The Local Newsroom
The Latest
Caught in the Crossfire
The ‘Dotty’s model’ has the county rewriting the gaming tavern rulebook. Meanwhile, it’s shut down tavern development.
April 7th, 2011
The debate over the “Dotty’s model” of a gaming tavern—an establishment with no kitchen, no beer on tap and an emphasis on slot machines—has divided the gaming community. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
What Happens in Vegas Goes in The Vegas Box
April 7th, 2011
Although gaming revenues continue to sag, nongaming spending in Las Vegas is showing a slight rebound. Numbers recently released by the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority show upticks in expenditures on food and drink, transportation, shopping and entertainment for 2010. The proprietors of The Vegas Box, a start-up geared toward frequent Vegas visitors, are hoping that now might be the time to start a business that capitalizes on people’s love for Vegas—and convenience. Read more »
Resources
Energy, water and just getting along
April 7th, 2011
On April 1, UNLV hosted the North American Energy-Water Nexus Roundtable. Co-sponsored by the Desert Research Institute and the Canadian Consulate of Los Angeles, the event brought together people who think about how energy and water issues effect relationships with Mexico, Canada and the United States. Read more »
Legislature
Burning Issues
April 7th, 2011
We have a budget crisis. We have high unemployment. We have school districts claiming the end is nigh. And now, thanks to Assemblyman Paul Aizley, D-Las Vegas, we have finally have legislation in the hopper that deals with another pressing issue: candles and incense. Read more »
The Deal
Highlights from the Advisor
April 7th, 2011
Do you love oysters? If so, you have to check out the happy hour at the recently opened P.J. Clarke’s in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. “Oyster Riot” runs from 3 to 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. till closing Sunday-Thursday. The menu is packed with different preparations of oysters (fried, in a pie, shooters) for $5-$7. But best is the price on raw oysters. You can get a dozen West coasters for $15 ($22 for East coasters). That’s an exceptional $1.25 per, making this the best deal in town for oysters on the half-shell. Read more »
Gaming
Killer App
April 7th, 2011
Jet Set Games, a local video game studio, made a splash on the national gaming scene last summer with the release of Highborn, a gaming app available on the iPhone, iPad and Android. Now that they’ve released a new “chapter,” the turn-based strategy game is once again proving to be a hit. The game has been one of the top-selling apps for every platform it has been released on, even reaching the top three on Amazon. Read more »
Outreach
A Quiet Problem, Not Forgotten
March 31st, 2011
In the 10 years that Larry Lovelett has helped homeless youth, he hasn’t met a single kid who admits to being homeless. “None of them are homeless,” he says. “Even if they’re in the desert living in a box, they’re not homeless. They’re just looking for their next place to stay,” he says. Read more »
The Latest
Hero or Outlaw?
Harry Claiborne was both, says a new biography of the legendary federal judge from Las Vegas
March 31st, 2011
Harry Claiborne was a sinner and a victim, a shrewd and honest attorney and a dishonest and an unwitting patsy, a ladies man and a family man, a federal judge committed to justice and a metaphor for a corrupt community. If he sounds complicated, he was. Michael Vernetti’s new book tells a lot of his story, and shows that he was, above all, a metaphor for Las Vegas as it used to be, as many wish it still was and as some hope it will never be again. Read more »
The Latest
Open Secret
Behind the construction barriers, gamblers play on at the Plaza
March 31st, 2011
By now, everyone’s heard about the Cosmopolitan’s secret pizzeria. There’s no sign, and it’s down a hallway decorated with LPs, but they do serve a tasty slice. Apparently, a lot of people have discovered something similar downtown—a “secret casino” with no hotel rooms, no entertainment, no restaurants, no loyalty program and no marketing offers. Read more »
Comparison
A Tale of Two Casinos
March 24th, 2011
The Tropicana and the Sahara are a study in contrasts despite some shared history; at opposite ends of the Strip, both holdovers from the 1950s managed to survive into the 21st century. Both drifted further and further down market as they faced larger and more luxurious competitors. And, as of today, they are facing profoundly different fates. One is closing, while the other has a new lease on life. Read more »
