2022-10-20-Las-Vegas-Weekly

PUBLISHER

MARK DE POOTER mark.depooter@gmgvegas.com

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

KATIE DIXON katie.dixon@gmgvegas.com

EDITOR

SPENCER PATTERSON spencer.patterson@gmgvegas.com

EDITORIAL

Senior Editor GEOFF CARTER (geo .carter@gmgvegas.com)

Editor at Large BROCK RADKE (brock.radke@gmgvegas.com)

Deputy Editor EVELYN MATEOS (evelyn.mateos@gmgvegas.com)

Sta Writer SHANNON MILLER (shannon.miller@gmgvegas.com)

Sta Writer AMBER SAMPSON (amber.sampson@gmgvegas.com)

Contributing Writers GRACE DA ROCHA,HILLARY DAVIS, MIKE GRIMALA, CASEY HARRISON, KATIE ANN MCCARVER, DANNY WEBSTER

Contributing Editors RAY BREWER, JUSTIN HAGER, BRYAN HORWATH, CASE KEEFER, DAVE MONDT

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CREATIVE

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DIGITAL

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Big Jerk’s lobster tail (Wade Vandervort/ Staff)

SUPERGUIDE

Your daily events plan ner, starring Panic! At the Disco, the Golden Knights vs. Colorado and Toronto, Misery, AFAN’s Black and White Party and more.

COVER STORY

Nevada’s midterm election truly matters, locally and for the entire country. We’ve got endorsements, polling locations and much more to help you through it.

NOISE

Nostalgia for poppunk and emo is at an all-time high, as evidenced by the super-sold-out When We Were Young fest.

SCENE

It’s book fest time once again, and this year’s version has some well-known authors on the bill.

FOOD & DRINK

Carribean favorite Big Jerk goes big with its second location. Plus, we point you to great caviar, for those extra-special occasions.

VEGAS INC

A new hospital could bring better health care, and more jobs, to North Las Vegas.

MIDTERM ELECTION

SPORTS

The NBA season just tipped off, but it’s not too late to get those future bets down. Case Keefer has you covered.

Photo Illustration by Liz Brown

SUPERGUIDE

THURSDAY

DUKE DUMONT

10 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zoukgrouplv.com.

ARTS

GREEN OUR PLANET FARMERS MARKET 10 a.m., Clark County Government Center, greenourplanet.org.

USA DODGEBALL PREMIER TOUR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

BARRY MANILOW 7 p.m., thru 7/22, Westgate International Theater, ticketmaster.com.

ROBYN SCHALL 7 p.m., Wiseguys, vegas.wiseguys comedy.com.

TIN CAN SCREAMERS

KIRK MCHENRY

With Jaye Devan, Guy Fessenden, 8 & 10 p.m., thru 10/23, Delirious Comedy Club, epicentertainment lasvegas.com.

ATOMIC MAYHEM TEE VEE

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS. WINNIPEG JETS

7 p.m., T-Mobile Arena, axs.com. (Steve Marcus/ Sta )

FOOD + DRINK

Thru 10/23, times vary, Las Vegas Basketball Center, usadodgeball. leagueapps.com.

With Tristan Thorndyke’s Rock ’n’ Roll Cannibals, 10 p.m., Sand Dollar Lounge, thesanddollarlv.com.

Ft. Nickole Muse, 9 p.m., Double Down Saloon, doubledownsaloon. com.

VILLAINS NIGHT 8 p.m., the Space, thespacelv.com.

FATUM 10 p.m., Commonwealth, seetickets.us.

BOB JAMES 7 p.m., & 10/21, Myron’s, thesmithcenter.com.

COMEDY

NEON RIFFS AND LOUNGE ACTS: LAS VEGAS WRITERS ON MUSIC Las Vegas is a pretty damned good music town. True, we’re no London or Nashville, but we have seen some history made in our showrooms and on our stages: We’ve hosted the likes of Frank Sinatra and Elvis for extended stays, and our local music scene has produced such talents as Shamir and The Killers. It’s altogether fitting that the Las Vegas Writes anthology series, having covered Las Vegas past, present and future in some detail, would finally devote an edition to the city’s soundtrack. Neon Ri s and Lounge Acts: Las Vegas Writers on Music features a supergroup of Vegas writers—Jason Bracelin, Sara Brown, Betty Burston, Alycia Calvert, Brian Garth, John Glionna, Wendy Randall, Timea Sipos, Benjamin Stallings, Kelly Stith, Carlos Tkacz and Tyler Williams—ri ng on the sounds that have defined our city, from the lounges to the garages. Hear them reading the hits. 7 p.m., free, Clark County Library, thelibrarydistrict.org. –Geo Carter

FRIDAY

PANIC! AT THE DISCO With Marina, Jake Wesley Rogers, 7 p.m., T-Mobile Arena, axs.com.

SCORPIONS

With Thundermother, 6:45 p.m., Michelob Ultra Arena, ticketmaster.com.

INFECTED MUSHROOM 8 p.m., Area15 Portal, area15.com.

STEVE AOKI

10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, events. taogroup.com.

THROWBACK SIZZLING JAM Ft. Dru Hill, Silk, Ginuwine & more, 8 p.m., the Amp at Craig Ranch, goldstar.com.

A DAY TO REMEMBER With The Used, Movements, Magnolia Park, 6 p.m., Pearl Theater, ticketmaster.com.

FAT JOE 10 p.m., Drai’s Nightclub, draisgroup.com.

KATY PERRY 8 p.m., & 10/22, Resorts World Theatre, ticketmaster.com.

USHER 9 p.m., & 10/22, 10/26, Dolby Live, ticketmaster.com.

RICH THE KID

With DJ Whoo Kid, 10:30 p.m., Hakkasan Nightclub, events. taogroup.com.

MIKE ATTACK 11 a.m., Wet Republic, events.taogroup.com.

STRANGE ’90S Ft. Story of the Year Sleeping with Sirens, The Summer Set, 8 p.m., Brooklyn Bowl, ticketweb.com.

JOHN LEGEND 8 p.m., & 10/22, 10/26, Zappos Theater, ticketmaster.com.

UNLV DANCE: FIREBIRD 7:30 p.m., & 10/22, Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall, unlv.edu.

LIONEL RICHIE 8 p.m., & 10/22, Encore Theater, ticketmaster.com.

MOONFUZZ

With Los Emptys, Desert Island Boys, Sani Bronco, Sunday, Eclipse, 9 p.m., the Griffin.

MISERY

We’ve all felt the heartbreak or anger when one of our favorite characters has been killed off. What would you do if the person responsible was within reach? Synced to the spooky season, Las Vegas Little Theater brings to life Misery by Stephen King, in which romance novelist Paul Shel don is held captive by former nurse Annie Wilkes, his “No. 1 fan.” As he recovers, Annie reads his latest novel and becomes enraged when she discovers the author killed off a character, so she forces him to rewrite the story. Her anger has the author writing like his life depends on it, which it does. Thru 10/22, 8 p.m., & 10/23, 2 p.m., $30, Las Vegas Little Theater, lvlt.org. –Evelyn Mateos

FOR MORE UPCOMING EVENTS, VISIT LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM.

(Courtesy)

SUPERGUIDE

His CV almost reads like serialized fiction: A young, queer Chicano growing up in La Puente, California, becomes the teenage president of the Ramones’ West Coast fan club, then goes on to co-found The Gun Club, and play guitar for The Cramps and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. How many others can say they’ve made their mark in so many influential bands, one after the next, and done so on their own terms? Kid Congo Powers has a hell of an interesting story to share, and share it he does in his recently released memoir Some New Kind of Kick. Get a firsthand telling when Powers visits the Writer’s Block for a reading and book signing, hosted by local journalist Lissa Townsend Rodgers. 7 p.m., free, the Writer’s Block, thewritersblock.org.

–Geo Carter

SATURDAY

DOWNTOWN BREW FESTIVAL

VIP 4 p.m., GA

5 p.m., Clark County Government Center, eventbrite.com.

LAS VEGAS BOOK FESTIVAL

10 a.m., Fifth Street School, lasvegasbookfestival. com.

WHEN WE WERE YOUNG

11 a.m., & 10/23, Las Vegas Festival Grounds, whenwewereyoungfestival.com.

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS. COLORADO AVALANCHE

7 p.m., T-Mobile Arena, axs.com.

CHELSEA HANDLER

10 p.m., Mirage Theatre, mirage.mgmresorts.com.

MARSHMELLO

11 a.m., Encore Beach Club, wynnsocial.com.

SLAUGHTER

With Vixen, Sweet, 7 p.m., Fremont Street Experience, vegasexperience.com.

LOUIS THE CHILD Breathe Carolina, Emo Nite, 10 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zoukgrouplv.com.

TED SABLAY 8 p.m., 11th Street Records, tedsablay.com.

AN EVENING AT THE GRAND GUIGNOL

11 p.m., Majestic Repertory Theatre, majesticrepertory.com.

ILLENIUM

10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, events.taogroup.com.

TYGA 10:30 p.m., Marquee Nightclub, events. taogroup.com.

SCARLET

Ft. Vision Video, Priest, Julien-K, 9 p.m., Artifice, artificebarlv.com.

LIL JON 10:30 p.m., Hakkasan Nightclub, events. taogroup.com.

FUEL FEST 2-9 p.m., Las Vegas Motor Speedway, eventbrite.com.

KID CONGO POWERS

AFAN BLACK & WHITE PARTY VIP 8 p.m., GA 9 p.m., Virgin, afanlv.org. (Courtesy)

(Courtesy)

MUSIC

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS

VS. HOUSTON TEXANS

1 p.m., Allegiant Stadium, ticketmaster.com.

INGLORIOUS BURLESQUE: A TRIBUTE TO QUENTIN TARANTINO

8 p.m., Majestic Repertory Theatre, majesticrepertory.com.

DILLON FRANCIS

11 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com.

THE MAINE & MAYDAY PARADE

11:30 p.m., House of Blues, livenation.com.

CO-FERMENT

NATURAL WINE FAIR

2 p.m., Fergusons Downtown, fergusonsdowntown.com.

VEGAS VALLEY BLUES BRAWL

4 p.m., Sand Dollar Downtown, thesanddollarlv.com/ downtown.

ROB GUSON

11 a.m., Wet Republic, events.taogroup.com.

SKYE DEE MILES

7 p.m., Maxan Jazz, maxanjazz.com. (Courtesy)

MONDAY

OCT.

23 OCT.SUNDAY 24

NF HOPE CONCERT

COMEDY

Former Jersey Boys Las Vegas performer Jeff Leibow and his wife Melody Leibow have been producing this annual show gathering artists from the Strip and Broadway to raise funds for Neurofibromatosis research and advocacy for more than a decade, and it’s not just a Vegas party; it’s been held in Chicago and New York City as well. This weekend it returns to Myron’s at the Smith Center with a silent auction beginning at noon and entertainment starting at 2 p.m., including emcee Chet Buchanan, top-notch singers Clint Holmes, Michelle Johnson and Brent Barrett and Las Vegas Academy graduate and up-and-comer Breanna DeSantos. The concert will also honor longtime supporter Libby Hoover with the Advocate of Hope Award and present NF community member and inspiration Rachel Pereira with the Paul Bodner Memorial Award. 2 p.m., $49+, Myron’s, thesmithcenter.com. –Brock Radke

SUPERGUIDE

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

7:30 p.m., T-Mobile Arena, axs.com.

MONDAYS DARK 8 p.m., the Space, mondaysdark.com.

WENDY WINNER 7 p.m., the Writer’s Block, thewritersblock.org.

RICH VOS With Vargus Mason, Kathleen Dunbar, Tre Stewart, Michael Yo 7 & 9:30 p.m., thru 10/26, Comedy Cellar, ticket master.com.

DEEPAK CHOPRA: THE FUTURE OF WELLBEING

7:30, Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall, unlv.edu.

STEVE BYRNE

With Pete Giovine, Gary Cannon, 8 p.m., thru 10/30, Brad Garrett Comedy, bradgarrett comedy.com.

FOR MORE UPCOMING EVENTS, VISIT LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM.

+ DRINKSPORTS MISCPARTY ARTS COMEDY

TUESDAY

NGHTMRE

25

10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, events taogroup.com.

THE DANGEROUS SUMMER

With Like Pacific, My Kid Brothers, Wavelengths, 8 p.m., the Usual Place, eventbrite.com.

SUPERGUIDE

OFF STRIP:

TABLE FOR DEUX

8 p.m., the Space, thespacelv.com.

THE RHYOLITE SOUND

With Dallas Moore, 9 p.m., Sand Dollar Downtown, thesand dollarlv.com/downtown.

G-SPACE & SMITH

10 p.m., Discopussy, discopussydtlv.com.

WEDNESDAY

ADAM LAMBERT

8 p.m., Encore Theater, ticketmaster.com.

THE COMPOSERS SHOWCASE

9:30 p.m., Myron’s, thesmithcenter.com.

ASYLUM THEATRE: IN THE MINDS EYE

7 p.m., & 10/27. Winchester Dondero Cultural Center, asylumtheatre.org.

HORRORPOPS

With The Delta Bombers, The Dirty Hooks, 8 p.m., Fremont Country Club, eventbrite.com.

UNLV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA:

MOSTLY BRAHMS

7:30 p.m., Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall, unlv.edu.

VARIALS

With Boundaries, Orthodox, Distinguisher, Words From Aztecs, 6 p.m., American Legion Post 8, seetickets.us.

OCT.

26

CONAN GRAY

This 23-year-old YouTuber-turnedpop singer once joked that Taylor Swift “raised” him, and now he’s following in her successful footsteps. Gray quickly emerged as a prominent star of his generation after releasing debut single “Idle Town” in 2017. Next came his debut album, Kid Krow, which reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and led to a sold-out world tour. Superache, Gray’s latest project, dives deep into his personal life, acknowledging his romantic failure and di cult childhood. The Strip will be swathed in his heartbreaking indie pop when he hits the Brooklyn Bowl stage Tuesday night. With Baby Queen. 7 p.m., $35+,, Brooklyn Bowl, ticketweb.com. –Evelyn Mateos

EARTH, WIND & FIRE

8 p.m., Venetian Theatre, ticketmaster.com.

(Courtesy/Jabari Jacobs)

VISIT LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM.

(Courtesy/Brian Zi )

As women watched themselves being stripped of rights during the destruction of Roe v. Wade earlier this year, we were reminded that every time we vote to choose our leaders we embark on a new journey. Some are thrilling, some horrifying, but they are the choices we make as a society. And if we don’t show up to vote, we allow others to choose for us, sometimes with disastrous consequences. The stakes are especially high when extremists are on the ballot, as they are in Nevada. ¶ Choosing the wrong adventure in this election, and the next one in 2024, might lead to last votes of a democratic America. Here in Nevada, if we don’t vote wisely, some extremists on the ballot would like to make 2022 the last free and fair election in our state. ¶ It is that stark.

EDITORIAL A T A L E O F T W O F U T U R E S

With early voting for the 2022 general elections getting under way this weekend, Las Vegas Weekly has once again teamed up with our colleagues at the Las Vegas Sun to offer endorsements.

For the November general-election endorsements, we took a much closer look at specific policy proposals and the candidates’ knowledge and understanding of the details surrounding them. We wanted to give candidates the opportunity to go beyond partisan talking points and answer specific questions about their vision for the future of Nevada, their proposed plans and policies and their qualifications for the office they are seeking.

In the interest of getting the greatest level of participation, we invited both Republican and Democratic candidates for every federal-legislative and statewide-executive race to schedule a one-hour block of time to speak with us, either in-person or on the phone, at any time from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. during a two-week period. Every Democratic candidate participated. Only two Republicans, Sam Peters and Mark Robertson did. For candidates who didn’t participate in the interviews, we based endorsement decisions on their publicly stated policies and supporting information we could find on their websites and in the public record.

The stakes are frightening.

The 2022 general election offers a bipolar choice between the wisdom or foolishness and belief or disbelief in the institutions that have helped the United States, and its democracy, be come the most powerful and prosperous country in the world.

On one side is a vision of Nevada and of the United States put forth by a unified slate of candidates to build up business, increase public safety, strengthen public schools and defend democracy.

