Strong plan in place. Clark county is working with multiple agencies to protect against a potential attack john steinbeck, deputy fire chief clark county emergency manager we have the people here from different agencies from the red cross to state agencies to metro, clark county fire, the Health District all in one room that can go ahead and provide that support. Whether its a health crisis, if its a natural crisis, a manmade crisis, were ready to handle. Denise Valdez metro Police Expect to have as many as 14 hundred officers on the strip and downtown. In uniform on horseback and under cover. Officers are asking people not to bring any bulky bags or strollers to the strip. If you do so, you could be subject to a search. Patranya Bhoolsuwan and while police will be out in full force. Hundreds of thousands of others. Will be celebrating. An d ringing in 2016. Denise Valdez stevens is live from the Hard Rock Cafe. Where our crew will be posted tonight for our coverage. Michael . party like a rock star on new years eve at hard rock live las vegas located inside Hard Rock Cafe las vegas strip. The celebration will feature a premium open bar, food stations, party favors and a special Champagne Toast at midnight. Local band ashley red will perform and keep the dance floor packed into the new year additionally, revelers get a front row view of the fireworks at midnight from hard rock live las vegas patio overlooking the Patranya Bhoolsuwan michael. Get tickets to tonights event . Michael Stevens patranya. If you want to show up. You can still by tickets online at hard rocks website. The price is 1 hundred and 75bucks per person and of course you need to be 21 or older to take part. Patranya Bhoolsuwan and pet owners. Denise Valdez new years eve can prove to a be a pretty scary time for dogs and cats. Make sure your pets are secure during the fireworks. They can get scared of loud try to run away. The best way to keep them safe, is keep them in an interior, you may want to make your pets have the proper id on them, in case they run away. sherry hows the weather today . Sherry swensk morning if you are going to be out for very long. Temps are steadily dropping to near freezing already with clear skies. Some neighborhoods will make it to freezing and a little below again by daybreak. Then the winds will pick up through the afternoon. Well keep the sunshine. But then as the day goes on. The winds increase. Will the winds back off for the fireworks . Thats the Million Dollar question. It will be cold either way with or without a wind chill. Demetria, how are the roads this morning . Accident on southbound i15 past charleston. The Spring Mountain interchange along with the flamingo and tropicana i1 15 interchanges will close down this evening celebration. Ill be talking about all of the closures, as well as whats staying open around 6 20 am in no delays on the south beltway right now. < < back to you Patranya Bhoolsuwan the woman who police say plowed down pedestrians on the strip. Had marijuana in her system at the time of the crash. Prosecutors say lakeisha holloways blood tests showed that she had more than the legal limit of pot in her system. However, her defense Attorney Says the levels are low and dont prove that she was impaired. On december 20th, police say she killed 1 person and injured more than 35. When she intentionally drove up on the sidewalk in front of her 3 year old daughter was in the car at the time. Holloway is on suicide watch in jail. Pending a january 20th court date. She faces charges for murder, child endangerment and felony hit and run. Denise Valdez a young child in clark county has died from complications of the flu. The Southern NevadaHealth District says the child was younger than five. This is the first child to die this flu season in clark county. Weve also just learned a woman over 50 has also died. Bringing adult deaths to three. Peak flu season is typically in january and february. There is still time to receive a flu vaccine. Walgreens tracks flu activity nationwide through customer purchases of flu remedies, and says las vegas is third on their list of cities around the country for flu activity. And nevada is their top state this week. Patranya Bhoolsuwan bill the Sexual Assault charges against him will be cleared. Denise Valdez the reason cosbys defense claims hes innocent. Patranya Bhoolsuwan and. I15 and the strip shut down ahead of tonights new years celebration. Demetria shows you whats closing and how to get around it in whats driving you but across the world. Its already 2016 Patranya Bhoolsuwan the celebrations began overnight. This is a look at the countdown auckland, new zealand. They rang in the new year with their traditional firework display at sky tower. Some 25 thousand people were expected to attend the party. Patranya Bhoolsuwan and heres