– Walworth County, Wis., leaders are urging Honda Motor Co. to build a new assembly plant in the county. The company announced plans last month to build the plant in the Midwest that would employ about 1,500 people. Sites in Indiana, Illinois and Ohio are in the running.
– The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging a speeding ticket issued to a man who was caught speeding on camera. The Iowa chapter of the group filed a motion to dismiss the March 17 ticket issued to Thomas Seymour of Davenport. He received the ticket in the mail. R. Ben Stone, executive director of the Iowa group, says calls the cameras moneymakers for the cities and companies that provide them, saying they create strong incentives to abuse the systems. A hearing is set for July 3.
– Suzuki Motor Corp. will dissolve its sales tie-in with General Motors Corp. in Japan and end joint development operations there. The partnership dates to 1981, but those ties have loosened since GM sold 17 percent of Suzuki in April for about $2 billion, leaving it with a 3 percent stake.
– Ford says it will keep engineers in specific roles for a longer time to hone their expertise. Engineers were moving from job to job every 18 months, according Ford Vice President Derrick Kuzak. “A brake engineer stays a brake engineer” and that assignment “will last for years,” he says.
– Driving a hybrid car means free parking at meters in one Connecticut city and reserved parking spots near the front door of a New Hampshire company. Now, some Bank of America Corp. employees will receive $3,000 cash if they buy one of the fuel-efficient vehicles. Environmental officials said they hope the pilot program by the nation’s largest retail bank has broad effects.
– Discoverboating.com wants to know what city is best for watching Independence Day fireworks from a boat. Nominees include Boston, Houston, New York City, San Diego, Seattle and, of course, Chicago. Chicago’s fireworks are set for 9:30 p.m. July 3 off Monroe Harbor. You have until July 7 to vote early and often.
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Quick Trips are compiled from the notebooks of Jim Mateja and Rick Popely, and from Tribune news services.
