plus 3, Police log: Kids threaten woman - Tracy Press

Police log: Kids threaten woman - Tracy Press
More auto dealers? Some in Fife say enough - Tacoma News Tribune
Sprint Car Teams Arriving in Ocala - Who Won
Fallout Widens from Toyota Accelerator Recalls - BNET

Police log: Kids threaten woman - Tracy Press

Posted: 28 Jan 2010 06:01 PM PST

A woman on the 300 block of Falcon Court called at 7:49 p.m. Wednesday to report she saw kids in a car at a park that she suspected had earlier been trespassing at a home next to hers.

When the kids saw her walk by, they followed her "yelling that they know where she lives and she will be sorry."

The Tracy Police Department received 180 calls for service Wednesday. The following is a sample of those calls.

12:30 a.m.: Police cited someone with suspected gang ties on a traffic violation after pulling over a car in front of Carlton Plaza, 2880 N. Tracy Boulevard.

1:03 a.m.: A caller reported gang graffiti on a sound wall behind Walmart, 3010 W. Grant Line Road.

3:26 a.m.: The back door of a home was kicked in and burglarized on the 1800 block of North Tracy Boulevard.

8:03 a.m.: A caller reported his neighbor's home was broken into on Tuesday and he thought someone was inside the home once more in the Heavenly Garden Apartments, 50 E. Grant Line Road. He said there was a light on inside the place but the neighbor's car is nowhere in sight. Police found nothing suspicious.

8:29 a.m.: An air conditioner was stolen from the 200 block of La Monte Lane, a caller said.

8:30 a.m.: Police were told a fence at Walmart, 3010 W. Grant Line Road, was vandalized.

8:32 a.m.: A caller reported an injured dog was at the Shell gas station at 3725 N. Tracy Blvd., but it was gone when police went by 30 minutes later.

8:33 a.m.: Graffiti was reported on fencing on the 2900 block and 2800 block of West Grant Line Road.

8:35 a.m.: Graffiti was reported on a fence on the first block of West Carlton Way.

9:22 a.m.: A caller on the 1700 block of Ash Tree Court reported his son stole the caller's RV and "sold it for drug money."

9:34 a.m.: A caller on the 700 block of Darby Court reported his mentally ill estranged wife showed up and "started beating on their 19-year-old son," then hit the caller. He said he didn't want to press charges, but wanted an officer to talk to her.

10:33 a.m.: A man showed up for a doctor's appointment on the 600 block of West 11th St. too drunk for a physician to see him. Police arrested the man on public drunkenness, and put him in an ambulance.

12:01 p.m.: An officer went to the Institute for Global Commerce and Government, 1904 N. Corral Hollow Road, on a report of a fight.

12:36 p.m.: A caller on the 1300 block of Whittingham Drive reported a kid recently kicked out of One Harmony School is bi-polar and has been using methamphetamine.

1 p.m.: An officer went to the Enterprise Rent-a-Car business inside Stan Morri Ford, 3500 Auto Plaza Way, on a report of embezzlement.

1:38 p.m.: Police showed up to the PJ Singh Dental Corp. office at 4598 S. Tracy Blvd. after a caller reported a guy walked in, started yelling at patients, and refused to leave.

1:44 p.m.: A caller reported three guys about 18 were smoking drugs in front of a home on the 100 block of East Eighth Street. Police warned the guys.

2:11 p.m.: A woman told police two guys fought while about five others watched near Vintage Spirits, 2300 East St. She said the fight was "gang related."

2:29 p.m.: A woman pushing a baby stroller fell and had a cut that bled above her eye in what police might have been an alcohol-related tumble at Hickory Avenue and Sequoia Boulevard.

2:45 p.m.: A man reported he might have spotted property stolen from his garage as he walked by a home at Buthmann and Hintz avenues. Police checked it out and made no arrests.

2:49 p.m.: A caller told police a man seen near the 1400 block of Coolidge Avenue might have stole a weed eater and other items from a front yard.

3:45 p.m.: Police questioned three suspected gang members on the 500 block of Emerson Way.

4:02 p.m.: A kid suspected of shoplifting was taken into custody at CVS Pharmacy, 3320 N. Tracy Blvd., but the kid's parents showed up and got upset with store employees, who wanted the child prosecuted.

