Battery

If your holiday electronics and toys are running out of juice, this report is just in time. Consumer Reports tested AA batteries, both regular ones and rechargeables. Prices range from a $1.50 for two standard batteries all the way up to $9 for two rechargeables. Testers evaluate battery performance using digital cameras, the most common use of AA batteries. The goal is to challenge each to an identical battery of tests. Testers zoom in and out, take five pictures with the flash on, and then five pictures with the flash off. After a 10-minute rest, the test is repeated until the batteries die. The lowest-scoring standard AAs, the CVS Alkaline batteries, only had enough juice for 92 snapshots.

Americans buy nearly 3 billion batteries a year. AA batteries are the most widely sold. Consumer Reports tested a dozen, including some from Energizer, Duracell, and Rayovac, as well as store brands. To measure how long batteries last, testers load them into identical digital cameras. They zoom three times, take five photos with the flash, zoom three more times, then take five photos without the flash. After a 10-minute rest, the test is repeated until the batteries die. Walgreens Alkaline Supercell was the lowest-rated battery.

AA batteries are the biggest sellers. They are commonly used in flashlights, digital cameras, remote controls, and toys. Consumer Reports tested a dozen, including big names such as Energizer, and store brands such as Walgreens and CVS. Testers used a rack to evaluate battery performance. It was programmed to mimic a digital camera and a flashlight. The tests turned up big differences. The Eveready Gold, the worst batteries, took only 52 shots before dying. The Energizer Ultimate lithium, the best, took 682 shots.

Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday. We gain an extra hour of sunlight, but we lose an extra hour of sleep.  When we Spring Forward, it is also a good time to change batteries in smoke alarms or carbon monoxide detectors. Homeowners in need of a smoke alarm can contact the Wichita Fire Department. Firefighters are installing the emergency warning device through a partnership with Safe Kids Kansas, Scholfield dealerships and All-pack Batteries. Call 268-4441 to schedule an appointment with the Wichita Fire Department.

A Japanese airway reported problems months before battery failures grounded Boeing Dreamliner jets, according to the New York Times. All Nippon Airways said 10 lithium-ion batteries were replaced months before multiple problems questioned their reliability. All the events occurred from May to December of last year. The airline reported the problems to Boeing, but was not required to tell safety regulators. The National Transportation Safety Board is now focusing their investigation on the battery problems.

By Kara Sewell (WICHITA, Kan.) Mechanics at Unruh Automotive Service say when temperatures drop they see a flood of cars with bad batteries. Mechanic Clarence Griffin says some car's batteries may only have enough amps to crank in normal weather conditions and once the temperatures drop so does the charge on your battery. Griffin recommends taking your battery to your mechanic and having it tested to make sure it will hold a charge during cold weather so you don't wind up sitting behind your steering wheel in a car that won't crank.

Prosecutors charge a 27-year-old Wichita police officer with aggravated sexual battery and sexual battery. Officer Joseph McGill appeared in a Sedgwick County courtroom Wednesday afternoon. He was arrested Tuesday afternoon. The charges stem from two separate incidents. The first allegedly happened in November of last year. Police Chief Norman Williams would not elaborate on the circumstances during a news conference Wednesday afternoon. Police say they were investigating what happened when another incident took place early Sunday morning.

This summer, if you see John Pennella around his mechanic shop chances are he'll be carrying one of these conductivity testers. It checks car batteries and each one under a hood he works on will be tested. "We replace a significant amount of batteries during this time of season. " Like the cold, Pennella says extreme heat can ruin an already aging battery. Temperatures in the 90's can bring a batteries heat to over two-hundred degrees. "It's not uncommon, you take a long trip, you're building a lot of heat up in that engine compartment, you stop for a burger, you get back in the car and the car won't start," says Pennella.

Monday Afternoon Update A fire Saturday at the Exide battery plant in Salina caused $75,000 in damage. The company says the fire damaged the air handling system. No one was hurt. A spokesperson describes the fire as "minor. " This is the third fire at the plant in three years. A fire in 2007 caused $3 million in damage. ----------------------------------------- Original Story SALINA, Kan. (AP) - The Exide Technologies battery manufacturing plant in Salina had to be evacuated over the weekend because of a fire.

It's sparked protests and national criticism - an ordinance against domestic battery taken off the books in the city of Topeka. The issue started last month, that's when the Shawnee County District Attorney said his office couldn't afford to keep prosecuting misdemeanor cases from Topeka. He argued the city's courts should handle them, but city leaders said they can't afford to either. On Tuesday night, Topeka repealed ordinances banning misdemeanor domestic battery. Since state law still requires prosecution, it forces Shawnee County to take the cases.