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THIS WEEK’S COVER
14 THE WEEKLY Q&A Developer and restaurateur Windom Kimsey is working toward a Water Street renaissance.
18 COVER STORY
Education and training programs are helping shore up skilled workers in construction and manufacturing trades.
28 MUSIC
Local rapper Kurian pushes awareness, and Los Bukis brings the Strip’s first Spanish-language music residency.
8 SUPERGUIDE
Majestic Repertory Theater opens an immersive period rom-com, Missy Elliott brings her tour to T-Mobile Arena and more happening this week.
34 SCENE Golden Tiki’s heads collection is shrunken in size but big on star power.
38
FOOD & DRINK Mae Daly’s brings a classic stand-alone steakhouse to the north Strip.
40 SPORTS What to watch at the NBA’s upcoming Las Vegas Summer League.
Illustration by Ian Racoma TRADE SCHOOLS
SUPERGUIDE
THURSDAY JUL 11
DEAR VEGAS
Thru 7/24, days and times vary, Nevada Humanities Program Gallery, nevada humanities.org
GAINESCON FILM FESTIVAL & EXPO
Noon, & 7/12, Downtown Cinemas, eventbrite.com
CHAD FREEMAN AND REDLINE
8 p.m., Stoney’s North Forty, tixr.com
VEGAS JUNGLE MUSIC FESTIVAL
With Mōksha, more, 8 p.m., the Wall at Area15, area15.com
DOOM FLAMINGO
With DJ Uncle Jesse, 11 p.m., Brooklyn Bowl, ticketmaster.com
THE BRONX WANDERERS
6:30 p.m. (& 7/12-7/14, 7:30 p.m.), South Point Showroom, ticketmaster.com
DEAD & COMPANY
Thru 7/13, 7:30 p.m., Sphere, ticketmaster. com
DEAD REGISTER
With Silent Movie Cinema, Know Angel, Pitch After Dark, 8 p.m., the Gri n, dice. fm
DV8 BIG BAND
10 p.m., Fat Cat, fat catlv.com.
DEATH BY STEREO
7 p.m., Backstage Bar & Billiards, seetickets. us
WHEN IN ROME
8 p.m., Sand Dollar Downtown, plazatix. com
CHARLESTON WHITE
7 p.m., Wiseguys Town Square, wiseguys comedy.com
T-PAIN
10:30 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zouk grouplv.com
RICH THE KID
10:30 p.m., Hakkasan Nightclub, taogroup. com
JANE AUSTEN’S EMMA
BORGORE
With Dovahkyn, Santoyo, 10 p.m., We All Scream, seetickets.us.
From the 19th-century novel that inspired Clueless comes an immersive adaptation at Majestic Repertory Theatre. Closing out the theater’s eighth season, Jane Austen’s period rom-com Emma comes to life with live music, singing and dancing. The timeless matchmaker Emma weaves webs of romance while barely escaping entangling herself. “We love going back into the studio and creating these really intimate, narrative-driven experiences that give our audiences a feeling of stepping into their favorite movies,” says artistic director Troy Heard, who adapted the play and is directing it. Regency, fairy or cottagecore cosplay is highly encouraged! Thru 8/11, days & times vary, $60, Majestic Repertory Theatre, majesticrepertory.com. –Shannon Miller
7:30 & 9:30 p.m., & 7/13, Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club, ticketmaster. com
PAULY SHORE
9:30 p.m., & 7/13, Wiseguys Town Square, wiseguys comedy.com
TONI BRAXTON & CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER
8 p.m., & 7/13, the Chelsea, ticket master.com
STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO
6:30 p.m., Brooklyn Bowl, ticketmaster. com
JODECI
7:30 p.m., & 7/13, House of Blues, ticketmaster.com
GARTH BROOKS
8 p.m., & 7/13, the Colosseum, ticket master.com
LOS BUKIS
8 p.m., & 7/13, the Colosseum, ticket master.com
NEW EDITION
8 p.m., & 7/13, Encore Theater, ticket master.com
DECA
With Felix Fast4ward, 8 p.m., Taverna Costera, eventbrite.com
PRESLEY TENNANT
10 p.m., Stoney’s Rockin’ Country, tixr. com
TBS-13
With Wyatt & The Ashes, Arsenic Kitchen, 9 p.m., Red Dwarf, reddwarflv. com
NBA SUMMER LEAGUE
Thru 7/22, times vary, Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion, unlvtickets. com
STEVE AOKI
10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, taogroup. com
TIP
10:30 p.m., Marquee Nightclub, taogroup. com
WALKER & ROYCE
With Omnom, Matt Faulk, Danco, 9 p.m., Substance, see tickets.us
MYSTIC STATE
With Naked Civilian, Sloanwolf, J.Handel, Echoez, 8 p.m., the Wall at Area15, area15.com
VALENTINO KHAN
9 p.m., the Portal at Area15, area15.com
PRIDESTYLE: GUILTY PLEASURE
6:30 p.m., Swan Dive, swan divelv.com
KEVIN HART
8 p.m., & 7/14, Resorts World Theatre, axs.com.
SUPERGUIDE
SATURDAY JUL 13
DJ CASSIDY’S PASS THE MIC LIVE
8 p.m., Bakkt Theater, ticket master.com.
MARTY STUART AND HIS FABULOUS SUPERLATIVES
With Max Gomez, 8 p.m., Westgate International Theater, ticketmaster. com.
THE WAILERS
8 p.m., Veil Pavilion, silvertoncasino. com.
EKOH & NOCTURNAL AFFAIR
With Vampires Everywhere, TheGuiltyParty, 7 p.m., Fremont Country Club, seetickets.us.
BREVIN KIM
With Quinn Ayers, 7:30 p.m., the Wall at Area15, area15. com.
THE DOLLHEADS
With Twist O , Secos, High Sierra Club, Kings Kings, 7:30 p.m., the Space, the spacelv.com.
HIGH PRIEST
With Noize Complaint, 9 p.m., Vegas Stand Up and Rock, vegas standupandrock. com. ‘
BOXING: JANIBEK ALIMKHANULY VS. ANDREI MIKHAILOVICH
4 p.m., Pearl Concert Theater, ticket master.com.
MUSTANG CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIP
FINALS 6 p.m., South Point Arena, ticketmaster. com
NEW VISTA WINE WALK 5 p.m., Town Square, newvistanv.org.
BATTLE
4 VEGAS 7 p.m., Las Vegas Ballpark, ticket master.com.
NATE JACKSON 7 p.m., Theater at Virgin, axs.com.
ILLENIUM Noon, Ayu Dayclub, zoukgrouplv. com.
DIPLO Noon, Encore Beach Club; 10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com.
ZEDD
11 a.m., Tao Beach Dayclub, taogroup.com.
STEVE AOKI 11 a.m., Wet Republic, taogroup.com.
AVISION
With Ana Valdes, Nick Fisher, 10 p.m., Discopussy, seetickets.us.
LIL DURK 10:30 p.m., Drai’s Nightclub, draisgroup.com.
TYGA 10:30 p.m., Hakkasan Nightclub, taogroup.com
LIL JON 10:30 p.m., Jewel Nightclub, taogroup.com.
ALESSO 10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, taogroup.com.
METRO BOOMIN 10:30 p.m., LIV Nightclub, livnightclub. com.
MISSY ELLIOTT
It’s shocking to think that Missy Elliott, one of the top-selling female rap artists of all time, is just now embarking on her first headlining tour. The last time Vegas saw her in a non-festival, nonclub environment was in 2004, when she joined Beyoncé and Alicia Keys on the Verizon Ladies First Tour at Mandalay Bay. Come to think of it, she always did do things her way. Elliott was something of an anomaly when she arrived in 1997 with Supa Dupa Fly, mystifying listeners with her tongue-twisting rhymes, unwavering sexual appeal and downright odd visual aesthetics. Elliott, with help from friend and producer Timbaland, soundtracked entire eras of genre-bending music, collectively changing the framework of hip-hop as we know it. Recently, Elliott became the first female hip-hop artist to be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This tour, supported by Timbaland and longtime collaborators Ciara and Busta Rhymes, will commemorate that milestone and many others for this legacy artist. 7 p.m., $50-$330, T-Mobile Arena, axs.com.
–Amber Sampson
SUNDAY JUL 14 MONDAY JUL 15
BASTILLE DAY CELEBRATION
7 p.m., Marche Bacchus, marche bacchus.com
TASH SULTANA
8 p.m., the Chelsea, ticketmaster. com.
