Here are the top 13 stories that received the most page views of 2019 on KTNV.com. The biggest story of the year was about a donor walk for an 18-year-old man who was badly injured in a motorcycle crash. The story racked up 323,000 page views, received thousands of comments on social media and was shared around the world. His story also inspired other people to become organ donors and many people will benefit in the years to come because of his decision.
1. UMC staff line hallways as 18-year-old donor organ escorted to operating room
Video of an 18-year-old organ donor being escorted to an operating room at University Medical Center in May went super viral. Michael Sigler sustained critical injuries in a motorcycle crash on May 17 and remained on life support until his organs could be harvested. Hundreds of employees, first responders, friends and family lined the halls of the hospital as Sigler took his last trip.
2. Grasshoppers invade Las Vegas valley
Las Vegas is accustomed to being invaded by entertainers and celebrities and 300,000 people for every major holiday, but it was unprepared for the invasion of grasshoppers in July. Multiple videos posted online show swarms of grasshoppers on the Las Vegas Strip and in neighborhoods across the valley. The grasshoppers were so bad at one point that people were reportedly canceling their vacations to the Las Vegas Strip. However, local businesses decided to take advantage of the phenomenon. Evel Pie in downtown Las Vegas was inspired to create a pizza with grasshoppers as a topping and Vegas Cakes created a larger-than-life grasshopper cake.
3. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino decided to close completely during rebranding
Although many people are excited to see what Richard Branson will do with the Hard Rock Hotel, they appear to be less than thrilled that the hotel-casino will be closed while it is being transformed into a Virgin Hotels property. Initially, it was announced that it would be renovated in stages and would only be closed for 4 months. Now the plan is to close immediately after the Super Bowl. A statement says that its 1,850 employees are invited to come back and will not be required to interview again for previously held jobs. We are guessing that not all employees are sure that wil happen.
4. 5 missing women, 3 found dead in separate incidents across Las Vegas valley
In late August/early September, many residents became concerned after several women were reported missing and 3 of them turned up dead. None of the case were related, but that didn't stop people from warning their female friends and family members to be careful. One of those 3 women was Sharon Harrell, owner of the popular barbecue joint named TC's Rib Crib. Her cause of death was eventually ruled as "undetermined," meaning the coroner could not pinpoint a cause of death.
5. Family dog injured in Site Means Sit obedience training
Many people care for their pets just as much as fellow human beings. That might be why so many people were outraged by the investigative story about Sit Means Sit, a business that trains dogs. A local family adopted two rescue dogs. Oreo was a bit of a handful so they paid almost $2,000 for an immersion training program. However, their dog came back with sores on his paws and burn marks from a shock collar. Oreo's buoyant personality was also gone and he was nervous and distrustful. Although the trainer initially promised a refund, it took a phone call from Chief Investigator Darcy Spears before the family received a refund and money for vet bills.
6. El Loco roller coaster closes after rider falls at Vegas theme park
It's one reason many people don't enjoy amusement park rides -- they are afraid of falling out. Although it is a very rare occurrence, it can happen and it did happen to a woman who was riding the El Loco roller coaster at Adventuredome at Circus Circus. The woman who fell from the ride was a double amputee and rules were changed after the incident to prohibit people who are partially or wholly missing a leg from boarding the roller coaster. Details of the woman's injury were never made public.
7. Las Vegas police involved in shooting at Bellagio hotel-casino
It was a wild scene in the valet area of the Bellagio hotel-casino in March. A man robbed a casino cage around 9:45 p.m. and then attempted to carjack someone who had just pulled into the valley area. The alleged thief was confronted by 4 police officers, which resulted in him firing at the officers. His bullet struck one officer the chest and another officer fired back, hitting the suspect. He died at a local hospital. It was later determined that it wasn't the first time the man had robbed the casino.
8. Man killed after trespassing at nuclear site in Nevada
The No Trespassing signs at the Nevada National Security Site or no joks. Authorities shot and killed a man who entered the secured site in January. The man drove his vehicle about 8 miles into the site before getting out and approaching security officers with an object in his hand. After he refused to drop the object, he was shot.
9. Family of Las Vegas nail tech allegedly killed by customer speaks out
This story began in 2019 when 51-year-old Ngoc Q. Nguyen was killed outside Crystal Nails & Spa by a customer who refused to pay. The nail salon tech chased the customer outside and the customer's car hit the nail salon employee as she was driving away. The customer, identified as Krystal Whipple, was not arrested until a almost 2 weeks later in Arizona. The story gained national attention because of the dramatic video and manhunt for the customer.
10. Person dies after fall near High Roller
The High Roller Observation Wheel is the tallest observation wheel in the world and many people initially assumed that the person who died had somehow fallen from the wheel itself. It later came out that 23-year-old Stefan Quinton Jones-Green from Philadelphia was in an unauthorized area near the wheel and fell about 50 feet down a flight of stairs.
11. Bleutech Park, mini digital city, to anchor new Las Vegas development
Las Vegans are always excited to hear about new projects in the valley. But in this case, many people are wondering if it will ever actually happen even though the company behind it has now held two press conferences to talk about the plans. People are mostly suspicious because a woman named Janet LeGrand, who is associated with the project, has been accused of lying to get millions of dollars from a Florida city for a similar project.
12. Man says 500 rounds of ammunition delivered to wrong address, lost for hours
It was a moment of panic for one Las Vegas man after he said the 500 rounds of ammunition he ordered online was delivered to the wrong address. The man was eventually able to locate the ammo and FedEx apologized for the mistake, but he says he won't order online again for fear of a delivery making it into the wrong hands.
13. KAOS dayclub and nightclub at Palms hotel-casino closed
The closing of a major club at a popular hotel-casino seems to have taken many, including its employees, by surprise. The club opened with much fanfare in April 2019. It boasted a 73,000-square-foot dayclub and 29,000-square-foot nightclub with multiple pools, a 60-foot bronze sculpture, a lavish pool menu, the biggest LED wall in Las Vegas and top entertainers including DJ Marshmello and Cardi B. The new venue was part of a $690 million remodel of the property. After the closure, one of its employees filed a lawsuit, claiming she was not given proper notice of the closure.
