Abigail Goldman

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Story Archive

Nevada shaped by fans of air conditioning: As air conditioning expanded into Southern Nevada, the population went up and — ironically — so did the temperatures; Monday, July 12, 2010; They blasted dynamite holes in the ground to plant trees. The desert was too hard for shovels, but they needed the shade. This was Las Vegas before air conditioning.
Man vs. mosquito: Rising from marshes and abandoned pools, these disease-carrying blood-suckers are trying to make a meal out of you; Tuesday, June 22, 2010; Mosquitoes - they pierce, then rummage under your skin, looking for what entomologists call a “blood meal.”
The story of jewel thieves who count Vegas among their daring jobs: Monday, May 17, 2010; The first man enters the jewelry store just after 8:30 p.m. He is tall, with a receding hairline, accented English, and a sportcoat slung over his shoulder "in an European style," a detective would later write.
To be a drug dog, you need ‘prey drive’ - and a little German: Monday, May 3, 2010; These are not dogs you teach to roll over, or cuddle. These dogs -- this particular group of eight -- only respond to commands in German. These dogs have 400 hours of training, each.
Interrogation 101: Detective is teaching others the art of the squeal: Monday, April 26, 2010; Detective Robert Griffin taped a map of Henderson to the wall. Then he picked 30 points on that map, and stuck pins in each point. Then he stuck a mug shot -- the same mug shot, the same guy, 30 times -- next to each point.
A trip to the Canine Semen Bank can bring Poodle 2.0: Tuesday, April 13, 2010; The poodle, according to the American kennel Club breed standard, should have "an air of distinction and dignity peculiar to himself." Lidos Tequila Sunrise, a Vegas champion poodle, had this plus a puffed apricot coat; a rare auburn body bouffant that owner Susie Osburn has bred into several generations of ginger winners - the extended dog children of Tequila Sunrise, who, despite being dead for more than a decade, continues to produce apricot offspring.
UNLV academics study Nevada’s brothel industry: Tuesday, April 6, 2010; For all the commotion around legal prostitution in Nevada, the world of brothels is a pretty small place: At most, it's about 500 people working at 25 or 30 brothels, some of which are just double-wide trailers dressed up for guests.
2B or not 2B? The age of the Twitter suicide note is upon us: Tuesday, April 6, 2010; The average suicide note is reportedly fewer than 150 words, which raises a truly dark specter: Twitter.
America’s first legal male prostitute looks back on short-lived career: Monday, April 5, 2010; The Shady Lady's working man, Markus, has quit the "surrogate lover" business after two months.
What should Clark County do with teenage prostitutes?: Monday, March 22, 2010; Miranda is 14 years old and angry as she stands in court. She’s spent a month in juvenile detention, even though she wasn’t charged with a crime. No, this time Miranda’s locked up because she agreed to testify against her pimp.
Fighting crime a few steps off the Las Vegas Strip: You’ll not likely see the lawlessness of downtown’s seedy edges; Monday, March 15, 2010; A man in a clown suit, dancing in the the road, obstructing traffic — just another call police patrolling Metro’s Downtown Area Command responded to on a recent Friday afternoon. A fight between friends that ended with one shot in the face — another call that came in over the radio, shortly after the dancing clown.
Lonely in Las Vegas: Web site lets strangers rent a friend: Monday, March 8, 2010; First they went to a movie together. Two Las Vegas women — a 30-year-old and a 50-something. Total strangers. Totally platonic. And the older woman paid in advance, so there was no awkward exchange of cash.
Identity theft continues to keep Metro’s Electronic Crimes Unit busy: Monday, Feb. 15, 2010; A credit card that was swiped at a high-end fashion retailer in Las Vegas one day was counterfeited and being used two days later.
Grim numbers show Nevada leads nation in suicides over 60: Monday, Feb. 8, 2010; Suicide statistics are a grim science, one that dresses data in careful terms, like "attempt-to-completion ratio." That's the number of attempted suicides compared to the number of successful suicides. Or, more casually, the number of nightmares to horrors. Sometimes it's the coldest calculations that best reveal our most complicated human conditions.
