CONNECTICUT -- A Lunenburg teen-ager was flown to the UMass Memorial Medical Center -- University Campus in Worcester last night for injuries suffered when her car collided with a tow truck at Spruce and Whitney streets in Leominster.

Katie Dugas, 18, of 60 South Row Road, was alone in her car when the crash happened just before 7:30 p.m., Leominster fire Lt. Alfred F. Kirouac said last night.

Police Lt. B. Mark Swaine said Ms. Dugas' Mitsubishi Eclipse was headed west on Spruce Street when it collided with an Advanced Auto Body tow truck driven by Brian Howard, 31, of 91 Mechanic St. Mr. Howard was not injured.

“It appears he had the right of way,” Lt. Swaine said, adding the crash is still under investigation. There is a stop sign on Spruce Street at the intersection, he said.

The driver's side door of Ms. Dugas' car was pushed in about 15 inches from the impact with the truck, Lt. Kirouac said.

Ms. Dugas was conscious when taken to the emergency room at HealthAlliance Leominster Hospital, Lt. Kirouac said, and was flown by Life Flight helicopter to the Worcester hospital. She was in stable condition and being evaluated in the emergency department late last night, a hospital spokesman said.

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Microsoft and Verizon Wireless said Thursday they have signed an exclusive deal to develop and market wireless data services, Reuters reported.

Wireless communications devices such as cellphones and personal digital assistants are used by many tow operators to dispatch drivers and process credit cards.

The deal means the companies will offer Microsoft Network services like Hotmail and MSN Messenger through Verizon’s wireless network, Reuters said.

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Diesel prices remained relatively unchanged for the week ending May 27. The average cost of a gallon of diesel fell to $1.308, down one-tenth of a cent from last week.

The national average shifted less than 1 cent up or down during May. Prices in individual regions, however, varied more. In California, prices rose 2.4 cents to $1.423, the highest average in the country. Prices also rose in Oregon and Washington, but fell elsewhere. Prices declined as much as three-tenths of a cent per gallon in the Rocky Mountains. Prices remained cheapest in the Gulf Coast and Lower Atlantic states.

Fuel analysts and economists do not expect large shifts in the price of oil, but that could change June 26 when ministers from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries meet to set policy. OPEC is largely expected to maintain cuts it made in January, which pushed prices up to current levels. If oil consumption increases during the summer months, however, economists at the International Energy Agency say oil supplies would tighten and prices could rise.

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

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MICHIGAN -- Ford Motor Co. said on Tuesday it would use a new diesel engine from Navistar International Corp. in its large trucks, as competition for buyers of heavy-duty vehicles stiffens.

Ford said the 6-liter Power Stroke V-8 would offer more power, better fuel economy and lower emissions than the 7.3-liter Navistar engine it will replace. The engine, rated at 325 horsepower and 550 foot-pounds of torque, will be offered in F-Series Super Duty pickups and the Ford Excursion sport utility vehicle starting early next year.

Ford claims the enginewill offer up to 10 percent better fuel economy and 20 percent lower emissions than current diesel engines, and will be substantially quieter.

Ford also announced it will build a new five-speed automatic transmission that will be part of the diesel engine's powertrain. The transmission, called TorqShift, will be standard on vehicles equipped with the Power Stroke engine.

Truck sales are a key money maker for the world's second-largest automaker, which is in the midst of a turnaround plan aimed at generating $7 billion in annual pre-tax profits by mid-decade. Ford sells about 250,000 of the heavy-duty diesel engines a year, mostly to buyers who tow heavy loads.

But after dominating the market for years, Ford has come under pressure in the past year from General Motors Corp. (GM), which has increased production of its Isuzu-designed V-8 Duramax diesel. And later this year, the Chrysler arm of DaimlerChrysler AG will begin selling a revamped version of its heavy-duty Dodge Ram pickups with a six-cylinder diesel supplied by Cummins Inc.

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In an effort to secure a safe oil supply, President Bush agreed to help Russian President Vladimir Putin increase his country’s exports of crude, Bloomberg reported Friday.

Trucking depends on fuels like diesel and gasoline, both of which are distilled from crude oil.

The two countries will “cooperate on investment” to pump oil and natural gas from Siberia and other areas of Russia, Bloomberg said. The nation is already the world’s second largest producer of oil.

Especially since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the United States has been seeking out alternatives to Middle Eastern oil, Bloomberg said.

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PENNSYLVANIA -- Some Kulpmont body shop employees were nearly thrown out of a borough council meeting Tuesday after a discussion about towing privileges got out of hand.

Council President Joseph Winhofer had to give the men a final warning to sit down to bring some order to the meeting.

Tom Bielski Jr. and Leonard Zlocki, both employees of Zlocki Body Works in Marion Heights, complained to council that the business is not called upon to tow away vehicles involved in accidents that occur within the borough.

Although the body shop is located in another municipality, the men maintained that the owners of the body shop, Zlocki's father and uncle, also own a business in Kulpmont.

Zlocki, who said the body shop has been in operation for 30 years, wondered why the same business is being called to each accident scene. After becoming frustrated, Zlocki sat down and Bielski took a stab at convincing council that other garages should be called when towing is needed.

Bielski said he was supposed to have a meeting with borough officials more than a year ago, but it never occurred. He offered the same concerns as Zlocki, but then turned to Chief of Police Edward Grego, who was at the meeting.

Bielski asked Grego if he is friends with the person that is currently being called to accident scenes. Grego said he was, and Bielski asked him what he was "getting" for calling the same person.

At that point, Winhofer, Mayor Robert Slaby and solicitor William Cole told Bielski he had gone too far. Winhofer began banging his gavel to regain order. Winhofer told Bielski to sit down several times and threatened to have Grego remove Bielski from the meeting.

After being told to sit down and threatened to be removed, Bielski took his seat.

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INDIANA -- More than 10 years removed from his native Ukraine, Gena Kelmanson still reaches for the American dream -- a vision of success that includes a profitable tow truck service.

But Westfield police, he says, are standing in his way.

Kelmanson has been unable to get his name on a rotating list of towing services that police use to clear accident scenes.

"It's a buddy-buddy system," he said.

Kelmanson, 37, is suing the town and its "chief law enforcement officer" in U.S. District Court to recover $350,000 that he claims he would have earned if police had not depicted him as part of the "Russian Mafia" and deprived him of towing jobs.

Westfield Police Capt. Don Moon said the problem stems from the businessman's associates, not police favoritism or discrimination.

"They're just not the type of people that the police agency needs to be affiliated with due to past practices," he claims.

