THEM MORE TO OPERATE, THEY GET LESS PROFIT) But the Customs Service is becoming a victim of its own success. Because other police agencies send their officers here for training, they re now all competing for the same dogs in humane societies and shelters. A solution may have been found overseas
(nats)
the product of a breeding program with Australia. A dog that s healthy, agile and easily trained for a job that always combines work and play. Lisa Hughes. CBS News. Front Royal, Virginia.))
[MELANIE LIVE]
(toss to stocks)
[STOCKS] [COMM]

[11Johnson]

[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=99-39 1:27:23]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The victim liked to wrestle, and put people in a choke hold.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Because Francis Johnson says he was intimidated by Donald Harris, Johnson admitted he pulled a knife in a fight with Harris last month.
But he told police he didn't mean to kill the 34-year- Harris.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:34]
[IN Q=He was kinda]
((HE WAS LIKE KINDA HIGH. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE'D DO, BECAUSE HE ALWAYS PLAYED LIKE HE WAS GOLDBERG OR THE ROCK AND HE BE INTIMIDATING PEOPLE.))
[SUPER=01-Jerry Edmonson/Roanoke Police Detective]
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=intimidating people.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Goldberg and the Rock are professional wrestlers. Harris family members said he hoped to become one himself.
Yesterday, the judge certified a second- degree murder charge against Johnson.
(------------)

[Forest-Fires]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morning]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=99-57 :03]
[GRAPHIC=Forest Fires]

The price tag for two recent forest fires in our area -- could cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
But despite these costs there could be some positive benefits associated from these fires.
Joy Sutton has details.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./November;00]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co./August;10]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Michael Feller/Scientist;25]
[SUPER=01-Chris Thomsen/Forestry Official;1:05]
[Super=@Joy1;1:22]
[Runs=1:38]
[OUT Q=n7.]
(( It was just last month -- that a wild fire on Fort Lewis Mountain burned out of control for several days -- in the end charring more than 13-hundred acres.
And the scene was much the same in August, on Purgatory Mountain.
The fire on this mountain consumed more than 12-hundred acres.
While these fires will cost the state around 300-thousand dollars -- in the long run they may benefit the environment.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:10:38]
[IN Q=if you're concerned]
((IF YOU'RE CONCERNED WITH PROTECTING BIO -DIVERSITY IT'S VERY IMPORTANT)) [RUNS5]
[OUT Q=very important]

Scientist Doctor Michael Feller says without forest fires certain species would not be able to survive.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT2:12:58]
[IN Q=There are a]
((THERE ARE A GROUP OF ANIMALS THAT ARE ADAPTED TO THE SUNNY, WARM, DRY ENVIRONMENT THAT YOU GET FOLLOWING A FIRE. )) [RUNS15]
[OUT Q=following a fire.]

Feller says after a fire, thick vegetation begins to grow. It's food for many animals:
[In-Q=Those animals]
((THOSE ANIMALS ARE ADAPTED BECAUSE THEY EAT SOME OF THE PLANTS THAT OCCUR IN THOSE ENVIRONMENTS))
[out-q=in those environments.]

But Forestry officials who battled the flames on both Purgatory and Fort Lewis Mountains say despite the positives - there are plenty of negatives that shouldn't be overlooked.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT02:18:42]
[IN Q=Well the greatest]
((THE GREATEST NEGATIVE OF A WILD FIRE IS THE THREAT TO HUMAN LIFE AND PROPERTY. AFTERMATH THE AIR POLLUTION THAT SUFFERS CERTAINLY MANY PLACES IN THE ROANOKE VALLEY WERE AFFECTED QUALITY WISE BY THE FIRES. THE OTHER IS WATER QUALITY, WATER QUALITY COULD DIMINISH FROM EROSION THAT COULD ARISE FROM THE FIRE)) [RUNS17]
[OUT Q=from the fire]

Forestry officials say as early as next spring the damage done by these fires could be covered with fresh vegetation.

And within the next five years it will be hard to tell that a fire every spread through Purgatory and Fort Lewis Mountains.))

