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A SUPREME LOSS FOR LAS VEGAS' ENTERTAINMENT COMMUNITY Mary Wilson, one of the original members of The Supremes— the 1960s group that helped establish the Motown sound and propelled Diana Ross to superstardom—died February 8 at age 76. Wilson died at her home in Henderson, and the cause was not immediately clear, publicist Jay Schwartz said. Wilson, Diana Ross and Florence Ballard made up the first successful configuration of The Supremes, Motown’s first and most commercially successful girl group. Ballard was replaced by Cindy Birdsong in 1967, and Wilson stayed with the group until it officially disbanded in 1977. The group’s first No. 1, million-selling song, “Where Did Our Love Go,” was released June 17, 1964. Touring at the time, Wilson said there was a moment when she realized they had a hit song. “I remember that instead of going home on the bus, we flew,” she told the Associated Press in 2014. “That was our first plane ride. We flew home. We had really hit big.” It would be the first of five consecutive No. 1s, with “Baby Love,” “Come See About Me,” “Stop! In the Name of Love” and “Back in My Arms Again” following in quick succession. Wilson, Ross and Ballard were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. In a recent YouTube video posted two days before her death, WIlson had said she was excited that Universal Music had plans to release some of her music. –Associated Press

HOUSING PRICES REMAIN HIGH AS SUPPLY IN VEGAS DROPS

THEY SAID IT ■ “I cannot go to sleep at night knowing that there are children that are experiencing the same abuse that I and so many others went through, and neither should you.” –Paris Hilton, testifying February 8 to the Utah state Senate about being abused mentally and physically at a boarding school in the state

Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) gets sacked by Tampa Bay's Devin White (45) and Jason Pierre-Paul during Super Bowl 55, February 7, in Tampa, Florida. Nevada sportsbooks scored a $12,574,125 profit on the game, sixth-highest since tracking began in 1991. The Buccaneers’ 31-9 victory and the game staying under 56 points were both beneficial results for the house. The total wagered was $136,096,460, a near-$18 million decline from last season but an impressive figure nonetheless, with tourism figures down during the pandemic and legalized sports betting having grown nationally. (Jason Behnken/AP Photo)

COUNTY TO CONSIDER STANCE AGAINST PREDATOR-HUNTING CONTESTS

■ “I might have missed it, but have Trump's lawyers really responded to the main argument of the House managers, which is that Trump was not a former official when he was impeached and when he acted? (The Judge Michael McConnell argument). We are almost 2 hours in.” –Former U.S. Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal, February 9, in a tweet ■ “I made it clear to President (Vladimir) Putin, in a manner very different from my predecessor, that the days of the United States rolling over in the face of Russia’s aggressive actions—interfering with our election, cyber attacks, poisoning its citizens—are over. We will not hesitate to raise the cost on Russia and defend our vital interests and our people.” –President Joe Biden, February 4

The Clark County Commission is considering a resolution opposing organized, competitive hunts of predators like coyotes. The resolution would put on record that the commission opposes competitive hunts that have already been banned in other Southwestern states but are legal here. Coyotes are not protected by federal or state laws; it is not illegal to hunt coyotes in Nevada without a license. The county commission only addressed the competitive hunts. Several states that have legally banned hunting contests have called them unethical and ineffective ways to maintain the balance of predator and prey animals. The hunts come with prizes in categories like most or largest animals culled. Nevada Department of Wildlife spokeswoman Ashley Sanchez said the agency has no comment on the validity of predator hunts, and any regulations on them would have to come through the state’s wildlife commission, which sets the rules that the agency follows. Clark County staff will draw up a resolution for consideration at its March 2 meeting. –Hillary Davis

1 THINGS THAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK

VACCINATION SKEPTICS About one in three Americans say they definitely or probably won’t get the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a poll released February 10 from the Associated PressNORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Fifteen percent are certain they won't, and 17% say probably not.

The median sale price of a single-family home sold in Southern Nevada in January matched an all-time high at $345,000, according to a February 8 report from Las Vegas Realtors. That mark is a 13.1% increase from January 2020. More important, it equals the record-setting median price of the past two months. “The local housing market continues to perform better during this pandemic than most of us expected,” Aldo Martinez, the group’s president, said in a news release. “This month’s statistics are especially encouraging when you consider that January is usually one of the slowest months for both home sales and prices.” There are 2,315 single-family homes listed for sale without any sort of offer, down 52.8% from one year ago. There are 847 condos and townhomes listed without offers, a 40.3% drop from a year ago. A total of 3,262 properties were sold in January. In all of 2020, 41,617 properties were sold, compared with 41,269 sold in 2019. –Staff

2 FORMER UNLV ASSISTANT COACH DIES Lew Hill, an assistant coach on Lon Kruger’s UNLV staff from 2004 to 2011, unexpectedly died February 7 at age 55. He was the head coach at Texas Rio Grande Valley and coached in the Vaqueros’ game the previous day against Texas Southern.

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IN THIS ISSUE

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5-Minute Expert: How to get married in Las Vegas (and celebs who have) News: Downtown struggles with COVID-19 and the loss of Tony Hsieh Cover Story: Love, love love! Advice, heartwarming stories and more Screen: Why virtual could mean bigger for the Dam Short Film Fest Food & Drink: Dan Coughlin's 8 East, plus the Beast at Area15

WEEK IN REVIEW WEEK AHEAD N EWS YO U S H O U L D K N OW A B O U T

Sports: Welcome to the party, Henderson Silver Knights!

Vegas Golden Knights Ryan Reaves (75) and Marc-André Fleury (29) take the ice for a game against the Anaheim Ducks February 9 at T-Mobile Arena, debuting the home team's new "retro" jerseys. After winning 5-4, the Golden Knights canceled their postgame media availability "due to COVID-19 protocols." They later also canceled practice for February 10. Further details were not available at press time. (Steve Marcus/Staff)

Vegas Inc: A group health plan can save money

CANTON-BOUND Former Raiders coach Tom Flores and defensive back Charles Woodson headline this year's Pro Football Hall of Fame class of inductees, announced February 6. Flores is one of two people to have earned Super Bowl rings as a player, assistant coach and head coach, and Woodson finished his career with 65 interceptions and 13 defensive touchdowns, which is tied for the career record.

3 ALBUM SALES SURGE AFTER RACIAL SLUR Fans of Morgan Wallen are buying up the country star's latest album after a video showed him shouting a racial slur. Billboard reports that his latest album sold 25,000 copies during the week ending February 4, an increase of 102%.

AMODEI BACKS GREENE

THE WIDOWER

Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., voted against a February 4 effort to remove Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., from her committee assignments over, among other things, her embrace of conspiracy theories about the October 1 mass shooting and other events. She was removed nonetheless.

Dateline NBC is launching its own version of a multipart truecrime drama. The newsmagazine premieres The Widower—about a Las Vegas man who had four of his six wives die under mysterious circumstances—on February 18. The story unfurls over three nights and five hours.

5-MINUTE EXPERT

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A PERFECT UNION Weddings and Las Vegas go hand in hand BY SARA MACNEIL

as Vegas has a reputation as the wedding capital of the world, and it’s well-earned. More than 70,000 couples tie the knot here each year, and in 2018, Nevada’s wedding rate was nearly four times that of the rest of the U.S. ¶

Of course, Las Vegas is famous for fast, cheap, Elvis-themed affairs, for 15-minute ceremonies and $50 drive-thrus, but that just scratches the surface. Read on to learn about the art of the Vegas wedding, from planning to fees.

WHAT TO BRING • You won’t need bloodwork, but you must present identification with a recent photo. The Clark County Marriage License Bureau—open 365 days a year from 8 a.m. to midnight—accepts passports, driver’s licenses and permits, U.S. citizen certificates, permanent resident cards and state, military, foreign and voter IDs. Don’t have any of those? Show ’em your birth certificate with a Social Security card, sheriff’s card, debit card or employee badge. • One must be at least 18 to get married in Nevada. (In rare cases, a judge might permit a 16-year-old to marry due to pregnancy or for reasons related to child emancipation.) • One can be denied a marriage license here if they’re a) too drunk or b) still legally married to someone else.

PAPER TRAIL n Marriage licenses cost $77 in Clark County and are valid for a year—so you can get married immediately or schedule something for later. (In some states, licenses only take effect days later and/or expire soon after.)

n You’ll get three documents from the Marriage License Bureau: license, certificate and keepsake paper. You give the certificate and license to the officiant, who keeps the license and files the certificate with the county within 10 days of the wedding. You save the keepsake paper as a record, in case the officiant fails to file the certificate.

n You’ll need one witness signature on the marriage certificate. n You can order a copy of your official marriage certificate by mail or at mlic. vegas, or pick it up at the Marriage License Bureau. Copies cost $20.

n Getting married in some public places, like parks, can require a permit and fee.

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5-MINUTE EXPERT

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD

A Nevada wedding must be performed by someone certified to officiate marriages in this state—and they’re not hard to find. There are roughly 4,600 licensed wedding officiants in Clark County alone. ¶ Most ministers at chapels are certified, and you can confirm it on the Secretary of State’s website (nvsos.gov/sos/licensing/marriage-officiants). You can also pick an officiant (or choose a chapel) through the Las Vegas Wedding Chamber of Commerce website (weddingchamber.vegas).

