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L A S V E G A S W E E K LY

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FINALISTS IDENTIFIED IN SEARCH FOR NEXT UNLV PRESIDENT Chris Heavey, UNLV’s interim executive vice president and provost, is among four candidates identified as finalists in the search for a new president for the Southern Nevada university. He is the lone internal candidate on the list of finalists. Joining Heavey on the list are Kenneth Furton, the provost, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Florida International University in Miami; Karla Leeper, executive vice president for operations at Augusta University; and Keith Whitfield, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Wayne State University in Detroit. Heavey has been part of the UNLV community for more than 25 years, serving as senior vice provost, dean, vice provost for undergraduate education, director of general education and associate dean, according to his staff page on the university website. The finalists were identified after a national search that began this year, but then was delayed for several weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic. Under a timetable posted on UNLV’s website, daylong candidate forums will be held for each finalist on campus July 20-21, followed by meetings of the presidential search committee and then a vote by the Nevada Board of Regents on July 23. The next UNLV president will be the university’s seventh leader in the last 14 years, including temporary presidents. –Sun Staff

GRANT WILL HELP UNLV FOOD PANTRY KEEP SERVING

THEY SAID IT ■ “Absentee Ballots are fine because you have to go through a precise process to get your voting privilege. Not so with Mail-Ins. Rigged Election!!! 20% fraudulent ballots?” –President Donald Trump, July 10 ■ “Climate change is the challenge that’s going to define our American future. And if I have the honor of being elected President, we won’t tinker around the edges, we’ll seize this opportunity and meet this moment in history.” –former Vice President Joe Biden, July 14

Milwaukee Brewers fans on cutouts in the upper deck during a July 13 practice session at Miller Park (Morry Gash/Associated Press)

LAS VEGAS-AREA BARS SUE OVER SISOLAK’S SHUTDOWN ORDER

■ “Thank you @realDonaldTrump for justice for our friend #RogerStone #RogerStoneDid NothingWrong” –Las Vegas City Councilwoman Michele Fiore, July 12

■ “Teachers shouldn’t Dozens of Las Vegas-area bars are suing the state and Gov. be forced to choose Steve Sisolak to invalidate last week’s order temporarily shuttering between their lives bars in seven Nevada counties. and their jobs.” The lawsuit, filed Sunday in the 8th Judicial District Court in –Hillary Clinton, July 14 Clark County, asks the court to reverse Sisolak’s order, which required bars in seven counties—Clark, Washoe, Elko, Humboldt, Lander, Lyon and Nye—to cease service. Bars that serve food are allowed to remain open, and bars are permitted to do curbside service or deliveries. The counties are set to be reevaluated for a possible reopening on July 24. The lawsuit claims that Sisolak unfairly singled out bars, claiming that other businesses had higher rates of noncompliance for the face-covering mandate. It seeks an invalidation of the order and a restoration of bars’ abilities to operate under previously defined mandates. The governor’s office had no comment on the lawsuit. –John Sadler

1 THINGS THAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK

CUTTING DOWN ON COW FARTS Burger King has rebalanced the diet of some of its cows by adding lemongrass in a bid to limit bovine flatulence as contributing factor to climate change. By tweaking their diet, Burger King said July 14 that it believes it can reduce a cow’s daily methane emissions by about 33%.

Nobody is immune to food insecurity during these perilous times, not even the university community. The UNLV Cares Food Pantry exists to help students, staff and faculty by providing nonperishable food items. Due to the pandemic, the pantry’s supplies were being strained. But here’s some good news: The pantry and the UNLV Nutrition Center recently received a $250,000 federal grant as part of the CARES Act. That infusion comes in addition to a June fundraising campaign that raised about $15,000. “This is a real lifeline to our community during a time of great need,” Ronald T. Brown, dean of the School of Integrated Health Sciences, said in a news release. “We are incredibly grateful for all the people who donated to help feed our students.” Every month, the pantry serves about 250 UNLV community members. The additional funding will go toward food, equipment, staffing, an online ordering system and nutrition education for the community. –C. Moon Reed

2 A WIN FOR SAGE GROUSE A federal judge on July 13 upheld the U.S. Forest Service’s authority to keep a 250-mile motorcycle race out of sage grouse habitat in Nevada’s high desert, rejecting a lawsuit by off-road vehicle enthusiasts who argued the agency illegally short-circuited the environmental review process.

L A S V E G A S W E E K LY

IN THIS ISSUE

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WEEK IN REVIEW WEEK AHEAD

Health & Wellness: Try these simple stretching exercises News: An eviction crisis is looming for Southern Nevada Cover Story: COVID-19 survivors relay their harrowing stories Binge This Week: Our latest batch of staff suggestions

EVENTS TO FOLLOW AND NEWS YOU MISSED

The Strip: These attractions remain open on the Boulevard Food & Drink: Stock up at a local farmers market

Alex Tuch (89) waits for the puck in front of goaltender Oscar Dansk during Vegas Golden Knights practice July 13 at City National Arena. (Wade Vandervort/Staff)

Vegas Inc: Chatting with Curaleaf President Joe Bayern

TRUMP WEARS MASK President Donald Trump wore a mask during a visit to a military hospital July 11, the first time he has been seen in public with the type of facial covering recommended by health officials as a precaution against spreading or becoming infected by the coronavirus.

3 NEW ERA IN D.C. The Washington NFL franchise announced July 13 it would drop the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Redskinsâ&#x20AC;? name and logo, bowing to recent pressure from sponsors and decades of criticism that they are offensive to Native Americans. FedEx, Nike, Pepsi and Bank of America all asked the organization to change its name.

SUSPECT COMMITS SUICIDE A man wanted on multiple violent crimes took his own life July 11 at the tail end of a Valleywide car pursuit with Metro officers. Ultimately, a police cruiser tapped the back of his vehicle to try to shut off its engine. The suspect grabbed a gun, however, and shot himself around the same time, police said.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST? A lawsuit filed July 9 by the Nevada Policy Research Institute, a conservative think tank, alleges that nine lawmakers, including both the state Senate majority leader and Assembly speaker, are violating the state constitution by serving in the Legislature while also holding government jobs.

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STAY FLEXIBLE BREAK UP YOUR WORKDAY WITH THESE SMART STRETCHES BY GENEVIE DURANO e all know sitting for long periods of time can be detrimental to our physical health. Muscle tissue begins to shorten, starting with the hamstrings, which then pulls on the lower back. When the lower back starts to tighten, it pulls on the upper back, then the neck. It’s a chain reaction that can cause physical discomfort. ¶ More alarmingly, prolonged sitting is associated with a 50% increased risk of death due to any cause. In fact, a study published in 2017 in the Annals of Internal Medicine calls sitting the new smoking, claiming that an hour of sitting is as unhealthy as smoking two cigarettes. According to the website SittingIsSmoking.com, sitting for long periods is the No. 1 contributor to chronic diseases including breast and colon cancer, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and hypertension. ¶ Those who have been working from home since the pandemic began have had to carve out office space in their homes to do their jobs. Without a commute to start and end the workday, or breaks at the watercooler to chat with colleagues, it’s easy to forget to stand up and stretch during a workday that can go on and on. The best way to remind yourself to stand up at least once an hour is to set a timer. Then take five to 10 minutes to do any number of the following stretches. It will boost your energy and prevent muscle stiffness.

NECK FLEXION This is especially crucial if you’re bent over a computer monitor all day. Bend your head forward and hold for 15 seconds. Repeat three times.

UPPER TRAPEZIUS STRETCH The trapezius is a pair of large triangular muscles extending over the back of the neck and shoulders. It is used to tilt and turn the head and neck, shrug, steady the shoulders and twist the arms. It’s very important to stretch it out periodically, as we have a tendency to tense this muscle even when we’re not aware of it. Gently grasp one side of the head while reaching behind the back with the other hand. Tilt head away and stretchy gently. Hold for 15 seconds and repeat twice per side.

UPPER BACK, CHEST AND BICEP STRETCH Our backs take the brunt of poor posture. A back and chest stretch helps to elongate the spine, relieving undue pressure on our spinal discs. Lace your fingers behind your back and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Slowly raise and straighten arms. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat three times. Clasping your hands behind your head, squeeze your shoulder blades together and hold for five to six seconds. Take a breath, and repeat one more time.

INFERIOR CAPSULE STRETCH Our shoulders take in a lot of tension, especially when we’re hunched over a desk. Do this stretch at least once an hour. Gently pull one raised elbow with the other hand until you feel it in the shoulder. Hold for 15 seconds. Repeat two times per side.

LOWER BACK RELEASE Give your lower back as much love as your upper back with this stretch. Sit sideways in a chair. With the arm closest to it, hold the back of the chair, then gently twist the front of your body toward the back of the chair that you’re holding with your arm. With your other arm, try to reach your opposite knee, or farther if you’re able. But don’t overdo it.

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LV W H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

Mark the end of your workday with these three stretches. They will take away all the little aches and pains and help to relax you.

SHOULDER SHRUGS You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even have to stand up for this one. Shrug your shoulders by bringing them up toward your ears and holding for three to five seconds. Release and repeat three to five times.

FORWARD FOLD Stand with a chair in front of you. Then place your elbows inside your hands, and rest your arms on either the backside of the chair or on the seat. You can bend your knees if necessary.

HIP OPENER Sit on the edge of your chair with both feet hip-width apart and directly underneath your knees. Cross one ankle over the opposite knee, and then stretch forward gently until you feel the stretch on your hip. Repeat on the other side.

