Area briefing

FREE HOME CARBON MONOXIDE TESTS OFFERED BY AIR-CONDITIONING BUSINESS

Sierra Air Conditioning is offering free home carbon monoxide tests to valley residents. To participate, residents must schedule an appointment by calling the business at 380-7070.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and toxic gas produced by incomplete combustion in fuel-burning devices, such as furnaces and water heaters.

Store-bought carbon monoxide detectors are not always capable of detecting low-level emissions. Low levels can cause flu like symptoms, such as nausea, headaches and fatigue.

For more information, visit sierraair conditioning.com.

BELTWAY PROJECT TO ADD TWO LANES, WIDEN BRIDGES TO INCREASE CAPACITY

Construction recently began on the widening of the Las Vegas Beltway from Interstate 15 to Windmill Lane, Clark County officials announced.

The project is geared to improve traffic flow for local commuters and visitors on this heavily traveled section of the Beltway, which links McCarran International Airport and Interstate 15.

The project will increase the capacity of the freeway by adding one lane in each direction for a total of four lanes in each direction, between Interstate 15 and Windmill Lane. The project also includes the widening of four concrete bridges over this section of the Beltway: Paradise Road, Warm Springs Road, Robindale Road and the airport connector.

Drivers should be on the lookout for periodic lane shifts and lane closures during construction, county officials said.

The $30 million project is expected to take about two years to complete.

For more information, visit clarkcountynv.gov or call 455-3500.

FREE RADON TEST KITS TO BE DISTRIBUTED

Public awareness presentations are set regarding the radioactive gas radon.

The free sessions are set for 11 a.m.-noon Saturday at the Windmill Library, 7060 W. Windmill Lane, and 11 a.m.-noon Feb. 25 at the Centennial Hills Library, 6711 N. Buffalo Drive. Attendees will receive a free radon test kit for their homes.

For more information, call 257-5550, email au-yeungl@unce.unr.edu or visit radonnv.com.

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.

The leading cause of lung cancer for nonsmokers is radon, experts said. Although smokers have a higher risk of radon-induced lung cancer than nonsmokers, about 21,000 people die each year in the U.S. of lung cancer caused by indoor radon exposure. The radon health risk is highly preventable, yet few people know about the radon risk or have their homes tested for it, according to valley officials.

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.

Any professional or community group that wishes to schedule a radon awareness presentation may contact Laura Au-Yeung, the southern area radon program coordinator for the cooperative extension, at 257-5550 or au-yeungl@unce.unr.edu.

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 concludes from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday 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, Jan. 14 through today, 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.

INMATES RELOCATED DURING RENOVATION OF CLARK COUNTY DETENTION CENTER

Several hundred low-risk inmates are being transferred from the Clark County Detention Center, 330 S. Casino Center Blvd., to the new North Valley Complex, 4900 N. Sloan Lane, to facilitate upcoming renovations at the detention center's north tower, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

The relocation effort began Dec. 17 with the transfer of 128 minimum-security inmates, police officials said. As the renovation progresses, as many as 936 inmates may ultimately be relocated to the new facility.

Included in the detention center's north tower renovation plans are the kitchen and laundry facilities, which were in the north tower basement area. Both of those functions already have been moved to the North Valley Complex, and during the renovation period, laundry and meals will be transported between the North Valley Complex and the Clark County Detention Center three times daily, officials said.

The detention center north tower began operation in 1984 and was originally designed to house 852 inmates. Before the Dec. 17 inmate relocation, 1,526 people were being housed at the facility. Renovations to the facility will include upgrades to the plumbing, electrical, HVAC and mechanical systems, with the complete project being divided into three phases. The first phase dealing with the renovation of the basement area is anticipated to be completed within 16 months.

The North Valley Complex, previously referred to as the Low Level Offender Facility, was completed and a certificate of occupancy issued in October 2009. The transfer of inmates into the facility was delayed until due to staffing costs and the current economic situation in Southern Nevada, officials said.

For more information, visit lvmpd.com or call 828-3111.

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.