[11Breast-Cancer]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=tfl]
[TAPE#=99-43 1:29:30]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The sights and sounds of the holiday filled the air at the Carilion Breast Care Center in Roanoke.
(///// NAT SOT /////)
[SOT tc 06:17:24]
((HARP MUSIC))
[RUNS=:05]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Last Night; ]
Breast cancer survivors and their families gathered for a Christmas tree lighting to celebrate the first "Holiday Lights of Hope."
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT tc 04:58:04]
[IN Q=We thought that]
((MARGARET HARVEY/BREAST CARE CENTER: WE THOUGHT THAT CHRISTMAS IS JUST A WONDERFUL AND WARM TIMES TO REMEMBER THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED AND WHO HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES TO BREAST CANCER SO FOR A FIVE DOLLAR DONATION, MANY HAVE DONATED A LIGHT IN HONOR OR MEMORY OF A LOVED ONE.))
[SUPER=01-Margaret Harvey/Breast Care Center; ]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=loved one.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The money goes to the Sunshine Fund for the fight against breast cancer in the Roanoke Valley.
(------------)

[Health-Check]

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

In medical news, scientists have made a breakthrough that MAY help people see again.

Doctor Dave Hnida has that story and more in this morning's Health check.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT around 4:25:00]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Dave Hnida/Reporting; :00 ]
[RUNS=1:30]
[OUT Q=CBS News, New York.]

((For the first time, scientists have grown artificial corneas in a laboratory setting. A major step that may help people see again.

VT=VO
The cornea is like a clear window in the front of the eye, it also helps to focus light.
In some people, the cornea gets damaged because of disease or injury and that causes blindness.
The only hope for vision comes in the form of corneal transplant, but corneas are in short supply and the waiting list is long.
This Discovery, at the University of Ottowa may mean artificial corneas can be grown as needed in the lab.

VT=VO
Also today, researchers at John's Hopkins say they are one step closer to helping people who have lost their vision because of disease of the retina such as macular degeneration.
The retina is the focus point in the back of the eye.
At Hopkins, doctors have developed what they call an eye chip that gets implanted into the eye. And this chip can electronically transmit images to the brain.
The chip may be ready for use within 10 years.

VT=VO
And finally today, the new Millennium, for many of us, a cause for celebration.
For others, a major bummer, especially for baby boomers.
Some psychologists say the new year, and the new century will trigger some extra heavy duty mid-life crises, as it reminds people that life is passing by.
But I guess instead of being depressed over being around to see the New Year, its important to think about the alternative.
ON CAM That's a look at today's top medical stories. I'm Dr. Dave Hnida for CBS News.))

(ad lib to weather)
[2-HEADLINES]
[2-shot=Mel/Kmc]
[SUPER=#4049; Morning Headlines]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Here's a look at today's top stories.
Three soldiers are dead and 16 injured after a U-S Air Force plane made an emergency landing at Kuwait International Airport. Officials say came down without landing gear.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=kim]

A dozen ships and six helicopters have been searching through the night off the coast of San Diego for seven Marines missing since their helicopter crashed yesterday during a training mission.
Eleven others were rescued.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=melanie]
Investigators are trying to figure out what caused a plane crash that killed all four people aboard in (haz-brook) Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey.
The plane went down in flames last night between two houses in a densely populated neighborhood. Three people on the ground suffered minor injuries.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=kim]

And the College of the Ozarks is mourning six people killed in a plane crash near Branson, Missouri.
The victims include a College professor and the college administrator.
Their twin-engine plane was returning to campus from a trip to St. Louis.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

And that's what's making news on this Friday December 10-th .
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

News 7 Mornin' will be right back.

