What was originally a foul situation has turned into a bases-loaded triple for the Mountain Ranch Community Park. Sometime during the night of May 6, a 1992 Mercury Grand Marquis was stolen from downtown Mountain Ranch. The car was to be the grand prize for a drawing the park committee is planning as part of its Day in the Park fundraiser Aug. 22, but the disappearing act sent the committee balking. Since news of the stolen vehicle spread across the Internet, donations have come flying into the committee's coffers.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed a rule Tuesday that will require cement plants in the United States - including plants in Cupertino and Santa Cruz County - to reduce stack emissions of mercury, dust and other pollutants. For a decade, environmental groups have been urging the EPA to set standards for the potent neurotoxin that comes out of the stacks and falls into oceans and rivers, eventually contaminating fish and raising mercury levels in the humans who eat the seafood.
Mercury can harm the nervous system, affecting normal growth, cognition and behavior.

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Ford got an early holiday gift Tuesday morning--and it’s a bit better than even the company was hoping for.

The new Fusion and the new Mercury Milan hybrids were certified by the EPA at 41 mpg in city driving and 36 mpg on the highway. That beats the Toyota Camry hybrid by eight mpg in the city and two on the highway. Ford also says it betters the Honda Civic hybrid by one mile in city driving.

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There's a new rival to the London black cab! Mercedes has teamed up with a fresh distributor to produce a taxi based on its Vito van.

Not only is the latest car more economical than the city’s famous LTI TX4, it also undercuts its rival’s top-spec variant, with a £35,000 price.

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