City Cast Las Vegas

Vegas casinos are constantly reinventing themselves, with recent multimillion-dollar renovations at the Horseshoe and Ellis Island reaching all the way down to the carpets. Those bold, swirling patterns are not just decorative, they are carefully designed to shape how you move and feel. We revisit a conversation that unpacks the hidden strategy and surprising psychology behind one of the Strip’s most overlooked design elements. Sarah Lohman talks with carpet designer Terrien Hale and interior designer Alice O’Keefe. Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Learn more about becoming a City Cast Las Vegas Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

WrestleMania is back in Las Vegas after a controversial bid win, and this year the spotlight is shifting as women take center stage in more matches than ever. We dig into how the sport evolved from the Divas era to today’s athletic, headline-making superstars and why fan backlash online now shapes the storylines in real time. Plus, what rising ticket prices, local indie promotions, and Vegas’ growing role as a wrestling hub mean for the future of the industry here. Host Sonja Cho Swanson talks with Wrestling Winedown founder Lo about how women are redefining professional wrestling. Learn more about the sponsors of this March 30th episode: UNLV Performing Arts Center Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Learn more about becoming a City Cast Las Vegas Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

More affordable housing is needed in places like Las Vegas. Some cities, however, are doing better than others at meeting this need. Austin, Texas, for example, is building more affordable housing than any other American city right now — 50% more, by some measures, than the second most successful city. However, this fast-growing city is also seeing a shortage in housing that middle- and lower-income residents can afford. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Austin podcast host Nikki DaVaughn about this paradox, the city’s affordable housing successes, and where Austin’s still falling short. Plus, how far is too far to walk to a neighbor’s house? Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now!  We’re also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? Check out our options.

Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford is the presumptive front-runner for the party’s nomination for governor ahead of June’s primaries. But he’s not alone – and so far he has declined invitations to debate fellow candidate and Washoe County Commission Alexis Hill. So what are Nevadans losing when primary debates start to disappear? April Corbin Girnus and Michael “MJ” Lyle, both from the Nevada Current, join host Sonja Cho Swanson to break it down. Plus, the group discusses why ICE hasn’t supplemented TSA at the Las Vegas Airport, and what the NBA’s interest in Vegas (and potentially another Super Bowl) mean for the city.  Want to help TSA agents going without pay during the partial government shutdown? Find more here. Learn more about the sponsors of this March 27th episode:  UNLV Performing Arts Center Zen Leaf Las Vegas Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Learn more about becoming a City Cast Las Vegas Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

With the arrival of Gymkhana’s Michelin star-power to the Las Vegas Strip, the city’s burgeoning high-end Indian food scene has grabbed national headlines. But what led to Indian food’s upscale Vegas momentum – and maybe more importantly, where are the best slightly-more-affordable spots to eat? Today on City Cast Las Vegas, Giselle D'souza, founder of Nothing to Do LV Eats, and Roshni Dutt McIntire, private chef and founder of Dutt House, sit down with host Sonja Cho Swanson to break down why Indian cuisine is finally breaking through. Learn more about the sponsors of this March 26th episode: UNLV Performing Arts Center Zen Leaf Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Learn more about becoming a City Cast Las Vegas Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

When gambling addicts commit serious financial crimes, is prison the only answer? Las Vegas’ Problem Gambling Diversion Court has given local judges a rare alternative. But how well does the system work, really? For Problem Gambling Awareness Month, City Cast Las Vegas contributor and longtime local defense attorney Dayvid Figler joins host Sonja Cho Swanson to dive deep on the diversion court – and why Vegas might just be a model for other cities reckoning with worsening gambling addictions.  Learn more about the sponsors of this March 25th episode: UNLV Performing Arts Center Zen Leaf Roseman University Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Learn more about becoming a City Cast Las Vegas Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

The Boulevard Mall went from suburban status symbol to so-called dead mall to something much more interesting, a community hub that reflects how Las Vegas actually lives, learns, and hangs out today. This episode digs into its midcentury origins, mall walking heyday, a lost time capsule, and the creative reinvention that’s keeping its storefronts full and its halls busy. Host Sonja Cho Swanson talks with Nevada Preservation Foundation’s Paige Figenbaum and April Mench about why this “lost relic” might be one of the city’s most underrated success stories. Don't miss NPF's Mall Walk Through the Era's Tour. Learn more about the sponsors of this March 24th episode: UNLV Performing Arts Center Zen Leaf Roseman University Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Learn more about becoming a City Cast Las Vegas Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

For many, bird watching or “birding” is firmly the stuff of retirement age – complete with floppy hats, binoculars and walks through the park. But in just the last few years, birding clubs have sprouted across Las Vegas’ colleges and universities, including just last month at CSN. So what is it about these birds that have captured Gen Z’s imagination? Host Sonja Cho Swanson is joined by Morrigan DeVito, Education and Outreach Director at the Red Rock Audubon Society and Franklin Ung, President of the UNLV Birding Club, to find out if the early bird really does get the worm. Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Learn more about becoming a City Cast Las Vegas Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Will sex workers in Pahrump, Nevada, unionize, and if so, what are the implications for gig workers across the state and beyond? At Sheri's Ranch, a legal brothel 45 minutes outside Las Vegas, some of the workers are seeking both recognition as employees and union representation. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with former City Cast Las Vegas host, current contributor, and longtime Nevada attorney Dayvid Figler about why sex workers are considered independent contractors, what sparked this legal battle, and what happens if they win. Plus, what's different about neighborhoods in Las Vegas? Mentioned on the show: Could a Pahrump Brothel Union Set a New National Standard for Labor Laws? (City Cast Las Vegas) Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now!  We’re also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? Check out our options.

The owner of a petting zoo in Henderson says that the city's attempt to classify her camels as "exotic animals" puts her business in peril. The standoff has sparked a debate: Are camels "exotic" wild animals or domestic pets, and which animals should be allowed in our increasingly urbanized neighborhoods? Host Sonja Cho Swanson sits down with executive producer Layla Muhammad and creative producer Jacob Solis to discuss. Plus, a case is headed up to the Nevada Supreme Court over who has the final say on release with electronic monitoring — Metro or the courts — setting the stage for an existential fight over the balance of powers. Lastly, Vegas's NBA expansion team dreams will be decided at a Commissioners meeting next week — who's courting Nevada for a stake? Learn more about the sponsors of this March 20th episode: Roseman University Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Learn more about becoming a City Cast Las Vegas Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.