Thieves steal boat fuel

August 7th, 2008

The one that got away isn’t a fish at the Lone Pine Inn on Madison Lake near Mankato. It’s a gasoline thief.

Angler Curt Schueneman says the fuel from his boat and others has been stolen twice this summer, most recently on Sunday night.

He suspects the thieves, or thief, is coming in from the lake late at night and siphoning gas to use in their own boat.

He thinks that because if the thieves drove up the gravel road to the lodge, someone would hear them. And since boat fuel is a mixture of gasoline and oil, it can’t be used in cars and trucks.

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Ameren Illinois among First with Hybrid Truck

August 6th, 2008

Fair visitors will have an opportunity to get an up close look at the new Ameren Illinois Utilities hybrid bucket truck when they visit the Discovery “Green” Tent at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation World Aug. 8 through 17.

In addition, the hybrid bucket truck will appear in the Illinois State Fair parade in Springfield this Thursday evening.

The Ameren Illinois Utilities are among the nation’s first utilities to take advantage of a bucket truck with the advanced hybrid technology.

Stolen 1,000 gallons of diesel

August 6th, 2008

The theft of 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel from two diesel tanks in a field near Lindsay has been reported to Tulare County sheriff’s deputies, officials said this morning.

The theft, which is believed to have occurred between April and July 7 of this year, was reported Monday. The amount of the loss was estimated at $5,000.

The tanks, belonging to R & H Paul Inc. of Lindsay, were in the area of Road 196 and Avenue 241 when they were broken into, deputies said.

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Stocks Rally on Oil

August 6th, 2008

Oil settled down $US2.24 a barrel at $US119.17 - almost $US30 below its highs in July.

After the Federal Reserve left rates unchanged, investors charged into stocks that suffered most during oil’s rise. The Amex Airline Index rallied 2.12, or 9.6 per cent, to 24.20, reaching its apex of the northern hemisphere summer.

American Airlines parent AMR surged $US1.26, or 13 per cent, to $US10.95. Ford Motor added US28 cents, or 5.8 per cent, to $US5.09, and General Motors rose US59c, or 5.8 per cent, to $US10.69, although the latter was down 57 per cent for the year to date.

Owing to the spikes in oil and petrol prices this summer, malls have lost customers, airlines have turned in massive losses and the auto market is such that a recent review of EBay showed sports utility vehicles less than five years old selling for a fraction of their purchase price.

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Rising fuel costs might raise Alabama Power rates

August 6th, 2008

Customers of Alabama Power Co. might see their rates go up as customers of some other Southeastern utilities have seen due to rising costs for coal and natural gas.

Alabama’s utility regulatory commission instructed its staff Tuesday to look into the amount Alabama Power is receiving to cover its fuel costs. The Public Service Commission acted after Alabama Power reported that it spent $24.6 million more on fuel in June than it recovered from its customers.

Alabama Power spokeswoman Jan Ellis said the utility has discussed its rising costs for coal and natural gas with the PSC, but it is premature to say what might happen in the coming months.

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Ontario airport hit hard by industry downturn

August 6th, 2008

Not long ago LA/Ontario International Airport was setting growth records. Airlines flocked to the Inland Empire airfield in what Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa hailed as the “great first steps” to regionalizing air travel in Southern California.

In a much publicized event last year, the mayor even helped welcome the start of an airline’s service at Ontario by donning a safety vest and directing an ExpressJet plane to its gate.

Come September, ExpressJet will no longer operate at Ontario, becoming one of the latest casualties of high fuel costs and a souring economy, which have grounded airline service across the country. Other domestic airlines, such as United, Delta, Southwest and JetBlue Airways, have slashed or eliminated service at Ontario as well.

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