DJ PAULY D 11 a.m., Wet Republic, taogroup.com
LIL JON 11 a.m., Tao Beach Dayclub, taogroup.com
TIMBALAND Noon, Ayu Dayclub, zoukgrouplv. com
FABOLOUS 10:30 p.m., Drai’s Nightclub, draisgroup. com
BATTLE OF THE BANDS
8 p.m., the Barbershop, thebarbershoplv. com
TINY STILLS With Well Wisher, 9 p.m., Red Dwarf, reddwarflv.com
FUZZSOLO
8 p.m., Fat Cat, fatcatlv.com
LAST NIGHT OF SOLACE With Fatalist, Baha, Lil Tytan, 7 p.m., Sinwave, dice.fm
(Courtesy/Ben McFadyen)
SUPERGUIDE
TUESDAY JUL 16
LAS VEGAS
ACES VS. CHICAGO SKY
7 p.m., Michelob Ultra Arena, axs.com
ANDREW CALLAGHAN
7 & 10 p.m., Wiseguys Town Square, wiseguys comedy.com
YOUNGSTA
10 p.m., Discopussy, posh.vip
JACQUEES
10 p.m., Drai’s Nightclub, drais group.com
LIL JON
10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, taogroup. com
ZIGGY MARLEY
With Lettuce, 8 p.m., Theater at Virgin, axs.com.
WEDNESDAY JUL 17
SCHOOL OF ROCK
THE MUSICAL
Jack Black’s legacy is entrenched in Tenacious D for some and Kung-Fu Panda for others, but if you’re asking me, his heaviest imprint will always be in the role of Dewey Finn in School of Rock, the 2003 Richard Linklater comedy that made tons of kids want to pick up a guitar or some drumsticks. The Philadelphia version of School of Rock, an actual music education program, was founded in 1998, but after the movie came out, it expanded across the country and around the world. And the Broadway musical that premiered in 2015 makes its way to Spring Mountain Ranch State Park this week, running well into August for fantastic, funky family fun Dewey Finn would be proud of. Thru 8/10, days & times vary, $20+, Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, supersummertheatre. org. –Brock Radke
OSCAR’S DINNER SERIES
6 p.m., Oscar’s Steakhouse, plazahotelcasino.com
JOI JAZZ ORCHESTRA 7:30 p.m., Notoriety, notorietylive.com
IAN ASHER
With Kim Lee, 10 p.m., Encore Beach Club, wynnsocial.com
MAN ON THE STREET
Developer and restaurateur Windom Kimsey is working toward a Water Street renaissance
BY GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ
In a city where urban expansion feels endless, it takes more than money to create a cultural district; it requires a vision and an understanding of how to blend the old with the new. Windom Kimsey, a modern-day urban pioneer, found the south end of Water Street in Henderson to be the perfect place to plant his flag while elevating the people and spaces around it.
Much of Kimsey’s professional recognition comes from his years of architectural work. Although he’s departed from TSK, an acclaimed architecture, urban planning and design firm, Kimsey has left his mark on the cityscape—including the D Gates at Harry Reid International Airport, Springs Preserve and the Clark County Regional Justice Center. One of his personal projects—his own three-story contemporary home built on Water Street—is another testament to his dedication to uplifting the area.
But his vision didn’t stop at his front door. In 2017, adjacent to his home and office, he developed Public Works Coffee Bar as a live/ work space. And in 2023, Kimsey designed and opened Azzurra Cucina Italiana, a cozy eatery serving authentic Italian cuisine, just steps away. More recently than that, he transformed the space at Public Works into Azzurra Wine Bar, which maintains its coffee shop charm by day and evolves into an evening destination for connoisseurs to sip
wines and enjoy small bites.
Kimsey, a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, relocated from Chicago to Southern Nevada more than 30 years ago. While Henderson might not be his hometown, he champions it with the fervor of a born-and-raised local. Today, he continues to focus on evolving the area by making Water Street a dining destination.
I read that the walkability of your developments on Water Street were inspired by your time living in Chicago. Do you feel that residents are taking advantage of this on Water Street now?
Yes and no. The key to make it work is for more people to be living here [on Water Street]. The Lennar development across the street from mine has 25 townhomes and that’s a step in the right direction. There needs to be more of that.
I was just back in Chicago last week and went by my old neighborhood and there’s a lot of houses of people that want to get out. You’ve got to have some retail and other things, but you need the people first. There, 35 years ago before there were cool places to eat and do things, it was a bit like Water Street. … It was an up-and-coming neighborhood with a lot of potential. But that’s sort of the dilemma—it takes years.
How do your personal interests and travel influence your plans for Water Street?
I love art, collecting art and traveling the world. I’m going to Brazil in October for an architecture conference. The dangerous part is I’ll come back and want to do something completely different. … Part of it is having a mental exploration of how communities and other cultures build spaces for people.
I’d also like to get more murals painted. … The downtown could really explode. There’s so many blank walls here that can really make it interesting.
Since you’ve branched into the culinary world, has this shifted your vision of development on Water Street?
Yes, I’m going to eventually develop. I’m just working on acquiring the right parcel, but developing another large mixed-use building with apartments with some culinary on the ground floor and maybe this time, culinary on the rooftop.
You’re a big fan of mixed-use spaces. How did the idea of utilizing the Public Works space for Azzurra Wine Bar come about?
It was my original idea to have a coffee shop with a beer and wine license, and [Public Works] was my first foray into culinary stuff. I was inspired by a chain of independent coffee shops in Savannah, Georgia, where my daughter was going to school. They would sell alcohol along with their coffee. I know Starbucks kind of tried this too and abandoned it, but I thought it was a good combination. And in Italy, those little places where people go for an espresso and a little pastry in the morning are bars at night.
To keep the real estate closed after coffee time seemed kind of a waste. At Azzurra, I got a clearer idea of the demographic of folks that would come down to Water Street—people will come in and want to wait at the bar but now they can go to the wine bar to wait. My vision is that they work off each other.
The first time I tried Azzurra I was surprised by how elevated it was just because of its location. Do you feel that the reputation of Water Street is shifting?
I think there’s more awareness after people come to Azzurra but I’d love to see a few more higher-end places. If I had a magic wand I would turn this into a second Spring Mountain, where it attracts chefs from the Strip or those who’ve worked at our great resorts that want to go out on their own. I don’t need to own all the restaurants, I’d just like to have them here for people.
(Courtesy/Bronson Loftin)
BY SHANNON MILLER | PHOTOGRAPHS BY WADE VANDERVORT
Take a moment to consider Las Vegas without air conditioning. Tourists would steer clear, especially during this time of year. No one would want to live here either, if they knew there was no escape from the summer heat. Our industries, livelihoods and the city would cease to exist as we know it. Without A/C, our high desert way of life is simply not possible.
Likewise, consider Vegas—or any big city— without electricity or plumbing. The same apocalyptic vision surfaces.
Blue-collar workers like HVAC technicians, electricians, plumbers and welders are essential to Vegas’ existence. And while it’s difficult to imagine these workers disappearing entirely, industry groups warn that the labor pool is experiencing a shortage that could worsen in the coming decades. Imagine having to wait weeks, even months, for someone to be available to fix your central air.
The Associated Builders and Contractors, a national group that promotes the construction in-
dustry, estimates that more than half a million additional construction workers are needed to meet the demand for labor in 2024. The group has also underscored the inevitable retirement of a large portion of the workforce in the next two decades, as Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that more than 40% of tradespeople are older than 45.
According to a 2023 Associated General Contractors of America survey of 1,400 firms, 85% reported having open positions they are trying to fill. Among those firms, 88% are having trouble filling at least some of those positions.
The shortage is cause for concern, considering the country is supposed to be on course to $550 billion worth of upgrades to bridges, roads, broadband, water and energy systems through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.
“Advanced manufacturing and construction in the green economy spurred by the investments made in the [Bipartisan Infrastructure Law] will cement the need for these workers, and so we must do whatever is necessary to provide the
robust workforce skills necessary,” U.S. Congressman Steven Horsford, D-Nev. said in a statement to the Weekly
The congressman, who led the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas for more than a decade, also mentioned the CHIPS and Science Act, which is intended to boost semiconductor chip manufacturing in the U.S., as a demand driver for advanced manufacturing.
“There is an increasing demand for skillbased training, as roughly 80% of all jobs require some level of postsecondary education or training,” he said.
If we want to keep up with growth and federal investments, our society desperately needs to increase the number of skilled tradespeople entering the workforce. And education and training programs like apprenticeships, trade schools and Career and Technical Education will be instrumental.
That partly means steering away from the prevailing narrative that going to college is
doesn’t require a college degree. Skilled trades can actually offer comparable pay to what many degree-earners would expect, according to the Nevada Builders Alliance.
“We’ve talked about needing a four-year degree to be thoroughly successful in the United States. And I think what we’re seeing—and what we’re trying to educate these young adults, or even adults that are maybe looking to transition into a new job—is that you can be monetarily successful, or more successful, learning a trade,” says Glen Martel, CEO of Nevada Builders Alliance. “Some of these young people are coming out [of trade schools] and within a year
or two, they’re within a six-figure income, which is unheard of for a lot of college degrees.”
What kind of money are we talking about? Martel says specialized tradespeople like plumbers can start at $60,000 to $70,000 annually, and after a few years of experience, can get bumped up to $80,000 or $90,000.
According to the Associated General Contractors’ survey, 81% of firms raised base pay rates in 2023 to try to attract more qualified workers and overcome workforce shortages.
“You can make good money and have a part in building Nevada’s future. … We’re talking tens of thousands of job openings throughout Nevada, whether that’s logistics opportunities, housing in this belt or even mining up north,” Martel says. When it comes to skilled trades, the demand is there, the pay is there, and the pathways are there for people entering the workforce or switching careers.
