BUY TICKETS
Circus Freaks RETURNS TO LAS VEGAS
EDITORIAL
INTERIM PUBLISHER MARIA BLONDEAUX maria.blondeaux@gmgvegas.com
EDITOR SHANNON MILLER shannon.miller@gmgvegas.com
Senior Editor GEOFF CARTER (geo .carter@gmgvegas.com)
Managing Editor BROCK RADKE (brock.radke@gmgvegas.com)
Arts & Entertainment Editor AMBER SAMPSON (amber.sampson@gmgvegas.com)
Sta Writer GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ (gabriela.rodriguez@gmgvegas.com)
Sta Writer TYLER SCHNEIDER (tyler.schneider@gmgvegas.com)
Contributing Writers GRACE DA ROCHA,HILLARY DAVIS, KATIE ANN MCCARVER
Contributing Editors RAY BREWER, CASE KEEFER, DAVE MONDT
O ce Coordinator NADINE GUY
CREATIVE
Las Vegas Weekly Art Director CORLENE BYRD (corlene.byrd@gmgvegas.com)
Marketing Graphic Designer CARYL LOU PAAYAS
Contributing Graphic Designers WESLEY GATBONTON, CHRISTINA TRIMIDAL
Photo Coordinator LAUREN VINTON
Photographers CHRISTOPHER DEVARGAS, STEVE MARCUS, WADE VANDERVORT
DIGITAL
Publisher of Digital Media KATIE HORTON
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Associate Editor of Social Media EM JURBALA
ADVERTISING & MARKETING
Associate Publisher ALEX HAASE
Senior Advertising Managers MIKE MALL, ADAIR MILNE, SUE SRAN
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Events Manager HANNAH ANTER
Events Coordinator APRIL MARTINEZ
Event Sales Coordinator YAZMINE VALMONTE
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Mexico City Icon Reimagined for Las Vegas
SATURDAY, MARCH 28
18 SWEET
SUCCESS
T-Mobile Arena celebrates 10 years of game-changing sports and entertainment.
ON THE COVER COVER ART Photo by Christopher DeVargas
14 ENTERTAINING
Cooking instructor
Elsa Gramola brings the flavors of Italy to Vegas— and to your kitchen.
36 NEWS
Nevada is, for the most part, ahead of the curve in closing the gender pay gap.
40 SPORTS
The Golden Knights’ depth looks restored with new additions.
24 HIGH SCHOOL HEROES
Spotlighting a younger generation’s remarkable community contributions and acts of heroism.
44 ART
Take a trip through otherworldly murals, sculptures and more with Area15’s Art Quest.
48 FOOD & DRINK
With Spanish roots, Amador Cocina Fina charts a new, limitless course.
08 SUPERGUIDE
Photograph by Christopher DeVargas
SUPERGUIDE
THURSDAY MAR 26 FRIDAY MAR 27
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS V EDMONTON OILERS
6:30 p.m., T-Mobile Arena, axs.com.
MARCH SADNESS EMO NIGHT
JIM GAFFIGAN
With JDHD, Teenwolf, 10 p.m., Substance, seetickets.us.
Thru 3/28, 8 p.m., Encore Theater, ticketmaster.com.
THE GARDEN
HURTBOX
We All Scream, seetickets.us.
7:30 p.m., House of Blues, ticketmaster.com.
CROWBAR
EAGLES 8:30 p.m.,
& 3/28, Sphere, ticketmaster.com.
8 p.m.,
the Railhead,
With Eyehategod, 7 p.m., Bizarre Bar, dice.fm.
PHENOMENAL WOMXN POETRY FESTIVAL
Since 2021, Spotlight Poetry founder Elle Hope and her talented team have been showcasing the diverse voices and viewpoints of local poets in our community. What started as a modestly executed open mic night has evolved into intimate bi-weekly gatherings, powerful poetry slams, inspiring workshops and now, the Phenomenal Womxn Poetry Festival. Over three days, Spotlight invites scores of women and femme-identifying poets to share their work, bare their souls and uplift and honor what it is to truly be a phenomenal woman. The festival, located at venues across Downtown, will feature a regional poetry slam, open mics, curated readings, panels with artists who will share insight into the industry and much more. Thru 3/28, times & venues vary, $35-$50, spotlightpoetry.org.
JENNIFER LOPEZ 8 p.m., & 3/28, the Colosseum, ticketmaster.com.
–Amber Sampson
SLOW CRUSH With She’s Greene, Spite House, 7 p.m., Grey Witch,
8 p.m., & 3/28, dice.fm.
LAS VEGAS AVIATORS VS. SALT LAKE BEES 7:05 p.m., & 3/28 (& 3/29, 12:05 p.m.), Las Vegas Ballpark, ticketmaster.com.
LAS VEGAS PHILHARMONIC: THE MUSIC OF JOHN WILLIAMS 7:30 p.m., & 3/28, Reynolds Hall, thesmithcenter.com.
PASSAGE Thru 4/5, dates & times vary, Ham Fine Arts Black Box Theatre, apublicfit.org.
SOFI TUKKER 10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com.
MATHAME 10:30 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zoukgrouplv.com.
MESTO 10 p.m., Discopussy, tixr.com.
Courtesy
SATURDAY MAR 28
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS. WASHINGTON CAPITALS
7:30 p.m., T-Mobile Arena, axs.com.
BOXING: FUNDORA VS. THURMAN
5 p.m., MGM Grand Garden Arena, axs.com.
LAS VEGAS LIGHTS VS. MONTEREY BAY FC
7:30 p.m., Cashman Field, lasvegaslightsfc.com.
MAJOR LEAGUE INDOOR SOCCER FINALS
Noon, & 3/29, Orleans Arena, ticketmaster.com.
LAS VEGAS DESERT DOGS VS. CALGARY ROUGHNECKS
7 p.m., Lee’s Family Forum, axs.com.
GREAT VEGAS FESTIVAL OF BEER
3 p.m., Downtown Las Vegas, greatvegasbeer.com.
SPRING PLANT SALE
9 a.m., Springs Preserve, springspreserve.org.
ONE NIGHT FOR ONE DROP
6 p.m., Hakkasan Nightclub, onedrop.org.
LITTLE MISS NASTY
8 p.m., 24 Oxford, etix.com.
ANDREW DICE CLAY
10 p.m., Palazzo Theatre, ticketmaster.com.
EMERALD EMPYRE With Par, Foesia, 8 p.m., the Gri n, dice.fm.
SILCROW With Yewz, more, 9 p.m., the Wall at Area15, area15.com.
MIDNIGHT BLOOM With Pure Sport, Style Cramps, 9 p.m., Red Dwarf, reddwarflv.com.
DIPLO Noon, Encore Beach Club, wynnsocial.com.
FISHER 11 a.m., Tao Beach Dayclub, taogroup.com.
DISCO LINES 11 a.m., LIV Beach, livnightclub.com.
TIËSTO 10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, taogroup.com.
MEDUZA 10:30 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zoukgrouplv.com.
AK SPORTS 10 p.m., Discopussy, tixr.com.
HUGEL 10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com.
LATE REPLIES 9 p.m., Rouge Room, rougeroomlv.com.
WIZ KHALIFA 10:30 p.m., Hakkasan Nightclub, wynnsocial.com.
Courtesy/Daniel Kelly
SUPERGUIDE
SUNDAY MAR 29
FRANK MARINO’S DIVAS, DRAG & DRINKS
4 p.m., 24 Oxford, etix.com.
CRAFT FESTIVAL
10 a.m., Tivoli Village, tivolivillagelv.com.
RIC DIEZ
7 p.m., Wiseguys, wiseguyscomedy.com.
DR. HARPO & THE ACE TONES
8 p.m., Fat Cat Lounge, fatcatlv.com.
VICE
11:30 a.m., LIV Beach, livnightclub.com.
HNTR
10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com.
ERIC DLUX
10:30 p.m., LIV Nightclub, livnightclub.com.
ADAM HUNTER Thru 4/4, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m., Laugh Factory, ticketmaster.com.
NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC STRING QUARTET
Originally formed nearly 10 years ago during the New York Philharmonic symphony orchestra’s 175th season, this quartet currently consists of concertmaster and violin virtuoso Frank Huang, violinist Qianqian Li, violist Cynthia Phelps and cellist Carter Brey. All four principal members have appeared as featured soloists with orchestras around the world, and now they converge for the final concert of the 49th season of the UNLV Performing Arts Center. 7:30 p.m., $72+, Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall, unlv.edu. –Brock Radke
NEXTET: SOAR
7:30 p.m., Rando-Grillot Recital Hall, unlv.edu.
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS. WASHINGTON CAPITALS
7 p.m., T-Mobile Arena, axs.com.
DISTEST
With Mersa, 9 p.m., Red Dwarf, reddwarflv.com.
DJ PAULY D 10:30 p.m., Marquee Nightclub, taogroup.com.
SUPERGUIDE
TUESDAY MAR 31
MARIAH THE SCIENTIST
WEDNESDAY APR 1
Atlanta’s velvet-voiced R&B confessionalist Mariah the Scientist has always treated heartbreak like musical lab work—precise, intimate and quietly explosive. Since her 2018 Soundcloud debut, she’s traded biology textbooks for slow-burning ballads, culminating in her most recently released album Hearts Sold Separately. Honored as a Rising Star from Billboard’s Women in Music and currently on a 36-date global run, the “Spread Thin” singer-songwriter leans into her vulnerability as resistance, not weakness. Her songs linger in the messy afterglow of romance, where longing becomes her language. Catch Mariah at Brooklyn Bowl on Tuesday, a night for lover girls, and anyone who’s willing to feel everything. 8 p.m., $204+, Brooklyn Bowl, ticketmaster.com. –Gabriela Rodriguez
THE NOTEBOOK Thru 4/5, 7:30 p.m. (& 4/4-4/5, 2 p.m.), Reynolds Hall, thesmithcenter.com.
LAS VEGAS AVIATORS VS. OKLAHOMA CITY COMETS
MELLA With Crumbcatcher, No Surprises, Llover, 8 p.m., the Gri n, dice.fm.
6:05 p.m. (& thru 4/5, times vary), Las Vegas Ballpark, ticketmaster.com.
WHITE REAPER With Drug Church, 7 p.m., the Portal at Area15, area15.com.
KATRINA BREE 10 p.m., Sand Dollar Lounge, thesanddollarlv.com.
JAZZ VEGAS ORCHESTRA 7:30 p.m., Notoriety, notorietylive.com.
DJ BUZA 11 a.m., Liquid Pool Lounge, taogroup.com.
DJ LUCKY LOU 11 a.m., Palm Tree Beach Club, taogroup.com.
MIKEY FRANCIS 10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, taogroup.com.
JOHN CAPARULO
9:30 p.m., Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club, ticketmaster.com.
DJ FRANZEN 10:30 p.m., Hakkasan Nightclub, taogroup.com. DO IT ALL
FROM SICILY, WITH LOVE
Elsa Gramola brings the taste of Italy to the desert
ENTERTAINING RECIPES
BY GENEVIE DURANO WITH PHOTOS BY WADE VANDERVORT
Elsa Gramola didn’t set out to become an Italian culinary ambassador. She was just a homesick Sicilian transplant driving her two kids around Austin when she spotted a roadside sign: “Learn Italian.” She called the number and told the man on the other end that she didn’t want lessons. She could teach them.
That accidental pivot launched a 24year career built on a genuine passion for her roots. What started as informal language lessons grew into private cooking classes hosted in clients’ homes, then expanded to Central Market and Whole Foods kitchens, and eventually to the University of Texas, where she taught for more than a decade. She also began leading small-group tours through Venice, Florence, Tuscany and Rome, turning her homesickness into someone else’s dream trip.
Born in Sicily and raised on two of Italy’s greatest culinary traditions— her mother’s bold, sun-drenched Sicilian flavors and her father’s refined Tuscan elegance—Gramola moved to the United
States at 29 with no formal culinary training. What she had instead was a mother who answered international phone calls (which in those days were not cheap) with recipes, and a family—grandmothers, aunts—whose techniques are still embedded in every class she teaches today.
“I grew up with the best cuisines,” she says. “Tuscany and Sicily—you can’t get better than that.”
Those family roots run deep in the recipes she’s sharing here. The fusilli al pesto is a perfect example. “My mom taught me how to make it,” she says. “It’s a special one—I’m very proud of that.”
Her mom’s secret? A handful of walnuts folded into the basil, a small detail that makes all the difference.
Since relocating to Las Vegas in July 2024, Gramola has been teaching Italian language and culture courses at UNLV, and converting students into private cooking clients one lesson at a time.
“I feel like I’m more of a local now,” she says, “because I’m finally sharing my Italian culture here in Las Vegas.”
ELSA’S RECIPES
FUSILLI AL PESTO
1 pound fusilli
20 large basil leaves
1 clove garlic
¼ cup pine nuts
¼ cup walnuts
¼ cup Parmigiano
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
n Blend all the ingredients and pour on pasta.
Pair with Pinot Grigio Ruffino Lumina from Venice or white wine Vermentino from Sardinia.
PATATE
2 ribeye or New York loin steaks, diced ½-inch
2 potatoes, diced ½-inch
½ yellow onion
1 clove garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper
1 eight-ounce can no-salt
tomato sauce
2 cups water
¼ cup red wine
1 tablespoon butter
n In a pot, saute extra virgin olive oil, onion, garlic and meat until golden. Add salt and pepper. Add the diced potatoes and mix very well. When done, add the can of tomato sauce and 2 cups of water to cover the meat. Cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes. When potatoes are cooked, smash them to create a cream. Then, when the sauce gets thick, add wine. Cook for another 10 minutes. Add butter on top and cover on low heat. Pair with red wine Nero d’Avola from Sicily.
TIRAMISU
1 package Savoiardi (ladyfingers)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup espresso
8 ounces mascarpone
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cocoa powder (for mixing)
1 tablespoon Kahlua
¾ cup egg substitute
1 tablespoon rum
Whipping cream, whipped and sweetened to your liking
1 tablespoon cocoa powder (for sprinkling)
Syrup: In a small bowl, combine sugar, espresso and rum. Mix until sugar is dissolved.
Filling: In a medium bowl, stir together the mascarpone, vanilla, eggs, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and Kahlua. Mix well.
To assemble: Place a layer of ladyfingers on the bottom of a serving platter. Pour the syrup on top of ladyfingers.
Top with one layer of mascarpone-egg mixture. Spread whipped cream over the top and sprinkle with cocoa powder.
Pair with Prosecco Superiore di Conegliano Valdobbiadene from Veneto.
SPEZZATINO ALLA GINA CON
At 10 years old, T-Mobile Arena is the most impactful non-casino venue ever built in Las Vegas
BY BROCK RADKE
Time for a Vegas trivia question. Who was the rst performer at T-Mobile Arena?
If you answered the Killers, sorry, close but no cigar. The Vegas-born band headlined opening night on April 6, 2016, but Wayne Newton took the stage before they did. The concert opener and correct answer: then 21-year-old indie pop artist Shamir, who was born and raised in North Las Vegas.
And if you thought it was a trick question and instead answered the Vegas Golden Knights were the rst to play at T-Mobile, or thought a UFC mega ght was the debut event there, you get a bonus point. You’re still wrong, but you clearly understand what makes this wildly successful venue so special compared to the many other temples of entertainment in this city.
Dan Beckerman, president and CEO of global entertainment house AEG since 2013, made a seemingly hyberbolic statement when T-Mobile Arena opened 10 years ago next
month, but it came true: “We believe that this venue is going to transform the entertainment business in Las Vegas forever.”
As co-owner and sales agent of the arena, of course AEG was all in, as was the other owner, MGM Resorts International. With a max capacity of 20,000 seats and a Strip-side location wedged between MGM casinos New York-New York and Park MGM, it was a bit bigger than MGM Grand Garden Arena or the Thomas & Mack Center, and certainly more modern, arriving more than 20 years after the Grand Garden.
But it wasn’t just an upgraded alternative. T-Mobile Arena was always intended to transform the industry by bringing different music, sports, and other types of events that otherwise wouldn’t have come to or stayed in Las Vegas, most notably the rst major league franchise to call Vegas home.
arena was built for both options. The NHL was ready to expand. The arena helped open the door and Texas-born businessman Bill Foley walked through it.
The way our hockey team played and connected to the community is another story, one that’s been told many times in many ways since the Golden Knights rst took the ice. But their home, the Fortress, is also the rst real home for locals on the Strip. This sports arrival brought at least 41 opportunities every year for Southern Nevadans to come together and support something that felt like ours, and to do it on the relatively small part of Las Vegas that is decidedly not ours.
“We knew we had to deliver something that locals as well
better venue in the world.”
Plenty of VGK fans feel that way, and now that we’re a decade in, perhaps we can appreciate how magical it is that an arena single-handedly shifted the old cliché that Las Vegans don’t go to the Strip.
And the Fortress is only part of the experience at T-Mobile. It is and always has been the home of UFC. Countless big concerts have come through, from Kendrick Lamar to Fleetwood Mac, and it’s consistently ranked as one of the top-grossing venues in the world, yet it’s not as busy as other arenas of its size.
“We designed it to be as
en Knights, but hypothetically, it could have been a National Bas-
That just happened to be the National Hockey League’s Golden Knights, but hypothetically, it could have been a National Basketball Association team. The
say there’s no better arena, no
T-Mobile Arena opening and The Killers photos by Christopher DeVargas; Shamir and Wayne Newton photos by Steve Marcus.
flexible as possible because we wanted to be not only busy, but have diversity in programming. We never wanted logistics to be an obstacle that keeps us from going between a concert to a hockey game to a UFC event,” says Dan Quinn, senior vice president of entertainment and arena venue operations for MGM Resorts. “We’ve had some pretty crazy consecutive events, gone from ice to dirt with [Professional Bull Riders] events in a day or two. But we can do it all and have done it all.”
Quinn has been at T-Mobile Arena before it existed, joining the development and construction team after working at arenas at Mandalay Bay and MGM Grand. While stretches like this month’s hockey game to Peso Pluma concert to another hockey game in three days makes the arena feel absolutely stacked, the strategy remains focused on building programming around weekends to capitalize on tourist traffic, he explains.
“It’s market-specific, the uniqueness of Vegas,” Quinn says. “We’re a little less busy [than other similarly sized arenas] in total events and we’re not usually hosting events on Tuesday or Wednesday.
“We are pretty rare with what we do in the ticket sales we drive, and that keeps us in that higher echelon. We are spoiled by the special event programming we’re able to do here. A lot of markets have to fight to have a UFC event every four years, and here we are with this embarrassment of riches, four UFC events a year and the biggest boxing matches in the world.”
The design of T-Mobile Arena
has also been a key to its success, one that’s easily overlooked. The exterior low profile blends in behind the towering resorts on the south Strip, and while it sits on a relatively small footprint for a building of its scope and capacity, the feeling inside is one of openness and accessibility. It has only one level of suites with special seating when other arenas of the same generation have two or three, but scarcity has proven valuable.
“Other arenas have a lot of corridors and closed spaces. We wanted to keep everything vertical and open because having that kind of space transforms the way you feel in the venue,” Quinn says.
How many big moments have been had here? Floyd Mayweather Jr. versus Conor McGregor. A historic residency from country legend George Strait. The Vegas Strong Benefit Concert in December 2017 featuring Imagine Dragons, the Killers, Boyz II Men, Penn & Teller and lots of tears and hugs. The hard-to-describe feeling of gathering outside in Toshiba Plaza waiting to watch the Golden Knights play a home game in the Stanley Cup Final in their first season.
Even though it’s not the biggest or most modern venue in the vicinity of the Strip anymore, no single building has had the same kind of impact on how Las Vegas brings people together. T-Mobile Arena has transcended the previous model of building a bigger, better casino resort to draw visitors to the desert.
On the other side of the coin, it also brought about the demise of free casino parking, but that
The Vegas Golden Knights were joined by first responders during a special ceremony at the first NHL regular season home game at T-Mobile Arena on October 10, 2017. (Sun File)
was likely inevitable if you believed major league sports were always going to land in Las Vegas at some point. The Raiders and the A’s felt they needed to also be on the Strip, or as close as possible, once T-Mobile and the Golden Knights served as proof of concept.
Maybe in five or eight years we’ll be writing that Allegiant Stadium or Sphere is actually the venue that changed everything, but I doubt it. In some ways, the city was overdue for a place that could do all these things, and in other ways, T-Mobile Arena was the perfect solution at the exact right time to help Vegas take the next big step.
And it’s only been 10 years. Imagine how many big moments are still coming.
COVER STORY • GAME CHANGER
Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor clashed at T-Mobile Arena on August 26, 2017. (Sun File)
THE PARK OUTSIDE T-MOBILE ARENA IS A GOOD HANG
“The Park was always intended to be kind of an oasis for somebody walking down Las Vegas Boulevard,” says Dan Quinn, senior vice president of entertainment and arena venue operations for MGM Resorts International.
“We’ve got all the glitz and glamor of the neon and the shiny modern design, but we give a little park-like escape to people who want a more relaxing environment.”
The Park is a space of necessity. T-Mobile Arena is recessed from the street; it needed a walkway from the Strip and a large plaza to accommodate the crowds queueing up for sports and concerts. But it didn’t need water features, an ever-growing canopy of green trees, and a striking, 40-foot-tall Marco Cochrane sculpture of a dancing woman that glows from inside. Those elements were added to the Park to create a true sense of place for what could have been a basic concrete plaza, or a corridor of retail shops. And it’s programmed in ways that transcend liminal space.
