Las Vegas

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In Gloomy Economy, Even Vegas Is Down on Its Luck

Investors dry up as gambler demand drops

(Newser) - The economic downturn is hitting Las Vegas casinos with a one-two punch: Gamblers have less money to spare, and investors are less willing to shell out for glamorous new projects. Several casino companies have recently filed for bankruptcy protection, the Wall Street Journal reports. "This is the toughest environment...

Retirees Scoop Up Bargains in Housing Slump

Sunbelt home prices plunge 25%

(Newser) - Retired Americans who can afford new bargains are enjoying the drop in housing value in once-exorbitant sun havens where prices have plunged as much as 25%. Miami, Phoenix and Las Vegas—formerly at the forefront of soaring prices—are now leading the decline, the New York Times reports. Homebuyers who...

Rock, Paper, Scissors Champ Wins $50K in Vegas

He's off to China to try his luck there

(Newser) - A Massachusetts systems analyst covered, cut, and smashed his opponents to win the USA Rock, Paper, Scissors championship in Las Vegas. Sean Sears, 23, is now headed to China to play for the world title. He beat out 300 opponents to win the $50,000 championship purse.

Home Prices Take Steepest Tumble Since 2000

Housing index fell by 15.3% in April versus a year ago

(Newser) - US home prices tumbled in April at the fastest rate since the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index started keeping track in 2000, with all 20 metropolitan areas surveyed posting annual declines for the first time. The index fell by 15.3% in April versus a year ago, according to today's report....

Cities' Sewage Serves as Giant Drug Test

Analyzing waste for illicit substances sheds light on use

(Newser) - Across the world, raw sewage is being analyzed for clues to illegal drug use. Environmental scientists are testing waste from US and European cities to gather data, which reveals everything from what's popular to which days see the greatest use of which substances. "Every sample has one illicit drug...

Ventriloquists Speak Up for Themselves

Well, maybe not. But the form is seeing more success these days

(Newser) - Ventriloquism has been on the outs since the '70s, but its fortunes are starting to turn, the Wall Street Journal reports. Symbolizing the resurgence of the vaudeville favorite is Terry Fator, a winner of NBC’s America’s Got Talent competition, who recently picked up a yearlong headlining gig at...

Player Denies Vegas Run-In Led to Mugging

NFL's Walker says thugs, not boxer's associates, to blame

(Newser) - Disputing reports he was mugged after a Las Vegas run-in with boxer Floyd Mayweather, Javon Walker tells TheDirty.com's Nik Richie (who claims the NFL wide receiver is a "very close friend") that three armed men entered his hotel room early Monday, knocked him out and took his...

Iconic Sign Is Fabulous Indeed
 Iconic Sign Is Fabulous Indeed 
Jun 14, 2008 10:25 AM CDT

Iconic Sign Is Fabulous Indeed

Nearly 50 years later, designer discusses her creation

(Newser) - It's been nearly a half-century since the iconic "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign went up on the Strip, and Betty Willis is still as sharp as she was when she designed it, Las Vegas Weekly reports. Willis created the neon design back when the Strip still intersected dirt...

Siegfried, Roy Adopt Tiger Cubs
 Siegfried, Roy Adopt Tiger Cubs 
Jun 13, 2008 12:30 PM CDT

Siegfried, Roy Adopt Tiger Cubs

Five new arrivals will help with Roy's recovery, says his partner

(Newser) - Siegfried and Roy welcomed five new tiger cubs to their exotic habitat on the Las Vegas Strip yesterday. Siegfried Fischbacher said the new arrivals would be therapeutic for Roy Horn, who was partially paralyzed when a 380-pound white Bengal tiger sank his teeth into Horn's neck five years ago and...

Investors Throw Dice on Jacko's Vegas Comeback

Investment firm pushing for a start to Michael Jackson: the Vegas Years

(Newser) - A Las Vegas comeback could be in the cards for Michael Jackson if a private equity firm has its way, the Wall Street Journal reports. A firm that owns the Las Vegas Hilton and a big stake in a casino company bought $23 million of Jackson's debt last month and...

