IN BRIEF

Former state senator to take over as AT&T Nevada chief

AT&T Nevada said Thursday that Stephanie Tyler-Jackson will take over as company president on Tuesday.

Tyler-Jackson will be involved in new-technology deployment and infrastructure investment. She'll also lead the company's regulatory, legislative and community affairs activities in Nevada.

Tyler-Jackson previously served as executive director of external affairs for AT&T's Western region, where she supported legislative, governmental, regulatory and community affairs for a 17-state area. She's also lobbied for AT&T California and managed community and legislative affairs for SBC Nevada. She owned a consulting firm and has managed several political campaigns, including statewide races in Nevada and California.

Tyler-Jackson is also a native Nevadan and a former state senator.

She will have offices in Reno and Las Vegas.

Airline begins nonstop flights from Paris to Las Vegas

An international airline has launched the first-ever nonstop flights to Las Vegas from France.

XL Airways France initiated scheduled, nonstop service from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on Thursday night. The route's inaugural flight was scheduled to land at McCarran International Airport at 6:04 p.m.

XL Airways France will operate nonstop service to Las Vegas from Paris on Thursdays and Sundays through Sept. 23. It will use an Airbus A330 plane that holds 364 seats.

Clark County Director of Aviation Randall Walker said XL Airways could bring more than 10,000 visitors to Las Vegas this summer, for an impact of $9.7 million in local gaming expenditures.

And Cathy Tull, senior vice president of marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said XL Airways' service provides more access to a market that has grown 19 percent in the last two years.

Judge kills NV Energy proposal to upgrade Henderson line

A Clark County District Court judge has nixed NV Energy's request to upgrade a small Henderson power line running through residential areas into a big electrical-transmission corridor.

NV Energy sought to turn a six-mile segment of 30-foot wooden poles with one circuit and three wires into a string of 110- to 130-foot metal poles able to carry up to four circuits and 20 lines. The line runs through Henderson's Section 4, Tuscany and Weston Hills neighborhoods.

The Henderson City Council denied the proposal on Aug. 4, after residents protested that the poles would be unsightly and the project could hurt their property values. They also worried that large power lines could cause health problems.

NV Energy appealed the city council's decision to district court on Aug. 26.

Dave Rigdon, a government affairs account executive with NV Energy, said the company was "disappointed" with the court's decision, and the utility has a responsibility to its customers to review its options and consider the appropriate next steps.

"The proposed route along the 70-year-old line and right-of-way is the least impactful to landowners in Henderson and represents the lowest-cost option to meet the future electricity needs of our customers," Rigdon said.

WASHINGTON

United, Continental CEOs say merger plan helps consumers

The CEOs of United and Continental airlines pitched their proposed merger to senators Thursday as a good deal for consumers, airline employees and the small communities that rely on them for service.

United's Glenn Tilton told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the new airline will improve its profitability through efficiencies, not higher fares. Continental's Jeffery Smisek pledged the nearly 150 small communities and metro areas served by the carriers won't lose service.

Combining their resources will let the new airline, which will retain the United name, maximize its use of more than 700 aircraft to compete more effectively on the long haul and overseas flights that present the best opportunity for profits, Tilton said.

Shares of United parent UAL Corp. rose 64 cents, or 3.24 percent, Thursday to close at $20.39. Continental shares rose 58 cents, or 2.77 percent, to close at $21.50.