On the other, is a vision of Nevada and the United States from a ginned-up fever dream of fear and lies. This side offers extremist candidates who are self-aggrandizing yet uninformed, radicals who seek to tear down anything and anyone they don’t like, even if they have no plan for what to replace it with and instead only demand power. These candidates would sacrifice our economy, our education system and our democratic insti tutions in the process.

tially boiled down to 1. not promoting claims of election fraud or other unfounded vast conspiracies; 2. providing at least some specific policy proposals for addressing issues important to Neva dans; and 3. having a track record of effective leadership or civic involvement.

Despite this extremely low bar, we were still only able to en dorse 11 Republican candidates in the primary election. While the Republican voters of Nevada chose our endorsed candidates in all but one of the state legislative races, our endorsed candidates for statewide executive office were shut out in exchange for extremists and election deniers.

In June’s closed primary, our criteria for endorsement essentially boiled down to

1. not promoting claims of election fraud or other unfounded vast conspiracies;

2. providing at least some specific policy proposals for addressing issues important to Nevadans; and

3. having a track record of effective leadership or civic involvement.

To many of our readers, this binary tale of two potential futures might sound like an overly dramatized and dystopian fiction—an exaggeration akin to the click-bait that now dominates online and cable news. But after spending months researching candi dates for state and federal office, inviting them to speak to us and answer questions from our editorial board and listening to what they had to say, we believe this dystopia is at our doorsteps. Fortunately, so too is the opportunity for goodness, wisdom and progress.

In June’s closed primary, our criteria for endorsement essen

Since then, the Republican party has only gotten more extreme and more committed to dismantling laws, rights and institutions that safeguard American citizens and American democracy.

Despite compelling evidence from the com mittee investigating the deadly January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Republican lawmakers nationally refused to engage in the process and even publicly mocked it. The few Republicans who attempted to uphold their sworn duty to the Constitution were quickly ousted by members of their own party.

As the January 6 hearings were getting under way, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, turning back the clock on 50 years of set tled law and civil rights for women. Our highest court is now so politicized that many Americans view it as an arm of the Republican Party. In fact, Republicans are betting on it for conservative attacks on everything from same-sex marriage to birth control pills and even book bans in public libraries that are sure to find their way to the high court docket.

While these extreme policies are disturbing, what’s more disturbing is that Republican candidates across the country have yet to convey a policy platform that does anything other than destroy institutions that currently exist.

Their policies on health care: eliminate a woman’s right to choose, even in cases of rape and incest, and repeal the affordable care act. What will they replace it with? They don’t seem to know.

Their policies on education: gut public schools by sending pub lic money to private institutions and eliminate the Department of

EDITORIAL

Education. They don’t know what they’re replacing that with, either. Their policies on voting: massively suppress votes by eliminating early voting, mail-in voting and polling places that serve low-income communities without any plan for how to ensure swing shift workers and those working multiple jobs can still exercise their right to vote. Meanwhile, they lie and claim there’s massive voter fraud (there isn’t) and, worst of all, threaten to use their offices to literally throw out votes of people they disagree with.

The list goes on and on:

n On the environment: eliminate the EPA and replace it with … nothing; gut the clean air act and water acts and end renewable energy efforts.

n On labor: destroy unions and return all power to corporate overlords.

n On infrastructure: oppose the inflation reduction act and kick the can of the U.S.’ aging roads, bridges and power distribution sys tems down the road.

n On law enforcement: defund the FBI and federal prosecutor’s offices, replace them with nothing and let local and state elected offi cials police themselves. Your civil rights will be determined entirely by where you live, and voter suppression will ensure you can’t change the local laws.

n On guns: repeal common sense regulations and replace them with thoughts and prayers for the victims of gun massacres.

You get the picture.

Here in Nevada, Republican candidates aren’t much better.

Silver State Republicans include a candidate for Secretary of State—the state’s chief election official—who publicly declared that he would refuse to turn over for certification election results in which he didn’t believe his party should have lost. If you ever needed a rea son to run to the polls, this is it: There is a man running for office who is promising to ignore votes he disagrees with.

A candidate for Attorney General—the state’s top law enforcement advisor—who suggests that women who seek an abortion should face criminal charges akin to murder, even though Nevadans codified the right to an abortion more than 30 years ago.

A candidate for Treasurer who called for an ethics probe into the Democratic incumbent, for secretly operating the Nevada Capital In vestment Corporation out of his capitol office. She failed to recognize that the Nevada Capital Investment Corp. is a public, government-op erated entity that, according to the Nevada constitution, is chaired by the state treasurer. In other words, the GOP candidate for treasurer doesn’t even know what the treasurer’s job is.

A candidate for Governor who regularly and repeatedly hosts events at a school that teaches that gay people caused AIDS and that thinking independently and questioning church teachings is grounds for expulsion. This same candidate flip-flops on any issue to advance his career, actively engages in lies and brown-noses for the support of our disgraced ex-president Donald Trump.

A candidate for Senate who claims to represent Nevadans but invited a proponent of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository to come to Nevada and stump on his behalf. The same candidate tried to have votes of Nevadans tossed out in the last election and traded heavily in election lies.

Compare that to the Democrats both nationwide and here in Nevada.

After two years of battling the floodwaters of COVID, Nevada’s mostly Democratic Congressional and Senate delegation has found its footing under President Joe Biden. In the past two years, it has passed historic legislation to help middle-class Americans recover from the pandemic, bring high-paying manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. and Nevada, and make long-overdue investment in modern izing our economy and infrastructure while meeting the challenges of climate change. Those are not small accomplishments, and our Nevada delegation played a key role in every one of them.

Locally, Nevada’s incumbent Democrats have built strong rela tionships and worked together to make difficult decisions that saved 30,000 lives in the COVID pandemic. Now they’re overseeing one of the strongest statewide economic recoveries in the entire country, and they’ve got solid plans for what comes next.

In our endorsement interviews, each of the Democratic candi dates for statewide executive office was able to describe, in detail, the challenges they see on the horizon and how they would rise to those challenges and make Nevada a better place. Moreover, they each understood how they fit into a larger puzzle that would enable them to work together to implement solutions to fix our K-12 and higher-edu cation systems, diversify and strengthen Nevada’s economy and face the looming water crisis in the Southwest.

Many of their detailed descriptions were dry and didn’t make for good television one-liners. But across the board, each of them described concrete policy and a path toward greater prosperity for all Nevadans.

We heard none of that detail, understanding of coordination or shared vision from Republicans.

In other words, the 2022 general election is a tale of two futures. We are excited to offer our endorsement to one of those futures. And we are equally disappointed that for the first time in this magazine’s long history, we were unable to seriously consider endorsing any Republi can candidates for federal legislative or statewide executive office.

As always, we believe that incumbent candidates, including Republicans, who served the state well and demonstrated effective leadership, deserve the opportunity to continue to serve, unless a compelling reason exists to oust them. Some such reasons are as serting verifiably false information, failing to provide specific policy proposals or failing to meet even basic electoral standards. Under all circumstances, promoting election denialism renders a candidate simply unqualified for office and untrustworthy in civic life.

A T A L E O F T W O F U T U R E S C O N T I N U E D . . .

It’s a tale of two futures, and the choice is yours.

2022 CAMPAIGN ADS HAVE BEEN THE MOST MANIPULATIVE IN RECENT MEMORY

Perhaps it’s fitting that elections are held just days after Halloween. After all, the manipulative scare tactics and fear mongering of political ads that feature “scary voice guy” in a voiceover fit in perfectly with the horror-movie marathons dominating television airwaves. Campaigns have always used rhetorical tactics to distort the truth and motivate voters. But while past campaigns have sought to inspire hope and optimism, many of the ads in the 2022 election cycle were outright manipulations designed to stoke fear and play to our basest instincts about protecting our families and communities. With that said, there are real risks to rights and freedoms at stake in the 2022 election.

ABORTION

Democratic ads predicting Republicans will enact a nationwide abortion ban are a stretch, despite promises of a national ban by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). The Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision likely precludes both a nationwide ban and nation wide protections.

Nevada’s GOP candidates parse their words very carefully when claiming they won’t support an outright nationwide ban on abortion. However, these same can didates run from the more likely continued assault on women’s rights. The House and Senate have broad powers to penalize states that allow abortions and to use interstate commerce powers to punish abortion providing states and women from non-abortion states who seek abortions elsewhere. In totality, these measures could have the same effect as a national ban.

The Republican project to end abortions in this country has been conducted over decades. Nevada’s GOP candidates uniformly say they are anti-abortion, and none have pledged not to penalize states in which abortion is legal. Some, like Adam Laxalt, appear eager to prosecute women. Until there is significant reform in the party, almost no Republican candidate can be trusted to protect women’s rights.

FALSE CLAIMS ABOUT SISOLAK AND NORTHSHORE COVID TESTING

Joe Lombardo has silently cheered the false PAC ads about Gov. Sisolak’s involvement in Northshore COVID testing. The Las Vegas Sun spent weeks examining the situation and found no evidence of wrongdoing. Indeed, while there was a bit of confusion brought on by the pandemic itself, all state officials— nonpartisan, we should note—have confirmed all state licensing was done properly using the best information at the time.

The real issue, and one Sisolak has said he recognizes, is that we need a process of systematic random sampling to verify tests going forward, if we ever find ourselves in the same situation. But those ads? Don’t believe them.

INFLATION

EDITORIAL

SEXUALITY IDENTITY RIGHTS

Similarly, Democratic ads stoking fears of same-sex marriage being overturned are probably overstated.

Justice Clarence Thomas has issued opinions about overturning marriage rights for years, and no other justice has ever joined him in those opinions. Yet, it isn’t unfair to point out that Republicans are engaged in a fullscale assault on LGBTQ+ people, particularly in schools, libraries, bathrooms, sporting events and other public spaces. Moreover, they’ve shown that nothing is sacred in their war on LGBTQ+ people, promoting book bans, blatant regulations on free speech rights and even abusing the legacy of victims of sex crimes by comparing teachers who acknowledge a child with gay parents to “groomers” seeking to manipulate children into perverse sex acts.

CRIME

Republican disconnect from reality is not new. In recent months, Republican ads have blamed a rise in crime in Las Vegas on Governor Steve Sisolak, while their chosen candidate is quite literally the Clark County Sheriff. It would be laughable if it wasn’t designed to play to people’s primal fears about protect ing their families. And there is more than a slight racist tinge to some ads that feature Black people committing crimes.

Joe Lombardo bears direct responsibility for law enforcement in Clark County, and if you’re motivated by this issue, you should not cast a vote for him. He doesn’t even defend himself on this score. At a recent Trump rally, the deranged ex-president went on a rant about Clark County crime, while Lombardo stood by in mute approval. And before we hear any arguments to the contrary, let’s also be clear on this: Governors, no matter what polit ical party they belong to, do not have authority over federal immigration policy or border security.

BACK TO FACTS

The distortions that take the cake are almost certainly those that try to blame Joe Biden and Democrats for inflation and increased gas prices.

We don’t have the space here to fully run down all of the problems with blaming the president of one country for global inflation. But it’s sufficient to say that Biden wasn’t responsible for COVID coming into existence or for global supply chain issues or for China’s decision to attempt a zeroCOVID policy that is still shuttering manufacturing facilities for months at a time, even today. Nor is Biden responsible for the decision of a Russian dictator to invade his neighbor and send global fuel prices skyrocketing. Biden also isn’t responsible for the decision of OPEC+ two weeks ago to take advantage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine to artificially inflate oil prices once again.

Biden did contribute to inflation by extending COVID relief packages that infused trillions of dollars into the U.S. economy. But those infusions were necessary to prevent a depression, and it’s unfair to pin them entirely on Biden, given that almost two-thirds of the $4.5 trillion dollars in COVID relief funding was signed into law by Trump. While most of these circumstances are outside Biden’s control, there can be no doubt that families are struggling, and they need their government to step up to do what’s needed to return our economy to stability and prosperity. Nationally, the Democrats are moving forcefully on those fronts—even as Republicans who voted against the bills try to claim credit for them back home.

We believe Democratic candidates in Nevada have laid out the most compelling and clear vision of a stable and prosperous future—that’s why we’re endorsing them. And, as we have explained, we believe Republican candidates pose grave threats to democracy and civil rights. But both parties pose a threat to the idea of truth. By distorting facts and playing to our collective fears, they are driving us closer to a post-policy society, in which tribal membership outweighs thoughtful leadership.

We implore both of them to rein in their rhetoric and get back to facts.

CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO (INCUMBENT)

+Like her predecessor, Harry Reid, Catherine Cortez Masto brings a rare educational one-two punch to legislating, holding degrees in both finance and law. When combined with multiple years as a prosecutor, executive vice chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, Nevada Attorney General and now six years as a U.S. Senator, she is unquestionably among the most qualified candidates in Nevada history.

As a first-term Senator, she was incredibly productive—success she attributes to listening, being patient and “having everything I do be informed by Nevadans.” That collaborative attitude has also earned her a rare combination of endorsements that include everyone from national environmental groups and social- and economic-justice organizations to the Nevada Association of Public Safety O cers and Professional Firefighters of Nevada.

In our interview with her, we were particularly impressed by her discussion of criminal justice. As a former prosecutor, she was unapologetic in her tough-on-crime stance that “there is a criminal element that will prey on people.” Yet she also spoke about treating people with dignity and compassion and the need for community policing that does a better job of meeting people’s needs.

During her first term, Nevada’s first Latina Senator demonstrated that she can be trusted to translate words into actions. One example: when advocated for resources and funding to help secure the border and protect border patrol agents, while simultaneously advocating for treating undocumented immigrants who are already in the United States with dignity and respect—valuing the important contributions they make to our culture and economy.

With control of the Senate likely determining the future of civil rights and liberties in the U.S., every Senate seat matters. That’s reason enough to support Cortez Masto. As is the fact that her opponent is a dangerous conspiracy theorist who has openly stated that the will of the people of Nevada is irrelevant to him.

Add to all of those negative reasons the fact that Cortez Masto was a powerful and highly e ective force advocating for Nevada in her first term, and there can be no question that she richly deserves a second term.

Cortez Masto

THE STAKES

In one of the most closely watched elections of the 2022 election cycle, Republicans are looking to capture a majority in the U.S. Senate by unseating current Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. The current makeup of the U.S. Senate is split 50-50 along party lines, with Vice President Kamala Harris holding the tie-breaking vote.

The Senate has the power to approve treaties and con rm cabinet secretaries, ambassadors and federal judges, but its most important power is its ability to pass federal laws. With Republicans all but promising to pass regressive policies that roll back civil rights, maintaining control of the Senate is essential if Democrats are to prevent a nationwide ban on abortions and same-sex marriage and protect women’s rights and other basic freedoms. Voters of Nevada should take note: The entire nation might depend on whether we show up to the polls.

U.S. SENATE ENDORSEMENTS

Laxalt

ADAM LAXALT

Adam Laxalt is a case study in the dangerous evolution of the Republican party.

His grandfather, former Nevada Governor and U.S. Senator Paul Laxalt, was a Republican known for working across the aisle to build coalitions and identify compromises. He negotiated several key bills and appointments with then-Senator Joe Biden, was a champion of public education and even led the charge to purge John Birch Society extremists from the Republican Party.

Unfortunately for Nevada, Adam Laxalt is not his grandfather. He declined to participate in our endorsement process and has instead invested in actively courting support from the most extreme elements of American politics. His website proudly displays endorsements from deep state conspiracy theorists like radio host Mark Levin, who repeatedly asserted that Barack Obama was a terrorist member of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Setting aside the legacy of his grandfather and his supporters, Laxalt has demonstrated that he is an extremist with a clear disregard for the interests of anyone but himself. The former co-chair of Donald Trump’s reelection campaign, Laxalt has repeatedly made unfounded conspiratorial claims of large-scale voter fraud and election denialism and has actively opposed attempts to expand access to voting by legal U.S. citizens.

His selfish disregard for the welfare of others is also on display in his economic policies. When asked about Latino-owned small businesses that had yet to reopen after the pandemic, Laxalt took the opportunity to score political points by saying it was good that those businesses hadn’t reopened, because people would blame Democrats. In a similarly disturbing statement, Laxalt acknowledged that President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would create new jobs in Nevada but said it was bad because those jobs “would compete directly with certain Nevada businesses who already can’t find workers.”

