News briefs for July 19, 2001

Thursday, July 19, 2001 | 10:35 a.m.

Man charged in girlfriend's slaying

A 33-year-old man was charged Tuesday in connection with the slaying of his 39-year-old girlfriend.

Keith Acosta is accused of getting into a fight with Tamela Palmer. It was during that fight detectives say Palmer sustained her injuries that led to her death, Metro Police said.

Palmer was found dead Friday about 5:30 a.m. in the 5900 block of West Tropicana near Boulder Highway. Police suspected her death was suspicious and spoke with Acosta several times before arresting him.

Judge to rule on bail revocation

District Judge Michael Cherry will decide Friday whether to revoke the bail of a woman accused of killing two local residents while driving and talking on her cell phone.

A motion filed by the District Attorney's Office Wednesday alleges Karen Morris, 34, obtained a duplicate driver's license after being released on $100,000 bail and agreeing not to drive.

Police believe Morris was talking on her cell phone and driving about 20 miles over the posted speed limit when she drove through two red lights and collided with a vehicle being driven by Leona Greif, 61.

Greif and Marcia Nathans, 65, were killed. Nathans' son Elliott Nathans sustained severe head injuries.

Morris is scheduled to go to trial Aug. 6 on three counts of reckless driving and two counts of involuntary manslaughter.

Morris' attorney, John Lukens, was unavailable for comment this morning.

Two teen inmates plead guilty

Two teenagers charged as adults in connection with an uprising at the Summit View Youth Correctional Center entered deals Wednesday.

Paul Mendez and Daniel Cronin, both 18, face between one and five years in prison after agreeing to plead guilty and no contest, respectively, to malicious destruction of property. They will be sentenced Sept. 5 by District Judge Sally Loehrer.

The two young men are among 20 people who charged in the uprising on June 1.

They are the third and fourth defendants to plead guilty in the case. Eleven others are currently being handled in the juvenile system and five more are scheduled to plead guilty next week.

According to their defense attorneys, the inmates were irate because the facility's new warden had recently informed them they had to begin serving their sentences over again

CARSON CITY:

The cost of a call at a Nevada Bell public telephone went to 50 cents, but you wouldn't know it from looking at the phones.

Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa has alleged Nevada Bell is not displaying the new price, announced July 6, properly, as required by Nevada Administrative Code.

CARSON CITY:

A longtime deputy attorney general with a background in human resources programs has been named state welfare administrator.

Nancy Angres, chief deputy attorney general for the state Department of Human Resources, will take over the $97,338-a-year job July 30. She succeeds Mike Willden, who was promoted by Gov. Kenny Guinn to director of the human resources department.

WASHINGTON:

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., has been reappointed to the Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee. Reid will also retain his seat on the Defense Appropriations Subcomittee. The construction subcommittee provides funding for the planning, design, construction and improvement of military facilities and military housing worldwide.