Top News

For the second time in less than a year, a downtown Las Vegas casino will shut its hotel operations and send a major portion of its work force to the unemployment line.

Owners of the Plaza announced Monday that the casino would close its 1,037-room hotel tower and will lay off more than 400 employees within the next two months.

The closure is expected to last for at least a year while Tamares Real Estate renovates the guest rooms and casino inside the 39-year-old property at Main and Fremont streets.

Downtown gaming revenues have collapsed over the past two years. The last time casinos downtown had a positive month was June 2008, when revenues rose 10 percent from the previous year.

Last December, Binion's closed 365 rooms and laid off about 100 of its 800 employees.

In February 2006, owners of the Lady Luck closed the 743-room hotel-casino for a planned renovation, laying off almost 700 workers. The property has been shuttered ever since.

Monday

Boy saw boxer hit mom

Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s son told police he witnessed the boxer assault his mother on Sept. 9, according to an arrest report.

Koraun Mayweather, the 10-year-old son of Mayweather and the boxer's former girlfriend, Josie Harris, told Las Vegas police he saw his dad "hitting and kicking" his mother, according to the report.

On Thursday, Mayweather would be charged with eight crimes, including four felonies, stemming from the incident.

Tuesday

Fire merger floated

A Las Vegas assemblyman is drawing up legislation to consolidate fire departments in the Las Vegas Valley into a single department.

Democrat Tick Segerblom called the merger a "no-brainer," though he said he has no idea how much would be saved through consolidation or how contracts with firefighter unions would be handled.

The concept already is drawing union support. Segerblom expressed confidence that it also would be supported by fellow legislators in search of cost savings during the recession.

Wednesday

A Clinton in his corner

Trailing his Republican opponent by double digits, gubernatorial candidate Rory Reid called in one of the biggest guns around: former President Bill Clinton.

During a visit to the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay on Wednesday, Clinton rallied Reid's boisterous supporters, raised about $225,000 in campaign contributions and fired some zingers at the front-runner, Republican Brian Sandoval.

Thursday

Then there were three

Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa, Colorado Education Commissioner Dwight D. Jones and Florida's Lee County schools Superintendent James Browder were named the three finalists to take over the reins of the Clark County School District.

Former Nevada higher education Chancellor Jim Rogers is now out of the hunt for the superintendent post.

Friday

Off-duty police shooting

An off-duty Henderson police officer shot and killed a gun-wielding man during a domestic dispute.

A city spokeswoman said the man was shot about 1:15 a.m. after he entered the home of his estranged wife, where he did not live.

The woman was home at the time with a North Las Vegas man who also is a Henderson police officer. The husband confronted them, and the officer shot him with a handgun that was not his duty weapon.