I-Team: Millions Owed in Unpaid Tickets

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010, 9:03pm

LAS VEGAS -- At a time when local governments are pinching every penny, the amount of money owed to the Las Vegas Justice Court is enough to make a budget director drool.

The amount of past due traffic tickets currently on the books is $170 million and the court considers their efforts to collect the money a success.

"I think it's more out of sight, out of mind," said Sgt. Robert Wyant who is with the Las Vegas Township Constable's office. He offers a not-so-subtle reminder to a driver of traffic stops in 2005 and 2006.

Wyant asks, "What do you think you can come up with?" He intends to collect at least a portion of the $4,000 the driver owes in fines and fees. If reason doesn't work, handcuffs serve as an effective negotiating tool. "Technically what it is, you pay or we take you to jail to go in front of a judge."

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Tuesday, April 6th, 2010, 11:42am

LAS VEGAS -- A Clark County school trustee wants to switch more of the district's year-round schools back to nine-month schedules to save money.

Board Member Chris Garvey's proposal could help close a shortfall of $123 million in the district budget. But officials say it could hurt year-round school employees, who would lose work days.

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Tuesday, April 6th, 2010, 10:32am

LAS VEGAS -- Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons will hold a news conference in Las Vegas to announce what he intends to do about federal health reform.

The Republican governor has been publicly feuding with Democratic Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, who refused his directive to sue the federal government over the bill passed by Congress and signed last month by President Obama. Gibbons' news conference is at noon Tuesday in Las Vegas.

Gibbons argues the law tramples state's rights and amounts to unfunded mandates that will cost the state millions in added Medicaid costs. Masto says the Constitution gives Congress broad powers to regulate commerce. She says 14 other states have already sued, and that any outcome would apply to Nevada even if the state doesn't join the suit.

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Monday, April 5th, 2010, 10:50pm

LAS VEGAS -- Metro's Northwest Area Command says their property crime statistics are down slightly this year. But people living in some northwest neighborhoods say they don't believe those numbers.

Centennial Hills , north Summerlin and neighborhoods all around Metro's Northwest Area Command have some good news according to property crimes Sergeant Tom Melton. His numbers show that compared to a similar time last year, burglaries are down 26 percent and auto thefts are holding steady.

"I have six detectives here at Northwest Area Command and I told you earlier I scan around 700 reports," said Sgt. Tom Melton, Metro.

But Richard Kronen says his northwest neighborhood has seen more property crimes this year than ever before. He describes what happened next door.

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Monday, April 5th, 2010, 2:16pm

A new effort that hopes to speed up the process of selling your home if it's worth more than you owe is underway.

The Obama Administration's program will give $3,000 for moving expenses to homeowners who complete a short sale or agree to turn over the deed of their property to the lender.

Under the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives program, borrowers will get the relocation incentive. Servicers, investors and second lien holders will also get incentives as well.

Once homeowners come to their lenders with bonafide offers, they'll have to be accepted within 10 days.

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Monday, April 5th, 2010, 9:14am

LAS VEGAS -- The U.S. Coast Guard is weighing anchor on operations at two navigation broadcasting station in Nevada. The commander of a ground-based long-range navigation system says Global Positioning System satellites have made the so-called LORAN system obsolete.

The 24-station network stopped broadcasting Feb. 8. Now, stations in Searchlight and Fallon are being decommissioned as part of a move to save $37 million per year in operation costs. The station near Searchlight, about 60 miles south of Las Vegas, isn't the only "awkward place" for a Coast Guard station. The service also has duty stations in Kansas, New Mexico, Montana and northern Minnesota.

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Sunday, April 4th, 2010, 10:50pm

LAS VEGAS -- Hundreds of Valley kids will have a Happy Easter thanks to the help of a program called E BUNNY and a group of volunteers who put all their love and care for these children into the form of an Easter basket.

E BUNNY is a grass-roots community outreach program dedicated to bringing Easter Baskets to homeless and disadvantaged children as a token of hope, joy and renewal by passing out baskets to children on the streets of Las Vegas the day before Easter.

The program is made possible by complete strangers who donated care packages that came fittingly in an Easter Basket.

Some of these kids had never received an Easter Basket before. The reward for the volunteers is the smile on each child's face as they received a basket. But these baskets are more than just candy and stuffed animals.

"Priority of giving back hope and spirit to people is huge," said Linda Lera-Randle, Volunteer.

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