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HARD ROCK HOTEL HOSTS ONE LAST MUSIC BLOWOUT For 25 years, the Hard Rock Hotel has dominated the off-Strip scene: It was the place to go for live music when Las Vegas didn’t have many venues. It innovated the pool dayclub concept with Rehab. Its lively Center Bar was the place to see and be seen. Tragically, it was the location of The Who guitarist John Entwistle’s death. But above all, it was a relatively small casino with a big heart. Before closing to be reborn as Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, the Hard Rock will throw its “Last Great Party Weekend” from January 30 to February 2. Free, live performances will take place throughout the casino, featuring veteran touring act The English Beat (Saturday, 5 p.m., Peacock Lounge) and such Vegas music scene anchors as Shawn Eiferman (Thursday, 6 p.m., Peacock Lounge; Saturday, 4 p.m., near Fu Asian Kitchen), The Rhyolite Sound (Friday, 7 p.m., Peacock Lounge), Otherwise (Saturday, 8 p.m., near Fu), Ekoh (Saturday, 9:30 p.m., near Fu) and Moksha (Sunday, 10:30 p.m., Peacock Lounge). Food and beverage specials will roll back to 1995 prices, and daily giveaways will send some guests home with pieces from the venue’s famous memorabilia collection. “We are especially thankful to the Las Vegas community for its support over the past 25 years and for allowing us to be a part of their most cherished memories,” CEO Richard “Boz” Bosworth— who’ll lead a farewell toast Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Peacock Lounge said in a news release. “We look forward to giving the property the send-off it deserves.” –C. Moon Reed
WEEK IN REVIEW WEEK AHEAD EV E N T S T O F O L L OW A N D N EWS YO U M I SS E D
Team owner Mark Davis, center, speaks January 22 in front of Allegiant Stadium during a news conference officially renaming the Oakland Raiders the Las Vegas Raiders. Davis has frequently visited construction workers throughout the process of the stadium being built, often bearing meals or gifts. “Mark has really embedded himself in the community,” said Steve Beasley, the electrical superintendent at the stadium. “People don’t realize what this community means to him. He’s a great guy who really cares.” (Steve Marcus/Staff)
L A S V E G A S W E E K LY
IN THIS ISSUE
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Super Bowl prep (and dreaming of a Vegas game)
CULTURE
Looking back at 15 years inside Studio at the Palms
CULTURE
The Growlers, Vesper bar and Waffles, three ways
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5ME: Everything you need to know about caucusing Vegas Inc: This is not your father’s office space
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STORIES FROM LAST WEEK OCTOBER 1 MONEY RELEASED Federal officials have released some of a $16.7 million grant to help survivors of the October 2017 mass shooting on the Strip, Nevada’s U.S. senators said January 24. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen said a delay hurt service providers’ ability to plan and provide aid to survivors and family members affected by the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. OUT OF RESPECT FOR BRYANT, LVCVA POSTPONES UNVEILING Local festivities surrounding the unveiling of a new Las Vegas tourism slogan were postponed after the unexpected death of basketball great Kobe Bryant, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority announced January 26. “The hearts of everyone in Las Vegas are with the families and friends of those lost, with all of Los Angeles and with his fans around the world,” Steve Hill, the authority’s CEO, said in a statement on Bryant’s death.
HE SAID IT
“The Senate is being called to sit as the high court of impeachment all too frequently. Indeed, we are living in what I think can aptly be described as the age of impeachment.” –Kenneth Starr, speaking January 27 to senators in defense of President Donald Trump, roughly 21 years after releasing a report that led to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton
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EX-‘BACHELOR’ CONTESTANT STRIPPED OF MILLION-DOLLAR WIN Sports gambling giant DraftKings announced January 25 it won’t give former Bachelor contestant Jade Roper Tolbert the $1 million prize for winning an online fantasy football contest after she and her husband were accused of cheating. Roper Tolbert beat more than 100,000 entries to take the top prize in the “Millionaire Maker contest.” But both she and her husband, Tanner Tolbert, each submitted the maximum 150 entries allowed, and nearly all the entries had a uniquely different lineup of players. BRITAIN SIDES WITH CHINA Britain decided January 28 to allow Chinese tech giant Huawei to supply new high-speed network equipment, ignoring the U.S. government’s warnings that it would sever intelligence cooperation if the company was not banned. It’s the first such decision by a major U.S. ally in Europe, and follows intense lobbying from the Trump administration and China as the two vie for technological dominance.
Polish President Andrzej Duda walks along with survivors through the gates of the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp to attend the 75th anniversary of its liberation January 27 in Oswiecim, Poland. About 200 camp survivors attended, many of them elderly Jews and non-Jews who traveled from Israel, the United States, Australia, Peru, Russia, Slovenia and elsewhere. Many lost parents and grandparents in Auschwitz or other Nazi death camps during World War II, but were joined by children, grandchildren and even greatgrandchildren. Ronald Lauder, the president of the World Jewish Congress, brought the crowd to tears with the story of a survivor who was separated from his family: The man watched his young daughter, in a red coat, walk to her death, turning into a small red dot in the distance before disappearing forever. After the end of the war, when “the world finally saw pictures of gas chambers, nobody in their right mind wanted to be associated with the Nazis,” he recalled. “But now I see something I never thought I would see in my lifetime, the open and brazen spread of anti-Jewish hatred. Do not be silent! Do not be complacent! Do not let this ever happen again—to any people!” (Czarek Sokolowski/Associated Press)
LAS VEGAS’ FIRST ROBERTO’S TO CLOSE AFTER 30 YEARS For the past three decades, Roberto’s Taco Shop has been a mainstay on the Valley’s food scene. Practically every Las Vegan who has lived here during that time has a Roberto’s story or a tip, from late-night runs to hangover cures. Founded in San Diego in 1964 by Roberto and Dolores Robledo, Roberto’s expanded to Las Vegas in 1990, opening its first local location at the University District at 1220 E. Harmon Ave. That spot is now scheduled to close on January 31 before moving south a few blocks to its new home at 4700 S. Maryland Parkway. There are now 57 Roberto’s Taco Shop locations in Southern and Northern Nevada. The chain remains family-owned and employs roughly 600 Nevadans. –Genevie Durano
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E n v i s i o n i n g t h e i m m i n e n t L a s Ve g a s S u p e r B o w l By Case Keefer or many years, the NFL only mentioned its championship game in conjunction with Las Vegas when controversy struck. The league’s longtime licensing rule banning the words “Super Bowl” in promotional materials has significantly impacted Las Vegas, where watch parties are ubiquitous. The NFL has threatened litigation when properties have veered away from more general terms like “big game.” And in 2003, the league infamously rejected a commercial submitted by the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority to be aired during Super Bowl 37. Now, however, with the league embracing gambling (having announced a partnership with Caesars Entertainment at the start of 2019), with the 2020 NFL Draft set to take place on the Strip in April and with the Raiders ready to begin play here next season, the NFL/Vegas schism is clearly closing. The ultimate symbol of that mended relationship should come before long, when the NFL brings the Super Bowl to Las Vegas.
That possibility has been whispered about since the Raiders began expressing interest in relocating here back in 2016. Those whispers have now become roars, with even NFL’s highest-ranking employee acknowledging the likelihood of Las Vegas going from Super Bowl blacklist to Super Bowl host. “You have the infrastructure, and I think you’re Super Bowl ready,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said January 17 at the Wynn. “You now have Allegiant Stadium that I think is going to be a world-class stadium, so you have everything here. Now it’s just a matter of working with leadership to understand how you want to execute all of that—how do you want to take the Super Bowl and make it bigger and better?” It’s a perfect fit on paper—arguably the most anticipated event of the year taking place in a city famous for staging over-the-top celebrations. That doesn’t mean there aren’t a few questions that need to be addressed first, however. Here are some of the most pressing.
When could it happen? You might want to start browsing hotel rooms for the last week of January 2025. Super Bowl 59, expected to take place on February 2, 2025, is the next NFL championship game without an announced location. If there were betting odds, Las Vegas would be the favorite to secure the assignment. Allegiant Stadium will have been open for nearly five years and already endured a longer wait to host the Super Bowl than most new NFL venues have. Eight other NFL stadiums have opened since 2006, and they’ve all hosted a Super Bowl within their first four years. That includes LA’s SoFi Stadium, which like Allegiant Stadium is set to open next year and has already been given the nod for the 2022 Super Bowl. If 2025 doesn’t work out, Las Vegas might also be in the running for 2026 and 2027. Atlanta, which hosted the game last year, and Miami, this year’s site, have formally requested another shot at the game between 2025 and 2027, with the understanding that Las Vegas might take precedence, according to a recent report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The NFL operates its Super Bowl site selection with significant secrecy, especially after changing the format in 2018. Cities used to submit competitive bids, with NFL owners voting for a winner, but the presentations became so elaborate, the league opted to streamline the process. The league now selects one city with which it negotiates terms each year. The owners either approve the resulting bid or decline and move on to another candidate.
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CASE KEEFER SHARES MEMORABLE MOMENTS FROM MEDIA NIGHT AT MIAMI’S MARLINS PARK “I wouldn’t travel back in time; I’d travel ahead in time. I know it’s crazy, but I like to look ahead. … I had actually never watched a Super Bowl until two years ago, Patriots versus Eagles. I’m sorry, I just don’t watch football.” –Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, when asked which Super Bowl he’d choose to travel back in time and play in
The topic gets discussed annually at the NFL’s spring meetings, with potential host cities typically given three to six years’ notice. With the 2020 meetings scheduled for March 29-April 1 in Palm Beach, Florida, Las Vegas could conceivably lock down a Super Bowl date two months from now. Is Vegas ready for it? It’s important to note, the Super Bowl represents far more than a game. It’s a weeklong event, packed with media conferences, business meetings, corporate parties and concerts. The NFL recently specified its three-to-six-year host site notice window because of the grand scale of the undertaking. Las Vegans don’t seem to think that much lead time will be necessary here. “From a purely technical standpoint, Las Vegas is ready, willing and able as soon as the time is right for the Super Bowl,” says Jeremy Aguero, a principal analyst at Applied Analysis consulting and a local sports-industry expert. In 2014, a document detailing the NFL’s requirements for its Super Bowl host cities leaked, sending shock waves through some potential sites. A couple years later, with Las Vegas on the verge of landing the Raiders, one Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) official looked over the conditions and declared them “not a problem” locally. The guidelines included a minimum of 25,000 hotel rooms within an hour of the stadium and an 850,000-square-foot convention space solely for the NFL Experience, the league’s roving interactive theme
(Charlie Riedel/AP)
park. Las Vegas boasts 149,000 hotel rooms and more than 11 million square feet of convention space, according to Aguero. Entertainment venues are another key piece of the puzzle, and an area where some cities fall short. Three years ago in Houston, a city with nearly four times Las Vegas’ population, deserted warehouses had to be converted into party spaces for ancillary corporate events. Nothing of the sort would be necessary here. “We have so much space, and by 2025, who knows what [else] we’ll have?” says 19-year event industry veteran Sarah Paige-Brander, senior operations manager at destination management company Hosts Las Vegas. “We have the concert venues, the festival fields, the parking lots, the convention space. We have anything and everything. There’s no shortage.” Beyond the spaces themselves, the value of the local events industry infrastructure can’t be overstated. At many host sites, corporations must outsource such necessities as furniture rental or stage design to companies outside the city. In that regard, having the Super Bowl in Las Vegas could be a cost-cutting measure, with most everything required already here. “We have one client who comes to the city every “Do you think he uses emojis?” year and does –49ers quarterback Jimmy Garopover 30 events in polo, when asked about texting conversations with former one night, so we coach Bill Belichick can handle it,” says Lauren Tieru, a senior
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account executive at Hosts Las Vegas. “This would be a different type of event because it’s not necessarily one company hosting; it would be much more diverse, but we’re not scared. We’re ready.” How ready? Aguero has spoken at conferences and meetings about the possibility of Las Vegas hosting the Super Bowl, and he always shares the same anecdote: Minneapolis’ 2018 Super Bowl drew 175,000 visitors that the weekend. On the same dates, Las Vegas had more than 300,000 visitors in town. Las Vegas hotel occupancy rates normally rise above 95% during Super Bowl weekend, with last year’s economic impact estimated at $426 million, not including gambling. Could it really get much bigger? Aguero, who estimates that—factoring in gambling— a Super Bowl in Las Vegas could bring $1 billion to the area, says, “Something [Las Vegas Sands Senior Vice President] Andy Abboud said has always resonated with me: Becoming an NFL city and hosting a Super Bowl takes us to an entirely new level as a city—it’s like a quantum leap.” How Vegas would it be? Since the recent reveal of the plans for the upcoming NFL Draft in Las Vegas, pundits and fans have been just gushing over—or complaining about the garishness of—the undertaking, which will include a red-carpet stage in the middle of the Bellagio fountains. The Super Bowl would surely be even more over-the-top. Goodell has emphasized the Super Bowl as a way to showcase the features and landmarks of its host city, and Las Vegas’ prevailing attitude has always been that if it can be dreamed up, it can be done. A portion of the Strip will shut down for three days during the NFL Draft, a possible clue as to a Vegas Super Bowl game plan, which could find free concerts, tailgate parties or other fan experiences staged in the middle of Las Vegas Boulevard. One thing seems certain: Whatever happens will be visually striking. Billboards and street-lamp posters generally plaster the Super Bowl’s host city, but expect Las Vegas to go well beyond that. Allegiant Stadium will feature large, retractable windows facing the Strip, and the NFL and its sponsors will surely want to maximize that view. “I can foresee all the branding on the marquees, the parking garages just being covered with banners and Super Bowl clings, or even the windows of the Luxor,” Tieru said. “There’s just so much real estate and so much you could do for marketing.” Tieru and Paige-Brander envision an arm’s race among corporations, each trying to outdo the others with parties and theatricality. They cited the Vegas Golden Knights’ pregame show as a precursor, in terms of Cirque du Soleil-inspired style. In the same way NHL teams began emulating that VGK production, future Super Bowl cities might look back at Las Vegas’ event as the standard-bearer. “Ask yourself these questions: Does the NFL do anything that isn’t spectacular? Does Las Vegas do anything that isn’t spectacular?” Aguero said. “You put those two things together and you have exceptional possibilities.”
“I can’t think of my favorite JLo movie right now. I’m sorry, JLo, I still love you. Don’t tell her. Delete all content.” –49ers 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman, after unsuccessfully trying to name his favorite Jennifer Lopez movie
What would it mean for the betting handle? The modern era’s largest single increase in Super Bowl betting volume came in 2014, when Nevada’s sportsbooks took in $119.4 million in wagers, a 17.1 percent uptick from the year before. A Vegas Super Bowl would likely make an even greater impact. “I can only imagine what it will be like if we were the host city,” says Jay Kornegay, executive vice president of operations at Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. “Off the top of my head, it probably increases it by more than 20 percent, or even more like 30 percent just by hosting the game.” Gambling might not be the primary revenue driver it once was in Las Vegas casinos, but Super Bowl weekend represents an exception. The point
spread, over/under total and many proposition wagers remain focal points for both tourists and locals. The record amount wagered in-state stands at $158,586,934 for the 2018 Super Bowl. It’s considered likely this year’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco will break that mark. If, as many also expect, sports betting volume continues to increase with nationwide expansion, the first Las Vegas Super Bowl could creep up around the $300 million threshold. Could the Raiders crash the party? Don’t laugh. Sure, the Raiders’ championship aspirations seem far from their current reality, consider-
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An Allegiant Staduim rendering (Wilfredo Lee/AP)
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GLANCING BACK THROUGH THE NEW VEGAS TEAM’S SUPER BOWL HISTORY BY CASE KEEFER Only 10 NFL franchises have reached the Super Bowl five times or more, and the soon-to-be-local Raiders are on that exclusive list. They’re also one of nine franchises to have captured three or more Super Bowl trophies, having gone 3-2 in the NFL’s championship game. Here’s a rundown on the Raiders’ five Super Bowl appearances and how they fared in each. SUPER BOWL 2 (January 14, 1968; Miami) The Raiders went 13-1 to win the AFL behind a career year from quarterback Daryle Lamonica, but were set up to fail against coach Vince Lombardi’s imposing Packers. The Packers rolled to a 33-14 victory.
