[7-New-Jobs]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=jha]
[TAPE#=99-42 1:49:57]
[GRAPHIC=New Jobs]
Laid off workers in Martinsville and Henry County have a new reason to celebrate.
200 new jobs are coming to the area.
(----------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville]
National Catalog Corporation is opening a new e-commerce distributing and customer service center in the old Pluma building in Henry County.
The company has operated an inbound customer service center in Martinsville since July, and plans for the expansion to begin immediately.
(--------)
[anchor=Melanie]
[ss=HOLD]
The news could not have come at a better time.
Just this month--Tultex laid off more than 17-hundred employees in Martinsville and Henry County.
[7-Bedford-Arrest]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=NONE]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Bedford County authorities have arrested two people for two recent robberies.
And investigators say the are suspects in other armed robberies in Franklin, Botetourt and Pittsylvania Counties.
42 year old Freeman Lee Muse and 46 year old Costella Forney of Harrisonburg were arrested last night after a Bedford deputy pulled their car over.
The two are charged with robbing a gas station near Smith Mountain Lake last Friday .. and the Thaxton market last Tuesday.
[7-Osborne]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=99-38 2:00:16]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]
He killed his girlfriend here in Virginia, then another woman in Tennessee.
Now, the former carnival worker has received a second life term in prison.
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blountville, TN/File Tape;]
Bradley Duane Osborne was sentenced Saturday for killing his former girlfriend at an Abingdon motel in October of '96.
He then stole her car and shot and killed another woman in Tennessee.
Osborne was already serving life in prison for her murder.
(---------------------)
[7-Fatal-Accident]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident (traffic)]
Police say a woman who went through a red light Sunday died in the collision that followed.
Lynchburg police say 79 year old Berneice Morris died .. after failing to stop at a light along Ford Avenue.
Her car struck a S-U-V. No one in the other vehicle was seriously hurt.
[7-Zoo-Lights]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=99-50 50:47]
[GRAPHIC=Christmas]
The bright lights of Christmas have reached the Mill Mountain Zoo this holiday season.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
It's all part of Zoo Night Lights.
The first 50 visitors each night receive free holiday specs that transform the Christmas lights into snow flakes.
Zoo officials hope the holiday lights will encourage folks to see the animals in the winter.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT8:12]
[IN Q=The big message]
((BETH POFF/MILL MOUNTAIN ZOO: THE BIG MESSAGE WE WANT TO GET OUT IS NOT ONLY A HAPPY HOLIDAY MESSAGE BUT ALSO THAT WE'RE HERE YEAR ROUND SO ENJOY THOSE MILD DAYS. WE'VE HAD A MILD WINTER SO FAR AND THE ANIMALS ARE MUCH DIFFERENT IN THE COLDER MONTHS A LOT OF THEM ARE MORE ACTIVE))
[SUPER=01-Beth Poff/Mill Mountain Zoo]
[RUNS=13]
[OUT Q=more active]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Poff says this is also a good time to view some of the zoos newest additions like the bald eagles and (core-sick) fox -- which is found at only one other zoo in the country.
You can check out the lights through Thursday.
(------------)
[7Weather]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Here's a look at today's weather.
Clouds and rain this morning with light winds out of the northeast.
High temperatures in the upper 40s to 50.
Tonight mostly cloudy with a chance of more rain.
Lows in the lower 40s.
The extended forecast....(ad lib if necessary)
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Clouds & Rain/Winds NE 5-15/45-50/Mostly Cloudy/Chance of More Rain/40-44;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
[45-Christmas-Shopping]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=99-]
[GRAPHIC=Christmas Shopping (wreath)]
With Christmas less than a week away, the last minute shopping rush is on.
Roanokers flocked to Valley View Mall over the weekend and as Joy Sutton merchants are reporting increased sales over last year.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;:00]
[SUPER=01-Debbie Trout/Shopper;:20]
[SUPER=01-Justin Koehler/Shopper;:37]
[SUPER=01-Michael Wilhoem/Shopper;:44]
[SUPER=01-Marie Compton/Fink's Jewelers;:54]
[SUPER=@Joy1;1:44]
[RUNS=2:01]
[OUT Q=n7, Roanoke]
(( Debbie Troutt is just one of hundreds of shoppers who have waited to the last minute to buy Christmas presents.
She says the mall was so crowded on Saturday - she couldn't find a place to park and had to come back Sunday.
But that hasn't stopped her from spending lots of money this holiday season.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:33:46]
[IN Q=I'm afraid to add]
((DEBBIE TROUTT: I'M AFRAID TO ADD UP HOW MUCH I'M SPENDING PROBABLY A LITTLE MORE BECAUSE I'M SHOPPING AT THE LAST MINUTE. AND I'M NOT SPENDING TIME LOOKING))
[RUNS= 9]
[OUT Q=time looking]
Actually she's just buying -- like many other shoppers - who say they are spending hundreds of dollars more this holiday compared to last year.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT2:22:44]
[IN Q=Today I spent]
((JUSTIN KOEHLER: TODAY I SPENT A THOUSAND DOLLARS, TOTAL HOLIDAY I'VE SPEND 2 THOUSAND DOLLARS AND THAT'S PROBABLY 3 TIMES WHAT I SPENT LAST YEAR))
[RUNS= 10]
[OUT Q=last year]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT2:37:15]
[IN Q=A whole lot more]
((MICHAEL WILHEOM: A WHOLE LOT MORE THAN LAST YEAR PROBABLY DOUBLE OF WHAT I SPENT LAST YEAR))
[RUNS= 5]
[OUT Q=last year]
And many retailers are reaping the benefits.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:28:40]
[IN Q=I think that's]
((MARIE COMPTON/FINK'S: OUR PERCENTAGE IS UP A LOT. I THINK THAT'S DUE TO THE ECONOMY BEING SO GREAT AND PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THE STOCK MARKET AND ALL OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE CAUSED THEM TO HAVE EXCESS MONEY TO SPEND THEN OUR BUSINESS REALLY EXCELS BECAUSE OF THAT))
[RUNS= 11]
[OUT Q=because of that]
Compton says sales at Fink's Jewelers are up 15 percent from the last holiday season.
She says people are even buying the more expensive gifts like this millennium ring -- a collectors item -- valued between 10 and 20 thousand dollars.
A Valley View Mall spokesperson also says sales are up overall....with some stores experiences a sales gain of as much as 25- percent.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT2:39:31]
[IN Q=And the countdown is on]
((JOY SUTTON/REPORTER: AND THE COUNTDOWN IS ON TILL CHRISTMAS AND RETAILERS HOPE THAT WILL MEAN MORE CUSTOMER THIS WEEK COMING IN TO GET THOSE LAST MINUTE GIFTS))
[RUNS= 9]
[OUT Q=gifts]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT2:29:56]
[IN Q=men are always shop last]
((MARIE COMPTON/FINK'S: MEN ALWAYS SHOP LAST SO BETWEEN NOW AND CHRISTMAS EVE WERE EXPECTING REALLY BIG SALES))
[RUNS= 6]
[OUT Q=big sales]
And this holiday it seems that neither the crowds nor the shortage of parking spaces will keep the shoppers from buying.
Joy Sutton, News 7 Roanoke.))
[45-Fatal-Accident]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident (traffic)]
A female motorist was killed last night in a collision in Lynchburg.
And police say it was because she ran a red light.
Police say 79 year old Berneice Morris died .. after failing to stop at a light along Ford Avenue.
Her car struck a S-U-V.
No one in the other vehicle was seriously hurt.
[45Weather]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Taking a moment now to check the Monday forecast...
Lingering clouds all day, with mainly morning showers.
Highs in the upper 40s.
Tonight looks mostly cloudy with a chance of more rain re- developing and lows in the lower 40s.
The five day forecast is wet tomorrow....then drier and cooler through the end of the week.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Clouds & Rain/Winds NE 5-15/45-50/Mostly Cloudy/Chance of More Rain/40-44;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
[8-New-Jobs]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=jha]
[TAPE#=99-42 1:49:57]
[GRAPHIC=New Jobs]
After months of layoffs and plant closings that left more than a thousand without jobs, 200 new jobs are coming to Martinsville and Henry County.
(----------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville]
National Catalog Corporation is opening a new e-commerce distributing and customer service center in the old Pluma building in Henry County.
The company has operated an inbound customer service center in Martinsville since July, and plans for the expansion to begin immediately.
