WDBJ 7 morning news for 12/15/99

[Headlines]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

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

Finding ways to solve racial problems took center stage at last night's Lynchburg City School Board meeting.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

And there's an effort under way to create a regional sales tax to help finance cultural organizations.
[ANCHOR=Andrew]
(ad lib weather)
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(ad lib live tease)
[2-shot]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

Hope you can join us--News 7 Mornin is straight ahead.[Sales-Tax]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=am]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Taxes]

Some folks are pushing an idea that would create a regional sales tax to help fund cultural organizations.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

It would raise the current 4 and a half cent state sales tax by one cent in Roanoke and Botetourt counties, as well as the cities of Roanoke and Salem.
The idea was started by the Art Council's Blue Print 2000 and has other organizations wanting a piece of the pie.

The Science Museum of Western Virginia is one museum that relies on General Assembly funding that may not be there next year.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 15:18:31]
[IN Q=All the educational]
((HARRY NICKENS/SCIENCE MUSEUM BOARD MEMBER: ALL THE EDUCATIONAL CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS ARE WORRIED ABOUT WHAT WILL BE IN THE GOVERNORS FUNDING FOR THEM AND WHAT MIGHT BE EXCLUDED.))
[SUPER=01-Harry Nickens/Science Museum Board Member]
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=might be excluded]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

There is no word on when the idea would be presented to the General Assembly.
Ultimately the voters will decide if the tax should be implemented.
(------------)

[E-L'burg-Schools]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-48 13:39]
[GRAPHIC=Lynchburg Seal]

A committee charged with looking into racial problems in the Lynchburg school system has finished up its work.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

The advisory group issued a series of recommendations to the Lynchburg city school board last night.
Members suggest hiring a full- time person to train school staff in diversity and sensitivity issues.
They'd also like to see the city step up its recruitment of minority teachers.
(///// SOT /////)
[IN Q=They've looked at]
((JAMES MUNDY/COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: THEY'VE LOOKED AT PROBLEMS, THEY'VE COME BACK WITH RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW THEY MIGHT BE RESOLVED. THEY VOICED, AS YOU HEARD TONIGHT, THEIR WILLINGNESS TO COME ON BOARD AND BE PART OF THE SOLUTION SO THAT'S WHAT'S REALLY GOOD ABOUT IT.))
[SUPER=01-James Mundy/Committee Chairman]
[RUNS=15]
[OUT Q=good about it.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

School board members say they're glad the lines of communication have been opened between educators and parents.
(------------)

[E-City-Water]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=99-47 30:37]
[GRAPHIC=Water Restrictions Lifted]

The city of Roanoke is easing the water restrictions that were put in place five months ago.
City officials are still calling for voluntary conservation, but they say the situation has improved to the point that mandatory restrictions are no longer necessary.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Carvins Cove]

The water level at Carvins Cove is now 17 feet below the spillway. That's still slightly below normal for this time of year.
But with a new water sharing agreement with Roanoke County, and with plans to develop more wells, officials say the city is in a better position to deal with drought conditions.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 17:18:45]
[IN Q=I just think]
((I JUST THINK IT'S A GOOD TIME TO RETURN SOMETHING TO THE CITIZENS TO THANK THEM FOR WHAT THEY HAVE DONE. WE'RE CLOSE TO NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR, SO CERTAINLY WE'LL MONITOR IT. AND IF WE NEED TO GO BACK ON MANDATORY RESTRICTIONS WE CAN, BUT WE CAN KEEP AN EYE ON IT AND SEE HOW WE'RE DOING.))
[SUPER=01-Diane Akers/Acting Assistant City Manager; ]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=see how we're doing.]
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[GRAPHIC=Hold]

Water supplied by other localities helped the city weather this crisis, but officials say residents and businesses in Roanoke conserved more than 350- million gallons during the five months that mandatory restrictions were in place.

[Bedford-Murder]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Bedford Co. Murder]

An shooting in Bedford County left one man dead, another in police custody.
Authorities say 38-year old Leroy Edgar Peter Junior was shot during a confrontation at a friend's home around 2:30 yesterday afternoon.
42-year old Larry Holmes was arrested at the scene and charged with second degree murder.
No other details have been released.

[thaxton-Robbery]

[ANCHOR=kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Bedford County deputies are also looking for two men suspected of robbing the Thaxton market last night.
One suspect stayed in a car while the other entered the store.
He's described as a black male wearing a maroon jacket with pin stripes, black warm up pants and tennis shoes.
The two were last seen on Route 460 in what's believed to be a black Honda Prelude.

