Between 2008 and 2013 13 state-chartered banks failed in Nevada Mounting real estate defaults and a run on deposits left them with too little cash to meet their obligations. Those failures wiped away more than half of Nevada’s chartered banks. No other state lost as many by percentage. George Burns, Nevada Financial Institutions Division Commissioner
XpressWest, the high-speed rail proposal to link Las Vegas with Los Angeles has been acquired by a company that provides rail service in Florida. Brightline announced plans to take over the rights to XpressWest’s 185-mile federally approved rail corridor along Interstate 15. Brightline indicated it also would acquire 38 acres adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip to build an intermodal transportation station with access to taxis, buses, shuttles and limousines. The company indicated it would begin building the rail line next year and complete a link between Victorville and Las Vegas by 2022. Under the company’s plan, a dual-track line free of grade crossings would be built between Las Vegas and Victorville. Eventually, the plan envisioned a 60-mile link west between Victorville and Palmdale, California, where the line would meet with Southern California’s Metrolink commuter rail lines and the California High Speed Rail line that is under construction.
The intersection of Desert Inn Road and Maryland Parkway is partially blocked due to a water main break. Southbound lanes and all but one northbound lane on Maryland Parkway are closed between Desert Inn and Twain Avenue. Two lanes of westbound Desert Inn are shut down; eastbound lanes remain open. On Monday night a contractor working at the intersection damaged one of the water district’s 16-inch underground pipes, spokesman Corey Enus said. Enus said Maryland Parkway would likely remain closed through Tuesday evening and into Wednesday morning, as crews work to fix it.
Photo by K.M. Cannon Photo by Chase Stevens Photo by Marcus Villagran Photo by Richard Brian Photo by Erik Verduzco Photo by Chase Stevens Photo by Heidi Fang Photo by Erik Verduzco Photo by Chase Stevens Photo by Richard Brian
Despite more marijuana licenses available from the state, parts of rural Nevada continue to shun the business Representatives in Elko, Storey, Pershing and other counties told the Review-Journal they either have ordinances on their books that prohibit marijuana sales locally Or they have not seen interest in local sales Places like Ely, West Wendover and Fernley have marijuana projects in the works
The Westin hotel east of the Strip is under new ownership. According to property records, hotel operator Highgate and investment firm Cerberus Capital Management bought it for $195.5 million. The 826-room hotel originally opened in 1977 as the Maxim. It sold last week after the Westin replaced its casino floor with a restaurant and implemented other changes.
Cimarron-Memorial opens Northwest League play against Shadow Ridge on Friday. Cimarron (2-2) will rely on running back Jordan Norwood, who has shined through four games. The junior has rushed 103 times for 778 yards and 12 TDs, all tops on the leaderboard. Norwood has also helped the Cimarron passing game, drawing attention away from opposing defenses. Cimarron lost its first two games, but has won two in a row heading into Friday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Shadow Ridge (3-1).
A College of Southern Nevada professor is facing felony gun charges after reportedly shooting himself in the arm to protest Trump. Longtime sociology professor Mark J. Bird was found bleeding from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his arm about 8:15 a.m. on Aug. 28 outside a bathroom in the Charleston campus K building. Inside the bathroom, campus police found a $100 bill taped to a mirror along with a note that said, “For the janitor.” On the floor of the restroom was a black-and-white, .22-caliber pistol and one spent shell casing. Bird’s preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 17 in Las Vegas Justice Court.
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Rossi Ralenkotter said he never expected to cash out $234,000 in accrued vacation time.
Photo by Marcus Villagran Photo by Chase Stevens Photo by Marcus Villagran Photo by Rachel Aston Photo by Benjamin Hager Photo by Marcus Villagran Photo by Benjamin Hager Photo by Erik Verduzco Photo by Erik Verduzco Photo by Chase Stevens
Nick Suzuki is showing versatility at Golden Knights’ rookie camp. Suzuki played left wing in the team’s first game and will move to right for the second. He also played center last season in the Ontario Hockey League. Nick Suzuki
Lucas Elvenes is ranked as one of the Golden Knights’ top prospects after a breakout season in Sweden. He slid to the fifth round in the 2017 draft after being projected to be selected much higher. “I wasn’t happy about being a fifth-rounder. But it was good for me, too, because I didn’t have so much pressure when I came here,” Elvenes said.
