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L A S V E G A S W E E K LY
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IN THIS ISSUE
WEEK IN REVIEW WEEK AHEAD
EVENTS TO FOLLOW AND NEWS YOU MISSED
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Cover story: Exploring Southern Nevada’s natural splendor Feature: The life of poker legend Rod Pardey Binge This Week: Our latest round of staff suggestions The Strip: The Mirage reopens, minus its world-famous shows Food & Drink: Treats to help cool you down Sports: How well have the Golden Knights been playing? Vegas Inc: The bicycle business is booming
Vancouver’s Alexander Edler celebrates a goal against Golden Knights Robin Lehner and Alec Martinez (23) on August 25. The Canucks won 5-2 to even the series at two. See Page 36 for analysis of Vegas’ postseason play thus far. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
ESPN BRINGS STUDIO, BETTINGFOCUSED PROGRAMMING TO THE LINQ A new ESPN studio debuted at the Linq on August 24, with produced segments for SportsCenter and digital platforms, the network and Caesars Entertainment said. With the new studio, ESPN will expand its content with Caesars to bring more robust, Vegas-exclusive sports betting and entertainment news to fans around the world, according to a news release. That includes moving ESPN’s Daily Wager show to the Linq studio and launching a sports betting-themed digital show this fall, the companies said. The 6,000-squarefoot facility includes three studios and features 12 cameras, including two exterior robotic cameras. It will play a vital role during major sporting events, including marquee events in Las Vegas, the release said. Starting September 8, the Doug Kezirian-hosted Daily Wager show, which has been on hiatus due to the pandemic, will return to ESPN2 weekdays at 6 p.m. This fall, ESPN will expand its sports betting-themed content into multiple platforms with the launch of a new digital show, officials said. New episodes will be available three days a week on the ESPN app, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as part of a new sportsbetting channel that will include content originating from Caesars. –Sun Staff
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THINGS THAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK
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Hsieh hands over Zappos role Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has stepped down, the Las Vegas-based online retail giant announced August 24. A company spokeswoman said Zappos chief operating officer Kedar Deshpande stepped into the CEO role effective that day. The online shoe and apparel retailer, founded in 1999, was sold to Amazon in 2009. –Sun Staff Cowboy Christmas canceled Cowboy Christmas, which annually brings more than 250,000 shoppers to the Las Vegas Convention Center during the National Finals Rodeo, has been called off this year due to the pandemic, Las Vegas Events announced August 25. An update on this year’s rodeo is expected by the end of September. –Sun Staff Aces top power poll The Las Vegas Aces moved to the top of the Associated Press WNBA power poll on August 25, passing Seattle, which lost two straight games. A’ja Wilson and Angel McCoughtry have helped Las Vegas lead the league in rebounds, and Danielle Robinson has provided a spark off the Aces’ bench. –Associated Press State launches climate website Gov. Steve Sisolak launched a climate initiative on August 24 that includes a website to gather public input to help develop a state strategy on the issue. Last year, Sisolak issued an executive order including recommendations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. –John Sadler
Raiders players train at Allegiant Stadium on August 21. (AP Photo/John Locher)
THE SPACE EXPANDS LIVESTREAM SHOWS WITH BROADWAY WORLD
RAIDERS OWNER DUBS ALLEGIANT STADIUM THE “DEATH STAR” AT FIRST PRACTICE THERE
The multiuse event center known as the Space has partnered with Broadway World, one of the best-known theater websites covering Broadway, London’s West End and beyond, to expand the availability of its pay-per-view-style livestream events. Operated by local entertainer and host Mark Shunock, the Space announced August 24 it will have a new home on the Broadway World hub to provide new, live entertainment events, concerts and shows for audiences anywhere to view safely from home while also providing performing artists the opportunity to generate income. The Space also unveiled a knockout slate of new shows to be streamed from the Vegas venue, including Strip headliners the Righteous Brothers performing four shows in September, a series featuring members of the Las Vegas Philharmonic and many more. “We’re thrilled to be able to bring the Space into homes around the world and give the great talent in the Las Vegas performing arts scene and beyond a national stage,” said Shunock, founder of the Space and creator of the semimonthly charity event Mondays Dark. –Brock Radke
Mark Davis opened an August 21 scrimmage by christening his team’s new home the “Death Star.” And after the Raiders’ first session at Allegiant Stadium, the players and coaches seemed to be in agreement that Las Vegas’ latest jewel is awe-inspiring. The Raiders’ afternoon practice at Allegiant served as the first opportunity for most of the roster to take in the new stadium, including the field, the locker room and other amenities. The reviews were overwhelmingly positive. “It’s the coolest place I’ve seen,” head coach Jon Gruden said. “The bright lights, the natural grass in a dome stadium, a spectacular locker room which you can’t see on TV. It’s a state-ofthe-art facility. It’s got everything you could imagine, and I can’t wait to share it with our fans.” Before the start of the practice, Davis addressed the team. “Welcome to the Death Star, where our opponents’ dreams come to die,” Davis said. –Mike Grimala
DROP IN NEVADA COVID-19 TESTING RAISES A RED FLAG FOR UNLV EPIDEMIOLOGIST
On August 19, more that 17,000 coronavirus tests were completed in Nevada—the most ever in a single day here since testing began in March. But that high-water mark belied what has occurred most of the month: Testing over the first 23 days of August was down nearly 7% from the same period a month ago, from an average of 8,862 tests a day in July to 8,259 tests a day this month, according to figures compiled from the Nevada Health Response website. The decrease is worrisome for Brian Labus, a UNLV epidemiologist and a member of Gov. Steve Sisolak’s
COVID-19 medical advisory panel. “Testing is one of several important parts of containing the virus,” Labus said. “If we cannot identify infected people, we are unable to conduct contact tracing and stop disease transmission.” Reasons for this month’s decline aren’t fully known, but Labus speculated on possible factors: “We have seen a plateau in positivity rate and hospitalizations, which may mean that we are starting to see decreased disease transmission. It may also be frustration with the process, as there have been long delays in getting appointments
for testing and getting results.” Testing is especially recommended for those who: have symptoms; have been in close contact with a person who has a confirmed or possible case of COVID-19; were exposed to a large crowd of people with little or no social distancing; or will be visiting a person at high risk for COVID-19, like older adults or those with chronic medical conditions. But Labus said people should not get tested unless they are symptomatic or have been exposed to someone who is infected because of the testing capacity issue. –Sara MacNeil
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LV W H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S
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WATER WISDOM TIPS FOR STAYING SAFE IN POOLS, LAKES, RIVERS AND OCEANS BY C. MOON REED t’s hot as Hades outside, and fall seems like a distant dream. But before you escape to the nearest pool or lake, take a moment to consider your safety. From drowning to sunburn and heat exhaustion, water can be a threat in several ways. While the danger of drowning might seem remote—we all suffer from “it can’t happen to me” over-optimism—an average of more than 3,500 people a year die from unintentional drownings in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In July, for example, tragedy struck when 33-year-old actress Naya Rivera drowned in California’s Lake Piru. Her life jacket was found in the boat, unworn. According to CNN, authorities say that she died saving her 4-year-old son. To put together this safety guide, we used the information provided by the American Red Cross and the CDC. For more information, visit redcross.org/watersafety or cdc.gov/ homeandrecreationalsafety/water-safety.
