NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. (AP) --   Federal authorities are investigating after an overnight fire destroyed a structure on a construction site in the northern Las Vegas valley.

The structure was funeral home and community center for the Islamic Society of Southern Nevada.

About 60 firefighters from Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Clark County arrived to battle the intense 1 a.m. Wednesday blaze at the site on Lamb Boulevard near Carey Avenue. No one was seen in the area and no injuries were reported.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives supervisor Thomas Chittum tells The Associated Press that the bureau is investigating whether the fire was intentional, vandalism or a crime committed against a house of worship.

LAS VEGAS -- A convicted sex offender now charged with a child abuse death told Metro Police he placed his hand on the 2-year-old boy's throat and pressed down. That chilling detail was in the arrest report for Cory Simmons.

Simmons was arrested last week for the death of toddler Orlando Morris. Simmons was babysitting the boy and his two sisters while their mother was at work. Simmons met the boy's mother through an online dating site in the fall of 2011 and moved in with her shortly after.

Simmons had been in charge of the children on the night of Feb. 16. In the arrest report, he told police that the he was trying to get the boy to stop crying and placed his hand on the child's throat for "two to three minutes." Simmons said, when he removed his hand, the child began jerking and threw up.

The Falcons won a four-way tie for the division crown and are taking advantage of the benefits.

The Foothill High basketball team will be at an advantage for the rest of the Sunrise Regional playoffs. Foothill is the host site for the final two rounds of the tournament, giving the Southeast Division champion Falcons a leg up on other remaining teams. Foothill beat visiting Desert Pines 80-62 Wednesday in the quarterfinals.

Read more at the Las Vegas Sun... Read More