SEPTA has suspended commuter rail service south of Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, because of a tractor-trailer accident south of Claymont.The truck swerved off Interstate 495 about six o’clock this morning. It ran through a chain link fence, crossed a grassy strip and a dirt service road, and came to rest, still upright, across three of four sets of railroad tracks.

Those tracks are used by Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor trains, SEPTA commuter trains, and Norfolk Southern freight trains.

Amtrak trains are making their way slowly past the site, but SEPTA has suspended service on its R-2 commuter line between Marcus Hook and Newark, Delaware. SEPTA trains are running from Marcus Hook north to Philadelphia.

Delays can be expected for a while on Amtrak trains between New York and Wilmington.

Traffic is slowing slightly on northbound Interstate 495 in the Edgemoor area of Delaware.

There is no word yet about any injuries or what caused the tractor-trailer to swerve off I-495.

An area truck driver is dead after his gasoline tanker rig collides with a dump truck near Nashville.

The victim has been identified as 21-year-old Robert Love of Park City, Ky. Love worked for Franklin-based Key Oil Company and was taking a load of fuel to Gallatin, Tenn., for delivery.

Hendersonville, Tenn., police said it appears Loves tractor trailer ran into the back of a dual-axle dump truck. Both vehicles were destroyed by the fire, which closed Vietnam Veterans Boulevard for hours.

The dump truck driver survived the crash.

The lower Fraser River is expected to stay high until Thursday but the threat of a serious flood is quickly receding.

The river peaked just above six metres on the Mission gauge over the weekend and is now expected to hover just below that level until this (Thursday) morning before dropping.

Provincial government officials now say there’s not enough snow left in the Fraser watershed to produce another higher peak later this month.

The major flood risk has diminished due to the snow, said Tony Cheong, the environment ministry’s forecasting manager.

He said the only thing that would now push the Fraser back up to dangerously high levels is a major rainstorm that soaks most of the province.

But so far, the weather continues to cooperate, with cool, unsettled conditions and some showers expected through the week.

Many flood-threatened homeowners in the Lower Mainland began to breathe easier last week as the River Forecast Centre gradually stepped down its earlier predictions of a peak of around 7.5 metres.

Even that level wouldn’t have overtopped river dikes “ as long as they held but it could have been catastrophic for unprotected homes outside the dikes.

While the threat is fading, officials are cautioning those residents not to let their guard down yet.

I wouldn’t be suggesting anybody remove their sandbagging, environment ministry spokesman Brian Symonds said. Until the water levels drop substantially there’s always a risk.

TransLink has restricted heavy trucks from the Albion ferry, but the river never reached a high enough level to force a complete shutdown. Likewise, West Coast Express service continued as scheduled Monday.

Province-wide there were 1,100 residents still on evacuation alert as of Monday.

On Barnston Island, one of the threatened areas, resident John Russell said he was impressed how multiple agencies worked together on emergency dike reinforcements and other preparations.

It was a great rehearsal I think, he said.

Russell would now like to see the near-panic on the Fraser this spring turn to committed action to raise dikes to newly determined standards.

A bit of work every year instead of a big flurry would be better, he said. But the year we have snow in the mountains seems to be the way they do it.

It’s estimated raising dikes at least one metre in much of the Lower Mainland would cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Unlicensed scrapyards are left with less than 10 days to comply with the law or face closure and the arrest and prosecution of their owners for running illegal businesses, says the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kenny Kapinga.

Offending scrapyard operators will also face the wrath of the Department of Sanitation and Pollution Control. The police chief says beginning June 22, police will enter any scrapyard to check if owners or operators have regularised with the law and licensing requirements.

“We will close down unlicensed ones, arrest the owners and prosecute them. We are going to deal with them,” he says. Police will also step up the monitoring of the transportation of scrap metal to ensure that the trucks used are licensed and keep a close eye on scrapyards that load or offload at night.

This comes after a meeting early last month between scrapyard owners and the police called against the backdrop of an escalation in the theft of vehicles and of cables belonging to the Botswana Power Corporation (BPC), the Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) and Botswana Railways, as well as the vandalising of the utilities’ property.

