| Monthly News Roundup:
Clark County commissioners had a full agenda to deal with in October. In case you missed it, Commissioner Steve Sisolak weighed in on several issues. Here's what you missed in the news:
Item 1 -- Commissioner Steve Sisolak took issue with the county handling a project in-house at a higher cost instead of soliciting bids for the lowest amount in order to save more money. Read more about it here. To read the editorial on the subject, click here.
Item 2 -- A federally funded park for the disabled was passed over by commissioners for two other parks that would serve a larger population of people. Commissioner Steve Sisolak disagreed with the move. Read more about it here. Homeless Youth Group Holds Annual Fundraiser Nov. 20
The Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth is holding its annual Plastic Food Drive on Friday, November 20, from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.
The nonprofit is asking for people to drop off gift cards from department stores and grocery stores to help homeless teens purchase necessities like food and clothing.
Donations can be made at NPHY’s Safe Place Drop-In Center at 4800 S. Maryland Parkway Las Vegas, NV 89119.
Coroner's Office Wins Grant to Handle Unsolved Cases
Clark County’s Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner was awarded a $400,000 grant to launch a program to help solve missing persons cases through the use of DNA testing.
County Commissioners authorized the Coroner’s Office to accept the U.S. Department of Justice award at a recent board meeting. The Coroner’s Office will use the funding to set up an 18-month program to exhume, sample and do DNA testing on about 50 unidentified people. The first exhumation is expected to occur in about 60 days.
“This grant will allow us to use today’s technology to further our efforts to investigate and solve missing persons cases,” said Clark County Coroner Michael Murphy. “Our ultimate goal is to positively identify decedents and return them to their loved ones. Some of these cases also involve victims of homicide, and proper identification is paramount to solving homicide investigations.”
The Coroner’s Office has identified 32 missing persons since 2002 when it launched its “Las Vegas Unidentified” Web site pages, which post details of missing person cases, including some photographs. The Web page was used as one of the models for the National Missing & Unidentified Persons Initiative (NAMUs.org) to assist the forensics community, law enforcement investigators and the general public with identifying decedents.
Clark County has more than 160 cases involving unidentified decedents. As part of implementing the new grant-funded program, the Coroner’s Office will review all 160 cases and select the ones most likely to be solved from the use of DNA testing and analysis.
Volunteers Needed to Help Homeless on Nov. 10
Volunteers and donations are needed to help with the upcoming Project Homeless Connect, which helps thousands of homeless in Southern Nevada find food, clothing, transportation, job training, healthcare, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, and other services. Almost 300 attendees found housing through last year’s event.
Project Homeless Connect is free to the homeless who will be able to check-in from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, at the Cashman Center at 850 N. Las Vegas Blvd. More than 1,000 volunteers are needed for a variety of tasks including escorting the homeless around the event, working the check-in table and post-event cleanup. Volunteers will be asked to arrive by 7 a.m. and stay until 4 p.m. but may spend a half-day at the event, starting or ending their day at noon. For more information about volunteering at Project Homeless Connect, call (702) 340-8821 or visit www.HelpHopeHome.org.
Donations of items such as T-shirts, socks and nonperishable food to give away during the event are still needed. Monetary donations are also appreciated and needed. For more information about donating to the event, call (702) 340-8821.
A comprehensive census conducted in January 2009 revealed that an average of 13,000 homeless people are staying in shelters or on the streets at any given time, and that there more than 50,000 instances of people becoming homeless over the course of a year.
Project Homeless Connect is a day-long event formerly known as Stand Down for the Homeless, which gives people “a hand up, not a hand out.” During last year’s event on Oct. 8, more than 900 volunteers helped nearly 3,400 homeless people receive help with food, clothing, grooming, housing, transportation, job readiness, healthcare, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, child care, veterans and legal services. In addition, nearly 300 attendees were placed in housing during and after the event.
