| Not charged, transient spends 3 months in jail -- forgotten
Darrell Arthur Williams hadn't even been charged with the crime. After a Seattle bicycle cop on "proactive patrol" arrested the 40-year-old black transient for what amounted to interfering with a public urination investigation, Williams was booked into King County Jail for the night. But the next morning, a city prosecutor who reviewed the officer's report quickly declined to press charges, citing "interests of justice." With that, Williams was supposed to be released from jail immediately. That was Feb. 17, 2007. Instead, Williams remained incarcerated through May 23 -- what amounted to a short prison term. He was essentially forgotten behind bars. "There were some moments that were pretty hectic," Williams said this week of his stint in jail.
NASCAR: Stewart, Busch tongue-lashed
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch were ordered to steer clear of each other Saturday in hopes of preventing a repeat of their high-octane confrontation on the first day of Speedweeks. NASCAR officials summoned Stewart and Busch for a follow-up meeting Saturday morning, just hours after the two drivers tangled on the track and possibly in the NASCAR officials' trailer afterward. The entire garage was buzzing over Busch allegedly insulting Stewart and Stewart retaliating with a punch claims no one would confirm or deny. NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said officials have not decided whether to penalize either driver, but delivered a stern warning. "You two guys better give each other plenty of space," Hunter said. "You clearly understand where we are with this and we're going to continue to think about it." Hunter said any resulting penalties would be announced Monday or Tuesday.
Gettysburg's Warrior Stadium project on view
Gettysburg Area School District unveiled a sketch plan for its new Warrior Stadium, submitting drawings to the Straban Township Planning Commission. The sketch plan, displayed Wednesday, is a typical first step for a large project such as a new stadium, which entered its planning stage last April. Architects from Derck and Edson Associates will present preliminary and final plans to the planning commission as the project continues. The sketch plan's purpose is to give the planning commission and community members a feel for the design of the project, and the opportunity to ask questions or address any initial concerns they might have. "In reality, it's a courtesy, but the function is to inform everybody of what's to come," said Alan Zepp, chairman of the planning commission.
Welcome again to Club 4100
A few employees have left, but most have stayed. "There were some things we had to get used to," said Lee Dennett, the lead cook and a 10-year employee. "But I love the place. I love my customers." The menu, which includes a variety of salads, seafood, steak, poultry and sandwiches, will change. Some less popular items, such as the steak for four, will be removed. Chow mein and fried rice will be added to the menu and some new specials, such as curry chicken and goat, will soon be available. Menus will also feature more detailed descriptions of the dishes. All of these changes are an effort to keep the existing clientele happy and attract new customers. "People who haven't been here in five, 10 years are coming back," Mrs. Harkie said. "Colts fan are still here and will come until the day they die," Mr.
The Meaning of Lice
I'm an adult male with short hair, not an 8-year-old girl with long wispy locks and a penchant for playing dress-up with other 8-year-old girls. And I wasn't walking into this house alone but rather alongside a confident professional, 57-year-old Helen Hadley, who calls her Needham delousing business The Nit-Picker, and who's been making house calls like this one for six years now. OK. No sweat. But then I recalled how Helen had responded an hour earlier, when I asked her if she had ever gotten lice as a consequence of her work, and she admitted that, yes, she had. Twice. And if this visit led to a third infestation, at least she would have pulled down her usual 120 bucks an hour for her troubles. But me? All Id get would be an ironic ending for my story. Michelle, the friendly, chatty mom of the house, met us at the door and led us through a well-lit foyer and into the open dining room/family room area, where her daughters, ages 7 and almost 5, sat on the upholstered sectional, watching the Disney Channel.
Metro apartment vacancies remain high
That's despite a reduction in the number of landlords offering concessions to attract tenants and despite increases in average rental rates of up to 4 percent for efficiency units. The overall vacancy rate for 20,012 Des Moines-area apartment units in the January survey was 8.5 percent, up from 8.1 percent a year earlier, the survey by Carlson, McClure & Associates Inc. found.
The area with the highest vacancy was the south side, where nearly 4,300 units are located with 12.6 percent of them open. The western suburbs, where nearly 8,800 units are located, had a vacancy rate of 8.7 percent. The area in and around downtown, where roughly 1,200 units are located, half of which are high-rise, had a vacancy rate of about 5 percent. Hubbell's Heath Bullock said the trend in the office market is toward owner-occupied space.
Mr. Tubbs
Use your own imagination. I'm certain you can expand the list. What got this tirade boiling? I suppose I'm getting old. I don't sleep worth a damn any more. C-SPAN was on when I awoke around 3:30 in the morning. It was a postponed airing of Chairman Ed Royce's (R-Calif.) July 5 jearings of the House subcommittee on International Terrorism and Nonproliferation. A whole lot of title for what it was about: illegal immigration and making points for the November election. The hearing was at the Imperial Beach Border patrol Station in San Diego. Let's dispatch one side-show issue right now, because it's so easy. Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) tried several times to hammer the Democrat attendees for always wanting to return to the matter of the employer magnet. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) extracted from one of the witnesses the GAO crime statistic that, for all 2005, the administration had filed 46 charges against employers for hiring illegals.
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