“Sun shines on the Spirit of Shrewsbury - Worcester Telegram & Gazette” plus 4 more

Sun shines on the Spirit of Shrewsbury - Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Elizabeth man dies after shooting in Linden - Newark Star-Ledger
Towing companies hired by the town don't play by the rules - Greenwich Time
Open & Shut: A-1 Brews comes to Burlington; Books-A-Million closing - Times-News
Seasoned mechanic dives into dream - MLive.com

Sun shines on the Spirit of Shrewsbury - Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Posted: 27 Sep 2009 02:32 PM PDT

SHREWSBURY — With torrential downpours putting a crimp last year in the Spirit of Shrewsbury celebration, one of the organizers of this years event, Sabina Terrades, was determined not to let the weather ruin her plans.

' So she rented a tent.

Last year, we had a monsoon, Ms. Terrades said yesterday on the front lawn of Oak Street Middle School, where more than 100 vendors set up shop. Only a few exhibitors showed up. We didnt need the tent this year the day has been absolutely beautiful but I think from now on, were going to have one. Rain is forecast for today, however.

It has been a good weekend to live in or near Shrewsbury, which has had and will have today a wide range of activities for families and adults. This is the 13th consecutive year the town has held a fall festival, which also included events earlier in the month. Dean Park, the Town Common and the middle school, as well as various local businesses collectively hosted thousands of people yesterday.

New residents wishing to learn more about their community or opportunities in the area had to look no further than the lawn of Oak Middle School, which featured 105 local and regional vendors yesterday. Banks, contractors and auto repair shops pitched their businesses to passers-by. Student groups at the high school sold gear and raised money for their clubs. Firefighters dished out chili while kids stood in line waiting for soft serve ice cream. Parents from the Special Education Advisory Council advised parents of students with special needs, while a local artists guild solicited new members.

Front and center at the Artist Guild of Shrewsburys booth was a drawing of one of the towns celebrities, the late Anthony A. Spag, Borgatti Jr., of the Route 9 bargain store, Spags.

The drawing, by Shrewsbury artist Cynthia Opacki, was a conversation starter for the 12-year-old community arts organization.

If someone is sitting at home in Shrewsbury, thinking about looking at a piece of art, theyre not going to go to our Web site, said Fay C. Morrison, chairwoman of the organization. Being here helps get us recognized.

By midafternoon, the Artist Guild had signed up five new members.

Angela Snell, parks and recreation director for the town, used the town expo to kick off a fundraising campaign for the playgrounds.

Residents bid on 40 decorated rubber ducks, some of which came with prizes including Patriots tickets.

Ms. Snell acknowledged she wouldnt have had an opportunity to reach out to as many people if not for the booth at the expo.

For some people, the Spirit of Shrewsbury was simply about meeting friends and spending time with neighbors.

Sondra Knowles and her son, Connor, 6, came to the middle school to watch her daughter, 13-year-old Kya, who was performing in an outdoor dance show.

Ive seen a ton of people I know, already, Ms. Knowles said.

Events today include a family funfest from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the middle school, a parade at 1 p.m. starting at Beal School, and a jack-o-lantern display at 7 p.m. in front of the library.

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Elizabeth man dies after shooting in Linden - Newark Star-Ledger

Posted: 27 Sep 2009 01:27 PM PDT

By The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk

September 27, 2009, 4:28PM

LINDEN -- An Elizabeth man who was shot on Thursday has died from his wounds, according to a statement by the Union County Prosecutor's Office.

Jesus Mastre, 35, was at an auto repair shop at 322 Second St. in Elizabeth on Sept. 24, when Samuel Diaz came into the store and shot him, Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow said.

Mastre was taken to University Hospital in Newark, where he was in critical condition after undergoing surgery, Romankow said. Mastre died on Saturday, the report said.

Authorities are saying that Diaz, 39, of Linden, had once dated Mastre's current girlfriend.

During the police investigation, a description of Diaz was sent to local authorities. On Friday at around 9 a.m., Linden police officer Angel Padilla, was patrolling in a marked car when he spotted a man fitting Diaz's description. Padilla made a U-turn to get a closer look, and the man, later identified as Diaz, pulled out a handgun and fatally shot himself, according to the statement.

A ballistics test has confirmed that Mastre and Diaz were killed by the same gun, Romankow said.

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Towing companies hired by the town don't play by the rules - Greenwich Time

Posted: 27 Sep 2009 01:49 PM PDT

When police see a car parked illegally or left unattended for an extended period of time, towing companies are waiting by the phone, day or night, weekday or weekend, ready to remove the vehicle quickly.

When drivers attempt to get their cars back, however, it is a different story, particularly on weekends.

