Las Vegas NV Blog

Las Vegas Real Estate Market Starts 2012 on 10-Year High of 48,186 Home Sales According to LasVegasRealEstate.org

2012-01-31T04:20:00.005-08:00

Las Vegas Real Estate Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) January 31, 2012 Homes for sale in Las Vegas hit record high all-cash purchases in buying spree from from institutional and private investors. Las Vegas real estate is currently #1 in the US for price-to-rent ratio creation it possibly the best rate of return on cash-flow properties in America. LasVegasRealEstate.org reports that Las Vegas real estate market prices have reached 20-year lows as Nevada led all states with foreclosure sales accounting for nearly 50% of the 48,186 purchases in 2011. Ashley McCormick of Realty One, Nevada's number one Las Vegas real estate company, says that even the most most discerning buyers are running the numbers and embracing Las Vegas. She notes that people who went through a foreclosure or short sale more than three years ago are starting to re-enter the market. Money that has been sitting on the sidelines for years is creation its way into the Las Vegas residential market buying mostly Las Vegas foreclosures with over $720 Million just in the last 90-days. McCormick says that the strong rental market is backed by the service industry that is directly tied to tourism. According to the annual tourism report the average Las Vegas tourist spent more and stayed longer compared to a year earlier. Visitors stayed an average of 4.6 days with the average cost of a vacation package since 2010 at $651 and holding thru 2011. February is expected to post record numbers as Las Vegas is the number one choice for Super Bowl Parties followed by Las Vegas Valentine's Day events and weddings. Vegas is know for it's incredible deals on travel, entertainment and now buying second homes, Las Vegas high rise condos or immediate cash-flow investment properties. While the foreign! buyers and investors are taking advantage of the current Las Vegas real estate investing trends, McCormick says that US-retirees are also getting in on the deals as Sun City Las Vegas homes for sale in active adult communities are starting at $100K. McCormick has not long ago added a new toll-free number to accommodate the increased interest at 1-888-920-2292. Over 10,000+ homes for sale in Las Vegas to including Las Vegas foreclosures can be viewed online at http://www.LasVegasRealEstate.org ### Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Pull Up A Chair And Gear Up For Gifts

2012-01-31T04:20:00.003-08:00

Expect to see more present equipment coming out of a Las Vegas Market in a future.As a furnishings design industry descended on a World Market Center for opening day of a winter 2012 Las Vegas Market, center CEO Bob Maricich said a fastest-growing segment is gifts.Nationally, home gifts is a $60 billion industry, and Maricich sees an opportunity to add to a Las Vegas Market's product mix, which is heavy with furniture, sleep products and home decor."There are seven small, regional markets for gifts West of a Mississippi and they're all failing. There's really a demand to have one regional market," Maricich said. "Our research tells us that should be Las Vegas. We're putting a lot of resources into that."Maricich said he thinks he can grow a present business "dramatically" in coming years. He said that in a last six months he's been able to secure eight new present tenants for a World Market Center.Winter market runs through Friday in 5.1 million square feet of showroom, event and seminar space. The World Market Center does not release attendance, but company representatives said it's up a "couple of percentage points," based on opening day traffic. Maricich said most buyers come for three days at a time.About 800 permanent tenants are exhibiting and about 200 are renting space during market. In all, 50 permanent, new showrooms opened with a winter market, but a center doesn't list closures that might balance a newcomers."That's by far a most new showroom openings we've had," Maricich said.The 200 renting exhibitors come in, pay for a booth during a show, then leave, as at most trade shows. The rest are signed to a three- to five-year showroom lease, which is a fundamental difference between a market and a trade show.In past years a outlook for interior design hasn't been so bright; cost-cutting and layoffs were more a norm."It's been a brutal recession in a furnishings space," Maricich said. "Even a tiny uptick has people investing in inventory and buying."While banking on hope, there are sales f! igures t o back up those tingly feelings.The Las Vegas Market is a first furniture uncover of 2012, and retail furniture sales in December were strong. The U.S. Department of Commerce reported $7.7 million in December retail sales for furniture and home furnishings stores, up 5.6 percent year-over-year."I think we're really feeling that," Maricich said.At a First Look trends session Monday morning, buyers were told to look out for vivid oranges and eye-popping blues, which are highly prevalent in showrooms, mixed with varying arrays of beachy, tropical-inspired looks.Monica Pedersen, a designer on HGTV, and Julie Smith Vincenti, home trends editor for Nine Muses Media, led a session. The duo mentioned a Emma at Home line, with 25 new pillow designs, as one to watch.Emma at Home President Patrick McDarrah said his line, which also features rugs, debuted in Las Vegas in August."We find a Las Vegas Market buyer is good for us," he said, adding that Emma at Home partnered with 15 dealers as a result of a August market."The traction we got here was great," McDarrah said.Pedersen and Vincenti also told their audience that ikat designs have gone mainstream, as have Southwest loom styles reminiscent of traditional Native American patterns."These are also on a trend radar for 2012," Vincenti said.Worth noting was a streamlined look of Palliser's male-driven designs that incorporate black leather sofas and chic charcoal gray reclining sectionals."It's a very lovely collection," Vincenti said.Contact reporter Laura Carroll at lcarroll@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588. Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

CIGIREX(TM) Sponsors Annual AWMA Conference in Las Vegas

2012-01-31T04:20:00.001-08:00

NEW YORK, Jan. 31, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CIGIREX(TM), the #1 electronic cigarette brand chosen by smokers, will sponsor the AWMA Conference and Expo in Las Vegas February 15-17, an annual convention held by The American Wholesale Marketers Association. CIGIREX(TM) will exhibit its products on the AWMA Show floor and hold meetings with national retailers and distributors. CIGIREX(TM) is available across the country and is projected to be in over 6,000 retail locations nationally by end of Q1 2012. CIGIREX(TM) is proud to be the only FDA-compliant e-cigarette company exhibiting at this year's AWMA convention and will continue to maintain the highest level of satisfaction by not offering flavors in its products.CIGIREX(TM) along with "Together Against Cancer," invites you to take the CIGIREX(TM) challenge to live a tobacco and tar-free life. Thousands of smokers have tried and adopted CIGIREX(TM) as a safe, healthy and enjoyable alternative to smoking cigarettes.For more information about how to become a Retailer for CIGIREX(TM) please contact:CIGIREX, LLC708 Third Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017Telephone: (909)510-3780 or Email: chris@cigirex.comwww.cigirex.comFor all press inquiries:RAP NYTelephone: (917) 445-4426 or Email: allison@runawayproducts.comThis information was brought to you by Cision http://www.cisionwire.comhttp://www.cisionwire.com/run-away-products/r/cigirex--sponsors-annual-awma-conference-in-las-vegas,c9213103The following files are available for download:Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Wolfgang Puck receives James Beards Lifetime Achievement Award

2012-01-31T04:19:00.003-08:00

Las Vegas Sun January 31, 2012 Currently: 49 | Complete forecast | Log in LasVegasSun.com Account Keep Memory Alive Wolfgang Puck and Larry Ruvo during a Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for BrainHealth. By Robin Leach (contact) Monday, Jan. 30, 2012 | 1:57 p.m. More arts and entertainment Check out Robin Leach's VegasDeLuxe.com for more celebrity and A&E coverage. 2010 Wolfgang Puck Meals on Wheels Fundraiser in L.A. Launch slideshow '; stickContent2010wolfgangpuckmealswheelsfundraiser += ''; stickContent2010wolfgangpuckmealswheelsfundraiser += ''; new StickyWin.Modal({ content: stickContent2010wolfgangpuckmealswheelsfundraiser, closeOnEsc: false, hideOnClick: true, width: 1000, height: 600, onClose: function(response){ $('slideshow_2010-wolfgang-puck-meals-wheels-fundraiser').setStyle('display', 'none'); $('slideshow_inline_2010-wolfgang-puck-meals-wheels-fundraiser').grab($('slideshow_2010-wolfgang-puck-meals-wheels-fundraiser')); $$('.videoWrapper').invoke('toggle'); }, ! destroyOnClose: true, onDisplay: function(response){ $$('.videoWrapper').invoke('toggle'); $('slideshow_holder_2010-wolfgang-puck-meals-wheels-fundraiser').grab($('slideshow_2010-wolfgang-puck-meals-wheels-fundraiser'), 'top'); $('slideshow_2010-wolfgang-puck-meals-wheels-fundraiser').setStyle('display', 'block'); //setTimeout('setBGImage2010wolfgangpuckmealswheelsfundraiser()', 2500); //setBGImage2010wolfgangpuckmealswheelsfundraiser(); //$('gallery_left').setStyle('background', '#000'); var galPhotoCredit = 'TVT'; _gaq.push([ //console.log( '_trackPageview', '/photos/galleries/2010/sep/27/2010-wolfgang-puck-meals-wheels-fundraiser/:' + 'inline' + ':' + slugify(galPhotoCredit) + ':653px' + ':1' + '/' + '27' ]) } }); }); Wolfgang Puck during Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health Launch slideshow '; stickContentwolfgangpucklouruvobrainhealth += ''; stickContentwolfgangpucklouruvobrainhealth += ''; new StickyWin.Modal({ content: stickContentwolfgangpucklouruvobrainhealth, closeOnEsc: false, hideOnClick: true, ! width: 1000, height: 600, onClose: function(response){ $('slideshow_wolfgang-puck-lou-ruvo-brain-health').setStyle('display', 'none'); $('slideshow_inline_wolfgang-puck-lou-ruvo-brain-health').grab($('slideshow_wolfgang-puck-lou-ruvo-brain-health')); $$('.videoWrapper').invoke('toggle'); }, destroyOnClose: true, onDisplay: function(response){ $$('.videoWrapper').invoke('toggle'); $('slideshow_holder_wolfgang-puck-lou-ruvo-brain-health').grab($('slideshow_wolfgang-puck-lou-ruvo-brain-health'), 'top'); $('slideshow_wolfgang-puck-lou-ruvo-brain-health').setStyle('display', 'block'); //setTimeout('setBGImagewolfgangpucklouruvobrainhealth()', 2500); //setBGImagewolfgangpucklouruvobrainhealth(); //$('gallery_left').setStyle('background', '#000'); var galPhotoCredit = 'Keep Memory Alive'; _gaq.push([ //console.log( '_trackPageview', '/photos/galleries/2010/sep/20/wolfgang-puck-lou-ruvo-brain-health/:' + 'inline' + ':' + slugify(galPhotoCredit) + ':653px' + ':1' + '/' + '14' ]) } }); }); Tiffany Brown Chef Wolfga! ng Puck and his wife, Gelila, stop on a red carpet on a way into a 13th Annual Power of Love Gala during a Bellagio in Las Vegas on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009. TVT Robin Leach and Wolfgang Puck during Puck's 2010 Meals on Wheels two-day fundraiser in Los Angeles. The James Beard Foundation announced today that Las Vegas restaurateur and celebrity Chef Wolfgang Puck, hailed for his contributions to a culinary industry, has been named a recipient of its 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award. Wolf will be honored during a Foundation Awards, which recognizes food and beverage industry professionals, during New York Citys Lincoln Center on May 7.For a first time, a foundation will make known a final nominees for all award categories during a press brunch during a Venetian and Palazzo on March 19. Nominations will be posted simultaneously via Twitter @beardfoundation.Each year, a Lifetime Achievement Award is bestowed upon someone whose body of work has had a positive and long-lasting impact on a way a public eats, cooks and thinks about food in America.It recognizes passion, inspiration and a commitment to doing good work that goes beyond any individuals contribution, said Susan Ungaro, president of a James Beard Foundation. This year, as we celebrate 25 years of a James Beard Foundation, Im honored to commemorate Wolfgang Pucks remarkable achievements in our industry.He is a only person to win Outstanding Chef twice, Ungaro said. Wolfgang has not only demonstrated to a industry his incredible talent, but he has helped shape a industry by revolutionizing how American chefs think about food.What sets Wolfgang apart, however, is that his creativity takes him beyond our industrys walls. As a former Humanitarian Award recipient, he has shown that a culinary industry can improve a lives of others and benefit society as a whole. We look forward to following his achievements in our industry and beyond for years to come.W! olf said , Receiving a James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award is a tremendous honor. It was a pleasure to be a first chef to cook during a Beard House, and my relationship with a foundation has been one Ive cherished ever since.To be recognized by such a prestigious organization with this esteemed award could not have been possible without a talented individuals that Ive had a pleasure to work with, mentor and befriend in my 30 years, including James. I take great honor in accepting an award that represents a lifetime of accomplishment for a work I take great pride in doing each and every day.Wolf has been a culinary icon for more than 30 years, and a celebrity he gained from his restaurant Spago, which opened in 1982, escalated him from fame to stardom. He became a first name-brand chef to open a restaurant in Las Vegas, Spago in a Forum Shops during Caesars Palace, blazing a trail for other chefs and restaurateurs to follow.Five more Las Vegas restaurants followed to critical acclaim. A longtime friend of mine, Wolf is a big supporter of our Keep Memory Alive galas that raise money for a downtown Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.Today, Wolf has 20 fine-dining restaurants stretching around a world from Las Vegas to Singapore to London. Adding to his ever-growing empire based in Las Vegas and L.A. with Las Vegas partners Tom Kaplan, David Robbins, Joe Essa and Lee Hefter, a critically acclaimed steakhouse CUT debuted in a Beverly Wilshire Hotel in 2006 and now includes outlets in a Palazzo and London.Wolf has won multiple James Beard Foundation Awards. In 1991, he became a first James Beard Foundation Outstanding Chef honoree and to date is still a only person to be awarded that honor twice. He has received a foundations Outstanding Restaurant Award for his Spago in Hollywood and has collected some of a foundations most notable honors, including induction into a Whos Who of Food and Beverage in America and a Humanitarian Award.He also has been an honoree during a foundations Chefs &! ; Champa gne party in a Hamptons, has received five Restaurant and Chef awards and served as a James Beard Foundation Awards host in 2010.It all represents a lifetime of achievement from a man whose motto is, Do what you love. Work hard. Be patient. And, with a little luck, you could succeed.Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent a past decade giving readers a inside dip on Las Vegas, a worlds premier platinum playground.Follow Robin Leach on Twitter during Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter during Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter during Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon. Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Super Bowl events in Las Vegas

2012-01-31T04:19:00.001-08:00

Super Bowl events in Las Vegas By Joyce Lupiani CREATED Jan. 20, 2012 Tweet Share Email Print Las Vegas, NV(KTNV) -- Several events will take place all over Las Vegas to help locals as well as tourists alike enjoy Super Bowl on February 5.America inside New York-New York will host a Showdown Sunday Party with packages starting during $65 per person as well as include reserved seating, a buffet as well as beverages throughout a game. The $65 package includes beer as well as wine; a $75 package includes house cocktails; as well as $90 package features premium cocktails. All packages include a buffet with classic tailgate foods such as buffalo wings, sliders as well as fries, prohibited dogs, Italian-style subs, beef chili, vegetable curette, chicken tenders, chips as well as salsa, mixed salads, as well as potato chips. 702-740-6019.Boulder Station, Railhead viewing party, doors open during 2 p.m. The Super Bowl viewing party will feature $6 wings, $5 nachos, $5 sliders, $3 prohibited dogs, $4 chili dogs, $2 chips, $4 cheese as well as pepperoni slices, $20 100 oz. Bud Light beer towers, $5 16 oz. aluminum beers, as well as $5 Cazadores shots as well as cocktails. 702-432-7777Cabo Wabo Cantina during Miracle Mile Shops will host a viewing party beginning during 2:30 p.m. The $55 package includes an all-you-can-eat buffet featuring wings, prohibited dogs, nachos as well as tacos. The $155 ticket includes all-you-can-eat buffet featuring wings, prohibited dogs, nachos as well as tacos as well as all-you-can-drink well drinks as well as drafts. Coor Light buckets will be available for $20. Coor Light giveaways will be awarded each quarter. 702-385-2226Crazy Horse IIIs party will be hosted by Jenny Hendrix. Cost is $30, which includes VIP entry, snacks as well as a first quarter open bar. Partygoers will also have a chance to win a 46-inch flat-screen TV. 702-673-1700Fiesta Henderson, Amigo's Mexican Restaurant's Tacos & ! Tequila Tailgate Party will start during 2 p.m. The party will feature an all-you-can-eat as well as drink buffet with nachos as well as salsa, beef as well as chicken tacos, Cholula chicken wings, taquitos, beef as well as chicken fajitas, rice as well as beans, churros, as well as sopapillas. Cost is $24.99 with Boarding Pass or $34.99 without. 702-558-7000Fiesta Henderson, Sports Book, will have $1 prohibited dogs, $1 Buds, buffalo wings for 50 cents each, cheese or pepperoni half-pizza for $4, $3 nachos with jalapenos as well as $1 jumbo cookies. 702-558-7000Gilleys Saloon as well as Dance Hall during Treasure Island will host a viewing party starting during noon. Admission is $99. Price includes BBQ pig sliders, prohibited dogs, popcorn, Southern-style chicken wings as well as more. There will also be prizes as well as giveaways throughout a game. 702-894-7111The Gold Coast will offer two free viewing parties in their Nevada as well as Arizona ballrooms. Food as well as drink specials will be available. 702-367-7111The Gold Spike will host a Big Gaming party featuring an all-you-can-eat buffet with prohibited dogs, chicken wings, chips, salsa as well as beans, as well as draft beer for $8.95 from 3 to 6 p.m. There will also be $2 PBRs for sale during a bar. Drawings as well as giveaways of Bud Light as well as Gold Spike merchandise during a game. 702-384-8444Jerrys Nugget will host a viewing party. Betting windows open during 6:30 a.m. Admission is free with a $20 wager. Free donuts as well as coffee. Beginning during 1 p.m., there will be $2 sandwiches, $2 quesadillas as well as $1 Budweisers. The Budweiser Girls will make an appearance during a game in a Race & Sports Book from 2:30 p.m. until halftime as well as will be giving away prizes. 702-399-3000Insert Coins on Fremont Street will host a Big Game Day Party featuring drink specials from Stoli, Budweiser as well as Red Bul as well as an all-you-can-eat buffet provided by Slidin Thru. Watch a game on a massive projection screen or one of a dozens! of TV s creens throughout a bar. Doors open during noon. Cover charge is $30. 702-477-2525.The Red Roosters 9th annual party will begin during 1 p.m. There will be tons of food, prizes as well as contests. The menu includes BBQ chicken, prohibited dogs, burgers, fruit as well as veggie platters, macaroni salad, cole slaw, as well as much more. Single women will be admitted free, $30 for couples, $40 for single men, $20 for military. 702-451-6661The third annual Lavo Bowl will take place during a Lavo Nightclub during The Palazzo. Cost is $175. Doors open during 2 p.m. Ticket price includes an open bar as well as an Italian buffet from 2 to 5 p.m. There are more than 20 TVs to watch a game on.The Lounge during The Palms. Doors open during 1 p.m. Admission is free. There will be a tailgate buffet, $3 16 oz. Miller Lite drafts as well as $2 shots of Jagermeister. First come, first served. 702-791-1800The Joint during a Hard Rock Hotel will host a Super Sunday Party. Tickets are $49 as well as include third floor seating, buffet stations, as well as six-bottle bucket of beer. A wristband can be purchased during a Hard Rock Store. 702-693-5000Olympic Gardens will host a viewing party. For $25, you will receive guaranteed VIP admission, two drink tickets, a complimentary buffet, as well as a chance to win many raffle prizes including a 2011 BMW G650 GS. A $99 Super Weekend Package includes a free limo ride, free admission to a Super Sunday Party, as well as two drinks. 702-385-9361PBR Rock Bar & Grill during Miracle Mile Shops will host a Big Game Party. Watch a game on 105 HD TVs. Tickets are $100. Open bar featuring domestic drafts as well as well drinks. Special food menu. For a $200 minimum purchase of food as well as drink from a regular menu, guests will have a guaranteed seat to watch a game. 702-750-1685.The Pub during a Monte Carlo will host a viewing party that will feature buffet-style food stations, build-your-own cocktail bars, giveaways each quarter for bar tabs, jersey giveaways as well as much more! . Cost i s $39 for all-you-can-eat; $79 for all-you-can-eat as well as drink; as well as $250 for all-you-can-eat as well as drink as well as front-row seating. 702-730-7974Diablos during a Monte Carlo will feature $15 pitchers of Tecate as well as Dos XX, giveaways during a game for Best Buy gift cards, t-shirts, hats as well as table seating for a UFC closed-circuit event, as well as a half-time prohibited wing eating contest. 702-730-7979Brand Steakhouse during a Monte Carlo will feature sofa seating, stadium food seating, $4 Budweisers, $5 Heineken as well as Coronas, as well as $4 Skyy vodka cocktails. 702-693-8300The Rhumbar during The Mirage will host a viewing party on its patio. Doors open during 1 p.m. Cost is $150. Food as well as drink specials prohibited links, nachos, prohibited dogs, Rhumbars Bloody Marys as well as more. 702-792-7615The Rockhouse Bar & Nightclub in front of a Imperial Palace will host a viewing party. Cost is $100 for all-you-can-drink. Add delicious chicken wings, prohibited dogs as well as fries for $25 more. Table reservations as well as bottle service is available. The Rockhouse has 28 HD TVs. Doors open during 9 a.m. 702-731-9683Sapphire will host a party for a Super Bowl. Admission is $75 as well as will include VIP seating, complimentary transportation, front-of-the-line admission, a tailgate buffet, a raffle as well as prizes.702-796-6000The 6500 Tavern, 6500 W. Sahara Ave., is having its sixth annual bowl bash beginning during 2 p.m. The party will feature two-for-drinks, half-priced tapas from Sammys, cash prizes as well as NFL merchandise drawings.The South Point will host 3 parties for a big game. They will take place in a showroom, Grand Ballroom as well as Napa Ballroom. Admission is free. Drink prices range from $3 to $15 with $4 Crown Royal as well as $4 Captain Morgan. Food specials range from $1 to $4 featuring $1 prohibited dogs, $3 Big Game nachos as well as $4 boneless buffalo wings. 702-796-7111The Society Caf during Encore will host a party featuring unl! imited f ood for $95 per person. The caf has created a special tailgate menu as well as will also have drink specials. 702-770-7000Spearmint Rhinos viewing party will feature massive HD TVs, a huge buffet, as well as raffles with prizes. Four packages are available: For $50, you will receive free limo transportation, VIP back door entry, no cover charge for one person, VIP seating, massive HD viewing screens, one drink, as well as a buffet; The single bottle package for $400 includes free limo transportation, VIP back door entry, no cover charge for 5 people, one premium bottle, exclusive VIP seating, premium table, massive HD viewing screens, lavish buffet, raffles as well as prizes; The double bottle package for $650 includes free limo transportation, VIP back door entry, no cover charge for 8 people, 2 premium bottles, exclusive VIP seating, premium table as well as seating, massive HD viewing screens, lavish buffet, raffles as well as prizes; as well as a MVP Star Package for $12,500 includes free limo transportation, VIP back door entry, no cover charge for 8 people, 5 bottles of Cristal, 5 bottles of Belvedere, 1 bottle of Louis XIII, as well as premium table as well as seating. 702-966-2702If you would like to add your party to this list, please send info to desk@ktnv.com. 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Feeling like getting trashy for spring break? Men's magazine says Las Vegas is the place

2012-01-30T05:13:00.001-08:00

MTV Wiz Khalifa is met with approval at a Palms pool and bungalows during spring breakcelebrations. By Sun Staff (contact) Monday, Jan. 30, 2012 | 2:01 a.m. Attribute it to a alcohol-infused pool party scene, a skimpy nightclub attire and the, shall we say, limited dress code at Las Vegas strip clubs.Whatever a reasons, Coed Magazine made Las Vegas its No. 1 pick for trashiest spring break destination.The lists authors described its ranking best: Lets be real, anything involving MTV Spring Break is bound to bring out a trash in anyone. Last year, MTVs Spring Break set up shop at a Palms, bringing to town Pauly D from a Jersey Shore, Wiz Khalifa and Pitbull, among others.Plus, Las Vegas somewhat reasonably priced hotel rooms make it an ideal getaway for a quintessential broke college student, a authors said.Other hot spots that made a list include Key West, Fla.; South Padre Island, Texas; Daytona Beach, Fla.; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Miami Beach, Fla.; Panama City Beach, Fla.; Fort Myers, Fla.; Lake Havasu City, Ariz.; and San Diego.Its safe to say all locations include an unhealthy dose of college shenanigans. Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Charity in the Las Vegas Valley

2012-01-30T05:11:00.005-08:00

Monday30 January 20122 a.m. A rundown of Las Vegas Valley business' charitable efforts:Employees of MGM Resorts International raised $4.6 million last year in support of more than 1,000 community-based nonprofit organizations in Nevada, Michigan and Mississippi, as well as other regional and national nonprofit organizations. The MGM Resorts Foundation, the companys employee-directed nonprofit entity, supports community charities by distributing individual donations designated by employees and by issuing grants to community nonprofits selected by its employee grants council. MGM Resorts covers all of the administrative costs required to raise and disburse the funds.Four Clark County School District librarians were honored in December as librarians of the week by SuperPawn employees, who reviewed nomination letters submitted by their peers. They will each receive the $1,000 cash award from SuperPawn to be used to enhance their school library, along with the piece of fine jewelry from National Jewelry Liquidation Center.The honorees are: Rebecca Hunt, C.T. Sewell Elementary School; Tiffany Swallia, Jessie D. Scott Elementary School; Michelle Zamora, Lois Craig Elementary School; and Sharon Thomas, Katz Elementary School.Communities In Schools of Nevada raised $5,000 at the Dec. 4 event at Stella McCartney inside Crystals at CityCenter. A portion of the days purchases were designated to helping the organization in its mission of serving at-risk children in Nevada.For the second year in the row, Panattoni Development Company donated an 11-week lease to the City Mission of Las Vegas, for use in storing and organizing non-perishable items for holiday food drives. The nonprofit delivered more than 700 boxes of food to local residents during the holidays.Celine Dion, Caesars Entertainment and AEG Live collaborated on Jan. 15 to produce Play Without Pain: Childrens Sickle Cell Benefit. The benefit raised $1 million to help to help fight sickle cell anemia. Th! e benefi t included the special presentation of Celine Dions current show at Caesars Palace and the reception at PURE Nightclub sponsored by Southern Wine & Spirits.Some 50 homeless youths became rock stars Dec. 10, when they were transformed by hair stylists and make-up artists, then photographed professionally, all by local professionals volunteering their time. The event was organized by HELP of Southern Nevada and held at the Shannon West Homeless Youth Center, and was part of Help-Portrait, the global movement of photographers using their time, equipment and expertise for charitable purposes.Professional rodeo competitor Trevor Brazile and the United States Marines teamed up with Western lifestyle manufacturer Pro Equine Group to benefit the Marine Toys For Tots Foundations charity during rodeos championship competition at National Finals Rodeo. Toys For Tots focuses on needy children during the holiday season.Feed The Children collaborated with Speedway Childrens Charities and Las Vegas Motor Speedway to deliver two truckloads of food and essentials to The Shade Tree on Dec. 13. An estimated 800 families received food and items designed to help the family of four for the week and was part of the nationwide effort by Feed The Children and Speedway Childrens Charities to help families in need.Golden Rainbow has received the $25,000 grant from MAC Cosmetics AIDS Fund. The funds will be used to support the HIV/AIDS nonprofit organizations Affordable Housing Program, which is designed for people living with HIV/AIDS in Southern Nevada who would otherwise be homeless. Share Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Southwest-AirTran merger looking like a blessing for Las Vegans

2012-01-30T05:11:00.003-08:00

Steve Marcus Las Vegas Strip casinos are viewed from the window of a Southwest Airlines passenger jet as it takes off from McCarran International Airport on Dec. 9,2011. By Richard N. Velotta (contact) Monday30 January 20122 a.m. Richard N. Velotta Airline mergers and consolidations usually mean bad news for the cities served by the merging partners.Not only do consumers have one less choice when making comparisons among carriers, but some flights simply disappear as the emerged airline makes business decisions on where to commit aircraft.But thats not always the case, and Las Vegas has tended to benefit when airlines merge.Delta Air Lines, for example, currently operates 40 flights a day between Las Vegas and the various hub airports it feeds into the Delta network Atlanta, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Detroit, New York Kennedy, Memphis, Cincinnati and Salt Lake City.Back in 2007, Delta and Northwest Airlines, which merged a year later, had a combined 29 daily flights.The jury is still out on the result for Las Vegas of the United-Continental merger. According to McCarran International Airport statistics, Continental now has 16 flights a day while United has 27. In January 2007, Continental had 16 and United 38, an strong de-emphasis that isnt complete.But a recent announcement by Southwest Airlines regarding progress in its merger with AirTran gives reason for optimism that Las Vegas not only would get additional seats to the market but a new list of cities with nonstop or direct service by the Dallas-based carrier, the busiest during McCarran with 194 flights a day.(A little statistical disclosure here: Southwest counts its daily flights differently than McCarran. If Southwest operates a flight six days a week, it considers it daily while McCarran breaks down the totals with decimal points.! )The Jan . 20 announcement, which didnt get much play in Las Vegas because it doesnt really directly affect us for now, was Southwests cut list which AirTran cities would and wouldnt have flights when the conversion was complete. Of the 69 cities AirTran served when Southwest acquired it in May, 53 will convert to full Southwest service.Some cities, like Las Vegas, were already served by both Southwest and AirTran. But some will lose AirTran and wont get picked up by Southwest beginning Aug. 12. Those are Allentown and Harrisburg, Pa.; Lexington, Ky.; Sarasota, Fla.; Huntsville, Ala.; and White Plains, N.Y. ASSOCIATED PRESS An AirTran jet approaches Philadelphia International Airport in October 2010. As of today, Southwest has nonstop flights from Las Vegas to 52 cities 72 percent of its route map. When fully converted, Southwest will take on 24 new AirTran cities.Las Vegas is, unquestionably, one of Southwests most popular destinations. Were the second-largest destination in the Southwest system behind Chicagos Midway Airport. While the airline hasnt made any announcements, it wouldnt be a stretch to assume that some of those 24 new cities would have nonstop routes to and from McCarran.Based on Southwests history, it would be unlikely to assume wed see any nonstop flights to, say, Key West, Fla. Or Portland, Maine. Its also unlikely thered be any new nonstops to Southwests new Caribbean destinations.The AirTran merger will put Southwest well into the southeast: When converted, Southwest will take on Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Aruba; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Bermuda; and Nassau, Bahamas.Some of the more likely candidates for nonstop flights are seven cities that currently have no nonstop service to Las Vegas: Flint, Mich.; Rochester, N.Y.; Pensacola, Fla.; Dayton, Ohio; Richmond, Va.; Akron-Canton, Ohio; and Branson, Mo.Five other cities that will be taken on by Southwest already are served by o! ther air lines, including Las Vegas-based Allegiant, so there either could be new competition or a route shake-out: Charlotte, N.C. (US Airways); Memphis, Tenn. (Delta); Wichita, Kan.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Des Moines, Iowa (all Allegiant).The AirTran acquisition also has opened the door for Southwest to fly to Mexico, a much more likely prospect for Las Vegas nonstops. Southwest has agreed to serve Cancun and late last year, the airlines announced that AirTran would begin flights to Mexico City on May 24 and San Jose Cabo on June 3. Those flights eventually will convert to Southwest.The airline also has announced that the conversion to Southwest has begun during airports currently served by both carriers, like Las Vegas. Seattle will be the first to be fully converted with completion scheduled by Aug. 12. Other announcements are scheduled in the months ahead.Just think: It was 30 years ago last week that Southwest first arrived in Las Vegas with just five daily nonstop flights to Houston and Phoenix. Share Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Las Vegas billionaire turns around Gingrich campaign

2012-01-30T05:11:00.001-08:00

By Bo Emerson The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionSheldon Adelson was just another billionaire until his money powered Newt Gingrich to the handy win in South Carolina. With the $5 million infusion -- followed by another after Gingrich's victory there -- the Las Vegas entrepreneur who owns casinos and convention centers in the U.S. and Asia went from longtime supporter to kingmaker.His first donation to the pro-Gingrich Super PAC, Winning Our Future, financed an enormous barrage of negative ads and the half-hour movie that portrayed Republican front-runner Mitt Romney as the heartless corporate raider who sacrificed the jobs of thousands for his own enrichment. In South Carolina Gingrich finished 14 percentage points ahead. The second gift, made in the name of Adelson's wife, Dr. Miriam Adelson, helped make Gingrich competitive in the run-up to tomorrow's crucial Florida primary.Their gifts demonstrate how the wealth of the single family can change the course of the presidential race. They also show how U.S. relations with Israel, the perennial issue among Republican nominees, may figure even more prominently in this election season.Miriam Adelson, who met her husband on the blind date, was born in Israel and maintains dual citizenship. Sheldon Adelson has donated tens of millions to Israeli institutions, and has worked vigorously to support hard-liners against those who would accommodate Palestinian claims.In Gingrich he has found the champion. There is not the better advocate for Israel, Adelson, 78, told columnist Gary Rosenblatt of the Jewish Week. In the recent interview Gingrich described the Palestinians as "an invented people," drawing criticism from many but approval from Adelson. "Read the history," Adelson told an audience of hundreds of young visitors to Israel over the recent Hanukkah holiday. The young adults were flown to Israel through the program called Birthright Israel, which Adelson has given more than $100 million.The Adelsons met Gingrich when he introduced the Jerusalem Embassy Act! in 1995 ,which would have recognized Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel and moved the U.S. embassy to that city from Tel Aviv. While the act was passed by Congress that October, no U.S. president has implemented it, citing security concerns and bowing to the U.N. consensus that Jerusalem is an international treasure, separate from both the Jewish and Arab states.Gingrich has said that as president he would implement the embassy act on his first day in office.The Adelsons, who were in Washington in 1995 to lobby for passage of the act, became Gingrich supporters. Later Adelson donated $1 million to Gingrich's American Solutions for Winning the Future, the tax-exempt organization known for promoting oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.When Ted Koppel asked Gingrich what Adelson might expect for his money, Gingrich told him, "He knows that I'm very pro-Israel and thats the central value of his life. Hes very worried that Israel is going to not survive."Adelson consultant Sig Rogich confirms that view. Adelson, he said, "thinks that little bastion of democracy over there is vital to our interest in the world, and he believes that they're fighting for their lives, and is going to do everything he can to help them."Rogich, like others close to Adelson, downplays the magnitude of the super PAC donations, pointing out that Adelson gives more money to other causes, including drug treatment centers in the U.S. and Israel, the private school in Las Vegas and the Yad Vashem holocaust center in Israel, to which he has given more than $50 million.(The Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Educational Campus in Las Vegas, built with $25 million of Adelson's money, will also be the site of special evening voting during Saturday's Nevada caucus, arranged so that observant Jews and Seventh Day Adventists can cast their votes without violating the Saturday sabbath.)The son of the taxi driver, Adelson grew up in the tough Boston neighborhood and was motivated to earn money from childhood, hawking newspapers, running ! the vend ing machine business and studying to be the court reporter.His various ventures didn't always pay off. According to the New Yorker he had earned and lost the fortune twice before 1979, when he created Comdex, the trade show in Las Vegas that expanded rapidly with the growth of the computer industry. (Comdex began holding spring shows in Atlanta in 1983, and for years was the among the city's largest trade shows.)In 1989 Adelson bought the historic Sands Hotel and opened the 1.2 million square-foot Sands Convention Center next door. Business leaders mocked him -- the city already had the 1.3 million square-foot Las Vegas Convention Center -- but hotels sprang up, and the inventory of thousands of rooms kept both facilities busy. Las Vegas became one of the most important convention destinations in the country, eclipsing Atlanta and the host of other cities.Said Rogich: "He kind of transformed the town."Then, in 2004, Adelson opened his Sands Macau in the former Portuguese colony. It was followed by the $2.4 billion Venetian Macau and properties in Singapore. With his Asian ventures, Adelson multiplied his fortune several times over. He is worth $21.5 billion and is the 8th richest man in America, according to Forbes, putting him just behind hedge-fund billionaire George Soros, who is also fond of giving millions to political causes.Outside of their commitment to Israel, Adelson and Gingrich share an instinct to go against the grain. In one of his infrequent interviews, Adelson told the television reporter that the secret of success is "do things in life the way other people don't do them."Gingrich, the architect of the Republican Revolution, would almost certainly agree.Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Las Vegas casinos relying more on baccarat, high-roller Asian gamblers who prefer the game