Many young people are realizing that blue-collar jobs can provide a career pathway that comes with less—or zero—student loan debt when compared to going to a four-year college.
One of the pathways to a career in the trades is through an apprenticeship, which allows students to earn while they learn. For the construction trades, apprenticeships typically take three to five years to complete and involve a combination of classroom learning and on-the-job training. Unions provide apprenticeships tuition free for those who are accepted into the highly coveted programs.
Pipefitter Nick Vasknetz, 25, recently graduated from UA Local 525’s apprenticeship program, which allows pipefitters, plumbers and service technicians to obtain their journeyman license in five years. Working for P1 Group, he specializes in making sure that medical gas is delivered properly through pipes in Valley hospitals.
Before he started the apprenticeship, Vasknetz
“ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND CONSTRUCTION IN THE GREEN ECONOMY SPURRED BY THE INVESTMENTS MADE IN THE [BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW] WILL CEMENT THE NEED FOR THESE WORKERS, AND SO WE MUST DO WHATEVER IS NECESSARY TO PROVIDE THE ROBUST WORKFORCE SKILLS NECESSARY.”
–U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev.
gave college a try.
“I was trying to go in for mechanical engineering. And that salary range is [about] $75,000-plus. But at [UA Local] 525, the hourly rate put me higher than that, and I wouldn’t have to pay for the school,” Vasknetz tells the Weekly. “It’s not necessarily that college itself wasn’t appealing, it was just the return on my investment.”
Based on current wages, UA Local 525 apprentices start at a rate of $24.30 an hour, which is 45% of journeyman pay. Apprentices also get a 5% raise every six months they’re in the program. The union’s negotiated journeyman rate is $54 per hour take-home pay. Multiply that by 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, and that translates to an annual salary of more than $112,000.
“I currently have zero debt. [And] I’m a couple credits away from an associate’s degree on top of [my journeyman license],” Vasknetz says. Aside from monetary earnings and union benefits, when 525 apprentices commit to classroom learning two nights a week for five years, they’re earning credits that can go toward a college degree. Thanks to a partnership between Southern Nevada Building Trades Union, which represents 19 construction unions, and the College of Southern Nevada, many apprenticeships teach accredited courses.
“It’s an ‘and’ and not an ‘or’,” says Aarón Ibarra, chief of staff for Southern Nevada Building Trades Union. “You get paid while you’re actually learning your trade. And you’re able to actually get college credits. We have a partnership with CSN where, by the time you graduate from one of the apprenticeship programs, you’re a couple of classes away from an associate’s degree. … I think it’s been the best kept secret in education for a while now.”
It’s a well-kept secret because apprenticeships have limited space, so they’re not necessarily for everyone. Each semester, the community college has around 2,200 to 2,500 students that are active, taking courses and enrolled as an apprentice— from glaziers to pipefitters to plumbers to carpenters to operating engineers.
As for Vasknetz, his plans for postsecondary education don’t stop at getting a journeyman license. He plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree with support from UA Local 525, and to move up the payscale to superintendent.
“I also plan to teach at my apprenticeship. Through UA’s teaching program, it’s a five-year school again. I will graduate with a teaching certificate and get a bachelor’s degree through that process,” he says.
“I hope to be a general foreman or superintendent in a company, and finishing my degree at that point; maybe being a lead teacher.”
At age 22, Caleb Furcht is already an instructor at the National Technical Institute (NTI), a trade school in Henderson. His pathway to the trades started when he was 17 years old working in retail.
“I ended up working at Home Depot. And that was kind of my experience, seeing other trades, plumbers, electricians and HVAC mechanics come by. And I was stunned by one, an HVAC guy. I talked to him and he just mainly talked about the money that you can make in the trade and the work, demand—there’s so much demand in the Valley,” Furcht tells the Weekly
After three months of classroom training, Furcht was able to get work in the HVAC field and worked there for about two years before becoming an assistant instructor with NTI. He’s happy with the lifestyle his job provides.
“You can only work so many hours. And I can finally afford what I wanted to afford,” he says, adding that people his age are starting to see the benefit of going the trade school route over college.
“There’s people my age that want to shift over, because sometimes in white collar, you’re not guaranteed a job. I have friends that … took their years of schooling, and they’re not guaranteed a job. Well, you can come over here, you can get three months of training. And then next thing you know, you land a job. And now, you’re making $15 to $20 at the entry level.”
Unlike many apprenticeships, trade schools charge some level of tuition. But they provide yet another pathway to break into the skilled trades.
NTI teaches courses in electrical, HVAC and plumbing that can be completed in four months. Each program is under $10,000. The primary goal is expedited employment, says campus director Kodi Wilson. The trade school provides worker pipelines for local companies like Larkin Plumbing, One Hour Air Conditioning, Sierra Air Conditioning & Heating and Helix Electric.
“We recognize there’s a gap in the trades, and the individuals coming into the trades aren’t going to go to a traditional four-year college, and that’s typically because of cost. So if we can make it affordable and make sure they can get employed quicker, that’s what they’re looking for,” Wilson says.
“We are actually an on-ramp for a lot of apprenticeship programs … because we’re taking someone who has zero experience—they’re entry level, they’re interested in the trade and they want to get into it. And we’re giving them the fundamentals of those trades. … We’re trying to fill that employment gap … and get them in [the door].”
Wilson, a plumber with 15 years’ experience, says one of the reasons for the dwindling pool of skilled construction workers is because the trades are not promoted in most schools.
“Maybe it’s that it’s not something to be proud
of or glamorized. … When was the last time you heard in a children’s book about being a plumber or an HVAC technician or electrician or a welder? Fireman, policeman, doctor, lawyer, teacher, you know, it’s those. And not that those are bad ... but I want a hot shower, so I’m going to call a plumber,” Wilson says.
What is being done to expose high school and even younger kids to the skilled trades as a potential career path?
The Clark County School District (CCSD) currently has eight Career and Technical Academies for grades 9-12 along with Central Technical Training Academy for 11th and 12th graders. The school district had a 27% increase in enrollment in Career and Technical Education (CTE) during the 2022-23 school year.
Northeast Career and Technical Academy opened in the 2023-24 school year. The four-year program for high school students aims to “shorten the timeline from freshman orientation to revenue generation.”
“Every student on our campus has selected one
of 10 career pathways through the magnet process and CCSD,” says Principal Ryan Cordia. “Within those magnet pathways, which are all career focused, we believe there’s hundreds of jobs.”
“THERE’S PEOPLE MY AGE THAT WANT TO SHIFT OVER, BECAUSE SOMETIMES IN WHITE COLLAR, YOU’RE NOT GUARANTEED A JOB. I HAVE FRIENDS THAT … TOOK THEIR YEARS OF SCHOOLING, AND THEY’RE NOT GUARANTEED A JOB.”
–Caleb Furcht, assistant instructor, National Technical Institute
Those career pathways include teaching, medical professions, social services, cybersecurity and IT, architecture, engineering, business with an emphasis on logistics, diesel technician, construction and clean energy. The career-focused instruction presents college as just another “means to an end,” and not necessarily a requirement.
“We’re not setting kids up with 720 days of high school so they [can] go to college. We’re setting kids up for 720 days of exploration of who they are, what their passion is, what their abilities are, so they can select their path in life,” Cordia says. “And if college gives them access to that, that’s where they should be going. But for the kid that’s decided [that] they want to go straight to work, their senior year should be set up where they’re getting internships.”
Another CCSD school, Central Technical Training Academy on Maryland Parkway, caters to 11th and 12th graders who are interested in careers in advanced manufacturing and building trades and construction technology. The school focuses on credentials and certifications that will give students a “leg up” in their career pathway, such as OSHA 10, EPA-approved
Kodi Wilson, campus director, shows an A/C compressor in the HVAC training lab at Nevada Technical Institute.
Section 608 certification for students studying HVAC, or SACA certification for advanced manufacturing students.
“The other big focus is just our engagement with the industry and community partners,” says Principal Lilianna Bonderov. “Our goal is to have students have some exposure with people who are potentially hiring managers down the road.”
Blue Bunny, Haas [Automation], Martin-Harris Construction, Southwest Gas and Nevada Gold Mines are just some of the businesses Central Technical Training Academy partners with to shepherd students into careers in advanced manufacturing and building construction. They may come in as guest speakers, sit in on mock interview panels, evaluate student work or even serve as guest instructors.
“There’s several companies who are saying we have to solve this pipeline issue, and the best way
(Continued on Page 22)
NONPROFIT NEVADA WOMEN IN TRADES HELPS WITH LIFE-CHANGING OPPORTUNITIES
Like many who get into the construction trades, Sarah Gutierrez has a family to support.
“I was kind of desperate to look for a job. … I had bills stacking up,” she says.
The 23-year-old mother of two was working at call centers and in customer service before she decided to make a career switch. She then met Evelyn Pacheco, president of the nonprofit Nevada Women in Trades, a program which helps women break into the construction industry.
