Vince Neil, the local businessman, and front man for the rock band Motley Crue, who doesn't drink anymore, was arrested for DUI. It was at least his third strike. In 2007, he plea bargained a DUI down to reckless driving. In 1984 he killed another musician in a horrible automobile accident.

Clark County will start feeding a birth control mix to pigeons in local parks. The birth control will be mixed with corn in feeders. They will test the system in 3 parks. If successful, they will add additional feeders to other parks.

A two year old drowned in the jacuzzi of former NFL great Randall Cunningham. When it happens to Joe 6-pack, it is reported as negligence. When it happens to a star, they say it is a tragedy that could happen to anyone. Randall was on his way home from an out of town trip when the tragedy happened, and did not know what was going on when he arrived at his home in Silverado Ranch that was surrounded with police cars.

Rum Jungle will remain open for now through an injunction. Mandalay Bay locked up Rum Jungle when they refused to pay rent. Rum Jungle claims that they have a night club exclusive agreement with Mandalay Bay and stopped paying rent because of the opening of Eye Candy Nightclub in Mandalay Bay.

Wild fires are burning nearby. One fire on Mt Charleston that has burned since Thursday, causing evacuations of everyone on the mountain. As of this morning, it is starting to get under control. Another fire in Moapa, northeast of the valley destroyed several buildings and homes. That fire is just about out. Much of the area is still very ripe for dangerous fires due to extra vegetation from the cool and wet springtime we had.

Monsoon season has started and will stay with us a few months. There really is no given day for the season to start. It just starts when the air flow changes directions and moisture from the Gulf Of Mexico heads this way. We're expecting dew points well over 40 degrees this weekend.

A Las Vegas kid died when a homemade firecracker exploded near him on the 4th of July. Others were injured and property damaged. The device was a cast iron container overstuffed with explosives.

I-15 got much easier in the resort corridor as express lanes have been completed and finishing touches are being applied. These express lanes are for people who do not wish to exit onto the resort exits. There are now delineator posts are installed throughout the express lanes to keep people from changing lanes, so once you are on it, you are there for the duration. The express lanes run from Sahara to Russel Rd.

I-15 now has an overlapping project to improve flow from Tropicana, south to Blue Diamond. This project will go on for another 2 years.

The Mayor has a plan to save the city and county some money. He wants to combine some of the services, such as the fire department, reducing costs. The consolidated services would need to be managed. Some claim Oscar Goodman wants to be mayor of the whole valley as he takes over the new management position. His term limits as mayor of the city of Las Vegas are used up.

Two performers were injured at the new Saxe Theater when they fell about 20 feet from a silk rope. The afternoon show called Zen Magic features 2 Japanese women. The show continued the next day without the aerial stunt.

Two police officers on a routine traffic stop were shot at by an unknown gunman. The officers were not hurt and the gunman is still on the loose.

Today (Saturday) will be the 26th day of 100+ degree weather this year. It's still a mild summer so far and there has only been one day of 110. The other 100 degree temps across the nation this week make us appreciate our dry heat.

A young woman was being transported in a medical van and jumped out onto the freeway and died. It's not clear what her medical condition was or why the accompanying guard did not stop her.

Barack Obama came to town to shut down tour planes and helicopters for two days and prove to them who is in charge. It also put a big dent in the flow of commercial aircraft. This all came under the disguise of stumping for Harry Reid.

Hash House A Go Go is planning a new location at the M Resort this fall.

Harrah's and Terry Watanabee are working hard on an out of court settlement.

Just north of downtown, an electrical transformer exploded, a huge Opportunity Village store and warehouse caught fire, and a major gas leak was detected. All within hours of each other, all within a block of each other. Investigators are trying to figure out if there was a relation between the incidents. Nobody was injured.

A man with a legal conceal and carry permit, got into an argument at a Costco and unconcealed his firearms, and went to the parking lot. Police arrived, the man pulled a gun out and was shot dead by 3 cops. One of the cops that shot the man also shot and killed a suspect in 2006, which was determined to be justified. In 34 years of coroner's inquests, only 1 police officer was found at fault for shooting a victim.

Entertainer Tony Curtis passed out in a different Costco this week. He is expected to be okay.

