Local news briefs for November 29, 2000

Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2000 | 10:53 a.m.

Court turns down firm's challenge

An effort to overturn a Clark County School Board decision to bar a local construction contractor from bidding on school projects was rejected Monday.

District Judge Valorie Vega reaffirmed her Oct. 2 decision that the School Board's decision was valid. The board disqualified Jetstream Construction based on allegations that the company required Hispanic workers to pay kickbacks to work on school projects.

The company has consistently denied the allegations, which were never proven. Company officers said they have been unfairly targeted by union organizers.

But the company paid a Labor Commissioner-brokered $6,200 settlement to six workers who said that they were required to pay the kickbacks.

Keith Gregory, attorney for Jetstream, said the company will likely appeal Vega's decision to the Nevada Supreme Court.

Shooting victim was Las Vegan

A man shot to death in the parking lot of a Flamingo Road nightclub last week was identified as 28-year-old Andre D. Stampley of Las Vegas.

Metro Police officers were called to the SRO Club for a disturbance in the parking lot. The officers heard several gunshots, went to the front of the club and found Stampley dead.

Several hundred people were in the area at the time, but no one would admit to seeing the shooting, police said.

No one has been arrested in connection with Stampley's slaying. His death is the 88th homicide so far this year in Metro's jurisdiction, compared with 105 at the same time last year.

Pecos Road segment closed for weekend

A stretch of Pecos Road between Sunset Road and Patrick Lane will be closed starting at 9 a.m. Friday and will reopen by 6 a.m. Monday.

During the closure, workers will dig a trench across Pecos to upgrade an existing sanitation line that runs under the street.

Drivers can use alternate routes such as Eastern Avenue or Sandhill Road.

North Las Vegas bests Henderson

North Las Vegas residents outdid their Henderson counterparts in a food-drive challenge to generate donations for the Salvation Army.

North Las Vegas was declared the winner after all of the donations were counted last week.

More than 25,000 pounds of food were donated by North Las Vegas residents, while Henderson collected about 10,000 pounds of food. Henderson continued to collect food through the weekend and will drop off an additional 10,000 pounds of food at the Salvation Army's location in Henderson today.

North Las Vegas residents continue to respond to the challenge and are dropping off donations at the mayor's office.

Donations are also accepted at two Salvation Army locations: 35 W. Owens Ave. or 2900 Palomino Lane.

UNR to study children obesity

RENO -- A $500,000 study by the University of Nevada School of Medicine is trying to find the most effective ways to deal with obesity in children.

The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, addresses one of the nation's top health problems.

"It's an epidemic," Sachiko St. Jeor, director of the school's nutrition education and research program, told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

"About 50 percent of adults and 20 percent of children are overweight. And (those numbers are) increasing."

The study focuses on overweight mothers with preschool children, and is trying to determine whether family-based intervention can curb obesity effectively.

One goal of researchers is to maintain a healthy weight and develop good health habits for children early in life. Another goal is to maintain a healthy weight for overweight adults.

The idea, St. Jeor said, is to see if applying healthful lifestyle changes using a family approach is more effective than an individual approach.