WDBJ 7 news at 11 for 12/15/99

[News-Heads]

[ANCHOR=Jean]

[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jja]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Late breaking news on the search for an NFL player.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Rae Carruth]
[RUNS=05]
[OUT Q=Best Western motel.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

We will have a live report.
Frank Beamer's the AP coach of the year.
Plus country fans hope it's not so- Garth Brooks says he's retiring-
(------------)
[Talent=Jean]

News 7 is next. [Open]
[SUPER=#4064; News 7 at Eleven Headline Banner]
[SUPER=@Jean1;]
[SUPER=@Robin1;]
[SUPER=@Steve1;]

[Carruth]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jja]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=News7at11]

Police nab NFL player Rae Carruth- the fugitive from the law is under arrest tonight in Western Tennessee.
[Double Boxes=jean & Levinson/Newspath]

Drew Levinson joins us live from Charlotte with the latest developments.
[Live=Levinson Full/Newspath]
[SUPER=01-Drew Levinson/CBS News]
[SUPER=05-Charlotte]

(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Charlotte, NC/Last Month; :00]
[SUPER=01-Vic O'Korn/FBI Agent; :18]
[Super=04-NFL; 1:00]
[RUNS=1:18]
[OUT Q=]
((A MONTH AGO RAE CARRUTH WAS A PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYER WITH A PROMISING FUTURE-TONIGHT AFTER A NATIONAL MANHUNT AND, he SITS IN A TENNESSEE JAIL CHARGED WITH MURDERING He PREGNANT GIRLFRIEND.
AFTER A TIP, POLICE IN WILDERSVILLE, TENNESSEE FOUND CARRUTH IN A MOTEL PARKING LOT. VIC ACORN/FBI AGENT: THEY SET UP SURVEILLANCE HIDING IN THE VEHICLE Prosecutors charged Carruth with first-degree murder for the Death of Charica Adams. She died Tuesday after spending weeks in a coma. Adams was six months pregnant when she was shot while driving her car last month. Her surviving baby boy was delivered by emergency surgery. Police say the first round draft pick was the mastermind of a murder plot involving three other suspects. Investigators say Carruth was in a car near the shooting, and talked with the other suspected gunmen by cell phone. Rae Carruth led rookies in receptions in 1997, but had since been sidelined with injuries. With these latest charges files, the Carolina Panthers wide receiver now has a new claim to fame: the first active NFL player to ever face a murder charge.))

[Live=Levinson full/Newspath]
[SUPER=05-Charlotte]
(ad lib)

[Double Boxes=Jean & Levinson/Newspath]

[Stewart-Avenue]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=99-44 1:22:48]
[GRAPHIC=Arson]

Almost four years after a Roanoke fire killed five members of one family, new information has lead investigators to reconsider the cause.
Joe Dashiell has the latest developments on a fire that's now being investigated as a case of arson.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Four children and their grandmother]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Jan. 20, 1996; :00]
[SUPER=01-Chief Jim Grigsby/Roanoke Fire-EMS Dept.; :16]
[SUPER=01-Lt. Bill Althoff/Roanoke Police Dept.; :46]
[RUNS=1:07]
[OUT Q=JD News 7 Roanoke]

((Four children and their grandmother died when the Stewart Avenue home caught fire.
It was first viewed as an accident, but new information came to light as a lawsuit moved forward, and investigators returned to Stewart Avenue to collect additional evidence.
[SOT CHIEF GRIGSBY 03:52:36]
[IN Q=We went down to the bare bones]
((WE WENT DOWN TO THE BARE BONES OF ALL THE WOOD, REALLY WASHED THIS PLACE OUT, FOUND SOME ADDITIONAL BURN PATTERNS THAT WEREN'T CONSISTENT WITH OUR INITIAL FINDING AND THEN THERE WAS SOME ADDITIONAL WITNESS EVIDENCE THAT CAME FORTH THAT I CAN'T SPEAK TO AT THE MOMENT, THAT LEAD US TO RETHINK OUR INITIAL FINDING.))
[RUNS= :19]
[OUT Q=rethink our initial finding.]