There are lots of other shootings all over the valley as the temps climb and people take their stupidity to the streets.

The Riviera Hotel and casino filed chapter 11 bankruptcy and has a deal in the works (with Starwood???) for reorganization. They say day to day operations and employees will not be impacted.

The town of Cal-Nev-Ari is for sale for 17 million dollars. In addition to the town, you get the airport, casino, and several undeveloped lots.

2 nurses are suspended pending an investigation of disrupted catheters at a local children's hospital. Several children have been injured from intentional tampering with catheters at Sunrise Children's Hospital.

We've had a real hot spell this week, and next week is special. Starting today, this week has been the hottest week of the year based on historical records. The hottest temp here was 117, recorded twice during this week, once in 2005 and once in 1942. Even though we are under excessive heat warnings all weekend, this past week will probably be the hottest this year.

A big blow to dealers at the Wynn, where the labor commission ruled it is okay for the dealers to share their tips with their supervisors.

The Veer Towers at City Center have officially opened, adding another piece to the puzzle. It is a condo only project where the buildings were built at a 5 degree angle...hence the name "veer".

Rich Little's wife passed away this week.

The fat Elvis impersonator at Bills, was married this week on the same stage that he performs on.

A woman at McCarran airport was struck on the head by a moving propeller. There are more questions than answers at this point. There are reports that the wife of the pilot says he wasn't supposed to be with this 21 year old woman and wasn't supposed to be in Las Vegas.

JMT, thanks for the above post. I don't read the paper too much so I sort of rely on you for the local updates. Papers and pencils are not my thing.

Regarding the shooting at Costco ..... In 100% of the cases in which there is an armed conflict between a police officer and an armed civilian, I ALWAYS side with the police officer unless an investigation is conducted and the officer was found to be stalking that individual or shot and killed that individual without adequate warning.

In my humble but sometime adverse opinion, anyone who displays a weapon in a threatening manner should be shot immediately if confronted by a duly appointed official who has issued a prior warning.

And the word, "Stop" or "Put down the weapon" is enough of a warning.

Anyone who has a conflict with this has probably never faced the deadly end of a pistol used in a threatening manner.


And I feel good about the fact those dealers now have to share their tips with the supervisors. To me, it seems to be a fair decision.

The heat never bothers me so I was unaware that it's been so warm. I park outside so the only time I realize that it's hot is the few seconds before the air-conditioner cools me down.

I agree with Will these headline updates are great to read.

Also, as someone that has faced the deadly end of a pistol in a threatening matter (twice), I agree with Will's "humble" opinion.

Thank you and please keep posting the headlines JMT.

Looks like going to Costco has a bit of excitement to it! LOL

The catheter story seems kinda bizarre! I guess there are a lot of things going on in this world, and this is yet another I can only shake my head at in disbeleif!

I understand the "big elvis" had lost some weight due to one of those operations??? gastric bypass, or one of those bands installed??? Is he still "big elvis"? I know people that have had the operation and are really looking better! I also know some who defy logic and put weight back on after such operation.

I saw Big Elvis a couple of weeks ago and he still looks as though he should lose 500 pounds.

But maybe I didn't look close enough, so I have to give him the benefit of my doubts.

Maybe he should lose only 400 pounds.

He sure brings in the crowds though.

I don't wish Big Elvis any harm, I'm glad he has lost some weight, and I hope his marriage works out.

OTOH, there are a lot of good Elvis impersonators in town. If your claim to fame is being fat, it scores no points with me. I don't think Big Elvis is the best of the best and his size is his ticket to fame. He is good and I don't mind listening to him when I'm in the casino. I do not enjoy watching him at all. He is not what my vision of Elvis is and he is pushing the limits of being disgusting to look at as a stage performer.

There are many better Elvis impersonators in town.

He gisgusted me to look at him the last time I caught a glimps, befor weight loss. I have just ( yesterday after posting here) seen a current picture, ( it wasn't a full body shot) but he still looks gigantic!
Think I'll go with wills theory on this singer, " they should be heard and not seen!

Now the sun is shining. An idiot robbed a convenience store, carjacked a car, took it to the Orleans where he robbed the main casino cage at gunpoint, forgot where he parked his stolen car, carjacked another car, crashed that one in the casino parking lot, accidentally left his semi automatic gun in stolen car, ran to a mobile home park, kicked in the door of a mobile home and took the family hostage. The family convinced him to hide, then family alerted police. Go figure.

