The Clark County district attorney's office has filed a criminal complaint against Harrah's, charging the company with illegally doing work on the fire control and fire alarm systems at three of the companies hotels.

The complaint says equipment was removed from fire doors on the 23rd floor of the Flamingo and installed on the 26th floor so that floor would pass a fire inspection.

Harrah's is also charged with modifying fire alarm systems at both Harrah's and the Rio hotel without obtaining a permit from the county — a violation of the law.

All of the charges are misdemeanors and the hotel could be fined if found guilty.

The Marriott is taking a rare step right now to maintain a valuable gaming license across the street from the Convention Center. The company's spent a lot of money – to open a casino for one day.

It cost the company $50,000 to set up a temporary casino. It's open to the public, but they aren't going to make that back today. But they will in the future.

The white tent on the dirt lot is a gambling hall. We invited some tourists inside; they looked confused and wanted out.

“It's kind of bizarre,” said tourist Marianne Harsch. Compared to what we are used to seeing on the Strip, that's saying a lot. “I doubt anyone is going to play here or even know it existed, so why play here?”

It looks like this casino is doomed, but that's part of the $50,000 plan. Here's what's going on. Marriott bought the site of The Beach. It demolished the building, putting the gaming license in jeopardy. To keep the license, the county required a one-day casino at a cost of $50,000.

“We are taking donations to help fund our new hotel, and so we will see how the day goes,” said Vice President of Marriott Development Mark Birtha. As employees tried their luck, he says in the next couple of years, it will be a full-fledged casino. “We are all excited about the development. We want to do on this site in the future, commemorate the experience and share what they are doing with the employees.”

It's a casino, only the visionary employees can appreciate.

It opened at 6 a.m. on Wednesday. County inspectors stopped by and it will be closed at 2 p.m., so if you want to try your luck – you have to make it there by then.

Email your comments to Reporter Ky Plaskon.

A jury has ruled against Las Vegas Sands Corporation, awarding a Hong Kong businessman $43.8 million.

Richard Suen said the company, which is run by casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, owes him up to $100 million for helping it secure a lucrative gambling license in Macau. Suen said he was hired by Las Vegas Sands to curry favor with the Chinese government and was successful.

Las Vegas Sands has two resorts in the Chinese enclave.

A major fight between gaming companies and teachers appears to be over — at least for now. Tuesday, all sides are reacting to a plan to raise room taxes for tourists instead of raising taxes on casinos. That plan could bring millions to Nevada schools.

Eyewitness News spoke exclusively with Steve Wynn and superintendent Walt Rulffes Tuesday. Teachers and casinos are finally seeing eye to eye.

The teachers have been gunning for higher taxes for casinos for months. But this new compromise calms the waters — and surprisingly — makes nearly everyone happy.

When it comes to gamesmanship and intense negotiations, you can't find much better than mogul Steve Wynn. “This isn't a question of us being afraid of one tax. This is a question of leadership,” he said.

The teachers union and the school district need money badly. Superintendent Walt Rulffes says more cuts could be coming. “It's been suggested that we be prepared to deal with another round of cuts in excess of $100 million,” he said.

The question is: should the resorts have to pay more for education? For Wynn, it's better to negotiate than get hit where it hurts with higher taxes.

“That would have involved tens of thousands of layoffs, disasters for purveyors, the construction industry,” said Wynn.

So Wynn called in someone to keep the peace and come to a consensus: assembly speaker Barbara Buckley.

“Let's put the good of the state first, and let's talk about solutions,” said Buckley.

Buckley talked to the teachers and casinos every day over the last week. After the dust settled, the teachers backed off their plans for a big tax hike. Instead — room taxes will go up by three percent.

Wynn has no worries that tourists can foot the bill. “It does not, and will not, based upon my 40 years of experience, impact occupancy or visitation to Nevada,” he said.

This way, tourists pay a few more bucks for a night's stay. Wynn keeps his profits, and Rulffes gets nearly $200 million a year for schools.

“At the 11th hour, both parties felt was a win-win,” said Rulffes.

And for Wynn, the gamesmanship continues — and finally there's a compromise worth fighting for. “And the trick is how to do it without taking two steps forward and five steps backwards,” he said.

So far, only Wynn, Station Casinos and Harrah's have signed off on the deal. MGM-Mirage is not onboard just yet. Tuesday, they issued a statement asking for more accountability for teachers.

Senate majority leader Bill Raggio has some reservations but that he's willing to listen. Supporters hope to have it voted on in November and then ratified by the legislature in February. Wynn said he was confident all the Las Vegas resorts will eventually sign on.

Email your comments to Reporter Jonathan Humbert.

The man investigators say is responsible for starting a fire at an abandoned casino is fighting for his life. Authorities say he started the fire while he was trying to steal copper from the building. It happened at about 7:00 p.m. Monday night at the old Key Largo Casino on Flamingo near Paradise.

The suspect may not make it. He's still in critical conditions with burns to over 80-percent of his body. Fire officials say this is proof that not only is stealing copper a crime, but it's also dangerous too.

Scott Allison with Clark County Fire says the suspect came with his tools and equipment primed and ready. He broke into the Key Largo and tried to steal the copper wiring out of the power box. What he didn't know was that the power was still on.

When he grabbed the wiring, he sustained heavy voltage and caught on fire. That fire sparked some of the debris and clutter in the casino to catch on fire too. Allison says if the suspect lives, he will never be the same.