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BASIC SWIMMING SAFETY
Never swim alone. Ideally, swim under the supervision of a lifeguard. If not, swim with a buddy. Watch your kids. Children always require adult supervision. Go feet first. Diving into water that’s too shallow can cause head and spinal injuries, and even death. Unless you’re certain the water is safe for diving, just don’t dive. Swim sober. It might sound obvious, but it’s not safe to swim under the influence. Learn the basics. Take swimming lessons, and enroll your children in swimming lessons.
LAKE, RIVER AND OCEAN SAFETY Wear a life jacket. Swimming in a natural body of water can be dangerous—think currents, rapids, riptides, underwater debris and more—compared to swimming in the controlled environment of a backyard pool. Don’t swim alone. Even if you’re a good swimmer, a sudden health issue can diminish that ability instantly. If you see thunder or lightning, leave the water immediately. Watch out for boats, jet skis and sudden dropoffs. Don’t dive. In addition to water being shallower than you expect, there might be unseen trees, branches or rocks. Save the boozing for the after-party.
BASIC SWIMMING SKILLS TO MASTER According to the American Red Cross, these five skills are the necessary basics for safety. If you can’t perform them, stay in the shallow end, wear a life jacket and take some lessons. ■ Return to the surface after entering deep water. ■ Float or tread water for one minute. ■ In the water, turn over and turn around. ■ Swim 25 yards. ■ Exit the water unassisted.
ALL ABOUT LIFE JACKETS ■ Small children should always wear a life jacket. Ditto for weak swimmers. ■ Everyone should wear a life jacket when swimming or boating in open water. ■ Only wear life jackets approved by the U.S. Coast Guard. ■ No, that hilarious unicorn floatie does NOT count as a life jacket. ■ Make sure life jackets fit and are in good working order. ■ Don’t just leave that life jacket on the floor of your boat. You’ve got to wear it for it to do any good.
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HOW TO MAKE YOUR HOME POOL SAFER FOR KIDS ■ Make sure your pool is fully fenced in. ■ Use a self-latching gate so that the gate can’t get left open. ■ Lock and alarm the doors and windows leading to the pool so that you have a second layer of protection to prevent a child from wandering into the pool. ■ Use a lockable pool cover when the pool isn’t in use. ■ Take the “Home Pool Essentials” online safety course. It was created by the National Swimming Pool Foundation and the American Red Cross. ($20, nspf.org/content/home-poolessentials-2)
GENERAL OUTDOOR SAFETY
■ Stay hydrated. ■ Avoid booze and caffeine. ■ Protect yourself from the sun: Wear sunscreen, a big hat and loose-fitting clothing. Stay in the shade, and avoid the heat of the day. ■ If you feel like you’re overheating, go inside and cool off.
THE IMPORTANCE OF HYDRATION The human body cools itself via sweating. Since we live in a desert, sweat immediately evaporates, which means a person can become dehydrated without realizing it. To avoid heat exhaustion or other, more severe heat illnesses, continuously drink water while outside, even if you don’t feel all that thirsty. Although we’ve been taught to avoid sports drinks due to their high sugar content, they’re helpful if you’ve been sweating a lot, according to Dr. Derek Meeks, director of the emergency department at Boulder City Hospital and a vice dean at Touro University. They will help replenish the fluids and sodium your body sweats out.
DROWNING RISK FACTORS ■ Lack of swimming knowledge. ■ Indulging in alcohol. Booze makes for bad decisions and slow reflexes. ■ The Y chromosome. According to the CDC, a whopping 80% of drowning victims are males. ■ Youth. Drowning is one of the leading causes of death for children. Children ages 4 and younger are at greatest risk. ■ Being overly tired. Even if you’re a strong swimmer, if you get suddenly tired or ill or get a cramp, you can get in trouble in the water. ■ Having a seizure disorder. Seizures can be a cause of drowning, especially in the bathtub.
WHAT TO DO IN A WATER EMERGENCY SIGNS OF TROUBLE A distressed swimmer and potential drowning victim could be: ■ Trying to swim but making no headway. ■ Vertical in the water but not treading water or moving forward. ■ Flailing their arms or appear to be climbing a ladder in an attempt to stay above water. ■ Struggling to keep their head above water for up to a minute and then going underwater. ■ Floating face first on the water, motionless.
■ Shout for help if you see somebody in trouble. ■ Remove the person from the water without putting yourself in danger. ■ Use a flotation device, pole or other tool to help safely retrieve the person. The Red Cross uses the rhyme, “Reach or throw, don’t go” to encourage people to keep themselves safe while helping distressed swimmers. ■ Have somebody else call 911 while you give CPR and rescue breathing. If nobody’s available to help, give CPR for about two minutes and then call 911. ■ Prepare in advance by taking a CPR class from the Red Cross. Find a class by visiting redcross.org/take-a-class/cpr.
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LV W C OV E R S T O R Y
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NATURAL BEAUTY
LV W C OV E R S T O R Y
A visual tour of Southern Nevada’s desert splendor They say nature can heal, and we could all use some of that right now. Perhaps more than ever in our lifetime, it’s important to get outside, breathe fresh air and let Earth’s natural beauty calm our minds. Here in Southern Nevada, those opportunities are endless, whatever direction you head. Weekly photographers Yasmina Chavez and Wade Vandervort have been doing some exploring of their own, and here are some of the tranquil scenes captured through their lenses.
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VALLEY OF FIRE
B Y WA D E VA N D E R VO R T
Fire Wave Trail
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Seven Sisters
NATURAL BEAUTY
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LAKE MEAD
NATURAL BEAUTY
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ABOVE A bighorn sheep looks toward Lake Mead from a hill near Hemenway Valley Park in Boulder City. B Y YA S M I N A C H AV E Z
LEFT A pink supermoon rises near Lake Mead.
