Penny Flickers

News from the Mariner's Cove apartments in Ocean Beach: Car gasoline siphon attacks are causing consternation among residents. A Navy man I know filled up his truck with gas on payday and the next morning, his gas tank was empty, though he drove nowhere. Roving thugs with backpacks are believed responsible and locking gascap sales are soaring.

The laundry room washing machines have been attacked by the "penny flicker" bunch. These groups push pennies into the coin trays of the washers, jamming them and making them unusable to residents. A neighbor: "They broke every washer in the front laundry room except for two!" A sign from the management office apologized for any inconvenience.

The management office insists they plan on ridding the complex of the trouble-making element and those that use the common parking areas to enable their car hoarding and junk storing tendencies.