New Years party arrests were relatively mild after a big media blitz by Metro stressing ZERO tolerance. Metro bagged 107, including 17 felonies and 51 DUIs. Nevada Highway Patrol bagged 48.

New Years tourism was very high and that combined with the CES crowd puts Las Vegas off to a strong start. Big Game(Super Bowl), Valentines Day, NASCAR, NCAA playoffs, and spring break are all expected to be big for Las Vegas in the next few months.

2010 ranked as the 8th hottest year in Las Vegas history.

A 3.6 earthquake rocked an area near Carson City on New Years Day.

Fatburger on the strip will be temporarily rebranded as Bob's Burger in reference to a new TV show.

The 17 year old that spray tagged petroglyphs at Red Rock Canyon had charges dropped by the state and then the feds moved in and dropped heavy charges on him.

Brian Sandoval was sworn in as the new leader of Nevada.

A major spill of sulfuric acid shut down the strip for several hours in front of the WynnDot. About 200 of the 800 gallon load leaked onto the boulevard. There were two injuries.

Plans are in the works for a distillery to be built in Las Vegas, just north of downtown. There are still many hurdles to overcome.

Once again, snow covered covered Las Vegas on Monday. The biggest accumulations were to the northeast portions of the valley. Over the hump in Pahrump, they got about 6 inches of snow.

Metro released a 2010 traffic report. Intersections with most accidents with injuries lately are Lamb@Charleston, Rainbow@Flamingo, Paradise@Tropicana, Tropicana@Koval, Decatur@Sahara. 2010 DUI arrests numbered 9101. 2010 pedestrian involved accidents were 613.

North Las Vegas police shot and killed their first citizen of the year as they approached celebratory gunfire on New Years morning.

As temps dipped well below freezing, a very high number of house fires are occurring. One was a New Years domestic dispute that turned to arson in an apartment and left several families homeless and another was a lady smoking in bed while on medicinal oxygen.

500 teams from 9 different countries came to the Flamingo for the 6th annual World Series of Beer Pong. The grand prize for the winning team, Standing Ovation, was $50,000.

The record for the most cabs loaded at McCarran airport was set on Wednesday as part of the CES convention. It beat the old record by 4% which was set at the start of CES in 2006.

Police have been cracking down on medical marijuana offices in the last few months. They say there's still about 60 more shops on their list.

Teen girl was jay walking and struck by car. She was thrown about 125 feet and injuries were so severe that doctors put her into a medically induced coma. Later that day, Metro cops show up to issue coma girl a jay walking ticket. Mom is upset with the timing of the ticket but refuses to say when a good time would be.

The Consumer Electronics Show has signed a deal to stay in Las Vegas for another 3 years. The announcement comes on the same day as the Las Vegas Convention Center becomes a World Trade Center.

In restaurant news, Beso in Crystals filed for bankruptcy and Alex at the WynnDot will close for good on Jan 15. Firefly at the Plaza has closed.

CJ Stewart who was tried and sent to prison with OJ Simpson, was granted a new trial, pled no contest, and is now free on house arrest.

Fire in the MGM parking garage destroyed 1 car and heavily damaged 2 others vehicles on Tuesday morning.

Metro unveiled a fleet of electric motorcycles to help fight crime.

JMT,

Thank you for these reports. Do have the number of cabs loaded for the record?

The airport had 14,495 cab loadings on Wednesday.

An average airport day is about 8,200.

Does someone really stand there and count those cabs? Or is there some electronic gadget that does it automatically?

Does anyone have any idea who the one individual is who tabulates the number of people arriving each day at the airport? I would assume that each arriving flight reports the number of disembarking passengers to one central location.

Or does some guy run around the airport with a pen and paper doing all this tabulating stuff as each aircraft touches down?

And how the heck do they count the number of people arriving via automobiles each day? I've never seen anyone standing on the side of the highway counting cars as they were passing by.

And how do I apply for that job counting all the shrimp that is consumed within Las Vegas each year?

I guess someone's gotta do it!

PS... Not at all surprised about Beso.

The disappearance of a dancer from the Luxor show Fantasy has been solved. Her boyfriend strangled her, dismembered her, packed her into tubs of cement, and sealed the tubs into a closet in an abandoned house. More horrible details on any local news site. The GPS in the rented U-Haul truck was key in locating the body.

Miss America contest in progress all week. Miss North Carolina won the preliminary talent competition. Miss Hawaii won the preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness contest. Miss Oklahoma and Nebraska are doing well too. Miss Washington (state) is a popular favorite to take it all on Saturday night.

Not to miss a photo op, the mayor proclaimed Jan 15 as Miss America Day in Las Vegas.

As The Happiest Mayor In The Universe nears the end of his term, Oscar Goodman made his final State Of The City address.

The first child drowning of the year failed when the child was brought from the bottom of the family pool and taken to a hospital. The parents still get a big star of neglect on their report card.

Las Vegas gaming wins are down, but tourism is up.

The LVRJ "Best of Las Vegas" poll has started. It will come out in several sections. The current poll is Hotel and Entertainment. Other categories will come at later dates. The results will come on March 27.

The Sunset Bridge is open. This isn't a big tourist deal being able to cross I-15 at Sunset at this time. There isn't much on the other side as Valley View is the only street that will go anywhere. For those living on the west side, it could be a strategic back entrance to Town Square and Frys.

Peepshow star Holly Madison told that she needs to lose weight.

Stratosphere has been remodeled and is looking for a new image. Therefore, they will be the title sponsor of the NASCAR race here in March.

An 84 inch water pipe under Valley View Blvd. ruptured about noon Wednesday, shutting down Valley View near Spring Mountain Road. They managed to get one lane open for those that must travel that road. The pipe has finally been patched, but the road repairs are still going on and Valley View is still restricted to one travel lane.

Fire at Ballys on Sunday night. Possible over reaction is better than lack of response by fire department. It was just a mattress fire in a room. One person was injured. Evacuation was in progress.

Record high temp for Monday at 74 degrees. Normal high temp is 57. Normal low is 37. It sure felt nice. Maybe more 70+ by this time next week.

Idiot from New York calls a dancer to his room at the Stratosphere who dances for him. They then make a sex deal. The next day, idiot calls for a refund and is denied, so he calls Metro police who threatened to arrest him. Idiot flew home and filed a lawsuit.

Street performers and advertisers will be allowed back on Fremont St to collect "donations". They will not be allowed to block pedestrian traffic, not be allowed within 20 feet of entrances, ATMs, etc. Get ready for porn cards downtown.

On Monday afternoon, a 23 year old New Jersey man jumped to his death from an Imperial Palace tower room. He landed in the courtyard between Harrahs and the I.P. Still no jumps from the bypass bridge or Cosmopolitan yet.

Nobody was injured when a car crashed into a school bus on Wednesday morning. Nobody was driving the car either and apparently it rolled out of the 7-11 parking lot on it's own.

City Center raised 1.5 billion dollars to reduce it's current debt down to $500 million. The billion and a half will have to be paid back in 2016 and 2017.

About the only thing uglier than Donny and Marie, H&M, and Toni Braxton wraps on the Flamingo is when they are taken down to expose missing paint, leftover wrap fragments, and inconsistent tint on the room windows.

Megabucks hit for almost $13 million at Aria on Friday.

It is the year of the rabbit and decorations are in full swing at Crystals, Bellagio, Palazzo, Wynn, and others.

2 charities had their transportation vehicles broken into and vandalized. Opportunity Village and Easter Seals had several vans and trucks heavily damaged. No items of significant value were stolen. A local car dealer will fix them for free and give Opportunity Village an extra $2000.

Clark County firefighters have a new contract. Arbitrators sided with the county which calls for 2% pay cuts, and since they have been operating under the old contract, firefighters actually owe the county money as the contract is retroactive. The contract also calls for top brass to investigate abuse of sick leave more closely. It's not rare for firefighters to call in sick and let buddies fill in at overtime rates. Then those overtimers will call in sick on their regular shifts and have that filled by even more overtime. This new contract expires in less than 6 months. There's some ugly mud slinging going on.

Clark County has changed diesel fuels and is now using GDiesel which is supposed to be cheaper and cleaner burning. The county has 2,798 vehicles. 1,426 of them use diesel fuel, 537 are hybrids, 451 use cleaner burning reformulated gasoline, and 91 use compressed natural gas. The fire department will begin using GDiesel later this year.

Donny and Marie are done at Flamingo? (I'm sorry, I've been out of touch!).

JMT, I drove from the intersection of Jones and Warm Springs to the Town Square Shopping Center. Last Saturday morning ... Warm Springs eastward to Valley View, then Valley View northward to Sunset, then Sunset eastward over the I-15 and a direct right turn into the northern edge of the shopping center.

Less than a five minute drive!

During that very short drive I must have seen a maximum of five cars traveling in the opposite or the same direction.

It was early Sat morning but I understand that is the only way to 'fly' if you want to travel peacefully with no traffic hassles what-so-ever.

On my return, I made the mistake of traveling across the Sunset bridge and continuing along Sunset ... past Valley View only to discover that Sunset ends in a desert expanse.

As you so aptly stated, right or left on Valley View is the only way to go once you cross over the I-15 via that Sunset bridge.

But Valley View is a very nice and quiet road to take if you want to visit the Orleans or The Palms under non-traffic conditions even during peak traffic hours.

Mike, Donny and Marie got into an ugly public spat with their manager. They finally went to the public and said all is well, but you could still see both sides foaming at the mouth. The wrap came down and the dynamic duo went to Utah to work on a holiday show that they took on the road. Then they spent a little time on Broadway. They are supposed to start back at the Flamingo soon. It's hard to remember back when the Flamingo had that nice paint and classy gold tinted windows. Now the paint is peeling and bits and pieces of wraps still litter the windows. I think I saw Toni Braxton's toe on one window.

Will, that Sunset bridge is gonna be our little secret, right? Especially with that Warm Springs bridge over the interstate being closed for over a year.

4 earthquakes struck central Nevada early on Saturday. They ranged from 3.2 to 4.3 magnitude. No significant damage noted.

S&P gave City Center a B- credit rating. That's not a very good rating and not likely to improve much even as they deferred much of their debt for several years.

The post office on Industrial Road, near the strip will be closing soon in a nationwide postal cutback. If you use this post office near Industrial and DI, kinda behind where the Stardust was, then you'll need to find another.

Mesquite City Councilwoman and her husband found dead in apparent murder/suicide. The woman faced severe discipline and possible removal from office for submitting false travel expense reports on trips that she did not take. She called 911 after she shot her husband and just before she shot herself.

Vince Neil pleaded guilty for a DUI arrest last summer. He will turn himself in on Feb 15, a week after his birthday and spend 15 days in the Clark County Detention Center. He will spend an additional 15 days on house arrest and do some community service work.

A homeless census for southern Nevada was held on Thursday morning between the hours of 1am and 6am. I guess they didn't want to do the count while they were walking in the intersections with signs or buying crack after dark. 2 years ago, the count was 13,338 in Las Vegas. This census is required every 2 years in order to be eligible for some federal funding.

A pit bull dog attacked 3 of it's household members. It attacked the 55 year old aunt of the owner tearing off fingers and pieces of her feet and legs, leaving her with life threatening injuries and possible amputations. A second woman tried to stop the attack and was severely bitten. Finally the owner tried to help and was also attacked badly before he shot the dog and killed it.

Elizabeth Halverson lost a supreme court appeal and it was affirmed that she is permanently removed from ever serving as a Nevada judge.