“[Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo] is the best-looking guy on the team. I mean, by far. Wow.” –49ers left tackle Joe Staley, on his most attractive teammate
(Wilfredo Lee/AP)
ing the team has posted 16 losing records over the past 17 years. But things can change quickly in the NFL, arguably faster than in any other major sport. The 49ers hadn’t finished with a winning record since 2013 before this year’s breakthrough. And the Raiders have something important working in their favor for a 2025-2027 timeline: 11 picks in the top three rounds of the next three NFL Drafts, largely the result of a series of trades in coach Jon Gruden’s first year. If the team drafts well, those players could go with this past season’s strong rookies—a group that includes running back Josh Jacobs, safety Johnathan Abram and edge rushers Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby—to form a championship-level core.
The Raiders should also find it easier to attract free agents in Las Vegas, where they’ll have top-flight facilities—a Henderson headquarters and practice space in addition to Allegiant Stadium—to pair with the draw of Nevada’s lack of state income tax. No team has ever played a Super Bowl in its home stadium, a statistical improbability almost sure to change sometime in the near future. The Raiders might have as strong a chance as any team, even more so if a recent NBC Sports report—indicating that the NFL could make Las Vegas and LA part of a regular Super Bowl rotation—proves true. If so, a city once barred from mentioning the Super Bowl could become synonymous with it by the end of the decade.
SUPER BOWL 11 (January 9, 1977; Pasadena, California) Having just missed the Super Bowl with losses in the AFC Championship Game the three previous years, the Raiders weren’t going to let their longawaited chance at gold slip away. They pounded the Minnesota Vikings 32-14 behind big games from future Hall of Famers Fred Biletnikoff, who had four catches for 79 yards, and Willie Brown, who returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown. SUPER BOWL 15 (January 25, 1981; New Orleans) The Raiders came in as 3-point underdogs to the Philadelphia Eagles but scored touchdowns on two of their first three drives to continue a hot streak that saw them win five straight games heading into the Super Bowl. Quarterback Jim Plunkett threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns as part of the Raiders’ 27-10 victory. SUPER BOWL 18 (January 22, 1984; Tampa, Florida) The Raiders again came in as 3-point underdogs to the NFC champions, the Washington Redskins this time around, and again clobbered their opponent. Known as “Black Sunday” for the color of the Raiders’ jerseys—they had worn white for the two previous Super Bowl wins—the game saw Marcus Allen explode for 191 yards and two touchdowns to help his team beat the Redskins 38-9. SUPER BOWL 37 (January 26, 2003; San Diego) Then-former coach Jon Gruden defeated the Raiders in their fifth Super Bowl appearance, leading the Buccaneers to a 48-21 victory 11 months after owner Al Davis traded him away. The Raiders haven’t won a playoff game—and have only advanced to the postseason once—since.
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PICK AGAINST THE MAJORITY FOR YOUR SUPER BOWL PROPS BY CASE KEEFER lot of football bettors employ a “fade the public” tactic, in which they gamble against the most popular sides all season, and for the most part, it’s a nonsensical, long-term losing strategy. In a single game, with few exceptions, public money isn’t enough to offset larger wagers by professionals and influence the betting market. The Super Bowl is different. Somewhere around $150 million will be wagered statewide on the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, and the vast majority will come from recreational bettors. Public betting volume on the Super Bowl is too high for sports books to ignore, which forces bookmakers limit their liability accordingly by implementing an upcharge on the most popular bets—largely “over” and “yes” wagers on thousands of propositions. That provides an opportunity to extract value on props largely by betting “no” and “under.” Here are seven bets—taken from the initial William Hill and Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook betting menus—where it appears best to go against the grain in Super Bowl 54.
NICK BOSA “Wash your hands and stay clean, because there’s a virus going on out there. Enjoy the Super Bowl.” –49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, asked to make a coronavirus public service announcement
Will there be a defensive or special teams touchdown? No at minus-220 (risking $2.20 to win $1) (William Hill) It’s generally a profitable position to bet “no” on all props of the “will there be …” variety, but bettors stray from the large risk inherent in wagering against such things as a safety (minus-800) or overtime (minus-900). That’s understandable; just stick with the lower costs. This line implies there’s a 35 percent chance there will be a defensive or special teams score, when it actually happens in closer to 30 percent of NFL games. And these teams, if anything, appear less likely to do so. They were both above average defending kickoffs and minimizing offensive miscues all year. Under 122.5 total field goal yardage (SuperBook) This is a show of faith in the two coaches. EdjSports’ coach rankings, which grade every decision made throughout the season from a win probability standpoint, placed Kansas City’s Andy Reid No. 2 and San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan No. 4. They’re both smart enough to realize long field goal attempts are hardly ever worthwhile. Shanahan has called for short field goals too frequently, but he must know even those are an admission of defeat against an offense as explosive as Kansas City’s.
“They’re such a great, fun group of guys to be around. I wore this for them. Tommy Bahama is great for big guys. I’m like a big grandfather. It’s comfortable.” –Chiefs coach Andy Reid, on his tropical Chiefs shirt
ANDY REID KYLE SHANAHAN
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“I think [Tyreek Hill] should do a floss. That’s all I ever seen him do, the floss. What am I going to do if I score a touchdown? I don’t know, it’s just whatever comes to me when I’m on the dancefloor.” –Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, on his team’s Super Bowl end zone celebration plans
Raheem Mostert under 80.5 rushing yards (William Hill) Don’t pay a premium for a player coming off of a career day. The 49ers’ running back rushed for 220 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries in the AFC Championship Game, but there’s no guarantee Mostert will get any more opportunities than teammates Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman in the Super Bowl. And the much-maligned Chiefs’ rush defense has improved significantly; it won’t be helpless against whoever’s running the ball. Nick Bosa under 3.5 tackles (William Hill) Bosa, the second overall pick in last year’s NFL Draft, has been a terror all year and probably deserved more consideration for the Defensive Player of the Year award, but tackles are far tougher to register than most realize. The difficulty will only ramp up for a defensive lineman against the Chiefs’ pass happy offense led by the slippery Patrick Mahomes. Bosa will make his presence felt with pressure, but the rookie averaged only 3.35 tackles per game during the regular season. Under 54.5 points (almost everywhere) The point total opened as low as over/ under 51.5 points, but immediate action didn’t allow it to stay there for long. South Point bookmaker Chris Andrews tweeted that it took more than 24 hours to get a single bet on the under. SuperBook counterpart Jeff Sherman similarly reported that the ticket count was skewed 33-to-1 on the over. Most analytics indicate this total sits a couple points inflated, but no one wants to bet against the Chiefs’ offense. So, don’t; back both the Chiefs and a lower-scoring game. Final score: Chiefs 28, 49ers 21.
TRAVIS KELCE
Will there be a two-point conversion attempt? No at minus-160 (risking $1.60 to win $1) (SuperBook) Kansas City and San Francisco tied for last in the NFL in going for two—only twice each all season—and neither team has gone for two thus far in the playoffs. Game situations could change that in the Super Bowl, but it seems unlikely. This is the type of novelty play bettors love to count on, but in reality, it happens more rarely than the odds imply.
Nick Bosa (Rick Scuteri/AP); Tyreek Hill (Colin E. Braley/AP); Travis Kelce, Andy Reid (Charlie Riedel/AP); Kyle Shanahan (Matt York/AP)
Travis Kelce under 81.5 receiving yards (William Hill) The veteran tight end leads Kansas City in targets, receptions and receiving yards, so most bettors will be looking to back him in any way possible. That’s a mistake and a slight against San Francisco’s terrific defense against tight ends. The 49ers were second in the league in defending tight ends, according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric, and will scheme heavily against Kelce.
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READ THIS BEFORE HEADING TO YOUR SUPER BOWL 54 PARTY BY CASE KEEFER ore than 100 million viewers have watched the Super Bowl for 38 straight years. The average number of viewers for the regular season’s Sunday Night Football, which typically features the game of the week? Around 20 million. That means if you plan to watch the game but didn’t follow football closely during the 2019-2020 season, you’re far from alone. We’ve whipped up a quick-read Kansas City vs. San Francisco study guide to make sure you’re well-prepared.
SUPER BOWL 54 Teams: Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers When: February 2, kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida Latest odds: Chiefs minus-1; 54.5 total TV: Fox Radio: ESPN 1100-AM
Strength against strength For the first time since 2014, when the young, suffocating Seattle Seahawks took on Peyton Manning’s record-breaking Denver Broncos, the Super Bowl features a true matchup of the league’s best offense against the league’s best defense. Kansas City led all playoff teams offensively for the season at 6.2 yards per play. (The Dallas Cowboys were ahead of them in the regular season, at 6.5, but were inconsistent from game to game and struggled to finish drives. The Chiefs had neither of those problems.) San Francisco, meanwhile, has given up only 4.6 yards per play—not only the best mark this season but tops in the NFL since 2015. The 49ers have virtually no weaknesses on defense. The prolific passer For years, fans have wondered which quarterbacks might emerge at the forefront of a new generation of all-time greats once players like Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees aged or retired. Enter Patrick Mahomes. With his combination of foot speed and arm strength, the 24-year-old Texas Tech graduate is making history only two years into his NFL career. He became the second-ever unanimous Most Valuable Player award recipient last season, when he threw for 50 touchdowns and 5,097 yards. He’s been just as efficient this year despite missing two games and playing at less than full strength in a couple of others because of a midseason knee injury. The shutdown corner There’s a dearth of Super Bowl experience across these two rosters, but the leader of the 49ers’ defense stands out as a notable exception. Cornerback Richard Sherman helped lead the Seahawks to two Super Bowls—a 2014 win over the Broncos and a 2015 loss to the Patriots—and now returns with a new team. Pro Football Focus, which grades the success of every player on every play, recently named Sherman “the cornerback of the decade.” The 31-year-old is known for shutting off an entire side of the field, which could provide a challenge to Mahomes. An overdue coach For more than a decade, the Chiefs’ Andy Reid has led lists of best current coaches who’ve never won a Super Bowl. The 61-year-old helped revolutionize offense in the NFL starting in 1999 with his tenure as coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s 221-142 all-time between stints in Philadelphia and Kansas City, and has helped his team advance to the playoffs in 16 of his 21 seasons. But he’s known for postseason flameouts, having only coached in one previous Super Bowl—the Eagles’ three-point loss to the Patriots in 2005. A championship ring is the only thing missing from Reid’s résumé.
PATRICK MAHOMES
A three-headed monster One of the most notable strategic changes in the NFL over the past decade involves running back deployment. With few exceptions, teams aren’t leaning on a single workhorse back to rack up 25-30 carries per game anymore. Using a committee has proven to be the more efficient approach, and no team embraces that philosophy more than the 49ers. Three San Francisco running backs—Raheem Mostert, Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman—rushed for more than 500 yards during the regular season, and it’s anyone’s guess which will be featured most prominently in the game plan against the Chiefs.
Patrick Mahomes (Jeff Roberson/AP); Richard Sherman (John Froschauer/AP); Head shots (AP)
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RICHARD SHERMAN
SOME RECOMMENDED FEBRUARY 2 WATCH PARTIES
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■ For the fifth year in a row, the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center will host its free-to-the-public Big Game Bash. Fans looking to upgrade can reserve tables for a $60 food and drink minimum and 20-person Man Caves for a $4,000-$5,000 food and drink minimum. Nearby, the D will also throw a free party in its ballroom, with unlimited food and drink packages available for $175 and 15-person Man Caves for a $3,000 food and drink minimum (up to 10 more people can be added for $200 per person). 11 a.m., dlvec.com/event/ biggest-big-game-bash-2020.
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■ Ellis Island’s brand new Front Yard patio space will sell by-the-table packages (prices average $200-$250), with an allyou-can-eat buffet and unlimited drinks through the end of the third quarter. Doors at 2:30 p.m., bit.ly/3aDrUeG. ■ Wynn’s swank Encore Players Lounge will put you on plush sofas in proximity to private gaming tables and an all-youcan-eat menu of football favorites for $185 (drinks not included). Call 702-7703463 for reservations and more details.
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■ The House of Blues will open at 2 p.m., with all-you-can-eat (and drink) options available in the Music Hall, Restaurant & Bar and Foundation Room starting at $60 for a buffet loaded with pulled pork, mac and cheese and $150 with unlimited well drinks, domestic beer and house wine and running up to $2,500 for up to 18 guests in a private space. houseofblues.com/lasvegas.
■ The Pearl Concert Theater inside the Palms will open for Super Bowl Sunday, with three pricing tiers available: $25 balcony seating (which includes two drink tickets), $70 mezzanine seating (which includes two drink tickets and unlimited food) and $125 premium mezzanine seating (which includes unlimited food and drinks). Doors at 2 p.m., palms. com/biggame. ■ From kickoff until 8 p.m., PT’s Taverns across the Valley will serve up $1 Bud Lights and Michelob Ultras in 12-ounce souvenir cups, plus $1 hot classic dogs and $3 chili cheese dogs. Also on Super Bowl Sunday, PT’s will feature Big Game boxes of tacos, wings, nachos and more, for dine-in or takeout. pteglv.com/promotions/biggame-sunday. ■ Sapphire gentleman’s club will begin its festivities with an outdoor tailgate party at noon, leading up to the game, for which sports personality Mia Khalifa will serve as host. The venue will offer three packages: GA ($75, which includes the tailgate buffet), VIP ($125, which includes reserved seating and the tailgate buffet) and Open Bar ($199, which includes reserved seating, the tailgate buffet and unlimited drinks). sapphirelasvegas.com.
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■ The HyperX Esports Arena inside the Luxor will host a $50 party that will include a game-day buffet with rib tips, pretzel bites, pulled pork sliders and more and a view of the venue’s 50-foot LED screen. VIP upgrades are also available. 2 p.m., bit.ly/2tSmNH4.
■ The South Point will offer free gatherings in five locations on property: the Exhibit Hall, Grand Ballroom, Grandview Lounge, Showroom and Sports Book. All are free—open on a firstcome, first-serve basis—with gameday food and drink specials including chicken wings, hot dogs, $25 buckets of Budweiser and Bud Light and $5 cocktails available in the Exhibit Hall, Grand Ballroom and Showroom, along with on-site wagering stations. Doors at 10 a.m., southpointcasino.com.
■ OYO Hotel & Casino will offer food and drink packages beginning at $119 for a buffet featuring hot dogs, brats, nachos, deli sandwiches and Hooters wings, plus unlimited domestic drafts. Upgrades include craft and imported beers and well drinks ($35) and premium liquor ($55). 2 p.m., oyolasvegas.com.
■ The Westgate Las Vegas, home to the SuperBook, the world’s largest sports book, will spread the celebration all over its property, with free parties—complete with big screens and food and drink specials—also set for the International Theater and the Westgate Cabaret. Doors at noon, 800-732-7117.
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ANXIETY AND MOOD For years, anxiety has been widely treated with pharmaceutical drugs, which can be addictive and cause side effects, but increasingly, people are turning to CBD for relief instead. Why is this relevant to women? The Anxiety and Depression Association of America reports that from the beginning of puberty until about age 50, women are twice as likely as men to have an anxiety disorder. Although the research isn’t conclusive, there have been multiple small studies demonstrating that CBD may ease anxiety, including 2019 research published in The Permanente Journal.
USING CBD TO TREAT WOMEN’S HEALTH ISSUES +
Cannabidiol (CBD) is becoming more widely used and touted as a possible cure for anxiety, inflammation, skin conditions and more. While it’s still being clinically evaluated for its medicinal effects, the cannabis plant has been anecdotally consumed for its healing properties for thousands of years, with many individuals hopping on the CBD bandwagon more recently to impressive results. A treatment modality for adults, children and even pets, some cannabis compounds may be particularly beneficial to women. Here’s a look at how CBD is being used to treat women’s health issues.
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HOW DOES CBD WORK? Though still being studied, CBD is thought to activate endocannabinoid receptors in the body, which can have a relaxing effect on the nervous system. Unlike THC, a compound in the cannabis plant that has psychoactive properties, CBD does not cause a high.
PMS Because CBD can cause relaxation in the body and mind, many women are using it to treat premenstrual syndrome for mild to moderate relief. The most common symptoms of PMS include anxiety, irritability, sleep problems, cramps and bloating.
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G LO B A L C A N N A B I N O I D S
AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES It’s estimated that the majority of patients with autoimmune diseases are women. In fact, 9 of 10 patients with lupus are females, reports a 2018 study from the University of Gothenburg. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that new cases of rheumatoid arthritis are typically two to three times higher in women than in men. CBD may help lower inflammation in the body, which can help improve symptoms for many of these conditions, especially lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. There are also active studies evaluating the effect of CBD on multiple sclerosis. For those looking for inflammation relief, topically applied CBD shows promise, according to a study from the European Journal of Pain.
