2015-03-08 - the sunday - las vegas

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10 12 31 43VEGAS THROUGH

THE DECADESWhen was the Desert

Inn imploded? How much has the city’s population

grown over the years? And where did the Rat

Pack get its start? We hit the highlights to make

you a five-minute expert on the rich history of our

110-year-old city, start-ing with the decade when the desert outpost really

started to kick up dirt.

LEARNING THEIR OWN WAYVideo game technology,

engineering, music, farming, Web design,

medicine, creative writing — local schools

offer a variety of themed programs that have be-

come popular with students. And Clark

County School District Superintendent

Pat Skorkowsky wants to add more.

THESE KIDS ARE SPELLBINDINGWords most of us can’t

pronounce are little worry for the elite spellers of the

National Spelling Bee. Nevada middle schoolers are competing now to be

the next Dakota Jones.

MORE LIFEn Pets available

for adoption, P32

n Calendar of events, P40

n Puzzles, P66

INVESTING IN YOUR EMPLOYEES

Businesses can reap rewards by helping their

workers attain goals in higher education. Offering

tuition assistance makes employees happier and more

productive, and it’s a perk that could help in

the hiring process as it resonates with job

candidates who are better, more dedicated workers.

ON THE COVERMagnet schools provide students focus that translates into success in other areas. (PHOTO BY

L.E. BASKOW/STAFF)

OPINION MORE NEWS

18 38

20

24

26

No school left behindGovernor has proposed big spending to upgrade Internet speed for rural schools.

Zombie nuclear waste dump needs to dieIt’s bad science and bad politics, but for some reason, the Yucca Mountain proposal keeps coming back.

Could the sports book go national?Technology, popularity and economy make a compelling case for legalized sports betting.

Sinking of stadium a drag on developmentLand near Symphony Park may be stuck in limbo until the economy fully recovers.

Return of the King: Elvis back at WestgateNew owners hope old showroom can succeed after being reborn as Graceland West.

THE SUNDAY

4CONTENTS

The pre-made salsa industry is expected to grow 3 percent annually over the next five years to $1 billion. The United States

is the world salsa production and distribution hub, with the most exports going to Canada, Mexico, Japan and Australia.

NOTEWORTHY STORIES

MARCH 8 - MARCH 14

34POOL SHARKVictor Hecker is so well

respected, some swimmers move to Las Vegas just

to train under him.

4_TOC_20150308.indd 4 3/6/15 12:15 PM

Untitled-17 1 3/3/15 10:37 AM

THE SUNDAY2360 Corporate CircleThird floorHenderson, NV 89074(702) 990-2545

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JOIN THE CONVERSATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA: #TheSunday

Want more Las Vegas news? Follow @lasvegassun, @VEGASINC and @lasvegasweekly

PUBLISHER Donn Jersey ([email protected])

EDITORIALEDITOR Delen Goldberg ([email protected])

MANAGING EDITOR Dave Mondt ([email protected])

DIGITAL EDITOR Sarah Burns ([email protected])

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR, DIGITAL John Fritz ([email protected])

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR, NEWS Ellen Fiore ([email protected])

EDITOR, EDITORIAL AND OPINION Matt Hufman ([email protected])

SENIOR EDITOR, SPORTS Ray Brewer ([email protected])

SENIOR EDITOR, A&E Don Chareunsy ([email protected])

EDITOR AT LARGE John Katsilometes ([email protected])

STAFF WRITERS Taylor Bern, Andrea Domanick, Case Keefer,

Ana Ley, J.D. Morris, Amber Phillips, Kyle Roerink, Cy Ryan, Eli Segall, Conor Shine,

Pashtana Usufzy, Jackie Valley, Leslie Ventura, Katie Visconti, Ian Whitaker

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6_masthead_20150308.indd 6 3/6/15 3:37 PM

March 11 - 14, 2015MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA

March 11 - 14, 2015ORLEANS ARENA

March 5 - 10, 2015ORLEANS ARENA

March 9 - 14, 2015THOMAS & MACK CENTER

Four men’s college conference basketball tournaments. Four automatic bids awarded.One road: Tropicana Avenue

LasVegasEvents.com LasVegas.com

Phot

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f WAC

, UN

LV A

thle

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WCC

and

Pac-

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THE SUNDAY

8WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU Send your news information to [email protected]

MARCH 8 - MARCH 14

WEEK IN REVIEW

WEEK AHEAD

NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE

LAS VEGAS VALLEY, AND BEYOND

MARCH 1 - MARCH 14

SPORTS

QUEENS OF THE COURT

Centennial High players begin to celebrate their win against Bishop Gorman as the clock winds down in the NIAA Division 1 state bas-ketball championship. (L.E. BASKOW/STAFF)

MARCH 2

BUSH

STOPS BY

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush visited Las Vegas, using his 40-min-ute public ap-pearance to try to distinguish himself from George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

MARCH 3

DOMESTIC

DISPUTE

A gunman killed three people in an apparent domes-tic dispute before shooting himself. The shooting took place at an apart-ment complex in the western valley.

MARCH 4

MAYOR’S

PITCH

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman addressed a group of politically influential Latinos, saying she wants to create a retail-driven cultural hub for Latinos in Las Vegas.

MARCH 9

GET

REGISTERED

City clerks in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Hender-son will register voters in person through March 17. The primary for city council, mayor and judicial races is April 7.

MARCH 11

PIT BULL

ATTACK

Jesse Vonstaden, 29, is set to appear in court on charges her four pit bulls seriously injured a 65-year-old woman and a man who tried to intervene. Police shot one of the dogs.

Gap in life expec-tancy, in years, for babies born in dif-ferent parts of the valley. Babies born

in southeast Las Ve-gas are projected to live 87 years, while life expectancy is 71 years 9 miles north,

near the Strip.

16

8-9_WeekinReview_20150308.indd 8 3/6/15 3:35 PM

THE SUNDAY

9MARCH 8 - MARCH 14

LOCAL

ON THE SCENE

Metro Police investigators take measurements on Boulder Highway after a car wreck killed two women. (STEVE MARCUS/STAFF)

MARCH 4

A BIG

DISCOVERY

An international research group co-directed by a UNLV anthropologist published a report on a 2.8 million-year-old fossilized jaw bone touted as the earliest evidence of the human ancestor genus Homo. The group found the fossil in 2013 in Ethiopia. It predate s previously discovered Homo fossils by 400,000 years.

POLITICS

TITUS: AMTRAK, COME BACK

Las Vegas hasn’t had passenger rail service since May 1997. Rep. Dina Titus wants to bring the trains back. Titus asked for a return of the service last week when the House of Representatives approved $8 billion in funding for Amtrak over the next four years. Much of the money will be spent maintaining busy routes in the Northeast, but $300 million a year is available to build new routes. Titus wants a western route that could alleviate strain on Las Vegas’ highways and airports.

POLITICS

PUSHING

FOR A

VOTE

A controversial bill on school funding caused two GOP law-makers to blow their tops in a stairwell of the Capitol Building . Assemblyman John Moore accused Major-ity Floor Leader Paul Anderson of threatening him to try to compel him to change his vote. There was pushing, shoving and plenty of gossip fl owing through the Legislature afterward .

Date by which the Ringling Bros.

and Barnum & Bailey Circus will phase out

elephants from its shows. Circus owners still have 43 elephants, 13

of which per-form, but years

of pressure from animal activists alleging abuse

caused a “mood shift” among con-sumers, a circus executive said.

DRIVEN BY SUPPORT OF EDUCATIONAn auction of 230 classic vehicles from the Rogers’ Classic Car Museum drew a standing-room-only crowd of bidders and spectators to the South Point . The auction raised $9.5 million to benefi t the Rogers Foundation , which sup-port s arts and education in Southern Nevada.

2018

N E W S S P O R T S B U S I N E S S L I F E G A M I N G P O L I T I C S E N T E R TA I N M E N T

Caesars Entertainment’s loss es during the

fourth quarter of 2014. It lost

$1.75 billion during the same quarter in 2013.

$1BLIFE

NEW LIFE

FOR OLD TOYS

Stuffed animals at a Goodwill sorting facility are bound up to be sold for reuse . (L.E. BASKOW/STAFF)

8-9_WeekinReview_20150308.indd 9 3/6/15 3:35 PM

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU Send your news information to [email protected] EXPERT

THE SUNDAY

10MARCH 8 - MARCH 14

40s

50s

VEGAS THROUGH THE YEARS

60s

70s

80s

90s

00s

10s

1940 population: Las Vegas: 8,422

Notable: The 1940s saw the expansion of the hotel-casino concept, where new facilities included pools, restaurants, coffee shops, gardens and parks in addition to a casino. Before, hotels were simple, western bunk-houses with a casino in the lobby.

1950 population: 24,624 (+192.4%)

Notable: By 1955, nearly 8 million people visit Las Vegas every year. In 1956, the 12-story Fremont Hotel opens downtown, becoming the area’s tallest building, but more resorts continue to open on the Strip. UNLV holds its first classes in 1957.

1960 population: 64,405 (+161.6%)

Notable: The Limited Test Ban Treaty in October 1963 bans above-ground nuclear tests, which means tourists strolling the nighttime streets of Las Vegas no longer see the glow of an atomic fireball in the sky.

1970 population: 125,787 (+95.3%)

Notable: After 837 sold-out shows in Las Vegas dating to 1969, Elvis performs his final engagement at the Hilton in December 1976. In 1974, gambling is legalized in Atlantic City, N.J., providing Las Vegas’ first real U.S. com-petition.

1980 population: 164,674 (+30.9%)

Notable: A dark event starts the decade, when the MGM Grand hotel catches fire in November 1980. Although the fire doesn’t rise above the second floor, smoke fills the hotel. Eighty-seven people die and 700 more are injured.

1990 population: 258,295 (+56.9%)

Notable: The 1990s could go down as the most active construction decade in Las Vegas. One sensational megahotel after another open, and each tries to out-theme the other. Pirates, King Tuts and Venetian gondolas populate the Strip.

2000 population: 478,434 (+85.2%)

Notable: In November 2007, the New Frontier is imploded. While not as infamous as other stalwarts from the Rat Pack glory days, it was where Elvis made his Las Vegas debut in 1956, when he received a cool reception from the slightly older crowd than he was used to.

2010 population: 583,756 (+22.0%)

Notable: The 2010s bring the opening of a new megaresort, the Cosmopolitan, and face-lifts and renamings of older properties. Imperial Palace becomes the Quad (then the Linq), Fitzgerald’s becomes the D, and Terribles becomes Silver Sevens, among other new names.

Las Vegas became a town in 1905. During the early part of the 20th century, it was little more than a dusty village in an alluvial valley, named after the green meadows that were fed by naturally flowing springs. World War II spurred a population boom, and the rough-and-tumble town became a place to escape and have fun. Here is a look at the past eight decades and the people who lived, worked and played here.

• In 1942, actor Clark Gable stayed at El

Rancho Vegas after his wife, actress

Carole Lombard, had been killed in a plane

crash. He came to town to

claim the body and spent the weekend

pacing his room.

• Vegas experiences a slowdown in gambling due to Atlantic City legalizing gambling in 1974.The first legal casino to open on the East Coast is Resorts International in 1978.

• Wayland and Madame perform in “One of a Kind” at the D.I.

• “Hello Dere!” Marty Allen and Rossi perform at the Maxim Hotel. Rooms are $29.50

• Howard Hughes leaves Las Vegas in 1970 after becoming Nevada’s largest private employer, largest casino owner and largest property owner. He dies in 1976.

• Hunter S. Thompson’s novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas comes out in 1971 and explores a whole new side of the city.

• Liberace earns $125,000 per week in 1975, making him Las Vegas’ top-drawing performer. He opens his museum in 1979. (It closes in 2010, but might reopen.)

• One-dollar slot machines cause a sensation in casinos.

• National hotel corporations begin opening hotel-casinos, thanks to the Corporate Gaming Law passed in 1969.

d” at D.I.

er

n m o.

• Siegfried and Roy’s run of 30,000 shows ends in 2003 when Roy Horn is mauled by a tiger.

• Ten major hotels open on the Strip and Fremont Street.

• Wayne Newton’s first show opens in 1963 at the Flamingo.

• Viva Las Vegas is released in 1964.

• Howard Hughes arrives in a two-car private train over Thanksgiving 1966.

• Siegfried and Roy open in 1967 at Tropicana.

• Aladdin opens with 400 rooms.

• Rat Pack performs for the first time in 1960, at Sands.

• Mickey Finn plays at the Landmark Hotel for $7.95 per person.

• Thanksgiving dinner at Circus Circus costs $4.95!

• Holiday Inn Galley Restaurant: $1.17 breakfastanytime, $2.47 lunch buffet.

• Mirage opens in 1989 and changes guests’ expectations. It’s the first major Strip hotel built since the early 1970s.

DEALS!

• Implosions: El Rancho in 2000, Desert Inn in 2001, Boardwalk in 2006, Bourbon Street in 2006, Castaways in 2006, New Frontier in 2007 and Stardust in 2007.

• After leveling the Desert Inn, Steve Wynn builds his first eponymous hotel in 2005.

• Resorts expand and usher in a new era of luxury.

• CityCenter, a concentrated mega-resort on 76 acres, opens in 2009 adding 4,800 hotel rooms.

• Economic implosion of 2007-08 devastates Las Vegas. Unemployment in Nevada eventually tops 14 percent.

• Desert Inn opens in April 1950.

• Las Vegas Morning Sun begins publishing in July 1950.

• Moulin Rouge, the area’s first integrated hotel, opens in 1955.

• Also open for business: Desert Inn, Sands, Dunes, New Frontier, Sahara, Hacienda, Stardust and Tropicana

• Performers in town include Nat King Cole and Red Skelton. Frank Sinatra makes his first performance at the Desert Inn. Elvis makes his infamous (and not entirely successful) debut at New Frontier.

• El Rancho Vegas and El Cortez open in 1941. Last Frontier opens in 1942.

• Alamo Airport becomes McCarran Field.

• The Flamingo opens in December 1946.

• Liberace debuts in November 1944.

• Popular performers at the time include Jimmy Durante, Martin and Lewis, and the Mills Brothers.

UNLV men’sbasketball

coach JerryTarkanian

Pawn Stars’ Harrisons

The King dies in Memphis in 1977.

the

visit

g ss its

•••••Vegas Vic

• PAWN STARS: In 2009, a TV show debuted on the History Channel chronicling the life and times of three generations of pawn brokers. By the early 2010s, Pawn Stars was a runaway hit, making the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop a tourist draw in Las Vegas.

• PAN STARS: Celebrity chefs such as Gordon Ramsay open high-end eateries all over town. Wolfgang Puck, Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, Giada De Laurentiis and Nobu Matsuhisa are just a few of the culinary gods to reign.

• UNLV wins the NCAA men’s basketball championship in 1990.

• Implosions: The Dunes and its iconic 180-foot sign comes down in 1993. The Landmark falls in 1995; Sands in 1996.

• During Jan Jones’ reign as mayor (’91-’99), hotel capacity explodes from 70,000 hotel rooms to more than 130,000, and tourist volume more than doubles, from 15 million to 35 million visitors.

• Fremont Street Experience is completed in 1995.

• Stage shows became complex presentations including Cirque du Soleil’s “Nouvelle Experience.”

• By 1999, the Las Vegas Valley’s population is more than 1.3 million residents.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHRIS MORRIS | STAFF

10-11_5MinExpert_Vegas History_20150308.ind.indd 10 3/6/15 12:13 PM

THE SUNDAY


40s

50s

VEGAS THROUGH THE YEARS

60s

70s

80s

90s

00s

10s

1940 population: Las Vegas: 8,422

Notable: The 1940s saw the expansion of the hotel-casino concept, where new facilities included pools, restaurants, coffee shops, gardens and parks in addition to a casino. Before, hotels were simple, western bunk-houses with a casino in the lobby.

1950 population: 24,624 (+192.4%)

Notable: By 1955, nearly 8 million people visit Las Vegas every year. In 1956, the 12-story Fremont Hotel opens downtown, becoming the area’s tallest building, but more resorts continue to open on the Strip. UNLV holds its first classes in 1957.

1960 population: 64,405 (+161.6%)

Notable: The Limited Test Ban Treaty in October 1963 bans above-ground nuclear tests, which means tourists strolling the nighttime streets of Las Vegas no longer see the glow of an atomic fireball in the sky.

1970 population: 125,787 (+95.3%)

Notable: After 837 sold-out shows in Las Vegas dating to 1969, Elvis performs his final engagement at the Hilton in December 1976. In 1974, gambling is legalized in Atlantic City, N.J., providing Las Vegas’ first real U.S. com-petition.

1980 population: 164,674 (+30.9%)

Notable: A dark event starts the decade, when the MGM Grand hotel catches fire in November 1980. Although the fire doesn’t rise above the second floor, smoke fills the hotel. Eighty-seven people die and 700 more are injured.

1990 population: 258,295 (+56.9%)

Notable: The 1990s could go down as the most active construction decade in Las Vegas. One sensational megahotel after another open, and each tries to out-theme the other. Pirates, King Tuts and Venetian gondolas populate the Strip.

2000 population: 478,434 (+85.2%)

Notable: In November 2007, the New Frontier is imploded. While not as infamous as other stalwarts from the Rat Pack glory days, it was where Elvis made his Las Vegas debut in 1956, when he received a cool reception from the slightly older crowd than he was used to.

2010 population: 583,756 (+22.0%)

Notable: The 2010s bring the opening of a new megaresort, the Cosmopolitan, and face-lifts and renamings of older properties. Imperial Palace becomes the Quad (then the Linq), Fitzgerald’s becomes the D, and Terribles becomes Silver Sevens, among other new names.

Las Vegas became a town in 1905. During the early part of the 20th century, it was little more than a dusty village in an alluvial valley, named after the green meadows that were fed by naturally flowing springs. World War II spurred a population boom, and the rough-and-tumble town became a place to escape and have fun. Here is a look at the past eight decades and the people who lived, worked and played here.

• In 1942, actor Clark Gable stayed at El

Rancho Vegas after his wife, actress

Carole Lombard, had been killed in a plane

crash. He came to town to

claim the body and spent the weekend

pacing his room.

• Vegas experiences a slowdown in gambling due to Atlantic City legalizing gambling in 1974.The first legal casino to open on the East Coast is Resorts International in 1978.

• Wayland and Madame perform in “One of a Kind” at the D.I.

• “Hello Dere!” Marty Allen and Rossi perform at the Maxim Hotel. Rooms are $29.50

• Howard Hughes leaves Las Vegas in 1970 after becoming Nevada’s largest private employer, largest casino owner and largest property owner. He dies in 1976.

• Hunter S. Thompson’s novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas comes out in 1971 and explores a whole new side of the city.

• Liberace earns $125,000 per week in 1975, making him Las Vegas’ top-drawing performer. He opens his museum in 1979. (It closes in 2010, but might reopen.)

• One-dollar slot machines cause a sensation in casinos.

• National hotel corporations begin opening hotel-casinos, thanks to the Corporate Gaming Law passed in 1969.

d” at D.I.

er

n m o.

• Siegfried and Roy’s run of 30,000 shows ends in 2003 when Roy Horn is mauled by a tiger.

• Ten major hotels open on the Strip and Fremont Street.

• Wayne Newton’s first show opens in 1963 at the Flamingo.

• Viva Las Vegas is released in 1964.

• Howard Hughes arrives in a two-car private train over Thanksgiving 1966.

• Siegfried and Roy open in 1967 at Tropicana.

• Aladdin opens with 400 rooms.

• Rat Pack performs for the first time in 1960, at Sands.

• Mickey Finn plays at the Landmark Hotel for $7.95 per person.

• Thanksgiving dinner at Circus Circus costs $4.95!

• Holiday Inn Galley Restaurant: $1.17 breakfastanytime, $2.47 lunch buffet.

• Mirage opens in 1989 and changes guests’ expectations. It’s the first major Strip hotel built since the early 1970s.

DEALS!

• Implosions: El Rancho in 2000, Desert Inn in 2001, Boardwalk in 2006, Bourbon Street in 2006, Castaways in 2006, New Frontier in 2007 and Stardust in 2007.

• After leveling the Desert Inn, Steve Wynn builds his first eponymous hotel in 2005.

• Resorts expand and usher in a new era of luxury.

• CityCenter, a concentrated mega-resort on 76 acres, opens in 2009 adding 4,800 hotel rooms.

• Economic implosion of 2007-08 devastates Las Vegas. Unemployment in Nevada eventually tops 14 percent.

• Desert Inn opens in April 1950.

• Las Vegas Morning Sun begins publishing in July 1950.

• Moulin Rouge, the area’s first integrated hotel, opens in 1955.

• Also open for business: Desert Inn, Sands, Dunes, New Frontier, Sahara, Hacienda, Stardust and Tropicana

• Performers in town include Nat King Cole and Red Skelton. Frank Sinatra makes his first performance at the Desert Inn. Elvis makes his infamous (and not entirely successful) debut at New Frontier.

• El Rancho Vegas and El Cortez open in 1941. Last Frontier opens in 1942.

• Alamo Airport becomes McCarran Field.

• The Flamingo opens in December 1946.

• Liberace debuts in November 1944.

• Popular performers at the time include Jimmy Durante, Martin and Lewis, and the Mills Brothers.

UNLV men’sbasketball

coach JerryTarkanian

Pawn Stars’ Harrisons

The King dies in Memphis in 1977.

the

visit

g ss its

•••••Vegas Vic

• PAWN STARS: In 2009, a TV show debuted on the History Channel chronicling the life and times of three generations of pawn brokers. By the early 2010s, Pawn Stars was a runaway hit, making the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop a tourist draw in Las Vegas.

• PAN STARS: Celebrity chefs such as Gordon Ramsay open high-end eateries all over town. Wolfgang Puck, Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, Giada De Laurentiis and Nobu Matsuhisa are just a few of the culinary gods to reign.

• UNLV wins the NCAA men’s basketball championship in 1990.

• Implosions: The Dunes and its iconic 180-foot sign comes down in 1993. The Landmark falls in 1995; Sands in 1996.

• During Jan Jones’ reign as mayor (’91-’99), hotel capacity explodes from 70,000 hotel rooms to more than 130,000, and tourist volume more than doubles, from 15 million to 35 million visitors.

• Fremont Street Experience is completed in 1995.

• Stage shows became complex presentations including Cirque du Soleil’s “Nouvelle Experience.”

• By 1999, the Las Vegas Valley’s population is more than 1.3 million residents.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHRIS MORRIS | STAFF

10-11_5MinExpert_Vegas History_20150308.ind.indd 11 3/6/15 12:13 PM

THE SUNDAY


DREAM BIG

A

t Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, students sing in the hallways and limber up in stairwells. At the Academy of Sports Marketing and Media Communications at Desert Pines High School, they shoot video news reports for PBS and run the only school-sponsored radio station in the

state. At the Academy at Jim Bridger Middle School, pupils build robots and drones.

That’s in addition to taking regular classes.The Clark County School District, while still struggling by several mea-

sures, has found its most pronounced success with magnet programs, specialty tracks that allow K-12 students to take in-depth classes in such professional fields as engineering, hospitality and law.

Magnet students report feeling more supported by educators, have higher attendance rates and perform well on standardized tests, studies show. Many have won national scholastic recognition and earned spots at top colleges.

COVER STORY

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU Send your news information to [email protected]

STORY BY IAN WHITAKER | PHOTOS BY L.E. BASKOW

FARMING, AVIATION,

GEOLOGY — TAKE YOUR

PICK. FOCUSED LEARNING AT

MAGNET SCHOOLS COULD

BE THE KEY TO LAS VEGAS’

EDUCATION FUTURE

12-17_cover story_March_20150308.indd 12 3/6/15 3:30 PM

THE SUNDAY


DREAM BIG

Bought in the 1950s, the Moapa Valley High School farm has been operated by the school and Future Farmers of America (now called FFA) for the past 60 years. Grant money paid for most of the initial equipment and facilities, but now the students support the school by selling the produce they grow.

There are lots of smells at Moapa Valley High’s 40-acre farm — hay, manure, mulch. There, students plant, tend to, harvest and

sell hundreds of bags of produce a year. Older students raise calves and steer. Students and administrators work more closely with FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America) than the school district.

The farm program isn’t a magnet per se, but it is similar to one in that students learn skills. The agriculture class is an elective, though students who work on the farm often outpace their peers in courses such as AP biology.

“We go in there knowing so much about photosynthesis and plants, the fi rst two months of class were just review ,” junior Bailey Kesl said.

T extbooks are manuals for tractors and heavy equipment. Students learn chemistry to keep soil fertile and business to keep the farm run-ning effi ciently.