Binions has brought back Bingo to it's list of games offered. There is only one other Bingo choice downtown.

Carolyn Goodman, the wife of the Happiest Mayor in the Universe has signed up to run for her husbands job when he leaves due to term limits.

Two Metro police officers are in deep trouble after they were pulled over for speeding in Kingman Arizona. No good reason as to why the two cops were over 100 miles away from their post.

Celine Dion woke up on Wednesday morning and saw her shadow indicating 3 more years of concerts at Caesars Palace.

Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular celebrated it's 2000th performance on Feb 1

UNLV is looking to build a 40,000 seat arena. It would easily convert to accommodate various events.

A group of lenders have filed a foreclosure notice against the Hard Rock Hotel. They have the option to take over the property or sell it at auction. The Hard Rock filed a suit to block these actions.

I-15 shut down on Monday night for removal of 50 year old Warm Springs overpass. The new bridge will take a year to be built.

Record cold temps swept in on Tues and Wed. Watch out east coast. It was freezing on both nights. Days have been sunny and cool.

The Bellagio bandit was caught on Wednesday night trying to sell stolen chips to an undercover police officer. He is the son of a municipal court judge.

After 2 years of no 401k match for employees, MRI is now matching 50% of the first 6% it's employees contribute to the plan.

Clark County firefighters sick leave abuse gets worse as the investigation continues. About a third of all firefighters took at least a month of sick leave in 2009.

Robert Ubriaco aka "Bubbles", the big host guy that greeted just about everyone that walked into Rao's at Caesars, passed away on Thursday.

Nevada is out of sodium thiopental which is a drug used in executions. There are currently 82 inmates on death row awaiting execution and in various levels of appeals. The company that once made the drug no longer makes it.

The Los Angeles Temptation beat the Philadelphia Passion 26-25 in the Lingerie Bowl in Las Vegas on Sunday.

About 375,000 visitors came to Las Vegas for a weekend that included the Lingerie Bowl, a UFC fight, and a NFL media circus.

Cher had her last of 200 shows at Caesars on Saturday night. I'm guessing it's time for yet another farewell tour.

The foreclosure of the Hard Rock has been put on hold as the money people and the operators reached an agreement.

The Bellagio Bandit appeared in court and did not make a plea. His first hearing will be on Feb 23.

The happiest Mayor in the Universe holds a 9 to 1 futures ticket bought before the NFL season started that said the Green Bay Packers would win the Super Bowl. The $100 ticket is now worth $900.

The man who called a stripper to his Stratosphere room and had buyers remorse the next day and threatened to sue the escort agency and Metro, has had his case thrown out of court.

A Las Vegas gang banger involved in a shooting on the strip several years ago is now on the US Marshals most wanted list and has $25,000 price tag on his head.

Silk Road at Vdara will close the first of March and is to be replaced with a grocery store. BRILLIANT.

The Monte Carlo was lit up in blue lights as a hint that something was going to happen. The Blue Man Group will be moving to the Monte Carlo from the Venetian in 2012. They moved to the Venetian from the Luxor a few years ago.

The old Ritz Carlton at Lake Las Vegas has reopened. It has been refurbished slightly and has a new name. It is now Ravella. Part of the plan was to downgrade it from a 5 star resort to a 4 star resort so that it could attract more guests.

I'm surprised anyone is going out to Lake Las Vegas anymore. Are the golf courses still operating? And is the other hotel still going?

I think the golf course is still good. The casino closed long ago.

Bombs Away as an Air Force jet taking off from Nellis Air Force Base experienced engine trouble on take off and had to return to base. Before he could land, he had to dump his weapons, so he dropped 2 500 pound bombs a couple of miles north of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The explosions rattled buildings in the area and the blast was heard for miles.

Vince Neil turned himself in to jail for 15 days after a plea deal on driving drunk last summer.

Valentines Day came and went with no big deal. It is traditionally a very big news day in Las Vegas.

One act of domestic violence/road rage as man got in fight with woman in car, pulled over, took out a shotgun and began shooting. He shot the woman, shot at passing cars, and shot at police. Police shot him and still had to zap him to get him into hand cuffs. This all happened near Blue Diamond and I-15.

Rain and cooler temps blanket the area as a series of fronts are expected to pass through in the next several days.

Celine Dion moved back to Las Vegas as she prepares for her new show. Caesars couldn't be happier as her gambleholic husband hits the tables.

The SI swimsuit models came to town and a part of The Strip was renamed Swimsuit Blvd for a brief time.

The 2011 Indy car series will wrap up it's season in Las Vegas. It will be held in Las Vegas on October 16, during the same weekend as the NASCAR truck series. There is a special $5,000,000 prize for a non Indy race driver to win.

Senator Harry Reid, the king of ultra liberal ideas, claims prostitution is keeping businesses from moving to Nevada. I guess he doesn't think 24/7 drinking and gambling or a water shortage or school system quality are decision factors.

The Bellagio bandit popped back in the news as he faces additional charges. Previously was armed robbery, assault, burglary, and carrying a concealed weapon. Now they added charges that include "with a deadly weapon".

We now have a Rio bandit, where a man ran into the Rio casino and stole a bunch of chips at about 4:30 in the morning on Thursday. As with the Bellagio robbery, the bandit made a clean get away. Police are hot on his trail as they have captured the cab driver that took him away and the man who bought the stolen chips.

Tix4Tonight is buying out assists of VegasTix4Less, in a settlement where they were suing each other. The later was owned by Vegas.com, a Greenspun corp.

A man suspected of a burglary was taken into custody, handcuffed and put into a Henderson cop car. He told the cops where some evidence was, so the cops left him handcuffed in the back seat as they searched for the item. The thief managed to get to the front seat and steal the patrol car, drove it several miles before abandoning it in a shopping center. He was re-arrested hours later.

Former Playboy model, mob princess, and daughter of Sam Giancana is suing the Vegas Mob Experience which is set to open in the Tropicana next week. She was hired as a consultant, sold some family items, and the Mob Experience is not paying her. I actually spoke with her a month ago during Mob Month, and she was actively promoting the experience. Her son, Carl Manno is a consultant in good standing with the Mob Experience.

The Light Group, which owns several nightclubs in town is being accused of operating as a brothel by training waitresses to be sexually provocative and encouraging them to have sex with rich clients who pay the club for the favors.

Vince Neil was released from jail early on good behavior and will spend the remainder of time on house arrest.

BB Kings at The Mirage has filed for bankruptcy, citing "steward services" that the Mirage is charging the club for things such as dishwashing. I had lunch there today. It was pretty good.

Cops TV show doing ride alongs this week. I saw them on the strip.

Tis NASCAR week. Carl Edwards jumped off Stratosphere. Tony Stewart drove cab painted as his race car. 69 year old Morgan Shepard chased down and tackled a shoplifter at a Walmart. Matt Kenseth is on the pole for the big race setting a track record.

Las Vegas Sands cuts comp rooms, tournaments, and discounts for shows and meals. Some amenities for free or reduced prices can still be had based on points.

Local baseball kid Bryce Harper started his professional career with 2 strike outs.

There is yet another ferris wheel proposal. The 500 wheel would be much like the London Eye, and part of a complete family friendly amusement park. The proposed park, including the wheel were approved by the Clark County Commission. The trick is that they will start with a small ferris wheel, and the big one will come later when the profits start rolling in. lol

Couple in court for leaving their child to die in hot car (and other child abuse) show up for sentencing. The guy brings a briefcase with $500 cash and $100,000 in jewelry and is denied bail.

Idiot jumped to his death from the Cosmopolitan hotel on Friday morning. Police were called to a possible suicide attempt early in the morning. The guy jumped a couple of hours later.

Thanks again, JMT! This always my favorite TalkVegas read

I have not taken a close enough look but I would assume that the Cosmopolitan has rooms with outside balconies.

In the old days when the Strip high rise hotels were originally being constructed, it was common knowledge within the LV construction industry to make it almost impossible for anyone to jump from a high place in an attempt to commit suicide.

Even today most all of the Nevada hotels ensure that windows cannot be open wide enough for any human body to fit through.

So I am a bit surprised if the Cosmo was constructed in such a way as to allow anyone to take a final jump from a devestating height.

If such is the case I fear that there will be many more successful suicide attempts followed by many successful lawsuits.

Maybe the lawyers will figure out a way to release such hotels from financial liability with a suicide release clause which visitors will be required to sign upon checking in before "checking out".

JMT, Thanks, I too look forward to these news stories!

I say, let them jump, so long as they don't hurt anyone else, or land on my car!

Must have been a slow week, the cops didn't shoot anyone????

The cops are still shooting but nothing that doesn't happen near your area. Mostly suicide by cop.

Thanks for reading.

will, the Sahara and IP have balconies.

Carl Edwards won the big NASCAR race on Sunday in Las Vegas.

Drunk idiot at fault in car wreck on I-15, runs/falls down embankment and casually walks down street (past bail bond billboard) as if nothing happened. Oops, he is being followed by news helicopter the whole time. Police arrest him shortly. All caught on HD video.

Implosion in Laughlin on Friday when the city's first skyscraper, a 500 ft. smokestack at an old coal fired power plant was imploded.

Allegiant Air wants to offer you a chance to gamble on your airfare. Under the proposed deal, you purchase a "variable rate" ticket. If fuel prices go down before the flight, your fare goes down. If fuel prices rise, your fare goes up. The deal still has come legal challenges ahead of it, so for now, they will start to gouge you for carry on bags.

Scumbag Senator John Ensign, the King of Earmarks, announced he will not run for re-election next year as he still ducks and dodges questions on his lack of morals.

12 year old and 9 year old boys fighting when father of 9yo breaks up the fight. 12yo pulled out a pistol and shot the dad. Police aren't surprised as 12yo is a known gang member.

4 year old baby shot in the head while she sat on the tailgate of the family SUV while family was shooting guns (target practice) in the desert. The baby died a few days later.

Two drunks fighting downtown when one ripped the ear off of the other. Neither would press charges against the other.

Man fell into abandoned mine shaft. Rescue crews were unable to reach him. The mine will be permanently sealed with dead man inside.

Centurion Tower at Caesars to become Nobu Hotel, and Caesars will open Octavius tower.

Warmest temps this week since we hit 76 on November 16th, last year. Friday's high temp was 80. That's 12 degrees above average.

The Sahara hotel and casino will close indefinitely on May 16th. The hotel has been in a downward spiral since March 2007 when a California nightclub company bought it.

Big entertainment news as Gladys Knight signed with the Trop getting her own showroom, and Celine opens round 2 at Caesars.

Car chase with idiot driver(just out of prison) shooting at police ended without cops shooting back. After minivan was stopped with stop sticks, driver continued to put up resistance to arrest. He was taken into custody without police force.

Different idiot speeding down street lost control, smashed into brick wall, and the driver was killed instantly. However, his car bounced off brick wall and continued down street and crashed again, head on, with bicyclist. The bicycle rider was wearing a helmet but is in very bad condition.

The man who killed a girl from the Luxor's show Fantasy, then chopped her up and put her parts in tubs encased in concrete, then put them in a sealed closet in a vacant house…will NOT face the death penalty.

Suspicious death of a Wynn Director of VIP Services now shows she died of head trauma after she had an excessive amount of booze AND rubbing alcohol in her system.

Big crowds all over town this weekend as it is Spring Break and the March Mania crowds for college basketball are here. The WynnDot has put Sinatra, Dance With Me on hold while they use the room for March Mania celebrations.

The Deputy District Attorney that has prosecuted many drug charges, including Paris Hilton and Bruno Mars, has been arrested for possession of cocaine.

