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LAGUNA BEACH – a caller said a woman came into his business, on the 500 block South Coast Highway, and told the employees to do her a favor and give her all their money and that she was going to come back and kill them. the verbal threat was reported to police on Sunday.

Suspicious person/circumstances. Capistrano Avenue and Miramar Street. a caller walking her dog said a man with dreadlocks who was standing near them disappeared, before quickly reappearing to tell her “you better not be looking at my house” before driving off in a new, black BMW. 9:18 a.m.

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Suspicious person/circumstances. Broadway Street and North Coast Highway. a caller said a man wearing a black and white sweatshirt with a blue towel wrapped around his waist tried to jump into his car. 7: 11 p.m.

Verbal threats. 1400 block Skyline Drive. a caller said a man in his mid-30s walking with his teenage son, urinated on her property and told her “I’m going to get you, and I know where you live” when she asked him to stop. 5:09 p.m.

Assist other department. 18500 block Laguna Canyon Road. a caller said he saw a large flare go off and turn green near the Nix Nature Center. 5:39 p.m.

Disturbance. 300 block Broadway Street. a caller said he could hear a large group of people mouthing off obscenities near the public restrooms. 4:08 p.m.

Suspicious person/circumstances. 20600 block Laguna Canyon Road. a caller said he saw a man crawling up and out of a ditch near the dog park. 4:016p.m.

Fire. 400 block Myrtle Street. a caller said a group of three teens, all wearing hooded jackets, set a Christmas tree on fire on the middle of the road. 12:45 a.m.

Indecent exposure. 200 block Broadway Street. a caller said a man in his 60s, wearing a checkered jacket and white, stained pants, urinated in front of the business before boarding a bus. 3:57 p.m.

Vandalism. 2800 block Alta Laguna Boulevard. a resident reported finding mail under a piece of cardboard in her side yard, citing that it’s a reoccurring problem and possibly has to with a 12-year-old neighbor. 3:50 p.m.

Trespassing. 1200 block Starlit Drive. a caller said she could see two men walking around an abandoned home with their flashlights on. 7:13 p.m.

Burglary. 500 block South Coast Highway. a caller said someone stole a large painting of Mick Jagger worth around $2,500 from the business. 5:38 p.m.

Patrol Check. 200 block Saint Ann’s Drive. a resident said she found an empty case of beer and a few joints on her back patio after noticing that her gate was tampered with. 4:47 p.m.

Assault with a deadly weapon. Ocean front at Cress Beach. a caller said a man he did not know tried to fight and hit him with a large SUV. 9:54 a.m.

The blotter is compiled from Laguna Beach Police Department records. the outcome of calls often differs from what was initially reported. no assumption of criminal guilt or association should be drawn from the information provided. For more crime news, go to ocregister.com/crime.

<a href="http://www.ocregister.com/news/caller-336047-block-street.htmltag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.ocregister.com/news/caller-336047-block-street.htmlTue, 17 Jan 2012 23:18:27 GMT”>Police: Woman threatens to kill shop owner

The following are excerpts from the Walnut Creek Police Department log:

Nov

And if history is any indicator, 2012 could hold even loftier achievements for the company’s one and only U.S. vehicle manufacturing facility.

In 2010, BMW laid the groundwork for this year’s boom by completing an additional $1 billion expansion to make room for production of the next generation X3 sports activity vehicle in addition to the X5, X6 and their variants.

In November of this year, the X3 broke the 100,000-unit sales mark and helped catapult the company’s global sales to their highest point ever.

Spartanburg-based BMW Manufacturing Co. spokesman Max Metcalf said 2011 was the company’s most productive year by far, with more than 270,000 vehicles manufactured. Official production numbers will be released after Jan. 1, he said.

“We had our most productive year in South Carolina,” Metcalf said. “There continues to be strong global appeal and demand for our three vehicles and their variants. we look forward to that continuing next year.”

Metcalf said at least 70 percent of the vehicles produced at the plant this year were exported primarily through the Port of Charleston to 130 countries around the world.

