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|Highline Electric to celebrate 75 years Tuesday
|Written by Darci Tomky
It's been 75 years of history in the making, and Highline Electric Association is set to celebrate its anniversary at the annual meeting Tuesday, March 26 at Phillips County Event Center in Holyoke.
The celebration kicks off with a meal at 5 p.m., allowing plenty of time for members to view an impressive display of photos highlighting the history of the rural electric company.
It'll be a fun night to reminisce, said event organizers Nancy Berges, Highline member services director, and Dixie Fagerlin, member services specialist.
"It's a good way to capture the history and not let it be forgotten," said Fagerlin, noting the fun they've had looking through old photos and having former employees help identify just who and what those photos contained.
Boyce Wernet and Ron Morgan demonstrate at a Highline display during the 1971 annual meeting.
In addition to the display, a history booklet will be handed out, and a video will showcase interviews about how far Highline has come in the past 75 years.
The business meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. when 2012 will be reviewed and members will be updated on the issues Highline sees for 2013 and beyond.
There will be an election for one director from Districts 1, 2, 3 and 4. The four incumbents seeking election are Leo Brekel, District 1; Steve Oestman, District 2; Ted Carter, District 3; and Merl Miller, District 4. The election will be by voice vote, as allowed in the bylaws, if there is not competition for the office to be filled.
The celebration evening will be completed with lots of door prizes as well as some entertainment. Child-sitting services will be provided during the business portion of the meeting.
Johnson, Nelson first consider rural electrification in 1930s
Today, Highline Electric Association serves 11 counties in northeast Colorado and southwest Nebraska, with over 50 employees out of offices in Holyoke, Sterling and Ovid.
Highline serves 10,751 meters and covers 5,141 miles of line, with total revenue for 2012 at $53,981,243.
Through 2012, Highline's accrued patronage capital was $92,062,159, including $45,579,987 of equity in Tri-State. Refunds total $35,004,505, leaving $57,057,654 of unrefunded capital credits.
"What a world we live in, and with that, how things have changed since the first farmsteads of our communities were electrified," said board president Mike Bennett. It took many years for the invention of the incandescent light bulb in 1879 and the first central power station in 1881 to become useful tools for rural communities.
The Rural Electrification Act of 1936 provided federal loans for electrical distribution systems in rural areas, said Bennett, but this was only the beginning. "The hard work of our predecessors at Highline Electric Association and the many farmers and ranchers who helped string the wire and install the poles greatly improved the lifestyle we now take for granted on a daily basis."
A Highline Electric Association employee does hot line work in 1953.
According to the Highline history book, it all began the spring of 1937 in the office of the Paoli Cooperative Oil Company with Eph Johnson, the manager of the cooperative, and Earle Nelson, manager of the Harris Grain Elevator in Paoli. (Earle is the grandfather of Elon Nelson, current Highline metering superintendent and a 36-year employee of the cooperative.)
As Paoli was emerging from the Depression, the town needed a larger generator to cope with increasing demand.
Johnson and Nelson sought financing from the Rural Electrification Administration to build a transmission line from the electric plant at Haxtun 10 miles away, only to find out REA wouldn't consider a distribution line less than 100 miles long.
Despite the huge obstacle they faced, the first meeting for those interested in rural electrification was held April 10, 1937, in Paoli. However, even though the many advantages of electricity on a farm had been cited in the meeting, more than a year passed before anything substantial happened.
Finally in November 1938, the history book said the Holyoke newspaper reported the REA had given "preliminary consideration" to an application for an $80,000 loan to construct 75 miles of rural lines for serving 190 farms in Phillips and Sedgwick counties.
Highline is incorporated
Highline Electric Association was incorporated Dec. 19, 1938. A contract was signed between the town of Holyoke, which would be the wholesale power supplier, and the new cooperative for the proposed rural electrification project, to serve Amherst, Paoli and Fairfield in Colorado as well as Lamar, Neb. Should the project be approved by REA, 205 patrons had signed for the service.
Officers elected for the association that evening were Eph C. Johnson of Paoli, chairman; Martinus Olsen of Amherst, vice chairman; Keith Craig of Paoli, secretary; and Otto C. Nierman of Amherst, treasurer.
Another setback occurred three months later when they received word from the REA that the number of patrons needed to increase.
Bob Goldenstein serves as the Highline general manager from 1967-85. Others in that position include Thomas Puryear, 1939-44; Earl Clark (interim), 1944-45; J.J. Curtis, 1945-48; Fred Cooper, 1948-67; Don Johnson, 1985-2001; and Mark Farnsworth, 2001 to present.
Good news came Nov. 16, 1939, when REA approved the sum of $122,000 to build 100 miles of line to serve 259 members.
An announcement was made Aug. 10, 1939, by T.G. Puryear, the first manager of Highline, that engineers had begun staking the lines. A Nebraska company was awarded the contract on its bid of $585 per mile for a total of $59,084 for the 101 miles. Construction began Oct. 28, 1939, with the digging of the holes completed by Nov. 14.
The Holyoke newspaper reported Feb. 22, 1940, that energizing of the lines had begun two days earlier, with the first service provided in an area five miles west of Holyoke.
"The first farm to receive power was the Ed Owens place, five miles west and one half mile south of Holyoke. Over a period of several days electric power was provided throughout the territory," said the history book.
Others join cooperative
In December 1939, meetings began in Sterling as farmers and ranchers in that region saw the need for electricity, including David Hamil, who went on to work as the well-known national REA administrator for many years.
REA planned to unite Sterling and Holyoke into one organization, and on Aug. 22, 1940, the newspaper reported funds would pay for 203 miles of line in Logan County, serving 490 members of Highline. A Minnesota company was awarded the construction contract for $126,000.
Even though the two groups did not want to join, the REA was persistent that neither Logan County nor the Holyoke association had sufficient potential to operate successfully. They had to merge to qualify for REA financing.
The Holyoke group did win on one issue though, to keep headquarters located in Holyoke, which has remained true to this day.
The three sections of Highline included 100 miles of line serving 186 consumers from Haxtun to Lamar, 203 miles supplying 482 meters from Merino to Crook and the final section of Julesburg and Sedgwick as well as Lamar to Champion, Neb. In 1943, that section not only served the rural areas but also took on the towns of Ovid and Sedgwick.
A load of poles arrives on a railcar in 1950, the beginning of a decade where Highline's distribution system became accessible to virtually every rural resident in the territory.
While Holyoke supplied power to the first section, Public Service Company of Colorado through a substation at Sterling served that western section, and the town of Julesburg provided power to the third section.
In the early years, Highline found itself in financial troubles, as it had not generated enough revenue to prevent serious operating losses.
Some financial relief came in the late 1940s when hydroelectric power, which did not cost as much, became available through the United States Bureau of Reclamation system.
According to the history book, in the early 1950s, Highline's distribution system was accessible to "virtually every rural resident in the territory." Electric demand increased constantly with people learning the vast potential of electricity and making the most of it.
"The process of development required bigger power lines, extensions and interlacing of distribution lines into a network or grid to reduce the number of consumers affected by outages, more substations throughout the system, more sources of power and, above all else, more and more electric power," said the book. The use of oil circuit reclosers instead of fuses was an important innovation during this time.
Tri-State launches in 1952
Because of the rate rural electricity was developing and the limits of bureau allocations, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association was incorporated May 19, 1952, by the rural electrics of northeastern Colorado, southwestern Nebraska and Wyoming.
Five years later, according to the history book, Tri-State consolidated all contracts which the member cooperatives held into a master contract with the Bureau of Reclamation, calling for a firm 95,000 kilowatts and 30,000 kilowatts for seasonal pumping.
Again in 1964, the demand approached the limits, so Tri-State entered a contract with Basin Electric to supply supplemental power above the Missouri River Basin allocation in western Nebraska. The association then made a contract with the Bureau in 1966 for combined purchase of Missouri River Basin and Colorado River Storage projects.
Highline employees pose for a photo in 1961. They are pictured from left, front row, Alan Kropp, Kayle Russell, Kenny Ross and George Ray; and back row, Howard Hagemann, Bob Fisher, Merle King, Bob Conklin, Frank Linnenbrink and Mac McCormick.
Federal hydropower currently makes up 10 percent of the electricity Tri-State sells to members.
Highline is still a part of Tri-State, which purchases power from the federal agency Western Area Power Administration and the large cooperative Basin Electric. Highline gets federal power from Western at four substations in Holyoke, Fleming, Julesburg and Sterling.
Highline now has 30 substations, a big change from their one small 7,200-volt substation in 1940.
Growth continues
Serving agricultural communities, the development and increase of irrigation has impacted Highline. In 1960, the cooperative provided power for 284 irrigation pumps, using 3,594,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, or 16 percent of the total that year.
Fifty years later in 2010, Highline served over 3,000 pumps, and in 2012 the kilowatt-hours for irrigation were 58 percent of the total.
Other industries affecting Highline's load profile have been the addition of large gas compressor stations, confinement hog operations, cattle feedlots and natural gas services.
Over the years, Highline's linemen have tirelessly worked to repair damages caused by blizzards, tornadoes, hail, wind, floods and lightning.
The greatest disaster in Highline history was the blizzard of March 10-11, 1977, which caused $43 million in damages in northeastern Colorado and a loss of nearly $3.5 million to Highline alone.
Nearly 9,000 poles were lost in Highline's territory because of wind gusts up to 100 m.p.h., ice-coated lines and snow drifts up to 18 feet high. Over 4,000 meters were without service—half of all of Highline's consumers.
Highline's office in 1950 is located at the southwest corner of the stoplight at Denver Street and Interocean Avenue (currently Viaero Wireless).
Helicopters were used to transport crewmen into Highline headquarters as three two-men crews were trapped in their pickups for a few days, luckily with enough fuel to run the trucks but without food or water.
A unified effort with other crews in the state used 250 men to bring electricity back to northeastern Colorado, but it was five weeks before everyone had power restored.
"We look at our first 75 years as a great foundation on which to build," said Mark Farnsworth, general manager.
"Highline Electric is going strong, thanks to those pioneers that forged the way for us to have electricity at the touch of a switch. In the beginning, our co-op founders merely wanted the convenience of electricity to their farms and homes so their lives could become more productive," he said.
"With dedication and determination, they overcame many difficulties to make their dream of energizing northeastern Colorado and southwestern Nebraska a reality. Little did they know at that time how important electricity would become in our everyday lives."
Holyoke Enterprise March 21, 2013