[Mideast-Peace]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Mideast Peace Talks]

Mideast peace talks will get under way today in Washington-- the first in nearly four years.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington, DC;]

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright greeted both Israeli President Barak and Syrian Foreign Minister al-Shara yesterday.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 3:05:16]
[IN Q=Our country's]
((FAROUQ al-SHARA/SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: OUR COUNTRY'S ATTITUDE ABOUT PEACE IS GENUINE. WE ARE SERIOUS ABOUT REACHING RESULTS.))
[SUPER=01-Farouq al-Shara/Syrian Foreign Minister;]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=reaching results]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Barak offered no comment to reporters.
The Israeli and Syrian officials are to meet with President Clinton for the historic peace talks that'll likely hinge on Israel giving up the strategic Golan Heights.
A senior U-S official says the leaders are fairly confident, but says there's a lot of work to be done before any agreement can be reached.
The talks are expected to last for two days.
(------------)

[Peanuts]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

It's hard to imagine the world without Charlie Brown and the rest of the "Peanuts" gang....
But the start of the new millennium will mark the end of the cartoon strip's nearly 50- year run.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Los Angeles, CA;]

Creator Charles Schulz has announcement his retirement.
Schulz was recently diagnosed with cancer.
"Peanuts" debuted in 19-50, eventually running in more than 26- hundred newspapers in 75- countries.
Even with the international fame, Schulz has remained a private person, saying he wouldn't want anyone else to write the comic strip.
(------------)

[1-Sports]

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

In sports, high school basketball highlights, and the Roanoke Express give back to the community this holiday season.
Steve Mason has more.
Good Morning Steve.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Good morning]
[RUNS=2:16]
[OUT Q=see you later]

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

[One-Steve]

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

[Microwave]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon;]
[SUPER=11-Roanoke;]
[SUPER=01-Dave Jobe/Mill Mountain Zoo;]
[SUPER=11-Roanoke;]

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

[OR-Derailment]

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

One of the oldest bridges in Portland, Oregon is burning after a train derailment last night.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Portland, OR;]

Officials say a train loaded with grain rounded a curve beneath the Steel Bridge and jumped the tracks.
Columns of orange, blue, and purple flames poured out after the rail cars hit a six- inch natural gas line.
No injuries were reported.
Fire officials say they're pouring water from above-- not to douse the flames-- but to cool down the bridge.
The steel in the drawbridge becomes extremely weak once it reaches a thousand degrees.
(------------)

[E-Toy-Safety]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=tfl]
[TAPE#=99-39 TC1:30:56]
[GRAPHIC=Toys]

The Safety Coalition is releasing its annual toy injury report just in time for the holidays.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; ]

The Coalition has added a new prevention measure this year.
Roanoke coordinator Ellen Davis says parents should pay attention to the skill level of the child.
Even if the toy label recommends it's safe for children up to age four, the individual child may not be ready to play with it.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT tc 00:54:47]
[IN Q=Play becomes]
((ELLEN DAVIS/SAFE KIDS: PLAY BECOMES EVEN MORE VALUABLE WHEN A PARENT INTERACTS WITH A CHILD, BUT ESPECIALLY WHEN A CHILD HAS A NEW TOY AND YOU DON'T KNOW THE BEHAVIOR OF THAT CHILD WITH THAT TOY, YOU NEED TO ESPECIALLY SUPERVISE IN THE FIRST FEW PLAY TIMES WITH THAT NEW TOY.))
[SUPER=01-Ellen Davis/Safe Kids Coalition; ]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=that new toy]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Davis says parents should check old toys regularly for damage and small parts that could come loose.
(------------)

[Health-Check]

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

In medical news, a third of AIDS patients aren't treated in the United States.
Mika Brzezkinski has that story and more in this morning's Health check.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Mika Brzezkinski/Reporting; :00 ]
[RUNS=1:25]
[OUT Q=CBS News, New York.]
((New research suggests a carefully monitored medication program is more effective than intensive behavioral treatment for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
VT=VO
Nearly six hundred children aged 7 to 9 were followed for more than a year. Some were given only medication, some received only intense behavior modification therapy. Others had a combination of the two. Those receiving a combo fared the best but children who only received medication were better off than those who underwent behavioral therapy alone. More than three and a half million children in this country are diagnosed with the disorder. ON CAM A disturbing new report suggests one of every three patients with the AIDS virus here in the United States, goes without treatment. The primary reasons..lack of money and time. Poor people, drug users and minorities were the most likely groups to forgo care. Researchers at UCLA which conducted the study say more resources need to be devoted to supporting these patients.
VT=VO
And caring for a sick spouse can be hazardous to the health of senior citizens. That's the finding of a new study published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association. It found that elderly husbands or wives who are strained by providing such care are 63 percent more likely to die within four years than other spouses. The study tracked more than eight hundred couples between the ages of 66 and 95. ON CAM And that's a look at the day in health, I'm Mika Bzezinski, CBS News, New York.))

