City Cast Las Vegas

The Commercial Center debacle is the (erm) gift that just keeps giving: To celebrate the renaming of the adjacent Karen Ave. to Liberace Ave., the County helped organize a festival that ballooned to a party with 10,000 ticket holders when it was announced that legendary DJ Deadmau5 would be headlining. But the local artists who’ve worked to rebuild this“blighted” center weren’t exactly pleased with how the party turned out — and when Commissioner Tick Segerblom accidentally hit reply-all, calling the tenants “ungrateful miscreants,” the response reached a fever pitch. Today on our Friday news roundup, co-host Dayvid Figler, newsletter editor Scott Dickensheets, and special guest Kim Foster talk about Commish Tick’s apology on KNPR yesterday, the future of Commercial Center, and other fun stuff in the news: The arrival of Punk Rock Bowling, one of Las Vegas’ longest-running music festivals, and a whole neighborhood in Henderson whose streets are named after Pokémon.If you could choose the street names in a new development, what would YOU name them after? Let us know by tagging us on social media (we’re @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram) or leaving us a text or a voicemail at 702-514-0719.Did you love hearing from our brilliant newsletter editor, Scott Dickensheets? Get some more of that Dickensheetsian wit in our morning newsletter here.

Vegan or plant-based eating has been picking up steam recently and by all accounts the trend is here to stay. Vegas has seen a rise in popular vegan restaurants while other establishments are adding vegan dishes to their menus. With her Vegas Vegan Culinary School & Eatery, Heather Heath is in the vanguard of a meat-free movement in a town better known for steakhouses and prime rib. But while the city’s getting veggier, it's still not an easy path. In today’s episode, Heath gives co-host Dayvid Figler a candid assessment of the vegan business and life.What’s your favorite vegan spot in Vegas? Let us know on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.We’ve got endless food recommendations for you! Don’t miss out by subscribing to our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas.

Well, it looks like the Oakland A’s are one step closer to getting public financing for a new stadium in Las Vegas. Yesterday, the Nevada Independent reported that the team and state officials had reached a “loose agreement” for a reduced public financing package. After all the drama over stadium sites, dubious polling, PR blitzes, and public financing demands… are we in the home stretch? And is bringing the A’s to Vegas really such a good thing for our city?Today on City Cast Las Vegas, we’re bringing you a conversation co-host Dayvid Figler had last year with UNLV economist Bill Robinson. They discuss the economic upsides (and downsides) that major league sports franchises bring to cities, and whether baseball is right for us.How do you feel about the A’s coming to Las Vegas? Let us know on social media — we’re @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. (We love your voicemails!)For even more Las Vegas news, events, and commentary, get our brilliant newsletter in your inbox every morning at 6 a.m. — sign up here.

The new racquet sport of pickleball has been sweeping the nation — here in Las Vegas, demand for the sport has risen so much that the City of Las Vegas recently received a $12 million grant to build 30 new pickleball courts. But it isn’t without controversy. Some homeowners near the new court sites are worried about noise levels, parking issues, and how their home values could fare. So what’s with the pickleball mania? And can the issues be resolved? Today on City Cast Las Vegas, lead producer Sonja Cho Swanson heads court-side to meet Southern Nevada Pickleball ambassador Patti Chess for her very first pickleball lesson, and a conversation about Las Vegas’ love affair with pickleball.Let us know if you love pickle ball too! We’re on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram. 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 morning newsletter here. 

A showdown over school choice is brewing up in Carson City: Governor Lombardo is prepared to veto the entire state budget if the legislature doesn’t approve his ambitious plan to expand Nevada’s quasi school voucher program. Meanwhile, Clark County is ground zero for the impact of school choice legislation — the majority of the state’s voucher program recipients (administered through Opportunity Scholarships) live here in Southern Nevada, and most of them use the funds for religious private schools. And that’s just part of why they’re so controversial, Nevada Current reporter April Corbin Girnus tells co-host Dayvid Figler. So how did “school choice” become a darling of the right, and why are progressives worried it could gut public education? And most curiously of all, how did Dem-heavy Clark County become the epicenter for school choice debates in Nevada?What’s your stance on Nevada’s Opportunity Scholarships? Leave us a voicemail or a text message at 702-514-0719. You can also find us on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram.For more on what’s hot and happening in Las Vegas, make sure to sign up for our brilliant morning newsletter here.