At the meeting, police said their investigations pointed to a link between these crimes and scrapyards, particularly illegal ones.

The three public utilities are losing millions of Pula repairing vandalised infrastructure instead of improving on service delivery.

The marauding metal thieves also go into private homes to uproot taps and water meters.

The Director of Waste Management and Pollution Control at the Ministry of the Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Enoch Naane has confirmed that his department will also step up inspections of scapyards:

“If we get there and someone fails to produce a licence, they will be in big trouble,” he warns, adding that among conditions of the licence are that owners must keep an up-to-date record of the origin of metal sold to them for ease of trace, keep an up-to-date audit, sort the metals according to size and material type, cut the metal to fit the trucks used to transport it, provide workers with protective clothing, and have sanitation and ablution facilities on the premises. Naane’s anti-pollution squad will act against any scrapyard owner or operator found polluting the environment. Mmegi is informed that since the meeting last month, 18 scrapyard owners have come forward for registration out of which three were rejected. More applicants are being processed.

Oh remember the days when one could afford to drive around town and sight see?

I remember when topping off my tank didn’t require a major section in my weekly budget. Now, it does.

There was a time when I figured gas expenses in with my “small stuff column. If I broke a $20 for something, I used the change for gas. Granted, sometimes it was the change from a couple of $20s, but the change still worked. It got me around town and I never felt pained over the price of gas.

Then the prices started heading up. Filling up my little Elantra went from $10 to $20 and then $30 and now it is headed for $40. I sometimes use two tanks of gas a week. That means $80 worth of gas.

Like many people in this world, $80 is not an amount that escapes notice in my weekly budget. It is an amount that gets a big red circle around it while I try to figure out all of the things I am going to have to stop doing to afford the $80.

I was watching television the other day and some talking head said we haven’t reached the “pain point” yet with regard to the price of gas and it might be somewhere around the $5 a gallon mark.

Let me make this clear, I have reached the pain point and I have a tiny little car. I can’t imagine people who have those large trucks and older cars.

The movie theater, once a favorite place for me, is now just a memory. Ditto for the local crafts store. My dog is sporting a home cut because he can either have a working “mommy” or a hair cut. I have to have gas to get to work and back, he doesn’t have to have a clip.

My waistline will do fine without the burgers from my favorite burger place, but I wonder what will happen to the economy over all when we all start cutting back on the things we can’t afford while the gas prices keep climbing.

Who knew having a simple four-door economy car would end up being a “luxury”?

Happy birthday Wednesday to Tia Kemp, Tammy Golston, David Henry Clark, Nathan Palmer, Nancy Haas, Tylyn Dehorney and Nelda Wimbish and her granddaughter, Tiara Wimbish, all of Denison; June Ragsdale, Ja’Nayja Sealess, James Michael Mims, Mariah Chapman and Nyla Rockins, all of Sherman; Molly Griffin Bowen of Auxvasse, Mo.; Chris Roder and Edna Earl Sears, both of Bells; Albert Ellis of Tom Bean.

Happy anniversary Wednesday to Kenneth and Barbara Arthur of Denison 48 years; David and Mary Sims of Knollwood, 15 years.

An inspection found that six of 20 bolts were missing from the utility truck boom that collapsed in Othello, killing an Avista worker and injuring a teacher.

Avista and the Department of Labor and Industries are trying to determine how the bolts came loose.

The accident occurred May 31st during an “egg drop” science experiment in front of 600 students, teachers and parents outside Hiawatha Elementary School.

What’s New on the 2007 Toyota Tacoma?
The current generation of Toyota Tacoma trucks was introduced for the 2005 model year–a short enough time to tell us we won’t see any huge changes this year. For 2007, Toyota has tweaked the Tacoma’s design and continues to offer the truck in plenty of configurations.

Look for slightly larger seats in the 2007 Tacoma and a new two-tone instrument panel. You’ll also see newly redesigned audio head units and chrome trim around the instrument cluster.

There’s now a manual disengage on the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) in trucks configured with that system.