Pawn Star "Big Hoss" was arrested in California, after getting in a bar fight and resisting arrest.

Las Vegas native Bryce Harper, who was the #1 pro baseball pick, hurt his ankle in spring training. He started with the pros but has been in minor league training camp lately. The sprained ankle has put him on a day to day eligibility list to practice.

The head chef at Rao's has left Caesars to open two restaurants. One is in Henderson, the other will be at the Tropicana.

Donny and Marie celebrate 500 shows at the Flamingo, a new revamped act, and a new wrap on the Flamingo…weather permitting.

Earth Hour is tonight and many casinos are expected to turn out the exterior lights on the strip.

Con Expo. the construction convention is in town and it's HUGE. It's great to see all the big cranes and construction equipment.

A Metro motorcycle cop had a very slow speed head on collision with a cab near the convention center. Nobody was injured very bad but the cop was to blame and was cited for the accident.

Scotty O'Neil, died on stage Thursday, doing what he loved to do best. He was the host of the Dennis Bono Show.

Vince Neil, who just did jail time for a DUI, barged into a show at the Hilton and engaged in physical abuse to his ex-girlfriend, some of her friends, and a Hilton employee. He left before cops arrived and was not arrested because his ex has more class than him. Not much though. You may have seen her if you watch local TV. She is an entertainment reporter, named Alicia Jacobs.

Harry Reid claimed that the DesertXpress train environmental impact study is complete. This is Harry's favorite money pit and there are many details missing from the story. Vegas to Victorville is one step closer.

The roads from California and Arizona are normally crowded on a Friday afternoon. Today they are also crowded going to Arizona and California as Nevadans flock to lottery stores for a chance at $312 million.

Lady Gaga is in town with a concert at the MGM. Brittney Spears is in town with a free concert at The Palms.

Always enjoy these posts.

Thanks and keep them coming.

I love these too!

Scott O'Neil really died on stage? Of a heart attack?

And that's quite amazing that the Deputy District Attorney got arrested on cocaine charge - just amazing!

JMT, can you provide more details about the DesertXpress and "the many details mssing from the story" that you briefly mentioned above?

Or refer me to an internet article that will bring me up to date?

Instead of spending all that money wouldn't it be a better idea to get the LA to LV train back on track? I took that train ride many times and enjoyed a meal or two and a couple of beers during that 7 hour ride through the desert, but I have no idea why they stopped that service or if that train even runs through LV on its way to SLC anymore. Is that run a bus service nowA?

Not sure now but I think that train even stopped in Victorville which was and still is the last bastion of civilization till you disembarked in the only depot in Las Vegas within a few steps of the Plaza lobby which made a 20 minute casino visit possible for those proceeding further east.

Those were the good old days when the downtown action never stopped.

Now it's almost like a ghost town during the deepest hours of the evening ..... and sometimes through the afternoons.

On Monday, the Desert Research Institute recorded trace bits of radiation from the damaged powerplant in Japan. As the Japan leaders told their people when their problem first started, our leaders also say, "don't worry about it."

Mojave Max emerged from his hibernation at 2:03pm on Tuesday which signals that spring has sprung.

McCarran Airport is being sued because their self service kiosks that allow faster check in are not set up to cater to the blind.

The Deputy DA that had prosecuted high profile drug cases and was busted for cocaine possession has resigned.

The Mob Experience opened at the Tropicana to mixed reviews and will be an active topic on TalkVegas.

Las Vegas Metro Police have recommended to the DA that they charge Vince Neil with "battery-domestic violence" from last week's attack on ex-gf Alicia Jacobs at the Shimmer Cabaret in the Hilton.

4400 acres of BLM land has been granted for temporary use for the Burning Man Festival, which occurs near Labor Day.

Idiot kidnapped a 7 year old girl and took off in his car. When his car broke down, they walked to a store where he called a cab. When the cab showed up, he pulled a knife on the cabbie and made him drive to California. When they got to California, he kicked the girl and cabbie out, and took off in the cab. The cab's video system was working the whole time. He ditched the cab in Barstow, and disappeared until he was arrested in Arizona on unrelated charges and was found that he was wanted in Nevada.

UNLV basketball coach Lon Kruger accepted a job in Oklahoma and will be leaving…possibly due to UNLV budget cuts?

3 idiots that worked for McCarran airport installing security cameras were arrested for stealing security equipment. They were caught because they were filmed stealing the items on the camera that they installed.

With new rules for officer involved shootings which include a longer drawn out inquest, those officers are being moved from off duty (with pay) to active jobs where they do not interact with the public.

These last few days of 90 degree temps will come to rapid halt this weekend as springtime rears it's ugly head and temps bounce back to normal.

Will, sorry, I don't have a specific train reference. It's an ongoing situation that is constantly changing. Maybe Google DesertXpress and read back through the years of ups and downs.

Mike, Scotty O'Neil was the "voice" of the Dennis Bono show, and died while sitting on the couch on stage. He just fell to the side a little after a Corrie Sachs song. It's a little scary, but most of the band, and the whole show theme is based on old school Vegas...which isn't aging gracefully.

Who is Mojave Max??

A desert tortoise that hides in a burrow during the winter. I honestly don't know the species so I can't say if it is official hibernation or just a survival technique. His emergence is a symbolic signal of the beginning of springtime.

Hardly seems fair, Vegas gets a cool desert tortoise, and we get stuck with a giant rodent!

lasvegasbankrobbers.com has been launched to help locate the large number of outstanding bank robbers

Big cry baby casinos are forcing smaller taverns to change their operation because they are making too much money off of their gambling. Taverns are supposed to have a "restricted" gaming license and don't pay as much taxes because their slots are incidental to the tavern business.

Metro shot and killed a man that held a woman hostage.

Family sitting around watching TV while child crawls out of third floor window and falls to ground. Child expected to survive, family expected to keep watching TV.

Vince Neil, idiot, attention whore, and front man for Motley Crue was officially charged with battery constituting domestic violence and disorderly conduct from a March 24 incident where he entered a showroom and made an ass of himself and poked his ex-gf and attention whore, leaving her bruised.

There was a one hour power outage early Tuesday morning at McCarran airport and surrounding areas.

Oklahoma child rapist featured on Americas Most Wanted was arrested in Henderson.

Sinatra, Dance With Me will close a week early on April 23.

Las Vegas Mayor final run off will be between Carolyn Goodman and Chris (Christine) Giunchigliani. Sooooo, the next Las Vegas mayor will be a woman with the initials CG

North Las Vegas Ward 2 city council race was a tie. Either party can ask for (and must pay) for a recount, otherwise the race is to be decided by drawing cards.

Starting on April 26, that cab ride will cost 20 cents more per mile, due to a new fuel surcharge.

Windy weather on Thursday with peak gust at 59 mph at the airport. Up to 77 mph at Red Rock. Lots of wind damage all over town.

Friday and Saturday temps will have records for the lowest high temperatures which are in the 50s. Sunday might get up to 70.

Security conference in town at the convention center. Thief with fake convention badge stole an iPad. While the heist was detected on several in house and demo cameras, the thief got away…for now.

The Nevada Cancer Institute has suffered a loss in federal grants and philanthropic donations and is considering bankruptcy. It just laid off half of it's staff.

As UNLV faces financial woes and budget cuts, they are aggressively searching for a basket ball coach with a salary of well over a million dollars.

Former Nye county District Attorney Bob Beckett, who has been charged in multiple car wrecks, DUIs, fraud, and embezzlement, had his license to practice law reinstated by the Nevada Supreme Court.

The Burger King Whopper Bar opened at The Rio today, featuring a more exotic menu than your neighborhood BK.

Chef Carla Pellegrino, formerly head chef at Rao's will begin running Bacio in the Tropicana on May 10.

I didn't realize Oscar Goodman wasn't running for mayor again. What's he gonna do? Is Carolyn a relative?

Term limits have Oscar grounded. He is not eligible, so his wife is running.

We had snow in Las Vegas last saturday. It didn't hang around long. We'll have a nice warm weekend this weekend.

50 year old Henderson police lieutenant demoted to sergeant in plea deal for a prostitution bust.

The United States Postal Service issued a "Forever Stamp" celebrating the Statue Of Liberty. After further review, the stamp shows a photo of liberty statue at the NYNY in Las Vegas. Las Vegans are delighted. Former mayor Ed Koch, not so much.

Woman goes into shady clinic in back room of a tile store for cosmetic surgery to her buttocks and is later found dead. Two amateur surgeons who screwed up the surgery were arrested as they tried to catch a flight to Columbia.

Former UNLV basketball star Dave Rice has been hired to coach the UNLV basketball team, replacing Lon Kruger.

Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard resort has closed for the season.

The Tillerman restaurant has closed. So has Dad's Grilled Cheese.

A Florida man who owns the Trademark "Octavius Tower" is suing Caesars for using his name.

The 44 year old ex-girlfriend of Vince Neil and reporter for Channel 3, has left the station and the limelight. I suspect she will pop up soon, grabbing all the attention she can.

Lots of rumbling south of Reno as small earthquakes rattle the area.

Dr Michael Kaplan got his license to practice medicine back. The urologist had his license taken away after he was found reusing biopsy instruments labeled for single use only.

Metro got another notch in their handle after a shooting in Summerlin.

The Grand Canyon Skywalk, a glass bridge over the canyon is getting new glass which opened in March 2007. Work started on Monday and should take about a week, weather permitting.

Two restaurants and the sports book in the Cosmopolitan were temporarily closed on Tuesday after a water pipe busted, flooding the businesses.

Irresponsible family were home when the pet pit bull attacked a 2 year old child.

Irresponsible mother brings dead 20 month old to hospital, saying it drowned.

Motorcycle cop performing DUI stop seriously injured after different drunk driver smashed him and his bike.

Woman driving in North Las Vegas pulled over to the side of the road to let teenage son drive. Son got out of the car and woman began getting out when she realized the car was not in park. As she tried to hit the brake, she hit the accelerator sending the car into an intersection where it crashed into another car. This crash threw the woman onto the street where she was run over and killed by another car…all while the son watched in horror.

thinking maybe this on going news feed should have a name change to "Natural selection of Las Vegas"
It was a rough week in the news for stupid people!

This week is building up nicely for news. I think it's because summer is approaching.

It's wildfire season as two different fires have erupted in the swamps between Sam Boyd Stadium and Lake Mead. Other smaller fires have come and gone this week.

Gas prices have skyrocketed past $4 per gallon. The lowest in town as of Friday morning was $3.70.

Disgruntled apartment tenant was evicted. After he left, he left a pipe bomb to blow up the apartment. The cleaning crew found the bomb and contacted authorities. He now has a new home in jail.

Off duty school police officer found himself in the middle of gangland crossfire. He chased and shot at one of guys, but the guy got away.

Woman was being robbed and carjacked in the parking lot of the Tuscany casino on Flamingo Rd when a security officer heard the commotion and rushed over. The bad guy shot the security officer and ran away.

North Las Vegas had it's second car surfing accident this year. This time a 20 year old boy died while his teenage brother was driving the SUV.

The Bellagio bandit pleaded Not Guilty to all 7 charges in front of a judge today. His trial has been set for next January.

Elton John will return to Caesars for second long term engagement beginning in September. Tickets go on sale next week.

A tie was broken in the ward 2 primary elections in North Las Vegas. The king of diamonds beat out the five of diamonds in a card draw between the two candidates.

Scumbag Senator John Ensign resigned. Now the Governor "gets" to appoint an interim replacement who will start to gain some horsepower for the 2012 elections.