Project Homeless Connect is coordinated by the SNRPC Committee on Homelessness’ Office of the Regional Homeless Services Coordinator and the Nevada Homeless Alliance (NHA). The Office of the Regional Homeless Services Coordinator works with local governments and other agencies, faith houses, advocacy groups and others concerned with the issues of homelessness and affordable housing through a coordinated and regional approach to planning and service provision. The NHA works with local agencies, volunteer groups, faith-based organizations and the corporate sector to create effective partnerships and promote collaboration through advocacy, events and education.
The event is also supported by Clark County and the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson and Boulder City. Event participants are expected to include Clark County Social Service, the City of Las Vegas, Las Vegas and county courts, emergency shelter and housing providers, Nevada Health Centers, employment training agencies, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department HELP (Homeless Evaluation Liaison Project) Team, street outreach service providers, state welfare and mental health agencies, the Department of Veterans Affairs, faith-based groups and various social service providers.
Have a Green Holiday with the Springs Preserve
The Springs Preserve has tips for you to make this year a sustainable holiday. Pointers range from composting pumpkins, recycling your Christmas tree to attending classes on holiday sustainability. Here are some tips:
Pumpkin Composting
Bring your Halloween pumpkins to the Springs Preserve Nov. 1-22, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and they'll compost them for free. Composted pumpkins are used for environmentally friendly landscaping projects at the Springs Preserve. Please remove your candle and any decorations.
Sustainable Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a day filled with tradition and food. Stop by the Springs Preserve on Nov. 12 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and get tips on how to start new traditions. Making holiday celebrations more sustainable and eco-friendly is something we can all be thankful for.
Christmas Tree Recycling
Bring your cut Christmas tree to the Springs Preserve Dec. 26 through Jan. 15, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and they'll recycle it for free. Recycled Christmas trees are chipped into mulch and used for environmentally friendly landscaping projects at the Springs Preserve and throughout the valley. Please remove your tree stand and all decorations. Flocked trees cannot be recycled.
Sustainable Holiday Classes
The Springs Preserve offers a variety of classes that can help you make this holiday season an eco-friendly affair. To register for these classes, call Springs Preserve Adult Education at (702) 822-7786. Learn more about educational offerings at www.SpringsPreserve.org.
Guide to Childcare Basics
Nationally, more than 6 million children are being raised by relatives, according to the American Association of Retired Persons.
The often sudden responsibility comes with legal issues, emotional issues and a lifestyle change for the caretaker. The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension has put together a guide called "Raising Your Relative's Kid: How to Find Help."
The guide covers child care basics, behavioral or emotional issues that may arise, along with a range of other information about services available for those involved in kinship care.
Winter Watering Restrictions Begin on Nov. 1
Article Courtesy of the Las Vegas Valley Water District
Mandatory watering restrictions limit landscape irrigation to one assigned day per week from Nov. 1 through Feb. 28.
Sunday is not an optional watering day.
If you don't comply with the watering restrictions, you could be assessed a water waste fee.
Sprinkler Watering Tips
--Aerate your lawn. Aeration pulls tiny plugs from the soil, allowing water to be better absorbed.
--Bermuda goes dormant in the winter so it doesn't need much water. Irrigate Bermuda grass just once per month November through March.
--Avoid afternoon winds and reduce the risk of icing by watering in the midmorning.
--Add a protective mulch on the soil around your plants to trap moisture.
--If frost or a freeze damages a plant, leave it alone until warmer weather arrives and new growth appears. Pruning or transplanting a damaged plant in the winter can hurt or even kill it.
--Turn on sprinklers for a minute after you mow and scan for broken or misaligned sprinkler heads and broken pipes.
Drip Watering Tips
During winter, run your drip irrigation system in a single cycle of 30 to 90 minutes, one day a week. The length of watering should be determined by the emitter flow rate, soil type and weather conditions. See our drip watering tips for details.
Daylight-Saving Time Ends
Don't forget to reset your irrigation clock when daylight-saving time ends on the first Sunday in November at 2 a.m. When you're changing your indoor clocks, make sure you update the time on your irrigation clock.
Update on H1N1 FluMist Vaccine
The Southern Nevada Health District announced that due to demand for the injectable vaccine and delivery delays, it will be offering only the intranasal vaccine at its 625 Shadow Lane public health center. FluMist will be available to members of the CDC-recommended priority groups who qualify for the vaccine. The 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine is free of charge.