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WASHINGTON -- Ed Gokey claims he lost a mainstay of his business for an entire month when the Washington State Patrol impounded his truck because an employee was driving with a suspended license.

The state Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday in his case, which contends the Patrol's mandatory impoundment policy violates the state constitution.

Gokey, who operates an excavation business in Black Diamond, was headed to a job site in October 2000, trailed by an employee who was driving the company van. Just before they reached the site, a trooper pulled over the van for a missing mirror and discovered the employee had a suspended license.

A regulation adopted by the Patrol to implement a 1998 statute passed by the Legislature required the van be impounded for 30 days.

"He apologized, but he said he had to take the van for 30 days," Gokey said. "In essence, they took half of my company."

The law, which allows but doesn't require mandatory impoundments, was designed to give the Patrol and local governments more power to take cars away from people who drive even after they've lost their licenses for drunken driving or other offenses.

The Patrol chose to adopt regulations calling for mandatory impoundment.

Gokey pleaded hardship and got his van back four days later after paying $400 in impound fees.

But his lawyer, Rhys Sterling, argued that the van should never have been impounded in the first place because past interpretations of the state constitution require that officers look for a reasonable alternative before impounding vehicles.

"Where there are reasonable alternatives to impoundment, impoundment is unconstitutional," Sterling told the court. "This is a disruption of private affairs."

He argued that the Patrol overstepped the constitution by adopting its mandatory policy, while some local governments have more flexible laws. Justice Barbara Madsen quizzed him on that point.

"What is the constitutional significance of saying 'always' instead of 'sometimes'?" Madsen asked.

Senior Assistant Attorney General Linda Dalton argued that the Patrol's policy was a reasonable implementation of the Legislature's call to keep suspended drivers off the road.

Lower-court decisions on the issue have been mixed. Gokey's case was combined with a Cowlitz County case in which the lower courts ruled against the Patrol. A King County Superior Court judge ruled that Seattle police can't impound a vehicle under the city's ordinance before taking reasonable steps to find someone to drive it away.

The State Patrol impounded the vehicles of 19,287 suspended drivers last year.

But shortly after Gokey's case in 2000, it softened its policy on vehicles owned by someone other than the suspended driver.

"If the driver is not the registered owner, the vehicle can be picked up by the registered owner with proof of ownership right away," said Trooper Willie Boxhorn, a spokeswoman for the Patrol. However, even if the owner is sitting in the passenger seat, the vehicle must still be impounded, which typically leads to a charge of about $120, she said.

The court will likely take several weeks to rule on Gokey's case. (Thanks George)

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INDIANA -- It will be more than the bids that decide who gets the City of Muncie's lucrative police towing contract. Northwest Towing and Recovery and Nye's Wrecker Service submitted the same $35 bid for a basic police tow. Northwest has the current contract and is the area tow service for AAA Hoosier Motor Club.

Muncie's Board of Public Works and Safety on Wednesday reviewed both bids, which included different prices for other services. Both wrecker companies also offered city government free tow service for police cars, fire trucks, street trucks and other city vehicles.

"There are not enough differences to make a decision just on the bids," said board member Charles Bebout, also deputy mayor.

Board President Elizabeth (Betty) DeVoe named a committee to review the bids and wrecker facilities and come back with a recommendation next month. The current agreement expires June 23.

Bebout, Deputy Police Chief Terry Winters, and police Lt. Mark Vollmar were appointed to the committee.

Last week, Jeff Nye, co-owner of Nye's Wrecker Service, said he wanted the city to consider rotating police calls on accidents among qualified wrecker services. Many other cities and the Indiana State Police use a rotating system.

Harry Holding, Northwest president, said he agreed with the city's use of an exclusive agreement.

Bebout and Winters both said they favored one wrecker company.

"That way we don't have to worry about any mix-ups of who is doing what," Winters said.

The decision on tow service could be based more on facilities and security, Bebout said.

Winters said he was interested in secured facilities each wrecker company had for handling vehicles used in committing crimes.

Board member Sally Kirk had said she saw no problem using rotating wrecker services.

Nye's also has the contact to tow vehicles for Ball State University. (Rick Yencer - The Star Press)

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CALIFORNIA -- In the second of five lawsuits filed against Petaluma by irate motorists and tow truck operators, the city could be forced to pay up to $100,000 to drivers whose vehicles were impounded.

Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Knoel Owen found May 14 that the city had illegally imposed two fees against the drivers: $65 for the tow and another $60 for the impound.

The city had argued that it could charge the double fee because the vehicle code allows municipalities to collect administrative fees for all tows and for 30 day impounds if drivers are caught without a valid license.

This fee was enacted in 1996, then replaced in August, 2000 by a single fee that gives decreases payments to tow companies and increases the city's share.

Russell Kimberley of Petaluma filed the case in May, 2000. He is now considering turning it into a class action suit.

Kimberley's attorney, Mark Clausen, said he estimated the city would have to reimburse affected motorists between $27,000 and $100,000 if a class action suit is successful.

Petaluma's attorney, Benjamin Fay of San Leandro, said the city is "evaluating its options" and "researching the effect of the ruling and of a class action suit."

"If it (the double fee) is held as invalid how long would it be retroactive?" Fay asked. "Our position is you can only get one year's worth."

Fay also said he believes the law allows for municipalities to charge separate fees for towing and impounding.

"With all due respect to the judge, I think he was wrong on this one," Fay said.

The city still faces legal challenges from its 2000 contract with tow truck operators that scrapped the double fee and imposed a larger single fee of $253, another that says the city treated tow truck companies unfairly when they balked at the new fees and a third claiming police impound hearings are unfair because the city continues to collect money as long as a car is impounded.

Earlier this year the court settled a fifth lawsuit when it agreed that motorists whose cars are impounded have the right to see the evidence against them.

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WASHINGTON -- Washington's premier towing association, Independent Towers Of Washington (ITOW), is celebrating a political victory for the tow operators of Washington State.

ITOW has lobbied for years to get vehicle owners held responsible for abandoning a vehicle and to get tow operators paid for the recovery and disposal of that vehicle. This year, ITOW was successful with Senate Bill 6748.

For several years now, ITOW has worked closely with Senators Kline and Swecker, two sponsors of the bill, to push this legislation through the House and Senate. ITOW was finally rewarded for it's effort by having Governor Locke sign Senate Bill 6748, a bill that encompasses most of ITOW's ideas, into law.