Since fire officials reclassified the cause from accidental to incendiary, Roanoke police have renewed their investigation... They're reinterviewing firefighters and others with knowledge of the fatal incident.
[SOT LT. ALTHOFF 03:29:04]
[IN Q=It may be an old event]
[RUNS= :11]
[OUT Q=what they said and to whom.]

Almost four years after the fire, prosecuting the crime will be difficult, but investigators are hoping someone will come forward with information that will help them crack this case.

Joe Dashiell News 7 Roanoke))[Rubatex]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=99-42 1:47;13]
[GRAPHIC=Rubatex]

Bedford's biggest employer says it sent out letters to company retirees.
It tells them -- for the first time -- they have to pay part of their health-insurance premiums.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford]

That's been one issue at the heart of the Rubatex strike.
The Steelworkers union has been picketing for nearly 100 days ... and says it's not fair to make retirees pay.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:26:17]
[IN Q=we don't]
((RICHARD WALKER/USWA LOCAL 240 PRESIDENT: WE DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM HAVE TO CONTRIBUTE ANYTHING TO RETAIN HEALTH INSURANCE. THEY SPENT 30 OR MORE IN HERE ... THEN TO SPEND A THIRD OF THEIR PENSION CHECK IS RIDICULOUS ... AIN'T NO WAY THEY'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE IT.))
[SUPER=01-Richard Walker/USWA Local 240 President;]
[RUNS=14]
[OUT Q=TO MAKE IT]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

If the union and Rubatex ever agree on a new contract ... the terms and conditions of the letter sent to retirees could change.
But neither the union nor the company has scheduled a face-to-face meeting.
(------------)

[Henry-Workers]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Laid-off textile workers in Henry County are getting help from their county government.
The Board of Supervisors today authorized a 300-thousand dollar assistance package for former workers from Tultex, Pluma and Ashmore.
The plan includes waiving penalties on real estate and property taxes... and offering loans of up to 15-hundred dollars to help workers through their unemployment.
[Toss-2-Robin] Jean tosses to Robin in Weather Center

[WX1] [11:00pm] [12/15/1999] [MCU]WEATHER OFFICE [WXPRO/FULL]WEATHER MAP WAKE UP FORECAST

[Toss back to anchor][Mideast-Peace]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jja]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=Mideast Peace Talks]

A step toward peace-
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington DC]

That is how meetings between Israel and Syria are being described- The two nations met today for the first time in four years.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:55:02]
[IN Q=We came here]
((EHUD BARAK/ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: WE CAME HERE TO PUT BEHIND US, THE HORRORS OF WAR AND TO STEP FORWARD TOWARD PEACE.))
[SUPER=01-Ehud Barak/Israeli Prime Minister;]
[RUNS=06]
[OUT Q=toward peace]
(--------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Golan Heights;]

Syria says an agreement must include an Israeli withdrawal from the (Go-Lon) Golan Heights and eviction of Israelis who live there.
Israel seized the territory from Syria 32 years ago- Many residents vow to fight for what they believe is their land.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:55:23]
[IN Q=]
((FAROUK AL SHARAA/SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: WE HOPE THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE THE LAST ASSUMPTION OF NEGOTIATIONS CONCLUDED WITH A PEACE AGREEMENT BASED ON JUSTICE AND COMPREHENSITIVITY))
[SUPER=01-Farouk al-Sharaa/Syrian Foreign Minister;]
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=AND comprehensitivity.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

But Israel if afraid if may lose security if it gives up the Golan heights.
President Clinton concedes the talks are complicated but hopes an agreement will be reached.

