Gps

National Park Service employees are poring over hours of surveillance video hoping for a lead into the theft of baby Jesus from the Nativity scene on Independence Mall. Officials believe the plastic figurine disappeared Saturday or Sunday. It was displayed at the heavily traveled intersection of Fifth and Market Streets, but no witnesses have come forward. "We don't know if we have video of the theft occurring," said Jane Cowley, spokeswoman for Independence National Historical Park.

  THE IDEA of a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax is being discussed - and tested in states like Oregon and Iowa. It would be an alternative to the federal gas tax, which is under review by Congress and could lead to a new system for funding highway construction and repairs when the measure comes up for reauthorization in 2014. One feature of the VMT tax is that it would require some way to measure travel, creating the possibility that the government will use advanced technology to track movements of every car and truck.

The video clips are all over the Internet: unsuspecting thieves caught stealing cars - bait cars - set out by police and outfitted with state-of-the-art GPS tracking devices and video cameras. One driver in California cried when nabbed. "Oh, no. They got me," he wailed. The cars have been used for about 15 years, in hundreds of departments across the country and in Canada. Starting soon, they'll make getting away with car theft in Upper Darby a little more difficult. The township plans to introduce its first bait car Wednesday.

The best thing about my first beat at The Inquirer was getting paid to get lost. My assignment? To roam the region's back roads and subdivisions in search of the story of suburbia. Many times, I found it by accident after a wrong turn put 30 extra miles on my Saturn. Lower Merion Township was, and remains, my directional downfall, a lovely labyrinth where only natives can find their way home after dark. Just last week, I showed up a half-hour late to an appointment in 19096.

ALLENTOWN - Muhlenberg College has so many trees, the cicadas sound like a symphony. At this moment, however, Patrick Molloy hears only static. "Those trees are blocking my GPS," he frets. "I can't get a signal. " The signal matters, since Molloy, 18, has just a few weeks left to map and memorize the 82-acre campus before settling in as Muhlenberg's first blind student in decades. "It's not so much about counting steps as it is estimating distance," he explains as we hoof it to Walz Hall.

The vast parking lots of Cherry Hill's ever-expanding retail and commercial centers have become fertile turf for criminals. Car break-ins in the township rose by 46 percent between 2005 and 2008, and this year are on pace to exceed last year's total of 454, according to Cherry Hill police. Thieves have been active throughout the township, but particularly in and around shopping centers, said police spokesman Lt. William Kushina. "There's more expensive electronics in cars these days, with the advent of satellite radio and GPS navigation systems.

Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen apologized yesterday to Alex Rodriguez for comments he made in a Sports Illustrated article in which he criticized the Yankees star for waffling on his choice of countries for the World Baseball Classic. "I learned a lesson. I never took a first shot at anybody in my life and now I feel like I took the first shot. I feel embarrassed, I feel guilty. I wish I had not said it the way it sounds or the way I said it," Guillen said at a news conference at the White Sox spring training complex on reporting day for pitchers and catchers.

RE THE OP-ED by Joe Ashdale, head of the Philadelphia Parking Authority: As far as taxicabs are concerned, sure they're in better condition. But don't use this as an excuse to rape the industry. Fines and fees have skyrocketed under the PPA and continue to rise, primarily because there's no state oversight. There's no avenue for public input from the industry to show what a harmful impact these steep increases are causing. Recently, the Commonwealth Court ruled that the PPA Taxi Division's rules and regs are invalid and unenforceable.

AUSTIN, Texas - You've made it to Christmas. Now the kids are out of school, and you may be planning to head out of town. If you're planning a road trip, here are a few ideas to help make getting there half the fun, or at least not an exercise in agony. 1. Consider renting a car for your road trip. It's a good option if you don't trust your car to get you there, if your car's a gas guzzler and you want to save on fuel, or if you just want to avoid wear and tear on your personal car. Call around and look online at various rental companies.