City Cast Las Vegas

Last Thursday, Dapper Companies announced two winners for The Great Las Vegas Coffee Shop Giveaway, Dinette Luncheonette and Winnie & Ethel’s Downtown Diner. The latter of the two will receive a fully built out restaurant with goods and services estimated to be over $950,000 at the historic Huntridge Shopping Center. Winnie & Ethel’s will be a part of the Dapper Companies’ plan to reopen the shopping center and neighboring Huntridge Theater, which have been fixtures in Downtown Las Vegas for over half a century.Like many historic sites that fall into disrepair, the significance can get lost with time, so on today’s episode, our host and Downtown Las Vegas resident Dayvid Figler explains to our producer Layla Muhammad why the Huntridge neighborhood is considered historic. Then, we talk to the owners of Winnie & Ethel’s Downtown Diner, Mallory Gott and Aaron Lee, about their new spot and what they hope to add to the community.Longing for that back-fence neighbor? Sign up for our morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter! Keep up with us on Twitter at @CityCastVegas.Is there something coming to Vegas that excites you? Leave us a voicemail or text us 702-514-0719.

Despite being legal in our state for medical and recreational use since 2016, the Nevada Board of Pharmacy has marijuana classified as a Schedule I substance, the strictest classification for drugs with "no currently accepted medical use," up there with methamphetamine and heroin. So last month, the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada (ACLUNV) filed a lawsuit against the state to have marijuana removed from the list of Schedule I drugs. ACLUNV Executive Director Athar Haseebullah explains how Nevadans are still being impacted by the possession of marijuana because of this “loophole” that disproportionately affects communities of color and what they hope to achieve starting with their first major hearing on Monday.

Last month, the rising violence in Clark County School District came to a head in a horrific attack on a teacher, sending shockwaves through the community. In response, the Clark County Education Association, the Valley’s largest teacher’s union, presented a statement pointing a finger at restorative justice, which they called an “unfunded law” that “handcuffs”educators from taking action against violent students.So what exactly is this restorative justice policy in CCSD, and what are the challenges it’s facing? Why do advocates think it’s needed, and how can it improve? Lead producer Sonja Cho Swanson sits down with CCSD Police Captain Ken Young, who’s been with the District for 30 years, to talk about school safety and the culture shift required within the police force to get kids off the track to juvie and on track to graduation.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 @CityCastVegasYou can also call or text us at 702-514-0719 with your perspective on restorative justice or any other LV topic!

The world premiere of “Clown Bar 2,” a film-noir-meets-circus-clowns immersive theater project, opens TONIGHT at Majestic Repertory Theatre—and we’ve got the inside scoop. Dayvid sits down with Artistic Director Troy Heard to talk about what makes immersive theatre unique, the give-and-take symbiosis between entertainment on the Strip and local productions, and where the Las Vegas arts scene is headed.Plus, we’ve got a bonus segment for you at the end of the episode: Producer Layla Muhammad brings us sounds and scenes from Clown Bar 2’s dress rehearsal. (Per Layla, it’s “freakin’ hilarious,” so you’re not gonna want to miss this one.)Make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter for even more news and events from around the city.And did you know we’re also on Twitter? Give us a follow us at @CityCastVegasDon’t forget that you can text or leave us a voicemail at 702-514-0719!

So far this year, over 460 babies have entered Clark County foster care system—at this rate, we’ll have 40% more babies in the system than last year. To help us understand this surge, we talk with Kim Foster, a local writer and foster advocate who has both fostered and adopted children in Clark County. We talk about the issues in our foster care system, why helping biological families is so important, and why you, too, might want to consider becoming a foster parent.If you’re interested in fostering, Clark County holds both in-person and virtual info sessions. Find out more at countmein.vegasFor more Vegas news, sign up for our morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletterDo the blue bird thing and tweet at us: @CityCastVegasAnd don’t forget, you can also text or leave us a voicemail at 702-514-0719.

A leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court suggests that Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that guaranteed the right to abortion, will be overturned by a majority vote. With the draft likely to become official in the next few months, Western states like Utah, Idaho and Arizona face looming abortion bans that might have their cities turning to Nevada, where abortion rights are far more protected—they've been codified in state law since 1990. City Cast hosts from Salt Lake City and Boise, Ali Vallarta and Frankie Barnhill, join Dayvid to discuss what this means across state lines, and for the upcoming elections.Looking for that Vegas connection? Make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletterSay hi to us on Twitter at @CityCastVegas!Got questions about your city? Let us help you find an answer! Call or text us at 702-514-0719.

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) History Month (or AAPI Heritage Month, depending on who you ask). Here in Clark County, AAPI is our fastest-growing ethnic group, with an expanding footprint in a growing city. Lead producer Sonja Cho Swanson sits down with Mark Padoongpatt, Director of Asian and American Studies at UNLV, to talk about the things he loves about AAPI History Month, his hesitations about it, and what he hopes everyone in Las Vegas takes away from the spotlight on AAPI in May.If you love the podcast, you’ll love our morning newsletter—packed with even more Vegas news, events, and snarky commentary. Sign up at lasvegas.citycast.fmKeep up with us on Twitter (and tweet at us too—we don’t bite!) @CityCastVegasAnd don’t forget, you can always text us or leave us a voicemail at 702-514-0719.

Today we’re bringing you a guest episode from the Nevada Independent’s podcast IndyMatters, which features original interviews and Q&As with the Indy’s reporters on some of their top stories of the week. Joey Lovato hosts and produces the show every Tuesday. It’s one of our go-to podcasts, and we think you’ll love it, too! Make sure to subscribe to IndyMatters wherever you get podcasts.In this guest episode, City Cast Las Vegas host Dayvid Figler talks with Joey about what makes IndyMatters special, before moving into the IndyMatters guest segment: An interview Joey held with Sheryln Hayes-Zorn from the Nevada Historical Society, about our many and varied state symbols. Did you know that Nevada’s official fossil is the ichthyosaur, and that we have TWO state trees? Why do we have a state tartan… and why have state symbols at all? Find out in today’s episode.For more Vegas news, sign for our morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fmYou can also find us on Twitter @CityCastVegas, and text or leave us a voicemail at 702-514-0719. We love hearing your voices!

Fawn Douglas is an artist, activist, and community leader doing work to educate Las Vegas on Native American culture and center joy with the Nuwu Art Gallery and Community Center. The gallery has been opened to the public for the first time to show Douglas’s MFA thesis exhibition, SOOV, until May 6. She sits down with City Cast Las Vegas producer Layla Muhammad to share a look into the creation of the arts complex and her work within the Las Vegas community.Support Fawn and learn more at nuwuart.com and IAFInc.orgInterested in the people who make Las Vegas thrive? Make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter! We are also on Twitter! Follow us at @CityCastVegasDo you know someone who Las Vegans should know more about? Call or text us at 702-514-0719.

Short-term rentals like Airbnbs are legal (and hotly contested) in some parts of the valley, but they’re still illegal in unincorporated Clark County, where about half our population lives. That’s about to change: Assembly Bill 363, passed by the state last year, will force Clark County to create the legal infrastructure to regulate these SRTs by July 1st, 2022. You might already know that City Cast LV’s host, Dayvid Figler, is an attorney and neighborhood activist who’s written extensively on the topic—so today, he sits on the other side of the table as lead producer Sonja Cho Swanson interviews him about what we’re getting wrong (and right) about the Airbnb debates.Ready to join the conversation? First, you can email the County about STRs at: STRComment@ClarkCountyNV.govNext, shoot us a text or leave us a voicemail at 702-514-0719: What do you think should happen with short-term rentals in your neighborhood?Plus, we’re on Twitter, so you can tweet at us and follow us at @CityCastVegas And last but not least, for more Vegas news, sign up for our morning newsletter.