Oceanside Community原版英文小故事内容： The oceanside community of Lozano Beach is debating whether to allow homeowners to rent out their homes on a weekly basis during the summer. Such rentals produce high incomes for the owners and the city, which gets part of this income through a 15-percent surcharge to the owner. “This can be a boon to our coffers,” said Rick Brown, city manager. “In t

Trees Are a Threat原版英文小故事内容： The mountain town of Canton is at an elevation of 6,000 feet. It is surrounded by thick underbrush and pine trees. Because of six years of drought, these plants are a major fire hazard. Thousands of trees and tons of underbrush are going to be removed over the next five years at a minimum cost of $3 million. The brush will be removed first, then the tr

Gets Booked, Writes a Book原版英文小故事内容： A man convicted of writing bad checks to casinos has written a book that he predicts will become a national bestseller. Entitled A Casino Is Born Every Minute, the 250-page book details James Duncan’s successful and unsuccessful attempts to beat casinos. Duncan is serving a five-year sentence for grand larceny in the Las Vegas city jail. He wro

Popular Park Reopens原版英文小故事内容： The Silas Lake Park reopens today after being closed for six months. The park was closed because mud and rock slides destroyed part of Cambridge Road, the only access into the park. “We had to remove tons of boulders and rocks,” said Hugh Foster of the Parks and Recreation Department. “Then we had to rebuild a bridge and reconstruct almost a mile of

Swim Classes Begin Soon原版英文小故事内容： Summer is almost here, which means it is time to sign your kids up for swim classes again at the Community Pool. Classes begin on Monday, May 1, and will continue throughout the summer. Fifteen swim classes are being offered. Each class lasts ten hours. A new class starts each week of the summer. Each class costs $20. The pool is big enough for si

Getting Older原版英文小故事内容： All seniors 55 and older are invited to a special meeting next Tuesday in the Senior Center. The meeting will begin with cookies and lemonade. The speaker will be James Carter, the director of a nonprofit organization dedicated to making the golden years fun and interesting. “We have too many seniors who act old because they think they’re old,” said C

Millions for Homeless原版英文小故事内容： The Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded $5 million to three different local nonprofit organizations. The money will be distributed over a four-year period and is aimed at helping approximately 1,000 homeless people in the county of Arvada. One agency, with headquarters in Woodbridge, is slated to receive $1.5 millio

Tenants Watch Building Burn原版英文小故事内容： A 20-unit apartment building burned for about an hour before firemen were able to extinguish it. The fire started in the attic at about 10:30 p.m. yesterday evening. The damage was estimated at $1.5 million. A fire department spokesman said the fire might have been set deliberately. The tenant who first saw the blaze banged loudly on the d

Bathtub Blues原版英文小故事内容： A middle-aged man with a long beard was arrested by the police for disorderly conduct and property damage. “More charges might be added later,” said a police officer. The man, identified as Bill Wild, checked into the Motel Five last night about an hour after sunset. Telling the clerk that he would be staying four nights, he paid cash in advance. He t

Blood Drive at Civic Center原版英文小故事内容： The local university blood center had a blood drive today at the Civic Center auditorium. Almost 300 people showed up, but about 50 were turned away for various medical reasons. Fifty others left because the lines were moving so slowly. The event concluded at 6 p.m., three hours after the scheduled close. It was a long day for everyone—adminis

City Hosts 42nd Art Fair原版英文小故事内容： The Fernwood Library sponsored Fernwood's 42nd Art Fair this weekend. The three-day event was held, as usual, at Memorial Park. Almost 100 artists showed up each day. More than 1,000 locals and visitors strolled through the shady park daily, as temperatures remained in the comfortable 70s all weekend. All kinds of art were on display and for

City and Crime原版英文小故事内容： Crime in the city of Clio hit a 30-year low last year. "This is absolutely wonderful for our citizens, our businesses, and our visitors," said Police Chief Louis Gates. Clio has a population of 28,000, but it has at least 30 gangs. The gangs make most of their money from dealing drugs and offering “protection.” They also commit violent crimes, such as murd

Bank Robbery原版英文小故事内容： It was 80 degrees in the shade. A man wearing a heavy army jacket, a pullover wool cap, and dark sunglasses walked into the First American Bank at the corner of Maple and Main streets in downtown Short Beach. The man walked up to the teller and held up a hand grenade for all to see. He said, “Give me all your money, all the money in this bank, right now!

Immigration Goes Online原版英文小故事内容： Thousands of immigrants who need to file papers related to immigration status, green cards, and resident cards no longer have to stand in line for hours on end. The immigration office now has a new system called Info Pass. Applicants simply schedule a time and a date to meet with an immigration officer using Info Pass. They don't even have to go t

Jimmy Fixes His Door原版英文小故事内容： Jimmy lives on the second floor of a six-unit apartment building. His front door has two locks -- a security deadbolt, and a regular door handle lock. The front door also has a peephole -- a tiny piece of glass through which Jimmy can look out his door at about eye-level to "preview" who is knocking on his door or ringing his doorbell. The peep

New Air-Conditioner原版英文小故事内容： It had been another hot spring day. By ten o’clock in the evening, it had only cooled down to 87 degrees, according to Larry's thermometer in the living room. He rarely looked at his thermometer because he usually didn't care what the exact temperature was. Larry had two table fans in his bedroom. Because of the high temperatures, the last three

Man Gets 12 Years for Fraud原版英文小故事内容： A federal judge sentenced Bruce Jones to 12 years in federal prison for fraud. Over a 10-year period, Jones had managed to swindle almost $10 million from thousands of gullible people throughout the state. He advertised his fantastic ideas on TV. "For some reason," Jones said, "TV seems to break the ice. Even though you are a total strange

Man Shoots Up Post Office原版英文小故事内容： A 36-year-old man stormed into the Ramona post office yelling at everyone to get out of his way. Carrying a shotgun, he climbed up onto the countertop and told everyone to lie on the floor. Then he pulled the trigger and fired a round into the ceiling. Plaster splattered onto the floor and the customers. The man ordered all the customers and

Murals Are Over 200 Years Old原版英文小故事内容： Two men chanced upon a trap door in a back room of a historic church near San Francisco. They discovered 23 religious murals painted by Native Americans more than 200 years ago. The murals record scenes from the Bible. Arthur Anderson, an artist, and Eric Bush, a painter, had been to the church many times before. But they were not aware of a

Pier Collapses原版英文小故事内容： The Oakville pier collapsed Saturday afternoon at 3:30. Although hundreds of people were on the pier at the time of the collapse, no one was killed and only 15 people were injured. One person was seriously injured. That person was a 43-year-old man who suffered two broken legs, eight broken ribs, and a punctured lung. Hundreds of people gathered arou