News briefs for May 1, 2001

Tuesday, May 1, 2001 | 10:40 a.m.

Man says death was an accident

The district attorney's office will determine if anyone will face charges in the shooting death of a 22-year-old man who was with a group of people drinking and shooting in the desert.

Jacinto Balbuena of Las Vegas was shot in the head April 22 about 7:20 p.m. southeast of Hollywood Boulevard and Vegas Valley Drive. He was taken to University Medical Center, where he died April 23 at 10:44 a.m.

Balbuena and several other people were in the desert drinking and shooting a handgun. A member of the group told Metro Police that he accidentally shot his friend in the head.

The incident will be reviewed by the district attorney's office.

Gunman sought in robberies

Metro Police detectives are looking for a lone robber in a string of home invasions in southeast Las Vegas.

The latest robbery happened Saturday night inside Paradise Springs, a gated community near Pecos Road and Hacienda Avenue, police said.

The victim was confronted in his garage by a man armed with a gun, who ordered the resident into the home before robbing him.

The string of robberies have occurred in the neighborhoods near Warm Springs Road and Eastern Avenue, and in most cases the suspect approached victims who are outside their homes or in their garages, police said.

The robber is described as a black man between 25 and 35, 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing 170 pounds and who has a small mustache. He was last seen wearing a dark blue jacket, dark pants and black shoes.

Settlement money obtained from firm

Nevadans who purchased the anti-anxiety drugs lorazepam or clorazepate may be eligible for refunds due to a settlement involving the state and Mylan Laboratories.

A suit filed against Mylan accused the company of setting up an illegal price increase of more than 2,000 percent for the two drugs. The settlement calls for $72 million to be made available nationwide for individual customers. The remaining $28 million in settlement funds will go to state agencies hurt by the price increase. Nevada expects to receive about $18,000 in state agency reimbursements, Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa said.

Nevada consumers who purchased lorazepam or clorazepate from Jan. 1, 1998, through Dec. 1, 1999, and were not reimbursed through any type of insurance may be eligible to make a claim for a portion of their purchases, the attorney general announced Monday. The consumer claim period will run June 1 to Sept. 29. For more information call (800) 899-5806, or go online (www.agsettlement.com).

Education funding focus of event

A Nevada State Education Association rally for more education funding was scheduled for 4:30 p.m. today at the Sawyer State Office Building, 555 E. Washington Ave.

"The Economic Forum is giving its revenue forecast for the state and it's supposed to be very bad," said Julie Whitacre, an organizer for the teachers' union. "We want to let the Legislature know that no matter how bad it is, we have to do something now or the problem is only going to get worse."

The forum will cover the state funding outlook and the amount of money the Legislature has to work with.

Whitacre said the state wants to conduct a two-year study on education funding and then address the issue in the next session. The Legislature meets once every two years.

"We can't wait," Whitacre said. "We need to do something now."

The state and local unions are calling for the Legislature to fund schools so student programs can be maintained and teachers will be able to receive salary increases.

Reports on nuke blasts declassified

Reports regarding underground nuclear weapons experiments at six areas of the Nevada Test Site have been declassified and are expected to become available to researchers, regulators and the public this summer.

The reports contain information on 828 underground experiments with a total of 921 detonations. Radiation counts, the power of the explosions and amounts of toxic and hazardous materials remaining in the underground cavities will be included in the information.

The Test Site is 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

Nevada groups lobby in D.C.

Representatives from more than 40 Las Vegas and Reno organizations are in Washington, D.C., this week to oppose the Department of Energy's spending priorities.

They have meetings scheduled with members of Congress and staff members from the Energy Department, Environmental Protection Agency and Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

While raising funds for nuclear weapons research, the Bush administration is cutting funds for radioactive and toxic contamination cleanup, said Kalynda Tilges, nuclear issues coordinator for Citizen Alert, an environmental watchdog group.

Tilges challenged the $42 million budgeted to continue studies at the proposed high-level nuclear repository site at Yucca Mountain.

"By law, scientific study should be completed once the DOE makes its recommendation of the site to the president," Tilges said. "The recommendation is expected within the first half of fiscal year 2002, so why aren't the studies at Yucca Mountain winding down?"

Citizen Alert was founded in 1975 to assure government accountability and public participation on issues affecting the land and people of Nevada.