"We are pretty happy with the final bill", said Jerry Goddard, President of ITOW. "It's almost everything we lobbied so hard and long to get for Washington's tow operators"

Senate Bill 6748 creates a new infraction called "littering of a motor vehicle" which would be issued to owners of abandoned vehicles. The infraction carries a penalty of $250 and suspension of driving privileges until the vehicle owner pays the abandoned vehicle auction deficiency to the towing company.

The bill embraces ITOW's original idea to make the Abandoned Vehicle Report (AVR) an instrument of liability transfer. Tow operators will now send the AVR to the Department of Licensing (DOL) where the buyer information will be recorded. The Department of Licensing must also create a system that allows tow operators to transmit the AVR electronically.

The bill also changes a statute to clarify that if a seller's report of sale is not filed within the statutorily required five days from the date of sale, the seller is not relieved of the liability of towing and storage charges. DOL must also create a system that allows sellers to enter report of sale information via the internet.

The bill addressed several problems that ITOW members have had with auction procedures. A tow operator will now have the option of scrapping a "junk" vehicle that has been abandoned twice without change of title. Tow operators will also be able to refuse bids from bidders who have failed to follow through with purchase or failed to transfer ownership.

The bill also directs certain agencies to form task forces that will study the advantages and disadvantages of other possible changes to Washington's law. The Washington State Patrol and local police authorities must study transmitting the impound authorization electronically, and the Department of Licensing must study having the registered owner remove the license plates from impounded cars. These agencies must report their findings to the House of Representatives and Senate Transportation committees by January 1, 2003.

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TEXAS -- In a tie-breaking vote May 14 that prompted one councilman to walk out, the Magnolia mayor and City Council ordered the city staff to construct an amendment to a recently passed wrecker service ordinance which would allow services with a storage lot in the city's Extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) to be authorized to tow for the city.

The ordinance, passed April 9th, set limits on wrecker services in the area with a clause which requires wrecker services to have a storage facility inside the city limits in order for them to perform the aforementioned tows. Councilman Delbert Bishop had requested the item put on the May 14 agenda because he felt that there was no problem with having the ordinance include the city's ETJ since the city regulates businesses in the ETJ regarding other ordinances such as signs.

He also stated that he was not in favor of having more storage lots in the city. Councilman Richard Anderson disagreed saying that the city could not regulate storage lots outside the city limits. "We have no police powers outside city limits," Anderson said.

City Attorney John Olson explained that the city did not regulate any storage lots, that the regulation fell under state jurisdiction. He did say that the city could regulate the contract that was signed and establish guidelines.

Before the discussion began, Mayor Frank Parker informed the public that Councilman Ronnie Chumley, whose wife owns Chumley's Wrecker Service, had filed an affidavit with the city clarifying his intent not to vote or participate in discussion relating to the towing ordinance. The affidavit has been on file for some time.

Anderson argued with Bishop that the contract could not be regulated. Chumley spoke up at that point and said, "Can't regulate by contract."

Anderson asked Bishop if he would rather have the city completely surrounded by storage lots? "I would rather have them surrounding me then sitting in my lap," Bishop replied. Anderson continued to argue that if the amendment was made it would take away control from the city. Olson explained that wrecker services working with the city would have to sign a contract stipulating that vehicles be stored within the city or ETJ. If a service violated the contract they simply would not be allowed to work with the city.

Anderson, in a childish gesture, decided he was going to abstain from voting on the issue. Parker asked him why and he replied, "Because I don't want to." Olson informed Anderson that it would be a breach of office if he did not vote. "The attorney general says that you took an oath of office and if you are here - you have to vote," Olson said. Olson explained that Anderson could excuse himself and go to the restroom, but could not abstain.

Anderson decided that was what he was going to do. However, before he left he realized that the motion to construct the amendment was going to pass 2-1. He then sat back down and decided he wanted to vote. The Mayor allowed him to which resulted in the motion deadlocking in a tie, 2-2. In tie situations, the mayor casts the tie breaking vote. He voted for the motion. Anderson packed up his things and left after turning to Chumley and telling him that he, "just got screwed." The staff will now prepare an amendment which will allow storage lots to be inside the city's ETJ. The amendment will have to pass on two more readings before becoming law.

The city also passed on first reading an amendment that would reduce the fee to apply with the city from $50 to $15. Olson stated that statutes set a maximum price at $15.

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During the early days of the automobile when horses had preferential treatment, some communities demanded that cars pull off the road and kill their engines until a horse had passed out of hearing distance so the horse wouldn't be spooked.

Any trip, no matter how short, became an adventure.

Vehicles suffered frequent breakdowns. The roads were awful and became muddy quagmires after a rain. Laws sometimes required motorists to pay and register vehicles in every state - sometimes every county - they crossed.

Enter the American Automobile Association in the spring of 1902, born in Chicago among a group of nine small auto clubs to fight for road improvements and consistent traffic laws, as well as to provide emergency road service and create accurate maps.

AAA serves its 45 million members through a nationwide network of 80 clubs.

Need directions to your destination? Discounts on a variety of travel services? Airline tickets or a cruise vacation package? AAA has expanded into those areas, as well.

The group is well-known for leading the drive for vehicle licensing and registration, traffic safety programs, uniform road signs and as an all-around advocate for legislation affecting America's roadways.

Just four years after its start, AAA established the Bureau of Touring in 1906, to provide some of the earliest road maps. They added information about where hotels were located and sights to see along the way.

AAA has been a leader in promoting highway safety legislation and regulations.

It founded the School Safety Patrol program in 1920, in-school driver education programs in the 1930s and recently was a key advocate for graduated driver license laws in all states. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety was formed in 1947.

On the Net: http://www.aaa.com.

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The national average price of diesel fuel rose Monday to $1.309 per gallon, a full cent higher than the previous week and the largest move in four weeks, the U.S. Department of Energy.

At the same time, the price of gasoline increased 0.9 cent to 139.7 per gallon. Most tow trucks use diesel fuel, but a significant number of smaller trucks run on gasoline.

Over the last four weeks, the price of diesel fuel has moved up and down over a range less than 2 cents, the figures from the DOE’s Energy Information Administration show.

However, the current price is 18.5 cents below the level of May 21, 2001.

Monday’s price rose in nearly every one of the regions tracked by the EIA, the report said. The exception being in the Rocky Mountain states, where the price of diesel fuel slipped 0.1 cent to $1.356.

The largest move across one region was in the Midwest, where the price jumped 1.7 cents per gallon to $1.294.

The most expensive diesel fuel in the U.S. is still found on the West Coast where, after a 0.8 cent rise, the price of a gallon was $1.383. The least expensive fuel in the country is along the Gulf Coast, where the price was $1.274 per gallon after a 1.2 cents per gallon jump.

