News briefs for April 28, 2003

Monday, April 28, 2003 | 10:57 a.m.

Calmer days are expected

The last week of April began on a blustery note with winds between 20 mph and 30 mph today and cooler temperatures, a National Weather Service meteorologist said.

The month is expected to end without any showers in the Las Vegas Valley, Larry Jensen said.

Blame the winds on a mass of low pressure pushing into Nevada from Northern California, Jensen said.

The windy conditions will keep temperatures five to 10 degrees below normal, he said. Today's high was expected to be in the low 70s, compared with an average daytime temperature of 82 degrees for this time of year.

Winds should calm down on Tuesday and temperatures in the low 80s are expected for Thursday and Friday.

Life sentence given in slaying

A Las Vegas man convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting death of his ex-girlfriend five years ago will spend the rest of his life in prison.

The same jurors who last week found Lee Carter guilty of first-degree murder in the 1998 killing of Brenda James, 29, returned a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Carter, 34, was up for the death penalty during the penalty phase of the trial before District Judge Donald Mosley.

Prosecutors had alleged Carter was obsessed with James and became angry when she began seeing another man. He shot her several times in front of 10 children who were at her Mt. Royal Court residence. Four of the children were Carter's.

While defense attorneys didn't contest the fact that Carter killed James, they said the slaying wasn't premeditated and did not constitute a first-degree murder.

Fed board upholds bus driver firings

The firing of three Las Vegas bus drivers by the local transit system's private management company has been upheld by a federal board.

Ben Carter, Steve Mora and Gene Smith had appealed their firing, alleging that ATC, the bus management company for Citizens Area Transit, illegally interrogated and threatened the drivers.

ATC had argued that the three inappropriately complained about working conditions to the Regional Transportation Commission board, which has overall responsibility for the public transit system.

The National Labor Relations Board ruled last week that the company's "disciplinary actions were a result of violations of lawful employer rules."

The trio has until May 7 to appeal the decision. Jerome de Palma, attorney for the former drivers, said they are likely to appeal.

Panel will oversee fed drug funds

Gov. Kenny Guinn said an advisory committee has been formed to oversee the spending of $9 million over the next three years in federal drug prevention money.

The money will support statewide planning and strategies to reach youth, parents and families at the community level with substance abuse prevention programs, he said.

Eighty-five percent of the yearly $3 million award will go to community-based programs and the remaining 15 percent will pay for oversight and evaluation.

Co-chairwomen of the advisory committee are Marybel Batjer, chief of staff for Guinn, and Yvonne Sylva, administrator of the state Health Division.

Pedestrian dies after being hit

North Las Vegas Police suspect that alcohol was a factor in a fatal pedestrian accident that occurred about 9 p.m. Thursday in the 3400 block of East Lake Mead Boulevard.

Police identified the victim as Richard Anderson, 51, after investigators compared a fingerprint with those in an automated national identification system. Anderson died early Friday morning after the accident.

Police said shortly before 9 p.m. the man made a purchase at a 7-Eleven store at 3575 E. Lake Mead Blvd., then tried to run across the street. He ran into the path of a 1983 Lincoln Continental driven by Tracy Washington.