Voters at a special town meeting in Avon Tuesday night approved purchasing two new vehicles for the Avon Volunteer Fire Department, Patch.com reported.

There were two questions on the agenda, each one for a different vehicle that would be utilized by the AVFD, the report said.

In separate 126-1 votes, town meeting attendees approved bonding $1.259 million for a new pumper tanker truck and $2.172 million for a new ladder truck, according to the report.

The existing models currently being utilized by the AVFD are in excess of 20 years old and proponents say it is better to replace now than undertake expensive repairs and renovations for the older models, the report said.

A recent lightning strike on the old radio tower at the Carthage Police and Fire Department building damaged several thousand dollars’ worth of equipment, city officials told commissioners Monday, PanolaWatchman.com reported.

A fire official, giving his quarterly update at the city commission meeting, said the old tower at the police and fire building took a direct lighting hit on Jan. 2 that affected “probably about $40,000 worth of computer electrical phone, ice machines, just a lot of equipment within the fire police building,” the report said.

A police official also noted some damage to the department’s recorder, costing about $25,000, according to the report.

City Manager Steve Williams told officials that the damage from the lightning strike has been covered by insurance, the report said.

Olympia police have arrested an arson suspect who allegedly started a car fire while stealing gas in Tacoma after a tip from a community member helped police identify the man. According to police, on Jan. 11, the suspect arrived in Tacoma on South 61st Street in a stolen red Ford F-150 and tried to steal gas from another car.
- PUB DATE: 1/27/2023 1:01:00 AM - SOURCE: KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle

One person was taken into custody Thursday evening in connection with a massive structure fire inside a two-story apartment building in Westlake. Calls about the fire came in around 5:15 p.m. at a building located on the 2800 block of 7th Street, according to a news release from the Los Angeles Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 1/27/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTLA-TV CW 5 Los Angeles

VIDEO: Vincent Dransfield lives life on his own terms, and that’s not something many 108-year-olds can say. He leased a car two years ago and is still driving — in more ways than one. “I’m still driving everybody crazy,” Dransfield joked. When asked what type of car he drives, he responded by saying “four wheels.
- PUB DATE: 1/27/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPIX-TV CW 11 New York City