Catch the latest works from Southern Nevada’s painters and sculptors, writers and directors, singers, dancers, actors and more
TRIAL ERROR: CLARK COUNTY’S DEATH PENALTY PROBLEM WHAT POLITICAL POLLSTERS GET WRONG ABOUT NEVADA
Dancer Nicole Yumiaco
October
NEW HOMES
$400,000
Woodside Homes I Tri Pointe Homes I Toll Brothers
Taylor Morrison I Richmond American Homes
Pulte Homes I Lennar I KB Home I Edward Homes
Santa’s Chalet
Being a Nevada Public Radio member means you have exclusive access to our box office, with savings of more than 30% on your favorite events, concerts, shows and artists.
100% of your purchase supports Nevada Public Radio.
Scan to see specially priced tickets or visit knpr.org/boxoffice
PHOTO BY Ronda Churchill
Editor’s Note
WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?
ICONTRIBUTORS
n my editor’s note for last year’s culture issue, I encouraged you to invest in the options we do have, rather than complaining about those we don’t. In the lead-up, I asked: “Do I wish we had a large-scale metropolitan art museum? Of course. Do I wish local millionaires were as on board with that project as they are with sports stadiums? Absolutely.”
My what a difference a year can make! It’s September 2024 as I write this, and just a couple weeks ago, the Las Vegas City Council approved plans for a 90,000-square-foot, $150 million art museum to be built on 1.5 acres of Symphony Park. The proposal resulted from a collaboration between Los Angeles County Museum of Art director Michael Govan and Wynn Resorts cofounder Elaine Wynn. So, there’s one local millionaire who’s on board with the arts. Another is Beverly Rogers, who opened the Beverly Theater downtown last year. (Coincidentally, the latest professional sports venue proposal — the A’s Las Vegas ballpark — is stalled.) Change, such as Wynn’s and Rogers’ votes of confidence in our city’s cultural future, can be great. But it can also be terrible. Also as I write this, small theaters are still struggling to regain footing lost in the pandemic; a couple are now shuttered and others scaled back their production schedules this year. You can count on one hand the number of art galleries left in the Arts District and Commercial Center (though some others, such as Nuwu and Left of Center, and pop-ups, such as Scrambled Eggs, are popping). And local publications like this one are at a loss to find true art critics to report on the local scene.
I don’t fear change. But I do fear that weak public support of local art could eventually outrun the hard work done by countless people to bring you concerts, dance performances, exhibits, films, plays, readings, and more events. As I said last year, there’s no shortage of art to take in. Now that we’re getting sparkly new places to do that, will you help make sure they — as well as the hole-in-the-wall venues — stick around?
CHRIS CLARKE is a longtime environmental journalist and desert activist. As environment editor at KCET-TV in Los Angeles, Chris reported extensively on the dawn of utility-scale solar in the California desert. Today, he hosts 90 Miles from Needles: the Desert Protection Podcast. He lives in Twentynine Palms with his wife, Lara, and their preposterous dogs.
CONGRATULATIONS!
That means showing up. If you don’t know where to start, don’t worry, we’ve got you. Just read on. And if you’re an old hand at it, thanks. You keep the sweet dream of a cultivated Las Vegas alive.
See you at the theater, Heidi
The Nevada Press Foundation has handed out its 2024 Awards of Excellence, and Desert Companion is again a winner. Contributor Alec Pridgeon’s December 2023 feature, “Can the Tortoise Win This Race?” won first place for environmental reporting. Meg Bernhard’s 2023 Writer in Residence series was named second-best local column. Assistant editor Anne Davis nabbed second place in health reporting for her August 2023 story, “Counting Backward.” Third places went to art director Scott Lien and designer Ryan Vellinga for cover design, and to contributor DW McKinney for coverage of underserved communities. Here’s to more award-winning journalism in 2024-25!
CORRECTION
The August issue’s “Made in Nevada: Give Our Best” story incorrectly stated that Paige & Rye’s Hualapai and Desert Inn location closed this year. Desert Companion regrets the error.
PRESIDENT & CEO Favian Perez
MANAGING EDITOR Heidi Kyser
ART DIRECTOR Scott Lien
ASSISTANT EDITOR Anne Davis
KNPR PRODUCERS AND REPORTERS
Christopher Alvarez, Paul Boger, Mike Prevatt, Joe Schoenmann
NEVADA PUBLIC RADIO EDITORIAL INTERN Maicyn Udani
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Ryan Vellinga
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Allison Hall, Markus Van’t Hul, Britt Quintana
PROJECT MANAGER Marlies Daebritz
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Jeff Jacobs
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Nicholas Barnette, Josh Bell, Lorraine Blanco Moss, Soni Brown, Sarah Bun, Chris Clarke, Mark Credico, Oona Robertson, Ethan Todd, Lissa Townsend Rodgers
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
Flora Bai, Ronda Churchill, Brent Holmes, Jeff Scheid, Sébastien Thibault
Desert Companion is published bimonthly by Nevada Public Radio, 1289 S. Torrey Pines Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89146. It is available by subscription at desertcompanion.vegas, or as part of Nevada Public Radio membership. It is also distributed free at select locations in the Las Vegas Valley. All photos, artwork, and ad designs printed are the sole property of Desert Companion and may not be duplicated or reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. The views of Desert Companion contributing writers are not necessarily the views of Desert Companion or Nevada Public Radio. Contact us for back issues, which are available for purchase for $7.95. FOLLOW DESERT COMPANION
www.facebook.com/DesertCompanion
Transform your living space with the simple upgrade of new window treatments from Sunburst. You’ll love the difference they make—instantly revitalizing every room. From motorized shades to plantation shutters, Sunburst’s easy-to-operate, custom treatments make your home safer and more stylish! Ready for a change? Our design professionals will help you find the perfect fit for your home.
backyard.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OFFICERS
DON HAMRICK chair Chapman Automotive Group
RICHARD I. DREITZER, ESQ. vice chair Fennemore
KATHLEEN M. NYLEN treasurer
FAVIAN PEREZ secretary Nevada Public Radio
DIRECTORS
NEHME E. ABOUZEID LaunchVegas, LLC
STEPHANIE CAPELLAS Carma/Connected
CYNTHIA A. DREIBELBIS Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
MIKE DREITZER Gaming Arts, LLC
ANDREA GOEGLEIN, PH.D ServingSuccess
WILLIAM GROUNDS Burraneer Capital Advisors
FRED J. KEETON Keeton Iconoclast Consulting, LLC
EDWIN C. KINGSLEY, MD Comprehensive Cancer Centers
AMANDA MOORE-SAUNDERS Cirque du Soleil
DERIONNE POLLARD, PH.D Nevada State University
ERNEST STOVALL Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
SCOTT NIELSON Nielson Consulting, LLC
DIRECTORS EMERITI
CYNTHIA ALEXANDER Dickinson Wright, PLLC
SUSAN M. BRENNAN The Brennan Consulting Group, LLC
DAVE CABRAL Business Finance Corp.
LOUIS CASTLE Amazon Games Seattle
PATRICK N. CHAPIN, ESQ. Patrick N. Chapin, Ltd.
ELIZABETH FRETWELL Las Vegas Grand Prix
GAVIN ISAACS Consultant
CHRIS MURRAY Avissa Corporation
JERRY NADAL Luna Entertainment Consulting Services
WILLIAM J. “BILL” NOONAN
William J. Noonan Consulting
ANTHONY J. PEARL Crown Resorts
MARK RICCIARDI, ESQ. Fisher Phillips, LLP
MICKEY ROEMER Roemer Gaming
TIM WONG
Arcata Associates
ALL THINGS
POLITICS
Trolling Polling
Voter surveys aren’t useless. But in Nevada, when it comes to political predictions, all bets are off
BY Paul Boger
It’s election season in Nevada and, once again, the eyes of the nation and the world are upon the Silver State. As I write this, it’s impossible to tell exactly which way the winds of fate will blow. During previous elections, pollsters famously predicted a Hillary Clinton landslide in 2016 and a “red wave” in 2022.
Neither of those things happened. Clinton won the popular vote and lost the Electoral College, while Democrats picked up legislative seats in Washington, D.C., and Carson City during the last midterm. So, does that mean that all polling is bogus? Not necessarily.
For instance, we know that, earlier this year, virtually all polls showed the state was well on its way to giving former President Donald Trump and Republicans a Nevada victory in November.
That was roughly the same time that walking outside in Nevada felt like stepping onto the sun. It was
also a couple of weeks after President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance. So, talking to potential Democratic voters, it was hard to tell whether their malaise came more from the oppressive heat or Biden’s dwindling chances.
In any case, it was a common malady. Voter after voter fell into one of three camps: an eager Trump Republican, a disaffected moderate, or a Democrat worried about the president’s reelection bid.
“I have concerns,” said Laura Marineau of Sparks, as she watched her grandson play along the banks of the Truckee River. “I have a high regard for his (Biden’s) integrity, but it’s risky for him to stay in the race.”
“I don’t like what Biden’s doing,” said another voter, Justin Morgan of Reno, regarding the president’s handling of the war in Gaza. “And I think that Trump is kind of egotistical.” He added that he wasn’t going to vote at all. And in polls at the time, Trump
consistently led the race by at least five points, which grew to double digits after the debate. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report changed its rating of the Nevada race from “toss-up” to “leans Republican.”
Of course, in political terms, that’s ancient history. Since then, Trump was shot on live television in an assassination attempt during a rally in Pennsylvania. President Biden stepped away from his party’s nomination and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement. And Harris selected the affable governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, as her running mate.
For Democrats running for office across the country and here in Nevada, the summer’s events seemed a blessing. Heading into the Labor Day weekend, polls showed Trump’s lead had all but vanished.
“I don’t know if there was anything that we were consigned to,” says Assemblywoman Selena La Rue Hatch, a Democrat from Reno. “I just think that we are so excited about this new energy and these new ideas, and just (eager) to get out there and really see the face of modern America leading the charge.”
Despite that enthusiasm, Trump and other Republicans still have a chance to win in Nevada.
The reasons? First, our state continues to grapple with a sluggish economy. Since the pandemic, the state has maintained the highest unemployment in the country. In Las Vegas, the jobless rate is even higher. Voters are also dealing with rising housing prices, grocery bills, and fuel and energy costs. It’s left many feeling like they’re doing worse now than they were four years ago. And Trump seems to hold sway over voters who say the economy is a big factor in how they vote.
Democrats are also starting to see the rise of the so-called “Lombardo Machine.” Since taking office, Governor Joe Lombardo has proven he’s not afraid to go toe-to-toe with the Democratic majority in the Nevada Legislature. He vetoed 75 bills during his first session in 2023. He’s also taken an approach to party management similar to that of former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, being very hands-on in shaping the Republican Party’s makeup in both state and federal politics. Lombardo took the unprecedented step, for instance, of endorsing Republican candidates ahead of the primary as part of an effort to head off a Democratic supermajority in the legislature. All those candidates won their primary, forcing Democrats to compete and spend money in districts already drawn to favor their party.
Lastly, there’s simply a growing number of nonpartisan voters. According to the Secretary of State’s office, more than a third of active, registered voters in Nevada are nonpartisan. That’s largely thanks to the state’s “motor voter” law, which automatically registers voters when they conduct a DMV transaction. It’s also because of disillusionment with political parties. A 2022 Pew Research Center survey found “growing frustration,” as they put it, to be more evident among younger and less politically engaged voters.
Finally, remember what happened in 2016 and 2020? Heading into the final weeks of the election, pundits and pollsters were touting their projections as tantamount to the word of God. But many of those polls and surveys
With the Kamala Harris “vibe shift,” American voters gained not only a new name on the ballot, but also fresh meme fodder and language to discuss the 2024 presidential election. When an unprecedented global event occurred, the chronically online — including me, admittedly — were no longer (thank God) tweeting, “Now that was not on my bingo card,” but rather, “This is the craziest season of reality TV ever.” It’s an astute linguistic move. A dive into past seasons reveals that, narratively, our country’s and state’s political histories have always been more Andy Cohen than Aaron Sorkin.
If you don’t have time for a binge, here are some highlights to catch you up to the current season.
❱❱❱ Not showing up to film a Real Housewives reunion episode always results in firing. Nevada herself pulled a no-show when, in 1864, the state’s proposed constitution was lost en route to D.C., and President Lincoln refused to grant Nevada statehood sans constitution. The solution: Nevada sent its constitution via telegraph, with the added bonus that it’d get there faster than snail mail, thereby helping to secure the votes for Lincoln’s re-election in the eleventh hour. The Morse coded message took seven hours to initially transcribe, and, at 16,543 words, it broke the record for longest telegram ever transmitted
were just plain wrong. They oversampled Democrats and understated the strength of blue-collar Republicans. Then, they seemed to overcorrect during the 2022 congressional midterms, promising a wave of GOP victories that failed to manifest.
Yet here we are. In the midst of another tight election cycle — where control of the White House, Congress, the Nevada Legislature, and local offices across the state are at stake — pollsters and politicos are once again crowing confidently about their models, forecasts, and ever-changing predictions.
And for the most part, I believe them … in the same way that I believe it’s a good idea to carry an umbrella. It’s nice to have, but, in Nevada, I won’t put my money on rain.
HISTORY
The Real Candidates of Carson and D.C.
Election season brings the drama. We’ve got the breakdown
BY Nicholas Barnette
— longer, in fact, than a Tom Sandoval Notes App apology.
❱❱❱ Twice, we’ve seen Nevada politicians outwit or outplay, but not outlast their opponents. A widespread rumor was that Key Pittman, a fiveterm Nevada senator, died before his 1940 election for a sixth term. According to legend, party bosses were keeping his body on ice at Tonopah’s Mizpah Hotel to delay the announcement of the incumbent’s death until
after Election Day. In reality, Pittman won reelection on November 5, then died shortly after, on November 10, of a heart attack. We’d see a variation of this storyline repeated in a later season, when businessman and brothel owner Dennis Hof won his 2018 election for Nevada Assembly two months after dying on the night of his 72nd birthday party, an event attended by the likes of Ron Jeremy and Joe Arpaio. Ultimately, the tribe spoke, electing a corpse over the Democrat (though county officials did pick a local utility company manager, Gregory Hafen, to take the seat).
❱❱❱ Medical evacuations are tried-and-true tropes of reality TV, that moment the fourth wall breaks and an almost-always British doctor rushes to the aid of a player in peril. Though not as dramatic as an airlift, Las Vegas was where President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID and, as a result, made his final public appearance as the Democratic presidential nominee (not counting his deplaning in Delaware). After a morning of campaigning capped with lunch at Lindo Michoacan, Biden’s camp announced he had contracted the virus. He then boarded Air Force One and spent much of the next several days cameras down. ✦
See the rest of this season’s drama at knpr.org/politics!
Underdog on the Rise
Las Vegas’ previously anemic sports scene has boomed in recent years. Here’s what to expect from it this fall
BY Joe Schoenmann
If you’ve lived in Nevada long enough, it might feel like your sports world has been turned upside-down.
The UNLV football team wins; UNR loses. Las Vegas — once sworn off by all professional sports franchises — now has four major league teams, and two of them have won championships. The Oakland A’s are planning to build a stadium on the Strip. And an NBA team is likely on its way.
Here are a few highlights to watch for as fall sports kick off.
Will the Aces get a threepeat? Four players from the Las Vegas Aces played for Team USA in Olympic women’s basketball, winning the gold medal. As of this writing, the Aces are in fourth place out of the WNBA’s 12 teams and again heading to the playoffs.
During the Olympics, the league paused games for two weeks, while the Aces’ A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, and Kelsey Plum played in Paris. Some Aces insiders were concerned that the wear and tear of the Olympics would negatively affect the players’ performance when they returned.
But Adam Hill, sports reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, poo-poos that notion.
“They weren’t concerned about setting records for wins. They were playing all year for the playoffs,” Hill says. “They’re playing as well as they’ve played in months. They’re actually playing defense now.”
If there’s concern, he adds, it’s that “some other teams got really, really good.”
Are the Raiders good now?
Two games into the season, the Raiders were 1-1, with a surprise win over a very good team, the Baltimore Ravens.
Hill believes that the Raiders may have had less to do with that outcome than their opponents.
“I don’t think the Raiders won; I think the Ravens lost,” he says. But, he adds, the Raiders have been playing very clean football, which can lead to breaks in a game, as well as wins.
“So give them credit for what they did do,” Hill says. “Most of the team said, ‘We can’t look at this
like, ‘Hey, we’re great.’ If you do, you’re in real trouble.”
He doesn’t expect the team to make the playoffs. “I think they win seven or eight games,” he predicts, “but I don’t think that they’re a playoff team.”
College football’s stunning turn. UNLV’s football team won nine games in 2023, the most in 39 years.
In September, they were ranked in a national Top 25 poll for the first time since 1978. Hill credits first-year coach Barry Odom with the turnaround, and he believes the team is heading to another bowl game this year. He also thinks this might be Odom’s last year at UNLV, because other universities are bound to come calling.
“What I’m preparing for is, don’t be mad at him when he does leave,” Hill says. “He’s going to have a ton of money thrown at him. But ... he has laid a foundation here that’s not going to fall apart instantly.”
Will there be a Las Vegas A’s? Finally, there is (arguably) the least-anticipated arrival in Southern Nevada sports: the Oakland A’s. The team’s owner, John Fisher, has secured some $380 million in public funding from Nevada and picked a place (where the Tropicana is set to be demolished on Oct. 9) to build a ballpark for which he’s released preliminary designs. But he has no deal to finance his part of the move or stadium, and the team is expected to play in Sacramento until at least 2027.
Will they or won’t they move to Las Vegas?
“No,” Hill says, smiling. “I say no.” ✦
HEAR about Nevada Sports on KNPR’s State of Nevada.
OCTOBER 4-5
Along Water Street
NOW HEAR THIS
Two Vegas music-lovers riff on their favorite local acts and albums of the moment, from Korean goth to indie rock
BY
Christopher Alvarez, Eric Duran-Valle, and Gabriela Rodriguez
This fall, to find out who’s playing in a concert hall, lounge, or record store near you, Desert Companion turned to local musician and regular contributor Eric Duran-Valle and Las Vegas Weekly staff writer Gabriela Rodriguez. Here’s a sampler of what Duran-Valle and Rodriguez are loving now, with some notes on why, in their own words.
HEAR these cool beats for yourself on KNPR’s State of Nevada.
INDIEMO
CRUMBCATCHER
CHOICE TRACK: “DEATH BLOOM”
WHERE TO SEE THEM: RED DWARF, THE USUAL PLACE, THE MOMENT YOU REALIZE YOU JUST TAPED OVER A PRECIOUS MEMORY ON A VHS CASSETTE
Do you have the persistence to stick with a project for almost four years? I don’t know if I do, and I signed a mortgage a couple years ago. But Jack Wagner, lead singer and guitarist for Crumbcatcher, did for their new album finite Feedback, and it definitely shows. It’s a beautiful work that evokes the past two decades of indie rock and emo (indiemo?) to tell an emotional story about growing up, heartbreak, and persevering. - EDV
K-GOTH PASTSELF
CHOICE TRACK: “SLOW DEATH AND EXPOSITION”
WHERE TO SEE THEM: SWAN DIVE, SIN WAVE, FREMONT COUNTRY CLUB/ BACKSTAGE BAR AND BILLIARDS, A FEVER DREAM DEEP IN THE NIGHT
My lame claim to fame will be that I was only a few feet away when this band took one of its most viral photos: three goths sitting with Santa Claus at a shopping mall. Past Self is a pioneer in the genre that they call “K-Goth,” which is a type of darkwave rock that melds Korean and English lyrics with energetic rhythms from bassist Spektor, harrowing vocals and guitar riffs from lead singer Sung, and rich synthscapes from keyboardist Æther. - EDV
QNCDAYZ
CHOICE TRACK: “LETMELOVEU”
WHERE TO SEE HIM: ZIA RECORDS (EASTERN LOCATION)
QNC DAYZ (pronounced “Quincy Daze”) brings a fresh, alternative, and experimental approach to hip-hop. Rapping since the age of 12, his style is soulful and funk-influenced, with a steady flow that feels effortless. He’s a natural storyteller, and his music stands out for its oldschool vibe, something you don’t hear much of in today’s trap-heavy hip-hop scene. Prepare to fade away (in a good way) and escape to soulful galaxies when listening to QNC. - GR
SWITTERBEET
CHOICE TRACK: “PLUM”
WHERE TO SEE THEM: SWAN DIVE, TAVERNA COSTERA, HUNTRIDGE TAVERN, WHILE FIGHTING OVER THE LAST PLUSHIES IN THE CLAW MACHINE
I am so happy that I can now talk about this band! … I used to play bass for Switterbeet. I had to leave because of other projects needing my attention (as did the guitarist and drummer), but they’ve come back stronger than ever. Tierney Torchin is the bold and bawdy lead singer of the alt-rock group, giving their music a flirty flair that makes songs catchy and live shows an absolute spectacle. – EDV HIP-HOP
INDIEMO
SUNROOM
CHOICE TRACK: “ROPE”
WHERE TO SEE THEM: BERLIN BAR, DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS
Perhaps you can refer to Sunroom as your “end of the world band,” because they were one of the last local acts I saw live before the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020. Their sound is a unique blend of indie rock and pop, with a distinct emo twist. Upbeat and lively music meets lyrically dark themes that often reflect personal struggles, and that combination makes you feel a certain tug of war you can’t help but play along with. (“Indiemo” might just be the perfect term to describe their style, and that may or may not have been coined by Eric Duran-Valle.) - GR
SHOEGAZE
MUTUAL
CHOICE TRACK: “SITCOM”
WHERE TO SEE THEM: THE GRIFFIN, PIONEER SALOON, THE USUAL PLACE
This shoegaze and lo-fi rock quartet places a strong emphasis on instrumental soundscapes, with the vocals acting more as powdered sugar on French toast. Blending psychedelic rock elements with layered, hazy guitar riffs and driving percussion — their sound is bound to set you off in a trance. With the band’s influences being iconic acts like Ringo Deathstarr, My Bloody Valentine, and Swervedriver, Mutual’s music is both nostalgic and forward-thinking, making them a compelling pick for fans of the genre who are looking for fresh yet familiar sounds. - GR
COMMUNITY
Multiples of Good
Paul Maxwell created a ‘charity of charities’ in hopes of expanding the impact one nonprofit can make
BY Mark Credico
Paul Maxwell let out a deep exhale as he walked out from an underpass in a Henderson wash and into the baking June heat.
Having just checked on an unhoused man in the wash who was going through a possible medical emergency, a wide-eyed Maxwell rejoined his group of five fellow Henderson Angels. The man had said a friend was going to take him to the hospital, and Maxwell described the interaction as a “rubber-band moment.”
“Every Saturday there’s one moment where I’m like ‘Whoa,’” he said. “It’s like snapping a rubber band to your forehead.”
Maxwell founded the nonprofit Henderson Angels to help the unhoused community. The group goes out every weekend armed with food,
water, cigarettes, and NARCAN (for treatment of opioid overdoses). But their ultimate goal is to connect people experiencing homelessness with social services, such as medical assistance, addiction counseling, and housing.
“That’s what they need, is someone in their life who can offer help if they need it,” Henderson Angels Outreach Director Ray Gonzales says. “And if not, they know we’re here.”
Amy Lipsey, who’s currently unhoused, says Maxwell’s team members “have respect for us. We’re not categorized as homeless, drunken tweakers, whatever.”
It’s not the only community Maxwell is reaching out to. Henderson Angels is one of nine nonprofits operating within a larger organization, the Angel Charitable Corporation. Maxwell founded the corporation in
mid-2022 with the idea of creating a “charity of charities” to help as many people as possible without getting stuck on just one idea.
Angel Charitable Corporation helps its nonprofits achieve 501(c) (3) status by covering costs and operations. It then takes 10 percent or less of each nonprofit’s earnings to pay for administrative expenses. The nine organizations operating under the corporate banner do homeless community outreach, give Christmas gifts to children of fallen police officers, provide financial aid for low-income people, house animals in need, and offer multiple forms of care for underprivileged children.
The “angel” in the brand names comes from the nickname Maxwell’s grandmother had for her grandchildren. He says she taught him the importance of doing good deeds — anonymously, if possible.
“He’s kind of the one that’s the deepest in this,” Todd Archambault, one of the program directors for the corporation, says about Maxwell. “He lives and breathes this stuff to a whole new level, and it’s inspiring.”
Maxwell previously ran an insurance company alongside his nonprofit work, but he sold his company before starting the Angel Charitable Corporation. He says he’s lived off a $1,000-per-month salary and savings from selling his company since the corporation started.
“I was in awe of his passion and his commitment,” Devon Carothers, Maxwell’s sister and another program director, says. “You can see what he’s given and what he’s donated of his time and his own personal assets, and then see that it’s for the greater good of so many different chapters.”
SENT Henderson Angels founder Paul Maxwell prepares sandwiches to be distributed to members of Henderson's unhoused community.
Maxwell’s passion shone through that June day in the Henderson wash, as he listened to Gonzales recount his conversation with a woman experiencing homelessness. She’d said she would accept help connecting to medical services. Hearing this, Maxwell pumped both fists in celebration.
“This is making me warm inside,” he said, as Gonzales coordinated care for the woman. Even on a 94-degree day, it’s a good feeling. ✦
HEAVEN
Enjoy FREE Events at the Library District!
Summerlin Library Outdoor Fall Festival
Live music, food trucks & pumpkin decorating!
Saturday, October 5
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Summerlin Library
Trades Fair:
Discover Your Career Path
Explore what career options are out there!
Saturday, October 5
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
West Las Vegas Library
Haunted Harvest 2024: Legends of the Deep Face painting, scavenger hunt, trunk-or-treat & more!
Saturday, October 12
2 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Centennial Hills Library
TeenTober - A Whole Month of Frighteningly-Fun Events
Just for Teens!
District-wide, all month long in October. Visit TheLibraryDistrict.org for details!
Glitter & Gold Resource Fair
Enjoy music, games & meet community partners!
Saturday, October 12 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Mesquite Library
Fall-O-Ween Fair
Carnival games, crafts & live performances.
Saturday, October 19 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Enterprise Library
Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival
Comics, cosplay, lectures & more!
Saturday, November 2
9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Clark County Library
Day of the Dead Celebration / Día de los Muertos Crafts, community ofrenda, a car show & music.
Saturday, November 2 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
East Las Vegas Library
Teen animeFEST
Panels, cosplay contests & gaming for teens!
Saturday, November 16
10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Sahara West Library
Scan here for more events.
Three for the Show
Pay homage to the valley’s eclectic culture and entertainment scene with this locally crafted kitsch
BY Sarah Bun
In the city that touts itself as the enter tainment capital of the world, you’re bound to find creations made in this image. Here, we have a selection of hand-crafted gifts and mementos acknowl edging Las Vegas nightlife, casino life, and the sporting life. Viva las makers!
1 DISCO FEVER
Desert Shadow, a gift and merchandise storefront in the Gather House in Fergusons Downtown, takes inspiration from the desert. Euclid Natividad handmakes gifts such as the disco cactus ($35), while Jessica Melendez crafts felt flowers and tex tile items. The two co-owners say that shoppers are drawn to the reflections of the shop’s lights off the disco cactus — reminiscent of Vegas’ own lights, which, they’ve observed, make people want to bring the sparkle home. shopdesertshadow.com
2 CASINO LOCALE
The Stuffy Ladies owner Linda Rodgers, a private violin instructor who holds a doctorate in education, started crafting handmade and customizable shadow boxes during the pandemic. Her What Happens in Las Vegas Stays in Las Vegas #3 shadow box ($40) sprinkles some gold-glitter glamour on the age-old slogan. Available in a white or black frame, the box may be hung on a wall or placed on a table. Once it’s complete, Rodgers will deliver it free of charge anywhere in Clark County, proving that what happens in Sin City may actually only stay within a 100-mile radius. thestuffyladies.com
3 702 PRIDE
Family-owned Store702 “features original fan gear and supports everything in the (702),” says partner Terri Maruca, who’s been with the shop since it started online in January 2018. Their Champions of the 702 — Embrace the Winning Legacy T-shirt ($24), emblazoned with a hockey, football, and basketball motif, highlights Vegas’ recent success, spirit, and pride in local sports. Go team! store702.com
THE OTHER STRIP
Flamingo Business Center
4850 West Flamingo Road
BY Oona Robertson
On my constant hunt for the perfect coffee shop, I stop at The Java Tree . “Where do you roast?” I ask the women behind the counter, who did not want her name in print. “Right here,” she says, pointing to a little roaster behind me that I hadn’t noticed when I came in. It turns out, it’s she who roasts green coffee from Ethiopia every other day.
I order a coffee and a pasti, which she describes to me as similar to a donut but not as sweet. “This is a very traditional thing. We all grew up eating that,” she says, setting the pastry, coffee in a little glass cup, and a box of sugar down at my
table. The coffee is darkly roasted and pulled slowly through an espresso machine, and the pasti, with nigella seeds delicately distributed, is dense and satisfying. Dark wood furniture, a large wall of windows, quiet jazz, and outdoor seating make the café feel warm in a way that contrasts with the often-sterile aesthetic of Vegas’ coffee shops.
As I sit, families come in and out with large hauls of plushies from The Claw next door. “This one’s my favorite. No one can touch it ever in the world,” a kid says, squeezing a little blue animal I don’t recognize. When The Java Tree closes, I look in at The Claw where, in the late afternoon rush, every machine lining the arcade’s wall has a long line. Instead of joining them, I go to Max Pawn Luxury , overstaffed and heavily guarded, and walk along the glass wall of Birkin bags in a rainbow of expense, prices ranging from $12,000 to $33,000. The rest of the store is shoes and diamonds. When a third person approaches to ask if I need assistance, I decide it’s time to leave; my outfit made up entirely of hand-me-downs must be a beacon of my unbelonging.
On the practical side of things, this strip mall has two massage places,
a Bank of America drive-through ATM, and the elusive USPS post box. There’s also Jinya Ramen Bar, a solid dinner spot that often gets packed on weekends, and an Asian grocer with stacked boxes of bitter melon, kohlrabi, and greens, which I note to come back for next time I’m in need.
Usually, I come to this strip mall for Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant, a favorite Vegas restaurant of mine, but after speaking to the roaster at The Java Tree I decide to meet my friend at Little Ethiopia Restaurant & Market , which is owned by the same family, instead. Inside, groups sit at round tables drinking coffee, surrounded by décor that’s as welcoming as in the café. We order mango juice, a vegetarian platter, lamb tibs, and foul — far too much food for two people. It’s a little less flavorful than the food at Lucy, but the injera is fresh and succulent, so we stay for a while making small dents in the feast.
Then, we stop by Red Dragon Casino to try our hands at Pachinko, a game that in Japan would be used for gambling, but here is just for fun, the bored woman behind the counter tells us. We are the only ones inside. She lets us play for free because, she says, it’s impossible to figure out the game if you don’t speak Japanese. She is kind of right, but it’s fun to press the big plastic buttons on the machines and watch the little metal balls sift through the pinball-like game-scape, wrapping around each digital screen. The balls exit the machine, run through tubing beneath our legs, and clink into a bucket in the far corner of the little room. It feels like winning.
We end our night at Pink Cactus Tea, drinking fruit infusions in beautiful color spectrums, floral and thick with tropical flavor, and I lose a game of checkers that dissolves into a chase of kings until we forget whose turn it is. In the pink neon glow, teenagers kill time and families play games, and it feels close to the sidewalk people-watching that I always crave in Vegas, and that can sometimes — if the night is right — be found on the glorious streets of a strip mall.✦
CLAW ABIDING
The Claw arcade at Flamingo Business Center provides plenty of colorful competition.
For those moments seeking solace or focus, Classical 89.7 KCNV is there.
Any hour of the day, tune in for the true classics, new, young musicians, eclectic mixes and much more.
to listen or visit
In Access, Ability
Las Vegas has a long way to go in making its many wonders available to all its residents
BY Ethan Todd
Irealized my own physical disability at a grocery store, when I became instantly overwhelmed by the fluorescent lights, blaring pop music, and lack of public seating. My body ached, my head pounded, and I felt moments away from fainting. As I prepared to check out, I collapsed, and it took me a few minutes to recover. Fortunately, I was there with my mom, who was able to help me. As I hobbled to our car, I was relieved that nobody had approached me, as they had in the past. All I wanted was to be ignored. Over the past year, I’ve developed mobility issues that warrant the occasional use of a wheelchair. At 17, I was going through bodily developments that usually don’t show themselves until someone is in their 50s or 60s. The experience of being visibly disabled has been educational. Good-intentioned interactions — an overly friendly cashier, a concerned friend, or a stranger providing unsolicited help — serve as reminders that I don’t have the privilege of accomplishing tasks on my own, unnoticed by those around me. I wasn’t prepared for the constant judgment, and it reminds me that there are many aspects of the world we can’t detect until we’ve seen them for ourselves. Those of us who are not able-bodied have lost not only our ability to move,
but also our ability to socialize. While a wheelchair has given me the opportunity to once again take part in society, it has also discouraged me from engaging in potentially inaccessible activities. I rarely feel fully accommodated at events, seated in the back of a room, away from everyone else. Often, I’ve been left to sit by myself while those I’m with go enjoy themselves, a situation that’s ruined my passion for live music.
My eyes were also opened to the dysfunction of my beloved city. In 2022, inclusivity nonprofit The Valuable 500 ranked Las Vegas among the world’s 10 most accessible cities. Vegas Means Business, a website of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, claims the city is known for its amazing accommodations. But this could only be true for tourists, who focus on points of interest, or those who aren’t disabled themselves.
“Accessibility features only exist in affluent neighborhoods or tourist areas,” says Benny Jurado, a community organizer and disability justice activist (and — full disclosure — my friend). “Just blocks away from upgraded accessibility features for tourists is crumbling infrastructure that segregates wheelchair users to their homes … What good is it to live in one of the most accessible cities if it was never meant to be accessible for most of its residents?”
In my experience, our city still has work to do. Our sidewalks are too narrow and riddled with obstacles. Poorly placed poles block anyone who might require more space than the average person, including those who are visually impaired. Ramps and pathways are often absent or difficult to navigate. I’ve injured myself trying to navigate areas where sidewalks give way to empty dirt lots. And our city’s prevalent flashing lights can put those with epilepsy in life-threatening danger.
Measures meant to address homelessness are a particular problem. Las Vegas’ anti-homeless architecture limits the availability of comfortable seating. Toilets are barred from public access to prevent unhoused people from taking refuge
OPEN TOPIC
in them, causing problems for not only the unhoused, but anyone with incontinence or urgency issues. The National Association of County and City Health Officials reported that one quarter of unhoused individuals have a disability. Homelessness is a huge issue for Las Vegas, but the city’s priority is to ignore or eradicate these community members, rather than provide them with aid.
Bias can also affect aid for the disabled community. Many able-bodied people freeze up, becoming resistant or defensive, when someone suggests change. It’s easier for them to pretend disabled people’s issues don’t matter because they don’t affect the so-called “majority” than it is to imagine or support a different way. Despite widespread leaps in progress for many systemic social justice issues, ablism continues to be normalized.
“I have tried coping with the social aspect of disability by becoming more active in organizing spaces,” Jurado says. “Unfortunately, the disability community often struggles for acceptance even in progressive spaces.”
What’s the solution? In conversations about accessibility, it’s important to remember that a truly accessible space is a work of fiction; there’s no conceivable way to cater to everyone’s (sometimes opposing) needs at the same time. I would also never ask a place as gloriously chaotic as Las Vegas to tamp down what makes it special; I enjoy the bright lights and crowded streets quite a bit, thank you very much.
But this shouldn’t discourage efforts to improve our city for all its inhabitants. In a more accessible city, disabled people would have the freedom to complete tasks with efficiency, not requiring the help of others. The change starts small. Organization of independent locations and businesses, as well as improvement of city infrastructure, could create accessible spaces for disabled people.
A more efficient public transportation system would be a good start. Relative to other large cities, our bus system is small, slow, and prone to delays that make it unreliable. Although the monorail on the Las
Vegas Strip is a wonderful convenience, it isn’t a widespread option. I’ve found myself stranded at the bus stop, dehydrated and on the verge of heat exhaustion, forced to sit on a dirty sidewalk for more than an hour awaiting a bus.
Jurado maintains that Las Vegas’ greatest obstacle to accessibility is ongoing construction. If an area isn’t accessible for cars and pedestrians, then it is even less accessible for the disabled. “The impact is felt disproportionately by disabled folks, especially wheelchair users, but is seldom talked about,” he says. “My daughter missed the first week of school in 2022 due to roadwork in my neighborhood making all pedestrian routes inaccessible. It is segregation, full stop.”
The idea that accessibility protects us all isn’t new. The curb-cut effect is an example: Curb cuts helped those with wheelchairs while benefiting cyclists and parents using strollers as well. Accessibility features such as audiobooks and electric toothbrushes have been universally well-received, despite their original intent being to help those with disabilities.
To change our mindset about accessibility, we have to stop thinking about it as a distant concept — anyone could become disabled at any time. According to the American Bar Association, a quarter of U.S. young people will become disabled in their lifetime. Disability is practically inevitable with age. Spending the effort to improve disabled quality of life significantly improves all citizens’ lives and guarantees a more comfortable future later in life.
Perhaps the hardest lesson for me as a disabled person, and one I still struggle to keep in mind, is to be comfortable taking up space in the world. To survive, like many others, I have adapted to demanding that my needs be met. We refuse to be seen as an afterthought. It’s only by occupying the heart of our city that we can be noticed by its leaders. I implore the able-bodied citizens of Las Vegas to keep this same lesson in mind: Take up space on our city’s streets and sidewalks. What’s more accessible for me is more accessible for you, too. ✦
By Krista Diamond
knpr.org/subscribe-to-desert-companion
The Vegas Dish
New spots, chefs, and tastes to try around the Valley
BY Lorraine Blanco Moss
Living in Las Vegas on and off for two decades, I consider this town my town. I don’t miss a lot about my California upbringing … except the sea. If you long for the ocean like I do, then try Bazaar Mar (thebazaar.com/location/the-bazaarmar-las-vegas-nv/ ) at The Shops at Crystals before it’s impossible to get a reservation (full disclosure: I was on the opening team at Bazaar Meat by chef José Andrés at Sahara). Sipping the salt air off the top of my Daisy de Grana cocktail, I could taste the mist of white water that lands on your lips when jumping waves. For a balanced introduction, opt for the Bazaar Mar chef’s tasting menu. It starts with a tiny river trout cone featuring preserved Meyer lemon and dill — a bright, briny amuse-bouche. The Hokkaido sea scallops crudo dazzles as this 13-course extravaganza’s heart. The sweet, delicate texture of the meat paired perfectly with tomatillo, green grapes, and jalapeno-shiso oil. We dined near an impressive fresh fish display, and I added a whole fish kinmedai, sashimi style, to our experience, because I’d never seen the fish on a Vegas menu before. The golden eye snapper tasted as good as it looked, prepared simply with citrus and olive oil. You can order from
NOW I SEA Lobster Salpicon from Bazaar Mar
an array of fresh fish and enjoy it raw like I did, or baked in sea salt, live fire grilled, or fried. The sea-forward tasting menu closes with a whimsical nod to a childhood enjoyed on the coast: the Key lime beach dessert comprising tangy mousse, lime air, and graham cracker crumbles shaped like a sandcastle. At $175 a person, it’s a special occasion dinner, but Andrés has put together a menu and team that could impress even the pickiest food lover.
Hankering for steamed dumplings, I was excited to get an invite to the new Brunch 32 at Mott 32 ( mott32. com/las-vegas ) in the Palazzo. When you think dim sum, a salad rarely pops into your mind, but I have to tell you, the shredded Peking duck salad really pops. With its tender, marinated meat, crispy taro, and citrus truffle dressing, this is a must-order dish. If you like a little spice, try the hot and sour Iberico pork Shanghainese soup dumplings. Considering all the upscale versions of small plate items, I’m surprised to say the crabmeat and corn soup is my favorite bite here. It’s overflowing with crabmeat, velvety, and oh-so-comforting. The Oolong tea xiao long bao is the only dish that confused me. The presentation is
ENTRE-DUCING Mott 32 Peking Duck, right. Selection of dishes from Kyu, below.
stunning, as it appears under a white cloud served in a traditional bamboo steamer, but the texture was solid not smooth, and the flavor was underwhelming. I’d rather finish sipping one of the signature cocktails; the Forbidden Rose is fantastic with vanilla-infused pisco, passionfruit and lychee puree, a hint of chili, and an egg white. Overall, Brunch 32 is dim sum kind of wonderful.
If you’re looking for a spectacular dessert, head to Kyu (kyurestaurants.com/location/
Curry Row
Velveteen Rabbit’s latest cocktail menu is inspired by road trips — a taco-ish tequila concoction for Arizona; rum ‘n’ peaches for Georgia. For New York City, the bar offers a deep cut dear to my heart with an homage to the city’s so-called “Little India,” a row of restaurants and markets around Manhattan’s 6th Street that I frequented for decades. Velveteen Rabbit’s Curry Row blends spicy, savory, and sweet into a trip for the taste buds. It begins with rye whiskey and ends with a splash of soda, but in between is a bazaar’s worth of flavors: ginger-infused Drambuie, Masala Orgeat syrup, habanero-spiced Peychaud’s bitters, and mango. It’s a feast in a glass, taking you across the country and around the world without leaving the couch.
— LISSA TOWNSEND RODGERS
kyu-lasvegas), pronounced “cue,” at Fontainebleau. The Asian-inspired restaurant is known for its smoked and wood-fired delights like their stone pot Thai rice and addictive Korean fried chicken with chili butter. Even the roasted cauliflower with goat cheese and shisito-herb vinaigrette is a masterpiece (yes, a cauli masterpiece!). But honestly, I can’t stop dreaming of their watermelon shaved ice served with fresh strawberries, passionfruit, and lychee. It’s a tropical vacation in your mouth.
That’s the Vegas Dish for now. Until we eat again …✦
COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH
AT VELVETEEN RABBIT
NIGHTLIFE
Into the Past
Gatsby culture is hot. Here are four places where you can revel in the excess
BY Sarah Bun
Imagine a chance to transport yourself to the opulent era of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby. Decked out in a flapper dress or tuxedo, you’re sipping on gin and bourbon — or maybe a mint julep like those that wealthy socialite Daisy Buchanan asked her husband to make as they entertained her former love, the titular Jay Gatsby, in a lavish suite at New York’s Plaza Hotel.
Set during the roaring twenties, Gatsby reflected an era of exuberant consumer culture. Despite Prohibition and the mob’s looming presence, Gatsby’ s characters whiled away their time at fancy soirees where jazz set the tone and bubbly flowed freely. Almost 100 years after the novel’s 1925 publication, many still celebrate the novel’s excess at Gatsby-style parties and Jazz Age lounges.
Walking the Las Vegas Strip, you can see hints of the Gatsby era in glowing neon lights and casinos beckoning passersby. Duck into one of these 1920s-themed events or speakeasies, and you’ll feel like you’re at one of Jay Gatsby’s legendary parties.
Voltaire at the Venetian is planning to throw The Great Gatsby Party on New Year’s Eve. Event creator Derek van Bakergem, CEO of Rosé Lifestyle, says there have always been many Gatsby-themed events held across the nation, but they haven’t been Gatsby-esque enough in terms of performances, dress code, and venue. His event, he says, will offer a true Gatsby experience with an enforced dress code of black-tie and flapper-inspired attire and entertainment such as a performer inside a massive champagne tower. A sumptuous menu of caviar, chocolate trees, macarons, and petit fours is planned — paired with bubbly, of course. Jazz music will set the mood as the midnight countdown starts. High-rollers can reserve Jay Gatsby tables for $1,000 or more. “We try to create an environment where people feel like they are Gatsby,” van Bakergem says.
At the Venetian is also the recently opened 1923 LIVE , a hidden speakeasy — for those who can find it (you will) after being dropped off at an undisclosed location. Well-dressed servers welcome visitors into a venue rich in crimson tones and elegant chandeliers.
GATSBY GUSTO Great Gatsby themed parties are popular across the country.
“Going through a secret door,” owner Noel Bowman says, heightens the mystique. (Hint: There is a hidden magic room, too.)
Bowman’s original speakeasy, the 1923 Prohibition Bar at Mandalay Bay , which opened in April 2014, is also mired in secrecy — you can find a magic show in their hidden chamber and a secret bar with hardto-find whiskey selections that are unavailable in the speakeasy’s main bar. Though 1920s attire is not mandatory, Bowman says he’s astonished at how many people come dressed as flappers and gangsters. The bar offers NOLA nights on the weekends, with live music and a burlesque dancer at the Mandalay Bay location, meant to emulate New Orleans nightlife. The bar’s food is also reminiscent of the Big Easy: The Torched Maple Bourbon Bacon with candied pecans and spiced chocolate bark offers a taste of the South. Overall, Bowman says, his venues give off a Gatsby-adjacent vibe. “I’m more of the (spot for) gangster, Prohibition bar, underground, common blue-collar folks,” he says. “But yet, it still has a little bit of that (Gatsby) illusion.”
Heading downtown, one finds the Mob Museum, home to the Underground Speakeasy & Distillery Displayed on the walls of the bar are 1920s fashions, alongside a photo of Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda. “We have flapper dresses exactly like you would have seen Daisy and the other women in The Great Gatsby wearing,” says the Mob Museum’s director of education, Claire White. A painting of Texas Guinan, a Prohibition-era actress and nightclub hostess, hides a secret room for private parties. During Prohibition, White points out, “alcohol wasn’t technically illegal to drink. So, most Americans really didn’t see themselves as breaking the law. They saw themselves as having a little fun.”
Legality aside, the Underground’s Food and Beverage Manager David Edis recommends the joint’s 1920s-inspired rendition of the world-famous James Pepper Old Fashioned — best savored while enjoying the bar’s live weekend jazz and light bites, naturally. Gatsby, bootlegger that he was, would be proud. ✦
HOLIDAYS
Liquor Treat
Halloween through New Year’s Eve, make going out extra special at these themed pop-ups
BY Lissa Townsend Rodgers
October marks the start of festivities that will last through the end of the year. The holidays can be a chore (or a bore), but lots of Las Vegas bars have pop-ups to help get patrons in the holiday spirit. They hang up the spiderwebs/tinsel, offering a low-hassle place for a party … where you can show up whenever you like. Here’s a handful of my favorites.
The Silver Stamp , near the Arts District, is a feast for the eyes on an ordinary day. For holidays, “we decided we were going to go all-out,” co-owner Andrew Smith says. “We love kitsch, we love camp.” The bar puts on an egg hunt at Easter and a hot-dog-eating contest on the Fourth of July, but their biggie is Halloween. With creepy mechanical dolls, skeleton “bartenders,” and mock electric chair executions, it’s a veritable Haunted House — that you can take in while enjoying a beer. “We have so many people think
SPIRITED SPIRITS
Weird whimsy abounds at Golden Tiki.
we’re just a Halloween-themed bar,” Smith laughs. But a couple months later, the decorations go winter wonderland, and the Silver Stamp hosts a potluck dinner on Christmas Day. “Every year we’re trying to one-up ourselves,” he says.
Themes also rule the season at the Sand Dollar Lounge, in both its Downtown and Strip-adjacent locations. The latter will hold a Nightmare on Spring Mountain pop-up throughout October, breaking out the skeletons and blacklights, as well as themed cocktails and weekly costume parties. After Thanksgiving, it becomes the “Miracle on Spring Mountain,” while the Sand Dollar in the Plaza Hotel adopts a Sippin’ Santa theme, with decorated trees, stockings hung above the bar, and hundreds of yards of Christmas lights.
A shrunken-head collection and pirate décor put the Golden Tiki halfway to spooky season throughout the year; additional decorations and themed drinks make for even more weird whimsy. However, the Golden Tiki does have a unique twist to its Halloween vibe: resident ghosts. Operations manager Nicholas Brinks says the bar is “a favorite haunt of some of the most active otherworldly spirits in Chinatown.” Mysterious events have included “items flying off shelves of their own accord, hearing someone call your name when no one is there, or seeing something out of the corner of your eye,” he says, adding, “some guests have even left with pictures photobombed by a spirit or orb.”
Also in the spirit of the season is Evel Pie on Fremont Street, which collaborates with creepy pop-up specialists Black Lagoon for a monthlong celebration including themed decor and glassware (skeleton mermaid tiki mugs), Halloween cocktails, and ultra-hot “reaper” wings. If you want to combine the October and December holidays, then put Màs Por Favor Taqueria y Tequila in Chinatown on your list. It celebrates The Nightmare Before Christmas by re-creating the movie’s Halloween Town in the speakeasy bar during the month of December. Feel free to raise your glass twice — for the naughty and nice.✦
Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas
Explore a deeper history of Nevada among ancient fossils, colorful mineral specimens, antique slot machines, 19th-century farming tools, and extravagant showgirl costumes.
lasvegasnvmuseum.org | (702) 486-5205
Lost City Museum, Overton
Built on the actual prehistoric site of the Ancestral Puebloans, the Lost City Museum tells the stories of Nevada’s first permanent residents between AD 200 to AD 1200.
lostcitymuseum.org | (702) 397-2193
Nevada State Railroad Museum, Boulder City
It took more than a heroic effort to build Hoover Dam in the 1930s; it also took a railroad. Come take a ride on the Boulder Branch Line, set up in 1931 to haul the project’s building materials.
boulderrailroadmuseum.org (702) 486-5952
The Wading Game
Have you listened lately?
STATE OF NEVADA
By Krista Diamond
MONDAY — FRIDAY 9 A.M. AND 7 P.M.
“I have been a Stephen King Constant Reader since I was about 11 years old,” says filmmaker and Las Vegas Academy alum Julia Marchese, using the prolific author’s term for the devotees of his work. “I used to read him on the back of the bus on the way to school.” That dedication has carried over into Marchese’s filmmaking career, and her adaptation of King’s I Know What You Need is now available on the horror-focused streaming service Arrow. It will be showing at the first-ever KingCon October 24-27 at the Linq. I Know What You Need is part of King’s long-running and recently
concluded Dollar Baby program, in which King sells the film rights to his short stories for just a dollar, with the condition that the resulting films are no longer than 45 minutes and only shown for noncommercial purposes. Marchese’s take on King’s 1976 story about a college student and her creepily intuitive paramour runs exactly 45 minutes, and she received special permission from King to add it to Arrow’s library. Marchese’s film takes place in 1976, and she filmed it at the University of Maine, where it’s set and King himself was a student. Borrowing from the aesthetics of Afterschool Specials, Marchese infuses the movie
BIG SCREEN DREAMS
A scene from I Know What You Need, adapted from the Stephen King short story of the same name. At right, the filmmaker with her father, KNPR founder Lamar Marchese.
with period authenticity on a limited budget. “A lot of the stuff you see in the film is my personal stuff that I just took from my house,” she says.
Adapting her hero’s work made Marchese nervous, she says. “There are some things that you can skip over in a story that I needed to explain in the film, so I had to write interconnecting scenes. I was just terrified that people would be like, ‘That’s not Stephen King. He didn’t write that bit.’” Although she hasn’t spoken directly with the author, she takes his approval of the Arrow deal as a sign of support for the film.
The daughter of KNPR founder Lamar Marchese, Julia Marchese
now lives in L.A. but would love to return to Vegas to make a documentary about the Rainbow Company Youth Theatre troupe, in which she participated for eight years. For now, she’s co-hosting multiple podcasts (including the King-focused The Losers’ Club ), developing several potential projects, and feeling grateful for the success of I Know What You Need . “The other Constant Readers can see that I’m serious, that I’ve really put in the work,” she says. “I’ve read everything. I’m not messing around.” ✦
FOUR MORE HORROR MOVIES WITH A REGIONAL HOOK TO WATCH THIS SPOOKY SEASON
••• Tom Devlin, veteran special effects artist and owner of Boulder City’s Monster Museum, has become a prolific indie filmmaker; this is the second movie he’s released this year. It’s a punk rock vampire story about star-crossed lovers from feuding clans of bloodsuckers, with a cast featuring pro wrestlers, adult film stars, and Lars Frederiksen of legendary punk band Rancid. Devlin draws on his extensive effects background for some gnarly monster makeup, turning the final vampire showdown into a gruesome, epic bloodbath. Streaming on Tubi.
Ember’s Edge
••• Writer-director Edgar Alejandro slowly builds tension in this thriller about a lesbian couple (Edith Bahena and Danielle Chambers) setting out for the Utah wilderness in search of supposed buried treasure. Instead, they find a hunter (Lance Caver) who turns them into his prey, possibly in service of a mysterious cult that guards the treasure. Alejandro delivers a suspenseful and surreal horror movie that also takes time for careful character development. Streaming on Tubi.
Barbie & Kendra Crash Joe Bob’s Drive-In Jamboree!
••• B-movie titan Charles Band brings his bubbly bimbo characters (Cody Renee Cameron and Robin Sydney) to Vegas’ West Wind DriveIn, where they swoon over Joe Bob Briggs, battle an evil real estate developer, and save the drive-in. It’s a cheesy ode to the drive-in experience that’s perfect preparation for this year’s Jamboree at West Wind
••• Ely native Dutch Marich’s found-footage horror series has garnered a devoted following and accolades from mainstream outlets including The New York Times. The third film ties together elements from the first two, following an aspiring influencer (Marco Antonio Parra), who travels to northeastern Nevada to search for the missing people chronicled in the earlier movies. Marich once again meticulously re-creates the look of a true-crime documentary, mixing the mundane and the horrific to keep his audience off-balance. Available for digital purchase/rental from Amazon.
‘Only a Dog’
In a new history of pet cemeteries, a local author digs into what it means to be human
BY Heidi Kyser
Paul Koudounaris’ new book, Faithful Unto Death, looks like a textbook and feels like a doorstop. But don’t let the heft — or the seemingly macabre subject matter — deter you from picking up this exhaustively researched nonfiction. The author of three books about death and one about cats, Koudounaris here documents history in a delightful way: by collecting stories centered on a main theme, pet cemeteries, and arranging them to illuminate something essential about a culture. In this case, the culture is mainly Western, specifically U.S., although Koudounaris does include other peoples’ traditions where it helps elucidate his main idea — that society’s self-improvement can be traced through the ways humans lay their domestic animals to rest. From the rise of the anti-animal cruelty movement in the 19th century through contemporary urban pet burials, the author offers dozens of rabbit holes (sorry not sorry!) to get lost in. You can read the poem that an Englishman named William Keyte had inscribed on the headstone of his pet trout (“… he was so tame / you understand / he would come and / eat out of your hand …”), dive deep into the common epitaph “only a dog” (or “cat”), and find out why Mae West didn’t attend the funeral of her beloved gibbon Boogie (hint: her makeup), among many, many other things you didn’t know you’d love to know. And thanks to extensive notes, you’ll also know it’s actually true.
Story Time
Nevada Ballet Theatre’s Roy Kaiser hooks people with familiar tales, reels them in with new works
BY Lissa Townsend Rodgers
$35, 246 pages
I always say he’s a master storyteller. He understands how to convey and propel a story mostly through movement but also interspersing pantomime — he has an incredible sense of humor. The stepsisters in Cinderella are incredibly comical. They’re funny and they kind of bring the audience along for the ride. BOOKS
To build his audience, Nevada Ballet Theatre’s artistic director Roy Kaiser uses a formula that mixes the old and the new, the well-known and the never-before-seen. The company has gained a reputation for staging extravagant story ballets, as well as premieres of new productions and pieces. The 2024-25 season has both: a Las Vegas premiere of a new Cinderella production and the world premiere of a new Peter Pan , among other works. Kaiser discussed this season’s shows with Desert
Companion. The following excerpt has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
There are a few versions of Cinderella — why do you prefer Ben Stevenson’s rendition?
Faithful Unto Death
Thames & Hudson
ROY KAISER
Q&A
Another reason is, it’s accessible. People know the story of Cinderella, you’re going to be able to follow the story, even if you don’t know the first thing about dance or ballet. Part of what I’m trying to do here as director in developing the audience is break down the mystery around dance. It’s such a very accessible art form.
Peter Pan is another premiere — a new version with new design. What makes this one special?
It’ll be a world premiere of this specific production. It was choreographed by Trey McIntyre many years ago for the Houston Ballet, but we’re rethinking it, and he is re-choreographing it to take it from three acts to two without losing any of the story or the juicy flying sequences. We are producing new sets and costumes that are being designed in Scotland by Emma Bailey, who did the sets for Six on Broadway. We have the renderings, and they are stunning, absolutely beautiful.
The approach that Emma took, when she was designing the first act where a lot of the story is being told in their home, she really pored over Victorian children’s storybooks and tried to take that influence into her designs. There’s a show curtain that looks like the cover of a children’s storybook. We wanted the second act to become a little bit more of a fantasy and have a more magical feel. She did that by creating the set design and the costuming in a very colorful, almost neon palette.
NBT has featured world premieres of several works in recent years. Are you bringing any of those back?
I’m bringing back a ballet that we did a year ago that’s called Ghost Light (Ripples in the fabric of existence) that was choreographed by two French artists, A & A. They have a vast background of artistic experience — in dance, choreography, theater, film, directing, and writing. One of them has been a Cirque artist. They created this work for us last January and, as I watched it, I just kept saying, “This is the future. This is a good look at what dance is going to become.” And the audience was so excited by it. It’s an incredibly beautiful, powerful work that really shows this company at its best — I don’t usually repeat ballets this soon, but I want to ride that wave a little bit. ✦
Desert Hills (PS–G5) (702) 410-7225
8175 West Badura Avenue, Las Vegas
Lone Mountain (PS–G8) (702) 878-6418
9900 Isaac Newton Way, Las Vegas
Los Prados (PS–G2) (702) 839-1900
5150 North Jones Boulevard, Las Vegas
Silverado (PS–G8) (702) 263-4576
1725 East Serene Avenue, Las Vegas
Nature
AT A NEXUS OF HUMAN HISTORY
Two distinct kinds of Joshua tree coexist in only one place. The spot, in the Mojave Desert, has a lot to teach us about harmony and survival
By Chris Clarke
At first glance, the Tikaboo Valley in Lincoln County seems roughly identical to any number of other valleys in Southern Nevada.
In dry years, which are increasingly common, the valley floor bears a sparse cover of perennial shrubs typical of this part of the northern Mojave Desert. Chollas, prickly pear, and barrel cacti, and non-succulent yet well-armed shrubs like shadscale and menodora all stand ready to perforate the skin of incautious hikers.
In wetter years, though, the valley becomes a lush, wild garden, with red paintbrush and hot pink Gilia, Apache plume with its white flowers that become graceful feathery seeds, desert marigolds, and Delphiniums with heartbreakingly pale blue blossoms. My first visit to the Tikaboo Valley, in May 2005, followed a record-breaking wet winter. I stood a few hundred yards off Route 375 and breathed in a heady but unidentifiable scent of a million sun-warmed blossoms. When I made that visit to Tikaboo, few other people were there to appreciate the local flora. The majority of folks I’d met who had heard of the place had come to know it because of its proximity to the extraterrestrial-themed businesses in Rachel, and because Tikaboo Valley was about as close to Area 51 as a civilian could get. Every half hour or so a driver would speed along 375 on their way between the Pahranagat Valley to the east and the Greater Tonopah Metropolitan Area to the northwest.
Me? I was there for the Joshua trees, because they’re what makes Tikaboo truly special, and even more so as the desert warms.
THE JOSHUA TREE (Yucca brevifolia) is native to the Mojave Desert in Nevada, California, Arizona, and Utah. It’s long been known that Joshua trees on the east side of the species’ range are different from those growing to the west. For much of the last century, the two kinds of tree have been treated either as varieties (meaning they have some notable but superficial differences) or subspecies (basically a variety that has been geographically separated from its kin). The name “jaegeriana” has been tagged onto the eastern trees, in honor of botanist Edmund Jaeger. If you consider the two kinds of trees subspecies, then the western would be properly termed Yucca brevifolia brevifolia and the eastern Yucca brevifolia jaegeriana.
Eastern and western Joshua trees can be hard to distinguish if you’re just getting to know them. Both types grow sharp-pointed leaves in rosettes at the ends of ungainly branches. Both flower in spring after rainy winters, and both develop large pods full of seeds that can hang onto their parents for months if not years. After a few weeks in Joshua tree country, however, the differences between the two kinds become easier to discern. Those jagged leaves on the western trees can be a foot or more long, while the eastern trees’ leaves rarely surpass eight inches. The eastern trees also branch much more readily than the western trees.
Still, the most reliable way of telling western and eastern trees apart is your location. The western trees grow in a broad arc from Beatty, Nevada, westward toward the north end of Death Valley National Park, and then southward toward Los Angeles, making a hairpin left turn toward Joshua Tree National Park. The eastern trees are found closer to the Colorado River drainage, venturing into California in the vicinity of Mojave National Preserve and Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, and extending eastward into Arizona and Utah. In between, a broad swath of
treeless land, where the elevation is lower than the trees’ preferred range of 2,500-6,000 feet above sea level, arcs from Lake Havasu through the middle of Death Valley, and then eastward into the Nevada National Security Site. If you’re west of that swath, you’re keeping company with the western trees, while those trees in the Vegas Valley or St. George, Utah, or Wickenburg, Arizona, are the eastern kind.
There is, however, one exceptional place, where the two kinds of Joshua trees’ ranges overlap. That exceptional place is the Tikaboo Valley.
“The interest in Tikaboo Valley for me,” says California State University Northridge evolutionary biologist Jeremy Yoder, “is that it’s the only place we know where we have both groups of Joshua tree. From a biodiversity perspective, it is a unique community.”
TREES OF LIFE
East and west Joshua trees situated in the Tikaboo Valley region of Nevada.
For more than 15 years, Yoder has been studying the relationships between Joshua trees and their pollinators, the Joshua tree moth. Like almost all other yuccas, Joshua trees are entirely dependent on a single species of moth to pollinate their
flowers. That dependence is mutual: The moths need the Joshua trees to reproduce themselves.
As Joshua tree flowers open in spring, some as-yet-unknown signal prompts Joshua tree moth pupae resting deep underground to emerge from the soil as adults. They mate, and the female moth then flits from flower to flower, gathering sticky pollen from the Joshua tree flowers’ anthers and holding that pollen in a glob underneath where her chin would be if she had a chin.
Flying to other flowers, she unfurls a long appendage called an ovipositor, inserts it into the flower, and lays an egg in the ovary. She then takes a bit of pollen from her stash and deliberately crams it into the flower’s pistils, starting the process of making new Joshua tree seeds. The fruit develops, the seeds inside it grow, and the moth egg hatches to allow the larva inside to eat some of those seeds. Before long, about a fifth of the seeds in its native fruit eaten, the larva emerges from the Joshua tree fruit and drops to the ground, where it burrows into the soil and pupates.
A Joshua tree’s fruit doesn’t fall from the trees readily. Instead, the seeds must wait for someone to remove them from the tree and distribute them to places where they might be able to germinate. In the last few years, a hypothesis that most of that distribution used to be done by the now-extinct Shasta ground sloth has gained popularity. Be that true or not, these days the smaller and much less extinct antelope ground squirrel does a pretty good job of caching the seeds and then forgetting where they put them. A couple percent of the total forgotten seeds might just germinate and survive.
It’s a textbook tale of symbiosis, but it gets more complicated. In 2003, Yoder’s mentor entomologist Olle Pellmyr at the University of Idaho determined that the moth pollinating the eastern trees was a distinct species from the western trees’ moth partner. The western moth had been dubbed Tegeticula synthetica a century prior; Pellmyr christened the sister species T. antithetica.
Each moth species is great at fertilizing its own type of Joshua tree, but neither does a spectacular job with the other kind. A western moth can successfully pollinate eastern trees’ flowers, but she tends to damage the flowers in the process, meaning a lower percentage of successful pollination. Meanwhile, eastern moths seem to be entirely unable to work with the western flowers. The two tribes of trees are largely reproductively isolated, which is generally considered the hallmark of being a distinct species. As a result, more and more botanists treat Joshua trees as being two species: Yucca brevifolia for the western trees and Yucca jaegeriana for the eastern.
THAT CONSENSUS MAY well change, as the two kinds of Joshua trees aren’t completely unable to crossbreed. In fact, the Tikaboo Valley does have a patch of Joshua trees where there’s clearly been some hybridization going on. But even that isn’t as simple as it sounds. The first generation of hybrids between eastern and western Joshua trees seems to be spectacularly unfit
for life in the desert. Chris Smith, a biologist at Willamette University and the founder of the Joshua Tree Genome Project, says that his teams do not find trees in that first generation. They seem to only live long enough to set seed if pollinated by a western moth with pollen from a western tree or another hybrid. “The hybrids that we can find look like they are what we would call an advanced generation hybrid,” Smith says. “It’s not the result of a brevifolia and jaegeriana making seed recently, it’s several generations down the road.”
Is that a little murky? Smith has a helpful metaphor. “An example that one of my colleagues uses in talking about this are labradoodles. The Joshua trees that we find (in the Tikaboo Valley) are not the offspring of a Labrador and a poodle. They are a labradoodle that’s been crossed to another labradoodle or a Labrador.”
This would all be interesting enough as an academic exercise in species concepts. But the stakes are higher than they might be if we were discussing different strains of petunia or apple tree. Between desert wildfires, drought, and deliberate destruction of habitat, both species of Joshua trees face an uncertain future in our warming world. Recent research indicates that the two kinds of Joshua tree may have different chances of surviving our human-caused climate crisis, with the eastern species slightly more adapted to extended drought and higher temperatures.
In another century, we might have some answers. Tikaboo Valley is at the northern end of both tree species’ range, and north is the direction in which the trees and moths will need to migrate if they are to have offspring living in the 24th century. Seeing which species thrives will be illuminating.
GROW WEST
Tikaboo Valley is home to a large diversity of plant life, in all its shapes, sizes, and blooms.
One needn’t wait for that data set, however, to learn a lot from the Tikaboo Valley. “You could fairly say that Tikaboo is a kind of a nexus of all the history of human activity in the Mojave,” says Yoder. “It’s active grazing land right now, but it’s also adjacent to Air Force and Department of Energy properties. You can be out in the middle of the desert and see nobody and hear a sonic boom, and then see a fighter jet pass lower overhead than you ever hoped to see in your life.
“But then,” he continues, “go into the mountains in the east, and you will find petroglyph sites. Tikaboo Valley has been inhabited going back well before anybody got out there to study speciation processes or use it as a bombing range. It’s not a bad slice of the Mojave, and (look) how we have treated it.”✦
WAITING FOR JUSTICE
As a murder case languishes in court, the costs — to the victims, the family of the accused, and taxpayers — add up
By Soni Brown
Joy Ike’s current routine in her upstate New York home reads like a well-crafted algorithm for self-care. As soon as she wakes up, Ike heads to the bathroom. She opens the medicine cabinet as her eyes adjust to the dim light. A precise regimen of pills falls into her palm, and she carefully touches each one to ensure the correct count before swallowing them with a few swigs of water.
Following this, Ike dedicates at least an hour to journaling, filling an average of five pages in a three-subject notebook with a black ballpoint pen — a practice that serves as both reflection and preparation for a trial to come. It’s important for her to remember the minute details of the secrets her husband told her more than a decade ago.
Ike’s life is punctuated by creative outlets doubling as therapy. She makes art that she describes as “abstract maximalist with a hint of psychedelic and manic energy.” Her motto, “Fuck around and find out,” speaks to the armor of grit she’s constructing and that she hopes will one day become real enough to help her move past the trauma she says she endured with her indicted and estranged husband of many years, Robert Dunn.
On the surface, Ike’s life may seem impeccably managed, but her intricate daily program also underscores the fragility of a hard-won stability. It’s because of years of alleged abuse by Dunn, an accused murderer who she says threatened daily to kill her if she didn’t keep secret the horrific crimes he told her he’d committed. And her vulnerability has been perpetuated by a criminal justice system that at first failed to believe her, when she took a risk and told the truth, and has yet to deliver the justice that could help finally set her free.
THE TURNING POINT came in June 2010, two years into Ike and Dunn’s marriage after a brief courtship. Ike called 911 both in a desperate bid to shed guilt and out of a sense of duty to an elderly couple that she
says she never met. Based on stories Dunn had told her, she believed he’d killed the pair.
But the 911 operator didn’t take her seriously, Ike says. She ended the call with a chilling statement, “Fine, but if I die, it’ll be on your heads.”
How authorities received Ike’s report would change six months later, in 2011, after a sexually explicit letter came to light. Dunn was facing harassment charges for offering himself as a sex slave to a neighbor of his and Ike’s. He fled their upstate New York home alone after forging his bail check and headed west, through Nevada to California. Ike hoped Dunn had vanished for good. She monitored his digital footprint, including the S&M dating site where they’d met a decade earlier.
One evening, hardened knuckles rapped on her door. Two agents dressed in suits showed her badges and told her she’d “cracked the case.” “I thought they were missionaries,” she says, with a mixture of disbelief and vindication.
In reality, they were Social Security Administration investigators. Dunn’s arrest for harassment and subsequent disappearance had set in motion an investigation into Ike’s earlier claims about Joaquin and Eleanor Sierra, an elderly couple missing since 2003.
As the investigation unfolded, mounting evidence implicated Dunn in the Sierras’ disappearance. By this time, Dunn was sitting in a California jail for other outstanding warrants. Investigators confronted him about the Sierras, alleging he’d killed them and hidden their bodies in a 5-foot-by-10-foot West Las Vegas storage unit while embezzling $200,000 in Social Security checks in their names. (Dunn’s current attorney didn’t respond to Desert Companion ’s requests for an interview.)
In 2015, prosecutors indicted Dunn in Clark County on two counts of murder, two counts of robbery, and 11 counts of theft.
This should have been the end of the story: Dunn goes to trial, Ike testifies, the jury decides, and Ike goes on with her life. Instead, the
wheels of justice have ground to a near halt. Nine years have passed since Dunn’s indictment. The Clark County District Attorney’s Office is seeking the death penalty, but the trial has yet to begin.
The prolonged wait has taken a toll on Ike, who finds herself trapped in limbo. “I feel he has manipulated the system, and this won’t ever go to trial,” she says. “I think about it constantly. I worry and check every so often just to make sure he is still in jail. There would be much more peace after this is done.”
Dunn’s case exposes a glaring issue in the local criminal justice system: Despite the Sixth Amendment’s guarantee of a speedy trial, systemic issues with capital murder trials mean many cases languish in the courts for lengthy periods. Although a judge set Dunn’s trial for October 2016, continuances pile up, and Ike waits, unable to imagine a life truly free from Dunn. Until she gets the chance to confront him and to tell a judge and jury how he forced her to keep his secret, she says, his alleged crimes will continue to shadow her.
CLARK COUNTY HAS drawn national attention, not only for its frequent pursuit of the death penalty, but also because of the broader implications this has on the justice system and the lives it affects. From 1977 to 2017, Nevada imposed 186 death sentences. Clark County, the most populous region in the state, accounted for 139 of the total, or 75 percent.
Contrary to popular belief, the death penalty is not widely practiced across the country; it’s concentrated in a small percentage of counties within a handful of states. Clark County stands out as one of these outliers, a concept explored in a 2016 report by Harvard University’s Fair Punishment Project, “Too Broken to Fix: An In-Depth Look at America’s Outlier Death Penalty Counties.” The report identified Clark County as disproportionately contributing to the state’s death penalty statistics and raised serious concerns about the quality of justice
“I think about it constantly. I worry and check every so often just to make sure he is still in jail.”
~ Joy Ike
being administered.
Notably, the report uncovered alarming rates of prosecutorial misconduct. While at least six percent of death penalty cases involved a finding of prosecutorial misconduct nationwide, the rate in Clark County is 47 percent — nearly half. This staggering statistic calls into question the legal process’s integrity in these high-stakes cases, the report’s authors argued.
Dayvid Figler, a Las Vegas area defense attorney, Desert Companion contributor, and death penalty abolition proponent, argues that the pursuit of death penalty cases is part of a broader societal struggle.
“Not all first-degree murder cases can be death-penalty eligible,” Figler says. “Clark County is unique in its approach, and there is really no rhyme or reason.”
Here, the decision to seek the death penalty is made by a single district attorney, answerable only to voters. But the focus on assigning murder cases as death penalty cases has significant implications for the entire judicial system.
For one thing, Figler says, the approach can cause system backlogs, because death penalty cases require specialized judges and, by constitutional mandate, two defense attorneys. The requirement stretches the system’s resources thin, potentially leading to delays in other cases and prolonged waiting periods for trials.
Dunn’s case is an example of this. “Clark County has only four judges handling murder trials,” Figler says. Dunn has “already shuffled among four different judges. This is partly indicative of the strain death penalty cases cause.”
Kent S. Scheidegger, whom The Atlantic called “Mr. Death Penalty” (though he notes this moniker hasn’t caught on beyond that article), stresses that COVID-19 was an unusual factor, adding that the volume of death penalty cases contributes to their length.
“When everything in the defendant’s life is potentially (a) mitigating (factor), that imposes a duty on defense counsel to investigate the
person’s entire life. That produces a lot of work for trial counsel and a lot of work for all the reviews of the case that happen from that point onward.”
And, of course, the sheer volume of death penalty cases in Clark County exacerbates these issues. “I’m aware of a few murder cases, under very rare factors, going five years or more to reach their final disposition, but nine years to get to the first trial is definitely an outlier,” Figler says.
More generally, he questions the point of seeking the death penalty at all when no one has been executed in Nevada since 2006. The only authorized method of capital punishment in the state is lethal injection. The drugs necessary have been hard to obtain, as manufacturers are increasingly unwilling to sell them because of ethical and regulatory concerns, adding another layer of complexity and delay.
Clark County District Attorney Steven Wolfson, a Democrat who took office in 2012, maintains that seeking the death penalty is reserved for the “worst of the worst” cases. However, since 2012, his office has filed 91 notices of intent to seek a death sentence.
The D.A.’s office did not respond to Desert Companion’s requests for an interview. During Wolfson’s March 2021 testimony before the Nevada Legislature, he defended his office’s practices, arguing that they differ from those of his predecessors. “I have filed far fewer death notices than other Clark County district attorneys,” he said.
Mark Bettencourt, executive director of the Nevada Coalition Against the Death Penalty, says, “Clark pursues death sentences more vigorously than nearly anywhere in the country, filing seven notices to seek the death penalty in 2023.”
The rationale the county uses to determine which cases merit capital punishment matters. As Dunn’s case demonstrates, the tension between aggressive prosecution and lack of resources can result in systemic paralysis.
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE on death row across the United States has decreased over the last two decades. According to a 2019 report by UNLV’s Center for Crime and Justice Policy, 3,625 people were awaiting execution in 1999 compared to 2,673 individuals in 2019. Nevada currently has 49 prisoners on death row. Since 1977, which marks the beginning of the contemporary era of the death penalty, 12 prisoners have been executed in Nevada.
Despite the overall decline in death penalty cases, proponents such as Scheidegger argue, there are cases where execution is “the only just penalty,” where “anything less would be a miscarriage of justice.”
Scheidegger says there are specific scenarios that warrant the death penalty: multiple murders committed on separate occasions, cases involving torture, and acts of mass violence like the Oklahoma City bombing or the Boston Marathon bombing. When applied appropriately and carried out regularly, he argues, capital punishment can have a deterrent effect and save lives. This view may help explain why some district attorneys, including Clark County’s, continue to pursue death sentences despite the national trend toward fewer executions.
Yet Scheidegger also acknowledges that the current state of the death penalty system falls short of ideal, highlighting the complex relationship between justice, deterrence, and practical implementation.
The issues present in Dunn’s case and many others have fueled efforts to reform or get rid of the death penalty in Nevada. In April 2021, the Nevada Assembly passed Assembly Bill 395 which would have abolished the state’s death penalty altogether. The bill died in the Senate.
Death penalty critics argue that prosecutors hold it over defendants’ heads to secure guilty pleas. Scheidegger disagrees with this practice. “I don’t approve of using it as a threat in a case where you
don’t actually believe that death is the appropriate sentence and intend to go for it,” he says. “I think the death penalty should only be sought if it is one of those exceptionally heinous murders or a person with an exceptionally bad record such that death is the appropriate punishment.”
A January 2021 poll of Nevada voters found that 49 percent favored replacing the death penalty with life without parole, and 46 percent would keep capital punishment.
THE PROLONGED WAIT for trial in Robert Dunn’s case doesn’t just make Joy Ike’s life difficult; it also raises a concern about the fairness of the eventual proceedings. As time stretches on, the challenges of ensuring a fair trial multiply.
Eve Hanan, who teaches criminal procedure and criminal law at UNLV, says, “A defendant who’s been charged and has not yet gone to trial is subject to a lot of prejudice.” This prejudice manifests in various forms.
An especially pressing one is the impact on potential jurors. Over a decade of media coverage and public discussion, finding impartial jurors becomes increasingly difficult. The perception of guilt can solidify in the public consciousness simply because of the length of time the accused has been held, potentially tainting the jury pool.
“A defendant who’s been charged and has not yet gone to trial is subject to a lot of prejudice.”
~ Eve Hanan
In addition, Hanan points out, “pretrial incarceration” itself can be a form of punishment before any determination of guilt has been made. An extended period of detention not only infringes on the constitutional right to a speedy trial, but also can significantly affect the defendant’s ability to participate in their own defense.
The passage of time also poses substantial challenges to the defense’s ability to present its case effectively. Hanan says physical evidence can deteriorate or disappear over time. Witnesses may move away, or their memories fade, and crucial documents might be lost or destroyed.
“This right (to a speedy trial) exists for everyone, whether they committed
the crime or not,” she says, underscoring the fundamental principle that individuals should be adjudicated before they are punished.
Add the 47 percent prosecutorial misconduct rate from the 2016 Harvard study, and you get a situation where fairness and integrity are at risk.
Robert Dunn’s prolonged pre-trial detention presents a troubling paradox, regardless of his guilt or innocence. If he did commit the alleged crimes, the extended delay may undermine the fairness of the judicial process, potentially resulting in a compromised trial that could leave him free and deny justice to his alleged victims and their families. Conversely, if Dunn is innocent, every day spent behind bars represents a grave injustice and a violation of his fundamental right to a speedy trial.
THE RUSH TO SEEK the death penalty comes with costs, both tangible and intangible. Death penalty trials can
run up to a million dollars or more, a cost largely borne by taxpayers. Many defense attorneys come from the public defender’s office, which in a city such as Las Vegas is already stretched thin.
The financial implications of imprisonment are also significant. Over nine years, Dunn’s detention has cost taxpayers approximately $303,000, not including legal and administrative expenses.
While these are big numbers, the human toll of prolonged legal battles is immeasurable. Ike’s life and that of the Sierra family have been on hold for nearly a decade waiting for justice.
The issues surrounding Dunn’s case and Clark County’s approach to capital punishment highlight the need for systemic reform, Figler says. The strain on the judicial system, the financial burden on taxpayers, and the emotional toll on victims and their families all point to the need for a reevaluation of how death penalty cases are handled.
Figler suggests that opting for a prison sentence instead of pursuing the death penalty might have expedited a resolution to Dunn’s case. This approach could potentially alleviate some of the strain on the system while still ensuring that justice is served.
The allegations against Dunn are serious — double murder and long-term fraud against vulnerable elderly victims — but the nine-year delay in bringing his case to trial may be decreasing the likelihood that any justice at all is served.
Until there’s a resolution, Ike continues her daily rituals, texting the investigator for updates, refreshing the county’s website and asking reporters “to please go to the courthouse and ensure he’s there.” She waits for a resolution that seems perpetually out of reach. And she feels once again failed by a system that wouldn’t listen when she tried to alert it to the problem in the first place. ✦
MARKETPLACE
ENTERTAINMENT • GOODS • SERVICES
Advertising Opportunities
Quality content
172,000 readers per issue
Audited printing and distribution This is advertising
MYRON'S AT THE SMITH CENTER
Broadway star Betsy Wolfe, known for her vibrant, charismatic roles in musicals including Waitress and & Juliet, will take the stage in Myron’s at The Smith Center October 24-25. Wolfe has also starred in numerous film and television roles, and has been a guest artist for over 60 symphony, pops and philharmonic orchestras around the world..
STATEMENT. MADE.
The Range Rover Evoque is minimalist and refined. The Range Rover Evoque R-Dynamic pushes the boundaries with a bolder, sportier design that adds to the vehicle’s unique appeal. Choose from two Land Rover InControl® infotainment systems: Touch™ Pro or Touch Pro Duo. Delivering a wealth of information and entertainment, Touch Pro Duo features the most intuitive and advanced integrated technologies to ensure you make the most of each journey.
702.579.0400 jlrlv.com
CITY OF HENDERSON
Make your voice heard! Early voting for the 2024 general election runs from October 19 to November 1, with Election Day on November 5. Vote at Henderson City Hall, Silver Springs Recreation Center or Heritage Park Senior Facility. Henderson City Hall also serves as a ballot drop-off point. Be sure to cast your vote or drop off your ballot at one of these convenient locations, don’t miss the chance to shape our community.
Visit cityofhenderson.com/elections for all voting locations and times.
How the Top Dentists Were Chosen
“
If you had a patient in need of a dentist, which dentist would you refer them to?
THIS IS THE question we’ve asked thousands of dentists to help us determine who the topDentists should be. Dentists and specialists are asked to take into consideration years of experience, continuing education, manner with patients, use of new techniques and technologies, and of course physical results.
The nomination pool of dentists consists of dentists listed online through the American Dental Association, as well as all dentists listed online with their local dental societies, thus allowing virtually every dentist the opportunity to participate. Dentists are also given the opportunity to nominate other dentists that they feel should be included in our list. Respondents are asked to put aside any personal bias or political motivations and to use only their knowledge of their peer’s work when evaluating the other nominees. Voters are asked to individually evaluate the practitioners on their ballot whose work they are familiar with. Once
the balloting is completed, the scores are compiled and then averaged. The numerical average required for inclusion varies depending on the average for all the nominees within the specialty and the geographic area. Borderline cases are given careful consideration by the editors. Voting characteristics and comments are taken into consideration while making decisions. Past awards a dentist has received and status in various dental academies can play a factor in our decision.
Once the decisions have been finalized, the included dentists are checked against state dental boards for disciplinary actions to make sure they have an active license and are in good standing with the board. Then letters of congratulations are sent to all the listed dentists.
Of course there are many fine dentists who are not included in this representative list. It is intended as a sampling of the great body of talent in the field of dentistry in Nevada. A dentist’s inclusion on our list is based on the subjective judgments of his or her fellow dentists. While it is true that the lists may at times disproportionately reward visibility or popularity, we remain confident that our polling methodology largely corrects for any biases and that these lists continue to represent the most reliable, accurate, and useful list of dentists available anywhere. FOR MORE INFORMATION: CALL: 706.364.0853
This list is excerpted from the 2024 topDentists™ list, which includes listings for 140 dentists and specialists in S.ern Nevada. topDentists has used its best efforts in assembling material for this list but does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions herein whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. Copyright 20112024 by topDentists, LLC, Augusta, GA. All rights reserved. This list, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission. No commercial use of the information in this list may be made without permission of topDentists. No fees may be charged, directly or indirectly, for the use of the information in this list without permission.
Christine C. Ancajas UNLV School of Dental Medicine, 1001 Shadow Lane, Las Vegas, NV, 89106, 702.774.2522, christine.ancajas@unlv.edu, unlv.edu Specialty General Dentistry
Stanley S. Askew Island Dental Center, 9750 Covington Cross Drive, Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV, 89144, 702.341.7979, islanddentalcenter@yahoo.com, islanddentalcenter.com Specialty General Dentistry
Steven A. Avena 3117 W. Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas, NV, 89102, 702.384.1210, avenadr@yahoo.com, stevenavenadds.com Specialty General Dentistry
Stacie Baalbaky Elite Family Dental, 7835 S. Rainbow Blvd., Suite 28, Las Vegas, NV, 89139, 702.898.8448, elitefamilydental@gmail.com, elitefamilydental.com Specialty General Dentistry
Will Baalbaky Elite Family Dental, 7835 S. Rainbow Blvd., Suite 28, Las Vegas, NV, 89139, 702.898.8448, elitefamilydental@gmail. com, elitefamilydental.com Specialty General Dentistry
Todd J. Baggaley Dr. B’s Dentistry for Children, 5705 Centennial Center Blvd., Suite 140, Las Vegas, NV, 89149, 702.998.7100, contact@ surfingsmiles.com, centennialhillspediatricdentist.com Specialty Pediatric Dentistry
Peter S. Balle
Vegas Choice Dental, 2801 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV, 89102, 702.710.9252, balledds@aol.com, vegaschoicedental.com Specialty General Dentistry
Benjamin J. Barborka Las Vegas Endodontics, 6655 W. Sahara Ave., Suite A-106, Las Vegas, NV, 89146, 702.876.5800, lvendo3@gmail.com, lvendo.com Specialty Endodontics
W. Scott Biggs Micro Endodontics of Las Vegas, 7120 Smoke Ranch Road, Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV, 89128, 702.463.5000, wsbiggs@hotmail.com, lasvegasendo.com Specialty Endodontics
Laurie S. Bloch-Johnson Exceptional Dentistry, 1140 N. Town Center Drive, Suite 170, Las Vegas, NV, 89144, 702.463.8600, lauriedmd@gmail.com, drlauriesmiles.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Derryl R. Brian Nevada Trails Dental, 7575 S. Rainbow Blvd., Suite 101, Las Vegas, NV, 89139, 702.367.3700, ntdalisha@gmail.com, nevadatrailsdental.com
Specialty General Dentistry
William D. Brizzee Las Vegas Endodontics, 6655 W. Sahara Ave., Suite A-106, Las Vegas, NV, 89146, 702.876.5800, lvendo10@gmail.com, lvendo.com
Specialty Endodontics
Bryan Q. Bui
Cavitybusters, 5980 S. Jones Blvd., Las Vegas, NV, 89118, 702.362.5437, cavitybusters@ aol.com, cavitybusters.org
Specialty Pediatric Dentistry
Ryan S. Bybee
The Kid’s Dentist, 375 N. Stephanie St., Suite 211, Henderson, NV, 89014, 702.454.1008, bybeedds@gmail.com, kidsdentistofhenderson.com
Specialty Pediatric Dentistry
Pamela G. Caggiano
Excellence In Dentistry, 321 N. Pecos Road, Suite 100, Henderson, NV, 89074, 702.732.7878, info@ pamelacaggianodds.com, pamelacaggianodds.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Colin M. Campbell
St. Rose Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, 780 Coronado Center Drive, Suite 110, Henderson, NV, 89052, 702.387.5900, info@strosedental.com, strosedental.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Sandra Chan
Moore Family Dentistry, 10624 S. E.ern Avenue, Suite N, Henderson, NV, 89052, 702.407.6700, sgchandds@gmail.com, lvsmiles.com
Greater Las Vegas Dental, 8867 W. Flamingo Road, Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV, 89147, 702.880.5858, greaterlasvegasdental@ gmail.com, greaterlasvegasdental.com Specialty Prosthodontics
Victoria Chen
Significance Orthodontics, 6018 S. Fort Apache Road, Las Vegas, NV, 89148, 702.213.9247, info@significanceorthodontics.com, significanceorthodontics.com Specialty Orthodontics
David A. Chenin Chenin Orthodontic Group, 10730 S. E.ern Avenue, Suite 100, Henderson, NV, 89052, 702.735.1010, info@cheniN.o.com, cheniN.o.com
Specialty Orthodontics
Guy L. Chisteckoff
Island Smiles Cosmetic & Family Dentistry, 8940 S. Maryland Parkway, Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV, 89123, 702.270.6501, chisteckoff@ gmail.com, islandsmiles.org Specialty General Dentistry
April J. Cole
Absolute Dental, 3040 W. Ann Road, Suite 101, North Las Vegas, NV, 89031, 702.825.0926, absolutedental.com Specialty Orthodontics
1425 E. Meranto Avenue, Las Vegas, NV, 89123, 702.824.7660, kencox7@gmail.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Matthew O. Cox
660 S. Green Valley Parkway, Suite 120, Henderson, NV, 89052, 702.492.6688, mcoxendo@gmail.com, coxendo.com
Specialty Endodontics
Chris S. Cozine
8579 S. E.ern Avenue, Suite A, Las Vegas, NV, 89123, 702.739.8289, vancozyn@yahoo.com, cozinedental.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Chase Crowley
Endodontics of Las Vegas, 9750 Covington Cross Drive, Suite 150, Las Vegas, NV, 89144, 702.878.8584, endodonticsoflasvegas.com
Specialty Endodontics
Michel Daccache
1701 W. Charleston Blvd, Suite 520, Las Vegas, NV, 89102, 702.750.9444, info@nevadaoms.com, nevadaoms.com
Specialty Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Edilberto De Andrade
Anthem Periodontics and Dental Implants, 2610 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway, Suite 202, Henderson, NV, 89052, 702.270.4600, info@anthemperio.com, anthemperio.com
Specialty Periodontics
Mark I. Degen
Red Rock Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Centre, 4730 S. Fort Apache Road, Suite 390, Las Vegas, NV, 89147, 702.253.9090, info@ redrockoralsurgery.com, redrockomsc.com
Specialty Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Jay Denton
Centennial Hills Dental Care, 7425 W. Azure Drive, Suite 110, Las Vegas, NV, 89130, 702.878.4397, smile@chdentist.com, chdentist.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Jason L. Downey
8876 Spanish Ridge Avenue, Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV, 89148, 702.871.4903, drdowney@smileslasvegas. com, smileslasvegas.com
Specialty General Dentistry
John Q. Duong
Lakeview Dental, 2291 S. Fort Apache Road, Suite 104, Las Vegas, NV, 89117, 702.869.0001, lakeviewdental104@gmail.com, lakeviewdentallv.com Specialty Endodontics
Mark D. Edington
Modern Dental Care, 9895 S. Maryland Parkway, Suite A, Las Vegas, NV, 89183, 702.372.4069, mark_d_edington@hotmail.com, moderndentallv.com
Ence Orthodontics, 8490 S. E.ern Avenue, Suite A, Las Vegas, NV, 89123, 702.260.8241, Braces@VegasCoolSmiles. com, vegascoolsmiles.com Specialty Orthodontics
Jesse J. Falk
Canyon Oral & Facial Surgery, 6200 N. Durango, Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV, 89149, 702.867.2763, info@canyonofs.com, canyonofs.com
Specialty Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Jedediah M. Feller
Feller Orthodontics, 2871 N. Tenaya Way, Las Vegas, NV, 89128, 702.341.8668, fellerorthorocks@gmail.com, fellerorthodontics.com
Specialty Orthodontics
David C. Fife Fife & Steffen Endodontics, 1975 Village Center Circle, Suite 110, Las Vegas, NV, 89134, 702.360.2122, office@drdavidfife.com, drdavidfife.com
Specialty Endodontics
Barton H. Foutz Foutz Family Dentistry, 2510 Wigwam Parkway, Suite 100, Henderson, NV, 89074, 702.792.5929, bartfoutz@gmail.com, foutzdental.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Jon P. Galea Pediatric Dental Care Associates, 8981 W. Sahara Avenue, Suite 110, Las Vegas, NV, 89117, 702.254.4220, lantunapdca@ yahoo.com, pediatricdentalcareassociates.com Specialty Pediatric Dentistry
John T. Gallob UNLV School of Dental Medicine, 1707 W. Charleston Blvd., Building D, Las Vegas, NV, 89102, 702.671.5175, john. gallob@unlv.edu, unlv.edu/ dental Specialty General Dentistry
Michael C. Gardner
Leaver & Gardner Orthodontics, 6005 S. Fort Apache Road, Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV, 89148, 702.602.9066, lgortho@me.com, leavergardner.com Specialty Orthodontics
Adam Gatan Seven Hills Endodontics & Microsurgery Center, 2810 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway, Suite 200, Henderson, NV, 89052, 702.384.0053, sevenhillsendodontics@gmail. com, lvrootcanal.com Specialty Endodontics
Amy A. Gearin
Gearin Dentistry, 1975 Village Center Circle, Suite 160, Las Vegas, NV, 89134, 702.367.4040, info@dramygearin.com, dramygearin.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Heeyup Ghim
Black Mountain Dental, 1475 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway, Suite 100, Henderson, NV, 89012, 702.564.4498, info@blackmountaindental. com, blackmountaindental.com Specialty General Dentistry
Ryan Gibson Gibson and Leavitt Oral & Maxillofacial & Implant Surgery, 670 S. Green Valley Parkway, Suite 115, Henderson, NV, 89052, 702.685.3700, info@doctorsoms.com, ryangibsonoralsurgery.com
Specialty Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Ryan S. Gifford
Periodontics Unlimited, 3811 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 201, Las Vegas, NV, 89102, 702.259.1943, periodonticslimited@gmail.com, lvperio.com
Specialty Periodontics
Irwan T. Goh
Smiles by Goh, 2653 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway, Suite 110, Henderson, NV, 89052, 702.732.3754, gohdds@gmail.com, smilesbygoh.com
Specialty General Dentistry
John C. Griffiths
Las Vegas Braces, 8710 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 150, Las Vegas, NV, 89117, 702.256.7846, jcgortho@aol.com, lasvegasbraces.com
Specialty Orthodontics
Nadim Guirguis
Mountain View Orthodontics, 1811 S. Rainbow Blvd., Suite 109, Las Vegas, NV, 89146, 702.785.0500, mvortholv@gmail.com, mountainvieworthodonticslasvegas.com Specialty Orthodontics
R. Cree Hamilton
Hamilton & Manuele Orthodontics, 401 N. Buffalo Drive, Suite 220, Las Vegas, NV, 89145, 702.243.3300, drcree@hmortho.com, hamiltoN.o.com Specialty Orthodontics
Blaine R. Hansen
Hansen Orthodontics, 3600 N. Buffalo Drive, Suite 110, Las Vegas, NV, 89129, 702.568.1600, blakatlex@hotmail.com, hanseN.o.com Specialty Orthodontics
Chad R. Hansen
Desert Ridge Endodontics, 4450 N. Tenaya Way, Suite 240, Las Vegas, NV, 89129, 702.536.3636 Specialty Endodontics
Steven L. Hardy
Paradise Family Dental, 6825 Aliante Parkway, North Las Vegas, NV, 89084, 702.294.2739, pfdhardydds@ cox.net, drstevehardy.com Specialty General Dentistry
George Harouni 731 Mall Ring Circle, Suite 201, Henderson, NV, 89014, 702.434.9464, harounig@aol.com, georgeharounidds.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Gregory M. Heideman
6950 W. Smoke Ranch Road, Suite 150, Las Vegas, NV, 89128, 702.304.1902, heideman@lhdentalcare.com, lhdentalcare.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Gregg C. Hendrickson
Comprehensive Dental Care, 2790 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway, Suite 100, Henderson, NV, 89052, 702.735.3284, drgregg@NVDentists.com, nvdentists.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Ashley E. Hoban
Summerlin Pediatric Dentistry, 635 N. Town Center Drive, Suite 606, Las Vegas, NV, 89144, 702.838.9013, drhoban@summerlinpediatricdentist.com, summerlinpediatricdentistry.com
Specialty Pediatric Dentistry
Allen W. Huang
Significance Dental Specialists, 2430 E. Harmon Avenue, Suite 6, Las Vegas, NV, 89121, 702.733.0558, AllenH@sdsdental.com, sdsdental.com
Specialty Periodontics
Steve J. Huang
Henderson Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center, 1701 N. Green Valley Parkway, Suite 2-E, Henderson, NV, 89074, 702.270.2999, hendersonoralsurgery@gmail.com, oralsurgeryhenderson.com Specialty
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Gregory J. Hunter
Nevada Oral & Facial Surgery, 6950 Smoke Ranch Road, Suite 200, Las Vegas, NV, 89128, 702.329.7554, info@ NOFSLV.com, nevadaoralandfacialsurgery.com
Specialty Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Emily R. Ishkanian
Flores Family Dental, 6536 N. Decatur Blvd., Suite 120, Las Vegas, NV, 89131, 702.242.3373, emily.Ishkanian@yahoo.com, floresfamilydental.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Jaren T. Jensen
Smile Reef, 9500 W Flamingo Road, Suite 200, Las Vegas, NV, 89147, 702.570.7333, jtjdds@gmail.com, smilereef.com
Specialty Pediatric Dentistry
Brendan G. Johnson
Nevada Oral & Facial Surgery, 6950 Smoke Ranch Road, Suite 200, Las Vegas, NV, 89128, 702.329.7554, nevadaoralandfacial.help@ gmail.com, nevadaoralandfacialsurgery.com
Specialty Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Brian R. Karn Encore Dentistry, 9406 W. Lake Mead Blvd., Suite 105, Las Vegas, NV, 89134, 702.331.9966, drkarn@drkarn.com, drkarn.com
Katherine A. Keeley 2649 Wigwam Parkway, Suite 102, Henderson, NV, 89074, 702.263.9339, kakeeleyomfs@yahoo.com, drkeeley.net
Specialty Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Matthew M. Kikuchi Kikuchi Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center, 5765 S. Fort Apache Road, Suite 110, Las Vegas, NV, 89148, 702.876.6337, drk@kikuchioralsurgery.com, omssnv.com
Specialty
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Lance Jungmin Kim
6900 N. Pecos Road, Suite 2A130, North Las Vegas, NV, 89086, 702.791.9019
Specialty General Dentistry
James G. Kinard
2780 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway, Suite 20, Henderson, NV, 89052, 702.719.4700, jgkinard@aol.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Scott E. Leaver
Leaver & Gardner Orthodontics, 6005 S. Fort Apache, Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV, 89148, 702.878.0764, lgortho@me.com, leavergardner.com Specialty Orthodontics
Bryce Leavitt
Gibson and Leavitt Oral & Maxillofacial & Implant Surgery, 670 S. Green Valley Parkway, Suite 115, Henderson, NV, 89052, 702.685.3700, info@doctorsoms.com, doctorsoms.com Specialty
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Curry H. Leavitt
Red Rock Periodontics & Implantology, 7475 W. Sahara Avenue, Suite 101, Las Vegas, NV, 89117, 702.834.8900, info@redrockperio.com, redrockperio.com
Specialty Periodontics
William P. Leavitt
UNLV School of Dental Medicine, 1001 Shadow Lane, Las Vegas, NV, 89106, 702.774.2641, william.leavitt@ unlv.edu, dentalschool.unlv.edu Specialty General Dentistry
Ton V. Lee
Summerlin Smiles, 9525 W. Russell Road, Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV, 89148, 702.579.7645, remy1998@aol.com, summerlinsmiles.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Carlos H. Letelier
The Center for Oral Surgery of Las Vegas, 10115 W. Twain Avenue, Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV, 89147, 702.367.6666, carlos@letelieroms.com, lasvegasoms.com
Specialty Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Robin D. Lobato
9061 W. Sahara Avenue, Suite 101, Las Vegas, NV, 89117, 702.877.0500, drlobato@ drlobato.com, drlobato.com Specialty General Dentistry
Nicholas E. Lords
Rainbow Park Dental, 2950 S. Rainbow Blvd., Suite 200, Las Vegas, NV, 89146, 702.227.6510, nlordsdds@yahoo.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Spencer Luth Luth & Heideman Dental Care, 6950 W. Smoke Ranch Road, Suite 150, Las Vegas, NV, 89128, 702.304.1902, luth@lhdentalcare.com, lhdentalcare.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Kent A. Lysgaard
Lysgaard Dental, 2911 N. Tenaya Way, Suite 101, Las Vegas, NV, 89128, 702.360.9061, contact@drlysgaard.com, drlysgaard.com Specialty General Dentistry
James K. Mah University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Dental Medicine, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV, 89154, 702.774.2535, james. mah@unlv.edu, unlv.edu/ people/james-mah Specialty Orthodontics
David L. Mahon Siena Dental, 10075 S. E.ern Avenue, Suite 107, Henderson, NV, 89052, 702.567.0000, sienadentallv@gmail.com, sienadental.com Specialty General Dentistry
Brian Mantor Periodontics Unlimited, 3811 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 201, Las Vegas, NV, 89102, 702.500.1742, lvperio.com Specialty Periodontics
Jeremy S. Manuele
Hamilton & Manuele Orthodontics, 401 N. Buffalo Drive, Suite 220, Las Vegas, NV, 89145, 702.243.3300, drj@hmortho.com, hamiltoN.o.com Specialty Orthodontics
Ronald R. Marshall 6891 W. Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas, NV, 89117, 702.255.6768, rmarshalldds@ gmail.com, rrmdds.com Specialty General Dentistry
Todd S. Milne Children’s Dental Center, 2085 Village Center Circle, Suite 120, Las Vegas, NV, 89134, 702.240.5437, info@cdclv.com, cdclv.com Specialty Pediatric Dentistry
D. Kevin Moore Moore Family Dentistry, 10624 S. E.ern Avenue, Suite N, Henderson, NV, 89052, 702.407.6700, mfd3llc@gmail.com, lvsmiles.com Specialty General Dentistry
Miguel Morales
Oasis Endodontic Specialists, 10960 S. E. Avenue, Henderson, NV, 89052, 702.485.5455, office@oasisendo.com, oasisendo.com Specialty Endodontics
E. Orlando Morantes
3412 N. Buffalo Drive, Las Vegas, NV, 89129, 702.794.0820, omorantes@cox.net, morantesdds.com Specialty General Dentistry
Jason T. Morris
Shipp Endodontics, 9053 S. Pecos Road, Suite 3000, Henderson, NV, 89074, 702.798.0911, shalevdds@yahoo.com, shippendodontics.com
Specialty Endodontics
Michael Most Most Dental, 6392 Spring Mountain Road, Las Vegas, NV, 89146, 702.871.0304, mmost15@gmail.com, mostdental.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Jeff E. Moxley
Moxley Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, 3663 E. Sunset Road, Suite 403, Las Vegas, NV, 89120, 702.898.8350, moxleycrew@yahoo.com, drjeffmoxley.com
Specialty Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Johnny E. Nassar
Smile Design Center, 10120 S. E.ern Avenue, Suite 375, Henderson, NV, 89052, 702.361.9611, jndds@hotmail.com, smiledesigncenterlv.com Specialty General Dentistry
Amanda J. Okundaye 9500 W. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV, 89147, 310.486.6656, ddsanesthesia@gmail.com, anesthesiabydramanda.com Specialty Dental Anesthesiology
Marco T. Padilla Clear Choice Las Vegas, 6460 Medical Center St., Suite 300, Las Vegas, NV, 89148, 702.430.2372, mtupa2@aol.com, clearchoice. com/locations/dental-implants-las-vegas/ Specialty Prosthodontics
Jorge Paez
Nevada Dental Esthetics, 5864 S. Durango Drive, Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV, 89113, 702.744.8007, jpaezdds@ gmail.com, lasvegas-cosmetic-dentistry.com Specialty General Dentistry
Sam Partovi
Desert Smiles Dental, 10175 W. Twain Avenue, Suite 120, Las Vegas, NV, 89147, 702.202.2300, desertsmiles@yahoo.com, desertsmilesdental.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Marielaina Perrone
2551 N. Green Valley Parkway, Suite A-405, Henderson, NV, 89014, 702.458.2929, drperrone@cox.net, drperrone.com
Specialty General Dentistry
James B. Polley
1875 Village Center Circle, Suite 110, Las Vegas, NV, 89134, 702.873.0324, polleydds@gmail.com, drpolley.com
Specialty General Dentistry
John M. Quinn
Smiles for Life Family Dentistry, 8930 W. Sunset Road, Suite 190, Las Vegas, NV, 89148, 702.795.2273, kelleysmilesforlife@gmail. com, lvsmilesforlife.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Richard A. Racanelli
Stunning Smiles of Las Vegas, 6410 Medical Center St., Suite B, Las Vegas, NV, 89148, 702.736.0016, drracanelli@ lvstunningsmiles.com, lvstunningsmiles.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Steven L. Rhodes
501 S. Rancho Drive, Suite E-29, Las Vegas, NV, 89106, 702.384.4896, rhodesdds@cox.net, srhodesdds.com
Specialty Prosthodontics
Gary D. Richardson
Adventure Smiles, 8995 W. Flamingo Road, Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV, 89147, 702.838.5437, rofarabia@hotmail.com, adventuresmiles.com
Specialty Pediatric Dentistry
James K. Rogers
Canyon Ridge Periodontics, 3575 S. Town Center Drive, Suite 110, Las Vegas, NV, 89135, 702.966.0300, drjrogersperio@gmail.com, canyonridgeperio.com
Specialty Periodontics
Craig R. Rose
Rose Family Dentistry, 8490 S. E.ern Avenue, Suite C, Las Vegas, NV, 89123, 702.914.0000, cstrose@aol. com, rosefamilydentistry.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Lee Roundy UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV, 89154, 702.774.2664, lee.roundy@ unlv.edu, unlv.edu/people/drlee-roundy Specialty Pediatric Dentistry
Douglas D. Sandquist Sandquist Dentistry, 2650 Lake Sahara Drive, Suite 160, Las Vegas, NV, 89117, 702.734.0776, doug@sandquistdds.com, sandquistdds.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Tammy Sarles
8650 Spring Mountain Road, Suite 101, Las Vegas, NV, 89117, 702.869.0032, office@ mydesertbreezedental.com, mydesertbreezedental.com Specialty General Dentistry
Alana Saxe
Saxe Orthodontics, 3555 S. Town Center Drive, Suite 104, Las Vegas, NV, 89135, 702.541.7070, drsaxe@ saxeortho.com, saxeortho. com
Specialty Orthodontics
Joshua L. Saxe
A Childrens Dentist, 8710 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV, 89117, 702.255.0133
Specialty Pediatric Dentistry
Michael D. Saxe
A Childrens Dentist, 8710 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV, 89117, 702.255.0133, achildrensdentist.com
Specialty Pediatric Dentistry
Steven A. Saxe
Advance Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, 1570 S. Rainbow Blvd., Las Vegas, NV, 89146, 702.258.0085, nvjawdoc@aol.com, nvjawdoc.com
Specialty Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Nathan D. Schwartz
Henderson Family Dentistry, 537 S. Boulder Highway, Henderson, NV, 89015, 702.564.2526, hendersonfamilydental@gmail.com, hendersonfamilydental.com
Shipp Endodontics, 9053 S. Pecos Road, Suite 3000, Henderson, NV, 89074, 702.798.0911, drshippendo@gmail.com, shippendodontics.com
Specialty Endodontics
Douglas K. Simister
Las Vegas Braces, 8710 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 150, Las Vegas, NV, 89117, 702.256.7846, drdougsimister@gmail.com, lasvegasbraces.com Specialty Orthodontics
Patrick A. Simone 70 N. Pecos Road, Suite A, Henderson, NV, 89074, 702.735.2755, dr@drsimone.lvcoxmail.com, patricksimonedds.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Luke Simonis
Centennial Hills Dental Care, 7425 W. Azure Drive, Suite 110, Las Vegas, NV, 89130, 702.878.4397, smile@chdentist.com, centennialhillsdentist.com Specialty General Dentistry
Dave L. Smith
5320 W. Sahara Avenue, Suite 4, Las Vegas, NV, 89146, 702.871.1808, smithortho@hotmail.com, davesmithorthodontics.com Specialty Orthodontics
Susan S. Smith
Sweet Smiles, 8275 S. E.ern Avenue, Suite 101, Las Vegas, NV, 89123, 702.967.1700, susanschmutzsmith@gmail. com, sweetsmilesdentist.com Specialty General Dentistry
Zachary Soard
Dentistry for Families, 1306 W. Craig Road, Suite H, North Las Vegas, NV, 89032, 702.633.4333, drzac@dentistryforfamilies. com, dentistryforfamilies.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Stephen W. Spelman
Willow Springs Dental, 3450 S. Hualapai Way, Las Vegas, NV, 89117, 702.871.6044, sspelvett@hotmail.com, stephenspelmandds.com Specialty General Dentistry
Joshua Steffen Fife & Steffen Endodontics, 1975 Village Center Circle, Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV, 89134, 702.360.2122, drdavidfife@yahoo.com, fsendo.com Specialty Endodontics
Bradley S. Strong 2931 N. Tenaya Way, Suite 200, Las Vegas, NV, 89128, 702.242.3800, bssdds@mac.com, bstrongdds.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Eric D. Swanson Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates of Nevada, 1775 Village Center Circle, Suite 150, Las Vegas, NV, 89134, 702.507.5555, glyman@glymanswanson. com, facialsurgery.org
Specialty Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Dane T. Swenson Periodontics Limited, 3811 W. Charleston, Suite 201, Las Vegas, NV, 89102, 702.259.1943, whitney.lvperio@gmail.com, lvperio.com
Specialty Periodontics
Robert H. Thalgott Chenin and Thalgott Orthodontics, 1945 Village Center Circle, Suite 110, Las Vegas, NV, 89134, 702.364.5100, thalgott@thalgott.com, thalgott.com
Specialty Orthodontics
Michael J. Tomita Island Dental Center, 9750 Covington Cross Drive, Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV, 89144, 702.341.7979, Islanddentalcenter@yahoo. com, islanddentalcenter.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Karen T. Tran Lakeview Dental, 2291 S. Fort Apache Road, Suite 104, Las Vegas, NV, 89117, 702.869.0001, lakeviewdental104@gmail.com, lakeviewdentallv.com
Specialty General Dentistry
Mark Truman Truman Orthodontics, 10000 W. Sahara, Suite 110, Las Vegas, NV, 89117, 702.360.9000, Info@TrumaN. odontics.com, trumaN.odontics.com
Specialty Orthodontics
Zachary B. Truman Truman Orthodontics, 10855 S. E.ern Avenue, Henderson, NV, 89052, 702.221.2272, passion@ trumanbraces.com, trumaN.o.com
Specialty Orthodontics
David J. Trylovich Periodontics Unlimited, 851 S. Rampart Blvd., Suite 240, Las Vegas, NV, 89145, 702.508.6714, djtrylovich@gmail.com, lvperio.com Specialty Periodontics
Michael Paul Webberson UNLV School of Dental Medicine, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV, 89154, 702.774.2644, michael.webberson@unlv.edu, unlv.edu
Specialty General Dentistry
Richard Webster Webster Orthodontics, 7603 Grand Teton Drive, Suite 110, Las Vegas, NV, 89131, 702.819.9921, info@webster-ortho.com, webster-ortho.com
Specialty Orthodontics
Johnathan White Aesthetic Dentistry, 8084 W. Sahara Avenue, Suite G, Las Vegas, NV, 89117, 702.823.3000, info@jbwhitedds.com, jbwhitedds.com Specialty General Dentistry
Joseph A. Wineman Wineman Dental, 1701 N. Green Valley Parkway, Suite 4D, Henderson, NV, 89074, 702.270.4800, drwineman@gmail.com, winemandental.com Specialty General Dentistry
Tracy D. Wyatt Hansen Orthodontics, 3600 N. Buffalo Drive, Suite 110, Las Vegas, NV, 89129, 702.323.5080, info@hanseN.o.com, hanseN.o.com
Specialty Orthodontics
Behnam Yaghmai A Great Smile Dental, 3412 N. Buffalo Drive, Las Vegas, NV, 89129, 702.804.5154, great_smile_dental@yahoo. com, agreatsmiledental.com Specialty General Dentistry
DR. ALICE CHEN
Dr. Alice Chen joined Roseman’s College of Dental Medicine in 2022. With a warm smile, kind face and gentle way, it is obvious that she has a gift for connecting with children. Born to parents who guided her toward a professional ethos, “be helpful and take care of others,” Dr. Chen has followed this guidance many times over.
After a decade in private practice, in 2021, Dr. Chen decided to focus more time on the practice of pediatric dentistry and part with the administrative and business tasks associated with running a practice. The opportunity at Roseman Dental & Orthodontics was a perfect fit. “Joining Roseman allowed me to focus more on doing what I love most—treating children. I couldn’t be happier about the opportunity to focus on children while training dentists to be caring and competent providers.” In her role in an academic dental practice, Dr. Chen has the chance to shape and inspire dentists in training through Roseman’s AEGD residency program.
Dr. Chen practices at Roseman Dental & Orthodontics in Henderson and at Roseman Dental –Summerlin, Roseman’s pediatric dental clinic focused on treating medically compromised children in need of specialized dental care. Dr. Chen works alongside Dr. Matthew Thacker, Assistant Dean for Patient Care and Clinical Education, to treat patients of Roseman’s partner organization, Cure 4 The Kids (C4K). C4K treats children with cancers, blood diseases, and other life-threatening diseases. These children often put their dental needs aside, in need of a dental home that can deliver what is often specialized care.
Dr. Chen is a diplomat of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Chen is an advocate for HPV prevention, serving on the American Cancer’s Society’s National HPV Vaccination Roundtable’s dental task group charged with updating ACA dental action guidelines. She lectures on behalf of the Nevada Cancer Coalition, the AAPD, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, and Roseman’s Neighborhood Health Series. She is a CCSD volunteer dentist, an evaluator for the NV State Board of Dental Examiners, serves as Board Secretary for the NV Association of Pediatric Dentistry, and is Board Treasurer for the National Charity League.
Dr. Chen received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from UCLA with an emphasis on developmental psychology, graduated cum laude from Boston University, and pursued her specialty degree in pediatric dentistry at Temple University Hospital. She is married to Dr. Matthew Raddue.
Caring for Families. Caring for Adults and Children. Caring for All
Roseman Dental & Orthodontics offers high-quality, compassionate, reduced-cost care to children, adults, and families in a state-of-the-art clinic. Our treatment prices are up to 50% less than standard dental and orthodontic prices.
From regular check-ups to root canals, Invisalign®, braces, and cosmetic dentistry, our mission is to make high-quality, innovative care more affordable and accessible to all.
DENTAL SERVICES:
Examinations Imaging Wisdom Teeth
Periodontal Procedures Same-day Crowns
Dental Implants Veneers Botox TMJ
Standard and Specialized Pediatric Care
ORTHODONTIC SERVICES:
Traditional Braces Clear Ceramic Braces
Invisalign® Brava (Lingual Braces)
Infant Cleft Palate FOR
PROFILES Christopher Alvarez, Heidi Kyser, Maicyn Udani, Joe Schoenmann
PHOTOGRAPHY Ronda Churchill
NICOLE YUMIACO
Her passion doesn’t keep her from enjoying the journey, wherever it may lead
almost shy on the surface. But waiting beneath that exterior lives a vigorous artist, ready to be unleashed on the dance floor. Yumiaco is an energetic dancer, meticulous with her movement, and she pours her heart into every routine. She doesn’t just dance to the music, she controls it.
Most dancers her age can only dream of doing someday what Yumiaco has already accomplished. At 17 years old, she’s taken the stage at huge events for USA Basketball, NBA Summer League, and even the Las Vegas Aces. She says she loves sharing her art with others, whether it’s performing for a crowd of 20,000 or choreographing an eight count to teach at her next dance class.
“I never expected my passion for dance to grow this big,” she says.
Yumiaco was only three when her mom, Raquel Yumiaco, enrolled her at Prodigy Training Center in Las Vegas. They were at a family member’s wedding when Raquel first noticed Nicole’s gift.
“Immediately, she was on the dance floor,” Raquel says. “Not shy, not anything — already dancing. That’s when people started to tell us, ‘You need to sign her up for something.’ So, we did.”
Off the dance floor, Nicole Yumiaco is committed to broadening her knowledge of the field. Within Vegas’ tightknit and diverse dance community,
she’s been able to gain exposure to other talented dancers and choreographers. Although she originally thought she’d only feel comfortable dancing hiphop, she’s also learned more technical genres, such as modern and contemporary.
Yumiaco believes having a passion for dance means cultivating a relationship with it. Although she fell in love with the art form at a young age, she soon found it to be quite the emotional roller coaster.
“You’re not always going to love dance,” she says. “But in order to pursue it, you really have to love it.”
Despite the ups and down, Yumiaco says, dance is a conduit for escape, her stress reliever. Still, she hasn’t yet decided if it’s her one true path — she’ll keep going and see where it leads. Given the “high” she gets from the journey, she says, it’s important to come down at times and remember she’s still a kid. And just like every other kid, Yumiaco has to go to school. As a senior at the Las Vegas Academy, she is focused on academics, hoping to get into a Top 25 college. Wherever she ends up, she knows one thing: She’s ready to make a name for herself. — Maicyn Udani
NICOLE YUMIACO MAY seem quiet —
ç POP AND LOCK IN
For lifelong dancer Nicole Yumiaco, performing and teaching her art has proven to be her life’s raison d’être.
JADEN DICKSON FILMMAKER
This budding Hollywoodian knows there’s more to the business than fun and games … but she’s still having fun
FAMOUS FOR THEIR glitz and grandeur, Vegas casinos have served as backdrops for dozens of movies and TV shows, from Diamonds Are Forever to CSI: Vegas.
CSI’s creator, by the way, is Anthony Zuiker, who graduated from UNLV — just like Jaden Dickson.
After getting her bachelor’s degree in film this spring, the 22-year-old began an eight-week internship with the Television Academy Foundation in California. It was her third try. Out of 40 interns, she was one of 10 selected for the Bob Bennett Future Leaders program, which gave her an extra stipend and greater access to industry professionals.
Dickson’s UNLV film professor, Andi Isaacs, understands why her former student was chosen. She says Dickson “gets it.”
“She’s very creative, ambitious, and a really an out-of-the-box thinker. She’s very professional,” Isaacs said. “We hear of the bad in the industry, but I think the professionalism that’s needed gets dismissed. I have no doubt (Jaden) will do very well.”
Talking to Dickson on the phone during her time in L.A., I hear both a real-world pragmatism and a joy for what she’s doing.
“Of course, the creative aspects are
so fun and it’s so important to carry that with you,” Dickson says. “But at the end of the day it’s a business. It’s a huge industry, and the basis of it is making money. I really wanted to understand those aspects, so I could go into it with a strong foundation of understanding it as business.”
Dickson went into UNLV as a biology major, then switched to film because she couldn’t see herself as a biologist. She said her parents — her dad works in small business development, and her mom is in the transportation industry — fully supported her.
“I did my research,” she says. “They were confident in me and have a belief in me.”
Despite her early successes, Dickson has to pinch herself to remember she’s not dreaming. “The first time I got paid to be on a set was so exciting, because it’s this realization that this stuff is so cool and so exciting, and I’m excited to be there.”
And if Las Vegas’ film and TV industry does develop, as some in the industry hope, she says she’ll be even more excited to come back and pursue her career in her hometown.
“I would love to see the industry that I want to work in and that I want to be a part of come to the city that I love,” she says. — Joe Schoenmann
é LIGHTS, CAMERA, EDUCATION! A competitive Hollywood film internship might just be Jaden Dickson’s launchpad to success.
CHRISTIAN SHELTON SINGER
His stunning range and versatility have garnered a massive following. But he’s still humble and grateful
WHEN CHRISTIAN SHELTON sings, you don’t just hear his voice, you feel it. A heartbreak on a sullen morning, a mother’s warm embrace, a raging storm; he takes you through it all.
Born in Las Vegas, Shelton found his love for singing, and honed his proficiency in the art form, at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts.
“I used to be so nervous to sing in front of people,” he says, “but the excitement of getting through that, and the rush you’d get after a performance — that’s really what made me want to keep singing.”
In 2018, a high school choir teacher recommended Shelton pursue music at UNLV and take opera lessons with Alfonse Anderson, a professor of voice. Shelton enrolled as a vocal performance major in 2019 and, since then, has become a multifaceted singer, capable of singing both contemporary and opera music.
“His natural vocal talent is really fantastic,” Anderson says. “It’s very much a part of him, and not something he had to contrive to make. To watch him develop, his voice at 23 — it’s quite profound.”
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Shelton started cultivating his now-considerable social media following. He currently has more than 800,000 followers on TikTok, 50,000 followers on Instagram, and close to 1 million all-time views on his YouTube channel. In short-form videos, Shelton performs a plethora of songs — from Ariana Grande’s whistle-tone soprano to Richard Strauss’s German opera.
è VOCAL SUPPORTER
From social media success to Super Bowl commercial fame, singer Christian Shelton’s voice and message have only grown more powerful.
It was Shelton’s social media popularity that caught the eye of an ad agency seeking a singer for a 2021 Super Bowl commercial for the hiring platform Indeed. In the commercial, Shelton sings a rendition of Andra Day’s “Rise Up.” For an estimated audience of 90 million, his falsetto peaks and soulful runs brought to life the motivational anthem about moving mountains and persevering when the world seems to be against you.
“The song is really special to me,” Shelton says. “At the time of that commercial, it was early 2021, and in 2020 we had the Black Lives Matter movement, and that was really an anthem for so many people during that time.”
Shelton is currently back at UNLV and plans to pursue his master’s degree in vocal performance after getting his bachelor’s earlier this spring.
As for what the next 10 years might look like, he says, “I see myself singing, as a recording artist and a live performer in all facets of music.”
“In high school, I remember I did a presentation on why everyone should sing, and people who sing at any level, amateurs to professionals, are happier. Something about singing brings out positivity in you and through you to everyone else.”
That aligns with how Anderson sees Shelton as a human being.
“He’s very giving,” Anderson says. “Sometimes, ego gets so big. (Shelton) is never like that — he’s grateful. And that gratitude, for a talent and a gift, is very unusual. That’s not normal.”
— Christopher Alvarez
AUSTIN RANKIN MUSICAL
ACTOR
This child prodigy pays back his parents’ sacrifice with a true desire to bring joy to his audiences
THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD AUSTIN RANKIN embodies the idea that age is just a number — particularly when it comes to talent. The Vegas-born singer could be on his way to joining a list of child prodigies from Michael Jackson to Justin Bieber.
Rankin might not be famous yet, but watch a video of him performing the Jackson 5’s “The Love You Save” at The Smith Center, and it’s clear he has a gift. That performance, part of local nonprofit theater company Broadway In The Hood’s annual showcase, is delivered with such power, grace, and confidence, it’s hard to believe stardom is not Rankin’s destiny.
His father, Anthony Rankin, first noticed his son’s talent at the age of five or six. He recalls, “I heard him singing, and just stopped everything that I was doing and was like, ‘What is that?’ ‘Did you hear him?’ And she (Austin’s mother, Evelyn Rankin) was like, ‘Honey, I’ve been hearing him.’ So, it’s like, we have to do something with this.”
And they did. In the summer of 2021, Austin Rankin’s parents en-
rolled him in Broadway in The Hood for musical theater training. Like his parents, artistic director Torrey Russell saw some thing special in the boy.
“The thing I love about acting is I get to express my feelings through different characters,” Rankin says. “Whatever the character’s feeling, that’s how I could feel. And it helps me learn more about myself.”
From playing Flounder in The Little Mermaid Rooster in Annie , he has amassed a decent rep ertoire, but there’s no doubt his standout role is his current one as Little Michael in the four-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, MJ The Musical
é TOUGH ACT TO FOLLOW
The show explores Michael Jackson’s life stages, and Rankin plays him during the Jackson 5 era, performing the group’s iconic numbers. With Russell’s help, Rankin sent a taped audition to the musical’s casting team in New York City and got the role.
Perhaps another sign of destiny: Rankin’s inspiration is MJ himself. “The way he moves and sings,” he says, “It’s just so cool to see him in action.”
A child’s success often depends on their parents’ sacrifice. Austin and Anthony Rankin had to pack up and temporarily move to New York for MJ The Musical while the rest of his family stayed behind.
“Never have I been away from my wife,” Anthony Rankin says. “But, I would do it again if I had to, because we saw something in him.”
Their sacrifices don’t go unappreciated. “To know that they love me unconditionally and they would sacrifice to be across the country, just for me,” Austin Rankin says. “It means so much.”
When someone’s truly gifted, it’s not just about how they do it, but why.
“I just love to bring smiles to people’s faces while performing,” he says, “because inside, I know that even if I was watching something, I would love to smile. I want to give people what I would want.”
As far as destiny goes, this one’s pretty sweet. — Christopher Alvarez
With five musicals already under his belt, Austin Rankin’s Broadway star has only just begun rising.
HAIDE CALLE
VISUAL ARTIST
Beneath the soft exterior, there’s a pointed complexity to her mixed-media creations
THERE’S A CLOUD-LIKE aspect to Haide Calle’s textile-based works: They appear fluffy and inviting but may contain a storm. Also, the longer you look at them, the more you see.
“Haide is making work that’s way above her pay grade; it exceeds the expectations we’d have for a (bachelor of fine arts) student,” says UNLV art professor Sean Slattery, who taught Calle in a painting class and coordinated the BFA cohort, of which she was a part. “She combines, alters, arranges objects to make installations — disparate parts that contribute to a cohesive whole. And it always surprises. How did those things become this thing?”
Calle began doing art as a child and says her mother’s encouragement kept her going, as she evolved through drawing, painting, and sculpture. But she always had a penchant for mixed media, which is where her focus is lately.
course requirements. She expects to have the degree by winter.
But it’s irrelevant to her productivity. Her head brims with ideas waiting to come to life through her hands. Many have a political bent. As a volunteer with Indigenous-focused nonprofit Fifth Sun Project, Calle has done pieces raising awareness of (and funding for) undocumented families experiencing income insecurity and street food vendors, whose livelihood has been hampered by government fees and regulations.
“I remember doing school projects, I’d be like, ‘Okay, we’re gonna make this crazy,’” she says, “bringing all the glitter out, and markers. And I feel my mom was a big push for that, because she would always be like, ‘Oh yeah, I got you. We’ll do this together.’”
Calle has completed the BFA requirements, but is still finishing some other
For the Hanging by a Thread exhibition at Left of Center Art Gallery this spring, Calle made a piece called “Morphing” out of maguey (agave) roots, repurposed fabric, repurposed rope, found wood, found steel, nail, and thread. She explains what it conveys about her Otomi Indigenous identity and her experience as a migrant in the U.S.: “These past four years, I’ve been doing more research about my ancestry, and I learned that we would cultivate lots of these magueys because of our way of survival. And we would drink from it, eat from it, use it as our architecture for our homes. So, I got really attracted to the forms of it. Essentially, it was made to look very squishy, but it was upside down and it was purple fabric, because when cactuses become purple, or pinkish purple, that means they’re under a lot of stress. That means they’re lacking some nutrients or are just not comfortable in their environment.”
The piece’s title, she says, conveys her feeling of trying to adapt in an environment that’s technically her home and find a way to be comfortable, despite stifling social issues, such as racism.
Slattery says that whatever Calle ends up doing in the future, it will be unpredictable and enticing. “She’ll find her own way,” he says. “It won’t be derivative. Each generation finds its own way. … Haide’s work is worth spending time with. You might love it after five minutes, but you’ll love it even more after 15.”
ç ART-IVIST
Calle’s first curated exhibition is on display at Left of Center this fall. Titled I Need Space to Roam, it features the work of two dozen local femme, women, and gender nonconforming artists. It’s open through December 7. For more information, visit leftofcenterart.org. — Heidi Kyser
Haide Calle’s mixed media work celebrates her Indigenous heritage, and invites others to do the same.
Fall Culture Guide
What are you doing every weekend for the next few months? Pull up your calendar and read on to find out
By Anne Davis, Heidi Kyser, Mike Prevatt, Joe Schoenmann, and Maicyn Udani
Illustration by Flora Bai
OCT. 1
Beijing Guitar Duo
It’s just two of them — Meng Su and Yameng Wang. But it’s all you need. The pair of accomplished classical guitarists were separately teenage sensations in their China homeland and in Japan and Europe, where they competed. After they formed Beijing Guitar Duo, their success only grew, as international audiences were awed by the twosome’s complicated but precise fretwork and layering of chord progressions. Catch the
Grammy-nominated duo at UNLV. (MP) UNLV’s Ham Concert Hall, 6:30p, $35, unlv.edu/ finearts/events
OCT. 11-NOV. 12
Two very different opera choices
If you’ve never seen an opera combined with comedy — and then combined with fantasy — now’s your chance. Based somewhat on The Theatrical Illusion by Pierre Corneille, Opera Las Vegas’ staging of Again and Again and Again takes viewers to 18th century France through a turbulent story of romance, time, and parental love.
Alternatively, you can experience opera as part of an immersive attraction. Vegas City Opera’s take on Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges will be an ongoing live installation at Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart. With combined themes of love and fantasy, Three Oranges was made to be presented for opera fans and newbies alike. (MU) Again and Again and Again: The Space, Oct. 11-13, 6p and 7:30p, $35-50, thespacelv. com; The Love for Three Oranges: Omega Mart, Nov. 3-12, times vary, $44-59, vegascityopera.org
OCT. 12
Hans Zimmer
He’s the man behind the movie soundtrack bangers of the last 30 years. “Time” from Inception . “Cornfield Chase” from Interstellar And “The Battle” from Gladiator . All of them
can fill the largest of rooms, which partly explains why the German composer is following a September show at Resorts World Theater with a T-Mobile Arena performance a mere two weeks later. But the other important quotient: the way those sweeping songs bring us right back to the movies they score — and where we were in our lives. Just ask anyone of Generations Y and Z their earliest musical memory. If they don’t say Zimmer’s “Circle of
Life” from The Lion King, dinner’s on me. (MP) T-Mobile Arena, 7p, $47 and up, ticketmaster.com
OCT. 18
A One-Man Cabaret of Rocky Horror Picture Show
Of course actor/singer Reeve Carney is the man to take on the entirety of the world’s most famous cult movie. He played handyman Riff Raff in the 2016 Fox movie reimagining of the late-
ZIMMER
BEIJING GUITAR DUO
night institution. But he also played Orpheus in Hadestown and Spider-Man for three years in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark . Beyond his Broadway bonafides, he’s also well-known from his many film and TV turns, including his role as Dorian Gray for Showtime’s Penny Dreadful. He’s been in Michael Jackson recordings, a Taylor Swift video, and U2 tours. And he’s on tap to portray Jeff Buckley for that singer-songwriter’s biopic. As such, we think he’s got this. (MP) The Space, 8p, $30-50, the spacelv.com
NOV. 8
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Name a musical genre — any musical genre — and Australia’s King Gizzard
and the Lizard Wizard have adapted it. Stoner metal? Check. Jazz fusion? Yep. Synth-pop, hip-hop, acoustic folk, krautrock? All of the above. They have even dabbled (as in using it for three entire albums) in microtonal music influenced by Turkish psychedelic artists. How does a band not even 15 years old accomplish this sonic breadth? By spreading all that (and more) over 26 studio albums. Yes, 26. It’s no wonder the act’s setlists vary wildly and sometimes reach the threehour mark. A KG show is a music festival unto itself. (MP) PH Live at Planet Hollywood, 8p, $46 and up, ticketmaster.com
NOV. 9
Slatkin Conducts Gershwin!
Following in the footsteps of his father, Leonard Slatkin has had his hands on an instrument since he was a toddler. Growing up, he studied under acclaimed musicians and conducted countless symphonies. Come November, he’s appearing in his first concert with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, as
musicians combine their chemistry and artistry to showcase their unique arrangements, bridging the Chinese and Western worlds. (MU) UNLV’s Ham Concert Hall, 7:30p, $35, unlv.edu/ finearts/events
NOV. 16
not only its new artistic consultant, but also the program’s conductor. Slatkin will introduce himself to Las Vegas as he and the Phil perform Gershwin’s poetic “An American in Paris,” among other masterworks. (MU) Nov. 9, The Smith Center, 7:30p, $33-145, thesmithcenter.com
NOV. 15
ArcoStrum
OCT. 26
Maxwell and Jazmine Sullivan
If you’re lounging around the house in your feels, rhythm and blues is the perfect accompaniment. But why not hear it live? You can do just that at Planet Hollywood, when neo-soul pioneer and singer-songwriter Maxwell, accompanied by Grammy-winning Jazmine Sullivan, bring their tour to the property’s PH Live (formerly Bakkt and several other names) this fall. Fans will be able to not only sing their hearts out, but also witness a couple of exemplary artists who have helped shape R&B and soul music since the 1990s. (MU) Oct. 26, PH Live at Planet Hollywood, 7:30p, $60-$856, ticketmaster.com
Chinese music mixed with progressive rock? That’s not something you hear every day. Two Julliard graduates comprise ArcoStrum, an award-winning duo that has mastered a variety of instruments — a majority belonging to the strings family. Watch these tight-knit
The Brubeck Brothers Quartet
The name should sound familiar to anyone who has ever wandered into a record store. Chris and Dan Brubeck are two of the four musical offspring of jazz legend Dave Brubeck. They carry on and even extend their father’s legacy through their dynamic live sets — rounded out by guitarist Mike DeMicco and pianist Chuck Lamb — incorporating jazz’s core tenets while experimenting with time signatures, the latter mostly through Chris’s work on bass and Dan’s behind the drum kit. A must-see for fans of improvisational jazz. (MP) Myron’s at The Smith Center, 5p & 8p, $45-68, thesmithcenter.com
KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD
ARCOSTRUM
DEC. 2-4
UNLV Jazz Fall Festival
Every year, the award-winning UNLV jazz program showcases most of its ensembles and groups during a threenight swing that really covers the bases. From big band and contemporary to Latin and vocal jazz, these gifted students (and their instructors) give audiences a de facto tour of jazz’s varied history, all in UNLV’s big room. (MP) UNLV’s Ham Concert Hall, 7:30-9:30p, $10, unlv.edu/finearts/ events
DEC. 27-JAN.1
Anyma
Anyma may be the least-recognized name drawing 100,000-plus fans to a concert venue this year. But the man born Matteo Milleri is hardly unknown to electronic music fans. He’s half of the beloved act Tale of Us and, as Anyma, the mastermind behind two Genesys albums. The Genesys stage of his career will come to a resounding conclusion this winter when the multidisciplinary artist plays a staggering six shows at Sphere, finally bringing a non-legacy headliner — and dance music — to the hi-tech venue. Anyma’s shows are known as much for trailblazing visuals as the music they accompany, and they’ll no doubt be kicked up several notches on that 160,000-square-foot screen. (MP) Sphere, 9p, $222 and up, ticketmaster.com
Theater & Dance
THROUGH NOV. 9
Scream’d encore
In a city known for its big budget, on-Strip productions, it’s refreshing to find something smaller, friendlier, and local-er. Don’t get it twisted, however — that description of Majestic Repertory’s Scream’d musical only refers to the theater in which it’s held. The show itself is a viral sensation, which has drawn national acclaim for its irreverent take on the 1996 cult horror film of a similar name. Company director Troy Heard and the rest of the Majestic Rep team hope to keep the spooky, goofy, gory fun — now in its second year — going gangbusters for another season. (AD) Majestic Repertory Theatre, Thurs.-Sun. 8-10p, Sat 5-7p, $50-80, majesticrepertory.com
OCT. 11-12
Fall in Love with CWDT Fall Concert Series
Those familiar with Southern Nevada’s dance scene know to expect Contemporary West Dance Theatre’s “Fall in Love” series each autumn. In a city like Las Vegas, where acts tend toward burning hot and bright before fizzling out, CWDT’s revue has been a community mainstay. This year, the show’s marking its 17th anniversary with featured dances such as Bradley Shelver’s Babel, Thang Dao’s Liminal Flux, and artistic director Bernard H. Gaddis’ Valse (AD) Charleston Heights Arts Center, Sat 1:30p, Fri-Sat 7:30p, $15-30, lvdance.org
OCT. 4-5
Together 8
It’s often said that dance is universal. After all, there’s very little barrier — language or otherwise — between dancing partners performing a pas de deux or tango. Together 8 embodies this idea, as a celebration of the 16-year-long relationship between UNLV Dance and Korea National Sport University in Seoul. Catch the performance, whose ensemble features
demure, very mindful take on fairytale love. It’s choreographed by the famed Ben Stevenson, who imparts a certain American practicality and straightforwardness to the ornate Russian composition. (AD) Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center, Fri.-Sat. 7:30p, Sat.-Sun. 2p, $49-196, thesmithcenter.com
OCT. 18-NOV. 3
The Half-Life of Marie Curie
half UNLV and half KNSU dancers, here in Vegas, before it travels to South Korea. (AD) UNLV’s Judy Bayley Theatre, Fri.-Sat. 7:30p, Sat. 2:30p, $20, unlv.edu/finearts/ events
OCT. 18-20
Cinderella
A classic take on a romantic mainstay, Nevada Ballet Theatre’s Cinderella promises to be a very
Representations of female friendships in media can be a mixed bag: Sometimes these portrayals are framed as catty and vapid, others, they’re shown to be empowering. Lauren Gunderson, playwright of The Half-Life of Marie Curie, opted for the latter route in her depiction of the relationship between famed scientist Marie Curie and inventor Hertha Ayrton. As rumors of an alleged affair on Curie’s part spread, she decides to weather the storm with Ayrton. Cue: an emotional saga marked by antisemitism, sexism, and grief. (AD) Las Vegas Little Theatre, Fri.-Sat. 7p, Sat.-Sun. 2p, $20-37, lvlt.org
OCT. 23-NOV. 3
Back to the Future: The Musical
I like my nostalgia strong. Mega-dosed. Over the top. So, I will be early in line for tickets to the musical rendition of 1985’s Back to the Future, which proffers all this and more. Rounding
out a decent score and top-notch cast will be a special element of fun for fans of practical stage effects (think, the helicopter in Miss Saigon ): the iconic flying DeLorean, whose scenes almost steal the show. (AD) Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center, times vary, $40-200, thesmithcenter.com
OCT. 25-NOV. 18
The Minutes
Politics fatigue this time of year is palpable, so you’re forgiven for feeling hesitant to see a play about a municipal council meeting. But A Public Fit’s performance of The Minutes , Tracy Letts’ Tony and Pulitzer award nominated dark comedy, injects a much-needed dose of levity into the travails and frustrations of small-town politicking. It may not quite cure the election cycle blues, but dang it if it won’t come close. (AD) SST Studio Theater, Fri.-Sat. and Mon. 7p, Sun. 2p, $2545, apublicfit.org
OCT. 26
Tease: A Burlesque Revue
With Dita Von Teese’s oh-so-glamorous strip tease arriving, slaying, and then closing earlier this year, burlesque is certainly in the Sin City zeitgeist. But before Dita took Vegas, Tease: A Burlesque Revue had been regularly honoring the burlesque craft (and providing a stage for new artists) for years. October’s performance
NOV. 8
Jo Koy
Few may know that comedian and Netflix favorite Jo Koy attended UNLV briefly and even cut his comedy teeth in Las Vegas playing at the Huntridge Theater and the MGM. Now, he’s bringing his “Just Being Koy” tour back home, as he adds two-time T-Mobile headliner to his already impressive résumé. His brand of raunchy, honest, self-deprecatory comedy might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for those with whom Koy’s humor resonates, this show should be as good as live comedy gets. (AD) T-Mobile Arena, 8p, $56-96, t-mobilearena.com
features Charlie Quinn Starling, the comic book-inspired diva herself. (AD) The Space, 8-9:30p, $30-50, thespacelv.com
OCT. 31-NOV. 10
A Skeptic and a Bruja
Picture this: You’re the proud new owner of a country home, soon to be a cozy little B&B. Unfortunately, it becomes obvious that you’re not the only occupant. Naturally, paranormal podcasters are called in to suss out
the spooky happenings. They end up unearthing disturbing secrets both in the home’s past, and in themselves. If this tale sounds familiar, you’ve probably seen
A Skeptic and a Bruja before. If not, the Nevada Conservatory Theatre’s performance this Halloween season promises to be roller-ghoster of emotion.
(AD) UNLV’s Black Box Theatre, Thurs.-Sat. 3p or 7:30p, Sat.-Sun. 2p, $30, unlv.edu/nct/ events
on.” Because it combines so many classic Shakespearean tropes, it’s a representation of the rest of the playwright’s comedy folio, making it a good place to start for those who are Bard-curious. (AD) Charleston Heights Arts Center, 2p and 7p, $10, lasvegasnevada.gov/residents/arts-culture/ rainbow-company
NOV. 22-23
CSN Fall Dance Festival 2024
NOV. 15-24
Twelfth Night
Scratch your romcom itch with something more erudite than flipping on E! or the Hallmark Channel: See a live performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Why? The Rainbow Company Youth Theatre’s version of the show has mistaken identity, puns (and lots of them), gender bending, enduring love, strong female leads, and iconic lines such as “If music be the food of love, play
Only 60 minutes — that’s the amount of time an audience member needs to get well-acquainted with CSN’s dance program, especially if those 60 minutes are spent watching the college’s Fall Dance Festival, which showcases the best folklorico, ballet, contemporary, West African, and modern dance performances students and their mentors have to offer. The celebration of artistic movement packs heavy-hitting choreographers this year, from faculty members such as Denise Darnell to former Cirque du Soliel choreographer Kishema Pendu Malik. (AD) CSN’s Nicholas J. Horn Theater, Fri. 7p, Sat. 2p, $5-8, csn.edu/ performing-arts-center-event-calendar
NOV. 26-DEC. 1
Shrek: The Musical Shrek: The Musical has stood the test of time since its 2008 debut, when it first told audiences to “let their freak flags fly.” Based on the
earlier, eponymous DreamWorks film, the musical has so many key elements of good theater: complex characters with compelling arcs, a lively plot, an incredibly solid musical score, and (not as crucial, but still nice to have) plenty of snappy one-liners. Consider this your best chance to see Lord Farquaad in real life, kneepads and all. (AD) Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center, Tues.-Sun. 7:30p, Sat.-Sun. 2p, $40-161, thesmithcenter.com
NOV. 29-DEC. 22
Annie
Disclaimer: As an Annie myself, I recognize the importance of curbing my enthusiasm for this recommendation. But, to be fair, my excitement goes beyond mere bias. The character of Little Orphan Annie is celebrating her 100th birthday this year, and there’s a reason why she and her story haven’t lost their appeal to me and generations of other fans: themes of overcoming
adversity, the importance of kindness, and an optimistic message are evergreen. (AD) Las Vegas Little Theatre, Fri.-Sat. 7p, Sat.-Sun. 2p, $20-37, lvlt.org
DEC. 5-14
The
Merry Wives of Windsor
The rumor has persisted for centuries that Good Queen Bess commissioned Shakespeare to pen The Merry Wives of Windsor, desiring to see the affable Sir John Falstaff (of Henry IV fame) get his own love story. And love story it sort of is, as the two Windsor wives whom Sir John has set his heart upon decide to out him as a lecher. This is one of the Bard’s less wellknown works, so it’s a treat to see it staged by any company, let alone the always-entertaining Nevada Conservatory Theatre. (AD) UNLV’s Black Box Theatre, Thurs.-Sat. 7:30p, Fri. 3p, Sat.-Sun. 2p, $15-30, unlv.edu/nct/ events
OCT. 1-JAN. 31
Stanley Webb:
A Syncretic Reality
Stanley Webb, who teaches art at the College of Southern Nevada, uses mixed-media painting to express his experience as a multiethnic person — as he puts it, “different elements being both without losing their individual distinction.”
At first glance, one of his pieces may look like a painting. But get closer, and you’ll see layers
OCT 3.-DEC. 13
Soma – A Solo Exhibition of Laura Esbensen
of other media adding complexity to the work. (HK) CSN Charleston Student Union Gallery, Mon.-Fri. 7a-5p, free, csn.edu/student-life/ discover-csn/artgallery
OCT. 1-JAN. 31
Elena Wherry: Garden Party
Born in Russia and raised in Ukraine, Elena Wherry grew up surrounded by the art and music her family created. In this exhibition, she returns to another old love, watercolor, experimenting with new ways that wet media can bring her ideas to life. The former Neon Museum resident’s paintings have been exhibited at the Barrick Museum and are part of UNLV Student Union’s permanent collection. Social media content creator Kira, of The Art Revival, curates this show. (HK) CSN Henderson, Student Union Gallery, free, csn.edu/ student-life/discover-csn/artgallery
Laura Esbensen’s work isn’t for the faint of heart. Or stomach, spleen, or kidney. The San Diegoand Las Vegas-based artist’s paintings and sculptures put the organ in organic, juxtaposing pulpous, pulsating pink and red blobs with hardedged, heavy construction materials, hinting at the vulnerability of a living thing, recently excised from its host. In this new show, Esbensen says, a study of mutilation and revival draws out the idea that the grotesque, before it is horror or alien, is simply and beautifully a sum of parts. Wondering what that means? Ask the artist at the opening reception, 6-8 p.m. on October 3. (HK) Core Contemporary Gallery, Tues.-Fri. 12-6p, free, corecontemporary.com
THROUGH OCT. 26
Art in Public Places
Darren Johnson, the gallery manager for the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, curates this collection aimed at celebrating how art enriches everyday spaces. Consider, for instance, Harold Bradford’s 2014 oil painting depicting the jumbo, neon bulb-dotted silver slipper being loaded onto a flatbed truck in front of Young Electric Sign Company as three professionals, who are apparently involved in the shoe’s delivery, confer about it over architectural drawings. It’s a mid-cen-
Visual Arts
SHREK: THE MUSICAL
STANLEY WEBB
tury modern scene retracing the circle closed when the Strip’s iconic public artwork began making its way to the Neon Museum. (HK) Historic Fifth Street School, Mayor’s Gallery, Mon.-Fri. 8:30a-5:30p, free, lasvegasnevada.gov/Residents/Arts-Culture/ Gallery-Exhibitions
THROUGH OCT. 26
Peso Neto Nuwu Art Gallery + Community Center and nonprofit Indigenous AF host Luis Varela-Rico for his first solo exhibition, which opened with a splash in September, as Varela-Rico’s huge skull-centric sculpture made the trek straight from Burning Man to downtown Las Vegas, just in time to serve as the show’s centerpiece. If you missed that, fret not. On Friday, October 18, at 6 p.m. the artist will be back at Nuwu for a closing reception and discussion of his evolution from skilled tradesman to celebrated metalworker. (Hint: Get there early, as gallery owner Fawn Douglas says the event will fill up. But also note, there will be overflow space with speakers outside.) (HK) Nuwu Art Gallery + Community Center, Thurs.-Fri. 4-8p, Sat. 12-4p, free, nuwuart.com
THROUGH NOV. 3
Exploración del Arte Latino Arts Foundation Hayes Advocacy for Vegas curated this display of works by Guatemalan, Haitian, and Mexican artists, including
Antonio Vasquez Parra and Carmel Washington. Summerlin collectors donated the pieces to the exhibition, with the aim of furthering education about Latin culture. (HK) Summerlin Library, Mon.-Thurs. 10a-8p, Fri.-Sun. 10a-6p, free, thelibrarydistrict.org/ gallery-exhibits/
THROUGH NOV. 13
Functional Can Be Fun
If anyone should know a thing or two about fun, it’s Clay Arts Vegas. With its inclusive, try-everything approach to plastic arts, the group has gained a reputation for classes that are as enjoyable as its exhibitions are brave. This show highlights how usable art can add whimsy to everyday tasks — think: a parrot spitting tea, or a pair of marmots delivering salt and pepper. If that can’t inspire would-be sculptors to sign up for a pottery class, then nothing can. (HK) Charleston Heights Arts Center Gallery, Mon.-Sat. 8a-7:30p, free, lasvegasnevada.gov/Residents/Arts-Culture/ Gallery-Exhibitions
THROUGH NOV. 23
Contemporary Ex-votos: Devotion Beyond Medium
If this show sounds familiar, that might be because it’s been in the Barrick’s East Gallery since April. But with almost two months left (from the date of this publication) to see it, we wanted to give it one last shout-out. A who’s-who of international arts organizations support this culturally rich collection of contemporary work by Latinx artists inspired by the Mexican tradition of Ex-Votos , small devotional paintings that are a type of retablo, or “altar art.” The artists, which include some names familiar to locals (Elena Brokaw, Justin Favela, Zully Mejía, Krystal Ramirez, and others), engage with the U.S.’s largest collection of retablos, curated by
University of Illinois at Chicago art professor Emmanuel Ortega and kept at the New Mexico State University Art Museum. They riff on the theme in a wide variety of ways, from mixed-media installations, to repurposed signs for Las Vegas Latinx businesses. (HK) Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, Mon.Fri. 10a-5p, free, unlv. edu/barrickmuseum/ exhibitions
THROUGH NOV. 23
Linda Alterwitz: Heat — Portraits of the Invisible World
In this exhibition, the prolific local artist looks to level the viewing field, if you will, by rendering her subjects in a sort of photographic heat map. A high-resolution thermal camera “takes away the familiar,” Alterwitz says. “It creates ambiguity to the physical
characteristics that can socially divide us, such as color, gender, or age. Pigmentation, tattoos, hair color cease to exist.” What’s more, her technique flattens images, putting subjects against dark backgrounds, their essence shimmering untethered in the foreground. At a time when people are deeply divided, Alterwitz aims to disorient viewers in their preconceptions — and orient them toward a new way of seeing their fellow humans. (HK) Sahara West Library, Mon.-Thurs. 10a-8p, Fri.-Sun. 10a-6p, free, thelibrarydistrict.org/ gallery-exhibits
THROUGH DEC. 2
Nevada, P.S. I Love You Postcard Project Exhibition
This recommendation may be less about the art than the bonus that comes with it. Stop by the Corn Creek Visitor Center at the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, about 40 minutes northwest of Las Vegas, and you can get a dose of hometown pride. P.S. I Love You is an exhibition of postcards,
ANTONIO VASQUEZ PARRA
LINDA ALTERWITZ
T-REX DAYDREAMS BY HEATHER LANG CASSERA
made by all-ages folks from around the state, drawing what they adore about Nevada. After browsing the exhibit, take half an hour (or day) to stroll around Corn Creek (or drive around DNWR), and you can see for yourself an example of why naturalists and outdoors-people can’t quit the Silver State. (HK) Desert National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center’s Corn Greek Gallery, Fri.-Sun. 8a3p, free, nevadahumanities.org
DEC. 4-JAN. 29
Birthed from the Soil: A Photo Affair by Iyana Esters
When folk herbalist Iyana Esters goes out in the field to learn about Afro and Indigenous ancestral healing practices, she takes her camera, she told Double Scoop’s Brent Holmes in October 2023. Holmes reviewed the opening of Esters’ photography exhibit, Birthed From the Soil , which was on display at UNR’s Front Door Gallery through January. Now making its way to Las Vegas, the collection explores the life- and food-ways of Yawah Awolowo, an Alabaman farmer, chef, and midwife known as Mama Yawah. The photos’ gentle color and focus reflect not only Esters’ connection to her subject, but also her use of plant-based dyes in processing the images. (HK) Nevada Humanities Program Gallery, Mon.-Fri. 1-5p, free, nevadahumanities.org
Literature & Ideas
OCT. 10
The Fear of Too Much Justice
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” That’s Martin Luther King Jr. more than 60 years ago — something that some people believe our courts today need to be reminded of. Attorney Dayvid Figler guides author Stephen Bright through his thesis on the way our courts mete out justice, sometimes unjustly. (JS) UNLV’s Beverly Rogers Literature and Law Building, 4p, free, blackmountaininstitute.org
OCT. 11
Douglas Unger reads Dream City
There are laugh-out-loud moments in Dream City,
OCT. 25
André Aciman book signing and reading
Have you met ‘the one’? True love? Love of your life? If you have, but then lost it, and fear you’ll never find that special connection again — you’ll want to hear author André Aciman reading from two of his most well-known books: the unapologetically heartbreaking Call Me By Your Name and the brand new My Roman Year (JS) The Beverly Theater, 7p-8p, free, thewritersblock.org
especially if you’ve lived in Vegas long enough and heard the words he’s immortalized in print: “Las Vegas? You’re living there? Why would I want to go there?” Unger is a UNLV professor and author of four novels, one of which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His latest book goes to the heart of the age-old Vegas struggle to maintain decency while scrabbling for dollars. (JS) The Writer’s Block, 7p, free, thewritersblock.org
NOV. 8
Forrest Gander reading
A winner of the Pulitzer Prize in poetry five years ago, Forrest Gander’s Mojave Ghost is described as a booklength single poem, which the author calls a “novel poem.” To unravel the tangle of his personal relationships, Gander sketches poetic images of the landscape as he walks the 800-mile San Andreas Fault toward Barstow, California, where he was born. (JS) The Writer’s Block, 6-7p, free, thewritersblock.org
NOV. 3
The Romanov Dynasty
Discuss: If the Romanovs hadn’t been toppled by the Bolshevik Revolution, would Russia be better off today? They were dethroned, of course, after ruling Russia for three centuries. Was it their own fault, or proof of that axiom: Absolute power corrupts absolutely? Had they fostered the class division — depicted poignantly in 1925’s Strike by Sergei Eisenstein — that led to their own downfall? Even if those questions aren’t answered, considering the current geopolitical landscape, this lecture and conversation promises to be worthwhile. (JS) West Charleston Library, 3-4p, free, events.thelibrarydistrict.org
NOV. 9 Astronomy at the Museum
After I looked up “solar eclipse” earlier this year, the algorithm began feeding me periodic social media alerts about comet near-misses, stars, and planets lately. It’s piqued my interest in the county museum’s events, including this one with Las Vegas Astronomical Society and Commissioner Jim Gibson, during which telescopes will be provided to attendees. (JS) Clark County Museum, 5:30-10p, $2, clarkcountynv.gov
NOV. 13
Diana Khoi Nguyen
Most of us have been touched by suicide, because more people die from it in a Nevada year than homicides and vehicle deaths combined. Diana Khoi Nguyen’s
ANDRÉ ACIMAN
DOUGLAS UNGER
brother took his own life, and her Ghost Of , from 2018, speaks to that desire all survivors have — that they could talk to the deceased again — while also processing the intergenerational trauma of those impacted by the Vietnam War. (JS) Marjorie Barrick Museum, 7p, free, blackmountaininstitute.org
NOV. 14
National Geographic Live: Rise of T. Rex
Is it still every kid’s dream to unearth T. Rex fossils, discovering the dino-eat-dino world of 60plus million years ago? Considered an expert on that beast and other theropods, Lindsay Zanno is one of the scientists who embodies that childhood dream come true. At this all-ages interactive presentation, she’ll reveal whether there was more to the T. Rex than big teeth and tiny arms. (JS) Reynold’s Hall at The Smith Center, 7:30-9p, $23-57, thesmithcenter.com
NOV. 19
An Evening with Teju Cole Photographer, writer, Harvard professor of practice — Teju Cole is the kind of person you’d like to sit down with and just listen to. Born in Michigan, raised in Nigeria, he has a global perspective and, to his audiences, the kind of rational view they crave, but rarely hear, in America. (JS) The Beverly Theater, 7p, free, thebeverlytheater.com
JAN. 29
’Pemi Aguda
Raised in Nigeria, ’Pemi Aguda’s work explores a theme that’s prevalent among sociologists, geneticists, and anthropologists: Are we more than our inherited genes? Do we decide our life’s direction, or are we enslaved by DNA? The author will discuss these and other elements of her novel and short-story collection, Ghostroots. (JS) The Beverly Theater, 7p, free, thebeverlytheater.com
Festivals & Family
OCT. 11-12
Las Vegas Pride
For two days, Southern Nevada’s large but scattered LGBTQ community comes out to march, dance, laugh, eat, drink, and, most importantly, unite. There will be the usual truck-bed floats dominating the parade and local entertainers performing during Saturday’s all-day festival. But if that doesn’t float
must-try food items, such as fry bread and Indian tacos. (MP) Las Vegas Paiute Snow Mountain Reservation, Fri. 7p, Sat. 1-7p, Sun. 1p, $812, lvpaiutetribe.com/ pow-wow
OCT. 11-26
Halloween Express
stitutions. Oh, and there will be an entire sake pavilion and kids’ activity area, so everyone’s covered. (MP) Water Street Plaza, 11am-9pm, free, cityofhenderson.com
OCT. 12 & OCT. 25
Movies in concert
your boat, you can always turn to the people next to you, extend a hand, and get to know some of Las Vegas’ many queer community members. They’re a lively bunch. (MP) 4th Street & Bridger Avenue; parade: 6p, free; festival: noon-11p, $15-250; lasvegaspride.org
OCT. 11-13
Snow Mountain
Pow Wow
There’s no richer opportunity to take in Indigenous peoples’ culture than a pow wow, and the Las Vegas Paiutes will do it up big for their 32nd edition of this gathering on the tribe’s reservation just east of Mount Charleston. For three days, attendees can watch and/or participate in the events’ many dance competitions, accompanied by also-competing drummers and singers. Outside the performance circles, vendors will be selling authentic jewelry, regalia and apparel, crafts and artwork, blankets, and other items — as well as
In recent years, the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Boulder City has put on a fun Halloween event where attendees board a train and take an out-and-back ride filled with spooky occurrences. Now, the Halloween Express is ditching the scares to accommodate all members of the family. A 30-minute, activity-laden ride is followed by a party that includes a costume contest, games, food, a “monster mash” dance party, and more. (MP) Nevada State Railroad Museum, 6p, $30-35, boulderrailroadmuseum.org
OCT. 12
Aki Matsuri
Japanese Festival
Not to be crowded out of the busy Oct. 11-13 calendar, one of Henderson’s best festivals — and one the valley’s best cultural gatherings — returns for the 15th year. Thousands flock to the Aki Matsuri (or “autumn festival”) to watch various dance (including hulu) and martial arts demonstrations, hear both traditional and modern Japanese music, partake in poem (haiku) and flower-arranging (ikebana) activities, and indulge in food made by local Japanese dining in-
If you’ve held off taking Junior to his first concert lest his favorite performer is also a potty mouth, multiple upcoming musical performances merge animated movies and their soundtracks and all but beckon a family outing. Over at The Smith Center, fans of a certain webslinger can watch the Academy Award-winning Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse with a live re-creation of the score — and that includes an orchestra and turntablists on top of the usual instrumentalists. (Note: The Smith Center’s similar program for Avatar: The Last Airbender in Novem-
DIANA KHOI NGUYEN
ber is already sold out.) Two weeks later, UNLV does the same thing for the Pixar classic Coco, with Miguel, Hector, and the whole cast singing and conversing while the Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México handles the soundtrack live. (MP) Spider-Man: Oct. 12, The Smith Center, 2p and 7:30p, $40-103, thesmithcenter.com; Coco: Oct. 25, UNLV’s Ham Concert Hall, 8p, $15-60, unlv.edu/ finearts/events
OCT. 19
Las Vegas Book Festival
The state’s biggest literary event is one of the most family-friendly Downtown events of the year, known as much for its storybook readings and illustration demonstrations for kids as it is for its panel discussions and author appearances for adults. Balancing
things out is what’s sure to be a boisterous chat with headliner John Waters — yes, the director of shock-andraw films such as Pink Flamingos, but also the writer of a fat handful of books, including the novel Liarmouth and the auteur’s exercise in cross-country hitchhiking, Carsick. Bilingual options will include a panel discussion headed by writing group Autoras de Vanguardia and an Aztec calendar coloring workshop (also in Nahuatl). (MP) Historic Fifth Street School, 10a-6p, free, lasvegasbookfestival.com
OCT. 19 & OCT. 26
Beer festivals
If you’re wondering when this fall you might be able to drink copious amounts of beer while venturing outside of your go-to IPA, two ale fests have you covered. First up: The Downtown Brew Fest returns for its 12th year, promising more than 200 different brews from some 60-odd sudseries, both local and national. (It’ll also have food and bands.) After you’ve recovered a week later, head northwest to Big Dog’s and its beloved Dogtoberfest, complete with both (Nevada and out-of-state) beers and brats — and a costume contest for dogs and their owners. (MP) Downtown Brew Fest: Oct. 19, Clark County Amphitheater, 4-9p, $50-130, downtownbrewfestival. com. Dogtoberfest: Oct. 26, Big Dog’s Brewing Company, 4-9p,$8-55, bigdogsbrews.com
OCT. 26-NOV. 3
Día de los Muertos
Honoring those who have passed in Mexican culture is no dour occasion, as the holiday otherwise known as the Day of the Dead has long proved. Besides the ornate family altars (ofrendas) and the colorful skulls ( calaveras), revelers beckon the spirits of their deceased loved one with boisterous mariachi bands, poem/ epitaph ( calaveras literarias ) readings, and enough tamales and pan de muerto for both the dead and the living. Día de los Muertos events will fleck the valley, in-
cluding a pre-Día Sugar Skull Workshop, and the popular Life in Death and Día de los Muertos festivals on the actual holiday. (MP) Sugar Skull Workshop: Oct. 26, Charleston Heights Arts Center, 1-3p, $15, registration.lasvegasnevada.gov; Life in Death Festival: Nov. 1-2, Winchester Dondero Cultural Center, 5-9p, free, clarkcountynv.gov; Dia De Muertos: Nov. 1-3, Springs Preserve, 4-9p, $7-15, springspreserve.org
NOV. 1
UNLV Art Walk
Imagine a big mall that swaps out stores for performance venues and art galleries, kiosks for impromptu dance numbers and poetry readings, and a food court for booths featuring some of the valley’s most well-known restaurants. Art Walk is the UNLV College of Fine Arts’ big fall open house, featuring the work of the art, theater, music, film, dance, architecture, and entertainment engineering and design departments. There isn’t a dull moment because with all on offer, there couldn’t possibly be one. (MP) UNLV, 5-9p, free, unlv. edu/finearts/art-walk
NOV. 2
Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival
Geek is king in pop culture, especially when it comes to the dominance of the Marvel Universe and Japanese animation at the global box office. So it’s no surprise that
Las Vegas has its own event dedicated to comic/graphic storytelling, representations, and memorabilia. The offerings for this free event include discussions and demonstrations by various comic book authors, illustrators, and other media professionals devoted to the larger comic world; drawing/writing workshops; various film screenings and performances; and vendors hawking comics/graphic novels, collectibles, and food. (MP) Clark County Library, 9:30a-4:30p, free, events.thelibrarydistrict.org
NOV. 10
Indigenous American Heritage Celebration
For the fourth year, Henderson will mark Veterans Day with a tribute to Indigenous culture. Nuwu Art Gallery + Community Center teams up with the city to present bird singers, Danza Azteca, Paiute storytellers, cultural vendors, and art, art, art. Nuwu’s Fawn Douglas says it will be a great chance for families to learn about the Southern Paiute lands they’re living in, notably Sloan Canyon, right next door to Henderson. Veterans will also be honored. (HK) Water Street Plaza, 10a-3p, free, cityofhenderson.com
SEE MORE events, and submit your own for inclusion in The Guide online.
‘Outdoor
Nevada’
TAKE A RIDE!
Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area
By Heidi Kyser
The conflict between hikers and mountain bikers is no secret. If you’re a Southern Nevada hiker who frequents areas such as Buckskin Cliffs in Red Rock and the east side of Deer Creek Road in Mt. Charleston, then chances are good you’ve been startled by a mountain bike barreling up behind you in recent years.
In this episode of “Outdoor Nevada,” host Connor Fields makes a case for peace, arguing that mountain biking is as good for the body as it is for the mind — but to truly flourish, it needs to be good for the earth and fellow trail users, too.
Describing the ad-hoc trail system at Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area as a “bowl of noodles,” Fields points out that, while — yes — these are public lands (implying they’re for everyone’s enjoyment), chaos would ensue if everyone did whatever they pleased. Hence the need for the Bureau of Land Management’s rules, such as those requiring environmental review for approved trails. He brings together the BLM and Southern Nevada Mountain Biking Association to discuss the need for sanctioned trails — and for users to both help build and maintain them, as well as stay on them.
Riding the McCullough Hills Trail between the Anthem Hills and Mission Hills Trailheads is a great way to get a taste of mountain biking on sanctioned trails in Sloan Canyon. You can foster goodwill among your fellow trail users by practicing trail etiquette, while enjoying what Fields calls a “pristine desert landscape rich in natural and cultural treasures.” ✦
Route Name: McCullough Hills
Getting there: To do this trail as an out-and-back, begin at the Mission Hills Trailhead, also sometimes referred to as the McCullough Hills Trailhead. It’s on the far west end of East Mission Drive off East Horizon Ridge Parkway in Henderson. If you have two cars, then you can do this trail one-way. Just leave your first car at the Anthem Hills Trailhead (near Del E. Webb Middle School), and take your second one to Mission Hills to start the ride.
Distance: 8 miles one-way; 16 miles out-and-back
Equipment Needed: Ample water, sunscreen, and standard mountain biking gear, such as helmet, pads, and emergency repair kit
Pro tip: Be on the lookout for snakes, which trail users have spotted in this area between late spring and early fall. Also know that there is no shade, so this is not a suitable route during hot summer months.
SEE THIS episode of “Outdoor Nevada,” by Vegas PBS.