DARE TO DREAM

When it comes to Vegas weddings, if you can dream it, you can probably get it done. You can get married 800 feet high at the Strat’s Chapel in the Clouds, or in the Mob Museum’s historic courtroom, where organized crime justice was doled out in the 1950s. The Silverton even offers underwater weddings in its aquarium, for couples (and guests) in scuba gear. Themes abound at Las Vegas’ 100-plus chapels, from disco to hippie, western to winter wonderland. You can have your wedding performed by Dracula, Cher or the priest from The Princess Bride, in Mandarin, Hebrew or most any other language on the planet. And Elvis? He’s out there, in all shapes and sizes. (Zombie Elvis, anyone?)

LOVE WINS, REPEATEDLY

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Nevada since October 9, 2014, when Nevadans voted overwhelmingly to overturn a ban on such marriages in the state constitution. Samesex couples were able to marry in Nevada some eight months before a landmark Supreme Court ruling made it possible nationwide. And should the Court’s conservative majority chip away at that ruling, Nevada will continue to conduct same-sex weddings, having locked protections for them into the state constitution last year—again by popular vote.

CELEBRITY ROMANCE

Life imitates art, with stars frequently hitched in Vegas on- and offscreen. In the 1964 musical Viva Las Vegas, Elvis Presley’s character Lucky got married at Little Church of the West, Vegas’ oldest chapel … then in 1967, Presley himself married Priscilla Beaulieu at Aladdin Hotel. And in 2019, an Elvis impersonator presided over the wedding of pop star Joe Jonas and Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner at A Little White Chapel. Full circle. Among the many other celebs who’ve tied the knot in Las Vegas are: Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow; Billy Bob Thornton and Angelina Jolie; Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward; Bruce Willis and Demi Moore; Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford; Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra; Betty White; Michael Jordan; Britney Spears; Jon Bon Jovi; Judy Garland; Kirk Douglas; Noel Gallagher; Kelly Ripa; Corey Feldman; Mary Tyler Moore; Rita Hayworth; and Billy Ray Cyrus. (Shutterstock/Photo Illustration)

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Downtown, interrupted The Fremont East corridor, battered by pandemic restrictions and the shocking loss of Tony Hsieh, looks forward with hope

T BY GEOFF CARTER

en years ago, local Fremont occupied less than a block. The Fremont East Entertainment District—the area east of the Fremont Street Experience pedestrian mall—consisted of just a handful of locals-focused, nongaming businesses: the Beat coffeehouse, Beauty Bar, Don’t Tell Mama, Downtown Cocktail Room, Emergency Arts and the Griffin, plus a now-gone pizzeria, kebab joint and other non-entertainment spots including a dollar store and a check-cashing place. There were also several empty storefronts; the north side of the street was little but iron gates, boarded windows and graffiti-tagged façades. What happened next is already a part of Vegas legend. Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh, who had relocated his online shoe retailer from San Francisco to Henderson in 2004, took an intense interest in Fremont East and the rest of Las Vegas’ city core, buying up roughly 45 acres’ worth of property there and eventually relocating Zappos once again, from Henderson to Vegas’ former City Hall building. Heading up an entity known as the Downtown Project, Hsieh invested more than $350 million into Fremont East, developing local-friendly businesses, medium- and-high-density housing, a car-sharing service, a preschool and the Life Is Beautiful music and arts festival, among other civic amenities. More than anything, Hsieh wanted to create a pedestrian-hospitable community—to turn Downtown into a sort of extended campus, where a San

Francisco-like startup culture could bloom. The tech scene never quite took root, but the core of the city was nonetheless transformed. Today, businesses and residences line multiple blocks of Fremont Street, far past that initial, late-aughts grouping of bars and galleries. Several blocks away, the Arts District is developing into a strong dining, entertainment and retail destination in its own right, and while Hsieh’s investment there was minimal, Main Street has undoubtedly benefited from the magnet Fremont East became. Even Circa, the first new casino built on Fremont Street in four decades, arguably owes a debt to Hsieh’s consequential city-building efforts. It’s tempting to imagine what might be happening

in and around Fremont East right now had 2020 not happened. But in March of last year, COVID-19 shut down Fremont’s bars and restaurants for weeks, and when they reopened, they were limited to a fraction of their usual door-busting crowds. Then, in late November, the unthinkable happened: Tony Hsieh died at the age of 46. The loss struck an already-reeling Fremont East hard. Two months on, the pain remains fresh. Tributes to Hsieh are everywhere: on the vintage motel signs DTP Companies (the Downtown Project’s current name) helped the City to restore; on Inspire Theater’s LED billboard at Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont; and painted onto a giant utility box facing DTP’s

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The Fremont East Entertainment District (Wade Vandervort/Staff)

Downtown Container Park dining, entertainment and retail center. More than that, though, you can feel the heaviness resting on top of local Fremont when you walk around the neighborhood. Container Park, formerly bustling, is a ghost town of paused and outright closed businesses. The nighttime crowds that used to pack the bars are comparatively small and subdued. And, here and there, the tagging is beginning to return. While none of this can be directly attributed to the absence of Hsieh’s leadership—he’d already pulled back from day-to-day operations of both Zappos and DTP Companies at the time of his passing—the sadness feels like it’s entwined with the rest of what’s going on, an additional

weight atop everything else. “Losing a friend always affects you,” says Natalie Young, owner and proprietor of beloved Downtown brunch spot Eat. “I’ve lost quite a few people in the last six months, and they were people that I didn’t expect to lose. It’s heartbreaking, but you know, Tony wouldn’t want us to sit around and cry. He’d want us to keep working, keep striving for our dreams—to keep helping each other and pushing to make things amazing and beautiful.” The Downtown development company Hsieh founded is still pushing forward, though it’s not quite ready to say exactly how. (In an email statement, DTP Companies representative Megan Fazio writes, “The Hsieh

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Family has committed to seeing Tony’s vision through. There are several projects on the horizon for DTP Companies, and we’re happy to update [the Weekly] after the estate is settled and as more information becomes available.”) In the meantime, Fremont-area businesses are pivoting to serve customers in ways they could never have predicted a year ago. “Prior to the original [COVID-19 lockdown], we only saw online sales here and there,” says Scott Seeley, co-proprietor of the Writer’s Block Book Shop. “Then, when everyone was shut down, it became overwhelming just trying to keep up with online sales, which we were so grateful for. And now that we’re open again, online sales are still a pretty steady source of revenue for us that didn’t exist prior to the shutdowns. … I think that people discovered that there are alternatives to Amazon, and that if they want us to exist beyond this, that they need to support us and other small businesses any way they can.” The Writer’s Block has significant skin in the game. A few years ago, it moved out of its original Fremont Street space—and from beneath the DTP Companies umbrella—into a new, much larger space at Sixth Street and Bonneville Avenue. It increased its inventory nearly sixfold, added a small café and dramatically augmented the educational and entertainment offerings in its events space, moving beyond book clubs, author readings and school field trips into live music and spoken-word events. So when it hit, the virus didn’t just chill the in-person

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business; it squashed a budding community. “It felt a little desolate” upon reopening, Seeley says. “People were coming in, but in small amounts—and with the masks and everything, it just didn’t feel quite as vibrant. … You don’t have the kind of warmth of people in little groups, joking around and laughing. But it’s gotten better.” Other area businesses haven’t been as fortunate on the rebound. During a recent visit to Container Park, I stopped by JoJo’s Jerky, one of the center’s founding businesses. A week later, when I called to speak to owner Hans Hippert, he was in the process of breaking the store down, moving its inventory to his other location at Jones Boulevard and Desert Inn Road. “It’s very, very hard to do this, but we didn’t have customers coming in. It fell off all at once and never recovered,” Hippert says. “And Tony’s death just hit the soul of the city really hard.” Nevertheless, Hippert remains a devoted fan of Downtown. “I love it,” he says. “My wife and I still support the businesses down here. Whenever we get a chance to go out on date night, we’ll go down to Le Thai, to Circa. … [Closing this location] is really unfortunate. It wasn’t my ideal situation.” Even Natalie Young’s Eat, a runaway success from the early years of the Fremont East boom, is a survival-minded operation these days. “We just get in line and do what we need to do to stay relevant and stay open,” Young says. “I just take it one day at a time. … I’m sitting in my new furniture store [Authentik] down on Commerce Street right now, and I’m optimistic about today. I’ll just try to do something amazing today. And, tion of artist and maker spaces located within the hopefully, it’ll have some results tomorrow.” former Writer’s Block location; and nearby stalwarts Perhaps fittingly, one of Hsieh’s final projects 11th Street Records, Atomic Liquors and PublicUs. perfectly embodies both the city-as-campus idea and Fergusons offers the kind of bright, positive experiDTP Companies’ willingness to incubate ence that makes you believe there could be small businesses. Fergusons Downsomething good waiting on the other town, a former motel converted side of all this suffering and stress. into a courtyard of restaurants, Fergusons’ co-founder and creboutique businesses and ative strategist Jen Taler says much-needed Downtown her crew has been working green space, has the feel of hard to make everything feel a town square even with light and carefree within COVID-19 restrictions in that U-shaped courtyard. place. An employee at the “Like any [business] front gate counts everyduring a global pandemic, one in and out, keeping we’re just trying to figure occupancy at state-manout how to be sustainable … dated levels. Inside the while creating new revenue courtyard, people casually streams, because, obviously, Ch ris browse through the shops, sit revenue is affected,” Taler says. to ph er D on the grass with their Mothership “We’re trying to be smart and eVar g a s /Sta f f ) coffees and allow their leashed dogs to creative while maintaining who we socialize with one another. are, which for Fergusons is being a service On the way out, you can stop by Vegas Test Kitchto our community.” en, a takeaway restaurant concept by SecretBurger. And Las Vegas is responding to that mission, Taler com founder Jolene Manina, which features several says relievedly. “I’m beyond grateful for the community unique pop-ups at once; the Gather House, a collecthat’s showed up, [because it’s] intentional. … We have

