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contents
Every winter, at least 1 septillion — that’s a one followed by 24 zeros — snow crystals fall from the sky. The average snowflake falls at 3 mph, and the largest snowflake observed measured 15 inches wide and 8 inches thick. It was seen in 1887 in Montana.
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noteworthy stories
are you ready for el niño?
on the cover Be a good Santa this year by finding the right gift for everyone, even without seeing their wish lists.
When the water gets warmer in the Pacific Ocean, precipitation increases in the Southwestern United States, and people start talking about El Niño. But what exactly is it, and is it cause for concern? In five minutes, we’ll make you an expert on the weather pattern and what it could mean for the Las Vegas Valley.
more news
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Portraits of homelessness in Las Vegas Eight people who call the streets of Southern Nevada their home share their stories. From FBI’s most wanted to helping the Las Vegas Valley’s most in need Pastor Cody Huff talks about his battles with drug addiction, his run-ins with law enforcement and how he turned his life around. Of slippers, wax figures and swingers John Katsilometes gets the scoop on a fashion line, new likenesses at Madam Tussauds and a “what happens here” moment at the High Roller.
your guide to gift giving
For some people, the most stressful part of the holiday season is shopping for friends, co-workers and loved ones. What’s appropriate? What’s new and trendy? Our primer on gift giving will give you ideas for almost anyone on your list, as well as suggestions for supporting local businesses.
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holiday hairstyles
This year, make heads turn when you walk into a holiday party. We provide simple instructions on how to create eyecatching looks.
scary but caring
The girls’ basketball coach at Centennial High School has dual reputations. There’s Scary Karen, the intense, no-nonsense task master. But there’s also the caring mentor whose students appreciate the way their coach prepares them for life after high school. The common denominator to both reputations is winning.
climbing the ladder in heels The gaming industry traditionally has been dominated by men, but three women have risen to impressive heights at Station Casinos. They spoke with us about their journey up the corporate ladder and offered advice to young people who want to work their way up to become executives.
more life of events 40 Calendar National Finals Rodeo is just one of many activities going on this week.
gaming
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Casino promotions Feeling lucky? A new month brings a new crop of deals at local gaming establishments.
opinion
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Now we can do some serious recycling With Republic Services’ new plant up and running, Southern Nevadans’ well-meaning efforts will not be in vain.
PUBLISHER Donn Jersey (donn.jersey@gmgvegas.com)
EDITORIAL
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THE SUNDAY 2360 Corporate Circle Third floor Henderson, NV 89074 (702) 990-2545 FOR BACK COPIES: $3.99/copy plus shipping. Call Doris Hollifield 702.990.8993 or email doris.hollifield@gmgvegas.com JOIN THE CONVERSATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA: #TheSunday Want more Las Vegas news? Follow @lasvegassun, @VEGASINC and @lasvegasweekly
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the sunday nov. 29 - dec. 5
news
We want to hear from you Send your news information to news@thesunday.com
n o v. 2 2 - d e c . 6
week in review WEEK ahead news and notes from the
las vegas valley, and beyond
the strip
faux flakes
Locals and tourists enjoy artificial snow on the Linq Promenade during festivities to kick off the holiday season. (Las Vegas News Bureau)
Nov. 23
raising the wage A petition was filed seeking a ballot measure next year to gradually boost Nevada’s minimum wage to $13 an hour by 2024.
Nov. 24
green city Las Vegas could be the first city of its size to go all green. Mayor Carolyn Goodman said the city is working with NV Energy to convert all city buuildings to renewable energy by 2017.
Nov. 24
teen outlook About 1,000 local high school students gathered at the Las Vegas Convention Center to discuss current events during the 59th annual Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum.
Dec. 1
on second thought County commissioners will revisit an ordinance requiring ride-hailing companies to provide driver lists. The District Attorney’s office said the provision may violate state law.
Dec. 3
eyes on walkers A committee convened by the governor to evaluate Southern Nevada’s tourism-related infrastructure will meet to discuss pedestrian movement in the resort corridor.
308K Anticipated visitor count for Las Vegas over Thanksgiving weekend, the same as last year. The tourists were expected to spend more than $210 million, tourism officials said.
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ne w s
S P O R T S business life
g amin g politics entertainment
2016
the hopefuls and hopeless on the presidential scene The purplest of purple states, Nevada is a key battleground for Oval Office aspirants. Each week, we rank how the presidential candidates fared in the state and on issues important to its residents. Here’s who had a good week and a bad week.
Ben Carson
Hillary Clinton
Carly Fiorina
Ted Cruz
Donald Trump
Carson was back in Nevada, rallying supporters in Pahrump and speaking at a fundraiser for an antiabortion group in Las Vegas. Although he still trails Donald Trump, Carson continues to position himself as the alternative should the real estate mogul falter.
During an appearance in Northern Nevada, the former secretary of state pushed back on what she called Republican “fear tactics” on terrorism, saying, “I don’t think it is smart for us to act like we are waging war on every Muslim in the world.”
Republican megadonors Charles and David Koch have taken enough of a liking to the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co. that Americans for Prosperity, a group the Kochs back, will feature Fiorina in a December event in Reno, the day after the GOP debate in Las Vegas.
Does the Texas senator have an inside track on the nomination? That’s what Yahoo Politics suggested, pointing to Cruz’s robust campaign organization in Nevada, where Cruz was the first to recruit campaign chairmen in every county.
Trump may have reached a nadir this week, tweeting out a fake statistic about race and crime that originated with a Nazi group and claiming he saw people in New Jersey cheering after 9/11. UFC star Conor McGregor told Rolling Stone Trump should “shut his big, fat mouth.”
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improved safety on the roads Pedestrian fatalities in Clark County have dipped 13 percent from last year, state officials said. There also have been 31 percent fewer fatal motorcycle crashes this year. “We attribute the drop in crash fatalities to a combination of educational outreach, additional enforcement and safety enhancement projects,” Nevada Department of Transportation spokesman Tony Illia said.
Acres on the south Strip that investor Howard Bulloch is trying to sell. The land includes the partially built, abandoned SkyVue observation wheel.
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will you shop online? local
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Americans are expected to spend a record $3 billion this year during Cyber Monday, a forecast by Adobe Digital Index found. About 76 percent of that spending is expected to go toward 1 percent of products, namely toys, electronics and gift cards.
news
fatal fight at school A 16-year-old boy was killed after a fight broke out among 40 to 50 people near Mojave High School, North Las Vegas police said. Some were students, some were not. Taylor Brantley was fatally shot. His girlfriend later said she found out about his death on Facebook.
$5-6M
sports
senior night at sam boyd stadium
UNLV seniors line up to be announced and present roses to their families before facing San Diego State. It was the final home game of their collegiate careers. (L.E. Baskow/staff)
Annual value of an open contract to manage and operate the Nevada National Security Site, known as the test site. The Department of Energy is conducting a competitive bidding process for the contract, in which Lockheed Martin and Bechtel have expressed interest.
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NOV. 29 - DEC. 5
STAFF WRITER
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BY MEGAN MESSERLY
Send your news information to news@thesunday.com
»
KEEP YOUR UMBRELLA HANDY THIS WINTER
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
AM RE ST
5-MINUTE EXPERT
WHAT IS EL NIÑO? The weather phenomenon is known for producing periods of heavy rain every three to five years in the southern United States. Though winter rain is its signature, the phenomenon actually begins months before the rain hits, when the Pacific Ocean starts warming near the equator. The gradual warming causes storm patterns to shift, typically causing more rain in the southern United States, parts of the East Coast and Mexico, warmer-than-usual weather in the northwestern United States and Northern Rockies, and drier-than-normal conditions in the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes region.
FAQ S
El Niño is associated with low-pressure weather systems.
HOW EL NIÑO WORKS
More raindrops than ever may be falling on your head this winter. ¶ Meteorologists say this year’s El Niño weather pattern is on track to be one of the strongest on record. ¶ But that doesn’t necessarily mean this year will be the valley’s wettest. El Niño already is underway, and Las Vegas hasn’t yet experienced any storms as a result of the weather pattern.
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El Niño develops when low-level easterly trade winds weaken.
Warm surface water shifts eastward, causing more thunderstorms to form over the equatorial central and eastern Pacific Ocean. The upwelling of cold water in the eastern Pacific is reduced.
» » » » » » » » PACIFIC » M A JET STRE STRE T E J IC F I C A P WHY IS IT CALLED EL NIÑO?
WILL IT SNOW ?
El Niño means “the little boy” or “Christ child” in Spanish. The weather phenomenon originally was recognized in the 1600s by fishermen off the coast of South America. The name was chosen because the warm water events tended to happen in December, around Christmas time.
Extra precipitation could mean more snow on Mount Charleston. But it’s hard to tell whether El Niño will bring snow to the rest of the valley, because temperatures vary with each storm system.
El Niño and La Niña episodes typically last nine to 12 months, but some prolonged events may last for years.
Sources: National Weather Service, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
WILL EL NIÑO HELP THE DROUGHT? It’s possible El Niño could mitigate some of the effects of the drought, but that depends on the amount of rainfall El Niño brings and how quickly rain is absorbed back into the ground.
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A La Niña weather pattern essentially is the opposite of El Niño, with colder-thanusual ocean temperatures in the Pacific Ocean along the equator. During a La Niña year, winter temperatures are warmer than normal in the Southeast and cooler than normal in the Northwest. Typically, the phenomenon means dry or only moderately wet winters for Southern Nevada.
M REA T ST IC JE F I C » PA » » » » » » » » » » » » PACIF » » » M » IC JET STR REAM STREA EAM » » JET ST » » » » » » » PACIFIC JET CIFIC A P » » » » » » » » »
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It’s hard for meteorologists to predict exactly how much rain the valley will get this winter. “There could be a lot of days of a little rain or a few days of a lot; it’s hard to say,” said Andy Gorelow, a National Weather Service meteorologist. Meteorologists also won’t know when a storm is coming sooner than the typical seven to 10 day projections. Still, Gorelow said residents should prepare for extra rainfall now — just in case — by fixing leaky roofs and ensuring their tires are safe to drive on wet roads. “Be prepared for a wet winter. The potential is there,” Gorelow said.
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WILL EL NIÑO CAUSE FLOODS? It could. In the past, El Niños have caused flooding in Southern Nevada, including from the Amargosa River in February 1969, the Virgin River in March 1995 and the Muddy River, Virgin River and Meadow Valley Wash in January 2005. The floods caused thousands of dollars in damage to homes and roads, and forced evacuations. Lake Mead, however, is unlikely to fill up, since El Niño likely won’t impact the Colorado River source region.
Some of the strongest El Niños have caused extreme flooding in the West, killing several people and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.
Recent strong El Niño episodes 1972-73, ’82’83, ’91-’92, ’97-’98
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the sunday nov. 29 - dec. 5
t s e b s ’ r a The ye y it l a n o s r e p y r e v e r o f IDeas e f i l r u o y i n
cover story
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the sunday nov. 29 - dec. 5
By MJ Stevens | Special to The Sunday
onsumers are expected to spend $630 billion this holiday season, at least $20 billion more than last year, according to the National Retail Federation. ¶ You’ll likely be among the shoppers and may be struggling with what to buy your loved ones. Gift cards always suffice, but why not buy something more memorable? ¶ Here’s a guide to help you find the perfect gift for every type of person in your life.
Want to support your community this holiday season? Consider these products, all made or sold locally.
Local finds F o r c o u c h p o tat o e s Lovesac Prices vary Available at lovesac.com or the Lovesac retail store at Downtown Summerlin, 2120 Festival Plaza Drive, Las Vegas Lovesac, the maker of high-end beanbag chairs and modular sectional couches, collaborated with the Stitch Factory downtown on a pillow for the Lovesac’s Native Collection. The pillow was designed and created by the Stitch Factory and uses fabric created from Stitch Factory-housed designer Mad Hatter Warped & Woven.
F o r t h e s pa s e t
F o r t h e g l o b a l ly c o n s c i o u s
Beauty Kitchen by Heather Marianna
Handmade Ugandan necklaces
Prices vary (for instance, $12.95 per month for a sample size box of beauty products; $34.95 per month for a VIP beauty box) Available at heathermarianna.tv Las Vegas local Heather Marianna found a significant following by posting YouTube videos of herself doling out beauty advice and recipes. Now, she has created a line of all-natural beauty products she distributes in a monthly goodie box. The product line includes soap cupcakes, colored bath bombs, Champagne-scented bath soaks and sugar scrubs. Marianna also makes a “pawfume” for dogs and recently teamed with reality-starturned-adult performer Farrah Abraham to release a “Mommy and Me” spa kit.
Prices vary ($15-$30, plus shipping) Available at hope4hearts.org or Sin City Yoga, 1231 S. Main Street, Las Vegas Hope for Hearts, a Nevada nonprofit organization, paired with a girls academy in Uganda to create and sell eco-friendly necklaces, handmade from recycled paper. Las Vegas resident Cristen Jacobsen started the charity in 2007 to help homeless and orphaned girls in Kampala, Uganda. St. Elizabeth Girls Academy each year works with more than 200 girls living on the streets to teach them technical and vocational skills so they can be independent and self-sufficient. “A Hope for Hearts necklace is the gift that gives twice,” Jacobsen said. “That special someone receives a beautiful, handmade necklace, and an orphaned child in Uganda receives an opportunity to turn her life around.”
For sports fa n s Las Vegas Sports Gallery Prices vary ($25 and up) At the Plaza, 1 Main St., Las Vegas The sports memorabilia that once adorned the iconic Las Vegas Club now is available to decorate your home. Available items include a signed Michael Jordan North Carolina Tar Heels basketball jersey; a framed Pete Rose Montreal Expos jersey, flanked by a photo of Rose as a Philadelphia Phillie and his official Cincinnati Reds baseball card; two seats from Comiskey Park in Chicago; and an autographed bat collection used in World Series games from 1946 to 1958. An added bonus: The Plaza will donate 10 percent of every sale to the UNLV Libraries Special Collections, which archives historical materials documenting the development and impact of Las Vegas.
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the sunday nov. 29 - dec. 5
cover story
shop by age i n fa n t s a n d t o d d l e r s Fisher-Price Bright Beats Dance and Move BeatBo $39.99 For ages 9 months to 3 years. Available at toy shops, big-box stores and online retailers BeatBo can be your baby’s first best friend. Press BeatBo’s tummy or feet, and he sings, dances and teaches ABC’s, colors, counting and more. His large, multicolor LED belly flashes lights, while his hips shake and his head nods. Record a phrase and BeatBo will remix it into his favorite song. Through play, BeatBo introduces babies to colors, letters, rhythm, cause and effect and more.
preschoolers Fisher-Price Smart Toy Bear $99.99 For ages 3-5 Available at toy shops, big-box stores and online retailers Smart Toy Bear is an interactive learning friend with the brains of a computer but no screen. The more your child plays with Smart Toy, the more it adapts to your child’s likes and dislikes. It talks, listens and remembers what your child says so it can have conversations, tell stories and play games. It knows the time of day, weather and world events, and includes an accelerometer so it can respond when your tyke tosses it into the air. WiFi content updates keep the bear current and changing. It’s not only fun but aims to help your child grow socially and emotionally. Also available: Monkey
b oy s Fisher-Price Imaginext Ultra T-Rex (For ages 3 and up) $99.99 Available at toy shops, big-box stores and online retailers Transport your child to a prehistoric world with the Fisher-Price Imaginext Ultra T-Rex. Three power pads engage different movements and launch the dino’s lights and sounds. Make the T-Rex walk, open and close his mouth with chomping sound effects, raise up to his full height of 2 1/2 feet or shoot projectiles from his mouth. His eyes and spikes also light up. The package comes with a jail, a trap door, weapon storage, a glider, a boulder launcher and four boulders, a tethered projectile claw, and three figurines with helmets and accessories.
girls FurReal Friends StarLily, My Magical Unicorn (For ages 4 and up) $119.99 Available at toy shops, big-box stores and online retailers StarLily responds to voices and touch with more than 100 sound and motion combinations. She moves her head and hoof; lights up her horn; flutters her wings; sits, stands and lies down; and dances to music. Children also can play a musical game and decorate a wishing tree with StarLily on a special app.
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t w e e n b oy s
the sunday
Lego Star Wars Darth Vader Minifigure Clock
nov. 29 - dec. 5
$24.99 Available at department stores, big-box stores and online retailers Feel the power of the dark side with a Darth Vader Minifigure Clock. The 8-inch-tall timepiece features a digital screen, lighted display and alarm fashioned to resemble the Star Wars character. The snooze and backlight functions are activated by pushing down on the minifigure’s head. Also available: Stormtrooper, Boba Fett or Batman
teens Guitar Hero Live $99.99 Available at toy shops, big-box stores and online retailers Guitar Hero Live makes you the rock star. Create an avatar, then use guitars, drums or other instruments to play music in front of “crowds” that react to your performance. The game also includes GHTV, a continuous broadcast of music videos to which you can play along in real time, discover new artists and challenge people around the world. Available for: Xbox 360, Xbox One, Sony PS4, Sony PS3, Nintendo Wii U
tween girls “The Natural Beauty Book,” by Klutz $21.95 Available at book sellers, big-box stores and online retailers With a philosophy that “if you feel good, you look good,” the Natural Beauty Book offers step-by-step directions for manicures, facials, foot massages and other beauty treatments. It features more than 60 simple recipes for bath salts, tub infusions, hair rinses and more, all made using easy-to-find ingredients from a kitchen cupboard. Attached to the book is a home spa kit, with a loofah, a nail brush, a pumice stone and vials of fragrant essential oils. The focus of the text is natural beauty, and the package is a celebration of girls of every type.
senior citizens Animal eyeglass holders Prices vary ($15-$35) Available at Sears, eBay.com, amazon.com Keep track of glasses by placing them on a whimsical stand fashioned in the shape of an animal — dog, deer, horse, moose, bird, giraffe and more. The stands are made from carved wood, and the glasses sit on the animal’s nose as if they were being worn. Each stand holds most standard glasses and sunglasses. Check out versions made by WisdomCraft or Peeper Keepers. A memorable and practical gift.
wo m e n Holiday 2015 Advent Calendar $49.99 Available at usa.loccitane.com Forget chocolate — give an advent calendar filled with beauty supplies. Featuring a selection of the company’s best sellers, the calendar is filled with 24 miniature-sized products, including hand cream, perfumed soap, body lotion, shampoo, conditioner, lip balm and eau de toilette.
men Jack Black grooming tools Prices vary (for instance, $35 for a beardgrooming kit; $200 for a limited-edition luxury shave set) Available at department stores, online retailers and GetJackBlack.com Treat the man in your life to a little pampering (that has nothing to do with the rock star actor by the same name). Jack Black’s all-natural, cruelty-free products are multifunctional and effective. Shave creams soften and condition skin. Face moisturizers include built-in sunscreen. Body washes double as face soaps and shampoos. All of the products are fastabsorbing, nongreasy and fragrance-free. Choose an old-school shaving kit with a shave brush and double-edge razor or a beard-grooming kit with beard lube, beard oil and a comb.
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the sunday nov. 29 - dec. 5
cover story
We want to hear from you Send your news information to news@thesunday.com
shop by personality For hipsters Jurassic plate $75.70 Available at luluandgeorgia.com Don’t let his tiny arms fool you; this Tyrannosaurus plate can hold plenty of treats. The porcelain dinosaur stands about 8 inches tall and is perfect for serving hors d’oeuvres, olives, nuts or cheeses.
F o r b e e r lov e r s Microbrew of the Month Club $27.95 a month, plus $15.00 shipping and handling Available at beermonthclub.com Sample America’s best craft beers. Each month, a dozen 12-ounce, hand-crafted beers from two lightly distributed U.S. microbreweries will be delivered to your doorstep. You’ll receive four beer styles each month. Selections are made by a panel of brewmasters, and detailed tasting notes and brewery profiles are included.
For at h l e t e s Rock ’Em socks $18 and up Available at rockemapparel.com Goodbye boring, white sports socks. These Nike Elite Basketball Crew Socks are customized with funky designs. Made with dri-fit fabric that pulls away sweat to help keep feet cool, the socks have a reinforced heel and toe for enhanced durability, a left/right specific design for a better fit and arch compression for support. Choose from geometric, camouflage, striped or graphic designs, or pick among your favorite sports team mascots. Available for: Men, women and children
For booze connoisseurs Personalized Mini Oak Whiskey Barrel $64.95 Available at wineenthusiast.com This isn’t just a piece of decor. It’s a functional — albeit miniature — whiskey barrel with spigot and bung. Hand-made from American white oak, it’s designed to properly age your chosen beverage, be it wine, beer, tequila, rum or any other spirit. Personalize it with a name, distillery and location. Holds up to 5 liters, is reinforced with steel hoops and sits on a wooden stand.
For gardeners Water Garden $59.99 Available at backtotheroots.com Bring the garden inside with a self-cleaning fish tank that grows food. The setup creates a closed-loop ecosystem: The fish feed the plants, and the plants clean the water. The kit includes a tank and gravel, organic seeds and grow stones, natural fertilizer, a coupon for a Betta fish, fish food and a submersible water pump.
For mil l e n n ia l s ECOlunchbox Three-in-One $26.00 Available at ecolunchboxes.com This plastic-free, wastefree nesting lunch box is perfect for a millennial on the go. The foodgrade, stainless steel bento container makes it easy to pack an entree and two side dishes, keep them separate and prevent food from squishing. The snack container also can be used separately, freeing up more space in the main compartment. And it is dishwasher safe.
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For home chefs
the sunday
MasterPan Open Frying Pan $99.99 Available at specialty shops and online retailers Cook a complete breakfast for four or a steak dinner with all the trimmings in one pan. The MasterPan Open Frying Pan features five compartments in which to cook different items. The center section heats 15 to 20 percent hotter for grilling meats, and the handle is oven-safe at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for up to an hour. The die cast aluminum pan is made with two layers of nonstick coating to ensure that nothing sticks, and the pan can be cleaned easily with warm water and a soapy sponge. Say goodbye to piles of dishes.
For foodies Zingerman’s Bacon Club $189 for six months Available at zingermans.com This isn’t typical store-bought bacon. Try premium varieties such as Kentucky Dry Cured Bacon, Arkansas Peppered Bacon, Nodine’s Juniper Smoked Bacon and Balinese Long Pepper Bacon, delivered straight to your home. Each shipment contains 12 to 16 ounces of artisan bacon, along with recipes and histories about each cut. The first installment also includes a pig magnet. Company officials say their bacon is so delicious, they’ve converted six vegetarians to date.
