Around the Valley -- West Satus Road Closed by Flooding -- Business, Computer Seminars Offered -- Yearly Antique Show On Tap for Weekend

West Satus Road Closed by Flooding

SATUS - Floodwaters caused the closure of West Satus RoadWednesday.

For the third time this winter, Satus Creek flooded the ruralroad, which had to be closed from Spencer Road to within about 800feet of State Route 22, said Yakima County road manager MattPietrusiewicz.

Pietrusiewicz said the high water likely stems from the meltingof heavy snowfall at higher elevations. Other county roads are notin danger of flooding at this time.

"Everything else is high and dry," he said.

The road will reopen when the water recedes, he said.

Business, Computer Seminars Offered

YAKIMA - The Yakima Valley Community College Business DevelopmentCenter will offer several seminars in March, including instructionin how to communicate in the workplace and how to develop anadvertising plan.

Seminars on computer programs such as QuickBooks, Microsoft Word,Excel, Access and Powerpoint also are available, in addition tosessions on using the Internet.

The seminars generally run three, six or eight hours. Costs vary.

To register, call the center at 574-4940.

Yearly Antique Show On Tap for Weekend

YAKIMA - Antiques and collectibles by the cabinet-load will be ondisplay during this weekend's annual Yakima Antiques Show & Sale.

The three-day show - which opens Friday morning in the ModernLiving Building at the Central Washington State Fairgrounds, 1301 S.Fair Ave. - features thousands of items, including furniture,glassware, pottery, jewelry, clocks, books, advertising signs, boxesand containers, tools, toys, dolls, art and memorabilia.

The show, now in its 18th year, is being directed by Californiaantiques "showman" Walter Larsen, a former psychology teacher whospends much of each year staging similar shows throughout the West.The Yakima exhibition draws dealers from throughout the Northwest.

Tickets, available at the door and good for the whole weekend,are $3 for general admission, $2 for seniors. Children get in forfree, and there's no charge for parking.

Gates are open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Fed: Newer not always better when it comes to safe cars

AAP General News (Australia)
08-11-2004
Fed: Newer not always better when it comes to safe cars

By Shaun Prescott

SYDNEY, Aug 11 AAP - Newer does not necessarily mean safer when it comes to cars, as
the latest safety ratings have found.

The Used Car Safety Ratings (UCSR) judged 73 older models of vehicles to rate above
the overall fleet average when it came to protecting drivers in crashes.

But more than 50 older model vehicles scored below average in the same test.

The analysis combined the results of more than 1.5 million on-road crashes which resulted
in over 400,000 drivers being injured.

It rated 255 second-hand vehicles built between 1982 and 2002 according to how well
they protected their occupants and how much harm they were likely to inflict on others.

Vehicles which provided the least protection were the 1991-96 Nissan NX sports car
and the 1985-98 Daihatsu Rocky four-wheel drive, both of which rated badly for occupant
protection and injury to others.

Small cars generally were judged to provide average protection, with four cars including
the 1996-98 Holden Astra and the 1998-01 Toyota Corolla ranking better than average.

Medium sized cars such as the 1995-2001 Ford Mondeo and the 1988-92 Holden Apollo/Toyota
Camry rated better than average, while large, luxury, and prestige cars widely displayed
high levels of protection, with the exception of the 1982-88 Commodore, which rated worse
than average.

Among the top rating vehicles in the luxury and prestige category were the 1986-98
Saab 9000, the 1984-92 Volvo 700/900 series, and the 1989-93 Toyota Cressida.

Only one commercial van, the Ford Falcon panel van, rated above average, while only
four of 29 sports cars rated better than average.

The analysis also found that four-wheel drives usually provided average protection
to their occupants, but were dangerous to occupants of other vehicles.

The analysis was funded by the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) and NRMA Motoring
and Services.

RTA Road Safety Strategy general manager Soames Job (Soames Job), warned there was
a 30 per cent higher chance of serious injury or death involved in driving the worst performing
vehicles.