In his very next sentence, Laxalt then blamed Democrats for “the worst unemployment of any state in the nation.”

In short, Laxalt is a dangerous, nonsensical conspiracy theorist who cares about nothing other than his own personal power and political ambitions. He must be rejected.

Titus

DINA TITUS (INCUMBENT)

+With 30 years of legislative service to her name, Dina Titus has a proven track record as a pragmatic leader who gets things done for Nevadans. She is also among the most visible and accessible of all Congressional representatives, traveling back to Southern Nevada almost every weekend to meet with constituents and support small businesses and events in her district.

As a member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and chairwoman of the subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, Titus is well-positioned to ensure the future economic growth of Nevada and to help ensure Nevada is fairly represented in negotiations around the looming water crisis and in large transportation infrastructure projects. The subcommittee oversees many federal real estate and economic development programs, an especially important position in a state in which 63% of the land is owned by the federal government.

Titus is also a member of the powerful Committee on Foreign A airs, and she impressed us with her detailed policy proposals related to immigration. Titus discussed a nuanced plan for overhauling the current immigration systems. Her proposals include significant investments in border security including investments in high-tech solutions like drones and large-scale vehicle X-ray machines. Those security upgrades would be combined with an overhaul of the legal immigration, best summarized by her statement that, “Folks shouldn’t be left for years without knowing their immigration status.”

In short, Titus is a veteran legislator with a proven track record of getting things done and serving the interests of Nevadans. Simultaneously, she is an active and prolific member of our own communities who is deeply connected to the local people, businesses and organizations that drive Nevada’s diverse culture and economy. Far from the stereotypical trope of a disconnected career politician, Titus shows us the best of what can happen when a legislator combines passion and connection to their community with an insider’s knowledge of the Capitol. We believe she will continue to deliver for the people of Nevada, and we endorse her in the strongest possible terms.

THE STAKES

The other half of the federal legislature, the House is intended to serve as the voice of the people. In addition to introducing and passing laws, the House also holds the “power of the purse,” giving it signi cant authority over the budget process for funding government functions and programs. The House may also hold hearings and perform oversight functions of the executive branch.

MARK ROBERTSON

One of the few Republicans to respond to our invitation to be interviewed for an endorsement, Mark Robertson is a 30-year veteran of the United States armed forces who gave us some hope that the Republican party might someday return to legitimacy.

While his positions on issues like same-sex marriage (he calls it a state’s rights issue), voting rights (he wants to eliminate universal mail ballots), K-12 education (he supports vouchers) and banning high-capacity magazines (he’s against a ban) were disqualifying to us in terms of an endorsement, we found his demeanor, knowledge and moderation refreshing.

During the course of our interview he acknowledged that the broken U.S. budget system is the fault of both parties, said there is wasteful spending in the Department of Defense and offered kudos to former President Barack Obama for making real attempts at comprehensive immigration reform.

We also thought his proposal to increase training requirements for gun buyers under the age of 21 was a novel approach.

If the Republican Party is to find its way back to mainstream conservative thinking, people like Robertson can lead the way. While using some MAGA-like language, he is clearly not a MAGA Republican. We wish he would assume the mantle of the Nevada Republican Party and replace the wild extremists now there.

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ENDORSEMENTS

Lee

SUSIE LEE (INCUMBENT)

+Despite being the junior member of Nevada’s congressional delegation, Susie Lee has already established herself as an expert and fierce advocate for children, schools, education and safer and healthier communities.

As a member of the Problem Solvers caucus (along with Congressman Steven Horsford), Lee has built strong relationships across the aisle and was rated the 10th most bipartisan legislator among the House’s 435 members, according to the Lugar Center and McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. The Problem Solvers are a bipartisan group of legislators with an equal number of Democrats and Republicans who meet every week to find common ground on legislation.

Not surprisingly, Lee’s most nuanced proposals were in the field of education, where she discussed the need to increase transparency in the student lending system, decrease predatory interest rates, increase Pell Grant access, enforce fiduciary responsibilities of for-profit lenders and pass legislation that addresses the sources of runaway student debt rather than providing temporary treatments for the symptoms. We believe that each of these proposals will help bring opportunities for prosperity to Nevada families.

She also provided the most detailed policy proposals for addressing the Southwest’s looming water crisis, including proposed legislation to gather more accurate data on water usage and water reclamation and proposals to provide support for farmers transitioning to less water-intensive crops. More than anything, however, she understood the urgency of the problem, saying, “Water rights are only important if you have water.”

In other words, despite being the newest member of Nevada’s Congressional delegation and one of the newest among all legislators in the Southwest, Lee is, we believe, leaps and bounds ahead of many of her colleagues in understanding the real issues facing Nevadans. She recognizes the transformational power of education and the need to fix Nevada’s broken education system. She recognizes the urgency of the climate change crisis and its subsequent impact on water, power, agriculture and the 40 million people who rely on the Colorado River for their livelihood. And she has clear and achievable plans for addressing it.

Add to her qualifications that she is not a conspiratorial election denier trying to destroy democracy like her opponent, and it’s clear that Lee is the right choice for Nevada and deserves another term.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ENDORSEMENTS

Becker

APRIL BECKER

Like Adam Laxalt, April Becker is an election-denying conspiracy theorist who lies by omission, hiding her stances on issues that are important to Nevadans by simply refusing to discuss the details.

This helps explain why she was the only Southern Nevada Congressional candidate of either party who didn’t respond to our invitation for an endorsement interview.

A judge tossed out her lawsuit demanding a redo of her failed 2020 State Senate run, and multiple judges have dismissed multiple cases Becker supported alleging fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Becker has refused to answer any questions or provide any details whatsoever about fraud she alleges was so massive as to change the outcome of the elections.

As you might expect, Becker didn’t challenge the results of the 2022 primary that she won, suggesting that in her mind, voter fraud only exists when she doesn’t like the results.

Put into context, her position should frighten all of us. A candidate for U.S. Congress is promoting several bald-faced lies that seek to discredit the legitimacy of the President of the United States and the legitimacy of elections in the United States more generally. She is essentially arguing that her party and her supporters should be the assumed winners of all elections and that any race that they lose must be fraudulent. And she’s doing it without any evidence whatsoever.

In short, Becker is unfit to hold public o ce at any level, let alone as a member of the United States House of Representatives.

BALLOT QUESTION 1: EQUAL PROTECTION [VOTE YES]

Shall the Nevada Constitution be amended by adding a specific guarantee that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by this State or any of its cities, counties or other political subdivisions on account of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry, or national origin?

This amendment to the Nevada State Constitution is long overdue and seeks to enshrine a constitutional right against discrimination for all Nevadans.

While many of the provisions of this amendment already exist under a patchwork of local, state and federal law, there are

gaps in those protections, and their application has been far from predictable or consistent. Moreover, without having those protections enshrined in the Constitution, they can be easily modified or repealed.

We strongly endorse voting “Yes” on Question 1.

Horsford

STEVEN HORSFORD (INCUMBENT)

With more than a decade of combined service in Congress and the Nevada State Senate, Steven Horsford has proven himself a strong advocate for Nevada families, seeking to provide long-term stability and prosperity to meet people’s needs and reduce reliance on short-term assistance programs.

In the most recent term, Horsford secured more than $820 million for the people of Nevada and helped thousands of constituents get access to a ordable health care, lower prescription costs and job training programs. He also introduced legislation to rein in the cost of housing and increase grants to states to produce and preserve a ordable housing for low-income households.

Most impressively, he has passed much of his legislation with bipartisan support, using his position on the Problem Solver’s caucus to build coalitions and deliver for Nevadans of all backgrounds and political stripes. The Problem Solvers are a bipartisan group of legislators with an equal number of Democrats and Republicans who meet every week to find common ground on legislation.

In our interview, we were particularly impressed by Horsford’s intentionality in including rural and underserved communities in his legislative proposals, and his understanding that, as he said, “People need to see hope.”

As a former small business owner and former CEO of the Culinary Training Academy, Horsford has a unique perspective on the economy of Southern Nevada and its reliance on small business owners and service and hospitality workers. Congressman Horsford is working to expand federal support for small businesses and create new pathways to entrepreneurship.

That unique perspective is perhaps what motivated what we found to be the most novel and potentially transformative policy proposal among all of the candidates we interviewed: legislation to make Pell Grants available to students in non-degree skills training and trade programs.

In short, Horsford is the type of legislator Americans talk about wanting more of. He’s a true working-class legislator with a deep personal understanding of both the struggles of the middle class and the importance of supporting a strong middle-class. He has repeatedly delivered for Nevada and deserves the opportunity to continue doing so.

ENDORSEMENTS

Peters

SAM PETERS

Of all the Republicans we have spoken to during this election cycle, Sam Peters is perhaps the most unapologetic cheerleader of Donald Trump’s scorched-earth model of America First governance and the QAnon conspiracies that come with it.

During his one-hour interview, he danced around issues of election denialism, distorted facts about legislative proposals, historic events and foreign aid packages that were endorsed by his own party leadership. He also refused to provide any details of his plans to significantly overhaul the U.S. immigration system outside of “securing the border” and “stopping the flow of illegal immigrants into the country.”

When pressed on how to handle people already in the country, such as DACA recipients, Peters engaged in the most blatant examples of avoiding the question of any candidate we interviewed. We came away with the distinct impression that Peters would do everything in his power to remove undocumented people from the country even if they were educated, productive, contributing members of society with no criminal record, and even if the U.S. was the only home they had ever known.

While we appreciate Peters’ willingness to engage in the endorsement process, he didn’t answer any of our questions in a detailed or meaningful way. Even when he attempted to answer questions thoughtfully, he lacked specific knowledge and detail to provide a meaningful answer. As a result, he spent much of the interview making unfounded partisan attacks and accusations and promoting conspiracy. Put simply, he is an extremist, and we oppose his candidacy in the strongest possible terms.

BALLOT QUESTION 2: MINIMUM WAGE [VOTE YES]

Shall the Nevada Constitution be amended, e ective July 1, 2024, to: (1) establish the State’s minimum wage that employers must pay to certain employees at a rate of $12 per hour worked, subject to any applicable increases above that $12 rate provided by federal law or enacted by the Nevada Legislature; (2) remove the existing provisions setting di erent rates for the minimum wage based on whether the employer o ers certain health benefits to such employees; and (3) remove the existing provisions for adjusting the minimum wage based on applicable increases in the cost of living?

Question 2 raises the minimum wage for all Nevadans from $10.50 to $12 and eliminates exceptions that allow certain employers under certain circumstances to pay less than minimum wage. It also provides predictability for employers by setting the minimum wage to a fixed dollar amount without adjustments for cost of living.

This amendment is a win-win for both workers and employers, and we encourage Nevadans to vote “Yes” on Question 2.

Governor

STEVE SISOLAK (INCUMBENT)

The first Democrat elected Governor in more than 20 years, Steve Sisolak successfully led the state through a global pandemic and a subsequent economic downturn.

His opponents have spread a blatantly false narrative of cronyism in the Governor’s o ce during Sisolak’s tenure, pointing to the Northshore Labs scandal as evidence. But an independent investigation by the Las Vegas Sun demonstrated that Sisolak acted in good faith, engaged in no wrong-doing and is fully cooperating with a federal inquiry into Northshore.

In reality, during this time of extraordinary crisis, Sisolak showed us steady, calm and resolute leadership. He also delivered the overwhelming majority of his big-ticket campaign promises, including raising the minimum wage, expanding the small-business assistance program, updating the K-12 funding formula and boosting Medicaid reimbursement rates.

Not satisfied with simply resting on his successes thus far, Sisolak has an even more ambitious plan for restoring Nevada’s broken education system and diversifying the economy—two goals he views as inextricably linked.

While he has already increased per-pupil funding in Nevada’s K-12 system, Sisolak believes we can do more to ensure student success, starting by ensuring that classrooms are safe, teachers are supported and children have access to the resources they need to thrive. This means increasing access to technology, broadband, health care, nutritious meals and skills-based education like building trades, especially in rural communities. Sisolak said that for many Nevadans, higher education is out of reach unless they can “earn while they learn.”

With greater access to a variety of skills, trades and educational opportunities, combined with Nevada’s great weather and business friendly tax environment, Sisolak believes Nevada’s economy will expand and diversify. Sisolak also expresses a determination to ensure rural areas of the state are not left behind. “Education is a primary reason business doesn’t want to move here,” Sisolak said during our interview. “We’ve put a lot of money into law school, medical school and professions. Those are important, but they don’t serve all Nevadans. A lot of kids just want a chance.”

He envisions a future in which good-paying jobs exist in a wide variety of industries that go beyond mining, ranching and hospitality and expand to include health care, energy and even the film and television industry.

We share that vision, and we believe Steve Sisolak is the man to get us there.

THE STAKES

The governor is the head of the executive branch in Nevada and is constitutionally granted the “supreme executive power of this State.” With the power to approve or veto laws, prepare the state’s two-year executive budget, grant pardons and command the state’s national guard forces, the Governor has signi cant power in establishing the state’s short-term goals, priorities and operations.

JOE LOMBARDO

Joe Lombardo is a liar and a snake oil salesman who will say or do anything to gain power.

Yes, you read that sentence correctly, and yes, it is harsh. It is also the truth.

Lombardo has already abused the memories of victims of the October 1 Route 91 Harvest Music Festival massacre, ignoring them and their families’ su ering for the sake of political expediency.

In the aftermath of the shooting, with national media attention focused on him, Lombardo pledged to support common sense gun-control, such as universal background checks and restrictions on certain high-capacity magazines. Later, after announcing he would seek the Republican-party nomination for Governor, Lombardo changed his tune and became a gunrights absolutist.

He did the same thing to his former friend, Gov. Steve Sisolak, whom he donated to, volunteered for and then turned on— even falsely accusing him of corruption and cronyism—simply to appeal to Lombardo’s MAGA base.

And while he has never directly accused fellow Republican and current Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske of conspiratorial accusations of mass voter fraud and election denialism, he has been spineless in his silence.

If Lombardo believes there is evidence to support a claim of mass election fraud in Clark County, he has a responsibility as sheri to investigate, which he has not done. If he does not believe there is evidence, he has a moral and ethical obligation to defend the railroaded Cegavske. Instead, he has chosen silence—sitting back and watching the mob unjustly tear down the target of its rage so that Lombardo can stay safe, neutral and comfortable, remaining quiet as Cegavske was publicly sacrificed for Lombardo’s political gain.

Of course, sacrificing others for his own comfort is typical of Lombardo. His policy proposals include sacrificing our public schools so that he no longer has to be responsible for them, sacrificing lives to increase corporate profits and sacrificing women to achieve his supporters’ ideological special interests.

He is a coward who is so afraid to answer di cult questions, he didn’t even respond to our invitation to participate in an endorsement interview and has refused to participate in all but one debate. He stands for nothing, has no ideas and only wants to assume the o ce so he can be a lickspittle for MAGA world.

He is yet another dangerous liar and conspiracy theorist who cannot be trusted. The people of Nevada should reject him as their Governor—and reject him from holding public o ce ever again.

THE STAKES

While the o ce is largely symbolic, the lieutenant governor is rst in the line of succession if the governor dies or is permanently incapacitated. The lieutenant governor also serves as the tie-breaking vote in the State Senate and on several boards and commissions. The position also oversees several o ces, including chairing the Keep Nevada Working Task Force and the Nevada Commission on Tourism.

ELIZABETH “LISA” CANO BURKHEAD (INCUMBENT)

A first-generation American Latina, Lisa Cano Burkhead embodies the American dream—with a unique Las Vegas twist. She was born in Las Vegas to a father who worked as a casino porter and blackjack dealer and a mother who worked as a seamstress for several Las Vegas shows. A true product of the Las Vegas Valley, Cano Burkhead understands the day-to-day lives of Nevada’s many hospitality and casino workers.

During her brief 10 months in o ce, Cano Burkhead has taken that knowledge and used it to promote tourism, small businesses and employment opportunities for all Nevadans.