WRIST FLEXOR AND EXTENSOR STRETCHES Typing away at a keyboard all day can have long-term repercussions. Break the cycle of repetitive movement with these stretches. Stand with one arm out in front of you and your palm facing the ground. With your other hand, gently pull your fingers of the outstretched arm back. Hold for a moment or two, then release. Next, keeping your arm straight, use your other hand to push your fingers and palm down and toward your body. Hold a few seconds, then release. Repeat with your other arm.

LEGS UP THE WALL Lie in bed or the floor, shimmy your hips as close to the wall as possible, then start walking your feet until your body is in an L-shaped position. Focus on the breath and relax in this position for 5 minutes. This pose promotes drainage from excess fluid build-up and soothes swollen feet and legs. It also stretches the hamstrings and lower back and elongates the back muscle, relieving lower back tension. Finally, it lowers the heart rate and helps lower anxiety and stress. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no better way to end a workday.

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Home insecurity A wave of rental evictions is headed for Southern Nevada. How bad will it be, and how can we protect against it?

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Worried about eviction? Take these steps

By Geoff Carter he figures are chilling. with mounting debt and will sufto pay their rent.” In an interview with fer damage to their credit history Few would deny, however, that CNBC, Emily Benfer, that could hinder their ability to good-faith renters are entitled to chair of the Amerirent anew. help, given the circumstances. can Bar Association’s Task Force “The numbers are very scary Nevada and Clark County are both Committee on Eviction, said the when you consider the population putting together rental assistance recent spike in unemployment of our state,” says attorney Bailey funds that should be announced due to COVID-19 has impacted Bortolin, policy director for the shortly; Las Vegas already has one the ability of historically large Nevada Coalition of Legal Service in place (see sidebar at right). The numbers of Americans to pay Providers. “[It could] create a Nevada Legislature, now meeting their rent—and it could lead to brand-new homeless crisis on top in a special session, is considering the evictions of 20 million to of the homelessness crisis we’ve a number of remedies. And the 28 million people between now already been dealing with.” next six weeks could see a number and September. For the sake of On the other hand, Susy of Nevadans finally receiving comparison, Benfer noted that Vasquez, executive director of the their unemployment benefits the 2008 mortgage crisis disNevada State Apartment Associaamong a backlog still numberplaced 10 million people ing in the thousands. “over a period of years.” Also, landlords “need to This wave, in one form maintain a certain level or another, is headed of occupancy in order for Nevada. According to stay true with their to a recent report by the mortgage company or Guinn Center—a local the mortgage lender,” The numbers are very scary when you nonprofit, bipartisan reVasquez says. That could consider the population of our state. search and policy analysis motivate them to keep group—some 118,000 to good tenants in place. [It could] create a brand-new homeless 142,000 Nevada houseBut even with those crisis on top of the homelessness crisis holds are at the risk of mitigating factors, the we’ve already been dealing with.” eviction this fall. (That’s threat of mass Septemthe equivalent of 272,000 ber 1 eviction filings -Attorney Bailey Bortolin Policy Director for the Nevada to 327,000 people.) And looms large. Aside from Coalition of Legal Service Providers the majority of those the grave financial sufevictions could happen fering and displacement in Clark County, with of households, there’s a Washoe a distant second. tion, says the threat could appear concern that our courts could be The full extent of the damage greater than it will be. swamped with contested eviction will be evident September 1, when “Are we going to have eviccases in the midst of a pandemic. a state moratorium on residentions in September? Yes,” she Bortolin notes that Nevada evictial evictions for nonpayment says. “The ones we’re going to tions are served without a judicial of rent, imposed by Gov. Steve initially see are the people that record: “The courts aren’t aware Sisolak back in March, expires. have not communicated with of how many eviction notices go That moratorium delays court their landlord, have maintained out,” she says. “They only become evictions and prevents the sheriff a steady income over the last six involved when somebody chooses from removing people from their months and refuse to pay rent. So to defend themselves.” homes. Without it, the Guinn they’re essentially squatting. … No matter what, the wave is Center report states, “Evictions The governor doesn’t create any coming. And the only way to stand are expected to significantly type of eligibility component, [so] against it, Bortolin says, is with increase,” as landlords can then these people have been allowed compassion for our neighbors. begin those legal proceedings and to live for free, essentially, which “There’s not really another sue tenants for back rent. Evicted isn’t fair at all to the people that way out, other than trying to help tenants will need to scramble to are scraping and scrimping and people access the resources that find new homes, will be saddled budgeting and suffering in order they need,” she says.

As coronavirus cases increase in Southern Nevada and businesses are shut down to slow the spread, many Valley residents may soon face financial hardships that could inhibit their ability to pay rent. Here’s what to do if you’ve fallen behind on rent payments, or fear that you might.

Talk to your landlord. “I’ve heard from a lot of landlords where the resident has been very proactive and they’ve maintained open lines of communication. Then, all of a sudden, MGM [or] the Culinary Union cuts them a check for the rent that they’re past due, and then they’re good,” says Susy Vasquez, executive director of the Nevada State Apartment Association. “Maintaining a good relationship and good communication with your landlord is imperative right now. I cannot stress that enough.”

Learn all you can. “Collect as much information as possible,” says Jim Berchtold, directing attorney for the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada’s Consumer Rights Project. “I would get my pay stubs. I would get my unemployment statement. I would talk to my landlord and get a ledger that says exactly how much rent I owe. I would review that ledger to make sure it doesn’t improperly include late fees, so that I know exactly, to the dime, how much that landlord might need to be paid … if I should stay in that unit.”

Assess your situation realistically. “It doesn’t make sense to say, ‘I want to pay all my back rent,’ if I’m living in a unit that I can’t afford,” Berchtold says. “If I have [a limited or] no prospect of future employment, have no idea what my unemployment [insurance] is going to kick in or have no idea when I’m going to return to work, maybe I should think about downsizing … moving in with a roommate, moving back home, changing my situation. … I would advise tenants to really take a really critical look at their current situation, start gathering documentation, wait for that [rental assistance] plan to come online and then figure out … how they can use it to most effectively put themselves in the best situation they can be in.”

Apply for rental assistance, or look for other kinds of help. Preapplication for the City of Las Vegas Housing Assistance Program has begun and will continue until July 31 or until the funds are depleted; visit lasvegasnevada.gov/residents/housingassistance-program to begin the application process. Similar assistance programs, provided by Clark County and the State of Nevada, should be available soon; watch for them. If you’d like to find a subsidized apartment suitable for a diminished-income household, visit hud.gov/states/nevada/renting. And if you have legal questions, head to Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada’s COVID-19 “tool kit”—lacsn.org/covid-19—for a series of “virtual town halls” on evictions and repayment plans. –Geoff Carter

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SURVIVAL COVID-19 survivor John Gist stands on his balcony. (Wade Vandervort/Staff)

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C O V I D - 1 9

THESE LAS VEGANS DESCRIBE THEIR BODIES’ GRUELING BATTLES WITH COVID-19

ore than 3.4 million people in the United States have tested positive for COVID-19, including more than 30,000 people in Nevada and more than 25,000 here in Clark County. At press time, 502 Clark County residents have died from the virus. Seeing those numbers grow daily can feel extremely scary, but we can also begin to grow numb to them, like white noise in the background. Spend some time talking to someone infected with—or who has been fortunate enough to recover from—COVID-19, however, and it begins to feel much more tangible. In the pages that follow, we provide space for members of our community to tell their harrowing tales about battling a disease that has crippled so many aspects of our society over the past few months. The scariest part? They represent a tiny fraction of the people all around us going through similar ordeals, and worse.

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Laurence Derasmo (right) and his husband, Michael Reinarz, prior to the coronavirus shutdown (Courtesy)

S U R V I V I N G

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LAURENCE Derasmo Elementary school principAL

By Ricardo Torres-Cortez wenty-six pounds lighter than when he contracted the illness—and weakened by the pneumonia in his lungs—39year-old Las Vegan Laurence Derasmo sat in a wheelchair on July 9 as a nurse rolled him toward his husband. It was the scenario Derasmo, an elementary school principal, had most envisioned as he fought for his life against COVID-19. In a phone interview some 48 hours earlier, an emotional Derasmo explained that the pair were so unsure they’d see one another again, they’d had conversations about possible end-of-life arrangements. But for now, after a “big, giant hug,” they were headed home, feeling that the worst had passed. Derasmo’s horror began with a bout of nausea and fever early on June 24, when he woke in the middle of the night to vomit. He figured he had a foodborne illness, as did a doctor the next day when Derasmo dropped into a Quick Care clinic after his fever spiked to 103 degrees. Just in case, the doctor swabbed him for the coronavirus, and the results soon came back positive. (His husband, Michael Reinarz, soon tested positive, too, but his symptoms remained minor, consisting only of the loss of his sense of taste and smell, a slight headache and some fatigue.) As he treated his symptoms at home for the