Hometown tourist: What a Vegas local saw when she boarded the bus; Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010; What a Vegas local saw when she boarded the bus.
Going after ill-gotten gains: If you fancy the notion of cheating a casino, Control Board agent fancies arresting you; Friday, Dec. 11, 2009; It was warm inside, and James Taylor apologized before taking off his suit jacket, folding it next to the lectern and turning back to reveal a heavy holster at the waist of his white dress shirt.
Was a foiled bank heist a cry for help?: Bizarre acts are nothing new for main suspect in robbery attempt; Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009; It wasn’t a secret that Eric Griffin planned to enter a Wells Fargo Bank and demand access to the vault. One day before Griffin and four accomplices did just that — walked into a Henderson branch claiming a fake federal search warrant gave them authority to seize the vault’s contents — Griffin filed a document in federal court announcing his plan.
Sheriff staring down some stark financial reality: City Councilman Steve Wolfson says tax projections dismal, deeper cuts might be needed; Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009; Metro Sheriff Doug Gillespie is denying himself a raise again this year. And, again, that small cut is hardly enough. For the second year in a row, Gillespie wants Metro to present a “zero-growth” budget — he doesn’t want the department to spend any more during the next fiscal year than was budgeted for this year: $549 million.
Man locked out of work by prison of his past: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009; The Nevada Board of Pardons has been told that Conan Pope must prove himself before his voluntary manslaughter charge is pardoned. But Pope can’t prove himself, really, if he can’t get a job. And he can’t get a good job unless he gets pardoned — unless he no longer has to tell potential employers about how, at age 15, he killed his dad.
Inventive Henderson robbery scheme falls flat: Monday, Nov. 16, 2009; Five men are being charged with a bank robbery scheme that was, if not successful, at least inventive. Rather than bust into a Wells Fargo in Henderson with guns drawn, authorities allege a team of men walked into the bank armed with a fake federal search warrant — a document they claimed gave them the authority to seize all the money in the bank’s vault.
On busy road, memorial sprouts for friendly horse: Checkers’ admirers — and her owner — mourn her passing; Monday, Nov. 16, 2009; The Stop N Go sold Icees — slushed cherry, frosted cola. After school, when the urge came, Stacy McNamara rode Checkers, her brown-dapple appaloosa, two miles from her house to the minimart at Eastern and Russell.
Flagged by Interpol, brought down by the EPA: Environmental agency gets tough, lists fugitives from its justice, FBI-style; Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009; Joseph O’Connor was an Irish man with a Nevada business wanted by Interpol for selling ships to drug traffickers out of Spain. So of all the things a guy like O’Connor probably figures he could go down for, polluting must have been a surprise. And yet, in late October, O’Connor found himself in federal court, pleading guilty to environmental crimes.
Elderly, a bit senile, visiting Vegas — man was perfect fraud victim: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009; Wilson Smith met a nice woman in Las Vegas. They spent two days together, it seems, before Smith, in town for only a short visit, headed to a high school reunion and then back home to California — and his new friend started calling.
As economy falters, employee theft on the rise: Friday, Nov. 6, 2009; Robert Frimet is a self-proclaimed fraud expert, a businessman who audits other companies’ books, gives lectures on recognizing employee theft, and sits as a civilian member on the Nevada Fight Fraud Task Force.
Their valuables gone, like their ladies of the night: More than $2 million is likely be stolen in ’09 in ‘trick rolls’ in which a prostitute robs a client; Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009; People in the company of Clark County prostitutes collectively reported having $1.4 million in cash and goods stolen from them during the first nine months of this year — dupes of a larceny genre better known to police as the “trick roll.” By year’s end, it’s estimated the total reported losses will exceed $2 million — almost double last year’s total, and probably a fraction of the real amount. How many people file police reports, after all, when their prostitutes disappoint?