[2-Layoffs]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=99-]
[GRAPHIC=Tultex Chapter 11]

More layoffs at Tultex. The company plans to lay off another 350 people in Henry County within two months.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville;]
A company spokeswoman said yesterday that half of those layoffs will take place with the closing in 60 days of a customer service center and warehouse. The layoffs are linked to the clothing manufacturer's filing in federal court last week to reorganize.
At that time, Tultex dismissed 26-hundred employees.
(------------)

[2-11Tultex]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=99-42 1:35:13]
[GRAPHIC=Tultex Chpt. 11]

Laid off Tultex employees are wondering what happens to their benefits.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Vinton]

Some of them began to get their questions answered last night in Vinton.
Women who worked at the now-closed Roanoke sewing plant went to the town hall.
They met with representatives from the U-S Department of Labor.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT "Tultex Mtg" tape at 20:37:10]
[IN Q=as long as]
((BILL SEILER/US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR: AS LONG AS PEOPLE ... CONTINUE ON WITH THEIR JOBS AND CONTINUE ON WITH THEIR LIVES.))
[SUPER=01-Bill Seiler/U.S. Dept. of Labor;]
[RUNS=17]
[OUT Q=CONTINUE ON WITH THEIR LIVES]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Topics at the meeting included insurance and 4-0-1-Ks.
Anyone who missed the meeting can contact the Department of Labor's office in Washington or Senator Chuck Robb's office in Roanoke.
(------------)
[wipe wipe wipe]

[2-11Retail-Tultex]

[Fires]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morning]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=99-57]
[GRAPHIC=Forest Fires]

Two recent forest fires in our area have burned more than 25 hundred acres of land.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./November]

Forestry Officials says the combined price tag for the fires on both Fort Lewis and Purgatory Mountains -- will cost the state around 300-thousand dollars.
But despite the costs -- there is positive benefit that can result because of these fires.
Some scientists say fires play a critical role in restoring a forest and in the survival of several species.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:10:38]
[IN Q=if you're concerned]
((IF YOU'RE CONCERNED WITH PROTECTING BIO -DIVERSITY IT'S VERY IMPORTANT))
[SUPER=01-Dr. Michael Feller/Scientist]
[RUNS= 5]
[OUT Q=very important]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Scientist says thick vegetation begins to grow following a fire --which provides food and shelter for animals.
But Forestry officials says its important to recognize the downsides of wild fires such as the impact on air pollution and water quality.
Officials says the charred landscape on both Purgatory and Fort Lewis Mountains could show signs of vegetation as early as this spring.
(-------------)

[diesel-leak]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=abr]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Part of Orange Avenue is close this morning after a truck ruptured a tank carrying diesel fuel.
Officials are barracading the right westbound lane of Orange Avenue Northeast.
The truck ruptured the tank and continued to Statesman Industrial Park.
The road is blocked for a quarter of a mile a quarter mile from the business.
They hope to have the spill mopped up around 7:30 this morning.
There is no environmental danger related to this spill.

[2-MILITARY-CRASH]

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

The search continues off the coast of San Diego for seven Marines missing since their helicopter crashed yesterday
on a training mission.
Eleven others were rescued. Meanwhile, three soldiers were killed today when an Air Force C-130 tried to land in Kuwait today with a landing gear problem.
Manuel Gallegus has the latest on the search for the missing marines.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[3:00:47]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Off San Diego, CA;]
[SUPER=01- Lt. Pat Restrepo/Camp Pendleton;]
[SUPER=01-Manuel Gallegus/Reporting;]
[RUNS=1:12]
[OUT Q= Gallegus CBS News]
(( LOCATOR: SAN DIEGO
THE SEA KNIGHT HELICOPTER WENT DOWN ABOUT 25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SAN DIEGO. ELEVEN MARINES WERE QUICKLY PULLED FROM THE WATER...AND THE SEARCH IS ON FOR ADDITIONAL SURVIVORS.

