Local news briefs for June 9, 2000

Friday, June 9, 2000 | 10:32 a.m.

Police make quick arrest

Henderson Police needed only a few minutes to catch a bank robbery suspect Wednesday afternoon after a California Federal Bank branch was held up.

Robert Tarkenton, 25, was arrested by police on a Boulder Highway frontage road south of Major Avenue just before 4 p.m., and has since been booked by the FBI on federal bank robbery charges.

A man walked into the bank at 546 S. Boulder Highway and gave a teller a note demanding money, Sgt. Joe Kurian said. Police were called to the bank at 3:56 p.m., and at 3:59 p.m.

Police said they found an undisclosed amount of stolen money on Tarkenton.

Missile flight scheduled Saturday

The Air Force and Army plan to launch a conventional surface-to-surface missile from the Nevada Test Site on Saturday.

The launch is designed to collect missile performance data to ensure the reliability of the stockpile of military weapons. It also gives the Army and Air Force a chance to work together in an exercise to "suppress enemy air defenses."

The missile will carry an inert warhead and is equipped with an emergency system that can stop the flight, if necessary, after about 6.5 seconds into a flight.

The missile's estimated 3 1/2-minute, 70-mile flight will remain within the controlled airspace of the Test Site, Nellis Air Force Range and the Tonopah Test Range.

Before the launch a safety buffer will be established along the northern edge of the Tonopah Test Range.

Space purchased at bus stops

The National Abortion Federation has purchased advertising space at about 40 Las Vegas bus stops, making the city the 15th in a nationwide ad campaign.

The ads, which were posted this week, refer the public to federation member clinics via a toll-free telephone number. Additionally, they address "anti-choice violence" and the wide demographics of abortion-seekers. About 25 percent of the ads are in Spanish.

This spring, the National Abortion Federation sued the transit authority in Atlanta after it refused to sell ad space for the abortion rights group.

The Las Vegas ads were sold by Outdoor Advertising Inc. and were not reviewed by the Regional Transportation Commission.

The ads were unveiled Thursday by the executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based federation, Vicki Saporta, at the A-Z Women's Center in Las Vegas.

Saporta and clinic director Dr. William Ramos also spoke out about the Food and Drug Administration's ongoing review of the abortion drug mifepristone, or RU-486, which they expect to be approved for use in the U.S. by September.

Doctors oppose fed help to tribes

Nevada doctors don't like the federal government spending money to help Indians build smoke shops to sell cigarettes.

The Nevada delegation to the American Medical Association convention next week will present a resolution dealing with the subject.

The 1,400 member Nevada State Medical Association wants the AMA to "study and take appropriate action to address the practice of federal funding of tribal smoke shops and similar pro-tobacco ventures." An Indian smoke shop has been built at Verdi west of Reno with money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Larry Matheis, executive director of the Nevada association said today, "At the least, we expect the federal government to have a consistent policy toward tobacco use. There are many profitable enterprises to be encouraged. Selling tobacco products just isn't one of them."