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WASHINGTON D.C. -- Three dozen D.C. towing operators who met privately at a Northeast hotel yesterday complained that newly proposed regulations would put too many restrictions on them and drive them out of business.

The tow operators are hoping for major changes to the regulations announced by Mayor Anthony A. Williams before they are sent next month for final passage by the D.C. Council.

"The way they have these regulations set up now, we're all going to be going out of business when they take effect," said Terrence Ross, owner R&R Towing and Recovery.

The tow operators, representing 22 of the city's more than 100 towing companies, met at the Ramada Inn on New York Avenue NE, where they held their three-hour meeting. The group plans to meet again next week to discuss a hard-copy version of changes they want made.

"We've got to get organized and get down on paper what we want changed because we've got more power right now than we're ever going to have," said Mr. Ross, who was made president of the unofficial group after an impromptu vote yesterday.

Many of the tow operators at yesterday's meeting said they feel slighted by the mayor's regulations because they weren't included in city-run meetings during the formation of the regulations. "The city never wanted to hear our side of the story," said Beverly Ingraham of ANA Towing.

City officials claim a letter was sent inviting all licensed towing companies in the District to a meeting in May to discuss a new system that will track towed vehicles.

Miss Ingraham said the new regulations would put too much responsibility on tow truck operators — who often work at the request of D.C. police officers — to inform the D.C. Department of Public Works (DPW) about cars that have been towed without being assured the agency will notify the cars' owners.

Other tow operators agreed, many shaking their heads, and compared stories about cars that sat on their impound lots for months after being towed at the request of D.C. police.

Mr. Williams vowed to draft the new towing regulations in August after a report issued by the office of Inspector General Charles C. Maddox uncovered illegal towing schemes involving corrupt police officers.

Additionally the FBI recently concluded a four-year investigation of corruption in the city that resulted in 60 arrests — 29 of which ended in convictions of persons involved in the towing schemes. FBI officials have declined to comment on how many of those convicted were tow-truck drivers.

The regulations do not clearly identify who is responsible for notifying the owners of towed cars — the towing company, the police or DPW workers. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey on Monday said the his department is recommending the regulations be amended to give the responsibility to police officers who request cars be towed.

Several towing operators said they are tired of taking the blame for problems in the industry that are largely caused by D.C. police officers who request cars to be towed then leave as soon as tow-truck drivers arrive on the scene.

"I was called by police to an alley in Southeast the other night, and as soon as I started hooking the car up to my truck, I turned around and the officer was gone," said Arthur Farhat of Farco Towing. "The next thing I know, the owner of the car comes around the corner and takes the car from me at gunpoint." (Thanks Greg)

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Record cold temperatures -- along with snow and ice -- made driving treacherous for much of the South Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.

In Kentucky, icy pavement was blamed for an 18-vehicle pileup Wednesday on Interstate 65 near Lebanon Junction, in the central part of the state which kept tow trucks busy for many hours. Six people were taken to the hospital following the crash.

Temperatures fell to record lows in parts of Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma, and snow caused many schools to close in Alabama and Tennessee. The Tennessee Highway Patrol said tow trucks were busy because the many accidents on the states roads.

While many tow truck operators claim the icy and snowy weather increases the amount of calls they receive and increases revenue, others claim the foul weather slows response times and stifles productivity causing their business to simply break even. 

A freeze warning was posted for much of Florida for Thursday morning, as far south as Orlando. A record low of 15 is being predicted for Tallahassee, Fla.

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The International Truck and Engine Co. launched the International 4200, a medium-duty truck powered by a 215 horsepower engine, Feb. 25.

The International 4200, part of the company’s line of high performance trucks, delivers improved maneuverability and reduces preventive maintenance costs and overall repair time by as much as 20 percent, the company said. The truck is more maneuverable because of its 50-degree wheel cut and more maintenance-friendly because of its multiplexed electrical system.

The truck is powered by the International VT 365 diesel engine, which features a four-valve, six-liter displacement. The engine includes a new Electro-Hydraulic Generation 2 fuel system that works in tandem with the Electronic Variable Response Turbocharger to improve engine responsiveness and efficiency. The features provide improved low-end torque for faster acceleration, and enable the engine to burn fuel more cleanly and to maximize fuel economy, the company said.

"Business owners can bank on the highest uptime, lowest operating and maintenance costs and the highest resale value," said Steve Keate, president of International’s truck group.

The truck also features the Intuitive Shift controllers, an Allison Transmission feature that integrates the engine and the transmission to change transmission ratios in relation to driver input, vehicle load and driving condition

The 4200 is available for order. Production begins in March.

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WASHINGTON -- A group of Des Moines residents has gone to court to force a newly elected city councilman to resign, charging him with a conflict of interest because his towing company does hundreds of thousands of dollars in business with the city.

The suit is scheduled for trial next year. Already, it has generated hard feelings around City Hall, including a disputed charge that Gary Peterson and fellow council members asked longtime City Manager Bob Olander to resign in retaliation for questioning the towing deal.

So far Peterson has declined to step down himself and, in a recent letter, denied that a conflict exists.

That letter said that his company, Pete's Towing, has served the city for more than 30 years without any contractual arrangement, and that as a councilman he will refrain from voting on any towing or other legislation that would pose a conflict.

His critics say they are forced to sue.

"If this guy's going to thumb his nose at the law, what are you going to do?" said Al Furney, a member of a loosely affiliated citizen group known as Citizens for Des Moines.

The group's suit, filed in King County Superior Court, said Peterson's company provides almost all of the city-directed towing service each year, totaling more than $250,000 in fees.

And the suit said Peterson's new presence on the council creates a conflict with his towing for the city. His company removes vehicles from accidents or restricted-parking areas.

The suit says Peterson's council service violates a state law barring city officials from being "beneficially interested" in a city contract, which the law says can be a written contract, "sale, lease or purchase."

The state Attorney General's Office, in a written opinion requested by the city, agreed.

The city "is involved in a contractual relationship with (Peterson's company) because it actively initiates towing business for that company," according to Assistant Attorney General Brian Buchholz.

The suit asks the court to order Peterson's resignation. The citizens contend that Peterson could influence which towing company is called when a vehicle owner can't be located or expresses no preference for a tow.

But Peterson, in a recent letter to fellow council members, said there is no written contract guaranteeing city towing business to his company and the city is free to choose any company. Without a contract for him to influence on the council, "I don't see how anyone could think there is a conflict of interest," he wrote.

In the letter, he also said he will no longer charge the city for towing city-owned vehicles.

His attorney, Arthur Langlie, called the suit "inappropriate and unmeritorious," but would offer little other comment. Peterson did not return calls.

At City Manager Olander's initiation, city staff members raised the issue after Peterson was elected to the council and before he was sworn in. Olander said he was concerned that the city would receive a critical state audit if it didn't resolve the conflict.

Efforts to get another agency to supervise the city's towing failed. Olander said the city is considering bidding out the business to other firms.

But according to another City Councilmember, Susan White, four of the city's seven council members have asked for Olander's resignation, saying they want a new direction at City Hall with a new manager.

White, who called the resignation request "shameful," suggested it was a retaliatory move because it occurred as Olander and his staff were gathering documents raising Peterson's conflict issue. White identified the four council members as Mayor Don Wasson, Maggie Steenrod, Richard Benjamin and Peterson.

Wasson confirmed that the resignation had been requested in two separate meetings with the four council members. But he said, "I believe the request had nothing whatsoever to do with the claims of conflict of interest."

Steenrod declined to confirm the request. Benjamin did not return a call.

Wasson said he and the three other council members, whose identities he did not confirm, have no specific differences with Olander, "just a feeling we'd like to see a new fresh approach."

Olander, for the moment, remains on the job. Asked about the reported attempt to fire him, he would say only that "discussions are continuing between the City Council and me regarding the possible transition and future administration of the city. I'm hopeful that our discussion will conclude within the next few weeks." (Larry Lange - Seattle PI)

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FLORIDA -- Park a car illegally in West Boca, and you could a 288 towing bill, even if you collect the car within hours.

Do the same across the Broward County line, and you won't pay more than $100, according to Palm Beach County consumer-protection officials.

Saying that Palm Beach County has the highest towing rates in the state, officials are leaning toward lowering them. Over the objections of towing companies, county commissioners tentatively agreed Tuesday to changes that would halve the towing bills in some common scenarios.

A final vote is expected March 12.

The proposed fees would affect only tows ordered by police clearing accident scenes or for stolen vehicles, or by property owners impounding illegally parked cars.

The limits also would not apply in cities with their own towing rates.

Towing bills can vary widely, as they tend to be a menu of fees for different services. But, according to the county's research, the fees charged locally for many services are as high as those allowed in 11 other Florida counties, including Broward and Miami-Dade -- and more often, higher

For example, Palm Beach County allows $120 for the towing alone of a standard-size car, excluding mileage, storage and other potential charges. Broward allows $78 for the same service, Miami-Dade County $88, and New York City $100, according to the Palm Beach County Consumer Affairs Division's research.

"We felt like we absolutely needed to bring that in line," said Consumer Affairs Director Dennis Moore.

In one common scenario -- an illegally parked or accident-damaged car towed 10 miles at 6 p.m. and recovered within six hours -- towing, storage and other services can add up to $288 in Palm Beach County, according to county staffers. Broward would allow only $100, and Miami-Dade up to $123, the staffers found.

Under the terms discussed Tuesday, Palm Beach County tow companies could charge $100 for impounding a car from private property, and $110 -- plus $4 per mile -- for towing a car on police orders.

There would be additional fees for cars claimed after more than 24 hours, or between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., and for special situations such as underwater work.

Towing representatives advised the county on the fee proposal. But several tow-truck owners pleaded with commissioners Tuesday to crack down on price-gouging instead of lowering all prices.

"It really isn't an issue of price; it's an issue of a few companies doing an illegal practice," said Kenneth Duvall, president of Duvall's Towing Service in Lake Worth. "To cut all our revenue by 30 or 40 percent is going to put a lot of people out of business.

"I guarantee you I don't make 30 percent profits." (Jennifer Peltz - Sun Sentinel)

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For a second consecutive year, J.D. Power and Associates rated the Caterpillar 3406E diesel engine highest in customer satisfaction for both over-the-road and vocational heavy-duty diesel engines.

In addition to the overall satisfaction measurement, the Cat 3406E was ranked highest in five individual engine satisfaction measures.

The awards were given based on the results of J. D. Power's 2001 Heavy-Duty Truck Engine and Transmission Customer Satisfaction Study, an annual survey that measures customer satisfaction with product quality and performance.

The study, which was based on interviews with more than 2,800 Class 8 truck owners, evaluates several performance criteria, including engine performance and quality, warranty, noise and fuel economy.

Engine life, which encompasses durability, reliability and length of warranty, was the most important factor, accounting for more than half of the total impact on overall customer satisfaction.

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Fears of an increase in diesel prices failed to materialize as the national average price for a gallon of diesel fell 0.2 cents to $1.154 for the week ending Feb. 25.

Some analysts feared higher fuel prices when the Bush Administration suggested it might expand its war on terrorism to Iraq. Oil prices rose slightly, but diesel prices have remained in the same range. In fact, this week's numbers mark the third month in a row that the diesel average has stayed below $1.20 and the seventh week in a row the price has stayed below $1.16.

For the week ending Feb. 25, diesel prices closed highest in California, averaging $1.296.

To check the diesel fuel prices in your area, go to www.itow.org/fuel.htm.

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WASHINGTON D.C. -- New towing regulations announced this week by D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams do not clearly indicate whose responsibility it is to notify the owner of a vehicle that has been towed.

The current city code says it's the responsibility of the Metropolitan Police Department or the Department of Public Works to notify owners of a towed vehicle. But the newly announced regulations do not indicate whether it's up to police, public works or the towing company to contact the owner.

Notification is the industry's biggest problem, according to one towing company owner, who said the new regulations would do nothing to solve it.

"I've seen the regulations and I've read them through," said Terrence Ross, the owner of R&R Towing and Recovery.

"They're changing the whole system, and the system is not the problem. The problem was that police officers aren't doing their jobs, and owners aren't getting notified when their cars get towed," said Mr. Ross, who added that many of the city's towing operators are troubled by the new regulations.

Mr. Ross' company is one of seven towing businesses that, along with the Metropolitan Police Department, were named last month in a class-action lawsuit accusing corrupt police officers of conspiring with towing companies to illegally confiscate cars.

Title 18 of the D.C. Municipal Code states that "it is the duty of the Police or the Department of Public Works ... to notify the owner of the vehicle as soon as is practical."

The code does not specify how much time the city has to notify the owner.

Officials with the mayor's office admitted that they purposely created the new regulations without indicating whose responsibility it will be in the future to notify the owners of towed cars.

"The new regulations are really aimed at the towing industry," rather than D.C. police, said Erik S. Gaull, the city administrator's director of operational improvements. "We recognize that there are certain policies that we need to change."

