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Dispute between Army, armormaker stalls testing
By Wire services
Published April 17, 2006
WASHINGTON - A dispute over testing is stalling the Army's plans to move ahead with buying a new high-tech body armor now offlimits to soldiers.
The stalemate is the latest development in a complex disagreement over the quality of the protective gear, known as Dragon Skin, that is made by Pinnacle Armor of Fresno, Calif.
Murray Neal, Pinnacle's chief executive officer, said Friday he will not send the Army 30 vests to test next month, as planned, unless the Army agrees to his testing requirements. He wants vests opened just before shooting is done. He said Friday the Army wants the vests a week or two before the testing.
Neal said he is worried the vests may be tampered with before the ballistic tests are conducted - potentially giving the Army an excuse not to buy from Pinnacle Armor.
Side air bags worth it, insurance industry says
WASHINGTON - For motorists seeking greater protection in crashes, test results released Sunday by the insurance industry show the benefits of paying for optional side air bags.
Versions of the 2006 Toyota Prius and six minivans made by DaimlerChrysler AG and General Motors Corp. that were evaluated without side air bags got poor marks in side-impact tests.
The same vehicles, when tested with the optional air bags, all showed improvements, and the Prius earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's top score in side protection.
Some 96 percent of Prius models are sold with the side air bags, Toyota spokesman John Hanson said. The option costs $650. In the minivans, it costs $595.
Other test results are on the Web at www.iihs.org
Also ...
SEX OFFENDERS SHOT: Two registered sex offenders in Maine were fatally shot in their homes Sunday morning, prompting the state to take down the Maine Sex Offender Registry Web site. Investigators said a 19-year-old Canadian man described as "a person of interest" in the case shot and wounded himself in Boston after he was cornered by police.
MOUNTAIN LION KILLED: A wildlife officer on Sunday shot and killed a female mountain lion that attacked a 7-year-old boy hiking in Colorado with his family. The 80-pound cat had bitten the boy's head. The child also suffered puncture wounds and scrapes on his legs, Division of Wildlife spokesman Tyler Baskfield said. Boulder County sheriff's officials said the boy's injuries were not life-threatening.
[Last modified April 17, 2006, 01:23:23]
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