IN BRIEF

FELONY ARSON CHARGE

Student arrested after fire at Palo Verde High

A 17-year-old student was arrested on a felony arson charge after a fire broke out Thursday in a locker room at Palo Verde High School.

School police Capt. James Ketsaa said the teen was being held in juvenile detention pending a court appearance. His name wasn't released, and the motive and method of setting the fire remained under investigation.

The smoke alarm was activated about 9:15 a.m., and officials had the school's 3,400 students evacuate to the football field, according to Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski.

When firefighters arrived, they found smoke billowing from the locker room. Sprinklers suppressed the fire, and firefighters found that shirts, gym bags and other items in six lockers had burned, totaling about $5,000 worth of property.

The lockers were behind a metal gate locked with padlocks and chains when firefighters arrived.

Students re-entered the school about an hour after it was evacuated.

RENO DISPUTE

Council OKs settlement with dancers, cabaret

The Reno City Council on Wednesday approved a $100,000 settlement with five exotic dancers and an adult cabaret over a police raid involving licensing issues.

The dancers and owner of the Wild Orchid claimed that police conducted a warrantless raid and that officers used "massive and excessive" force.

Each dancer will receive $3,000 and the rest of the settlement will go to the Wild Orchid. In signing the deal, the club and dancers acknowledged that the settlement was a compromise over disputed claims and that the city denies any liability.

The women filed a federal lawsuit after 12 of them were cited for dancing without a valid license in January 2007. They claimed that long delays in getting licenses infringed on their constitutional rights and that receipts for applications for background checks were sufficient as temporary licenses.

Their lawsuit was combined with one filed by Wild Orchid owner Kamal Keshmiri, who challenged a city ordinance allowing police to enter a business without a warrant.

FATALITY NEAR BEATTY

Motorcyclist killed in accident on U.S. 95

A Las Vegas motorcyclist died Tuesday night in an accident on U.S. Highway 95, eight miles north of Beatty.

Timothy Bowman, 50, was northbound on his 2005 BMW motorcycle at 7:45 p.m. when he failed to follow a curve in the road and drove into the desert and down an embankment, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

ARRIVAL IN SEATTLE

Dalai Lama's U.S. visit begins peacefully

The Dalai Lama arrived in the United States on Thursday for the first time since the recent turmoil in Tibet, serenaded by fellow Tibetans as he prepared to anchor a conference on compassion.

The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader came to Seattle a day after demonstrators disrupted the Olympic torch run in San Francisco in a protest of China's treatment of his people. The Dalai Lama will be attending a five-day conference that begins today.

With the Dalai Lama in town, some area leaders said they expected counter-demonstrations from pro-China groups. But all was peaceful when he arrived at a downtown hotel, telling local Tibetans who sang to him that he supports nonviolent demonstrations but was saddened by the San Francisco protests.