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INTERIM PUBLISHER
MARIA BLONDEAUX maria.blondeaux@gmgvegas.com
EDITOR SHANNON MILLER
shannon.miller@gmgvegas.com
EDITORIAL
Senior Editor GEOFF CARTER (geo .carter@gmgvegas.com)
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Sta Writer TYLER SCHNEIDER (tyler.schneider@gmgvegas.com)
Contributing Writers KYLE CHOUINARD, GRACE DA ROCHA,HILLARY DAVIS, KATIE ANN MCCARVER
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O ce Coordinator NADINE GUY
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LAS VEGAS WEEKLY
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20 WORLD OF PIZZA
COVER ART Photo by Wade Vandervort
Vegas does it all, from delicate Neapolitan bliss to crispy, cheesy Detroit style.
10 THIRD Street hosts a concert reading that goes behind the scenes of Jaws, Ted Sablay brings killer energy to Easy’s Cocktail Lounge and more this week.
30 NEWS
Clark County’s plan to develop a new supplemental airport is again preparing for liftoff.
32 SPORTS
How will the A’s fit in with Vegas’ talent-rich baseball culture?
38 NIGHTLIFE
The Golden Tiki celebrates 10 years as a local destination for the exotic.
40 THE STRIP
The country-infused Las Vegas Songwriters Festival launches at Mandalay Bay.
42 ART Alina Lindquist’s plein air portraits of Avi Kwa Ame dazzle at Nevada Humanities.
Photo by Wade Vandervort
SUPERGUIDE
THURSDAY AUG 14
BLUES TRAVELER & GIN BLOSSOMS
With Spin Doctors, 7 p.m., Sandbar Stage at Red Rock, ticketmaster.com.
ZO! & TALL BLACK GUY
With Deborah Bond, 8 p.m., the Space, thespacelv.com.
UNIVERSAL HORROR UNLEASHED OPENING
Ticket times vary, Area15, universal horrorunleashed. com
LAS VEGAS AVIATORS VS. TACOMA RAINIERS
Thru 8/16, 7:05 p.m. (& 8/17, 6:05 p.m.), Las Vegas Ballpark, ticketmaster.com
A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL
Thru 8/17, 7:30 p.m. (& 8/16-8/17, 2 p.m.), Reynolds Hall, thesmithcenter.com
CLOWN BAR
Thru 8/17, 7:30 p.m., Majestic Repertory Theatre, majesticrepertory. com
WILLIE BARCENA
8 p.m., 24 Oxford, etix.com.
CRANKDAT 10:30 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zoukgrouplv.com
TWINSICK 10:30 p.m., Hakkasan Nightclub, taogroup.com
MARRY DROPPINZ
10 p.m., We All Scream, tixr.com
SCORPIONS
8 p.m., & 8/16, 8/19, PH Live, ticketmaster.com.
FRIDAY AUG 15
BRUCE
One little known fact about seminal 1975 blockbuster Jaws is that the art department’s mechanical shark was named Bruce by the cast, after director Steven Spielberg’s lawyer Bruce Ramer. But unlike Spielberg’s lawyer, the shark rarely worked and is largely blamed for putting the movie over budget and behind schedule. That challenge turned out to be a boon for Spielberg, who was forced to suggest the shark’s presence with music and suspense, rather than fully showing it. On the film’s 50th anniversary, THIRD Street is hosting an exclusive fundraising one-night concert reading of the musical Bruce that charts the behind-the-scenes saga of Jaws. This freshly retooled version of Richard Oberacker and Robert Taylor’s musical promises a front-row seat to chaos, improvisation and a giant shark who refused to behave. 6 p.m. $250+, 814 S. 3rd St., thirdstreet.vegas.
BROTHERLY LOVE PODCAST LIVE
7 p.m., & 8/16, Strat Theater, thestrat.com
NAPOLEON DYNAMITE 20TH(ISH) ANNIVERSARY
7:30 p.m., & 8/16, Beverly Theater, thebeverlytheater. com
BACKSTREET BOYS Thru 8/17, 8 p.m., Sphere, ticketmaster.com.
KELLY CLARKSON
8 p.m., & 8/16, the Colosseum, ticketmaster.com.
BOYZ II MEN
8 p.m., & 8/16, the Chelsea, ticketmaster.com.
SUBLIME 6:30 p.m., & 8/16, Dolby Live, ticketmaster.com.
GIPSY KINGS
8 p.m., Pearl Concert Theater, axs.com.
ALICIA VILLARREAL
7 p.m., House of Blues, ticketmaster.com.
PEABO BRYSON
8 p.m., the Railhead, ticketmaster.com.
NAJEE 8 p.m., Access Showroom, ticketmaster.com.
LEANNE MORGAN
8 p.m., & 8/16 (& 8/16, 5 p.m.), Encore Theater, ticketmaster.com.
KYLE KINANE
7 & 9:30 p.m., & 8/16, Wiseguys, wiseguyscomedy.com.
E-40
10:30 p.m., Drai’s Nightclub, draisgroup.com
(Courtesy/Marc Theis)
MUSIC PARTY
SPORTS FOOD COMEDY MISC ARTS
SATURDAY AUG 16
MARSHMELLO
With Charly Jordan, 11 a.m., Encore Beach Club, wynnsocial.com
TOWER OF POWER & WAR
7 p.m., Westgate International Theater, ticketmaster.com.
STEEL PANTHER
8 p.m., House of Blues, ticketmaster.com.
THOUSAND BELOW
With Aviana, True North, Dreamwake, 6:30 p.m., Swan Dive, dice.fm.
TED SABLAY
The Killers’ touring guitarist Ted Sablay has stepped into his own spotlight as of late, performing hits from his debut album You’ll Be Back Here Soon at local record stores, coffee shops and now Strip venues like Easy’s Cocktail Lounge and the Hard Rock Cafe. How the singer-songwriter finds the time between rocking out onstage with Brandon Flowers and supporting The Wallflowers on tour is beyond us. But if you’re eager to catch a Killer, don’t miss Sablay at Easy’s. He just might perform a tune or two from his forthcoming album, State & Motion 8 p.m., free, Easy’s Cocktail Lounge, easysvegas.com. –Amber Sampson
POST NC
With O Summer Vacation, Spoilman, Spring Breeding, 8 p.m., the Usual Place, dice.fm.
THE SUPERVILLAINS
With The B Foundation, Brewfish, 8 p.m., Backstage Bar & Billiards, seetickets.us.
THE SPEAKEASY
DANCE FT. THE MOONSHINERS
6 p.m., Charleston Heights Arts Center, lasvegasnevada.gov
PRESEASON: LAS
VEGAS RAIDERS VS. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
1 p.m., Allegiant Stadium, ticketmaster.com
MARK CURRY
6 & 8 p.m., Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club, ticketmaster.com.
PAUL OGATA
With Jeff Leach, Traci Skene, 8 p.m., & 8/17, Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club, mgmgrand. mgmresorts.com.
TIËSTO
11 a.m., LIV Beach, livnightclub.com
FISHER 11 a.m., Tao Beach Dayclub, taogroup.com
DJ PAULY D 11 a.m., Marquee Dayclub, taogroup.com
KASKADE Noon, Ayu Dayclub, zoukgrouplv.com
RICK ROSS
10:30 p.m., Drai’s Nightclub, draisgroup.com
GRYFFIN 10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com
ZEDD 10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, taogroup.com
ELDERBROOK 10:30 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zoukgrouplv.com
SORRY PAPI
ALL GIRL RAVE 10 p.m., Substance, seetickets.us
SUPERGUIDE
SUNDAY AUG 17
ABOVE & BEYOND 11 a.m., Palm Tree Beach Club, taogroup.com
LIL JON 11 a.m., Tao Beach Dayclub, taogroup.com
JON B
9 p.m., Drai’s Nightclub, draisgroup.com
DIPLO PRESENTS
THOMAS WESLEY & DUSTIN LYNCH
With Vavo, 10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com
LAS VEGAS ACES VS. DALLAS WINGS
12:30 p.m., Michelob Ultra Arena, axs.com
SKYE DEE MILES
4:30 p.m., the Space, thespacelv.com
RATCHET DOLLS
With The Far Worst, Generation Landslide, 8 p.m., the Gri n, dice.fm
MONDAY AUG 18
SWOLLEN MEMBERS
With with Locksmith, Wildcard, Endr Won, 7 p.m., Swan Dive, eventbrite.com
MONDAYS DARK
8 p.m., the Space, mondaysdark. com
JACKIE FABULOUS
With Greg Hahn, Dennis Regan, Jay Jurden, thru 8/24, 7 & 9:30 p.m., Comedy Cellar, ticketmaster.com.
