City Cast Las Vegas

We love our furry four-legged friends, but when it comes to public etiquette, have Vegas dog owners gone… too far? Recently, newsletter editor Scott Dickensheets asked readers what they thought about dogs in restaurants, and the response was overwhelming. Las Vegans, it turns out, have a lot of feelings about dogs in public spaces, and not everyone agrees — and this comes on the heels of a recent ranking that puts Nevada 5th for “most devoted” dog owners. So today, three members of the team (and dog owners themselves), Dayvid Figler, Vogue Robinson, and Sonja Cho Swanson, sit down to discuss how Vegas dog owners do when it comes to restaurants, leashing, and — the big one — picking up poo.What are your ideas and solutions for helping dogs and people live harmoniously in Las Vegas? Tag us on Instagram, or call or text us at 702-514-0719.

The staycation is a great Vegas move — being a local means never having to leave town to become a tourist. And what if you build that staycation around an event like the upcoming Life is Beautiful festival downtown? Host Dayvid Figler gets tips — about staycationing and the festival itself — from entrepreneur, LiB merchant, and seasoned in-town vacationer Jen Taler, founder of the Market in the Alley.What are your favorite Vegas tips? Tag us on Instagram (we’re @CityCastVegas) or leave us a voicemail or a text at 702-514-0719.For more Vegas tips, events, news, and culture, sign up for our amazing morning newsletter here.

Our city’s fractious relationship with wild animals is once again back in the news: This time, it’s the Lion Habitat Ranch in Henderson. An animal rights activist claims the organization made fraudulent (and disturbing) claims in a recent fundraising letter… but what does this whole debacle say about the way Vegas treats our retired animal acts? Co-hosts Dayvid Figler and Vogue Robinson are joined by contributor Andrew Kiraly to discuss the Lion Habitat, the recent Uber and Lyft ride share driver protests, and what we’d name our incoming MLB team if Oakland gets to keep the Athletics name in California.And you might notice that you’ll be hearing a little less of Vogue in the coming months — she’s stepping down from hosting — but she will be a contributor and we’ll get to chat with her in more Friday news roundups. Stay up to date with all of her creative projects by following her on Instagram @voguer316 and @pearlsofgratitude!If you’ve got thoughts on today’s episode, you can call or text us at 702-514-0719.For more Las Vegas news, events, and commentary, sign up for our brilliant morning newsletter here.

A slice by any other name would still taste as sweet — or would it? Today, co-host Vogue Robinson sits down with Al Mancini and Gemini Stevens, hosts of the podcast Food and Loathing, for a pizza tour of Las Vegas. No two slices are created equal, and as it turns out, the qualities of an excellent, greasy New York slice are very different from those of a cheesy, crunchy Detroit square, or a puffy Neapolitan. Al and Gemini tell you where to find the best in each category in Las Vegas, and attempt to answer the biggest pizza question of all: With all these international styles available in Las Vegas, does our city have its own pizza style, too?Be sure to check out Al’s app Neon Feast, a curated guide to the best places to eat in Las Vegas. And find more of Gemini’s food writing at OfftheStrip.com and her food cooking on Instagram @wishboneandvine.Places mentioned by Al and Gemini: Pop Up Pizza in the Plaza Evel Pie Good Pie Brooksy’s Bar and Grill Brooklyn’s Best Double Zero Pie and Pub Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana Solamente Pizza Naked City Pizza Northside Nathan’s Detroit Pizza Metro Pizza Dom DeMarco’s Pizzeria and Bar Yukon Pizza What’s your favorite pizza in Vegas? Tag us in a pic on Instagram, or you can always call or text us at 702-514-0719.Want more Las Vegas food, culture, and news? Then make sure to sign up for our amazing morning newsletter here.

Most people know that the mob was heavily involved in shaping Las Vegas and our casino culture. That history combined with the mob’s reputation is the perfect recipe for rumors and myths to flourish. Casino.org journalist Corey Levitan dives into these tales and more in his series Vegas Myths Busted. He leads co-hosts Vogue Robinson and Dayvid Figler through seven stories and asks them if these popular mob myths are fact or fiction.Play along with us and check out our other myth-busting episodes about celebrities and casinos!What other Vegas myths are you curious about? Let us know by leaving us a voicemail at 702-514-0719. We’re also on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram. Don’t get caught up in the new Vegas myths being generated! Sign up for our morning newsletter here.

