WDBJ 7 morning news for 12/24/99

[Terrorism]

[ANCHOR=Denise]

[NEWSCAST=AM]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

U.S. officials are being extra vigilant during this holiday season amid concerns over possible terrorist strikes in the United States.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Burlington, VT;]

Officials are pursuing leads in many cities.
Federal prosecutors have laid out a case strong enough to keep a Canadian woman and an Algerian man behind bars.
The pair was caught at the Canadian/Vermont border-allegedly using phony papers to enter the U-S.
Prosecutors say they've linked cell phone and car records of the couple to a member of an Algerian group suspected of terrorism.
And they are still investigating
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
((CHARLES TETZLAFF/U-S ATTY: PARTICULARLY ANY CONNECTIONS THAT MAY EXIST BETWEEN THESE DEFENDANTS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT))
[SUPER=01-Charles Tetzlaff/U.S. Attorney;]
[RUNS=07]
[OUT Q=concerns about]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

In other areas of the U. S. government, Energy Secretary Bill Richardson says his department is taking extra security measures at its nuclear facilities and other sites.
(------------)

[Holiday-Crime]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morning]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Christmas Shopping]

It's the last day to shop before Christmas. And Police say that this holiday season, stores have had their share of crime.
Joy Sutton has the story.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=This holiday]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :01]
[SUPER=01-Lt. Bill Althoff/Roanoke City Police Dept.; :15]
[SUPER=01-Louise Dudley/Valley View Mall GM; :54]
[SUPER=@Joy1; 1:21]
[RUNS=1:35]
[OUT Q=News 7 Roanoke]

(( This Holiday season the stores have been packed with customers.
And authorities some criminals take this opportunity to try their schemes -- like using counterfeit money that has been printed off a computer.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 4:31:36]
[IN Q=It has worked because]
((LT. BILL ALTHOFF/ROANOKE CITY POLICE DEPT.: IT HAS WORKED BECAUSE THE CLERKS ARE SO BUSY, DURING THIS BUSY SHOPPING SEASON THAT THEY DON'T ALWAYS TAKE TIME TO LOOK THROUGH THE MONEY ESPECIALLY IF THERE ARE SEVERAL BILLS TOGETHER)) [RUNS8]
[OUT Q=bills together]

During this time of year police say shop lifting increases by about 25 percent.
And you won't believe what has been the biggest item to steal.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 4:33:50]
[IN Q=Nintendo or sega]
((LT ALTHOFF: NINTENDO OR SEGA SYSTEMS. NOT JUST THE LITTLE GAME PACKS BUT THE ENTIRE BOX OF THE SYSTEM )) [RUNS8]
[OUT Q=the systems]

Police say some shopping areas have had items stolen out of vehicles and businesses burglarized.
But Valley View Mall is one shopping center that is trying to deter crime and has teamed with the police department.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 4:37:33]
[IN Q=This holiday season actually]
((LOUISE DUDLEY/MALL GENERAL MGR.: THIS HOLIDAY SEASON WE ACTUALLY PUT AN EXTRA VEHICLE IN THE PARKING LOT SO THAT WE HAVE 2 VEHICLES GOING DURING THE HOURS OF THE MALL. BUT VALLEY VIEW ALSO HAS BIKE PATROL AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ALSO HAS A BIKE PATROL.)) [RUNS10]
[OUT Q=bike patrol]

Police say the bike patrols have helped reduce the number of purse snatchings and vehicle break-ins.
Inside the mall uniformed Roanoke City police officers are on patrol as well as mall security ready to respond and to assist with situations.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Police say to avoid]
((JOY SUTTON/REPORTER:POLICE SAY TO AVOID BECOMING A TARGET OF CRIME -- IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS, DON'T KEEP VALUABLES VISIBLE IN YOUR CAR, AND IF POSSIBLE SHOP WITH ANOTHER PERSON. JOY SUTTON, NEWS 7, ROANOKE))
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=n7 roanoke]))

[Fulcher]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Fulcher]

Micheal Fulcher is asking a Roanoke federal judge to dismiss charges again him, his wife and his mother.
Attorneys for Fulcher and his family are making the request based on a secret letter sent by the D-E-A to a federal judge last month. The defense claims there will be new evidence that the D-E-A officially authorized Fulcher to work undercover inside Bland Correctional Center, where he was an inmate. The defense also claims that Fulcher and his family got involved in a drug ring to bust guards involved in a marijuana and money-laundering conspiracy. A hearing is set for Monday.

