Cars

Thank God for Joan and Don. Without their lunchtime escape from the office, replete with witty, sexy banter, this episode, the worst of the season, would have been pointless. Nothing else quite worked here, in what clearly was a transitional throwaway leading up to the final few episodes this season. I, for one, do not care about Lane's financial issues (though, surely him forging Don's signature on a check to pay debts will come back to bite him). Anything involving Harry is sort of blah, even though his subplot this week brought back and old friend, Paul Kinsey, who has, ahem, gone through some changes.

An Edgewood man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to dragging a Harford County Sheriff's Deputy with a vehicle following a traffic stop last December. William Scott Fetzer, 33, of Spring Meadow Court in Edgewood, also pleaded guilty to multiple drug offenses and vehicle theft during an appearance in Harford County Circuit Court Thursday before Judge Emory A. Plitt Sr., Harford County State's Attorney's Joseph Cassilly said. According to a news release announcing the sentence, Fetzer was a passenger in a car that was to be searched by a K-9, when he commandeered the car and fought with Deputy Tyler Vass for control of the vehicle.

Baltimore City police are investigating several acts of vandalism in Northwest Baltimore last weekend in which swastikas and other messages were spray-painted onto cars, said a police spokesman. Cars were tagged on Strathmore Avenue, Clarinth Road and Labyrinth Road between late Friday night and early Saturday morning, said Kevin Brown, the spokesman. In the 2800 block of W. Strathmore Ave., a swastika was spray-painted on a vehicle, along with the phrase "IH8U," while an expletive was found on the side of another vehicle in the same block.

Two adult drivers, including a Baltimore City police officer, were transported to the hospital Sunday afternoon following a two-car accident in the 800 block of Walker Avenue, near The Alameda. According to witnesses, the city police car and a burgundy sedan collided on Walker Avenue, and the police car knocked down part of a wooden fence. The sedan was driven by a woman, according to one witness. Neither driver appeared to be suffering life-threatening injuries, and the officer was seen walking around after the accident, according to a witness.

A busy street in downtown Baltimore might be the last place one would expect to see a bocce game going on. But just before noon Friday, with traffic rumbling by, Nicole Reedy and Jeff Stump squared off for a friendly match on a swath of grass laid down where cars would normally be parked in front of their office on West Franklin Street. A few feet away, co-workers and clients chatted while sipping wine and soft drinks under a green-roofed lean-to. It was another PARK(ing)

Five years ago, pundits were quick to cast doubt on "Cars. " A version of "Local Hero" or "Doc Hollywood" starring a high-speed auto? How misbegotten and outre! It turned out to be one of Pixar's most profitable pictures — and one of its best-loved. Creating a cast of automobiles with human features — eyeballs in the middle of their windshields, eyebrows at the top of them, and mouths and teeth under the grilles — director John Lasseter pulled off an ultra-contemporary yet homespun fable about a hot-shot racer who wins big when he slows down and smells the desert roses in the Southwestern town of Radiator Springs.

In his letter to the editor, Ed Warner suggests that drivers don't know the law when it comes to pedestrian crossings. Perhaps he's the one that needs to brush up on the laws. Drivers must stop for pedestrians in crosswalks. Now then, what's so complicated about that? I'll throw in the concession "unless otherwise posted," as here in Monkton there is one sign that actually says "... for pedestrians at crosswalks," a departure from the norm. I've been a passenger in a vehicle where the driver feels it's "nice" to slow to a stop and wave a pedestrian across, the problem being the driver behind us didn't anticipate this unexpected act of kindness (and misinterpretation of the law)

I read in The Sun that city agencies are preparing for another round of budget cuts to be submitted in next year's budget ("City agencies preparing for another round of cuts," Oct. 14). Have they ever thought of taking away the vehicles that city employees use every day on the job? Every city, state, and federal government agency gives its employees automobiles to drive to work (and I am sure for their personal use, as well). Private industry does not give vehicles to their employees.

I would like to comment on Michael Dresser's article about "bad truck drivers" ("Can't avoid jackknifing? Don't be a truck driver," Feb. 8). Nowhere in that article did he mention the bad car drivers out there that cause 75 percent of the truck wrecks across the country. Mr. Dresser seems to have a grudge against truck drivers in general. Question to him: When was the last time you actually drove 40 tons down the road and tried to stop it on a dime because of a four-wheeler stopping in front of you on short notice?

An early-morning, multi-vehicle accident at the intersection of Pratt and President streets has caused downtown traffic delays during the rush-hour commute, according to city police. The accident happened about 8 a.m. and involved at least four vehicles, police said. Paramedics were called to the scene. Police do not believe anyone to be seriously injured. brent.jones@baltsun.com Sign up for Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

The Charles County Sheriff's Office says a three-year-old boy was killed after he climbed out of his mother's car and walked into the path of another vehicle. Authorities say the incident occurred in the 10500 block of Sugarberry Street in Waldorf about 2 p.m. Tuesday. Police say the boy had been in a car seat in the back seat of the vehicle when his mother pulled over to give some mail to a postal worker. Police say the boy unbuckled himself, left the car and walked into the roadway where he was struck by an oncoming SUV. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene.

