SOUTH RAINBOW
WEST TROPICANA
HENDERSON
LAS VEGAS STRIP
SOUTH DURANGO (COMING SOON)
EssenceVegas.com For use only by adults 21 years of age and older. Keep out of reach of children.
LAS VEGAS PAIUTE OR SNOW MOUNTAIN SMOKE SHOP
VALID ONLY AT LV PAIUTE CIGAR SHOPPE
PER CARTON* (CIGARETTES ONLY) *Must be 21 years of age or older. Excludes filtered cigars. Cannot be combined with other offers or discounts. Limit 1 discount given per customer per day. Must present this coupon for redemption. Cannot be redeemed for cash. No photocopies accepted. EXPIRES 6/30/2020. LVW
PREMIUM CIGARS & ACCESSORIES *Not valid at the Snow Mountain Smoke Shop. Cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts. Must be 21 years of age or older. Excludes contracted brands. Excludes bundles & individual sticks from bundles, cigarettes, mass market and pipe tobacco. Must present this coupon for redemption. Cannot be redeemed for cash. No photocopies or digital copies accepted. EXPIRES 7/31/2020. LVW
3 OFF
20% OFF
CURBSIDE PICKUP SPECIAL OFFER
$
CIGAR SHOPPE CURBSIDE PICKUP call ahead (702) 383-1516 opt. 5
MARLBORO AMERICAN SPIRIT
$68.69*
FINAL PRICE WITH COUPON $7.19 PER PACK
PYRAMID
$79.95*
$55.89*
FINAL PRICE WITH COUPON
FINAL PRICE WITH COUPON
$8.49 PER PACK *PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE
PUBLISHER MARK DE POOTER mark.depooter@gmgvegas.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER KATIE DIXON katie.dixon@gmgvegas.com
WE ARE OPEN - DRIVE THRU ONLY MON-SUN 8AM TO 6PM
EDITOR SPENCER PATTERSON spencer.patterson@gmgvegas.com
EDITORIAL Senior Editor GEOFF CARTER (geoff.carter@gmgvegas.com) Managing Editor/News DAVE MONDT (dave.mondt@gmgvegas.com) Deputy Editor GENEVIE DURANO (genevie.durano@gmgvegas.com) Editor at Large BROCK RADKE (brock.radke@gmgvegas.com) Staff Writers JUSTIN EMERSON, KELCIE GREGA, MIKE GRIMALA, BRYAN HORWATH, SARA MACNEIL, C. MOON REED, JOHN SADLER, RICARDO TORRES-CORTEZ, LESLIE VENTURA Contributing Editors RAY BREWER, JOHN FRITZ, CASE KEEFER, WADE MCAFERTY, KEN MILLER, JOHN TAYLOR Library Services Specialist/Permissions REBECCA CLIFFORD-CRUZ Office Coordinator NADINE GUY
$5.99 PER PACK
CREATIVE Art Director CORLENE BYRD (corlene.byrd@gmgvegas.com) Designer IAN RACOMA Multimedia Manager YASMINA CHAVEZ Photographers CHRISTOPHER DEVARGAS, STEVE MARCUS, WADE VANDERVORT
WE ARE OPEN
LAS VEGAS PAIUTE TRIBAL SMOKE SHOP & CIGAR SHOPPE MON-SUN 8AM TO 6PM SNOW MOUNTAIN SMOKE SHOP & GAS STATION MON-SUN 6AM TO 7PM • PAY-AT-THE-PUMP OPEN 24/7
DIGITAL Publisher of Digital Media KATIE HORTON Web Content Specialist CLAYT KEEFER Digital Marketing Coordinator CASSIDY BOWMAN Digital Marketing Intern EMILY JURBALA
FOR YOUR SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF OUR EMPLOYEES WE ENCOURAGE THE USE OF FACE MASKS
ADVERTISING & MARKETING
LOSE THE QUARANTINE WEIGHT ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶
Initial Medical Consultation Full Body Composition Analysis EKG (if required) RX for (3) month Appetite Suppressants (12) Weekly B12 Injections Bi-Weekly Body Composition Analysis Medication for (3) month treatment
395
$
NEW PATIENTS ONLY, CANNOT BE COMBINED WITH OTHER OFFERS.
www.iuventusmedcenter.com (702) 919-1099
2
CONVENIENT LOCATIONS
3365 E FLAMINGO ROAD STE 2, LAS VEGAS, NV 89121 4966 S RAINBOW BLVD STE 100, LAS VEGAS, NV 89118
External Content Manager EMMA CAUTHORN Special Publications Manager JENNIFER INABA Market Research Manager CHAD HARWOOD Publication Coordinator DENISE ARANCIBIA Account Manager DAWN MANGUM Senior Advertising Managers BRIANNA KOURETAS, SUE SRAN Account Executives BRITTANY BURRIDGE, MIKE MALL, ADAIR NOWACKI, RICHELLE SHAW, ALEX TEEL Events Manager SAMANTHA PETSCH Sales Assistant LEXIE ARANCIBIA Marketing Coordinator KIMBERLY ALVAREZ
PRODUCTION Vice President of Manufacturing MARIA BLONDEAUX Production Director PAUL HUNTSBERRY Production Manager BLUE UYEDA Marketing Art Director DANY HANIFF Production Artist MARISSA MAHERAS Traffic Coordinator JEANNE GLEESON
CIRCULATION Director of Circulation RON GANNON Route Manager RANDY CARLSON Fulfillment Manager DORIS HOLLIFIELD
GREENSPUN MEDIA GROUP CEO, Publisher & Editor BRIAN GREENSPUN Chief Operating Officer ROBERT CAUTHORN Editorial Page Editor RIC ANDERSON
LAS VEGAS WEEKLY 2275 Corporate Circle Suite 300 Henderson, NV 89074 (702) 990-2550 www.lasvegasweekly.com www.facebook.com/lasvegasweekly www.twitter.com/lasvegasweekly
ON THE COVER Shutterstock/ Photo Illustration
All content is copyright Las Vegas Weekly LLC. Las Vegas Weekly is published Thursdays and distributed throughout Southern Nevada. Readers are permitted one free copy per issue. Additional copies are $2, available back issues $3. ADVERTISING DEADLINE EVERY THURSDAY AT 5 P.M.
YOU’RE BACK, BABY. The Joint Chiropractic helps keep you moving. Find your relief today.
NEW PATIENT SPECIAL
Consultation, Exam, and Adjustment
29
$
*
Blue Diamond 4150 Blue Diamond Rd Suite 107
Henderson Sunset 1311 W. Sunset Road
Rainbow & Warm Springs 7385 S. Rainbow Blvd. #140
Boca Park 8820 W. Charleston Blvd Suite 103
North Decatur & 215 6171 N. Decatur Blvd Suite 150
Pebble Marketplace 1000 N. Green Valley Marketplace
Montecito Marketplace 7120 N. Durango Dr Suite 170
Tropicana Beltway 5060 S. Fort Apache Rd Suite 100
Eastern and Richmar 9500 S. Eastern Ave Suite 120
Rocksprings Plaza 7175 W. Lake Mead Blvd Suite 180
No Appointments | Open Evenings & Weekends | No Insurance Needed *Restrictions apply, see clinic for details. Initial visit includes consultation, exam and adjustment. NC: IF YOU DECIDE TO PURCHASE ADDITIONAL TREATMENT, YOU HAVE THE LEGAL RIGHT TO CHANGE YOUR MIND WITHIN THREE DAYS AND RECEIVE A REFUND. (N.C. Gen. Stat. 90-154.1). FL: THE PATIENT AND ANY OTHER PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT HAS THE RIGHT TO REFUSE TO PAY, CANCEL PAYMENT OR BE REIMBURSED FOR ANY OTHER SERVICE, EXAMINATION OR TREATMENT WHICH IS PERFORMED AS A RESULT OF AND WITHIN 72 HOURS OF RESPONDING TO THE ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE FREE, DISCOUNTED OR REDUCED FEE SERVICES, EXAMINATION OR TREATMENT. (FLA. STAT. 456.02). Subject to additional state statutes and regulations. See clinic for chiropractor(s)’ name and license info. Clinics managed and/or owned by franchisee or Prof. Corps. Restrictions may apply to Medicare eligible patients. Individual results may vary. © 2019 The Joint Corp. All Rights Reserved.
(702) 710-5077 thejoint.com
6
L A S V E G A S W E E K LY
6.25.20
VIRTUAL VARIETY SHOW TO BENEFIT JUVENILE DIABETES RESEARCH Magician and comedian Justin Willman, longtime Strip headliner Jeff Civillico and Absinthe tap dancing twin brothers Sean and John Scott will be among the entertainers performing in Together for a Cure, a virtual variety show at 3 p.m. June 28, with proceeds going to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Nevada chapter. It can be viewed via Zoom link for $50 per household. Tickets are available at jdrf.org/ Nevada/together. Like many local nonprofit organizations, the foundation is working to replace fundraising events that were sidelined due to COVID-19. In addition to buying a ticket for the weekend livestreaming show, supporters can bid on silent auction items until 8 p.m. June 28 on the website. The foundation is a leading global organization funding Type 1 diabetes research with the mission of accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat diabetes and its complications. Willman is the star and creator of the Netflix original series Magic for Humans. Civillico will act as the emcee of the show and will welcome special guests, including the Scott brothers, comedian and magician Murray SawChuck, aerial performers Duo Dragonwing and more. –Brock Radke
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
Server Hector Adam, left, picks up a meat dish at a carving station June 19 at the Buffet at Wynn, which reopened the previous day with new protocols. Dishes are delivered to tables, and diners can choose from nearly 90 dishes, all of which are unlimited for a two-hour period. The buffet is open Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday, 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 8 a.m.-9 p.m. (Steve Marcus/Staff)
L A S V E G A S W E E K LY
IN THIS ISSUE
10 16 24 30 38
News: Checking in with lightning strike survivors Cover Story: Closed venues won’t stop local artists The Strip: What might production shows look like? Food & Drink: Two new taco joints Vegas Inc: Tech growth during the pandemic
5
STORIES FROM LAST WEEK 100-DEGREE ARCTIC DAY A Siberian town with the world’s widest temperature range recorded a new high amid a heat wave that is contributing to severe forest fires. The temperature in Verkhoyansk hit 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit on June 20, according to a website that compiles Russian meteorological data. CORONAVIRUS SPIKE The World Health Organization on June 21 reported the largest singleday increase in coronavirus cases by its count, at more than 183,000 new cases over 24 hours. Experts said rising case counts can reflect multiple factors, including more widespread testing as well as broader infection. BEYONCÉ’S SURPRISE Beyoncé did not let Juneteenth pass without dropping one of her signature surprises—a new single called “Black Parade.” Proceeds from the song will benefit Black-owned small businesses, a message titled “Black Parade Route” on the singer’s website said. The post included links to dozens of Black-owned businesses. CONFEDERATE STATUE TOPPLED Protesters pulled down the only statue of a Confederate general in the nation’s capital and set it on fire on Juneteenth, the day marking the end of slavery in the United States. Cheering demonstrators jumped up and down as the 11-foot likeness of Albert Pike—wrapped with chains— wobbled on its high granite pedestal before falling backward, landing in a pile of dust.
