News briefs for June 20, 2001

Wednesday, June 20, 2001 | 10:14 a.m.

Boy, 5, hit by pickup

A 5-year-old boy is in critical condition at University Medical Center after being hit by a pickup Tuesday as he attempted to cross a street.

The accident happened at the intersection of Twain Avenue and Cambridge Street about 6:30 p.m., Metro Police said.

Lee Moran Jr. was at the northwest corner of the intersection with his mother, and as soon as the walk signal changed, her son ran into the crosswalk, police said.

The driver of the pickup told police that he had a green light as he headed through the intersection.

Anyone who witnessed the accident is asked to call detective William Johnson at 259-3538 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.

No charges have been filed in connection with the accident and the investigation is continuing.

Driver crashes into health care facility

A Las Vegas man was killed Tuesday evening after the pickup he was driving crossed over oncoming traffic lanes and crashed at the entrance of a health care facility.

The accident occurred about 6:30 p.m. in the 2100 block of Harmon Avenue just west of Channel 10 Drive. The pickup was headed east on Harmon when it crossed the westbound lanes and drove into the entrance area of Integrated Health Services, Metro Police said.

The truck drove under an archway at the entrance and collided with a concrete support post. Jerome Harrman, 49, was taken to University Medical Center, where he died of his injuries.

The accident remains under investigation by Metro Police.

LV resident, 19, found dead

A 19-year-old man found shot to death Monday morning in a desert area near Gibson and Warm Springs roads has been identified as a Las Vegas resident.

Ignacio Rangel's body was discovered about 5 a.m., Henderson Police said.

Residents in the area of Kelso Dunes Avenue and Gibson told police they heard shots about 3 a.m., but no one called authorities.

Anyone with information about this homicide is asked to call police at 565-2009 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.

Pair charged in California killing

Convicted murderer Sante Kimes has been returned to California to stand trial with her son for a 1998 killing that could lead to the death penalty.

Kimes, 66, was extradited from a New York prison where she was serving a sentence of up to life for the murder of a Manhattan socialite.

Kimes gave up her extradition battle last week.

She and her son, Kenneth, face trial in Los Angeles in the 1998 murder of businessman David Kazdin.

Kazdin, 63, was found in a trash bin near Los Angeles International Airport. Police believe he was killed after he discovered the Kimeses had forged his name on a loan. They allegedly took $200,000 from the account.

The Kimeses were convicted last year of murdering 82-year-old Irene Silverman, whose body was never found. The pair conspired to steal her $7 million Manhattan townhouse and other possessions.

Kenneth Kimes was extradited to California in March.

Yuma called the hottest in U.S.

Yuma, Ariz., endures the harshest summer weather in the United States, according to the study released Monday by Demographics Daily, an online newsletter. Phoenix ranks second, followed by Las Vegas and Tucson.

Bakersfield, Calif., was fifth, followed by five Texas cities: Del Rio, Victoria, Brownsville, Waco and Corpus Christi.

This is the first time Demographics Daily analyzed the June, July and August records of 254 National Weather Service stations across the nation.

The study included all places where full 30-year records were available, which may explain why other hot spots Death Valley, Calif., Bullhead City and Lake Havasu City, Ariz., did not make the list.