Pacheco helped Gutierrez introduce herself to several companies hiring sprinkler fitters and helped her with job applications. She got an interview two or three weeks later and learned about an apprenticeship program through UA Local Union 669.
“I went in, did the interview. And they asked, was I willing to do schoolwork and work at the same time? And I said yes, definitely, that’s no challenge for me at all. So from there, I got my job with Shambaugh & Son, which is the company I’m currently working with now as an apprentice.”
Gutierrez has discovered a pathway to an entire industry that can change
“YOU CAN MAKE GOOD MONEY AND HAVE A PART IN BUILDING NEVADA’S FUTURE. … WE’RE TALKING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF JOB OPENINGS
THROUGHOUT NEVADA.”
–Glen
Martel, CEO, Nevada Builders Alliance
her financial situation–an opportunity that should be open equally to women as it is to men. But less than 11% of workers in the construction industry are women, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
That’s one reason why Pacheco founded Nevada Women in Trades in 2018. Pacheco provides support to Gutierrez and the 50 other women who have come through the program. She says five women have gone on to get their journeyman license.
Pacheco provides a wealth of experience as a retired plumber of 15 years.
“I got into the trades at 33. As far as Nevada Women in Trades, I’ve helped women up to the ages of 40,” Pacheco says.
Her pathway to the skilled trade started with serving in the military, where she served as a light wheel mechanic. When she returned to civilian life, she didn’t use her skills as a mechanic again until someone suggested she work in an engineering department at a casino.
“I never really thought about it, even though mechanical was my background,” she says. “I ended up going to Fitzgeralds
(now the D) and working in the engineering department. They taught me about soldering, plumbing, a little electrical work. I got my boilers license. It was a whole new world for me.” Pacheco discovered there is a wealth of opportunity in the construction trades. Now, she wants those opportunities to be equally accessible to all women, especially women of color and those who are in the foster care system, or ex-prisoners reentering society.
“I think trade schools [are] opening up the doors for women of color,” she says. “Even for the ladies that have been in domestic [violence], this might be a way for them to make better money and do what they need to be able to do.” Pacheco is working on getting a bill sponsored in the Nevada Legislature that would require job sites to meet a certain percent threshold of women apprentices on the job.
“I think with Brightline coming in and all the other hotels coming in, that we should have a percentage of women in all these jobs,” she says.
As for Gutierrez, her job in sprinkler fitting better equips her to support her family than if she had stayed in call centers and customer service.
“My motivation is giving my kids a better future. Since they’re small now, I want to try to get my job and secure money for later since I’m still pretty young. At the end of the day, it’s going to benefit my kids,” Gutierrez says.
–Shannon Miller
Evelyn Pacheco, President of Nevada Women in Trades (Steve Marcus/Staff)
(Continued from Page 21)
is just going directly to high schools,” Bonderov says. “And because the district has such a robust CTE program across the board, we’re able to say, here’s what we’ve already been teaching students in our program, and here’s how you can add to that specialized in the area that you’re interested in hiring them for. There’s that pipeline ready to go when they graduate from this.”
Bonderov adds that the interest in CTEs is surging. Last year, Central Technical Training Academy had about 350 applications for 120 seats. CCSD is slated to open a ninth Career and Technical Academy in fall 2026.
Apprenticeships, trade schools and Career and Technical Education are doing their part to develop workforce pipelines needed to build America’s infrastructure. And they’ve done so with a lack of federal funding. According to Congressman Horsford’s office, federal spending on workforce development has fallen by two-thirds over the past four decades.
In an attempt to put more funding toward pipeline programs, the congressman helped introduce the 21st Century SKILLS Act, which would provide individuals with federal grant money for tuition and wrap-around services at registered apprenticeship programs or trade schools that work with their state workforce boards.
“Workers are desperately needed to deploy the litany of federal dollars that have been committed to projects requiring skilled labor. … With all of the investment flowing into the state from the Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act, we need to ensure that we have a homegrown workforce and a ready-to-go pipeline through registered apprenticeships and trade schools that are ready,” Horsford said.
The congressman also said he secured nearly $7
million to build the Historic Westside Education and Training Center. The investment from the Economic Development Administration will support the College of Southern Nevada and City of Las Vegas in constructing the 15,000-square-foot facility. The center will provide credentialed job training programs in advanced manufacturing, health care, technology and construction trades.
“THERE’S SEVERAL COMPANIES WHO ARE SAYING WE HAVE TO SOLVE THIS PIPELINE ISSUE, AND THE BEST WAY IS JUST GOING DIRECTLY TO HIGH SCHOOLS.”
–Lilianna
Bonderov, principal, Central Technical Training Academy
“Once completed, the project will help the region with higher-pay employment opportunities, attract private investment and advance economic resiliency,” Horsford said.
The project is expected to be completed by fall of 2025. And it will be targeting a neighborhood that is most in need of workforce
development, says interim executive director Stavan Corbett with CSN’s Division of Workforce.
“It’s an area that has the highest unemployment, the lowest skilled workers and the lowest wage earnings. And so something like this … serves as a resource for economic and generational and social mobility for an underserved community. And it serves as a conduit to support those talent pipeline needs within those in-demand occupations,” Corbett says.
Careers in skilled trades offer economic mobility, transferable skills and even a pathway to a college degree. And the narrative surrounding postsecondary education and blue-collar jobs is starting to reflect that.
“Businesses are beginning to lean more and more toward skill-based versus degree-based, recognizing transferable skill sets and things like industry recognized credentials. So I think it’s starting to normalize [as] an equal pathway,” Corbett says.
Deacon Perryman, 19, (above) and Ryan Hooks, 19, work in the plumbing technician training lab at Nevada Technical Institute in Henderson.
IN THE NEWS
“Our allies are looking for U.S. leadership. Who else do you think can step in here and do this?”
- President Joe Biden on July 8, insisting that his work expanding and solidifying NATO is a good way to judge whether he can continue to be an e ective president
HOT SHOT
Eight Southern Nevada students won the opportunity to showcase their artwork on the Sphere. More than 100,000 students created Fourth of July-themed art and this winning design in the elementary school division came from Rafael Ayala Toledo, debuting with other winners on the exosphere on July 4.
(Sphere Entertainment/ Courtesy)
BY THE NUMBERS
That’s the temperature, in Fahrenheit, that was measured at Harry Reid Airport on July 7, setting an all-time record high. The heat surpassed the previous high for the area—reached five times, according to the National Weather Service, in 2021, 2017, 2013, 2005 and 1942—by three degrees.
(Cirque du Soleil/Courtesy)
The last bow for ‘The Beatles Love’
As rose petals rained down and the applause grew to a deafening, almost inconceivable roar, cast and crew members of The Beatles Love joined hands and took a bow, concluding a historic 18-year run at the Mirage on July 7.
“Some people may feel it’s a bit of a bittersweet moment tonight,” Cirque du Soleil CEO Stéphane Lefebvre said onstage. “But those who’ve worked on creating this masterpiece over time did it celebrating peace, joy, happiness and love. And tonight … that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
One of Cirque’s most popular productions—and the only licensed Beatles production in the world—Love went out in a blaze of confetti and
ENTERTAINMENT EDUCATION
Back-toschool drives
circus-bred glory, leading a procession of jubilance that’s been seen by more than 11 million people in its lifetime. It’s crazy to think that Love ran longer than the band existed.
From the bubble-blowing fever dream of “Strawberry Fields Forever” to the aquatic spectacle of “Octopus’s Garden,” Love illustrated the evolution from Beatlemania boy band to peace activists and enlightened luminaries. We’ll miss watching that trajectory play out, especially on Love’s custom-built, 360-degree stage that made every vantage point feel like an entirely different show.
As re-releases of the Beatles’ best albums go, Love’s one-of-akind soundtrack, produced and mixed by Giles and George Mar-
tin (the latter lovingly referred to as “the fifth Beatle”), also remained one of the best ways to listen to the band. Sitting in that theater, listening to George Harrison’s stripped-down demo vocals in “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and the isolated, twinkling Lowrey organ in “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” brought about chills. There was something so evocative about those tunes, especially bolstered by more than 6,000 speakers in a shared space of thousands. We were all bearing witness to a legacy left behind by Liverpool’s biggest legends. We’d joined them in the room somehow. That’s how Love invited you in. And a love like that never truly dies.
–Amber Sampson
The Clark County School District’s first day of school is scheduled for August 12, about a month away, and nonprofits and agencies are collecting school supplies for kids in need.
Communities in Schools of Southern Nevada is hosting its 12th annual Fill the Bus school supply drive July 18. It’s seeking school supplies, hygiene products, clothing and uniforms. Sponsorship information, donation locations and more information is available at cisnevada.org/event/snvftb
Clark County Family Services has started a supply drive seeking donations of new backpacks, school supplies and monetary contributions, which are being accepted through Clark County’s donation center, Peggy’s Attic. For more information or to arrange a donation, the public can contact Peggy’s Attic at 702-4555424. –Staff
Samples from Southern Nevada’s wastewater have shown an increase of the COVID-19 virus in areas of the valley, indicating a possible summer surge of the illness that has spread nationwide.
