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A city built on risk welcomed its biggest and most audacious gamble so far, and the stakes could not be higher.
To hear some people tell it, CityCenter could hold the very future of Nevada within its 67-acre cirque of glittering towers. It will pull the state from its deep economic hole, they say, or it will land with an $8.5 billion thud that could rattle the rest of the Strip.
Such hyperbole is easy to understand considering the sheer size and spectacle of the resort, which is the largest privately financed construction project in the world.
CityCenter began a phased opening on Tuesday. Aria, the project's centerpiece hotel-casino, is slated to open Dec. 16, just two days after the lights go out at a historic property downtown.
Citing the economic downturn, the owner of Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel announced last week that it will close the property's 365 hotel rooms, coffee shop and keno operation on Dec. 14.
The move will result in the loss of nearly 100 of the property's 800 jobs.
MONDAY
QUOTES ON A SCANDAL
In his first local media appearance since the scandal broke in June, U.S. Sen. John Ensign denied breaking the law to cover up an extramarital affair with a former employee and said he plans to serve to the end his term in 2012.
Ensign, R-Nev., made the comments during an hour-long appearance with talk show host Alan Stock on KXNT-AM, 840.
Ensign and Stock spent just a fraction of the time discussing the scandal. Callers wanting to dive into the details weren't put through to the studio.
TUESDAY
WAGE CUTS PUSHED
City of Las Vegas employees were asked to accept 8 percent wage cuts in each of the next two fiscal years to help the city fill an ever-growing budget hole.
Without the concessions, city workers would be laid off, according to letters from City Manager Betsy Fretwell that were sent to the city's four collective bargaining units.
In the 2011 budget year, a $69 million shortfall in the city's operational budget is anticipated.
WEDNESDAY
CITY HALL APPROVED
A project that stirred up high hopes, vitriol and even lawsuits won final approval as the Las Vegas City Council gave the green light for a new City Hall.
Mayor Oscar Goodman called it a "mini-stimulus," while critics said it's nothing more than a $185 million bet that the economy will recover by the time the construction bills start coming due.
The one vote against came from Councilman Stavros Anthony, who has maintained that the project is too risky for the city to take on at a time of such financial uncertainty.
THURSDAY
BOOTS AND BUCKS
Las Vegas welcomed the return of the National Finals Rodeo and the economic kick of the spurs that comes with it.
The rodeo, which lasts through Dec. 12, has sold out its 174,000 tickets for years.
Last year's event brought in 35,000 visitors and $50 million in nongaming spending.
FRIDAY
THIS CALLS FOR A TOAST
The front-runner to be Nevada's next governor isn't even in the race yet. A new Review-Journal poll showed Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has pulled slightly ahead of former U.S. District Judge Brian Sandoval and well ahead of Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid in the governor's race.
The poll of 625 residents found Goodman leads Republican Sandoval by 3 percentage points and Democrat Reid by 11 percentage points.
Week In Review
More Information
NUMBERS
12,000
Jobs created by CityCenter, not counting the roughly 9,000 construction workers who spent the past five years building the 67-acre megaresort.
0
The amount of gasoline that will be burned by CityCenter’s fleet of 26 stretch limousines, all of which run on compressed natural gas.
84
Length in feet of “Silver River,” Maya Lin’s sculpture of the Colorado River, which hangs above the reception area at CityCenter’s Aria hotel-casino.
$15,000
How much you can drop on a men’s suit at Kiton, one of the shops at Crystals, CityCenter’s 500,000-square-foot retail and dining district.
QUOTES
“I happen to be very fortunate to have a forgiving wife.”
U.S. SEN. John Ensign
In an interview Monday on “Morning Source” with Host Alan Stock, a conservative talk show on local station KXNT-AM, 840. It was Ensign’s first interview in Las Vegas in which he addressed his affair with a former staffer. the scandal broke in June.
“Rachel was secured in double locked and properly fitted handcuffs.”
An unusual detail included in a domestic battery arrest report from the Henderson Police Department — unusual until you consider that the woman wearing the cuffs, Rachel Jessee, is a professional magician.
“Just getting bigger is kind of like sitting around the table after Christmas dinner. You’re getting bigger, but you might not feel well.”
Economist Keith Schwer
Commenting in 2007 on Nevada’s growth rate. Reporters frequently called the longtime UNLV economics professor to get his take on almost everything, from the community’s financial future to the price of a shrimp cocktail on Fremont Street. Schwer died Thursday at the age of 66.
MULTIMEDIA
CITYCENTER OVERVIEW/VIDEOS/MAPS
VDARA HOTEL OPENING
CLINICAL SIMULATION CENTER
MOVIE MINUTE
“FEAR & LOAFING” — DUELING PIANOS
THRIFT STORE SHOPPING
READERS SUBMIT FALL PHOTOS
NATIONAL FINALS RODEO
NASCAR CHAMPION’S WEEK: VICTORY LAP ON STRIP
JIMMIE JOHNSON ROAST
