Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs this holiday season
will not be tolerated, the Nevada Highway Patrol has stated. “National
Impaired Driving Prevention Month” is here, and trooper Dan Lopez with
the Highway Patrol said the focus is centered on urging people to not
drive while under the influence.
“We get both drugs and alcohol this time of the month,” Lopez said.
“We are aware that people are driving under the influence. That’s why
our patrol procedures go out there and enforce that, so that people
don’t drink and drive.”
Lopez said there have been well over 100 traffic deaths in Nevada this
year. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police report 27 alcohol-related traffic
deaths during the first 11 months of this year.
Not only does driving drunk or on drugs endanger lives, but it also
carries stiff penalties, he said.
“Fines up to $10,000 for a first-time DUI,” Lopez warned, “and not
only that, you lose your driver’s license, which is revoked – the
worst thing for anyone.”
Multiple DUI arrests will lead to a felony charge, he added. According
to Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD), up to 20 percent of car
crashes may be caused by people driving under the influence of drugs.
* * * * *
Alzheimer’s Foundation of America and Second Wind Dreams team up to
help fulfill dreams for people with dementia
As people across the country are finalizing their holiday wish lists,
the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) and Second Wind Dreams
(SWD) are teaming up to help make the dreams of people with
Alzheimer’s disease or related illnesses a reality. “The AFA-SWD
Sleeping Dreamers Project” kicks off December 10, with the fulfillment
of dreams on the same day for three elders with dementia in Atlanta,
Las Vegas and New York.
The care-focused nonprofit organizations will award a minimum of two
dreams per month for the next year to individuals with dementia, under
a grant provided by AFA. The dreams allow a person to relive a fond
experience or satisfy a long-time desire expressed to family or
professional caregivers.
When his dream takes place on December 10, Las Vegas resident Jim
Manchester, 91, hopes to reel in “the big one” during an outing on
Lake Mead. Once an avid fisherman, he hasn’t gone fishing in 20 years.
Accompanied by a pro, Manchester will go on a father-son fishing trip
provided by the local Bass Pro Shops. He will first receive a surprise
greeting by a pontoon boat and local fisherman at Silver Sky Assisted
Living.
In New York, Ola Hightower, 76, will realize her lifelong dream to
learn how to swim — an activity that passed her by, she said, simply,
because “I didn’t live near water.” Hightower will receive her very
first swim lesson from the Prospect Park YMCA in Brooklyn, N.Y. She
will be honored with a special celebration and swimming award at New
York Memory Center.
In Atlanta, Darwin Strickland, 75 and a former jazz drummer and U.S.
postal worker, will realize his desire to once again bang out some
tunes on the club circuit. Strickland will perform at the iconic music
venue, Blind Willie’s Bar and Restaurant, along with members of the
Atlanta Symphony and other jazz musicians.
Since its founding 16 years ago, SWD has brought some 16,000 dreams to
life for elders. The collaboration with AFA brings the program to
another level, enabling the fulfillment of even more dreams and
focusing specifically on people with dementia; SWD fondly calls them
“sleeping dreamers.”
“Humanizing the treatment of people with dementia shows faith in the
human spirit, that no matter how severe the decline, there is hope
always,” said P.K. Beville, SWD’s founder and an award-winning
geriatric specialist. “In demonstrations where people with dementia
experience a recreated favorite memory, the seemingly confused and
withdrawn person ‘wakes up’ as the dream unfolds, often actively
engaging family and professional caregivers.”
Carol Steinberg, AFA’s president, said the initiative aligns with
AFA’s mission to improve quality of life for people with dementia and
their families. “Granting these wishes, even ones that may seem
simple, empowers recipients to live in the moment, and experience
much-deserved joy and dignity,” she said. “It’s never too late.”
Currently, more than five million Americans are living with
Alzheimer’s disease, and the incidence is expected to triple by
mid-century. The disease results in loss of memory and other cognitive
functions, and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United
States.
Under the AFA-SWD Sleeping Dreamers Project, organizations that are
members of both AFA and SWD, such as Alzheimer’s agencies, senior
centers and elder care communities, can apply to fulfill dreams for
their clients or community members.