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next nine days, Derasmo’s condition worsened, and the constant high fever and nausea were now accompanied by chills, aches and a state of confusion in which, he said, he was “in and out of reality. I couldn’t tell what was going on, because I was so sick.” On Day 10, Derasmo’s fever finally broke, but it was followed by “COVID cough” and a tightened chest condition that left his entire body weakened. His oxygen levels were low, his breathing labored. “That’s when I turned to my husband and said, ‘You need to call me an ambulance or rush me to the hospital, because I can’t get this under control anymore.” Reinarz dropped him at the ER the morning of July 4. With visitations prohibited, they embraced, not knowing if it would be their final goodbye. * * * * * Derasmo began journaling his condition once the serious symptoms kicked in, sharing updates on Facebook. Two days into hospitalization, from a bed and with oxygen tubes in his nostrils, Derasmo coughed and struggled to breathe as he broadcast a live video to his social media. Doctors, who’d been “pumping” his body with steroids, antibiotics and blood thinners, he said, were trying to remove liquids from his lungs and were also concerned with his oxygen levels, notifying him that “a higher level of care” might be needed. “I’m scared; I’m very scared,” Derasmo said to the camera on his phone. “I’m alone. I’m not allowed to have anybody here. It’s just really tough.” Increasingly emotional, he continued, “It’s just really tough, you know, being 39 years old and I can’t breathe. You don’t want this. Just stay home,” he added, crying. “I love you guys,” he concluded with a wave to the lens, “and hopefully I’ll have better news soon.” Within a few days, the post had been viewed 100,000 times and shared by 800 people. “I really felt like there was a narrative out in public, in society, that things were OK, [that] you could go and not wear a mask and not get sick. … [And] “it’s nothing like the flu. It’s the flu times 1,000. … “[One day], you’re just going through life, and everything is great. You’re making plans for the future. … And all of sudden that comes to a stop, because now you’re potentially going to die. The fear is beyond anything I could express.”

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“[One day], you’re just going through life, and everything is great. You’re making plans for the future. And all of sudden that comes to a stop, because now you’re potentially going to die. The fear is beyond anything I could express.” (Courtesy)

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(Shutterstock/Photo Illustation)

Marie*, Emergency Room Tech

By Genevie Durano

“When they told me that I was positive, I was kind of scared, because I didn’t know what was gonna happen. I didn’t know if it was gonna get even worse.”

arie*, who works as an emergency room tech at a hospital in Henderson, was immersed daily in the grueling fight against COVID-19. She watched as people came into the emergency room, reporting flu-like symptoms and running temperatures. As an ER tech, Marie’s job was to assist nurses. She took vitals, started IV lines, and helped COVID patients, who were often weak, use the bathroom. As a frontline health care worker, she knew the risk of exposure was high. That was always on her mind as she went about her days. Marie began feeling unwell on May 22. Her main symptom was fatigue, which she initially attributed to long hours at work. “At first I thought it was the flu, and I [took] DayQuil and NyQuil. What made me realize that it was COVID was [when] I lost my taste and sense of smell. Because I work in the hospital, I know that patients complain about that,” Marie says. She got tested and found out the following day that she was positive. She began isolating at home, but two days later, her husband also became sick and tested positive. The couple have a 5-year-old son who was tested as well. “They said he was not positive, but they were gonna treat him as if he was positive, because he was spending so much time with us and we were sick,” Marie says. The family isolated at home for the next two weeks, continuing to care for their son, but carefully, to

(*Name changed to protect privacy.)

lessen his exposure. Marie checked in with a home nurse daily, taking her own vitals and reporting her assessment. “Throughout my COVID period, I only had a fever twice. The [highest] it got was 103 degrees. Another thing I noticed was I had a pulse of 86, but I wasn’t having shortness of breath, [though] my oxygen level was very low. I was weak all that time [and] very, very lethargic.” Other symptoms that both Marie and her husband experienced included joint pains, nausea, vomiting and headaches so excruciating that her husband said it felt like his eyes were going to burst from the pressure. Both treated their pains with round-the-clock Tylenol, administered every six hours. Marie’s isolation period ended on June 6, but she waited two or three days before considering going back to work. At that point, she was showing no symptoms and felt better. When she got retested, however, it came back positive again, and she was told to quarantine for 10 additional days before returning to work. It has now been a little more than a month since Marie and her husband have been cleared, and she says they have no lingering effects from COVID-19. At the hospital, she has seen patients who haven’t fared as well, and she knows how fortunate her family is. “I’m not gonna lie, when they told me that I was positive, I was kind of scared, because I didn’t know what was gonna happen. I didn’t know if it was gonna get even worse,” she says. “But as the days passed, I was OK.”

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John Gist Concert Promoter ,

Gist in his apartment (Wade Vandervort/Staff)

ohn Gist says he’d been careful, staying home except when absolutely necessary, for months. And then, “I let my guard down,” he admits. “I played with the wild dog, and I got bit.” Gist, whose concert promotions outfit Vegas Rock Revolution has brought heavy rock acts like ex-Kyuss members John Garcia and Brant Bjork, Scott “Wino” Weinrich of The Obsessed and Red Fang to town, started jonesing for live music after so many weeks cooped up inside. So he began going out, maskless, to local bars to catch small-scale performances. And then, on the night of June 21, the 51-year-old Las Vegan began feeling “really dragged down, just off,” he says. “I went to bed and woke up three different times completely soaking wet. I shredded off my shirts multiple times that night, and I couldn’t even sleep. I was so achy. I’ve never felt anything like it. I’ve been through flus and everything else, but I’ve never felt like this before.” The next day, Gist went for a drive-thru nasal swab, and two hours later he got the news he’d hoped not to: He officially had COVID-19. “Hearing it was a shock, but I’d also just had a feeling,” he says. Gist’s condition steadily worsened in the days that followed: “horrific pain—aches and pains everywhere.” Most troubling, he says, the virus seemed to seek out his “weak spots.” “I have a lower back condition, degenerative discs, and that got worse. I was walking around like a grandpa just going from my couch to the kitchen to the bed. I also have a preexisting stomach condition, and my stomach was really painful, crazy bloated and hurting. The pain went from all over the body to amplifying

these preexisting things.” Later in June, Gist began posting about his experience on Facebook and discussing it on The Doomed & Stoned Show, a music podcast he helps produce, in an attempt, he says, to educate others. “I’ve seen so many friends not taking [the coronavirus] seriously and so many people downplaying this, and I’d been a little skeptical myself. I felt I was in good enough shape, but I guess not.” At press time, Gist had begun feeling better. The pain had mostly subsided, though his energy level remained low. He says he’s thankful he managed to avoid the severe respiratory symptoms that force some COVID-19 sufferers into the hospital, though he worries about long-term effects. Mostly, Gist says, he looks forward to the day when he tests negative and can begin living his life more normally again. But when he does, he says, he’ll do it very differently, and implores others to learn from his mistake. “Be wary and cautious,” Gist says. “I can’t speak to the science behind it all, but you’d better believe when I start getting back into the public, I’ll be wearing the mask. It helps myself, and more importantly, it helps others.”

(Wade Vandervort/Staff)

By Spencer Patterson

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“Being in better cardiovascular shape is helpful, since this thing affects the heart and lungs.”

DARRYL LANCASTER TEACHER & SHELLY DONALD INVESTIGATOR ,

BY BROCK RADKE arryl Lancaster, a teacher who has lived in Las Vegas for more than 50 years, realized he had a fever and other COVID-19 symptoms around Easter. Both Lancaster and girlfriend Shelly Donald, who became symptomatic days later, assumed they had contracted the virus, but back in mid-April, testing wasn’t as readily available as it has become since in Southern Nevada. After making a few phone calls, Lancaster was able to get tested at UNLV, Donald says, and his status was prioritized because he suffers from asthma. “But I wasn’t eligible to be tested yet,” she says. “We found out a couple days after that he was positive, and since I already had symptoms at that time, when the health department got involved and contacted me, I was able to get tested.” Lancaster’s condition worsened about a week after he initially felt ill, so he checked into a hospital. He was receiving oxygen but never had to use a ventilator. He stayed at the hospital for about a week while Donald was quarantined at home and recovering, unable to see one another. “I couldn’t check on him,” says Donald, who works for the state regulatory board that handles private investigators’ licensing. “I understand that the health department had to [do that], basically put [people] under threat of prosecution to force them to stay home. It was just weird being told you can’t leave your house.”

That wasn’t the only weird thing about the couple’s COVID experience. Donald says the sensation of temporarily losing her senses of smell and taste was unnerving. “That’s really bizarre. Other than that, for me it felt like a really bad cold. I only had a fever for a couple of days. We were both really tired—it just saps your energy.” After about three weeks, she says, they both felt close to normal. Lancaster and Donald are uncertain how they caught the virus, explaining that they were wearing masks and “sanitizing everything” before they became symptomatic. Lancaster says he was given experimental drugs during his hospital stay, which helped his recovery, and that fortunately, they haven’t dealt with any of the continuing symptoms they’ve read about in other cases of coronavirus. “I really believe physical fitness helps you,” he says. “Being in better cardiovascular shape is helpful, since this thing affects the heart and lungs.” Lancaster says he supports the school district’s plan to get local children back into the classroom on a limited basis this fall. And while coronavirus was a challenging experience for the couple, Donald thinks Southern Nevadans need to find ways to stay safe and continue with their lives. “We’re looking at it like we’ll be dealing with this through the end of the year and into next year, and you can’t hide in your home forever,” she says.