OPPOSITE PAGE A boat sails on Lake Mead. WA D E VA N D E R VO R T
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NATURAL BEAUTY
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MOUNT CHARLESTON
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Little Falls off Cathedral Rock Trail
B Y YA S M I N A C H AV E Z
OPPOSITE PAGE A view from Cathedral Rock
ABOVE A view of Kyle Canyon
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8 . 2 7. 2 0 BELOW December 27, 2019
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NATURAL BEAUTY
(THAT DAY IT SNOWED AT …)
RED ROCK CANYON B Y WA D E VA N D E R VO R T
ABOVE A cactus wren perches on a Joshua tree at Late Night Trail.
BOTTOM A wild burro wanders through Late Night Trail.
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Rod Pardey at the final table of a 2003 World Series of Poker event (IMPDI Worldwide-Official WSOP Photographer/Courtesy)
WINNING HAND
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Remembering Rod Pardey, family man and unsung seven-card stud poker champ
O BY C. MOON REED
nce, in the middle of a game, seven-card stud player Rod Pardey realized that the dealer was skimming money from the top. This was back around 1980, before poker was as honest as it is now. “Dad caught him red-handed, grabbed his wrist … flipped his hand, made his hand open up and found a $100 chip in there,” his son Rod Pardey Jr. says. “That was the environment that Dad was dealing with, where you not only had to be a good poker player, but you also had to be aware of who was cheating you.” On August 1, the elder Pardey died at age 75 following a stroke. The twotime World Series of Poker bracelet winner was one of the best seven-card stud poker players of all time. While other competitors came and went, Pardey sustained a 50-year career, living off poker until COVID-19 shut down the casinos in March. Pardey amassed $725,834 in total live earnings, which put him inside poker’s top 100 all-time money list, according to the Hendon Mob database.
how the Dunes hosted daily high-limit seven-card stud games where players would win or lose $50,000 in an evening. “Dad dominated those games in the early ’80s,” Pardey Jr. says. “He was playing with the very best poker players in the world and winning [against] people like Stu Ungar, Chip Reese and Doyle Brunson.” But as poker went mainstream, the easier-to-televise Texas Hold ’em took over the popular imagination. Once only played at Binion’s Horseshoe (now called Binion’s) on Fremont Street, Texas Hold ’em soon became
ubiquitous. Pardey Jr. says his dad never liked Hold ’em, sticking instead to seven-card stud, even as it lost popularity. In his later years, the elder Pardey followed his game to California, often playing at the Commerce Casino in LA. “Being able to play seven-card stud is like being able to speak a lost language. The game isn’t played anymore,” Pardey Jr. says. “I’m very happy that learning how to play brought me so close to my dad, because that was such a big part of who he was.” Pardey didn’t chase the spotlight,
preferring cash games to tournaments. “He was a great player who didn’t have a lot of flash,” says Poker Hall of Famer Eric Drache. The two players were friends and competitors for almost 50 years. “He’s relatively unknown outside of the seven-card stud circle. But if you played with him, you’d know how good he was.” What made Pardey so talented at poker? His friends and family chalk it up to a combination of innate intelligence, preternatural card sense and a sense of determination and sportsmanship.
Under the radar Despite decades of poker success, the longtime Las Vegan was never a household name. How did such a great player fly under the radar? Call it a quirk of history. During Pardey’s heyday in the 1970s and ’80s, seven-card stud was the predominant game. “If you had moved to Las Vegas in 1980 and you wanted to play poker professionally but you could only master one poker game, it’s very likely that you would choose seven-card stud,” says Pardey Jr., who learned how to play the game professionally from his dad. Although he wasn’t old enough to play at the time, Pardey Jr. remembers
Rod Pardey, fourth from left, with other poker greats, as portrayed in a painting by Steve Venet (Painting published Courtesy Steve and Pearl Venet /Venet Art Enterprises)
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ROD PARDEY’S POKER WINNINGS
■ Total live earnings: $725,834 ■ Placed 2nd and won $162,100 at the 2015 WSOP $1,000 No Limit Hold ’em Super Seniors tournament ■ Placed 2nd and won $77,229 at the 2009 WSOP $1,500 Seven Card Stud tournament ■ Placed 1st and won $132,000 at the 1994 WSOP $2,500 Seven-Card Stud tournament ■ Placed 1st and won $133,600 at the 1991 WSOP $2,500 Seven-Card Stud tournament ■ Placed 1st and won $25,500 at the 1985 Stairway to the Stars $1,000 Limit Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo tournament. ■ Placed 1st and won $30,000 at the 1985 Stairway to the Stars $5,000 Limit Seven Card Stud tournament
Source: The Hendon Mob poker database
In a 1979 Sports Illustrated feature about the new generation of poker players, journalist Roger Dionne wrote that the younger players viewed poker as a legitimate profession rather than as a semi-outlaw lifestyle. “They chose to become poker players as one might choose to become a doctor or lawyer,” Dionne wrote. This was how Rod Pardey treated the game. At age 25, he left a career in professional bowling, moved to Las Vegas and took up poker. From the “sunny living room of his suburban Las Vegas home,” as Sports
Illustrated described it, Pardey told the reporter, “You’ve got to have the desire to be a winner, to be No. 1.” His drive put him up there with the greats of the era. “He was a huge winner and really the talk of seven-cards,” Drache recalls. “He also was investing his money, [which is] something that most poker players failed to do, including myself.” Pardey experienced a typical Baby Boomer childhood in the suburbs of Tacoma, Washington. He took those classic American values of family and fair play with him the rest of his life. Although it’s difficult to imagine
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now, casino poker players sometimes cheated and even some dealers were crooked. According to his contemporaries, Pardey was instrumental in making poker a fair game. They say he never cheated, and he stayed away from the drugs that swept through the sport. Pardey was even temporarily banned from the Dunes Poker Room by the late poker legend Johnny Moss. The stated reason was because Pardey “won too much and was a damn hippie.” In response, Rod Pardey Jr. says, “My dad may have had long hair and John Lennon glasses at the time, but Dad was not a hippie.” The real
reason, according to insiders, was because Pardey took a vocal stand against cheating and corruption. “In the early ’70s, it was very hard for a completely honest person to always win,” Drache says. “But Rod won, and won consistently.”
