Rialto Strip Club Linked to Policee Sex Probe. (by Josh Dulaney) San Bernardino County Sun

Rialto strip club linked to police sex probe

by:Josh Dulaney, Staff WriterSan Bernardino County Sun:

RIALTO - Internal investigators are probing claims that police officers were having sex on duty with employees of a popular strip club on Riverside Avenue, authorities said Monday."We've got confirmation that employees of the Spearmint Rhino were involved with officers in our department," Police Chief Mark Kling said.

Nancy Holtgreve, a 37-year-old server at the club, told the department in May that she had sex with Officer James Dobbs three times last year at the Rialto Police Benefit Association's union hall after she left work and while Dobbs was on duty.

Holtgreve said she and her co-workers after shifts frequently met Dobbs and other officers at a nearby 24-hour restaurant.

Neither police nor Holtgreve would confirm whether the other Spearmint Rhino employees were exotic dancers.

Holtgreve said she brought the allegations to the department because she feared for her safety when Dobbs allegedly abused and threatened her after she demanded he pay child support for their three-month-old son.

Phone messages to Dobbs though the union, at the police station and on his personal voicemail were not returned Monday."We know where Nancy works," Kling said. "We have talked to a number of people in this investigation and the investigation has taken us to a business and some homes."

Four officers have been placed on paid administrative leave while the department conducts an internal investigation.

Kling would not confirm the names of the officers on leave, citing the investigation.

Councilman Ed Scott, who owns a different downtown bar, said Monday he had heard rumors from his patrons that women who work at the Spearmint Rhino were involved with Rialto police officers."For about a week, that's what I had heard," Scott said.

Scott said he was very concerned about the allegations of officer misconduct."I'm concerned that a small group of them would be involved in any conduct like that with employees of any business," he said. "It certainly isn't the Spearmint Rhino's fault."

Kathy Vercher, the club's president and chief operating officer, said she was not aware of the investigation and did not want to comment.

The president of the Rialto police union said Monday he, too, was unaware of any misconduct at the union hall."I can unequivocally tell you that I've had no knowledge of that happening at the union hall," Sgt. Richard Royce said. "That's not what the hall is for. I do not condone and my membership doesn't condone that kind of activity."

Dobbs sometimes wanted to have sex at the union hall, where there were at least two beds, Holtgreve alleges.

Royce said there are beds in the hall, but those are for officers who need to rest after working double or graveyard shifts.

The hall, which is located near Ayala Drive and Base Line, is generally used by officers during off-shift activities and official union business, Royce said.

Royce said every union member has a key to the building, and "a lot" of city employees have one too. But the union, in light of the allegations, has authorized funding for security upgrades that include new locks and potentially a surveillance system, he said."When this came to my attention, we took immediate steps to prevent it from happening," Royce said, but added: "I'm not saying it happened."Only union members will continue to have a key or code to enter the building, Royce said."That's what they pay their dues for," he said.

The Dodge/Cummings Partnership: How it all began.

The Dodge/Cummins Partnership: How It All Began.

With Cummins recent multi-year extension of its current agreement with Chrysler (announced earlier this year), some may wonder how the Cummins partnership with Chrysler began. The legacy of the Cummins/Chrysler relationship and the Cummins Turbo Diesel started in the early '80s.

Early in 1981, Cummins began looking for partners to use its B Series engines in both on- and off-highway applications. Cummins pursued U.S. truck manufacturers and seemed to be pretty close to a deal with GM Truck, but GM decided to go in a different direction. Meanwhile, Cummins proposed the development of a 5-cylinder version of the B Series engine for Ford. However, Ford also decided not to proceed with Cummins as a supplier.

Meanwhile, the same year, Chrysler began actively searching for an appropriate diesel engine. Chrysler talked with several diesel engine suppliers, but for some reason, relationships did not progress. Chrysler was impressed with Cummins and the performance and fuel economy of its 4-cylinder engine, but was concerned about the inherent vibration qualities of an inline 4-cylinder engine. Chrysler determined that the 6-cylinder engine would be too big to fit in their trucks, so they asked Cummins to make a 5-cylinder engine. Cummins entertained the idea, but decided to decline. At this point, the relationship looked like it would not progress.