Darryl Lancaster and Shelly Donald (Courtesy)

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Joe Brailsford (Wade Vandervort/Staff)

Joe Brailsford, Musician

By Leslie Ventura think I know when I picked it up,” Joe Brailsford says. “It was March 15, and it was the last day I worked.” As a singer and musician in local Irish band Darby O’Gill and the Little People, the week leading up to St. Patrick’s Day back in March was his busiest of the year, naturally. One of those days, the group performed three sets at one Strip location, played three sets at a dive bar in Henderson and then headed back to the Strip for four more sets at another bar. All told, the 46-year-old Brailsford played 10 hours of shows, not accounting for travel time. “It was probably a 15-hour day,” he says. “And my roommates [had] just gotten back from their honeymoon in Thailand and Japan … when I got home that night, I was dishing out welcome hugs.” A week later, Brailsford began feeling symptoms of the coronavirus. “[My roommates] were worried they may have brought it back with them, which is a possibility, but that would make them completely asymptomatic,” he says. “Not one day went by where they weren’t being as productive as

“If I didn’t have an inhaler, I probably have probably had to go to the hospital, but I puffed on it a few times, and it worked.” possible.” Brailsford says his experience with COVID-19 started with “the aches and pains of a regular flu,” and then a fever crept in. “Your skin hurts, and your eyes hurt,” he says of his earliest symptoms. He made an appointment to get tested at UNLV, and in early April, he tested positive. Brailsford says on some days he’d start feeling relatively good, as if he was getting better, but then his fever and symptoms would return, and new ones sometimes appeared. His fever lasted a couple of weeks before it finally went away.

“You start losing your sense of smell, so that was strange,” he says, “and you get this metallic taste in your mouth. [The symptoms] don’t come all at once.” When Brailsford started experiencing shortness of breath, he says, “That’s when you start freaking out a little bit. You’re waking up in the middle of the night because you can’t breathe.” Brailsford also suffers from asthma, but looking back, he says that condition might have actually helped him fight COVID-19. “If I didn’t have an inhaler, I would have probably had to go to the hospital, but I puffed on the inhaler a few times, and it worked.” After a few weeks spent ordering spicy ramen soup, drinking apple cider vinegar/turmeric/ ginger shots prepared by his roommates and playing Battlelands Royale on his iPhone, Brailsford eventually returned to normal. “I’m still currently ranked 126 out of 400,000 active users [in the game], and climbing the charts,” he laughs. On the downside, “I haven’t seen my mom since early March,” he says.

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Kaydriana Asher, High School Student

By Sara MacNeil t started out innocently enough for Kaydriana Asher. In June, the 16-year-old Green Valley High School student noticed she had a slight runny nose, a symptom she attributed to allergies and being out in the heat. Today, she’s recovering from COVID-19, hopeful that by sharing her story, she’ll encourage more people—especially fellow teens—to take the deadly virus more seriously. The day after Asher developed the runny nose, she woke up and her sniffles were gone. But later in the day, she began to be bothered by a “very, very sore throat.” That night, Asher’s symptoms grew worse and she went to bed. The next day, she woke up with a sore throat, muscle aches throughout her body and chills. Still, Asher wasn’t all that worried. She’d been cautious, mostly staying home since mid-March and wearing a mask when she went out. As her mother, Sandra, puts it, “She’s very responsible.” Back home and awaiting test results, Asher selfquarantined. At breakfast, she noticed the milk was past its expiration date. When she smelled to check, she couldn’t smell anything. She tried to smell some Tabasco sauce, with the same result. A day later, after a restless night of sleep, Asher woke up feeling even worse. She was laboring hard to breath, and her chest felt very tight. Her mom rushed home from work, and the two headed to St. Rose Dominican Hospitals’ Siena campus. There, doctors ordered a chest X-ray, which didn’t show severe inflammation, and her lungs didn’t sound congested. Hospital staff suggested she had anxiety. But she sensed it was worse, even though children ages 10-19 have accounted for just 7% of Nevada’s infections. “I couldn’t breathe, so it did freak me out,” she said. “I knew what it felt like to be out of breath, but this was getting up to go to the bathroom for two minutes and being winded for 45.” Staff gave Asher a sedative, along with a nasal swab coronavirus test as a precaution. She was preparing to return home when the doctor returned with the news: She’d tested positive. “A part of me felt very embarrassed to have gotten COVID,” she said. “At first, I was like, ‘I’ve been wearing my mask. This makes me look irresponsible.’” Asher spent about 10 hours in the emergency room before she was sent home with steroids and an inhaler. The breathing treatments provided im-

mediate relief but didn’t last long. Three days later, she said, her head felt like “a hot air balloon about to pop,” and her chest felt like it was being crushed by weights. “She called me crying saying, ‘I don’t think I can breathe right. I know I’m breathing … but I don’t feel like I can get the air out,’” Sandra said. They immediately returned to the hospital. After running a series of tests, hospital staff escalated Asher’s case as being “in the red zone” and admitted her to the pediatric intensive care unit. From there, Asher said, her pain fluctuated from a steady ache to excruciating. The only time she wasn’t hurting was when she was asleep. Her moth(Courtesy)

er was there with her, but the two weren’t permitted to embrace. “It felt like I was just literally alone,” Asher said. She received doses of steroids and potassium through an intravenous tube, but fortunately, never needed to be intubated. Asher left the hospital on June 29, and doctors expect it will take four to six weeks until she’s fully recovered. Two days later, she said, she was breathing easier but was still weak, and only sleeping in three-hour spurts. “They’re telling me that’s normal,” Asher said. Meanwhile, Asher isn’t sitting idle. She has discussed her struggles on Twitter, posting photos of her struggling to breathe and in the ICU with tubes coming out of her stomach. It’s a dramatic sight, but one she hopes can help others avoid a similar fate. One responder on Twitter, @lvadriana1, tweeted, “Thank you for posting this. You are such a brave young girl. Hopefully more people read your story and take this COVID virus seriously.” Though adults account for most of the known COVID-19 cases worldwide, Asher is proof no one at any age is completely safe. “I feel like I’m educating others but getting educated myself,” she said. “That’s all I could really ask for, because I could be doing better, too. Everyone can probably be doing better.”

• To help Kaydriana Asher and her family with their medical bills, visit gofundme.com/kaydee-a.

Asher and her mom, Sandra (Wade Vandervort/Staff)

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Friedman at home (Christopher DeVargas/Staff)

BRIAN FRIEDMAN, PHOTOGRAPHER

By C. Moon Reed hroughout his illness, Henderson-based photographer Brian Friedman was quiet about having COVID-19. His symptoms were mild—fatigue, headaches, loss of taste and smell—and he didn’t want his friends to freak out. He was also worried that people might treat him differently. Since he was keeping things quiet around his regular social circle, Friedman found support through a Facebook group for folks who’ve tested positive for the coronavirus. That’s where he got the idea to donate plasma. “I’ve never done that before. I’ve never donated blood.” Friedman says. But this time was different. “All the medical professionals in my life told me that I would literally be saving people’s lives. And that I should do it if I can. So I went and did it.” After donating, Friedman shared his status on social media, so that he might inspire others to donate. He was floored by the response. There’s no known cure for COVID-19, but one potential treatment is a transfusion of convalescent plasma from people who have fully recovered from the virus. Plasma is the part of blood that contains

antibodies, and for more than 100 years, plasma transfusions have been used to treat a variety of illnesses, including the 1918 flu. It’s not yet certain how effective plasma can be in treating COVID-19, but it could save lives. National trials are underway, and the Red Cross, in coordination with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is asking for plasma donations. Friedman sent his lab results to the Red Cross, proving that he had indeed tested positive for the virus. They asked that he wait a month after his final symptoms had subsided. He did and then donated. His wife, Kaela, a nurse who had also recovered from COVID-19, donated, too. “I was very emotional when they started to draw the blood,” Friedman says. “The feelings of the entire ordeal—of contracting it, getting over it, getting to a place where I could help people—literally came

to me in that moment when I was sitting in that chair, and the machine started to take the plasma from me. … I can’t believe that all of this happened. And then I’m sitting here donating plasma, with the hopes that it will save somebody’s life. So it’s very emotional for me.” He says the virus’ full impact hadn’t hit him until that moment. He put on headphones and listened to jazz while the machine whirled. “I just sat there crying for a couple minutes and composed myself.” Today, Friedman says, he’s feeling great, back to normal and “cranking at the gym.” He and Kaela plan to donate again. They have a joint appointment for later this month. “We’re going to do it again, because we care and because we feel that we should,” he says. “It’s one of those things where you have a very unique opportunity to help people. And you’ve got to answer that call.”

“All the medical professionals in my life told me that I would literally be saving people’s lives. So I went and did it.”

