Soon there may be a new family attraction in Henderson and it’s in a surprising place.  Aeroballoon is planning to install a ride in the parking lot of the closed Roadhouse Casino on Boulder Highway.

“It is a helium filled balloon, it is a tethered balloon ride and it carries five passengers and it goes up. It’s safe because it’s on a cable, it has a winch system that goes up and it’s silent, it’s non-polluting.  It’s helium gas, an inert gas and it’s just for fun,” Laurie Nanni of Aeroballoon said.

Aeroballoon held a meeting at the request of the City of Henderson Planning Commission to address concerns from people living near the area.  Robert Piantosi lives across the street from the location came to the meeting because he was worried that the balloon would be too high, noisy and too bright.

“It’s only going to be 200 feet in the air and I thought it was going to be 400…and it’s not going to show in my bedroom window,” Piantosi said.

 Eddie Dichter, Principal Planner for the City of Henderson also attended the meeting.

“We’re approving the project and we’re hoping it’s successful so maybe it can continue on this site or another area in Henderson and I think it’s a great opportunity for people to get a good view of this area of Henderson,” Dichter said.

Nobody has seen the view from 200 feet above the old Roadhouse, but the surrounding area includes a lot of power lines and a water treatment plant.  Nanni assured everyone at the meeting that the view at night would be worth the ride.

Two police robbery suspects are on the run and police need your help to find them. Henderson police say the person robbed the Community Bank at Sunset and Green Valley Parkway last Friday.

The suspect walked up to the counter with a small handgun.

Investigators say the person demanded money before leaving in a silver four-door Nissan.

If you know anything about this robbery, call the Henderson Police Department at 267-4750.

Today, the entrance to the Water Street District in downtown Henderson looks unimpressive, but the City of Henderson Redevelopment Agency has big plans. The first of many businesses to open around the corner of Lake Mead Parkway and Water St will be a Target, and it is set to open its doors on July 27^th.

“This area naturally developed as the heart of our town. This is where our city started. It is a natural downtown, and it has evolved over time so it has character and place and a sense of community already here. We don’t have to build that from scratch, we don’t have to create it.  It’s here already, we just have to enhance it and make it even better,” Redevelopment Manager Michelle Romero said.

Even though the rest of Southern Nevada’s economy is slow, Romero said that her department hasn’t had much trouble leasing out space. There are a few empty buildings now, but people interested in starting a business are coming in steadily because the rent is low and Henderson is still growing.

“We have seen some slow down in the economy…it’s happening everywhere. But we still have a very high interest we have people in every day that are looking to locate down here. It’s just a matter of finding the right match for the particular business that comes in, so, while the economy has affected us some, we’re still finding people coming down here quite a bit,” Romero explained.

Dave Beason, lifelong Henderson resident, business owner and president of the Downtown Business Association says business at his muffler shop has been steady. He also said that he loves the redevelopment plan, but is frustrated that the gateway to the district still looks dirty and industrial.

“Once (people) get past the original construction that they’re doing right now, it’s really a nice place to be. It’s that first block that we’re struggling with right now to get people past that first block that’s under construction and development,” Beason said.

Beason has seen decades of change come through Henderson, and he says that the Water Street District redevelopment is a much needed way to strengthen the community.

“It’s a lot better off right now than it was 15 to 20 years ago. We’re a lot better off, and it’s going in a great direction. So as long as we can keep going that direction, I think within the next four to five years, we’ll see some really neat stuff down here and it’ll be just as neat as across the street at the Target center.”

Henderson police broke up a drug house Tuesday morning. Eyewitness News was on scene as detectives were cleaning up what neighbors say was a massive marijuana grow system.

Ronald T. Miller, 33, has been charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell.

One neighbor said Miller lived at the house near Gibson and the 215 for the last year was a nice guy, but he had no idea he was growing marijuana.

He went in the house and took pictures of the painted over windows and remnants of the grow system. He says Miller was basically living in a closet because of the huge drug set-up.

This is the second day in a row Henderson has gotten hit hard by a very wet, fast moving storm. It's gone now, but it left behind a muddy mess in some locations.

These summer storms are either slow movers or fast movers. This one – a fast moving but brief storm dumped a lot of rain in a short period of time.

The wash that collects all that water has been bone dry these past few months, but today it's filled.

Flash Flood Information

Around 2 p.m. Monday, that storm dumped inches of rain in less than an hour here in Henderson as it rolled off Black Mountain.

Rain coming that fast and hard collected quickly and left behind standing water. With the rain rate so fast, not even all the side gutters can take all of the water in. So it tends to back up, leaving behind muddy and flooded streets.

Obviously, cars can get stuck in all of that, so we want to make sure any flooded streets are avoided and motorists should always find alternate routes.

