IN BRIEF
SWINE FLU
Washoe County Jail inmates quarantined
More than 120 Washoe County Jail inmates in one housing unit have been quarantined because of fears that some have swine flu.
County Health Department spokeswoman Judy Davis said a lab is conducting tests to determine if swine flu is the cause of flulike symptoms exhibited by six of the inmates.
The tests generally take three days or less.
Sheriff's spokeswoman Brooke Keast said the quarantine will last seven days unless the tests determine swine flu is not the cause.
Keast said the 123 male inmates make up about 10 percent of the jail population, and quarantines are mandated when five or more inmates in one housing unit show symptoms of a contagious disease.
Sheriff Mike Haley said precautionary quarantines are common in jails.
WASHOE COUNTY RTC
LV businessman gets transportation post
A Las Vegas businessman has been named chief of Washoe County's Regional Transportation Commission.
Lee Gibson was selected over two other finalists for the post that oversees many road and highway projects as well as mass transit in the Reno area.
Gibson, 50, currently is vice president of the Parsons Brinckerhoff consulting and engineering firm in Las Vegas.
He was assistant general manager for the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada from 1989 to 1999.
The Washoe RTC hopes to have a contract finalized by late August and have him on the job by October. The job's pay range is $138,000 to $207,000.
SADDLEBRED SHOW HORSES
Poisoning of animals at California farm probed
A San Diego County ranch owner said 23 show horses have been poisoned by someone who fed them highly toxic oleander leaves.
Debbie Tomin, owner of Rockridge Farm in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., said three horses are seriously ill and are undergoing treatment at an equine hospital.
The other horses, including two pregnant mares, are being treated at the ranch.
Tomin said workers discovered the sick American Saddlebred horses Thursday morning and a feed mix of sliced apples and carrots, which disguised the bitter oleander.
Tomin said someone broke into the ranch overnight. The sheriff's department is investigating.
The ranch has about 30 show horses worth about $2 million. Four are owned by the ranch; the rest are boarded for clients.
MONTANA HIGHWAY PATROL
Chief wants stun guns for his state troopers
The head of the Montana Highway Patrol said his agency is looking for a way to outfit troopers with stun guns.
Col. Mike Tooley said the patrol is seeking about $300,000 in grant money because there isn't money in the patrol's budget for such a purchase.
Most troopers are armed with a handgun, collapsible baton and mace or pepper spray.
Tooley believes Tasers would make things safer for troopers and the public because troopers can be alone in remote areas when they encounter a problem. It's difficult to use mace, because water may not be readily available to decontaminate a person.