Chrysler and Cummins maintained contact over the next couple of years and as Cummins learned that Chrysler was considering the Navistar 6.9L for their Dodge trucks, Cummins started to do some serious rethinking. One of the original goals for the B Series engine was for it to be short enough to fit the GM midrange truck, which had a pretty short engine bay. With a little investigation, Cummins realized that its 6-cylinder B Series was the shortest 6-cylinder diesel in existence. That's when interest really picked up. In 1983, Cummins asked Chrysler for a set of engine compartment drawings for the Dodge pickup to determine if its six-cylinder B Series engine might fit. The results looked positive, which sparked new interest from Chrysler. Cummins then sent Chrysler a non-running engine to install in a Dodge pickup. Chrysler evaluated the installation and felt there were some challenges, but no showstoppers.

The next hurdle was when Chrysler realized that they didn't have enough resources within the company to take on the engineering task required to install the diesel in a gas pickup. Cummins offered to be Chrysler's outside engineering contractor, and together Chrysler and Cummins created a new, unique system for Cummins to do the engineering, design and testing under the supervision of Chrysler Engineering. Putting a diesel engine in a gas pickup was no small task. The changes required included:
Moving the radiator yoke and radiator forward four-plus inches to make room for the longer engine
Changing the fuel system from gas to diesel including an in-tank pump, fuel-return line, fuel filter, heater, and water separator
Using a larger battery, cables and stronger battery tray
Using a larger-diameter exhaust system
Using a stronger drivetrain for the low-rpm high-torque engine: torque converter, clutch, automatic and manual transmissions, front and rear axles, prop shafts, 4WD transfer case
Adapting engine to transmission and clutch housing
Using a heavier front suspension to support much heavier engine and driveline
Increasing the cooling capacity: radiator, shroud, fan, fan drive
Adding an engine cooler
Adding a vacuum pump for brakes and heater controls
Certifying brakes for different weight distribution
Changing instrument panel for appropriate diesel function warning lights
Adding electric controls for intake manifold heater
Utilizing a larger starter
Utilizing a large enough alternator to support the electrical system
Rearranging items in the engine compartment to fit with the diesel engine
Designing the front-end engine accessories to fit
Designing many new wiring harnesses throughout the truck

Another challenge was the lack of space in Chrysler's truck assembly plant. To work around this, Cummins set up a new facility in the Detroit area to dress engines and transmissions sequenced to the truck plant build schedule. The power plants were shipped in exact sequence for truck build in a just-in-time manner.

Although Chrysler knew that the Cummins engine had the best fuel economy, towing capacity and performance, Chrysler forecasted only 10,000 units the first year. Chrysler began taking diesel pickup orders in June 1988 – and by January 1989, they had 22,000 orders from dealers and had to stop taking orders. And the rest is history. Twenty-one years later, Cummins continues to be the exclusive diesel engine supplier for the Ram Heavy Duty, continuing the Chrysler/Cummins partnership and carrying its legacy into the future.

Summary provided courtesy of Turbo Diesel Register.

©2010 Cummins Inc., Direct Marketing, Mail Code 60610, 500 Jackson Street, Columbus, IN 47201 U.S.A.

Documents Show Media Plotting to Kill Stories about Rev. Jeremiah Wright (Western Journalism by Caleb) July 20, 2010

Documents Show media plotting to kill stories about Rev. Jeremiah Wright

| Western Journalism.com

Censored News

Documents Show media plotting to kill stories about Rev. Jeremiah Wright

Posted by Caleb on July 20, 2010 ·

It was the moment of greatest peril for then-Sen. Barack Obama's political career. In the heat of the presidential campaign, videos surfaced of Obama's pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, angrily denouncing whites, the U.S. government and America itself. Obama had once bragged of his closeness to Wright. Now the black nationalist preacher's rhetoric was threatening to torpedo Obama's campaign.

The crisis reached a howling pitch in mid-April, 2008, at an ABC News debate moderated by Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos. Gibson asked Obama why it had taken him so long – nearly a year since Wright's remarks became public – to dissociate himself from them. Stephanopoulos asked, "Do you think Reverend Wright loves America as much as you do?"

Watching this all at home were members of Journolist, a listserv comprised of several hundred liberal journalists, as well as like-minded professors and activists. The tough questioning from the ABC anchors left many of them outraged.

