Las Vegas news briefs

Thursday, April 29, 1999 | 11:12 a.m.

The May 8 air show at Nellis Air Force Base may be canceled in the wake of a close call involving the Air Force demonstration team the Thunderbirds.

A Nellis spokeswoman said a decision will be made within days.The Thunderbirds' aerial shows have been suspended until further notice, the Air Force announced Wednesday.

The cancellation came after two of the Thunderbirds' F-16s touched each other during a four-plane diamond formation during an air show Sunday at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida.

Both planes landed safely and received only minor damage. No pilots were injured.

The Thunderbirds' schedule had included 66 demonstrations at 42 locations around the country.

Group plans suit against federal EPA

Nevada Environmental Coalition Chairman Robert Hall put the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on notice that his group intends to sue the agency and Administrator Carol M. Browner for failing to enforce the Clean Air Act in Southern Nevada.

Clark County does not meet federal standards for carbon monoxide and dust. County officials expect the EPA to include ozone, a summertime pollutant, as a serious contributor to worsening air quality in the valley, Hall said Tuesday in the basis for filing suit in 60 days.

Reese told he should have abstained

Las Vegas Councilman Gary Reese should have abstained from a 1998 vote regarding a use permit for a business near his friend's business, according to a state Ethics Commission opinion released this week.

The commission voted in August that Reese was in violation of ethics laws stemming from that council vote.

However, the opinion released this week also praises Reese for seeking an attorney's advice before he voted.

In May 1998 Reese voted to deny a use permit to Paseo Partners LLC for a seafood eatery on West Sahara Avenue. Reese's friend, Larry Woodrum, is president of BankWest -- a neighboring business that opposed Paseo's plans.

Reese has argued throughout he was simply following the advice of the city attorney's office.

Employee fires back at Ethics Commission

The state Ethics Commission has been sued by its only full-time employee, Lee-Ann Keever, who complains in the suit that the commission is spreading false statements about her.

Keever's lawsuit, filed in District Court in Carson City this week, says comments in a "white paper" the commission prepared to show it needed a full-time executive director to take care a growing workload were defamatory and libelous.

The commission said it has had to rely on a deputy attorney general and his assistant to perform many of the administrative duties "because of problems with the employee's work performance and because of the increased needs of the commission."

Keever says in the lawsuit she is not a public figure and her reputation has been harmed. The suit asks for unspecified money damages.

School proficiency exam on website

The state Department of Education has posted a high school proficiency exam on its website for students to use as a study guide.

The test is a copy of a past exam with questions that will not be used in future tests, Tom McIntosh of the Education Department said.

The test can be accessed at www.nsn.k12.nv.us/nvdoe/ by clicking on the Academic Standards and Practice High School Proficiency Exam link.

Test scores released in February showed that nearly 1,800 Clark County students have not yet passed the exam. The test, which must be passed before graduation, was made more difficult in April 1998 and the scores required were raised.

In order to pass, students now must score 61 percent on the math section and 70 percent on the reading section.

The board already had plans to post a site, McIntosh said, but the high failure rate and pressure from school boards prompted officials to speed up their plans.

"I think it's good to have a key reference," he said. "Whether it makes a difference, we'll find out."

Students will be able to take the test as many times as needed until they pass. The test will be given four times during the year and one time during the summer.

Health district finds case in Las Vegas

The Clark County Health District has confirmed a case of rubella in a Las Vegas resident and is asking anyone who is not immunized to the disease contact the health district.

Rubella, or the German measles, is generally a mild illness but can result in miscarriages, stillbirths and fetal anomalies for mothers infected in the early stages of pregnancy.

The health district has administered rubella vaccine to co-workers and those that have been in close contact with the infected person.

Anyone who has not been vaccinated for the disease can call the Health District at 383-1351 for the closest immunization center.

Michigan man hits $2.5 mil. on 9 quarters

A Michigan inventor is leaving Las Vegas with almost $2.5 million after hitting the megajackpot on a Wheel of Fortune slot machine at Bally's hotel-casino Wednesday.

Dennis J. Larson, 47, had played only nine quarters on the machine when he hit the jackpot, an International Gaming Technology spokeswoman said.

"I was visiting Las Vegas for the first time," Larson said. "My family and I were here to celebrate my sister's birthday, but I plan to come back to Las Vegas and play again."

The jackpot on Wheel of Fortune quarter slot machines will now reset and begin to rebuild from $200,000.

Trial delayed for woman, nephew

The murder trial of Soni Beckman and her nephew, Vito Bruno, has been moved to Oct. 4.

Judge Joseph Bonaventure Wednesday agreed to delay the original June 21 trial date because defense attorney Patti Erickson has a conflicting trial in U.S. District Court on that date.

Beckman and Bruno are charged with paying David Lemons $5,000 to kill computer programmer Larry Volk, who was gunned down as he worked on his car in front of his home.

Lemons, who was acquitted by a jury on murder charges in 1993, later admitted to killing Volk and claims the Beckman and Bruno hired him. Lemons, who cannot be retried for murder, plans to testify in their trial.

Metro kept busy during River Run

The 17th Laughlin River Run last weekend ended with no major incidents of violence, but it was still a busy weekend for Metro Police.

About 60,000 motorcyclists attended, Metro Police said Wednesday.

Nine motorcycles were stolen during the weekend, the Laughlin police substation said. Police recovered two motorcycles and five suspects were arrested.

The police reported 79 people were arrested during the three-day event, among them seven on weapons charges and 21 on narcotics charges. Four juveniles were arrested and 26 cited for incidents.

One person was punched and kicked by two Hell's Angels motorcycle club members when he tried to park his motorcycle in an area that had been reserved for the motorcycle club. Another person involved in an incident with the Hell's Angels refused to sign a complaint.

There were 344 traffic citations issued.