F o r yo g i s Yoga Sak $49.95 Available at yogasak.com Simplify your yoga workout with an all-in-one bag. The Yoga Sak is an adjustable backpack that features multiple pockets for keys, wallet, phone and other essentials. There’s a built-in water bottle holder and a compartment to carry your yoga mat, towel, shoes and other necessities.
nov. 29 - dec. 5
For gamers Logitech G502 Proteus Core $79.99 Available at electronics shops, bigbox stores and online retailers The Logitech G502 Proteus Core is an all-in-one gaming mouse, with 11 programmable buttons, a comfortable design and customizable weights. Fine tune the optical sensor to your playing surface for better accuracy, precision and responsiveness, and choose whether you want click-to-click precision or hyper-fast scrolling.
For techies TAP-EX3 Touch Screen Range Extender $199.99 Available at ampedwireless.com and amazon.com Having trouble connecting to wireless devices? You don’t necessarily need a new router. Instead, try upgrading your existing hardware. The TAP-EX3 extends the range, speed and multidevice capabilities of almost any router on the market. It boosts Wi-Fi coverage up to 12,000 square feet and helps eliminate dead zones. Just plug it in, select your Wi-Fi network and connect to the new extended network on your devices. Stream video without lag, game without buffering, download faster and regulate smart home devices — all at once.
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Portraits of homelessness in Las Vegas: 8 people share their stories By Samantha Rea | special to the sunday
Local advocates estimate 34,397 Clark County residents are homeless, about 1.8 percent of the population. ¶ About half spend their nights in shelters, the other half on the streets. The majority are white, middle-aged men between 51 and 60, according to a 2015 homeless census. ¶ Most of the valley’s homeless fell on hard times here; 71 percent said they became homeless while living in Southern Nevada. About 13 percent are veterans. ¶ Half cited job loss as the primary cause of their homelessness, although many also suffer from medical conditions, substance abuse problems or mental illness. ¶ Here are the stories of eight homeless Southern Nevadans.
Tony Anderson
19, born with leukodystrophy I grew up in Las Vegas. I was born here. When I graduated high school, I moved in with a roommate, a guy I went to school with. I was working as a computer technician doing repairs, but I wasn’t earning enough to make a living. I couldn’t pay the rent. I can’t move back home beGetting my cause my mom moved in with business back, her mom. I have two brothers and sisters; they’re all living making a in my grandmother’s house. better profit There isn’t room for me. Now I stay with friends oc— that would casionally, but I don’t have really help. a stable place to go. If I get enough money, I get a cheap motel room. Getting my business back, making a better profit — that would really help. So would something to drink. I come either to the Strip or to Fremont Street every day, for three or four hours. I make 40 to 50 bucks begging, enough for a motel room and a little food. All of my things are at my grandmother’s house. I spent last night there in the living room.
How to help Donate. Support local shelters by donating money, clothing, food, household items or other supplies. Volunteer. Whether it is once a week or once a year, shelters and outreach groups can use your help cooking meals, distributing food, handing out clothing or doing office work. Host a donation drive. Collect items in bulk from colleagues or community groups — socks and underwear, diapers, baby food and formula, bottled water, toiletries, toys or school supplies, for example. Shop. Many local thrift stores are affiliated with outreach organizations that help the homeless. Every time you shop at one, you directly support the organization’s good work.
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Stephanie
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Larry Groce, 67
60, declined to give her last name because she has six adult children and doesn’t want them to know she is homeless
I’m originally from Atlanta. I came to Las Vegas from New York. I left after 9/11. I wanted to get off the East Coast. I was a car salesman. My wife passed away. I had to sell everything we owned to bury her. Sometimes She needed a liver transplant. They wouldn’t give I’m out her one because she didn’t here 10 or have a green card. She was from Mexico. We were 12 hours a married nine years, no day, just to children. I don’t remember when make $10. I last had a home. Long time. I thumbed a ride here; I hitchhiked. It took two weeks. It takes longer in a wheelchair. I come to Fremont every day to try to get money to eat, but I ain’t doing too good. I sleep in an alley. I go to homeless shelters every now and then, but they cost $8 a night. I can’t afford it. Some money would help, just to get a place to live. Sometimes I’m out here 10 or 12 hours a day, just to make $10.
My husband passed away two years ago. I miss arguing with him. He was blind, and when I met him, he told me he knew I was beautiful because of the way people treated me. I got him into hospice, and two months later they took the house. I got stressed out and sick and lost my jewelry business. Now I live on God’s good grace. I came to Las Vegas a month ago. I didn’t have any other place to go. I got the bus from L.A. It took five hours. When I first arrived here, I spent two nights at the mission. They said they’d store my bag for me; they wouldn’t let me bring it inside. When I went to collect it, mice had been at my things. I’ve got 30 awards A lady begged me to come to a shelter, but I and won two heard it had bedbugs. Who championships for wants to live in squalor? I keep myself clean. This my jewelry, but here isn’t me. on Fremont, they I sleep on my tablecloth outside the Joan of Arc won’t let me sell it. church, two blocks from They said I was in Fremont Street. I feel safe once I get to the church, competition with even outside. I’ve asked for God’s blessing. I trust one of the kiosks. in him immensely. He’s They let me beg. not going to let anything happen to me. I’ve got 30 awards and won two championships for my jewelry, but here on Fremont, they won’t let me sell it. They said I was in competition with one of the kiosks. They let me beg. I’ve been kicked out of the Golden Nugget for charging my phone in the bathroom. They said if I go back there, they’ll arrest me for trespassing. I can’t wait to get out of here. My luggage is in storage at a hotel. It’s going to cost me to get it out. I want to get enough money to get my luggage, then go to Iowa. I’ve got a friend, and there are lots of craft fairs in the summer. I can sell my jewelry. For a city that takes in the kind of money this city does, I’m appalled by the conditions. Americans are such a blessed people, and they’re usually very generous, but what I’ve seen here is the opposite. The dirty looks I get from some of the ladies who pass by. One of them told me to sell my body. These people don’t understand — it can happen to any one of us.
Mina Pak, 60
I’m originally from Taiwan. I came to America in 1981. My husband was American, but we’re divorced now. We didn’t have any children. In San Francisco, I took care of the handicapped. Then I got sick and couldn’t work anymore. Six months ago, I lost everything. Everything is too expensive in San Francisco. I thought it would be cheaper in Las Vegas. I came down here a week ago. I thought I could get a job. I lost my luggage at the Greyhound bus station; now I’ve got nothing left. I sleep in the street near the bus station. I’m awake all night. In the daytime, I’m back sleeping. I don’t feel safe at night. I tried to go to a shelter. I got there too late. I’m going to try again tomorrow. I’ve got to find a place to live and some clothes.
I took care of the handicapped. Then I got sick and couldn’t work anymore ... I lost everything.
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Who they are These are the demographics of Southern Nevada’s homeless population, based on the answers of 34,397 homeless people surveyed this year.
Causes of homelessness
Cindy Roye, 42 I was born in California, and I moved here from Reno. I’ve been in Las Vegas on and off since ’98. I worked in casinos; I was a cage cashier and a front desk clerk. Then I was a stay-at-home mom for eight years. The kids always came first. I’ve got four children — two alive and two in heaven. I’ve got an 8-year-old girl who lives with her dad and a I was raised in 1-year-old boy who was taken a broken family from me in Janu... I’ve tried to ary. Now he’s in foster care. do everything I had a fight for my children with my baby’s dad and our that my father neighbors called didn’t do for the police. They came and found me. I want drugs our roomto keep my mate had hidden in the TV. That’s daughter out of when my baby the system. was taken and we lost our apartment. I hit rock bottom. That’s when I became depressed. They want me to take medication, but I want to be there for my children. If you’re on medication, you’re not really there. I was raised in a broken family. I was abused. I’ve tried to do everything for my children that my father didn’t do for me. I want to keep my daughter out of the system. Sometimes we pay for a room — $45 to $49 a night usually, but sometimes up to $90. We keep our stuff at a friend’s house. Last night, I stayed at a church. What’s the safest place you can be, except on the steps of a church, right? The police and hotel security are very kind. They give me water and make sure I’m OK. There are so many nice people. We’re trying to get a voucher for $400. It would pay for two weeks in a furnished apartment. I’ve been given an outfit to wear to look for work, but I need an address, too. I don’t want my family to know we’re homeless. They think I’ve got a job. We take pride in doing it on our own.
Lost job
53.5%
Alcohol or drug use
16.6%
Illness
14.3%
Mental health issue
13.6%
Age
Argument or was asked to leave
13.2%
Other
31.4%
Gender Just over *5 percent of the homeless women surveyed said they were pregnant.
1-12: 0.5% 13-17: 0.7% 18-21: 4% 22-30: 11.9% 31-40: 14.9% 41-50: 26.4% 51-60: 30.6% 61+: 11.1%
race
White: 48.2% Black: 36% Native American: 2.8% Asian: 4.8% Pacific Islander: 1.4% Other/multi-ethnic: 10.6%
Male: 68.7% Female: 31.3% 0.8 percent of the homeless * In 2014, people surveyed categorized themselves as transgender.
ethnicity
Hispanic/Latino: 16.4% Non-Hispanic/Latino: 83.6%
Living arrangement immediately before becoming homeless
In jail or prison: 5.5% Living in a home owned by you or your partner: 8.6% Living with relatives: 13.5% Staying with friends: 14% Renting a home or apartment: 45.7% Other: 12.7%
Source: 2015 Southern Nevada Homeless Census and Survey
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Woody, 58, no last name given I’m originally from Phoenix, Ariz. I came to Las Vegas from Colorado on the promise of work. A friend said he had a job for me. It was lies. Now I sleep behind a store. I don’t think anything’s safe. I’m just glad I have somebody there with me — a friend — for safety. I lost my job when my wife died. I couldn’t keep up. It was a good job, too; I was an This is a electrician. We had a fourunion state. bedroom ranch house. My You have to be wife lost her job because she got sick; it was cirrhosis of in a union to the liver. She lost her insurance, so we lost the house get anywhere, and everything we owned to and I’m far pay the medical bills. We rented an apartment, too old to join. then a trailer, then she died, and I lost it. I ran out of money and someone stole my truck with my tools in it. I’ve got six grown-up children. Three are in the service, one is mentally ill, one son has his own problems, and one daughter I’m not allowed to see. Her husband hurt her, so I hurt him. My wife and I were together for 34 years. After she died, I didn’t want to be in Colorado anymore. Now, I want to go back. I’ve got more chance of getting back
on my feet there, because I know where to get work. This is a union state. You have to be in a union to get anywhere, and I’m far too old to join. I’m just trying to raise enough bus fare. I need $239 twice over — I want to take my friend.
Nathan Walls, 61, separated with three adult children
David, 48, no last name given I came here two years ago on a Greyhound bus. A guy in Denver promised a friend of mine and myself work and a place to stay ’til we got on our feet. When we got here, his phone was switched off, and we were stranded. I haven’t seen him since. He got a kick out of it, I guess. I worked in construction. I was homeless in Denver, but I had friends there. I was couch surfing. Here, I don’t have any friends; here, people are rude. I’ve got a little camp spot with my friend behind a clothing store at the back of a building. There’s no shelEverything I ter. It’s not 100 percent safe there at night. New people have with me come, and they steal our is everything stuff. Everything I have with I have. If I left me is everything I have. If I left it at the camp site, it’d be it at the camp gone. If we can get enough monsite, it’d be ey, we rent a room. It costs gone. $70 to $90 a night. We stay in places like Siegel Suites, Emerald, Harbor Island and Shelter Island. Sometimes we rent by the week; it’s cheaper. I have a substance abuse problem. Heroin. I’m working on that. I just signed up for methadone, just this week started taking it. It’s free if you have Med-
icaid. I’m still doing a little bit of heroin. The methadone takes five to seven days to start working. Sitting out here, the heat takes its toll on you. Mentally, it’s draining — the rejection. Give me methadone, get me clean, get me a job. I’m a vagabond — I’ve lived in Ohio and Denver, I’m from California. The world’s too small to stay in one place. I want to travel, I want to go to Europe. I’d like to do that working in construction.
I’ve lived in Vegas since the end of ’74. I’m originally from Texas. I came here trying to win a million dollars. I’m somewhat of a gambler. I worked in caThe economy sinos as a porter is why I’m and a dishwasher; I worked in homeless. McDonald’s. It’s hard to The economy is why I’m homefind a job, less. It’s hard to especially for find a job, especially for a pera person as son as old as I old as I am. am. At night, I stay wherever I can sleep. Any motel I can get. I stay in the open until the police move me along. I can’t stay at the homeless shelters because of my criminal record. I spent four years in prison for battery with a deadly weapon. I got out five years ago. I come to Fremont every day. More homeless shelters would help. Do more to help homeless people. Give me somewhere to stay. Feed me.
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From FBI’s most wanted to helping those most in need By Samantha Rea | special to the sunday
Pastor Cody Huff was once on the FBI’s most wanted list and was barred from every casino in Las Vegas because of his role in a counterfeiting ring. ¶ Now, he works with local law enforcement, feeding and clothing the Las Vegas Valley’s homeless population. ¶ First incarcerated at age 15, Huff spent decades abusing drugs and avoiding the law. Now 64, he runs the Broken Chains Ministry, which provides clothes and food to the homeless and hungry. ¶ Every week, Huff and a team of volunteers barbecue meals for the homeless at a park and hand out clothing and blankets. They bus people to Sunday morning church services, connect addicts with intervention services and pick up meals from schools to distribute to the hungry. ¶ Huff spoke to The Sunday about the transformation that took him from living on the streets to being a community voice for the homeless. You were abused as a child? As far back as I can remember, my mother was extremely violent toward me. She whipped me with belts and tree branches. She called me names and said she wished she’d never had me. I never knew my father. I contacted him as an adult and asked if he ever wondered what happened to me. He said, “No, not really.” My mother has passed away now. When I became a Christian, one of the hardest things I had to do was ask God to forgive her. She was only 13 or 14 when she had me, and a girl that age doesn’t know how to be a parent. I think she had a difficult childhood herself; the abused often become abusers. How did you become involved with drugs? I started smoking marijuana when I was 12. At 13, I ran away to live with hippies in San Francisco. I sold drugs to pay my share of the rent, and I made good money. At that time in San Francisco, it was all about drugs and rock ’n’ roll. For
me, it was an escape from the abuse. How did you become involved in crime? When I was 15, I was sent to the California Youth Authority for a hit-andrun. Most of the kids were older than me, so I got a Ph.D. in crime. I continued taking drugs and later became addicted to heroin and crack cocaine. That led to counterfeiting and burglary. I had periods where I wouldn’t use hard drugs, then something emotional would happen and I’d go back to them. Until the age of 52, I was the guy your mother warned you about. Did you spend time in prison as an adult? I spent a year in California State Prison for residential burglary, then moved to Las Vegas and got into a counterfeiting ring. We made silver dollars and took them to casinos, trading our money for theirs. We did it three or four times a week, making $1,500 to $2,000 each visit. I was wanted by the FBI, the Nevada
Gaming Commission, every law-enforcement agency you can think of. My picture was all over town. I contacted an attorney, who advised me to turn myself in, so that led to another year in jail. How did you become homeless? When I came out of prison for counterfeiting, I began to use heroin again, then I traded that for crack cocaine. Within a year of smoking crack, I went through $300,000 and lost everything I owned — my house, my motor home, my boat, my brand new Harley. Nobody would let me stay with them because I was so addicted to drugs, so I spent a year homeless on the streets of Las Vegas. Why did you start doing crack? I was at a friend’s house, and they were smoking crack. I asked them for a hit because I felt horrible; my withdrawal from heroin was severe because I was using so much of it. Another friend tried to talk me out of taking crack. He said it would destroy me, and it did. Once you’re addicted, you want more and more. I
reached the point of using $1,000 a day. What motivated you to stop taking drugs? It was summer, and I hadn’t had a shower in three months, so I went to a church because they’d give you clean clothes. I didn’t want to hear about Jesus. But the people at the church gave me so much love, I started reading the Bible and kept going back. One day, I prayed for God to forgive me. When I stood up, I didn’t want drugs anymore, and I’ve never taken them since. That night, my friends kept offering me crack. I saw it as the enemy trying to pull me back in, but God gave me strength. I spent a month volunteering at the church. They gave me lunch, and at the end of the day, they let me take food back to the park where I was sleeping, to make meals for my friends. One day, I was in the church cafeteria, and a man offered me a job on a rock crusher. It came with a trailer I called “the Taj Mahal.” From there,
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Cody Huff conducts a sermon during Bible study for the homeless at Justice Myron E. Leavitt and Jaycee Community Park. (Christopher DeVargas/staff)
someone else at the church offered me a better-paying job with UPS. After that, I became a pastor. In the past, you had a difficult relationship with the police. What’s that relationship like now? The police used to be my enemy. I carried a gun, and contact with police usually meant I ended up in jail. Now, I work hand-in-hand with them. When I’m out and see a cop at a gas station, I pull over and thank them for the work they do for the community. I’m all tattooed because I used to run with biker clubs, but when I thank them, they’re so nice. I say, “I got tired of you guys chasing me, so I’m a good boy now.” Tell us about “Two Lunch Tuesdays.” We partner with the Clark County School District and the PTAs. We have 25 schools where the kids bring two lunches and donate one to the ministry. The program has gotten so big, we now supply Catholic Charities, the Rescue
‘
The longer someone is homeless, the more resistant they are to getting help. They don’t want to go into a program and live by rules. If we can get them off the street in their first year of homelessness, that’s our best odds.”
Mission and a host of other organizations. We have a team of five guys who pick up the lunches. On Nov. 10, we collected 4,277 lunches. We started six years ago with one school making us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Now, the kids try to outdo each other to see who can bring the best lunches. They write notes for the homeless people. The little girls color the bags. It’s priceless. Do homeless people trust you more because you’ve been through a similar situation?
— pastor cody huff
Absolutely. When I’m working with an addict or an alcoholic, I always hear the same thing: “Cody, I’ve been to rehab, I’ve talked to doctors and I’ve been to psychologists, but you know what you’re talking about because you’ve experienced it.” Your ministry offers people help, but do people have to want to help themselves? Yes. The longer someone is homeless, the more resistant they are to getting help. They don’t want to go into a program and live by rules. If we can
get them off the street in their first year of homelessness, that’s our best odds. I have contacts to get people into a program and rent them an apartment. I tell them, “If I could make up your mind for you, I would accept the help.” Given your background, do you have to work to prove yourself? We have our ministry’s books audited every three months by an accounting firm, because we know people are thinking, “They’ve got to be taking something from this.” I’m proud to say nobody in our ministry, including myself, accepts a salary from Broken Chains. We wouldn’t be able to do all the things we do if we paid people. What do you say to people who come to you for help? I tell them the same thing that was told to me: “We’re here to help you, but we won’t play games.” A lot of people try to take advantage of us, but our ministry is there for people who really want help.
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Mike Tyson picks out an eyeball to be used in his wax likeness at Madame Tussauds. (courtesy/madame tussauds las vegas)
Vegas diva still waiting for wax treatment
W
ho might or might not be depicted in wax at Madame Tussauds is an inexact, if exhaus-
tive, science. Example: Former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is in wax; his wife, current Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, is not. Over the years, such local legends as Elvis, members of the Rat Pack, Celine Dion and Wayne Newton have been honored in wax. So has the Blue Man Group. But not a certain longtime Strip headliner (more about this person in a moment) who wants the honor more than anybody. Up next for wax-ian treatment are dissimilarly matched, but similarly famous, Las Vegas newsmakers Donny and Marie Osmond, and Mike Tyson. Donny and Marie were announced in October, and their unveiling at the Venetian attraction will be in 2016, when they return to the stage at the Flamingo. Tyson will join Muhammad Ali and onetime rival Evander Holyfield (yes, with the gnawed-off right ear) as an honoree. He’ll be on hand for a cer-
emony Dec. 1, joining his to seeing meshed: “luxe” wax cast mates from “The and “slippers.” Hangover” film series. The daughter of Steve But left out of the and Elaine Wynn is parade is a man who launching a line of cocktail likely wants it more than slippers under her Kevyn anyone: Frank Marino of Wynn brand. A preview of “Divas Las Vegas.” He has the line is set for Dec. 1 at a street named for him Wynn Las Vegas. John and two stars on the Las Wynn says she came up Katsilometes Vegas Walk of Fame but with the concept of highhas never found the right end slippers as she was avenue to be depicted in shopping for slip-ons near wax. her home in Southern “After being here for 30 years, trying California. All she could find was a pair every angle, every connection, every of Australian-made Uggs. PR agent and celebrity I know, it’s not Wynn, who designed the robes and going to happen,” Marino said. “I really slippers used for guests at Wynn and need to be on TV to make that happen.” Encore, went to work on designing fanA Madame Tussauds spokeswoman cy slippers tailored to her own tastes. said last year that Marino had been put She delivered the designs to a supplier “under consideration” and a request who had worked on the resorts’ slipper was issued to execs in the attraction’s and robe collections, and hit a factory offices in London. in Italy to produce the line. Marino just turned 52. Goodman was Each pair will cost $250 to $300, in his mid-60s when he was honored. which on the meter of slipper pricing There still is time at Madame Tussauds, either is high (mine) or quite reasonwhere time always stands still. able (for those who wear silk slippers). The line will be sold at the home stores n Kevyn Wynn is launching a fashion at Wynn and Encore by the end of the line meshing two words we’re not used
month. And look out for another Wynn family member entering the world of fashion retail: Wynn has planned to branch out to a children’s line, designed by her daughter Zoe Friedman, who is all of 11 years old. n Through the grapevine of conversation comes this morsel related to the High Roller at the Linq. Several weeks ago, an organization of swingers (those who swap partners for recreational activity, specifically) planned to occupy one of the cabins to close off a night of partying. This is the sort of partying favored by swingers, if you get the drift. The full rotation of a High Roller ride is 30 minutes. A member of the Caesars Entertainment employment force overheard the plan and called staffers at the wheel, where a member of security swiftly was summoned. When the swingers, numbering more than 30 (hopefully an even number) boarded the cabin, the security officer stepped in just as the doors closed. Too bad, kids. Certainly, this unfulfilled adventure represented one of the biggest “blocks” ever on the Strip.
