👋 Oh, hello monsoon season

🇺🇲 Is Lowering the Flag a Political Statement?

Star Nursery, a longtime Vegas favorite for DIY gardeners, lowered flags to half-staff following the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican fiercely loyal to President Trump in recent years. A Star employee told us the lowering of the flag was in response to an “email” — although a heated Reddit debate suggests it happened before the official White House order was issued.

• Is it more of a political statement to ignore a White House order than to honor it? (Let us know 📬) We noticed other businesses near Star Nursery in the Southwest Valley kept flags at full staff Monday, including Southern Hills Hospital, Ashley Furniture, Bank of America, and even the Durango casino — whose operator drew scrutiny for digital screens honoring Charlie Kirk after the political activist was killed.
• City Cast Las Vegas touched on the controversy during today’s news roundup, which also includes a movement to raise tobacco taxes in Nevada, worries about the long-promised high-speed rail to Southern California, and an inside look at the newly opened Museum of Ice Cream. Is it worth the hype? 🍦 [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]

💍 Woman Addicted to Marriage and Money

A woman pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and bigamy after marrying five men in less than three months earlier this year. That follows another investigation that revealed Jiaying Chen submitted 14 marriage applications in Clark County between March 2019 and May 2024 😵‍💫 Police say the 33-year-old married men she met on WeChat, then scammed the victims out of money. Her lawyer blamed Nevada’s loose wedding laws. [KSNV]

🤔 City Spends $500,000 per Pickleball Court

A new pickleball complex with 24 courts is scheduled to open in January at Bunker Park. Cool. But the $12 million price tag breaks down to half-a-million bucks per court. Even when factoring in lights and walkways, should a single pickleball court cost more than the average Las Vegas home? [KTNV]