City Cast Las Vegas
🤯 Let’s implode casinos in our minds!
September 8, 2023
Welcome to your Friday. Here’s something to daydream about this weekend: What could be at the bottom of Lake Mead? In your wildest imagination, I mean. That’s the intriguing premise of an art wall project happening Monday at the Clark County Library. Worth checking out!
What's CITY Talking About?
🪧 Entering the Strike Zone?
With collective-bargaining talks stymied for months, leaders of the culinary and bartenders unions have scheduled a strike vote for Sept. 26. The unions combined represent 53,000 Strip and downtown workers. [Nevada Independent]
- More: April Corbin Girnus, a guest on today’s news roundup episode, previously appeared on the podcast to talk about teachers and strikes. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]
⚖️ Suing the Gov
A union representing state workers is suing Gov. Joe Lombardo for vetoing a 3% cost-of-living increase the state had already agreed to in arbitration (under the previous governor). The provision required the Legislature to pass a bill enabling the hike, which Lombardo scotched, saying the increase would create “perverse incentives.” [Review-Journal]
⏰ When Should School Start?
The school district is flexing its lawyers at the Nevada State Board of Education over an unusual topic: school start times. Citing wellness and preparation issues, the state board wants schools to begin no earlier than 8 a.m. CCSD, which reportedly has 83 schools that do start earlier, says it will sue if necessary to halt the time change. [KLAS]
🌿 Pot Ponzi
This story pieces together the alleged pot-industry Ponzi scheme operated by a sham company called WeedGenics, which took potential investors on tours of a Las Vegas production facility that, it turns out, wasn’t theirs. How much did the WeedGenics scam make? At least $62 million, according to regulators. [Review-Journal]
What To Do
🎭 ‘Happy Days’ | Tonight-Sunday | Various times
Samuel Beckett’s one-actor play about a chatty, upbeat woman stuck in waist-deep mud as she probes the existential meanings of life. (Beckett understands me!) Presented by Nevada Conservatory Theatre and Vegas Theatre Company. [UNLV’s Black Box Theatre; $30]
🎭 ‘The Miracle Worker’ | Tonight-Sunday | Various times
Las Vegas Little Theatre stages the classic drama about the teacher who saw the potential in the deaf and blind Helen Keller. [Las Vegas Little Theatre, Spring Mountain; $30]
🛍️ Daytime Market | Saturday | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Vintage clothing, arts, crafts, food vendors. [Arizona Charlie’s Decatur; free entry]
🛍️ Black Owned Market | Saturday | 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
A gathering of Black-owned businesses, vendors, artists, and craftspeople. [Fergusons Downtown; free entry]
🪘 World Beat Drum Circle | Saturday | 3-4:15 p.m.
Don’t wanna work? Just wanna bang on the drum all day? Well, Todd Rundgren, have I got an event for you. No experience needed. [Summerlin Library; free]
🎨 Reception for ‘Jackson Street Project’ | Saturday | 6-9 p.m.
Artist Steven Spann turned trash and industrial castoffs into sculptures celebrating that which is discarded: materials, people, communities. [The Doyle, downtown; free]
🖼️ Reception for ‘In Relative Obscurity’ | Saturday | 6-9 p.m.
Audio and visual works by artist Brian Gibson inspired by the ghost town of Rhyolite and its nearby public artworks. [ASAP Gallery, New Orleans Square; free]
🎸 Taking Back Sunday | Saturday | 9 p.m.
Free concert by the band that began as emo and broadened into a genre-crossing rock act. [Fremont Street Experience; free]
🎹 ‘Gershwin, By George’ | Sunday | 3 p.m.
Gershwin gets the title billing, but this Nevada Chamber Orchestra show will also include works by other Jewish classical composers: Leonard Bernstein, Irving Berlin, Aaron Copland. [Summerlin Library; free]
🎸 Music Showcase | Sunday | 6:30 p.m. door
Local bands High Sierra Club and Hunter’s Briefcase join the bill. [Taverna Costera; $10, $15 at the door]
Today on City Cast
An Animal Lawsuit, Stadium Pushback — and Tacos!
It’s current-events roundup day on the podcast, and I have good news and bad news. Bad news first: I’m on it this week, so brace yourself for some Dickensheetsian blab and gabble. The good news? I’m joined by April Corbin Girnus of the Nevada Current and our own lead producer, Sonja Cho Swanson; they're awesome. This week: New and continuing troubles at the animal shelter; the state teachers union’s attempt to halt public funding for the A’s stadium; plus 🌮, 🌮 and more 🌮
Lastly, today, special to Henderson residents or the Henderson-curious: The city wants your input on what to do with the site of the former Fiesta casino. Personally, I think we need a new Target there; the nearest one is an unacceptable four minutes away. 🫠 See you Monday!
☕ Scott Dickensheets
Thanks, as always, to Sonja Cho Swanson for the edits!
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