Created and Presented by
ask an attorney How much does it cost to file personal bankruptcy? Additionally, courts can prohibit attorStrictly speaking, the filing fees for neys’ fees they consider too high, so most bankruptcy are $335 for Chapter firms tend to charge similar fees. 7 and $310 for Chapter 13. These are the So why do fees vary? In my opinion, fees costs paid to the court when a case is filed. depend on the level of service you’re going If you represent yourself without using to get from your lawyer before, during and an attorney, which is called filing pro se, after your filing. or if your income is low enough to qualify For most people, even considering for assistance through bankruptcy is a terrifying ordeal. Is your the Legal Aid Center of lawyer going to hold your hand, walk you Southern Nevada, the only through it and alleviate your fears? Will he other costs are for preor she recommend bankruptcy alternafiling and post-filing credit tives if bankruptcy isn’t the right option? counseling classes. Credit judah How about help you rebuild your credit counseling certificates are zakalik score after the bankruptcy is complete? required to file and Or is the firm a “bankruptcy mill” get your discharge. that values efficiency and volume Several companies hold In rare over customer service? the classes in person, over circumstances, According to U.S. Bankruptcy the phone or online. Both pro se filers may be eligible to have Judge Bruce Markell, “the classes cost about $25, their filing fees practice of law is a professional although the price can vary waived. service, not a pre-packaged, oneslightly depending on the size-fits-all product.” I agree. company. It’s nearly impossible to quote an Most people do not qualify for accurate fee before knowing the facts of free legal aid, and don’t have the skill set the case; that is why most bankruptcy required to handle bankruptcy on their lawyers offer free consultations. Bankown. Nor is filing pro se recommended. ruptcy cases vary, and a fast-food model Depending on which bankruptcy just doesn’t work. law firm you choose, in Las Vegas, attorney fees for a Chapter 7 generally If you have a question you’d like to see answered by range from $800 to $2,500. That means an attorney in a future issue, please write to questhe out-of-pocket total for a Chapter tions@PandALawFirm.com. 7 bankruptcy usually will range from $1,160 ($800+$335+$25) to $2,860 Please note: The information in this column is intended for general purposes only and is not to be ($2,500+$335+$25). considered legal or professional advice of any kind. Upfront attorney fees for nonemerYou should seek advice that is specific to your probgency Chapter 13 bankruptcies are about lem before taking or refraining from any action and the same. should not rely on the information in this column.
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the unexpected ways smoking harms your body The message is echoed across doctors’ offices, hospitals, schools, the news, ad campaigns, public health initiatives and beyond: Smoking is bad for you. ¶ But while many of us have been inundated with the message, 19.4 percent of adults in Nevada still smoke, according to the United Health Foundation. Nationally, smoking-related diseases cause more than 480,000 deaths every year. ¶ Even if smoking doesn’t kill you, it most likely will dramatically hinder your quality of life. “Smoking damages every single organ — every single cell — in your entire body,” said Dr. George Tu, MD, FCCP, DABSM, a pulmonologist at the Lung Center of Nevada, a division of Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada, and MountainView Hospital. ¶ Because of its wide-reaching effects in the body, smoking also causes and contributes to many lesser-known diseases and conditions.
Bones Smoking contributes to the weakening of bone tissue and decreases bone density, which means smokers are more susceptible to broken bones and osteoporosis.
Eyes Smoking can cause cataracts, macular degeneration, dry eyes and other eye diseases. Both cataracts and macular degeneration can cause blindness.
Digestive system Smoking can cause stomach ulcers, acid reflux and insulin resistance, which greatly increases the risk for Type 2 diabetes. Smokers are 30 to 40 percent more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than nonsmokers. Furthermore, continued smoking makes diabetes very difficult to manage, which can lead to serious complications such as kidney disease, loss of blood flow in the extremities, nerve damage and retinopathy, which also causes blindness.
Sexual organs in men Smoking can cause erectile dysfunction because of damage to blood vessels in the penis. It also can lower sperm count and damage genetic material in the sperm, which can cause infertility.
your heart and lungs aren’t the only organs in danger There are 600 ingredients and 7,000 chemicals in the average cigarette, the American Lung Association reports. At least 69 of those chemicals are known carcinogens. “Each drag on a cigarette distributes these chemicals throughout the entire body, via the bloodstream, in a matter of seconds,” Tu said. Smoking affects the entire body, including ...
cancers caused by smoking The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains that if nobody smoked, one of every three cancer deaths in the United States would be prevented. Besides lung cancer, smoking also is known to cause the following cancers:
n Bladder n Blood n Cervix
n Colorectal n Esophagus n Kidney
n Larynx n Liver n Mouth
n Pancreas n Stomach
are E-cigarettes safer? Cigarette smoking rates are on the decline among teenagers in the United States, but smoking e-cigarettes, or “vaping,” is a rising trend. Although e-cigarettes are marketed as a safer smoking alternative that uses nicotinelaced vapor instead of smoke, there is no evidence the practice is safer. “Smoking e-cigarettes is still damaging and potentially even more so, because they’re unfiltered and the formulas used for the vapor fluid are not regulated,” Tu said.
How to quit “The most important thing is to be dedicated to quitting and to have support from family and friends,” Tu said. “Cigarettes are highly addictive, but 65 percent of the struggle is mental.” Different methods work for different people, but nicotine substitutes (such as gum or the patch) and holistic methods (such as hypnosis or acupuncture) are tried and true. There also are prescription drugs available to help with the physical component of smoking cessation. In addition, Tu recommends calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW, a toll-free, 24-hour hotline staffed with smoking cessation counselors.
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heart and lungs The two most important organs at stake are the heart and the lungs. “Smoking increases blood pressure and heart rate, which can cause heart attacks, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases,” Tu said. The five-year survival rate for lung cancer is only 17.8 percent, and more than half of people diagnosed with lung cancer will die within a year. That’s likely because lung cancer rarely is diagnosed in its early stages. “Early-stage lung cancer usually doesn’t cause any symptoms,” Tu said. “Symptoms like coughing up blood present in the later stages of the disease. This can make it very difficult to detect, so it’s important for people who are at-risk to be screened regularly.” Lung cancer screenings are offered at a couple, select hospitals in the Valley and might be covered by Medicare and some insurance plans.
Sexual organs in women Smoking lowers estrogen levels, which can affect fertility and lead to early menopause. Smoking also is linked strongly to cervical cancer. The American Cancer Society reports that women who smoke are twice as likely to develop cervical cancer than nonsmokers, and tobacco byproducts are found in the cervical mucus of female smokers. Message and data rates apply. For more info visit texterhelp.com
immune system Smoking increases a person’s white blood cell count, and white blood cells defend the body from infection. The increase signals that the body of a smoker is under constant stress as it tries to fight inflammation and irritation caused by cigarettes. The high levels of tar found in cigarettes also suppress the immune system, leaving smokers more vulnerable to colds, flus and other infections, as well as autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Considering the other diseases smoking can cause, a compromised immune system is especially dangerous.
www.SunriseHealthInfo.com Source: Centers for Disease control and prevention
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THE SUNDAY NOV. 29 - DEC. 5
LIFE
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU Send your news information to news@thesunday.com
MAKE HEADS TURN THIS YEAR QUICK & EASY
■ LOW PONYTAIL
■ SLEEK SPANISH BUN
Prep time: 5 minutes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Ponytails are among the most versatile hairstyles. The key to this year’s version is a low profile. Whether you like it tight or keep it loose, it should be secured at the nape of the neck or lower, as seen on red carpets and in fall fashion shows.
The elegant, dramatic Spanish bun made a comeback in 2013 in and out of Hollywood. If you’re planning to wear a tailored dress or gown, consider this style. It is surprisingly simple with the proper supplies and technique.
INSTRUCTIONS
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Part hair in the middle or on one side.
1. Part hair deeply on one side.
2. Brush hair across the top of the head until smooth. Run your fingers along front hairline, tucking hair behind the ears. 3. Pull hair together with your hands, and if necessary, a brush. Secure the ponytail at the nape of the neck with a hair tie. 4. Grab a small portion of hair from the ponytail and wrap it around the base to cover the hair tie, then secure the ends with a bobby pin. 5. Use an aerosol finishing hairspray over the entire head.
PRO TIP Use the flat back of a comb or brush to smooth bumps in hair.
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4 PRO TIP For an accessorized look, wrap a metallic ribbon around the base or consider accenting with a statement hair clip.
2. Gather the hair in a low-profile ponytail at the backside of the head, opposite to the part. PRO TIP Keep the hair sleek A side part should and close to the head. line up directly with Secure with a hair tie. the high point of 3. Wrap a Hair Stylers your eyebrow Mesh Chignon — these arch. can be bought at Sally’s Beauty Supply in three colors for less than $4 each — around the hair tie by slipping the ponytail through the center. Spread and fan the hair out and around the mesh circle. 4. Use a second hair tie to secure the hair wrapped around the mesh. 5. Twist any remaining loose hair around the base of the bun, securing with bobby pins around the circular formation.
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6. Use an aerosol finishing hairspray over entire head.
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LIFE
THE SUNDAY NOV. 29 - DEC. 5
BY REBECCA CLIFFORD-CRUZ | STAFF WRITER
Up, down, sleek or tousled? ¶ With the holidays fast approaching, you don’t need to pull your hair out worrying about how to create a festive hairstyle that complements your party wear. This season’s trendy and nontraditional styles can be put together at home, by yourself or with a little help from a friend. Rebecca Clifford-Cruz was a licensed cosmetologist in Utah and Nevada.
TIME-INTENSIVE
■ MESSY UPDO
■ LOOSE WAVES OR STRUCTURED CURLS
Prep time: 15-30 minutes
Prep time: Varies depending on thickness of hair
A carefree and flirty yet stylish hairdo, the messy updo can be worn in many variations. The point is to look effortlessly pretty.
If hair is your most valued accessory, you’ll want to keep it down and untamed for your special event. Whether you sport short, medium or long locks, this style will work. Wear curls tight and bouncy or wavy like the ocean.
INSTRUCTIONS
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Tease and backcomb entire head of hair to create volume.
1. Wash hair. Add a fast-forming cream gel to dampen hair, then comb thoroughly to spread the product from roots to ends.
2. Rake fingers through the front and sides of hair, then pull it back in a ponytail near the occipital bone, the bump on the back of the head.
1 PRO TIP Unless you have extremely oily hair, wash your hair the day before wearing this style. It will hold better.
3. Spray lightly with aerosol medium-hold or flexible hairspray.
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4. Curl the ends of the ponytail in 1-inch sections. 5. Once all the ends are curled, grab different-sized sections of the ponytail, twisting from bottom to top, and pin them up using bobby pins. Use additional bobby pins to hold the style in place or to add texture. 6. Use an aerosol finishing hairspray over entire head.
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2. Blow-dry hair while combing through with fingers or a paddle brush. Be sure hair is completely dry, then spray with a heat protectant. PRO TIP 3. Tie up the To prevent top section of burning your hand, hair. Working wear the glove that in 1– to 2-inch comes with your wand. sections, wrap A winter fabric glove hair around a will do if one isn’t barrel-curling provided. wand (available at any beauty supply), curling away from face. 4. For face-framing sections of hair, wand in smaller sections. Let down the middle and top sections of hair, and repeat until the entire head is curled. 5. For more volume, dip head upside down and spray with a medium hold hairspray. Let the hairspray dry completely before flipping your head back up.
5 ALTERNATE METHOD FOR CURLING: If you’ve got a little money to burn, consider investing in a professional curl machine such as the Babyliss Pro Miracurl. It’s fast, easy to operate and creates consistent curls. It sells for about $130 and up.
Message and data rates apply. For more info visit texterhelp.com
www.SunriseHealthInfo.com
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LOOKING FOR A NEW BEST FRIEND?
life
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the sunday nov. 29 - dec. 5
The Animal Foundation and the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals are shelters dedicated to finding homes for dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, turtles and more. Each week, we feature a selection of animals available for adoption.
Cody (A871447)
Half Pint (A871174)
Dania
Ichabod
Age: 2-year-old neutered male Breed: Longhair Chihuahua Description: Cody is friendly. With a little more TLC, he will give you lots of love in return. Adoption fee: $155
Age: 1-year-old female Breed: Chihuahua Description: This little gal can be shy at first, but with some time her big personality comes out. Adoption fee: $155
Age: 5-year-old spayed female Breed: Great Dane Description: Dania is broken-hearted and confused. She is a 151-pound sweetheart who walks well on a leash and wants you to be happy with her. Adoption fee: $50
Age: 1-year-old neutered male Breed: Dwarf and English spot mix Description: Ichabod likes tossing his toys, hopping forward to greet people and delighting in every delicious bite of his daily fresh salad greens. Adoption fee: $25
Selena (A870511)
Alexa (A861064)
Marcus
Kenneth
Age: 2-year-old female Breed: Domestic shorthair Description: One look at Selena, and you’ll be mesmerized. But she’s more than just a pretty face; she’s also very sweet. Adoption fee: $25
Age: 20-month-old female Breed: Domestic mediumhair Description: Alexa is a stunning girl who loves affection and attention. Adoption fee: $25
Age: 3-month-old neutered male Breed: Lynx point Siamese mix Description: Marcus relishes exploring new rooms and studying toys. Since his rescue, he has been lovingly raised and socialized in a wonderful foster home. Adoption fee: $70
Age: 12-year-old neutered male Breed: Heinz 57 with Chihuahua Description: Kenneth is calm-natured and asks for simple kindness. He needs someone to love. Adoption fee: $20
Daffy (A872374)
Ronald (A869503)
Talulah
Ray
Age: 11-week-old female Breed: Domestic longhair Description: Daffy is an adorable, fun-loving kitten. Adoption fee: $50
Age: 5-year-old male Breed: Pit bull terrier Description: Ronald is sweet and loves to play. Take him on walks or to the dog park, and he’ll be a happy boy. Adoption fee: $25
Age: 5-year-old spayed female Breed: Dark-eyed white ferret Description: Talulah is fascinated by shoestrings and can make almost any small object into a toy. She enjoys playing with ferrets, cats and puppies. Adoption fee: $40
Age: 9-year-old neutered male Breed: Seal point Siamese, declawed by previous owner Description: Ray learns rooms, counters and ledges so well that you may soon forget he is blind. Please take safety precautions in your home. Adoption fee: $20
Animal foundation 702-384-3333 x131 | animalfoundation.com/adopt Animals are assigned a color next to their names indicating location: 655 N. Mojave Road, Las Vegas 286 W. Lake Mead Parkway, Henderson
Nevada SPCA 4800 W. Dewey Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89118 702-873-SPCA | www.nevadaspca.org
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THE SUNDAY NOV. 29 - DEC. 5
‘SCARY’ BUT CARING
INTENSE TASKMASTER NURTURES WINNERS ON COURT, IN LIFE
Centennial High School girls’ basketball coach Karen Weitz observes team drills during practice. Her teams practice four times a week in summer in addition to during the school year. (L.E. BASKOW/STAFF)
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K
By Ray Brewer | staff writer
aren Weitz used to watch teams celebrate championship wins and question why the players and coaches would be brought to tears. ¶ If the Centennial High girls’ basketball coach were fortunate enough to lead her team to the state title, she thought, she would be able to contain herself. ¶ Weitz, who has built Centennial into arguably Nevada’s most dominant dynasty, regardless of sport, is a strict disciplinarian. She is so structured and determined in the way she manages the program, her passion often is misinterpreted by outsiders. They see Weitz barking at players who make mistakes and question why she’s so tense when her team leads by a comfortable margin. Centennial often wins with the mercy rule of a running clock, so some accuse her of unsportsmanlike conduct. They don’t see Weitz’s soft side. And neither did Weitz. When Centennial won its first of seven state championships in 2002, beating Reno High in double overtime and becoming the first Southern Nevada school to win the large-school championship in more than 20 years, tears of satisfaction flowed down Weitz’s face. “When you see people cry after a sporting event, I think ‘Come on now,’ ” Weitz said. “But when we won our first state championship, I lost it. I had been waiting so many years. I wanted to be the first one (from the South) to win it. We were going to be the first to knock down this wall.” And Weitz, 47, has kept winning. She has more than 500 career victories, an undefeated season and four consecutive state championships from 2002 to 2005, and she has no plans to slow down. A new season starts this week, and the Bulldogs are expected to win another state championship. ‘Scary Karen’ Weitz’s humble office, in the back of the Centennial weight room, is decorated with photos of each championship team, news clippings and awards to document the program’s rise. There also are photos of former players in their current lives — family and wedding pictures, and college achievements. Toward the end of each season, it’s customary for former players to return to give motivational talks in the locker room before the playoffs. The players, maybe not initially but definitely over time, thrive with Weitz’s tough-love coaching philosophy, “When they first come into the program, it’s kind of like, ‘Whoa,’ ” said Katie Lutman, a longtime Centennial assistant coach. “I always tell her, ‘That’s your alter-ego.’ We call her Scary Karen because it’s all about business. But the more the kids are around her, they get to know her sarcasm, get to know her personality and are comfortable around her.” There is no gray area with Weitz. And she never plays favorites, even with players such as Italee Lucas, who went on to play at the University of North Carolina. Weitz expects players to work hard in class and on the basketball court, and she doesn’t tolerate tardiness. “Sick is sick,” Weitz said. “If you are sick, then
don’t come to practice. But you won’t play the next game. You see kids being sick one day but coming in the next, ‘Hey, I’m ready to play.’ We teach them to fight through those little things. Our kids will come to practice with a roll of toilet paper and tough it out. Two days later, they are fine.” Few if any players or parents complain. “She holds kids accountable,” said Troy Brown Sr., whose daughter, Jada Brown, spent four years with Weitz and now plays for the University of Kansas. “She prepares kids. One of the things my daughter says is, ‘I didn’t respect it when I was there, but she prepared me for college. I was more prepared than the other girls.’ ” Those family pictures and achievement certificates are evidence that her program, regardless of games won, is a success. “When my kids graduate, they will be hard workers, they will be on time, they won’t take riffraff from any man,” Weitz said. “They are good, solid women.” The Karen Weitz rule In the 2010-11 season, Centennial won 13 games by more than 50 points, beating teams 75-8 and 818. Shortly after, the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association, which governs high school sports, created a rule requiring a written explanation by the coach of any team winning by more than 50 points. Other teams also won by more than 50, but many believe the rule was a response to Centennial’s dominance. Now, when her team leads by 49 points, Weitz instructs players to pass the ball but not to shoot. The NIAA also created a mercy rule, in which a 40-point lead triggers a continuous clock. Weitz says she doesn’t try to run up the score. In fact, on several occasions, she has provided administrators game film to document the actions her team has taken, such as stopping its full-court press, to keep games from getting out of hand. But Weitz won’t let critics change how she prepares her teams. It’s what makes them championship contenders each season. “I don’t know how to coach any differently,” she said. “When my team comes out ready to play, it doesn’t matter who our opponent is. We don’t size
sports
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the sunday nov. 29 - dec. 5
up our opponent. If it is someone with less talent or the best team in the state, we are going to come out from the tip and play the same.” coach by default Weitz competed in basketball and track in college, was a national champion in the javelin throw at Scottsdale Community College and competed two years on the UNLV track team. She was teaching physical education at Swainston Middle School when the Clark County School District decided to bring back middle-school basketball. She got the job by default. “Nobody there wanted to do it,” Weitz said. “Because I was a prior basketball player/track athlete, they said, ‘You are doing it.’ That’s when I started learning about the history and when the last time Southern Nevada won a state championship was, and there comes my competitiveness. I have to chance this.” the rivalry with Weitz later became the Bishop Gorman coach of Cheyenne High The Centennial and and joined Centennial Bishop Gorman high when the school opened in school girls’ basketball 1999. teams have won a combined 11 state
Keeping it simple championships, and both have multiple For all her wins, Weitz Division I players. They’ll doesn’t crave attention. All likely meet this winter she wants to do is coach, in the Sunset Regional which at Centennial inchampionship game, cludes four practices each with the winner in the week in summer. driver’s seat to win the Weitz recently traded state championship the her flip-phone for an following week. iPhone but doesn’t have “There have been Facebook or Twitter acsome good teams in counts. And if she doesn’t this city that could beat Gorman or beat us, but return a phone call imthey want to sit back mediately, it’s not because and let Centennial and she’s ignoring it. She’s just Gorman be at the top,” not attached to technology. Centennial coach Karen Her circle of friends is no Weitz said. “Why don’t more than four or five — a they do something to be former high school classup there, too?” mate from Oregon and others in the Centennial program. “I come to school, I do my job, I coach and go home,” Weitz said. She often says she’s married to the Centennial program and proudly sports a silver state championship ring on her finger — and players do, as well. Last year’s ring cost $300, and when the school said it would cover only a third of cost, Weitz made sure the program covered the rest through fundraising contributions. It was another example of Weitz watching out for her players, who know the other side of “Scary Karen,” the one who cares for them with the same passion she has in building a dynasty. “She’s fun but strict and straight business,” said Justice Ethridge, a Centennial sophomore guard. “We know she’s going to do everything to help us be better.”
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the sunday nov. 29 - dec. 5
tips for the perfect football tailgate party
Bring games to play with your guests and other tailgaters. Good options include cornhole, horseshoes, cards or even just a football to toss around.
Sports inspire a host of traditions, but few are as beloved and revered as a football game tailgate. Possibly one the best pregame activities of all time, tailgating combines food, drinks and football with a rallying community of fans. However worthwhile, hosting your own tailgate can be an undertaking. These tips will help make the process easier.
What should I bring? Besides the food, beverages and condiments of your choosing, there are many other tailgating accoutrements to consider. As with any party or gathering, it’s best to over-prepare than to be caught off guard. Here are the necessities:
n Ice (Bring as much as possible; you can’t have enough.) n Trash bags (And then extra trash bags.) n Paper towels
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n Foil (Bring double the amount you think you’ll need.) n Wet wipes and hand sanitizer n Charcoal (Bring extra, especially if it’s a windy day.) n Propane or butane tank n Tongs (one for raw meat, one for cooked meat) n Spatulas
days before the tailgate Make a list of everything you need to bring. Divide it into categories: food, drinks, cooking accessories and utensils, tableware and miscellaneous. Check off each item before you leave on game day to make sure nothing is left behind. Look into the rules of the tailgating venue. NFL, college and bowl games all might have different rules, especially about where to park, grilling practices and alcohol consumption. Know what to expect before arriving. For earlymorning tailgating, set up a makeyour-own bloody mary bar, complete with an assortment of vodkas, mixes and garnishes.
