Joe Schoenmann

Story Archive

Joe Downtown: Heart Attack Grill owner flaunts man’s cremains to help people, he says: Friday, Oct. 11, 2013; The video is jarring. Jon Basso watches it intently in his closet-sized office behind the working end of his restaurant, downtown’s Heart Attack Grill. In it, he talks to a Bloomberg reporter about his eatery.
Joe Downtown: Mayor, investors cut ribbon on second Nacho Daddy in the valley: Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013; A new eatery on Las Vegas Boulevard downtown will open Friday, but those close to the operation got a firsthand taste of the place Wednesday after a ribbon cutting by Mayor Carolyn Goodman.
Joe Downtown Radio: Two downtown voices that aren't afraid to go against the grain: Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013; Sometimes, it’s only the squeaky wheel that gets the grease. Put another way, the biggest big mouth gets attention. That’s not a criticism. It’s rare praise in a society where most people confine their complaints or passions to the quietude of social media, which grants the barrier of distance and the safety of communicating with like-minded “friends.” Josh Ellis and Angie Morelli are two downtown exceptions to that rule.
Joe Downtown: Fremont game changers include Slotzilla, Container Park and new Downtown Grand: Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013; It used to be that a restaurant opening downtown was big news. The area was seen as a wasteland for so long that the debut of any new businesses or venture was seen as almost miraculous. Not anymore.
Joe Downtown: With its anchor bars' future in question, what will become of Neonopolis?: Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013; The complex took a big hit with the city's denial of liquor licenses for Krave and Drink & Drag.
Joe Downtown: Marchers hope to raise awareness about GMOs, even without much downtown business support: Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013; Joining people in 52 countries and hundreds of cities worldwide, residents concerned about genetically modified foods will hold a protest march Saturday morning in downtown Las Vegas.
Joe Downtown: First Friday arrests plummet, and businesses are pleased: Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013; Downtown business operators seemed satisfied, and Metro Police had fewer arrests than in many months on Fremont Street last Friday night.
Joe Downtown: Heading to Fremont tonight? Have your ID handy: Friday, Oct. 4, 2013; n the past few months, police have tried several tactics — some that made people feel Fremont Street was turning into a "police state" — to curb underage drinking. And while sources had said in June that a fence would not be part of First Friday celebrations, a fence will be erected at the Fremont Street Experience and barricades will return to East Fremont Street tonight, allowing security to check identification.
Joe Downtown: Tony Hsieh begins writing-publishing push with Hollywood screenwriters workshop downtown: Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013; As someone who had read scripts with the goal of finding good ones for Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company, Franklin Leonard hadn’t found a good script in so long, he began to doubt his own script filter.
Joe Downtown: For the area to really succeed, more need to work and live here: Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013; Many are working Downtown, but more need to actually move to the area.
Joe Downtown: Making sense of the valley's curfew laws: Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013; The Las Vegas City Council’s vote Wednesday to enact a stricter curfew for teens downtown is fairly easy to understand on its own. Simply put, nobody under 18 is allowed in a specific area of downtown from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. without a parent or guardian.
Joe Downtown: Business owners talk aliens, politics and fashion: Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013; Joe talks with business owners George Harris and Daniella Capitano on this episode of the "Joe Downtown Show."
Special downtown curfew takes effect this weekend: Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013; A weekend curfew for those under 18 that covers a popular, bar-filled area downtown unanimously passed the Las Vegas City Council today.
Joe Downtown: Map puts largest Life is Beautiful festival in downtown history into focus: Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013; Fifteen blocks of the city’s urban core will be carved out and fenced in later this month to make way for a cultural playground of music, art, food and learning.
Downtown Project scores with job creation, more parking and Peyton Manning's mojo: Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013; Nearly 500 jobs, 440 new parking spaces, a job fair, a new nachos joint and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning — all were on the menu of the monthly rapid-fire roundup of Downtown Project plans, activities and businesses Monday night.
Joe Downtown: How to get paid to be at or get free admission to Life is Beautiful festival: Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013; Life is beautiful when you have a paying job, and that’s what organizers of a two-day event with that same name — Life is Beautiful — want to give to an estimated 150 bartenders.
Joe Downtown: Volunteer painters chip in to make the Huntridge shine: Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013; In February, Nicole Phillips moved from her apartment on the outskirts of the city to downtown Las Vegas in February for one reason: She wanted to be part of what’s happening down here. On Saturday morning, she proved it with a brush and some white paint.
Joe Downtown: What you need to know about popping a beer downtown: Friday, Sept. 27, 2013; The general rule when drinking downtown (or anywhere) is don’t be a sloppy, loud-mouthed drunk. But beyond that, there remains much confusion as to where you can walk on Fremont Street with an alcoholic beverage in your hand.