Downtown Container Park (Wade Vandervort/Staff)

t Tes

Kit

(

over 50% that walk out with something that we can visibly see. The people coming Downtown to Fergusons and this city block are here to support, explore and engage with what we have to offer. That means the world to our tenants, to the vendors that pop up and to the staff. I don’t think I could ask for more.” The year ahead is impossible to predict, for Downtown, for the Fremont East corridor and for Las Vegas as a whole. We’re a hospitality town through and through; the pandemic’s chilling effect on our ability to provide it, to visitors and to each other, has not only damaged our city’s economy, but also its sense of self-worth. In terms of things returning to the way they were before COVID-19, the Strip will head that direction in a sprint, because it has to; it’ll pick up whatever pieces still remain and make them work. The Fremont East Tony Hsieh helped to build will take a bit more finessing, a bit more of a considered touch. After all, it’s about building something outside of—yet still adjacent to—the Vegas tourists know. But whenever DTP Companies and other developers are ready to move again, they’ll have strong bones to build on, just as Jen Taler is doing with Fergusons today. “I’m fortunate and beyond for Tony to have believed in me,” Taler says. “I feel like we shared a lot of values— bringing people together, and leading with passion and an open heart.”

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A mural by King Ruck on a wall in the Fremont East Entertainment District (Wade Vandervort/Staff)

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CUPID CALLING

It’s Just Lunch founder Andrea McGinty dishes on dating BY C. MOON REED Back in the pre-internet dating era, romantic disaster set Andrea McGinty on her life course. Her fiancé broke things off just weeks before their planned wedding, and McGinty’s efforts to meet somebody new led her to found the mega-successful matchmaking service It’s Just Lunch. If you’ve ever flipped through an in-flight magazine, you’ve probably seen her ads. Fast-forward a quarter century. McGinty sold that business, relocated to Las Vegas five years ago and founded a new company: 33,000 Dates. The name comes from the number of dates she estimates she has set up over the course of her career. Las Vegas Weekly spoke with McGinty about first dates, finding love and the best way to spend Valentine’s Day.

How would you rate the Vegas dating scene? The Las Vegas market is hopping. We have population growth—so many people move here from Southern California and other parts of the country. So people don’t really have that network of family and friends that they grew up with, and online dating becomes very, very prevalent. We’ve got a solid single population. I also see a lot of cross-dating between Vegas, Orange County and LA. because they’re fairly close together and some people have second homes here. Continued on Page 19

33,000 DATES 702-494-7344, 33000dates.com.

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(Photo Illustration by Ian Racoma)

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Andrea McGinty

Continued from Page 17 What services does 33,000 Dates offer?

I help women in their 30s, 40s and 50s navigate online dating, from the perspective of writing their profiles and vetting their photos, which is really important. But even more important is choosing the right dating site for them. How long would you say it takes, on average, to find love?

There’s no average. But of the three packages I have, two months is the most popular. Around 60% of my clients have met somebody and aren’t actively dating right now. People get bummed out in online dating, because they’re doing it wrong. It’s a great pool of people, [but] is everyone great online? Of course not. But it’s a big pool of people, and if you work the system right, you’re going to meet people that you really like.

Where do you suggest people go on first dates?

Make it somewhere fun … [and] somewhere safe, somewhere where you can still keep 6 feet away from each other … anything experiential … the Pinball Hall of Fame, Topgolf, just walking around the Strip, Container Park. Why did you dedicate your coaching toward women? Don’t men need coaching, too?

I wanted to work with women because I talked to women all the time, about what they’re looking for, what they want. Women seem to have more fears about online dating than men do. Men could use a lot of help [too] … maybe eventually I’ll expand.

Where did you go on your first date with your current partner?

Mon Ami Gabi [at Paris Las Vegas]. It was a great date, because we were sitting [on the patio] looking at the Bellagio Fountains. It was just fun to talk. What should single people do about Valentine’s Day?

Don’t schedule a date on Valentine’s Day. It puts too much pressure on both of you. Don’t be sitting around on Valentine’s Day night with a bottle of red wine DM’ing people online—not a good move. Go volunteer instead; go do something else. Now, if it’s a second date, sure, go for it. Any good anecdotes from your years as a dating coach?

After a long marriage, you’ve reentered the dating scene. How’s that going?

I was married for 25 years, and 20 of them were great. I have no complaints. I met somebody [local] online that I’ve been dating for almost 10 months. I was the proactive one; when I saw his profile, I reached out to him.

When [my daughter] was 5, she came home after the first day of school and said, “Mom, you’re not gonna believe this. There’s three kids in my kindergarten class whose mom and dad you fixed up.”

AND FOR THE MEN …

Even though she doesn’t coach men, McGinty offers this advice to men putting together dating profiles, based on feedback she has received from her female clients.

Keep your shirt on.

“Unless you’re waterskiing, don’t post pictures of you in your swim trunks. We can see that later,” McGinty says. “If you’re athletic and you want to show it off, you can in other ways.”

Don’t zoom in too much.

Women don’t go for pics just focused on a tattoo or bicep.

Skip the auto show.

Women are turned off by that photo of you surrounded by “your five cars or motorcycles.”

ANDREA MCGINTY’S DATING TIPS

Be proactive.

Be specific.

Set filters for what you’re after and reach out. Ignore the random people who reach out to you, unless they happen to fit your parameters.

Avoid sending generic greetings to new matches. McGinty says to try a timely conversation starter based on similar interests. For example, “I saw that you just finished The Queen’s Gambit. I loved it. Let’s talk.”

When in doubt, use Match.com.

Tinder requires too little effort from potential dates, McGinty says, but Match is like the Target of online dating. “Everyone shops there. In the parking lot, you see rundown cars to Porsches.”

Don’t be pen pals.

Be wary of height.

“You want to get to a real date [or FaceTime during the pandemic] as fast as possible,” McGinty says. Even a five-minute video chat will reveal if they look like their photos and show you their mannerisms.

If a guy says he’s 6 feet tall, he’s more likely to be lying than if he says he’s 5’11” or 6’1”. That said, nontall women should lay off the height requirements. “It’s just not fair when the short women want the tall guys. We got to save those for the tall girls,” McGinty says. “I’m kidding … but kinda not.”

Share current pics.

Granted, the pandemic lockdown has limited recent photo-ops. But McGinty says to share “good photos that are within a year old.”

Tell the truth. Honesty is the best policy when it comes to weight, height and age. Besides, do you really want to start a new relationship based on a lie?

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APP YAP

The highs and lows of online dating BY LESLIE VENTURA

Love isn’t the only thing in the air. As the pandemic continues into a second year, many Las Vegans have limited their social circles, which means singles are approaching dating far differently in 2021 than ever before. With Valentine’s Day approaching, I hit Instagram to conduct some online local dating research. My question: Have you been online dating during the pandemic? I received 91 responses—38 reported that they had used dating apps during the past year; 53 responded said they had not. Of the 38 who had been on apps like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge, experiences varied, though most reviews were far from positive. “Toxic and not lasting,” wrote one Las Vegan. “Weird,” “annoying,” “bad,” “bleak,” “pointless” and “horrible,” echoed others. The few optimistic replies weren’t so much good as “not bad,” with one local reporting that online dating had consisted of “mostly light chatting, with some nudes exchanged.” Based on my research, one theme synonymous with online dating apparently hasn’t changed at all: flakiness. “Lots of indecisive dudes who are super into it for a couple of weeks, then not,” wrote one woman. “A lot of awkward encounters because we’re all lonely and desperate,” explained another. Despite such replies, it wasn’t all gloom and doom. Three respondents explained that while they’d dabbled with online dating during the pandemic, they’d actually met their current partner … in real life. “I have been pretty reliant on dating apps since forever,” replied one man who recently found himself kindling a new romance with a longtime friend. “We ended up taking our friendship to the next level, and I haven’t been this happy in a couple years. I see a future with her.” As for the dangers of dating mid-pandemic, “The conversation around meeting for the first time is not all that different than the conversa-

tion about sex,” one man joked. With the rise of the coronavirus, questions like, “Who have you been with?” “When was your last time?” and “Did you use protection?” aren’t just limited to STDs, he said. People want to know if the person they might meet is being COVID-safe. Most polled users agreed that online dating wasn’t worth a potentially deadly infection, and that typing the line “If COVID doesn’t take you out, can I?” wasn’t a good look. Several said that, as with dating IRL, patience remains the key to dating app success. “The first woman I met that was interested in meeting decided to video chat first, and I’m glad we did,” one Las Vegan explained. “She had been in town for two weeks organizing adult parties for high-price clients—she was an escort. She insisted she did not want to charge me for our date and basically just wanted to have sex, but I declined and moved on. Her life did seem pretty interesting from what she told me on our video chat. Hope she’s doing well.” Later, that same man wound up on an actual date with someone else. “She was from New York and had a picture of her doing ribbon aerial acrobatics,” he says. “She picked sushi and sake, and we bonded over music and yoga to break the ice, but she talked a lot and only about herself, her nutrition degree and what I should or shouldn’t eat. It seemed to go on for a long time without me getting a word in, but the sushi was good, so I ate and let her talk.” The date didn’t end well, he says. “I heard a red flag, and that was my time to leave. I got out of there and didn’t call back. I hope she’s doing well.” He eventually met someone in real life … with the help of Instagram, of course. “We were both in relationships when we met years prior, but we were both single, so I gave it a shot,” he says. The pair began messaging on social media and eventually met up for a date. “After our first date I deleted the dating apps, and after our third date, in October, I decided to start getting sober and go to school and get a degree. We are still dating, and I feel lucky to be with someone like her.” He says she’s doing well.