Among her first acts was overseeing the launch of the state’s new O ce of Small Business Advocacy, a one-stop shop for small businesses seeking information and access to government resources and support. Under her leadership, the o ce is now providing services to business owners in multiple languages, connecting small businesses with federal grant opportunities and tearing down barriers for entrepreneurs seeking to start a small business. Cano Burkhead also chairs the Keep Nevada Working task force to help connect new Americans with opportunities for education, work and job training.

As a career teacher, Cano Burkhead understands the value of education. In our endorsement interview, she emphasized redefining what it means to be an educator by rebuilding the pipeline of teachers, providing training on new and emerging trends and technologies, and supporting mentoring programs that help connect respected veteran educators with teachers new to the profession.

In short, Lisa Cano Burkhead shows what a visionary leader can accomplish, even in a position with limited power. We believe the Governor made an excellent choice in appointing her and that she is well deserving of a full term to pursue her vision for Nevada.

STATE RACES ENDORSEMENTS

STAVROS ANTHONY

The only Republican candidate for statewide executive o ce to respond to our endorsement invitation, Stavros Anthony later canceled his interview and did not reschedule. He did respond to a survey sent out by the Las Vegas Sun newsroom, however.

In response to the question, “Do you believe there was enough meaningful voter fraud in the 2020 election to sway its outcome?” he said, “[I] don’t know since voter fraud allegations were never investigated.” Apparently, he didn’t read the opinion of a Nevada District Judge declaring that there was “no credible or reliable evidence” of fraud.

Or the Nevada Supreme Court’s opinion, which found that, “Most of these declarations [of fraud] were self-serving statements of little or no evidentiary value.”

Or the 72-page report issued by former judges and Republican Senators who investigated every claim of election fraud presented by Trump and his supporters. In the report they emphasized that, “There is absolutely no evidence of fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election on the magnitude necessary to shift the result in any state, let alone the nation as a whole.”

As bad as it is to be a sore loser who can’t accept defeat, Stavros Anthony has gone even further. He has invented a false narrative of election fraud and called the integrity of our electoral system into question. And now, after multiple investigations and judicial hearings, he has the audacity to claim that the issue was “never investigated.” This is childish and conspiratorial behavior at its worst and it has no place in our state executive o ce.

Lieutenant Governor

Attorney General

AARON FORD (INCUMBENT)

The former Majority and Minority Leader in the Nevada state legislature, Aaron Ford formed relationships with government, business and community stakeholders that have allowed him to become one of the most e ective Attorney Generals in state history.

Ford describes the job of the Attorney General as pursuing justice for all Nevadans. “Whether a person has lived here for three months, three years, or three generations,” Ford says, “you are part of the Nevada family.”

Under his direction, the AG’s o ce secured more than $85 million in consumer protection recoveries and nearly $300 million in settlements on behalf of families who su ered due to the pharmaceutical company-fueled opioid epidemic. If reelected, he plans to immediately introduce a bill draft request to help stop the flow of fentanyl into Nevada communities and prosecute those manufacturing or transporting the dangerous drug in our state.

Ford has also made unprecedented progress in catching up on Nevada’s backlog of nearly 8,000 previously untested rape kits and convened summits to address the state’s crisis of human tra cking.

While tough on crime, Ford is also a staunch defender of civil and constitutional rights. He has pledged not to share information about or engage in prosecution of women who travel to Nevada seeking an abortion. He has also implemented police reforms that ban chokeholds and crack down on o cers with a track record of misconduct being transferred and passed around the state. And Ford successfully passed two bills to limit the use of noknock warrants and authorize the AG’s o ce to conduct patterns-or-practices investigations to improve relationships between police and communities.

Ford has earned endorsements from more than a dozen di erent law enforcement organizations and associations and also earned the endorsement of multiple leaders in the Republican party, including Michael Roberson, the former Republican Leader of the Nevada State Senate; Amy Tarkanian, the former Chair of the Nevada State GOP; and former Congressman Jon Porter.

Ford is an excellent attorney and legal advisor. But more importantly he is an excellent relationship builder who has earned the respect of Nevadans of all backgrounds and stripes. We are proud to o er our endorsement.

THE STAKES

The attorney general is Nevada’s top legal advisor and law enforcement agent. The attorney general represents the state in court, provides legal advice to executive o cers and agencies and works to protect the people of the state against fraud, faulty products and overreach by the federal government.

SIGAL CHATTAH

Several months ago, Sigal Chattah sent a text message stating that current AG Aaron Ford, a Black man, should be hung from a crane. As we stated in our primary endorsement edition, she was at best making a horrific joke about violence against a government o cial, or at worst advocating for a public lynching.

If we knew nothing else about Chattah, that would be enough for us to decline to endorse her. Violence against public o cials is not a joke and clearly is disqualifying for someone seeking the highest law enforcement position in the state.

We know even more, however. And all of it points to her being either mean-spirited and manipulative or just plain uninformed. Either way, she is unfit for public o ce.

Chattah did not respond to our invitation to participate in the endorsement process, but her campaign website blames former President Barack Obama for “the real estate crisis and market crash brought on by the Great Recession.” It’s an interesting assertion, given that Obama wasn’t inaugurated until 13 months after the o cial start of the recession and nearly two years after the subprime mortgage crisis. Of course, facts like what year things actually occurred would be inconvenient for Chattah’s narrative and ambitions.

She is also an extremist who made public statements about prosecuting women who seek abortions in Nevada, accused teachers who acknowledge the existence of LGBTQ families of grooming children and “normalizing sexual deviance,” and has significant ties to election deniers and conspiracy-driven insurrectionists.

We do not believe Chattah, if elected to serve as the state’s top cop, could be trusted to enforce laws fairly, equally, or even lawfully. She must be rejected.

THE STAKES

The Nevada Secretary of State race might not be as “sexy” or well-known as races further up the ballot, but it is perhaps the most important position to the preservation of our democracy. In the wake of the 2020 U.S. Presidential election and Donald Trump’s lies about a conspiracy to steal the election, the o ce overseeing elections in Nevada has taken on a new importance. In addition to establishing regulations and procedures to comply with Nevada election law, the Secretary of State has authority over the locations and sta ng of polling places, securing and counting ballots and submitting the results for certi cation. The Secretary of State also plays an important role in business licensing, securities and registration, making it an essential o ce for Nevada’s future economic sustainability and prosperity.

Secretary of State

CISCO AGUILAR

+If Cisco Aguilar proves to be half as intelligent, well-spoken and e ective as Secretary of State as he was in our endorsement interview, the most impressive candidate we had the privilege of learning about might soon be found in the Governor’s mansion. He is an extraordinary candidate for public o ce.

In just one hour, Aguilar successfully laid out a comprehensive strategy for streamlining the state’s corporate filing system, restoring faith in the state’s election system and protecting election workers from harassment and intimidation.

His plan to overhaul SilverFlume, the state’s aging corporate securities system, is centered on the needs of the system’s users with the goal of simplifying and streamlining mandatory legal filings for small businesses, nonprofits and major corporations.

To restore faith in the election, Aguilar plans to conduct outreach to underserved communities in the state, including Latinos, tribal communities and rural communities. He hopes to learn where they have concerns about Nevada’s electoral processes and address them directly and in a personal way. By speaking with them directly, he also hopes to identify ways in which the Secretary of State’s o ce can promote engagement and participation in future elections.

Most importantly, Aguilar is committed to holding free and fair elections, counting every legally cast ballot in the state and prosecuting anyone who commits voter fraud or attempts to illegally influence the outcome of Nevada’s elections. He has committed to submitting the results of the election for certification, no matter whether the winner is a member of Aguilar’s political party or not.

Cisco Aguilar is the only responsible choice for Secretary of State, and a failure to elect him will have dire consequences for the state.

JIM MARCHANT

In contrast to Aguilar’s commitment to promoting participation and ensuring the votes of every Nevadan are counted, Jim Marchant has gone on record repeatedly stating that he would not have certified the results of the 2020 elections and will not certify the results of elections in which he believes his preferred candidate should have lost.

Pay attention to him: This candidate for Secretary of State is running on promises to deny Nevadans of fair elections. A vote for Marchant might be the last vote you cast in a free and fair election in Nevada.

Less than two weeks ago, he promised a crowd of supporters that no matter how Americans vote in 2024, if he is the Secretary of State, he will guarantee that Trump will be installed as President.

“President Trump and I lost an election in 2020 because of a rigged election,” Marchant said. “When my coalition of secretary of state candidates around the country get elected, we’re gonna fix the whole country, and President Trump is gonna be president again.”

One of the most vocal advocates for the false conspiracy theory of mass election fraud, Marchant has also espoused policy positions that would have the e ect of disenfranchising tens of thousands of low-income and rural Nevadans of the right to vote.

Given the Secretary of State’s power over elections, Marchant poses what is perhaps the greatest threat to democracy Nevada has ever seen. He must be rejected at all costs.

Treasurer

ZACH CONINE (INCUMBENT)

To describe Zach Conine as a policy wonk would be an understatement.

Rarely has our editorial board witnessed a candidate for Treasurer express so much excitement and passion for managing state accounts.

And he is objectively good at his job, leading Nevada to its highest credit rating in state history.

Conine’s excitement, however, doesn’t seem to come from his success. Rather, it comes from his belief that when run properly, the Treasurer’s o ce can have a significant positive impact on the lives of Nevadans.

During his first term, Conine helped state finances weather the unpredictability of COVID, leading to an upgrade in Nevada’s credit rating and one of the fastest recoveries of any U.S. state. During that time, he also helped return $10 million dollars in unclaimed property to Nevadans by spearheading a program that—for the first time in state history—reached out to Nevadans to inform them of their unclaimed property, rather than waiting for them to discover it on their own.

Even more impressively, he accomplished all of that while managing the finances of the only state in the country that has neither a full-time legislature nor a procedure by which it could borrow emergency money.

Conine also led e orts to bring more federal dollars into Nevada, drafting legislation to better position the state to receive federal grants. He believes that as much as $500 million dollars in federal funding is left on the table each year.

We o er our endorsement to Conine without reservation and believe that the state will prosper under his financial leadership.

THE STAKES

In simplest terms, the Treasurer is the state’s chief investment o cer. The Treasurer manages billions of dollars in state assets, including the state’s portfolio of stock and bond investments; the Nevada prepaid tuition, scholarship and college savings account programs; and the unclaimed property program, among others. Ultimately, the management of these assets in uences the state’s credit and bond rating and scal solvency, leading to hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and savings or similar increases in debts and expenses.

MICHELE FIORE

Standing in stark comparison to Conine’s measured and knowledgeable approach to managing state finances, Michele Fiore is perhaps the most unqualified candidate to seek the o ce of the treasury in Nevada’s history.

She touts her 31 years of experience as a business owner, but the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has filed dozens of tax liens against Fiore and her home health care businesses—not exactly an inspiring backstory for someone who wants to manage our state’s investment portfolio.

She has also seen her business licenses voided for failure to comply with basic inspection and audit requirements—a requirement she would also have to fulfill as the Treasurer. Despite her failures, Ralston Reports wrote that Fiore received $6 million in taxpayer-funded Medicare reimbursements prior to being shut down.

If all of that weren’t enough, what is perhaps most concerning is that Fiore seems to believe she is entitled to a public o ce when she doesn’t even know what the responsibilities of that o ce are.

Her campaign website states, “My mission is simple—to keep freedoms for our families so that our legacies can live on infi nitely, working together in a healthy environment.” But unless Fiore is planning to hold the state hostage by withholding paychecks or refusing to pay debts to people with whom she disagrees, her role within the Treasurer’s o ce would have little if anything to do with safeguarding freedoms.

She further underscored her ignorance of the position last month, when she called for an ethics investigation and an explanation from Conine for his involvement in the Nevada Capital Investment Corporation (NCIC). Fiore accused the Treasurer of secretly operating a “questionable” private business out of the “same o ce where Nevadans’ public funds are managed,” failing to recognize that the NCIC is a government entity that Conine is constitutionally required to manage as the Treasurer.

In short, Fiore knows nothing about the o ce for which she is running. Electing her to manage billions of dollars in stateheld funds would put Nevada’s entire economy at risk.

THE STAKES

The Controller is the Chief Fiscal O cer (CFO) of the state and is responsible for administering the state’s accounting system, registering vendors, settling all claims against the state and collecting debts owed to the state. The Controller’s ability to operate e ciently and e ectively can have signi cant rami cations for Nevada businesses, courts and long-term nancial health.

ELLEN SPIEGEL

Ellen Spiegel is the first to admit that, “Nobody knows what the controller does.” But as a candidate for the state’s Chief Fiscal O cer, she wants you to know that the Controller can help improve the lives of Nevadans everywhere.

The former five-term assemblywoman has proven herself to be an e ective leader and advocate for all Nevadans. Her legislative accomplishments include bills signed by three di erent governors representing both political parties. Combine that with her education and experience in technology, economics and commerce, and we believe she is among the most highly qualified candidates to ever seek the position of Controller.

STATE RACES ENDORSEMENTS

Controller

ANDY MATTHEWS

Andy Matthews didn’t respond to our endorsement interview invitation, which is unfortunate because we would have liked to learn more about the Assemblyman’s plans for increased government e ciency and transparency.

For a position with little direct power, Spiegel laid out a compelling case for how the controller’s o ce can infuse hundreds of millions of dollars into Nevada’s economy and jump-start a small-business revolution in communities across the state.

It starts by simply getting organized and collecting the hundreds of millions of dollars in debts that are already owed to the state. That money could then be used to support her proposed Right Track Program. The program would grant free, six-month provisional business licenses to entrepreneurs seeking to start a small business, in exchange for agreeing to mentorship.

The goal is that more people would be incentivized to legally pursue their dreams of small-business ownership, and the percentage of small businesses that fail would decrease. This would ultimately lead to greater economic activity, fewer businesses operating without a license, a more diversified economy, fewer people receiving government benefits, and an increased potential for the next big idea to come out of Nevada. All that would come for the cost of a six-month business license ($100-$250 dollars for most business types).

Spiegel’s tremendous vision for the state is inspiring. And her résumé backs up her ability to build coalitions and deliver big results for all Nevadans. Her plans will maximize the use of state resources to get the most benefit from our limited finances. We are proud to o er our endorsement.

We would also like to ask him about his beliefs about voter fraud, the 2020 election and whether Joe Biden is the legitimately elected President. While elections do not specifically fall under Matthews’ purview, his authority over state finances, vendors and claims makes us leery of his close connections to extremist conspiracy theorists like Adam Laxalt, Stavros Anthony, Sam Peters and Michele Fiore—all of whom are listed near the top of Matthews’ list of endorsements.

Given these connections and Matthews’ decision to ignore our invitation, we fear that Matthews is not only unfit for the o ce of controller but is a potential threat to the stability and well-being of Nevada as a state.

State races

STATE SENATE

Senate District 2

4 Edgar Flores (D)

Leo Henderson (R)

Senate District 8

4 Marilyn Dondero Loop, Incumbent (D)

Joey Paulos (R)

Senate District 9

4 Melanie Scheible, Incumbent (D) Tina Brown (R)

Senate District 10

4 Fabian Donate, Incumbent (D)

Philip Graviet (R) Chris Cunningham (L)

Senate District 12

4 Julie Ann Pazina (D) Cherlyn Arrington (R)

Senate District 20

4 No Endorsement

We cannot offer our endorsement to Democrat Brent Foutz, as we don’t believe we know enough about him and his policy positions. We feel compelled to note, however, that the other two candidates are proposing dangerous and extreme departures from governance as we know it.