Three Tacoma Cab Styles

• Regular Cab
• Access Cab (others call it an Extended Cab)
• Double Cab (others call it a Crew Cab)

Regular and Access Cab Tacomas have a 73.5″ bed. You can get the Double Cab with the same length bed or choose a shorter, 60.3″ version.

Regular and Access Cabs are available in 4×2 and 4×4 configurations, with 4-cylinder and V6 engines.

Tacoma PreRunner Tacomas have a 4×2 drivetrain, but the raised styling of a 4×4.
The X-Runner Tacoma is a sportier version of the Access Cab, with a V6 engine and 4×2 configuration. Read more about the 2007 Tacoma X-Runner.

Double Cab Tacoma trucks all have V6 engines and are available as 4×4s or in the 4×2 PreRunner configuration.

2007 Toyota Tacoma Engines

• 2.7-liter 4-cylinder that produces 159hp and 180 lb-ft. of torque. Choose a five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic.
• 4.0-liter V6 that produces 236hp and 266 lb-ft. of torque. Choose a six-speed manual transmission or a five-speed automatic.

Tacoma Wheelbase Specs

• Regular Cab 4×2: 109.4″
• PreRunner and 4×4 Regular Cab: 110″
• Access Cab 4×2 trucks: 127.2″
• Access Cab 4×4 and PreRunners: 127.8″
• Double Cab with standard bed: 127.8″
• Double Cab long beds:140.9″

Tacoma Towing and Cargo

• V6 Tacomas can tow up to 6,500 pounds
• You can get a factory roof rack system on Double Cab Tacoma trucks
• The popular composite inner bed remains. The bed offers two-tier loading, with integrated deck rails and tie downs.
• The Tacoma has small storage compartments in bed walls and a 115v/400W power unit is available.
• See pictures of bed accessories 2006 Tacoma trucks–they’re the same this year.

2007 Tacoma Safety Features

• Standard anti-lock brakes (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA)
• Vehicle Stability Control is available for all Tacoma trucks
• Optional Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system, which detects wheel slide during cornering and steps in to help control it with throttle intervention and brake controls at individual wheels
• Hill-start Assist Control (HAC) on trucks with an automatic transmission helps keep you from rolling backwards when you start the vehicle on a grade
• Dual-stage airbag system on all Tacoma trucks
• Front passenger airbag cutoff switch standard on Access Cab Tacoma trucks
• Optional front seat side airbags; roll-sensing side curtain airbags with new cutoff switch on Double Cab trucks

Tacoma SR5 Package

• Color-keyed overfenders and front bumper
• Chrome grille surround and chrome rear bumper
• Center console in models where it’s not standard
• Intermittent wipers and upgraded trim
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter lever in Access and Double Cabs
• Upgraded audio systems in Access and Double Cab Tacomas

Toyota Factory Warranty

• 36-month/36,000-mile basic new-vehicle limited warranty
• 60 months/60,000 miles powertrain warranty
• 60 months for corrosion, no mileage limitation

On June 12, General Motors announced the winners of the annual “Boss” Kettering awards, one of GM’s most prestigious engineering achievements. The 68 award winners from 13 teams will be recognized at a ceremony on June 26, at the GM Heritage Center in Sterling Heights, Mich.

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The “Boss” Kettering awards are GM’s highest internal recognition for technical innovation. The award is named for GM’s Charles F. “Boss” Kettering, the first head of GM’s Research and Development Laboratories and the originator of more than 140 patents. General Motors created the “Boss” Kettering award in 1976, on Charles F. Kettering’s 100th birthday to recognize GM researchers, scientists and engineers for bold new ideas and contributions. The awards honor individuals from every region of the globe whose outstanding inventions and innovations have demonstrated technological leadership and identifiable benefit to General Motors during the previous year.

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“Boss Kettering award winners have a unique and important role in our company’s success,” said Jim Queen, GM group vice president for global engineering. “As stretch thinkers and drivers of innovation, you serve as role models for everyone at GM, displaying the spirit, the determination and the commitment needed to lead the way in the 21st century.”

