News briefs for December 17, 2004

Friday, Dec. 17, 2004 | 11:16 a.m.

O'Callaghans, Marines honored

Former Nevada Gov. Mike O'Callaghan, his wife Carolyn and the five Nevada Marines who lost their lives in Iraq this year will be honored from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Mid-East Memorial Wall, located at the Hammargren Home of Nevada History, 4318 Ridgecrest Drive.

O'Callaghan, a decorated war hero who was the Sun's longtime executive editor, died in March, and Carolyn O'Callaghan died in April.

The Marine Corps will provide a 21-gun salute for the honored, organizers of the event said.

Attendees are asked to bring an unwrapped toy for the Marines Toys for Tots Program, and a $20 donation is also suggested, organizers said.

The Mid-East Memorial Wall, completed last Memorial Day, contains the names of 544 fallen soldiers who have died in the Mideast since the turn of the century.

Woman killed in collision

A Las Vegas resident was killed Thursday night when the car in which she was a passenger drifted into oncoming traffic on Industrial Road and struck a van, Metro Police said.

The 69-year-old woman, whose name was not released, was riding in a 1993 Honda Accord driven by John Larocca, 68, of Las Vegas, when the car drifted into the northbound lanes near Harmon Avenue about 9:20 p.m. and struck a 1985 Chevrolet van driven by 68-year-old Enrique Morente of Las Vegas.

Larocca and Morente were taken to University Medical Center, where Larocca was admitted for treatment of moderate injuries, police said. Morente suffered minor injuries in the accident.

The collision was under investigation this morning, although early indications point to failure of Larocca to maintain a travel lane, police said. It was the 138th fatal traffic collision in Metro's jurisdiction this year.

Two die as car hits tractor-trailer

A Las Vegas woman and her passenger died Thursday after a their Kia Sephia collided with a tractor-trailer.

Nevada Highway Patrol troopers said the couple was northbound on Losee Road about 2:20 p.m. when a flatbed tractor-trailer traveling east on the Las Vegas Beltway broadsided the car.

Trooper Angie Chavera said it appeared the couple failed to yield at the intersection and that the truck driver was driving within the 55 mph speed limit.

The woman driving the car, 68-year-old Judith Nichols of Las Vegas, died at the scene and her passenger was flown by helicopter to University Medical Center.

The passenger, 73-year-old John Freeland, of Las Vegas, died later at the hospital.

The truck driver was shaken but not injured, Chavera said.

Chavera said that of accidents to which troopers respond, tractor-trailers or other commercial vehicles are involved in 1 percent of the accidents but 10 percent of the fatalities.

Sky Vue owners settle with LV

Sandi and David DiMarco, owners of the closed Sky Vue mobile home park, and Las Vegas have reached a settlement on the 13 charges of doing business without a license, attorneys for both sides said in Las Vegas Municipal Court Thursday.

The agreement is scheduled to be presented in court on Jan. 20.

Attorneys for the city and the DiMarcos refused to discuss the terms of the agreement.

According to court records, 11 of the counts are against David DiMarco, and the other two are against Sandi DiMarco. The counts are misdemeanors, which each carry a maximum penalty of six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.

Sky Vue was forced to close April 30 after city and Clark County Health District officials said the park was unsafe for occupancy because of unsanitary conditions and a lack of fire hydrants.

In October, the city charged the DiMarcos $137,055 to cover the cost of providing security and tearing down the park in September. The city did the work after it was unable to agree with the DiMarcos on how to proceed with the demolition.

Power turned off; candle starts fire

A Las Vegas woman and her roommate were displaced early this morning after a candle placed on a wooden nightstand started a fire in their apartment.

Las Vegas Fire & Rescue responded to the blaze, in the 2900 block of Elm Street near Eastern and Stewart avenues, about 6:45 this morning. On their arrival, a woman who lived at the two-bedroom apartment told firefighters she and her roommate had had their power turned off and were using candles for light, Tim Szymanski, a spokesman for the fire department, said.

The woman left the candle burning on her wooden nightstand while she went to sleep. She awoke early this morning after feeling the room become warm, Szymanski said.

The fire, which caused about $25,000 damage, was ruled accidental, he said.

She and her roommate were being assisted by the American Red Cross this morning. No other residents of the four-unit, cinder block apartment building were displaced, Szymanski said.

New employment office goes to bid

The state Public Works Board voted on Thursday to solicit bids for construction of a new headquarters in Las Vegas for the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. Gus Nunez, assistant manager of the board, said the two-story building is expected to cost $13 million and is to be constructed on the southwest corner of St. Louis Avenue and McLeod Street.

He said bids would probably be opened in January with construction to start in March on the project. The work is expected to take about 14 months.

Kids' play area opens at prison

A new play area for children of inmates at the Nevada Women's Correctional Center in North Las Vegas was expected to open today.

The new play area was funded entirely through community donations and is aimed at reuniting inmates with their families before they are released from prison, a statement from the Nevada Department of Corrections said.

The outdoor play area will open adjacent to the existing visitation area at the facility at 4370 Smiley Road.