.Friday, January 22, 2010
Driver of a parked car in front of speed camera gets tickets
A driver was twice sent speeding tickets after parking in front of a camera because police officers failed to notice his vehicle was stationary, it has emerged.
Jeff Buck parks in front of the camera outside his home on Watnall Road, Nottingham, because he does not have a drive or a garage.
But he has been sent two speeding fines by Nottinghamshire Police.
The mix-ups happened because officers failed to spot his car was parked as another vehicle triggered the camera by breaking the 30mph speed limit.
Police have apologized to 55-year-old Mr. Buck after he successfully contested the fines.
He told the Nottingham Evening Post: ''I assumed the first time it happened that the police would put something in place to prevent it from happening again.
''I'm concerned now that every time someone triggers the camera I'll get these notices. I am amused by it, but also angry that I have to go to the trouble of contacting the police.''
Mr. Buck received his most recent apology on Monday after he asked to see photographic evidence that his Vauxhall Zafira was doing 37mph along Watnall Road.
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Jeff Buck parks in front of the camera outside his home on Watnall Road, Nottingham, because he does not have a drive or a garage.
But he has been sent two speeding fines by Nottinghamshire Police.
The mix-ups happened because officers failed to spot his car was parked as another vehicle triggered the camera by breaking the 30mph speed limit.
Police have apologized to 55-year-old Mr. Buck after he successfully contested the fines.
He told the Nottingham Evening Post: ''I assumed the first time it happened that the police would put something in place to prevent it from happening again.
''I'm concerned now that every time someone triggers the camera I'll get these notices. I am amused by it, but also angry that I have to go to the trouble of contacting the police.''
Mr. Buck received his most recent apology on Monday after he asked to see photographic evidence that his Vauxhall Zafira was doing 37mph along Watnall Road.
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Thursday, January 21, 2010
In the News
City code fines a woman $27,000
The used car was a blessing for Diane Pearson of North Port, a single mother with three children and a long commute to work. And after receiving the 1998 Mercury Sable from Lighthouse Baptist Church, she found her drive to Sarasota a bit less stressful.
But now she has a problem. North Port took Pearson to court over fines of more than $27,000 for keeping her old car in the driveway without a license plate. If the city wins its case, Pearson will be left in financial ruin.
Seems North Port is a city that likes to regulate and enforce many things -- from how often you mow your grass to the cars in your driveway. And one of their rules is cars in driveways must have a current plate.
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French braid keeps Texas boy in school
A 4-year-old Texas boy disciplined for having long hair has returned to his class with a brand new hair do.
Pre-kindergartner Taylor Pugh rejoined his classmates at his suburban Dallas elementary school on Tuesday.
Elizabeth Taylor says her son's hair is still long, but now she's styled it in a double French braid pinned up at the base of his neck. The school principal approved the style.
The boy typically wears his hair long and had been sequestered from classmates at Floyd Elementary School in Balch Springs since late November.
The long hair violates the school district's dress code. It says boys' hair must be kept out of the eyes and cannot extend below the bottom of earlobes or over the collar of a dress shirt.
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The used car was a blessing for Diane Pearson of North Port, a single mother with three children and a long commute to work. And after receiving the 1998 Mercury Sable from Lighthouse Baptist Church, she found her drive to Sarasota a bit less stressful.
But now she has a problem. North Port took Pearson to court over fines of more than $27,000 for keeping her old car in the driveway without a license plate. If the city wins its case, Pearson will be left in financial ruin.
Seems North Port is a city that likes to regulate and enforce many things -- from how often you mow your grass to the cars in your driveway. And one of their rules is cars in driveways must have a current plate.
.
French braid keeps Texas boy in school
A 4-year-old Texas boy disciplined for having long hair has returned to his class with a brand new hair do.
Pre-kindergartner Taylor Pugh rejoined his classmates at his suburban Dallas elementary school on Tuesday.
Elizabeth Taylor says her son's hair is still long, but now she's styled it in a double French braid pinned up at the base of his neck. The school principal approved the style.
The boy typically wears his hair long and had been sequestered from classmates at Floyd Elementary School in Balch Springs since late November.
The long hair violates the school district's dress code. It says boys' hair must be kept out of the eyes and cannot extend below the bottom of earlobes or over the collar of a dress shirt.
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Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Cash4Gold is a Scam!