LAS VEGUES TRIO
8 p.m., Fat Cat Lounge, fatcatlv.com.
JIMMI ELLIS
6 p.m., Composers Room, thecomposers room.com.
CABLE 11 a.m., Marquee Dayclub, taogroup.com
MURDA BEATZ 10:30 p.m., Jewel Nightclub, taogroup.com
SUPERGUIDE
LAS VEGAS ACES VS. ATLANTA DREAM
7 p.m., Michelob Ultra Arena, axs.com
DRINKS & DRAGONS THREE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY
7 p.m., Red Dwarf, reddwarflv.com
ALESSO
10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, taogroup.com
WESGHOST
7 p.m., Swan Dive, swandivelv.com
JAN JAN & THE GENTLEMEN
9 p.m., Easy’s Cocktail Lounge, easysvegas.com
THE DELTAZ
10 p.m., Sand Dollar Lounge, thesanddollarlv.com
DO IT ALL
AMAZON CRIMES
With Mutual Head, Same Sun Here, 9 p.m., Red Dwarf, reddwarflv.com
SHANNA CHRISTMAS
8 p.m., Fat Cat Lounge, posh.vip.
ACRAZE 10:30 p.m., Encore Beach Club, wynnsocial.com
OMRI 10:30 p.m., Marquee Nightclub, taogroup.com
8 p.m., Theater at Virgin, axs.com (Courtesy)
THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW
IT TAKES
IS GUT HEALTH THE KEY TO OVERALL HEALTH?
BY DIANA EDELMAN
Perhaps you remember that Pepto-Bismol jingle of the early 2000s—“nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea!” Turns out, there’s more to your gut and its issues than the bubblegum pink medicine can take on.
microorganisms live.”
Suzanne Madrid, a licensed registered dietitian with LiveWell Nutrition, a Las Vegas-based center that helps people change their diet and lifestyle to help prevent or manage disease, says gut health is key to your overall well-being, and it encompasses your entire digestive system.
So, how does it work?
“It starts with your mouth,” she says, mapping out the scope of your gut, “and then it goes through your esophagus, intestines and eventually your colon. Inside your gut is the microbiome, which is where
According to Madrid, it is important not only because gut health a ects digestion and nutrient absorption, but it also can a ect immune function, mental health, hormone balance, weight and energy levels.
Microorganisms can produce metabolites that impact hormone levels, which a ect mood, cognition, appetite and nutrient absorption. The more variety of microorganisms in your body, the more e ectively you absorb nutrients. The more you absorb nutrients, the more energy you have.
Madrid points to numerous symptoms which can tip you o that your microbiome may need some extra TLC. Common signs include: chronic gas, bloating, change in stool habits, getting sick more often, fatigue and brain fog.
FOODS TO IMPROVE GUT HEALTH
added sugars and
health, steer clear of diets that are highly include
processed and include saturated fats.
Instead, opt for eats , kefir, kimchi, sourdough, and other
with probiotics. Think yogurt sauerkraut fermented foods. Then feed those probiotics by adding plant-based legumes and
foods like , whole grains, fruits, veggies nuts
“You’ve got to keep a variety of probiotics [in your gut], so whole foods are better than supplements because you get more from them,” says Madrid. “Increase diversity [in your gut] and allow microorganisms to flourish.”
OTHER WAYS TO KEEP YOUR GUT HEALTHY
Aside from implementing more whole foods in your diet, Madrid says relaxation activities can help, along with exercise and avoiding alcohol and nicotine. Also, start incorporating a
fiber-rich foods
Did you know that some foods are actually more nutritious when paired together?
variety of in your diet.
Those who need extra help can go to a dietitian. your probiotics can also help with weight management, GI issues like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, constipation, diarrhea and more.
Increasing ( ), which uses
For additional information on the various strains of probiotics and how they can help, Madrid recommends checking out the U.S. Probiotic Guide usprobioticguide.com probiotics research to help users reach desired outcomes based on their demographics.
According to Haley Bisho , registered dietician and founder of Rūtsu Nutrition, a Las Vegas-based private practice providing personalized nutrition counseling with a focus on plant-based eating, some foods can enhance amino acid profiles when paired together, resulting in increased nutrient absorption.
“No matter what type of diet or eating pattern you follow, balanced eating is very important,” says Bisho , noting that even folks eating a plant-based diet can get all of the nutrition they need.
YOUR NUTRITION FOODS TO
When it comes to eating, Bisho suggests
body. These include black
pairing a vitamin C-rich food to increase the absorption of iron in the body. These include black beans, which are iron-rich.
Pair them with limes and
Pair them with limes and bell peppers, which are high in vitamin C, or oatmeal and fresh orange juice
low in methionine and
For complete proteins, pair brown rice and beans together. The beans are low in methionine and high in lysine, and rice is the opposite, giving you a complete protein.
In order to maximize nutrition and get optimal absorption of nutrients, she suggests spacing meals four to five hours apart. Also, eat earlier in the day so the body has time to digest before going to sleep.
“The main takeaway is to eat balanced meals and snacks that contain a variety of vegetables, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats and protein,” Bisho says. –Diana Edelman
Las Vegas pizza is defined by delicious diversity and authentic craft
BY AMBER SAMPSON
These days, it feels like Las Vegas does everything well. It’s a sports town. It’s a music town. It’s a comedy town. But it’s long had another identity as a spectacular pizza town.
Drive through the di erent neighborhoods around the Valley and it feels like Las Vegas has more pizzerias than casinos. And there’s a lot of personality in these pies—not every city has a multitude of restaurants cranking out authentic renditions of Neapolitan, Detroit or Brooklyn-style pies.
When 13-time World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani opened Pizza Rock just o Fremont Street in 2013, the scene looked drastically di erent.
“I knew [about] Metro Pizza before, but there was no Good Pie. There was no Evel Pie. A lot of those places weren’t really around,” says Gemignani. “It was kind of sacrilegious, like baseball. The Giants hate the Dodgers, the Yankees hate the Red Sox. So when it comes to pizza, this guy did New York. This guy did Chicago. You never really married them together.”
Today, the embrace of di erent regional styles from across the country and around the world by chefs, restaurateurs and dedicated diners has boosted Las Vegas’ reputation as a diverse and unique pizza destination.
“The Vegas style that I think has been developed has to do with people traveling from di erent parts of the country, retelling the stories of what they experienced as pizza,” says Vincent Rotolo, founder of Good Pie on Main Street. “If you look at Naked City, that’s Bu alo. At Yukon Pizza, it’s the story of the sourdough starter from [Alex White’s] great-great-grandfather. At Pizza Rock, it’s the story of Tony Gemignani’s pizza greatness.
“Vegas pizza style is telling the story of the pizza maker and his version of it.”
But do you know the story behind your favorite pizza? It’s time to dig in and savor each slice, to explore some of the city’s strongest styles, what makes them special, and why local pizza makers love them.
Nobody takes pizza more seriously than the people of Naples, considered the birthplace of the craft. It’s one of the world’s most prevalent pies and also the most regulated. Italy’s Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) governs ingredients down to the gram and measures dough diameter to truly deem it authentic. But those strict guidelines are what keep it so consistently “charred, chewy, slightly wet and pillow-like,” says Gemignani.
The Margherita is a classic entry point to Neapolitan pizza. It’s baked in a wood- red oven, its leopard-spotted crust becoming more pronounced. Eight-time World Pizza Champion Floriana Pastore, of mobile pizza truck Signora Pizza, makes a stellar version with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh or di latte mozzarella, basil and olive oil. “Our slogan is ‘simple Italian pleasures,’” she told the Weekly in 2022. “You don’t have to exaggerate. You don’t have to put too much.”
