News briefs for August 5, 2003

Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2003 | 11:08 a.m.

Man gets probation in fatal crash

A local computer programmer prosecutors say was driving nearly 85 mph when he struck and killed a Las Vegas woman five years ago was given a suspended sentence and placed under house arrest on Monday.

District Judge Gene Porter sentenced Bruce Adams, 46, one to six years in prison after Adams pleaded guilty to a single count of reckless driving in the August 1998 death of Diane Rodgers, also 46.

Porter suspended the sentence and placed Adams on probation for five years. He also placed Adams on house arrest for at least one year and prohibited him from driving for at least 18 months, prosecutor Gary Booker said.

In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors dropped one count of involuntary manslaughter.

Authorities say Adams was driving about 85 in a 45 mph zone on Rampart Boulevard north of Lake Mead Boulevard when his Toyota pickup hit Rodgers' Plymouth sedan.

Rodgers had stopped at a stop sign when she was broadsided, Booker said. There was no alcohol or drugs involved, he said.

Though Adams was fined for two prior reckless driving misdemeanors, Booker said Adams has no other criminal record.

City shuts down water features

Las Vegas has shut down all water features in city facilities and parks, initiating water restrictions to comply with the Southern Nevada Water Authority's drought plan, which went into effect on Friday.

The City Council approved the adoption of the regional drought plan last March and followed with the creation of ordinances related to the conservation plan.

The move was made in response to the worst drought in Southern Nevada's history.

Comments sought on bighorn sheep

The National Park Service is asking for public comment on managing desert bighorn sheep near Lake Mead.

To study the sheep, park rangers may have to capture them to mark and equip them with radio collars.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife with the Park Service is considering aerial helicopter surveys of the bighorn sheep within the Eldorado Mountains, Newberry Mountains, Black Mountains and Muddy Mountains in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

Helicopters would fly two to six hours in each mountain range.

There is also a proposal for trapping sheep in the Eldorado Mountains to attach telemetry collars on them and monitor them for impacts from highway and bridge construction activities.

The Park Service is preparing an environmental assessment. Written comments are due by Sept. 4 to: Lake Mead National Recreation Area, ATTN: Compliance Office, 601 Nevada Way, Boulder, Nevada, 89005.

Phone lines down in parts of valley

Phone lines across the Las Vegas Valley were down for several hours this morning.

Lines went down around 4:45 a.m. and were restored at 7:30, Sprint spokeswoman Detra Page said.

The outage was caused by equipment failure when switching equipment went down.

About 40,000 access lines were affected in an area bounded by Charleston Boulevard, Lake Mead Boulevard, Rancho Drive and Pecos Road, Page said.

Emergency 911 service was not affected; however, some of Metro Police offices that are in the outage area experienced phone failure.