News briefs for June 7, 2002

Friday, June 7, 2002 | 9:51 a.m.

Mental evaluation sought for suspect

A Las Vegas man accused of stabbing his wife to death in front of their youngest child has been ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation at a state mental health facility in Northern Nevada.

District Judge Michael Cherry ruled Thursday that Saul Lopez should be seen by psychologists after questions arose about his mental competency.

Lopez is accused of stabbing Maria Cecilia Lopez, 33, to death in February as she spoke with a 911 operator and as their 7-year-old son watched.

In addition to facing an open murder charge, Lopez faces charges of aggravated assault, burglary, preventing or dissuading a victim from reporting a crime and three counts of child abuse or neglect for incidents involving the boy and two older siblings.

Arguments heard against land sales

U.S. District Judge Lloyd George heard arguments Thursday on a motion for a preliminary injunction that could stall Bureau of Land Management public land sales if granted.

Bob Hall, president of the Nevada Environmental Coalition, asked for the injunction saying that the BLM has failed to take into account the cumulative effects of air pollution caused by developed land.

An attorney for the BLM argued that the government agency is only planning on selling about 1,300 acres of land a year over the next 20 years, and that the proper environmental impact studies have been done.

The BLM has postponed its May 18 sale of 216 acres until a ruling is made on the injunction request.

New downtown building opens

City officials tonight will celebrate the newest addition to downtown Las Vegas, an office building built by the Mainor and Harris law firm.

The City Council and staff from the city's Business Development office were scheduled to attend the grand opening at 7 p.m. today of the law firm's new building at Fourth Street and Clark Avenue.

The city's redevelopment agency helped the project come to fruition by providing nearly $400,000 to cover the costs for landscaping and other improvements.