Prepare what you can in advance. Form burger patties the night before the game and pack them between layers of wax paper. Start cooking chili or pulled pork in the slow cooker. Marinate meat and skewer it if you’re making kabobs. Slice and package burger toppings such as lettuce, tomatoes, onions and cheese. Freeze water bottles to use both as ice in the cooler and for drinking water.
n Bottle openers (And a few extra, as these tend to disappear.) n Plastic baggies n Disposable plates, cups and cutlery n First-aid kit n Jumper cables n Car phone charger n Extension cord n Portable fire extinguisher (just in case) n Sunscreen (even if it’s cloudy out) n Portable table and chairs n Masking tape
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Morning of the tailgate Pack the coolers. Ideally you’ll have three: one for raw meat, one for cooked meat and sides, and one for beverages. Be sure all items are chilled and packed in watertight containers. The denser you pack your coolers, the colder they’ll stay. Plan to arrive three to four hours before the game starts. Check your list. Then check it again. And then one last time before you leave.
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At the tailgate Pick a good spot. Select a location that’s easy to find, near a bathroom and close to other tailgaters. The earlier you show up, the better your options will be. Set up your base camp and start grilling. Food should be ready two hours before the game starts, leaving you and your guests enough time to eat, clean up and head to your seats. Be respectful of the location and to other tailgating parties. Don’t leave garbage behind, avoid getting belligerently drunk and limit smack talk to the rival team’s fans. When it comes time to pack up, be thorough. Be sure all trash is thrown away in a designated place and that all coals or fires are extinguished. To make clean-up faster, bring your dishes and utensils in a plastic tub. Line the tub with a trash bag and put all the dirty dishes back in when you are finished.
Deck out your tailgating area with decorations that represent your team. Hang pennants, and color coordinate tablecloths, plates and cups in team colors. Making Jell-O shots in team colors is another fun way to show your spirit.
Grilling tips Throw away food that has been sitting out longer than two hours, and be careful when handling and cooking raw meat. Keep one set of utensils for raw meat and the other for cooked meat. Keep your grill grate clean and oiled so meat doesn’t stick. In a pinch, you can scrub it with crumpled foil to help pick up debris and grease.
Use your thumb to make a shallow indent in the middle of each burger patty before cooking it. This will help ensure it cooks evenly and doesn’t get puffy. Flip your burgers only once. Flipping them too often will make the meat tougher, meaning a drier, less delicious burger. They’re done once both sides look cooked and the internal temperature is 140 degrees. Grilling corn? Carefully peel down the husks, remove the silk and pull the husk back up. Soak for five to 10 minutes, then throw on the grill.
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the sunday nov. 29 - dec. 5
Gaming
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CASINO PROMOTIONS HARD ROCK HOTEL
Point multipliers Date: Thursdays Information: Earn 20x points on reels and 5x points on video poker. Shopapalooza gift card giveaway Date: Through Dec. 15 Information: Hundreds of brands available. Earn 1,100 credits for $1. Redeem points Sunday through Tuesday. 45+ Classic Rockers and bonus points Date: Tuesdays Information: Earn 15x points on reels and 5x points on video poker. Earn 100 base points to win 5,000 bonus points.
CANNERY
Gift card giveaway Date: Ongoing Information: Earn points for Premium Gift Gallery gifts cards. Points can be redeemed at any time. Prime Time 55 Date: Ongoing Information: Players 55 and older are eligible for a drawing on the last Monday of the month; top prize is $1,000. Also offered are dining and bingo discounts, point multipliers, blackjack tournaments and more. U-Pick prize day Date: Nov. 29 Information: Earn 300 base points and receive a $5 Wal-Mart card or $5 in slot play. Football Frenzy kiosk game Date: Through Jan. 2 Information: Earn 50 slot points to make one pick per week. Top prize is $2,500.
EMERALD ISLAND
Super bonus multiplier Date: Fridays Information: Receive a natural royal flush worth more than $1,000 on single-hand games and spin the wheel for a chance to win $1,100.
DOWNTOWN GRAND
$250K Grand slot tournament Date: Qualifying began Oct. 1. Players who qualify will be notified the following month and will be given the choice of two semifinal session dates on which to play. Information: Players with loyalty cards can enter one of four ways: Hit a jackpot of $1,200; earn 2,500 base
slot points in a calendar month; be the top slot point earner of the day; or be selected in a drawing. All members with recorded play will be entered into a weekly drawing conducted at 10 p.m. Saturdays. The final tournament will be in December.
M Resort
Two Ticket Touchdown drawing Date: Earn tickets through Jan. 3; drawing is Jan. 23 Information: Earn one entry for every natural four of a kind with a maximum bet on any 25-cent or higher bar-top video poker machine at the M Bar, casino bar or 32 Degrees Draft Bar. The grand prize is two tickets to the Super Bowl and a $2,500 Visa gift card.
PALMS
Gift giveaways Date: Saturdays and Sundays Information: Earn 100 base points on video slots or 500 base points on video poker on gift days between 12:01 a.m. and 6:59 p.m. Swipe your card at any kiosk and redeem the receipt for gifts. Nov. 29: shower gel set. Thanksgiving Lucky Baccarat Drawing Date: Nov. 29 Time: 8 p.m. Information: Through Nov. 29, earn one drawing ticket on a wager of $25 or more placed on a winning banker or player hand of natural 8 or 9; drawing tickets based on playing live mini-baccarat. $50,000 holiday season drawings Date: Through Jan. 1 Information: Earn drawing tickets with slot play. Earn 2x entries from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; earn 5x entries from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays. Drawings are at 7 p.m. Dec. 4, 11, 18, 26 and Jan. 1. Ten winners will be selected at each drawing, with a maximum prize of $3,000. Activate at least 10 base drawing tickets and receive a bonus of $10 in slot play the following Saturday. Play for prizes — free play Date: Nov. 30-Dec. 4 Information: Points earned Monday through Friday may be combined and redeemed for up to $190 in slot play per day. Play for prizes — Fashion Oasis Date: Dec. 7-18 Information: Points earned Monday through Friday may be combined and redeemed for gift cards to TJ Maxx or
the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Gift giveaways Date: Saturdays and Sundays in December and Dec. 31 Information: Earn 100 base points on slots or 500 base points on video poker on gift days between 12:01 a.m.6:59 p.m. Swipe your card at any kiosk and redeem your receipt: Dec. 5 – serving platter; Dec. 6 – Palms hoodie; Dec. 12 – beer mugs; Dec. 13 – wok; Dec. 20 – kitchen storage containers; Dec. 26 – garbage bag set; Dec. 27 – outlet multiplier; Dec. 31 – bottle of Champagne or cider. Surprise multipliers Date: Dec. 3, 13 and 17 Information: Swipe your loyalty card at a kiosk to win up to 15x points. $10,000 Winter Wish swipe and win Date: Wednesdays in December Information: Earn 25 points on slots or 100 points on video poker and swipe your loyalty card at a kiosk to win up to $100 in slot play.
SILVERTON
Second chance football drawings Date: Thursdays, Sundays and Mondays Information: Loyalty card members who place their nonwinning sports wagers in the drawing drum next to the sportsbook will receive one entry into the drawing. Drawings are at halftime during Thursday, Sunday and Monday night NFL games. One winner will receive $250 cash and a $250 Town Square gift card. Valid only on sports wagers with a $5 minimum bet.
EL CORTEZ
Jacket giveaway Date: November Information: Players who win a jackpot of $200 or more on any slot machine, a jackpot of $200 or more on a nickel or lower video poker machine, a jackpot of $300 or more on 10-cent or higher video poker machine or a jackpot of $200 or more on live keno will receive a jacket.
ARIZONA CHARLIE’S
Second chance drawings Date: Mondays through Dec. 28 Information: Receive a drawing ticket for every $10 losing NFL bet. Drawings will be conducted after halftime of Monday Night Football. Four winners will be chosen each week. The top prize is $500.
Gift giveaway Date: Nov. 29 Time: 11 a.m., 1, 7 and 9 p.m. Information: All single bingo winners will receive a mystery gift. Fourth annual Feed a Family Date: Through Dec. 15 Information: Loyalty card members can donate as many points as they choose; for every 12,000 points contributed, Arizona Charlie’s will donate a food basket to a local family. Twelve Days of Free Play Date: Dec. 1-12 Information: Earn 1,200 base points, play a kiosk game and receive up to $1,200 in slot play. A maximum of 6,000 points can be redeemed.
Golden gate and the d
Reelin’ Your Way to Mexico Date: Through April 30 Information: Loyalty card members can earn drawing entries playing blackjack, keno, slots or video poker. Drawings at the D will be at 8 p.m. Nov. 30, Jan. 31 and March 31. Drawings at the Golden Gate will be at 8 p.m. Dec. 30, Feb. 29 and April 30. The grand prize is a cruise July 17-21 to Mexico.
BOYD GAMING
Pick the Pros Date: Through NFL season Information: There will be a $30,000 prize pool every week of the NFL season in this free contest. Players select the winners of each week’s slate of games, straight up, and winners are selected by the number of correct picks. If there is only one top performer during a given week, that player wins the entire $30,000 prize pool. If there is a tie among multiple players, one player will be selected randomly to receive $10,000, while the remaining winners will split a $20,000 pool. Write your own check Date: Nov. 29 Information: Earn up to $100,000 at the Orleans, Gold Coast, Suncoast or Sam’s Town. The Orleans will have drawings at 7:15 p.m.; Gold Coast, at 8:15 p.m.; Sam’s Town, at 6:15 p.m.; and Suncoast, at 8:15 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 4:15 p.m. on Sundays.
ORLEANS
Point multipliers Date: Mondays Information: Receive 15x points on penny reels. Swipe your loyalty card
We want to hear from you Send your gaming information to gamingguide@thesunday.com
at a kiosk before playing.
GOLD COAST
Gift giveaway Date: Nov. 29 Information: Earn 5,000 points and receive a gift. An additional 5,000 points may be redeemed for a second present. Choose from a Bulova watch, Kenneth Cole handbag or three-piece luggage set. Senior bonus day Date: Mondays Information: Guests 50 and older will receive 10x points on reels, 5x points on video poker, a free bingo “blue” pack and free entry into a $2,500 video poker tournament.
SUNCOAST
$16,000 poker football squares Date: Through Jan. 3 Information: Earn squares for each ace-high flush or better. Win up to $1,000 per week. Royal flush bonus Date: Nov. 29 Information: Receive a 10 percent bonus for natural royal flushes on select denominations.
Westgate
Rockin’ 777 slot tournament Date: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays Time: 4-8 p.m. Information: Free for loyalty club members. The top five winners will receive $100 in slot play.
William Hill race & sports Book
Pro Pick ’em football contest Date: Weekly Information: Pick winning teams to collect a share of $13,000 in prizes each week of the football season. Each entry costs $25.
Silver sevens
$20,000 Pro Football challenge Date: Tuesdays through Sundays Information: Swipe your card at a kiosk to win up to $500 in slot play.
STATION CASINOS
$750,000 Free Gridiron Glory football contest Date: Ongoing Information: At a kiosk, make your selections and track your progress throughout the contest with a personalized “team helmet” that gains yardage across the football field with each correct pick. Receive instant prizes, including points and free play,
each time a touchdown is scored. A total of $750,000 will be awarded in cash and prizes. What’s Behind the Door cash drawing Date: Nov. 29 Time: 6:15 p.m. Information: Win up to $10,000. Earn entries through play; free entries available at kiosks. Point multipliers Date: November Information: Earn 10x points on slots and 6x points on video poker. Boulder Station will offer point multipliers every Monday; Santa Fe Station every Tuesday; and Green Valley Ranch Resort and Sunset Station every Thursday.
Jokers Wild
25x point Sundays Date: Nov. 29 Information: Earn 25x points on your first 500 base points.
Rampart Casino
Red Zone to Riches $50,000 football kiosk contest Date: Ongoing Information: The top three winners each week will share $1,000. First pick is free. Earn 250 base points to receive a second pick. Football Widows Date: Sundays through Jan. 3 Information: Receive discounts on cabana rentals, spa treatments and more.
SOUTH POINT
50+ weekly slot tournament Date: Thursdays Time: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Information: Open to Club Card members 50 and older. The first entry is free with a swipe at a club kiosk; collect a second by earning 250 points and a third by earning 500 points. The top prize is $1,500; the total prize pool is $5,200. Pro football game of the week cash giveaway Date and time: 5:30 p.m. Thursdays and 1:15 p.m. Sundays Information: Poker players will be selected randomly every time there is a score for a chance to win $50 for a field goal, $100 for a touchdown or $200 for a safety. Pro football team jersey drawings Date: Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays Time: 10 p.m. Information: One poker player will be selected to win a football jersey.
Pro football squares Date and time: 1:25 p.m. Sundays and 5:30 p.m. Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays Information: Poker players in the first no-limit hold ’em and 2–4 poker games of the day can earn one football square for aces full, four of a kind, straight flush or royal flush card hands. The selected squares at the end of the first, second and third quarters will receive $50, and the square selected after the final score will receive $100.
ALIANTE
$25,000 Pro Day Parlay football contest Date: Through Dec. 30 Information: This 17-week contest will award 10 winners each week. Select the most winning teams to win a share of $1,475 in free play. Aliante Armada kiosk game Date: November Information: Guess the location of 12 ships on your personalized kiosk game board to win up to $5,000. Earn 150 reel points, 300 video poker points or a $10 rated average bet for one hour to receive additional tries.
Gaming
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the sunday nov. 29 - dec. 5
giveaway Date: Sundays through December Time: 7 p.m. Information: Ten people will choose one of 10 prizes; the grand prize pays your mortgage. Additionally, winners will be eligible for a grand finale house drawing in December. The top 10 point earners in October will be eligible for the December drawing. To participate, players must earn 25 slot or video points or have an average bet of $15 for one hour on a table game. Double entries can be earned Monday through Thursday. $5,000 Manic Monday slot tournament Date: Nov. 30 Time: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Information: Loyalty card members can activate a slot tournament by playing their card in any slot machine. Prizes are $2,000, $1,000 and $500 in play. Gift giveaway Date: Dec. 4, 5, 12, 18, 19, 26 and 30 Information: Mail recipients and guests who earn 250 slot points or 500 video poker points can receive a gift.
$12,500 Mobile Hot Seats Date: Nov. 29 Time: Hourly, noon-5 p.m. Information: Five players will win $50 in slot play; 10 players will win $100 in slot play.
25x points Date: Nov. 29 Information: Earn 25x points on your first 500 base points.
PLAZA
BINION’S
$50,000 giveaway Date: Dec. 12 Information: Earn one drawing ticket for every 25,000 points. 777 slot tournament Date: Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays Time: 10 a.m., noon, 2 and 4 p.m. Information: Earn 2,500 points or pay $10 per session. The top prize is $350 in slot play.
SLS
$500,000 Our House is Your House giveaway Date: Nov. 29 Time: 4 and 7 p.m. Information: Ten players will be selected to choose one of 10 prizes, including the grand prize of remodeling their home. Additionally, winners will receive a key for the Grand Finale House Drawing in December. To participate, players must earn 25 slot or video points or have a rated average bet of $15 for one hour on a table game. $500,000 Our House is Your House
Eldorado
Mother Lode swipe and win Date: Ongoing Information: Club members can win up to $2,500 daily. Earn points for chances to swipe the prize machine, with a maximum of three swipes daily. Earn five points for a chance to win $50, 40 points for a chance to win $100 and 300 points for a chance to win $2,500
GOLDEN NUGGET
Bluetooth speaker giveaway Date: Nov. 30-Dec. 2 Information: Earn 1,500 base points and receive a speaker.
REAL GAMING online poker
$500 deposit match Date: Ongoing Information: Have your deposits matched for up to $500. Quadzilla Date: Ongoing Information: Win cash every time you get a four-of-a-kind.
38
the sunday nov. 29 - dec. 5
editorial
We want to hear from you Send your feedback to news@thesunday.com
Now we can seriously get down to recycling in this community
F
ifteen months ago, The Sunday published a cover story with the blunt headline, “Why we stink at recycling.” At the time, Clark County was struggling to reach the Nevada goal of recycling 25 percent of its waste. The national average is 35 percent. By comparison, Philadelphia was recycling half of its waste, and San Francisco was hitting a 75 percent recycling rate. It wasn’t that our hearts weren’t in it. In fact, we were putting more recyclable material in our bins than the local waste disposal company, Republic Services, could handle at its single recycling plant. Exacerbating the recycling inefficiency was that the company didn’t have the technology to separate materials such as blister packs, yogurt containers, plastic ware and ketchup bottles that were being recycled at more advanced recycling plants elsewhere. In short: Much of what was put in recycling bins in Southern Nevada ended up in Republic’s landfill at the Apex industrial site in
the desert. It is the largest landfill in the country. We are gratified that Clark County now has come of age, at least in a trash technology sense. On Nov. 12, Republic Services on opened a new, 110,000-square-foot recycling plant after a year under construction. It is, the company says, the largest residential recycling complex in the country. It’s quite a distinction: Republic now owns the country’s largest landfill and the largest residential recycling facility, the former thanks to the expansive desert and a waste disposal company whose business model is built on landfills, and the latter because Republic Services wants to do the right thing. It’s not like the paper, soda cans and plastic bottles that go in the front end of the plant are converted into a gravy train at the back end. The recycling industry, which sells much of its products overseas, is taking a financial beating these days, due to the strong U.S. dollar, a weak Chinese economy and cheap and abundant crude oil. Making plastic
requires naphtha that is distilled from crude oil, and these days, it’s cheaper to capture naphtha at a refinery than to recycle plastics. And so it goes in the fickle recycling industry, which is supposed to be profitable. Republic Services, in its September filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission, said lagging revenue from recycled material decreased the company’s revenue during the first nine months of 2015 by 0.8 percent. That’s not a killer, granted; selling recycled commodities makes up less than 5 percent of the company’s overall revenue. But for Republic Services to spend $35 million to build the new facility in North Las Vegas is worthy of the community’s applause, and now the ball is back in our court as residents to step up. Much of the county has been converted to single-stream recycling — the use of just one bin to dump all of a household’s recyclables without separating them. (Officials in Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County haven’t yet decided to go this route, but they should for all
of the obvious reasons.) But even with single-stream recycling and the new recycling complex, we still have to be smart. Until now, we’ve been allowed to recycle only category 1 and 2 plastic materials, as noted inside the recycle triangle symbol. The new plant, with its optical sorters, magnets, vibrators, screens and glass crushers, can recycle all seven categories, including the 86 million milk and juice cartons served annually to our public school students, which previously had gone to the dump. We must not think, though, that everything manufactured can go into a recycling bin. “It’s called aspirational recycling,” an industry spokesman said. “People think, if it’s man-made, the recycler should be able to figure out what to do with it, so it’s thrown in the recyclable bin.” So think before you toss. Among the items customers constantly and wrongly put in their recycle bins: PVC, garden hoses and dirty diapers. C’mon, folks, let’s use our heads.
GRAND OPENING EVENT! Pick Out A New Home For The Holidays! Saturday, December 5th! 12noon - 3pm!
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For More Info Just Call Jeff! (702) 501-6301 www.drhorton.com/lasvegas *One selfie stick per family upon the completion of D. R. Horton Registration Card, while supplies last. This is being provided for informational purposes only. Not a commitment to lend. Not all borrowers will qualify. Prices, included features, availability and delivery dates are subject to change without notice or obligation and subject to builder discretion. Terms and conditions vary and are subject to credit approval, market changes and availability. Images are an artist’s conception, actual homes may vary. Furnishings not included. Square footages are approximate; actual measurements may vary.
SOIRÉE AND SILENT AUCTION TOURO UNIVERSITY NEVADA CENTER FOR AUTISM & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES invites you to help spread the light and support families affected by Autism. Benefiting the Center for Autism & Developmental Disabilities
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www.give.tun.touro.edu/season Special ‘Chair’ity auction of one-of-a-kind chairs painted by local artists and celebrities. Silent Auction
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40
the sunday nov. 29 - dec. 5
life
We want to hear from you Send your feedback to events@thesunday.com
Content Created and presented By Southern Wine & Spirits
brew-sling
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Sunday, November 29 Caring Santa: Santa Claus will make a special appearance for children with special needs. Caring Santa hours take place before the shopping center opens and offer a quiet, calm atmosphere for visits with Saint Nick. 9-11 a.m., Meadows Mall, 4300 Meadows Lane, meadowsmall.com.
Tuesday, December 1
Ingredients 1 1/4 oz Crown Royal / oz Luxardo Cherry Sangue Morlacco Liqueur 3 4
1 oz fresh lemon juice 1 oz simple syrup 4 oz Éphémère Cherry (white ale flavored with cherries) Fresh cherries for garnish Orange peel for garnish
Method
Combine the first four ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a 14-ounce beer glass over ice and top up with beer. Garnish with fresh cherries and an orange peel.
Beer cocktails are distinct and special, packing the heady punch of liquor with the taste of an especially great beer. The Brew-Sling has a layered flavor profile that hinges on the soft sweetness of cherry, balanced with tart lemon and the smooth richness of whisky. Cocktail created by Francesco Lafranconi, Executive Director of Mixology and Spirits Education at Southern Wine & Spirits.
