In brief

MOTIVE STILL UNCLEAR

Man indicted in slaying of waiter near Caesars

The man accused of killing a waiter near Caesars Palace has been indicted on charges of murder with a deadly weapon and robbery with a deadly weapon.

A Clark County Grand Jury on Thursday returned an indictment against Bryan Hall, 28, in the slaying of Brad Flamm.

Flamm, 27, was found near the hotel-casino's loading docks on May 11. He had been brutally beaten and nearly decapitated by stab wounds, authorities said.

Hall and the victim had known each other but the motive for the slaying is still unclear.

Hall is scheduled to appear in court on June 4.

FACIAL RECOGNITION EQUIPMENT

Smile for DMV photo, but just don't go wild

It's OK to smile when you are having your picture taken for your driver's license, according to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, just don't overdo it.

The DMV took exception to a story in USA Today earlier this week that stated Nevada is one of five states that doesn't allow drivers to smile when being photographed for their driver's license. These states have begun using facial recognition equipment to make sure photos match older driver's licenses images to prevent identify fraud.

Tom Jacobs, a DMV spokesman in Carson City, said the new equipment has a hard time matching photos with others in its database if people smile in an exaggerated way. But a normal smile is fine, he said.

Since starting using facial recognition equipment in January, the DMV has canceled 136 licenses because of possible identity theft.

WILDFIRE DESTROYED HOMES

Vouchers going out to help revegetation

Nearly two years after a wildfire destroyed 254 homes in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., a final round of vouchers is going out to help residents revegetate their properties.

About 184 vouchers totaling $250,000 are being mailed to residents in the burn area, said Carrie Reiter, administrative director of the Community Disaster Resource Center.

The center already has given out about $600,000 to Angora fire survivors, and the last round of vouchers will bring the total up to more than $850,000, Reiter said.

This also marks the end of the center, which will close its doors by the end of July.

Each voucher is worth $1,358 and is for revegetation.