Cash4Gold, the company that targets poor, desperate late-night TV watchers with endorsements by equally cash-strapped celebrities, is a scam! Okay, maybe you already knew that. But unless you're one of the poor chumps who dialed their 1-800 number, you don't know how they fleece customers—4 Cash!—or what the state plans to do about it.
The company's advertisements—which feature washed-up rapper MC Hammer—lure in customers with handfuls of money, but in reality pay only 11 to 29 percent of an item's market value, compared with pawn shops that pay 35 to 70 percent. One victim, church organist Frank Poindexter, received 15 cents for jewelry that had been appraised at $200. "I looked at the check and thought it was a mistake," Poindexter said. "When I called them, they actually accused me of scamming them." After customers send in their jewelry for appraisal, Cash4Gold gives them only twelve days to get their goods back if they feel they've been low-balled. Sometimes when they protest they're told the jewelry has already been thrown in the furnace.
The company's advertisements—which feature washed-up rapper MC Hammer—lure in customers with handfuls of money, but in reality pay only 11 to 29 percent of an item's market value, compared with pawn shops that pay 35 to 70 percent. One victim, church organist Frank Poindexter, received 15 cents for jewelry that had been appraised at $200. "I looked at the check and thought it was a mistake," Poindexter said. "When I called them, they actually accused me of scamming them." After customers send in their jewelry for appraisal, Cash4Gold gives them only twelve days to get their goods back if they feel they've been low-balled. Sometimes when they protest they're told the jewelry has already been thrown in the furnace.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
In the News
North Dakota city skips a day on new calendar
North Dakota residents and others relying on a new calendar issued by the city of Grand Forks will get a jump-start on February.
The recently issued City of Grand Forks 2010 Calendar is missing Sunday, Jan. 31.
City spokesman John Bernstrom says the error was noticed when boxes of the calendar printed by Fine Print of Grand Forks were opened before Christmas.
Bernstrom says if Jan. 31 had been a weekday in which there was garbage or recycling collection, the city would have issued a correction or public statement. Feb. 1 appears on the calendar as a Monday so the rest of the year is correct.
Fine Print President Kevin Kuntz says January is the coldest month of the year and having one day less works for him.
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Boy's science project prompts school evacuation
Fire officials said a San Diego middle school was evacuated when a student's science project was mistaken for a bomb. Fire-Rescue spokesman Maurice Luque said a vice principal's concerns prompted the evacuation of Millennial Tech Magnet Middle School Friday afternoon. Luque said an arson team took photos and x-rays of the empty plastic bottle with wires and determined it was harmless.
Luque says the 11-year-old boy was trying to build a motion detector from instructions he found on the Internet and parts he bought online with help from his father. His parents did not realize that the object looked threatening.
He said the student was "a genius-type kid" who undertook the project on his own, had no intentions of hurting anyone or causing any disruptions.
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North Dakota residents and others relying on a new calendar issued by the city of Grand Forks will get a jump-start on February.
The recently issued City of Grand Forks 2010 Calendar is missing Sunday, Jan. 31.
City spokesman John Bernstrom says the error was noticed when boxes of the calendar printed by Fine Print of Grand Forks were opened before Christmas.
Bernstrom says if Jan. 31 had been a weekday in which there was garbage or recycling collection, the city would have issued a correction or public statement. Feb. 1 appears on the calendar as a Monday so the rest of the year is correct.
Fine Print President Kevin Kuntz says January is the coldest month of the year and having one day less works for him.
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Boy's science project prompts school evacuation
Fire officials said a San Diego middle school was evacuated when a student's science project was mistaken for a bomb. Fire-Rescue spokesman Maurice Luque said a vice principal's concerns prompted the evacuation of Millennial Tech Magnet Middle School Friday afternoon. Luque said an arson team took photos and x-rays of the empty plastic bottle with wires and determined it was harmless.
Luque says the 11-year-old boy was trying to build a motion detector from instructions he found on the Internet and parts he bought online with help from his father. His parents did not realize that the object looked threatening.
He said the student was "a genius-type kid" who undertook the project on his own, had no intentions of hurting anyone or causing any disruptions.
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Monday, January 18, 2010
Are you ready to watch some football?
The average actual playing time of a 3 hour football game is a little over 10 minutes.
More replay action is shown than real football action.
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