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SAFETY FIRST

Tips for dating in the time of COVID-19 Sure, you could swear off dating until the pandemic is history. Then again, if you wait for dating to be 100% safe, you could be alone forever. Like so many things in life these days, pandemic dating is all about balancing risk and reward. Follow these tips to minimize the former, while maximizing potential for the latter. n Prescreen your dates. Dating expert Andrea McGinty recommends starting with a quick video chat so that you can determine if you actually want to meet your match in person. Use this as an opportunity to ask about their COVID-19 safety habits. If the person isn’t being as careful as you, pass. n Continue following safety measures. Just because you might be exposed to your date’s germs doesn’t mean you need to expose yourself to everyone else’s, or expose them to yours. So don’t ease up on those safe habits: mask up, socially distance, wash your hands and stay home if you’re not feeling 100%. n Double mask. Some of the emerging COVID-19 variants are more contagious than the original version of the virus. “Recent guidance from experts suggests that we double or upgrade our masks to ones with two or more layers for better protection than a single-layer mask,” UNLV president Keith E. Whitfield wrote in an open letter to the community. “Double masking not only adds extra filtration but also covers any gaps around a mask with only one layer.” n Opt for the outdoors. Germs congregate indoors and dissipate outside. So have a picnic, hit up a patio or go hiking. n Set boundaries. If a potential date refuses to honor your safety requirements, whatever they might be, think of it as a bullet dodged. A person who doesn’t value your feelings of safety and comfort doesn’t really care about you. –C. Moon Reed

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A MATCH MADE IN VEGAS Our Valley doesn’t just have romantic spots. It is one BY GEOFF CARTER

I met the love of my life at Downtown Las Vegas’ Emergency Arts in July 2010. Not much came of that first meeting—I was living in Seattle at the time—but Laura remembered me, and almost three years later she offered to drive me to Justice Myron E. Leavitt & Jaycee Community Park for weekly bocce matches against members of the Italian American Club. Beyond that, we’d meet up at Downtown events and go to the movies at the Palms, friendly as you please. Then, one evening in September 2013, we kissed passionately at the bar at Artifice while our bocce teammates chatted on, oblivious. That was it; we went home together. To this day we puzzle over how we fit my bike into the back seat of her car that night. Our romance was made in places most wouldn’t consider inherently romantic. We didn’t stroll under a canopy of autumn leaves, or lean on the rails of a footbridge at midnight; we met in a former medical center, stole glances in the Palms’ food court and shared our first kiss at a (admittedly charming) bar. That’s what Las Vegas had to offer, and we used it. And when I asked my friends where they fell in love, the answers were similar: watching planes take off and land from the McCarran observation lot on Sunset; sharing the comically huge drinks at the Peppermill Lounge; watching the volcano at the Mirage; taking in the nighttime view from the base of Sunrise Mountain; walking through the cactus gardens at the Springs

Preserve; or simply driving out into Southern Nevada’s abundant open desert, pulling off the road and … well, y’know. Years ago, a Weekly colleague of mine declared that Las Vegas had no romance to it. “This is an ugly-ass town,” she wrote. And even at the time she said it—in the late 1990s—she was mistaken, not just about the Valley’s visual appeal, but about this city’s effortless facility for matchmaking. We live on a figurative desert island, with daytime skies of purest azure and nights of stars floating on neon. It’s a big place, but not so big that we can’t have mutual friends or a few things in common. Many of us came here from someplace else and yearn for not only human connection but a sense of place; a desire to make a new, better life in a new town. Lots of newcomers to this city erroneously call it “a blank slate,” when what they mean, and what every local knows in their heart, is that Las Vegas is a place of bountiful possibilities—for business, for art, for romance. You don’t need a tree-lined promenade or moonlit canal to fall in love in Vegas. (Though we do have indoor malls that approximate both.) And even though this pandemic has limited our possibilities, it can’t eliminate them; Las Vegas is too artful and persistent a matchmaker for that. Given the slightest opening, this beautiful city can make love happen, as mysteriously as two lovestruck bocce players squeezing a Schwinn Cruiser into the back seat of a Nissan Altima. Seriously, we’re still amazed by that.

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(Photo Illustration)

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GREAT DATES

A few suggestions, whether you’re first meeting or already in love BY C. MOON REED It might seem impossible to date during a global pandemic. But with its ample patios and extensive outdoor options, Las Vegas has socially distanced dating options aplenty. Whether you’re first meeting or celebrating decades of wedded bliss, we’ve got spots for you.

FIRST DATE

SECOND DATE

THIRD DATE

We know, it’s super, super awkward. But if you’re connecting with a stranger from the internet, the safest way to “meet” them is with a phone call or a video chat. Yes, talking on the phone is terrible and texting is soooo much easier, but do you really want to risk COVID-19 for somebody who, it turns out, can’t even string a sentence together? If you’ve passed the talk test or somehow met someone the old fashioned way, the best and safest place to have an IRL first date is an outdoor patio at a bar or restaurant. And Downtown is dripping with those sorts of options: Atomic Kitchen, Jammyland, ReBar, Esther’s Kitchen, Casa Don Juan, Velveteen Rabbit and more. Beer lovers should check out Tenaya Creek Brewery and Big Dog’s Draft House.

Now that you’ve gotten to know each other, you can show off your personality a little. If you’re outdoorsy, explore Valley of Fire State Park. If you’re semi-outdoorsy, try a picnic at the park. (Sunset Park’s great for its grassy areas and water features.) This is a chance to show off your cooking skills … or your ability to score good takeout. Urban dwellers, hit to the courtyard at Fergusons Downtown, where you can enjoy Mothership coffee on the grass steps and then browse the indie shops together.

Make a day of it by heading to Boulder City. Ride bikes on the easy-yet-scenic Historic Railroad Hiking Trail (rent one at allmountaincyclery.com). Then stroll the picturesque streets of Boulder City. Be sure to put on your mask before dipping into any of the antique shops. Finish the day on Boulder Dam Brewing Co.’s large patio.

FOURTH DATE AND BEYOND You’ve wined, you’ve dined. What next? Maybe skiing at Lee Canyon, disc golf at Mountain Crest Park or kayaking on the Colorado River. All that physical exertion should help you work up an appetite … for each other!

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BINGE THIS WEEK

THE LITTLE THINGS Denzel Washington, Rami Malek and Jared Leto star in this psychological thriller—one of more than a dozen Warner Brothers films to be released through HBO Max this year instead of in theaters. It streams on the service through February 28. HBO Max.

PODCAST

BOOKS & BOBA The world of contemporary Asian American literature is vast and varied, much like the continent itself. Podcast hosts Marvin Yueh and Reera Yoo spotlight authors from a wide range of genres—including thrillers, graphic novels, memoirs, YA, sci-fi and fantasy—through author interviews, industry news and a book-of-themonth pick. If you haven’t delved into Asian American lit since The Joy Luck Club, this is a great way to expand your library. Check out the episodes on Severance and Convenience Store Woman, two outstanding novels from the past few years. Some picks are just pure fun, like Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. And yes, the book’s better than the movie. Apple Podcasts. –Genevie Durano

CONCERT

JOHN LLOYD YOUNG AT THE SPACE A longtime Vegas favorite for his performance as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys—which he duplicated on Broadway and in the Clint Eastwood-directed film version—Grammy- and Tony-winning singer and actor John Lloyd Young returns to the Space for a romantic concert and livestream dubbed Vegas Valentine. Expect “Unchained Melody,” “My Eyes Adored You” and yes, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” February 12, 6 p.m., $30-$100, thespacelv.com. –Brock Radke

ART

ORYAN AT WYLAND GALLERY Las Vegas artist Oryan connects us to the universe. Using his self-described “liquid fusion” technique, he paints the spiritual world as organic shapes: trees, stars and wild animals. “Looking into the deep layers of paint, one can imagine the endless patterns and movements of humanity and nature overlapping through space and time,” Oryan writes on his website OryanArts.com, describing his abstract “Network Series” of paintings. Despite working from an unassuming studio in an industrial area near Palace Station, Oryan’s creations can be seen at top tourist spots around the country, including the Strip. On February 13, he’ll will make an in-person appearance at Wyland Gallery to show off new art and conduct a live painting demonstration. Strong social distancing guidelines will be in place. February 13, noon-5 p.m., Wyland Gallery, Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, free. –C. Moon Reed

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SKEPTOID Since 2006, Brian Dunning has been debunking myths, conspiracy theories and outright lies through this award-winning podcast. Recent episodes rip up Elvis sightings and the Tartaria Mud Flood with scientific vigor. skeptoid.com

“Demure” by Oryan (Courtesy)