Red Cross blood drive: Make a lifesaving blood donation this holiday season. 10 a.m.-3 p.m., SpringHill Suites Las Vegas Convention Center, 2989 Paradise Road, redcrossblood.org. *Also: 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Dec. 3 at Le Cordon Bleu, 1451 Center Crossing Road; noon-4:15 p.m. Dec. 3 at Summerlin Library, 1771 Inner Circle; 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Dec. 4 at MountainView Hospital, 3100 N. Tenaya Way
Wednesday, December 2 Savvy Senior Scam Prevention Series: New Chip Technology: A representative from the Better Business Bureau will explain new credit-card chip technology, how it might affect you and how to keep credit-card accounts safe. 2 p.m., free, Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, 702-507-3459. Children’s mental health forum: A community forum to foster a conversation about children’s mental health. As the state begins to revamp its delivery system for children’s mental health services, now is the time for parents, caregivers, health providers and others to weigh in with ideas. How can we do better? 6:30 p.m., free, Greenspun Hall Auditorium at UNLV, 4505 Maryland Parkway, unlv.edu. Handel’s Messiah Concert: The 10th annual DIY Handel’s Messiah Concert charity fundraiser will feature soloists, members of the Las Vegas Philharmonic Orchestra, the Valley Chorus and more. Proceeds will benefit the Henderson Presbyterian Church Food Bank. 7 p.m., free, donations encouraged, Green Valley Presbyterian Church, 1798 Wigwam Parkway, diy-messiah-lasvegas.org. *Also: 3 p.m. Dec. 6 at Mountain
Cowboy bling is displayed during the 2010 Cowboy Christmas Gift Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The show, affiliated with the National Finals Rodeo, runs Dec. 3-12 this year. (steve marcus/staff file)
View Presbyterian Church, 8601 Del Webb Blvd.
Thursday, December 3 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo: Las Vegas’ most celebrated rodeo returns, with Miss Rodeo America, the World Series of Team Roping, country music concerts, a Spikes and Spurs Golf Tournament and more. Times, locations and prices vary, most events at Thomas & Mack, 4505 Maryland Parkway, nfrexperience.com. *Also: Through Dec. 12 Cowboy Christmas: Vendors from across North America will showcase their products, including jewelry, western wear, boots and spurs, furniture, art, handmade crafts and pottery. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., free, Las Vegas Convention Center, South Halls, 3150 Paradise Road, nfrexperience.com. *Also: Through Dec. 12 Holiday Handi-Craft Sale: Browse and buy quilts, photo albums, crocheted and knitted items, ceramics, jewelry, holiday crafts and more. 10 a.m.-2 p.m., free, Las Vegas Senior Center, 451 E. Bonanza Road, 702-229-6454. Luminaria and Las Posadas: Join local students, choirs and singers for a carol sing-a-long, and meet members of the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce and Boulder City United Methodist Fellowship. Bring a canned good to donate to the city senior center. 6 p.m., free, Boulder City Rec Center Gymnasium, 900 Arizona
St., Boulder City, 702-461-2590 North Las Vegas town hall meeting: City Councilman Isaac Barron will offer updates about code enforcement, traffic issues, business licenses, the Choice Grant Initiative and the Villages at Tule Springs. 6 p.m., free, D L Dickens Elementary School, 5550 Milan Peak St., cityofnorthlasvegas.com. Guest Chef Dinner Series: Chef Rick Moonen of RM Seafood and Rx Boiler Room will prepare a holiday dinner featuring curry cured salmon. 6:30 p.m., $39, Made L.V., Tivoli Village, 450 S. Rampart Blvd., Suite 120, 702-722-2000. Las Vegas Stories: Christmas in Las Vegas: A collection of stories about how Nevadans have celebrated the holiday from 1858 to the present. 7 p.m., free, Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, 702-507-3459.
Friday, December 4 “A Year With Frog and Toad”: Based on the “Frog and Toad” children’s book, this musical follows the adventures of worrywart Toad and perky Frog over the course of a year. 7 p.m., $5, Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St., 702-229-6383. *Also: 7 p.m. Dec. 5, 11, and 12; 2 p.m. Dec. 7, 12 and 13 Ward 4 holiday party and movie: Watch a free, family-friendly movie to get you in the holiday spirit. Free popcorn and hot cocoa while supplies last. Bring a blanket or chair. 6:30 p.m., Durango Hills
LIFE Community Center/YMCA, 3521 N. Durango Drive, 702-240-9622.
Saturday, December 5 Cowboy Christmas and car show: Enjoy hay rides, a petting zoo, a balloon artist, a jump house and a visit from Santa. Bring food, toys and clothing to help people in need. 10 a.m.-4 p.m., free, Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs, 9200 Tule Springs Road, 702-229-8100. Cruise with Santa: Join Santa as he sails around Lake Las Vegas. Children can make a holiday craft and pose for photos with Santa. 10 a.m-11 a.m., $12 for children 12 and younger, $18 for adults, Lake Las Vegas Marina, 10 Costa Di Lago, lakelasvegasevents.com. *Also: 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Dec. 12 and 19 Ornamental art-making workshop: Celebrate the season with a two-day workshop to create decorative sculptural objects inspired by winter. For children ages 7 and up. 12:15-2:15 p.m., $26, Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St., 702-229-6383. *Also: Dec. 12 Book signing: “The Dream Puppy”: Poet Carla Masterson will sign her second children’s book, “The Dream Puppy.” 2 p.m., free, West Las Vegas Arts Center, 947 W. Lake Mead Blvd., 702-229-4800. Space Karate plays Beck: Space
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the sunday nov. 29 - dec. 5
Karate, a diverse group of entertainers from Las Vegas’ theater scene, will perform the music of Beck. 7 p.m., $10-$12, Winchester Cultural Center, 3130 S. McLeod Drive, 702-455-7340. Hometown Holidays: Santa Claus will pose for pictures, and activities include train rides, holiday craftmaking, cookie decorating and a fireworks show. 7:30 p.m., free, Huckleberry Park, Providence Master Planned Community, 10325 Farm Road, 702-216-2020.
Sunday, December 6 “America’s Got Talent” auditions: The NBC show will host season 11 open call auditions. Online auditions are available through March. Noon-9 p.m, free, Linq Hotel and Casino, 3535 Las Vegas Blvd. South, americasgottalentauditions.com. Holidays with the Las Vegas Brass Band: Enjoy traditional and modern arrangements of holiday music. 2 p.m., free, Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, 702-507-3459. Desert Bighorn Sheep - Wilderness Icon: Wildlife expert Mark Jorgensen will talk about desert bighorn sheep and their habitat, and the struggle to restore and maintain wild populations of sheep in the United States and Mexico. 4 p.m., free, Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, 702-507-3459.
AnSWers to puzzles on Page 66 KEN KEN
premier crossword
PHOTOS WITH SANTA November 14–December 24 Online reservation required at townsquaresanta.com
celebrity cipher “The trick is to be grateful when your mood is high and graceful when it is low.” — Richard Carlson
mytownsquarelasvegas.com 100+ brands & boutiques | 20+ dining destinations 18-screen AMC theatre | 9,000 sq. ft. children’s park
Step 1 Select a family “Wish List” ornament. Step 2 Return the ornament and the “Wish List” item to the restaurant on your next visit. Step 3 Receive a FREE Medium Hot or Iced Coffee or Donut for your donation! Together, we can make this season a magical one for our adopted familes!
43
the sunday nov. 29 - dec. 5
Stacy Stagg, left, Carol Thompson, center, and Lydia Mason are general managers of Station Casino properties. (L.E. Baskow/staff)
Climbing the ladder in heels In an industry dominated by men, three women at Station Casinos have risen to impressive heights By Danielle Birkin | SPECIAL TO VEGAS INC
When Stacy Stagg began working at Station Casinos in 1995 as a food server in the former San Lorenzo Italian restaurant at the then-newly opened Texas Station, the 15-year food-service veteran was at a professional crossroads. ¶ “I was 32 at the time, and I didn’t want to be in my 50s lifting trays,” said Stagg, who moved from South Jordan, Utah, women of station, Continue d on page 53
$84M
Amount the Lucky Dragon’s backers have raised from foreign investors and in equity. Developers of the Asian-themed hotel did not secure financial help from the Las Vegas City Council.
$5B
Amount Las Vegas-based Switch hopes to invest in Michigan with a cross-country expansion. If the company receives tax breaks, Switch officials plan to a build a 2 million-square-foot data center south of Grand Rapids.
$25
Annual business license fee Clark County commissioners are considering imposing on independent contractors who transport goods, services and/or passengers for compensation.
28K
Square footage Treasure Island leased to Victory Hill Exhibitions to create an Avengers and Transformers attraction above a CVS drugstore.
44
THE SUNDAY NOV. 29 - DEC. 5
CONTENTS PUBLISHER Donn Jersey (donn.jersey@gmgvegas.com)
EDITORIAL EDITOR Delen Goldberg (delen.goldberg@gmgvegas.com) MANAGING EDITOR Dave Mondt (dave.mondt@gmgvegas.com) ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR/SPORTS AND DIGITAL Ray Brewer (ray.brewer@gmgvegas.com) ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR/POLITICS Scott Lucas (scott.lucas@gmgvegas.com) STAFF WRITERS Kailyn Brown, Julie Ann Formoso, Adwoa Fosu, Megan Messerly, J.D. Morris, Kyle Roerink, Daniel Rothberg, Cy Ryan, Eli Segall, Jackie Valley, Pashtana Usufzy, Ian Whitaker COPY DESK CHIEF John Taylor COPY EDITORS Jamie Gentner, Brian Sandford SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS EDITOR Craig Peterson EDITORIAL CARTOONIST Mike Smith LIBRARY SERVICES SPECIALIST Rebecca Clifford-Cruz RESEARCHER Julie Ann Formoso OFFICE COORDINATOR Nadine Guy
NOTEWORTHY STORIES
47 48 56 Q&A WITH NICK NASROLLAHI
The chief operating officer of Food in the Fast Lane, better known as Checkers to its customers, talks about his climb up the corporate ladder in the fast-food industry and the philosophy that motivates him to make the most out of any situation. THE NOTES People on the move, P46
MEET: SANTA’S WRAP
Beth Tom and Dave Kimler opened their seasonal pop-up store in 2012 but have since expanded their product sales and secured a permanent location that allows them to do business throughout the year. TALKING POINTS New health care model puts results first, P49
DATA AND PUBLIC INFORMATION
ART
A listing of local bankruptcies, bid opportunities, brokered transactions, business licenses and building permits.
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR Liz Brown (liz.brown@gmgvegas.com) DESIGNER LeeAnn Elias PHOTO COORDINATOR Mikayla Whitmore PHOTOGRAPHERS L.E. Baskow, Christopher DeVargas, Steve Marcus
ADVERTISING ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER OF ONLINE MEDIA Katie Horton GROUP DIRECTOR OF SALES OPERATIONS Stephanie Reviea PUBLICATION COORDINATOR Denise Arancibia ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Jeff Jacobs EXTERNAL CONTENT MANAGER Emma Cauthorn BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST Sandra Segrest ACCOUNT MANAGERS Katie Harrison, Dawn Mangum, Breen Nolan, Sue Sran ADVERTISING MANAGERS Jim Braun, Brianna Eck, Frank Feder, Kelly Gajewski, Justin Gannon, Chelsea Smith, Tara Stella GREENSPUN MEDIA GROUP SALES ASSISTANT Steph Poli
MORE VEGAS INC BUSINESS NEWS Calendar: Happenings and events, P55 The List: SBA lenders, P60
MARKETING & EVENTS EVENT MANAGER Kristin Wilson EVENTS COORDINATOR Jordan Newsom DIGITAL MARKETING ASSOCIATE Jackie Apoyan
PRODUCTION VICE PRESIDENT OF MANUFACTURING Maria Blondeaux ASSISTANT PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Paul Huntsberry PRODUCTION MANAGER Blue Uyeda PRODUCTION ARTIST Marissa Maheras, Dara Ricci ART DIRECTOR Sean Rademacher GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Michele Hamrick, Dany Haniff TRAFFIC SUPERVISOR Estee Wright TRAFFIC COORDINATORS Kim Smith, Meagan Hodson
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR OF CIRCULATION Ron Gannon ROUTE MANAGER Joel Segler
GREENSPUN MEDIA GROUP
LAS VEGAS SUN FILE PHOTO
CEO, PUBLISHER & EDITOR Brian Greenspun CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Robert Cauthorn GROUP PUBLISHER Gordon Prouty EXECUTIVE EDITOR Tom Gorman MANAGING EDITOR Ric Anderson CREATIVE DIRECTOR Erik Stein
VINTAGE VEGAS: BENNETT’S SOUND TIMELESS AFTER 65 YEARS Anthony Dominick Benedetto, aka Tony Bennett, made his first Las Vegas appearance in the 1950s, headlining with Milton Berle at El Rancho. Pictured here is one of Bennett’s promotional images, distributed by Columbia Records in the 1960s. Bennett’s career hit an all-time low in the late 1970s, but he continued to find local support and was booked regularly by Strip
resorts. By 1986, his career had come full circle, and it has continued to blossom since, including in Las Vegas. Bennett’s most recent Cheek to Cheek tour, co-headlined by Lady Gaga, began with a two-night run at the Cosmopolitan, and on Dec. 2, Bennett will play at the Encore Theatre at Wynn. — REBECCA CLIFFORD-CRUZ
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 47 Vegas Inc (USPS publication no. 15540), 2360 Corporate Circle, Third Floor, Henderson, NV 89074 is published every Sunday except the last Sunday of the year by Greenspun Media Group. Periodicals Postage Paid at Henderson, NV and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: Vegas Inc Greenspun Media Group 2360 Corporate Circle, Third Floor Henderson, NV 89074 702.990.2545 For inquiries, write to: Vegas Inc 2360 Corporate Circle, Third Floor Henderson, NV 89074 For back copies: Doris Hollifield at 702.990.8993 or e-mail at doris.hollifield@gmgvegas.com For subscriptions: Call 800.254.2610, or visit vegasinc.com. For annual subscriptions, $50. For single copies, $3.99.
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*Offer ends 1/3/16. Available to new subscribers of Cox Business VoiceManagerSM Unlimited and Cox Business InternetSM 25 (max. 25/5 Mbps). Service fees for this bundle are $99/month for the entire term. Offer requires 3-year service term. Early termination fees may apply. Standard rates apply thereafter. Unlimited long distance plan is limited to direct-dialed domestic calling and is not available for use with non-switched circuit calling, auto-dialers, call center applications and certain switching applications. Prices exclude equipment, installation, taxes, and fees, unless indicated. DOCSIS 3.0 modem required for optimal performance. Speeds not guaranteed; actual speed may vary. See www.cox.com/Internetdisclosures for complete InternetSM Service Disclosures. Rates and bandwidth options vary and are subject to change. Phone modem provided by Cox, requires electricity, and has battery backup. Access to E911 may not be available during extended power outage or if modem is moved or inoperable. Discounts are not valid in combination with or in addition to other promotions, and cannot be applied to any other Cox account. Offer is non-transferable to a new service address. 30-day satisfaction guarantee limited to refund of standard installation/activation fees and the frst months recurring service and equipment fees (and equipment purchase fees if purchased from Cox) for the newly subscribed services only. Excludes all other costs and charges. Refund must be claimed within 30 days of service activation. Services not available in all areas. Other restrictions may apply. Š2015 Cox Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
46
the sunday
the notes
nov. 29 - dec. 5
Send your business-related information to news@vegasinc.com
Jose Navarro is executive chef at Trevi Italian Restaurant in the Forum Shops at Caesars.
2015 top tech awards
New members of the Las Vegas Hospitality Association include: Hilton Grand Vacations, Stephanie Bolton, regional sales manager; International navarro Market Centers, Roger White, market operations vice president, and Philip Knott, operations services vice president; Las Vegas Limousine, Airline Shuttle, Fred Revnew, national sales manager; Marvelless Mark – Millennia Productions Inc.; MEET Las Vegas, Luke Ludden, vice president of sales, and Rebecca Sagall, sales and event coordinator; Pro Expos, Dean Taylor, president; and The Venue Las Vegas, Nichole Salinas, sales manager. Vince Telles, a senior vice president at Bank of Nevada, is chairman of the Bishop Gorman Advisory Council. Telles has been a member of the council since 2006. Five concierges from the Venetian and Palazzo were telles inducted into the Les Clefs d’Or concierge organization. They are Cecilia Darr, Miranda LaBlanc, Carol Styles, Hermela Rutledge and Lemlem Withers. Membership to Les Clefs d’Or is the highest professional achievement a concierge can obtain. Jennifer Nichols is corporate director of marketing strategy at Cannery Casino Resorts. Dr. Carrie Bedient joined the staff of the Fertility Center of Las Vegas. She is specialty board certified in obstetrics and gynecology, and subspecialty board eligible in reproductive endocrinology and infertility.
nichols
Amber Beason is director at Johnson Advisors, an accounting firm. Golden Entertainment, Inc., restructured its executive management team as a result of the recent merger between Golden Gaming and Lakes Entertainment. Blake L. Sartini is chairman of the board, president
beason
The 2015 Top Tech Exec awards on Nov. 19 recognized some of the finest technology executives in Southern Nevada. The winners were: Mugunth Vaithylingam, College of Southern Nevada; Scott Seegmiller, WestCorp Management Group; Thomas Kramer, Alexander Dawson; Tony Caufield, Three Square Food Bank; Manjit G. Singh, Aristocrat; Kate Zhong, Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health; Les Leonard, Resorts World; Bob Schaich, UnitedHealthcare of Nevada; Lester Lewis, Clark County; and Russell Suzuki, Falcon Healthcare Systems. Also nominated were: John Steffy, Findlay Auto; Allan Jocson, Agilitec IT LLC; Charles Sattler, LV.Net; Greg Galyean, Quest Academy; Jeremy Schmidt, Retina Consultants of Nevada; Jevin Sackett, SNH Inc.; Jonathan Jenkins, OrderWithMe; Kristi Lutzenberger, Orbis Solutions; Leo Bletnitsky, LBA Netyworking Inc. dba Las Vegas Med I.T.; Randall Thomas, Clark County School District; Rich Belsky, Rolltech; Seth Wait, RevUnit; Tyson Mackay, Dot Vegas Inc.; Susan Stone, Century Gaming; Dimitry Berg, BananaDog Media; John Domeraski, Nevada Orthopedic; Colin Sevier, Walker Funiture; Michael Feder, PrayerSpark.com; Lori Nguyen, HiTech Vegas;
and chief executive officer. Sartini was president and chief executive officer of Sartini Gaming from its formation in January 2012 and was founder and chief executive officer of Golden Gaming, which he founded in 2001. Matthew Flandermeyer is executive vice president and chief financial officer of Golden Entertainment. He was chief financial officer of Golden Gaming. Stephen Arcana is executive vice president and chief operating officer of Golden Entertainment. He was chief operating officer of Golden Gaming. Blake Sartini II is senior vice president of restricted gaming at Golden Entertainment. He was vice president of operations at Golden Route Operations. Jeremy Jenson is vice president and general manager of the Pahrump Nugget Hotel and Casino, Gold Town Casino and Lakeside Casino and RV Park, all in Pahrump. He was general manager and pit boss at the Pahrump Nugget, a Golden Gaming casino. Scientific Games received three awards during the Global Gaming Expo. The company was named the Land-Based Industry Supplier of the
Jon Mathes, State of Nevada; Dennis Thornley, Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino; Shawn Hensley, AAAiTTECH; Kathryn Mulvey, Nevada State College; Paul Fedel, Fletcher Jones Management; Mark Haley, Smart City Networks; Christina Aldan, LG Designs; Duane Ogilvie, Cirque du Soleil USA; Ronen Hamatian, Madrivo; Jason Buckley, Jasco Technology; Dave Lawdensky, MGM Resorts International; Brian Henry, Brian Henry Design; Tim Williams, Aliante Hotel and Casino; Oai Duong, Nevada State Bank; David Hernandez, Laboratory Medical Consultants - LMC; Angeline Cosca, Steinberg Diagnostics; Michael Cox, Siegel Group; Lawrence Vaughan, Real Gaming; Peter Bacigalupi, Workforce Connections; Greg Russell, Las Vegas Paving Corp.; Zubin Damania, Turntable Health/ ZDoggMD.com; Sean Connery, Orbis Solutions Inc.; Ray Ragle, Desert Sands Broadcasting; Alan Woratschek, Valley Health System; MIke Lubbe, YMCA of Southern Nevada; Geoffrey Radcliffe, Post Launch; and Jonathan Fisher, NextStep Technology Solutions LLC. The awards were sponsored by Cox Business and VEGAS INC.
Year, and Ricardo Regner, vice president of sales and operations for Latin America, was named Latin America Executive of the Year. Scientific Games also received the top innovation award from Global Gaming Business magazine. The new officers of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance are: Chairman Ray Specht, Toyota Financial Savings Bank; Vice Chairman John Delikanakis, Snell & Wilmer; and Treasurer Kirk Clausen, Wells Fargo. Committee chairmen are: Bylaws – Frank Woodbeck, Nevada System of Higher Education; Compensation – Richard T. Crawford, Green Valley Grocery; Nominating and Governance – Derrick Hill, Cox Business/Hospitality Network, Las Vegas; Public Policy – Glenn C. Christenson, Velstand Investments; and Strategic Planning – Jeff Parker, Manpower Inc. of Southern Nevada. Kimani Williams is manager of ABC Supply, a building products distributor.
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the interview
nov. 29 - dec. 5
Send your business-related information to news@vegasinc.com
Q&A with Nick Nasrollahi
Former refugee is living an American dream Nick Nasrollahi was a teenage refugee. Escaping religious persecution in Iran, he fled to America at age 18, attended college and got a job in the fast-food industry. Today, Nasrollahi is chief operating officer of Food in the Fast Lane, a franchisee of Checkers. The company recently opened its fifth fast-food restaurant location in the valley and expects to open two more by the end of the year. What is the best business advice you’ve received, and whom did it come from? Over the past 25 years, I have had the pleasure of working for and with many great leaders who have shared valuable insight. Among the advice that resonates most, because of its timing and substance, is “What happens to us in life is just 10 percent; 90 percent is how we react to it.” I was a very young restaurant manager when my district manager shared this to help me succeed in my managerial position. I managed employees who were older than my parents; being new to the United States with English as my second language made the experience more fun. What was the most valuable lesson you learned from your work experience that you didn’t learn in college? I learned how to build relationships and the importance of having a sense of urgency and critical thinking. Although textbooks often address these in theory, living it is another story. You’ve been in the fast-food industry for 25 years. What attracted you to the field? It was totally accidental. I needed a night job so I could attend school during the day. I ended up getting promoted 11 times over a year or two, so I pursued a position in management. Where was your first Checkers? What inspired you to open one? Tampa, Fla. I loved the food, especially the fries. What are you reading right now? I have been very busy developing and opening restaurants as of late. However, I enjoy reading books related to leadership styles — inspirational leadership, for example — and the evolution of businesses in today’s world via conventions, seminars and
Nick Nasrollahi got hooked on Checkers french fries more than two decades ago. He didn’t plan on becoming a fast-food industry executive when he came to America, but a series of promotions at his first job set him on a successful path that has landed him as chief operating officer of Food in the Fast Lane. (l.e. baskow/staff)
other self-educating tools. What do you do after work? I work out, spend time with friends and family, keep up with major news and watch sports. Blackberry, iPhone or Android? Android: It’s more user-friendly for how I use my phone. Describe your management style. I am intrigued by the influential and motivational management styles of others. I exercise my position in power very sparingly. To me, it does not offer sustained and long-lasting success for myself or others, although it sometimes is necessary. Where do you see yourself and your company in 10 years?
