Area Briefing, Jan. 21-27

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR HOMELESS COUNT

Volunteers are needed to help with the 2014 Southern Nevada Homeless Census urban count in the valley from 1 to 6 a.m. Jan. 29.

Volunteers will be assigned to teams and deployment centers. For the urban count, teams will count the homeless in designated areas. Volunteers participating in the rural count will be required to conduct brief interviews with the homeless.

Volunteers must attend one of two training sessions on Jan. 23 in the Commission Chambers at the County Government Center, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway. One training session is set for 8:30 a.m. and another is planned at 6 p.m. The sessions are set to last between an hour and 90 minutes. Attendees can also register as volunteers during the sessions.

A count of the homeless in Clark County is a prerequisite to qualifying for federal grants for homeless programs. Southern Nevada received more than $13 million from these grants during the past two years, officials said. The homeless census also provides key data indicating the need for such programs and provides a benchmark to measure regional efforts.

This year, organizers are working with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to continue to identify veterans experiencing homelessness.

This is the seventh countywide effort to conduct a homeless count. The 2013 homeless census found an average of 7,300 homeless people staying in shelters or on the streets at any given time and estimated there were more than 33,000 instances of people experiencing homelessness during the course of a year.

Those interested in volunteering can register at www.volunteercentersn.org or contact organizers at helphopehome@clarkcountynv.gov or 702-455-5832.

For more information, visit helphopehome.org or call 702-455-5832.

RAPE CRISIS CENTER EXPANDS OUTREACH IN 2013

The Rape Crisis Center last year educated more Clark County School District students on how to stay safe, counseled more individuals and families affected by sexual assault and experienced significantly greater visitation to its newly revamped website, according to executive director Daniele Dreitzer.

In 2012, about 1,200 individuals and families received counseling services. In 2013, that number grew to more than 2,000, a 66 percent increase. Staff members also provided one-on-one counseling services to 371 victims in 2012 and 455 in 2013, an increase of more than 22 percent. This was largely due to the expansion of the Signs of Hope Counseling Center, which is slated to expand again in 2014, including providing counseling in Spanish for victims and their families, Dreitzer said.

The number of victims seen in person at University Medical Center saw little change between 2012 and 2013, staying near 600. In 2013, more than 3,000 calls were received by a team of volunteers who man a 24-hour hotline year-round. That number is 1,000 fewer, about 25 percent less, than in 2012, when more than 4,000 calls were made.

Dreitzer said the reduction in calls to the hotline may be a reflection of more services being accessed online.

For more information, visit rcclv.org or call 702-385-2153.

HENDERSON POLICE CITE THREE BUSINESSES FOLLOWING ALCOHOL COMPLIANCE CHECKS

Henderson Police officers conducted alcohol compliance checks on Jan. 4 at stores to help ensure that minors were unable to buy alcoholic beverages.

Officers and underage volunteers checked 64 convenience stores, grocery stores and liquor stores throughout the city of Henderson.

Three businesses were accused of selling alcohol to the volunteer minors in violation of the Henderson municipal code: 7-Eleven, 1400 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway; Smith’s, 55 S. Valle Verde Drive; and Walgreens, 101 E. Lake Mead Parkway.

The clerks were subject to a citation for serving an underage person and face a maximum penalty of six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine, police said. The owners or managers of a business that fails a second or third time can also be issued a citation and could face the revocation of their business license. Businesses that fail an alcohol compliance check generally are rechecked in the future.

COURT CELEBRATES 20TH WIN GRADUATION

The Las Vegas Municipal Court’s Women in Need program celebrated its 20th graduation during a Jan. 9 ceremony presided over by Judge Cynthia Leung at the Regional Justice Center, 200 Lewis Ave.

The specialty court program is available to women who have at least three convictions for charges related to prostitution. Participants have 180 days of jail time suspended for 18 months, which is cleared upon successful completion of the program.

The women must comply with rigorous sentencing requirements throughout the program, requiring the them to complete drug treatment and counseling programs, pursue education/training, secure employment and earn a GED if needed.

The court celebrated its first graduate in August 2008.

For more information, visit clarkcountycourts.us.

SURVIVAL CLASS TO SHOW PARTICIPANTS HOW TO HANDLE ASSAILANTS

A Split Second Survival Clinic is planned from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 25 at the City Athletic Club, 7980 W. Sahara Ave. A lunch break is set for noon to 1 p.m.

Participants can learn how to survive an attack using simple techniques. The course, to be presented by Las Vegas Tang Soo Do, will teach skills that can help a victim from being abducted. The clinic does not focus on fighting but emphasizes techniques for disarming or escaping an assailant.

Participants do not need to be physically fit, organizers said. The cost is $199, and registration is required at lvtsd.com/register/default.aspx. Participants must be 16 or older, and 16- and 17-year-olds must have a parent’s or guardian’s consent.

For more information, call 702-677-1267.

FREE RADON TEST KITS TO BE AVAILABLE THROUGH FEB. 28

Free radon test kits are scheduled to be available through Feb. 28 at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension offices and partner sites statewide.

Radon, a radioactive, colorless, odorless gas that comes from the ground, accumulates in homes and can cause lung cancer.

The Cooperative Extension, 8050 Paradise Road, Suite 105, has been working to raise awareness of the dangers of radon in the home since 2007 and has distributed radon test kits since 2008. Since that time, more than 16,000 homes have been tested in Nevada, and results indicate that one in four found potentially hazardous radon levels.

For more information, visit the Nevada Radon Education Program website at radonnv.com, call the radon hotline at 888-723-6610 or contact Nevada Radon Education Program director Susan Howe at robertss@unce.unr.edu or 775-336-0248.

INFANT AND CHILD CPR CLASSES AVAILABLE AT UMC

University Medical Center is set to offer an infant and child cardiopulmonary resuscitation class at 2 p.m. Jan. 23 and 9 a.m. Feb. 1 at the Family Resource Center, 1120 Shadow Lane.

The class requires a $10 deposit that is refunded during the session.

For more information or to register, call 702-383-2229.