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45 dogs dead, 48 alive after North Las Vegas fire

By WTOP Staff

KEN RITTER
Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A weekend fire that tore through a North Las Vegas home with 93 small dogs — more than 15 times the maximum number of canines allowed in a house by the city — killed 45 of them and injured one man.

Now the two tenants who rented the home from a North Las Vegas city councilman could face animal-cruelty charges, authorities said Monday.

Councilman Isaac Barron issued a statement Monday through a city spokesman saying that he’s heartbroken about the dogs that perished at the Stanley Avenue home he owns, and he expects people will be held accountable if crimes were committed.

“I was completely unaware of the conditions inside the rental home and filed a notice of eviction just last week after repeatedly being denied entry by the occupants,” the statement said. “As a councilman, I will be looking into regulations that ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

City law allows residents to have no more than three adult dogs unless they pay a $25 annual fee for a so-called dog-fancier permit to keep up to six canines at home.

Barron is also a teacher at Rancho High School in Las Vegas. It wasn’t immediately clear if his tenants had the dogs as pets or were breeding them for sale.

Their names weren’t immediately made public.

City spokesman Mitch Fox said Barron told him Monday that he knew the men had dogs, but he didn’t know how many.

The eviction notice was served last Wednesday, Fox said, and the councilman said his tenants were several months behind on rent.

One of the three bedrooms in the single-story home of less than 1,200 square feet was described as piled with animal waste.

Police Sgt. Chrissie Coon said the men could face charges that include animal abuse or mistreatment.

One man was hospitalized in stable condition after the fire for treatment of unspecified injuries and was in stable condition, North Las Vegas fire Capt. Cedric Williams said.

Crews that responded to the home Sunday evening reported seeing dogs running in front and backyards, but found most inside the smoke-filled house, Williams said. Some dogs were revived with oxygen.

“We have pet-rescue masks, and many were resuscitated,” Williams said. “They did a wonderful job.”

The dogs were described as Chihuahua-sized, but Coon and Williams said they didn’t know their breed. Animal-control officers took the live animals to the Lied Animal Foundation shelter in Las Vegas.

Williams said the fire appeared to have been accidental, and it may have been sparked by an electrical malfunction.

The single-story masonry home, which dates to 1954, sits on a crowded residential street about 5 miles northeast of the Las Vegas Strip. Williams called it a total loss because of smoke damage.

Similar cases involving large numbers of animals kept in homes have led to citations. Two months ago, a woman who was keeping more than 100 cats and one dog in her North Las Vegas home was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty. Her animals were taken to a shelter, and the home was declared uninhabitable.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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