Senate District 21

4 James Ohrenschall, Incumbent (D)

April Larsen (R)

STATE ASSEMBLY

Assembly District 1

4 Daniele Monroe-Moreno, Incumbent (D) Patrick McAteeMacRae (NPP)

Garland Lee Brinkley (R)

Assembly District 2

4 Heidi Kasama, Incumbent (R) Nick Christenson (D) Jason Bednarz (L)

Assembly District 3

4 Selena Elizabeth Torres, Incumbent (D) Joshua Lemack (R)

Assembly District 4

4 Richard McArthur, Incumbent (R) Darby Lee Burns (L)

Assembly District 5

4 Brittney Miller, Incumbent (D) Ronald Morgan (L) Kelly Quinn (R)

Assembly District 6

4 Shondra SummersArmstrong, Incumbent (D) Kathryn “Kat” Rios (R)

Assembly District 7

4 Cameron Homer “C.H.” Miller, Incumbent (D) Anthony “Tony” Palmer (R)

Assembly District 8

4 Duy Nguyen (D) Jenann Logan (R)

Assembly District 9

4 Steve Yeager, Incumbent (D)

Ryan Patrick Fleming (R)

Assembly District 10

4 Rochelle Nguyen, Incumbent (D)

Sandie “Gisela” Hernandez (R)

Assembly District 11

4 Beatrice “Bea” Duran, Incumbent (D) Eric Krattiger (R)

Assembly District 12

4 Max E. Carter II (D) Flemming Larsen (R)

Assembly District 13

4 Will Rucker (D) Brian Hibbetts (R)

Assembly District 14

4 Erica Mosca (D) Shawn Stamper (R)

Assembly District 15

4 Howard Watts, Incumbent (D) Steven D. Bang (R)

Assembly District 16

4 Cecelia González, Incumbent (D)

Jesse “Jake” Holder (R)

Assembly District 17

4 Clara “Claire” Thomas, Incumbent (D) Eugene Michael Pawley III (R)

Assembly District 18

4 Venicia Considine, Incumbent (D) Christine DeCorte (R)

Assembly District 19

4 Thaddeus “Toby” Yurek (R)

Assembly District 20

4 David Orentlicher, Incumbent (D)

Josiah L. LaRow (L) Stan Vaughan (R)

Assembly District 21

4 Elaine Marzola, Incumbent (D)

Jon S. Petrick (R)

Assembly District 22

4 Melissa Hardy, Incumbent (R) Rick Ramos (D)

Assembly District 23

4 Elizabeth Brickfield (D) Mercy Manley (L) Danielle Gallant (R)

Assembly District 28

4 Reuben D’Silva (D) Clint Brown (R)

Assembly District 29

4 Lesley Elizabeth Cohen, Incumbent (D) Rhonda Knightly (R)

Assembly District 34

4 Shannon BilbrayAxelrod, Incumbent (D) Stacy Butler (R)

Assembly District 35

4 Michelle Gorelow, Incumbent (D)

Mindy Robinson (L) Tiffany Jones (R)

Assembly District 36

4 No Endorsement

Gregory T. Hafen II, Incumbent (R)

Assembly District 37

4 Shea Backus (D) Marc Tedoff (L) Jacob Deaville (R)

Assembly District 41

4 Sandra Jauregui, Incumbent (D) Sean McNamara (L) Paul Bodine (R)

Assembly District 42

4 Tracy Brown-May, Incumbent (D)

Edward “Eddie” Facey (R)

BOARD OF REGENTS (NONPARTISAN)

District 6

4 Heather Brown Jeanine Dakduk

District 7

4 Susan Brager David “Coach” Crete

District 8 (Dual Endorsement)

4 Michelee “Shelly” Crawford and

4 John Patrick Rice

District 13

4 John Moran, Incumbent Stephanie Goodman

Local races

CLARK COUNTY COMMISSION

District E

4 “Tick” Segerblom, Incumbent (D)

Jon Rider (R) Randy Rose (IAP) Marco Hernandez (NPP)

District F

4 Justin Jones, Incumbent (D) Drew Johnson (R)

District G

4 Jim Gibson, Incumbent (D) Billy Mitchell (R) Jesse James Welsh (L)

CLARK COUNTY PARTISAN OFFICES

County Assessor

4 Briana Johnson, Incumbent (D)

Helen “Ms. OS” Oseguera (R)

Brandon Menesini (NPP)

County Clerk

4 Lynn Marie Goya, Incumbent (D)

Bill Young (R)

County Recorder

4 Debbie Conway, Incumbent (D) John Evans (R)

District Attorney

4 Steve Wolfson, Incumbent (D)

Timothy Treffinger (R)

Public Administrator

4 Rita Page Reid (D)

Patsy Brown (R)

Tabatha Aldabbagh (NPP)

Treasurer

4 J. “Ken” Diaz (D)

Mitchell T. Tracy (R)

JUDGES

(NONPARTISAN)

Nevada Court of Appeals, Department 1

4 Deborah Westbrook Rhonda K. Forsberg

Nevada 8th Judicial District (Clark County) Court, Department 9

4 Maria Gall, Incumbent James Dean Leavitt

Nevada 8th Judicial District (Clark County) Court, Department 11

4 Ellie Roohani, Incumbent Anna Albertson

Nevada 8th Judicial District (Clark County) Court, Department 17

4 Jennifer Schwartz Adam Ganz Lindsey D. Moors

Family Division, Department A

4 Mari Parladé Kristine Brewer Lynn Hughes David Jacks Stephanie Keels Robert Kurth

Las Vegas Justice Court Division 6

4 Jessica Goodey Bill Gonzalez

Las Vegas Justice Court Division 7

4 Max Berkley Amy Wilson

Las Vegas Justice Court Division 9

4 Joe M. Bonaventure, Incumbent Danielle “Pieper” Chio

Las Vegas Justice Court Division 10

4 Cybill Dotson Noreen Demonte

Las Vegas Justice Court Division 13

4 Rebecca Saxe Suzan Baucum, Incumbent

CLARK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT (NONPARTISAN)

The stakes: Much like Nevada’s educational system, the board of the Clark County School District is in need of an overhaul. Too often, the current board has been marred by conflict, turmoil, and a lack of professional ism that is unacceptable and unjustified—even during a pandemic. The endorsements below reflect our desire to return to a functioning school board with greater compe tence, professionalism and empathy.

In particular, we want to highlight Irene Cepeda’s endorsement in this regard. Initially, she voted with the majority in an insane effort to oust CCSD Superintendent Jesus Jara. Upon reflection, however, she backtracked and was a critical vote to keep him on. Cepeda demon strates a rare and admirable quality in a politician to admit her own mistakes, fix them and then focus on the real needs of the community over the needs of her political ca reer. As a result, she deserves to be returned to the board and is the only incumbent we have endorsed, because the rest need to be rejected for the chaos they presided over.

District D

4 Irene Cepeda, Incumbent Brenda Zamora District F

4 Irene Bustamante Adams Danielle Ford, Incumbent District G

4 Greg Wieman Linda Cavazos, Incumbent

STATE AND LOCAL ENDORSEMENTS

LOCAL MUNICIPAL RACES (NONPARTISAN)

Henderson City Council, Ward 3

4 Trish Nash Carrie Cox

Las Vegas City Council, Ward 4

4 No Endorsement Francis Allen Palenske Bob Beers

Las Vegas City Council, Ward 6

4 Nancy Brune Ray Spencer

North Las Vegas Mayor

4 Pamela Goynes Brown Patricia Spearman

EARLY VOTING SITES & MAIL BALLOT DROP-OFF SITES

These locations are open 10/22 through 11/4 (check hours below).

n Arroyo Market Square 7225 Arroyo Crossing Parkway (parking lot near Men’s Wearhouse). 10/22-11/3, 9 a.m.7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

n Blue Diamond Crossing 4100 Blue Diamond Road (parking lot between Target and Kohl’s). 10/22-11/3, 9 a.m.7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

n Boulevard Mall 3528 S. Maryland Parkway (east lobby between Galaxy Theatres and El Mercado). 10/22-11/3, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Centennial Center 7881 W. Tropical Parkway (tent in Home Depot parking lot). 10/22-11/3, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

n Deer Springs Town Center 640 E. Deer Springs Way (parking lot near Home Depot). 10/22-11/3, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

n Desert Breeze Community Center 8275 Spring Mountain Road. 10/22-11/3, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

n East Las Vegas Library 2851 E. Bonanza Road. 10/22-10/23, 10 a.m.6 p.m.; 10/24-10/28, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; 10/29-10/30, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; 10/31-11/3, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

n Galleria at Sunset 1300 W. Sunset Road (near Kohl’s on first floor). 10/22, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; 10/23, noon-6 p.m.; 10/24-10/27, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; 10/2810/29, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; 10/30, noon6 p.m.; 10/31-11/3, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

n Las Vegas Athletic Club 6050 N. Decatur Blvd. (tent). 10/22-11/3, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

n Las Vegas Athletic Club 1725 N. Rainbow Blvd. (tent). 10/22-11/3, 9 a.m.7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

n Lowe’s 2570 E. Craig Road (tent). 10/22-11/3, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.8 p.m.

n Meadows Mall 4300 Meadows Lane (first floor near Round1). 10/22, 10 a.m.8 p.m.; 10/23, noon-6 p.m.; 10/24-10/27, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; 10/28-10/29, 10 a.m.8 p.m.; 10/30, noon-6 p.m.; 10/31-11/3, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

n Mountain’s Edge Regional Park 8101 W. Mountains Edge Parkway (tent). 10/22-11/3, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

n Nellis Crossing Shopping Center 1250 S. Nellis Blvd. (tent near Target).

10/22-11/3, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.8 p.m.

n Silverado Ranch Plaza 9731 S.

Eastern Ave. #H4 (tent near PetSmart).

10/22-11/3, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.8 p.m.

n Town Square 6605 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (tent near AMC Theatres). 10/22-11/3, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

n Tropicana Beltway Center 5120 S. Fort Apache Road (tent near Lowe’s).

10/22-11/3, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.8 p.m.

These locations are open on select dates between 10/22 and 11/4 (check dates and hours below).

n Albertsons 7075 W. Ann Road. 10/24-10/26, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Albertsons 3010 W. Ann Road.

10/31-11/2, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Albertsons 190 N. Boulder Hwy. 10/22-10/23, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Albertsons 1650 N. Buffalo Drive. 10/31-11/2, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Albertsons 10250 W. Charleston Blvd.

10/22-10/24, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Albertsons 8350 W. Cheyenne Ave.

10/25-10/27, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Albertsons 575 College Drive.

10/27-10/29, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Albertsons 4850 W. Craig Road.

10/28-10/30, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Albertsons 7151 W. Craig Road. 11/3, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

n Albertsons 2885 E. Desert Inn Road. 10/29-10/31, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Albertsons 4055 S. Durango Drive. 10/26-10/27, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Albertsons 7271 S. Eastern Ave.

10/29-10/30, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Albertsons 8410 Farm Road.

10/22-10/23, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Albertsons 10140 W. Flamingo Road. 10/24-10/25, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Albertsons 6885 E. Lake Mead Blvd.

10/22-10/23, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Albertsons 1001 S. Rainbow Blvd.

10/27-10/29, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Albertsons 201 S. Stephanie St. 10/30-10/31, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Albertsons 5975 W. Tropicana Ave. 10/22-10/23, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Albertsons 1940 Village Center Circle. 10/28-10/30, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Alexander Library 1755 W. Alexander Road. 10/26-10/27, 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m.

n Aliante Library 2400 W. Deer Springs Way. 10/24-10/25, 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m.

n Boulder City Recreation Center

900 Arizona St. 11/1-11/3, 7 a.m.-6 p.m.; 11/4, 8 p.m.-6 p.m.

n Centennial Hills YMCA 6601 N. Buffalo Drive. 11/3, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

n Chinatown Plaza 4255 Spring Mountain Road. 10/28-10/29, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Coleman Senior Center 2100 Bonnie Lane. 10/31-11/2, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n CSN Henderson Campus

700 College Drive (Student Union). 10/24-10/25, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

n CSN North Las Vegas Campus 3200 E. Cheyenne Ave. (Student Union). 10/26-10/27, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

n CSN West Charleston Campus 6375 W. Charleston Blvd. (Student Union). 11/1-11/2, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

n Desert Vista Community Center 10360 Sun City Blvd. 10/22-10/23, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Doolittle Community Center

1950 J St. 10/24-10/27, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Enterprise Library 8310 Las Vegas Blvd. S. 11/2-11/3, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

n Green Valley Library 2797 N. Green Valley Parkway. 11/2-11/3, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; 11/4, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

n Henderson City Hall 240 S. Water Street. 10/31-11/3, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

n Heritage Park Senior Facility 300 S. Racetrack Road. 10/25-10/26, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Hollywood Recreation Center 1650 S. Hollywood Blvd. 10/24-10/25, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n The Jimmie Hughes Campus 150 N. Yucca St., Mesquite. 10/30-11/1, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Lakes Lutheran Church 8200 W. Sahara Ave. 11/3-11/4, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Las Vegas City Hall 495 S. Main St. (City Clerk’s Office, second floor). 10/31-11/3, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

n Laughlin Library 2840 S. Needles Highway. 10/22, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; 10/23, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; 10/24, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

n Moapa Valley Community Center 320 N. Moapa Valley Blvd., Overton. 11/2, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

n Mosaic Church 9220 Manhattan Road. 10/24-10/28, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Mountain Crest Community Center 4701 N. Durango Drive. 10/31-11/1, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

n Mountain Shadows Community Center 9107 Del Webb Blvd. 11/2-11/3, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

n Nevada Partners 690 W. Lake Mead Blvd. 10/22-10/23, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

n Nevada State College

1300 Nevada State Drive (Christensen School of Education building).

10/31-11/1, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

n North Las Vegas City Hall 2250 Las Vegas Blvd. N. 10/31-11/3, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

n Paradise Community Center 4775 McLeod Drive. 11/2-11/3, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

n Paseo Verde Library 280 S. Green Valley Parkway. 11/1-11/2, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Pearson Community Center 1625 W. Carey Ave. (Room C). 10/28-11/3, 9 a.m.7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

n Rainbow Library 3150 N. Buffalo Drive. 10/22-10/23, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; 10/24, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Regional Transportation Commission

600 S. Grand Central Parkway (Room 108). 10/25-10/26, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

n Sahara West Library 9600 W. Sahara Ave. 10/30, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; 10/31, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Seafood City 3890 S. Maryland Parkway. 10/22-10/23, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Searchlight Community Center

200 Michael Wendell Way. 10/28, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

n Silver Mesa Recreation Center

4025 Allen Lane. 11/3, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

n Skye Canyon Community Center 10111 W. Sky Canyon Park Drive. 10/27-10/28, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

n SkyView Y 3050 E. Centennial Parkway. 10/25-10/26, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Solera at Anthem Community Center 2401 Somersworth Drive. 10/29-10/31, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Sun City Aliante Community Center 7390 Aliante Parkway. 10/27-10/28, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Sun City Anthem Center 2450 W. Hampton Road. 10/24-10/26, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Sun City MacDonald Ranch Community Center 2020 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway. 10/27-10/28, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Sun City Mesquite 1350 Flat Top Mesa Drive. 10/29, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n UNLV Lied Library 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. 11/2-11/4, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

n Veterans Memorial Community Center 101 N. Pavilion Center Drive. 10/26-10/27, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Vons 45 E. Horizon Ridge Parkway. 10/22-10/24, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Vons 6450 Sky Pointe Drive. 10/29-10/30, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Vons 2667 Windmill Parkway. 11/3, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

n Walnut Recreation Center 3075 N. Walnut Road. 11/3, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; 11/4, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

n West Flamingo Senior Center 6255 W. Flamingo Road. 11/24-11/25, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

n Whitney Recreation Center 5712 Missouri Ave. 10/31-11/1, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

n Windmill Library 7060 W. Windmill Lane. 10/30, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; 10/31-11/1, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

CLIP-AND-SAVE ENDORSEMENT GUIDE

NATIONAL

STATEWIDE

STATE LEGISLATURE

BALLOT QUESTION 3: OPEN PRIMARIES AND RANKED-CHOICE VOTING [VOTE NO]

the

in

to

to

for the general election in which all voters may then rank the remaining candidates by preference for the o ces of U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Controller, Attorney General and State Legislators?

LOCAL

This question is really two separate questions packaged together. The first creates open primaries, which allows any person to participate in a primary election regardless of party a liation. Proponents argue that closed primaries prevent independents and those with no party preference from participating in primaries. This might encourage extremism and partisanship, by making it more likely that hard-line party loyalists win primaries. Opponents argue that open primaries lead to undemocratic strategic campaigning and voting practices.