SKIN CBD’s anti-inflammatory benefits don’t just help with pain; it’s now being used as a topical solution for acne, redness and other common skin issues. A 2014 study published by the Journal of Clinical Investigation found that CBD can reduce acne and sebum production—the oil barrier of your skin— allowing for a clearer, more balanced complexion. It’s also being used in many types of other beauty products, including anti-aging products and supplements. For people who have eczema and rosacea, CBD may help relieve flare-ups and reduce redness/swelling.
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FEB 4-9 REYNOLDS HALL THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL
BIG THIS WEEK JAN 30-FEB 2
JIMMY KIMMEL’S COMEDY CLUB DAN CUMMINS When comedian Dan Cummins hits Jimmy Kimmel’s club for a six-show run, it won’t be his first experience with Las Vegas. In a 2016 Comedy Central clip, he jokes about his attempt to re-enact Hunter S. Thompson’s drug-fueled romp through the city—to hallucinogenic terror and, ultimately, hilarity. This stop on his Toxic Thoughts tour should be a milder, if no less funny, trip. 8 p.m., $25-$55. –Genevie Durano
(Courtesy)
JAN 31-FEB 8
THE COLOSSEUM VAN MORRISON Everyone knows “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Moondance,” but 74-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Van Morrison has the type of catalog that demands much deeper diving. Start with 1968 album Astral Weeks and work your way forward. By the time you get to 1974’s Veedon Fleece, we predict you’ll be online scoping out tickets to his latest run of Caesars Palace performances. 8 p.m., $96$234. –Spencer Patterson (Courtesy)
Are you ready, kids? Here we go: Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Whose Broadway musical soaked up 12 Tony nominations? Who’s got six Drama Desk wins? Whose show’s score includes contributions from The Flaming Lips, Lady Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, T.I. and the saltiest chunks of Aerosmith? Who’s got a multiple awardwinning set design by artist David Zinn? Hint: It’s not David Mamet (though it could’ve been). The SpongeBob Musical, based on the beloved Nickelodeon cartoon, comes to Smith Center as it probably came to Broadway’s Palace Theater: underestimated. Yet this show, conceived and directed by Tina Landau, choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, orchestrated by Tom Kitt and scripted by Kyle Jarrow, has consistently bowled over those who have seen it. And with a traveling cast including Beau Bradshaw, Daria Pilar Redus, Cody Cooley, Zach Kononov and Lorenzo Pugliese, you, too, will swim happily through SpongeBob’s charming nautical nonsense. 7:30 p.m., $30-$138. –Geoff Carter
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calendar p32
(Amy Harris/AP Photo)
SAT, FEB 1 |
XS ALESSO
If you didn’t ask Alexa to play Alesso’s NYE Amazon Music mix to ring in 2020, did you even really party? Head to XS to catch the Swedish DJ, who just threw down a set at the X Games music festival in Aspen, Colorado. 10 p.m., $30-$50. –Leslie Ventura
THRU FEB 16
THU, JAN 30
SAT, FEB 1
MAJESTIC REPERTORY THEATRE SWEENEY TODD
TROESH STUDIO THEATER SPOTLIGHT ON DEBUSSY
ORLEANS ARENA SAN DIEGO SEALS VS. COLORADO MAMMOTH
This Stephen Sondheim musical has been selling out, so get tickets early for “the demon barber of Fleet Street” and a tale of murder, revenge and meat pies. Days & times vary, $35. –C. Moon Reed
The Philharmonic’s Spotlight series allows a few members to focus on one composer. This time it’s Claude Debussy, whose Claire de Lune is one of the best-known piano suites in classical music. 7:30 p.m., $71. –Genevie Durano
Heads up, lax fans: The National Lacrosse League makes its first visit to Las Vegas, with the West Division’s two U.S. teams facing off. Elevator shots and behind-theback passes for everyone! 7 p.m., $22-$92. –Spencer Patterson
SAT, FEB 1 BUNKHOUSE SALOON WILDERMISS This Denver outfit sits at the intersection of pop and indie rock, creating melodic, breezy songs for sunny days (or for Bernie Sanders benefits like this one). With Dusty Sunshine, Laabradoor, The 86ers, Lunero. 8 p.m., free. –Leslie Ventura
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(Courtesy)
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c u lt u r e w e e k ly N I G H T S
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The Cosmopolitan’s Vesper bar rethinks its space and its drink menu
By Leslie Ventura nspired by the classic cockoverhauled by none other than tail from the James Bond property chef mixologist Marinovel Casino Royale, Vesper ena Mercer Boarini. The uphas been a bartender’s bar dated menu is divided into two ever since the Cosmopolitan sides that play off one another: opened in 2010. But nearly Classics and Reimagined. The a decade has passed, and even former features staples like the 007 himself would’ve fallen for Vesper (but of course), the Aviathe ol’ nip and tuck sooner or tion and the Airmail, while the later. Time, after all, waits for reimagined drinks take creative no one. license to interpret traditional “We wanted to create a new libations into more modern sticking point, a place that beverages. people felt comfortable to come The Gilded Age, for example, and enjoy an amazing craft is Mercer Boarini’s update on cocktail,” says James Mulidore, the Mark Twain. The classic is a Cosmopolitan’s senior direcsimple, sweet and citrustor of food and beverage. forward choice, with “When anything gets scotch, lemon, simple a little bit older, you Vesper syrup and bitters. The Cosmopolitan, need to do some 899-893-2003. Gilded Age, however, refreshing.” 24/7. uses mezcal, tequila Out are the eggplant infused with the dried hues from Vesper’s past, Hawaiian fruit Li Hing replaced by swanky, ’60s Mui, grilled pineapple and touchstones like marbled counhabanero syrup, tamarind and tertops, plush cerulean velvet lemon with a Tajin rim. couches and brass and mirrored Each cocktail costs $17, but accents. Everything about the don’t go digging for your wallet newly redesigned Vesper evokes just yet. Possibly the best new midcentury-modern cool, from addition to Vesper’s menu is the gilded golden waves that the cocktail pairing. For $22, engulf the ceiling to the photoyou get two (barely) smaller graphs that populate the walls: portions of the classic of your Sean Connery in front of the old choice and Mercer Boarini’s Mint casino, Muhammad Ali glowed-up version. It’s basically in the boxing ring, Jane Fonda two cocktails for the price of as Barbarella and Bruce Lee. one. Just try finding a better Nearly everything inside Vesper deal on the Strip. is its own conversation starter, To the left of the bar a neon each with its own story to tell. sign reads, “Don’t blow my “I think the classic is making cover,” adding to the cheeky a return,” Mulidore says. “That Bond vibe in a contemporary retro feel is something that’s way. It’s exactly the kind of cool becoming cool and different.” mood the Cosmopolitan has The décor isn’t all that’s new. always conveyed. Vesper’s cocktail menu has been
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Mustard returns to Marquee on February 1. (Courtesy)
CLUB GUIDE
DJ MUSTARD
By Brock Radke
For more upcoming events, visit Culture Weekly Page 32.
1 OAK DJ Que 1/31. DMX 2/1. Bryce Vine 2/5. Wed, Fri-Sat, Mirage, 702-693-8300.
APEX Thu-Sun, Palms, 702-953-7665.
off right with a return to Drai’s After Hours when the recurring Imagine party stars DJ Maria Romano on January 30 (actually early Friday January 31, starting at 1 a.m.). Thu-Sun, Cromwell, 702-777-3800.
JEWEL
OMNIA
DJ Bamboozle 1/31. Tyga 2/1. Phoreyz 2/3. Mon, Fri-Sat, Aria, 702-5908000.
Party Favor 1/31. Martin Garrix 2/1. Tue, Thu-Sun, Caesars Palace, 702-7856200.
LIGHT
ON THE RECORD DJ Kaos 1/31. Mell Starr 2/1. Wed, FriSat, Park MGM, 702-730-6773.
THE BARBERSHOP
EMBASSY
Nightly, Cosmopolitan, 702-632-4700.
Fri-Sat, 3355 Procyon St., 702-6096666.
DJ E-Rock 1/31. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony 2/1. Big Game Viewing Party 2/2. Saweetie at Light 2/5. Wed, Fri-Sat, Mandalay Bay, 702-632-4700.
ENCORE BEACH CLUB
MAMA RABBIT
Big Game Viewing Party 2/2. Guy Gerber 2/5. Wed, Encore, 702-7707300.
Tue-Sat, Park MGM, 702-730-7777.
Chris Tavi 1/30. DJ Virus 2/2-2/3. DJ Vago 2/4. Nightly, 4633 Paradise Road, 702-791-0100.
MARQUEE
TAO
His “Ballin’” collaboration with rising rap star Roddy Ricch has been sitting at No. 1 on the Mediabase rhythmic radio chart for more than a month, so it makes a lot of sense for Mustard to visit Vegas to celebrate at Marquee on February 1. Also: Eric DLux 1/31. Ruckus 2/3. Mon, Fri-Sat, Cosmopolitan, 702-333-9000.
Before the February 2 watch party known as Tao Bowl, DJ M!KEATTACK spins while “Instagram King” Dan Bilzerian plays party host on January 30. Also: Crespo 1/31. Justin Credible 2/1. Thu-Sat, Venetian, 702-388-8588.
MAYFAIR SUPPER CLUB
XS
Nightly, Bellagio, 702-693-8561.
The Norwegian electronic sensation Kygo unveiled his new line of headphones at CES and resumes his Wynn Nightlife residency with a set at XS on January 31. Also: Alesso 2/1. Fri-Sun, Encore, 702-770-7300.
CHATEAU Casanova & Bayati 1/30. DJ ShadowRed 1/31. Wed-Sat, Paris, 702-7767777.
CLIQUE Nightly, Cosmopolitan, 702-698-7939.
CLUB 101 Fri-Sat, Sahara, 702-761-7618.
DOWNTOWN COCKTAIL ROOM Mon-Sat, 111 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702880-3696.
DRAI’S NIGHTCLUB DJ Pauly D 1/31. TIP 2/1. Gucci Mane 2/2. Thu-Sun, Cromwell, 702-777-3800.
DRAI’S AFTER HOURS When’s the last time you pulled an all-nighter? Start Super Bowl weekend
FOUNDATION ROOM DJ Seany Mac 1/30. DJ Earwaxxx 1/31. DJ Crooked 2/1. Big Game Party Above the Strip 2/2. Nightly, Mandalay Bay, 702-632-7631.
GOLD SPIKE DJ Freddy B 1/30. DJ Teenwolf 2/2. Wed-Sun, 217 Las Vegas Blvd. N., 702476-1082.
HAKKASAN Justin Caruso 1/30. Fergie DJ 1/31 Tiësto 2/1. DJ Drama 2/2. Thu-Sun, MGM Grand, 702-891-3838.
ODDFELLOWS Tue-Sun, 150 Las Vegas Blvd. N. #190, 702-333-5831.
PIRANHA
VOODOO Nightly, Rio, 702-777-7800.
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M AR QU EE M o n days Nint h ann ive rsary
jan 27 Photographs courtesy
THIS WEEK JUST ANNOUNCED UPCOMING SHOWS
AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH SANTANA
RILEY GREEN
WORLD FAMOUS GOSPEL BRUNCH
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EVERY SUNDAY 10AM & 1PM
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O N T H E RE CORD Most Valuable Co c ktail S erv er Awar ds Photographs courtesy
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1.30.20 (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
GOING WAFFLING THREE INTERPRETATIONS OF THE BREAKFAST FAVORITE
With their crispy browned edges and cross-hatched patterns, few breakfast items are as eyecatching—or as heart-warming— as waffles, the comfort food equivalent of your favorite sweater. Plus, their geometric indentations are the perfect receptacle for toppings like melted butter, thick syrup and juicy fruit. Here are three of our Las Vegas favorites, reimagined for the global palate.
BY GREG THILMONT
FARMTABLE WAFFLE AT FARMTABLE KITCHEN + SPIRITS The lemon-poppy seed double-stackers at this Town Square spot are quintessential, all-American hearty breakfast fare ($11). Made with malted batter, these outsize discs are crunchy on the outside and puffy inside, with a touch of Meyer lemon tang throughout. They come with a dusting of powdered sugar and a side of maple syrup to fill all those nooks and crannies. Ask for a ramekin of house-made strawberry preserves, and pair the stack with a floral lavender latte or an apricot Bellini. 6587 Las Vegas Blvd. S. #196, 702-983-2900.
SEMOLINA WAFFLE AT LA STREGA TRATTORIA
NORDIC WAFFLE AT SAGA PASTRY + SANDWICH
The stylish Summerlin eatery’s lovely Sunday brunch waffle ($13) is both refined and rustic. Its Italian-inspired batter derives from semolina—a flour variety used to make pasta—with whipped eggs and cream, resulting in a soft, fluffy interior encased in a delicate golden crust. Each toasty round gets topped with a dollop of luscious mascarpone-swirled butter and a smattering of seasonal, vibrant fresh fruit like blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Don’t worry, there’s maple syrup, too. Keep the Italian vibe by going Vetro Infinito ($26), which grants unlimited pours of snappy rosé, bubbly Prosecco and more. Sunday brunch, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. 3555 S. Town Center Drive #105, 702-722-2099.
Dig in like a sweet-toothed Viking at this bright Henderson nook, where the delightful Nordic waffle ($8) is made in a fourfold, heart-shaped grill. The eggy Scandinavian-style batter has a hint of citrusy cardamom, and the waffles are sizzled thinly into something like epic crêpes. The foldable, chewy creations are adorned with vanilla-infused sour cream and tart lingonberry preserves. Go totally berserk with Land of the Midnight Sun add-ons like chocolate-hazelnut Nutella, apricotlike cloudberry jam and shaved gjetost, an umami-rich caramelized goat cheese. Then wash it all down with zippy lingonberry punch or some robust Swedish coffee. 10345 S. Eastern Ave. #100, 702-260-0860.
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FOOD & DRINK (Steve Marcus/Staff)
Fresh brew Chicago Brewing Company gets a new look
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85C Bakery bring tasty Taiwanese treats to Shanghai Plaza
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Some things are worth waiting for, like the with the array of sweets and treats laid out before you. offerings at 85C Bakery, where folks have Grab a plastic tray like it’s your high school cafeteria been queuing up since its December launch and hit the cases stocked with sweet and savory pasat Chinatown’s Shanghai Plaza. tries. For the best experience, bring a group of 85C BAKERY friends to divide and conquer the vast bakery Founder Wu Cheng-Hsueh first opened the 4258 Spring Taiwanese export in Taipei in 2004, and there Mountain Road, floor, and to try as many of the offerings as posare now more than 900 locations across China 702-247-4094. sible. Keep an eye out for the latest from the Monday-Thursand Taiwan, plus another 80 or so throughout kitchen as bakers whiz by with warm trays of day, 7 a.m.-10 the U.S., Australia and Hong Kong. Named apple-almond Danishes, cheese dogs, chocop.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m.-midfor the temperature at which Cheng-hsueh buns and loaves of fresh brioche, yelling “Fresh night; Sunday, insists coffee tastes best—85 degrees Celbread!” as they go. Once you’ve loaded up, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. sius—the café offers a variety of coffee and move to the next line, where an employee will tea drinks, slushies and smoothies, with or bag each item in cellophane. When you reach without boba (the taro tea latte is a must). But the counter, it’s time to order that perfectly it’s the baked goods that make 85C a true standout. brewed, 85-degree drip or the fan favorite iced sea salt 85C’s tagline is “Sweeten your life!” and it’s easy to coffee. Is the wait worth it? Absolutely. –Leslie Ventura
Chicago Brewing Company’s two-decade-old flagship location at Village Square recently underwent a refresh, including the conversion of its main dining room into a nonsmoking taproom and the expansion of the upstairs miniature cigar lounge into a full-on hangout area. The change is welcome, with the property’s feel shifting from restaurant to true brewery. As part of the remodel, draught lines were expanded from nine to an even dozen, allowing CBC head brewer Erik Nielsen an opportunity to showcase an additional beer of his own, alongside a pair of guest handles like Firestone Walker’s Cocoa Merlin. Don’t overlook the alcohol-forward Quad Damn It!, his 11.6% ABV Belgian-style quadrupel, which was recently awarded a gold medal at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival. Equally appealing is the milder Wild West Tripel, weighing in at 9.7% and sure to be a future medal winner. Chicago Brewing Company is also the only place where you’ll find King of Engelland, a 6% ABV easy-drinking New England-style hazy IPA created in partnership with Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland. Not only is the fruity brew approachable—lacking the hoppiness typical of West Coast IPAs—half the proceeds from each pint benefit his Vegas Born Heroes Foundation. Consider it drinking for a cause! –Jim Begley
CHICAGO BREWING COMPANY 2201 S. Fort Apache Road, 702-254-3333. 24/7.