“We’ve been lucky enough to host two Las Vegas Aces championship parades, a VGK celebration … And we’ve done a few private events out there, dining festivals or convention groups,” says Quinn, who refers to the buildings surrounding the space—T-Mobile Arena, New York-New York, the Park MGM resort and Dolby Live theater—as a “neighborhood.”
Quinn notes that many visitors simply come to see “Bliss Dance,” Cochrane’s Burning Man sculpture.
“There’s not a day that I walk around the neighborhood that I don’t go by Bliss and somebody’s not striking the pose and taking a picture,” he says. And he’s pleased at the amount of activity surrounding a beloved character pop-up: “I’m always amazed at the amount of activity that the Hello Kitty Cafe activation drives.”
We designed [T-Mobile Arena] to be as flexible as possible ... We never wanted logistics to be an obstacle that keeps us from going between a concert to a hockey game to a UFC event ... We can do it all and have done it all. ”
Dan Quinn, MGM Resorts International
“For the person who wants to come down and experience the neighborhood before an event, or to have an excuse to hang out and stay a little bit later, the Park has definitely fulfilled all those hopes and expectations,” Quinn says. –Geoff Carter
Photos by Steve Marcus
The Las Vegas Aces celebrated their third WNBA Championship at the Park.
HIGH SCHOOL HEROES
BY LAS VEGAS SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHS BY WADE VANDERVORT
It’s our privilege at Las Vegas Weekly and the Las Vegas Sun to once again shine light on the remarkable acts of heroism, generosity, selflessness and community commitment exhibited by our region’s youngest leaders. Many of us have witnessed extraordinary young people go above and beyond to help others and thought, “This should be recognized.” Our High School Heroes awards program does exactly that—and this year’s class may be the most inspiring yet.Among this year’s honorees: a teenager who performed CPR on his neighbor during a cardiac emergency, two students who launched a program feeding our homeless community, a young woman fighting period poverty in Nigeria and a passionate advocate working alongside Mothers Against Drunk Driving to save lives on our roads. These are just glimpses of the remarkable stories you’re about to read. Each one is a reminder that heroism has no age requirement. This week, we celebrate Las Vegas’ young heroes. Enjoy.
BEST VOLUNTEER PROJECT
Ishan
Abraham Faith Lutheran
When Ishan Abraham visited a senior center to host a workshop through his nonprofit TechBud, it took the attendees 20 minutes to find the phone icon on their smart phone. For Abraham, a senior at Faith Lutheran High School, that moment crystallized the urgency of his mission.
In 2022, Abraham founded TechBud after a neighbor was scammed out of several thousand dollars when a hacker impersonated his mother’s email, telling the neighbor the family was in trouble on a vacation and needed money.
Recognizing the vulnerability seniors faced to both cybercrime and technological challenges, he took action. He recruited and trained volunteers to deliver educational seminars and hands-on assistance throughout the Las Vegas Valley, leading presentations at his church’s senior adult ministry, retired public employee groups, senior living facilities, individual in-home sessions and aging
wellness expos.
“This is such a big issue facing seniors,” Abraham said. “We take pride in working with them.”
He also integrated TechBud into Faith Lutheran’s National Honor Society, organizing a large-scale service event in September 2025.
Beyond cybersecurity, Abraham teaches practical skills—texting, email, photo sharing, social media and basic device navigation—so seniors can stay connected with family and the world around them.
Since its founding, TechBud has assisted more than 3,000 seniors. He’ll even make house calls to get a printer installed.
What distinguishes Abraham is his commitment to sustainability—building TechBud into an organization that will continue serving the community long after he graduates.
“It’s awesome to feel like you are making a di erence in the life of a senior,” he said.
CULTURAL ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR
Penelope Tasca Bishop Gorman
At just 16 years old, Penelope Tasca has already built something most adults never will—a thriving nonprofit making a measurable difference in the lives of Las Vegas students.
Approximately two years ago, the Bishop Gorman High School junior founded Bright Minds Las Vegas, an organization that designs, creates and donates laminated, reusable math and sight-word worksheets to underserved youth throughout the Valley.
What began as a modest donation effort to organizations like The Shade Tree, SafeNest and LV Reach quickly grew into something far more expansive.
Bright Minds now partners with After-School AllStars, Boys & Girls Club of Southern Nevada and Clark County School District. The organization has donated more than 15,000 reusable worksheets.
“I want to help those kids who don’t have an educational advantage,” she said.
Tasca recently enrolled Bright Minds in the Focus School Project, CCSD’s adopt-a-school initiative, pairing her organization with Reedom Elementary School, where she plans to participate in tutoring.
This past summer, she was selected for a fellowship through the Dragon Kim Foundation, through which Bright Minds organized four two-hour math workshops—one at each YMCA of Southern Nevada location—serving 194 campers ages 5 to 13. Campers learned fractions by assembling paper pizzas, explored measurement while mixing slime, and studied geometry by crafting animals from shapes.
Tasca says she has been fortunate enough to attend well-funded schools with engaged parents. Her mission is simple: extend that same opportunity to every child who deserves it.
“You never know how one donation can inspire a child,” she said.
TEAM PROJECT OF THE YEAR
Matthew Indukuri and Jacob Gibson Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas
When Matthew Indukuri and Jacob Gibson packed meals and hygiene kits and headed to the Arts District in Downtown Las Vegas to distribute them, their first donation day was an education.
They learned that the region has roughly 8,000 people experiencing homelessness—and that laws prevent people from feeding the unhoused, regardless of good intention.
Rather than give up, the Coral Academy of Science classmates and lifelong friends adapted.
They coordinated with a local restaurant to use its kitchen for packing meals, turning a logistical obstacle into an opportunity to grow. What began with a handful of classmates blossomed into dozens of volunteers across multiple schools.
Their organization, Homeless Haven Foundation, distributes approximately 700 bags every two weeks, reaches more than 2,500 people, and delivers more
than 800 pounds of food weekly—a remarkable achievement for a student-led initiative.
“We aren’t doing this for awards,” Indukuri stressed. “This is about being there for someone in need.”
Every two weeks, volunteers gather to prepare and distribute food, clothing and hygiene supplies—with a commitment to ensuring that those receiving them are treated with dignity. It’s common for volunteers to linger, spending time in conversation with the people they’re helping.
Gibson and Indukuri do a little bit of everything: securing supplies, organizing volunteers and drop logistics, and expanding the foundation’s reach. Together, they have built something rooted in genuine compassion.
“Something as simple as a meal gives hope to a person,” Gibson said. “I’ve learned we are really blessed to have the things we have in our life.”
Nevada’s Heroes Belong in the Pack.
Collegiate Academy is the University of Nevada, Reno’s dual
unr.edu/collegiate-academy
The University of Nevada, Reno is honored to celebrate Nevada’s most exceptional high schoolers. To help these heroes continue their journey of excellence, we are proud to provide $1,000 scholarships* to two honorees joining the Wolf Pack this fall. *Scholarships
BEST GLOBAL IMPACT
Melody Li West Career and Technical Academy
The BLOOM Health Movement didn’t start as a movement—it started as a conversation.
Rooted in Las Vegas and reaching far beyond it, BLOOM grew from what Melody Li built in Bauchi State, Nigeria: a menstrual health education initiative shaped by weekly calls with healthcare workers, community surveys, and workshops designed around the lives of the women and children she served.
Over the course of a year, she helped around 50 women make DIY sustainable pads and created spaces where menstrual hygiene could finally be talked about openly, and without shame.
“In Nigeria, it’s socially taboo to talk about menstrual health,” said Li, a 17-year-old senior. “I’m grateful to have (the movement) come to life.”
The work extended to Las
Vegas.
She interviewed healthcare professionals and leadership with Project Marilyn—a group providing menstrual products to those lacking access—to gain more knowledge on period poverty. Then she got to work by distributing period kits on high school campuses and community centers. She also organized supply drives to meet tangible needs.
The movement grew a social media presence, amplifying a conversation that often goes unheard. She turned a personal initiative into a movement that speaks to the experiences of women around the world.
“As a teenager you can be involved in health care and social issues,” she said. “It’s important to be heard. You are never too young to act and make a di erence in the community.”
ENVIRONMENTAL HELPER
Fisher Parry
Palo Verde
Fisher Parry was working a booth at the Earth Day Celebration at the Springs Preserve when a couple stopped by mentioning they still had grass in their backyard.
Parry, a teenage volunteer with the Youth Conservation Council, walked them through the benefits of drought-tolerant landscaping, explaining how the ongoing drought was shrinking water available from the Colorado River and why every household’s contribution mattered.
The following year, Parry was back at the same booth when the couple returned to tell him that because of his encouragement, they had their turf removed.
“I love living here. It is the greatest city on earth,” said Parry, a Palo Verde senior. “I want to have a family here. We have to protect the water we have.”
Parry joined the Youth
Conservation Council as a freshman. Hosted by the Southern Nevada Water Authority, it gives high school students community service hours while learning about water issues critical to the region.
The West has been gripped by a two-decade drought that has reduced flows through the Colorado River and its tributaries, draining the reservoirs communities depend on.
Now chairman of the roughly 30-member council, he leads peers examining the water challenges facing their community and developing strategies for environmental stewardship.
“I’ve been here four years, made some great friends and have been exposed to a lot of good ideas,” Parry said. “We all want the same thing in making a di erence in the community.”
HEROIC ACT
Jamie Parga
Las Vegas High
Jamie Parga was doing yardwork for his neighbor when she stepped outside to greet him. Sheila Carter, 60, didn’t look right, Parga recalled—and within moments, she collapsed, her face turning purple.
Carter was going into cardiac arrest. Thanks to Parga, it wouldn’t be fatal.
The 16-year-old immediately began performing life-saving chest compressions, keeping her alive until first responders arrived. Carter was rushed to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, where she recovered.
Carter is blunt when reflecting on that day—January 23. “I’m disabled. I live alone. He saved my life. If he didn’t act, I was dead.”
Had Parga hesitated, Carter said, “it would have been brain damage.”
When the 911 operator began walking Parga through life-saving measures, the instructions sounded familiar. Parga had earned his CPR
and AED certification through a class at Las Vegas High School—and he’d been carrying that card in his wallet ever since.
“My adrenaline was rushing,” he says. “I was thinking, this is what I trained for.”
In the established east Las Vegas neighborhood near Charleston and Nellis boulevards, residents have known each other so long that many consider themselves family. Carter is no exception—she remembers the day Parga came home from the hospital as a newborn, and watched his siblings grow up alongside him.
“You couldn’t ask for a better kid to be your neighbor, and not just because he saved my life,” Carter said. “He loves his family, loves helping his parents. He’s such a smart young man.”
The experience may have given Parga more than just a story to tell—it’s inspired him to consider a career as a first responder, he says.
BEST COMMUNITY PARTNER HONOR
AWARD
Las Vegas-Clark County Library District
The final bell rings at Sierra Vista High School, and a parade of students begins the short walk to the Windmill Library.
Many think of libraries as quiet havens stocked with books and little else. But for these students—and the countless others who visit the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District’s 25 branches—there is so much more.
Today’s modern library o ers podcast recording equipment, a tech lab, employment resources, job preparation tools and volunteer opportunities, among other amenities like 3D printers.
Those Sierra Vista students making a beeline to the branch are far from alone. The library district reports that 51,380 customers between the ages of 12 and 18 hold library accounts, with 10,433 currently having at least one item checked out.
For Kelvin Watson, the library district’s executive director, the appeal runs much deeper than the o erings themselves. Teens are finding something harder to quantify at their local branch: a sense of culture and community.
Watson’s o ce is located inside the Windmill branch, where he often watches in amazement as teenagers
thrive in the hours after class. Whether it’s the wellplaced bean bag chairs, a dedicated gaming area, or specialized homework assistance, students have made their local library a place of genuine enrichment, he said.
“When I hear people make comments about our teens not coming to a library I can counter that—no, I see them coming to the library every day,” Watson said. “I go down and see them connecting with each other and using the resources.”
The success stories are hard to ignore, Watson said.
Consider one teen who was a regular at the Whitney Library in east Las Vegas. After attending a teen empowerment summit hosted by the district, they were encouraged to pursue higher education—and did. That student is now thriving at UNLV, while still checking in with the support system at the branch, Watson said.
In the fiscal year ending June 30, the library district has already o ered 1,497 programs for teens, drawing a combined attendance of 16,255 visitors. All programs and resources are free.
“This is their space,” Watson said of the dedicated teen zones at each branch. “We want them to feel comfortable here.”
Photo by Christopher DeVargas
BEST SOCIAL IMPACT
Francesca Srinarayana Clark
Long before Francesca Srinarayana was born, a drunk driver nearly killed her mother. That story never left her.
Now a sophomore at Clark High School, Srinarayana has channeled that family history into four years of volunteer work with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, where she helps develop programs to combat impaired driving and curb underage drinking.
The cause is urgent in her own backyard: last year, 54 people died in impaired driving incidents within the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s jurisdiction alone.
“That could be anybody. That could be me,” Srinarayana said. “That could be one of my friends.”
Srinarayana has been volunteering since she was
in seventh grade. That was about the time she heard the full story of how her mom, as a college student not much older than Srinarayana is now, survived being struck by a drunk driver while crossing the street.
Flor Gonzalez, MADD’s regional executive director for Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico, brought the teenager along to a meeting with U.S. Rep. Susie Lee to advocate for the HALT Drunk Driving Act—legislation that would require all new vehicles to be equipped with built-in technology designed to prevent impaired driving.
“We love to see her thriving in the community and setting an example for more youth to be a part of the solution,” Gonzalez said.
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
Sophia Booth Silverado
Sophia Booth, 17, doesn’t slow down when it comes to service.
She founded the nonprofit Girls Together to empower K–12 girls through mentorship, leadership development, literacy access and advocacy. The organization started with five classmates at Silverado three years ago and has grown to 35 members, with chapters in Washington D.C., Minnesota and New York. She has mentored students at each chapter to replicate the work.
The group’s impact has been tangible. Members collected more than 200 books to create a children’s library at The Shade Tree, a local shelter for women and children in crisis, and led a clothing donation drive that filled more than 10 large boxes of essential items for the shelter.
“Each project was thoughtfully planned, student-led, and executed with care for the dignity of those receiving support,” wrote Natasa Eric, her advisor at Silverado, in
nominating her for the award.
