💥 Mysterious crash near Area 51

🤑 Attention Las Vegas Shoppers ...

What’s the biggest sale in Las Vegas history? The Hard Rock buying the Mirage? 🤔 A random night of bottle service at XS Nightclub? 🤔 Nope. According to the LVCVA, the “biggest sale in Vegas history” wraps up today, offering a variety of resort discounts. I had some thoughts on what we really wanted to see — so I joined City Cast Las Vegas for the Friday news roundup, which also covers the governor resolving his ethics complaint and questions about a state senator asleep at the wheel — literally. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]

💥 Mysterious Crash Near Area 51

Was it aliens?! 👽 Don't get too excited. The Air Force is investigating a military aircraft “incident” connected to “national security” that shut down air space east of Area 51. Dreamland Resort, which monitors activity near the government base (and runs a site that might as well be designed by GeoCities) says an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed. [KLAS]

🪂 Skydivers Hurt After Parachutes Malfunction

An instructor and student who were tandem skydiving near Jean remain in the hospital after the main parachute and backup parachute failed to fully deploy. The pair entered a spin and hit the ground at 35-45 miles per hour. [KSNV]

• The student was a British visitor whose injuries include a fractured pelvis and broken ribs. [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

🧑‍🎓 UNLV Ranks Low (But High) on Free Speech

The nonpartisan Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression released its latest rankings of free speech on college campuses. UNLV received an “F” but the scores were still high enough to reach the upper half of included schools. One example: Supporters of Palestine protested a speech on black holes by a visiting Israeli physics professor. The protesters were allowed to stay. The professor was escorted away. [Nevada Current]

😎 Odd and Ends

A few things to help plan your weekend 👍

• Today is the final registration day to audition for Senior Idol, a January talent showcase for those 50 and older at the Charleston Heights Arts Center.
• In honor of National Hotcake Day, NORMS is giving away free pancakes today to those who sign up for the diner’s free rewards program. If not, you can still get ‘em for 99 cents. Limit two orders.
• Saturday is National Public Lands Day with free admission to all national parks (like Death Valley and Great Basin) and state parks, including 27 in Nevada alone.

😃 Hey, news junkies!

It’s time for the latest Hey Las Vegas news quiz. The questions are based on stories in the newsletter over the past week. Have you been paying attention?

Here’s the first question to get you started:

Which casino company is giving locals free parking, Sunday-Thursday, through Oct. 30?

• Caesars Entertainment
• MGM Resorts
• Wynn/Encore
• Venetian/Palazzo

Hazel can’t believe you haven’t signed up to be a City Cast Las Vegas Neighbor yet.

I mean, you’re more than halfway through the newsletter. And it’s Friday. You’ve already done the news quiz. (Right?)

So what’s left? You can listen to Hazel’s owner on the Friday news roundup and become a City Cast Las Vegas Neighbor for just $10 a month — or $8.34 a month if you commit to a year.

That’s like a latte with an extra shot of espresso. Or a few canisters of tennis balls to chew on.

And you’ll get a tote bag 👀 Hazel says it’s perfect for carrying around doggie food — the good stuff from Whole Foods.

Hazel is very particular.