Elvenes posted five goals and 16 points in 28 games while playing in the top league in Sweden. The Knights signed Elvenes to a three-year, entry-level contract in June.
Furniture Row Racing, which carried driver Martin Truex Jr. to the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series championship, will cease operations after 2018. Team owner Barney Visser said a loss of sponsorship made it impossible to continue without borrowing money. The decision was another big blow to NASCAR, which continues to struggle with sponsor defections and plunging attendance and TV ratings. In other news, seven drivers with local ties will be competing on South Point 400 weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sept. 13-16. Brendan Gaughan will drive in Thursday’s K&N Pro Series West race; Noah Gragson and Riley Herbst in Friday’s Truck Series event; Spencer Gallagher and Stan Mullis in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race; and Kyle and Kurt Busch in Sunday’s Cup Series playoff opener.
UNLV athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois wants to create a student-athlete center. A new scoreboard will go up at the Thomas & Mack Center this basketball season. Softball coach Kristie Fox will be able to renovate Eller Media Stadium. The Boyd name has been on the football stadium since 1980s. The Fertitta Football Complex is going up next to the practice fields.
Several events are scheduled to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the October 1 shooting in Las Vegas. One event scheduled will be the dedication of the Healing Garden, located on S. Casino Center Blvd. The Healing Garden was created in four days following the mass shooting. The Garden features a wall of remembrance, flowers, shrubs and other plants. Currently the Garden is under construction in preparation for the scheduled dedication ceremony.
Can they do it again? In some way, shape or form, this question will linger throughout the season. Who will step up on defense? Nate Schmidt was suspended 20 games and Shea Theodore remains unsigned. Who skates with Paul Stastny? Coach Gerard Gallant has options, including Erik Haula, Tomas Tatar and Alex Tuch. How will the bottom six forwards shake out? Ryan Carpenter and Oscar Lindberg are fighting for a spot on the third line. Will any rookies make the team. Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki, Erik Brannstrom and Nicolas Hague will get a long look in camp.
More than 3,500 unmanned aerial vehicle professionals are expected to gather in Las Vegas this week for the 2018 InterDrone conference. The conference runs Wednesday through Friday at the Rio. More than 120 hour-long sessions will take place at the event. New this year is the Enterprise After Hours event. It allows networking opportunities with individual rooms for different tracks, including precision agriculture and public safety. Katie Flash, content director for InterDrone Chris Walach, executive and senior director of the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems, said Nevada is becoming the global drone conference capital, as Nevada boasts an extensive convention industry and is the only state listed as an FAA-designated drone test site. Chris Walach, executive and senior director of NIAS
Photo by Bizuayehu Tesfaye Photo by Bizuayehu Tesfaye Photo by Marcus Villagran Photo by Marcus Villagran Photo by Richard Brian Photo by Chase Stevens Photo by Bizuayehu Tesfaye Photo by Chase Stevens Photo by Benjamin Hager Photo by Chase Stevens
The Las Vegas Convention Center’s 600,000-square-foot exhibition is slated to open in time for CES 2021 It will feature iconic Las Vegas imagery, a broad welcoming entrance and a rooftop terrace for gatherings The main entrance off Convention Center Drive will be highlighted by a broad entry with an atrium and a food court with upstairs access to meeting rooms and the rooftop terrace The new exhibition hall, to be built on land currently used as the Gold and Diamond parking lots, will extend at an angle from Convention Center Drive to Elvis Presley Boulevard with pedestrian access toward Las Vegas Boulevard.
Aaron Rodgers, Packers Agree to Largest Deal in NFL History According to ‘ESPN,’ the quarterback and Green Bay have agreed to terms on a huge contract extension. The deal will reportedly be the largest in NFL history. It surpasses the five-year, $150 million pact signed by Matt Ryan with the Falcons earlier this offseason. The extension is expected to keep Rodgers in Green Bay for the remainder of his NFL career. Rodgers has two years remaining on the five-year, $110 million contract extension he signed back in 2013. Those two years will pay him base salaries of $19.8 million and $20 million. Rodgers is considered to be one of the top 10 players in the NFL.