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WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- A new analysis of undercover video shows DC Taxicabs were warned in the middle of a WUSA9 test of service refusals to a blind passenger.
Still nearly half fail our test.
In contrast to earlier refusals, taxi drivers began regularly stopping for Al-Mohamed shortly after a passerby offered her help on the street.
"You need help, go ahead," the unknown man said to Al-Mohamed in English and then began speaking in a foreign language to the driver.
We later learned the language was Amharic, a main language of Ethiopia.
Translated into English the conversations seem to encourage drivers to warn others, inform them about the blind passenger, and warn about DC taxi inspectors who were standing by to stop drivers who failed our test.
A few minutes later, a second driver pulled up to a third cab as Al-Mohamed was getting in, also speaking Amharic.
"You see this one is a blind person," a translator interpreted the taxi driver as saying to the other cabbie.
"They're about to do something like that?" The other cabbie asks.
"Yeah, they're up to something," said the second driver.
After those conversations more and more cabs began picking UP our blind passenger and her dog.
Our WUSA9 undercover team became suspicious at one point in Adams Morgan when taxis began consistently stopping for our blind passenger.
"This is the sad, sad part," Al-Mohamed said. "This is where I thought this is a great cab experience. I'm like great, we have some cabs that are doing the right thing...Not true."
When we moved to a Georgetown location, cabs began passing Al-Mohamed at a similar rate to before the passerby opened her cab door in Adams Morgan.
In an earlier test, out of 42 cabs tested, using passengers with wheelchairs or guide dogs, 20 cabs - or 48% - either drove right past the passenger with a disability in favor of another fare, took them to the wrong location without warning, or charged an illegal extra fee.
We contacted the cab companies of the drivers involved, but none offered comment.
Even with the warnings, eight of 19 cabs tested that night failed to pick-up our undercover passenger.