I see the company owning and operating 20 or more restaurants, and supporting the community through business ownership. For myself, I would like to travel more and spend more time with my family and friends. What is your dream job outside of your current field? I wish I could have pursued my soccer career, but life changed. I was forced to leave my life and family behind when I escaped Iran. If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be and why? I’d live in Sweden because it has great air and water quality. Living here in the United States is my paradise, though.
Whom do you admire? Our Founding Fathers, because without them, I would not be here. I admire James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, among others. In 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed, it wasn’t just a document; it was and is a masterpiece put to work by some very intelligent, selfless and visionary patriots. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? There are times I wish I were able to use a healthy dose of logic before reaching conclusions. I acknowledge, as human beings, we tend to allow our emotions to get the best of us every now and then.
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the sunday
get to know a local business
nov. 29 - dec. 5
Send your business-related information to news@vegasinc.com
by the numbers
$2.70
Average gas price in Nevada in November, according to AAA. That is a 16-cent decrease from October. The national gas average was $2.21, 72 cents less than a year ago.
5
Days a group of Polish officials and businesspeople spent in Las Vegas. The trade mission was designed to encourage international trade and local investment.
$2.2 million
Amount the city of Henderson will pay to move its data systems to Switch and house them there for a year.
2
Licensed pet shops in Las Vegas that could be affected by a new proposal to bar pet stores from selling commercially bred animals. The proposal would require pet stores to sell only animals obtained from a shelter, nonprofit humane society or nonprofit rescue organization.
6,000
Number of Nevadans the solar industry employs. The Nevada AFL-CIO recently rallied workers to demand that NV Energy charge rooftop solar customers for transmitting power to the electric grid. Executive Secretary-Treasurer Danny Thompson said “net metering shifts costs to nonsolar customers.”
500,000
Model 3 cars Tesla hopes to ship by 2020. Each is expected to cost $35,000.
38
By city ordinance, number of zones downtown street performers are limited to between 3 p.m. and 1 a.m.
6.6 percent
Nevada’s unemployment rate in October, down from 6.7 percent in September and 7.2 percent in October 2014, according to the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.
Beth Tom and Dave Kimler own Santa’s Wrap, which began as a pop-up seasonal concept but now has a permanent space. It also has expanded its product line. (mikayla whitmore/staff)
Transition from pop-up to permanent has been challenging, rewarding Santa’s wrap
Describe your business.
We specialize in one-of-a-kind home decor and seasonal products at value prices. The business was formed initially as a pop-up selling seasonal products but now operates as a year-round “flash sales” retail operation that also sells everyday home decor and gift items in addition to a large seasonal selection.
Address: 8826 S. Eastern Ave., Suite 115, Las Vegas Phone: 702-888-3586 Email: info@santaswrap.com Website: www.santaswrap.com Hours of operation: Varies, open for sales events that are announced via social media and email Owned/operated by: Beth Tom and Dave Kimler In business since: 2012
Who are your customers?
Anyone who has a love for the seasons, home decorating and gift giving. We’ve learned that our customer range is broad, which matches the variety of products we offer.
What is the hardest part about doing business in Las Vegas?
We owned a large chain of stores in Hawaii for many years, and we found Las Vegas to be very friendly to business. The local customer is extremely discriminating and sensitive to price and quality but extremely loyal and supportive once you’ve earned their trust.
What is the best part about doing business here?
Our customers give us tremendous positive affirmation, and we truly feel that we’ve formed lasting friendships with them. It’s absolutely the best part of what we do every day.
What is your business philosophy?
Over our history in retail, we’ve always tried to develop a culture that speaks to four components: 1) offer the customer a consistently high level of hospitality and service, 2) create a fun and inviting atmosphere, 3) offer a unique and weird selection of products, 4) offer strong value for the products. What’s the most important part of your job?
Making sure the customer feels good about being in our store and offering us their business. It’s not good enough to just offer nice products at a good price; it’s the goodwill and loyalty you earn from your customers that will stand the test of time and determine long-term success or failure.
What obstacles has your business overcome?
Transitioning from a pop-up store concept that moves from location to location each year to our new, permanent “flash sales” concept. Our concept is a unique one and requires constant communication with the customer about how we operate. In addition, since we initially were branded as a seasonal store and have “Santa” in our name, it has been a challenge getting the word out that we now sell much more than just seasonal products. What have you learned from the recession?
Don’t take anything for granted; continue to work at improving your business every day.
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On J.D. Morris’ vegasinc.com story “New performer zone rules take effect on Fremont Street”: The circle stuff wouldn’t have happened if the Fremont Experience didn’t become a free-for-all, in-your-face demand for money. — itsumo On Daniel Rothberg’s lasvegassun. com story “County approves regulations on Uber, Lyft as pushback continues”: There is no purpose to these regulations, except to protect the taxi companies and to collect money. — Our Future The county commissioners should try getting a cab off the Strip and then come back to testify about it. — Vegas_Vampire On Kyle Roerink’s lasvegassun.com story “Head of Nevada AFL-CIO calls on workers to support NV Energy”: The unions love those big wind, solar and natural gas projects because they can take all the local jobs, build one of these ugly projects for two years and leave. — Desert Iguana On J.D. Morris’ vegasinc.com story “City of Las Vegas declines to help Lucky Dragon casino project”: They’ll turn to the state to ask the taxpayers to help fund their subsidiaries and loans. — Eagle1212
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New health care model puts results first
T
guest column: hold. The U.S. Department of Health he health care industry is rick beavin and and Human Services secretary recently experiencing a shift in the dr. ama brobbey announced a goal to tie 85 percent of feerelationship between insurance for-service Medicare payments to quality companies and health care or value through alternative payment providers, with many large-scale providers models by the end of 2016. The government and insurance companies joining forces to aims to tie 90 percent of payments to these models by the provide patients with improved levels of care. This often end of 2018. It’s the first time the U.S. government has includes partnerships to create new payment models with established set goals for alternative payment models and incentives to promote better quality of care at a lower cost. value-based payments. Recently, some of the nation’s largest health care The plan has already shown it can be successful. According organizations and insurers announced they would to an independent review of Medicare payments by nonprofit collaborate through the new Health Care Transformation Catalyst for Payment Reform, 42 percent of the health care Task Force, with the goal to shift 75 percent of their business dollars Medicare paid in its fee-for-service program in 2013 to contracts with value-based payment arrangements that were targeted to increase patients’ quality of care. hold providers accountable for cost and quality of care. Southern Nevada is part of the trend. DaVita HealthCare In addition, federal health officials announced a plan to Partners, one of the nation’s largest health care transition half of the Medicare spending that isn’t devoted to organizations, recently announced a partnership with managed care into accountable care, bundled payments and insurance company Humana to create a special-needs plan other contracts offering rewards and penalties for providers for Medicare beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease. based on quality of care and efforts to control costs. Called Humana Kidney Care, the local plan involves These payment models reflect an increasing departure partnerships between Humana, medical network HealthCare from the health care industry’s traditional fee-for-service Partners Nevada and VillageHealth, the integrated kidney model, which offered medical providers financial incentives care division of DaVita HealthCare Partners. The goal is for the volume of patients treated rather than the quality to provide patients with coverage for comprehensive care, of patient outcomes. By rewarding comprehensive care treating all aspects of their complex condition. that results in improved health, medical organizations are Rick Beavin is Nevada president for Humana’s senior working to prevent further health issues down the road, products and Dr. Ama Brobbey is chief medical officer at helping to control medical costs in the long run. HealthCare Partners Nevada. There are goals to ensure this new payment model takes
Smith’s world
Mike Smith is an award-winning editorial cartoonist who also draws for the Las Vegas Sun. His work is distributed nationally by King Features Syndicate. See archives of his work at lasvegassun.com/smithsworld.
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your Business-to-business news Send your business-related information to news@vegasinc.com
Can Coyote Springs still be salvaged? Developers see potential, plan to revive the housing development that seemingly died when the housing bubble burst By Eli Segall Staff Writer
COYOTE SPRINGS — When Kevin Tiffin first came to play golf in this remote stretch of mountain-framed desert — with pretty much nothing around besides the 18-hole course — he figured it was a bad joke. “I thought we were going to an Alfred Hitchcock movie,” he said. Donnie Luper and Manjinder Lalh came here in July to hit the links while visiting Las Vegas for a convention. The course is about an hour’s drive north of the Strip, and after passing the edge of town, it’s a lonely trek. “We wondered, driving out here, whether we were going the wrong way,” Luper said. Coyote Springs, launched 15 years ago by former powerhouse lobbyist and current prison inmate Harvey Whittemore, has a golf course — a highly ranked one at that — and little else. But it was supposed to be a 43,000-acre community, a city built from scratch in the middle of nowhere during Southern Nevada’s go-go years. Whittemore declared his project “a community for the new millennium,” a place without “the negatives of traffic and crime found in Las Vegas.” “It’s going to be a full city,” he said. His plans fizzled with the recession and bitter lawsuits between him and his partners that read like a crime thriller. They flung accusations of rampant embezzlement, death threats, secret stacks of $100 bills, and a “very ominous and burly” thug who emptied the Whittemores’ safe of jewelry and cash. But years after the massive project fell by the wayside, Coyote Springs’ developers are trying to revive it. Whittemore’s former partners, the Seeno family of the San Francisco Bay Area, this year gained full control of the property through a legal settlement and aim to build the long-stalled community. The group has approvals to build as many as 159,600 homes and more than 10,000 acres of commercial property. If all goes as planned, it would easily take 50 or 60 years, if not longer, to complete the project, “barring some sort of
Tourists from Colorado play a round of golf in July at Coyote Springs Golf Club. (L.E. Baskow/staff file)
crazy boom” that no one expects, general counsel Emilia Cargill said. Coyote Springs — nearly twice the size of Las Vegas’ largest masterplanned community, Summerlin — has been on the drawing board since at least 2000, but little is built. There are no homes — dozens of empty housing pads line the golf course — and when asked this summer whether roads had been built, Cargill said that’s “kind of a trick question.” Most hadn’t been paved yet. The golf shop and players’ lounge were in temporary trailers, and north of the golf course, an abandoned, partially built community center sat off U.S. Highway 93. “Why would you want to live out here?” said Lalh, visiting from Edmonton, Alberta. “You’re so far from everything.” Yet more than $100 million has been spent on Coyote Springs, Cargill said, and the project has water rights and electricity. Before the Seenos try selling land to homebuilders, they want to complete utility work, including the partially built water-treatment and wastewater-treatment plants, she said. According to Cargill, they hope to have homes being built by early 2017. The project site, she said, is “not that far” from Las Vegas and is “a true suburb” of the city. “People ask (if we are) ever gonna build homes. And of course, our answer’s ‘Yes, that’s the intent — to build homes, build a city,’ ” said Michael Ghiorso, director of operations for Coyote Springs Golf Club. “It’s always been that.”
Time will tell whether people are willing to move here and help build that dream — or whether Coyote Springs will remain little more than a ghost town golf course. “Let’s put it this way,” said homebuilder Kent Lay, Las Vegas division president for Woodside Homes, “I’m not standing in line to buy property there, and I wouldn’t want to be the first one in line to do it.” nnn In summer 2006, politicians, Whittemore and other bigwigs gathered under a tent here for a news conference. They cheered the project and the jobs it would create, and congratulated one another on getting things up and running. Federal regulators normally are “throwing spears” at people who want to build something like Coyote Springs, Sen. Harry Reid said at the event. “But this here truly is a lovefest,” Reid said. By then, Whittemore’s lobbying powers had faded — he had a fallingout with casino companies a few years earlier and had turned his focus to Coyote Springs — but his name and presence still carried big weight in politics. Moreover, Las Vegas’ real estate market was booming, with soaring land and housing prices and rapid construction. In the search for large, low-priced tracts of dirt, developers drew up plans for cheaper housing about an hour away in such places as Pahrump and Mesquite. For many resi-
dents, moving to the fringes may have seemed like the only way to get an affordable house in the Las Vegas area. Eventually, the bubble burst and the economy crashed. Coyote Springs fit with the boom years, real estate pros say, but the market is slower and cheaper today. Home values are well below boomera levels, and almost no one complains of being priced out of town. There is plenty of land in and around Las Vegas, and it’s selling for much cheaper than last decade. And gas prices can make long commutes costly. If the valley were booming again and there were a shortage of land, “I could see something happening” in Coyote Springs, said Scott Beaudry, owner of housing brokerage Universal Realty. But that’s not the case. Also, he noted, people increasingly want to live in urban areas, near retail, recreation and work, not in outposts that require lots of driving every day. “I just don’t see it right now,” Beaudry said of Coyote Springs. “I really, really don’t.” Coyote Springs might appeal to retirees or aging empty-nesters, real estate executives said. But such buyers are unlikely to move here unless retail, medical care and other services are in place first. Moreover, home prices would have to be far higher in Las Vegas to persuade buyers to take a hefty commute in exchange for cheaper housing, RCG Economics founder John Restrepo said. “We’re not at that point yet,” he said. Even if Coyote Springs offered steep discounts, buyers can already get those savings in older neighborhoods in Las Vegas, homebuilder Wayne Laska said. Laska, owner of StoryBook Homes, said Coyote Springs was a “really risky venture” and “an ill-conceived project.” And he isn’t sure the Seenos can price their land low enough for him to buy. “I’m not sure if (they) gave us land we’d build out there, to be honest with you,” he said. nnn Despite its size and scope, Coyote Springs in some ways is not unique. Southern Nevada is an anything-goes real estate market where big, risky projects get pitched all the time. Con t inu e d on pag e 51
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Of course, plenty of them flop. During the recession, the valley was littered with abandoned, partially built condo buildings, megaresorts, housing tracts and other projects, and many other plans died on the drawing board. Still, big projects once viewed as being in the middle of nowhere have found success. When developers started building The Lakes, for instance, in the mid1980s, Janet Carpenter couldn’t understand why anyone would want to live “way out there” at the housing and commercial project built around a man-made lake in what was then open desert. Five years later, she bought a house there. The Lakes, however, is just seven miles west of the Strip, whereas CoyA project marker sits in the long-stalled Coyote Springs community about 60 ote Springs is about 60 miles away. miles north of Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/staff file) But Carpenter, a broker with Signacourt records. and sought to build a facility. ture Real Estate Group, noted that In 2004, the duo signed Pardee The plans never materialized, and some people don’t mind a long comHomes as Coyote Springs’ lead buildAerojet sold the site in 1998 to two mute. er. The company agreed to buy 2,000 influential Northern Nevadans: lobShe once sold a house for a UPS acres, slated for about 7,000 homes, byist Whittemore and partner David driver who was moving from the valand had an option to buy an additionLoeb, a real estate developer and coley to Mesquite, about 80 miles northal 13,000 acres, reports said. founder of mortgage lender Countryeast of Las Vegas. He planned to keep Court filings say Pardee paid more wide Financial Corp. working in Las Vegas, which Carpenthan $100 million for land here and Despite the back-slapping at the ter thought was “the stupidest thing had an option to buy the whole projnews conference years later, not evI’ve ever heard.” ect site for $1.2 eryone wel“But I’ve seen it happen,” she said. billion. comed the Home Builders Research founder “Let’s put it this way: I’m “I think Las planned city. Dennis Smith once thought Coyote not standing in line to Vegas is movEnvironmenSprings would do well but now disbuy property there, and I ing closer to talists said it misses it as far-fetched. It’s a great wouldn’t want to be the Coyote every would harm place to live “if you’re hiding from day,” Whittesensitive areas somebody,” he said, and in his 60s, he first one in line to do it.” more said when and that it typidoesn’t expect “to see anything out Kent Lay, Las Vegas division the deal was fied leapfrog there before I’m dead.” president for Woodside Homes announced. development. Still, he said people in the 1990s “You’re only Activist groups laughed at developer Jim Rhodes 50 minutes sued to block it. for launching the 1,300-acre Rhodes away. That’s nothing. You look at the The Environmental Protection Ranch on the outskirts of town, about choices people are making. Pahrump? Agency, however, gave Whittemore 10 miles southwest of the Strip. Is that drive easy?” an award. “There are people with money Seeno’s brother Albert Seeno Jr. His project, the EPA said in 2006, who do some silly things sometimes,” also invested, buying one-third of the was “committed to preserving aquatic Smith said, “and then they turn out to development company, court records resources” and was “a model for envibe visionaries.” show. ronmentally sensitive development nnn With all the government approvals in the arid West.” needed to build, Whittemore drew “You’re kidding me,” the director of Coyote Springs, straddling the scrutiny over his deep political conthe Progressive Leadership Alliance Clark and Lincoln county lines, isn’t nections. But, he said in 2006, he’d alof Nevada said at the time. “I don’t some lush oasis that Whittemore ways face some opposition because of know why anyone would get an award stumbled upon and other developers his lobbying background and, he said, for plopping 80,000 homes down overlooked. his successful career. in the middle of the desert. Maybe “It amazes me that (he’s) inter“I think people are a little bit jealthey’ll give an award to Yucca Mounested in that area,” a Bureau of Land ous,” he said. “I am very blessed. I am tain next,” he said of the proposed Management official said in 2000, the luckiest guy in America.” nuclear-waste dump. after Whittemore laid out his plans. Loeb died in 2003, and afterward, “There’s no lake, no fishing. There’s nnn Whittemore brought in Bay Area really nothing there.” By spring 2007, with cracks aphomebuilder Tom Seeno as a partner. Previous owners figured the site pearing in Las Vegas’ housing marSeeno, whose family has owned stakes was ideal for building and testing misket, there were reports that Coyote in Nevada casinos, acquired 50 persile engines. Aerojet-General Corp. Springs was foundering. cent ownership of Whittemore’s deacquired the property in 1988 in a In late 2008 — a few months after velopment company, according to land swap with the U.S. government
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Lehman Brothers collapsed and with the financial crisis in full swing — Whittemore’s group expected home construction to start in 2010. Instead, as the economy crumbled, executives sued one another and Coyote Springs ground to a halt. In 2011, the developers sued Pardee, alleging the company had, among other things, failed to start “vertical construction” of the golf clubhouse and complete site work for utilities. In 2012, the Seenos, through various limited liability companies, sued Whittemore and his wife, Annette, alleging the embezzlement of “tens of millions of dollars.” According to the suit, Harvey Whittemore “confessed” that company money was used for, among other things, his daughter’s wedding; political fundraisers and parties; box seats for Reno Aces minor-league baseball games; high-end stereo equipment; and loans to friends. Moreover, he allegedly “withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash” from the company. At Whittemore’s instruction, the lawsuit claimed, employees always kept between $5,000 and $10,000, in $100 bills, in a safe in the office. Whittemore yanked out $315,000 in 2006 alone, the Seenos claimed. Less than a week after the suit was filed, the Whittemores struck back, suing the Seeno brothers and Albert’s son Albert Seeno III. After the economy tanked, Albert Jr. “became disgruntled about his investment” and “started falsely accusing” Harvey Whittemore of financial crimes, the suit alleged. At a summer 2010 meeting at the Peppermill resort in Reno, according to the lawsuit, Albert Jr. threatened to go to the FBI; threatened to “personally bring down every member” of Nevada’s political machine; asked Whittemore whether he believed in God and told him to “gather his flock on Sunday and pray”; and threatened the lives of Whittemore and his family. The Seenos also allegedly sent employees to the Whittemores’ homes “to intimidate them and force them to give up” jewelry, art, cars and other assets. One time, the lawsuit claimed, “a large, very ominous and burly man named ‘Ray’ demanded that Mr. Whittemore open a safe in the house.” Apparently joined by other goons, Ray told Whittemore they only wanted to see what was inside, but he “dumped everything in the safe into a bag and took it with him.” Meanwhile, a few months afterWhittemore sued the Seenos, a federal Continued on page 52
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grand jury indicted Whittemore on charges that he funneled illegal campaign donations to a member of Congress — later identified as Reid — and lied to FBI agents about it. A jury in 2013 found Whittemore guilty on three of four counts, and a judge sentenced him to two years in prison and fined him $100,000. Litigation about Coyote Springs eventually was resolved. The Seenos bought out Whittemore’s stake in the project a few years ago in a “very, very confidential” settlement, general counsel Cargill said, and the Seenos in June reacquired about 2,600 acres that Pardee previously owned. Whittemore, now 63, is incarcerated in Lompoc, Calif., and is scheduled to Michael Ghiorso, director of operations at Coyote Springs Golf Club, is asked often be released May 2, 2016, according to whether homes ever will be built at Coyote Springs. “Yes, that’s the intent — to build the Federal Bureau of Prisons. homes, build a city,’ ” he tells them. “It’s always been that.” (L.E. Baskow/staff file) VEGAS INC mailed a letter to him reThe par-72 course, designed by golf want the infighting “dredged up.” questing to talk about Coyote Springs. legend Jack Nicklaus, opened in 2008, “That’s a part of the past,” she said. No response was received. the first of what was supposed to be a Efforts to speak with attorneys who nnn dozen or so courses at Coyote Springs. represented the Whittemores, the SeeGolfweek for years named it one of the Coyote Springs Golf Club isn’t much nos and Pardee, as well as with the Seetop 100 residential courses, and Golf of a club — for one thing, there’s no nos themselves, were unsuccessful. Digest in 2011 ranked it one of Amerclubhouse — but it does have one of the Cargill, for one, says her group is ica’s top 100 public courses (it tied for best golf courses in Southern Nevada. focused on the future, and she didn’t
95th). Driving around the course recently, director of golf Karl Larcom said the course is kept in great shape and is tough to play, with rolling fairways and deep bunkers. Tiffin, the golfer, said it’s in “pristine condition.” “Honestly, it’s unbelievable,” Colorado property manager Barry Schafer said between strokes during a July visit. He was on a golfing vacation with his wife and friends, including Tiffin. “This is by far the nicest we’ve played.” Golfers often wonder why the course is in the middle of nowhere, asking staff members why it is where it is and whether they really drive here every day for work. “Those are the two questions that we get 100 times a day,” said Larcom, who lives in Henderson and has a 67-mile commute. For his part, Schafer doesn’t care that Coyote Springs is without houses. He comes to play golf. “Every time we’ve played here,” he said, “it’s the same: perfect.” Staff librarian Rebecca Clifford-Cruz contributed to this report.