2012-01-26T03:32:00.003-08:00

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - In the days before the Chinese New Year celebration began this week, six high rollers sat down at the private baccarat tables one day at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas as well as began throwing down wagers of $100,000 to $200,000 a hand. It was a scene hardly out of place these days in Sin City.Big-time gamblers, primarily from Asia, are flocking to Las Vegas to play baccarat as well as providing a big lift to the overall bottom line of the city's casinos.Baccarat has easily surpassed blackjack in terms of casino revenue in Las Vegas as well as now represents nearly 60 per cent of the MGM Grand's table games revenue over the past year. It's especially popular this week with tens of thousands of tourists from Asia in town to celebrate the Chinese New Year."For us to make money in gaming today without baccarat is almost impossible," said Debra Nutton, senior vice-president of casino operations at the MGM Grand hotel-casino. "We need the big whales to make money."In Las Vegas parlance, a "whale" is a big-time gambler who easily wagers more in one night at the tables than most American families make in a year. Casinos cater to them with plush, secluded gambling salons inside the top casinos with baccarat games that often start out at a minimum $10,000 per hand.The whales typically favour baccarat a game romanticized in James Bond flicks as well as highly popular in Macau as well as Singapore.The game is built on a simple premise: Who will end up with a better hand, the player or the banker? Gamblers are dealt two cards as well as predict whether they will beat the banker, typically a position that rotates among the players at the table. Smaller tables, known as midi-baccarat, start at $100 limits as well as look more like large blackjack tables, skipping the rotating banker as well as leaving that role to the dealer. Even smaller-limit tables are called mini-baccarat.Nevada figures show that during the 12 months ending Nov. 30, casinos statewide won $1.27 billion from baccarat players, wit! h the ga me offered at 258 total tables in 24 casinos. Blackjack, meanwhile, pulled in just $1.03 billion even though it was offered across 2,810 tables in 151 casinos.While casinos hope to pocket 12 per cent of the money wagered on baccarat, the large amounts played in fewer bets mean big swings in revenue quarter to quarter, depending on how lucky the gamblers are.Slots are still the most popular as well as lucrative form of gambling in Nevada, with nearly 165,000 machines over 330 locations including supermarket, gas stations as well as airports.Baccarat has been the most lucrative table game since 2009, as well as has been increasing its share since then, according to an analysis of gambling revenues by Dave Schwartz, director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.That's even though the game isn't widely offered, he said."The real high-end play is happening in maybe six or seven casinos," Schwartz said.As Americans struggled during the Great Recession, Las Vegas casinos have worked harder to increase tourism from wealthy international visitors, especially Asians. Their game of choice, casinos say, is baccarat.The MGM Grand is among those Strip casinos counting on their highest of high rollers coming to town this weekend for the Chinese New Year. Nutton said her casino could double the number of baccarat tables during the Chinese New Year as well as still be busy.In addition to private flights as well as luxury accommodations, Nutton said casinos around Las Vegas attract baccarat play year-round by offering high-roller tournaments with million-dollar prize pools.One three-day tournament held at the MGM Grand's mansion casino in early October cost $5,000 to enter as well as offered the winner $750,000, seven others at least $10,000 each, all participants a brand new tablet computer as well as a drawing among finalists for a 2012 BMW convertible.Similar tournaments run several times a year around Sin City, Nutton said, in hopes that entrants will also play on their own as well! as come back to each particular casino again.Wynn Resorts Ltd. as well as Las Vegas Sands Corp., which run two casinos each on the Las Vegas Strip, derive the majority of their revenue from Asia, where baccarat is the undisputed king of games.Caesars Entertainment Corp., which owns or manages 52 casinos in 12 U.S. states as well as seven countries, reported $6.66 billion in revenue from baccarat during the first 9 months of 2011. Over the same time, Sands with four casino-resorts in baccarat-heavy Asia as well as three in the United States beat that with $6.87 billion.The casinos are fiercely competing for a relatively small number of players who can afford five- or six-figure bets, Nutton said."There's only that select universe," she said.Schwartz said that if casinos become more dependent on baccarat's bottom line, they're in for less predictable results. From 2004 to 2010, baccarat showed to have the biggest variance among casino games in its hold percentage, the amount of money casinos keep from the amount wagered.Hold is generally governed by complex math, designed so gamblers slowly lose money as well as the house always wins overall.Between 2004 as well as 2010, the average hold for baccarat was 11.7 per cent, but casinos statewide saw monthly hold for the game as high as 19.5 per cent or as low as 3.6 per cent.If a player gets lucky one day as well as quickly wins several million dollars, casinos are reminded of it when they inform their quarterly results, Schwartz said."A lot of the more business-oriented folks don't like this kind of volatility in the company," he said. "It's lucrative, but it's also risky."Steve Rosen, chief marketing officer at Santo Gaming , which runs the Plaza Las Vegas casino in downtown Las Vegas, said he still expects baccarat to become more popular as more people learn to play, casinos add more tables designed for smaller limits as well as companies keep pushing to attract Asian customers."I think a lot of casinos are trying to, they just don't understand how yet. You're go! ing to s ee more as well as more baccarat as well as you're going to see baccarat become more mainstream," Rosen said. "You can't have 91 per cent of revenues across the world coming from one game as well as not have people here paying attention to it."Tim Fong, co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program, said several cultural factors among Asians combine to encourage gambling, especially during the holiday.Generations of Chinese citizens, for example, accept gambling in society as well as also strongly value notions of luck as well as predetermined destiny, Fong said. Many lived as farmers or peasants before China liberalized its economy, as well as looked forward to the new year in part because it was the only time they could take a genuine break from work."It's much more driven by (the idea that) things are predetermined. It's kind of, well, this is our opportunity to almost test the fates, test our luck as to what's in store for us for the next coming year," Fong said. "There's a lot of value placed on if you do as well as win really well ... then you're going to have a great year."It's kind of like a little litmus test, if you will," he said.___Oskar Garcia can be reached at http://twitter.com/oskargarciaPowered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Vegas casinos relying more on baccarat

2012-01-26T03:32:00.002-08:00

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- In the days before the Chinese New Year celebration began this week, six high rollers sat down at the private baccarat tables one day at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and began throwing down wagers of $100,000 to $200,000 a hand. It was a scene hardly out of place these days in Sin City. Big-time gamblers, primarily from Asia, are flocking to Las Vegas to play baccarat and providing a big lift to the overall bottom line of the city's casinos. Baccarat has easily surpassed blackjack in terms of casino revenue in Las Vegas and now represents nearly 60 percent of the MGM Grand's table games revenue over the past year. It's especially popular this week with tens of thousands of tourists from Asia in town to celebrate the Chinese New Year. "For us to make money in gaming today without baccarat is almost impossible," said Debra Nutton, senior vice president of casino operations at the MGM Grand hotel-casino. "We need the big whales to make money." In Las Vegas parlance, a "whale" is a big-time gambler who easily wagers more in one night at the tables than most American families make in a year. Casinos cater to them with plush, secluded gambling salons inside the top casinos with baccarat games that mostly start out at a minimum $10,000 per hand. The whales typically favor baccarat a game romanticized in James Bond flicks and highly popular in Macau and Singapore. The game is built on a simple premise: Who will end up with a better hand, the player or the banker? Gamblers are dealt two cards and predict whether they will beat the banker, typically a position that rotates among the players at the table. Smaller tables, known as midi-baccarat, start at $100 limits and look more like large blackjack tables, skipping the rotating banker and leaving that role to the dealer. Even smaller-limit tables are called mini-baccarat. Nevada figures show that during the ! 12 month s ending Nov. 30, casinos statewide won $1.27 billion from baccarat players, with the game offered at 258 total tables in 24 casinos. Blackjack, meanwhile, pulled in just $1.03 billion even though it was offered across 2,810 tables in 151 casinos. While casinos hope to pocket 12 percent of the money wagered on baccarat, the large amounts played in fewer bets mean big swings in revenue quarter to quarter, depending on how lucky the gamblers are. Slots are still the most popular and lucrative form of gambling in Nevada, with nearly 165,000 machines over 330 locations including supermarket, gas stations and airports. Baccarat has been the most lucrative table game since 2009, and has been increasing its share since then, according to an analysis of gambling revenues by Dave Schwartz, director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. That's even though the game isn't widely offered, he said. "The real high-end play is happening in maybe six or seven casinos," Schwartz said. As Americans struggled during the Great Recession, Las Vegas casinos have worked harder to increase tourism from wealthy international visitors, especially Asians. Their game of choice, casinos say, is baccarat. The MGM Grand is among those Strip casinos counting on their highest of high rollers coming to town this weekend for the Chinese New Year. Nutton said her casino could double the number of baccarat tables during the Chinese New Year and still be busy. In addition to private flights and luxury accommodations, Nutton said casinos around Las Vegas attract baccarat play year-round by offering high-roller tournaments with million-dollar prize pools. One three-day tournament held at the MGM Grand's mansion casino in early October cost $5,000 to enter and offered the winner $750,000, seven others at least $10,000 each, all participants a brand new table! t comput er and a drawing among finalists for a 2012 BMW convertible. Similar tournaments run several times a year around Sin City, Nutton said, in hopes that entrants will also play on their own and come back to each particular casino again. Wynn Resorts Ltd. and Las Vegas Sands Corp., which run two casinos each on the Las Vegas Strip, derive the majority of their revenue from Asia, where baccarat is the undisputed king of games. Caesars Entertainment Corp., which owns or manages 52 casinos in 12 U.S. states and seven countries, reported $6.66 billion in revenue from baccarat during the first 9 months of 2011. Over the same time, Sands with four casino-resorts in baccarat-heavy Asia and three in the United States beat that with $6.87 billion. The casinos are fiercely competing for a relatively small number of players who can afford five- or six-figure bets, Nutton said. "There's only that select universe," she said. Schwartz said that if casinos become more dependent on baccarat's bottom line, they're in for less predictable results. From 2004 to 2010, baccarat showed to have the biggest variance among casino games in its hold percentage, the amount of money casinos keep from the amount wagered. Hold is generally governed by complex math, designed so gamblers slowly lose money and the house always wins overall. Between 2004 and 2010, the average hold for baccarat was 11.7 percent, but casinos statewide saw monthly hold for the game as high as 19.5 percent or as low as 3.6 percent. If a player gets lucky one day and quickly wins several million dollars, casinos are reminded of it when they report their quarterly results, Schwartz said. "A lot of the more business-oriented folks don't like this kind of volatility in the company," he said. "It's lucrative, but it's also risky." Steve Rosen, chief marketing officer at Santo Gaming! , which runs the Plaza Las Vegas casino in downtown Las Vegas, said he still expects baccarat to become more popular as more people learn to play, casinos add more tables designed for not as big limits and companies keep pushing to attract Asian customers. "I think a lot of casinos are trying to, they just don't understand how yet. You're going to see more and more baccarat and you're going to see baccarat become more mainstream," Rosen said. "You can't have 91 percent of revenues across the world coming from one game and not have people here paying attention to it." Tim Fong, co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program, said several cultural factors among Asians combine to encourage gambling, especially during the holiday. Generations of Chinese citizens, for example, accept gambling in society and also strongly value notions of luck and predetermined destiny, Fong said. Many lived as farmers or peasants before China liberalized its economy, and looked forward to the new year in part because it was the only time they could take a genuine break from work. "It's much more driven by (the idea that) things are predetermined. It's kind of, well, this is our opportunity to almost test the fates, test our luck as to what's in store for us for the next coming year," Fong said. "There's a lot of value placed on if you do and win really well ... then you're going to have a great year. "It's kind of like a little litmus test, if you will," he said. ___ Oskar Garcia can be reached at http://twitter.com/oskargarcia Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Obama Drops In To Promote Alternative Fuels

2012-01-26T03:32:00.001-08:00

President Barack Obama today will visit a UPS plant in Las Vegas to promote a national transition to alternative fuels, including natural gas to power trucks that deliver millions of packages to Americans' doorsteps and offices every day.During his morning tour, Obama plans to announce the public opening of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) station near the United Parcel Service hub. The Clean Energy Station is a link in the first multistate transportation corridor stretching from the port of Long Beach, Calif., to Salt Lake City.Obama's push to develop more U.S. natural gas resources is part of his election-year pitch to make use of funding incentives and tax credits to encourage more clean energy make use of and lessen U.S. dependence on foreign oil. The president laid out his energy plan in Tuesday's State of the Union address before traveling to five battleground states to make his case."This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy -- a strategy that's cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs," Obama said Tuesday.Obama's overnight stop in Las Vegas comes in the middle of a three-day, five-state tour of 2012 battlegrounds he hopes to win for a second term: Iowa, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Michigan.The president arrived Wednesday evening. But he didn't attend any campaign fundraising events as he typically does in Las Vegas, including one hold last October at the Bellagio. His post-State of the Union tour included only official events, although that didn't stop Republican critics from accusing Obama of using this week's travel as a re-election trip paid for by American taxpayers."When his focus should be on jobs for struggling Americans, it's clear President Obama has abandoned governing and is in complete campaign mode with one thing in mind, saving his own job," said Ryan Mahoney, spokesman for the Republican National Committee. "Instead of campaign stops in battleground states, Barack Obama should be more focused on getting ou! r econom y back on track and putting the millions of unemployed back to work."Jennifer Duffy, an analyst for The Cook Political Report, said Obama needs to get out among voters to sell proposals he laid out in his annual address to Congress, especially as Democrats and Republicans engage in an all-out fight for control of the U.S. House, Senate and the White House."This is purely a message trip," Duffy said. "I think we can say that there's no fundraising, but he is certainly campaigning. I think the fundraising part is best left out of this trip."Although Obama's stop in Las Vegas is focused on clean energy, he pitched its development as a move to create jobs and a growing future industry. That message is aimed at Nevadans who remain out of work with unemployment at 12.6 percent, the highest in the nation.The Silver State also is ripe for development of solar, wind and geothermal power.Obama estimated 600,000 jobs could be created over the next decade by extracting natural gas from shale rock, a process called "fracking." Critics fright the process contaminates underground water aquifers, but he said federal and local regulators will protect the environment and people from risk."We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 100 years," Obama said Tuesday. "And my administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy."The UPS Las Vegas transport hub got $5.6 million in 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help buy nearly 60 long-haul, 18-wheeler trucks that make use of liquefied natural gas. The cost-share project is part of the Obama administration's "clean cities" program.Kara Ross, a UPS spokeswoman, said the LNG trucks are among 2,600 of the company's vehicles nationwide that make use of alternative fuels, including ones powered by electricity for short trips."We call it our rolling laboratory," Ross said of UPS efforts to find the best clean fuel mix for its short-, medium- and long-haul vehicles. "It's all about getting the best fuel savings."Ji! m Bruce, an alternative fuel expert for UPS, said heavy trucks make use of up to 100 gallons a day in diesel, while the LNG vehicles need only a 5 percent mix of diesel for ignition."We're saving hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel per truck. And you know a big chunk of that is coming from oil supplies from the Middle East," Bruce said.About 500 people work at the UPS facility, which is near McCarran International Airport. Several hundred of them have been invited to hear Obama's 10 a.m. speech at the plant, according to UPS.Local officials also are expected to attend, but the public wasn't invited.Bruce said workers spent much of this week cleaning the place from top to bottom."The facility is being scrubbed and painted until you can eat your dinner on the floor," Bruce said.Obama didn't stay Wednesday night on the Strip but decided to sleep in a suburban hotel so he wouldn't obstruct traffic, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman said.Goodman was the only elected official who greeted Obama at the airport Wednesday night."I think everybody is trying to protect their positions," Goodman said of the absence of other prominent Nevada politicians -- perhaps Democrats who might not want to appear with the president in a close election year or Republicans who don't agree with his policies.Her reason for acting as a local ambassador to Obama was simple."He's president of the United States, and we need his help," said Goodman, an independent who doesn't plan to endorse anyone in the presidential election. "Let's get the show on the road."The president lingered on the plane for about 20 minutes so a commercial flight with a medical emergency could land. The motorcade needed to drive across the tarmac on its way out.White House officials said Obama's UPS stop is aimed at highlighting "the importance of American workers developing American-made energy" for "an economy that's built to last."Developing an economy "built to last" was the theme of Obama's Tuesday speech.After Obama's Las Vegas stop, the president is scheduled to vi! sit the Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colo. There, he will promote energy security before heading to Michigan tonight.Obama plans to make several other announcements today aimed at developing more energy, including new oil lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico, administration officials said.The president outlined the plans in his State of the Union address, including:Making 38 million acres available in the Gulf of Mexico for oil lease sales, which could result in the production of 1 billion barrels of oil and 4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.Offering new incentives for medium- and heavy-duty trucks that run on natural gas or other alternative fuels, launching a competitive grant program to support communities developing clean energy, and supporting programs to convert municipal buses and trucks to run on natural gas.Supporting clean energy manufacturing with tax incentives, which could create up to 100,000 jobs, and the Production Tax Credit to support investment in wind and solar technologies.Opening public lands to private investment in clean energy and issuing permits for 10 gigawatts of renewable generation capacity by the end of 2012, enough to power 3 million homes.Committing the Navy to adding 1 gigawatt of renewable energy from solar, wind and geothermal to its installations, enough to power 250,000 homes.Stephens Media Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault and Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Trevon Milliard contributed to this story. Contact reporter Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919. Follow @lmyerslvrj on Twitter. Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Young Performers To Share Talent

2012-01-26T03:31:00.003-08:00

All New Used Certified Pre-Owned Make Model Select Max Price1,0002,0005,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,00055,00060,00065,00070,00075,00080,00085,00090,00095,000100,000120,000150,000Select Year1996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011 Within: 0510255075100150250500miles of Zip: Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

The gym will totally still be there after you finish that creme brulee.

2012-01-26T03:31:00.001-08:00

Party like it's 999Cat men, roman soldiers, knights and winches flocked...Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

After 78 Years, Centenarian Knows Secret To Long, Happy Marriage

2012-01-25T04:53:00.002-08:00

Want to know the key to the long and happy marriage from an expert?"Every day ask her how she feels and 'Is there anything I can do for you?'" Wilbur Faiss of Las Vegas said. "And say, 'Honey, I still love you.'"Faiss, 100, clearly speaks from experience. He and his wife, Theresa, 96, were married some-more than 78 years ago in Centralia, Ill.The Worldwide Marriage Encounter announced Tuesday that the Faisses are the winners of its longest-married couple contest for 2012. Three alternative couples who have longer marriages, and are still alive, have been honored by the faith-based organization in past years, according to Dick Baumback, who oversees the program.A New Mexico couple, who celebrate their 83rd anniversary Feb. 14, were honored last year, and two others have been married some-more than 80 years.Theresa suffers from "old people's illness," her husband said, and seldom talks with anyone alternative than him or their sons.But Faiss, the Nevada state senator from 1976 to 1984, remains mentally sharp, attributing that to his daily work on crossword puzzles.They have lived in Summerlin since 1985.Son Bob, the lawyer and shareholder with Lionel Sawyer and Collins, helps with their finances, and son Don helps with cooking, shopping and household work.Wilbur Faiss is thrilled at the honor, particularly because of the bad reputation Las Vegas has for quickie celebrity marriages. Singer Britney Spears' Las Vegas marriage to high school sweetheart Jason Alexander in 2004 lasted 55 hours."Las Vegas is the marriage capital of the United States," Faiss said. "Sure there are misses. But there are misses in Chicago and every alternative city. We live in the good neighborhood, quiet, with no yelling and fisticuffs. I don't think there is any better neighborhood in the country."Will fell in love with Theresa at first sight. He was skating at the drum rink in his hometown of Centralia, 60 miles east of St. Louis, when he spied the pretty girl sitting in the crowd."I was the hot shot on skates, and she was by! far the most beautiful girl in the audience," he recalled.So he put on the demonstration and then skated over and asked her for the date.She accepted. They were married by the justice of the peace the year later -- April 14, 1933. It was in the middle of the Great Depression, so there was no long honeymoon or expensive gifts. They moved in with her parents and stayed there for some-more than the year."I was working for the shoe factory for $25 the week," Faiss said. "That was extra good since almost half of the people didn't have the job."Jerry and Mary Hughes, the Boulder City couple, often have Sunday breakfasts and spend holidays with the Faisses and their family."Theresa used to comment on the service we received at restaurants. I remember she would say, 'I never would send those things out of the kitchen,'" Mary Hughes recalled. "She was the hard worker known for her apple pies. They stuck it out all of these years and made it work."Jerry Hughes remembers the couple of young people asking them how they managed to stay married so long."He talked about give and take and be willing to compromise," Hughes said. "'It is too bad political parties can't do that.' That is what he said. I agree. The guy is so sharp."Longtime family friend Cookie Bible attributes the Faisses' long lives and marriage to their family."They have such the close family and have great family support in the way of sons Bob and Don," she said. "Don goes over every day, and Bob calls Theresa every day. They have breakfast together almost every weekend. And Will truly loves Theresa. You can see it in his eyes."In 1944, the Faisses moved to North Las Vegas. Life was the little better once they established their own businesses. They opened Truck Haven in the early 1950s and then later opened Truck Harbor near Nellis Air Force Base -- the businesses no longer are there.But times got tough again."We faced the loss of our business, and I was one of the first to work at the Nevada Test Site, while Theresa operated the service station and the cafe w! ith only the help of our teenage sons," Faiss said. "Theresa and I just never gave up. She had the lot to do. She did some-more than her share. She did the very good job."The family grew to three sons, counting youngest son Ron, the retired gaming executive living in Utah. What kept their sons on the straight and narrow, he believes, is that all were called on to work.He does not blame parents today when their children turn to drugs or worse."Parents are busy trying to make the living for the family, and the kids have to watch out for themselves," he said. "That is the very bad thing. Our kids worked right along with us."Faiss is growing used to being honored as he grows older. He was featured in recent stories in the Review-Journal and alternative media for being Nevada's oldest living former state legislator.As far as having the long marriage and living the long and happy life, he offers the few tips:Never smoke or drink.Most of the time, be the one who says, "I apologize dear. You are right."Remember birthdays, anniversaries and Valentine's Days, although it is not as important when you grow old.Surprise her with gifts. Don't do it just on Valentine's Day or her birthday. Do it when she doesn't expect it and give her something she won't expect.On disciplining children: Keep the children busy, and you won't have discipline problems. Make them work for money, and they will learn the value of money.Just don't "overdo anything."Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 202-783-1760. Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Mgm Grand Announces Studio 54 Replacement

2012-01-25T04:53:00.001-08:00

MyLvCondoSales.com is Now the #1 Visited Las Vegas Condo Website

2012-01-24T03:27:00.004-08:00

Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) January 24, 2012 MyLvCondoSales.com and Luxury Real Estate Partners announce its flagship Las Vegas condo website is now the most visited condo site based on web traffic reporting by Alexa. MyLvCondoSales.com provides expanded content, video tours, picture galleries and listings of the majority of the Las Vegas High Rise condos including The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Veer Towers, Panorama Towers and MGM Signature. In less than a year, MyLvCondoSales.com has become the most visited Las Vegas condo site which is a testament to our quality content, design, features, social network integration and continuous updates, said Anthony Phillips, President of Luxury Real Estate Partners, the websites parent company. For more information, visit http://www.mylvcondosales.com/ About Luxury Real Estate Partners Luxury Real Estate Partners is a Las Vegas based Real Estate Marketing firm which includes professionals in sales, management, construction, marketing and finance. For more information, visit http://www.luxuryrealestatepartners.com About Panorama Towers The Panorama Towers rise above Dean Martin Drive in magnificent 33-story curvatures of striking aqua blue glass, offering some of the most breathtaking views of CityCenter Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Strip, and surrounding mountains. About The Residences at Mandarin Oriental at CityCenter The Residences at Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas Condos mix the prestige of an internationally renowned hotel, unparalleled amenities and striking architectural design with a world-class, five-star hotel and residential experience. Mandarin Oriental condo residents are treated as permanent guests of The Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas and enjoy privileged access to the exceptional services provided by the hotel. This includes access to gourmet cuisine via 24-hour room service, an array of concierge, doorman, housekeeping and valet services, as well as a wide range of dining, entertainment and well-be! ing faci lities. Residences at Mandarin range from 1062sf for the one bedroom residences to over 3900sf for the Penthouse. About Veer Towers at CityCenter Veer Towers at City Center offers unobstructed views of the Las Vegas Strip with interior features of stainless steel appliances, European style cabinets and stone flooring. Veer Towers amenities include a 37th floor rooftop pool, residents lounge and gym. Residences at Veer range from 530 for the studio to over 2700sf for the 36th floor Penthouse. ### Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Academy Award(R) Winner Shirley Jones Will be Honored at Oscar Night(R) Las Vegas

2012-01-24T03:27:00.003-08:00

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --(http://www.myprgenie.com) -- Actress Shirley Jones, winner of the 1961 Oscar(R) for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for "Elmer Gantry," will be honored by Variety, The Children's Charity of Southern Nevada, at Oscar Night(R) Las Vegas.Officially sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts as well as Sciences, Oscar Night(R) Las Vegas, Feb. 24-26, 2012, is a weekend destination event for movie fans nationwide to celebrate the 84th Academy Awards(R) in The City of Entertainment.Proceeds will benefit Variety, The Children's Charity of Southern Nevada, dedicated to providing services for children with special needs in the Las Vegas community since 1950.Shirley Jones as well as her husband Marty Ingels, actor, comedian as well as theatrical agent, will be guests of honor at a reception hosted by Variety on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the Fantasy Suites at The Palms Casino Resort."Variety is pleased to salute Shirley not only as a 50-year-plus Academy Award(R) recipient, but also for an outstanding film, television as well as stage career," said Variety Tent 39 President as well as Chief Barker Kari Ayers. "Variety also will honor her lifetime commitment to charitable as well as humanitarian causes."In addition to her Oscar(R) as well as multiple Emmy(R) as well as Golden Globe(R) nominations, Shirley Jones is renowned for her role as the matriarch in the 1970's ABC television series "The Partridge Family.""Shirley will follow in the footsteps of Jack Benny, Carol Channing, Sammy Davis Jr., Vincent Price, Ed Sullivan, Elizabeth Taylor as well as many other celebrities who have travelled to Las Vegas to support Variety Tent 39 as well as the local children served," added Ms. Ayers.Oscar Night(R) Las Vegas will feature free as well as ticketed events, including:"Red Carpet Ready" fashion shows, Friday as well as Sunday, Feb. 24 & 26, Noon to 6:00 p.m. hourly, at Fashion Show Mall. Free Admission.Variety Tent 39 Chief Barker's Celebrity Welc! ome Rece ption, Saturday, Feb. 25, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., in the Fantasy Suites at The Palms Casino Resort. Tickets: $95 per person.Oscar Night(R) Red Carpet with limousine arrivals by film, television as well as show business celebrities, Sunday, Feb. 26, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., at The Palms Casino Resort West Entrance as well as Brenden Theatres Lobby. Free Admission.Theater viewing parties for the live telecast of the 84th Academy Awards(R), Sunday, Feb. 26, 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., at Brenden Theatres in The Palms Casino Resort. Tickets: $50 per person for General Admission; $125 per person/$200 per couple for admission to The Celebrity Theatre hosted by Kevin Burke, star of "Defending The Caveman."Oscar Night(R) After-Party at The Playboy Club in The Palms Casino Resort. Doors open at 9:00 pm. Cover Charge: $20 (Complimentary admission for Oscar Night(R) Las Vegas ticket holders).More information on Oscar Night(R) Las Vegas as well as online tickets are available atwww.ONALV.org.Contact name: Clinton BillupsContact Telephone: 702-837-1170Contact email: Clinton: billups@earthlink.netPowered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Your next landlord in Las Vegas could be a hedge fund

2012-01-24T03:27:00.001-08:00

Hedge funds could be the next big player in the Las Vegas real estate market, buying up hundreds of single-family homes as well as renting them out as aninvestment. By J. Patrick Coolican (contact) Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 | 2 a.m. J. Patrick Coolican Hedge funds could be the next big player in the Las Vegas real estate market. And Im not talking about apartment complexes or commercial property. Im talking single-family homes.In other words, in the year or two, if youre renting the single-family home like an increasing number of valley residents, your landlord could be the hedge fund or some other alternative investment vehicle, such as the private equity group, pension fund or university endowment.Weve been contacted by the number of different groups who have never considered owning single-family residences as rental properties in their investment portfolios, says Brian Krueger, vice president for strategic services at Coldwell Banker, the real estate firm.These financial powerhouses could buy hundreds of homes at once. Cash buyers already constitute half the home purchases in the valley.Krueger cant say who the suitors are, as well as he says none have taken the plunge, yet. They are dipping toes in the water, however.They are organizing money as well as have started to come in as well as do due diligence, he says.Doug Brien, managing executive as well as co-founder of Waypoint Homes, tells me he was in Las Vegas last week to survey the landscape. Waypoint, an Oakland, Calif.-based company, has paid for 1,000 homes as rental properties in other markets. Briens group GI Partners has raised $400 million from an Ivy League endowment as well as the large institutional investor to buy many more. With leverage, the fund could g! row to $ 1 billion.This seems likely to happen here in Las Vegas because its already happening in other markets.The Wall Street Journal reported in August that McKinley Capital Partners has paid for some-more than 300 foreclosed single-family homes in the Bay Area as well as has the partnership with Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC, the New York hedge fund, to buy at least 500 more.Whats the play in New York hedge funds becoming landlords?Its just another distressed asset, says Robert Lang, executive of Brookings Mountain West as well as the real estate expert.Hedge funds are investment funds looking for good returns that other people arent aware of or dont have the resources to capture. Theyre like Billy Beane in Moneyball, hoping to find underpriced assets.In this case, theyre reacting to the emergence of what Oliver Chang of Morgan Stanley calls the rentership society the play on the Bush-era ownership society buzz phrase. In the research report, Chang says people losing their homes as well as their credit ratings to short sales as well as foreclosures, combined with tight mortgage credit, means many people are suddenly looking to rent. But theyve grown used to the space as well as amenities of the single-family home so theyre not interested in the conventional apartment.Meanwhile, with all the bank-owned homes coming on the market, theres lots of supply.Throw all this together, as well as between 2005 as well as 2011, the number of families in Florida, Arizona as well as Nevada renting the single-family home has increased 67 percent, according to Dennis McGill of the firm Zelman & Associates. Meanwhile, the homeownership rate here continues to plummet toward 50 percent.The Journal says McKinleys model is to buy the house for $100,000, put $10,000 to $25,000 maintenance into it, lease it for $1,200 per month as well as then see annual returns of between 8 as well as 12 percent. Given the current economic volatility, this is an outstanding investment.Assuming prices stabilize as well as begin to rise ! in the f ew years, the return only improves.Lang says Las Vegas is the viable market because much of the housing stock is relatively new as well as standardised like McDonalds hamburgers, they may not be gourmet, but each one is some-more or less the same. It would be harder to buy up hundreds of homes in older cities because each house is often different from the rest as well as thus not as simply packaged.Still, its no sure thing. One reason, its an entirely new business for these firms, requiring local boots on the ground Realtors, contractors, property managers.A recent white paper from the Federal Reserve also speculates as to why we havent seen bulk buying in the single-family residence market, questioning whether investors can find financing as well as achieve the necessary efficiencies to make it profitable. Theres also government-controlled Fannie Mae as well as Freddie Mac as well as resolving how the federal government wants to dispose of all the homes it now owns.How should we feel about all this?On the one hand, conventional wisdom tells us that an owner is the better neighbor than the renter. Perhaps. But at this point, were becoming the city of renters, so Im not sure if it matters if the landlord is the hedge fund in Greenwich, Conn., or the guy in San Diego who owns five rental properties. Both have an interest in maintaining the properties, which also means maintaining the neighborhoods.Brien hopes to bring the lease plus rewards program that would help tenants, who have lost the home or cant get financing, lease the house as well as earn credit toward the later purchase. He would also offer financial fitness counselors who would help tenants shore up credit as well as move toward ownership. This sounds like an ideal program for Las Vegas.Brien notes the couple of reasons why investors might hesitate to buy into the Las Vegas market. First is the economy, including our heavy reliance on gaming, conventions as well as tourism as well as questions about how that will affect job as well as popula! tion gro wth. (This first hesitation seems like the good reason to diversify our economy.) And, second, uncertainty about prices, given their continuing declines.If big investors such as Brien come in, they would help suck up inventory as well as get us to the bottom, while also signaling to the world that the smartest as well as richest investors on the planet are betting on Las Vegas.On the downside, as Lang notes, when people in the valley owned their homes as well as their values were rising, that wealth was accumulating here. Now, many of those rental checks could be sent to investors somewhere else.Which means were like an economic colony.But thats always been the case. 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Academy Award(R) Winner Shirley Jones Will be Honored at Oscar Night(R) Las Vegas