Nearly every towing company used by the police department is closed on Sunday and has limited hours on Saturday. So if a driver's car is towed on the weekend, chances are the owner won't see it again until Monday morning.

Police say they have no control over the issue. Towing companies say there is a little they can do to accommodate everyone after hours. But state law says that if a company is holding a car for an unreasonable amount of time, it is breaking the law.

According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, towing companies who enter contracts with a town to perform "wrecker services" are required to release the towed vehicle to its owner upon request, even if it is after hours.

"The wrecker service shall permit the owner, or person legally entitled to custody of a motor vehicle to claim a stored motor vehicle at any time including times outside its hours of operation," states the department's regulations posted on its Web site.

Bill Seymour, spokesman for the department, said if a company refuses a request to release a car after hours, or within a reasonable amount of time, they are not following the law. Seymour said the

company is entitled to charge a fee for releasing a car after hours, however.

"If they flatly deny (a request), then they are not in compliance with the law," said Seymour, who noted that the towing companies must also register its hours of operation with the state.

The law also stipulates that if there is an emergency need for the vehicle, or property inside the vehicle, it must be released within a "reasonable time."

Despite the regulations enforced by the state, towing companies hired by the town to perform services for the police department freely admit they are not always available to release cars over the weekend.

John Wood, shop manager of Round Hill Service, a towing and auto repair business at 369 Round Hill Road, said it is difficult to staff the facility around the clock.

"Typically the car owner will have access to their car during regular business hours," said Wood. "If special arrangements are made, it is possible to allow access to the vehicle after hours, but typically that would have to be made in advance."

Round Hill Service is closed Sunday and only offers limited hours on Saturday, common hours of operation for most towing companies.

The police department works directly with Round Hill Service and several other towing companies in town and in Stamford. The companies operate on a rotating schedule.

Although the towing companies are readily accessible to police, it does not seem to be the case for drivers.

At My Way Autobody, at 36 Gleason Ave., Stamford, a store manager who did not identify himself said they were closed Saturday and Sunday and are only on call for police. The manager said in most cases, the owner would need to wait for regular business hours to pick up the car.

"There are some circumstances. We can take their number and if we are coming down they can meet us," said the owner.

Although many companies said there was little anyone could do to get their car on a weekend, some like Greenwich Automotive Services said they are happy to get the vehicles off its lot. However, it comes with a fee.

"We are available to release it after hours, but it does come with a standard fee," said Steve Peterson, towing manager at Greenwich Automotive Services, located at 111 West Putnam Avenue. "If someone wants to pay to get their car out early, we usually want to get rid of (the car)."

When a vehicle is towed, police make a report and log the information on the computer and in a book, which is stored at headquarters. By keeping track, police are able to distinguish if a car is missing, or if it has just been towed. However, when it comes to getting the car out over the weekend, police said the power lies with the towing companies.

"If the vehicle is in violation, it is going to be towed," said Lt. Daniel Allen of the Greenwich Police Department. "It is up to the operator to arrange with the tow company to pick it up. Unfortunately, they are going to have to deal with the hours of that company. We don't control that."

The town's law department is responsible for making and maintaining contracts between the police department and the towing companies. Town Attorney John Wayne Fox did not return call for comment on the issue.

Seymour said drivers who encounter trouble getting their cars back can file a complaint with the DMV by calling 860-263-5055.

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Open & Shut: A-1 Brews comes to Burlington; Books-A-Million closing - Times-News

Posted: 27 Sep 2009 11:26 AM PDT

There's a new place to buy your suds in Burlington.

A1 Brews, a specialty beer store, has moved from Mebane to the Savannah West Shopping Center in Burlington. The new address is 1145 C St. Mark's Church Road.

New features in the store are two large coolers to house both individual bottles and six packs, beer tastings to be held every Friday, 3 to 7 p.m. and a TV sitting area to relax after (or during) a hectic workday.

The store hours are Tuesday through Thursday noon to 7 p.m., Friday noon to 8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 6 p.m. The store is closed Monday.

"The store continues to have an individually priced bottle section that allows customers to create their own six packs," they say. "Customers particularly enjoy this feature. There is no premium price placed on the individual bottle. They are priced the same as a six-pack.

Over 350 varieties of imported and domestic micro-brewed beers are available. You can contact Tom Gamble at 270-5064 to request that other beers be stocked.

BOOKS-A-MILLION at Burlington Square Mall is closing.

October 17 will be the store's last day.

A store manager said the book seller's corporate office made the decision to close, not necessarily based on the Burlington store's sales performance.

Books-A-Million won't hold any clearance sales before the closing. Its hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

BURLINGTON HAS a new salon.

