Wednesday, May 19, 2004 | 12:59 p.m.
Man slain after argument
A man in his mid-20s was shot and killed early today after an argument at a home near Flamingo Road and Maryland Parkway, Metro Police said.
The shooting occurred about 1:30 a.m. in the 3900 block of Algonquin Drive.
The victim got into an argument with someone inside a home and the fight continued outside, where the man was shot.
Police found the victim dead of an apparent gunshot wound. His identity had not been released this morning.
Detectives were still interviewing witnesses about 8 a.m.
Apparently a group of friends had gathered inside the home where the fight originated and police were receiving conflicting information about what led up to the shooting, Lt. Tom Monahan said.
Four injured in crash
Four people were injured this morning when a vehicle hit a van that was stopped on the shoulder of northbound I-15 near Stateline, about 25 miles south of Las Vegas.
The crash occurred about 6:45 a.m. The van had mechanical problems so the driver had pulled over onto the shoulder, Trooper Angie Wolff said. A car heading in the same direction drifted onto the shoulder of the road and hit the van.
Two people were in each vehicle. Two were critically injured and two were seriously injured, Wolff said.
Car hits light pole
One person was airlifted and two others transported by ambulance to University Medical Center after their vehicle crashed into a light pole on Warm Springs Road near Gibson Road about 10:45 p.m. Tuesday.
The white Ford Taurus was heading west on Warm Springs when the driver, whom police believe was speeding, lost control, over corrected and hit the pole, Henderson Police said.
The street was closed for about three hours while police investigated.
BLM may sell 4,000 acres
Roughly 4,000 acres of federal land south of the Henderson Executive Airport was nominated for auction by the Henderson City Council on Tuesday.
The land was annexed into the city several years ago, and could be offered for sale at a Bureau of Land Management auction as early as June 2005, city officials said.
The council voted 5-0 to nominate the land for auction. Mayor Jim Gibson and Councilman Steve Kirk participated in the vote via telephone. Both are in Washington, D.C., meeting with the city's Congressional delegation and lobbyist as part of a review of the lobbyist's work.
Bonnie Rinaldi, an assistant city manager, said the date of the auction hasn't been set. Also, the city could decide to split up the property into smaller parcels to auction separately and at different times, she said.
City Community Development Department Assistant Director Bristol Ellington said the council's nomination of the land for auction is a first step in the process toward selling the land. Now, he said, the city's recommendation will go to the Regional Planning Commission, and then to federal officials for approval.
The property is generally south of the airport and south of St. Rose Parkway and west of the Anthem communities.
NLV town hall meeting set
The North Las Vegas City Council is to conduct a town hall meeting Tuesday night to talk to residents about what's going on with the city's police force, parks, and transportation, among other issues.
Normally the council meets at City Hall on the first and third Wednesdays of every month to vote on proposed laws, zoning changes, contracts and other matters. The council will not be casting any votes during this special meeting at a city middle school, which is dedicated to sharing information and hearing from residents.
The meeting will be from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Swainston Middle School Theater, 3500 W. Gilmore Ave., near the intersection of Gilmore and Allen Lane.
The meeting will feature presentations on code enforcement, community policing, parks and recreation, planning and zoning, and public works. Light refreshments will be available.
"We'll talk about the proposed light rail and parks under construction," City Manager Gregory Rose said, referring to a proposed light rail line from Henderson to North Las Vegas.
"It'll all be very general stuff," he said.
Bomb comment prompts search
An American Airlines plane was searched Tuesday morning when it arrived at McCarran International Airport because a passenger had allegedly made a comment about a bomb.
Passengers were also searched and baggage was re-screened, authorities said, but nothing suspicious was found. The searches resulted in a delay of 45 minutes to an hour.
"Unfortunately some people feel the need to make these types of comments," Nico Melendez, spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration, said. "I'm not sure if it was intended as a joke but it was taken seriously."
The passenger made the comment before getting on the plane in Dallas. An airport employee told him he needed to check one of his bags and he asked if he should check the bag with the bomb on it, officials said.
The man who allegedly made the comment wasn't arrested in Las Vegas but may face federal charges.
Elaine Sanchez, spokesman for McCarran, said Transportation Security Administration authorities in Dallas had contacted McCarran officials about the comment. She said there was no threat to passenger safety.
Beatty mine picked for EPA cleanup
RENO -- A closed Nevada gold mine has been selected as a pilot cleanup and redevelopment project by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the government announced Tuesday.
The Bullfrog gold mine in Beatty, currently controlled by Barrick Bullfrog Inc., is one of six pilot projects selected nationally for the EPA's Brownfields Mine-Scarred Land Initiative.
"This is the perfect example of a partnership ... where resources can converge on one place, where environmental issues can be addressed, reuse strategies identified and Nevada communities can benefit," Keith Takata, director of the EPA's regional Superfund Division, said in a statement Tuesday.
Under the program, the EPA and other federal agencies will provide technical and other assistance to Nye County to ready the 1,700-acre site for new uses.
Most of the land is federally owned and managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, officials said.
About 15 acres of private land within the area would be used to relocate the National Park Service's offices from Death Valley, officials said.
Another 67 acres would be transferred to the town of Beatty for development.
The Beatty Economic Development Corp. is considering using the rest of the site for a possible solar or magnetic levitation power generating plant, the EPA said.
Brownfields properties are defined as abandoned, idle, or underused industrial and commercial properties where real or perceived contamination interferes with redevelopment efforts.
The EPA's Brownfields Initiative was launched in 1995 as a way to bring federal, state and local governments together with the private sector to cleanup and redevelop brownfields sites in urban areas.
Officials say such efforts expand local tax bases and promote job growth while protecting the environment.
The EPA estimates there are more than 400,000 brownfields in the United States.
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