News briefs for February 4, 2005

Friday, Feb. 4, 2005 | 11:04 a.m.

Officials to discuss property taxes

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said Thursday that all local elected officials will come together sometime soon to meet and discuss their unified position on the issue of capping property taxes.

Elected officials from Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Boulder City, the Clark County School Board and the County Commission will meet so they can then "go as one voice to the Legislature" on an issue that could affect the financial health of local governments.

Some state and local leaders have floated the idea of a cap on the increase in property taxes that are the result of rapidly rising property value. Local governments receive tax revenue from property taxes.

Goodman said he wasn't sure how the group will feel about a cap and didn't say how he felt at the time.

"But I do know we have to protect our municipalities," he said.

Hot ointment warning issued

Metro Police and the FBI are advising the public that a group of anarchists could be planning to wipe a medical ointment on Las Vegas phone receivers to frighten the public.

According to a press release from the law enforcement agencies there is a rumor that the group plans to rub Icy Hot, or other creams used to sooth body aches through heat, on phones and then leave a note that states that the person using the phone has come in contact with a toxic substance.

Authorities noted that no incidents have been reported and that Icy Hot and other medical creams are not toxic. Individuals who come into contact with the cream can wash it off with soap and water, authorities said.

Porter picked for chairmanship

Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., has been picked to be chairman of the House Civil Service and Agency Organization subcommittee.

The panel oversees all federal agency organization and all civil service employees, those who work for government agencies that are not political appointments.

"Most Nevadans come in touch with the federal government in some way everyday, from Social Security to the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) to water management," Porter said. "I'll oversee their efficiency and organization, including how they treat their customers."

He said the position could help Nevada through its oversight of how it manages the 90 percent of the state that is controlled by the federal government and the Energy Department's contracts and procedures surrounding the planned nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain.

Arson suspect says he was 'desperate"

The man arrested Tuesday for allegedly setting fire to his mother's 3,565-square-foot home near downtown Las Vegas told investigators he set the fire because he "has ongoing problems and became desperate," according to the arrest report.

Hal Beesley Jr., 45, said he used a lighter to set fire to a pile of papers in the master bathroom and a pile of papers and blankets in the hallway leading to the bathroom, the report says.

Firefighters were called to the home in the 1500 block of East Oakey Boulevard near Maryland Parkway on Tuesday morning. The house was filled with thick smoke and the fire quickly intensified, requiring firefighters to upgrade it to two alarms to bring extra personnel to the scene.