[11Safety-Patrol]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=99-41 1:39:23]
[GRAPHIC=Interstate 81 Safety]
V-DOT has announced a new program to improve safety on Interstate 81.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The state will spend 600-thousand-dollars every year on a full-time safety patrol. That's eight people trained in rescue tactics with plenty of safety gear on their trucks. VDOT admits the best way to prevent accidents would be to widen this road .. but that's on the distant horizon.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:20:41]
[IN Q=Right now]
((RIGHT NOW FOR THE WHOLE 325 MILE CORRIDOR IT'S GOING TO BE 10 TO 20 YEARS. HOWEVER IN THIS REGION THE ROANOKE VALLEY WE EXPECT TO SEE CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY IN THE NEXT SIX YEARS.))
[SUPER=01-Chip Nottingham/VA Transportation Commissioner;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=IN THE NEXT SIX YEARS]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
V-DOT says the full-time safety patrol will be the first responders to an accident so State Police can spend more time catching lawbreakers.
(------------)

[2-1181-Patrols]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=81 More Patrols]

State police are hoping their own increased patrols will help keep accident numbers down over the holiday weekend.
They're promising major patrols on Virginia's most heavily traveled Interstates. Interstate 81 is on the list.
Troopers will be on a special lookout for drunk and aggressive drivers.

[Discovery]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Space Shuttle]

On this Christmas Eve the crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery will make the last spacewalk of the millennium.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Yesterday the crew replaced the Hubble Telescope's guidance sensors.
The space walk took eight hours.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=and ther it is]
[RUNS=08]
[OUT Q=of the spacewalk]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Today they'll put in a new radio transmitter and data recorder and hang steel shields from the Hubble's exterior to protect it from the sun.
The telescope will be set free on Saturday, and the shuttle is set to return to Earth on Monday.
(------------)

[11Board-Game]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-42]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A Charlotte County inventor has come up with what he hopes will be the biggest board game of the new Millenium.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Charlotte Co.]

"Millenium Vacation" lets players plan a winter trip to Grandparents House and back.. but with a few Y2K complications and typical family vacation problems thrown in.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 11:00:16]
[IN Q=We've had 46]
((LOU GARLAND/MILLENIUM BOARD GAME INVENTOR: WE'VE HAD 46 TEST FAMILIES AROUND THE UNITED STATES AND THE MAJORITY OF THE INPUT WE'VE HAD CAME FROM CHILDREN, TEENAGERS AND SUCH, AND THEY'RE THE ONES THAT HAVE ENJOYED IT THE MOST AND ADULTS HAVE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF INPUT.. AND THE MODIFICATION STAGE, WHATEVER THEY'D SUGGEST, THAT'S WHAT WE'D TRY TO INCORPORATE, TRIED TO MAKE IT FOR THEM.))
[SUPER=01-Lou Garland/Millenium Board Game Inventor]
[RUNS=22]
[OUT Q=make it for them.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Garland has sold more than 500 copies of Millenium Vacation since November.

(------------)

[11NRV-Gifts]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=99-43 1:50:05]
[GRAPHIC=Christmas Santa]
Some needy children in the New River Valley will be seeing their wish lists come true.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg;]

Representatives from local children's homes arrived yesterday to claim hundreds of presents left under the tree ..
by shoppers at the New River Valley Mall.
The gifts are headed to 63 kids in Floyd and Wythe county children's homes and to foster children in Montgomery County.
Organizers say that area residents came through with even more than children requested.
(------------)
[***WIPE***WIPE***]

[11Pitts-Santa]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=599-16 1:00:53]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[**WIPE***WIPE**]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pittsylvania Co.]

In Pittsylvania County, the sheriff's department has been collecting toys and food, and yesterday it was time to deliver.
A half-dozen deputies hit the roads, making Christmas deliveries to 22 families with 48 children.
This is the second year the Pittsylvania County sheriff's department has helped families at Christmas.
(------------)

[Cuban-Boy]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

The six year old Cuban boy who survived the shipwreck that killed his mother on Thanksgiving Day will spend Christmas in the United States.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Havana, Cuba;]

Relatives of the boy have asked the U.S to provide him with asylum.
But the Cuban government is keeping pressure on the U.S. to return Elian(L-e-an) Gonzalez to his father in Cuba.
The Cuban government bussed in thousands of protesters, including many school children to march on the United States' diplomatic mission.
The students chanted "Save Elian."
The Cuban government organized the march and estimated the crowd at 50-thousand.
(------------)

[Health-Check]

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

In medical news, researchers may have some new information on your risk of developing prostate cancer. And a few things to think about if you get a deep tissue massage.
Doctor Dave Hnida has those stories in this morning's Health check.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Dave Hnida/Reporting; :00 ]
[RUNS=1:32]
[OUT Q=CBS News, New York.]