Meanwhile, Double Zero Pie & Pub in Chinatown embraces neo-Neapolitan, a style that breaks tradition while “still following what Italians really expect pizza to be,” says Erica Bell, general manager and pizzaiolo.
“When you start making Neapolitan pizza in America, then you really have fun with it,” says Bell, who studied under award-winning pizza maker and Double Zero owner Michael Vakneen. “It’s di erent than the way the guys in California are making it. It’s way di erent than the way I’m making it here with this team.”
Neo-Neapolitan tosses the rule book. The wood-burning oven isn’t necessary. While AVPN demands speci c our, Double Zero uses several imported blends. “Depending on what you’re blending, it’ll change the avor, the structure, the color, the way the leoparding is,” Bell explains.
Want a white pie with smoked Fumella mozzarella, goat cheese and lemon ricotta? Or a short rib pizza with orange chimichurri? Double Zero nails both, reinforcing how this kitchen’s approach thrives o experimentation.
Trendy Detroit-style pizza gets a lot of attention, but Sicilian stands out as a worthy, thick-crust contender. It’s light, u y and focaccia-like in texture, cooked in a pan with olive oil and delightfully crispy when done right.
Originally coined as s ncione by Sicilians for its sponge-like crust, Sicilian-style pizza is steeped in savory, aromatic ingredients—herbs, thick tomato sauce, oftentimes anchovies—and history. Sicilian square pies strike an especially loud chord with pizza a cionados with Italian American backgrounds. Italians who migrated to the United States in the 1900s brought their culture and their cooking with them.
Good Pie’s Rotolo, a grandson of two Italian immigrants—one from Naples and the other from Sicily during a time when that was culturally unacceptable—views the two styles as a permanent part of his personal pizza lore. So he loves to honor that at Good Pie, serving authentic Brooklyn slices, but also Sicilian and Detroit.
“For me, every square pizza came from Sicily, every round pizza came from Naples. So doing squares and round is a way of uniting Sicily and Naples,” Rotolo says. “I was never gonna have a place that didn’t do both because of my family. I got in touch with their experience through food, through preserving recipes. The nostalgia of my youth could be recaptured through eating pizza like nothing else,” he says.
SICILIAN STYLE LA REGINA
Known for buttery crust layered with toppings—usually sausage and thick-cut pepperoni—along with freshly grated mozzarella and chunky tomato sauce on top, Chicago-style deep dish pizza is the perfect pie for a chilly day or a night out drinking.
“Being from the Midwest, with the weather and all that, there’s something about the deep dish that reminds us of home. It’s a heartier pizza,” says Joe Papa, owner of Amore Taste of Chicago in Henderson and the southwest.
When Papa bought Amore from the former owners in 2004, he kept the chef who made the pizza that brought his tastebuds back to the Windy City. Even Amore’s 63-year-old “high production” oven was shipped from Chicago, Papa says. Classic deep-dish takes about 30 to 40 minutes to bake at 500 degrees, but it’s worth the wait, and so is the Chi-style “sandwich” of pies, the stu ed pizza, and its cracker-thin companion, the crispy tavern-style.
“[That’s what] you would have when you went to a tavern,” Gemignani says. “You would have beers, and you’d order a snack, which was a tavern pizza. It’s the perfect pizza style for Vegas, if you think about it.
“If you’re from Chicago, you love tavern,” Gemignani continues. “I worked at Connie’s for a little bit, tossing pizzas for them … and I would say, ‘Man, these thin crusts are great. It’s funny nobody knows Chicago is known for that.’ Well, if you’re from Chicago, you know! Who doesn’t like a great, thin-crust pizza that’s crispy?”
–Shannon Miller
The Motor City’s auto industry helped de ne its rich pizza history. One of the city’s rst pizza pans came from a car’s steel drip tray—and it was o to the races from there.
“Someone along the way gured out that you could make focaccia bread and let it rise in the pan. And because it was blue steel, it was great,” explains Rotolo. “Then someone put the cheese on top, and as it
rose, the cheese went to the edge and created the caramelized cheese crust.”
That ingenious recipe led to the creation of the rst Detroit-style pie, now a national treasure among a cionados everywhere.
“Detroit pizza is the story of Sicilian immigrants leaving Sicily, leaving New York, going to Detroit, and then trying to keep their focaccia alive, organically turning it into Detroit pizza,” Rotolo says. “As you preserve that tradition with the limited
CHICAGO DEEP DISH WITH SAUSAGE, MUSHROOM, BASIL
means you have through struggle to keep it alive, these styles are born.”
A true Detroit—available at Northside Nathan’s on West Lake Mead, Good Pie, and Red Dwarf on the East side—delivers on that buttered, chewy crust. It’s thick and savory from a metric-ton of mozzarella plus Wisconsin brick cheese broiled on the edges, with sauce ladled on top.
“That caramelized cheese really
changes it,” Gemignani says. “It’s almost like that slightly burnt mac and cheese that’s toasted a little bit, and you have that residual avor, slightly sour. It’s all about the characteristics of what’s on the outside, with two race stripes of sauce over the top. I like to put it after the bake, because it’s a stronger, crispier pizza than having sauce through the whole bake.”
While most pizza styles obsess over crust consistency and cheese-tosauce ratios, Indian-style pizza puts the spotlight on your spice cabinet. In Vegas, Northern Indian recipes have become the star of American-style pizza, with cumin, coriander, turmeric and ginger turning out tandoori chicken and curry-infused pies.
“They each taste di erent and have their own avor pro le and blend of spices,” says Aman Kahlon, owner of Curry Pizza House on Maryland Parkway. “There’s a curry base, a white garlic base, and a nice crunch on the bottom, softer dough on top. Structurally it can hold up to a lot of ingredients. And it’s not oily at all.”
For years, India’s relationship with pizza felt a bit exotic. Kahlon remembers his parents bringing home pizza, but only on rare occasions. “Once in a month, we would get pizza on the weekends,” Kahlon says. “So whatever they would get, they would transform their pizzas with chilies and curry sauces and this and that.”
At Curry Pizza House, the crust is traditional but unique. Dough rests for up to 48 hours, allowing the gluten to break down for a lighter and healthier-tasting pizza. It’s then hand-stretched and tenderized to retain its moisture. Because Indian cuisine is so diverse, no two pies or their toppings are the same. Kahlon says each chicken gets marinated for 24 hours in its own blend of dry spices, such as tandoori, butter or tikka, before being applied to a pie for a strong, aromatic pop you can’t nd with other pizza presentations.
BUTTER CHICKEN CURRY PIZZA
Last year, Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro created an uproar by describing New Haven as the “pizza capital of the United States.” East Coast pizza makers were ready to throw dough and possibly hands. But if we slice through all the noise, DeLauro was onto something.
Connecticut or New Haven-style, sometimes referred to as “apizza,” is a coal-fired, thin and chewy pie that’s hard to find in Las Vegas. Chef Elia Aboumrad, a Food Network star who owns at Boom Bang Fine Foods & Cocktails in Green Valley, has long been a fan of Connecticut pies, and she serves her own version during happy hour.
“I loved the idea that it was totally different from what I know: the Neapolitan pizza,” she says. “I like the fact that you don’t eat it from a pan, like a Chicago-style pizza, but you actually take it out of the pan and crisp it more. Then you have your super thin crust, semi-crisp, semi-soft.”
Aboumrad also adds cheese to the edges to get that crisp, choriqueso quality. Light toppings are also key so the pie isn’t weighed down.
“Why isn’t this more around? It’s delicious,” Aboumrad says. “It’s that thin-crust pizza, but it’s not completely gooey, like the Neapolitan-style, which I also love. I saw there was a need for it. And the bite is the perfect bite. You’re satisfied, but not completely full.”
CONNECTICUT STYLE THIN CRUST
SAUSAGE PIZZA WITH HOT OIL
PEPPERONI & JALAPEÑO
It doesn’t get more classic than a New York street slice.
“That triangle that you fold, it’s got that perfect balance of acid, fat and sweetness, and salt and texture,” says Rotolo. “It’s slightly chewy, slightly crunchy, and it’s got all those things that we look for in a slice of pizza.”
Richard Verhagen, director of brand operations at Downtown’s daredevil pizza joint Evel Pie, echoes that sentiment.
