Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2004 | 9:39 a.m.
Man sought in shooting death
Metro Police are looking for a man in the shooting death in an apartment complex near the North Las Vegas Airport Tuesday night.
Police said the killer, who is described as a stocky Hawaiian man with a long, curly blonde ponytail, knocked on the door of the second floor apartment about 9:45 p.m. and asked the woman who answered the door where her boyfriend was.
The woman said her boyfriend was not at the apartment, in the 2900 block of Rancho Drive near Decatur Boulevard. The man apparently shoved the woman to the side and entered the apartment, Metro Homicide Sgt. Kevin Manning said.
Frightened, the woman ran out of the apartment to get help, Manning said. Shortly after, the woman heard two gunshots and saw the Hawaiian man run out of the apartment and flee on foot, he said.
Police found a man believed to be in his 40s dead inside the apartment with a gunshot wound in his chest, Manning said. His name was withheld this morning until his family could be notified.
The woman told police she had never seen the suspect before and that she did not know why anyone would want to kill her boyfriend.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 385-5555 or the Metro Police homicide section at 229-3521.
Man dies after being punched
A Las Vegas man was arrested Tuesday after a man he allegedly punched the night before was found dead inside an apartment on Swenson Street near Twain Avenue.
Police and paramedics were called out to the Shelter Island Apartments about 8:15 a.m. Tuesday to check on a 53-year-old man who was having trouble breathing, police said.
When police arrived, they found the man dead inside an apartment and called homicide investigators.
Police later learned that the victim was drinking beer and watching television with a group of people the night before, when a fight broke out between him and 41-year-old Robert Lee Maestas.
Police allege Maestas punched the victim once in the nose and left the area. After being punched, the victim sat on the floor, bleeding from the nose, police said.
Friends found the victim in his apartment Tuesday morning and called 911, police said.
Maestas was arrested and charged with voluntary manslaughter.
Fed grants to help in emergencies
Two federal grants totaling $12.9 million have been received by the state Health Division to help it prepare to meet public health emergencies.
Gov. Kenny Guinn said Tuesday the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded $8.8 million to the Health Division. The Health Resources and Services Administration awarded another $4.1 million.
"The state of Nevada is better prepared now than ever before to handle public health emergencies. However, there is still work to be done," Guinn said.
Of the $4.1 million, $790,000 is earmarked for cities, including Las Vegas, to increase their preparedness, Guinn said. He said $685,746 will be used to upgrade the state's Public Health laboratory.
Ballot questions are on Web site
Statewide ballot questions 1 through 8, including the pros, the cons and rebuttals to the arguments are available on the secretary of state's Web site.
The questions and arguments are also available in Spanish.
Under a new law passed in the 2003 Legislature, two committees of up to three members each were appointed to write the arguments and rebuttals for ballot questions 1 through 6.
One committee's citizens supported approval of the ballot question, the other committee included people known to oppose the questions.
For more information on Nevada's elections process, initiative petitions and other election and voter-related topics, the address is: http:// secretaryofstate.biz. Click on the "Elections" icon.
Tobacco help line gets federal help
The Nevada State Health Division's Bureau of Community Health Tobacco Control Program has received an additional $173,878 from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to enhance a statewide quit line.
The Nevada Tobacco User's Helpline offers professional services to support people who are trying to beat their tobacco habits.
This grant will help update technology to support increasing caller volume and is expected to increase enrollment in treatment programs, Charlene Herst of the Bureau of Community Health said.
The Nevada Tobacco User's Helpline toll-free number is: (888) 866-6642.
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