IN BRIEF
NORTH LAS VEGAS INVESTIGATION
Public's help sought in body found in desert
North Las Vegas police are asking the public for information regarding the July 16 discovery of a body in the desert.
Police said the body was that of 21-year-old Baldemar Ferrusquila, whose family reported him missing July 13 in Chicago.
His family said they contacted him by phone on that day, and he told them he was in Las Vegas and was going to stay here for a few weeks, police said.
He was found dead three days later in the desert area north of Losee Road and the Las Vegas Beltway.
Anybody with information on Ferrusquila is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.
I-15 WIDENING PROJECT
Street closures starting tonight, officials warn
Washington Avenue and D Street under Interstate 15 will be closed in each direction beginning at 6 p.m. today through 5 a.m. Monday for bridge demolition, state transportation officials said.
Motorists should use detours as posted.
The closures are because of the I-15 north widening project from the Spaghetti Bowl to Craig Road.
TOWN HALL MEETING
McCain plans to make Sparks campaign stop
Republican presidential candidate John McCain will have a town hall meeting in Sparks on Tuesday, his campaign announced.
McCain was already scheduled to be in Northern Nevada for a fundraiser at Lake Tahoe.
Doors will open at 8 a.m. for the event at Reed High School, which is open to the public.
Those wishing to attend can RSVP at the campaign's Web site, Nevada.JohnMcCain.com, or by calling 702-425-2299.
The presumptive GOP nominee last visited Nevada in late June, giving a speech on energy in Las Vegas and holding a fundraiser.
CLARK COUNTY POLLING PLACES
Primary early voting opening Saturday
Voters registered in Clark County can get a jump-start on 2008 primary when polling places open Saturday.
Twenty-two polling locations will be open daily for voters to cast their ballots through the two weeks leading up to the primary on Aug. 12, according to the county election department. Dozens of other sites will be open for one to seven days during that period.
County Registrar of Voters Larry Lomax predicted about one-half of those who vote in the primary will voter early.
It is too late to register to vote in the primary but people are still able to register for the Nov. 4 general election, at which the next U.S. president will be selected.
For more information about early voting or polling locations, call the election department at 455-8683, or visit the department's Web site, www.accessclarkcounty.com/elections.
$200,000 ESTIMATED LOSS
Fire destroys auto shop in Las Vegas
An auto shop was destroyed in a Thursday morning blaze, Las Vegas fire officials said.
Fire crews received calls at 5:14 a.m. that the El Toro Auto Repair, at 716 Stewart Ave., near Seventh Street, was on fire.
The building, constructed of wood with a tin roof, was fully engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived, according to the Fire Department. Fuel and chemicals inside the shop enhanced the fire.
Nobody was inside the building.
The shop and two automobiles inside were destroyed, a value estimated at about $200,000.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
THREE PEOPLE SHOT
Arrest made in college shooting in Phoenix
A former student shot three people Thursday in a computer room at a Phoenix college, injuring one of them critically, authorities said. The gunman fled, but a suspect was arrested nearby.
The shooting at South Mountain Community College was part of a running dispute between the suspect and one of the victims, Phoenix police Sgt. Andy Hill said.
"This was not a random shooter going around the campus," Hill said, noting that two of the injured people were struck by stray bullets.
The suspect, Rodney Smith, was a former student at the college, police said.
Smith, 22, was arrested at a home within 30 minutes of the first 911 call, a police spokesman said. Also arrested were Smith's parents and three other people on charges of interfering with an investigation and failure to obey a police officer.