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SPINNING OUT The Growlers will send Hard Rock Hotel venue Vinyl out with a trio of shows
By Annie Zaleski lthough The Growlers are considered a garage band, last year’s Natural Affair revealed the LA group to have far more eclectic tastes; songs touch on funky discorock, psychedelic electronic jams and chiming indie pop. As The Growlers gear up to give Vinyl a proper goodbye with a three-night stand, frontman Brooks Nielsen checked in about that album, past Vegas appearances (covering Tom Jones’ “She’s a Lady” remains a highlight), and potential surprises
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for the shows. “Me and my drummer were talking last night about other Vegas songs we should cover,” Nielsen says. “He sent me a Clash song and a Gram Parsons song.” You guys have played Vinyl several times. What’s it like heading back there to close down the venue? I don’t know why and how it happened, but we have a pretty special crowd there. It feels like they’re starved every time we get back there. Vegas is always a bit of a blur, but this will be three nights,
so that’s too long to be partying in Vegas for us (laughs). What was your Australian tour like? I saw you had to cancel one show because of the air quality due to the brush fires. We can relate to it being from California—being surfers and seeing what happened in Malibu last year. It’s just on a massive scale there. It’s everywhere you look. In the city of Melbourne, I had never seen anything like it. You could see not just the whole city really thick with smog—which was
smoke, and you can smell it and feel it—but [there were] big plumes of clouds coming through. When you guys were making Natural Affair, was there anything you wanted to do differently from previous records? For me, it’s the songs. I wanted the songs to get the proper amount of time. No tricks. … The Growlers have always been considered a garage band. And that was because we had amateur home recordings. We wanted to sound like the records that we listened to, but
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THE GROWLERS January 30-February 1, 9 p.m., $45-$60. Vinyl, 702-693-5000.
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NOISE VINYL VISIONS A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE SHOWS FROM THE SHUTTERING ROCK CLUB’S EIGHT-YEAR RUN
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Mike Watt + The Missingmen (November 3, 2012) The ex-Minutemen and fIREHOSE bassist brought experimental 2011 album Hyphenated-Man— which he described as a 45-minute song with 30 parts”—to life brilliantly before a small crowd, then sat down at his own merch table to interact with fans. –Spencer Patterson Built to Spill (November 26, 2013) Boise’s indie masters returned to Vegas after a sixyear absence with an unpredictable, wide-ranging setlist that included a helluva cover of The Smiths’ “How Soon Is Now?” (and a not-so-necessary take on The Clash’s “Train in Vain”). –SP
Nielsen (far left) and The Growlers hit the Hard Rock Hotel for three shows. (Taylor Bonin/Courtesy)
that’s all we could afford and all that we had. I’m cool with being called or considered a garage band through that whole period, but we always did want to make a nice record. You’ve staged your Beach Goth festival in Southern California for eight years. What have you learned about the music industry doing that? We saw the dark side. It was the first time we had someone we thought of as a friend turn on us and sue us and try and put out the band. They went for the jugular and tried to sue us for mil-
lions of dollars. That was a hard fight and something hard to recognize. You gotta be careful who you trust. We’ve heard that in the industry, but it was firsthand experience. That was pretty scary and really sucked. But we pulled through it, and what we learned is, this is our thing and we need to treat it that way. We control it; we do every aspect of it. That way we know it’s cool and know it’s legit. And that’s what spells success. For more of this interview, visit lasvegasweekly.com.
Bombay Bicycle Club (April 13, 2014) How would the London indie outfit’s 2014 release So Long See You Tomorrow translate live, given its richness and expansive, global textures? Not an issue. The sound inside Vinyl has never been more pristine than during this between-Coachellaweekends performance. –Case Keefer The Story So Far with Basement and Turnover (November 18, 2015) The pop-punk headliners sold out the show out, but the support acts made the night
memorable. Turnover played a set solely consisting of cuts off eventual cult-classic Peripheral Vision, and Basement, having previously only played house shows locally, raged with remarkable energy a year after reuniting. –CK Primitive Man (August 18, 2018) A pitch-black room accented by dense fog just before midnight proved the perfect setting for the Denver doom masters’ Psycho Las Vegas performance. Primitive Man has played locally at least three other times, but no other environment fit their feedback-bleeding, misery-soaked stomps of metallic glory better. –CK Uada (August 18, 2018) Psycho’s smaller acts fit perfectly inside Vinyl’s brick-lined walls, perhaps none better than this Portland black metal band, whose hooded appearance and heavy songs felt doubly dark in the tightly packed setting. –SP DeVotchKa & The Joy Formidable (September 19, 2019) Either one of these sets—The Joy Formidable’s unplugged dream pop, DeVotchKa’s soaring bohemian anthems—could have stood for the whole. Put together, they amounted to a night of entertainment whose scope far exceeded the intimate space. –Geoff Carter
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(Wade Vandervort/Staff)
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he term “game changer” might be overused these days, but there’s no better way to describe the Palms’ 2001 opening. In its early years, the off-Strip casino and resort hosted the rowdy cast of MTV’s The Real World and became the destination for the new millennium’s A-list celebrities. The hotel has gone through many high-profile changes since then. The Fertitta family-owned Station Casinos bought the Palms in 2016 for $313 million, committing to a $620 million renovation. Artwork by Damien Hirst, a Fertitta favorite, populates the newly modernized resort. Once-buzzing nightlife spot Ghost Bar has been rebranded as the contemporary Apex Social Club and new restaurants have opened. The megaclub KAOS came with the renovation but shuttered a few months later. Throughout the property’s wild ride, one constant has remained: Studio at the Palms. Actually, make it two: Zoe Thrall has been director of the studio since it opened in 2005. She has seen everyone from Beyoncé and Diplo to Celine Dion and Michael Jackson walk through her studio doors. “Michael Jackson lived in the hotel for three months, and no one but the owner and I knew,” Thrall says. “It was an amazing feat that we pulled off.” The studio—which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year—isn’t visible to the public; the magic happens in the hotel’s Fantasy Tower, up an elevator shaft and behind a pair of large doors. The studio has helped produce five Grammy winners (including works by Maroon 5 and Mary J Blige) and 12 platinum records. It’s also where hometown heroes The Killers recorded their second studio album, 2006’s Sam’s Town. “The first two years were spectacular,” Thrall recalls. “On our first day, we had Joe Bonamassa [in one room] and Paris Hilton in the other room doing her first album. Immediately following Joe, The Killers started. It just continued from there. We did really well the
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(Denise Truscello/Courtesy)
first few years.” Vegas indie-pop duo Almost Normal has tracked several sessions inside the studio at the suggestion of their engineer, Pat Hundley, who has also worked with artists like Diplo, Rick Ross and Lil Jon. “As a local band, you hear The Killers’ Sam’s Town and Panic! At the Disco’s Pretty. Odd. [also recorded at the Palms] and you’re like, ‘That’s out of reach.’ But I think [the studio] really does a good job of giving an opportunity to these younger acts,” says drummer and keyboardist Andrew Zakher. “[Zoe has] been so supportive, and the hospitality has just been top-notch. They really know how to make you feel special.” The Studio at the Palms has always had a stream of elites, making it a near-guaranteed success. Other perks of having a studio inside a hotel? The venue’s back entrance makes it easy for artists to maintain their privacy while moving between the studio and their hotel rooms. And it features state-of-the-art equipment, including two Solid State Logic XL-9080K
series consoles—something that even got nine-months-pregnant Beyoncé into the studio while Jay-Z was in Las Vegas to perform at MGM. Studio at the Palms has always carried an element of mystery, with most artists recording in complete secrecy. “This is when an artist is at their most vulnerable. They’re working on material that may or may not make their career,” Thrall says. But that’s starting to change, as musicians flock to Instagram and Twitter to connect directly with fans. “One of our mandates for this year is to embrace the whole social media thing,” Thrall adds. Studio at the Palms isn’t always a revolving door of high-profile celebrities. Like so many U.S. businesses, the spot experienced a dip in business during the Great Recession, with many artists turning to bedroom production and home studios in lieu of professional ones. In 2009, NPR reported that recording studios faced an uncertain future, and that “the past decade has been a struggle for many studios”
across the country. Several studios in New York closed and reopened … as high-rise apartments. But the tide is turning back. “Based on the last couple years here, I feel like the industry has had somewhat of a resurgence,” she says. “More artists, managers, producers and engineers are embracing this balance between working in their home studios and in commercial facilities. The technology is such that you can do a lot of things on your own, and I love that, because those creative juices come out when you’re the most relaxed in your bedroom and slippers. “But then you can come into a facility like this and refine it,” she continues. “You see some magic doing it that way. So I think we’ll see a continuation of that trend. There’s a real need for both.” Thrall, who once toured as an oboist with Steven Van Zandt, doesn’t get star-struck easily. What impresses her isn’t fame or celebrity, but hearing artists do something new, outside the box.
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PANIC! AT THE DISCO
CELINE DION
Recently, R&B singer Kehlani (who just dropped the collab “Get Me” with Justin Bieber) booked a session at the studio. “She spent a lot of time here working with some top producers,” Thrall says. “I had never heard of her, and boy, she was so refreshing, so good. I like surprises like that, [when] I’m not expecting something, and something like that happens.” Back in the day, it wasn’t uncommon for artists to demo a track and preview it at the now-shuttered Moon nightclub. Jamie Foxx did that while he was recording at the studio in 2008. “He was like, ‘Let’s go test it,’” Thrall says. Katy Perry did something similar. “You get a little antsy after a while, so we all went up to the club. “People don’t realize when [artists are] actually here, it’s business. It’s very serious,” Thrall says. “It’s very focused, and it’s not all fun and games. It can be very intense sometimes, because there’s a lot of pressure on them to produce a hit—and to get there is very difficult.” Studio at the Palms has churned out a slew of hits over the past 15 years. Walls can’t talk, but the signatures that adorn them certainly do. “You go in knowing that so many artists have created something great in there, [and] you’re just absorbing that energy,” Almost Normal’s Zakher says.
THE KILLERS
(Denise Truscello/Courtesy)
(Denise Truscello/Courtesy)
He and bandmate Ashley Lampman recently tracked drums for their Valentine’s Day release, “Home,” at the studio. “We actually tracked the drums in two other rooms and were not happy with how they were,” Zakher says. “The third room ended up being Studio at the Palms, and we got it done. I think it’s the best room in the city, especially for drums. It’s specifically designed for sound to bounce off.” As the studio approaches its third decade, Thrall hopes to pass the mic to even more local musicians. She works with CSN and Las Vegas Academy, providing students with hands-on studio time each year, and on January 31, she’ll speak at the annual Vegas Music Summit, an event geared toward educating Vegas musicians about the industry. Locals also receive a discounted rate to work in the studio. “Under both ownerships of the [original owners] the Maloof family and Station Casinos, these companies are very community-oriented, and we wanted the studio to reflect that philosophy,” she says. “A lot of people don’t have an engineer or anyone to help them … so I kind of walk them through the process, even before they walk in the door.” The story of Studio at the Palms is a song still being sung, but there’s no doubt it has changed the music of Las Vegas and beyond. “Sometimes I forget the impact it has,” Thrall smiles. “It’s been 15 years, [and] the community has really grown in that time.”
50 artists and producers who’ve recorded at the Palms Christina Aguilera • J Balvin • Tony Bennett • Beyoncé • Mary J Blige • Nicolas Cage • Cardi B • Mariah Carey • J Cole • Celine Dion • Diplo • Dr. Dre • Eminem • Jamie Foxx • Future • Guns N’ Roses • Whitney Houston • Imagine Dragons • Michael Jackson • Jay-Z • Elton John • Journey • Toby Keith • The Killers • Lady Gaga • Lil Wayne • Madonna • Dave Matthews Band • Ennio Morricone • Conan O’Brien • Mark Ronson • Kendrick Lamar • John Legend • Maroon 5 • Marshmello • MGMT • Morrissey • No Doubt • Shaquille O’Neal • Panic! At the Disco • Katy Perry • Rihanna • Santana • Ed Sheeran • Nancy Sinatra • Britney Spears • Tiësto • Justin Timberlake • Tyler, the Creator • Pharrell Williams
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THE STRIP Zombie Burlesque continues scaring up good times inside V Theater it up every night with jazzy, cabaretstyle originals, and that’s encouraging ow is it possible that a zombiegiven the way bigger shows with bigger themed comedy-burlesque budgets are scaling back on live music musical in a 400-seat theater up and down the Strip. hidden in the back of a labyrinThe heart and soul of Zombie thine shopping mall has been running Burlesque is Enoch Augustus Scott, strong for more than six years on the a performer with seemingly infinite Strip? range. He’s just as comfortable and An even better question: How has the charismatic bouncing punchlines off 75-minute Zombie Burlesque manthe audience as belting out “I Put a Spell aged to get a foothold in Las Vegas and on You.” Scott also sings in the local establish its own identity among the 11 Baritones of Love quartet, which just other shows currently inhabiting the sold out the Starbright Theatre V Theater and Saxe Theater ZOMBIE in Sun City Summerlin for a at the Miracle Mile Shops at BURLESQUE concert of Sinatra standards. the Planet Hollywood Resort? Monday-SaturThat’s range. These spaces might be smaller, day, 8:30 p.m., Former Pussycat Dolls Burbut they’re busiest showrooms $80-$100. V Theater at Mira- lesque Saloon lead Sophia Monion the Boulevard, home to the cle Mile Shops, ca adds even more vocal talent long-running Vegas! The Show, 866-932-1818. to the mix. Stealing scenes on V: The Ultimate Variety Show, the night I caught the show were the Elvis tribute All Shook Up, Curtis Goodman (also a dancer comedic hypnotist Marc Savard, at Piranha) as the horny, hungry, twerkmagician Nathan Burton, the family ing zombie Mikey, and Steve Daly as the friendly Popovich Comedy Pet Theater artistic jokester Tiny Bubbles. A ballet and the brand-new concert show from performance by the great Anaïs Palacios ’80s pop hitmakers The Jets. to a string arrangement of the CranberStill, there’s nothing quite like Zomries’ “Zombie” strikes a seriously artisbie Burlesque. It’s a comedy musical tic tone in the second half of the show. set in an alternative-dimension Vegas Zombie Burlesque might have been where the infamous atomic testing in created to capitalize on the voracious the desert spawned a breed of undead appetite for The Walking Dead, but if entertainers who have learned to coyou ask me, the Vegas show’s appeal exist with us tasty humans—as long as has outlasted the TV sensation. It has they get a regular supply of convicted edge and variety show shtick, heart and criminals on which to dine and a redhumor, and stays cozied up to the satirihot stage on which to sing, dance, and cal elements inherent in traditional joke. burlesque. The Saxe and V Theaters Like Spiegelworld’s successful trio promote their shows to tourists and of Strip shows, Zombie Burlesque pulls give away lots of tickets to get visitors to off the difficult sexy-funny balance, come back for more, and it works, but but it’s the seven-piece live band that that takes nothing away from the excelpushes these performances into the lence and fun of Zombie Burlesque. This must-see category. Safely perched out of is one of those shows locals should be the zombies’ reach on a compact stage telling their friends about. balcony, these tremendous players burn
By Brock Radke
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Wayne Littlejohn draws on the Valley’s history and natural features to create eye-catching public art
Spiraling AMBITIONS
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Wayne Littlejohn with his (left) “Spin Baby” and (below) “Dream Machine” sculptures (Courtesy)
By Kelcie Grega t the intersection of Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin drives sits Wayne Littlejohn’s latest creation, “Spin Baby,” dedicated to the members of the Rat Pack. The 15-foot-tall stainless steel and bronze microphone enveloped in a plume of spiraling smoke greets passing drivers, reminding them of an older Vegas—that of unfiltered cigarette-scented lounges and tipped fedoras. A few miles south, in an open field at Siegfried and Roy Park, near McCarran International Airport, stands the 26-foot-tall older brother “Dream Machine.” The towering abstraction—a Fibonacci spiral sprouting, mushroom-like, from the earth— nods to Vegas’ atomic legacy. To Littlejohn, the Las Vegas landscape has become a metaphorical canvas, as he mimics the endless movement of the city in his public installations. Born in Winnipeg, Canada, Littlejohn first came to Las Vegas in 1994 to join UNLV’s graduate art program. It was only supposed to be a brief stint, but he has since made the city his home, expanding his artistic footprint through his work and students at UNLV and now, CSN, where he teaches fine art.
