🛸 Who funded UFO investigations in Vegas?

🧳 Pack Your Patience for Travel Interruptions

You can now test your luck in Vegas at the casinos — or the airport. Harry Reid is one of 40 airports facing an across-the-board, 10% reduction in flights due to the federal shutdown, now in its 38th day. [Associated Press]

• City Cast Las Vegas looks at the inevitable travel delays in the latest Friday news roundup, plus confusion over plans to resume nuclear testing, and yet more drama at Henderson City Council, which should have its own reality show at this point. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]

🤑 No Ransom in Nevada Cyberattack

Nevada is sharing more details on the state’s cybersecurity breach in a new report:

• No ransom was paid.
• Hackers were in the system three months ahead of widespread outages that affected state services, including the DMV.
• The response cost more than $1.5 million.
• Full recovery happened in 28 days, which the report says is actually pretty good for this kind of stuff. [Nevada Independent]

🐶 Las Vegas Bans Pet Shop Sales of Dogs and Cats

The City of Las Vegas passed an ordinance that bans the sale of dogs, cats, and other animals at pet shops. The policy is effective immediately for any new stores and gives a deadline of 2028 for those already in business. (Hey, it’s a start.) The rules aim to crack down on high-volume “puppy mills” while encouraging more adoptions from fosters and shelters 🙏 [KTNV]

• Retail pet sales have been a widely debated issue in Nevada for years. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]

🎭 Entertainers Fired at Bellagio

One of the best things about Mayfair Supper Club is going away — its entertainers 😕 Around 30 cast members are losing their jobs while the production is revamped in time for New Year’s Eve. The restaurant (and its Bellagio fountain views) are still there. [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

👽 Was Vegas Home Turf for UFO Investigations?

How about some fun news? A scientist formerly with the Defense Intelligence Agency is sharing details on the largest acknowledged UFO investigation funded by the U.S. government. The operation was hidden within a subsidiary of Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace and supported by Sen. Harry Reid, who paused funding at one point over concerns of information leaks affecting his 2010 reelection campaign. That’s the story, anyway. [KLAS]

😃 Hey, news junkies!

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

Here’s the first question to get you started:

What is “Desert Meltdown” at AREA15?

• A grilled cheese sandwich shop
• An after-hours rave underneath a suspended jet fuselage
• Augmented reality that brings robots to life in a post-apocalyptic landscape
• A tanning salon and tattoo parlor

Once again, City Cast Las Vegas Neighbors make their voices heard, shouting out their favorites in town, from people to businesses and more.

• 📣 Amber K. gives “big props” to Jen Taler of Akin Cooperative and Dustland for organizing regular art and wine walks. “A great event in the Arts District promoting our local businesses!”

• 📣 Kim B. appreciates the work of Art Classes for Kids for bringing the fine arts to youngsters in the community for more than three decades. “Many creatives in our community started their creative journey as kids in their art camps and classes,” she says.

Become a City Cast Las Vegas Neighbor today and share your faves 🥰