OUR PICKS FOR THE WEEK AHEAD

MUSIC TV

RESIDENT ALIEN

STILL CORNERS’ THE LAST EXIT

The “SyFy Original” label might conjure visions of Sharknadoes, but with Resident Alien, the phrase takes on new meaning: This is some audacious, wholly original stuff. Alan Tudyk (Firefly, Rogue One) is adroitly hilarious as Harry, a marooned extraterrestrial anxiously posing as the doctor for a small, eccentric Colorado town. Tudyk portrays a new-to-this-body entity as few have before; it’s a bit like a possession. There are notes of Northern Exposure, The X Files and even The Thing here, in service of a terrific cast and story. Wednesdays, 10 p.m., SyFy. –Geoff Carter

It’s been three years since Tessa Murray and Greg Hughes released their fourth album, and now the duo has returned with a new lush and hypnotic LP. The Last Exit finds the Londoners influenced by folkier, western undertones, while still maintaining the ethereal, whisper-soft magic that has garnered the pair more than 600,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Weaving dream-pop with introspective, country-tinged flavors, Still Corners continues to breathe new life into its sound, more than 10 years after the group’s formation. –Leslie Ventura

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LOVE

Dai and Olivia Richards (Christopher DeVargas/Staff)

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THE STRIP

SHOWBIZ

The onstage and offstage romance of Dai and Olivia Richards BY BROCK RADKE

t sounds like a very Vegas love story, and the cute couple agrees. Olivia Nicole Richards left tiny Owasso, Oklahoma, more than nine years ago to chase her dream of becoming a professional dancer, eventually settling into her current role as dance captain in X Country at Harrah’s Las Vegas. When singer David “Dai” Richards arrived on the Strip from Wales almost five years ago with his mates in Tenors of Rock, a classic rock tribute show that moved from Harrah’s to Planet Hollywood in 2019, he had no idea what would happen when he went to check out the show next door.

THE MEETING Olivia: “So Dai and a couple of friends from his show came down one day to see X Country. Tenors of Rock was performing in the big theater, and X Country was downstairs in the smaller Cabaret theater. They had a 7 o’clock show, and they came down afterwards and watched our show and did a meet-and-greet after. He was hanging out with one of our backstage guys and asked for my name, and then evidently, he had to do some thorough Instagram stalking to find me. Once he did, he DM’d me.” Dai: “I’m not shy about it. I’m proud. I put the work in.” Olivia: “We had our first date five days later, and we were pretty much attached at the hip ever since.” Dai: “We moved in together three months after that. I slid into her DMs, and it actually worked, so that was good.” Olivia: “Dai was a gentleman. It was like, is he trying to be friends with me, or is he interested? I couldn’t tell at first.” Dai: “Oh, I was interested. I was very much interested.” Olivia: “I’ve always had a little bit of a

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thing for rock stars. I think every girl has that little rock-star fantasy. So I was like, maybe we could be friends, but obviously it quickly became much more on that.” Dai: “Pat on the back for me.”

THE WEDDING(S) Dai: “We got married twice. About eight or nine months into the relationship, we knew we wanted to be together. It was a tricky time at that moment for Tenors of Rock, [because] it had gotten a little quiet. If they had [closed the show], I would have been deported, because my visa was attached to the show. If we eloped, I could stay legally in the country, and I wouldn’t be able to work, but I could stay, and that was what was important at the time, just being able to stay together.” Olivia: “The funny thing is we planned to keep it under wraps and just tell our families, but we kept getting so excited, we just kept blurting it out to people, so everybody pretty much knew.” Dai: “I always wanted to propose properly and have a wedding, so we planned to get married last year in April.” Olivia: “It was supposed to be a New

LOVE AND SHOWBIZ IN 2021

Orleans wedding, and we were inviting our closest family unit and friends to have a fun destination wedding. When everything shut down in March, we still had our fingers crossed, like maybe if this lasts a few weeks everybody will go back. We all know now that’s not how it happened.” Dai: “Yeah, two weeks off sounded nice—a little vacation, then go back to work.” Olivia: “Little did we know we’d be chilling out for way too long.” Dai: “So we rescheduled to September, but then we got to May and … New Orleans struggled with COVID in the beginning. We had this beautiful jazz venue booked, and they were closed.” Olivia: “After a while we just realized, we’re already married; we just wanted to have a celebration with our families. At that time, restrictions in Vegas were 50 people max, so we had a very safe wedding in the backyard, and it turned out to be really sweet.” Dai: “My family [in the U.K.] had to Zoom in, because there was just no way. My dad was going through prostate cancer treatment at the time, so he wouldn’t have been able to come over anyway. But it was strange. I never thought we’d do anything like that, without having everybody there. But it worked. We felt like we were as physically safe as we could be.” Olivia: “And no one got [the virus]. So we were good.”

Tenors of Rock has yet to reopen at the Sin City Theater at Planet Hollywood, but during the pandemic, Dai launched a side project, Original Chaos, with some friends and fellow Vegas musicians. The band has been performing recently—at Harrah’s, of course—at the Carnaval Court bar. “We’re lucky that Caesars [Entertainment] gave us the opportunity,” he says. “It’s fun to do something new with new people, and with new songs I haven’t done before.” X Country was the first casino production to return to the stage after the long shutdown, on October 22. Olivia and her castmates have adjusted to the challenging circumstances and happily performing to sold-out, limited-capacity crowds. “Everyone is going through tough times right now, so the fact they are there shows people are craving live entertainment,” she says. “Vegas has gone through lots of different phases and taken hits in tourism … and seen all kinds of shifts, but if there’s anything we know, it’s that Vegas rebuilds. And performers are hungry. They’re here, and they’re resilient. “I think we’re going to see a really cool version of Vegas once we get back. Everyone is still motivated to get going and bring out something new.”

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THE DAM IS STREAMING Boulder City’s wildly entertaining Dam Short Film Fest goes online BY GEOFF CARTER

he COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous effect on cinemas, nearly all of it bad. Thousands of theaters are shut down; many likely won’t reopen. Studios have put more than a years’ worth of major features on indefinite hold or debuted them on streaming services, where they’re seen but not necessarily savored. On the upside, however, drive-in theaters are having a great year. And the 17th installment of Boulder City’s Dam Short Film Festival—screening exclusively online through damshortfilm. org, February 11-15—could see a huge audience bump, as it extends its reach far beyond Southern Nevada, into a restive nation that largely hasn’t stepped foot in a cinema in a year or more. And there’s a lot to entertain them. This year’s program of 162 short films—helpfully grouped by genre and theme—includes Sword Of!, a new film from the Thompson brothers, makers of the acclaimed Thor at the Bus Stop and Popovich and the Voice of the Fabled American West; a new DeVotchKa music video directed by Marcin Biegunajtys and Nick Urata; Land of the

Sweets, a live filming of Seattle’s annual “burlesque Nutcracker,” featuring Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend regular Lily Verlaine; Aurora, by locally based animator Jo Meuris; Josh Berman’s snowboarding documentary Day 1 and much, much more. The entirety of the festival—including not just the films, but filmmaker Q&As, the awards ceremony and all the other events you’d usually enjoy in Boulder City’s charming, 90-yearold movie house—will stream live via Eventive, a film festival-friendly platform that works with AppleTV, Android TV and Roku. (It also includes

numerous safety mechanisms to protect the filmmakers against piracy.) And while we’ll miss wandering over to Dam Roast House or the Dillinger for between-viewing refreshments, the greatest pleasure of the any film festival—stumbling into discoveries—will remain part and parcel of this year’s Dam Short fest. In a way, it’ll be easier than ever to take in. “We’re reaching more people than we ever have before with the virtual format,” says Dam Short Executive Director Tsvetelina Stefanova. (Name sound familiar? You’ve probably seen her band Same Sex Mary, or taken

When Better Letters Met Barbara Enright (director: Lewis Eyers-Stott)

SCREEN

How to Rob a Witch (director: Liam Fahy)

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Misfits (director: Ciani Rey Walker)

DAM SHORT FILM FESTIVAL Streaming February 11-15, $12-$100. Damshortfilm.org

in a show from her indie promotional group Bad Moon Booking—both collaborative efforts with now-Boulder City Councilman James Howard Adams.) “We had the entire year to see how other festivals were responding and to get a real good look at what works and what doesn’t, what’s right for us.” The threefold responsibility of reaching the largest audience possi-

Le Miroir (director: Leila Murton Poole)

(Movie stills courtesy film producers)

ble, “making the filmmaker experience similar to what we do in real life” and re-creating the small-town warmth of the “friendliest film festival in the Southwest” for attendees was a tough balancing act for the festival founded by Lee and Anita Lanier in 2003, but Stefanova is hopeful that they’ve nailed it. They have to; there’s a high standard to uphold. “We’re one of the top 100 best-reviewed film fes-

tivals in the world on Film Freeway, which is kind of the gold standard of festival submissions,” she says. And it probably goes without saying that Stefanova loves this year’s films. All of them, pretty much equally. “As a programmer, I can’t really pick a child,” she says, laughing. “I think our entire selection this year is just excellent. There’s a little something for everybody; there’s animation side by side with horror, documentaries. … The great thing about short film is that you get to experience the perspective of so many different individuals, scenarios and stories. It really opens your eyes and brings you closer to the world, and to each other. That’s something that we absolutely need right now, more than anything—that personal connection.”