Both parties have attempted to abuse the primary process. Most recently, Democratic party leaders in other states were caught funding extremist Republicans to try to eliminate the strongest Republicans from the general election ballot. It’s also true that registered independents made a deliberate choice to step out of the primaries when they registered. They can join the other parties at any time. At this juncture the risks of parties using open primaries to monkey-wrench elections is too great.

Aiming to address some of the same issues around extremism and the lack of options for independents and third-party voters, the second half of the question would allow for ranked-choice voting. In ranked-choice primaries Nevadans could vote for up to five candidates in each race, ranking them in order of preference. Proponents argue that this helps move candidates to the middle and gives third-party candidates a chance to break through. However, we have also seen ranked choice create confusion among voters in other jurisdictions or allow profoundly unqualified candidates to succeed simply because of where their name falls on the list.

We believe the goals of Question 3 might be appropriate at some point, especially if extremism continues to dominate major party politics. But we are not yet ready to endorse Question 3, especially as a package asking two separate questions and with the current risks of election manipulation so high.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTOPHER DEVARGAS

THIS

will plays its most visible football game of the season October 22 at 11:30 a.m. at Notre Dame.

Policeman killed in shootout

An o cer responding to a domestic disturbance was killed in a shootout early October 13 that also left a civilian wounded, Metro Police said.

O cer Truong Thai, 49, suffered a fatal gunshot wound after responding to the call at about 1 a.m. in the 800 block of East Flamingo Road, near the UNLV campus, Clark County Sheri Joe Lombardo said.

Lombardo identified the suspect in the shooting as Tyson Hampton, 24.

Thai and another o cer encountered an armed man in a vehicle near Flamingo and University Center Drive, Lombardo said. The suspect opened fire and the o cers fired back, Lombardo said. Thai and a civilian were wounded, he said.

The suspect fled and was later taken into custody with the help of a K-9 unit.

Thai was transported to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, where he died later in the morning.

Thai had been with Metro since 1999. In addition to serving as a patrol o cer, he spent three years working in financial crimes and three years in the training division, police said.

Thai is the first Las Vegas police o cer killed by gunfire in the line of duty since October 2017, when O cer Charleston Hartfield was shot and killed by a gunman who opened fire from a high-rise hotel into an open-air concert crowd, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Hartfield was attending the concert. -Sta

GAMING

Safety, security stressed at G2E

Despite some high-profile crimes, including a mass stabbing last week, “it’s hard to find a safer location than the Las Vegas Strip,” Craig Billings, CEO of Wynn Resorts, said October 11 during the annual Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas.

“Safety is a societal issue,” Billings said. “I think when you combine the security presence that exists within these buildings, the Metro Police force here and the surveillance that exists up and down the Strip,” it’s di cult to find a safer

place, he said.

Derek Stevens, co-owner of Downtown casinos the D, Circa and Golden Gate, said safety was a top priority for resort operators. Stevens, who made his comments during a panel discussion at the Venetian Expo, praised Metro Police for working with casino operators to provide a safe environment for visitors.

Not far from where Stevens spoke, eight people were stabbed—two of whom died— October 6 along a sidewalk on the north end of the Strip. The

violent incident, which happened in broad daylight, made national news.

And in July, the sound of a window breaking at a south Strip casino caused a panic among a large number of people, who feared the noise was gunfire, police said.

At the Fremont Street Experience, security enhancements have been made this year. On weekends, visitors are subject to metal detector screenings and bag checks. There is also a curfew for those under the age of 21. –Bryan Horwath

CRIME

Rob Salassi, IGT senior project manager, demonstrates IGT’s cashless gaming app during the Global Gaming Expo at the Venetian on October 11. (Steve Marcus/Sta )

DEVELOPMENT

Mandalay Bay is spending $100 million to upgrade its convention center with new technology and to create a “tropical ambiance,” according to parent company MGM Resorts International. The 2.1 million-square-foot space will remain open during the remodel, which is expected to be finished before 2025, officials said.

BY THE NUMBERS

30KNIGHT TIME ON THE STRIP

Officers to be hired by the Clark County School District Police Department and stationed at CCSD middle schools. A $3.75 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice will partially cover the salary and benefits for the officers for three years. The district will cover the rest at a cost of about $3.5 million.

Members of the Vegas Gold en Knights are introduced before their home-opener against the Chicago Black hawks at T-Mobile Arena. Vegas won the game, 1-0, behind 27 saves from goalie Logan Thompson. The Gold en Knights play their next home game October 20 at 7 p.m. against the Winnipeg Jets. (Steve Marcus/Staff)

SPORTS

Kurt Busch takes break from racing

Las Vegas native Kurt Busch, still trying to work his way through the concussion he suffered three months ago and advised by doctors to get out of a race car, will not compete full-time in 2023.

The 44-year-old NASCAR champion made his announce ment October 15 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the track where he launched his career as a child. He said he choked up when he said doctors told him “it is best for me to ‘shut it down.’”

“I know I am not 100% in my ability to go out and race at the top level in the NASCAR Cup Series,” Busch said. “These are the best of the best drivers, and lately, I haven’t felt my best. My long-term health is priority No. 1 and I don’t feel commit ting at this point to compete for a championship next year is in my best interest or the best interest of the team.”

Tyler Reddick will replace Busch in the No. 45 Toyota at 23XI Racing next season. Red dick was signed to the team for 2024 but is no longer needed to complete his contract at Rich ard Childress Racing because RCR signed Kyle Busch, Kurt’s younger brother and a two-time Cup champion, for next season.

“I will get back to 100%; I promise,” Kurt Busch said. “If I’m cleared, maybe you’ll see me at a few select races” next season.

–Associated Press

Nevada political groups talk top issues for Latino voters

BY SHANNON MILLER

Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, politicians have been busy telling Latino voters why they’re the right candidates for them. And despite robust outreach from Latino-focused voter outreach groups—extensive canvassing, campaign events and millions in spending on ads in Nevada—many Latinos might still be on the fence about their chosen candidates, or whether they’ll vote at all.

It’s a concern for campaigns and voter outreach groups in this election battleground state, where polls show tightening midterm races between incumbent Democrat Gov. Steve Sisolak and Republican Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo and between Democrat incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt.

According to a UCLA report on Latino vote choice during the 2020 election, Nevada had the fifth-largest proportion of Latino residents in the U.S. and about 300,000 Latino electors, comprising 20.6% of Nevada’s total voters. Strategists know that winning the Latino electorate is essential to winning the state.

For both parties, every vote counts. Political analysts say the outcome of the Cortez Masto-Lax alt race could determine whether Democrats will maintain control of the Senate. In 2016, Cortez Masto defeated opponent Joe Heck by fewer than 27,000 votes.

“What we’re hearing on the ground is that the race is not between Laxalt and Cortez Masto—the race is between voting for Cortez Masto or not voting at all,” says Emmanuelle Leal-Santillan, national communications director for Somos PAC, which has been sending out 60 canvassers daily in Las Vegas to speak with non-Republicans about their vote.

The comment came after a corroborating NBC report stating that many Democrat-leaning Latino voters are considering not casting a ballot. With the economy a top election issue, many “lifelong supporters” of Democrats could be reluctant to give them their vote in November, the report said,

without seeing improvements in gas prices and inflation.

And Republics have adjusted their messaging accordingly. “Latinos are rejecting the de structive policies of the left and know that I will fight for them in the Senate,” read a post on Lax alt’s Twitter account following October 13 campaign events at a local Mexican restaurant and an immigrant-owned tire shop.

(Shutterstock/Photo Illustration)

In contrast, literature from So mos paints Cortez Masto—the first Latina U.S. Senator—as a champi on of affordable housing, lowering prescription drug costs and hold ing gas companies responsible for high prices.

Campaign messaging from the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s (NRSC) Operación Vamos connects the economic issues to President Joe Biden’s administration and Democrats.

Ana Carbonell, NRSC consul tant for Hispanic outreach, says canvassers have reached more than 100,000 contacts, includ ing persuadable Democrats, “no party preference” voters and Republican-leaning Latinos.

“In Nevada, there’s a common thread for Hispanics. … They do believe in American meritocracy,” Carbonell explains. “Democrats have gone away from that message. And Hispanics have sensed that and have said, ‘We do believe in the American dream. … [But] the Biden policy is something that dis tances us from that possibility.”

She adds that the culinary and service industries have been “sig nificantly impacted by the D.C. policies on gas prices,” creating an opportunity for Republicans to paint a picture of what the economy could look like if they were in charge.

Since June, the NRSC has run English- and Spanish-language TV ads emphasizing Cortez Masto’s

support for the Inflation Reduc tion Act and presenting her as “soft” on crime, Carbonell says. And some of the highest undecided rates are among Spanish-speaking Latinos, according to a Septem ber election memo from Equis Research, a national polling group that studies Latino voters.

According to an Equis’ poll of 2,800 eligible Latino voters, 80% say the economy is very import ant in making their decision on the 2022 congressional elections, followed by health care, educa tion and violent crime. Violent crime was a “top issue” for 76% of surveyed Hispanic Republicans and Republican-leaning voters. Meanwhile, 80% of surveyed Dem ocrats said health care was very important to their vote, followed by the economy ( 75% ).

“The Democratic Party has wanted to go to an extreme with the defund police approach with the government overreach and eliminating energy independence. These are all issues that impact the quality of life of families,” Car bonell says.

Democrats, on the other hand, have zeroed in on Republicans for supporting Donald Trump and spreading “the Big Lie” that led to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters. “The Big Lie that [Laxalt] spread incited the January 6 insurrection, with rioters attacking Capitol police,” reads an October 12 post from Cortez Masto’s campaign Twitter account.

Somos PAC Nevada Executive Director Cecia Alvarado says Dem ocrats tend to focus on not just police, but broader infrastructure and resources for the community when it comes to public safety.

“It’s not just about making sure that we have more law enforce ment or programs to keep our

community safe,” Alvarado says. “[Democrats] are investing in our communities. … They are making it a priority that our communities that tend to be more vulnerable to crime are also getting those resources.”

The PAC focuses on informing the community about “tools and opportunities to build a better fu ture” that Democrats support and would further provide if re-elect ed, she says.

“When we are having these conversations … we’re putting a name to the face of the person that is working in the community,” Alvarado says. “We talk about the Child Tax Credit, [which] has been very popular, especially with Latinos … getting that additional $250 or $300? And then they know, that was the senator. She did that for us.”

The same “educating” approach is taken when it comes to the economy, where Somos’ messaging centers around “fighting for working people like us, not big corporations who make bigger profits, while we’re paying the price,” she say. “Who’s really behind the rising cost of gas prices? Oil companies are making record profits while our community suffers. So it’s really naming those bad actors.”

According to Leal-Santillan, Somos has knocked on 412,536 doors in Las Vegas. After spend ing millions on anti-Laxalt ads that ran over the summer, the PAC recently launched $1.4 million in digital ads for Cortez Masto. In one of them, a Lati na business owner talks about receiving emergency loans during the pandemic, allowing her to stay open and keep people employed.

Democrats have also seen opportunities to attack Republi-

cans on abortion, which has risen in importance among Latino voters. In a recent national survey of 2,750 Latino eligible voters by UnidosUS/Mi Familia Vota, more than 81% of those in Nevada responded that they believe it should remain legal, regardless of personal beliefs on the issue.

Alvarado says it is “very clear” where Democrats and a majority of Latinos stand on the issue, whereas Republican politicians have not been clear on whether they’d support the national abortion ban proposed by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Exactly how Latinos will influence the November election is very unclear, especially after the 2020 presidential election, in which Latinos in Florida’s Miami-Dade County were cred ited with delivering the state to Donald Trump, indicating a shift in Latino voting trends, which historically have favored Democrats.

But analyses say the Florida county doesn’t necessarily reflect the Latino electorate across the U.S. In Arizona, for example, the large Latino electorate’s support for Biden flipped the state to blue for the first time since 1996, according to the UCLA study.

“It is premature to say that Latinos are further shifting to the GOP without showing gains beyond South Texas and South Florida,” Equis’ September election memo read. “If Republicans want to claim that a realignment is underway, they are going to need to demonstrate it in the highstakes environments of Nevada and Arizona.”

MORE THAN A PHASE

Las Vegas’ music scene weighs in on the pop-punk renaissance ahead of the When We Were Young festival

BY AMBER SAMPSON

No one expected the When We Were Young festival to break the internet like it did. People were too busy grappling with the fact that it could actually be real. “Going through that whole lineup was fun,” says Patrick “Pulsar” Trout, the concert promoter behind Las Vegas’ Pulsar Presents. “From a visual standpoint, the flier was really effec tive. The way your eyes work, they’re looking down the middle, because that’s where the headliners are. Then you find yourself catching all these different acts, and you find yourself doing double takes.”

My Chemical Romance. Paramore. Avril Lavigne. Jimmy Eat World. Taking Back Sunday. AFI. Dashboard Confessional. The Used. Story of the Year. The Maine. Mayday Parade. And on and on and on. The lineup of early-2000s emo and pop-punk acts

stretched on—as did the buzz. Within hours, the one-day festival had sold out. Live Nation followed up with two additional dates, and those tickets quickly vanished, too. Trout says he wasn’t surprised.

“This was a concept that had been kicked around by people, but no one had really run with it yet or been able to do it on this scale,” he says. “I fig ured the first one [who did], especially with it being a destination event in Vegas, would sell it out, and I’m glad it did. Seeing that there is demand for festivals put together like this is really encouraging.”

It’s also uplifting for Trout. The 37-year-old got into the Las Vegas music scene in the early 2000s, “around the time new metal was starting to fade off, and pop-punk and metalcore were re ally coming into their own in a big way and in the Warped Tour era,” he says.

Back then, beloved music venues like the Huntridge, the Castle and Jillian’s

Hayley Williams of Paramore

Photo)

were his usual haunts, drawing bands like the pre-signed Killers, Bowling for Soup and Hatebreed.

WHEN WE WERE YOUNG October 22, 23 & 29, Las Vegas Festival Grounds, whenwe wereyoung festival.com.

By the time Trout began booking, plenty of bands of the Warped Tour variety were out on the road—and he had an eye on them. “Some of the first shows I did were with bands like The Bled and Cute Is What We Aim For,” he says.

As nationally touring bands passed through Vegas, the local scene heated up. Homegrown successes like Escape the Fate and Panic! At the Disco broke out. And bands like Mercy Music and The Higher, the latter of which toured with the Warped Tour circuit and Panic!, weren’t far behind. “It felt like in that mid-2000s, late-2000s time, there was a real spotlight on Vegas for the first time, especially in the all-ages scene,” Trout says.

Listeners praise Mercy Music for its addictive pop-punk mel odies and poignant lyrics today. But a lot of that catchiness stems from frontman Brendan Scholz’s exposure to the genre’s earlier explorations. “I was brought up on The Jam and The Ramones, Elvis Costello and Squeeze,” he says. “As I got older, I discovered the second wave, which would

be your Green Day and your Rancid, and I went from there.”

Pop-punk owned the airwaves up until the 2010s, when its popularity waned. Until recently, that is.

“This is gonna sound silly, but Machine Gun Kelly doing a poppunk record I think really put the genre as a whole on a lot of people’s radar that it otherwise wouldn’t have been,” Scholz says.

MGK went from rap to pop-punk seemingly overnight with 2020 album Tickets to My Downfall.

The LP, which featured Blink182’s Travis Barker and a cover of Paramore’s “Misery Business,” helped open floodgates of nostal gia. Out spilled Olivia Rodrigo’s 2021 breakout album, Sour, which gained prominence for its poppunk influences. That same year, Willow Smith collaborated with Barker and Lavigne on her punk record, Lately I Feel Everything.

Fast forward to 2022, and the second coming of pop-punk has arrived. My Chemical Romance is touring again, and When We Were Young 2023 has already been con firmed for another Las Vegas run.

“People are ready to do stuff again. Everyone was so cooped up that even the artists who said they

were never going to play again are open-minded,” says vocalist Seth Trotter, who recently reunited his own Vegas band, The Higher. “Mark my words, I guarantee there will be another Blink-182 reunion tour that will have [singer] Tom [DeLonge] in it.”

