[Headlines]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

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

Three firefighters die trying to save three children trapped in a burning apartment building.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

And more warnings about Y2K terrorism-- this time a warning about packages from Germany.
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

Cold temperatures as you head out this morning, producing some scattered frost.
You'll also want to watch out for some patchy fog.
Otherwise, high pressure will bring out a little sunshine today.
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(ad lib live tease)
[2-shot]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

---

[Iowa-fire]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morning]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Fire]

Another reminder of how dangerous the job of firefighter is.
In Iowa, three firemen and three children died yesterday in an apartment fire.
The fire chief in Keokuk (KEE'-uh-kuk) says the three men gave their lives in hopes of rescuing the children.
Geoff Greenwood reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[3:02:40]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Keokuk, IA; :00]
[SUPER=01-Mark Wessel/Keokuk Fire Chief; :21]
[SUPER=01-Andrea Glasscock/Neighbor; :55]
[SUPER=01-Glenn Snyder/Neigbor; 1:06]
[SUPER=03-Brenda Wetzel-Sage/Neighbor; 1:24]
[SUPER=01-Geoff Greenwood/Reporting; 1:40]
[RUNS=2:09]
[OUT Q=for cbs news.]

---

[ferry-sinking]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

At least nine people are dead and dozens are missing after a ferry accident in the central Philippines.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Cebu, Philippines;]
[3:00:45]
At least 591 of the 658 people aboard have been rescued.
The ferry sank early this morning.
The ferry's third mate says a huge wave swamped the ferry--and crew members distributed life vests and immediately launched life rafts, loading children first.
At least three Philippine navy ships are helping with the search and rescue efforts.
(-------------)

---

[E-Rubatex]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=99-48 40:16]
[GRAPHIC=Rubatex Strike]

The workers on strike at Bedford's biggest employer took their picket line to Roanoke yesterday.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=natsound]
((NATS OF CHANTING: WHAT DO WE WANT? CONTRACT! NO JUSTICE! NO PEACE!))
[RUNS=05]
[OUT Q=No Peace]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

They rallied outside the Rubatex company headquarters.
Striking Steelworkers were joined by members of five other local unions.
They called it a show of solidarity -- trying to force the company back into negotiations.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT ub 15 43 29 /////// 15 13 05 ]
[****BUMP SOTS****]
[IN Q=we will be stepping /////// we are the union]
((RICHARD WALKER/USWA LOCAL 240 PRESIDENT: WE WILL BE STEPPING IT UP GRADUALLY ... WHATEVER IT TAKES .... WE'RE GOING TO DO IT. ///////////////KENNETH STANLEY/STRIKING RUBATEX WORKER: WE ARE THE UNION AND WE ARE THE PEOPLE ... THE GOTTA GET OFF THEIR BUTTS ... BETTER DO IT.))
[SUPER=01-Richard Walker/USWA Local 240 President; :00]
[SUPER=01-Kenneth Stanley/Striking Rubatex Worker; :08]
[RUNS=17]
[OUT Q=BETTER DO IT]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

During the rally ... Rubatex workers walked inside company headquarters ... demanding copies of their pension plans ... that's part of the contract that's in dispute.
For its part, Rubatex would not comment on yesterday's rally.
The strike is 103-days old.
(------------)

[***WIPE***WIPE***]

---

[E-Legacy]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=99-42 1:54:21]
[GRAPHIC=Floyd Co. New jobs]

[***WIPE***]

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Floyd Co.]

In Floyd County, a textile company will soon be bringing jobs into this building.
The company is called Legacy, based in northern Virginia.
It will lease the shell building, built by Floyd County.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[GRAPHIC=Floyd Co. New Jobs]

Legacy will hire about 45 workers to start with, and hopes to expand. Company officials say these jobs won't be heading to Mexico.

---

[S-Henry-Loans]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=99-50 52:36]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Help is on the way next week ... for Henry County residents who DID lose their jobs to Mexico.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The no-interest loans will help Henry County residents let go since September at Tultex, Pluma, Ashmore Sportswear, or Visy Protective Products.
They'll also help residents dismissed from vendors or suppliers as a result of closings and layoffs.
Information sessions are scheduled for next Monday and Tuesday at the county administration building.
More information is available through Henry County or Patrick Henry National Bank.
(XXXXXXX)
[TAKE GFX PAGE]
And for complete information on the program and next week's schedule, go to our WDBJ7 home page and click "Webwatch."
(------------)

---

[1-Sports]