Hope

(mult

i re iple d

c to

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NOISE BY LESLIE VENTURA

“W

DOUBLE HEAVY Longtime Vegas metal band Hemlock unleashes two new albums

Chad Smith of Hemlock (Trav-o-leo Photos/Courtesy)

hen you’re 15, you never imagine playing with Slayer,” says Chad Smith, the jovial, dreadlocked vocalist and bassist for Hemlock. The Las Vegas heavy metal band Hemlock has been around for nearly 30 years, touring around the world and opening for bands like Slipknot, Mastodon, Ministry and, yes, Slayer. “It’s pretty insane,” Smith says. “We’re on 28 years next month—28 years! We started when I was 15, and my brother, Brian, was 17. We started in the garage, playing Elks lodges.” Aside from Chad and Brian, who plays drums, Hemlock’s lineup has fluctuated over the decades. The brothers recently added Tevon Giannini and Brian Jackson to play guitar, gearing up for more live dates. And then the pandemic mess of 2020 hit. “This has been the longest [stretch] of no shows,” Smith says. “One time, we were down for four months [without playing live], and I felt bad and guilty then. Now we’re going on a year and a half of no shows. “We wrapped up a huge U.S. tour in 2019 and booked a European tour for 2020, and two weeks later all the travel bans [happened]. But, I also know it’s a small pebble in the pond. The world is suffering in a lot of ways.” The guys responded the only way they know how—by making more music. “We normally don’t have this much free time,” Smith says. “We had been writing parts and pieces over the years in between tours. I drive the bus—a big 35-foot bus—and I’m the stage manager and tour manager. It’s a lot of crazy go, go, go. [Then] we’ll get home and have one week where we don’t have to do anything band-oriented and then just jump back on it. When our European tour got messed up, I got ahold of our old guitar player, and we started writing a bunch of these songs.” Now, Hemlock has released not one, but two new albums for fans around the globe. KARMAgeDDoN and Violence & Victory both dropped February 8, comprising 11 songs apiece. “Normally we do a bunch of preproduction and then go into a studio in LA and record for two or three weeks. But this time we were like, ‘Well, all the studios are closed and no one can travel, so now what?’” Smith says. “We wound up with 22 songs. Normally you whittle them down, but we started trying to think of which ones to cut and I just started feeling guilty, like, ‘Screw it, let’s record them all.’ It was very untraditional.” The result is an arsenal of uplifting headbangery— thrashy, energetic metal meant to kick-start the soul. “I write our lyrics to be super positive and optimistic,” Smith says. “The world needs more positivity—so let’s put out 22 happy, heavy Hemlock songs.”

HEMLOCK Hemlockworld.com Hemlock-107516.square.site

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EASTERN FLAIR Dan Coughlin’s ‘second album’ brings bold flavors to Downtown’s Circa BY BROCK RADKE

irca opened with a dynamic dining mix of operators based in Las Vegas and concepts created by out-of-town restaurateurs. That’s a different approach for a new casino resort, especially one driven by tourism on the Strip or Downtown. Alongside the regal Barry’s Downtown Prime and the super-casual, indoor-outdoor Project BBQ, Circa’s third local eatery is the pan-Asian 8 East. It was originally set to open in December with the hotel tower, not in October with the casino and other restaurants. But owner-operator Dan Coughlin got word in early September that his space could be ready for the grand-opening celebration and quickly shifted gears to make it happen. “They were literally finishing the construction inside while we were putting stuff away and training,” he says. Coughlin has expanded his business successfully since debuting his beloved Le Thai Downtown, but 8 East feels like his second restaurant. He ushered in Downtown’s Bocho Sushi and Le Pho but brought in other operators for those projects. “This is finally my second project where I’m 100% owner and operator. For the last three years, I’ve been writing this menu, tinkering at home and coming up with ideas,” he says. “I put a lot of pressure on myself—like, this is the second album coming out. This is for real.” The result is a tight offering of small plates and noodle and rice dishes showing a wide range of influences, expanding on the Le Thai philosophy of

8 East Ramen (Mark Mediana/Courtesy)

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FOOD & DRINK 8 EAST Circa, 702-726-5508. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m.-1 a.m.

holding nothing back when it comes to bold, even intense flavors. Coughlin is a big fan of Chengdu Taste in Chinatown, and you can taste the devotion in the cumin lamb lollipop chops ($12) and the salt and Szechuan pepper chicken wings ($12). Simple starters like cucumber salad ($6) with pickled garlic, a traditional steamed egg ($6) with soy sauce and sesame oil and stir-fried green beans with pork and chili oil ($9) provide a foundation for the next layer of savory snacks, including ginger chicken dumplings ($12), pork belly bao buns ($10) and crispy pork belly ($12) slow-cooked for 10 hours before a quick fry and slathering of tamarind sauce. “I’m pretty proud of the whole menu, and the feedback has been great,” Coughlin says, explaining that Asian gamblers and Midwest visitors are already returning to the casino spot. “The dumplings are a huge thing for me, and I love dumpling sauces. When I went to China, you would just eat

Pork belly bao (Mark Mediana/Courtesy)

them in a bowl and dump the sauces in there, and a lot of times you want to present things more picture-worthy, but boiled dumplings in a bowl is definitely a thing. You eat it with a spoon, so you get a lot of delicious things in every bite. We’re going to be introducing a lot more sauces with vinegars, sugar, garlic, Szechuan peppercorn, green onions and other stuff.” A new version of Le Thai’s brisket fried rice ($16), as well as lobster fried rice, osso bucco ramen ($14) and dan dan noodles ($14), round out the regular menu, while daily and weekly specials pop up frequently, too. 8 East recently served up beef short rib dumplings with horseradish cream created by chef Steve Piamchuntar, another creative culinarian local foodies know from his own Nosh & Swig restaurant, along with kitchen stints at the Springs Preserve café and other restaurants and special events. Expect to see more new menu items from Piamchuntar as the restaurant evolves.

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THE BEAST Area15, 3215 S. Rancho Drive, 702-846-1900. Monday-Thursday, 5-9 p.m.; Friday, 5 p.m.-midnight; Saturday, noon-midnight; Sunday, noon-8 p.m.

Chef Todd English at the Beast (Steve Marcus/Staff))

BELLY OF THE

BEAST Todd English’s food hall debuts at Area15

BY GENEVIE DURANO

escribing Area15 is no easy task; you truly have to experience its mashup of attractions and sights firsthand. As new sections open up, the 200,000-square-foot structure continues to unfold into one of the most singular destinations in Las Vegas—a family-friendly hangout that’s also wholly appropriate for an adult night out. No doubt Area15 will bring in food lovers of all stripes, now that the Beast—its main culinary attraction helmed by Todd English—is open. The James Beard Award winner is one of Las Vegas’ original celebrity chefs, having opened Olives at Bellagio in 1998. (The Beast only marks the start of his return, with Olives set for new life at Virgin Las Vegas later this year.) The Beast represents English’s take on the food hall, which, like Area15, mashes up many things. Sit at the counters overlooking the pizza oven and you’ll see chefs making pies to suit every taste: the Bronx Bomber ($14), with cup-and-char pepperoni and fresh basil, will be a hit with the kids after

they’ve tired out at the two-level Emporium arcade. (There’s a dedicated Little Beast menu as well.) Adults can rejoice, too. The Frenchie ($19) is a dry-aged burger with raclette and truffle aioli, ready for a pairing from the wide selection of draft and bottled beer. The place wouldn’t be called the Beast without a meat-forward program, and the smokehouse selections—wagyu beef, spare ribs, short ribs, chicken and more—are served with your choice of sauces. If you’re feeling particularly hungry—or willing to share—there’s a tomahawk steak ($120) clocking in at 36 ounces. There are noodles galore in Asian or Italian flavor profiles, from Singapore Street Noodles ($12) to a rigatoni Bolognese ($21). Vegetarians and vegans needn’t shy away either; there’s a hearty selection of salads and plant-based dishes that look as good as their carnivorous counterparts. And for those who enjoy cocktails with aggressive names, the Beast offers up Alien Blood, Hyde’s Revenge and the Banshee. Roar!

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FOOD & DRINK BY GENEVIE DURANO

GOOD ROMANCE Where to wine and dine this Valentine’s Day

ot even a pandemic can dampen the romance of Valentine’s Day, and restaurants all over the city are setting the mood for love. Here are a few picks for an evening sure to warm the heart of your beloved. Bardot Brasserie Michael Mina’s spot at Aria is one of the most beautiful restaurants in the city, and it’s pulling out all the stops for this special day. Guests will be greeted at the door with a complimentary freshly picked rose, then seated for a menu featuring three specials, including Mina’s signature Kaluga Caviar Parfait—Kaluga caviar, egg mimosa, shallot-potato cake, smoked salmon and crème fraîche. Spring for the bottomless rosé ($30/ person) or some Veuve Clicquot ($90/person), cap the meal with a Valentine macaron and watch the sparks fly. Aria, 877-230-2742, aria.mgmresorts.com. Siena Italian Trattoria In addition to Italian signatures like fettuccine Bolognese and Polipo alla Griglia (grilled and marinated octopus served with potatoes and olives), the Summerlin favorite will offer a heart-shaped pizza with smoked salmon, mozzarella and cream cheese, topped with red caviar. And why show your affection for just one night? Chocolate-covered strawberries are available all month long. 9500 W. Sahara Ave., 702-360-3358, sienaitalian.com. Siegel’s 1941 Downtown, Siegel kicks it old-school with a prix fixe dinner, featuring a crab cake appetizer and 10-ounce New York Strip served with grilled shrimp and asparagus. The sweet finish? Cheesecake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. The $58/ per-person dinner also includes a bottle of Woodbridge cabernet or chardonnay. El Cortez, 600 E. Fremont St., 702-385-5200.