subset: commoncrawl


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The pairing of Roger Federer + Darren Cahill is over before it even began reports The New York Times:
Federer, the 13-time Grand Slam singles champion from Switzerland, and Cahill, one of the most successful coaches in tennis, have long been considered a likely match. Both are understated and analytical, and Federer has a strong connection with Cahill's home country of Australia.
But according to Federer's agent, Tony Godsick, Federer and Cahill will not be working together going forward, in large part because Cahill was not prepared to travel as extensively as Federer would have required. Cahill has two young children and is now based in Las Vegas, where he moved when he was coaching now-retired American star Andre Agassi. Cahill also has a second home in Adelaide, Australia.
"Darren's a great guy, and personally I think it was a good fit, but it just didn't go much further once it came down to the traveling," Godsick said. "Darren thought about it once he got there. Roger is a guy who lives in Switzerland and trains in Dubai, and Darren has kind of set up a comfortable life in Vegas. And I think he realized that just being on the road 20-plus weeks would be too tough a go for him with his young family."
Well that was a fun fantasy while it lasted (like 2 seconds). What is this The Bachelor? Maybe Fed just wasn't that into him. NEXT!!
Thanks neil in toronto for the tip off!
UPDATE: Okay the plot thickens. Apparently, Darren is the hit it and quit kind of guy - at least the way Fed tells it. Figures.
Via Tennisreporters.net:
He called me up after the Australian and asked me if I was still interested in working with him because we had contact in the last five years and after I decided not to play Davis Cup and Dubai [because of my bad back] he came to Dubai and worked a bit and we decided not to do it. It was test. He went back [home] and he told me it would be tough to do the travel with his kids and the weeks I required he couldn't really do, so I never had to think and go too far and make a decision on my own. He took the decision for me.
I don't have any technical flaws or problems working hard, maybe it's about the little things, talking about the other players, some exercises in practice, it's having someone else around. But I'm very happy with the coach I have here, Severin Luthi [Switzerland's Davis Cup captain], he did all of last year, 35 weeks, so for me nothing really changes, I'll continue with the great team I have. We had a good time with Darren.
(image via gototennis)


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[January 28, 2013]
Education digest: New school district phone numbers; Wilson energy event
Jan 27, 2013 (Public Opinion - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Chambersburg Area School District is changing its information hotlines that parents access for delays, schedule changes and the district.
The district is also adding a phone number strictly for Spanish speakers.
The new phone numbers are 261-5680 for English and 261-5684 for Spanish. The change takes effect immediately.
The information hotline provides announcements on delays, cancellations and events. Messages are available by phone 24-hours a day. The district uses a Global Connect messaging system to disperse some important news to parents.
The district also added a news announcement on its web page and placed the info on the cancellation and delays page, in addition to the "contact us" page on the disitrict's web site.
According to district technology director Christine Wolgemuth, the reason for the change is due to updates of the district's phone system.
- Wilson's Energy and You: Wilson College will host the fifth annual Energy and You workshop for home and business owners who want to learn how to reduce energy consumption and costs Feb. 9. The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Brooks Science Complex, with walk-in registration starting at 8 a.m.
John Hanger, who served as Pennsylvania Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection from 2008 to 2011, will deliver the keynote address title "The Environmental and Economic Truth about Gas Drilling and Our Energy Choices." The workshop will also feature special interest sessions throughout the day and discussions will be held over lunch.
The workshop will also feature electric cars, educational exhibits, alternative energy vendors and art made by students at Chambersburg Area Senior High School.
Admission with registration is $20 per person and $30 for couple. Lunch is included only with pre-registrations made by Friday. Walk-in registrations will be accepted for $10, space permitting, the morning of the event.
More information and a registration form can be found at www.wilson.edu/energy.
The workshop is co-sponsored by Wilson's Fulton Center for Sustainable Living, the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund and Automated Logic. For more information, contact FCSL Program Manager Chris Mayer (email@example.com or 717-264-4141, Ext. 3247).
------ Brian Hall can be reached at 262-4811 and firstname.lastname@example.com, or follow him on Twitter @bkhallpo.
___ (c)2013 the Public Opinion (Chambersburg, Pa.) Visit the Public Opinion (Chambersburg, Pa.) at www.publicopiniononline.com Distributed by MCT Information Services
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Video: Staying Safe In Your Car In A Weather Emergency
Video: Want to stay safe from a Tornado in your home?
BOWIE, Md. (WUSA9) -- The mid-Atlantic region is not immune to deadly and violent weather, and Prince George's County Emergency Management Director Ron Gill says it is worthwhile to think now about what you would do if a tornado or other severe weather strikes.
From knowing to take shelter in a basement, hall closet or bathtub to knowing what to do if you are caught while on the road, Gill says basic knowledge can save your life.
A particular threat in our region is trees crashing through houses and onto cars.
In a house with a basement:
In a house with no basement, a dorm, or an apartment:
In an office building, hospital, nursing home or skyscraper:
In a mobile home:
At school:
In a car or truck:
Vehicles are extremely risky in a tornado. There is no safe option when caught in a tornado in a car, just slightly less-dangerous ones.
In the open outdoors:
In a shopping mall or large store:
In a church or theater:


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Hi everybody!
My name is Luca, and I'm italian.
In my free time i love write sci-fi tales.
Please, can you show me a programs allows me to create a starship map and city, as well?
Thank you very much
P.S. sorry for my english!
Hi everybody!
My name is Luca, and I'm italian.
In my free time i love write sci-fi tales.
Please, can you show me a programs allows me to create a starship map and city, as well?
Thank you very much
P.S. sorry for my english!
Welcome to the Guild.
There are programs ($$$) like Profantasy's Campaign Cartographer, and others like GIMP (FREE).
Daniel the Neon Knight: Campaign Cartographer User
Never use a big word when a diminutive one will suffice!
Any questions on CC3? Post them with CC3 in the Subject Line!
MY 'FAMOUS' CC3 MAPS: Thunderspire; Pyramid of Shadows; King of the Trollhaunt Warrens; Demon Queen's Enclave
Welcome Aboard!
I can only second what NeonKnight has suggested, but I will add that GOOGLE Sketchup is also a possibility.
My Finished Maps | My Challenge Maps | Ghoraja Juun, my largely stagnated campaign setting.
Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
To my knowledge, there is no program that will just generate a good looking city...it takes a lot of hand labor in any program. There are some here who are trying to do what you want but we're still a long way away from getting it right. But we're getting closer all of the time. As for the other kind of map, I'll second the above.
If the radiance of a thousand suns was to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One...I am become Death, the Shatterer of worlds.
-J. Robert Oppenheimer (father of the atom bomb) alluding to The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 11, Verse 32)
My Maps ~ My Brushes ~ My Tutorials ~ My Challenge Maps
The quickest way to create ship deckplans or city layouts is with a tile mapper such as Dungeonforge (free) or Dundjinni (not free).
With these programs you take existing tiles showing buildings, furniture, road sections, etc. and stamp them down onto a map wherever you want them.
Mapping a Traveller ATU.
See my (fantasy-based) apprenticeship blog at:
Look for Chit Chat, Sandmann's blog. Enjoy.