Another bridge is proposed to connect Laughlin and Bullhead City. The price tag is about $50 million and the completion would be at least 4 years away.

73 year old former Governor Kenny Guinn died this week when he fell off the roof of his home near Rancho and Alta. It is not known whether there was a heart attack or other medical condition that initiated the fall. Most of his accomplishments were in the field of education.

Still lots of gunshots, stabbings, drunks running into police cars, and home invasions. Most interesting was in North Las Vegas where a bunch of gang bangers were having a party in a vacant home in a gated community. About 2 a.m., they decided to start shooting each other. Some had to go the hospital, some left on their own and some are expected in the hospital later.

A coroners inquest has been scheduled for the Costco and other police involved shootings. 18 people have been shot at by Metro Police this year. 5 have died.

Red Rock hotel pool evacuated in hazmat event when chlorine mixed with "another chemical" caused people to get ill.

Rich Little's wife died of an overdose of pain medication. She had long suffered severe headaches that doctors could not treat. She left a loving message for Rich before taking the pills.

Sin City Bad Girls, Lani Misalucha, and Trent Carlini are out of the Hilton. All are looking at other Las Vegas venues.

3 stores submitted proposals for a liquor store in the McCarran airport baggage claim area. The county commission heard all 3 proposals and decided against having a liquor store in the airport for now.

NLV idiot tries to rob convenience store at gunpoint. When unexpected customers walk in and distract robber, the clerk whacked the robber in the head with a baseball bat. Unfortunately, the robber didn't die.

What we once knew as the old St Tropez on Harmon, next to the Alexis Park across from the Hard Rock is now Rumor. Rumor is a boutique chic resort. It was created by The Siegel Group which has popular extended stay hotels all around here, but they also do some nice work. They are responsible for the new overhaul of the Gold Spike, The Artisan, and the Lodge at Mt Charleston,

The Love Gov's divorce is now final. She gets 25% of his earnings for next 5 years which amounts to about $4,000/month. He gets the gun collection, she gets the art collection. They each get an antique Model T. Real estate was split.

Capriotti's, a popular nationwide chain of sandwich shops, held an event at the Little White Wedding Chapel. Yes, people actually lined up to marry a sandwich.

Celine Dion has asked her employees to take a pay cut because of the bad economy.

JMT:

Your post is just chock full of things to think about.

One would guess that the first idiot is looking at a long time in prison, two carjacking, big time armed robbery, kidnapping.

The item on the bridge at Laughlin leads me to wonder how the new bridge at the Boulder Dam is progressing. Last summer when we went by, they seemed to be pretty nearly done but you could not tell how the approaches were going to be built and tie to the current road.

The shootings appear to be part of a nationwide phenomenon. In both Chicago and Northwest Indiana people seem to be shooting each other at an amazing rate. The things making news in Chicago is police being killed as they come off duty after their shift. One of Mayor Daley's guard detail was killed last week which makes the 3rd case in the past two months.

I get the impression from the Review Journal that they think the LVPD is maybe a tad careless with the fireworks. It reminds me of a old joke about the death of Salvador Allende: "Ay, is muy tradgico! El Presidente is dead from self inflicted wounds. He shot himself in the back 50 times with a submachine gun stopping only once to reload."

Since the Love Gov is out of a job in 4 months, does he have a pension or something for the soon to be ex-wife to get here 25% from?

Shows what I know, I thought Celine was done in Vegas and went back to Quebec.

Dead men tell no tales, should be the LVPD's motto, improve your aim, or stop shooting! simple as that!

Lee, it's in the mob training manual. The mob trained Metro.

Eric, of course you are correct that the basics of these stories happen nationwide if not worldwide. Since we all have "a thing" for Las Vegas, I try to pick stories that have a Las Vegas connection. I believe that most of these stories deserve their own their own topic on the forum, and that it would be interesting to get a variety of comments on them from all registered members. I'll settle for the 4 or 5 of you for now. Hopefully participation will pick up and these stories will get their own topic. I'm not sure when that will happen as I didn't get the memo. The method I use now is not good for the BB software as the software uses a series of data bases to spread out the data for faster access. This topic makes it's database top heavy. I'm looking at options, but that's down the road because my plate is full for now.

