City Cast Las Vegas

Everyone’s talking about AI these days, including Las Vegans. And now, more data centers are popping up across the country, thanks in part to the AI revolution. But some cities are stemming the tide, including Madison, Wisconsin, who recently passed a one-year moratorium on new data center construction. City Cast CEO David Plotz feels strongly that this was the wrong choice! He’s sitting down with City Cast Madison podcast host Bianca Martin to weigh the pros and cons of data centers, and debate the economic, ethical, and ecological considerations at the heart of this debate. Plus, David and Bianca share must-know tips for making it in Madison and DC.  We also mentioned this City Cast Madison episode. 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.

Colorado River states missed a key deadline, insurers are being called out for allegedly denying mental health claims, and Gov. Joe Lombardo says he made a quiet pitch in D.C. to unstick stalled solar projects. On today’s Friday News Roundup, host Sonja Cho Swanson is joined by education advocate Patricia Haddad Bennett and Battle Born Progress Press Secretary Jacob Solis to break down whether “naming and shaming” 16 insurance companies will actually improve access to care and if political pull is becoming the price of doing business with Washington. Plus: the penny’s slow demise and a surprising move from MGM Resorts International to round up cash change in customers’ favor. Learn more about the sponsors of this February 20th episode: ⁠The Neon Museum⁠ 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.

Filipino Town is coming up on its one-year anniversary this spring. So today, host Sonja Cho Swanson sits down with two of the movers and shakers behind the project: Ron Sumbang, on the board of directors for Filipino Town, and Ava Cariño, a PhD student at UNLV studying Filipino Foodways and research assistant at Istorya. We learn how they rallied for the creation of a Filipino Town, why it matters to Las Vegas, and get their insider tips for where to find their favorite Filipino dishes. Learn more about the sponsors of this February 19th episode: The Neon Museum 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.

In a groundbreaking move, the workers at Sheri's Ranch in Pahrump announced their decision to form a union last week — the first time in U.S. history that brothel workers have attempted to unionize. So today, host Sonja Cho Swanson talks with Nevada Independent reporter Kate Reynolds about what they're up against, why A.I. is part of their fight, and why this could have nationwide implications for other contract workers, like Uber drivers and salon workers. Then, after the break, we talk with Adalind Gray, a former Sheri's Ranch courtesan who says she was fired for supporting the unionization efforts. Learn more about the effort at UnitedBrothelWorkers.org. Learn more about the sponsors of this February 18th episode: The Neon Museum 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.

We are all guilty of heading to the big box stores– the Targets, the Walmarts when we're in a pinch and need a one-stop-shop. But there's a whole host of Vegas shops you can go to instead to put your money back into the local economy. Host Sonja Cho Swanson is joined by CoCo Jenkins, founder of There's Nothing to Do in Vegas, and Nicki Pucci, founder of Tambourine Home to share their favorite big box chain store dupes in town. Learn more about the sponsors of this February 18th episode: The Neon Museum 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.

All eyes have been on the Twin Cities lately, including Las Vegans’. Operation Metro Surge is reportedly ending in Minnesota, with the withdrawal of immigration agents expected over the next week. Over the last two months, though, residents of the Twin Cities have organized a range of local collective action efforts including protests, mutual aid, and monitoring ICE — and they’ve done it quickly. In this inaugural episode of “Your City Could Be Better,” City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Twin Cities podcast host Sean McPherson about how his community self-organized, why these networks have been so successful, and what other cities can take away from Minnesotans’ response to Operation Metro Surge. Plus, we have a D.C. vs. Twin Cities face-off on local cultural norms. We also mentioned this episode of City Cast Twin Cities. 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.

This week, a seven-figure attack ad launched in Nevada’s governor’s race, Clark County School District revealed sweeping budget cuts tied to declining enrollment, and new data spotlighted just how many Las Vegas residents are staying single ahead of Valentine’s Day. Join host Sonja Cho Swanson, executive producer Layla Muhammad, and Nevada Independent Opinions Editor Andrew Kiraly to break down the biggest headlines from this week. Check out our new City Cast podcast "Your City Could Be Better" on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted by CEO David Plotz, this week's inaugural episode features the host of City Cast Twin Cities talking about how Minneapolis and St. Paul mobilized so quickly and broadly against the months-long ICE operation there. 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.

Las Vegas is famous for giant splashy productions, but a tiny local theater cracked the national spotlight with a 90s horror parody that went viral and started selling out shows. Majestic Repertory Theater found breakout success by leaning into nostalgia, letting audiences film, and turning cult classics like Scream and The Craft into scrappy, immersive musical hits that are now touring beyond Nevada. Founder of Majestic Repertory Theater Troy Heard joins host Sonja Cho Swanson to talk about building buzz on a shoestring, why Vegas is the perfect experimental lab, and what local theater can offer in a big spectacle town. 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.

This election year, voters are set to decide 31% of district court judges. But why are some judges appointed in Nevada while others have to run for election? Host Sonja Cho Swanson is joined by Alex Falconi, founding director of Our Nevada Judges, and Dayvid Figler, practicing attorney and former municipal court judge, about this year's judicial races and how voters can get informed.  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.

Nevada lawmakers recently held a hearing on the Boring Company's so-called Tesla Tunnels, but representatives from The Boring Co. and Governor Lombardo's office were nowhere to be found. Host Sonja Cho Swanson is joined by Nevada Current editor April Corbin Girnus and Dayvid Figler, an attorney and former City Cast host who co-authored an investigation on the Vegas Loop with Propublica to discuss the hearing and what could come from it. 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.