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Littlejohn says that beyond sculpting, he has always dabbled in drawing, but he ultimately felt confined by the limitations of trying to create the illusion of space within a two-dimensional plane. He longed for the freedom of playing with physical space. “The sense of movement has always been big in my work,” he says. “I want to knock the corners off a rectangle, and make it a circular type of motion.” Littlejohn says he’s also influenced by the ancient Greeks’ Contrapposto stance in sculptures. The term refers to a standing human figure carrying its weight on one leg, giving off an asymmetrical, twisted form. “It’s almost like they’re about to start moving, or transition from one movement to another,” he says. Another signature in Littlejohn’s work is the concept of levitating mass, and how light moves through it. Despite the prevailing stereotype that creative people are averse to science and mathematics, he believes artists have more aptitude for those subjects than they realize. Still, he considers himself more an alchemist than a chemist. Public art installations like Littlejohn’s are crucial to the heritage of the city, he says, as they not only capture the defining characteristics and spirit
of the community but also makes art more accessible to those who might not find visit an art museum or gallery. “It reaches people in a more effective way because it’s part of the landscape,” he says. Right now, Littlejohn is working on a piece for the City of Las Vegas, tentatively called “Atomic Tumbleweed,” which is currently being cast in stainless steel at a Colorado facility. The spherical sculpture is expected to be installed in the Arts District this spring. Though he says he always felt drawn to public art, Littlejohn never imagined he would someday be selected by both the City and Clark County to create pieces. “It came as a surprise to me,” he says, adding that officials from both municipalities have been “awesome to work with.” Still, the Valley has a long way to go in carving an identity for itself as a arts hub, he says. “It’s always been a struggle between the Strip and the arts community,” he says. “Bringing art to the community has always ebbed and flowed, and I still think we are very young. We need more cultural institutions that are free-standing, like an art museum or a real museum of art and history. The potential is really there. We just need to get it going.”
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POP LIFE David Perrico turns a Vegas club formula on its head with his Pop Strings Orchestra By Leslie Ventura t was five years ago, inside the lounge at the Tuscany, that David Perrico accidentally launched his Pop Strings Orchestra. “I never intended it to be pop strings,” Perrico laughs. It just so happened that the entertainment director of Red Rock Resort, Judy Alberti, was in the audience that night. After hearing Perrico’s group, Alberti asked him to put together a lounge act for the hotel, Perrico says. “She heard those songs and she said, ‘I want this.’” The problem was, he only had “This Love” by Maroon 5 and “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson in his repertoire. “She convinced me to put together a pop thing, so I put together all these hits and started arranging them for the orchestra.” Perrico has since moved his Pop Strings Orchestra from Red Rock to Cleopatra’s Barge inside Caesars Palace, a classically Vegas lounge that’s a perfect fit for his retro-meets-modern concept. “I’m just doing a throwback to old Vegas with today’s music,” Perrico says. “We’ve got a legion of fans now, people who plan their vacations around us. When I did put this together—and this is not a
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brag—the unique thing about this band [was that] “In general, I pick the songs people can sing to every musician plays with a headliner or has their and really know well,” Perrico says, adding that own show.” ’80s music seems to work best. “The Caesars clienFrom the singers to the all-female strings tele is more Generation X, people in their 40s and section, the individuals in the ensemble have 50s. We’re not doing what Tiësto’s doing, but I’ve performed with stars including Diana Ross, Rod gone to those clubs to see how they work.” Stewart, Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Aerosmith Essentially, Perrico has taken the DJ format and and Andrea Bocelli. “That’s the unique experience adapted it to the live stage. “I’ll take an Earth, Wind that makes up Pop Strings,” Perrico & Fire song like ‘September,’ and then says. “Anyone could copy the format, DAVID PERRICO’S I’ll do a 10-minute mashup, a medley of [but] it’s like my all-star baseball team, nonstop songs, all in the same tempo. My POP STRINGS the people I’ve always wanted to work master’s is in composition and film score, ORCHESTRA Fridays & with. No egos, we’re all having fun. It’s so I’ve gotten pretty fast after years of doSaturdays, 10 p.m., high energy, it’s positivity and it’s live. ing it. It’s just gilding the lily.” free. Cleopatra’s We don’t use any assistance like tracks And he creates arrangements for his Barge, david perricomusic.com. or anything, and people love that.” other ensembles: Pop Evolution Big Band, Pop Strings Orchestra members rotate which has appeared at the Smith Center, in and out, but singers Lily Arce and Ken and Pop Retro, which has performed inFletch Walcott hold down the fort nightly, with Perside Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club and Cromwell. rico leading the procession and, when the song calls “It still surprises me every week that people are for it, peppering the arrangement with his signature responding the way they do,” Perrico says. “They brass. A classically trained trumpet player, Perrico don’t stop dancing. I never take it for granted that is also an award-winning conductor and arranges all every night is a different night. You can’t rest on your the songs into modern versions on his own. laurels, ever.”
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calendar LIVE music AMERICAN LEGION POST 8 Orthodox, Misdirection, So Without, Glee Club 2/12. 733 N. Veterans Memorial Drive, 702-382-8533. ArtificE Sea Legs 1/30. 1025 S. 1st St. #A, 702-489-6339. Backstage Bar & Billiards Los Kung Fu Money, Monkey, Hans & Gruber 2/1. Soulfly, Toxic Holocaust, X Method, Madzilla, Mynas 2/6. Blacktop Mojo, Dirt Halo 2/7. GayC/DC (AC/DC tribute), Spice Pistols (Spice Girls tribute), Crimson Riot 2/14. Horrorpops 2/16. Hot Snakes, Spanish Love Songs, Free Throw 2/29. 601 Fremont St., 702-382-2227. THE BARBERSHOP Street Folk Trio 1/30. Strip Ts 1/31. The 442s 2/1. Huckleberry Hicks 2/2.. Cosmopolitan, 702-698-7434. THE BOXX Halfway Patrol 2/6. 1000 N. Nellis Blvd., 702-824-5281. Brooklyn Bowl The Marcus King Band, Early James 1/30. Black Tiger Sex Machine 1/31. Periphery, Plini, Covet 2/1. The Green, Ka’ikena Scanlan 2/8. Black Uhuru, Etana, Onesty 2/9. Almost Queen (Queen tribute) 2/13. The Joe Kay Experience 2/15. Steel Pulse, Citizen X 2/18. Dweezil Zappa: Hot Rats Live! + Other Hot Stuff 1969 2/20. The Purple Party: The Music of Prince for Kids 2/22. Thrice, mewithoutYou, Drug Church, Holy Fawn 2/26. Linq Promenade, 702-862-2695. Bunkhouse Saloon Baynk 1/30. Wildermiss, Laabradoor, Dusty Sunshine, The 86ers, Lunero 2/1. Spirit in the Room, Elephant Rifle, Blast Flashes, Mucky Boys 2/5. Lawn Mower Death Riders, Jesse Pino, The Rifleman, Illicitor, Hassan Hamilton 2/6. Zack Gray 2/8. Homeboy Sandman 2/9. Chastity Belt, Loose Tooth 2/11. Miniature Tigers, Katsu Ozo 2/12. Tacocat 2/13. The Paranoyds 2/15. Big Business 2/17. Lord Dying, Sonolith, Plague Doctor 2/23. The Frogs 2/22. Part Time, Gary Wilson 2/24. Saintseneca 2/26. White Reaper, The Aquadolls 2/28. Patrick Droney 2/29. 124 S. 11th St., 702-982-1764. CHEBA HUT Standards, Floral 2/26. 2550 S. Rainbow Blvd., 702-685-0692. The Chelsea Dierks Bentley, Caylee Hammack, Hot Country Knights 2/14-2/15. Dave Matthews Band 2/28. Cosmopolitan, 702-698-6797. Chrome Showroom Cornell Gunter’s Coasters 2/1. Bobby Caldwell 2/15. Blue String Theory 2/22. Santa Fe Station, 702-658-4900. CLEOPATRA’S BARGE Dionne Warwick 2/62/9, 2/13-2/16, 2/20-2/23, 2/27-3/1. Caesars Palace, 866-227-5938. THE CLUB In a Fect 2/7, 2/28. Let’s Get It On (Marvin Gaye tribute) 2/8. Next Movement 2/14. MJ Deja Vu (Michael Jackson tribute) 2/15. Cannery, 702-507-5700. CLUB MADRID Zowie Bowie 1/31. Edwin McCain 2/15. Sunset Station, 702-547-7777. The Colosseum Van Morrison 1/31-2/1, 2/5, 2/7-2/8. Mariah Carey 2/14-2/15, 2/19, 2/21-2/22,
Montreal electronic music trio Black Tiger Sex Machine hits Brooklyn Bowl on January 31. (Courtesy)
2/26, 2/28-2/29. Caesars Palace, 866-227-5938. Count’s VAMP’D Reverend Jack, John Zito Band 1/30. Kingdom Come, Crash Midnight 1/31. Smashing Alice, Digital Bath 2/1. Crobot, Like Machines, Budderside, Incarnate 2/6. Every Woman Band, The Remainz, Strange Mistress 2/7. Count’s 77, Electric Dynamite 2/8. Wheel in the Sky (Journey tribute), U2LV (U2 tribute) 2/14. Soil, The Outfit, Bakers Dozen 2/19. 750 W. Sahara Ave., 702-220-8849. DALLAS EVENTS CENTER Cookie Watkins (Tina Turner tribute) 1/31. Texas Station, 702-631-1000. THE Dispensary Lounge Karen Jones 1/31, 2/29. Jo Belle Yonely 2/1. Jazz Jam 2/5. 2451 E. Tropicana Ave., 702-458-6343. Dive Bar Slapshot, Countime, Hand of Doubt, Vigilante 2/6. 4110 S. Maryland Parkway, 702-586-3483. DOWNTOWN CONTAINER PARK TMV 1/31. Sorry in Advance 2/1. Dead Money 2/7. 707 Fremont St., 702-359-9982. DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS EVENTS CENTER Excision 2/8. 200 S. 3rd St., 800-745-3000. Encore Theater Brian McKnight 2/8. Sarah McLachlan 2/19, 2/21-2/22. Harry Connick Jr. 2/26, 2/28-2/29. Wynn, 702-770-6696. EVEL PIE The Drowns, Intoxicated Rejects,
Brake Check, Jerk! 2/11. 508 Fremont St., 702-840-6460. Fremont Country Club Horrorpops 2/16. 601 E. Fremont St., 702-382-6601. Fremont STREET EXPERIENCE Bret Michaels 2/22. vegasexperience.com. Gilley’s Saloon Chase & The Pursuit 1/30. Scotty Alexander 1/31-2/1. Dez Hoston 2/5-2/6. Treasure Island, 702-894-7722. GOLD MINE TAVERN Friction 1/31. Pitchfork, The Unwieldies 2/1. Reverend Jack 2/2. Randy Williams’ American Acoustic 2/5. 23 S. Water St., 702-478-8289.
HARDWAY 8 Stanley Ave 1/31. Wayne David Band 2/7. 46 S. Water St., 702-410-5124. House of Blues Santana 1/31-2/1. The People’s Whiskey, The Heroine, Mojave Sun, Sheiks of Neptune, The Psyatics, The Swamp Gospel 2/6. One Drop Redemption (Bob Marley tribute) 2/7. Red Not Chili Peppers (RHCP tribute) 2/8. Silversun Pickups, Eliza & The Delusionals 2/10. Caifanes 2/14. Gasolina Party 2/15. The Motels, Bow Wow Wow, When in Rome 2/19. Alter Bridge, Deepfall, Clint Lowery 2/20. Sofia Niño de Rivers 2/21. Phora 2/22. Bush 2/28. (B Side) Cameron Dettman 1/30. C.W. Stoneking 2/5. The Lique 2/7. King Yellowman & The Sagittarius Band, K’reema, 2/13. Devon Baldwin 2/16. Year of the Cobra, Strange Mistress 2/20. The Red Pears 2/21. Evol Walks, Mother Mercury 2/29. Mandalay Bay, 702-632-7600.
Golden Nugget Showroom. The Grass Roots 1/31. The Yardbirds 2/7. Blue Öyster Cult 2/14. Grand Funk Railroad 2/21. Firehouse 2/28. 866-946-5336.
Mandalay Bay Events Center Los Temerarios 2/15. 702-632-7777.
GRAND EVENTS CENTER Shaun Cassidy 2/14. Green Valley Ranch, 702-617-7777.
Orleans Arena Love Affair ft. Zapp, Atlantic Starr & more 2/8. 702-365-7469.
HARD ROCK HOTEL Shawn Eiferman, Peter Love, Arrow 1/30. Melissa Allen, The Rhyolite Sound, Peter Love 1/31. Shawn Eiferman, The English Beat, Otherwise, Ekoh, Arrow 2/1. Sin City Sinners, Moksha, Arrow 2/2. 702-693-5000.
Orleans Showroom Neil Sedaka 2/7-2/8. Loverboy 2/29. 702-365-7111.
Hard Rock Live Bless the Rains (Toto tribute) 1/30. Los Stellarians 2/7. 3771 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-733-7625.
Park Theater Aerosmith 1/31, 2/3, 2/5, 2/8, 2/10, 2/13, 2/15. Cher 2/19, 2/21-2/22, 2/26, 2/282/29. Park MGM, 844-600-7275. Pearl CONCERT THEATER Dermot Kennedy, SYML 2/7. Palms, 702-944-3200.
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LOCAL THEATER Las Vegas Little Theatre (Mainstage) Bus Stop Thru 2/2. (Black Box) Shows for Days 1/312/16. 3920 Schiff Drive, 702-362-7996. Majestic Repertory Theatre Sweeney Todd Thru 2/9. 1217 S. Main St., 702-478-9636. A Public Fit Cry It Out staged reading 1/31. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, apublicfit.org. Super Summer Theatre First Date 1/30-2/16. 4340 S. Valley View Drive #208, 702-579-7529.
SUPER BOWL
GAME PRIZE BONANZA DAY
Exhibits ALPHA VOYAGE GALLERY Jim Kuehne: Here, There and Everywhere: An Artist’s Evolution Thru 2/8. 3105 W. Tompkins Ave., 888-831-4844. Barrick Museum of Art (East Gallery) Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya: Connective Tissue Thru 2/22. UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, 702-895-3381.
SPECIALS
2 for 1
growler fills and Big Dog’s Bomber bottles on Saturday and Sunday
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Game time food, drinks and gaming special Giveaways NOW ON DRAFT: Cacao-a-Bunga! Chocolate Coconut Porter
Shimmy & The Whale Hazy IPA War Fog Imperial Hazy Big Dog’s Draft House
4543 N. Rancho Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89130 www.bigdogsbrews.com
Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art (Artist Studio) Sisyu Thru 1/30. 702-693-7871. Comedian Theo Von performs at the Mirage’s Terry Fator Theatre January 31 and February 1. (Courtesy)
THE Railhead Albert Castiglia 1/30. Coco Montoya 2/13. Rob Garrett (Neil Diamond tribute) 2/15. Boulder Station, 702-432-7777.
Somerville, Gabriel Rutledge, Clayton Fletcher 1/30-2/2. Collin Moulton, Joe Larson, Matt Markman 2/3-2/5. MGM Grand, 866-740-7711.
Rocks Lounge The Wind Jammers 1/30. The Dirty 1/31. Red Rock Resort, 702-797-7777.
COMEDY CELLAR Butch Bradley, Dean Edwards, Matt Kirshen, Yamaneika Saunders, Mark Cohen 1/30-2/2. Mike Yard, Aida Rodriguez, Dustin Ybarra, Dov Davidoff, Mark Cohen 2/3-2/9. Rio, 702-777-2782.
