Region briefs

The Nevada Controller's office has been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officer's Association.

The award was made for the preparation of the state's annual Comprehensive Annual Financial Report last year. Work on this year's report is just now beginning since the books weren't closed on fiscal 2006 until the end of August.

The association is a nonprofit group serving 16,000 government finance professionals in the United States and Canada.

DMV now accepting debit card payments

The Department of Motor Vehicles has added debit cards to the list of ways motorists can pay driver's license, vehicle registration and other fees.

Nevadans have been able to use credit cards for several years, but DMV officials say those transactions cost the state an average of $4 apiece because the fee is a percentage of the amount put on the credit card.

A debit card transaction, officials say, costs less than $1 so using debit instead of credit cards to pay DMV fees will save the state a lot of money.

Debit cards are already allowed for customers paying renewal fees on the department's Web site. Lewis said plans are to expand the service to field offices as well. She said that could eventually save DMV upwards of a half-million dollars a year in fees to credit card companies.

At the same time, she said it expands the number of options available to customers for paying their fees.

15 graduate from state police academy

After 25 weeks of training, 15 cadets will graduate from the Department of Public Safety academy today.

The academy provides police training to new employees of the different divisions within the department from the highway patrol and Capitol Police to Parole and Probation.

DPS Director George Togliatti said the 15 will now report to their different divisions to begin field training in their specific duties.

The majority of the graduates - 10 in all, will be assigned to the Division of Parole and Probation based in Reno. Three others will join the highway patrol, one each in Reno, Las Vegas and Moapa. The remaining two new officers will become members of the Capitol police.

The graduation ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. at the National Guard Armory on Fairview Drive.

Reno officer shoots patient at hospital

RENO (AP) - A veteran Reno police officer fatally shot a patient at a psychiatric hospital who allegedly tried to attack him in the parking lot with a hammer, investigators said Thursday.

Police responded to West Hills Hospital about 6:45 a.m. Thursday on a report of a suicidal subject who hospital officials said had warned he was "going to shoot someone," Sparks police Cmdr. Steve Asher said in a statement.

The first officer on scene found the 47-year-old Reno man, who "immediately advanced on the officer with the claw hammer in a raised position, as to strike the officer," Asher said.

The man failed to follow repeated commands to halt. Fearing for his safety, the officer fired his revolver at the man and hit him, Asher said.

The man was taken to Washoe Medical Center where he died sometime before 11 a.m. Asher did not say how many shots were fired or how many times the victim was hit.

The officer was not injured, Reno police spokesman Steve Frady said. He was placed on administrative leave while the case is jointly investigated by the Washoe County Sheriff's Office, Washoe County District Attorney's Office, Reno and Sparks police departments

Reno approves new graffiti ordinance

RENO (AP) - The Reno City Council wants to hit graffiti vandals where it hurts - in their wallet.

The council has approved an ordinance imposing a $250 administrative fine for offenders. It also authorizes the city, as allowed under state law, to file civil suits against offenders to cover damage costs.

Half of the money collected would be used to support Secret Witness and provide rewards for people who turn in graffiti vandals. The rest would be used to remove graffiti.