July marks the start of the flash flood season for Southern Nevada and flood control officials say residents should be prepared.

The Clark County Regional Flood Control District met Monday morning to talk about the 2008 flood season which starts July 1 and ends in September.

The county has spent $50 million to build protection in the form of washes, channels and retention basins around the valley.

Floods have killed 31 people in Clark County history which is more than any other natural disaster that has hit Southern Nevada. The last significant flash flood was in 2003 and it caused millions of dollars in damages. Experts say any area of the valley is at risk.

“It's weather conditions that are unpredictable that create sudden and intense thunderstorms and can drop a large amount of rain in a short amount of time. Last year, we had two storms that dropped three inches in rain in 90 minutes with no rain recorded at the airport,” said Gale Fraser, Clark County Regional Flood Control District.

In the past year, The flood control district has  finished 11 projects, including retention basins, which direct flood water into Lake Mead.  In addition, there are 24 more projects, at a cost of $150 million in the works.

If there's heavy rain, you are advised to stay inside. If you are driving and the water around you rises, you should stay in the car to avoid being swept away.

Be sure to check out LasVegasNOW.com's special section on Flash Flooding.

Our high gas prices have everyone looking for ways to stretch the fuel dollar as far as they can. But some drivers may be going too far and putting others on the road at risk.

Experts say how you drive can make a difference. For example, slowing down just a little bit on the freeway can save you money. Driving 60 miles per hour instead of 65 can save you up to 20 cents a gallon according to the Alliance to Save Energy.

So can backing off the accelerator and the brakes. But the operations manager of Big O Tires in Las Vegas says some of the gas saving tips he's heard range from ridiculous to down right dangerous — like coasting with your car engine turned off.

Scott Allin says the single best way to maximize your cars gas mileage is with preventive maintenance. Here in the desert, that means getting regular oil changes every 3,000 to 5,000 miles, keeping you cars fuel system clean, replacing your air filter twice a year, and checking the air pressure in your tires once a week to make sure they are not under or over inflated.

Some states are reporting significant drops in the number of speeding citations on the interstate as drivers slow down to save gas ,but according to NHP, that's not the case here in southern Nevada, where more speeding tickets were issued in May 2008 than May of 2007.

Several people were treated after a suspicious package made them sick. It happened at Red Rock Hotel and Casino in northwest Las Vegas.

Police are trying to figure out who left a pillowcase that made several security guards sick.

Metro Police officials say just after 7 p.m. Tuesday, casino security found a pillowcase in the garage. They said an unusually odor was coming from the pillowcase, so they took it into the security office. Once it was inside, about five employees started feeling sick. Their symptoms included sweating and headaches.

Metro officials said they don't believe the illness was life threatening so everyone was treated on the scene. Officials from the Clark County Fire Department and Metro officials are investigating.

“We have a team going inside to determine what's in that package at this time,” said Metro Officer Jose Montoya. They have since confirmed that the drug OxyContin was found in the pillowcase.

Metro officials say the casino and hotel were not affected, but they will be taking a look at surveillance video to determine who left that package.

The parking garage was shut down for hours.

A Las Vegas medical facility that was shut down by state health officials has had its business license suspended.

The Shadow Mountain Surgical Center on Sahara near Rainbow was closed and fined $9,400 for dozens of problems.

They were found during an inspection by officials from Medicare and Medicaid.

The suspended license will be in front of Clark County commissioners next week. They are expected to decide whether to extend, overturn, or uphold the suspension.

Wednesday afternoon, a driver suffered a medical condition and crashed into a building. It happened at the Canyon Gate Cleaners on Sahara near Buffalo.

The car slammed into the building, causing a significant amount of damage.

Officers say the driver refused medical treatment at the scene but was later transported to the hospital.

We're told a building inspector will be called in to figure out if the building is safe and can reopen.

Officials are marking a milestone at the Nevada Cancer Institute, where builders are placing the final beam of the second building on the center's Summerlin campus.

The new Support Services facility will be 101,000 square feet, with an adjacent parking garage on 3.25 acres. It's due for completion early next year.

It'll have a 200-seat conference center, offices, clinical trials office, cancer registry, labs and a medical education library.

The developer is American Nevada Co., and the contractor is the Korte Co.

The Nevada Cancer Institute opened in September 2005, a 115,000-square-foot, three-story main building on 5 acres off the 215 Beltway at Town Center Drive.
   
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Officials are marking a milestone at the Nevada Cancer Institute, where builders are placing the final beam of the second building on the center's Summerlin campus.

The new Support Services facility will be 101,000 square feet, with an adjacent parking garage on 3.25 acres. It's due for completion early next year.

It'll have a 200-seat conference center, offices, clinical trials office, cancer registry, labs and a medical education library.

The developer is American Nevada Co., and the contractor is the Korte Co. The Nevada Cancer Institute opened in September 2005, a 115,000-square-foot, three-story main building on 5 acres off the 215 Beltway at Town Center Drive.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

A bicyclist was killed Thursday morning near Durango and Elkhorn after being hit by a mini-van.

According to police, the female bicyclist was riding with the flow of traffic on Durango when the driver of the mini-van came up behind the woman and hit her. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The van’s driver told police he did not see the bicyclist.

The van’s driver also hit a tree, but was uninjured. Eyewitness News at Noon will have the latest.