“I’ve always liked the New York slice. It’s very approachable and it’s very versatile,” Verhagen says. “We stick with the traditional New York vibe and ingredients. But I can also go goofy on it and still maintain it.”
Verhagen’s version of goofy runs the gamut, including a garlic-roasted grasshopper pie and rattlesnake pizza (some were for charity!).
But when it comes to an authentic New York slice, his team locks in. Dough must be hand-tossed and fermented for three days.
Classic deck ovens give New York-style pizza that crisp bottom crust, strong enough to hold pepperoni and sausage but flexible enough to fold. And for that buttery, distinct taste, Evel Pie uses Grande whole milk mozzarella, “the Ferrari of cheese,” Verhagen says.
Breaking down Brooklyn-style pizza and distinguishing it from the concept of that iconic New York City slice comes down to the delicious details.
“Because I grew up in Brooklyn, the main difference for me was that a lot of the pizzerias were there at a time when commercial cheese wasn’t available,” says Rotolo. “For me, my own memories of it, it has fresh mozzarella and not shredded mozzarella. And that mozzarella was made within a couple days somewhere in Brooklyn.”
At Good Pie, Rotolo uses four cheeses on his cheese pies, beginning with a base of Pecorino Romano (“It’s kind of like your seasoning salt”) and ending with an aged Grana Padano for that umami flavor. Brooklyn-style dough proofs in round, metal tins, building an airy texture with time. The pizzeria’s pâte fermentée, or pre-fermented dough, has been around for several years, developing strength, elasticity and depth of flavor for future batches.
A standard Margherita slice done the Brooklyn way is just built different because of that. The sauce hits bright and acidic on top, a haymaker of flavor. The crust is firm, slightly tangy from the prefermentation. And the freshly melted mozzarella mingles with garlic for one blissful, Brooklyn bite.
We all love our grandmas. The popular sheet-pan rectangular pizza derives its name from Italian-American grandmothers who migrated to Long Island, where the homemade pies took shape in their kitchens.
“The grandmothers would go around and do something I refer to as the great acquisition, which is their shopping list for the weekend,” Rotolo says. “Because times were hard and it was a struggle, they were pinching pennies. They would go to the fish market for the best fish. The meat market to find scraps of meat or inexpensive cuts. And along that journey in the neighborhood … they would encounter the local pizzeria.”
Nonnas would purchase dough, stretch it over a cookie-sheet pan and bake with little proofing time, giving it that familiar thin and crispy crust. “If you look at the bottom, you should have those craters, those little micro blisters. That’s where the flavor lives,” Rotolo explains.
Good Pie offers a nostalgic nod to nonnas with its Grandma slice, featuring cup and char pepperoni, a nice glaze of olive oil and an unbeatable crunch.
“People who were searching for that [can now] identify with something that could remind them of when they were a kid,” Rotolo says. “It’s emotional because it represents a time and a place for everything.”
JOHNNY BE GOOD
MEAT PIZZA
IN THE NEWS
Nevada Guard to assist ICE in ‘administrative’ role
Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo is moving forward with activating the Nevada Guard to support federal immigration enforcement in a “temporary, administrative capacity,” according to his spokesperson Elizabeth Ray.
The Nevada Guard will be deployed for weeks to aid in work that is not public-facing, a member of the governor’s office told the Las Vegas Sun, meaning they won’t be directly involved in immigration enforcement activity. The federal government will be funding the work, they said.
The New York Times reported last week that troops are set to be deployed to 20 Republican-led states, listing Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Virginia and Georgia. The governors of Tennessee and Idaho have also recently authorized their states’ guards to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In December, Lombardo signed on to a joint statement with 25 other Republican governors stating their commitment to support President Donald Trump’s deportation plans.
The governors added that they “stand ready to utilize every tool at our dis-
posal,” including the National Guard.
The guard is largely used by governors to help deal with natural disasters and civil unrest, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, though they do also have a history of backing up border security.
There are nearly 200,000 undocumented immigrants in Nevada, making up around 9% of the state’s workforce, according to the American Immigration Council. The council also reported that just over 170,000 American citizens in Nevada live with an undocumented family member. –Kyle Chouinard
NEON CITY FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES BATTLE OF THE BANDS
The spotlight is on Las Vegas’ rising music talent. Neon City Festival and Fremont Street Experience have teamed up to present Rock the Canopy, a battle of the bands designed to showcase the city’s next big acts. Local bands can submit their entries through September 21, with up to six finalists selected to perform live on October 3 as part of Fremont Street Experience’s Local Originals concert series. The winning band will earn a spot on the lineup of the 2025 Neon City Festival, taking place Downtown November 21-23. For entry details and updates, visit neoncityfestival.com. –Gabriela Rodriguez
BY THE NUMBERS
That’s the number of heat-related deaths in Clark County in 2025 through July—an apparent improvement from last year when there were a record 526 heat-related fatalities after the hottest summer on record.
NEW YEAR, NEW SCHOOL
The Clark County School District celebrated the start of the new school year Monday with the opening of South Career and Technical Academy off St. Rose Parkway, welcoming about 450 students to the new magnet school and expanding its network of specialized career academies to nine.
“These are punitive fees that drive visitors elsewhere. Hiking fees will undermine opportunities to drive global travel to the U.S. and to Las Vegas and damage the U.S. brand on the world stage.”
–Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority statement in response to the Trump administration’s moves to impose $250 “visa integrity fees” and establish a visa bond program for international travelers from some countries
Photo by Wade Vandervort
Clark County Department of Aviation development proposal for the Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport
Clark County’s
plan to develop a new supplementa l airport is again preparing for liftoff
BY TYLER SCHNEIDER
Clark County hadn’t yet surpassed 20,000 residents when it opened the air eld now known as Harry Reid International Airport back in 1943, but the decision is widely considered one of the key reasons why Las Vegas was eventually able to establish itself as a premier tourism destination that is today home to 2.3 million residents.
The airport hosted a record 58.4 million passengers last year, and the Clark County Department of Aviation is anticipating a point in the not-so-distant future when the 82-year-old facility will no longer be able to shoulder a growing demand.
Recent department projections suggest annual passenger counts could surpass 63 million by 2030. Once that happens, county spokesperson Luke Nimmo says that land and airspace limitations at the “landlocked” 2,800-acre airport campus will prohibit its expansion. Instead, the county is taking another look at a long-dormant plan to construct a second major commercial airport o Interstate 15 in the Ivanpah Valley area between Jean and Primm.
Former county and airport o cials foresaw this possibility as early as 2000, when they successfully lobbied the United States Congress to pass the Ivanpah Valley Airport Public Lands Transfer Act. The legislation granted the county roughly 6,000 acres in the area for the eventual development of a supplemental commercial airport, but the plot sat vacant while the idea was revisited and shelved multiple times over the years.
Now, the county has o cially revived talks with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to prepare a federally mandated Environmen-
tal Impact Statement (EIS) on the proposed airport.
The three-year process will lay the foundation for a project that wouldn’t be complete until well into the 2030s, but Nimmo says it’s needed “to support the long-term growth of our community and economy” and “meet future air travel demands.”
The rst step came in a three-part series of public scoping meetings between July 29 and 31. The proceedings were led by David Kessler of the FAA, who has been tasked with overseeing his agency’s portion of the EIS drafting process. In the July 29 session, Kessler relayed the county’s position that “insu cient facilities” at the four-runway Harry Reid airport warranted a secondary option.
“The key thing here, this is not a replacement for Harry Reid International. This is an addition to it,” Kessler said.
According to Kessler, the proposed Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport would include a central terminal with a series of connecting roadways and two runways. In addition to the existing 6,000 acres of county-owned land, an adjacent 17,000-acre “compatibility bu er” would elevate the airport’s total footprint to nearly 23,000 acres.
Kessler urged the public to submit comments, concerns or questions to project leadership through September 5 by emailing SNSAEIS@landrum brown.com. From there, he said the FAA, BLM and other stakeholders will work on completing a draft and nal version of the EIS through early 2028. More information on the process can also be found at snsaproject.info.
The rst meeting featured a handful of local trade union members who spoke in support of the proj-
NEVADA CALIFORNIA
■ Proposed SNSA site
■ Transportation and utility corridor
■ Tortoise translocation site
■ Ivanpah Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Source:
ect—with one noting that it could provide relief for “members who are currently out of work and more than ready to get this project built.”
