Area Briefing

AARP PLANS DRIVER SAFETY CLASS

Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center plans to host an AARP safe driving class from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday at its H2U Office, 3061 S. Maryland Parkway.

The cost is $12 for AARP members and $14 for nonmembers. Call 735-5510 or visit sunrisehospital.com to reserve a spot.

POLICE COMMUNICATIONS CENTER SEEKS REACCREDITATION

An assessment team from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. is set to arrive Monday at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department communications center to begin a four-day, on-site evaluation as part of the center’s application to achieve the commission’s Re-Accreditation for Public Safety Communications Agencies.

The communications center initially received accreditation in March 2009 and has now applied to receive reaccreditation.

The accreditation program requires the center to comply with state-of-the-art standards in organization; direction and supervision; human resources; recruitment, selection and promotion; training; operations; critical incidents; and special operations/homeland security.

As part of the on-site assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments concerning the communication center’s ability to comply with these standards.

Comments can be made by telephone from 1-3 p.m. Jan. 10 by calling 828-3259. Telephone comments are limited to 10 minutes.

Written comments should be addressed to: the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc., 135775 Heathcote Blvd. Suite 320, Gainesville, VA 20155.

Following the on-site assessment, the commission team will present its findings at the its accreditation conference, which is scheduled for July in Scottsdale, Ariz.

FREE RADON TEST KITS TO BE DISTRIBUTED AT AREA AWARENESS PRESENTATIONS

Community awareness presentations regarding the radioactive gas radon are planned in January and February at valley libraries.

The free sessions are set for:

n 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Jan. 14 at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road.

n 11 a.m. to noon Jan. 28 at the Windmill Library, 7060 W. Windmill Lane.

n 11 a.m. to noon Feb. 25 at the Centennial Hills Library, 6711 N. Buffalo Drive.

Attendees will receive a free radon test kit for their homes. Testing for the gas is encouraged by the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and the Nevada State Health Division.

Winter is the ideal time to test for radon as most homes are kept closed up for the winter, said Laura Au-Yeung, the southern area radon program coordinator for the cooperative extension. The test takes two to four days to conduct.

Radon comes from the natural decay of uranium in soil and enters homes through foundation cracks, openings and some of the porous materials used to construct foundations and floors of homes. It is an odorless, colorless, invisible gas that can reach harmful levels when trapped indoors. Radon can enter any home, old or new.

For more information, call Au-Yeung at 257-5550, e-mail her at au-yeungl@unce.unr.edu or visit radonnv.com. Any professional or community group that wishes to schedule a radon awareness presentation also may contact Au-Yeung.

PARKING AND PEDESTRIAN RESTRICTIONS IN EFFECT IN KYLE AND LEE CANYONS

Those traveling to Mount Charleston for snow recreation are advised by law enforcement officials to heed parking Nevada Department of Transportation restrictions.

Motorists are not be allowed to park or walk on roadways in Kyle and Lee canyons through March. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Nevada Highway Patrol will enforce the parking restrictions.

Parking will be eliminated on transportation department right-of-way on state Route 157 from state Route 158 to the Mount Charleston Lodge and on state Route 156 from Lee Meadows to the Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort, 6725 Lee Canyon Road, and by the fire station in Lee Canyon.

No-parking signs are to be posted.

Where parking is allowed, including the Resort at Mount Charleston, 2275 Kyle Canyon Road, in U.S. Forest Service parking lots and land and east of state Route 158, vehicles must park in parking spaces or off the road with wheels to the right of the white lines. This prevents damage to vehicles and allows medical, police and fire personnel to respond to emergencies.

Vehicles parked over white lines, in no-parking zones or that impede traffic will be ticketed and towed. Fines begin at $190.

Visitors also are asked to refrain from playing or parking on private property or residential areas or areas marked "closed." Trespassing fines begin at $150. Snow chains and/or four-wheel drive vehicles may be required for travel on Mount Charleston.

Motorists who stop in travel lanes to put on snow chains will be cited.

DRIVERS USING HANDHELD CELLPHONES WHILE DRIVING risk getting ticketed

Dec. 31 was the final day officers issued warnings in lieu of tickets to drivers caught using their cellphones without the aid of a hands-free or Bluetooth device.

Motorists pulled over for holding their cellphones while driving and talking, texting or reading correspondence now face a first-time fine of $50, $100 for a second offense and $250 for third and subsequent offenses. Second and third offenses can result in points on the license.

Motorists can use hands-free options while driving, which include wired headsets, Bluetooth devices and wireless systems built into newer automobiles.

MCCALL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WINS ANTI-BULLYING AWARD

McCall Elementary School recently was named the No Place for Hate School of the Year by the Anti-Defamation League’s Las Vegas office.

McCall, 800 Carey Ave., North Las Vegas, and 31 other schools partnered with the Anti-Defamation League this school year to promote anti-bullying. The program has reached more than 160 schools in the past seven years in Clark County School District.

McCall reported a 33 percent decrease in discipline referrals compared to last year, and parent-teacher conference attendance was at 100 percent.

The No Place for Hate program is aimed at encouraging discussions about respect in every classroom, kindness awards and a resolution of respect signed by each student.

For more information, visit noplaceforhate.com.

AARP PLANS DRIVER SAFETY CLASS

An AARP driver safety class is planned from 11:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 17 at the H2U MountainView Office at 3150 N. Tenaya Way, Suite 114.

The cost is $12 for AARP members (AARP membership card required) and $14 for nonmembers. Only checks are accepted as payment.

Attendees this can receive a discount on their automobile insurance. Class size is limited to a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information, call 233-5474.

SKI & SNOWBOARD RESORT OFFERS FREE WINTER SPORTS HELMETS

The Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort is partnering with the Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center to provide free ski helmets to local kids in conjunction with Lids on Kids, a national ski and snowboard safety education program.

The Lids on Kids program is set to kick off from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday and continue at the same time every Saturday through Jan. 28 at the resort, 6725 Lee Canyon Road on Mount Charleston.

Last year, the resort gave away about 300 helmets to local youths. The program, in its fourth year, has provided about 800 local youths with ski and snowboard helmets. This year, the resort anticipates it will donate another 300 to 350 helmets to valley children.

Specially trained Lids on Kids program volunteers will fit toddlers through pre-teens for a helmet. Then, kids and parents will participate in a short education program to learn and understand the skier/snowboarder code of safety and responsibility. Organizers stressed the importance of helmets fitting properly to provide adequate protection.

A report by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission published in 1999 concluded that wearing a helmet while skiing or snowboarding could prevent or reduce the severity of 53 percent of head injuries in children younger than 15. The proportion of skiing and snowboarding head injuries is higher in children than in any other age group, so it becomes particularly important for kids to wear helmets, officials said.

The Lids on Kids campaign coincides with the National Ski Area Association’s Safety Week, which takes place Jan. 14-24 and aims to promote resort safety education and increase slope safety.

For more information, visit lidsonkids.org, skilasvegas.com or call the resort at 645-2754.