Days after he made it, Trotter’s prediction came to pass: Blink-182 has a national tour booked, includ ing a headlining set at When We Were Young 2023.

“A big difference between our generation—the Warped Tour generation—and this new gener ation of artists and fans is that they don’t gatekeep,” Trout says. “Twenty years ago, it was like, ‘You can’t like punk and like metal. You can’t like metal and like rap.’ Now, with TikTok, you’ve got a genera tion of kids discovering not just current new music, but music from all eras, and that’s influencing the music they’re making.”

All Time Low’s 2007 hit “Dear Maria, Count Me In” went viral on Tik Tok recently, with users shout ing the phrase “Mom, it was never a phase. It’s a lifestyle!” and then singing along to the song. That about sums up this resurgence.

“A big appeal to it is its relat ability,” Trout says. “Everyone’s had their heart broken. Everyone’s

been frustrated with their parents or with an authority figure at some point. Everyone’s struggled with mental health and trying to figure out who you are.”

Pop-punk’s early pioneers created what Trout calls the “soundtrack” that got so many teens through their tough years. “That builds an internal loyalty that never really goes away.”

Kittie, a Canadian metal outfit that will play When We Were Young, is one of those influential acts with which Trout grew up— and which he later booked. “They came out at a time when the metal scene was not very welcoming to women in bands,” he says. “Now, 20 years later, you look at the Grammy nominees for Best Metal Performance, and three out of five of them have women in the band.” Times certainly have changed. But if When We Were Young is any indicator, our tastes, faithfully, have not.

“When a band can make me feel when I’m listening to them at 37, the same way I would have felt lis tening to a band at 17, that’s a good sign,” Trout says.

(Top) Avril Lavigne in 2002; (left) Adam Lazzara of Taking Back Sunday in 2006 (AP Photo)

RISKS REWARDED

Powered by fan support, Jason Ross continues to expand beyond trance

BY BROCK RADKE

Jason Ross is one of those musicians who spent a lot of time livestreaming during the pandemic. The 33-year-old DJ and produc er, known for his contributions to Above & Beyond’s Anjunabeats and Seven Lions’ Ophelia labels, says he was not surprised by the powerful connections formed and strengthened with fans during the long months apart.

But he didn’t feel the full impact of those efforts until he got back out on the road again. “I had the know-how and the tools to do that, to connect, but ... I didn’t foresee it having the impact it did,” Ross says. “People were coming up and saying, ‘Your livestreams real ly helped me get through those times,’ I’m still hearing that on this tour. It’s amazing.

“Feeling like I was there somehow when everything else sort of fell by the wayside, when people were losing their jobs, it reinforced my goal to give them something to look forward to.”

Ross’ fans are getting what they wanted now, as his massive Atlas Tour has been rolling back and forth across the country since August, and checks in for a rare Vegas performance October 22 at Hard Rock Live.

Ross has been pushing his creative process and transcending his breakthrough genre, trance, for the better part of his career. His ambitious experimentation has come full circle with the cur rent tour set, which incorporates wildly different EDM styles, from dubstep to more melodic bass to psychedelic trance. It’s also the first time he has time-coded a live set complete with a full visual production.

“I learned by working under Above & Beyond that if I make a song [in a different genre], I really want to figure out how to do it well,” he says. “It has to hold up against the stuff other people are making in that genre.

“And it’s so much more chal lenging to create a set that covers these different genres and tempos, but ... I also think I’m having much better live shows because of in corporating different styles. I can deliver something more unique than what you’d hear at a dubstep show or a trance show; it’s just a lot more work.”

Ross says he has more confidence than ever when it comes to playing with his sound, and part of that comes from his fans’ reactions during those livestreams. “My fans are more open than I thought. Those shows helped me see what it is they are most excited about.”

Outside of EDC sets and a 2018 tour stop in support of Seven Li ons, Ross hasn’t really performed in Las Vegas—certainly not in a major nightclub. While he agrees the evolving soundtrack of the Strip’s club scene could become a little more welcoming to artists like himself, Ross is never one to force disparate pieces together.

Still, he’s excited about the Atlas Tour gig at Hard Rock Live on the Strip and envisions another Vegas visit among 2023 travel plans.

“I can’t talk about what’s to come after this tour, because we’re still in the thick of it, but there are definitely some exciting things and I’m getting back on the road with some artists that I love,” Ross says. “And I’m really looking for ward to coming back [this time] because of the amazing crowd energy from my last show there.”

Jason Ross (Courtesy)

JASON ROSS With Genix, October 22, 8 p.m., $30$45. Hard Rock Live, seetickets.us.

A CLOSE READ

The Las Vegas Book Festival returns with best-selling authors and more

BY EVELYN MATEOS

This October 22, the Valley’s book lovers are invited to Downtown Las Vegas’ Historic Fifth Street School to browse through titles written by locals, and to enjoy discussions by some of the best-selling authors in the country today, at the Las Vegas Book Festival, now in its 21st year. The free, one-day event will feature author readings, poetry, activities for kids and panel discussions on topics ranging from writing techniques to racism, along with four unique headliners.

Kicking it off will be chef Hubert Keller, formerly of Mandalay Bay’s Fleur and Burger Bar, who will discuss food and dining in Las Vegas. He has several books under his belt, including Hubert Keller: Souvenirs, a collection of recipes, personal stories and more. Author Kiley Reid will discuss her 2019 debut novel, Such a Fun Age, which tells the story of a young Black woman who is wrongly accused of kidnapping while babysitting a white child.

Elin Hilderbrand, known as the “queen of the beach reads,” is the author of 28 novels. Her latest work, The Hotel Nantucket, was released over the summer and follows Lizbet Keaton, the new general manager of a hotel who hopes to win the favor of its billionaire owner.

And legendary investigative reporter and author Carl Bernstein will also make an appearance at the festival and discuss his new book, Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom. He’s best known for his work uncovering the Watergate scandal with Bob Woodward while at The Washington Post, which inspired the pair to write the classic best-seller, All the Presi dent’s Men.

The Weekly caught up with Lisa Morris Hibbler, chief commu nity services officer for the City of Las Vegas and festival organizer, to chat literature in Las Vegas and beyond.

Big picture-wise, what can we expect from the Las Vegas Book Festival this year?

Our goal and focus this year is to bring out new people and to make sure that there’s something for all, and really celebrating the literary arts. It’s a free event, and open to all; I think that’s incredibly important. It includes lectures and workshops and book signings. We have [four] headlin ers that are going to be there. It is an all-day event; [we’ll] have food trucks. We have vendors and [we’ll] have children’s activities as well. So, it’s just great fun for everybody, for families, for younger people, for older people. [It] doesn’t matter what their passion is, there’s something that they’re going to connect with.

What sets this year’s festival apart from prior editions?

The fact that we’re going to have [multiple] headliners this year. Typical ly, in the past, we’ve had one headliner.

Carl Bernstein, Elin Hilderbrand and Kiley Reid [are] three very popular but very different authors. They have very different audiences. I would think that will help with the draw.

Why did these authors make sense for this year’s festival? We were looking at what’s popular right now. … One of the things that our library does is they actually look at the books that are checked out plus [what] their own staff [is reading], and they come up with these booklets. So [Kelvin Watson, executive director of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District] said, ‘Hey, go on our site.’ So, we looked at that list and we looked at the other lists, like The New York Times bestsellers, Oprah’s book lists, Reese Witherspoon’s book lists [and] Amazon’s book list. We were able to cross-reference those and come up with a shortlist of authors in those different genres that I mentioned. Then we sent out the interest letters.

LAS VEGAS BOOK FESTIVAL October 22, 10 a.m., free, Historic Fifth Street School, lasvegas bookfestival.com.

A child looks at a book at the Las Vegas Book Festival; (left) fest organizer Lisa Morris Hibbler (Courtesy)

Is there any desire to expand the festival in the future, perhaps to multiple days?

In the past, we’ve toyed with that, where we’ve had events that lead up to the actual book festival. But right now, coming out of the pandemic, people are just starting to feel comfortable coming out, so the one-day event is what we’re comfortable with. Our goal is to maintain the interest and support for the book festival and the support of literary arts. S who knows, we may grow it [from] one day to two days, but right now we’re pretty satisfied. We have a full day of activities.

How does the literary scene in Las Vegas feel to you right now?

I think Las Vegas is more diverse than people give us credit for. I think there are a lot of people who really sup port the literary arts and really want to have these types of events as part of the fabric of our diverse, cultural-centric community.

Catch if you can

For Brown Girls With Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts (10:30 a.m., Auditorium)

Feminist, theologian, storyteller and advocate Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez will discuss topics included in her book, which explores the issues brown girls face, like imposter syndrome and colorism. She will also engage in a Q&A and read from the Spanish translation of her book.

Co-Zi Las Vegas Zine Workshop (10:45 a.m., Conference Room 140)

Create your own minizine! Gina Parham and Nicole Espinosa of Comics and Zines Fest Las Vegas will lead an introductory workshop to zines for kids ages 6-15.

The Colony and the Cartel (2:45 p.m., Inspired Tent)

Author Sally Denton’s latest book, The Colony, explores the fundamen talist Mormon commu nities in Mexico. In this panel, Denton, in con versation with author and educator Dorothy Allred Solomon, will ex plore the inner workings of these communities and the 2019 ambush killing of the fundamen talist Mormon women and children by the drug cartel gunmen.

Las Vegas Writes: Stories From the Editors (3:30 p.m., Empowered Tent) Scott Dickensheets, Jarret Keene and Geoff Schumacher have edited 13 volumes of the Las Vegas Writes anthology between them. These volumes bring together an array of talented writers who have created 131 stories, essays or poems about Las Vegas. Contributing authors will sit in on the conversation to discuss themes that appear in the series.

CARIBBEAN CELEBRATION

Big Jerk gets bigger with its West Sahara location

BY BROCK RADKE

Silverado Ranch neighborhood-favorite Big Jerk has come a long way from its food truck days, and months ago the spicy and soulful sensation pulled off the ultimate expansion just west of I-15 on Sahara. Taking over an expansive former Mexican eatery space, one of the Valley’s top Caribbean restaurants is now much more than a casual, comfort able spot for lunch, dinner or takeout. The new second location has more seating inside and out and stays open late, bringing in DJs and other entertainment after-hours and launching “Rhythm and Brunch” on Sundays at noon. The additional programming is somewhat reminiscent of local parties that used to take over the restaurants, bars and lounges on this stretch of Sahara in years past, fun and easy nightlife that’s been gone for a while.

And Big Jerk’s food is exactly the kind of indulgence you want to dig into after you’ve been catching up with friends over a few drinks—a jerk chicken wing plate ($17), curry shrimp ($20) and the signature Boogie Fries ($15), a platter of perfect potatoes topped with sauteed vegetables, pulled chicken and creamy cheese sauce. These flavors should upgrade the sliders and tenders you’ve been noshing on at your standard neighborhood bar.

Though the full menu hasn’t always been available at the Sahara spot since it opened earlier this year, it’s a bit bigger than the southeast original’s offerings, including seafood dishes added before the pandemic kicked in. If you can catch the whole fish or lobster tail specials, do so, and don’t be afraid to ask for that tail jerked and fried.

While it continues to serve the most-popular grilled jerk chicken and jerk fried chicken (both $20-$25 for different meal sizes and dark or white meat with one side), the new restaurant also offers regular fried chicken, crispy and juicy for those who don’t want the aromatics and flavors that come with the 24-hour brine in Big Jerk’s trademark seasoning. Combos and entree options also include saucy slow-cooked ribs ($31) rich oxtail ($34), grilled lamb chops ($37) and the spicy, creamy chicken pasta ($22) with Cajun notes.

And if you’re exploring the late-night fun, don’t forget the Jamaican patties ($6), yucca fries ($6) and sweet plantains ($5), all ideal for passing around the table. Just don’t knock over the Red Stripes.

BIG JERK CARIBBEAN 2800 W. Sahara Ave., 702478-7229, bigjerkcaribbean. com. Monday-Tuesday, 5 p.m.-midnight; Wednes day-Sunday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m.

Caviar at Eiffel Tower Restaurant (Courtesy/Eiffel Tower Restaurant)

Three Strip spots for caviar right now

n Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve indulged in this saltcured delicacy from foreign seas. As always, you have op tions. You can go the obviously wonderful route at Caviar Bar (Resorts World, caviarbarlv. com), Michelin starred chef Shaun Hergatt’s fancy coastal cuisine lounge that just added new menu items, including a Maine lobster roll on brioche ($28), Dover sole with citrus relish ($89) and Hudson Valley foie gras with strawberry white balsamic dressing ($29). The premium Caspy Caviar service is second to none if you prefer the traditional style, but it’s equally entertaining to see how Hergatt pairs the roe with other ingredients in innovative dishes like Wagyu toast ($36) and Tasmanian ocean trout with calamansi ($26). Cocktail Hour starts at 5:30 p.m. at the bar only, where you can check out bite-sized options of the restaurant’s most popular dish es along with specialty drinks, Champagne and ... more caviar. You could also return to longtime Strip standard at Petrossian Bar (Bellagio, bellagio.mgmresorts.com),

refreshed by a 2019 renova tion with a new caviar menu unveiled last year. Caviar tacos ($19) with hamachi, lemon and chives, and the dark chocolate dessert ($55) with lemon gelee “caviar” pearls are must-try items, and the uber-fancy cocktails offer a fun variation on the typical pairing for your briny bites. You could also stroll across the street and pair your cav iar with some truly magical Vegas views at Eiffel Tower Restaurant (Paris, eiffeltow errestaurant.com), which just fashioned a new experience featuring six different cavi ars in six different composed dishes. Prices vary depending on your selections, but the menu shines a light on three imported Osetra sturgeon caviars and three domestics from Hackleback sturgeon, Alaskan salmon and gold en whitefish. Dishes include Oysters a la Royal ($79), steak tartare ($64) and the luscious Caviar Napoleon with smoked salmon and crème fraîche ($120). Going over the top never tasted better.

–Brock Radke

Big Jerk’s chicken wings, lobster tail and oxtail (Wade Vandervort/ Staff)

LONG SHOTS

Two bet-on teams that could continue the recent trend of surprise NBA Finals participants

BY CASE KEEFER

In each of the past four years, a team that was listed 40-to1 or higher to win the title at some juncture of the o season ended up reaching the NBA Finals.

Only one of those teams—the Toronto Raptors in 2018-2019—wound up winning the championship, but that’s beside the point. The now-annual jump of teams from the mid-tier to the top illustrates a larger trend: Parity has arrived in a league that traditionally produced less of it than any other major American professional sport.

The contenders are no longer as clear as they have been in the past. That’s something to keep in mind when dipping into betting markets for the 2022-2023 NBA season, which tipped o on October 18.

There’s no guarantee a team will join the aforementioned 2018-2019 Raptors’ team, last year’s Boston Celtics, the 2021-2022 Phoenix Suns and the 2020-2021 Miami Heat as unexpected conference champions, but it could easily happen again. Two candidates stand above the rest and o er value in futures markets—the Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans.

Here’s why both teams are worth targeting, along with two of the more established powers that could regress to enable their rise, and bets to make on all four. It used to be di cult to bet regular-season win totals after the season began, but now sports books like Caesars/William Hill and BetMGM update and repost the markets frequently early in the year.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

33-to-1 to win NBA title, 20-to-1 to have most regular-season wins, 15-to-1 to win Western Conference, +150 (i.e. risking $100 to win $150) to win Northwest Division (BetMGM)

The Timberwolves t within our established criteria because they were 60-to-1 to win the championship before striking a blockbuster trade for longtime Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert in July. The market hasn’t shifted enough to account for the arrival of “the Sti e Tower,” who has consistently rated as the most impactful defensive player in the league during the last six years. Sentiment on the 7-foot-1 France native has signi cantly soured after his Jazz teams annually amed out of the playo s to ruin dominant regular seasons. But those postseason failures likely aren’t predictive going forward, and Gobert might nd himself in an even better situation in Minnesota. Fellow Minnesota big man Karl-Anthony Towns is almost as gifted on o ense as Gobert is on defense, making them a more natural t next to one another than it might rst appear. The Timberwolves’ other former No. 1 overall draft pick alongside Towns, shooting guard Anthony Edwards, broke out late in his sophomore season last year and led the team with 25.2 points per game in the playo s.