A storied life Having played poker for half a century, Pardey racked up his share of colorful anecdotes and nicknames. He was known as Senior because his son also played professionally; Magoo because of his poor vision; and the Sleeping Possum because
he would micro-nap between hands during marathon gaming sessions. One time, infamous magazine publisher Larry Flynt flew Pardey to his place in LA for a private, highstakes poker game. As the story goes, after Pardey won a couple hundred thousand dollars, Flynt accused him of cheating and banned him for life. When he wasn’t playing poker, Pardey bet on sports. The sportsbook at Palace Station was one of his main haunts: “When my mom found out she was pregnant with me, that’s where she went to go [tell] my dad,” his daughter Lucy Campbell says. Pardey was a famously generous person. He would open his home to anyone who needed a place to stay: degenerate gamblers; an ex-wife (and her new spouse); his children’s friends (even after those children had moved away). “He had this way of making everything seem like it was this once-ina-lifetime kind of opportunity,” says Campbell. “There was always this sprinkling of fairy dust everywhere we went.”
A family legacy Above all, Pardey was a family man. His son Ryan Pardey remembers his dad coming home for dinner five nights a week: “I met a few other children of poker players, and their dads were usually jerks or weren’t there.” And while professional poker can be a financial roller coaster, Rod Pardey Sr. created a stable home environment for his children. “I always thought we were rich kids,” says Ryan, a local musician who has been helping to manage Downtown venue the Bunkhouse the past several years. “I didn’t ever know that my dad struggled, had ups and downs. He weathered it and was never emotional. I thought he won every day.”
Rod Pardey, far right, with family members at his son Ryan’s wedding (Spencer Burton/Courtesy)
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Pardey taught his son Rod Pardey Jr. and his younger brother Dave Pardey how to turn poker into a profession. Father and son spent years playing together, even sharing hotels. Brothers Dave and Rod Sr. also co-owned a Seattle bowling alley for 32 years. “He was a top-of-the-line human being,” Dave says. “He was a straightforward person that cared about people when he got to know you. I’m going to miss him dearly.” Ryan says he’d like for his father to be remembered as “not only one of the greatest poker players that ever lived, but as just an amazing father.” Now, Pardey’s children are lobbying to get him inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. “At a certain point, it was a given that my father would someday be in the Poker Hall of Fame,” Ryan says. “But as things changed, and people became more interested in [Texas Hold ’em] and the younger generation came in, old-timers like my father were forgotten about.” The Poker Hall of Fame typically selects up to two new honorees per year, holding an induction ceremony in conjunction with the World Series of Poker Main Event. Hall of Fame criteria includes: having played against top competition; having played for high stakes; having played consistently well and gained the respect of peers; and standing the test of time. “My dad passes all four of those [main criteria] with flying colors,” Rod Jr. says. Drache agrees that Pardey deserves the recognition: “If you’re talking about the top three in his profession and his game choice, I’ll don’t think there’s any question about it.”
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BINGE THIS WEEK
High Score The history of video games is more than antisocial men programming in dorms. This six-part France Costrel docuseries profiles not only the industry’s giants, but its marginalized figures, too (read: women and LGBT). Netflix.
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SPORTS PODCAST
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LOVE ON THE SPECTRUM
It only took three episodes for versatile writers Shea Serrano and Jason Concepcion to reach peak podcast hilarity; Concepcion impersonated a sports radio call-in guest requesting more movies about super-smart sharks (a la Deep Blue Sea), while Serrano compared the near-escapes of Morris Chestnut in Boyz n the Hood and Charlize Theron in Prometheus. This new must-listen allows the two awesome dorks to create a theme that connects very different pop film favorites, like “mean mentors” as the parallel between Whiplash and The Devil Wears Prada. It’s straight-up addictive fun. Theringer.com/ the-connect-podcast. –Brock Radke
Chuck out all your preconceived notions about what a dating show is like, because while this Australian documentary follows a group of young adults looking for love, it’s refreshingly absent of artifice and pretension. All are on the autism spectrum and have varying degrees of difference, but what they do have in common is the desire to make a human connection, a notso-easy proposition given their struggles with socialization and communication. There’s so much heart over these four episodes—it would behoove neurotypical bachelors and bachelorettes to take note. Netflix. –Genevie Durano
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Sixty-game schedules. Crowd-less stadiums. The DH in the National League. Seven-inning games for doubleheaders. Runners placed on second base to begin extra innings. Expanded playoffs. Yes, 2020 MLB is a different-looking animal, and that list of weirdness doesn’t even account for the COVID-19 shutdowns of—and subsequent scheduling nightmares for—teams like the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals. Yet when Mike Trout steps into the batter’s box to face Clayton Kershaw, you know what it feels like? Baseball, same as always. And it’s somewhere on the cable dial almost every single night, ready to ease our troubled minds the way only baseball can. Even now, and even like this. –Spencer Patterson
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The Sandman Neil Gaiman’s groundbreaking comic series receives an outstanding adaptation in this audio drama starring James McAvoy, Kat Dennings, Riz Ahmed, Andy Serkis, Taran Egerton, Michael Sheen and more. Audible.
