Southwest and Spring Valley Neighborhood News

Master gardeners set to be on hand to answer questions

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners will be staffing an Ask a Master Gardener table at Whole Foods Market, 8855 W. Charleston Blvd. every Saturday in February. People can ask questions between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Weekly topics are: Saturday, Organic Gardening; Feb. 18, Raised Beds; and Feb. 25, Cool and Warm Season Veggies. Along with weekly topics, additional information will be available.

Zappos CEO to match funds for the Las Vegas Little Theatre

As part of a fundraising effort to support community theater, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has promised to match all donations made to the Las Vegas Little Theatre by June 1 up to $15,000. To donate, visit lvlt.org or mail donations to 3920 Schiff Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89103. For more information, call 362-7996.

CHESS GROUP MOVES

The World Chess Federation Inc. has moved its meetings to a new location. It now meets from 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays inside Family Practice Urgent Care-Amazing Chiropractic, 3120 S. Valley View Blvd.

For more information, visit wcfchess.com or call 418-4687.

Desert Breeze pool closure scheduled through Saturday

Desert Breeze pool, 8275 Spring Mountain Road, is scheduled to be closed for renovations through Saturday. For more information, visit lasvegasnevada.gov.

Mountain's Edge design proposal meeting planned

Residents living in the southwest part of Clark County are invited to attend an upcoming open house to provide input on proposed designs for the Mountain's Edge Regional Park/Trail Project.

The open house is planned from 5 to 6 p.m. Feb. 15, before the 6 p.m. Enterprise Town Advisory Board meeting at the Enterprise Library, 25 E. Shelbourne Ave.

Preliminary design options for the first phase of the regional park/trail project, located at 7929 Mountain's Edge Parkway, between Buffalo and Durango drives, will be on display at the open houses for public review and recommendations. For more information, visit clarkcountynv.gov.

Area pet rescue seeking financial aid for microchips

Due to microchip upgrades and other factors, Adopt A Rescue Pet is facing doubled costs for microchips for its adoptable animals. The rescue is asking the public to donate $10 to sponsor a pet's microchip. This will allow the rescue to provide a registered microchip to every dog being adopted. Out of the 1,292 animals adopted out last year, 126 were relocated and returned to their owners or to the rescue due to their microchips. Secure Donations can be made at adoptarescuepet.org or mailed to Adopt A Rescue Pet, 1500 E. Tropicana Ave., Suite 105, Las Vegas, NV 89119. Adoptions can also be made in person at the weekend adoption events at PetSmart, 2140 N. Rainbow Blvd., or Petco, 2340 E. Serene Ave.

Photo challenge benefits families

Show off your photogenic child for a cause with local photographers Portraits to You and Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, a nonprofit that provides free photography sessions to families suffering an early infant loss.

Participants pose for a session with Portraits to You for a $39 fee. Families also receive a print.

Families rally support and votes via charitymodelsearch.org. Votes are $1 each, and proceeds benefit Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.

Voting is to be conducted through March 23.

The top 25 vote yielders are judged by a panel of photography experts, and the top three are to receive awards including a camera, gift cards and savings bond.

For more information, visit charitymodelsearch.org, portraitstoyou.net or call 499-9930.

SHOW SUPPORT FOR RED ROCK CANYON THROUGH LICENSE PLATE

The Red Rock Canyon license plate has been approved by the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles and is now available at any DMV office. Those who wish to support Red Rock Canyon do not need to wait for their current plate to expire. Exchanging your existing plate for a Red Rock Canyon one costs $61, plus a transfer fee of $5. Bring your ID and vehicle registration.

Annual renewals are $30 and can be handled through the mail or online.

Friends of Red Rock Canyon will receive $25 (first year) and $20 for renewals.

For more information, visit dmvnv.com.

Contractors board, association to offer free air-conditioning units

The Nevada State Contractors Board and nonprofit Southern Nevada Air Conditioning Refrigeration Service Contractors Association have announced the start of the seventh annual Mission Cool Off program. The program provides selected individuals and families in Southern Nevada a free air-conditioning unit that has been donated by licensed contractors who are also members of the contractors association.

The first 100 applications received by Feb. 29 will be considered for selection. Selections are made by a committee of individuals and are determined based on a person's or family's special circumstances. The program is not open to tenants, landlords, owners who do not reside at the residence or mobile homeowners. All applicants who qualify must complete and submit all required forms, including the application and media release form, in order to be considered. The forms can be downloaded at nscb.nv.gov or by calling Ranya Botros at 486-1165.

DUMP YOUR EX'S STUFF FOR VALENTINE'S DAY THROUGH GOODWILL EVENT

Now through Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, bring your ex's gently used stuff to one of Goodwill of Southern Nevada's more than 30 donation centers across the Las Vegas Valley. All items donated must be the sole property of the donor. Goodwill of Southern Nevada and Lotus Broadcasting are not liable for items donated that do not belong to the individual donating.

To find a donation center near you, visit sngoodwill.org.

Those who donate before Friday will find out how to register to win a Future Ex prize package courtesy of KOMP 92.3 FM's Rock n' Roll Morning show. Contest rules will be posted on komp.com.

LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY RECEIVES WALMART FOUNDATION GRANT

The Southern Nevada chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society was given a $50,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation to fund an in-depth educational series called Educating and Empowering Southern Nevada, which is open to anyone in Clark, Lincoln, Nye and Esmeralda counties.

In 2011, the chapter provided $178,665 in medication co-pay assistance and financial aid to local patients. It's estimated that doctors will diagnose approximately 800 Southern Nevada residents with a blood cancer in 2012.

For more information, visit lls.org or call 800-955-4572.

COCKER SPANIEL RECOVERY FOUNDATION JOINS PETFINDER.COM

The Cocker Spaniel Recovery Foundation, Las Vegas, has joined other animal welfare organizations in the area that list their homeless pets on petfinder.com, the oldest and largest database of adoptable animals on the Internet. The site currently has more than 359,000 homeless pets listed and is updated continuously.

Cocker Spaniel Recovery Foundation pets may be viewed at petfinder.com/shelters/NV159.html.

United Way approves funds allocation

United Way of Southern Nevada's Immediate Needs Council approved the allocation of $1 million to 12 local agencies providing rent and nutritional assistance. The funding distribution is a part of the nonprofit's mission to ensure that families in need receive support so they can work toward becoming financially independent. Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada was allotted the largest amount of funding, receiving $355,178 for its food pantry services. HELP of Southern Nevada acquired $165,864, and Lutheran Social Services of Nevada obtained $103,119 for food and rent assistance. The Salvation Army Clark County received $159,825 for food services. Other agencies receiving financial aid include: American Red Cross Southern Nevada Chapter, Las Vegas Area Council Boy Scouts of America, Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas, Emergency Aid of Boulder City, HopeLink, Jewish Family Service Agency, The Shade Tree and United Labor Agency of Nevada.

For more information about United Way's Immediate Needs initiatives, visit uwsn.org.

YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHERS can enter library district's art competition

Clark County youngsters from grades six through 12 can enter the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District's Visual Poetry, a photographic art competition for teens.

Submissions are due by Feb. 29. Awards are $150 for Best of Show, $100 for first place, $75 for second and $50 for third.

The awards reception is planned for 5 to 6:30 p.m. April 5 at the Sahara West Library, 9600 W. Sahara Ave.

For more information, visit lvccld.org/teen/specialprograms/visual_poetry.

WALK AROUND NEVADA WITHOUT LEAVING TOWN

The Southern Nevada Health District offers the Walk Around Nevada program, which helps participants track their physical activity online as they trek around the state and clock in 1,442 miles.

Anyone can sign up for this free online program and start a tour of Nevada. Track mileage online via a red line that marks your tour of the state. It also offers tips about staying hydrated, stretching and healthful hiking basics.

Walk Around Nevada maps include the entire state, a Lake Mead map and a Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake map.

For information on any health district online programs, visit gethealthyclark county.org.

TAKE CARE CLINICS HAVE ONLINE COMPONENT

Take Care Health Systems, a subsidiary of Walgreens, announces new scheduling options for its Take Care Clinics. Now, appointments can be made online through takecarehealth.com.

The site offers access to a comprehensive cost menu to quickly evaluate the cost of services, as well as local and up-to-date information on patient satisfaction scores and market-specific quality of care scores. The site includes estimated wait times at each clinic.

United Way offering scholarship assistance for small children

United Way of Southern Nevada is offering Tuition Assistance Preschool Scholarships for children 3 to 5 years to attend high-quality school readiness preschool programs in Southern Nevada. United Way is providing copays ranging from $17.25 to $57.50 to low- income, unemployed and foster families that do not receive state assistance. Limited scholarships will be provided with a sliding fee for those experiencing financial hardship from unemployment. Scholarships are valid at any partner United Way Child Development Center. For more information, call 892-2361.

STAR PARTY PLANNED AT RED ROCK CANYON

The Las Vegas Astronomical Society plans to return to Red Rock Canyon for Astronomy in the Park at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The evening is set to begin with the presentation "Getting Started in Astronomy," followed by a telescope viewing of the moon and Jupiter just after sunset and deep-sky viewing of galaxies, nebulae and star clusters as the sky darkens.

A laser-guided "What's Up Tonight" tour of the night sky is scheduled to begin around 6:30 p.m. Americans with Disabilities Act parking and access to video-assisted viewing of the night sky is available.

The gates close at sunset, so arrive by 4:30 p.m. For more information, call Rob Lambert at 461-1390 or visit lvastronomy.com.

MASTER GARDENERS PLAN PLANTING SESSIONS

The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and the South Valley Rose Society plan to offer a 7 p.m. educational meeting at the Lifelong Learning Center, 8050 Paradise Road.

The Feb. 23 meeting is planned to be on plant problems and will discuss plant diseases and remedies.

The meeting is free and open to the public. For more information, call 257-5555 or email lvmastergardeners@ unce.unr.edu.

The Cooperative Extension also plans to host an information and registration session for Spring 2012 Master Gardener Training at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at the same address. Spring semester classes will be offered from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays beginning March 12. There are 20 classes. The fee is $150.

Completed registrations (pay with cash or a check payable to Board of Regents) will secure enrollment and are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. For reservations, call Mary Bertsch at 257-5501 or email bertschm@unce.unr.edu.

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