Cynthia March 16th, 2010

Although Johnny Depp looked a little creepy in the previews for Alice in Wonderland, I took  my daughter to see it anyway.

It turns out the movie was spectacular! I came out sporting an English accent and waving my hands in a circular motion like the Good Witch. Umm…why is the good witch called the White Witch? Why does she have to be white? Is it symbolism in its subliminal form? Wow, sometimes I feel like I write like In Living Color’s *Oswald Bates (I just dated myself and will have to use a footnote!).

Perhaps, producers were making a religious reference to the White Light of the Lord? Why not brown, or tan witch? What about a Chicana Witch? Why did the bad witch, who was called the Red Witch, have an enormous head? Did Red refer to The Devil?

Bad witches are pretty too. Remember the movie, Mean Girls? The really creepy thing was how much I paid for a bottled water- 5 dollars! I usually take my own water with snacks from home, but I was unprepared this time.

I couldn’t justify spending so much on such a basic need, so, I deemed my experience divine and waved my hand and cast thy plain and simple water into holy water!

I have saved the receipt to see if any water droplets drip from the edges- tears of hard earned cash. I thought I saw an imprint of the Virgin Mary on my receipt.

Let me know if you see it too. Meanwhile keep away from the ”HOLY Moly! this is expensive” theatre-snack bar and take your burritos and water from home

Footnote*Damon Wayans plays an eloquent prison inmate whose vocabulary is full of incorrectly used clinical terms

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Cynthia March 4th, 2010

Clark County Firefighters, now known as GoodFellas, are in current contract negotiations, and if these thugs don’t get what they want, they may have some people whacked.

 At least back in the day, Vegas mobsters didn’t hide their transgressions- in 1947 we knew gangsters like “Bugsy” Siegel ran Las Vegas. If these wiseguys were crossed, they planted a bomb in your car, set you house on fire, or whacked you execution style if a handshake was made bad. 

 Nowadays, these Clark County wiseguys are in disguise – they are our hero’s in uniform who come out to a scene where they know they are not needed just to show a high volume of calls –in order to justify their budget.

 Well…after making over $250,000 a year, what Gambino wouldn’t take their fire truck out for a spin?

 I think we’ve watched the movie Backdraft one to many times because if many of us saw Fireproof, Firefighters would be out on their butt- making a bass pay of $60,000, just because of Kirk Cameron’s horrible comeback. But, I digress…

 How about when Clark County Commissioner, Steve Sisolak questioned the county Firefighter’s contract and soon after received a threatening call by one of the bosses warning him that “he’d better hope his house doesn’t catch on fire.”

 Didn’t Sisolak know the rules of the neighborhood:

Never rat on your friends (firefighters get candidates elected and they intimidate opponents), and always keep your mouth shut-especially about the GoodFellas’ overtime scheme- a firefighter who is called in to cover someone who is sick or on vacation is paid the callback rate, which is time and a half.

 Just like the good ol’ boys from the neighborhood, these firefighters cover each other by cutting deals – one calls in, the other covers and then it’s reversed the next week.

 These modern day Goodfellas might be heading straight to the Witness Protection Program after last night’s I-team investigation exposed their heist.

 But, I hope these mafia union members don’t even think about putting a hit out on a Boss like George Knapp, he’s got ties and can make these gangsters live the rest of their lives like a schnook.

• (702) 666-6666 , (702)-Traffic , Clark county firefighters , Cynthia De La Torre , Cynthia Delatorre , budget cuts , channel 8 , fire fighter overtime , firefighters , george knapp , goodfellas , las vegas fire fighters , steve sisoak

Cynthia March 1st, 2010

After reading an article about a murder case that was taken from the Florida court to the Florida Supreme Court, and then back to the Florida Court, I thought about how confusing the article must be for a person who lacks a basic legal background.

 Footnotes or cliff notes would really come in handy for those who do not work in the legal field. Nowadays, Wikipedia is just a Google click away, but who has time for such rhetoric. Nevertheless, there are those who read our blogs..I will make this short and sweet.   

 We have a three-tiered Court System:

 District Court or Trial Court- a Judgment is reached. If you find error in the judgment reached in district or trial court, you can appeal to the Appellate Court.

 Appellate Court or Court of Appeals:  Is made up of a panel of three judges who hear arguments on both sides.

 The Appellate Court has three options: 

• Change the judgment
• Remand send the case back to the lower court to change the judgment
• Send the case back to the lower court to keep the same judgment

 Supreme Court- All 50 states have their version of the Appeal to the Supreme Court.

