News briefs for March 30, 2005

Wednesday, March 30, 2005 | 9:24 a.m.

Meeting scheduled for flood victims

Clark County is encouraging residents affected by January's flooding to attend an informational open house Thursday to learn more about assistance that could be available.

The county and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will have the open house meeting at the Moapa Valley Community Center, 320 N. Moapa Valley Blvd., from 2 to 7 p.m. Thursday.

Representatives from various agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will be available to answer general questions and provide information regarding low-interest loans, erosion control efforts and other issues.

Other agencies scheduled to attend are Clark County Public Works to answer questions on right-of-way issues, road debris and updates on the Muddy River Flood Control Project, the Small Business Administration to answer questions and provide information on low-interest loans offered to flood victims, and Southeastern Nevada Long-term Recovery Committee to assist individuals and families affected by the flood by providing referrals and resources.

For more information, call (702) 397-6475.

Driver, 101, killed in freeway crash

A 101-year-old Reno woman died Monday several hours after the Toyota Camry she was driving hit a concrete wall on U.S. 95's Lake Mead Boulevard exit ramp and then hit a van, the Nevada Highway Patrol said.

Pauline Farris apparently was trying to use the eastbound ramp to exit the freeway and hit the wall at a high rate of speed Monday afternoon, Trooper Angie Chavera said.

After hitting the wall, the Camry continued across the eastbound lanes and hit a van, before coming to rest, Chavera said.

A passenger in the Camry, an 88-year-old man, remains hospitalized, Chavera said. The driver of the van, a 77-year-old Las Vegas man, was also hospitalized, Chavera said.

Attorneys' licenses are in jeopardy

The Nevada Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered 43 lawyers to show why their license should not be suspended for failing to take continuing- education classes.

The 43 attorneys have 30 days to tell the court why they did not complete the 12 hours of annual training as required by the Supreme Court rules. After that the court will decide if the lawyers will be placed on the inactive list and not allowed to practice.

Daniel Polsenberg, chairman of the Board of Continuing Legal Education of the Nevada Bar, said there is an annual list of lawyers who may be delinquent or who may have failed to send in their credits.

But Polsenberg said that usually more than half of those cited have completed the course but failed to mail in their verification before the deadline.

Red Flag set for Military Channel

As the Joint Red Flag training exercise continues at Nellis Air Force Base this week, Las Vegas Valley residents will be able to get an up-close view of what it takes to be a pilot participating in the mock combat missions.

The Military Channel's new documentary "Red Flag: Thunder at Nellis" is scheduled to premiere Thursday night. The hourlong program documents the quarterly Red Flag exercises at Nellis designed to test Air Force pilots in combat situations.

The majority of Red Flag missions are conducted over the nearly 3-million-acre Nevada Test and Training Range Northwest of Las Vegas. The current Red Flag exercise is scheduled to end Saturday.

"Red Flag: Thunder at Nellis" can be seen on the Military Channel Thursday at 8 p.m. on Cox digital cable channel 105. The Military Channel is not avaliable on basic cable.

Truck driver killed in crash is ID'd

A truck driver killed Monday morning when he rear-ended another truck on U.S. 95 at Railroad Pass has been identified as 35-year-old Shannon Wilkerson of Indio, Calif.

Wilkerson died when some large palm trees on his 1997 Kenworth tractor-trailer crashed through the cab of the truck during the collision, the Nevada Highway Patrol said.

The driver of the truck he rear-ended, a 50-year-old man from Henderson, complained of injuries after the collision, troopers said.