SHE SAID IT
“Republicans have been fighting the Affordable Care Act from the moment it became law. And now they’re trying to overturn it during a global pandemic. It’s utterly heartless.” –Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., in a June 21 tweet
7
OPTIMISTIC FOR A VACCINE Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, told a House committee on June 23 that he believes “it will be when and not if” there will be a COVID-19 vaccine and that he remains “cautiously optimistic” that some will be ready at the end of the year. Fauci recently warned that the U.S. is still in the first wave of the pandemic and has continued to urge the public to practice social distancing. He also said political demonstrations are “risky” to all involved.
President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally June 20 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The event filled about a third of the 19,199-person capacity venue despite estimates suggesting a million people were interested in attending. Teenagers across the country and fans of South Korean pop music, or K-pop, organized a stunt mainly through the social media platform TikTok, RSVP’ing for the rally with no intention to attend. (Evan Vucci/Associated Press)
CCSD PLAN TO REOPEN INCLUDES FACE MASKS, ROTATING SCHOOL DAYS The Clark County School District’s plan to reopen includes mandatory face masks for students and teachers, and splitting instructional time between live classrooms and online education. The plan would also push the start of the school year by two weeks to August 24, with teachers reporting back to the classroom August 10. Class sizes would be limited by staggering students between the classroom and distance learning. Elementary school students, for example, would either attend school in person on Mondays and Tuesdays or Thursdays and Fridays. They would attend class remotely on the days they aren’t on campus. No students would be in schools on Wednesdays, which would be reserved for deep cleaning. At middle and high schools, passing periods would also be staggered to ensure social distancing. Yearlong courses would be condensed into one semester, and students would take only four courses per semester. The proposal would result in $84.6 million in additional costs, including $28 million for student Chromebooks and $15 million for personal protective equipment. –Sara MacNeil
JUSTIN FAVELA’S ‘20TWENTY’ CLOSES WITH DOWNTOWN RECEPTION Even during a pandemic, art finds a way. On June 27 from 2 to 7 p.m., Downtown art space Test Site Projects (1551 S. Commerce St.) will host a closing reception for beloved Las Vegas artist Justin Favela. His 20Twenty exhibit features an installation and new print editions. The five-hour event will allow for social distancing as guests survey a series of hand-drawn lithographs of Latino businesses; prints inspired by the banana leaves used in Guatemalan tamales; blankets made from sewn-together tortilla chip bags; an enormous (10-by-11-foot) Nacho Cheese Dorito; and more. “I originally started collecting Doritos bags on a trip I made to Mexico in 2015,” Favela says in an artist statement. “It was the beginning of my work investigating the globalization of Mexican/Latinx culture through appropriation and the commodification of our food and sacred symbols for capital gain in the United States.” For more information, visit testsiteprojects.com. –C. Moon Reed
8
LV W H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S
6.25.20
TROUBLE IN ISOLATION
HOW TO SPOT—AND HELP REMEDY—INCREASED ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION DURING THE PANDEMIC BY GENEVIE DURANO
I
t’s been a long three months since the start of the pandemic, and we are by no means out of the woods. Social isolation, economic insecurity and health concerns make for a perfect storm of stressors that many of us are experiencing right now. If you’ve been living with a spouse or a partner during lockdown, you will most likely be the first to notice any changes in behavior. “Any vulnerability that an individual had is going to be squeezed during this time,” says Merlelynn Harris, clinical director of Bridge Counseling Associates, a nonprofit that provides individual and family counseling in Southern Nevada. “So whether it’s alcoholism, something non-substance related, even as simple as impatience and irritability, if that was there before, it’s definitely coming out now. … Whether we’re doing more at-risk behaviors out of boredom, or out of stress or out of anxiety or even out of a trauma response, it’s usually their loved ones that will notice that it’s a problem behavior, rather than the individual.” Excessive use of alcohol is a particularly common maladaptive behavior, as it begins easily enough as a stress reliever but can, over time, develop into something more serious, and have significant medical and psychological consequences. During the pandemic, alcohol use has been made light of—there are memes and tweets about people making “quarantinis” and jokes about drinking before 5 p.m. now that they’re working from home. Zoom virtual happy hours have become a way to let off steam with friends and coworkers.
(Shutterstock/Photo Illustration)
LV W H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S
9
(Shutterstock
6.25.20
Adaptive ways to manage stress There are many ways we can manage stress during the pandemic without turning to maladaptive behaviors, says UNLV’s Sara Jordan. She notes, however, that these are unprecedented times, so if you do experience anxiety or depression that you can’t manage on your own, make an appointment with your doctor. Otherwise, here are some activities you can try with your partner while social distancing.
Spend time in nature. Being in the open air is one of the safer activities we can do right now. Go hiking or take a long drive.
And liquor stores offering delivery and curbside pickup haven’t suffered from lack of business—nationally, sales of wine, beer and spirits are higher compared with a year ago, according to market research firm Nielsen. But when does a way to release tension become a more serious problem? According to the British Journal of General Practice, “Harmful drinking is defined as a pattern of alcohol consumption causing health problems directly related to alcohol. Alcohol dependence is characterized by craving, tolerance, a preoccupation with alcohol and continued drinking in spite of harmful consequences.” External behavioral events, like a DUI or being kicked out of the house, often lead couples to seek help. But Harris notes that in a lot of households, codependency can occur in which couples minimize the significance of the problem, and that’s especially dangerous during times of social isolation.
Work out at home. Challenge each other to try different methods. There are plenty of options on YouTube, from yoga to boot camptype workouts.
Talk to your support network. Stay in touch with family and friends. Social isolation is not healthy for anyone, and maladaptive behaviors thrive when we don’t have outside support.
“It might have spiked, especially during COVID. And now they’re trying to figure out what to do or how to handle it,” she says. Associate professor Sara Jordan, program director of couple and family therapy at UNLV, says a notable change in behavior is your biggest clue in determining whether your partner is consuming too much alcohol, and that the actual amount of consumption can vary from person to person. “Factors such as body weight, tolerance and age play a role,” she says, “[but] if you notice your partner is consuming more than their usual, it might be helpful to seek the services of a mental health professional with experience in substance use disorders.” With help from such a specialist, couples can learn the tools to start a difficult conversation without it devolving into a blame game, since being blamed can be perceived as being attacked. “A lot of couples don’t realize having conversations about difficult subjects is usually a skill,” Harris says. “So whether it’s problem drinking, our finances, our sex life, our parenting style, there are some skills
Develop a new hobby. Whether it’s baking or putting together a jigsaw puzzle, try to find an activity you both enjoy.
required in being able to talk about really sensitive issues. Individuals willing to learn those skills can have those conversations and can stay on the issue.” Harris usually teaches couples active listening skills, which she calls an untapped resource. This entails not interrupting the other person, using nonthreatening body language and asking clarifying questions. When you ask your partner a question and they respond, slow down the communication process by not immediately reacting or paraphrasing what they said, Harris says. Starting the conversation at the right time can be just as important. Both Harris and Jordan stress approaching your partner when they’re not intoxicated, as they will be less defensive and more open to what you’re saying. Come into the conversation as nonjudgmental and nonaccusatory as possible. The one assumption we all have of a healthy relationship is that we want to be part of the solution if our partner is struggling. “I know it sounds so ridiculous, but sometimes it’s as simple as just being kind to each other,” Harris says.
10
LV W N E W S
6.25.20
A F T E R T H E
STRIKE LIGHTNING STRIKE SURVIVORS IN THE SOUTHWEST SPEAK ABOUT LASTING IMPACTS
(Shutterstock/Photo Illustration)
6.25.20
J
LV W N E W S
11
BY MIRANDA WILLSON ustin Gauger can remember almost everything from the day that changed his life. He was on a family fishing trip near Woods Canyon Lake, 130 miles west of Prescott, Arizona, on August 10, 2014, when lightning struck his back, propelling him 50 feet sideways until he landed face-first in a pile of rocks. The sound of the strike was deafening, as loud as the blasts he heard while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Gauger, now 46, recalls. He briefly saw a white glow around him, “like a ball of light.” Then everything went dark. When he came to, he felt pain throughout his body and he was paralyzed from the waist down— temporarily, as it turned out. Lightning injuries are rarer in the United States today than ever before. The average American has a 1-in15,300 chance of getting struck during their lifetime, according to the
National Weather Service. Though lightning strikes kill more humans annually than hurricanes, volcanoes and earthquakes combined, about 90% of lightning strike victims survive, according to research done by lightning injury expert Mary Ann Cooper. Many survivors are left with physical disabilities and/or psychological impacts, however, including memory loss, depression, anxiety and PTSD, explains Cooper, a physician and former professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “As a result, sometimes people can’t go back to work,” Cooper says. “They may lose their homes. They may lose their jobs. They may lose their families.” In Nevada, no one has been fatally struck by lightning since 2006, when a 16-year-old in Tonopah died following a strike, according to the National Weather Service in Las Vegas. But popular outdoor destinations not
Justin Gauger (second from right) and family (Courtesy)
far from Southern Nevada, including areas near the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park, report lightning strikes from time to time. Arizona is tied for fourth among states with the most lightning fatalities between 2009 and 2018, the NWS reports. “Arizona gets more lightning in general because they have a better monsoon season,” says Caleb Steele, a meteorologist with the NWS in Las Vegas. “Utah is kind of the same way.” Lightning deaths and injuries often make the local news, but what happens to victims in the months and years after the strike rarely gets as much attention. And though some medical progress has been made on recognizing and treating lightning injuries, they remain poorly understood in general. Lightning strike survivor Sydney Copeland says the doctors she has seen have been “somewhat confused” by her symptoms and experience.
