News briefs for Feb. 25, 2004

Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2004 | 11:30 a.m.

New plan made for parkway work

If the rain expected tonight tapers off by Friday, previously postponed road construction will begin Friday night to widen St. Rose Parkway between Interstate 15 and Interstate 215, Bob McKenzie, spokesman with the Nevada Department of Transportation, said this morning.

The parkway will be closed in both directions between Paseo Verde Parkway and Jeffreys Street, from 9 p.m. Friday to no later than 5 a.m. Tuesday, McKenzie said.

Detour routes will be posted, but NDOT officials recommend motorists take Pecos Road to Pebble Road to Eastern Avenue to Jeffreys Street to avoid the closure area.

Motorists will be able to cross St. Rose Parkway at Eastern Avenue but will not be able to turn onto the parkway. McKenzie said the closure will mean heavy congestion across Eastern and motorists should try to avoid the area if possible.

"Everybody has their own alternate route to get some place, and we urge them to utilize those this weekend," McKenzie said.

NDOT was forced to postpone the construction, originally scheduled to begin Feb. 20, because of rain.

Local National Weather Service meteorologists predict a 20 percent chance of rain for early Friday with the possibility of showers decreasing throughout the day. No rain is predicted for Saturday or Sunday, but could hit again Monday night.

"It's not as big a threat as it was last week," McKenzie said of the rain forecast. "Hopefully we will be able to be through the worst part by the time those showers hit Monday night, if they hit at all."

Two arrested in tool thefts

Metro Police have arrested two men in the theft of more than $45,000 worth of construction tools, trailers and vehicles during a weeklong spree.

David Hano, 38, was arrested Saturday, and Christopher Dehnhardt, 36, was arrested Monday on multiple counts each of grand larceny, burglary, possession of stolen vehicles and related offenses.

Detectives with Metro's repeat offender program conducted surveillance on Hano and Dehnhardt for a week. The duo allegedly stole trucks and trailers off construction sites, cut locks off tool containers and stole the tools, Lt. Jim Moses said. The property was then sold to workers at other construction sites.

Both men are suspected of being drug users and much of the revenue from their thievery was spent on drugs. They also traded stolen tools for drugs, Moses said.

Hano is a three-time convicted felon and Dehnhardt is a six-time convicted felon, police said.

Search continues for missing plane

The search for a missing private plane resumed Tuesday after being temporarily postponed due to intermittent storms and inclement weather, authorities said.

Civil Air Patrol aircraft from both the Nevada and California Wings were were launched again Tuesday and put in a full day's work.

Search efforts are being concentrated in sections previously examined in the 900-square-mile search area, with emphasis given to the presumed route of flight through the Ivanpah valley area south of Las Vegas.

Lt. Russell Bates, a Marine, and Casey Ferrone, a teacher from San Diego, left North Las Vegas Airport last week to return to San Diego but never arrived.

No trace of the missing aircraft had been found as of Tuesday night.

Sierra pummeled by winter storm

A potent winter storm was headed for the Sierra, with forecasters calling for heavy snow and strong winds in the mountains and a chance of substantial accumulation in the western valleys.

A winter storm warning was in effect for the mountains today into Thursday and a winter storm watch was posted above 5,000 feet for tonight in the valleys from Reno south through Gardnerville.

"It's pretty wet. It looks pretty significant," said Rudy Cruz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Reno.

He said the combination of snow and wind could bring blizzard-like conditions to the mountains, where up to 4 feet of snow could fall by nightfall.

Cold air from the north and warm, moist air from the south were expected to converge Wednesday over northern California, moving into the Sierra by late in the day, accompanied by winds to 65 mph.