Fifteen thousand journalists are expected to be covering the Democratic National Convention next month in Denver. In the mix will be four journalism students from UNLV.

It looks like a football play chart. But it's actually it's the game plan for UNLV journalism students who will be covering the Democratic National Convention, like Ariel Grove.

“Nevada is a purple state. We don't know it we're going to go blue or if we're going to go red this year, so this is important for us to get out there and find out what's going on and bring it back here. Maybe we can ask questions up there and bring it back here to help people make up their mind,” said Grove.

Through a web cam chat with one of their professor's in Texas, these students are taking care of all the last minute preps.

“It's not going to be easy, and we're a little nervous. But we've been taught to hold our own and stand up for what we believe and we believe we have as much right to be there as anyone else,” said Grove.

And she's ready. The latest technology makes it possible for their reports to be sent to Las Vegas from Denver.

“We're going to FTP what we do back down here so we're going to get the stories, go back to the hotel room, edit it and FTP it via the Internet back here,” said Grove.

These students are not traveling alone. Journalism professor Laurie Fruth will supervise, but says this project is all about the students.

“It's their deal, they'll be producing the stories, they'll be asking the questions. That's not our responsibility – we're just there to make sure they have a good experience,” said Fruth.

Professor Fruth says her students' trip to Denver will be more than just covering the convention.

“To have a better idea of the world outside of the state of Nevada, I want them to start thinking bigger. I want their ambitions to be bigger,” said Fruth.

Their biggest ambition when they get there is to score an interview with the Democratic presidential nominee.

“We are going to get Barack Obama. I'm going to make sure we get Barack Obama. I'm determined, we're going to all the way down there,” said Grove.

“I think there's going to be so much press there, we'll be at the bottom of the list, but if anyone can do it, Ariel can do it,” said Fruth.

But that's not stopping these students who are planning the experience of a lifetime and bringing Las Vegas convention coverage like we've never seen before.

Channel 8 is proud to bring the students reports to you — you can see the student's upcoming reports right here on Las VegasNOW.com. They did apply for press credentials to cover the Republican convention but were denied.

Email your comments to Reporter Chris Saldana.

Were safety laws broken when the Flamingo underwent renovations last year? Clark County officials are now looking at whether Harrah's Entertainment violated laws when they renovated guest rooms at the Strip resort back in 2006 and 2007.

Harrah's and two employees are facing misdemeanor charges of breaking safety laws during work at other Harrah's properties.

After a year, a hotline is proving American soldiers returning from war are having a hard time re-adjusting to life back home, with some turning to suicide as a way out. In the past year, the National Suicide Hotline has received about 22,000 calls from veterans.

The suicide hotline has a special option just for vets that will send their information directly to a center, getting them help not only at that moment on the phone but also in person the next day.

For some, the problem is the battle they can't forget or the friend lost too so. Soldiers making it home are still losing their lives at their own hands. The Veterans Administration is reaching out with a suicide hotline.

Dr. Ramu Komanduri of V.A. Las Vegas said, ”I wish we had done this years ago. I think it is important that we do this and especially with the new war for a new generation of young veterans coming back.”

In practice for just a year, the hotline has been offering help to those who need it sometimes at the last moment.

“We've actually been able to rescue people before something horrific happens. A lot of times, they make this decision impromptu — a last minute decision — so that is why it is critical for us to have it,” he said.

So far, the national hotline has helped 39 veterans here in Southern Nevada, just one call opens the door to help wherever the veteran is.

“They immediately are able to enter the veterans records into the V.A. system and enter the record so that we get a message immediately saying this is a veteran in your community who needs help,” said Dr. Komanduri.

Dr. Komanduri says with suicide already high in Las Vegas, every avenue to reach troubled vets must be used. “We already have an issue in the community, so we want to get a hold of our veterans as quickly as we can and get them into care and treatment.”

Komanduri says many times, soldiers are held back, feeling it would be un-brave to admit they need help, but the hotline allows them to reach out without it being face-to-face.

Dr. Komanduri says although 22,000 calls have been made to the hotline by veterans, he says there are many more that need help and either choose not to get it or don't know where to find it.

He says the more people learn about the hotline, the greater the number grows. The suicide hotline number is 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Police are looking for three suspects accused of shooting and killing a man during a home invasion late Thursday night. It happened in the southwest part of the valley.

Everything is quiet now on the southwest street. But police say a very violent crime occurred in one house there last night.

Metro homicide detectives say three men – one with a gun and one with a knife — broke into the house demanding money and drugs from the man and woman who live there. They say the men took the money, shot the 31-year-old male resident in the back of the head and then took off. The pregnant woman, believed to be the victim's girlfriend, drove herself to UMC.

Police believe there were other people inside the house when the incident happened, and witnesses told them drugs were being sold there even though police didn't find any.

One of the victim's friends who didn't want to show his face on camera said he still can't believe his friend of six years is dead.

“Everybody does something in Las Vegas, nothing surprises me, but it was weird when something like this happens to someone you know. It could happen a million times, but it is still not as impactful as the first time you hear it,” he said.

Police are looking for three men believed to be in their early 20s, with thin builds wearing black clothing. One was seen wearing a check board “L.A.” baseball cap.

As for the girlfriend, one of the victim's friends told us she was eight months pregnant and may have been hurt in the incident and that's why she drove herself to UMC. But police are not releasing any more details about her or the crime.

This is the fifth fatal home invasion this year and the 73rd homicide in Metro's jurisdiction, which is one less than we had this time last year.

If you have any information about this crime or any others, please call Crime Stoppers at 385- 5555.

A 12-year-old California girl has passed away in a Las Vegas hospital after officials say she had a heart attack while riding a roller coaster on the Las Vegas Strip.

