[india-hijacking]

[ANCHOR=melanie]

[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=hijacking]


Indian negotiators dealing with the hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane fear negotiations won't end any time soon.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Kandahar, Afghanistan;]

[7:17:44]
Overnight Indian officials asked the hijackers to spell out their expectations.
They include the release of 35 guerilla fighters and 200 million dollars.
One hundred and sixty passengers and crew have been held hostage on the plane since Friday.
At least one passenger has been killed.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]

[7:00:46]
[IN Q=]

(( Vikram Badshah, Indian Airlines official: "The passengers this morning this morning were allowed to change their clothes in the sircraft from the hand baggage that they had."))

[SUPER=01-Vikram Badshah/Indian Airlines Spokesman;]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=THAT THEY HAD.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Negotiators are working to improve the conditions on the plane.
An engineer boarded the plane this morning for repairs
One hijacker got off the aircraft as insurance for the safety of the engineer.
(------------)



[81-Ax]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=99-57 15:20]
[GRAPHIC=81 accident]


State police say six teenagers from Salem are lucky they survived this morning's accident on I-81.
None were wearing seat belts.
And police say the 16-year-old who was driving, had been drinking...and didn't have a license.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co.]


The driver tried to pass a truck in the southbound lane about 5 o'clock this morning near the Troutville scales.
He lost control of his car, struck the truck and flipped over.
Police say all six were hurt, but not too seriously.
The 16-year-old will be charged with illegally consuming alcohol and driving without a license.
The group told police they had been thinking of heading for Virginia Beach, but had turned around and were heading home when the accident happened.
(------------)


[Henry-Robbery]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Armed Robbery]


Authorities in Henry County are looking for three men who robbed a convenience store last night.
The men were wearing ski masks and carrying handguns when they entered the Woodland Mart on Old Chatham Road.
One them told the clerk to open a safe.
When the clerk said he couldn't, he was hit in the head with a gun.
The trio then took some money and lottery tickets and drove off in a blue Ford Crown Victoria.


[Fulcher]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=NOON]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=99-49 36:31]
[GRAPHIC=Fulcher New Trial?]


New trials may be in the future for members of the Fulcher family.
They were convicted of selling drugs and laundering money in the Bland Prison. But in a letter to a judge a drug agent states that his testimony in court may have been wrong. Tina Tenret has more.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Don Lincoln's letter]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=01-David Whaley/Defense Attorney; :27]
[SUPER=@Tina2; :33]
[RUNS=:49]
[OUT Q=Tina Tenret News7 Roanoke]

((Don Lincoln's letter makes Mike Fulcher seem like less of a liar. Fulcher said he ran a drug ring in Bland Prison only to bust guards and inmates for the D-E-A. Agent Don Lincoln always said that wasn't true. Now in a six-page letter Lincoln says maybe he misled Fulcher. He writes -- [take pre-pro] If I said anything in haste which led him to believe he was covered it may be the proximate cause of all this.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 13:25:07]
[IN Q=If this evidence]

((IF THIS EVIDENCE HAD BEEN ADMISSIBLE AND BROUGHT BEFORE THE JURY I THINK THE JURY WOULD HAVE FOUND THE DEFENDANTS NOT GUILTY.))
[RUNS= :04]
[OUT Q=NOT GUILTY]

But prosecutors say Lincoln is either too chummy with Fulcher, who's tattled to the D-E-A before, or Fulcher's got the agent cornered with some personal dirt. The judge said he will probably give Fulcher, his wife and mother new trials but he hasn't decided yet. Tina Tenret News7 Roanoke.))




[drugs-internet]


[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=The Internet]


You haven't seen much government regulation of the Internet -- but when it comes to illegal prescription drug sales, President Clinton wants that to change.
Today he unveils a plan that would require federal approval for Web sites that sell pharmaceuticals.
Violators could be hit with a half million dollar fine for each infraction.