However, a much larger portion of the feedback came from environmentalists like Vinny Spotleson, an organizer for the Las Vegas-based Toiyabe Chapter of the conservation nonpro t Sierra Club. Spotleson and his group joined forces with representatives from the Center for Biological Diversity to highlight their concerns at the July 30 session.
Some of them came dressed as threatened native species like the desert tortoise and white-margined penstemon wild ower, which Spotleson says will su er critical habitat loss if the airport is built.
“This issue, generally, of sprawling down to Jean and Primm is one we’ve been ghting for a long time,” Spotleson tells the Weekly. “For the same reason that I-15 connects us across di erent valleys, it’s also important for the animals who use it as a migratory corridor. The sprawl
creates islands that are cut o from one another, which promotes inbreeding and makes it harder for these species to recover.”
Spotleson fears that the new airport could also further accentuate the Valley’s existing water scarcity issue.
“There simply isn’t enough groundwater in Primm to have a whole commercial airport, and the fact that it’s being built on a dry lakebed also presents a myriad of engineering challenges,” Spotleson says.
In the July 29 meeting, Kessler acknowledged these environmental concerns and said the FAA and other partner agencies would look into them.
He expects his team to submit the initial EIS draft in June 2027, followed closely by another public hearing. They’ll have roughly eight months to make revisions before making a nal determination around May of 2028. From there, Clark County would be able to move forward with construction.
Have comments, concerns or questions about the Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport? Submit them via email to SNSAEIS@landrumbrown.com by September 5.
Las Vegas Ballpark Photo Courtesy/Steve Spatafore
Southern Nevada’s talent-rich baseball culture prologues the A’s arrival
BY TYLER SCHNEIDER
Ice hockey in Las Vegas was an afterthought at best before the Golden Knights arrived. Eight successful seasons and one Stanley Cup later, Vegas is an enthusiastic hockey town where you see locals wearing VGK gear every day and youth participation in the sport surging.
In this instance, the chicken made way for the egg as Las Vegas rapidly evolved into a professional sports mecca. The next team and game looking for a new beginning in this city will have a much more established foundation on which to build.
Vegas hits the big leagues once again when the storied Athletics, currently elding a last-place team out of Sacramento’s minor league Sutter Health Park, arrive at their $2 billion Strip stadium that broke ground on June 23 and is expected to open in 2028. While the A’s will be hoping for more success on the eld in their new home, the deeply entrenched legacy of America’s pastime in Las Vegas will denitely bene t the franchise.
But how might our own storied local baseball culture shift with the A’s in town?
To nd out, the Weekly spoke with three local stalwarts who have played a major role in developing that sports culture and current and future Hall of Famers like all-universe pitcher Greg Maddux and perennial superstar out elder Bryce Harper.
Their recollections paint a vivid picture of Vegas’ historic ties to the game, as well as how that legacy will intersect with our Major League future.
A BATTLE BORN PIPELINE
With top-shelf professional exports like Maddux and Harper—plus other notable MLB stars like Chicago Cubs curse-breaker and 2016 MVP Kris Bryant, Nevada prep home-run king Joey Gallo and 2012 World Series champion pitcher Barry Zito—Las Vegas has undeniably produced an outsized number of franchise-altering ballplayers.
Today, nine active MLB players hail from Southern Nevada, with roughly the same number striving to be called up from the mi-
nors. The latest draftee is Tate Southisene, a recent state champion shortstop from Basic Academy who went 22nd overall to the Atlanta Braves this summer.
As president and COO of Las Vegas’ minor league team the Aviators, Don Logan has seen this pipeline develop rsthand for decades.
“You’ll get a very baseball-biased opinion from me, but I think it’s founded in fact,” Logan says. “And the fact is that a disproportionate number of baseball players have come out of Southern Nevada.”
Logan started his career with the team as an executive in 1984 and helped guide the roster to two Paci c Coast League titles in 1986 and 1988. He rose to general manager in 1991 before he was again promoted to president in 2000.
The team was known as the Stars back then, but Logan’s leadership coincided with two name changes as the team adopted the 51s moniker in 2001, and then became the Aviators in 2019 when the team moved from Downtown’s Cashman Field to the $150 million Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin. That was also the year when the Aviators became the Athletics’ top minor league a liate.
state championship teams—including six consecutive with Green Valley High School from 1993 to 1998. He retired at the top after that last title, with future MLB veterans like Maddux, Mike Morgan and Tyler Houston helping him amass a stunning 493-80 career record.
“Major league sports were inevitably going to come to the Valley. The market grew so much, and having the MLB here is the culminating element,” Logan says. “Having had some role in developing us as a baseball market, it was gratifying. It made all those long, hot nights at Cashman Field worthwhile.”
made all those long, hot nights at Cash-
SUN, SAND AND SKIPPER SAVANTS
As a seasoned minor league executive, Logan is no stranger to the revolving door of players who regularly funnel in and out of Summerlin with dreams of someday making The Show. Talent is frequently called up and sent down to lower a liate teams at the drop of a cap or routine y ball, but Las Vegas’ baseball reputation ultimately lies in homegrown talent.
When it comes to developing players, former high school coach Rodger Fairless sits far ahead of the pack. In a 19-year coaching career at three schools, Fairless elded an unmatched 12
Fairless’ aura still looms over the Valley sandlot scene decades later, thanks to an extensive coaching tree made up of former players like NCAA skipper Steve Rodriguez and Las Vegas High School coach Sam Thomas.
Thomas played for Fairless’ Valley High teams in the early 1980s, where he caught pitches from Maddux himself. After an injury hindered his own playing career, Thomas got his coaching start as an assistant under Fairless in 1998.
Thomas. Valley in playing under
coaches I’ve ever had or known, and out says, a hotbed of talent during his
“I have a mental book of all the coaches I’ve ever had or known, and Fairless probably has 80 out of 100 chapters,” Thomas says, adding that the region was a hotbed of talent during his playing days. “The competitiveness was unreal, and anybody that played for Fairless knows it was a winning and learning culture that translated to the
O cials help break ground for the new Athletics ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip on June 23, 2025.
Photo; groundbreaking by Wade Vandervort
BRYCE HARPER
before the teenage phenom became the first overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft. “I can tell you right now that Harper’s name comes up in many of our recruiting conversations,” Garritano says. “These kids were four or five years old when he started and have always known him as one of the faces of baseball. Some parents don’t realize a [junior college] kid could do that. Well, it’s happened before here at CSN.”
next level better than any I’ve ever seen.”
Thomas—who recently surpassed his own 500 career win threshold—is one of many who have carried that torch since Fairless stepped aside. But he’s not much for talking about being teammates with Maddux, a future four-time Cy Young winner who still lives here today.
“Greg is Greg. He’s arguably one of the best pitchers in the history of the game. I was just the guy who caught his pitches his junior year,” he explains. “It usually gets brought up, but I don’t feel a need to brag about it.”
Thomas’ tone shifts when it comes to coaching a young Bryce Harper—the Maddux to his Fairless—at LVHS in 2008 and 2009. While Maddux grew up in a military family that eventually settled here during his formative years, Harper is inarguably the greatest player born on Nevada soil.
“His family lived two blocks away from the school, and when I first saw him play in eighth grade, it was like winning the lottery,” Thomas says. “I’ve yet to find another player with his work ethic, but as talented as he was, people also don’t understand that he was one of the best teammates you could ever have.”
Now a 14-year MLB veteran, two-time National League MVP and eight-time AllStar, Harper was one of the first sporting
prodigies to debut during the height of the internet. For Thomas, that by itself was enough to inspire countless youth players in the area to pick up a glove.
“There were a so many pressures that Bryce had to deal with in a time where social media was getting big. Sports Illustrated came out and called him the LeBron of baseball, and he was immediately under a microscope,” Thomas says. “For him to be the player that he is today, after going through all of that, is just a credit to him and his family.
To me, that puts him above everybody else.”
A FULL COUNT
College of Southern Nevada head coach
Nick Garritano is another important link between Vegas’ existing baseball legacy and what it could become as an MLB town.
