IN BRIEF
FREEDOM OF SPEECH DEBATE
UNR urged to host a talk by anti-illegal immigration activist
The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada has sent a letter urging the president of the University of Nevada, Reno and a student organization director to allow an anti-illegal immigration activist to speak.
Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist is one of two panelists scheduled in a Thursday forum sponsored by the Associated Students of the University of Nevada.
Some faculty opponents have said they hope to prevent Gilchrist from attending. But ACLU public advocate Rebecca Gasca said a letter sent Thursday urges the university not to give in to pressure from those who don't want Gilchrist to participate in the forum.
UNR President Milton Glick has said opposition to Gilchrist's views shouldn't outweigh ensuring freedom of speech on campus.
AIRCRAFT CRASH
Three die as medical helicopter goes down north of Reno
Investigators said the pilot of a medical helicopter issued a mayday moments before the aircraft crashed into a hilly area north of Reno near the Nevada-California state line early Saturday.
All three crew members, the pilot, flight nurse and paramedic, were killed.
The helicopter, an Aerospatiale AS350, had dropped off a patient at a Reno hospital and was returning to its base in Susanville, Calif., when it crashed around 2 a.m. Saturday, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor.
A witness driving on a nearby road told authorities he saw nothing unusual about the helicopter's flight before it fell rapidly from the sky. The witness said he saw a fireball when the helicopter hit the ground, according to Gregor.
Gregor said the pilot was not communicating with air traffic controllers at the time of the accident. Investigators from the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board spent Saturday combing the wreckage about 29 miles northwest of Reno in Lassen County as they searched for clues about the cause of the crash.
The wreckage will be taken to a salvage yard today.
TRAUMA VICTIM DISCOVERED
Las Vegas police find homicide victim inside condominium
A 68-year-old man was found dead inside a condominium near Rainbow and Oakey boulevards Saturday morning, the apparent victim of a homicide, Las Vegas police said.
Police did not release the name of the man. They said he was believed to have been a resident at the Paseo Del Rey condominium complex on the 1400 block of Santa Margarita Street.
A neighbor told police the man had not been seen in more than a week, police said.
Officers responding to a 7:45 a.m. call noticed a foul odor emanating from the condo. Police said they entered the residence after knocking and receiving no response. They said the man died of trauma, but were not more specific.
Anyone with information is urged to call detectives in the Homicide Section at 828-3521 or Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.
FATAL INJURIES
Arizona man dies after ATV accident near Lake Havasu
An Arizona man died of his injuries at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas after an all-terrain vehicle accident outside of Lake Havasu on Wednesday afternoon.
The victim was identified as Leonard Eisenman, 59, of Lake Havasu.
Mohave County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Trish Carter said Eisenman's wife was his passenger as a group of ATV riders was exploring Little Finger Road about five miles south of the city.
"The riders were climbing a steep hill when Eisenman and his wife tumbled over backwards as they approached the top," Carter said.
Eisenman's wife, Linda Thomas, 58, suffered cuts and abrasions. She was treated and released at Havasu Regional Medical Center.
MISSING CHILD
Toddler not found around lake after his mother is found slain
Divers have halted their search of a Berkeley, Calif., lake without finding a 17-month-old boy missing since his mother was found slain near the water.
The Alameda County Search and Rescue Team spent Saturday probing Aquatic Park after the body of Zoelina Williams was found there early Friday.
Authorities began searching for her son, Jashon, after relatives reported him missing. Berkeley police have arrested 38-year-old Curtis Martin III of Oakland in connection with the woman's killing. Police say Martin may have been driving the mother and her child from Oakland to Vallejo.
Martin was arrested in 1994 and pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the fatal beating of a girlfriend's 3-year-old son. He served six years in prison.
No motive has been revealed.
SEA RESCUE
Eight people found clinging to capsized boat near Tijuana
Seven men and a pregnant woman clinging to a capsized boat have been rescued in Mexican waters off the coast of Tijuana.
The Coast Guard said the eight were picked up by a Canadian sailing vessel, the Island Princess, and taken to Shelter Island in San Diego, Calif.
U.S. Customs spokeswoman Jacqueline Dizdul said five of the men were taken to a hospital and treated for hypothermia. One also had a cut on his arm.
They claimed to be Mexican citizens, but authorities were working to confirm their statements.
