Area Briefing, Jan. 7-13

NORTH LAS VEGAS POLICE RECEIVE FUNDS FOR GPS DEVICES

The Nevada Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety awarded the North Las Vegas Police Department $5,000 in grant funds to replace nine global positioning devices affixed to marked police motorcycles.

Traffic officers rely heavily on GPS units to respond to calls quickly and safely without occupying valuable air time on the radio. Due to the conditions these units are exposed to, the life expectancy of a GPS unit is three years.

The department’s current units are more than five years old, and many are not operable.

The new GPS units are waterproof and resistant to fuel spills and ultraviolet rays. The devices are equipped with lane assist, featuring a 3-D junction viewer that depicts junctions and interchanges along patrol routes.

Traffic officers equipped with the devices are expected to operate more efficiently and deliver better service.

STUDENTS TAKE TOP TWO SPOTS IN ANTI-GRAFFITI ART CONTEST

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada recently announced the top two winners of the agency’s annual Anti-Graffiti Art Contest.

The winners were Lyle Anthony Abapo of Cashman Middle School, 4622 W. Desert Inn Road, and Catelyn Kaufman of Martin Middle School, 200 N. 28th St.

More than 170 students from 14 schools across the valley participated in this year’s contest. Elementary and middle school students submitted artwork that they created to promote the theme Keep Southern Nevada Graffiti Free. The students were encouraged to design their artwork to promote respecting each other’s property and not devaluing or defacing it with graffiti.

The top two winners’ artwork was selected by a public online vote and is set to be featured on two RTC transit vehicles for up to one year.

RADON POSTER CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED

The top six winners of the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Nevada Radon Poster Contest were recently announced.

The students won cash prizes for creating posters urging their communities to test for radon. The first-, second- and third-place winners also won cash prizes for their teachers to use for classroom supplies.

Hannah Corgan, an eighth-grade student at Carson Valley Middle School in Minden, took first place with her poster “Radon Bites.” She won $75, and her teacher Lin Falkner received $60.

There was a tie for second place. The winners were Taylor Sullivan, an eighth-grader at Carson Valley Middle School, for her poster “Test Your Home for Radon”; and Ashlee Bengston, a sixth-grader at Depoali Middle School, Reno, for her poster “Are You Living with a Killer?” Each student won $60. Their teachers, Falkner and Joana Wu, received $45 each.

Suzannah Canderle, an eighth-grader from Carson Valley Middle School, took third place with her poster “Radon, It Is Not Good News.” She won $45, and her teacher, Falkner, received $30.

Piper Bell, a sixth-grader at Martin Middle School in Las Vegas, took fourth place and won $25 with her poster “It’s Never Too Late!”

Kaya Wilson, an eighth-grader at Carson Valley Middle School, won $25 and placed fifth with her poster “Radon is a Monster.”

The top four posters were entered into a national poster contest sponsored by Kansas State University and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The first-, second- and third-place national contest winners will receive cash prizes.

The Nevada Radon Poster Contest is open to children ages 9 to 11 and is aimed at raising awareness of the harmful effects of elevated levels of radon gas in homes.

This year’s contest had 77 entries. Posters were judged on content accuracy, visual communication, reproducibility and originality.

WARD 6 ROAD PROJECTS TO BEGIN

Three road projects are planned in Ward 6, according to the city of Las Vegas.

The first project began Dec. 19 and will include road improvements along Hualapai Way between Centennial Parkway and Dorrell Lane. The majority of the work is set to take place through Jan. 6. During construction, one lane in each direction will remain open to traffic, but delays are expected during peak traffic hours, the city said. Work should be completed in about six weeks, the city said.

The second project, set to start in January, will install box culverts along Grand Teton Drive between Durango Drive and Rainbow Boulevard. The project is scheduled to be completed in 14 months. Construction is set to begin on the east end near Rainbow and proceed west.

The third project will add box culverts for flood control along Grand Teton between Hualapai and Tee Pee Lane. Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring and be completed by the end of 2014.

FIRE DEPARTMENT RECEIVES STUFFED ANIMALS FOR TRAUMA TEDDY PROGRAM

The Clark County Building Department recently donated teddy bears to the Clark County Fire Department for its Trauma Teddy program.

Firefighters and other first responders give the stuffed toys to children at fire, emergency medical service and vehicle accident scenes. Some of the teddy bears also will be donated to area hospitals and nursing homes.

About 150 stuffed animals are collected each year as part of the effort.

For more information, visit clarkcountynv.gov.

CHILD SAFETY PROGRAM PLANNED IN HENDERSON

The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension plans a child safety and welfare program at the Valley View Recreation Center, 500 Harris St., Henderson.

The four-week session is scheduled for 3-5 p.m. Wednesdays beginning Jan. 15.

The program is designed for parents to increase their awareness of Shaken Baby Syndrome, child abuse, anger management and positive guidance.

Learning materials are available in English and Spanish.

For more information, contact Olga Soto at 702-257-5567 or sotoo@unce.unr.edu.

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.

January is also National Radon Action Month, and the Nevada Radon Education Program plans a presentation at 6 p.m. Jan. 16 at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, where free test kits are scheduled to be available.

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.

SAFETY GROUPS TO DISTRIBUTE SMOKE DETECTORS, BATTERIES

Public safety officials plan to distribute smoke detectors, batteries and information about installing the devices.

Las Vegas Firefighters Local 1285 and American Red Cross of Southern Nevada volunteers are set to go door-to-door to distribute the materials. Areas will be targeted based on their potential for fatal fires, organizers said.

The goal of the initiative is to hand out 1,500 smoke detectors to homes in the Las Vegas area through Jan. 20, when the event is set to target the neighborhood surrounding Fire Station 1, 500 N. Casino Center Blvd.

For more information, visit redcross.org/nv/las-vegas or iafflocal1285.org.

COLLECTION SITE TO ACCEPT USED COOKING OIL FOR RECYCLING

The Clark County Water Reclamation District has announced the return of its holiday cooking oil recycling program.

The Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd., plans to collect the used cooking oil from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Jan. 15 in the south ticketing parking lot.

Residents should use a funnel to pour the used oil back into the original container before bringing it to the Springs Preserve. Funnels are set to be available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Clark County Water Reclamation District, 5857 E. Flamingo Road.

Smaller amounts of used cooking oil should be put into a can and disposed of in the garbage. The website paininthedrain.com explains how to can used cooking oil.

Used cooking oil gets recycled into biofuel, used for fueling trucks, buses and other vehicles. More than 3,500 pounds of used oil were collected last year, officials said.

The program is a component of the Don’t be a Pain in the Drain outreach campaign, aimed at decreasing the amount of sewer blockages and overflows caused by fat, oil, grease and grit disposed of in drains by customers.