A former infielder on Chaparral High School’s 1991 state championship squad, Garritano opted to play football at UNLV before taking up his first head coaching gig as Fairless’ replacement at Green Valley in 1999. He led the Gators to back-to-back state titles in 2001 and 2002 before accepting the same role at CSN in 2010.
Had he made the move one year earlier, he would have also coached Harper for a season
Garritano’s Coyote teams have featured nearly 30 players who were later drafted by MLB clubs. They’ve consistently been one of the top junior college programs in the nation, including a fifth place finish at the 2024 NJCAA World Series.
Though he already sources three quarters of an average roster from Nevada-born players, Garritano expects to see an even larger proportion of local talent sprout up during the A’s tenure. “Our Valley has grown to close to three million people. That’s already so many more high school baseball players out there than there ever were,” he says. “I think the A’s influence will only entice even more young kids into playing, because they’re going to see the faces of the game come in and out of town regularly.”
But with the Aviators already providing what Logan calls “affordable, family entertainment”—plus the presence of the Golden Knights, Raiders and Aces—A’s owner John Fisher will have to stick the landing if he hopes to draw locals to the Strip for 81 home games per season.
“I don’t think it’s going to be long before we get an NBA team as well, but I still think the A’s are going to be an outstanding move,” Garritano predicts. “You’ve got to make it affordable and friendly for the local fans—and you’ve got to win.”
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A decade in, the Golden Tiki continues to blend cocktail craft and tropical spectacle
BY GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ
Las Vegas is built on escapism. Casinos, neon, gaming and cocktails meant to numb the soul have been doing it for decades. But step behind the heavy wooden doors of the Golden Tiki, and the world’s chaos truly evaporates. You’re hit with the scent of an amusement park water ride before your eyes can adjust to the dark, tropical cave of a foyer. This is escapism in liquid form.
For 10 years, this high-concept Chinatown bar has served as both a sanctuary and a stage for the whimsical, the exotic, and occasionally, the slightly macabre. Animatronic parrots squawk above twinkling lights. Black velvet paintings depict bodacious women and mischievous pirates. And perched among it all, more than 250 custom shrunken heads by artist Terry Barr stare down at patrons. Guests perch on the hard-to-miss giant clam, snap photos at every turn and sip multi-ingredient tiki concoctions. Rum, fruit, spices, orgeat,
falernum, flambéed garnishes—it’s a masterclass in excess, and the bar easily serves more than 4,000 Mai Tais a month.
“Before I started here, I wasn’t really a tiki aficionado. I just knew it was a fun bar,” said Cesilia Berumen, general manager. “When I started working here, I really just dove into the culture, the people. ... We do it in a very respectful way. We’ve got the animatronic birds, live music, DJs. We’re always doing something fun and crazy, which provides a breath of fresh air.”
But the Golden Tiki didn’t just appear out of nowhere. The space was originally Little Macau, a gaming bar, until co-owner Jeffrey Fine and his team transformed it into a Disneyland-inspired tiki escape.
THE GOLDEN TIKI 3939 Spring Mountain Road, 702-222-3196, thegoldentiki. com. Daily, 24/7.
“It was a multi-year build to get to this point,” says Fine. “And then it just kind of never stopped. The teams kept improving. The space, the environment just kept improving.”
This bar is a nod to the early Vegas tiki bars like Aku Aku at the Stardust and Don the Beachcomber at the Sahara, and a true destination for global tiki subculture. Locals, travelers and longtime collectors of tiki glassware mix with first timers, all hunting for the perfect photo, cocktail or story. Some even report paranormal encounters, like the little girls allegedly heard in the women’s bathroom, a tale
so perfect it landed the bar on an episode of Ghost Adventures with local paranormal investigator Zak Bagans.
The 10-year celebrations, starting on August 20, lean into every element of this fantastical world. Hula dancers, fire shows, live reggae, Polynesian cuisine brunches with lei greeters, burlesque, and the creation of the world’s largest Zombie cocktail will mark the weeklong party.
Vegas may be dubbed the Ninth Island, but the Golden Tiki has built its own universe. This tropical adult playground doubles as a gateway to boozy enchantment. Whether through an expertly crafted Painkiller, a waterfall, or a shrunken head’s unblinking gaze, the outside world falls away. In its place is escape, spectacle, and the kind of indulgence only a decade of dedicated, slightly weird and wonderfully elaborate imagination can produce.
Photos by Wade Vandervort
ABOVE Main room at the Golden Tiki BELOW The bar’s beloved pupu platter
Country-infused Las Vegas Songwriters Festival launches at Mandalay Bay
BY BROCK RADKE
Songwriters go to work just like the rest of us. If you can’t imagine a group of musicians huddled around a co ee table in a small o ce or recording studio, acoustic guitars on laps, working through di erent melodies and lyrics, then you might not be aware such a scene is vital to any productive music community—especially Nashville.
That sort of collaboration has evolved into songwriter rounds, live performances where artists get together onstage to perform their work and share the stories of each song’s creation, at homey venues like the Bluebird Café. Something similar has been going on for years on the Las Vegas Strip at Mandalay Bay’s Nashville Unplugged shows at the Rhythm & Ri s lounge.
Darius Rucker, Gary Allan and many more, has been a key cog in the Nashville Unplugged shows as well. He’s also married to the daughter of former Mandalay Bay executive Chuck Bowling, and says this festival has been in the works for some time now.
“Rob and I wanted to put something together but we weren’t sure if it was a corporate event, an industry event, or something else,” Warren says. “Rob and Chuck and I came up with this concept for Las Vegas, but it’s at Mandalay Bay because of that connection.”
LAS VEGAS SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL
August 21-24, times vary, $63 single day. Mandalay Bay, vegassongwriters. com.
Now, that show format and the craft of songwriting has evolved into something bigger at Mandalay Bay, the inaugural Las Vegas Songwriters Festival. Over the course of the August 21-24 weekend, hundreds of top hits across multiple genres will be performed during dozens of mini-concerts by 50 renowned songwriters at venues spread across the resort, including Rhythm & Ri s and the House of Blues.
“We’ve been professional songwriters for 25 years and get the pleasure of sitting around these rooms in Nashville watching these people work, how great they write and sing, and we’ve played festivals with them in other places,” says Rob Hatch, event founder. “This is the epicenter of entertainment, so we felt like this festival has to be here.”
Matt Warren, who serves as the festival’s host and has written songs with
Considering the south Strip’s proximity to the former Route 91 Harvest Festival and the fact that a major country music festival hasn’t returned to the city since the tragedy there in 2017, it seems like a notable site for the festival, which isn’t limited to country but certainly will pack in plenty of tunes from that genre.
“It’s almost like being able to come back here and start this thing could almost redeem what people may have of their last memory of any sort of country festival … we wanted to turn that around,” Warren says.
It all kicks o with an intimate concert by multi-platinum country singer and songwriter Lee Brice (August 21, House of Blues, axs.com), who will be performing many of his nine No. 1 singles along with the writers who helped compose them: Billy Montana, Bobby Pinson, Brian Davis, Jerrod Niemann, Liz Rose, Phil Barton, and Hatch, among others.
“We’re a fun bunch, we’re all really close, and the way the venues are lined up here, you’re going to have access to all these songwriters,” Warren says. “It won’t be like a typical concert.”
AP
Photo/ Photo Illustration
Lee Brice
Matt Warren
Alina Lindquist’s plein air portraits of Avi Kwa Ame dazzle at Nevada Humanities
BY GEOFF CARTER
Avi Kwa Ame, known also as Spirit Mountain, is a 500,000-plus acre protected national monument located approximately 80 miles south of Las Vegas. It’s home to bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, a number of Joshua trees and lands that are sacred to several indigenous tribes, particularly the Southern Paiute. It is also an absolute gift to the eyes, a feast of color and chiaroscuro.
With her Nevada Humanities show Avi Kwa Ame: Between Presence and Protection, running through August 27, Alina Lindquist digs heartily into that visual repast. Created during a 30-day stint at Mystery Ranch—a desert research station and art residency located within the monument—Between Presence and Protection is a collection of oil paintings, gouaches, pencil sketches and even Polaroids that translates Avi Kwa Ame’s natural splendor into bright, vivid, kinetic bursts of artistic imagination.
It’s a big artistic step for Lindquist, a young artist who’s a relative newcomer to plein air (outdoors) work.
