Local briefs

Thursday, Sept. 30, 1999 | 11:45 a.m.

Middle school forced to lock down

A morning bank robbery forced a northeast Las Vegas middle school to go into protective lock-down mode.

About 10:20 a.m. two armed men got away with an undisclosed amount of money from a U.S. Bank, 948 N. Nellis Blvd., and fled north on foot.

Nearby Dell Robinson Middle School, 825 Marion Drive, was locked down while Metro Police and FBI agents checked the surrounding area for two suspects.

"This isn't the first time this has happened," Robison Principal John Hummel said. "When it does happen, we keep all of the kids in the classrooms. It's better to know they're safe. They all remain in their classes and teachers are instructed to not open any doors."

In the event of an emergency -- for example, if a student panics -- there is an in-school reaction team that can respond, Hummel said.

The FBI believes the two suspects were in their mid-20s, and that one of them held a bank employee hostage at the door, while the other demanded money from a teller.

FBI searches for for bank robber

The Federal Bureau of Investigations is asking for the public's help in locating a man believed to have robbed a bank in July.

A man walked into the Bank of America, 4290 S. Rainbow Blvd, at 12:50 p.m. on July 20, FBI officials said.

The man reportedly demanded money from a teller, and after receiving an undisclosed amount of money he left the area on foot.

Anyone with information on this crime or the suspect's whereabouts is asked to call the FBI at 385-1281.

NLV council to hear audit results

The North Las Vegas City Council will have a special meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the results of a citywide audit.

Ralph Anderson and Associates was approved by the council April 7 to conduct the audit for $123,000. The audit took about 16 weeks.

Michele Richardson, assistant to the city manager, said the purpose of the audit is to "determine how the city can best serve the community."

The audit will examine the performance of every city department, excluding the detention and police department, which underwent audits earlier this year.

Four appointed to BLM board

Three Clark County residents and one Nye County official have been appointed to citizens advisory boards for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Members of the BLM's Resource Advisory Councils in Nevada are appointed by U.S. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. Babbitt created such councils across the West in 1995 to help devise grazing-related guidelines to improve public rangelands.

The councils now also give advice on issues such as fire management, weed control and the impact of urban sprawl on public lands.

Dave Tattum, a North Las Vegas resident and member of the National Wild Horse Association, has been re-appointed to the Northeastern Great Basin council.

New appointments to the Mohave-Southern Great Basin council include Jerry Helton, a Las Vegas resident who will represent transportation and rights-of- way issues; Barbara Callihan, of North Las Vegas who will lend advice on recreation; and Pahrump Town Board member Gary Hollis.

Stratosphere told to allow jumps

A District Court judge has ordered people to jump off the Stratosphere tower -- and they did.

In response to a lawsuit filed over the Stratosphere's premature ending of bungee cord jumps off the tower as part of the "Real World-Road Rules Challenge 2000," District Judge Nancy Saitta on Wednesday ordered the spectacle to proceed.

The competition, which was cut short Tuesday at noon before all participants had jumped, pits cast members of the MTV shows "Real World" and "Road Rules" against each other in a series of events.

The Stratosphere jump was the first event and was concluded Wednesday.