City Cast Las Vegas

We call Vegas “Sin City,” and we have the strippers, cocktail waitresses, escorts, Little Darlings billboards, and The Love Store to prove it. Sex is a part of everyday life in Las Vegas. But there’s more to this conversation… and most of us aren’t comfortable talking about it. Is Sin City… Sex Positive?Today on City Cast Las Vegas, host Vogue Robinson talks with Rebecca Bosetti, assistant professor at the UNLV School of Social Work, about her new course, “Sexual Behavior & Society: The Good, the Bad, and the Controversial,” and why Las Vegas needs more sex-positive social workers.Every morning, Scott Dickensheets serves up a fantastic newsletter filled with news items, events, and other things you should know about our city. Sign up here: lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter! Stay up-to-the minute with us on Twitter! Follow us @CityCastVegas You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719 with your Vegas hot take!

The Las Vegas Valley has a speeding problem: 2021 was the worst year for traffic fatalities in over a decade (2022 is on track to beat that), and speeding is the cause of a third of fatal crashes. The Review-Journal recently published an investigative piece that looked at 95,000 speeding tickets from one of our biggest municipal courts, and found that 80% of them were reduced to parking violations. That means no traffic school and — crucially — no record of repeat dangerous drivers. But is ratcheting up the consequences in a criminalized system the answer? What solutions are on the table? Host Vogue Robinson talks with Michael Scott Davidson, the investigative reporter behind this piece, about his findings and what the experts are saying.Stay even more connected to your city with news roundups, whip-smart commentary, and fun events in our morning newsletter! Sign up at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletterThoughts, feelings? Did we miss the mark, or hit the bullseye? Tweet us! We’re @CityCastVegas You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.

As rents rise all over the valley, some business owners in the Arts District got hit with 200-400 percent rent increases, making life more difficult for everyone — but especially cultural businesses. Priscilla Fowler has owned her eponymous fine art gallery in the area since 2016, moving three times within the Arts District, most recently this year after her rent was doubled. Downside: In her current location, away from Main Street, foot traffic has declined. Host Vogue Robinson talks to Fowler about her experience, how things have changed, and what we can do to keep the arts in the Arts District.

KSNV News 3 sports anchor Bryan Salmond calls Las Vegas the sports and entertainment capital of the world. With another successful NBA Summer League in the books and the WNBA’s success with the Aces here in the valley, could it finally be time for an NBA team in Las Vegas? Lead producer Sonja Cho Swanson and Bryan discuss what the prospects are for our basketball city and why LeBron James just might be the one to bring a team here.Want to stay updated on the latest Vegas news and events? Make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter! We also tweet! Follow us at @CityCastVegas Are you a Las Vegas baller? Let us know your thoughts by calling or texting us at 702-514-0719.

Our Roving Producer Lizzie Goldsmith is from Denver and has never been to Vegas! Host Vogue Robinson and Lead Producer Sonja Cho Swanson plan out Lizzie’s perfect Vegas itinerary including bars, views, food, outdoor activities, and(reluctantly) what to do on The Strip. The millennials also explain why Bennifer’s Vegas wedding brought on the nostalgia and some very Vegas news items.Want to be a better Las Vegan? Make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter! We’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @CityCastVegas Got some good news for a Friday round up? Give us a call or send us a text at 702-514-0719. 

When’s the last time you exited Spring Mountain Rd. and visited Las Vegas’ Chinatown? Today on City Cast Las Vegas, lead producer Sonja Cho Swanson chats it up with Lorraine Blanco Moss. She’s the host of Nevada Public Radio’s Exit Spring Mountain, a podcast that takes its name from the east-west artery that runs through the heart of town. The show — which launches their second season on July 27th! — focuses on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the fastest growing ethnic group in Nevada. Sonja and Lorraine talk about why representation is so important, and how sharing stories by and for the AAPI community builds empathy, especially in the wake of rising anti-Asian violence.Want to dive deeper into Vegas news and happenings? Then head on over to our website and make sure you’re signed up for our morning newsletter! lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletterWe’re also keeping it real on Twitter! Follow us @CityCastVegas Have a Vegas hot take to share? Leave us a voicemail or text us at 702-514-0719.

It’s been a long hard summer for many reasons. Ways to find relief are more important than ever, but where do you go in a city that’s known to be shallow and culture-less? Host and former Clark County Poet Laureate Vogue Robinson sits down with Producer Layla Muhammad to set the record straight about the culture surrounding Vegas’ thriving poetry scene. Vogue gives you everything you need to know on how to engage with the poetry community in Las Vegas and why it’s important for the city to support.Check out Wednesday’s newsletter for a list of recurring poetry open mics, slams, and jams happening in town.Want more Vegas news? Make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter! You can also find us posting about the latest Vegas happenings on Twitter at @CityCastVegas. Do you think Vegas has culture? Drop us a line or send us a text at 702-514-0719. 

How worried should Nevadans be about the BA.4 and BA.5 variants? Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the sixth wave is making its way across the globe. Nevada’s weekly updates show an increase in hospitalizations despite the decrease in reported cases week to week. In her conversation with host Vogue Robinson, The Nevada Independent’s Tabitha Mueller shares her reporting on the disparities in the numbers, vaccination rates, and wastewater monitoring.Visit The Nevada Independent COVID data page here.Looking for more Vegas news and events? Make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter! You can also find us on Twitter! Follow us at @CityCastVegas Have you seen something in Vegas that needs to be discussed? Call or text us at 702-514-0719.

Mary Blankenship is a researcher at Brookings Mountain West at UNLV who studies internet misinformation — and her most recent study suggests that sentiments on gun reform across the political aisle are converging. The study looked at millions of tweets and examined users’ emotions and reactions to mass shootings in the United States dating back to 2017 to the 1 October shooting in Las Vegas. As the conversation around gun reform changes, Blankenship and her co-author, Carol Graham, hope “this analysis can provide an opening toward a solution where one did not seem to exist before.”Want more Vegas news? Make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter! We’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @CityCastVegas You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.

It’s Friday (can we get a FriYAY?) which means it’s time for a news roundup! Sonja, Scott and Layla sit down to talk about our relatively quiet week in the news. First up, neighbors in Centennial Hills are divided over a proposed low-income housing development up at Rome & Decatur Blvd. Sonja brings up this research from NYU, which suggests property values can sometimes go up when low-income housing comes in. We talk about the tiny homes for the unhoused that New Leaf Community built—before they were razed by the city of North Las Vegas. Here’s the city-led tiny homes project in Sacramento that Layla mentions. And last but not least, the county is asking for community input on a permanent 1 October memorial — we weigh in. Here’s an interactive site with photos and videos of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, from which Scott suggests we might take some inspiration.Want more Vegas news? Make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter! We’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @CityCastVegas Got a super hot Las Vegas take? Call or text us at 702-514-0719 to join us for a Friday news roundup.