Local news briefs for August 21, 2000

Monday, Aug. 21, 2000 | 11:49 a.m.

Pedestrian killed in bus accident

A 53-year-old woman died after she was run over by a Citizens Area Transit bus Saturday morning in the 1800 block of Las Vegas Boulevard North, North Las Vegas Police said.

Patricia J. Jake was standing near the entrance to Jerry's Nugget Casino about 5:30 a.m. as the CAT bus arrived at a bus stop. The bus picked up some passengers and was pulling away when Jake started running to the rear door of the bus. Jake apparently fell into the side of the bus and was run over by the rear tires, police said.

Witnesses said Jake appeared to be intoxicated and was seen staggering before the accident, police said. The investigation is continuing.

Police investigate NLV woman's death

North Las Vegas Police are investigating the suspicious death of a 21-year-old woman Sunday night.

Officers went to a home in the 1900 block of Hoover Street at 11:50 p.m. Sunday after a man called police saying his girlfriend was dead.

Officers found the woman dead on the floor of a bedroom. There was no apparent cause of death. Detectives are investigating the woman's death as a homicide until a cause of death is determined by an autopsy, police said.

The woman's name was not released today pending notification of her family.

Chemical spill hurts workers

Several Bellagio hotel-casino workers were hospitalized for minor injuries after 150 gallons of muriatic acid spilled Sunday.

The acid -- used in swimming pool maintenance -- spilled while a worker was moving a 300-gallon container with a forklift about 1 p.m. Sunday. Seven workers were taken to local hospitals and seven others were treated at the scene, Clark County Fire Department officials said.

The spill occurred at the entrance to the hotel-casino on Flamingo Road. Traffic was shut down in the area for several hours while the chemical was cleaned up, officials said.

Pahrump man hits 60-gallon plateau

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Pahrump resident Harry "Guy" Loomer earned the rare 60-gallon pin from the American Red Cross while on a visit to St. Paul, where Loomer topped off his 60th gallon of donated blood.

Since 1954 Loomer said he has donated blood 480 times in 21 states and about 80 cities, as well as in Canada and the Philippines.

Loomer, 64, said the frequent donations have no effect on his body, other than to make him feel good.

"I haven't been sick in 50 years, which is almost as long as I've been donating blood," he said. "I hike around out in the desert a lot and have been stung by wasps and scorpions. The last time a scorpion got me, two hours later I couldn't remember which leg got stung. Is there a correlation between blood donation and quick recovery? You tell me."

What's next for the champion blood donor?

"I'm going for 100 gallons," he said.