Metro police officer involved shooting this week was courtesy of a speeding car near Flamingo and Swenson. After a successful PIT maneuver, gunfire was exchanged, and the bad guy was killed.

A man walked into the Stratosphere late on Tuesday night, went to the poker room and tried to get into a cabinet where poker chips are stored. After he was confronted by a casino employee, the bandit took off empty handed.

Not familiar with car surfing, but it sounds painful!

I did some research on car surfing. Stupid, really stupid! check out u-tube, they got tons of clips!

A $10 million Megabucks jackpot was hit at Aria, in City Center this week. It is the second Megabucks at Aria this year. In January, Megabucks was hit for $12 million at Aria.

Early Wednesday morning freeway shutdown started with two convenience store robberies, lots of gunfire, a high speed chase, and a PIT maneuver. Police failed to kill any of the suspects this time.

With the Royal wedding coverage boring everyone, Steve Wynn is getting married this weekend in a 3 day event at the Encore. He broke the ice with an Elvis wedding downtown. NO, Steve Wynn dressed as Elvis and his bride dressed like a ?????? Clint Eastwood to be best man on Saturday.

A couple that recently moved into a rental house found some bones in their backyard. Turns out, they are human bones. The previous resident and owners are "persons of interest". There is suspicion that the remains are that of the female half of the previous resident.

The 26th traffic fatality report from Metro due to a drunk jaywalking man in front of the Mandalay Bay resort where he was struck by a drunk woman in a pickup truck.

The winner of the 25th traffic fatality report from Metro comes from a 61 year old man that drove his Suzuki Intruder into a brick wall.

A "reality show" filming a car repossession show when car owner came out shooting. Film crew left and SWAT team came in. Man came out of hiding but failed to obey police orders until the canine took him down. The man was a school teacher. He lived on Vigilante Court.

Margaret Rudin, aka the black widow, who was accused of killing her husband in 1994 is AGAIN asking for a new trial. Her story was very popular on TV as her millionaire husband helped her open an antique shop and he turned up dead, decapitated, in a trunk, burned, and bullet ridden near Lake Mead.

Electrical power was knocked out of Ballys and Paris and several other smaller businesses late Monday. It was restored and back to normal by midnight on Monday.

Congressman Dean Heller will take over the seat to be vacated by former Senator John Ensign. Now Dean's House seat will need to filled by a special election sometime in September.

Thanks, JMT - I love these updates!

SWAT team out on 2 calls Saturday as weekend, alcohol, warm weather, and domestic violence boost the ego of idiots.

Rapper Flavor Flav was arrested last Friday night near Harmon and Paradise for driving without insurance, driving without a license, and outstanding warrants. He was supposed to open a chicken restaurant in town, but that has gone to the birds.

Another 2 Metro motorcycle cops were run over this week by civilians.

The 46 glass floor panels of the Grand Canyon skywalk have been replaced. The project took longer than planned due to high winds.

On Wednesday, the 51 year old Marie Osmond got married to her first husband for the second time in her third wedding.

San Gennaro Feast, the twice a year Italian festival is in progress at the Silverton. Lots of great food, carnival rides for all ages, wonderful Italian music, and stars from the strip light the stage in the evenings.

A 38 year old man trying to balance on the balcony rail from is 9th floor room at the Hard Rock Hotel will never try it again. Apparently it's not that easy. And it's deadly.

An arrest was made in the case where someone found human remains in their back yard. A man in the Philippines was arrested who previously lived in said home, and the body was his wife.

A mob of about 35 young thugs and thugettes swarmed into a convenience store, overwhelmed the clerk and took whatever they wanted without paying including the clerks cell phone, a lot of beer, and other items.

Traffic jam on Thursday in the west side of town on Sahara as hot air balloon made an emergency landing due to unexpected wind direction change.

The 29th Laughlin River Run came and went without major incidents, which is really good news for the largest biker gathering in the area.

The 2010 list of the most popular baby names is out. For the first time since 1954, Elvis is not in the top 1000 names.

Casino Monte Lago at Lake Las Vegas has approval from the gaming board to reopen under new management. The approval calls for 275 machines and no live games.

Of all the proposals for an arena/stadium in Las Vegas, a Texas man has bought the Las Vegas 51's and plans to move them to his proposed complex to be built across the freeway from Mandalay Bay. This guy, Chris Milam has the money and as good of or better chance than other proposals.

Some of the best chefs in the world in town for Vegas Uncorked. It is unbelievable.

New restaurant in Summerlin at the site of many failed restaurants opened this week, but brought out a shaman to bless the property, get permission to stay there, and send off evil spirits.

JetMan, the Sweedish daredevil with jet powered wings strapped to his back cancelled his planned Grand Canyon flight. The FAA approved his device on Friday morning. He was to jump from a helicopter over the Haulipai indian reservation and fly through the canyon.

What are the Las Vegas 51's?

Las Vegas minor league baseball team.

This weeks news is a little weak. I lost my notes on Thursday morning and I'm going on memory.

Bellagio Bandit booked in Suncoast Poker Room robbery.

Nevada State Trooper finished an accident investigation on I-15, and as he was leaving, he pulled his cruiser into oncoming traffic causing a 4 car crash.

Hometown bombshell Jessa Lynn Hinton will be the July Playboy centerfold girl. There was another Playboy/Palms story. I forgot it. Something about Hef. Maybe he got married again or had another Birthday.

An 80 year old man was arrested for last years murder of a 74 year old woman. Among his charges was "murder of an older person". He was 80, she was 74. Get it?

Suicide was successful for man who fell from the 11th floor of the El Cortez.

Las Vegas strip visitation, hotel rates, and gambling profits are all up. Las Vegas Sands numbers are down almost 50% after they slashed their comp system.

Las Vegas Metro did not crash a motorcycle this week, but North Las Vegas did. He was hit by a drunk driver.

Idiot in Batman costume got into a fight on the strip and lost. You won't have to dig deep to find the video.

JetMan flew over the Grand Canyon this week after a cancelled flight last week. The stunt man did not get his wings certified by the FAA until Friday morning, and he wants a few test flights before he does a public stunt over the canyon.

The Neon Boneyard has opened a nice new Park at their site, but to tour the signs you still need to make an appointment and a $15 donation. The visitors center should open within 12 months and by that time it will be a fully functional operation where you can drop in and see the signs.

An 85 year old man was riding his bicycle across Decatur Rd near Tropicana illegally and was struck by a car. His body smashed through the windshield and the driver of the car smashed into traffic waiting at a red light causing a chain reaction crash.

Old man was found wrapped in plastic in a shopping cart and had been dead for over a week. A cadaver dog traced the scent to a mans apartment who said he shot him in self defense and kept him until he couldn't stand the odor.

An Americas Most Wanted fugitive arrested playing poker at Aria. He committed sex crimes in Atlantic City.

A thug who shot 4 people on the strip in 2007 and was featured on Americas Most Wanted in February was arrested on Friday in Chicago.

This all happens the same week as Fox cancels the Americas Most Wanted show after 23 years.

Wind, rain, sleet, hail, snow in the higher elevations, and record cold temps shattered by more than 5 degrees was the weeks weather stories.

Man found in hospital parking garage with a bullet to the back and one to the head. They brought him into the hospital, but he died. Police are treating the case as a homicide.

Suspicious package closed down the strip near the Excalibur on Saturday night. No big deal.

The Nevada State Prison (near Reno) which was once a hotel in the 1800s, will close and remaining staff and inmates will be moved to a prison near Las Vegas.

A two year old drowned in the family pool in North Las Vegas on one of the coldest days this spring. An adult family member was baby sitting while the parents were at work.

A 16 year old girl was shot multiple times and killed at a bus stop. A boy was grazed by a stray bullet in the murder.

The Sahara closed on Monday afternoon. Casino action stopped at 10am, the guests had to check out by noon, and the doors were locked about 2:00pm. Severance package checks were issued to employees based on length of employment with the largest check at $5000.

Huge fire and explosion at Aria electric substation behind the Monte Carlo early Sunday morning shut down several roads, the freeway, and the Monte Carlo parking garage. Nice video footage online.

5 people went into the Apple Store in Town Square and swarmed around stealing phones and computers. Two plain clothes officers were just outside on an unrelated matter and caught two of the thieves.

63 year old OJ Simpson was denied an appeal this week for a new trial by the Nevada Supreme Court. His attorneys plan to take the appeal to the federal level.

Man involved in domestic dispute left his home in a rage and ran down the street. He then ran up to a random home and crashed through the glass front and tried to climb in. He cut an artery in the process and died before help arrived.

The SouthPoint arena, normally used for equestrian related events, has been filled with at least 3 feet of water for a 2 day show where people do extreme stunts water ski, jet ski, and ride water boards. Some 600,000 gallons of water in there. I thought we were in a drought.

Don Barden, who owned Fitzgeralds has died of cancer. He was the first African American to own a Las Vegas casino.

Idiot pedestrian tried to cross I-15 near Flamingo about 2:00 am on Friday morning. He died after making it across two lanes, then a truck ended his trek.

Rave Motion Pictures, the movie complex in Town Square (near Mandalay Bay) will be the first movie theater in Las Vegas to offer reserved seating for tickets purchased online.

Early voting starts today for Las Vegas Mayor. It will either be the wife of the current Mayor, who is Carolyn Goodman, or city council woman Christine Giunchigliani...aka Chris G.

Metro motorcycle cop laid down his bike to avoid another accident and was not severely injured.

Skyvue Las Vegas had it's groundbreaking this week. This proposed Ferris wheel will be taller than the Mandalay Bay hotel which it sits across the street from. They hope to have it ready by New Years 2012. I'll believe it when I see it.

The Public Utilities Commission approved a rate hike in electric bills of about 3.5%. NV Energy (our electric company) justify their request because it's consumers are saving more energy to cut their bills and that cuts into the electric company's profits. NV Energy will consider another rate hike on June 1.

Henderson City Attorney (on duty) crashed her SUV on Monday afternoon and tried to run away. Her car had many bottles of wine in it. Some opened, some sealed, some empty, some broken. Her City Attorney salary is $190,000/year.

Palms owner George Maloof pleaded No Contest to a DUI, paid a $500 fine, and ordered to attend a victims seminar.

A California man was killed trying to cross I-15 at 5am on Thursday morning. What an idiot. Then another guy tried to cross on Friday morning and the hits just keep on coming.

Metro responded to a domestic violence call and found man restraining female and armed with a pair of scissors. The man was tasered twice with no significant response. He then attacked the police and was shot and killed. There were two children in the house.

The Tropicana opened Nikki Beach pool club, which puts the resort a major step closer to being a real player on the strip.

Casino Montelago opened at 9pm on Thursday with less than 100 employees and no live table games.

It's kinda nice to not have a lot of unique news. I think the weather is keeping tempers down. But there is this…

A man who was an extra in the Hangover movie was arrested for incidents last month. He got a room at Hooters and called massage girls and offered them cash for sex, then impersonated a police officer with the ultimatum of free sex or get arrested. His rap sheet includes renting out homes that he did not own.

Cold and wind swept through the valley on holiday weekend with 5 ft waves on Lake Mead. Temps 15-20 degrees below the 93 degree average all week. No triple digit temps in sight.

Horse Herpes has hit Las Vegas and is suspected in two horse deaths this week. Horse shows have pretty much stopped until the herpes outbreak is under control.

It has been announced that the Sahara will have a liquidation sale on Thursday, June 16 to sell EVERYTHING.

The World Series of Poker has begun at the The Rio and will continue for the next 6 weeks. Then there will be a break before the final table on November 5.