 The Nevada Supreme Court is comprised of seven justices. There is no court higher than the Supreme Court- their decision is final.

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Cynthia February 24th, 2010

Our state continues to live up to its reputation of politicians gone wild and we watch it like its great reality TV.

 Cheaters, I mean the channel 8 I-team was on the scene exposing Governor Gibbons in his affair gone completely bad.

 But, what affair doesn’t go bad? It’s like a drug deal. Ever heard a news anchor say, “It was a drug deal gone bad.”

 Drug deals always go bad. There’s drugs exchanged for money, somebody gets high with illegal drugs and another person gets paid for illegal drugs.

 Of course, an affair is not illegal. These shenanigans have more to do with moral and ethics. Nevertheless, it always goes bad.

 Why do we continue to make an issue out of our politicians having affairs? Perhaps because they are elected officials running on platforms and they are held to a higher moral standard.

  Remember though, we are people running on platforms too.

 We have our religious platforms- Lutheran, Catholic, Baptist, Mormon and don’t forget the non-denominational or just plain atheist. Why should we judge? We are hypocrites. We stray all the time (drinking, gambling, cheating, omitting, one way or another we all lie) and we don’t have an entire camera crew trying to get us to confess, or do we?

  I called it in the beginning. I said, never trust a man without a bottom lip or is it a top lip? Either way. Our Governor was controversial before he was put in office. So, it seems we love the drama.

  A couple days after Chrissy Mazzeo yelled sexual assault we put him in office. All of a sudden we care about Jim’s girls in different area codes.

 Yes, last night our lipless Governor was caught in multiple lies – one after another.  This reminds me of…ah yes, Clinton – who we now pay to hear him whisper sweet nothings in our ear.

  While I was watching the video- I team vs. Gibbons, I felt myself pulling for Gibbons-  saying, come on, come on… just say, yes! Admit it and they will leave you alone. I guarantee you the camera crews would have backed off if he admitted to his special session. I’m’ just Monday night quarterbacking though.

 Until… I saw the girlfriend get in to the state vehicle. That stung a little. I felt like he was driving his girl around in the car that I pay for. Oh no he didn’t!

 For the record, I don’t agree with the Governors politics, but I do feel we have become sidetracked on the sensationalism of his personal life. Channel 8 has got us wrapped up in their own vendetta against the Governor.

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Cynthia February 16th, 2010

Apparently sin and sunshine doesn’t guarantee you happiness. Our Las Vegas family is quite dysfunctional according to The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. It ranks 162 cities on the happiness of its residents-Las Vegas finished 145th on the list.

So, shall our city go straight to rehab? Dr. Drew? Where were you on this one?

This poll doesn’t make any sense, we have the worlds happiest Mayor, Oscar Goodman! Goodman is so happy his nose is shiny red and bulbous.

OK, the first step to rehab is admitting to the problem: Nevada residents have been hit hard with the foreclosure crisis, unemployment rate is at 13.1 percent- higher than the entire nation (9.7 percent thus far).

Our service industry is suffering tremendously because we never saved for a rainy day- no, we didn’t save for our college education. However, you can say many residents helped fund some college tuition one lap dance at-a-time. Bygones…

Nevertheless, we are still not happy.

But, don’t blame us, blame our parents. Our Governor is out having affairs and then he up and gets a divorce. Papa Obama constantly refers to us as the red-head step-child (no, not literally) and never gives us any words of encouragement- which is very necessary for a family to thrive. Recovery is far ahead, but I doubt we are unhappy. Happy, Shiny, Bulbous People!

According to the list, the unhappiest city is Huntington, West Virginia. The happiest is Boulder, Colorado.

• (702) 666-6666 , Americans , Cynthia De La Torre , Cynthia Delatorre , Richard Harris , Richard Harris Law Firm

Cynthia February 8th, 2010

Americans love a good comeback, a rags-to-riches story, an innocent man who gets justice or victory for a city that has been living in turmoil.

This is why yesterday’s Super Bowl win tasted like Pecan Pie for New Orleans and for many Americans. For the first time in NFL history the Saints came up and conquered, restoring hope to a city that has been in a struggling economy for the last four years.  

 After Hurricane Katrina, Americans showed solidarity and assisted New Orleans by setting up relief funds, medical aid, rebuilding houses, and donating time to America’s city in chaos.

 New Orleans hung in there, took their handouts and did what was necessary to survive after such a devastating event. But, yesterday was different.