The farm is where Baxter Baker, 16, learned how to trap problem animals . He used to want to be fi refi ghter like his father. Now, he plans on becoming a government trapper.

“As I look for different places to catch animals, I learn how they lived there and how they survived,” Baker said.

MOAPA VALLEY HIGH SCHOOLAGRICULTURE | 120 STUDENTS 2400 ST. JOSEPH ST ., OVERTON

Magnet schools help unlock students’ innate desire to learn by ditch-ing lectures in favor of hands-on experience s in subjects students fi nd in-teresting, Rancho High School teacher Gary Archambeault said. Locally, there are magnets that focus on animation, aviation, Web design, fi nance, military leadership, geology, Chinese, culinary arts, sports marketing, public safety, costume design and mariachi music.

Clark County school offi cials plan next year to introduce seven new pro-grams, increasing the number of students who can participate from about 5,724 to 8,570. The following year, four more magnets will open with another 400 seats. There are 319,000 students in the Clark County School District.

Because magnet school programs don’t cost parents tuition and any stu-dent in the district can apply, demand is high. The number of applicants dwarfs the number of seats available, and the district has only enough space to enroll about a third of students who ’d like to attend .

What makes magnets so effective? To fi nd out, you have to enter the classroom.

Students tend to

cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts at the Moapa Valley High School labo-

ratory farm.


BROADENING HORIZONS Expanding magnet school programs has been

Clark County Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky’s goal since he was hired in 2013.THE SUNDAY


COVER STORY

WHAT ARE MAGNET SCHOOLS?

Magnets are themed programs that focus on specific curriculums within existing public schools — like schools within schools. Magnet students take specialized courses in a particular discipline or field, then attend general education

classes with students from the entire student body of the school.

WHAT ARE THE ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS?

For elementary and middle school students, there are no specific requirements to attend a magnet school. Par-ents must submit an applica-tion online or at the school by the application deadline. ¶ If there are more applica-tions than seats available, a computerized random lottery is used to select students. ¶ Most high school magnets have some admission criteria. Students interested in ap-plying should talk with their counselors or contact the magnet school to determine whether there are entrance criteria. Students also must submit an application online or at the school by the deadline. ¶ If there are more qualified applicants than seats available, a computer-ized random lottery is used.

CAN I APPLY TO MULTIPLE MAGNETS?

Students can apply to a maximum of three schools at each applica-ble grade level (elemen-tary, middle and high school.) ¶ The most seats will be available for first, sixth and ninth grades. Students can enter a magnet pro-gram at any grade level, but availability depends on how many students leave the program.

CAN MAGNET STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES?

Sometimes. Parents and students must check with the stu-dent’s zoned school in regard to eligibility. ¶ In school, magnet students aren’t kept separate from the gen-eral school population. All students also share a lunch period.

Magnet pro-

grams emerged in the 1960s to protest racially

segregated schools. The street academies, as they were called,

emphasized reading, writing and arithmetic, as well as African-Ameri-can history, civil rights and communi-ty involvement. Today, magnets aim

to improve student achievement, promote diversity and make

students aware of career opportunities.

ARE SIBLINGS KEPT TOGETHER?District officials try to avoid separat-

ing siblings but make no guarantee that family members will be admitted to the same school. ¶ The only exception made is for multiples. If one twin is accepted to a magnet, the other, if qualified, automati-cally will be offered a seat at the same school.

WHO CAN APPLY?Any student in grades kindergarten

through nine living in the Clark County School District boundaries. Those apply-ing to Las Vegas Academy of the Arts must be in at least 10th grade.

HOW MUCH IS TUITION AT A MAGNET?

There are no tuition, application or entrance fees for magnets.

SPECIAL EDUCATION, ENGLISH-LANGUAGE LEARNER, HOME-SCHOOLED, PRIVATE-SCHOOL

OR CHARTER-SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE ELIGIBLE TO ATTEND CLARK COUNTY MAGNET SCHOOLS.

SUPPLY AND

DEMANDIN 2014, 16,679

STUDENTS APPLIED

FOR 5,724 AVAILABLE

MAGNET SEATS.

319,000

WHAT ABOUT CTAs?

Career and technical academies are similar to mag-

nets in terms of offering special-ized courses of study, but unlike magnets, each comprises a full

school. They have a similar applica-tion process as magnets. There are seven career and technical academies in Clark County of-

fering courses in dozens of subjects.


THE SUNDAY


HOW DO THEY GET TO SCHOOL?

THE CHANGEUnder the current system, if a

student from Henderson attends a magnet school in North Las Vegas, the school district buses the stu-dent there.

But that can mean long com-mutes and big bills to cover gas and employee time.

So officials propose splitting the valley into zones starting in fall. Each magnet school would have its own zone, and any student living in that zone could be bused to school. That’s how busing works for career and technical academies.

A student can attend a magnet

school outside of his or her zone, but the student would have to find a different means of transportation.

WHAT ABOUT CHILDREN ALREADY IN MAGNETS?

Current students would con-tinue to be bused until they gradu-ate, said Jhone Ebert, the district’s chief innovation officer.

HOW MUCH MONEY WOULD THE DISTRICT SAVE?

$9 million a year. The district currently spends $43 million a year on transportation.

WHEN WILL THE ISSUE BE DECIDED?

It’s unclear, but School Board trustees will have to address the issue before the start of the next school year.

ARE THERE ALTERNATIVES? District officials are considering

two possible alternatives:

■ Collaborate with the Regional Transportation Commission to bus students to any magnet using existing bus routes.

■ Gradually introduce the changes over a period of several years.

319,000 5,724NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN ALL SCHOOLS IN THE CLARK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

THE NUMBER OF AVAILABLE MAGNET SEATS IN THE DISTRICT

1 Canyon Springs High School❑ Leadership and law prep

2 Clark High School❑ Finance❑ Teacher education❑ Math, science and applied technology

3 Del Sol High School❑ Costume design❑ Dance❑ Guitar❑ Mariachi❑ Music production❑ Technical theater❑ Theater

4 Desert Pines High School❑ Animation❑ Culinary arts❑ Radio production❑ Sports marketing❑ Video production

5 Eldorado High School❑ Video game technology❑ Web design

6 Las Vegas Academy of the Arts❑ Band❑ Chinese ❑ Creative writing❑ Dance❑ French❑ Guitar❑ Japanese❑ Jazz❑ Mariachi ❑ Orchestra❑ Piano❑ Spanish❑ Technical theater❑ Theater❑ Video production❑ Visual arts❑ Vocal

7 Rancho High School❑ Aerospace engineering❑ Private aviation❑ Pre-medical

8 Valley High School❑ Hospitality and tourism❑ International baccalaureate

9 Bridger Middle School❑ Science, technology, engineering, art and math

10 Cashman Middle School ❑ Science, technology, engineering and math

11 Gibson Middle School❑ Leadership

12 Guinn Middle School❑ Science, technology, engineering and math

13 Hyde Park Middle School❑ Science, technology, engineering and math

14 Walter Johnson Junior High School❑ Academy of International Studies

15 Knudson Middle School❑ Band❑ Dance❑ Drama❑ Mariachi❑ Orchestra❑ Television production❑ Technical theater❑ Technology/computer graphics❑ Visual arts❑ Vocal

16 Roy Martin Middle School❑ International baccalaureate

17 Thurman White Middle School❑ Band❑ Choir❑ Dance❑ Orchestra❑ Theater

18 Bracken Elementary School❑ Math and science

19 Kit Carson International Academy❑ International baccalaureate

20 Gilbert Magnet School❑ Communication and creative arts

21 Mabel Hoggard Elementary School❑ Science, technology, engineering and math

22 Jo Mackey Academy of Leadership❑ Leadership and communications

23 Gordon McCaw Elementary School STEAM Academy❑ International studies

24 Clarence Piggott Elementary School❑ International studies

25 Sandy Searles Miller Academy ❑ International baccalaureate

CLARK COUNTY’S MAGNET SCHOOLS

By 2017, approximately 9,170 students will participate in

magnet school programs.

■

HIGH SCHOOL

■

MIDDLE/JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

■

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

18

10

19 11

20

12

21

13

22

14

23

15 24

16

25

17

The Clark County School District plans to add seven magnet programs in fall and another four in 2016. The additions mean almost 9,200 students will have ac-cess to the schools within schools.

But the expansion comes at a price: The district says it no longer wants to bus students to magnets far from their homes.

Many parents are angry, but district officials say the change is necessary to

save money.


GERTIE, THE GOAT Are you a plant that

can be chewed or a loose object that can be dragged?

No? Then Gertie the goat is not interested.

The Nigerian pygmy goat is Mabel Hoggard’s unofficial mascot. She sometimes wears an old tie-dye T-shirt, frequent-ly chews on anything and everything she can reach, follows around

school gardener and zooist Kim Law, and gets into all sorts of trouble.

But students love her, as they do all of the animals at Hoggard. The school’s science curricu-lum includes caring for animals such as a chin-chilla, chameleon and marsupial sugar glider. Students also raise and sell vegetables — at least the ones Gertie doesn’t get to.

THE SUNDAY


Don’t think of Las Vegas Acad-emy of the Arts as a school. It’s

more of a professional theater with a school around it.

“I’ve never had such a deep talent pool to draw from as a director,” said Erik Amblad, managing director of the school’s theater program. “They’re embracing a discipline here that most actors I know professionally don’t have.”

Renowned directors and stage technicians work alongside students to stitch costumes, hammer sets to-gether and dial in lighting. Students in the visual arts program snap photos, animate characters and make pottery.

A small group of senior acting students cloisters in a room to practice singing. Magnet students are given lots of space to work by themselves and with each other.

“When we are in the creative pro-cess, it makes us develop an aspect of critical thinking and maturity,” said Collen Whitton, 17.

“They’re challenged intellectually here,” theater teacher Megan Ahern said. “They’re just challenged through the arts.”

LAS VEGAS ACADEMYPERFORMING AND CREATIVE ARTS MAGNET315 S. Seventh St., Las Vegas

1,848 APPLICANTS FOR 420 SEATS IN 2014

The students in Rancho High School’s aerospace engineering

program are used to a steady stream of onlookers.

It’s not the student-built biplane hanging from their workshop ceiling or the massive radial aircraft engine that captures attention. What draws looks are the drones whizzing around, the gigantic robots clanging on the floor and the sight of peers flying virtual airplanes on computers.

Rancho’s aviation magnet began in 1997 and is affiliated with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s larg-est and most distinguished school of its kind. Magnet students can earn college credit from Embry-Riddle with high school classes. Other graduates go on to college at MIT, Purdue, Harvard and Oxford.

Isaac Salmon, 17, said he always loved aviation but felt trapped in traditional schools that treated him like a receptacle for knowledge rather than a participant in it. At Rancho, projects are designed by students, not dictated by teachers, and students engineer their own creations.

Isaac helped develop a drone that can fly over cornfields and identify crops damaged by insects, an invention that won third place last year in a national sci-ence competition.

“I love the hands-on part of it and be-ing able to actually touch and feel and see what you’re actually doing,” he said. “I do this stuff for fun now.”

ON THEIR OWN Magnet schools do not

receive any special state or federal funding.COVER STORY

At Mabel Hoggard Elementary School, learning is hands-on.

The science curriculum is devoid of textbooks. Instead, students make miniature hot-air balloons to experiment with air density, and they build machines from Legos to learn mechanics.

In math, students not only tackle hard problems, they have to defend their answers and explain their reasoning.

Hoggard is Clark County’s first and most decorated magnet program.

“At my last school, (teachers) just told us the infor-mation and didn’t let the kids do anything,” said Oni Boulware, 8, a third-grader. Once she enrolled at Hog-gard, Oni said, “I wanted to keep learning.”

MABEL HOGGARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY,

ENGINEERING AND MATH 950 N. Tonopah Drive,

Las Vegas


Science specialist Kim

Law and students interact with

Gertie, a Nige-rian pygmy

Goat.

RANCHO HIGH SCHOOLAEROSPACE, ENGINEERING AND PRE-MEDICINE MAGNET1900 SEARLES AVE., LAS VEGAS


First-year theater student

Elena Cellitti pauses while classmates wan-der in character during an exercise at the Las

Vegas Academy of the Arts.


The students in Rancho High School’s aerospace engineering

program are used to a steady stream of onlookers.

It’s not the student-built biplane hanging from their workshop ceiling or the massive radial aircraft engine that captures attention. What draws looks are the drones whizzing around, the gigantic robots clanging on the floor and the sight of peers flying virtual airplanes on computers.

Rancho’s aviation magnet began in 1997 and is affiliated with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s larg-est and most distinguished school of its kind. Magnet students can earn college credit from Embry-Riddle with high school classes. Other graduates go on to college at MIT, Purdue, Harvard and Oxford.

Isaac Salmon, 17, said he always loved aviation but felt trapped in traditional schools that treated him like a receptacle for knowledge rather than a participant in it. At Rancho, projects are designed by students, not dictated by teachers, and students engineer their own creations.

Isaac helped develop a drone that can fly over cornfields and identify crops damaged by insects, an invention that won third place last year in a national sci-ence competition.

“I love the hands-on part of it and be-ing able to actually touch and feel and see what you’re actually doing,” he said. “I do this stuff for fun now.”

School is out at Eldorado High School, except for a few

students who stay behind to play video games in the school library.

You could call it research. The teens applied to Eldorado’s soon-to-open video game technology magnet, where students will learn to code, design and build software.

“You get to build games,” pro-gram director Brandi Weekes said. “That’s your lesson for the day.”

Derrek Buck, 15, wants in on the action — and the $21 billion soft-

ware industry as a beta tester for Nintendo. He hopes his number is called for a spot in the magnet. He thinks it would give him the skills he needs to break into a field he has been in love with since he was 5.

“I want to code games, animate them and even make the hardware for them,” Derrek said. “I hope to revolutionize gaming to the point where you’re physically in the game. I imagine going into the game and being in a whole new place.”

Student Mark Omo flies

a drone in a class-room at the Rancho

High School Academy of Aviation magnet

program.

RANCHO HIGH SCHOOLAEROSPACE, ENGINEERING AND PRE-MEDICINE MAGNET1900 SEARLES AVE., LAS VEGAS


ELDORADO HIGH SCHOOLVIDEO GAME TECHNOLOGY AND WEB DESIGN MAGNET

1139 N. LINN LANE, LAS VEGAS

630 APPLICANTS FOR 365 SEATS IN 2015

THE SUNDAY


In anticipation of the debut of Eldorado’s video game tech-nology magnet, Principal John Anzalone changed the school crest, replacing its feather and quill with a laptop, and converted half the school library into a student union where students can play video games before and after school.


THE SUNDAY


MARCH 8 - MARCH 14

The new test is computer adaptive, meaning it gen-erates new questions based on students’ incorrect answers to pinpoint exactly which skills they’re strug-gling with. All students in grades three through eight will take the test this year. To do so, each will need a computer and a reliable Internet connection.

Rural counties in the northeast face the biggest hurdles. There, high-speed broadband comes at a pre-mium.

Two schools in Elko, for example, had nearly 700 students last year and no computers capable of admin-istering the test. A middle school in White Pine County had an average download speed of less than a quarter of a megabyte per second. Statewide, the average is 37 megabytes per second, according to Ookla, an Internet speed-testing service.

Because of bandwidth limitations, workers at the front desks of some schools can’t even answer phones while students are in the computer lab, state Deputy Superintendent Steven Canavero said.

“The amount of data coming into and out of the school just isn’t big enough,” Canavero said.

Like the previous state assessment, the Criterion Referenced Test, the new test quizzes students on reading and math and takes about eight hours to com-plete. That’s eight hours of Internet usage per student, multiplied by dozens of students taking it at once.

“Our rural schools don’t have that capability,” said Duane Barton, computer systems manager for Elko County schools. “It’s simply not large enough to han-dle all that is required for the tests.”

Barton’s district had to buy 900 laptops to prepare for the test but still averages about six students per computer.

In districts where there aren’t enough comput-ers, administrators are drawing up staggered test-

A student works on math problems during a trial run of a new assessment test linked to the Common Core standards. The test must be taken online, but many schools in rural Nevada lack the necessary computers and data speed to allow that. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

No school left behind

BY IAN WHITAKER | STAFF WRITER

Next month, Nevada students will set aside their pens and paper to take an online test officials say will give

administrators an unprecedented look at how well students are doing in reading and math. ¶ But in many of Nevada’s

rural schools, there aren’t enough computers to go around. In many schools that do have the equipment, slow Internet

connections mean only a few students can be online at once. Some schools have no access to the Internet at all. ¶ A plan

by Gov. Brian Sandoval to spend $50 million to buy computers, improve connectivity and expand classroom technology is

expected to make its way through legislative hearings in the coming weeks, and data-storage company Switch is working

with districts throughout Nevada to improve their data lines and digital capacities. In the meantime, school districts

and the state Department of Education are scrambling to prepare for the rollout of the Web-based Smarter Balanced

Assessment, meant to give officials a more in-depth look into students’ understanding of Common Core curriculum.

Governor has proposed $50 million to upgrade computers, Internet speed in rural areas

18-19_News_CommonCore_20150308.indd 18 3/5/15 4:44 PM

THE SUNDAY

19WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Send your news information to [email protected] NEWS

MARCH 8 - MARCH 14

The new test is computer adaptive, meaning it gen-erates new questions based on students’ incorrect answers to pinpoint exactly which skills they’re strug-gling with. All students in grades three through eight will take the test this year. To do so, each will need a computer and a reliable Internet connection.

Rural counties in the northeast face the biggest hurdles. There, high-speed broadband comes at a pre-mium.

Two schools in Elko, for example, had nearly 700 students last year and no computers capable of admin-istering the test. A middle school in White Pine County had an average download speed of less than a quarter of a megabyte per second. Statewide, the average is 37 megabytes per second, according to Ookla, an Internet speed-testing service.

Because of bandwidth limitations, workers at the front desks of some schools can’t even answer phones while students are in the computer lab, state Deputy Superintendent Steven Canavero said.

“The amount of data coming into and out of the school just isn’t big enough,” Canavero said.

Like the previous state assessment, the Criterion Referenced Test, the new test quizzes students on reading and math and takes about eight hours to com-plete. That’s eight hours of Internet usage per student, multiplied by dozens of students taking it at once.

“Our rural schools don’t have that capability,” said Duane Barton, computer systems manager for Elko County schools. “It’s simply not large enough to han-dle all that is required for the tests.”

Barton’s district had to buy 900 laptops to prepare for the test but still averages about six students per computer.

In districts where there aren’t enough comput-ers, administrators are drawing up staggered test-

ing schedules and plan to bus students from remote schools to more connected schools hours away to make sure everyone is tested.

“I think we’re going to scoot through,” State Educa-tion Technology Coordinator Kim Vidoni said.

Money is the biggest reason technology gaps persist. It costs carriers more to build and maintain networks in hard-to-reach places, and costs are passed on to school districts, which don’t have the budgets to afford them.

Vidoni said a fiber-optic line to schools in Carlin and Spring Creek, about 15 miles from Elko, would cost $1 million to install and $14,000 a month to maintain. In an urban area, similar maintenance costs $6,000 a month, Vidoni said.

Elko abandoned the idea of installing a fiber-optic line because of the cost.

The Clark County School District has had only one school, near Mount Charleston, that encountered problems with Internet connectivity, Assistant Super-intendent Leslie Arnold said.

Vidoni and other Department of Education officials now are working to inventory each district’s equip-ment and technology. Switch is helping state officials identify data bottlenecks, while also undertaking a massive public-private project to improve their sys-tems through a variety of means, including increas-ing the capacity of their fiber-optic lines or laying new ones. Switch’s goal is to raise the average speed to 1,000 megabytes per second.

Unless the Legislature passes Sandoval’s proposed $50 million spend, rural districts will continue to struggle.

“A lot of schools just don’t have the money to invest in technology,” Vidoni said. “This would level the play-ing field and bridge the divide.”

LOVELOCK ELEMENTARY

SCHOOLPershing

YERINGTON ELEMENTARY

SCHOOLLyon

test-ready computers

38


57

GOAL:75

491

STUDENTS

309

STUDENTS

GOAL:125


21


28

GOAL:175

GOAL:200

SPRING CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL

Elko

SPRING CREEK ELEMENTARY

SCHOOLElko

753

STUDENTS

675

STUDENTS

WHAT SCHOOLS NEEDSchool officials performed a statewide technology survey in 2014 to assess how many Nevada students were equipped to take a required state test this year. Some of the results are below. Districts have spent big bucks buying computers and improving Internet speed and connectivity, but work remains to close the technology gap.

SLOW COMPUTERSThe minimum download speed needed to take the test is 20 kbps. Some schools were nowhere near that threshold when a technology survey was performed last year.

WHAT’S ON THE NEW TESTHere are two sample questions from the Smarter Balanced Assessment, which is meant to be completed by students on a computer.

Source: smarterbalanced.org

FOURTH-GRADE LITERACY

Read the sentences from the passage. Then answer the question.

“My grandma pulled the ball out, un-

wrapped it, and held it out for us to see.

The ball was scarred almost beyond rec-

ognition. It had dog bite marks, dirt scuffs,

and fraying seams. Right in the middle

was a big signature in black ink that I had

somehow overlooked. It was smudged

now and faded, but it still clearly said

‘Babe Ruth.’ I began to shake inside.”

Click on two phrases from the paragraph that help you understand the meaning of scarred.

SEVENTH-GRADE MATH

The point on the number line shows the loca-tion of -3 1/2. Move each expression into a box to show its correct location on the number line.

West Wendover Elementary School (Elko) 9.6 kbps per student

East Valley Elementary School (Lyon)5.7 kbps per student

Schurz Elementary School (Mineral)6.6 kbps per student

Amargosa Valley Elementary School (Nye)4.8 kbps per student

-31/2

-31/2 - 31/2

-31/2 + 31/2

-31/2 - (-5)

-31/2 + (-5)

18-19_News_CommonCore_20150308.indd 19 3/5/15 4:44 PM

BY J.D. MORRISSTAFF WRITER

Sports betting is having a big mo-ment in the United States.

Prominent voices from profession-al sports and politics have indicated they’re willing to discuss expanding sports gambling, which is legal only in a handful of states. Meanwhile, Nevada has broadened the types of wagers it of-fers, and people appear to be betting on sports more than ever before.

CALLS TO EXPANDThe Professional and Amateur Sports

Protection Act, passed by Congress in 1992, made sports betting illegal in al-most every state. Nevada, Oregon, Mon-tana and Delaware are exempt from the law, but beyond Nevada, wagering is al-lowed only on a limited basis.

So for now, Nevada is the only state with full-fledged legal sports betting, but that could change in the not-too-distant future.

Adam Silver, commissioner of the NBA, has said he supports legal sports betting. He told ESPN he spoke with commissioners of other sports leagues, and “all of them are interested in having a better understanding of the issue.”

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who once tried to outlaw college sports bet-ting in Nevada, told ESPN that “we need a debate in Congress” about allowing sports bets in more states.

“It has fully cascaded into a tidal wave of momentum,” said Daniel Wallach, a gaming and sports law attorney.

Wallach said there’s no question sports leagues are coming around to the idea of pulling sports gambling off the black market and regulating it.

In fact, the American Gaming Asso-ciation made cracking down on illegal wagering a top priority for 2015. AGA President Geoff Freeman told a confer-ence of mayors that his group is keeping tabs on sports gambling, the laws be-

BY THE NUMBERS

RISE OF THE BOOK

Just one page of the numerous

possible Super Bowl sports bets

are displayed on the screen at the

Westgate Superbook.

(L.E. BASKOW/STAFF)

THE SUNDAY


Technology, popularity, economy combine to make compelling political case for legalized sports betting

$3.8B

Amount the American Gaming Association estimated would be wagered illegally on the

Super Bowl in 2015.

$3.9B

Amount wagered by sports bettors in Nevada in 2014

$116M

Amount legally

wagered in Nevada on the Super

Bowl in 2014

$119.4M

Amount legally wagered in Nevada on the Super Bowl

in 2013

That’s a 7.7 percent increase from 2013

20-21_News_SportsBetting_20150308.indd 20 3/5/15 3:50 PM

THE SUNDAY


Send your news information to [email protected] NEWS

MARCH 8 - MARCH 14

Gambling has increasingly become a popular and accepted form of

entertainment in the United States. … There is an obvious appetite among sports fans for a safe and legal way to wager on professional sporting events.”— ADAM SILVER, NBA COMMISSIONER

hind it and the best course of action for the gaming industry.

POPULARITY SOARSWhile elected officials mull over a

possible expansion, one point is clear: In the only state with legal sports books, the industry’s popularity has reached new heights.