Should the jury know that he was acquitted of murder?: Accused of killing his wife, one man's trial may hinge on the death of a previous spouse; Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009; Thomas Randolph was nonchalant for a handcuffed man charged with murder, again. "Nice to see you!” he said, shuffling into Utah Judge Rodney Page’s courtroom. Randolph was being extradited to Las Vegas, where police blame him for two homicides — of his wife, and the guy he persuaded to kill her. Page presided over Randolph’s past murder trial, in 1989, when he was accused of killing a previous wife.
Web site aims to settle legal disputes away from public eye: Friday, Oct. 30, 2009; It’s a new courtroom, like any other: There’s a jury box and deliberation room, a bailiff and a clerk, a place for witnesses to testify and attorneys to argue.
Regulation in need of a checkup: Public missteps, sluggish response to complaints, crises continue to bring criticism on Nevada’s medical board; Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009; The Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners is required by law to protect patients. But critics — doctors and lawmakers among them — say the board is hampered by conflicts of interest, lacks the will to discipline physicians and is accountable to no one.
Black Book, Vegas’ bad guys aren’t what they used to be: Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009; The list of people banned from Nevada casinos includes 21 names added between 1990 and 2000 — all men, most with alleged mob connections, many with monikers: The Fixer, Moose, Dicky Boy, The Pope. In the near decade that has followed, however, between 2001 and today, the Gaming Control Board added a mere seven names to the list — men who, with one exception, were all casino cheats, crooks more likely to use aliases than earn nicknames.
Metro uses scare tactic on careless parents: Officers point to sex offender stats when they find a child left in a car; Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009; Metro Police investigate enough cases of children left in hot cars to have the process down pat — it’s your basic grim abuse and neglect assessment, except for one step:
Who’s behind the jabs at local TV news anchor Nina Radetich: Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009; The “NINA LIES” signs came down quickly. What won’t be cleaned up by highway crews, however, is a Web site launched last week: ninaradetich.com. Enter that Internet address and you’re directed to the Wikipedia page on journalism ethics and standards — a caustic poke at KTNV-TV, Channel 13’s Nina Radetich.
Making sense of the county’s tragic month of murder-suicides: Data on phenomenon is thin, but factors are well-known; Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009; September has seen three murder-suicides in Clark County, and two homicides with failed suicides — a rash almost anybody would agree is unusual. In a town that has averaged about six murder-suicides a year since 2003, according to Metro Police, there is no definitive answer to why detectives would suddenly find themselves investigating five such cases in the space of 19 days.
Jack Finn resigns from NV Energy position: Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009; Jack Finn resigned as special projects manager at NV Energy last week. The Sept. 21 resignation follows a series of Las Vegas Sun articles about Finn's girlfriend, KTNV-TV, Channel 13 anchor Nina Radetich. Prior to working at NV Energy, Finn was a spokesman for Sen. John Ensign and former Gov. Kenny Guinn.
Christopher Gandy, president of the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators' Nevada chapter: Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009; Christopher Gandy shudders when he thinks of how easily people become victims of financial crime. The former North Las Vegas police detective is president of the Nevada chapter of the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators.
Inside look to stir critics of gun shows — and laws: Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009; Readers of the recently released report “Inside Gun Shows: What Goes on When Everybody Thinks Nobody’s Looking” will likely fall into two main camps:
State sells a key piece of evidence in Tire Works fraud sting: Gone: Car at center of lawsuit against Tire Works shops; Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009; The undercover agent was a 2000 Chevy Malibu pulled from the Nevada state motor pool — a dark blue decoy car investigators from the state’s Consumer Affairs Division said was in tip-top shape when they dropped it off at three Tire Works auto repair locations in November. TV cameras were not rolling, however, when the Malibu was sold at auction in April.
Wrestling demons of abuse: Rape Crisis Center helps inmates become survivors; Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009; Female inmates routinely report high rates of rape or childhood sexual abuse before incarceration — depending on what research you read, from 40 to 80 percent of imprisoned women report histories of sexual assault, percentages that greatly exceed those reported by women who aren’t behind bars.
