Herb Jaffe

Maybe you haven’t noticed the artificial flora that have replaced the real McCoy on the median islands along a two-mile stretch of Rampart Boulevard, separating Sun City Summerlin from Desert Shores. Or maybe it’s just that you never realized the difference.

Among the grandiose highway plans that teetered and collapsed in so short a time was one that would have widened the 6-mile stretch of Summerlin Parkway from two to four lanes each way. The reasoning was simple, at least it was five years ago, when money was synonymous with confetti, to open up vast areas of the western sector of Summerlin for development and greater economic growth.

Construction on Fire Station No. 107 in Sun City Summerlin was halted for about an hour one recent morning to permit the speeches and handshakes from some of those responsible for bringing this vital facility to the senior community. Then the construction workers, who had unassumingly broken ground a few months earlier, resumed their tasks.

This isn’t your everyday love story. It’s about a lady who loved to dance, loved to perform on the stage, loved her husband for almost six decades and just plain loved life. On July 7, Miriam Shientag celebrated her 95th birthday on stage at the Suncoast’s “Hit Parade,” dancing in front of 504 people.

Although it turned out the collection box was taken by the U.S. Postal Service for routine maintenance, word spread like wildfire around Sun City Summerlin that somebody “stole” one of the drive-up, mail collection boxes bolted to the ground at the four community centers.

For those who complain about the quality of education, kids who grow up unable to read or do math, teacher competency, the dropout rate and almost every other aspect of public schooling, here’s your chance to personally do something about it. The Clark County School District’s School-Community Partnership Program has been in place for 28 years and needs volunteers.

If you’re looking for a break from triple-digit temperatures, a refreshing evening under the stars is just for you. If you live in Summerlin, you’re only minutes away from Super Summer Theatre at Spring Mountain Ranch State Park.

You don’t need a doctorate in quantum philosophy to understand how disastrous the housing foreclosure problem is in Las Vegas. All you have to do is drive around any residential neighborhood to see the signs that not only say “for sale” but the more ominous “bank owned” or “in foreclosure.”
Of course this is due to the fact that Nevada leads the nation in the percentage of home foreclosures. And, just as sadly for those among us who prefer to believe that Summerlin is immune to such disasters, take note that our community is equally susceptible to the dangers of this crisis. Foreclosure notices dot the Summerlin landscape to the same extent that they do anywhere else in Las Vegas.

One of the more noteworthy occurrences during the present economic upheaval is reflected by a continuing reduction in crime for the first quarter of this year in Summerlin, northwest Las Vegas and, for that matter, the entire city. The total crime index is down 32 percent from five years ago, and that was just prior to the start of the economic slide.

Las Vegas Fire & Rescue Chief Mike Myers recently addressed homeowners in Sun City Summerlin, assuring them that despite cuts in manpower and a tight budget, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue is dedicated to retaining its rating as one of the most efficient departments of its kind in the country.