Pulled plug on Haze Nightclub overdue

The only surprise is that it has taken MGM Resorts International officials this long to pull the plug on the notorious Haze Nightclub at Aria.

The company acknowledged this week that it will close the club at the end of the month.

Haze gained a reputation as a safe haven for pimps and prostitutes. It also holds a place in Boulevard infamy.

Pimp and slaying suspect Ammar Harris was at Haze before he, authorities say, set in motion of a shooting-related chain of events that left three persons dead in February 2013. Authorities said he had an altercation with “Kenny Clutch” Cherry, another flesh hustler, inside the club.

Harris is accused of mortally wounding Cherry, who before dying crashed his vehicle into a taxicab, killing a driver and passenger.

The shooting shed light on the Strip’s thriving and violent prostitution subculture and also brought unwanted attention to Haze, which is operated by The Light Group, a successful nightclub management company whose current and former officials have been accused in lawsuits of sexual harassment.

The casino company hasn’t yet revealed its plans for the space inside its otherwise high-end casino resort.

Harris entered the news this week when he accepted a plea deal for conspiring to have smartphones smuggled into High Desert State Prison.

The former Haze high roller is currently serving time for sexual assault.

MALL COPS: The FBI’s search of the Las Vegas home and business of rap producer “Mally Mall,” who is a suspect in a sex trafficking case, is reverberating in Hollywood. Mall is part of the cast of “Love & Hip Hop Hollywood.”

If he was looking for love from cast mate Morgan Hardman, he didn’t get it. According to the hiphollywood.com site, Hardman said, “I don’t traffic humans, I don’t do any of it, that’s all y’all need to know … But all I gotta say is what’s done in the dark will always come to light and that goes for every cast member on this show. That’s it.”

DETECTIVE STORY: Former Metro undercover narcotics detective-turned-private investigator Mike Wysocki was taken off life support late last week after suffering a head injury during what has been described by his friends as a brawl with another P.I. Police are investigating the incident.

WINE, BEER: Proving it has finally learned what fascinates people most about the potential of water, the Springs Preserve presents its 5th annual Grapes & Hops Festival at 5 p.m. Saturday.

With proceeds to benefit the Par for the Cure charity, tickets start at $30. For information: springspreserve.org.

MOB-CON: Retired gangster Frank Cullotta’s Mob-Con 2014 conference at Palace Station ended Sunday without a shot fired.

One of the authors present was former New Jersey boy Jon D’Amore, who penned a book titled “The Boss Always Sits in the Back.” He might have subtitled it “And Eventually Rides in the Trunk.”

Local author Alexandra Forry was a featured author at Mob-Con despite the lack of a rap sheet. She hasn’t let cerebral palsy slow her down.

Forry’s latest novel is “Omerta Affair.”

FLIGHT GROUNDED: Residents living near Torrey Pines Drive and U.S. Highway 95 awoke to the sound of honking last Saturday following a night of torrential rain. But it wasn’t the blast of automobile horns.

It was the honk of a flock of Canada geese, which had postponed its flight South briefly during the storm and settled down overnight at a park near Garside Junior High. The noise of the estimated 50 geese was so loud neighbors left their homes to check out the commotion.

“Everyone was pouring out of their houses,” resident Al Tobin said. Residents and passers-by soon were taking pictures and feeding the birds bread.

By 10 a.m., the flock of honkers continued its journey South.

ON THE BOULEVARD: The troubled Crazy Horse Too topless club on Industrial Road remains silent since the departure of operator Mike Galam. … Olympic Garden topless club is said to be up for sale again. … Authorities are seeking information in connection with the homicide death of 27-year-old California woman Margay Edwards, whose body was found Thursday outside Pahrump.

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