BMW announced in August it plans to increase the facility’s output to 300,000 vehicles in the coming year. the plant operates on a built-to-order model, meaning 80 percent of the vehicles produced go to fulfill customer orders.

The 4-million-square-foot facility represents a $5 billion investment. It has pumped well over $8 billion dollars into South Carolina’s economy, according to state economists.

Since its grand opening in 1994, nearly 2 million vehicles have been assembled at the plant. this year’s production accounted for roughly 14 percent of that output.

Total employment at the plant currently stands at 7,000 associates, including 4,500 full-time workers and 2,500 temporary employees. those associates cranked out an average of 1,000 vehicles per day in 2011.

The plant’s supplier network consists of 170 companies in North America, including 40 companies in South Carolina, who daily ship parts to the 1,150-acre site.

A University of South Carolina Moore School of Business study in 2008 said BMW suppliers in this state employed more than 23,000 people at the time. the study said each position at the plant has a job multiplier of 4.3 across the state. Based on that number, the plant currently props up 30,100 jobs in South Carolina.

Local leaders continued to heap their praise on the automaker.

“BMW saved Spartanburg as an industrial community,” said County Councilman David Britt. “It saved not only our employment, but it gave us a can-do attitude and a confidence in ourselves. and we haven’t looked back. we all knew what a critical state we were in when textile jobs began to disappear or go overseas in the 1980s.”

Britt said BMW is the “golden goose that keeps on giving” for the county and the state.

“They have lived up to everything I thought they would and more,” he said. “It is the single most important thing that happened to South Carolina and Spartanburg County in my lifetime. their current success proves that their decision to move here was absolutely the right thing for them to do.”

BMW kicked off 2011 by putting the international spotlight on Spartanburg. It spent an estimated $3 million to air a Super Bowl ad that depicted scenes from across the county, including Mabry’s Simple Simon, Morgan Square and Spartanburg High School, and lauded its decision to locate in South Carolina.

In January, the automaker’s chief executive Norbert Reithofer said the company was lining up a “volume model,” possible the 5-Series or 3-Series, for production at the plant. Industry analysts speculated that the company could add production of an X4 model to its Spartanburg lineup.

The company added another piece of the puzzle to its plant in late February, when the plant’s President Josef Kerscher announced the company’s plan to invest an additional $100 million in the facility and increase production by 51 percent to 240,000 vehicles, a mark that was later surpassed.

Those extra funds helped streamline the plant’s export operation and enabled the launch of the company’s new X3 Semi-Knocked down program. Under the SKD program, the company said it will ship 4,000 painted X3 body shells for assembly in emerging markets worldwide.

In June, BMW Manufacturing Co. initiated an expansion encompassing the addition of more than 100,000 square feet to an existing warehouse, two new bays, new space in a container yard and other small building additions.

The plant also announced in June that it planned to move its production model from a five-day schedule to a six-day schedule and change the structure of some of its shifts. the move, which was part of the $100 million investment, was meant to help the facility reach its production goals.

In August, company officials announced that the new shift structure required 100 professional jobs to be added. At the announcement, the plant unveiled two programs aimed at securing the future health and development of its workforce.

The first program was its two-year BMW Scholars Program, and the other was its 25,000-square-foot Associate Family Health Center, which will be located off Brockman McClimon Road.

“We continued to be flexible,” Metcalf said. “We spent a lot of time working on our partnerships, and we received a lot of support from everyone. and that goes beyond our client base.”

On Nov. 1, the plant was featured in an hour-long documentary on the National Geographic Channel’s popular “Ultimate Factories” series.

The facility received a visit from domestic diva Martha Stewart in mid-November. Stewart traded her apron for a pair of BMW coveralls as she and her crew filmed production of an X3 for a spot on her show on the Hallmark Channel.

“Promotions like (the Super Bowl ad) and the NatGeo piece speak volumes about our people, our company and the direction that we’re headed in,” Metcalf said. “We look forward to a lot more of that in the future.”

