Top News

There was a big ole party Wednesday in Las Vegas. Official estimates say 291,000 people showed up for New Year's Eve festivities, halfway between last year's number and the year before. A record 30,000 were at downtown's Fremont Street Experience.

Lots of revelers were glad to say good riddance to 2008.

"Get rid of it," said partyer Afton Burdick, 23. "It was a long, sucky year."

Las Vegas police said it was a normal New Year's, with 216 arrests.

The night also included stunts -- not just from drunks. Daredevils Rhys Millen, Robbie Knievel and Robbie Maddison completed jumps.

Maddison's was the most spectacular. He vaulted his motorcycle 100 feet into the air, landed atop the Arc de Triomphe replica at the Paris, then drove off it onto a landing ramp.

MONDAY

COP SHOOTING

Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Doug Gillespie praised the "sound tactics" of his officers after three were shot the night before. The officers were shot while serving a drug warrant in Henderson. None of the injuries was life-threatening.

The man arrested and charged, Emmanuel Dozier, 32, told the police he didn't mean to shoot cops. He said he thought they were robbers.

TUESDAY

NOT GUILTY PLEA

Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki pleaded not guilty to felony charges. Krolicki, a potential candidate in the 2010 U.S. Senate race against Harry Reid, has called the prosecution partisan.

He is charged with two counts of misappropriation and falsification of accounts by a public officer and two counts of misappropriation by a treasurer. WEDNESDAY

ANOTHER ONE?

State officials announced they were investigating whether a Las Vegas outpatient surgery center violated infection control policies.

Administrators of Specialty Surgicare of Las Vegas reported the problem to the Nevada Bureau of Licensure and Certification on Dec. 18.

The facility, near Tenaya Way and Smoke Ranch Road, is sending certified letters to all patients who had a colonoscopy or upper-endoscopy procedure between Jan. 1, 2007, and Dec. 18, 2008.

THURSDAY

GIRL DEAD; DAD JAILED

Police revealed a 37-year-old ex-con had been arrested the night before when his 6-year-old daughter died from a gunshot wound in her chest.

The girl's 7-year-old brother, who fired the weapon, told police he found the gun in a bedroom closet.

The father, Jevell Jackson, was arrested on charges of ex-felon in possession of a firearm, one count of felony child abuse with substantial bodily harm and two counts of felony child abuse.

FRIDAY

CITY EMPLOYEE RAISES

Many Las Vegas city employees would see their annual cost-of-living raise decrease by one percentage point under an agreement with the Las Vegas City Employees Association and city officials that is up for approval Wednesday.

The cost of living increase for 2009 would be 2.5 percent, down from 3.5 percent.

Step raises, which when added to cost-of-living raises can boost employee raises to about 8 percent a year, would not be affected. Neither would longevity pay, which some employees are eligible for if they don't get step raises.