2012-01-24T03:26:00.001-08:00

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --(http://www.myprgenie.com) -- Actress Shirley Jones, winner of the 1961 Oscar(R) for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for "Elmer Gantry," will be honored by Variety, The Children's Charity of Southern Nevada, during Oscar Night(R) Las Vegas.Officially sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Oscar Night(R) Las Vegas, Feb. 24-26, 2012, is a weekend destination event for movie fans nationwide to celebrate the 84th Academy Awards(R) in The City of Entertainment.Proceeds will benefit Variety, The Children's Charity of Southern Nevada, dedicated to providing services for children with special needs in the Las Vegas community since 1950.Shirley Jones and her husband Marty Ingels, actor, comedian and theatrical agent, will be guests of honor during a reception hosted by Variety on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the Fantasy Suites during The Palms Casino Resort."Variety is pleased to salute Shirley not only as a 50-year-plus Academy Award(R) recipient, but also for an outstanding film, television and stage career," said Variety Tent 39 President and Chief Barker Kari Ayers. "Variety also will honor her lifetime commitment to charitable and humanitarian causes."In addition to her Oscar(R) and multiple Emmy(R) and Golden Globe(R) nominations, Shirley Jones is renowned for her role as the matriarch in the 1970's ABC television series "The Partridge Family.""Shirley will follow in the footsteps of Jack Benny, Carol Channing, Sammy Davis Jr., Vincent Price, Ed Sullivan, Elizabeth Taylor and many other celebrities who have travelled to Las Vegas to support Variety Tent 39 and the local children served," added Ms. Ayers.Oscar Night(R) Las Vegas will feature free and ticketed events, including:"Red Carpet Ready" fashion shows, Friday and Sunday, Feb. 24 & 26, Noon to 6:00 p.m. hourly, during Fashion Show Mall. Free Admission.Variety Tent 39 Chief Barker's Celebrity Welcome Reception, Saturday, Feb. 25, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., in the Fantasy Sui! tes duri ng The Palms Casino Resort. Tickets: $95 per person.Oscar Night(R) Red Carpet with limousine arrivals by film, television and show business celebrities, Sunday, Feb. 26, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., during The Palms Casino Resort West Entrance and Brenden Theatres Lobby. Free Admission.Theater viewing parties for the live telecast of the 84th Academy Awards(R), Sunday, Feb. 26, 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., during Brenden Theatres in The Palms Casino Resort. Tickets: $50 per person for General Admission; $125 per person/$200 per couple for admission to The Celebrity Theatre hosted by Kevin Burke, star of "Defending The Caveman."Oscar Night(R) After-Party during The Playboy Club in The Palms Casino Resort. Doors open during 9:00 pm. Cover Charge: $20 (Complimentary admission for Oscar Night(R) Las Vegas ticket holders).More information on Oscar Night(R) Las Vegas and online tickets are available atwww.ONALV.org.Contact name: Clinton BillupsContact Telephone: 702-837-1170Contact email: Clinton: billups@earthlink.netPowered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Taxation imbalance helps Las Vegas compete for Chinese New Year's traffic

2012-01-23T04:21:00.005-08:00

By Dave Berns (contact) Monday23 January 20122 a.m. The explosive growth of gambling markets in Macau and Singapore has prompted a question in Las Vegas as a Chinese New Year celebration gets under way.Why would an Asian high roller travel to a Strip to celebrate a lunar new year rather than visit a ultra-chic gambling salons of Asias gaming giants?Much of a answer can be found in a effective tax rates on gross gaming rates in a worlds three major gaming locales. It reaches 39 percent in Macau and 20 percent in Singapore, yet is only 6.75 percent in Nevada. Quite simply, a big three casino operators in those markets Las Vegas Sands, Wynn Resorts and MGM Resorts are able to keep a larger share of their winnings in Las Vegas, and thats incentive enough for them to attempt to steer Asias biggest gamblers to a desert for a Chinese New Year.If youve got a high-end customer in Macau, it makes sense to get them to come to Las Vegas because a casino would end up keeping a much bigger chunk of a revenues, said Professor David Schwartz, director of UNLVs Center for Gaming Research.That being a case, a most lucrative two weeks for a high-end casinos of a Las Vegas Strip begins Monday when a Chinese calendar turns to 4710.The annual celebration features casino marketers, chefs and hotel executives along Las Vegas Boulevard unveiling special menus and entertainment for guests known to gamble up to six figures per hand via million-dollar lines of credit at a citys top baccarat and blackjack tables.The Year of a Dragon comes shortly after a close of a 12-month period in which Macau reported $33.5 billion in casino win, far surpassing a nearly $6 billion win expected for Las Vegas when final 2011 revenue reports are completed. The booming Singapore gambling market could generate as much as $9 billion this year.Yet Asian gamblers remain a key source of income for Las Vegas casinos.In fact, baccarat win a preferred game of Asian high rollers comprise! s a much larger share of a money lost by gamblers in Nevada today than it was in 2003, a year before a opening of Las Vegas Sands mammoth Macau resort.Nevada casinos, most of them on a Strip, won $365.9 million from baccarat players in 2003. A year later that figure jumped to $497.2 million, with a opening of Sands Macau-to-Las Vegas pipeline. During a 12-month period ending Nov. 30, baccarat players lost a record $1.3 billion in Nevada, with a Asia-to-Vegas connection in full swing courtesy of Sands, Wynn and MGM Resorts.That said, if a high-end customer wishes to travel to Macau or Singapore for Chinese New Year, a companies casino hosts will comply. Nonetheless, a upcoming festivities for Chinese New Year find some of Asias wealthiest families roving 12 hours to Las Vegas in large groups for as long as 10 days, prompting some of a citys most expensive restaurants to add larger tables to accommodate a partiers.If you have seven to 10 days to travel, customers overwhelmingly want to come to Las Vegas. They get much more value for their money, said Greg Shulman, vice president of international marketing for MGM Resorts International. When a guests travel 7,000 to 8,000 miles, theyre really focused. They dont have much time.Among a attractions awaiting visitors this year: An estimated 2,600 of MGM Resorts best casino customers, along with their family and friends, will gather Wednesday in a Bellagio ballroom for a 10-course banquet, entertainment and raffle with high-end cars as prizes. Asian restaurants throughout a companies' Strip properties will offer a variety of fresh seasonal dishes designed to appeal to a holiday travelers, especially a variety of noodle dishes, which represent a healthy and long life. Aria hotel-casino will host a million-dollar baccarat tournament that will offer a top prize of $1 million.Its a traditional Las Vegas nexus linking gambler, casino host, food and entertainment. The key difference circa Chinese New Year 4720: a symbiotic relationship between Macau, Singapore and a Strip.In ! some sen se, Las Vegas was always a hub in a hub-and-spoke model of domestic and global gaming travel, said one international casino industry consultant. In this case, Las Vegas is a spoke. Share Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Las Vegas claims all 5 of the top hardest hit zip codes

2012-01-23T04:21:00.003-08:00

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) - The housing collapse has dramatically changed a nation's foreclosure landscape. Neighborhoods boasting modern homes, cul-de-sacs and tree-lined streets in and around Western cities now dominate a list of a top 100 U.S. zip codes hit hardest by foreclosures and claim and comprise all of a top 10 spots, according to data generated for CNNMoney by RealtyTrac. In 2011, Western states claimed 82 of a 100 misfortune hit zip codes with 38 in California and another 28 in Nevada.That's quite a departure from when CNNMoney first looked at a top foreclosure zip codes in June 2007. Back then, a auto industry's ills had turned inner-city neighborhoods in Detroit, Cleveland and Indianapolis into foreclosure ground zero, with a three cities claiming 25 of a nation's 100 hardest hit neighborhoods.These older working-class neighborhoods were particularly blighted with vacant, repossessed homes lining a streets. In fact, they claimed 6 out of a list's top 10 spots.These days, however, many of a misfortune hit zip codes are communities that were built in a past decade or two in and around once-rapidly growing metro areas like Phoenix, San Bernardino, Calif. and Las Vegas, now a poster child of a foreclosure mess.In fact, Las Vegas claims all five of a top five hardest hit zip codes. The number one spot goes to a neighborhood in North Las Vegas (in zip code of 89031) that recorded 2,469 foreclosure filings last year, according to RealtyTrac.In California, a towns of Lancaster (93535), in a central part of a state, and Fontana (92336), near San Bernardino, claimed sixth and seventh place -- a highest finishers for any zip codes outside of Nevada.As far as regions go, a South claimed a second highest number of hardest hit zips with 14. Georgia claimed 12 of those neighborhoods, including one in Atlanta that took 10th place. Interestingly, not a single Northeastern zip code made RealtyTrac's top 100 list.Foreclosures can devastate housing marke! ts. Prop erties repossessed by a banks, called REOs, sell for 25% to 50% less than non-foreclosures, said RealtyTrac spokesman Daren Blomquist. Yet, a single foreclosure in an differently foreclosure-free neighborhood will rarely impact surrounding values, he said."In a normal, healthy housing market an REO sale is a exception and there are many other non-distressed sales that dilute a impact," he said.It's when REO sales rise to 20% or 30% of local sales, as they do in a hardest hit zip codes, that they really begin to affect prices, he said."That's when we start to see a average discount between REO sales prices and non-foreclosure sales prices dwindle, particularly in local markets where much of a REO inventory consists of relatively new homes built in a last few years," said Blomquist. "The more REO sales dominate a given market, a more they drag down overall home prices."In a neighborhood like 32811 in Orlando, Fla., which counted 275 homes with foreclosure filings in just one month last year, home prices have plunged dramatically.One three-bedroom in a area is currently listed for just under $40,000, for example. In 2005, that same home sold for $120,900, according to real estate agent Jerome Baker.Not only that, but a listing price is "a little bit on a high end," said Baker. "We'll probably have to lower it to $29,000 to generate some interest."In Fontana, Calif.'s 92336 zip code, a average home price has been cut in half since December, 2007, according to Zillow.A four-bedroom, 2,000-square-foot house, was recently listed for $200,500, down 57% from a $465,000 it last sold for in October, 2007.Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Las Vegas oddsmaker sets early line for Super Bowl, and crosses his fingers

2012-01-23T04:21:00.001-08:00

Jay Rood has posted a most important number of a year to sports gamblers in Las Vegas and throughout a country.In Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis on Feb. 5, a AFC champion New England Patriots [team stats] are favored to defeat a New York Giants by 3 1/2 points.Also of interest, a over/under for total points in a game is 55 1/2 points.Now, Rood, vice president of MGM Resorts supervising 12 race and sports books across Nevada, including Aria, MGM Grand, Mirage and a Bellagio on a Strip, waits for another seven figures of action to come his way.Q: How did you finalize those numbers?A: "We were originally looking at a Patriots as 4- or 4 1/2 point favorites, but this Giants performance here (defeating San Francisco, 20-17, in overtime) being so dominating on a road against tough competition, while a Patriots are not looking as good as they have been, I think its a good number."Q: What are you trying to accomplish in setting these numbers?A: "The fans want to bet a favorite and a over. Im hoping to generate enough volume on a underdog and under to set that off. With a Patriots winning, going into this weekend I preferred to have a Giants as a second team to help us split a money because of all of their fans."Q: There are gamblers who bring suitcases of cash into your books to try and gut you on your Super Bowl lines. Do those people arrive immediately or bide their time to only before kickoff?A: "Both things happen. They have their opinions on a game as soon as it emerges, and if they dont like my number, theyre here right away. That could happen to us now. The Giants bettors (Sunday) only cashed a ticket, and their team looked good, so they come right back and bet a Super Bowl based on what they saw and how that team let them cash a ticket. Yet, if they think a number will come their way even more, theyll bide their time."Q: Why are a Patriots favored?A: "Theyre business-like. They take care of business and win. People like that. They won (Sunday) without (Tom) Brady playing like Brady."Q: I saw a Giants! get to as high as 80-to-1 underdogs to win a Super Bowl earlier this season. Dont you need them to lose?A: "We opened them (in future-book betting) at 30 to 1, but they didnt get a lot of support until they got to 12/1 and then recently, they opened a playoffs at 18/1 even after being 25/1 in Week 14. We wont get that hurt if they win. The Giants have been struggling a last couple years. (Coach) Tom Coughlins been on and off a hot seat. Yes, they are extremely popular, but in regard to our risk, theyre middle of a road. The (Detroit) Lions and (Houston) Texans we needed out, a (Dallas) Cowboys werent good for us, either."Q: Youre up this season?A: "We were an overall winner for a season and playoffs. It was a little disappointing we didnt do better. Quite a bit of favorites to over combinations hit, and some obvious live (under)dogs hit. Its more and more challenging. People are much more savvy about what were looking at, and its more and more difficult to manage it, to draw money on a other side (favoring underdogs and a under) without exposing yourself. The numbers moved a lot this year because of that."Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

Despite Plea, Mayweather Again Denies Punching Mother Of His Children

2012-01-19T03:32:00.001-08:00

A month after pleading guilty to battery-domestic violence, champion boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. said he "absolutely" did not kick or punch the mother of three of his children in 2010.For the first time since taking a plea deal to end his Las Vegas criminal cases, Mayweather on Wednesday spoke publicly about the incidents that have netted him thousands of dollars in fines, 100 hours of community service, a year of counseling sessions and a yet-to-be-served 90-day jail sentence.The former Olympian spoke with reporters after a news conference where he fulfilled a promise made last year to donate $100,000 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation to fight breast cancer. Mayweather pledged to donate that amount in October, two months before pleading guilty in the domestic violence case. He said a family relative died from the disease.Wearing a pink sweater, white pants and a wide smile, Mayweather presented an oversized check to the foundation at his gym in Las Vegas' Chinatown, near Spring Mountain Road and Valley View Boulevard.Afterward, the undefeated boxer said he pleaded guilty to battery-domestic violence and no contest to two counts of harassment in December to put "all of these negative things" behind him.He then denied that he struck Josie Harris in September 2010."You've seen the O.J. and Nicole pictures, the Chris Brown, Rihanna pictures," Mayweather said, referring to well-known cases of celebrity domestic violence. "You guys have to ask yourself, 'Where are the pictures?' But you know things happen. Do I apologize? Absolutely. Did I kick and beat her? Absolutely not."Mayweather admitted he restrained Harris after an argument and tried to calm her down. "As far as punching, kicking, or beating? No I didn't do that. Absolutely not."Mayweather said he wishes Harris "nothing but the best" and described her as a "great woman."Harris filed a criminal complaint against Mayweather after the Sept. 9, 2010, incident. She said the boxer hit and kicked her because she was dating another man. Harris! also ac cused Mayweather of threatening their children by saying he would "beat their asses if they left the house or called the police" during the incident.But as the trial date neared, Harris moved to California and couldn't be reached by prosecutors and investigators preparing the case.Harris had made a similar allegation before. In 2003, she told police Mayweather beat her during an argument over another woman. When that case went to trial in 2005, Harris changed her story and told the jury Mayweather was a "teddy bear" who had never laid a hand on her. The boxer was acquitted.By October, prosecutors believed Harris no longer was cooperating in the latest case and sought to cut a deal with the boxer. Their only leverage was that they could force Mayweather's children to testify against him, something the boxer wanted to avoid.Mayweather said Wednesday he took the plea deal because it was the best thing for him to do and he didn't want to "drag my family through a public dispute."Mayweather also scoffed at the other criminal case he settled as part of his deal with prosecutors, a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from his poking a security guard over parking citations.Mayweather denied poking Smith. He pleaded no contest to the charge in December and paid a $1,000 fine.A police report of the November 2010 incident showed that a confrontation ensued after guard Shayne Smith cited two Mayweather vehicles for violating parking rules at the Southern Highlands Estates, where the boxer owns a $9.5 million, 12,000-square-foot mansion.Police said a photo of Smith showed redness on his face. Smith is suing Mayweather over the incident.The boxer had nothing bad to say about the court system or those who would put him in jail. "When it comes to the system, it is what it is. They work the way they want to work. I can't be mad at them at all."Mayweather said he looks at the 90-day jail sentence -- which was set to start Jan. 6 but was delayed until June 1 by Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa so the boxer could fight! an unkn own opponent May 5 -- as another obstacle."The only thing I can do is keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best and continue to do what I do," Mayweather said.The boxer said he will focus on the positive until it's time to turn himself in at the Clark County Detention Center. "When that day comes, it is what it is."Mayweather still faces a laundry list of legal troubles.The boxer has been linked to, but not charged in, a shooting in August 2009 outside the Crystal Palace Skating Center on Boulder Highway near Flamingo Road.Authorities allege that Ocie Harris, a Mayweather bodyguard, shot at a BMW carrying Quincey Williams and Damein Bland as the car left the skating rink. The car was hit six times. The victims allege the shooting occurred after Mayweather in jeopardy Williams' life over insulting text messages. No one was injured.Harris faces six felonies, including attempted murder with use of a deadly weapon. A trial is set for Feb. 6.Williams and Bland have filed a polite lawsuit against Mayweather over the incident.There are several other lawsuits against Mayweather pending in polite court over allegations that his bodyguards assaulted people at casinos and nightclubs in Las Vegas.Meanwhile, representatives of the Susan G. Komen foundation said 75 percent of the $100,000 donation will be used in Las Vegas, and the other 25 percent will be used to support national research efforts.Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@review journal.com or 702-380-1039.

Las Vegas: Video of dog confronting trapped bobcat angers animal rights activists

2012-01-18T03:28:00.005-08:00

1:45 p.m. update: LAS VEGAS (AP) A member of a Clark County wildlife advisory board is taking heat for a video he posted online of his dog barking and lunging at a bobcat in a trap.Some animal rights activists are calling for the removal of attorney and trapping expert Tracy Truman. He sits on the Clark County Advisory Board to Manage Wildlife, which includes farmers and sportsmen who advise the Nevada Wildlife Commission.The minute-long video shot in December in the Spring Mountains shows a dog barking incessantly at a bobcat whose front paw is caught in a toothless trap. Truman's hand is seen holding the chain to the trap and pulling it to bring the cat closer to the dog.Truman says the video was posted on a forum to show fellow trappers how a well-trained dog doesn't have to touch or maul a trapped animal during an encounter. He said he didn't authorize it to appear on YouTube."This particular video was completely taken out of context," Truman told the Las Vegas Review-Journal (http://bit.ly/yDzApW). "This was something we had taken to show other people that you didn't have to have an animal that would do damage to a trapped animal, and now, I'm sort of being painted as the cruel and inhumane one because we took the video to show something exactly the opposite."Commissioner Tom Collins says the video showed model, restrained behavior for a trapping dog.But Gina Greisen, president of Nevada Voters for Animals, called the video "cruel and barbaric." She said she and the Las Vegas Valley Humane Society will tighter rules on trapping and possibly seek a statewide ban.Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak called the video "mean" and "disturbing.""It's extremely troubling to see an animal in that type of distress," Sisolak said. "This is cause for explanation, absolutely."A meeting between the commissioners and Truman had not been set as of Monday.

Outlook for Las Vegas retail centers remains turbulent

2012-01-18T03:28:00.003-08:00

TownSquare By Steve Green (contact) Wednesday18 January 20122 a.m. The retail sector of a commercial real estate market remains choppy in a Las Vegas area.In a probable repeat of 2011, some strip malls as well as shopping centers are expected to thrive in 2012, while others will likely face financial troubles because of high vacancy rates as well as tenants struggling to pay their rent.Last year was turbulent for a local retail sector, with owners of big centers Town Square Las Vegas as well as a District at Green Valley Ranch turning them over to lenders amid financial difficulties.Yet 2011 also saw a opening of Tivoli Village in western Las Vegas, home to plans for continued expansion with a $350 million, 700,000-square-foot Las Vegas Renaissance indoor mall across Alta Drive on Rampart Boulevard.Last year also saw WinCo Foods commit to a market as well as launch construction of two storesJohn Stewart, a principal at shopping center owner Juliet Companies, said this week that as far as neighborhood shopping centers go, centers anchored by such well-known national retailers as Target, Walmart as well as Kohl's all proven drivers of traffic to shopping centers were generally doing better during a recession than properties without such nationally prominent anchors."This really has shown a flight to quality," Stewart said.In a meantime, banks continue to sue underperforming centers that cant meet loan payments, as well as bankruptcies continue locally in a sector.Local advisory firm Applied Analysis last week reported a local retail vacancy rate was 10.6 percent in a fourth quarter.Thats up from 10.3 percent in a fourth quarter of 2010, but its an improvement from a 10.9 percent measured in 2011s third quarter.Confirming Stewarts argument about centers tending to do better if theyre anchored by national tenants, Applied Analysis found a lowest vacan! cy local ly at 7.2 percent in power centers places anchored by a likes of Best Buy as well as PetSmart.Any way a numbers are analyzed, a brutal damage inflicted by a recession is obvious in a Las Vegas area, which is littered with empty big-box as well as small-store retail space.Retail vacancies in 2006 as well as 2007 ran locally at just 3.2 percent as well as 4.1 percent, respectively. That means theyve more than tripled in six years, as well as experts expect them to remain high for years to come because of broader economic problems."Although economic signals suggest an economic recovery is under way, a debt overhang primarily caused by a housing market is likely to linger over consumers for years to come. With wealth continuing to shrink due to depreciating home values as well as limited income growth, a return to pre-recession demand levels in a commercial retail real estate market remains years away," Applied Analysis Senior Manager Jake Joyce said in his companys latest retail report.Ongoing troubles in a industry were illustrated Friday when OBannon Plaza LLC filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Las Vegas.OBannon owns a strip mall at 2201-2267 S. Rainbow Blvd., north of Sahara Avenue, which includes anchor Sin City Furniture Co.The mall appears to have a good amount of vacant store space, 6,000 square feet, at 2211 S. Rainbow Blvd., which was formerly occupied by Las Vegas Golf as well as Tennis. The bankruptcy filing notes OBannon as well as Las Vegas Golf as well as Tennis have been tied up in a lawsuit since 2007 over allegations Las Vegas Golf as well as Tennis was repeatedly burglarized as well as security at a mall was not adequate to prevent a break-ins.Elsewhere around town, U.S. Bank sued two strip mall owners last month, claiming they had defaulted on their loan payments. In each case, a bank is asking that a receiver be appointed to supervise a properties as well as collect a rents while a bank pursues foreclosure.One suit was filed in Clark County District Court against ! Las Vega s Plaza Ltd. LLC as well as a sister company, owner of a strip mall called The Plaza at Charleston at 5635, 5665 as well as 5695 E. Charleston Blvd., east of Interstate 515 as well as east of Nellis Boulevard. That center, which includes Anytime Fitness as a tenant, has several vacancies. The lawsuit says a centers owners have defaulted on $4.2 million in loans.Another suit was filed by U.S. Bank against Las Vegas Center Ltd. LLC, owner of a new but unoccupied center at 5705 as well as 5735 E. Tropicana Ave., east of Boulder Highway. That suit says a center owner has defaulted on a $3.8 million loan.Neither of a shopping center owners has responded to a lawsuits. Share

Las Vegas Economy Inching Up From Bottom Rankings

2012-01-18T03:28:00.001-08:00

The Las Vegas economy is inching out of last place.That's according to a new study that ranks growth among 200 metropolitan economies worldwide.The Brookings Institution's Global MetroMonitor placed Las Vegas at No. 179, an improvement over its 2010 rank, but a reminder that the city is still in recession, with recovery a long way off."You're certainly not back to where you were, but your relative position is improving," said co-author Alan Berube, senior fellow at Brookings, a Washington think tank with a local office. "I think that reflects the beginnings of recovery in the housing market, but more than that, it signals a pretty strong bounce-back in tourism."Despite its below-average rank, Las Vegas' economic trajectory is typical nationally. The local and U.S. economies have struggled to return to prerecession performance as developing markets in Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe surge, Berube said. And like the rest of the country, Las Vegas made its boom-era nut mostly on domestic consumers, selling them retail goods, housing and liberality services. When the bust vaporized U.S. consumer demand, cities nationwide felt the pinch.But none like Las Vegas.The study compared data on annual income and employment growth from three time periods, beginning with 1993 to 2007, then throwing in the worst year of the recession (it varies by city). Finally, the study accounted for 2010 to 2011.From 1993 to 2007, Las Vegas had the world's 18th fastest-growing economy."Las Vegas was growing jobs faster than almost any other place on the globe," Berube said.And at the depths of the recession, Las Vegas had the 199th worst economy, second only to Athens, Greece -- the worldwide poster child for fiscal dysfunction.From 2010 to 2011, Las Vegas had the 179th fastest-growing economy.It's tough to compare that result to the Brookings Global MetroMonitor 2010, when Las Vegas ranked No. 145 out of 150. In the latest edition, researchers added 50 cities and included new indicators, such expanded industry-tracki! ng. But Berube said Las Vegas is headed in the right direction, mostly thanks to improvements in tourism.Nearly 30 percent of Southern Nevada's economy is in retail, trade and tourism, but those sectors accounted for 90 percent of regional economic growth in 2010 and 2011, Berube said.Nor is Las Vegas still the worst-performing U.S. city. Indianapolis, New Orleans, San Francisco, Atlanta, Kansas City, Mo., and Sacramento, Calif., all fared worse than Las Vegas.Cities ranking higher included Detroit, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Buffalo, N.Y.To understand how Rust Belt cities posting decades-long declines could outpace Las Vegas for economic growth in the last year, consider their busts. Their downturns trace to a slump in manufacturing, while Southern Nevada's tough times related to a construction depression. Today, manufacturing is rebounding, as businesses worldwide replenish inventories and people in emerging markets begin buying cars and other consumer goods, Berube said.Meanwhile, construction languishes, particularly here. And it will for a while, thanks to excess inventories of homes and office parks, said Stephen Miller, an economics professor and department chairman in the Lee Business School at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.Tourism gains and construction struggles outline the path back to local growth, Berube said. Just three U.S. cities -- Houston, Dallas and Rochester, N.Y. -- were among the 50 best-performing economies. Most of the top 50 were in Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. So it's essential to extend the market's reach into markets in those regions."If you rely only on consumers in Las Vegas, California and the rest of the United States, it will be a very long road to recovery," Berube said.Revival will also come slowly if the city doesn't diversify away from its traditional concentration in liberality and construction. Building a lot of houses won't be a growth recipe going forward, Berube added.Miller agreed, noting that construction isn't likely to return to prerecession levels he! re. The industry employed around 12 percent of locals at its peak in 2006; it now employs roughly 5 percent, in line with the national industry average.Brookings published a November report recommending the state lure businesses in manufacturing, aerospace and defense, information technology, health care, logistics and distribution and clean energy. Gov. Brian Sandoval's Office of Economic Development is drawing up plans to recruit new companies and help existing businesses expand.It's "not impossible" for Las Vegas to pop back into the top 50 -- if it diversifies, Berube said."You're not going to grow jobs at 6 percent a year again anytime soon, but that's OK," he said. "The question now is, what is an attainable rate of growth, and what are the strategies to get there? "Shanghai topped the Brookings list. Athens ranked last.Contact reporter Jennifer Robison at jrobison@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4512.

Gordon Ramsay opening restaurant in Vegas

2012-01-18T03:25:00.001-08:00

Paris Las Vegas Details Nevada Gambling Gordon Ramsay opening restaurant in Vegas 16 January 2012By Howard StutzLAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay, known for his fiery personality on the reality television shows Hells Kitchen, MasterChef and Kitchen Nightmares, will open a restaurant at Paris Las Vegas in the spring. Gordon Ramsay Steak will be his first restaurant in Las Vegas and will replace Les Artistes Steakhouse at the Strip resort. Vegas is such a vibrant city, Ramsay said. The space is really bold and innovative, and we've put together a great team and created a contemporary, quality menu. I can't wait to open and start welcoming guests. The steakhouse will have 274 seats including a large bar area, chefs table and private dining room. Few chefs in the world have extended their reputations to as many countries and into as many homes as Chef Ramsay, said Paris Las Vegas President David Hoenemeyer. Menu selections will range from traditional steakhouse fare to Ramsays signature fish and chips and shepherds pie. Copyright 2010 GamingWire. All rights reserved.

Hundreds Of Nevada National Guard Soldiers Return To Las Vegas

2012-01-16T04:53:00.005-08:00

More than 300 Nevada National Guard soldiers returned to Las Vegas on Sunday, completing a yearlong deployment that sent them to Afghanistan where they built, installed and maintained the largest communication network in the war zone.For twins Kamee Sills and Kelsi Washington, specialists in the 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, the tour was a test of their mettle and endurance.For husband and wife Spc. Brian Aleman and Sgt. Kristle Aleman, it was about working together in the combat theater even though they were stationed about 100 miles apart.And, for Spc. Shaari Roland, a single mom who left her 1-year-old daughter with relatives in Las Vegas, Sunday's homecoming at Mandalay Bay was a true mother-and-child reunion."It was a life-changer that helped me grow up," Roland, 25, said about her deployment before doors opened and families rushed to their seats while the soldiers, clad in camouflage uniforms, stood at parade rest at the front of the ballroom.Her daughter, Kaitlyn, now 2, smiled at her mom while in the arms of Roland's sister, Stephanie Stark, who struggled to keep the little girl from bolting beyond the third row during the ceremony that featured nine speakers.When the commander shouted, "Dismissed," Kaitlyn darted across the carpet with outstretched arms while her mother knelt to hug her.It was a scene repeated a few hundred times by mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, husbands, wives, grandparents and friends who packed the South Seas ballroom.Dominique McNally was anxious to see his nieces, the 22-year-old twins, Sills and Washington.Their mother, Nadine Elliott, beamed with pride."They wanted to serve the country," she said. "When they were sending both of them over, I was hesitant but they were there together."Sills was "just happy to be home" after the long, tiring tour that had some eye-opening experiences."We had a few close calls with rocket attacks," she said about their assignment in Kandahar.Her sister, Washington, agreed. "It had its ups ! and down s like everything. But you work together and eat together and stay together and cry together," she said.Said Mom: "They were ready to come home."For the Alemans, going to the war zone was a testament to their marriage. They had served for three years in the same unit before they were tied together in October 2010.For Brian Aleman, reaching the front was a goal that came to fruition. He had been ready to fight for the United States since the sixth grade, when he watched on television the airliners hijacked by terrorists crash into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.Although they hadn't yet been tied together a year when they left for training on Jan. 7, 2011, and arrived in Afghanistan on March 28, they were together only three days.Brian was sent to Zabul to conduct Task Force Mercury network operations and Kristle stayed in Kandahar to monitor the heart of the network that provided communication to all U.S. and coalition troops through phones, radios and satellite systems."Basically, if it was anything that involved talking, we supported it," Brian said.Overall, the 485 soldiers in the battalion -- including more than 120 out of Casa Grande, Ariz. -- completed 14,000 hours of work and 50 cable-installation missions, all without casualties or serious injuries.Gov. Brian Sandoval thanked them for their service and said "every soldier in this room is now a part of history.""We are so proud of you and so glad to have you back safe and sound," he said. "Today more than ever, home means Nevada."Nevada Army National Guard commander, Brig. Gen. Frank Gonzales, having been to Afghanistan, noted that the 422nd soldiers were in "some of the most miserable areas I've ever been in but they made the best of it."The battalion's overseas commander, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Hansen, said looking over the room at the soldiers' families and friends "gives me goose bumps. Today is a great day. We're back on American soil.""To say I'm proud of them would be grossly understated."Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjo! urnal.co m or 702-383-0308.

Las Vegas Near Top of "Most Tattooed" List

2012-01-16T04:53:00.003-08:00

LAS VEGAS --LasVegas often finds itself near the top of the lot of lists, like foreclosures or unemployment. But the recent ranking puts the city at number two for tattoos. Totalbeauty.com recently ranked American cities with the most tattoo places. With 94 shops in the city limit, Las Vegas is behind only Miami Beach, FL. The ranking doesn't surprise the owner of Las Vegas Tattoo Parlor, Marc Brattin. He says he's been in the business the long time. And he believes there's the big reason for why Las Vegas is near the top. "Absolutely the tourists," Brattin said. "We're right across from The Strip, right on the freeway, people see us." Some tourists with tattoos don't agree. Kylee Hagler is visiting Sin City from Albuquerque, NM. Shehas five tattoos, but says she wouldn't get the tattoo while on vacation. "It's kind of an art of visual expression," Hagler said."Everyone can see them, there's the whole community of tattoo culture, you have the tattoo, someone else has the tattoo, you just connect with that person, you get to meet the lot of new people that way." A tattoo is just like any other service in Nevada, and customers are charged the sales tax of 8.25 percent. And with tattoos easily running hundreds of dollars each, that means the lot of extra money into the local economy.