The EIA surveys 350 fueling stations in five districts at the start of each week, and usually reports the results on the same day that it polls the stations.

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

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ONTARIO -- A man is dead and another injured when a stolen Diamond taxi cab crashed into a highway guardrail in Etobicoke early yesterday.

Two tow truck operators pulled the passenger from the burning cab after the 4 a.m. crash on Hwy. 427 near Dundas St., but the driver remained trapped.

The Diamond cab was stolen from the Tim Horton's parking lot on Bedford Ave. in the Annex near Avenue Rd. and Bloor St. at 1:30 a.m.

Tow operators Bo Petrov, 26, and Sergey Soloviov, 25, were behind the cab as it travelled north in the express lanes and saw it crash into the divider.

The cab, a Chevrolet Lumina, then rolled over and mounted the rail, sparking a fire inside the vehicle.

Petrov, who drives for Bill and Sons, and Soloviov smashed the front windshield to battle the fire, and then the rear.

"I saw the driver was trapped and looked DOA," Petrov said. Then he saw the passenger, who was not a fare, in the back seat.

"I called out for Serge, and said, 'Let's go,' and punched out the back window, grabbed hold of him and yanked him out," Petrov said.

The 21-year-old driver, who was pinned inside the cab, had to be removed by Toronto firefighters, who arrived a few moments later, using the Jaws of Life to cut away the driver's door.

Petrov tried unsuccessfully to put out the fire as it licked out from under the steering column.

"It never wanted to go out," he said. "The fire did not want to extinguish, going out and coming back, three or four times."

Soloviov suffered minor burns on his hands during the rescue attempt.

The passenger, who appeared to be having trouble breathing, was calling out for another passenger.

But there were only two people at the scene, Petrov said.

The passenger was taken to the intensive care unit at St. Michael's Hospital, said Toronto OPP, but was released yesterday afternoon.

"I hope he's okay. I couldn't leave someone in a situation like that," Petrov said, brushing aside any discussion of heroic efforts. "You had to respond."

Both men are being recommended for civilian citations. (Rob Lamberti - Toronto Sun)

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PENNSYLVANIA -- A Honey Brook woman is facing DUI charges after crashing her car into a tow truck and police car on Route 322, according to state police at Embreeville.

Barbara Tokarick, was traveling west on the highway in the area of Icedale Road when she apparently lost control of her car and struck a West Brandywine K-9 Police Unit that was performing a traffic stop, according to police.

West Brandywine Police K-9 Officer Gary Williams was seated in the vehicle when it was struck, along with his K-9 partner, Rudy. Williams suffered minor injuries in the crash, police said. Rudy was not injured.

After striking the police vehicle, Tokarick's 1999 Mitsubishi Mirage struck a tow truck, which was also parked at the scene assisting with the traffic stop, police said. The driver of the tow truck was not injured.

Tokarick was treated for minor injuries at Brandywine Hospital, Coatesville. She faces DUI charges pending the result of blood analysis, police said. Further information about the nature of the traffic stop, or additional pending charges, was not available.

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PENNSYLVANIA -- A Hellertown tow truck operator found guilty of stabbing another man over a towing job had his sentencing postponed Friday so he can find a new lawyer.

Edward Iaccarino also asked to delay the hearing because he disputes a prosecution claim that he committed previous crimes serious enough to warrant a minimum 25-year prison sentence under the state's so-called "three strikes" law.

The 33-year-old towing contractor was convicted in April of aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person. Prosecutors say he stabbed Mark Mackaravitz of Bethlehem on Jan. 23, 2001, in the parking lot of a Turkey Hill convenience store in South Bethlehem.

Prosecutors said Iaccarino was upset Mackaravitz took $120 of a $240 towing job Mackaravitz had arranged for Iaccarino.

Iaccarino told Northampton County Judge Kimberly McFadden he was dissatisfied with the job done by his attorney, Charles Gordon. He said Gordon did not file pretrial motions as he suggested, which forced Iaccarino to file the motions himself.

"He's been talking really bad about me," Iaccarino said of his attorney, adding that he was "forced into trial and Mr. Gordon's not doing nothing."

Iaccarino said there are inaccuracies in his pre-sentence report compiled by the probation department and in his criminal record file. Gordon and Assistant District Attorney John Obrecht declined to discuss Iaccarino's criminal history.

Obrecht said Iaccarino's request for a new lawyer and for a review of his criminal record are stall tactics. Obrecht said prosecutors wanted to try the case early last fall but kept getting put off by Iaccarino's requests for continuances.

"The longer you allow him to talk, the more problems he seems to generate," Obrecht said of Iaccarino.

Gordon had said Iaccarino suffers from kidney and stomach ailments. Gordon said the stress of appearing in court could have caused Iaccarino's problems to flare up around court dates. Iaccarino left the courtroom in a wheelchair one afternoon during his trial because he complained it was too painful for him to stand up.

Iaccarino said he would need more than a month to find a new attorney and review his file. McFadden gave him three weeks. She rescheduled the sentencing for June 7.

"If I relieve Mr. Gordon and you don't have an attorney by the time of the next hearing, you will have to represent yourself," McFadden said. (Thanks Kevin)

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Allison Transmission has extended the drain interval for its transmissions using TranSynd automatic synthetic fluid.

The new interval is 150,000 miles for general-duty applications and 75,000 for severe duty. The previous intervals were 100,000 and 50,000.

The extended intervals require the use of the new Gold series of filters, which offer increased filtration capacity. TranSynd was engineered for Allison by Castrol and is now the factory fill for new World transmissions. It also meets the DEXRON III spec.

For more information call (800) 252-5283 or visit www.allisontransmission.com.

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GEORGIA -- Driving charges against Macon City  Charles Jones have been dropped, but fallout from his March traffic stop is now threatening the city's towing contract.

Jones was arrested by Hawkinsville police March 25 and charged with driving with a suspended license and having no proof of insurance.

Hawkinsville Police Chief Sam Tripp says Jones cleared up the matter.

"There was a problem with the ticket," Tripp said. "He brought in a valid license and insurance and got everything straightened out."

Jones, 48, said he had automobile insurance but did not have proof of it at the time he was stopped. The suspended license charge was dismissed because Jones had been mistakenly listed as the owner of a 1993 Honda that was not insured, he said.

"My license was suspended in error," he said. "Everything's dropped, and I ain't going to jail."

Jones' legal troubles may be over, but the traffic stop is continuing to stir controversy.

