IN BRIEF
WASHOE VALLEY
Power line sparks and wind ignited wildfire
Two power lines that touched during wind gusts have been blamed for a 14-acre wildfire that had threatened some homes in Washoe Valley south of Reno.
Fire information officer Steve Frady said Saturday that NV Energy crews were working in the Jumbo Grade area on Thursday when they placed a protective device on a power line.
He says the device acted like a sail when winds picked up and caused the power line to swing into the other line, sparking the fire at about 2 p.m.
The blaze was fully contained overnight.
About eight nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution, but residents were able to return in the early evening.
The incident caused a power outage that affected 1,600 customers in Washoe Valley. Power was later restored.
AIRLINE SECURITY
Unruly passenger spurs diversion for jetliner
An American Airlines jetliner headed to Austin, Texas, from Los Angeles had to divert to Tucson, Ariz., on Saturday because of an unruly passenger.
Tucson Airport Authority spokeswoman Karen Garmon says the male passenger was apparently intoxicated. He was taken off the plane by airport police and arrested after the plane landed at about 7:30 a.m.
There were no injuries reported and the plane continued on to Austin.
DISPUTE OVER CONSOLE
Ex-student sentenced in PlayStation killing
A former criminal law student has been sentenced to life in prison for killing one man and wounding two others in a dispute over a Sony PlayStation console.
Jonquel Brooks on Friday asked for forgiveness from the family members of the man he shot. He made the comments at his sentencing hearing in Fresno County Superior Court in Fresno, Calif.
Brooks was a freshman at California State University, Fresno, in May 2007 when police say he opened fire and killed 19-year-old Brant Daniels and wounded his friends.
