AREA BRIEFING

AARP TO OFFER DRIVING COURSE

The AARP Safe Driving Course is planned from 11:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 16 at the h2u MountainView office, 8524 Del Webb Blvd.

The cost is $12 for AARP members and $14 for nonmembers.

Participants may receive discounts on their automobile insurance. Call 255-5404.

Road resurfacing, sidewalk improvements under way

Traffic lane restrictions may be in effect through the next five months on Village Center Circle, on Hills Center Drive between Village Center Circle and Lake Mead Boulevard, and on Town Center Drive, between Village Center Circle and Summerlin Parkway, the city of Las Vegas said.

The restrictions, which got under way on Feb. 1, will take place within work zones, and sidewalk closures also will occur. The measures could be in effect weekdays and on a 24-hour basis, according to the city.

The disruptions are necessary due to work on a preventative roadway maintenance and sidewalk improvement project. The project includes patching and resurfacing the roadways as a preventative maintenance measure to extend the life of the three heavily traveled streets. Curbs, gutters and sidewalks will be removed and replaced, and sidewalk ramps will be upgraded to meet current Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

Village Center Circle, Hills Center and Town Center drives will reopen to full access on weekends and when work in each section is completed. The improvements should be completed in summer. Funding is provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

This is the first of four projects that will be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the city said. Work will consist of sidewalk, curb and gutter replacement, full depth asphalt patching and placement of asphalt overlay. The three other projects, aimed at improving sections of Durango Drive, Alexander Road and Lamb Boulevard, will start during the next three months.

Southern Nevada Paving is the contractor, and city of Las Vegas Department of Field Operations personnel are managing the project.

RADON SEMINAR to offer free test kits, information on odorless gas

The hazards of radon gas in the home will be discussed during a seminar at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 17 at the Summerlin Library, 1771 Inner Circle Drive.

Laura Au-Yeung, southern area radon program coordinator for the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension's Nevada Radon Education Program, will explain what radon is, where it comes from, what its health effects are and how to conduct a home test for it. The carcinogen is said to cause thousands of lung cancer deaths annually in the U.S.

Free home radon test kits will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis, with a limit of one per household. Organizers said that winter is the best time of year to check a home for dangerous levels of radon gas.

For more information, call 507-3964.

Taskforce warns Las Vegans of scam seeking donations for police

The Nevada Fight Fraud Taskforce is warning Las Vegas Valley residents to be wary of a potential fundraising scam soliciting donations for local police departments.

Several residents have reported receiving multiple calls asking for contributions to the police, the task force said.

"We are receiving calls on this issue daily," task force Chairwoman Elisabeth Daniels said. "When there are news stories or current events involving the police, scammers try to take advantage of the situation by making bogus solicitations."

Daniels offered tips from the Federal Trade Commission to help consumers avoid being defrauded:

* Simply having the words "police" or "firefighter" in an organization's name doesn't mean police or firefighters are members of the group.

* Just because an organization claims it has local ties or works with local police or firefighters doesn't mean contributions will be used locally or for public safety. The organization should be able to provide written information describing the programs that donations will support, and its fundraising costs before individuals donate.

* Most solicitations for police and fire service organizations are made by paid professional fundraisers.

* Donations to some police or firefighter groups may not be tax deductible. Many kinds of organizations are tax exempt, including fraternal organizations, labor unions and trade associations, but donations to them may not be tax deductible.

* Ask for the charity's name, address, phone number and written information about its programs.

* Check the validity of the organization with your local law enforcement department and the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance. Visit wqww.bbb.org for more details on the alliance.

* Ask if the person contacting you is a professional fundraiser and how much of your contribution will go toward fundraising costs.

For more information about fraud-related fundraising, visit the Federal Trade Commission's Web site at www.ftc.gov, the National Charities Information Bureau's Web site at www.ncib.org or the Nevada Fight Fraud Taskforce's Web site at www.fightfraud.nv.gov.

Free fingerprinting, photos of kids to be offered by child safety group

Parents will be able to bring their children in for FBI-quality digital fingerprinting at two upcoming Keeping Kids Safe Project events.

The free events will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. on March 12 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 13 at Findlay Honda, 7494 W. Azure Drive.

Contact Jessica Sanchez at 982-4200 or visit www.keepingkidssafeproject.com.

National Fire agency Launches smoke alarm awareness campaign

The National Fire Protection Association recently released new materials aimed at helping to raise awareness about the life-saving benefits of smoke alarms.

Keeping Your Community Safe and Sound is a free collection of educational resources that make up an online tool kit to be used by local fire departments, as well as educators or members of the general public who are interested in raising awareness about the need for smoke alarms.

The tool kit and materials can be obtained for free at http://www.nfpa.org/safeandsound. Printable materials include facts and figures on smoke alarms, handouts, public service print ads, videos on the basics of smoke alarms and safety tips and other tools for communication.

Having a working smoke alarm reduces the risk of death in a home fire by nearly 50 percent, the NFPA said. Forty percent of home fire deaths result from fires with no smoke alarms in the home, according to a recent NFPA report on smoke alarms. Twenty-three percent of home fire deaths result from homes where a smoke alarm was present, but did not sound. In more than half of these cases, the alarm failed due to disconnected or missing batteries.

Keeping Your Community Safe and Sound is one of seven free educational tool kits available from the NFPA. Others include Keeping Your Community Safe with Home Fire Sprinklers; Keeping Your Community Safe and Energized; Keeping Your Community Cooking Safely; Keeping Your Community Safe and Warm; More Ways to Keep Your Community Safe and Warm; and Preparing Your Community for a Disaster.

For more information, visit www.nfpa.org.