Top News

Former Mr. Olympia competitor Craig Titus and fitness guru Kelly Ryan were sentenced to prison for the slaying of personal assistant Melissa James.

Titus was sentenced to 21 to 55 years in prison. His wife got a 6- to 26-year prison term.

James, 28, was found in December 2005 burned beyond recognition in Ryan's Jaguar. Authorities said she had been beaten, shocked with a Taser and injected with morphine.

With his shoulders shaking and tears streaming down his face, Titus told the judge he accidentally killed James during a drug-fueled fight but never meant to take her life.

"Things got carried out of control," Ryan, 43, said. "My intentions were never to hurt Melissa. I am ashamed and I am sickened by my actions after Melissa passed away."

A sobbing Ryan, 36, said, "I'm truly, truly sorry. I ask forgiveness of both this court and Melissa's family."

"The tears are crocodile tears," District Judge Jackie Glass said before handing down the sentences.

MONDAY

PREDATOR MILESTONE

The unmanned MQ-1 Predator spy plane made aviation history as it recorded its 400,000th hour of flight during a mission somewhere over Southwest Asia.

The milestone was reached by an aircraft piloted remotely at Creech Air Force Base, northwest of Las Vegas.

TUESDAY

INTERCHANGE TO OPEN

County officials ordered the opening of an interchange on the Las Vegas Beltway after an outcry from motorists and taxpayers.

The $12.5 million Lake Mead Boulevard interchange was slated to remain closed until 2010 to appease residents from a nearby retirement community worried about an increase in crashes and crime the ramp might bring. Officials said they received a lot of input, nearly all of it demanding the interchange be opened as soon as possible.

WEDNESDAY

PARK TO CLOSE

The city of Las Vegas confirmed plans to permanently close a downtown park frequented by homeless people.

Frank Lloyd Wright Plaza, at Stewart Avenue and Fourth Street, will be blocked off Tuesday so it can be turned into a staging area for a road project and work on the city's nearby "Mob Museum."

Some have suggested the move is just an excuse to drive off scores of homeless people, but city officials insisted the closure is all about downtown development.

THURSDAY

REGENTS REJECT CUTS

University system regents have asked for more money in the battle over higher education funding.

Voting 8-1, regents adopted a budget that ignored Gov. Jim Gibbons' suggested 14 percent cut and asked for a 9.5 percent increase for the 2009-11 budget. Regents will include a letter with the budget saying they would make cuts later on, when they are more certain about how much they need to cut.

FRIDAY

PLANE CRASH KILLS THREE

A single-engine experimental plane plunged into a North Las Vegas home Friday morning and burst into flames, killing the pilot and a couple who lived at the house.

The crash of the Velocity 173 RG raised questions about whether the pilot violated federal regulations that limit experimental aircraft flights over populated areas. It also sparked calls for rule changes so airports could prohibit high-risk aircraft operations.