Early voting is over in the race for Las Vegas mayor. It is looking to be a close race between 2 blonde women with an educational background and the initials C.G.

Nitro Circus is in town this weekend. To help promote this extreme event, two men did a parachute base jump off of an MGM Signature Tower. The jumps went well.

Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss. The wife of Mayor Oscar Goodman will be the next mayor of Las Vegas, winning 60% of the vote.

Still no 100 degree weather YET. The record for the first 100 degree season is approaching. In 5th place for that record is June 13, 1999. In fourth place is June 14, 1971. Those records are expected to be bumped. We might hit 100 on Wednesday. If not, third place for the latest 100 degree is June 17, 1963.

Nevada's 76th legislative session ended on time without a special session with mining and big business taxpayers (casinos) as winners. Small projects seeking public funds like arena proposals are losers.
Teachers are now graded on merit instead of seniority.
Nevada gets half of unclaimed gaming ticket revenues.

New bills requiring Gov signature...
New bill out to prohibit texting while driving also prohibits talking on the phone without a hands free device.
New bill to allow dining in bars and taverns that cater to adults 21 and older.

Jimmy Buffet will open a Margaritaville Casino at the Flamingo this fall. It will have about 20 table games and over 200 machines.

Weinergate comes to Las Vegas as a 40 year old blackjack dealer says she was involved in sexting and phone sex with democratic congressman Anthony Weiner

Cottonwood Cove is Lake Mead's first LEED certified green marina, made out of recycled and sustainable materials.

More than 300,000 kids are out of school for the summer. There was year around schooling when the population was ever increasing. I'm sure these kids will behave and not get into trouble.

There have been 5 arrests this month for people impersonating law enforcement officers.

31 year old woman picked up hitch hiking, then jumped out of the moving truck to her death.

Shania Twain will join Celine Dion, Elton John, and Rod Stewart with resident gigs at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Tickets are on sale now.

The Bellagio Bandit has pleaded guilty on charges of robbery with a deadly weapon and assault with a deadly weapon. Two days later, he also pleaded guilty to the Suncoast poker room robbery shortly before the Bellagio heist. He will be sentenced in August and could face 8-72 years.

A man at an indoor swap meet pepper sprayed a guard and the guard chased the man through the mall and out into the parking lot with guns a blazin'. It is unclear if anyone was hit with bullets.

First 100 degree day of the year comes when the average temp was 99 and we would normally already have 20 of them under our belts by this day.

The Strip was temporarily shut down on Wednesday for a stunt where a man shot himself over 100 feet from a huge crossbow while on fire.

Mayor Oscar Goodman had a huge going away party on the Fremont Street Experience. The band of the night was Louis Prima Jr. Elvis was spotted in the balcony at the Golden Nugget.

The Plaza announced that it is on schedule to reopen in August following a $35 million restoration.

The Sahara started a liquidation sale on Thursday. There is a $10 admission fee the first 4 days. The sale will continue for 60 days or until it's all gone.

The Governor signed a bill this week to allow Toll Roads in Nevada. This is one step in creating a Boulder City bypass road to cross over near the Hoover Dam.

The Gov signed two more bills that were recently passed in Reno. One prohibits cell phone use without use of a hands free device. The other changes the anti smoking ban and will now allow food to be served in bars and taverns that allow smoking. Both fall into the better late than never in my book.

Miss USA Pageant to be held at Planet Harrah's on Sunday. For entertainment purposes Miss California is the favorite at 8-1. Miss Alabama is next at 11-1, South Carolina at 12-1, Hawaii 14-1, Arizona 15-1. Miss Nevada is tied with Idaho and Missouri at 25-1.

Restoration of a portion of petrpglyphs that was defaced by a gang member has been restored to better condition than it was when it was tagged. PeeWee, the gang member that spray painted the ancient art is still in jail.

Station Casinos has officially emerged from bankruptcy. The Fertitta family is still in charge.

Ultimate Jousting comes to the SouthPoint on Saturday. This is first championship event of it's kind. They claim it is not a choreographed event. They use solid lances, they don't fake anything, and they want to win. Oh well.

Kids out of school, temps over 100. So 14 kids with baseball bats attacked 2 guys playing golf. No motive, no robbery, just violence.

The favorite won! Miss California! Kinda cool!

The odds come from Johnny Avelo at the Wynndot sports book who like to handicap non-gaming events here in town.

Fremont St was spared a disaster when a swarm of bees settled on to a Budweiser carriage just as crews were preparing to hook up the famous Clydesdale horses to the carriage. It was estimated to be nearly 50,000 bees that decided to set up shop on big red wagon. If the 2000 pound horses had been spooked by the bees, they could have made a big mess.

A 19 year old man fell to his death on Sunday as he tried to take some pictures from the Venetian parking garage.

Caesars Qua Spa ranked #55 in Conde Nasts' 2011 Spa awards around the world where Qua consistently gets a high ranking.

An 89 year old man walked across the stage with the graduating class at Desert Rose High in Las Vegas. He skipped his last year of high school to join the military and decided it was time to take care of business.

The Electric Daisy Carnival comes to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend. The weekend with DJs, light shows, and loud music has been overshadowed by drug overdoses. This event will replace the one previously held In Los Angeles where a girl overdosed last year. Last week, two people died in the Dallas show.

14 hours and 37 minutes make this past Tuesday the longest day of the week as we hit the Summer Solstice. The days will only get shorter until winter.

The 98th range wing at Nellis AFB has been abolished and will become part of the Nevada Test and Training Range, which is the largest air/ground training area in the free world.

George Maloof has all but sold out of the Palms. 49% ownership went to TPG Capital and 49% went to Leonard Green and Partners, leaving Maloof with a lot less debt and only 2% ownership. TPG Capital is a big Caesars investor, so I predict there will soon be a Caesars connection with The Palms.

The City of Las Vegas is being slapped by OSHA with big fines after an investigation into a December event where an Animal Control Officer was bitten several times by a pack of pit bull dogs.

The Happiest Mayor in the Universe held his last press conference this week. As Oscar Goodman is kicked out of office due to term limits, his final job will be swearing in the new mayor, his wife, Carolyn Goodman on July 6.

A former Mrs Nevada was seriously injured when her car struck a tour bus on I-15. The bus was northbound when the driver decided that he should be going southbound and decided to make an illegal U-turn.

Electric Daisy Carnival without major incidents, which was against most predictions. I guess they'll be back next year.

Palms has new man in charge. Now that George Maloof is a mere 2% owner, the former Hard Rock #1 man is now in charge of The Palms. Joseph Magliarditi has also worked for the M Resort and the Rio.

Due to North Las Vegas police layoffs, the police union is putting up billboards notifying residents that they cannot protect your safety and that burglars and thieves are welcome.

I killed, one injured, and one arrested in a knife fight on the pedestrian walkway between NYNY and MGM.

The Sahara owners, SBE Entertainment, will donate one of it's signs to the Neon Museum. It is near the back of the casino facing Sahara Ave. Not really something remembered by the average tourist.

Our local UFL football team, the Las Vegas Locos, is looking for a new Mascot. You can apply online. Of course, interviews will be in person.

On the job front, the Plaza is hiring hundreds of workers in preparation for the re-opening of the Plaza. Earlier this year, Stations had no problems filling 1000 positions in just a few months. The Silverton, on the other hand is having trouble filling 50 positions. From full time management to part time pool jobs, they can't seem to find qualified workers.

Hilton is considering dropping it's association with the Las Vegas Hilton as it's contract expires later this year. The hotel would remain under the same ownership, but would take over different branding.

"Trailer Park Women and Wives" is being developed here in Las Vegas as trailer women are being interviewed. Unlike other reality shows, this one will be real….according to the producer. It will be pitched to True TV later this month.

Thanks JMT. You are always informative and interesting. Questions and comments:
What are they doing with the other more recognizable Sahara signs?
Do you have to be a little nuts to apply for the Locos' mascot position?
I would think the Silverton wouldn't have any problem with unemployment being what it is.
As a former owner of a trailer park, I'll be looking forward to "Trailer Park Women and Wives."

<<Due to North Las Vegas police layoffs, the police union is putting up billboards notifying residents that they cannot protect your safety and that burglars and thieves are welcome.>>

Yikes! That's awful - not a welcome reality!

<<I killed, one injured, and one arrested in a knife fight on the pedestrian walkway between NYNY and MGM.>>

Yikes again!! I've been on that walkway many, many times over the years, at all times of day and night. Very scary!

They had some of the trailer women interviews on the TV news and I think they show might get at least one season. It's everything one might imagine.<g>

Another stabbing in front of the Cosmo this week. Stabbings are so creepy.

Vickie, if you aren't crazy enough to apply for Loco's mascot, Circus Circus is interviewing for the haunted house, Fright Dome. Also, the show Bite is looking for a new Vampire.

Joe Biden campaigned in Las Vegas during the July 4th weekend. The restricted airspace during the entire stay shut down all tour helicopters planes, costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars. Rumor has it, Obama wants to come next weekend. Tour operators are not happy with this hope and change.

Another man was stabbed to death on the Las Vegas Strip. This happened very near where last weeks stabbing took place, but this was not on the pedestrian walkway. It was closer to the Cosmopolitan.

Yet another man is dead on the strip after a single punch in the jaw at O'sheas on Wednesday morning. At least he wasn't stabbed.

The strip was shut down at Spring Mountain Rd (by Wynn, TI, Palazzo, Fashion Show Mall) on Friday as a construction trench 10 feet deep to work on a gas pipe collapsed to over 25 feet deep. As of Friday evening, only one lane each direction was getting through and northbound traffic was backed up beyond Tropicana. It could take days to get more lanes open.

The 11th Officer Involved Shooting occurred this week when Metro shot a man who was threatening to shoot himself, then turned the gun toward the officers. If he was looking for suicide by cop, then he got his wish.

A woman was sentenced to 2 to 5 years after her son drowned in the family swimming pool. She had told investigators at the time that she was glad the boy was dead because he had diabetes and would not suffer any more. The boy was dead in the pool for hours before the grandmother discovered the body.

Monsoon season is here. Heavy dark clouds, rainbows, lightning, and thunder, with occasional downpours and flooding were the order of the week. This comes with temps near 100. Makes you appreciate the "dry heat".

Las Vegas has a new Mayorette. Carolyn Goodman was sworn into office by her husband, the previous mayor, Oscar Goodman.

Metro police are apologizing for the conviction of a violent robbery/kidnapping where DNA evidence was accidentally swapped with his cousin. Both men were at the scene of the crime, but it was his cousin that did the deed he was convicted of.

Wildfires are burning near the Nevada National Security Site, about 60 miles north of Las Vegas. The fires are about 25% contained and have burned about 6000 acres.

Las Vegas teenager and baseball great, Bryce Harper, got promoted from single A to double AA this week as the Washington Nationals enjoy his progress in the major league.

A new shrimp farm has opened just north of Las Vegas in Apex. It will produce 450,000 pounds of shrimp each year and much of the shrimps will go to Las Vegas restaurants. Las Vegas consumes most of the worlds shrimp.

7 people were shot outside a funeral home in a gang related shooting. The funeral home had just finished a memorial for the man killed on the pedestrian walkway last week.

When the Plaza reopens on Sept 1, it will feature a Hash House A Go Go.

The Wynn will be the first sports book to take non-sports betting when it takes prop bets on the World Series of Poker, which gets down to business this week nailing down the final table. This non-sports betting could lead to betting on things like the Academy Awards and other TV shows.