(ad lib to weather)

[Two-Steve]

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

[Microwave]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon;]
[SUPER=11-Roanoke;]
[SUPER=01-Dave Jobe/Mill Mountain Zoo;]
[SUPER=11-Roanoke;]

[Double Boxes=AFR & SPA]
(toss to Andrew)
((Archive: zoo)) [2-HEADLINES]
[2-shot=Kmc/Afr]
[SUPER=#4049; Morning Headlines]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

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

Residents are now free to wash their cars after Roanoke city officials called off mandatory water restrictions.
They are, however, still calling for voluntary conservation.
Recent rainfall and the water sharing agreement with Roanoke county have helped the situation at Carvins Cove.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kim]

Some supporters of the arts are recommending a regional sales tax to help support institutions like the Science Museum of Western Virginia.
The museum depends on state funding, and supporters are not confident the funding will remain.
So far, no word on when it would go before the General Assembly.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kim]

And we'll soon be saying goodbye to Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the "Peanuts" gang.
Cartoonist Charles Schulz will put down his pen at the end of the year.
Schulz announced his retirement from the cartoon strip, after recently being diagnosed with cancer.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

And that's what's making news on this Wednesday, December 15th .
[ANCHOR=Andrew]

News 7 Mornin' will be right back.

[Tax-Idea]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=am]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=99-52 TC19:27]
[GRAPHIC=taxes]

How would you feel about an increase in the sales tax?
Organizers of the Arts Council's Blue Print 2000 want to create a regional sales tax as a way to fund cultural organizations.
Kate Weidaw has more.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=So who's thinking]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=01-Harry Nickens/Science Museum Board Member; :23]
[SUPER=@Cranwell; :40]
[SUPER=07-Dave Moore; 1:06]
[SUPER=07-Debbie Mathews; 1:15]
[SUPER=@Kate1; 1:21]
[RUNS=1:37]
[OUT Q=Weidaw, news-7.]
(( So who's thinking of creating a regional sales tax, and why?
For starters, people concerned about steady funding for institutions like the Science Museum of Western Virginia.

It depends on state funding, and supporters are not confident the funding will remain.
Harry Nickens is a Roanoke County Supervisor and Science Museum board member.
[SOT 15:18:31]
[INQ=]
((HARRY NICKENS/SCIENCE MUSEUM BOARD MEMBER: ALL THE EDUCATIONAL CULTURAL CONSTITUTIONS ARE WORRIED ABOUT WHAT WILL BE IN THE GOVERNORS FUNDING FOR THEM AND WHAT MIGHT BE EXCLUDED.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 10]

But the idea to raise the regional sales tax may be dead before it even hits the General Assembly floor.

[SOT 15:16:16]
[INQ=]
((DICK CRANWELL: REGIONAL SALES TAX HAS NOT BEEN REAL POPULAR IN THE LEGISLATURE DOUBT THIS ONE WOULD BE EITHER.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 5]

Dick Cranwell is a long time delegate who serves on the finance committee.

[SOT 15:16:28]
[INQ=]
((DICK CRANWELL: IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER WHAT IT GOES FOR THERE HAS BEEN A REAL RELUCTANCE TO DIVIDE THE SALES TAX UP INTO A REGIONAL TYPE REVENUE.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 8]

Shoppers have mixed views on the idea.

[SOT 15:14:28]
[INQ=]
((DAVE MOORE/OPPOSE IDEA: YOU CAN NOT TAX THE PEOPLE ANOTHER PENNY AND PUT THAT BURDEN ON THEM FOR SOMETHING THAT ISN'T NECESSARY ROADS YES, I 81 YES, ARTS, NO.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 11]

[SOT 15:15:40]
[INQ=]
((DEBBIE MATHEWS: I THINK SINCE THEY ARE TAKING AWAY THE PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX WE CAN AFFORD TO PAY A 1% FOR THE ARTS.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 5]

[STANDUP]
[INQ=]
((KATE WEIDAW/REPORTING: THE TAX WOULD ALSO GO TO HELP LIBRARIES AS WELL AS INDUSTRIAL AND TOURISM MARKETING. SO FAR THERE IS NO WORD ON WHEN IT WILL GO BEFORE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. HOWEVER NO SUCH TAX COULD BE ENACTED WITH VOTERS APPROVING IT. KATE WEIDAW NEWS 7.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS=]))