Thank you everyone who participated yesterday in Clear Your Clutter Day. We had an overwhelming response with 623 cars coming through. That number does not include the many cars who got in line, waited an hour and decided to move on before actually coming through. At times the traffic snaked around and through the college and there were three aisles of cars working their way through the parking lot. HCC Security did a fantastic job of managing the traffic. I am profoundly appreciative of the people who stepped in at the last minute to help and who without planning gave up their Saturday just to keep the event moving including: BumbleJunk of Bel Air - Ryan and Stan; Rebecca and Annabel Jessop; Amanda McGhee and family; Greg Deal, Steve Pulliam and Lou at HCC. Thank you to the partners who came on time: SARC,Lions Club, Habitat for Humanity, Always Recycling, The Shred Mill, College Hunks Hauling Junk, HCC Vowlunteers.

Racing champion Michael Andretti is working on a last-minute effort to organize the Baltimore Grand Prix, teaming with two local businessmen to put together the Labor Day street racing festival, the mayor's office announced Thursday. The new racing group, Race On LLC, will be headed by J.P. Grant , a Columbia-based financier with close ties to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, and Curtis Bay concrete contractor Greg O'Neill. They will provide the financial muscle behind the group, which must speed through preparations in 31/2 months.

Anne Arundel County police are investigating the death of a woman found early Sunday slumped in a car parked near the Anne Arundel Community College satellite building in Hanover, not far from Arundel Mills mall. Fire Department rescue crews responding to the 5:30 a.m. call from Arundel Mills mall security officers found an African-American woman who appeared to be in her early 20s in the vehicle near 7009 Arundel Mills Circle and determined she was dead, police said. Police said they saw no obvious signs of foul play.

Police in Anne Arundel County are investigating three separate car accidents Friday and early Saturday in Annapolis, Glen Burnie and Pasadena that left seven people hospitalized, according to authorities. The first occurred on Friday about 5:30 p.m. at East College Parkway and Revell Downs Road in Annapolis. Police said two cars collided at the intersection, and the female driver of one of the vehicles suffered serious head injuries. She was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in serious condition.

The driver of a Saturn sedan who had stopped in an eastbound lane of the Baltimore Beltway early Saturday was killed when a Ford pickup truck slammed into the vehicle, according to Maryland State Police. David Wilt, 33, of Pasadena, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Authorities said the crash occurred in the Anne Arundel County section of the highway, near Md. Route 2 in Glen Burnie. The eastbound lanes of the four-lane highway were closed for about five hours, until about 7:45 a.m. The accident occurred about 2:45 a.m. State police said Wilt either stopped or parked in the high-speed lane.

A series of cars and fences were found covered in spray paint Sunday morning in Bowleys Quarters, Baltimore County Police said. Police said they responded to three calls from residents in the 3700 block of Holly Grove Road around 6:45 a.m. They said the lines of spray paint appeared primarily on cars and that there were no suspects in the case. childs.walker@baltsun.com Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

Electric, hybrid and small cars will grab center stage at the Detroit auto show this week, as the industry adapts to a world reshaped by recession and environmental worries. Ford wants to build on success in midsize sedans and reignite small-car sales, while Hyundai aims to extend last year's triumph in budget-conscious models. GM and Chrysler will start fresh with electric vehicles but also try to boost their small-car credibility. Toyota hopes to solidify its dominance in hybrids. The new models must be successful if automakers are to reverse last year's 21 percent sales plunge.

News Roundup •••• Wouldn't it be fun to buy a monthly fee for your Xbox and Kinect like you do with your cell phone? It looks like that's going to be an option for folks who want to pay $99 for hardware then shell out around $15 a month as a subscription fee. [ The Verge , h/t @ KingPajamas ] •••• Bethesda has been hard at work at “The Elder Scrolls Online” since 2007, but its existence was finally confirmed this week. The MMO will take place before the events of the console games, and from the early details released, seems like it will be your bog standard medieval fantasy MMO set in a world players already know.

Three people were killed Friday after a car lost control on a curve and crashed into a milk truck in Phoenix, Baltimore County police said. A Volkswagen Jetta was traveling northbound on Jarrettsville Pike when it crossed the center line into the path of the truck, police said. The Jetta overturned on its left side. The truck struck a tree and remained upright, but its tanker turned on its left side, police said. The crash occurred at 6:09 a.m. in the 12600 block of Jarrettsville Pike, just north of the intersection with Dulaney Valley Road.