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PALM SPRINGS It’s a tale as old as Groundhog Day: Boy meets girl, boy gets stuck reliving the same day over and over. But in this hip comedy, Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti find new, hilarious wrinkles in time displacement. Hulu. Michaela Coel in I May Destroy You

THIS

PODCAST

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WEEK BOOK

FOR SCORES

RODHAM

HOMEMADE

In this Disney Music Group-produced podcast, musicians explain how they composed the scores for various movies and television shows within the Disney hierarchy, from Lucasfilm to Pixar to FX. Highlights: Mark Isham and Florence and the Machine’s Isabella Summers describe their collaboration on Little Fires Everywhere; Henry Jackman unpacks his industrial-influenced score for Captain America: The Winter Soldier; and Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez talk Frozen. Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts. –Geoff Carter

Between the pandemic, a Twitter presidency and murder hornets, it’s easy to feel trapped in an alternate timeline. Rodham, a new novel by bestselling author Curtis Sittenfeld, imagines a different global outcome. In her story, Hillary Rodham Clinton never marries a future president, never gains that equally famous and toxic last name. NPR calls the counterfactual “nauseating, moving, morally suggestive, technically brilliant.” As we inch closer to a potential second lockdown, there’s no better time to see for yourself. –C. Moon Reed

What happens when filmmakers and actors like Ladj Ly (Les Miserables), Kristen Stewart (The Twilight Saga) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (Secretary) are forced to quarantine due to a pandemic? Homemade on Netflix has some answers, as acclaimed artists and directors from all over the globe channel their creative inspirations into short films about isolation, home and humanity. “Art is a way of surviving,” a voice at the end of the film’s trailer says, and each brief episode provides an enduring examination. Netflix. –Leslie Ventura

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ENNIO MORRICONE PLAYLIST It takes a lot more than 131 tracks to fully understand the genius of late film composer Ennio Morricone, but this Spotify playlist—featuring “The Man With the Harmonica,” “The Ecstasy of Gold” and other greats—is a pretty good starting place. spoti.fi/3ftC2IU

MUSIC

Anna Högberg Attack: LENA

OUR PICKS FOR THE

WEEK AHEAD

I May Destroy You These are unsettling times, and while you might not want to watch a show with an uncomfortable premise right now, consider making an exception for I May Destroy You. The limited HBO series stars British writer/actress Michaela Coel as millennial writer Arabella, a role so lived in one feels voyeuristic watching her. One seemingly typical night out—marked by a blackout from a spiked drink— sends Arabella down a rabbit hole as she tries to piece together what happened to her in those lost hours. The story that unfolds surprises her, and surely will you, too. HBO. –Genevie Durano

This Swedish jazz combo’s second LP begins with a series of intense alto sax blasts from its leader, as if Anna Högberg wants it known immediately that Lena will take the group even further into the experimental realm than 2016’s eponymous predecessor. From there, she largely cedes the spotlight to her bandmates—holdovers Elin Forkelid (tenor sax), Lisa Ullén (piano), Elsa Bergman (bass) and Anna Lund (drums), plus newcomer Niklas Barnö (trumpet)—who handle the many sharp twists of Högberg’s six original pieces nimbly and creatively. This one’s more for fans of Albert Ayler and Cecil Taylor than for cocktail parties … unless you’ve got really interesting friends scheduled for the latter. annahogberg.bandcamp. com. –Spencer Patterson

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The Strip

Boulevard brush-up Activities and attractions still await on the Strip By Brock Radke

egas visitors are flocking to the Strip on the weekends for some semblance of a summer vacation. Everyone knows not to expect concerts, sporting events, production shows and wild nights at the club. A trip to Vegas right now is built around gambling, eating, drinking, shopping and spending lots of time at the pool. But that’s not all. There are many other avenues of entertainment to be found in the casino resorts on the Boulevard, many of which are appropriate for family fun. Let’s take the Californian drive-in view and start at the southern end of the Strip …

(Yasmina Chavez/Staff))

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MGM GRAND

The Shark Reef Aquarium is one of the most popular local field trip destinations thanks to its thousands of animals, including sharks, giant rays, endangered sea turtles, piranha and more. Admission costs $15 for kids, $22 for adults and $18 for seniors, with children 3 and under admitted for free.

One of the newest attractions to hit the Strip is The Hunger Games: The Exhibition, a parade through the costumes and scenery that made the movie franchise so memorable. Interactive elements should excite fans, culminating in a projection screen archery experience. It’s open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with summer ticket prices set at $20 for kids and $30 for adults.

The castle-themed resort reopened back on June 11 and quickly reactivated many of its amenities, including the Fun Dungeon, open every day from 4 to 10 p.m. with 200 carnival arcade and kiddie games, and the Ultimate 4D Experience ($9.99 per show or $12.99 for two shows) offering movie-themed special-effects adventures.

NEW YORK-NEW YORK Clark County bars that don’t serve food were ordered shuttered again last week, but the iconic Bar at Times Square lives on with its dueling pianos show, open from 5 p.m. until 2 a.m. Thursday through Sunday (Admission costs $25). The surrounding Village Street Eateries food court wasn’t operating when New York-New York first reopened on June 4, but many of its spots are now back in business, as is the massive candy emporium Hershey’s Chocolate World. And the Big Apple Coaster is still speeding around the resort, open daily from 1 to 9 p.m. with a discounted $12 ride for Nevadans and military with ID (regular admission for the ride costs $19).

ARIA The sprawling modern resort has always been recognized for its impressive art collection, which ranges from the unmissable “Big Edge” installation by Nancy Rubins to more subtle pieces near the hotel lobby like Henry Moore’s “Reclining Connected Forms” and Maya Lin’s “Silver River.” These amazing creations are spread out all over the Aria campus, so you could create quite the walking tour, something that makes a lot more sense now that parking is free, if you can stand the summer temperatures, . And when you need to get out of the heat, stroll into the adjacent Shops at Crystals and check out James Turrell’s “Shards of Color.”

(Wade Vandervort/Staff)

EXCALIBUR

COSMOPOLITAN The Cosmo has been one of the most interesting spots on the Strip since the reopening period, thanks to its innovative venues. The Wicked Spoon buffet is back in a different way, and Rose. Rabbit. Lie. is once again serving up a modern take on the supper club experience with dynamic

live entertainment. And a summer favorite made a comeback over the July 4 weekend when Boulevard Pool’s Dive-In Movies returned, a $7 ticket to watch a flick on the 65-foot digital marquee from the rooftop poolyard. The movies start at 7 p.m. Monday nights through September 7.

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(Steve Marcus/Staff)

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The pedestrian promenade at the Linq opened a week before its casino—the hotel is still closed—and its two major attractions are ready and waiting. The High Roller Observation Wheel ($7.50-$32.75) is making the rounds from 4 p.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday and from noon to midnight Friday through Sunday, while the FlyLinq zipline ($21.75) is operating from 4 p.m. until midnight Friday through Sunday. If you need a little chill time after all that excitement, slip into the Flamingo next door and visit its namesake Chilean birds at the poolside wildlife habitat.

CIRCUS CIRCUS Not only is the five-acre indoor Adventuredome amusement park open daily from 10 a.m. to midnight, it has extended a special discount for locals through the end of the month. Southern Nevadans with proof of ID receive 20 percent off admission ($19.95-$39.95) between 10 a.m. and noon every day. Back inside the Circus Circus casino, the free circus acts and arcade and carnival games at the second-floor Midway are available every day starting at 11:30 a.m.

STRAT Can thrill rides help with anxiety? Let’s find out. Shoot yourself 160 feet higher than the Strat’s Skypod on the Big Shot, or dangle off the edge of the tower 900 feet above the desert floor on Insanity and X-Scream (hours and prices vary).

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By Leslie Ventura rett Loudermilk learned to unbeknownst to my parents, talking hammer a nail up his nose to a man in New York City, using a at age 8, and that might not coat hanger and shoving it down my even be the Vegas-based throat every day,” he laughs. “I don’t sword swallower’s wildest tale durknow the legality of teaching a miing our hour-long interview. nor to control their gag reflex over Prior to the pandemic, Louderstate lines, but once I got the coat milk was a performer on the Las Vehanger down, he sent me a sword.” gas Strip, most recently appearing At 17, Loudermilk dropped out in Spiegelworld show Opium at the of high school and flew to New Cosmopolitan. Now, having recently York City with $500 in his pocket. auditioned on a Season 15 episode of Though street performing didn’t America’s Got Talent, he’s hoping to match Loudermilk’s visions, it reach even greater heights. helped him develop the persona “AGT gives you an audience of audiences know today. millions of people all at once,” Lou“Abrasive,” he says. “I’ll say whatdermilk says, likening the platform ever comes to my mind. Back then, to the Johnny Carson-era Tonight if I asked somebody to stop and Show. “It’s a venue [that can] change they didn’t, I would throw a temper the life of a performer.” tantrum on the street. I’ve made a Born in West Virginia and raised lot of people very angry doing stuff in North Carolina, Loudermilk like that.” began practicing sleight of hand as Not that Loudermilk comes off as a child. When he witnessed mean-spirited. The excitAMERICA’S someone swallow a sword, able, handsome performer GOT TALENT with bright fuchsia hair says however, Loudermilk changed Tuesdays, course. his act is meant to get people 8 p.m., NBC. Not yet a teenager, he laughing, even as it makes couldn’t find anyone willing them uncomfortable. to show him the ropes. But “I want to bring people joy,” when he caught legendary magician, Loudermilk says. “I want to show sword swallower and vaudeville perthem something that makes them former Todd Robbins on television, think, ‘Wow, I didn’t know that was Loudermilk knew what to do. possible. I do plenty of things that “I saw a remake of the show That’s make people squirm, but there’s a Incredible!, and Todd ate a lightbulb [difference] between shock and fun. and swallowed a sword, and I was I’m not interested in shock.” like, this is the coolest guy I’ve ever Loudermilk’s AGT audition, teleseen,” Loudermilk recalls. vised on June 16, showcased his abilHe scoured the internet for Robity to win over an uncertain crowd. bins’ phone number and called “Everything went wrong, [yet] it him on the spot. “I said, ‘You and couldn’t have been better,” he says. I should know each other, and you In the YouTube clip, which has should teach me how to swallow racked up more than 1 million swords’,” Loudermilk says. views, Loudermilk invites AGT Robbins obliged, but a logistical judge Sofia Vergara to the stage, issue remained: Loudermilk was instructing her to pull the sword in North Carolina, Robbins in New from his mouth when he winks. York. So? Vergara panics. “What if I kill you?” “He taught me how to swallow she exclaims. swords over the phone,” LouderAfter two thwarted attempts— milk says. “There I am, 15 years Vergara backs away from Louderold, locked in my bedroom, and, milk, leaving him to remove the

as everybody else. What’s going to happen? How badly could this go? I look at things like that as gifts. You present me with a gift, I’m going to unwrap it and play with it.” And though he doesn’t know exactly where AGT might take him this season, he plans to fight his way to the top—and beyond. “I dream about being able to tour,” Loudermilk says. “Will I be in a world that supports live shows by the time I’m done with my AGT journey? Who knows? But I’m in a position where I’m building an audience and a nice community of people, and I want to hang onto it.”