 The Saints sent out one big thank you to all of America and finally won back their city fair and square. No more handouts. It was symbolism at its best. Maybe even a fairytale…the stories my mom would prelude with, “remember this is only imaginary.”

 After the game, I thought… finally some good karma, some divine intervention for this city. This is a perfect scenario for an economy that has been suffering for so long. This victory is sure to give New Orleans a good boost.

 However, my cynical side kicked in, the one where people yell not another conspiracy theory! No, not the voices in my head, but the die-hard Saints’ fans and of course my friends who always cheer for the underdog.

  I started to think… was this another handout given out by Corporate America? Was this an Ode to My Mum: putting out that disclaimer at the beginning of the fairytale?

 The NFL is big business… Did Peyton Manning take one for the other team? Or, did he take one for his home town?

 And, if the Colts did lose this Bowl for the betterment of society aren’t they the real heroes or are they just gettin paid.

 Didn’t this sort of thing happen with boxing too? After a while, we pretty much knew a fight might be fixed? It’s hard to believe that we can’t just have a good ol’ fashion American Football Fairytale rather than a Corporate American Hand-Me-Down Dream.

 Or, perhaps I’m still dealing with mommy issues?

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Cynthia February 3rd, 2010

Apparently 15 percent of Nevada Drivers are uninsured according to KTVN Channel 2 news, which has caused our DMV to become babysitters or debt collectors.

 In the past the DMV took a drivers word when it came to proof of insurance, but since we can’t play well with others, we must abide by the new rule and pay.

 Before registering a car with the DMV, you must provide proof of insurance on the vehicle, if you cannot prove you have coverage or your insurance lapses drivers will be fined $250. Nevada Drivers will not have a seven-day grace period anymore.

 The DMV keeps track of lapses in insurance electronically and when lapses occur, it will prompt an automatic bill in the mail.

 So, it sounds like big brother is really looking out for us, or could it be a simple way to generate some state income?

 Either way, I guess it won’t hurt for Nevada drivers to grow up and become responsible adults.

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Cynthia February 2nd, 2010

Yesterday a man riding a motorcycle died after crashing into the back of a car.

The rider and another person on a motorcycle were speeding northbound on Lorenzi Street near Alta Drive. The car was also going northbound on Lorenzi when the rider hit the car’s back bumper.

According to police, the motorcycle was going so fast, it skidded more than 150 feet before stopping.  

Before riding on the back of a motorcycle with anybody I always ask if they’ve ever been in a motorcycle accident, if their reply is “no,” I don’t ride.

People who have been in motorcycle accidents and survive are most likely to use due care and don’t speed because they have experienced the ramifications.

These accident survivors have encountered one of the most horrific near death experiences- there are no fender benders in an accident involving a motorcycle- because the rider is always the most vulnerable.

Unfortunately, when you are dead there is no time to learn your lesson. Moral of the story- learn from others mistakes.

• Cynthia Delatorre , Motorcycle Accidents , Nevada traffic , Richard Harris , Richard Harris Law Firm , Ticket Busters , Uncategorized , lead foot , speeding , traffic , traffic ticket

Cynthia February 1st, 2010

Life is not fair when you have to pay for others’ mistakes.
A 17-year-old and his 41-year-old mother died in a car crash Friday night on Lamb and Las Vegas Blvd.
Channel 8 News Now said 20-year-old Nathan Hardy was driving recklessly before the crash and had run several red lights before slamming into Santos and his mother’s car. 
Hardy faces two felony counts for reckless driving causing death.
Sunday night nearly 200 people said goodbye to Canyon Springs High School senior Daniel Santos. Since Santos was a band member, Santos was remembered in front of the school’s band hall.  Santos often stayed after school to help others.

Our heart goes out to all of their family and friends.

• DUI , Nevada traffic , Richard Harris , Richard Harris Law Firm , Ticket Busters , speeding

Cynthia January 29th, 2010

Crowds of driving locals and tourists seen to create ‘perfect storm’ for business

BY BOB SHEMELIGIAN

As local police departments step up traffic enforcement on Southern Nevada’s roadways, nearly a dozen Las Vegas law firms vie for their share of the ever-growing businesses of ticket defense.

They include Ticket Busters, Ticket Terminator, Ticket Doctor and Ticket Eliminators — to name a few.

“I’ve heard of Ticket Ninja and Ticket King,” said Richard Harris, owner of Ticket Busters. “It seems like everyone in Southern Nevada is a ticket lawyer. We’re the ticket law firm capital of the world.”