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

In sports, Denise Allen has college and high school basketball notes, including Franklin County's upcoming tournament in Florida.
Good Morning Denise.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Good morning]
[RUNS=1:37]
[OUT Q=sports segment]


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

---

[One-Steve]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#M99-7]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]

[Roll Cold out of Break]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=welcome back]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon; :00]
[SUPER=03-Radford; :17]
[SUPER=01-Jeffery Chase; :36]
[RUNS=3:10]
[OUT Q=News 7 Mornin' Returns]


(tape tosses to stocks)
[STOCKS] [COMM] ((Archive: radford christmas family psychology))

---

[S-Tobacco-Money]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=99-51 18:0799-51 18:07]
[GRAPHIC=Tobacco Settlement]

Almost 90 per cent of Virginia's tobacco growers should see checks in the mail shortly.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Chesterfield Co.]

The 40 thousand checks are part of the so-called "Side Agreement" of the national settlement, with the money dedicated just to tobacco growers.
Virginia's share of the Side Agreement" for this year is 24-million dollars.
So the average check would be about five hundred and 40 dollars.
(------------)

---

[E-Carnegie-Hero]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-39 1:44:26]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A Campbell County man says he was just doing the right thing when he risked his own life to save another man last year.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg/September 1998]

Victor Shelton was among the first on the scene of this accident on Route 460 near Lynchburg in September, 1998.

A pickup truck had flipped over and caught fire.. Shelton pulled its unconscious driver to safety just seconds before the vehicle exploded.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 21:31:59]
[IN Q=A person just]
((VICTOR SHELTON/CARNEGIE HERO AWARD WINNER: A PERSON JUST REACTS.. AT LEAST FOR ME I KNOW SOMETHING WAS WRONG AND I WANTED TO FIX IT. I THINK THAT'S A MALE THING, YOU KNOW, WE JUST TRY TO FIX THINGS.. WE HATE FOR THINGS TO GO WRONG AND WE JUST WANT TO MAKE IT RIGHT. THAT'S ALL I TRIED TO DO.))
[SUPER=01-Victor Shelton/Carnegie Hero Award Winner]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=tried to do.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

This week, Shelton was one of 20 Americans to receive the Carnegie Hero Award.
Winners get a bronze medal and 35- hundred dollars.
(------------)

---

[E-MAMSI]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=tfl]
[TAPE#=99-43 1:48:01]
[GRAPHIC=Health Insurance]

300 city and school employees in Martinsville are covered by an insurance plan that the hospital and several local doctors no longer accept.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville; ]

Memorial Hospital is dropping MAMSI, Mid Atlantic Medical Services Incorporated in less than two weeks.
Physicians say the insurance company had many problems processing claims.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT tc 01:48:53]
[IN Q=MAMSI always]
((DR. ELIZABETH VAUGHAN/VAUGHAN MEDICAL CENTER: MAMSI ALWAYS LOST THE SECOND PAGE, THEY COULD NEVER FIND AND PROCESS THE SECOND PAGE.))
[SUPER=01-Dr. Elizabeth Vaughan/Vaughan Medical Center; ]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=second page.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The Medical Society of Virginia identified MAMSI as the insurance carrier with the most physician complaints in the state.
MAMSI says it will continue to pay claims the hospital and doctors submit to them and avoid any cost to the patients.
(------------)

---

[Health-Check]

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

In other medical news, there's a new asthma treatment on the way.
Doctor Dave Hnida has that story and more in this morning's Health check.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Dave Hnida/Reporting; :00 ]
[RUNS=1:34]
[OUT Q=CBS News, New York.]
((The shape of your waist may play a major role in your risk of developing breast cancer.
VT=VO
A study of more than 44 thousand women show those shaped like an apple, meaning they had big waistlines are 34% more likely to develop breast cancer than women shaped like pears. We don't know why the excess weight around the waist is so dangerous, it may have to be with fat being closer to important organs and glands that make hormones.
VT=VO
Also today, an important breakthrough for asthma sufferers. When people have severe asthma they often need to take steroids. But steroids can have some nasty side effects when you take them for a long time. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine finds when people with severe asthma are given a substance called anti i-g-e, these folks were able to use less or no steroids. Anti i-g-e blocks one of the immune chemicals in the body that causes allergies and asthma. ON CAM And finally, its not just you who may feel overwhelmed by changes in the healthcare system. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine finds one in four family doctors are treating conditions they don't feel comfortable treating. Because it is harder than ever to refer a patient to a specialist front line doctors often find themselves over their heads taking care of complicated medical problems. And you the patients are the ones that suffer. And that's a look at today's top health stories. I'm Dr. Dave Hnida for CBS News.))

