Vegas News
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
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Sat 
11/11/2006 12:01:00
 Jim  Nellis Airshow
 Aviation Nation

A huge air show, ,the largest free event in Nevada, is being sponsored by Nellis Air Force Base this weekend. 
More than 100 aircraft will be on display.
Gates open: November 11th and 12th
8am to 4:30pm. .
Sat 
11/11/2006 11:04:43
 Jim  Nellis Airshow

November 11, 2006 - Nellis offers a free airshow, open the public.
The Thunderbirds perform, along with dozens of vintage aircraft.
We met the pilots, and they let you tour the interiors of the planes. We liked it!
Sat 
11/11/2006 09:00:00
 Jim  Veterans Day Parade
The annual Las Vegas Veterans Day Parade takes palce on Saturday, Nov. 11.
The parade begins at 10 a.m. and should last until 1:30 pm.
The 4th Street parade route begins downtown on Coolidge Avenue and will stop at the Fremont Street Experience.
Fri 
11/10/2006 13:45:48
 Jim  Minimum wage increased to $6.15 w/strings
Nevada's minimum wage of $6.15 an hour will take effect November 28th.
Exemptions:
Employers who offer health insurance for less than 10% of the workers gross income.
Overtime Changes
Those with health insurance get overtime after 8 hours if their wage is less than $7.73.
Those without health insurance get overtime after 8 hours if their wage is less than $9.23.
What does that mean exactly?
Does that mean, if you make > $9.23 without insurance, or > $7.73 with insurance, you don't get overtime?
Is overtime pretty much history now?
Thu 
11/09/2006 17:30:09
 Jim  Vegas Historical Dates
1829 -- Discovered by Spanish explorers.
1855 -- First settlement by Mormons in Las Vegas.
1905 -- Town of Las Vegas established by auctioning of land.
1905 -- The First United Methodist Church of Las Vegas formed at 3rd & Bridger.
1911 -- The city of Las Vegas is incorporated.
1926 -- First commercial airline flight, Western Airlines.
1931/03/19 -- Gambling legalized in Nevada.
1936/03/01 -- Hoover Dam completed in Black Canyon.
1940 -- Clark County population 16,414 (Las Vegas-8,422).
1941 -- El Rancho Vegas opens on the Strip, destroyed by fire 19 years later.
1941 -- El Cortez Hotel opens downtown.
1942 -- Last Frontier Hotel opens. (Later called New Frontier and Frontier.)
1944 -- The first Helldorado parade and rodeo is conducted.
1946 -- Bugsy Siegel opens Flamingo Hotel. State levies first gaming taxes.
1947 -- The U.S. Air Force opens Nellis
1950 -- Clark County population 48,289. (Las Vegas-24,624).
1955 -- Gaming Control Board created within the Nevada Tax Commission by the Legislature.
1955 -- Riviera opens
1957 -- Tropicana opens
1959 -- Las Vegas Convention Center opens. The Nevada Gaming Commission is created by the Legislature.
1960 -- Clark County population 127,016. (Las Vegas-64,405).
1966 -- Howard Hughes arrives to live at Desert Inn.
1966 -- Caesars Palace opens
1967 -- Nevada legislature allows corporations to obtain gambling licenses.
1970 -- Clark County population 273,288 (Las Vegas-125,787).
1975 -- Nevada gaming revenues first crack $1 billion mark.
1980 -- Clark County population hits 463,087 (Las Vegas- 164,674) as Las Vegas celebrates 75th birthday.
1981 -- Las Vegas celebrates Golden Anniversary of Gaming.
1985 -- First National Finals Rodeo held in Las Vegas.
1989 -- Mirage opens Nov. 22, with 3,039 rooms.
1990 -- Clark County population 741,459 (Las Vegas-258,295)
1990 -- Excalibur opens June 19, to date the world's largest resort hotel with 4,032 rooms.
1991 -- Ground broken on MGM Grand Hotel and Theme Park; Treasure Island Hotel, and pyramid-shaped Luxor.
1991 -- The Las Vegas Online Entertainment Guide goes online as a dial-up BBS system.
1992 -- First Las Vegas Bowl held at Silver Bowl.
1993 -- MGM Grand Hotel and Theme Park tops off. Flamingo Hilton announces plans to raze Bugsy suite and office.
1993/10/27 -- Dunes sign is imploded
1993 -- Money won by Nevada casinos tops the $6 billion mark for the first time.
1993/08/23 -- Grand Slam Canyon Adventuredome
1993/10/15 -- Luxor Hotel opens
1993/10/26 -- Treasure Island Hotel opens
1993/12/18 -- MGM Grand Hotel and Theme Park opens
1994 -- Buffalo Bill's in Stateline and Boulder Station Casino on Boulder Highway in Las Vegas open.
1994/09/07 -- Downtown Fremont Street closed to traffic
1994 -- Steve Wynn reveals plans to construct Bellagio
1994 -- Sam's Town on Boulder Highway expands with lush, plant-filled atrium.
1994 -- Boomtown opens
1994 -- The first non-stop flight from Europe begins with weekly flights from Cologne, Germany.
1994 -- Four skywalks are built over the intersection of Tropicana Boulevard and the Las Vegas Strip.