“They find it hard to give me a definitive answer to my questions about it,” says Copeland, who has declined to see specialists because of the cost. ■■■■ Although strikes are sometimes avoidable, Gauger’s experience reflects how quickly lightning can hit. He was fishing with his family when it suddenly started raining and hailing, he says. As he was making his way away from the lake to his truck, the lightning bolt struck him, burning all of his clothes and literally knocking off his socks and shoes, he says. When Gauger arrived at a hospital in Payson, Arizona, the doctor who treated him was in disbelief. “The doctor was like, ‘I can’t believe you’re here with us. You shouldn’t be here with us with the injuries that you have,’” Gauger says. First-, second- and third-degree burns covered half his body, so the hospital sent him to a burn center in Phoenix. Once he got there, staff pumped what Gauger describes as a dark brown fluid out of his muscles, which had been caused by his body’s reaction to the lightning, he says. Gauger had a pin-size hole in his back where the lightning had entered, along with two holes in his left foot and one in his right foot, where the lightning had exited his body. He couldn’t walk for six months without help from his wife, children or another person. To deal with the pain, Gauger was prescribed opioids. He also received medication for his neuropathy, which he continues taking to this day. During his recovery process, he developed anxiety, PTSD and depression, so he also began taking antidepressants, Gauger says. Given the chronic pain and memory issues he has developed, he has not returned to his former job in the Pinal County Assessor’s Office. “For the last four years, it’s been mostly just [doing] stuff around the house,” he says. “I’ll come outside
lv w n e w s
6.25.20
and do a little bit of work, because I get so tired so fast and my body starts hurting.” Lightning strike survivor Justin Hofer recovered more quickly from his strike on February 23, 2018, but he continues to experience similar lasting symptoms, including memory problems, PTSD, nerve pain and general fatigue, he says. Hofer was golfing in his hometown of St. George, Utah, on a cloudy day when it suddenly started hailing. “We were sitting in our golf carts and thinking, ‘Oh, this is interesting. This never happens,’ ” says Hofer, who was 38 at the time. He was on the green when a bolt of lightning struck his back, exiting through his lower extremities and shoes. He remembers an unusual
Sydney Copeland (Courtesy)
(Shutterstock)
12
Minimizing the chances of being struck by lightning While the chances of getting struck by lightning remain low, the best way to prevent a lightning injury is to go indoors when you hear thunder or when the weather gets bad. Sometimes, however, getting inside is impossible, and sometimes, the timing for a potential strike isn’t clear until it happens. The best thing you can do to avoid strikes is to check the weather before going outside for a long period of time, like for a camping trip or a long hike, says lightning injury expert Mary Ann Cooper.
sensation as if he were “frozen in time” during the strike, as well as a smell he likens to burning rubber. “The feeling is just incapacitating. It hits you and you can’t move, you can’t scream, you can’t think,” he says. “I remember that energy, and I remember falling to the ground.” Those who witnessed the event told him he was conscious for about seven minutes before falling out of consciousness, blood coming out his mouth, ears and burn wounds. He was quickly transported to the University Medical Center in Las Vegas. At one point, his heart appeared to stop beating, Hofer was told. He was placed on a ventilator for about a day and a half, and ultimately stayed in the hospital for about 10 days. “I just remember being per-
plexed,” Hofer says. “It seemed like that was weeks ago that I was golfing with those guys, but then I didn’t have any memories in between that, and there I was.” Hofer’s doctors prescribed him pain medication and advised him to rest. But in three or four weeks, he was able to return to work, he said. In the months that followed, Hofer saw a neurologist to help treat his nerve damage. The neuropathy was worst in his feet, and for a while, he had trouble walking for long periods of time, he says. His condition has improved, but he says he still experiences bouts of nerve pain in certain areas of his lower back, and his left leg and foot remain partially numb. “It’s gotten better, but I’m not hope-
6.25.20
ful that it’s ever going to go away,” Hofer says. “It’s definitely something that affects you for the rest of your life. It’s kind of your new normal.” The hardest part now is dealing with unknowns, explains Hofer’s wife, Kelcey. Hofer seems to struggle at work more now, and when performing any high-level tasks, she says. “We don’t know what his future is going to look like, if his stamina and health will decline or if it’s going to level out,” she says. “There are good days and bad days. ... I remember a doctor saying something [like], ‘We won’t know for at least five to 10 years what symptoms are going to come and go.’ ” ■■■■ Lightning strikes cause neurological injuries, Cooper says. As a result, victims most commonly deal with chronic pain symptoms due to nerve damage, along with impacts to the brain comparable to post-concussive syndrome in football players. Memory deficits, learning problems, irritability and distractibility are common, she says. Sometimes, survivors will need care their entire lives. Other times, symptoms gradually subside, but the individuals might never return to the way they were before the strike, she says. “Eventually, many, many people get to the acceptance level,” Cooper says. “They say, ‘I know I got this, but I can take care of it.’ I think those are the people that get better. They accept it; they work with the limitations.” Copeland had relatively manageable physical impacts right after she was struck while rock climbing near Devil’s Head Mountain south of Denver on June 29, 2019. Immediately after the strike, she felt “numb and fuzzy” but experienced hardly any pain. “Everything went white and I remember the universe being so incredibly loud, like the sound of standing next to a train and a city of screaming people,” she says. Copeland, who was 23 at the time, developed a red-pink rootlike pattern on her body—produced by the
electric impact—which went away two days after the strike, she says. Although her wrist felt numb, she was able to return to work within days. But two months later, the numbness in her wrist turned into excruciating pain. It got so bad that she couldn’t resume working as a farmer, wash dishes or even text, the Colorado resident says. She was treated with steroids and has been giving her wrist plenty of rest, giving up climbing since. She has been doing stretching and strengthening exercises, and she says the physical symptoms have lessened. Meanwhile, the psychological ones, including severe anxiety that’s at its most acute during thunderstorms, have been tougher to overcome. “I’ve had nightmares. For several months after, I would sometimes see flashes of white light randomly,” Copeland says. “Occasionally when I blink or something moves quickly [through] my peripherals, I will still see these blinding flashes.”
LV W n e w s
13
Justin Hofer’s shoes (Courtesy)
■■■■ Over the past five years, Gauger’s initially debilitating symptoms have slowly improved. Within six months, he was able to walk again on his own. Last February, he reached another milestone: He weaned himself off pain medication entirely. Earlier this year, he began working 12 hours per week for the first time since the strike, he says. He still gets tired easily and experiences depression, which he developed shortly after the strike. And his memory cuts in and out, sometimes when he’s talking, Gauger says. “I’m not the same person I used to be,” he says. “I used to get up and go, go, go. Now it’s more like, ‘I don’t want to do that; I don’t feel like doing this; my legs hurt.’ I just had to come to this realization that that’s not who I can be anymore, especially with the damage I have on my feet and not being able to stand up for long periods of time.” Hofer continues to experience bouts of chronic pain and fatigue
after prolonged activity, along with what he calls an “irrational fear of weather” and PTSD-like symptoms, particularly during storms. His eyesight is different, too. Sometimes images “linger” in his frame of vision longer than they should, he says. Hofer describes himself as more risk-averse now than he was before, but says he feels lucky and grateful to have lived through an event that arguably should have killed him. “It was really significant to me and pretty life-changing, pretty faithbuilding and an almost spiritual and emotional experience,” he says. Cooper has noticed a commonality among the hundreds to thousands of lightning strike survivors with whom she has spoken: a feeling of having survived something extraordinary. Realizing they could have easily died, they
feel they have a chance to “revisit what is really important to them,” she says. In addition to the support Gauger has received from his wife and children, he says a support group for lightning strike survivors—with approximately 300 members nationwide—has helped him deal with the lasting effects of the strike. Through the group, he met Cooper, who serves on the group’s board of directors, and other survivors, including Hofer. Hofer says that whenever he reads through posts on the group’s Facebook page, he notes the commonalities among strike survivors’ overall experiences, even when their physical symptoms might vary. “I read their stories, and it’s just interesting,” Hofer says. “It’s like, ‘Man, that is so similar to what I’m dealing with.’ ”
THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING
GREENSPUN MEDIA GROUP A S YO U R T R U S T E D S O U R C E O F I N F O R M AT I O N .
12.8.19
Y O U r
G U I d e
T O
e V e r Y T H I N G
L A S
V e G A S ®
mAGAZIN
e
decembe
r 8. 2019
L A S V E G A S M A G A Z I N E j
MARCH 15 -28. 2020
S h o w b I Z w E E k L y
Julian Serra no Elevated Sp anish
Tapas
Fare at Aria
V o L. 1 4
MARCH 15-28
MAPS
N o. 4 8
ATTRACTIONS ENTERTAINMENT DINING NIGHTLIFE
VOL. 15 NO. 6
GAMING SHOPPING VALUABLE OFFERS THE IN-THE-KNOW GUIDE FOR VISITORS ON THE GO
WE ARE PROUD TO SERVE THIS A M A Z I N G C O M M U N I T Y. B E C A U S E O F YO U , W E CO N T I N U E TO B E
#VEGASSTRONGER
6.25.20
15
C r e at e d a n d p r e s e n t e d b y
HOMie
The real estate company that’s disrupting the industry +
Homie was created when founder Mike Peregrina saw an opportunity to improve real estate transactions and turn the traditional model on its head. “I feel like launching Homie was a social responsibility and a calling. I lost my home—my safety, my shelter—in Las Vegas during the 2008-09 financial crisis,” Peregrina said. “I was left feeling like the real estate industry was not set up in a way to give a consumer the proper step forward, and it felt like my responsibility to fix it.” Homie differentiates itself as a real estate company by its simple, transparent, cost-saving approach: It offers consumers the ability to buy and sell a home without paying high real estate commissions. All Homie agents are W-2 employees with benefits, and they receive a flat fee for buying and selling homes, incentivizing them to find the right home for the client, regardless of budget. In the four years since the company’s inception, it has saved consumers more than $60 million in commission costs and closed more than $4 billion of real estate value. This is made possible by offering addi-
tional services through Homie’s family of companies, which includes mortgage loans, closing services and homeowner’s insurance. And Peregrina continues to bring the mission back home. “I went to Bonanza High School. I went to UNLV. Las Vegas is my hometown. I love Las Vegas and it holds a special place in my heart. Our mission to make homeownership affordable, simple and accessible is so important,” Peregrina said. “I empathize that people lost faith in the industry after the crash, because I was one of them. And this is where the genesis of the Homie story came from.” Operating on four main pillars—service, savings, simplicity and social good—Peregrina is often asked if the model is too good to be true. The truth, he says, is it’s not. “The goal is to transform the industry and shift these huge economics back to the consumer. As the company grows and gains market share, we never want to forget that we’re doing this for the right reason: To have a homie in your corner when you’re buying or selling your most expensive asset,” Peregrina said.