Booth also spearheaded the “End Period Poverty in CCSD” campaign—conducting student-driven research, gathering survey data and producing fact sheets—to advocate for legislation requiring Nevada secondary schools to provide free menstrual products in bathrooms.
Her petition drew more than 800 student and community signatures, and she presented her findings directly to Clark County School District leadership. She now sits on Superintendent Jhone Ebert’s student advisory council.
Her work caught the attention of Gov. Joe Lombardo, who appointed her as Nevada’s Youth Commissioner. In the role, she helps shape youth volunteer strategy and leads the Nevada Youth Day of Service, the first youth-led, statewide day of service. She raised $3,000 for the initiative.
“It’s humbling to know that I can make a difference at my age,” Booth said.
PHILANTHROPIC HIGH SCHOOL OF THE YEAR Veterans Tribute Career and Technical Academy
cyber forensics.
Students at Veterans Tribute CTA are immersed in a culture where community service isn’t just encouraged—it’s a way of life.
As ninth graders, students are introduced to a tracking platform to log volunteer hours, regularly assisting with groups like Metro Police and the Discovery Children’s Museum.
The numbers are striking: Veterans Tribute CTA, despite an enrollment of around 800, has logged more than 220,000 volunteer hours since opening in 2009.
The Clark County School District magnet school prepares students for public service careers, drawing on faculty with experience in law enforcement, emergency medical response, fire services, forensic science, 911 dispatch, criminal justice and
EMT program students graduate with EMT-Basic certification, ready for immediate employment. Law enforcement students meet regularly with local agencies, and many join explorer programs as a stepping stone toward policing careers.
“I really want to help people,” says Abner Aldana, who is already EMT-certified. “You see people on their worst day and I really want to switch that. Everybody needs a hero. You aren’t doing it for yourself. You are doing it for the betterment of the world.”
The school instills a simple belief: every one of these careers begins with serving the community, with the goal of graduating civic-minded leaders.
Each September, roughly 50
incoming freshmen participate in United Way of Southern Nevada’s Day of Caring. Seniors must have logged at least 75 volunteer hours by the end of junior year to qualify for open periods, with a school goal of 100 hours by graduation—a benchmark some students surpass dramatically, accumulating up to 500 hours.
JROTC member Molly Grimes helped organize a food drive that brought in 3,000 cans for Project 150 and Three Square Food Bank. “It’s really fulfilling to look around and see someone in need, and know we are helping address the need,” she said.
Every April, the school celebrates volunteers at a dedicated awards evening, where students receive recognition including congressional-level certificates.
From left: Molly Grimes, 16; Cesar Garcia, 17; Abner Aldana, 18; Sandul Aththanayaka, 15; and Carmen Yoss, 17, of Veterans Tribute CTA.
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IN THE NEWS
ENVIRONMENT
CLARK COUNTY TO MAINTAIN SAFEGUARDS FOR BURROWING OWLS
The Clark County Commission voted unanimously on March 17 to maintain protections for the western burrowing owl under its Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan. Under the protocols, developers must conduct preconstruction surveys and use passive relocation techniques, such as one-way doors, to move the owls away from project sites.
Western burrowing owls are small, active-by-day birds with a rounded head and bright yellow eyes that find homes in abandoned burrows previously dug by ground squirrels, badgers, skunks, tortoises and marmots, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Habitat loss from agricultural and land development along with reductions of burrowing mammal populations have resulted in a 30% to
ELECTIONS
50% population decrease of western burrowing owls across the region, the National Audubon Society said.
The burrowing owl isn’t listed as a protected species under the federal Endangered Species Act—the landmark 1973 law that shields threatened and endangered fish, wildlife and plants—but it does fall under the protections of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Last year, county commissioners formed a work group to review proposed avoidance and minimization measures for the conservation plan. Approved in 2000, the plan outlines ways to protect local species amid continued development. The group met with local officials, utility companies and leaders from the homebuilding and commercial development industries. According to Kimberley
Goodwin, principal environmental specialist for the Clark County Desert Conservation Program, the group identified several measures that required clearer instructions, such as specific design guidelines or best management practices.
In most instances, owl surveys will be conducted alongside existing surveys for the threatened desert tortoise, Goodwin said. Under the new protocols, a lead biologist will perform clearance surveys before construction begins. If birds are found and are not breeding, they will be relocated. If a nest is active, a 330-foot buffer will be established until the chicks have moved on from the nest. For nests within 165 feet of a site, the county will recommend visual screens to limit disturbances.
–Grace Da Rocha
“We all know why Republican leadership wants the SAVE America Act to pass so badly: they think they will lose their majorities in the midterms. … [It] would require states to turn over voter information to DHS, it would kick millions of eligible voters off the rolls, it would make it infinitely harder for Americans to register to vote, and it would cause chaos in our states.”
–Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto, D-Nev. in remarks on the Senate floor on March 19 rejecting President Trump’s SAVE America Act, which would drastically change how elections are administered.
FREESTYLE FACEOFF
Las Vegas-based dancer Illmani competes in the Red Bull Dance Your Style Las Vegas Qualifier at Kaos Nightclub at the Palms on March 21. Sixteen dancers squared off in the competition, with winner Jabari Gooding earning a spot at the national finals in Tampa, Florida this September.
(Marina Oya/Red Bull Content Pool)
Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue to unite at Fontainebleau Las Vegas
Three of the most trailblazing girl groups in hip-hop and R&B have joined forces for one iconic night at BleauLive Theater on October 9. Grammy Award-winning duo TLC and Salt-N-Pepa have announced their first co-headlining tour with special guest En Vogue, bringing several decades worth of hits like “Whatta Man,” “Push It,” “Waterfalls” and “Hold On” back to the forefront. The It’s Iconic tour sets a historic milestone for these groups, who will share a stage for the first time at the iHeartRadio Music Awards on March 26 at the Dolby Theatre in LA. Each group has left an indelible stamp on their genre, moving the needle of what was possible for female performers and influencing generations to come. Tickets for the general public go on sale March 26 at fontainebleaulasvegas. com. –Amber Sampson
As one of the nation’s top-selling master-planned communities, many have already discovered Cadence is a unique and special place. With its combination of value, lifestyle and community; it’s the perfect place to address your future. If you haven’t visited…come and see.
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Nevada has one of the most equitable gender pay gaps in the U.S., but it still lags in Henderson and for women of color
BY TYLER SCHNEIDER
ALL ELSE EQUAL
The pay gap—or the di erence in earnings between men and women—persists throughout the U.S., with full-time working women earning just 81 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2024. A recent business. com analysis of U.S. Census data shows Nevada’s full-time workforce faring better than all but Vermont, but Henderson remains a major outlier. The city had the 15th largest gap in the study, with an average female resident earning $19,645 less than her male counterpart. That’s about 2.5 times greater than Las Vegas’ $8,172 and Nevada’s $7,805, and consistent with a 2024 UNLV Lincy Institute and Brookings Mountain West study ranking it 21st. Let’s take a closer look at these trends in honor of Equal Pay Day on March 26.
IMPLICIT BIASES
Women’s Research Institute of Nevada director and UNLV psychology professor Rachael Robnett says the gap exists for reasons both structural and psychological—from workplace bias and occupational segregation to social stigmas surrounding negotiations.
She rejects criticism attributing the gap to self-selection, or the idea that women tend to choose lower-paying occupations.
