Area briefing

VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT TO ENSURE VISITORS' SAFETY ON MOUNT CHARLESTON IN WINTER

The U.S. Forest Service is looking for volunteers to help keep Mount Charleston's thousands of visitors safe in the snow through the end of March.

Snow Play Hosts are to provide roadside information about snow play opportunities and take part in the fun while engaging visitors at winter recreational sites. The hosts also are to help visitors have a fun experience while reducing impacts to the forest.

Experience in volunteering in a similar setting is a plus but not required. Volunteers should be at least age 18 and able to work outdoors in cold conditions.

Hosts will work on weekends and holidays. Average shifts will range between three and six hours. The minimum commitment desired is two shifts per month.

For more information, visit discoverspringmountains.org/volunteer.html or contact Suzanne Hicks at smhicks@fs.fed.uscq or 839-5566.

LIFEGUARD TRAINING AVAILABLE

The city of Las Vegas is offering an American Red Cross lifeguard training course through May at the Municipal Pool, 431 E. Bonanza Road, and the Pavilion Center Pool, 101 S. Pavilion Center Drive.

Those who successfully complete the course will be certified for two years in lifeguard training, first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and using an automated external defibrillator.

Participants must be 15 or older.

For more information or to apply, visit lasvegasnevada.gov and click "I want to apply for" and then "jobs" or call 229-6309.

SHADOW LANE IMPROVEMENTS TO CAUSE LANE RESTRICTIONS

Roadway improvements started recently on Shadow Lane between Alta Drive and Charleston Boulevard and will continue for the next four weeks, according to the city of Las Vegas.

Work is set to be conducted from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The project will include improvements to sidewalk areas to meet federal Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, the installation of an underground traffic signal conduit and construction of foundations for a future traffic signal at the intersection of Pinto and Shadow lanes.

One lane in each direction will remain open during these activities on Shadow Lane, but motorists are advised to use Rancho or Tonopah drives as alternative routes, the city said. Pinto Lane will be closed to through traffic at the Shadow Lane intersection periodically.

This is the first phase of a larger project. The second phase, which consists of sewer line and full-depth asphalt pavement removal and replacement and traffic-control improvements, is scheduled to begin in early April.

Drew Asphalt Paving Inc. is the contractor. City of Las Vegas Department of Operations and Maintenance personnel are managing the project. Funding is provided by the city of Las Vegas and the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada. The estimated cost for this phase of construction is $216,000.

For more information, visit lasvegasnevada.gov or call 229-6011.

HENDERSON BUSINESSES ACCUSED OF SELLING ALCOHOL TO MINORS

Henderson Police Department officers issued citations to seven city businesses while conducting checks of underage alcohol compliance at stores around the city Feb. 4.

Officers from the department's Community Relations Unit, with the assistance of underage volunteers, checked 48 bars and restaurants that night to help ensure that minors were unable to buy alcoholic beverages.

Of the 48 businesses, 41 refrained from selling alcohol to minors. The remaining seven businesses sold alcohol to underage customers in violation of Henderson Municipal Code, police said.

The businesses that were accused of selling alcohol to minors were:

The Railroad Pass Hotel & Casino, 2800 S. Boulder Highway.

The Rainbow Club, 122 S. Water St.

The Beach House Grill & Bar, 10430 S. Eastern Ave.

Dotty's 8 Casino, 1133 N. Boulder Highway.

Sierra Gold, 1341 W. Warm Springs Road.

Barley's Casino & Brewing Co., 4500 E. Sunset Road.

The Klondike Sunset Casino, 444 W. Sunset Road.

The clerks were issued citations and face a maximum penalty of six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine, police said. The owners or managers of businesses that fail a second or third time also can be issued a citation and could face the revocation of their business license.

FREE RADON TEST KITS TO BE DISTRIBUTED AT AWARENESS PRESENTATION

A community awareness presentation regarding the radioactive gas radon is set for 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.

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.

For more information, call Au-Yeung at 257-5550, email 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.