As of May 27, the last available data, there were 3.46 viral counts of COVID in Clark County wastewater, according to the NV Empower Program, a partnership between UNLV, the Desert Research Institute, Southern Nevada Health District and Southern Nevada Water Authority to monitor levels of COVID in the region’s wastewater.
Wastewater monitoring “can provide early awareness of potential outbreaks” but cannot directly measure the number of people currently infected with the virus.
The number is an increase since the last wave in winter, which produced a high of 4.7 viral counts in Clark County wastewater during early February, according to the data.
Those wastewater findings are lining up with a slight increase in COVID cases around Southern Nevada, the health district said. In the first quarter of 2024, it reported 2,992 cases of COVID and a positivity rate of 40.61 people per 100,000.
Previous years saw thousands more COVID-positive patients, and the health district said there was no pressing concern about the “slight increase in cases,” but it was still monitoring the situation. –Grace Da Rocha
REGIONAL RESIDENCIA
Los Bukis makes history as first Spanish-language residency on the Strip
BY GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ
When it comes to iconic Regional Mexican music, Los Bukis is at the top of the food chain. Since opening the Strip’s first Spanish-language music residency at Dolby Live in May, the group has attracted a multigenerational audience.
For most Latinos, Los Bukis permeated adolescence. Their songs played throughout our homes on early Sunday morning cleaning rituals, at quinceañeras, weddings and every family gathering imaginable. And as we grew, the tunes found new life on our playlists to share among adult friends whose histories with the band often run parallel to each other.
Famous for their ability to combine the prominent parts of Latino sound, including cumbias, mariachi and corridos, while infusing modern rock elements with pop production, Los Bukis’ sound is transformative, always relevant and nothing short of influential.
Cousins Marco Antonio and Joel Solís formed the band during their teenage years in 1972. The duo eventually enlisted a full ensemble consisting of Roberto Guadarrama, Eusebio “Chivo” Cortés, José Guadarrama, Javier Solís and Pedro Sánchez and
debuted their first album Falso Amor in 1973. The project’s success led the septet to release 16 albums and tour extensively until frontman Marco Antonio decided to pursue a solo career in 1996.
In 2021, 25 years after the band’s separation, their long-awaited reunion finally came. With just nine U.S. shows, they launched one of the biggest Latin tours of the year according to Billboard, drawing over 350,000 attendees.
As a friend put it, Los Bukis are like The Beatles to our Mexican parents and grandparents.
Walking into Dolby Live during the band’s residency feels like stepping into a living, breathing scrapbook of Mexican musical history. The generation-spanning audience— Boomers, Gen X and a sprinkling of Gen Z fans following in their parents’ musical footsteps—exudes a humble and familial energy. And everyone shares a unified anticipation to be serenaded by the ballads.
Dressed in matching stage ensembles, their necks adorned with shiny gold pendants, Los Bukis displays a timeless elegance while displaying Vegas level showmanship throughout the evening. Marco Antonio Solís, the ever-charismatic frontman, moves and sings
LOS BUKIS: LA RESIDENCIA
July 12-13, 19-20, 8 p.m., $85+, Dolby Live, ticketmaster.com
with the same finesse that’s made generations of fans swoon.
Throughout the two-hour set, the audience is treated to a visual feast with interactive graphics, backup dancers, slideshows of photos and videos from the band’s early days. Songs like “Y Ahora Te Vas,” “Chiquilla Bonita” and “Mi Mayor Necesidad,” stir tearjerking nostalgia, while classics like “Tu Cárcel” trigger a standing singalong. People dance in their assigned seats, often spilling into the walkway aisles to twirl and dip their companions. Live crowd shots capture tender moments—tears, laughter and the kind of joy that only comes from reliving the soundtrack of youth.
It’s clear that Los Bukis is the perfect band to pioneer the first Spanish-language residency in Vegas. Their ability to bridge generations through blending tradition with modernity makes them a natural choice. The Los Bukis residency is not only a celebration of music; it’s a testament to the band’s longstanding fandom and its enduring legacy as one of Mexico’s most iconic groups.
Los Bukis (Courtesy/Eduardo Cardoza)
WITH RHYME AND REASON
Politically conscious Las Vegas rapper Kurian pushes beyond just awareness
BY AMBER SAMPSON MUSIC
Las Vegas rapper Kurian probably isn’t old enough to remember the day a hijacked plane struck the World Trade Center, but the 24-year-old certainly remembers the aftermath.
The eldest son of two Indian immigrants who relocated to Las Vegas in 2004, Kurian credits the 2010 Bollywood film My Name is Khan with opening his eyes to the discrimination Middle Easterners faced following 9/11.
“When I watched it as a kid, I didn’t really fully conceptualize what was going on, but when I grew up, I started reading more about how things have changed and even the media that we consume, with the portrayals of the Middle East and this idea of barbaric brown people coming to shoot us all. It was pretty insane that we were all kind of obsessed for it,” says Kurian.
Ever the outspoken one in his family, Kurian dove headfirst into politics at a time when many of his peers weren’t willing to engage with it, “because they [didn’t] want to think about it.” Turns out, analyzing social and economic systems and government structures proved just as exciting as his discovery of rap.
“I remember really getting into rap when I listened to Yeezus for the first time in high school. That album kind of changed my life,” he says. “Then I got into other artists like Lupe Fiasco, and I really enjoyed rap because I’d never really quite heard anything like it.”
Drawn to this uninhibited form of expression, Kurian started rapping over his own self-produced beats. In 2022, he debuted I Would Throw Another Shoe at George Bush, a provocative 14-track LP teeming with references to the Bush Administration and Muntadhar al-Zaidi, an Iraqi journalist who chucked his shoes at the president at a press confer-
linktr.ee/kurian.1111
ence in 2008.
The opening track begins with a news anchor warning about the Great Recession and devolves into a melting pot of panicked broadcasts that conclude with a man angrily growling, “I find your capitalistic ways repugnant.” That intro sets the tone for the LP, as Kurian deploys a scatter shot of bars, targeting the political landscape and what it means to be a brown person caught in the middle of it.
“I wanted this album to be agitating,” Kurian says. “I drew a lot of it from my time coming out of the Bush years into the Obama years, where, quite frankly at least for me, it didn’t really feel like much had changed. I think a lot of people can feel the same way. There was a great promise in 2008, but it was never fulfilled.”
Kurian’s followup, 2023’s The Desert Will Not Shed Tears for You, buffs out the edges of I Would Throw Another Shoe, improving in both production and tone as the rapper finetunes his fleet-footed flow. Ultimately, Kurian sees his music as a driving force, a rallying cry for Gen Z to be “doers rather than spectators in this world.”
“Awareness is not enough. It’s one thing to be aware of the problem, it’s another thing to do something about it,” Kurian says.
He stresses the importance of building communities, learning new skills and engaging in open dialogues with family and friends about issues that matter. And Kurian’s upcoming album, Iron Kurtain, will expand upon that message with a funkier, more “out there” sound.
“I want them to get angry. I want it to be a productive anger. I want them to always realize that a better world is possible,” he says. “I want this music to spark an energy in people and to get stuff done.”
(Wade Vandervort/Staff)
THE STRIP
VEGAS SHOW NOTES
The Strat’s iLuminate , Spiegelworld’s DiscoShow and more
BY BROCK RADKE
Dance-tech dynamo iLuminate is sticking around. The award-winning production at the Strat Theater has extended its run through at least August 2027, a victorious continuing collaboration between creator Miral Kotb, producers SPI Entertainment and Strat operators Golden Entertainment. If you’ve enjoyed the Jabbawockeez and Blue Man Group—or if you like to dance—this show is for you, running nightly except Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Visit iluminate.com for more.
Another dance-centric extension: Michael Jackson tribute show MJ Live will soldier on at the Sahara Theatre through October 31. Produced by TRP Entertainment, MJ Live has bounced from the Strat to the Tropicana to the Sahara in recent years, and this 1,200-seat space (formerly known as the Foundry)
appears to be a comfortable home for the music and iconography of the King of Pop. Shows run nightly at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are at Ticketmaster.
And more MJ: Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson One just celebrated 11 years at Mandalay Bay and announced it’ll continue through November 2030. Since it opened in 2013, more than six million guests have experienced the show, totaling more than 4,500 performances. It’s onstage Thursdays through Mondays at 7 p.m. and info and tickets are available at cirquedusoleil.com/michael-jackson-one.
As reported in Weekly last month, Spiegelworld is ready to unveil DiscoShow at the Linq on September 7, with previews beginning August 14 at 7 p.m. and tickets available at spiegelworld.com/shows/discoshow. You may have heard the show is inspired by 1970s New York City and the cultural climate that gave birth to disco, but
you might not know DiscoShow is replete with experienced, award-winning creatives including director Steven Hoggett, Broadway and West End choreographer Yasmine Lee, writer Michael Wynne and Tony-winning set and costume designer David Zinn. It also marks the next evolution of Spiegelworld’s all-in-one experience as the show is buttressed by new bars 99 Prince and Glitterloft, and new restaurant Diner Ross. Ready to dance?
