In Business - Las Vegas Sun

LV Chamber hires CEO recruiter to find successor: Friday, November 20, 2009; By Richard N. Velotta; The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce has begun its search to replace longtime President and CEO Kara Kelley.

Gaming regulators, manufacturers disagree on computer-code writers: Friday, November 20, 2009; By Richard N. Velotta; State gaming regulators and slot machines manufacturers are at odds over how Nevada should monitor independent contractors hired to write computer codes for new or updated machines.

NVCI director tabbed for Murren Chair: Friday, November 20, 2009; In Business Las Vegas; John Ruckdeschel, CEO and director of the Nevada Cancer Institute, is the recipient of the newly created Murren Family Distinguished Director’s Chair.

Help for homebuyers: Friday, November 20, 2009; iblv editorial: Tax-credit extension is timely; The struggling housing market in Southern Nevada would be worse off had Congress allowed an $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers to expire at the end of the month.

Nearly dead and buried: Friday, November 20, 2009; iblv editorial: Energy Department still needs to abandon license application; Nevada has been fighting for more than 20 years efforts by the federal government to build a dump for the nation’s high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, a mere 90 miles northwest of the heavily populated Las Vegas Valley.

It’s the loan-to-value ratio, stupid!: Friday, November 20, 2009; Guest column:; Robert Aalberts; With apologies to James Carville for corrupting his famous and prescient 1992 presidential campaign battle cry, I think it’s important to discuss what some real estate experts think triggered the residential property debacle.

Carl Icahn offers $156 million for Fontainebleau, outbids Penn National: Monday, November 23, 2009; the strip:; By Steve Green; Investor Carl Icahn will be the stalking horse bidder for the mothballed Fontainebleau Las Vegas casino resort, offering $156 million in cash and financing Monday and outbidding Penn National Gaming. During a hearing in Miami's bankruptcy court, Penn National Gaming initially competed with Icahn but then dropped out of the bidding after going as high as $145 million.

Vegas-based Majestic Star Casino seeks bankruptcy: Monday, November 23, 2009; By Steve Green; Las Vegas-based Majestic Star Casino LLC filed for bankruptcy protection today in Delaware after defaulting on debt obligations covering its properties in Colorado, Indiana and Mississippi.

CityCenter hotel welcomes new employees with gala: Sunday, November 22, 2009; 47-story Mandarin Oriental hotel and residence scheduled to open Dec. 4; By Kyle Hansen; One of CityCenter’s properties held a special event Saturday to welcome its 400 new employees. Mandarin Oriental’s Day of Delight included performances by local entertainers and a parade to show fans from all of the properties in the worldwide hotel group.

Judge in Station Casinos case refuses creditors' request: Friday, November 20, 2009; By Cy Ryan; RENO – A federal bankruptcy judge has refused, for the time being, a request by the unsecured creditors of Station Casinos to hire another firm to aid in seeing whether there was any fraud or unsavory dealings in the handling of its finances.

Joint venture will acquire Hughes Center owner: Friday, November 20, 2009; By Steve Green; A big nationwide real estate deal announced today includes the high-end, 115-acre Hughes Center office and business complex in Las Vegas. Its owner, Crescent Real Estate Equities Limited Partnership of Fort Worth, Texas, has been taken over by Barclays Capital, part of London-based banking giant Barclays Bank Plc.

Two more CityCenter structures earn high green ratings: Friday, November 20, 2009; Mandarin Oriental and Veer Towers both get LEED Gold certifications; By Amanda Finnegan; Mandarin Oriental and Veers have both reached the high environmental standard, bringing the total of LEED Gold certified facilities to six. Others include Crystals retail district, Vdara, ARIA’s hotel tower and separately, its convention center and theater.

Vegas company to pay $1 million to settle Arizona case: Friday, November 20, 2009; By Steve Green; Global Cash Access Holdings Inc. of Las Vegas on Thursday disclosed details about its agreement with Arizona gaming regulators, saying it will pay $1 million to settle an investigation involving actions years ago involving the company's founders.

Golden Nugget opens new tower downtown: Friday, November 20, 2009; New, larger rooms feature amenities such as upgraded pillow-top mattresses, feather down comforters and 42-inch plasma televisions; By Amanda Finnegan; The Golden Nugget will welcome the first guests to its new 500-room Rush Tower today, marking the completion of the hotel-casino’s $150 million expansion. The new guest rooms are 20 percent larger than the Golden Nugget’s North and South Tower rooms.

Organizers declare Global Gaming Expo a success: Friday, November 20, 2009; By Amanda Finnegan; Exhibitors and organizers feared the worst going into the 2009 Global Gaming Expo, but they changed their tone Thursday as the convention came to a close, calling it an overall success. The American Gaming Association reported a 7 percent increase in conference attendees for the first two days of the show compared to 2008, an increase that no one was expecting.

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