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This year’s award winners showcase GM’s focus on the use of technology to enhance the customer’s overall vehicle experience, increase vehicle safety, reduce product to market lead time, and increase manufacturing efficiency. The awards represent the efforts of GM employees around the world, illustrating the global reach of GM innovation. The 2006 “Boss” Kettering awards clearly represent GM’s commitment to changing the way the world drives.

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2006 “Boss” Kettering Award Winners

BELT-ALTERNATOR-STARTER TENSIONER DESIGN

The BAS Hybrid features a dual mode Belt-Alternator-Starter Tensioner that ensures proper belt tension in all hybrid operating modes. This innovative “industry first” design system optimizes overall belt tension and bearing loads at significantly reduced manufacturing cost.

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The Belt-Alternator-Starter Tensioner Design team award winners are Paul McVicar and Cynthia Thurston from GM Powertrain Product Engineering.

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CARGO MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The unique modular Cargo Management System utilizes three fasteners to attach to GM full-size pick-up trucks. The system does not add additional weight or cost to the vehicle and can be added at the assembly plant, dealership, or as an aftermarket product.

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The Cargo Management System team award winner is Brian Jutila from GMNA Product Development.

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EMULATION FOR VIRTUAL VALIDATION OF CONTROLLER LOGIC

The Emulation for Virtual Validation of Controller Logic offers engineers the ability to validate controls logic in a virtual environment, minimizing the cost and time required to bring products to market. Additionally, Virtual Validation of Controller Logic technology removes the validation process from the product launch critical path, supporting key launch timing strategy.

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The Emulation for Virtual Validation of Controller Logic team award winners are: Leandro Barajas, Stephan Biller, Fangming Gu, and Chengyin Yuan from GM Research and Development; and Dan Aufderheide, Jeff Byrnes, Gabriel DeMarco, Mark Emeott, Gerald Gurian and Demet Wood from Controls, Conveyors, Robotics & Welding Manufacturing Engineering.

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EXTENDED CAB PICKUP 170 DEGREE REAR DOOR

This innovative invention allows the rear vehicle door to fold almost flat against the pickup truck body with 170 degrees of rotation, enhancing vehicle accessibility. The invention utilizes a hidden hinge system which improves vehicle appearance.

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The Extended Cab Pickup 170 Degree Rear Doorteam award winner is Brad Pietryga from GMNA Product Development.

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INNOVATIVE CURTAIN AIRBAG SYSTEM WITH NEW FIXATION CONCEPT

This new airbag attachment system utilizes “industry first” clips which enable significant cost savings. The implementation of this technology complies with GM’s vehicle safety requirements and supports the EuroNCAP 5-Star rating for this product.

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The Innovative Curtain Airbag System with New Fixation Concept team award winners are: Frank Bonarens, Matthias Brunner, and Johannes Diehl from GM PE Airbag & Restraint Systems, Steering Wheels, and Labels; Waldemar Medla from GM Europe Vehicle Systems; and Benjamin De Buysscher from GM Belgium NV/Manufacturing Engineering.

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MAINTENANCE TOOLBOX DEVELOPMENT FOR GM POWERTRAIN PLANTS

The Maintenance Toolbox is a real-time plant-floor decision support tool which provides prioritized maintenance alerts, preventive maintenance opportunity window notification, throughput analysis, prioritized lists of failing machine components based on a total cost approach, and uses predictive maintenance techniques to optimize preventive maintenance intervals. The system enables the identification of machine components that have the largest cost impact considering frequency of failure, downtime and component cost, facilitating maximum manufacturing throughput.

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The Maintenance Toolbox Development for GM Powertrain Plants award winners are: Venkat Ram Dwibhashyam from GM Powertrain Manufacturing Engineering; Basel Shadid from the GM Powertrain St. Catharine’s Engine Plant; Leandro Barajas, Stephan Biller, Qing Chang, and Guoxian Xiao from GMNA Research & Development; and Pulak Bandyopadhyay from GM Research & Development – India.

