Thursday, Nov. 8, 2001 | 9:40 a.m.
The Red Rock Canyon visitors center, 15 miles west of Las Vegas, was closed after a loose powder was found in a restroom, the Bureau of Land Management said.
The powder has been removed, but the center will remain closed until tests on the substance are completed, BLM officials said Wednesday. The National Conservation Area will remain open to vehicles along the scene loop for hikers, climbers and sightseers.
Meanwhile, no fingerprints were found on a suspicious letter discovered in a stairwell Oct. 17 at the Clark County Courthouse.
Tests for anthrax on the letter turned up negative, and the FBI and Metro Police decided to investigate the incident as a hoax.
The courthouse was shut down briefly on Oct. 17 after the letter was found.
LV man given life sentence
A Las Vegas man convicted of second-degree murder in the November 1999 shooting death of his neighbor received a life sentence Wednesday.
Brent Sheridan, 48, will have to serve at least 20 years before becoming eligible for parole.
Sheridan was accused of shooting Harriet Jennings-Chapin, 42, five times because he was angry that his landlord had not evicted her. Sheridan suspected Jennings-Chapin of being a prostitute or drug dealer because many people visited her apartment.
Jennings-Chapin was found dying in the courtyard of the Warren Motel Apartments Nov. 15, 1999, and several people reported seeing Sheridan running from the scene.
Sheridan testified at his trial in September that he ran after he heard the shots because he was frightened.
Arcade owners subject of action
The parents of a 19-year-old Las Vegas man who was stabbed to death in front of a Sahara Avenue arcade are suing the owners of the arcade and property.
According to a lawsuit filed by attorney Robert Murdockon on behalf of Veh Khang and Kao Khang, Nicholas Khang died July 6 as a result of the owners' "conscious disregard" of their duty to protect their patrons.
Metro Police Lt. Wayne Petersen said officers responding to a 911 call about a car accident at Mary K's Arcade at 953 E. Sahara Ave. found Khang sitting behind the wheel of the car, dead from a stab wound in the chest.
One of Khang's passengers also had been stabbed, Petersen said. A third occupant was unharmed and told officers they had been in a confrontation with five to 10 other men in two other vehicles.
No arrests have yet been made, Petersen said.
The Khang family alleges the victim was attacked by a gang allowed to loiter on the premises, and that the arcade did not provide enough security or lighting and that security guards were not trained well enough.
Michael Schwartz, operator of the arcade, said Wednesday that the incident occurred in a city-owned parking lot, and there is no proof that the victims or assailants were in the arcade.
Car collides with semi
A woman who was killed after apparently going through a red light Tuesday, triggering a four-car collision that injured three others, was identified Wednesday by the Clark County coroner's office as Elaine Glavin, 56, of Henderson.
Glavin was driving a 1986 Lincoln Town Car west on Patrick Lane at 10:23 a.m. when she stopped at a red light, then accelerated into the intersection at Eastern Avenue and was struck on the driver's side by a tractor-trailer driven by Peter Mortensen, 47, of Las Vegas, Metro Police said.
The Lincoln was pushed northbound into a southbound 2001 Mercedes Benz driven by Sandra Lerner, 53, of Henderson, who was waiting at the light to turn left. The Mercedes was pushed back into a 1993 Ford driven by Michael Fuller, 33, of Las Vegas, police said.
Mortensen and Fuller sustained minor injuries, police said, while Lerner, who was taken to University Medical Center, suffered moderate injuries. Glavin died shortly after her arrival at UMC, police said.
The cause of the accident, which is still under investigation, appears to be a red traffic signal violation by Glavin, police said. She is the 82nd traffic fatality in Metro's jurisdiction this year, police said.
Economy to be discussed
Rep. Shelley Berkley will be featured during the Democratic Party's weekly radio address Saturday morning.
Berkley plans to speak on the state of the national economy and the need for a national economic stimulus package. The broadcast will air nationally on 11 radio networks, including ABC, AP, C-SPAN, NPR, NBC and the Armed Forces Radio Network.
Commissioners delay discussion
Clark County commissioners on Wednesday postponed until their Dec. 5 zoning meeting a discussion about a proposed ordinance regulating placement and distance requirements for billboards.
The new law, the latest of three billboard-oriented ordinances to be pitched by commissioners, would enlarge the Las Vegas Valley's billboard overlay district to include the resort corridor along Las Vegas Boulevard south to Robindale Road, along the boulevard north from Lone Mountain Road to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and along Casino Drive in Laughlin.
The new ordinance also includes distance requirements from homes and between billboards.
Nevada to receive $500,000
Nevada will receive $500,000 from a national $51.5 million settlement by Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. in the case of the sale of defective tires, Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa said today.
Del Papa said $26.5 million of $51.5 million will go to the states; $10 million will be used for restitution to consumers; another $10 million will be paid for the costs of investigations by the states and another $5 million will be used for public service announcements by attorneys general.
The $10 million in restitution to consumers is in addition to some $450 million already spent by the tire company nationwide, she said.
Nevada consumers may call the state Bureau of Consumer Protection Hotline at (702) 486-3132 for more information.
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