a look at the new year in australia. Fireworks went off in sydney over the harbour bridge and opera house. About 1 and a half Million People watched the spectacle. There was even a pre midnight fireworks display. For families with kids who couldnt make it to midnight. Patranya Bhoolsuwan las vegas will also have a Pretty AmazingFireworks Show to ring the pyrotechnics will be launched from 7 different casinos along the strip. It begins right when the clock strikes 12. And will last about 8 minutes but winds are in the forecast. And the fireworks wont be set off. If gusts are stronger than 10 miles per hour, so sherry will be tracking those winds an air quality advisory is in effect for potentially elevated levels of smoke due to the fireworks. Patranya Bhoolsuwan if you dont want to brave the strip or downtown. You can spend new years eve with the folks from channel 8 our countdown to 2016 special begins at 10 pm and well be on air until just after the fireworks finale. Well have crews at red rock, downtown las vegas, and of course up and down the strip. Be sure to use the Hashtag Vegas nye whenever you post on social media. You might just see your posts right here on channel 8 during sherry hows the weather today . Sherry swensk grab your warm coat this morning if you are going to be out for very long. Temps are steadily dropping to near freezing already with clear skies. Some neighborhoods will make it to freezing and a little below again by daybreak. Then the winds will pick up through the afternoon. But then as the day goes on. The winds increase. Will the winds back off for the fireworks . Thats the Million Dollar question. It will be cold either way with or without a wind chill. Some areas of the country have bigger problems to worry about than breezy winds and fireworks those who live around the Mississippi River can barely see their rooftops or find their homes in the flood waters with rising rivers. Rain scattered across the southeast today. And cold across the west. A wind advisory for the river and out to the lake today until 5 am tomorrow. Warmer weekend for us and then a chance for rain for our first week of the new year. arnold, missouri back to you Denise Valdez bill cosby bail until his next Court Appearance in january. The 78yearold comedian was charged with Sexual Assault during his arraignment yesterday in a pennsylvania courtroom. Prosecutors say in 2004, cosby drugged and sexually assaulted former Temple University employee Andrea Constand. Ten years behind bars. Cosbys Attorney Says the charge is unjustified and cosby will be cleared. Monique Pressley this case involves a woman and a man who had a consensual adult relationship over time. Denise Valdez the accuser, Andrea Constand settled a civil case against cosby in 2006 for an undisclosed sum. More than 50 other women have stepped forward to make similar accusations against cosby dating back decades, but for many, the statute of limitations to file charges has expired. Denise Valdez and in california. A federal grand jury charged the friend of the San Bernardino shooters. The Justice Department says Enrique Marquez will be arraigned next week for conspiring to give Material Support to terrorists. Investigators say marquez bought rifles used by the couple. That shot and killed 14 people earlier this month. They were killed in a shootout with police. Bail. Patranya Bhoolsuwan for the nypd detective and us airman killed while serving overseas. The service for Sergeant Joseph lemm was held in new york city at the famed Saint Patricks cathedral. He and 5 other americans. Were killed just 4 days before christmas. By a suicide bomber in afghanistan. The stately procession. Moved past an unbroken wall of uniforms 7 blocks long and ten deep. Fellow soldier. John giudice. Served with lemm in afghanistan in 2013. He talked about how hard it is. To say goodbye john giudice lemms friend i dont think it has set in yet. Its tough. He was a brother. 45 year old lemm leaves behind a wife, teenage daughter and 4 year old son. The remains of a 31 year old Staff Sergeant who was also killed in the attack will be returned today. During a ceremony at the Air National Guard base on long island. demetria, how are the roads this morning . Right shoulder blocked on southbound i15. Its causing delays in the spaghetti bowl right now, so leave a little early to get to work on time. Cadence community in henderson hosting a 5k. Road closures in effect from nine pm to two thirty am. Water street closing between warm springs and galleria, cadence crest will close between lake mead parkway and water street. Sunset closing between lake mead parkway and cadence view. < < back to you Denise Valdez a terrifying experience for passengers on board an air canada plane. Patranya Bhoolsuwan the severe turbulence that forced the plane to divert to another