The first-term councilman said Thursday he will call for a review of the towing contract Ackerman Wrecker Service has with the city. Jones said he was offended when he saw a photocopied newspaper account of his arrest tacked near the front window of the company's offices on Eleventh Street.

"I want to know if that is grounds to withdraw the contract," cried Jones, who insists the story was placed in public view for political reasons. "I will be exploring every bit of that. It's sad that an entity representing the city ... will do something to make people think a city councilman is corrupt."

Jones made no remarks about the newspaper who wrote the article, only about the towing company who tacked it up on their wall.  

Glenn Smith, Ackerman's manager, said he removed the photocopied story Wednesday afternoon and said he did not know how long it had been posted. Smith said Thursday the incident is being blown out of proportion.

"If Mr. Jones wants to make it a big deal, that's his business," Smith said. "He has nothing nice to say about us."

Jones was among a group of council members who in January questioned whether Ackerman should be awarded the city's towing contract. The council ultimately decided in a unanimous decision to give the contract to Ackerman, which provided the best bid.

The towing contract provides that Ackerman pay the city $10,551 a month in exchange for towing automobiles that have been involved in accidents, been abandoned or broken down - provided the automobile's driver does not have a towing preference. Ackerman - which has held the contract for the past 10 years - also tows city-owned vehicles at no charge.

Council Public Safety Committee Chairman Charles Dudley said he plans to either call a special meeting to review the contract or take up Jones' concerns during the next committee session.

Dudley called the Ackerman-Jones incident "improper and unprofessional" but said he's unsure whether the city can rescind the contract because of it.

"It's not whether we can do anything about it, necessarily, because I don't know," Dudley said. "But I think it merits discussion. It's something we shouldn't tolerate under any circumstances. ... We expect them to carry out their business in a professional manner."

Councilman Henry Ficklin said the matter "deserves some kind of attention."

"That goes far beyond what a business should be doing," he said. "Why are they trying to castigate his image? That's just reprehensible."

Councilman Jimmy Patton advised caution before attempting to strip away a city contract in retaliation.

"I don't know of any law against (posting a newspaper article)," he said. "I think it's incredibly poor taste, and I would question the wisdom of doing that. But to change it just because of a posted article, I don't know if that's enough to make a change. If they're not providing the quality of service we expect, that's another thing."

Jones then suddenly claimed the incident is the latest in a string of complaints he's heard about the company and said the council has an obligation to check out citizens' concerns.

But Smith said Jones has never spoken to him about any concerns.

"If he was that concerned about it, he should have called me," Smith said.

Discussing Jones' assertion that he has fielded a number of public complaints about Ackerman, Smith said that's not surprising.

"We're the first person people see when they get out of jail," Smith said. "Usually, they're ticked off and mad. Having to pay to get their car out of the pound is like adding insult to injury, and we're the first person they're going to come after." (Thanks Rick)

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International Truck & Engine Corp. lost $4 million in its second fiscal quarter on revenues of $1.7 billion, a major reversal from the $3 million it earned on revenues of $1.8 billion in the same period last year.

The company added that for the first six months of fiscal 2002, it lost $60 million on $3.2 billion in revenues. That's compared to losses of $32 million on $3.3 billion in revenues over the first six months of 2001.

International chairman & CEO John Horne said the company's return to profitability was hindered by continued weakness in demand for Class 6 and 7 medium-duty trucks and buses. Warrenville, IL-based International lowered its forecast for medium trucks to 101,500 units this year, including 79,000 Class 6-7 trucks, down from a previous forecast of 112,500 units, with estimated sales of 87,500 Class 6-7 trucks.

"The current downturn, which has been the worst in memory, has impacted all market segments, and we have again adjusted our forecast for total industry volume in fiscal 2002," Horne said.

However, International's forecast for Class 8 heavy truck volume is much brighter. It raised its sales projections by 12,000 units for a total estimate of 156,000 units to be sold this year. However, Horne noted that such a sales increase would largely reflect fleets "pre-buying" trucks before new emissions standards go into effect October 1. "The recent increase in industry orders for heavy trucks is being driven both by so called pre-buying in advance of the new emissions standards for big-bore engines and demand strengthened by the economy," Horne said. (Fleet Owner)

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CONNECTICUT -- The Madison Board of Police Commissioners voted to approve an updated version of the city's towing policy at a May 9 meeting.

The policy used up to now has been in effect since 1987. Since then a number of conditions have changed in Madison, such as the fact that the town has lost every facility that does both repairing or towing, prompting a revision of the policy.

The policy deals with towing vehicles after an accident or vehicle breakdown to which a police officer is called to the scene. According to Police Commissioner Craig Caplinger, the rationale behind the new provisions was "Good response time. Get there in a hurry and get the job done."

If an accident occurs and an officer is called to the scene, the owner or operator of the vehicle will be asked if he or she "has a preference regarding a wrecker service." If he or she has a preference, the officer will have dispatch call that towing company.

If the owner/operator is somehow incapacitated and cannot make a decision or does not have a preference, a list of five towing companies will be utilized, and dispatch will choose one. In a following similar incident, dispatch will call for the next company on the list in rotation. Dispatch will be required to keep exact records of all calls utilizing these towing services, and these records will be available for public inspection.

The previous policy differentiated between Madison and out-of-town wrecker services. The new policy will have one list of five companies with no such distinction.

To get on Madison's Wrecker Service List, a company must submit an application for a permit, and pay a $100 fee, which has been proven to be a violation of federal law, for a term of one year. One of the conditions for the permit is that the responding wrecker service be able to be at the location requesting the service within 20 minutes or less of the call. The company's facility must also provide secure inside and outside storage space at its principal place of business for a minimum of two vehicles. Each licensee must have at least one "light-duty" service wrecker of 11,000 pounds or greater GVWR and a one-car flat bed carrier of 14,000 pounds or greater GVR.

Since the Wrecker Service List will be limited to five licensees, if there are more than five qualified applicants, a lottery will be held to determine which of the five services will be used. Those services which do not make it to the main list will be placed on a Replacement List in the order drawn and will remain on that list until a new wrecker list is established.

In addition to the provisions spelled out in the policy, Caplinger said that police officers would also carry a laminated page which would list all auto repair shops in Madison and surrounding towns. He indicated that there would be 40 or 50 businesses on the list culled from the phone book, listed in alphabetical order within each town. The purpose of this list would be to assist people who might be from out of town and need assistance in choosing a repair shop to tow the car to.

