Light Gauge news from the Americas

Modern day sword fight in Georgia apartment complex In Gwinnet County, Georgia this week, a landlord got into a a physical altercation with an evicted tenant who refused to vacate his apartment. A steel pipe was involved. It was not pretty. The landlord was trying to convince the suspect, a man known only as "Troy," to leave, when the altercation became physical, according to the police report. The suspect pulled a steel pipe from his vehicle and began repeatedly striking the landlord with it. The landlord then furnished his own improvised weapon, a big stick wrapped in electrical tape, and fought back against the disgruntled tenant. The suspect left the apartment in a blue or grey Dodge Caravan before police arrived. No charges have been filed yet. Ohio town may soon be known for slots instead of steel Developers in Massillion, Ohio want to build a resort-style casino on the former site of Republic Steel. Next Monday, residents will get a chance to let City Council know how they feel about bringing a casino to the small town. The casino could bring in 2'400 jobs, but residents speculate that it could also bring more crime to the city. Aluminum vs. Steel vehicles: Which is better in the long run? At the Moving Forward with Aluminum conference this week in Birmingham, Alabama, auto executives agreed that the car market favors steel over aluminum. While some luxury vehicles use a large amount of aluminum, which is lightweight and environmentally friendly, the majority of the car market uses steel for body parts and panels. "The formidable stumbling block is the manufacturing costs," Mark White, a manager at Jaguar Cars Ltd. said. While steel is heavier and harder to recycle, it is much less expensive than aluminum. Car parts made from aluminum are 20 - 50 percent more expensive than those manufactured from steel. However, more automakers, particularly in the North American truck market, are starting to invest in aluminum-based vehicles, as the lighter weight will save costs over time. "It is more useful to have an aluminum-based vehicle because it will pay over time," said Garel Rhys of the Cardiff University Business School. "The last part for aluminum to conquer is the car body, but that is the most difficult." "Steel is still supreme in Europe, where the steel industry is very efficient," he said. Another mysterious steel mill fire Pittsburgh fire officials still haven't figured out what caused the fire at the Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel South plant last Saturday night. When crews got to the scene of the fire at 8 o'clock Saturday, they found a rubber conveyor belt ablaze. Firefighters had the fire out in 20 minutes, but the employees at the plant had already started to fight the fire. "They usually start the firefighting until we can get there," said Captain Jim Raha. "Because they have sandpipe systems and fire extinguishers all over the plant, so yes, the employees do whatever they can until we get there."