By Mike Trask (contact)

Tue, Jan 6, 2009 (2 a.m.)

Henderson has formalized plans to redevelop an eight-mile stretch of Boulder Highway that’s lined with aging strip malls, fast-food restaurants and the occasional small casino.

The Boulder Highway Corridor, featuring 1,285 aces of vacant land, runs from Gibson Road to Horizon Drive.

The city has spent more than two years developing an investment strategy aimed at reinvigorating the area, which will benefit from a rapid transit system that is expected to debut in 2011.

The Regional Transportation Commission’s much-discussed MAX bus will connect downtown Henderson with downtown Las Vegas, with a dedicated bus lane running on the Boulder Highway median, carrying a $90 million construction tab.

Henderson’s plan focuses on drawing mixed-use projects and making the area pedestrian-friendly.

New zoning guidelines would push buildings close to the sidewalk to encourage walking. The strategy also sets aside park space on both sides of the road.

The city hopes the recently opened, Target-anchored Lake Mead Crossing shopping center near Boulder Highway and Water Street serves as the first piece of the project.

The city is unwilling to set a timetable for development in the area, especially as it struggles through the recession. It has seen several high-profile redevelopment projects canceled or delayed in the past year.

• • •

North Las Vegas is looking to change its election laws, again.

A state Assembly bill would require all candidates to participate in a primary election.

In the past, candidates with only one opponent, or running unopposed, went directly to the general election.

The new law would award the seat to any candidate who receives more than 50 percent of the primary vote. City officials say the change would make the city’s election laws consistent with those of Las Vegas and Henderson. The municipal primary will be held April 7 and the general election will be June 2. Candidates can begin filing in late January.

Three council members — Shari Buck, William Robinson and Stephanie Smith — have said they will run for mayor. Two council seats will also be on the ballot.

Two years ago the city changed council elections to ward-only contests. Previously, elections were citywide, with candidates required only to live in the wards they represent.

Supporters thought the change would make it easier for challengers with small bankrolls to be competitive, given that they could campaign in a smaller area. However, incumbents Robinson and Buck had huge financial advantages over little-known opponents and easily kept their seats.

­• • •

It was October 2007 when three thieves walked out the front door of Paws to Claws pet store on East Sunset Road with $9,000 worth of purebred puppies.

Now, nearly 15 months later, one of the three stolen dogs has been discovered.

The pups had microchips implanted in their shoulders, allowing them to be identified by veterinarians or animal control. In this case, the dog catcher found the English bulldog wandering the streets of Las Vegas.

“They called and said they have my dog,” said Kelly Stuckey, owner of the shop. “I was thinking, ‘How did my dog at home get out?’ ”

She soon realized it was one of the dogs that had been stolen from her store more than a year ago. Of course, now the dog is fully grown and does not have the value it would have had for the shop owner as a puppy.

Stuckey picked up the dog and took it to a vet, who pronounced the dog healthy.

The English bulldog was then given to family that promised to have it spayed.

Maybe someday the still-missing French bulldog and West Highland terrier will show up, too.