Several representatives of towing and repair facilities attended the meeting and expressed dissatisfaction over the new policy's inclusiveness of businesses without regard to whether they were in Madison or out of town. They felt that priority or exclusivity should be given to towing facilities that operate out of Madison by having only Madison-based businesses on the rotation list or least not making them compete for the five coveted positions.

"You have a moral obligation to go a little further to protect those taxpaying businesses in Madison that support the funding of the police department and other town functions," said Al Mantilia, President of Hammonasset Ford, which also has a repair facility on its premises. "I think that towers outside of Madison or within Madison, if they are an authorized tower of a licensed repair shop in Madison, those are the ones that should be considered and no one else."
Commissioner John Carney disagreed.

"We're not here to promote business. We're here to clear the scene as quickly as possible and move that officer onto another duty," he said.

There was also disagreement as to what constitutes a Madison-based towing facility. According to Police Chief Paul Jakubson, "There's no one that has an active garage that I'm aware of that has a towing service in this town."

A representative from one of the towing companies with multiple locations said that there was a mechanic who works out of Madison and does towing. But Jakubson was doubtful.

"For about the dozen times that we checked over the past year, there was nobody in that place," he said.

The new policy will not go into effect until July. In the meantime the police department will be advertising for applicants and conducting inspections of facilities. (Thanks Frank)

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CANADA -- Police in British Columbia will be given new power to impound the vehicles of suspected road racers after a spate of deaths among young people thought to be racing.

Solicitor General Rich Coleman announced Tuesday that changes to the Motor Vehicle Act would give police the authority to impound vehicles involved in racing for 48 hours on a first incident. Drivers caught racing again within two years can lose their wheels for 30 days.

The change in law will likely result in more impounds, and more revenue for B.C. towing companies.

The new penalty is in addition to the police's ability to seek immediate driving prohibitions from the superintendent of motor vehicles for anyone they suspect of racing.

Coleman acted after a recent series of spectacular accidents in the Vancouver area involving suspected street racers resulted in the deaths of several young people.

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WASHINGTON -- To ease traffic congestion in the Puget Sound area, the Washington State Transportation Department is doubling the number of tow trucks and other vehicles used to get disabled cars off the road.

Under the $3 million program, using money borrowed from paving funds, the number of incident response vehicles will go from 19, including five tow trucks, to 38, including 10 tow trucks, starting July 3, traffic operations engineer Jim Shanafelt said.

"For every minute a blockage exists, it causes 5 to 10 minutes of backup," Shanafelt said. "The sooner we can get there, the sooner we can open traffic."

Of the five state tow trucks now available, two are stationed on the Washington 520 (Evergreen Point) bridge, two on the Interstate 90 (Mercer Island) bridge and one in the Interstate 5 express lanes.

Locations for the additional vehicles have not been determined for certain, but Shanafelt said he would like to have one on I-5 near Lynnwood, one in the Renton area on Interstate 405 between I-5 and I-90, one in the Bellevue area of I-405 and two on I-405 near Bothell. (Thanks Tad)

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Diesel prices fell to their lowest point in a month for the week ending May 13, according to U.S. Department of Energy figures. The average cost of a gallon of diesel fell six-tenths of a cent to $1.299, the first time diesel prices have fallen below $1.30 since April 1.

On Jan. 1, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries along with several non-member oil producers slashed oil production to prop up sagging fuel prices. The result has been a 15-cent increase in the price of diesel and a sharp rise in crude oil prices.

Some economists are predicting increases in fuel prices as the summer driving season hits, but some analysts say the price of fuel should stay steady as OPEC ramps up supply to meet the summer demand, and because fuel prices are slightly higher than they should be.

Some support for the latter argument may be brewing in Russian pipelines. When OPEC slashed production by 1.5 million barrels of oil per day in January, Russia agreed to reduce its exports by 150,000 barrels per day in hopes that oil prices would rise above $20 a barrel. But as oil prices have soared as high as $28 a barrel, the Russians are apparently re-evaluating their cuts, according to international reports, and may expand production. OPEC announced it would meet later this month with Russian oil producers on the issue.

If Russia does open its spigots that could push prices down, but economic growth and a surge in summer traffic could erase any gains, economists say.

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

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ARKANSAS -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced Thursday that it is getting into the roadside assistance business.

Working with TracFone Wireless Inc., a prepaid wireless service provider, the company will offer 24-hour roadside assistance that customers will be able to buy at Wal-Mart's 2,600 stores.

For about $50 annually, customers will be covered for five family members in the United States and Canada.

"By offering roadside assistance memberships in a simple and widely available off-the-shelf format, we're helping our customers enjoy a higher level of travel security at a very affordable price," said Ken Reese, director of operations for Wal-Mart's Tire and Lube Express.

For service, motorists will call a toll-free number. The roadside assistance includes flat-tire changes, towing up to 30 miles, battery jump-starts, fuel delivery, vehicle lock-outs and accident assistance.

TracFone's roadside assistance provider, Road America, currently serves 3.5 million members nationwide. The company has more than 50,000 service providers throughout the United States and Canada. (Thanks PJ)

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OREGON -- The Portland City Council this week unanimously approved an ordinance allowing police to tow vehicles that they believe were used in the commission of prostitution or drug crimes.

The ordinance, which takes effect immediately, grants officers probable cause to tow a vehicle without prior notice, and is intended to reduce the potential for such vehicles to be involved in additional crimes that cause injuries and deaths or property damage.

The ordinance will likely increase the number of impounds that local towing companies receive from the city.

The impounded vehicles will be released to the owner after he or she shows proof of valid driving privileges and proof of insurance and pays towing, storage and administrative fees.

Recently, both the City Council and the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners passed ordinances allowing police to tow and impound the cars of people participating in street racing, either as drivers or spectators.

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CALIFORNIA -- The Camp Pendleton Marine credited with saving a tow truck driver's life on Interstate 5 this month will receive two commendations from the Oceanside Police Department.

Lance Cpl. Trevor Farley, 20, will be honored tomorrow with a Police Department "Challenge Coin," usually given to an Oceanside officer who has shown bravery above and beyond the call of duty.

Farley will be the first non-police officer to receive this city award. He also will receive a Police Department letter of commendation.

Farley, of Chandler, Ariz., risked his life to help tow truck driver Brian Naylor, 23, who was shot May 1 by a motorist he had stopped to assist.

Witnessing the shooting from the Marine base, Farley carried the wounded man to safety while being shot at himself. Naylor, an Oceanside resident, was released from the hospital last week.

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Engineered Machined Products Inc. (EMP) is now offering The Oil Mate to fleet owners. It had previously been sold exclusively to diesel engine manufacturers since 1996.