Mr. Williams vowed to draft the new regulations to, in his words, "clean up the city's towing industry" after a report issued by the office of Inspector General Charles C. Maddox uncovered illegal towing schemes involving corrupt police officers.

Officials in the inspector general's office yesterday said they were not entirely satisfied with the new regulations.

"One of the major points of our report was to recommend that regulations be put in place to ensure that owners are notified when their cars are towed," said Gloria Johnson, Mr. Maddox's spokeswoman.

He also said "there is a hesitancy to lay the responsibility of notifying owners of towed cars entirely on the Department of Public Works."

"To lock it down that way would make it very difficult for us to go back and change it later if we feel like it's not the best idea," he said. "It's really one of the areas we're looking for public comment on."

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MISSOURI -- Unusually warm winter weather might be great for outdoor weekend fun, but it has been tough on towing businesses that count on weeks of snow, ice and freezing temperature to bring in the money.

As with any wide-ranging change in market conditions, this warm winter with temperatures occasionally hitting the 60s has pinched, not only, towing companies but businesses from hardware stores to snow-removal contractors, from auto-body shops to furnace-repair crews.

And even if the weather turns cold this week as predicted, those companies know that with spring just weeks away, the potential for nasty-weather days has dwindled - along with the money making opportunities.

Many natural gas companies that count on selling more units of gas during cold weather are filing for price increases. But towing businesses can't ask a regulatory agency to approve higher prices to cover their costs.

Mark Hartmann, owner of Hartmann's Auto Center & Towing Inc., believes he can keep his tow-truck and repair crews on the payroll by watching his costs and counting on his company's 36 years in the area to keep the business running.

"I'm hoping for a real hot summer," he said with a laugh. In hot summers, overheated cars and other problems keep tow trucks busy.

Mike Right, a spokesman for AAA Missouri, said the lack of cold spells that last several days or longer has meant fewer calls for tow trucks to jump-start vehicles. He estimated such calls were down 10 percent to 20 percent for January.

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WASHINGTON -- Can a towing and auto repair business co-exist with a residential neighborhood? A number of North Auburn residents say no. They are concerned about noise, pollution and aesthetics.

"We are very upset," said Lisa Suver, who manages the Parkside Retirement Community that has a three-story independent living complex next to the site.

A 24-hour towing operation with an impound lot next door isn't what residents there or prospective residents would want to listen to, she said.

Keith Lewis, owner of Motorplex Corp. of Maple Valley that wants to build the facility, says yes.

Noise would be minimal, even with the 24-hour towing service, he said, adding that the impound lot is small and would average about 20 to 30 cars at any time.

Besides, Lewis noted, the C3 zoning of the property along 30th Street Northeast between Auburn Way North and I Street Northeast allows the facility.

He said fears that there will be a junkyard or wrecking yard there are unfounded. Zoning doesn't allow it.

"All we want to do is comply with regulations and move forward with a professional operation," he said. He encouraged anyone with concerns to visit his Maple Valley Motorplex and Pro-Tow service at 23933 S.E. 264th St.

No permits have been issued for the Motorplex and it is currently undergoing environmental review. The Auburn Planning Department has issued a preliminary finding that the project poses no environmental problems that can't be mitigated and does not require an environmental impact statement. A public comment period ended Feb. 13.

After receiving three letters of concern, the city forwarded them to Lewis for responses and decided to hold off on a final environmental determination.

Lewis said he hasn't received the letters yet.

John Underwood, a partner in the company that owns the Parkside Retirement Community with facilities at 2901 and 2902 I Street Northeast, has urged the city to require a full EIS "to thoroughly analyze whatever arguments are used to justify this outrageous intrusion into a quiet neighborhood."

He called for "common sense" by city officials.

The site, though it nearly borders on Auburn Way South, is a narrow piece of land that stretches from the very commercial Auburn Way Northeast an entire block to I Street Northeast which borders a residential area. There are two retirement/nursing homes near the site. There are no residences on 30th Street Northeast across from the site.

A KinderCare Learning Center is located next to the site along Auburn Way North. Manager Rose Whitley said they are glad the vacant lot is going away but would be concerned about a noisy business next door.

Vern Needham, who lives in Riverpark Estates east of I Street Northeast, said he opposes it because of its potential impact on the neighborhood.

Another area resident, Delia K. Sanders, said the project "is just another slap in the face of homeowners in the area," adding the area is already overrun by car dealerships on Auburn Way North.

She pointed out that I Street Northeast from 30th Street Northeast has become a bypass around Auburn Way North.

"Auto repair, impound lots should be on the back side of town where there are many rundown junky lots which could be improved," she wrote. (Mike Archbold - South County Journal)

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WASHINGTON -- In a sweeping measure that would raise $5.6 billion to ease traffic congestion, the Washington State Legislature is considering a bill that would raise gasoline taxes by 8 cents a gallon and raise the costs commercial trucks, like tow trucks, pay for weight fees by 20 percent.

According to published reports, voters must give final approval of the measure in a referendum, if the bill is ultimately passed by the legislature. Currently, the bill is under review by the Washington House Transportation Committee.

Jim Tutton, vice president for the Washington Trucking Association, said his organization is lobbying against the bill. “We support our fair share of road projects,” he said. The Independent Towers of Washington are also opposed to the bill.

Under the proposed legislation, a gallon of gasoline would cost 4 cents more in October 2002 and go up another 4 cents a year later. Weight fees would go up 10 percent in October and another 10 percent a year later. The bill is House bill 2969.

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NEW YORK -- A law which the city of Buffalo says will protect accident victims in Buffalo from shady tow truck operators has gone unenforced since it was passed 14 months ago.

Officials want to revamp the ordinance, and hope to test the new regulations on a few major routes later this year. The pilot project would involve accidents that occur on the Kensington and Scajaquada expressways and along Route 5 in the city. 

The Common Council's Legislation Committee is trying to revive an effort that started in 2000 after some complained about a "free-for-all" atmosphere at many accident scenes. 

The situation hasn't improved, said John Womer, superintendent of the city impound. Several tow truck operators frequently race to accident scenes, then squabble with competitors over who should do the towing. "There's an atmosphere of intimidation and even violence," he said. "There are shoving matches and sometimes even the threat of weapons being drawn." 

The 14-month-old ordinance includes special licenses and fees for the city's 150 tow truck operators, which has been proven illegal by federal courts, and the creation of new "tow zones" that would determine which companies would be called by police. It also calls for truck owners who want to become authorized operators in a zone to pay an outrageously high $1,000 registration fee every two years.

But the joke is on the city, who has only received 3 applications from the city's 150 towing companies. Tow truck operators are concerned that there wouldn't be enough business generated to justify the cost.

"Lack of interest by the towing industry has made the law impossible to implement" said Licenses Supervisor Patrick Sole Jr. "With that limited level of participation, there isn't enough manpower to (implement) the ordinance. If we don't attract towers, I don't think it's going to fly." 

Salvatore J. Buscarino, who owns two auto repair and collision shops in Buffalo, helped shape the original ordinance two years ago. But he said it has since become evident that some of the provisions must be changed in order to encourage participation. 

"Everyone seems real leery about the $500 a year and whether the city is really going to enforce the zone concept," said Buscarino, whose company is among the operators that have applied. 

Council members are considering a plan that would reduce the two-year registration fee of $1,000 to perhaps as low as $100. 

Lawmakers said they also hope to amend the ordinance to close what they call a "loophole" that gives vehicle owners the option to choose a towing service. What they call a loophole is every motorists right in most citys, but at the vast majority of accident scenes, police officers make calls to tow truck operators, officials said. 

Harold Litwin Jr., chief of operations and criminal investigation in the Police Department, thinks the city should test the ordinance on a more limited scale before trying to implement it citywide. He suggested implementing the law only on the three limited-access routes for the time being.

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WASHINGTON -- A Snoqualmie valley man died from injuries he sustained in a traffic accident involving a tow truck.

Vernon Peter Berg, 81, of North Bend spent the last three weeks of his life unconscious in Harborview Medical Center's intensive care unit. He succumbed to his injuries Wednesday morning with his family at his side.

Berg was injured on the evening of Jan. 31, when his 2000 Toyota Camry crashed into a CenturyTel telephone line maintenance truck on State Route 202 near Meadowbrook Way in Snoqualmie.

According to the man's son, the telephone service truck had gotten stuck in the mud on southbound SR 202, also known as Railroad Avenue Southeast. A tow truck had come to the aid of the stuck 2000 Ford truck.

Just as Berg was driving northbound on Railroad Avenue about 5:30 p.m., the stuck truck was freed from the mud and suddenly crossed the northbound lanes of the road headed south. That's when Berg slammed into it.

A 51-year-old North Bend man driving the truck wasn't injured.

The younger Berg said he believed both the truck driver and his father were cited with minor traffic infractions in the accident, but the State Patrol yesterday wasn't able to confirm any citations. A State Patrol spokesman said it was unlikely that any further charges would be filed following Berg's death.

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Analysts think that gasoline prices could start rising in mid-March, the Associated Press reported Wednesday, as refineries start producing summer-grade fuel.

To produce the cleaner-burning summer gasoline required in some areas, refineries must take equipment apart, clean it and begin producing again. Those shutdowns will eat into the country's gasoline inventories, driving prices higher, the AP said.

Refiners can inject extra winter gasoline with additives for use during the summer, but that too will cause inventories to evaporate.

Analysts are also predicting cyclical price spikes in places like California, the Midwest and the Northeast as buyers purchase gasoline, bidding prices higher over fears of shortages of reformulated gasoline, the AP reported.

Gas prices are important to the towing industry, not only because many tow trucks are gasoline powered, but because high gas prices keep motorists off the road.

California has another problem that will cause fuel prices there to rise even more.

Replacement of an emissions-lowering additive with ethanol will double the price of California gasoline, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

The additive, methyl tertiary-butyl ether, is used to make gasoline comply with California emissions standards. However, it has been indicted in the contamination of groundwater, and California Gov. Gray Davis asked his energy commission to study the impact of phasing out MTBE.

The WSJ said ethanol is the only alternative to MTBE.

However, replacing MTBE with ethanol could lead to shortages of 5 to 10% in gasoline, the Journal said.

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Castrol Heavy Duty Lubricants has introduced a new line of diesel engine oils designed to meet the needs of new Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) engines as well as help improve performance of older diesel engine models.

Castrol's Enduron S, Tection Extra, and Tection S, are part of a major rollout of products designed to meet engine oil specifications developed by the American Petroleum Institute (API) for new low-emission EGR engines due to arrive on the market in October of this year.

Baltimore-based Castrol said its Enduron S and Tection Extra meet API's CI-4, CH-4, CG-4, CF-4, and SL engine oil specifications, as well as Cummins' CES 20078, 20076 and Mack's EO-M requirements. Castrol's Tection S meets current diesel engine oil specifications and API's CI4 requirement.

Enduron S is Castrol's top grade product from its new engine oil line. It's made from a synthetic blend base stock, is designed to produce low levels of ash, has higher detergent properties to neutralize higher acid levels in EGR engines, and will not compromise performance if it's used in older diesel engine models.

Tection Extra has almost the same performance characteristics as Enduron S, except that it does not have the same level of viscosity control that Enduron S has. Tection S represents the low end of Castrol's new engine oil line, providing soot-level control EGR engine compliance and standard capabilities in terms of engine component protection.

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FLORIDA -- City of Hollywood commissioners awarded its lucrative towing contract to the top-ranked contender after a bitter contest for the city's towing business. 

Festa Towing, which recently came under fire for allegedly overbilling customers whose cars were towed at the behest of police, retained the city's towing contract after receiving an endorsement from Hollywood's Police Chief James Scarberry. Scarberry explained that Festa Towing was not overcharging because their contract was outdated, and the city had not noticed.

Despite being cleared of wrong doing, commissioners called for stricter supervision, including phone numbers on tow tickets that tell customers where to call with complaints.

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WASHINGTON D.C. -- FBI announced yesterday that a secret, four-year probe into corruption in the District's towing industry resulted in the arrest of 60 persons.

D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams says the problems uncovered during the FBI's investigation — "Operation Towhook," according to authorities — figured largely in new ideas to clean up the towing industry.

In announcing proposed regulations yesterday, Mr. Williams was joined at his weekly news conference by Van A. Harp, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington field office.

Mr. Harp said a multiagency task force made up of federal and local authorities from the District and other area police departments facilitated the investigation that identified 26 targets involved in towing conspiracies. Harp failed to specify how many were tow drivers and how many were corrupt police officers which were also involved. 

"Part of the schemes would be for tow-truck drivers to target cars to steal and once they latched onto them, they were actually stealing them and then they would find ways to dispose of them," he said.

The stolen cars were either sold by towing operators to "chop houses," which broke the vehicles down to sell the parts, or were sold or broken down by the towing operators themselves, he added.