Catlynne Shaw was revived with the help of an off-duty Clark County firefighter who was with his own family last Wednesday at the Circus Circus Adventuredome. She remained in critical condition until she passed away at 2:06 p.m. according to her father, Eric Shaw.

(Associated Press contributed to this report)

One boost to the local economy in Las Vegas is coming in the form of two new casinos looking to hire thousands of employees. But will it be the shot in the arm the struggling economy needs?

Experts Eyewitness News spoke with said the 6,500 new jobs created on the Las Vegas Strip and off will be just a band aid for the struggling local economy.

Aliante Station will open in October at the north end of the valley creating 1,200 new jobs and in December Steve Wynn's Encore opens with 5,300 new employees. Both casinos are in the hiring process. To give you an idea of how sought after these jobs are, Encore is expecting 65,000 applications.

“For every job that we create in the travel and tourism sector, that creates an additional job elsewhere in the economy. So, if we have 6,000 - 7,000 jobs coming online with a project, that could multiply its way to a much larger number,” said Keith Schwer, UNLV professor.

Schwer says the Las Vegas recession started last fall and  he doesn't expect these jobs to pull us out of it. He says an upswing will be seen when the national economy gets better.

A girl is in a coma Friday night – 48 hours after a roller coaster ride. The 12-year-old went into full cardiac arrest at Circus Circus on Wednesday evening and now he family of Catlynne Shaw is thanking an off-duty firefighter for bringing her back to life.

She was not breathing, had no pulse and her heart wasn't beating after that ride. An off-duty firefighter who just happened to be there performed CPR and used the defibrillator. He's being hailed a hero.

The canyon blaster at Circus Circus' Adventuredome Theme Park is a popular thrill ride. But those thrills sadly turned into chills for Catlynne Shaw and her family when the ride ended, Catlynne's life nearly did too.

“She's never had a history, any conditions with her heart. She's a healthy girl, she's young. She's only 12 years old,” said Eric Shaw. He is Catlynne's father. After the ride, Catlynne went into full cardiac arrest. Off-duty firefighter Ed Granil was there and saw that something had gone horribly wrong.

“Ed was basically her guardian angel that day. That he was meant to be there for her,” said Scott Allison of Clark County Fire Department.

He's credited with bringing Catlynne back to life.

“It is a period of death because you're not breathing. Your heart is not pumping,” said Allison.

Eric Shaw's voice says it all. This father couldn't be more thankful.

“If it wasn't for him, things could have turned out a whole lot different. That somebody who doesn't even know her would have the courage to step forward, and do what he knew needed to be done has made all the difference. If he wasn't there, things could have turned out a whole lot different,” he said.

To make matters worse for this family, Catlynne had just lost her grandfather the day before. That trip to Circus Circus was supposed to make the children feel better.

Catlynne is still in critical condition. She's breathing with the help of a ventilator. She's still in the coma, but she's responsive, which is a good sign. And they are praying that Catlynne will open her eyes in the morning.

Email your comments to Reporter Aaron Drawhorn.

UNLV is offering to buyout hundreds of faculty and staff members as it copes with mandatory budget cuts.

The university notified all employees Friday it's instituting a voluntary separation package with nearly 300 hundred faculty and staff members. Officials say the moves could save the university as much as $5 million a year.

For more information about the program, click here.

Emergency crews rushed to Circus Circus after a young girl stopped breathing on a ride.

The 12-year-old was on the Adventure Dome rollercoaster and stopped breathing as the ride came to an end.

When medical crews arrived to the scene, the girl showed no signs of life. Crews began working to revive the girl and eventually got her heart started again.

She was transported to UMC where is awake and in good condition. Doctors are trying to find out what made her heart stop.

We've all heard the bad news about layoffs, gas prices and the cost of everything going up. A bright spot has emerged thanks to two major casino companies. Between Wynn Las Vegas and Station Casinos, 6,500 new jobs will be filled by the end of this year.

The bulk of the jobs will come from the new expansion to the Wynn called Encore. It's Steve Wynn's second casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

On Monday, the casino will start filling 5,300 jobs, from security, to housekeeping, to managers.

Click here to apply for jobs at Encore

Station Casinos is hiring 1,200 people for their new Aliante Station Casino. Aliante started job interviews Wednesday. Bob McPeak was among the first to hopefully get a job in security, “I have retired from General Motors. I worked GM for 30 years. I have been retired for two years. I need to go back to work, especially with the economy and inflation.”

His pension check is not stretching the way it used too. Gas prices and the rising cost of everything else forced McPeak to retire from retirement, “It became almost an necessity.”

Click here to apply for jobs at Aliante Station

He is not alone. His application is along side people trying to move within the company, move from other casinos and job seekers right out of college.

“A lot of people with the gas prices now want to work in their own neighborhood,” said Vice President of Human Resources for Station Casinos Valerie Murzl.

The interviews Murzl started is something her Wynn Las Vegas counterpart is preparing for.

“The types of positions that we are looking to fill range from casino to retail, hotel, food and beverage,” said Vice President of Human Resources for Wynn Resorts Stephanie Rosol.

Wynn Las Vegas President Andrew Pascal says as other companies are downsizing, Wynn is expanding by 5,300 new jobs, “Indirectly that is going to create thousands of additional jobs in terms of all of the other support services for the resort. Absolutely it is going to help the economy overall.”

McPeak hopes that he is part of the economic help, because he needs the money to make ends meat.

The best way to apply for the jobs at Wynn Las Vegas or at Station Casinos is online. Vice Presidents for Human Resources at both resorts ask that applicants let the company prepare for the interview.

Wynn alone expects more than 65,000 applications.

Email your comments to Reporter Edward Lawrence