The City of Las Vegas has revoked the business license of the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada. The business has been closed since 3 p.m. Now, possible criminal charges and several lawsuits have been filed.

Medical Center Closed by City

Gloria Oliveri beat cancer three times, only to discover she may have been exposed to hepatitis and HIV because of shoddy practices.

Health District Sets Up Hotline in Hepatitis C Scare

So, understandably she has some strong feelings about what was allowed to happen at the medical clinic she turned to for help in the fight for her life.

Up until now, her worst fear had been that her cancer would return. After beating cancer three times and surviving a brain aneurism, Gloria learned she is among the nearly 40,000 former patients of the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada who may have been exposed to hepatitis and HIV.

“Syringes cost 5 cents. We’re talking about nickels here,” she said.

Southern Nevada health officials say six cases of acute hepatitis C have been identified so far and five of them were traced to sloppy injection practices at the clinic during the past four years.

Clark County District Attorney David Roger says several members of his own staff had procedures done at the Endoscopy Center.

He understands these patients’ desire for justice and his office is considering whether there are grounds to file reckless endangerment or gross negligence charges.

“It won’t happen tomorrow or the next day, but we are taking a hard, fast look at all the facts in the case,” he said.

Four different law firms are now pursuing class action lawsuits against the medical center. Many are outraged at the negligence of the center for letting this go on during a 4 year period. Now they are seeking legal council and say they should be compensated for the stress they are now under because they made the mistake of trusting their doctors.

Heather Beemon is one of four people fling a suit against the center. Her lawyer says the doctors and nurses there went directly against the Hippocratic Oath, causing harm to his clients. He says that because they were negligent they should have to pay for his clients testing now and the re-testing they will need down the road.

As more people come forward with these class action suits they will likely turn in to one large suit.

Meanwhile, Oliveri has already received the results of her first HIV test — it came back negative. But increased demand at local labs has caused a delay with her hepatitis results. So she waits anxiously for answers and offers her brand of justice for those ultimately found to be responsible, “An eye for an eye. Give them an injection from a person who’s infected and see how they like it.”

In response to our community’s increased demand for blood testing, Quest Diagnostics has extended its weekend hours to accommodate more people. Even so, a Quest spokesperson says their normal 24 to 48 hour turnaround is already delayed by a few days.

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As Las Vegas grows, the people who are shaping the valley's future say without the arts, we will not be able to compete with other tourist destinations.

Las Vegas has a downtown arts district. Most people in the valley couldn't find it. Ask someone where to go to see contemporary art, they will most likely say they do not know. More people may be able to tell you that the classics can be found in the Bellagio and Venetian.

Community leaders say Las Vegas must find its art soul to make the next evolution. Tucked in the back of a public library on Sahara sits the Las Vegas Art Museum. In 1974, it became the first fine art museum in the state.

Libby Lumpkin, Las Vegas Art Museum's director said, “We occupy the West Sahara Library. We share the building with them. We have the smaller west end of the building.”

It's a hidden treasure. That's the problem according to MGM-Mirage president and COO Jim Murren.

“It is unconscionable today that we find it acceptable that the Las Vegas Art Museum is an addition to a public library. That is offensive,” said Murren.

Murren is shaping the future of Las Vegas by spearheading the CityCenter Project. He donates to the arts and says we are denying our children the chance to educate themselves.

“It is not acceptable that we have a sub-standard amount of cultural options here in general. That is why the performing arts center is such a critical effort that I love personally and corporately we enjoy,” he said.

The $470 million in private donations will build the Smith Center for Performing Arts downtown. It will open in 2011. The Las Vegas Art Museum has plans in 2009 to move to a new building on Sunset.

Lumpkin points to New York City as an example of how the arts anchor an area. She says the primary tourist draw in New York City is the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“With the Museum of Modern Art right behind it. Before Broadway, before any other attractions,” she said. Lumpkin adds for Las Vegas to take the next step in maturity as a city, the arts need to leap forward.

“The end of '09 you are going to see the beginning, the real beginning of a transformation of this town so that we will also be a cultural destinations well as a leisure destination,” said Lumpkin.

Both Libby Lumpkin and Jim Murren say a cultural core will diversify the attractions in Las Vegas. That in turn will bring more people.

Both new buildings will be in more central locations for the entire valley. The Performing Arts Center will be near the World Market Center downtown.

The new art museum will be near the airport on Sunset, making it a quick cab trip for tourists and just off the 215 for residents. Right now it's an $80 cab ride round trip for visitors on the Las Vegas Strip.

Email your comments to Reporter Edward Lawrence.

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Here's another instance of something you can find only in Las Vegas. To know Arthur Nelson is to listen, laugh and learn — to learn about the intersection of faith and fortune in Las Vegas.