For additional information visit the health district Web site or call the Nevada Helpline at (702) 759-4636 (INFO).
More deliveries of injectable vaccine are expected and supplies will be replenished within seven to 10 days. People in the priority groups will be first to receive the vaccine. People who fall into the priority groups can contact their health care provider to see if the vaccine is available. Also, there are physicians and health care providers in the community who have received supplies of the vaccine.
The FluMist vaccine is a live, attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) version of the immunization that is safe for healthy people between the ages of 2 and 49 who are not pregnant. Currently the health district is offering the intranasal vaccine to the following priority groups:
--People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age
--Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel with direct patient contact
--Children between the ages of 2 and 4
The mist has been administered to the public for five years for seasonal flu. It is recommended for most healthcare workers and there are no reports of transmission of influenza virus to patients in healthcare settings.
Until adequate immunization rates for H1N1 are achieved, the best way to prevent influenza is to practice good health habits. This influenza season, there are two different immunizations available to protect against illness: the new 2009 novel H1N1 vaccine as well as the seasonal flu vaccine.
As more vaccine becomes available, the health district anticipates that it will continually expand the number of people who will be eligible to receive the immunizations. The health district’s seasonal flu supply, which is different, is available and in adequate supply for everyone. Nevada Census 2010 Campaign Underway
Article Courtesy of Nevada, U.S. Census Bureau
To most Americans, the Census is a bureaucratic exercise, offering about as much excitement as filling out a tax form. The nation marks the passage of time, every 10 years, with a monotonous civic duty.
For Nevadans, on the other hand, the Census is a remarkable opportunity. There is perhaps no state in the nation that has more to gain from this process than we do here. By filling out your Census form next spring, you can dramatically enhance your own quality of life.
Nevada's Census 2010 Campaign is about three things:
Power. The framers of the Constitution of the United States introduced the concept of a Census in Article 1, Section 2. Every 10 years, the United States Congress is reapportioned to give each state the representation it deserves, based on population. According to multiple independent analyses, Nevada stands at the threshold of receiving a fourth Congressional seat -- and by extension, a sixth Electoral Vote -- as a direct result of the 2010 Census.
Jobs. In these distressed economic times, Nevada's economy will be bolstered as we conduct the Census. With one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, Nevada needs these jobs. The 2010 Census will bring over 4,000 jobs to the state during peak operations in May/June 2010. These are good-paying, flexible jobs, as field enumerators start at $14.50 per hour. Already, over 1,300 people have worked to make Nevada's Census 2010 Campaign a success, strengthening our economy over the course of this year.
Money. No matter who you are or what your interests, the Census will bring much-needed federal funding to government services you utilize here in our state. A recent analysis by the Nevada State Data Center, Legislative Counsel Bureau, and State Demographer looked at all of the federal funding passed through to state and local governments, much of which is allocated on a per-capita basis, based on the Census headcount. That analysis found that every man, woman, and child missed by the Census represents $917 in lost funding per person, every year for 10 years: $9,170 per person over 10 years. Nevadans may disagree over the size of government and what government does, but we can all agree that Nevada should receive its fair share of federal funding.
The Census is a sleeper issue, one we don't think much about, but perhaps the most important thing government will do here in Nevada over the next year. Your help is essential as we seek to build a statewide campaign to promote the Census and improve response rate. This is not a monotonous bureaucratic exercise in our state: this is about Nevadans counting Nevadans for the sake of Nevada. For more information on Nevada's Census 2010 Campaign, or to partner with the Census Bureau, please call me at (702) 416-7054, or follow us at www.twitter.com/nvcensus.
Piano Concert to Raise Money
Watch Commission Meetings From Your Computer
Wonder what's going on in the Clark County Commission meeting? Get a live stream while you sit at your computer.
Clark County Park Events
Clark County's Department of Parks and Recreation has plenty of things going on around town. To find out what is happening in your area, click here.
District A Map
Click on the map below for a more detailed view:
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