Joe Downtown: Mural painted for Life is Beautiful festival is gone, but artist says he will paint another: Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013; A large downtown mural by famed San Francisco muralist Zio Ziegler, painted over 19 hours in June for the Life is Beautiful festival, has disappeared. The Downtown Project, which is a Life is Beautiful partner, tore down the building the mural was painted on at the festival’s request.
Joe Downtown: With SlotZilla going up, Downtown walks the line between garish and smart: Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013; Joe Schoenmann wonders: Can Downtown be both garish and smart?
Joe Downtown: Josh Ellis reaches goal, will perform hippo dance in Africa: Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2013; It’s been said Nevada is an insular place where individuality is prized, where people do little for their own and even less for outsiders. You’d have a hard time convincing Josh Ellis of that today. With about 16 hours left to a 30-day deadline to raise $10,000 via indiegogo.com, 180 contributors did it.
The ‘Joe Downtown Show' — The rebirth of Fremont East: Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2013; Downtown’s Fremont East District is where much of the economy activity is happening in Las Vegas right now, and two people at the center of it are Kent Johns and Chris Curtis.
Joe Downtown: Shuffle Zone at First Friday hosts talent search for teens: Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2013; For the past few years, Shuffle Zone at First Friday has served as a haven for breakdancers, “pop and lock-ers,” DJs and anyone who just wants to dance for a few hours on a Friday night. Starting Oct. 4, it will also be home to something of a “Star Search” for young singers, dancers, beat-boxers and other talented young people.
Joe Downtown: One bad side effect of downtown resurgence — barricades may be permanent fixture on First Friday nights: Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013; Cattle barricades might be coming to the Fremont Street Experience. If you don’t like that, blame downtown’s resurgent popularity.
Joe Downtown: 'Persistent' questions dog downtown taco shop with controversial name: Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013; If you want a Pinches taco, you might have to call it something else. Depending on your source, “pinches” can be translated as "persistent" or as a curse word. A fight is brewing over the name of the restaurant that's slated to become part of the downtown Container Park.
Joe Downtown: Array of speakers to tell why life is beautiful: Monday, Sept. 23, 2013; Music, art, food and now the Life Is Beautiful festival is adding another component to its two-day lineup: learning. Fest organizers released a list of speakers from organizations as diverse as the UFC to a futurist from semiconductor chip maker Intel.
Joe Downtown: Miniature parks pop up in Las Vegas parking spots: Friday, Sept. 20, 2013; Fremont Street joined the international community today with a handful of parking spots being turned into daylong parks as part of the second annual worldwide Park(ing) Day.
Joe Downtown: Is downtown taco shop’s name too spicy for public consumption?: Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013; A great tasting taco by any other name would taste as great. But a Spanish-speaking reader this week pointed out that “Pinches Tacos,” the name of a restaurant slated to open in the Downtown Container Park in November, might be a little strong.
Joe Downtown: Tiny cars could take over downtown Las Vegas: Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013; It takes corners so tightly and quickly, it looks magnetized to the road. It drives as quiet as a whisper. And it gets 60 miles per charge. It's the Twizy, and it could soon be a regular site on Las Vegas streets.
Joe Downtown: In a city built on booze, here's to some hope for better behavior: Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013; Next time you look around Fremont Street and lament so many police officers, remember: You have a drink in your hand.
Joe Downtown: Listen to Tony Hsieh and a regular local take on downtown's changes: Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013; Everyone has heard of Tony Hsieh, chances are you’ve never heard of Leah Ballard. On today’s broadcast of the “Joe Downtown Show,” I talk to both about their views of Las Vegas.
Joe Downtown: Container Park is taking shape; find out who is moving in: Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013; Walking the few blocks of Fremont Street between 6th and 9th streets can be scary, downtown Las Vegans say. It's a virtual no-man’s land, drastically different from the bustle of the bars and restaurants just a few blocks away.
Joe Downtown: Lounge steps up to support LGBTQ community: Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013; A downtown lounge that found success by going with a concept few had considered is now partnering with The Center to help the agency’s efforts on behalf of the LGBTQ community downtown.
Joe Downtown: Drinks all around — Velveteen Rabbit earns accolades, Atomic hosts speakeasy party: Friday, Sept. 13, 2013; Beers, new fall drinks and a temporary speakeasy top this week’s Downtown Drinking News. Take a look at what's going on at the Velveteen Rabbit, Atomic lounge and Downtown Brew Festival. For one event, you'll even need a password.