OUR PICKS FOR THE WEEK AHEAD
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CRITICAL ROLE So you’re curious about Dungeons & Dragons, but you don’t want the commitment of actually playing a tabletop role-playing game. Thanks to the internet and its robust nerd culture, you can live vicariously through other people’s fantasy adventures. Podcast channels are full of folks broadcasting their games, but Critical Role is one of the biggest and most popular. Every Thursday at 7 p.m. the group—comprising its voice actors—livestreams their campaigns at twitch.tv/criticalrole, which are then available as a podcast. For all the ways to enjoy, visit critrole.com. –C. Moon Reed
WASHED OUT: PURPLE NOON Thanks to artists like Tame Impala and Washed Out, it’s likely we’ll soon enter a modern-day phase of what karaoke addicts call “yacht rock.” That’s fine; after four years of orange-tinted kleptocracy, we could all do with a sailboat ride, bottomless mimosa and music that sounds like silk undergarments feel. With its fourth album, Purple Noon, Washed Out—still one Ernest Weatherly Greene Jr.—breaks decisively with the “chillwave” sound that made its early records Life of Leisure and Within and Without must-haves, embracing hookier choruses, chewier beats and more intelligible lyrics. It’s still good— “Too Late” deserves to be a radio hit, if such things still exist—but the spacey shimmer of earlier songs like “Before” is refined away. That’s all right. Once you’re onboard, it’s smooth sailing. –Geoff Carter
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NOISE
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Hassan (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
VEGAS RAPPER HASSAN RETURNS WITH A POIGNANT NEW EP BY LESLIE VENTURA assan Hamilton calls himself his own worst critic. But it’s in that criticism that the 40-year-old rapper finds his motivation—the need to keep going and be bigger and bolder than before. “I’m back to dropping the bars and humor that you all love,” Hamilton wrote on the Bandcamp page for his latest EP, July’s Getting 2 Old 4 This. “After all, something has to be dope in 2020.” Written and recorded during quarantine, the EP echoes the MC’s creative duality. “It was something to really occupy my time; otherwise I was going stir-crazy,” Hamilton says. “Plus, I wasn’t really satisfied with my last output—no disrespect to the producers. It was something to prove to myself, you know, that I still had it.” Having dropped the impromptu recording “Carolyn Goodclown,” a response to the Mayor’s statements regarding COVID-19, in April, the creative juices just kept flowing. “I’ve always been a firm believer in ‘strike when the iron’s hot,’ but sometimes it just gets scalding hot, and I overwhelm myself,” Hamilton says. “One thought led to another, and next thing you know I’m hitting the pad and paper.” The seven-song EP was produced by local MCs Phil A. and Trade Voorhees and features rapper D-Mob (“Live From Lefty’s Lounge”) and singer-songwriter
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Paige Overton (the Lenny Kravitz cover “Fly Away”). track “Can I Be Black” recirculated online, bringing the “We’ve been wanting to work with each other for rapper back into the fold. years,” Hamilton says of Overton. “I poured my heart “It still rings true,” Hamilton says. “Can I be Black? out and then she put her soul on it, and it Can I exist in this society without all the turned out pretty dope.” negative perpetuations? [Without] just There’s plenty of grit on 2 Old, but it’s looking at me as a color and not as a human standout track “Karen” that best blends being? Just let people be who they are. If Hamilton’s signature lyrical prowess and you don’t like people, leave them alone. You humor into a scathing statement against ain’t gotta attack anybody. I know it sounds white women who call the cops on Black cliché, but if you ain’t got nothin’ nice to say, people for things like bird watching and don’t say it.” existing while Black. Getting 2 Old 4 This finds Hamilton at HASSAN hassan1. “I wanted to do that, because it’s a really a crossroads. “I can’t just be doing this for bandcamp.com serious situation,” Hamilton says. “People the rest of my life,” Hamilton says, likening could literally get killed or arrested just behis music to a toxic relationship. “I love it, cause you felt a certain way. I’ve had friends even though I’m over it. I’m pretty sure Luke and family members who have had dated white women Skywalker wants to chill out sometimes.” who have told them, ‘You know if I call the cops, you’re But Hamilton isn’t ready to throw in the towel just going to jail?’” yet. Next year marks the 10-year anniversary of collaboEarlier this year, the political and social climate rative LP Rap Songs with producer and MC Phil. A., and was enough for the rapper to take a break from social no matter what 2021 brings, Hamilton says his rhymes media. “It feels like 2020 is ancient Rome, social media will be there to provide some poignant comic relief. is the Colosseum, and we’re the spectators watching a “What else am I going to do?” Hamilton says. “When bloodbath,” Hamilton jokes. it comes to the microphone, that’s something I’ve But once the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Aralways been good at. I know how to put my emotions bery and Breonna Taylor went viral, an old video for his down once you give me a pad and a pen.”
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PARTIAL ERUPTION
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THE STRIP THE MIRAGE HAS RETURNED, MINUS ITS FAMOUS ENTERTAINMENT ARRAY BY BROCK RADKE hen the Mirage reopens this week after more than five months of COVIDcaused closure, it will do so without the feature that has set the iconic resort apart from other Strip casinos in recent years—a truly eclectic portfolio of live entertainment options. After reopening eight properties on the Strip in June and July, MGM Resorts announced on August 14 that the Mirage would come back to life on August 27, leaving only Park MGM still shuttered among the company’s Las Vegas resorts. Labor Day weekend is expected to bring a significant bump for Vegas visitation, but the Mirage will be the only Strip spot to take advantage; the Tropicana pushed back its planned reopening from September 1 to September 17, and OYO Las Vegas and the Four Seasons hotel at Mandalay Bay have also delayed their plans. The Cromwell, the Palms, Planet Hollywood and the Rio also remain closed with no indication of a reopening date. Virgin Las Vegas was aiming for a November grand opening date at the renovating site of the former Hard Rock Hotel but announced last week that arrival could be delayed. Several restaurants and retail stores, along with the pool, spa, salon and Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat, are set to resume operations at the Mirage, but its many shows aren’t. Ticketed live entertainment in arenas, showrooms and theaters is still not allowed under state mandate, though restaurant, bar and lounge venues such as Rose. Rabbit. Lie. at the Cosmopolitan and Mayfair Supper Club at Bellagio have been able to offer live music and scaled-down stage shows. Big entertainment has been part of Mirage lore since Steve Wynn created the tropically themed property in 1989, when it opened as the largest hotel in the world and created the blueprint for the modern Vegas megaresort. It’s best known for the erupting volcano that greets guests along Las Vegas Boulevard
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The Mirage (Wade Vandervort/Staff/Photo Illustration)
and as the home of one of the most influential shows in Vegas history, the Siegfried & Roy magic spectacular that ran from 1990 through 2003. When the coronavirus shuttered the Strip in March, the Mirage offered a seemingly unparalleled multitude of shows: The Beatles Love, arguably the most popular Cirque du Soleil production in Las Vegas; the 12-yearold music, comedy and ventriloquism show from America’s Got Talent champion Terry Fator; Boyz II Men’s concert residency, one of the longest-running music residencies on the Strip; rising-star magician Shin Lim’s new show co-starring mentalist Colin Cloud; stalwart singer Matt Goss’ throwback, loungestyle show at 1 Oak nightclub; and the all-star Aces of Comedy stand-up series featuring names like George Lopez, Jay Leno, Tim Allen and Ray Romano. Two of those shows will not return in the same way. MGM and Fator confirmed that his show was looking for a new room in the spring. If he brings a new show to the Strip soon, it could be at a different, non-MGM property in a room smaller than the 1,300seat theater he was sharing with Boyz II Men, Lim and the comedy series. The Goss show continued to extend its run at the Mirage thanks to the singer’s strong following, but it won’t be back at 1 Oak, which was already set to shutter for good in late March. Previously operated by the Hakkasan Group, the club had come under MGM control and was expected to be renovated into a different type of entertainment venue, falling in line with Strip nightlife trends. With no sign of the return of big-room entertainment on the horizon and the producers of smaller shows on the Strip applying more pressure in the hopes of getting back to business as soon as possible, it remains to be seen when any of the Strip’s stages will be activated again. But there will be a definite void evident when the Mirage returns.
