News briefs for August 6, 2002

Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2002 | 10:54 a.m.

Sun columnist suffers stroke

Longtime Las Vegas Sun entertainment columnist Joe Delaney is in critical condition at Valley Hospital Medical Center after suffering a stroke at his home Saturday morning.

The 80-year-old entertainment writer has been with the Sun for 35 years.

"Our family appreciates all the well wishes, and we would like you to put him in your prayers," Delaney's daughter Kathleen Delaney said Monday afternoon.

Delaney's column, which appears in the Thursday and Friday Accent section of the Sun, is on hiatus.

More money set for state insurance

Gov. Kenny Guinn signs a bill today that will pump another $18 million into the health insurance program of state employees, staving off possible cuts in benefits or higher premiums.

Senate Bill 3 directs state agencies to increase their contributions from $384 a month per employee to $465 per month starting in October.

The financially ailing program was considering 21 percent increases in premiums and elimination of vision or dental coverage.

Guinn put the issue on the agenda of the special session of the Legislature last week.

Lynx captured in Las Vegas

An animal control officer caught a lynx on the loose in northwestern Las Vegas late Monday night.

The wild cat was first spotted near Cheyenne Avenue and Cimarron Drive about 5 p.m. Las Vegas Animal Control officers were able to successfully slip a noose around the animal's neck and transport it to the Lied Animal Foundation on North Mojave Road at about 10 p.m., said Roger VanOort, animal control supervisor.

The lynx is still being housed at the shelter.

Lynx are not often seen in urban settings, but wildlife officials said the drought might have driven the cat down from the Spring Mountains to search in the valley for food and water.

Or it could have escaped from an exotic pet owner. The Bonnie Springs Ranch has a rare Canadian lynx which was still in its pen.

Grant will help insuring children

The state has received an $800,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to support outreach and marketing to identify and cover children from families without health insurance.

Gov. Kenny Guinn announced the grant Monday to the Division of Health Care Financing and Policy of the state Department of Human Resources.

The children may be eligible for health insurance coverage through either Nevada Medicaid or Nevada Check Up programs, Guinn said.

The grant will be administered over four years and will support the efforts of Covering Kids Coalitions statewide. The grant will also allow the state to match almost $1.2 million in federal funds to support outreach activities.

Murder suspect found dead in car

A body discovered in a red Toyota Corolla parked near Susanville, Calif., is believed to be murder suspect Billy Gene Preuitt, law enforcement officials said.

Preuitt, 32, was a suspect in the murder of Carol Zimmerman, 48, of Brookings, Ore. The FBI issued a warning last week that the suspect might be heading for Las Vegas.

St. Paul Cos. hearing delayed

The state Insurance Division has announced it has delayed the disciplinary hearing for St. Paul Cos., which has been accused of unlawful business practices. The hearing, which was to give the company a chance to show why it should not be sanctioned, was to begin Wednesday but has been pushed back to Oct. 17.

St. Paul pulled out of the medical malpractice business nationwide and touched off a major problem in Nevada, forcing doctors to scramble to get coverage. The division said it approved a rate increase for St. Paul Cos. based on the representations it would remain in the Nevada market. The complaint said St. Paul threatened to withdraw if the new increased premiums were not approved.

The rates were approved but the firm pulled out anyway. The complaint said the company "unlawfully" collected premiums from doctors to provide coverage for physicians against any allegations of past malpractices.

Metro Police were investigating

a reported homicide this morning at the Harley Davidson Cafe at Las Vegas Boulevard South and Harmon Avenue. Firefighters and paramedics, who were called to the restaurant this morning, called homicide detectives after arriving. There were no other details immediately available.