((Information: ON CAM Your risk of developing prostate cancer may be influenced by how old your father was when you were born.

VT=VO
Researchers from Boston University followed more than 2 thousand men for more than 50 years and found the older your dad when you were born, the higher your risk of getting prostate cancer.
If your father was 26 or younger when you were born, there's no higher risk. But age 27 and older increases your risk from 20% all the way up to 70% higher if your dad was 38 or older when you were born.
And these figures are for developing prostate cancer at an early age say before 65.
We don't know why the age of the father plays a role, there may be some genetic problem in the sperm.
But no matter what the reason its important for all men to begin routine screening for prostate cancer at least by age 50.

VT=VO
Also today, wouldn't a nice massage feel good right now? How about a deep massage for extra relaxation?
Sounds even better, except if the massage ruptures your liver.
A report in the New England Journal of Medicine talks about a Colorado woman who went in for a deep massage and came out with a torn blood vessel in her liver.
The woman didn't feel very good for a couple of days after the massage and when she finally went to the hospital she needed four pints of blood and more than six months to recover.
The moral of the story, it may feel good, but be careful when some one is poking and prodding you.
ON CAM And that's a look at the day's top health stories. I'm Dr. Dave Hnida for CBS News.))

(ad lib to weather)
[2-HEADLINES]
[2-shot=dal/Kmc]
[SUPER=#4049; Morning Headlines]
[ANCHOR=Denise]

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

U.S. Authorities are extra vigilant this morning because of threats of terrorism in the United States.
Terrorist mastermind Osama Bin Laden has reported ordered followers to harm Americans.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kim]

The holiday season is also a busy one for criminals.
Police say shoplifters take advantage of the hustle and bustle to steal merchandise.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=denise]

As many as 30 thousand people may have died in last week's flooding and mudslides in Venezuela.
The country is still digging out of its worst natural disaster this century.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

And that's what's making news on this Friday December 24-th.
[ANCHOR=denise]

News 7 Mornin' will be right back.

[Flooding]

[ANCHOR=denise]
[NEWSCAST=AM]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Flooding]

Venezuelans are still digging out from the mudslides that followed last week's torrential rains.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[Super=01-Near Caracas, Venezuela;]

This highway joins the international airport with Caracas city and port.
Emergency efforts are presently underway to clear it for the passage of aid and the evacuation of thousands of Venezuelans.
Meantime, the world may never know the full magnitude of Venezuela's worst natural disaster this century.
Eight days after tons of boulders and dirt came tumbling down most victims remain buried.
Official estimates range from 5 thousand to 30-thousand dead.
Thousands more have lost their homes and belongings.
(------------)

[2-Terrorism]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=am]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

U-S officials are pursuing leads about possible terrorist attacks in several American cities this morning
Nothing has been substantiated. Authorities say suspected terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden has issued calls for his supporters to attack Americans during the holidays.
Lisa Hughes has the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Burlington, VT; :07]
[SUPER=01-Charles Tetzlaff/U.S. Atty.; :23]
[SUPER=01-Lisa Hughes/CBS News; :49]
[SUPER=01-Skip Brandon/Security Expert; 1:10]
[RUNS=1:35]
[OUT Q=CBS News Washington]
(( Federal prosecutors laid out a case strong enough to keep a Canadian woman and an Algerian man behind bars. The pair was caught at the Canadian/Vermont border allegedly using phony papers to enter the U-S. Prosecutors say they've linked Lucia Garofalos cell phone and car to a member of an Algerian group suspected of terrorism. And they are still investigating
Super: Charles Tetzlaff/U-S Atty.
(PARTICULARLY ANY CONNECTIONS THAT MAY EXIST BETWEEN THESE DEFENDANTS
AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT)
Concerns about terrorism prompted the FBI to issue its own warning about packages. It says the government has received unsubstantiated information that mail bombs could be sent to U-S addresses.

(super: Lisa Hughes/Washington, DC
AUTHORITIES SAY THE PARCELS COULD BE SENT FROM FRANKFURT, GERMANY. ANY QUESTIONABLE PACKAGES SHOULD NOT BE HANDLED AND POLICE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THEM)
The FAAs beefing up security at airports. Hundreds of inspectors have been added to U-S border crossings. Despite all the precautions, some experts believe the chance for a New Years attack is high.

