🙅‍♂️ Why UNLV’s starting QB benched himself

🙅‍♂️ UNLV Quarterback Benches Himself Over Payment Dispute

Matthew Sluka announced he will sit out the rest of the college football season because of an unpaid Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) payment from UNLV. Sluka’s agent said an assistant coach at the university promised $100,000 when the quarterback transferred from Holy Cross to UNLV in January but no payment has been made. The Rebels are currently undefeated this season. [AP News]

👋 Farewell, Tropicana Towers

The Tropicana hotel towers will be demolished in a controlled implosion on October 9 at 2:30 a.m. that’s supposed to last only 22 seconds and utilize 2,190 pounds of explosives. There’s a 555-drone and firework celebration planned before the implosion that, unfortunately, does not include designated public viewing spaces — but it will be available to watch on TV and from vantage points at nearby resorts. [Las Vegas Journal-Review]

🏠 Shady Home Rental Company to Pay Millions in Settlement

Invitation Homes, the second-largest single-home landlord in Clark County, has agreed to pay $48 million to settle FTC allegations of deceptive rental practices, including hidden fees and withholding security deposits. The settlement includes refunds to affected renters and additional renter transparency. [KLAS]

🌵 How to Eat the Landscape

The landscape of southern Nevada boasts a number of natural desert foods, despite city dwellers’ reservations about foraging. City Cast Las Vegas co-hosts Dayvid Figler and Sarah Lohman, who happens to be an award-winning food historian and avid forager, explore what it means to “eat wild,” and share tips on when and where to forage around Las Vegas. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]

The Culinary Academy of Las Vegas is more than a training ground. It’s the best meal deal in Las Vegas. Much like getting a haircut from a trainee in beauty school or checkup from a student in dental school, the on-campus Westside Bistro offers amazing discounts on lunch favorites done right, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.

📚 Culinary Classroom

“I ask three things of everybody who comes in here," instructor Kirsten Considine says. “Bring an appetite — because the food is fantastic — patience, and understanding, because these are students … This is not a restaurant. This is a classroom.”

The Westside Bistro is an opportunity for culinary students to prepare and serve meals in an environment that reflects a real-world setting, balancing everything from allergies and dietary restrictions to details on every recipe.

🍽️ What’s on the Menu?

The menu includes staples that wouldn’t look out of place in your average Vegas restaurant — like salmon served over rice with vegetables, bayou shrimp pasta, or a BBQ buttermilk chicken sandwich. A constantly evolving selection keeps things interesting for regulars eager to try new dishes in a corner of North Las Vegas that’s heavy on national chains and fast food. On a recent visit, specials included a true-to-form Monte Cristo sandwich and a baked potato loaded with barbecue pulled pork and crispy onion rings.

🤑 Let’s Talk Prices

Soups and sandwiches are in the $6-7 range. Entrees are typically well under $20. The steak and fries is just $14, bringing to mind days of sorely missed loss-leading casino meals. The bistro runs at nominal margins. Money made goes right back into covering the costs of ingredients and training. Servers aren’t allowed to accept tips as students, so any gratuity collected is donated to the scholarship fund. There’s no tax, either, since the operation is nonprofit.

☎️ An Order to Go?

You can place pickup orders too. That’s another part of learning, after all. Students also handle food for special events like quarterly graduations and off-site catering, including 5,000 meals a week for the North Las Vegas Community Correctional Center.

🙏 Nonprofit Mission

Nobody is turned away. The certificate programs are licensed by the Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education. More than 80 percent of new students receive funding. No debt. No loans. Nothing to pay back. Funding comes from various public and private sources. About half of the student body is union members who get to train and upskill for free as part of their benefits package.

“Folks can come in, they can be brand new to the industry — maybe they're unemployed or underskilled,” CEO Dr. Bobbi Damrow says. “We will meet them wherever they're at.”

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