“I do plenty of things that make people squirm, but there’s a [difference] between shock and fun. I’m not interested in shock.” –Brett Loudermilk

(Photos by Mikayla Whitmore/Courtesy Brett Loudermilk)

Vegas-based sword swallower Brett Loudermilk takes his act to the America’s Got Talent stage

sword both times—she eventually comes through. But the bit doesn’t end there. She and fellow judges Simon Cowell and Howie Mandel go on to yank three additional swords from Loudermilk’s esophagus—after he swallowed all three weapons at the same time. “When Sofia was terrified of me, I thought, ‘This is great, I’m going to lean into it’,” Loudermilk says. “Then Simon interrupts me. I’m about to launch into a whole new piece, but he wants to pull a sword out of me. At that point, why should I say no? I’m just as curious

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LV W C U LT U R E 7.1 6 . 2 0

PEDAL POWERED LOCAL JOURNALIST AND CYCLING ADVOCATE ALAN SNEL REFLECTS ON A LIFE LIVED ON TWO WHEELS BY C. MOON REED or most folks, Las Vegas’ blazing summer leads to a natural pause in outdoor activity. It’s just too damn hot. But for journalist and bicycle aficionado Alan Snel, triple-digit temps just mean waking up earlier. Snel’s morning routine has him leaving his Summerlin home at 5:30 a.m. and arriving at the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive just after 6 a.m. He bikes the 13-mile loop, which includes some gnarly hills, and he’s home by 8 a.m., ready to face the day. Sound exhausting? Among other pedal-powered outings, Snel has twice traversed the United States, cycling solo from east to west. Over the past 40 years, he has gone on many

other bicycle adventures, written about bicycling at various newspapers and even worked as a bicycle safety advocate. Snel had long toyed with the idea of writing a book about his life of bicycling. But he was always too busy doing things like founding and running the local news website LVSportsBiz.com, with a mission of covering the “convergence of sports, business, stadiums and politics.” But when COVID-19 ground the world to a halt, even this busy bee found some extra time on his hands. “Nothing like a virus pandemic to get my ass in gear and plow through a lifetime of crazy bicycle stories,” Snel writes in the introduction to Bicycle Man: Life of Journeys. “I wanted to counter the mojo and the vibe of the pandemic with something that I could have some autonomy over,” Snel explains in a phone interview. “The writing of the book gave me control over my life again.” Because Bicycle Man draws upon articles he has written over the course of his journalistic career, Snel was able to put the book together relatively quickly. He wrote the introduction in March and the epilogue in May. By June, Snel had self-published

the book and was selling it to readers, working hard to market his creation. Snel’s writing has a friendly, conversational style. It’s an easy read full of color photographs. The book’s modular aspect allows avid readers to plow from beginning to end, and casual ones to sample stand-alone stories. “I regard the book as a kind of buffet of bicycle stories,” Snel says. “If you have a particular interest in a type of bicycle story, you can pick and choose like a buffet.” Bicycle Man is Snel’s second book. It follows his 2018 memoir, Long Road Back to Las Vegas: How Las Vegas and the Golden Knights Healed a Journalist’s Wounds, which chronicled Snel’s near-death experience of getting hit by a car while cycling in Florida. If Long Road is a story of recovery, Bicycle Man feels more like a celebration. “Anyone who enjoys bicycling will love and adore the book,” Snel promises. “But it’s more than that. … The stories have a universal appeal to anyone who loves travel and adventure and discovering new things around our country.” To purchase a copy, email Alan Snel at asnel@LVSportsBiz.com.

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LV W C U LT U R E 31

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just finished a 158-mile bicycle ride from the New York side of the George Washington Bridge along the Hudson River to the state capital of Albany in my oneperson memorial bicycle ride to remember bicyclist Bill Fox on June 21, 2005.â&#x20AC;? (Courtesy)

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7.1 6 . 2 0 LV W f o o d & D R I N K

By C. Moon Reed s it or isn’t it safe to go out to eat amid a global pandemic? Sometimes a great restaurant is worth the risk. Other times, it’s easier to sidestep the question altogether by eating in. But dining at home doesn’t have to be disappointing if you choose quality ingredients. Source a winning meal by hitting up a farmers market rather than a humdrum big-box store. Here’s how to do it most effectively.

What to expect Fruits, vegetables, eggs and dairy sourced from farms in Nevada, California and Utah. The produce is generally high-quality, organic and a labor of love. Additional vendors sell breads, pastries, sauces, honey, crafts, jewelry and more. What’s in season Finding foods that didn’t cross a continent to reach your basket is one of the true joys of a farmers market. You’ll get fresh, flavorful produce that was picked at peak ripeness, not bred to best withstand the long journey. The key to being a locavore: eating produce that’s in season. Right now that means stone fruits like peaches and plums; watermelon; cucumber; zucchini; eggplant; summer squash; tomatoes and berries.

Farm boxes Many farmers markets, like Fresh52 and Intuitive Forager, offer curated food boxes with a variety of seasonal produce. Food boxes offer convenience and are often cheaper than purchasing the items individually. Pick your own Most farmers markets are set up like traditional produce sections, but two local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations—Vegas Roots Community Garden and Gilcrease Orchard—offer a unique take on farm fresh. Instead of browsing store aisles, shoppers pick produce themselves off trees and other plants.

Where to shop No matter where you live, there’s probably a farmers market nearby Country Fresh Farmers Market ■ Henderson Events Plaza, 200 S. Water St., Thursdays 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (Steve Marcus/Staff)

Fresh 52 Farmers’ & Artisan Market ■ Inspirada, 2000 Via Firenze, second and fourth Saturday of each month, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. ■ Sansone Park Place, 9480 S. Eastern Ave., Sundays 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Gilcrease Orchard ■ 7800 N. Tenaya Way, Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays, 7-10 a.m. Intuitive Forager Farmers Market ■ 300 N. Casino Center Blvd., Fridays & Saturdays, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Las Vegas Farmers Market ■ Bruce Trent Park, 1600 N. Rampart Blvd., Wednesdays, 2-8 p.m. ■ Downtown Summerlin, 1980 Festival Plaza Drive, Saturdays 9 a.m.-2 p.m. ■ Floyd Lamb Park, 9100 Tule Springs Road, third Saturday of each month, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. ■ Galleria at Sunset (inside ground level near Dillard’s), 1300 W. Sunset Road, Fridays 2-7 p.m. ■ Henderson Pavilion, 200 S. Green Valley Parkway, Fridays 9 a.m.-2 p.m. ■ Silverton Casino, 3333 Blue Diamond Road, Sundays 9 a.m.-3 p.m. ■ Water Street, 240 S. Water St., Thursdays, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. ■ Skye Canyon, 10111 W. Skye Canyon Park Drive, Thursdays, 2-8 p.m. Vegas Roots Community Garden ■ 715 N. Tonopah Drive, Wednesdays & Saturdays, 9 a.m.-noon

Giulianna Navarro (left) at the Downtown 3rd Farmers Market, also shown above (Steve Marcus/Staff)

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Rolling into Mike Bryan, top, and his twin brother, Bob (Dita Alangkara/AP)

YEAR 2

7.1 6 . 2 0 LV W S P O R T S

LAS VEGAS’ TEAM TENNIS SQUAD LOOKS LOADED IN ITS RETURN TO THE COURT BY CASE KEEFER im Blenkiron might have lost terrupted virtually all other tennis out on some of the praise he competition. deserved after winning the “I think initially we were one NCAA men’s doubles tennis of the strongest teams, if not the national championship in 1997 at strongest team as far as our roster UNLV. was concerned,” Blenkiron says. The Australian native’s spec“But since the pandemic, with so tacular senior season alongside many high-level players wanting doubles partner Luke to get in on the action, I’m Smith happened to coseeing it’s a very strong incide with the Bryan competition this brothers’ freshman year.” campaign at StanOther notable ford, where they players across the led the Cardinal league include to a national team Philadelphia’s Sofia title. Now widely Kenin, rated No. 4 considered the in the world in womgreatest men’s doubles en’s singles, and 2017 duo of all-time, Bob and U.S. Open women’s singles TIM BLENKIRON Mike Bryan were already champ Sloane Stephens, starting to become a media who’s playing for Chicago. phenomenon. The New York Empire, meanwhile, “Everyone was talking about inked a pair of former Grand Slam them,” Blenkiron says. “They were winners in Kim Clijsters and Jack big news even back then. Their Sock. records as American juniors were “Our player rosters are the stronphenomenal. They were the new gest we’ve ever fielded for a WTT kids on the block, and everyone season,” WTT commissioner Carlos knew they were going to go on to be Silva said in a statement. great players.” The WTT has accordingly upped Blenkiron and the Bryan broththe ante in terms of television covers won’t be competing for attention erage and prize money. Every match this month—they’re on the same will be broadcast or streamed in side. The Bryan Brothers headline some capacity, either by CBS, ESPN the roster for the Vegas Rollers, or the Tennis Channel. The total coached by Blenkiron, as World prize pool is up to $5 million, with TeamTennis begins its 2020 season an extra $1 million split between at the Greenbrier resort in White the four teams that make the Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. playoffs. The eventual champions The Bryan Brothers—along with will take home a $500,000 bonus in Rollers teammate and 15-time addition to the King’s Trophy. ATP winner Sam Querrey—only Blenkiron says he hopes the made a couple of appearances for added stakes and talent level will Blenkiron and the Rollers in the result in some additional civic pride Vegas squad’s inaugural season in in Las Vegas. “That’s my biggest 2019, but all three signed on for the motivation,” he says. “I’ve been in full 14-match slate this year. That’s Vegas 26 years, and I have so much been common across the nine-team love for [this] city. It’s given me WTT, with many teams gaining a everything in my life. To be able to talent boost as the coronavirus inrepresent Las Vegas in this capacity