(super: Skip Brandon/Security Expert 12:03:36
DOMESTICALLY, ID SAY PROBABLY 80- OR 90-PERCENT AND I THINK IT MAY COME FROM DOMESTIC TERRORISM. AND IT MAY BE THE LONE INDIVIDUAL, THE PERSON THATS A BIT DERANGED.)
In New Jersey, a man who allegedly threatened to blow up a tunnel to New York City made his first court appearance. Police say there's no evidence he planned to carry out the threat made over the Internet-but he's considered a flight risk and is being held in jail. Lisa Hughes, CBS News, Washington. ))

[Store-Crime]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=morning]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=99-56 10:26:00]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Not everyone is in the giving spirit this holiday season -- Police say some people are taking this opportunity to steal.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Police say during the holiday season when the stores are packed -- some criminals are on the prowl.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 4:30:35 cover part of bite with purse video]
[IN Q=We are seeing an increase]
((LT. BILL ATLHOFF/ROANOKE CITY POLICE DEPT.: WE ARE SEEING AN INCREASE IN SHOP LIFTING ESPECIALLY IN THE MALLS AND BUSY STORES. WE ARE SEEING AN INCREASE IN COUNTERFEITING. AND WE'RE SEEING OFFENSES WERE PEOPLE LEAVE THEIR PURSES SOMEWHERE IN THE BUSY SHOPPING GO BACK TO LOOK AND IT'S GONE))
[SUPER=01-Lt. Bill Althoff/Roanoke City Police Dept.]
[RUNS=17]
[OUT Q=it's gone]
(------------)
[VO-NAT show video of Towers]

Police say Towers Mall is just one shopping area that has had items stolen out of a car, businesses burglarized, and at least one person caught shoplifting.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=denise]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Police say to avoid being a target it's important to be aware of your surrounds, don't leave valuables visible in y

our vehicle, and shop with another person if possible.[11Men-Shopping]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jbi]
[TAPE#=599-13 1:38:12]
[GRAPHIC=Christmas Shopping]
Time to hit the stores is running out. Today is the last chance to wrap up your Christmas shopping.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
These late shoppers have more in common than just the need for a quick gift. Most of them are men.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 23:32:19]
[IN Q=It's a]
((IT'S A BAD HABIT. I'VE ALWAYS DONE MY SHOPPING AT THE LAST MINUTE.))
[SUPER=01-Christopher Gorman/ Shopper]
[RUNS=4]
[OUT Q=minute.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Stores such as Victoria's Secret -- usually women's domain -- were packed with guys looking for that perfect gift. Another popular gift from these procrastinating men is jewelry, and it's not always just for Christmas. Even before it gets here, the year two thousand has been a good one for the jewelry business. Some stores are selling what they call millennium diamonds, which means twice as many presents for guys to buy.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 00:00:53]
[IN Q=They need]
(( THEY NEED ONE FOR CHRISTMAS AND THEN ANOTHER FOR THE NEW YEAR.))
[SUPER=01-Marie Compton/ Fink's Jewelry]
[RUNS=4]
[OUT Q=new year.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Now not all men are late shoppers, and not all the late shoppers are men, but clerks say when Christmas gets really near, it's a man's world at the malls.
(------------)

[Toy-Trains]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#=Hold 4 Pardon]
[GRAPHIC=none]

The Christmas season is a time of year when many a model train that has spent months boxed away in the attic comes alive under a Christmas tree. Steve Dawson shows you a place where you won't find a Christmas tree, but there is no lack of model trains.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=(nat sound train)]
[SUPER=03-Kansas City, MO; :15]
[SUPER=29-Gary Colbern/Model Railroader; :25]
[SUPER=01-Steve Dawson/Reporting; 1:09]
[SUPER=01-Charlie Colbern/Model Railroader; 1:18]
[RUNS=2:00]
[OUT Q= CBS news]

[denise toss to bump][11Art-Museum]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=99-46 49:52]
[GRAPHIC=none]

1999 was the year fortune smiled on the Art Museum of Western Virginia.
At least the Fralin family's fortune did.
But some high hopes were dashed last week, when Governor Jim Gilmore slashed the museum's operating funds from his two-year budget.
It's a case study of a southwest Virginia attraction with everything going for it -- but a giant handicap in Richmond.
Ellen Qualls reports.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=The Art Museum]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=@Trumbo; 1:04]
[SUPER=@Ellen2; : ]
[SUPER=@Edwards; 1:26]
[RUNS=1:44]
[OUT Q=Qualls, News 7.]