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words to the wise “Always remember what motivated you to want to be successful. Be genuine and sincere and establish trust among those around you.” — Carol Thompson, vice president and general manager of Green Valley Ranch Resort
Station Casinos’ top women executives offer advice for up-and-comers:
“Be results-driven, a problem-solver and professional. No one can argue whether you deserve any position if you continually deliver improvements, solve problems and create a great work environment where you are employed.”
“Find a mentor, and be a mentor. Everybody needs someone whom she or he can go to for help, guidance or just to talk something through. Pass that on by helping someone else develop their skills and reach their goals.”
— Stacy Stagg, vice president and general manager of Fiesta Rancho
— Lydia Mason, vice president and general manager of Texas Station
wom en of stat i on, from page 43
More and more, gaming companies are investing in leadership programs for women to Southern Nevada in 1990. “I wanted to be more of a contributor. So when the food and beverage director approached me about getting into management, it was the right time.” Looking back 20 years later, it was a move that proved rewarding, as serendipity — coupled with Stagg’s own drive and determination — helped Stagg carve a professional path that included multiple promotions and transfers across various Station properties. She now is vice president and general manager of Fiesta Rancho. In most gaming companies, executive positions are overwhelmingly occupied by men. But for Station Casinos — whose first female general manager, Cookie Dreschler, attained the title in 1999 — having Stagg at the reins is par for the course. In an industry where women in upper management historically have been few and far between, Station Casinos is bucking the trend. Women comprise one-third of general managers at the company’s nine local properties. The trio includes Carol Thompson, vice president and general manager of Green Valley Ranch Resort, and Lydia Mason, vice president and general manager of Texas Station. “I’ve never thought in terms of gender, and hiring and promoting women just happens organically,” Stagg said. “(Carol Thompson) and I were both raised in Station Casinos, where
the policy has always been to hire the best person for the job.” Thompson started in 2000 with Station as director of training at Sante Fe Station and, like Stagg, worked in marketing and management at multiple Station properties. A New Yorker with a degree in business management from the University of Phoenix, Thompson moved to Southern Nevada in 1988 and began her career in the gaming industry as an executive assistant. She also served on active duty in the Air Force. “I don’t really think that much about gender — it’s more about putting the right people in the right spot — although I have had the occasion where maybe a guest will relate better to me or to my assistant general manager, who is male. Or I might bond with someone who might find it curious that there’s a female in my job, given that this has historically been a male-dominated industry,” Thompson said. Virginia Valentine, president of the 50-year-old Nevada Resort Association, which advocates and lobbies for the state’s gaming and tourism industries, said gaming companies increasingly are recognizing the value of having female executives and are investing in leadership and mentoring programs to develop women leaders. “Historically, there have always been women in gaming,” said Valen-
tine, who assumed her post in 2010. “Verlie Doing in Searchlight, Jeanne Hood and Claudine Williams were pioneers, (and former) Gov. Richard Bryan’s appointment of Patty Becker to the Gaming Commission in 1983 put a woman in a very important and very visible position on a previously all-male board. “From the time when there were no women dealers to now, there are women in every conceivable corporate position all the way to the boardroom. They’re not where are they are because they’re women. They’re where they are because they are very, very good at what they do.” Case in point is Lydia Mason, who rounds out Station’s trifecta. A native of Nebraska who earned a bachelor of business administration degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University, Mason began her career as a cocktail server on a riverboat in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and worked in various departments at the Caesars Entertainment-owned Horseshoe Casino — at table games, in food and beverage and eventually as vice president of operations. “I had been in Iowa for a long time, and I felt there wasn’t much left to learn there, so when I got a call from a (Station Casinos) recruiter, it seemed as though the stars had aligned,” Mason said. Mason relocated to Southern Nevada in 2012 and joined Station as
vice president and assistant general manager of Boulder Station . She took over Texas Station in October 2014. She describes herself as a motivator who thrives on helping employees and promoting her property. “Texas Station has a great heritage and such a unique identity, from the theme and décor to the long-term team members, and we’re just finalizing our plans for capital expenditures in 2016, which will include significant improvements,” Mason said. Valerie Murzl, Station Casinos’ senior vice president of human resources, estimated that women comprise about 50 percent of the company. Affording them the same opportunities as men keeps with the company’s culture of treating people fairly with dignity and respect, she said. “When I joined the company 18 years ago as a corporate executive woman from outside the industry and the state, I was met with open arms,” Murzl said. “We care about the whole person, regardless of their gender … . As a leader in our industry, we must model the diversity in our community, and women play an important role in our state.” Thompson said she hoped her and her colleagues’ contributions helped future female executives. “We’re maybe making it easier for future generations of women to realize their career potential,” she said.
TOP TECH EXEC AWARDS 2015 THE SMITH CENTER 11.19.15 PHOTOG: WADE VANDERVORT
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Calendar of events Monday, Nov. 30 Lambda Business Association: Stonewall Democratic Club meeting Time: 5:30 p.m. Cost: Free Location: Gay and Lesbian Center of Southern Nevada, 401 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas Information: Email derekisademocrat@gmail.com Participate in LGBT training and network with LGBT-friendly business professionals.
Tuesday, Dec. 1 Nevada Speed Networking Time: 1-3:15 p.m. Cost: Free Location: Wells Fargo Building, 112 Water St., Henderson Information: Visit hendersonchamber.com Connect with as many businesspeople as you can in this fast-paced speed networking event hosted by the Las Vegas Nevada Marketing Association.
Wednesday, Dec. 2 Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Nevada holiday fiesta Time: 6-9 p.m. Cost: $40 for members, $50 for nonmembers Location: Model Factory LV at the Boulevard mall, 3528 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas Information: Visit commerce.glccnv.org Celebrate the chamber’s standout members, and learn what the organization has planned for 2016.
Thursday, Dec. 3 Annual tax and year-end update Time: 7:30-9 a.m. Cost: Free for clients, $35 for general admission Location: Houldsworth, Russo & Co., 8675 S. Eastern Ave., Las Vegas Information: Visit trusthrc.com Houldsworth, Russo & Co. Managing Partner
Dianna Russo will discuss 2014 tax strategies, changes in W-2 and 1099 forms and insights for 2015. “Profitable Exit and Succession Strategies for Business Owners” Time: 7:30-9:30 a.m. Cost: Free for Henderson Chamber of Commerce members, $10 for nonmembers, additional $10 for walk-ins Location: Wells Fargo Building, HBRC Seminar Room, 112 S. Water St., Henderson Information: Call 702-565-8951 Dan Yount, of B2B CFO, an exit strategy services firm, will discuss how to reduce risk and accelerate the value of your business, and what owners should do now to prepare for their exit. Toastmaster lunchtime talkers Time: 12-1 p.m. Cost: Free Location: Urban Chamber of Commerce, 1951 Stella Lake St., Suite 30, Las Vegas Information: Visit business.urbanchamber.org Learn how to communicate effectively with employees and customers, and perfect your elevator pitch. Meet professionals to expand your business network.
Friday, Dec. 4 “Privacy and Security from the Inside Out” Time: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Cost: $495 Location: Thomas & Mack Moot Court, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas Information: Call 702-895-2489 UNLV’s Boyd School of Law will explore privacy, security and technology. Speakers will discuss operating private and secure offices, security breaches, working with vendors and business partners, and serving customers through technology. Athena Awards luncheon Time: 11:15 a.m.-2 p.m. Cost: $75 Location: Club Madrid at Sunset Station, 1301 W. Sunset Road, Henderson Information: Visit womenschamberofnevada.org
The Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Nevada will honor local women who excel in their professions, give back to their community and foster new leaders. This year’s Minority Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Eloiza Martinez, a retired executive from Wells Fargo Bank and president emeritus of the Las Vegas Latin Chamber. Proceeds from the event will pay for scholarships for underprivileged students.
Monday, Dec. 7 UNLV Summit on Nevada Education Time: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Cost: $30 for UNLV students, $60 for general admission Location: UNLV Student Union, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas Information: Call 702-895-3607 Leaders and decision makers from across the community will discuss education in the state. Nevada Republican Men’s Club luncheon Time: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Cost: $30 for members, $35 for nonmembers Location: Cili at Bali Hai Golf Course, 5160 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas Information: Visit republicanmensclub.com Las Vegas Sun entertainment reporter Robin Leach will discuss politics and entertainment.
Tuesday, Dec. 8 Henderson Chamber of Commerce networking breakfast Time: 7-9 a.m. Cost: $25 for members, $45 for nonmembers, additional $10 for walk-ins Location: Wildhorse Golf Club, 2100 W. Warm Springs Road, Henderson Information: Visit hendersonchamber.com Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo will discuss the More Cops sales-tax increase, which takes effect Jan. 1. The 0.05 percent increase is expected to raise about $15 million annually for Metro and will allow department officials to hire 133 more officers.
Conventions
expected Show Location Dates attendance
American Association of Equine Practitioners Annual Conference
Mandalay Bay
Dec. 2-10
3,800
Power-Gen International Conference
Las Vegas Convention Center
Dec. 8-10
20,000
23rd Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging
Venetian
Dec. 10-13
1,000
Las Vegas Numismatic Society The Vegas Coin and Jewelry Show
Westgate
Dec. 11-13
3,000
National Groundwater Expo and Annual Meeting
Las Vegas Convention Center
Dec. 16-18
4,500
Bick International - Coin, Currency, Jewelry & Stamp Expo
Orleans
Dec. 18-20
1,000
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Records and Transactions Bankruptcies Chapter 7 Steve Sand Sandbar SD LLC 11482 Belmont Lake Drive, Unit 104 Las Vegas, NV 89135 Attorney: Steve Sand Sandbar SD LLC
Bid Opportunities MONDAY, NOV. 30 3 p.m. Current production model miscellaneous vehicles Clark County, 603890 Sandra Mendoza at sda@clarkcountynv.gov 3 p.m. Current production model pick-up and passenger van with wheelchair lift Clark County, 603892 Sandra Mendoza at sda@clarkcountynv.gov
THURSDAY, DEC. 3 2:15 p.m. Russell campus department of air quality: tenant improvements at second floor Clark County, 603887 Sandy Moody-Upton at scm@ clarkcountynv.gov 3 p.m. ARC for locksmith services countywide Clark County, 603889 Adriane Garcia at akgarcia@clarkcountynv.gov
FRIDAY, DEC. 4 2:15 p.m. Rainbow Boulevard, Cactus Avenue to Blue Diamond Road Clark County, 603846 Tom Boldt at tboldt@clarkcountynv.gov
Brokered transactions SALES $1,600,000 for 1.2 acres Address: 7650 W. Sahara Ave., Las Vegas 89117 Seller: West Sahara LLC Seller agent: Jim Hill of ROI Commercial Real Estate Buyer: Lane Smith Buyer agent: Alexia Crowley of MDL Group
LEASES $351,000 for 13,200 square feet for 60 months, retail Address: 7211 S. Eastern Ave., Suite 120, Las Vegas 89119 Landlord: L.D. Warm Springs LLC Landlord agent: David Grant of
Colliers International Tenant: Boot Camp Las Vegas LLC Tenant agent: Jakke Farley of Virtus Commercial $144,144 for 2,288 square feet for 36 months, office Address: 1485 W. Warm Springs Road, Suite 103, Henderson 89014 Landlord: TIH Augusta Park Landlord agent: Chris Emanuel and Monica Noto of Virtus Commercial Tenant: Goodfield Ltd. dba Nevada Spine Institute Tenant agent: Did not disclose $95,893 for 1,100 square feet for 60 months, retail Address: 6320 Simmons St., Suite 135, North Las Vegas 89031 Landlord: Bridge 33 Properties V LLC Landlord agent: Jim Hill of ROI Commercial Real Estate Tenant: Tiabi LLC Tenant agent: Jakke Farley of Virtus Commercial
Business licenses Tandem Therapy services LLC License type: Professional services - medical Address: 7261 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 101, Las Vegas 89117 Owner: Christopher Holcomb Task Masters License type: Personal services Address: Did not disclose Owner: LB & JO LLC Taylor Barber License type: Independent massage therapist Address: 313 Balsa St., Henderson 89002 Owner: Taylor Rae Barber Terra Nova Transportation LLC License type: Sales/services Address: 1017 Windwalker Ave., North Las Vegas 89031 Owner: Terra Nova Transportation LLC The Ville Clothing License type: Sales Address: 19 S. Water St., Suite B, Henderson 89015 Owner: Roberto Allen May Titanium Building Group LLC License type: Contractor Address: 4325 W. Patrick Lane, Suite 130, Las Vegas 89118 Owner: Titanium Building Group LLC Tommy Construction & Handyman License type: Property maintenance Address: 2468 Wrangler Walsh Lane, Henderson 89002 Owner: Tommy Trung Pham Universal Furniture Design LLC
License type: Repair and maintenance Address: 2912 Highland Drive, Suite L, Las Vegas 89109 Owner: Wanda Luna
Acceptance Now License type: Rental and leasing Address: 91 S. Martin Luther King Blvd., Las Vegas 89106 Owner: RAC Acceptance West LLC
Vegas Discount Nutrition License type: Health food store Address: Did not disclose Owner: Las Vegas Discount Nutrition
Ace Sign Installations License type: Sales/services Address: 3613 Seneca Hill Drive, North Las Vegas 89032 Owner: Rik Stoddard
Vegas Extreme Skydiving License type: Instruction services Address: Did not disclose Owner: Edward A. Carroll
Ace’s Property Maintenance License type: Residential property maintenance Address: 1038 Cat Creek Court, Las Vegas 89002 Owner: Luckystrike 702 LLC
Vegas Flip Flops License type: General retail sales Address: 725 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Suite 260, Las Vegas 89101 Owner: MLT Trading LLC Victorio Studio License type: General retail sales Address: 2800 W. Sahara Ave., Suite 2G, Las Vegas 89102 Owner: Victor Arriaga Perez Wagner Gonzalez License type: Solicitor Address: 1110 Sleetridge Drive, Las Vegas 89183 Owner: Did not disclose Wealthcare Connect License type: Commodities, securities or mutual funds Address: 194 Inveraray Court, Henderson 89074 Owner: The Wealthcare Center LLC Weiss & Weiss PC License type: Professional services Address: 2300 W. Sahara Ave., Suite 420, Las Vegas 89102 Owner: Weiss & Weiss YC Signs LLC License type: Contractor Address: 4201 Esmeralda Ave., Las Vegas 89102 Owner: Julio J. Martinez YC Signs LLC License type: Contractor Address: Did not disclose Owner: Yanelkis Carroza You Want You Get It Delivery & Services License type: Express or delivery service Address: Did not disclose Owner: Juliana Rast 510 Concessions License type: Food services or cafe Address: 3125 Cool Forest St., Las Vegas 89117 Owner: Daniel Bernethy 7-Eleven License type: Convenience store Address: 1100 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas 89104 Owner: JNA Judge I Inc.
ADL Home Health Therapy LLC License type: Personal services Address: 2470 St. Rose Parkway, Suite 213, Henderson 89074 Owner: ADL Home Health Therapy LLC Ambassador Pool Service License type: Residential property maintenance Address: Did not disclose Owner: Ambassador Pool Service Inc. Apex Collections Inc. License type: Business support service Address: 1820 E. Sahara Ave., Suite 109, Las Vegas 89104 Owner: Robert C. Halgas Artistic Pool/Spa Inc. License type: Contractor Address: 8879 W. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas 89147 Owner: Did not disclose AT&T Authorized Retailer License type: Sales/services Address: 2225 E. Centennial Parkway, North Las Vegas 89081 Owner: Spring Communications Holding Inc. Barbara Yong License type: Instruction services Address: Did not disclose Owner: Barbara Yong Barclays Services LLC License type: Office services Address: 2290 Corporate Circle, Henderson 89074 Owner: Barclays Services LLC BC Jumpers License type: Rental and leasing Address: 1001 S. Torrey Pines Drive, Suite D, Las Vegas 89107 Owner: Luis Antonio Morga Bradley Architectural Systems Ltd. License type: Interjurisdictional business Address: 5225 S. Valley View Blvd., Suite 2, Las Vegas 89118 Owner: Bradley Architectural Systems Limited
Branching Out License type: General retail sales Address: 1717 S. Decatur Blvd., Suite H19, Las Vegas 89102 Owner: Branching Out Enterprises LLC Brett Rubin License type: Professional promoter Address: 11741 Bradford Commons Drive, Las Vegas 89135 Owner: Brett Rubin Bristlecone Tile and Stone LLC License type: Contractor Address: 497 Whitewood Drive, Henderson 89052 Owner: Bristlecone Tile and Stone LLC Brixton Cleaning LLC License type: Residential property maintenance Address: 1404 S. Jones Blvd., Las Vegas 89146 Owner: Scott Hoag Bryce L. Smuin License type: Real estate sales Address: 10220 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 3, Las Vegas 89145 Owner: Bryce L. Smuin Caribbean Puzzles License type: General retail sales Address: 4300 Meadows Lane, Kiosk 10, Las Vegas 89107 Owner: Hadigo LLC Carlos Studio License type: Photography Address: 1014 E. Charleston Blvd., Suite 102, Las Vegas 89104 Owner: Carlos Escobar Rivera Cash 1 License type: Finance company Address: 1331 W. Warm Springs Road, Suite 130, Henderson 89014 Owner: Cash 1 LLC Chillyrays License type: Mobile food vendor Address: 827 N. Main St., Las Vegas 89106 Owner: Chillyrays LLC Citywide Home Loans, A Utah Corporation License type: Professional services Address: 1333 N. Buffalo Drive, Suite 190, Las Vegas 89128 Owner: Steve Goorman Claymore Development LLC License type: Contractor Address: 72 John Stuart Mill St., Henderson 89002 Owner: Claymore Development LLC Code Blue Towing License type: Automobile towing service Address: 2820 Ringe Lane, Las Vegas 89156 Owner: Allvalley LLC
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Records and Transactions Code Finders License type: Business support service Address: 1612 Tangerine Rose Drive, Las Vegas 89142 Owner: Code Finders LLC Community Maids LLC License type: Residential property maintenance Address: Did not disclose Owner: Hilda Gaxiola Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada License type: Medical center Address: 2460 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway, Henderson 89052 Owner: Allison, Curtis, Kingsley, Meoz, Michael & Sanchez Cops Monitoring License type: Burglar alarm service Address: 1041 Glassboro Road, Suite F2, Las Vegas 8094 Owner: Lydia Security Monitoring Inc. Cuthbert Mack Law Corp. License type: Professional services Address: 1040 E. Sahara Ave., Suite 101, Las Vegas 89104 Owner: Cuthbert E.A. Mack
$218,097, single-family residential - production 429 Rosina Vista St., Las Vegas Woodside Homes of Nevada LLC
$158,531, residential - production 896 McKinley View Ave., Henderson Ryland Homes Nevada LLC
$139,997, commercial - remodel 854 S. Boulder Highway, Henderson Henderson Shopping Village LLLP
$214,369, commercial - addition 333 Gowan Road, North Las Vegas Capitol Steel Constructors Inc.
$157,810, residential - production 711 Sea Coast Drive, Henderson KB Home LV Pearl Creek LLC
$138,306, single-family residential - production 9651 Ashlynn Peak Court, Las Vegas Richmond Homes of Nevada
$204,593, single-family residential - production 8389 Thom Blvd., Las Vegas Plaster Development Company Inc. $201,616, residential - production 2800 Josephine Drive, Henderson Richmond American Homes Nevada $200,623, single-family residential - production 7115 Grand Canyon Drive, Las Vegas Toll North LV LLC $200,623, single-family residential - production 7165 Grand Canyon Drive, Las Vegas Toll North LV LLC
BUILDING PERMITS
$194,589, single-family residential - production 9960 Wildhorse Canyon Ave., Las Vegas Woodside Homes of Nevada LLC
$585,000, tenant improvement offices 300 S. Fourth St., Suite 600, Las Vegas Summit Construction Inc.
