News briefs for May 24, 2004

Monday, May 24, 2004 | 12:54 p.m.

LV man indicted in firearms probe

A Las Vegas man is among 14 men from California, Idaho, Washington, Utah and Nevada named in federal indictments released Friday in Reno charging federal firearms violations.

Bronshae L. Alexander, 28, was arrested in January in connection with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigation into the illegal sale of firearms.

Alexander, who was released on bond pending his trial, is charged with three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The investigations and prosecutions are part of a nationwide program known as Project Safe Neighborhoods. In fiscal year 2003 the Department of Justice filed 10,556 federal firearms cases and charged over 13,000 defendants with federal firearms offenses.

Driver killed in rollover crash

A 44-year-old Las Vegas man was pronounced dead at the scene of a single vehicle rollover about 4:30 p.m. on Friday at Boulder Highway north of Russell Road, Metro Police said.

Police are still investigating the crash. Evidence at the scene and witnesses said that a 1999 Isuzu Amigo turned right onto Boulder Highway from Desert Horizon Drive, but the driver failed to judge the speed of a northbound vehicle on Boulder Highway. As the Isuzu driver accelerated to avoid a collision, he lost control, drove off the highway and over-corrected.

Returning to the highway, the driver crossed three northbound travel lanes and the vehicle rolled over. The driver was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Metro investigators said the driver would have survived if he had been wearing a seatbelt as required by law. It was the 49th fatal traffic accident in Metro Police jurisdiction this year.

Hearing will look into energy prices

A congressional subcommittee looking into national energy policy will hold a hearing in Henderson May 28 to address escalating gasoline prices in the Southwest.

The subcommittee, made up of energy policy advisers from the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Energy Policy and a AAA representative, will study the issues that contribute to gasoline prices and supply. The average price for a gallon in Las Vegas is $2.23, according to AAA.

The meeting will come just a week after national gas prices crept above $2 a gallon for the first time.

The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. in the Sierra Room at the Henderson Convention Center, 200 Water St.

Police, teens check alcohol sales

Henderson Police officers along with two teenage volunteers checked alcohol sales at 60 stores and other places serving alcohol in Henderson on Saturday, police said.

Nine of the checked establishments sold an alcoholic beverage to the underage buyers, and employees at those sites received a citation, police said.

The compliance rate for the establishments visited this weekend was 85 percent, police said.

Guinn recall petition filed

A petition to force a recall election for Gov. Kenny Guinn has been filed by three Clark County residents.

Last year a petition by a different group to recall Guinn failed to get the needed signatures. That group, headed by Tony Dane, turned in only three signatures.

Lee W. Haynes, Juanita Clark and June Ingram are leading the new petition against Guinn. They have 90 days from last Thursday to gather the signatures of 128,343 registered voters to force an election.

The petition was filed with Secretary of State Dean Heller. Haynes has also submitted a complaint with Heller's office claiming that Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, has violated the campaign reporting laws by failing to list money spent by Henderson in his behalf in the question whether he was barred from political office because of the federal Hatch Act.

No determination has been made on that complaint by Heller's office.

Subcritical test scheduled Tuesday

The National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office will conduct a subcritical experiment called "Armando" at the Nevada Test Site on Tuesday.

Subcritical experiments examine how plutonium behaves as it is strongly shocked by chemical high explosives.

In the experiments no critical mass is formed, thus there is no nuclear explosion.

Subcritical experiments produce essential scientific data and technical information important to maintain safe and reliable nuclear weapons in the U.S. stockpile, National Nuclear Security Administration spokesman Darwin Morgan said.

The test is sponsored by Los Alamos National Laboratory. It will be conducted at the Nevada Test Site's U1a Complex, 85 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

To date, 20 subcritical experiments have been conducted at the Test Site since underground nuclear weapons explosions were stopped in September 1992.

Homeland Security adviser selected

Nevada Public Safety Chief George Togliatti has been named to temporarily serve as Gov. Kenny Guinn's Homeland Security adviser and the head of the Nevada Homeland Security Commission.

Guinn plans to split the positions, formerly held by retired Army Col. Jerry Bussell, and has asked Togliatti to serve in them until new appointments can be made, state officials said.

Bussell, who was named Guinn's security advisor in November 2002, will chair today's commission meeting before his resignation goes into effect on Friday.

At today's meeting commissioners are scheduled to vote on whether $26.5 million in federal homeland security funds should be divided among counties using a population-based formula.

Candidate drops from House race

Dan Maxey, owner of a jewelry store in Reno, has dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination in the 2nd Congressional District, leaving two Pahrump residents to fight it out.

Secretary of State Dean Heller said Friday Maxey withdrew from the election. That leaves David Bennett and Angie Cochran to vie for the nomination to face incumbent Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., who is seeking a fifth term.

The district represents a part of Clark County and the rest of the 16 counties in Nevada.