Moving off the Strip and deep into the heart of Downtown Las Vegas: We couldn’t be more excited about the planned October 2 opening of Miss Behave’s Mavericks at the Plaza Showroom. Another version of this “flirty, filthy and fabulous blend of comedy, circus, burlesque and variety” originally opened at Cheapshot in the Fremont East district two years ago, and the brilliant Amy Saunders first brought Miss Behave to Las Vegas in 2018 at what was then Bally’s. The new show promises to spice up the Downtown entertainment scene and make use of a charming and overlooked classic venue. “It’s a marriage made in heaven,” Saunders said in a statement. “This beautiful showroom has been looking for an excuse to show off, and Mavericks is perfect for that.”
SCENE
ERNEST HEMINGWAY
HEADS WILL RULE
HUNTER S. THOMPSONEVEL KNIEVEL
TUPAC SHAKUR
ZAK BAGANS TOM GREEN
Shrunken heads bring star power to Chinatown’s Golden Tiki
Near the back of the wildly popular, tropical-themed bar the Golden Tiki—past the crowds, DJ stand and shiploads of nautical swag—is an exclusive celebrity room. It’s tiny; more of a cupboard, really. That’s ne, because every one of its superstar occupants could t in the palm of your hand.
The Golden Tiki’s collection of celebrity “shrunken heads” (in actuality, sculptures created by Wyoming-based artist Terry Barr) is both a legit “who’s who” and “what the hell is that.” It boast Strip headliners, past and present (Carrot Top, Siegfried & Roy), rock stars (Rod Stewart, Pantera’s Vinnie Paul) and larger-than-life gures that doubtlessly helped to inspire the bar’s look and vibe (Walt Disney, John Waters). Some are Golden Tiki semi-regulars—U2 and the stars of Breaking Bad reportedly met their shrunken twins—and some are aspirational regulars, like the Golden Girls and Falkor, the Luck Dragon.
Nearly all the heads share a common expression of comic bemusement, even with mouths sewn shut. You’d probably look the same if you were a shrunken head. Maybe, with luck, someday you could be. –Geo Carter
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Steak,
Mae Daly’s brings a classic stand-alone steakhouse to the north Strip
BY BROCK RADKE
Restaurateur Richard Femenella first came to Las Vegas from New York in 1997 to build and open celebrity chef Charlie Palmer’s renowned Aureole at Mandalay Bay and Charlie Palmer Steak at the adjacent Four Seasons. Both of those restaurants made their mark on the Strip’s culinary scene, and later, when Femenella had already been a Las Vegas resident for five years, he operated the Stirling Club at Turnberry Place for eight years.
In 2020, he was diagnosed with advanced Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Femenella says another local hospitality legend, philanthropist Larry Ruvo, helped him get access to the Cleveland Clinic and he spent a couple months at its Ohio hospital.
“I was lying in a hospital bed and started contemplating this new restaurant, making notes, and I thought, if I live, I want to open my dream restaurant,” he says.
And that’s what happened. After losing more than 100 pounds during his cancer battle and needing to learn to walk again, Femenella has had “a clean bill of health” for the past few years, and he’s been able to develop that dream restaurant, which opened last week on Las Vegas Boulevard across from the Strat.
Mae Daly’s Fine Steaks & Whiskeys is a pure, classic steakhouse, and it’s a double-dream because Femenella says he always wanted a standalone spot outside of a casino “because I wanted to build a restaurant for the people who live in Las Vegas. I had been looking for a location for over a year when I found it … I think Mayor [Carolyn] Goodman coined the term that this [area] is the gateway to the City of Las Vegas. Now we’re the first place when you come across Sahara.”
The location seems perfect for an American steakhouse with classic vibes inspired by a Prohibition-era saloon owner. Femenella heard the tales of Mae Daly from a customer at the Stirling Club, and while the new restaurant’s website notes that there’s “no documented proof” of her existence, it’s a legend worth carrying on, one based on “friendly service, great steaks, whiskeys and good times.”
Mae Daly’s has partnered with Northern Nevada’s Frey Ranch Distillery to create a signature steak, the Frey Ranch Filet Mignon Au Poivre , which gets finished tableside with a flambe of Frey Ranch Un-Cut Whiskey.
“It’s great dining-room theater and it’s one of the things that’s different about this steakhouse,” Femenella says. “We don’t have food runners. The chefs finish the dishes in the dining room; [it’s] actually the executive chef and the sous chef that serve your food.”
He explains that industry workers and restaurant owners often get that kind of treatment when they dine at other spots, and he’s noticed other diners wondering, “Why don’t they come to our table?” he says. “We wanted everyone to have that special feeling.”
Plenty of special feelings will be circulated when Mae Daly’s hosts a grand opening celebration on July 12 at 7 p.m. featuring live entertainment, an event that will raise funds for the nonprofit Autism Community Trust, which Femenella co-founded. The organization’s sole purpose is to raise money and fund local service-oriented charities and groups that focus on autism, and Mae Daly’s is also launching a vocational work program for adults with autism. Tickets for the event are available at Eventbrite.
SENDING OFF PICASSO IN STYLE
I’ve spent at least a decade sampling all the fancy food the Las Vegas Strip has to offer, but I’ve only dined at Picasso twice. The more memorable of two amazing meals was on the patio on a perfect evening, just the two of us, with plenty of Champagne and truly unique views of the Bellagio fountains. There may have been a smooch selfie. We got caught up in it. Making dinner in Vegas feel like a once-in-a-lifetime experience is what restaurants like Picasso were built for, but there isn’t really another restaurant like Picasso. The legendary Bellagio destination is closing for good next month, but not before it hosts a tribute dinner recognizing chef Julian Serrano and the 25 years of artistry he’s anchored at this illustrious restaurant.
All the classic dishes will be on the menu, along with special creation that showcase Serrano’s style. There will be several choices for each of three courses, including Maine lobster salad with notes of Spanish gazpacho, sauteed steak of foie gras with caramelized apple, roasted milkfed veal chop and more. There will be live entertainment and visual artists, a pre-dinner reception with a special toast, and opportunities to snap a photo with the chef. Expect a fitting send-off for a Strip institution that set a new standard. –Brock Radke
PICASSO TRIBUTE DINNER August 9, 6:30 p.m., $195. Picasso, bellagio.mgmresorts.com.
(Courtesy/MGM Resorts International)
Richard Femenella (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
SUMMER BALL
What to watch at the NBA’s 20th anniversary edition of Las Vegas Summer League
BY CASE KEEFER
The NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League seems to gain in popularity every year, and this year’s 20th anniversary edition at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion is no exception.
Each of the league’s 30 franchises are again slated to bring a roster of rookies, other young prospects who need more seasoning and veteran professionals with the dream of sticking in the NBA for the 11-day competition. From July 12 to July 21, there’s basketball virtually around the clock with games starting as early as 11 a.m. local time and wrapping up as late as midnight.
A finale championship game is set for 6 p.m. on July 22 on ESPN.
All 76 games throughout the event are now televised, either on ESPN’s family of networks or NBATV, and available to bet at local sports books. Tickets are general admission daily and start at $45 for adults and $35 for children and seniors with upgraded packages available at unlvtickets.com
There’s plenty to look forward to in the annual festival of hoops, but here are five of the most notable things to watch as the NBA world descends upon Las Vegas.
ROOKIE RANKINGS
A clear overall No. 1 pick has emerged in most recent drafts. Think Victor Wembanyama last year, Anthony Edwards in 2020 and Zion Williamson in 2019.
That wasn’t the case this year.
The Atlanta Hawks reportedly didn’t make a choice between French wing Zaccharie Risacher (their ultimate pick) and Kentucky sharpshooter Reed Sheppard (who went No. 3 to the Houston Rockets) until hours before the draft. And some believe No. 2 overall pick Alexandre Sarr, a versatile French big man, would have gone to the Hawks if he didn’t refuse to work out for them and pave his way to being taken by the Washington Wizards.
Ron Holland (G-League Ignite swingman who went No. 5 to the Detroit Pistons) and Donovan Clingan (Connecticut center who went No. 7 to the Portland Trail Blazers) were among another group also rumored to go No. 1 at different points of the scouting process. Arguments are going to rage for years over who’s the best in the 2024 draft class, and they will start at Summer League where all the candidates are expected to be in action.
DYNASTIC FORCES FACE OFF
Clingan is not the only UConn product who’s in the conversation for Rookie of the Year next season. College teammate Stephon Castle, a point guard, went No. 4 overall to the San Antonio Spurs and has plenty of buzz of his own.
It’s no wonder the Huskies wrecked college basketball for the last two years, becoming the first team in 17 years to win back-to-back national championships. Las Vegas got a close-up look at UConn’s dynasty last year when it blew out two opponents to win the West Region of the 2023 NCAA Tournament at T-Mobile Arena and reach the Final Four.