Helping the community bounce back The company recently seeded a $10,000 fund to be managed by the United Way of Southern Nevada to help those who lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic. They are also refunding the flat fee to homeowners selling their home during this time. “We believe that business is one of the most powerful social platforms, and it’s our responsibility to help the community where we can,” Peregrina said.
16
LV W C OV E R S T O R Y
6.25.20
CREATIVE TIMES
6.25.20
Production company AV Vegas tries to bring the local concert industry back to life BY LESLIE VENTURA
Mercy Music (Courtesy AV Vegas)
ymbals crash and guitar chords blaze as a man screams and howls into a mic. No, this isn’t a flashback. It’s a live show, in the flesh, with real instruments being played by actual people. Prior to COVID-19, no one could have imagined Las Vegas without gambling, luxury hotels and, of course, live entertainment. While most restrictions have lifted three months into the pandemic, the live entertainment industry has yet to bounce back. Since 1993, music and production company AV Vegas has provided staging, lighting, audio and backline to clients on the Strip and beyond, including the Wynn and the Venetian, Life Is Beautiful and Bite of Las Vegas. Not long before the pandemic hit and all nonessential businesses were ordered closed by Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, AV Vegas purchased a new $6 million warehouse on Arville Street. “We threw all the gear in, closed the doors and went home for a month and a half,” says backline tech and local musician Mike McGuinness. When AV Vegas finally got the green light to return to work, it was hardly business as usual. During the past three months, AV Vegas has hosted only a handful of live gigs, mostly small high school “drive-thru” graduation ceremonies. Something had to change, and fast. That’s when the idea to turn the warehouse into a multipurpose livestreaming facility came up. “We had to figure out a plan to stay in business,” McGuinness says. “Livestreaming was not part of what this company did at all before this started.”
LV W C OV E R S T O R Y
17
General manager Chris Holloway, who has been with AV Vegas for more than 20 years, says he’s “never seen anything” like what the city is currently going through. “I have no idea how we’re going to recover from it if we don’t start adapting,” he explains. For the past month, the AV Vegas staff has been learning how to do just that. Stagehands and backline techs have picked up new skills on the fly, working together to make livestreamed shows become a reality. “This is a complete business model change for us,” Holloway says. “If it starts to take off in the way we’re hoping it does, we have no problem building bigger venues for bigger artists.” The day the Weekly tours the warehouse is the same day AV Vegas is producing its debut livestream show. It’s been months since I’ve heard live music, and the caterwauling of local metal band Alligator Blood is oddly reassuring. “This song is called ‘So Motherf*ckin’ Hollow,’” singer Tyler Lawson exclaims as Alligator Blood’s heavy guitars and drumbeats fill the room. A palpable excitement hangs in the air, even though there’s no traditional crowd to witness the set. “How we doin’ out there, guys?” Lawson shouts to viewers watching from home. “If this pandemic thing continues and we’re still not able to have live events, this is where it’s going to go,” Holloway says. “If Deadmau5 or Calvin Harris or Imagine Dragons wanted to do a livestream, we would drop everything and do it.”
Jesse Pino (Courtesy AV Vegas)
18
LV W c ov e r s t o r y
6.25.20
CREATIVE TIMES And AV Vegas could. Alligator Blood is performing on just one of five stages the company has to offer inside its facility. From an outdoor stage that centers the sparkling Las Vegas Strip as its backdrop to an acoustic setup, a mobile stage and a private DJ room, the creative possibilities seem endless. “Can you imagine getting your favorite artist onstage, and [being able to] physically talk one-onone with any band member and have them respond to you between songs? Livestreaming offers you that,” Holloway says. “We’re in our infancy with our first few bands, but we want to get to the point where we can do that. We want the fans and the talent to be able to interact on a real stage, with real lights and real sound, in a setting that we can control.” *
*
*
*
Inside AV Vegas’ building, an orange and white Route 91 banner hangs above the entrance, in remembrance. AV Vegas provided equipment for the Route 91 Harvest country music festival on the Strip in 2017, an event that would become the site of the largest mass shooting in United States history, claiming the lives of 58 people and injuring hundreds more. Following that horrific October 1 night, the company’s gear was locked up as part of the crime scene for more than a month. When AV Vegas employees were finally able to return to the site, “the flag was still hanging,” Holloway says. “It’ll always be with us.” Continuing the tour of the facility, we move into the AV Vegas control room. There’s an energy that one might find in an esports arena—a row of guys hunched over, eyes locked on computer screens while speaking to one another through headsets. There’s a slushy machine in the corner, and the room glows a deep Crayola blue from the glare of various monitors. One tech toggles between the stage’s five camera angles, another runs the livestream feed through the band’s social media platforms and yet another controls the soundboard.
The room is a good 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the warehouse, so we stay there to discuss the trajectory of AV Vegas during the pandemic. “People need entertainment,” says vice president of business development Ty Hansen. The son of CEO John Hansen, he was at AV Vegas’ last show before the state went into lockdown—a double-headliner bill featuring John Fogerty and Don Felder out in Laughlin. “I knew after that night things were going to be different,” Hansen
says. “So I went out to that show and got a room for the night. I wanted to see it. … We rode through two recessions before this one, and we managed to grow through each of them. I think this one’s going to be the hardest.” So far, AV Vegas has featured Vegas acts like Mercy Music, Adelitas Way, Jesse Pino and Mojave Sun on its livestreams, with more artists to come. McGuinness says he’s been reaching out to every local band in town with more than 1,000 social media followers, offering to bring
them in for a livestream session. “We’re in a beta test,” Hansen says. “Right now, we’re just looking to bring in bands while we’re testing and finding our process. In order to keep paying our payrolls, we need to find a way to make this a business.” Holloway chimes in, “You can livestream from your living room. [But] what we’re trying to do is bring back some of the Las Vegas feel into an entertainment scene that’s been completely obliterated, and to show that we can do it safely.”
“We want the fans and the talent to be able to interact on a real stage, in a setting that we can control.”
AV Vegas’ warehouse (Courtesy AV Vegas)
6.25.20
LV W C OV E R S T O R Y
19
Coco Jenkins (Christopher DeVargas/Staff)
Coco Jenkins’ Nothing and Everything series explores music and much more Coco Jenkins, Vegas musician and founder of the There’s Nothing to Do in Vegas Instagram page, used her time in quarantine to launch her Nothing and Everything series, a live talk show on Instagram in which she interviews local figures about important topics. “What we’re doing is really to amplify voices of the people of our community, telling people’s sides of their stories,” Jenkins says. The idea for an interactive show had been brewing for a while, but it wasn’t until the pandemic that Jenkins and her team—Vegas residents Arturo Ceceña, Milena DiFiore and Giselle D’souza—finally found the time to do it. “We weren’t able to go anywhere or do anything, and people were sitting at home,” Jenkins says. Things started falling into place. “We just started interviewing people of interest,” she says. That has included musicians like Cameron Calloway and Sonia Barcelona and reps from Vegas-born businesses like Fukuburker. “Then I realized that elections were coming up and that most people still didn’t care,” Jenkins says. She quickly pivoted the platform’s content, using Nothing and Everything to highlight even more important matters. “I felt like it was because people don’t understand how [the local political process] works, so I really worked hard to do the Vegas government edition.” As protests erupted around the country in response to the killing of George Floyd, Jenkins and her team continued to use their social media page to spotlight activists. That first week, Jenkins interviewed protesters who had been arrested in demonstrations and shared their stories. Jenkins says she hopes people learned that “it’s real.” “It’s hard to fathom,” Jenkins says of the arrests. “If you’re not out there, you just don’t understand how these things happen.” Her hope, she says, is that Nothing and Everything can provide an upclose look at real issues Las Vegans face, while providing a glimpse of some of their favorite artists. “That’s our mission,” Jenkins says. “To keep it local and keep supporting our community.” –Leslie Ventura
20
LV W c ov e r s t o r y
6.25.20
CREATIVE TIMES
Heidi Rider performs during Majestic Repertory Theatre’s drive-thru theater experience. (John Locher/AP)
6.25.20
lv w c ov e r s t o r y
21
From drag queens to theater groups, Vegas performers are finding ways to get their work out By Leslie Ventura
T
hroughout the pandemic, creatives across the Valley have tapped into their imaginations and resources, dreaming up new ways to deliver entertainment to their fans. One of the first venues to embrace livestreaming during quarantine was Piranha Nightclub. In the earliest weeks of the shutdown, the resident queens of Piranha brought the art of drag into people’s homes through Instagram Live and later, Twitch, every Monday evening. “Immediately, I had this inspiration, being from Houston,” says queen London Adour. “The queens [there] were doing live shows … and that’s where my inspiration came from. About five days after quarantine [started], I did my own show inside my living room.” Piranha quickly signed on to the idea of doing a livestream show of its own and got all of the resident queens on board. Not only was it a way to keep people entertained, it was a way to make sure that the talent—which was performing online for free—got paid. Without being able to host the show in person, performers lost both their paychecks and their tips. The benefits of livestreaming were twofold: Performers got paid through online tips, and fans stayed connected with their favorite queens. The web-based events were so successful, Adour says, that Piranha has even “flirted with the idea of going live on the weekends” even when the club reopens. Another LGBTQ-focused event, Bodywork, will host its first livestream on June
25 to celebrate Pride month. The event, called Homebody, will raise money for the LGBTQ Freedom Fund, which posts bail and secures safety for low-income LGBTQ individuals in Nevada and other states. The RSVP-only event, capped at 100 attendees, is billed as “an intentional space” for Black and indigenous people of color, the queer community and their allies. The Zoom event will feature a DJ set by MikeQ from HBO’s TV show Legendary, along with local DJs and artists including A.C. Esme, Brock G, Beverly Chillz and Lynn Troller, plus an interactive dance class led by Eva Soriano. While it might seem like everyone has turned to their computers for entertainment during the pandemic, others have done the opposite. Entertainment companies Sin City Scenic and Pop Up Photo Op teamed up to create Higher Love, “a big sparkly float” that roams “through communities spreading love to essential workers.” As the city started to reopen in May and some entertainers went back to work, the Higher Love project came to a close, but it returned for a one-off performance on June 12 for a drive-thru production by Backstage Hope Inc. Downtown theater company Majestic Repertory Theatre also hosted an interactive drive-thru experience throughout May, complete with masked burlesque performers. Local entertainer Mark Shunock, founder of performance venue The Space, hosted a six-hour telethon livestream for
(Courtesy)
the April edition of his monthly charity show, Mondays Dark. Though the Space is closed to the public for the foreseeable future, Shunock has kept his venue running as a livestreaming hub. Australian male revue Thunder From Down Under just held its first-ever livestream show from the Space on June 20, and singers Maxine Jones and Tony Terry and America’s Got Talent finalist Daniel Emmet and Italian singer Giada Valenti have also livestreamed from inside the same Vegas entertainment hub. “Yes, people want to go out,” Shunock says. “There’s nothing like seeing someone [perform live]. But here’s an opportunity to say to fans all around the world, please tune in, click here and support us. And I think that’s a great opportunity for an entertainer to have.”
