Man
pleads not guilty in stabbing of taxi driver
The Salina Journal - (Salina, Kansas)
By the Salina Journal | Monday, May 20, 2013 1:35 PM
One of two men accused of multiple charges in connection
with the stabbing of a Salina cab driver pleaded not
guilty Monday morning, and his trial was set for August.
Robert A.M. Simmons, 24, was set for trial at 9 a.m. Aug.
6 in Saline County District Court. A pretrial conference
was set for 1:30 p.m. July 31.
Jason Kenneth, 28, entered a plea of not guilty to the
same five felony charges and one misdemeanor as Simmons
and was scheduled for trial beginning at 9 a.m. July 30.
He is set for a pretrial conference at 4 p.m. July 22.
Kenneth and Simmons are charged in connection with a March
21 attack on former Sunflower Taxi driver Jay Waiton. They
face felony charges of attempted first-degree murder,
aggravated battery, attempted aggravated criminal robbery,
conspiracy to commit murder, and conspiracy to commit
robbery, and a misdemeanor charge of criminal restraint.
Second
man pleads not guilty in connection with stabbing of
cab driver
The Salina Journal - (Salina, Kansas)
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 2:59 AM
Man pleads not guilty in stabbing
One of two men accused of multiple charges in connection
with the stabbing of a Salina cab driver pleaded not
guilty Monday morning, and his trial was set for August.
Robert A.M. Simmons, 24, was set for trial at 9 a.m. Aug.
6 in Saline County District Court. A pretrial conference
was set for 1:30 p.m. July 31.
Jason Kenneth, 28, entered a plea of not guilty to the
same five felony charges and one misdemeanor as Simmons
and was scheduled for trial beginning at 9 a.m. July 30.
He is set for a pretrial conference at 4 p.m. July 22.
Kenneth and Simmons are charged in connection with a March
21 attack on former Sunflower Taxi driver Jay Waiton. They
face felony charges of attempted first-degree murder,
aggravated battery, attempted aggravated robbery,
conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit
robbery, and a misdemeanor charge of criminal restraint. -
more....
Oliver
Koppell killed his own bill requiring all taxis handle
wheelchairs
New York Daily News - (New York City, New York)
After years of waiting, Bronx councilman buckled under
pressure
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Tuesday, May 21, 2013, 4:05 AM
Councilman Oliver Koppell wasted everyone’s time by
yanking his taxicab wheelchair access bill.
Two and a half years ago, Bronx City Councilman Oliver
Koppell introduced a bill aimed at providing full taxi
service to New Yorkers who use wheelchairs.
With robust support from advocates for people with
disabilities, Koppell stood up to the powerful yellow-taxi
industry by calling for a phase-in of cabs capable of
transporting wheelchairs. He rounded up 37 co-sponsors,
seeming to ensure passage with a veto-proof majority.
But then Speaker Christine Quinn bottled up the
legislation, blocking a vote that would have shown whether
all those co-sponsors truly had the courage of their
convictions.
Finally, showing unusual spine, Koppell invoked a rarely
used sponsor’s privilege that forced Quinn to convene a
committee hearing and a vote. Then, Koppell folded under
Quinn’s pressure like a cheap suit hours before his
long-sought vote. After all those months and years of
standing as a champion of people with disabilities, he
announced that his legislation was riddled with bad ideas
that needed amendments.
Those were duly supplied by the taxi industry and got
Quinn’s full support. Key among the terms: The Taxi and
Limousine Commission would waive the accessibility
requirement if the cost of operating wheelchair cabs was
more than 5% higher than the expense of regular taxis. -
more....
Company
Offers Financially Friendlier Alternative To Taxi Cabs
In LA
KNX-1070 AM - (Los Angeles, California)
May 20, 2013 10:56 PM
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Many Los Angeles residents are
starting to notice cars, driving around the city with pink
mustaches on the front of their hoods.
The cars are part of a new car-sharing service called
Lyft, which is helping people who don’t have cars of their
own to get around LA for cheaper than the price of a taxi
cab.
The company, which started it’s service in San Francisco,
has a mobile device application that allows people to look
up location of participating vehicles, which are driven by
local people in the community, and select to get a lift to
wherever they need to go.
Erin Thayer is a driver for Lyft, when she is on the road.
Thayer also works as an aspiring actress, and says that
the service takes place whenever she is on the road.
“I can go to my audition,” Thayer said. “And then I can
hop right in the car and continue to ‘lyft’.”
The company offers lifts at rates that are around 30
percent cheaper than a taxi. -
more....
Proposed
regulations put Uber taxi service in jeopardy in DC
WTTG-TV Channel 5 - (Washington D.C.)
Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 12:19 AM EST
By Lauren DeMarco
WASHINGTON -
About 7,000 supporters have signed an online petition
aimed at saving UberTaxi and avoiding other proposed
regulations that would impact the company's popular black
car service.
The D.C. Taxicab Commission has passed new regulations to
streamline how digital payments are processed when it
comes to e-hailing. It's all part of the "Modern Taxi
Meter System" and it goes into effect June 1.
Uber says that may mean the end of Uber Taxi because the
system would have to work with payment providers who are
integrated with taxi hardware.
"There's no other city or technology company that has
successfully integrated in the way D.C. is asking," says
Uber D.C. General Manager Rachel Holt. "We've never seen
it done and we're not sure it's possible." -
more....
Tacoma
City Business Preview - Week of May 21, 2013
Exit 133 - (Tacoma, Washington)
Exit133
May 20, 2013 at 10:22 am
Taxi Cab Cameras
The main item on this week’s City Council study session
agenda is a discussion of amendments to the code
regulating taxi cabs in Tacoma. We heard about the
amendments last summer when the City would have begun
enforcing changes to the code passed in 2006, requiring
the installation of video cameras in Tacoma taxi
cabs. Cab drivers successfully lobbied to have the
2012 enforcement deadline delayed, pending conversations
about their concerns regarding the legislation passed six
years earlier. Those concerns included objections to
the cost of purchasing and installing the cameras,
questions about access to the footage (originally limited
to law enforcement only), and about the type of cameras
required. -
more....