WhiteBoard News for Thursday, August 28, 2003

Longview, Washington (AP):

Longview police dog Reno is getting to know the scent of William Allan Repp Jr. very well. He's caught him four times, police say.

In the latest incident, Repp was arrested Tuesday, accused of leading police on a high-speed chase in a 1980 Corvette, crashing into a tree and fleeing on foot until he was stopped by Reno.

The chase started when Officer Jason Ferriss spotted the car on Pacific Way traveling at 78 mph, according to his radar gun. The posted speed is 35 mph.

In his report, Ferriss said he activated his lights, saw the vehicle speed up, then turned on his siren and began pursuit. He said his speedometer reached 120 mph but the Corvette was pulling away at an estimated 140 mph when it missed a corner, slammed into a tree branch and ripped out some shrubbery before coming to rest.

The driver fled on foot as Officer Steve Dennis and Reno responded to assist. Reno tracked Repp approximately 40 yards to a slough and found him hiding under some bushes, police said.

Repp was taken to St. John Medical Center for treatment of dog bite wounds and injuries sustained in the accident. Officers then took him to the Cowlitz County Jail, where he was booked for investigation of felony eluding, taking a motor vehicle without permission, reckless driving, obstructing an officer, resisting arrest and third-degree driving with a suspended license. Bail was set at $35,000.

Dennis said this is the fourth time Reno has captured Repp after he ran from police. After the last incident, in October 2001, Repp received a five-day jail sentence and a $400 fine for reckless driving and resisting arrest.
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San Francisco, California (The San Francisco Chronicle):

Ricky Beale rode in the back of a stretch limousine to rob a Bank of America of $5,000, San Francisco police say, and was awarded with a free ride to jail. 

Beale, 31, a personal trainer, hired the limo to take him from his studio to San Francisco International Airport, said Inspector Dan Gardner of the robbery detail. Beale told the driver to stop at his girlfriend's place. 

Instead of visiting his girlfriend, however, Beale went to a nearby Bank of America branch, police said, and allegedly robbed two tellers after simulating having a handgun. 

A witness spotted Beale getting into the limo. Police were alerted and pulled the car over. 

"It's a stretch limousine _ not exactly the most discreet getaway vehicle, " Gardner said. The driver, he added, "got stiffed." 
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Fairbanks, Alaska (The London Telegraph):

The world's biggest battery was plugged in yesterday to provide emergency power to one of the United States' most isolated cities.

The rechargable battery, which at 2,000 square metres is bigger than a football pitch and weighs 1,300 tonnes, was manufactured by power components specialist ABB to provide electricity to Fairbanks, Alaska's second-largest city, in the event of a blackout.

Stored in a warehouse near the city, where temperatures plunge to -51 degrees Centigrade in winter, the battery will provide 40 megawatts of power - enough for around 12,000 people - for up to seven minutes.

This is enough time, according to ABB, to start up diesel generators to restore power, an important safeguard since at such low temperatures, water pipes can freeze entirely in two hours.

With no power lines between the state and the rest of America, Alaska is often described as an "electrical island" where tough environmental conditions and a sparse population make power cuts a way of life.

ABB's battery, the first of its scale in the world, was commissioned by Golden Valley Electrical Association (GVEA) in Fairbanks, because the city suffers total blackouts every two or three years, as well as frequent swings in power supply.

The earthquake-proof contraption contains 13,760 NiCad cells - bigger versions of those used in many portable electronic appliances including laptop computers and radios. Each cell measures 16in by 21in and weighs more than 12 stone.

ABB, a Swiss company listed in London, is one of the companies set to benefit from the US's decision to spend between $50 billion and $100 billion improving its power grid after the blackouts this month. This follows a difficult year in which asbestos claims, corporate governance scandals and financial and business difficulties almost tore apart the company.

Peter Smits, head of the company's power technologies division, said: "This battery will improve power reliability in an area where it is vital. We have entered it for the Guinness Book of Records."

A spokesman from Guinness World Records said: "Well this battery certainly looks like being the biggest in the world, but of course we will have to check all the evidence when it comes in."
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Rosario, Argentina (Las Ultimas Noticias):

A planned mass escape from an Argentine jail backfired when a 225 pound prisoner got stuck.

Roque Vivas got stuck in a 12 inch hole dug in the ceiling by inmates of the prison at Rosario.

Five prisoners had already escaped but another 24 were waiting behind Vivas for their turn.

They ended up having to call prison guards to help their burly fellow convict, reports Las Ultimas Noticias.

A prison spokesperson said: "It was the funniest thing I've ever seen. This fat man was stuck from the waist down and shaking his legs.

"Then all the other prisoners looking really p***ed off because he stopped them from escaping."

The five men who managed to escape are still on the run.
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