SAN NARCISO, Calif. (Bennington Vale Evening Transcript) -- Toyota Motor Corp. revealed on Wednesday that it may take a step back from engineering automobiles to revive the slot car racing craze that swept the 1970s and 1980s, signaling a radical shift in its business model. Toyota has been ordered to pay a landmark $1.2 billion to conclude the Justice Department’s criminal probe into safety issues that began in 2009. Toyota executives expressed disappointment with the ruling, but said they hope to recover some of their losses with the release of a new toy called “Prius Pedal Force Robot Happy Lightning DRIVE!”

SAN NARCISO, Calif. (Bennington Vale Evening Transcript) -- On April 11, Iran's state-run news agency, Fars, announced that one of the country's leading scientists had mastered the metaphysical enigmas of time travel. Ali Razeghi, managing director of the country's Centre for Strategic Inventions, claimed to have developed a device capable of traversing the fourth dimension, which can be stored handily in a "personal computer case." Unfortunately, construction of the unit ran into the same setbacks as Iran's failed endeavors to build intercontinental ballistic missiles. But after nearly two frenzied weeks of redesign, the Centre unveiled a working prototype that will hit store shelves this summer.

SAN NARCISO, Calif. (Bennington Vale Evening Transcript) -- Citing new choking hazards, the Consumer Product Safety Commission on Wednesday ordered the recall of about 1.7 million toys manufactured by Little Lads and Lasses Toys (a division of San Narciso-based Yoyodyne). The items identified as dangerous included tool sets, trucks, furniture and ride ‘em style vehicles. The company had previously recalled several of its products in 2009 when smaller toys became lodged in the throats of children, but described this recall as unprecedented.

SPECIAL FEATURE -- Since its founding in 1978, Lego City has suffered through a history of controversial expansion, interminable redevelopment, and what most residents consider “pure chaos.” Accusations of illicit gerrymandering -- executed through back door political favors and flat out bribery -- have plagued the region since the first bricks were laid. The rogue’s gallery of disgraced politicians and their abettors include four city planners, a multitude of government contractors, two banks, and various assembly people.

SAN NARCISO, Calif. -- Japanese automotive manufacturer Toyota has agreed to pay $10 million to settle the lawsuit filed by the family of a California Highway Patrol officer slain by a runaway Prius. A series of unprecedented safety and quality recalls have been issued by Toyota over the past 14 months, all involving sudden-acceleration problems with their popular hybrid vehicles.

Toyota executives expressed disappointment with the settlement, but the company hopes to recover some of its losses with the release of its new Christmas toy, “Prius Pedal Force Robot Happy Lightning DRIVE!”