Local news briefs for February 21, 2001

Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2001 | 11:17 a.m.

14-year-old boy killed

Metro Police homicide detectives are investigating what they are calling an accidental shooting that left a 14-year-old boy dead.

Police received an anonymous call about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday of a shooting at Budget Suites, 4855 S. Boulder Highway, where Rory Thomas Jackson of Las Vegas was found dead in an apartment from an apparent gunshot wound in the chest.

Detectives learned that the 42-year-old tenant, his 18-year-old daughter, three of her friends and three friends of the tenant's son were in the apartment at the time, Sgt. Kevin Manning said.

Manning said a gun went off during an effort to take it way from one of the guests, who had taken the weapon from where it was kept in the house. The case will be submitted to the Clark County District Attorney's office for review and possible criminal charges.

Hearing in case postponed

Today's hearing in the Bellagio robbery case has been postponed until Monday because of a scheduling conflict.

District Judge Kathy Hardcastle was expected to decide today whether Jose Vigoa and Luis Suarez should be compelled to be videotaped and photographed as part of prosecutors' attempt to show they are the same men who robbed the Bellagio in June.

The hearing was scheduled in a courtroom with video conferencing after concerns were raised that a secret hearing was held at the Clark County Detention Center last month on the same issue.

Last month's meeting was reportedly held at the jail because of security concerns, but defense attorneys objected to the unusual treatment of their clients.

No parole in murder case

A Las Vegas man whose death sentence was overturned because he was accidentally shocked with a security device during his trial was given a no-parole life sentence Friday.

Roy Hollaway, who represented himself, told jurors that he would rather get the death sentence than face life in prison with no chance of being released.

Hollaway was convicted of murdering his wife, Carolyn Whiting. According to police, Hollaway was on a drinking spree when, over the course of several days, he tried to drown and manually strangle his wife. He eventually strangled her with an electrical cord and she died days later.

Pharmacy owners face four counts

A couple who operated a pharmacy in Las Vegas have surrendered to authorities to face four counts of Medicaid fraud.

The state attorney general's office said it expects plea agreements from Leroy K. Parodi, 57, and his wife, Jeanette Parodi, 56, who operated Bradlee Pharmacy.

The Parodis are charged with double-billing Medicaid.

Victoria Soberinsky,

who has served as deputy chief of staff for Gov. Kenny Guinn since he took office, is resigning to take a job with the Department of Interior in Washington, D.C. Soberinsky, who earns $78,000 a year, will become special assistant to Interior Secretary Gale Norton and will be in charge of hiring staff for all politically appointed positions.

Two years after first

authorizing a second assistant city manager, the city of North Las Vegas has found someone to fill the slot. Gregory Rose, who recently served as the deputy city manager for University City, Mo., began work Tuesday. Rose will oversee planning, community development, fire services, public works, and parks and recreation. The position pays $101,000 a year.

Nevada ranks last

in the nation in nurse-to-population ratio, the Health Resources and Services Administration says in a report released this week. Nevada has 520 nurses per 100,000 population, trailing California in 49th place with 544 nurses per 100,000 population, the federal agency says. The Nevada Hospital Association said the shortage of nurses remains "an increasing concern over what is believed to be a serious, if not crisis, situation."