22
LV W C u lt u r e
6.25.20
The Hub Takes 5 The Vegas Theatre Hub improv and sketch comedy school may have lost its performance space, but it’s going down swinging with a five-hour “telethon-style extravaganza.” bit.ly/2AOZRfr
Janelle Monáe in Homecoming
THIS
es
y)
WEEK
u
rt
(J o n
S
rd ha
o /C
Music TV BOOK
Parks and Recreation
DON’T CALL US DEAD
Remember politics before 2016? If your memory’s a bit fuzzy, revisit this gem from NBC, which ran from 2009-2015, about the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana, and the government employees in its parks department. There’s lots of hijinks involved, but at its heart, it’s about bureaucratic competence. The indomitable Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) is the antidote to our current cynicism about politics—over the span of 125 episodes, she restores our faith in our governing bodies. (Joe Biden even makes a cameo appearance in Season 5.) Netflix. –Genevie Durano
A finalist for the National Book Award for Poetry, this collection by Danez Smith takes a magnifying glass to issues of race, love, police violence, living with HIV and being a black queer person in the United States. “I do not trust the God you have given us. Though his songs are beautiful, his miracles are inconsistent,” Smith writes in “dear white America.” Passionate and ferocious, Don’t Call Us Dead is as jarring as it is awakening—a harrowing work about the intersection of black and queer life. –Leslie Ventura
GoGo PengUIn It’s tricky business describing GoGo Penguin, the Manchester, England-based instrumental trio whose fifth, self-titled LP dropped on June 5. In broad strokes, it’s a jazz band—Chris Illingworth plays piano, Nick Blacka double bass and Rob Turner drums—but its output more closely resembles electronic music: techno, house, breakbeats. The members compose using electronic gear, then reverse-engineer those sounds to fit their acoustic instruments. The music evokes Four Tet, Tycho, Squarepusher, Philip Glass and Radiohead—while at the same time advancing those sounds into new territory. It takes an entire album, and good speakers or headphones, to get a proper feel for GGP. Do it. –Geoff Carter
6.25.20
LV W C U LT U R E
23
VOTE FOR OUR ALL-TIME BEST OF VEGAS AWARDS AT LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM/BESTOFVEGAS
(P
rim
eV
ide
o/C
our
t e sy
)
(Hulu/Courte
sy )
REPUBLICANS DEFEATING TRUMP PODCAST The Lincoln Project, a group of current and former Republican strategists—including George Conway, husband of Kellyanne—intends to defeat President Trump this November. Listen to their podcast to learn how. bit.ly/3et6ToK
OUR PICKS FOR THE
WEEK AHEAD
TV TV
HOMECOMING
TASTE THE NATION WITH PADMA LAKSHMI
Janelle Monáe takes the baton from Julia Roberts for the second season of this Amazon psychological thriller and takes the show in an even lessexpected direction, as time and perspectives twist to turn a few days’ events into an epic unraveling. Hong Chau, Stephan James, Chris Cooper and an unhinged Joan Cusack join in on the fun. Prime Video. –Spencer Patterson
You know Hulu’s new culinary show is unique when host and famous foodie Padma Lakshmi pauses the discussion about El Paso burritos to wait for the border patrol helicopter to pass. Normally, such a distraction might be edited out, but Lakshmi uses it as an entry point to discuss the immigrant experience, including her own. In 10 episodes, Lakshmi explores cooking, culture and identity. Bonus: Episode 9 features Las Vegas Thai food. Hulu. –C. Moon Reed
24
LV W C U LT U R E 6 . 2 5 . 2 0
THE STRIP
All systems wait
Absinthe (Christopher DeVargas/Staff)
6.25.20
LV W C U LT U R E 25
Vegas show producers craft multiple plans while staying prepared to return By Brock Radke hen you think of the Las Vegas Strip casino resorts that pack the biggest entertainment punch, Treasure Island might not be at the top of your list. But TI, as it’s sometimes been called since the property began to de-emphasize its pirate theme back in 2003, remains essential as the home of Mystère, the first Cirque du Soleil resident production show on the Strip. Five days after TI reopened, Vice President of Hotel Sales & Marketing Don Voss said casino officials were confident that when larger-scale live entertainment options were allowed to perform, Mystère would be “one of the first to come back.” “We don’t know if it will be a part of Phase 3, but we will be ready for that comeback,” Voss said. “It’s the original. It uses a custom-built stage and has been running for years like clockwork, and it’s such an efficient show.” He also noted other Cirque productions use larger, more complicated stages and theaters and that Mystère’s ticket price is more affordable. Cirque du Soleil’s Las Vegas office would not confirm which shows it might open first. “There are a number of factors to take into consideration when looking at reopening,” Vice President of Marketing and Sales Lou D’Angeli said in an emailed statement. “Health and safety of our artists as well as our guests is our No. 1 priority. We also have to look at capacities and social distancing guidelines that are not determined by us. “As we await more information from Governor Sisolak, we continue to work internally and with our hotel partners to ensure the best experience possible upon our return.” With COVID-19 cases on the rise in Clark County and Sisolak reportedly considering “enhanced” face mask policies, the state’s movement into Phase 3—whatever that entails—is uncertain at best. That’s bad news for the entertainment companies, producers and performers who power the Strip show scene, but they continue to plan and prepare for every possible scenario in order to be ready for whatever cir-
Mystère (Erik Kabik/Courtesy)
W
cumstances allow the lights to come back on and the curtains to be pulled back once again. Spiegelworld produces three comedy variety shows at three different casino properties. Recent rumors and reports suggest the popular Absinthe, performed in the 600-seat tent structure between the main entrance to Caesars Palace and the Strip-side Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen restaurant, would be the first of those shows to resume. “It may or may not be. We have a fulltime mitigation person making plans for all three of our shows, and we’re preparing for everything,” Spiegelworld founder Ross Mollison said. “If the governor says we can open with 150 people, maybe we’ll open Atomic Saloon Show [at Venetian]. If he says 250, we can make Absinthe work and will probably open that first.” Mollison said he returned to Las Vegas on June 4 and has been walking the Strip, visiting reopened casinos, eating at restaurants and catching whatever live entertainment options are available, including Bellagio’s Mayfair Sup-
per Club. A restaurant with carefully choreographed live music and dance, Mayfair reopened with the resort but closed briefly last week after a kitchen worker tested positive for COVID. For Absinthe, which has the advantage of an outdoor “lobby” at the Caesars courtyard, Mollison said the company has created a staged entry and exit plan to cut down on lines and crowds, and the venue’s rows of seats have been replaced by distanced cabaret tables. The tent’s air conditioning unit is now hospital-grade, and Mollison said he’s working on a system that would allow guests to order and pay for drinks on their phones from their seats. The mask issue will be determined by what’s mandated by the state and the casino. “An enormous advantage we have is we run our own venues soup to nuts and can change the seating plans easily,” Mollison said. “I think shows have an enormous service to offer. We all work hand-in-hand. I take care of our guests for two hours, if they come early for a drink, then hand them off to
a restaurant or to the gaming floor. If I’m taking care of 250 people in a safe way for two hours, it’s a good thing for all the other operators and restaurants and gaming.” There’s no question shows like Mystère and Absinthe make up an important and irreplaceable part of the Vegas experience. And while the timing of their return is tough to predict, it’s clear this aspect of the live entertainment industry is well-suited to handle whatever health and safety protocols are put in place. It’s less clear how long any show can survive with fewer performances and smaller audiences. Mollison said he’s been looking closely at restaurants and how that type of business is adjusting its model, and he anticipates that larger entertainment venues like TMobile Arena will watch smaller rooms to similarly learn what works and what doesn’t. But as he points out, there’s another bottom line when it comes to show business: “If we don’t make it fun, what’s the point?”