NEW ORLEANS PELICANS

55-to-1 to win NBA title, 24-to-1 to win Western Conference, +350 to win Southwest Division (Boyd Sports)

Like the Timberwolves, the Pelicans were a surprise participant in the postseason a year ago after prevailing in the NBA’s playin tournament. New Orleans went on to put a scare into the 64-win, overall No. 1 seed Phoenix Suns, dragging their rst-round series to six games. And the Pelicans did that without the player many believe to be their best. This season will see the return of 2019 No. 1 overall draft pick and former Duke superstar Zion Williamson, who missed all of last year with a foot injury. Williamson appears to be in great shape physically and mentally for the rst time in his professional career. There were rumors before last season that the 22-year-old power forward wanted out of New Orleans, but that has reportedly changed given the deep roster the franchise has built around him. The Pelicans traded for star veteran shooting guard C.J. McCollum at last year’s trade deadline, developed swingman Brandon Ingram into an All-Star and found a stalwart perimeter defender in second-year player Herb Jones.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Under 53 wins (Caesars/William Hill)

What better way to demonstrate belief that the NBA’s new chaotic nature can stick than to call for a drop-o from the defending champions? This isn’t even really calling for the now fourtime champions to drop o , though. The Warriors are undoubtedly still a championship contender but staying healthy with an eye on the playo s will be their primary focus more than battling night in and night out during the grueling 82-game regular season. Coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors learned their lesson in 2015-2016, when they set an NBA record with a 73-9 record but then didn’t top it o with a championship. They have taken it easier in the regular season ever since and should be even more aggressive about doing so this year with the aging of their original core trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. A lot went right for the Warriors to win another championship last year; in the new age of the NBA, that hasn’t been happening in back-to-back seasons.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

Under 52.5 wins (BetMGM)

The Clippers might be the trendiest title pick, down to the fourth choice to win the Finals at 7-to-1 behind the Celtics (5-to-1), Warriors (6-to-1) and Milwaukee Bucks (13-to-2). But that requires a big leap of faith that their superstar duo of 31-year-old Kawhi Leonard and 32-year-old Paul George will return to vintage form. It’s certainly possible, though they haven’t been on the oor together since a playo series against the Jazz at the end of the 2020-2021 season. Leonard missed all of last season with a torn ACL, while George played in only 31 games with an elbow injury. They’re two of the most injury-prone players in the league, and like the Warriors, the Clippers will prioritize rest in the regular season in an attempt to go all out in the playo s. The NBA landscape is much di erent than it was in 2019 when Leonard and George rst joined forces, with a lot more teams now having a chance.

RAIDERS Report

■ Last Week: Bye

The Raiders got extra time to rest and regroup from a heartbreaking 30-29 Monday Night Football loss to the Chiefs on Oct. 10 that continued a rough start to the season. They better have made the most of it, because they’ll now play 12 straight weeks to finish o the regular season. Las Vegas could get some reinforcements coming back from the break, including cornerback Anthony Averett, who’s eligible to come o injured reserve after breaking his thumb in Week 1. Tight end Foster Moreau (knee) and linebacker Jayon Brown (hamstring) have missed the Raiders’ last two games and should be healthier now. Tight end Darren Waller aggravated a hamstring injury early in the game against the Chiefs, but should also return.

■ This Week: Texans (1-3-1) at Raiders (1-4) When: Sunday, October 23, 1:05 p.m.

Where: Allegiant Stadium TV & Radio: CBS (Channel 8) & 920 AM/92.3 FM Betting line: Raiders -7, over/under 44

■ Matchup: The Raiders aren’t currently projected to be more than a 3.5-point favorite in any other game this season, meaning this is the easiest spot left on their schedule. The Texans have struggled, but with only a -13 point di erential, they haven’t played as poorly as many expected coming into the season. Houston’s pass defense has been its strength, ranking 14th in the league by Football Outsiders’ DVOA ratings, and should present a challenge for Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr, who has struggled to find a rhythm in new coach Josh McDaniels’ o ense. On the other side of the ball, Houston has been led by Rookie of the Year contending running back Dameon Pierce who has rushed for three touchdowns and 4.8 yards per attempt.

■ Raider to Watch: Running back Josh Jacobs Pierce runs hard, but Jacobs runs harder. That’s not a slight, because few in the NFL are running harder than the Raiders’ fourth-year back out of Alabama. Jacobs has set career highs in rushing yards in back-to-back games, becoming the key to an offense that was supposed to be headlined by Carr, Waller and wide receiver Davante Adams. Jacobs is averaging 5.4 yards per carry, and the way he’s doing it might be what’s most impressive. He’s not shying from contact, instead trucking over any defender not in perfect position. Jacobs bruised his way to 144 yards in Week 4 over the Broncos before picking up 154 yards against the Chiefs, and those teams have better rush defenses than the Texans. -Case Keefer

Raiders tight end Darren Waller (AP Photo)

(Left to right) Rudy Gobert, Zion Williamson, Stephen Curry, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George (AP Photo/ Photo Illustration)

PLAN FOR NLV HOSPITAL COULD HAVE POSITIVE RIPPLE EFFECTS FOR COMMUNITY

BY BRYAN HORWATH VEGAS INC STAFF

AUtah development firm has big plans for the 135 acres of vacant land sitting aross from the VA Medical Center in North Las Vegas. Officials from Pacific Group, based out of Salt Lake City, hope to have a multibillion-dol lar medical campus completed in the next 10 years.

The project, which could create as many as 10,000 jobs, is expected to feature over 2 million square feet of “laboratory, research, and medi cal office space,” along with retail, restaurant and hotel buildouts.

“This was something that was a unique opportunity,” said Tony San sone, chief financial officer for Pacific Group. “We and the city of North Las Vegas have a vision of how we can develop best-in-class medical services for the residents of North Las Vegas, as well as other residents in Southern Nevada. It’s woefully needed.”

Earlier this year, the city agreed to sell the land to a Pacific Group subsidiary, called Legacy AK LLC, according to Nevada Secretary of State records, for more than $36 million.

The land, originally controlled by the Bureau of Land Management, is part of a job creation zone for the city.

A federal law passed in 2014 allowed for the land to be given to the city, though it required proceeds from the sale to go back to the federal government.

Jared Luke, director of government affairs and economic development at the city, said once it’s finished, the project will likely add $3.2 billion of economic input and output.

“There’s 275,000 residents in North Las Vegas, and we don’t have a general services hospital,” said May or John Lee. “The VA Hospital is also sending many of its patients to other places throughout the [Las Vegas Valley] because it can’t service all of them. So this will be huge.”

According to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2019, Nevada ranked ahead of only three states—Idaho, Mississippi, and Wyoming—in number of physicians per 100,000 residents.

That year, Nevada had only 204 physicians in patient care per 100,000 residents.

In North Las Vegas, North Vista, the main acute-care hospital in the

city, has only 177 beds.

The Helios complex, by compar ison, could eventually be home to more than 700 hospital beds.

“Doctors want to come to locations like Las Vegas,” Lee said. “We have great weather and entertainment and all of those things, but one thing that really hurts us is our Medicaid reimbursement. But the special ization that we’re expecting to have [at Helios] will require us to have to get patients who aren’t Medicaid patients, for the most part.”

The specialty health care options expected to be available at Helios would be widespread, according to North Las Vegas officials, though those exact areas aren’t known yet.

It’s likely, however, that children’s

and women’s medical service offer ings will be involved.

Because of the complex’s short dis tance from the VA Medical Center, Sansone said he thinks the VA facil ity could send some of its outsourced patients to Helios once facilities begin to open. In fact, he said the complex could help significantly cut into the thousands of procedures that the VA Medical Center needs to outsource each year.

“The nice thing about this project is that the city and the state, every body knows what the need here is,” Sansone said. “They’re rooting for us and providing any assistance they can so we can move forward as quick ly as we can.”

Officials say the project could take seven to 10 years to complete, but Sansone said he’s confident it will get done.

“We’ve been developing these master-planned communities for 30 years,” he said. “We have experience with helping to develop Lake Las Vegas, so we’re familiar with this area. With the VA Hospital right across the street from Helios, more housing set to go up in the area and about 2,000 acres UNLV owns and is looking at developing, it’s going to be a major hub.”

Lee said an important aspect of the project is the jobs it will create.

For a region known for its many gaming and hospitality job oppor tunities, Lee said a medical and retail complex like Helios would help diversify North Las Vegas’ economy.

“This will help diversify the incomes of the people of North Las Vegas, so they won’t all be in gaming, tourism and hospitality,” Lee said. “We’re going to be giving people options now for getting into work related to manufacturing and health care so they’re not being trained just for hotel work or construction. We are no longer a bedroom community to anybody, and we’re only getting stronger.”

Tony Sansone, CFO of The Pacific Group, at the groundbreaking ceremony for Helios. (Christopher DeVargas/Staff)

HOST

VegasInc Notes

Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas introduced the latest additions to its all-star sales and events team. Jessica Hernandez, who has been with Brooklyn Bowl since 2014, is director of sales and events. Ashley Cavalli is senior sales and events manager. Lisa Bonner, Nicole Ortega and Felecia Biscoe are sales and events managers, and Michelle Queen is event service manager.

IndiCap, a boutique commercial real estate company specializing in industrial investment and development in the Arizona and Nevada sectors, announced that Geovanni Villalta, who has more than 20 years of experience in the construction industry, has been hired as a senior development manager.

Leslie Hare officially assumed her current position as the executive president of behavioral health for Health Plan of Nevada and Sierra Health and Life in May. She is respon-

sible for the strategic development, growth and operations of the Nevada Behavioral Health line of business and bringing the Whole Person Care model to members and providers.

The Nevada State Apartment Association has named Robin Lee its new executive director. She has more than 12 years of experience in the multifamily and residential real estate sectors. Before joining NVSAA, she was executive director of the Big Bear Association of Realtors in California.

American Nevada Company hired Linda Castle as a senior property manager. She manages the company’s portfolio of commercial properties and reports to Natalie Allred, vice president of property management. Castle has worked in the local commercial property management industry for more than 15 years.

The Howard Hughes Corporation has

broken ground on a new Class-A of fice complex in Summerlin South. The Project, comprising two three-story buildings on an 8.8-acre site, is de signed to meet the continued growing demand for premium office space.

Casino industry veteran Robert Polk brings 20 years of experience to his new role as vice president of player development at the Strat, Golden Entertainment Inc.’s flagship property. Polk honed his gaming and hospitality expertise through various roles in multiple jurisdictions across the country, including MGM Grand Detroit, Horseshoe Southern Indiana and The M Resort, among others.

Las Vegas native Robin Joyce, who ran an advertising/PR agency in Nevada for 25 years and served most recently as director of advancement at Faith Lutheran Middle School & High School for nearly seven years, has joined Olive Crest Nevada as senior development director. Joyce will be responsible for fundraising for the Las Vegas branch and will help direct Olive Crest Nevada’s capital campaign.

Optum Care Lung and Allergy Care

has added a new physician to help meet the growing need for health services in the Las Vegas community. Dr. Simhean Lee joins Optum Care Lung and Allergy Care’s 4750 W. Oakey Blvd. location and specializes in allergy.

Aristocrat Gaming announced that Joe Kaminkow has taken on a new, expanded position with the company as chief innovation officer. He will help drive innovation across Aristocrat, including in new gaming products and mobile game genres. The appointment extends Kaminkow’s long association with Aristocrat, dating back to his initial appointment as senior vice president of game development in 2013.

SR Construction, a full-service design-build general contractor, has been named the general contrac tor for MorningStar at the Canyons. This memory care, assisted-living and independent living facility at 490 S. Hualapai Way, consists of a 196,098-square-foot four-story build ing. The facility will house 24 memory care units, 49 assisted-living units and 135 independent living units, and is slated for completion in summer 2024.

MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS,

ARCHITECTURE LEAD ENGINEER — LAS VEGAS,

MGM Resorts International Operations, Inc. is seeking a IT Architecture Lead Engineer in Las Vegas, NV to support the Cisco UCS, Citrix, Dell EMC, and VMware environments at MGM Resorts International.

E-MAIL RESUME TO:

NUMBER: 216637.

Monument Construction seeks Project Manager to review project specifications & lead all estimates for our Henderson, NV office. REQ’D Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management or closely related field or foreign equiv. + 3 yrs exp. in construction. Or, a Master’s degree in Construction Management or closely related field or foreign equiv. + 1 yr exp. in construction. E-mail resume to office@buildmonuments.com.

Lee

Kaminkow

Polk

Villalta

Discover senior primary care that goes beyond your expectations

Discover senior primary care that goes beyond your expectations

the

PREMIER CROSSWORD

2020 KING FEATURES SYNDICATE

ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us,” said mythologist Joseph Campbell. Make sage use of Campbell’s wisdom. You will generate good fortune as you work to release expectations that may be interfering with the arrival of new stories and adventures. Be brave as you relinquish outdated attachments.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Plastic bags are used for an average of 12 minutes before being discarded. Then they languish in our soil or oceans, degrading slowly as they cause mayhem for animals and ecosystems. Be extra discerning in your relationship with plastic bags—as well as with all other unproductive, impractical, wasteful things and people.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): While investigating how cells interact with the outside world, Achilleas Frangakis inadvertently uncovered fascinating new information about how cells interact with each other when they heal a wound. His “successful failure” was an example of what scientists sometimes do: They miss what they looked for, but find unexpected data and make serendipitous discoveries. You will experience comparable luck sometime soon.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Brazilian novelist Osman Lins wrote, “I will now live my life with the inventiveness of an engineer who drives his locomotive off the tracks. No more beaten paths: improvisation is the rule.” Be an inventive adventurer who improvises liberally and departs from well-worn routes. How ever, don’t do the equivalent of running your train off the tracks. Instead, go off-road to explore. Improvise enthusiastically as you reconnoiter the unknown.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In recent years, art historians have recovered numerous masterpieces that had been missing for years. Make that a fun project in the coming weeks. Are there any beautiful creations that have been lost or forgot ten? Useful resources that have been neglected? Wild truths that have been buried or underestimated?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The most important experience for you to seek is to be seen and respected for who you really are. To inspire your mission, here are three quotes. Franz Kafka: “All the love in the world is useless if there is a total lack of understanding.” Anais Nin: “I don’t want worship. I want under standing.” George Orwell: “Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.”

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Poet Wallace Stevens said the great poems of heav en and hell have already been written, and now it is time to generate the great poems of Earth. Turn your attention away from perfection and fantasylands and lofty heights. Disregard pathologies and muck and misery. Instead, explore and celebrate the precious mysteries of the world as it is.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Here are two top Scorpio pastimes: 1. exploring and deploying your intense, fertile creativity; 2. spiraling gleefully down into deep dark voids in pursuit of deep dark riches. Sometimes those two hobbies dovetail, and the void you leap, into turns out to be a lush wonderland that stimulates your intense, fertile creativity. That’s likely to happen soon.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “I don’t want to be made pacified or made comfortable. I like stuff that gets your adrenaline going,” said filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow, the first woman ever to win an Academy Award for Best Director. Some marvelous epiphanies and healing changes will be available if you forswear stuff that makes you pacified or comfortable.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Author Jan Richardson tells us we can’t return home by taking the same route we used when we departed. This will be wise advice to keep in mind the next nine months. You will be attempting at least two kinds of homecomings. For best results, plan to travel by different routes than those that might seem natural and obvious.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In the coming days, maintain strict boundar ies between yourself and anyone or anything that’s not healthy for you. Be ultra-discerning as you decide which influences you will allow to affect you and which you won’t. And rather than getting sour and tense as you do this, proceed with wicked humor and sly irony.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

While asleep, have you ever dreamed of discovering new rooms in a house or other building you know well? You will have at least one such dream soon. What does it mean? It suggests you want and need to get in touch with parts of yourself that have been dor mant or unavailable. You may uncover evocative secrets about your past and present that had been unknown to you. You will learn about new resources you can access and provocative possibilities you had never imagined.

HOROSCOPES“DEFINITELY NOT DICKENS” BY FRANK LONGO