Local news briefs for August 28, 2000

Monday, Aug. 28, 2000 | 11:25 a.m.

Las Vegas man enters guilty plea

A Las Vegas man has pleaded guilty in Clark County District Court over a fatal accident two years ago.

Stephen Wainman, 35, pleaded guilty to felony reckless driving and misdemeanor drunken driving charges Friday. Assistant District Attorney Bruce Nelson said Wainman faces a likely sentence of two to three years probation at a hearing scheduled in October.

Wainman was driving a 1996 Ford pickup on U.S. 95 near Indian Springs in January 1998 when he lost control. The truck hit a dirt median then rolled several times.

Lee Norman, 29, of Evansville, Ind., died at the scene. His fiancee, Tammy Rusch, 37, also of Evansville, and Wainman were seriously injured but survived.

Nelson said Rusch told investigators she believed Wainman was not responsible for the fatal crash because he was taking medication that may have caused him to black out. A small amount of marijuana was found on Wainman, but Nelson said there was not enough of the drug to pursue more serious charges.

EPA gives LV $150,000 grant

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the city of Las Vegas $150,000 in federal grants to encourage cleanup and development of formerly contaminated lands.

The EPA had granted $500,000 in brownfield funds to the city's Redevelopment Agency last year. The city had applied for more funding for the program, senior development officer Stony Douglas said.

The brownfield funding allows the city to assess a piece of vacant property for potential environmental contamination, Douglas said. Then, if there is a problem, a developer can secure a low-cost loan for an environmental cleanup, he said.

In September the Las Vegas City Council will accept the money, Douglas said.

BLM closes area near annual event

The Bureau of Land Management has ordered an emergency closure of certain public lands surrounding the site of this week's Burning Man festival.

The festival, billed as the ultimate celebration of free expression, is expected to draw 28,000 free spirits from across the country today through Sunday to the Black Rock Desert 120 miles north of Reno.

BLM spokesman Les Boni said the closure of the southern end of the Black Rock Desert is intended to provide for public safety in and around the festival's airstrip.

Some Burning Man participants will arrive by aircraft, and the closure of land around the airstrip will remain in effect through Sept. 6.