Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

LOOKING IN ON: SUBURBS

Gina Boeckle doesn't like Henderson's vicious - dog ordinance, which was updated this year, one bit.

Last year Boeckle's female pit bull got loose in her subdivision near Green Valley and Silver Springs parkways. It threatened some neighbors, and the police were called. Boeckle was warned to keep a muzzle on her Apollo, and keep her on a leash.

About three weeks ago the dog got loose again and Henderson police said Apollo knocked over an elderly person. The city gave Boeckle 14 days to turn over the dog. She refused and on day 15 animal control officers took Apollo.

Boeckle says the problem stems from a dispute with a neighbor as well as her Palm Valley Estates homeowners association.

"She is the most docile dog," Boeckle said. "My grandkids pull her tail and lay on top of her , and she just lays there."

For now Apollo is living in the city animal pound. Boeckle is devastated. She's hired a lawyer to try to spring the pooch.

A Henderson Police spokesman said it's not uncommon for animal control officers to take away a dog deemed vicious. But others in the city said it's fairly uncommon for folks to get a court date for their pets.

A judge will decide Aug. 1 whether Apollo can handle a return to society.

The scenery in Boulder City is changing along Arizona Street and Nevada Way.

This month the city unveiled the first pieces in a five-year public art project aimed at sprucing up the downtown corridor. The city purchased two sculptures, "Alabam," by Steven Liguori, and "Hitchin' a Ride," by L'Deane Trueblood, and is borrowing nine others.

"Alabam" features a man wearing a roll of toilet paper around his neck, depicting an actual janitor during the construction of Hoover Dam in the 1930s. "Hitchin ' a Ride" shows two children riding a tricycle, a tribute to the families who lived in Boulder City during the dam's construction.

The city will spend $60,000 in redevelopment funds yearly on the project. More than 200 people attended an opening-night event. But there have been some whispers in town that the project's initial $300,000 price tag - approved by the City Council last year - seems pricey.

"It's nice; it's attractive," Councilman Travis Chandler said . "Sometimes I wonder if it's the best use of the money , though."

North Las Vegas hopes a program for neighborhoods and homeowners associations will provide new and needed input on citywide decisions.

The city has adopted a registration program for community groups and associations that will allow city officials to build a database of active residents.

Those on the registry will be eligible to apply for small grants for neighborhood projects. It is free to sign up.

The groups are expected to encompass neighborhoods from four blocks to a square mile. Any group of neighbors can join, regardless whether they have a formal association.

The move has been praised by residents active in city government.

"This is a small step for us," said Richard Cherchio, organizer of the North Las Vegas Alliance of Homeowners Associations and Concerned Citizens. "But as far as North Las Vegas goes , it's a giant step for the community. It's going to give a new avenue for communication."

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy