All content is copyright Las Vegas Weekly LLC. Las Vegas Weekly is published Thursdays and distributed throughout Southern Nevada. Readers are permitted one free copy per issue. Additional copies are $2, available back issues $3.
ADVERTISING DEADLINE
EVERY THURSDAY AT 5 P.M.
Anyma takes over Sphere, Phantogram brings their tour to Brooklyn Bowl and more happening this week.
14 SELF-CARE & LEISURE LIFE
Go solo with tips for dining alone and creating a meditation space in your home. 26 NEWS
As more and more automated vehicles join traffic, Zoox prepares to launch its fleet of driverless taxis this year. 34 FILM The Last Showgirl director Gia Coppola talks Pamela Anderson and Las Vegas camaraderie.
We
Janet Jackson holds little back in her show-stopping Resorts World residency.
Photograph by Wade Vandervort/ Photo Illustration
SUPERGUIDE
THURSDAY JAN 9 FRIDAY JAN 10
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS. NEW YORK ISLANDERS
7 p.m., T-Mobile Arena, axs.com
DISNEY ON ICE: MAGIC IN THE STARS Thru 1/12, times vary, Thomas & Mack Center, unlvtickets.com
ADAM CAROLLA
7:30 & 9:30 p.m., Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club, ticketmaster.com
KAREN MORGAN
7 p.m., Wiseguys Arts District, wiseguyscomedy.com
Las Vegas already has a reputation for over-the-top spectacle, but Anyma’s opening night on December 27 at Sphere knocked the wind right out of me and felt like a visionary leap into what live music can become—a sprawling, brain-melting, boundary-crushing experience. Italian American EDM producer and DJ Matteo Milleri has long been known for his innovative approach to audio-visual experiences, and this show—unfolding in four acts, each more hypnotic than the previous—marries his signature melodic techno with lush, cinematic soundscapes while the surrounding screens come alive with digital humanoid figures, their movements syncing and reaching out along with the pulsating beats. Unlike the rock gods we’ve seen at Sphere so far, Anyma isn’t playing to nostalgic memories of the past; he’s playing for the future. 9 p.m., & 1/11, $125-$708, Sphere, ticketmaster.com. –Gabriela Rodriguez
SATURDAY JAN 11
THE TEMPTATIONS & THE FOUR TOPS 7:30 p.m., Reynolds Hall, thesmithcenter.com.
ADAM RAY IS DR. PHIL LIVE
More than formidable as a stand-up comedian and character actor, Adam Ray has broken through to the next level in recent years with a different show that started out as creative experiment. Searching for a way to mix things up, Ray began making improv comedy videos spoofing mental health TV personality Dr. Phil, an exercise that turned into many, many sold-out live shows at LA’s legendary Comedy Store, where Ray’s amped-up version of the doc would interview jokesters Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Andrew Santino ... and eventually the real Dr. Phil. Sold-out theater shows followed, and now Dr. Phil Live is on tour, touching down at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas during an already stacked comedy weekend around the Valley. In Vegas, you never know who could pop in for a show known for special guest appearances. 8 p.m., $39-$275, Theater at Virgin, axs.com. –Brock Radke
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS. NEW YORK RANGERS
7 p.m., T-Mobile Arena, axs.com
RICHARD BRYAN: FROM THE STATE TO THE SENATE
1 p.m., Mob Museum, themob museum.org
MURRAY SAWCHUCK: HAIRLARIOUS DECEPTIONS
4 p.m., & 1/12, LA Comedy Club, bestvegas comedy.com
LITTLE MISS NASTY
9 p.m., the Portal at Area15, area15.com
METAL MASTERS TRIBUTE SHOW
7:30 p.m., House of Blues, concerts.livenation. com
EMO NIGHT TOUR
8 p.m., 24 Oxford, etix.com
ALT.DELETE
With Aenima Femme, Babes Against the Machine, 8 p.m., the Usual Place, dice.fm
RA
With Killakoi, Scars Remain, 8 p.m., the Wall at Area15, area15. com
DON TOLIVER 10:30 p.m., LIV Nightclub, livnightclub.com
FLETCH
With MXM & Cheez, Wet Willy & Rad*ish, 11 p.m., La Mona Rosa, seetickets.us
The Temptations (Courtesy/The Smith Center of the Performing Arts)
SUPERGUIDE
SUNDAY JAN 12 DO IT ALL
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS. MINNESOTA WILD
5 p.m., T-Mobile Arena, axs.com
MIKE EATON
7:30 p.m., Wiseguys Arts District, wiseguyscomedy. com
FAT QUARTER PACK
8 p.m., Fat Cat Lounge, fatcatlv.com
EXHIBIT: THE ART OF THEO TSO, CREATOR OF CAPTAIN PAIUTE COMICS
Thru 1/21, times vary, Enterprise Library, the librarydistrict.org
DJ SPIDER
11 a.m., Marquee Dayclub, taogroup.com
SISQO
10:30 p.m., Jewel Nightclub, taogroup.com.
EXHIBIT: GOLDMINING BY HOMERO HIDALGO
Thru 1/26, times vary, Clark County Library, thelibrary district.org..
THE HANG WITH THE B-LISTERS
6 p.m., Composers Room, the composersroom. com.
KEVIN BOZEMAN
With Derek Richards, Matt Holt, thru 1/15, 8 p.m., Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club, mgmgrand. mgmresorts.com.
BYRON KENNEDY
With Jimmy McMurrin, thru 1/19, 8 p.m., LA Comedy Club, bestvegascomedy. com.
MONDAY JAN 13
TUESDAY JAN 14
WEDNESDAY JAN 15
LIONEL RICHIE
8 p.m., & 1/181/19, Encore Theater, ticket master.com
FRANKIE LEE AND THE INFERNOS
8 p.m., Fat Cat Lounge, fatcatlv.com
THE RUMRUNNERS
6 p.m., Composers Room, thecompos ersroom.com
VELVET
MOON BAND
10 p.m., Sand Dollar Lounge, thesanddollarlv. com
ROB GUSON
10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, taogroup. com
MADDIE WIENER
With Tommy Brennan, Peter Revello, Ron G, thru 1/19, 7 & 9:30 p.m., Comedy Cellar, ticketmaster. com
PHANTOGRAM
Whether you go for the industrial swing beat of “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore,” the cool, gothy bop of “Black Out Days” or the straight-up lonely yearning of “Into Happiness,” Phantogram is ready and willing to get back into your head. The hard-edged synthpop duo returns to Vegas in support of latest album Memory of a Day, a new collection of songs that plays to their strengths: uncompromising lyrics (“Burning on the inside/It’s cool, I’ll kill you with a smile”) and Wall of Sound-like instrumentation that sounds like a future machine intelligence trying its hand at 1960s R&B—and succeeding. 7 p.m., $55, Brooklyn Bowl, ticketmaster.com. –Geoff Carter
UNLV MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. UTAH STATE
8 p.m., Thomas & Mack Center, unlvtickets.com
UNLV WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. AIR FORCE
6 p.m., Cox Pavilion, unlv tickets.com
SAMMY OBEID 7 p.m., Wiseguys Town Square, wiseguys comedy.com
DEUX TWINS 10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com
(Courtesy/Timothy Saccenti)
SELF-CARE & LEISURE LIFE SOLO DINING
TABLE FOR ONE
Solo dining can be easy and fun
BY JASON R. LATHAM
Dining alone has evolved over the years from something to make fun of to a celebrated act of self-care and, lately, a “take a look at me” social media ex. But focusing on the optics can overshadow the simple pleasures of dinner for one and detract from the experience that you can create for yourself. Dining alone —at a restaurant or at home—doesn’t have to be a statement. It’s just dinner, and no one is judging you for enjoying it solo. Make the most of it.
SAY YES TO SOMETHING NEW
A new year means it’s time to start checking o boxes on that spreadsheet of restaurants you’ve been meaning to try. Sure, maybe you’ve been waiting for the perfect first date opportunity or the next gathering of friends, but have you ever tried getting people to agree on where to eat? Taking the lead and finding out for yourself means not worrying about pleasing someone else’s taste.
Shutterstock/Photo Illustration
ATMOSPHERE COUNTS
Las Vegas restaurants, especially on the Strip, alternate between “classy and elegant” and “experience” dining. The former usually signals a traditional atmosphere, while the latter often means air horns will blast o and a Champagne presentation will roll through the joint every time someone orders an expensive steak. Do some reading beforehand and figure out if a place aligns with your mood. (It’s also smart to call ahead and ask what the restaurant’s peak hours are.
TABLE OR BAR SEATING?
This one’s important. The bar opens up more opportunities to be social, experience the atmosphere in motion, and maybe watch the game (there’s always one going on). Taking a table to yourself gives you more room to stretch out or slump down, with less chance of invading someone else’s space.
GREAT LOCAL SPOTS TO EAT SOLO
Many restaurants across the Valley are great for dining solo. But here are a few the Weekly sta enjoys often, grabbing a quick bite while on assignment.
El Dorado Cantina 702-722-2289, eldoradocantina.com
Esther’s Kitchen 702-570-7864, estherslv.com
Hachi Japanese Yakitori Izakaya 702-227-9300, hachilasvegas.com
Gabi Cafe 702-331-1144, gabicafe.com
Herbs & Rye 702-982-8036, herbsandrye.com
Le Thai 2 702-675-3892, lethaivegas.com
McMullan’s Irish Pub 702-247-7000, mcmullansirishpub. com
Ramen Hashi 702-202-1238
Sushi Hiro
702-263-6229, sushihirolv.com
Yukon Pizza 702-509-6691, yukonpizza.com
+ Creating a meditation space (see page 16)
DINING IN
THE JOY OF COOKING, FOR ONE
Making a meal for yourself is an achievement and can be surprisingly therapeutic. Whether you’re following a step-by-step recipe or putting one together from memory, all the chopping, stirring and seasoning will give you a feeling of accomplishment. And if you screw up, there’s no one else there to be disappointed.
SET THE NIGHT TO MUSIC
At home, you’re in charge of the atmosphere. You can set the mood with candles, or make the perfect place for yourself at the table, but whatever you do, remember the music. The tunes will help dictate the experience, and even serve as a theme for the evening. Want to get weird with it? Wear a chef’s hat and play the Ratatouille score.
MULTIPLE COURSES, MULTIPLE MOMENTS
one, so make it a multi-course meal
Without the distractions of a restaurant, you’ve got the chance to savor every bite of your dinner for one, so make it a multi-course meal
Ever hear of antipasti? Turns out it’s not the opposite of pasta, but Italian for “before the meal.” Even if you’re not cooking Italian, you can add an antipasti dish to the menu and follow it up with a second and third course, depending on your pleasure. What about wine pairings? A caviar course with Champagne? You can do anything. Your kitchen is your oyster.
Ever hear of antipasti? Turns out it’s not the opposite of pasta, but Italian for “before the meal.” Even if you’re not cooking Italian, you can add an antipasti dish to the menu and follow it up with a second and third course, depending on your pleasure. What about wine pairings? A caviar course with Champagne? You can do anything. Your kitchen is your oyster.
MIND YOUR SPACE: CREATING A MEDITATION HAVEN IN YOUR HOME
That “new year, new you” feeling may have you rushing to the gym, AI-proo ng your résumé, and signing up for salsa dance class, but heed this advice in 2025: You must make time for your mind. Creating a meditation space in your home can extract some clarity from the avalanche happening in your head. Here’s how you do it.
Make some room
“The most ideal space is somewhere away from the hustle and bustle of everything going on in your home,” says Tambourine Home principal designer and owner Nicci Pucci. “Definitely not right by your kitchen.” While a guest room or den are obvious choices, she adds, “it doesn’t need to be the whole room, just a small portion.”
Fill it with YOU
Meditation is about gaining a sense of self, so you want to fill it with things that are personal to you. “Anything that evokes emotion, it’s a space about you and what you’re about,” Pucci says. In that case, you’re better o hitting up Etsy or Facebook Marketplace to find budget-friendly trinkets that speak to you, she adds, as opposed to mass-produced big box store items.
Make it lit
Lighting impacts everything from the mood of the moment to our overall well-being, so make sure your meditation space is illuminated to your preference. “If you want it to feel cocoon-like, go with indirect light or backlit objects,” Pucci says. “If you want something bright, find a space with windows, a place to feel the warmth of the sun hitting your cheek.”
Texture makes you feel it
Introducing texture brings visual depth and balance to your space, and should “make you feel like you’re enveloped and at your most comfortable,” Pucci says. You can do it with soft pillows, a blanket, or natural elements like plants and wood.
–Jason R. Latham
(Shutterstock/Photo
Latham
SERVICES INCLUDE:
On-site lab, X-Ray, ultrasound, dietitian, hearing tests, minor surgeries, skin services, CDL and immigration physicals
MOST MAJOR INSURANCE PLANS ACCEPTED.
Including: Aetna Medicare, Aetna HMO, Aetna Choice Plus, Aetna PPO, Champva/Champus, Cigna, First Health, Humana Gold Plus, GEHA, SCAN Medicare Advantage, Humana PPO, Medicare/Railroad Medicare, Tricare, United Healthcare PPO, United Healthcare POS, United AARP Medicare Advantage, Universal Health Network, Wellportal, Select Health, Prominence, MGM PPO
MEDICAL STAFF
Peter J. Licata, D.O.
George Gabriel Toldness, APRN-C Charmaine Coronado, APRN-C Donna Gould, M.S., R.D., L.D.
People ride a chairlift at Lee Canyon on December 18, 2024. (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
Winter getaway Lee Canyon nourishes new and veteran skiers and snowboarders
BY SHANNON MILLER
“It’s not going to click until you make that mind-body connection,” says snowboard instructor Maddi Alvelo.
I pick my head up, wipe the snow off my goggles and do a “turtle roll” onto my back. The only connection I’m making is my body colliding with this slope. I must have wiped out about two dozen times by now.
Infinitely patient, Alvelo is teaching me J stops on the bunny hill at Lee Canyon. She’s been trying to get me to pick up some speed downhill, open my front knee and then press my front foot down to turn the snowboard. Only problem is, when I try to turn, I keep sliding out.
“I know it feels like you’re going to fall, but you have to use that front foot to be in control of the board.”
I push myself back to standing and try again, moving forward a few feet, only to fall when I try to execute the turn. I repeat this cycle a few more times until we’re almost down the hill. I imagine it’s quite the spectacle for everyone looking down from the chairlift.
Sensing that I’m discouraged, Alvelo asks, “Can I give you some food for thought?” She gently explains how my upper body might be getting in the way of executing this turn.
“Grab your pant leg below the knee, and try to redirect your body weight over the front knee,” she advises.
I try again and again—this time with me hanging onto my front pant leg. And after my 48th fall, it finally clicks, and I make the J stop.
LEE CANYON
6725 Lee Canyon Rd., leecanyonlv.com, daily 9 a.m. -4 p.m.
There’s that mind-body connection—though, admittedly, my mind is largely focused on how much it hurts my body to fall on snow. And while I have much more to learn, just getting to this checkpoint gives me the juice I need to keep trying for the duration of this three-hour private lesson.
In celebration of Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month in January, Lee Canyon is encouraging newbies to learn how to master the slopes. For those who don’t opt for private lessons, the mountain resort offers a free 30-minute informational Snow Experience for first-timers 13 and older with the purchase of a lift ticket. (Information about parking, lift tickets and gear rentals is available at leecanyonlv.com.)
So far on this unseasonably warm winter day, Alvelo has taught me how to attach my rental boots to the bindings on my rental board, tips for standing and skating, how to ride on the back edge of my board, riding downhill in “fallen leaf” formation, and J stops.
Without her, I don’t know if I’d be able to get past the frustration that almost always comes with learning anything that’s worth learning.
“Being able to start this path for a lot of people is really meaningful to me, because it’s such a fun sport,” Alvelo says. “Being outside and in this environment does something for the mind. So I love showing other people why I like being outside.”
She’s right. Being immersed— literally face-first in the snow—is doing something for me. It’s like the antidote to sitting behind a desk at an office. Even if it hurts a little bit.
ESCAPE TO LEE CANYON
MOM-AND-POP ON THE MOUNTAINTOP
The late, great Lee Canyon ski instructor Marcel Barel described Mount Charleston as a “mini Switzerland.” Around Lee Canyon, which lies at an elevation of 8,660 feet on the north side of Mount Charleston, avalanche chutes and patches of massive pinyon and bristlecone pine dominate sheer limestone cliffs.
The 445-acre resort receives an average annual snowfall of 129 inches. Plus, they make their own snow.
Almost an hour from the Strip, Lee Canyon truly is part of Las Vegas’ backyard, every bit as much as Red Rock, Lake Mead and Kyle Canyon. Just like those areas, visitation has grown as the local population has expanded. Over the years, more and more people discover that there are conditions here that are indeed hospitable to snow and snow sports.
“It used to be a real small little mom-and-pop shop. There was some definite beauty to that,” says snowboarder Joey Brandt, who has been frequenting Lee Canyon for more than 30 years. “I do miss that a little bit. But at the same
time, now they’re doing more with their snowboard parks, they’re doing the mountain biking trails. They’re adding new chairs and redid the whole lodge. It’s great to see my kids get to grow with it.”
In 1963, Lee Canyon Ski Lifts was granted a permit from the U.S. Forest Service. The first chairlift, now the Sherwood chair, was installed in 1968. (It has since been replaced with a triple chairlift.) By the ‘80s, two more chairlifts were added and snowboarding started to pick up popularity, with the first terrain park opening in 1998. The 2000s saw some upgrades to rental
equipment, snowmaking capabilities and the base lodge area.
Fast forward to 2022, when the resort opened a mountain bike park, which now has five trails. In 2023, a fourth chairlift and 450 parking stalls were added as part of a $7 million capital improvement project initiated by Mountain Capital Partners. The company acquired Lee Canyon in April 2023.
“Last winter [was] the first winter Lee Canyon operated [the new] lifts. And that … helped disperse skiers around the mountain, opened up different types of terrain for people and reduced
Lee Canyon in 2019. (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
waits and existing traffic,” says Josh Reid, regional marketing director at Lee Canyon resort.
The company, which owns resorts including Brian Head in Utah and Arizona Snowbowl in Flagstaff, lives by the mantra “Give people the freedom to ski.” The idea is that skiing and snowboarding should be a right, not a privilege.
“The idea of ‘freedom to ski’ is giving people the ability to do it. And in the last 30 years in America, it has become, demographically, an affluent sport,” Reid says.
“How we bring that to life is with flexible pricing, a lot of opportunities to get on snow—like Snow Experience—and really introducing a lot of people in the Vegas area to skiing and snowboarding. … We have a lot of programs to introduce them to skiing and snowboarding as affordably as possible, in hopes that they get the bug.”
CONQUERING THE MOUNTAIN
With Alvelo’s guidance I’ve managed to get on the chairlift, the only respite for my body during this lesson. Alvelo tells me she skied for 12 years and only took up snowboarding three years ago, learning from co-workers at Lee Canyon. A few seasons later, she’s an Alpine Level 1 certified snowboard instructor.
“I never would have been able to progress the way that I have if I had never been here,” she says. “Being able to have a consistent training schedule to consistently improve my lesson delivery is monumental to growth.”
That growth in skills and confidence is not limited to just staff. Come up to the resort on a weekend in January or February, and you’ll see parents lined up in chairs watching their kids in Lee Canyon’s sold-out youth programs. In fact, Lee Canyon has become a national leader in youth participation, with its ski and snowboard programs growing by 190% in 2023 compared to the 2017-2018 season.
Those kids are putting me to shame. I can’t even get off this chairlift without falling. And as much as I expect to be on the receiving end of pointing and laughing, I realize no one is paying attention to my falls, or really caring if I do.
“Everybody has to start from somewhere,” Alvelo reminds me.
Amanda Propst, who has frequented Lee Canyon for 22 years, got her start snowboarding when her brothers dropped her off at the top of the mountain. After graduating from Bonanza High School, she got a job there as a lift operator. The next year, she met her life partner of 20 years. Eventually, she
Amanda Propst at a snowboarding competition at Lee Canyon in 2012.
Snowboarding at Lee Canyon. (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
would go on to compete and place in national and international snowboarding competitions, including the X Games.
“Lee Canyon is a training ground. … It’s provided me a lot of confidence in life. Even though I’ve been doing it for 20 years, I can still continually grow my skill,” Propst says. “And that just kind of carries over in life—continuing to push forward and always striving to be better. Nobody judges you. Everybody’s just up there having fun. You can just let your guard down and enjoy life.”
That confidence has served Propst well in mountain biking, which she also does at Lee Canyon in the summer and in competitions. These are activities she and her partner do together.
“I always say, a family that plays together stays together,” she says.
Brandt, who enjoys snowboarding with his two sons, says his years spent in Lee Canyon gave him a foundation to navigate backcountry snowboarding and even splitboarding—using a snowboard that splits in half to hike to those backcountry spots, then reattaching the halves to
snowboard down the mountain.
“I wouldn’t be where I’m at if I didn’t have a background snowboarding. I wouldn’t have the confidence to go all the way to the top and ride down some gnarly chute. … My older son … is going to start doing it with me. When I see the look on his face on a good day when he’s in the powder, it just hits the heartstrings,” he says.
Back on the bunny hill, I’m trying to connect my J-turns into “garlands.” After much more falling, I finally get it down.
Showing her approval, Alvelo jumps up and down (surprisingly high in her heavy snowboard boots). And I feel like I’ve been initiated into this community. Regulars say Lee Canyon’s “tight-knit” and welcoming community is what kept them coming back all these years. And it just might have me coming back to learn those S turns that I see the pros doing.
“We call it mountain family,” Brandt says. “Every weekend you start to get to know people. It’s a different culture up there.”
Chris Ruby Memorial Cup promotes saving lives through organ donation
Chris Ruby loved to snowboard. He also loved to help others. Before the 20-yearold’s death from a skiing accident in 2014, he registered as an organ donor. His decision would later save or help more than 90 patients, according to Nevada Donor Network.
To celebrate Ruby’s life, Lee Canyon is hosting the 10th annual Chris Ruby Memorial Cup, an all-levels ski and snowboard race benefiting the nonprofit Nevada Donor Network, on January 11. Since it was first held, the annual event has registered well over 5,000 donors.
“We are so grateful for the continued support of Lee Canyon and the Nevada Donor Network in honoring Chris’ life through the Chris Ruby Memorial Cup.
The event celebrates Chris’ passion for life and snowboarding and is a reminder of the impact one person can have through the gift of organ and tissue donation,” the Ruby family said.
“It means the world to our family to see Chris’ story continue to bring people together, fostering a culture of giving and compassion that reflects the kind of person he was.”
According to Nevada Donor Network, approximately 22 people die every day as they wait for an organ that doesn’t come in time. Organs like kidneys and pancreases have waitlists up to five years on average.
The Memorial Cup is one way of connecting, spreading awareness of that, and getting more people to be part of the solution.
“We are incredibly grateful for strong community partners like Lee Canyon who help us to save and heal lives each year,” said
Gordon Prouty, president of Nevada Donor Network Foundation. “Together, we can end the wait for Nevadans in desperate need of a lifesaving organ transplant.” Lee Canyon will cover the registration fees ($20 per person) for current organ donors and anyone who registers as a donor at the event. Registration and information is available at leecanyonlv.com
–Shannon Miller
Jeff Ruby (left) with the winner of the 2018 Chris Ruby Memorial Cup. (Courtesy/Wade Vandervort)
2018 Chris Ruby Memorial Cup Competitor (Courtesy)
Splitboarding in Lee Canyon’s backcountry. (Courtesy/Joey Brandt) ESCAPE TO LEE CANYON
IN THE NEWS
“In
Nevada and the 23 other states that have decriminalized marijuana, the cannabis industry has demonstrated it is a responsible industry. It is time for the federal government to recognize that.”
— U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., who has been named co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus
UNLV defeats San Jose State 79-73
UNLV Rebels guard D.J. Thomas (11) goes to the basket against San Jose State Spartans guard Donavan Yap (0) during the second half of UNLV’s win at the Thomas & Mack Center on January 4. (Steve Marcus/Sta )
UNLV hosts Utah State at the Thomas & Mack on January 15 at 8 p.m.
STUFF
YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
STATE
DMV introduces ‘communication need’ symbol
The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles now o ers the option to add a communication need symbol to any driver’s license, ID card or Driver Authorization Card. The new option became available January 1.
The symbol can be for a person who has hearing loss, is deaf or neurodivergent; has a disorder that impairs their speech; or has a language or auditory processing disorder. The option resulted from a law the state Legislature passed in 2023.
Adding the symbol to a card is optional and requires no documentation or need to disclose the type of condition. The cost to update the information on a card is $8.25. Customers who want the communication need symbol must complete the transaction in person at any DMV o ce. Appointments are available at dmv.nv.gov. —Sta
Sen. Rosen urges humane immigration reform
If President-elect Donald Trump follows through on plans for the largest mass deportation e ort in American history, U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., says she won’t stand by idly.
Trump has promised to remove millions of immigrants, and a state like Nevada where the population is 33% Latino would be an obvious target.
“I’m going to push back in whatever ways we need to against the Trump administration that hurt Nevada families— mass deportation, attacks on our Dreamers, attacks on our TPS holders,” Rosen told the Las Vegas Sun ahead of being sworn into the Senate for a second six-year term on January 3.
She said the new Congress has to address questions on how solid immigration reform can include a “humane and orderly” asylum process and a more secure border.
It also needs to include solutions similar to those in last
session’s bipartisan bill that proposed a new asylum-seeking system, increased detention beds and more visas, she said. Republicans killed the bill at the last minute because Trump opposed it.
“We really have to figure out how we protect folks, how we secure and protect our border, we have to have comprehensive immigration reform,” Rosen said. “No one wants criminals coming through. Nobody wants fentanyl coming through.”
As of March 2024, there were around 10,450 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients in Nevada, according to a report from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Even though they have been living and working in the community for years, many fear being subject to removal in Trump’s deportation e orts and seek stronger protections.
DACA is an Obama-era program o ering removal delays
and work authorization to nearly a million young people brought to the U.S. as children often referred to as “Dreamers.”
Trump could also target immigrants living with Temporary Protective Status (TPS), those here lawfully from countries like Nicaragua and El Salvador.
“People talk to me all the time (about immigration issues),” Rosen said. “They want us to find solutions.”
Republicans control the voting majority in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives in the new session of Congress that began January 3. It’s the first time since 2019 that both chambers have been controlled by the GOP.
Rosen, who campaigned on her record of bipartisanship in narrowly beating GOP challenger Sam Brown in November, said she would “serve all of Nevada in a pragmatic, problem-solving, bipartisan way.” –Haajrah Gilani
ENVIRONMENT
BY THE NUMBERS
2,500
That’s how many lives were “saved or healed” through organ donations in 2024, according to Nevada Donor Network. The nonprofit facilitated the recovery of donations from 206 organ donors, 924 tissue donors and 1,444 cornea donors.
Proposal would protect Ruby Mountains in Northern Nevada
The Department of the Interior is considering a 20-year withdrawal of the Ruby Mountains from future geothermal and oil and gas development, according to a news release.
The area in Elko County, referred to as Nevada’s Swiss Alps, is the ancestral homeland of the Te-Moak Tribe of the Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada. It provides recreational opportunities for hunters, anglers and birdwatchers.
The U.S. Forest Service submitted a withdrawal petition with Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.
The approval of the petition and publication in the Federal Register temporarily prevents future geothermal and oil and gas development across approximately 264,000 acres in the Ruby Mountains area for two years.
“The Ruby Mountains are cherished by local communities for the scenic value, cultural heritage, numerous wildlife and benefit to the local economy through a thriving outdoor recreation industry,” Haaland said.
The Federal Register notice initiates a 90-day public comment period on the proposed withdrawal, the news release said.
The Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service will prepare an environmental analysis to decide whether the lands should be withdrawn for a period of up to 20 years. The process will include consultations with the tribe, environmental groups, industry and state and local government. By law, the secretary of the interior can withdraw the land for a maximum of 20 years. Only Congress can legislate a permanent withdrawal. –Ilana Williams
(John Locher/AP Photo)
DESIGNATED DRIVER
Zoox prepares to launch driverless taxis in Las Vegas
BY GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ
As Las Vegas continues to innovate in hospitality and gaming, it is now also becoming a testbed for the “future” of transportation. Zoox, an Amazon subsidiary that’s developing autonomous vehicle (AV) technology, will welcome its first public riders this year in its robotaxis. The company promises the robotaxis will add a new layer of efficient transportation for both residents and tourists.
For more than five years, Zoox has developed its technology to work on city roads, first in the surrounding areas of the company’s headquarters in the southwest valley, then expanding to the Strip. It’s been using retrofitted test fleet vehicles (white SUVs) and test drivers to test the technology and ensure a smooth transition to full autonomous operations.
Now, the company is gearing up to deploy its robotaxi, which forgoes traditional car controls such as a steering wheel or driver’s seat. The custom-built vehicles designed for public use stand out among traffic, with their boxy shape and four inward-facing seats built to comfortably fit all riders. Zoox declined to share how many vehicles it has in its fleet, but the company told the Weekly it has a couple dozen robotaxis across initial locations, which include Las Vegas, San Francisco and Foster City, California.
But with the introduction of AVs, a range of questions arise. Will they replace existing rideshare services? How will these cars navigate the dynamic roadways of Vegas? And what happens if something goes wrong?
IS IT SAFE?
Zoox technology prioritizes safety, says Justin Windus, Zoox’s director of fleet operations.
“Each individual [company] has their own proprietary sensor architecture, its own proprietary software. Zoox has taken an approach to create a tapestry of LiDAR [Light Detection and Ranging], radar thermal imaging and then overlay that with cameras and create different quadrants of sensors on the vehicles,” he says.
This “tapestry of sensors” ensures that the vehicle has 360-degree visibility, equipping it to handle dynamic driving conditions.
The safety system also includes a patented horseshoe airbag design and bi-directional capabilities, meaning that every seat in the robotaxi is equally safe regardless of the position.
“The seatbelts pre-tension and puts you in an upright position so if the airbag does need to deploy, you’re in the optimal position,” Windus says.
Per Nevada law, AV companies must maintain $5 million insurance coverage for each vehicle.
IS IT AN APP?
You might have seen AVs roaming around, but what does it take to actually use one? Zoox is taking a phased approach to introducing its AVs, starting with an early rider program open to the public. These riders will have the opportunity to ride for free, providing feedback ahead of the paid service launch expected later this year.
The company’s ultimate goal is to shift to an app-based system. But Windus claims AVs won’t replace traditional rideshare services.
“Our goal is to provide another option for those getting around Las Vegas. We’re not looking to replace rideshares or public transportation,” he says.
WILL AVS IMPACT THE GIG ECONOMY?
The rise of autonomous vehicles is sure to disrupt several industries. How will it impact gig workers?
Erin Breen, Director of UNLV’s Road Equity Alliance Project, suggests that while AVs could potentially reduce the need for rideshare drivers, the shift won’t
happen overnight.
“I grew up in Las Vegas and it changes. The biggest change ever in the tourism industry was Uber and Lyft coming on the market and basically replacing taxi cabs. I don’t see that happening with autonomous vehicles,” she says.
On the other hand, Breen points to certain features of AVs that are likely to put them in competition with rideshare companies.
“I know that they’re going to be less expensive … I look at autonomous vehicles first and foremost for what it can do for impaired driving … I think that it’s totally the way of the future.”
Breen also highlights that AVs could offer a valuable service for specific demographics, like seniors who may benefit from robotaxi options.
“I think that once the senior population catches on to the fact that they could call up a car, it would come to them and they wouldn’t have to park the car … for an older driver who may not belong on the road anymore, it’s going to be a game changer,” she says.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE TECH FAILS?
A major concern regarding AVs is what happens if something goes off track?
Windus says Zoox’s AVs have a safety feature in case sensors go down.
“There’s a 270-degree redundant feature on there, so if one sensor stack goes down, there’s always another area that will be able to pick up and take over if needed.”
Adhering to Nevada law, Zoox also keeps a human in the loop for times where the vehicle encounters an unfamiliar hazard.
“If the vehicle comes into an interaction where, say, there’s a situation that it hasn’t seen before, a human will be able to queue in and provide guidance to the vehicle and create a breadcrumb trail to be able to guide the vehicle in a different direction,” Windus says.
The vehicle will always drive itself, regardless of the human assistance through the software, he says.
Asked how the company will safeguard against cyberattacks that might interfere with software, Zoox provided the following statement: “Our vehicles have localized compute and data processing, which means that all of the vehicle’s decision-making happens locally within the vehicle.”
A Zoox car on the Las Vegas Strip. (Courtesy)
LOGGING OFF,
MEETING UP
We need to rebuild our community and friendships—away from social media
Last November, in the days after the election results were called, I abandoned my Twitter and Threads accounts. (TikTok, as well, but that was easier; I’ve never actually used it.) I kept my Facebook and Instagram accounts— lots of family on those platforms; can’t quit them easily—and I’m trying out BlueSky for local newsgathering, although I’ve set timers for all three apps on my phone. Once I go over my daily limit, I can’t access them.
EXTENDED
I didn’t do this because of the hate speech and sludgy rhetoric that’s swamped both platforms, or my strong distrust of Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg—although those are valid reasons to exit communities in which our participation is 100% voluntary. I quit those sites because social media is making
me feel sad, angry and disconnected from the world, and I genuinely believe that I could bene t from having less of it available to me. That’s my sole resolution for 2025: un-liking and unsubscribing, over and over, until I begin to feel my humanity again.
I shouldn’t be alone in this. I sincerely hope that I’m not. A CSU Fullerton study revealed that 10% of adults are addicted to the dopamine hit of social media, and that was in 2018; that number is surely higher now. (It was probably higher then.) Relatedly, a Gallup survey—commissioned by, of all things, Facebook parent company Meta—found that nearly a quarter of adults worldwide feel lonely. And an Over Zero/American Immigration Council study found that 74% of Americans feel disconnected from their communities.
In a December 25 piece for Wired, Havard-schooled social scientist Kasley Killam mused that 2025 will “mark a turning point when people worldwide nally recognize that their health is not only physical and mental, but also social.” In recent years I’ve entrusted much of my “social health” to Facebook, Twitter and Threads, by necessity: I have friends and family scattered around the world, and their posts keep me tethered to them. But those apps didn’t come here to make friends; rather, they came to pro t from our friendships. Their algorithms push our friends down in our feeds in favor of ads, videos of people reacting to other videos and more nefarious, polarizing forms of engagement farming.
I’ve allowed myself to get kneedeep in that stu while my close-tohome relationships have languished. Killam’s article notes that people are spending 20 fewer hours with friends each month than they did 20 years ago, and that memberships in community groups, local clubs and faith organizations have similarly plummeted.
The remedy for this is engaging with people in real life. It’s strengthening bonds with your existing friends through visits, phone calls or texts; implementing Killam’s 5-3-1 suggestion (interacting with ve different people each week, maintaining a minimum of three close relationships and spending an hour a day connecting, preferably face-to-face); and widening your social circle by joining clubs or organizations, taking classes or going to social events where you’re not guaranteed to know everyone ... and leaving your phone put away.
Las Vegas has seen a modest explosion of social groups and “third places”—meeting spots outside of the home ( rst place) and the workplace (second)—over the past decade, even with the pandemic shutdown factored in. We have lots of places to get a co ee and hang, from Grouchy John’s to Vesta to Mothership. The Writer’s Block bookshop has book clubs for nearly every taste. The Plaza o ers free pickleball clinics every Saturday morning. Las Vegas Sketch & Sip, a live drawing class, happens monthly (facebook.com/lvsketchandsip). VegasHikers (meetup.com/vegashikers) makes frequent group excursions into the wild. Vegas boasts groups and clubs for nearly every hobby and enthusiasm; you’d be surprised what a simple web search can turn up.
None of this may happen for you if you’re doomscrolling, or living an in uencer’s life of constantly editing yourself down for broadcast. That stu is sapping our energy, dulling our perceptions and locking us into pointless conversations with faceless users who don’t know us and never will.
Social media is easy; it’s true. And building up your social health is a difcult and awkward process that can’t be slotted into a scrolling feed. I can’t wait to do the work.
IN FULL CONTROL
Janet Jackson holds little back in a show-stopping two-hour residency performance at Resorts World Theatre
BY AMBER SAMPSON
You’d think after 51 years of performing, Janet Jackson would be ready to retire. The opening night of her new Resorts World residency proved the 58-year-old megastar still has plenty left in the tank.
Pulling from a reserve of music several decades deep, Jackson treated fans to a two-hour marathon, coming just shy of performing 45 songs from her impressively eclectic catalog. We were conditioned to dance from the moment Jackson took the stage with “Night” and “2nite,” two house-heavy grooves from 2015’s Unbreakable and 2008’s Discipline. Joined by a cadre of danc-
ers, the superstar disrobed from her black trench, revealing a glittering gold bodysuit underneath, her condence lling out every seam.
The rst 25 minutes were what some might consider a slow burn: Jackson withheld her better-known dance-pop hits, compelling the audience to appreciate the energy and anticipation that was sharply mounting. But as the night unfurled, we got to experience the full spectrum of her enduring talent. And boy, was it rewarding. Jackson still moves like a 25-year-old, still possesses that incendiary sex appeal and still knows how to dominate a stage with her
potency and indescribable presence. During “All Nite (Don’t Stop),” her dancers gravitated to their queen, worshiping at her glimmering feet.
Yet the atmosphere changed when launching into “That’s the Way Love Goes”—we entered the warm and wonderful era of Miss Jackson. We got shivers as the singer’s magnicent whisper-laden voice lled the 5,000-seat theater. And Jackson, backed by a live band, followed that up with the buoyant “Love Will Never Do (Without You),” raising audience members to their feet in record time. For the full e ect, the 1990 music video, in which Jackson
and Italian actor Antonio Sabàto Jr. dance along the beach, played on the screen, shoring up simpler times. As Jackson cruised through jubilant pop cuts like “All for You” and “Escapade,” she appeared uninhibited by age or any unforeseen ailment. This was a legend at her most liberated. Between the hits, the star managed to also squeeze in some surprises. We got to hear “Velvet Rope” for the rst time since 1999. And we got a stripped down version of “I Get So Lonely.”
“I haven’t done this version of this song since 1998,” Jackson said of “I Get Lonely.” “Back then, I had red
JANET JACKSON
February 5, 7-8, 12 & 14-15, 8:30 p.m., $45$280, Resorts World Theatre, axs.com.
hair, and it was laid, honey.”
Jackson’s vulnerability and vocal prowess shined on a number of popular ballads, namely “Let’s Wait Awhile” and “Come Back to Me.”
But when it came time to instill her performance with attitude, she gave it in spades. “What Have You Done for Me Lately” drew stadium-sized applause, with Jackson fanning the ames in a sexy plaid and leather out t. Jackson mixed “Lately” with two more mega-hits—“Nasty” and “The Pleasure Principle”—sending our heart rates to the moon with a medley for the books.
Then the pyrotechnics kicked in.
MUSIC
SOMBER SYNTHS
Belarusian post-punk trio Molchat Doma brings danceable melancholy to Area15
When Molchat Doma hits Vegas, the city’s already established goth undercurrent is in for a change of tack. Formed in 2017 in Minsk, Belarus, and now based in Los Angeles, this trio—Egor Shkutko (vocals), Roman Komogortsev (guitar, synthesizer, drum programming) and Pavel Kozlov (bass, synthesizer)—is more than just a post-punk synthwave revival band; they’re the sound of cold, clinical melancholy stitched with danceable beats.
The band’s name translates to “the houses are silent” and hints at the vacant isolation they conjure through throbbing, haunted synths and deep, droning Russian vocals. Picture the sterility of Eastern European architecture (as depicted on the album art), laced with the vibe of ‘80s goth and industrial. It’s both a call to the dancefl oor and an existential meditation.
Jackson’s set became something akin to a rock show with the wailing, abrasive distortion of “Scream” and “Black Cat.” Jackson’s vocals, raw and practically clawing their way out of her, made me tremble and wince. The guitarist also ate up his solos here, striking a match to the tinderbox. And then came Jackson the icon, leading the militant procession of “Rhythm Nation” with a raised st. Pop! Pop! The reworks went o . And to think, that was just the rst of 10 performances for Janet Jackson. She promised to take Vegas on an escapade, and damn, did she deliver.
Molchat Doma’s rise to prominence, especially after TikTok propelled their tracks into the viral stratosphere, may have irked the gatekeepers of the genre, but there’s no denying their unique blend of darkness and rhythm appeals to the masses. Their 2024 album Belaya Polosa continues this trend, with a sound that’s both a nod to the past and unmistakably their own. Free-form electronic interludes pulse through tracks, demanding listeners to sway along to the cold and hypnotic melody as Shkutko militantly shouts his lyrics of sorrow and longing.
Vegas is no stranger to the dark and danceable, from the shadows of the Gri n’s packed backroom to the never-not-jammed corridors at Oddfellows. But for one night, Molchat Doma, along with post-punk dance darlings Sextile, are primed to take it to the next level. This is the fi rst stop on the band’s 30-day North American tour and the arrival feels like a perfect fi t, bound to draw out the city’s lost darklings. –Gabriela Rodriguez
MOLCHAT DOMA
With Sextile, January 16, 7 p.m., $35+, the A-Lot at Area 15, area15.com.
Janet Jackson performing at Resorts World Theatre (Courtesy/Solaiman Fazel)
UNFILTERED DESIRE
Vera Blossom’s debut book captures the messy intersections of gender,
pleasure and personal evolution
How and when did you decide to grow the How to F**k Like A Girl newsletter in this collection of essays?
a good word. There was a huge purging process that happened. There was a lot of reconciliation of my past, present, and really digging through the trenches of my memories and going places that I felt I left behind. It felt like a big upheaval spiritually and mentally.
Were there certain essays or passages you opted to keep in the vault?
There are definitely a couple … there’s a draft that was so not raw and vulnerable. When I was presented with this opportunity to write a book, I thought I had to be smart. I thought I had to write a good book that would impress everyone. My mentor, who was helping me edit the book a bit, Tanaïs [Tanwi Nandini Islam] was like,
obviously you’re smart, but what if it was fun? That really healed me and let me loose.
Since moving to Chicago, what parts of Vegas have followed you?
Vegas is with me everywhere, forever. It’s tough to grow up in Vegas as anyone who lives there for any amount of time knows, it’s just a hard place to be, but it’s also so f**king magical.
I feel that’s in my writing, too. I like to entertain. I want to shock you. I want to make you laugh. But I also want to be honest and I want to show you the vulnerable side, the darker side, and the grittier side of who I am and of my life. I feel like that is liberating to say that both of those things can be true.
BY GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ
Vera Blossom’s book debut How to F**k Like a Girl isn’t a typical collection of essays. It’s a raw exploration of gender, desire and the chaotic, unapologetic process of self-discovery.
The Chicago-based Filipina transfemme writer, known for her newsletter also titled How to F**k Like a Girl, dives deep into the tension between culture’s tight-laced leanings and the truth of trans lives.
What began as frustration with the sanitized narratives surrounding trans bodies evolved into a book that’s equal parts confessional and manifesto, while being wildly entertaining. The collection draws inspiration from queer zine culture, while reading like a polished blog entry—personal, poetic and sharply critical. With a nine-day book tour and a return to Las Vegas, Blossom proves her voice has the kind of refreshing honesty and urgency that demands attention.
During a Zoom call between Vegas and Blossom’s Chicago home, we swapped stories of growing up in the chaos of Sin City, how the book came to be and what it feels like to shed your skin.
Well, the simple answer is that Michelle Tea was in the process of starting a new publisher [Dopamine] and she said, “Do you have a book I can publish?” and I said I didn’t, but I can.
I initially started the newsletter because I felt frustrated with the puritanical bend that I saw our culture going towards. Coming out of my upbringing in the 2010s, there was this narrative of trans people where gender and sexuality were separate and that’s how we’re going to educate the masses about what transgender people experience. It sort of created this paradigm where trans people are defanged and almost desexed, where it’s not about sex, it’s about how you feel on the inside and obviously those are intertwined.
What was the writing process like for the book? Did it feel like purging in a way?
Oh my god, purging is such
SHOWGIRL, INTERRUPTED
The Last Showgirl director Gia Coppola talks Pamela Anderson and Vegas camaraderie
Film still of Pamela Anderson in The Last Showgirl (Courtesy)
BY GEOFF CARTER
Pamela Anderson is the indisputable heart of Gia Coppola’s film The Last Showgirl. As Shelly, a longtime showgirl facing down obsolescence, Anderson fully inhabits her character. She is by turns desolated, angry and even funny; she positively rages against the dying of the spotlight. But The Last Showgirl is more than a vehicle for Anderson’s stellar performance. Shot in Vegas over 19 days in February 2024, this indie drama is also a compassionate study of families, both found and biological; a lowkey Vegas history lesson; and a showcase for nuanced performances by Dave Bautista, Jamie Lee Curtis and Kiernan Shipka. Coppola spoke with the Weekly as The Last Showgirl debuts in theaters.
Why a Vegas movie? What drew you to this story?
I’ve always loved Las Vegas. During college, when I would drive my car cross-country to get back and forth from school, I would stop in Vegas … and I was a photo major, so I was always really intrigued to take photos and wonder what the day-today life is like there.
[Kate Gersten’s script] was originally a play. When I read it, I was struck with how well she depicted what it must be like for people that work in the magical illusion of Vegas … Also, it’s a mother-daughter story. I was raised by a single mom, and I’ve become a mother myself. I really relate to the chosen family that you create in your work environment— that kind of camaraderie, and the dialog of that friendship.
A beloved Vegas icon, the Blue Angel, makes several appearances in the film. How did you find her?
The local Vegas community was so vital in helping us and supporting us. They told me that the Blue Angel landmark is something that really stands out to the local community. ... When I heard that, I just felt it was so parallel to the end concept that I’d envisioned internally. It was really cool to pay tribute to a local landmark, but then, it also was really representative to our movie.
Speaking of locals, I was happily surprised to see Spiegelworld performer Gypsy Wood. My producer, Robert Schwartzman, has some friends in Las Vegas. They connected us with Gypsy and when we saw her house … it wasn’t how I initially envisioned Shelly’s house, but when I saw it, I was like, oh my god, this is better than what I even anticipated. We really didn’t have to do much to decorate it. … Gypsy had said certain funny little terms, like, “Oh, the hidey-holes [in the walls] where the gangsters stored their money.” I was like, oh, that’s an amazing line. We
have to use that. It was so nice to have her in the film, given all that she did in supporting us.
How did you nurture Pamela Anderson’s outstanding performance?
Being a small movie has a lot of benefits. You’re able to kind of create that family bond, because everyone has to get their hands dirty and put egos aside, and we’re able to be nimble when your actors are sort of in their emotional space. With some of the more heavy scenes [Anderson] would tell us, “I’m in the zone, I’m ready to go.” And we could just go, because we didn’t need all these crazy lights and thousands of people to just put up a camera and roll.
The era of the showgirl revue may be gone, but Pamela made me believe.
Kate really did her research of that community and that world during the final years of the Jubilee [show at Bally’s). I had no idea … You see that [showgirl] imagery all over Las Vegas, but I didn’t realize the actual specific type of show does not exist anymore.
I’d love it if The Last Showgirl managed to bring them back. I would love that, too!
The Last Showgirl’s Pamela Anderson and producer Robert Schwartzman at the Beverly Theater. (Courtesy/Geoff Carter)
PASSION OF THE CHEF
(Courtesy/Grove
FOOD & DRINK
Jere my Ford readies Michelin-starred Stubborn Seed for the Strip
BY BROCK RADKE
The highly anticipated Stubborn Seed, the Michelin-starred Miami Beach restaurant from Top Chef winner Jeremy Ford, is slated to open soon at Resorts World, targeting early spring. It’s an eclectic offering diving into a sea of those at this vast hotel, a modern fine-dining experience joining a Las Vegas Strip that has been stocked with seemingly similar dining destinations for decades.
But is Stubborn Seed similar? Ford’s passionate approach to food has created a national standout, and he’s ready to do it again in Las Vegas, as he shared recently during a Weekly interview.
Have you had previous opportunities to open a restaurant in Las Vegas?
There’s been stuff throughout my career that popped up, but it was years ago and we didn’t have the infrastructure we have now with our partners. Now it’s at the point where we have really good teams in place at restaurants, so now’s the time, more than ever.
Why is Stubborn Seed the right concept to make your Vegas debut?
When I really think about what drives me, the passion in my heart and soul, Stubborn Seed was my first restaurant on my own, the first to get a Michelin star, and it’s just a cool concept. It’s a very fun high-end experience but you can still come in with jeans
and no one will look at you weird. It’s a chill version of fine dining, a little more approachable, and we’re excited to bring our style there.
Every operator makes a few tweaks when they come to Vegas, but not every restaurant has a Michelin star. What’s that process like for you?
You know, there are a lot of great restaurants around [Las Vegas]. I went to Sparrow + Wolf and had an amazing dinner, and I went to Guy Savoy too. A lot of restaurants do tasting menus and have that level of service and care and love for the guest, and I really saw it. It seems like a pretty open spectrum of what’s out there, with flavors from around the world inte-
grated into some really diverse menus, and that’s why I think Stubborn Seed is a good fit. You’re going to get a 10-course or a five-course menu with flavors that have African or Caribbean influence, they may have a Haitian-style flavor profile or be a dish with French technique and Italian roots. I’ve been doing this 25 years and been exposed to a lot of Indian cuisine, and I use a lot of those spices. I just love exciting flavors, and there’s nowhere more exciting than Vegas. So we think we’ll stand out with bold flavors and spices, dishes that are exciting to the palate, bright citrus, something very fun for the guest to experience.
Your spot is in a very convenient corner of Resorts World, which should be nice.
We’re right across the hall from Carversteak and we love the fact you can drive up to the valet and go straight in. That’s one of the most important things, because as much as we’re there to give everyone in the hotel a great experience, really the roots and soul of Stubborn Seed is being a neighborhood restaurant. Summerlin is 20 minutes away and we want to make that easy if someone doesn’t want to do the full resort thing, they can go straight to the restaurant.
DINING NOTES
Tons of new eats on and off the Strip, a new festival Downtown and more
With a new year comes many new restaurants in Las Vegas. Here are some of the latest arrivals across the Valley in recent weeks: Amaya Modern Mexican is new at the Cosmopolitan; Gjelina is new at Venetian; Tao Group’s Caramella Italian restaurant has opened at Planet Hollywood; local favorite China Mama has opened at Palace Station; The Guest House is new at Town Square; Pinkbox Doughnuts opened its 14th location in Boca Park; Miami’s Havana 1957 and Cortadito Coffee House opened at the Flamingo; Gordon Ramsay Burger has opened a second store, also at Flamingo; Florida restaurant Keke’s Breakfast Cafe has opened in the Blue Diamond neighborhood; Dominique Ansel Marché as arrived at Paris Las Vegas; Randy’s Donuts opened its fourth location in Spring Valley; Eataly Bar and Pizza al Padellino have debuted at Eataly Las Vegas at Park MGM; and James Trees and Keith Bracewell have opened their new Arts District bar Petite Boheme
On the other side of the coin, International Smoke at MGM Grand is set to close on January 19, and Julian Serrano Tapas at Aria will close on February 1.
The East Coast’s Dream Asia Food Fest is coming to Las Vegas, set for February 14-16 at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center. Organizers say it’ll be the largest Asian food festival in the United States with more than 90 vendors, including famous New York City Asian street food spots like Mao’s Bao, Twisted Potato and Cozy Tea Loft. Live music, the AnimeNightMart, cosplay shows, a Lunar New Year celebration and other events are planned, and tickets and more info are available at dlvec. com/event/dream-asia-food-fest/ –Brock Radke
FADE THE FAVORITE
Why the Chiefs are less likely than betting odds indicate to win another Super Bowl this postseason
BY CASE KEEFER
The Kansas City Chiefs stand on the precipice of history going into this year’s NFL playo s with a chance to win a third consecutive Super Bowl. No franchise has ever pulled o that feat, but few have found themselves in a position as outwardly advantageous as Kansas City’s in this year’s postseason.
Betting odds imply nearly a 25% chance that the Chiefs hoist another Lombardi Trophy behind the AFC’s No. 1 seed, and that might sound short based on anecdotal public perception.
It feels like everyone is picking the Chiefs because of their recent reliability when stakes
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) looks to throw against the Cleveland Browns on December 15, 2024 (AP Photo)
are at their highest and a fear of going against three-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
That’s a big reason why you shouldn’t.
At least from a betting perspective, there’s no possible justification in backing the Chiefs as the +300 (i.e. risking $100 to win $300) favorite or co-favorite (with the NFC No. 1 seed Detroit Lions) to win another championship. They haven’t been strong enough this season to merit a price tag that prohibitive.
Sure, they posted the best regular-season record since the NFL went to a 17-game regular-season schedule in 2021 at 15-2, but eight of those wins came down to the final seconds.
Kansas City got game-winning field goals from three different kickers as time expired, blocked an opposing game-winning field goal attempt as time expired, and benefited from a botched snap before another opposing game-winning field goal attempt.
And that’s just a short list of incredible circumstances that fell the Chiefs’ way.
A lot of praise has been extended towards Kansas City for “finding ways to win,” but these types of victories are rarely repeatable over the long term. Close-game luck tends to regress to the mean, and the Chiefs are currently an outlier on the positive end.
Predictive statistics are much more bearish on their championship hopes. This year’s Chiefs team is the worst of the seven Mahomes has piloted by all the most prominent advanced metrics.
They’re the sixth-best team in the NFL by the DVOA ratings, and ninth by expected points added per play.
Whittle it down to something as basic as point differential, and Kansas City’s +59 ranks fifth out of the seven AFC playoff teams and 11th out of the 14 total sides headed to the postseason.
The counter argument to all this skepticism is that these same concerns existed a year ago as the Chiefs went
into the playoffs, and they didn’t seem to matter. Kansas City pulled off three straight upsets, including at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024, in overtime against San Francisco to conquer Super Bowl 58.
But there’s one major difference from last year—the odds. It’s natural to paint the 2023-2024 Chiefs as a towering giant in hindsight, but that’s not how they were regarded in the moment.
Kansas City entered last year’s postseason at as high as 12-to-1 odds to win the Super Bowl—and that team graded out as superior to this year’s version. Taking a price four times lower this year is not a sound process.
If you’re completely convinced Kansas City will win the Super Bowl anyway, back them on a game-to-game basis and roll over the winnings. It will pay out better than 3-to-1, especially considering the Chiefs have a strong chance to be an underdog in the AFC Championship Game.
There’s no doubt they’d get points against the Baltimore Ravens in a prospective showdown. Baltimore has been historically efficient this season since pairing future Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henry with two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson in the offseason and seeing its defense improve late.
Unlike the Chiefs’ numbers, the Ravens look like a bargain and best bet in the Super Bowl futures pool at +650.
Kansas City started the season with a home win over Baltimore when review wiped out a game-winning touchdown catch by Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely, whose toe was out of bounds.
Maybe the miracle finishes keep falling in the Chiefs’ favor for three more games. But it’s a better bet that their tendency to play close games comes back to bite them and prevents the first-ever Super Bowl back-to-backto-back.
ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL 59
Kansas City Chiefs: 3-to-1
Detroit Lions: 3-to-1
Buffalo Bills: 6-to-1
Baltimore Ravens: 13-to-2
Philadelphia Eagles: 7-to-1
Minnesota Vikings: 18-to-1
Green Bay Packers: 25-to-1
Los Angeles Chargers: 30-to-1
Los Angeles Rams: 30-to-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 30-to-1
Washington Commanders: 60-to-1
Denver Broncos: 8-to-1
Houston Texans: 80-to-1
Pittsburgh Steelers: 80-to-1
Source: Westgate Las Vegas Superbook
AI OPENS THE PLAYING FIELD FOR GOLF ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS IN VEGAS
BY KATIE ANN MCCARVER
INC STAFF
As off-course golf entertainment outpaces the traditional game in popularity, a Las Vegas-based company is using patented AI technology to “meet the golfer where they are,” according to its co-founder Sameer Gupta.
Evenplay, previously known as Skill Money Games, launched in 2020 and is now bringing skill-based gaming to golf entertainment and practice simulators, allowing players to rack up rewards, build their skill index and win or lose money on challenges.
“We’ll be working with a variety of basically all of the golf-simulator companies and driving ranges, so that every time you step up, you don’t need to press any buttons,” Gupta said. “You’re getting points if you want to win money—you can try that—or you can just see yourself improve.”
Evenplay recently secured investment from EP Golf Ventures, a partnership between the PGA of America and Elysian Park Ventures, increasing the company’s fundraising total to more than $10 million, according to a January release.
Evenplay’s technology is already live in various venues across the country, including T-Squared in Manhattan, a Topgolf near Seattle and at the Evenplay office in Las Vegas, which Gupta described as a “Willy Wonka AI factory.”
He demonstrated the first part of Evenplay’s AI technology—player recognition—at the office, by stepping up to an indoor golf simulator and showing how the system automatically recognized him and populated his name.
“You can imagine being at Topgolf, and when you step into any bay it just immediately recognizes you,” Gupta said. “So that’s the first piece of the AI.”
The second piece, he said, is the challenges themselves. The technology in the golf simulator judges an individual’s skill and gives them fair and fun challenges to win points or earn money with each swing, Gupta said.
For example, if the challenge is to hit the ball a specific number of yards, a player could win money depending on how close she gets to that distance or if she sinks the ball.
The company’s technology is also a real-life demonstration of predictive analytics in AI, with its ability to anticipate how well any person will hit a golf ball after just a few shots. It’s unique because it allows players of varying skill levels to play against each other or against the house. It can be used solo, with friends or in tournaments, Gupta added.
“We don’t invent or develop the golf-simulator technology,” he said. “We make it more fun.”
Bryan O’Reilly, CEO and co-founder at Evenplay, who credits himself with bringing Topgolf to Las Vegas, said Evenplay’s technology levels the playing field between beginners and experts so that everyone—not just the best players—can have a shot at winning.
Evenplay is the first of its kind to create a gaming environment in which users are actively hitting or throwing a ball, O’Reilly said, and that technology has already been applied to golf and bowling—which Gupta said was “up next.”
It can ultimately be applied to all sports, O’Reilly said, by determining how good a player is and giving them a challenge that fits their profile.
“The magnitude of what we created out of Vegas is a brand new gaming vertical,” he said. “It’s never existed ever. So that’s why it’s so exciting. … We’re changing the playing field on what it means to bring gaming to the world.”
With Evenplay, players can virtually put in $1 and have a shot at winning $3 immediately, O’Reilly emphasized.
“Someone can actually win real money against the house on every shot or every swing,” he says.
The technology will allow a player to see how good they are with every shot, and Gupta said Evenplay is partnering with UNLV’s PGA University Program on a Catalyst Project to demonstrate how that reward system makes users more likely to practice and ultimately better at golf.
“It’s, really, behavior athletics,” Gupta said. “What gets people to do things, practice more and get better at something? So the notion here is that rewards does that. People don’t like practicing, but people like winning.”
Evenplay expands gaming outside of its traditional confines, and Gupta said it’s a great example of what can happen once gaming surpasses the stigmas that surround it.
“Whatever constraints we used to have as a gaming industry have largely been lifted,” he said. “And now it’s time for technology and new products to benefit from that change in the market.”
Evenplay is currently in field trials in New York, Denver, San Diego and Seattle, Gupta said, and will scale this year in venues like Topgolf and GOLFTEC, a leading training institute for the sport. The company also has major partnerships with other companies like Swing Suites to ultimately launch in countless commercial and home golf simulators, he said.
Both O’Reilly and Gupta emphasized that Evenplay is a Las Vegas-born-and-bred company, powered by Las Vegas locals and longtime veterans of the gaming industry.
“Being based in Vegas means a lot to us, and represents something in the industry,” Gupta said. “We benefit greatly from being here, not only based on the team, but based on the environment.”
VEGAS
GIVING NOTES
Green Valley Grocery donated $49,000 to Three Square Food Bank, concluding its Giving Pump initiative. Over 80 gas stations participated by donating proceeds from specially marked, purple gas pumps without extra costs to customers. The donation was presented by Rick Crawford, founder of Green Valley Grocery, at the Three Square campus.
The Shade Tree, a 24-hour accessible shelter designed to meet the needs of domestic violence and human trafficking survivors, their children and pets (through a partnership with Noah’s Animal House), received $25,000 from Cox Charities, the fundraising arm of Cox Communications. The donation was made possible by the support of sponsors for the annual Cox Charities Golf Tournament.
Jewish Nevada, a nonprofit organization that represents more than 70,000 Jews
in Nevada, hired Claire Brunhild as associate director of Jewish Student Life at Hillel Las Vegas. Brunhild has more than two decades of experience as an educator. In her previous roles as youth director and assistant director of education for Reform Congregation, she designed and implemented numerous engaging and inclusive programs, exceeding participation goals and fostering strong community bonds.
Renown Health Foundation announced a $5.5 million donation from the William N. Pennington Foundation. The donation will ensure a successful launch of the first kidney transplant program for Northern Nevada. This gift supports the recruitment and start-up phase for
kidney transplants, including covering costs for transplant surgeons, nephrologists, medical personnel and personnel staff and related costs. It will also help establish the William N. Pennington Patient Assistance Fund, which will help provide housing and support during the recovery period for those with financial difficulty and special needs.
UNLV and Las Vegas Sands announced the creation of the Sands Institute for Chinese Language and Culture, made possible by a $15 million donation from Sands to UNLV. The new institute, formally approved by the Nevada Board of Regents at its December 5 meeting, will offer programs such as Mandarin language; cultural programming such as film screenings, art exhibitions, musical performances and lectures; and student and faculty exchanges. It will be housed in UNLV’s newly renovated Maryland Administrative Building.