The Oil Mate significantly extends oil change intervals by 525,000 miles and filter life by 100,000 miles, the company said. EMP said the oil management system removes a small amount of used engine oil and blends it with diesel fuel to be burned during combustion. The used oil is then replaced with an equal amount of fresh oil from a makeup tank, extending oil and filter use.

For more information visit http://www.emp-corp.com.

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ILLINOIS -- A ruling Friday by U.S. District Court Judge Joan Gottschall could bring Lake County Sheriff Gary Del Re to a civil court trial on charges of racketeering under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Roger Whitmore, owner of a major tow truck business based in Zion, has alleged in a 3-year-old lawsuit that Del Re and a group of associates forced all tow truck operators to contribute to his political campaign and sold large territories of the sheriff's tow-call service to big contributors.

Gottschall rejected Whitmore's initial lawsuit, but her ruling Friday sustains two of four charges as racketeering types of activities. She dismissed two other charges.

In the lawsuit, Whitmore alleges that Del Re, Undersheriff Gary Stryker and towing business owners Max Johnson, Wally Herman and Edward Kohlmeyer visited other towing operators "to pressure them into giving campaign contributions." Also that "Del Re used fund-raisers Thomas Crichton, Jack Alan Diamond and Nick Gountanis to help solicit and negotiate the sale of towing territories in exchange for campaign contributions."

Alleged are extortion, bribery, intimidation and fraud.

Whitmore contends that after Del Re was elected in 1998 and re-drew the service areas to which deputies call tow trucks, he lost 50 percent of his area and 75 percent of his business.

Whitmore's territory extended from the Wisconsin state line south to York House Road and from Lake Michigan west to Route 45. The revision gave the area west of Green Bay Road, including Route 41 and the Tri-State Tollway, to Max Johnson, owner of Auto Center in Beach Park.

Johnson contributed "$3,000 to $4,000" in exchange for getting the west half of Whitmore's original territory, according to the lawsuit.

The allegations if proven true are "sufficient to show that these defendants agreed to participate in the affairs of an enterprise through racketeering activity," Gottschall said.

However, the judge also cited another case. "The mere allegation of a conspiracy does not constitute an allegation of wrongful acts upon which liability may be predicated," she said.

Her ruling does not state or imply any guilt on Del Re's part, rather that the allegations, if proven, could lead to a judgment of guilt.

The civil action seeks payment of financial damages which Whitmore claims to have suffered. There is no criminal legal proceeding.

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The Federal Trade Commission is looking at information on more than 60,000 gasoline purchases each day, trying to determine why price spikes occur, the Washington Post reported Thursday.

With the summer driving season approaching, federal investigators are trying to figure out why gasoline prices make regular sharp rises and drops. Though the majority of commercial trucks run on diesel fuel, some have gasoline-powered engines, making the price of gas an important factor in the cost of trucking.

FTC Chairman Timothy J. Muris said the agency will be looking at credit card gas purchases in 360 cities nationwide and examine the price of wholesale gasoline in 20 urban regions, the Post reported.

The agency will be specifically investigating to what extent fluctuations in the price of crude oil carry through to consumers. The Post said that the cost of crude oil now accounts for 41% of the price of a gallon of gas.

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Almost from the day the planes hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, members of Congress, security experts and high-tech executives have endorsed the idea of some new form of identification system as a critical weapon in the fight against terrorism. They believe the cards, linked to giant databases, would be invaluable in preventing terrorists from operating under assumed names and identities.

Any such proposals in the past foundered on a distrust of centralized government as old as the American republic. Opponents raised the specter of prying bureaucrats with access to databases full of personal information, of Gestapo-like stops on the street and demands to produce papers, and the kind of unchecked police authority that would erode constitutional protections.

The nation's new consciousness of terrorism, a product of both the fear and anger engendered by Sept. 11, has markedly changed the way Americans think about security, surveillance and their civil liberties. For many people, the trade-off of less privacy for more security now seems reasonable.

U.S. Reps. Jim Moran, D-Va., and Tom Davis, R-Va., without using the controversial term "national id card", have introduced legislation that would add standardized security features to the nation's driver's licenses, which in essence, would make them a national id card.

The Driver's License Modernization Act of 2002, designed to combat the proliferation of fake driver's licenses, would give states and the District of Columbia five years to implement universal standards for driver's licenses.
The bill would require licenses to have a biometric feature, such as the driver's retinal scan or fingerprints, on an encrypted smart chip embedded in the license.

Another part of the bill would require state motor vehicle departments to be electronically linked, allowing a state to verify information on license applicants from other states. The bill would also toughen standards on documents people submit to obtain driver's licenses, and strengthen existing federal laws addressing identity fraud.

The federal government is expected to soon toughen requirements to obtain hazmat endorsements on commercial driver's licenses, mandating background checks, among other security measures.

Eight of the Sept. 11 hijackers had obtained driver's licenses from Moran and Davis' home state of Virginia by exploiting a loophole that allowed applicants to receive a license by submitting minimal, readily falsified documentation.

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IDAHO -- Tow truck operators asked the Coeur d'Alene City Council on Tuesday not to hire just one towing company for city business -- something they say would wreck their businesses. Their request was denied.

The council voted 5-0 to seek bids to allow only one towing company to serve the city of Coeur d'Alene, just as Kootenai County has done for years.

"The responsibility of us at this table is to provide the best service at the lowest cost," Councilwoman Dixie Reid said. "I think it will be a benefit to the taxpayers."

But Pam McCall, co-owner of Rainbow Towing, said the city already has enough rules to make tow truck drivers accountable. They just aren't using them.

"There is a process for this," McCall told the council. If problems persist "then fix it, but don't change the whole system for it."

Abandoned cars caused the city to look at the current arrangement, Councilman Chris Copstead said.

Currently, five towing companies work in a rotation to handle accidents and abandoned cars.

"There is a problem," Copstead said. "No one wants the junkers."

Often, towing companies "pass" on towing abandoned cars because nobody ever claims them, and consequently the towing companies never get paid for their work. Copstead said that when a company "passes", it means that city police officers must stay with the cars.

"That's time our officers can be doing many more things," he said. "They have better things to do than stand around waiting for the towing company."

McCall said if that's the case, officers should file complaints.

Coeur d'Alene Police Lt. Ron Clark said officers have written complaints, but tow truck drivers still refuse to take some abandoned cars.

Brian Mitchell of Rainbow Towing said he searched city and county records and could find no sign of those complaints.