1994 -- County opens Interstate 15-McCarran airport connector tunnel
1994/10/27 -- The Dunes hotel-casino is imploded
1994 -- The Fiesta opens in North Las Vegas 
1995/02/01 -- Vegas World closes its doors to make way for the Stratosphere Tower.
1995 -- Clark County population estimated at 1,000,000+
1995/03/10 -- The first Hard Rock Hotel opens March 10.
1995 -- New visitors center opens at Hoover Dam.
1995 -- Circus Circus Inc. buys Gold Strike Resorts.
1995/06/14 -- Monorail begins operation between MGM Grand and Bally's
1995 -- William Bennett, former president and CEO of Circus Circus, buys Sahara Hotel-Casino
1995 -- Bally Entertainment Corp. announces Paris Casino Resort
1995 -- Texas Gambling Hall & Hotel opens next door to the Fiesta on Rancho Road in North Las Vegas.
1995 -- $25 million monorail begins running between MGM Grand and Bally's hotel-casinos on June 14.
1995 -- The Las Vegas Online Entertainment Guide moves from dial-up to the Internet.
1995 -- ITT Corp. buys Caesars World Inc. for $1.7 billion, including Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip.
1995 -- Construction begins on Steve Wynn's Bellagio
1995 -- Circus Circus Enterprises buys Hacienda and surrounding 100 acres.
1995/12/13 -- Fremont Street Experience opens
1995 -- Las Vegas reported a 29 million visitor volume for the year.
1995 -- State gross gaming revenue surpasses $7.3 billion. 
1995 -- Clark County produced $5.7 billion of the state's gaming revenue total.
1995/11/07 -- Landmark Hotel imploded
1996/01/24 -- Ground breaking ceremonies for Las Vegas Hilton's Star Trek: The Experience
1996 -- Wayne Newton celebrates 25,000th Las Vegas performance.
1996 -- Siegfried and Roy celebrate 15,000th Las Vegas performance.
1996 -- Desert Inn Road arterial is completed, creating the first tunnel under the Las Vegas Strip.
1996/04/30 -- Stratosphere Tower opens as the tallest free-standing observation tower in the US
1996 -- Hilton Hotels Corp. purchases Bally's Entertainment Corp for $3 billion
1996/06/18 -- Caesars Magical Empire, a multimillion dollar dining and entertainment complex opens
1996/06/21 -- Monte Carlo, a joint venture between Circus Circus Enterprises Inc. and Mirage Resorts Inc
1996/09/01 -- The $72 million, 1,100-acre Las Vegas Speedway opens
1996 -- Clark County Commission grants permits for Paris Casino Resort
1996 -- Hyatt Hotel Corp. announces plans to build a 500-room hotel on the shores of Lake Las Vegas
1996/06/30 -- The Sands Hotel, after 44 years of continuous operation,
1996/11/25 -- Sands tower imploded Nov. 26 to make way for the Venetian
1996 -- State Line, NV is renamed to Primm, NV
1996 -- Ground breaking held for 3,000-room Planet Hollywood Hotel Casino. It never happened.
1996/12/31 -- Circus Circus implodes Hacienda Hotel Casino Dec. 31 to make way for megaresort.
1996 -- 29.6 million people visit Las Vegas in 1996; state gross gaming revenue totals $7.45 billion
1996 -- Clark County population hits 1.1 million.
1997/01/03 -- New York-New York Hotel Casino opens.
1997/01/27 -- Stratosphere files Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It continues to operate.
1997/01/28 -- Hilton Hotels Corp. makes a $10.5 billion hostile take-over bid on ITT Corp.
1997 -- ITT shareholders accept Starwood Lodging offer.
1997/02/07 -- The 6,945-yard, par 71 Lakes Course opens Feb. 7, the first golf course located in Primm, NV.
1997/04 -- Ground breaking to build the $1.8 billion Venetian theme resort on the grounds
1997 -- Steve Wynn, builder of Las Vegas Strip megaresorts, calls for a slow approach to future expansion in Las Vegas.
1997 -- Megabucks is hit for $12 million at New York-New York Hotel/Casino (worlds largest slot payout)
1997 -- Coca Cola Co. opens howcase Mall marked by a 100-foot-tall glass Coca Cola bottle.
1997/05/07 -- The first non-stop scheduled commercial flight from Frankfurt International arrives at McCarren
1997 -- Sunset Station Hotel-Casino opens June 10.
1997 -- Players Island Resort purchased by Virgin River Casino and renamed CasaBlanca on July 1.
1997/08/29 -- The Forum Shops at Caesars opens
1997/11/25 -- The Aladdin Hotel closed to make way for joint venture with Planet Hollywood
1997 -- The Desert Inn Hotel Casino completes $200 million renovation and expansion.
1997 -- Owners change the name of the Boomtown Hotel Casino to Silverton
1997 -- Harley Davidson Cafe opens on the Las Vegas Strip, continuing the theme restaurant proliferation.
1997 -- Caesars Palace opens new tower in December.
1997 -- Harrah's Entertainment Inc. buys Showboat Inc. in a $1.154 billion deal.
1997 -- The Frontier Hotel, owned by the Elardi family, is sold to Phil Ruffin, a Kansas industrialist, for $165 million.
1997 -- Rio Casino opens
