Commissioner Chris G. Joins Residents for National Night Out

Titus and Chris G. to Host Housing Foreclosure Prevention Workshop Sept. 12

Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District  and Commissioner Chris G. will host a housing workshop on Saturday, September 12, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hollywood Recreation Center. The purpose of the workshop is to provide people in the community with help and information on foreclosure prevention, loan modification, refinancing options and expanded eligibility for certain programs. 

The workshop will bring together representatives from the government, banks and community housing and counseling organizations in order to answer questions and find solutions in an effort to keep people in their homes.

Who:     Congresswoman Dina Titus
               Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani
                Representatives from area banks and lenders
                Housing and counseling organizations
What:     Housing Workshop on Foreclosure Prevention
When:   Saturday, September 12,  9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where:  Hollywood Recreation Center Gym
               1650 S. Hollywood Blvd.
                Las Vegas, NV 89142      

A public art project called "The Bus Stops Here," sponsored by Clark County Parks and Recreation, the Friends of Winchester Park Public Art Committee and the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC), was dedicated on Aug. 5. 

Four artists were selected for the project from a countywide competition. Artists Montana Black, Dan Michael Evans, Nabila Khanam and Thomas Willis were honored at the event. Their pieces were enlarged to poster size and will be displayed in nearly 100 transit shelters throughout the Las Vegas Valley for the next year.

The images range from Black’s realistic portrait of a woman and a giraffe to Evans’ affectionate anime-style robot to Khanam’s photograph of Red Rock under unusual natural light and Willis’ black and white diptych depicting an abstract design. The posters are backlit and are particularly powerful images when seen at night.

RTC board member and Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, who was a member of the jury that selected the artists, and RTC General Manager Jacob Snow spoke at the dedication along with the artists.

The importance of the project lies in the opportunity for public art and local artists to display their work while promoting the importance of transit in our community. In addition to the displays across the valley, each of the selected pieces will be displayed for three months in the bus shelter across the street from the Winchester Cultural Center, 3130 S. McLeod Drive. The center is home to the Friends of Winchester Park, which initiated the project. The project was funded by a grant from the Nevada Arts Council, a division of Nevada’s Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

For additional information on the project, call the Winchester Cultural Center at 455-7340 or visit Clark County Parks and Recreation’s Web site at www.accessclarkcounty.com/parks.

Feral Cats: A Matter of Math

In this case, it is not thermo-nuclear war as in the movie from some time back. In gaming and simulation theory there is a principal that if enough reasonable estimates are added together you can come up with a good answer. Some estimates are high and some are low, but in the end it evens out fairly well. This never produces an exact answer, but it is good for understanding the scale of things. Let us apply this to our feral cats so we can get an idea of what we are dealing with.

It has been estimated that there are 200,000 feral cats in the Las Vegas valley. Exactly where this number came from I do not know, but it seems to be widely accepted. It is reasonable to assume that about half of the cats are female. This will give us 100,000 potential mother kitties. In most places, cats have one litter of kittens in the spring. The average litter size is about five kittens. Las Vegas has mild winters and our cats will often have two or more litters a year. Let us assume 10 kittens per female per year. This will give is 1,000,000 kittens this year.

While our climate is great for having many kittens, it is not so good for their survival. About 90% will not see their first birthday. This will leave us with 100,000 one-year-old cats after a year.

The mortality rate for adult cats is about 20 percent per year. Some feral cats will live for a decade or longer but most do not. This will leave us with 160,000 of the original cats after a year. Add this to the 100,000 new cats and you have 260,000 cats or a growth of 60,000 feral cats.

Other than normal mortality, there are two ways the breeding population is being reduced. These are euthanasia at shelters and spay/neuter through rescue groups. Together these account for about 10,000 feral cats per year. This leaves us with a population growth of only 40,000 per year.
 
As I mentioned, this does not produce exact numbers but is a good tool to estimate the scale of things. By varying the assumptions within a reasonable range, the results will vary from no growth to 40,000. It is most likely to be somewhere in the middle. I did not come up with a reasonable estimate that showed the population to be declining.

What is the solution for this problem? I will discuss the options next month.

Thank you,

Keith Williams, Clark County Feral Cat Colony Central Sponsor

http://www.clarkcountyferalcats.org

Commissioner Chris G. Recognizes Cabana Crafters

A group of seasoned crafting pros wove their way to public praise last month after Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani found out that the group, known as the Cabana Crafters, makes hats and blankets to comfort the sick and our overseas vets.

Giunchigliani was so impressed with their efforts, she presented them with a proclamation honoring their work at the Clark County Commission meeting last month.

Every Tuesday the Cabana Crafters assemble to make hats for the Comprehensive Cancer Center of Nevada, pediatrics at Sunrise Hospital, chemo caps and pillows for adult cancer treatment centers, lap blankets for group homes with Alzheimer patients and small blankets for Child Haven. 

Members also create small animals that go to local firefighters and police departments to distribute on duty to children in distress and gifts for soldiers.

The group, which ranges from people ages 55 to 94, sends heart shaped pillows to soldiers in Iraq and treat bags to seniors at Whitney Senior Center.

For the crafters, it’s not simply a matter of passing time, it’s more about remaining vital elements of the community. They love doing it!

A solar generation facility proposed by the city of Las Vegas and located in a portion of District E is expected to go through land use approvals before the project is finalized.

The 29-acre facility would be located at 6005 Vegas Valley Dr. and generate approximately 4 megawatts of solar electricity to meet the demands of the city's Water Pollution Control Facility. The property will have an 8-foot high perimeter wrought-iron fence to enclose the facility.

City officials say the project will lower carbon emissions considerably each year and will reduce energy costs. 

Accessing Convenient, High Quality, Affordable Health Care

Nevada Health Centers, Inc. are offering high quality health care at five locations throughout Southern Nevada on a sliding scale fee. 

Each of the five locations accept Medicare, Medicaid, Nevada Check-Up and most other insurance:

Bridger Health Center
310 S. 9th St., Suite 100
(702) 220-9932

Cambridge Family Health Center
3900 Cambridge Ave., Suite 102
(702) 307-5415

Eastern Family Medical & Dental Center
2212 S. Eastern Ave.
(702) 735-9334

NLV Family Health Center
2320 McDaniel, Suite A
(702) 214-5948

MLK Family Health Center
1700 Wheeler Peak
(702) 383-1961

For more information visit www.nvhealthcenters.org.

Go Back to School, Go Green

There is a way to go back to school and think green. Sustain Lane has eight tips for parents and kids to live a green lifestyle while still being prepared for school. For more information, click here.

With so many new laws surrounding Homeowners' Associations, we help you sift out what it all means. This month, we will break down SB 182, a bill that makes it a felony for anyone who attempts to change the outcome of a board election. It also creates provisions that bar a board member or community manager from accepting any kind of compensation or financial gain, either directly or indirectly, in exchange for votes or influence.

The new bill is detailed in a Review-Journal column last month. 

They are called "Legal Walls" -- walls with legal works of graffiti art commissioned by a business owner. Many believe it will cut down on illegal tagging and graffiti, but does it? The latest newsletter by the Southern Nevada Graffiti Coalition addresses that issue.

Go to "Where Fun Happens"

Looking for something to do? Click here for a list of events going on in Clark County parks this week.

District E Map

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