Harrah's Rolls Dice on Surface
 Harrah's Rolls Dice on Surface 
Jun 12, 2008 12:27 PM CDT

Harrah's Rolls Dice on Surface

Microsoft's touch-screen tables debut at Rio

(Newser) - A Las Vegas casino has become the first to roll the dice with the much-touted Microsoft Surface, a touch-screen table that lets gamblers order drinks, watch YouTube videos, and even flirt. Harrah’s Rio hotel yesterday installed 6 of the tables, which start at $10,000, the AP reports. “...

Sin City Opens Arms to Gay Scene
 Sin City Opens Arms
 to Gay Scene 
Travel
Jun 9, 2008 5:36 AM CDT

Sin City Opens Arms to Gay Scene

Las Vegas now tops SF as gay, lesbian getaway

(Newser) - Once known for its Rat Pack-style homophobia, Las Vegas has become a getaway hotspot for gays and lesbians—even more popular than San Francisco, one study says. Among its  gay attractions are a bar on the Strip, a mayor who marches on Gay Pride Day, and a slew of fabulous...

US Casinos Dotting Macau Can't Cash In

Gambling's red hot, but local middlemen take a huge cut

(Newser) - Casinos on the Chinese island of Macau create more gambling revenue than the ones in Las Vegas and Atlantic City combined, but US operators—permitted to set up shop there since 2004—are decidedly not rolling in the money. The Wall Street Journal looks at the bumps in the road...

Guggenheim Vegas Failure a Rare Stumble
Guggenheim Vegas Failure
a Rare Stumble
ANALYSIS
May 13, 2008 5:54 PM CDT

Guggenheim Vegas Failure a Rare Stumble

Starchitect Koolhaas bears some blame for museum's woes: critic

(Newser) - Now that the shutdown of the Guggenheim Museum's Las Vegas satellites is complete, many in the art world are faulting museum leaders in New York for not understanding the realities of the Strip. But for one LA Times critic, it's not just the Guggenheim that misread Vegas. Rem Koolhaas, the...

Even Vegas Is Down on Its Luck
 Even Vegas Is Down on Its Luck 
May 6, 2008 8:46 AM CDT

Even Vegas Is Down on Its Luck

Downturn starts to hit formerly recession-proof city

(Newser) - Tougher times are starting hit the Sunset Strip, the New York Times reports. Las Vegas has been mostly immune to downturns in decades past, but this time the gambling mecca is feeling the pinch as consumers tighten their belts. Hundreds of casino workers have already been laid off, and a...

Jacko Jacked to Cut Jackpot Album

King of Pop knows his financial future relies on a chart-topper

(Newser) - Michael Jackson is depending on his next album to stave off encroaching financial ruin. That’s why, 2 days ago, he banned his kids from his Las Vegas studio, swore off women (did he ever like them?) and recruited music masterminds RedOne and Akon to produce a money machine, the...

Vegas Ricin Man Arrested After Hospital Stay

'Exotic idea' to poison foes, not terror, believed behind toxin

(Newser) - Roger Bergendorff, hospitalized in February for exposure to the toxin ricin, was charged today in Las Vegas in what authorities say was an "exotic idea" to strike at foes—and not a terror plot, the AP reports. Bergendorff, 57, faces charges including possession of a biological toxin, traces of...

Mills on Paul's Gals: 'Better Them Than Me'

She goes on the offensive against McCartney and his romances

(Newser) - Heather Mills went back on the attack today, turning a televised sitdown on a European morning news program into a bitter rant about her "David versus Goliath" divorce from Paul McCartney and the former Beatle's current romances, the Sun reports. She also copped to dousing his attorney with water...

Guggenheim's Vegas Gallery Craps Out
Guggenheim's Vegas Gallery Craps Out
Apr 11, 2008 10:42 AM CDT

Guggenheim's Vegas Gallery Craps Out

Art doesn't play on the Strip; museum outpost folds after 7 years

(Newser) - The Guggenheim Museum's second venue on the Las Vegas Strip is closing its doors after 7 years. The nonprofit satellite gallery, which presented works from both the New York museum and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, was housed in the decidedly for-profit Venetian Hotel. A larger space folded only 18...

Braxton Rushed to Hospital With Chest Pains

'Unbreak My Heart' singer undergoing tests

(Newser) - Singer Toni Braxton has been hospitalized in Las Vegas after suffering chest pains, Access Hollywood reports. She was taken in for tests and will likely be released today after an overnight stay, said a spokesman for the Famingo hotel-casino, where Braxton has been performing since 2006. The six-time Grammy winner...

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