Week in Review: Top News

The slots fell silent and the doors were chained shut Monday, as one of the Strip's last Rat Pack era resorts ended its 59-year run.

Longtime Sahara customers and employees showed up in the morning and quickly turned a somber occasion into a reunion.

Some came to play the slots one last time, others for a last hand of $1 blackjack.

Rules prohibiting photo taking inside a casino were quickly discarded, as regulars and employees posed for pictures in front of some of the hotel-casino's most recognizable locations.

The Thirsty Camel bar, just inside the casino, served as a central meeting place to swap stories over one last cocktail.

The owners of the property announced the closure in March, declaring the Sahara "no longer economically viable." They have not said what they plan to do with the 18-acre site.

Monday

Shot as she fled

Relatives were reeling and police were promising justice after a 16-year-old girl was gunned down behind a valley bus stop.

Authorities said Randii Lennette Morrow was shot in the back and killed as she tried to run away from her assailants.

The slaying occurred on Bonanza Road east of Eastern Avenue.

Tuesday

A city on the brink

North Las Vegas City Council members approved a budget that would slash 258 jobs, including 40 firefighters and 15 police officers, to bridge a $30.3 million shortfall in the coming year.

After hearing emotional pleas from a parade of judges, police officers and other city employees, council members adopted the budget because they said they had no other choice.

The news came one day after Clark County commissioners approved a budget that includes 82 layoffs.

Wednesday

Sick leave abuse

A Clark County firefighter was fired for misusing sick leave, and officials said more firefighters will be punished in the coming weeks.

Donald Munn, an 18-year veteran, was dismissed after managers determined he improperly used sick leave.

Thirteen other firefighters are under internal investigation and face punishments ranging from firing to demotion.

The Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI are conducting a separate probe that could turn into a criminal investigation.

Thursday

Judge: No free-for-all

In a decision that stunned the Democratic Party, a district judge overruled Secretary of State Ross Miller's May 5 decision to allow any qualified major party candidate to run in a free-for-all U.S. House race.

Instead, Judge James Todd Russell gave the political parties until June 30 to nominate just one candidate each for the Sept. 13 special election to replace former GOP Rep. Dean Heller.

The decision boosts the Republicans' chances of keeping the 2nd Congressional District, which covers all of GOP-leaning rural and Northern Nevada and parts of Clark County.

Friday

Joblessness Drops

A combination of new jobs and a smaller labor pool pushed down the jobless rate across Nevada in April to its lowest rate since late 2009.

Unemployment in Las Vegas fell from 13.1 percent in March to 12.1 percent in April, as workers either found new jobs or left the labor force, the state analysts reported.

Statewide, joblessness dropped from 13.2 percent to 12.5 percent.