Beginning in 30 days, all cyclists and skaters in Vancouver will have to strap on helmets or risk receiving a $50 ticket. The city council, by a 5-1 vote Monday, decided to require both juveniles and adults to wear helmets when riding bicycles, skateboards, roller skates, roller blades, scooters and unicycles on public streets, sidewalks and trails. Once the law takes effect, Vancouver will become the first city in Clark County to require helmets. Safety was the prime reason for the law. Councilwoman Jeanne Harris recounted how, more than 25 years ago, a bicyclist wearing a helmet smacked into her car and walked away. "I can’t tell you how it affected me that I could have hurt somebody," Harris said. "You can’t plan not to have an accident, and that is what’s this is about.

Black-legged adult tick infection at 60 percent

More than half -- 60 percent -- of the adult black-legged ticks in Fairfield County may be infected with Lyme disease bacteria -- a much higher rate than customarily thought, a new study has found.

This does not necessarily foretell an increase in human cases in the region. People can see and remove adult ticks more readily than tiny nymphal ticks -- which are most responsible for the spread of Lyme disease to humans.

But it does add another reason for people to be on the alert against tick bites in spring, summer and fall.

"It may be that just as people wear sunscreen and wear bicycle safety helmets, they'll have to make preventive steps against ticks part of their daily routine,'' Jennifer Reid, of the Ridgefield Lyme Disease Task Force, said Monday.

The study is part of the ongoing work of the Fairfield County Municipal Deer Management Alliance -- a 14-town organization dedicated to controlling the number of white-tailed deer in the region.

Man On Bicycle Hit Crossing Beach Boulevard

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A vehicle heading west on Beach Boulevard in front of the KMart tried to avoid a bus that was either slowing or stopping in the right lane when it struck a man on a bicycle, according to police.

Disabled advocates push Disney World, SeaWorld to allow Segways

When James Nappier, a petty officer in the Navy Reserve, first rode his new Segway scooter out into his Loxahatchee neighborhood, he felt emotions that were rare since he got home from Iraq.

On the two-wheeled, electric scooter, he could get around easily. That felt like personal freedom. Standing on the upright vehicle, he could look neighbors in the eyes, not the belt buckles. That felt like equality.

"It's been a godsend, because I can get out and get around on it," said Nappier, 49, who suffered leg- and arm-nerve damage in a May 2004 mortar attack in Ramadi, Iraq.

NY horses and carriage under animal cruelty cloud

A New York City tourist attraction, the carriage horses lined up at Central Park, may soon become a thing of the past if the City Council adopts a proposal to ban it as a tradition cruel to animals.

All decked out in plastic flowers for new year festivities, some 70 carriage horses did a brisk trade as they parade non-stop up and down the streets of the city.

Cyclists get back to basics: Fixed-gear bicycle riders take simplicity ...

Some ride them to train, some ride them for the thrill and some ride them just for the bragging rights, but whatever the reason, many local cyclists are ditching their derailleurs to ride fixed-gear bicycles.

Fixed-gear bikes, or "fixies," are as basic as a bike gets -- a frame, two wheels, one gear and often times, no brakes. The defining feature of a fixie is its lack of a freewheel, the mechanism that allows the rider of a normal bike to stop pedaling and coast. On a fixed-gear, there is no such thing as coasting.

The chain of a fixed-gear directly connects the pedals to the back wheel. So if the wheel is moving, so are the pedals. And for fixed-gear riders, this is both the allure and the advantage.

"It's a different style of riding," said Winston Sauber, a Humboldt State University student who rides a fixed-gear to and from classes every day.

Blizzard of '78 memories remain strong as a gale

Snowbanks two stories high. Cars buried so deep they were left for dead. Gales along Salisbury Beach ripping cottages off their foundations and shredding pizza stands. Kids home from school indefinitely. Ninety-nine people dead.

T-shirts came next: "I survived the Blizzard of '78."

If you were living on the East Coast 30 years ago today, you have a story.

To view slideshow Click Here

Lowell's Dan Macheras, of Macheras Oil Service, didn't sit around feeling helpless. He jumped on his snowmobile with toolbox in hand and motored through whiteout conditions to fix heaters. His brother Peter did the same with cars. The pair even ferried prescriptions to elderly people who couldn't make it to the pharmacy.

"It was cold and windy. People were very happy they got their heat back on," Dan Macheras said.

Your Comments : Price of flour goes up again

If the prices goes up (four) then cut down the consumption.Try other alternatives like cassava,yams,taro etc..If you buy bread 7 days a week, try to reduce to 3 days.Fiji is very rich in varieties of root crops,fruits,seafood etc..Four is not the only source of food. One can be creative and live healthy with our local food.

The price of wheat has doubled in 6 months..

Delhi's fearless cycle enthusiasts

Cycling may not yet be classified as an extreme sport, but a quick pedal around central Delhi in the evening rush hour suggests it may want to put in an application.

Buses roar past, belching fumes. Cars weave in and out of imaginary lanes, and auto-rickshaws try to overtake you on the inside.

It is certainly not the safest way to see the sights in India's capital, and it makes for a dangerous commute. But Delhi's cyclists hope their time is about to come.

The Delhi Cycling Club has about 250 members at the moment - with a target of 1,000 by the end of the year.

'Fed up'

"The good thing is that most of the people who are getting enrolled with us are car users who want to give up cars," says Nalin Sinha, a leading member of the club, who campaigns on road safety issues.