LAS VEGAS - COUNCILWOMAN (W6) MICHELE FIORE SAYS HELLO 07/10/2018

Always Something New

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of being shadowed by Heidi Kyser of Desert Companion for 6 days. She wrote an article on me, at length (11 pages), covering all the information she gathered, not only from shadowing me but from interviewing all sorts of other people who had worked with me in the past. It was released in June and is mostly carried at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf locations and the Public Libraries, but I must say, it's an excellent article. It's thorough, and it's not one-sided. Genuinely fair articles such as this one can be hard to come by in the media world of 2018, and so for that, I thank you, Heidi. You can view her article online through this link: https://knpr.org/desert-companion/2018-05/you-don-t-know-woman

Mayor Goodman and the council recently appointed me a seat in the Southern Nevada Health District. Let me tell you, it's been really eye-opening. I was surprised to hear that our infectious and sexually transmitted disease rate has risen a tremendous amount in recent years. Before this knowledge, I would have thought that condom advocates and high school health classes would have covered the topic of sexual risk factors and potential consequences enough to make some sort of impact on a person's decisions while being sexually active out in the world today. What has been brought to my attention as the main reason for this increase, is that technology has changed.  There are phone apps that help people connect almost instantaneously, with nothing but a swipe of the finger and a general location. I'm a person who believes in freedom. A person can be with whoever they want to be with (as long as they are consenting and of age, of course), but I have to wonder, what cost are people willing to pay for these cheap, quick, unsafe hook-ups. To wake up one morning to a knock at the door (metaphorically), to a person saying "Surprise! You have a disease now! Hope you had a good time with that random person that was nearby." Has courting become a dying art and practice? Has sexual access become overly simplified, and is there such thing as too casual? Our bodies are something to be valued because they're the only ones that we get in this life. Our bodies carry us everywhere we go. So in my opinion, people should not be going around so willy-nilly, putting their bodies at such high risk. I urge everybody to take blood tests regularly, depending on ones' personal amount of activity. I would say that any person should take one at least once a year with their annual physical; you never know what they might find, and it's always better to catch things early. Beyond the yearly, I'd say a person should definitely test while between partners, and to have your partners do the same. My immediate goal here is to raise awareness and lower the rates of disease. Not only that, I want people to do some self-reflection and ask themselves, is random sex with random people worth it in the end? Not only considering the risk of disease but also the potential mental repercussions, that may come out of sharing that connection with oneself, with a stranger and repeating the process. What good are one-night stands with strangers? The benefit to risk ratio shows numbers that are too far apart for me to ever find it justified.

Thank you, Bob Vetere and the Pet Leadership Council for presenting me with the Pets' Best Friend Award! It really means a lot to me! I've always loved animals and feel that they play an immensely important role to humans, deserving not only kind treatment and loving homes but great training as well. Well trained companion animals have made such a difference to the world and to the people they watch over and care for. It doesn't matter if it's a dog, a cat, a horse, or even a fish - having an animal friend to love and confide in can be one of the most priceless experiences we have.

I am pleased to see President Trump deliver long overdue justice in the case of the Dwight and Steven Hammond.  Thank you, President Trump, for pardoning the Hammonds. These are good family men with strong support among the local community including local law enforcement. The fact that these men were charged under statutes used to prosecute terrorists all because a backfire leaked onto a small portion of federal grazing lands; this was not only a travesty of justice, but an insult to the real victims of terrorism these statutes were meant to protect. During my involvement in the successful negotiations to end the standoff of the wildlife refuge occupation spurred on by this case. I got to know the residents of that area pretty well. They are all decent, hardworking people. The kind of folks I consider to be the backbone of rural America. I look forward to seeing the Hammonds returned to their family and community. I thank President Trump for once again doing what is right and not worrying about what is politically correct.

With our 911 dispatch, I took an afternoon to listen to incoming calls and to see the process in which our emergency personnel is dispatched. They are the angels on the other end of the phone when someone is in trouble. These people are so vital and do their jobs with such inner strength and steady hands, getting help to the people as fast as possible. They do a fantastic job and save lives every day. They're the very first responders before our first responders arrive. I have to express my gratitude. They are a remarkable team.

Spent some time with Tina from RTC who showed me some of the many different options for transportation that we have in the great City of Las Vegas. We have everything - busses, bikes, Segways, all kinds of possibilities for our local community and tourists alike.

Thank you to Captain Sasha Larkin for hosting yet another FirstTuesday at Northwest Area Command. I'm always excited to learn new information on safety in the community.

Until Next Time, With Love and Liberty, Michele