PROVO, Utah (ABC 4 News) - Police say a man suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol crashed into a retaining wall at a Provo liquor store before leaving the scene and crashing into his own garage.

Police say 42-year-old Noah Rewis was driving an SUV when he crashed into the cinder block retaining wall in the parking lot at the Utah State Liquor Store on 166 South Freedom Blvd on Monday.

After causing significant damage to both the retaining wall and his vehicle, police say Rewis left the scene.

Police say officers found tire track marks in the road from the suspect's vehicle, and followed them to a home in the area of 400 N. 1000 W. where they found that the same driver drove up over the sidewalk into the backyard of the home.

Police say officers determined that the suspect drove into the backyard, where he struck a tree, and then drove into the front yard where he drove over a rose bush before leaving.

Police say construction workers on 1600 West Center Street told investigators that they witnessed the suspect's vehicle traveling west on Center St.

After driving through the area, officers found more track marks in the road which led them to the Rewis' home in the area of 400 S 1800 W.

When they got there, police say officers found Rewis' vehicle sticking out of the garage.

Police say Rewis had attempted to enter his own garage while the garage door was still down, causing significant damage to the door.

Noah Rewis was found sitting inside his vehicle, according to police.

Read this article:
DUI suspect crashes into liquor store wall; own garage

A Pekin man was slightly injured in the early morning hours Saturday when he crashed into a concrete retaining wall while fleeing from Pekin police.

Pekin Police Sgt. Courtney Hutchison said that an on-duty officer patrolling downtown Pekin heard the engine of a vehicle roaring loudly at 12:40 a.m. and observed a red pickup truck speed away from a drive-thru window. The truck headed west toward the McNaughton Bridge, reaching speeds of more than 100 mph.

When the driver, Michael D. Smith, 26, tried to turn south onto Illinois Route 24, he lost control and slammed into the retaining wall. Hutchison said Smith then ran south on Rt. 24 trying to evade arrest, but eventually put up his hands and stopped.

He was taken to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, where he was treated for minor injuries, including a cut on the nose that required stitches. He was then taken to the Tazewell County Justice Center, where he paid $750 bond and was released Sunday afternoon.

Smith was charged with DUI, unlawful use of a weapon for having an AR-15 in the truck that he did not have a FOID card for, expired registration, no valid driver's license, aggravated fleeing and eluding police, no turn signal, failure to obey a traffic signal device, possession of cannabis and illegal transportation of alcohol.

Excerpt from:
Pekin man injured during police chase

Home News Local Loading

Published: 6/18/2012 - Updated: 20 minutes ago

BY DAVID PATCH BLADE STAFF WRITER

The cracks that opened behind Merle Peoples and Jonathan Parsons' Northwood Avenue home have deepened during the 13 months or so since they first appeared, and the portion of the pair's garden between the cracks and the I-475 noise wall has sunk farther -- several feet farther.

But Mr. Peoples and Mr. Parsons say that so far, there is no evidence of any new cracking or settling closer to their house, and they're hopeful it will stay that way until whenever it is during the next year or so that the Ohio Department of Transportation comes in to back-fill the sunken area once a new freeway retaining wall is finished.

"This is over a year now with this, and it will be probably another year now for completion," Mr. Peoples said last week while surveying the damage behind his house. "Obviously, I wish it were done and over. Has it been an experience? It sure has."

Mr. Peoples readily concedes that most of the affected area of his garden -- an urban glade of flowers, ornamental trees, and brick pavers -- was inside the I-475 right-of-way line, so his main concern all along was that the cracks and subsidence not spread closer to his house.

He and Mr. Parsons say they have reached agreement with the department for it to have temporary access to two unbuilt lots within the three-lot parcel so it can restore the sunken earth after the retaining wall's completion.

Department officials declined to detail the settlement, saying there are still details to work out.

"Our real estate department is working with them," said Dennis Charvat, the project engineer for the state's ongoing I-475 widening project that includes the retaining wall.

See original here:
ODOT promises repair of garden

A century-old agreement between railroad executive James J. Hill and the city of St. Paul has become the center of a dispute between one homeowner and the city.

A public staircase connecting Summit Avenue to downtown St. Paul is in need of repairs that could cost up to $800,000. Homeowner Richard Nicholson of 260 Summit Ave. says it's up to the city, not him, to fix it.