News anchor’s ‘heads up’ called judgment lapse: In recorded calls, broadcaster offers aid to target of stories; Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009; In March, KTNV-TV, Channel 13 news aired a series of undercover exposes on a local auto repair chain. Before it aired, recorded phone calls obtained by the Sun reveal anchor Nina Radetich told the owner her boyfriend could help the company handle media relations to counter the negative coverage.
Former Mrs. Nevada Juliette Kimoto accused in scam: Authorities say her husband also scammed nearly 300,000 people; Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009; Juliette Kimoto was crowned Mrs. Nevada in 2006. Her spouse, Kyle, also took home an award: Husband of the Year. They were a happy, church-going couple with six kids. They were also a couple in deep trouble with the law, and falling deeper by fathoms.
Silence a frustrating enemy of justice: Witnesses of gang-related violence reluctant to speak; Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2009; Teenagers poured off the bus that afternoon. Afterward, from their hospital beds, shooting victims estimated 50 people were standing at the school bus stop when someone shouted “gun!” Six people were hit. Four were high school students.
Doctor who hosted party faces charges: Minors were drinking, and two of them left house in a car, police report says; Monday, Aug. 31, 2009; A well-known Nevada doctor has been charged with contributing to the delinquency of two minors who were allegedly provided alcohol at his home.
Elisabeth Daniels, Nevada Fight Fraud Task Force chairwoman: Monday, Aug. 31, 2009; Elisabeth Daniels has spoken at foreclosure seminars for groups of 600.
If model’s killing has a familiar ring to it ...: Maybe it’s because you saw similarly grim details on ‘CSI’ or ‘Law and Order’; Friday, Aug. 28, 2009; Here’s the script synopsis: A woman is found dead in a suitcase, her fingers and teeth removed, leaving investigators to identity her by breast implant serial number. If the early August murder of Las Vegas resident Jasmine Fiore reads like a prime-time plot, it’s in part because her mutilation seems like the work of someone worried about fingerprints, dental records and bite marks, the kind of evidence TV investigators collect nightly for audiences of millions.
DMV making identity thieves’ faces their own worst enemies: Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009; Armed investigators wearing brass badges at the Department of Motor Vehicles building on West Flamingo Road scan the thousands of driver’s license photos Nevadans smile for every day, looking for fraud. Every week, with help from a computerized facial recognition program, they catch dozens of people attempting to get licenses in someone else’s name.
Don’t pay disposal fee on old AC compressor units: Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009; In August Clark County residents can’t afford to ignore air-conditioning repairs, no matter what they cost -- even when local air-conditioning repair companies are collecting fees to specially dispose of one critical component for which Nevada has no such disposal regulation.
Metro sees dramatic rise in heroin seizures: Experts: Young people are switching from pills for cheaper fix; Monday, Aug. 17, 2009; Metro Police have seized 75 percent more heroin this year than they did in the same period of last year.
Metro to mini-marts: Together we can kick crime: Pilot program stresses partnership, small changes at stores; Friday, Aug. 14, 2009; The start of Metro’s five-year robbery research and prevention project was, at least on the surface, pretty unremarkable: About 20 convenience store owners and employees were sitting in a room for two hours with police specialists, listening to a lecture.
Unusual deaths have clear King: What grips most of us fascinates coroners at Vegas convention; Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009; Brian Elias finished his slide-show presentation on people asphyxiating in palm trees and was moving onto another segment of his “Death in Unusual Locations” lecture when the Los Angeles County coroner’s investigator had to cut the talk short.
Metro lieutenant suspended with pay during investigation: Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009; Metro Lt. Robert Sebby has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal affairs investigation. Assistant Sheriff Ray Flynn, who oversees Internal Affairs, would not comment further on the pending investigation.
Facing possible life sentence, troubles worsen for alleged pimp: Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009; Things are not getting any better for Derrick Avery. Two days after Avery was the subject of a Sun article examining Avery’s insistence he’s not a pimp despite years of appearing in documentaries and TV shows as “Pimp Snooky,” authorities filed a criminal complaint against him federal court accusing Avery of beating prostitutes and transporting minors across state lines to sell sex.