“The proof is in the pudding if you actually look at the empirical data,” she says. “When you equate women and men
with the same level of education who spend the same number of hours in the workplace, there remains a gap.”
One factor is that women still hold far fewer leadership roles.
“Research indicates that people associate masculine qualities with leadership, so women generally aren’t given the opportunity to take on high-level positions,” Robnett says. “And when they are, they’re often brought in under fraught circumstances.”
Women of color are especially impacted by this “glass cliff,” she adds.
“It’s a phenomenon where women are put in lucrative leadership positions, but only when the company is in a failing state. They often hold these positions relatively briefly,” she says.
The disparities are further compounded at the negotiating table, where women may be less likely to push for higher starting salaries—a disadvantage Robnett says compounds over time. And training women to negotiate more authoritatively may be a double-edged solution.
“A woman and man who are both negotiating aggressively are often perceived differently. People will look at that man and say, ‘wow, what a savvy businessperson,’ whereas the woman might be perceived more negatively for the same behavior,” she says.
WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH HENDERSON?
Robnett offers a few possible explanations for Henderson’s outsize gap, starting with the fact that it hosts a concentration of male-dominated industries like business, technology and medicine.
“To the extent that those are more prevalent economies in Henderson versus Las Vegas, that could be magnifying the gap,” she says. “It’s also possible that parts of the Strip economy
are driving some of this, because people earning lucrative salaries there are usually going to live in Henderson.”
The numbers support her theory. According to the UNLV-Brookings study, Henderson men earned a median salary of $70,925—or nearly $19,000 more than their Las Vegas counterparts—suggesting Henderson men earn significantly more.
Robnett notes that the Culinary Union’s presence on the Strip may also positively influence Las Vegas’ pay gap to some degree, even if unions “can only go so far” in mitigating the issue valleywide.
THE RACE BARRIER
“These inequities are more complex if you consider the intersection between gender and race. And Las Vegas, specifically, is really ethnically and racially diverse,” Robnett says.
A 2024 UNR study on Nevada’s Latina labor pool—which identifies the Silver State as one of just six in which Hispanics comprise more than 25% of the workforce—notes that fulltime working Hispanic women earned just 57 cents to every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men. This amounts to more than $1.2 million over a 40-year career.
Black and Native American women in the U.S. fared a little better. According to a 2026 report from the American Association of University Women, those groups earned 65 cents and 58 cents, respectively, on every dollar.
“Generally, if a gap is present for white women, it’s going to exist to a much greater degree among women of color,” Robnett says.
CLOSING THE GAP
“If you’re looking at things like women’s presence in the workforce, or women’s personal economic stability, there are
some subgroups where we’re actually going backwards,” Robnett says. “You can see that in interesting microcosms, such as the field of computer science, where initially it was much, much more heavily female than it is today.”
She’s been following a relatively recent youth TikTok subculture known as the Tradwife movement, which advocates for a return to traditional female gender roles like being a homemaker.
“It’s great if women want to make that choice if that’s right for them. At the same time, if you see a mass movement where you’re pushing for these norms and ideals, you’re going to see certain indicators of progress going backwards in terms of things like pay equity,” Robnett says.
In other ways, we’ve also taken some steps forward.
“You see positive indicators, such as women increasingly making up a larger share of students in medical or law school. So, there are some different trajectories depending on your group memberships.”
Those educational gains can sometimes be misleading, however.
“Women have an increased share of undergraduate degrees across a number of different majors compared to men,” Robnett says. “But if you compare a woman with a college degree to a man with a high school degree, often the woman needs that degree just to match the salary he can command without one.”
Nevada legislators made some progress in 2021 by passing Senate Bill 293, which requires employers to disclose pay ranges after interviews and prohibits them from using applicants’ salary history against them.
While the gap lingers, most Nevadans remain well ahead of the pack in closing it.
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Golden Knights ’ depth looks restored with new additions as regular season winds down
BY CASE KEEFER
During his six-year stint coaching the Boston Bruins, current Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy loathed when certain pesky opposing defensive centers came over the boards to match up with his top-line captain, Patrice Bergeron.
Whether he was playing for the opposing Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks or Washington Capitals, steady veteran Nic Dowd established himself rmly on Cassidy’s list of players he hated facing.
“Dowd has been a matchup guy his entire career,” Cassidy recently recalled. “I saw it rst-hand … He relishes that role.”
And now Cassidy is relishing using Dowd to his own bene t in the role.
The 35-year-old Dowd became a Golden Knight shortly before this season’s March 6 trade deadline in a surprise deal with the Capitals.
After a relatively nomadic start to his career, Dowd had spent eight years in Washington while becoming a beloved member of the franchise and a mentor to younger players breaking through.
“I wouldn’t say I ever got comfortable there because I’ve seen guys be at places longer and get moved and seen weirder things happen, but de nitely going into this deadline was probably, maybe the least-worried about being moved I’ve been in my entire career,” Dowd said shortly after the deal. “That says a lot because I could have moved at some point. So it was de nitely a shock.”
But the shock quickly wore o and Dowd established himself in Vegas—much to the Knights’ bene t. Along with 30-year-old winger Cole Smith, who came over from Nashville days earlier, Dowd has transformed Vegas’ fourth forward line into a strength for the rst time
this season.
The pair has seen a couple di erent linemates next to them, Colton Sissons or Keegan Kolesar, but have brought strong play out of both of them.
Dowd and Smith have shared the ice together almost exclusively and, through their rst six games, they lead all Golden Knights players in advanced metrics like expected-goal percentage and shot share.
It’s a small sample likely to experience some regression eventually, but Dowd and Smith have shown exactly what general manager Kelly McCrimmon envisioned when he dealt for them in exchange for draft picks and prospects.
“It gives Bruce a lot more exibility in terms of how he deploys his forward group,” McCrimmon said. “These are defensive players, but I think this is going to really improve our forward group overall.”
One of the worst fears of the o season trade for superstar Mitch Marner was realized when the Golden Knights were forced to rely almost exclusively on their top six forwards for scoring and logging
crucial minutes. Dowd and Smith haven’t provided much o ense, though the former did lace an assist to Kolesar to start the scoring in a blowout 4-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on March 14.
Sissons has gotten more open looks since their arrivals and has scored twice after the Olympic break while playing on the third line o assists from Braeden Bowman. The rookie Bowman has rediscovered some rhythm from earlier in the season after dropping down the lineup. Smith and Dowd haven’t directly contributed to that uptick, but their presence has allowed more stability with Cassidy feeling less pressure to constantly tinker with di erent line combinations.
They might not have gotten involved in the scoring yet, but that’s not why they were brought to Vegas. They’ve more importantly completed several shifts against other teams’ most dangerous lines—and gotten the best of those stretches for the most part.
The aim is for Smith and Dowd to limit, if not frustrate, whomever they’re on the ice against while ensuring the Golden Knights are never vulnerable and at a major disadvantage.
So far, that’s what they’ve done.
“It’s not a glamorous job, but if you’re a good team, you need people to do that.” Cassidy said. “That’s what we hope to get out of them.”
Forward Nic Dowd has helped shore up the Vegas Golden Knights’ e orts heading into the season’s final stretch.