"We've had multiple Coeur d'Alene officers come up to us and ask us what we think of Schaffer's Towing getting the bid," Mitchell said. "It seems to us that the whole bid process has been very quiet. Why is that?"

Copstead responded: "As far as any police officers coming to you, I don't know why. At this point it's only a proposal to go out for bids."

One tow truck driver did speak in favor of the proposal -- Lavern Schaffer, of Schaffer's Towing, which is the sole provider for Kootenai County.

"I firmly believe a one-tow operation is the best way for the city and county to operate," he said.

Schaffer gave Mayor Sandi Bloem a letter in which he said contained a letter of endorsement from the Kootenai County Commission.

"If you went around and asked county and city (officers), they would say our trucks are equipped to do the job," he said.

"We are a professional service. We have all the equipment, but that is not what this is all about," McCall said.

Under the proposed contract, it appears that Rainbow Towing would be the only company that has all the equipment, personnel and performance history to meet the requirements, she said.

"But we are still against it because we don't think it's fair to all the towers," McCall said.

The guidelines would disqualify at least one tow company owner who only has two trucks but runs a fine service, she said.

"If it gets busy in a snowstorm, what is the city going to do?" she asked. "At those times, we're all busy."

Mitchell added: "If you rely on just one company, you are in trouble."

Councilwoman Deanna Goodlander said she had reservations about the one-company system.

"As government, we need to be careful to do no harm to the business world," she said. "I have a problem keeping companies from doing business with the city.

"But I don't see a way out of it." (Thanks Pat)

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WASHINGTON -- Jerry Goddard, president of the Independent Towers of Washington and owner of Jerry's Towing in Olympia, was honored at the Annual Thurston-Mason County Red Cross Real Heroes Breakfast, May 2nd.

The Real Heroes Breakfast is a function in which the Red Cross recognizes people that do heroic things in their daily life. Recipients are sometimes police officers and fire fighters, but other times, ordinary people that do extraordinary things. 

Goddard was recognized for his heroic actions of April 2001, when he hooked-up and towed a blazing car from a parking garage under an apartment building. Goddard had been driving by when he saw the smoke pouring from the parking garage.

Fire personnel on the scene that day said Goddard saved the building from certain destruction and possibly saved the lives of tenants who were trapped by the smoke.

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TEXAS -- While driving his tow truck on I-30, Mark Mathis pulled over a pickup truck towing a camper heading for California that had caught fire early Monday morning.

The driver, James Merrick, did not know the camper had caught fire while driving down the road. Several cars reported passing by him trying to signal to him about the fire, but he continued down the road, oblivious to the fire in the camper.

Finally, Mathis, of Charlie's Tows in Irving, was able to get Merrick's attention using his blue caution lights.

With the camper safely off the highway, both Merrick and Mathis ran to the camper to rescue Merrick's granddaughter, Tori, who was inside the camper. "They started banging on my door, saying 'there is a fire, there is a fire, get out," she said.

Both Tori and her dog were able to exit the travel home without harm, just before it was engulfed in flames. She says that while she wasn't scared at the time it is "sorta scary losing all of your things on the way to California."

Tori, who also did not know the camper was on fire, thought her grandfather was being pulled over for speeding. (Thanks Bert)

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For the third week in a row, U.S. diesel prices hovered around the $1.30-per-gallon mark, closing up three-tenths of a cent to $1.305 for the week ending May 6.

Prices have been stagnant for a month, following a steep rise. The cost of an average gallon of diesel is more than 15 cents higher than in January, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Economists and fuel experts say the price is likely to stay relatively unchanged unless the economy heats up faster than expected, or tensions in the Middle East spill over into oil-producing countries.

Oil analysts at the DOE say a rise in the cost of crude oil could be in the near future as oil markets become tighter. “It does appear inevitable that, in the near future, crude oil inventories will fall,” DOE analysts said. If that happens, prices of diesel and gasoline, riding a five-month rise, will likely go up further, they said.

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

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NORTH CAROLINA -- A downtown Greenville business, which didn't build enough parking stalls around his building, wants the city's parking ordinance changed to let motorists park in any private lot for at least 30 minutes without being towed or wheel-locked.

BW3 Buffalo Wild Wings collected about 175 names on a petition and faxed it to the city manager requesting the change.

The manager of the restaurant and bar, which has patrons parking at a nearby apartment complex, said Lindy's towing service preys on his customers when they park just a few minutes in spaces designated for residents.

"It's kind of bad for the restaurant when customers come to pick up lunch, run in for a couple of minutes and find their car booted," manager Scott Lupton said.

The towing company renders the automobiles immobile by placing a wheel lock or "boot" on a tire. It costs $65 cash to have the device removed. If the motorist can't or won't pay, the vehicle is towed for $100.

East Carolina University student Carole Davies said she got booted last semester when she parked in a marked tenant-only parking space.

"I was highly upset," she said. Davies was in BW3 for six minutes when she came back out to find her car locked, she said.

Her friend lent her the cash to have the wheel lock removed, Davies said.

BW3 and the people who signed the petition want the city's towing ordinance "to include a time limitation of no less than 30 minutes that a vehicle may be parked on anyone's private property" before it can be towed or wheel-locked.

The ordinance currently sets no such limit but mandates that signs of a certain size be posted advising motorists of the towing zone.

Lindy's has posted four such signs in the lot behind BW3: There is a sign on a pole at the entrance to the lot and three more along the wall.

In addition, the restaurant has erected a sign telling customers they can be towed if they park outside the spaces designated for its business.

City Attorney Dave Holec said the city does not have the authority to provide the requested relief. The city had to ask the state Legislature for special authority to mandate the posting of signs warning motorists that they could be towed or have their cars booted.

"Even if we had that authority, I would have a concern with, in effect, by city ordinance, mandating someone to make available their property — their parking lot— for the use and benefit of someone else as, in effect, a loading and unloading zone," he said.

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NEW YORK -- A much-discussed and controversial issue -- towing -- is making another appearance before the City of Poughkeepsie Common Council.

The Common Council will discuss a revised ordinance tonight during its Committee of the Whole meeting. A vote on the proposed changes could come next week.

The city attorney's office drew up the revised law before meeting with any of the effected parties late last year.

Specific changes to the plan were unavailable.

City officials have fielded complaints for years about the speed with which vehicles are towed from private parking lots and the cost of retrieving vehicles.

The complaints led to changes on how the city regulates companies that tow cars illegally parked on private property.

But the changes have led to further complaints. And two towing companies have filed a notice of claim against the city, charging that the laws are unfair.

Tonight's meeting begins at 7:30 in city hall.

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