Judge E. E. Douglass has had several cases of violation of the automobile laws before him this week. In all cases he assessed fines which were paid. It will be better for the autoists to learn the new regulations and comply with them.

The installation of three 100-candlepower lights on Poplar street was authorized by the City Council at a meeting Monday night. The action followed the appearance of a delegation of residents in that part of the town requesting that lights be installed. Those appearing were J. H. Collins, E. T. Hart, G. C. Rudelbach and D. Marchitelli.

Automobile pumps and strong arms were in demand here Tuesday night, all because pranksters thought it a good Halloween joke to let the air out of the tires on a dozen or more cars. Aside from this, there apparently was little perpetrated of a serious nature, most of the pranks being confined to soaping store windows.

Halloween was celebrated here Monday night in both its best and worst forms. While hundreds of people sat in the bleachers at Pennebaker Field and watched scores of youngsters having the time of their lives parading in all sorts of costumes, hoodlums paraded up and down the streets puncturing auto times with ice picks. At one time, Chief of Police Tom Brockman and his three policemen were forced to resort to the use of tear gas to disperse a gang of about 100 youths after a free-for-all fight at the Shell station on the corner of Yosemite and Maple.

A committee of three from the Manteca District Chamber of Commerce was appointed yesterday morning to meet with a like committee from the Ripon Chamber and representatives of the San Joaquin Telephone Company, relative to toll charges between the two cities. John Rosson, vice-president of the telephone company, spoke to directors of the Chamber yesterday morning and told why it was necessary to have toll charges between the two towns.

The usual flow of news coming from the Manteca Unified School District in connection with money matters is usually pretty cloudy but this week the sun came out real bright when the office of Congressman John J. McFall notified Supt. Mal Malouf that nearly a half-million dollars in special grants will soon be on its way.

Rev. George A. Nelson was killed yesterday and a 72 year-old man seriously injured in a gun shot attack at Yosemite Garden apartments on South El Portal Avenue. Rev. Nelson, 57, was pastor of the United Lutheran Church. Peter J. Thorpe, son of the injured man, was arrested about 20 minutes after the shooting and charged with murder in connection with the shooting, according to Manteca Police Detective Jim Miller.

Manteca resident Baxter Dunn, a captain and 22-year veteran of the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department, announced his candidacy in the June, 1990 San Joaquin Sheriff-Coroner’s race. Dunn, 42, began his career in law enforcement in 1967 under the late Sheriff Michael N. Canlis.

Manteca builders can’t keep up with the demand for large homes. Atherton-Kirk - the builders of Manteca’s largest production home ever at 4,044 square feet  - has a waiting list of two dozen buyers. The next release of 14 lots this Saturday at Woodward Park, including five lots able to accommodate the monolithic Aster, complete with rotunda, already has drawn a waiting list of 25 pre-qualified buyers.