News briefs for Oct. 15, 2003

Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2003 | 10:58 a.m.

Officer blamed for collision

A Metro Police officer heading to a call with his lights and siren activated is being blamed for a crash Tuesday night at Tropicana Avenue and Pecos Road, police said.

Officer Anthony Packe, 26, was driving a marked patrol car, a 1999 Ford Crown Victoria, north on Pecos Road about 7:30 p.m. when he crossed through the intersection of Pecos and Tropicana Avenue on a red light, hitting the passenger side of a Chevrolet Astro van heading west on Tropicana, police said.

Packe and the driver of the van, Carolynn Hoeger, 43, of Las Vegas were treated at University Medical Center for moderate injuries and released. Two 10-year-old girls in the van were treated for minor injuries, police said.

Detectives were trying to determine Packe's speed when the crash occurred. No citations have been issued pending an investigation.

Accident blamed on jaywalking

A 63-year-old pedestrian was seriously injured when a scooter hit her Tuesday at Flamingo Road and Maryland Parkway, Metro Police said.

Janet Graham crossed Flamingo about 8:30 p.m. against the "don't walk" signal, causing several vehicles to brake to avoid hitting her, police said. Graham then walked into the path of a 2002 Derbi scooter driven by Kazunori Kuramoto, 31, of Las Vegas, and the scooter struck her.

Kuramoto was seriously injured. He and Graham were taken to University Medical Center. Graham's jaywalking and possible alcohol use appear to have caused the collision, police said.

GOP holds edge in registration

Republicans continue to lead Democrats in voter registration in Nevada as of the end of September, Secretary of State Dean Heller said today.

The number of registered voters increased by 3,493 from the end of August to the end of September for a total of 902,803, Heller said.

Republicans have 373,238 registered voters, Democrats have 365,090 and there are 136,571 nonpartisans.

Heller said the Independent American Party has 17,285 voters on the rolls, Libertarian Party, 5,140, Green Party, 2,648, Natural Law Party, 918, Reform Party 596 and others 1,317.

In the 1st Congressional District, Democrats outnumber Republicans 115,454 to 80,847 with 36,332 nonpartisans. In the 3rd Congressional, the GOP has 136,571 registered voters and Democrats total 134,823, with 51,855 nonpartisans.

Democrats hold the edge in only three counties: Clark Mineral and White Pine.