[Headlines]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
Authorities in Tennessee ended a nationwide manhunt when they discovered Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth in the trunk of a car.
He's wanted for the murder of his girlfriend.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
And nearly four years after a Roanoke fire killed four family members, the case is now being investigated as arson.
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(ad lib live tease)
[2-shot]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
There's a lot coming up-- stay tuned for News 7 Mornin'.
[Carruth-Arrest]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Investigation]
A nationwide manhunt over--
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth was arrested in Tennessee for the murder of his former girlfriend.
Drew Levinson has the latest.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=A month ago]
[SUPER=@file;]
[SUPER=01-Vic Acorn/FBI Agent;]
[SUPER=01-Drew Levinson/Reporting;]
[RUNS=1:25]
[OUT Q=Drew Levinson, CBS News, Charlotte]
((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.
(SOT) 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.
(NATS or SOT)
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.
(NATS)
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.
(STANDUP DREW LEVINSON/CBS NEWS )
Drew Levinson CBS News Charlotte))
[Purgatory-Fire]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Forest Fire]
The state wants to be repaid for the money it spent fighting the August forest fire in Botetourt County.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co./August]
The state spent 166-thousand dollars fighting the 12-hundred acre fire on Purgatory Mountain.
The Department of Forestry has asked Attorney General Mark Earley's office to decide whether to seek civil damages.
The blaze was started by sparks from the metal rim of a truck that blew a tire on nearby Interstate 81.
(------------)
[E-Stewart-Avenue]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[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/January 20, 1996; :00]
[SUPER=01-Chief Jim Grigsby/Roanoke Fire-EMS; :16]
[SUPER=01-Lt. Bill Althoff/Roanoke Police; :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))[E-Danville-Manager]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=599-16 TC55:35]
[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.
Yesterday by phone he explained that his main objectives would include pushing for schools and economic development.
(///// SOT /////)
[IN Q=That's what the name]
((JERRY GWALTNEY/NEW CITY MANAGER: THAT'S WHAT THE NAME OF THE GAME IS RIGHT NOW...POSITIONING YOURSELF FOR THE FUTURE AND HAVING THE NECESSARY INFRASTRUCTURE THAT MAKES THAT EASIER TO DO.))
((PETE CASTIGLIONE/DANVILLE VICE MAYOR: HE SEES THE TIE BETWEEN EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND HE'S BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL.))
[SUPER=02-Jerry Gwaltney/New Danville City Manager; :00]
[SUPER=01-Pete Castiglione/Danville Vice-Mayor; :16]
[RUNS=:21]
[OUT Q=been very successful.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Danville will formally appoint Gwaltney at its next meeting.
He'll make 125-thousand dollars a year... 14 percent more than his predecessor, Ray Griffin, who was fired in July.
(------------)
[1-Sports]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=sports cut in]
[GRAPHIC=None]
In sports, Frank Beamer is this years A-P coach of the year, and the city of Salem hosts a victory party for its state champion football team.
Steve Mason has more.
Good Morning Steve.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Good morning]
[RUNS=2:09]
[OUT Q=good Thursday]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
(Kimberly ad lib toss to Steve/Wx)
[One-Steve]
[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#M99-7]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]
[Microwave]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon;]
[SUPER=11-Roanoke;]
[SUPER=01-Janie Whitlow/Community Christmas Store;]
[SUPER=11-Roanoke;]
(I'll call for video)
(------------------)
[VO-NAT]
[RUNS=1:30]
(------------------)
[Steve Live]
(toss to stocks)
[STOCKS]
[COMM]
((Archive: community christmas store))
[Brooks-Retirement]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
You know him as country legend Garth Brooks AND as the pop star Chris Gaines.....
But the singer has announced he'll soon put down the microphone for good.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-The Nashville Network;]
While appearing on T-N-N's "Crook and Chase" yesterday, Brooks said he'll have a big party at the end of next year, where he'll "probably" announce his retirement.
