IN BRIEF

ARIZONA SLAYING

Shooter sentenced to eight years in prison

A Kingman, Ariz., man who shot and killed his best friend at a drinking party in February was given an eight-year prison sentence Thursday.

Convicted of manslaughter in a plea agreement, William Cannon, 20, sobbed through most of the hearing, saying he was sorry and never meant to kill Duran Serna, 16.

Mohave County Superior Court Judge Rick Williams told Cannon he was extremely reckless by getting intoxicated and engaging in horseplay with a handgun he fired at Serna. Then, Williams said, Cannon made everything worse by lying to police and Serna's parents, telling them Serna shot himself during a game of Russian roulette.

DEC. 2 ARRAIGNMENT

Ex-DMV clerk faces 33 felony charges

Authorities say a former Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles clerk faces arraignment Dec. 2 on 33 felony charges alleging she skimmed money from vehicle registrations she handled at a Las Vegas-area DMV office.

Records show 25-year-old Lauren Jimerson was held on $99,000 bail at the Clark County jail following her arrest Monday.

She faces charges of theft, unlawful use of public money, misappropriation and falsification of accounts by a public officer and alteration of computer data.

A DMV official says Jimerson resigned and disappeared after investigators questioned her in May 2008 about transactions she handled from June 2007 to March 2008.

Officials say Jimerson is suspected of altering vehicle registration records and pocketing almost $8,700 while working at the Decatur Boulevard DMV office.

RETURN FROM ACTIVE DUTY

Settlement reached in veteran's dismissal

The U.S. Justice Department says it has reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed in June over the firing of an employee returning from military duty.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of former Utah Army National Guardsman and current Air Force Reservist Matthew T. Denning.

The lawsuit alleged that the Las Vegas company Stonescape Pavers LLC fired Denning during a protected re-employment time period. Lawyers for the government say a federal law prohibits employers from firing service members, except for cause, for about six months after they are re-employed upon returning from active duty.

A settlement announced Wednesday requires Stonescape to pay Denning $10,000 for lost wages and benefits.

A federal court in Las Vegas must approve the settlement.

VETERANS' STORIES

Author H. Lee Barnes to enter Hall of Fame

An award-winning author who wrote about war veterans and the lives of working-class characters in the Southwest has been selected for induction into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame.

H. Lee Barnes began writing crime capers in the 1970s based on his background as a sheriff's deputy in Las Vegas and a narcotics agent in Reno. He used his experiences in the U.S. Army's Special Forces in Vietnam to write about the trials of veterans.

Now an instructor at the College of Southern Nevada, he will be inducted into the hall at the University of Nevada, Reno on Nov. 12.