South Point Showroom Frankie Moreno 2/6. Good Vibrations (Beach Boys tribute) 2/72/9. Herman’s Hermits 2/21-2/23. 702-696-7111. Stoney’s Rockin’ Country Canaan Cox 1/31. Austin Jenckes 2/7. Ward Davis 2/14. Town Square, 702-435-2855. SUNCOAST SHOWROOM Zowie Bowie 2/7. 4NR (Foreigner tribute) 2/8. Reckless in Vegas 2/14. The Box Tops 2/15. 800-745-3000. The TAVERN Gravel Band 1/31. 1113 S. Rainbow Blvd., 702-804-1113. T-Mobile Arena George Strait, Gone West 1/31-2/1. 702-692-1600. TopGolF Flor, Winnetka Bowling League 2/7. 4627 Koval Lane, 702-933-8458. VEIL PAVILION Taylor Dayne 2/14. Silverton, 702-263-7777. Venetian Theatre Foreigner 1/31-2/1. The Doobie Brothers 2/7-2/8, 2/12, 2/14-2/15, 2/19, 2/21-2/22. Chicago 2/28-2/29. 702-414-9000. ZAPPOS THEATER Gwen Stefani 2/7-2/8, 2/12, 2/14-2/15, 2/21-2/22. Christina Aguilera 2/26, 2/28-2/29. Planet Hollywood, 702-777-6737.
Comedy BONKERZ COMEDY CLUB Tobe Hixx 1/30. Rampart Casino, 702-507-5900. Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club Michael
The COMEDY WORKS Kevin Brennan 1/30-2/1. Plaza, 702-386-2110. JIMMY KIMMEL’S COMEDY CLUB Jill Kimmel 1/30. Dan Cummins 1/30-2/2. Linq Promenade, 702-777-2782. L.A. COMEDY CLUB Greg Romero Wilson Thru 2/2. Kiry Shabazz 2/3-2/9. Strat, 702-380-7711. LAUGH FACTORY Tom Rhodes, Gary Brightwell, Penny Wiggins 1/30-2/2. Tropicana, 702-739-2411. THE SPARE ROOM Tracy Smith 2/5-2/9. Downtown Grand, 702-719-5100. Terry Fator TheatrE Theo Von 1/31-2/1. Mirage, 702-792-7777.
Performing Arts & Culture Erotic Heritage Museum Freak Show 1/31. 3275 Sammy Davis Jr. Drive, 702-794-4000.
Clark County Government Center Rotunda Gallery The Impact 2/3-3/20. Grand Central Parkway, 702-455-7030. CORE CONTEMPORARY NVHead2Toe Thru 2/29. 900 E. Karen Ave. #D222, 702-805-1166. CSN (Fine Arts Gallery) Miya Hannan: Buried Relations Thru 2/22. 3200 E. Cheyenne Ave., 702-651-4146. DISTRCT ARTS Night and Day 1/30-3/1. 9710 W. Tropicana Ave. Donna Beam Fine Art Paper Works Thru 2/21. UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, 702-895-3893. East Las Vegas Community Center Zully Mejia: Women and Politics Thru 2/9. 250 N. Eastern Ave., 702-229-2787. East Las Vegas Library Zully Mejia: Self Portraits Thru 2/9. 2851 E. Bonanza Road, 702-507-3500. Neon Museum Tim Burton: Lost Vegas Thru 4/12. 770 Las Vegas Blvd. N., 702-387-6366. Spring Valley Library Ronaldo Dizon: Images Left Behind Thru 2/18. 4280 S. Jones Blvd., 702-507-3820. West Las Vegas Library David Veliz: Fading Shadows Thru 2/5. 951 W. Lake Mead Blvd., 702-507-3980. Whitney Library Krystal Ramirez: I Was Happy Then Thru 2/2. Donita Murphy & Patty Stroupe: What a Wonderful World 2/4-4/14. 5175 E. Tropicana Ave., 702-507-4010. Windmill Library Cheng Yajie Thru 2/11. 7060 W. Windmill Lane, 702-507-6030.
SPORTS
THE Smith Center (Reynolds Hall) Driving Miss Daisy 1/31. The Spongebob Musical 2/42/9. (Cabaret Jazz) Boney James 2/1. Frankie Moreno 2/4. (Troesh Studio Theater) Spotlight on Debussy 1/30. 702-749-2000.
National Lacrosse League San Diego vs. Colorado 2/1. Orleans Arena, 702-365-7469.
UNLV (Judy Bayley Theatre) Beijing Opera: Madame White Snake 2/3. 702-895-2787.
UNLV WOMEN’s BASKETBALL Colorado State 2/1. Utah State 2/5. Cox Pavilion, 702-739-3267.
The Rebel
ROOM
Never can get enough UNLV analysis and chatter? Then this is the stop for you. Join the Las Vegas Sun sports staff in The Rebel ROOM for your fix.
P O D C A S T Listen weekly on Apple Podcasts or
LasVegasSun.com/podcasts
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Caucus 101 How to participate in Nevada’s democratic nomination process
By Miranda Willson Weekly staff
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What’s a viability threshold? How long will this take? Why is there a deck of cards in the room? For those new to Nevada or to the Democratic Party, caucusing can be confusing. Even those who caucused in Nevada in 2016 will likely notice changes to the process this year. For example, the Nevada State Democratic Party has moved Strip caucus sites to casino back-of-houses to better accommodate casino employees who are working the day of the caucus. The party also added Tagalog in addition to English and Spanish as a language option for caucus materials, and for the first time, you can vote early instead of participating in the caucus in person. Here’s everything else you need to know about the 2020 Nevada caucus ahead of February 22. (Although President Donald Trump has some in-party challengers, the Nevada Republican Party will not hold a caucus or primary. The party will vote to pledge its delegates to Trump the same day as the Democratic caucus.)
Nevada, Iowa and Wyoming are the only states with caucuses.
The process typically lasts 60-90 minutes, according to Nevada State Democratic Party communications director Molly Forgey, although past reports indicate that Nevada caucuses can last several hours.
What is a caucus?
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A Nevada caucus is a neighborhood meeting in which registered party members—in this case, registered Democrats— select their preferred candidates. Caucuses are more interactive than traditional primary elections, because voters discuss their choices for a nominee with their neighbors and might have the opportunity to sway other voters.
am i eligible? Anyone who will be at least 18 years old on Election Day (November 3, 2020) and a registered Democrat is eligible to take part in the caucus. Those not registered to vote or those who wish to change their party affiliation so they can participate can do so at registertovotenv.gov or at their precinct location the day of the caucus.
This year’s caucus will start at noon on February 22. Check-in begins at 10 a.m.
How it works
Voters can participate at more than 130 locations in Clark County. You can find your designated precinct by visiting caucus.nvdems.com.
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If your top candidate does not meet the viability threshold, you will need to select a different candidate. Voters whose preferred candidate is unviable are permitted to leave or declare themselves uncommitted as well, Forgey said.
During the caucus, voters will select their preferred candidate by physically standing in a specific spot in the room designated for that candidate, said Nevada State Democratic Party communications director Molly Forgey. Each candidate will need to receive at least 15% of the total vote to be considered “viable.”
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What are delegates and why do they matter?
Tiebreakers
The winning primary candidate in Nevada is determined based on a delegate system, rather than raw votes. After each voter in a given precinct has aligned with one preferred viable candidate, precinct chairs will award delegates to viable candidates based on a support formula. Supporters of each candidate will then nominate people to serve as their designated delegates. Delegates will convene at the Clark County Democratic Convention on behalf of their candidate on May 3. Forty-eight delegates from across the state will ultimately cast the state’s votes at the Democratic National Convention in July. Nevada’s delegates are broken up into 36 pledged delegates, representing voter preferences, and 12 automatic delegates—distinguished party leaders such as former Sen. Harry Reid, Sen. Jacky Rosen and Gov. Steve Sisolak, Forgey said. Both automatic and pledged delegates will be tied to the results of the caucus. In other words, the results on caucus day must be reflected in Nevada’s final tally as announced at the Democratic National Convention, a new Democratic National Committee rule.
Every viable candidate at each precinct is awarded a number of delegates by their precinct chair based on the following mathematical equation: Number of members within a presidential preference group
X
Total number of delegates elected from that precinct
Total number participants in that precinct
=
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Delegates awarded to the presidential preference group
The delegate number is rounded to the nearest whole number. Every viable candidate must receive at least one delegate. In rare circumstances in which multiple candidates are tied for the loss or gain of a delegate, each candidate group will draw a card from an unopened deck of cards. Whichever group draws the highest card gets the disputed delegate.
Why is Nevada important? Nevada is the first state in the West to vote. It is also the most diverse earlyvoting state and will provide insight as to which Democratic candidates have backing from a more diverse electorate.
Volunteer to help!
The Nevada Democratic Party is seeking volunteers to help out on caucus day. Roles on caucus day include precinct chairs, who oversee the process in their precinct, and site leaders, who oversee the process across multiple precincts. To sign up, go to tinyurl.com/ uy4kn8o. All volunteers must go through training and be certified by the party prior to caucus day. Precinct chairs and site leaders will be able to call a Nevada Democratic Party hotline if they have questions or concerns during the caucus.
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what if i can’t make it? In situations where candidates are deemed unviable and one or more voters do not immediately pick a second choice, decided voters can try to convince their neighbors to support their candidate. Negotiations/pitches will be capped at 60 seconds per candidate, Forgey said.
Democrats looking to vote on a different day or keep their vote confidential do not have to participate in the caucus. For the first time, the Nevada Democratic Party is offering early voting February 15-18. Voters can find their early voting precinct location by visiting caucus.nvdems.com. Those who vote early will be asked to record three to five top candidates, ranked in order of preference, Forgey said. Voters’ second choices or beyond will be counted the day of the caucus in the event that their higher choices do not meet the viability threshold. As in years past, there will be no option to cast an absentee vote for the 2020 Nevada caucus.
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Round AND Round
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With ride-sharing affecting revenue, the RTC explores new solutions
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BY MIRANDA WILLSON
n December 31, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada ended a pilot program it had launched to compete with Uber and Lyft, which the agency says have conUber tributed to declining RTC revenue. The RTC’s rideshare program, called Trip to Strip, catered to those visiting the resort corridor by offering on-demand service in 11-passenger vans, minus the “surge” pricing model used by Uber and Lyft during busy times. But the service proved too expensive for the RTC to continue, costing $2.9 million during the roughly six-month period in which it operated and bringing in just $300,000 in revenue, RTC deputy CEO Francis Julien said at January’s RTC Board meeting. For years, the RTC generated a profit—a rarity in the world of public transportation—on two of its bus routes: the Las Vegas Strip to Downtown Las Vegas route and the doubledecker “Deuce” line along the Strip. That gave the RTC financial stability and allowed the agency to subsidize other bus lines in residential areas, said M.J. Maynard, CEO of the RTC. But since November 2015, shortly after Uber and Lyft began operating in Las Vegas, revenue has plummeted on both money-making lines, creating challenges for the agency as it tries to keep up with rising demand for bus service from residents, Maynard said. Fiscal Year 2020 will mark the first since 2010 in which the RTC will need to dip into reserve funds, with projected revenue estimated at $294.5 million compared with $301.3 million in costs, according to Maynard. “We’ve continued to see a revenue decline, which has definitely impacted our ability to fund new service,” she said. In Fiscal Year 2015, just before Uber and
Lyft entered the Las Vegas market, the Strip to Downtown and Deuce bus lines brought in a combined $23.9 million. By Fiscal Year 2019, that revenue was down to $16.9 million, Maynard said. The RTC is far from the only transit agency affected by the rise of ride-hailing apps. A 2019 study out of the University of Kentucky found that between 2002 and 2018, transit ridership declined in 22 major U.S. cities. Most of the decline happened after 2014, correlating with the growth of Uber and Lyft, said Greg Erhardt, assistant professor of engineering at the university and a co-author of the study. But the situation in Las Vegas is more complicated than elsewhere, because unlike in most cities, overall transit demand is still growing here. Valleywide ridership has climbed by 6.2% over the past two years, a reflection of the area’s rapid growth, but no bus lines have been added to the system since 2016, Maynard said. As a result, large, fast-growing areas of the Valley—especially in the southwest, northwest, west Henderson and North Las Vegas—don’t have access to bus service. About 15% of Valley households are farther than three-quarters of a mile from transit service, according to Maynard. Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones, whose district covers most of the southwest Valley, said about half of his constituents live farther than one mile away from public transportation. “I’ve been contacted many times over the last year from folks who’d like to have access to bus service, but also paratransit service,” Jones said, referring to the RTC’s door-to-door service for people with disabilities, the elderly and other eligible individuals. RTC bus lines are concentrated in older, densely populated areas of the Valley and near job centers, like Downtown and the Strip, and that’s by design, Francis said. But when evaluating whether to add bus lines, the agency also considers whether people in a given area will use the service. Within three years of being established, a new bus line should experience an average of 20 passengers boarding per revenue hour, Maynard said. That could explain in part why the southwest—which features mostly single-family homes and pockets of highly affluent areas where residents are likely to own cars—lacks service, Jones said. “My understanding is that anticipated ridership is definitely a factor. That is population, but also, likely riders,” he said.
In the coming months and years, the RTC will evaluate ways to increase transit service frequency, recuperate lost revenue and potentially add new lines as it plans for an even larger Las Vegas Valley. The agency is collecting feedback from residents on its new draft mobility plan, On Board, which will provide a framework for transportation goals and needs over the next 20 years. “As we’re doing that, we’ll be working on identifying long-term funding options,” said RTC’s Craig Raborn, director of the metropolitan planning organization for the Las Vegas area. While it might seem like the RTC is fighting a mammoth force given the popularity of Uber and Lyft, Erhardt said there are other tools the agency and regional policymakers could consider to regain financial stability. For example, New York City, LA and Seattle are studying congestion pricing for cars, whereby personal cars would be charged a small fee during rush hour to reduce traffic and travel time for other modes of transit, such as buses. Revenue raised from the surcharge would then support improvements to public transportation, Erhardt said. Another option would be to reconfigure streets to better accommodate buses, cyclists and pedestrians, rather than centering them around cars. That would lower travel time for those taking public transportation and hopefully encourage more people to use it, Erhardt said. “You look at places like New York, and they have started implementing 14th Street as a transit-only road now. It seems to be viewed as fairly successful,” he said. At this time, the RTC is prioritizing securing additional grant funding, which currently supports 18.8% of the RTC’s total budget, Maynard said. The agency also hopes a new partnership with Uber, through which people can view bus prices and buy tickets on the Uber app, will boost ridership, too. “If we can save money somewhere, we’re then able to apply those savings to existing services, to enhance that service,” Maynard said.
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A SPINAL FUSION MAY NOT BE YOUR ONLY OPTION +
Millions experience chronic lower back pain in the United States, and the World Health Organization reports that it’s a major cause of disability worldwide. Why? The lower spine connects to the pelvis and is where most weight-bearing movement occurs, making it susceptible to injury and degeneration. These types of injuries often include disc issues. “Discs can either degenerate over time; they can herniate or they can slip. What happens in certain cases is that individuals develop back pain with leg pain as a result of disc pathology,” Why might said Jason Garber, MD, neurosurgeon someone not want with Las Vegas Neurosurgical a spinal fusion? Spinal fusion is still perceived as the Institute. Treating disc damage is industry standard for ongoing disc issues individual to every patient, but but can come with complications. However, artificial disc replacement is a wonderful exploring all options is necessary alternative to spinal fusion in the properly for maintaining overall mobility selected patient. “When you take the disc out and fuse two segements of the spine, you and quality of life. create a larger lever arm where the discs above and below take on additional strain,” Garber said. “However, an artificial disc still participates in motion, which takes the strain off of the discs above and below the artificial disc placement.”
UNDERSTANDING DISC ISSUES The spine is made up of 24 vertebrae with a disc in between each. Spinal discs have three main functions: shock absorption, holding the vertebrae together, and allowing mobility of the spine. When a disc becomes damaged—either through injury, disease or activity—it can cause chronic pain. Disc degeneration also occurs during aging and can cause painful complications for some. “People are always going to have potential injuries to their spine. Cervical (vertebrae in the neck), and lumbar (vertebrae in the lower back) are more commonly injured than thoracic (vertebrae in the mid-back),” Garber said. For people experiencing pain related to their spinal discs, there are varying levels of treatment.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when evaluating and treating lower back pain. Some patients may benefit from noninvasive interventions whereas others may require surgery. “Surgery should always be a last resort,” Garber said. “Prior to any surgical intervention, unless there’s a frank neurologic deficit, my recommendation is always going to begin with physical therapy or chiropractic treatment, in conjunction with interventional pain management.”
