2005

Thursday, June 10, 2010 | 3:39 p.m.

Big stories

Property Taxes – In 2005, we covered the debate in the Legislature over property tax relief and noted commercial property owners and developers were worried that the plan approved by the Legislature would lead to more inequities between commercial and residential property owners in the future.

Zappos Emerges – We also covered a small company that had entered the Henderson scene and would grow to be large: Zappos.com

Land Prices – The economic boom continued in 2005, with vacant land prices in the Las Vegas Valley jumping 149 percent from 2004.

Home Values – Home values increased too, jumping 31.2 percent from the first quarter of 2004 to the first quarter of 2005 – and housing affordability continued to be a problem.

Trump Tower – Donald Trump broke ground on his $500 million Trump International Hotel and Tower in Las Vegas.

Downtown Furniture Market – The World Market Center opened in downtown Las Vegas, bringing 53,000 people to town for its Las Vegas Furniture market.

Notable Q&As

Rory Reid, Clark County Commission chairman, was asked for our Jan. 7, 2005, edition about what Southern Nevada could do to diversify the economy. “We need to incentivize businesses to come here by offering them an educated workforce. By offering them a tax structure that is competitive to other communities,’’ he said.

Ian Bruce Eichner, initial developer of the Cosmopolitan resort, was interviewed for our March 11, 2005, edition. We asked how the Cosmopolitan would be different from the competition.

“It’s really not like anything else that has been discussed or proposed. We’re really at the middle of the Strip. We’ve got fabulous neighbors. We’re immediately adjacent to the Bellagio, we’re across the street looking at Paris and we’re immediately adjacent to (CityCenter).’’

Andre Agassi, founder of the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, was asked in April 2005 about the perception that Las Vegas is not a very charitable city. “My experience is entirely different. This community has helped us raise over $50 million in the last 10 years. I think Vegas is a city that dreams it, believes it and does it,’’ he said.

Lorenzo Fertitta, president of Station Casinos Inc. at the time, was asked about his family’s recent purchase of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. “I grew up in Las Vegas, I was always a big boxing fan, a big fight fan. I wanted to be involved in some way. I really felt this was the future and where combat sports were going,’’ he said.

Brian Greenspun, whose family owns the Las Vegas Sun and In Business Las Vegas, told us for a Q&A in July 2005 about changes in the agreement between the Sun and the Review-Journal that would result in the Sun focusing on in-depth journalism and being delivered with the R-J seven days per week.

Despite the change, the Sun would continue to be an independent newspaper in competition with the Review-Journal.

“Our roots are in this community and we just think that it’s important that as much as possible Las Vegas has a varied number of viewpoints, ours being one of them,’’ he said.

We also asked Greenspun about his passionate fight against bringing the nation’s nuclear waste to Southern Nevada.

“If there were one accident in this town, on I-15, behind one of these hotels, with a spill, the headlines in every newspaper in the world will be `high-level radioactive spill shuts down Las Vegas’ and the prophecy will come true, whether it’s for three months, six months, two years, who knows?’’ he said.

Award winning journalism

Nevada Press Association awards won in 2005

First Place

• Best Business Coverage

• Best Local Non-Staff Columnist – Jon Ralston

• Best Editorial Page

Second Place

• Best Local Column – Liz Benston

40 Under 40: Where are they now?

Reggie Burton: Class of 2005

Burton received 40 Under 40 honors in 2005 when he was the director of community affairs at Mandalay Resort Group.

Following the merger between MGM Mirage and Mandalay Resort Group in mid-2005, he was appointed director of communications for MGM Mirage, Corporate Diversity and Community Affairs.

In the summer of 2004, Burton was instrumental in hosting three business development workshops in partnership with the Urban, Latin and Asian chambers of commerce. He has long been a proponent of corporate diversity.

He started his career in public relations with the NFL’s San Diego Chargers before spending time in PR with Circus Circus Hotel and Casino in Reno and Las Vegas.

Burton has now started his own company, Reggie Burton Communications, where he serves as president.

He is president-elect of the Southern Nevada Public Television Board of Directors. He also is a graduate of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Leadership Las Vegas program.