The local high school band that marched and played in the inauguration parade is on its way home today.

The Green Valley High School band walked by the presidential viewing area during Tuesday's parade. They played “Viva Las Vegas” for the new president. Although band members have performed for school events and at competitions, they say, this invitation to perform for President Obama will be the highlight of their high school years.

The band spent weeks raising thousands of dollars so they could make the trip to Washington D.C. to witness and take part in the historic day.

The Green Valley High School marching band is headed to Washington for the inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama.

About 120 members of the band are leaving for Philadelphia and Washington on Friday. The total cost of the trip is about $120,000. About a third of that was raised directly by students who played in special concerts and even in their churches.

“People who have sent us $5 bills in envelopes and this is huge community support. I am really pleased. We did not get a lot of really big donations but the ones we did really meant a lot to us,” said Diane Koutsulis, band director.

The band will play a patriotic medley during the parade. They hope to be performing “Viva Las Vegas” as they march by the presidential reviewing stand.

The community paid respects to Matthew Cox, the Basic High School teacher found murdered last month. Two brothers, 18-year-old Jose Delatorre and 17-year-old Juan Aguirre are under arrest for the murder. Aguirre was one of Cox's students.

The two are accused of hitting Cox in the head and choking him to death. Aguirre told Henderson Police that Cox made sexual advancements toward him. But investigators say the teens also robbed Cox's home.

Prosecutors announced Wednesday they will try Aguirre as an adult.

But it was not a night to talk about the accusations made by the suspects. That will all be sorted out in the courts. On Wednesday night, a community turned out to reflect, remember, and share their sorrow.

The Basic High School choir sang with one voice, paying their respects to their leader, their mentor, their inspiration — Matthew Cox.

“There's a lesson in everything he said. Everything was just wisdom,” said Basic High School Student Choir Director Jenson Lavallee.

Lavallee says the choir has a special bond, like a family. Students say Mr. Cox's classes were special, filled with more than just music lessons. They say teaching was his passion and his colleagues at Basic High saw that dedication everyday.

“He was an energetic teacher. He was somebody who always just did everything he could to make everything special for his students,” said Basic High School Band Director Mark McArthur.

It was an emotional service. Tough to say goodbye, but at the same time, a celebration of life.

“He touched the hearts of everyone and he will be greatly missed,” said former student Nestor Pineda.

Cox's close students are still grieving, just beginning to grasp how a fellow choir member could be accused of taking this man's life.

“It's still unreal to me. I just want to know why,” said Lavallee.

As one speaker said, Cox's song has ended, but his melody lingers on.

“I want everyone to know that he was an honest man with his morals all in the right place. He had great integrity in everything he did. He was amazing, and he touched so many lives. You can't count them,” said Lavallee.

The school is taking donations to create a scholarship in Cox's memory. This young teacher was only 32-years-old.

Juan Aguirre will go before a Henderson judge Thursday morning, along with his brother, Jose Delatorre. Both are accused of strangling the teacher and stealing some expensive electronics from him.

The abduction of a North Las Vegas man ended safely in Henderson Tuesday morning. The victim was found alive and three men have been arrested.

According to Tim Bedwell with the North Las Vegas police the incident started Monday after witnesses reported to police that they saw the 34-year-old man beaten and kidnapped from his home in North Las Vegas.

Police and SWAT team members surrounded a home in Henderson near Pecos and Wigwam where the alleged kidnapping victim was being held. Bedwell says the three suspects attempted to run from the home but were caught and arrested.

One of the suspects was found at a nearby business center. The other two took off in different directions. In the end all three were taken into custody.

Police say the trio beat and abducted a man at his North Las Vegas home Monday afternoon. Someone driving by at the time of the crime, called police and let them know what they saw.

David Peace witnessed police take down of the suspects. He lives right behind the house where police found the victim, “He jumped over the back wall. He came up over — it's a pretty big drop over the other side of the fence. He hit pretty hard and they were on him before he knew what was happening. They did a pretty good take down.”

North Las Vegas Police will not say what might have led to the abduction, or if the victim knew the kidnappers.

The SWAT team from North Las Vegas was ready to swarm the house, but police say somehow they suspects were tipped off, and tried to flee the area. A fourth suspect was later identified to police and arrested. All are in jail, facing several charges including kidnapping.

One year ago, a Henderson woman named Mariela Moreno was murdered and her body dumped in the desert. The 20-year-old was missing for two months before her body was found.

Her boyfriend emerged as a suspect. Now there's an international manhunt for Isidro Munoz, and he may be connected to another killing.

Her smile and beauty captivated the valley's attention for months. Mariela Moreno came to Las Vegas from Mexico. She loved her family, had a fun-loving spirit, but her life would have a tragic ending. It is still painful for Mariela's sister to talk about. She shares her sorrow, hoping for justice.

Police say Mariela was beaten to death at the hands of Isidro Garduno Munoz, her boyfriend who became obsessive.

“He visited Mariela around four times a day. There was something strange, you know,” said Mariela's sister Monica Moreno-Kongsrud.

Moreno celebrated the New Year at Firefly near the Strip. Munoz said he dropped her off at home. Mariela was never heard from again.

“I spoke with him two days after my sister disappeared and he told me that he just didn't know nothing — didn't know nothing,” said Moreno-Kongsrud.

Munoz quickly fled to Mexico where he befriended Luz Celina Rodriguez-Jimenez. Last April, she too met with foul play, “There's a lot of evidence because the police found her in his apartment.”

News accounts in Mexico link the deaths of Mariela and Luz Celina to Munoz. The family of Luz Celina last year marched in the streets, demanding authorities step up the search for this dangerous individual on the run.

“I want to ask him, why? Why he killed my sister?” said Moreno-Kongsrud.

Both families remain in contact with each other. Mariela's family learned something very disturbing. Apparently after Munoz went south of the border and met Luz Celina, he tried to sell a pink cell phone and a white jacket. Mariela had those two things with her on New Year's 2008.

Henderson Police and the FBI still are trying to gather intelligence about his whereabouts, but they believe he is still hiding out in Mexico. According to news reports out of Mexico, Munoz may have changed his appearance.

A father is due in a Las Vegas court this morning to answer charges stemming from the shooting death of his 6-year-old daughter on New Year's Eve.

Thirty-seven-year-old Jevell Jackson is charged with being an ex-felon illegally possessing a gun, and with felony child endangerment.

Six-year-old Jorden died after her younger brother accidently shot her. The children found the loaded gun in Jackson's home.

The three remaining children in the home were taken into protective custody.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)