Joe Downtown: In Naked City, a house of light has shined for four years: Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013; Naked City in downtown Las Vegas, an area roughly west/northwest of the Stratosphere, is one of those zones you have to make an effort to visit. And it’s a place that, once there, you might wish the effort had never been made.
Bars to close early during downtown's Life is Beautiful festival: Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013; Residents and business owners will get credentials and vehicle tags so they can get into and out of the perimeter of the Life is Beautiful festival this October.
Joe Downtown: The Downtown Grand should become a major player: Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013; The coming casino's proximity to Zappos headquarters, convenience and friendly amenities will help it make a big impact Downtown.
Joe Downtown: New business is going to the dogs: Hydrant Club will focus on canine safety — and will be marked by a gigantic fire hydrant; Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013; The appropriately named Hydrant Club, a membership-based “canine clubhouse,” is a few weeks from breaking ground downtown. When opened, the facility won’t be easy to miss, thanks to a nearly 14-foot-tall fire hydrant on the corner.
Joe Downtown: Martial law or proactive policing? Officers swarm downtown's Fremont Street: Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013; "Martial law." "A police state." That's how downtown regulars described the police presence Friday night on East Fremont Street. Metro Police blocked off traffic to the bar-filled block and made people walking outside dump their drinks.
Joe Downtown: Historic day for city’s center as Zappos makes itself at home: Monday, Sept. 9, 2013; Almost 1,600 people, the majority of them Zappos employees, streamed into their new headquarters in downtown Las Vegas today, many of them seeing the rehabbed former City Hall for the first time.
Joe Downtown: 5 ways Zappos is reshaping downtown Las Vegas: Monday, Sept. 9, 2013; Zappos employees will take six weeks to completely move into the company’s new downtown headquarters, the former City Hall the company has spent millions of dollars renovating. Some 200 employees who already worked downtown, in a building at 3rd Street and Bridger Avenue, moved in over the weekend, said Zach Ware of Zappos. The remaining 1,300 or so will fill the building over the next six weeks.
Joe Downtown: Shuttered Krave Massive nightclub lacked sales tax permit, official says: Friday, Sept. 6, 2013; A state official said downtown Las Vegas’ Krave Massive nightclub, which vowed a year ago to become the largest gay nightclub in the country, was closed a week ago because it did not possess a sales tax permit.
Joe Downtown: Local actor leaves the Downtown Project to pursue passion and finds inspiration: Friday, Sept. 6, 2013; Greg Baine’s road to Las Vegas is one of those less traveled — the Los Angeles writer’s strike killed a lot of acting jobs in L.A. To make money, he took a job at the Beverly Hills hotel, where he met one of Tony Hsieh’s friends, and that led to him being the first hire about two years ago by Hsieh’s Downtown Project. But when he took leave months ago to care for his ailing grandmother, Baine came to grips with the realization that the job was diverting him from his real passion, acting.
Joe Downtown: Las Vegas writer raising money to go in search of technology in Africa that's 'not sexy, hip': Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013; Josh Ellis, a coding maven and longtime Las Vegas resident who recently blasted downtown’s heap of app/website founders for creating stuff people don’t need, wants to see how they do it in Africa.
Joe Downtown: As the area grows, Metro’s stronger presence is a work in progress: Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013; Complaints have been made that Downtown's police are too heavy-handed.
Joe Downtown: State shuts down Krave Massive nightclub over permit matter: Downtown Project seeks full ownership of site; Friday, Aug. 30, 2013; Details were not immediately available, but the City Council on Wednesday is set to consider an item to extend a temporary tavern license for a change of ownership from Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon to Krave Massive.
Joe Downtown: Fundraiser for the Huntridge Foundation billed as a 'visual and aural celebration': Friday, Aug. 30, 2013; Downtown’s hip quotient — or some might refer to it as cultural growth — is almost to the point where people will stop being surprised by events such as the upcoming “Everything & Nothing,” a silent film festival/fundraiser.
Joe Downtown: Housing available for Zappos workers remains scarce: Friday, Aug. 30, 2013; Zappos’ new headquarters in old Las Vegas City Hall will open in a few weeks, welcoming 1,500 employees to a renovated building and introducing many of them to downtown. But few Zappos workers appear to be looking for homes downtown.
Joe Downtown: Weekend curfew to be proposed for kids downtown: Businesspeople welcome such a rule: 'Really nothing for kids to do down here anyway'; Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013; With another Friday night of drunken revelry coming soon to east Fremont Street, Mayor Carolyn Goodman is introducing a new law creating a curfew downtown on weekends that might aid Metro Police efforts to control an area growing in popularity by the week.
Joe Downtown: Reality show on Las Vegas government could spotlight local problems: Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013; The City Council and various city departments might be on the small screen soon.