[7-11Poff-ID]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=99-47 46:22]
[GRAPHIC=None]
With the increased threat of terrorism at federal buildings, Roanoke's federal building is checking I-Ds at the door.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
Anyone who wants to get into the Poff building downtown now has to show a driver's license or some other photo I-D.
People who didn't have one were being turned away by federal marshals yesterday.
A spokesman for the government says this and other steps were taken because of continuing concern about security at federal buildings.
But officials are NOT aware of any specific threat against government workers or offices in southwest Virginia.
(------------)
[7-11Y2K-Shopping]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-43 2:03:37]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Many local merchants have been surprised by the low numbers of people stocking up for any Y-2-K emergencies.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]
Businesses that sell portable generators saw brisk sales earlier in the fall, but things have trailed off since then.
Store owners say the Y-2-K hysteria seems to have calmed down, and their customers are not that worried.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:11:32//16:17:39]
[IN Q=I thought it]
((MIKE RHODES/MYERS AND RHODES EQUIPMENT: I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A LITTLE MORE, BUT THEY DOWNPLAYED IT SO MUCH, THE WHOLE Y2K THING, THAT IT DOESN'T SURPRISE ME A WHOLE LOT BUT I THOUGHT WE WOULD SELL MORE THAN WE HAVE. BUT PEOPLE ARE REALLY NOT CONCERNED IS WHAT WE'VE FOUND.))
((CHRIS JAMES/CT FARM AND COUNTRY: I'LL SAY IN THE LAST MONTH THINGS HAVE SLOWED DOWN A LITTLE BIT WITH GENERATORS, HEATERS HAVE STILL BEEN GOING PRETTY STRONG. I SELL A LOT OF BOXWOOD STOVES, ANYTHING YOU CAN BURN WITH GAS OR WOOD.))
[SUPER=01-Mike Rhodes/Myers and Rhodes Equipment; :00]
[SUPER=01-Chris James/CT Farm and Country; :12]
[RUNS=23]
[OUT Q=gas or wood.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Rental agencies also say many of their generators have already been reserved for New Year's Eve.
(------------)
[wipe wipe wipe]
[7-11Pharmacy-Y2K]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tfl]
[TAPE#=99-44 1:42:48]
[GRAPHIC=wipe wipe wipe]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; ]
Pharmacist Tim Shirm says the year 2000 scare is a hard pill for him to swallow.
He says it's boosted sales, but little else.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT tc 02:46:29]
[IN Q=Bring your]
((TIM SHIRM/PHARMACIST: BRING YOUR MONEY IF YOU WANT TO STOCKUP, WE HAVE PLENTY, BUT IT WILL BE A SLOW JANUARY BECAUSE NO ONE WILL NEED ANYTHING THEN, IF YOU SELL IT ALL NOW.))
[SUPER=01-Tim Schirm/Pharmacist; ]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=it all now]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The Kroger pharmacy at Tanglewood is reporting an increase in some prescription drugs, but pharmacists there say it's due to a bad cold and flu season.
(------------)
[7-11Hampton-Industries]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Martinsville is facing another blow to its economy...another sewing factory is closing its doors.
Hampton Industries is closing a manufacturing facility.
That'll leave another 120-apparel workers without jobs.
Since September ... more than 26-hundred apparel workers have lost their jobs in Martinsville and Henry County.
That's pushed unemployment numbers in that area way above Virginia's average.
(++++++++++)
[TAKE FULLSCREEN]
In November ... the unemployment rate in Martinsville was 15-point-2 percent.
Henry County's jobless rate was 9-point-4 percent.
The statewide average is 2-point-six percent.
(++++++++++)
[7weather]
Taking a look now at your Thursday forecast.
Mostly sunny today and windy.
Warmer today with highs in the 50s.
Partly cloudy tonight and less breezy.
Lows fall into the mid 30s.
The extended forecast...
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Mostly Sunny/Winds SW 10-20/56-60/Partly Cloudy/Less Breezy/32-36;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
[45-11Essay-Winner]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=99-48 45:19]
[GRAPHIC=New Year's]
We're now just one day away from New Year's.