$193,476, single-family residential - production 9761 Mosaic Canyon St., Las Vegas Greystone Nevada LLC
$333,000, demolition 2300 Paseo Verde Parkway, Henderson Station GVR Acquisition LLC $301,547, commercial - remodel 1381 W. Sunset Road, Henderson Remington commercial LLC $280,224, commercial - alteration 4080 Arcata Way, North Las Vegas Nevada American Construction $259,339, residential - production 2272 Edge Ridge Court, Henderson Lawrence Hartman $250,073, single-family residential - production 9766 Mosaic Canyon Court, Las Vegas Greystone Nevada LLC $233,230, single-family residential - production 12002 Tramonto Ave., Las Vegas Toll South LV LLC $227,465, single-family residential - production 9760 Mosaic Canyon Court, Las Vegas Greystone Nevada LLC
$183,998, single-family residential - production 8369 Thom Blvd., Las Vegas Plaster Development Company Inc. $181,244, single-family residential - production 433 Rosina Vista St., Las Vegas Woodside Homes of Nevada LLC $178,992, residential - production 2159 Tortona St., Henderson Pardee Homes Nevada $172,295, commercial - remodel 3019 St. Rose Parkway, Henderson Shoshone Cattle & Land Development $169,954, residential - production 2150 Tortona St., Henderson Pardee Homes Nevada
$157,755, residential - production 3090 Ripe Peak Lane, Henderson KB Home Inspirada LLC $156,323, single-family residential - production 363 Port Reggio St., Las Vegas Ryland Homes $154,317, residential - production 2151 Tortona St., Henderson Pardee Homes Nevada $150,000, tenant improvement store 240 S. Decatur Blvd., Las Vegas K&N Construction Inc. $149,022, residential - roofing 316 Slaters Glen Court, North Las Vegas Woodside Homes of Nevada LLC $149,022, residential - new 321 Slaters Glen Court, North Las Vegas Woodside Homes of Nevada LLC $146,497, single-family residential - production 7454 Old Compton St., Las Vegas Greystone Nevada LLC $145,833, residential - production 1145 Aubrey Springs Ave., Henderson DR Horton Inc. $145,833, residential - production 1157 Aubrey Springs Ave., Henderson DR Horton Inc. $145,722, residential - production 2154 Tortona St., Henderson Pardee Homes Nevada $145,722, residential - production 2158 Tortona St., Henderson Pardee Homes Nevada $145,722, residential - production 2155 Tortona St., Henderson Pardee Homes Nevada $145,279, residential - production 48 Sadler Shore St., Henderson Ryland Homes Nevada LLC
$137,512, residential - production 484 Heritage Bridge Ave., Henderson Greystone Nevada LLC $137,294, residential - production 690 Tidal Flats St., Henderson KB Home LV Pearl Creek LLC $135,531, single-family residential - production 7450 Old Compton St., Las Vegas Greystone Nevada LLC $134,743, residential - production 1149 Aubrey Springs Ave., Henderson DR Horton Inc. $134,743, residential - production 1153 Aubrey Springs Ave., Henderson DR Horton Inc. $134,434, single-family residential - production 6781 Bristle Falls St., Las Vegas Ryland Homes $133,856, residential - production 2626 Ornate Regiment St., Henderson Beazer-Inspirada LLC $131,315, single-family residential - production 6430 Dunns River St., Las Vegas Richmond Homes of Nevada $131,250, residential - production 335 Values Circle, Henderson Woodside Homes of Nevada LLC $128,699, residential - production 459 Fortissimo St., Henderson Richmond American Homes Nevada $128,000, tenant improvement restaurant 6300 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 170, Las Vegas Distinctive Contractors LLC $126,869, residential - production 1137 Strada Cristallo, Henderson Century Communities Nevada LLC
$119,272, residential - production 412 Honeybrush Ave., Henderson Greystone Nevada LLC $118,103, residential - new 116 Heathrow Lake Ave., North Las Vegas Woodside Homes of Nevada LLC $118,103, residential - new 112 Heathrow Lake Ave., North Las Vegas Woodside Homes of Nevada LLC $117,276, residential - production 957 Harbor Ave., Henderson KB Home LV Pearl Creek LLC $116,611, residential - production 409 Honeybrush Ave., Henderson Greystone Nevada LLC $116,112, residential - production 497 Heritage Bridge Ave., Henderson Greystone Nevada LLC $115,779, residential - production 408 Honeybrush Ave., Henderson Greystone Nevada LLC $115,372, residential - new 104 Heathrow Lake Ave., North Las Vegas Woodside Homes of Nevada LLC $115,303, residential - new 108 Heathrow Lake Ave., North Las Vegas Woodside Homes of Nevada LLC $115,000, tenant improvement store 7581 W. Lake Mead Blvd., Suite 130, Las Vegas MRC Builders LLC $114,802, single-family residential - production 8116 Skye Wolf Court, Las Vegas Woodside Homes of Nevada LLC $114,171, residential - production 457 Cadence View Way, Henderson Richmond American Homes Nevada $112,175, residential - production 493 Heritage Bridge Ave., Henderson Greystone Nevada LLC $111,399, residential - production 276 Persistence Court, Henderson Ryland Homes Nevada LLC
$160,638, residential - production 480 Heritage Bridge Ave., Henderson Greystone Nevada LLC
$141,734, single-family residential - production 10589 Leroux Court, Las Vegas Richmond Homes of Nevada
$124,318, residential - production 2507 Venarotta St., Henderson KB Home Inspirada LLC
$108,485, residential - new 320 Slaters Glen Court, North Las Vegas Woodside Homes of Nevada LLC
$159,307, residential - production 488 Heritage Bridge Ave., Henderson Greystone Nevada LLC
$141,563, residential - production 900 McKinley View Ave., Henderson Ryland Homes Nevada LLC
$123,986, residential - production 501 Heritage Bridge Ave., Henderson Greystone Nevada LLC
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The Society of Industrial and Office Realtors® Southern Nevada Chapter salutes our 2015 sponsors for their generous support and commitment throughout the year. SOUTHERN NEVADA CHAPTER
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The List
Category: SBA Lenders (Ranked by loan volume compiled from Oct. 1, 2014, to Sept. 30, 2015) 2015 loan volume
2015 loans
2014 loan volume
2014 loans
Wells Fargo Bank 3800 Howard Hughes Parkway, Second Floor Las Vegas, NV 89109 702-791-6370 • WellsFargo.com
$35,152,600
10
$25,636,100
75
2
Meadows Bank 8912 Spanish Ridge Ave. Las Vegas, NV 89148 702-471-2265 • MeadowsBank.com
$26,315,100
1
$15,480,700
19
3
JPMorgan Chase Bank 9911 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 1 Las Vegas, NV 89117 702-938-0050 • Chase.com
$13,409,600
10
$5,117,700
23
4
Seacoast Commerce Bank 7436 Oak Grove Ave. Las Vegas, NV 89117 702-538-7841 • SCCombank.com
$12,948,698
5
$16,535,400
21
5
Live Oak Banking Co. 1741 Tiburon Drive Wilmington, NC 28403 877-890-5867 • LiveOakBank.com
$8,087,000
5
$770,000
2
6
East West Bank 4711 Spring Mountain Road Las Vegas, NV 89102 702-475-6111 • eastwestbank.com
$8,071,000
1
$6,095,000
12
7
U.S. Bank 2300 W. Sahara Ave., First Floor Las Vegas, NV 89102 702-251-1600 • USBank.com
$6,781,200
4
$6,341,300
88
8
Royal Business Bank 3919 Spring Mountain Road Las Vegas, NV 89102 702-405-2543 • rbbusa.com
$6,257,000
4
-
-
9
Celtic Bank Corp. 268 S. State St., Suite 300 Salt Lake City, UT 84111 801-363-6500 • CelticBank.com
$6,219,700
4
$3,140,000
12
Newtek Small Business Finance Inc. 212 W. 35th St., Second Floor New York, NY 10123 Did not disclose • thesba.com
$5,364,300
4
-
-
United Community Bank 177 Highway 515E Blairsville, GA 30512 Did not disclose • ucbi.com
$5,000,000
1
-
-
12
First Bank Financial Centre 155 W. Wisconsin Ave Oconomowoc, WI 53066 Did not disclose • fbfcwi.com
$4,542,300
1
-
-
13
Pacific City Bank 3701 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 401 Los Angeles, CA 90010 Did not disclose • paccity.net
$4,540,000
1
-
-
14
Nevada State Bank 6505 N. Buffalo Drive Las Vegas, NV 89131 702-515-2312 • NSBank.com
$4,250,100
1
$6,112,073
25
15
Redding Bank of Commerce 1177 Placer St. Redding, CA 96001 Did not disclose • reddingbankofcommerce.com
$2,993,200
4
$485,000
1
Company
1
10 11
Source: US Small Business Administration and VEGAS INC research. It is not the intent of this list to endorse the participants or to imply that the listing of a company indicates its quality. Although every attempt is made to ensure the accuracy and thoroughness of VEGAS INC charts, omissions sometimes occur and some businesses do not respond. Please send corrections or additions on company letterhead to Julie Ann Formoso, research associate, VEGAS INC, 2360 Corporate Circle, Third Floor, Henderson, NV 89074.
SEASON’S GREETINGS FROM VEGAS’ FOUR SEASONS
use code BOGO* • 702.777.2782 • JerseyBoysVegas.com/Local
Original Cast Recording On
Photo: Warwick Saint
BUY ONE TICKET GET ONE FREE!
*BOGO applies to sections P3-P5 only. Offer valid for all performances through March 31, 2016. Must show Nevada ID upon pick-up at the box office. Offer is subject to availability and is not valid with any other offer or on previously purchased tickets. All sales final. No refunds or exchanges.
Buy One Get One FREE Drink at Sean Patrick’s
FREE Appetizer at Sean Patrick’s Buy one appetizer and get the second FREE
Wine, well or domestic beer *Expires 12/31/15. Please present coupon at time of order. No cash value. Management reserves all rights. May not be combined with any other offer. See bar host for details. VALID AT 3290 W. ANN ROAD and 6788 NORTH 5TH STREET. Settle to 1581.
*Expires 12/31/15. Please present coupon at time of order. No cash value. Maximum value at $9.99 on free appetizer. Management reserves all rights. See bar host for details. VALID AT 3290 W. ANN ROAD and 6788 NORTH 5TH STREET ONLY. Settle to 1580.
3290 W. ANN ROAD NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV 89031
6788 NORTH 5TH STREET NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV 89084
3290 W. ANN ROAD NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV 89031
6788 NORTH 5TH STREET NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV 89084
(702) 395-0492 www.pteglv.com
(702) 633-0901 www.pteglv.com
(702) 395-0492 www.pteglv.com
(702) 633-0901 www.pteglv.com
Buy One Get One FREE Drink at Sean Patrick’s Wine, well or domestic beer *Expires 12/31/15. Please present coupon at time of order. No cash value. Management reserves all rights. May not be combined with any other offer. See bar host for details. VALID AT 11930 SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS PKWY. and 8255 W. FLAMINGO ROAD ONLY. Settle to 1581.
FREE Appetizer at Sean Patrick’s Buy one appetizer and get the second FREE *Expires 12/31/15. Please present coupon at time of order. No cash value. Maximum value at $9.99 on free appetizer. Management reserves all rights. See bar host for details. VALID AT 11930 SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS PKWY and 8255 W. FLAMINGO ROAD. Settle to 1580.
11930 SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS PKWY. LAS VEGAS, NV 89141
8255 W. FLAMINGO ROAD LAS VEGAS, NV 89147
11930 SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS PKWY. LAS VEGAS, NV 89141
8255 W. FLAMINGO ROAD LAS VEGAS, NV 89147
(702) 837-0213 www.pteglv.com
(702) 227-9793 www.pteglv.com
(702) 837-0213 www.pteglv.com
(702) 227-9793 www.pteglv.com
BEER • WINE • CIGARS
BUDWEISER & BUD LIGHT 36 PK
$22.99
Open on ALL Holidays. Cannot be combined with any other coupon. Coupon must be present. One pack per coupon. Management reserves all rights. Expires 12/12/15.
Buy One Get One FREE Buffet or 50% OFF One Buffet at S7 Buffet
Must be at least 21 with valid photo ID and A-Play Card. Membership into the A-Play Club is free. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Complimentary buffet value up to $12.99, additional fees apply on specialty, brunch and holiday buffets. Tax and Gratuity not included. One coupon per person, per table, per week. Dine in only. No cash value. Void if copied. Management reserves all rights. Expires 12/5/15. Settle to: 535.
4100 PARADISE ROAD, LAS VEGAS, NV 89169 6030 W. WINDMILL LN., LAS VEGAS, NV 89139
8544 BLUE DIAMOND, LAS VEGAS, NV 89178 “Largest Cold Craft Beer Selection”
(702) 222-3030
(702) 629-2992
(702) 733-7000 www.SilverSevensCasino.com
FREE Bloody Mary or Mimosa
FREE Drink On Us at House of Blues Crossroads Bar
and $5 OFF adult ticket to Gospel Brunch at House of Blues.
Buy one drink and get the second FREE.
*Subject to availability. Must present coupon when booking Gospel Brunch ticket; to get a drink ticket for free Bloody Mary or Mimosa. Limit one coupon per customer. Not valid with any other offers. Offer is non-transferable and has no cash value. Not valid on holidays. Management reserves all rights. Expires 12/30/15.
*Good for one domestic beer, well drink or house wine, valid at the bar only. Must present this coupon when ordering drink. Limit one coupon per customer. Not valid with any other offers. Offifer is non-transferable and has no cash value. Must be 21+ with valid ID. Management reserves all rights. Expires 12/30/15.
HOUSE OF BLUES INSIDE MANDALAY BAY RESORT 3950 LAS VEGAS BLVD. S, LAS VEGAS, NV 89119
HOUSE OF BLUES INSIDE MANDALAY BAY RESORT 3950 LAS VEGAS BLVD. S, LAS VEGAS, NV 89119
(702) 632-7600 www.houseofblues.com/lasvegas
(702) 632-7600 www.houseofblues.com/lasvegas
20% off Any Purchase Over $30* at House of Blues Gear Shop
Buy 1 Get 1 Free Draft Beer
Features: Fashion, Souvenir Apparel & Accessories Inspired by MUSIC! *Excludes Artwork, CDs, Books, Sundries, Specialty Merch HOB Gear Shop at House of Blues located inside Mandalay Bay Resort.
*Must be at least 21 with valid photo ID. Cannot be combined with any other offer. No cash value. Management reserves all rights. Not valid on holidays or during special events. Expires 1/31/2016.
(702) 632-7600 HOUSE OF BLUES INSIDE MANDALAY BAY RESORT 3950 S LAS VEGAS BLVD, LAS VEGAS, NV 89119
www.houseofblues.com/lasvegas
Free $10 gift card
LOCATED CENTER STRIP AT THE LINQ UNDER THE WHEEL
(702) 862-BOWL www.BrooklynBowl.com
to Bravo! Larsen’s or GEN*
$40 All You Can Drive
*Must present this coupon to guest services located on the upper level near Macy’s. One gift card per person while supplies last. Not to be combined with any other offer. Other exclusions may apply. Expires 12/24/15.
*Valid at both LV locations only. Must have Local I.D. # of races may vary. Subject to availability and may be cancelled without notice. Restrictions may apply
GALLERIA AT SUNSET 1300 W SUNSET RD, HENDERSON, NV 89014
Tuesdays from 6p - 10p
4175 SOUTH ARVILLE, LAS VEEGAS, NV 89103 7350 PRAIRIE FALCON RD., LAS VEGAS, NV 89128
(702) 227-RACE www.PolePositionRaceway.com
$
4 OFF per Carton* Las Vegas Smoke Shop 1225 N. MAIN STREET, LV, NV 89101 (702) 366-1101 Snow Mountain Smoke Shop 11525 NU-WAV KAIV BLVD, LV, NV 89124 (702) 645-2957 www.LVPaiuteSmokeShop.com
Good for 2 FREE RECORDS or 2 FREE CDS
THE ONLY TRIBAL SMOKE SHOP IN LV
$.99 for a Muffin
Also, get 10% OFF Total Purchase *One coupon per customer per visit. Certain restrictions apply. Expires 12/12/15.
1641 E. SUNSET ROAD, STE. B104 LAS VEGAS, NV 89119
(702) 528-3738 www.vegasvinylrecords.com
(Cigarettes Only)
*Must be 18 years of age or older. NO LIMIT on any brand of carton purchased. Excludes filtered cigars. Cannot be combined with other offers or discounts. Limit one discount given per customer per day. Must present this coupon for redemption. Cannot be redeemed for cash. No photocopies accepted. EXPIRES 12/31/2015. TS SERVING LAS VEGAS SINCE 1978
Use PLU#2601 if barcode fails to scan.
*(Plus appl. tax). Limit one coupon per customer per visit. Coupon and barcode must be presented at time of purchase. Shop must retain coupon. No substitutions allowed. No cash refunds. Void if copied or transferred and where prohibited or restricted by law. Consumer must pay applicable tax. May not be combined with any other coupon, discount, promotion combo or value meal. Coupon may not be reproduced, copied, purchased, traded or sold. Internet distribution strictly prohibited. Cash redemption value: 1/20 of 1 cent. © 2014 DD IP Holder LLC. All rights reserved. Expires: 12/12/2015
1/2 OFF Range Fee
$5 FREE Slot Play for New Members
Must become a Player Rewards Card member to redeem. Existing Player Rewards Card Members do not qualify. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other free slot play offer. Management reserves all rights. Limit of one (1) New Member free slot play offer per person and Player Rewards card. Group #5446. Valid 11/29/15 — 12/5/15.
for Las Vegas Residents Sundays Only Enjoy our climate-controlled 14-lane shooting range, eye and ear protection, and you can even bring your own ammo! Don’t worry about those time limits other ranges have, $5 gets you a lane for as long as you want to pull the trigger! Come see why hundreds of thousands of locals have found our range to be the best in Las Vegas. *Simply mention this ad to redeem this offer.
725 S RACETRACK RD. HENDERSON, NV 89015
3084 HIGHLAND DRIVE. LAS VEGAS, NV 89109
(702) 566-5555 www.clubfortunecasino.com
(702) 567-1158 www.DiscountFirearmsLV.com
One Free Order of Fried Pickles
20% OFF
with purchase of regular priced entrée. *Dine in only. Must present coupon to redeem offer. Not valid with any other offer. Excludes holidays and special events. Management reserves all rights. Not including tax or gratuity. One voucher per guest per visit.
3850 LAS VEGAS BLVD. SO., LAS VEGAS, NV 89109
(702) 597-7991 www.dickslastresort.com
Entire Guest Check *One coupon, per table, per visit. Not valid with any other coupons or promotional offers. Coupon has no cash value. No change returned. Taxes and gratuity not included. Valid at participating Denny’s restaurants. Selection and prices may vary. Only original coupon accepted. Photocopied and Internet printed or purchased coupons are not valid. No substitutions. © 2014 DFO, LLC. Printed in the U.S.A. Offer valid on your next visit 12.6.15-12.19.15.
66
the sunday nov. 29 - dec. 5
life
We want to hear from you Send your thoughts to news@thesunday.com
PREMIER CROSSWORD
“BROADWAY OPENINGS” By frank longo
top downloads of the week (as of nov. 25) movies on itunes
1 2 3 4 5
11/29/15
Across China’s Mao — -tung 1 4 Thumb locale 8 Cries of unveiling 13 Spanish fleet 19 Post-bender headache 21 Poetry Muse 22 One-sided views 23 Old stage actress Duse 24 “Things go by so fast!” 26 “As far as I’m aware ...” 28 Brunched, e.g. 29 Kwik-E-Mart clerk 30 Writer Seton 31 Iris locale 32 Pres. advisory gp. 34 New — (Yanni, e.g.) 35 Become king after being a prince, say 43 Quirk of behavior 46 — Schwarz (toy retailer) 47 Kuwaiti royal 48 A third of IX 49 Totally up the creek 55 Semi section 58 Witty writer Bombeck 59 Hornswoggle 60 Actress Swenson 61 Hill’s partner 62 Nose partition 65 Piece for two 67 Paid no heed 70 “We’ve been raking in the profit” 75 Advance markdown 77 Requirement 78 Church decrees 81 Painter of melting watches 82 Camera varieties, for short 86 Vientiane’s country 88 “My Country” author Abba 89 Hole-poking tool 90 Phrase just before an act is introduced 95 Pouchlike body part 96 Incantation opener 97 River of Bern 98 Veer off course 99 What Thomas became, in kid-lit 107 Alone 108 See 102-Down
paid sports apps
“Minions” Kids & Family, $19.99 “Trainwreck” Comedy, $14.99
Solunar Best Hunting & Fishing Times $1.99 Pro Football Radio $0.99
“The Godfather Trilogy” Drama, $9.99 “Inside Out” Kids & Family, $19.99 “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” Action & Adventure, $19.99
Primos Hunting Calls $1.99 iSolunar Hunting & Fishing Times $4.99 J23 - Jordan Release Dates $1.99
©2015 king features syndicate
109 Love-letter “hugs” 110 Former toy company 114 Alley- — (court play) 115 Juicer 117 Overdoing the effort 123 Writer of the Tony winning musical featured in this puzzle 126 Flavored with a certain spice 127 Introduced acts, e.g. 128 Lenya of “Cabaret” 129 IRS part 130 Tallies again 131 Arctic people 132 Central part of a church 133 Star site DOWN 1 Greek letter 2 Perm place 3 Foe 4 Toot 5 Bristol’s river 6 Pianist Peter 7 Party to a financial transaction 8 Giggled Yank with a #13 jersey 9 10 Hip-hop bud 11 “Listen up!” 12 “— lied!” 13 Help do bad 14 Plentiful 15 Bad start? 16 Cheese in an Italian deli 17 Intensify 18 Make certain 20 Some Spanish paintings 25 Spiked staff 27 Harsh cleanser 33 “I dunno” gesture 34 Financier Onassis 36 ET ship 37 Avis rental 38 Unemotional 39 Vietnamese New Year 40 Actor Katz 41 Dusk-dawn linkup 42 Move quickly 43 Rail supports 44 Pertaining to 45 Singer Glen 50 Fad dance of the 1960s 51 Bro
52 Sonata, e.g. 53 Honoraria 54 Actor Scott 55 Payload area 56 Bitter brew 57 Part of B&B 61 One of Santa’s reindeer 63 Old Glory’s nation 64 Wire measure 66 “Sn” element 68 Sierra maker 69 Actress Peeples 71 Lark’s home 72 — -confident 73 Boyfriend 74 Hound’s clue 75 High-tech “appt. book” 76 Uncooked 79 Zippo 80 Winter drifter 83 — apso 84 Pat of the Christian right 85 Ride a wave 87 Antler sporter 90 — -Mart (retail chain) 91 Unemotional 92 Greek letter 93 “Bali —” 94 Suffix with southeast 95 Wily 99 Worker on a housetop 100 Huge, in French 101 Camel kin 102 With 108-Across, of acceptable quality 103 Department in northern France 104 Near-eternity 105 Noodle 106 Erstwhile anesthetic 111 Spun tales 112 Floorboard sound 113 Curiously 115 Lineup 121-Down: Abbr. 116 REO part 118 Post-Q string 119 Himalayan legend 120 Funny Fey 121 Showing via the idiot box 122 Arch with a double curve 124 Composer Rorem 125 Manning of football
KenKen® is a registered trademark of Nextoy, LLC. ©2015 KenKen Puzzle LLC. All rights reserved. Dist. by Universal Uclick for UFS. www.kenken.com
without repeating. Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging)
The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the
target numbers in the top-left corners. Freebies: Fill in singlebox cages with the number in the top-left corner
For answers to this week’s puzzles, go to Page 41
“Changing the Perception of Dentistry one child at a time� Our 6 themed rooms will have your kids looking forward to their next dentist visit.
Call (702) 522-2272
to schedule your appointment with Dr. Brandon today!
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