The Kaluga Caviar Parfait at Bardot Brasserie (Tory Kooyman/Courtesy)

CraftHaus Brewery and Ethel M Chocolates If you prefer to celebrate at home, CraftHaus has teamed up with Ethel M for a Valentine’s Day pairing of four beers and four chocolates: Zitrone, a gose, with dark chocolate lemon satin crème; Chai Cuckoo, a spiced Munich Dunkel lager, with salted caramel; Lowlands Clan, a Scotch ale, with a milk chocolate peanut butter heart; and Belgard, a coffee stout, with milk chocolate raspberry satin. $22, crafthausbrewery.com/shop.

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NEW KNIGHTS Five reasons to follow the Henderson hockey team’s inaugural season BY JUSTIN EMERSON

he Henderson Silver Knights got their American Hockey League history off on the right foot, er, skate, winning the first game in franchise history on Saturday, February 6. The team appears poised to compete in its inaugural season, as the Golden Knights did a few years back. Like the Golden Knights in their first year, the Silver Knights begin play largely unknown to casual hockey fans in the Valley. And it might be tough to embrace them right away, since fans can’t attend AHL games this season due to the pandemic. There are plenty of reasons to care about the new franchise, however, five of which we dive into here. Henderson Silver Knights goalie Logan Thompson (36) defends against Ontario’s Blaine Byron during the Silver Knights’ season-opening win, February 6 at Orleans Arena. (Steve Marcus/Staff/Photo Illustration)

It’s a rare chance to see top young players. In a normal year, Peyton Krebs and Kaedan Korczak wouldn’t be allowed to play for the Silver Knights. Both were 19 years old at the start of the season, which typically means their rights would still be owned by their junior teams in the Western Hockey League. But right now, due to the coronavirus, there is no Western Hockey League right now. And since teams don’t want top prospects to sit out the season, the league created a onetime waiver for underage players to compete in the AHL. It’s unclear what will happen if the WHL resumes play, but in the meantime, this AHL season presents fans with a rare chance to catch two of Vegas’ best prospects right here. Keeping tabs on their seasons—especially that of Krebs, already regarded as close to NHLready—is a must for any die-hard Golden Knights fan.

And that’s not it for VGK prospect watching. There are quite a few potential future Golden Knights on the Silver Knights roster aside from Krebs and Korczak. Keep an eye on Jack Dugan and Lucas Elvenes, both of whom could even make an impact at the NHL level this season. Dugan, 22, was a star at Providence College last year and is making his professional debut this season. Elvenes, 21, was one of the best players in the AHL at the start of his first season in North America last year before fizzling out somewhat toward the end. Both have evolved from fifth-round draft picks to legitimate NHL prospects; both have the potential to be top scorers in the AHL this season; and if the Golden Knights lose a forward or two to injury, either could be in line for a call-up to the NHL squad.

You can catch the taxi squad at work. For pandemic purposes, this season the NHL created a squad of up to six players per team who can practice and travel with the main team, in case reserves need to be called up quickly. It will be interesting to see how often the Golden Knights juggle players between the Silver Knights and that taxi squad. For instance, goalie Oscar Dansk is on the taxi squad right now, but the Golden Knights could swap him with Silver Knights goalie Logan Thompson to get both game action with Henderson. Patrick Brown, Jake Bischoff, Carl Dahlstrom and Jimmy Schuldt are all with the Silver Knights but have appeared in the NHL and could merit a call-up to the taxi squad (or even the main NHL roster) at almost any time.

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SILVER KNIGHTS’ NEXT FIVE GAMES

(NHLI via Getty Images)

Friday, February 12 at Bakersfield, 5 p.m. Saturday, February 13 at Bakersfield, 5 p.m. Saturday, February 20 at Bakersfield, 8 p.m. Sunday, February 21 at Ontario, 8 p.m. Wednesday, February 24 vs. San Diego, 7 p.m.* All games air on 1230-AM. *Airs on My LV TV. For more information, visit hendersonsilverknights.com

■ PLAYER OF THE WEEKLY: JONATHAN MARCHESSAULT This marked the closest vote thus far among our panel, and Marchessault was the only player to rate highly on all ballots. He had a goal and two assists in two games against the Kings and showed off slick passing that could have led to even more assists. Marchessault sits tied for second on the team with six assists, with his eight points tying him for fourth.

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A Russian prospect awaits. A curious thing happened right before the season began, when the Golden Knights signed 2019 third-rounder Pavel Dorofeyev to an entry-level contract. He had been in his native Russia, and it was expected that he would continue to play in the KHL, that country’s top league. Dorofeyev had struggled in KHL action after feasting on Russia’s lower leagues, however, and he and the Golden Knights decided the AHL would be a better next step in his development. That puts another promising 20-yearold on what already looked like a strong Silver Knights roster. Dorofeyev’s path differs from that of other Russian players who have come through the Vegas system, such as Vadim Shipachyov, Nikita Gusev and Valentin Zykov—all of whom are elsewhere now. It’s rare that an NHL team gets a player like Dorofeyev in the country and away from a contract in a competing league. Vegas should get a better idea of his potential as he plays his first season in North America.

The Silver Knights should contend. It’s obvious but bears repeating considering the way minor leagues in every sport are often discussed: Winning does matter. Sure, a Calder Cup—the AHL championship trophy— is not the Stanley Cup, but there are benefits to establishing a winning culture at the lower level. Many inside the organization point to 2019— when the Chicago Wolves, then Vegas’ AHL affiliate, reached the Calder Cup Final—as a launching point for the team’s prospects. Current Golden Knights Zach Whitecloud, Cody Glass, Nicolas Hague, Dylan Coghlan and Keegan Kolesar, were all on that 2019 Wolves team. (And, as it happens, Nicolas Roy and current Silver Knights captain Patrick Brown were on the Charlotte team that beat the Wolves.) All of them have stressed how important a deep playoff run was to their development. Whitecloud, in particular, says he was more prepared to help Vegas reach the Western Conference Final in 2020 after a long postseason run in the AHL one year earlier. The Silver Knights play a similar style and run similar systems to the Golden Knights—by design. If players can succeed in Henderson, they know what will be expected if they get called up by Vegas. And getting a taste of winning in the AHL should only make them better equipped to help Vegas drive toward hockey’s ultimate prize.

Report THIS WEEK’S VOTE 1. Jonathan Marchessault 2. William Karlsson/Max Pacioretty (tie) 4. Nicolas Hague/Mark Stone (tie) As voted by Las Vegas Weekly’s panel, based on games February 1-7. SEASON STANDINGS 1. Mark Stone (14 points) 2. Max Pacioretty (13 points) 3. Marc-André Fleury/Jonathan Marchessault/ Shea Theodore (tie, 7 points) 5 points for 1st place in a week, 4 for 2nd, 3 for 3rd, 2 for 4th, 1 for 5th. UPCOMING GAMES February 11 vs. Anaheim Ducks, 7 p.m. February 13 at San Jose Sharks, 1 p.m. February 14 vs. Colorado Avalanche, 4 p.m.* February 16 vs. Colorado Avalanche, 7 p.m. Games air on AT&T SportsNet and 98.9-FM/ 1340-AM unless otherwise noted. *Game airs on NBC Sports Network STANLEY CUP ODDS: 6-TO-1 at Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook PROSPECT WATCH: JAKE LESCHYSHYN The 21-year-old scored the first goal in Silver Knights history during a 5-2 victory over Ontario. Leschyshyn was a second-round pick in the Golden Knights’ first draft in 2017 and will look to work his way up a crowded group of forward prospects.

VEGAS INC BUSINESS

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Henderson Chamber plan helps businesses save on health care

T BY RAY BREWER

rish Nash of Signature Gallery of Homes in Henderson runs a small business of about 10 staffers. Whenever she hires a new worker, there’s a self-imposed pressure to land a strong employee who will make an impact on the company. That means offering a competitive benefits package—salary, work environment and health benefits. But securing health insurance can be a tricky proposition for any small business—those of any size, actually—considering the high rate of premiums. That’s where the Henderson Chamber of Commerce has come to the rescue, offering a group plan for small businesses that are chamber members to bring the cost down. There was such demand that during the sign-up window, from the start of the year through January 31, more than 340 businesses aligned in the association health plan. “One of the things that always comes up when you interview potential employees is, ‘Do you offer health insurance?’ ” Nash said. “In the past we have had to say no. This gives us the opportunity to have more options in the employment pool.” The group-buying power brings the rates down about 5% to 7% on average, although one company saved 20%, said Scott Muelrath, the chamber’s CEO. Companies from all industries—retail, manufacturing and business services, for instance—have used the group plan, which is hosted through United Healthcare. In total, 8,000 lives are covered. The plan also includes a few businesses from the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce and Latin Chamber of Commerce. Most important, the rate is locked in for 18 months, and all of the plans are compliant with the Affordable Care Act to cover preexisting conditions.