SOT: LT. PAT RESTREPO/CAMP PENDLETON
"WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO THE SEARCH AND RESCUE IN HOPES OF RECOVERING ALL THOSE WHO WERE INVOLVED IN THAT ACCIDENT.
A SPOKESPERSON SAYS NINE MARINES ARE IN STABLE CONDITION, BUT TWO OTHERS WERE FLOWN TO A HOSPITAL WITH MORE SERIOUS INJURIES. THE TWIN ENGINE HELICOPTER HAD TAKEN OFF FROM THE U.S.S. PECOS ON A ROUTINE TRAINING EXERCISE. RESCUE CREWS REPORT FINDING ONLY A SMOKE FLARE AND NO MAJOR DEBRIS FIELD...AN INDICATION THAT THE HELICOPTER MAY HAVE SUNK QUICKLY. HOWEVER.. OFFICIALS SAY ALL MARINES ARE TRAINED TO SURVIVE IN THE WATER.

SOT: RESTREPO
"AND SO THEY DO KNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN THEY ARE IN A PREDICAMENT IN WHERE THEY FIND THEMSELVES IN THE WATER AND NEEDING TO ESCAPE."

(GALLEGUS STANDUP)))

[branson-crash]

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

Two crashes involving small planes have claimed ten lives.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Near Branson, MO;]
[3:03:14]
The crash of a small jet west of Branson, Missouri killed six people.
The aircraft went down five miles short of its destination, the College of the Ozarks.
The school has identified those on board as a college professor, a college administrators and their spouses, the pilot and a student co-pilot.
[SUPER=03-Hasbrouck Heights, NJ;]
[3:05:00] In the second crash, a plane from Hanover County, Virginia, went down in New Jersey, killing all four people on board.
The plane came down in a neighborhood, about two miles short of the airport, bursting into a ball of flames after hitting a garage.
(------------)

[11Graham-Executed]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Va. Death Penalty]

He was convicted of killing a 20-year old woman outside a Richmond restaurant.
(+++++++++)
[take GRAHAM FS]
Last night, Andre Graham became the fourteenth person executed in Virginia this year.
That's the highest number of executions in the Commonwealth in one year, since the death penalty was re-instated in 1982.
(++++++++++++)

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

Now here's another look at today's top local stories:
[Anchor=Melanie]

Part of Orange Avenue is closed this morning after a truck ruptured a tank carrying diesel fuel.
Officials are barracading the right westbound lane of Orange Avenue Northeast.
The truck ruptured the tank and continued to Statesman Industrial Park.
The road is blocked for a quarter of a mile a quarter mile from the business.
They hope to have the spill mopped up around 7:30 this morning.
There is no environmental danger related to this spill.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

Tultex Corporation plans to lay off another 350 people in Henry County within two months. A company spokeswoman said yesterday that half of those layoffs will take place with the closing in 60 days of a customer service center and warehouse.

(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

The hundreds who have already been laid off are wondering what happens to their benefits.
Some of them began to get their questions answered last night in Vinton.
They met with representatives from the U-S Department of Labor.
Anyone who missed the meeting can contact the Department of Labor's office in Washington or Senator Chuck Robb's office in Roanoke.

(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
(Kimberly mic hot)
(///////////////)
(Kimberly ad lib weather)
(-------------)
[Kimberly Promo] [2-shot]
(ad lib bye)

[Promo]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

You might not have known it, but the 28th president of the United States was born just up the road, in Staunton in 18-56.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Staunton;]

Woodrow Wilson's birthplace is one of the few open to the public.
The house features period furnishings, many of which came from the Wilson family.
The museum also houses memorabilia from his years as a scholar, Princeton University President, and U- S President.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 11:37:27]
[IN Q=This was one]
((LUCINDA EDDY/MUSEUM EDUCATION DIRECTOR: THIS WAS ONE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL CARS THAT HE RODE IN. I DO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT PRESIDENT WILSON NEVER LEARNED HOW TO DRIVE. HE WAS ALWAYS CHAUFFERED AND HE DIDN'T LIKE TO GO VERY FAST, USUALLY ONLY ABOUT 25 MILES PER HOUR.))
[SUPER=01-Lucinda Eddy/Museum Education Director;]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=25 miles per hour]
(--------------------)
[VO-NAT]

If you want to find more about Staunton's famous native son...check out this week's
(------------)
[TALENT=KIMBERLY]
"Time Off" segment tomorrow on News 7 Saturday Morning.[GRAPHIC=TIME OFF]