(ad lib to weather)

---

[Two-Steve]

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

[On Record]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon;]


[Double Boxes=KMC & SPA]
(toss to Kimberly)
[2-HEADLINES]
[2-shot=Mel/Kmc]
[SUPER=#4049; Morning Headlines]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

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

As U-S officials issue warnings about Y-2-K terrorism another warning.
The F-B-I says it has received unsubstantiated information about possible mail bombs from Frankfurt, Germany.
A statement issued early today warns the bombs could be in small parcels addressed to the United States.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kim]

Dozens are missing after a ferry carrying more than 600 passengers and crew sank early today in the central Philippines.
At least nine are confirmed dead.
Officials say the ferry's departure had been delayed by overcrowding.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

And an apartment fire in Iowa killed three firefighters and three children they were trying to rescue.
The children's mother and one son were rescued by neighbors.
The fire chief isn't speculating about the cause of the fire in a duplex that was about 130 years old.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

And that's what's making news on this Thursday December 23.
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

News 7 Mornin' will be right back.

---

[terrorism]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Non]

The F-B-I is warning people to be careful with packages originating from or bearing Frankfurt, Germany, postal markings or stamps.
In a statement issued early today, the agency says it has received ``unsubstantiated information that individuals may be planning to send bombs in small parcels to addresses in the United States'' from Frankfurt.
The warning comes as President Clinton and other officials urge Americans to stay calm but vigilant about possible terrorist threats.
Lisa Hughes reports on what this means for holiday travelers.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[3:12:26]
[SUPER=01-Ron Wilson/SFO Airport Spokesman; :17]
[SUPER=01-Eric Holder/Dep. Attorney General; 1:28 QUICK!!!]
[SUPER=01-Lisa Hughes/Reporting; 1:32]
[RUNS=1:43]
[OUT Q=CBS NEWS WASHINGTON.]
((NARR: The FAA is tightening security at all U-S airports in response to the potential threat of terrorism. Strict curbside parking rules. More thorough luggage checks. In what's already a busy time, travelers should expect more delays. SUPER: RON WILSON/SFO AIRPORT SPOKESMAN
SOT: THEY MAY SEE ADDITIONAL POLICE PRESENCE. UNIFORMED PRESENCE. THEY MAY SEE ADDITIONAL DOGS ROAMING THE TERMINALS. B
OMB DOGS. And more frequent scanning by machines that can pick up even smallest trace of explosives. The new security measures went into effect as the State Department extended a worldwide caution to American travelers through mid-January. During his visit to a Washington, DC soup kitchen, President Clinton tried to ease fears.
SOT: I DON'T THINK THE AMERICAN PEOPLE SHOULD STOP THEIR HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES. THEY SHOULD ENJOY THE SEASON. BUT BECAUS
E WE, IN THE GOVERNMENT, ARE TAKING EXTRA STEPS I THINK ITS GOOD FOR THEM AND GOOD FOR US TO BE CAREFUL Police are now searching for as many as three accomplices who may have been working with an Algerian man, Ahmed Ressam. Ressam was arrested trying to enter the U-S from Canada. Police say he was carrying materials to make a bomb. Another Algerian and a Canadian woman are in custody in Vermont. Police say they were also trying to use phony papers to enter the country and traces of explosives were found in their car. Officials don't blame Americans for being jumpy. But they say extra security should provide peace of mind. 13:34:12 SUPER: ERIC HOLDER/DEP. ATTY. GENERAL WERE DOING EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO PREVENT ANY ATTACKS FROM OCCURRING.))

---

[S-Airport-Security]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=99-47 41:27]
[GRAPHIC=**WIPE**WIPE**]

[WIPE WIPE WIPE WIPE]

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

Security at Roanoke Regional Airport is NOT seeing many changes right now.
But security guards say they're making their presence known.
Their boss is in uniform and on patrol -- they say normally he's not.
Guards are ticketing and towing cars parked alongside the airport more than five minutes.
And security officers say they're keeping a close eye on carry-on luggage.
(------------)

---

[2-E-Rubatex]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=99-48 40:16]
[GRAPHIC=Rubatex Strike]

Other unions are throwing their support behind striking Rubatex workers.
The workers on strike at Bedford's biggest employer took their picket line to Roanoke yesterday.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=natsound]
((NATS OF CHANTING: WHAT DO WE WANT? CONTRACT! NO JUSTICE! NO PEACE!))
[RUNS=05]
[OUT Q=No Peace]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

