IN BRIEF
RAINBOW AND SUNSET
Motorcyclist, 20, dies in collision with truck
A man died Wednesday after his motorcycle collided with a truck at Rainbow Boulevard and Sunset Road.
Timothy Morin, 20, was traveling north on Rainbow when Eduardo Estrada-Hernandez, 35, who was traveling south on Rainbow, tried to make a left turn. Estrada-Hernandez's truck collided with Morin's motorcycle.
Morin was taken to University Medical Center, where he died.
2006 SLAYING
Ex-husband sentenced in shooting death
A man accused of killing his ex-wife was sentenced to 20 to 50 years in prison Wednesday in District Court.
District Judge Lee Gates sentenced 47-year-old Ference Farkas to two consecutive 10- to 25-year sentences for killing Susan Martin, 45, in 2006. Farkas pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in January.
Farkas told police he found Martin at a residence near Sahara Avenue and Valley View Boulevard in October 2006 and confronted her about his possessions being taken.
He then pulled out a gun and claimed that it "just went off," according to a Las Vegas police report. Farkas told police he fled the scene and didn't know Martin had been shot.
CALIFORNIA TOWN
Animal control officer faces cruelty charges
The head of the animal control office in Adelanto, Calif., is facing multiple counts of animal cruelty after authorities say he drowned dozens of kittens last year.
Kevin Murphy, who has not been arrested, faces up to six years in prison if convicted. He is accused of drowning 50 kittens in a four-month period.
Kathy Williamson of the Victor Valley Animal Protective League takes in animals that Adelanto Animal Control workers bring her. She says the city pays her $23 to take in a live cat for up to 10 days and $10 for her to take a dead cat.
City Manager Jim Hart says the city is reviewing proper procedure with staff.
Murphy, 36, has been placed on administrative leave. He is scheduled to be arraigned May 19 at San Bernardino County Superior Court.
A city spokesman says another animal control officer, Patrick Cornell, has been placed on leave because of the investigation. No charges have been filed against him.
Adelanto is a city of 24,000, 70 miles from Los Angeles.
GOVERNORS' COMMISSION
Panel drafts Tahoe fire prevention report
A commission appointed by the governors of California and Nevada has released a draft report about what should be done to reduce the danger of major wildfires in the Lake Tahoe basin.
The report says fire prevention should take priority over environmental concerns because catastrophic wildfires can devastate the basin's environment.
It calls for cooperation by government agencies and private landowners to minimize fire risk by thinning the basin's forests.
The commission was appointed after the Angora Fire destroyed 254 homes and caused more than $140 million in property damage last June.
Commissioners have scheduled a vote on the report's 70 recommendations for Friday in South Lake Tahoe.
Read the commission's draft report at: www.resources.ca.gov/tahoefirecommission