"Until recently, the city had kept up with replacing bricks," Nicholson said. "They (have since) decided that was my responsibility, but I'm contending it's not."

The disagreement stems from 1901.

Hill bought the property adjacent to his 240 Summit Ave. property in 1898 to build a house for his son, Louis. That home at 260 Summit is now Nicholson's home.

Hill petitioned then for the city to vacate the street.

The St. Paul Board of Aldermen reached a resolution on Aug. 6, 1901, that granted Hill's request with one condition. The city required that the Hills pay for and construct a public staircase.

The resolution says the Hills are to "grant to said city for public use of the right to maintain said stairs on the easterly ten feet of said vacated street for foot travel theron as herein provided."

In an Aug. 3, 2011, letter to the city council, Nicholson's attorney, Michael Fleming, noted that the current dispute with the city began as early as 2004, when part of the stairway's retaining wall collapsed. After the city and Nicholson failed to reach an agreement, the city issued a

The city did contribute -- about $47,000, roughly one-fourth of the $182,687 cost of the project.

See the article here:
St. Paul: Hill's pact with city haunts resident Stairway from Summit Ave. at heart of dispute

Posted on: 7:37 am, June 15, 2012, by Michelle Pekarsky, updated on: 12:18pm, June 15, 2012

KANSAS CITY, Mo. A man apparently jumped- or fell- from a retaining wall into traffic on the Broadway extension just north of the Broadway Bridge Friday morning and died after he was struck by a truck.

Police say a pickup truck crested the hill and the driver saw the man either falling or jumping down into the highway from the wall, but couldnt avoid hitting him. Police say its clear he either fell or jumped, although they have not determined which is the case and ultimately, may never know. The man was transported to the hospital, where he died.

I cant think of anything that would be more unsettling like that happening, said Sgt. Bill Mahoney, KCMO Police. Weve talked to him. Hes very cooperative with us. He did stop to try and render first-aid to this individual.

Police have not yet released the victims name and are talking to members of his family. Police tell FOX 4 that the man was in his 20s, his last known residence was in Kansas City, Kan.

The accident happened at about 7:05 a.m. Police shut down the northbound lanes there for about three hours.

FOX 4 will continue to update this page. Refresh for the latest.

Excerpt from:
Man Killed When He Falls or Jumps Into Rush Hour Traffic

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -

Kansas City police are investigating an accident that left one person dead.

It happened just after 7 a.m. Friday when a pedestrian was struck by the driver of a red pickup truck in the northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 169, north of the Broadway Bridge. The accident happened just before Richards Road.

Police said a man was on a retaining wall on the east side of the highway and either jumped or fell into traffic. On the other side of the retaining wall were railroad tracks.

Paramedics were performing CPR when they left the accident scene, however, the victim was taken to an area hospital where he died a short time later.

Police questioned the man driving the red pickup truck, but it doesn't appear he will be charged.

All lanes of northbound U.S. Highway 169 were reopened shortly after 8:30 a.m. Traffic to Broadway Bridge had been diverted to Richards Road as crews worked on the scene.

Copyright 2012 KCTV (Meredith Corp.) All rights reserved.

Read this article:
Man dies after jumping or falling from retaining wall into traffic

Residents of B.C.'s Interior are anxiously watching river and creek levels this weekend, as more rain is forecast with stream levels already high throughout much of the Okanagan.

Environment Canada is forecasting 20 to 50 millimetres of rain for B.C.'s Interior over Saturday and Sunday, and a continued contribution to river volumes from melting snow packs.

On Friday, the B.C. River Forecast Centre upgraded an advisory for the Shuswap River near Enderby to a "flood watch" level.

Gord Molendyk, an emergency co-ordinator in the North Okanagan and Shuswap region, said people living along the Shuswap River need to be prepared for the worst.

"It could come up quickly. So the emergency operations centre is advising property owners in those areas prone to flooding to move your livestock to higher ground," Molendyk said.

"If you're in an area that has flooded before, sandbag your property and we're saying be prepared to evacuate if necessary."

Molendyk says the area near the mouth of the Shuswap River at Mara Lake is of particular concern.

Kelowna, which is approximately 90 kilometres south of Enderby, has already experienced a troubling creek overrun this month.

On Thursday, residents of an apartment building in Kelowna had a close call after water from Mission Creek began pushing through a 30-year-old retaining wall and threatened to flood the entire complex.

