Water Rebate Update!

Not long ago we did a story about Barbara Owen and her yard. She decided to do the right thing and save water. She pulled out her grass and replaced it with rock and artificial turf. It was all going to plan until the Southern Nevada Water Authority reminded her that in order to receive the rebate, she had to have at least 50 percent plant coverge on the area she's replacing. (It's spelled out on the back of the rebate form you have to sign.)
Well, after a few changes, Barbara got her rebate! All 1134 dollars! She also sent along some pictures of the cactus in her backyard which are blooming, which we'll share! She even caught a hummingbird checking out her backyard.

If you didn't see the story we did you can see it by going here.
Then scroll down to the story titled "Water Rebate Warning"

Way to go Barbara!

Scam, Scam, Scam!

We've had many reports recently about phishing. So here's the reminder again. Be cautious.
Phishing is when you receive an email using some ploy to get your personal information. It'll say "We've updated our records and want to make sure our information is up to date", or "A deadline is fast approaching, without your attention you could be putting your accounts in danger" etc. I've heard people getting emails that appear to be from your bank. They are not .. but they may look very close. People can steal logos from a well known company and use them in an email. A Channel 3 employee got an email, allegedly, from the IRS.
We are pleased to inform you that upon reviewing yourfiscal activity, we have determined that you are eligible toreceive a tax refund of $270,25.To access the online form for your tax refund, please click here
Of course, the employee was suspicious. Think about it. Doesn't the IRS already have all your information? Why would they contact you via email? If you are not sure, don't reply to the email. Call the Bank, IRS, credit card company or whoever is asking for the updated personal information. Don't call any phone number on the email. Call the established phone number you have for the bank, IRS, credit card, etc and ask them why they are trying to get updated information. In almost every case, it's a fraud!

Also ... if someone tells you you won a lottery from a foreign country .. it's a lie.

Buffalo Jim's Rolls Royce

These are never before seen photograph’s of Metro Police inspecting Buffalo Jim’s Rolls Royce.

No news on what Metro discovered – if anything.

However, that doesn’t stop the conspiracy theorist from working overtime since the sudden death of James “Buffalo Jim” Barrier. Perhaps their theories will one day be proven true – maybe not.
Was he murdered? Why some believe we will never know?
Like Ted Binion this death is bound to end up
in the pages of Las Vegas folklore.
What we do know is that the Clark County Coroner has
listed this death as “natural causes.”
However, all that could change depending on the results of the toxicology report.
We could be waiting weeks for those results.

Metro has looked into this death at the request and urging of family members.
There is no “murder” investigation.
Homicide detectives are not investigating.

So, we wait.

Credit Scam, Religion & Recycling

It's been a busy week so far. It's only Wednesday!
Hope you caught the story about Kyle Kimoto. He's the Las Vegas man found guilty of conspiracy, mail fraud and wire fraud.

The U-S Attorney's office says his company, registered in Nevada, but operating out of St. George, Utah did business under several different names. Advantage Capital, Capital First, Premier One, Bay Area Business Council and American Leisure were some of them.
A Federal Grand Jury found his credit card scheme victimized more than 300-thousand people, costing victims 43 million dollars.

We also learned a little bit about his wife. She is a former Mrs. Nevada. A viewer brought this news release to my attention. It's interesting how often she talks about helping those in the community. Even more interesting when you compare it to what her husband was convicted of doing.

Recycling. It appears the "test" neighborhoods are all lined up. We talked about this months ago. Republic Services wanted to try several different plans to see which increased recycling. The biggest change is that you would no longer have 3 bins to put recyclables in. Just one big can for all recyclables. No separating paper and plastic. Republic and the County wanted to test this out for about a year to see which works best. Although early recommendations by a recycling task force appeared to suggest cutting back our garbage service collection to just one day a week, along with the changes to recycling service, we're told that is no longer the case.
We'll have more on this soon.

Helping the Little Guy, or Big Business?

We’ve done many stories about how the housing crisis has affected people in the Las Vegas Valley. Unfortunately, people are still losing homes to foreclosure in Nevada, more so than in most other states. Renters are still learning the home they’ve been paying to rent, is in foreclosure.

Washington is trying to do something, but it may not be what most people expect. Consumer groups says it's a big government handout to big business.

The Foreclosure Prevention Act is supposed to help lots of folks stay in their homes. But it turns out there are just modest steps in the bill to do that. There is much more when it comes to the billions of dollars in tax breaks for businesses. The benefactors include automakers, airlines, alternative energy producers and home builders.
You can read the full story in the New York Times.

Doctor Website Changing?

There's been a lot of attention on the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners in light of the Hepatitis/HIV crisis.
At its quarterly meeting in March, the board announced it will be considering changes to its website, including the possibility of adding more information about doctors. That could include information about malpractice lawsuits doctors have faced. Apparently, some of that information used to be on the website, it's not anymore. We won't know until June if the board decides to study changes to its website. In the meantime, you can see the latest doctors to be disciplined by the Board here.

Read the Fine Print!

We all need to save water, right? Many people have taken advantage of the Southern Nevada Water Authority Water Smart rebate. It allows you to remove grass from your yard and get a rebate from the authority, provided you switch to a low water use landscape. Literally, thousands of people have taken advantage of this, and we're saving water. It's a good thing.
But, the authority wants you to use less water, not NO water. One of our viewers found that out. Even though her neighborhood association says it was fine with her idea, the water authority told her she would have to add some plants to her landscaping. Essentially, use more water than she planned. It has to do with the "50 percent rule". By accepting the rebate, you agree that at least half of the area being converted will be covered with live, low water use plants. Just something to keep in mind if you're considering the rebate.
You can see the story here.