DUBLIN — Police will soon be patrolling the city's busiest shopping center on a three-wheeled, clean-energy scooter.

The T3 scooter, which has a top speed of 25 mph, looks like a beefier version of a Segway. It runs on batteries that need recharging every 30 miles.

The police department now uses patrol cars and bicycles to navigate the shopping center on Hacienda Drive and Dublin Boulevard. The scooter, which was donated by center businesses, will give officers a good option, said Dublin police Lt. Glenn Moon.

Patrol cars have more visibility, a good deterrent to bad behavior, but they are harder to use in crowded areas, Moon said, while bikes can be used when officers don't necessarily want to be seen. The motorized scooter is the best of both worlds, he said.

"It has the (visible) deterrent of a patrol car, but somewhat of the stealth" of a bike, Moon said.

University of Akron officials market Quaker Square Inn as distinctive ...

From her new, circular dormitory room at the University of Akron, Becky Stanic has a skyline view of East Akron.

For more than a quarter-century, Quaker Square's old grain silos have housed an eight-story hotel.

moon phase info

Interestingly, the winter leading up to that disastrous event was mainly warm and mainly wet (sound familiar?). Bowling Green saw no measurable snowfall in the winter of '73-'74 until February 8th, when 1" fell. It's worth noting that the 1" or less of snow in our area last week turned out to be the first measurable snowfall of the season for many. Now I don't know about you, but I cannot help but seeing some irony there.

The early '70s featured some very active weather in this region. If we turn the clocks back another three years we find what I refer to as the "Other Outbreak' on April 27, 1971, when multiple violent twisters resulted in numerous fatalities and damages in the millions across South-Central KY. This, too, happened in a "La Nina" year. CLICK HERE for weather maps from 4/27/71...this one is day 3 from the drop down list.

Mayor nabs alleged burglar with bare hands

OGDEN, Utah, Oct. 24 The mayor of Ogden, Utah, is clearly not one to be trifled with if his capture of a suspected burglar on Wednesday is any indication.
Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey told the Deseret Morning News that when he heard a noise just outside his house early in the morning, he immediately leaped into action and eventually captured a suspect with his bare hands.
"We heard somebody trying to come in our side door, so I jumped out of bed and tried to see who it was," Godfrey said. "Then I heard somebody at the back door."
After checking on his family members, the mayor allegedly saw someone leaving his shed with one of his family's bicycles and reacted.
"I just ran right the side doors and he was heading across the front lawn riding a bike of ours," he said.

Ankeny to Woodward trail gets DOT money

Ames, Ia. - The Iowa Transportation Commission awarded a state grant of $565,960 today to pay for construction on a key stretch of a planned 25-mile recreational trail between Ankeny and Woodward.

The state money will be used for work on a 5.25-mile section between Madrid and Woodward, including a bridge over the Des Moines River, state officials said.

When the project is completed, the multi-use trail will link Ankeny, Sheldahl, Slater, Madrid, and Woodward, extending through parts of four counties as part of the proposed Central Iowa Trail Loop. The corridor was purchased by the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation two years ago from the Union Pacific Railroad.

A section of the trail in Ankeny is now open to the public, and another stretch in the Woodward area will open this fall, said Rich Voelker of Snyder & Associates, who is the lead engineer for the trail project.

Questions Remain on Fidel's Role

Now, government broadcasts make do with his recorded voice from past speeches, often in heavily nostalgic documentaries about his life and deeds. His bearded visage still hangs in offices, but is rare on the billboards that once pictured him in olive drab uniform above upbeat messages like "Everything's going well!"