Vegas Is the Anti-Resolution Capital

2012-01-16T04:53:00.001-08:00

LAS VEGAS (MainStreet) -- Have you given up on your New Year's resolutions yet? If not, TravelsinTaste will help you get to it with this anti-resolution roundup -- so you can forget the stress and guilt of getting back to the gym or sticking to a diet. This year, resolve to indulge yourself in some of the most sublime offerings instead. And where best to find them but Las Vegas? Taste As the only restaurant in Vegas to ever hold three Michelin stars, Joel Robuchon at MGM Grand offers the ultimate splurge in fine French cuisine with its 16-course Degustation Menu. Robuchon (sometimes called the Chef of the Century) has a menu that evolves with the seasons. For $425 per person, there are countless delicacies, such as Le Foie Gras, a carpaccio of foie gras and potatoes covered with white-truffle shavings and served with more than a dozen types of breads pulled from the oven minutes before service begins; an eclectic cheese cart with 15 to 20 varieties, available nightly; and a Mignardises Trolley filled with more than 30 handmade delights -- all at unlimited quantities with your meal. In the land of $100 margaritas and $1,000 shots of whiskey, there should be no surprise there's also an extravagant and unrivaled burger-eating experience. Renowned Chef Hubert Keller of Fleur at Mandalay Bay serves up the FleurBurger 5000, a gastronomic jackpot. The foie gras- and black truffle-topped Kobe burger is accompanied by a bottle of Chateau Petrus 1995 poured in Ichendorf Brunello stemwar! e import ed from Italy. After the meal, the team will ship the glasses to your home at no additional charge. All this decadence for $5,000! Chef Masa Takayama of barMASA at Aria Resort & Casino offers a dish that epitomizes his style to the most indulgent degree: the Masa Toro with caviar. Delicate, fatty toro is topped with a mountain of Osetra caviar and served with crispy, buttery brioche. Just three simple ingredients create an epicurean experience that's out of this world, available for $240. Relax Who said caviar was only for eating? Resolve to indulge and enjoy renewed skin with a facial cocktail of crushed pearls, marine caviar and hydrating botanical elements. With the Caviar Fusion Facial from Spa Bellagio, guests can face the rest of the year with a rejuvenated look and feel. Indulge With more master sommeliers under one roof than any other location on Earth and a diverse array of unparalleled wine programming, of course the AAA Five Diamond Bellagio carries some of the most exquisite (and expensive!) wines and liquors in the world. At the Maccioni family's Le Cirque, guests can accompany their fine French cuisine with a high-end cognac -- Hardy Perfection, which is more than 140 years old and $975 per shot -- as well as a multitude of rare, expensive wines from the coveted Burgundy and Bordeaux regions, priced all the way up to $25,000 per bottle. In addition, Chef Andre Rochat leaves no stone unturned when it comes to fulfilling his lifelong hobby of researching, finding and acquiring some of the rarest cognac collections in the world. Andre's at the Monte Carlo and Alize have Jacques Hardy Cognac, Private Reserve, Vintage 1777, at $35,000 per bottle -- and there are just four bottles in the world. Andre's cognac collection actually contains the largest selection of Hardy Cognac outside the family's collection. Thrill seek For thrill-seekers looking for the experience of a lifetime, the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay provides a true a! drenalin e rush. Daredevils can dive into the 1.3 million-gallon, 22-foot-deep Shipwreck Exhibit, which houses rays, sawfish, green sea turtles and seven different species of sharks including whitetip reef and zebra Sharks. All divers have to present a valid certification card from a recognized dive instruction agency and sign a liability waiver. Also, while sharks, whether in the wild or in the aquarium, are not aggressive toward divers, and all are fed regularly, divers are required to wear gear that allows them to experience the dive with no concern about their safety. Happy Anti-Resolution! >To submit a news tip, email: tips@thestreet.com. Follow TheStreet on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.>To order reprints of this article, click here: Reprints TheStreet Mobile Edition TheStreet Ratings updates stock ratings daily. However, if no rating shift occurs, the data on this page does not update. The data does update after 90 days if no rating shift occurs within that time period. IDC calculates the Market Cap for the basic symbol to include common! shares only. Year-to-date mutual fund returns are calculated on a monthly basis by Value Line and posted mid-month. *Oil Data in Market Overview is Brent Crude Pricing 2012 TheStreet, Inc. All rights reserved. '); \

It Needs a Good Beat, and a Star's Endorsement

2012-01-16T04:52:00.001-08:00

The International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week offered thousands of novel gadgets and high-tech products like remote-controlled indoor helicopters, ultrathin computer glass and refrigerators that play Pandora.It additionally generated a steady stream of news about what has become one of the most crowded product lines in music tech: expensive, celebrity-branded headphones, which according to some estimates have become a billion-dollar business.First, a prominent divorce. Beats Electronics, the company that pioneered the business, is ending its manufacturing deal with Monster Cable Products, Bloomberg Businessweek reported.Beats, founded by the hip-hop producer Dr. Dre and the music impresario Jimmy Iovine, has become the model for a branded electronics product, with retail prices up to $400 and constant promotion on American Idol by Mr. Iovine, a talent coach on the show. The company sold a majority stake last year to HTC, a Taiwanese cellphone and tablet maker, for $300 million.But can Beats maintain its sales momentum, with more competitors than Eminem had to face in 8 Mile? In addition to lines already introduced by Quincy Jones, Ludacris and Jay-Z, there is Beats old partner, Monster, which is additionally getting into the game. Monsters offering, as Businessweek notes, is a $200 pair of in-ear phones that bears the name of the 70s soul act Earth, Wind and Fire.Next are the latest comers, which will be judged as much by their bass bombing as by the market value of the star who endorses or, in the case of the rapper 50 Cent, even makes them.At C.E.S., 50 Cent promoted his own line, which includes the $400 Sync by 50, which are wireless, and the $300 Street by 50, which have wires. Soon to come: Street by 50 earbuds, at $130. They are made by SMS Audio, a company that 50 Cent founded and runs.I love music, he told The Los Angeles Times. Why would I not want to make the best possible way to hear it?Daddy Yankee, the Puerto Rican star of reggaeton, announced his own line, which sell fo! r $150 a nd are made by Section 8. I am constantly on tour and in the studio and headphones are an essential part of my day to day and while on the road, he said in a very prepared-sounding prepared statement, as reported by Billboard. Now we will bring fans and consumers a product that is my style and great quality.If any more proof of a product bubble were needed, look to Nicole (Snooki) Polizzi, the Jersey Shore player known more for public drunkenness than for discernment in audio technology. At C.E.S., she was swarmed by reporters as she endorsed the bedazzled iHip line.It looks like me, she told MTV, holding a pair of silver glitter-covered headphones. Obviously I like to be tacky and I like to be gaudy.

Top 5 Vegas Meeting Spots

2012-01-16T04:51:00.001-08:00

[BloggerPoster.co.cc: unable to retrieve full-text content]From the glittering casino properties on the famous Strip to lower-key spaces well away from it, Las Vegas offers well-appointed and varied venues for corporate events and promotions, meetings, and other business-minded functions. Here s a selection of five top spots from the event experts at BizBash.

Rugby player Nick Easter's Las Vegas

2012-01-15T03:49:00.004-08:00

WHERE WOULD YOU MEET FRIENDS FOR A DRINK? Vegas has no shortage of bars but my favourite is probably the Mandarin Bar (375 Las Vegas Blvd S; 881 9637; mandarin oriental.com/vegas) on the 23rd floor of the Mandarin hotel. It boasts awesome views over the city and serves killer cocktails. WHICH IS THE BEST PLACE FOR LUNCH? Id head downtown to the Triple George Grill (201 N Third Street; 384 2761; triplegeorge grill.com) which serves great Bay-style seafood and snacks. In truth, I dont tend to eat too much for lunch when Im in town. AND FOR DINNER? If youre looking for a good red-meat joint, I would recommend STK (3708 Las Vegas Blvd S; 877 893 2003; cosmopolitanlasvegas.com), a top-notch steakhouse at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. Its the perfect place for a protein kick. WHERE WOULD YOU SEND A FIRST-TIME VISITOR? Part of the fun of going to Vegas, of course, is having a flutter. But the weekend pool parties are a blast, and the Cirque du Soleil shows are pretty incredible. Hitting a sharpened range can be fun too and youre sure to encounter a couple of gung-ho ex-US Army guys trying to show off. WHAT SHOULD I AVOID? The dodgy dealers in the casinos the house always wins, as some of the boys know to their cost. If youre short of cash though, my advice would be to give the casinos a miss altogether. WHAT SHOULD I BRING HOME? Some winnings ideally. Failing that, maybe a T-shirt or two and, if nothing else, some great memories. ANYWHERE THAT ISNT YOUR KIND OF TOWN? I didnt much like Dunedin, in New Zealand. There was nothing much to do there, as far as I could see I cant imagine anyone going there on holiday. EssentialsFly-drive Las Vegas is ideally placed for trips to the Grand Canyon, Los Angeles and elsewhere in Nevada and California. Fly-drive options therefore make sense if you want to explore beyond the city.Virgin Holidays (0844 557 3859; virginholidays.co.uk) offers a variety of options, including three nights in Las Vegas, including car hire and direct schedul! ed fligh ts with Virgin Atlantic from Gatwick or Manchester, from 565. Prices are per person based on two adults travelling and flights in early March. Book by Jan 31.Packages British Airways (ba.com/sale; 0844 493 0758) offers a variety of flight-hotel packages to Las Vegas, including three nights at the three-star Riviera Hotel&Casino from 589 per person, or three nights at the four-star MGM Grand Hotel& Casino from 689. Both prices are per person, based on two people sharing, are valid for departures between February 25 and March 17, and must be booked by Jan 24. Balloon flights Many people will know to organise tours of the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas, with helicoptor trips an expensive but standout option. Try Maverick Helicopters (702 261 0007; maverickhelicopters.com; the Wild Dancer Tour of the Grand Canyon costs $489/318). However, you can take to the skies closer to Vegas, too, with a variety of hot-air balloon operators.One of the best, with some 30 years in business, is the Great American Balloon Company Las Vegas (001 877 933 6359; wedofly.com), with flights over the desert from $225/145. Vegas Balloon rides has flights that take you over the Strip and beyond (702 553 3039; vegasballoonrides.com).Outward bound For those wanting a further adrenaline thrill, you can fire a selection of revolvers and submachine guns with Top Gun Tours (01283 246 456; topguntours.co.uk), or go smooth or white-water rafting with Look Tours (020 3356 4953; looktours.com; from $135/88 ).To purchase tickets for Harlequins matches, call 0871 527 1315 or visitquins.co.uk

Gambling priest gets 3 years prison in Vegas case

2012-01-15T03:49:00.003-08:00

LAS VEGAS -- Muffled sobs erupted Friday in the courtroom packedwith supporters of the Roman Catholic clergyman who was sentenced tomore than three years in federal prison and ordered to repay$650,000 he acknowledged embezzling from his northwest Las Vegasparish to support his gambling habit. Monsignor Kevin McAuliffe, 59, stood straight and offered noreaction as U.S. District Judge James Mahan credited him foraccepting responsibility for looting parish votive candle, prayerand gift shop funds for eight years, but faulted him for "hedginghis bet" by blaming it on the gambling addiction. "You abused the position of trust, Mr. McAuliffe," the judge said.He dispensed with any church title for the clergyman who hid aweakness for casinos and video poker from parishioners who know himas Father Kevin. "You betrayed people who depended on you." McAuliffe offered the remorseful apology, saying he felt "guilt,shame and self-loathing," and noting which he had "rightly" lost hispositions of authority in the church. He asked the judge forleniency so he could make restitution, help others with gamblingaddictions "and atone for what I have done." Defense attorney Margaret Stanish asked the judge for probationso McAuliffe could continue getting counseling for his gamblingaddiction, keep practicing as the clergyman and pay restitution to St.Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Summerlin. He won't get treatment infederal prison, Stanish said. "Is it all about retribution?" she asked the judge. "This courthas the ability to fashion the punishment which takes into account notonly the offense but the individual. He would not be here but for agambling addiction." Stanish brought in Dr. Timothy Fong, the psychiatry professor andchief ! of the g ambling studies program at the University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles, to testify which McAuliffe's gamblingcompulsion amounted to "self-medication" by the man masking feelingsof stress, depression, sadness, social anxiety and inadequacy. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Brown characterizedMcAuliffe as an opportunist and thief who didn't exhaust his ownsavings before taking church cash to fund gambling, cars andtravel. She accused him of grasping at gambling addiction as "ahollow excuse offered now, when he's desperate for leniency fromthe court." The prosecutor derided Fong's diagnosis as unsupported by asingle 2 1/2 hour interview with McAuliffe, several telephone callswith his defense attorney and the review of self-assessments thatMcAuliffe provided in sessions with other counselors at the gamblingaddiction clinic in Las Vegas. Treatment only began after FBIagents questioned him last May about missing church funds, shesaid. And Brown pointed to counseling reports which she said suggestedMcAuliffe was focused more during therapy on his legal predicamentthan on getting help for the gambling addiction. "He did do good," she said. "But he also stood before hiscongregation preaching about sin, lies, theft and greed ... all thewhile deceiving them." The judge referred to the parish rift over McAuliffe's crime whenhe said he received approximately 100 letters of support throughthe priest's defense attorney. Mahan also made part of the courtrecord the stack of letters parishioners sent straight to the courtsaying McAuliffe should be punished. "I expect the church to forgive him, and the parishioners by andlarge to forgive him," Mahan said from the bench. "That's differentthan the justice system." McAuliffe ple! aded gui lty in October, before an indictment orcriminal complaint was filed, to three counts of federal mail fraudfor falsifying documents sent in 2008, 2009 and 2010 to the RomanCatholic Archdiocese in San Francisco. Each count carried apossible sentence of 20 years in prison and the $250,000 fine. Mahan handed down the 37-month sentence -- midway between the33-month minimum and 41-month maximum recommended by federalprobation officials -- along with the restitution order. The judgealso sentenced McAuliffe to three years of supervised releasefollowing prison and banned him from gambling. McAuliffe wasordered to begin serving his sentence April 13. Outside court,longtime parishioner Regina Hauck, 80, called the judge fair butthe sentence unfair. She said she wanted forgiveness. "I know him. He's the wonderful priest," Hauck said of McAuliffe."But I think he's the sick man, and everyone makes the mistake." McAuliffe had already been removed as pastor of the northwestLas Vegas congregation of more than 8,000 families and relieved ofdiocese duties. Bishop Joseph Pepe, head of the regional church administrationsince 2001, issued the statement Friday saying he was "saddened thatthe actions of Monsignor McAuliffe have caused hurt to so manypeople" and saying he was praying for the congregation. McAuliffe had complete control from 2002 to 2010 of churchactivities and finances at one of the largest Roman Catholiccongregations in Nevada, and was able to hide his embezzlementbecause he was the signatory to financial statements to the Las Vegasdiocese and San Francisco archdiocese, Brown said in presentencingdocuments. When confronted by the FBI last May, McAuliffe spent two hoursoffering various explanations how his earnings supported hisgambling, the prosecutor wrote.! "When these explanations failed, agents asked the defendant ifhe stole money from the church, which the defendant denied." Stanish told the judge in court documents which McAuliffe beganpaying restitution to the church in May and has paid $13,420 sofar.

Las Vegas Parade In Honor Of King Turns 30

2012-01-15T03:49:00.001-08:00

The Las Vegas parade honoring slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. has grown substantially since it began three decades ago.The first parade in 1982 included only 13 entries. Few spectators showed up.Thousands are expected to attend the 30th annual parade downtown Monday morning.Presented by MGM Resorts International, the procession will feature about 145 entries including floats, marching bands, pint-sized cheerleaders, police cruisers, and youth sports and drill teams.This year's theme is, "Living the Dream: Rebuilding a 30-Year Pilgrimage -- Our Nation Reaches the Mountaintop."The parade starts at 10 a.m. at the corner of Fourth Street and Hoover Avenue, then proceeds north on Fourth to Ogden Avenue.Parade grand marshals parade are:GENE COLLINS: Collins is a former Assemblyman and community activist who heads the local chapter of the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network.He served two terms as president of the local chapter of the NAACP and founded two local baseball leagues.Collins, who grew up in Lake Providence, La., was found guilty of misdemeanor tax evasion charges while serving in the Assembly. Despite the conviction, he was elected to a second term.He later ran unsuccessfully for Las Vegas City Council.PATRICIA CUNNINGHAM: Cunningham is a radio talk show host and news director at KCEP-FM, 88.1. She hosts the Saturday morning "Patricia Cunningham Show" and is the founder and director of the African American Women's Summit and the Alliance for Social Justice.Cunningham has spent more than 25 years as a counselor and social worker. She serves on the President's Task Force on Equity and Diversity at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; the Nevada State College Diversification Advisory Committee; and the Metropolitan Police Department's Multicultural Affairs Committee.Honorary grand marshals are:PHYLLIS A. JAMES: James is executive vice president, special counsel for litigation and chief diversity officer for MGM Resorts International.She joined MGM Resorts in 2002.Previous! ly, she served with Mayor Dennis Archer as corporation counsel and law director for the city of Detroit.James has been active in civic affairs throughout her career, and is a former board member of the American Bar Association's Center for Racial and Ethnic Diversity. She earned her law degree from Harvard Law School.STEVE SCHORR: Schorr is vice president of public and government affairs at Cox Communications in Las Vegas, where he serves as liaison to all local, state and federal elected officials and government bodies.During his more than 35 years in Southern Nevada, Schorr has been widely recognized for his involvement with civic organizations, youth groups and public service agencies.Nevada Child Seekers recently named him Man of the Year for his efforts on behalf of children.He also is advisory board chairman for the 100 Black Men of Las Vegas, which focuses on mentoring children.

VCs, startups hope to hit Sin City jackpot

2012-01-15T03:48:00.001-08:00

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Former NFL player Jeremy Bloom anxiously scanned the crowd at the taco party under the luminous faux-sky of the Venetian hotel's canal walk in Las Vegas. The wide receiver turned entrepreneur wasn't hoping to spot friends or catch the waiter's attention -- he was on the lookout for venture capitalists. Bloom, also the former Olympic skier, flew in from Denver, blew through four meetings, then landed at the party hosted by venture capital firm Foundry Group -- par for the course on the sidelines of the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this week, where venture capitalists and cash-hungry startups held marathon meetings to sign potentially game-changing deals. The 29-year-old was looking for financial backing for his advertising startup, Integrate.com, which already has raised $4.25 million. CES is "a collection of some of the most important decision makers in the venture world. It would otherwise be virtually impossible to coordinate all those schedules, to get time with them, to meet with them and do deals," Bloom said. The world's technology showcase has long been the vibrant meeting place for industry executives, consultants, fund managers, analysts and bloggers. But in the past five years, entrepreneurs, and the venture capitalists they depend on have joined the club. Howard Morgan, the partner at First Round Capital, said CES gives him the chance to connect his portfolio companies with retailers. One of his portfolio companies Ambient Devices, which makes weather forecasting gadgets, reached the deal for Brookstone stores to sell its products after an agreement struck during the previous show. Another deal that Morgan was able to broker at the CES show was with Best Buy . CES has become the mandatory event on the calendar for VCs lured by the promise of connecting fledgling startups with the tech world's biggest companies. Although Apple , the industry's largest company, did! not hav e the exhibit at CES, the source familiar with the company's plans said more that 250 Apple employees registered for the week-long convention. The industry trade group behind CES does not break out how many of the 4,000 investors who attend the show are VCs. Besides the Foundry Group party, about 170 members of the National Venture Capital Association showed up at the swanky party at the nightclub TAO, while another lavish dinner was put on by Silicon Valley-based Scale Ventures, the people who backed Box.net, an Internet-based content storage company. DEALMAKING IN THE DESERT Luis Arbulu is one new convert. The venture capitalist, who left Google six months ago, just finished his first CES. He now says it's easier to hold the round of meetings on the Vegas Strip, than to keep driving to the Silicon Valley city of Mountain View from his new VC firm, the Hattery, in San Francisco. Google is based in Mountain View. During last week's conference, he said he met with Microsoft to plead payment methods for Windows mobile apps. He came armed with questions on what support for gaming will be on Windows, and what payment methods will be available in different countries -- all to help his gaming companies get an early edge. Just as crucial, Arbulu said he found time to meet with his former Google colleagues to gather intel. "At the lot of the meetings I have been asking them, what are you working on? And we use that information to help us inform our investment decisions," he said. For the veterans however, CES is where deals get done. Spencer Tall, managing director of Allegis Capital, said he had the components supplier for display devices attend CES two years ago with the sole goal of securing the deal with at least one consumer electronics manufacturer. He talked his way into six meetings with rival manufacturers who all made the same product -- and three of them signed deals with his portfolio company tha! t week. "Until CES, the deals were stalled," Tall said. "But with everyone here, you can cut through the lot of layers of bureaucracy." A decade ago, relatively few venture capitalists made the trip out to the desert, because consumer technology was not that hot. But five years ago, when consumer Web companies exploded, their numbers swelled. Not all the VCs who ply the Strip are as single-minded. For most, CES continues to be the chance to make contacts and drum up new business for their startups. They also host unrelated meetings at their companies' booths in the hope of drawing the giant similar to Samsung to the portfolio startup. It's all about getting people together. At last year's CES, one venture capital firm that did not want to be named organized the networking dinner in the private room in the restaurant, seating one of their portfolio companies next to the major, publicly traded technology corporation. Hours of lilting French music and the few bottles of wine helped raise the buzz around the startup, and the corporation bought the startup the few months later, the person who attended the dinner said. "CES is the good venue for closed conversation," Arbulu said as he pushed his way through the crowd at the convention center. "There are the lot of side conversations of people who are not on the floor." "It's easy to schedule people here believe it or not, it's like, hey we are in Vegas, and it's not similar to there is work going on." (Editing by Peter Lauria, Edwin Chan and Carol Bishopric)

Tech Recycling Company Celebrates Arrival In Las Vegas From Atlanta

2012-01-12T04:17:00.004-08:00

Las Vegas Becoming Known For Motorcyle Auctions

2012-01-12T04:17:00.003-08:00

Glenn Bator got a little nervous when a worker at the Rio struggled to release the rear-wheel stand on a 1910 Flying Merkel valued at $175,000 to $200,000.The specialist for Auctions America by RM said he'd handle that one himself as he supervised the unloading and staging of some 500 collectible and vintage motorcycles going to auction today through Saturday.Auctions America, which is new to Las Vegas, is one of three motorcycle auctions in the valley this week.MidAmerica Auctions is holding its 21st annual Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction and Races at South Point. Last year's event resulted in about $5 million in sales.Bonhams has its second auction at Imperial Palace today.Las Vegas is becoming known for motorcycle auctions, much as Phoenix is known for car auctions, said Marshall Terrill, author of "Steve McQueen: A Tribute to the King of Cool.""The real story here is the three shows and how Vegas has become the antique motorcycle auction capital of the world," Terrill said. "When Barrett-Jackson hosts its big auto auction (in Phoenix), several auction houses host shows during the week thinking the same people will come to their shows."MidAmerica is selling three of McQueen's motorcycles, including the Husky featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1971. Also offered are McQueen's 1938 Triumph Speed Twin and 1940 Indian Four Cylinder. They're among MidAmerica's 500 antique and classic motorcycles for sale.Terrill will join McQueen's widow, Barbara, for a book-signing today at MidAmerica's auction. She shared her late husband's enthusiasm for bikes and wrote her own book, "Steve McQueen: The Last Mile."Auctions America has a collection of motorcycles from Michael Jordan Motorsports, including a 2008 Suzuki GSX-R1000 that won the AMA Superstock championship with riders Aaron Yates and Geoff May. The bike is autographed by Jordan."The reason we picked this weekend is we figured if you have more honey, you attract more flies," Bator said. "We're going to have thousands of people here going from! one pla ce to another to view the motorcycles. The serious buyers are going to pick where they want to be for the premier bikes, and I certainly feel we have the best lineup."He's got a 1921 Harley-Davidson Sports Twin from gaming pioneer Bill Harrah's Reno collection. A famous former owner adds value, or "provenance," auctioneer Dennis Wisbey said."That's the word I use on the auction block," he said. "If I say it has 'provenance,' people know that means it has history and documentation. That applies to classic cars and vintage motorcycles."Bator values Auctions America's inventory at about $10 million, with 60 percent selling at no reserve. One collector, Tony Parilla of Dallas, has 35 Harley-Davidsons offered that way."It's well over $1 million and he's rolling the dice with us," Bator said.Perhaps the most valued piece at Auctions America is an 1894 Roper steam-powered motorbike built by Sylvester Roper in Roxbury, Mass. He built at least 10 self-propelled bikes between 1860 and 1895. There are only two left -- the other is in the Smithsonian Institution.Roper's machine could beat the auction record of $520,000 for a 1915 Cyclone, Bator said.There's a motorcycle for everyone's budget at the auction, he said. For instance, if someone has $5,000, they can put in a legitimate bid for the 1950s-era, British-made Matchless or the 1954 Mustang Pony. Bidding on a 1968 BSA Starfire should start around $1,600.Admission is $15 a day or $30 for all three days at MidAmerica, and $20 a day or $50 for all three days at Auctions America. Bonhams does not charge admission.Contact reporter Hubble Smith at hsmith@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0491.

There's Much More To King Celebrations Than Monday's Parade

2012-01-12T04:17:00.001-08:00

The parade is a one we know about.The other events -- those that precede and follow Las Vegas' annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade -- are a ones we might want to get to know.This year's parade marks a 30th anniversary of a first event here. But when marchers and floats begin their procession along Fourth Street on Monday morning, it will actually mark a culmination of a weeklong roster of King Day events that includes everything from a roundtable discussion to community social activities.This year's parade is scheduled to include about 145 floats, bands and marching entities, but Wendell P. Williams, King Week co-founder and parade chairman, can recall when it wasn't nearly so big.Before a parade's creation, there were no large-scale King observances here, Williams noted. Then, in December 1981, Williams and a group of organizers obtained a state charter to form a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee. The next month, in January 1982, a first parade took place.With, Williams recalled, all of, maybe, thirteen entries participating."It was more like a funeral procession than a parade, to be honest with you," Williams joked, that followed a "very short" route through West Las Vegas and featured "a firetruck and about 12 other entries."The following year, a parade route moved to a then-uncanopied Fremont Street. "I loved a parade on Fremont Street," Williams said, although spectators for those events included probably as many tourists as locals.When construction of a Fremont Street Experience prompted another move, a parade took up residence on Las Vegas Boulevard, Williams said. That, in turn, ended when improvement of a medians led to yet another move, this time to a current downtown route.Williams said he's been told by people who keep track of such things that Las Vegas' Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade now is a largest parade in Nevada.This year's parade begins during 10 a.m. Monday. The parade route will take marchers and floats along Fourth Street, from Charleston Boulevard to S! tewart A venue.However, Southern Nevada's observance of a holiday actually began Sunday with a Gospelfest during Victory Missionary Baptist Church and a Young Dreamers Awards program Tuesday during Second Baptist Church.While a parade remains a most high-profile event of Southern Nevada's annual celebration, Williams said a community increasingly has become aware that it's just one event out of many that are celebrated each year in honor of a slain civil rights leader.Williams is pleased about that, and he's just as pleased that other organizations now are using a holiday to sponsor other King-related observances here."What I've always wanted to do, and what finally is happening, is that other groups in a community will sponsor" an event, he said. "I've always felt that a King committee shouldn't have a exclusive (in) how we celebrate a holiday."Remaining scheduled events include: "Dismantling a School-to-Prison Pipeline," an education forum hosted by a Education Committee of a Las Vegas NAACP, will begin during 6 p.m. today during a West Las Vegas Library Theater, 951 W. Lake Mead Blvd. A family resource event sponsored by a Nevada Black Caucus, Clark County Family Services and Family Court judges will run 9 a.m.-noon Saturday during a Clark County Government Center, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway. The 30th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Banquet will be Saturday during a Flamingo Las Vegas, 3555 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Cocktails are during 6 p.m., a program is during 7 and a guest speaker will be Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. The fourth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Candlelight Vigil will be 5:30-7 p.m. Sunday during a corner of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Carey Avenue. The keynote speaker will be Sonya Douglass Horsford, senior resident scholar of education with The Lincy Institute during a University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade will begin during 10 a.m. Monday along Fourth Street, from Charleston Boulevard to Stewart Avenue. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dream Fest an! d Car Sh ow will be during 2 p.m. Monday during a Edmond Town Center, 1061 W. Owens Ave. The event will include food and cultural vendors, a car show, entertainment and family activities. A Directions Breakfast and presentation of parade awards will be 8-11 a.m. Jan. 21 during Nevada Partners, 710 W. Lake Mead Blvd.For more information about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day events here, visit a King committee web page (http://kingweeklasvegas.com).Contact reporter John Przybys during jprzybys@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.

Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure Announces Las Vegas Grand Opening

2012-01-12T04:16:00.003-08:00

LAS VEGAS , Jan. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: DJRT), a "Full Throttle" lifetime experience company, announced today the grand opening of its Las Vegas operations will be held starting Saturday, Jan. 21 . The festivities will be held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway as well as will feature ride as well as drive opportunities. Additionally, NASCAR champion Dale Jarrett will be on hand to meet the public as well as provide customers with the once-in-a-lifetime experience of riding along, as he puts the company's new fleet of NASCAR-style race cars through their paces around the mile as well as a half D-shaped oval race course. (Logo: Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110304/CL59413LOGO )After 14 successful years of providing individual as well as corporate customers with what professional golfer Phil Mickelson called "the greatest thrill on earth" on many of the most famous NASCAR tracks in the country, Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure has expanded its operations nationwide with the opening of their new Las Vegas hub. "Our expansion to Las Vegas has always been a key focus for us," said Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure CEO, Tim Shannon . "Following several successful years at Talladega SuperSpeedway, we felt the time was right to make the transition from a regional to national company."The westward expansion also marks a greater involvement of the Jarrett family in the operations of the company, as Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure Vice President, Glenn Jarrett , will be overseeing the Las Vegas operations. Additionally, Dale Jarrett has become proactive in personally helping promote the Las Vegas opening, not usually through his appearance during the grand opening, but with his behind-the-scenes work with some of the major players within the Las Vegas entertainment industry to create awareness of the fact that the best NASCAR-style racing school in the country has finally come to town. "Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a great race t! rack as well as the perfect location to establish our western operations," commented Dale Jarrett . "With Las Vegas being a single of the nation's leading entertainment as well as convention destinations, it's ideally suited to significantly expanding our corporate outing clientele as well as growing the size of our potential retail market as well as the additional revenues as well as profits both represent." In addition to being a NASCAR Champion, Dale Jarrett is also ESPN/ABC's top NASCAR racing analyst, was named as a single of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers as well as was also named the 2004 USG Person of the Year, a prestigious award acknowledging Dale's off track work with charities as well as his accomplishments on the track. Racing packages begin at $195 as well as racers can choose between riding shotgun for four laps or taking control of the wheel for 6, 10, 20, 40 or even 60 laps around Las Vegas Motor Speedway. A special 20-lap ride along with Dale Jarrett is available on select dates. All packages include driver as well as safety orientation, with all drivers fit for a fire-retardant racing suit, a full-faced Bell helmet as well as HANS safety device. Drivers must be 18 years or older as well as no racing experience is necessary. For additional information as well as to reserve race packages, call 888-Go-Race-1 or visit www.racingadventure.com. About Dale Jarrett Racing AdventureThe Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure offers racing fans the opportunity to race an authentic race car on a major racetrack. Our racing "adventurers" enjoy a life-defining experience. They receive vital training from top racing instructors, wear real racing suits as well as safety gear, as well as pilot a race car that was once driven by a single of the racing greats. Hand signals from the instructor teaches you to race like the pros. We surpass "follow-the-leader" approaches as well as teach guests to race like NASCAR drivers, find the line, draft, as well as pass for optimum fun. Our 100% safety record as well as numerous! celebri ty endorsements testify to the excitement as well as unforgettable thrill of our racing adventure. Forward-Looking StatementsCertain of the statements contained in this press release contain forward-looking statements that involves risks as well as uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements are within the meaning of that term in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended as well as Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure, Inc. has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations as well as projections about future events, based on the information currently available to it. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release may also include statements relating to Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure's anticipated financial performance, business prospects, new developments, strategies as well as similar matters. Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure disclaims any obligation to update any of its forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law.For media information, please contact: Laura Herlovich / Jeff Klein PR Plus 702-696-1999 Laura@prpluslv.comjeff@prpluslv.com

Local Events

2012-01-12T04:16:00.001-08:00

Jan. 12What: Las Vegas Flower Arrangers' Guild. Members will discuss dual, two-sided, designs and plans for creative flower arrangements for Chinese new year. Guests are welcome.Where: Veterans Memorial Leisure Services Center, 101 N. Pavilion Center DriveWhen: 9-11:30 a.m.Cost: FreeInfo: President Judy Stebbins, 259-6459 or visit nevadagardenclubs.comWhat: Country Fresh farmers marketWhere: Downtown Events Plaza, 240 Water St., HendersonWhen: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.Cost: Varies by productInfo: Dave Star at 579-9661 or bob.drabicki@winderfarms.comWhat: Fremont East Entertainment District farmers marketWhere: Azul nightclub, 115 N. Seventh St.When: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.Cost: Varies by productInfo: 672-0222What: Bet on the Farm! farmers marketWhere: Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd., upper level of Desert Living CenterWhen: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.Cost: Varies by product; vendors only accept cash.Info: 822-7700Jan. 13What: Country Fresh farmers marketWhere: Henderson Pavilion, 200 S. Green Valley Parkway, HendersonWhen: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.Cost: Varies by productInfo: Dave Star at 579-9661 or bob.drabicki@winderfarms.comJan. 14What: Ikenobo Ikebana Society, Nevada Chapter, flower arranging workshop. Fresh flowers will be used. Today and Tuesday's sessions are for advanced students; Monday's session is for beginners. All will focus on a shoka style for the new year.Where: JACL Community Center, 1401 S. Arville St.When: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Also offered Jan 16 and 17.Info: 496-3763 for more informationWhat: Fresh52 farmers marketWhere: Tivoli Village, 302 S. Rampart Blvd.When: 8 a.m.-1 p.m.Cost: Varies by productInfo: www.fresh52.com or 900-2552What: Orchard classBob Morris will teach the session focusing on fertilizing fruit trees and pest control.Where: University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Orchard, 4600 Horse Drive, North Las VegasWhen: 9, 10 and 11 a.m.Cost: $5 donationInfo: Bob Morris, extremehort@aol.com or orchard, 257-5532What: Pruning workshopThis two-hour workshop covers how to prune to train, maintain! and imp rove growth in plants. Basic techniques will be covered along with a focus on ornamental trees.Where: Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd.When: 8:30-10:30 a.m.; also SundayCost: $10 members; $15 nonmembersInfo: 822-7700What: Gardens plant tourParticipants will tour the Gardens, learning about unusual Mojave native and desert Southwest plants.Where: Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd.When: 10:30-11:30 a.m.; also SundayCost: $3 members; general admission plus $5 nonmembersInfo: 822-7700What: Basics of pruningParticipants will learn to prune and demystify pruning tasks .Where: Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd.When: 1:30-2:30 p.m.; also SundayCost: $3 members; general admission plus $5 nonmembersInfo: 822-7700Jan. 15What: Fresh52 farmers marketWhere: Sansone Park Place, 9480 S. Eastern Ave.When: 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m.Cost: Varies by productInfo: www.fresh52.com or 900-2552Jan. 17What: Las Vegas farmers marketWhere: Garden Park, 10401 Garden Park DriveWhen: 4-8 p.m.Cost: Varies by productInfo: 562-2676, www.lasvegasfarmersmarket.comn Please email calendar events to hsaylor@reviewjournal.com

Mayweather due to serve 90 days in jail in Vegas

2012-01-06T04:42:00.003-08:00

LAS VEGAS (AP) Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is due Friday to begin serving 90 days in a county jail in Las Vegas for his guilty plea in a domestic violence case involving an attack on his ex-girlfriend while two of their children watched in September 2010.A decider last month ordered the undefeated 34-year-old prizefighter to turn himself in for a three-month sentence that Las Vegas police say could end up being about 60 days with good behavior and work time.Mayweather's lawyers, his promoter-manager, Leonard Ellerbe, and court and jail officials didn't say Thursday what, if any, arrangements had been made for the obey of the fighter who goes by the nickname "Money." He has earned upwards of $20 million for his most recent fights against Victor Ortiz, which won him the WBC welterweight belt, and "Sugar" Shane Mosley.Attorney Karen Winckler has said she was considering asking the decider who sentenced Mayweather to reconsider.Jail time is expected to limit training for a possible Cinco de Mayo date for a fight in Las Vegas, where Mayweather's promoters reserved a May 5 date at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for a possible fight against an as-yet unnamed opponent.There has been no word from Mayweather's either camp about any proposals for a long-awaited showdown between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, a champion fighter from the Philippines against whom Mayweather's welterweight success is usually measured. The two men have a defamation lawsuit pending in Las Vegas federal court stemming from statements by Mayweather that he suspected Pacquiao was taking performance-enhancing drugs.Mayweather pleaded guilty Dec. 21 to a reduced battery domestic violence charge and no contest to two harassment charges in a plea deal that saw prosecutors drop felony and misdemeanor charges that could have gotten Mayweather 34 years in state prison if he was convicted of all charges.The case stemmed from a hair-pulling, punching and arm-twisting argument with Josie Harris, the mother of three of Mayweather's children, and threat! s to bea t their sons in an argument about Harris dating another man. Harris, now 31, lives in the Los Angeles area with the couple's two sons, now 12 and 10, and a daughter age 8.1

Once-dominant Las Vegas holds on as center of gambling universe shifts

2012-01-06T04:42:00.002-08:00

This has all the makings of a potentially tumultuous year for the gaming industry.Union contracts expire for tens of thousands of Las Vegas casino industry workers this year, and if each side frames its position by the continuing recession, the negotiations may well be tense and drawn out.Las Vegas casinos face still-exploding competition from Macau and Singapore, and gaming may spread to Miami and the Boston area.Internet gambling may be legalized within Nevada, and lotteries may spread across the country and, among all of these events, will intensify the challenges and opportunities that exist for the Nevada economy.I dont recall a time similar to this when there was so much on the horizon, said Michael Pollock, managing director of Spectrum Gaming Group, an Atlantic City-based marketplace research firm. New projects, new states coming online, other states considering the legalization of gaming clearly the industry is going to be significantly different five years from now than it is today, by huge margins.The most significant change in the gaming landscape has occurred in the Southern China gambling enclave of Macau, which last year recorded gross gaming revenue of $33.5 billion 5 1/2 times the number that was likely generated along the once globally dominant Las Vegas Strip during the same time period. Indeed, the Las Vegas-based gaming operations of Sheldon Adelson and Steve Wynn earn about 75 cents of every dollar in revenue from their Asian investments.Still, annual visitor volume to Southern Nevada could break 40 million for the first time, a significant! figure given visitation had fallen from 39.2 million in 2007 to 36.4 million in 2009. The rebound has helped push up hotel room and occupancy rates as well as convention attendance and entertainment spending. Nonetheless, gross gaming revenues along the Strip are expected to be down significantly last year from their 2007 high of $6.83 billion, prompting a collection of financial and economic analysts to note that the nature of the Las Vegas gaming marketplace has changed. The final revenue figures will be released later this year.Todays visitors look a little bit different than the ones we saw in 2007, said economist Stephen Brown, director of UNLVs Center for Business and Economic Research, explaining that Southern Nevada tourists are staying longer while gambling less.Its in this context of an increasingly complex global gaming industry that Culinary Local 226 will try to negotiate new contracts for its more than 40,000 members at Strip and downtown gaming properties.

