Early A.M. News Script

Fri 05-MAR-2010 Early A.M. News Script

-------- The 7:25 News Scripts Follow ------------

1} GOOGLE3_VO

Good Morning, Im Judy Simpson... Burlington is trying to get Google's attention. The internet giant is developing a pilot project that would deliver ultra-high internet speeds -- and Burlington wants to be a test market. Google has put out a nationwide call for them. Nearly a hundred people met at City Hall Thursday night to consider what this would mean. Google's one gigabit per second service is considered ultra-high-speed -- 125 times faster than what Burlington offers now. But not everyone was in support.

2} HIGHSPEED_SOTVO

((2:56-3:06 doug dunbebin: i'm just curious what the implications are of allowing them to have a pipe into our homes. does it mean they would also be able to monitor our telephone, our television viewing habits?)) ((12:17-28 peter jewett: i don't think google is interested in listening to you at your home or monitoring your television communications. i think it's more about they want to open up the network.)) City leaders say a Google partnership would be a great economic development tool -- but it should not be seen as a way to solve the financial mess at Burlington Telecom.

3} VTEL2_RUP

An Upper Valley business is not giving in to Comcast. The cable giant wants Vtel to stop airing TV ads claiming its internet service is 20-times faster than cable. Vtel got a letter threatening legal action -- after its ad aired on Channel 3 during the superbowl. VTel's president says it made his day -- and proves his ad worked -- if a corporate giant is worried about his company. He also says the ad is correct. ((Guité: "You are allowed to say what is truthful and you are not allowed to say what isn't truthful so we are really quite confident that if the speeds we are running at are 7, 8 900 million bits per second, that's vastly more than 20 times their speed and we think we are on very firm ground.")) A Comcast spokesperson told us its cease and desist letter speaks for itself.

4} YANKEE_WHITE

New Hampshire health officials say they've found NO tritium in the Connecticut River. Tritium is the radioactive isotope leaking from Vermont Yankee. Health officials tested nine samples from the river-- but found no tritium. Vermont Yankee says there's no indication the contamination has reached the river.

5} HOUSING_VO

There could be an upside to the down economy. Economists say the slump is why housing in Vermont got more affordable in 2009. An analysis of housing costs shows Vermont homes haven't been this affordable since 2003. Because of falling prices and mortgage rates -- the percentage of a person's income needed to finance payments on an average-priced home -- dropped to 15 percent in 2009. Economists expect that trend to continue this year.

6} WEATHER

Hi Gary

7} PROMO

Im Judy SImpson coming up next week on the channel three news daybreak,,,we will have the lastest news headlines,,Some advice from Dr first,,, Vets on Pets,,,Desetination Recreation..and we will have a new recipe to try,, it all starts monday at 5...

-------- The 7:55 News Scripts Follow ------------

1} MOVEMENT2_VO

Good Morning, Im Judy Simpson,, Hundreds of Vermont guard soldiers training in Indiana have stayed there longer than expected. A few hundred soldiers have arrived in Afghanistan -- but the rest of the brigade is waiting to go. Aircraft assigned to take the Vermonters to Afghanistan were diverted to Haiti for earthquake relief. But the wait will soon be over. Guard officials expect the entire brigade to arrive in Afghanistan within 10 days.

2} DUBIE_SOTVO

((Maj. Gen. Michael Dubie/Vt. Guard Commander: 12:10: "Hundreds of people can go in a day, but you have to stage them in places for them to go into Afghanistan.)) The 15-hundred Vermonters will join about 17-hundred other guardsmen in the brigade. They'll be positioned along Afghanistan's eastern border.

3} PLASAN_VO

A Bennington company continues to impress the U-S Military. Plasan North America already has a nearly 2-billion dollar government contract to make armored all-terrain vehicles called M-ATVs. Those vehicles are primarily used in Afghanistan. Now the military has expanded that contract -- with a new order for nearly 1500 more vehicles. The deal is worth $170 million dollars to Plasan. The company is planning a major expansion -- to accommodate the increase in orders.

4} SAYWARD2_VO

Embattled New York Governor David Paterson has lost another member of his team. The top spokesman for the Governor stepped down -- saying he can't continue to serve in good conscience. North Country Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward is also calling for Paterson to quit -- over allegations that he or his staff interfered in a domestic violence case involving one of his top aides. He also faces ethics violations over obtaining free World Series tickets. Paterson says he has no intention of quitting.

5} HEALTHCARE_VO

The push is on for Democrats in Washington to pass healthcare reform. The President called a dozen lawmakers to the White House -- hoping to win over members of his own party -- who so far have not supported his plan. Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she's confident she will find enough votes. But -- former Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean says passing the bill as is -- could end up hurting Democrats in November -- because it doesn't have a so-called "public option" -- and because the current bill doesn't kick in until after the 2012 elections.

6} DEAN_SOT

((at 0124, Howard Dean: Then there's going to be a problem, because people are not going to have anything they can point to to go to the voters with, and Republicans will make outlandish claims about it and it will be a he said she said. So I think the smart thing politically to do as well as from an operational point of view is to include a public option.)) Dean says including an expansion of Medicare will help get people insured quickly.

7} WEATHER

Hi gary

-------- The 8:25 News Scripts Follow ------------

1} GOOGLE3TOPS_VO

Good Morning Im Judy Simpson. Burlington is trying to get Google's attention. The internet giant is developing a pilot project that would deliver ultra-high speed internet service -- and Burlington wants to be a test market. Nearly a hundred people met at City Hall Thursday night to learn more. But not everyone was in support -- worrying about how much personal information Google would gain access to in their homes. City leaders say a Google partnership would be a great economic development tool -- but won't solve Burlington Telecom's financial problems.

2} BUCKY_VO

A New York cop killer will remain behind bars for the rest of his life -- after a court turned down his appeal for a new trial. 47-year-old Ralph "bucky" Phillips shot three troopers - killing one of them - in 2006 near Elmira. He was on the run for weeks -- triggering the longest manhunt in New York State history. Phillips pleaded guilty -- and was sentenced to life in prison at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora. He appealed for a new trial -- saying he was coerced into pleading guilty. But justices didn't buy it - -- and sent him back behind bars.

3} SHERIFF_VO

No criminal charges for a Washington County Sheriffs Deputy -- whose gun went off in court. In December -- the deputy brought his personal gun to work at the Barre Courthouse -- along with his service weapon. That's against department rules. The gun accidentally went off when he was in an office off the courthouse entryway. The bullet hit the floor. The state Attorney General's office has concluded the deputy's conduct was unsafe -- but not criminal. The sheriff's department has taken action against the deputy.

4} DONORS_VO

A bill pending in Montpelier that would protect the identity of college donors -- is drawing strong criticism. The bill would ensure privacy to anyone who gives money to the University of Vermont or the state's public colleges. UVM officials say they NEED the bill to attract donors who may not want to be publicly identified. But critics say the bill throws government accountability out the window -- and opens the door for donors to influence how colleges are run.

5} ALICE_VO

One of Vermont's most popular musicians has a special connection to a blockbuster movie. Director Tim Burton's version of "Alice in Wonderland" hits theaters today. To coincide with it -- Buena Vista Records released a CD called "Almost Alice." Waitsfield rockers Grace Potter and the Nocturnals are on that album with "White Rabbit" -- the Grace Slick song made famous by Jefferson Airplane. Grace Potter says "Alice in Wonderland" is one of her all-time favorite stories.

6} GRACE_SOTVO

((Grace Potter/Grace Potter & the Nocturnals: I heard about the movie, and it was already getting me excited, regardless of any kind of collaboration or getting involved in the project. I was just looking forward to seeing the movie. But luckily, it was brought up while we were in the studio, and I'm just so happy. Obviously, it's my little girl dream come true!)) The band got a chance to see an advance screening of the new movie. Grace gives it 4 stars out of 5 stars.

7} WEATHER

Hi Gary

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