Coach Tony Sanchez will try to lead UNLV to a December bowl game Sun Belt power Arkansas State will be an early road test for the Rebels UNLV also will have a tough game at Utah State A late-season trip to Hawaii could feel like anything but paradise Upstate rival UNR will be waiting at the end of the regular season
Police seized Henderson Constable Earl Mitchell’s bank accounts. The move came after a Las Vegas Review-Journal investigation… found Mitchell wrote himself thousands of dollars in checks… and withdrew county money at casinos and video poker bars. But Clark County continues to give Mitchell money… despite the police investigation. County spokesman Dan Kulin
Hawaii’s win over Colorado State shows this could be a wide-open Mountain West season. Colorado State’s season already is in jeopardy. Wyoming opened its season on Saturday with a victory over New Mexico State. UNLV begins play this Saturday against USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Rebels have high hopes of making a bowl.
Olympia Sports Park opened in Southern Highlands on Tuesday, Aug. 28 2018. The 17-acre park features three full-size, lighted, multi-purpose fields that can be used for soccer, football, lacrosse and other sports Six basketball courts A splash pad A full playground with state-of-the-art equipment and shade And a scenic walking trail with workout stations and picnic areas Olympia Sports Park offers something for everyone. (Mat Luschek / Review-Journal)
Larry Fitzgerald to Speak at Senator John McCain’s Funeral NFL star Larry Fitzgerald will read a tribute at the funeral for U.S. senator John McCain. Fitzgerald has spent his entire 13-year NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals. During that time, he became a friend of McCain’s. Last year, Fitzgerald penned a piece for
Sports Illustrated explaining why he so greatly admires the senator. Following McCain’s passing last week, Fitzgerald posted a picture of himself and the politician in Washington, D.C. In addition to Fitzgerald, former Phoenix Coyotes star Shane Doan and Diamondbacks player Luis Gonzalez will serve as pallbearers.
Southern Nevada home prices were up 13 percent year-over-year in June. Las Vegas led price gains in June, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller index . Seattle and San Francisco came in second and third, respectively. Locally, the median sales price of previously owned single-family homes in July was $290,000, up 11.5 percent from a year earlier.
A man and a woman were killed early Tuesday morning after their car was struck by another vehicle on Interstate 11, south of Las Vegas. The crash was reported at 2:18 a.m. after a BMW crashed into the back of a sedan that was stopped on the side of the highway. NHP troopers believe the driver of the BMW was impaired. A child, under the age of 5, was in a car seat in the back seat. Both were taken to UMC and in stable condition. A female passenger from the sedan that was struck by the BMW was taken to St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Sienna campus, where she is in stable condition, This is the second fatal crash on the new stretch of highway, which opened less than a month ago.
A large number of Nevada residents have been struggling to curb their credit card debt, according to a recent study. A report from Experian ranked Nevada as the state with the highest year-over-year growth in credit card debt in the U.S. with 9.3 percent growth in the second quarter of 2018. Nevada’s booming population is most likely the biggest contributing factor for this growth, said John Luis Alcantara, a wealth management advisor at The Alcantara Financial Group in Las Vegas. Clark County reported that its population grew to nearly 2.25 million in August 2017, a 10 percent increase from the 2.04 million residents in 2010. Alcantara said some of those new residents may be bringing in credit card debt from other states. John Luis Alcantara
Have a look at some of the most unforgettable photos from Review-Journal photojournalists this past week.
On May 4, at the LVL UP Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the city’s newest wrestling company made its debut at the annual comics, video game and anime fan festival. Versus was founded by hitmaker Kane Churko, who’s worked with such hard rock heavy hitters as Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch, Papa Roach and many more.
Versus joins a robust, growing local wrestling community, as the city has become a bull market for brutes in Spandex. With an average of one show a month thus far, Versus enters the Vegas wrestling fray with elbows flying, poised to become the next serious local player.