Last year’s Super Bowl was the most-wagered game of all time, and this year was a close second. Sports books also saw a boost last summer during the World Cup.

Nevada’s annual sports pool revenue, which doesn’t include race books, has grown consistently over the past few years, surpassing the peak it reached before the recession.

Would Nevada sports books continue to grow if more states had legal betting? Experts’ opinions are split.

Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill U.S., doesn’t believe sports betting in other states would harm Nevada.

“Nothing beats coming out to Vegas for the opening weekend of March Mad-ness,” Asher said.

But Union Gaming analyst Chris Jones said if sports books were to be-come legal in other markets, Nevada could suffer because “nothing trumps convenience.”

Jones said the loss wouldn’t be felt on the casino floor but in other areas of the gambling industry, such as food and beverage sales.

STATE-LEVEL EXPANSIONSMajor athletic events such as the Su-

per Bowl and March Madness have long meant big business for Nevada sports books. But the industry for years has been barred from taking bets on the

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

0

$50M

$100M

$150M

$200M

$250M

’94 ’95 ’96 ’97 ’98 ’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’14’13

NEVADA’S ANNUAL SPORTS POOL REVENUE

Figures do not include revenue from race books.

Source: UNLV Center for Gaming Research

2014 REVENUE

$227M

‘Olympic games.

Last month, the Nevada Gaming Com-mission changed regulations to permit Olympic wagering. Even though it’s not expected to bring in a huge amount of revenue, commission Chairman Tony Alamo said it’s a “big deal” that “global-izes the legitimacy of what we do.”

While Nevada diversifies the types of sports bettors can wager on, New Jersey has tried — so far unsuccessfully — just to break into the industry. Voters there passed a ballot measure saying they wanted sports betting, and Gov. Chris Christie signed a law permitting it, but no sports books have opened their doors yet because major sports leagues sued.

Now, New Jersey is in a legal battle with the leagues. The case is scheduled to be heard in federal court this month.

ROLE OF TECHNOLOGYThere isn’t one clear explanation be-

hind the growth of sports betting, but technology certainly has played a role.

These days, you don’t even have to vis-it a sports book to place a bet in Nevada. People can gamble via their phones, us-ing one of several popular apps.

Sports betting has become so popular that Asher said William Hill now gets about 40 percent of its handle from mo-bile devices. And the company’s in-per-son handle has increased, too.

The Internet also has fueled interest, as the popularity of fantasy sports has surged. Websites such as FanDuel offer cash prizes in daily online contests that many see as similar to gambling.

Wallach said the popularity of such sites has opened the eyes of the leagues to “all the good that can come from le-galizing sports betting.”

The idea of having a federal system to govern gambling — whatever that

system is — uniformity at a federal level seems like a pretty good idea to me.” — MLB COMMISSIONER ROB MANFRED

Current law banning sports betting is clearly failing.”

— GEOFF FREEMAN, PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN GAMING ASSOCIATION

We need to have a talk with the American people, and we need to

probably have hearings in Congress on the whole issue so we can build consensus.”— SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, R-ARIZ.‘‘‘

20-21_News_SportsBetting_20150308.indd 21 3/5/15 3:50 PM

THE SUNDAY


CREATED AND PRESENTED BY

DO YOU KNOW

WHAT IT MEANS TO

BE A SAFE DRIVER?

No driver wants to be responsible for killing or injuring a pedestrian, but unfortunately, a growing

number of Clark County drivers are finding themselves in that position. So far this year, there have been 12 pedestrian fatalities in Clark County, accounting for the majority of Nevada’s 13 pedestrian deaths. With a fatality nearly every week, the numbers go beyond statistics: We’re creating a dangerous environment, and we need to change it.

TIPS FOR MOTORISTSn Be cautious at all times and always expect pedestrians (even in areas that aren’t prone to much foot traffic).

n Always slow down as you approach crosswalks and yield to pedestrians.

n Stop before passing another vehicle stopped in a travel lane. Always check to see whether that vehicle is stopped for a pedestrian.

n If there is a school crossing guard present, wait for everyone, including the guard, to clear the road completely before proceeding.

n Always yield to a blind person using a white cane or service animal.

Many Clark County motorists are still learning how to share the road with pedestrians

A DRIVER AND PEDESTRIAN ARE WAITING AT A SIGNALIZED INTERSECTION. THE DRIVER

GETS A GREEN LIGHT AND IS TURNING RIGHT, THEREFORE HE HAS THE RIGHT OF WAY.

False. The pedestrian always has the right of way, even though technically both the driver

and pedestrian have a green light to go. Because the pedestrian is vulnerable and the motorist is not, the pedestrian gets “superior

right of way.” The same is true for flashing left-turn yellow arrows. Motorists must yield to

pedestrians before making left turns.

IT IS A DRIVER’S RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE NOBODY IS IN THE ROAD.

True. “I didn’t see him” won’t fly with police. If a pedestrian is stopped at a corner or a midblock

crosswalk with his or her feet facing the crossing, it is illegal to pass. If you pass, you are breaking the law.

MOTORIST QUIZDo you know these rules of the road? Take this true/false test to find out.

IF THERE IS NO CROSSWALK AT AN

INTERSECTION, THERE IS NO NEED TO YIELD TO PEDESTRIANS.

False. Crosswalks exist at every intersection, even if they are not

marked. Drivers must stop until the pedestrian reaches the opposite

curb, unless there is a “safety zone” or concrete median in

the road.

WHEN APPROACHING A MIDBLOCK CROSSWALK AND VEHICLES ARE STOPPED, YOU ALSO MUST STOP TO DETERMINE WHY THE OTHER DRIVERS ARE STOPPED.

True. The onus is on the motorist to stop to make sure vehicles are not stopped for a pedestrian. Police can cite drivers who fail to stop.

This is the second of a two-part series aimed at preventing auto/pedestrian crashes. Part 1 covers how to be a better pedestrian and can be found in the March 1 issue of The Sunday or online at lasvegassun.com.

22-23_NATIVE_NDPS_safe driving20150308.indd 22 3/5/15 4:52 PM


NEVADA DEPARTMENTOF PUBLIC SAFETY

OPPOSITE-FACING TRAFFIC ALWAYS MUST STOP FOR SCHOOL BUSES.False. Follow the same rules you

would for an emergency vehicle. If the street has a raised center median, only traffic traveling in the same direction

as the school bus must stop. If the street has no raised median, traffic in

both directions must stop.

WHEN A PEDESTRIAN IS CROSSING, DRIVERS MUST STOP UNTIL THE PEDESTRIAN HAS

REACHED THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET.False. When pedestrians are present, motorist must wait until the pedestrian has cleared all lanes in the direction

of the motorists’ travel. However, once the pedestrian has cleared those lanes, motorists can proceed cautiously.

IT IS OK TO DRIVE BELOW THE SPEED LIMITTrue. If a road is not well lit, motorists are

advised to travel below the speed limit and watch for pedestrians. Even when drivers are on the

lookout for people commuting on foot, it might be difficult to see them. It is critical for drivers to give themselves enough time to yield and stop

for a pedestrian, even if the person is not walking in a crosswalk. Many roadways in Clark County are wide and dark, an ominous combination for

pedestrians. Such streets invite drivers to speed, giving them less time to stop for pedestrians

trying to cross the road.

IF A DRIVER

TRAVELING 40 MPH HITS A

PEDESTRIAN, 85 PERCENT OF THE TIME,

THE PEDESTRIAN WILL DIE.

True.

22-23_NATIVE_NDPS_safe driving20150308.indd 23 3/5/15 4:54 PM

THE SUNDAY


MARCH 8 - MARCH 14

A restaurant and hotel by celebrity chef Charlie Palmer is in the works for downtown Las Vegas, and has been since 2008. (STEVE MARCUS/STAFF FILE)

BY CONOR SHINESTAFF WRITER

When plans for a $200 million soccer stadium in downtown Las

Vegas fell apart last month, so too did an opportunity to spawn development at Symphony Park.

The 61-acre parcel is the gem of the city’s real estate portfolio — a large, contiguous piece of land in the urban core with convenient freeway access, something few other cities have. But de-veloping the former rail yard has been difficult.

Downtown’s greatest need is new housing. Bring in residents, experts say, and restaurants, retail and other busi-

nesses will follow. But Symphony Park is a tough sell for

the type of housing that’s needed.The biggest challenge is the cost of

the land, valued between $3 million and $4 million an acre, according to a recent city appraisal. Most downtown parcels start at $1.5 million an acre.

Builders would need to charge high rents to recoup development costs, but downtown doesn’t need more “high-rise glass towers that cost an arm and a leg,” said Brandon Wiegand, an execu-tive vice president at Focus Commercial Group.

Instead, the area needs “achievable housing, something the majority of the demographic can take advantage of if they wanted to,” Wiegand said.

Success at Symphony Park will de-pend on how densely it can be devel-oped and will require developers with

the vision and capital to support large projects, said Jeff LaPour, president of LaPour Partners, which developed Hol-sum Lofts on Charleston Boulevard.

“I think projects of those size are dif-ficult to do in this market,” LaPour said. “But I certainly think there’s room for a more modest version of multifamily housing and an opportunity for office space. Behind all those would come re-tail and other things.”

The only major project on the ho-rizon for Symphony Park is a 150-bed skilled nursing center, which developer Michael Saltzman said is on track to be-gin construction this year and open in 2016. A restaurant and hotel by celebri-ty chef Charlie Palmer also has been in the works since 2008 and faces a criti-cal appearance before the city council this year to determine the fate of the project.

A soccer stadium would have pro-vided a serious boost to the site, serving as an anchor tenant and key attractor of visitors to the area. The plan also in-cluded a promise from developer Cord-ish Cos. to invest $250 million in new construction around the stadium.

Building a downtown stadium has been a priority for Mayor Carolyn Good-man and her husband and predecessor Oscar Goodman. If Carolyn Goodman wins re-election this year, it’s possible the push for a stadium could continue.

Until then, Symphony Park’s best bet is to wait — for the rest of downtown to develop and for more people to live, work and play there.

“We’re still in the recovery phase,” Wiegand said. “Development has been more conservative. It’s only a matter of time before people start to get more ag-gressive.”

Sinking of stadium a drag on developmentLand near Symphony Park may be stuck in limbo until economy fully recovers

24_News_SymphonyPark_20150308.indd 24 3/5/15 3:49 PM

THE SUNDAY

25CREATED AND PRESENTED BY

PETERS & ASSOCIATES MARCH 8 - MARCH 14

JUDAH ZAKALIK

ASK AN ATTORNEY

IT’S BICYCLE RIDING SEASON...

LEARN THE LAWS THAT AFFECT CYCLISTS AND DRIVERS

After last week’s article on motorcycle safety, several readers asked me to comment on

bicycle safety and the laws surrounding cy-clists here in Las Vegas. Here are some tips

and pointers to help us all share the road: ¶ First, bicycle rid-ers, when you ride with traffic, you are considered vehicles, not pedestrians. In

other words, bicyclists must fol-low the same rules of the road as cars. ¶ The biggest exception is in intersections, where turning vehicles must yield to cyclists continuing straight. ¶ When a bicyclist is crossing the road in a crosswalk as a pedestrian would, it is best to “walk” the bike so you move slower and appear larger.

NEW LAW FOR CYCLISTS

Nevada’s latest law affecting motorcycle and bicycle riders took effect Oct. 1, 2014. It states

that if a rider — motorcycle, bicycle or otherwise — has waited for two traffic signal rotations at

an intersection, he or she can move through, even if the light is red. The

rider still must make sure he is safely yielding to pedestrians and other traffic. The law was introduced because motorcycles, bicycles and mopeds often are unable

to trigger traffic light changes.

4 Motorists must yield the right of way to cyclists on a bicycle path or in a bike lane.

1 Always wear a helmet, wear bright-ly colored clothes and keep your bike in good repair.

2 Cyclists are required to ride on the right side of the road, unless he or she is planning to turn or overtake a vehicle.

3 Drivers passing bicycles on the driver’s right must move to the left lane when possible. When changing lanes isn’t possible, drivers must give bicyclists three feet of space.

If you have a question you’d like to see answered by an attorney in a future issue, please write to [email protected].

Please note: The information in this column is intended for general purposes only and is not to be considered legal or pro-fessional advice of any kind. You should seek advice that is specific to your problem before taking or refraining from any action and should not rely on the information in this column.

The RideRs Law FiRm“We follow the Rider’s Code”

702.4.RIDERS (702.474.3377) | www.TheRidersLawFirm.com | email: [email protected]

ACCIDENT • INJURY • WRONGFUL DEATH

Here at The Riders Law Firm, our attorneys are bikers and cyclists too. We’ve had our close-calls, and some of us at the firm have even been in accidents ourselves. We follow “The Rider’s Code”, look after our own, and take care of their families.

It doesn’t matter if you ride a motorcycle, moped, or bicycle; if you’re on two wheels, you’re a rider. We’re local riders too, so we understand that the valley can be a dangerous place. Our lawyers ride and have the experience necessary to handle your case from your point of view. Often getting you more for your injuries than someone with no experience on two wheels. Drivers aren’t looking out for riders; we have to look our for each other. The Riders Law Firm: Riders helping riders.

A Division of Peters and Associates, LLP

25_NATIVE_Peters_bicycle safety20150308.indd 25 3/5/15 3:00 PM

THE SUNDAY


MARCH 8 - MARCH 14

L as Vegas remains the land of the Elvis impersonator, or as these jump-suited perform-ers are known, Elvis tribute

artists — ETAs for short.They seem to be everywhere, posing

for photos on Fremont Street, conduc-ing weddings at the Viva Las Vegas wedding chapel and tooling around in pink convertible Cadillacs.

Now Elvis is returning to the very building where he regenerated his career.

Westgate Las Vegas is building its latest attraction, and it’s straight out of the summer of ’69. The hotel where El-vis performed 837 consecutive sold-out shows is opening “Graceland Presents Elvis: The Exhibition, The Show, The Experience” on April 23.

The promotional material announc-ing the show proudly reminds that Elvis “performed over 600 sold-out shows” at the International and, later, at the Las Vegas Hilton. Yep, Elvis performed more than 600 shows. And more than 700, and more than 800.

What makes that 837-show run espe-cially remarkable is Elvis defied “soft” market trends. I hear this all the time,

even from strong-selling shows, that there are exter-nal events that negatively affect ticket sales. It’s the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, or Super Bowl weekend, or the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, or a lull in convention business.

But those trends never were a factor for the Pres-ley shows (although he did benefit from the fact that the only way to see Elvis outside one-off arena ap-pearances was in Las Vegas.) Also, there were far fewer shows in those days, far fewer hotels, and a lot less competition for the entertainment dollar.

But still: 837 is a monster number, likely never to be duplicated. Even top headliners such as Celine Dion and Britney Spears do well to sell 80 per-cent of tickets, and 75 percent is a strong-enough number. As one person connected to the booking industry told me, “If you’re selling 80 percent of the house, you’re not scheduling enough shows.”

At the moment, workers are assem-

bling a 30,000-square-foot attraction to be filled with dozens of jumpsuits, high school yearbooks, motorcycles, cars, docu-ments and jewelry. The former Elvis theater is being renovated to better reflect the venue when Presley was its headliner, with booths returned to the lower levels. (The showroom was converted

to a proper theater to allow for Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “Starlight Express.”) The 1,600-seat theater, which also has been home to Liberace, Wayne Newton and Barry Manilow, will be renamed the Elvis Presley International Showroom.

“When you close your eyes, you are going to think you are back in the Inter-national, listening to Elvis,” Westgate Resorts Chief Operating Officer Mark Waltrip said.

Still, questions remain about how strong the Elvis brand and the Elvis image are in Las Vegas. Officials with Elvis Presley Enterprises and Westgate founder David Siegel didn’t bother to do a market test of the Elvis Presley

name. It’s just a shrug of the shoulders from those folks, who are banking that the Graceland West effort will attract the kind of steady business the “Star Trek Experience” drew before closing in September 2008.

The shuttering of “Star Trek” seemed to make sense at the time, as the Trek theme seemed to have played out, but the hotel has dearly missed the 300,000 annual visitors the show brought in during its decade-long run at the Hilton.

“We inherently knew, the minute we went to Graceland, how strong Elvis is,” Waltrip said. “When you talk to the employees who check the guests in, and ask, ‘Who are the Elvis fans?’ it is not an old crowd. The average age of a Grace-land visitor is in the mid- to late-30s.”

Siegel also is a big Elvis fan. Siegel remembers first hearing that name in the mid-1950s and wondering, “Who would name their kid Elvis?”

Today, Siegel’s hotel hinges a large segment of its future on that name.

“Everybody knows who Elvis is,” Siegel said. “You can’t find anybody who doesn’t recognize the name Elvis Presley.”

Return of the King: Elvis back at Westgate

JOHN KATSILOMETES

Plans for an Elvis attraction were revealed Feb. 26 at Westgate Las Vegas. The former Elvis theater will be remodeled to reflect the look of the showroom when Presley

performed there. (COURTESY GRACELAND / WESTGATE LAS VEGAS)

26_News_Kats_20150308.indd 26 3/5/15 3:48 PM

0000121879-01.indd 1 3/3/15 9:48 AM

THE SUNDAY



SUPPORTING A

CHILD THROUGH

LIFE’S HARDEST

MEDICAL MOMENTS

Child Life Specialists navigate the diffi cult task of explaining sickness, and even death, to those too young to understand

People support each other; it’s just what we do. We fi nd our tribe, we keep them close, and we help them through good

times and bad. But sometimes the bad becomes really bad, and fi nding the type of support you or a loved one needs during that time can be diffi cult. ¶ For parents, having a chronically ill or seriously injured child goes far beyond the realm of really bad. It is an incomprehen-sible struggle: It’s painful, overwhelm-ing and one of the greatest tests of love, courage and endurance anyone can face. Most of us are not equipped to deal with such things on our own. That’s where child life specialists enter the picture — to soften the blow. ¶ Laura Gould and Millicent Ongaco are child life specialists at Sunrise Children’s Hospital. The role of a child life specialist is to provide social, emo-tional and educational support for children and teens in the hospital, as well as their parents, siblings and caregivers. “We know that the hospital is a very foreign and anxious environment, so we asses the needs of the patient and the family, and then try to ease that anxiety however we can,” Ongaco said.

HOW TO VOLUNTEER

If you are interested in volunteering, visit

the Sunrise Children Hospital’s website at

ow.ly/JWNcr

28-30_NATIVE_HCA_child life specialist_20150308.indd 28 3/5/15 4:09 PM


SUNRISE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

“We deal with bereavement support,

too, and that’s very di� cult. It can be death bereavement or the

bereavement of what their life used to be like, of the things that will never be the same again. You

have to maintain the balance of empathizing but still providing

support. ... You just have to stay focused on providing

whatever it is they need,” Child Life Specialist Millicent Ongaco

said.

Gould and Ongaco hinge everything they do on providing patients with comprehensive, developmentally appropriate education. “It’s very important that children understand what’s happening to their bodies during illness and during treatment,” Ongaco said. “Knowing what’s going on, and why, grants them a

level of control, and they are then able to exercise realistic choices.”

“Oftentimes, we see that children, and adults even, who understand what’s happening to their

body, especially during traumatic circumstanc-es, don’t have nearly as much fear or worry,”

Gould said. Explaining complicated medi-cal procedures to adults usually is pretty straight forward, but explaining the same thing to children takes much more cre-ativity and fi nesse, two traits Gould and Ongaco have in spades.

“We cater all of our explanations to the child’s development, so the younger they are,

the more diffi cult it can be,” Gould said. “If a child is having trouble swallowing pills, for in-

stance, we’ll sit down with them and start show-ing them different techniques that will help. Maybe

we’ll start with swallowing a sprinkle, and then work our way up. Sometimes it takes a while, but the day the child isn’t crying and

panicking when they need to take their medication is so worth it. Recently, we had a 6-year-old with cancer, so we explained what was happening using Red Hots as red blood cells, marshmallows as white blood cells and rice as platelets. Afterward, she was even able to teach some of the nursing students why she was in the hos-

pital.”Gould and Ongaco also use a technique called “medical

play,” where they act out relevant medical procedures to familiarize a child with the process and the tools doc-

tors and nurses will use. The Child Life Specialists use a blank cloth muslin doll, a play doctor’s kit and

sometimes real medical equipment, such as an IV without the needle. “We’ll use the doll to explain,

step-by-step, what will happen, or what has hap-pened, during the procedure,” Ongaco said. “And then we’ll switch, and let them play the nurse and

explain back to us. Depending on the child and their development, we’ll also use different language to help

explain, like we’ll call a tourniquet a rubber band that hugs your arm really tight.”

SPECIALISTS, CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

www.SunriseHealthInfo.com


THE SUNDAY



SUNRISE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

While Gould and Ongaco tailor the delivery of information to the child and his or her development, they never compromise the integrity of the information. “I like to stress the importance of honesty with chil-dren,” Gould said. “You don’t need to tell them every little detail, but if you’re not telling the truth, kids will pick up on that.” Often times, chil-dren’s fears are greater than the reality of the situation, so being open and honest, albeit gentle, can be comforting to them.

“Showing them what’s going to happen in a nonthreatening way helps them start to prepare coping mechanisms,” Gould continued. “It gives them realistic choices and lets them feel like they’re in control.”

As Gould and Ongaco stress the importance of the children being able to make choices and main-tain a sense of control, it becomes clear how in-vested they are in their patients. The women focus on seeing past the children’s illnesses to understand the kids for who they are. While most kids run and skip at the playground, these chil-dren get shuffled from exam room to exam room. Gould and Ongaco work to ensure their patients maintain their identity throughout that shuffle, to be an active participant in establishing their new world order, and most importantly, to give their patients a stake in a life in which the future might be uncertain.

“We have kids who will be at the hospital for months at a time, or kids who have to come back regularly for treatment, and we get to know them really well,” Ongaco said.

“We also get to know, and work with, their families, parents, siblings, sometimes friends. And of course their stuffed animals,” Gould laughed. “We know all their stuffed animals’ names, stories, all that.”

For Gould and Ongaco, the joy is found within the play, laughter and the “ah-ha!” moments when it’s clear their patients are starting to un-derstand and cope. “It’s very rewarding to see those moments of un-derstanding,” Gould said. “When they’re using the tools you gave them, when they know what they’re going through and that they’re not in trouble and they’re not being punished, they just have a condition and they’re able to get through it.”

SPECIALISTS, FROM PAGE 29

Beyond education, child life specialists Laura Gould and Mil-licent Ongaco strive to create a world fit for children and teens in a very adult hospital environ-ment. They work with pediatric nurses and volunteers to plan fun activities, recreation, play and socialization for their patients.

“The first thing the teens ask, especially, is if there are other teens their age there,” Ongaco said.

“Socialization at the hos-pital is so important,” Gould said. “Their peers’ thoughts and opinions can really help to shape their experience. There are things I can tell them to comfort them, but it means so much more when it’s coming from a peer.”

“Sometimes during activities, they’ll start sharing about why they’re there, and it’s amazing how quickly they’ll build rela-tionships from there,” Ongaco said. “The parents do the same thing, too, and building those relationships are important because they need each other. They need to know they’re not going through it alone.”

SOCIALIZATION IS IMPORTANT FOR PATIENTS

“I’m grateful everyday that these children allow me to walk on this journey with them. I know how personal being in the hospital, being sick, the whole experience is and being able to help is very humbling.” — Millicent Ongaco, Child Life Specialist

www.SunriseHealthInfo.com

Message and data rates apply.For more info visit texterhelp.com


THE SUNDAY


Send your news information to [email protected] LIFE

MARCH 8 - MARCH 14

BY TOM GORMANSTAFF WRITER

They never fail, year after year, to amaze us — the sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders who stand be-

fore the nation, and nervously, tentatively and then with great, if feigned, authority, spell words unfathomable to most of us.

Eudaemonic. Staphylococci. Feuil-leton. Esquamulose. Stichomythia. Two of these words are so obscure, my spell checker challenges them. But they’re spelled correctly. And there are kids out there who live to spell them.

Nevada’s 36 best middle-school spell-ers will gather at 10 a.m. March 14 at Bishop Gorman High School to deter-mine who will represent the state at the National Spelling Bee in May in Washing-

ton, D.C.. Can you spell competitiveness? Theirs is a journey that began

in classrooms throughout the state, where they pre-vailed over classmates to be-come their schools’ spelling

champs, then faced another layer of competition to further

whittle the competitors. In Clark County, five youngsters

qualified for the state finals — two from the School District, one representing Catholic schools, another representing

other private schools, and one represent-ing home-schooled students.