26
LV W C U LT U R E 6 . 2 5 . 2 0
Debut breakthrough The Nevada Women’s Film Festival celebrates UNLV graduate Andrea A. Walter
By Josh Bell ost of the time your first feature film is just trash,” says UNLV film school graduate Andrea A. Walter, who will be receiving the Nevada Woman Filmmaker of the Year award at this week’s Nevada Women’s Film Festival for, yes, her first feature. Empty by Design, which Walter wrote and directed and shot in her hometown of Manila in the Philippines, has performed far better than her modest assessment of a first feature film. Produced by Cignal Entertainment, Empty by Design premiered at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival in May 2019, and it was set to wrap up its festival run during NWFFest’s original dates in March, before the festival was postponed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. All of its screenings and discussion sessions will now be hosted online. “Honestly, when our whole team made the film, I don’t know how most of them felt, but I thought, OK, we’re just going to have one tiny screening, done, and then move on,” Walter says. “This whole year has been just pretty wild.” For Walter, the film’s journey started with a discussion with her roommate and producing partner Osric Chau, who also stars in the film. Chau encouraged her to draw on her personal experiences and write the movie she wanted to make, without any outside concerns. “I just wrote how I felt,” Walter says. “How I felt isolated as a for-
M
eigner my whole life in America, and how I feel isolated when I go home, too, because I’ve not spent every day there anymore. That’s the story I came up with.” That story follows two characters (played by Chau and Rhian Ramos), both of whom return to Manila after time away and struggle to fit back in, forming a bond around their shared experience of alienation. Walter first came to Las Vegas to attend UNLV and then stayed for several years after graduating, working in a variety of positions on local film productions, and writing and directing some short films of her own. About three years ago, she made the move to LA, and she’ll be participating in the June 26 virtual Q&A for Empty by Design from her home there. Still, her ties to Las Vegas remain strong, and she recruited three of her local collaborators to travel to the Philippines to work on Empty by Design with her. “It was so nice that I had some attachment to Las Vegas on this movie,” she says. That attachment continues at NWFFest, including the centerpiece screening of Vanguard Award recipient Laure de ClermontTonnerre’s Sundance favorite The Mustang, on which Walter worked as part of the Nevada-based crew. “I feel accepted fully in a community I spent a long time trying to work in,” she says of receiving the local honor. “It makes me feel like I’m doing something right.”
6.25.20
LV W C U LT U R E 27
Screen
Nevada Women’s Film Festival June 25-28, times vary, $7.50 per screening, $20 passes. nwffest.com.
Top and left: Scenes from Empty by Design. Right: Andrea A. Walter (Courtesy)
28
LV W C U LT U R E 6 . 2 5 . 2 0
SCENE
TWISTED Frodo Santini (Olivia Rutherford/Courtesy)
TALES
6.25.20
LV W C U LT U R E 29
STRIP CONTORTIONIST FRODO SANTINI PRESENTS HIS PANDEMIC-BORN PODCAST, THE WAY OF THE SHOWMAN BY C. MOON REED rodo Santini—aka Captain Frodo, aka The Incredible Rubberman—is famous for his ability to cram his entire body through tennis rackets with their strings removed, among other feats of contortion, balance and hilarity. The double-jointed entertainer has been performing since he first played child assistant to his magician father in Norway. In an alternate, pandemic-free timeline, you could find him co-starring as Major Tom in Spiegelworld’s Opium at the Cosmopolitan. And if COVID-19 had not indefinitely paused live theater, his extreme flexibility and creativity would merit a spotlight in these pages. The Guardian shares that sentiment: “Captain Frodo’s party piece may be dislocating his shoulder, but when he climbs up an increasingly precarious tower made from upturned buckets of diminishing size, his precarious ascent becomes a comment on the absurdity of all human endeavour.” Of course, in this reality, Santini has been deprived of a live audience for months. And so, while isolating at home like the rest of us, he realized a dream that had been “on the boil for a long time.” In June, Santini debuted his podcast, The Way of the Showman, and its corresponding blog, thewayoftheshowman.com. The first season will consist of 10 episodes, three of which are now available at all the usual podcast outlets. New episodes air on Tuesdays. For a man who makes a living twisting his arms, tossing confetti and looking clueless, Santini’s podcast is surprisingly deep. Episodes begin with an invitation from Captain Frodo—pilot of “the most influential ship of all time, the showmanship”—to join him on an intellectual and spiritual foray: “The bell is ringing. The time has come. It is showtime, and this is your captain speaking. Come with me. It is time to sail the seas of imagination. All aboard the showmanship for one more journey.” Santini then uses “the symbology of circus and Carnival life” to explore an array of topics, including secret knowledge, magic, Western esotericism, the occult, science, childhood, education and, of course, imagination. It may be no surprise that this whimsical weirdo studied philosophy at Norway’s Oslo University before dropping out to later take a three-month introductory circus course in
F
England. He describes his podcast as an effort to harness opposing energies—magic and science, humor and intellect—to make them all stronger. For example, “I have an episode called ‘The Song Spectacle,’ where I draw a detailed analogy between alchemy and the act of performing a show,” he says. For now, the podcast is a “labor of love,” but Santini hopes to have a book to promote by Season 2, about the philosophy of showmanship. He has been secretly writing for years: fiction, children’s books and a column for the Australian circus website carnivalcinema.com.au. Still, for Santini, being serious is like donning a stiff new pair of shoes. “It’s strange for me, because I’ve always been the funny guy,” he tells the Weekly during a Zoom interview from his home in
central Las Vegas. “It’s almost weird to be speaking earnestly about ideas and not always making a joke out of it.” He’s at his best when he can do both at once, as in a YouTube video of him performing on a grand stage in Montreal. As Santini balances atop an apparent soup can, he pauses to reflect to the audience: “Isn’t it amazing what people can do for a living? I’d like you guys who are here this evening to think about something that you wanted to do with your life but that always seemed too strange or too obscure to pursue. Now that you have all seen what I do for a living, maybe that dream of yours does not seem so strange anymore.” He punctuates the statement by lifting both legs until his feet are behind his head.
30
lv w f o o d & D R I N K
6.25.20
Tacos in Chinatown Taquito Street and the Taco Stand open up on Spring Mountain By Brock Radke he Las Vegas Chinatown District has always been known for a wide array of Asian eateries—not just Chinese food—and in recent years, non-Asian hot spots like Sparrow + Wolf and Partage have brought even more diverse dining to Spring Mountain Road. One restaurant style that hasn’t traditionally thrived along this stretch is the taco shop, but that appears to be changing. The clubby Más Por Favor opened in January, and two more taquerias have arrived since April. On the second story of the Pacific Asian Plaza center, the family behind the Taquito Street food truck has set up shop with a restaurant of the same name. Co-owner Jesse Chavez says the place was almost ready to open when COVID-19 shuttered dine-in business in March. “We realized we had two options, stay at home or try to ramp up the THE TACO STAND business,” he says. “We opened about 3616 Spring Mountain two months ago, and it felt safe beRoad, 702-268-8762. cause we were just doing deliveries at Daily, 11 a.m.-midnight. the time and we were in there cooking with the doors closed.” His family comprises restaurant industry veterans, but this is their first time working together and owning and operating their own business. After moving to Las Vegas from Florida three years ago, they broke through serving tacos and burritos from the truck at farmers markets and festival events, and they’re taking the same simple approach with Taquito Street’s restaurant menu. “We’re definitely not a traditional Mexican restaurant,” Chavez says. “We’re a taqueria. Whatever you get to enjoy out on the streets is what we want to put together on the plate.” Taking the lead are tasty tacos of carne asada
T
A variety of street tacos at the Taco Stand (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
6.25.20
LV W f o o d & D R I N K
31
FOOD & DRINK
TAQUITO STREET 5115 Spring Mountain Road #234, 702-504-3050. Tuesday-Sunday, 2-8 p.m.
Carne asada fries and bacon-wrapped XL Burrito at Taquito Street (Christopher DeVargas/Staff)
($2.35), al pastor and chorizo ($2.25) topped with onions and cilantro. Chicken, seafood and traditional cuts like suadero (beef near the flank), tripe and buche (pork stomach) are also available, and fans of crispy cheese can go for the pionero ($9.75) with their favorite meat. Taquito Street’s XL burritos ($12.99-$15.99) have been among the most popular menu items, loaded with refried beans, cheese, pico de gallo, grilled onions and your protein of choice. The kitchen took it to the next level by wrapping these behemoths in bacon.
“People are going crazy for it,” Chavez says. “All of a sudden, we have bloggers reaching out and taking pictures of it and building a following.” Closer to the Strip, friendly San Diego transplant the Taco Stand made its debut June 15 at the Lotus, next door to Sushi Kame. Like Taqueria Street, the Taco Stand feels like an urban taco shop that you’d dip into while roaming bars and shops, even if pedestrian traffic isn’t really a thing on Spring Mountain Road. Fresh handmade tortillas are the foundation for the tacos here, which focus on carne asada ($3.79),
al pastor ($2.99), pollo asado ($2.99) and seafood options. Nopal (cactus) tacos come with melted cheese, cilantro sauce, tomato and avocado ($2.99), and the Taco Stand also offers Sonora-style tacos ($4.89) with a flour tortilla filled with steak, cheese, beans, guac, onions, cilantro and salsa. Rounding out its offerings is the steak and friesfilled California burrito ($8.59), a surf-and-turf burrito with steak and shrimp ($9.69), quesadillas, fries topped nacho-style, elotes ($3.50) and breakfast burritos. It’s a good time to be a taco lover in Las Vegas.
NOW OPEN ELLISISLANDCASINO.COM
@ELLISCASINOLV
34
L A S V E G A S W E E K LY
6.25.20
S P O N S O R E D
C O N T E N T
MARIJUANA DISPENSARY
DELIVERY
FEATURED DISPENSARY
JARDÍN 2900 E. Desert Inn Road 702-331-6511 jardinlasvegas.com Voted Best Dispensary and Best Delivery Service in Las Vegas, Jardín Premium Cannabis Dispensary is a world-class dispensary that offers impeccable customer service and the highest-quality products. For free, same-day delivery and curbside pickup, place your order at jardinlasvegas.com. Don’t miss exclusive deals and specials: Text “Join Jardin” to 702-718-5671.