“I started to learn how to oil paint in 2019. I took a workshop with an artist, Phyllis Shafer, and it was literally my rst time learning oil in plein air, which is like Mission: Impossible if you’ve never painted oil before,” she says. “And now you’re outside, battling all the things that come with it. But I absolutely fell in love.”
Some of that plein air art is true-to-life. The four “Portrait of a Joshua Tree” sketches could be the work of a lifelong naturalist discovering Yucca brevifolia for the rst time. The large oils—particularly “Serene Sum-
AVI KWA AME: BETWEEN PRESENCE AND PROTECTION
Thru August 27, Monday-Friday 1-5 p.m., free. Nevada Humanities, nevadahumanities.org.
mits,” “Long Awaited Rain” and “Into the McCulloughs”—depict their natural subjects with a bit more personality, a bit more color than they might have presented on the day; much as we post-process our photos with lters, Lindquist transforms these natural wonders from mere documented scenes to remembered moments laden with emotion.
Her gouache works soar above documentation, above heightened reality and into magic. She imagines and reimagines the desert sky from one work to the next: as a black-andmidnight blue eld bisected with jagged clouds (“Returning to My Favorite Spot”), as rippling gradients of color (“Grapevine Canyon”) and, most delightfully, as a ickering mosaic (“The Stories that Stars Tell”). Those reinvented skies are a modest point of pride for Lindquist, who was only trying to avoid an artistic pitfall: “I was trying to gure out how to represent the nighttime sky without just making dots on the paper.”
Once its Nevada Humanities run ends, Lindquist says Between Presence and Protection will travel to Walking Box Ranch, within the Avi Kwa Ame monument, for a showing this fall. What would have seemed a happy homecoming this time last year is now strangely charged as the Trump administration guts the Bureau of Land Management and considers resizing our national lands, of
which Avi Kwa Ame is one of the newest.
But if Lindquist’s work says only one thing to you, it should be that the natural world can’t be contained or diminished. It may take a thousand years, but Avi Kwa Ame will wait out our interference and keep going. Lindquist got proof of that one night while walking through the monument with a friend.
“We got to witness a tarantula hawk wasp stunning a tarantula and moving it,” she says, still awed at the sight of a giant ying insect dragging a big spider. “We got to see that play out, which was terrifying and awesome. And I had so many more questions, like how did this happen? [Laughs.] … The more time you spend out there, the more you see the natural world taking place.”
“Serene Summits”
“Into the McCulloughs”
HEALTH CARE
IS AN ENTRY-LEVEL MEDICAL JOB RIGHT FOR YOU?
BY ALEX HAASE VEGAS INC STAFF
Vital entry-level medical professionals such as phlebotomists, medical assistants, certified nursing assistants and nurses are in such high demand in Southern Nevada that accelerated certification and degree programs are plentiful across the Valley. Since some programs can be completed in a matter of weeks, the prospect of starting or changing a career quickly is enticing.
If you’re looking to answer the call in the medical industry through an entry-level job, here’s what to consider and what to expect.
Get your foot in the door. With myriad entry-level specialties, choosing a path may be challenging, but that can wait. “If you’re looking to get into health care, don’t narrow focus on one [position],” says Benjamin Rawcliffe, assistant chief nursing officer at Southern Hills Hospital. “Get your foot in the door anywhere you can, [because] a lot of the entry-level jobs do fill very fast.”
Jobs like patient transport typically don’t require experience or certifications aside from CPR and Basic Life Support, which makes entering the field low risk, allowing you to gain experience and plan for a program or specialty in the future. Further, Rawcliffe explains that gaining exposure through an entry-level job is advantageous to those seeking career advancement, because most facili-
ties want to grow their employees internally.
“Just to put it in perspective, we had a few [Certified Nursing Assistant] positions open,” he says. “Over 130 candidates applied. We had three spots. Two were filled by our internals. One was from transport, and the other was a volunteer in the hospital.”
Understand the challenges. The realities of working in health care can be shocking. Whether you complete an accelerated certification program or find an entry-level hospital job, it’s hard to prepare for those realities.
“It is challenging because you don’t know what you don’t know,” says Joann Strobbe, executive associate dean for administration at the Kirk Kerkorian School Of Medicine at UNLV. “You see the sickest people, you see people that might not be at their best disposition, and you have to do medical procedures [on them].”
Further, the financial benefits rarely outweigh the mental and physical toll of these jobs. “The initial starting salaries aren’t that great,” says Strobbe. “So it’s not like you can ask somebody to take a two-year program and then have a $20 an hour job.” Some roles, especially those that require little experience, pay even less.
And if you’re older and seeking a career change in an entry-level medical job, the pay may be a huge deterrent.
“If [people] are thinking that at that stage in their life, they can get into an entry-level job and meet their financial goals, that’s probably unrealistic,” says Rawcliffe.
For older career changers, he strongly suggests becoming a registered nurse. Although it takes two years or more to complete a nursing program, the potential benefits are worth the wait.
“It’s a pretty good bet that you’re going to be able to meet your financial needs while you grow in that career,” Rawcliffe explains. And growth can happen quickly in the nursing field. “I only worked bedside for a year and a half before I went into the leadership side of things and found my passion there,” says Rawcliffe.
Know the value of your impact. Dr. Wolfgang Gilliar, dean of the college of osteopathic medicine at Touro University, describes health care as a well-working watch. “Every wheel is important,” he says, meaning that all aspects of health care need integration.
Entry-level medical jobs are the main driver of the profession because they support physicians and nurses, allowing them to focus on complex diagnostic work and patient care. When such roles are in short supply, it can lead to considerable inefficiencies that slow down the flow of care.
Entering the medical profession through an entry-level job allows you to affect real change, helping to fill a demand for workers and strengthen the backbone of Southern Nevada’s health care system. And despite its challenges, growing within a medical career can reap intrinsic value.
“The medical field is, in my opinion, still one of the most noble, honorable fields to go in,” says Gilliar. “It requires a dedication beyond a nine-tofive job. But the rewards of knowing that we have done something for the betterment of society is an incredible driver, and when a patient comes to you and brings a letter that says, ‘thank you for what you’ve done,’ I think there is no reward better than that.”
DANCERS
LEARN MODERN SQUARE DANCING
JOB LISTING
Richtech Robotics Inc is hiring for a legal counsel working at 2975 Lincoln Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89115. A juris doctor degree and a U.S. degree in science major(s) are required. Job duties are to draft, review, negotiate and revise contracts; prepare and file patent and trademark applications related to artificial intelligence, robotics, and softwarebased innovations; assist in developing and implementing internal legal policies and procedures, including public company compliance; advise the executive team on legal and regulatory matters; research laws related to robotics, automation, and AI technologies, and apply such to the company’s business practices; support litigation strategy and coordinate with outside counsel as necessary. To apply, send resume to Fi Chen, VP of Finance & Operations at 2975 Lincoln Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89115
JOB LISTING
Mathematics, Computer Science, or related field plus a minimum of one year experience as a Mathematician Engineer, Computer Scientist, Computer Programmer, or related occupation. Duties: Oversee the development of proprietary mathematical models and software code integral to the functionality of our games which involves several procedures that lead to writing algorithms and calculating specific values and then developing software libraries that implement mathematical components for slot machine games. Ability to solve complex mathematical problems and collaborate with technical teams. Understand PAR sheet (Probability and Accounting Report), design mathematical models, provide combinatorial and probability calculations, write algorithms that solve businessspecific problems for casino gaming industry applications. Review and approve mathematical algorithms for accuracy, efficiency, and maintainability. Verify that games meet specification requirements. Prepare games for certification in testing laboratories (BMM, GLI), which includes random number generator statistical testing and model accuracy validation. Comply with development methodologies, coding standards and best practices for software development, using a version control system, and maintaining code review. Oversee the integration of mathematical models across various programming languages (C++, GDScript, Lua, JavaScript) with a frontend framework based on Godot game engine with added proprietary components. Ensure mathematical components and custom backend work seamlessly with diverse deployment environments such as optimized Linux distribution operating on Quixant hardware featuring SAS (Slot Accounting System) protocol support for land-based casinos, as well as online gambling platforms hosted on cloud platforms utilizing containerization and orchestration. Must have one year experience with mathematical modeling and algorithms, software development, SAS protocol, Linux kernel, and Godot game engine development. Submit your application for the following position together with a comprehensive resume to job location: Etho Gaming, LLC, 7331 W. Charleston Blvd., Ste. 150, Las Vegas, NV 89117. Attn: Michelle - Managing Partner.
