News briefs for Feb. 17, 2003

Monday, Feb. 17, 2003 | 10:43 a.m.

Clark-Lincoln water struggle could end

Clark County's two biggest water agencies will consider an agreement to settle a 5-year-old feud with the county's neighbor to the north.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority on Thursday and the Las Vegas Valley Water District on Tuesday could adopt the agreement, which divides disputed water claims in Lincoln County.

Water Authority officials believe the agreement could free up water for as many as a half-million Clark County users.

The agreement also guarantees Lincoln County access to about half of the disputed water rights. The two counties have argued over the rights for years.

The state engineer, the ultimate arbiter of groundwater rights in Nevada, would still have to authorize the use of any water. But Pat Mulroy, Water Authority general manager, has said the Lincoln County water rights would be an important addition to water supplies for fast-growing Clark County, which now receives about 85 percent of its water from the Colorado River.

Motorist killed as truck crashes

A 37-year-old driver was killed Sunday night when the driver lost control of a 2000 Dodge Ram pickup truck while heading west on Sandy Valley Road about 10:45 p.m.

The driver went left of center while going around a sweeping right hand curve, over-corrected, went off the road and flipped, Metro Police said.

Medical personnel found the driver dead at the scene. The driver's name is being withheld pending family notification.

Car hits pedestrian crossing NLV street

A man was seriously hurt about 9 p.m. Saturday when a car hit him in the 1000 block of East Cheyenne Avenue in North Las Vegas, police said.

The pedestrian was walking south across Cheyenne, outside the crosswalk, and stepped into the path of a 2002 Honda four-door. The man was thrown onto the hood and windshield of the car before falling to the pavement, police said.

The pedestrian suffered serious injuries and was taken to University Medical Center. Pedestrian error is believed to be the cause of the crash, police said. He was not carrying any identification at the time of the crash and has not been identified, police said this morning.

Passers-by help put out house fire

Two 19-year-olds who were driving by a burning house near Alta Drive and Jones Boulevard stopped and used a garden hose to extinguish the fire Friday night, Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski said.

While firefighters were en route, Manda Jones and her boyfriend, Victor Ramos, of Hawaii stopped in front of the house about 10:20 p.m. Ramos found a garden hose in the yard and sprayed water through a window into the house while Jones called 911.

When firefighters arrived, 90 percent of the fire had been extinguished, Szymanski said. Damage was estimated about $15,000. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

Firefighters said it started in the bedroom. The residents weren't home at the time. No one was injured.

NLV receives two parks awards

The North Las Vegas Parks and Recreation Department received two awards from a national parks society last week.

The department was given the Elmer H. Anderson Parks Excellence Awards by the Nevada Recreation and Parks Society. One award was for the Silver Mesa Recreation Center Aquatics Facility and the Flores Park Annex. The other award was for the Desert Demonstration Garden.