“I'm not in a religious order. I'm a plain civilian,” he said.

He has spent nearly 40 years breathing life into the organ at the Guardian Angel Catholic Church, just off the Las Vegas Strip.

His feet aren't as fast, and his hands are slower by the day, “but the thing is, church should be happy,” he said.

And that's where Arthur's other job comes in. The 77-year-old has a name for that sacred calling - The Chip Monk.

Arthur has combed through thousands of collection plates and found faith in a different form, all thanks to those out-of-towners who leave casino chips as offerings.

“What's the sense of taking it home? toss it in the offering,” he said.

So Arthur collects, sorts and returns the chips to casinos, with all proceeds going back to the church, “In the first place, I'm single, so I have all this time.”

But this is church, though. Arthur put aside any qualms about gambling when one day a priest told him a special prayer to whisper for video poker, “Squeeze me Jesus. Put your arms around me and give me four aces!”

And there's another lesson — how to find salvation among the sinners.

“Where would Christ want to preach? Where the people are. And the people are here,” he said.

This monk's ministry is winding down, yet the man with no chip on his shoulder continues to count and sort, even if his final day could be tomorrow.

“If it is, it is. We have to flow with history,” he said.

And maybe that's the best lesson from Arthur Nelson, learning from God where mass and money come together, but letting life fall where it may.

Arthur says his latest batch of chips might be worth nearly $2,000 and his favorite chip is the black $100 chip from the Mirage.

Email your comments to Reporter Jonathan Humbert

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Police arrested a man with a gun near Clark High School.

Metro says a patrol officer went to approach a man near Clark High after school hours. The man took off running as the patrol officer approached.

They say the man discarded a gun in an alley near the 4300 block of Silver Dollar Dr. The officer later recovered the weapon.

The adult male was taken into custody and booked at Clark County Detention Center.

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The Southern Nevada Health District is holding Saturday immunization clinics to help parents beat the rush to meet new vaccination requirements for 7th graders next school year.

Starting this fall, 7th graders will need to be immunized against Bordetella pertussis. Here is a schedule for the Saturday clinics.

• March 15, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., East Las Vegas Public Health Center, 560 N. Nellis Blvd., Suite E12, Las Vegas
• March 29, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., North Las Vegas Public Health Center, 1820 E. Lake Mead Blvd., Suite F, North Las Vegas
• April 12, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Henderson Public Health Clinic, 520 E. Lake Mead Pkwy., Henderson
• April 26, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Ravenholt Public Health Center, 625 Shadow Lane, Las Vegas. This will be part of a health fair event.

Parents must bring shot records. There is a $16 administrative fee per patient for one immunization and a $20 fee per patient with two or more immunizations.

Also, college freshman younger than 24 years old and who plan to reside on campus must also now get an immunization against Neisseria meningitis.

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Metro is confirming that an adult male has been shot near Bonanza High school. They are looking for an adult male suspect. The shooting happened just after 1:30 p.m.

It happened within close proximity of Bonanza High School letting students out. That, coupled with the shooting last week near Palo Verde, police swarmed to the scene, closing down streets near Torrey Pines and Del Rey. 

“We had a plan in place with the school district to have extra patrols here. Police officers arrived within about four or five minutes of the incident. From what I’m being told we had Metro here and school police, both in patrol cars and on bikes,” said Capt. Jim Dixon of Metro police.

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Crime scene investigators were still gathering evidence as of 4 p.m.

The victim, around 19 or 20-years-old, is still in surgery at UMC and that he is in stable condition. No suspect information has been released yet but they say the shooting was the result of a fight that first began as a physical confrontation in an apartment complex very near to the school and it escalated into a shooting. The suspect did flee in a vehicle.

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The murder of Palo Verde freshman Chris Privett has gripped Las Vegas for more than a week. Police quickly identified the shooter as a fellow student, 16-year-old Gerald Davison.

Eyewitness News has learned that Davison's father, Gerald Davidson, Sr. has been in trouble with the law in the past.

North Las Vegas Police arrested the father last November for shooting into an apartment. The arrest report says it was an accident.

Still, Davison, Sr. was arrested for shooting into a building and drug charges. He also faces two counts of being an ex-felon in possession of guns.

North Las Vegas police confiscated a rifle and .38 Special revolver. Both still sit in evidence.

This incident and the murder of the student point to a growing problem of teens being exposed to guns.

“A lot of the guns we see used in crimes come from residential burglaries. Some of them also come from the residence that the child lives,” said Metro Officer Bill Cassell

Cassell says gun owners must take it upon themselves to lock up their guns in a safe. He says that will cut down on the possible supply hitting the streets.

District Attorney David Roger agrees, saying there are too many teens committing too many crimes with guns.

