BASKETBALL: Sierra Vista girls rally for win

Alexis Hansen finished with 13 points, and Sierra Vista’s girls basketball team rallied to defeat Bolsa Grande (California) 37-33 on Monday at the Savanna Lady Rebel Holiday Classic in Anaheim, California.

Cowboys keep Lions from clinching playoff spot

Dez Bryant threw his first career touchdown pass between a pair of scoring catches, Ezekiel Elliott ran for two TDs and the Dallas Cowboys kept the Detroit Lions from clinching a postseason spot with a 42-21 win Monday night.

Viral invite draws thousands to girl’s party in rural Mexico

Looking overwhelmed by the attention, yet resplendent in an elaborate fuchsia dress and gleaming tiara, Rubi Ibarra celebrated her 15th birthday on Monday in a rural Mexican village after the invitation to the event by her father went viral and made her the toast of the country.

LV PREP: Rams get tourney win, but coach not pleased

Despite his team’s 63-57 win over Cypress (California) in the Las Vegas Prep Championship on Monday at Las Vegas High, Rancho coach Ron Childress was less than pleased.

Raiders coach has no regrets about call that led to Derek Carr’s injury

Two days after losing star quarterback Derek Carr to a broken leg that dealt a serious blow to Oakland’s Super Bowl hopes, Raiders coach Jack Del Rio has no regrets about the decision to pass the ball with a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Obama confident he would have won 2016 election if eligible

In an alternate universe in which President Barack Obama ran for a third term against Donald Trump, who would have won? No surprise: The president and the president-elect disagree.

As foreclosure mediation program winds down, plans circulate to revive it

Nevada’s foreclosure mediation program, created at the height of the housing crisis to give borrowers a last chance to hold onto their homes, will accept its last enrollments at the end of this month as it nears a legislatively mandated closure.

VEGAS INVITATIONAL: Moapa Valley shows fight in loss to California team

Moapa Valley’s basketball team went on a 17-1 run to open the third quarter, but eventually ran out of gas in the fourth in its 52-44 loss to Buckley (California) in the Vegas Invitational at Mountain View on Monday.

Russia focuses on pilot error, not terror, as cause of plane crash

The Kremlin on Monday played down the possibility that a terror attack might have downed a Syria-bound Russian plane, killing all 92 people on board, as the nation observed a day of mourning for the victims, including most members of a world famous military choir.

Japanese prime minister visits Hawaii cemeteries

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe laid wreaths at various cemeteries and memorials Monday ahead of a visit to the site of the 1941 bombing that plunged the United States into World War II.

12 best things to buy after Christmas

Many after Christmas sales offer shoppers big-time discounts as retailers try to make room for a new year of inventory — but you have to know what to buy. Here are some of the best items you can get for less after Christmas.

Las Vegas’ Hard Rock Cafe on Paradise Road and LVCS set to close

LVCS is closing on Jan. 1 after 10 years, its lease not being renewed. And it’s not the only Vegas venue closing that day: The Hard Rock Cafe on Paradise Road is also shuttering. Musicians share their memories of the two venues.

Here’s what’s leaving Netflix in January 2017 — VIDEO

Netflix is wasting no time clearing out content in the new year. The streaming service is planning a bulk removal of movies and television shows starting on the first day of January.

NAC causes stir with decision to remove Cain Velasquez from UFC 207

MMA fans received a lump of coal in their collective stockings when the Nevada Athletic Commission made a Christmas Eve decision to remove former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez from UFC 207.

Michelle Obama helps NORAD track Santa

For most people, a Christmas Eve phone call with the first lady of the United States is an unexpected surprise. But Austin was holding out for someone else.

DePaul, UNLV share past greatness, recent futility

Once proud basketball programs at DePaul and UNLV, on display in crosstown games in Las Vegas, have fallen from college basketball grace with a thud.

Day after Christmas brings out the bargain hunters

Thousands of other shoppers flocked to stores on Monday, either looking for deals or getting started on their holiday returns. The day after Christmas is the busiest time for holiday returns, according to retail analytics solutions provider The Retail Equation.

Republic Services: Recycle those present boxes, Christmas tree

Len Christopher, general manager of the recycling division at Republic Services. has a message for valley residents pondering what to do with the post-Christmas tree, bows and boxes: Think twice before grabbing a big garbage bag and swooping it all into the trash.