Salon rondavid is at 3262 S. Church St. in Stan's Plaza. Owners David Carden and Ron Howard offer shampoos, cuts for men and women, styling, colors and permanents.

The hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday

Call 584-4418.

BLUE TECHNOLOGY SERVICES has moved its office to 1353 S. Church St. across from Mayberry at the Park.

Owner Michael Nelson has been in business for nearly three years. The business moved from Alamance Road earlier this month.

Blue Technology Services does computer and networking work for businesses and also offers home computer repair services in their office.

The company is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

"Our new location will enable us to better serve the technology needs of Alamance County's business community" they said.

The phone number is still 270-9258.

DOTTIE'S DINER in Graham has new owners.

David Stewart and Larry McMullen took over the restaurant about three months ago. They've added some items to the lunch special menu and lowered the price of lunch specials to $5.25.

The diner, at 133 Auto Park Drive in Graham, is open 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 5:30 a.m. to 11:30a.m. on Saturday. The phone number is 229-6264.

Open & Shut runs on Mondays and tracks local restaurants, retailers and other businesses we're interested in. Got something for Open & Shut? Contact Brent Lancaster at brent_lancaster@link.freedom.com or 506-3040. Our fax number is 229-2463.

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Seasoned mechanic dives into dream - MLive.com

Posted: 27 Sep 2009 04:23 AM PDT

By Jennifer Wezensky | Kalamazoo Gazette

PORTAGE

Calvin C. Caswell picked an interesting time to follow his dream.

The 52-year-old Portage resident had wanted his own auto repair business for 30 years. Earlier this month, everything fell into place, and he opened Triple C Full-Service Auto Repair at 10028 Shaver Road in Portage.
Calvin Caswell.jpg View full sizeJonathon Gruenke | Kalamazoo GazetteCalvin Caswell looks underneath a GMC Sonoma truck as he tries to figure out what is is wrong with the transmission Tuesday afternoon. Caswell has just opened a new auto repair business, Triple C Full-Service Auto Repair, last week.
While the poor economy makes the idea of starting a business seem risky, Caswell said his services are actually more in demand in down times because people are repairing their cars rather than buying new ones.

"I like to do a lot of work myself," said customer Jon Kachniewicz, a retired teacher from Vicksburg High School and coach of the Vicksburg junior varsity football team. But, he said, "There are things that I can't do. I want someone who is a car guy to work on my cars."

"Auto repair is kind of a lost art," said Caswell, whose father was a mechanic for 50 years. A car-lover and avid drag racer, Caswell said he found that like his father, he was mechanically inclined. He got started in the business after graduating from Vicksburg High School.

As cars have evolved, he said, so has repair work.

"It used to be that tune-ups were a lot more common," Caswell said. "Now they (cars and trucks) don't need tune-ups until about 100,000 miles. Brakes last longer than they used to."

The most common repairs are brake and suspension work, head-gasket work and intake-gasket work — all of which, Caswell said, sustain a strong market for independent auto-repair businesses.

For Caswell, a community and personal highlight of starting his business is reviving a commercial space that had been vacant for almost 10 years — and that once housed Pifer's Country Motors.

Caswell worked for Pifer decades ago, at the start of his career. Caswell's wife, Michelle, said a friend who worked at Pifer's with Caswell heard about the shop opening "and he said, 'I heard you're going home.'"

Michelle Caswell left another job to help her husband in the new venture, working to greet customers, book work orders and manage paperwork. Calvin Caswell said that although many people in their early 50s might be planning for retirement, he plans to keep working for a long time because it keeps him young.

"I said 'absolutely, I think that's a great idea (to open your own shop),'" Michelle said. " I've always been behind him, no matter what he decides to do."

Caswell had worked for another area garage for more than 20 years when he decided to strike out on his own. The Vicksburg native said he hopes the large following of customers he has served over the years will appreciate his new shop's "family atmosphere."

Triple C has five car bays, which Caswell said should allow it to handle customer traffic as it grows. He said he hopes to eventually grow to four or five employees and that he expects his 28-year-old son, Trevor, to join him in the business.

Michelle Caswell said her husband had all the tools necessary to start the business but that a large initial investment was required to get the shop up and running. Although they would not disclose figures, the couple said they funded the start-up out of their own pockets.

"We basically took a great leap of faith," Michelle Caswell said.

Kachniewicz said Caswell's work should make that big leap a success.

"Calvin is trustworthy, and I know it's going to be done right," he said of Caswell.

"He sticks with it until he's got it figured out," said another customer, Thom Kelley, of Kalamazoo. "Not everyone will do that. He's probably the best mechanic I've ever run across in all my life."