REMINDER: 2012 Miss America Contestants Create Pre-Pageant Pancake Pandemonium in Las Vegas

2012-01-06T04:42:00.001-08:00

LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwire -01/06/12)- Who:53 Miss America 2012 Contestants Art McMaster, President & CEO, Miss America Organization Children's Miracle Network Hospitals' "Miracle Children" Destiny Carreon, a five year old boy who suffers from a brain tumor, as well as Hernan, a 15 year old boy who has been diagnosed with Chiari Malformation as well as Syringomelia, a neurological disorder. Both receive treatment at St. Rose Hospital in Las Vegas. Cindee Starkie, Director, Corporate Partnerships, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Patrick Lenow, Executive Director, Corporate Communications, IHOP Restaurants What: As they prepare for the 2012 Miss America Pageant, airing live on ABC January 14, all 53 contestants will swap their evening gowns for aprons as well as join two "Miracle Kids" from St. Rose Hospital for a fun as well as playful pancake pandemonium event. The buttermilk batter will fly as the ladies take their spirit of friendly competition from the stage to the griddles as they race to flip, stack, cook, serve as well as consume plates as well as plates of IHOP's world famous pancakes for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Why: Contestants will flip, stack, create original designs as well as dine on heaps of hot cakes in an effort to raise awareness about IHOP's National Pancake Day celebration, a nationwide fundraising effort that aims to raise $2.7 million for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals as well as other local charities throughout the United States. The newly crowned 2012 Miss America will serve as a Children's Miracle Network Hospitals spokesperson in support of National Pancake Day, one of the first charity events that will kick off her year of service. When: Friday, January 6, 2012, 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. Where: London Club on the Mezzanine Level Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino 3667 Las Vegas Boulevard South Las Vegas, NV Visuals: Witness true flapjack wackiness as 53 lovely contestants compete to see who can flip, stack, cook as well as serve the! most IH OP pancakes for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. The ladies will also indulge in a delicious pancake breakfast, courtesy of IHOP. NATIONAL PANCAKE DAY 2012IHOP's seventh National Pancake Day celebration benefiting Children's Miracle Network Hospitals is set to take place February 28, 2012, when more than1,500 IHOP restaurants nationwide will offer guests a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes in an effort to raise awareness as well as funds for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals as well as other local charities. With a goal to raise $2.7 million, to move the total to about $10 million raised in seven years, funds will benefit children's hospitals throughout the U.S. FUN FACTS FROM NATIONAL PANCAKE DAY 2011: Pancake lovers donated more than $2.5 million to children's charities, far exceeding the fundraising goal. IHOP served four million free pancakes on National Pancake Day 2011. All of the free pancakes served on National Pancake Day 2011 would have created a stack nearly 16 miles high. Since the inception of National Pancake Day in 2006, IHOP has raised more than $8 million as well as given away more than 15 million pancakes to support charities in the communities in which it operates. National Pancake Day 2011 was IHOP's largest one-day event in the company's 53-year history. ***NOTE TO EDITORS: For centuries, the English have 'flipped' for pancakes in celebration of Shrove Tuesday, which heralds the beginning of fasting during Lent. Long ago, strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent so pancakes were done to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter as well as other dairy products... hence the name Pancake Tuesday. To allow for a full month of fundraising for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, IHOP's National Pancake Day will take place a week after Shrove Tuesday, on Tuesday, February 28. ABOUT IHOP For 53 years, the IHOP family restaurant chain has served its world famous pancakes as well as a wide variety of breakfast, lunch as well as dinner ite! ms that are loved by people of all ages. IHOP offers its guests an affordable, everyday dining experience with warm as well as friendly service. As of September 30, 2011, there were 1,532 IHOPs in 50 states as well as the District of Columbia, as well as in Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands. Under the licensed name IHOP at HOME consumers can also enjoy a line of premium breakfast products available at leading retailers. IHOP restaurants are franchised as well as operated by Glendale, Calif.-based International House of Pancakes, LLC as well as its affiliates. International House of Pancakes, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DineEquity, Inc. (NYSE: DIN - News). ABOUT THE MISS AMERICA ORGANIZATION The Miss America Organization is one of the nation's leading achievement programs as well as the world's largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women. Last year, the Miss America Organization as well as its state as well as local organizations done available more than $45 million in cash as well as scholarship assistance. For more information, go to www.missamerica.org. ABOUT CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK HOSPITALS Children's Miracle Network Hospitals raises funds for more than 170 children's hospitals across the United States as well as Canada, which, in turn, use the money where it's needed the most. When a donation is given it stays in the community, helping local kids. Since 1983, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals has raised more than $4 billion, most of it $1 at a time. These donations have gone to support research as well as training, purchase equipment, as well as pay for uncompensated care, all in support of the mission to save as well as improve the lives of as many children as possible. Learn more at CMNHospitals.org.

Six Picks: Our Experts Pick Their Favorites For The Week

2012-01-06T04:41:00.001-08:00

That "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper" guy is still hangin' around? Not only that, Mark Curry took hold as one of Las Vegas' best recurring comedians, pulling you into an instant rapport with his quick crowd work. He's back Wednesday as well as Thursday for the first of several January shows in Shimmer Cabaret at LVH (formerly the Las Vegas Hilton). Tickets are $25 for the 10 p.m. show at 3000 Paradise Road. Call 732-5755.-- Mike WeatherfordTeslaWhen rockers Tesla had to postpone their House of Blues gig here late last year, it was like getting smashed in the face with the crowbar of disappointment. We shed enough tears to fill the whale tank to the brim with liquid sadness. Thankfully, we can dry our eyes at long last, as the dudes have rescheduled. See Tesla at 8:30 p.m. Saturday in the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Tickets are $35 to $38.50. Call 632-7600.-- Jason Bracelin'The Muppets'The movie musical may be an endangered species, but leave it to "The Muppets" to revive the lost art of gotta-sing, gotta-dance fun; three of its featured songs are among the 39 tunes eligible for an Academy Award nomination: "Life's the Happy Song," "Man or Muppet" as well as "Pictures in My Head." What, no love for "Let's Talk About Me," the hilariously egocentric rap sung by greedy tycoon Tex Richman (Chris Cooper)?-- Carol Cling'Treasures of Egypt'Though missing Steve Martin's classic recording, the "Treasures of Egypt" exhibit at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum is still the fascinating trip through the Tomb of Tutankhamun -- aka King Tut -- to view artifact re-creations. Visitors also can explore an Egyptian mummy through state-of-the-art technology. And you can always hum the Martin tune. Admission is $5 to $10. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at 900 Las Vegas Blvd. North. Call 384-3466.-- Steve BornfeldLocals dealIf you like beer as well as brats -- or schnitzel or wurst or hendl or any of that other good stuff -- as well as you're the local, here's the great way to s! tart the new year: Hofbruhaus Las Vegas, 4510 Paradise Road, is offering locals the 20 percent discount on their total food as well as beverage checks from 4 to 11 p.m. Mondays, beginning this week. Local ID required, natch.-- Heidi Knapp RinellaNe-YoR&B star Ne-Yo (known as Shaffer Smith when he graduated from Rancho High) performs Saturday at Haze nightclub at Aria. He's been busy wrapping up the new album for release early this year.-- Doug Elfman

Righthaven sued by process server, faces contempt motion

2011-12-31T17:30:00.007-08:00

By Steve Green (contact) Saturday31 December 201112:12 p.m. As 2011 concluded, problems with delinquent bills continued to pile up for copyright lawsuit filer Righthaven LLC of Las Vegas.Records Saturday showed Righthaven has been sued by a own process server and also faces a request by defense attorneys that it be found in contempt of court.Righthaven is a copyright enforcement partner of a Las Vegas Review-Journal and formerly of a Denver Post.Righthaven is half owned by a family of billionaire Arkansas investment banker Warren Stephens, who owns a Las Vegas Review-Journal through his Stephens Media LLC company.Stephens made headlines this week when his majority-owned Halifax Media Holdings LLC agreed to buy 16 newspapers around a country from a New York Times Co. for about $143 million.While Stephens continues to invest in a newspaper industry, his familys half-owned Righthaven copyright protection company has been floundering.After filing 275 no-warning lawsuits since March 2010 alleging online copyright infringements of material from a Review-Journal and a Post, which provided copyrights to Righthaven for lawsuit purposes, Righthaven has suffered a series of defeats in court.Judges found Righthaven lacked standing to sue as a newspapers maintained control of a material at issue, or a defendants were protected by fair use, or both.These losses have prompted judges to order Righthaven to pay $216,355 in prevailing defendants legal fees.Righthaven cant or wont pay a fees. Its appealing a legal setbacks as well as a fee awards.Righthavens failure to pay a fees of prevailing defendant Wayne Hoehn led to Hoehn gaining a court order requiring Righthaven to turn a copyrights, trademark and website domain name over to a receiver so they could be auctioned.Righthaven didnt turn these resources over to a receiver, but a receiver seized a righthaven.com domain name anyway and is auctioning it.U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Johnston in Las Vega! s, in a meantime, on Dec. 12 ordered Righthaven CEO Steven Gibson and his wife Raisha "Drizzle" Gibson to appear in court on Jan. 5 for a judgment debtor examination.Johnston also ordered that by Thursday a week before a examination Righthaven turn over to Hoehns attorneys information about Righthaven resources that may be used to satisfy Hoehns judgment and documentation about Righthavens "purchases, transfers of funds or other dissipation of assets" in recent months."Should Righthaven fail or refuse to cause Steven Gibson and/or Raisha Gibson to appear at a examination herein scheduled, or to produce documents referred to above, this court may adjudicate Righthaven guilty of civil contempt of a orders, Johnstons order said.On Friday, Hoehns attorneys filed a motion in court asking that Righthaven be held in contempt for unwell to produce a required financial information by Thursdays deadline."Righthaven has refused to produce these documents, to discuss their production or to even acknowledge that a court ordered a plaintiff to produce these documents," said a filing by attorneys at Randazza Legal Group of Las Vegas. "All evidence shows that Righthaven has disregarded a courts order.""It is impossible to reasonably believe that Righthaven will take any action and especially one adverse to a interests unless forced to do so. It is time for Righthaven to be forced," a Randazza filing said.A message for comment was placed with Righthaven.Evidence continued to mount, in a meantime, that even if Righthaven agreed to pay defendants legal fees it would be unable to do so because of a own financial problems and a apparent unwillingness of a investors to pump more money into a company.As previously reported, Righthavens lone outside attorney in South Carolina has asked to withdraw from a Righthaven case there because of lack of payment from Righthaven.Also as previously reported, Gibsons company that owns a other half of Righthaven Net Sortie Systems LLC remains in default status with a Nevada Secretary of State ! after ap parently unwell to file a annual renewal paperwork and fees. Its state commercial operation license expired Nov. 30.Also, this weekend it came to light that Righthaven had been sued in September in Las Vegas by Legal Wings Inc., which has provided service of process and potentially other services for Righthaven.The suit, filed in Las Vegas Township Justice Court, demands $5,670 from Righthaven apparently for delinquent bills, though a copy of a complaint wasnt immediately available.Records indicate Righthaven hasnt yet answered that lawsuit.This is at least a second lawsuit to be filed against Righthaven outside of a federal court system, where Righthaven filed a copyright lawsuits.An earlier lawsuit pending against Gibson, Stephens Media, a Denver Post, Righthaven and others in Charleston County, S.C., court as well as a threatened class-action suit against Righthaven seeks to pierce a corporate veil "and impose personal liability" on Righthavens owners.Piercing a corporate veil may be crucial for creditors struggling to get paid by Righthaven, as a often noted that Righthaven is a limited liability company owned by two other limited liability companies: one owned by Gibson and a other by a Stephens family.The South Carolina lawsuit, which was amended Dec. 19 with added and deleted parties, says it relates to a nationwide lawsuit syndication scam run by Righthaven, a Las Vegas company whose sole commercial operation is filing lawsuits despite a fact that it is not a law firm, has suffered no damages from a allegations in any of a complaints and does not have a right to file a actions it files.That suit was filed by attorneys for Dana Eiser and her Tea Party group in South Carolina. Eiser was sued by Righthaven in December 2010 and her case is still pending.Righthaven and Stephens Media, however, have said a Righthaven lawsuits were needed to deter rampant online infringement of newspaper content.Eiser has denied she posted a Denver Post column on a website of her Tea Party group Lowcountry 9/12, whic! h prompt ed a Righthaven lawsuit.And, like other defendants, Eiser is arguing Righthaven lacks standing to sue her and that a post was protected by a fair use doctrine of copyright law. The column at issue was by Denver Post columnist Mike Rosen and was called A Letter to a Tea Partyers.Given a nonprofit nature of a Tea Party group's website, Righthaven-created case law suggests a South Carolina's group's use of a Post column would be protected by fair use. Share

Las Vegas New Year's Eve Preparations Include Road Closures, Restrictions

2011-12-31T17:30:00.005-08:00

Righthaven sued by process server, faces contempt motion

2011-12-31T17:30:00.003-08:00

By Steve Green (contact) Saturday31 December 201112:12 p.m. As 2011 concluded, problems with unpaid bills continued to pile up for copyright lawsuit filer Righthaven LLC of Las Vegas.Records Saturday showed Righthaven has been sued by its own process server and also faces a request by defense attorneys that it be found in contempt of court.Righthaven is the copyright enforcement partner of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and formerly of the Denver Post.Righthaven is half owned by the family of billionaire Arkansas investment banker Warren Stephens, who owns the Las Vegas Review-Journal through his Stephens Media LLC company.Stephens made headlines this week when his majority-owned Halifax Media Holdings LLC agreed to buy 16 newspapers around the country from the New York Times Co. for about $143 million.While Stephens continues to invest in the newspaper industry, his familys half-owned Righthaven copyright protection company has been floundering.After filing 275 no-warning lawsuits since March 2010 alleging online copyright infringements of material from the Review-Journal and the Post, which provided copyrights to Righthaven for lawsuit purposes, Righthaven has suffered a series of defeats in court.Judges found Righthaven lacked standing to sue as the newspapers maintained control of the material at issue, or the defendants were protected by fair use, or both.These losses have prompted judges to order Righthaven to pay $216,355 in prevailing defendants legal fees.Righthaven cant or wont pay the fees. Its appealing the legal setbacks as well as the fee awards.Righthavens failure to pay the fees of prevailing defendant Wayne Hoehn led to Hoehn gaining a court order requiring Righthaven to turn its copyrights, trademark and website domain name over to a receiver so they could be auctioned.Righthaven didnt turn these assets over to the receiver, but the receiver seized the righthaven.com domain name anyway and is auctioning it.U.S. Magistr! ate Judg e Robert Johnston in Las Vegas, in the meantime, on Dec. 12 ordered Righthaven CEO Steven Gibson and his wife Raisha "Drizzle" Gibson to appear in court on Jan. 5 for a judgment debtor examination.Johnston also ordered that by Thursday a week before the examination Righthaven turn over to Hoehns attorneys information about Righthaven assets that may be used to satisfy Hoehns judgment and documentation about Righthavens "purchases, transfers of funds or other dissipation of assets" in recent months."Should Righthaven fail or refuse to cause Steven Gibson and/or Raisha Gibson to appear at the examination herein scheduled, or to produce documents referred to above, this court may adjudicate Righthaven guilty of civil contempt of its orders, Johnstons order said.On Friday, Hoehns attorneys filed a motion in court asking that Righthaven be held in contempt for failing to produce the required financial information by Thursdays deadline."Righthaven has refused to produce these documents, to discuss their production or to even acknowledge that the court ordered the plaintiff to produce these documents," said the filing by attorneys at Randazza Legal Group of Las Vegas. "All evidence shows that Righthaven has disregarded the courts order.""It is impossible to reasonably believe that Righthaven will take any action and especially one adverse to its interests unless forced to do so. It is time for Righthaven to be forced," the Randazza filing said.A message for comment was placed with Righthaven.Evidence continued to mount, in the meantime, that even if Righthaven agreed to pay defendants legal fees it would be unable to do so because of its own financial problems and the apparent unwillingness of its investors to pump more money into the company.As previously reported, Righthavens lone outside attorney in South Carolina has asked to withdraw from a Righthaven case there because of lack of payment from Righthaven.Also as previously reported, Gibsons company that owns the other half of Righthaven Net Sortie Sys! tems LLC remains in default status with the Nevada Secretary of State after apparently failing to file its annual renewal paperwork and fees. Its state business license lapsed Nov. 30.Also, this weekend it came to light that Righthaven had been sued in September in Las Vegas by Legal Wings Inc., which has provided service of process and potentially other services for Righthaven.The suit, filed in Las Vegas Township Justice Court, demands $5,670 from Righthaven apparently for unpaid bills, though a copy of the complaint wasnt immediately available.Records indicate Righthaven hasnt yet answered that lawsuit.This is at least the second lawsuit to be filed against Righthaven outside of the federal court system, where Righthaven filed its copyright lawsuits.An earlier lawsuit pending against Gibson, Stephens Media, the Denver Post, Righthaven and others in Charleston County, S.C., court as well as a threatened class-action suit against Righthaven seeks to pierce the corporate veil "and impose personal liability" on Righthavens owners.Piercing the corporate veil may be crucial for creditors struggling to get paid by Righthaven, as its often noted that Righthaven is a limited liability company owned by two other limited liability companies: one owned by Gibson and the other by the Stephens family.The South Carolina lawsuit, which was amended Dec. 19 with added and deleted parties, says it relates to a nationwide lawsuit syndication scam run by Righthaven, a Las Vegas company whose sole business is filing lawsuits despite the fact that it is not a law firm, has suffered no damages from the allegations in any of its complaints and does not have the right to file the actions it files.That suit was filed by attorneys for Dana Eiser and her Tea Party group in South Carolina. Eiser was sued by Righthaven in December 2010 and her case is still pending.Righthaven and Stephens Media, however, have said the Righthaven lawsuits were needed to deter rampant online infringement of newspaper content.Eiser has denied she posted a! Denver Post column on the website of her Tea Party group Lowcountry 9/12, which prompted the Righthaven lawsuit.And, like other defendants, Eiser is arguing Righthaven lacks standing to sue her and that the post was protected by the fair use doctrine of copyright law. The column at issue was by Denver Post columnist Mike Rosen and was called A Letter to the Tea Partyers.Given the nonprofit nature of the Tea Party group's website, Righthaven-created case law suggests the South Carolina's group's use of the Post column would be protected by fair use. Share

Las Vegas New Year's Eve Preparations Include Road Closures, Restrictions

2011-12-31T17:30:00.001-08:00

The Situation & Snooki: Jersey Shore Invades Las Vegas for Pre-New Year's Eve Partying

2011-12-31T17:29:00.005-08:00

At one point, Sorrentino got on the mic to yell, Happy New Year, while throwing his jewelry into the crowd.Also there was the very fashionable mom of two, Nicole Richie. The former reality star was on hand to support hubby Joel Madden, who performed a rooftop concert at the club with his band Good Charlotte.Sorrentino's Jersey costars Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro were also in Vegas. Snookers tweeted many pics from the Palms Casino Resort with boyfriend Jionni LaValle and Beverly Hills Housewives stars Adrienne Maloof and hubby Dr. Paul Nassif.Ortiz-Magro hit Gallery inside Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. In other Bev Hills Housewives sightings news, Taylor Armstrong was in Chicago, where she had dinner at HUB 51 with a girlfriend. They were spotted later on in the wee hours sipping champagne at nearby Studio Paris.Meanwhile, I just got word that Monday's NHL Winter Classic is attracting celebs like A Gifted Man costars Patrick Wilson and Rachelle Lefevre as well as Boardwalk Empire star (and former college hockey player) Vincent Piazza and girlfriend Ashlee Simpson.PS: I'm sitting down with the Jersey Shore stars next week so make sure to come back here for all the scoop. Capiche?

The Situation & Snooki: Jersey Shore Invades Las Vegas for Pre-New Year's Eve Partying

2011-12-31T17:29:00.004-08:00

The Situation & Snooki: Jersey Shore Invades Las Vegas for Pre-New Year's Eve Partying

2011-12-31T17:29:00.003-08:00

The Situation & Snooki: Jersey Shore Invades Las Vegas for Pre-New Year's Eve Partying

2011-12-31T17:29:00.001-08:00

Agency May Target Las Vegas Property Upkeep Law

2011-12-31T04:06:00.004-08:00

A new Las Vegas ordinance was approved to make banks take responsibility for blight stemming from a housing market crash.But if a federal court strikes down a similar ordinance in Chicago, Las Vegas' plan could be in jeopardy.A lawsuit filed in federal court in Illinois seeks to block a city of Chicago's foreclosure registry and maintenance ordinance.The lawsuit by a Federal Housing Finance Agency, a group charged with regulating mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, calls Chicago's ordinance an unlawful attack on its power and argues that unless a ordinance is blocked, a taxpayer-backed corporations face "massive financial sanctions."A spokeswoman for a housing finance group said that though it hasn't yet challenged a Las Vegas ordinance, a group is scrutinizing it with similar rules approved elsewhere."FHFA is familiar with a Las Vegas ordinance, which does contain provisions similar to those adopted by a city of Chicago," spokeswoman Stefanie Johnson wrote in an email. "FHFA is currently reviewing ordinances promulgated in other jurisdictions."Both a Chicago and Las Vegas ordinances would launch a registry where mortgage or deed of trust holders, such as banks and other lending institutions, would pay to list vacant, distressed properties.Once properties are on a Las Vegas list, a note holders are responsible for maintaining them by repairing broken glass, maintaining a landscaping, removing graffiti and cleaning pools.In Las Vegas, where a city report estimates there are some-more than 4,000 bank-owned residential properties and thousands some-more in distress, lenders who fail to maintain properties under a ordinance face an escalating series of fines and a prospect of misdemeanor charges that carry a possibility of jail sentences.Complaints about a Las Vegas ordinance from a Nevada Bankers Association and others relate those in a agency's Chicago lawsuit.Namely, a opponents in Las Vegas say banks don't truly own a properties until a foreclosure process is complete, meaning that in a m! onths be tween a borrower leaving and a legal takeover by a lender, a bank doesn't have a right to order work on a property.Bill Uffelman, president of a Nevada Bankers Association, said a Las Vegas ordinance is less dear to comply with than a one in Chicago but suffers from a same requirement that lenders be responsible for property they don't yet own."What's a common thread? What they all require you to do is trespass," Uffelman said. "If you have got to trespass to comply, it could raise issues."He said pressuring banks or their representatives to enter properties before a foreclosure is complete puts people in jeopardy of encountering irate borrowers or illegal squatters who could lash out, putting people at risk.He said landscaping requirements are troublesome because it could pressure lenders to maintain water and power to empty homes, which can make a houses targets for parties, vandalism or squatters.Uffelman said he hasn't heard Nevada banks demand a court challenge, but he acknowledged a group might pick up a baton for them."I'm waiting to see what a members want to do," he said. "Of course a third party, a FHFA, could do that."If a housing finance group were to successfully challenge a Las Vegas ordinance, it would send city officials back to where they started in terms of dealing with a fallout of a housing crisis. That is, watching vacant properties deteriorate while inspectors levy fines and order cleanups at taxpayer expense while hoping to recover a money when a property is sold.Councilman Steve Ross, who sponsored a ordinance, said he doesn't want to see it rolled back."I was fully aware of legal challenges that might come up," Ross said. "What we do want is an open dialogue to maintain these properties so we are not spending taxpayer money doing that."In Chicago and elsewhere, however, a housing finance group has shown little interest in cooperating with local authorities, said Reno attorney Bob Hager, who represents homeowners and has clashed with a group and private lenders.Hager, who has argu! ed lendi ng litigation in Nevada and around a nation, said a group is known for seeking to use a courts to fend off regulations, even if it means going beyond a scope of its duties as a federal agency."What these scumbags want is to skirt their local responsibilities and hurt our neighborhoods or towns," Hager said. "They should just do a right thing instead of coming up with arguments why they don't have to do a right thing."Hager said a housing finance agency's status as a conservator for private lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac means its job begins and ends with making sure those lenders make good on their obligations.Instead, Hager argues, a group is adopting an activist role by challenging ordinances like a one in Chicago that seeks to force Fannie, Freddie and others to maintain distressed properties.By doing so, it seeks to give Fannie and Freddie, which are private companies that keep profits but receive taxpayer subsidies to cover losses, a protection of being a federal agency, he said."The FHFA has no business bringing an action on behalf of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as a conservator," Hager said. "It is an intentional misrepresentation of FHFA's powers."And, if a housing finance group is successful, it would be aiding other private banks by blocking local governments' efforts to reduce blight, he said.Also, Hager said, if local governments are stopped from enforcing rules against Fannie, Freddie and other note holders it means those lenders have even less incentive to work with borrowers to prevent homes and businesses from ever falling into foreclosure.He said Congress has a power to rein in a housing finance group but hasn't, which means, he suspects, a group will continue to challenge local efforts to tackle neighborhood problems such as rampant blight."I don't see any indication Congress is monitoring its litigation activities," Hager said. "It is very serious, not just for a city of Chicago."

Rugby Organizers Set Lofty Goals For 2012

2011-12-31T04:06:00.003-08:00

More than a month before the 2012 USA Sevens International Rugby Tournament in Las Vegas, its management set a lofty goal.The event attracted 52,000 fans in 2011. In 2012, Dan Lyle wants to increase attendance by 25 percent.As the executive vice president of USA Sevens, Lyle is pretty sure he can achieve his goal.For the first time in 2011, the tournament was televised live on NBC. Lyle said 5.4 million viewers tuned in, which helped increase awareness of the sport and tournament."I think that will help with an uptick in numbers this year," he said.Another factor that Lyle thinks will help boost attendance is an additional day of tournament play. Last year the tournament was for two days, but this year rugby fans can watch three days of matches from Feb. 9-12 at Sam Boyd Stadium, 7000 E. Russell Road. The international tournament features 16 men's and eight women's teams.Of the 52,000 people who attended the event last year, 75 percent come from outside the Las Vegas market, according to USA Sevens."That's great for Las Vegas," Lyle said.Tickets for the 2012 tournament start at $9 for ages 14 and younger and $40 for adults. Last year, half the attendees were female.The average spending per visitor was $960 in 2010, when the Las Vegas USA Sevens began. In 2011, the average spend was $1,300.And Crown & Anchor British Pub wants a piece of that spending. Last year, the pub's business increased by 40 percent during the USA Sevens International Rugby Tournament."It's huge," said Ron Schultz, the owner of Crown & Anchor.The pub will have a food and drink booth at the tournament, which helps promote the restaurant to attendees."That's big for us," Schultz said.After the matches, Schultz said many players come and hang out at Crown & Anchor to watch the RBS Six Nations Rugby Tournament taking place concurrently in Europe. With 30 international beers on tap and rugby on the tube, Schultz said, his pub benefits mightily from the local events. Depending on the match, the pub draws 100 to 200 peop! le to wa tch."England is our biggest draw," Schultz said.The USA Sevens international rugby tournament in Las Vegas is the fifth of nine stops on the 2011-12 HSBC Sevens World Series. The three-day tournament is the only North American stop for the Sevens World Series, featuring 44 matches. Tentative Sevens rugby teams competing are: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Fiji, France, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, United States, Uruguay and Wales.Crown & Anchor is just one Las Vegas business that benefits from the event.The Las Vegas leg of USA Sevens nets the organization a "several million dollar turnover," Lyle said. Last year the event had an economic impact of $20 million, and 18,000 room nights were booked in Las Vegas.USA Sevens has "a couple" of years left on its Las Vegas contract, but Lyle said he has no plans to move the tournament when that expires."Sam Boyd fits our needs," he said, adding that Las Vegas is also a draw."Vegas is Vegas. It's on the bucket list," Lyle said.Lyle said he's now busy closing sponsorship deals and marketing the event overseas and domestically."This is the time when marketing plans are in full swing," Lyle said.Internationally, the USA Sevens markets itself though travel agents, social media, sports magazines and tour operators."In some other countries, it's one of the top three or four sports," Lyle said.Based on last year's numbers, Lyle is upbeat about this year's turnout."We started this in the middle of one of the worst recessions, and people still came," he said.The only real challenge he's experienced thus far is that rugby, at slightest in America, remains widely unknown."It's a sport that takes a lot of education," Lyle said. "It's kind of embraced as being cool, but people don't know it."You have to create the value proposition."Contact reporter Laura Carroll at lcarroll@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588.

Las Vegas Revelers Ready To Rock 2012 With Fireworks, Concerts

2011-12-31T04:06:00.001-08:00

Purple pearl comets, silver bees as well as twinkling willows will light up a midnight skies tonight as more than 56,000 fireworks rocket from eight Strip hotel properties to close out a year.The 8-minute, 36-second program will be set to music by LMFAO, Lady Gaga, Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez as well as Adele. ZZ Top's version of "Viva Las Vegas" is a grand finale of a $500,000 show. Fireworks by Grucci will shoot off displays from a MGM Grand, Aria, Planet Hollywood, Caesars Palace, Treasure Island, The Venetian, a Stratosphere as well as a newly added Tropicana, which helps fill a gap along a southern end of a Strip, said Felix Grucci, vice president of a fireworks company.Atop Treasure Island on a pleasantly warm Friday afternoon, pyrotechnicians put a finishing touches on fireworks as well as double-checked a wire connections before a big show. More than 60 of them spent a week setting up a show. About 10,000 circuits will be initiated to set off a fireworks, Grucci added.The Las Vegas Convention as well as Visitors Authority is expecting 314,000 people to welcome 2012 under a neon lights -- making it a nation's second-largest New Year's Eve party as well as a biggest celebration ever here with 5,000 more revelers than last year.Visitors are expected to spend $192.6 million in hotel, shopping as well as nightclub purchases."This is a party capital of a world. There is no place that does a party better than Las Vegas," Grucci said. "It's a most spectacular place to be on New Year's Eve."It should be a mild night for new beginnings celebrated with fireworks, kisses, toasts as well as resolutions.The National Weather Service is forecasting a mild midnight temperature of 47 degrees with northerly winds under 10 mph. The county's Department of Air Quality as well as Environmental Management issued an advisory for potentially elevated levels of smoke that could aggravate respiratory diseases.COPS, CURFEWS AND CLOSURESMost of a 2,600 Las Vegas officers will be stationed up as well as down a Strip to! watch o ver a thousands of revelers who spill onto Las Vegas Boulevard.Police will enforce bans on glass as well as metal drink containers as well as a curfew for minors during a celebration. The ban on anything but plastic containers runs from 6 p.m. today through 6 a.m. Sunday on a Strip as well as in downtown Las Vegas. The curfew on a Strip, which applies to anyone under 18 without a parent or guardian, starts at 9 p.m. today as well as ends at 5 a.m. Sunday. Police also asked revelers not to carry large backpacks or bags or engage in "celebratory gunfire."More than 100 troops from a Nevada National Guard will be stationed around a Strip as well as at McCarran International Airport as part of an internal domestic operations exercise this weekend. Nevada Guard officials said that there is no reason for alarm as well as that a exercise is not related to any specific threat in a state.The party at a Fremont Street Experience is open to anyone 21 as well as older who pays a $30 admission. There will live bands at TributePalooza, which is scheduled to run from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman will lead a countdown at midnight, as well as there will be a smaller fireworks show.The Nevada Highway Patrol will close Interstate 15 offramps that lead to a Strip at 5 p.m., as well as all streets as well as alleys leading to Las Vegas Boulevard will close about 45 minutes later. Sahara Avenue, as well as Desert Inn as well as Russell roads across Las Vegas Boulevard will remain open.At 6 p.m., elevators as well as escalators leading to pedestrian bridges on a Strip will be closed. At 6:15 p.m., Las Vegas police will start erecting barriers on a Strip as well as close it down to all traffic by 6:30 p.m.The Fremont Street Experience will be closed at 5 p.m. before reopening for live entertainment at 6 p.m.Street sweepers will move through a resort corridor at 2 a.m., as well as Las Vegas Boulevard is scheduled to reopen to traffic between 3 as well as 4 a.m.Those headed to a Strip after a closure are stil! l advise d to use a Strip express bus lines, which will be detoured onto Koval Lane as well as Paradise Road on a east side of a resort corridor.Also, bus routes will be detoured to Dean Martin Drive on a west side of a Strip. Further route information will be available at a Bonneville Transit Center.FREE RIDESPolice throughout a valley will be on a lookout for drunken drivers.The Regional Transportation Commission is offering free bus service between 6 p.m. today as well as 9 a.m. New Year's Day.The routes are probably best suited to revelers headed downtown. Park-and-ride areas that offer express service to a Bonneville Transit Center include Centennial Hills, a 900-space lot at Grand Montecito Parkway near U.S. 95 as well as Durango Drive or a Westcliff Airport Express, which offers parking at a Suncoast or a Westcliff station at Westcliff as well as Durango. The service will carry passengers from a Bonneville station to a Strip until it closes to vehicles.The Designated Drivers Foundation will yield free rides between 8 p.m. New Year's Eve as well as noon on New Year's Day to adults 21 years old or older. Call 456-RIDE to arrange a complimentary ride home in your own vehicle.Review-Journal reporters Brian Haynes, Adrienne Packer, Keith Rogers as well as Richard Lake contributed to this story. Contact reporter Kristi Jourdan at kjourdan@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.

