Cullotta brings experience to mob tour gig

What’s a retired mob guy do to earn an honest living in Sin City?

That’s the question former Chicago hit man Frank Cullotta has been asking himself since relocating to Southern Nevada last year. With writing partner Dennis Griffin, Cullotta has published two books and produced a plethora of other materials ranging from documentaries to posters.

Now Cullotta is set to lead private bus tours to the infamous stops celebrated by Martin Scorsese in his gangster epic “Casino.” The tour is called, “Casino — Real Story Behind the Movie.”

It features stops at the real and cinematic versions of the haunts and hangouts of the late Tony Spilotro and his criminal crew, of which Cullotta was a member.

The first excursion takes place Tuesday. For information and tickets: vegasmobtour.com or 866-218-4935.

BEERS RUN: While Nevada’s political insiders scoffed at the recent news that Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Beers announced plans to run against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in far-off 2016, word is the conservative intends to send monthly mailers to inveterate Republican voters.

The first missive hit 55,000 mailboxes. That early-bird strategy might not impress the experts, but at some point it ought to awaken other potential Republican challengers from their slumber.

TAX MAN: Nevada IRS Special Agent in Charge Paul Camacho held his retirement party Monday downtown at the Mob Museum. Camacho, a 26-year IRS veteran, has accepted a compliance-related position with local gaming giant Station Casinos.

MOB GUY: Speaking of the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, longtime former Las Vegas journalist, author and editor Geoff Schumacher is returning to Southern Nevada after accepting the director of content development position at the Mob Museum.

Schumacher, author of “Politics, Paranoia and Palace Intrigue: The Las Vegas Years of Howard Hughes” and other works, had been busy editing and publishing community newspapers in Iowa.

GOOD THERAPY: If your favorite physical therapist had to reschedule your appointment this week, this might be the reason. With an estimated 10,000 attendees ready to stretch their knowledge, the Combined Sections Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association is in Las Vegas this week at The Venetian and Sands Expo.

UnitedHealth, a conference sponsor, is focusing on raising awareness of the link between undiagnosed hearing loss and debilitating falls in the elderly.

BOOK ‘EM: “A Little Mormon Girl” by Eva Hunter, “New York to Vegas: A Way of Life” by Frank Bella, and Ben Lesser’s “Living a Life That Matters: From Nazi Nightmare to American Dream” are three very different books with local author connections.

Hunter’s memoir reads like fiction and tells the story of her “perfect” upbringing riddled with dysfunction and abuse in beautiful Boulder City.

Bella’s novel reads like thinly veiled nonfiction and includes tales of casino celebrity and intrigue from the golden age of Las Vegas. His Sinatra stories sound too good not to be true.

Lesser’s memoir of surviving a Nazi concentration camp and going on to a positive and successful life in America is an uplifting experience.

CLUB HARASSMENT: Recent columns on lawsuits alleging sexual harassment and more inside Light Group nightclubs continue to generate ugly anecdotes from current and former employees of the hip Strip hot spots.

COWBOY POETS: Don’t know if they have the gift of rhyme, but several locals continue to contribute to the growth of Elko’s annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Among those recently spotted amid the poets, musicians an ranch crowd during the 30th annual event: Nevada Supreme Court Justice Ron Parraguirre and wife Leslie, attorney Joe Brown, and businessman Tim Cashman.

ON THE BOULEVARD: Review-Journal reporter Mike Blasky’s recent story on questionable stress retirements at Metro is said to be raising blood pressure inside the department during an election year. Question is, will any of the current slate of sheriff’s candidates call for substantive changes in the policy? … Vegas Vampire Jim Parker is celebrating his 80th birthday. Must have good bloodlines.

Have an item for the Bard of the Boulevard? Email comments and contributions to Smith@reviewjournal.com or call 702-383-0295. Follow him on Twitter @jlnevadasmith