He says his priorities have changed, and he wants to focus on his wife and daughters.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 3:15:15]
[IN Q=Well, I put]
((GARTH BROOKS/SINGER: WELL, I PUT MY NAME ON THOSE BABIES, SEVEN YEARS AGO, AUGUST AND ALLY, BUT I'VE ALWAYS FOUND SOME WAY TO JUSTIFY IT BY SAYING I WAS MAKING A LIVING FOR THE FAMILY OR PREPARING-- I THINK THE TIME'S COME TO SIT AND FOCUS ON THEM.))
[SUPER=01-Garth Brooks/Singer;]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=focus on them]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Over the last decade, Brooks has sold 95- million records.
His biggest hits include "Friends in Low Places" and "The Dance".
(------------)
[Gilmore-Education]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Virginia College Funding]
Governor Gilmore is freezing 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 and pay raises for professors.
[S-Butler-Portrait]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=99-41 1:31:51]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The portraits of the men who have served as Virginia's lieutenant governor 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.
(------------)
[Health-Check]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=NET]
[GRAPHIC=Mornin Health Check]
Visitors to third world countries are often advised not to drink the water.
Now visitors to Philadelphia are being told the same thing.
Mika Brzezinski has that story and more in this morning's Health check.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Mika Brzezinski/Reporting; :00 ]
[RUNS=1:18]
[OUT Q=CBS News, New York.]
((HEALTH OFFICIALS IN PHILADELPHIA ARE CALLING A NEW REPORT ABOUT THEIR
DRINKING WATER "FLAWED SCIENCE."
VT=VO
((vo))
RESEARCHERS AT HARVARD ARE WARNING VISITORS TO THE CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE
NOT TO DRINK THE WATER.
THEY CLAIM IT'S FILLED WITH PATHOGENS. A RECENT SURVEY OF HOSPITAL PATIENTS OVER 65 WITH GASTRO-INTESTINAL ILLNESSES, FOUND THAT 10% WERE SICK FROM THE CITY'S POOR WATER QUALITY.
TWO YEARS AGO, THEY FOUND A SIMILAR RATE OF G-I ILLNESSES IN PHILADELPHIA CHILDREN.
VT=VO
((vo))
DOES MILK REALLY DO A BODY GOOD? THE PHYSICIANS COMMITTEE FOR RESPONSIBLE MEDICINE SAYS MAYBE NOT. THEY CLAIM THE U-S GOVERNMENT IS TOO EAGER TO ENDORSE DAIRY PRODUCTS AS PART OF A BALANCED DIET.
THE REASON?..MANY MINORITIES CAN'T DIGEST MILK.
THE GROUP SUED THE AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT YESTERDAY SAYING IT'S NOT PAYING ENOUGH ATTENTION TO IT'S CONCERNS AS THE DEPARTMENT REVISES FEDERAL DIETARY GUIDELINES.
THOSE NEW GUIDELINES ARE DUE OUT SOMETIME NEXT YEAR.
VT=VO
((vo))
STRETCHING BEFORE YOU EXERCISE IS A GREAT WAY TO PREVENT INJURIES.. RIGHT? NOT ACCORDING TO A RECENT STUDY IN NEW SCIENTIST MAGAZINE.
RESEARCHERS IN AUSTRALIA SAY YOUR JUST WASTING YOUR TIME.
THEY STUDIED MORE THAN TWENTY FIVE HUNDRED ARMY RECRUITS AND CONCLUDED
THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE IN INJURIES AMONG SOLDIERS WHO STRETCHED AND
SOLDIERS WHO DIDN'T.
ONCAM=MIKA
((on cam))
AND THAT'S A LOOK AT THE DAY IN HEALTH. I'M MIKA BRZEZINSKI, 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 Co.;]
[SUPER=01-Donna Hoffman/Community Christmas Store]
[SUPER=11-Roanoke Co.]
(adlib to weather)
((Archive: community Christmas store))
[2-HEADLINES]
[2-shot=Kmc/Spa]
[SUPER=#4049; Morning Headlines]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
Here's a look at today's top stories.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
After a nationwide manhunt, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth is in police custody.
Carruth was found hiding inside the trunk of a car in Tennessee.
He's wanted for the murder of his pregnant girlfriend.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
Nearly four years ago, a fire in Roanoke killed four children and their grandmother.