“In this case, it did not work out in his favor because he may end up losing his life, due to the fact that he was tying to steal the copper wire. All because he reached into a power box that he did not know was still hot and got severely burned,” he said.

The businesses next door say they see people coming in and out of there all the time. They're not surprised that someone was actually stealing copper, but they say they're lucky the fire didn't spread to their businesses.

Email your comments to Reporter Tedd Florendo

Police are now waiting for autopsy results to determine whether a baby was born alive before it was found dead in the trash at the Excalibur. Investigators want to know who would abandon a newborn, alive or dead.

The infant boy was found on Mother's Day, wrapped in a hotel gift bag and pillowcase in a women's bathroom near the casino. Police are checking surveillance and records, but say they need a break, either from the mother or a tip from someone at the Excalibur on Sunday.

Cases like this can be prevented. A law in Nevada, called the Safe Haven Law, allows parents to legally abandon a baby. Places like police stations are known as safe havens, one of many drop-off locations across the valley.

There is a long history unfortunately of abandonment of babies in Clark County. Stephanie Vogel is with the Junior League of Las Vegas. Her group was a part of the push in 2001 to get the Safe Haven Law passed.

“This is a way to protect these children and an opportunity for parents who are not in a position to raise a child, who didn't want anybody to know that they've had a child,” she said.

The purpose of the law is to prevent infant abandonment. Drop off locations are also ready with a kit from the Junior League, “Baby blankets, all the things you need for a newborn. Even the syringes to clear the air passages — because some of the baby's are just left and the people run.”

There are specific guidelines concerning the Safe Haven Law. The baby must be no more than 30-days-old and the parents are not planning on returning to the child once he or she is left.

Other places, like hospitals and fire stations are also Safe Havens. Scott Allison with the Clark County Fire Department says they try to ask some important questions concerning the baby's safety.

“We're going to try and talk to that mother and try and get as much information as we can that would possibly help us treat that child when they are passed over to us,” he said.

Since the Safe Haven Law has been in place, two children have been left at designated sites here in Clark County. Those children are now in adoptive homes.

Email your comments to Reporter Chris Saldana

It's a vanishing act no one wants to see. Bees are disappearing in near-record numbers and no one knows why.

Bees carry pollen across our food chain, from alfalfa to your favorite ice cream flavor, and if they go, we could be next.

There's an old saying – a person can be a hero no matter how small. Colonies help our crops grow and in turn feed our livestock. Now, the bees are vanishing, and the answer to why seems to be flying away with them.

Among the honeycombs, there is something rotten sticking in the mind of bee master Rodney Mehring. “We're just continually losing a lot of bees every year,” he said.

The UNLV researcher has donned his mask and gear for nearly two decades. But a new wave of deaths and mysterious disappearances nationwide have him worried.

The buzz has stopped. The bees are missing. “There's no bees left in the hive. It's that simple,” he said.

Bees pollinate plants and help them grow larger. They make agriculture easy. Food for livestock, food for us.

“If you just don't get pollination, you just don't get fruit or a vegetable,” said Mehring.

There are few answers even with so much at stake. “Something is causing the workers to leave or die off,” he said.

It's called colony collapse disorder. Scientists aren't sure why it's happening. Bees fly off, abandoning their queen — something no one has ever seen before.

“The bees are just not there,” said Mehring.

Researchers think new pesticides in crops are wreaking havoc with bee hives. It either kills the colony or changes their natural instincts.

In other parts of the country, beekeepers are opening up their hives and finding nothing at all. It's a much different story here in Nevada. There are few crops here, so our small bee harvests have been untouched so far.

“There's always been something,” said Mehring. While Mehring says it isn't the end of civilization, it could be another worry for the pocketbook at the worst possible time.

“We're probably not going to starve to death, although the food prices will go up tremendously,” he said.

It's a long term impact from even the smallest of sources.

Rodney is the last registered bee keeper here in Las Vegas. He can only have the hives because he is a part of the UNLV program.

The city and Clark County have put heavy restrictions on all private hives. It's just too dangerous with the rise of Africanized bees. They breed and out-compete these traditional, calmer and now very fragile honey bees.

Email your comments to Reporter Jonathan Humbert.

It was a very lucky day for one Texas tourist who hit the Megabucks at the Palms Hotel and Casino.

“I was playing the other machine before, played about $150 — then I walked around and there was absolutely no one playing them. So I walked around, stuck $20 in and the first pull,” said Connie Thiele.

She and her husband were playing at the Palms, hoping to earn enough points for a free lunch. Instead she won $21 million.

Thiele says she plans on paying off some bills and maybe buying a new car. She also is thinking of cutting back at work.

A man is under arrest Wednesday afternoon after he barricaded himself in a house. Metro says this started when the man was involved in some sort of road rage incident.

They say he got out of a car and stabbed someone else before running into the house near Sahara and Las Vegas Boulevard to hide from police.

He eventually surrendered without incident and faces several charges including battery with a deadly weapon.

The victim had very minor injuries.

The man who was caught red-handed trying to steal an ATM overnight may have tried to steal the same machine before. It happened at Sahara and Richfield Tuesday morning, near Palace Station.

When officers arrived, they found the man trying to pull out the entire ATM with a chain wrapped around it.

Metro's trying to figure out if he is the same person who tried to make off with the same money machine back on April 23.