Paradise/Downtown Neighborhood News, Dec. 24-30

FREE HIGH-SPEED WI-FI AVAILABLE IN DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS

A contract approved by the Las Vegas City Council in July between the city of Las Vegas and LV.Net allowed the company to provide free Internet downtown.

The service is available at the Fremont Street Experience and the Fremont East Entertainment District. Plans are in place to expand the service to the government corridor near Lewis Avenue and the area around Las Vegas City Hall, 495 S. Main St.

The landing page for the wi-fi network gives information on downtown events and activities.

LAS VEGAS RESCUE MISSION RECEIVES FOOD DONATION

Nevada State Bank donated more than 4,950 pounds of nonperishable food items to the Las Vegas Rescue Mission, 480 W. Bonanza Road.

The donation was more than twice the amount collected from contributions from bank employees and the community during last year’s drive.

GREAT SANTA RUN BREAKS WORLD RECORD

At the ninth annual Las Vegas Great Santa Run, 11,221 participants dressed as St. Nick broke the Guinness World Record for the largest number of Santa-suited runners.

The event drew 500 more participants than b a similar event the week before in Liverpool, England.

The Las Vegas event was led by grand marshal Shania Twain and raised more than $250,000 for Opportunity Village.

SMASHBURGER TO HOST SCHOOL UNIFORM DRIVE

Smashburger has partnered with Communities in Schools of Nevada to collect uniforms for students in 20 participating Southern Nevada schools.

Items are set to be collected through Dec. 31 at all Las Vegas Valley Smashburger locations.

Requested items include jeans and khaki and navy blue pants in children’s and adult sizes, navy blue and white polo shirts in children’s and adult sizes, socks and underwear and shoes in children’s size 12 to adult’s size 10.

All items should be new and not gift wrapped. Smashburger has agreed to give a free side order to people who bring in one item for donation and a free classic Smashburger for those who bring in two items.

For more information, visit cisnevada.org.

MERGER AIMS TO HELP CHILDREN

The Cure 4 The Kids Foundation and Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada announced that the organizations will unify to provide a single location for pediatric cancer treatment.

The agreement allows patients to see doctors at the Children’s Specialty Center of Nevada clinic, 3121 S. Maryland Parkway.

A statement by the organizations said the changes will create a more consolidated system for medical treatment and a site for centralized clinical trials and research programs.

Residents can call the patient coordinator at 702-732-3330 to begin the transfer process or to ask any questions.

SITES TO ACCEPT CHRISTMAS TREES FOR RECYCLING

The Southern Nevada Christmas Tree Recycling Committee is set to recycle Christmas trees at more than 20 locations across the valley.

The trees are set to be chipped into organic mulch for public gardens and parks. All nonorganic objects, including lights, tinsel and nails, should be removed before donation. Flocked trees cannot be recycled.

Last year, Southern Nevada residents recycled 15,000 trees.

Trees can be dropped off from Dec. 26 to Jan. 15 at the following locations:

NORTH LAS VEGAS

— Aviary Park, 6650 Aviary Way.

— Cheyenne Sports Complex, 3500 E. Cheyenne Ave.

— Craig Ranch Regional Park, 628 W. Craig Road.

— Lowe’s, 2570 E. Craig Road.

— Seastrand Park, 6330 Camino Eldorado.

HENDERSON

— Acacia Park, 50 Casa Del Fuego St.

— Anthem Hills Park, 2256 Reunion Drive.

— Arroyo Grande Sports Complex, 298 Arroyo Grande Blvd.