[2-E-City-Water]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=99-47 30:37]
[GRAPHIC=Water Restrictions Lifted]

Roanoke City is pulling the plug on mandatory water restrictions.
City officials are still calling for voluntary conservation, but they say the situation has improved to the point that mandatory restrictions are no longer necessary.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Carvins Cove]

The water level at Carvins Cove is now 17 feet below the spillway. That's still slightly below normal for this time of year.
But with a new water sharing agreement with Roanoke County, and with plans to develop more wells, officials say the city is in a better position to deal with drought conditions.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 17:18:45]
[IN Q=I just think]
((I JUST THINK IT'S A GOOD TIME TO RETURN SOMETHING TO THE CITIZENS TO THANK THEM FOR WHAT THEY HAVE DONE. WE'RE CLOSE TO NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR, SO CERTAINLY WE'LL MONITOR IT. AND IF WE NEED TO GO BACK ON MANDATORY RESTRICTIONS WE CAN, BUT WE CAN KEEP AN EYE ON IT AND SEE HOW WE'RE DOING.))
[SUPER=01-Diane Akers/Acting Assistant City Manager; ]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=see how we're doing.]
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[GRAPHIC=Hold]

Water supplied by other localities helped the city weather this crisis, but officials say residents and businesses in Roanoke conserved more than 350- million gallons during the five months that mandatory restrictions were in place.

[E-Water-React]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=99-41 1:30:58]
[GRAPHIC=Water Restricitons Lifted]

Roanoke's fourth biggest water user said it got burned during the drought ... and it won't ever again rely on the city's water supply.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

The Roanoke Country Club has dug its own wells ... put in its own pumping station ... and is now filling its own reservoir.
It's a one-million-dollar renovation.
And once it's finished, the club will be self-sufficient.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:11:09]
[IN Q=there comes a time]
((DAN WHEELER/ROANOKE COUNTRY CLUB: THERE COMES A TIME WHEN YOU HAVE TO GO OUT ON YOUR OWN. AND THE TIME FOR THE CLUB IS NOW. THIS WILL ALLOW US TO DO WHATEVER WE WANT TO DO AND WE WON'T HAVE TO RELY ON THE CITY FOR WATER.))
[SUPER=01-Dan Wheeler/Roanoke Country Club]
[RUNS=12]
[OUT Q=FOR WATER]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The club was banned from using city water this summer and fall.
Now that it's not using city water at all, Roanoke is going to lose revenue.
The club's annual water bill WAS 42-thousand dollars.
That's money the city will no longer collect.
(------------)

[2-Bedford-Murder]

[Schulz-Retirement]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

After nearly 50 years of making the world laugh with his "Peanuts" gang, cartoonist Charles Schulz will soon retire.
Jennifer Sabih has the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Long suffering cartoon]
[SUPER=03-Los Angeles, CA; :07]
[SUPER=07-Charles Schulz; :35 ]
[SUPER=01-Jennifer Sabih/Reporting; 1:10]
[RUNS=1:21]
[OUT Q=Jennifer Sabih, CBS News, Los Angeles.]
(( LONG SUFFERING CARTOON CHARACTER CHARLIE BROWN AND THE PEANUTS GANG WILL SOON BE NO MORE. CHARLES SCHULZ, CREATOR OF THE WILDLY POPULAR COMIC STRIP, RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER, WILL RETIRE COME THE NEW YEAR. PEANUTS MADE ITS DEBUT IN 1950, EVENTUALLY RUNNING IN MORE THAN 2,600 NEWSPAPERS, REACHING MILLIONS OF READERS IN 75 COUNTRIES. THE TRAVAILS OF CHARLIE BROWN, HIS PALS AND HIS DOG SNOOPY WERE A REFLECTION OF THEIR CREATOR, AS SCHULZ RECENTLY TOLD 60 MINUTES CORRESPONDENT STEVE KROFT.
(SOT, COURTESY CBS 60 MINUTES, CHARLES SCHULZ, CARTOONIST, "If you were to read the strip for just a few months you wou
ld know me because everything I am goes into the strip. All of my fears, my anxieties, my joys and almost all of my experiences go into that strip. That is me. What I'm thinking of, what I'm writing and what the characters are doing.") IN 1990 WHEN THE PEANUTS GANG TURNED 40, THE GOVERNMENT OF FRANCE GAVE SCHULZ ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S HIGHEST AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE ARTS. WHILE OVER THE YEARS, PEANUTS BECAME A PART OF AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE, SCHULZ REMAINED A PRIVATE FIGURE, MAINTAINING THAT HE WOULD NOT WANT ANYONE ELSE TO DO THE COMIC STRIP. JENNIFER SABIH FOR CBS NEWS, LOS ANGELES.))

