Should First Friday continue after the deadly shooting?

15-year-old Carth Onasi Jacobs-Rodgers was shot and killed during a physical altercation in the Arts District late Friday night. Two other teens were also injured when the suspect, who is still at large, fired into the crowd at the First Friday event. Metro police have said that the investigation is still ongoing.

This tragedy has renewed questions about how safe First Friday is. Tara Mesaric-Rodgers, one of Jacobs-Rodgers' legal guardians, said she doesn't want to see First Friday disbanded: “It’s been a Vegas thing for years, but they need to, especially being close to Fremont; it needs to have better safety protocols."

For unaccompanied minors, the downtown enhanced curfew hours are 9 p.m. – 5 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and certain holidays. In the aftermath of the shooting, however, business owners have said that they've observed a lot of unsupervised young people at this event, and some are now calling for better enforcement of the curfew. Meadows Mall also recently implemented a temporary youth curfew to avoid “disruptive, unsupervised gatherings of youth."

On today's episode of City Cast Las Vegas, we're talking about this incident, the future of First Friday, and whether curfews are enough to keep Las Vegans safe.

👀 Police Surveillance via Internet Search Results

As part of a homicide investigation, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department asked Google to turn over information about people who searched specific keywords. The tech company has pushed back, calling it an unconstitutional search. The first hearing is scheduled for later this month. While Nevada has no laws addressing reverse search warrants, they have been challenged in other states. [The Nevada Independent]

🏥 Nevada's Pediatric Care Challenges

Nevada’s first stand-alone children’s hospital is set to open in southwest Las Vegas in 2030. According to a new report, however, that $1 billion facility won’t single-handedly solve the state’s staffing shortages and other struggles to provide quality pediatric care. The report recommends pay increases, more training opportunities, and the creation of a providers' collaborative. [Las Vegas Sun]

💰 Notorious Brothel Owner Dead?Attorneys believe notorious Nevada brothel operator and fugitive Joe Conforte has died. Conforte, who fled to Brazil decades ago to escape tax evasion charges, is the former owner of Mustang Ranch, the United States' first legal and fully licensed brothel. Conforte's last contact with his lawyer was in 2017. [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

🎓 Just How Effective Is Funding for At-Risk Students?

According to a new study, funding that goes to Nevada schools to help at-risk students graduate isn’t helping. Some say this means that the money — $159 million in Clark County — is being targeted incorrectly, while others are calling at-risk funding “a waste of taxpayer money.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal]