Southern Nevada Strong Holding Open Houses

Submitted by Natalie Cullen, Online Editor

Wednesday, July 31st, 2013, 2:02pm

Clark County officials want to hear what people think about how to improve life in the Las Vegas valley.

The regional planning initiative known as Southern Nevada Strong aims to better join together transportation, housing and job opportunities throughout southern Nevada.

To reach that goal, the group is holding a series of open houses throughout August and September. The events will feature a brief presentation from Southern Nevada Strong. Residents will then be given a chance to review the priorities and rank what areas they think to be addressed.

The first open house is from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Sahara West Library, 9600 West Sahara Avenue.

Here are the rest of the scheduled events:

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Woman Robs Dillard's at Galleria Mall

Submitted by Adam Candee on Tuesday, July 30th, 9:11 am

HENDERSON -- A woman robbed the Dillard's store at the Galleria Mall on Saturday, walking out with a shoebox full of money after demanding money at the customer service desk.

Henderson Police are asking for help identifying the woman, who entered the store at about noon on Saturday. She went to the customer service desk with a shoebox that held a note demanding money from the cashier.

The cashier gave the suspect an undisclosed amount of money. The woman walked out and was seen entering a two-door silver car, possibly a Nissan. She did not display a weapon at any time.

The suspect is described as a black woman, about 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds. She was last seen wearing a brown shirt, jeans and a white baseball hat with a red bill.

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Submitted by 8 News NOW

Tuesday, July 30th, 2013, 3:43am

LAS VEGAS -- Metro Police Officer David VanBuskirk was laid to rest Monday in Las Vegas.

VanBuskirk died July 22 during a rescue attempt of a stranded hiker on Mt. Charleston. The hiker was saved, but VanBuskirk fell an "unsurvivable" distance during the rescue, Sheriff Doug Gillespie said last week.

A police motorcade escorted VanBuskirk, his family and members of his search and rescue team from Palm Mortuary near downtown to Central Christian Church in Henderson.

During the services, VanBuskirk was remembered for his kindness, sincerity and dedication to others.

He saved lives on Metro's Search and Rescue Team, going up in a helicopter, being hoisted down to lost or stranded hikers or people who became injured, bringing them to safety.

His colleagues recalled that VanBuskirk was someone who would follow up with the people he rescued to make sure they were okay.

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Submitted by Natalie Cullen, Online Editor

Friday, July 26th, 2013, 4:20pm

LAS VEGAS -- Metro Police have released the names of the officers involved in a shooting earlier this week that left one person dead.

Officer Jay James and Officer Douglas Ericsson both shot and killed a man after he was found in a stranger's home Tuesday evening.

The suspect, Southaly Ketmany, was found sitting in his underwear and watching TV in a home off Pebble Lane and Las Vegas Boulevard South.

Police say Ketmany had a butcher knife and a hammer. According to officers, they tried for more than two and half hours to convince him to surrender, before shooting him.

He was rushed to the hospital, where he later died.

Officer Jay James has been with Metro since 2000 and is 40 years old. He is assigned to the Emergency Operations Bureau, SWAT section.

Officer Douglas Ericsson is 42 years old and has been with Metro since 1995. He is also assigned to SWAT section.

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Local Mortgage Fraud Scheme Sends Man to Prison

Submitted by Steve Kanigher on Friday, July 26th, 12:21 pm

LAS VEGAS -- A federal judge issued a 5 1/2-year prison sentence Thursday to a California man who orchestrated a mortgage fraud scheme involving eight houses in the Las Vegas area, Nevada's U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden said.

George Anderson, 55, of Copperopolis, Calif., also was ordered by Senior U.S. District Judge Roger Hunt to pay more than $3.5 million in restitution. Anderson was indicted in March 2011 and pleaded guilty last April to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

"During the mid- to late 2000's, thousands of fraudulent residential mortgage transactions in Nevada caused financial hardships for many innocent homeowners and hundreds of millions of dollars of loss to financial institutions and investors," Bogden said. "We made this type of fraud a priority and through the end of 2012, had prosecuted 213 persons, most of who were convicted and sent to prison."

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Submitted by Natalie Cullen, Online Editor

Thursday, July 25th, 2013, 1:45pm

Safekey and Teen Scene Registration Opening Soon

Registration for before-and-after school programs provide by the City of Henderson will open next month.

Early priority registration for the 2013 and 2014 Safekey and Teen Scene programs will be open from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, August 13 through August 16 and Tuesday through Friday, August 20 through August 23 at the following recreation centers:

Black Mountain Recreation Center, 599 Greenway Rd.
Henderson Multigenerational Center, 250 S. Green Valley Pkwy.
Silver Springs Recreation Center, 1951 Silver Springs Pkwy.
Valley View Recreation Center, 500 Harris St.
Whitney Ranch Recreation Center, 1575 Galleria Dr.

Early registration will also be available at the Cox Communications Back to School Fair set for 10 a.m. Saturday, August 24 at the Galleria at Sunset.

Registration must be done in person.

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Submitted by 8 News NOW

Thursday, July 25th, 2013, 9:11am

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- A developer was jailed for contempt after he balked at answering questions and failed to turn over documents in a debt hearing about a bankrupt $2 billion project in Henderson.

Court records show that William Plise was sentenced Wednesday to 21 days in the Clark County jail in Las Vegas unless he agrees to answer questions at a debtor hearing.

Plise repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself, even when questioned about his own name.

Plise was behind the 126-acre City Crossing project at St. Rose Parkway and Executive Airport Drive that filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2008.

The hearing stemmed from a 2009 lawsuit filed against Plise by project creditor Eliot Alper. Alper claims he's owed $16 million.

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