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YOUR STUDIO OPEN ART LAS VEGAS OFFERS A NEW SPACE FOR CREATION AND COMMUNITY BY C. MOON REED or 23 years, Daniella Etel Courban “had a front-row seat in the amphitheater of the human experience” while working as an obstetrician-gynecologist. In a May 21 Instagram post (@pineconerevolution), the day that she submitted her final resignation in order to pursue art full time, Courban wrote that she will “always be grateful to the thousands of women who allowed me to be there for them both in great moments of joy as well as profound moments of sadness and loss.” Courban is taking all of that hard-earned wisdom, insight and empathy into this next chapter of her life. While the medical doctor has always made her own art on the side and will continue to
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do so, her new focus is the creation of Open Art Las Vegas, on the second floor of the Arts Factory. During the pandemic lockdown, Courban brainstormed about how she might build a business or program Downtown. “I thought about different spaces in my life that have been very nourishing … the rooms [in my] high school—I was an art major—where people could just drop in and work on projects,” Courbon says. “I thought, ‘What a wonderful idea to bring that to Las Vegas and have it be for not just teenagers, but for adults.’” Thus, Open Art Las Vegas was born with a soft opening in July and a planned full opening on September 1. The light, airy 480-square-foot space serves primarily as a drop-in art studio, where
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ART OPEN ART LAS VEGAS
The Arts Factory, 107 E. Charleston Blvd. #210, 617-251-3564, openartlasvegas.com.
Ed Meese and Daya Waldman decorated their masks during a private Open Art workshop. (Courtesy)
Open Art Las Vegas (Courtesy)
Carla Torres decorates a mask at Open Art Las Vegas. (Courtesy)
Kids work on personalized mandalas during an Open Art workshop. (Courtesy)
anybody can make art. “I’m going to have supplies set out at different stations,” Courban says, “so that they can just drop in to take a break from their regular day and not have to carry anything.” In addition to the unstructured free creative time, Open Art will host workshops and classes for all ages. Due to the pandemic, capacity is limited to six participants. So far, Courban has hosted about seven workshops, along with a few private bookings. Having lived in Las Vegas for two years, the East Coast transplant has connected quickly with the local arts scene. Courban’s desire to help foster community is clear from Open Art’s many planned collaborations. Last week, Courban debuted a collaboration with Blue Sky Yoga (on the ground floor of the Arts Factory), in which children participate in an hour of yoga, followed by an hour of art. On September 26 (7 p.m., $36), artist Stanley
Webb will lead a workshop titled “Black Arts Movement: The Art of Protest.” And in October, Courban will co-lead a monthly “multisensory” workshop on color with author and Velveteen Rabbit co-owner Christina Dylag. Coming from diverse creative backgrounds, both women will explore the idea of color in experiential ways, Dylag explains. “The course will encourage its participants to see and experience color in a new way,” Dylag says. Additional classes include observational drawing for teens, multimedia mandalas, coloring book creation, illustration and gelli-plate printmaking. Visitors will also have access to Open Art’s library of art books and monographs. “One of the benefits of having an open space is to be able to share ideas and share art,” Courban says. “I’m trying to bring as many books here as I can in terms of exposing [people] to some artists they might not have heard of. I think that’s really exciting.” Open Art’s price points further reflect the theme of accessibility to all. Studio time costs $10 per hour, which includes the use of supplies; most workshops run $20. “My main goal for this place is to offer a very relaxing, open environment for creativity,” Courban says. “You don’t need to have artistic skills to come here.”
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COLD COMFORT
Black Tap’s Dole Whip Cocktails There was a time when Dole Whip—that creamy soft-serve pineapple swirl of perfection— was only available at Disneyland. In fact, its rarity conferred upon it cultlike status, and the lines at the concession stands were legendary. About three years ago, the dairy-free dessert started appearing outside the Magic Kingdom. In town, you can find the adult version at Black Tap in the Venetian, in the form of two cocktails: the Raspberry Lime Margarita, made with Casamigos Blanco, Aperol, lime juice, makrut lime and raspberry Dole Whip; and the Mimosa, with Kendall Jackson Chardonnay, Absolut Vodka, blood orange and orange Dole Whip. Guess there’s a new happiest place on Earth. 702-414-2337, blacktap.com.
WE FOUND SOME TREATS TO GET YOU THROUGH THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER BY GENEVIE DURANO AND BROCK RADKE
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At Shanghai Plaza in Chinatown you’ll find Sul & Beans, which specializes in Korean bingsoo. For the uninitiated, bingsoo is a bowl of shaved ice topped with various ingredients like condensed milk, fruit and cornflakes. Here you’ll find heaping bowls with sweet red beans and fresh fruit like watermelon, in flavors such as taro, green tea and chocolate. But stretch your imagination—and your palate— and try unfamiliar flavor profiles, at least in treat form, like Earl Grey and black sesame. You might be pleased to discover that dessert need not be cloyingly sweet. 4284 Spring Mountain Road #D103, 702-473-9629.
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It’s literally impossible to resist the adorable taiyaki waffle cone that houses Somisomi’s soft serve ice cream. Taiyaki, a Japanese fish-shaped cake, is commonly filled with red bean paste. (Other filling options include Nutella, custard and taro.) Then pick a softserve flavor—milk, matcha, milk tea, Oreo, horchata or ube (the ubiquitous purple yam from the Philippines), or a weekly-special swirl—to add to your sweet-fish creation. The taiyakis are made on the spot, and they come out nice and warm. In fact, they’re so good on their own that you should take some to-go (minus the soft serve) to eat later. 4284 Spring Mountain Road #D104, 702-473-9628.
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At Paradise City Creamery, the ice cream is as sinful as it is sweet. “We aim to create engaging and curious experiences that encourage people to be the pleasure they wish to see in the world,” says founder Valerie Stunning. While the adults-only treats have risqué monikers like the World’s Oldest Professional and Birthday Sex, there’s also a virtuous bent: All treats are 100% plant-based and gluten-free. Sure, you might blush a bit when you order, but cooling you down is exactly what these creamy concoctions are made for. Join the invite list at paradisecitycreamery. com for pop-up details, 702-780-9153.
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Downtown Summerlin frozen treat hot spots Gelato Messina and Cream were delicious, but they didn’t last. Now the outdoor mall has the intensely flavored—yet lower in fat and cholesterol—offerings of Mora, which focuses on fresh ingredients and storing its ice creams and sorbets individually at ideal temperatures. That means you won’t browse a glass case full of colorful options, but you might maximize your enjoyment thanks to the unique methodology. Mora is a place where purists can enjoy their favorites, but you can also get sundaes and shakes or experiment with fantastic flavors like Mexican chocolate, blackberry, lemon bar, cheesecake with brownies and Irish coffee. Downtown Summerlin, 702-660-4380. Also at Town Square.