airport. So the injured could be sent to and its time for todays facebook contest. Register to win on our facebook Denise Valdez nearly two dozen people are recovering this morning. After a flight full of severe turbulence. Patranya Bhoolsuwan 21 passengersincl uding three children on the air canada plane were sent to the hospital yesterday with non life threatening neck and back injuries. They were traveling from shanghai to toronto. But the turbulence was so bad, the jet was diverted to another city in canada. Connie Gelber passenger honestly we thought we were dying. Like you see in the movies . Where they all go up to the ceiling . Everything went to the ceiling that wasnt anchored. Patranya Bhoolsuwan passengers say the pilot did the best he could under the circumstances. And they realize you should always wear your seatbelt. Even if the light is off. Air canada says a full investigation is underway and it is making arrangements to accommodate all of the passengers. Demetria Obilor new years eve means champagne and fireworks, but before all of that. Road closures. Same drill as last year pretty much. Starting at five pm, ndot and local police will close the i15 on and off ramps at Spring Mountain, flamingo and tropicana. Roads and alleys leading westbound onto the strip between sahara and mandalay bay from koval lane will begin around 5 45 pm. Between six and sixthirty pm, metro will close down las vegas boulevard between sahara and mandalay bay. The plan is to have the strip fully open to pedestrian traffic around sixthirty pm. Thats also the time all moving walkways, elevators and shut off. I15 and the strip are expected to reopen around threethirty, after cleanup. Streets like sahara, desert inn, frank sinatra, koval and russell will be your friends. Those roads will remain open through the evening, as well as harmon access to las vegas boulevard is limited to hotel guests. Fremont shuts down at four pm and reopens at six pm, in preps for the celebration. Hey whats driving you crazy . Send your traffic question to traffic eight at las vegas now dot com. Back to you. Patranya Bhoolsuwan taking in thousands of calls. From people across the valley. Denise Valdez 8 on your sides Michelle Mortensen breaks down the top scams of the year. to Education Savings Accounts. The exemptions state lawmakers approved. For the controversial new program. Patranya Bhoolsuwan plus. Local police are cracking down this new years eve. The two things they are going to be looking for. As people ring in the new year across town. Michael Stevens < Michael Stevens is live talking about the countdown to 2016 < welcome to a brighter morning, this is 8 newsnow with kirsten joyce, Sherry Swensk, Demetria Obilor and brian loftus Patranya Bhoolsuwan thanks for joining us this morning. Im Patranya Bhoolsuwan. Brian and kirsten are off today. We just want to wish everyone a happy new years eve some 330 thousand people will be celebrating in the valley. Patranya Bhoolsuwan police are upping the ante. And increasing their security presence on the strip. But theyre also cracking down on security in the suburbs. Theyll be watching for drunk driving and celebratory gunfire. North Las Vegas Police tell us officers will be doubled up in patrol cars as an extra precaution. Theyll be working with metro especially patrolling the borders between the cities. North las vegas pd tell us there are no major changes on how new years eve will be handled this year. Denise Valdez many people ring in the new year with a few drinks. And there are several options to get home safely. The rtc is offering free rides from 6 pm tonight until 9 am. There will also be plenty of cabs ready. To get you to and from wherever it is that you want to be. You can also use your phone to but. Keep price surging in mind. Will go up between midnight and 4 am. So make sure to Pay Attention to the fare estimate. Also if you end up driving drinks. Just put away your keys. Triplea is offering free tipsy tows to your home within 10 miles of the pickup location. You do not have a triplea membership. Put this number in your phone. 8002224357. Tipsy tows for the Biker Community is available as well. That number is 7025860536. Denise Valdez or, you could always take the monorail. One way tickets cost just 1 dollar for nevada residents. But you have to buy them before 11 pm to get the deal. You can hitch a ride on the monorail until 3am on saturday. It has 7 stops. From the mgm grand to the sls. Patranya Bhoolsuwan as weve been talking about. The strip is turning into one big party Denise Valdez thousands will pack las vegas boulevard. To ring in the new year las vegas style. Michael stevens is already on cafe. The main stage for our countdown now. Michael. How is it out there . party like a rock star on new years eve at hard rock live las vegas located