IN BRIEF
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
140 wild horses gathered early in two-month roundup
The Bureau of Land Management reported that 140 wild horses have been gathered in Northern Nevada in the first days of a two-month effort to relocate thousands of animals.
Federal officials Thursday said most of the animals being taken off the range are in good condition. One mare, estimated at 20 years old, was killed when a veterinarian decided it was in poor health. Wild horse advocates criticized the killing as unnecessary.
BLM officials said they need to move the horses to control the population in an 850-square-mile area. The agency plans to remove about 2,500 wild horses from the Calico Complex north of Reno, leaving 600 to 900 on the range.
PROPERTY VALUES
Washoe County assessments could drop by $2 billion
Assessed property values in Washoe County could drop by $2 billion as a result of record levels of foreclosures and declining home prices.
County property values published last week mark an 11.24 percent decline in assessed value.
In Washoe County, the median home value of $182,950 is 48 percent below the peak of $350,000 in 2005.
Assessor Josh Wilson said he doesn't believe the housing market will stabilize until after low interest rates or balloon payments made at the height of the housing boom come due.
UTAH RV PARK
Firefighters find 19 pythons after blaze in trailer
Crews responding to a trailer fire in southern Utah had another factor to contend with: snakes.
Kristeen Checketts, animal control officer in St. George, said about 19 pet pythons were in the trailer when it caught fire Thursday morning at an RV park. Once the fire was put down, Checketts and firefighters began pulling out snake after snake, most in cages and some up to 18 feet long.
Checketts said 11 survived. The snakes' owner tried to revive another by massaging it and blowing into its mouth through a plastic pipe.
Fire Capt. Jason Whipple said the accidental fire started with a heat lamp in one of the snake cages.
RESTAURANT ABDUCTION
School board member killed during Mexico visit
An El Monte, Calif., school board member's family said he was abducted and killed by gunmen while visiting family in Mexico for the holidays. Augustin Roberto "Bobby" Salcedo, 33, was found dead Thursday in the state of Durango by Mexican authorities, said his brother, Carlos Salcedo.
Roberto Salcedo and his wife were out to dinner Wednesday with friends in the city of Gomez Palacio when gunmen stormed the restaurant and forced people to the floor. Salcedo and five other men were abducted. All six were found shot dead Thursday, El Monte officials said. Salcedo's wife was not abducted.
