J. Patrick Coolican

Columns

Was life really better when the Mob ruled Las Vegas?: Feb. 20, 2012; Things were better when the Mob ran this town. We hear this often enough to make it almost a cliché, and with last week’s opening of the Mob Museum, er, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, it seems like an argument worth examining.

Henderson police chief's retirement adds final scandal ingredient: Money: Feb. 16, 2012; The city of Henderson has done its darndest over the past week to erode the already depleted stores of public trust in government.

Las Vegas’ image may discourage professional women from taking up residence: Feb. 14, 2012; Las Vegas hosted the Lingerie Bowl during Super Bowl weekend, naturally. Following last year’s Rock ’n’ Roll Las Vegas Stiletto Dash, we have cemented our place as the premier city for athletic contests involving women who are scantily clad and/or in heels.

Coolican: Henderson officials out of loop on police brutality case, raising red flags: Feb. 11, 2012; Henderson City Councilwoman Gerri Schroder only learned Monday that a Henderson Police officer was caught on tape kicking a restrained man in the head five times during a botched traffic stop in October 2010 that wound up costing the city $257,000.

Creativity, strong support system make for thriving city: Feb. 10, 2012; I’m generally skeptical of and resistant to pom-pom boosterism. So at the Chamber of Commerce’s annual Preview Las Vegas 2012 on Thursday, I snickered some at the optimism and good cheer.

Our success may hinge on embracing a bohemian philosophy: Feb. 7, 2012; Richard Florida, author of “The Rise of the Creative Class,” argues that if cities are to be prosperous, they must embrace the “three Ts”: talent, technology and tolerance. He adds a seductive twist: To capture these three Ts, we must also embrace bohemianism.

Degradation of the Republican Party on display in Las Vegas: Feb. 3, 2012; It was a fitting closing chapter in the Republican presidential nominating contest, which has had all the gravitas of Mardi Gras. Donald Trump, the nation’s charlatan-in-chief, endorsed likely nominee Mitt Romney on Thursday in his fabulously classy, super glamorous, totally loathsome building near the Las Vegas Strip.

Who is Mitt Romney? Despite rising support, his flip-flopping still nags: Feb. 2, 2012; This week the website BuzzFeed posted a video titled, “A Mitt Romney Vs. Mitt Romney Debate.” Until he joined BuzzFeed, Andrew Kaczynski was a YouTube hound with a knack for finding obscure and devastating videos of politicians contradicting themselves. This Romney bit doesn’t disappoint.

Dissecting one of Ron Paul's dangerous ideas: Feb. 1, 2012; Reaction to Rep. Ron Paul usually veers from mild amusement at the crotchety uncle or respect for his consistency. Sure, he wants to do away with Medicare and Social Security, but hey, he hates all the wars and would legalize pot, so go Ron Paul.

100

Experiencing hunger in Las Vegas: $3.39 a day buys little food, lots of lessons: Jan. 30, 2012; Try eating on $3.39 a day. Some Las Vegans learned last week that it’s doable but difficult. Luckily for them it was just a one-week experiment, whereas for hundreds of thousands of our neighbors, it’s an ongoing challenge.

Shrewd, smaller Vegas resorts show that innovating, renovating can do wonders: Jan. 25, 2012; When I look at the hand-painted psychedelia of the piano; the ornate, custom-made pool table; and shoe fetish art in the lobby of the Royal House, I feel a little hopeful, which hasn’t been a very common emotion these past few years.

Your next landlord in Las Vegas could be a hedge fund: Jan. 24, 2012; Hedge funds could be the next big player in the Las Vegas real estate market. And I’m not talking about apartment complexes or commercial property. I’m talking single-family homes.

Addiction to growth has left water authority in financial straits: Jan. 23, 2012; Breaking news! There is no free lunch! OK, this is actually not news to most of you. But that’s the take-away from the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s troubled finances and need to raise water rates to pay its significant obligations.

Should Vegas housing go back to the drawing board?: Jan. 21, 2012; I’m standing with architect Eric Strain outside a home perched on a hillside in Summerlin. The sun is setting behind us, the salmon-colored sky now bleeding into indigo darkness. We are looking east toward the Strip, its lights just beginning to shimmer.

18 rounds in 5 seconds: How Glock became 'America's gun': Jan. 17, 2012; We’re at Desert Hills Shooting Club near Boulder City, and Paul Barrett steps up with a Glock 17. He fires the 9 mm semi-automatic pistol 18 times in about five seconds and hits the target every time. In that five seconds, he demonstrates why the Glock is beloved by gun enthusiasts and police officers alike. It’s fast, reliable and offers a lot of stopping power, with three times the number of rounds as the old police favorite, the Smith & Wesson .38 revolver.

« Older

Blog

The blunt truth: Medical pot situation is an unclear mess, thanks to Legislature

Sept. 27, 2011 2 a.m.

All blog entries »

J. Patrick Coolican was born in Connecticut to a large, Irish Catholic family and then studied dead white male authors at the University of Notre Dame. He started his career during the 2000 presidential campaign, writing for a Web site he created with two friends. He's written for The Seattle Times, The Nation, LA Weekly and, since early 2006, for the Sun.