Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

News briefs for June 15, 2004

Girl hit by rock on roller coaster

A 10-year-old California girl was injured Saturday night when she was hit in the head with a rock while on the roller coaster at New York-New York, a hotel spokeswoman said.

The girl, who was riding the Manhattan Express roller coaster with relatives, was hit as the ride began about 10 p.m. The ride was stopped and the girl was taken to a hospital by ambulance, Yvette Monet, MGM MIRAGE spokeswoman said. She was treated and released.

It's not clear where the rock came from. Monet said Metro Police were investigating the incident. Calls to the department's tourist safety section were not returned.

The roller coaster meets all safety standards, Monet said, adding that the incident is "a very unusual occurrence."

"There has never been anything like this on the roller coaster," she said.

Selby returns from tour of bases

Las Vegas City Manager Doug Selby returned from a tour of military bases in Europe over the weekend, saying he learned firsthand how U.S. soldiers overseas are key to keeping the world of turmoil and terrorism at bay.

"The stability of the world, for better or worse, falls into the hands of the United States," Selby said. "We have capabilities no other country has."

Selby was among a group of 50 people picked to be part of the weeklong Defense Department's Joint Civilian Orientation Conference, which since 1948 has sent civilian leaders to learn about the military.

Services set for skateboard victim

A memorial service for a Las Vegas teen who died Sunday after falling off a motorized skateboard two weeks ago will be 7 p.m. Thursday at 3467 Whitman Falls Drive.

Fourteen-year-old Dusty Steen was taken off life support after being declared brain dead on Saturday, Dusty's mother Sheri Allen said. A spokeswoman at the University Medical Center said Dusty died early Sunday morning at the hospital.

Allen said her son's heart, kidneys and liver have already been donated to three people.

"We want to encourage everybody to be organ donors because that's what saves lives," Allen said.

Allen said that Dusty had always dreamed of riding in a limousine and would appreciate any limousine service company who will volunteer to drive her son's ashes around the community for an hour.

Predator crashes at Indian Springs

An unmanned Air Force MQ-1 Predator crashed at 2:40 p.m. Monday at Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field.

The aircraft, which is piloted by remote control, was returning to Indian Springs after a local training mission on the Nevada Test and Training Range.

There were no injuries or property damage reported.

The accident is under investigation by a safety board of officers.

Since February 2003 the Predator aircrafts have been used in hundreds of missions and have been flown from Nellis Air Force Base during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The MQ-1 models are used as weapons platforms for Hellfire missiles and can strike targets up to five miles away.

LV considering employee buyout

The Las Vegas City Council will consider Wednesday a plan to buy out employees who have worked for the city for more than 20 years. The plan, which would be voluntary for employees, would initially cost the city as much as $6.3 million, according to backup documentation prepared for the meeting.

According to the proposal documents, the buyout cost would be recovered within 17 months if the vacated positions were frozen for at least six months. If a quarter of the positions were eliminated, the city would save up to $2.2 million each year in salary, according to the backup.

archive