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ATLANTA -- He's been on "Arrested Development," "Royal Pains," Broadway and more, but for many, he will always be "Fonzie."
Henry Winkler stopped by 11Alive News Today Monday morning to talk about a cause close to his heart, upper limb spasticity.
"You've seen it a million times," he said. "After a stroke, about four or five months, the upper limbs are taken over by the secondary muscles. And they have found that botox helps to release those muscles, sometimes for the first time in years for patients."
The actor and author has been touring the country talking about the condition and treatment. He was speaking at the Shepherd Center Monday afternoon. "We have a lot of fun in a very serious setting."
It's far from Winkler's first visit to Atlanta.
"This is my Atlanta," he said. "I love Atlanta! I do. The airport's a little big, a little unruly, but otherwise you've got like a great city."
He raved about Antica Posta in Buckhead.
"The risotta with truffles will make you sing from the inside without ever opening your mouth," he said. "I'm telling you it's like extraordinary. Antico Posta, maybe one of the best Italian restaurants on the entire East Coast of America."
Of course, Ted Hall couldn't sit down with "The Fonz" and not talk about "Happy Days."
"I went to California for one month; I had enough money for one month," Winkler said. "In one week of arriving terra firma, Los Angeles, I got 'Happy Days'."
"Six lines, I had six!" he added of his small screen debut. Those six lines would lead to a decade of playing Arthur 'Fonzie' Fonzarelli.
An entirely new generation knows Winkler for his children's books.
"Hank Zipzer and Ghost Buddy make me proud," he said. "Reluctant readers read one, then they read five."
Monday morning, Winkler proved that in addition to acting and writing, he can do the weather and a little stand up alongside Allison Chinchar.
"Can I just say how beautiful is your weather girl?" he asked. "I would believe anything she says."
"It's going to be 105 today," Allison joked.
"OK, I'll just take off my jacket," he replied, not missing a beat.
Winkler also tried his hand at traffic with Elle Duncan, talked about the dangers of texting and driving and even the WIZometer.


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You limited your search to:
Partner: The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History
County: Tarrant County, TX
Decade: 1920-1929
Collection: Early Texas Newspapers
Farmers' Union Messenger (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 21, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 15, 1920
Date: January 15, 1920
Creator: Lyday, D. E. & Baker, A. L.
Description: Semi-monthly newspaper from Fort Worth, Texas published by the Farmers' Educational and Co-operative Union of Texas "devoted to the interests, encouragement, co-operation, and organization of farmers, and the dissemination of official and educational information pertinent to agricultural pursuits."
Contributing Partner: The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History


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key x_item FA1854
Vanishing Cane - Suddenly Magic
Item Number: FA1854
Performer displays a black cane which he taps on the floor to prove it's solid.He takes the cane between his outstretched hands and instantly the cane changes into two large silks! Terrific opening effect. Silks not included.
Customer Reviews Write a review.
No reviews yet. Do you own this product? Write a review.


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In regards to YouTube,I had to sign in and add videos to my Favorites list on their site.
It appears that ESPN's content is open to anyone who wants to view it.
I was able to browse through YouTube's top videos, I did not have to join or log in. I could view the ESPN content as well. I do not know what the problem is.


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Please read the following terms and conditions carefully. By using this site and by registering to buy tickets via it you will be deemed to have accepted all relevant terms and conditions.
Welcome to the terms and conditions for Internet Tickets Limited. Internet Tickets Limited acts as an agent facilitating the sale of Tickets to Events on behalf of Promoters (all as defined below). We therefore enter this agreement with you in our own right and on behalf of the Promoters.
These terms and conditions are divided into 2 parts:
1. Those relating to Ticket purchases made by you from the Promoter(s) of the Event(s) which you have selected via our Website (the "Ticket Purchase Terms"); and
2. Those relating to your use of this Website (the "Website Terms")
"we" and "us" means Internet Tickets Ltd (registered as a company in England and Wales, number 04442713), whose registered office is at Unit 13 Kings Meadow, Ferry Hinksey Road, Oxford, OX2 0DP.
"Event" means the individual event or events advertised on our Website for which Tickets are available.
"Promoter" means a third party supplier or suppliers of Tickets for the Events which may include a venue, band, promoter or Event organiser.
"Tickets" or "Bookings" means rights to admission in the form of unique booking reference codes.
"Website" means the website on which we make Tickets available and from which we promote Events.
"you" means an individual purchasing tickets using this Website.
(a) an Event is cancelled;Only the face value of the Ticket will be refunded if (a), (b) or (c) occurs. Ticket booking fees are non-refundable.
(b) an Event is moved to another date and you decide not to retain your Booking for the rescheduled Event; or
(c) details of an Event are significantly changed after an order is placed (significant changes being a change of headline act or venue) .
- they are for the personal use of you and your party only,
- you will not attempt to transfer them (other than by the permitted use of the reallocation system),
- you will not attempt to resell them in any way (including by using the reallocation system).
- If you attempt to transfer your Ticket, (other than by the permitted use of the reallocation system) it will be invalidated and the holder will be refused entry to the venue.
- If you attempt to resell the Ticket, it will be invalidated and the holder will be refused entry to the venue.
- If we suspect you are attempting to use the reallocation system for resale of Tickets, we will invalidate your Booking.


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Meet and Communicate with Fun Singles Near You on JDate
Register now to search thousands of members and post your FREE profile!
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For as long as I can remember, I've been a "social chameleon" in that I usually blend in to just about any group of people. My belief ...
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I have been working on trying walls... They still need a lot of work. But I think that the angle of the map it to steep. it I make it less harsh of an angle I think the walls will not run into each other so much. I also, made the under block part bigger to give it a more solid feel.
I hope to hear your thoughts as I work through this.
Here is the new test.


