Local news briefs for September 25, 2001

Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2001 | 9:45 a.m.

Boy attacked at high school

A 16-year-old boy was stabbed Monday afternoon while talking with friends at Cheyenne High School, North Las Vegas police said.

A man believed to be 20 to 22 years old approached the boy about 1:30 p.m. and stabbed him in the stomach, said Lt. Art Redcay of the North Las Vegas Police Department. The boy possibly knew the assailant, police said.

The boy was in serious condition at University Medical Center, although his wounds weren't life-threatening, Redcay said.

When North Las Vegas Police arrived, potential witnesses had left the scene, police said.

Police are still investigating the crime and plan to talk to several people at the high school.

Man found shot to death

Metro Police are still trying to identify a man found dead in a roadway last month.

An off-duty Metro officer who was driving home discovered the man about 1:25 a.m. Aug. 29 in the street on Bonanza Road near Linn Lane.

The man had been shot, and residents in the area reported hearing gunshots just before the body was found, police said.

The victim was described by police as about 30 years old, 5-feet-10, 145 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes and a prominent overbite. He appeared to have been Hispanic, police said.

The man was not wearing shoes or a shirt when he was found. He was wearing only blue jeans with a black and silver belt, police said.

No motive or suspects have been identified in the slaying.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to call Metro's homicide unit at 229-3521 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.

Subcritical test planned Wednesday

The 14th in a series of experiments to ensure the safety of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile is scheduled Wednesday at the Nevada Test Site, a National Nuclear Security Administration official said.

There is no nuclear explosion involved with the experiment, conducted in a 960-foot deep cavern 85 miles northeast of Las Vegas, agency spokesman Kevin Rohr said.

Scientists from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California will compress a material inside containers buried in the cavern. The results will help them answer questions as to how plutonium reacts under certain conditions.

The exact time and nature of the experiment is not available, due to security reasons, Rohr said.

The most recent Lawrence Livermore experiment was performed at the Test Site on Dec. 14.

Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists conducted the first subcritical -- non-nuclear -- experiment, called "Rebound," on July 2, 1997.

Launch ramp to be closed

The National Park Service on Wednesday will close a boat launch ramp at Government Wash until further notice.

A lack of rain has caused water levels at the lake to fall. The National Park Service expects the lake to reach 1,175 feet above sea level by Wednesday, leaving less than 3 feet of water at the ramp, Park Service spokesman Bert Byers said.

Boaters can use ramps at Callville Bay, 10 miles north of Government Wash on Northshore Road, or Las Vegas Bay, five miles south of the wash on Northshore Road.

Restrooms and primitive areas at the launch site will remain open and available to visitors.

Organ, tissue donation urged

Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa and Assemblywoman Dawn Gibbons are encouraging Nevada residents to purchase a specially designed license plate in support of organ and tissue donation.

The Department of Motor Vehicles needs to collect at least 250 applications for the specially designed plates by Oct. 1 to move forward with the project.

The specialty plates are $35, in addition to applicable registration and licensing fees. The renewal fee is $10.

About 300 Nevadans are awaiting an organ donation, and about 5 percent of Nevadans are registered organ donors, according to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles.

Man, 81, arrested in wife's death

An 81-year-old man was in the Clark County jail this morning accused of shooting his 80-year-old wife Monday night in Sandy Valley.

Fred Huston surrendering to officers after his wife's killing, Metro Police said.

About 8:50 p.m. Monday Huston's wife called 911 telling a dispatcher her husband was drinking and threatening her with a gun. While officers were on their way to the trailer, Huston apparently got on the phone and told dispatchers he shot and killed his wife, police said.

The woman's name was not released this morning. County marriage and real estate records indicate Fred Huston's wife was Eldona V. Huston. The couple apparently were married in May 1997.

Man missing while swimming

National Park Service rangers this morning resumed the search for a 38-year-old Las Vegas man missing while swimming in Lake Mead.

The man was swimming with his two boys when they became distressed and were having trouble. The two boys were rescued by a local resident. The boys were not injured, officials said.

The search for the missing man was called off about 7 p.m. Monday because of darkness.

Area firefighters

will continue to fly American flags at half mast and shroud their badges until Oct. 11. The International Association of Fire Chiefs has asked that fire and rescue services observe a formal 30-day period of mourning for the fallen firefighters and rescue workers who responded to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.