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News Briefs, Feb. 8

Updated February 9, 2018 - 10:04 am

Police officer pleads not guilty

Boulder City Police Officer Jeffrey Grasso pleaded not guilty in District Court on Jan. 31 to 14 nonviolent felonies, which charge him with exploiting and stealing from his handicapped son. He is scheduled to go to trial Aug. 6.

Grasso was indicted Jan. 11 for two counts of exploitation of a vulnerable person, two counts of theft, four counts of burglary, five counts of forgery, and one count of offering false instrument for filing or record.

His son, Giulian Grasso, was in a skateboarding accident in 2012 when he was 15. He suffered a traumatic brain injury that requires him to use a wheelchair. In 2016, he was relearning to walk and unable to use his left arm.

According to the indictment, between January 2014 to May 2016 Grasso allegedly forged documents from the Hyperbaric Institute of Nevada to falsely withdraw more than $10,000 from charitable accounts at the Boulder Dam Credit Union that had been set up to help pay for his son’s care.

Grasso is on unpaid leave from the Boulder City Police Department.

Local bank robbed

On Friday, a 29-year-old man robbed Nevada State Bank, 1000 Nevada Way, at approximately 9:30 in the morning. According to the Boulder City Police Department, he produced a note demanding $10,000, which also said that he had a gun. He did not, however, show a gun to the teller.

The bank teller acquiesced with the request and gave him an undisclosed number of bills. The police arrived within minutes and apprehended the suspect. They estimated he took $1,900 from the bank and $80 worth of bait cash. The money was recovered, but a gun was not.

FBI agents also responded to the scene and are conducting a concurrent federal investigation. The suspect was booked into Clark County Detention Center. The police department does not know yet whether he will face state or federal charges.

Social media safety seminar to be held Monday

Metropolitan Police Department is presenting a free class “The Dark Side of Social Media” in Bounder City at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12, for parents and high school students. It will be held at the lecture hall at Boulder City High School, 1101 Fifth St.

The seminar, presented by the Las Vegas police department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Sex Crimes Section, will cover internet safety and awareness as well as the dangers of social media for children can protect themselves. The content is not suitable for children under the age of 14.

BCHS not likely to lay off staff

The 2018-2019 budget for Boulder City High School will allow the school to keep its current staff as well as provide additional funds to pay teachers to work during regularly scheduled preparation periods, as needed.

At its Jan. 31 meeting, the school organization team approved presenting the high school’s budget and its performance plan at the team’s next meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 7. If approved, both will be forwarded to the school district for further approval.

Details of Wednesday’s meeting will be in next week’s paper.

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Community pride on full display

A mixture of lime, paint and water was used to touch up the city landmark, which saw the B first painted in 1985 and two years later the C by BCHS students. It had been 10 years since the last time it was touched up. Event organizer Bret Runion said he was pleased with the turnout and hopes to see even more assist in future years.

It’s official: STRs banned in BC

For an issue that has caused so much local uproar for more than a year, the question of whether Boulder City should formalize the informal-but-still-binding ban on short-term rentals (STR) within city limits ended with more of a whimper than a bang Tuesday as the City Council voted 4-1 to adopt text changes to city code clarifying that the practice is illegal and establishing a system of civil fines for STR owners who continue to operate.

A busy Saturday in Boulder City

Saturday proved to be a very busy day in Boulder City as events included repainting of the BC on Radar Mountain (see page 2 for photos), as well as the city’s Easter Egg Hunt at Wilbur Square, Flowfest and the popular goat yoga class at Bicentennial Park and the Injured Police Officers Fund car show at Veterans’ Memorial Park.

To chip or not to chip?

In its second time at the plate, as it were, the proposal by Boulder City Councilmember Cokie Booth to require that pets within BC be microchipped ended up with a lot of people talking about maybe taking a swing at the ball but no one actually doing so.

Council candidate slate set

A total of seven candidates for city council and three candidates for justice of the peace of Boulder Township will face off in the primary election scheduled for June 11.

Ultrarunner to push himself to the limit

It’s not uncommon for friends or even family members to try and best one another whether that be athletics, academics or relationships.

Vets home hit with 18 citations

In a recent unannounced inspection, the Southern Nevada State Veterans’ Home was cited 18 times for issues ranging from verbal abuse of a patient to failing to provide meals at an appropriate temperature, to employees not having keys to locked gates, which would be needed in the case of an emergency evacuation.

BDCU looks back on past year at annual meeting

For more than eight decades, the Boulder Dam Credit Union has been the most popular place for Boulder City residents to do their banking, not to mention see friends and neighbors.

Top o’ the evening to ya

Photos by Ron Eland/Boulder City Review

BC repaint: Countdown is on

It’s almost time to don that old pair of jeans, the ratty tennis shoes in the back of your closet and a shirt you’re not worried about ruining.