inside Hard Rock Cafe las vegas strip. The celebration will feature a premium open bar, food stations, party favors and a special Champagne Toast at midnight. Local band ashley red will perform and keep the dance floor packed into the new year additionally, revelers get a front row view of the fireworks at midnight from hard rock live las vegas patio overlooking the Denise Valdez michael. Kickoff over there . Michael Stevens denise. The doors open at 9tonight. And well be starting our live broadcast from the strip from right here inside the hard rock beginning at 10pm. Sherry hows the weather today . Grab your warm coat this morning if you are going to be out for very long. Temps are steadily dropping to near freezing already with clear skies. Some neighborhoods will make it to freezing and a little below again by daybreak. Then the winds will pick up through the afternoon. Well keep the sunshine. And temps will make it up to near 50 degrees. But then as the day goes on. The winds increase. Will the winds back off for the fireworks . Thats the Million Dollar question. It will be cold either way with or without a wind chill. Patranya Bhoolsuwan the Clark County School district janitor accused of performing sex acts in a classroom is slated to appear before a judge this morning. Michael skelton has a preliminary hearing set for 9 am. Police say he was caught on camera. Committing sex acts and spreading bodily fluids in an empty classroom at dondero elementary. District leaders say skelton worked nights so they do not believe kids were involved. He faces charges of open and gross lewdness, destroying property, and poisoning food. District 18 years. Denise Valdez just into the newsroom. Weve learned 17 adults and 19 children are displaced after an overnight house fire. It happened near maryland parkway and vegas valley drive. The red cross is helping residents to make sure everyone has a place to stay. No word on any injuries. We will update you as soon as we find out more information. demetria, spaghetti bowl is pretty packed . Demetria obilor accident on southbound i15 past charleston. The right shoulder is blocked and its causing all sorts of delays in the spaghetti bowl, so leave early. No problems on the beltway or us 95 right now. < < back to you lawmakers just approved regulations for the states new Education Savings Account program. It allows families to claim money from their childs state education fund. And use it for qualified expenses, like private school tuition. Students must attend Public School for at least 100 days before becoming eligible. However, the regulations allow an exemption for military families and kindergartners. Patranya Bhoolsuwan historic and deadly flooding. Sweeping through the midwest. Denise Valdez when the Mississippi River could finally stop overflowing. As it reaches its worst levels in decades. Patranya Bhoolsuwan plus. 8 on your sides Michelle Mortensen is helping viewers spot a scam. The ones that stopped working in the valley. And the types that increased every year, the 8 on your side team takes thousands of calls from people across the valley. Reporting scams and rips offs along with requests for help. Denise ValdezMichelle Mortensen then spends weeks analyzing it to uncover the trends and she discovered 2015 was full of surprises. Michelle Mortensen this right here is our closed call log for 2015. That means we took your call. And got you an answer or solution. We have other logs. And case files. For the many other cases we handled and won, as well. So this is only a fraction of the work we did this year and the stories we filed. We more than doubled the number of calls we took this year from last year. Which is incredible. Weve given more than 160 refunds this year. After combing through the data. I started looking over our top calls and complaints. Our number one call was about those irs phone calls. That scam has grown by leaps and bounds in a year. Last year. It was our second most reported scam. But this year. You guys werent falling for it. You simply wanted to report it. Mechanic problems and green dot money card scams were a big issues in 2014. But were hardly blips on our radar in 2015. Instead. Storage unit thefts. Fake checks from craigslist postings. Fake puppy and pet listings. And landlord tenant complaints were the big problems of 2015. Is working. But there is still a lot more work to be done. So keep calling. Because were in this together. On your side. With 8 on your side, im Michelle Mortensen. Denise Valdez the number to call is on your screen. It is 702 650 1907. sherry hows the weather today . Sherry swensk looking out from our rio camera this morning. Clear skies and temps are steadily dropping to near freezing already with clear skies. Some neighborhoods will make it to freezing and a little below again by daybreak. Then