News briefs for January 23, 2002

Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2002 | 9:56 a.m.

Pedestrian killed on LV Boulevard

A 57-year-old Las Vegas woman was struck and killed outside a crosswalk on Las Vegas Boulevard near Nellis Boulevard by a motorist just before 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Metro Police said.

The pedestrian, who had not been identified this morning, was pronounced dead at the scene, the seventh fatal traffic death this year.

A 19-year-old was driving a 1999 Honda southbound on the boulevard in the left lane, which was poorly lit at the time of the accident. The left front of the Honda struck the pedestrian, police said.

It appears the pedestrian was jaywalking at the time. Metro is investigating the accident.

Passenger dies in car crash

An 86-year-old woman was killed Tuesday when a car she was riding in turned into oncoming traffic, Metro Police said.

The accident happened about 1:15 p.m. on Rampart Boulevard north of Charleston Boulevard, police said.

The woman was fatally injured when the driver of the Saturn she was a passenger in attempted to make a left turn from southbound Rampart into a shopping center and was hit by a Chevrolet pickup heading north on Rampart. Her identification was pending this morning, according to the Clark County coroner's office.

The passenger and the driver of the Saturn, an 85-year-old Las Vegas woman, were both taken to University Medical Center, where the passenger soon died, police said.

The driver of the Saturn remains in serious condition, and the accident is still under investigation, police said.

Police ID couple in murder-suicide

A couple found dead earlier this month in an apparent murder-suicide have been identified as 41-year-old Michelle G. Miller and Rein Valdana, 66.

Valdana apparently killed Miller by asphyxiation and then shot himself at his home in the 3500 block of Legendary Drive near Flamingo and Pecos roads about 8 a.m. Jan. 9, Metro Police said.

Valdana called 911 and told a dispatcher he was going to kill himself. When police arrived they found Valdana and Miller dead. Tape recordings and notes found in the southeastern Las Vegas home indicate that Valdana planned to kill Miller, who had been living with him for several years.

Temperatures to rise by Thursday

Southern Nevada will continue to feel the chill of gusty winds and temperatures about 10 degrees below normal, National Weather Service forecasters say.

Northerly winds of about 20 mph on Tuesday spread a cloud of dust over the Las Vegas Valley as a cold front pushed through the area.

The high on Tuesday was 57 degrees.

Temperatures are expected to reach 50 today, but a warming trend could bring higher readings Thursday, forecasters say. The low temperatures tonight will range from the upper 20s to the mid-30s in the valley.

Winds should continue at 15 to 25 mph today. The peak winds gusted between 40 and 45 mph on Tuesday afternoon in the valley.

Cooler temperatures and continued windy conditions are expected Sunday through Tuesday.