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SO FAR, SO GOLDEN ANALYZING THE UPS AND DOWNS FROM VEGAS’ PLAYOFF PERFORMANCE THUS FAR BY JUSTIN EMERSON
he Golden Knights breezed through the round robin and the first round against the Chicago Blackhawks, winning seven of the eight games and establishing themselves as not just one of the best teams in the Western Conferences, but one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. The road only gets harder from here. The Golden Knights have begun Round 2 against the Vancouver Canucks—splitting the first two games ahead of Game 3 on August 27—and are three long series victories from hoisting the Cup. So it seems like a good time to review a few things the Golden Knights have done right in the early goings of the postseason, and a few things they’ll need to work on moving forward.
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Chicago goalie Corey Crawford looks back after a goal by Vegas’ William Carrier (28) during Game 1 of the teams’ first-round playoff series. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press/AP)
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They’ve dominated possession. The biggest reason the Golden Knights were able to dispatch the Blackhawks so quickly was that they spent five games treating Chicago like Charlie Brown trying to kick a football. Vegas ended the series plus-4 in goal differential, but other numbers point to a big blowout. The Golden Knights’ edge was plus-64 in shots on goal and a staggering plus100 in shot attempts over the five games. Advanced stats provided by Natural Stat Trick suggest Vegas’ advantage in expected goals was plus-7 and high-danger scoring chances was plus-24. If a team has the puck, it’s going to shoot the puck; and if it’s shooting the puck, it’s not defending an attack. The best defense is a good offense, and the Golden Knights showed that in their assault on the Chicago net, and that hasn’t slowed against Vancouver, with a plus-48 edge in shot attempts so far.
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They’ve been comeback kids. During the regular season, the Golden Knights overcame a two-goal deficit to win only twice, and they had never done it in the playoffs prior to this month. But this year through the round robin and the first round against Chicago, the Golden Knights have already done it three times. What’s especially impressive: the teams against which the first two of those comebacks occurred. In the round robin, the Golden Knights fell behind 3-1 in the third period to Dallas and 2-0 in the second to St. Louis. The Stars and Blues were among the NHL’s best in the regular season, in terms of both overall record and in closing out leads. Overall, the Golden Knights have outscored their opponents 15-5 in the third period and overtime this postseason, a key trait as the playoffs roll on.
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Their stars are shining bright. Coach Peter DeBoer said it best: This time of year, a team’s best players need to be its best players. The Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP rarely goes to depth players, so for a team to make a Cup run, it typically needs its stars to play at their highest level. And that’s been the case for the Golden Knights so far through 10 postseason games. Mark Stone, Reilly Smith and Shea Theodore are all averaging a pointper-game or better during the season’s restart, and Alex Tuch and Jonathan Marchessault are two points back of that pace. Stone, in particular, has elevated his game when the stakes are highest. Including last year’s playoffs, Stone has racked up 22 points in 17 VGK playoff games, a per-game pace higher than anyone else with the Golden Knights. Smith has also been a constant. With 38 points in 37 playoff games as a Golden Knight, he’s the only other player to exceed a point per game. Stone, Smith and the rest of the Vegas stars have continued to excel when the games matter most.
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They’ve showed off their depth. Every team goes through injuries this time of year, but the Golden Knights haven’t skipped a beat when they’ve lost key players. Max Pacioretty and Paul Stastny have missed a combined six games this postseason, and they’ve combined to score just seven points in the 14 games they’ve played. Yet it hasn’t really mattered. When Stastny went down, Patrick Brown filled in on the fourth line and scored a goal. Chandler Stephenson has been all over the lineup, from third-line center to first-line wing to first-line center to fourth-line center. And as the stars do their thing at the top of the lineup, so do the players near the bottom. In the Chicago series, the third line of Nick Cousins, Nicolas Roy and Alex Tuch was superb. William Carrier entered the playoffs without a postseason point and already has two game-winning goals.
Patrick Brown (Chris Carlson/AP)
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The power play. This was the Golden Knights’ biggest issue … until the series finale against Chicago. In that game, defenseman Alec Martinez scored to tie the game 3-3 before Vegas went on to win, but it was the team’s first goal in 10 power-play tries in the series. The good news is that appears to be less of a systemic issue than a small sample-size one. In the three round-robin games, Vegas went 3-for-12 on the power play, a terrific 33% that, for context, would have led the NHL during the regular season. The Golden Knights are 2-for-7 (28.6%) in two games against Vancouver. Factoring in all 10 postseason games, Vegas has gone 6-for-28 (21.4%), which ranks among the upper half of the playoff teams thus far. Still, against a porous defense like the Blackhawks’, Vegas would have liked more from its power play. It has improved so far in the second round.
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Finishing chances. The Golden Knights were a far better team than the Blackhawks, yet three of Vegas’ four wins came by just one goal. All the stats from the positives side of this story should seemingly have added up to a Golden Knights’ rout. And while a series that ends in five games can be considered a pretty good beatdown, it could have been more lopsided, game by game. Part of that was Corey Crawford. Chicago’s goalie was excellent and kept Vegas from filling the net with pucks, particularly in the Blackhawks’ lone win. He was the biggest reason Vegas’ differential between actual goals (15) and expected goals (17.44) was negative, and in Game 4 he held the Golden Knights to one goal, compared to 3.71 expected. Still, as with the power play, Vegas’ finishing issues were limited to the Chicago series. In the round robin, the Golden Knights were the NHL’s most potent offensive team, and thus far they’ve looked very capable of making a deep run.
