News briefs for July 23, 2004

Friday, July 23, 2004 | 9:30 a.m.

School uniform policy upheld

Another attempt by Clark County School Board Vice President Larry Mason to nix the mandatory uniform policy in the district's southeast region pilot program failed 5-2 Thursday night.

Mason wanted to make the uniforms voluntary. He was supported by a handful of parents, who voiced their concerns that the uniform policies violated student rights and that the surveying policy used by schools to start uniform programs did not adequately allow for community input.

Only School Board member Denise Brodsky supported Mason's motion.

A motion by Brodsky to amend the uniform policy to allow for once-a-week free dress days and to allow students to wear jeans as part of the uniform also failed. School uniforms in the southeast region currently consist of khakis and red, blue or white shirts.

School Board members who voted against the motions said it was too late to change the policy with school starting in the fall.

Members unanimously approved a motion by School Board member Ruth Johnson to have a committee look at the concerns brought up by parents Thursday, including the possibility of free days, adding jeans and increasing the number of parents who must approve of a uniform policy before it can be implemented.

Mason said he would continue his fight against the uniform policy.

"It's going to come back again and again," Mason said. "You're not going to get rid of me."

Woman sought in slaying arrested

A 34-year-old woman wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a man in a Las Vegas parking lot in May was arrested by Metro Police Thursday.

An arrest warrant was issued June 21 for Julia Jarrell, who police allege drove a getaway car for a man police say shot and killed another man in the Ice Las Vegas nightclub parking lot, near Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane on May 4.

On May 24 a warrant was issued for 27-year-old Ramon Iniguez, charging him with one count of murder with a deadly weapon. Iniguez was arrested two days later, police said.

Criminal Apprehension Team detectives arrested Jarrell Thursday without incident, police said. She is charged with one count of murder with a deadly weapon, first degree kidnapping with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit a first degree kidnapping with a deadly weapon, police said.

Supreme Court won't cut terms

The Nevada Supreme Court on Thursday refused to reduce the consecutive life terms imposed on Michael J. Silva, convicted of the fatal stabbing of a bartender in Las Vegas in 1992.

Silva claimed that the law that allows sentences to be doubled if a deadly weapon is used was unconstitutional because of defects when it was enacted.

The court said it has previously held the law to be valid and its passage was not affected by any alleged irregularities.

Silva received consecutive life terms with the possibility of parole in connection with the death of Howard Gibbons during a robbery of the Wagon Wheel Bar in Southern Nevada.

Silva was also sentenced to consecutive terms of 10 years for the robbery count but that is to run concurrently with the murder charge.

The court earlier this month rejected an appeal by Silva who claimed his standby lawyer was ineffective at trial. Silva represented himself at the trial but the district judge appointed a standby attorney to help him.