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Lakeside Labs is a science and innovation hub for self-organizing networked systems. We offer space for creativity and antidisciplinarity.
Modern airplanes are equipped with hundreds of embedded sensors and actuators necessary for structural health monitoring, aircraft control, and passenger and crew assistance. These devices are typically interconnected by wires. Using wireless connections instead of wires improves flexibility of installations and reduces the airplane's weight. Researchers from Airbus Group Innovations have been working on this topic for several years. An ongoing joint project with the University of Klagenfurt and Lakeside…


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Wednesday News, May 2nd
State Historical Preservation Officials Discuss Tax Credits
(Le Mars) -- Two members of the State of Iowa Historical Preservation Office were in Le Mars Tuesday afternoon visiting with various business owners, contractors, and interested people in wanting to know more about historical preservation, and particularly how to obtain tax credits for such renovation. Paula Mohr says the town of Le Mars has already submitted an application to have the downtown district be considered as a "historical preservation district". She says that designation will go a long ways to help individuals who wish to get either their house or business listed as a historical preservation site. Mohr says the state has money available for renovation assistance, and often times there is more money available than what is requested. Mohr says it is a three step application process, with the first step determining if your building meets the qualifications as a historical building.
Listen here
Mohr says residential buildings can qualify up to 25 percent of the assessed value of the building or $25,000. Commercial properties may qualify up to 50 percent of the assessed value of the building.
Fertilzer Fire Causes Evacuation of Hornick
(Hornick) -- A Fertilizer warehouse caught fire Tuesday afternoon, causing the evacuation of the small Woodbury County town of Hornick. Several community fire departments responded to the fire. Woodbury County authorities were worried about the air quality because of the fire, as well as a potential explosion. Fortunately, the fire was contained to the warehouse, and no explosions had occurred as was originally feared. The warehouse, owned by the Western Iowa Co-op is listed as a total loss. Fire officials were able to extinguish the fire in a short time. Residents of Hornick were allowed back to their homes within a few hours. There were no injuries reported.
Groundbreaking for New Care Center
(Akron) -- Nearly 60 people turned out with shovel in hand to help with the groundbreaking ceremonies of the new Akron Care Center on Tuesday afternoon. Akron Mayor Harold Higman says that's the way it should be since so many people helped with getting the community care center.
Listen here
Higman says the new care center rounds out the progress of Akron making it a fine community that started with a day care center and has since grown.
Listen here
Highway 3 Detour
(Le Mars) -- You may have noticed the detour traffic signs for Highway 3 heading west of Le Mars from Business Highway 75. City administrator and engineer Scott Langel says the city of Le Mars wants to widen the highway to include a left-hand turning lane starting at the Le Mars Veterinary Clinic.
Listen here
Langel says, in addition, several right-hand turn lanes will be added to the traffic pattern.
Listen here
Once the widening is completed, then the city will place a layer of asphalt to the street.
Listen here
The city official says the project will take about three months to complete.
No Snow in April
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The state climatologist's office saysthat for the first time since 1890, no snow was recorded anywherein Iowa during April as the warm weather continued.
Des Moines television station KCCI reports (http://bit.ly/IqFcKt) that National Weather Service records show Iowa is experiencing the warmest year on record for the first four
months of the year.
The average temperature was 43.8 degrees, breaking 1921 record of 40.3 degrees.
This April was the eighth-warmest April on record, averaging 56.1 degrees.
Farmers Have Planted Half Corn Crop
(Des Moines) -- Despite receiving rainfall late last week, Iowa corn planting advanced 41 percentage points and now stands at 50 percent complete, compared to 7 percent at this time last year, and the five-year average of 32 percent. Iowa State University Extension crops specialist, Joel DeJong believes northwest Iowa farmers may have planted more than half of the crop.
Listen here
Five percent of the state's corn crop has emerged, that's ten days ahead of normal schedule. DeJong says the recent rains have helped replenish the surface moisture levels. He says we still need additional rains and warmer temperatures.
Listen here
DeJong says he would still like to see at least two to three more inches of rain in the coming days and weeks. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Bill Northey says "farmers were able to make good progress last week and now half of the corn crop is planted statewide, which is good news. Farmers will be anxious to get the rest of the crop in the ground and take advantage of any dry weather this week to get in the fields.
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text: Looking for anyone with info on Wyoming elk unit 113? My wife drew a cow tag this year. She's never shot an elk so I thought if she could draw a tag it would be a good first elk hunt as last year there was over 70% success. Well, we've hunted three hard days so far we haven't seen a thing. I called the area Big Game Biologist and the Game Warden and they both recommended the Rochelle Hills area. We walked our butts off and haven't even found any real fresh sign. We weren't able to hunt opening weekend - do they all move to private ground after they hear the first shots? Any help would be really appreciated.


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Toque's Tool Kit
Even a talented chef can do only so much with a Swiss Army Knife. Pack the MSR Alpine Deluxe Kitchen Set (pictured, $55, Msrgear.com) and you can slice, stir and season like Mario or Bobby. Plus, the corkscrew ensures that everyone else can enjoy a glass of wine while you toil.
Bubble Study
Having a cold brewski or a chilly Pepsi post-rock-climbing sounds great at day's end. But having a bottle break in your pack and soak your sleeping bag sounds positively hellish. The insulated Carbonated Drink Bottle ($20, Stanley-pmi.com) keeps bubbly beverages carbonated, frosty and safe.
Find out my other four favorite culinary gadgets to take camping by reading the full article on the Express website now.


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ST. LOUIS (KSDK) - Saint Louis University researchers, along with collaborators from the University of Missouri and University of Pittsburgh, have found a breakthrough in hepatitis B drugs that could cure the virus.
A previously unstudied enzyme was measured and blocked to prevent the virus from replicating, which takes advantage of known similarities with HIV.
The finding may lead to drugs that could suppress the virus enough to cure patients, according to Dr. John Tavis, the author of the study and professor of molecular biology and immunology at SLU. He also says if hepatitis B is cured the majority of liver cancers can be eliminated.
More than 350 million people are estimated to be infected with hepatitis B worldwide.
More studies will need to be performed before treatment is approved for patients.
The research is published in the January 24 edition of PLOS Pathogens.