"It is just as important to look at occupant protection when choosing a second-hand
car as it is when buying a new one," Dr Job said.

"If we all drove the top performing vehicles in their class we would see a dramatic
reduction in the road toll."

AAP students/smb/kbw/cjh/jlw

KEYWORD: CRASH (WITH FACTBOX)

2004 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Qld: Dutchman jailed for nine years for killing housemate

AAP General News (Australia)
04-01-2004
Qld: Dutchman jailed for nine years for killing housemate

A depressed Dutchman has been jailed for nine years for killing his 67-year-old housemate
in Brisbane.

MARTEN DOL was found guilty by a Brisbane Supreme Court jury of involuntary manslaughter
over the stabbing death of inventor WILLEM VAN DER HORST in their home in Cleveland in
April, 1999.

After an eight day trial, the 43-year-old has been acquitted of murder but convicted
of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

The hair salon owner, who was on medication for a major depressive illness and back
pain, was found to be suffering an abnormality of the mind - which impaired his mental
capabilities.

The court was told DOL stuffed a tea towel in Mr VAN DER HORST'S mouth to stop him
talking, cut his wrist, crushed sleeping tablets and put them in his coffee and stabbed
him twice in the back.

AAP RTV ap/sc/jo/rp

KEYWORD: DOL (BRISBANE)

2004 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Qld: Election campaign takes a pause for floods

AAP General News (Australia)
01-16-2004
Qld: Election campaign takes a pause for floods

By AAP correspondents

BRISBANE, Jan 16 AAP - The Queensland election campaign took a break today as Premier
Peter Beattie made a detour to inspect flooded areas of central Queensland.

Political foes called a truce in campaigning for the February 7 poll, as Mr Beattie
joined National Party stalwart Vaughan Johnson in Longreach where the Thomson River had
broken its banks and was expected to peak on Sunday.

Standing shoulder to shoulder, the pair presented a united front in contrast to an
election campaign already marred by allegations of …

Vic: New home approvals rise sharply in Victoria

00-00-0000
Vic: New home approvals rise sharply in Victoria

Figures released by Australia's peak building industry body show new home sales andapprovals across Victoria rose sharply in June.

The Housing Industry Association figures show new home sales jumped 21 per cent to2,858 over June in Victoria, making Victoria's sales in this area the highest for allAustralian states.

Nationally, the sale of new homes rose by a modest 0.4 per cent for the same period.

HIA Victoria executive director JOHN GAFFNEY says the survey confirms predictions thata soft landing is assured for the housing market, particularly in Victoria.

He says new home buyers have remained confident on the back of low interest rates andcompetitively-priced new homes.

AAP RTV gfr/sco

KEYWORD: HOMES VIC (MELBOURNE)

Vic: Council rates to rise: report

AAP General News (Australia)
04-22-2003
Vic: Council rates to rise: report

Victorians reportedly face large increases in council rates this year to cover a string
of financial disasters that have hit the state's municipalities -- including a $114 million
superannuation black hole.

According to The Age, home owners and businesses have been warned to expect rate increases
of more than 5 per cent for the 2003-04 financial year in most regions, and rises could
exceed 10 per cent in some.

Municipal Association of Victoria chief executive ROB SPENCE reportedly says councils
are facing their toughest financial year since he entered local government in the 1980s.





He says the unforseen costs include a superannuation shortfall caused by a 35 per cent
collapse in international share prices.

Other expenses include an expected 30 per cent rise in public liability insurance,
a minimum 17 per cent increase in metropolitan fire levies, and a large bill to meet new
WorkCover rules on garbage and aged-care workers.

AAP RTV ag/rt

KEYWORD: RATES (MELBOURNE)

2003 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Fed: More rain expected for Canberra today

00-00-0000
Fed: More rain expected for Canberra today

More much needed rain is forecast for Canberra today.

The Weather Bureau says it's forecasting a shower or two and the chance of a …