Now that new information has come to light, the case of the Stewart Avenue fire is being re- opened as an arson investigation.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
You know him for belting out the tunes as country superstar Garth Brooks or as the new pop crooner Chris Gaines---
But the singer says he plans to retire at the end of next year.
Brooks made the announcement during a t-v appearance yesterday.
He says he wants to spend more time with his family.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
And that's what's making news on this Thursday, December 16th .
News 7 Mornin' will be right back.
[2-Carruth-Arrest]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=KMC]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Investigation]
With the entire country looking for him, pro football player Rae Carruth was finally found inside the trunk of a car in Tennessee.
The Carolina Panther wide receiver is wanted in the drive- by shooting death of his pregnant girlfriend.
Drew Levinson reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=A month ago]
[SUPER=@file;]
[SUPER=01-Vic Acorn/FBI Agent;]
[SUPER=01-Drew Levinson/Reporting;]
[RUNS=1:25]
[OUT Q=Drew Levinson, CBS News, Charlotte]
((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.
(SOT) 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.
(NATS or SOT)
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.
(NATS)
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.
(STANDUP DREW LEVINSON/CBS NEWS )
Drew Levinson CBS News Charlotte))
[2-Purgatory-Fire]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Forest Fire]
The August forest fire in Botetourt County cost the Virginia Forestry Department big bucks.
Now forestry officials want their money back.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co./August]
The state spent 166-thousand dollars fighting the 12-hundred acre fire on Purgatory Mountain.
The Department of Forestry has asked Attorney General Mark Earley's office to decide whether to seek civil damages.
The blaze was started by sparks from the metal rim of a truck that blew a tire on nearby Interstate 81.
(------------)
[2-E-Stewart-Avenue]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=99-44 1:22:48]
[GRAPHIC=Arson]
New information has led investigators to reconsider the cause of a Roanoke fire that killed five people.
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/January 20, 1996; :00]
[SUPER=01-Chief Jim Grigsby/Roanoke Fire-EMS; :16]
[SUPER=01-Lt. Bill Althoff/Roanoke Police; :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))[Henry-Workers]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Laid-off textile workers in Henry County are getting help from their county government.
The Board of Supervisors yesterday 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.
[E-Rubatex]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=99-42 1:47;13]
[GRAPHIC=Rubatex]
Rubatex says its retirees will have to pay part of their health insurance premiums.
It's the first time that's ever happened...
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford]
and it's 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.
(------------)
[S-Tobacco]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[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 yesterday 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.
(------------)
[Shuttle-Launch]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Discovery Launch]
The weather is expected to cooperate with tonight's planned launch of the space shuttle "Discovery".
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Kennedy Space Ctr., FL;]
The scheduled lift- off is for 9-18 P-M.
It'll be the first shuttle flight since July.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 3:09:47 ]
[IN Q=We've had a number]
((JOEL WELLS/NASA SPOKESPERSON: WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES AND TECHNICAL SETBACKS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS.. TO SEE THE COUNTDOWN CLOCK TICKING AND TO SEE THE TEAM CONFIGURED, READY FOR LAUNCH-- IT'S EXCITING. IT'S AN EXCITING TIME.))
[SUPER=01-Joel Wells/NASA Spokesperson;]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=an exciting time.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
For the first time in more than 25 years, NASA plans to fly a spaceship during the Christmas holiday season, in order to repair the Hubble Space Telescope
NASA has three chances to launch Discovery -- either today, tomorrow, or Saturday before giving up for the year to avoid any potential Y-2-K problems.
(------------)
[Three-Steve]
[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#NONE]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]
[Microwave]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon;]
[SUPER=11-Roanoke Co.;]
[SUPER=01-Janie Whitlow/Community Christmas Store;]
[SUPER=11-Roanoke Co.;]
[double Boxes=SPA & KMC]
(toss to Kimberly)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[SS=None]
(ad lib toss to bump)
[BUMP-Chyron]
[COMM #6]
((Archive: Community Christmas Store))
[2-Brooks-Retirement]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]
He's one of the biggest country music stars ever...
