Thursday, March 18, 2004 | 9:26 a.m.
Petition filed for major smoking ban
A Nevada group trying to prohibit smoking in most public places -- except bars and gambling areas -- filed an initiative petition Wednesday aimed at forcing the 2005 Legislature to impose the ban.
The petition was filed by the Nevada Tobacco Prevention Coalition.
Kendall Stagg, the group's policy director, said that once enough signatures are collected the petition will go to state lawmakers -- and if they don't go along with the idea it will go to a public vote in 2007.
Organizers must collect at least 51,244 valid signatures and turn them over to local clerks by Nov. 9.
Predator crash cause revealed
An accident investigation team has determined that operator error caused an RQ-1 Predator remotely piloted aircraft to crash on Dec. 11 in Southwest Asia.
According to an accident report released by Air Combat Command Wednesday, the pilot overcontrolled the aircraft's pitch commands. The pilot overcorrected when a software anomaly caused the aircraft to pitch upward, causing the crash.
The Predator was assigned to Nellis Air Force Base's 15th Reconnaissance Squadron and was valued at $3.3 million.
Killer of four gets new sentence
A local man convicted in a quadruple killing nearly 12 years ago was sentenced to eight consecutive life prison sentences without parole on Wednesday.
District Judge Lee Gates handed down the sentences to Vernell Ray Evans Jr., who was convicted of shooting Samantha Scotti, 24, Lisa Boyer, 26, Jermaine Woods, 19, and Stephen Walker, 18, in May 1992.
Evans was convicted after a jury trial and was initially sentenced to death, but the Nevada Supreme Court overturned his punishment, citing ineffective assistance of counsel, Evans' attorney, Pete Christiansen, said.
NLV takes look at tavern rules
The North Las Vegas City Council revisited the idea to change previous tavern proximity rules at a special study session Wednesday.
Council members proposed having taverns restricted to at least 1,500 feet from each other, measured from tavern door to tavern door, and 1,500 feet from churches, parks, schools and playgrounds, measuring property line to property line.
Under the current rules, taverns must be 1,500 feet from each other and 400 feet from schools.
A public meeting on the proposal 6 p.m. Tuesday, in the North Las Vegas City Council Chambers inside City Hall, 2200 Civic Center Drive, North Las Vegas. For more information, call 633-1530.
The number of registered voters
in Nevada increased in February to 854,822, with Democrats narrowing the gap against Republicans, Secretary of State Dean Heller said Wednesday. There were 355,116 Republicans and 343,679 Democrats, a margin of 11,437, as of the end of February. At the end of January, the GOP had a an edge of 13,227 voters.
A man who threatened to jump
off an overpass at Flamingo Road and the Las Vegas Beltway about 5 p.m. Wednesday was taken in for observation after officers talked him down, Metro Police Officer Jose Montoya said.
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