(------------)[Terrorist-Arrest]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jja]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

As the talks begin, several suspected terrorists have been arrested in the Middle East.
The White House believes the 13 suspects posed a threat to Americans- and may have been planning Y-2-K related violence.
(---------)
[Vo-Nat]
Those arrested have ties to exiled Saudi militant Osama bin Laden.
The suspects had allegedly been trained in weapons and explosives and were planning attacks against Westerners celebrating the Millenium in Jordan.
(-------------)

[Airline-Safety]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=Airplane Safety]

The National Transportation Safety Board is recommending mandatory changes to MD-11 airplanes.
One such plane was a Swissair flight that crashed off the coast of Nova Scotia in 1998, killing all 229 people on board.
An electrical fire near the cockpit is believed responsible.
(------------)
[VO-NAT 17:50:35]

Since then, investigators have looked at three other incidents involving the plane's forward cargo hold.
The N-T-S-B now wants electrical units in the planes' forward cargo holds insulated and upgraded.
(------------)
[Tobacco]
[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST11]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=99-47 31:26]
[GRAPHIC=Tobacco Quotas]

Tobacco farmers are taking another hit next year.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pittsylvania Co.;]

The U-S Department of Agriculture today announced an 18-and a half percent cut in the tobacco quota for 2000.
That means farmers will have to plant a lot less tobacco next year.
In the last two years, decreased demand for the leaf has cut back tobacco growers' incomes by 35 percent.
(------------)

[Christmas-Store]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=99-50 48:09]
[GRAPHIC=Christmas]

The holidays are a time for giving, but you don't need money to help out.
The Community Christmas Store in Roanoke helps provide the less fortunate gifts they might not be able to afford.

And as Kate Weidaw reports, it works because many people give the gift of their time.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;:00]
[SUPER=01-Rebecca Franklin/Volunteer;:14]
[SUPER=01-Terri Lynch/Toy Chairperson;1:18]
[SUPER=@Kate2;1:33]
[RUNS=1:47]
[OUT Q=Kate Weidaw, News 7, Roanoke.]

(( Instead of being home watching t.v., Salem High School students Rebecca Franklin and Kirsten Miller have decided to volunteer their time helping others get the Community Christmas Store ready for opening day.
[SOT 7:13:50]
[INQ=]
((REBECCA FRANKLIN/VOLUNTEER: YOU HAVE TO DO ALL THIS INVENTORY AND YOU COUNT STUFF AND SORT IT AND YOU PUT IT IN BOXES.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 7]

So far both girls have volunteered over 15 hours doing things like stacking boxes of toys so the store can open for it's 7-th year of service.

[SOT 7:29:17]
[INQ=]
((TERRI LYNCH: THIS SECTION IS FOR BOYS IT'S DIVIDED BY SIZES 12-14, 14-16.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 10]

Terri Lynch has volunteered her time to the store for five years. She's watched at least 600 families each year walk through the doors -- taking home items for free like clothes, toys, food, and

[SOT 7:31:29 SOUND ONLY]
[INQ=]
((TERRI LYNCH: EACH HOUSEHOLD IS ALLOTTED ONE HOUSE HOLD ITEM, IF THEY NEED A FRYING PAN, AN ELECTRIC SKILLET.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 10]

Eligible families from Roanoke County, Vinton, and Salem go through social services to register -- then come this Friday hundreds will walk through the doors. An escort leads families through the store with a shopping list of needed items. The most popular spot is the toy section.

[SOT 7:42:45]
[INQ=]
((TERRI LYNCH: YOU WANT YOUR CHILDREN TO HAVE A NICE CHRISTMAS YOU DON'T WANT THEM TO FEEL LIKE THEY WERE OVER LOOKED SO IT REALLY MEANS A LOT TO THE FAMILIES TO PICK OUT SOME THINGS THEY THINK THEIR FAMILY WOULD ENJOY.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 13]

And thanks to the charity of local schools, churches, and organizations for donating everything in the store, the Community Christmas Store is able to make the season a little brighter for the less fortunate. Kate Weidaw News 7 Roanoke.))