Sick today. Seen today.
At ArchWell Health, we make it easy for members to get same-day sick appointments when you need care fast. Our team is here to help you feel better quickly and comfortably, so you can get back to doing what you love. Because when you’re not feeling your best, waiting isn’t an option.
Healthcare for what’s next.
Learn more at ArchWellHealth.com or call (725) 269-3368.
Q&A:
Dr. Tony Alamo, Nevada Heart & Vascular Center
Dr. Tony Alamo is the chief physician executive and chief medical o cer for Nevada Heart & Vascular Center, the state’s largest cardiology group. A Las Vegas native, he graduated from Chaparral High School, UNLV and the Keck School of Medicine of USC. He recently received the 2025 University of Southern California “Alumni Service Award,” one of the highest honors given by the USC Alumni Association.
Besides health care, you’ve been involved in other industries and public service. Can you share some highlights?
I was honored to be the rst non-attorney to chair the Nevada Gaming Commission. I also chaired the Nevada Athletic Commission and volunteered for two decades as a
JOB LISTING
DLC Empire LLC seeks Operations Data Analyst in Las Vegas, NV - Proactvly anlyzng data to answr key bus questns frm stakhldrs with an eye for what drivs bus perf & invstgtng & commnctng areas for imprvmnt in effcncy & prodctvty to stakhldrs. Reqs deg & exp. For full details & how to apply visit: bit.ly/dlcempire0050
JOB LISTING
Engineering Manager (Las Vegas, NV). Plan, coordinate, and oversee engineering projects from initiation to completion. Review and approve engineering designs, plans, and specifications. Allocate resources effectively. Identify opportunities for process improvements. Provide regular updates on project status, challenges, and successes. Master’s Degree in Engineering Management, Project Management or Product Management. M-F, 40 hrs./wk; May telecommute from anywhere in the US; Send Resume to Nicholas D. Kaptain, Co-founder & CEO, Quotible Inc, 2065 East Windmill Lane, Suite 144, Las Vegas, NV 89123.
tactical physician with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s SWAT team. They honored me with a Medal of Unit Valor for helping with a hostage rescue operation in 2006.
How are medical advances and changes in your industry a ecting health care in Southern Nevada?
The pace of change in the health care industry is accelerating. From AI and robotics to advances with new drugs, it’s a challenge to keep up. But we’re doing great things here. For example, one of our doctors from Nevada Heart & Vascular recently treated the rst patient in Nevada to undergo an innovative new procedure to reduce high blood pressure. This new FDA-approved Symplicity procedure o ers a breakthrough option by providing continuous blood pressure reduc-
tion to those patients with medication-resistant hypertension. We’re proud to be the rst to bring this innovative technology to Nevada.
What do you think is the biggest challenge in health care facing Southern Nevada?
Having spent more than three decades in the health care industry, I’d say it’s our shortage of health care professionals at every level, from physicians to nurses to specialists and technicians. We’re making progress, but we still need more available medical talent here. We can’t move fast enough. The main reason it’s not just chaos in our community is because the medical professionals here are so passionate and dedicated about caring for the people who live here
–contributed by George McCabe
JOB LISTING
BMM North America, Inc. seeks Global Financial Controller in Las Vegas, NV to support the CEO, Board and CFO w/ timely, accurate & consistent financial, tax & management reporting. Telecmmutng. avail.
Snd Resume to Iswarya.muthukumar@bmm.com Ref# GFC-NV25
JOB LISTING
MGM Resorts Satellite, LLC seeks a Senior Quality Engineer I in Las Vegas, NV to be responsible for leading the design, development, re-use and institutionalization of quality engineering. Remote Work Permitted. Approved remote states include Nevada, and Dallas-Fort Worth Texas. Apply online at https://careers.mgmresorts.com/global/en job number: 265342 or E-Mail resume to resume@mgmresorts.com and reference job number: 265342.
PREMIER CROSSWORD
BY FRANK LONGO
HOROSCOPES
BREZSNY
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The Hindu epic story of Rama inspires a heroic journey not of greed or vengeance, but of sacred duty and integrity. During your upcoming exploits, Aries, be inspired by his unwavering determination. Ask yourself if your decisions align with your deepest truths. Be motivated by devotion and generosity of spirit, not just novelty or excitement.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In the Mexican festival of La Noche de Rábanos— Night of the Radishes—giant radishes are carved into elaborate altars and scenes. You’re engaged in a similar process, sculpting with uncommon materials. Something you’ve overlooked, a small breakthrough or a latent strength, is revealing unexpected value. Celebrate this subtle but tangible luck and take full advantage of these half-disguised treasures.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Zen archers aim not to simply hit the target, but to align themselves so perfectly that the arrow releases itself effortlessly. Adopt this breezy attitude, Gemini. Let an evolving project or relationship reach maturity without pushy effort. Trust life to bring you the guidance you need exactly when you need it.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): In ancient Rome, Vestal Virgins tended an eternal flame, a symbol of the state’s prosperity. Cancerian, I propose you become the keeper of your own sacred promise or resource. Identify this repository of spiritual wealth and dedicate yourself to its sustenance.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In medieval Europe, pilgrims on a sacred path to Spain wore scallop shells, a symbol of their quest. I invite you to find your own talisman, Leo. You’ve begun a new chapter in your self-perception and must proceed without pretense. The becoming is the point, not the destination. Seek out inspirational symbols and companions to help nurture your brave transformations.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In ancient Greek drama, the peripeteia was the turning point, a revelation of what was always true. This is your peripeteia, Virgo. Confusion will resolve, and mysteries will solve themselves. A soft, cathartic shift will realign the system, allowing you to glide into the future with a refined and well-informed set of intentions.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Just as the Farol do Cabo da Roca lighthouse in Portugal marks the western edge of Europe, you are poised at a similar threshold, Libra. An ending is at hand—not catastrophic, but conclusive. Beyond it are shimmers and questions. Your job is to finish your good work while periodically gazing into the distance at what’s looming.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I invite you to channel the fierce liberator spirit of Kali, who burns away stagnation and slices through illusion. You are ready to sever a bond that has limited you. Don’t fear the resulting emptiness; it will quickly evolve into a fresh sanctuary where you can pour your strongest longings and most rebellious love.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Early maps symbolized Sagittarius as a centaur with wings—part horse, part bird, part god. Your own hybrid nature is extra strong these days. A part of you wants to roam, and a part wants to ruminate. Don’t force harmony; let contradiction become choreography. Liberating joy can arise from a dance between apparent opposites.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In Sardinia, people once left offerings at “houses of the fairies,” believing invisible presences could exert effects in the world. Capricorns are usually less open to this, but I hope you’ll take a short break from your usual stance. Mysterious and mythic influences are gathering nearby, nudging you with forces that defy explanation. Have fun making room to be delighted and surprised by miracles.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Thou shalt embrace confounding contradictions. Thou shalt caress the tricky incongruities. Thou shalt whisper endearments to the mysterious ambiguities that are making you deeper, wiser and cuter.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Early medieval gardens sometimes included a a walled sanctuary for contemplation. Soon, Pisces, you should create your own equivalent. The insights you’ll harvest as you tend to your garden will be gently and
BACKSTORY
PERFECT POUR BY DUVEL | WYNN LAS VEGAS | AUGUST 7, 2025 What does it take to pour the perfect beer? For Duvel, it’s part science, part ritual, and at the brewing company’s fourth annual Perfect Pour competition, it’s serious business. Five top bartenders from across the U.S. were selected to compete at the Wynn. Precision was everything: tilt the tulip to a 45-degree angle, split the “D,” build the perfect foam head and whatever you do, don’t touch the bottle to the glass. After three intense rounds, including a blindfolded final pour, Cheryl Milner from Chicago emerged victorious. Las Vegas local Cindy Juarez (pictured) proudly represented the Arts District’s beloved Silver Stamp with style and skill. –Gabriela Rodriguez
Photo by Wade Vandervort
