Be careful on valley roads, avoid washes during monsoon season

Wednesday, July 8th, 2020, 8:47pm

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — During monsoon season, it only takes one big thunderstorm dropping heavy rain to overwhelm valley roads and fill washes. Oftentimes, people get caught in those high waters and call for help.

Tim Szymanski with Las Vegas Fire and Rescue says most of those situations are avoidable.

“You just get one big super cell that comes in over the west side of the city, and it only covers about 10, 12, 15 blocks, but you can get one to two inches in less than 15 minutes and that is millions and millions of gallons of water,” Szymanski said. “It inundates the streets and while you’re sitting there at a traffic light. All of a sudden you got one or two inches and you can actually see the water rising as you’re sitting there.

Szymanski has worked through 25 years of flooding in the valley. He says while flood protection has greatly improved, the dangers still show up in the usual places... Read More

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Submitted by 8NewsNOWStaff

Wednesday, July 8th, 2020, 7:08pm

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — All Caesars Entertainment employees in Clark County are now required to get tested for COVID-19, according to a statement from a Caesars Entertainment spokesperson. This comes after the recent spike in cases across the county.

The statement reads, in part, “We thought mandatory testing would be a good way to identify employees who might be positive for COVID-19 without knowing it (i.e. asymptomatic) and wouldn’t realize they could be spreading the virus at work.”

Employees have until July 17 to get tested. According to the statement, employees will be “removed from the schedule if they fail to do so.”

Caesars Entertainment has been stepping up enforcement of COVID-19 guidelines as of late. CEO Tony Rodio told employees not wearing a mask is “grounds for termination” in an internal memo... Read More

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Wednesday, July 8th, 2020, 7:00pm

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — 8 News Now Chief Meteorologist Tedd Florendo speaks with National Weather Service Lead Forecaster Todd Lericos about this Monsoon season.

Monsoon season began mid-June and will last through the end of September. It can be a dangerous time where storms lead to flooding.

Here’s what need to know about 2020’s forecasted season. ... Read More

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Wednesday, July 8th, 2020, 6:47pm

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Regional Flood Control District continues to implement new ways to inform the community of the many flood dangers monsoon season can bring.

“The most vulnerable people in Las Vegas are the young people and also people who have just moved here,” said Erin Neff with the Regional Flood Control District.

Neff says they get reports of young people hanging out in the flood channels, and while a storm looks like it is over, raging floodwaters usually follow. She also says new residents are caught off guard as well.

“Every year I see it on Channel 8. You interview a driver whose car has been washed out and is sitting there and can’t drive. You say ‘why did you drive through the flooded road,’ and the person says over and over ‘I didn’t think it was that deep,’” Neff said.

Another concern is the homeless... Read More

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Wednesday, July 8th, 2020, 6:36pm

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — COVID-19 numbers keep rising, and many Valley family businesses continue to be impacted by the pandemic.

8 News Now spoke to one party rental business who says they will continue to innovate themselves in order to keep the business afloat.

“Family, what it means to me, you know, we’re a team, we always try to maintain our good bond,” said Rochelle Hernandez Cortes of Discount Party Rentals LV.

Hernandez works at the business with her family. It’s a business they started nearly a decade ago in California.

“To me, it basically means my whole life,” explained Hernandez. “I remember being like 2-years-old. I’m 20 right now.”

She says her parents’ goal was to start a small business and give their children more opportunities.

Business started booming for them in Las Vegas about three years ago. ... Read More

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Wednesday, July 8th, 2020, 6:17pm

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Monsoon season is here and people in the southwest part of the valley know far too well what can happen.

People in the Mountain’s Edge community experienced heavy rain and floods last summer nearly one year ago. The monsoon struck in late July of 2019.

Michael woods remembered the water filling several streets in his neighborhood last summer.

“I saw it early that morning, Woods said. “It started going down Gomer, it flooded this street and the next street over.”

Wooods says the water didn’t cause too many problems, but did go up his driveway. Some others had more issues.

“For some of the people that was going in their garages, it bothered them,” Woods said.

Steve Parrish from the Clark County Flood Control District says a part of a nearby channel failed. ... Read More

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Wednesday, July 8th, 2020, 5:53pm

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Gig workers waiting on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA, funds, are now awaiting a decision in a lawsuit filed against DETR. Over the next week, a “special master” will be compiling information regarding the lawsuit against the State’s unemployment agency.

Across the State, people are filing PUA claims online or attempting to get issues resolved over the phone with no luck.

Now, they’re hoping the lawsuit filed against DETR will help them receive the thousands of dollars in back-pay they desperately need.

Cheryl Morris, owner of Heartsong Massage, has been out of work and without financial relief for 16 weeks.

“I’m reaching the tap-out point,” lamented Morris. “We’ve been very lean on everything. We go to the food closet, we utilize services that are free. We’re able to take advantage of that stuff, but it doesn’t cover everything.” ... Read More

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