During the investigation, the FBI recovered $2 million worth of stolen cars and parts.

Mr. Harp also said federal courts in Maryland, Virginia and the District have ordered more than $850,000 in restitution to victims of towing scams.

In the wake of this investigation, the mayor has finally proposed regulations that, in his words, will clean-up the industry. The towing regulations are the first to be proposed since 1965.

The mayor's regulations which were published on Friday in the D.C. Register, will require all towing operators in the District, contrary to federal deregulation, to get a special license.

The regulations also would establish a maximum fee that towing operators who haul cars at the request of D.C. police could charge. For a standard passenger vehicle, including station wagons and sport utility vehicles, the maximum charge would be $150.

He vowed to draft the regulations in August after the office of D.C. Inspector General Charles C. Maddox uncovered a scheme in which corrupt police officers used towing companies to illegally confiscate cars and charge victims exorbitant storage fees.

The regulations will be available for public comment until March 20.

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DaimlerChrysler AG, the world's largest automaker, said Wednesday that it lost $34 million, or about 3 cents per share, in the fourth quarter, down from net income of $1.2 billion or about $1.24 per share in 2000, Bloomberg reported.

Along with its numerous consumer car and truck offerings, Daimler is also the parent company of Freightliner, the largest truck maker in North America.

For all of 2001, Daimler lost $578.7 million, or about 58 cents per share. In the previous year, the company earned 6.9 billion, or $6.88 a share. Sales fell 5.9% during the year.

The company had charges of $3.8 billion from its Chrysler, Freightliner and Mitsubishi subsidiaries, but offset those losses with the sale of $1.4 billion in assets, Bloomberg said.

Daimler claimed revenue of $25.4 billion on sales of 492,900 trucks. The company said that sales levels did not reach the previous year's level because of a drop off in the North American and Argentinean markets. The commercial truck division saw its profits drop to $45 million, mostly from a sustained loss by Freightliner.

Freightliner launched a comprehensive restructuring plan in October 2001. The company may need to spend even more on restructuring in 2002, Reuters reported.

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If Russia decides not to maintain its production cutbacks, it will be impossible to keep oil prices at current levels, Qatar's oil minister told Bloomberg News Wednesday.

The prices of diesel fuel and gasoline, both used in large quantities by the towing industry, tend to follow the movements of the price of crude oil.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries cannot manage the market alone, Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah, said in Doha, Qatar.

Russia, the second-largest oil producer after Saudi Arabia, promised in December to reduce output by 150,000 barrels a day. However, Russian oil companies have complained about lower earnings from exports and analysts expect that Russia will end its export reductions after March, Bloomberg said.

The price of oil on the London and New York markets has fluctuated between $20 and $21 for weeks.

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INDIANA -- A tow truck was called upon to stabilize a wrecked truck while emergency crews freed the driver with the Jaws of Life.

A Loogootee man was injured in the one-vehicle accident Monday. Russell Padgett, 22, was driving west on U.S. 50 at 3:30 p.m. and lost control of his 1993 Chevy pickup going off the north side of the road near Daviess County Metal in Cannelburg.

He struck a tree head-on. Padgett was trapped in the truck until Southwest Medical Services freed him using the Jaws of Life after Craney's tow truck helped to stabilize Padgett's vehicle.

The Air Evac helicopter was called in and landed on U.S. 50. Some traffic was rerouted, while other vehicles waited in line for about a mile on each side of the accident for more than an hour. Padgett was flown to Methodist Hospital, Indianapolis, where he was admitted with hip and leg injuries and multiple bruises.

He was listed in good condition this morning. The state police report indicated charges are pending.

The accident was worked by state police with the help of the Daviess County Sheriff's Department, Air Evac and Southwest Medical Services.

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FLORIDA -- Broward County is claiming that a local tow truck operator is violating the recently amended Broward county towing ordinance which caps non-consensual towing fees.

A federal court ruling issued last year severely limited the extent to which local governments can regulate towing. As a result, counties can no longer impose licensing fees and require background checks on tow-truck drivers. They were ordered to refund millions of dollars to towing companies.

Like a lot of counties and cities, Broward has revised its ordinance to rescind the need for background checks or to regulate other aspects of towing. It has however kept the six year old fee cap.

Despite the ruling, it is generally agreed that counties can still cap the fee for non-consensual towing. The cap in Broward is $78; in Miami-Dade it is $88. Beyond that, there is disagreement.

Some local tow operators believe they have no choice but to impose other fees, such as a yard fee, because the county has not raised the $78 cap in six years.

Martin Ritzer, Owner of All Points Towing in Fort Lauderdale recently told the Miami Herald that his insurance costs three years ago was $44,000 a year, but have now risen to $97,000.

Mona Fandel, director of the Broward County Consumer Affairs Division, which deals with towing complaints, said towing companies found in violation of the county ordinance could be fined $500 a day, if someone would file a formal written complaint.

While the county claims that All Points Towing, with 17, has received more phone-in complaints then any other company, mysteriously, none could be convinced to submit a complaint in writing.

All Points Towing is a high volume, high profile downtown towing company which performs a lot of impounds, therefore 17 complaints is actually a very low number.

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Freightliner Trucks today officially introduced it's answer to the 2002 International, the Business Class M2, the next generation of its medium-duty truck line. Like the current version, it will span Classes 5 through 8 and will eventually be offered in 100-, 106- and 112-in. BBC models.

Representing a $250 million investment, the all-new design offers significant improvements in productivity and operational efficiency compared to the original Business Class, according to Rainer Schmueckle, president & CEO of Freightliner LLC, the North American parent of Freightliner Trucks, Sterling Truck and Western Star trucks.

Starting in June the company’s Mt. Holly, NC, plant will begin limited production of the 106-in. BBC M2 on new highly automated assembly lines. Extended and crew cabs will be available in late 2002, with 100- and 112-in. BBC models joining the lineup in 2003. The company also promises it will eventually offer a wide variety of configurations to fit a broad range of medium- and heavy-duty truck applications. Current Business Class models will be phased out gradually as corresponding M2 versions become commercially available, according to Mark Lampert, senior vp, sales and marketing.

Design highlights for the new truck include an aluminum cab with a 2,500-sq. in. windshield and deeply sloped hood for excellent visibility, according to Michel von Mayenburg, senior vp, engineering and technology. Improved maneuverability is provided by wheel cuts as sharp as 55 degrees, delivering a turning radius of less than 57 ft. with a 20-ft. van body. The cab interior is roomier than the previous model and features an entirely new blend-air HVAC system with electronic controls.

Other features for the M2 include new spring suspensions that provide improved ride while lowering maintenance requirements, a multiplexed wiring system with advanced control and diagnostic functions, and both high and low cab versions designed for easy driver entry and improved crash protection.

The Mercedes-Benz MBE900 4- and 6-cyl. diesel will be the standard engine for the M2, offering ratings ranging from 170 to 280 hp. Caterpillar’s 3126 will also be initially available in rating from 175 to 300 hp. Transmission choices will include an Allison automatic as standard as well as optional Eaton manuals and automated mechanicals, and the Mercedes-Benz MBT synchronized 6-spd.

Although the Business Class M2 will be sold only as a Freightliner truck, many of its advanced chassis components will eventually migrate to sister division Sterling’s Actera, as well as the company’s specialty bus and RV chassis, according to von Mayenburg.

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WASHINGTON D.C. -- Mayor Anthony A. Williams today will deliver the blueprint of his plan to clean up the District's towing industry.

An official in the mayor's office told The Washington Times yesterday that Mr. Williams will announce the specifics of new towing regulations for D.C. police and tow-truck drivers at a briefing this morning. He has also invited officials from the FBI's Washington Field Office to join him in the announcement, the source said.

Mr. Williams vowed to take action last year after the office of D.C. Inspector General Charles C. Maddox uncovered a scheme in which corrupt police officers used towing companies to illegally confiscate cars and charge victims exorbitant storage fees.

The Times first reported on the inspector general's findings in August. Two victims of the scheme have since filed a class-action lawsuit against the Metropolitan Police Department and seven of the city's licensed towing companies.

Phillip Friedman, the lawyer representing victims in the class-action suit, says since it was filed early last month, more than 60 people have sought to join it.

Many of the victims are owners of cars with out-of-state license plates, which apparently have been targeted by corrupt police officers.

The mayor's office says it has taken longer than originally expected to draft the new towing regulations because legal problems with the D.C. Council. But, last month the city admitted that their legal department had discovered the city's power to regulate towing was very limited by federal law.

Under the direction of Council member Carol Schwartz, head of the committee on public works, the council last month voted unanimously to give the mayor first say over the regulations but reserve the right of the council to review them before implementation.

Mrs. Schwartz, at-large Republican, previously told The Times that if the regulations called for "extraordinarily high" standard towing fees, she wanted to have a chance to weigh in.

Mr. Williams plans to devote the bulk of today's weekly press briefing to explaining how the new regulations will put an end to the ongoing problem of illegal towing operations in the District, a source in his office said.

The extent to which the FBI will be involved in the new regulations was not clear yesterday. FBI officials confirmed that they would be involved in the briefing but declined to give further details until later today.

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SOUTH CAROLINA -- A flat-bed tow truck carrying several other vehicles smashed into the front of a Laurens County house on Monday night. The crash occurred on U.S. 25 at Maddox Bridge Road.

Troopers said that when a car pulled out in front of the wrecker, the truck's driver swerved and ran off the road and into the house. No one was home at the time and the driver of the truck was not seriously hurt.

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MINNESOTA -- Superior Mayor, Sharon Kotter on next Tuesday plans to veto recent amendments made to the city's towing ordinance.

The council approved changes to the city's towing ordinance on Feb. 5. During the meeting several tow operators expressed their unhappiness with the amendments and warned the issue would come back to the council.

Despite this councilors approved the ordinance anyway. A few days after the meeting Kotter sent a letter informing councilors of her plan to veto the ordinance.

"I thought there were a lot of questions that night," said the mayor. "I did suggest to the council that maybe they shouldn't pass the ordinance and refer it to the Committee of the Whole, but they passed it. But after the meeting I decided I didn't want to deal with over and over again. It has gotten to be taken care of."

The city has been dealing with problems with towing since 2000. A task force was organized to respond to issues such when a vehicle can be towed, at what cost, what is required of tow operators and vehicle owners and how soon a vehicle can be taken away.

"Rather than have it go through and come back it will get sent back to the towing committee," said Kotter. "I want everyone to be happy with it."

Tow operators are having difficulty getting rid of junk vehicles that they have hauled for the city. Consequently, tow operators' lots are getting crowded since if no one claims the car, it then belongs to the tow operator. But getting rid of the vehicle is cumbersome and costly -- the cars' fluids, batteries, mercury switches and other parts must be removed and the market for scrap metal is very low.

One option that will be considered will be for the city to have its own lot to store abandoned and junk vehicles that tow operators have hauled away for them.

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The average cost of a gallon of diesel changed little, rising 0.3 cents a gallon to $1.156 for the week ending Feb. 18, according to government figures.

For the past two months the price has hovered between $1.14 and $1.16 nationally as diesel supply remains high, despite efforts to lower the overall supply of oil. Those efforts, led by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, have started to have an effect on the price of crude oil. For the first time in several weeks, crude oil prices rose above $20 a barrel in trading during the past seven days.

Analysts say the price of crude is also up on fears of a U.S. attack on oil-producer Iraq. But that doesn’t seem to be affecting the price consumers and tow operators pay at the pump. While diesel was up slightly for the week, gasoline prices actually fell.

Diesel prices remain low because diesel supplies are at historic highs, the U.S. Department of Energy said in a report Feb. 13. According to the report, however, refiners may be decreasing diesel fuel production to compensate.

Diesel prices rose slightly in every reporting region accept California, where the average cost of a gallon of diesel declined 0.8 cents.

For diesel prices in your area, go to www.itow.org/fuel.htm.

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UTAH -- Authorities closed northbound lanes of I-15 at Beaver Pass for two hours Monday after a tow truck caused a 20-car pileup.

The accident occurred at about noon as vehicles apparently tried to avoid hitting a tow truck parked partially in the outside travel lane, Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Kevin Olson said. It was snowing heavily over the pass at the time.

There were no serious injuries from the accident, Olson said.

Several local troopers have Olympic assignments, and officers from the Beaver County Sheriff's Office, the Division of Wildlife Resources and the Motor Vehicle division responded to the scene, Olson said.

The Beaver County Attorney's Office will decide if criminal charges will be filed against the driver of the tow truck. Shortly before the accident, a trooper told the tow truck's driver, who was trying to recover a truck that had slid off the road, to leave the scene. The driver apparently didn't listen, Olson said.

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CALIFORNIA -- Oakland politicians are scrambling to curb so-called "sideshow" stunt driving events, following two violent incidents over the weekend.

A 22-year-old woman died early Saturday after her car was hit by another that had been spinning doughnuts. Police arrested the 27-year-old driver. Minutes later, a man was shot five times at another sideshow. He survived, and is in stable condition.

Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown wants to enact emergency laws allowing police to impound any car involved in a sideshow. In addition, Senator Don Perata has drafted a bill giving police the power to tow the car of any driver who has been cited as a speed exhibitionist.

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CONNECTICUT -- Emergency crews needed the help of a tow truck and the Jaws of Life to extract the victim of a one-car rollover that sent a woman to the hospital with serious head injuries Thursday afternoon, police said.

Upon arriving at the accident scene near 480 New Britain Ave. shortly after 1 p.m., police found a white 1998 Toyota Camry lying on its roof in the middle of the road. Rescue crews struggled for more than half an hour to extract the driver, who was the sole occupant, from the car.

According to police, the victim, Patricia Castelhano, 50, of 28 Kelsey St., Newington, was taken by Life Star helicopter to St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, where she was in stable condition Tuesday night.

A tow truck was used to pull the car up on its side while firemen and officers crawled under the vehicle and worked to remove Castelhano from the vehicle.

Castelhano was conscious throughout the entire extraction, Sgt. Len Kulas said.

Preliminary investigations showed that the car had apparently been traveling east on New Britain Avenue at a high rate of speed when it veered off the south shoulder of the road and struck a utility pole, Kulas said.

The car sheared off a telephone pole, flipped, and eventually landed on its roof, trapping the driver in, Kulas said. "We do not know why she went off the road," he said of the cause of the accident, but added that there will be further investigations.

Kulas said police had received reports of an erratic driver shortly before the time of the accident and only a block away from where it occurred. The description of the car matched that of the white Camry.

An officer was actually looking into the report of the erratic driver when he heard of the accident, Kulas said. Police have yet to determine if the accident victim was also the erratic driver.

The Rocky Hill Police Department is actively investigating this incident, and requests that anyone have seen anything related to it to please contact Officer Clyde Tyler at (860) 258-7640.

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TEXAS -- A 66-year-old man was killed in an automobile accident involving a heavy wrecker on the corner of East Blvd. and State Hwy. 225 feeder road in Dear Park.

According to Deer Park police, the man ran a red light in his minivan, which then collided with a wrecker. The wrecker was hauling an 18-wheeler.

"He ran the red light at about 45-miles-per-hour," said Lt. Wade Conner, lieutenant in charge at the scene of the accident. "He was eastbound on the feeder, and hit the front end of the heavy-duty wrecker."

According to Conner, witnesses of the accident said the wrecker was going approximately 20 mph on an incline, when it was struck in the right side by the minivan. The wrecker's driver suffered minor injuries as a result of the accident.

The late model minivan was thrown by the impact into the concrete barricade. Fragments of the minivan laid scattered across the roadway.

The eastbound feeder of Hwy. 225 leading to East Boulevard and the overpass of Hwy. 225 were shut down as police cleared a landing spot for Life Flight. Life Flight, which was en route, was canceled when the man was declared dead on the scene.

The driver's name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

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WASHINGTON D.C. -- The driver of a tow truck that went through a security checkpoint near the Pentagon Monday night was released on bond yesterday after spending more than three days in jail. Family members said Imad Abdel-Fattah Hamed, 26, has no connections to terrorism and was held because he is a Jordanian native.

Federal authorities are still investigating why Hamed, of Manassas, drove through a Virginia State Police checkpoint on Route 110 and why he had several forms of conflicting identification, including two Virginia driver's licenses in different names. Officials initially were concerned that Hamed and his passenger might have been checking out the Pentagon with ill intentions, as they were pulled over shortly after a federal alert about potential terrorist attacks.

But a federal magistrate judge ruled yesterday that Hamed is not dangerous, and prosecutors said they were satisfied they had established his true identity. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Morton said that officials have confirmed that Hamed, a copier repairman, is a naturalized citizen who also carries a passport from Jordan.

At a brief hearing yesterday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Magistrate Judge Theresa C. Buchanan ordered Hamed released on $5,000 bond, which his family posted in less than an hour. Hamed is not allowed to leave the region and surrendered two passports to authorities, as the judge ordered.

Morton said in court that he doesn't expect the case to make it to an arraignment, but he did not elaborate.

Hamed has been charged with one count of identification document fraud because of the two Virginia driver's licenses he was carrying -- one of which bears the name Imad Nimer and is registered to an Arlington address. Hamed's attorney, Michael Hadeed, said the license was issued in Hamed's Jordanian name.

"My client has nothing whatsoever to do with 9-11 and happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time," Hadeed said after the hearing. "He's a family man . . . who loves being an American citizen."

Hamed's passenger also had identification in several names, including a passport from the United Arab Emirates in the name of Sultan Rashed Sultan Jasmon Alzaabi, 22. He has been detained by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, according to court documents.

Hamed's wife, brother and other family members attended yesterday's hearing, some crying quietly when he was brought into the courtroom. Hamed's brother, Basel, runs a towing company out of the family's Manassas home, and Hamed's wife said earlier that Hamed simply got lost Monday night en route to Maryland.

"He was jailed because of the color of his skin, because he is from Jordan," said one member of the family, who asked not to be identified. "We are just happy that he will now be able to go home to his young son and his wife." (Washington Post)

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TEXAS -- El Paso police have launched a program to stop truck drivers from parking their tractor-trailers in residential neighborhoods, in business parking lots and on vacant land.

"The truckers live in the area. They find it's a convenient way to be ready to go, but it's inconvenient for other residents and it tears up the streets. The streets are not made for these heavy trucks," said Sgt. Ignacio Hernandez of the Pebble Hills Regional Command Center.

Police will ask business and property owners for letters authorizing them to tow parked trucks without having to ask the property owner's permission each time. Officers then tag trucks with bright orange stickers notifying drivers that they have 48 hours to move the trucks or face getting towed at the truck owner's expense. Recovering the truck costs $125.56 plus storage fees.

Police said property owners may have trucks towed on their own, but most prefer that police handle it.

It's unlikely that business owners would allow trucks to be parked on their properties unless they have a special permit because they, too, can be fined.

Harvey Development President Will Harvey, who owns shopping centers on Lee Treviño Drive and an empty lot next to the Pebble Hills command center, said he ordered a couple of trucks towed from his property last year so he wouldn't be fined himself. Harvey is one of several property owners who recently complained to police.

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FLORIDA -- Gasoline prices – down 1.2 cents nationwide in the last month to an average $1.12 per gallon – are a welcome bargain for consumers and businesses trying to shake off the effects of a slow economy, AAA said today.

While most towing is performed with diesel-powered trucks, a good portion, especially in large cities, is carried out with gasoline-powered trucks. High gas prices also cause people to drive less and carpool more which can effect a tow business's bottom line.

The nationwide average price of self-serve regular gasoline was $1.132 one month ago and has fluctuated very little since then, AAA's daily, online Fuel Gauge Report shows. One year ago the nationwide average price was $1.477.

AAA said the outlook for continued stable gasoline prices remains strong for the first quarter of 2002, as long as worldwide energy production is uninterrupted by military or political events.

Gas prices in the Southeast and Southwest are the best bargains this month, at $1.074 per gallon and $1.097 per gallon, respectively. Prices in the Southeast are down 1.9 cents and prices in the Southwest are down 1.6 cents from last month.

Prices in the Great Lakes, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions also have fallen since last month. In the Great Lakes, prices are down .1 cent to $1.112 per gallon. Midwest prices are down 1.5 cents per gallon to $1.115 per gallon. In the Mid-Atlantic states, prices fell .8 cent for the month to $1.12 per gallon.

The average gasoline price is unchanged in the West at $1.264 and in the New England prices increased 5.5 cents to $1.172 per gallon.

AAA's Fuel Gauge Report is based on data from Oil Price Information Service -- the nation's most comprehensive source of petroleum pricing information.

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MISSOURI -- Attorney General Jay Nixon filed suit Thursday against a south St. Louis County towing company accusing the owners of illegally towing and selling cars, charging exuberant rates and stealing from towed vehicles.

Nixon said he's asking a judge to put Denny's Towing and its operators, William and Wesley Gordon, out of business.

"While illegally parked vehicles certainly may be towed away, there are several laws on the books in Missouri to prevent the types of abuses that are being alleged here," Nixon said.

Nixon also wants the Gordons to pay restitution to any consumers who suffered financial loss because of illegal charges or damage to their property.

The towing company, at 3805 Reavis Barracks Road, became a target of an investigation after the Attorney General's office received numerous complaints from customers in the last few months.

The St. Louis County Police Department also collected complaints and forwarded them to state investigators this month.

William Gordon, 36, the company's president, is facing criminal charges following an incident with the St. Louis County police. Police said William Gordon locked an officer and his patrol car onto the tow lot during a disagreement about a stolen car.

The suit filed Thursday alleges that Denny's Towing violated Missouri law when it:

• Sold vehicles for which it had no title

• Failed to notify vehicle owner that their vehicles had been towed within five working business days

• Charged almost double the posted rates for towing and storage. Commercial truck drivers were paying as much as $1,700 to get their property back

• Routinely towed vehicles from private property without the property owner or manager being present

• Required vehicle owners to sign liability wavers without allowing them to inspect their vehicles for damage.

The attorney general has obtained injunctions against four other towing companies in the last six years for, what they call, predatory business practices. (Heather Ratcliffe - The Post-Dispatch)

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NEW YORK -- The Troy city council passed legislation last week that will add more requirements to tow operators as well as boost fees.

Passing 9-to-0, the legislation approved a contract worked out between the Police Department and Department of Public Works (no tow operators), and will supposedly ensure the public receives the best treatment when vehicles are towed.

The city currently deals with eight separate companies, representatives from each will attend a meeting on Feb. 21 at 10:30 a.m to review the contract which seems to be a done deal whether they like it or not. 

The good news for towers is that the towing fees will increase, putting them in line with other municipalities. The city will also increase ticket fines, and there will be a hefty price tag if you happen to leave your car in the wrong spot.

The city says the reason for increasing the tow fine is primarily for winter concerns. They say that during snow storms, companies are paid more by AAA to tow vehicles than they are by many municipalities. This can cripple a city's ability to remove snow bound cars.

Following a snow storm in Troy, it will cost people $115 if their car is towed, not including the traffic fine. Any other instance will cost $100.

Council President Harry Tutunjian said he is not a fan of the increased fines, but that the legislation was originally passed by the last council and used to balance the budget.

"The increased fines seem a little high," Tutunjian said. "I talked to the mayor about the possibility of changing it, but that was not done."

A lot of the previous items in the contract remain the same. The city is still divided into two zones, North and South. There will be a rotation list, in which each company begins on Sunday at midnight and ends Saturday. Each company is responsible for its zone that week.

All trucks must meet certain requirements as well, including: cellular phones, a tool chest, hazard warning lights, rear-mounted work lights and, you strapless wheel-lift guys will like this, wheel straps to securely attach the vehicle to the truck.

Among the changes to the contract are ensuring there is a secured area where cars are stored. Each property must have a fence at least six feet high around the perimeter.

Each company must be open from sunrise to sunset. They also will have to accept credit cards should people want to use one instead of cash, as well as having a phone number where they can be reached 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The availability and credit assurances were two of the bigger additions for Mayor Mark Pattison and the City Council. Tutunjian said it is an added cushion for people who may be strapped for cash and unable to come up with $135 to retrieve their car. (Thanks Brian)

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Dana Corp.'s Commercial Vehicle Systems has introduced the 8,000-lb. D-800F and D-800W steer axles, which will replace its I-80SG steer axle line.

Dana said both of the new steer axles offer increased kingpin angle to improve high turn angle steering and a reduced scrub radius to improve steering stability. The D-800W steer axle features a 1-inch wider beam than the D-800F for a wider track that increases maneuverability, the company added.

Toledo-based Dana said its Spicer D-800F and D-800W steer axles will become part of the Roadranger Drivetrain System.

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Steve Keate, president of the truck group of International Truck and Engine Corp., said International will continue to offer Caterpillar and Cummins engines as of October 2002, but will no longer offer Detroit Diesels as of that date.

October is when heavy-truck diesels must meet a reduced nitrogen oxide level of 2.0 grams per horsepower hour. Keate also gave his estimates of price hikes and reduced fuel economy as a result of the new emissions standards.

Keate said, “We've had to make some tough decisions. Past October of '02 there will be no more big-bore Detroit Diesels in our products. We felt we needed to focus and decided that it didn't make any sense to invest that much in a company controlled by a competitor.”

Asked whether or not Caterpillar engines would be available in International trucks in spite of the delayed introduction date for Cat's ACERT technology, Keate said, "We expect Cat to have engines for us. We have long-term agreements with them, and so anticipate we'll have their engines well past October 2002."

Keate said International would expect an increase of $3,000 to $5,000 in the delivery price as a result of the new emissions standards. “We also anticipate some deterioration in fuel economy, on the order of 2 to 5 percent depending on the application and engine,” Keate added. "We think EPA will not delay the date. If engines don't meet the emissions requirements, there will be penalties levied."