"George [Stephanopoulos]," fumed Richard Kim of the Nation, is "being a disgusting little rat snake."

Others went further. According to records obtained by The Daily Caller, at several points during the 2008 presidential campaign a group of liberal journalists took radical steps to protect their favored candidate. Employees of news organizations including Time, Politico, the Huffington Post, the Baltimore Sun, the Guardian, Salon and the New Republic participated in outpourings of anger over how Obama had been treated in the media, and in some cases

plotted to fix the damage.

In one instance, Spencer Ackerman of the Washington Independent urged his colleagues to deflect attention from Obama's relationship with Wright by changing the subject. Pick one of Obama's conservative critics, Ackerman wrote, "Fred Barnes, Karl Rove, who cares — and call them racists."

Michael Tomasky, a writer for the Guardian, also tried to rally his fellow members of Journolist: "Listen folks–in my opinion, we all have to do what we can to kill

BS Ranch Perspective:

I thought that the Press was only watched and told what was going to be in the paper's by the White House when Woodrow Wilson was in Office. I even believe that Franklin Delinor Roosevelt had some control of what was placed in the New's Especially during World War II! But to have it still happen in todays day and age was just a little big over the top for my liking!!

BS Ranch

State Funding Mess Prompts Closer Look at City of Bishop (Ca.) Projects (Inyo Register July 13, 2010) By Mike Bodine

State funding mess prompts closer look at city projects

Tuesday, 13 July 2010

By Mike Bodine Register Staff 7-13-2010 The Bishop City Council is asking Public Works to pull in the reins and slow down on the incredible amount of projects being pursued in the city. One of the agenda items at the council's retreat on July 6 was the prioritization of Public Works projects. The council worried about getting stretched too far out, financially, with projects that are primarily funded through a reimbursement process by the state. The state has yet to pass a budget and is facing a $20 billion deficit. Water and sewer projects that usually accompany road projects, because it is less expensive to replace underground infrastructure with the asphalt removed, are paid for through city Water and Sewer fees. Part of these fees go to an emergency fund that pays for things like the sewer repair on Hanby Street. The council said it wanted to make sure that emergency fund does not diminish too much, in case of another emergency. Public Works has explained that with the sour economy, bids for jobs are at an unprecedented low – a buyers market. Public Works Director Dave Grah said bids are as much as one-third lower than normal. Councilmembers said they trust Grah and all praised him and his department for the vast amount of repair and maintenance to the infrastructure of the city, improvements that the council credited to Grah. The retreat was not intended to give direction to department heads but for discussion. "We rely on his (Grah's) judgement," Councilmember Bruce Dishion said. "We just needed more details about what is going on." At the retreat, the council asked Grah to clarify why and how certain projects are prioritized the way they are. Grah explained with spread sheets and data how uncontrollable factors like weather affect projects, be it pouring concrete or pavement. He also explained that funding from the state is very unpredictable, not only with which projects will be funded, but when. City Administrator Pick Pucci said that, unfortunately, the state also has the "ultimate jurisdiction" to pull money from a project at any time. Councilmember Dave Stottlemyre said the council expressed to Grah its concerns about the difficult economic times, and that the council felt there were too many projects moving forward at once. "Our main emphasis," Stottlemyre said, "was to identify smaller projects, and slow down a bit, exercising the fiscal responsibility of the council." Stottlemyre added the council did not want to "get caught too far out" with projects when the state plainly cannot be trusted to reimburse the city. Councilmember Laura Smith reiterated Stottlemyre's sentiments in that even though bids for jobs are low, it's best not to go ahead with too many projects at once. Councilmember Susan Cullen said that Public Works is being asked to focus on a single major construction project per year. The next project the state has agreed to fund will be Project A that includes repaving, water and sewer maintenance on North Third Street and Short Street. The next project will be the Warren Street project that is at least five years out, Grah said. The Warren project would include burying overhead utilities. The Warren Street project raised the concerns of the council when Grah said he wanted to transfer funding to Warren from the Sneden and Pine Street projects where $50,000 of preliminary studies has already been completed. Grah explained that the studies can be used in the future when funding for that project comes along. Grah added that in the future, as state funding fluctuates, the city may have several projects going on at once, but major construction will try and be limited to once a year. Grah said the council will continue to be updated on projects during department head reports at council meetings.