On July 25th, two different power outages on the same day shut down rides and attractions twice in Six Flags over Texas in Arlington. Riders were left dangling in midair on the the Parachute Ride and all other rides were evacuated in an emergency procedure. Power was restored by early evening.

In early July Six Flags in San Antonio had to be shut down because of heavy rains and flooding.

Custom Coasters International, the industry's leading provider of wooden roller coasters recently announced their intentions to close. Personal issues surrounding company president Denise Dinn's divorce were cited as the reason for the closure. Denise is the daughter of legendary roller coaster designer Charlie Dinn. She founded Custom Coasters, known in the industry simply as CCI, more than a decade ago.

Over the last ten years CCI has brought us thirty-four roller coasters, including seven rated amongst the world's top ten. Custom Coasters' lead designers hope to work alongside others at another company in the future.

On June 22nd, Xcelerator debuted at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. The inaugral ride was auctioned off for charity and went to the high bidders in a charity auction for the Boys and Girls Club of Buena Park and the Speech and Language Center of Buena Park.

The ride was to open in May but was delayed a month for further testing and finally met the approval of the State inspectors.

At the start of the ride you enter a chrome and glass station, then you're transported back to the 50s and 60s era. You ride in a yellow and orange flame-emblazoned, candy-apple red or purple fin-tailed hot rod.

XCELERATOR hydraulically launches you off the line at a top speed of 82 mph in 2.3 seconds through an exhilarating 205-foot ascent and immediate descent at a 90-degree angle. It has a capacity of 20 people per train and carries 1,330 guests per hour.

The new attraction continues the re-vitalizatison of The Boardwalk themed area and reinforces Knott's ongoing commitment to world-class thrill attractions.

"Knott's has set the pace for record breakers and highly acclaimed rides and our coaster will be at the top of those lists as well," proclaimed Jack Falfas, General Manager and Vice President of West Coast Operations for Cedar Fair, L.P., Knott's parent company.

The new coaster is designed and manufactured by Intamin International of Switzerland.

Knott's Berry Farm is owned and operated by Cedar Fair, L.P., a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FUN."

New Jersey is drafting legislation to be the first state in the U.S. to limit the amount of gravitational force on rides.

There are few published studies on the effect of G-Forces on moderately healthy individuals. Most of the medical information comes from studies done on Astronauts and they are much healthier group than the general population.

Space shuttle astronauts experience less than 4 G’s in launch and re-entry. Eighteen roller coasters in the United States exert more than 4 G’s. For example, Six Flag’s Taz’s Texas Tornado exerts 6.5 Gs.

After reviewing industry published medical reports, a special Six Flags medical panel found insufficient evidence that G-forces on thrill rides could cause neurological injuries. They concluded that the current increase in brain injuries on thrill rides, including bleeding between layers of the brain is as a result of pre-existing conditions.

There is concern amongst other medical experts that there have been no tests done on those under the age of 14 and those who frequent many rides in one day.

The theme park industry is in the process of setting up voluntary standards. The New Jersey standards will be based on which way or how the G-force is being applied.

The wood and steel framed Cyclone roller coaster in Coney Island celebrates 75 years. A special ceremony this month at the Astroland Amusement Park will mark the anniversary.

In 1927, the Cyclone was built where the first modern roller coaster, the Switchback Railway, had once stood.

The ageless coaster's trains and tracks require high maintenance including hundreds of hours of carpentry and mechanical work each week.

Arrow, a manufacturer of coasters and rides, has entered the bidding state of its bankruptcy process. Bidders include Six Flags Inc. who is owed 6 million by the company. Other bidders included S and S Power and Chance Morgan. King-Wagner, a partnership of two-businessmen is the highest bidder so far.

VisionLand filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy in federal court this week The city of Bessemer, took over control of Western Jefferson Amusement and Public Park Authority,

The board of directors of Grévin et Compagnie, owners of Parc Asterix and nine other amusement facilities in France, Germany and The Netherlands, this week agreed to a takeover bid by Compagnie des Alpes (CDA), Europe's largest maker of ski lifts The deal is worth about 31 million Euros.

A mentally disabled 28 year old man died after he apparently unbuckled himself from 'his favorite ride', "The Rainbow" at Six Flags Elitch Gardens on May 27th.

Park inspectors are confident all safety restraints were locked in place when the ride started. "All indications at this point are that this was simply an accident," police Lt. Jon Priest said

Also, detectives inspected the restraint mechanisms and found no malfunctions, Priest said. Police said the restraint bar, unlike the locking systems on the upside-down roller coasters, are not designed to keep passengers locked into their seats.

A park spokesman said he did not anticipate any policy changes because of the accident. Groups with special needs will continue to be welcome at Elitch's.

Six Flags Elitch Gardens has an excellent safety record and is located in Denver, Colorado.

Belmont Park in San Diego is one of a handful of real historical amusement parks. It contains the Giant Dipper roller coaster and other rides as well as a pool and water park.

It ran into problems when taken over by Pars Assets in 1995. Now the Park has been taken over by Thomas Lochtefeld, a San Diego resident who wants to redevelop it and fulfil his childhood dream of running the Park. Lochtefeld, the developer of the Raging Waters theme parks in San Jose and Los Angeles, said he plans to spend $4 million renovating the park.

California took another step in ensuring safety at amusement parks, proposing technical regulations designed to standardize operating and maintenance procedures in the industry. The technical regulations comply with the state's amusement-ride safety law that took effect Jan. 1, 2001. They complement administrative regulations adopted last fall that detail requirements for reporting accidents.

Technical regulations proposed are:

- Ride operators must have and maintain documents for each ride relating to its operation, testing, maintenance and training programs in line with standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials. Equivalent documents must be generated for older rides.

- Operating procedures must address patron restrictions for characteristics such as size or disability.

- New rides may not open without state safety tests.

- All rides must have emergency brakes, anti-rollback controls, speed-limiting devices and a signal system for operators, who must keep patrons free from hazardous surfaces and moving parts.

- Owners must keep a five-year history of accidents and maintenance for each ride.