hit-toques.com

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

The 1999 and 2000 year model Honda Civic SiR tops the list of Canada’s most stolen cars.

Consumer popularity also assures the cars will be popular with thieves. Its the second year in a row the Honda SiR has topped the list.

Rick Dubin Vice President of Investigations for the Insurance Bureau of Canada said “The Civics are easy targets.”

Dubin said that once stolen, the cars are most often sold to “chop shops” where thieves completely dismantle the vehicles. The automobile’s individual parts are worth more than the entire car.

The sheer numbers of the cars and their lack of theft deterrent systems make them thieves’ preferred choices.

1999 and 2000 Honda Civics do not come with an electronic immobilizer, however all Hondas from 2001 and onward are equipped with an immobilizer. Immobilizers will be mandatory on all new cars sold beginning September 2007. The devices enable an engine computer to recognize an electronic code in the key. If the code in the key and the engine don’t match exactly, the vehicle can’t be started.

In third place was the 2004 Subaru Impreza, while the 1999 Acura Integra came in fourth, with the 1994 Honda Civic rounding out the top five.

In sixth place, the 1998 Acura Integra, and the 1993 Dodge Shadow completed seventh.

When asked why early model vehicles are selected, he said that, “auto thieves continue to find it easier to steal older vehicles lacking an IBC-approved immobilizer. We’ve seen this trend developing for several years, and these results confirm it.”

Another Honda automobile, the 1996 year model Civic filled eighth place, with the 2000 German Audi TT Quattro in ninth.

The American 1996 Chevrolet/GMC Blazer rounded out the top ten.

None of the above cars had an electronic immobilizer.

Monday, March 23, 2009

According to the New York City Police Department (NYPD), George Weber, a longtime radio reporter for WABC in New York City, was found dead with several stab wounds to his body yesterday morning at his home in Brooklyn, New York. He was 47 years old, and would have turned 48 today. The NYPD has confirmed Weber’s death as a homicide and are waiting results from yesterday’s autopsy which should come in later today.

Weber worked for WABC for 12 years, appearing on such shows as Curtis and Kuby, giving news updates for listeners at the top and bottom of every hour. After he was laid off by the station last year due to a change in programing, he was working as a freelance reporter for ABC News Radio, a national network. In his career before WABC, he worked for KTLK and KMPC, located in Los Angeles, California and KGO in San Francisco, California.

“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the death of our colleague and friend George Weber, who was the victim of what police have deemed a homicide at his home in Brooklyn. An investigation has been launched by NYPD and we have been assisting them. Our condolences and prayers go out to George’s family and friends at this very difficult time. He really loved news radio and enjoyed being on the air and enjoyed the connection he had with his listeners. He also loved Brooklyn and his neighborhood,” said Steve Jones, the vice president of ABC News Radio in a statement released to the media.

Currently, the NYPD thinks that Weber was killed Friday while in bed. They are looking into the possibility that he was stabbed to death by a date, as there were no signs of a break-in into the apartment, and the front door was locked. The NYPD could not retrieve the weapon used in the homicide.

“News ran through his veins and arteries 24 hours a day. He wasn’t a rip-and-read newsman. He wanted to be there,” said Curtis Sliwa, who worked with Weber as a co-host at WABC, “And you know what his trick was? He’d pack up his dog, Noodles, a dachshund, and walk him there. People would see the dog, they’d pet the dog, they’d get a level of comfort with him. And then he could get them to talk.”

Monday, February 5, 2007

The return of Michael Dell as the Chief Executive Officer of computer making giant Dell marked a series of changes. In his memo to the employees of the company he founded, Michael Dell said that there will be no bonuses and that the company will reduce its management in an effort to cut costs.

2006 was not a financial success for Dell. It lost its leading market position to Hewlett-Packard, and the SEC started investigating Dell for possible accounting improprieties. Several executives also left during recent months.

The daily newspaper Austin American-Statesman reported the Rollins memo and posted on its website a copy of the e-mail. The e-mail was confirmed by Dell’s spokesman for the Associated Press.

Michael Dell’s memo also outlined the fact that all bonuses would be replaced by so-called “limited discretionary awards”. The beneficiaries of such awards will be all but senior management. There will also be a shortening in the period of stock investing.

Sunday, September 5, 2021

Since June 2019, the people of South Gippsland Shire, located at the southernmost tip of Australia, have been without a local council, after a state government inquiry found “high levels of tension” within the council. Administrators were appointed by the Victorian state government in July 2019, who have governed the shire since then. However, South Gippsland’s council is scheduled to be restored with an election to be held via post from October 5-22, 2021.

Wikinews interviewed one of the candidates standing in this election, Mat Morgan. He is running as a candidate in the Coastal-Promontory Ward, and is endorsed by the Australian Greens. The Coastal-Promontory ward covers towns such as Venus Bay, Waratah Bay, Yanakie, Foster, Port Welshpool, and Toora, and elects three councillors to the South Gippsland Shire Council.

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

In early May, Wikinews extended an invitation to Vitaly Filipchenko, an independent candidate in the 2021 New York City mayoral election, set to take place November 2nd, alongside other candidates. Filipchenko answered some questions about his policies and campaign during a phone interview.

Filipchenko, registered on the New York City Campaign Finance Board as Vitaly A. Filipchenko, is the first Russian candidate for New York City mayor, being born in Tomsk, Siberia in 1973, according to news agency Sputnik. He has since naturalised as a United States citizen. According to the web site, Filipchenko has been educated in road construction and maintenance and owns a moving services company; he describes himself on his web site as a “small business owner”. On his web site’s platform page, he says that “[m]y English may not be perfect – but my platform is.”

Incumbent Democratic mayor Bill de Blasio, who won re-election in the 2017 New York City mayoral election by 66.5%, cannot run for a third term under term limits. As of April 28, 22 candidates are currently running, the majority of whom are also Democrats. Ahead of the June Democratic primary for New York City mayor, a poll conducted May 23 and 24 by WPIX and Emerson College of 12 Democratic candidates with a margin of error of 3.2 per cent has former commissioner for the New York City Department of Sanitation Kathryn Garcia and Borough President of Brooklyn Eric Adams leading with 21.1% and 20.1%, respectively.

Wednesday, August 3, 2005

A two-story building caught fire yesterday afternoon on Boston Street in Lynn, Massachusetts. The fire engulfed the entire second floor and left nothing of the Essex County building.

According to a witness, the fire started while children were cooking french fries in an apartment on the second floor.

The fire took its toll on the firefighters, many were suffering from heat exhaustion. However, a tent was set up by a rehab truck, offering firefighters a chance to recover.

The fire was finally put out, however, some portions of the structure did reignite with small flames. Firefighters climbed onto the roof and began tearing it open in order to find the source of the ignition. A ladder truck also sprayed down the roof.

According to a witness, the roof was a tarred double roof, which may have been a factor that caused the fire to be so troublesome.

The first floor consisted of storefronts for a convenience store and a video store. The second floor held apartments.