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Texas toll road getting 85 mph speed limit

MUSTANG RIDGE, Texas, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Before long, a stretch of Texas toll road will have the nation's highest speed limit -- 85 mph.

Motorists desiring to zip along at that speed legally will only be able to do it about 29 minutes at a time, however. That's how long it will take to traverse the 41-mile section of Texas 130 between Mustang Ridge near Austin to Seguin going 85 mph.

The speed limit approved by the Texas Transportation Commission goes into effect when the toll road is completed, which is expected to be Nov. 11, the Houston Chronicle reported Thursday.

The 85 mph limit will put Texas ahead of Utah, where motorists are allowed to speed along at a maximum of 80 mph, the newspaper said.

Safety is a concern for some.

"Research clearly demonstrates the direct connection between higher speed limits and more fatalities," Russ Rader of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in Arlington, Va., told the Chronicle. "When speed limits go up, deaths on those roads go up. When speed limits go down, deaths on those roads go down."

Chris Lippincott, a spokesman for the consortium that is building the road, said state transportation officials have determined the highway can be traveled safely at 85 mph.

How much it will cost for the privilege has yet to be determined.

N.Y. man admits stealing $210,000 in coins

BUFFALO, N.Y., Sept. 6 (UPI) -- A Buffalo, N.Y., parking meter mechanic may get 30 months in prison after admitting Thursday he stole $210,000 in quarters from city meters.

James Bagarozzo, 57, agreed to a plea bargain before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara in Buffalo that could send him to federal prison for up to 30 months for being one of two mechanics accused of stealing money from the meters they were supposed to be fixing, The Buffalo News reported.

Bagarozzo and Lawrence Charles both pleaded guilty to the felony charge of theft and conversion concerning groups receiving federal funds. Charles admitted stealing $15,000 in quarters as part of his plea agreement with the court, the News said.

Bagarozzo said he took the money because he had a gambling problem and Crohn's disease, which he feared would leave him unable to work.

"I wanted to make sure my family was going to be OK," Bagarozzo said of his illness in court.

Bagarozzo would be required to repay the $210,000 he admitted stealing by the time he is sentenced Dec. 17, his lawyer said.

Bagarozzo's pilfering was discovered after the city's parking enforcement commissioner noticed a big difference in revenue collected from the city's 1,200 old-fashioned parking meters and revenue collected from the newer pay-and-display coinless parking meters.

Canadian kids offered pole-dancing workout

VICTORIA, British Columbia, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- A dance studio instructor in western Canada says the pole-dancing class she intends to provide children is a healthy workout and has nothing to do with sex.

While X-rated images of exotic dancers might come to mind when mention is made of pole-dancing, Kristy Craig of Duncan's Twisted Grip Dance and Fitness Studio on Vancouver Island says anyone thinking along that line is way off base, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Thursday.

"There is nothing provocative. There is nothing sexual about it," she said. "It's pure fitness and strength and fun. I mean kids love climbing trees. They will climb anything."

Craig, who notes she has never worked in the adult entertainment industry, says she already has four children as young as 5, including one boy, signed up for her Little Spinners pole-dancing lessons on Saturdays, the CBC said. The kids' parents also take classes at the studio, she said.

The network said pole-dancing has gained popularity worldwide in recent years, with children as young as 7 being allowed to compete at the Russian national championships in St. Petersburg this week.

Suspect gets wedged between buildings

SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Police say they finally got their man Thursday after a high-speed chase and footrace left him wedged in a tight spot between two buildings in San Jose, Calif.

The suspect, identified as Arturo Corona, 32, became stuck in an 18-inch space between the buildings after allegedly fleeing the scene of a crash after a high-speed chase, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

It took firefighters about 90 minutes to pull Corona out of the space using ladders and ropes.

Corona, wearing only a trash bag when firefighters found him, likely either jumped or fell off one of the buildings and became stuck about 20 feet down, police said.

Corona told police he was being chased by two men brandishing knives before he became wedged between the buildings.

Police said it all started when Corona allegedly led the California Highway Patrol on a high-speed chase after being spotted speeding, San Jose's KTVU-TV reported. The car chase was followed by a crash and then Corona's final dash on foot that led to his getting stuck.

Corona will be charged with suspicion of felony hit and run and driving on a suspended license, Sullivan said.