The students have no idea what words they’ll be asked to spell. Many words will be taken from study guides offered by the sponsor of the National Spelling Bee, the media company E.W. Scripps. But in the final rounds of the state and national con-test, the students will hear words they’ve possibly never encountered — words sent to Scripps from a national network of contributors whose names are top secret.

During the bee, spellers can ask for a word’s etymology and definition, and for the word to be used in a sentence. Stu-dents learn word origins, because their genesis can hint at their spelling. What sounds like a short i, for instance, may be a y if the word has Greek roots, such as synergy and Olympian. (Will this help me spell philhellenism? Probably not.)

“They’ve learned the idiosyncrasies of old languages to help them solve these puzzles,” said Melinda Brown, who runs the Nevada Spelling Bee, of which the Greenspun Media Group, publisher of The Sunday, is the primary sponsor. “Can I do that? No way. I remember, ‘i before e except after c.’ ”

With the pressure of competition, it still can be easy for a student who has studied spelling three or four hours a day to misspell a relatively simple word. But

in the long run, the students are well on their way to successful lives because of their mastery of words, vocabulary and reading.

“Reading is the key to everything,” Brown said. “They all enjoy reading. They’re all good writers. These skills will lead them to all kinds of successes, wheth-er the kid becomes a computer program-mer or a mathematician. Understanding language is key to success in anything you do.”

A case in point is Dakota Jones, the first Nevadan to make it to the final round of the National Spelling Bee. Jones was 14 at the time and ended his run in the top six. Today he’s 18 and plans to attend BYU after graduating from Northwest Career and Technical Academy.

Jones excels in math and chemistry, is a National Merit Scholar finalist and is part of a school team invited to participate in the National Science Bowl in May. He plays chess, too, but Jones’ favorite pas-time is baking bread for the lunches he packs for school and making cookies and other desserts for his family.

Once, he messed up a recipe and add-ed an extra half cup of flour. To save the batch, he recalculated the amounts need-ed for the other ingredients to preserve the recipe. All was saved.

That’s spelled i-m-p-r-o-v-i-s-a-t-i-o-n.

Kasey Torres of San Angelo, Texas, spells the word

“phaeton” correctly during the National Spelling Bee

in 2014 in Oxon Hill, Md. (ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE)

THE HISTORYn The National Spelling Bee was launched in 1925 by nine newspapers. The word that determined the champion: gladiolus.n In 1974 and 1977, the finals were broadcast as a taped primetime special on PBS.n From 1994 to 2009, the finals were broadcast live during the day on ESPN.n From 2006 to 2010, the finals were broadcast live on ABC.n From 2011 to 2014, the finals were broadcast live in prime time on ESPN.

THE RULESOnce a contestant

begins spelling a word, he or she cannot go back to change a letter.

THE WORDSThe National Spelling

Bee’s official dictionary, Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, and its addenda, have more than 472,000 word entries.

WHY IT IS CALLED A SPELLING “BEE”

“Bees” refer to social gatherings where friends and neighbors join in a single activity such as sewing, quilting or barn raising.

“Spelling bee” is believed to be an American term that first appeared in print in 1875.

Las Vegas’ Dakota Jones was eliminated from the final round in 2011 by wrongly spelling “zanja” (an irrigation ditch) as “zangha.” These are the words he spelled correctly: garibaldi, recidivist, whirlicote, espadon, solenne, talmouse, andouille, hexafoos, gravicembalo, zortzico, sarangousty, puszta and haori.

Kids who leave us spellbound

NEVADA STATE

SPELLING BEE

When: 10 a.m. March 14

Where: Bishop

Gorman High School

31_Life_SpellingBee_20150308.indd 31 3/5/15 3:45 PM

THE SUNDAY


MARCH 8 - MARCH 14

LOOKING FOR A NEW BEST FRIEND?

The Animal Foundation and the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals are shelters dedicated to finding homes for dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, turtles and more. Each week, we feature a selection of animals available for adoption.

Cinnamon SwirlAge: 5-month-old spayed femaleBreed: Tabby and white shorthairDescription: Cinnamon Swirl loves to explore new rooms and thinks empty cardboard boxes are the most fascinating toys. Adoption fee: $70

Sheba (A820775) Age: 14-month-old spayed female Breed: Chihuahua mixDescription: Sheba is a born snuggler who is very affectionate. She walks well on a leash and gives kisses to those she loves. Adoption fee: $155

JennaAge: 11-year-old spayed femaleBreed: Maltese mixDescription: Jenna is enthusiastic for a fresh start at 11 years old. She is recovering very well from extreme neglect.Adoption fee: $40

Tessi (A824591) Age: 3-year-old spayed female Breed: Domestic shorthairDescription: Tessi is outgoing and curious, with an eagerness to explore the world with her new family. She needs to be the only pet in the household.Adoption fee: $80

Vincent & MailaAge: 3-year-old neutered male and spayed femaleBreed: English spot and Chinchilla mix rabbits Description: Vincent and Maila are bonded for life and need a respon-sible, indoor-only home.Adoption fee: $40 for the pair

Princess (A828227) Age: 13-month-old spayed female Breed: Shorthaired rabbitDescription: Princess gets along with children, new people and other rabbits. Adoption fee: $25

Queen AnnAge: 5-year-old spayed femaleBreed: Bully mixDescription: Queen Ann loves going for picnics, playing with squeaky toys, splashing around in the water hose and giving doggie kisses on your chin.Adoption fee: $40

Slytherin (A828923) Age: 8-year-old Breed: SnakeDescription: Prefer not-so-furry friends? Give Slytherin somewhere warm to curl up, and he’ll be one happy pet. Adoption fee: $35

TitanAge: 3-year-old maleBreed: American guinea pig Description: Titan is calm and re-served but likes being around gentle people. Adoption fee: $10

Tamara (A824971) Age: 2-year-old female Breed: Pit bull terrierDescription: Tamara is a smart, obedient pup looking to learn in ex-change for treats. She knows how to sit on command, and her leash skills improve with every walk. Adoption fee: $105

GoldieAge: 7-year-old spayed female Breed: Cocker spaniel and golden retriever mixDescription: Goldie is a sunny girl who is house-trained, crate-trained and compatible with friendly dogs and mature children.Adoption fee: $50

Nina (A827018) Age: 13-month-old female Breed: Domestic shorthairDescription: Nina is friendly with children, dogs and other cats.Adoption fee: $80

ANIMAL FOUNDATION702-384-3333 x131 | animalfoundation.com/adopt

Animals are assigned a color next to their name indicating location:

655 N. Mojave Road, Las Vegas 286 W. Lake Mead Parkway, Henderson

NEVADA SPCA4800 W. Dewey Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89118

702-873-SPCA | www.nevadaspca.org

32_LIFE_Pets_20150308.indd 32 3/5/15 3:44 PM

PICK YOUR WAY TO A NEW LEXUS NX!

Must be 21 years of age or older and a William Hill Rewards Club member or a William Hill Mobile Sports member to participate. Membership is free. Management reserves all rights. See Official Rules for details.

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Victor Hecker coaches swimming five days a week at Desert Breeze Pool in Las Vegas. (PHOTOS BY MIKAYLA

WHITMORE/STAFF)

‘WE SWIM FOR VIC’

LAP BY LAP, LAS VEGAS’

MASTER COACH KEEPS

HIS STUDENTS YOUNG

SPORTS

THE SUNDAY


BY RAY BREWER | STAFF WRITER

B

y the time the sun peeks through the windows at Des-ert Breeze Pool, Victor Hecker’s swimmers have logged hundreds of laps. ¶ With a stopwatch hanging from his pocket, Hecker quickly rattles off times for the 30 or so swimmers. He knows each one’s strengths and weaknesses, and he has a plan to make them swim fast-

er. ¶ The Las Vegas Masters adult swim team trains each week-day morning under Hecker’s watchful eye, listening carefully to the man considered one of the nation’s top masters coaches. ¶ Hecker, who has been coaching locally since the mid-1970s when he was hired as UNLV’s first swim coach, recently turned 80. But don’t let his age fool you.

34-35_Sports_VicHeckler_20150308.indd 34 3/5/15 2:38 PM

He’s still sharp, partially because he stays active coaching, and is in great physical condition.

“We know he is the best coach in the country, espe-cially for adult amateurs,” said Karin Wegner, the club’s administrative assistant. “He is probably the best in the world. That’s why we come loyally every day.”

Hecker, a volunteer coach, never stops moving around the pool deck, watching each swimmer and

documenting times. He gives pointers and of-fers encouragement. He never yells, because swimmers know what’s expected.

He is so respected that some swimmers move to Las Vegas to be in his program. Club members wear shirts with the say-ing, “We swim for Vic.”

“They want me here,” Hecker said. “I love that. I consider myself to be young because my swimmers look to me as being one of them.”

The results speak for themselves. At the U.S. Mas-ters Swimming Spring National Championships in May, Hecker’s male and female teams both placed fourth out of more than 200 teams. In 2013, at the U.S. Masters Swimming Summer National Champi-onships, Las Vegas took sixth, despite entering fewer swimmers than other clubs in contention.

The masters swim club includes a mix of former high school and college swimmers, late bloomers to

competitive swimming, retirees and record holders. There are former Olympians and others who partici-pated in the Olympic Trials. A former Olympian from Turkey posted his fastest time after coming to Heck-er’s club.

Hecker demands everyone work hard in training, but there also are plenty of laughs and tremendous camaraderie. Hecker, without question, is the fam-ily’s patriarch.

“I can teach anyone how to swim and how to swim properly,” he said.

Take 80-year-old Will Rauch, who is a multiple na-tional champion in his age group. He has been one of Hecker’s swimmers for the past 13 years.

Rauch was in his late 60s when he started swimming but saw his times improve almost immediately under Hecker’s tutelage. Soon, Rauch started winning races.

But, as with most of the swimmers, fast times aren’t his only goal.

“I’m 80 and healthy,” Rauch said. “This is exercise, you know. I owe it all to Vic and his coaching.”

Hecker came to Las Vegas in 1974 to start UNLV’s swim program. He had produced multiple All-Ameri-cans at the Lynwood Swim Club and Lynwood High in Southern California.

After a brief tenure at UNLV, he returned to the club scene with the Las Vegas Swim Club. The city was much smaller then, but Hecker’s swimmers competed against the nation’s top clubs.

Hecker spent a few years retired from coaching to build a real estate business but couldn’t resist get-ting back into the sport. He trained his daughter at the Las Vegas Municipal Pool when she swam for Palo Verde High in 2000. An adult swimmer who was practicing at the facility asked Hecker for some pointers, and soon he was working with a handful of adults.

“Every level of swimming, they come to me, be-cause of what I know and what I can do,” Hecker said.

Hecker typically heads to the gym after practice, then to his real estate office to work. Three times a week, he conducts multiple practices in a day.

He doesn’t plan on slowing down. Neither do his swimmers.

“He doesn’t seem 80, right?” asked Melissa Giovanni, a club swimmer. “He always says we keep him young. I have never had a coach with so much enjoyment and excitement, just love for the sport. He is so proud of everybody. You can’t help but want to work hard for him and train hard. Whatever he says, you do.”

Victor Hecker coaches swimming five days a week at Desert Breeze Pool in Las Vegas. (PHOTOS BY MIKAYLA

WHITMORE/STAFF)

‘WE SWIM FOR VIC’

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU Send your sports information to [email protected]

THE SUNDAY


LAS VEGAS MASTERSWhen: 5:30-7 a.m. Monday through Friday;

11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and FridayWhere: Desert Breeze Pool,

8275 Spring Mountain Road, Las VegasCost: $50 per year to join the Las Vegas Masters;

$48 annually for membership to U.S. Masters Swimming, a requirement to enter meets; $60 in pool fees for a three-month pass at Desert Breeze

More information: Visit lvmswim.com

34-35_Sports_VicHeckler_20150308.indd 35 3/5/15 2:38 PM

THE SUNDAY

36WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU Send your gaming information to [email protected]

MARCH 8 - MARCH 14

CASINO PROMOTIONSTHE D AND GOLDEN GATE

$25,000 NASCAR Pick the WinnersDate: Through March 8Information: Players can earn tickets on slots, table games, blackjack, dice and keno (the D only) to bet toward their favorite race car driver. After final race results are in, tickets placed in the NASCAR winner’s boxes will split a $25,000 prize (slot play or promo-tional chips) at each property.

Downtown Hoopstown shirt giveawayDate: March 19-22Information: Play table games with a buy-in of $100 or more to earn a T-shirt commemorating the 2015 NCAA basketball tournament.

St. Patrick’s Day shirt giveawayDate: March 17Information: Play table games with a buy-in of $100 or more to earn a St. Patrick’s Day T-shirt.

THE D

Win Derek’s HellcatDate: Through Aug. 29Time: 6 p.m.Information: Earn tickets for monthly drawings that culminate in the chance to win a 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat.

STATION CASINOS

Last Man Standing College Basket-ball Elimination contestDate: Register before March 19Information: It costs $25 per entry, but buy four entries and a fifth is free. The minimum guaranteed win is $50,000, with the Last Man Standing taking the entire pot. However, the prize likely will be higher because it is based on total entries. Players pick games against the point spread listed on the daily contest card, available in the sports book. Winning selections keep entries alive in the contest. Players who lose a round or fail to submit a daily selec-tion are out of the contest.

SOUTH POINT

$500,000 Bingo Super GalaDate: March 16-17Time: 8 a.m.Information: This two-day bingo event offers a $250,000 prize pool each day. An entry fee of $295 includes access both days.

$600,000 March Money MadnessDate: MarchInformation: Players have a chance to win a progressive bonus while playing slot machines. The bonus will hit by

$25,000, and when it does, players using their loyalty cards win $25 in free play. Once the bonus is hit, the progressive bonus resets at $10,000.

Road to the Big Dance Poker Room $100 hourly drawingsTimes and dates: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. March 20-23; 4-8 p.m. March 27-30; 3-9 p.m. April 5Information: One poker seat will be selected randomly every hour to win $100.

Point multipliersDate: March 17Information: Earn 5x points on reel machines and 2x points on video poker.

PALMS

$40,000 Luck O’ the Irish drawingsDate: Through March 27Time: 7 p.m.Information: Earn drawing tickets with slot play. Earn 2x entries from 4 to 6:30 p.m. and earn 5x entries from 8 p.m. to midnight Fridays. Drawings will be each Friday. Ten winners will be selected with a maximum prize of $3,000.

Play For Prizes – Keep the Cash ComingDate: Through March 13Information: Points earned Monday through Friday may be combined and redeemed for up to $190 in cash per day.

Play for Prizes – Fill Your TankDate: March 16-27Information: Points earned Monday through Friday may be combined and redeemed for up to $390 in Chevron gift cards per day.

DOWNTOWN GRAND

Audi A5 giveawayDate: Through March 28Time: 8 p.m.Information: Receive one drawing ticket for every 1,000 base points earned daily. Earn 50 drawing tickets and receive a two-night stay during the drawing weekend.

Slots of Fun daily tournamentDate: Through March 31Time: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.Information: Loyalty card members can buy in for $25. All participants receive $25 in slot play.

ORLEANS

Lucky LiquorDate: Thursdays in MarchTime: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Information: Earn 300 base points and receive a bottle of liquor. Receive a different type each week.

Point multiplierDate: Saturdays in MarchInformation: Earn 15x points on penny slots.

Giveaway daysDate: Mondays in MarchInformation: Earn 300 base points and receive a free kitchen gift.

Blackjack tournamentsDate: Saturdays and Sundays in MarchTime: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, 2-4 p.m. SundaysInformation: $25 to enter. Top prize is at least $1,000.

Get LuckyDate: March 17Information: Earn 50 points to play the Lucky Pick Kiosk game.

Young at HeartDate: WednesdaysInformation: For players 50 and older. Earn up to 50x points, participate in cash drawings, receive dining dis-counts and more.

GOLD COAST

$72,000 Rollin’ for the DoughDate: Saturdays and Sundays in MarchTime: Saturday drawings at 8:15 p.m.Information: Roll the dice on Satur-days for chance to win up to $3,600. Five winners at each drawing. Play kiosk game on Sundays.

Point multiplierDate: March 20 and 27Information: Earn 15x points on penny slots.

Giveaway daysDate: Tuesdays in MarchInformation: Earn 300 base points and receive a free set of drinking glasses. Styles change weekly.

Multiply Your CashDate: March 13Information: Receive 13x points on slots and video poker on the first 1,300 base points.

SUNCOAST

Play and SelectDate: Mondays through Thursdays in MarchInformation: Earn at least 300 base points for dining and free play deals.

Buffalo multipliersDate: Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays in March

Information: Earn 15x points on select Buffalo games.

Point multipliersDate: March 10, 11, 18 and 25Information: Earn 10x points on slots and 6x points on video poker on March 10. Earn mystery multipliers up to 50x points on the other days.

Lucky 5 drawingDate: March 10Time: 6:15 p.m.Information: Earn entries through play. Five people will win $500.

Take it or Trade itDate: March 13-14Time: 8:15 p.m.Information: Earn entries through play. Fifteen winners can choose a $750 prize or trade it for a chance to win up to $2,500. Earn 4x entries March 9.

$5,000 St. Patrick’s Day drawingDate: March 17Time: 7 and 9 p.m.Information: Play table games begin-ning March 9 to earn tickets. Win up to $1,000.

March Hoopla drawingDate: March 20, 21, 27 and 28Time: 6:15 and 8:15 p.m.Information: Earn entries through play. Fifty people will win $100.

HARD ROCK HOTEL

Point multipliersDate: Wednesdays through MarchInformation: Loyalty card members earn 20x points on reels and video reels and 7x points on video poker.

45+ Classic Rocker’s programDate: Thursdays through MarchInformation: Members ages 45 and older receive 15x points on reels and video reels and 7x points on video poker. Guests who earn 100 base slot points win 5,000 bonus points (maxi-mum of four per day).

SLS

Gift giveawayDate: Through March 22Information: Earn 250 slot points, 500 video poker points or make a $10 advance-deposit wager and receive a gift. Options include a deep dish pie plate, a canister set, ceramic bakeware and a stainless steel bowl set.

Bonus points or mystery giftDate: Saturdays in MarchInformation: Invited players who have made $10 average daily theoretical wagers can win free play, bonus points or a gift.

$187,500 Buckets for Bills give-awaysDate: March 17-31

36-37_Gaming_20150308.indd 36 3/5/15 2:37 PM

THE SUNDAY


Send your gaming information to [email protected] GAMING

MARCH 8 - MARCH 14

Information: Earn 15x points on select Buffalo games.

Point multipliersDate: March 10, 11, 18 and 25Information: Earn 10x points on slots and 6x points on video poker on March 10. Earn mystery multipliers up to 50x points on the other days.

Lucky 5 drawingDate: March 10Time: 6:15 p.m.Information: Earn entries through play. Five people will win $500.

Take it or Trade itDate: March 13-14Time: 8:15 p.m.Information: Earn entries through play. Fifteen winners can choose a $750 prize or trade it for a chance to win up to $2,500. Earn 4x entries March 9.

$5,000 St. Patrick’s Day drawingDate: March 17Time: 7 and 9 p.m.Information: Play table games begin-ning March 9 to earn tickets. Win up to $1,000.

March Hoopla drawingDate: March 20, 21, 27 and 28Time: 6:15 and 8:15 p.m.Information: Earn entries through play. Fifty people will win $100.

HARD ROCK HOTEL

Point multipliersDate: Wednesdays through MarchInformation: Loyalty card members earn 20x points on reels and video reels and 7x points on video poker.

45+ Classic Rocker’s programDate: Thursdays through MarchInformation: Members ages 45 and older receive 15x points on reels and video reels and 7x points on video poker. Guests who earn 100 base slot points win 5,000 bonus points (maxi-mum of four per day).

SLS

Gift giveawayDate: Through March 22Information: Earn 250 slot points, 500 video poker points or make a $10 advance-deposit wager and receive a gift. Options include a deep dish pie plate, a canister set, ceramic bakeware and a stainless steel bowl set.

Bonus points or mystery giftDate: Saturdays in MarchInformation: Invited players who have made $10 average daily theoretical wagers can win free play, bonus points or a gift.

$187,500 Buckets for Bills give-awaysDate: March 17-31

Time: 7 p.m.Information: Nightly drawings for a chance to make a basket and win free play or cash. To participate, play-ers must earn 25 slot or video poker points or have an average bet of $15 for one hour on a table game. Double entries can be earned Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

PLAZA

Queen member slot tournamentDate: Thursdays in MarchTime: 4 p.m.Information: Loyalty members with “Queen” status are eligible to partici-pate for chance to win $250.

King member slot tournamentDate: Fridays in MarchTime: 4 p.m.Information: Loyalty members with “King” status are eligible to participate for chance to win $500.

Ace member slot tournamentDate: Saturdays in MarchTime: 4 p.m.Information: Loyalty members with “Ace” status are eligible to participate for chance to win $1,000.

Bingo and VinoDate: March 11Time: 7 p.m.Information: $40 fee. Sponsored by Southern Wine and Spirits; fundraiser for Keep Memory Alive.

ALIANTE

Point multipliersDate: Wednesdays in MarchInformation: Earn 5x points on video poker and 10x points on all reels.

Seventeen Days of Lucky LeprechaunDate: Through March 28Information: Swipe at any kiosk to redeem a leprechaun. Collect 17 lepre-chauns and receive a bonus March 29 worth up to $10,000.

$60,000 Lucky Leprechaun drawingsDate: Saturdays in MarchTime: 7:15 and 9:15 p.m.Information: Ten names will be drawn for chance to win free play and cash.

$5,000 Lucky Leprechaun Hot SeatsDate: March 17Time: Noon-4 p.m.Information: Five participants each hour. Collect three lucky leprechauns to win $200 in free slot play.

50+ Play Day Spin to Win kiosk gameDate: MarchInformation: Earn 50 slot points and spin the wheel to win up to $500 in

slot play.

50+ $2,500 slot tournamentDate: March 16

Time: Noon-4 p.m.

Information: Play in a 3-minute slot

session. Top 25 scores will share

$2,500 in slot play.

Spring Cleaning gift daysDate: March 12-26

Information: Earn 250 points to re-

ceive a mystery gift.

RAMPART CASINO

Point multipliersDate: Mondays in March

Information: Receive 4x points on

reels and 2x points on video poker.

$6,500 Galleons of Gold mid-month drawingDate: Second Wednesday of every

month

Information: Players who earn 2,000

base points during the previous cal-

endar month are invited to participate

in the following month’s drawing. Ten

winners will be chosen.

$100,000 Wheel O’ CashDate: Fridays and Saturdays in March

Time: 6:15 and 8:15 p.m.

Information: Each drawing night, 16

people will spin the wheel three times

and add up their prizes to win up to

$2,500 cash. Earn 100 points from slot

play or one hour of $10 table play for

one entry. Earn 10x entries Mondays

through Thursdays.

$20,000 Lucky Leprechaun table games drawingsDate: Fridays in March

Time: 9 p.m.

Information: One hour of $10 table

play earns one entry.

$20,000 free slot play hot seat drawingsDate: Thursdays in March

Time: 2-8 p.m.

Information: Loyalty card members

are eligible to win up to $200 in slot

play during random drawings.

EL CORTEZ

Jackpot BonusDate: March


who win a jackpot of $200 or more on

a slot machine, a jackpot of $200 or

more on a video poker 5-cent or lower

denomination machine, a jackpot of

$300 or more on a video poker 10-

cent or higher denomination machine

or a jackpot of $200 or more on live

keno will receive their choice of either

$10 to $1,000 in free play or a bottle of

Woodbridge wine.

Saturday Point FeverDate: Saturdays in MarchInformation: Ten club members will be selected to win up to 100,000 points. Players will receive one virtual draw-ing ticket for every 200 points earned each day during the week.

Wheel and Deal drawingsDate: Saturdays in MarchTime: NoonInformation: Earn entries by playing table games for a chance to win pro-motional chips.

WILLIAM HILL

RACE & SPORTS BOOK

Spring rewardsDate: Through April 30Information: Earn up to $100 cash back with every wager made on the mobile sports app.

TUSCANY

Point multipliersDate: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in MarchInformation: Earn 10x points on reels and 7x points on video poker on Mon-days and Fridays. Earn 5x points on all machines on Wednesdays.

Scratch and WinDate: Sundays in MarchInformation: Earn 500 base points to receive a scratch card to win free play or points.

Gift SaturdaysDate: March 14 and 28Information: Earn 300 base points and receive an oven mitt or nonstick dish.

Jackets for JacksDate: MarchInformation: Get two suited jacks play-ing blackjack on the same day and win a Tuscany jacket.