[Tease1]
[ANCHOR=Jean]
[writer=chr]
[NEWSCAST=11p]
[SS=None]

Governor Gilmore has a plan for state college tuition. That story is still ahead.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

And a surprise announcement from a country superstar.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 20:11:35]
[IN Q=]
((I THINK WE'LL PROBABLY ANNOUNCE OUR RETIREMENT AT THE END OF NEXT YEAR.))
[RUNS=04]
[OUT Q=of next year.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Next, why Garth Brooks is ready to give it up.
(------------)

[Sports-Preview]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[RUNS=:26]
[OUT Q=in sports"]
(---------)

((Hey everybody, Steve Mason with your sports tonight. Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer was in New Orleans tonight after receiving a second national award. He joined Florida State coach Bobby Bowden joined him, we will tell you what that's all about. Salem throws a state championship football party, the Express talks about reacquainting itself with home ice and what in the heck is dale Earnhardt junior doing in the racing off season? Find out in sports.))
(------------)

[Garth-Brooks]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jja]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

He is a country music superstar- but today Garth Brooks announced he will give up music
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-TNN]

Brooks appeared on TNN's Crook and Chase saying he will probably retire at the end of next year- to spend more time with his wife and three daughters.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 20:13:00]
[IN Q=]
((GARTH BROOKS/COUNTRY MUSIC STAR: I NEVER THOUGHT I'D SAY THIS BUT MUSIC IS NOT THE FIRST THINK IN MY LIFE ANYMORE. THE GIRLS SOMEHOW COME ALONG AND THEY TAKE YOU'RE ENERGY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN ALL YOU WANT TO DO IS MAKE THEM SMILE>))
[SUPER=01-Garth Brooks/Country Music Singer;]
[RUNS=14]
[OUT Q=MAKE THEM SMILE.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

And then the 37 year old who's sold 95 million records- sang a song.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=20:14:21]
((AND AS I INTRODUCE THEM THE .... TO BE.))
[RUNS=09]
[OUT Q=to be.]
(------------)
[vo-nat]
And another farewell in country music.
Brooks made the announcement during the final taping of the Crook and Chase show.

(--------------)[Gilmore-Education]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Virginia College Funding]

Governor Gilmore is singing "Hold The Line" on college tuition next year ... this after cutting state tuition costs 20 percent last year.
It's part of Gilmore's two-year budget he'll unveil Friday.
It will include more than 300-million new dollars to Virginia's colleges and universities.

[Danville-Manager]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=5pm]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=99-45 55:35]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Danville's City Council says its new City Manager is the right man for the job.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville;]

Council unanimously picked 56-year old Jerry Gwaltney over 160 candidates.
Gwaltney has spent the last five years as the City Manager in Dothan, Alabama.
He's worked in city government in the southeast for two decades.

(------------)[L'burg-Sewers]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-43 1:36:53]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Money for sewers may not sound like the perfect Christmas gift, Lynchburg officials aren't complaining.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

State officials delivered a check today for more than five and a half million dollars .. to help with the overhaul of Lynchburg's sewer system.
The goal is to prevent raw sewage from flowing into the James River.
(------------)

[Tease2]
[ANCHOR=Jean]
[writer=chr]
[NEWSCAST=11p]
[SS=None]

He served more than a century ago. Still ahead, a portrait is unveiled in Richmond, with the help of a well-known Roanoke descendant.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]

And when a long-time landmark comes crashing down, not everything goes the way it was planned.
(----------------)

[Lotto]

[SUPER=137-3 7 8/3 6 2 3/7 10 11 12 24/5 8 15 19 37 38/4 7 9 1 4 4][Butler-Portrait]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=99-41 1:31:51]
[GRAPHIC=None]

