Acre launches op to clear 70 private bomb shelters

City Notes: 27 fire crews control blaze at Tamra plastic factory; 6 African youths escape from Hadera jail; Woman, 20, killed in Galilee collision.

By COMPILEDMICHAEL OMER-MAN
Child at a bomb shelter 370 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Child at a bomb shelter 370
(photo credit: REUTERS)
NORTH The Acre Municipal Security Division conducted a massive operation to clear stored wares, equipment and furniture from 70 private and shared bomb shelters in the city this week, readying them for proper use in the case of an emergency.
The operation came following a review of bomb shelters in both private and residential buildings with shared shelters.
Building and apartment owners were given 15 days to remove everything from the shelters before municipal workers came to clear them out.
Acre Mayor Shimon Lankry described the operation as one of various steps taken by the municipality to prepare for any emergency.
According to law, it is the responsibility of residents to properly maintain shelters by keeping them clean and accessible in case they are needed during an emergency or attack.
27 fire crews control blaze at Tamra plastic factory Twenty-seven fire-fighting crews worked to put out a fire that broke out Saturday night at a plastic factory in the village of Tamra. The crews managed to take control of the fire by early Sunday morning. No injuries were reported in the incident. The Fire and Rescue Services was investigating the circumstances that led to the fire.
6 African youths escape from Hadera jail Six minor African asylum-seekers and migrants escaped from a Hadera juvenile prison facility near the city’s police station this week. Police and Prisons Service officers immediately launched a search for them and managed to locate one, taking him back into custody. The remainder of the youths were still at large at press time. Police said the youths were arrested because of their legal status in the country and not for criminal activity.
Woman, 20, killed in Galilee collision A 20-year-old woman was killed in a car accident in the Lower Galilee over the weekend. Two others were lightly injured in the collision. Magen David Adom paramedics evacuated the wounded to the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa.
Police said it appeared from an initial investigation that one of the two cars involved ran a red light, striking the other. The investigation was ongoing.
CENTER Ra’anana finishes 2011 with NIS 1.8m. budget surplus Data released last week by the Interior Ministry showed that the Ra’anana Municipality finished the 2011 fiscal year with a budget surplus of nearly NIS 1.8 million, the city said in a statement.
Ra’anana Mayor Nahum Hofree said, “The financial data is evidence that Ra’anana is managed responsibly and efficiently, with good budgetary performance, while continuing to provide services at the highest level to its residents.”
Last year, the Ma’alot credit rating agency gave the Ra’anana Municipality the highest possible rating of AAA. The released financial reports also showed that the city’s debt collection rates stood at 95 percent in 2011.
Hofree thanked the city management and administrators for the “impressive financial results.”
3 Jaffa youths shot; woman shot dead on Allenby in TA Unknown assailants fired shots at three teenagers in Jaffa over the weekend, lightly injuring them. The youths, aged around 15, were sitting at a restaurant on Jean Racine Street in the city when they were fired upon.
The youths admitted themselves to Wolfson Medical Center in Holon.
Police were investigating the circumstances of the shooting. No arrests had been made at the time of this report.
Elsewhere, a 30-year-old woman was shot and killed on Allenby Road in Tel Aviv Sunday night. Police discovered the woman with gunshot wounds to her upper body, and were investigating the incident.
TA holds first secondhand festival The Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality, in cooperation with the Yad2 website, held the city’s first-ever “Secondhand Festival” at Charles Clore Beach this week. Over 300 sales stands offered phones, computers, furniture, art, clothing, jewelry, tools, musical instruments and sporting goods. In addition, an auction site hosted by Shmulik Tayar and Sharon Ayalon benefited the Loving Heart Association.
Tel Aviv-Jaffa director of performance Avi Mizrahi said of the event, “We are pleased to establish a new festival in Tel Aviv, adding to the many festivals we hold for the benefit of Tel Aviv residents and visitors arriving from around the country.” Yad2 CEO Yavin Gill-More added, “Everyone has something to sell.”
‘Night Line’ riders may find themselves on the ‘Cash Bus’ As part of activities launching this year’s Night Lines late-night bus lines running from the center of Tel Aviv to various cities in the Dan Region, the Transportation Ministry introduced a “cash bus” to encourage use of the buses. The bus, modeled after the television “Cash Cab” show, will be running on the Hod Hasharon line, the Local website reported.
The 47 bus lines operate on various lines until 4 a.m. on weekends, and service some 55 cities and municipalities throughout the country. The idea behind the lines is to allow youths and others to arrive at and return from nights out on the town without having to worry about driving drunk.
TA holds swing dance party at Dizengoff Square As part of the summer cultural activities in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, residents and professional dancers held a Charleston swing dance party at Dizengoff Square last week. Along with Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, dozens of swing dancers participated in the 1920s-themed event. Local dance studios helped first-time swingers take their first dance steps. The event also marked the first time in years that the longdefunct fountain in the square was fully operational. The fountain has been undergoing repairs and renovations for several months.
SOUTH Ashkelon officials seize half ton of meat products The Ashkelon Veterinary Service and Regional Health Department seized and ordered destroyed a truck full of meat products on their way to local markets last week, saying the fresh meat was not fit for human consumption, the Local website reported. The meat in the truck was not properly refrigerated, exposing the food to summer temperatures that pose a significant public health risk.
Ashkelon municipal veterinarian Dr. Gad Sharvit ordered the destruction of the meat products as well as criminal proceedings against the culprits transporting the nearly half ton of meat, according to the report.
Sharvit warned the public to buy meat products only from properly licensed businesses and to check the quality and expiration date of all meat before purchasing it. “I call on the public to be vigilant, especially during these hot days, and to report any suspicious spoiled or possibly spoiled meat products that may cause food poisoning to the municipal hotline,” the Local reported.
Earlier in the week, police in Ashdod also seized some 320 kilograms of spoiled meat in a truck they said was improperly refrigerated.
Police checked the truck on a routine stop and found it was not refrigerated at all. The driver told police he was on his way to deliver the meat to restaurants in the center of the country. The driver, a 40-yearold Tel Aviv resident, was given a fine of NIS 30,000, the Local website reported.
Kiryat Malachi mayor allowed to return to work The Petah Tikva District Court ruled that Kiryat Malachi Mayor Moti Malka could return to work last week, but forbade him from entering the Kiryat Malachi city hall building.
Malka was arrested in May on suspicion of committing serious sexual offenses against his female employees, following an undercover investigation by the police’s National Fraud Unit. Malka consistently denied the allegations against him, saying the sexual relationships were consensual.
The court had originally held that Malka could return to work without any restrictions but, responding to a police appeal, forbade him from entering the municipal building.