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Trailer Programme
Nooteboom low-loaders
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For the transport of long loads Nooteboom offers an extensive programme under the name of Teletrailers®. The Ballast trailer for... More...
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Nooteboom drawbar trailers are simple and efficient transport solutions for payloads up to approx. 30 tonnes.
Latest news
Mammoet Road Cargo expanding its fleet with two MANOOVR trailers
Mammoet Road Cargo - member of the Big Move Group - is very happy to announce it is expanding its fleet! They have taken on board two new five-axle extendable MANOOVR trailers from Nooteboom. The new trailers are robust, innovative and designed specifically to meet the requirements of the exceptional transport industry.
West of Scotland Heavy Haulage adds Manoovr to its fleet
UK transport specialists West of Scotland Heavy Haulage has taken delivery of Nootebooms' latest semi lowloader 'the Manoovr' as well as two Mercedes-Benz Arocs tractor units.
World first for largest 150 tonne MANOOVR with Multidolly at BAUMA 2016
The stand of nooteboom at the bauma 2016 is full of innovations. The centre of attention at the Nooteboom stand are the latest manoovr mpl semi lowloader with 10 axle lines and a multidolly and the Pendel-x euro low-loader with the latest generation 'if' fixed Interdolly.
NEW - MANOOVR 3+7 with Multidolly
With a total weight of 150 tonnes at 80 km/hr this MPL-150-37(V) is up to now the largest Manoovr semi low-loader with the highest payload in the programme. The MPL with Multidolly is an excellent alternative for some modular trailers.
Latest Nooteboom Manoovr semi low-loader for Van Wijgerden Transport
Rinus van Wijgerden has been a loyal customer of Nooteboom Trailers for 30 years. Van Wijgerden is always at the forefront with his investment in innovative transport solutions. As is the case with the EURO-PX low-loader, the MULTI-PX semi low-loader and now the Manoovr semi low-loader.
Koninklijke Nooteboom Trailers has won the SV Innovation Award 2015
Koninklijke Nooteboom Trailers has won the SV Innovation Award 2015. According to the panel of expert judges the MANOOVR has scored the highest, particularly in the category 'innovation for the user'. The award was presented by Jarco the Bruin, commercial director ING Lease Nederland, to general manager Marinka Nooteboom during the opening of the BedrijfsautoRAI 2015. The SV Innovation Award is an initiative of the Special Vehicles department of the RAI Vereniging and is sponsored by ING Lease.


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Faculty Resources
Classroom Resources
Know a student interested in pursuing a career in writing education and/or support?
The EWC, in partnership with the Writing Program, offers the perfect tutor training course, WRTG 387: Theories and Methods of Teaching Writing. For more information, e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com or call 301-985-7000, ext. 2890 or 1-800-888-UMUC (8682), ext. 2890.
Helping Your Students Improve Their Writing
Use the information on these pages when developing lesson plans or giving out assignments to help your students write more effectively.
- Frequently Asked Questions about the EWC
- Writing Fellows Guidelines - Have the EWC "Visit" Your Classroom!
- Helping Students Avoid Plagiarism
- Teaching Students to Cite Online Sources
Designing Effective Writing Assignments
An effective writing assignment can advance important course objectives. It clarifies what you expect of students, encourages students to learn actively, and may even help them to self-assess both their learning and their written work.
- Types of Writing Assignments
- Informal and Formal Writing Assignments
- Characteristics of Effective Writing Assignments
- Guiding Questions for Developing Assignments
- Assignment Description Checklist
- Assessing the Research and Writing Process
- Sequencing Assignments
Writing Advice Samples
The EWC advises in four areas: assignment, organization, development and research, grammar and mechanics. Please take a look at our bank of sample advice:
- Sample Writing Advice Template
- Accounting
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- Communications
- History
- Legal Studies
- Literature
- Sociology


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I don't know if this has been requested before (even though I am sure it has) but are there any plans in the future to bring more features to the IM capabilities to Zimbra? I am currently using the OSS edition and noticed that the jabberd Zimbra uses is very limited.
Are there any plans to give Zimbra the ability to connect to other IMs (such as gtalk, aim, yahoo, etc)? Considering the fact that the goal is collaberation I believe it would be awesome to be able to keep all communication within the web interface Zimbra uses. It would give people an oppurtunity to pass along IM information to customers who do not have an account on the company Zimbra server and it would also make it so other programs would not have to be installed on a computer in order to connect to all the different types of IM services out there.
If anybody knows any way for me to add support for gtalk, aim, yahoo, msn, etc to the web interface IM program... I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you,


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Published: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.
OCALA -- A man who authorities say admitted to having sex with a woman who was under the influence of medication was arrested Wednesday and charged with two counts of sexual battery, according to authorities.
Detective TJ Watts interviewed the victim, identified as a 30-year-old woman, who said she had been dating James Anthony Potter but had ended their relationship. The woman said she takes medication that makes her tired and drowsy and Potter came to her residence to get some of his belongings.
While there, the woman said she was lying down, when Potter gave her a massage. She said he then had sex with her without her permission.
Watts found Potter and he was transported to the Sheriff's Office for an interview. Officials say Potter admitted the victim had taken medication that puts her to sleep while at her home and he massaged her. He said he then had sex with her.
Arrested, Potter was taken to the Marion County Jail.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


text: © 2013 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Watch Dogs, the Uplay logo, Ubisoft, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks and the PlayStation Network logo is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Kinect, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. Nintendo trademarks and copyrights are properties of Nintendo. Software platform logo (TM and ©) EMA 2006.