o d Team ennis /C T

(W orl

is truly an honor for me, and to have this great team representing us is very special.” On the women’s side of the Rollers’ roster, Asia Muhammad, whom Blenkiron has trained since she was a child, and Monica Puig, a former Olympic gold medalist for Puerto Rico, return for their second season. They’ll be joined by Kristie Ahn, another Stanford grad and top-100 rated singles player. Vegas finished tied for fifth place with a 6-8 record last year, just missing the playoffs. “We learned that there are a lot of variables we weren’t aware of,” Blenkiron says. “It really comes down to the players performing and even getting a little lucky. We lost two matches by a point and two matches by one game. If we won 50% of those matches, I think we would have made the finals.” World TeamTennis matches are contested in five sets: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles. It’s up to Blenkiron to set the lineup and determine who plays

where, a task he feels more confident about after gaining experience last year. He’ll be down one assistant coach, however. Last year’s Rollers talisman, tennis fanatic Redfoo from music group LMFAO, won’t make the trip to West Virginia. Blenkiron said Redfoo considered returning, but ultimately decided he couldn’t be so far away from his family in Southern California for up to three weeks. All players and team personnel will be quarantined at Greenbrier between matches until competition is complete. The regular season started July 12 and runs through July 29, with the championship scheduled for August 2. Blenkiron says he’s made no plans to come home early, largely because he’s got his old rivals leading the Rollers. “To have the Bryan brothers for the full season is very exciting,” Blenkiron says. “They’re the greatest doubles team of all time. Having them on our team is an absolute honor.”

Vegas Rollers schedule July 17 Springfield Lasers, 12:30 p.m. (ESPN+) July 18 San Diego Aviators, 6 a.m. (CBS Sports App/Facebook Watch) July 19 Washington D.C. Kastles, 9:30 p.m. (CBS Sports App/Facebook Watch) July 21 Orange County Breakers, 4 p.m. (CBS Sports Network) July 22 Philadelphia Freedoms, 4 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)

July 23 Orlando Storm, noon (Tennis Channel) July 24 New York Empire, 8 a.m. (ESPN+) July 26 Chicago Smash, noon (Tennis Channel) July 27 Springfield Lasers, noon (Tennis Channel) July 29 Washington D.C. Kastles, 3 p.m. (Tennis Channel)

)

V E G A S I N C B U S I N E S S 7.1 6 . 2 0

What’s the ceiling for Curaleaf as a company? We’re growing. We’re hiring and promoting. People are going to be looking to fill jobs, and we’re creating jobs in our industry. We’re really well-capitalized in our space—I think we’re probably the best capitalized company in the cannabis industry. Our chairman [Boris Jordan] has gone on record saying he’s looking for opportunities to expand. So, as others are hitting the brakes, we’re putting our foot on the gas.

Curaleaf company president: Nevada could lead cannabis into the mainstream

BY BRYAN HORWATH

uraleaf Holdings is close to becoming the nation’s largest cannabis chain. The company—which has some 60 dispensary locations, mostly of the medical marijuana variety, in 12 states—is expected to close on the acquisition of Illinois-based cannabis GR Companies Inc. in a nearly $900 million deal this month. Once the deal is completed, Massachusetts-based Curaleaf will have locations in 19 states. The company employs about 160 people in Nevada, where it is looking to fill 40 more positions. Vegas Inc recently visited with Curaleaf President Joe Bayern to talk about how the industry is navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and how Curaleaf’s Nevada dispensaries (the company also owns the Acres brand) are performing. Curaleaf has two dispensary locations in Las Vegas and one set to open soon in Ely, along with cultivation and manufacturing facilities in Nevada. How important is the Las Vegas market to the company? Las Vegas isn’t a large piece of our revenue, but it’s a very influential market for us with great potential. It’s about creating brand image and brand presence in an influential marketplace. If we continue to build out cultivation in Nevada, we certainly see the business growing and becoming more impactful. Looking at things like on-premise consumption, Nevada has already started that. Nevada is leading the way on a lot of things that we want to see happen at a national level. Revenue isn’t indicative of how important that market is to us. According to the Nevada Dispensary Association, sales in the state were down 20% in March and April. How has Curaleaf been able to navi-

gate this pandemic economy, especially with the in-store restrictions put in place in March when Gov. Steve Sisolak shut down much of the state’s economy? In the cannabis sector, it’s kind of par for the course. The one constant is change. Luckily, we were deemed an essential business in every market we operate in. In Nevada, we were able to adapt quickly to some of the initial restrictions put in place, so we didn’t have to furlough any people. We just shifted some people to the home delivery side of our business. ... We’re now starting to see our revenue come back, which is encouraging for everyone.

Do you think there will be a time when resort patrons on the Las Vegas Strip will be able to consume cannabis inside a casino, perhaps in a cannabis lounge area? We believe the future of cannabis is that it will go mainstream. It will certainly be restricted in some fashion, but it won’t be any different than having a liquor license in the future. Nevada could be one of the states that leads the way in that area because of its positions on nightlife and smoking [cigarettes] in casinos. Are more people trying cannabis products to treat anxiety issues and the added stress that this year has provided? That’s a trend that we’ve been seeing for a couple of years. ... That’s going to continue to be a more powerful trend over the next couple of years as we continue to go more into the mainstream. We’re going to need to continue to meet customer needs when it comes to things like insomnia, depression, anxiety and stress. As we get better at using science to develop products, we’ll see a massive shift in the number of consumers thinking about the usage of cannabis.

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Curaleaf President Joe Bayern (Curaleaf/Courtesy)

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VegasInc Notes The Ferraro Group hired Halley Turner as an assistant account executive. Prior to joining the Ferraro Group, Turner worked Turner at Wynn and Encore Las Vegas, where she built up a background in hospitality, entertainment and communications. In her new role, Turner will assist with media planning, developing content, social media campaigns, research and community outreach to meet client objectives among various accounts, including Nevada Donor Network, Tuscan Highlands, Dunkin’, Western Elite and Jewish Nevada.

Supreme Court in 2021. CBRE appointed Cassie CataniaHsu as the new market leader for the Las Vegas Valley. She will oversee all CBRE advisory lines of business Catania-Hsu for the region, including leasing, capital markets, property management and valuation. A nearly 30-year resident of Las Vegas, Catania-Hsu brings more than a decade of experience in local commercial real estate, including her most recent role as president and corporate broker at Sun Commercial Real Estate Inc.

tive session. The new school of education, which is designed to recruit and graduate qualified teachers into Nevada’s K-12 schools, will feature classrooms, office and study space, as well as a speech language pathology clinic and an early childhood development center. Joseph Ferreira, president and CEO at Nevada Donor Network, was named the Association of Organ Procurement Organization’s president, as part of the Ferreira 2020-21 executive committee. Prior to joining Nevada Donor Network in 2012, Ferreira spent 14 years at Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency in Miami, Fla., where he served as director of clinical operations for seven years.

UNR Extension welcomed Molly Malloy as the Nevada State College celebratmarketing coored the topping off of its Glenn dinator for the Nevada Supreme Court Justice and Ande Christenson School Clark County Lidia Stiglich announced the of Education building, which is office. Her role naming of the Las Vegas Courtunder construction and slated is to oversee the house to the Justice James W. to be finished for fall 2021. The marketing and Hardesty Courthouse. The name communica65,000-square-foot building Malloy tion efforts for will be effective upon Justice was approved by Gov. Steve the Extension in Clark County. Sisolak during the 2019 legislaHardesty’s retirement from the 17568 - E_PN_HP_LasVegas_LasVegasWeekly_7.16_ 9.375 x 5.3125_FINAL.pdf 1 7/10/20 4:06 PM

Much of Malloy’s work will be to provide internal support to programs and develop strategies to bring greater awareness about the Extension’s programs for the community. Stacey Lei, a 16-year-old student at West Career and Technical Academy, won first place in the high school category for her artwork entitled Lei “The Reef We Read” in the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation’s 2020 Science Without Borders Challenge, an international ocean art contest for students. Lei will receive a $500 scholarship to help her pursue her artistic dreams. Emma Phillips received a talent award during the second night of preliminary competition at the 63rd Distinguished Young Women National Finals. The $1,000 cash scholarship was presented to five of the 50 state representatives receiving the highest scores on their individual talent performance. This year, the competition was conducted digitally and showcased in a three-night online broadcast. Phillips is a graduate

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of Las Vegas Academy of the Arts. In the fall, she will attend Viterbo University with plans to become a professional performer. Max Pawn was named to the 2020 Top Shops list of Pawn Leaders Magazine, topping the list at No. 1 in the country. This inaugural list was determined by votes from readers of the magazine, customers and members of the public. The Top Shops designation recognizes pawnshops that excel in the categories of leadership, marketing and strategy. Workforce Connections and the Vegas Chamber received national recognition for their joint efforts to advance workforce and economic development in Southern Nevada during the National Association of Workforce Board’s conference in June. The Laurie Moran Partnership Award was presented virtually by NAWB board chair Andrew Bercich to Workforce Connections executive director Jaime Cruz and Vegas Chamber president and CEO Mary Beth Sewald. The award is only given to one Workforce development board and partner chamber of commerce in the nation. Currently, there are 550 Workforce development boards across the United States.