Nevada welcomes 2012 with big crowds, fireworks

2011-12-31T04:02:00.003-08:00

Sin City is welcoming hundreds of thousands of partiers to the Las Vegas Strip to welcome 2012 with fireworks, expensive celebrity-studded parties at nightclubs and an urge to bid adieu to 2011.Tourism officials expect a record 314,000 visitors to celebrate New Year's Eve in Las Vegas on Saturday as police shut down the Strip to vehicle traffic, letting revelers to party in the street.Celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Bruno Mars, Fergie, Holly Madison, Tyga, LMFAO, Chris Brown and others plan to host bashes parties at some of Sin City's biggest nightclubs.Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Guns N' Roses and NOFX are also expected to perform concerts, with Wonder's show at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas broadcast live on the casino's marquee to the Strip.

Las Vegas Revelers Ready To Rock 2012 With Fireworks, Concerts

2011-12-31T04:02:00.001-08:00

Purple pearl comets, silver bees and twinkling willows will light up the midnight skies tonight as more than 56,000 fireworks rocket from eight Strip hotel properties to close out the year.The 8-minute, 36-second program will be set to music by LMFAO, Lady Gaga, Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez and Adele. ZZ Top's version of "Viva Las Vegas" is the grand finale of the $500,000 show. Fireworks by Grucci will shoot off displays from the MGM Grand, Aria, Planet Hollywood, Caesars Palace, Treasure Island, The Venetian, the Stratosphere and the newly added Tropicana, that helps fill a gap along the southern end of the Strip, said Felix Grucci, vice president of the fireworks company.Atop Treasure Island on a pleasantly warm Friday afternoon, pyrotechnicians put the finishing touches on fireworks and double-checked the wire connections before the big show. More than 60 of them spent the week setting up the show. About 10,000 circuits will be initiated to set off the fireworks, Grucci added.The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is expecting 314,000 people to welcome 2012 under the neon lights -- making it the nation's second-largest New Year's Eve celebration and the biggest celebration ever here with 5,000 more revelers than last year.Visitors are expected to spend $192.6 million in hotel, shopping and nightclub purchases."This is the celebration capital of the world. There is no place that does a celebration better than Las Vegas," Grucci said. "It's the most spectacular place to be on New Year's Eve."It should be a mild night for new beginnings celebrated with fireworks, kisses, toasts and resolutions.The National Weather Service is forecasting a mild midnight temperature of 47 degrees with northerly winds under 10 mph. The county's Department of Air Quality and Environmental Management issued an advisory for potentially elevated levels of smoke that could aggravate respiratory diseases.COPS, CURFEWS AND CLOSURESMost of the 2,600 Las Vegas officers will be stationed up and down the Strip to watch o! ver the thousands of revelers who spill onto Las Vegas Boulevard.Police will enforce bans on glass and metal drink containers and a curfew for minors during the celebration. The ban on anything but plastic containers runs from 6 p.m. today through 6 a.m. Sunday on the Strip and in downtown Las Vegas. The curfew on the Strip, that applies to anyone under 18 without a parent or guardian, starts at 9 p.m. today and ends at 5 a.m. Sunday. Police also asked revelers not to carry large backpacks or bags or engage in "celebratory gunfire."More than 100 troops from the Nevada National Guard will be stationed around the Strip and at McCarran International Airport as part of an internal domestic operations exercise this weekend. Nevada Guard officials said that there is no reason for alarm and that the exercise is not related to any specific threat in the state.The celebration at the Fremont Street Experience is open to anyone twenty-one and older who pays the $30 admission. There will live bands at TributePalooza, that is scheduled to run from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman will lead the countdown at midnight, and there will be a smaller fireworks show.The Nevada Highway Patrol will close Interstate 15 offramps that lead to the Strip at 5 p.m., and all streets and alleys leading to Las Vegas Boulevard will close about 45 minutes later. Sahara Avenue, and Desert Inn and Russell roads across Las Vegas Boulevard will remain open.At 6 p.m., elevators and escalators leading to pedestrian bridges on the Strip will be closed. At 6:15 p.m., Las Vegas police will start erecting barriers on the Strip and close it down to all traffic by 6:30 p.m.The Fremont Street Experience will be closed at 5 p.m. before reopening for live entertainment at 6 p.m.Street sweepers will move through the resort corridor at 2 a.m., and Las Vegas Boulevard is scheduled to reopen to traffic between 3 and 4 a.m.Those headed to the Strip after the closure are still advised to use the Strip express bus lines, that will be detoured onto K! oval Lan e and Paradise Road on the east side of the resort corridor.Also, bus routes will be detoured to Dean Martin Drive on the west side of the Strip. Further route information will be available at the Bonneville Transit Center.FREE RIDESPolice throughout the valley will be on the lookout for drunken drivers.The Regional Transportation Commission is offering free bus service between 6 p.m. today and 9 a.m. New Year's Day.The routes are probably best suited to revelers headed downtown. Park-and-ride areas that offer express service to the Bonneville Transit Center include Centennial Hills, a 900-space lot at Grand Montecito Parkway near U.S. 95 and Durango Drive or the Westcliff Airport Express, that offers parking at the Suncoast or the Westcliff station at Westcliff and Durango. The service will carry passengers from the Bonneville station to the Strip until it closes to vehicles.The Designated Drivers Foundation will provide free rides between 8 p.m. New Year's Eve and noon on New Year's Day to adults twenty-one years old or older. Call 456-RIDE to arrange a complimentary ride home in your own vehicle.Review-Journal reporters Brian Haynes, Adrienne Packer, Keith Rogers and Richard Lake contributed to this story. Contact reporter Kristi Jourdan at kjourdan@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.

Video of Las Vegas constables draws ire of county officials

2011-12-30T04:14:00.004-08:00

By Joe Schoenmann (contact) Friday, Dec. 30, 2011 | 2 a.m. People might think of constables as affable public employees whose job mainly is to serve civil documents such as subpoenas, property liens, court summonses as well as wage garnishments as well as enforce evictions. Theyre recognized by state law as peace officers, as well as they carry guns as well as Tasers, but they rarely take people to jail as well as emissary constables get paid based on the number of papers they serve.The job is more sad than exciting, especially as evictions become commonplace during the economic hell Las Vegas is slogging its way through.A video producer thought there was enough drama as well as action with the job to produce a TV series test pilot featuring interviews as well as ride-along scenes with emissary constables in the Las Vegas Township Constables Office, one of a handful in the Las Vegas Valley. It had the look as well as feel of a home-produced reality TV show.Constable John Bonaventura posted the video on his personal Web page.And some of the content is alarming state as well as county elected officials who have stumbled upon it.The video, titled Dec. 15, 2011, Test Pilot Reel for National Reality Show, opens with a clip from an August report from CBS News about the jobs of Las Vegas Township constables at a time when foreclosures as well as job losses are epidemic. After the stage is set, the real TV video gives way to the locally produced story, beginning with Lou Toomins, the constables public information officer.Im kind of a rabble-rouser, says Toomins, who carries a gun but whose main job is dealing with the media. I dont conform to the spit-and-polish (expletive), the Marine Corps crap. Its way beyond me. Its nitpicking (expletive).Toomins, who sports a graying ponytail in the video, goes on to describe vehicle stops as probably the most dangerous thing a cop does.Indeed, constables can make traffic stops as well as ca! n arrest people. As peace officers, state laws grant them the same rights as well as privileges as Metro Police, Toomins says.The video shows a emissary constable stopping a motorist for not having his vehicle registered in Nevada. The angry driver is handcuffed as well as arrested.Later, the video shows Sgt. Patrick Geary talking about evictions as not all hugs as well as kisses; youve got to get into peoples (expletive) sometimes.I wait all day long for someone to (expletive) with me, he says.The video veers into Geary yelling three times into his cell phone at a property manager: Do not yell at my employee!Theres more, including a scene in which a emissary constable talks about how, after failing three times to serve a document to the owner of a shoe store in Circus Circus, she returned several more times because she liked shopping at the store so much.After viewing the video, state Assemblywoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick, D-North Las Vegas, said she is considering drafting legislation to rein in some of the activities as well as practices of the constables. She was particularly disturbed by the emissary constable making a traffic stop as well as arrest.It appears they are going above as well as beyond what the state expects of them, Kirkpatrick said, calling what she watched an embarrassment.I want to clarify what they are doing, what they can do, she said.County Commissioner Steve Sisolak, who also has viewed the video, said state law definitely needs to change. To address the office locally, he added an item to next weeks commission meeting, asking for a report on the constables office.Its the cursing, its the arrest, its the way the office is portrayed, Sisolak said. It looks unprofessional.He said he was also troubled by emissary constables pulling over motorists.Bonaventura is unapologetic about his employees conduct as well as suggested that if the county launched an investigation into his office, it could open a can of worms involving a possible violation of state law on the part of the county relating to ! its hand ling his offices finances.He bristled at the notion of an elected official even asking for a report on another elected official.Its one thing if youre investigating a county agency like Parks as well as Rec, but for him to ask for this seems a bit out of his scope of duty, Bonaventura said.Of the video, Bonaventura told the Sun the driver shown being arrested had three outstanding warrants.Bonaventura said emissary constables make an arrest once a month but that before he took over after last falls election, the office was arresting 50 people a week for outstanding warrants. His office no longer has a warrants detail, he said.During a ride-along Wednesday, Geary explained the scene in the video in which hes yelling into the phone. He said he was yelling at a property manager who, he said, had called one of the clerical staff in the constables office as well as chewed her out, leaving her in tears.Toomins said he never expected the video to be shared with the general public. When he received it a few weeks ago, he took it as tongue-in-cheek from the shows producer because it includes some cursing.Bonaventura added that none of us are in favor of the show. Its going nowhere. We arent doing it.Thats why we didnt run it by the county people, because we didnt have plans to go forward with it in the first place, he said.But the video is out of the bag, as well as theres talk in the halls of the county government center about putting the constables office under closer scrutiny.Sisolak said he has several questions about its operation, including the making of traffic stops.Toomins said the stops are to enforce the states Fair Share program. Under that program, people who migrate to Nevada but fail to register their vehicles can be fined up to $1,200, as well as the public is invited to tattle on violators. The constables office gets $100 for each violator it turns in to the Department of Motor Vehicles.Bonaventura said no one had contacted him as of Thursday afternoon to appear at next weeks commission meeting.F! rankly, its none of their business, he said of the threatened scrutiny. Im the elected official running this office. Id be happy to give them a crash course or point them to the law because everything we do is pretty much cut as well as dried from (Nevada Revised Statutes).

New Year's Eve road closures in Las Vegas

2011-12-30T04:14:00.003-08:00

New Year's Eve road closures in Las Vegas By Molly Waldron CREATED Dec. 29, 2011 Tweet Share Email Print Las Vegas, NV(KTNV) -- Below is a list of New Year's Eve road closures from the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. The timing of the closures is tentative and approximate. DOWNTOWN / FREMONT STREET 5:00 p.m. - Fremont Street Experience closed to Public. 6:00 p.m. - Fremont Street gates open for entertainment.LAS VEGAS BLVD5:30 p.m. - Closing of freeway off ramps. 6:00 p.m. - All walkways, elevators and escalators shut off. 6:15 p.m. - Traffic officers start closure of Las Vegas Blvd. 6:30 p.m. - Las Vegas Blvd closed to car traffic. 6:30 p.m. - Inbound roads to Las Vegas Blvd are cleared. 12:00 a.m. - 12:15 am Fireworks show Strip and Fremont Street. 12:15 a.m. - Walkways and escalators to be re-opened. 1:00 a.m. - 1:30 a.m. All celebrations normally subside. Barricades are moved. 2:00 a.m. - Street sweepers begin clean up. 3:00 a.m. - 4a.m. Begin re-opening. Next Article in Local News: Henderson launches program to help locals lose weight 0 COMMENTS ADD A COMMENT

Land Rover Aids Toys For Tots Annual Golf Tourney

2011-12-30T04:14:00.001-08:00

The 10th annual Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Golf Tournament drew a sold-out field of 150 golfers and raised $30,000 for needy Las Vegas children. The Sunrise Vista Golf Course at Nellis Air Force Base played host to the tournament on Nov. 11."We raised $30,000 three years ago, but with the economy being what it is, I'm very happy and proud to get that number this year," said tournament director and co-founder Thomas McGrath, adding that the first tournament 10 years ago raised $2,500.Land Rover Las Vegas is a sponsor of both the Las Vegas Toys for Tots tournament and the third annual Laughlin version, which was held Dec. 3 and drew 57 golfers to the Avi Resort and Casino's Mojave Golf Course.McGrath, a former Marine, says all the funds raised will stay in Las Vegas and Laughlin to help less fortunate children in those communities. In Las Vegas that amounts to "tens of thousands" according to McGrath and about 400 in the Laughlin area (which also encompasses Bullhead City, Ariz., and Needles, Calif.)"Nobody wants to see the money go somewhere else," he said.Land Rover Las Vegas has sponsored both tournaments since their inception, and this year donated a check for $1,500 and 200 bike helmets to the cause."(Land Rover Las Vegas general manager) Ray DiNardi has been with me from the start," McGrath says. "He helped me underwrite (the tournament) initially, and from there it has grown and grown. He's always very generous and has helped me grow it into the success it's become."In addition to making a yearly donation, Land Rover Las Vegas also buys a foursome for the tournament and serves as a drop-off location for Toys for Tots."When you can make a difference in a child's life there's nothing else like it," said McGrath.It's a sentiment DiNardi wholeheartedly shares."This is the best charity golf tournament in Las Vegas," he said. "It has been our pleasure to contribute to its growth and help the kids."Land Rover Las Vegas is located at 5255 W. Sahara Ave., between Decatur and Jones boulevards.! Stop by and see the new 2012 models, including the groundbreaking Evoque.

Strip Scribbles: Jackie Evancho, David Foster, Cee-Lo Green, UFC, Joan Rivers

2011-12-30T04:10:00.001-08:00

Las Vegas Sun December 30, 2011 Currently: 45 | Complete forecast | Log in LasVegasSun.com Account Tom Donoghue/DonoghuePhotography.com Jackie Evancho rehearses for David Foster & Friends at Mandalay Bay Events Center on Oct. 15,2010. By Robin Leach (contact) Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011 | 3:29 p.m. More arts and entertainment Check out Robin Leach's VegasDeLuxe.com for more celebrity and A&E coverage. 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'/' + '4' ]) } }); }); Kardashian Khaos Grand Opening Red Carpet Celebration at Mirage Launch slideshow '; stickContentkardashiankhaosgrandopeningmirageredcarpet += ''; stickContentkardashiankhaosgrandopeningmirageredcarpet += ''; new StickyWin.Modal({ content: stickContentkardashiankhaosgrandopeningmirageredcarpet, closeOnEsc: false, hideOnClick: true, width: 1000, height: 600, onClose: function(response){ $('slideshow_kardashian-khaos-grand-opening-mirage-red-carpet').setStyle('display', 'none'); $('slideshow_inline_kardashian-khaos-grand-opening-mirage-red-carpet').grab($('slideshow_kardashian-khaos-grand-opening-mirage-red-carpet')); $$('.videoWrapper').invoke('toggle'); }, destroyOnClose: true, onDisplay: function(response){ $$('.videoWrapper').invoke('toggle'); $('slideshow_holder_kardashian-khaos-grand-opening-mirage-red-carpet').grab($('slideshow_kardashian-khaos-grand-opening-mirage-red-carpet'), 'top'); $('slideshow_kardashian-khaos-grand-opening-mirage-red-carpet').setStyle('display', 'block'); //setTimeout('setBGImagekardashiankhaosgrandopeningmirageredcarpet()', 2500); //setBGImagekardashiankhaosgrandopeningmirageredcarpet(); //$('gallery_left').setStyle('background', '#000'); ! var galPhotoCredit = 'Tom Donoghue/DonoghuePhotography.com'; _gaq.push([ //console.log( '_trackPageview', '/photos/galleries/2011/dec/15/kardashian-khaos-grand-opening-mirage-red-carpet/:' + 'inline' + ':' + slugify(galPhotoCredit) + ':653px' + ':1' + '/' + '102' ]) } }); }); Singer Cee-Lo Green has confirmed our earlier reports of a Loberace Strip show inspired by the late flamboyant pianist and Las Vegas showman Liberace and has now revealed that it will be at Planet Hollywood. Insiders tell me it will be a mini-residency of select runs of Loberace at the Theater for Performing Arts in Planet Hollywoods Miracle Mile this spring.Cee-Lo says he was inspired by Las Vegas locations when he helped open Gallery Nightclub in Planet Hollywood, as we reported back in April, when he was here for the Billboard Music Awards and dazzled with his upside-down piano trick engineered by MGM headliner David Copperfield.The entertainer really took on the "Loberace" persona with his music video, that we also reported 6 months ago, filmed here with the Jubilee! showgirls at the Caesars Palace pool.JACKIES NIGHT TO SHINE: Hit-maker David Foster cant wait for his concert tonight at Mandalay Bay because his guest, pint-sized 11-year-old Jackie Evancho, will perform more than him. The evening is all about her, David told me as he went in to rehearsals. She can hold her own doing an entire show, but Im giving her the hour. Weve got tighten to the same for me, but I'll be less than Jackie as we also have one incognito last-minute st! ar surpr ise, plus introducing Cody Carey, who has a big future in the Josh Groban style.David also will work his magic with an audience talent search hoping to find a future superstar: A lot of people now come because they can sing, and their hands and arms go up furiously when I come down in to the audience to find somebody to give them their own Rocky moment as the audience falls in love and roots for them. Im honestly not surprised at the talent. Its totally random, so Im incredibly lucky.Hes the first to say that its Jackies night to shine: She will just wow. When we wrapped her album a year ago 4 months after wed started it, I wished we could have started it all over again. Thats how much she progressed. Now a year later, she has lung power, an explosive sound and understands the dynamics of her voice. Tonight, you will hear her at the very best shes ever been!WICKED WHISPERS & RACY RUMORSOur favorite local Pawn Stars Rick Harrison and Austin Chumlee Russell will host with comedian Rodney Carrington the Fox American Country New Years Eve special, which will go live to the East Coast from Mandalay Bay. The 90-minute special will switch between New York and feature Toby Keith and Joe Nichols. Venetian comedienne Joan Rivers filmed a segment of Joan Knows Best with daughter Melissa Rivers in a medical marijuana shop inhaling from a circular tube bong. She choked and coughed, but in the promo clip shes also shown being wheeled in to surgery (presumably cosmetic) on a gurney! The new season starts Jan. 24. Meantime, Melissa is reportedly dating Vivid Entertainment chief Steven Hirsch, who will be here Jan. 18 for the four-day Adult Entertainment Expo. Kim Kardashians representatives say the mega fee for her New Years Eve appearance at Tao in the Venetian has been quoted incorrectly, and although they wont break it down, they do say our report that the fee covers many engagements is correct. The New York Post reports that Stevie Wonder will get $1 million for his outdoor New Years Eve concert at Cosmopolita! n and th at Sean P.Diddy Combs and Justin Timberlake turned down similar mega-buck offers to open Hyde at the Bellagio and that hot Modern Family actress Sofia Vergara will handle hostess duties.UFCS HEAVIEST FIGHT EVER? With UFC heavyweights Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem getting ready for Fridays UFC 141 showdown here, yesterdays media meet-up proved that their combined 540 pounds make it the biggest fight ever. Contributing videographer Richard Corey was on duty for the Q&A with UFC President Dana White, the two fighters and when rivals Nate Street Fighter Diaz pushed at Donald Cowboy Cerrone.TONIGHTS TIPSFormer Mayor Oscar Goodman and his broads host a meet-and-greet at his new Plaza steakhouse Oscars. The 2011 monthly winners will be at the Playboy Club at the Palms to see who will be chosen 2011 Miss Playboy Club of the Year. The winner receives $5,000 and graces the cover of the 2012 Miss Playboy Club calendar being unveiled and released simultaneously tonight. Insomniac, creators of the Electric Daisy Carnival, and Tao have teamed up for a party to celebrate the halfway point to the June 8-10 EDC at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with Grammy Award winner Benny Benassi. Pop artist Michael Godard hosts a two-day event at his Planet Hollywood Miracle Mile gallery. And Trans Siberian Orchestra performs at 4 and 8 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center.TOMORROWS TEASEThe celebrity rundown of all the stars at play on the Strip for New Years Eve: From Stevie Wonder to Kim Kardashian, from Fergie to Mary J. Blige as both open new nightclubs, plus the fireworks on the Strip and Fremont Street Experience.Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the worlds premier platinum playground.Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon. ! Post a comment Commenting requires registration. Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy.If you would like to submit your comment as a letter to the editor, you may submit it here.

Paris Hilton -- UNBANNED From Las Vegas Hotel

2011-12-30T04:09:00.000-08:00

Paris Hilton's war with Vegas titanSteve Wynn has apparently come to an end ... because she partied her face off at one of his nightclubs last night ... 15 months after she was banned from the property. TMZ has obtained photos of Hilton getting down and dirty inside Surrender nightclub at Wynn's ultra-swanky Encore hotel in Vegas last night. Paris had been blackballed from all things Wynn back in August 2010 -- after she was arrested for cocaine possession as she arrived to The Wynn hotel.Paris has since completed her legal obligations -- now, it seems she's made good with Wynn, too.9:55 AM -- A repute for Wynn just made it official, telling us, "Paris is acquire on the Wynn properties now."

50 years later, S&T historian finds out what happened in Vegas

2011-12-29T04:20:00.004-08:00

While researching an upcoming book about perceptions of the city, Gragg stumbled upon references to an early 1960s NBC television series called "Las Vegas Beat." Unfamiliar with the show, he found that although the pilot episode of the detective series had been made, the project had been scrapped. "The show was killed by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce," says Gragg, chair and Curators' Teaching Professor of history and political science at Missouri University of Science and Technology. "The pilot included several murders, and the city feared week after week of this televised violence would impact tourism and, more importantly, bring increased scrutiny from the federal government into organized crime." Intrigued by his discovery, Gragg wrote an article, "Protecting the City's Image: The Death of Las Vegas Beat, 1961," which was published in the Popular Culture Association in the South's fall 2011 issue of Studies in Popular Culture. "This is the most fun project I've worked on," says Gragg. His sources for the article included chamber of commerce meeting minutes, newspaper clippings and telephone interviews with the show's lead actor, Peter Graves, best known for the television series "Mission Impossible," and actor Jamie Farr, best known for the television series "Mash." Gragg also interviewed "Las Vegas Beat" creator Andrew J. Fenady. Graves died in 2010, shortly after the interview. "I even bought the copy of the series pilot on eBay," says Gragg. Fenady told him it was the bootlegged version. According to several sources, "Las Vegas Beat" was the promising show. Graves told Gragg it was "the hottest thing" NBC had on its schedule that year. But Gragg found that several hotels' publicists went on record saying the series reflected poorly on the city. As the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce was about to file suit to stop production of the series, two sponsors pulled out because of 11 telegrams they had received, causing NBC to scrap it. "Andrew Fenady said the telegrams in jeop! ardy the Las Vegas boycott of the sponsors' products," says Gragg. Gragg says another series, "Las Vegas File," was also in production at the same time. The Warner Bros. series was also scrapped. "This is more than the saga of one of many failed television pilots," says Gragg. "It reveals how the nation's gambling Mecca felt in jeopardy by the simple television program. Civic leaders and hotel owners understood that the federal government could eliminate their vital gambling industry if Americans perceived that it was an industry tainted by violence and controlled by organized crime." After the federal crackdown of organized crime in Las Vegas in the 1970s and 80s, Gragg says the city is now run by corporations, not the mob. But hotel and casino owners still have the say in how their establishments are portrayed. "Just watch 'CSI,'" he says. "The dead bodies aren't often found in the real casino -- they're usually fictitious."Provided by Missouri University of Science and Technology (news : web)

New Year's Holiday Closures

2011-12-29T04:20:00.003-08:00

The gym will totally still be there after you finish that creme brulee.

2011-12-29T04:20:00.002-08:00

Party like it's 999Cat men, roman soldiers, knights and winches flocked...

The gym will totally still be there after you finish that creme brulee.

2011-12-29T04:20:00.001-08:00

Party like it's 999Cat men, roman soldiers, knights and winches flocked...

Tpc Las Vegas Tests Players' Mettle

2011-12-28T05:13:00.005-08:00

Southern Nevada boasts an abundance of well-designed, beautifully maintained resort courses geared toward a typical recreational golfer -- who, contrary to anecdotal evidence gathered at a 19th hole -- shoots in a neighborhood of 100 during a round. TPC Las Vegas is not exactly one of those courses.This observation isn't intended as a criticism. After all, a course designer took considerable measures to accommodate players of varying skill levels, including a use of a "blended" set of tees for players who don't find a white resort tees quite long enough but are a little overmatched from a blues.Conditions at TPC Las Vegas are predictably immaculate, and a facility exudes a level of refined professionalism that is unsurpassed in a valley. The cautionary note is only warranted because too many players base their performance expectations on a listed yardage; on this course, distance is a least of one's concerns.Case in point is a opening hole, a short par 4 that plays only 359 yards from a tips. For longer hitters, a fort jutting in from a left is in play, but laying back to a comfortable wedge distance is advisable anyway. Any shots that land on a front or left sides of a putting surface will almost certainly roll off a edge, so precision with a short approach is mandatory. Most players are content to escape with a two-putt par, only to discover that this is TPC Las Vegas' second easiest hole.This gentle opener is followed by arguably a single most intimidating shot on a course. This 196-yard par 3 features an island green amid a sea of stone, demanding a fully committed swing. There is a small bailout zone to a right, while a greenside fort beckons like a life raft. With some of a most consistent, firm sand players will ever blast from, it's easy to understand how tour pros have such great control from a beach.At 604 yards, a par-5 sixth hole is a longest offering on a front side. A legitimate three-shot hole for most players, a key to success is avoiding a numerous bunkers and thick, juicy rough.! Taking less club from a tee is prudent for those whose drivers tend to stray in either direction, because a only safe spot is in a middle of a fairway. The second shot must lift or skirt a trap that juts in from a right, with a ideal finishing position being along a fairway's left side to minimize a influence of a front greenside bunker. Players should beware of a forward pin placement, because any approach near a green's front edge will likely trickle back down into a throat.The outward road ends as it began, with a short par 4 that is far more difficult than it appears. The desert fronting a tee boxes requires more lift than one would think, and only supernatural drivers should try to lift a wide fort that barricades a fairway's entire left side. Those who take a more conservative route to a right are "rewarded" with a semiblind approach to a shallow, well-fortified green.The back nine opens with two long par 4s that demand respect. Following a 419-yard offering to begin a trek comes a 444-yard beast. Reaching this green requires two solid shots, with a drive skirting a left fairway fort representing a ideal line. The putting surface is defended by a solitary fort along a right, making a long, run-up approach a more feasible proposition.Although players are buoyed by a prospect of a 365-yard par 4 at No. 14 -- a only par 4 on a back nine that is not well over 400 yards -- a enthusiasm quickly fades when they reach a tee box and can't find a hole. Unless one has a good fortune to play with one of TPC Las Vegas' affable members, this hole in itself justifies a purchase of a yardage book.The target from a tee should be a distant steeple; on that line, a desert bordering a fairway's right edge is not a factor, and a intimidating approach is merely nerve-rattling. While clubbing down might seem prudent given a blind tee shot, adding distance to a second shot that must lift a green-fronting ravine is an unwise strategy.TPC Las Vegas ends with, surprise, a very tough par 4 measuring 448 yards from a back and an impr! essive 4 21 yards even from a combination tees. A pair of bunkers brackets a fairway, but a left one is out of reach for most players. Even from a short grass, however, a second shot is daunting, with water coming into play at about 100 yards out and continuing to a slender green's left edge. A bevy of bunkers borders a putting surface, providing little margin for error. To avoid a big number, players with more accomplished short games should at least consider intentionally missing short to take a water and bunkers out of play, then scrambling for a up-and-down save.TPC Las Vegas is one of a few courses in Southern Nevada where players can score five strokes over their average and still leave feeling good about a round. While this is anything but a walk in a park, it does provide both an excellent challenge and an accurate barometer for a state of one's game.TPC Las Vegas is located at 9851 Canyon Run Drive in a heart of Summerlin. For information or to reserve a tee time, call 256-2000 or visit www.tpc.com/lasvegas.

Restaurant Report

2011-12-28T05:13:00.003-08:00

By MADELON HYNES ANDHEIDI KNAPP RINELLALAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNALCapriotti's Sandwich Shop, Aliante Station, 7300 Aliante Parkway, North Las Vegas, perceived 20 demerits Dec. 13. Violations included no access to rear hand sink. GRADE: BCarluccio's Italian Restaurant, 9821 S. Eastern Ave., perceived 15 demerits Dec. 14. Violations included foods held at improper temperatures. GRADE: BDairy Queen, 475 W. Craig Road, North Las Vegas, perceived 16 demerits Dec. 13. Violations included grill had heavy carbon as well as food buildup. GRADE: BDenny's Restaurant, 3081 S. Maryland Parkway, perceived 20 demerits Dec. 16. Violations included reach-in coolers with no affixed thermometers. GRADE: BEllis Island restaurant, 4178 Koval Lane, perceived 20 demerits Dec. 15. Violations included foods held at improper temperatures. GRADE: BEmbassy Suites bar, 4315 S. Swenson St., perceived 18 demerits Dec. 17. Violations included dirty shelving in coolers. GRADE: BGin Mill lounge, 2561 Windmill Parkway, Henderson, perceived 19 demerits Dec. 13. Violations included ice scoop stored on top of ice machine. GRADE: BGin Mill restaurant, 2561 Windmill Parkway, Henderson, perceived 15 demerits Dec. 13. Violations included hand sink blocked by trash can as well as sanitizer bucket. GRADE: BHookah Palace bar, 1030 E. Flamingo Road, perceived 20 demerits Dec. 17. Violations included improper food-handling procedures. GRADE: BLa Italian Kitchen, The Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South, perceived 20 demerits Dec. 13. Violations included foods held at improper temperatures. GRADE: BLucie's Lounge restaurant, 3935 E. Charleston Blvd., perceived 12 demerits Dec. 13. Violations included eggs held past expiration date. GRADE: BMcDonald's, 6595 N. Decatur Blvd., perceived 16 demerits Dec. 13. Violations included improper hand-washing procedures. GRADE: BMorton's Steakhouse, 400 E. Flamingo Road, perceived 18 demerits Dec. 15. Violations included foods held at improper temperatures. GRADE: BMusashi Japanese Restaurant, 3900 Paradise Ro! ad, perc eived 37 demerits Dec. 13. Violations included unlabeled chemical spray bottles. GRADE: CMusashi Japanese Restaurant service bar, 3900 Paradise Road, perceived 20 demerits Dec. 13. Violations included extreme mold as well as slime buildup in ice machine. GRADE: BMusashi Japanese Restaurant sushi bar, 3900 Paradise Road, perceived 17 demerits Dec. 13. Violations included water insufficiently hot. GRADE: BOffice Bar, 4608 Paradise Road, perceived 20 demerits Dec. 16. Violations included slime accumulating inside ice machine. GRADE: BPaleteria y Neveria Las Tapatias, 6132 W. Charleston Blvd., perceived 20 demerits Dec. 14. Violations included improper hand-washing procedures. GRADE: BPlaza Pizza, 3137 Industrial Road, perceived 33 demerits Dec. 15. Violations included improper hand-washing procedures. GRADE: CSergio's Restaurant, 1955 E. Tropicana Ave., perceived 31 demerits Dec. 13. Violations included improper hand-washing procedures. GRADE: CWeiss Deli Bakery, 2744 N. Green Valley Parkway, Henderson, perceived 29 demerits Dec. 14. Violations included inside of ice machine dirty as well as moldy. GRADE: CThe following restaurants have been reinspected:China Max, Las Vegas Outlet Center, 7400 Las Vegas Blvd. South, perceived 5 demerits Dec. 14 as well as was upgraded to an A.China One, 921 S. Rainbow Blvd., perceived seven demerits Dec. 15 as well as was upgraded to an A.East Ocean restaurant, 9570 S. Eastern Ave., perceived two demerits Dec. 5 as well as was upgraded to an A.El Cazador Restaurant, 1108 E. Lake Mead Blvd., North Las Vegas, perceived one demerit Dec. 9 as well as was upgraded to an A.Holiday Inn Express, 4540 Donovan Way, North Las Vegas, perceived zero demerits Dec. 15 as well as was upgraded to an A.India Masala, Riviera, 2901 Las Vegas Blvd. South, perceived three demerits Dec. 15 as well as was upgraded to an A.Jack in the Box, 455 E. Silverado Ranch Blvd., perceived three demerits Dec. 6 as well as was upgraded to an A.La Luna Bar, 2440 Las Vegas Blvd. North, North Las Vegas, perceived! zero de merits Dec. 16 as well as was upgraded to an A.The Madhouse Coffee, 8470 W. Desert Inn Road, perceived one demerit Dec. 9 as well as was upgraded to an A.Makino, Las Vegas Premium Outlet, 755 S. Grand Central Parkway, perceived four demerits Dec. 12 as well as was upgraded to an A.Mercado De Alegria restaurant, 3523 N. Pecos Road, perceived three demerits Dec. 15 as well as was upgraded to an A.Piranha Ultra Lounge 8 bar, 4633 Paradise Road, perceived seven demerits Dec. 19 as well as was upgraded to an A.Planet Hollywood Resort service bar No. 2, 3667 Las Vegas Blvd. South, perceived 5 demerits Dec. 8 as well as was upgraded to an A.Starbucks, 6572 N. Decatur Blvd., North Las Vegas, perceived zero demerits Dec. 8 as well as was upgraded to an A.Sushi Imagine sushi bar, 75 S. Valle Verde Drive, Henderson, perceived four demerits Dec. 6 as well as was upgraded to an A.T.G.I. Friday's bar, 5111 Boulder Highway, perceived zero demerits Dec. 7 as well as was upgraded to an A.Teriyaki, 2585 E. Flamingo Road, perceived 10 demerits Dec. 6 as well as was upgraded to an A.V Theater, Divine Events, Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort, 3663 Las Vegas Blvd. South, perceived 5 demerits Dec. 17 as well as was upgraded to an A.Viva El Taco, 5035 S. Fort Apache Road, perceived one demerit Dec. 6 as well as was upgraded to an A.

