Las Vegas news briefs for September 23, 2005

Friday, Sept. 23, 2005 | 10:03 a.m.

Body found in Henderson

Henderson Police are asking the public's help in identifying the body of a man that was discovered at 7:19 a.m. Wednesday.

Officers arrived at a desert area east of 460 North Boulder Highway where a man walking through the undeveloped area found the body. The coroner's office confirmed that the man had been shot several times. The man appeared to have been dead for at least a week.

The man is Caucasian, 6-foot, 5-inches tall, weighed 177 pounds and was wearing black shorts and a black hooded sweatshirt.

The man had a pierced left ear and did not have any tattoos or scars.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Henderson Police Department at 267-5000 or Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.

Blaze hits house under construction

Henderson firefighters doused a fire in a single-family home near Sunset Road and Mountain Vista Avenue about 12:12 p.m. on Thursday.

The first Henderson Fire Department trucks arrived four minutes after calls began coming in about heavy smoke and flames coming from the roof of the two-story house at 1954 Sunset Bend Drive.

The house was in its final stage of construction, scheduled for a final walk-through next week.

No one was at home and all workers had safely evacuated.

Fire investigators estimated damage at $10,000. However, representatives of Richmond American Homes told fire investigators that they decided to tear down the house and rebuild it, rather than repair it. That brings the estimated loss to more than $200,000.

Fire investigators said the fire was accidental, caused by construction workers using soldering equipment.

Public can see water, sewage plan

An environmental assessment for replacing the water distribution and sewage collection systems at eight developed areas at Lake Mead is available for the public.

The existing water and sewer systems are old and deteriorated and in frequent need of repair, said William K. Dickinson, superintendent of the National Park Service at Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

In addition to protecting public health and safety by improving water quality, the projects would reduce water consumption.

The environmental assessment is available online at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area Web site at www.nps.gov/lame/docs.html.

Copies may also be requested by calling (702) 293-8956. Copies are also available in area public libraries.

Comments on the plan must be received by Oct. 17, 2005.

Free diabetes screenings offered

Free diabetes screenings are available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at all Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores in Las Vegas and nationwide.

Certified medical technicians will provide free health screenings, including blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure tests.

Customers will also receive complimentary product samples and a diabetes resource book reviewed by the American Association of Diabetes Educators that offers helpful information about controlling diabetes through blood sugar monitoring, meal planning and exercise.