The city declared a state of local emergency and residents were put under evacuation alert as crews worked through the night to save their homes.

See the original post:
Flooding threatens Kelowna, wider Okanagan region

JACKSONVILLE Three requests recommended by the Lake Advisory Board were denied at the Jacksonville City Council meeting on Tuesday.

Brandon and Brandy Bannister requested a variance from the council to build a retaining wall on their property. The council denied the request because it was in violation of the city lake rules and regulations.

Elridge Moak represented the Bannisters and said the proposed plan was for property improvement on privately owned land.

The motion was denied, stating any work done to the property would be at the homeowner's risk.

George Conrad were in the middle of building a 12-foot retaining wall and boat ramp, but was given a stop order by Will Cole, public works director.

The council members not only denied the request but asked Conrad to remove the work that was started.

Mo Raissi, city manager, said a committee was put together to analyze the rules and regulations of Lake Jacksonville a couple of years ago, but prevention of building of retaining walls was always in the regulations.

There was a reason that was put in place to protect the other homeowners, he said. When you change the shoreline, you're going to impact the lake. The water has to go somewhere and pushing the shoreline can cause a flood to your next door neighbor.

Raissi said lake side residents live outside the city limits but the properties are leased lots by the city. Lake residents pay an average of $30 a year on those lots, he said.

They can come ask the building officials to make sure they can a put retaining wall in, look at the property line, make sure they will not extend the property line, he said.

Read the rest here:
Council rejects lake residents’ requests

By Johnna Klossing, jklossing@cbs4qc.com

The Riverside Cemetery in Moline is known for its beautiful views, peaceful setting, and history. However, a piece of that history could come tumbling down if something isn't done soon. A 138-year-old retaining wall supports a small portion of the cemetery, but it is crumbling. That's why Tuesday city leaders voted to pay for a study that will determine the best way to fix the wall, so the areas founding fathers, don't go sliding down the hill.

"That's something we do not want to happen, we want to keep the citizens of Moline in place, it's a duty we have to maintain cemeteries," Moline Mayor Don Welvaert said.

Welvaert said the wall has been a concern for a while. Several years ago part of it even caused a mud slide right into the Riverside Park pool.

"There was a portion of the hillside that did erode away, washed down the hill and indeed did go into the new aquatics center. We had to drain it and clean it out."

Welvaert said the engineering study will not only take a look at the stability of this retaining wall, but the entire hillside, which is covered in headstones.

"The engineering firm will evaluate the entire hillside to make sure either a, it is an isolated incident, or b... more work is needed to secure the sloping hillside."

Moline Resident Paul Kelty walks his dog in the cemetery several times a week and said he is glad the city is stepping up to preserve the historic site.

"I think it's a worthwhile thing with the history behind this cemetery. There are so many areas where they have let cemeteries just go to waste. This one is fairly well preserved in general, so that keeping that up is a good thing," Kelty said.

The study will cost around $27,000. City leaders said once it's complete they will decide what to do next. They said they do have $200,000 set aside for repairs.

More:
Riverside Cemetery in need of repairs

HUDSON Vandals covered the former gorilla building and a retaining wall with graffiti and destroyed a sign at Benson Park, a town official said Tuesday.

The damage occurred sometime after the park once home to the former Bensons Wild Animal Farm closed at 9 p.m. Monday, said Harry Schibanoff, who chairs the subcommittee that oversees maintenance and operations of the 166-acre, town-owned, recreational park.

Town officials learned of the damage after the park reopened at 5 a.m. Tuesday, he said.

In the interior portion of the gorilla house, there was graffiti on just about every wall, including the ceiling, Schibanoff said.

A rear retaining wall in the former bear cage also was covered with graffiti, he said.

A lot of volunteers have put thousands of hours of work into this park. Its very discouraging to see something like this happen, Schibanoff said.

He could not estimate what it would cost to remove the graffiti and repair the damage, but he anticipated the town would rely heavily on volunteers to get it done.

Hudson police had no information on the incident when contacted early Tuesday night.

Schibanoff said he does not believe police have any suspects.

Bensons Wild Animal Park, which also had been known as Bensons Wild Animal Farm, closed in 1987. The town bought the site and reopened it in 2010 as Benson Park.

Read more from the original source:
Vandals cover Benson Park building with graffiti