Now the city will be center stage again for UConn when Castle and Clingan square off at 6 p.m. on July 13 when the Spurs and Trail Blazers play at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Meanwhile, UConn’s 2024 Final Four Most Outstanding Player Tristen Newton, a guard, will suit up for the Indianapolis Pacers as a second-round draft pick.
THE LAKE SHOW
Las Vegas always best lives up to its reputation as a “Laker town” during Summer League.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ traditional opening-night game has sold out on a couple occasions in recent years, and this year’s 7:30 p.m. showdown with the Rockets on July 12 must be the most anticipated yet. The Lakers landed two of the most high-profile players in the draft—Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht in the first round and USC shooting guard Bronny James in the second round.
Knecht was a heavy favorite to be drafted in the top 10, but free-fell down the board with several teams expressing concern about his age (he’s already 23 while most top prospects are teenagers). He might have been the most electric scorer in college basketball last year, and should be set up to ignite in a similar fashion at Summer League.
James is, of course, a lightning rod of attention because of his father, Lakers superstar LeBron James. The latter has long shared a dream of one day playing with the former in the NBA, and now gets his wish.
Look for the elder “King” James courtside to catch some of the first professional action out of his firstborn son.
CHAMPIONSHIP RACE
Perhaps no scene was more illustrative of how far Summer League has come than two years ago when the league handed out rings for the first time and held a celebration ceremony to crown the Portland Trail Blazers champions.
The Summer League may not be a fraction as meaningful as the NBA Finals, or even the new Las Vegas-based In-Season Tournament, but the games are no longer mere exhibitions. There are real stakes and prizes present for the players, including awards, all-tournament teams, and yes, championship rings.
Each team gets three games to start, and then the four teams with the best records advance into a single-elimination playoff bracket in the new format.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the defending champions, while the Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings are the only teams to have won Summer League twice since a champion started being named in 2013.
LOCALLY-PERTINENT UPDATES
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver traditionally speaks at some point during Summer League, and based on history, it would be wise to heed his words.
It was five years ago during Summer League when he shared a vision for the league to hold an In-Season Tournament that culminated in Las Vegas. The event debuted last year to great success with the Lakers knocking off the Pacers in the championship game at T-Mobile Arena.
Last summer, Silver regarded as it no secret that the league was seriously considering Las Vegas as a city for one of two expected expansion teams. With the NBA’s new media rights deal now negotiated and settled, Silver seems likely to update the expansion efforts this year—especially with LeBron James also expected in town. James is considered the frontrunner to eventually head an ownership group of the Las Vegas franchise.
Top 2024 draft picks Reed Sheppard (left) and Zaccharie Risacher are set to play in Las Vegas during NBA Summer League.
(AP Photo)
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTOPHER DEVARGAS & WADE VANDERVORT
CONTEST WHETS TEENS’ APPETITE FOR LEARNING TO PLAY THE MARKET
BY KATIE ANN MCCARVER VEGAS INC STAFF
One of the best decisions Ross Graydon said he has ever made was joining the Junior Investment Club, a partnership between 100 Black Men of America—a volunteer organization that provides mentorship to minority youths—and Wells Fargo that allows young people to practice investing through a curriculum-based simulation.
The experience certainly seems to have paid o for Graydon, a high school student in Las Vegas who recently got to participate in the 2024 Junior Investment Club Competition at the 38th Annual Conference of the 100 Black Men of America in Atlanta, Georgia. Graydon and his teammates, all representing 100 Black Men of Las Vegas, took third in the contest.
“(We were) not expecting to get to third place, because along the journey we had a lot of hiccups,” said Graydon, 16. “It must have seemed like we weren’t going to make it, but we pushed through.”
The 5-year-old Junior Investment Club gives students a virtual $100,000 to invest in the SIFMA Foundation’s Stock Market Game, an online simulation, over more than a dozen weeks. Nearly 800 students compete nationwide.
At the conference in Atlanta, select students presented the culmination of their project, said Keilana Stephenson, 13, a local seventh-grader and member of the third-place team.
“I feel like we did a good job,” Stephenson said alongside Graydon and their teammate Pharoah Washington at a Wells Fargo in the Las Vegas Valley. “And we will do better—like a lot better— next year.”
Though this was the trio’s rst year competing in the Junior Investment Club, they did a tremendous job giving their 10-minute presentation to a crowd of nearly 100 people at the conference, and then elding questions from
judges, according to Rhonda Nolen, program manager at 100 Black Men of Las Vegas.
Of the ve teams competing out of the Las Vegas chapter, she said, Stephenson, Graydon and Washington were the team consistently among the top ve in the country over the course of the program.
“We’re always trying to educate the next generation so they can make better choices for their family members and things of that nature,” Nolen said of 100 Black Men of Las Vegas. “And so the younger you expose children to di erent things, the better they are.”
The Junior Investment Club gives Las Vegas teenagers the opportunity to travel or meet people who they might not have had otherwise had the chance to, she said, and teaches them what they have the potential to be.
The team’s instructors were one example for students, including Fineza Tangua, executive director of Wells Fargo Wealth and Investment Management in the Western division, and Kirk Richards.
Richards, a member of 100 Black Men of Las Vegas and a lead instructor for the Junior Investment Club, said he’s extremely proud of the winning Las Vegas team and all the hard work
they did.
“They’ve come a long way,” he said. “From being shy to barely wanting to talk on the mic, even during the presentation, and things like that—to now … they didn’t know it was gonna turn into this. And that’s the ‘why’ you do these things.”
Now, even more young people will have the chance to take advantage of the Junior Investment Club. According to a recent news release, a $600,000 grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation will expand the program to 30 more markets nationwide.
Nolen called the expansion “fantastic” and emphasized how important it is to teach youths good nancial habits from a young age.
“Because the more kids we can get exposed to the banking business, the better it is for us,” she said. “It’s better for children, it’s better for their families. We absolutely want to make sure that the students learn about nancial literacy.”
For Washington, the oldest member of the third-place Junior Investment Club team out of Las Vegas at age 17, the program has taught him the importance of being patient with money, and not spending it all at once.
Investing is a fun way to take chances, he said.
“You’ll see us next year,” he added.
Students and o cials pose in the lobby of the Wells Fargo Bank tower on July 2. From left: Wendell Blaylock, public a airs for Wells Fargo Nevada and Utah; Fineza Tangua, diverse segment leader for Wells Fargo Western division; students Pharaoh Washington, Ross Graydon and Keilana Stephenson; Kirk Richards, instructor for the 100 Black Men of Las Vegas Junior Investor Club; and Rhonda Nolen, program manager for 100 Black Men of Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Sta )
JOB LISTING
RF Engineering Manager by DISH Wireless, LLC in Las Vegas, NV. Build, develop, and manage the Radio Network team in their local market. Responsible for working with the local development team to optimize and implement initial design using established RF planning standards and guidelines so that the market is built to a competitive standard. Bachelor’s degree (or foreign equivalent) in Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Applications, or a closely related field plus 5 years of RF engineering experience. Also requires 2 years of work experience with/using the following (which may have been gained concurrently): Cellular and Mobile Technology proficiency in 3G, 4G, and 5G-NR; Network design concepts and techniques; Drive test equipment, processes, and interpreting results; Work with propagation tools, build network plans, interpret results; RF skills: Planet, X-Cal, Tems, Nemo, Atoll, Windcatcher, RFDS, and RF Antenna Theory; 3GPP standards; Wireless network functions (Antennas, RU, Baseband Units, Control Units and EMS Systems). Employment is contingent on successful completion of a pre-employment criminal background check, which may include a drug test. Benefits information available at careers.dish.com. Rate of pay: $140,000.00. Apply at careers.dish.com. Reference: 202487669. May also apply by emailing resume with (Reference: 2024-87668) to tasharedservices@dish.com. The posting will be active for a minimum of 3 days. The active posting will continue to extend by 3 days until the position is filled.
JOB LISTING
Sales Manager. Las Vegas, NV. Determine sales target, client preference, and inventory requirement; Direct distribution of products to clients; Maintain network of potential clients and sales opportunities. Req: 4yrs work exp job duties; Knowledge of sales report analysis, business development, and networking. Send resume: Job#3, Zena Group FL LLC, 6253 Dean Martin Dr #C Las Vegas NV 89118
or rel. 8 yrs exp. Other exp reqd. Pay: $141,618-$142,618/yr.
Apply: https://careers.elevancehealth.com/.
Job Ref: JR118939
Diversification means lowering your risk by spreading your investment across more than one market factor such as location, property type, or business enterprise. It’s one of the best ways to weather the ups and downs of the market and support the sustainability of your investments.”
BY VEGAS INC STAFF
After the real estate industry was turned upside down during the recession in 2008, Jeff Pori reevaluated his position in the real estate, development and investment world and took a step back. When the timing was right, he re-engaged in the industry with the formation of Kingsbarn Realty Capital, an investment house that provides institutional and accredited investors access to an array of alternative investments. He answered questions from Vegas Inc about Delaware Statutory Trusts (DSTs) and the importance of a diversified portfolio.
Kingsbarn has over $2 billion of assets under management and has acquired over 280 properties throughout the country. It currently has a development pipeline of over $2 billion consisting of multifamily, student housing, industrial, retail and hospitality.
