Could a scrappy animal advocacy group’s contractual coup hasten a new era in animal control for Southern Nevada?

On a map, the emptier parts of Lincoln and Nye counties look like the tail end of nowhere. Not so. From petroglyphs to the area’s distinctive basin-and-range geology, there’s enough there to prompt a preservation movement that includes legislation by Sen. Harry Reid to set aside more than 1,200 square miles.

Private Vegas by the numbers.

What footage, shot at Wynn Las Vegas, didn’t make the final movie.

Spring has sprung, and so has the annual release of new fragrances from top-name perfumers. This year’s trends feature natural notes that come straight from the kitchen — rhubarb, tea and mint. Smell the magic.

Luxury intersects hard-nosed necessity on Main Street, where unsentimental auto lots and bail bondsmen mingle with vintage shops and high-end home decor. The unlikely mix tells a story of transformation on one of Las Vegas’ oldest streets.

When Patrick Gaffey first encountered Bishr Hijazi’s Arab Ensemble, it consisted of Hijazi, playing the oud, and three percussionists. “You could see that he could use somebody who could play a little bit more legato,” says Gaffey, the county cultural-program supervisor who runs the Winchester Cultural Center.

It’s the map that galls them. The map of Nevada, painted mostly red to depict how much of the state is owned or managed by the federal government.

I am generally a calm person. I mean, don’t you dare check with my wife about that. But I will concede to a distinct lack of calm whenever I have to call customer support. I’m not proud of going all Joe Pesci from Goodfellas on these poor anonymous souls doing their crappy jobs for AT&T, BofA and 1800FLOWERS.

As medical marijuana dispensaries prepare to open, critics wonder if we’ve done enough science.