While it's an exciting time for most of us, it's especially thrilling for one 13 year Roanoke County boy.
That's because he's leading the Star City in the count down to the year 2000.
Kate Weidaw introduces us to him.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=NAT SOUND]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;:00]
[SUPER=07-Rajiv Srinivasan;:15]
[SUPER=01-Rajagopalan Srinivasan/Father;:58]
[SUPER=01-Gita Srinivasan/Mother;1:05]
[SUPER=@Kate2;1:27 QUICK!!!]
[RUNS=1:53]
[OUT Q=kw news 7 roanoke.]
((Rajiv Srinivasan (Sir-eni-vasen) is only 13 years old but he is well beyond his years when it comes to looking to the future.
[SOT 6:03:04]
[INQ=]
((RAJIV SRINIVASAN: THIS IS A TURNING POINT IN OUR LIVES SURE IT MAY SEEM LIKE JUST ANOTHER YEAR BUT A TURNING POINT IN OUR LIVES LIKE THIS CAN ONLY BE TAKEN AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE OUR MORALS MAKE NEW GOALS.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 13]
This 8th grader who attends Cave Spring Junior High School and plays violin for the Roanoke Symphony's Junior Strings won an essay contest about his hope for the new millennium. He chose to write about his family.
[SOT 5:59:54]
[INQ=]
((RAJIV SRINIVASAN: THE FAMILY CONSISTS OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALWAYS LOVED YOU, CARED ABOUT YOU, AND SUPPORTED YOU AND THAT'S WHERE REAL HAPPINESS COMES FROM.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 10]
His parents couldn't be more proud.
[SOT 6:49:27]
[INQ=]
((RAJAGOPALAN SRINIVASAN: HE HAS THIS FLARE AND HAS BEEN DOING THIS SINCE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND I HADN'T TO MANY DOUBTS.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 10]
[6:50:07]
[INQ=]
((GITA SRINIVASAN: WE HAVE SHOWN THEM A LOT OF TRUST GIVE THEM A LOT OF FREEDOM AND THE ABILITY TO THINK FOR THEMSELVES AND MAKE DECISIONS FOR THEMSELVES.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 7]
[NAT SOUND OF SPEECH]
[RUNS= 5]
[SOT 6:01:49]
[INQ=]
((RAJIV SRINIVASAN: I THINK IF THEY JUST LOOK AT MY FACIAL EXPRESSIONS AND HOW I READ MY SPEECH, HOW I DELIVER IT, HOW I KNOW THIS HAS HELPED ME I KNOW THEY WILL AGREE WITH ME AND IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 11]
Rajiv does admit he is a little nervous to stand before thousands of people come Friday, but he hopes before he counts down to the year 2000, his words leave a lasting impression.
[SOT 6:06:05]
[INQ=]
((RAJIV SRINIVASAN: WE MUST TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT WE DO HAVE AND RECOGNIZE WHERE WE COME FROM - OUR ORIGIN OUR FAMILY.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 12]
Kate Weidaw News 7 Roanoke.))
[45-11Fireworks]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=99-49 37:36]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]
And if you're headed down town for New Year Eve festivities city officials say you're in for a big light show.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
First Night organizers promise the fireworks will be more spectacular then any other year.
The display will be set off from Second Street Bridge.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 4:04:31]
[IN Q=Our grand]
((WENDI SCHULTZ/ORGANIZER: OUR GRAND FINALE IS GOING TO BE DOWN AT FIRST UNION PLAZA AND THE LINE OF SIGHT FROM THE FIRST UNION PLAZA IS MUCH BETTER.))
[SUPER=01-Wendi Schultz/Organizer]
[RUNS=12]
[OUT Q=much better.]
(------------)
[45weather]
Let's take a break from the news to check weather...
Mostly sunny today with warm southwesterly winds pushing highs in the upper 50s.
Partly cloudy and less breezy tonight, with lows near 35.
