ChiliPeppers in Vegas

Kings Beach

Stuck in chimney, burglar causes $20,000 damage

KINGS BEACH, Calif. - A would-be burglar became stuck in the chimney of a home along Lake Tahoe, causing about $20,000 damage when firefighters had to dismantle much of the chimney to get him out, the Placer County Sheriff's Department said Thursday.

Jose Francisco Martinez, 19, of Kings Beach, was stuck in the chimney for about two hours until a neighbor heard his screams and called police about 10 p.m. Wednesday, the department said in a news release.

Investigators said Martinez tried to break in through doors and windows, then found a ladder and climbed to the roof. Martinez, who is 5-foot-4 and weighs 115 pounds, lowered himself down a cable until he became stuck.

Deputies videotaped his rescue, then booked him into Placer County jail on suspicion of residential burglary. He suffered only minor scrapes, the department said.

Las Vegas

LV casino thrill ride reinspected, restarts after mishap

LAS VEGAS (AP) - A casino thrill ride resumed operating Friday after reinspections ordered when two girls were left stranded high above the Las Vegas Strip.

City officials gave the Stratosphere hotel-casino approval to restart the "Insanity" ride after receiving letters attesting to its safety from casino management, the ride builder and an independent inspector, city spokesman David Riggleman said.

The ride, built by Interactive Rides of Logan, Utah, extends a curved arm from a tower platform and spins up to 10 passengers on seats suspended at the end of mechanical fingers. It was previously inspected before beginning operations March 10, Riggleman said.

City officials asked the hotel to idle the ride Thursday after two girls, ages 11 and 19, were left suspended about 900 feet above Las Vegas Boulevard for more than an hour early Wednesday morning. They were rescued when ride technicians pulled the arm back to the platform about 2 a.m.

Hotel officials said the ride went into "pause mode," as designed, after winds were clocked at 55 mph atop the Stratosphere tower.

'Free' tickets for concert in Las Vegas fetching cash on Internet

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Officials are complaining that tickets given away for a city-sponsored centennial concert by the bands the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Weezer are being sold on the Internet.

"You get a couple of bums who take advantage of the situation, and what starts off as a very nice gesture ... turns into a sleazy methodology of trying to make a buck from it," Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said.

The July 2 show in a parking lot near the Las Vegas Convention Center is to mark the city's 100th anniversary.

About 35,000 free tickets were quickly snapped up when Event promoter Clear Channel Entertainment Properties made them available online through a ticket service on Monday. Minutes later, traders began offering tickets through eBay auctions at prices that by Thursday ranged from $25 and $70 per ticket.

"It's so unfair because the centennial committee wanted to present this very special event available to everybody free of charge," Goodman said.

Officials said another 5,000 tickets will be made available through TicketMaster on May 16, while 10,000 were being distributed to hotels.

Clark County and the city of Las Vegas forbid ticket scalping. Goodman said resellers may be prosecuted.

Las Vegas Centennial in formation can be found at: http://www.lasvegas2005.org.