A long-time Portuguese colony was being reformed and the Beijing government wanted to reform the city's main industry - gambling. It brought in a new administration and created tougher gaming regulation to ensure that new capital and expertise could be invested.
The mountains and the desert surrounding Las Vegas are very attractive but they can also be harsh and even dangerous. So if you've been thinking about getting your hiking boots and sunscreen on to take a long nature walk, join us to hear Branch Whitney talk about the new edition of his book Hiking Las Vegas.
Everyone loves to hate them - the Home Owners' Association. They say you can't fix your car on the street and your kids can't shoot baskets on the street. But they also make your neighbor mow his lawn and keep the party noise down. So what happens when you have a complaint about the HOA or the neighbors? You might end up talking to the Common-Interest Communities and Condominium Hotels Ombudsman - the officer in the Real Estate Division who has to sort out these disputes. Kara Jenkins joins us to talk about her job and what she can do to help resolve disputes.
He's not quite a Las Vegas native but Bryan Bruner grew up in Las Vegas and launched his career in stand-up comedy on the Strip. He's coming back to the El Cortez tonight with the Las Vegas Comedy Homecoming 2.
Giacomo Puccini's "Tosca" is one of the all-time favorites of opera lovers. It tells the somewhat melodramatic story of a political prisoner who is pursued by the police chief Scarpia, and the singer Tosca who succumbs to Scarpia in an ill-fated attempt to secure her lover's escape.
We are coming up on a decade since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon outside Washington. The terrorists apparently made a stop in Las Vegas but the reason why now seems lost to history. As the 10th anniversary approaches we talk to Las Vegans about their recollections of the attack and what they think is the significance for us now.
Las Vegas resident, Troy Lovick used to work helping small businesses find secure financing but after the economic collapse in 2008 he found himself unemployed and functionally homeless. Lovick now lives in foreclosed home that his friends once owned and is working to get a new business off the ground.
Metro Detective Chris Baughman has worked some of the toughest beats in Las Vegas. He was selected from the Gang Crimes Section to move to a new beat on the Vice Squad - the Pandering Investigative Team.
It was funny in the movie but it seems lots of tourists are trying to live out the experience of very drunken debauchery along Las Vegas Boulevard. Increased violence and numerous reports of unauthorized vendors and performers have complicated the situation for Metro and Clark County officials.
Much of Las Vegas has been built out with so-called master-planned communities. But where did it begin? It all got started at Paradise Palms - the neighborhood between Desert Inn and Flamingo just to the east of Maryland Parkway.
The Las Vegas housing market has long been one of the worst in the nation - foreclosures at record levels and 50 to 60 percent drop in prices over the last three years. So where is the housing market now? Will it take decades to fully recover? And what is driving the continued wave of problems with the market?
The election will be held Tuesday and then the city will have a new mayor. But opinion is very sharply divided about who is the better candidate. Some of the leading supporters of both candidates explain why they're backing Carolyn Goodman or Chris Giunchiliani. And we want to hear what you think - so call in or tell us what you think the big issues are and why one candidate is better for the job.
For most of us, the homeless are those who rattle a can at the stop light hoping for a couple of dollars. Sociologist Kurt Borchard has spent much of his academic career talking to the homeless people of Las Vegas.
Late last year, the owners of the Las Vegas Review-Journal decided to shake up the newspaper. They moved aside the publisher and editor who had headed the paper since 1992. The new editor has edited papers in California and Arkansas. Michael Hengel joins us to talk about his plans for the Review-Journal and the community responsibilities of the Nevada's largest newspaper.
Wilbur Clark, Jay Sarno, Kirk Kerkorian and Steve Wynn are just a few of the legends who built the Strip. But one man who doesn't get enough credit, says biographer Jack Sheehan, is Bill Bennett.
Writer Steve Dublanica found himself a little lubricated at a country fair in backwoods Pennsylvania. After using the temporary restroom, he found an attendant with a tip jar.
November 15 is the 60th anniversary of the Kefauver hearings into mob activity in Las Vegas. The occasion will be marked at the Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement by the museum's designers, Dennis and Kathy Barrie.
The Gaming Control Board has launched a crackdown on bad behavior in casinos and other establishments on the gaming properties. And then Board Member Randall Sayre posted a letter suggesting that the casinos needed a little re-education.
What do the Las Vegas Monorail and the Las Vegas Springs Preserve have in common? Critics say neither of the projects are living up to their hype. We talk with Steve Sebelius, editor of Las Vegas City Life and George Knapp, investigative reporter for KLAS-TV, about the problems with these and
similar public-private projects in southern Nevada.
The nightclub and the ultralounge at Planet Hollywood were denied a liquor license by the Clark County License department and must cease operations this week. Both Prive and The Living Room were cited for allowing underage drinking and
lewd activity.
The New York Times reports that 5,000 restaurant workers are unemployed in the Las Vegas Valley, as the recession deepens, and that's led to reduced hours and closures of restaurants. Meantime, the scheduled December opening of the first phase of MGM Mirage's massive City Center project will see new restaurant openings, sparking competitors to worry that high-end eateries
could take an additional hit.
The New York Times reports that 5,000 restaurant workers are unemployed in the Las Vegas Valley, as the recession deepens, and that's led to reduced hours and closures of restaurants. Meantime, the scheduled December opening of the first phase of MGM Mirage's massive City Center project will see new restaurant openings, sparking competitors to worry that high-end eateries
could take an additional hit.