Y OUR GUIDE T O M ARI J U A N A DE LI V E RI E S ACROSS THE
L A S V E G A S VA L L E Y ACRES CANNABIS
APOTHECARIUM
2320 Western Ave. 702-359-9876 acrescannabis.com
7885 W. Sahara Ave. 702-778-7987 apothecariumlv.com
ESSENCE CANNABIS DISPENSARY 5765 W. Tropicana Ave. 702-500-1714 essencevegas.com
CURALEAF 1736 Las Vegas Blvd. S. 702-359-9875 curaleaf.com/nv
CANNABIS FLOWER
ESSENCE CANNABIS DISPENSARY 2307 Las Vegas Blvd. S. 702-978-7591 essencevegas.com
CBD DREAM STRAIN
ESSENCE CANNABIS DISPENSARY 4300 E. Sunset Road #A3 702-978-7687 essencevegas.com
GLOBAL CANNABINOIDS
SAHARA WELLNESS 420 E. Sahara Ave. 702-478-5533 420sahara.com
SHANGO MARIJUANA DISPENSARY
CBD only Online only B2B (wholesale) globalcannabinoids.io
4380 Boulder Highway 702-444-4824 goshango.com
JARDÍN
2550 S. Rainbow Blvd. #8 702-708-2000 thesourcenv.com
THE SOURCE 2900 E. Desert Inn Road 702-331-6511 jardinlasvegas.com
THE SOURCE MEDICALLY MINDED CBD only Online only medicallymindedcbd.com
9480 S. Eastern Ave. #185 702-708-2222 thesourcenv.com
-
Home of the 2 FOOT & Y R E V I DEL T U O E K TA
ORDER ONLINE: PORTOFSUBS.COM
36
lv w s p o r t s 6 . 2 5 . 2 0
Up and running UNLV’s football team plots its attack under new coach Marcus Arroyo By Mike Grimala NLV football has returned in continues. “That’s what I like about the earnest, with players participatoffense. The defense can’t key in, like, ing in voluntary workouts since ‘Oh, they’re in this formation, they’re the beginning of June. Team running these plays or running this practices are still a month away, assumplay.’ [Arroyo] is very versatile in his ing no coronavirus-related setback, but play-calling.” it looks like the 2020 Rebels are finally Williams’ understanding of the starting to take shape. offense has been drawn entirely from Because of the cancellation of spring film study and video conferences with practice, some mystery remains about the coaching staff. By all accounts, how the team will look under new coach UNLV was proactive when it became Marcus Arroyo. But the players, most clear the team wouldn’t be permitted to of whom have completed a practice for a while. mandatory two-week local Arroyo put together quarantine in order to an ambitious plan for return to campus, the Rebels to stay feel like they have a connected and good idea. learn while they To hear senior were apart. It running back might have made Charles Williams for some initial tell it, the offense unease given the will look the same importance of a … but different. first-year coach Williams describes familiarizing himself Arroyo’s attack as one with his roster, but Arthat seems innocuous royo sounds enthusiastic UNLV football coach lining up out of the about the way his players Marcus Arroyo huddle but presents handled the challenge. numerous threats to the defense. “The leadership of the team, to be “It’s simple for us, but it’s complex to able to pull together and to buy into the defense,” Williams says. “It’s an ofZooms for three months and virtual fense where you can’t key on one person. workouts and apps on their phone to You really have to pay attention to the get it done, I think it showed a lot about details and study. There aren’t simple the fiber of our team right now,” Arroyo little giveaways. There’s a lot of stuff says. “It’s encouraging to see how much in there that can look like one play but they’ve grown in three months and then it’s a different play. become closer at a time when many “When we get out there, it might believed you couldn’t do that.” look like we’re in the same formation, Williams says he grasped Arroyo’s but we could be running 10 different system quickly. “Coach Arroyo has simplays out of that formation,” Williams plified his offense for us,” he says. “His (St
eve M
a rc u s / S t a f f )
U
philosophy is spreading the ball around, getting downhill, playing tough, fast, physical, smart.” Arroyo spent the past three seasons as Oregon’s offensive coordinator, and given the Ducks’ reputation for high-flying offense, many assumed he would implement a pass-heavy attack at UNLV. But the numbers don’t fully support that idea. Arroyo orchestrated a fairly balanced attack last year. The Ducks ranked
No. 66 in rushing percentage—52.3% of their snaps were running plays. For comparison’s sake, UNLV ranked No. 81 nationally (50.4% of plays) in coach Tony Sanchez’s final season. Whatever the specifics of Arroyo’s offense turn out to be, the first-time head coach might be wise to lean on Williams. As a junior last year, Williams assumed the role of lead running back for the first time in his career and produced at a fantastic level, rushing for 1,257 yards
6 . 2 5 . 2 0 LV W s p o r t s
37
UNLV running back Charles Williams scores a touchdown against San Jose at Sam Boyd Stadium. (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
and 11 touchdowns. He’s a proven commodity and the one sure bet to be at the forefront of the offense. Quarterback is more uncertain; Arroyo has seven on the roster, including three with starting experience under Sanchez: Kenyon Oblad, Armani Rogers and Max Gilliam. When asked what kind of role he anticipates playing in the new offense, Williams points to a play from Oregon’s victory against Utah in last year’s Pac-12
Championship Game. With seven minutes remaining and the Ducks nursing a 23-15 lead, running back C.J. Verdell got loose for a 70-yard touchdown run that essentially clinched the win. “In a lot of games, the running back has big plays that seal the deal,” Williams says. “Against Utah in the Pac-12 championship, [Verdell] broke off for the game-winning touchdown, so I feel the running backs have a big role in this offense.”
No positive tests The NCAA allowed athletes to return to campuses June 8, and ever since, news of football players testing positive for the coronavirus has stretched across the nation, including at power programs like Alabama, Clemson and Texas. But through one week at UNLV, Arroyo said no one in the program—players, coaches or support staff— had tested positive.
38
VEGAS INC BUSINESS 6.25.20
Amid the pandemic, the tech industry could help diversify Nevada’s economy
W
BY BRYAN HORWATH
hen vast numbers of people began working from home this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, it created a problem for companies’ information technology departments. Communications between workers’ home Wi-Fi and their employers’ network have provided new doors for cybercriminals. And those opportunities for hackers with nefarious intentions have in turn led to more business for outfits like Trustifi, a small email security firm based in Las Vegas. “People working from home creates big vulnerabilities for employers,” said Idan Udi Edry, CEO of Trustifi. Every day, Trustifi employees see security breaches that can result in ransomware attacks—the threat to publish or sell compromised data sets or information unless a “ransom” is paid—or the posting of individual or company information to the dark web, Edry said. “Let’s say you’re a real estate agency or a law firm or CPA firm,” Edry said. “All of your bookkeeping and accounting and sensitive information is being transferred from somebody’s network at home, which is not on a secure platform. That could expose your entire business. “A hacker could send a simple phishing email and eventually control the network,” With 24 employees—about a dozen of whom are based in Las Vegas—Trustifi isn’t a huge company, but it’s growing. It doesn’t only work with small businesses. The company could have an agreement soon with at least one large casino operator in Las Vegas, Edry said. “There’s been big growth in the number of clients and potential clients contacting us,” Edry said. “Many never thought about this before, but now they under-
stand that working from home, for many, is not going to be a temporary thing.” Rimini Street, another locally based tech company, has also experienced an uptick in business. Bigger than Trustifi—Rimini Street has about 1,300 employees in nearly two dozen countries—the software support company has been busy hiring this year. Rimini Street’s client list includes well-known brand names like Chiquita, Circle K Stores, Welch Foods Inc. and Las Vegas-based gaming industry supplier Scientific Games. Rimini Street’s offices have been closed for months,
with employees working remotely, but the company hasn’t missed a beat. Rimini Street, which went public in 2017, recorded its best quarter during the first three months of 2020. Much of its business comes from securing annual software system maintenance contracts. Tax codes are constantly changing, for example, which means payroll software programs often need to be updated. That provides more business opportunities for Rimini Street. CEO Seth Ravin said the company has been particularly useful to clients this year by helping to cut costs. “It’s nice to be a silver-lining story in the middle of all of this negative stuff,” Ravin said. “We are one of the companies out there really helping other companies to cut costs and stabilize their operation. That can allow those companies to save jobs in some cases.” Tech companies have also helped diversity Nevada’s economy, which is largely dependent on hospitality and gaming. The tourism industry has been hit hard during the pandemic. “My hope is that the major economic outcome of the pandemic is a reinvention to a more resilient economy in Southern Nevada,” said John Restrepo, an economic forecaster and principal of the Las Vegas firm RCG Economics. “Our focus should not be on restoring an economy that has proven once again to be the least capable in the U.S. to absorb sudden or even slow-moving shocks. ... While the lodging and hospitality industry will continue to predominate for some time to come, our community leaders must give their undivided attention to economic resilience.”
Idan Udi Edry, CEO of Trustifi (Christopher DeVargas/Staff)
We’re here to help you keep going.
Adjusting to a new way of working isn’t easy, but we’re here to help you keep business moving. With tools for working together, even when you’re apart, and dedicated 24/7 support, we’ll help make this new way of working work better for you. To learn more about our resources for making it work, visit coxbusiness.com/working or call (702) 939-1146. Not all services are available everywhere. Learn more at coxbusiness.com. © 2020 Cox Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
40
Vegas inc business 6.25.20
VegasInc Notes Credit One Bank appointed Kenneth McBurney as the vice president of enterprise strategy and risk. He is responsible for the develMcBurney opment and management of the company’s enterprise and operational risk management framework, including policy management and oversight and KRI reporting. He will also oversee model governance for Credit One Bank’s predictive models and scorecards, as well as lead the risk internal control function to support the organization’s critical programs and processes. McBurney supervised and managed a global risk team within Barclays and Morgan Stanley in New York. Valley Hospital earned certification as an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center from The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association /
American Stroke Association. Valley is one of only three CSCs in Nevada and 208 in the country. It treats over 800 stroke patients each year. Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas awarded Brock Patchin the inaugural Eric Lyons Memorial Scholarship, which was created in memory of former CASLV student Eric Lyons and is open to seniors at CASLV. Patchin is a member of the 2020 graduating class at the CASLV Sandy Ridge campus. He will be attending UNR, where he plans to study computer science. Complete College America honored College of Southern Nevada class of 2020 graduate Krista McFarlingKelly as one of McFarling-Kelly 20 graduates from around the country highlighted in its CCA 20 for 2020 campaign.
McFarling-Kelly served as the college’s 2020 student commencement speaker and plans on enrolling at UNR this fall with hopes to become an OB/ GYN. Jeantyl Norze joined UNR Extension in Clark County as coordinator for program evaluation. His role is to increase the extension’s evaluation Norze outcomes by providing technical assistance and training to faculty and staff. Before joining the extension, he taught program development and program evaluation at Louisiana State University. Desert Radiology announced a new partnership with Mike O’Callaghan Military Medical Center to provide on-call interventional radiology services for the medical center. Desert Radiology physicians will be on staff to perform a range of interventional procedures to diagnosis injuries and diseases. The UNLV Department of Brain Health has formally launched the Chambers-Grundy Center for Transformative Neuroscience, offering hope through
scientific discovery for patients suffering from Alzheimer’s, dementia and other brain and neurological diseases. The center is the latest in a series of milestones from the department and the School of Integrated Health Sciences to better understand how a healthy brain functions, to improve care and treatment of people with brain diseases, and to identify mechanisms of brain disorders.