(--------)
[anchor=Melanie]
[ss=HOLD]
The news could not have come at a better time.
Just this month--Tultex laid off more than 17-hundred employees in Martinsville and Henry County.
[8-Bedford-Arrest]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=NONE]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Two people have been arrested for recent holdups in Bedford County, as well as other armed robberies in Franklin, Botetourt and Pittsylvania Counties.
42 year old Freeman Lee Muse and 46 year old Costella Forney of Harrisonburg were arrested last night after a Bedford deputy pulled their car over.
The two are charged with robbing a gas station near Smith Mountain Lake last Friday .. and the Thaxton market last Tuesday.
[8-Osborne]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=99-38 2:00:16]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]
A former carnival worker who killed two women has received another life term in prison.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blountville, TN/File Tape;]
Bradley Duane Osborne was sentenced Saturday for killing his former girlfriend at an Abingdon motel in October of '96.
He then stole her car and shot and killed another woman in Tennessee.
Osborne was already serving life in prison for her murder.
(---------------------)
[8-2Christmas-Shopping]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=99-??]
[GRAPHIC=Christmas Shopping]
With the shopping days left until Christmas dwindling, hundreds of shoppers hit area malls over the weekend.
And that has meant sales are up for some local retailers.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
Valley View Mall was buzzing with shoppers this weekend and many say they are spending much more this holiday in comparison to last year.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT2:22:44]
[SUPER=01-Justin Koehler/Shopper;]
[IN Q=Today I spent]
((JUSTIN KOEHLER: TODAY I SPENT A THOUSAND DOLLARS, TOTAL HOLIDAY I'VE SPEND 2 THOUSAND DOLLARS AND THAT'S PROBABLY 3 TIMES WHAT I SPENT LAST YEAR))
[RUNS= 10]
[OUT Q=last year]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Mall officials say sales are up about 8 percent overall compared to this time last year and some stores have gains as much as 25 percent..
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:28:40]
[SUPER=01-Marie Compton/Fink's Jewelers;]
[IN Q=I think that's]
((MARIE COMPTON/FINK'S: OUR PERCENTAGE IS UP A LOT. I THINK THAT'S DUE TO THE ECONOMY BEING SO GREAT AND PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THE STOCK MARKET AND ALL OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE CAUSED THEM TO HAVE EXCESS MONEY TO SPEND THEN OUR BUSINESS REALLY EXCELS BECAUSE OF THAT))
[RUNS= 11]
[OUT Q=because of that]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
And with a few a days left before Christmas -- retailers are banking on more last minute shoppers taking to the malls and spending lots of money
(-----------)
[8-Zoo-Lights]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=99-50 50:47]
[GRAPHIC=Christmas]
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around the Roanoke Valley, and even the Mill Mountain Zoo has lit up for the holidays.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
It's all part of Zoo Night Lights.
The first 50 visitors each night receive free holiday specs that transform the Christmas lights into snow flakes.
Zoo officials hope the holiday lights will encourage folks to see the animals in the winter.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT8:12]
[IN Q=The big message]
((BETH POFF/MILL MOUNTAIN ZOO: THE BIG MESSAGE WE WANT TO GET OUT IS NOT ONLY A HAPPY HOLIDAY MESSAGE BUT ALSO THAT WE'RE HERE YEAR ROUND SO ENJOY THOSE MILD DAYS. WE'VE HAD A MILD WINTER SO FAR AND THE ANIMALS ARE MUCH DIFFERENT IN THE COLDER MONTHS A LOT OF THEM ARE MORE ACTIVE))
[SUPER=01-Beth Poff/Mill Mountain Zoo]
[RUNS=13]
[OUT Q=more active]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Poff says this is also a good time to view some of the zoos newest additions like the bald eagles and (core-sick) fox -- which is found at only one other zoo in the country.
You can check out the lights through Thursday.
(------------)
[8Weather]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Before we wrap up this morning...here's a look at today's forecast.
Cloudy today, with mainly morning rain.
Highs in the upper 40s.
Mostly cloudy tonight with a chance of more rain.
Lows in lower 40s.
The five day forecast is wet tomorrow....then drier and cooler through the end of the week.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Clouds & Rain/Winds NE 5-15/45-50/Mostly Cloudy/Chance of More Rain/40-44;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
by SS