[Three-Steve]

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

[Microwave]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon;]
[SUPER=11-Roanoke;]
[SUPER=01-Dave Jobe/Mill Mountain Zoo;]
[SUPER=11-Roanoke;]

[double Boxes=SPA & KMC]
(toss to Kimberly)

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

[E-Tunnel]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=99-44 TC1:21:43]
[GRAPHIC=I-77 Anniversary]

The tunnel that links the two Virginias along Interstate 77 cost 39- million dollars to build in the early 1970's.

Today-- it would cost around 200- million.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Mercer Co., WV;]

This month marks the East River Mountain tunnel's 25th anniversary.
And, a lot has changed since 1974, mainly in terms of traffic growth.
Around 11- million vehicles are expected to pass through the tunnel this year and a crew is currently working to remove years of dirt and grime from the tunnel's tiles... which are supposed to be blue.
But the tunnel isn't purely about transportation.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I was ]
((CHARLIE FORE/TUNNEL SUPERINTENDENT: I WAS DAY DREAMING ON HOW TO GET IT FROM THE NORTH SIDE TO THE SOUTH END TO FURNISH THE TUNNEL AND I WASN'T DREAMING BIG ENOUGH.))
[SUPER=01-Charlie Fore/Tunnel Superintendent; :00]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=big enough.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Charlie Fore lobbied to pump water from West Virginia to the tunnel after a vehicle caught fire inside the tunnel in 1993.
What Fore never expected is that the pipes would be big enough to also pump drinking water to residents in Bland County.
(----------)

[S-Medevac-Chopper]

[ANCHOR=]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=99-48 29:22]
[GRAPHIC=None]

State police are also making some changes in the air, and that's going to benefit central Virginia.
Governor Jim Gilmore today announced he's including money in next year's budget to buy five new helicopters for state police.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

That means one of the existing police choppers will be given to Lynchburg for use in medical emergencies.
Local legislators say they'll work hard to make sure the money survives the budget process in next year's General Assembly.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=And all the]
((SEN. STEVE NEWMAN/R- LYNCHBURG: AND ALSO THE OTHER IS THIS JUST MAKES SENSE. WE GET RID OF SOME OF THE OLDER HELICOPTERS AND WE GET FIVE BRAND NEW HELICOPTERS, BUT MOST IMPORTANT I THINK FOR CENTRAL VIRGINIA IT CLOSES THAT GAP AND OUR PEOPLE WILL BE PROTECTED.))
[SUPER=@Newman;]
[RUNS=13]
[OUT Q=will be protected.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Right now, the Lynchburg- Danville corridor is the only part of Virginia not served by a medevac helicopter.
(------------)

[3-Sports]

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

In sports, Virginia Tech football gets a soundtrack to go with its sensational season.
Steve Mason has the details.
Good Morning Steve.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Hello again]
[RUNS=2:37]
[OUT Q=Wednesday everybody]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
(weather toss)

[Local-Recap]
[SUPER=#4059;Local Recap]
[2-Shot=Kmc/AFR]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

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

A new proposal would create a regional sales tax to help fund cultural organizations.
It would raise the current 4 and a half state sales tax by one cent in Roanoke and Botetourt counties, as well as the cities of Roanoke and Salem.
There is no word on when the idea would be presented to the General Assembly.
Ultimately the voters will decide if the tax is passed.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

A committee charged with looking into racial problems in the Lynchburg school system has finished up its work.
The advisory group issued a series of recommendations to the Lynchburg city school board last night.
Members suggest hiring a full- time person to train school staff in diversity and sensitivity issues increased recruitment of minority teachers.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

The city of Roanoke is easing the water restrictions that were put in place five months ago.
City officials are still calling for voluntary conservation, but they say the situation has improved to the point that mandatory restrictions are no longer necessary.
The water level at Carvins Cove is now 17 feet below the spillway. That's still slightly below normal for this time of year.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Andrew]
(Andrew mike hot)
(///////////////)
(Andrew ad lib weather)
(-------------)
[Double Boxes=Kimberly/Andrew and Steve]
(toss)
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(live ad lib, tease tomorrow)
[Double Boxes=Kimberly/Andrew and Steve]
(ad lib bye)