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The pandemic has been a boon to the bicycle industry
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BY BRYAN HORWATH n the early days of the pandemic in Southern Nevada, people were rushing to stores to buy things like toilet paper, canned foods and household cleaning supplies. That type of panic-buying—which led to long lines, empty shelves and senior-specific shopping hours—eventually gave way to other changes in consumer purchasing habits, including one centered on recreation. “Bikes became the new toilet paper,” says Heather Fisher, president of Las Vegas Cyclery, a bike shop in Summerlin she owns with her husband, Jared Fisher. “It’s been a nationwide phenomenon. We’ve seen that it’s been mostly entry-level interest, which is really encouraging, because that means more people are getting into the sport. The sport is attracting people who don’t want to go to gyms or do activities with lots of people.” Across the Las Vegas Valley, bicycle shop owners and operators are saying they can’t keep enough product to keep up with demand. From actual bikes to parts and most everything in between, manufacturers around the United States and beyond echo the sentiment. Because of the transportation side of the bicycle business, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak never ordered bike shops to close when he directed nonessential businesses—casinos among them—to shutter in mid-March. Barry Winter, co-owner of two Giant Las Vegas bike shops, says that helped the industry, but that it was more of a grassroots movement that took hold in the early days of the pandemic. “People realized the gyms were closing, and they needed an alternative,” Winter says. “We saw a lot of families, too. You can only go on so many walks and hikes with your family. People started buying bikes at a brisk pace. The bike manufacturers sold 10 months of supply in eight to 10 weeks. That’s why there’s been such a shortage.” Winter says his Giant shops ran out of bikes on
May 17, two months to the day after Sisolak ordered nonessential businesses to close. Winter says one type of bicycle growing in popularity is of the electric—or e-bike—variety. Those hybrid bikes have built-in electric batteries that can assist aw rider. The electric assist, though, only comes when a rider is pedaling, which can make a rider’s legs feel supercharged when riding up hills or at certain intervals on long treks. It’s not just new bikes that people have been interested in. Winter and other shop owners say many people have been busy reviving bicycles they may have had for years but that have been out of sight and out of mind. “When we ran out of bikes, people started bringing in bikes from their garage or their backyard that
they wanted to get fixed or tuned up,” says Jimmy Martinez, general manager of Bike World, a longtime Vegas bicycle retailer with two Valley locations. “There were so many bikes sold here in the Valley. Walmart was out, Target was out. Either people will continue to ride, or there will be a lot of bikes for sale online at some point.” At Pro Cyclery at Village Square, April, May and June were three of the most profitable months the business has ever had, says Mike and Cheri Tillman, who have owned the shop for nearly a decade. That’s upside-down from what happens in Las Vegas during a normal year, when the summer months are typically slower for bike shops due to the unrelenting desert heat. “It’s not just Las Vegas and it’s not just the U.S.,” Cheri Tillman says. “For the bike business, the pandemic has been great. We were doing curbside business for six weeks right after the governor’s announcement in March, and there were always, I’d say, eight to 12 people waiting outside.” An avid bicyclist, Henderson city engineer Scott Jarvis often rides on the many miles of trails Henderson has to offer. He says he has noticed how many newcomers have been drawn to the sport lately. “We’ve seen an incredible increase in not only cycling, but in all forms of active exercise,” Jarvis says. “With cycling, it’s very noticeable. We have about 180 miles of trail [in Henderson], and you would always see people out. But during the pandemic, I’d say the number of people has doubled or even tripled.”
Cheri Tillman, owner of Pro Cyclery, with her dog Penny (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
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The Small Business Administration Nevada district office named Nevada State Bank No. 1 statewide lender for its commitment to providing critical capital to Nevada’s small businesses in 2019. The award recognizes SBA loan efforts, including government-backed loans that help small businesses get started, maintain operations or expand partners in the lending community. The bank played a role in providing capital through Payroll Protection Program funds. In the three-month program, the bank has processed loans for more than 5,100 clients, totaling more than $647 million in financial relief and affecting more than 56,000 Nevada employees. University Gateway, the pioneering high-rise, luxury urban residential, retail and office project on Maryland Parkway adjacent to UNLV, was named “Best Mixed-Use Development” by NAIOP Southern Nevada during the Commercial Real Estate Development Association’s 23rd annual NAIOP Spotlight Awards. The Spotlight Awards honor and recognize the membership’s firms and individuals for achievements, built projects or deals conducted during the previous year. In the mixed-use category, judges selected University Gateway based on the live-work-play concept, P3 complexity and the complex integration of student housing and lease buyouts. Rebuilding Together Southern Nevada appointed three members to its board of directors: Chris Ade, Matt DeFalco and Tyler Bonwell. Ade is a consumer and small-business credit consultant with Wells Fargo, supporting more than 30 branches in Southern Nevada to address credit needs of customers. A U.S. Army veteran, DeFalco serves as special assistant at the Nevada Treasurer’s Office, leading special projects and providing programmatic and administrative support. Bonwell is operations manager for MMC Contractors West, leading mechanical preconstruction and construction efforts with teams across Southern Nevada. The new board members will apply their talents and experience toward strengthening Rebuilding Together’s mission of repairing homes, revitalizing communities and rebuilding lives. SilverSummit Healthplan appointed Dr. Jeffrey Murawsky, MD, as its chief medical director. Most recently, Murawsky served as the chief medical officer for Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center and Sunrise Children’s Murawsky Hospital, Las Vegas’ largest acute care facility and largest children’s hospital. Murawsky led quality programs that improved mortality rates, reduced complications and enhanced surgical recovery.
TRU Development Company, in partnership with capital partner and real estate operating company, MultiGreen Properties, purchased a 19-acre parcel of land located on the southeast corner of Galleria and Boulder Highway in Henderson for the development of TheApex @Galleria apartment community, which will offer 336 multifamily residential units, and 3.8 acres of retail development available for sale, ground lease or build to suit. AFWERX, the U.S. Air Force’s innovation arm and catalyst for fostering innovation, was ranked No. 16 in Fast Company’s second annual Best Workplaces for Innovators list, which honors 100 businesses and organizations that demonstrate a deep commitment to encouraging innovation at all levels. Image360, a visual communications company, was honored with the Gold Center award from leading marketing, print and graphic communications franchise network Alliance Franchise Brands. Terry Whalen, co-owner of Image360, was recognized with the award for exceptional sales and customer service. A new six-story patient tower is under construction at Henderson Hospital. The project is valued at $150 million and will add 93 beds to the facility and is expected to open in late 2021, with an additional 84 beds shelled out for future growth needs. SR Construction was named the general contractor for the project. The tower is expected to open in late 2021. The Firm Public Relations & Marketing was honored with two 2020 Hermes Creative Awards, recognizing publicity campaign efforts and a broadcast television media placement. The Firm earned a platinum award for the development and execution of a PR campaign related to corporate volunteer events with Rebuilding Together Southern Nevada as well as a gold award for broadcast placement on behalf of Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, highlighting the nonprofit’s Migration and Refugee Services. The Hermes Creative Awards attract entries from Fortune 500 companies as well as globally renowned PR and advertising agencies. The Ferraro Group, a public relations and public affairs firm with offices in Las Vegas, Reno, Carson City, Phoenix and Washington, D.C., merged with Fior Partners, a boutique public relations company based in Reno. The merger enables Ferraro to broaden its strategic focus in Northern Nevada and into Northern California.
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