There's an odd distinction for the men who have served as Virginia's lieutenant governor... but never governor.
Their portraits hang around the Senate over which they preside-- but never among the gallery of governors.
Except for one.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond;]

120 years after he served, James Alexander Walker's image returned to the Virginia State Capitol.
The political gene must run in the family.
Lieutenant Governor Walker was the great-grandfather of former Roanoke Congressman Caldwell Butler... who commissioned the new portrait.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 14:52:41]
[IN Q=I'm very sensitive]
((CALDWELL BUTLER/FORMER ROANOKE CONGRESSMAN: I'M VERY SENSITIVE ABOUT THAT, BECAUSE EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN A LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR BEFORE OR SINCE, HAS A PORTRAIT HANGING HERE UNLESS THEY BECAME GOVERNOR. SO HE WAS CONSPICUOUS TO THE MEMBERS OF HIS FAMILY BY HIS ABSENCE.))
[SUPER=01-Caldwell Butler/Former Roanoke Congressman;]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=his absence.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Walker's well worth remembering.
He challenged Stonewall Jackson to a duel at VMI, well before either went on to gain fame.
He served as lieutenant governor, and then the congressman representing southwest Virginia.
He retired to practice law in Wytheville.
(------------)

[Weather] [12/15/1999] [WXPRO/FULL] Current Statistics Weather Statistics [MUSIC UNDER] [COMMERCIAL] [CK/CHYRON/VIEWERNET] [CK/WXPRO]WEATHER MAPS [CK/CHYRON/5 PAGES] FORECASTS [ESS/FULL] EXTENDED FORECAST [Forecasts]
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[SUPER=X5000]
[SUPER=330-Clouding Up/Wind SW-15/32-34/Turning Sunny/Wind W-20/42-44]
[SUPER=331-Becoming/Mostly Cloudy/30-34/Morning Clouds/Then Sunny/44-48]
[SUPER=332-Mostly Cloudy/Wind W-20/28-30/Morning Flurries/And Windy/36-40]
[SUPER=333-Cloudy, Breezy/And Cold/26-28/Cloudy With/Flurries/34-36]
[SUPER=334-Flurries Late/And Cold/26-28/Morning Flurries/Wind W-20/32-34]

[SUPER=X5001][S-Extra]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=sports extra]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Lots of sports coming your way tonight, but first our extra point.
(-----------)
[vo-nat]
[SUPER=76-Major League Baseball; :00]
New York Yankee catcher Joe Girardi is joining the Chicago Cubs with a three-year, five and a-half (m) million dollar contract. He came up with the Cubs in 1989. This past season Girardi hit .239 with the Yankees.
(-------)
[WIPE TO MOTION]
[SUPER=#556]
[SUPER=x5028;]
[SUPER=0096-/Chicago/91/j/Indiana/102///j/Utah/96//Boston/86///;]
[SUPER=x5009;]
[SUPER=0096-/Cleveland/101/j/New Jersey/111////Minnesota/98/j/Charlotte/103///;]
[SUPER=x5009;]
[SUPER=0096-j/Milwaukee/116//Orlando/99////Toronto/91/j/Philadelphia/93//Iverson 37pts/;]
[SUPER=X5031;]
[SUPER=0103-/Los Angeles/3/j/NY Rangers/8////NY Islanders/1/j/Toronto/5///;]
[SUPER=X5009;]
[SUPER=0103-j/Pittsburgh/6//Carolina/3///j/Washington/4//Atlanta/0///;]
[SUPER=x5029;]
[SUPER=0104-/Greensboro/1/j/Richmond/9///j/Dayton/4//Hampton Roads/3///;]
[RUNS=:30]
[OUT Q=...LAST SCORE."]
(--------------)

[S-Beamer]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-46]
[GRAPHIC=sugar bowl]

Sugar Bowl headquarters, New Orleans, played host to Virginia Tech and Florida State head coaches tonight as both spoke to the city's Touchdown Club.
[GRAPHIC=frank Beamer]

