LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Good morning, Las Vegas. It's Wednesday, Oct. 15, and we're following a few stories you may want to know about as you start your day.
Temperatures are still cooler, but winds are calmer
Tuesday's wind gusts have blown their way out of the valley, and today should be much calmer. We're staying dry and cool, and it looks like the rest of the week will follow suit.
Justin Bruce gives you the rundown of today's forecast and what you can expect for the rest of the work week:
Up on Mt. Charleston, we do have a graupel alert. Yesterday's storm brought some winter weather to the Spring Mountains fairly early in the season.
October tax deadline is (almost) here
Time is running out for millions of Americans who still haven't filed their taxes.
If you're one of those people, Hailey Gravitt found out what happens if you miss the deadline — and how this process might be impacted while thousands of Internal Revenue Service workers are furloughed during the ongoing government shutdown:
The government shutdown is not impacting the filing deadline, which is Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. One local CPA who spoke with Channel 13 advised late filers to be prepared for backlogs.
If you haven't filed and are asking yourself if you can get an extension, the IRS says generally, no. If you miss the deadline, the IRS will charge 5% of the amount due for each month or part of the month that is late, up to a maximum of 25%.
Halloween costs and how you can save
Americans are projected to spend more than $13 billion on Halloween this year, including more than $100 per individual on costumes alone. Amid the high costs, we've learned a large percentage of families are planning to shop at discount stores to try to save.
Anyssa Bohanan looked into how you can keep your Halloween costs from getting too scary:
Convincing secret shopper scam costs local woman thousands
A Las Vegas woman is sharing her story after falling victim to a convincing secret shopper scam that cost her thousands — all from what seemed like a legitimate job offer. She's sharing what happened to her so you can avoid making the same mistake.
Fallout from NV Energy overcharging scandal
NV Energy proposes millions of dollars in refunds for customers it overcharged, but regulators still have more questions. And we've now learned from some locals that they're being targeted by misleading solar sales teams using the controversy to push their products.
Geneva Zoltek explains the latest development in regulators' push for accountability:
Las Vegas local Alan Osborne told Channel 13 he was misled by a sales team that told him the NV Energy controversy impacted him and that he should divest from the utility. It wasn't true, but Osborne says the team used deceptive tactics to make their pitch more convincing.
NV Energy tells us any customers who were overcharged have already been notified. If you have questions, we're told the best course of action is to call NV Energy's help line at 702-402-5555. You're also welcome to reach out to us with your concerns by submitting a tip to our newsroom.
New developments in the push to ban pet stores
Animal advocates in Las Vegas are making progress in their push to ban the sale of dogs and cats in local pet stores. Anjali Patel explains what's new and what's next:
An ordinance banning those sales in only new pet stores was set to be discussed by the Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday and possibly get a vote. But a City spokesperson tells us that's now been delayed until November because city officials are amending the language to eventually ban the sale of those pets in all pet stores — not just newly licensed ones.
We're told that the provision wouldn't take effect for another three years, giving existing stores time to get in compliance.
The amended version of the ordinance is expected to go before the City Council on Nov. 5. If approved, Las Vegas would join Clark County and North Las Vegas in having a total ban.