4:27 p.m.: Police questioned four suspected gang members at MacDonald Park, 55 N. Central Ave.

4:30 p.m.: A rear license plate was stolen off a gray Geo Prism parked in a driveway on the 1100 block of Douglas Drive, a caller said.

5:14 p.m.: A woman said her ex-boyfriend "backhanded" her in the mouth while they were at McDonald's, 3430 N. Tracy Blvd. Police arrested the 22-year-old man on suspicion of assault.

5:15 p.m.: Police stopped someone walking down the street at 11th Street and Civic Center Drive and made an arrest on suspicion of public drunkenness.

5:15 p.m.: Police questioned a suspected gang member at Holly Drive and Kavanagh Avenue.

5:37 p.m.: A caller reported several teenage boys wearing red were hanging out on the corner of Kavanagh Avenue and Holly Drive. Police said they had gang ties.

7:26 p.m.: A woman reported her husband got into an argument with suspected burglars on the 300 block of Falcon Court. Police said there was no burglary.

8:53 p.m.: A caller reported fresh graffiti was found on a wall behind Mountain Mike's Pizza, 870 W. Schulte Road.

11:57 p.m.: Police arrested an 18-year-old woman on suspicion of public drunkenness at 10th Street and Holly Drive.

This column includes a sample of items as reported in the Tracy Police Department dispatcher's daily log. Additional information is based on reports from officers and other law enforcement agencies. To anonymously report information about a crime: Crime Stoppers, 831-6847.

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More auto dealers? Some in Fife say enough - Tacoma News Tribune

Posted: 28 Jan 2010 03:52 PM PST

In Fife, car dealerships already sprawl along Interstate 5, drawing buyers and generating tax dollars.

Under a proposed zoning change, more dealers could open along the freeway, and existing dealerships could expand.

Some Fife residents say enough is enough. They told the City Council Tuesday night that the city already has enough car lots and that more, larger dealerships would inundate nearby residences with noise.

"We don't need any more of the car dealerships," said Fife resident Carole Sue Braaten. "All the city's doing is looking for ways to get revenue."

The council is considering altering the zoning of land fronting the south side of I-5 to 20th Street East.

In 2007, the area's zoning was changed to promote a mix of pedestrian-friendly stores, other businesses and residences. Two existing dealerships – McCann Motors and Hinshaw's Acura – were grandfathered in at the time.

The council is scheduled to decide Feb. 9 whether to add auto dealerships as an allowed use within the zone, called community mixed use.

Council members must decide whether car sales are the best use for land next to the freeway. Those acres were once farm land, part of Fife's rich agricultural past.

The change from 54th Avenue East to 70th Avenue East would allow new dealerships and the expansion of existing ones with conditional-use permits. Dealerships elsewhere in the city are located in zones that already permit vehicle sales.

Andrew Primis told the council that the owner of Hinshaw's Acura supports the change so that the vacant land he owns west of Hinshaw's could be used as a car dealership. Primis, assistant to Hinshaw owner Hooman Bodaghi, said Bodaghi believes the 2007 zoning has diminished the value of the parcel that he bought under earlier zoning.

Bodaghi said Wednesday he has no immediate plans to expand or add a new dealership on the land.

During a public hearing Tuesday night, Chuck Miller said he already hears noise from two car dealers at his nearby home. More dealerships would mean more noise, from intercoms to trucks unloading cars, he said.

"It's really a bad idea," Miller said.

Doug Mueller bemoaned the overall change in Fife's landscape.

"It used to be a farming community," he said.

The planning commission recommended against the change in November in a 4-2 vote. In its majority report, the commission said auto dealerships don't "foster pedestrian activity" in a zone designed to create spaces where people live, work and shop.

Some council members wanted the 2007 zoning change re-examined to see if car sales could be included in a way acceptable to the planning commission and the community, City Manager Steve Worthington said.

"This isn't about a quick recovery of lost revenue," he said. "It's about bringing about a vision for the community."

Car dealers are big revenue generators for the city.

Despite a drop last year, vehicle sales tax revenue still provided about one quarter of Fife's general fund revenues of $14 million in 2009, said assistant city manager Steve Marcotte.

