IN BRIEF

SHEEP MOVED

Officials hope herd learns good habits

About two dozen bighorn sheep have been relocated from Churchill County to neighboring Mineral County in an effort to revitalize the herd at lofty Mount Grant on Walker Lake's west shore.

The Fallon and Reno chapters of Nevada Bighorns Unlimited assisted the Nevada Department of Wildlife in trapping and releasing the animals on Dec. 16.

Bighorns Unlimited officials said the animals were rounded up in the Desatoya Mountains of Churchill County, about 110 miles east of Reno, and driven by trailer to 11,239-foot Mount Grant near Hawthorne, about 135 miles south of Reno.

Twenty-five sheep were relocated to Mount Grant in hopes they will encourage the existing herd to move higher up the mountain, Nevada Bighorns spokesman Tim Betterley said.

The bighorn sheep at Mount Grant tend to stay along the base of the mountain and often make a dangerous crossing of U.S. Highway 95 in an attempt to reach water at Walker Lake.

Betterley said the sheep from the Desatoya Mountains prefer to stay on top of mountains, and officials hope the transplants will pull the Mount Grant herd higher up the mountain.

Bighorn sheep numbers in Nevada dwindled in the early 1900s.

RESTAURANTS TARGETED

Police look for three suspects in robbery

Oakland, Calif., police are hunting for three men suspected of robbing at least ten Asian restaurants and holding up frightened customers mid-meal.

The robbers have struck eight restaurants in Oakland, one in Berkeley and one in San Leandro, all in a similar way.

A surveillance video released by police of a recent robbery shows one hooded man heading toward the cash register with a rifle.

The other two men wielding handguns rob patrons eating dinner at the restaurant.

LESS LIGHT, STARS BRIGHT

Truckee aims to cut light for star watchers

Truckee, Calif., town officials are exploring ways to reduce lighting in order to ensure the stars continue to shine brightly overhead.

They're considering night-sky lighting standards as part of an ongoing update of the town's development code.

"I think the bumper sticker, 'The stars shine brighter in Truckee' is funny. It should say the stars used to shine brighter," said Eric Larusson, a night-sky standards advocate and former planning commissioner. "It's an aesthetic thing, quality of life."

Town Planner Duane Hall said existing town standards require lights to be shielded, directing light down rather than up or out. Street lights also are restricted to 20 feet or less in height.