Breaking News

Wednesday

May 22, 2013

8 p.m.

Photo: Jessica Padron, left, and members of Two Countries

Protesters at Las Vegas tech show take aim at Mexican billionaire's 'corrupt practices': By Tovin Lapan; One good thing about protesting a communications and technology mogul is that most of your target audience is quick to record and capture events on their cellular phones.

6:10 p.m.

Photo: U.S. Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev. gives a victory speech

Heck’s Stolen Valor Act wins swift passage in Congress: By Karoun Demirjian; Rarely these days do bills in Congress experience a 48-hour turnaround, but that’s about all it took for Nevada Rep. Joe Heck’s Stolen Valor Act to be approved by the House of Representatives, the Senate and be sent to President Barack Obama’s desk to be signed into law.

4:10 p.m.

4 Americans killed since 2009 in US drone strikes: By Lara Jakes and Pete Yost, Associated Press; The Obama administration acknowledged publicly for the first time Wednesday that four American citizens have been killed in drone strikes since 2009 in Pakistan and Yemen. The disclosure to Congress comes on the eve of a major national security speech by President Barack Obama in which he plans to pledge more transparency to Congress in his counterterrorism policy.

4:06 p.m.

Photo: Jodi Arias, right, and her defense attorneys Jenni

Jury deciding Jodi Arias' sentence adjourns for day: By Brian Skoloff and Josh Hoffner, Associated Press; Jurors in the Jodi Arias murder trial said Wednesday they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict on whether she should be sentenced to life in prison or death for killing her one-time boyfriend, prompting the judge to instruct them to keep trying.

3:28 p.m.

Strong winds expected through evening; air-quality advisory issued: By Riley Snyder; Because of expected strong winds, Clark County officials are warning of the possibility of blowing dust this afternoon and evening.

3:19 p.m.

U.S. 95 reopened near Spaghetti Bowl after bomb scare: By Brian Nordli, Riley Snyder; A suspicious black cylindrical object closed U.S. 95 for more than an hour Wednesday before Las Vegas Fire and Bomb squad investigators determined it was harmless.

2:19 p.m.

Pedestrian struck and killed by truck along U.S. 95: By Riley Snyder; A 37-year-old Henderson woman died after she was hit by a truck Tuesday night as she walked along U.S. 95 near the Railroad Pass Hotel and Casino.

1:25 p.m.

Photo: Firefly Tapas Kitchen & Bar on Paradise Road sits

Sausage at Firefly tests positive for salmonella; number of sick now at 294: By Ed Komenda; Health officials say cooked chorizo collected from the Firefly Tapas Kitchen & Bar on Paradise Road has tested positive for salmonella. The discovery comes after a salmonella outbreak last month that sickened at least 294 people from 27 states and two foreign countries who ate at the popular off-Strip restaurant, according to a report released by the Southern Nevada Health District today.

1:05 p.m.

Median CEO pay rises to $9.7 million in 2012: By Christina Rexrode, Associated Press; CEO pay has been going in one direction for the past three years: up. The head of a typical large public company made $9.7 million in 2012, a 6.5 percent increase from a year earlier that was aided by a rising stock market, according to an analysis by The Associated Press using data from Equilar, an executive pay research firm.

12:41 p.m.

Fairgrounds on Las Vegas Strip will accommodate 64,000 for special events

Fairgrounds on Las Vegas Strip will accommodate 64,000 for special events: By Conor Shine; An overflow parking lot across from the Luxor will be converted into a fairgrounds for music festivals and other special events, after the plan was approved by the Clark County Commission today.

12:11 p.m.

Metro IDs former MLB all-star Jose Canseco as suspect in sexual assault

Metro IDs former MLB all-star Jose Canseco as suspect in sexual assault: By Jackie Valley; After Metro Police contacted Jose Canseco on Wednesday morning about sexual assault allegations raised against him, the former Major League Baseball player publicly proclaimed his innocence.

11:54 a.m.

Photo: Convicted killer Jodi Arias makes a point as she a

Jodi Arias speaks out about case in jailhouse interview: By Brian Skoloff and Josh Hoffner, Associated Press; In a surprise jailhouse interview just hours after a jury began deliberating her fate, Jodi Arias spoke out about her murder trial, her many fights with her legal team and her belief that she "deserves a second chance at freedom someday."

11:09 a.m.

