News briefs for June 25, 2004

Friday, June 25, 2004 | 9:15 a.m.

Charter school is off the hook

Keystone Academy, a Sandy Valley charter school serving high school students at risk of dropping out, will remain open.

Clark County School District officials said Thursday that the school has corrected the deficiencies that put it at risk of closure.

District staff had planned to recommend the Clark County School Board revoke Keystone's charter because the school missed a 90-day deadline to hook up to a statewide computer system used to report student data.

Keystone is now connected to the system, said Craig Kadlub, director of public affairs for the district and the charter school liaison.

The agenda item calling for the revocation was withdrawn from the agenda of Thursday's school board meeting.

One of the district's oldest charter schools, Keystone has faced potential revocation three times since opening in 1999. Each time the problems were corrected and the school -- which averages 60 students -- was allowed to continue operating.

LV City Council welcomes Wolfson

Four members of the Las Vegas City Council met Thursday afternoon to officially approve the Ward 2 vote results and welcome winner Steve Wolfson as the newest member of the body.

During the special meeting -- missed by Mayor Oscar Goodman, who is attending a U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting, and Councilman Lawrence Weekly, who was in Russia -- council members were told that 6,093 of the ward's 35,267 voters cast ballots, a rate of 17.28 percent.

One ballot could not be counted, said City Clerk Roni Ronemus, leading Wolfson to joke that it was a good thing he won by more than one vote.

Council members welcomed Wolfson, who told them that "it is truly an amazing experience to be standing here today. I am humbled, I am excited, I'm a little scared."

Councilman Gary Reese said that the election "was the right way to get the Ward 2 representative everyone wanted."

Couple arrested after shooting

A man and woman were arrested late Thursday for battery and domestic violence with a weapon after the woman called and told police she had shot her boyfriend in the head.

When police arrived, they found the man with a small hole in the skin between his eyes and on the top of his forehead, but otherwise unharmed, according to Metro Police Lt. Dave Braden.

The woman told police her boyfriend had pulled out the handgun and threatened to shoot her during an argument. The woman managed to take the gun away from the man and shot him, police said.

The .22- caliber bullet struck the man between his eyes and "bounced" off, exiting on the top of his forehead, police said.

"A .22 bullet can either wreak havoc and kill you or bounce right off," said Metro Police Lt. Braden. "This guy got lucky."

The man survived the shooting, with only a minor cut on his forehead, he said. He was treated with a Band-Aid.

No fires, fireworks in Lake Mead area

National Park Service rangers are warning visitors to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area that no fires or fireworks are allowed, even on the shoreline next to the water.

In 2003 the lake area had two shoreline fires that damaged native vegetation and private property, Park Service spokeswoman Roxanne Dey said.

This year the fire danger inside the 1.5 million-acre park is worse because grasses have turned brown, ready to burn, she said.

While the fire danger level is high to extreme, as the lake level continues to drop, the fire danger at this time of year is extreme, Dey said.

No open fires, including charcoal, will be allowed outside developed campgrounds and administrative lands. Smoking is also prohibited outside.