The Hoover Dam bypass bridge is on/ahead of schedule.

If you do a little research on Celine, you'll find she has a huge beach front compound in Florida. It has way too many rooms, it has many filthy rich neighbors, including Tiger Woods. She also has a private water park in her back yard, complete with a lazy river, water slides, etc. In fact, she has caused an uproar on the island she lives on as it only has a limited amount of fresh water and her water park uses it all up and more. Here in Las Vegas she has two houses next door to each other, because one big house just isn't enough.

A baby with a disrupted catheter has died at Sunrise Hospital even after months of investigation and lots of media exposure.

We got down to a temp of 92 for a low this week which was a record. Humidity got up to 33% which "seemed" really high. Women are complaining about the humidity messing up their hair. I've been sweating under my baseball cap.

The police inquest into the Costco shooting has been delayed indefinitely at the request of the DA. It was originally scheduled for September 3. It seems there is a glitch in the Costco surveillance videos, so those records have been sent out for some Photoshop editing...oops, I mean analyzing.

Southwest Airlines, often making headlines for removing extremely large people or making them buy another ticket made more news here at the Las Vegas airport where a skinny passenger was removed to make room for a large person. The skinny person was on standby and paid to upgrade to the last seat. The large person was a 14 year old who's ticket was for just one seat.

One worker killed at a construction site when Darwin stepped in. The guy was on a Bobcat front loader standing between the bucket and the cab. He reached inside the cab and "apparently" moved the wrong lever and was crushed. The construction site is where Larry Flint is building the worlds finest "Gentlemen's Club". The 4 story club called Hustler is located across the freeway from Mandalay Bay and is scheduled to open next month.

Boyd says it's no longer interested in acquiring Stations properties and will not attend any more bankruptcy meetings. They say that they are interested in acquiring properties that can be profitable and benefit Boyd and it's shareholders. Stations does not fit into that category any more, according to Boyd.

A truck jumped the curb and hit 3 pedestrians in front of Margaritaville on the strip on Monday, then got back on the road and kept going. Police arrested the driver several hours later. The pedestrians were not seriously injured.

There is a new law that clamps down on enforcement of DMV registration of vehicles. Those who live here and their license plates are from out of state have a 30 day grace period to get Nevada plates. For unhappy honest taxpayers that know of illegals registered vehicles, there is a snitch line to call and report those freeloaders. I have my list ready.

Planet Hollywood has joined the Harrah's procedure of not charging resort fees.

The Treasure Island main casino cage was robbed late on Monday night. The robber fled to the Mirage parking garage where he shed his disguise and left the money. Police are looking for the robber.

Earthquakes around 3.8 - 4.5 continue to rock the area northeast of Reno around the Fallon and Pyramid Lake areas and as far south as Tonopah.

Another $500,00.00 was contributed to the downtown mob museum. This grant came from the sale of Centennial license plates, and makes the total 8.8 million dollars in grants and contributions to the museum. I pay the Centennial upgrade on my plates each year.

A federal court upheld a Nevada law that says brothels may not advertise in areas where prostitution is illegal. The law was challenged by the ACLU, a couple of newspapers, and the Shady Lady brothel.

Employees at the Silverton who took a huge pay cut in October were called to a mandatory meeting on Friday. They were told that starting on their next pay cycle, they will be getting back 50% of what they had given up. While it's still short of the good ole days, it was a huge morale boost for the workers.

The parking garage at the Luxor was on lock down for several hours over the week end after a suspicious package was found. Later the item was cleared and guests were allowed to come and go.

The man who tried to rob a convenience store and was struck in the head with a baseball bat a couple of weeks ago has died from the two strikes with the bat. After the investigation, it was determined that the gun used in the robbery was not real.

Metro has solved a 1983 murder when a fugitive was arrested in Florida. It is the oldest "cold case" solved by Metro.

Clark County decided to go forward with a liquor store in the baggage claim of the Las Vegas airport. They are now ready to review plans by the Lee's Discount Liquor Store chain. The 1200 sq ft store is to be called Lee's Runway Liquor Store.

