A bill that would preserve Gold Butte has opened up a debate about conservation and community valuesNancy Hall is unfazed by the rattling, the shaking, the jarring, the relentless kabump-kachunk-kabump that is turning her dusty Toyota Tacoma into some demonic carnival ride on this Saturday morning. If you were sitting next to her as she navigates this merciless Gold Butte back road, you’d marvel, too — because look at you: You’re instinctively gripping the seat, the arm rest, the oh-Jesus handle — anything — while also clenching your jaw lest your molars fly out of your mouth.

The countless iconic photos of fun and frolic in the heat of Las Vegas live, ironically, in the cold — 65 degrees Fahrenheit, to be exact. The shivery climate of the backroom photo vault of the Las Vegas News Bureau is meant to slow the creep of natural decay that makes the photos curl and turn yellow.

The giving trees The holidays aren’t officially over until that final ritual: Hauling the desiccated husk of what was formerly your Christmas tree curbside for trash pickup, no doubt leaving behind a splintery trail of pine needles to rival the typical forest floor. Time to switch up the ritual and recycle that bad boy instead.

Destination known Bluegrass, bazaars and the (actual!) London Bridge The crisp, clear weather of the wintertime desert beckons road trippers all season long. Drive this 485-mile loop on the third weekend in January, and you can enjoy bluegrass music and a legendary RV encampment, in addition to all the glorious vistas and natural wonders.

Irish curry fries at Ri Ra Ri Ra is a big chain of Irish pubs, and the Vegas location has only been open for one St. Paddy’s Day, but it’s already set a new standard of quality for local Irish cuisine.

In December’s whirlwind of holiday parties, the weirdest thing kept happening, the kind of thing that trips your neck hairs and makes you think some sort of cosmic convergence is afoot. (Or maybe it was just the champagne cocktails that I was, unwisely, drinking from a goblet the size of a toaster oven.

When the Flamingo opened, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was so determined to be classy that he required the staff to wear tuxedoes. One day, or so the story went in “The Green Felt Jungle,” he found a man clad in a tuxedo relaxing on a chaise lounge.

I think this old comic book of mine is worth a million dollars! Where can I get it appraised? Before you go rummaging through your attic for X-Men #1, take a deep breath and consider getting your four-color treasures signed and graded to ensure their value. (Grading involves evaluating the condition of and sealing the book in a protective cover.

Please install plug-in Yet another Tony Hsieh downtown initiative: a web hub for stories about — and resources for — reviving the city core There’s a new, soft-launched website covering the downtown Las Vegas business and cultural renaissance. Called the Downtown Project (www.

The discomfort: He loves to show off his (bad) taste in music. The zone: Can he complete a DJ set without being booed off the stage? I’ve always harbored this fantasy of just blowing people away with my music.