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Worked With:
Eric Bana
Birth Name: Eric Bana
Born: 08/09/1968
Birth Place: Australia
Born: 08/09/1968
Birth Place: Australia
Born to Croatian and German parents in Melbourne, Australia, on Aug. 9, 1968, Bana began showing a knack for mimicry and comedy at a very early age by imitating friends and family members. He fell in love with the idea of becoming an actor after viewing fellow Aussie Mel Gibson in his star-making role of "Mad Max" (1979), yet did not make his performing debut until years later when he was working as a bartender at a hotel. A successful debut as a stand-up comic gave him confidence, but the financial returns were too limited to give up his day job. Bana's first big break came with a guest appearance on the late night talk show, "Tonight Live" (7 Network, 1990-93). His turn impressed the produ... Continue Bio >>
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The Suede Palace - Grand National Roadster ShowWritten by on September 20, 2013 The Exposed Roots of Hot Rodding
The Grand National Roadster Show is an exposition of how far hot rodding has come. The AMBR competitors show us where it's heading, and the Suede Palace reminds us where it all started.
Many of the nostalgic rods and customs that fill the Suede Palace are genuine survivors from the '40s, '50s, and '60s. Others are new projects; traditionally built in faithful compliance with the way hot rods were built "back then". Virtually every vehicle in the Suede Palace was built by its owner or by a group of friends or a car club. Traditional style is reflected in the cars, the owners, the live music, the pin-up girls, and even in the handbuilt trophies (created and awarded by the numerous participating clubs).
Organizers Alex (aka "Axle") and Celeste Idzardi have made the Suede Palace one of the most distinctive corners of the Grand National Roadster Show—part party and part museum. Every rod in the GNRS, in this magazine, and in America, can trace its roots to the earliest hot rods, and the Suede Palace is a salute to those roots.
Best of Show: Dave Mock's '40 Ford coupe
In 1980, David Mock's flamed '40 coupe was photographed by STREET RODDER's Geoff Carter. The Anchorage, Alaska–based rod was sketched in a Dave Bell "Henry Hirise" cartoon in this magazine in the Sept. '80 issue, and appeared on the cover and as a feature the following month. In 2013, Mock's '40, identical to the car in the 33-year-old photos, was perched in the Suede Palace, where it won the highest prize.
Mock bought the coupe in 1969, and committed himself to building a traditional rod using no components from later than 1957 (decades before that approach became a movement). The '40, nicknamed "Come Go With Me", has moved from Alaska to Arizona (where David and his wife, Sue, live during the winter). Seeing the car at the Grand National Roadster Show, looking weathered but not at all dated, was a real kick.
More Photos From This Article View Slideshow
The Best Hot Rod award went to this deep red '40 Ford. Mynor Martinez of the Throttle Kings found the coupe back East, still wearing the outdated style of an '80s-era street rod. He injected the car with a look from about 25 years earlier—with wide white Firestones on steelies, and a two-tone pleated interior.Not only did Dave Eltzholtz personally build this '23 T, he has spent the last several years driving his roadster/coupe just about everywhere. A map displayed with the car traced his routes from Southern California to Bonneville, Pike's Peak, Yelllowstone, the northernmost point of Maine, and elsewhere.Some participants remarked that the Suede Palace should be renamed the Painted Palace. Tedd Keith's chopped '53 Chevy sedan was painted by Sonny Boy, combining Tangelo Pearl and white with abalone pearl. Period pinstriping on the hood, deck, and top provides the finishing touch.Gov Yearick came out from Pennsylvania to show his '34 coupe. The car is a museum of vintage hot rod parts, including the rare exhaust-in-heads Alexander Flathead with a '36 McCulloch blower, Kinmont brakes, Sprint car steering, 18-inch Halibrand smoothie wheels, and more.The dark blue paint and white firewall and roof insert looks great with the brass color in the engine compartment and on the '42 Zephyr steering wheel. Matt Kimmel and Isaac Bowser won an award from the Emperors Car Club for the channeled, unchopped '34, powered by a Cadillac 331.This full-fendered Deuce retains the look of the late '50s/early '60s, when it was built for a Swedish rodder. Edelbrock heads and intake with triple Strombergs top a full-race 59AB Flattie. Still finished in 50-year-old lacquer, the car has been back in the United States since 2000, and is owned by Suede Palace veteran Ed Dwyer.
Like the traditional American iron, the live traditional American music in the Suede Palace gets better every year. Roots music singer/songwriter James Intveld (playing the acoustic) and his band came out from Nashville to perform to a packed Palace on Saturday.Brian Woo's copper pearl and white '29 Model A roadster was built and painted (and converted from righthand drive) by Rob Paul, using mostly pre-'50 parts. The '46 59A Flathead runs Edmunds heads, an original Thickstun midrise intake, and a pair of chrome 97s. The decklid was punched with almost 200 louvers.To successfully build this '29 Model A as an early '50s-style rod, Alan Behrse worked with his father-in-law Jerry, who graduated from high school in 1950. They ran the Flathead-powered car at Bonneville before the final 3-1/2-inch chop and '36 Ford Washington Blue paintjob. It won the Corsairs Club pick.Like many of the cars on this page, Tim Elwess' '51 Chevy was owner-built, garage-painted (with a $20 spray gun), and driven to the event. Mild custom elements include the '53 Ford trim, '50 Olds one-piece windshield, frenched headlights, and peaked hood. Elwess has owned the car for 17 years, since he was 15.Tom Orren was a returning World War II vet when he bought a '29 roadster in San Diego, took it home to Austin, chopped and channeled it, and built it into the fastest car is central Texas—until the day a newer '55 Chevy beat it. He never drove it again. Today the perfectly preserved "Waco Kid" is owned by Steve Wertheimer of Austin.


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New Royals Hall of Fame member Kevin Appier enjoying time on the farm
Kevin Appier feels very privileged to be elected to the Royals Hall of Fame, saying that it is a tremendous honor. He has a ton of memories from his time with the Royals and in baseball. Appier remembers both of his complete game one-hitters with KC, including a tough 1-0 loss to the Rangers in 1993 when his lone hit allowed was a home run to Rafael Palmeiro.
These days, Appier enjoys time with his family on their farm near Paola, Kan. A reporter asked if Appier still had "exotic" animals on the farm. While his wife Laurie once had llamas and now has camels, Kevin is content tending to his herd of cattle. Appier has had only limited involvement in baseball since his 2005 retirement – he has helped on occasion with the high school team in Paola.
MLB.com reporter Dick Kaegel reminded Appier that he once came to the press box after the game to make sure that the reporters had his quotes correct! We hope that Kevin will stop by the press box again soon – either on his June 25 induction date or before!


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- 5 years ago by Jennifer Wright
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Okay, these pieces will make you look like Ali McGraw only if you start straight ironing your hair and… become Ali McGraw. I guess what I really mean is that if you had worn these pieces in the 1970′s you probably could have gotten a role an an extra in Love Story. More


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BELMONT, N.C. -- The Belmont Police Department says the gunman who held three people hostage at a CVS store in Belmont has surrendered.
All three hostages had been released by 4:07 a.m. No injuries have been reported.
Police say shortly before 2 a.m., officers were en route to the store in response to a report of an armed robbery. That is when they received another report of shots fired and a possible hostage situation.
Police say when officers arrived on scene, Edward Scott Russ fired several shots at them with an SKS rifle. Officers then returned fire. At that time, officers became aware of hostages located in the store and called for backup.
Several state and local units were on scene--including the Gastonia Police Department Regional SWAT team.
A police negotiator maintained contact with the Russ during the standoff.
Russ is charged with First Degree Kidnapping, two counts of Second Degree Kidnapping, Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon, Communicating Threats, two counts of Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer and two counts of Attempted First Degree Murder. A judge set his bond at $5 million.
The CVS store is located at 6750 Wilkinson Blvd.