Mayor Oscar Goodman has put a hold on the fast track to get the Lady Luck up an running. It seems he has concerns on pedestrian overpass blocking the view of the Mob Museum.

The Star Wars Convention is in town and strangely dressed people have been spotted all over town. More strange than usual. Much more strange.

Heidi Fleiss was approved to open a dog grooming business. Her previous attempt failed as the property she was trying to get was tied up in a divorce court.

Total rainfall this year is 3.29 inches. Our historic average, adjusted for this week is 2.86 inches. The last time we saw measurable rain was in April.

E Brands Restaurants has filed Ch 11 bankruptcy. They own 4 businesses in the Venetian, including Aquanox, Taqueria Canonita, and 2 shops in the Grand Canal Shops food court.

A new free afternoon entertainment show opened at the Gold Coast. Much like the Thursday afternoon shows at Sams Town, SouthPoint, and SunCoast, this version is on Friday instead of Thursdays, and is called Variety Calvacade.

And you would take your dog to Heidi to be groomed why?

but i would take my cat to her cat house<G>

Sorry for the weak report this week. I was traveled kinda north for a couple of days.

Weather watchers were relieved to see the first rain this season, as well as the first day under 100 degrees in the last couple of months. Even though most everyone got some rain, there was no measurable rain at the Las Vegas recording station, so there was no official rain this week. Today marks 113 consecutive days without official rain at the McCarran airport station this year.

Ed Halverson, who is in jail for beating his wife, judge Elizabeth Halverson (repeatedly with a frying pan), is complaining of poor and inhumane treatment in jail. He claims that he is being treated for his diabetes with used syringes and expired insulin.

The Mandalay Bay Events Center hosted the Housekeeping Olympics in Las Vegas this week. Teams from hotels around the city competed in time and accuracy in events such as making beds. Housekeeping gives the guest one their first impressions of the hotel, is one of the most unappreciated, and is one of the most labor intensive jobs at a hotel. Team Mandalay Bay won on their home court.

Former Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn died a few weeks ago from injuries sustained when he fell off the roof of his home. Autopsy results show no evidence of heart failure or other underlying circumstances that caused Kenny to fall.

Rumjungle at the Mandalay Bay has been evicted as a tenant. The doors are closed and it's boarded up. The restaurant/nightclub has been involved in litigation regarding the opening of Eye Candy, and the Rumjungle contract saying it would be the only nightclub on the property.

Playboy's Guide to American Bars mentions why the Bootlegger Bistro is the genuine article in a city of illusions.

Station's executives bid for the 11 bankrupt Stations Casinos auction was accepted. There oughta be a law against that.

Wynn dealers have appealed the ruling of them sharing their tips with their supervisors.

Water levels at Lake Mead are at 1087 above sea level. That is the lowest it has been in 50 years. If it drops another 12 feet, new water conservation will have to be instated beyond our severe drought rules. The rain is mainly fed by melting snow pack in the Colorado area. This year yielded about 75% of average show in the mountains to feed the lake. The forthcoming La Nina weather pattern is expected to produce less winter show than average.

Clark County School District is one of the largest school districts in the country is looking for a new superintendent. Current pay for the job is about $270k/year. Some potential applicants say that isn't enough and the district is considering close to $400k to be more competitive and attract better applicants. BTW, the county and the school system are financially broke.

JMT, gotta thank you once again for this report. I always find something of great interest in it.

Regarding Lake Mead water levels....

I recall many years ago (early 60's) that every table in just about every Las Vegas restaurant had little placards saying that water was a precious commodity in Las Vegas and would only be served upon request.

Similar cards were placed in every bathroom in every hotel I visited back then.

But now-a-days when we definitely have a serious water problem, I see no mention of conserving water any place.

And I just about shed a few tears whenever I pass Lake Mead because I remember when it was filled to the top with water cascading over the spill-way at the dam just a few years back.

Some residents even claim that Las Vegas will have no water at all within the next ten years, but we still keep on drinking and spilling the stuff with complete abandon like ... 'Who cares what will happen when we're gone?!"

I feel kinda bad for Ed Halverson, beating his wife with a frying pan? Probably should have used a teflon pan, maybe the charges wouldn't have stuck?