ARIZONA CHARLIE’S

(BOULDER, DECATUR LOCATIONS)

Spring Cha-Ching giveawayDate: Fridays and Saturdays through March 28Time: 8:15 p.m.Information: For every 1,000 base points earned, guests can swipe and play a kiosk game to win free play, comps, gifts or entries into a $20,000 weekly cash drawing. Five cash win-ners at each drawing, with a $5,000 top prize.

GOLDEN NUGGET

Jameson Irish Whiskey giveawayDate: March 16-18Information: Receive a complimentary bottle of whiskey for every 1,000 slot points earned or $300 of rated table predictable play.

Absolut Elyx Vodka giveawayDate: March 23-25

Information: Receive a complimentary

bottle of vodka for every 1,000 slot

points earned or $300 of rated table

predictable play.

$30,000 Clovers of Cash slot tournamentDate: March 17-19

Information: Entry fee is $50. Two

daily $15,000 tournaments with op-

tions for re-buys each day. First place

in each tournament wins $7,000.

Registration begins March 17, and the

tournaments are March 18 and 19.

$100,000 Tournament of Champi-ons slot tournamentDate: March 26-28

Information: Entry fee is $799;

includes a three-night stay, tourna-

ment parties and more. First place is

$50,000.

SILVERTON

Leprechaun Lights Out – Swipe & WinDate: March 12, 19 and 26

Information: Earn 300 points and

swipe your rewards card at any kiosk

to win cash, slot play, dining credits

and more.

Play For Pasta - Earn and WinDate: Tuesdays and Wednesdays in

March

Information: Earn 250 points for a $10 dining credit or 400 points for a pasta

meal at Sundance Grill.

$15,000 Point ChallengeDate: March 22-31

Information: The top 25 slot point

earners will win cash and slot play.

First place wins $5,000.

$1,250 Humpday Hot Seat table games drawingsDate: Wednesdays in March

Time: 5-10 p.m.

Information: Eleven table games play-

ers will win $100 in chips. Drawings are

every 30 minutes.

$10,000 Reel and Win slot tournamentsDate: Tuesdays in March

Time: Noon-5 p.m.


receive one free entry; earn additional

entries for every 100 points earned by

4 p.m. First place wins $1,000.

Senior MondaysDate: Mondays in March

Information: For loyalty card members

50 and older. Enjoy dining discounts

and drawings at 2, 4 and 6 p.m. for up

to $1,000. One drawing entry earned

for every 50 base slot, video poker

and table game points.

36-37_Gaming_20150308.indd 37 3/5/15 2:37 PM

THE SUNDAY

38WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU Send your feedback to [email protected]

MARCH 8 - MARCH 14

Zombie nuclear waste dump project needs to die

I n the 1980s, the federal govern-ment started a long, and so far fruitless, effort to turn Nevada into a high-level nuclear waste

dump.Despite overwhelming political odds,

the state has successfully fought back and prevented the plan from moving forward.

But the project is the federal govern-ment’s version of a zombie. It looks dead and should be dead but keeps stumbling along.

Earlier this year, a Nuclear Regulatory Commission report left a narrow opening for the project to be revived once again. Never mind that the Obama administra-tion has all but closed the project, and forget that a blue-ribbon commission recommended the federal government look elsewhere and find a state that actu-ally wants the dump. (Nevada doesn’t.)

The plan is pushed by powerful interests in the nation’s capital, notably the nuclear power industry, that have no concern about the well-being of Nevada. Illinois Republican Congressman John Shimkus is so looking forward to sending his state’s nuclear power plant’s spent

fuel rods to Nevada, he says he and two colleagues on the House Energy and Commerce Committee will visit Yucca Mountain soon to check out the place. Under the federal government’s plan, more than 77,000 tons of highly radio-active nuclear waste from commercial reactors would be sent here for burial at Yucca Mountain, a porous, volcanic ridge 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

Recently, The Washington Post edi-torialized on the NRC report, saying the federal government should open a dump in Nevada.

BAD POLITICSSupporters of the Yucca Mountain

project blame politics for the project’s delays.

Of course, what they fail to acknowl-edge is that politics is the only reason the plan still is alive. Political interests in Washington have run roughshod over science, curtailed serious inquiries and pressed ahead despite the fact that significant work hasn’t been finished on the project.

Yucca Mountain was, in fact, named

the nation’s nuclear waste dump before the scientific process to find the best site was close to being completed.

WORSE POLITICSNevada was chosen as the nation’s

nuclear waste dump when the state had no clout in Washington. That allowed other states with more power to roll over Nevada.

To make matters worse, many of the supporters of Yucca Mountain are those who have fought the White House on Obamacare, saying it violates the 10th Amendment protection of states’ rights. If that is the case, Nevada should be able to invoke states’ rights and reject the dump.

SAFETY CONCERNSDespite what the nuclear industry and

its supporters in Congress say, several serious safety issues haven’t been ad-dressed properly.

Although it worked on the project for decades, the federal government doesn’t have a definitive plan for how it would safely transport nuclear waste. It also has

serious issues with how it would contain the radiation within the ridge.

NO NEED TO MOVE ITThe nuclear power industry has tried

to make this a matter of national security, saying terrorists could target the waste.

But the reality is the waste has been stored safely for decades at nuclear reac-tors, which are secure sites. And if safety is a concern, why send nuclear waste on thousands of trips across the coun-try during which the material could be targeted?

THE BOTTOM LINESo far, the Yucca Mountain project has

cost roughly $14 billion, according to the Government Accountability Office, and the government could end up spending $100 billion or more trying to complete it.

That is nonsense. There are safer, cheaper and better ways to move ahead than the fanciful plan to send the nation’s waste to Nevada.

The government should — once and for all — back off the Yucca Mountain plan and let it die.

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THE SUNDAY

40WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU Send your feedback to [email protected]

MARCH 8 - MARCH 14

SUNDAY, MARCH 8

Fresh52 Farmers Market: Browse fresh local produce, homemade foods, crafts, soaps and more. 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m., free, Sansone Park Place, 9480 S. Eastern Ave., fresh52.com. *Also: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Tivoli Village, 302 S. Rampart Blvd.

Red Cross Month blood dona-tion: Support the Red Cross mission by giving blood, volunteer-ing, learning lifesaving skills or making a financial contribution. 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Congregation Ner Tamid, 55 N. Valle Verde Drive, red-crossblood.org. *Also: 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Friday, Mercedes of Henderson, 925 Auto

Show Drive.

Kobalt 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: The stars of NASCAR’s premier series battle it out on a 1.5-mile tri-oval course. Noon, $69-$196, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 7000 Las Vegas Blvd. North, lvms.com.

Sunday Assembly: The Las Vegas chapter of the Sunday Assembly hosts a nonsecular get-together to inspire people to live the best lives possible. The group’s motto: “The best bits of church but with no religion and

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Drivers queue up for the start of the 2014 Kobalt 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This year’s race begins at noon March 8. (STEVE MARCUS/STAFF FILE)

Megan Phelps-Roper: The grand-daughter of Westboro Baptist Church Pastor Fred Phelps will speak about LGBTQ rights and hate crimes. 7 p.m., free, the Gay and Lesbian Community Center, 401 S. Maryland Parkway, thecenterlv.org.

Engineering Humans to Survive Climate Change: S. Matthew Liao, an associate professor of philosophy at New York University, will discuss the biomedical modifications of humans to survive climate change. 7:30 p.m., free, Barrick Museum Auditorium, UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, unlv.edu.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11

Storytime in the Square: Bring your child to Town Square Park for interactive story time featuring classic children’s tales and new favorites. 11 a.m., free, Town Square, 6605 Las Vegas Blvd. South, my-townsquarelasvegas.com.

St. Patrick’s Day luncheon: Wear green and enjoy an Irish-themed lunch. Advance registration required. Ages 50-plus. 11:30 a.m., $7, Derfelt Senior Center at Lorenzi Park, 3343 W. Washington Ave., 702-229-6601.

UNLV Lee Business School MBA program information session: Lisa Davis, associate director of the Lee Business School MBA program, will discuss curriculum, entrance require-ments and how to apply. 5:30-6:30 p.m., free, UNLV, Building WRI-C 302, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, unlv.edu/mba/infosessions.

Boozy Movie: Watch the 1999 crime film “Boondock Saints.” 7 p.m., free entry with cocktail purchase, Inspire Theater, 107 Las Vegas Blvd. South, inspirelasvegas.com.

Art Night: Experiment with your creative side. Try painting, singing or poetry. Bring your own supplies or receive supplies on site with a purchased meal. 6-10 p.m., free, The Crêpe at Tivoli Village, 440 S. Rampart Blvd., tivolivillagelv.com.

THURSDAY, MARCH 12

Spring Tea Party: A pearl-themed celebration of mothers, featuring a variety of teas and sandwiches. Ages 50-plus. 11 a.m., $6, Doolittle Senior Center, 1930 N. J St., 702-229-6125.

St. Patrick’s lunch: Under the Rainbow: Enjoy corned beef and cabbage, potatoes and more. Ages 50-plus. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., $5, Las Vegas Senior Center, 451 E. Bonanza Road, 702-229-6454.

WINTER’S

LEMONADE

CONTENT CREATED AND PRESENTED BY SOUTHERN WINE & SPIRITS

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

Cocktail created by Francesco Lafranconi, executive director of mixology and spirits education at Southern Wine & Spirits.

1.5 oz Crown Royal Regal Apple whisky

3/4 oz Piehole Pecan Pie whiskey

2 oz lemon sour mix

1/2 oz ginger ale

Lemon swath and mint leaves to garnish

Dash of bitters

with awesome pop songs.” 12:30 p.m., free, The Meadows Las Vegas Clubhouse, 2900 S. Valley View Blvd., meetup.com/Sunday-Assembly-Las-Vegas.

Joe Williams Scholarship fundraising concert: Joe Williams Every Day Foundation scholarships provide UNLV jazz students financial assistance for the aca-demic year. This year’s concert will feature vocalists Marlena Shaw, Jack Jones and Clint Holmes, with Don Cunningham and other special guests. 2 p.m., $25, Artemus Ham Concert Hall, UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, unlv.edu.

MONDAY, MARCH 9

Stroller Strides: Women can take part in this fitness program with their babies in tow. 8:30 a.m., $18 drop-in price, Town Square, 6605 Las Vegas Blvd. South, lasvegas.fit4mom.com.

Needlework class: Learn embroi-dery, counted cross-stitch, needle-point, candle-wicking and the hardanger stitch. Participants must provide their own supplies. Ages 50-plus. 9:30 a.m., free, West Flamingo Active Adult Center, 6255 W. Flamingo Road, 702-455-7742.

HypnoBirthing class: This five-week class offers self-hypnosis techniques for child birth. Includes lessons on breathing and exercise, nutrition, breastfeeding and post-partum care. Cost includes instruction for pregnant mother and her birth partner, plus a textbook, CD and binder. 6:30-9:30 p.m. Mondays through April 6, $275, Summerlin Hospital, 657 N. Town Center Drive, 702-385-3331, hypnobirthinglasvegas.com.

Comedy Jam: Standup comedy from professional and up-and-coming comics. 7:30-9 p.m., free, The Crêpe at Tivoli Village, 440 S. Rampart Blvd., tivolivillagelv.com.

TUESDAY, MARCH 10

Stroke support group: A meeting for stroke survivors, their caregivers and loved ones. 3-4 p.m., Centennial Hills Hospital, 6900 N. Durango Drive, 702-629-1309.

Taste of Home Cooking School: Culinary specialist Eric Villegas will share home cooking tips and tricks while demonstrating step-by-step recipes for seasonal dishes. 5-8 p.m., $15-$40, Veil Pavilion, Silverton Casino, 3333 Blue Diamond Road, 702-263-7777.

Build drink over ice in a tall glass, starting with Crown Royal Apple, Piehole Pecan Pie and lemon sour mix. Stir. Top with ginger ale and a dash of bitters. Garnish with lemon swath and mint leaves.

This drink combines the warm, rich flavors of home-made pie with hints of salty-sweet lemonade. A twist on a summer classic, this drink is perfect as we get ready to transition from winter to spring — the robust flavors we crave in colder months paired with the refreshing kick we look forward to as it gets warm again.

40-41_Events_20150308.indd 40 3/5/15 2:34 PM

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

“IF YOU CONSIDER FILM AN ART FORM,

AS SOME PEOPLE DO, THEN THE WEST-

ERN WOULD BE A TRULY AMERICAN ART

FORM.” — CLINT EASTWOOD

ANSWERS TO PUZZLES ON PAGE 66

KEN KEN

L.A. TIMES CROSSWORD

CELEBRITY CIPHER

Megan Phelps-Roper: The grand-daughter of Westboro Baptist Church Pastor Fred Phelps will speak about LGBTQ rights and hate crimes. 7 p.m., free, the Gay and Lesbian Community Center, 401 S. Maryland Parkway, thecenterlv.org.

Engineering Humans to Survive Climate Change: S. Matthew Liao, an associate professor of philosophy at New York University, will discuss the biomedical modifications of humans to survive climate change. 7:30 p.m., free, Barrick Museum Auditorium, UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, unlv.edu.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11

Storytime in the Square: Bring your child to Town Square Park for interactive story time featuring classic children’s tales and new favorites. 11 a.m., free, Town Square, 6605 Las Vegas Blvd. South, my-townsquarelasvegas.com.

St. Patrick’s Day luncheon: Wear green and enjoy an Irish-themed lunch. Advance registration required. Ages 50-plus. 11:30 a.m., $7, Derfelt Senior Center at Lorenzi Park, 3343 W. Washington Ave., 702-229-6601.

UNLV Lee Business School MBA program information session: Lisa Davis, associate director of the Lee Business School MBA program, will discuss curriculum, entrance require-ments and how to apply. 5:30-6:30 p.m., free, UNLV, Building WRI-C 302, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, unlv.edu/mba/infosessions.

Boozy Movie: Watch the 1999 crime film “Boondock Saints.” 7 p.m., free entry with cocktail purchase, Inspire Theater, 107 Las Vegas Blvd. South, inspirelasvegas.com.

Art Night: Experiment with your creative side. Try painting, singing or poetry. Bring your own supplies or receive supplies on site with a purchased meal. 6-10 p.m., free, The Crêpe at Tivoli Village, 440 S. Rampart Blvd., tivolivillagelv.com.

THURSDAY, MARCH 12

Spring Tea Party: A pearl-themed celebration of mothers, featuring a variety of teas and sandwiches. Ages 50-plus. 11 a.m., $6, Doolittle Senior Center, 1930 N. J St., 702-229-6125.

St. Patrick’s lunch: Under the Rainbow: Enjoy corned beef and cabbage, potatoes and more. Ages 50-plus. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., $5, Las Vegas Senior Center, 451 E. Bonanza Road, 702-229-6454.

Campus town hall with UNLV President Len Jessup: UNLV Presi-dent Len Jessup will host a town hall with campus and community members. 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., free, UNLV, Student Ballroom, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, UNLV.edu.

John Tartaglia’s ImaginOcean: A black-light puppet show for kids of all ages. 6 p.m., $13-$20, Smith Center for the Performing Arts, 361 Symphony Park Ave., thesmithcenter.com.

Empath series: Empaths typically have difficulty navigating through the day because emotions are felt without the proper tools to cope. Shamanic practitioner and reiki master Vanessa Sandoval helps people connect and heal their souls. 7 p.m., $25-$60, Enchanted Forest Reiki Center, 800 N. Rainbow Blvd., Suite 100, enchantedforestreiki.com.

The Three Faces of Tyranny: “Why Democracy Isn’t Always Possible”: A discussion about how the West should respond to the struggle of democracy and the strength of tyrannical regimes and movements including the Syrian civil war, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression and the threat of ISIS. Presented by Waller R. Newell, a professor of political science and philosophy at Carleton University. 7:30 p.m., free, UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, UNLV.edu.

FRIDAY, MARCH 13

Ward 2 Coffee with the Council-man: Join Las Vegas Councilman Bob Beers for coffee and conversa-tion about what is happening in the city and ward. 7:30-9 a.m., Egg Works, 2025 Village Center Circle, 702-445-7330.

Bicycle event: A 3-mile family bike ride. All riders are required to wear helmets, and a pre-ride bike safety check will be held. Riders are invited to wear green. Pre-registration is encouraged. 4:30 p.m., free, Cimar-ron Rose Community Center, 5591 N. Cimarron Road, 702-229-1607.

Southern Nevada Sons and Daughters of Erin St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival: The celebration includes a carnival, Irish entertain-ment, a car show and a parade. Some activities may require paid admission. 5 p.m., free, Henderson Events Plaza, 200 S. Water St., cityofhenderson.com.

Income tax education class: UNLV law students will present information about filing status, the earned income tax credit, the child tax credit, penalties for not having health

coverage under the Affordable Care

Act and more. 5-7 p.m., free, Her-

mandad Mexicana, 2915 W. Charles-

ton Blvd., Suite 4, law.unlv.edu/

free-legal-education.html.

“Trouble in Tahiti”: Sin City Opera

presents Leonard Bernstein’s one-act

opera. 7 p.m., $10-$15, Winchester

Cultural Center, 3130 S. McLeod

Drive, 702-455-7340.

*Also: Saturday.

“Once on This Island”: Lynn

Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty

transform “The Little Mermaid” into a

Caribbean-infused musical. 8 p.m.,

$21, Smith Center for the Performing

Arts, 361 Symphony Park Ave.,

thesmithcenter.com.

*Also: Saturday and Sunday.

SATURDAY, MARCH 14

Garden tour: Learn which plants

thrive in the desert, how to care for

them and how to get blooms again

next year. Meet in the courtyard. 10

a.m., free, UNLV Cooperative Exten-

sion Lifelong Learning Center, 8050

Paradise Road, 702-257-5555.

Easter Bunny: Photos with the

Easter Bunny. The first 500 children

to visit will receive a free gift bag. 10

a.m.-9 p.m., $22-$47, Galleria Mall,

1300 W. Sunset Road, 702-434-0087.

*Also: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through

Saturday; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday;

through April 4.

Fashion Forward: Passport to

Fashion: Sixty budding fashion

designers from local high schools will

present and model their designs,

inspired by the theme “Passport to

Fashion,” for a chance to win a grand

prize. 2 p.m., $40-$60, Fashion Show

Mall, 3200 Las Vegas Blvd. South, jllv.

org.

Aladdin’s March Magic: A Neon

Boneyard “Genie” will perform a

dramatic reading of the “Aladdin”

folktale. Participants will make “flying

carpets” with paper and markers

before “flying” their creations around

the park. Designed for children in

preschool through third grade who

are accompanied by a parent or

guardian. 5-7 p.m., $5, Neon Museum,

770 Las Vegas Blvd. North, neonmu-

seum.org.

SUNDAY, MARCH 15

Tzedakah brunch: The 8th annual

Tzedakah brunch showcases the

Jewish Federation of Las Vegas’

work in the community. 11 a.m., Three

Square Food Bank, 4190 N. Pecos

Road, jewishlasvegas.com.

Live jazz: The Las Vegas Jazz

Society presents vocalist Joni Janak

with the Anderson Hall Project. 2-4

p.m., $12 for Jazz Society members,

$15 general admission, Bootlegger

Bistro, 7700 Las Vegas Blvd. South,

vegasjazz.org, 702-313-6778.

THE SUNDAY


Send your feedback to [email protected] LIFE

MARCH 8 - MARCH 14

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042_tsd_030815.indd 1 3/5/15 2:41 PM

THE SUNDAY


Businesses see rewards in helping their workers attain goals in higher education

BY ASHLEY OÑOZ-WRIGHT | SPECIAL TO VEGAS INC

Most days, 33-year-old Rose Mata can be found at the Verizon Wireless Smart Store on Nellis Boulevard. ¶ Mata, the store’s general manager, and her staff teach customers about the latest wireless technology and guide them in buying mobile devices . The store hosts wireless workshops that show people how to manage their smartphones and iPads . ¶

But after the store closes, Mata switches roles . She becomes the student. For the past year and a half, she has pursued aTUITION ASSISTANCE, CONTINUED ON PAGE 53

$186.49Closing price March 3 for a share

of stock in Allegiant Travel Co. ,

up 89 percent from a year ago

and 433 percent from March

2009, when the stock market hit

bottom during the recession.

$300M Settlement in a lawsuit against

Bank of America by lenders who

helped fi nance construction of

the failed Fontainebleau .

61,200Number of employers in

Nevada during the fourth

quarter of 2014, a record.

The previous record was

60,600 in the second quarter

of 2008.

$518KAverage price per acre of

land in Summerlin last year ,

compared with an average

$355,000 per acre in 2013.

Investing in employees

Rose Mata, general manager of a Verizon Wireless Smart Store in Las Vegas, is pursuing a business management degree with the help of her employer. (MIKAYLA WHITMORE/STAFF)

43,53_VICover_20150308.indd 43 3/5/15 2:30 PM

48 50 56MEET: VOM FASSFrom rare cognacs to exotic oils and fruit vinegars, a new family-owned shop on the Strip bills itself as a candy store for adults. Kim and Gary Weiss make it a point to bring unusual fl a-vors to Las Vegas, and do it in a way that’s sustainable.

TALKING POINTSCelebrate women’s impact in the tech industry, P49

ALLEGIANT AIR STOCK SOARINGThe low-cost carrier has managed to increase its price per share more than 400 per-cent since March 2009.

THE NOTESGiving, P46

DATA AND PUBLIC INFORMATIONA listing of local bankruptcies, bid opportunities, brokered transactions, business licenses and building permits.

MORE VEGAS INC BUSINESS NEWSCalendar: Happenings and events, P55

The List: Private schools, P60

NOTEWORTHY STORIES

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 9Vegas Inc, 2360 Corporate Circle, Third Floor, Henderson, NV 89074 is published each Sunday except the last Sunday of the year by Greenspun Media Group.Application to Mail at Periodicals Postage Prices is Pending at Henderson, NV and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO:Vegas IncGreenspun Media Group2360 Corporate Circle, Third Floor Henderson, NV 89074 702.990.2545

For inquiries, write to: Vegas Inc2360 Corporate Circle, Third FloorHenderson, NV 89074For back copies: Doris Hollifield at 702.990.8993 or e-mail at [email protected] subscriptions: Call 800.254.2610, or visit vegasinc.com. For annual subscriptions, $50. For single copies, $3.99.

PUBLISHER Donn Jersey ([email protected])

EDITORIALEDITOR Delen Goldberg ([email protected]) MANAGING EDITOR Dave Mondt ([email protected])DIGITAL EDITOR Sarah Burns ([email protected])DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR, NEWS Ellen Fiore ([email protected])STAFF WRITERS Andrea Domanick, Ana Ley, J.D. Morris, Amber Phillips, Kyle Roerink, Cy Ryan, Eli Segall, Conor Shine, Jackie Valley, Katie Visconti, Ian Whitaker COPY DESK CHIEF John TaylorCOPY EDITORS Brian Deka, Jamie Gentner SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS EDITOR Craig Peterson DIGITAL COORDINATOR Adelaide Chen EDITORIAL CARTOONIST Mike Smith LIBRARY SERVICES SPECIALIST Rebecca Clifford-Cruz RESEARCHER Pashtana UsufzyOFFICE COORDINATOR Nadine Guy

ARTASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR Liz Brown ([email protected])ART DIRECTOR Scott Lien DESIGNER LeeAnn EliasPHOTO COORDINATOR Mikayla Whitmore PHOTOGRAPHERS L.E. Baskow, Christopher DeVargas, Steve Marcus

ADVERTISINGASSOCIATE PUBLISHER OF ONLINE MEDIA Katie HortonGROUP DIRECTOR OF SALES OPERATIONS Stephanie RevieaPUBLICATION COORDINATORS Kashmir Owens, Karen Parisi ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Jeff JacobsEXTERNAL CONTENT MANAGER Emma CauthornACCOUNT MANAGERS Katie Harrison, Breen Nolan, Sue SranADVERTISING MANAGERS Brianna Eck, Danielle El Kadi, Frank Feder, Kelly Gajewski, Kenneth Harmon, Trasie MasonSALES ASSISTANT Denise ArancibiaEXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Kristen Barnson

MARKETING & EVENTSDIRECTOR OF EVENTS Kristin WilsonEVENTS COORDINATOR Jordan Newsom

PRODUCTIONVICE PRESIDENT OF MANUFACTURING Maria Blondeaux ASSISTANT PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Paul Huntsberry PRODUCTION MANAGER Blue Uyeda PRODUCTION ARTIST Marissa Maheras, Dara Ricci ART DIRECTOR Sean Rademacher GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Michele Hamrick, Carlos Herrera TRAFFIC SUPERVISOR Estee Wright TRAFFIC COORDINATORS Kim Smith, Meagan Hodson

CIRCULATIONDIRECTOR OF CIRCULATION Ron GannonROUTE MANAGER Joel Segler

GREENSPUN MEDIA GROUPCEO, PUBLISHER & EDITOR Brian GreenspunCHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Robert CauthornGROUP PUBLISHER Travis KeysEXECUTIVE EDITOR Tom GormanMANAGING EDITOR Ric AndersonCREATIVE DIRECTOR Erik Stein

ALL THESE CONVENTIONS ARE GOING TO NEED SPACE

Convention business is expected

to deliver hundreds of millions of

dollars to Southern Nevada this year .