New Years Eve Fireworks plans are already in the works for the Las Vegas Strip. The 8 participating hotels are the Tropicana, MGM, Aria, Planet Hollywood, Caesars, Treasure Island, Venetian, and Stratosphere.

All those stabbings and other assorted killings don't sound too inviting to someone who just might be considering moving to the area. How's Summerlin?

Who said I wasn't crazy enough????

Strong storms continued to blow over trees, tear off roofs, and wash bodies out of the drainage routes earlier this week. The second half of the week was wonderful with low humidity and temps around 100.

A big brush fire broke out on the back side of Red Rock Canyon, which happens to be around I-215 and Summerlin Parkway. It's out now.

The huge Viva Elvis sign which was once planned to be the Harmon Hotel, is not structurally sound and could easily fall in a 6.0 earthquake. Clark County has given MGM one month to make a decision on what to do with The Harmon.

The DesertExpress high speed train from Las Vegas to Victorville has moved one step closer to reality as it passed it's environmental impact study.

McCarran airport has received over 10 million dollars to repair taxi ways and tarmac areas.

Eva Longoria's nightclub in City Center has closed.

Rosemarys, on West Sahara, a favorite for locals and tourists, has closed down.

Another Officer Involved Shooting leads to death of a man who charged the police with a knife. Use of non-lethal force did not slow the man down but lead poisoning did.

Several guests at Aria last month have contracted Legionnaires Disease. Thousands of others have been sent letters advising them that they may have it.

A tourist from France was "escalator surfing" on the pedestrian walkway escalator at Caesars Palace when he fell 25 feet and landed on his head. He is in critical condition.

Lamborghini is suing the Palazzo, saying it's restaurant Dal Toro uses a logo that resembles Lambo. There was once a Lambo dealer at the location that authorized all logos.

Former MGM CEO Terry Lanni, passed away on Thursday night. He was a visionary and a huge asset to the company.

<<Several guests at Aria last month have contracted Legionnaires Disease. Thousands of others have been sent letters advising them that they may have it.>

Wow! That's enough to keep people away in droves!

<<A tourist from France was "escalator surfing" on the pedestrian walkway escalator at Caesars Palace when he fell 25 feet and landed on his head. He is in critical condition.>>

I would love to know what escalator surfing is.

Escalator Surfing is sliding down the sides of the escalator. If you want to see some google it and a number of utube videos will show up. Idiots love to post their acts on the internet.

Thank you again JMT for posting these news reports. They are one of my favorite post on Talk Vegas.

They said alcohol may have been involved in the 4:30am surfing accident. I guess the French don't have Darwin equivalent.

I like these stories too. I do need a little boost every once in a while to let me know people are reading them.

I had to google escalator surfing, Goof ball idea, you would almost have to be drunk to even think about it! and even then, why?
Keep'm coming JMT, I love these too!

JMT - I always read these and love them. Thanks for doing it!

Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort has a multiphase plan approved that will increase the number of lifts and runs and have a new lodge built.

UFL plans to start their season early due to NFL and NBA lockouts have failed because there was not enough time to finalize TV contracts. Therefore, the Las Vegas Locos will start in September instead of August.

F-35 Lightning fighter jet will be coming to Nellis AFB next year to replace the F-16 and A-10 jets.

McCarran Airport has a new training simulator that replicates the airport very well and can include all kinds of scenarios including time of day and weather conditions.

McCarran Airport is also rolling out new full body scan technology that it has been testing for a while. It mainly shows the body outline, rather than body detail. And the person being scanned can view the same image as seen by the TSA.

Some teens broke into a local high school, broke windows, spray painted walls, and stole computers. One of the teens mother turned her son in when she found stolen property in her house.

Metro has offered $ 1.5 million to the man who was jailed for 4 years after a DNA identity mistake.

About 50 Jubilee showgirls, Penn & Teller, Vinnie Favorito, Donny & Marie, Mac King and others stopped traffic on the strip. They marched down the street carrying signs potting resort fees.

Mayorette Carolyn Goodman held her first press conference on Thursday. She says she might not hold weekly conferences as her husband did.

The first distillery in Nevada opened near the Galleria Mall on Friday. They will be making whiskeys, bourbons, vodka, and gin.

Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack Show has closed at the Riviera, but will relocate to the Hilton, start another tour show, and Sandy is working on a show to celebrate his father, Buddy Hackett. I plan to do a report on the show when it re-opens.

A second Las Vegas firefighter has been fired for sick leave abuse. The Battalion Chief made $295.000 last year. She also faces criminal charges for stealing from the county.

Two more idiots arrested for impersonating police officers this week.

So I'm guessing the stopped traffic was some publicity stunt by Harrahs?

Jubilee had it's casting call last Saturday, as it does every 6 months. The cast works on 6 month contracts and must re-interview along with any walk up applicants if they want to stay with the show. Jubilee will celebrate 30 years in Las Vegas today.

The Wolfgang Puck restaurant at the Springs Preserve will close by the end of the year. Business was good, profits were good, and reviews were good. They were being accused of having a sweetheart deal that gave them unfair advantages.

Routine maintenance on UNLV computers revealed that someone had hacked into the system and identities may have been stolen.

The Plaza Hotel has revealed another feature called The Swingers Club. It will be part dueling pianos, part mini-golf, and part TV reality show.

County Commissioner is looking to clean up the strip from vendors and street performers. No word on the porn pushers.

There was a 4th homicide recently on the strip where a man was stabbed on July 9th and died a week later. Metro police did not release this info to the media until now, for fear of public concern.

Burger Wars firing up soon. Heart Attack Grill is coming to downtown. A popular place in Phoenix, the restaurant features items like Triple Bypass Burger and Flat Line Fries. Customers are patients, orders are prescriptions, waitresses are nurses, etc. If anything can survive in Neonopolis, this place can.

A 19 year old man died while hiking on Mt Charleston. He went off of the designated trails and began exploring on his own when he slipped and fell almost 100 feet to his death.

If you plan to drive to the McCarran airport via Paradise and Tropicana, beware of lane restrictions as crews start to set up signs for the new terminal. Over half of the lanes may be blocked at any given time.

An 18 year old man in Clark County jail for killing his 6 year old cousin is now facing more charges as he killed his cell mate.

The Plaza announced two new restaurants this week. Island Sushi and Hawaiian Grill and Zabo's Mexican Grill.

The Plaza also announced a unique and independent theater project which will have shows such as Godot and my favorite…Cannibal.

A valley woman is dead after her car broke down about 3 miles from Lake Las Vegas. She got out and started walking for help and died from the heat. Message here is to STAY HYDRATED.

<<County Commissioner is looking to clean up the strip from vendors and street performers. No word on the porn pushers.>>

I don't mind the street performers but I WISH they would get rid of those porn pushers. I love to walk the strip but those people are really annoying. Being a single, middle-aged man, they always target me. But what really irks me is when I see a couple walking together, they still try to give their crap to the male. What the hell are they thinking? It seemed the last time I was in Vegas, there were more porn pushers than ever.

Mike, it's not even the worst of it. On top of all that, all the trash it creates on the strip and down town.

An armored car was robbed on WiFi Day in the far northwest part of the area. The robbers got away clean.

A woman tied up her mother and killed her, rolled her up in blankets and put her in the garage. She had a couple of helpers and the 3 are in jail.

The Plaza announced a new steakhouse as part of it's renovation. It will be named Oscar's, in celebration of Oscar Goodman. Oscar hints that it will resemble the speakeasy that he has always wanted and drinks will be big. They are looking at an October opening.

The Riviera announced that it is bringing Bingo back to the strip, beginning Aug 12.

North Las Vegas Fire Department will go through rolling brown outs which un-mans certain pieces of equipment through the day. This is an effort to save money.

Caesars will replace Nero's with a steakhouse brand from New York, Old Homestead.

Two mosquito pools in the area have tested positive for the West Nile Virus.

The Black Hat convention which targets security is at Caesars this week, as the Defcon hacking convention kicks off at the Rio.

Animal rights activists have failed to stop the first Black Bear hunting season, which starts on August 20.

Man arrested for murder. His wife was afraid of the guns he had. As he was showing her how safe they were and they are only dangerous in the wrong hands, the gun "mysteriously" shot her in the head. As a convicted felon, he was not supposed have that gun anyway.

Project Linq, which includes shopping, a new face on Oshea's and the IP, along with a huge Ferris Wheel has been approved by the county for land use rights.

If you were thinking of going to Burning Man this year, forget it, unless you already have tickets. The event is sold out this year for the first time in 25 years.

RailRoad Pass casino celebrated it's 80th birthday on Monday. The casino has gambling license #4.

Mrs. United States Pageant was held this week at the Hilton. Mrs. Nevada was 2nd runner up. The winner was Mrs. Florida.

Domestic violence, plus semi automatic pistol, plus taking neighbor hostage, equals Officer Involved Shooting. Sadly, the victim of this OIS survived and will live to blame the officers in court.

Drunk drivers were responsible for several deaths this week.

The early Wednesday morning sky was lit up when a tanker truck on I-15 near downtown burst into flames. While the freeway was damaged, It is now open and will undergo repair over time.

The teenager who spray painted petroglyphs in Red Rock Canyon was sentenced to 9 months of supervised release and a $24,000 fine. Has already served 9 months behind bars. Under the terms of the release, he is not allowed in federal parks.

Star Trek Convention this week at The Rio. This is supposed to be the last convention attended by Leonard Nimoy.

Two people have been arrested in California for extortion bomb threats on Las Vegas Strip casinos.

The Las Vegas Hilton is defaulting on payments and is in serious financial trouble. There have already been numerous reports that Hilton is pulling out their affiliation of the property.

Bingo opened up at The Riviera, being not only the newest but the only bingo parlor on the Las Vegas Strip. It won't be the newest bingo parlor for long, as the Plaza, downtown, will feature bingo.

Spock's last appearance, huh? Sad.
Great report as always, JMT. Thanks.

New traffic signals are starting to pop up around town. When making a left turn, you might be met with a flashing yellow left arrow. The flashing yellow arrow reminds you to watch for oncoming traffic and pedestrians before turning left.

I-15 construction between Russell Rd and Blue Diamond keeps getting worse. More entrance and exit ramps and orange barrels and cones are popping up. Remember traffic fines double in construction zones.

Caesars announced that Project Linq has been put on the fast track and construction will soon begin. They go far to insure the new ferris wheel is not called a ferris wheel. They call it an observation wheel. Caesars ignorance, led by ex majorette Jan Laverty Jones is exaggerated by the fact that the Ferris wheel has a Nevada connection. George Ferris Jr conceived the idea from watching a water wheel near Minden Nevada, and thinking how fun it would be to ride that wheel.

Bellagio is undergoing a room makeover with phase one completed. The entire project should end by the end of the year.

Rosies Den went up in flames. The 77 year old building is mainly made of rock and concrete but is pretty much destroyed. The gift shop is still open. This Arizona landmark is significant in Las Vegas as it is the closest place to buy lottery tickets.

Two teens were arrested for starting a wildfire in northern Nevada on Tuesday. As of Friday, the fire was still not under control.

Carl Icahn, who owns Tropicana resorts in Laughlin and Atlantic City, has settled with the Tropicana in Las Vegas over name use. The Las Vegas property can use the name near Las Vegas and online for advertising. Carl has the rights outside of Las Vegas.

Landry's, the Fertitta run company that owns the Golden Nugget, Rainforest Cafe, and other stuff around town is taking over operations of Beso restaurant at City Center. Look for them to take over ownership of Beso and then set their sights on McCormick & Schmick's.