Fontaine
Richards
The Las Vegas Philharmonic appointed three new members to its board of trustees. Amber Fontaine, Ellen Richards and Lia Roberts Roberts were voted in unanimously at the May 19 annual meeting. Each brings a vast amount of expertise spanning arts and culture leadership, health care
executive leadership and human resources management. Five partners and three associates from the law firm Bailey Kennedy were named to the 2020 Mountain States Super Lawyers lists, including managing partner John Bailey, partner Dennis Kennedy, partner Joshua Dickey and partner Joseph Liebman. Kennedy also received the distinction of being named to the 2020 Mountain States’ “Top 10” and “Top 100” lists. The Penta Building Group promoted three team members. Suhaily Rivera-Ortiz was promoted to controller. Suhaily has provided expertise to Penta’s accounting department since 2012. Matt Godinho is now senior project engineer. Godinho joined the team in 2018, serving as project engineer on a largescale renovation project. He also serves as a lead mentor in the local ACE Mentor program and in his spare time works with young talent who aspire to join the construction field. Jennifer Jones was also promoted to assistant controller, serving Penta’s accounting department by tackling salary payroll duties and streamlining processes in the office. Jones joined the Penta team in 2019.
cheese steaks for all
Order online or through the CAPAddicts app for delivery or pickup.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY F O R F R E E TO Las Vegas Magazine’s digital edition! You’ll receive a download link for your complimentary copy each week directly to your inbox, as well as e-mail updates on all of the latest in Las Vegas tourism and entertainment as the city reopens. + And soon you’ll get weekly discount offers from the Strip too!
S U B S C R I B E N O W LasVegasMagazine.com/subscribe
@LasVegasMagazine | #VegasAtHome K E E P
U P
W I T H
T H E
ST R I P
AS
I T,
A N D
L AS
V E G AS
MAG A Z I N E ,
CO M E
B AC K
42
LV W p u z z l e & h o r o s c o p e s
Premier Crossword
6.25.20
“COMING-OF-RAGE MOVIES” by frank Longo
horoscopes
week of JUNE 25 by rob brezsny
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In addition to being a magnificent storyteller, Barbara Kingsolver raises chickens at her home. “There are days when I am envious of my hens,” she writes, “when I hunger for a purpose as perfect and sure as a single daily egg.” If you are visited by visions of a perfect and sure purpose, your next task will be to initiate practical action to manifest it in the real world. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman studied at MIT and Princeton. Later he taught at Caltech. But his approach to education had a maverick quality. “Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible,” he advised. His strategy will work well for you to gather valuable information and polish your existing aptitudes. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Author Katharine Butler Hathaway wrote: “To me, money is alive. It is almost human. If you treat it with real sympathy and kindness and consideration, it will be a good servant and work hard for you, and stay with you and take care of you.” Consider cultivating that approach: expressing benevolence and love toward money, and pledging to be benevolent and loving as you use the money you acquire. CANCER (June 21-July 22): “Who would deduce the dragonfly from the larva, the iris from the bud, the lawyer from the infant?” Author Diane Ackerman asks her readers that question. “We are all shape-shifters and magical reinventors,” Ackerman says. You have the potential to be an exceptional shape-shifter and magical reinventor. What dazzling twists and twinkles would you like to add to your character? LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Qabalistic teacher Ann Davies asked, “If you stick your finger in the fire, do you then complain that it is unfair when your finger gets burned?” Don’t stick any parts of you into the fire during the coming weeks. There are better approaches to finding out what’s important to learn about the fire. The preferred way is to watch it from a modest distance. If you do so long enough, you’ll get all you need. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Engage in a vigorous redefinition of the term “miracle.” That will open you up to the full range of miraculous phenomena. For inspiration, read this passage by Faith Baldwin: “Miracles are everyday things. ... They are almost routine, yet miracles just the same. Every time something hard becomes easier; every time you adjust to a situation which, last week, you didn’t know existed ... every time a blessing comes, not with trumpet and fanfare, but silently as night, you have witnessed a miracle.” 2018 King features syndicate
ACROSS 1 Binary 5 GPS guesses 9 White stuff that falls 13 Gum rub-on for toothaches 19 “One-l lama” poet 21 Sported 22 Nullify 23 Start of a riddle 25 Noteworthy periods 26 Crony 27 Fisher of Star Wars 28 U.N. medical agcy. based in Geneva 29 Words before roll or tear 30 Hockey glove 32 Riddle, part 2 36 “Washboard” muscles 37 Cut of beef 38 2001 bankruptcy company 39 Sushi bed 40 Squalid room 42 4.0 is a good one, for short 45 Golden ager 47 Riddle, part 3 54 Tom, Dick and Harry, maybe 55 Puzzles 56 Not abridged 57 Spares no expense 61 Hack off 62 Prez after HST 63 See 42-Down 64 Noteworthy periods 65 Riddle, part 4 69 Bakery buy 70 Luau souvenir 71 Prevarication 73 Flier of myth 74 Bogs, e.g.
77 79 82 83 89 90 91 92
Ice homes Tel Avivian, for one Used to be Riddle, part 5 Skylit lobbies Put turf on Give a new hue to 2004-11 Laker Lamar 95 Place to “dry out” 98 Be a sign of 99 Small, as Abner 100 End of the riddle 105 Guy 106 Give a new hue to 107 Rock producer Brian 108 Hit the sack 109 Affront, to a hiphopper 110 Java is one 112 Riddle’s answer 117 Money in the form of coins 118 Author Wiesel 119 Player of multiple records, of sorts 120 “Mad” one in Wonderland 121 Star studier’s sci. 122 Figure skater Lipinski 123 Leisure tops DOWN 1 Wall Street index 2 “Yecch!” 3 Gradually accepts 4 Release upon to attack 5 Lieut.’s subordinate 6 Bit of body art, in brief 7 Waste barrel 8 Wheat bundle 9 Move as an eddy does 10 “Sorry, I’m in a
hurry” The Orchid Thief novelist Susan 12 Pint-size 13 Ten squared 14 Transplant, as a perennial 15 Of yore 16 Knighted actor Derek 17 Of national origins 18 Alain-René — (Gil Blas author) 20 None at all 24 Lead-in to lateral 28 Orlando novelist Virginia 30 Actress Helgenberger 31 Certain steel girder 32 Taiwan tea 33 Feudal estate 34 2010 Super Bowl MVP Drew 35 French for “stop” 37 Horse, when running 41 Organic part of soil 42 With 63-Across, boomer’s kid 43 Mile High Center architect 44 Some Christians 46 Austrian “a” 48 New Age pianist John 49 In a frenzy 50 Stare stupidly 51 37th president 52 Abject fear 53 Feudal laborers 57 Former baseball boss Bud 58 Brand of pasta sauce 59 One of the boxing Alis 60 Meadow mother 11
62 66 67 68
Meadow mother Guess qualifier Petty of Tank Girl Cookie bar from Mars 69 Lariat 71 Pillage 72 “Uncle!” 75 Collegiately stylish 76 Tilt weapon 78 44th president 79 Pocatello’s state 80 Psyche part 81 Went first 84 Have a link with 85 Horse’s gait 86 Mistreatment 87 Nullify 88 — Stanley Gardner 92 A bit weird 93 Place to be pampered 94 Egg-based dish 96 They follow Marches 97 Subject of a 2016 U.K. referendum 98 With 115-Down, she sang “All Alone Am I” 101 Lamp spirit 102 Frisky water animal 103 Bakery buy 104 Put up, as a tent 105 “I — think so!” 109 Cloning stuff 111 Make believe 112 Briny deep 113 Outmoded TV accessory 114 “I solved it!” 115 See 98-Down 116 Soon-to-be grads: Abbr.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): When Libras become authoritative enough to wield clout, it’s often due to three factors: 1. The attractive force of their empathy; 2. Their abilities to listen well and ask good questions; 3. Their knack for knowing tricks that promote harmony and a common sense of purpose. If you possess any of these talents, the next eight weeks will be a favorable time to employ them with maximum intensity. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpios are the champions of exotic pleasure; the connoisseurs of blissful marvels; the masters of curious delight and extraordinary exultation. The coming weeks will be a time when these aspects of your character could be especially vivid. But what about the pandemic? What about social-distancing? What about being cautious in seeking intimate connection? If anyone can work around these constraints so as to have sexual fun, it’s your tribe. Use your imagination! SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): When he was 22, Werner Heisenberg received his doctorate in physics and mathematics—even though he got a grade of C on his final exams. Nine years later, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics after being mentored by physicists Niels Bohr and Max Born. Be on the lookout for catalytic teachers and colleagues who can expedite your evolution. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorns aren’t renowned for causing controversy. You’re skillful at managing your reputation and keeping it orderly. But a bit of a hubbub could arise in regards to the impressions you’re making and the effects you’re generating. Like the novel Catcher in the Rye, which was banned for a time but is regarded as a beloved classic, you will weather your commotion with similar panache. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Novelist Tom Robbins said, “Real courage is risking something that might force you to rethink your thoughts and suffer change and stretch consciousness.” Make that formula your keynote. Summon extra fortitude, determination and audacity. What new possibilities are you ready to flesh out in ways that might prod you to revise your beliefs and welcome transformation and expand your awareness? PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Joan of Arc performed her heroic and magical feats in 1430 and 1431. But she wasn’t canonized as a saint until 1920. It took a while to garner the full appreciation she deserved. You won’t have to wait as long to be acknowledged. There’ll be a significant honor, enhancement or reward coming your way sometime in the next four months. Start visualizing what you’d like it to be, and set your intention to claim it.
THE LIGHTS ARE IN VEGAS. Curbside or inside, we're ready with your cannabis. OUR DOORS ARE OPEN! Here’s how it works: Store hours are 9 am – 12 am daily All guests are required to wear a mask or face covering. If you do not have one, one will be provided for you. Only 10 guests are allowed in the store at any given time. One person per transaction please! All guests must stand 6ft apart on the floor markers provided.
1736 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89104
Your information will be taken at the door. You will be asked to remain in your vehicle until we text you to come inside. Curbside and delivery are also still available for you! To order, please visit www.curaleaf.com/nv/ Thank you for helping us keep you safe! We hope to see you soon!
Keep out of reach of children. For use only by adults 21 years of age and older.
2320 Western Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89102