They rallied outside the Rubatex company headquarters.
Striking Steelworkers were joined by members of five other local unions.
They called it a show of solidarity -- trying to force the company back into negotiations.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT ub 15 43 29 /////// 15 13 05 ]
[****BUMP SOTS****]
[IN Q=we will be stepping /////// we are the union]
((RICHARD WALKER/USWA LOCAL 240 PRESIDENT: WE WILL BE STEPPING IT UP GRADUALLY ... WHATEVER IT TAKES .... WE'RE GOING TO DO IT. ///////////////KENNETH STANLEY/STRIKING RUBATEX WORKER: WE ARE THE UNION AND WE ARE THE PEOPLE ... THE GOTTA GET OFF THEIR BUTTS ... BETTER DO IT.))
[SUPER=01-Richard Walker/USWA Local 240 President; :00]
[SUPER=01-Kenneth Stanley/Striking Rubatex Worker; :08]
[RUNS=17]
[OUT Q=BETTER DO IT]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

During the rally ... Rubatex workers walked inside company headquarters ... demanding copies of their pension plans ... that's part of the contract that's in dispute.
For its part, Rubatex would not comment on yesterday's rally.
The strike is 103-days old.
(------------)

[***WIPE***WIPE***]

---

[2-E-Legacy]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=99-42 1:54:21]
[GRAPHIC=Floyd Co. New jobs]

[***WIPE***]

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Floyd Co.]

In Floyd County, a textile company will soon be bringing jobs into this building.
The company is called Legacy, based in northern Virginia.
It will lease the shell building, built by Floyd County.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[GRAPHIC=Floyd Co. New Jobs]

Legacy will hire about 45 workers to start with, and hopes to expand. Company officials say these jobs won't be heading to Mexico.

---

[fatal-fire]

[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Fire]

An assistant fire chief and two other firefighters are being mourned today in Iowa-- along with three children they were trying to save.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Keokuk, IA;]
[3;02:40]
The firemen were fighting a blaze at a 130 year old apartment building and trying to rescue several children trapped inside.
The bodies of two of the firefighters were found upstairs -- one of them near one of the young victims.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=The thought of losing civilians...]
[SUPER=01-Mark Wessel/Keokuk Fire Chief;]
[RUNS=:12]
[OUT Q=the lose is phenominal.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Neighbors were able to help the chidren's mother rescue a son.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=She couldn't]
[SUPER=01-Andrea Glasscock/Neighbor;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=to find another.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The woman and her boy are hospitalized this morning in fair condition.
There's no word yet on what caused the blaze.
(------------)

---

[2-ferry-accident]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A ferry accident in the Philippines has killed at least nine people, dozens more are still missing.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Cebu, Philippines;]
[3:00:45]
The ferry was carrying hundreds of passengers returning home for the Christmas holidays when it sank early this morning.
Nearly 600 of the 658 passengers and crew aboard have been rescued.
Officials say rescue efforts are being hampered by rough seas.
Officials also say the ferry's departure had been delayed because inspectors found it carried 80 passengers more than its allowed maximum of 614.
(----------)

---

[Three-Steve]

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

[ROLL COLD OUT OF BIRTHDAYS]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=today on]
[SUPER=15-Steve/Pardon; :00]
[SUPER=03-Radford; :15]
[SUPER=07-Jeffery Chase; :32]
[RUNS=3:32]
[OUT Q=we'll be right back]


(tape tosses to stocks)

[BUMP-Chyron]
[COMM #6]
((Archive: radford christmas psychology))

---

[E-Moon]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=99-59 00:47]
[GRAPHIC=None]

If you didn't get a good night's sleep last night, you could blame the biggest, brightest moon in more than 130 years.
So what was different about it?
We sent Kate Weidaw to find out.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=folks gazing at]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;:00]
[SUPER=07-Alea Wohnhas;:08]
[SUPER=01-Leslie Bochenski/Planetarium Director;:20]
[SUPER=01-David Jobe/Mill Mountain Zoo;:38]
[SUPER=01-Jason Martin/Awful Arthur's Manager;1:00]
[SUPER=@Kate2; 1:10]
[RUNS=1:16]
[OUT Q=kw news 7]
((Folks gazing at the city from high atop the Roanoke Star didn't seem to notice the rare moon.

[SOT 1:45:53]
[INQ=]
((ALEA WOHNHAS:I GUESS IT LOOKS A LITTLE BRIGHTER. KATE WEIDAW: ANY BIGGER? ALEA: NO.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 5]

But for planetarium director Leslie Bochenski (Bo-Hen-Ski) at the Science Museum of Western Virginia it's an event you don't want to miss.

