News briefs for June 3, 2003

Tuesday, June 3, 2003 | 9:55 a.m.

Car hits school bicycle officer

A bicycle officer with the Clark County School District was hit by a car Monday in front of Garside Middle School, Lt. Ken Young of the School District Police said.

The officer was patrolling the school at 300 S. Torrey Pines Drive when he noticed a car speeding about 2:15 p.m. when students were being dismissed.

The officer motioned for the driver to pull over, and the driver complied, but police said, as the officer, who was on his bike next to the driver's window, tried to get the driver's information, the driver hit the gas, swerved from the curb and drove off, Young said.

The officer was knocked to the ground, but wasn't hurt, Young said.

"It's definitely a safety situation," Young said. "There are so many kids around during dismissal time, and this person did not want to deal with the officer."

The car is described as a four-door Honda and is either gold or cream colored. It bears Nevada license plate number 873MDV. School District Police, Metro Police and Nevada Highway Patrol are looking for the car.

Green Valley on list of top schools

Green Valley High School was the only campus in Southern Nevada to make Newsweek's list of the nation's top 739 public high schools for college preparation. In its latest edition, the magazine ranked Green Valley High School 613.

The magazine ranked schools based on the number of students who took advanced placement or international baccalaureate tests in 2002, divided by the number of graduating seniors. The top 4 percent of the nation's public high schools made the list.

Five other Nevada schools made the cut -- all located in Washoe County, the state's second-largest school district after Clark County. Reno High School was the state's highest finisher coming in at No. 244. Incline High School followed at No. 286, then McQueen High School at No. 354, Wooster High School at 621 and Galena High School at No. 692.

Reno considers Mapes Plaza plans

The Reno City Council is exploring options for its plan to convert the site of the former Mapes Hotel into a public plaza.

The council has rejected closing First Street for the riverside project, but is considering other options for the busy two-lane street.