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D r . Ja s o n E . G a r b e r a n d Ae s c u l a p I m p l a n t Sys t e m s
Treatment options For patients who aren’t responsive to those or other therapy options, spinal fusion has been the primary surgical alternative. Spinal fusion is a process where the disc is surgically removed and two vertebrae are fused together with screws and rods. While this is an effective and common procedure, disc replacement is an emerging option that may be better for some patients. Disc replacement surgery involves removing the trouble disc and implanting an artificial disc in its place. “What’s unique about artificial disc technology is the preservation of motion within the lumbar spine,” Garber said. “As opposed to a fusion where you’re taking the disc out and fusing the bone, this technology—specifically the Aesculap activL artificial disc—allows for preservation of motion. There’s a comparative study showing improved outcomes for earlier return to work, as well as the potential for reducing the need for future surgeries.” While Lumbar Total Disc Replacement is a valuable option, not everyone is a candidate for the procedure. It’s important to talk to your doctor about all your options and to find a specialist who can help you find the best course of action.
Are you a candidate for Total Disc Replacement?
activL® Artificial Disc
Who is a candidate for disc replacement?
For patients who are candidates for a spinal fusion, the next question is whether or not they’re also candidates for disc replacement. The requirements for artificial disc technology tend to be more stringent—obesity, a history of smoking and a history of certain diseases and infections can disqualify a candidate. In addition, it may not be an option if a patient has multiple discs that require treatment or fractures of the spine. “Disc replacement is best for patients who have a single disc that is not functioning properly, where the disc is either collapsed or herniated, causing nerve pinching with back pain and lower extremity pain,” Garber said.
Source: Yue JJ, Garcia R, Blumenthal S, Coric D, Patel VV, Leary SP, Dinh DH, Buttermann GR, Deutsch H, Miller LE, Persaud EJ, Ferko N. “Five-year Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial for Lumbar Artificial Discs in Single-level Degenerative Disc Disease.” Spine (Phila PA 1976). 2019 Aug 9.
See the activL Artificial Disc Instructions for Use for full prescribing information including a list of warnings, precautions and contraindications at www.aesculapimplantsystems.com (SOP-AIS-500179 Rev. 3.1) Rx only.
Total disc replacement (TDR) with the activL® Artificial Disc may be an alternative to spinal fusion. If you are experiencing back pain and considering surgery, please contact Dr. Jason E. Garber at 702.826.2662 for an evaluation or visit www.lvnicsbs.com. Dr. Garber is one of Southern Nevada’s most experienced spinal surgeons and a leader in artificial disc replacement surgery. Aesculap Implant Systems, LLC - a B. Braun company 866-229-3002 | www.aesculapimplantsystems.com
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WHEN
GOOD
INTENTIONS
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BY KELCIE GREGA
Renewable energy efforts can run afoul of wildlife conservation
he Trump administration is on track this year to approve a number of large-scale renewable energy projects on public lands, some of which are proposed for Nevada. The state has already been a leader in renewable energy efforts, with Gov. Steve Sisolak signing a bill in 2019 to more than double the amount of renewable energy provided by Nevada’s electric companies. But there’s growing concern among Nevada environmental proponents about the impact some of the new developments will have on public lands, particularly in Southern Nevada. As the scramble to find renewable alternatives to fossil fuels peaks, the path toward renewable energy can be problematic in its own right. Lithium, for example, is crucial in batteries for its ability to store large amounts of energy when wind or sunshine isn’t readily available. But the process of cultivating that
COL
rare metal can wreak havoc on ecosystems and threaten rare species, says Patrick Donnelly, state director of the Center for Biological Diversity. The issue came up regarding the Silver Peak Range in Esmeralda County, where wildlife conservation groups feared a proposed lithium mining pit would decimate the world’s only population of Tiehm’s buckwheat, a small perennial wildflower. A proposed geothermal plant in Dixie Valley was also of concern because of its proximity to a rare Nevada species known as the Dixie Valley toad. “The Dixie Valley toad is an utterly unique species, and its habitat is unique in the Dixie Valley springs,” Donnelly said. “There are many places to develop geothermal energy that don’t have [threatened species]. So why should we choose to prioritize developments next to its habitat?” Ormat Technologies, the company that plans to build the geothermal energy plant, has proposed mitigation strategies to protect
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(Photo Illustration)
OLLIDE the toad’s habitat. But Donnelly says he’s wary of any development nearby. When it comes to renewable energy, he says, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch,” referring to one of ecologist Barry Commoner’s four laws of ecology. “Every energy source we utilize is going to have some cost,” Donnelly says. “It’s about understanding these costs ahead of time and making calculated decisions.”
CAN RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS AND WILDLIFE COEXIST? A massive solar energy project proposed 30 miles north of Las Vegas has caused some division between renewable energy proponents and wildlife conservation groups. If approved, the Gemini Solar Project would generate 690 megawatts of electricity across 7,100 acres in the Mojave Desert just south of the Moapa River Indian Reservation. It would send power to cities in Nevada, Arizona and California, making it the largest solar array in the nation. Mark Boyadjian, a managing partner at Arevia Power, the developer behind the project, says large-
scale renewable energy projects are key in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, leading causes of wildlife habitat destruction. “Renewable energy developers play a key role in combating climate change while also developing projects in a way that preserves as much habitat as possible,” he says. Kevin Emmerich, co-founder of the Basin and Range Watch, has been critical of the Gemini Solar Project from the beginning, arguing that it would damage the desert tortoise population and threaten rare desert plants that inhabit the 11-square-mile site. Boyadjian says his team at Arevia Power analyzed more than a dozen potential sites before concluding that Gemini’s proposed location is among the best in the state because of its proximity to existing infrastructure and Las Vegas’ population. “Avoiding development on Southern Nevada public lands and land completely free of wildlife habitat would make it [virtually impossible] for the region to develop cleaner sources of energy,” he says.
He added that developers considered the desert tortoise population while designing the project and plan to implement “innovative measures” that will both minimize the impact to the tortoises and “provide valuable information about the coexistence of solar energy projects and desert tortoises.” One mitigation proposal involves a “mowing method” during construction, with vegetation being mowed in development areas rather than completely removed through more traditional methods such as disking and compacting. Such “coexistence” happened on a much smaller scale when Bombard Electric constructed a solar plant in Pahrump. Developers implemented a partial reintroduction of desert tortoises on the project site. But Emmerich says the mitigation proposal will not only be ineffective, but harmful to the wildlife in the area, since mowing would still dramatically alter the tortoises’ habitat. He says reintroducing desert tortoises disorients them, making them more vulnerable to exposure and predators. “With solar energy, you open a Pandora’s box of issues,” he says. “There are good-intentioned people who want to see solar energy and habitat coexist in the same area. All that’s going to do is create another set of issues.” But some desert tortoise advocates, like Kobbe Shaw of the Nevada-based nonprofit Tortoise Group, take a more nuanced perspective. Shaw says that while any massive development would affect the tortoise population, from a conservation standpoint, renewable energy should be looked at more holistically, and what’s better for the greater good should be weighed. Emmerich emphasizes that he’s not opposed to solar energy, but finds large-scale projects to be problematic, and would prefer to see more rooftop and community solar options. “Large-scale solar is a sloppy way to do it,” he says. “It takes up and alters habitat, destroys archaeology and bums people out.” Donnelly, meanwhile, says he finds it more useful to prioritize his efforts elsewhere toward areas like Dixie Valley or the Silver Peak Range, where a recent lawsuit by the Center led to an agreement by an Australian lithium mining company to temporarily protect the Tiehm’s buckwheat. Part of the equation involves educating people to reduce electricity consumption, he added. “We use electricity as if it were not a limited resource,” he says. “We have a nearly unlimited demand juxtaposed with limited resources capable of producing limited supply. Transitioning to a less energy-intensive lifestyle may need to be part of our response to climate change.”
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The workspace looks different for a new generation of employees
C
BY BRYAN HORWATH
ooper Powell was used to throwing curveballs, but his employer hurled one back at him last summer. Powell—a former standout baseball pitcher at Centennial High School and later at UNR, where he graduated in 2019—was set to interview for a marketing position with slots manufacturer Aristocrat Technologies at the company’s millennial-centric, year-old Las Vegas campus. “When I came here for my interview, I was blown away,” Powell said. “I didn’t even know spaces like this existed in the gaming industry. It’s like something you’d see in Silicon Valley or in Southern California.” Partly because of the company’s impressive campus, Powell, a marketing specialist, accepted a job offer and started in August. On a typical day, Powell, 24, eats lunch at the Aristocrat cafeteria—the shrimp bahn mi was the featured lunch special on a recent Wednesday— and exercises at the campus gym after work. He typically doesn’t take advantage of the free sessions at the on-site yoga studio, but they’re available if he ever wants to. The Aristrocrat campus, which opened late in 2018, isn’t your father’s office complex. It’s the type of workspace many say companies need to attract employees in their 20s and 30s. In place of offices and rows of identical cubicles, the twin buildings that make up the 180,000-square-foot complex feature open seating and standing work areas with natural light pouring in. Lounges and kitchens are designed to allow em-
ployees to interact, bounce ideas off one another and develop friendships. There are also quiet rooms, a Starbucks coffee shop and a game area with a pingpong table. Developer Jim Stuart, a partner at Matter Real Estate Group, said Southern Nevada needs these kinds of offices to compete for younger workers with cities like Denver, Salt Lake City, Phoenix and Austin, Texas.
“There’s a much more diversified employment base that’s growing in Southern Nevada right now,” Stuart said. “There’s a flight out of hostile business environments such as what we see in California. It’s a net positive for Southern Nevada, but the other side is that, to get the area competitive with other cities in the Southwest and the intermountain region for talent, Las Vegas has to cater to the millennial and Generation Z workforce.” Stuart, one of the main developers behind the Town Square district, said that means creating community-based and amenity-infused workplaces like the Aristocrat campus at the 215 Beltway and Flamingo Road. Stuart and his partners at Matter Real Estate are behind the $400 million UnCommons development, which is being designed by global architecture firm Gensler and is planned for 40 acres near Durango Drive and the 215 Beltway. Officials expect to break ground on the live-workplay development later this year. The first phase of the project, which will include 500,000 square feet of office space, retail space and hundreds of residential units, should be done by the middle of next year. Many companies have decided to move away from what Stuart calls “soulless office environments.” “The great workplace environments in the U.S. today are not tall, steel- and stone-clad buildings,” Stuart said. “They’re wide open and flooded with daylight. They have a cool vibe and energy about
The common areas and amenities offered to employees of Aristocrat Technologies include a gym, cafeteria and lots of natural light. (Christopher DeVargas/Staff)
1.30.20 vegas inc business
them. It’s completely different than what we’ve historically built.” Long viewed as an adult playground for gambling and partying, Las Vegas, with a metro population of about 2.2 million, is welcoming new residents and young families in droves. It has pro sports, burgeoning family-friendly suburbs and a small—but developing—tech sector. “Las Vegas, perhaps for the first time, is being taken seriously as an up-and-coming city,” Stuart said. “Pro sports certainly helps. Las Vegas is also becoming more about experiences and less about gambling. That said, young people still need to view Las Vegas as a cool, funky place to live.” Duncan Paterson, an LA-based mixed-use specialist with Gensler, said young people often choose where they want to live, then figure out their job situation. That type of thinking, he said, marks a nightand-day change from the baby boomer generation. “The world, in every profession, is in a talent war,” Paterson said. “You want the best people in your company and you want them to stay. The joke is that people move to New York to make it on Wall Street, move to Los Angeles to make it in Hollywood and move to Portland to move to Portland. When given the choice between two similar jobs, people are choosing the one that gives them the best lifestyle.” Jonas Peterson, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, said it’s important for employers to recognize what millennial workers are looking for. “Millennials are one of the fastest-growing segments of our workforce in Southern Nevada,” he said. Back at the Aristocrat campus, Powell, the former baseball star, reflected on the way his company presents itself to its employees. “Every decision that I’ve seen has been geared toward the employee,” Powell said. “My dad came here for lunch recently, and he stopped at one point and said, ‘I just want to say, you hit a home run. You don’t know how good you have it.’”
LIVE
ABSOLUTE AUCTION ON-SITE
ABSOLUTE AUCTION
S E L L I N G TO H I G H E ST B I D D E R
Auction on Saturday, February 15 at 11 AM 9021 Grove Crest Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89134
Visit www.DeCaroAuctions.com Preview Saturdays and Sundays 1-4 PM also by appointment.
1.800.332.3767 2% BROKER COOPERATION • REMOTE BIDDING AVAILABLE Property listed and offered for sale by Ivan Sher of The Ivan Sher Group, with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services. Auction will be held in conjunction with Vegas Valley Auctions, 8560 Brent Ln, Las Vegas, NV 89143 license # P63-00051.
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VegasInc Giving Notes
second grade, Betsy Rhodes Elementary School for fifth-grade book clubs, Vassiliadis Elementary School for leveled reading library and John C. Bass Elementary School for battle of the books reading club.
Cox Charities, the charitable arm of Cox Communications funded by employee donations, awarded Vegas PBS over $1,000 for books for underserved families to build home libraries.
The Penta Building Group has officially donated over $8 million to 350 charities since 2000, including more than $900,000 in 2019. Through its charitable organization, the Penta Cares Foundation, funds and volunteer efforts conducted by Penta employees and family members directly contribute to supporting organizations that address and provide aid to issues such as food insecurity, veteran services, homelessness and childhood cancer.
Mrs. Nevada 2020 Amanda Klein created a giving platform and fashion line, Smart Barbie, with a mission is to advocate for the advancement of women. Proceeds of the clothing items benefit Project Marilyn, which provides feminine hygiene kits to women and teens in our community. Walker Furniture was honored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals at the 28th annual Las Vegas National Philanthropy Day celebration in the outstanding corporation/foundation category. Sunrise Children’s Foundation honored philanthropist, Cindy Doumani at the Color Us Friends’ Luncheon, which raised money for the Home Instruction of Parents of Preschool Youngsters program. The nonprofit has helped more than 344 children across the Valley at developmental sites and early head start. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield donated $10,000 for the breastfeeding program and Cicis Pizza on Charleston Boulevard raised some “dough” with dining events for the foundation. Adam S. Kutner & Associates sponsored A Salute to First Responders to show gratitude to the men and women who serve the Las Vegas community. The mayor and city council recognized Adam Kutner and Las Vegas Elks Lodge with a proclamation, naming it the official “First Responders Day.” International Game Technology’s Women Inclusion Net-
work partnered with nonprofit Project Marilyn to collect donations and assemble 120 bags to benefit women and children in need. Helix Electric hosted its annual golf tournament, with proceeds benefitting the 22 Warriors Foundation, the Those Left Behind Foundation and the Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada. This year’s event had the largest attendance since the start of the tournament, with 131 participants raising $8,500 for each charity. Siegfried and Roy donated $5,000 to the Mayor’s Fund for Las Vegas LIFE. The donation will support youth sports programs in the city. Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck gifted $150,000 to the Harry Reid Endowed Chair for the History of the Intermountain West at UNLV. The endowed chair is named for Reid, the former U.S. Senate Majority Leader, to honor his life of public service. This position was created to elevate the college’s department of history to a national leader in the study of the Intermountain West region. U.S. Bank awarded Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada a $50,000 Community Possible grant. The funds will be used to buy and equip a 26-foot truck to take Junior Achievement’s programming on the road and provide 5,000 more Nevada students free financial education programming. The grant is part of U.S. Bank’s new annual $1 million fund focused on organizations driving economic development across the country in the areas of workforce preparation, affordable housing and arts and
culture. Dr. John Rhodes, senior medical director for the Mountain West Region of primary and adult medicine for Southwest Medical, part of OptumCare, and his wife, Shelley, received the Heitkotter Award from Faith Luthern Middle School and High School. Dr. and Mrs. Rhodes were co-chairs of the “You Gotta Have Faith” campaign that raised nearly $6 million toward construction of the school’s chapel and performing arts center. They were also catalysts for the creation of the Mark 10:14 program to help developmentally disabled students. Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada recognized outstanding pro bono lawyers and companies in Southern Nevada who fight injustice for thousands of the community’s most vulnerable residents at its annual pro bono awards, including pro bono attorney of the year Mary Bacon and pro bono law firm of the year, Snell & Wilmer. Additional winners recognized at the event included Holland & Hart; Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie; the Dickerson Karacsonyi Law Group; Dawn Hathaway Thoman; Marshal Willick; Southwest Gas; U.S. District Court Judge Richard Boulware II; Brittnie Watkins; Kevin Hernandez; Shannon Wilson; Meng Zhong; Edgar Cervantes; Glenn Schepps; and Leora Abrams. City National Bank awarded 135 Reading is the Way Up literacy grants totaling $82,500 to support literacy-based projects as well as financial literacy. Local recipients included Garehime Elementary School for manipulatives and consumables for
Desert Radiology’s Do-Gooders donated more than 200 toys to the Firefighters of Southern Nevada Burn Foundation for the nonprofit’s annual Fill the Fire Truck Toy Drive. Las Vegas Lights FC mascot Cash joined the Do-Gooders team to load the truck with the donations. The toys collected will go to children across the Valley who benefit from more than 40 schools and organizations. Mortenson-McCarthy Joint Venture, builders of Allegiant Stadium, and their more than 1,800 construction workers and subcontractors who are working on the stadium daily, donated new and unwrapped toys, books and bikes to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots campaign. The donation included 45 overflowing boxes of toys and 30 bikes. Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada donated 4,733 toys to nearly 850 children in the WIC program. Founders Coffee hosts Coffee with a Cause, where the coffee shop works with local charities to raise awareness and money for great causes. Each month it will serve a Barista’s Choice beverage, with proceeds of its sale donated to the monthly
charity partner, including Families for Effective Autism Treatment, Opportunity Village and Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada. Get Outdoors Nevada received a $10,000 donation as part of the “Stickers for Good” program by CarMax. The funds were applied toward a Chevy Silverado pickup truck, which will be used for its volunteer program. In 2019, GON organized and conducted more than 120 clean-up events throughout Southern Nevada and almost 600 education programs for kids reaching almost 60,000 people. United Way of Southern Nevada has rebranded and renamed the Women’s Leadership Council to become Women United, a group dedicated to supporting emerging female leaders and empowering girls from a young age. Women United joined UWSN donors to invest $1 million over three years to change lives in the Southern Nevada community. It also provides support for UWSN’s seven funded partners, including Sunrise Children’s Foundation, Girls on the Run Las Vegas, Las Vegas Clark County Library District Foundation, Nevada Health Centers, Leaders in Training, Fulfillment Fund Las Vegas and Foundation for an Independent Tomorrow. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas announced the charitable beneficiaries of its giving module program. From January to March, guests of the resort will have the option to donate to HELP of Southern Nevada, Goodie Two Shoes, America Heart Association or Veterans Village when they redeem ticket vouchers on the casino floor. The giving module is the first of its kind on the Strip. Since the program’s debut in July 2019, there have been more than 124,000 donation transactions, equating to more than $26,000 to nonprofits in the Las Vegas Valley.
