PORT SALERNO — A Port St. Lucie resident used scissors, a wrench and a chunk of cement to attack a man he said owed him money, according to a arrest report.

Driver gets probation in bike collision case

VIROQUA, Wis. A Viroqua motorist accused of hitting and injuring a bicyclist in Vernon County last July received a year's probation after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge.Vernon County Circuit Judge Michael Rosborough withheld sentence Monday and handed down probation to Alan Sagler, 52, for misdemeanor reckless driving causing bodily harm.
Sagler also must pay a $300 fine and perform 100 hours of community service.Sagler was driving a pickup truck pulling a trailer July 7, 2007, on Hwy. K near Chaseburg, Wis., when he struck bicyclist John Raub, 35, according to the criminal complaint.Raub was thrown from the bicycle and treated for a compression fracture to his back and a fractured ankle.Raub and three other bicyclists said they were traveling between 40 and 45 mph on the steep and winding road and Sagler was driving at 50 to 55 mph, according to the complaint.

Letters to the Editor (Feb. 21)

It is drivers with this attitude who make the roads dangerous, not cyclists like me.Wendy Byrne, CorvallisLots of considerate motorists, bicyclistsAs cycling season starts to heat up, it seems that the rhetoric between some motorists and cyclists does as well.This is unfortunate, because the vast majority of confrontations seem to be caused by relatively simple misunderstandings.By law, we all have a right to the roads and an obligation to follow the rules, even if some people don't like bikes and some don't like cars.We all pay taxes. Although there are vehicle use fees, most road funding is provided for by general taxes, property assessments, and the like. Besides, few cyclists don't also drive cars.To be certain, being held up behind a bicycle can be annoying.But how often do you get stuck behind someone who insists on turning left across a busy lane of traffic rather than continuing to a light or holding up an entire line of cars to wait for a parking spot?Anyone who drives into blind corners and other situations faster than he can react will eventually encounter a line of vehicles stopped for construction/accident, a kid running out to get a ball or on a bike, large debris, farm equipment, someone turning out of a driveway he didn't know was there, or a number of other common situations.Likewise, anyone who regularly blows through lights and stop signs on a bicycle will eventually cause an accident.As good luck would have it, there are a lot of considerate drivers and cyclists out there who practice defensive driving/cycling.Kyle Banerjee, MonmouthLet's talk solutions, not debate scienceJohn Jones ("Climate change has occurred in the past," Letters, Feb.

Winter storms at both ends of the country dump snow, snarl travel

CHICAGO (AP) — Winter storms at both ends of the country dumped snow and snarled air and land travel Friday, killing at least 10 people, blocking major highways and even stranding 400 train passengers in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest.

Nearly 7 1/2 inches of snow was reported at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport before the front moved out of the area Friday. About 500 flights were canceled at O'Hare, which canceled 600 flights Thursday and housed hundreds of stranded travelers who spent the night awaiting planes from other cities also affected by the storm.

At least 12 inches of snow was reported in Springfield by Friday morning, said National Weather Service meteorologist Gino Izzi. Other parts of Illinois saw similar amounts.

"If you don't have to be out here, don't," Ty Wilson, a very wet Chicago bicycle messenger, said as he stopped along a slushy street between morning deliveries.

Vandal spreads tacks to scupper cyclists on Beach Rd

AN anti-cyclist vandal who scattered road tacks in the path of bike riders could have killed someone, police say.

"I, along with other organisations such as the Amy Gillett Foundation, are trying to work together with bicycle riders to ensure all road users are safe including vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.

Dublin police to ride three-wheeled scooter

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.

The detection of carbon nanotubes and workplace safety

More and more carbon nanotube (CNT) applications are moving from the research lab into commercial products. For example, CNTs can be found already in tennis rackets and bicycles, displays and TV screens, and numerous resins used by aerospace, defense, health care, and electronics companies.