* * * * *
RTC unveils Anti-Graffiti Art Contest winning students’ artwork on
transit vehicles
Tina Quigley, general manager of the Regional Transportation
Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) will recognize local students who
won the agency’s annual Anti-Graffiti Art Contest at two special
awards ceremonies on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 10 to 11 a.m. at Cashman Middle
School, 4622 W. Desert Inn Road, and Thursday, Dec. 19, 10:30 to 11:30
a.m. at Roy Martin Middle School, 200 N. 28th Street,
Elementary and middle school students from across the Las Vegas Valley
submitted artwork that they created to promote the contest’s theme,
“Keep Southern Nevada Graffiti Free.” The students were encouraged to
design their artwork to specifically promote and support the message
of respecting each other’s property and not devalue or deface it with
graffiti.
The artwork of the top two winners was selected by a community online
vote and will be featured on the outside of an RTC transit vehicle for
up to one year.
* * * * *
Call for Entries: Media for a Just Society Awards
The National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) is pleased to
announce the call for entries for its annual Media for a Just Society
Awards. The Media for a Just Society Awards program is the only
national recognition of print, web, and broadcast journalists; TV news
and feature reporters, producers, and writers; creators of films and
literature whose work furthers public understanding of criminal
justice, juvenile justice, child welfare, and adult protection issues.
NCCD is seeking stories, features, segments, series, or shows that
illustrate current realities or the promise of reform, especially
those that help people understand the complex issues surrounding the
nation’s social systems.
This year the Media for a Just Society Awards includes a new “Youth”
category to recognize outstanding work created by young people. This
work must further public understanding of justice, child welfare, or
adult protection issues, and be created by someone under 25.
They are currently accepting entries for the 2013 calendar year.
Instructions on making a submission can be found in the Media for a
Just Society Awards application on their website. The deadline for
submissions is December 31, 2013. This year’s winners will be
announced at an awards ceremony on October 15, 2014, at the San
Francisco Jazz Center.
* * * * *
Brits Want to Take Their Kids to Vegas, Survey Reveals
A new survey, conducted by gaming information portal
LiveRoulette.co.uk, reveals that 1 in 4 British people would visit
Vegas as part of a family holiday.
The website conducted a survey asking 1000 UK-based respondents, ‘What
would be the main reason for you to visit Las Vegas?’ The most popular
response was ‘Family Holiday’ (26.5 percent), followed by ‘Gambling’
(21.2 percent). These data suggest that ‘Sin City’ — once seen as the
very heart of iniquity — is being embraced as an all-round holiday
destination for British tourists.
A number of headlines in recent months have posited that Las Vegas
tourism is fundamentally changing. People are flocking to the city in
record-breaking numbers, but they’re spending far less at the casinos.
Live Roulette’s report supports this impression, attesting to the
increasing popularity of other attractions for holidaying Brits. For
instance, 18.8 percent of respondents named ‘Clubs and Nightlife’ as
Vegas’ primary draw, closely followed by ‘Other Entertainment e.g.
Shows, Concerts etc’ at 18.5 percent.
Online casino industry writer, Joseph Attard stated: “These figures
suggest that people in the UK are starting to see Vegas in a different
light. Where once the local casino market was the cornerstone of Las
Vegas tourism, the city today is having to diversify in the wake of
the recession. There’s a lot that Nevada has to offer families: the
Hoover Dam, Cirque du Soleil performances, the Stratosphere Tower…
casinos are just one slice of the cake!
“People are possibly more cautious about hazarding their disposable
income on the card tables these days. At least with a show or a
nightclub, you get exactly what you’re paying for.”
The survey also identifies a lot of variation across demographics once
the results are filtered according to gender, age and region. For
instance, gambling was a comparatively unpopular motivation for women
to visit Las Vegas, with only 15.5 percent of female respondents
indicating that gambling would be their ‘main reason’ compared to 22.7
percent of men.
For the young (i.e. the 18-24 bracket) Vegas’ legendary ‘Clubs and
Nightlife’ proved the most popular attraction (33.3 percent).
Meanwhile, ‘Gambling’ topped the results for respondents between the
ages of 25 and 54 (21.6 percent), overtaken by ‘Family Holiday’ for
subjects over the age of 55 (26.4 percent).
Regionally, respondents from the East Midlands were the most
interested in gambling, with 52.1 percent of subjects electing
‘Gambling’ as their main reason to visit Las Vegas versus only 10.5
percent of subjects from Yorkshire and the Humber. Welsh respondents
were enthusiastic about Vegas’ nightlife (25.5 percent) while people
from North East England tended to regard Vegas as an all-round family
holiday destination (43.3 percent).
* * * * *
City Beat is a compilation of news and views of our editorial and
writing team, along with reader submissions and topics. Readers are
invited to suggest a local topic or any other items of interest.
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Local Law Enforcement Targeting Impaired Drivers
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