Steve Maynard: 253-597-8647

steve.maynard@thenewstribune.com

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Sprint Car Teams Arriving in Ocala - Who Won

Posted: 28 Jan 2010 02:55 PM PST

Ocala Speedway
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Sprint Car Teams Arriving in Ocala

by BJ Cavin

OCALA, Fla. -- Many of the nation's top sprint car teams have begun arriving in Ocala to prepare for this weekend's running of the 2010 Ocala Speedway Winternationals. This year's event features the O'Reilly Auto Parts All Star Circuit of Champions, plus the popular Florida Mini Sprint Association, with racing on this coming Friday and Saturday night, and is attracting a virtual "who's who" of names to Florida's oldest speedway.

As the teams begin arriving many fans have reported seeing team haulers parked at local hotels, or exiting the freeway to come to Ocala. As was the case last year, some fans have made it a point to see which team haulers that they can spot and report it to their friends, and this year the Ocala Speedway Facebook group has provided a space of fans to post those reports. In addition, internet postings indicate that many teams are already on the road and heading south toward the area, and should be arriving soon.

Some teams made plans to be at the practice session scheduled for this afternoon at the speedway at 4PM, while others are content to get in their practice laps at the Thursday practice. Both practices are open to the public, and the $15 admission is also a pit pass giving fans full access. Children 12 and under will be admitted free to the practice sessions, and everyone must sign a pit waiver in order to enter.

Reports also indicate that many fans from across America have traveled to Ocala in order to watch their favorite sprint car teams compete, or are in route. While some have chosen to camp in RV's at the speedway, many have reservations in local hotels and motels, thus bringing a significant amount of money into the local economy. Those numbers will increase dramatically through Wednesday and Thursday as the bulk of the fans begin arriving.

As of Tuesday evening the final preparations were being applied to the facilities at Ocala Speedway ahead of the arrival of the fans and race teams. Final coats of paint were being applied to everything, and crews were busy stocking the concessions stands. In addition, the track crew was working the clay surface on the speedway, getting it into shape for Wednesday practice. New top quality Florida gumbo clay was brought in during the down time after Christmas, again originating from the same "secret" clay pits as previous applications.

Fans that need more information about the schedule of events or admission prices for this week should call the speedway at 352-622-9400, or visit www.OcalaSpeedway.com and click on the 2010 schedule icon. Plenty of camping space is available at the speedway on the famous "south 40" area for $10 per night.

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Fallout Widens from Toyota Accelerator Recalls - BNET

Posted: 28 Jan 2010 03:17 PM PST

The fallout from the Toyota's "stop sale" order and recalls is continuing, and widening by the hour. Toyota, for its part, is recalling an additional 1.1 million U.S. cars (on top of the 4.3 million already brought in) because of floor mat interference.

Ford announced that it would stop production of a commercial van in China that, like the affected Toyotas, uses a CTS Corp. accelerator pedal assembly. Automakers, many of whom use Indiana-based CTS as a supplier, are issuing statements to claim that their assemblies are built with different designs and manufacturing processes.

Chrysler, for example, said, "Accelerator pedals produced by CTS Automotive for Chrysler Group LLC vehicles are a different specification and design and are manufactured using different production tooling and materials than the pedals produced for Toyota.

LeaseTrader.com, which leases cars and trucks online, said it "will not allow the lease trade of any Toyota model vehicle involved in the current recall until documentation proving inspection or repair." The company said, "We're committed to doing everything we can to help our customers manage the current Toyota recall issue."

National Auto Auction Association, similarly motivated, recommended that its members temporarily stop selling Toyota cars and trucks that are part of the recall. Rental agencies, incuding Hertz, Enterprise and Budget are taking the Toyotas out of fleets.

Meanwhile, there was some opportunism about as automakers swooped in to snag would-be Toyota buyers. Both Ford and GM offered incentives that included $1,000 rebates (Ford) and 60-month no-interest loans with a Toyota trade-in (GM).

Finally, a serious dispute is brewing between CTS and Toyota. The former believes it has been hung out to dry by the automaker. "This is their recall," said Mitchell Walorski, CTS' director of planning and investor relations. CTS, by the way, is based in Elkhart, Indiana, the former "RV Capital of the World," hard hit by the recession. It is also the future home of Think, which will make the electric City there.

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