IN BRIEF

FRONT-DOOR CONFRONTATION

Three men injured in shooting incident

Three men were shot Wednesday after a front-door confrontation with two armed men, Las Vegas police said.

The shooting began about 8:30 p.m. at 3875 Soda Springs Drive, near Cheyenne Avenue and Pecos Road, when two men knocked on the door, robbery Lt. Clint Nichols said.

When one of the victims answered, the two gunmen started yelling at him, he said. The two other victims had walked to the door because of the commotion when the gunfire started, he said.

One man was critically wounded by a shot to the chest. One man was hit in the shoulder, and the other was hit in the arm, Nichols said. All three were being treated at University Medical Center.

The gunmen fled after the shooting. Anyone with information about the crime can call Crime Stoppers at 385-5555 or robbery detectives at 828-3591.

SINGLE-VEHICLE ACCIDENT

Woman, 25, killed in Beltway crash

A 25-year-old Las Vegas woman was killed Wednesday morning after losing control of her sport utility vehicle on the Las Vegas Beltway in the southwest part of the valley.

Sarah Elaine Jarvis was driving a 2007 Hyundai eastbound on the Beltway approaching Jones Boulevard just before 5:30 a.m. when the SUV drifted into the dirt median, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol. The Hyundai then was steered sharply to the right, then back to the left, causing it to strike the concrete median divider and overturn, authorities said.

Jarvis, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected. She was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel. Two male passengers who also were not wearing seat belts suffered serious injuries and were transported to the University Medical Center.

The Highway Patrol did not release their names or ages and said their conditions were unknown Thursday.

TAX REVENUE SHORTFALL

Reno judges to delay adding justice of peace

Reno Justice Court judges say they'll postpone creating a sixth justice of the peace position to help save money in light of a shortfall in tax revenues.

Under state law, the court is authorized to add a sixth justice because of population growth in Reno Township. The last justice was added in 1998.

However, court officials said they can handle the increasing caseload with temporary judges. That would allow the court to delay creating the new position until 2010.

REVISED CALCULATIONS

Scientists say asteroid unlikely to hit Mars

The possibility of a collision between Mars and an approaching large asteroid has been effectively ruled out, according to scientists watching the space rock as it nears the Red Planet.

Tracking measurements of asteroid 2007 WD5 from four observatories have so greatly reduced uncertainties about its Jan. 30 close approach to Mars that the odds of an impact have dropped to 1 in 10,000, the Near-Earth Object Program at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., said on its Web site Thursday.

The asteroid was discovered in November. Initial observations of its orbit put the odds of an impact to as high as 1 in 25 before further calculations.