“That’s a big deal, because health care is expensive,” Muelrath said of the locked-in rate. “There was a lot of businesses cutting back on expenses, and a lot of businesses that aren’t making it [because of the pandemic]. That makes it difficult for a small business to extend health care benefits.” Nevada State High School is saving $12,000 a year by being part of the group plan, said John Hawk, the public charter school’s chief operations officer. Full-time workers qualify for Nevada’s PERS retirement plan, but they aren’t offered state health insurance. That means the school must find the best rates

for its staff of roughly 25. “This is a school, but we operate like a small business and leverage every resource in the building,” Hawk said. He said employees only insuring themselves pay only $25 per paycheck for coverage. There’s plenty of incentive to offer employees insurance. First, as many have learned during the pandemic, having access to quality health care and staying safe is paramount, Muelrath stressed. Workers worry about what happens if they need to be hospitalized, and those without insurance are less likely to seek care without coverage. “This is a very effective and very in-demand service,” Muelrath said. There are also financial reasons to extend health benefits. Businesses with fewer than 25 employees with an average employee salary of less than $50,000 qualify to receive a small-business health care tax credit if they share 50% of the cost of health insurance premiums, according to the Internal Revenue Service. The employer does not have to cover 50% of the dependent or family health insurance options to qualify. For Nash, it’s about doing right by her real estate team. Like many small businesses, it’s a tight-knit family with everyone looking out for one another. “It’s a game-changer for our business,” Nash said. “It’s very difficult to look an applicant in the eye and say, ‘We can’t offer you and your family health insurance.’ ”

(Shutterstock/Photo Illustration)

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Describe your leadership style. My leadership style has always been to listen more, talk less. But when a decision needs to be made, I make it. I have learned to trust my instincts and to trust those I’ve put around me. I don’t enjoy being around complainers and negative people. I enjoy being around problem solvers and solution types of people.

Latin Chamber of Commerce President Peter Guzman (Sun File)

Latin Chamber president will ‘never stop advocating for access to capital’ for entrepreneurs

BY REBECCA CLIFFORD-CRUZ

eter Guzman knows that challenges remain ahead for small businesses in Nevada, and as president of the Latin Chamber of Commerce, he’s not shying away from them. “We need to get our population vaccinated. We need to make sure we are investing in keeping small businesses open today, so jobs are available tomorrow,” he says. “Businesses need to be cleaner, safer and more creative than ever before. Things like curbside are here to stay, and small businesses need to understand that and pivot if need be.” The Latin Chamber, Guzman says, made real impacts in the community during the pandemic, through thousands of hours of webinars, awarding grant money and more. “Our philosophy is to always be advocating for the engine that runs our great community, the small-business community,” he says. Other than the obvious, what challenges are small businesses facing? Obviously the pandemic is at the forefront, but the challenge that always exists is access to capital. It frustrates me like nothing else. We

need banks opening up to all small businesses. Access to capital creates job opportunities and creates better communities. I will never stop advocating for access to capital. I truly believe that it is an investment that is well worth the risks. When entrepreneurs get access to capital, they create new businesses, which creates jobs, which creates dignity. It is that simple. How can state and local governments help businesses weather the pandemic? Again, by advocating, fighting and demanding access to capital. But beyond that, doing things like eliminating costs for a period of time, by speeding up permitting and by creating an atmosphere of “it’s easy to do business in Las Vegas.” What would Latin-owned businesses benefit from the most in Las Vegas? I have always felt that Las Vegas and Nevada are business-friendly. We must never lose that. It is a community full of creative people, risk-takers and entrepreneurs that want to be able to chase their dreams and succeed. We need to always be the incubator for creativity and small business.

What is the best advice you’ve received? My greatest advice always came from my father. He was my hero and the smartest man I have ever known. Here’s a few doozies from him: “Respect the ground you walk on, it was laid by a smarter person than you”; “Stay away from negative people, they seem to stay exactly where they are”; and one of my favorites, “When they can’t keep up with you, they will talk about you.” I miss that man and often rely on his wise words. What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment with the chamber? My biggest accomplishments are still in front of me, but my biggest so far is the quick pivot of 2020. To be able to do what the Latin Chamber has done during this horrible pandemic, whether it was giving out over 27,000 reusable masks with my board, or giving out millions in small-business grants, I just feel proud of that. What are you reading right now and what have you gleaned from it? The Ride of a Lifetime, by Robert Iger of Disney. Optimism. Even in the face of difficult times, never yield to pessimism. People aren’t motivated by pessimists. Decisiveness. All decisions, no matter the difficulty, should be made in a timely way. Chronic indecision is deeply corrosive to morale. Curiosity. A deep curiosity enables the discovery of new people, places and ideas. The path to innovation begins with curiosity. Fairness. Strong leadership embodies the fair and decent treatment of people. Empathy is essential. How do you wind down after a long day or busy week? My foundation for my existence and everything I do is my family. I met my wife when we were 14 years old, and she has given me the greatest 31-year journey of my life and managed to give me my two greatest gifts a man could ask for, my son, Jovani, and my daughter, Tati. My free time belongs to them. Period.

VEGAS INC BUSINESS

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SMALL BUSINESSES

Fastest-growing private companies in Nevada

COMPANY

ABOUT THE LIST Eight companies from Southern Nevada were included in the Inc.com list of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies in 2020. The complete list can be found at inc. com/inc5000/ index.html.

NATIONAL RANK

THREE-YEAR GROWTH

INDUSTRY

POP Fit Clothing 7135 Bermuda Road, Las Vegas • http://popfitclothing.com

5,709%

Retail

Hyperion Partners 7485 Badura Avenue Suite 101, Las Vegas • http://hyperionpartners.net

143

2,620%

Telecommunications

Ororo Wear 6963 Speedway Boulevard, Las Vegas • http://ororowear.com

213

2,035%

Retail

Safe Life Defense 5725 South Valley View Boulevard Suite 4, Las Vegas • http://safelifedefense.com

282

1,591%

Manufacturing

Foodie Fit 2185 East Windmill Lane, Las Vegas • http://foodiefitmeals.com

340

1,329%

Food and beverage

Ascent Multifamily Accounting 6655 South Eastern Avenue Suite 2800, Las Vegas •http://multifamilyaccounting.com

374

1,218%

Financial services

National Technical Institute 1870 Whitney Mesa Drive, Henderson •https://www.ntitraining.com

419

1,097%

Education

Blue Planet Lighting 5720 South Arville Street, Las Vegas • https://www.blueplanetlighting.com

819

583%

Retail

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VegasInc Notes Arthur Burns joined the Holley Driggs Law Firm’s team of attorneys as a transactional associate attorney. Burns advises clients on a variety of transactional legal matters, including real estate Burns acquisition, contract drafting, secured transactions, formation and management of entities and intellectual property affairs. Nevada State College hired Dr. Elizabeth Gunn as dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Gunn previously served as associate dean of academic programs at Rutgers University. The Firm Public Relations & Marketing earned two 2020 MarCom Awards, which recognizes creativity in strategic communications. It received a platinum award for media placement on behalf of Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, highlighting the nonprofit’s migration and refugee services, as well as a gold award for a publicity campaign surrounding Three Square Food Bank’s East Campus grand opening. MassMedia Marketing, Advertising, PR was recognized in five categories during the Public Relations Society of America Las Vegas Valley chapter’s 24th annual PRSA Pinnacle Awards. The awards included a pinnacle award for graphic design for One Nevada Credit Union branding and membership ads; award of excellence in the most effective corporate social responsibility category for MassMedia City Impact; award of merit for reputation/brand management with the Battle Born Injury Lawyers brand awareness campaign; award of excellence for media event for the Nevada State College School of Education groundbreaking; and award of excellence in social media for MassMedia heightened agency’s overall branding and engagement. Trosper Public Relations promoted Shayna Moreno, previously the director of public relations, to vice president of corporate communications. In this role, Moreno will oversee and manage Moreno the execution of client-based communications strategies, ensuring all marketing, public relations and social media initiatives are successfully carried out. Dr. Alex Makalinao joined OptumCare

ELEVATE YOUR SPACE

Cancer Care as a medical oncology physician. The Mayor’s Fund for Las Vegas LIFE, a vehicle for corporate and philanthropic partners to support city priorities and initiatives that improve quality of life for Las Vegas residents, hired Brian McAnallen McAnallen as philanthropic initiatives manager. McAnallen, a longtime public affairs professional, previously held a position in government affairs for the city, working closely with Mayor Carolyn Goodman on her priorities and initiatives with the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Zachary Gordon was named as part of Howard & Howard’s class of 2021 shareholders. Gordon’s practice is primarily focused on protecting clients’ brands through trademark clearance, prosecution and enforcement. He counsels clients on a variety of general business matters, including drafting and negotiating license agreements and preparing franchise-related documents and disclosures.

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McCarthy Building Companies Inc. promoted Chris Fletcher to project director. Fletcher started with McCarthy 16 years ago as a project engineer at the Sandia Resort and Conference Center Fletcher in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers’ board of directors elected a new slate of officers under the leadership of a new president David Lucchese, executive vice president sales, marketing & digital for Everi. Lucchese replaces Luke Orchard for a twoyear term, while Orchard, senior vice president, chief compliance & risk management officer for IGT, moves to a vice president position for a one-year term. One-year terms were also approved for: vice president Elaine Hodgson, president/CEO, Incredible Technologies; vice president Thomas Jingoli, executive vice president, chief commercial officer, Konami Gaming; vice president Robert Parente, senior vice president, chief revenue officer, gaming, Scientific Games; secretary Eric Fisher, senior vice president and GM, Crane Payment Innovations; treasurer Hector Fernandez, president-Americas, Aristocrat Technologies; and general counsel Daron Dorsey, senior vice president and general counsel-Americas, Ainsworth Game Technology.

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