MIKE STOTTS | LAS VEGAS BUSINESS PRESS Lawyer Richard Harris stands in his Las Vegas firm Nov. 30. He owns Ticket Busters, a business that pleads for deals in court to save clients time, money and driver’s license points.

Despite the cute names, humorous advertising campaigns, easy-to-remember phone numbers and catchy slogans like the mean looking traffic cop saying, “You don’t want to see me in court,” ticket attorneys are serious about business.

“With 2 million people who live in a 24-hour drinking town and drive on surface streets that are big wide freeways, and you add 30 million tourists a year, it gives us a perfect storm,” Harris said.

Records show that in fiscal 2009, the 12-month period ended in June, Las Vegas Justice Court collected nearly $36 million in ticket revenue for violations that occurred in unincorporated Las Vegas, the area generally south of Sahara Avenue.

Revenue for fiscal 2010 is projected to approach $42.5 million.

Harris bought Ticket Busters in April 2007 from attorney Adam Stokes, who now operates Half Price Lawyers. The attorney, who also operates Richard Harris Law Firm and The Defenders, explained that some have the misconception that ticket attorneys are in the business of trying to “fix” tickets. Rather, these attorneys provide a service. They plead for the deals they can get, often saving their clients time, money and driver’s license points.

Not everyone agrees.

In a recent Internet “Ripoff Report,” a Las Vegas woman named Shawna wrote that although Ticket Busters was able to get points removed from her husband’s driving record following a traffic ticket, the husband was required to attend traffic school “which would have removed the points for us anyway!”

Harris counters this claim with several laudatory testimonials on his company’s Web site, ticketbusters.com. He added that all customers of Ticket Busters save time, and some save money and points. In other words — as it is in criminal cases — it’s not up to the attorney to decide the sentence, it’s up to the courts.

“We as professionals in a traffic-related law firm are not going to guarantee any result,” Harris explained. “We handle tickets as any professional would — expeditiously. We save a lot of time, and in many cases our clients receive reduced fines, and no traffic school or points.”

Like other ticket lawyers, Harris or other attorneys at his firm typically attend special sessions before a judge and try to get the best deal they can for their clients. It’s not unusual for these attorneys to try to obtain reduced charges on several tickets at a time. In other words, they plea bargain.

“Many of these violations are in packages,” Harris said. “Some motorists could be hit with several citations. They could include improper lane change, no insurance, signals — I remember one client had seven. When we have this many, we can negotiate, and we do a good job.”

Stokes understands this.

“I’ll go (before the judge) with a stack of 500 tickets and try to get the best deal I can for my clients,” Stokes said. “If I can’t, then I’ll ask the judge to set all 500 cases for trial,”

Stokes, who boasts that he charges only $50 to handle a traffic citation, explained it’s not a matter of threatening a judge with clogging his calendar. Ticket defense goes to the heart of the judicial system — meaning that every defendant, no matter how minor the charge, has a right to an attorney and a right to his day in court.

The attorney also said he’s vigilant about trying to remove points from his clients’ driving records to help keep the clients’ auto insurance rates down.

“I don’t know why the state has an interest in sharing driver’s license information with insurance companies,” said Stokes, who holds master’s of business administration and law degrees from Tulane University.

A competitor to Ticket Busters and Half Price Lawyers is Ticket Terminators, which former insurance agent Kirk Helmick runs from a pink office building at the corner of Flamingo Road and Rainbow Boulevard.

Helmick, a native of Elkins, couldn’t be reached for comment.

Two years ago, he told the Elkins-based Inter-Mountain newspaper that he started the business several years ago after he began selling insurance in Las Vegas. Helmick explained that sometimes his insurance customers would have traffic tickets along with personal injury claims and local attorneys were hired to represent the clients.

“The relationship was working and we had a trade-off,” said Helmick, adding that he would refer personal injury cases to the lawyers who were already handling the tickets. “I decided that I was going to take it to another level.”

Helmick told the Inter-Mountain newspaper he has three attorneys working for him and he does all the marketing. He also said he has a traffic school.

Harris also offers his clients a traffic school. He notes that his online traffic school, which does business as Traffic School Busters, is free. The official name of the online school is gototrafficschool.com.

“There are some courts where traffic school is required if the client wants to remove the points,” Harris said. “And we offer traffic school for free.”

Any attorney would argue that the best way to avoid fines, points and traffic school is to avoid the ticket in the first place.

A few weeks ago, Harris was stopped by a Henderson police officer over a minor traffic violation.

“I got a warning when I told him I owned Ticket Busters,” Harris said.

Bob Shemeligian is a local freelance writer. Send questions or comments

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