Monday, Dec. 6, 1999 | 11:23 a.m.
U.S. 95 expansion put on fast track
CARSON CITY -- Expansion from four to six lanes of U.S. 95 between Rainbow Boulevard and Cheyenne Avenue in Las Vegas will start in September 2000, a year ahead of schedule, Gov. Kenny Guinn said.
The state Transportation Department says it will begin design work immediately and that it will be accelerated. The project will be completed by September 2001, transportation officials said.
This is the first leg of widening U.S. 95 to relieve growing traffic congestion in northwest Las Vegas.
"I've experienced the traffic in that area firsthand and I know the frustrations commuters experience every day, which is part of the reason I wanted to get involved personally," Guinn said.
The department said it has already acquired the right of way for the first expansion project.
A department spokesman said the U.S. Department of Transportation must approve the environmental impact statement. That approval is expected by mid-January.
Suspects sought in cab robberies
Metro Police are investigating a series of recent taxicab robberies believed to be committed by the same group of men.
In the first two robberies, two men entered a cab at a Strip motel and pulled a gun on the driver while on the way to their destination, police said. They then ordered the driver to let them out near the downtown area. The robbers made off with an undisclosed amount of cash.
In another recent robbery, one man robbed the driver. The robber then forced the driver out of the cab and took the cab, which was later recovered, police said.
In the most recent robbery, a cabdriver picked up a fare at a North Las Vegas hotel-casino. The passenger then pulled out a gun, ordered the driver to go to Las Vegas. The robber made off with an undisclosed amount of cash once the cab reached Las Vegas.
While in some of the robberies there is only one suspect, police said they believe that it is the same group of men pulling all these taxicab holdups.
The suspects were described as black with one 5-feet-8-inches tall, about 170 pounds, shaved head and a heavy build. The second is described as 5-feet-11-inches tall, weighing about 170 pounds with a short haircut. The third man was described as in his 20s, 5-feet-7-inches tall weighing about 145 pounds.
Anyone with information in this case is asked to call the robbery unit at 229-3591 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.
Man charged in Wells Fargo holdup
A 44-year-old man was charged with robbery in connection with a Friday holdup of a Wells Fargo Bank branch.
Stanley F. Locus of Pasadena is accused of going into the bank at 3755 W. Spring Mountain Road about 10 a.m. Friday, demanding money from a teller and fleeing the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash, FBI officials said.
Metro Police responded to the robbery and caught a suspect a few blocks away from the bank, FBI officials said.
Ice cream operators get prison terms
CARSON CITY -- A couple who operated ice cream businesses in Las Vegas have been sentenced to 21 months in a federal prison on their guilty pleas to money laundering and bankruptcy fraud.
The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Philip Pro to Rena and John Kopystenski, owners of Quality Ice Cream and Alex's Ice Cream. The investigation was started in 1994 by the state Attorney General's Office into a scheme in which the Kopystenskis filed false insurance claims and credit applications.
The Kopystenskis have been ordered by Judge Pro to pay restitution of $67,149 and be on supervised probation for three years after their release from prison. The husband must surrender to authorities by March 7 and his wife must turn herself in on June 7.
They operated as distributors and wholesalers of ice cream and other frozen food products.
Henderson to open police substation
The Henderson Police Department is looking to a new substation to help cut response times and provide better services to citizens.
The Green Valley Ranch Substation is scheduled to open today at 4:30 p.m. at the intersection of Green Valley Parkway and Benji Drive.
Acting Police Chief Mike Mayberry said that the new 21,000-square-foot facility will allow patrol officers to respond to the southwest part of Henderson more quickly.
"This facility ensures that officers spend more time in their assigned area," Mayberry said. "Driving to the downtown police station can take 15 to 20 minutes, time which can now be spent patrolling our neighborhoods."
The new substation cost $3.7 million and will support 70 officers now. It will eventually grow to accommodate 130 officers.
Crews to study bridges on I-215
Nevada Department of transportation crews will be inspecting overpass bridge segments on Interstate 215 on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Crews will be looking at the Robindale Road bridge on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Wednesday crews will study bridges on I-215 at Las Vegas Boulevard and Decatur Boulevard from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Motorists can expect delays both days as crews investigate the bridges.
Miss Rodeo America gets pie in face
Minutes after being crowned Miss Rodeo America 2000, Brandy DeJongh had a chocolate tofu pie smashed in her face.
Dawn Carr, a member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, was detained after the pie-throwing Saturday at the Flamingo Hotel. Also detained was Miss Rodeo America's father, Dana DeJongh, a Los Angeles police officer.
"He's a proud papa and he did what he had to do to protect me," the 21-year-old DeJongh of Leona Valley, Calif., said. "It's such a special day and I'm not going to let something like this bother me. I just washed it off."
Neither Carr nor the elder DeJongh were in custody Sunday at the Clark County Detention Center. It was unknown whether they were cited for any crime.
Arlene Kensinger, Miss Rodeo America coordinator, said it was the first time PETA has protested its pageant. The group annually protests the National Finals Rodeo, claiming the sport exploits animals.
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