Two new shows and 10 rotating

conventions are expected to draw

a combined 242,000 people and

generate nearly $315 million in

economic impact.

Magic: The Gathering Tournament for

tradable card enthusiasts will be held

in May, and the American Academy of

Ophthalmology’s annual conference is

planned for November.

Las Vegas is in the “group business”

business.

Among the returning shows:

the National Business Aviation

Association Convention, Packaging

Machinery Manufacturers

Institute’s Pack Expo,

International Sign

Association Expo, Waste

Expo and Association of

Woodworking & Furnishing

Suppliers Fair.

Although Las Vegas

hosts more than 22,000

meetings and conventions

annually, more are merrier

— and better for our

economy. Maybe the Las

Vegas Convention and

Visitors Authority is onto

something with its plan to

demolish the Riviera and

expand onto the property.

— ELLEN FIORE

CONTENTS

THE SUNDAY


44_VITOC_20150308.indd 44 3/5/15 2:19 PM

CALL 702-939-1146

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GIVINGSend your business-related information to [email protected]

THE SUNDAY


Popcornopolis donated 500 bags of popcorn to the Douglas J. Green Memorial Foundation’s “Munchies for the Military” program. Green, 23, died in 2011 during his second tour of duty in Afghanistan. His mother, Suni Erlanger, created the foundation and the “Munchies for the Military” drive to send care packages to deployed troops.

City National Bank and Barnes & Noble collected books for local schools. City National also matched each book received with a monetary donation, pledging up to $100,000. The ongoing partnership has award-ed more than $800,000 to teachers for literary projects.

Vegas Stylez Hair Salon gave free makeovers to women in Shade Tree battered women’s program.

More than 25 FirstService Residen-tial employees volunteered with Cheyenne’s Magical School Bus Tours, which enables local students from at-risk elementary schools to visit the Magical Forest at Opportu-nity Village.

Nevada State Bank underwrote $30,800 for the Las Vegas Veterans Memorial. Fifty-five bricks will be inscribed with the name of a service member from Nevada who served in Iraq or Afghanistan and who died since Sept. 11, 2001. The memorial will be built at the Grant Sawyer Building. The bank also awarded a $20,000 Access to Housing and Economic Assistance for Development Grant to James Seastrand Helping Hands of North Las Vegas to help low-income seniors.

Advertising agency Robertson+ Partners unveiled its “Be Positive” campaign, which encourages com-munity members to perform random acts of positivity and share them at facebook.com/bepositiveLV.

The Las Vegas Speedway Children’s Charities awarded $5,000 to Can-dlelighters Childhood Cancer Foun-dation of Nevada. The money will be used for the Travel for Treatment program, which helps cover travel expenses for children diagnosed with cancer when treatment is unavailable in Southern Nevada.

Army Spcs.Jamie Olson and Larry Lemieux, graduates of the College of Southern Nevada’s air condition-ing technology program, won the first two toolkits awarded through the Kenneth Goodrich CSN Post-9/11 Veteran HVAC Employment Program. The kits include tools and diagnostics worth more than $1,000 that are necessary to start a career in the HVAC field.

Orangetheory Fitness Village Square at The Lakes and Anthem in Henderson donated airline miles to Let’s Bring ‘Em Home, a group that helps U.S. servicemen and women come home for holidays.

The Las Vegas Hospitality Associa-tion gave gift bags to 300 students

at Richard C. Priest Elementary School. The gift bags included shoes,

socks, a coat, a sweater or shirt, a

blanket, toys, books and other items.

New Song Church hosted a donation

drive for the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth and collected

a truckload of clothing, gift cards,

toiletries and other items, as well as

almost $1,000.

Adolfo Quintero, co-owner of AGR Group, was among the executives

who gathered with Marines at an an-

nual dinner to celebrate the Toys for Tots Literacy Program. Attendees

donated more than 100,000 books.

The North Las Vegas Library Dis-

trict received $28,000 from the NV Energy Foundation to upgrade computers at City Hall Library. The foundation also gave $10,000 to Goodwill of Southern Nevada’s Work Readiness Program, which holds workshops for job seekers.

Members of the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors donated nearly $30,000 to several local chari-ties: Catholic Charities, Family & Child Treatment, Foreclosed Upon Pets, Nevada Homeless Alliance, Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, Pet Awareness & Welfare Services, Project 150, Shade Tree, Street Teens, Walter Hoving Home, Safe Nest and Big Brothers, Big Sisters.

The Providence master planned community donated almost 1,600 cans of food to Three Square Food Bank.

The Nellis Support Team donated $15,000 to Operation Warmheart for the “Adopt-A-Family” program, which provides food and toys to needy military families at Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases.

Bally employees, in partnership with the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foun-dation, raised more than $15,000 for five families in Southern Nevada.

Henderson Hyundai Superstore do-nated $4,000 to Stop DUI, dedicated to bringing awareness to the conse-quences of intoxicated driving.

Bank of America donated $25,000 to Three Square Food Bank, the equivalent of 75,000 meals. The bank also awarded $136,700 to 10 local nonprofits that provide disaster aid, homelessness assistance and hunger relief.

Baby’s Bounty received 125 car seats from K.I.D.S./Fashion Deliv-ers, which collects new merchandise from retailers for families living in poverty.

Allegiant Air provided travel for 33 children involved with Make-A-Wish

Foundation during the winter holi-day season. The travel company flew more than 150 children to their wish destinations in 2014.

Darin Feinstein, founder of Fat Bar and owner of three local FatBurger restaurants, hosted a holiday lunch for Shade Tree residents. He also matched customers’ donations to the group, pledging up to $10,000.

The 2014 Balloons With a Twist and HalloweenMart 20th Anniversary celebration and fundraiser gener-ated almost $3,000 for Aid For AIDS Nevada, Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada, Cre-ate A Change Now and Legacy X.

Matt Smith Physical Therapy col-lected almost 300 toys for the Light of the World Childhood Cancer Foundation, which offers spiritual, emotional and financial support to childhood cancer patients.

Fremont Street Experience donated $15,068 to Opportunity Village.

The Consumer Electronics Associa-tion donated $100,000 to Green Our Planet, Green Chips and Touro University to advance their work in energy efficiency. International CES exhibitors donated display and exhibit materials to Habitat for Humanity, Opportunity Village and Teacher Exchange.

The Caesars Foundation, AARP Foundation and Meals On Wheels Association of America created ap-plication assistance software for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The Caesars Foundation gave $150,000 to the pilot program, which will use tablet technology to assess eligibility and, where possible, complete and submit applications for benefits.

Right Now Air, an HVAC services provider, donated $1,500 to U.S. Vets-Las Vegas to provide supplies and warm clothing for almost 195 homeless veterans.

Mercadito Red Rock at Red Rock Resort sold tacos created by guest chefs to raise money for Share Our Strength, which aims to end child-hood hunger. Participating chefs include John Gremo, Rick Moonen, Kim Canteenwalla, Alex Stratta and Patricio Sandoval.

After-School All-Stars Las Vegas received several donations to help the organization provide free after-school academic and enrichment programs to more than 5,500 under-

privileged students in Clark County. Coca-Cola North America donated $20,000; Steven and Patricia Mizel donated $20,000; Jesse Waits do-nated $10,000; the Cashman Family Foundation donated $5,000; Elaine Wenger-Roesener donated $5,000; the Riseman Foundation donated $5,000, and the Sharon L. Bridwell Charitable Trust donated $3,500.

America First Credit Union donated $10,000 each to Christmas Box Interna-tional, The Road Home, SafeNest, St. Anne’s Homeless Shelter, YCC of Northern Utah, Cathedral of the Madeline Good Shepherd Program, SHARE, Inc., Catholic Community Services and the Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank.

The Public Education Foundation and Payless ShoeSource gave $20 shoe coupons to 300 students from Rex Bell, Crestwood, Paul Culley, Hollingsworth, Matt Kelly, J.T. McWilliams and John S. Park elementary schools. At a sepa-rate event, Mandarin Oriental donated $17,000 to the foundation to fund a school-supply resource center that saves teachers hundreds of dollars annually in out-of-pocket expenses.

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At rare family store on the Strip, ‘each product has a story’

Kim Weiss owns Vom Fass, which sells whiskeys and liqueurs on tap and lets shoppers sample them before purchasing. The company also sells wine, specialty oils and vinegars. (STEVE MARCUS/STAFF)

BY THE NUMBERS

$200,000Median price of a

single-family home resale in January, according to the

Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors, up 70 percent from early 2012,

when the Las Vegas housing market hit bottom.

2,992Single-family homes

flipped in Southern Nevada last year, down 19 percent

from 2013, according to RealtyTrac.

$576.8 MILLIONGaming revenue on the Strip in January,

up 15 percent from January 2013.

$4 MILLIONApproximate cost, per

store, to convert six local Food 4 Less grocery stores

to Smith’s Food and Drug stores.

800Number of former

Food 4 Less employees hired by Smith’s.

$8 MILLIONSales price of an

8,900-square-foot mansion in the Ridges, the most

expensive home resale in the valley last year.

$10,000Sales price of a

776-square-foot unit in the Desert Garden

condominium complex, the cheapest home resale in the

valley last year.

$970Typical union worker’s

weekly pay in 2014, compared with $763 for a nonunion worker, accord-ing to the Bureau of Labor

Statistics.

3.3 MILLIONPassengers who passed

through McCarran International Airport’s gates

in January, an increase of 0.3 percent

from January 2014.

Describe your business.

Our shop is like a candy store for adults, where you get to come in and taste these products we have collected from around the world – from single-malt, single-cask scotches to whiskeys, cognacs and brandies, to extra virgin olive oils from the Mediterranean, to vinegars from Italy and Germany and France to spices like truffle salt, orange pepper, garlic pepper and bruschetta spice.

What are some of your most unusual liquors, oils

and vinegars?

We have a Bunnahabhain 24-year single-malt, single-cask scotch from Islay that is bottled at 43 percent al-cohol by volume with no caramel coloring and no chill filtering. We also have a Cognac Cuvee Paradis from the Grande Champagne region of Cognac, made by the Segui-not family, which has been making cognac since 1890.

All of our fruit vinegars are unique; they are made com-pletely out of just fruit — so they taste just like fruit.

What makes your business unique?

Each product has a story. This business is about pro-viding the best, but in a way that makes the world a better place.

The Moroccan oil is made by a consortium of Moroc-can tribal women to raise their economic circumstances. The calamansi vinegar is in our portfolio as a way of sup-porting a Filipino orphanage. The apple vinegar, which started the company, is a product of trying to preserve a heritage apple tree, Bodensee apple, that is native to Bavaria. We need to find a way to create a product that will provide the farmers a sustainable price so they won’t

cut their apple trees down and grow these GMO apples that look pretty but don’t have as much fla-vor. Everything that we do is very purposeful.

What’s the most important

part of your job?

Customer service. It really is that simple: This is not rocket sci-ence. This is about treating peo-ple like they’re special, because they are; about giving them the

best, because they deserve it; and at the same time, treat-ing the world and the people who produce the products in a way that is respectful and allows them to continue to do that.

What is the best part about doing business here?

This is a crossroads of the world where people come for fun and excitement, and we’re excited to be a part of that because we think we provide a unique experience.

What obstacles has your business overcome?

We feel very blessed to have this opportunity, but a lot of it was about having the hutzpah to ask. You don’t find many family-owned businesses on the Strip, and it took a certain amount of hutzpah for us to even ask.

How can Nevada improve its business climate?

There are a lot of barriers to entry in Nevada, but a lot of it is just figuring out exactly all the licenses you need, all the hoops you need to jump through, all the people you need to talk to. This is our third store in our third state, and we found Nevada to be very highly regulated. If there were a way to streamline that, it would reduce the barri-ers to entry significantly.

VOM FASS LAS VEGASAddress: 3377 Las Vegas Blvd. South inside the Grand Canal Shoppes at the

Venetian (near Tao)Phone: 702-388-2022

Email: [email protected]: vegas.vomfassusa.com

Hours of operation: 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 10 a.m.-midnight

Friday-SaturdayOwned/operated by: Kim and Gary Weiss

In business since: February

GET TO KNOW A LOCAL BUSINESSSend your business-related information to [email protected]

THE SUNDAY


48-49_VI_MeetColumn_20150308.indd 48 3/5/15 1:01 PM

SMITH’S WORLD

Mike Smith is an award-winning editorial cartoonist who also draws for the Las

Vegas Sun. His work also is distributed nationally by King Features Syndicate.

See archives of his work at lasvegassun.com/smithsworld.

READER COMMENTSWe want to hear

from you. Visit

vegasinc.com to

post your opinion.

On Conor Shine’s

lasvegassun.com

story “Mayor

Goodman, Anthony

wrangle over

stadium issue in

radio debate”:

Independent aca-

demic studies have

consistently failed to

find any economic

development ben-

efits justifying public

subsidies. — Fair Bal-

anced Bat Boy

On Eli Segall’s

vegasinc.com story

“House flipping in

Las Vegas has scaled

back but continues

to be lucrative”:

A lot of new flip-

pers come in and get

stuck in houses and

risk an awful lot to

make very little or

even lose some with

a miscalculation.

— RichardoTubbs

On Eli Segall’s

vegasinc.com story

“A tale of two

‘bargains’: One Las

Vegas home sold for

$8M, another sold

for $10K”:

Does this behemoth

come with its own

nuclear reactor to

keep the bank of

industrial AC units

purring in August?

— topangapalooza

On the bright side,

somebody was able

to purchase a reason-

ably priced home

(though in a highly

suspect neighbor-

hood) without too

much debt. Or any

debt. If they can

remain safe and keep

the domicile secure,

it might be a great

return on investment.

— BuskinTeder-

odemowitz

L ori Nguyen remembers attending a tech-industry trade show 20 years ago in Las Vegas and assessing the crowd.

“It was 85 percent men,” said Nguyen, who now owns three local tech businesses.

Today, the share of Las Vegas women in tech jobs is vastly improved — some research suggests the percentage is higher here than the national average — as Las Vegas and Nevada embrace the tech sector. From the startups funded by Tony Hsieh’s Downtown Project to Switch’s plan to build millions more square feet for data storage, a strong tech industry has emerged.

Nguyen, who owns HiTech Vegas, and her colleagues at Girls in Tech and Women Advancing want the women who are vital to that development to be recognized.

The companies are collaborating on the second Las Vegas Women in Technology Awards, which honor women who have influenced the tech industry, demonstrated innovation and initiative and dedicated themselves to furthering the industry and others in it.

Applications are being accepted through April 15. Awards will be given in five categories — High Tech Woman of the Year, Rising Star, Community Service, Entrepreneur and Mentor.

Last year, when the window for applications was shorter, about 200 people were nominated. Nguyen hopes to draw a

much higher number this year.Nominees from all sectors are welcome in all

categories.“The Rising Star award, for example, doesn’t

need to be a startup,” Nguyen said. “A woman could have accomplished a great deal in a short time or established a business in a new market.”

Nationally, women who hold jobs in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields earn about 30 percent more than women who work in other professions, according to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. But while women have

about half the jobs in the nation, they account for fewer than 25 percent of STEM jobs, the Commerce Department found.

The goal of the Women in Technology Awards program is to recognize women’s accomplishments and encourage others to pursue tech careers.

“A lot of women in tech fields can be isolated,” Nguyen said. “Either they’re self-employed or just go-go-go. This gives them a platform to collaborate, to celebrate their achievements and to share projects and ideas they’ve been working on.”

So, Las Vegas, here’s a chance to shine a spotlight on the women helping our tech industry grow and thrive. Visit vegaswomentechawards.net to nominate the worthy women you know.

Celebrate women’s impact in tech industry

ELLEN FIORE

TALKING POINTSSend your business-related information to [email protected]

THE SUNDAY


48-49_VI_MeetColumn_20150308.indd 49 3/5/15 1:01 PM

An Allegiant Air jet takes off from McCarran International Airport. The highly profitable airline based in Las Vegas is adding Airbus jets to its fleet, which is com-posed primarily of aging MD-80s. (ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE)

BY ELI SEGALLSTAFF WRITER

If a family of four in Missoula, Mont., were to fly to Las Vegas for vacation this May, they’d pay at least $560 for tickets on budget carrier Al-legiant Air.

Not a bad deal — or they could scrap the getaway and buy a mere three shares of Allegiant’s ever-soaring stock.

The Las Vegas-based company, known for its cheap fares, large menu of add-on fees and consistent prof-its, is smaller than other carriers but has the highest-priced stock among U.S. airlines. It’s not the only one per-forming well, as the airline industry is popular with investors, despite aggra-vating fliers with cramped planes and extra charges.

Shares of Allegiant Travel Co., the carrier’s parent, closed Feb. 27 at $183.62 apiece. That’s up 87 per-cent from a year ago and more than 400 percent from March 2009, when the stock market hit bottom during the recession.

The rise has been a boon to share-holders, including majority owner and CEO Maurice “Maury” Gallagher, and has little, if any, direct benefit to the average flier. But shares keep ris-ing in no small part because Allegiant has been profitable for 12 consecutive years while other carriers have gone bankrupt, been swallowed by rivals and slashed domestic service.

Firmly in the black, Allegiant has been flying more routes and buying more planes while keeping its fares far below industry average.

“It’s just been so consistent. They’ve never really had a down year that was serious like the rest,” Imperial Capital analyst Bob McAdoo said.

Some airlines’ stocks have grown faster since the market bottomed out. Alaska Air Group traded at $3.49 per share at the time and is now at $63.65. But no one’s stock price is higher than Allegiant’s, Stifel Nicolaus analyst Joe DeNardi said.

Not all analysts think the stock will keep climbing, though. Helane Becker of Cowen and Co. expects Allegiant to dip to $172 in the next six to 12 months, saying it’s “kind of problematic” when the airline offers tickets for next to nothing, as it did late last month with promotional airfare as low as $29 one-way.

But others say the stock price will only go up. DeNardi said Allegiant, which flies leisure travelers from small, underserved cities to warm-

weather vacation spots with almost no competi-tion on its routes, has “the best business model in the industry.” He said its stock could reach $220 a share by early next year.

One reason it outweighs larger rivals such as South-west and Delta is because Gallagher, unlike other airline bosses, has not split his company’s shares. For in-stance, if you had one share worth $100, you could then have two at $50 each, making it cheaper for mom-and-pop buyers but not diluting existing investors’ holdings.

More than a few fliers complain about Allegiant — it ranked last among U.S. carriers a few years ago for on-time arrivals and charges for on-board drinks, small carry-on luggage and boarding-pass printouts at the airport. There are fliers who enjoy the airline and probably want to invest,

but since buying “three or four shares equals the price of a vacation, they’d prob-ably balk,” Deutsche Bank Securities analyst Michael Linenberg recently said.

Linenberg, on a confer-ence call with analysts and Allegiant executives, asked

Gallagher if he thought about splitting and making the stock more affordable.

“Does that make any sense, or are we on the Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway path?” he asked.

Buffett, the famed billionaire in-vestor, hasn’t split his conglomerate’s Class A shares, which are now worth $222,250 each.

Gallagher said the board has “had debates” about splitting but “it’s hard to get a consensus,” adding that the stock has increased tenfold in eight years.

“It’s been good,” he said.Gallagher owns roughly 20 percent

of the company’s stock. The other main shareholders as of last spring were investment firms T. Rowe Price Associates, with a 15.1 percent stake; Renaissance Technologies, at 7.2 per-cent; and BlackRock, at 6.9 percent, according to a securities filing.

Big investors are happy with Galla-gher, his airline and his dividend pay-ments, and they aren’t looking to sell their holdings, analyst Becker said.

Asked if it would help if Gallagher opened the stock to average buyers, Becker said, “I don’t think he really cares who owns the stock.”

Despite its higher stock price, Al-legiant’s size and market value — $3.2 billion as of Feb. 27 — pale in comparison to larger carriers that fly hundreds more planes and have issued hundreds of millions more shares than Allegiant.

Delta Air Lines’ stock closed at $44.52 on Feb. 27, valuing the carrier at $37.7 billion. Shares of Southwest Airlines, the busiest carrier by far at McCarran International Airport, were worth $43.24 each, giving the company a $29.8 billion market value. And United Continental Holdings’ stock closed at $65.13, valuing the air-line at $25.9 billion.

Unlike Allegiant, other airlines have split their shares. Southwest, for example, split 14 times between 1977 and 2001.

“Southwest kept splitting time and again to keep the price down,” McA-doo said.

Larger carriers aren’t aiming for big growth spurts, he said, but Allegiant added 25 routes last year and unveiled 22 more in late February.

It’s also adding aircraft. Allegiant, with a fleet largely composed of ag-ing MD-80s, is buying Airbus jets in a shift to newer planes that don’t guzzle as much fuel.

The company is poised to have 80 aircraft — 53 MD-80s, six Boeing 757s and 21 Airbus A319s and A320s — by year’s end. It expects to grow to 103 aircraft by the end of 2018 by acquir-ing 23 more Airbus planes.

Allegiant buys oil for immediate delivery and doesn’t stock up for the future at pre-set prices, analysts said. With crude oil selling for about $50 per barrel, down 50 percent from a year ago, Allegiant is poised to save a lot of money, boosting its bottom line and perhaps sending its stock even higher.

“With lower fuel prices like this, they’re going to do even better,” McA-doo said.

Allegiant’s fares stay low while its stock price soars

ALLEGIANT TRAVEL CO. PROFITS, 2004-14$100M

$80M

$60M

$40M

$20M

$0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

GALLAGHER

YOUR BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS NEWSSend your business-related information to [email protected]

THE SUNDAY


50_VI_IBLV_20150308.indd 50 3/5/15 12:57 PM

BY J.D. MORRISSTAFF WRITER

The major slot machine company mergers that have recently occurred shouldn’t dramatically alter what gamblers experience on the casino floor, at least for now.

Still, what’s happening behind the scenes is significant for the gaming industry.

Late last month, state regulators gave their blessing to a $6.4 billion merger between slot maker Interna-tional Game Technology and Italian lottery operator Gtech. The deal fol-lows a $5.1 billion merger between slot maker Bally Technologies and lottery company Scientific Games.

IGT and Bally already were two of the most dominant slot machine com-panies, and they’re even bigger now.

They’re also not the only recent mergers on the equipment side of the gaming industry. For example, Global Cash Access, a company that provides casinos with financial equipment such as ATMs, merged with slot mak-

er Multimedia Games.So why did all this merging happen?

And what’s the big deal, anyway?

WHY THE MERGERS HAPPENEDThe slot machine market became

too crowded with companies. Eilers Research founder Todd Eilers said the market had been flat in recent years, so the best way for big companies to continue growing was to merge with others. He said a “pretty favorable lending market where you can get some pretty cheap debt” also helped.

HOW THEY AFFECT NEVADAA common outcome of corporate

mergers is that “synergies” are identi-fied and “streamlining” happens, to use corporate-speak, and people lose their jobs. That’s true in these cases, too. Executives from both companies have admitted their mergers would result in layoffs, although it’s not clear how many.

The new IGT corporate headquar-ters will be in the United Kingdom.

IGT representatives said some cor-porate jobs would be eliminated, but they stressed to regulators that they’d maintain a strong presence in Ne-vada. The company’s global gaming operations will be based in Las Vegas, where work will include game design and development. Some of that also will happen in Reno, where IGT will concentrate heavily on its manufac-turing operations.

“Let’s face it: Las Vegas is the capi-tal of casino gaming,” Richard Tra-chok, an attorney representing IGT, assured the Gaming Commission. “Nobody is going to leave Las Vegas.”

Meanwhile, because of its merger with Bally, Scientific Games is mov-ing its corporate headquarters from New York to Las Vegas, just off the 215 Beltway near Jones Boulevard. The move was important enough to war-rant praise from Gov. Brian Sandoval, who said in a statement that it meant “hundreds of good-paying jobs for the people of Clark County and our state in the years to come.”