1997 -- Alan Paulson buys the Gold River Casino/Hotel in Laughlin.
1998/01/04 -- Star Trek: The Experience opens at the Las Vegas Hilton.
1998/02/10 -- Ameristar Casinos, Inc. opens The Reserve Hotel Casino on Feb. 10
1998 -- Circus Circus officials announces Mandalay Bay
1998 -- Starwood Hotels & Resorts buys ITT Corp. for $14.6 billion which included Caesars Palace and Desert Inn 1998 -- Eagle Canyon Airlines buys Las Vegas-based Scenic Airlines.
1998 -- The Aladdin Hotel is imploded on April 27.
1998 -- Northwest Airlines offers non-stop service June 1 from Tokyo
1998/08 -- Korean Airlines offers three non-stop charter flights from Seoul, Korea
1998/10/02 -- Japan Airlines inaugurates non-stop service October 2 from Tokyo
1998 -- Country Star restaurant on the Strip is acquired by Mirage Resorts Inc. and closes.
1998/10/15 -- Bellagio opens. Bars people under 18 that aren't registered.
1998 -- Las Vegas Convention Center expands to 1.9 million square foot expansion
1998 -- The Debbie Reynolds hotel-casino is sold at public auction August 5 to the World Wresting Federation
1998/12 -- Speedway Motorsports buys Las Vegas Motor Speedway
1998/11 -- California voters allow casino gambling on American Indian reservations.
199811/15 -- A 66-year-old Las Vegas resident hits a Megabucks for$27.58 million at Palace Station.
1998 -- Annual gross gaming revenue in Nevada hits the $8.1 billion mark.
1998 -- Annual number of visitors to Las Vegas totals 30.6 million people.
1998 -- Hilton Hotels Corp. spins off its gaming division to Park Place Entertainment Corp
1999/01/01 -- Harrah's Entertainment buys the Rio
1999/03/01 -- MGM buys Primadonna Resorts Inc to own Primm and New York-New York
1999/03/02 -- Mandalay Bay Resort opens March 2 with 3,300 rooms.
1999/03/02 -- Four Seasons Hotel opens
1999/05/03 -- Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino opens 3,036 suites.
1999 -- The Las Vegas Convention Center celebrates its 40th birthday.
1999 -- Circus Circus Enterprises changes its name to Mandalay Resort Group.
1999/07/15 -- The Resort at Summerlin opens
1999/01/01 -- Paris Las Vegas Casino Resort opens
2000 -- Caesars World sells for $3 billion to Park Place Entertainment.
2000 -- The Resort at Summerlin changes its name to The Regent Las Vegas.
2000 -- MGM Grand Inc. announces the purchase of Mirage Resorts Inc
2000/08/28 -- Desert Inn closed by purchaser Steve Wynn and is later imploded.
2000 -- El Rancho (formally the Thunderbird, then the Silverbird) is imploded on October 3rd.
2000/08/18 -- The new Aladdin Resort & Casino opens
2001 -- Clark County's population reaches 1,498,274, while Las Vegas gets to 506,111.
2001 -- Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa openned by Station Casinos
2001 -- The 3 millionth marriage certificate is recorded in Clark County on February 9.
2003 -- Clark County's population reaches 1,641,529; Las Vegas' grows to 535,395.
2003/04 -- Caesars Palace opens the Colosseum
2003 -- The Stratosphere releases plans for X Scream.
2003 -- Las Vegas Premium Outlets opens in downtown Las Vegas.
2003 -- The Fashion Show mall completes a $1 billion expansion
2003 -- Mandalay Bay opens new 1,120-suite tower, The Hotel.
2004 -- Harrah's Entertainment purchases Binion's Horseshoe.
2004 -- Mergers abound in Las Vegas. MGM MIRAGE announces plans to purchase the Mandalay Resort Group. One month later, Harrah's Entertainment announces its plans to purchase Caesars Entertainment.
2004 -- The Strip dims its lights for President Ronald Reagan's passing.
2004 -- The Las Vegas Monorail, a $654 million mass transit system, opens to the public.
2004 -- Las Vegas Sands releases new details about its planned $1.6 billion Palazzo casino resort on the Strip.
2005 -- Las Vegas celebrates is Centennial year throughout 2005
2005/04/28 -- Steve Wynn opens Wynn Las Vegas
2005/12/22 -- South Coast Hotel & Casino, south of the Las Vegas Strip opens
2006/11/07 -- Smoking is banned in Nevada
Tue 
10/24/2006 10:57:50
 Jim  Vegas Rule for Air Quality
Mountains Hide - Just stay inside
Mountains Clear - Get out of here
Rain and Mud - Its gonna flood
Sunny Sky - Bare feet will fry
** smiles **
Mon 
10/16/2006 22:00:00
 Jim  Ate at the South Coast Garden Buffet
It was steak night at the price of $13.95, which is GREAT.
We ate (jumbo?) mussels, prime rib, large shrimp, seafood newburg, and more.
What can I say? It was delicious! I like South Coast.
Sat 
10/14/2006 08:08:52
 Jim  Forecast: Floods, rain, and pea sized hail
Its raining hard outside with thunder and lightning abound.
My thermometer says its 55 out there, but the weather reports say 50.
Its a hot cocoa day!
Fri 
10/13/2006 22:58:03
 Jim  South Coast Hotel

