Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

News briefs for August 2, 2002

Suspect in Oregon killing sought in LV

The FBI believes that Billy Gene Preuitt, 32, a suspect in a murder in Brookings, Ore., may be heading for Las Vegas, special agent in charge Ellen B. Knowlton said.

Preuitt is wanted for the Monday murder of Carol Zimmerman, 48, of Brookings, Knowlton said. Preuitt is believed to be driving Zimmerman's burgundy 1990 Toyota Corolla, Oregon license plate VXG 212.

The vehicle was seen in Redding, Calif., on Monday night. Preuitt is considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information on Preuitt's whereabouts is asked to contact local police or the FBI Las Vegas Division at (702) 385-1281.

Driver killed in U.S. 95 crash

A Las Vegas man, 41, died Thursday in a single vehicle rollover on U.S. 95 northbound between Cheyenne Avenue and Craig Road, the Nevada Highway Patrol reported.

The victim's name is being withheld until his family is notified.

The driver left the right side of the highway and struck a sound wall about 4:40 a.m., Trooper John Cunag of the NHP collision investigation division said.

The vehicle then vaulted off the wall and flipped end over end, ejecting the driver who died at the scene as a result of his injuries.

No one else was involved in the collision.

It appears that speed was a factor in the accident, but the Highway Patrol is continuing its investigation, Cunag said.

Respite from heat is expected

An unusual weather pattern will gradually cool the Las Vegas Valley over the next five days, and then August heat will return, a National Weather Service forecaster said.

An area of low pressure pushing down from Canada will increase winds Sunday and Monday, cooling the daytime temperature to about 99 degrees on Monday, Weather Service meteorologist Joe Nemeth said.

"Anytime we can get below 100 degrees in August we'll take it," Nemeth said.

A brief thunderstorm dropped a trace of rain in Green Valley between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Thursday with most of its energy in lightning bolts.

The clouds were expected to clear out of Southern Nevada today, with a high temperature of 105 degrees expected. Then the winds will pick up, from a breeze on Saturday, with gusts between 20 and 30 mph possible on Monday, Nemeth said.

Photographer wins AP award

Las Vegas-based Associated Press western regional photographer Laura Rauch, assigned to cover the war on terrorism, was among the winners of this year's AP Managing Editors awards for outstanding achievements in writing and photography.

Rauch won feature photography honors for images showing Afghan women regaining freedoms repressed under Taliban rule.

The AP's news and photo coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, which enabled hundreds of newspapers to publish extra editions, won a special President's Award from the AP Managing Editors.

Entries were submitted by AP news departments and bureaus for coverage from July 1, 2001, through June 30. The APME board of directors judged the seven categories this past weekend.

The Nevada Army National Guard,

in an effort to meet expanding recruiting demands, opened its third Southern Nevada recruiting office at 6820 W. Sahara Ave. on Thursday. The new office will have four recruiters, bringing the number of Army Guard recruiters in the Las Vegas area to 10.

Metro Police's Southwest Area Command

station will be closed next Thursday, Friday and Saturday for the repaving of the parking lot. The station, at 5925 Spring Mountain Road, near Jones Boulevard, will reopen Aug. 12 at 8 a.m.

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