WHY THEY’RE IMPORTANTBally and IGT combined, Eilers

said, will control a majority of the market. Furthermore, the mergers are expanding the slot makers to in-clude the lottery part of the gaming industry. That’s significant in terms of growth, although a lottery won’t spring up in Nevada anytime soon, because the state is constitutionally banned from authorizing one.

And expansion will benefit the companies in other ways — for in-stance, they’ll be able to spend much more money than their competitors on research and development.

Commissioner Randolph Town-send stressed at the IGT hearing that the mergers were “major financial transactions.” But they’re also im-portant for the gaming industry, he said, because they signal an evolu-tionary shift.

“What it also talks to is the change in the industry,” Townsend said. “This is really a technology industry now.”

Slot mergers: Why they happened, and why they matter


THE SUNDAY


VISITPAHRUMP.COM/EVENTS

Join us in Pahrump for a weekend of food, music, art, drone exhibitions, carnival games, and tethered hot air balloon rides.

PAHRUMP BALLOON FESTIVAL

March 20 – 22, 2015

51-52_VI_IBLV_20150308.indd 51 3/6/15 12:06 PM

Public officials oppose proposed ads on Strip pedestrian bridgesBY CONOR SHINESTAFF WRITER

The Strip is saturated with adver-tisements, so what harm would there be adding a few more to the pedestri-an bridges that span the boulevard?

A lot, according to several Clark County officials who spoke out against a bill in the Legislature that would allow advertisements on the publicly owned Strip structures.

Senate Bill 199 would allow for ad-vertisements on the pedestrian bridges and their accompanying elevators and escalators, similar to advertisements at bus stops and monorail stations.

But county officials noted several problems with the proposal.

Public Works Director Denis Ce-derburg warned that stop lights at

street level could blend in with the ads on the bridges, posing a safety hazard. Drivers distracted by the ads could also slow traffic flow and create safety problems, he said.

Metro Police Capt. Devin Ballard said his agency was concerned about advertising wraps on the glass barri-ers on the bridges.

“That, of course, for us would be a huge officer safety and public safety issue to have those blocked,” Ballard said. “(Now) you can see anybody sit-ting, standing (on the bridge). Those panels being covered up would keep us from being able to see that from street level.”

A final challenge is that several of the bridge landings stretch onto pri-vate property, and the county’s deals

with the land-owning casinos don’t allow for advertisements on those parts of the structures.

Sean Higgins, a lobbyist advocat-ing for the bill, pointed out that the Senate bill would only authorize the advertisements and that the county commission would have final say on what types of signs were allowed.

Higgins added that there are adver-tisements that stretch over the road-ways in several places, including at a monorail station spanning Desert Inn Road and at the entrance to Man-dalay Bay.

Higgins said his client was willing to leave the bridges out of any future advertising plans and focus only on the accompanying elevators and es-calators if that’s what commissioners

wanted.“We’ve agreed already if the bridges

are taboo and there’s a safety issue, we’ll just walk away from those now,” he said.

But Higgins’ proposed compromise wasn’t enough for the majority of county commissioners who request-ed that staff not support the bill at the Legislature.

Commissioner Chris Giunchigli-ani said she didn’t approve of pub-lic structures being used for private advertisements, even if the bridges weren’t included in the plan.

“It creates a bigger problem for us that the money won’t resolve,” Gi-unchigliani said. “It’s whether or not advertising should be in our public right of way.”


Water rates are going up for valley homes and businesses to help pay for a new $650 million pumping station that will keep water flowing into Las Vegas, even as Lake Mead shrinks.

The Clark County Commis-sion, sitting as the board of the Las Vegas Valley Water District, voted this month to approve a fixed surcharge to water bills based on the size of the custom-er’s water meter.

The average homeowner will see monthly bills increase by $2.41 starting in 2016, with an in-crease of $3.61 per month in 2017 and $4.81 in 2018.

The added revenue will be used to help pay for the new pumping station at Lake Mead that will work even if lake elevation levels drop below 1,000 feet.

The project is a complement to the $817 million third intake straw being built at the lake to allow water to be drawn into the pumping station from lower el-evations than the existing two intake straws.

The majority of construction on the third intake was complet-ed in December, and the struc-ture is expected to be operational

this summer.Water levels at Lake Mead are

at 1,089 feet and could drop to as low as 1,066 feet over the next two years, according to projec-tions from the Bureau of Recla-mation.

The lake level has been declin-ing because of a severe drought over the past 15 years, and offi-cials fear it could plunge further if the drought continues.

The need for a new pumping station and the proposed rate in-crease to pay for it were endorsed by a citizen-led committee of business and community leaders organized by the Southern Ne-vada Water Authority.

The rate increases still need to be approved by water districts in North Las Vegas, Henderson and Boulder City.

The hike comes after a separate increase to pay off construction debt on the third intake straw and other projects was approved in 2013. That increase will add $5 to residents monthly water bills by 2017.

County Commissioner Steve Sisolak said he thought the rate increases were justified.

“Rate increases are always dif-ficult, but sometimes they’re nec-essary,” he said.


With two rounds of layoffs, the departure of two CEOs and a cash crunch that threatened the hos-pital’s ability to keep its lights on, 2014 was an especially trying year for the perpetually struggling Uni-versity Medical Center.

But amid the turmoil, the turn-over and the changes brought on by the Affordable Care Act, UMC turned a corner, new CEO Mason VanHouweling said.

“I think the community is going to be pleasantly surprised with the performance we’ve had this fiscal year,” VanHouweling said. “Espe-cially these last six months, we’ve really gained momentum.”

In January, the hospital hit its monthly revenue goal while com-ing in under its projected expenses, the first time that’s happened in a long time.

VanHouweling, promoted from chief operating officer in Decem-ber to replace the outgoing Law-rence Barnard, sees 2015 as a year of growth for UMC.

The road is still littered with ob-stacles, namely the hospital’s reli-ance on a $71 million subsidy from Clark County needed to balance its budget. The hospital eliminated 390 positions and closed four sat-ellite clinics to cut costs last year,

but VanHouweling said “there’s al-ways going to be a county subsidy.” County officials want to see that number shrink drastically as they try to find money to fill other needs at the county jail and Metro Police for the upcoming fiscal year that starts in July.

VanHouweling spends much of his 12-hour days meeting with physicians, as many as five or six a day, trying to recruit them to treat their patients at UMC. To provide those doctors with the tools they want, the hospital has added such technology as a minimally invasive robotic surgery device and high-definition scopes.

Also helping UMC is a drop in the number of uninsured patients it sees, from a high of 36 percent to the current 15 percent, due to the Affordable Care Act, which Van-Houweling said has helped level the playing field among local hos-pitals.

Turning around UMC isn’t guar-anteed and there’s still much work left to be done, VanHouweling said, but with a new governing board in place and painful cuts already made, he’s looking forward to a brighter future.

“This hospital has been around 84 years,” he said. “We’re moving it in the right direction to sustain that for the next 84 years.”

Water rate hike OK’d for homes, businesses

From turmoil to turnaround? New CEO on UMC’s status


THE SUNDAY


51-52_VI_IBLV_20150308.indd 52 3/6/15 12:06 PM

TUITION ASSISTANCE, FROM PAGE 43

More than half of U.S. companies offered some form of grad school tuition assistance in 2013degree in business management from the University of Phoenix using Verizon’s tuition assistance program.

Getting a college degree had been on her mind for years.

“I wanted to get my degree for so long, but I never thought I had the time,” Mata said. “Verizon’s flexibility and financial assistance are making it easier.”

Sixty-one percent of U.S. compa-nies provided undergraduate tuition assistance to employees in 2013, and 59 percent offered assistance for grad-uate work, according to the Society for Human Resource Management.

Since its inception in 2000, the Verizon Wireless tuition assistance program has spent $51 million nation-ally furthering employees’ education. Full-time and part-time employees are eligible for the program, which offers up to $8,000 a year for tuition at an ac-credited university.

Students maintain eligibility by earning at least a “C” in each course, and they must commit to continue working for Verizon for two years after they graduate.

“Our program is designed to encour-age lifetime learning,” said Shelyse Anderson, associate director of talent acquisition for Verizon Wireless. “By removing financial barriers, we are able to help our employees achieve their lifelong dreams of obtaining their education.”

Susan Adamek is close to achieving her dream. The director of education at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals not only is in charge of the company’s tu-ition assistance program, she also is a participant. Adamek expects to gradu-ate in May from UNLV with a Ph.D. in nursing education.

“I’m so grateful I didn’t have to choose between my job and my educa-tion,” Adamek said. “I work for a com-pany that actually supports my deci-sion to go back to school.”

Adamek said her degree would have cost $45,000 if not for Dignity Health’s tuition reimbursement program. With the company contributing $5,200 a year toward her education, Adamek will pay roughly half the cost.

Both Verizon Wireless and Dignity Health representatives said they had seen returns on their investment.

“Happy employees mean a higher rate of customer satisfaction,” Ander-son said.

With plans to transform more than 1,700 retail locations into Smart Stores over the next few years, Verizon is investing in recruiting and groom-ing staff to meet expansion needs and customer demands. Anderson says the tuition assistance program promotes personal and professional develop-ment, which in turn improves the com-pany culture and advances workers’ skill sets.

“Being a student has made me more efficient as a general manager,” said Mata, who is taking two online courses.

Mata said learning to juggle work and school schedules improved her time management and sharpened her

critical-thinking skills. Adamek said investing in employee

education is a good idea for many rea-sons, including a measurable improve-ment in patient outcomes.

In 2013, the Journal of Nursing Ad-ministration released the results of a study on staff education levels from 21 health care systems nationwide. Hos-pitals staffed with more nurses with at least four-year degrees reported fewer complications and patient deaths. A similar study found an average reduc-tion of 7.47 deaths per 1,000 patients treated by nurses with baccalaureate degrees.

“Our program not only develops leaders, it creates an internal pipeline for promotion and increases employee retention,” Adamek said.

Unlike Verizon, Dignity Health doesn’t require workers who receive tuition assistance to sign contracts guaranteeing employment after grad-uation. Full- and part-time workers need only to have been with the com-pany for six months before becoming eligible for the 20-year-old tuition re-imbursement program.

“We haven’t needed to implement a minimum-employment criteria be-cause our employees see how commit-ted we are to improving their lives, and it makes them want to stick around,” Adamek said.

Adamek said being a part-time stu-dent has given her better insight into staff needs and has made her a better professional.

“I have become more conscious of my instructors and am constantly aware of new education research and how it may benefit our staff,” she said.

Said Mata: “If you have a company that provides tuition assistance, don’t wait to take advantage of it. It will only propel you forward in your career.”

Teresa Miller, left, confers with Susan Adamek over financial aid documents in the education department at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals. Miller is an administrative assistant, and Adamek is director. (L.E. BASKOW/STAFF)

“I’m so grateful I didn’t have to choose between my job

and my education. I work for a company that actually supports

my decision to go back to school.”

Susan Adamek, director of education at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals


THE SUNDAY


43,53_VICover_20150308.indd 53 3/5/15 2:30 PM

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Calendar of eventsMONDAY, MARCH 9

Nevada Institute of Personalized

Medicine seminar series

Time: 2-3 p.m. Cost: Free

Location: UNLV, Student Union Room 219,

4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas

Information: Email Megan Svarz

at [email protected]

Bioinformatics researcher Dongziao Zhu

will present, “Deep Sequencing Analytics

to Enable Precision Medicine.”

TUESDAY, MARCH 10

Conservation, Cultivation

& Cannabis in Clark County

Time: 7-9 a.m. Cost: $20 for U.S. Green Build-

ing Council Nevada Chapter members, $35 for

nonmembers

Location: The InNEVation Center, third floor,

6795 Edmond St., Las Vegas

Information: Call 702-952-2468

John Laub of the Las Vegas Medical Marijuana As-

sociation will moderate a discussion about medi-

cal marijuana with Arnold Lopez, of NV Energy;

Tom Perrigo, of the city of Las Vegas; John Perry,

a cultivation and industry expert; and Nicola Ker-

slake, of Newbean Capital.

Henderson Chamber of

Commerce networking breakfast

Time: 7-9 a.m. Cost: $25 for Henderson Chamber

members, $45 for nonmembers, additional $10

for walk-ins

Location: Wildhorse Golf Club, 2100 W. Warm

Springs Road, Henderson

Information: Visit hendersonchamber.com/events

Members of the chamber’s legislative committee

will discuss issues that lawmakers will consider

this session.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11

Roseman Medical School update

Time: 8-9 a.m. Cost: Free

Location: Roseman University of Health Sciences

Summerlin Campus, Ralph & Betty Engelstad

Research Building, second floor, 10530 Discovery

Drive, Las Vegas

Information: Email [email protected]

Dr. Mark A. Penn, founding dean of Roseman Uni-

versity’s College of Medicine, will discuss develop-

ment of the college and its impact on the future of

Southern Nevada.

Business networking event

Time: 6 p.m. Cost: $20

Location: House of Blues Foundation Room at

Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South

Information: Visit socialregister.com or call 702-

256-0123

Expand your network and establish valuable rela-

tionships with high-level executives and business

owners in Las Vegas. Business attire required.

THURSDAY, MARCH 12

Las Vegas Asian Chamber

of Commerce networking mixer

Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Cost: $10 for Asian Chamber

members, $15 for nonmembers

Location: Park Place Infiniti, 5555 W. Sahara Ave.,

Las Vegas

Information: Email [email protected]

Meet new people. Share contacts, referrals and

ideas.

FRIDAY, MARCH 13

Small Business Association

Women’s History Month event

Time: 8:30 a.m.-noon Cost: Free

Location: SBA office, Suite 400, 300 S. Fourth St.,

Las Vegas

Information: Call 702-734-3555

Successful businesswomen will share their knowl-

edge and expertise about what it takes to start a

business.

SATURDAY, MARCH 14

“Solving mysteries to owning a business”

Time: 11:30 a.m. Cost: $30 for one person, $45 for

two people

Location: Urban Chamber of Commerce, 1951

Stella Lake St., Suite 30, Las Vegas

Information: Email Cindy Vallar at cvallar@scorelv.

org

Learn about the pros and cons of the three most

popular ways to get into business for yourself:

starting a business from scratch, buying an existing

business and buying a franchise. Learn about busi-

ness entity types, including C-Corp, S-Corp, LLC,

LLP and partnership.

TUESDAY, MARCH 17

Lady Vegas Business Club luncheon

Time: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Cost: $30

Location: Siena Italian restaurant, 9500 W. Sahara

Ave., Las Vegas

Information: Visit dannyvegaslive.com/events

Keynote speaker will be Loren Slocum Lahav, a

personal development seminar leader.

Risk Management Society educational session

and meeting: NRCP 30(b)(6) PMK Depositions

Time: 11 a.m. Cost: $27 for members, $30 for non-

members with RSVP

Location: Lawry’s, 4043 Howard Hughes Parkway,

Las Vegas

Information: Visit nevada.rims.org

Attorney Justin Sember will discuss how a Person

Most Knowledgeable, a person appointed by a cor-

poration or government agency to testify on their

behalf, should handle depositions.

The Affordable Care Act:

Its Impact on Nevada

Time: 6:30 p.m. Cost: Free

Location: The InNEVation Center, third floor, 6795

Edmond St., Las Vegas

Information: Email Marni Unger at marni@jewish-

lasvegas.com

The Business and Professional Network of the Jew-

ish Federation will present a panel discussion about

the Affordable Care Act and how it affects resi-

dents and businesses in Nevada. Panelists include

Dr. Mitchell Forman, dean of the medical school at

Touro University; attorney Max Gakh; public policy

expert Stacey Tovino; David Dahan, CEO of Orgill/

Singer & Associates; Rabbi Yitz Wyne of Young

Israel Aish; and moderator Dr. Hugh Bassewitz.

Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine

seminar series

Time: 4-5 p.m. Cost: Free

Location: UNLV, Science and Engineering Building

auditorium, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas

Information: Email Megan Svarz at [email protected]

Dr. Vasu Punj of the Keck School of Medicine at

the University of Southern California, will present,

“Forging a Genomics Path to Personalized Cancer

Therapies.”

An employee refills a jar of medical marijuana at a dispensary in Denver. (ANTHONY SOUFFLE/CHICAGO TRIBUNE)


THE SUNDAY


55_VI_calendar20150308.indd 55 3/6/15 12:03 PM

THE DATASend your business-related information to [email protected]

THE SUNDAY


Records and TransactionsBID OPPORTUNITIES

TUESDAY, MARCH 102:30 p.m.Mobile training galleryState of Nevada, 8306Annette Morfin at [email protected]

3 p.m.Sahara Avenue and North Boulder Highway landscape maintenanceClark County, 603578Ashley Blanco at [email protected]

3 p.m.Annual requirements contract for forensic toxicology testClark County, 603594Jim Haining at [email protected]

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 113 p.m.Professional engineering services for on-demand quality assurance agency construction inspection servicesClark County, SOQ 603583Sandy Moody-Upton at [email protected]

THURSDAY, MARCH 122 p.m.Toilet paperState of Nevada, 8312Nancy Feser at [email protected]

2:15 p.m.Brocade load balance deviceState of Nevada, 8309Marti Marsh at [email protected]

2:15 p.m.Animal Control horse impound improvements - Horseman’s ParkClark County, 603601Sandy Moody-Upton at [email protected]

2:15 p.m.Government Center employee parking lot access control im-provementClark County, 603607Sandy Moody-Upton at [email protected]

3 p.m.Contract for claims adjusting services for liability claimsClark County, 603577Chetan Champaneri at [email protected]

FRIDAY, MARCH 132:15 p.m.Pecos Road and Russell Road resurfacingClark County, 603597Tom Boldt at [email protected]

3 p.m.Current production model various trailersClark County, 603611Sandra Mendoza at [email protected]

3 p.m.Current production model water tender tankerClark County, 603599Sandra Mendoza at [email protected]

BROKERED

TRANSACTIONS

LEASES$393,348 for 12,600 square feet, industrial for 60 months3500 John Peter Lee St., North Las Vegas 89032Landlord: Cypress Creek Invest-ments LLCLandlord agent: Amy Ogden and Danielle Steffen of Cushman & Wakefield CommerceTenant: Fencing Specialist Inc.Tenant agent: Ben Millis of New-mark Grubb Knight Frank

$360,581 for 3,304 square feet, office for 65 months5888 W. Sunset Road, Suite 130, Las Vegas 89113Landlord: HDI Las Vegas LLCLandlord agent: Katie Brase and Jerry Hagfeldt of MDL GroupTenant: Glory Global Solutions Inc.Tenant agent: Mike Dunn and Paula Lea of Cushman & Wakefield Commerce

$231,056 for 1,400 square feet, retail for 62 months1150 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas 89119Landlord: Flamingo Maryland Investors LLCLandlord agent: Dan Hubbard and Todd Manning of Cushman & Wakefield CommerceTenant: The Cupcakery LLCTenant agent: Did not disclose

$179,496 for 1,800 square feet, retail for 65 months8090 Blue Diamond Road, Suite 180, Las Vegas 89178Landlord: Sunstone Diamond LLCLandlord agent: Nelson Tressler and Michael Zobrist of Newmark Grubb Knight FrankTenant: Bahuchar Trading LLCTenant agent: Jaimee Yoshizawa of The RED Ltd.

$105,840 for 1,400 square feet, retail for 63 months3455 S. Durango Drive, Suite 112, Las Vegas 89117Landlord: MDM Properties Nevada LLCLandlord agent: Chris Godino of Newmark Grubb Knight FrankTenant: Maggie Reb/Belle De

Provence LLC dba La Maison De MaggieTenant agent: Amy Kyzykyan of Realty One Group

$47,187 for 749 square feet, retail for 39 months40 Costa di Lago, Suite 100, Hen-derson 89011Landlord: Signal Butte Investors LLCLandlord agent: Robert S. Hatrak II of Virtus CommercialTenant: Shawn Elliott of Lobster-man’s RestaurantTenant agent: Robert S. Hatrak II of Virtus Commercial

$37,464 for 37,464 square feet, retail for 36 months3950 E. Sunset Road, Las Vegas 89120Landlord: 3950 E. Sunset LLCLandlord agent: Dan Hubbard and Todd Manning of Cushman & Wakefield CommerceTenant: Big Deluxe Tattoo (re-newal)Tenant agent: Did not disclose

BUSINESS LICENSES

On the Go BBQBusiness type: Food services or caféAddress: 6000 Spring Mountain Road, Las VegasOwner: Nicholas Williamson

Papa Murphy’s Take n’ Bake PizzaBusiness type: Food services or caféAddress: 4900 W. Craig Road, Suite 4, Las VegasOwner: DD Pizza Ltd.

Park Avenue MaintenanceBusiness type: Repair and main-tenanceAddress: 9640 Toy Soldier St., Las VegasOwner: Michael D. Park

Pinoy MarketBusiness type: Food specialty storeAddress: 6820 W. Sahara Ave., Suite 1, Las VegasOwner: King James Liquidators Inc.

PublicusBusiness type: Beer/wine cooler salesAddress: 1126 Fremont St., Las VegasOwner: Publicus LLC

Pucker’Up Organic LemonadeBusiness type: Nonfarm product vendorAddress: 302 S. Rampart Blvd., Las VegasOwner: Mansur Ward

Pulse Realty Group LLCBusiness type: Real estate

Address: 6955 N. Durango Drive, Suite 1002, Las VegasOwner: Ron L. Kaltenbach LLC

Quickee BurgersBusiness type: Food services or caféAddress: 3231 N. Decatur Blvd., Suite 122, Las VegasOwner: QB Holdings LLC

R&D CraftsBusiness type: Nonfarm product vendorAddress: 302 S. Rampart Blvd., Las VegasOwner: Ray Diaz

Red EagleBusiness type: Automotive ga-rage/service station (minor)Address: 208 W. Wyoming Ave., Las VegasOwner: Arlen Crespin

Red Tag Sales & LiquidationBusiness type: General retail salesAddress: 6820 W. Sahara Ave., Suite 2, Las VegasOwner: King James Liquidators Inc.

Redefining YouthBusiness type: General retail salesAddress: 1717 S. Decatur Blvd., Suite G52, Las VegasOwner: Shanon Brooks

RockapediaBusiness type: Publishing and newspapersAddress: 5550 Painted Mirage Road, Suite 320, Las VegasOwner: Rockapedia Inc.

San Miguel CollectionBusiness type: General retail salesAddress: 707 Fremont St., Suite 1320, Las VegasOwner: San Miguel Trading Enter-prises

Sandy KimBusiness type: Independent mas-sage therapistAddress: 2400 S. Jones Blvd., Suite 14, Las VegasOwner: Sandy Kim

SBR Properties LLCBusiness type: Business space rent or leaseAddress: 8250 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 100, Las VegasOwner: Bojan Stokic

Seale & Beers CPAs LLCBusiness type: Professional servicesAddress: 8250 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 100, Las VegasOwner: Robert T. Beers

Sensational Shine Cleaning ServiceBusiness type: Repair and main-tenanceAddress: 1519 Highfield Court, Las

VegasOwner: Brittany Scalise

Sexy Aphrodita BoutiqueBusiness type: General retail salesAddress: 1616 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Suite 150, Las VegasOwner: Sexy Aphrodita LLC

Silver Reef Biomedical ServicesBusiness type: Repair and main-tenanceAddress: 3400 W. Desert Inn Road, Suite 22, Las VegasOwner: Silver Reef Biomedical Services Inc.