We went to the South Coast tonight. 
Somehow, its visible and looks huge, 5 miles away on the 215.
They have nine great restaurants!
Don Vito's is an Italian restaurant with classy cuisine.
The Big Sur Oyster Bar has a very long counter, where people can see their oysters being shucked.
All of their menu prices look well below market (typically $9 or less a plate).
The casino is brightly decorated.
I just love its golden hued themes. I noticed they have a lot of flat screen video poker machines.
A security guard told us South Coast just hosted the Jerry Lewis Telethon.
Check out the Equestrian Arena Calendar
It looks like they have horse shows and competitions in there Equestrian Arena all of the time.
Most of the activities are free, too. They just had a Nevada painted pony competition!
Today, they are having a Futurity Race.
That means the under 2 year old horses in the race were selected at birth for this event.
I was wondering why so many horse trailers were parked out front.
The security guard told us the equestrians are kept in a 5 story air conditioned barn!
Ya know, I've lived in Vegas since 1974
We eat someplace different every week. We cruise the strip and site see at least two times a week.
And I'll never see it all.
Mon 
10/02/2006 11:10:53
 Jim  Sloan Canyon: A Hidden Treasure

With it's petroglyphs and scenic beauty, Sloan Canyon is one of Southern Nevada's most precious natural resources yet few people get the chance to experience it.