[seattle-celebration]


[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]


The big New Year's Eve party is off in Seattle.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Seattle, WA;]

[9:04:08]
The city's mayor has cancelled the planned celebration below its trademark Space Needle because of security concerns.
About 50-thousand had been expected to attend.
Concerns about possible terrorist attacks have been running high ever since an Algerian man allegedly tried to smuggle explosives into Washington state.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]

[9:03:06-25]
[IN Q=According to the FBI....]
[SUPER=01-Sue Donaldson/President, Seattle City Council;]
[RUNS=:19]
[OUT Q=Prudent thing to do.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

[9;04:44-fireworks]
Afternoon concerts and fireworks will go ahead as planned.
But the area around the needle will be cleared and gates locked by 6 o'clock.
(------------)



[VA-Terrorism]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=99-41 1:43:39]
[GRAPHIC=None]


A national commission on terrorism headed by Governor Gilmore warns that the U-S may be too focused on nerve gas and biological weapons... and NOT focused enough on conventional terrorist devices like bombs.
But as the New Year approaches, officials in Virginia say there's NO specific threat of terrorism this week.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 14:40:59]
[IN Q=There is]

((GARY ARONHOLT/VIRGINIA PUBLIC SAFETY SECRETARY: THERE IS NO INTELLIGENCE OF WHICH I'VE BEEN APPRISED OF WHICH INDICATES VIRGINIA IS A TARGET. SO THE ANSWER IS NO. HAS IT ELEVATED MY CONCERN? I DON'T THINK MY CONCERN COULD HAVE BEEN ELEVATED ANY MORE THAN IT ALREADY WAS.))
[SOT 11:16:11]

((GOV. JIM GILMORE: AS YOU KNOW, I CHAIR A NATIONAL COMMISSION ON TERRORISM, WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, AND DOMESTIC RESPONSE. AND I THINK WE'RE READY IN VIRGINIA FOR Y2K. WE THINK THE COMPUTER SITUATION IS ALRIGHT. OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PEOPLE ARE PREPARED. AND WE HAVE NO EVIDENCE THAT THERE'S A SPECIFIC THREAT AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF VIRGINIA.))
[SUPER=@Aronholt; :00]
[SUPER=@Gilmore; :19 ]
[RUNS=:36]
[OUT Q=of Virginia.]



[Y2k-Cults]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=NOON]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=99-50 53:51]
[GRAPHIC=None]


Meantime, there have been a number of New Year's warnings of disturbing activity by cult groups.
But a professor at U-V-A says hype over religious movements committing mass suicides is overblown.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Jeffrey Hadden created his Web site from his and his students' research-- research that details more than two hundred religious movements, ranging from Mormons, to U-F-O cults, to Zen Buddhists. [++++++++++] [TAKE WEB ADDRESS FULL SCREEN]
The Web site has already logged more than a million hits.
It can be found at w-w-w dot religious movements dot org. [++++++++++]

[club-shooting]


[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]


Rap artist Sean "Puffy" Combs is free on bail today after being charged with weapons possession.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-New York, NY;]


Combs and pop star Jennifer Lopez were picked up early Monday morning when police allegedly found a stolen gun in combs' car.
The entertainers had just left a Manhattan night club where three people were shot and wounded.
Lopez was arrested, but charges were later dropped.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]

(( SEAN COMBS:"I do not own a gun, I do not carry a gun, the charges and allegations against me are 100% false. And I feel confident in the next couple of days I will be vindicated and everything will be all right. Thank you very much."))
[SUPER=01-Sean "Puffy" Combs/Rap Artist;]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

[3:17;03]
A 19 year old rapper known as "Shine" has been charged with the shooting.
In April, Combs was arrested for allegedly beating a record executive.
(------------)



[pokemon-recall]


[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Product Recall]


The death of a 13-month-old California girl has prompted Burger King to recall millions of plastic balls that hold popular Pokemon toys given away in children's meals.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


The balls are used to pack 57 different types of Pokemon toys.
They're opened by pulling the two halves apart.
The California toddler suffocated when half of a ball covered her mouth and nose.
Burger King says consumers can return both halves to a Burger King restaurant for a free small order of French fries.
(------------)


[Dan-River]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]


Another P-C-B warning from the state health department.
This one for a section of the Dan River in Halifax County.
Recent testing showed eight species of fish had been contaminated with the cancer- causing chemical.
Residents are advised to limit their consumption of flathead and channel catfish caught between Staunton River State Park to where the Dan River crosses into North Carolina.
Similar warnings have been in effect for the Staunton River near Altavista for two years.