What are DSTs? How do they work?
Diversifying an investment portfolio is an important step in financial planning. While many options exist, one effective strategy in diversification is through the use of Delaware Statutory Trusts (DSTs) and 1031 exchanges, both of which offer unique benefits and opportunities in terms of real estate investment.
Q+A: JEFF PORI
Alternative investments can offer benefits of the real estate market without the headaches that often come with it
DSTs, which are 1031 exchange-eligible, provide real estate investors with a way to invest passively in commercial real estate. Kingsbarn, as a sponsor of DSTs, acquires high-quality commercial income properties, places non-recourse financing on the properties, and then provides oversight through our asset management group to ensure the overall success of the venture and the continuation of distributable income to our clients.
Why is it important for individuals to diversify their financial portfolios, and why DSTs?
Diversification means lowering your risk by spreading your investment across more than one market factor such as location, property type, or business enterprise. It’s one of the best ways to weather the ups and downs of the market and support the sustainability of your investments.
DSTs can be advantageous for investors wanting to diversify into real estate without dealing with direct property management. By joining funds together with other investors, DSTs provide access to larger, institutional-grade properties, such as apartment complexes, student housing, commercial buildings, medical properties and corporate headquarters.
Diversifying through DSTs and using 1031 exchanges can protect a person’s wealth and financial well-being. Because the loans for the properties
are already in place, it is easy for an investor to select multiple DST offerings and to close on them simultaneously and simply. An investor could become an owner of a diversified portfolio in less than a week if that was their desire. It makes diversification not only possible, but easy and convenient for each investor.
What noteworthy projects has Kingsbarn spearheaded lately?
Our firm has experienced tremendous growth over the past five years, and we have added several investment vehicles for our clients. Much of our growth has come from the real estate development side of our business, which we allow investors to participate in alongside us. Some of our more noteworthy projects include:
• 39° North Lake Tahoe: This project is currently in the entitlement phase. We intend to complete a Marriott Autograph hotel with a rooftop lounge overlooking the Lake. The project also includes 48 townhomes and 62 workforce-housing apartments.
• We just completed the renovation of Ducks Village, a 650-bed student community serving the University of Oregon in Eugene just northwest of downtown.
• The Marlette: We just completed the ground-up development and construction of this 140-unit multifamily property in Carson City. We are at approximately 80% occupancy and
nearing stabilization.
• We are in the midst of developing and constructing 30 Bojangles quickserve restaurants throughout Las Vegas and Phoenix.
• Two new multifamily projects will be breaking ground later this summer: The Altair, 207 units in Carson City; and Affinity at Three Springs, which will be 162 units in the Durango, Colorado, market.
• Kingsbarn has received full entitlement approval from the City of Buena Park to construct a new Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel within the city’s entertainment corridor. This 140-room, 6-story extended-stay hotel will include flexible suites with separate living and dining areas, multifunctional community spaces, and homelike amenities, such as a pool, fitness center, business center, market pantry and on-site laundry facilities.
• We completed a TA Express travel center in Littlefield, Arizona, late last year, and we are under construction on a TA TravelCenter of America in Ash Fork, Arizona.
• We have nearly 1,500 multifamily units in the entitlement phase of development in Orange County, California.
• We completed the ground-up development of The Cottages at Hooper Hill, a student housing property located at Ole Miss university. This was part of a portfolio of properties that we acquired at Ole Miss that cater to Greek life students.
VEGAS INC NOTES
Highlightsof the best in business
Gov. Joe Lombardo appointed Tina Talim to the Eighth Judicial District Court, Department XIV. Talim previously was team chief of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Unit in the Clark County District Attorney’s Office.
The Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents reelected Amy Carvalho as chair and Jeffrey Downs as vice chair at its June quarterly meeting.
Henderson City Manager/CEO Richard Derrick has been named a top influencer in local government by Engaging Local Government Leaders. This award considers leaders from across the country who exemplify the ELGL values of joy, creativity, connection, dependability and equity through their work and public activities, and help make a difference in their communities and region at large.
Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar appointed Ruben Rodriguez as deputy secretary of state for Southern Nevada, replacing the departed Maggie Salas Crespo Rodriguez joins the Secretary of State’s Office after serving as the deputy district director for U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nevada. He also served as the communications manager for Horsford’s office, and previously served as director of immigration.
Smile Generation and its nationwide
network of dental practices recently completed a two-month fundraising campaign in support of Charity: Water, a nonprofit organization that brings clean, safe drinking water to people around the world. The campaign raised $1,456,414, more than doubling the initial goal. All funds raised will go toward providing clean drinking water to people in Ethiopia by constructing community-owned, sustainable and safe water sources built to last for generations.
Communities In Schools of Nevada, an evidence-based stay-in-school organization serving 110 Nevada schools, hired Mitzury Aguilar as senior HR manager, Jessica Kurr as private grants coordinator, Loidie Marroquin as marketing manager and Justin Minton as development and engagement manager to the statewide team. Aguilar has over 10 years of experience in human resources and helps lead, coordinate and carry out all human resource department projects and processes for the organization. Kurr brings over a decade of experience working in higher education and grant management and builds relationships with private foundations to bring awareness of the nonprofit’s programming and the value it brings the students. Marroquin oversees a range of marketing initiatives, including campaigns, social media management, and strategic partnerships. Minton is responsible for strategizing and implementing initiatives that enhance engagement.
PREMIER CROSSWORD HOROSCOPES
FRANK LONGO
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Have you been taking long breaks to gaze lovingly up at the sky and listen to music that moves you to tears? Have you given your imagination permission to fantasize with abandon about wild possibilities? Homework: Name three more ways to fuel your self-renewal.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Actor Carrie Fisher put a strong priority on being both amusing and amused. She said, “If my life wasn’t funny, it would just be true, and that’s unacceptable.” Experiment with those principles, Taurus. Be resourceful as you make your life as humorously interesting as possible.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): As you charge into the upcoming period of self-reinvention, don’t abandon your past completely. Some of your old emotional baggage might prove useful. A few of your challenging memories may serve as robust motivators. On the other hand, it will be healthy to leave behind as much oppressive baggage and as many burdensome memories as possible.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Experiment with being kind and sensitive, but also cheerfully irreverent and tenderly wild. Look for marvels and miracles, but treasure critical thinking and rational analysis. Don’t take things too personally or too seriously, and regard the whole world as a holy gift. Be gratefully and humbly in awe as you tune into how beautiful and wonderful you are.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Over 3,700 years ago, a craftsperson living in what’s now Israel fashioned a comb from an elephant’s tusk. It was a luxury item with two sides, one used to smooth hair tangles and the other to remove lice. Let the comb to be a symbol for your story in the coming weeks: a blend of monumental and ordinary. Drama may emerge from the routine. Breakthroughs may happen in the midst of everyday matters.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A Virgo New Yorker named Ashrita Furman holds the Guinness world record for having broken the most Guinness world records. His first came in 1979, when he did 27,000 jumping jacks. Make him your spirit creature for the coming weeks. What acts of bold self-expression are you ready to make, Virgo? What records are you primed to break?
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You now have exceptional power to pay deep attention and behold far more than usual of the world’s magic. It’s the Season of Enchantment for you. I invite you to be daring and imaginative as you probe for the delightful amazements that are often hidden just below the surface of things. Imagine you have the superpower of X-ray vision.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You are in the midst of major expansion. You are reaching further, opening wider and dreaming bigger. And I am cheering you on as you grow beyond your previous boundaries. One bit of advice: Some people in your life may find it challenging to follow you freely into your new territory. Allow them to take the time they need to get accustomed to your growth.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian actor Jeff Bridges has wise words for you to heed: “If you wait to get all the information you think you need before you act, you’ll never act because there’s an infinite amount of information out there.” I think this advice is especially apropos for you right now. You will thrive on making strong, crisp decisions and undertaking strong, crisp actions.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): People may be attracted to you in the coming weeks because they unconsciously or not-so-unconsciously want to be influenced, stirred up and even changed by your presence. Some folks might be demanding. Others may absorb and integrate your effects in ways that are different from your intentions. But it’s worthwhile for you to offer your best efforts. You could be a force for healing and benevolence.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Sometimes when gifts arrive in our lives, they are not recognized as gifts. We may even mistake them for obstacles. In a worst-case scenario, we reject and refuse them. Expand your definition of what gifts look like. I will also ask you to widen the range of where you search for gifts and to enlarge your expectations of what blessings you deserve.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Lake Baikal in Russia is the world’s deepest, oldest and, by volume, its largest. Make this natural marvel your prime symbol for the next 11 months. At your best, you, too, will be deep,
And like Lake Baikal, you will be
BACKSTORY
TWO PARADES | JULY 4, 2024 | Displays of patriotism come in many forms. In Summerlin (top), Darth Vader, the sith lord and even Ewoks came from a galaxy far, far away to say “may the Fourth (of July) be with you.” Meanwhile, Boulder City (bottom) prefaced its fireworks festivities with a parade and a massive water gun fight. –Shannon Miller