Nevertheless, Keate said International has spent "tens of millions of dollars” to create a smooth transition. “We will be in an excellent position to meet all the requirements." The process has included road tests to ensure the prevention of cooling problems, he reported.

Keate said International is concerned about pre-buying. "Pre-buying is a likely scenario, with the price increase and reduced fuel economy. This might lead to higher near-term build rates. This would not be in the best interests of this industry. Having gone through layoffs, we don't need a short-term bump followed by a fall-off. We are committed to managing production rates prudently." (Thanks Ken)

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently released the details of its Jan. 2 recall of 3,500 Western Star trucks.

The models affected, according to the NHTSA Web site, are the 4800, 4900, 5800, 5900 and 6900 and were manufactured between December 1998 and February 2000.

On some of these vehicles with Caterpillar 3406E and C-15 engines there is interference between the positive battery cable and the electronic control module to the engine. Chafing can wear through the battery cable insulation, which could cause a short circuit and a fire.

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WASHINGTON D.C. -- Two men in a tow truck carrying fake identification were arrested near the Pentagon after ignoring signs that prohibit commercial vehicles on that road, law enforcement officials said.

One of the men, Imad Hamed, was to appear in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., Wednesday on a charge of document identification fraud, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

The other man detained after the incident Monday night is in the custody of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

The men also had been charged with state traffic violations, said Virginia State Police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell.

It was not immediately clear whether the men resembled those named Monday by the FBI as possible conspirators in a terrorist attack to be carried out this week, she said. A Justice Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a check of immigration records indicates that none of the 18 men named Monday had ever been in the United States.

"Their motivations are still unclear," Caldwell said Wednesday morning, referring to those arrested near the Pentagon.

The men were carrying a number of fake identification papers, Caldwell said. The state filed traffic charges, which included possession of a suspended driver's license and possession of a fictitious license, Caldwell said.

Federal officials were releasing little information Wednesday. Spokesmen for the Department of Justice and the FBI did not return calls for comment. The INS is trying to determine whether immigration rules had been violated.

Traveling south on Route 110 Monday night, the tow truck drove past signs erected in November that prohibit commercial vehicles on the road, which passes within a few dozen yards of the Pentagon, Caldwell said.

Alerted to the truck by officers stationed along the road, a second team stopped the truck, a few hours after the FBI issued its warning about a possible terrorist threat.

The officers questioned the driver and passenger and found "several false government documents" inside, Caldwell said. The truck bore the name of a Virginia company and carried Maryland tags, she added, but declined to name the company.

The state police then alerted the FBI, which brought dogs in to search for explosives and weapons. None was found, she said.

Just four hours before the arrests, the FBI issued a terrorist alert asking law enforcement and the American public to be on the lookout for a Yemeni man and several associates who might be plotting a terrorist attack as early as Tuesday.

The agency scrambled to put the warning out after information emerged that one or more people were involved. Officials said the intelligence, while deemed credible, was not specific about possible targets.

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MICHIGAN -- General Motors took a leadership role, for a the first time in five years, with a 32.9% share of the combined commercial fleet and non-fleet commercial markets for the 2001 calendar year, according to R.L. Polk registration data. GM's Fleet and Commercial Operations (FCO) group achieved a 0.6 point industry lead, which translates to more than 10,000 units.

"About three years ago, GM organized Fleet and Commercial Operations as a separate business unit that would concentrate solely on the business-to-business customer. This type of focus has allowed us to concentrate on their needs and grow market share. We've prioritized the importance of the business customers, improved our order to delivery times, and enhanced our services, such as developing a separate fleet Web site with several innovative features. GM's overall vision is to be the world leader in transportation products and related services, and I'd say, Fleet and Commercial Operations is doing its part to contribute to that goal," said David A. Hansen, General Manager, Fleet and Commercial Operations.

GM dominates the market with an impressive 66.5% commercial fleet share of the large utility segment, which includes the popular Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban. Other best sellers that American businesses have embraced include the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pick-up trucks which are used in the towing industry. Finally, GM full-size vans saw another market share gain, and is looking forward to the third quarter 2002 introduction of the industry's first full-size van with left-side 60/40 cargo doors.

GM Fleet and Commercial Operations (FCO) accounts for a major portion of all GM new vehicle sales in the U.S. FCO commercial customers include businesses that buy five or more vehicles annually. Non-fleet commercial customers buy four or less vehicles annually. Rental companies and various government agencies are also fleet customers.

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FLORIDA -- Citing possible difficulty in rounding up witnesses, prosecutors have reduced the grand theft charge against a tow truck operator accused of taking money to allow motorists to park illegally during attorney Willie E. Gary's Christmas party.

"I'm happy it's all over," said Action Towing owner Edmund Fiore, 43, who is charged with misdemeanor petty theft in connection with his December arrest.

"Onward and upward," he said. "I said right from the get-go, I was innocent."

Fiore admitted collecting about $400 during the Dec. 13 party, charging motorists $10 to $20 to park at the lot across the street from the courthouse.

Fiore was contracted to tow cars that parked in the lot illegally, but never had the lot owner's permission to run a pay-parking lot there. Fiore argued he did nothing wrong, and was only trying to give people a break by not towing them at $90 each car during the holidays.

Police disagreed and charged Fiore with felony grand theft based on a finding of probable cause from the State Attorney's Office. Prosecutor Ted Roodhof said Thursday he was reducing that charge because the misdemeanor petty theft charge - which has an upper limit of $300 - would be easier to prove.

He said more witnesses would have to be found to prove a charge of felony grand theft, which begins at $300. "There is probable cause for grand theft," Roodhof said "There was at the time, (but) we would have to gather all the people who were in the parking lot at the time."

Fiore and his attorney, Richard Kibbey, said Thursday they would enter a no-contest plea to the misdemeanor, which might result in fines or other punishment but no jail time. And they continued to argue Fiore did nothing wrong.

"Christmas spirit didn't go very well with the Stuart Police Department that night," Kibbey said. But Stuart police said the case was never personal and called the prosecutor's decision "fair."

"It's not a personal thing between him and us at all," said spokesman police Sgt. Marty Jacobson. "It was between him and the public . . . He brought this on himself."

Fiore, who donated the $400 to Hospice of Martin & St. Lucie but had the money returned amid the controversy, said he will look for another charity. (MSNBC)

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The average price of a gallon of diesel rose nearly one penny to $1.153 for the week ending Feb. 11.

The Department of Energy, which tracks the prices, said last week that oil production cutbacks are finally impacting oil imports. Crude oil prices remained below $20 in international trading Monday, largely because oil, gasoline and diesel stocks remain high. But those stocks are starting to dwindle, the DOE said.

Oil production declined more than 300,000 barrels per day from December’s level, causing the first combined decline in gasoline and distillate fuel inventories since December. Levels remain ample for demand, however, the DOE said.

For the week, the diesel average closed up 0.9 cent from $1.144 the week before. Towers in California saw the largest leap, where diesel prices rose from $1.278 to $1.294.

To check diesel prices in your area, go to www.itow.org/fuel.htm.

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The average price of gasoline rose 0.4 cent over the past two weeks, according to an industry report released Sunday.

Roughly a third of trucking-related freight hauls require gasoline for local pickup and delivery operations, so a gas-price jump has a significant effect on trucking.

The weighted price per gallon for all grades and taxes was $1.14 on Friday, analyst Trilby Lundberg said. The price for a gallon of self-serve regular was virtually unchanged at $1.11 nationwide on Friday.

Despite the slight increase, Lundberg said gasoline prices are still historically low and will likely remain low, the Associated Press reported. Gas prices remain 41.9 cents below what they were shortly before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and 37.9 cents below what they were one year ago.

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Attempts by the oil cartel to pump up crude prices by manipulating supply may be foiled by soft demand and a mild winter in the major oil markets, the Associated Press said.

Citing a survey by the International Energy Agency, AP said prices may fall still more before an economic recovery picks up during the second half of the year.

IEA statistics suggest that Russia, the world’s second-biggest oil producer isn’t cooperating with the strategy of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to squeeze crude supplies and might publicly decide to increase output after March.

Global demand for oil fell to 76.3 million barrels a day during the last quarter of 2001, the IEA said, noting that average demand growth was the lowest since 1985.

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Bob Dannenberg of International Truck and Engine says companies have been toying for years with multiplex electrical systems in medium- and heavy-duty trucks, but not to the degree that International Truck and Engine has with its 2002 High Performance Vehicles that were launched almost a year ago in Las Vegas.

In a seminar called “Truck Multiplex Electrical Systems Are On Their Way,” scheduled for 9:30-10:45 am Thursday, at the Work Truck Show, Dannenberg will explain the basics of the architecture and technology and delve into how multiplexing helps automate tasks and eases the relocation or addition of switches, improves the reliability and lifespan of wiring, and allows for advanced diagnostics and programming.

“We'll try to make it clear that this is not like any electrical system there's ever been in any commercial medium- or heavy-duty truck,” Dannenberg says. “The old trucks were pretty much hard-wired point to point. Our wire bundles were getting so large we could hardly close up the instrument panel into the cab. Things are radically different now. We'll try to compare and contrast where we have been, where we started in the late '80s, and how things have evolved.”

Dannenberg says when International installed the multiplex electrical wiring architecture, it wasn't simply to make its trucks easier to sell, but to prove that it was trying to make it easier for bodybuilders to interface with the chassis.

“If a wrecker builder wants to mount a rollback wrecker body on our chassis, there are typically a half-dozen lights or alarms or other switch inputs the bodybuilder has to first off find a way to mount switches in our cab,” he says. “He'll cut a hole in the floor, cut a hole in the dash. Some guys would take the instrument panels completely down so they could get at a place to mount switches and start cutting holes to mount their switch panels, just start hacking and whacking into our electrical wiring to find good power, good ground, a place to mount their relays. Then they'd take the load wires back out to the cab and string them up their body to their various loads.

“With the new electrical system, we provide factory-installed, pre-programmed switch packs already installed in the truck, and an electrical remote module mounted somewhere on the frame rail. All he has to do is make up his body wiring to terminate it in one of our eight-way connectors and put it in our module on the frame rail, stick some labels on the rocker switches that we've already pre-engineered as a strobe light, spreader, beacon, whatever … and then customize those switches to the loads he has, and he's done.

“There will be more multiplex modules in the future as we start to visit all these bodybuilders so that we can understand how they do their business and see if we can come up with a turnkey solution they can buy from us factory-installed, instead of going to a third party. We're trying to prove to them we can give them a more cost-effective solution.”

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General Motors (GM) has finally decided to give proper names to its new line of Class 4 through 8 line of trucks - currently known by its code name, the GMT 560.

GM's revamped GMT 560 trucks will now be known as the 2003 Chevrolet Kodiak and GMC TopKick. The Kodiak/TopKick C4500-C5500 Series (Class 4-5) include regular and commercial cutaway chassis cabs and vocational packages to cover school bus, fire and rescue, ambulance, shuttle bus, wrecker and snowplow requirements. Crew cab and four-wheel drive models will be introduced at a later date, said GM. Gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWRs) for those trucks ranges from 16,000 pounds for the C4500 to 18,000 and 19,500 pounds for the C5500.

The heavier Kodiak / TopKick C6500, C7500 and C8500 Series (Class 6-8 trucks) replace GM's conventional-cab C-Series line with regular and crew cab and chassis cab offerings. With GVWRs covering 19,501 to 61,000 lbs., these models include low-profile, tandem-axle and tractor variations.

The Kodiak and TopKick model-name designations were originally used on Chevrolet and GMC medium duty trucks available from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s.

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FLORIDA -- A tow truck driver helped deputies nab a suspect Thursday in the murder of a Volusia County grandmother.

Bob Bennett, a tow truck driver, was called when a man and woman, driving the grandmother's vehicle, broke down Wednesday night in Orlando, according to Orange County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jim Solomons.

The driver of the car provided the towing company with a room number at a Days Inn at 2500 W. 33rd Street. Bennett recognized the vehicle from news reports and contacted authorities, Solomons said.

The suspects were found at the Days Inn. A man was arrested, and a woman was briefly barricaded inside a room there, but she was also captured later, officials said.

The body of Rose Crank, 75, was found inside her home on Taylor Road, between New Smyrna Beach and Edgewater, Wednesday.

Crank's daughter discovered the body early Wednesday morning when she went to pick her up for a ride into town.

Sharon Hansen said her mom was a fun-loving grandmother who celebrated her last birthday with a ride on a Harley. She was also active in Mothers of Vietnam Veterans.

Crank's children feel indebted to the tow truck driver who helped get the suspects nabbed.

"I thank him from the bottom of my heart. He's such a great citizen," Hansen said.

"If you can help someone out, that's just what you do. It's the right thing to do," Bennett said.