Simister and Branham Dental Business type: Professional ser-vices – medicalAddress: 4510 Meadows Lane, Suite B, Las VegasOwner: Branham Dental LLC

Sofia’s PizzaBusiness type: Beer/wine cooler salesAddress: 821 N. Lamb Blvd., Suite 1, Las VegasOwner: First R&G Associates LLC

Southern Nevada Counseling CenterBusiness type: Professional servicesAddress: 6600 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 119, Las VegasOwner: Southern Nevada Counsel-ing Center LLC

Span Worldwide LLCBusiness type: Tobacco sales/loungeAddress: 2233 Paradise Road, Suite 110, Las VegasOwner: Shachi Thadhani

Speedy Auto Service Center LLCBusiness type: Automotive garage (major)Address: 41 30th St., Las VegasOwner: Janela Martinez

Steve J. SkeltonBusiness type: Real estate salesAddress: 1820 E. Sahara Ave., Suite 101, Las VegasOwner: Steve J. Skelton

Sun’s Thai Food and JerkyBusiness type: Nonfarm product vendorAddress: 300 N. Casino Center Blvd., Las VegasOwner: Sun’s Beef Jerky Thai Style LLC

Symbiotech Inc.Business type: General retail salesAddress: 601 E. Charleston Blvd., Suite 100, Las VegasOwner: Donna Siler

Tamica MinorBusiness type: Real estate salesAddress: 10750 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 180, Las VegasOwner: Tamica Minor

Records and TransactionsThatguy & Associates Inc.Business type: PhotographyAddress: 6312 W. Cheyenne Ave., Las VegasOwner: John Miranda

The Arts Factory LLCBusiness type: Alcoholic beverage catererAddress: 107 E. Charleston Blvd., Las VegasOwner: The Arts Factory LLC

The Mint 400Business type: Professional pro-moterAddress: 3475 Boulder Highway, Las VegasOwner: Joshua F. Martelli

Top Cat Cleaning Service Inc.Business type: Repair and main-tenanceAddress: 2400 N. Tenaya Way, Suites 101-103, Las VegasOwner: Thomas Cotton

Top Dog VaporsBusiness type: Vapes and elec-tronic cigarettesAddress: 2251 S. Rainbow Blvd., Las VegasOwner: Major Vapes LLC

Viva SalonBusiness type: Cosmetological establishmentAddress: 10870 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 120, Las VegasOwner: Viva Salon LLC

West Coast StaffingBusiness type: Employment agencyAddress: 1500 E. Tropicana Ave., Las VegasOwner: West Coast Staffing Solu-tions LLC

Wienerschnitzel 441Business type: RestaurantAddress: 4470 E. Charleston Blvd., Las VegasOwner: Farouk Diab

Wild TrufflesBusiness type: Alcoholic beverage catererAddress: 495 S. Grand Central Parkway, Suite C, Las VegasOwner: Wild Truffles LLC

BUILDING PERMITS

$2,186,924, plumbing2970 Coleman St., North Las VegasM.G. Newell Corp.

$901,772, residential-new930 Carnegie St., Building 18, HendersonJuliet Property Co.

$896,072, residential-new930 Carnegie St., Building 1, Henderson

56-57_VIData_20150308.indd 56 3/6/15 2:12 PM

THE DATASend your business-related information to [email protected]

THE SUNDAY


Records and TransactionsThatguy & Associates Inc.Business type: PhotographyAddress: 6312 W. Cheyenne Ave., Las VegasOwner: John Miranda

The Arts Factory LLCBusiness type: Alcoholic beverage catererAddress: 107 E. Charleston Blvd., Las VegasOwner: The Arts Factory LLC

The Mint 400Business type: Professional pro-moterAddress: 3475 Boulder Highway, Las VegasOwner: Joshua F. Martelli

Top Cat Cleaning Service Inc.Business type: Repair and main-tenanceAddress: 2400 N. Tenaya Way, Suites 101-103, Las VegasOwner: Thomas Cotton

Top Dog VaporsBusiness type: Vapes and elec-tronic cigarettesAddress: 2251 S. Rainbow Blvd., Las VegasOwner: Major Vapes LLC

Viva SalonBusiness type: Cosmetological establishmentAddress: 10870 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 120, Las VegasOwner: Viva Salon LLC

West Coast StaffingBusiness type: Employment agencyAddress: 1500 E. Tropicana Ave., Las VegasOwner: West Coast Staffing Solu-tions LLC

Wienerschnitzel 441Business type: RestaurantAddress: 4470 E. Charleston Blvd., Las VegasOwner: Farouk Diab

Wild TrufflesBusiness type: Alcoholic beverage catererAddress: 495 S. Grand Central Parkway, Suite C, Las VegasOwner: Wild Truffles LLC

BUILDING PERMITS

$2,186,924, plumbing2970 Coleman St., North Las VegasM.G. Newell Corp.


$896,072, residential-new930 Carnegie St., Building 1, Henderson

Juliet Property Co.




$896,072 residential-new930 Carnegie St., Building 8, HendersonJuliet Property Co.








$550,000, tenant improvement575 S. Grand Central Parkway, Suite 110, Las VegasSierra Contracting






$350,000, tenant improvement555 S. Grand Central Parkway, Suite 195, Las VegasMC Construction Management

$317,185, commercial-remodel105 N. Pecos Road, HendersonCharger Construction LLC

$270,000, tenant improvement505 S. Grand Central Parkway, Suite 160, Las VegasJA Stowell Construction Inc.

$252,858, commercial-alteration4711 Mitchell St., North Las VegasLPS Contracting Inc.

$238,032 residential-new7361 Fruitful Harvest Ave., Las VegasDR Horton Inc.

$225,000 canopy628 W. Craig Road, North Las VegasPace Contracting

$211,918, residential-new9729 University Ridge Ave., Las VegasGreystone Nevada LLC

$207,550, assembly group930 Carnegie St., HendersonJuliet Property Co.

$199,259, residential-new7351 Fruitful Harvest Ave., Las VegasDR Horton Inc.

$190,000, tenant improvement888 W. Bonneville Ave., Las VegasWhiting Turner Contracting Company

$186,257, residential-new819 Via Serenelia, HendersonGreystone Nevada LLC


$178,993, residential-new2170 Trivero St., HendersonPardee Homes of Nevada


$171,818, sign2427 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas

Yesco LLC





$166,738, residential-new3213 Porto Vittoria Ave., Hender-sonToll Henderson LLC

$160,266, residential-new298 Lindura Court, Las VegasToll South LV LLC

$159,142, residential-new2902 Shining Sun Way, HendersonGreystone Nevada LLC

$157,478, residential-new515 Fife St., HendersonFM Contracting LLC


$156,323, residential-new12273 Catanzaro Ave., Las VegasRyland Homes


$149,493, residential-new118 Via della Costrella, HendersonGreystone Nevada LLC

$146,699, residential-new6922 Lakota Summit Court, Las VegasDR Horton Inc.

$145,834, residential-new1076 Aubrey Springs Ave., Hen-dersonDR Horton Inc.

$145,279, residential-new929 Carson Bluff Ave., HendersonRyland Homes

$142,396, residential-new1106 Echo Pass St., HendersonKB Home Nevada Inc.

$142,396, residential-new729 Gulf Pearl Drive, HendersonKB Home Nevada Inc.




$140,289, residential-new1073 Aubrey Springs Ave., Hen-dersonDR Horton Inc.

$136,795 residential-new1109 Via della Costrella, HendersonGreystone Nevada LLC


$135,464, residential-new1009 Via Gandalfi, HendersonCentury Communities of Nevada




CONVENTIONS

CaterSource Event Solutions An-nual Conference and Tradeshow 2015Location: Las Vegas Convention CenterDates: March 10-11Expected attendance: 9,000

Travel Goods Show 2015Location: Las Vegas Convention CenterDates: March 10-12Expected attendance: 4,000

National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) - 2015 Annual ConferenceLocation: Caesars PalaceDates: March 11-14Expected attendance: 1,600

Digital Signage Expo 2015Location: Las Vegas Convention CenterDates: March 11-12Expected attendance: 6,000

To receive a complete copy of Data Plus every week in Excel, please go to www.vegasinc.com/subscribe

56-57_VIData_20150308.indd 57 3/6/15 2:12 PM

NO, IT’S NOT THE HANDLE TO YOUR NEW ION-FLUX HARD DRIVE.

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The Southern Nevada Water Authority is a not-for-profi t water utility.

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This is being provided for informational purposes only. Not a commitment to lend. Not all borrowers will qualify. Prices, included features, availability and delivery dates are subject to change without notice or obligation and subject to builder discretion. Square footages are approximate. Terms and conditions vary and are subject to credit approval, market changes and availability. Images are an artists conception, actual homes may vary.

844 LOCH KATRINE AVE | HENDERSON, NV 89012 MON 1:00PM - 5:00PMJUST CALL JEFF! (702) 501-6301 TUES-SUN 10:00AM - 5:00PM www.drhorton.com/lasvegas

AN EXCLUSIVE GALLERY OF MODERN, CONTEMPORARY COURTYARD STYLE HOMES DESIRABLY NESTLED ALONGSIDE BLACK MOUNTAIN IN HENDERSON. FLOOR PLANS FROM 2,820 SQ.FT. TO 3,220 SQ.FT.

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The List

* Grades category begins at pre-K, though some listed schools offer programs for younger children. Source: VEGAS INC research. It is not the intent of this list to endorse the participants or to imply that the listing of a company indicates its quality.

Although every attempt is made to ensure the accuracy and thoroughness of VEGAS INC lists, omissions sometimes occur. Please send corrections or additions on company letterhead to Pashtana Usufzy, researcher, VEGAS INC, 2360 Corporate Circle,

Third Floor, Henderson, NV 89074.

CATEGORY: PRIVATE SCHOOLS(RANKED BY SPRING 2015 ENROLLMENT)

School Enrollment Grades* TuitionYear established Top executive

1 Faith Lutheran Middle School and High School2015 S. Hualapai WayLas Vegas, NV 89117702-804-4400 • faithlutheranlv.org

1,562 6-12 $10,500 1979 Steve Buuck, CEO

2 Bishop Gorman High School5959 S. Hualapai WayLas Vegas, NV 89148702-732-1945 • bishopgorman.org

1,400 9-12 $11,100-$12,500 1954 John Kilduff, president

3 The Meadows School8601 Scholar LaneLas Vegas, NV 89128702-254-1610 • themeadowsschool.org

875 Pre-K through 12

$9,590-$23,100 1984 Jeremy Gregersen, head of school

4 Las Vegas Day School3275 Red Rock St.Las Vegas, NV 89146702-362-1180 • lvds.com

845 Pre-K through 8

$5,850-$15,450 1961 Neil Daseler, director

5 Green Valley Christian School711 N. Valle Verde CourtHenderson, NV 89014702-454-4056 • gvchristianschool.com


$5,736-$7,400 1993 Stephanie Smith, junior/senior schools principal; Deborah Ingalls, elementary school principal

6 Lake Mead Christian Academy540 E. Lake Mead ParkwayHenderson, NV 89015702-565-5831 • lmca.org


$6,530-$8,500 1989 Sue Blakeley, administrator

7 Adelson Educational Campus9700 W. Hillpointe RoadLas Vegas, NV 89134702-255-4500 • adelsoncampus.org


$14,000-$20,850 1980 Paul Schiffman, head of school

8 St. Viator Catholic School4246 S. Eastern Ave.Las Vegas, NV 89119702-732-4477 • stviatorschool.org

611 Pre-K through 8

$5,150-$7,600 1964 Kathleen Daulton, principal

9 The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain10845 W. Desert Inn RoadLas Vegas, NV 89135702-949-3600 • adsrm.org

595 Pre-K through 8

$11,500-$22,300 2001 Dal Sohi, headmaster

10 Calvary Chapel Christian School7175 W. Oquendo RoadLas Vegas, NV 89113702-248-8879 • cccslions.org


$5,800-$7,560 1994 Rick Martin, superintendent

11 Mountain View Christian Schools3900 E. Bonanza RoadLas Vegas, NV 89110702-452-1300 • mvcs.net


$6,000-$8,000 1983 Crystal VanKempen- McClanahan, principal

12 Cornerstone Christian Academy5825 W. Eldora Ave.Las Vegas, NV 89146702-939-5050 • ccanv.com

495 Pre-K through 8

$5,400-$7,100 2001 James Whiddon, principal

13 Henderson International School1165 Sandy Ridge Ave.Henderson, NV 89052702-818-2100 • hendersonschool.com

400 Pre-K through 8

$9,200-$16,275 1992 Seth W. Ahlborn, headmaster

14 Lamb of God Lutheran School6232 N. Jones Blvd.Las Vegas, NV 89130702-645-1626 • lambofgodlv.com

350 Pre-K through 5

Varies 2001 Sanna Klipfel, principal

15 International Christian Academy8100 Westcliff DriveLas Vegas, NV 89145702-869-1109 • ICALV.com

320 Pre-K through 8

$5,800-$5,957 1999 Robert Mekus, principal


THE SUNDAY


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Free Draft Beer

LOCATED CENTER STRIP AT THE LINQ UNDER THE WHEEL

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*Must be at least 21 with valid photo ID. Cannot be combined with any other offer. No cash value. Management reserves all rights.

Not valid on holidays or during special events. Expires 3/31/2015.

Get 15% off Parts

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Plus tax. Coupon valid through 3/31/15. Must present coupon at time of service. Doesn’t apply to prior service.

One coupon per guest, per visit. Not valid with any other offer. See dealer for full details.

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Complimentary buffet value up to $12.99, additional fees apply on specialty, brunch and holiday buffets. Tax and Gratuity not included.

One coupon per person, per table. Dine in only. No cash value. Management reserves all rights. Expires 4/4/15. Settle to: 535

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FREE Bloody Mary

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*Subject to availability. Must present coupon when booking Gospel Brunch ticket; to get a drink ticket for free Bloody Mary or Mimosa.

Limit one coupon per customer. Not valid with any other offers. Offer is non-transferable and has no cash value.

Not valid on holidays. Management reserves all rights. Expires 3/28/15.

HOUSE OF BLUES INSIDE MANDALAY BAY RESORT

3950 LAS VEGAS BLVD. S, LAS VEGAS, NV 89119

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Limit one coupon per customer. Not valid with any other offers. Offifer is non-transferable and has no cash value. Must be 21+ with valid ID.

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063-065_tsd_030815.indd 63 3/5/15 5:09 PM

FREE T-Shirt

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FREE Drink

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Wine, well or domestic beer

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VALID AT 3290 W. ANN ROAD and 6788 NORTH 5TH STREET ONLY. Settle to 1550.

3290 W. ANN ROAD

NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV 89031

(702) 395-0492

www.pteglv.com

6788 NORTH 5TH STREET


(702) 633-0901

www.pteglv.com

FREE Appetizer

at Sean Patrick’s

Buy one appetizer and get the second FREE

*Expires 3/28/15. Please present coupon at time of order. No cash value. Maximum value at $9.99 on free appetizer.

Management reserves all rights. See bar host for details.

VALID AT 3290 W. ANN ROAD and 6788 NORTH 5TH STREET ONLY. Settle to 1560.

3290 W. ANN ROAD


(702) 395-0492

www.pteglv.com

6788 NORTH 5TH STREET


(702) 633-0901

www.pteglv.com

FREE Drink

at Sean Patrick’s

Wine, well or domestic beer

*Expires 3/28/15. Please present coupon at time of order. No cash value. Management reserves all rights.

May not be combined with any other offer. See bar host for details.

VALID AT 11930 SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS PKWY. and 8255 W. FLAMINGO ROAD ONLY. Settle to 1550.

11930 SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS PKWY.

LAS VEGAS, NV 89141

(702) 837-0213

www.pteglv.com

8255 W. FLAMINGO ROAD

LAS VEGAS, NV 89147

(702) 227-9793

www.pteglv.com

FREE Appetizer

at Sean Patrick’s

Buy one appetizer and get the second FREE

*Expires 3/28/15. Please present coupon at time of order. No cash value. Maximum value at $9.99 on free appetizer.

Management reserves all rights. See bar host for details.

VALID AT 11930 SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS PKWY. and 8255 W. FLAMINGO ROAD ONLY. Settle to 1560.

11930 SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS PKWY.

LAS VEGAS, NV 89141

(702) 837-0213

www.pteglv.com

8255 W. FLAMINGO ROAD

LAS VEGAS, NV 89147

(702) 227-9793

www.pteglv.com

$5 OFF Any

Purchase of $30

or More

Present this coupon at time of purchase. Management reserves all rights.Cannot be combined with any other discount or offer.

169 E. TROPICANA, LAS VEGAS, NV 89109

(702) 262-9100

6030 W. WINDMILL LN., LAS VEGAS, NV 89139

(702) 222-3030

8544 BLUE DIAMOND, LAS VEGAS, NV 89178

(702) 629-2992

063-065_tsd_030815.indd 64 3/5/15 5:17 PM

725 S RACETRACK RD. HENDERSON, NV 89015

(702) 566-5555

www.clubfortunecasino.com

$5 FREE

Slot Play

for New MembersMust become a Player Rewards Card member to redeem.

Existing Player Rewards Card Members do not qualify.

Cannot be used in conjunction with any other free slot play offer.

Management reserves all rights. Limit of one (1) New Member

free slot play offer per person and Player Rewards card.

Group #5303. Valid 3/08/15–3/14/15.

Las Vegas Smoke Shop

1225 N. MAIN STREET, LV, NV 89101

(702) 366-1101

Snow Mountain Smoke Shop

11525 NU-WAV KAIV BLVD, LV, NV 89124

(702) 645-2957

www.LVPaiuteSmokeShop.com

$

1 OFF

Per Carton of Cigarettes— NO LIMIT —

*Cannot be used to purchase Marlboro, Misty, KOOL or Pyramid.

NO LIMIT on any other brand of carton purchased. Excludes filtered cigars.

Must be 18 years of age or older. Cannot be combined with other offers or

discounts. Limit one discount given per customer per day. Must present this

coupon for redemption. Cannot be redeemed for cash.

No photocopies accepted.

COUPON EXPIRES 3/31/2015 COUPON CODE: TS

SERVING LAS VEGAS SINCE 1978

NO ADDITIONAL TAX ON THE PAIUTE RESERVATION

6825 REDWOOD ST., LAS VEGAS, NV 89118

|

I-215 & S. RAINBOW

(702) 475-3015

www.ABCHyundai.com

20% OFF

Any of the Following Factory

Recommended Services

15,000 miles | 30,000 miles | 45,000 miles60,000 miles | 75,000 miles | 90,000 miles

*Valid for Hyundai owners through 3/31/15. See dealer for complete details. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Must present at time of service.

$25 OFF

With Local ID

for New Members*This offer cannot be combined with any other discount. Maximum weight restrictions apply. The use of drugs or alcohol is strictly prohibited

prior to your participation. Not valid for online reservation or prior purchases. Management reserves all rights. Flyers under age 18

must have a parent or guardian present during flight training. Good for the month of March. Coupon code: TSD100

200 CONVENTION CENTER DR,

LAS VEGAS, NV 89109

(702) 731-4768

www.FlySpace.com

$79 Round

of Golf

“Best Desert Course” – Golf Digest

*Some restrictions apply. MUST BOOK THROUGH THE GOLF CONCIERGE and mention this ad in The Sunday.

(702) 210-6101

www.par4golfmanagement.com/vacation-packages

One Free Order

of Fried Pickles

with purchase of regular priced entrée.

*Dine in only. Must present coupon to redeem offer. Not valid with any other offer. Excludes holidays and special events.

Management reserves all rights. Not including tax or gratuity. One voucher per guest per visit.

3850 LAS VEGAS BLVD. SO., LAS VEGAS, NV 89109

(702) 597-7991

www.dickslastresort.com

20% OFF

Entire Guest

Check

*One coupon, per table, per visit. Not valid with any other coupons or

promotional offers. Coupon has no cash value. No change returned.

Taxes and gratuity not included. Valid at participating Denny’s restaurants.

Selection and prices may vary. Only original coupon accepted. Photocopied

and Internet printed or purchased coupons are not valid. No substitutions.

© 2014 DFO, LLC. Printed in the U.S.A. Offer ends 3.14.15.

1775 E. TROPICANA AVE. #30

LAS VEGAS, NV 89119

(702) 247-8766

www.cafemayakovsky.com

FREE House

Fusion Vodka

Shot With

Any Entrée

Must present coupon. Expiration date: 3/22/15.

Limit 1 per customer and can’t be combined with any other offers.

063-065_tsd_030815.indd 65 3/6/15 2:40 PM

THE SUNDAY

66WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU Send your thoughts to [email protected]

MARCH 8 - MARCH 14

L.A. TIMES CROSSWORD

ITUNES DOWNLOADS OF THE WEEK (AS OF MARCH 5)

ACROSS1 Head up, in a way6 Future MD’s exam10 Pick-me-up pill15 Left, in slang19 One on the trail20 Short-cut pasta21 Windy City hub22 Opposite of a pan23 *Come (to), more or less25 Many a worm26 Emphatic type: Abbr.27 Adjust, as a spreadsheet28 Company VIP30 Observation platform32 E Street Band guitarist Lofgren34 “Mr. Pim Passes By” playwright37 “Thank Heaven for Little Girls” musical38 *Subject of lengthy debate43 Versailles assembly46 Line partitions: Abbr.47 “Friendly Skies” co.48 Observed49 Observes51 Former red state: Abbr.52 Like the bell of a trumpet55 Biblical shepherd57 South Korean sportswear company58 Was duly humiliated60 *Union proposal?64 IMO, in “Hamlet”66 Spare tyre sites67 Old “Oyez!” shouters68 “__ of robins ...”69 “Give Peace a Chance” co-writer, per Lennon70 Colonial story72 Holds tight75 Metal-threaded fabrics77 Diminished81 *Play it safe84 70-Across function85 Fit to __86 Of no consequence87 London borough89 Network with a three-box logo90 Admission of error92 Swipe from95 Cedar Rapids college96 Fountain order

97 Chief Powhatan’s son-in-law98 *Mitigate102 Reproductive cell104 Lee __, first African-American to play in the Masters105 Bearing a grudge106 Scroll key109 Where lines may be read112 Pity-evoking quality116 St. Patrick’s land117 Medical co. in the DJIA120 Hide-and-seek activity utilizing GPS ... and what is literally done in the answers to starred clues122 In __ of: replacing123 “Shaq Diesel” rapper124 Regarding125 Standing tall126 Facility127 __-Croatian language128 Word with wa�e or sugar129 Bros

DOWN1 Scorch2 Like many old soaps3 Turner and others4 Soft-wool sources5 2014 World Cup site6 Comedian Howard with a bowl-cut hair style7 Whip handle8 Bleu shade9 Aboriginal emblems10 Noodle11 “What do we have here?!”12 __ Criss, who plays Blaine on “Glee”13 Twistable treat14 “Gravity” e¤ect15 *Sulu, for one16 Well beyond one’s prime17 FEMA concern18 Old TV host with an accordion24 Neuter, as horses29 Comic strip about a high schooler31 Flounder, e.g.33 Complains35 __ Fál: Irish “stone of destiny”

36 “Don’t go yet”38 State in northeast India39 “Beau __”40 Heron relative41 Former Mideast org.42 K-5 or K-6: Abbr.44 Freud contemporary45 Nicholas and Alexander49 Mooch50 Puts in, as a political o¨ce52 __ benefit53 Like the town in a Ricky Nelson hit54 Tops, slangily56 Fundamental59 *Trial movement61 Blakley of “Nashville”62 Digs for bats63 Prayer65 Canonized fifth-cen. pope71 6-Across takers, e.g.72 O¤er to a guest73 Move on74 Guiding doctrines76 Starlike78 Jar Jar Binks’ home planet79 Sta¤ sequence80 “Unleaded” drink82 Sign of approval83 “We are __ stu¤ / As dreams are made on”: Prospero88 Tot’s piggy91 Duel precursor, perhaps93 Signed o¤ on94 Road alert96 Sexy, in a way98 Sawbuck99 Lamentable100 L-__: Parkinson’s treatment101 Honored103 Magic charms106 Sports legend of 5-Down107 Musical highlight108 Taper o¤110 Fallon’s predecessor111 Poetic time113 Ran, old-style114 Fairy tale start115 Mil. base drillers118 Small application119 “Idol” judge, familiarly121 Central opening?

3/8/15 [email protected] ©2015 TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.

For answers to this week’s puzzles, go to Page 41

KenKen® is a registered trademark of Nextoy, LLC. ©2015 KenKen Puzzle LLC. All rights reserved. Dist. by Universal Uclick for UFS. www.kenken.com

Each row and each column must contain the

numbers 1 through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging)

without repeating.

The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes,

called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the

target numbers in the top-left corners.

Freebies: Fill in single-box cages with the num-

ber in the top-left corner

MOVIES

“The Hobbit The Battle of The Five Armies”

Action & Adventure, $19.99

“Big Hero 6” Action & Adventure, $19.99

“Foxcatcher” Drama, $14.99

“Tinker Bill and the Legend of the NeverBeast”

Kids & Family, $19.99

“Whiplash” Drama, $14.99

1

2

3

5

4

“HIDE AND SEEK” BY ED SESSA

BEST NEW APPS

“Yousician Guitar” Education, free

“Show Your Disney Side” Photo & Video, free

“OmniGraffle 2” Productivity, $49.99

“NOGGIN” Education, free

“Fountain” Lifestyle, free

66_puzzles_20150308.indd 66 3/6/15 12:01 PM

09840_LVW_AcuraOfLasVegas_AD_c4.indd 1 2/24/15 5:38 PM0000121486-01.indd 1 2/25/15 9:59 AM

09540_AGNDA_TSD_HCA_Ad.indd 2 1/19/15 12:02 PM0000101769-01.indd 1 1/19/15 2:40 PM

2015-03-08 - the sunday - las vegas

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