The Bureau of Land Management is expecting approval by the end of the year for a plan to make Sloan more accessible to the public.  At the same time -- the BLM hopes to better protect Sloan's historic sites from thieves and vandals.

"We are at Petroglyph Canyon trailhead in Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area," said Robbie McAboy with the BLM, as he escorts an Eyewitness News crew.

Right now the only way to access Sloan Canyon is to hike into the canyon.  There are no paved roads, no trail markers, no visitor's center, no bathrooms and did we mention the rock scrambling?
Sun 
08/20/2006 15:52:45
 Jim  Is Lake Mead full of it?
Saddle Island instakes #1 and #2. Diane SylvainLas Vegas mayor, Oscar Goodman, publicly stated that a person would be crazy to drink his city's tap water (1).He should know, Goodman uses 1.6 million gallons of water at his nearly three-quarter-acre home a month (2). The Las Vegas sewage treatment plant is just six miles upstream from where we get our water. Doesn't that sound backwards, like nature hanging our wet runny noses upside down over our mouths? Shouldn't our water come upstream from the sewage treatment plant?
The Colorado River (which feeds Lake Mead) gets its water from those clear, refreshing Colorado Rocky Mountain streams. Thats what I want to shower in. Wouldn't it be nice to know that when we flush our toilets, we'd be sending the yuck to Pheonix, instead of back into our kitchen faucets.
Recent studies have found perchlorate, which is a rocket fuel component, mutated fish, pharmaceutical residue and human hormones in the wash and the bay. Now thats just nasty.
While I'm on this subject, why don't terrorists bomb sewage systems? Wouldn't that pretty much wreck any town? Where would you go if you were in a casino, and all of the toilets town were backed up? The craps table...
Sat 
08/12/2006 03:05:42
 Jim  Nevada’s haunted places.
Goldfield, NV - Goldfield Hotel
Following the impregnation of a prostitute by the manager of the hotel many years ago, the manager became angry at the women for the incident and took her to his hotel. As her pregnancy became more obvious, he chained her to the radiator in one of the rooms., and when the baby was born, he killed them both. The hotel has been closed for many years with no power to any part of it, but on some nights there are several lighted rooms.
Workers have been hired on several different occasions to do restoration on the hotel, and due to the many unexplained incidents, the hotel restoration has never been completed and has changed hands several times. There have been several ghosts seen in several parts of the hotel, including the prostitute, the original owner, and two other men. Paranormal experts have visited the hotel many times and have determined that it is one of the nine portals that connect our world with the spirit world.

Boulder City - Boulder City Hotel
Many reports have been filed, claiming that everything from noises to apparitions
fill the historic site which is now a full service hotel, restaurant, and historic files office.