In this week’s news roundup, we discus some big money moves happening in Vegas. First, Nevada lawmakers are considering a groundbreaking $4.9 billion tax break aimed at attracting film companies to the state. Next, we delve into the results of a recent poll conducted for the A’s baseball team, suggesting that two-thirds of Clark County are in favor of their ballpark proposal — but we’ve got questions about this poll (like… why didn’t it ask about support over public funding?). Lastly, Harry Reid International Airport’s TSA takes a step towards a potentially Orwellian future with new facial recognition technology. Co-hosts Vogue Robinson and Dayvid Figler are joined by contributor and Nevada Current reporter Michael Lyle to talk about where Vegas is headed with these topics.Join the conversation! Let us know what you think about these topics on social media @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram.You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.Looking to stay ahead of the news in your city? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas.

Korean food has seen an explosion of popularity in Vegas (and the U.S. broadly) over the last few years, but most of our Korean restaurants in town seem to be K-BBQ spots. You know, the meat restaurants where you cook your meat over a grill set right into your table. But there’s a whole lot more to Korean food, lead producer Sonja Cho Swanson tells co-host Vogue Robinson — in fact, the traditional Korean diet was largely vegetable- and seafood-based (after all, Korea is a peninsula surrounded by ocean on three sides). Sonja, a former food writer who lived in Seoul for seven years, talks about the rise of meat in Korean cuisine, what “authentic” really means, and where Las Vegans can find Korean food that isn’t K-BBQ in town.Restaurants we mention in the episode: Sashimi Day (Desert Inn & Decatur) Mr. Tofu (Spring Mountain and Arville) Soyo Korean Restaurant (Rainbow and Robindale) Tag us when you post about your next Korean food outing! We’re @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram. 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 brilliant morning newsletter here.

You might remember from middle school science that protecting the ozone layer in our atmosphere is vitally important — but ozone near the ground is actually a dangerous air pollutant. And as temperatures rise, the formation of ground-level ozone becomes increasingly serious here in the Valley. In fact, Clark County has recently issued an ozone warning through September. Kevin MacDonald from the Clark County Department of Environment & Sustainability shares insight into the science behind ozone pollution, its impact on residents’ health, and the County’s initiatives to mitigate its effects. Co-host Vogue Robinson also discovers practical tips and actionable steps to protect yourself and the air quality of Las Vegas.Follow the Clark County Department of Environment & Sustainability on Twitter for daily Vegas air quality updates and more information about sustainability programs @sustainclarkcty.You can find us there too! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram. Have you seen a bad air day in Vegas? Call or text us at 702-514-0719 to tell us about it.Want some more Las Vegas news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas!

Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown made history last year when she was elected to the North Las Vegas mayoral seat — and became the first Black mayor in the state of Nevada. Mayor Goynes-Brown sits down with co-host Vogue Robinson to talk about her vision for North Las Vegas, the city she grew up in, from her ambitious plan for downtown to commercial redevelopment, affordable housing, and the ongoing struggle to help the residents of the sinking neighborhood of Windsor Park.Thoughts? Questions? Let us know by calling or texting us at 702-514-0719. We’re also on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram.For more news from across the Vegas Valley, make sure to sign up for our brilliant morning newsletter here.

Deep in the Colorado River, monsters lurk in the murky waters — monster fish, that is, some the size of large person. But they aren’t invulnerable. Today on City Cast Las Vegas, co-host Dayvid Figler talks with National Geographic channel host Zeb Hogan, co-author of Chasing Giants, a new book about the world’s biggest freshwater fish. Zeb grew up on the Colorado, but by the time he was paddling on its waters, most of the truly big fish on our stretch of the lower Colorado had already died out. Zeb explains why monster fish are indicator species of our river’s health, and how some of our massive native fish have recently started to make a comeback.We’re on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram. 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 morning newsletter here.