BMW Manufacturing Co.’s growth rippled across its supply chain this year.

Germany-based Draxelmaier Group announced in January it planned to invest $10 million to expand its subsidiary DAA Draexlmaier Automotive of America LLC in Duncan. the expansion included a 65,000-square-foot addition and 100 jobs.

In February, R

The sixth generation BMW 3 Series Sedan is set to redefine benchmarks in the premium car category. Built upon a rich history that is deep rooted in BMW's DNA, the new 3 Series promises outstanding attributes that are bound to set it apart. It's an enticing car that loves to be driven as we found out from Adil Jal Darukhanawala and Vikram Gour who got a chance to experience the new 3 Series range first hand in Barcelona, Spain

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If you were to go looking for the quintessential BMW, it would have to be the 3 Series. now in its sixth avatar, and doing away with the ‘Bangled’ lines, the new 3 Series is the amalgamation of 36 years of history and five generations of a car that has the distinction of being the world’s best-selling premium car. no doubt the new 3 Series has a lot to live up to, but the wizards at BMW have now made it an art form in developing the best and then making it even better! The BMW 3 Series Sedan has come to symbolise the aesthetic appeal, dynamics and sporting capability of BMW. It has grown in size as compared to its predecessor; however the genes remain intact in offering you one of the best drivers’ cars available off the shelf today.

The sixth generation model has done away with the flame surfacing introduced by Chris Bangle; however it still sports dynamic elegant lines. The basis of the design is governed by the sweeping bonnet, short overhang, long wheelbase and the set-back greenhouse which is now symbolic of all BMWs. The front is dominated by the new face of BMW featuring flat headlights, with LED accents above the twin corona rings, which stretch all the way to the large kidney grille. The snout is raked to give the car an aggressive look and the multi faceted character lines add the element of movement and width to the front. It’s an intense stare, almost as if the 3 Series is looking ahead with a purposeful look hunting for prey and smug in the belief that it would do so and take it down! The single central air intake on the predecessor has been done away with and has been replaced by two larger intakes positioned under the headlights and run towards the outer edges of the body. apart from their aesthetic appeal, these air intakes also work to improve airflow around the front wheels and thereby enhancing overall aerodynamics and thus reducing fuel consumption at high speeds. The marriage of engineering and aesthetics is a BMW norm and the new 3 Series is a testament to this line of thought. While you can spend all day staring at the front end, BMW has ensured that aesthetically the new 3 Series is sense and sensibility personified from any angle.

When viewed in profile, the silhouette of the 3 Series is unmistakable. The strong shoulder line, pronounced wheel arcs filled with those gorgeous 225/50 R17 tyres (205/60 R16 for the diesel variants) and the typical BMW slant to the entire roofline give the 3 Series its family look. despite the car being extended by 93mm and an increased wheelbase of 50mm, the proportions remain slick and sporty, which are again attributes that are well associated with the 3 Series. The clean lines run all the way to the back and the flanks feature the ‘double swage line’, essentially two character lines that run alongside each other. While the higher line adds an element of length, the lower one ushers in a sporty overtone which in turns draws attention to the car’s aggressive stance. The rear has received more of a family look and is rather similar to the current 5 Series sedan, however the strong lines and typical BMW touches to the surface ensure that the rear sums up the entire exterior design package with élan.

In order to increase the new sedan’s sporty appeal, BMW has also widened the front and rear track by 37mm and 47mm respectively. While the body width remains the same as its predecessor, the slightly protruding wheels add the final touch in terms of sporty aesthetics in establishing the sporty aura of the new 3 Series. The wider track also has healthy repercussions in the ride and handling department, but more on that later.

SLIDESHOW:

<a href="http://www.zigwheels.com/reviews-advice/reviews/new-bmw-3-series-first-drive/11083/1tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.zigwheels.com/reviews-advice/reviews/new-bmw-3-series-first-drive/11083/1Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:49:44 GMT”>New BMW 3 Series : First Drive