Citadel Gun and Safe company near the Rio was raided by the US Air Force, backed up by FBI, and ATF. This was a serious raid with full military gear, SWAT tanks, K9, etc. No details except that it was part of an ongoing operation.

The City of North Las Vegas just cannot get their financial situation in order. They are in danger of a full takeover by the state.

Record heat hit the valley this week for a few days. Still, it's been a RELATIVELY cool summer with a late summer and very few 110+ days.

Aria is starting to see law suits from the Legionnaires Disease outbreak.

Some private schools have started and CCSD schools open next week. Be careful in school zones.

Police found a 4 acre marijuana crop near Mount Charleston, between Lee Canyon and Kyle Canyon. The crop of 4,685 plants is estimated to have a street value of 23.4 million dollars.

Clark County wants more info from MGM to justify their implosion decision of The Harmon versus repairing the existing structure.

Elderly man with a walker tried to jaywalk on Boulder Highway at night with cars coming. Cars won.

A national guard officer arrested for stealing property from Nellis Air Force Base in connection with last weeks raid by the Air Force on a local gun store. Items included body armor, chemical warfare, and mounts for heavy weapons.

The state has closed an elderly assisted living home in Las Vegas amid charges of abuse to the elderly residents and money being stolen from them.

There has been some bickering and even lawsuits between the Las Vegas Mob Experience and it's investors. Now the Tropicana hotel has been named in lawsuits.

The exclusive Spanish Trail development surrounded by Tropicana, Hacienda, Rainbow, and Durango has filed for bankruptcy. George Maloof, The Sultan of Brueuni, Andre Agassi, and other big names live there.

A county judge ruled that the Bellagio Bandit will serve 9-27 years in prison for the Bellagio and Suncoast robberies.

Jet nightclub in the Mirage will close next week. There are plans to reopen it for New Years Eve under a new partner. The new name of the club will be 1OAK.

The boyfriend that was arrested with Paris Hilton last year in front of the WynnDot got a suspended sentence after pleading no contest.

Treasure Island opened a new 24 hour Starbucks on the strip. It is near the porte cochere and is accessed from the strip, not from inside the casino.

Police have arrested the 23 year old godmother of a one year old baby killed on Wednesday. It seems the lady beat the child to death with a metal pipe.

I'm always curious how many nightclubs Las Vegas can sustain. There seem to be so many of them, with lots of openings and closings.

Clark County Detention Center is back to normal after a week of being on lockdown while authorities were doing a contraband check.

Pot busts continue at marijuana grow houses and farms. There have been 108 busts so far this year. Total busts for 2010 was 119.

The Plaza re-opened on Thursday, providing a more completed feel to Fremont Street. The Plaza was in great need of an overhaul. Downtown is growing and it is hoped that the Plaza will be a major player.

A wildfire 100 miles north of Las Vegas has covered some 8000 acres. It is in a remote area and is no threat to homes at this time. Another fire on the Sheep Mountain range north of Las Vegas is burning unused land and firefighters plan to just let it burn. And yet another wildfire near Victorville on I-15 stopped holiday freeway traffic as it crossed the freeway.

Clark County requested an investigation of the Luxor and engineers found structural cracks. MGM says the cracks resulted over time and they will monitor the cracks to insure public safety.

A German man was busted at McCarran airport with over a kilo of cocaine in his stomach. The drugs were contained in dozens of small plastic bags.

Casino Montelago at Lake Las Vegas which recently opened with a small casino, now has a sports book on the upper level that will be operated by the SouthPoint.

This August was the warmest August on record for Las Vegas. There was only one day where the temperature was under 100 degrees.

US Air will cut it's Las Vegas flights about 40% by the first of the year. They will go from 35 to 21 flights per day.

The Jersey Boys are leaving the Palazzo and heading to Paris (on the strip) as Barry Manilow moves out by the end of the year. Also remember that the Blue Man Group is moving out of the Venetian and heading to the Monte Carlo.

There was a shooting at an IHOP in Reno where a man shot several people before killing himself. 3 of the 4 dead were from a nearby National Guard post.

Clark County has signed a reality show deal with The Discovery Channel. In seven episodes over a 6 month period, cameras will follow the Clark County Coroner and Medical Examiner on calls. The county will collect $5000 per episode.

The Sahara is SOLD OUT. The final day of the fire sale was Saturday September 4.

Green Valley High School Marching Band is going to China for a tourism convention. China saw them in the Maceys Thanksgiving Day Parade and were so impressed, they invited them to the convention and will pay for their stay in China.

An idiot walked into Buffalo Bills Casino in Primm, and told the hotel clerk that he planted a bomb and wanted $2000. The clerk called a manager who said he didn't have that much cash and would have to call another manager. The idiot stood around and waited until security showed up and took him into custody.

I got an e-mail from Caesars Palace announcing the opening of the rooms in the Octavius Tower which have been sitting empty for years. Prices start at $219, and begin occupancy at the first of next year.

Blush nightclub at the Wynn will be closing this weekend to make room for future use.

New Jersey Gov Chris Christie forgot to wear his thinking cap when he tried to promote Atlantic City by saying how stupid it was to visit Las Vegas in the summer. Apparently AC has no hot women, no hot beaches, no hot pools, no hot clubs, no hot restaurants, no hot shows, etc. Mayor Goodman noted that we have air conditioning.

A beam from the World Trade Center that has been on display at the Atomic Testing Museum was moved to Fremont St for display this weekend.

Couple in Walmart tried to buy high dollar items with a fraudulent credit card at 4:00am, so cops were called. When cops decided to handcuff the man, the man turned around, pulled a gun, and shot a cop several times. Other cops shot and killed the man. Cop took hits in bullet proof vest and one in the arm and will be okay.

The Riviera just opened a new sports book with a sidewalk accessed walk up window. Inside is a regular new sports book.

The Mob Experience at the Tropicana severely cut back it's show on Monday. All of the actors were laid off and all of the interactive portions were shut down. What's open now is just the static displays. The "plan" is to redesign the high tech and interactive portions and re-open with new and improved experience.

NFL football season began this week and there are many business such as bars, sports books, and casinos that are enjoying the extra business it draws.

Local cab companies will meet at the end of the month and consider a rate increase.

Heavy lightning early on Tuesday set at least 25 palm trees on fire throughout the valley. Ensuing rain caused major flooding. Record wetness and record cool temps were the order of the week.

Another baby dolphin was born at the Mirage this week. It's the second in the past 7 weeks.

A man being arrested for drugs escaped police was handcuffed and ran out in the freeway and attacked a semi truck. The truck won.

Pot farms on the Spring Mountain Range continue to be taken out by officials. Initially discovered by search and rescue teams assisting distressed hikers, helicopters surveying one farm leads to the discovery more and more.

The 105 year old Golden Gate hotel/casino plans a 12 million dollar expansion and renovation that was approved by the county this week. City approval is expected next month. It will add 16 rooms and 2 1600 sq ft suites in addition to public area improvements.

A local woman, Dutchess, currently has the longest fingernails in the world. They total about 20 feet in length.

The Las Vegas Hilton was issued a foreclosure notice that cites a 2010 default that the Hilton eventually resolved as it tries to restructure it's debt.

SBE has bought the mortgage of the Sahara and now they have the power to redesign the property and reopen it. IMHO….aint gonna happen anytime soon.

It was a sad day in Reno late Friday afternoon as the Reno Air Races suffered a horrible crash with mass casualties.

The finger nail lady is gross! Saw her on the news!
Pot farms, all I have to say is, damn lost hikers! LOL
This past week was probably the wettest, when I have ever visited

Idiot on the top floor of the SouthPoint parking garage threatened to jump and held police and spectators in wait for several hours this week. After much attention, he decided to not jump.

Absinthe, the raunchy cirque like show at a tent in front of Caesars Palace will be extended another year, but is closed until Oct 21.

This week had perfect weather at about 100 each day. Now that summer is gone, so goes the 100s. Fall is starting off in solid 90s.

Last Saturday was fight night at the MGM when Floyd Mayweather Jr fought Victor Ortiz. Lots of money on the table. Mayweather wins in a controversial knock out and may pay well depending on where you shop for sports bets.

Forbes richest Americans include…Sheldon Adleson at #8, Steve Wynn at #130, Elaine Wynn at #263, Kirk Kerkorian at #117, Phil Ruffin at #166, Frank Feritta III at #355, and Lorenzo Fertitta at 359.

UNLV Running Rebels basketball star Chase Stanback has been suspended for 1 game for pleading guilty to driving under the influence of marijuana. He says he is sorry for that. No word if he was sorry before he got pulled over, or sorry for speeding, or sorry for no insurance.

6'11" Big Lew Brown was the star of UNLVs first final four team back in 1977. He was laid to rest this week after suffering a fatal heart attack last week. He had been living on the streets of LA for the last 10 years.

A woman had her necklace ripped off her neck outside of the Suncoast, and the next day a woman was pushed down and had her purse stolen in the Red Rock parking garage. A suspect matching the description of both crimes was found heading into the Rampart parking garage and was arrested.

The Margaritaville Casino at the Flamingo is set to open on October 1. As part of the opening celebration, they will attempt to set a record for the largest margarita at 8500 gallons.

The cost of natural gas has dropped, so the electric bills in Las Vegas will go down about 4%.

The F-22 Raptor jets are now flying again after several month of being grounded due to oxygen issues. There are several of those jets based at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas.

Nevada will be the 10th state on the books when the hands free cell phone while driving law goes into effect on Oct 1. Police will begin pulling over offenders now, but will not start issuing citations until Jan 1, 2012.

Chicago has a hands-free cell phone law and you would never know it. I don't think people are really aware of it. I question whether the cops are either.

I will be in town on October 1 and will have to check out the new Margaritaville casino and the 8500 gallon margarita. Guess they will have to use one of the pools.

Thanks for posting the news reports JMT.

Shoot, I was thinking of trying to see Absinthe this weekend as will be there for the annual trip.

Oh well, I guess I will just have to drown my sorrows by the 8500 gallon margarita

Absinthe skaters are gone. Sadly they got hooked into the V show at the P-Ho. Both V and Absinthe are promising better performances.

Biker fight in Sparks NV left a head honcho of the Hell's Angels dead at a bike rally last weekend. This weekend is BikeFest in Las Vegas. What could possibly go wrong? Cops say they are prepared.

A Henderson man robbed a pharmacy and police caught up with him during the getaway. He began shooting out of his car with a shotgun during the chase that ended in The District next to Green Valley Ranch where got out and continued to shoot at police. He was shot but survived.

An 11 year old kid found a gun in a toy box in the home, thought it was a toy and shot and killed a 5 year old. Investigators found several other guns in the home.

The man who was high on cocaine, shot his pregnant girlfriend in the back with a shotgun, shot at cars on I-15 and Blue Diamond, and shot at police, was sentenced to 7 years in prison. He told the judge that the DA was trying to make him look like a monster.

The zip line at Fremont Street is expanding. It plans to double the distance and increase capacity. The rework should not take more than a few months to complete.

Lake Mead water level is 1116 feet above sea level, up 35 feet from Nov 2010. Should hit at least 1133 by the end of this year. Average level is 1173, so while it has gone up, it is still well into the drought stage.

The new Island Sushi Hawaiian Grill at the Plaza had it's prep kitchen inspected by the health department and was shut down. It has since reopened.

The handsfree only phone usage law is now in effect for driving in Nevada.

Attention whore and local celeb Holly Maddison has insured her fake boobies for a million dollars.