Bennett said his heart nearly stopped when he realized the car he was towing was Crank's.

He said he didn't think twice about calling police, and that he feels undeserving of the Good Citizenship award he'll likely get from the sheriff.

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PENNSYLVANIA -- Eleven people, including the owner of a towing company, are accused of taking part in an auto theft ring that allegedly stretched across Allegheny, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties, WTAE's Bob Mayo reported Friday.

The Allegheny County District Attorney's Office said 10 of the 11 people were arraigned after a state police investigation that began in 1999. One suspect remained at large Friday.

Investigators believe more than 30 vehicles were stolen and re-tagged with identification numbers from salvaged vehicles at four locations -- Prokopovitch Towing and Junk Yard, Fayette City; Charlie's Service Center, Charleroi; Mark's Auto Body, Dunlevey; and White's Tavern, near Uniontown.

A preliminary hearing for the 10 suspects who have been arraigned is scheduled for Thursday in Pittsburgh's Brookline section.

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WISCONSIN -- The Superior City Council on Tuesday approved ordinance amendments to the city's traffic code to address how tow operators should collect their fee from the city for towing and disposing of junk and abandoned vehicles.

But prior to its ratification, Councilor Ed Erickson questioned the legality of the amendments. Erickson said they violate state statutes.

"State laws indicate any person who abandoned a vehicle is responsible for all the costs associated with the vehicle," said Erickson.

Erickson also contended it is the city's responsibility to notify car owners that their vehicle has been towed, not the tow operators as the amendments now specify.

Amendments to the traffic ordinance alter the amount of time a towing operator has to notify a vehicle owner that the car has been towed and impounded. Rather than providing notice within 24 hours, a towing operator has five days.

Tow operators will also now be compensated for towing junk vehicles for the city. In the past, tow operators were able to sell the vehicles for scrap in an attempt to recover the costs of towing, removing fluids, batteries, tires and mercury switches, however, the market for scrap metal is very low. Tow operators also have to deal with the high costs involved in managing and insuring their business.

"I think it only fair to pay you, you are providing a service," said Mayor Sharon Kotter.

For the city to call an operator to haul away a junk or abandoned vehicle, the city will be charged $45 with storage fees to cost $10 for up to 10 days, or a maximum of $145.

The city will recoup its costs from the vehicle owner through civil routes, said Kotter.

Car owners who violate any section of this towing ordinance may face a maximum penalty of $245 -- a forfeiture penalty of $100, the $45 towing fee and a $10 per day for up to 10 days storage fee ($100).

The alterations to the towing ordinance stems from the dissatisfaction of tow operators who contended they could not afford to haul junk cars for the city. Many operators quit towing for the city altogether, which forced the city to take action.

"I am not really happy with it ... we may have to bring it back up at a future date," said Chuck Androsky, owner of Custom Towing, of the amendments.

Androsky said the changes do not fully pay for operators having to store vehicles in storage lots and that he has 20 vehicles a month that are never claimed and has to get rid of.

Scott Toland, owner of Scotty's Enterprise Towing, warned the city may have to consider having their own storage lots for tow operators to take the cars to.

"We are getting stuck with junk vehicles," said Toland.

"Let's try this for a year and see how it goes," said Kotter.

While discussing city towing practices, Councilor Ed Anderson questioned Kotter about the status of a Wisconsin Department of Justice investigation concerning allegations of illegal towing and discrimination within the city.

Kotter said the investigation was put on hold after the Sept. 11 bombings, but said she will meet with justice representatives later this month while in Madison for Superior Days.

Department officials began the investigation last summer and conducted interviews despite a local investigation by Douglas County District Attorney Dan Blank who determined there was not enough evidence to press criminal charges. (Merilee Reinke - The Daily Telegram)

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CONNECTICUT -- The son of a confessed hitman testified Friday that he saw his father bait, and then shoot, the owner of a towing company and brother-in-law of a Connecticut lawyer, who stands trial for contracting the hit.

Mark Depres had a photo and phone numbers, and he knew where the 28-year-old towing company owner, who was his prey lived and worked, but getting Clinton out in the open was a problem, Depres' 23-year-old son, Chris Depres, testified Friday.

That all changed when Mark Depres opened a newspaper and noticed a classified ad for a tow truck for sale next to Clinton's home phone number. The rest was easy.

Chris Depres, testifying Friday at the murder and conspiracy trial of Clinton's sister-in-law, said his father arranged to meet Clinton on March 10, 1994, under the guise of seeing the advertised tow truck. The son, then 15, went along for the ride and sat in the passenger seat of Mark Depres' blue Oldsmobile Cutlass as his father followed Clinton's brown Pontiac Firebird down the Exit 72 off-ramp of Interstate 95 in East Lyme.

"My dad flashed his headlights. The car in front of us pulled over," Chris Depres, now 23, testified with no emotion in his deep voice. "I asked him what he was doing. He said he was going to kill him."

Buzz Clinton pulled his beat-up car onto the shoulder and approached Depres' car. "What's going on?" Clinton asked, according to Chris Depres.

Mark Depres said something about needing to find a gas station and then, without warning, emptied his six-shot .38-caliber revolver, Chris Depres testified. Clinton, mortally wounded, fell into the travel lane of the road. Chris Depres said he felt two bumps — possibly the vehicle rolling over Clinton's body — as the Cutlass sped away.

The dramatic testimony did not connect to Beth Carpenter, Clinton's sister-in-law and the defendant in the ongoing murder and conspiracy trial. Instead, the evidence was offered to set up for the jury a trail of conspirators which, prosecutors insist, will lead to Carpenter and her law partner, Haiman Clein. (Court TV)

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MISSOURI -- A former employee and more than a dozen people whose cars were towed brought new allegations Thursday against a south St. Louis County towing company that is under state investigation for its business practices.

Kimberly Mitchell of Fenton told the Missouri attorney general's office and a reporter Thursday that she had questioned many transactions she saw as a secretary for Denny's Towing last summer before quitting in a dispute with her bosses.

William R. Gordon, 36, the president of the company, is charged with receiving stolen property and improper restraint stemming from an incident Monday in which St. Louis County police say he locked an officer inside his lot in a dispute over custody of a stolen car.

Mitchell said she had watched uncaring employees smash and scrape vehicles they towed and that the company rarely paid for the damage. She said employees there would refuse to let people examine their cars for damage until they had signed releases and paid in cash.

Scott Holste, spokesman for the attorney general, said a towing company is legally responsible for damage it causes.

Mitchell also charged that employees stole from impounded cars. She said William Gordon gave her daughter a stack of CDs he had taken from towed vehicles.

Vinny Sweeney of Fenton said Thursday that about $500 in music and equipment were taken from his car after Denny's Towing removed it from a wreck in St. Louis County in 1996.

Sweeney was among 16 people who contacted the Post-Dispatch to add complaints about Denny's after the dispute with county police was reported in Thursday's editions.

William Gordon and his brother, Wesley Gordon, who is the company's vice president, could not be reached for comment Thursday. Wesley Gordon has denied allegations of wrongdoing.

Mitchell claimed that nearly all transactions were in cash, including sales of unclaimed vehicles on the lot.

Denny's wrecker drivers often lurked near private parking lots close to football games, holiday parties and other large events, Mitchell said, towing cars within minutes and paying property owners as much as $20 a vehicle for the business.

Missouri law requires the owner or manager of private property to be on hand when a towing company takes a vehicle from it. Holste said it does not appear to be illegal to pay the property owner part of the proceeds.

Mitchell claimed that Denny's got around the law by collecting signatures of property managers on a stack of blank towing forms.

She said the company prized tractor-trailer trucks, which she said fetched at least $1,500 in removal and storage charges.

She accused Denny's Towing of sometimes waiting for months to contact a vehicle owner after a tow, to drive up storage charges.

State law requires towing companies to contact a vehicle's owner within five business days after the tow, according to the attorney general's office.

"These people think they are above the law," Mitchell complained.

Mitchell said she carried the same complaints to the attorney general's office. Holste confirmed that she was cooperating and said her assistance would be helpful in assessing a growing list of complaints.

Patty David of south St. Louis County said Denny's Towing took her car from in front of her house one Friday evening in November 1999.

She said she reported it stolen and that police found it in a parking lot near the towing company about four days later. Denny's claimed the owner had arranged for it to be towed to Valley Park but never showed up to receive it, David said. She said she had never made any such arrangements. No criminal charges resulted.

After that, David said, she posted fliers around her neighborhood in Lemay warning others about the company. (Heather Ratcliffe - The Post-Dispatch)

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OREGON -- Multnomah County has unanimously approved a new anti street racing ordinance allowing the towing of cars involved in street races-- including those of spectators.

Because the ruling passed unanimously, the law takes effect immediately.

Authorities said they would start towing spectators cars at illegal street racing events as soon as they could find them. Racing crashes have claimed the deaths of five people recently, and until today's ruling, police only had the authority to tow racer's vehicles.

The one city commissioner opposed to towing spectators cars, voted in favor of the motion this morning because Portland International Raceway has agreed to host 'street-racing' events. For $20, racers can legally race on a legitimate race track.

"Twenty-dollars is very cheap," explained Commissioner Lonnie Roberts. "The winner is the fact that we are not going to lose the lives that we have lost in the past."

Multnomah County Police Sargeant David Rader told KATU that police plan to be aggressive in towing of both racers and spectators now.

"You can bet that the first group we catch," said Sgt. Rader, "that every one of those cars is going to be gone. We're going to continue getting cars until they can't afford to get them out of tow yards anymore."(KATU)

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FLORIDA -- At the request of local wrecker companies, Palm Bay City Council members tonight will consider raising the city's maximum towing fee for an emergency call from $75 to $100.

An emergency call means any time police agencies contact a wrecking service to go to a scene to tow a vehicle.

"This is called 'getting your car towed against your will,' " said Tony Barreiros, owner of Lee's Towing and Recovery in Palm Bay.

If the council adopts the revised ordinance, Palm Bay's towing fees will be the same as those allowed by Brevard County's wrecker ordinance, City Manager Bob Nanni said.

This would be the first towing fee increase in about five or six years, Palm Bay police Sgt. Joe Eakins said. Eakins said some motorists will be angry at the proposed fee increases, adding: "that's why we have the public hearings."

Local wrecker operators say they need to offset the rising costs of personnel, equipment and insurance.

The state requires each county to set limits on towing charges. The top fee charged by Brevard County for a tow by a Class A wrecker -- the type used for a small vehicle -- is $100. Wrecker operators said they likely will charge the maximum fee.

Motorists could wind up paying more than $100 for the tow, depending on the size and capabilities of the wrecker. The cost could go up to $250, just for the tow, according to the revised ordinance. The highest charges come when a large wrecker has to go out to move a big vehicle, such as a trailer or semi.

The ordinance requires additional charges for various circumstances, including storage and work time. If it takes more than 30 minutes at the scene, the company can charge the motorist between $66 and $215 more than the base towing fee.

But the proposed new ordinance takes away some charges. For instance, a wrecker can charge $25 to upright an overturned vehicle. Under the proposal, there would be no charge for that service.

The city receives no revenue from the towing charges, Nanni said. (Brad Buck - Florida Today)

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CALIFORNIA -- Car owners caught driving without valid licenses in Merced will be charged an extra $125 to get their autos back.

The City Council this week unanimously approved raising the impound fee to $500 at the request of tow operators in the city. Police order cars towed when a driver is caught without a license or with one that has been suspended or revoked.

In addition to the impound fee, vehicle owners must pay the city $168 to cover its costs and support a traffic safety program.

The boost in the impound fee is on a one-year trial basis, which relieved some council members at the Monday night meeting.

"My concern is we will end up with diminishing returns," Councilman Bill Spriggs said. "It is cheaper to go out and buy a $300 or $400 junker than retrieve your car."

Councilman Rick Osorio did not like the city's fixing rates for private tow companies. "They should be able to charge what they want," he said. "I don't feel it should be the city's position to put a cap on private enterprise."

Councilman Stan Thurston said the fee "was at the request of the tow operators so they could all participate."

Tow companies are called on a rotating basis, so any qualified operator can be in the program.

The tow program started in 1997 when the city received a grant from the state Office of Traffic Safety.

"We were No.1 in (similar-sized) cities for fatal accidents and injuries," Assistant Police Chief Steve Work said.

The city operated an impound yard until 2000, when private operators took it over. Money collected from the program has been used to buy two radar trailers that police put out to alert drivers how fast they are going.

The program also covers the cost of a traffic officer, evidence technician and a police records clerk. (Mike Conway - Modesto Bee)

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WASHINGTON D.C. -- For the first time, the National Transportation Safety Board has pointed to use of a cell phone as the possible cause of a fatal traffic accident, the Washington Post reported Monday.

There are several state laws currently being debated or in effect that ban talking on a cellular phone while driving without the aid of a hands-free device. Towers are making increasing use of wireless phone technology to dispatch and contact customers while on the road.