(( The Art Museum of Western Virginia looked like the lucky one in southwest Virginia in the Governor's budget.
But the fine print showed zero state money for operating costs.
Yes, there's a million dollars for capital expenses.
But as director Judy Larson diplomatically puts it: "that's the first step in a long journey toward" the 18 million dollars needed to open a new museum.
Governor George Allen had promised 200- thousand dollars a year in operating expenses in his last budget.
Governor Gilmore and the Assembly ended up with 150 thousand dollars a year after amending the lame duck Allen budget.
So what's the Art Museum doing wrong?
It's best friend is Heywood Fralin, who went shopping for art treasures for the museum this year with about three million dollars.
Fralin, in turn, is a very good friend of the Governor, giving 10 thousand dollars to the Republican Party of Virginia and 10 thousand dollars to the Joint Republican Caucus, just nine days before the election that gave Gilmore historic control of the state house.
Is there a connection to the million dollar capital expense in Gilmore's budget?
[SOT 10:32:04]
((SEN. BO TRUMBO/R-FINCASTLE: YOU KNOW, POLITICS IS A SCARY GAME AT TIMES, AND YOU TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHO'S DOING WHAT AND WHY THEY'RE DOING IT.)) [RUNS:06]
The museum admits it "worked every angle."
But it got nothing when it was counting on at least a fourth of its operating budget from Richmond.
The Gilmore administration says sorry-- it's a "non-state agency," something the Governor ideologically believes should be supported by the private sector.
[SOT 14:27:56]
((SEN. JOHN EDWARDS/D-ROANOKE: WELL THAT IS A NARROW IDEOLOGICAL VIEW OF THE WORLD, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE STATE AGENCIES AND THE NON-STATE AGENCIES. BECAUSE AS I SAY, THEY REALLY DO THE SAME THING.)) [RUNS:09]

[sot 10:32:24 ]
((TRUMBO: WHAT WE'RE GONNA TRY TO DO AS FAR AS DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS FROM THE WESTERN PART OF THE STATE IS ONCE AGAIN BAND TOGETHER.)) [runs:07]
-- and have a culture clash with a Governor.
Ellen Qualls, News 7.))

[11Spanky's]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=99-44 1:37:44]
[GRAPHIC=Lawsuit]

The owners of Spanky's restaurant in Salem are suing the Roanoke Times for five million dollars.

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem]

A suit filed claims the Times libeled the restaurant .. by reporting on some 70 indictments handed up by the Salem grand jury.
Several people were charged with dealing drugs outside Spanky's earlier this year.
A spokesman for the Roanoke Times says he hadn't seen the lawsuit, and couldn't comment.
(------------)

[11M'ville-Murder]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Martinsville police have charged a man with killing his roommate.
50-year-old Leon White is in custody.
He's been charged with first-degree murder after a stabbing Wednesday. Police say his roommate ... Rodney Oneal Martin ... was stabbed in the stomach after an argument.
Martin died Wednesday night at Martinsville Memorial Hospital.

[Local-Recap]
[SUPER=#4059;Local Recap]
[2-Shot=Dal/Kmc]
[ANCHOR=Denise]

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

Police say during the holiday season when the stores are packed -- some criminals are on the prowl.
Police say Towers Mall is just one shopping area that has had items stolen out of a car, businesses burglarized, and at least one person caught shoplifting.
Police say to avoid being a target it's important to be aware of your surrounds, don't leave valuables visible in your vehicle, and shop with another person if possible.

(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

The state will spend 600-thousand-dollars every year on a full-time safety patrol for Interstate 81. That's eight people trained in rescue tactics with plenty of safety gear on their trucks. V-DOT says the full-time safety patrol will be the first responders to an accident so State Police can spend more time catching lawbreakers.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Denise]

The owners of Spanky's restaurant in Salem are taking the Roanoke Times to court.
They're suing the newspaper for five million dollars.
A suit filed claims the Times libeled the restaurant .. by reporting on some 70 indictments handed up by the Salem grand jury.
Several people were charged with dealing drugs outside Spanky's earlier this year.
A spokesman for the Roanoke Times says he hadn't seen the lawsuit, and couldn't comment.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
(Kimberly mic hot)
(///////////////)
(Kimberly ad lib weather)
(-------------)

(ad lib bye)