Whether you need industrial or office space, home or away, contact a local SIOR to assist you and your company’s needs globally. SOUTHERN NEVADA CHAPTER
www.siornv.com
BIG GAME V I E W I N G PA R T Y
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 • 2:30PM • TAILGATE FOOD • DRAFT BEER • HOUSE WINE • DRAWINGS • FREE T-SHIRT
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41 valley locations | capriottis.com Delivery only available with online orders through order.capriottis.com via 3rd party delivery services. Management reserves all rights. ©2019 Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, Inc.
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Vegas inc business 1.30.20
Bid opportunities
Conventions Off-Price Specialist Show— Spring 2020 Sands Expo & Convention Center February 3-6 11,500 attendees
Annual 2020 Conference Mandalay Bay Convention Center and Resort February 16-19 15,000 attendees
ATA International—ATA Spring National Tournament 2020 Las Vegas Convention Center February 28-29 3,500 attendees
World of Concrete 2020 Las Vegas Convention Center February 4-7 60,000 attendees
International Limousine Charter & Tour Show 2020 Venetian February 16-20 3,000 attendees
American Frozen Food Institute AFFI-Con 2020 Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas February 28-March 3 1,000 attendees
WPPI Wedding & Portrait Photographers Conference Expo Mandalay Bay Convention Center and Resort February 23-27 10,000 attendees
Medtrade Spring Conference & Expo 2020 Mandalay Bay Convention Center and Resort March 3-5 2,500 attendees
Firehouse World Conference & Expo 2020 Las Vegas Convention Center February 24-27 4,500 attendees
Channel Partners—Conference & Expo 2020 Sands Expo & Convention Center March 9-12 6,000 attendees
CHAMPS Trade Show Spring Gage Enterprises Las Vegas Convention Center February 25-28 5,000 attendees
ConExpo—Con/Agg 2020 Las Vegas Convention Center March 10-14 129,000 attendees
MAGIC Marketplace Spring Mandalay Bay Convention Center and Resort February 5-7 78,000 attendees USA CBD Expo 2020 Las Vegas Convention Center February 13-15 5,000 attendees National Automobile Dealers Association Annual Winter National Convention 2020 Las Vegas Convention Center February 14-17 30,000 attendees Vacuum and Sewing Dealers Trade Association 2020 Las Vegas Convention Center February 16-18 2,600 attendees Western Veterinary
White Label World Expo 2020 Las Vegas Convention Center February 26-27 6,000 attendees
International Security Conference—ISC West Sands Expo & Convention Center March 17-20 29,000 attendees
TREMOR:
How to Shake the Shakes The Department of Neurosurgery invites you to a free seminar UCLA movement disorders neurosurgeons will discuss treatment options for the surgical management of tremor including deep brain stimulation and focused ultrasound.
Saturday, March 7, 2020 Registration: 9 – 9:30 am Presentation and Q&A: 9:30 am — Noon Topics include:
Suncoast Hotel and Casino
• Coping strategies
9090 Alta Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89145
• Surgical therapies — deep brain stimulation (DBS)
RSVP
• Noninvasive treatments — focused radiation and ultrasound
Please register by Wednesday, March 4, 2020 310-571-5741 ucla.tremor@gmail.com
neurosurgery.ucla.edu dbs.ucla.edu Support provided by: Abbott, Medtronic, Boston Scientific and Insightec Refreshments will be provided
UCLA2735 Tremor (Shake the Shakes) Ad - Las Vegas Weekly 1/4 Color
Round: 1
January 30 2:15 p.m. Spring Mountain Youth Camp: Water Tank Restoration Clark County, 605452 Sandy Moody-Upton at scm@clarkcountynv.gov
February 13 2:15 p.m. Russell Road Cimmaron Road to Rainbow Boulevard Clark County, 605536 Adleen Stidhum at abs@clarkcountynv.gov
ASD Market Week Winter Las Vegas Convention Center March 22-25 46,000 attendees
5,000 attendees
15th Annual World Game Protection Conference (WGPC) Tropicana Las Vegas March 23-26 700 attendees NCRMA Meeting 2020 Bally’s Las Vegas March 23-24 600 attendees Exhibitor Live 2020 Mandalay Bay Convention Center and Resort March 29-April 4 5,000 attendees National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO)—CinemaCon Caesars Palace March 30-April 2
Adobe Systems Inc.—Summit The Venetian March 31-April 2 10,000 attendees International Pizza Expo—2020 Las Vegas Convention Center March 31-April 2 12,000 attendees Nightclub and Bar Show 2020 Las Vegas Convention Center March 31-April 1 39,000 attendees Digital Signage Expo 2020 Las Vegas Convention Center April 1-2 6,000 attendees International Wireless Communications Expo 2020 Las Vegas Convention Center April 1-2 12,000 attendees
Plant Manager wanted in N. Las Vegas, NV. Worker will manage and direct all manufacturing plant operations and personnel including safety, quality, sales, service, purchasing, manufacturing and cost while ensuring maximum productivity and profitability. Typically manages locations with sales greater than $30 Million annually and leads the company to a world-class manufacturing level. Position requires 60 months/five (5) years of management experience in business improvement within the manufacturing industry including managing a plant with 200+ employees including recruiting, hiring, training, counseling, terminating, employees in different levels of workplace organization, and the following skills: mathematic, statistical and analytic skills; financial accounting and inventory management; MS Office toolset; specifically, Advanced Word, Excel, Project, PowerPoint and Access; truss manufacturing software, specifically MiTek Software; development, execution and enforcement of quality assurance, industrial safety & risk management and preventative maintenance programs; understanding of commodity-based lumber and building materials industry, economics and operations; knowledge of production operations at the plant level including manpower, scheduling, production, quality, safety and preventative maintenance management; total Quality/Continuous Improvement, Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma programs; demonstrated ability to lead, manage and implement organizational and cultural change and deliver results; leadership development including feedback, coaching, listening, empowerment, and difficult conversations; excellent communication and interpersonal skills which include building rapport and maintaining strong relationships across all levels, sensitivity to individual and team needs, collaborating effectively to accomplish work, effective facilitation and teaching skills; coaching and influencing individuals and teams without authority; conflict resolution and solution focused problem-solving skills; ability to gather, analyze, and interpret information from a variety of sources; time management skills and ability to manage multiple conflicting priorities; ability to see the big picture translating details into an organizational perspective. No travel requirements. Applicants must send resumés and salary requirements and/or inquiries for further details to Desert Lumber - US LBM, LLC, 4950 N Berg Street, N. Las Vegas, NV 89081 or DaleEggers@desertlumber.com. No calls.
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Premier Crossword
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horoscopes week of January 30 by rob brezsny
“Slick Middle” by frank Longo
ARIES (March 21-April 19): When Alexander the Great asked the Greek philosopher Diogenes if he needed any favors done, Diogenes replied, “Yeah, stop blocking my sunlight.” He also complained that Plato talked too much. Borrow some of Diogenes’ attitude in the coming weeks. It’ll be healing for you to experiment with being brassy, saucy and sassy. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Anthony Trollope (1815–82) published 29 novels and 18 works of nonfiction in 37 years. Critics liked his work but disapproved of his motivation: making money. Then they found that Trollope timed himself, aiming to generate 250 words every 15 minutes. Artists are supposed to court inspiration, not adhere to a schedule, they said. But Trollope-like behavior will benefit you in the coming weeks. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Rise and soar and glide during the coming weeks. Expand and enlarge and amplify. Don’t wait around hoping to be asked to explore and experiment and improvise—just do those things. It’s high time for you to enjoy stirring quests and research projects and missions dedicated to discovery. Be a funloving pioneer. Sample the joys of being a maverick and outlier. CANCER (June 21-July 22): The material world’s crazy-making demands and exhilarating rewards are endlessly entertaining. I’ve long been a student of depth psychology, which has trained me to be as focused on my soul as my ego. And I urge you to hang out more than usual in the soul’s realm during the coming weeks. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Can I talk you into being more tender and open-hearted toward the people who care for you? You’ll find it easier than usual to deepen your listening skills and intensify your sensitivity. You’ll have an acute intuitive grasp of the fact that you can earn yourself huge blessings by expressing love and compassion in very practical ways. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): All of us are in service to someone or something. We provide them with help or energy or mirroring or love. For some of us, our service feels like a burden. It’s grating or humbling or inconvenient, or all of the above. For others of us, being of service is fulfilling, even joyful. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to re-evaluate, reconfigure and reinvigorate your own service.
2018 King features syndicate
ACROSS 1 Musical McEntire 5 Bank acct. underwriter 9 Skate parts 15 Church seats 19 Students at Yale 20 — avis (one of a kind) 21 Actor Shaw 22 Take one’s leave 23 Photoelectric cells used for IDing 25 Title heroine of a 2001 French film 26 Onetime rival of Nintendo 27 Charges to get some quick cash 28 Property of a body in motion 31 Vardalos of the screen 32 Morales of Bad Boys 34 Roman 1,501 35 Noisy tot toy 36 Principles of household management 42 Rooted (in) 43 Hidden obstacle 44 Kitchen flooring, to a Brit 45 Sullen 47 Gore and Pacino 50 Humorous impact 58 Tightens, as one’s fist 63 Track circuit 64 Chute-deploying jumper 65 Goth foe 66 Fixed fashionably 68 Dollar part 70 Author — Rogers St. Johns 71 Taj Mahal locale 73 Person on a most wanted list 77 Geraint’s patient
wife 78 Averse (to) 80 Swanky 81 Diplomat 83 Suffix with ethyl 84 Strong coffee 87 Suffix with fact 89 One frosting a cake, e.g. 91 All-out attempt 94 Potentially shocking fish 95 Discontinued iPod 96 Rock concert equipment 99 Speak like Daffy Duck 103 Hits, as a fly 108 Imaginary band on the earth’s surface 113 Form a single file 115 “— tu” (Verdi aria) 116 Healing sign 117 Drink in a schooner 118 Luge, diving and biathlon 123 Saintly 125 Sit heavily 126 Clause’s cousin 127 Face-off area in hockey (or what’s found in eight answers in this puzzle) 129 Article in Germany 130 Yamaha products 131 “— girl!” 132 The Bradys’ Alice, e.g. 133 Elk relative 134 Sharply focused 135 Low in pitch 136 Poker cost DOWN 1 Sends back into custody 2 Euphoria 3 Female honcho 4 “You wish!” 5 Most liberated
6 Go on a brief yacht outing 7 Furious state 8 Wine vessel 9 Marlon of film 10 Chinese noodle dish 11 Aid in wrongdoing 12 Sandwich shop 13 Actor Bana of Munich 14 Control the course of 15 Pre-euro Spanish money 16 Puts forth 17 Move like a hula dancer 18 Didn’t leave 24 Ho-hum grades 29 “No worries, dude” 30 Catch red-handed 33 Here, to Yves 37 Pulitzer-winning novelist Jennifer 38 Ltr. extra 39 Uncanny 40 Wets a bit 41 “Ew, gross!” 46 Marina del —, California 48 PC screen type 49 Frigate, e.g. 51 Ralph of The Karate Kid 52 Duel weapon 53 Govt. med ap prover 54 Bona — 55 Smoothed (out) 56 “My Heart Will Go On” singer Dion 57 Brokerage employee 58 Alpine abode 59 The Raven co-star Bela 60 Absorbed 61 Academy URL ending 62 Writ for court
appearance 67 Arafat’s gp. 69 Dayton-to Toledo dir. 72 Trac II successor 74 “Time — the essence” 75 Team VIP 76 Olden times 79 Clucking bird 82 “— -haw!” (rodeo shout) 85 Bad deed 86 Swindle 88 “Doggone!” 90 Penne — vodka 92 Mental haze 93 “You’re oversharing,” in texts 97 They may run Windows 98 Some trig functions 100 Like “penne” and “graffiti” 101 Seek pleadingly 102 Go ahead of 103 Went uphill or downhill 104 Baseballer Mays 105 “Who’s interested?” 106 Tone down 107 Have dinner 109 Liam of film 110 Author Hemingway 111 Australia’s main airline 112 Force along 114 Kid-lit’s Longstocking 119 Uppercut landing area 120 Part of QED 121 Windmill part 122 Healing sign 124 Columnist Bombeck 128 Socrates’ “H”
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Author David Markson imagined what it would be like to write a novel that lacked conflicts or confrontations. Since many of us are addicted to entertainment that depends on discord to be interesting, we might find it hard to believe Markson’s dream would ever happen. But your life in the coming weeks may be exactly like that: a fascinating adventure with few hassles and wrangles. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): According to painter Georgia O’Keeffe, success is irrelevant. The most crucial lifelong effort anyone can be devoted to is “making your unknown known.” Did she mean making it known to yourself? Or to other people? Or both? The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to do both. So tease out your best and biggest mysteries. Give them expression. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You have a talent for burning bridges that need to be burned. Your intuition often guides you to assess when the time is ripe to withdraw from connections that no longer benefit you. On the other hand, you sometimes burn bridges prematurely. Some advice: 1. Refurbish rather than burn a bridge you’re disenchanted with. 2. Build at least one new bridge that will be valuable later. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The shape of the planets’ orbits is elliptical. Astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) was the first to figure this out. He didn’t like it. He wanted the orbits to be circular. That would have been more satisfying to his aesthetic and spiritual sensibilities. In the coming weeks, you will engage in a process that’s metaphorically comparable to Kepler’s. Hard work will yield useful, if unexpected results. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Please don’t imitate or repeat yourself in the coming weeks. Refrain from relying on formulas that have worked for you before. Resolve to either ignore or rebel against your past as you dream up fresh gambits and adventures. Treat your whole life like an improvisatory game that has just one purpose: to attract and stir up useful novelty. If you do these things, it is practically guaranteed that you will win the game. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Poet Robert Bly believes that each of us has a special genius, and the key to understanding and fully activating that genius is in our core wound. In other words, the part of us that got hurt the worst is potentially the generative source of the best gifts we have to give. Do you know where that is in yourself: the wound that could be the source of your blessing? Now is a great time to investigate this tantalizing mystery.
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