News briefs for February 19, 2004

Thursday, Feb. 19, 2004 | 12:11 p.m.

City Centre group dissolved in LV

The Las Vegas City Council with little discussion approved Wednesday dissolving the City Centre Development Corp., which was created in 1997 to enter into downtown redevelopment deals. In 2000 the group's charge was reduced from an agency empowered to make deals to an advisory board.

Mayor Oscar Goodman moved to dissolve the group, which he said has been "tremendously helpful" in downtown planning. He said he hoped members would continue to lend their expertise individually to downtown projects.

The board's direction was changed in 2000, after City Hall conflicts between it and the Office of Business Development. City officials were quoted as saying that developers were unsure of where to go with their proposals, and the City Council decided to place the corporation under the Office of Business Development.

Vacant buildings probe continues

The Las Vegas Neighborhood Services Department will continue working on a report to outline ways to fight a glut of vacant buildings, mostly in Wards 3 and 5.

New Neighborhood Services Director Orlando Sanchez told the City Council that a key element, seeking a legislative change in 2005 that would allow the city to place property in a trust if the owners do not respond to repair requests, also is supported by the city of Henderson.

After Sanchez promised a further report within several weeks, Councilman Lawrence Weekly, who represents Ward 5, asked that the report include an estimate of how much the city has spent on securing abandoned property.

Weekly said the issue is critical because it cuts to the heart of what makes a neighborhood liveable. The property owners need to be found and held accountable, he said: "We continue to slap them on the hand."

Man arrested in fatal shooting

Metro Police arrested a 38-year-old man on charges of shooting an acquaintance Wednesday night in a dispute over property.

Michael Adkisson was taken into custody shortly after the shooting, which occurred about 9 p.m. in the 2200 block of Saxton Hill Avenue near Martin Luther King and Lake Mead boulevards.

Sgt. Kevin Manning of Metro's homicide section said patrol officers and paramedics were called to the house and found 32-year-old Steven Borgens lying in the driveway of his home with a gunshot wound in the chest.

He was taken to University Medical Center where he died.

Shortly before the shooting, Adkisson arrived at Borgens' home and the two exchanged words. Adkisson, for reasons still unknown, pulled a handgun and fired, Manning said. The dispute may have been over stereo equipment.

Adkisson left the scene but was stopped by patrol officers a short distance away. He was charged with murder with use of a deadly weapon.

Democrats urge Hispanics to vote

About 150 Hispanic high school and college students met Wednesday with top Democratic leaders who pleaded with them to get involved in politics and register to vote when they turn 18 years old.

Sen. Harry Reid, R-Nev., told the students that Hispanics have a low percentage of voter registration, and it is up to them "to go to your families, your neighbors, your friends and force them to get registered" if they wanted politicians to hear their concerns.

A study by the U.S. Census found that just 45 percent of Hispanic citizens voted in the 2000 presidential election, compared with 62 percent of white non-Hispanic citizens, 57 percent of black citizens and 43 percent of Asian and Pacific Islander citizens.

"We want you, we need you, we love you," Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., told the crowd. "And this is the election where you can really make a difference."

Cab businesses offering reward

Southern Nevada taxicab businesses and Crime Stoppers have teamed up to offer a $20,000 reward as part of a program to fight violence against cab drivers.

The joined forces come after a recent spree of robberies, in which the same thief has robbed at least nine drivers at gunpoint while on duty in Las Vegas, authorities said.

The new program is aimed at promoting safety of taxicab drivers on duty and offering rewards to citizens who report crimes against the drivers, Whittlesea Bell Transportation President Brent Bell said.

Anyone with information about the recent robberies can call Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.

Vegas-Simmons intersection closed

The intersection of Vegas Drive and Simmons Street will be closed to traffic until Friday due to an improvement project.

The temporary closure is necessary as crews continue work associated with the $11.6 million Owens Avenue and Vegas Drive improvement project, which started in January.

Improvements include removing and replacing 2 1/2 miles of roadway on Vegas Drive and Owens Avenue between Interstate 15 and Rancho Drive.

Construction also includes the installation of a regional storm drainage system and traffic signals on Vegas Drive at Tonopah Drive and at Simmons Street.

The city encourages drivers to use Lake Mead Boulevard and Washington Avenue as alternatives for east and west travel.

North Las Vegas trash fee rises

North Las Vegas residents will see a nickel increase to their monthly trash collection bills starting next week, City Finance Director Phil Stoeckinger said Wednesday.

The increase is caused by increased taxes the trash collection company, Republic Services, has to pay because of a change in the way the payroll tax is calculated, Stoeckinger said.

Council members said they wanted to make sure residents knew the increase was not their doing, and Stoeckinger said a note explaining that would be included in the bills.

NLV hires firm to study growth

The North Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday agreed to hire a private firm to study the costs and benefits of continued growth as part of its work to help update the city's long-range growth plan.

Mayor Michael Montandon said the city has looked into whether growth pays for growth during previous reviews of the city's comprehensive plan. The plan outlines land use and serves as a guide for long-term growth. The documents is typically revised every five years, with the last major update coming in 1999, he said.

The council voted 4-0 Wednesday to pay the firm Tischler & Associates $55,400 to do the report and help with updating the comprehensive plan.

Pets killed in blaze at home

A fire early today consumed a two-story home near Rainbow Boulevard and Spring Mountain Road, killing at least two family pets and sending two residents -- one a pregnant woman -- to a Las Vegas hospital with smoke inhalation.

Clark County Fire Department officials said the fire that started at 3 a.m. was accidentally set and that "well-meaning people," attempting to vent the flames by opening the garage door, actually fed the fuel with a rush of oxygen that destroyed the home in the 6700 block of Costa Brava Road.

Firefighters rescued one cat, but two dogs died in the fire.

LV City Council appoints Steinman

The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday appointed David Steinman to fill the Planning Commission seat vacated by architect Craig Galati. Councilman Larry Brown made the nomination.

Steinman has spent 40 plus years in real estate finance and development, working for such banks as Bank One, Mellon Bank and Bank of America, according to background material supplied by the city. He also served as a member of the city council of Worthington, Ohio, and spent time as member of that city's Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals.

His first meeting as a member of the Las Vegas Planning Commission will be Feb. 26.

Boy, 9, killed in crash is ID'd

The 9-year-old boy killed in a single-vehicle rollover late Tuesday has been identified as Fernando Carvajal of Las Vegas.

The crash occurred on Interstate 15 just south of Blue Diamond Road. The GMC sport utility vehicle drifted to the left, the driver over-corrected then lost control of the vehicle, the Nevada Highway Patrol said.

The boy was partially ejected. Investigators are trying to determine whether he was wearing a seat belt.