Editorial: Salvation Army gets raw deal on vehicle

Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2001 | 9:09 a.m.

The Salvation Army's Las Vegas chapter desperately needed a new vehicle. Its 1979 dump truck had gone through three engines and recently lost its transmission. On Jan. 2 the nonprofit group handed Great Basin Trucks of Nevada a $34,000 check for a new truck. So far, so good. But one day later -- the same day the check cleared the bank -- Great Basin Trucks of Nevada filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. That filing froze the dealership's assets, meaning that the nonprofit group may not get the truck -- and could be out $34,000.

A company manager said he hopes to get the truck to the Salvation Army in a week or two -- but he couldn't provide guarantees, either. It is unthinkable that the dealership cashed such a large check from a nonprofit group, knowing full well that a bankruptcy filing could tie up delivery of the truck. Great Basin Trucks of Nevada should do everything in its power to immediately deliver the vehicle to the Salvation Army.

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