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New kind of healing center for victims of child sex trafficking in Southern Nevada

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New kind of healing center for victims of child sex trafficking in Southern Nevada


BOULDER CITY, Nev. (FOX5) – School starts Monday for most Clark County School District students.

But one very special school is having a delayed start. However, the teachers arrive tomorrow at The Healing Center at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children in Boulder City.

The first-of-its-kind school in the country caters to children who are victims of sex trafficking.

The goal at The Healing Center is to help these young minds transition from victim to survivor.

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That’s important for the C.E.O. of St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, Christina Vela. “The truth is, for the young people that will come and call this their home, they’ve experienced this tremendous amount of trauma in their life,” Vela said.”

Students will have access to a quality education while they begin their process of healing.

That comes in the form of licensed teachers, counselors and support professionals.

Principal Amy Manning wants to make sure her teachers are meeting their students from a place of compassion. “What we’re focusing on is trauma-informed instruction,” Manning said. “What does sex trafficking look like, so they have that background. How do we build relationships and rapports with students because that’s going to be our number one key focus to helping us be successful.”

Manning says it’s all about building trust, and she knows it won’t come easy given what these children and teens have been through.

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The healing center will be the first-of-its-kind residential therapeutic center in the country, housing around 60 kids in a nurturing, holistic environment with individual one-story homes in a neighborhood setting.

Both Manning and Vela say the unprecedented school has been needed in the community for a long time, and the prevalence of victims who have been sex trafficked in our area is surprising to a lot of people.

“I think ignorance is bliss, and what you don’t know, you don’t know until you start to learn, and then it’s quite shocking the facts that you learn and see how prevalent it is in our community and across the United States and the nation,” Manning said.

Close to 29,000 children were reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2023.

The center says one in six were likely victims of sex trafficking.

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Vela wants the victims to know their future doesn’t have to be determined by their past.

“We want hope to start rising in their lives that what’s happened to them doesn’t define them and that they can start to feel safe enough to dream about a life free from exploitation and abuse.”

The healing center will be the only residential treatment center with these specific housing options in Southern Nevada.

The Healing Center will have its grand opening on October 29th, and start welcoming students shortly after that. Teachers start at the center Wednesday, August 7th.

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Gas prices climb in northern Nevada amid tensions in the Middle East

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Gas prices climb in northern Nevada amid tensions in the Middle East


$3.99 on Sunday, $4.09 just days later.

An extra dime for the same gallon of gas, but why?

Conflict in the Middle East has impacted prices at the pump for drivers here in northern Nevada and across the country.

According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of gas has jumped nearly 27 cents since last week, coming in at $3.25. In Reno, the average price is roughly $4.26.

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Experts say for every $5 to $10 increase in oil prices, drivers could pay 15 to 25 cents more per gallon.

The increase primarily comes down to the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, which controls roughly 20% of the world’s oil supplies. Amid the tensions, traffic through the area has recently ground to a halt.

Michael Goldman, General Manager of Caru Containers North America, said many of the shippers who typically go through the Strait have changed course.

“We’re seeing the routes ships need to take be much longer, much more costly. Going around the Horn of Africa instead of going through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. And we’re definitely seeing cost increases to those carriers to make those journeys,” said Goldman.

Jayce Robinson from Sparks said he’s always looking for the best deal in town on gas.

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“I mostly fill up here for work, so it’s not my money, but when I do fill up, I definitely look for the cheapest place because money’s tight and gas is expensive,” Robinson said.



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10-month-old found safe, North Las Vegas police cancel AMBER Alert

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10-month-old found safe, North Las Vegas police cancel AMBER Alert


Authorities have canceled an AMBER Alert after they say a 10-month-old child taken by a non-custodial parent was found safe.

North Las Vegas Police said Thursday that Leilani Williams (aka Leilani Duke) was taken by her father, Roderick Duke.

Duke and Leilani were last seen at an apartment complex in the area of Martin L. King Boulevard and Cheyenne Avenue at 1:40 a.m.

“An AMBER Alert has been activated due to Roderick being in emotional crisis and making threats to harm himself and 10-month-old Leilani,” NLVPD said in a statement.

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By 10:05 a.m., NLVPD said that Leilani was located unharmed.

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Officers took Duke into custody without further incident, and the AMBER Alert has been canceled.



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California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to Nevada Democrats in Las Vegas

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to Nevada Democrats in Las Vegas


California Gov. Gavin Newsom addressed Nevada Democrats who packed a Las Vegas brewery Wednesday evening for a discussion about his upbringing, his political life and efforts his state has taken to combat the Trump administration agenda.

Newsom, who has been floated as a possible White House contender for 2028, sidestepped a quip from former Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak who introduced him as the next U.S. president amid cheers from the crowd.

“I’m very grateful for your friendship, and a friendship that’s only strengthened over the course of the last year or so,” Newsom told Sisolak.

Book tour stop

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The event, which served as a book tour stop for the California governor, was organized by the Nevada Democratic Party. It took place at Nevada Brew Works near Summerlin.

Nevada Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, the state party chair running for North Las Vegas mayor, moderated the discussion.

It was part of the party’s Local Brews + National Views series that’s been bringing Democrats for similar discussions at intimate venues. Past speakers have included former President Joe Biden, Arizona U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

Criticizing President Donald Trump, Newsom spoke about the immediate aftermath of the 2024 general election.

“We were handwringing, a lot of finger pointing, and a sense of weakness,” Newsom said. “And just incapable of dealing with this moment, this existential moment.”

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He said he is taking account for what he described as his own complicity.

“This happened on my watch. This is all happening on our watch,” Newsom said. “And so I realized that I needed to be better.”

That included his advocacy to redraw California’s Congressional map after Trump called for the same in Texas, he said.

“They’re not screwing around, nor are we,” he said about Trump and his administration. “All of us.”

‘You’re giving us a voice’

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Newsom spoke out against the surge of federal immigration enforcement operations in California and later Minnesota, calls from the Trump administration to nationalize elections, and cuts to government funding due to the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act.

He said that pushback against Trump’s policies, including dozens of lawsuits filed by California, were making the president retreat on some of his proposals and policies.

“You’re filling the void, you’re giving us a voice, you’re giving us courage,” he told the crowd. “For things to change, we have to change. And it’s changing.”

The Republican National Committee reacted to Newsom’s Las Vegas visit. Earlier in the day, Newsom attended a private Boulder City event.

“Democrats are selling out to the spoiled, phony rich kid governor from California for years,” RNC spokesperson Nick Poche wrote in a statement. “President Donald Trump and Republicans are delivering major tax cuts and keeping Nevadans safe, unlike Democrats.”

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The national Republican Party also criticized California’s policies, and tied them back to Nevada Democrats.

Most of Newsom’s remarks weren’t specific to Nevada. He didn’t take any questions from media.

Polling shows Newsom and Vice President JD Vance leading in hypothetical races for their parties’ nomination. That includes a survey of likely Nevada voters conducted one by Emerson College Polling in November.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

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