If they extend the zip line on Fremont street to double it's current running, does that also mean that the amount of people getting stuck will also double???

It's already much lower than before. Maybe it will cut the current number in half?

WOW It's either been a very slow week because of the cold and wet, or I worked too much and missed out on the goings on around town. I'm gonna say both.

Record cold and rain were the order for most of the week. Some of next weeks lows will be higher than some of this weeks highs.

A mattress fire at the Rio forced the evacuation of several floors. Only minor damage to the hotel and 2 Rio employees were treated for smoke inhalation.

If you saw airplanes going down the road on Thursday night, it was for real. They were being towed from McCarran, down Paradise, to the convention center for an expo.

The Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort was supposed to open after Thanksgiving, but is considering an earlier opening due to an early cold blast.

FYI, the father who gave Steve Jobs up for adoption is a VP of the Boomtown casino near Reno.

Creech Air Force Base, north of Las Vegas has been the target of a computer virus that the Air Force can not wipe from their computer. This is the base where most of the unmanned drone aircraft are guided from.

Investors have moved to foreclose on the Mob Experience at the Tropicana. Expect nothing to happen anytime soon.

Wouldn't you know it? I come to town with my California clothes and Las Vegas turns cold! And Mt. Charleston has SNOW on it!BRRR.

Welcome Vickie, the weather will get better.

Anyone who was worried about the weather 7 days ago should feel very good about how this week has been.

Hundreds of people were evacuated from the Wynn when a 2 alarm fire broke out at the Stratta restaurant. The grease fire started in a ventilation duct and one Wynn employee suffered smoke inhalation.

2 people were injured at Hooters with severe chemical burns when a hot tub system malfunctioned and sent too much chlorine into the tub.

A local Catholic priest robbed over half a million dollars from his church to support his gambling addiction, and now faces federal prison time.

A 75 year old woman and her 60 year old instructor were killed in a tandem skydiving accident while their families watched as the main and back up chute failed. The vibrant woman was very active and healthy, and had been wanting to skydive for over 25 years. This dive was to celebrate her 75th birthday.

The Opportunity Village charity presents a great interactive Christmas experience every year with lights, displays, etc. Lately, pieces have been missing and security cameras caught thieves taking generators, displays, inflatables, etc. Much of it was recovered this week at a garage sale just a couple of blocks from where it was stolen.

The first run of the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort opened. Chair 3 was the first ski run in the nation to open for the 2011 season, but it soon closed as the weather got warmer. It contained 9 inches of real snow from recent storms and 4 inches of man made snow.

A man gave his co-worker $6 to play Megabucks on her vacation, and if she won, they would split the winnings. Well, she won $13 million, but claims it was on her money and the money the co-worker gave her did not win.

The Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement has dropped the "Las Vegas" and changed it to "National", to focus on nationwide mob issues…not just the Vegas connection. I will continue to call it the Mob Museum. It is set to open on Valentines Day and features the wall from the St Valentines day massacre.

After 11 days of a decreased electric bill granted by NV Energy due to lower expenses, the company is now asking the Public Utilities Commission for a rate hike.

Western High School has cancelled it's last 3 football games due to lack of eligible players. An "incident" involving teasing, duct tape, and a stolen ipod may lead to expulsion of some team members. Even on a good day, they only have 5 real offensive varsity players and 3 on defense and have to shuffle junior varsity players to fill in the gaps.

This is a BIG sports weekend for race fans. The NASCAR Camping World trucks, the IZOD Indy cars, BMX Dew Tour Championship, and the Monster Energy Supercross series all take place.

The IndyCar league was so pleased with the Las Vegas vibe for their final race of the season that they decided to have the finale for 2012 in Las Vegas too, even before the 2011 race.

And if you like wheels but not racing, Viva Bike Vegas will be a 103 mile bicycle tour on Saturday all over Las Vegas that includes touring through Red Rock Canyon, Lake Mead Recreational Area, the strip and all through the city. If you are driving in Las Vegas on Saturday, rolling road blocks will block traffic for this event throughout the town throughout the day.

Clint Holmes' mother, Audrey, died this week in a Las Vegas hospice. She was 95 years old. Many people who attended Clint's show at Harrah's remember she still had a great singing voice into her 90s.

Brad Garrett's Comedy Club will move from the Tropicana to the MGM around April Fools Day.

Heart Attack Grill opened downtown in Neonopolis on Wednesday. They feature A Taste Worth Dying for, including a Quadruple Bypass Burger, Flat Liner Fries, and a Butterfat Milkshake. People over 350 pounds eat free. They have an opening for a spokesmodel, as the original spokesman died earlier this year at 575 pounds.

The Worlds Largest Margarita is in the works at Margaritaville. It includes 2125 gallons of Margaritaville Gold Tequila, 708 gallons of Triple Sec, 5667 gallons of Margarita Mix, and 22,267 limes. This should yield about 8500 gallons of Margarita, served in a 31 foot tall tank that weighs about 70,000 pounds when full. As of this writing, it has not been certified as the record yet.

CSI was on TV this past Wednesday with a Las Vegas plot. Oscar Goodman got shot at the new Mob Museum and was the attorney to defend his shooter. It was mainly filmed in Hollywood and Oscar was a major consultant on the set to make the museum seem real. It's the first time I've seen CSI. It's was kinda cheesy, kinda like a promo for the Mob Museum, kinda plugging Oscar for attention.

Also on TV this past week, Penn and Teller's "Tell A LIe", and as Mike mentioned, the chef from Payard's.

I didn't realize hot tubs have mechanisms to automatically send chlorine into the tub.

Wow - what's going on with the Tropicana? Brad Garrett is moving, Gladys Knight is gone, Nikki Beach is gone, and the Mob Museum has had problems.

The comment about the spokesmodel opening for the Heart Attack Grill had me laughing out loud!

Regarding the 75 year old skydiver, at least she got to do it after 25 years. What a way to go!

I'm sure by now many of you have seen then news of the tragic event that occurred at LVMS during the IZOD Indy Race on Sunday. I was there with my BIL we were sitting between the exit of pit row and the start of turn 1, the whole drama happened right in front of us. It looked more like an aircraft crash with all the fire and explosions of the cars slamming the wall and each other at 200+ mph.

Tourists were unimpressed with the Occupy protests on Fremont St on Saturday night. Occupy was able to secure a parcel on Paradise Rd near UNLV to set up a command post, but it is unclear where the funds will come from to pay for the land.

There was a fire at the Can-Can Room strip club near Desert Inn and Industrial. Arson is suspected. Damage was minimal as the club is across the street from a fire station.

The final race of the IndyCar season ended in tragedy when on lap 11 when driver Dan Wheldon was killed in a fiery 15 car crash.

A fire on the roof of the parking garage at the Red Rock casino left two employees injured who were trying to put the fire out.

A woman on probation stole a limo from the Hard Rock, took it for a joyride and wrecked it as police closed in. Looks like she likes the prison life.

Penn and Teller suddenly stopped their show at the Rio. The media is saying they broke up. The smart money says Penn is being taped for the Celebrity Apprentice.

The Nevada Supreme Court ruled that the lawsuit between MGM and Perinni construction can move forward. This MIGHT delay MGMs wish to destroy (implode) the evidence at the Harmon tower at City Center.

The Las Vegas Mob Experience at the Tropicana, which has been rapidly sinking in financial and legal issues, has officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

It's Baaaaaack. The second round of Absinthe kicks off this weekend with the first shows last night.

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse has closed it's final Las Vegas location, on Paradise, near Flamingo. It was making money but got into a legal battle with the franchise name when the economy first tanked. They MIGHT reopen under a different name early next year.

An F-15 fighter jet crashed just north of Alamo, about 100 miles north of Las Vegas. The pilot ejected safely before the jet hit a mountain and burst into a huge fireball.

The President came to town to preach to the poor people, but did not totally ignore the Occupy Las Vegas movement. It seems that he left a movement of his own as Air Force One dropped a "Boeing Bomb" on the OLV campsite. The blue ice had melted by the time officials arrived and there was only a "smelly brown residue".

DUI saturation patrols will be out in force for the next few weeks.

The new KISS themed mini golf course is set to open in January across from the Hard Rock resort in January. It will feature 18 holes of day/night miniature golf, a KISS gift shop, Hotter Than Hell wedding chapel, Rock 'n Roll All Nite Cafe, and more.

The new skaters for the Absinthe show are tentatively scheduled to start on Dec 1, 2011. Known as the Green Tornado, this brother and sister team will pretty much do the same skit as the Aratas did, since the actual skit belongs to the Absinthe show. The Aratas team signed on with the V-Theater and will have to come up with a new skit.

The Las Vegas Mob Experience at the Trop has received approval for a loan that would keep the business open until it is sold.

Gladys Knight plays her final show at the Trop this week adding to the questions about the sustainability of the Tropicana. This, along with Brad Garret's Comedy Club leaving, the mob deal, and the rumors of Nikki matrix collapsing, are signs that the Trop needs more focus.

And Tropicana is only slightly worse than the Venetian/Palazzo which lost Jersey Boys, Blue Man Group, and now Phantom is on the out list.

Malaysian based Genting Americas is planning a casino in Miami that they claim will lure a third of the east coast tourists who visit Las Vegas, snatching up to 2 billion dollars from our local revenue.

A US District judged denied a Miami man an injunction to stop Caesars from using the Octavius Tower phrase.

The Professional Bull Riders are in town this week for the 18th year in a row. NHRA drag racing is in town. And don't forget UFC. It's a big sports weekend.

The brothers who own 2/3 of the Golden Gate are buying Fitzgerald's from the estate of Don Barden, who died earlier this year.

A judge gave the Las Vegas Hilton more time to fight the foreclosure against the property.

New owners are ready to take over ownership of Aliante Station, but Stations will still run the place with it's current employees.

Lenders are taking over ownership of the Westin Causarina after it's current owner chose not to fight foreclosure and is delighted to get our from under the $904,000 per month mortgage payment.

Harry Reid's train to nowhere, aka DesertXpress, received another legal exemption to move forward. The project is already over budget and is seeking to $5 billion in federal money to build a rail line from Las Vegas to Victorville Ca.

Sam's Town has debuted their new 6 minute wonder which is an overhauled version of their Mystic Falls Park feature. It has new music, more effects, and wider range of colors. The new 15 minute shows happens three times per night.

The Lady Luck, which shut down for 1 year in 2006 (and never reopened) is having it's signs removed. The owners "claim" that it will be rebranded as Downtown. They also claim that renovations are in the works, both inside and out, and that a reopening date will be announced later.

Marie Osmond's voice went bad during the Wednesday night performance at the Flamingo, and she went to the hospital as soon as the show was over. After hours in the emergency room, she was released and cleared to continue the next night.

The new Nevada State Museum opened on Friday at the Springs Preserve. It will be open Fridays thru Mondays.

Police found a dead man after they received a call from a guy who said his roommate had stopped breathing. Turns out the place was a "magic mushroom" grow house with large quantities of psilocybin mushrooms in various stages of production. Police say it has a street value of about $200 per ounce.

The Psychic Fair convention is in Laughlin this weekend. I predict a low turnout.

Stations Casino and Shuffle Master have unveiled the first multi property connected progressive table games. The games links Pai Gow table progressives across Red Rock and Sunset Station.

As always, a great report. Thanks, JMT. May I ask what is the logic behind a train to Victorville? Will it be cost effective? Is there a feasibility study somewhere?

<<The Psychic Fair convention is in Laughlin this weekend. I predict a low turnout.>>

LOL!!!!