Northern Nevada Briefly

FAA: Hundreds of planes strike birds

RENO (AP) " The Federal Aviation Administration says hundreds of airplanes collided with birds at Nevada airports between 1990 and 2008, but few of the incidents resulted in substantial damage to aircraft.

McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas led the way with 244 bird strikes, but only five of those incidents resulted in substantial damage to aircraft.

Reno-Tahoe International Airport followed with 176 strikes and four incidents involving substantial damage.

Tahoe-Truckee Airport had three strikes and one involving substantial damage while Lake Tahoe Airport reported four strikes and none involving substantial damage.

Elko Municipal Airport reported eight strikes and one involving substantial damage.

Release of the data follows January's ditching in the Hudson River of a U.S. Airways jet after it struck a flock of geese.

Nevada wildlife director honored

RENO (AP) " Ken Mayer, director of the Nevada Department of Wildlife, has been presented a professional of the year award by a nonprofit scientific organization that advocates responsible bowhunting.

Mayer was recognized Friday in Denver by the Pope & Young Club for what it called his significant contributions to bowhunting and wildlife conservation.

Mayer is a certified wildlife biologist and lifelong hunter with a passion for archery and bowhunting.

The organization is recognized as the official repository for records on bow-harvested North American big game animals.

Mayer assumed his current position in February 2007 after holding various top positions with the California Department of Fish and Game for more than 20 years.

Report: CityCenter construction strays from plan

LAS VEGAS (AP) " A newspaper review of public records shows that the general contractor building the $8.7 billion CityCenter complex on the Las Vegas Strip has not resolved numerous construction discrepancies cited by inspectors.

Officials for Perini Building Co. and MGM Mirage, one of the project's partners, say every discrepancy will be fixed before the six high-rise towers open to the public.

The project, an MGM Mirage partnership with Dubai World, is scheduled to open in stages starting later this year.