News briefs

Friday, Feb. 4, 2000 | 10:56 a.m.

Woman escapes prison sentence

A 29-year-old woman who killed her live-in boyfriend during an argument in June 1997 has been given probation on her guilty plea to voluntary manslaughter.

Kelli Woods-Bedell had faced the possibility of 20 years in prison but was given a chance at freedom Thursday by District Judge Jeff Sobel.

The defendant admitted being responsible for the shooting death of 33-year-old James Edward Hess near a convenience store at 15 N. Lamb Boulevard. Hess had been shot once in the back by Woods-Bedell, who fled on foot but was chased down and apprehended by a witness.

Suspect charged in Pep Boys robbery

Metro Police have made an arrest in a Jan. 23 robbery of an automotive supply store that left employees tied up with duct tape.

Christopher Baker, 18, was arrested and charged with robbery, kidnapping and burglary all with a deadly weapon.

Police believe that Baker entered the Pep Boys Automotive Superstore, 506 S. Decatur Blvd., and pointed a semi-automatic handgun at store employees.

An undetermined amount of money was missing from the store, and two employees were taped up in the managers office, Sgt. Lori Crickett said.

The gun believed to have been used in the robbery was recovered by police on Tuesday in a West Las Vegas apartment, Crickett said.

Standards leader will try for seat

CARSON CITY -- Debbie Smith, a leader in promoting higher academic standards for students, announced Thursday she would run for the Assembly in Sparks to succeed Jan Evans who decided not to seek re-election because of health reasons.

Smith has lived in Assembly District 30 for 17 years and was appointed in 1997 by Gov. Bob Miller to head the Nevada Council to Establish Academic Standards. She was reappointed in 1999 by Gov. Kenny Guinn.

Smith, a Democrat, is a former state PTA president and currently serves on both the state and national PTA boards. She said she worked on Evans' first campaign and she and her family have been strong supporters of Evans since.

"No one can really fill Jan's shoes, but I very much want to carry on the legacy of her commitment to Nevada's families and retirees," she said.

Rumbolz elected as chairman of board

CARSON CITY -- Michael Rumbolz, who heads Anchor Gaming in Las Vegas, has been elected chairman of the board of directors of Employers Insurance Company of Nevada, the former state system that was converted to a private company.

Other board members are Dr. Richard Blakey and Sharon Zadra, both of Reno; Bob Kolesar and Kathy Ong, both of Las Vegas, Phil Peckman of Henderson and Sam Routson of Winnemucca.

Hotline dedicated to suicide prevention

CARSON CITY -- The Reno Crisis Call Center has started a new statewide toll free hotline, dedicated to helping those thinking about committing suicide.

The new hotline (877-885-4673) will be heavily promoted in Clark County, a center spokeswoman said. The center has offered a toll-free statewide crisis hotline for several years but this new one will be devoted entirely to preventing suicides.

Nevada's suicide rate is more than double the national average and has had higher rates of suicide than any other state for at least the last 10 years. Suicide attempts are highest among teenagers and the rates of completed suicides are highest among the elderly.

The center, from July 1997, to June 1998 helped about 14,000 callers. One third of them were threatening or reporting harm to themselves.

State ordered to pay more

CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court has ordered the state Transportation Department to pay two advertising companies $331,588 for loss of their billboards, due to construction of a freeway south of Reno.

The transportation department had suggested National Advertising Co., which had four double-faced billboards and Donrey of Nevada, which had two signs, were entitled to only $51,100. Former District Judge Mills Lane agreed with the state's valuation.

But the Supreme Court overturned the Lane decision, saying National Advertising should be awarded $232,588 and Donrey, $99,000 because Lane used the wrong method of valuation. The court said Lane did not consider the advertising income generated by these billboards in calculating the value of their leasehold interests."

It found also that the billboards could not be relocated at comparable sites within the market area.

Facilities earn top accreditation score

The Veterans Affairs Southern Nevada Healthcare System has received the maximum score for updated evaluations from the Joint Commission on accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

The local VA received a 91 score following last October's inspection. It was upgraded to the maximum score of 94 because of changes made at the local facilities over the last three months, the agency said.

"We knew that we had some weaknesses," VA Director Ramon Reevey said. "We've been successful in improving all of these areas through some staffing changes, increasing resources, making sure that our tracking systems are in place to identify problems early on and by increasing some of the clinic times."

Court OKs tax to aid track lowering

CARSON CITY -- A plan to lower the railroad tracks through downtown Reno in an effort to improve safety and to revive a sagging economy in the area, got a boost from the Nevada Supreme Court Thursday.

The court upheld a vote by the Washoe County Commission to impose a one-quarter cent sales tax to help finance the $192.8 million project to depress the tracks for about two miles through Reno, allowing traffic to pass unrestricted overhead at 11 north-south railroad crossings.

At present a Union Pacific train can hold up traffic of motorists trying to get from one side of the city to the other. Impatient motorists sometimes try to beat the train, causing accidents. Businesses in the area suffer because of the at-grade railroad tracks, officials say.

The 1997 Legislature authorized Washoe County to impose the tax, of which half would be dedicated to financing the depression of the tracks. In December 1998, the commission adopted an ordinance imposing the levy.