[SOT 1:40:00]
[INQ=]
((LESLIE BOCHENSKI/PLANITARIUM DIRECTOR: THE MOON WILL BE RECEIVING MORE SUN LIGHT SO IT WILL BE BRIGHTER AND BECAUSE THE MOON IS CLOSER THEN AVERAGE TO THE EARTH THE MOON WILL ALSO APPEAR BIGGER.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 8]

So with the moon being brighter and bigger then anyone in this life time has seen, does it affect animals? I checked out the Mill Mountain Zoo.

[SOT 1:47:17]
[INQ=]
((DAVID JOBE/PROGRAMMING SPECIALIST: BELIEVE IT OR NOT WE'RE NOT SEEING A WHOLE LOT OF DIFFERENCE HERE TONIGHT.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 3]

The snakes were still slithering and the snow leopard was still laying on her rock. And for the owl?

[SOT 1:47:47]
[INQ=]
((DAVID JOBE/PROGRAMMING SPECIALIST: I THINK HE IS UNIMPRESSED, NOT IMPRESSED, YUP.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 5]

So with the animals not affected by the moon, what about humans? Awful Arthur's seemed to be a hot spot in the market for the full moon.

[SOT 1:51:03]
[INQ=]
((JASON MARTIN/AWFUL ARTHUR'S MANAGER: WE'RE ALWAYS BUSY ON MONDAY BUT THE MOON, I DON'T THINK THAT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT THE OYSTERS MORE THEN ANYTHING.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 5]

So if the moons light didn't bring you out during the night, you'll have to wait another 133 years to see the sight. Kate Weidaw News 7 Roanoke.))

---

[E-Speaker's-Staff]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=99-46 48:45]
[GRAPHIC=None]

For years, the Republican Party of Virginia has stood for smaller government.
It's new leaders take over the House of Delegates for the first time in history next month.
And their first official acts have been to expand their personal staffs.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]

Amherst Delegate Vance Wilkins will have six people working for him as Speaker of the House.
Outgoing Speaker Tom Moss had four on his staff.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 15:16:15]
[IN Q=I may be]
((DEL. VANCE WILKINS/R-AMHERST: I MAY BE DOING A DIFFERENT JOB. IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE SAME JOB IF YOU GET RIGHT DOWN TO IT. You'll be doing more than the previous Speaker? WELL, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HE'S BEEN DOING. AND I DON'T WANT TO BE CAUGHT SHORT MY FIRST YEAR IN HERE. WE MAY SEE THAT THIS IS TOO LITTLE. ))
[SUPER=@Wilkins;]
[RUNS=:18]
[OUT Q=too little.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Wilkins gets the same dollar figure -- with this year's pay raise figured in -- to employ two more people.
So he may just be shrewder in the contract negotiating department.
Meanwhile, Salem Delegate Morgan Griffith says he's expanding the Majority Leader's staff by one.
He say he'll pay for the new position with political action committee funds.
Griffith replaces Vinton Democrat Dick Cranwell in that slot, now that Republicans have a clear majority.
(------------)

---

[3-Sports]

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

In sports, several Roanoke Valley hockey legends are returning to the ice, and three Redskins will play in the upcoming Pro Bowl.
Denise Allen has more.
Good Morning Denise.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Good morning]
[RUNS=1:21]
[OUT Q=good day]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
(weather toss)

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

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

Rubatex workers rallied outside the company's headquarters yesterday.
Striking Steelworkers were joined by members of five other local unions.
They called it a show of solidarity -- trying to force the company back into negotiations.
The company would not comment on the protest.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

In Floyd County, a textile company will soon be bringing jobs into this building.
The company is called Legacy, based in northern Virginia.
Legacy will hire about 45 workers to start with, and hopes to expand.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

300 city and school employees in Martinsville are covered by an insurance plan that the hospital and several local doctors no longer accept.
Memorial Hospital is dropping MAMSI, Mid Atlantic Medical Services Incorporated in less than two weeks.
The Medical Society of Virginia identified MAMSI as the insurance carrier with the most physician complaints in the state.
MAMSI says it will continue to pay claims the hospital and doctors submit to them and avoid any cost to the patients.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
(Kimberly mic hot)
(///////////////)
(Kimberly ad lib weather)
(-------------)
[Double Boxes=Melanie/Kimberly and Steve]
(toss)
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(live ad lib, tease tomorrow)
(ad lib bye) [Double Boxes=Melanie/Kimberly and Steve]