the winds will pick up through the afternoon. Well keep the sunshine. But then as the day goes on. The winds increase. Will the winds back off for the dollar question. It will be cold either way with or without a wind chill. The river has a wind advisory that will last all the way until 5 am new years day. With gusts to 40 mph or higher. Other watches and warnings dealing with flooding on the other side of the country along the Mississippi River and missouri river. Sherry Swensk live look from arnold, arnold, missouri overnight, saint louis, missouri officials said i 55 was closed in both directions due to flooding. The Mississippi River will crest somewhere north of its historic great flood of 93 level. So far, at least 24 people were killed Demetria Obilor airport right now. South beltway is on your screen. Exit. I15 at primm not giving you any trouble right now. < < back to you Denise Valdez a happy surprise. Happy occassion. Patranya Bhoolsuwan the gifts awaiting the 5 thousandth same sex couple. To get their marriage license in clark county. Demetria Obilor if you to be posting about the mcdonalds reportedly teamed up with a design firm to create this new and improved restaurant in hong kong. Dubbed mcdonalds next. It features the create your taste touch screens. A build your own salad and burger bar. As well as phone chargers everywhere. sherry hows the weather today . Some neighborhoods will make it to freezing and a little below again by daybreak. Then the winds will pick up through the afternoon. Back to you Patranya Bhoolsuwan new only thing were counting down to. Clark county leaders are sex marriage the Marriage License Bureau is looking to issue the license to the lucky couple sometime soon. As of yesterday afternoon. They were just 24 away Officials Say the 5 thousandth couple will receive some gifts from the local wedding and hospitality industry. The first same sex marriage license was issued in october of last year. demetria, how are the roads this morning . Accident on southbound i15 past charleston. Right shoulder is blocked and its causing delays through the spaghetti bowl. The strip is still open, but it will close around 6 00 p. M. For the new years celebration. < < back to you Patranya Bhoolsuwan a Million People packing times square. To ring in the new year. Denise Valdez the high tech tools to make sure the son of a polish immigrant who grew up in a brooklyn tenement. He went to Public Schools, then college, where the work of his life began fighting injustice and inequality, speaking truth to power. He moved to vermont, won election and praise as one of americas best mayors. In congress, he stood up for working families and for principle, opposing the iraq war, supporting veterans. Now hes taking on wall street and a corrupt political system funded by over a million contributions, tackling Climate Change to create cleanenergy jobs, fighting for living wages, equal pay, and tuitionfree public colleges. People are sick and tired of establishment politics, and they want real change Bernie Sanders husband, father, grandfather, an honest leader building a movement with you to give us a future to believe in. Sanders im Bernie Sanders, and i approve this message. Brussels, belgium, are canceled due to terror concerns. The decision comes just one day after Belgian Police arrested 2 people on suspicion of being years festivities. Investigators says the plot appears to be inspired by isis. Denise Valdez and police are cracking down on security in times square. Where 1 Million People will gather to watch the ball drop. Sixthousand officers will be deployed and there will also be helicopters, boat patrols and hundreds of extra mobile cameras and radiation detectors. Patranya Bhoolsuwan speaking of the big apple. There was a mock new years eve there yesterday 3,2,1 happy new year here we go Patranya Bhoolsuwan crews were testing the iconic time ball to make sure it works. Get this it weights nearly 12 thousand pounds and is covered with some 27 hundred Waterford Crystal triangles. Its lit up with more than 32 thousand led lights and can shine 16 million different colors. The first new years eve ball was dropped in new york city way back in 1907. Patranya Bhoolsuwan and of course, we couldnt the festivities. Crews were out yesterday. Inflating hundreds of balloons that will be handed out tonight. Folks also had a confetti test earlier this week. One ton of it will be thrown at midnight in the big apple. nyc in times square 1 Million People attend more than 1 billion worldwide expected to watch on tv jessie j is headlining event, carrie underwood, demi lovato, luke bryan, wiz khalifa and more also set to perform. thanks for joining us. Cbs this morning starts right now. good morning to our viewers in the west. This is thursday, december 31st, welcome to cbs this morning