Vegas has always been a celebrity magnet, from the Rat Pack days to the red carpet Kardashian era. So what does their version of Las Vegas look like, and where do you find celebrities in town? Longtime Las Vegas celebrity photographer Erik Kabik, who’s photographed everyone from Robert De Niro to Paris Hilton, spills the tea with co-host Vogue Robinson about how to approach celebs in the wild, and why their lives aren’t always so picture-perfect.Where have you seen celebrities in Vegas? Share your stories with us on Instagram or by leaving us a voicemail at 702-514-0719.P.S. Wanna go see even more celebrities and listen to some amazing music for FREE? We’re giving away two pairs of Life is Beautiful GA tickets — get more details and enter here.

The Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act of 1998, or SNPLMA, is one of those wonky, obscure federal laws that most of us have never heard of. But SNPLMA has had a huge impact on Las Vegas — it basically gave power brokers like Harry Reid the ability to play chess with public lands, giving Vegas lots of room to grow while protecting important conservation areas. And one very clever legislative move puts a lot more money in Nevada’s coffers, paying for things like bathrooms at Lake Mead and a brand-new pickleball complex. But it’s not without controversy, even within conservationist circles. Nevada Independent reporter Gabby Birenbaum recently penned a two-part deep dive into SNPLMA and breaks it all down for co-host Dayvid Figler.Thoughts? Questions? Wanna tell us how much you love City Cast? Leave us a voicemail or send us a text at 702-514-0719. You can also tag us in a pic of your next outing to a conservation area near Las Vegas! We’re @CityCastVegas on Instagram.For more deep dives and hot takes on the latest in Vegas, be sure to sign up for our brilliant morning newsletter here.

A lot of y’all scoffed when Hurricane Hilary actually reached our desert shores. Despite the state of emergency, the storm’s effects were pretty underwhelming — in most of the valley, that is. Today, co-hosts Dayvid Figler and Vogue Robinson, along with journalist John L. Smith, talk about the devastation Hilary wrought on Mt. Charleston, and how we talk about storms like these in an era of increasingly unpredictable weather. Next, the team takes on notorious gambler, developer, and convicted inside-trader Billy Walters, whose new tell-all book just might be something of a redemption tour. And last, we explore the wild side of Strip hotels, where bedbugs have been found in no less than seven venues, and a recent bat incident led to a lawsuit.How did you weather Hilary? Let us know by giving us a call at 702-514-0719 or tagging us in our weather photos and videos on Instagram (we’re @CityCastVegas).For more on the latest and greatest in Las Vegas, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here.

Cottage kitchen laws allow people to run certain small food businesses out of their private residences and since 2018, Brett Boyer and his husband have been doing just that with Desert Bread, a sourdough bread and bakery oasis. With new seasonal items about to hit the selves (looking at you, pumpkins!), we’re bringing back this conversation with Brett and co-host Vogue Robinson about how and why they started Desert Bread and the challenges of operating a business from home.Tag us on social media if you visit Desert Bread after listening to this episode! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.Want some more Las Vegas food reviews and recommendations? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here for all the goods and more! 

Once again, school district drama is in the news: Southern Nevada’s largest teachers’ union, the Clark County Education Association, has given CCSD until Saturday to resolve a dispute over teacher pay. But there’s also a fight about, well, how to fight: A back and forth legal battle over whether the “work actions” the union has threatened are in fact an illegal strike, or whether teachers’ free speech is being curtailed — though a new ruling handed down yesterday appears to be a win for the union. To help us untangle this mess upon mess, contributor April Corbin Girnus, a reporter at the Nevada Current, sits down with co-host Vogue Robinson. April gives us the play by play of what exactly the two sides are fighting about, and how their plans are trying to solve the teacher vacancy crisis our district is facing.Do you have thoughts on the school district showdown? Let us know: We’re on social media @CityCastVegas on Twitterand Instagram, or you can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.Want some more Las Vegas news? Then make sure to sign up for our amazing morning newsletter here.