It looks like the skies have cleared up, but we know during monsoon season those skies can turn dark and dump rain quickly too. 

With storms that hit this quickly and have the potential to flood roads and neighborhoods, you can either sign up for weather alerts through email and cell phones.

But always pay attention to our weather watches and warnings that the forecasters put out.

Email your comments to Reporter Tedd Florendo.

Mandy Hagen, 28, is behind bars after police say she robbed a store, led police on a car chase, took a woman hostage and shot at officers.

It all happened Sunday morning at a Pet Smart store in Henderson. Hagen robbed the store and fled in a car. She refused to pull over and came to a stop at a gas station near Vegas Valley and Nellis.

Police say she took a 70-year-old woman hostage. Officers were able to physically take down Hagen without hurting the hostage.

Henderson has made the list of the Top 100 Best Places to Live. Henderson is 84th on the list. The list, compliled by CNN Money, lists the great schools and striking mountain views among the reasons to live in Henderson. What do you think?

One woman is dead, another is in critical condition after a truck plowed into a bus stop early Monday morning. It happened at about 5:30 a.m. on Boulder Highway at Flamingo.

Eyewitness News has learned the driver responsible — 44-year-old Steven Murray — has been arrested.

The driver police say is responsible was given several field sobriety tests before he was taken to UMC. Though police didn't think alcohol was involved, they now believe he was on prescription drugs.

Murray checked out of UMC and was arrested by metro police. Detectives believe he was on prescription medication when he jumped the curb on the corner of Boulder Highway and Flamingo and plowed his red pickup into a bus stop where the two women were waiting.

A 51-year-old Las Vegas woman was killed and a 26-year-old woman was rushed to Sunrise Hospital in critical condition. Eyewitnesses say the scene was very scary, but they aren't surprised it happened.

“You look over and you see this truck flying through the air, going through a bus stop knocking it back and the truck is lying by the shrubs on its side. You hear a scream from a lady,” said eyewitness Misty Hamilton.

“As many accidents as there have been here, it's happened before it's going to happen again — just be careful out there,” said Dave Fontana, who rides the bus.

Police say the driver was heading north on Boulder Highway when he jumped the curb. Eyewitnesses say he had just finished making a U-turn.

One victim remains in critical condition — she is 26-year-old Henderson resident Porshe Hughes.

As for the victim who died, her identity has not yet been released. The driver has been booked in the Clark County Detention Center for felony DUI resulting in death and felony DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm.

Police have not said what prescription pills were allegedly being used by the driver, but this isn't the first time this has happened. Back in March 2005, four people were hit and killed at a bus stop. Police say the driver in that incident was also on prescription medication.

Email your comments to Reporter Melissa Duran.

Nevada Congressman Jon Porter is asking that Nevadans send their gas receipts to his Henderson office, so he can present them as evidence to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, that we need to do something to bring gas prices down.

“Nevadans are sick and tired of struggling to get to work, drive their children to soccer practice and cancelling their summer vacations,” Porter said. “The leadership in Congress is out of touch with the pain my constituents are feeling at gas stations across Southern Nevada. This is an opportunity for Nevadans to speak out and demonstrate to the Speaker the struggles Nevada families are experiencing.” 

The Congressman's district office is located at 2470 St. Rose Pkwy Suite 204, Henderson, NV. 89074.

The cuts have already begun. The College of Southern Nevada and UNLV announced a round of layoffs Monday and road construction is also expected to take at least a $50 million hit.

NDOT says new roads are being pushed back and the college system is going to lose more than 150 staff members.

In theory, the whole point of the special session was to avoid layoffs and closures. But for the college presidents and NDOT, another 3-precent reduction was just too much to handle. They feel they had no other choice.

NDOT is spending the week prepping for the $50 million in cuts. While there are no specifics yet, the paving budget is expected to take a hit, as are new projects. Improvements already underway will still go forward, but it will be the same old roads for some time.

NDOT still has to figure out what goes. “Determining where we can best make the cuts to be able to still provide the best transportation services,” said Bob McKenzie with NDOT.

Meanwhile, the College of Southern Nevada and UNLV both announced new layoffs. CSN will close six learning centers next June and eliminate nearly 60 jobs. UNLV announced non-renewal notices for 99 staff and instructors.

CSN President Michael Richards is frustrated at the situation, “Our mission has been to serve four counties in southern Nevada. With these changes, we're down to one.”

Both CSN and UNLV expect to lose students because of the reductions. Most of the layoffs and closures are still a year way, planned for the next fiscal year, but some at UNLV will be let go in 90 days.

President Richards warned this was only the beginning. Right now, they are preparing for another 14-percent in cuts.

We should know more about the impact to I-15 and other highways later this week.

Email your comments to Investigative Reporter Jonathan Humbert