Hyundai Reports Record February Sales; Women Report Robbery

Two women who had just taken a “large amount of money” from a Fountain Valley bank were victims of a roadside robbery in Santa Ana. The victims say they withdrew the cash for “family health reasons” and were driving through Santa Ana about 3:30 p.m. on March 3, but stopped when a “Good Samaritan” told them they had a flat tire. Police said that as the man changed the tire, three men in their 20s wearing black masks and dark clothes approached the women, saying they "had weapons and wanted the cash.” They fled in a dark gray compact car with its rear plate covered. The good Samaritan stayed at the scene to talk to police.

The Fountain Valley Republican Assembly has elected a slate of officers to serve in the upcoming year. They are President John Briscoe, Vice President Dennis Caltron Secretary David Pruyne, Treasurer Jeff Clitheroe and Director at Large Cathy Holling.

Fountain Valley High School has become the first of three schools in the Huntington Beach Union High School District to celebrate the inauguration of a new track. Marina and Edison High Schools in Huntington Beach are getting ready to complete work on their own new tracks. All were paid for by bond measures passed by voters. The track is of the newest kind – rubberized artificial material that offers a springy step, while holding track shoes on course even in inclement weather.

Fountain Valley-based Hyundai Motor America reported record February sales of motor vehicles over figures reported one year earlier. Hyundai reported sales of 43,533 vehicles, up 28 percent for the same period in 2010. For the year, total Hyundai sales are up 25 percent, with retail volume up 51 percent in February alone. Dave Zuchowski, Hyundai Motor America’s executive vice president of national sales said “consumer activity was high, credit was readily available and the overall impact on the Hyundai business was really encouraging. He said he expects more good news for Hyundai as the year progresses.

Brite Now has announced the opening of its 50th office, right here in Fountain Valley. Bright Now, with headquarters in Irvine, plans to continue growing the number of offices it has in Southern California over the next two years, with offices slated to open in Escondido, Simi Valley, El Cajon, and Upland later this year, and further expansion in 2012. In addition to services for adults, the new office will help deal with childrens’ care over a wide range of services.

Fountain Valley author John C. Hennessy Jr., has published a new book through Dorrance Publishing Col., Inc. Set in post-war Germany, the story finds a budding love story involving John, an American G.I. and Hilde, a beautiful German language interpreter. What makes the romance problematic is a wartime set of beaucratic and legal hurdles that struggle to keep them apart. John C. Hennessy, Jr., who retired in February 1988, was a licensed civil engineer and a project manager on major facilities in the United States and abroad. This book was created in memory of his wife of 60 years, Hilde.