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And then you wrote " Apple-devices can only play videos and music you bought on itunes, " which can't be true as I've used HANDBRAKE to encode videos for the iPad.
What do I use. An OK laptop and the tablet is rarely used except to demo the software our office writes. I've found tablets to be far too limiting.
Hey guys,
I'm trying to find a mobile solution for several purposes and at the same time, I really really want to replace my desktop, an old Dell dimension bought in 05.
For some reason, I'm really indecisive about what kind of machines I should get, a tablet / hybrid and a new desktop or simply an ultrabook. There's lots I don't know about mobile devices and I completely missed the smartphone / tablet "revolution" of the last couple of years. I also never owned a notebook, so I'm not sure about the comfort of one.
Mobile applications:
- reading, listening to music and watching stuff in public transportation, mainly busses, 90 minutes each day
- taking notes in class
- reading PDFs and listening to mp3s for guitar lessons
- displaying sheet music (.pdf files) on the note-stand of my piano
- watching Starcraft streams via Twitch.tv and gomtv player
Stationary applications:
- light gaming, mainly Starcraft II and maybe some of the more recent games (would love to play the upcoming Bioshock!)
- tons of research and office-applications for class
- watching movies on 2nd monitor
- music recording, editing and digital effects / drum
Especially regarding the office-applications and notes for class, I'd LOVE some sort of automatic synchronization.
I have a massive digital library of mainly Mp3s and if I understood it correctly, Apple-devices can only play videos and music you bought on itunes, so the iPad is out of the question. I've had the Surface for about a week now, and I love the hardware and general design, but the software leaves me wanting in a million instances, so I'll prolly return that to Microsoft. The Ultrabook-solution wouldn't work on the Note-stand I assume, but would cover most of the stuff I want. Convertibles would work even better, but would preclude me from any gaming.
I have about 1400 € to spare I'd like to invest, so here are the options I considered:
1. Getting a convertible sporting an i5 / HD 4000.
That would cover all the tasks, but cover all of them badly. More recent games wouldn't really work, I'd have to view .pdf-files in 16:9 and I'd always have to carry about a bag.
2. Getting a 7 Inch Tablet alongside an Ultrabook.
Here I'd miss out on a solution for the piano-stand and gaming wouldn't be ideal, but otherwise I'd be perfectly covered with some money to spare.
3. Getting a Desktop and a tablet
Neat, perfect gaming options but limited on note-taking for class, unless I'd stick to the awesome Surface. Still the 16:9 aspect-ratio sucks for .pdf, I'd still have rather limited mobility, would still have to rely on that bag and so on.
I'd really appreciate any and all imput on which solution might be better for my purposes. I've given this a lot of consideration, so please don't just reply with a wikipedia-article or an Amazon link.
Thanks so much guys,


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ATA's January tonnage data remains on a growth path
February 24, 2011
Positive momentum in the trucking sector continued on the right path in January following a decent December, according to data released by the American Trucking Associations (ATA).
The ATA's advance seasonally-adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage index was up 3.8 percent in January on the heels of December's revised 2.5 percent (from an original 2.2 percent) gain. These gains were preceded by November's revised 0.6 percent decline (up from -0.1 percent) and a cumulative 2.8 increase over September and October.
The ATA said that the current SA index was 117.1 (2000=100) in January, marking its highest level since January 2008. December's SA index of 112.7 was the highest it had been since September 2008 at that time. And on an annual basis, the SA index was up 8 percent compared to January 2010, which the ATA said is the largest increase since April 2010, adding that the SA was up 5.7 percent in 2010 compared to 2009, which was down 8.7 percent compared to 2008.
The ATA's not seasonally-adjusted (NSA) index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by fleets before any seasonal adjustment, was 105.4 in January, which is a 2.9 percent decline from December. The NSA was up 5.9 percent in January compared to January 2010's 99.5 reading.
Some industry analysts maintain that the not seasonally-adjusted index is more useful, because it is comprised of what truckers haul. As defined by the ATA, the not seasonally-adjusted index is assembled by adding up all the monthly tonnage data reported by the survey respondents (ATA member carriers) for the latest two months. Then a monthly percent change is calculated and then applied to the index number for the first month.
"Many fleets told us that freight was solid in January, although operations were a challenge due to the winter storms that hit large parts of the country," said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello in a statement. Costello added that January's tonnage data reflect how the economy is showing strong growth so far this year, but cautioned that the increase in oil prices could be a drag in the coming months as it could slow down consumer spending.
Carriers have told LM they are cautious but confident about the current trajectory regarding trucking volume growth. But things like high unemployment and a lack of long-term visibility also remain prominent, coupled with limited long-term economic visibility.
But despite these hindrances, there are positive signs, too, including sustained manufacturing growth as reported by the Institute for Supply Management, increasing retail sales for the last seven months, and growing consumer confidence levels.
"We are seeing the same things that the ATA data is showing," a trucking executive told LM. "February has also been firm, but just like Jan it has been somewhat negatively impacted by the severe winter weather impacting many parts of the country."
The carrier executive also pointed out that with the supply and demand of capacity much more closely balanced this year, a continued uptick in tonnage will create greater challenges for shippers needing trucks. And he said that other items that will further squeeze capacity include CSA 2010 and the proposed changes to the Hours of Service (HOS) rules.
And like the ATA's Costello, he noted that higher oil prices could be an issue going forward, given the current unrest in the Middle East, with the volatility of that situation also potentially driving significant fuel surcharge increases in response to escalating oil prices.
"The ATA data is one more confirmation of what the data has been telling us for about four months," said FTR Associates Managing Director and Senior Consultant Noel Perry. "The recovering is picking up steam. It is on a pace to surprise most economists, assuming there is no major oil shock."
For more articles on trucking, please click here.
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