Boulder City - Boulder City pet cemetery
Built over 50 years ago, it is said that if you go to it at night
a white cat will follow you through out the cemetery if it likes you.

Henderson - Foxridge Park
A ghost in the form of a little boy had been seen swinging on the swing set every day after midnight. When approached changes form(demon/devil)and disappears.
Henderson - Treem Elementary School
A white face of a girl appears in the school hall when your alone. She cries out for help.
Jackpot - Hot Ponds
Just outside of Jackpot Nevada there were some naturally occurring hot ponds that had been made into an attraction where people could rent rooms. It had been popular until apparently some people were murdered there. Witnesses report "Footprints and hoof prints would appear on the path, coming after us even though there was no possible way anyone else could have been out there. Broken glass was discovered around our van; even though it had not been there in the beginning and we had not brought anything glass out. There were strange noises and the air in certain spots on the property would suddenly grow very, very cold. it was a strange, yet interesting experience there was defiantly something or someone there."
Las Vegas - Bally's Hotel/Casino
It used to be the old MGM which burned down (with people in it) and Bally's bought the property. (The new MGM is located further south.) . I was there when it burned. 96 people died. Some jumped. My ex grabbed all of the 35mm pictures that I took. They're probably in a shoe box somewhere. This picture just doesn't relay the actual horror of the events that happend that day. If there is such a thing as ghosts, this is where they would be. Jumping out the windows, some took the chance on surviving a fall rather than having what would be a terrible death of asfixiation
Las Vegas - Dell Robinson Middle School
Many sightings of an old man walking the halls of this school have been reported by new students coming from another state. They always see a man dressed as a janitor walking around in the hallway with blood on his hands. when school is out, the man follows them all the way home then disappears. The student will have nightmares and see this man in their dreams. This only happens to new students enrolling to this school and will happen until next time they go to church.
Las Vegas - The Excalibur
Walking down the hallway on the 10th floor you feel as though someone is directly behind you, hovering over your back, and then you hear a whisper, directly in your ear as if their lips were only an inch away.
Las Vegas - Las Vegas Academy Main Theatre
Since the opening of the theatre students have reported hearing strange sounds and seeing the apparition of an elderly main named "Mr. Petre". The legend says the man used to live on the property before the theatre was built in the 1930's and appears when the theatre is empty.
Las Vegas - Little Choo Choo Daycare
The daycare was closed because of a teacher who committed suicide and a little boy who was killed getting dragged underneath the tracks of the toy train. Some people said usually at night or sometimes in the day there is a presence of a little boy digging with his shovel in the ground. Nobody knows who he is, but sometimes he appears out of nowhere and some said at night a black woman can been seen trespassing and disappearing out of thin air.
Las Vegas - Redd Foxx' home
Said that Redd Foxx ghost is playing pranks on the current tenants.
Las Vegas - Sahara and Sandhill
If you drive down the dirt roads in that area you may be chased by an elderly woman in a car. If you leave the street she won't follow.
Las Vegas - Sandhill and Charleston
If you turn off of Charleston Blv. onto Sandhill Rd. heading toward Sahara you will shortly pass a set of flood control tunnels that pass under the freeway and let out onto a small neighborhood street named Olive. Many neighborhood residents use this as and uncomfortable but fast shortcut to the other side of the freeway and neighborhood children often play in them. Many people including have heard the voices of two people whispering in the tunnels late in the evening when there is none around. They sound like a male and female and coincidently just before those tunnels were built a young couple were flying down Olive on motorcycles and hit the pile of construction debris that was there at the time. They crashed early morning and were not discovered until around 6 am.
Las Vegas - Tropicana Hotel & Casino
Over the years visitors to this hotel are greeted at the entrance by a large tiki mask face, and many people have reported getting a terrible purple rash after touching it. And when people take pictures in front of it they report seeing a strange purple hazy cloud of smoke in the picture after they developed the pictures.
Las Vegas - Vo-Tech High School
Late at night around 11:00pm there is a shadow in the figure of a man that stands by the gym doors.

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