Looking ahead to the next five days....partly cloudy tomorrow with a chance of rain on Saturday.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Mostly Sunny/Winds SW 10-20/56-60/Partly Cloudy/Less Breezy/32-36;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
[8-11Top-Hospitals]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=99-60 8:55]
[GRAPHIC=None]
One Virginia hospital that has been under a microscope for the past few years is in the limelight again...but this time its positive recognition.
(------------)
[VO-NAT 98-78 52:00]
[super=03-Charlottesville/November 1998]
A national survey says the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville is one of the top 100 hospitals in the nation.
The Medical Center came under fire after sending two newborns home with the wrong parents in 1995.
(-------------)
[anchor=Melanie]
[graphic=None]
The survey also named four other Virginia hospitals in its top-100 list.
They are in the Richmond area and Northern Virginia.
The survey based its findings on financial performance and quality of care.
[8-11Sprint]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=NONE]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A strike may be in the future for employees of the phone company Sprint...but the strike mostly likely will not affect its customers.
Thousands of unionized Sprint workers are ready to walk out at midnight tonight.
The Communications Workers of America Union represents them ... and about a hundred workers in Martinsville.
But the Martinsville workers' contract is good through May.
The strike could affect some 17-hundred workers in six states, including North Carolina and part of Virginia.
[8-11Sales-Tax]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=99-46 56:03]
[GRAPHIC=Food Tax]
There's good news for consumers...the food tax will diminish in a couple days -- but it'll cost store owners.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co.;]
You'll save money on food items, like bread, candy and produce.
But ready-to-eat items will NOT get a tax break.
Helen Pagans says this will confuse both customers and employees.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 14:14:07]
[IN Q=If you were]
((IF YOU WERE BY YOURSELF ... I DREAD IT.))
[SUPER=01-Helen Pagans/Pagans Grocery;]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=I dread it]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
((nat sot cash register))
[RUNS=:03]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Reprogramming her cash register cost Pagans hundreds of dollars.
But employees at other, more sophisticated stores are not concerned.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 15:33:47]
[IN Q=I think]
((I THINK IT'S GREAT. ANYTHING WE CAN GET LOWERED, IT HELPS EVERYBODY.))
[SUPER=01-Sylvia Rice/Buzz In Market;]
[RUNS=:04]
[OUT Q=it helps everybody]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The tax break knocks off 50 cents for every 100 dollars you spend on food.
The food tax is scheduled to drop a little more each year -- from four-and-a-half-percent now to two- and-a-half percent by two-thousand-three.
(------------)
[8-11Hokie-Graveyard]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=99-45]
[GRAPHIC=Hokies]
Tech's football opponents are dead and buried...literally.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]
The Hokie graveyard is a window display at (Sue-VLOCK-ee) Souvlaki in downtown Blacksburg.
For more than ten years, the owner and his employees have kept it up.
If the Hokies win -- the team they defeat is buried in sand and a marker with the score is placed overhead.
This year, sugar was used to "bury" Boston College.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 36:37:19/38:14:05]
[IN Q=I like]
((VICTOR BROWN: I LIKE IT THE WAY THEY'VE GOT IT SET UP, DEAD AND BURIED AINT THEY.
CHRIS KAPPAS/SOUVLAKI OWNER: PEOPLE ARE RALLY ATTRACTED TO IT FOR SOME REASON, YOU WOULD THINK IT WAS THE ACROPOLIS OR SOMETHING OR AN ANCIENT PYRAMID, THEY COME AND FLOCK TO THE WINDOW.))
[SUPER=07-Victor Brown; :00]
[SUPER=01-Chris Kappas/Souvlaki Owner; ]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=to the window.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Souvlaki has kept up the graveyard since the mid 1980's.
But it's been a fixture downtown since the 60's.
(------------)
[8weather]
Taking a moment now to look at the forecast...
Mostly sunny and warm today with highs in the upper 50s.
Tonight will be partly cloudy and less breezy tonight with lows near 35.
The extended forecast stays mild into the New Year's holiday weekend...
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Mostly Sunny/Winds SW 10-20/56-60/Partly Cloudy/Less Breezy/32-36;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
by SS