Here are your RV news highlights for the week of January 12 to January 18, 2019.
Flood waters bury Southern California RV Park
A series of winter storms have hammered Southern California for days. Among the damage was that to the Ventura Beach RV Park just off U.S. 101 which was submerged in flood water, forcing the evacuation of about 50 people. The Ventura River remained just above flood stage at 10 a.m. Friday, but was starting to drop.
KOA to add 16 parks to system in 2019
This year’s KOA Directory, releasing in March, will include 500 KOA campgrounds including 16 brand-new locations throughout North America. KOA is the largest chain of private RV parks in North America.
Construction of an RV park in eastern Oregon on hold
An RV park being built at The Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center has been put on hold, reports the East Oregonian. While it’s uncertain who should accept the blame, it appears that it’s just a planning and location problem that will hopefully be resolved soon.
Kentucky campground may stay closed this year
The dam at John James Audubon State Park in Henderson, KY, has been undergoing repairs and will not be open April 1, the opening day of camping season in Kentucky. The repairs, however, could be delayed due to the weather.
Officials from the town of Shaunavon in Saskatchewan, recently held a contest to name its new community campground. The newly dubbed “Jubilee Campground” was built to replace Shawnee Campground because it could not accommodate the newer, larger RVs.
Public input wanted to improve Kentucky state park
WBKO has reported that public comment is being sought as part of the process to obtain funding for improving Barren River Lake State Resort Park. The project would upgrade electric, sewer and water at selected sites.
Campground joins Thousand Trails
King Nummy Trail Campground in Cape May Court House, New Jersey, is no longer a locally owned business. The 561-site campground is now part of Thousand Trails Inc., which owns more than 80 RV resorts in 22 states and Canada.
NFL fan donates Eagle-themed motorhome to RV museum
Eagle One, a $300,000, 2006 Georgetown motorhome, is a shrine to the Philadelphia Eagles National Football League team and a passion of its owner Patrick Moeller. After 11 years and more than 125,000 miles used exclusively to travel to Eagles games, Moeller has donated the motorhome to the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum in Elkhart, Indiana. Darryl Searer, president of the RV/MH Heritage Foundation, said, “Patrick’s donation is a major addition to our museum and will undoubtedly become a major attraction for both RVers as well as football fans.”
Oregon town raises lodging tax
RVers who stay in RV parks in Coos Bay, Oregon will need to come up with an additional 9.5 lodging tax. The Visitor and Convention Bureau says the money will be used to help promote the area’s tourism.
The Seattle Times reports that in the SoDo and Georgetown areas south of Seattle — known collectively as The Flatlands — crime is up 31 percent, driven largely by an increase in property crime. Police and business owners blame the rise on chronic drug users living in RVs who have moved into the industrial area. Read more.
Widow of murdered camper files $90 million lawsuit
New Cummins engine on the way for Ram trucks
A new Cummins product was unveiled at the North American Auto Show in Detroit this week. The 6.7L turbo diesel engine will power 2019 heavy duty RAM pickup trucks. The engine comes in two variants. The standard output 370 horsepower engine has 850 pound-feet of torque, and the high output 400 horsepower engine offers a record-setting 1,000 pound-feet of torque.One person injured when RV strikes propane tank
A propane tank exploded after it was struck by an RV in Lusby, MD. The RV rolled down a hill and into the woods, running over a propane tank along the way. The RV’s owner, 89, accidentally moved his RV on his driveway and lost control.
Erwin Hymer North America rocked by scandal
Rumors involving Erwin Hymer North America this week may prevent the acquisition of the company by Thor Industries, RV Daily Report has learned. CEO Jim Hammill, chief financial officer Mark Weigel and chief operating officer Howard Stratton have been terminated effective immediately. At least one of the executives was escorted from the company property. Among the allegations are charges that 1,700 invoices may have been fabricated in that the vehicle identification numbers for the Class B Roadtrek motorhomes do not correlate to any vehicles produced by the firm. Earlier in the week, at least 90 employees were laid off. Read the complete story.
Popular campground review website changing its name
Effective January 16, 2019, RVParkreviews.com has changed its name to campgroundreviews.com. It claims that the new name better describes what the website is about.
RV resort to open soon in Georgia’s Lanier Islands
The Margaritaville at Lanier Islands RV Resort should be open by April. When it does, RVers will have access to 45 RV sites with an additional 80 to100 sites by late 2019. Geared toward a high-end luxury market, the RV resort will be connected to a marina, beach, on-site dining venues, water park and a golf course.
The Hymer “financial scandal” may just be some good news for Hymer enthusiasts, if it blocks transfer of ownership to Thor.
Coos Bay is going to promote tourism by charging tourists a new 9.5% tax? Only the government could up with an idea like that.
Yup!!!!
you are so right!! What a wonderful idea, LOL!!!!
I’m really getting irritated with your site. I’ve emailed you with this reoccurring problem. I use an iPhone to read the newsletter and every week the links in the news section don’t work. The links in other sections seem to work.
Mel, I responded to you privately. Don’t know what the problem is, but we will try to fix.
Chuck, FWIW, on my iPhone 7 iOS 12.1 the links work properly .
Mine work fine iPhone 8 Plus. iOS 12.1.3
My iPhone 6s works ok.
Appreciated your story on Camping World and Marcus. Glad you got a response. When CW opened in our region I was thrilled and signed up for many of their offerings. However things soured quickly when I encountered a nightmare experience with a repair. I contacted Marcus by letter and e-mail but no response. Since, I have cancelled everything with CW and Good Sam and have been vocal warning others about my negative experience with CW. Hope your spotlight can change the culture.