The Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada’s mayors prayer breakfast is billed as an occasion to celebrate diversity and unity and, of course, prayer. But for Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, any public gathering — no matter how lofty or reverent the purpose — is a platform for his trademark shtick.
The Henderson City Council on Tuesday postponed action on a proposed ordinance clamping down on massage parlors. Without comment, the vote was moved to early next year, probably in January or February.
Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel in downtown Las Vegas will close a 365-room hotel tower on Dec. 14 and lay off about 100 workers. Spokeswoman Lisa Robinson said the decision was made as a result of the economic downturn, which has decreased occupancy at the property and other hotels across the Las Vegas Valley. Binion's also will close the Binion's Original Coffee Shop and discontinue keno.
The proposed peace pact between Las Vegas and the Culinary Union — until recently the most intractable of political enemies — appears to offer a victory to both sides. The agreement between the city and the Culinary spells out a rather clear quid pro quo: The Culinary may unionize future resorts downtown and, in return, it agrees not to picket or strike or sue the city.
After the ballot initiatives and the lawsuit, after all the harsh words and the animosity built up between the Culinary Union and the city of Las Vegas, the two parties, once seemingly intractable enemies, are on the verge of officially making peace.
Construction workers began their labor on the city’s Tenaya Way overpass project early Friday morning. Incredibly early. The overpass is part of a $7.8 million project officially called the Tenaya Way Overpass and Bonanza Trail improvement project. It will link Tenaya by bridge over Summerlin Parkway, connecting Washington and points north to Westcliff Drive and points south.
The Las Vegas City Council, heeding the call of a wide coalition of spay-and-neuter proponents, on Wednesday passed the toughest such ordinance in the region in an attempt to reduce rampant pet overpopulation. After a hearing that lasted almost three hours, the council voted 5-2 to pass the measure. Regionwide last year, 55,000 stray animals found their way to shelters. More than 30,000 were put to death.
The city of Henderson appears to be getting used to conducting important business in private. Secret meetings or votes by the Henderson City Council have occurred twice in the past several months.
President Barack Obama’s federal stimulus bill might bail out Mayor Oscar Goodman’s new city hall project. In recent weeks each of the three major rating agencies, Fitch, Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s, gave the city hall financing plan their fourth-highest rating — increasing the likelihood that the city will be able to raise the $179 million needed for the project.
WASHINGTON — Vegas just got a new slogan. Right there in an otherwise policy-wonkish speech this morning, President Barack Obama delivered a one-liner to make civic boosters proud. “There's nothing like a quick trip to Vegas in the middle of the week,” the president said. No apology over what had been said before about the city. No dwelling over what was being said now.