Mountain West football media days take place Tuesday and Wednesday in Las Vegas. Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson will address league issues. The future of the Las Vegas Bowl will be among the topics. Boise State will look to make a New Year’s Six game this season. The heat is on New Mexico coach Bob Davie after a shaky offseason. Air Force could be this year’s surprise Mountain West team.
Photo by Richard Brian Photo by Benjamin Hager Photo by Chase Stevens Photo by Benjamin Hager Photo by Rachel Aston Photo by Benjamin Hager Photo by Marcus Villagran Photo by Chase Stevens Photo by Erik Verduzco Photo by Erik Verduzco
CEO Rossi Ralenkotter is the third-highest-paid public official in the state He has a pay and benefits package valued at $863,000 annually. Ralenkotter does not have an employment contract He announced his retirement in mid June, amid a scandal over airline gift cards LVCVA bought $90,000 in Southwest Airline gift cards between 2012 and 2017. Now auditors can’t account for more than $50,000 of the cards. Ralenkotter and his family used $16,207 in gift cards on 56 trips. Brig Lawson, the senior director of business partnerships, was responsible for buying and distributing the cards. He recently resigned. Ralenkotter’s retirement settlement package could cost taxpayers thousands of dollars.
The Lights FC wants to make Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt the newest member of the team. Owner Brett Lashbrook said Friday the team has talked to Bolt’s agent. Bolt retired from track last year and is trying to become a soccer player. He has interest from teams in Australia, Turkey and Hungary. The Lights don’t have the resources to win a bidding war, but they’re shooting their shot. Brett Lashbrook
Raul Mendiola has morphed into one of the Lights FC’s most dangerous players. The attacker was cut by the LA Galaxy last fall, but scooped up by the Lights. He has five goals in his first seven games with Las Vegas. He also scored the first hat trick in team history, and he’s hoping for more. Raul Mendiola
The U.S. e-cigarette market will hit $5.5 billion this year, a 25 percent growth rate from last year, according to a Wells Fargo report A crowded industry has meant increased competition and interest from the industry e-cigarettes aim to replace Companies like Imperial Brands, which once had almost 50 percent US market share, have responded to increased e-cigarette competition with products that have different strengths of nicotine and more flavors. As the industry has grown, margins have tightened. The standard bottle size for liquid nicotine has grown from 15 milliliters to 120 milliliters, while decreased production costs have driven e-cigarette prices down. A 2017 U.S. surgeon general report found the average price of a single disposable e-cigarette went from $17 in 2010 to under $9 in 2014.
Ex-Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has served as the LVCVA’s chief tourism ambassador since 2011. But LVCVA boss Rossi Ralenkotter has not brought Goodman’s contract extensions to the agency’s board for approval since 2013. Ralenkotter privately signed multiple extensions without board approval, including one in 2015 giving Goodman a $12,000 raise. The agency said Ralenkotter has authority to sign Goodman’s contract extensions without board consent. Goodman’s annual salary has increased to $72,000. LVCVA is taxpayer-funded. Goodman’s latest contract expires in August 2019.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway is hoping to capitalize on another exciting NASCAR Truck Series dirt track race at Eldora, Ohio. LVMS will host a K&N Pro Series West race on its dirt track in a prelude to its NASCAR weekend in September. If it’s anything like the truck series race on the dirt oval at Eldora, it should be exciting for local race fans. Chase Briscoe edged teammate Grant Effinger in a photo finish after their trucks banged into each other en route to the checkered flag.
In other news, the war of words between Cup Series drivers Kyle Busch of Las Vegas and Ricky Stenhouse escalated during the NASCAR race at Kentucky Speedway. David Ragan, on action sports star Travis Pastrana losing money in NASCAR
Two people were in custody after a chase involving Nevada Highway Patrol and Nye County Sheriff”s office deputies ended in southwest Las Vegas. Las Vegas police blocked off Rainbow Boulevard north of Tropicana Avenue around 1 a.m. Wednesday. Law enforcement personnel prepared to tow a black sedan as part of their investigation. It’s not certain what precipitated the chase or where and when it started. Check back for updates.
Aces rookie forward A’ja Wilson is an all-star. Aces fifth-year guard Kayla McBride is an all-star, too. Wilson is enjoying one of the best rookie seasons in WNBA history, averaging 19.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. McBride is having a career year, averaging 19.1 points per game on 46.4 percent shooting, including 40.7 percent from 3-point range.