But Garth Brooks says he's planning to retire.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-The Nashville Network;]
Brooks made the announcement yesterday during an appearance on T-N-N's "Crook and Chase".
He says he wants to spend more time with his family.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 3:14:15 ]
[IN Q=so, next year]
((GARTH BROOKS/SINGER: SO, NEXT YEAR, I REALLY, IF I CAN PREDICT, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO LAY LOW, EXTREMELY LOW FOR NINE OR 10 MONTHS AND I THINK WE'RE GOING TO PLAN A BIG PARTY AT THE END OF THE YEAR AND IT'S JUST BECAUSE OF MY BABIES AND SOMEWHERE YOU'VE GOT TO CALL IT-- I THINK WE'LL PROBABLY ANNOUNCE OUR RETIREMENT AT THE END OF NEXT YEAR.))
[SUPER=01-Garth Brooks/Singer;]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=end of next year]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Over the last decade, Brooks has sold 95- million records.
His biggest hits include "Friends in Low Places" and "The Dance".
Brooks also recently created the role of an Australian pop singer on his latest album, "Garth Brooks in...the Life of Chris Gaines."
(------------)
[E-L'burg-Sewers]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-43 TC1:36:33]
[GRAPHIC=Lynchburg]
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 yesterday for more than five and a half million dollars .. to help with the overhaul of Lynchburg's sewer system.
The money matches a federal grant, and brings the total of outside help to 26 million dollars so far.
The city is spending 20 years and an estimated 270 million dollars to fix its sewers.
The goal is to prevent raw sewage from flowing into the James River.
(------------)
[E-Santa-Safety]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=99-39 TC1:32:43]
[GRAPHIC=None ]
The world's busiest traveller will be hitting Virginia this month... and state safety advocates want it to be a safe trip.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond;]
So Drive Smart Virginia and the Governor's top transportation officials added a few safety features to Santa's sleigh yesterday: airbags, belts, and booster seats for the elves.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 11:48:16]
[IN Q=You know in]
((COL. WAYNE HUGGINS/VIRGINIA STATE POLICE: YOU KNOW IN VIRGINIA, OUR LAW REQUIRES THAT ALL CHILDREN AND ELVES THAT WEIGH LESS THAN 40 POUNDS HAVE TO BE SECURED. AND WE RECOMMEND THAT CHILDREN AND ELVES THAT WEIGH ABOVE 40 POUNDS BE PROPERLY SECURED EITHER IN SEATBELTS OR IN AN APPROVED BOOSTER SEAT.))
[SUPER=01-Col. Wayne Huggins/State Police;]
[RUNS=:19]
[OUT Q=booster seat.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Santa reminded parents that kids whose mom and dad don't buckle tend NOT to buckle up themselves.
Along with the safety message, Santa doled out a few holiday gifts for the kids.
(------------)
[3-Sports]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
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In sports, the Roanoke Express prepare to return to the Roundhouse for after a road tour.
Steve Mason has more.
Good Morning Steve.
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[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
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[Local-Recap]
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[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
Now here's another look at today's top local stories:
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[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
The state wants to be repaid for the money it spent fighting the August forest fire in Botetourt County.
The state spent 166-thousand dollars fighting the 12-hundred acre fire on Purgatory Mountain.
The Department of Forestry has asked Attorney General Mark Earley's office to decide whether to seek civil damages.
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[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
Four children and their grandmother died when their Stewart Avenue home caught fire in 1996.
It was first viewed as an accident, but new information came to light as a lawsuit moved forward, and investigators returned to collect additional evidence.
That evidence led fire officials to reclassify the cause from accidental to incendiary.
Roanoke police have also renewed their investigation
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[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
For the first time-- Rubatex retirees will have to pay part of their health-insurance premiums.
That's been one issue at the heart of the strike at Bedford's biggest employer.
The Steelworkers union has been picketing for nearly 100 days, and says it's not fair to make retirees pay.
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[ANCHOR=Steve]
(Steve mic hot)
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(Steve ad lib weather)
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[ANCHOR=Steve]
(live ad lib, tease tomorrow)
(ad lib bye)
[Double Boxes=Kimberly and Steve]
by SS