The crash, which killed five people on the Capital Beltway in suburban Washington D.C., occurred Friday as a woman called her boyfriend after the two got separated in traffic, the Post said.

The woman then lost control of her Ford Explorer, eventually jumping a guardrail into oncoming traffic. The board is also looking into whether there were design flaws in the median guardrail, since it failed to stop the vehicle, the Post said.

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ILLINOIS -- DaimlerChrysler and General Motors both introduced innovations in the full size truck market during Wednesday's media previews at the Chicago Auto Show.

DaimlerChrysler AG took participants for a ride as the entire press gallery, weighing in at about 30,000 pounds, was tied to a new Dodge Ram pickup truck and pulled about 30 feet.

The stunt was designed to show off the strength of the 2003 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks.

The new trucks feature a return of the legendary HEMI engine. An all new 5.7-liter version, called the HEMI Magnum, will be standard on both models.

It produces an estimated 345 horsepower and 365 foot-pounds of torque, said Rich Schaum, executive vice president of product development.

A redesigned Cummins high-output turbo diesel engine also is available, which produces 203 horsepower and 555 foot-pounds of torque, giving it towing power of 23,000 pounds.

General Motors Corp., with a figure skater, bobsledders and hockey players sliding by on synthetic ice, rolled out refreshed versions of its popular GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks along with a concept truck, the Terra4.

The 2003 incarnations of the truck's sport refreshed exteriors including new head and taillights and grilles, and interiors with single piece center consoles and sensors on the front passenger side that will deactivate the air bag when a child or small adult is in the seat.

A new advanced electrical system uses fewer wires, and a Bose audio system is available.

The Terra4 concept truck has a high-mounted load bed and extreme exterior design giving it an imposing, edgy appearance.

"The Terra4 challenges the conventional idea of what a truck is," said Gary Cowger, president GM North America.

Ford Motor Co., looking over its shoulder at a growing crop of pickup rivals, will invest $1 billion to $1.5 billion to revamp its top-selling F-Series truck.

Jim Padilla, head of Ford's North American operations, told the Financial Times that Ford will spend about $7 billion a year to develop cars and trucks. The F- Series is expected to receive a major refreshing but perhaps not a full redesign next year as a 2004 model, analysts say. Ford spokesman Jim Bright confirmed the spending figures but would not comment on timing for the new truck.

The F-Series, which includes the F-150, has been America's best-selling vehicle for 20 years and best-selling truck for 25 years.

Fueled in part by low-interest financing, the F-Series sold a record 911,597 units last year. That's the most for any car or truck since 1972, when the Chevrolet B-cars, including the Impala and Caprice, tallied more than a million sales.

But Ford's impressive track record obscures the fact that the F-Series, last redesigned in 1996, is now the oldest vehicle in its segment. Many critics and analysts consider the newer Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra twins as the best-in-class trucks. Counted together, their 2001 sales soared beyond 926,000, passing the F-Series in total full-size sales for the first time since 1994.

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IOWA -- The Iowa House voted 92-0 Tuesday for House File 2112, a bill that would require motorists to drive slower and change lanes when encountering emergency, towing and recovery and highway maintenance vehicles with flashing lights.

A state trooper injured Tuesday after getting sideswiped in Dallas County shows the need for the bill requiring motorists to take more precautions around emergency vehicles, said state Rep. Clel Baud- ler, R-Greenfield.

The trooper was injured about 2 p.m. during a traffic stop on Interstate Highway 80 westbound, near the Van Meter exit. A piece of equipment on a passing truck struck the side of the patrol car.

The trooper and the motorist he stopped were inside the patrol car. The trooper had minor injuries, and the motorist was not injured.

Charges against the driver of the truck are pending, said Sgt. Robert Hansen, spokesman for the Iowa State Patrol.

Under the bill, those violating the new requirement would be guilty of a simple misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of $35. The bill moves to the Senate.

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CALIFORNIA -- A towing business owner and his accomplices accused of running a wholesale drug-trafficking operation in Kings County made their first court appearance on Monday.

As a few tight-faced relatives watched in silence as the six men entered the room with jingles of chains for arraignment on various drug charges and a criminal conspiracy charge.

None entered a plea Monday. They are to return to court on Wednesday.

These men were arrested in a drug bust last Thursday following a four-month investigation spearheaded by the Kings County Narcotics Task Force.

Each defendant, who authorities apparently believe have allegedly had different levels of involvement, faces different number of charges and counts.

Rogelio Torres Ornelas, 35; Henry Munoz Salazar, 51; Joe Silva Hernandez, 37; Manuel Hernandez, 41; ;and Guillermo Fonseca, 32, face charges of transporting or selling methamphetamine, possessing meth and possessing meth for sale, as well as criminal conspiracy, court records show.

The sixth man Michael Alvarez, 25, faces one felony count of transporting or selling meth.

Of the six, three are local business owners. Ornelas is the owner of Central Valley Towing on South 10th Avenue, Salazar owns Henry's Automotive on East 4th Street, Hernandez runs Hanford Pool Care out of his Armona home, NTF investigators said.

Ornelas, the tow business owner, remains in jail in lieu of $200,000 bail. (Thank Larry)

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UTAH -- Utah Highway Patrol is warning drivers on Interstate 15 that if they break down, their car will immediately be towed.

Previously, cars off the road or on the shoulder were given a 24-hours grace period to allow for removal at the owners convenience. But due to increased traffic caused by the Olympics, vehicles that break down between Springville and northern Utah County line will be towed.

This enforcement practice began Tuesday and will continue through Feb. 21.

It does not affect other state maintained roads -- 800 North, Orem, U.S. 189 or University Avenue, Provo -- which are dedicated Olympic routes.

Drivers who have their vehicles towed will need to call UHP offices at 801-374-7030 and provide information on the vehicle to find out where the car was taken. Drivers are responsible for the towing fees.

Drivers who remain with their vehicles will be allowed to call or wait for a towing company of their choice. (Orem Daily Herald)

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CANADA -- A tow truck driver from Quebec is believed dead after his vehicle slammed into a tractor-trailer and burst into flames Sunday night.

Quebec provincial police believe a 62-year-old Bois Franc man died in the burning wreck at about 7:10 p.m on Hwy. 105 near Messines. Police said the intense fire consumed the body, making identification difficult.

The southbound tractor-trailer jackknifed after slowing for a car making a turn and was hit by the tow truck, police said. The tractor-trailer driver suffered minor injuries.

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TENNESSEE -- Steven Ray Thacker, accused killer of Dyersburg Tow Operator Ray Patterson, is scheduled to go on trial for his life Monday morning in Tiptonville. Thacker is accused of stabbing Patterson, 52, to death at Patterson's downtown Dyersburg service station on Jan. 2, 2000.

The incident occurred after Patterson answered a wrecker call to see about a car Thacker was driving which stalled on Interstate-155 just west of Dyersburg. After Patterson towed the car to his station, he allegedly attempted to verify a credit card Thacker was using.

Police believe that when the card was refused, Thacker stabbed Patterson to death at the station, then stole Patterson's tow truck and drove away from the station. Police tracked Thacker through the use of the credit card and arrested him at a Union City motel.

During a preliminary hearing for Thacker in Dyersburg Municipal Court on Jan. 11, 2000, Dyersburg Police Department investigator Lt. Jim Porter testified that he found Thacker at the Union City motel in possession of Patterson's wallet and pistol.

"He told me he killed Ray Patterson and took his wallet, his handgun and his wrecker with the car Thacker was driving still attached to it," Porter testified. After the preliminary hearing Thacker, 31, of Chouteau, Okla., was bound over to action of the Dyer County Grand Jury/. In Feb. 2000 Thacker was indicted on first-degree murder and felony murder charges.

Thacker is accused of three murders during a 10-day spree that included killings in Oklahoma, Missouri and Dyersburg. He is to be tried in Tennessee first, but authorities in Oklahoma and Missouri also have said they may seek the death penalty against Thacker. He is currently being held in Riverbend Maximum Security State Prison in Nashville. (Bill Hiles - State Gazette)

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For the second week in a row, the average price of a gallon of diesel fuel held at $1.144, a sign that the stability many analysts had predicted has set in.

Since Dec. 17, the Department of Energy has reported diesel prices within 2.5 cents of their current level thanks to a mild winter, a sluggish economy and a large supply. Even the efforts of oil producers, keen on raising oil prices above $25 a barrel, have had little effect on the price.

Go here http://www.itow.org/fuel.htm to check the price in your area.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and countries outside of OPEC have slashed production in an effort to increase prices, but to no avail. Oil is trading below $20 on most markets.

The low prices are having an adverse effect on oil companies. Giant ChevronTexaco, for example, reported a fourth-quarter loss of $2.5 billion Jan. 29, largely on reduced energy prices. When oil was trading higher, the companies reported a combined profit of $2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2000.

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ALABAMA -- Two men have been arrested and charged with capital murder in the shooting death of a local towing business owner and father.

On Friday afternoon, Athens Police finished questioning the two men, Anthony "Andy" Houston Dugger, 27, of 17755 New Cut Road, and Dugger's cousin, Chad Christopher Reece, 26, of 16630 Fort Hampton Road.

Police transferred them to the Limestone County Jail. The men don't have a bond set since their charges are capital murder.

Capt. Marty Bruce said Dugger told police he and Reece thought his friend, Jerry "Shane" Jarrett, 27, owner of Jarrett's Wrecker Service, had marijuana at his mobile home at 1210 Wheeler St.

Bruce said Jan. 23, four days before the shooting, police charged Jarrett with two counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance involving marijuana and a prescription medication. Jarrett posted his $10,000 bond that same day.

On Sunday at 3:49 a.m., Dugger and Reece allegedly made a bogus call from a pay phone at Piney Chapel Foods saying their Pontiac Grand Am had stalled on Interstate 65 near the 356-mile marker.

Jarrett left to meet his father to check on the stalled car, but felt uneasy about the call, his mother Brenda Jarrett says.

His instincts proved right. According to Dugger's statements, he dropped off his cousin Reece at the mobile home, and Reece entered through the unlocked front door. It wasn't unusual for Jarrett, who grew up in the neighborhood, to leave the door unlocked, Bruce said.

Jarrett's sons, 8 and 4, were staying with their uncle. His wife, Melissa Jarrett, told police she was asleep in the bedroom.

Jarrett returned home before Reece finished searching for marijuana. Bruce says there wasn't any marijuana in the mobile home. Fearing Jarrett would find him and kill him, Reece, who was hiding in one of the son's bedrooms, allegedly jumped Jarrett in the hallway and shot him four times in the head and neck.

Reece then ran, and Dugger picked him up, according to police.

Mrs. Jarrett woke, saw her husband lying in the hallway, and called 911. She buried her husband Friday at Roselawn Cemetery. The family didn't answer calls Friday.

Bruce said police haven't recovered the weapon Reece allegedly used. Reece isn't talking to police, but investigators believe the weapon was either a .38 caliber or a .357 Magnum, which also can fire a .38 round.

Bruce said even though arrests have been made in the case, an investigation continues.

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MARYLAND -- Just two months after Ensign John R. Elliott graduated from the Naval Academy, his parents laid him to rest.

From that day in 2000, Bill and Muriel Elliott have pushed to prevent someone else's loved one from being killed by a drunken driver who had been arrested just hours before.

Last year, the Elliotts pushed through a new law in their home state of New Jersey. Yesterday they came to Annapolis to help convince Maryland lawmakers to also pass John's Law.

The bill, which has been introduced in the House and Senate, would require police to impound drunken drivers' cars for 12 hours or until someone else picks them up.

"If you can get your car towed for a parking violation, why can't you get your car towed for drunk driving?" Mr. Elliott said.

The bill would also require that police warn anyone picking up a drunken driver that they could be held liable if the drunken driver gets behind the wheel shortly thereafter.

Michael Pangle, 37, of Woodstown, N.J., the drunken driver who killed Ensign Elliott, had been arrested three hours before the crash on July 22, 2000. But police in New Jersey released Mr. Pangle to a friend, who drove him to his car and gave him back the keys.

Three hours later, Mr. Pangle crashed his Chevrolet Blazer into a car driven by Ensign Elliott, who was accompanied by his girlfriend. Both men died.

Mr. Pangle's friend will go on trial this spring to face charges including vehicular homicide.

Sen. Philip Jimeno, D-Brooklyn Park, said the same senseless accident could happen here.

"It's a major loophole," said Mr. Jimeno, a co-sponsor of the bill. "Unfortunately it takes a tragedy like this to bring it to our attention." (Thanks Cary)

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ILLINOIS -- When athletes from around the globe zigzag down the slopes during the Winter Olympics, tow truck driver Bob Dilling will make sure an audience is there to watch.

Dilling leaves Monday for Utah to accompany one of the largest tow trucks in the Illinois Department of Transportation fleet. His primary responsibility will be assisting semi trucks and buses going to and from alpine events in the mountains outside Salt Lake City.