[Lincoln-Terrace]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=jbi]
[TAPE#=99-44 1:40:16]
[GRAPHIC=None]


There are some changes ahead for Roanoke Public Housing.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Walls are coming down in the Lincoln Terrace housing project -- 32 more houses will go by the end of the city's renovation. The Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority is using 41 million dollars for a project they call Lincoln 2-thousand. They plan to build new houses and renovate some of the old ones to create a neighborhood atmosphere.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 00:21:09]
[IN Q=This]

((ANGELA PENN/ HOUSING AUTHORITY: THIS PROGRAM -- IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BRICKS AND MORTAR, BUT IT'S ABOUT PEOPLE GETTING A NEW WAY OF LIVING -- IMPROVING THEIR LIVES, BECOMING SELF-SUFFICIENT.))
[SUPER=01-Angela Penn/Housing Authority]
[RUNS=9]
[OUT Q=sufficient]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The new housing plan will have various kinds of buildings to serve people with different needs and will be a stepping stone to eventual ownership. The Housing Authority is trying to change the function of public housing and help people get on their feet.
(--------------)



[Online-Shopping]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=am]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=99-53]
[GRAPHIC=The Internet]


More people did their holiday shopping online this year.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]


One in four internet users preferred to click a mouse this holiday season rather than fight the crowds in the store.

However some were disappointed shopping online when their gifts didn't arrive on time.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 5:13:28]
[IN Q=]

((CHRIS KIDD/DISAPPOINTED ONLINE SHOPPER: I GUESS IT MAKES YOU RETHINK THE WHOLE CONVENIENT ASPECT IT IS CONVENIENT THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO OUT AND GO TO THE STORE BUT IT'S NOT CONVENIENT THAT YOU CAN WAIT TIL THE LAST SECOND.))
[SUPER=01-Chris Kidd/Disappointed Online Shopper]
[RUNS=8]
[OUT Q=the last second]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Still many other shoppers didn't have any problems using the internet.
In fact companies like Noteworthy Music in Roanoke saw sales sky rocket after it posted a sight in the internet.
(------------)
(//////SOT//////)
[SOT 4:58:02]
[INQ=]

((ROBERT CHERNAULT/NOTEWORTHY MUSIC OWNER: ALREADY AT LEAST 30 PERCENT AND WHEN WE GET OUR DECEMBER NUMBERS IN WE EXPECT IT TO BE MORE THEN THAT OVER THE YEAR.))
[SUPER=01-Robert Chernault/Noteworthy Music Owner;]
[RUNS=7]
[OUTQ=the year]



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


Web watchers estimate online Christmas sales grew four times over the last year -- to as much as 12 billion dollars.
(-------------)




[shuttle-landing]


[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=space shuttle]


NASA has ended a year of mishaps with a badly needed success.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Kennedy Space Center;]

[6:07:22 OR 3:14:22] The space shuttle ``Discovery'' and its seven member crew safely returned to Earth last night after fixing the Hubble Space Telescope.
There were a few tense moments as the shuttle prepared to land...a sensor went off indicating low tire pressure.


It turned out to be a false alarm.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]

(( This was extremely rewarding for us to be able to accomplish the objectives of the mission which was to bring back Hubble to an operational status. We look forward to see the results of this early next year, early next century, when the first images of Hubble will come back to us. ))
[SUPER=01-Claude Nicollier/Astronaut;]
[RUNS=:19]
[OUT Q=will come back to us.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


This year's space problems have included the loss of two missions to Mars.
(------------)



[11Homestead]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=99-51 18:39]
[GRAPHIC=New Year's]


Many people will ring in the New Year at the Homestead. The Bath County resort is sold out for New Year's Eve.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Hot Springs]


Guests are still enjoying the Christmas decorations, and at least three separate celebrations will ring in the New Year.
The resort has become Home for the Holidays for a surprising number of families who return year after year.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 01:01:21]
[IN Q=Many grandparents]

((ALBERT SCHNARWYLER/EXECUTIVE CHEF: MANY GRANDPARENTS SAY WE CAME HERE AS LITTLE BOYS OR GIRLS AND NOW THEIR PARENTS ARE TELLING US THE SAME THING. AND I'M SURE THEIR CHILDREN WILL DO THE SAME THING. IT'S A FABULOUS TRADITION. AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT, THE TRADITION.))
[SUPER=01-Albert Schnarwyler/Executive Chef;]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=what makes it different, the tradition.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