“Kids who are in high school are supposed to be enjoying these years. They are not supposed to be ducking for cover on their way home from school,” he said.

Roger says when teens commit adult crimes they will be punished as adults. Both Metro and District Attorney David Roger say parents should also give their kids the confidence to walk away from a friend who has a weapon.

Email your comments to Reporter Edward Lawrence

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Man driving aggressively on I-15 wound up being shot with a Taser by a highway patrol trooper, and it was all caught on tape. Eyewitnesses say the man was swerving in and out of traffic on the freeway and hit another vehicle.

The man finally got out of his car at the Charleston/I-15 off-ramp. Eyewitnesses say he was screaming at people around him and even physically attacked one of them. Things escalated when the highway patrol showed up.

People who work nearby and watched it all happen said it looked like an episode of “Cops.” An NHP trooper was trying to stop a man they say was acting wild and screaming. The entire incident was caught on tape by Channel 8.

The man was pacing back and forth yelling at the trooper who kept telling him to stop. Finally, the man appears to taunt the trooper and takes off his hat and shirt.

At that point the trooper, who still had no backup, shot the man with a Taser, causing him to fall face first in to the street. Eyewitnesses say they thought the man was over agitated and seemed to be intoxicated.

“Drugs. That’s what it looks like because the guy — he never stopped screaming after he came too. He never stopped screaming,” said one witness. 

After the man was hit by the Taser, the trooper was able to put him into handcuffs. Eyewitnesses say once the shock wore off, the man continued screaming. Nevada Highway Patrol said there is no indication in the man’s vehicle that he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, but they will be looking into that possibility.

Nevada highway patrol says that the trooper acted accordingly and they are happy to see that non-lethal force was able to bring this situation to end — and that it did not escalate to the point where someone’s life was put in danger.

Email your comments to Reporter Amanda Hernandez.

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Channel 8, along with its Community Pride sponsors, is hosting a discount day at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve.

Community Pride Day takes place on Saturday, March 1. There will be a celebration for families and children of all ages. Festivities include a story reading by Channel 8 anchor Paula Francis and an interactive scavenger hunt. The winners will receive unique gifts from the Springs Preserve gift shop. 

Bring the whole family out to enjoy 180-acre national historic site commonly known as the “birthplace of Las Vegas.” There are walking trails, an outdoor amphitheater and a large learning and exploration area for children.

There is also a Shred-It event where you can have your personal documents shredded for free.

• 10:00 - 10:30 a.m. Paula Francis reads to children and families
• 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Children embark on a scavenger hunt
• 11:30 - 12:00 p.m. Scavenger hunt winners announced

Channel 8 will also be giving away earth-friendly tote bags to the first 300 visitors to the Preserve. Families bringing three children's books to the Preserve will receive a $2 off regular admission coupon redeemable at any Springs Preserve box office. The Springs Preserve is located at 333 S. Valley View Blvd, at Meadows Lane between Alta and U.S. 95.

The all-day event is sponsored by Channel 8 Community Pride sponsors Nevada Power, Findlay Automotive Group, the Venetian Foundation and the Valley Health System.

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More and more senior citizens around the country are picking up video game controllers and are taking part in the Nintendo Wii phenomenon. But here in Las Vegas, the video game trend is linking two very different age groups.

For many senior citizens, video games weren't part of their childhood, so learning how to play an interactive video game now isn't easy. But their young teachers have plenty of experience and are learning some things themselves along the way. The students are from Walter Bracken Elementary School and they are working with a nearby senior center.

He may not understand what he's doing, but 67-year-old Clyde Decatur is willing to try. This is the first time he's held a video game controller, but now Clyde's taking a jab at the Nintendo Wii, everything from boxing to bowling.

And his coach is 11-year-old Jakob, “It's kind of frustrating sometimes because sometimes they hold the wrong button and they keep doing it over and over again. You gotta keep telling them.”

But Clyde was satisfied with his teacher. “He was very patient. He seemed to know the answers to the questions before I asked them,” he said.

Every week, students get a chance to interact with seniors who live right across the street from their school.

It's supposed to introduce the older generation to new technology and give the kids a chance to interact with someone older and wiser, but all of them will you tell you it's about the company.

“You get to find friends that are a little bit older than you — or a lot,” said Jakob.

And even though their energy levels are worlds apart, it's the high energy of the kids that makes Clyde realize the risk of trying something new is worth it.

“I really enjoy it. I get a lot of energy from these young people and a lot of instruction,” said Decatur.

The Nintendo Wii is just part of the program. The students will teach them how to use email but will also interview the seniors to learn about life experiences. It's a learning tool for both the kids and the adults.

Email your comments to Reporter Melissa Duran

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