The New Lenox man is part of four-person crew that will be available around the clock until the Games end Feb. 24. The group is part of the Minutemen, a branch of IDOT that patrols Chicago expressways for signs of trouble.

No emergency will be too small or too large for the vehicle, also called a "wrecker," affectionately dubbed "Sweet P."

"There is not much this wrecker can't do," Dilling said. "This is a truck that is all-wheel drive and can move anything. It is intimidating at first. To me, it's like a little Volkswagen."

The wreckers, which cost between $150,000 and $200,000, can lift 50 tons of cargo on a rotating crane. They specialize in getting large things off the road quickly so traffic flows freely again.

Bruce Dinkheller, who supervises the Chicago expressways for IDOT, said the agency is a pioneer in the use of roving wreckers to minimize the effects of crashes. Besides Sweet P, IDOT owns three of the humongous wreckers, including "Mad Max" and the especially burly "Popeye."

Their reputation with wreckers drove Utah Department of Transportation officials, devising a strategy for traffic control during the Olympics, to contact their Illinois counterparts for help. All expenses from the trip will be reimbursed by the Utah transportation department.

"We started this long before it was a staple of traffic management," Dinkheller said. "With the volumes of traffic that drive on the interstate system, any delay affects peoples' schedules and, really, commerce."

About 600 tour buses are expected to travel the winding roads daily to skiing events 20 miles from Salt Lake City.

If pressed into service, Dilling, a 25-year Minutemen veteran, probably will not encounter anything unexpected. Some of the job's oddest moments are captured in a "Hall of Fame" on a wall in the Minutemen headquarters at 35th Street and Normal Avenue near Comiskey Park.

Several photos show wreckers hauling stray pigs, dislodged boats, megaton steel coils and trucks in various states of obliteration.

"Anything that gets loaded can come loose," Dilling said. "I sometimes look at it as a form of entertainment. Just when you think you have seen everything, look out what's coming down the road."

Other shots show Minutemen lifting a Beluga whale into the Shedd Aquarium and pulling cars from Lake Michigan.

The quirky element is a small part of the job.

Dilling, who mainly works the overnight shift patrolling the Dan Ryan Expressway, said he has worked part time for police and fire departments. He estimates he is the first to arrive at 90 percent of accidents.

Sometimes his response is the difference between life and death.

"People see the yellow truck and think we are just getting people gas," Dilling said. "We are something between a garbage man, policeman and fireman.

"This job combines it all."

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ILLINOIS -- A wrecker operator and Perry County police officer this morning straddled the wrecker and a stalled van in the floodwaters of the Du Quoin City Lake spillway to rescue a mother and her 3-year-old son.

Cindy Harrison began to cross the spillway--as she does most mornings--at approximately 6:50 a.m. Partial darkness and the moving waters disguised both the depth and speed of the water.

Her van entered the rushing, two-foot deep waters and stalled about half-way across. She didn't want to risk exiting the vehicle onto the slippery spillway and used a cellular telephone to call Watt's Towing.

Water was seeping through the doors, but the vehicle stayed put.

The same towing service had been at the spillway only minutes before to pluck another stalled car from the rushing waters.

The only protection to drivers is a sagging cable system to the west that is designed to keep vehicles from going down the staired waterway.

Wrecker owner "Buster" Watts responded again, but because of the child in the car also called Perry County sheriff's deputy Earl Overton and the Du Quoin Fire Department.

Overton was one of the first to arrive, climbed into the wrecker with Watts and the two slowly took the heavy rollback wrecker out into the floodwaters. They parked the wrecker between the van and the stairs to block it in case it moved. With the wrecker door open, there was at least a three-foot span between the two vehicles.

Overton climbed to the bed of the truck and helped Watts form a human bridge to the van. Harrison passed her three-year-old son out the window to Overton, who handed him to Watts and got the youngster into the cab of the wrecker. Harrison then crawled out the window to safety.

Watts drove the wrecker to high ground and safety. About that time the Du Quoin Fire Department's aerial ladder truck and brush truck (which carries a front bumper winch) rolled up to the scene. The thought was that the aerial ladder could be swung out to the vehicle to make the rescue.

Volunteer Du Quoin fireman Dane Porter donned a wetsuit and ventured out to secure a wrecker cable to the van, then climbed into the van to steer it as Watts pulled the vehicle out of the spillway.

Overton sent out a call for barricades and by 7:30 a.m. the road was completely closed. City Clerk Rex Duncan believes the road may be closed for several days until the waters subside.

Duncan said this morning, "The road will remain closed until the high lake water recedes. Box Elder Road and Route 154 or Willow Road and Kimmel Road are recommended as alternative routes for traffic accessing homes and cabins on the east side of the lake."

The floodwaters of the spillway also carry the question of who is responsible for the spillway and its floodwaters. While the City of Du Quoin has sold most of the lakefront property, it still owns both the lake and the spillway. Repeatedly, the issue of replacing the old bridge that once crossed the spillway surfaces again.

Conservative estimates are that it would take upwards of $200,000 to install even a single lane bridge over the spillway.

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FLORIDA -- Claims of exorbitant towing fees for impounding cars near the South Florida Fair are drawing complaints, even from those who admit they parked illegally.

Towing company officials said that they are well within the law to charge between $230 and $300 for tows, but county commissioners Thursday night said they want to regulate certain fees.

Sheriff's Department records show that 30 cars were towed last Saturday from Munchy's parking lot and 10 from a neighboring strip mall. The property owners said they were tired of people dumping garbage in their lots after a night at the fair. The tow-away zone signs are in place and it is private property, so parking there is, in fact, illegal.

"No ifs, ands or buts about it," Palm Beach County commissioner Tony Masilotti said. "If it's a no-parking zone, you shouldn't be parking there. But that doesn't give anyone the right to have rates they're being charged."

Masilotti has been investigating the amount some towing companies charge for what's called a "non-consent tow," when a person parks in a private lot and the property owner asks to have it towed.

"It's getting to the point where $250-300 to have a car towed on a non-consent tow is average," Masilotti said. "That's ridiculous. That same tow, if you called a tow truck company, would be $40-60."

Owners of two wrecker companies who spoke to Eyewitness News 25 by phone said there is a greater cost in towing cars without the owners' permissions.

Seven commissioners are prepared to create a new ordinance to considerably drop the current rates the county set.

"Sure, there will be (a challenge)," Masilotti said. "There will be two or three. We'll go to court. We'll justify our reason and we'll win."

Some towing companies actually support new regulations. They believe it will clean up the industry.

Masilotti said that he expects all the commissioners to vote in favor of the regulation in a few weeks.

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TEXAS -- A teacher's aide suffered minor injuries when a Lubbock Independent School District bus collided with a tow truck near the intersection of 19th Street and Utica Avenue this morning. No students were injured.

The bus was carrying six special-needs children from MacKenzie Junior High to Lubbock High School, said Tom Nichols, the LISD's director of police safety services. The children were uninjured in the crash, which happened about 9:45 a.m., Nichols said.

The teacher's aide hit her chin on the seat in front of her, Nichols said. She was transported by EMS to receive treatment for her injury.

The driver of the tow truck had been sent to help change a tire. The driver pulled into a residential driveway on 19th Street, but the back end of the flatbed Tow Truck was sticking out into the roadway, police Officer Joe Gonzalez said.

The bus, traveling east on 19th Street, collided with the tow truck, tearing open a gash on the right front side of the bus, Gonzalez said.

The impact pushed the rear end of the tow truck about six feet onto the front lawn of the house.

After about 30 minutes, the students were transferred to another bus and taken to school.

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Cummins has unveiled the QuickCheck II system for Palm or HandEra handheld devices. QuickCheck II is designed to read and capture engine, transmission and brake system data from any electronic diesel engine.

Using the parameter screen on the Palm handheld device, a range of engine functions can be checked in real time, including data from sensors and switches to engine diagnostic information. Engine data can also be downloaded for later use on a PC.

The QuickCheck II kit includes a datalink adapter, interface cables and connectors and diagnostic software. A separate software and cable package is available to diagnose the Cummins 24-valve turbo engine in Dodge Ram light trucks.

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COLORADO --  A man was arrested last week when he scuffled with the driver of a tow truck who was about to tow his truck from in front of the Eagle County Regional Airport terminal, according to police records.

The man, 46, parked his truck at the curb in front of the terminal just before 1:30 p.m. and went inside to use the bathroom. When he came out, the tow truck driver, 57, was loading his truck onto the back of his flatbed.

The pair got into an argument and scuffled over the keys to the man’s truck. The two truck driver suffered on abrasion to his wrist during the melee.

The man was arrested for investigation of third-degree assault and taken to the Eagle County jail.

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ALABAMA -- The family of a murdered Athens tow operator will bury him Friday as authorities continue their investigation into the Sunday ambush slaying.

Christmas lights and yellow crime scene tape surround the Wheeler Street mobile home where Jerry "Shane" Jarrett, 27, owner of Jarrett's Wrecker Service, died from four gunshot wounds to the face and neck after returning from what appears to have been a bogus 3:30 a.m. wrecker call.

According to reports, police theorize that the initial shot came from inside his sons' bedroom and the shooter fired two more bullets into the victim as he lay on the hallway floor. His sons, ages 8 and 4, were spending the night with a relative.

Athens Police Capt. Marty Bruce said today that preliminary autopsy reports show Jarrett was shot three times. Police initially said Jarrett may have been shot as many as four times.

Bruce also said that Jarrett was killed with either a .38 caliber or .357 Magnum weapon. He said a .38 round can be fired from a .357. Police have not recovered a gun.

Funeral services for Shane Jarrett will be Friday at 2 p.m. at McConnell Funeral Home. The victim's stepmother, Brenda Jarrett, said Sunday night that he would probably be buried in Roselawn Cemetery, next to a younger brother, Barretta Jarrett, who died nine years ago in a car accident.

Athens Police Capt. Marty Bruce said late Tuesday afternoon that investigators were to have interviewed the victim's wife, Melissa Freeman Jarrett, 26, once again, but she was making funeral arrangements for her husband.

Bruce said police were to release the couple's mobile home back to Mrs. Jarrett today.

Police have not said if they have a lead suspect in the slaying. Melissa Jarrett told investigators that she woke up to the sound of gunfire and came out of the couple's bedroom to find her husband lying in a pool of blood on the floor. She called 911 to report the shooting at 4:49 a.m. Authorities have not recovered a gun. (Karen Middleton - The Decatur Daily)

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WASHINGTON D.C. -- The city of Washington D.C. has been hell-bent on passing regulation since they uncovered a scandal late last year where corrupt police officers used towing companies to illegally obtain vehicles.

However, the District has decided not to adopt a proposal that would require tow-truck drivers working with police to be certified. City officials, in a statement released this week, claim they don't want to burden the towing companies with the regulations.

But, in September, when TRAA Executive Director Harriet S. Cooley approached D.C. officials with the idea of setting up a city-run certification board, she was told by Erik S. Gaull, the city administrator's director of operational improvements, that it's not the place of the D.C. government to mandate the certification of tow-truck drivers.

D.C. officials, which just weeks ago, promised strict towing regulations have learned from their legal department that they have very little regulatory power.

On February 1st, the Washington Times quoted Gaull as saying, "We looked into it and felt it was too much of a reach for us to require tow companies to become certified by a body outside of the D.C. government. Their towing-training package is not going to take somebody who's inherently a crook and turn them into an above-the-board player."

Mayor Anthony A. Williams has promised to "clean up the industry" by requiring tow-truck drivers in the District to obtain special licenses. That way the city could effectively put a towing company out of business on a whim.

The District also wants to cap the amount towing operations can charge motorists, and set up a complaint board motorists can call if their car was parked illegally, and they want to complain that it was towed.

Last month the D.C. Council voted to give the mayor, what they believe, is the power to regulate the towing industry, but he has not produced any rules yet.

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FLORIDA -- The South Florida Fair limited towing service Monday to one contracted company after several incidents of unnecessary tows.

Sisters Towing is now the only service allowed on the grounds without an escort.

"The same few companies that are always doing it are giving all of us a bad name," said Ken Duvall of Duvall's Towing. "I think a couple of tow companies came in the fair (Saturday night) and stole cars."

A sergeant investigating several complaints said that what at least three towing companies did is considered grand theft auto, even though the victims could pay to get their cars back. The fairgrounds are private property and no supervisor signed off on any tows.

"The weekend was very busy for us with people calling, looking for their vehicles," Leilani Brochard of Sisters said. "We, in fact, had not towed any illegal parks."

Some people were towed for illegally parking in a nearby strip mall.

"I'll say I was guilty after seeing the sign, yes," said Tom Beniamino, a Royal Palm Beach resident who received a ticket. "But I feel $260 is a little squeaky deal."

Some people who don't understand why tow operators require a "cash only" payment, think that practice should be closely examined by consumer affairs. (Thanks Sam R.)

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