Frank Beamer arrived shortly after being named the Associated Press coach of the year. Despite the award, Beamer chose to praise his counterpart.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="they]
((FRANK BEAMER/A.P. COACH OF THE YEAR:))
[SUPER=01-Frank Beamer/A.P. Coach of the Year; :00]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=.....got there"]
(--------------)
[VO-NAT]

Beamer collected 27 of the 84 votes and receives his second coach of the year award for leading Tech to an 11 and OH record and the school's first ever national championship appearance. His lofty resume prompted Bowden to spend most of his time complimenting the 53 year old Beamer.

(-----------) [S-Salem]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-48]
[GRAPHIC=FFE]

One of our Friday Football Extra teams celebrated a state championship tonight.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem; :00]

The community of Salem through a party for it's group 2A state champs at the Salem Civic Center.
Head coach Willis White spoke to the crowd and thanked them for all of their support throughout the season. The championship team was also introduced and a few players spoke to the audience as well.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=first audio]
[SUPER=01-Willis White/Salem Football Coach; :00]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=....]
(------------)

[S-trial]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-52]
[GRAPHIC=UVa football]

Day two of the trial involving Virginia running back Antoine Womack continued today in Charlotteville. He is charged in a malicious wounding case. A police officer who initially charged Womack testified today that the running back said..." I can't be in trouble again" and " they'll put me away this time".
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Charlottesville; :00]
Two other football players who have already admitted their part in the assault, claim that Womack WAS NOT involved in this incident.
(------------)

[S-Hockey]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=rst]
[TAPE#=SP-55 (39:16)]
[GRAPHIC=Express Logo]

15 of the Express's first 26 games have been played away from the pleasant confines of the Roanoke Civic Center. The team returns to the Round House Friday night to battle Trenton.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :]

The Express will get a few days off for Christmas but beginning with the Titans this Friday night, Roanoke will play 10 of its next 11 games at the Roundhouse.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="We got...]
[SUPER=01-Scott Gordon/Express Head Coach; :00]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=....every week."]
(------------)

[Sports Tease]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Still to come in sports tonight, a local basketball team is heading south for the Sunshine Classic in Daytona Beach,
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

and if you were wondering what racing stars like Dale Earnhardt junior are doing this off season, we will give you a clue when we come back.
(------------)

[S-Patriots]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-45 tc 1:14:46]
[GRAPHIC=Hometown Hoops Weekly]

WDBJ continues it's transition game between the girls and boys basketball seasons and Hometown Hoops Weekly will retunr next week, But Denise Allen tells us how the Patrick Henry boys squad is hoping to go south in a hurry.
(/////SOT/////)
[ SOT ]
[IN Q=first audio]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=01-Tyson Hawkins/Patrick Henry Junior; :07]
[SUPER=01-Nick Clements/Patrick Henry Junior; :24]
[SUPER=01-Jack Esworthy/Patrick Henry Head Coach; :40]
[RUNS=1:55]
[OUT Q=News 7 sports]
((
Tyson Hawkins like others on his team has never been to the sunshine state.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=58:25 I wanna see]
((TYSON HAWKINS/PATRICK HENRY JUNIOR: I WANNA SEE BEACHES, PALM TREES AND STUFF LIKE THAT AND JUST HAVE FUN WITH MY TEAMMATES AND COACH.))
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=AND COACH]