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MATH-BASED POWERTRAIN TESTING & CALIBRATION

The Math-Based Powertrain Testing and Calibration process creates a “virtual test cell” from limited test data to produce significantly enhanced Powertrain calibrations. The use of this methodology produces calibrations that fully optimize fuel economy, performance, and quality. This technology provides a means to reduce product to market lead time, reduce cost and improve customer satisfaction via improved powertrain performance.

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The Math-Based Powertrain Testing & Calibration team award winners are: Julian Blair, Xu Han, William Howell, Pochuan Hsing, Joseph Kelly, Uday Korde, Rohit Paranjpe, and Xinyu Zhou of GM Powertrain Product Engineering; and Donald Jones from GMNA Product Development.

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ONSTAR VEHICLE DIAGNOSTICS

The OnStar Vehicle Diagnostic system enhances customer satisfaction and improves vehicle safety by utilizing a unique set of algorithms to collect key information. Using this information, OnStar sends a personalized e-mail to inform customers of their vehicle maintenance status. Additionally, GM engineers utilize the data to detect and address issues that may occur throughout the vehicle’s life cycle.

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The OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics team award winners are: John Correia, Walter Dorfstatter, Chester Huber, Neelie Kapral, Fahd Laghrari, Shane McCutchen, Christopher Oesterling, Steven Ross, and Steven Samolinski from OnStar.

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PARK ASSIST/REAR VIDEO OBJECT OVERLAY

This innovative invention is an integration of Rear Vision and Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist which is designed to warn drivers of objects located behind the vehicle. It features a visual “caution” symbol that significantly enhances customer satisfaction and safety.

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The Park Assist/Rear Video Object Overlay team award winners are: Charles Green and Kent Lybecker from GMNA Product Development.

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REAR END CARRIER “FLEX FIX”

This invention extends the load carrying capacity of the traditional vehicle to the rear exterior section. The load carrier is completely integrated into the vehicle’s rear end design utilizing underbody space. The invention allows the vehicle to extend load capacity without interfering with vehicle maneuverability or compactness.

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The Rear End Carrier “Flex Fix” team award winners are: Ralf Bechtold and Frank Leopold from the GM Vehicle Architecture & Innovation Center; Hendrick Hofmann from GM PE Body-in-White; Heiko Oetting and Sven Weinfurtner from GM Europe Adam Opel; and Thomas Uhlendorf from GM Europe Reuse Management.

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ROBOT DATA EXTRACTION AND VALIDATION TOOL

The Robot Data Extraction and Validation Tool is a robust analytical data-driven methodology utilizing assembly plant robot data to automatically validate manufacturing design intent. The tool drives plant efficiency and improves the quality of the weld verification process by reconciling any discrepancies between the design engineering intent and actual plant floor implementation. Weld verification is a critical process in maintaining the safety and structural integrity of the vehicle.

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The Robot Data Extraction and Validation Tool team award winners are: Eric Carlson, Laurie Francis-Krentz, Brian Miller, Assolime Santy-Ateyaba, James Singer, and Gary Snavely from GM Manufacturing Engineering; Roland Menassa and Jane Shi from GM Research & Development.

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STATE-COMPENSATED MISFIRE DETECTION

State-compensated misfire detection provides a novel mathematical approach to detecting engine misfire. This invention enabled the detection of misfires on high-performance engines without adding significant cost or hardware to the engine.

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The State-Compensated Misfire Detection team award winners are: Tameem Assaf, David Mathews, and David St. Pierre from GM Powertrain Product Engineering.

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TRANSITION CONTROL FOR ENGINE STOP-STARTS

These inventions enable the Belt-Alternator-Starter (BAS) Hybrid to have superior quality engine stop-starts and associated low-speed driveline control, while achieving excellent fuel economy. The inventions make possible a simpler, lower cost hybrid system that reduces the disturbance related to engine stop-starts and is critical to vehicle performance quality.

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Transition Control for Engine Stop-Starts team award winners are: William Aldrich III, Birendra Bhattarai, Donald Crites, Tony Hoang, Goro Tamai, James Worthing and Mark Zerbini from GM Powertrain Product Engineering.