News briefs for October 8, 2004

Friday, Oct. 8, 2004 | 9:37 a.m.

Say goodbye to the 90s

This may be the last week of 90-degree daytime temperatures, the National Weather Service said.

A large, cold storm system is setting up a wintertime pattern that will affect the Las Vegas Valley and the entire West over the weekend, weather service forecasters said.

The cold air is plunging south from Alaska bringing gusty winds, lower temperatures and the possibility of showers in Southern Nevada Sunday night and Monday.

Daytime highs are expected to reach into the 70s, a 15-degree difference from this week.

Lows are expected in the 50s.

Cabdriver robbed, then shot at

Two men robbed a cabdriver this morning then fired shots at him while the driver chased them, Metro Police said.

The driver was dispatched to the Running Springs apartments at 4450 Karen Ave., near Lamb Boulevard and Boulder Highway, to pick up a fare. When he arrived about 2:10 a.m., two men robbed him at gunpoint, Officer Jose Montoya, police spokesman, said.

The suspects got into a car and the cabdriver chased them. At one point they fired shots at him but he was not hit, police said.

At Owens Avenue and Teton Street, near Pecos Road, about five miles from where the chase began, the suspects jumped from the car and ran, Montoya said. Police searched for the suspects but no arrests have been made.

Two injured in one-car crash

Two 20-year-old Las Vegas residents were critically injured when their car rolled over about 5 p.m. Thursday on Charleston Boulevard near Wilshire Street, Metro Police said.

Jesse Isabel was driving a 1987 Honda Accord on Charleston when she lost control while speeding, police said.

The car veered across the roadway and struck a sign post, then it jumped the curb and rolled over on the sidewalk, police said.

Isabel and her passenger, Bertly Ellazar, were taken to University Medical Center with critical injuries, police said.

Strip club plans to be revealed

Owners of the closed Treasures strip club were expected to announce this afternoon future plans for the club, the club's manager said Thursday.

Manager Alson Lee would not discuss it other than to say, "It's our first press conference where we go over what we plan to do."

Club officials previously have said that they do not plan to sell Treasures, and hope to reopen. The strip club closed after the Las Vegas City Council refused on Sept. 15 to grant a permanent liquor license to the owners, Hassan and Ali Davari.

The brothers, who own several clubs in Houston, have hired lawyers in that city and in Las Vegas, and have retained a California lawyer who specializes in First Amendment and adult entertainment issues.

The city refused to grant the permanent license after two temporary six-month licenses ran out. The council cited past troubles in clubs in Houston, as well as a current investigation in Texas involving bank transactions that authorities there say were structured to avoid federal reporting requirements.

Mercy Air names program director

Mercy Air Service, Nevada's air ambulance company, has named Richard Wilber as its program director for the state.

Wilber will oversee all Mercy Air operations in Nevada, including bases in North Las Vegas, Boulder City, Henderson and Pahrump with a total of 40 medical and aviation personnel.

Wilber has more than 20 years experience in emergency medical work. He was a nurse in emergency and critical care settings as well as an administrator for Mercy Air, Flight for Life and American Medical Response, a Nevada ground ambulance company.