After checking computers and essential systems, Homestead officials believe they're ready for Y2K... but they'll have emergency generators and contingency plans ready just in case.
(------------)



[Millennium-Stamp]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=99-42 1:58:44]
[GRAPHIC=US Postal Service]


The Postal Service has new stamp for the year 2-thousand.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]


The 33 cent self-sticking stamp is a picture of a baby blowing a horn and wearing a top hat. A bar across the bottom reads 2-thousand.
Postmaster General William Henderson says the stamp will serve as ''a historical record of a unique period of time in the country.''
(------------)





[Carruth]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]


Former Carolina Panther Rae Carruth is undergoing a paternity test at a North Carolina jail today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-File Tape]


Lab technicians took an oral swab sample from Carruth in the Charlotte jail he's being held in.
The technicians are trying to determine if the he is the father of Chancellor Lee Adams.
He is the son of Cherica Adams, the woman whose death Carruth is accused of arranging.
The results of the paternity test could be known by Thursday.
(------------)



[Jets-Dolphins]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=NFL]


The Buffalo Bills are thanking the New York Jets today. The Jets 38-31 win over Miami puts Buffalo in the A-F-C playoffs.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Miami, FL/ABC;]


New York took a 10 to 7 lead after the first, and extended it in the second when Marcus Coleman picks off Dan Marino's pass. He runs 98 yards for the score to make it 17 to 7 Jets.
But Miami came right back. Marino hits Stanley Pritchett for the 3 yarder and the Dolphins cut the lead to 3. Its 17-14.
The third quarter was a tug of war but the Jets ended it with the lead after a one yard T-D run by Curtis Martin making it 24-21 Jets.
New York was able to pull away for good late in the fourth.
Jets Q-B Ray Lucas hits Wayne Chrebet with a 50 yard T-D pass to go up 31 to 28.
And New York goes on to win it 38 to 31.
(------------)




[S-Marshall]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=SP-54 tc 56:35]
[GRAPHIC=Marshall]


Marshall University may be amongst the nation's top ten college football squads when the end of season polls come out.
The 11th ranked Thundering Herd finished 13 and oh with yesterday's win over BYU in the third annual Motor City Bowl.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pontiac, MI/ESPN;]


The stage of yesterday's drama was the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan.
The ball bounced Marshall's way as this Chad Pennington pass is intercepted by BYU's Jared Lee, but Lee fumbles and the Herd gets the ball back.
Pennington hits his mark the next time around as Doug Chapman makes the grab and cruises the next 30 yards for the only touchdown of the first half.
[super=36-Marshall/21/BYU/3;]


Marshall broke the game open in the second half. Chapman this time goes 87 yards. He scored three TDs, ran for 133 yards and picked up MVP honors.
The Herd picked up the 21 to three victory.
(------------)



[S-Arrive]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=SP-46 tc 1:36:53]
[GRAPHIC=SUgar Bowl]


While Marshall was winning it's bowl game, Virginia Tech stepped off a plane in New Orleans for it's.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-New Orleans, LA;]


Virginia Tech arrived in the "Crescent City" yesterday.
The Sugar Bowl is the biggest game in the Hokies' football history.
They are the underdogs, but that's nothing new.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=we've always]
[SUPER=01-Corey Moore/Va. Tech All American; :02]
[super=01-Frank Beamer/Va. Tech Head Coach; :18]
[RUNS=34]
[OUT Q=beat this team]
(------------)
[Anchor=Melanie]
[ss=hold]


Florida State arrives today.
News 7 Sports will start live reports from New Orleans Sunday.

[S-Express]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=SP-51 tc 1:23:42]
[GRAPHIC=Express]


The Roanoke Express suffered a blow to its line up yesterday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Sunday Night;]


Leading scorer Kris Cantu broke a bone in his left ankle during Sunday night's four to three shootout win over Huntington.
Cantu has 16 goals and nine assists this season.
(------------)
[anchor=Melanie]
[ss=hold]


Right Winger Joe Murphy is expected back for tonight's game against Hampton Roads in Norfolk. He's missed four games with a concussion.
Roanoke also signed left wing John Poapst (POHPST). The 5'10 195 pound Ontario, Canada, native finish last season with 16 goals, and 27 assists in 39 games for St. Lawrence University.
by SS