The team is getting ready to play in the Sunshine Classic in Daytona. It's a four team tournament. The Patriots' first game is Friday against Fort Defiance.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 5603]
[IN Q=56:30 I'M TRYING]
((NICK CLEMENTS/PATRICK HENRY JUNIOR: I WANT TO PLAY DOWN THERE BECAUSE I'VE NEVER PLAYED ANYONE FROM OUT OF TOWN THAT MUCH. I'M TRYING TO TAKE MY GAME TO THE NEXT LEVEL SO I'VE GOT TO MOVE AROUND TO GET THERE, MORE COMPETITION.))
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=MORE COMPETITION]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=54:13 we play Friday]
((JACK ESWORTHY/PATRICK HENRY HEAD COACH: WE PLAY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AND WE'RE GOING TO BE DOWN THERE UNTIL WEDNESDAY. WE'LL GET THE GAMES OUT OF THE WAY AND HOPE WE CAN FOCUS ON THOSE AND HIT THE PARKS TWO OF THE NEXT THREE DAYS.))
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=THREE DAYS]

Jack Esworthy and the rest of his staff have worked for three years to raise the money for this trip.
The seed money comes from the proceeds from an annual June basketball camp and the summer league.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 53:49]
[IN Q=the kids get]
((JACK ESWORTHY/PATRICK HENRY HEAD COACH: THE KIDS GET TO GO FREE OF CHARGE, GO TO THE PARKS FOR A FEW DAYS FREE OF CHARGE. SOME OF THEM HAVE NEVER BEEN THERE AND I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'VE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO.))
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=TO GO]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 58:38]
[IN Q=I APPRECIATE]
((NICK CLEMENTS/PATRICK HENRY JUNIOR: I APPRECIATE THE WAY MY COACH IS TAKING CAR OF US AND PAYING OUR WAY CAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE ON OUR TEAM PROBABLY HAVE NEVER BEEN TO FLORIDA.))
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=TO FLORIDA]

The trip is a chance to build team unity. The coaches, players and a few chaperones will be in close quarters for nearly a week. Coach says taking a team of teenagers to Florida, will be fun.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 55:35]
[IN Q=in the summer]
((IN THE SUMMER YOU'RE TAKING THEM TO TEAM CAMPS AND THANKSGIVING A LOT OF THEM COME BY THE HOUSE AND EAT DESSERT SO WE'RE TOGETHER A LOT.))
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=]

And when the Patriots return to the Roanoke Valley they will have share new experiences on and off the court.
Denise Allen News 7.
))

[S-Morgan]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Morgan Shephard]

a few racing notes. This past Monday in Stewart, Winston Cup driver Morgan Shepherd presented a check for 30 thousand dollars to the PARC, a private non-profit sheltered workshop for handicapped citizens. The money will help pay off the debt on the building where the organization is housed.

[S-NASCAR]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-53]
[GRAPHIC=none]
(------------)
[VO-NAT WIPE TO #ENG!!!!!]
[SUPER=03-Negril, Jamaica; :00]

finally, check out Dale Earnhardt Junior on your left. He was part of the first annual Race Fan Beach Bash in Jamaica. Race fans who attended were able to enjoy fun in the sun with Earnhardt Junior and other Busch Series drivers.
Benny Parsons conducted his radio show from the beach.
Earnhardt even mingled with fans after hours,
and fans had a chance to prove their metal on tire changing as well.
(------------)

((BYE))[Reno-Implosion]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A Nevada landmark came down in just seconds overnight, but it did NOT go entirely as planned.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[RUNS=03]
[OUT Q=(several booms)]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Reno, NV]

Harold's Club stood for 64 years in downtown Reno, but when nearby Harrah's bought it in June, its days were numbered.
Those days came to an end with this implosion. You may not notice any trouble, but the demolition triggered a gas leak, which forced the evacuation of that nearby Harrah's in the middle of the night.
Everyone was allowed back in three and a half hours later.
(------------)

[Close-ID]

[ANCHOR=]
[NEWSCAST=11p]
[WRITER=]
(Weekday 6 only)
SUPER=x4032; e-mail/Most Watched/Copyright/WEEKDAYS
SUPER=x4033; Fax/Most Watched/Copyright/WEEKDAYS
(Weekend 6 only)
SUPER=x4031; Fax/Copyright/WEEKENDS [SUPER=x4030; e-mail/Copyright/WEEKENDS]