Revocation of day-care license speeded up

The city of Las Vegas Child Care Licensing Board has voted to accelerate the revocation of a license of a child-care provider who operated in Las Vegas for more than a year but did not report previous drug use.

The action taken by the board after a hearing Wednesday means that Simply Kids at 4320 E. Bonanza Road, operated by Lori Irish, will be shut down by agents of the Department of Finance and Business Services at 8 a.m. Friday, City Business Licensing Director Jim DiFiore said today.

The license of the day care center, attended by about 350 children, had been set to expire on July 21.

It was not known whether Irish, who earlier this week in District Court lost a bid for a temporary restraining order to delay the July 21 deadline, will seek further injunctive relief.

The five-member board had given the former Dallas resident two months from the May 21 revocation hearing to give her a chance to sell her business so that care to the children would not be interrupted.

However, on Wednesday, Deputy City Attorney John Redlein presented evidence to the board that since its initial action, which was backed by Las Vegas City Council approval on June 22, the day care center operated for several days this month with an expired health permit.

That is in violation of the city license. The Clark County Health District on at least three occasions found unsanitary conditions, including a refrigerator that did not keep foods at proper temperatures and improper handling of food, Redlein said.

The facility, however, received a two-week health permit hours before Wednesday's hearing.

The board voted 4-1 to accelerate the revocation with member Jeri Wallis dissenting because she wanted the center shut down sooner, DiFiore said.

Irish did not disclose on her application for a license that she tested positive for cocaine and "speed" use when she was a dentist in Texas in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners revoked her dentistry license in April 1993.

During the application process for a child-care license in Las Vegas, Irish lied about the revocation of her dentistry license. She told Metro Police investigators that her license was suspended after she had been put on probation and had not paid her license fee.

Other factors that led to the original revocation included a child allegedly being struck at the facility by an employee and a child turning up missing at the center.

Irish, who is in the process of selling the business to her brother, Phillip Irish, did not attend Wednesday's hearing.

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