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horoscopes week of July 16 by rob brezsny

“TB LISTINGS” by frank Longo

ARIES (March 21-April 19): “If the time is not ripe, we have to ripen the time,” wrote educator and activist Dorothy Height. Her pioneering advocacy for Black women generated a number of practical improvements in their employment opportunities and civil rights. Now, you have the power to ripen the time, even if no one else believes the time is ripe. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Whatever inspiration is, it’s born from a continuous ‘I don’t know.’ ” Nobel Prize-winning poet Wisława Szymborska said that. It’s excellent advice for you to embrace. You’re close to finding and accessing a mother lode of inspiration, and one of the best ways to ensure that happens is to make “I don’t know” your mantra. Be cheerfully devoted to shedding your certainties. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Author Djuna Barnes (1892–1982) was a world traveler who wrote in several genres. She was experimental and experiential. She once voluntarily submitted to the force-feeding endured by hunger-striking suffragists so she could write about what it was like to be tortured. Every morning, she did her hair and put her makeup on, then climbed into bed and wrote for hours. Draw inspiration from her—except the torture part. Be versatile, exploratory and committed to expressing yourself. CANCER (June 21-July 22): You have a natural propensity to study and understand what author Margaret Atwood describes as “echoes and emptiness and shadow.” This aspect of your repertoire will be especially active and available to you in the coming weeks. Use it to discern what’s missing or lost but could be recovered. Invoke it to help you navigate your way through murky or confusing situations. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Time can turn a scab into a beauty mark,” said actor and screenwriter Nia Vardalos. That’s a rousingly poetic speculation—and more metaphorically true than literally. If it ever might have a useful and meaningful application to an actual human struggle, it will be yours in the coming months. You are capable of harnessing the magic necessary to transform a wound into a lovely asset. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Would you like to boost your mental and physical health in the coming weeks? Try this: Immerse yourself in the understanding that you’re interconnected with everything in the world. Tell yourself stories about how the atoms that compose your body have previously been part of many other things. This isn’t just a poetic metaphor; it’s scientific fact.

2018 King features syndicate

ACROSS 1 Affliction 7 Really shout 13 Wine vessels 20 One of the Nixon daughters 21 — Vision (eye care chain) 22 Weird sort 23 Serious crime 24 Carol about holiday cheese? 26 Strip of weapons 27 “... or — thought” 28 Look as if 29 Trickle out 30 Guy who can do any interweaving style? 35 Ribeye, e.g. 36 Particular mag. edition 37 Writer Anaïs 38 With 60-Down, BB gun 39 Sorority “T” 41 “This tastes way better than coffee, tea or ale”? 50 Toon pics 53 Suffix with southwest 54 Spring month 55 Comfortable 56 Czar who was not inordinately cruel? 62 “Look!,” in Latin 63 Person being examined 64 “What kind of fool —?” 65 Set sail 68 122-Down officer: Abbr. 69 Doughnut filling that’s an exchanged commodity? 74 Wane 77 Easily available 79 Petri dish site

80 Got totally used up 82 Tennis great Nastase 84 Politician Gary propping himself up against something? 89 Actress Helena — Carter 92 Verdi’s “— tu” 93 Prefix with chic or resort 94 2010 Apple debut 95 Enigmatic clodhopper casting spells? 101 Bride’s vow 102 Wye follower 103 List-curtailing abbr. 104 Anna of fashion 107 Light lunch, maybe 111 People purchasing decorative rolling car parts? 117 Israeli carrier 118 Touch on 119 Talking- — (lectures) 120 Canine cord 121 Tall fence surrounding a pugnacious dog? 126 Improvise 127 Forms a liking for 128 Brezhnev of Russia 129 Kazakhstan’s capital, until 2019 130 “It finally makes sense” 131 The Munsters actress De Carlo 132 Less fresh DOWN 1 Peak near Tokyo: Abbr. 2 Concert sites 3 Purple flowers 4 “Put — in it!” 5 Dandie — (dog breed)

6 “Hurray!” 7 Tape holder 8 Filmdom’s — B. DeMille 9 “Hurray!” 10 Be off-base 11 Boxer Laila 12 Soccer star Lionel 13 Shows up for 14 Actor Sandler 15 Aves. 16 Main monk 17 Denmark’s — Islands 18 Fictional Doolittle 19 Streamlined 25 Poet Hughes 27 South Carolina river 31 Hi- — (stereos) 32 Tote or duffel 33 — Bravo 34 Nice scent 35 Hard fat 40 Atty.’s org. 41 Has no life 42 Eye, to poets 43 An hour past midnight 44 Pat lightly 45 President after Harrison 46 Ale relative 47 Incurred a lot of, as debt 48 Key on a PC 49 Tiny 50 Quote 51 In a dead heat 52 Roping in 57 High- — 58 Ares’ mother 59 Livy’s “I love” 60 See 38-Across 61 Pro at CPR 66 Polar hazard 67 Bedouin, e.g. 70 Doc who may scrape wax 71 “Abou Ben —” (Leigh Hunt poem)

72 73 75 76

Sheep cry “Li’l” guy La — Tar Pits Longtime senator Robert 78 Soda brand 81 Depilatory brand 82 “Big Blue” 83 Mauna — 85 Suffix with cook or trick 86 “Totentanz” composer Franz 87 Acutely cold 88 Coveted annual prizes 90 Part of DNA 91 Irate 96 Illegal punch 97 One of 18 on a course 98 “So icky!” 99 Gambling site, for short 100 Optometrist, oldstyle 104 Action hero Steven 105 Like grizzlies and kodiaks 106 Hoffman/Beatty film 107 Three more than quadri108 Fake name 109 Hanukkah potato treat 110 Pulitzer winner Edward 112 Central point 113 Milan’s land 114 Had a meal at home 115 One-named singer of “Royals” 116 Gossipy type 118 Choir female 122 Adm.’s milieu 123 Charge (up) 124 Aussie leaper 125 Resting place 126 Had life

hand for you?

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Author Diane Ackerman wrote: “The great affair, the love affair with life, is to live as variously as possible, to groom one’s curiosity like a highspirited thoroughbred, climb aboard and gallop over the thick, sunstruck hills every day.” It’s a favorable time to celebrate the fantastic privilege of being alive. Are you willing to believe that? Are you open to the possibility that miracles and epiphanies may be at SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “Deciding to remember, and what to remember, is how we decide who we are,” writes poet Robert Pinsky. That’s useful counsel for you. You’re entering a phase when you can substantially reframe your life story to serve you better. And one of the smartest ways to do that is to take an inventory of the memories you want to emphasize versus the memories you’d like to minimize. Another good trick is to reinterpret challenging past events so you can focus on how they strengthened you. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “A person must dream a long time in order to act with grandeur,” wrote author and activist Jean Genet. “And dreaming is nursed in darkness.” This is an apt description of what has been unfolding for you—and will continue to play out in the next two weeks. You have been nursing your dreams in darkness—exploring, cultivating and learning from the creative energy simmering and ripening in your inner depths. Keep doing this important work, even if there are not yet any productive results. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau said, “There are truths that one can only say after having won the right to say them.” You have recently earned the right to express a fresh batch of scintillating and useful truths. Unveil them—preferably with both candor and tact. On behalf of everyone who will benefit from your insights, congratulations for the work you’ve had to do on yourself so as to win them.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “After you make a fool of yourself a few hundred times, you learn what works,” testifies musician and singer Gwen Stefani. In the coming weeks, you should try what has served her so well. You’re entering a phase when your foolishness will generate especially useful lessons. Being innocent and wildly openminded will also be very useful. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “It is better to err on the side of daring than the side of caution,” wrote author and futurist Alvin Toffler. While that idea may or may not be absolutely and always true, it is recommended to you in the coming weeks. Given that you have recently been expanding possibilities and cultivating breakthroughs, you must keep on pushing forward until you climax your momentum. To boost your courage, try to think of a crazy cry of exhilaration you might exclaim as you make your leaps, like “YAHOO!” or ‘HELL YES!” or HERE I COME!”

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.

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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.

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2020-07-16 - Las Vegas Weekly

Articles inside

Binge This Week: Our latest batch of staff suggestions

Health & Wellness: Try these simple stretching exercises

Vegas Inc: Chatting with Curaleaf President Joe Bayern

The Strip: These attractions remain open on the Boulevard

News: An eviction crisis is looming for Southern Nevada