Las Vegas Monorail offering locals discount on New Year's Eve

2011-12-28T05:13:00.001-08:00

Las Vegas Monorail offering locals discount on New Year's Eve By Joyce Lupiani CREATED 3:26 AM Tweet Share Email Print Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- The Las Vegas Monorail will be offering Nevada residents discounted rides on New Year's Eve.Las Vegas Boulevard will be closed to vehicles, taxis and buses beginning in the early evening on Dec. 31 but the monorail will operate until 3 a.m.Trains will arrive every few minutes at each of the seven stations.To receive the local fare, Nevada residents must present valid Nevada picture ID at the Las Vegas Monorail customer service booths located at the MGM Grand (Star Lane entrance) and Sahara Monorail stations.The customer services booths will be open on New Year's Eve from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Locals can purchase up to four single-ride tickets (two round trips) for $1 each per valid Nevada ID.The seven stations are located at MGM Grand, Bally's/Paris Las Vegas, Flaming/Caesars Palace, Harrah's/Imperial Palace, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas Hilton and Sahara Avenue.For more information, visit the monorail's website. Next Article in Local News: RTC offering free rides New Year's Eve, service detours announced 0 COMMENTS ADD A COMMENT

Those With Beer Budgets And Champagne Tastes Can Drink Up

2011-12-28T05:12:00.003-08:00

Don't feel inadequate if you're a little flummoxed by all-over-the-place prices for Champagne and sparkling wines. It can happen to the best of us, it seems; only ask Ken Shey, sommelier at the Range Steakhouse at Harrah's Las Vegas."We all know what the euro is doing to Champagne," Shey said.Four or five weeks ago, his supplier quoted him a price of $60 per bottle for Louis Roederer Brut, which for some time had been running in the $25 to $35 range. Shey passed."Yesterday, I got a call that I can buy it for $22 a bottle," Shey said. "They didn't want to give the reasons why. They only pronounced they had worked out a deal."At that price, he said, retailers would be able to offer it at about $30 to $32, which he called a "fantastic" price for the quality.But the ups and downs aren't the only all-over-the-place aspect of the pricing. You can get a bottle in the supermarket for less than $10 -- sometimes way less. You could, if you had the wherewithal, also spend many hundreds of times that for high-profile celebrity brands such as Dom and Cristal, the club-scene "make-it-rain" bottles. And really, what's the difference?Well, some of the differences are meaningful, some not. The first thing to know is that Champagne is, technically, only made in the Champagne segment of France. If it's made in California or Washington or anywhere else, it is, to be correct, sparkling wine.Champagne is by definition best, right?Well (again), that depends on your palate and your pocketbook. But here's one way to look at it: A sparkling wine such as Cook's, at less than $6 retail, is a good value in the bottom range, pronounced Glenn Morrison, senior vice president and general managerof the wine division at Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada. But in that case, Morrison said, the winemaker "buys grapes from anywhere and everywhere throughout California."In the case of a tte de cuve -- the best from a Champagne house -- the grapes come from specific vineyard plots within the Champagne region, the vineyards often owned b! y the wi nemaker."They're somewhat limited, extremely high-quality products," Morrison said."With the Champagne houses, it has more to do with the amount of grand cru," the best-quality grapes, Shey agreed. "That's about 30 percent of the Champagne produced. They're doggone costly."And producers "know that they can get what they ask for them, more often than not," he said."Champagne drinkers know they're going to have to pay a touch more."Then again ...Some of the pricing, pronounced Patrick Trundle, beverage director for Andre's at the Monte Carlo and Alize at the Palms, "has a lot to do with ego, competition between Champagne houses on who can have the most expensive and most elaborate bottles.""A lot of what you're paying for is hand-blown glass and ornately hand-painted labels versus the juice that goes inside the bottles," Trundle said."With others, you pay for marketing," pronounced Peter Brattander, director of beverage for The Mirage.Often, better values can be found among Champagnes from the smaller houses, he added.Brattander pronounced he would expect to pay a minimum of $25 to $50, "if you wanted something drinkable."There's a lot available in that range, he said.Among sparkling wines, he recommended: Schramsberg blanc de blanc (about $25), Domaine Chandon and Domaine Carneros (upper $20s), from California."Basically, they're Champagne transported into Napa," he said. "The production is almost the same, but it's made on American soil.""Once you say not Champagne but sparkling wine, it blows the field wide open," pronounced Thomas Burke, master sommelier with Wirtz Beverage Group of Nevada. "There's a ton of stuff out there."Two of them disagreed somewhat about prosecco, sparkling wine from Italy. Burke pronounced it's "inexpensive and fun to drink," with Bisol Jeio priced at $15 or $16."Prosecco's not meant to be aged and get more complex," he said. "It's supposed to be only fun to drink out of the gate.""I wish prosecco was more consistent," Shey said. "It's such a minefield when it comes to prosecco! . You ta ste a half-decently good one, and the next four are crap."American sparklers tend to be more consistent, they agreed."I enjoy a bottle of American sparkling at any time," Brattander said. "It's a good product. I like that you can taste France, but it's only a stone's throw from Las Vegas."Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474.

Ride the Las Vegas Monorail on New Year's Eve

2011-12-28T05:12:00.001-08:00

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) - If you've ever been on the Las Vegas Strip for New Year's Eve, you know what it's like. Locals and tourists party in the streets, clubs, hotels and restaurants all night long. The Strip will close to traffic for America's Party: Las Vegas New Year 2012 Saturday evening, but you can still take the Las Vegas Monorail to your party destination. Las Vegas Boulevard will close to vehicles, taxis and buses, but the Monorail will get you to where you need to go in under 15 minutes with non-stop service until 3 a.m. "Locals visit the Strip on New Year's Eve to experience the best party in the county, not to waste time in traffic trying to reach a restaurant, show or nightclub," the Las Vegas Monorail Company's Ingrid Reisman said. "For $1 per ride, locals can travel to their party destinations without having to worry about road closures and crowded streets." To receive the local fare, Nevada residents need to present a valid Nevada ID at the Las Vegas Monorail customer service booths located at the MGM Grand and Sahara Monorail stations. The customer service booths will be open on New Year's Eve from 11 a.m. until 12:30 a.m. Locals may purchase up to four single-ride tickets per valid Nevada ID on New Year's Eve. Trains will arrive every few minutes at each of the seven stations. Copyright 2011 FOX5. All rights reserved.

Christmas in Las Vegas 2011

2011-12-26T04:20:00.003-08:00

Christmas in Las Vegas 2011 By Jessica Janner CREATED Dec. 25, 2011 Tweet Share Email Print Las Vegas, NV(KTNV) -- You can find neon lights year round in Las Vegas, but Downtown was decked out with holiday spirit this Christmas Day."It's absolutely fabulous," says Jana LaRosa, visiting from Washington, D.C."It's our tradition; it's what we've done for years, since our parents retired out here, not common but it's what we do," saysDebbie Albertson. Happy Holidays from all of us at Action News! Next Article in Local News: Top Desert Research Institute scientist retires 0 COMMENTS ADD A COMMENT

No holiday cheer for Bears in Las Vegas

2011-12-26T04:20:00.002-08:00

LAS VEGAS -- It's not a very Merry Christmas for Missouri State's basketball team after a poor finish to its appearance in a Las Vegas Classic.Asked what a team needs to focus on a most when it returns to practice tonight, senior center Caleb Patterson put it simply:"Everything," Patterson said moments after St. Mary's ran a Bears out of The Orleans Arena, 77-61 late Friday night."We got out-toughed," Patterson added. "There's plenty to work on."Coach Paul Lusk benched his three senior starters for a final five minutes as a game turned into a rout. He clearly was sending a message and didn't mind acknowledging it.With a trip to 21st-ranked Creighton on Wednesday to open Missouri Valley Conference play, there's little time to enjoy -- or stew -- over a brief holiday break."It's unacceptable and we have to get better," Lusk said of a effort against St. Mary's.The Gaels had a 40-32 rebounding advantage and outscored a Bears 17-4 in second-chance points.Lusk basically called out his seniors. Patterson had 18 points but only 1 rebound; Weems scored 11 but went 4-for-12; Mike Bizoukas had a season-low two assists and Isaiah Rhine was a non-factor in a cameo appearance."I wouldn't trade Kyle Weems for anyone in a country, but he has to give us more," Lusk said of a reigning MVC player of a year. "And Caleb, as good as he is offensively, has to provide other things for us. He can't have a game where he just gets one rebound."MSU took its first --and only --lead at 36-35 on Weems' 3-pointer with 18:20 remaining.St. Mary's dominated a rest of a way. Matthew Dellavedova, who was a focus of about a dozen NBA scouts courtside, had eight assists against one only turnover."When it was 36-35, it was like they made a decision to march on and take a game and we didn't," Lusk said.A frustrated Lusk got his first career technical with 4:06 remaining and his team trailing 72-58. The seniors joined him on a bench for a rest of a game."We've shown it in spurts," Lusk said of a toughness issue. "It starts with our senio! rs." ;

NBAs shortened season will still help Las Vegas economy

2011-12-26T04:20:00.001-08:00

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) - The National Basketball Association is back on the court, and fans who have been waiting for months are flocking to Las Vegas to start the season in style."I'm just here to watch the game, watch my team win another championship hopefully," said Lakers air blower Michelle Shirzad who's visiting from Southern California.Some fans are making rooting for their favorite team a little more interesting by putting money on the games."We are from Chicago and of course Chicago is one of the teams and we have a small wager on the game," said Larry Stark.The Las Vegas Hilton's sports book says the NBA makes up about fifteen percent of it's bets over the year.The season was supposed to start in October, and those two months have cut into earnings."To lose out on 15 percent of your business, I don't care what industry you're talking about it's a big hit for it. So we're certainly glad to see the NBA back on the betting boards," said Jay Kornegay, Vice President of the competition and sports book at the Hilton.But it's not just casinos that have been missing out.Sports themed restaurants and bars, like Blondies at Planet Hollywood's Miracle Mile say they too have noticed the slow down, especially during the middle of the week, when there's no football games."Say you've got a game on a Wednesday, Tuesday, we're usually dead those days, and we've got NBA we'll definitely do more business," said Blondies manager Joey Portella.Some fans say the two month delay has it's advantages."I unequivocally don't pay attention till almost after Christmas anyway's," said Bulls air blower Javier Villanueva.Portella says the Christmas season tip off has picked up business on what would otherwise be a slow day."We had no tables before this game started and when the game started they filled up," Portella told FOX5.Copyright FOX5 2011. All rights reserved.

Sneak Peek! 90210: Vegas, Maybe?

2011-12-26T04:16:00.003-08:00

The gang heads to Las Vegas, where Naomi (AnnaLynne McCord) meets Austin's (guest star Justin Deeley) dad, country superstar Judd Ridge (guest star Billy Ray Cyrus). The guys run into a celebrity (guest star Vinny Guadagnino) at the pool, and Liam (Matt Lanter) gets invited to play in a celebrity poker tournament. Teddy (Trevor Donovan) and Shane (guest star Ryan Rottman) decide to tie the knot, while Dixon (Tristan Wilds) and Adrianna (Jessica Lowndes) get closer. Meanwhile, Navid (Michael Steger) sees an opportunity to take his Uncle Amal (guest star Anthony Azizi) down. Shenae Grimes, Jessica Stroup, and Gillian Zinser also star. 90210 airs every Tuesday at 10 p.m. on Star World.

deadmau5 Day Declared in Las Vegas Recap

2011-12-26T04:16:00.001-08:00

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Holiday Closures

2011-12-22T04:30:00.004-08:00

Federal offices: Closed MondayState offices: Closed MondayCounty offices: Closed MondayLas Vegas municipal offices: Closed starting Friday, will reopen for business Jan. 3North Las Vegas municipal offices: Closed starting Friday, will reopen for business Jan. 3 (see website for additional information)Henderson municipal offices: Closed Friday through Monday (see website for additional information)Boulder City municipal offices: Closed MondayClark County courts: Closed MondayNorth Las Vegas Municipal Court: Closed MondayClark County School District: Schools closed through Jan. 2College of Southern Nevada: Closed through Jan. 17UNLV: Closed through Jan. 17Las Vegas-Clark County Library District: Closed Saturday and SundayNorth Las Vegas Library District:North Las Vegas Library, 2300 Civic Center Drive (open Friday)Aliante Library, 2400 Deer Springs Way (open Friday and Saturday)Alexander Library, 1755 W. Alexander Road (open Saturday)All North Las Vegas libraries closed Sunday through Jan. 2Henderson Library District: Closed Saturday through MondayBoulder City Library District: Closed Saturday and Sunday ; regular hours Monday through Friday ; open until 4 p.m. Dec. 31; closed Jan. 1U.S. Postal Service: Closed Sunday and MondayRepublic Services of Nevada: Regular trash collectionSouthwest Gas: Offices closed Friday through Monday ; emergency services openNV Energy: Customer services closed Friday through Monday ; emergency services open 24/7 every dayReview-Journal: Delivery as usualBanks: Call individual bank

Mayweather gets 90 days in jail

2011-12-22T04:30:00.003-08:00

LAS VEGAS - Boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a perfect 42-0 in the ring and has dodged significant jail time several times in domestic violence cases in Las Vegas and Michigan. But his courtroom streak came to an end Wednesday when a Las Vegas judge sentenced him to 90 days in jail after he pleaded guilty to a reduced battery domestic violence charge and no contest to two harassment charges. The case stemmed from a hair-pulling, punching and arm-twisting argument with his ex-girlfriend Josie Harris while two of their children watched in September, 2010. "Punishment is appropriate," Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa said after a prosecutor complained Mayweather has been in trouble prior to and hasn't faced serious consequences. "No matter who you are, you have consequences to your actions when they escalate to this level of violence," she said. Good behavior could knock several weeks off Mayweather's sentence, but he likely will serve most of the sentence set to begin Jan. 6, said Officer Bill Cassell, a Las Vegas police spokesman. Mayweather and his manager, Leonard Ellerbe, declined criticism outside the courtroom. The jail time raises doubts about a possible showdown between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, a champion fighter from the Philippines against whom Mayweather's welterweight success usually is measured. A long-awaited fight between the men regarded as among the most appropriate of their generation has been delayed by stalling techniques and verbal sparring. They have a defamation lawsuit pending in Las Vegas federal justice stemming from statements by Mayweather in which he suspects Pacquiao was taking performance-enhancing drugs. Mayweather returned in September from a 16-month layoff to continue his undefeated record with a controversial knockout of Victor Ortiz in Las Vegas. Mayweather's promoters have a May 5 date reserved against an as-yet unnamed opponent at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. But if Mayweather is jailed until the end o! f March, it could cut into the usual eight-plus weeks he takes to train. Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, said licenses for all fighters expire on Saturday and most, including Mayweather, have yet to re-apply for next year. He said Mayweather would be asked on his license application if he was convicted of any misdemeanors or felonies. Kizer said commissioners then would decide whether to approve or deny his license or hold a hearing to talk about it. The commission has been in contact with prosecutors and Mayweather's lawyers as cases against him have progressed, he said. "The commissioners are definitely up to speed on it and will be when it comes time to consider any kind of application," he said. Lee Samuels, a spokesman for Pacquiao's promoter Top Rank and Bob Arum, declined criticism on Mayweather's sentencing and its possible effect on a match. Mayweather, 34, stood still in a striped olive vest and showed no reaction as the judge sentenced him to six months in the Clark County jail and then suspended half the term. She gave him credit for three days previously served in jail and ordered him to finish 100 hours of community service, pay a $2,500 fine and finish a yearlong domestic violence counseling program. The plea deal avoided trial on felony and misdemeanor that could have gotten Mayweather 34 years in state prison if he was convicted on all counts. Mayweather also is expected to plead no contest next week to a separate misdemeanor harassment charge involving a 21-year-old homeowner association security guard who was poked in the face during an argument about parking tickets placed on cars outside Mayweather's house. Mayweather's lawyer, Karen Winckler, said she may appeal what she called the unusual sentence handed down Wednesday. In court, she called Mayweather "a champion in many areas" and aired a list of his good deeds, including buying toys for children for Christmas and promising to donate $100,000 to breast cancer ! research by the end of December. Winckler argued the public would benefit more if Mayweather performed 100 hours of community service with children. Mayweather also is on the hook for 40 hours of community service with the Las Vegas Habitat for Humanity Project under a South Carolina federal judge's order for dodging a deposition in a music rights lawsuit. Mayweather has a Jan. 31 deadline on that justice order. Habitat for Humanity official Catherine Barnes said Wednesday that Mayweather had not started to log the hours. Saragosa said Wednesday she was persuaded to jail Mayweather after he admitted he hit Harris and twisted her arm, and two of their children, ages 9 and 10, witnessed the attack. Mayweather threatened to kill or make Harris "disappear," Saragosa said, and their 10-year-old son ran from the house and jumped a back gate to get security. Mayweather had taken cellphones belonging to Harris and the two boys.

Mayweather's luck finally runs out

2011-12-22T04:30:00.001-08:00

LAS VEGAS, (AP) -- Boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a perfect 42-0 in the ring and has dodged significant jail time several times in domestic violence cases in Las Vegas and Michigan. But his courtroom streak came to an end Wednesday when a Las Vegas judge sentenced him to 90 days in jail after he pleaded guilty to a reduced battery domestic violence charge and no contest to dual harassment charges. The case stemmed from a hair-pulling, punching and arm-twisting argument with his ex-girlfriend Josie Harris while dual of their children watched in September 2010. "Punishment is appropriate," Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa said after a prosecutor complained that Mayweather has been in trouble before and hasn't faced serious consequences. "No matter who you are, you have consequences to your actions when they escalate to this level of violence," she said. Good behavior could knock several weeks off Mayweather's sentence. but he will likely serve most of the sentence set to begin Jan. 6, said Officer Bill Cassell, a Las Vegas police spokesman. Mayweather and his manager, Leonard Ellerbe, declined comment outside the courtroom. The jail time raises doubts about a possible showdown between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, a champion fighter from the Philippines against whom Mayweather's welterweight success is usually measured. A long-awaited quarrel between the dual men regarded as among the best of their generation has been delayed by stalling techniques and verbal sparring. The dual men have a defamation lawsuit pending in Las Vegas federal court stemming from statements by Mayweather that he suspects Pacquiao was taking performance-enhancing drugs. Mayweather returned in September from a 16-month layoff to continue his undefeated record with a controversial knockout of Victor Ortiz in Las Vegas. Mayweather's promoters have a May 5 date reserved against an as-yet unnamed opponent at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. But if ! Mayweath er is jailed until the end of March, it could cut into the usual eight-plus weeks he takes to train. Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, said licenses for all fighters expire upon Saturday, and most, including Mayweather, have yet to reapply for next year. He said Mayweather would be asked upon his license duplicate if he was convicted of any misdemeanors or felonies. Kizer said commissioners would then decide whether to approve or deny his license or hold a hearing to talk about it. The commission has been in contact with prosecutors and Mayweather's lawyers as cases against him have progressed, he said. "The commissioners are definitely up to speed upon it and will be when it comes time to consider any kind of application," he said. Lee Samuels, a spokesman for Pacquiao's promoter Top Rank and Bob Arum, declined comment upon Mayweather's sentencing and its possible effect upon a match. Mayweather, 34, stood still in a striped olive vest and showed no reaction as the judge sentenced him to six months in the Clark County jail then suspended half the term. She gave him credit for three days previously served in jail and ordered him to complete 100 hours of community service, pay a $2,500 fine and complete a yearlong domestic violence counseling program. The plea deal avoided trial upon felony and misdemeanor that could have gotten Mayweather 34 years in state prison if he was convicted upon all counts. Mayweather also is expected to plead no contest next week to a separate misdemeanor harassment charge involving a 21-year-old homeowner association security guard who was poked in the face during an argument about parking tickets placed upon cars outside Mayweather's house. Mayweather's lawyer, Karen Winckler, said she may appeal what she called the unusual sentence handed down Wednesday. In court, she called Mayweather "a champion in many areas" and aired a list of his good deeds, including buying toys for chil! dren for Christmas and promising to donate $100,000 to breast cancer research by the end of December. Winckler argued that the public would benefit more if Mayweather performed 100 hours of community service with children. Mayweather is also upon the hook for 40 hours of community service with the Las Vegas Habitat for Humanity Project under a South Carolina federal judge's order for dodging a deposition in a music rights lawsuit. Mayweather has a Jan. 31 deadline upon that court order. Habitat for Humanity official Catherine Barnes said Wednesday that Mayweather had not started to log the hours. Saragosa said Wednesday she was persuaded to jail Mayweather following his admission that he hit Harris and twisted her arm, and that dual of their children, ages 9 and 10, witnessed the attack. Mayweather threatened to kill or make Harris "disappear," Saragosa said, and their 10-year-old son ran from the house and jumped a back gate to fetch security. Mayweather had taken cellphones belonging to Harris and the dual boys. "Things could have gotten more out of hand than they did," the judge said. Prosecutor Lisa Luzaich cited three previous domestic violence arrests for scuffles involving Harris, with whom Mayweather has three children, and three cases involving another woman with whom Mayweather has one child. Fines were of no consequence to Mayweather, Luzaich said. Mayweather goes by the nickname "Money," and was guaranteed $25 million for the Ortiz quarrel that won him the WBC's welterweight belt. Mayweather earned more than $20 million in a previous quarrel against "Sugar" Shane Mosley. Mayweather has been arrested several times since 2002 in battery and violence cases in Las Vegas and in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Mich. He was convicted in 2002 of misdemeanor battery stemming from a quarrel with dual women at a Las Vegas nightclub. He received a suspended one-year jail sentence and was ordered to undergo impulse-control counseling. He was fi! ned in G rand Rapids in February 2005 and ordered to perform community service after pleading no contest to misdemeanor assault and battery for a bar fight. He was acquitted by a Nevada jury in July 2005 after being accused of hitting and kicking Harris during an argument outside a Las Vegas nightclub. He was acquitted again in October of misdemeanor allegations that he threatened dual homeowner association security guards during a parking ticket argument. Mayweather also faces a civil lawsuit in Las Vegas from dual men who allege he orchestrated a shooting attack upon them outside a skating rink in 2009. Police have never accused Mayweather of firing shots and he has never been criminally charged in the case. Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The gym will totally still be there after you finish that creme brulee.

2011-12-22T04:28:00.003-08:00

Party like it's 999Cat men, roman soldiers, knights and winches flocked...

BOXING: Mayweather gets 90 jail days in Vegas case

2011-12-22T04:28:00.001-08:00

Mayweather returned in September from a 16-month layoff to continue his undefeated record with a controversial knockout of Victor Ortiz in Las Vegas.Mayweather's promoters have a May 5 date reserved against an as-yet unnamed opponent at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. But if Mayweather is jailed until the end of March, it could cut into the usual eight-plus weeks he takes to train.Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, said licenses for all fighters expire on Saturday, and most, including Mayweather, have yet to reapply for next year.He said Mayweather would be asked on his license application if he was convicted of any misdemeanors or felonies.Kizer said commissioners would then decide whether to approve or deny his license or hold a hearing to talk about it. The commission has been in contact with prosecutors and Mayweather's lawyers as cases against him have progressed, he said."The commissioners are definitely up to speed on it and will be when it comes time to consider any kind of application," he said.Lee Samuels, a spokesman for Pacquiao's promoter Top Rank and Bob Arum, declined comment on Mayweather's sentencing and its possible effect on a match.Mayweather, 34, stood still in a striped olive vest and showed no reaction as the judge sentenced him to six months in the Clark County jail then suspended half the term.She gave him credit for three days previously served in jail and ordered him to complete 100 hours of community service, pay a $2,500 fine and complete a yearlong domestic violence counseling program.The plea deal avoided trial on transgression and misdemeanor that could have gotten Mayweather 34 years in state prison if he was convicted on all counts. Continued... 1 2 3 4 See Full Story

Makeover for Madame Tussauds Las Vegas: Hollyer Projects to Manage Refurbishment

2011-12-21T05:02:00.001-08:00

UK based project management company, Hollyer Projects, has been retained to conduct the refurbishment of Madame Tussauds Las Vegas.(PRWEB UK) 21 December 2011 The thirteen year old attraction is to be brought up to date with the look and feel of the current Madame Tussauds brand, as well as getting some fantastic new features. Rosita Chapman, General Manager of Madame Tussauds Las Vegas sets out the benefits: Guests will be able to experience the more fully immersive Madame Tussauds experience, while repeat customers get to see new rooms and figures they haven't seen before. One of the great attributes of Madame Tussauds worldwide is the ability to stay current and fresh in the eyes of our customers, and this project will help our attraction do just that.The work will be split into two phases over two years. The first phase will include the refurbishment of the Box Office/Front Entry, the re-theming of the current SPEED room to the new FILM room and the expansion of the current SPORTS room. The Box Office/Front Entry will have the red carpet feel to give guests the impression of entering the star studded celebrity event. The FILM room, the cornerstone of the Madame Tussauds brand, is to get the Vegas flavour by showcasing movies either based on or filmed in Las Vegas. The second phase will include an update of the attraction's MUSIC room and the introduction of the Madame Tussauds HISTORICAL room, combined with the BEHIND the SCENES area that will detail the creation process of the Madame Tussauds waxworks. The most challenging aspect of the project will be to fit the work around the guests, causing the minimum amount of disruption to the attraction which is open 365 days the year. This will require very careful planning, with each section to be completed within limited time frames based on non-peak business periods throughout the year.Richard Hollyer, MD of Hollyer Projects says, I am delighted to be working with Madame Tussauds Las Vegas. Having started my career at Tussauds Group Studios, ! coming b ack to work with the Las Vegas attraction is really exciting. The changes were making will allow the guest to become more involved within the newly themed areas, enjoying engaging interactive features as well as getting close to their favourite celebrity figures. Hollyer Projects previous work with Merlin attractions worldwide was the significant factor in their appointment. Chapman says, Hollyer Projects was chosen to lead the Las Vegas renovation projects because of the company's long-standing experience within attraction-based refurbishments and construction. They have shown their ability to conduct efficiently with limited time frames and budget, they provide great flexibility when the project demands it, and they display the sincere passion in delivering their customer the successful product. It is for these reasons we couldn't be happier to have them managing these large-scale projects for us. We couldn't possibly risk having them in the hands of anyone else less qualified.About Hollyer ProjectsFollowing the sculptural grounding in the 80s, Richard Hollyer was employed by Merlin Studios (formerly Tussauds Group Studios) for nearly 18 years. He became one of the Studios project managers in 2003, delivering increasingly complex projects for the ever-growing portfolio of Merlin attractions.Hollyer Projects conduct creative installations from start to finish, providing the personal service, which includes project management, design, theme work and signage. Richard is always keen to meet with clients at the earliest opportunity to discuss their requirement and to offer ideas and possible solutions for achieving their ultimate objective.About Madame Tussauds Las VegasMadame Tussauds Las Vegas offers guests the unique opportunity to interact with incredibly life-like iconic figures from the celebrity worlds of film, TV, music, sports and politics. Only at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas can you grab hold of your favorite stars, with our many interactive experiences. With more than 100 wax figures, Madame! Tussaud s Las Vegas allows you to take pictures, touch and get up close and personal in the themed setting. Madame Tussauds Las Vegas is located on the Las Vegas Strip at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino. The attraction is open 365 days the year from 10AM. Visit online at http://www.madametussauds.com/lasvegas. Madame Tussauds is part of MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS GROUP, the leading name in location-based, family entertainment. MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS GROUP has seen the most successful and dynamic growth of any company in the sector over the last five years to become Europes Number 1 and the worlds second-largest visitor attraction operator. For enquiries, please contact:Richard HollyerTel: +44 (0)7515 127217Web: http://www.hollyerprojects.com Notes for editors:Larger images are available on request Photo credit for Gwen Stefani image: Christopher DeVargas###Richard HollyerHollyer Projects+44 (0)7515 127217Email Information

Spears celebrates engagement in Vegas

2011-12-21T05:01:00.000-08:00

LAS VEGAS, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Britney Spears celebrated her engagement to her longtime beau, talent manager Jason Trawick, with a party at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.Representatives for the venue said the singer debuted her 3.5-carat diamond Neil Lane ring at the bash Friday night. Trawick had proposed to her the previous evening in Los Angeles at a private dinner marking his 40th birthday.Spears and her fiance checked into one of the resort's 3,100-square-foot mega-suites, had dinner at Planet Hollywood's Strip House Steakhouse and ended the evening at Chateau Nightclub, the venue said.The 30-year-old singer and Trawick met in 2006 and have been dating since 2009.

Jackson's Swan Song Rates Best Among Las Vegas Bowl Performances

2011-12-20T04:56:00.003-08:00

As the 2003 Las Vegas Bowl approached, Steven Jackson wasn't sure if he was preparing to play his final game for Oregon State.The junior running back knew it had the potential to be the special night for him and seven other Beavers who also played high school football in Las Vegas.It became the Christmas Eve to remember.Jackson scored five touchdowns, four on the ground, and rushed for 149 yards to lead Oregon State to the 55-14 rout of New Mexico.Immediately after the game, Jackson announced he'd forgo his senior season to enter the NFL Draft.As the Las Vegas Bowl reaches its 20-year milestone this week, Jackson's high-scoring night was voted the best performance of the first 19 games by the local six-person panel."The biggest thing before the game started, I wanted to perform big and put on the show for my family and friends who hadn't had the chance to watch me play since high school," said Jackson, who played at Eldorado High School and is closing in on his seventh 1,000-yard rushing season for the St. Louis Rams."I was thinking if I should come back for my senior season. But I had such an impressive night, we agreed it would be the nice way to go out, in the final collegiate game of my career and in my hometown."The game is now known as MAACO Bowl Las Vegas, and eighth-ranked Boise State (11-1) and Arizona State (6-6) will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday at Sam Boyd Stadium.In recognition of the 20-year milestone, the Review-Journal asked five longtime Las Vegas Bowl watchers to join this reporter in ranking the top players, events and games of the first 19 editions. The panelists were bowl president Rob Dondero, bowl executive director Tina Kunzer-Murphy, bowl executive committee member Jennifer Logan, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority chief executive officer Rossi Ralenkotter and bowl media relations director Mark Wallington.The 1995 game between Toledo and UNR doubled as the best event and the best game. Toledo won 40-37 on Wasean Tait's 2-yard touchdown run in overtime, the first game ! in what then was called Division I-A to go past regulation.There have been many memorable moments in the game's history, starting with the inaugural bowl in 1992, in which Bowling Green scored with 22 seconds remaining to beat UNR, 35-34. That game ranked No. 2 in the poll.The three games that rounded out the top five -- Brigham Young's 17-16 victory over UCLA in 2007, Wyoming's 24-21 win over the Bruins in 2004 and Utah's 17-16 victory over Fresno State in 1999 -- also were decided late.But the memories go beyond the results on the field. Aside from the first overtime game, the panelists recalled other favorite moments.Ranking No. 2 among the bowl's top events was the Air Force flyover before last season's Boise State-Utah game."We had solid rain for two days, so we kept getting calls that they weren't going to be able to come," Kunzer-Murphy said. "They were telling me five minutes before they didn't know if they were going to come in, and then they came in really low. Boise State still talks ... that's the best flyover ever."In 2002, New Mexico coach Rocky Long (now coach at San Diego State) sent in female kicker Katie Hnida midway by the first quarter to attempt an extra point against UCLA. Her kick was blocked, but Hnida's mere presence made her the first woman to appear in the I-A game. That event ranked No. 3.At the luncheon prior to the 1997 game, Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton delivered the speech that still resonates and earned the No. 4 ranking. Payton talked about his love of UNLV basketball and former coach Jerry Tarkanian, sentiments that went over big with the Caesars Palace crowd."It gives me goose bumps thinking of it now," Dondero said.Almost certainly the most important event in the bowl's history, ranking No. 5, was its first sellout for the 2005 game between Brigham Young and California, because it solidified the bowl's future.Rows of empty seats year after year had created real doubt about the game's future. But the BYU partisan crowd of 40,053 packed Sam Boyd Stadium, and the game! has bee n on firmer footing ever since. The Cougars lost that night, but became an annual holiday presence, playing in five straight Las Vegas bowls.BYU was the somewhat controversial pick in 2005, however, because it was selected with the 6-5 record over No. fifteen Texas Christian, which was 10-1 and the Mountain West Conference champion.Former Los Angeles Raiders running back Napoleon McCallum, then the new member of the committee, convinced the bowl to take the Cougars."We had never had BYU in the game in all those years, and I said, 'We're either going to have the completely oversold stadium or we're going to have the good crowd,' " Kunzer-Murphy said. "Napoleon spoke up and said, 'As the player, I can tell you this, when you come out and you have the full stadium, there is nothing better.' That kind of stuck in our heads."Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore makes his second straight Las Vegas appearance this week, putting the finishing touches on the record-setting career. Moore, who last season completed 28 of 38 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns in the 26-3 win over Utah, was voted the second-best player in bowl history.The rest of the top five also made tremendous marks in the pros.No. 3 Marshawn Lynch rushed for 194 yards and three touchdowns in Cal's win over BYU, and he is the driving force behind the Seattle Seahawks' success.Utah State quarterback Anthony Calvillo, voted fourth, accounted for 336 yards of total offense and passed for three touchdowns in the 42-33 win over Ball State in 1993. He went on to the record-setting Canadian Football League career, his 73,412 yards passing becoming the top at any level.The one defensive player on the list, Troy Polamalu at No. 5, made 20 tackles, including three for loss, in Southern California's 10-6 loss to Utah in 2001. Polamalu, perhaps the face of the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense, was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year last season.But no one had Jackson's impact in Las Vegas. After closing his Oregon State career here, he was drafted in the fi! rst roun d by the Rams and has never looked back after withdrawal school the year early."No regrets," Jackson said. "You never know what will happen your senior year. You could get hurt. I really enjoyed the ride and what followed."Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.

Progress On Neon Museum Moving Forward

2011-12-20T04:56:00.002-08:00

A little piece of historic Las Vegas will flicker back to life this summer, if progress on a Neon Museum continues apace.On Monday, officials during a downtown museum said they expect to complete construction on a new visitors center in six months and open it to a public 30 days later.The museum, located during 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North, is an upgrade of a site of a Neon Boneyard, a resting place for defunct neon signs mostly salvaged from old casinos.The preservation organization, founded in 1996, cares for a site, which is a popular place for tours and photo and film shoots.With a opening of a museum, a centerpiece of which is a remodeled shell of a La Concha motel recycled into a visitors center, downtown boosters hope to broaden interest in a signs beyond filmmakers and photographers.Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman said a unique slice of history will help attract visitors to downtown Las Vegas, where construction of a symphony hall, Mob Museum and new city hall is also under way."When they hear about a Boneyard and a Neon Museum, it is going to be a real draw," Goodman said. "New Orleans has Bourbon Street and their jazz, and Las Vegas has a neon."Goodman also sounded hopeful that raising a profile of a museum would result in more people seeking to film there. As Goodman has stated, one of her goals is to attract more film projects to Las Vegas, but so far she hasn't announced any.Neon Museum board Chairman Bill Marion said a entire museum project, including a small city park adjacent to a visitors center site, cost about $6 million and was paid for with public and private sources.The sources include a Las Vegas Centennial Commission, which gets money from sales of specialized license plates; a Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act, which raises funds through Bureau of Land Management sales of public land; a National Scenic Byways Program; a Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which gets money through hotel room taxes; a State Office of Historic Preservation and private donatio! ns.Conta ct reporter Benjamin Spillman during bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.