Firefly owner enlists new PR firm after salmonella outbreak

Firefly owner enlists new PR firm after salmonella outbreak: By Ed Komenda; John Simmons, the embattled owner of Firefly Tapas Restaurant & Bar, has hired a new public relations firm to represent his restaurant. The Ferraro Group on Wednesday announced it would replace Purdue Marion & Associates.

10:09 a.m.

Bears star linebacker Brian Urlacher announces his retirement: By Andrew Seligman, Associated Press; Star linebacker Brian Urlacher is calling it a career after 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears. The eight-time Pro Bowl player announced his retirement on his Twitter account Wednesday. In a statement, he said, "After spending a lot of time this spring thinking about my NFL future, I have made a decision to retire."

9:07 a.m.

Photo: Lois Lerner, head of the IRS unit that decides whe

'I did nothing wrong,' IRS official Lerner says, then pleads Fifth: By Alan Fram and Stephen Ohlemacher, Associated Press; At the center of a political storm, an Internal Revenue Service supervisor whose agents targeted conservative groups swore Wednesday she did nothing wrong, broke no laws and never lied to Congress.

8:10 a.m.

Anthony Weiner launches comeback bid to become NYC mayor: By Jennifer Peltz, Associated Press; Anthony Weiner knows there may be a lot of New Yorkers who would never consider voting for him again, but he says he's running for mayor because he wants to bring his ideas to the fore — and win.

8:07 a.m.

Photo: Jimmy Hodges helps Chad Heltcel and his wife Cassi

Oklahoma tornado damage could top $2 billion: By Christopher Sherman and Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Associated Press; The tornado that tore through an Oklahoma City suburb destroyed or damaged as many as 13,000 homes and may have caused $2 billion in overall damage, officials said Wednesday. State authorities meanwhile said two infants were among the 24 people who perished in the twister.

7:32 a.m.

Man shot to death while being questioned in Boston bombing probe

Man shot to death while being questioned in Boston bombing probe: law enforcement:; By Kyle Hightower, Associated Press; A Chechen immigrant who was being questioned about his ties to one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects was shot to death by authorities early Wednesday after he lunged at an FBI agent with a knife, officials said.

7:28 a.m.

On top of big salaries, companies like Wynn Resorts pile on perks for CEOs

On top of big salaries, companies like Wynn Resorts pile on perks for CEOs: Associated Press; Wynn Resorts kept a suite open all year at its tony Las Vegas hotel and casino for founder and CEO Steve Wynn, at a cost of nearly $452,000. Former IBM CEO Samuel Palmisano was guaranteed an administrative assistant and furnished office for life.

2 a.m.

Developer breaking ground on an office project — a rarity these days: Real estate:; By Eli Segall; With office construction at a near standstill, a Las Vegas developer is breaking ground this week on a project for a residential brokerage firm.

2 a.m.

Narrow definitions in new health care law could penalize some Nevada Indians: Culture:; Michelle Rindels, Associated Press; On one hand, Angie Wilson said she’s looking forward to when the health care overhaul takes full effect in 2014 — it’ll allow the Northern Nevada tribal health clinic she directs to maximize its limited resources. But on the other hand, the director of the Reno-Sparks Tribal Health Center is worried about the federal government’s plans to use a narrow definition of American Indian in the law — one that could mean an estimated one-third of her clinic’s 7,000 regular clients will be hit with a $695 annual fine for not carrying insurance.

Tuesday

May 21, 2013

11:03 p.m.

FBI agent escapes injury when homicide suspect opens fire: By Brian Nordli, Riley Snyder; A homicide suspect opened fire Tuesday as members of an FBI fugitive task force attempted to serve a warrant at an apartment complex near Sahara Avenue and Maryland Parkway, authorities said.

9 p.m.

Henderson council passes $479 million budget, avoiding cuts: By Conor Shine; The Henderson City Council approved a $479 million budget Tuesday evening for fiscal year 2014, which starts July 1, that is roughly the same size as the previous year and won’t require any cuts to staff or services.

8:15 p.m.

Skorkowsky appointed CCSD superintendent in unanimous vote

Skorkowsky appointed CCSD superintendent in unanimous vote: education:; By Paul Takahashi; The Clark County School Board unanimously appointed Pat Skorkowsky as superintendent of the nation's fifth-largest school district on Tuesday night.

7 p.m.

Swinger blocked from operating sex club gets another day in court

Swinger blocked from operating sex club gets another day in court: By Conor Shine; A business owner who said he was improperly denied a business license to open a swingers club in a Las Vegas shopping center will get a second chance to make his case after a federal court ordered Monday that his lawsuit against Clark County be reheard.