Posted: 20 Dec 2009 06:37 AM PST

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His chatty 7-year-old daughter, Alejandra, or Alex, sat beside him in the front passenger seat. Her mother, Maria Avelar-Mojarro, described her as "an intelligent, happy girl who had her own opinion of life."

"She carried a conversation very well," Avelar-Mojarro testified at Scharosch's sentencing. "She was like a parrot, and she had conversations with everyone."

Avelar-Mojarro sat in the second row with their 9-month-old son, Marco and 3-year-old son, "Tito," whom she said was "full of energy and always looking to do something mischievous."

"Tito was at that stage where he wanted to be independent but wants you standing close by in case he needed help," she said. "He loved football. He had a strong throw and broke several picture frames hanging on our wall."

Meza-Arriaga's sister Gloria Vasquez dozed on the back row of seats with her two daughters, Liliana, 2, and Destiny, 4.

The minivan had just passed another vehicle and was approaching the Wadsworth exit, when a Ford Mustang raced the wrong way up the ramp.

The offender: Drinks to celebrate a new prospect

Scharosch had dined early with his mother-in-law on May 13, 2002, in a celebration of sorts. He had just landed a job at the Gold Ranch RV park and was to have a final interview the next morning.

Scharosch had spent 30 years as a federal firefighter battling wildland blazes, structure fires and helping at auto accidents before retiring several years before. He and his wife, Winifred, were moving to Reno from Grass Valley, Calif., so she could go back to school. She was still in California.

After dinner, he went home to his new apartment in Sparks and later walked down the street to his usual haunt, the Outerlimits Bar, where he downed bourbon and beer.

He planned to have a few drinks and walk home. Having been convicted twice before for driving drunk, Scharosch said he knew better than to get behind the wheel.

He doesn't know how he ended up in his car that night or why he was near Wadsworth.

The crash: "I should have been dead"

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Leaving for few weeks? Use this home checklist - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Posted: 19 Dec 2009 10:31 PM PST

Q We plan to be gone six to eight weeks this winter. We'll shut the water off at the main, open the faucets and turn the furnace down. Is there anything else we should do?

A That's a good start. Before you leave for an extended time in winter, follow these steps:

• Be sure the furnace or boiler has been cleaned and inspected.

• Turn heat down, but not off! Most thermostats will go to 55 to 60 degrees. Before setting it lower, check with the manual or ask the manufacturer.

• Empty refrigerators and freezers of foods that won't last, and leave them running, or empty completely, unplug them and prop them open.

• Disconnect hot and cold supply hoses to the washing machine and leave the valves open.

• Turn off and drain the water heater.

• Disconnect the water softener. It's a good idea to do one final backwash before disconnecting, to make startup easier.

• Check appliance manuals for advice on shutting down or what to do when leaving for extended periods.

• If possible, make sure hoses connected to outdoor faucets are disconnected and fully drained.

• Pour nontoxic or RV antifreeze (not automotive antifreeze) into all traps and drains, including the dishwasher and showers. Use 2 cups in toilet bowls and tanks, and about 1 cup in other drains.

• Be sure windows, doors and fireplace dampers are closed and latched.

• Check insurance polices to make sure you're covered if the house is unoccupied for an extended period.

• Conduct a home inventory (photograph or videotape important items) and take it with you. It will support an insurance claim if items are damaged, destroyed or stolen.

• Contract for snow removal, stop mail and paper delivery, and set lights on a timer. Other useful safety monitors are available at home and hardware stores.

• Let local law enforcement officials know the dates you will be gone. They often increase drive-bys or otherwise keep an eye on your place.

• Tell neighbors you'll be gone and leave a contact number with them.

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NASCAR Sets up Camp at RV Resorts - ABC News

Posted: 19 Dec 2009 07:46 PM PST

How to enhance the great outdoors at campgrounds that already boast restaurants, putt-putt golf, Wi-Fi and other decidedly non-roughing-it amenities?

Bill 'Pop' Hayes, 63, of Vicksburg, Mississipi, dressed in full Dale Earnhardt Jr. #8 red-colored regalia, sits in front of his camper during the NASCAR Nextel Cup at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama, in this file photo.The first 13 NASCAR RV Resorts (existing Morgan resorts in Maine, New York, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia and Florida that will be re-named) open in late April and May. Plans are to expand via franchises to 500-plus locales over the next decade.

(Nick Laham/Getty Images)
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By erecting jumbo video screens and throwing mass NASCAR tailgate parties, that's how.

Or that's the plan announced today by the auto racing group, which has joined ranks with Morgan RV Resorts to create a network of NASCAR-branded campgrounds.

The first 13 NASCAR RV Resorts (existing Morgan resorts in Maine, New York, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia and Florida that will be re-named) open in late April and May. Plans are to expand via franchises to 500-plus locales over the next decade.

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The campgrounds will have 30-by-30-foot big screens that broadcast the races, plus interviews and behind-the-scenes doings not available on regular broadcasts. The idea is to capitalize on NASCAR fans' affinity for camping — thousands park their rigs at the racetracks for long weekend stays during the 38-week season.

"This is a great way to connect with the avidity of fans in markets where we don't have NASCAR events," says Blake Davidson, the organization's licensing director.

For its part, Morgan RV Resorts promises high-quality and consistency at the facilities. "This is not mom-and-pop camping. These are resorts," says company co-owner Robert Moser."And it's far from just theming and branding. We're going to deliver the track experience to the camper."

As for campers who prefer the sounds of nature to the roar of engines?

They'll have a separate camping area, Moser says.

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