Documentary on Mexican drug violence to make weeklong run in Las Vegas theater

2011-12-20T04:56:00.001-08:00

By Tovin Lapan (contact) Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011 | 2 a.m. The holiday blockbusters dominating movie theater marquees this time of year will get a lesser known as well as more serious neighbor at one Las Vegas cineplex next week.Starting Dec. 30, Regal Village Square will be showing a documentary 8 Murders a Day a 90-minute film examining a violence afflicting Juarez, Mexico.The fact that a movie is being shown here says something about a Las Vegas population that thirsts for information about Mexico.The film has shown in more than 25 cities nationwide since its release in February, mostly in a Southwest but also in cities such as New York as well as Chicago, which have large Hispanic populations.Las Vegas will be one of a last cities 8 Murders a Day visits before Director Charlie Minn focuses on other projects. Minn targeted Las Vegas for one of a final stops because he thought it would do well in a market despite perceptions that Las Vegas crowds are more likely to open their wallets to see staged acrobatics than real-life assassinations.Minn has been traveling across a country to promote a film he spent 18 months making as well as to find theaters that would show it.You know a visitors to Vegas wont see this, but a market is here for this film, Minn said. There is a huge Hispanic population, as well as this is something people want to know more about. The film has done very well in similar cities as well as communities.In 2010, Juarez, a border city of 1.3 million people across from El Paso, Tex., had 3,111 murders, making it a murder capital of a world. In 2007, at a beginning of Mexican President Felipe Calderons self-declared war on drug cartels, Juarez had 316 murders. In El Paso, which can be reached by pedestrian bridge from Juarez, there were five murders in 2010. Much of a violence is attributed to a clash between authorities as well as a rival Sinaloa as well as Juarez cartels.This is a film to inform as well as ! educate because I really feel like this is one of a most significant, as well as underreported, news stories today, Minn said. In 2011, a number of murders dropped to 2,000, which is significant, but a number is very high. The people would give anything to go back to 300 murders a year, as well as thats still a high murder rate.John Tuman, chairman of UNLVs Latin American studies department, said its no wonder a films producers would target Las Vegas because a third of a population is Hispanic, as well as a majority of that group is from Mexico.Anecdotally, I can say from another project Ive done on patterns of civic engagement among immigrants from Mexico that there is strong interest on current events in Mexico. ... They follow a news carefully as well as watch whats coming from Mexico, he said.Outside a Hispanic community, Las Vegas appetite for documentaries should not be underestimated, Tuman added.Over a last 10 years, a variety of documentaries have come through Vegas on a range of different subjects, he said. With a university community, legal community as well as also a religious community, there is general interest in issues of human rights as well as political violence, ... For that reason, as well as given a size of a metro area, Las Vegas is bound to attract interest in films like this.Regal Entertainment Group spokesman Richard Grover said in an email that a theater operator is operative with a distributor to target select markets where they think a film will be successful as well as ultimately, our moviegoers decide which films they choose to see.Minn said a film is scheduled to run for one week as well as could stay longer if ticket sales are strong.In a film, Minn interviews journalists, academics, writers as well as victims in Juarez as well as El Paso. The word corruption is peppered throughout a movie as those closest to a violence argue that endemic bribery as well as extortion stand as roadblocks to effective law enforcement. Not all a blame is placed on Calderons campaign against a cartels! . Severa l of those interviewed say a administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has not paid enough attention to violence in Mexico as well as has done little to stem a flow of weapons south of a border.Minn takes time in a film to show a devastating toll a violence takes on families, many of whom live in poverty as well as hold little hope for justice.There is near total impunity; 95 percent of a murders arent even investigated, Minn said. The film poses a lot of questions that a audience is left to decide on for themselves.Minn is operative on a second documentary about Juarez, titled Murder Capital of a World.

Haier Presents NBA Legends and Celebrity Chef Allison Fishman at CES

2011-12-20T04:55:00.003-08:00

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- As one of only a few exhibitors that will show major appliances along with electronics at the 2012 CES next month in Las Vegas, Haier will be showcasing the full breadth of its product assortment with the help of high-profile guests throughout the entire show. As the number one major appliances brand in the world* and the Official HDTV of the National Basketball Association, Haier's entertainment at CES includes appearances from NBA Legends Robert Horry and John Salley, as well as cooking demonstrations with Celebrity Chef Allison Fishman. Horry and Salley, the only two players to have won NBA Championships with three different teams, will visit the Haier Booth (#9826) in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center to help unveil Haiers 2012 electronics lineup on January 10th and 11th 2012. Chef Allison Fishman will be on hand each day to lead the way in rolling out the red carpet for Haier's array of brand new kitchen appliances. Allison will conduct cooking demonstrations in the Haier kitchen, highlighting brand new cooking appliance products slated for late 2012, including an induction cooktop, ranges, warming drawers, wall-ovens, and microwaves. Visitors will be able to sample fresh baked goods prepared by Allison each day during the show, which runs January 10-13. Celebrity Chef Allison Fishman will be the central attraction of our CES booth as she prepares some wonderful treats for visitors and shows off the brand new technologies of our latest appliances, including features designed to make being in the kitchen a safer, more convenient, and overall more pleasant experience, said Richard Block, Vice President of Marketing for Haier America. As the Official HDTV of the NBA, we are also pleased to be hosting John Salley and Robert Horry to help us launch our brand new television lines. ! Allison Fishman is the author of You Can Trust a Skinny Cook and host of Yahoos Blue Ribbon Hunter. Allison's work focuses on helping home cooks have fun in the kitchen by giving them the skills and confidence to cook delicious, nourishing meals at home. She is a contributing editor for Cooking Light magazine and was the co-host of Lifetimes show Cook Yourself Thin and TLCs Home Made Simple, where she helped modern American families prepare homemade meals. The NBA Legends will sign autographs from 11:00am 2:00pm (time subject to change). January 10th: Robert Horry-NBA LegendRobert Horry is a 7-time NBA Champion and he is one of only two players (the other is John Salley) to have won NBA championships with three different teams: two with the Houston Rockets, three with the Los Angeles Lakers and two with the San Antonio Spurs. He earned the nickname Big Shot Rob because of his clutch shooting in important games. January 11th: John Salley-NBA LegendJohn Salley was the first player in NBA history to play on three different championship-winning franchises. During the 80s, Salley was a member of the Detroit Piston squad. Salley went on to Chicago as part of the Bulls 1996 championship team and then the 1999-2000 Lakers Championship team. About Haier Based in the landmark Haier Building in midtown Manhattan, Haier America is a division of the multinational Haier Group, the worlds #1 major appliance brand as ranked by Euromonitor International 2011, and a global leader in consumer electronics. Haier employs more than 70,000 people around the world and distributes products in more than 165 countries and regions with global revenues reaching $20.7 billion in 2010. Haier is an Official Marketing Partner and the Official High Definition Television of the NBA, and proud supporter of the National ! Parks Conservation Association. For more information, please visit www.haieramerica.com. You can also become a Fan of Haier America onwww.facebook.com/Haieramerica or follow Haier America via Twitter@haieramerica. (Booth # 9826, Central Hall, Las Vegas Convention Center) Online Press Kithttp://www.tradeshownews.com/events/2012-International-CES/Haier/ *Source: Euromonitor International Limited; retailer volume sales units is based on 2011 data. Media:Haier AmericaJames Liess, 917-238-1706jliess@haieramerica.com

Britney Spears Celebrates Engagement at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas

2011-12-20T04:55:00.001-08:00

LAS VEGAS , Dec. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --Britney Spears celebrated her engagement to longtime love Jason Trawick at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino the evening of Friday, Dec. 16 . The pop icon debuted her 3.5-carat Neil Lane ring at the famed Las Vegas resort, which Trawick presented to her the previous evening in Los Angeles .To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/53733-planet-hollywood-resort-casino-las-vegas-britney-spears-engagement(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111219/MM24393)Spears and her fiance checked into one of the resort's 3,100-square-foot mega-suites designed by famed designer Jonathon Adler . The two-bedroom suite features a stunning red Murano glass chandelier in the entryway as well as a full dining room, living room and Jacuzzi tub, and has breathtaking views of Paris Hotel's Eiffel Tower.After settling in, the couple went down to Planet Hollywood's Strip House Steakhouse, where they celebrated with a custom-made cake created especially for them by the resort's pastry chef. Spears and Trawick then headed over to Paris Las Vegas, where they dined at Sugar Factory American Brasserie, and ended the evening celebrating Trawick's 40th birthday at Chateau Nightclub. PLANET HOLLYWOOD RESORT & CASINOPlanet Hollywood Resort & Casino is the newest member of the Caesars Entertainment family and is a full partner in Total Rewards.The hottest property on the Las Vegas Strip with 2,500 beautifully designed guest rooms and suites showcasing the best views in town, Planet Hollywood encompasses more than 100,000 square-feet of gaming, several lounges, nine restaurants including KOI, Strip House, the award-winning Spice Market Buffet and LA's Pink's Hot Dogs, and the Planet Hollywood Spa by Mandara. The mega resort is also home to PEEPSHOW, the sexy burlesque revue starring bombshell Holly Madison . The property is encircled by Miracle Mile Shops with more 170 specialty stores and restaurants. For ! more inf ormation, please visit www.planethollywoodresort.com or caesars.thedigitalcenter.com to access media materials and request high-resolution images. Find Planet Hollywood on Facebook and follow on Twitter.Planet Hollywood , along with all Caesars Entertainment Las Vegas resorts, including Caesars Palace, Paris Las Vegas, Flamingo Las Vegas, Harrah's, Bally's, Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, Imperial Palace and Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon, proudly prohibit adding hidden resort fees to hotel guest room rates. For information on No Resort Fees visit www.caesars.com/vegasnoresortfees.

Indoor Farmers Market Planned In Las Vegas

2011-12-19T04:44:00.003-08:00

Just a block from a stretch of Fremont Street where epicurean highlights include deep-fried Twinkies and cheap hot dogs, Kerry Clasby peels open an organically raised tangerine to share with a small group.The fruit is plucked from a basket of specialty produce that includes cauliflower, artichokes and heirloom tomatoes.It's cold and cloudy and the produce basket is the only splash of color livening up the vacant downtown Las Vegas bus terminal where Clasby is handing out fruit samples.She and her business partner, longtime Las Vegas food and beverage executive Cheryl MacPherson, aren't bothered by the cold or the din of traffic from the nearby freeway overpasses.They're enjoying the fruit and envisioning the farmers market they're planning to open Friday mornings at the site in February."This is ideal," said Clasby, an anchor tenant at the Bet on the Farms market held Thursdays at Springs Preserve and "intuitive forager" for some of Las Vegas' top restaurants. "I've been cross country four times going to farmers markets. It is a great spot."Clasby and MacPherson are partners in the market with Fifth Street Gaming -- the company leading a $120 million conversion of the defunct Lady Luck hotel-casino to the Downtown Grand on behalf of owner CIM Group and the city of Las Vegas, which owns the old bus terminal -- to create the market.They love the terminal's tile floors, high copper ceilings, big windows, ample parking, location next to the freeway and about 11,000 square feet of indoor space.They're planning to sell locally roasted coffee from a former bus ticket window and use the spacious interior for cooking demonstrations and other events."The biggest problem with Las Vegas farmers markets is they are outdoors. The produce is compromised, and people are either freezing or sweating," Clasby said."I foresee this building as a community gathering place."Last week, the Planning Commission voted unanimously for a two-year approval for the market, which will invite food trucks and "pop-up retail" sho! ps to th e site adjacent to the Mob Museum. The museum is scheduled to open in February.The proposal is scheduled to go before the City Council on Jan. 18.At first glance, a farmers market doesn't seem to jibe with the Fremont Street vibe, which includes booze, junk food, gambling and more booze among its offerings.But with Fifth Street Gaming going for a more upscale feel at Downtown Grand in 2013 and online shoe retailer Zappos.com set to move into City Hall when city government moves to a new headquarters on Main Street, there are hopes attractions such as a farmers market aimed at a wealthier, higher educated crowd will succeed."Farmers market was in the plan since Day One," said Seth Schorr, CEO of Fifth Street Gaming. "We think Las Vegas will be receptive to the real deal."Real deal, indeed.Clasby is well-connected to high-profile restaurants on the Strip.Her business, which includes her own heirloom tomatoes and avocados grown in Santa Paula, Calif., involves foraging for fresh, organic and specialty produce up and down California -- from Arcata to Santa Monica -- and trucking it to chefs such as Mario Batali and others.The produce at the market, such as Hidden Rose apples Clasby brings fresh from Arcata, is the same as what chefs are using on the Strip."That apple is a very rare expensive apple to produce and to get," Clasby said. "But because Wolfgang Puck's pastry chef orders them, I order an extra case or two and have them at the farmers market."The vacant bus terminal has been a dark spot in downtown Las Vegas since autumn 2010 when the Regional Transportation Commission opened a new transit center at Casino Center Boulevard and Bonneville Avenue.The site is part of an agreement between CIM and the city that calls for CIM to have an opportunity to lease or buy the land after it completes the opening of the Downtown Grand.Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.

Las Vegas Doctor Takes Advice To The Airwaves

2011-12-19T04:44:00.002-08:00

If your elbow hurts when you bend it, don't bend it.This is a advice Dr. Daliah Wachs gives to a man who calls her radio show, "The Dr. Daliah Show" on KDWN-AM (720), complaining of abdominal pain after doing 200 sit-ups."It's dead center, a 4-inch square area, very tender, it hurts if you touch it," a man says.It sounds like an old joke, but there's a great deal of medical truth in that advice."Remember, pain is your body's defense mechanism. Pain is a sign to get it checked out,"Wachs says, advising a man to go to his doctor, because he might have a hernia or an infection.The best talk radio should be informative and entertaining, says Jim Dallas, KDWN sound board operator and Wachs' producer. But when it comes to medical shows, they're often straight information and not so entertaining."What Daliah does is blend that together. She starts out in a fun, informative manner that grabs a listener," says Dallas, who has worked with her for nearly three years. "By that point, you feel like you're talking to a friend. It's a unique blend and it works."Wachs has been taking on touchy subjects and making them approachable and understandable to her listening audience since starting her show as a weekly good deed. She turned her hobby into a nightly syndicated radio show that's produced locally and airs on Sirius XM channel 166, KDWN and other stations nationwide.Among a topics Wachs, 40, has tackled are cholesterol, male impotence, childhood bed-wetting and what to do if you sit next to someone who has tuberculosis on an airplane. In 2009, she even predicted a Super Bowl winner based on medical facts. The Indianapolis Colts would lose, she said then, because more of a team's players had groin injuries than on a New Orleans Saints.It's all part of what Wachs calls "sassy, stimulating medical talk radio." She brags about being a class clown and having a knack for making people giggle.That Wachs is hosting a medical radio show infused with her special brand of humor doesn't surprise Dr. Bill Pierce, a frien! d and fe llow funnyman. The two did their residency together about 15 years ago and quickly bonded through humor."She's always been a nut," Pierce says. "She's got a great sense of humor and she always has something funny to say."While a kind of work they do is very serious, there is always humor in medicine, Pierce says."It's kind of coping mechanism," he notes.Wachs moved to Las Vegas with her parents in a late 1980s when she was a senior in high school. She graduated from Clark High School.When she was a little girl, she wanted to be Miss America, a singer or a nurse."I love a smell of Band-Aids,"Wachs says."I always wanted to be a nurse, I suspicion that was a coolest profession in a world. Nurses are cool, and I wanted to help others."Her mother, who had a feminist bent, asked her why she didn't want to be a doctor."I said, 'I can't, doctors are boys,'" Wachs remembers.Eventually, she pushed aside her desire to go into nursing and tried singing. Just before she was to leave on a singing tour across a country, she found out she received a scholarship to a University of Nevada, Las Vegas.Wachs did a practical thing and went to college.She was a first member of her family to have a opportunity to go to college, so she took it, becoming a board-certified family medical practitioner. She started her own practice, Integrative Family Medicine. She teaches and lectures at Touro University, a University of Nevada School of Medicine and UNLV.Still, part of her always regrets not taking a show business path.After a recession hit, more people than ever were going without health insurance or regular medical care. Wachs decided to do something to address what she saw as a need in a community.In 2008, she decided to go on air to answer people's medical questions.For about $100 a week, Wachs bought some airtime at a local station."I suspicion it would be a great public service," Wachs says. "I suspicion I could help people."She started with a weekly show but didn't expect much of an audience. It became more popular than she! imagine d, so Wachs expanded it to a nightly show. She became syndicated this year.She spends five to six hours daily on a show, preparing and a broadcasting. During a day, she sees patients in her office. Somewhere during all this, Wachs manages to be a wife to husband Corey, a chiropractor, and mother to sons Brock, 9, and Stone, 11."It's still growing, we never expected this," Wachs says. "I've been here most of my life, and to be able to give back to community, it's so nice."Locally, catch her show Monday through Friday at 11 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 a.m. on KDWN-AM.Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564. Follow @StripSonya on Twitter.

Bridging old and new Vegas

2011-12-19T04:44:00.001-08:00

Associated Press From left, Sylvester Stallone, Silvio Berlusconi and his son, Pier Silvio are seen in this photo, printed in the book Una storia italiana (An Italianstory). Monday19 December 20113 a.m. Sam Morris We need to "keep things within our state. We need to be more supportive," says Jaki Baskow, a longtime Las Vegas businesswoman and owner of Baskow & Associates. Im the girl who took Sly Stallone to Italy for the Italian Oscars, says Las Vegas entertainment entrepreneur Jaki Baskow, leaning across the table with her hands delicately clasped, eagerly telling her story. I introduced him to Silvio Berlusconi, you know. He used to be a media magnate.Those types of stories only scrape the surface of Baskows experience as a high-profile businesswoman in Las Vegas.When Baskow was just 22, the New Jersey native moved to Las Vegas and embarked upon an adventure that would set her up for a successful career in showbiz and events.In 1976, Baskow opened what she calls the only full-service talent agency in Las Vegas. Since then, shes worked with stars as big as Jay Leno, Goldie Hawn and Jennifer Lopez upon events and appearances.I never expected to be in business for 35 years, she says. Im so passionate about living here.But during her early years in town, Baskow says, the service in Las Vegas was about being classy. She worked as a consultant for Caesars Palace, putting upon corporate events and parties.Everything was very personalized, she says.The key to her success? Keeping that personal touch. Baskow loves working and talking and laughing and making connections with people.I have a dream job. Every day is fun, she says. Im still working 16 hours a day, and I love it.Baskow has 20 full-time employees in her business, Baskow & Associates, where the job is to throw! memorab le parties and coordinate group events.She produces a fundraiser for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children each January and has planned corporate events for IBM and other Fortune 500 companies, she says.Ive had the opportunity to hire past presidents and world leaders, Baskow says. I love waking up in the morning knowing Im going to put smiles upon peoples faces.So for all of her experience in Las Vegas, how does Baskow introduce to fix Las Vegas economy?People need to be working together, she says, admitting that although theres competition, teamwork is necessary. Nobody wants to fail here. Even better? She says we need to keep things within our state. We need to be more supportive. VEGAS INC staff Share

Ex-Navy SEAL gets 60 days in Las Vegas club rampage

2011-12-19T04:43:00.001-08:00

LAS VEGAS (AP) A former Navy SEAL has been sentenced to 60 days in jail for his conviction on seven counts of battery in a drunken rampage last March at a Las Vegas Strip nightclub.Defense attorney Ross Goodman says Luke Shawley was sentenced Thursday by Clark County District Court Judge James Bixler after a jury found him guilty in August. Shawley is due in court again on Jan. 17. KSNV-TV reports (http://bit.ly/tQS3uY ) that videotapes showed Shawley wielding a pipe during the melee at the Tao nightclub. Authorities say at least one person was knocked unconscious and three people were hospitalized after the attack. Shawley used to be based in San Diego. He said he remembered having 8 or 9 drinks, and nothing else. Tao records showed he bought at least eighteen drinks.

Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and kids attend Michael Jackson Cirque show

2011-12-19T04:43:00.000-08:00

Las Vegas Sun December 19, 2011 Currently: 40 | Complete forecast | Log in LasVegasSun.com Account Warner Bros. Matt Damon, George Clooney and Brad Pitt in OceansThirteen. By Robin Leach (contact) Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 | 12:13 p.m. More arts and entertainment Check out Robin Leach's VegasDeLuxe.com for more celebrity and A&E coverage. Glenn Pinkerton/Las Vegas News Bureau The Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt wax figures during Madame Tussauds Las Vegas. 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'inl ine' + ':' + slugify(galPhotoCredit) + ':653px' + ':1' + '/' + '102' ]) } }); }); 'Immortal' Red Carpet during Mandalay Bay Launch slideshow '; stickContentmichaeljacksonimmortalredcarpetmandalaybay += ''; stickContentmichaeljacksonimmortalredcarpetmandalaybay += ''; new StickyWin.Modal({ content: stickContentmichaeljacksonimmortalredcarpetmandalaybay, closeOnEsc: false, hideOnClick: true, width: 1000, height: 600, onClose: function(response){ $('slideshow_michael-jackson-immortal-red-carpet-mandalay-bay').setStyle('display', 'none'); $('slideshow_inline_michael-jackson-immortal-red-carpet-mandalay-bay').grab($('slideshow_michael-jackson-immortal-red-carpet-mandalay-bay')); $$('.videoWrapper').invoke('toggle'); }, destroyOnClose: true, onDisplay: function(response){ $$('.videoWrapper').invoke('toggle'); $('slideshow_holder_michael-jackson-immortal-red-carpet-mandalay-bay').grab($('slideshow_michael-jackson-immortal-red-carpet-mandalay-bay'), 'top'); $('slideshow_michael-jackson-immortal-red-carpet-mandalay-bay').setStyle('display', 'block'); //setTimeout('setBGImagemichaeljacksonimmortalredcarpetmandalaybay()', 2500); //setBGImagemichaeljacksonimm! ortalred carpetmandalaybay(); //$('gallery_left').setStyle('background', '#000'); var galPhotoCredit = 'Scott Harrison/Retna/HarrisonPhotos.com'; _gaq.push([ //console.log( '_trackPageview', '/photos/galleries/2011/dec/06/michael-jackson-immortal-red-carpet-mandalay-bay/:' + 'inline' + ':' + slugify(galPhotoCredit) + ':653px' + ':1' + '/' + '15' ]) } }); }); Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were the third set of superstar celebrities to make Las Vegas their stadium for three days in this final weekend before Christmas:*It began Thursday with the invasion of the Kardashian Klan for the official opening of their celebrity lifestyle boutique Kardashian Khaos during the Mirage.*Pop queen Britney Spears followed on Friday celebrating her engagement to agent Jason Trawick and his 40th birthday during Planet Hollywood and Paris.*Then last night, as I first tweeted (@Robin_Leach) late Friday, Brad, Angelina and their six children arrived during the Four Seasons. Once settled, they made the short trek to Cirque du Soleils Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour during Mandalay Bay.Today, Brad celebrates his 48th birthday here before they board the private jet back to their new California home. The power couple recently sold his Malibu mansion for $12 million to talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. The beachfront property, originally listed for $14 million, was where Brad and ex-wife Jennifer Aniston once resided.Under extr! aordinar y security and the phalanx of burly bodyguards, Brad and Angelina declined limousines to make the 5-minute walk between the two hotels. Angelina and Brad held hands with their children.All six of their children traveled here, though it was the four eldest who attended the early performance of Immortal during Mandalay Bay Events Center: Shiloh, 5; Zahara, 6; Pax, 7; and Maddox, 10. Although not married, Angelina, 36, legally changed her name to Jolie-Pitt when they adopted then-3-year-old Pax in Vietnam.Their first daughter together, Shiloh, was born in Namibia, and the $8.5 million they collected from her first photographs went to charities caring for African children. Their youngest twins, 3-year-old son Knox and daughter Vivienne born in July 2008, stayed back during the Four Seasons with their nannies. Photographs of them sold for $14 million -- the most expensive baby celebrity shots ever taken -- with the couple donating it to charity.They sat in the second row from the lower second stage of the spectacular. Brad, with longish hair and glasses, wore jeans and the black jacket, while Angelina wore the light gray dress under the long black coat.Our Vegas DeLuxe spywitness told me: They enjoyed the performance and stayed until the very end rather than sneaking out during the curtain close. They assimilated the crowd during the final standing ovation. It didnt look as if the cast knew the Hollywood couple was there until they heard the buzz in the audience.It hadnt been announced to them beforehand, so they gave the little nod and the bow in their direction during the end. Brad and Angelina were applauding and smiling ear to ear with their children, who loved the show. Then they quietly left to walk back to the Four Seasons.No official photographs were taken of the couple during Immortal, though several paparazzi snapped shots on their walk though were quickly removed by the security team. I was reliably told that it was the largest set of bodyguard protection ever seen for visiting Hollywood celebritie! s.After todays double performances, Immortal is dark for three days as the cast relocates to Los Angeles for three days of taping this weeks final episode of The X Factors debut season with Simon Cowell and Paul Abdul. Immortal resumes here Thursday through Dec. 27.After three weeks of hitting No. 1 in North American box office ticket sales with an average nightly gate of $2 million for each performance, Immortal heads into its final performances here before departing for Phoenix and then continuing its North American tour through next September before the 2-year global tour begins. The new Michael Jackson residency show is set to open during Mandalay Bay in May 2013. Demolition work on The Lion King theater during Mandalay Bay begins after its final performance Dec. 30.There were unconfirmed rumors last night that Brad, Angelina and their children would attend The Lion King today before returning to California. This is Brads first visit with the entire family to Las Vegas.Robin Leach has been the journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the worlds premier platinum playground.Follow Robin Leach on Twitter during Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter during Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter during Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon. Post the comment Commenting requires registration. Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, though rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy.If you would like to submit your comment as the letter to the editor, you may submit it here. !

Las Vegas Performers Share Their Favorite Holiday Songs

2011-12-16T04:42:00.004-08:00

The holidays don't begin for Clint Holmes until chestnuts roast on that open fire."The first time I hear Nat King Cole sing ('The Christmas Song') I go, 'Ah, it's Christmas,'" Holmes says of the 1944 classic co-written by Mel Torme.We are as set in our Christmas music habits as we are with the turkey or the tree. "We all still listen to the same 10 songs over and over," Stratosphere superstar Frankie Moreno says."Whenever someone tries to do something new, nobody wants to hear that. They want to hear the old stuff. That isn't the case for modern music, but for Christmas, it absolutely is."Christmas favorites that stem from centuries-old hymns play alongside 20th-century inventions such as "White Christmas," which Bing Crosby recorded for "Holiday Inn" in 1942, and "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer," released by Gene Autry in 1949. Both arrived in time for the mass production of vinyl records to create new traditions.The mall doesn't stray far from the classics, but we are more open to new songs and ideas when we buy a Christmas album by a favored star -- time will tell if Justin Bieber's "Mistletoe" joins the ranks of the classics -- or when said stars perform them live.We polled Las Vegas-based singers for their holiday favorites and came up with a cold winter's nights worth of tunes both familiar and less so.Clint HolmesHolmes' annual Christmas shows are no small efforts. He chuckles to recall seeing a "Christmas show" by one standards crooner with only three Christmas tunes. "How do you get away with that?"But he explains his wall-to-wall effort simply: "You only get to sing these songs once a year."Spouse Kelly Clinton and 8-year-old granddaughter Asia lend a hand to the Saturday and Sunday shows at the Suncoast, along with a video clip of the singer's mother, Audrey, who died in October at age 95.But the real showstopper is a song called "William the Angel," which locals came to love during Holmes' long run at Harrah's Las Vegas.Holmes didn't write it, but "I don't even know if anyone else act! ually si ngs the song," he says of the tune he got from writer Rob Mathes in 1998, when the two worked in Atlantic City. "My dad was in hospice and I was driving from New Jersey to Buffalo to see him every time I wasn't working," Holmes recalls."On this particular night Rob gave me this CD of this song he had written. I put it on in the car and probably because of the mindset I was in, it affected me. I remember playing it 20 times in a row on an eight-hour drive. I kind of relate it to my dad's last days."Pat DiNizioThe voice of The Smithereens is an audiophile with a special love for vintage pop. No wonder the Riviera's "Confessions of a Rock Star" singer remembers his older cousin handing down a 7-inch single of "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" when he was 10."It was kind of new at the time, but it became an evergreen, a perennial like right away," he notes. "It was just delightful for a child to hear that. I would listen to it all year round."Years later, when Capitol asked The Smithereens to record a Christmas track, he remembered the Cadillacs' rollicking party take on "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer." "I dug out the old single. We did our version but we stayed faithful to the Cadillacs' original arrangement."Kristin HertzenbergThe singer who alternates the role of Christine in "Phantom -- The Las Vegas Spectacular" also sings Saturday in "A Holiday Celebration" with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, and again at 2 p.m. Sunday at Community Lutheran Church, celebrating her new "Holidays from the Heart" album with pianist Philip Fortenberry.It's a Christmas to be thankful for after Hertzenberg risked losing her singing voice to thyroid cancer (as told in the Review-Journal on Nov. 27). "It's hard to find pleasing Christmas songs that people don't already know," she says, so it was a gift to discover the Melissa Manchester-penned "There's Still My Joy" on iTunes."The recording sessions were kind of a haven, a place to go and forget about everything else that was going on," she says of finishing the albu! m before her throat surgery.Terry FatorOnly a great impressionist can tackle both parts of the Bing Crosby-David Bowie duet "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" from Crosby's "Merrie Old Christmas" special in 1977 (Bowie was 30; Crosby was 73 and died between the taping and the broadcast)."When I was a kid and I saw it, it was meaningful because it was such a pretty song," Fator recalls. "As I got older I realized what an incredibly odd thing that was, David Bowie stopping by Bing Crosby's house."Fator hopes to have his own classic with his original "Christmas in Las Vegas." "We thought of all the iconic things about Vegas and about Christmas and blended them all together," he explains. "Both of them are incredibly iconic worldwide."Melody SweetsIf your Christmas party is dry as shortbread, close your eyes and imagine the retro-crooning burlesque star of "Absinthe" inviting you to a very special celebration."I have a burlesque act written around 'Santa Baby' by the pleasing Eartha Kitt," she explains. "Every year I have a tree-trimming party that kicks off with a bare tree and ends up with a bare me!"As the song goes on, each item of clothing gets transferred to the tree to become an ornament. "On the last note of the song, I light the tree for its stunning finale. ... 'Tis the season!"Rick Faugno"I guess I'm a little more of a traditionalist, although that's not a big surprise I guess," says the singer-dancer who revives the classic-Vegas superstar show on Fridays at the Las Vegas Hilton.But along with his Nat King Cole, Faugno likes "songs that go back to, I guess, pre-America Christmas," such as "Ave Maria.""My grandmother used to love that song. We would sing it together at church."The "Jersey Boys" alumnus also is one of the actors to portray Frankie Valli heard on the new "Seasons Greetings: A Jersey Boys Christmas." "I think they did it in a pretty clever way," he says, "to hear seven different guys who all play the same role, singing in their own original voices. You can tell each person apart."Human Natu! reThe Au stralian quartet isn't limited to Motown classics when December comes.Phil Burton says the Frank Sinatra version of "Let It Snow" has "such a relaxed and easygoing feel about it. ... He sings it in such a cool way that you can't help but swing along."Group-mate Toby Allen enjoys the challenge of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" if not the song itself. "As much as I dislike the idea of beginning this incredibly drawn out carol, it always surprises me how satisfying it is to actually complete it."Matt GossWhen the retro-styled crooner hears "White Christmas" he thinks of Harry as much as Bing.Harry would be his grandfather, Harry Read. "He loved Nat King Cole and kind of sounded like him. These songs have so much warmth in them to me. In fact, I can almost taste his perfect Christmas dinner, especially his crispy roast potatoes."Frankie MorenoThe Stratosphere entertainer was aware he was "treading a real fine line" when he cut his own Christmas album. "If you say, 'I'm gonna be unique and make my own thing, people just don't want to hear that. They'll listen to it once and say 'That's cool,' but they're not going to pull it out with the stockings and the fake poinsettias every year."But Moreno thinks he hit the happy medium with a New Orleans version of "Frosty the Snowman." "I keep it very traditional and just change the rhythm behind it."He's also fond of his own "Plenty of Mistletoe." "It's written very old school about a guy who's had the hardest year (because) a girl dumped him a year ago. It's going to be a classic someday, when I'm dead."Josh StricklandNo one picked a song synonymous with Christmas crooner Andy Williams, but the male idol of "Peepshow" shares Williams' secret affinity for "Mary, Did You Know?" along with "The Prayer."Strickland performed both songs in a sentimental hometown concert in Charleston, S.C., before moving to Las Vegas. "My family, friends and fans still rave about this performance to this day and still listen to the recordings," he says. "These two songs hold a special plac! e in my heart as it was a time of change in my life that I will never forget.Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.

On Budget: Las Vegas For Less

2011-12-16T04:42:00.003-08:00

Tropicana Las Vegas and HeadsUp Entertainment Present the March Mania Mega Stack Poker Series

2011-12-16T04:42:00.001-08:00

LAS VEGAS, Dec. 16, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HeadsUp Entertainment Las Vegas (Pink Sheets:HDUP) and Tropicana Las Vegas are pleased to announce the March Mania Mega Stack Poker Series to be held March 15-25th, 2012. The series will feature 22 events over the 11 days to be held in the Cohiba Ballroom at the newly renovated Tropicana Las Vegas which will also include a player's lounge and large screen TVs featuring the first 4 rounds of the NCAA basketball tournament.Event buy-ins will range from $130 to a $1500 Main Event that will boast a player friendly structure and mega starting chip stacks. Full details, travel packages and online satellite details will be announced soon. The events are sanctioned and presented by the World Poker Showdown and the Canadian Poker Tour.About HeadsUp Entertainment International Inc.HeadsUp Entertainment International Inc. is a global media and entertainment company engaged in the creation of branded entertainment through the development, production and marketing of televised programming based on poker and other entertainment themes. For more information see the Company's website www.headsupentertainment.com.Forward-Looking Statements:This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this release, words such as "estimate," "expect," "anticipate," "projected," "planned," forecasted" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, which are, by their very nature, not guarantees of HeadsUp Entertainment International Inc.'s future operational or financial performance, and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. Due to the risks and uncertainties, actual events may differ materially from current expectations. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whe! ther as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.