(Photo by Steve Marcus)
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This year’s unique collaborations demonstrate how fine dining has evolved in Las Vegas
LYOU’VE COME A LONG WAY, FOODIE
THE INCIDENTAL TOURIST
BY BROCK RADKE
ast summer, I finally dined at Alinea. After decades of eating my way through every Las Vegas restaurant that would have me—including the most humble taco shops, the most expensive, palatial dining rooms on the Strip and everything in between—I accepted a good friend’s generous invitation to join his group at the groundbreaking, highly influential Chicago destination, and it exceeded all expectations. We were whisked into the compact, dynamic kitchen for our second course, a mindblowing paella, and when we returned to our table, it wasn’t there. The entire dining room had transformed into a different place. I ate a small, multicolored cube of gelatin that was also, somehow, a Chicago-style hot dog. Another dish was more of an archaeological dig, complete with specific tools instead of knife and fork. My final bite was a balloon made of sour
apple taffy, I think.
The idea of dinner becoming a whimsical, immersive experience may not have been born at Alinea, but its co-founder, the highly decorated chef Grant Achatz, certainly advanced the theory far enough for every other experimental or even somewhat curious restaurant in the country to take notice. To celebrate its 20th anniversary last year, Alinea created a tour schedule for culinary residencies in cities such as Brooklyn, Los Angeles and Tokyo, and it’s wrapping up after one more stop—in Las Vegas.
Bellagio’s Michael Mina restaurant will host Alinea for a little more than six weeks starting on April 16, bringing Achatz and his team’s gastronomic magic to the Strip in one of the most exciting pop-ups Vegas has ever seen.
“Las Vegas has always been willing to think big and take risks. There is a real history here of chefs, operators and teams pushing hospitality forward, not just in scale but in creativity and craft,” Achatz said in a statement. “Bellagio understands how to create experiences that feel both bold and thoughtful, and that makes the resort a meaningful place
Various dishes from Alinea (Photos courtesy/The Alinea Group)
ALINEA LAS VEGAS: 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR
April 16-May 31. Bellagio, 702-693-7111, bellagio.com/alinea
for us to share what Alinea has been building for the past twenty years.”
When he rst opened in Chicago, Bellagio had been open for nearly seven years and already recalibrated the concept of ne dining in Las Vegas. Here, the past 20 years has been about expanding our tastes, bringing more creativity to the casinos, and developing diverse, chef-driven eateries away from the Strip.
And it’s happened. Las Vegas is a fully formed dining destination now: a place where people travel just to eat great food; a place where locals splurge when an extraordinary experience lands on Las Vegas Boulevard; and a place where tourists routinely leave their hotels to explore our disparate neighborhood restaurants.
Our food has never been better and our pro le has never been higher. How do I know? Wynn Resorts, certainly one of the ne-dining standard bearers on the Strip, created its own culinary festival, Revelry, in 2024, and this year announced a partnership with Chef’s Table, the
Emmy-wining Net ix documentary series, that will transform the festival.
“Net ix’s iconic series is known for its ability to highlight the artistry and intention behind the world’s most in uential chefs, and integrating that perspective into the festival allows us to elevate the guest experience in powerful new ways,” Brian Gullbrants, chief operating o cer at Wynn Resorts, said via email. Expect more immersive programming and chef-driven activations at Revelry in September, along with rare access to celebrated culinary talent. “This partnership positions Revelry to evolve into a signature culinary event on a global stage.”
Essentially, everyone wants to play in this space now. Eating and drinking is as big or bigger than any other part of today’s Vegas experience, and it’s also the part local residents are most interested in.
It’s no wonder the Michelin Guide has decided to return to Las Vegas after a 17-year absence. After typically placing a couple of chefs in the James Beard Awards’ Best Chef
Southwest category in recent years, Vegas placed six Vegas chefs in that category this year and eight seminalists in other categories—including the acclaimed Indian restaurant Tamba at Town Square for Best New Restaurant, one of the toughest categories to crack.
It seems to me—still a humble diner, albeit with decades of experience—that we might need to update our claims of being the entertainment capital of the world and/or sports capital of the world. There’s no point in comparing the Vegas restaurant scene with any other city, but it’s inarguable that there’s no other restaurant city like Vegas.
Grant Achatz
WINDOW INTO THE MULTIVERSE
by Eric Vozzola
At 400 feet wide by 40 feet tall, “Multiverse” is the biggest mural ever painted by this local artist—and considering how many Valley walls Vozzola has painted, that’s no small achievement.
BY GEOFF CARTER WITH PHOTOS BY WADE VANDERVORT
From the day it manifested in our dimension, Area15 has o ered one-of-a-kind experiences, retail, dining ... and art. Now, with the recent 20-acre expansion of its campus, Area15’s art o erings have multiplied, and you can enjoy them via a new app-based tour, available at area15.com/experiences/art-quest. But you can also discover the works on your own. They’re kind of hard to miss.
by BARTKRESA
Studio & Joshua Harker
This 12-foot-tall, projection-mapped skull, first seen at Burning Man 2014, greets visitors to Area15’s main building. Its “face” slowly morphs from the natural, to the mechanical, to the fantastical.
MECHAN 11
by Tyler Fuqua
Number 11 is the first robot in Fuqua’s “Mechan” series to stand upright. (“Mechan 9” rests nearby, half-buried in the desert floor.) “Mechan 11” is nicknamed “The Collector,” and he’s picking up trash. Make his job easier, will ya?
SHOGYO MUJO
Area15 's Art Quest, a fun and free walking gallery
by Ken Feldman
MR. FUSION by Henry Chang
Chang’s gorgeous art car, formed of artfully twisted stainless steel tubing, is driveable; it’s got a mighty V8 engine. But it’s fast and furious even when
The biggest “mutant vehicle” ever to ride the playa at Burning Man, Feldman’s Boeing 747 fuselage on wheels comes to Area15 from the estate of late Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh.
parked. comes
BY GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ
If Las Vegas has long been mythologized as a city of reinvention, Neon Lit captures the work-in-progress, giving writers a place to develop their voices before they’re fully formed.
“These are the writers that are working on their first books, on their debut novels,” says Taylor Wright, president of the Neon Lit reading series. “It’s kind of like getting a peek into the future of the Las Vegas literary community.”
Founded in 2009 by UNLV alumna Kathryn Kruse, Neon Lit began without a name, just as a loose gathering of Master of Fine Arts students reading their work to one another, as Wright describes it. By 2010, the series adopted its moniker, and over the past 16 years it’s expanded beyond the university corridors into a broader civic space, drawing audiences hungry for literary community.
with her peers in the program.
“Originally they were just trying to provide a space for the writers in the program to get together and hear each other’s work because we don’t often work with people across the genre,” she says.
“So, a lot of the community within the program didn’t even know what their cohort was writing or working on.”
On April 3, the series returns with a program themed around the beat poetry movement of the 1950s and its jazz counterpart.
NEON LIT READING SERIES
The upcoming reading, held at 11th Street Records and sponsored by Black Mountain Institute, features current MFA and PhD candidates
April 3, 6:30 p.m., free. 11th Street Records, ins tagram.com/ neonlit_lv.
JM Huck, Seth Kleinschmidt, Jordan Barnes and Hüseyin S. Arıkan, each presenting work that remains in progress. Fiction, nonfiction and poetry are drawn from the program that cycles through dozens of writers across a variety of genres.
That evolution is central to Wright’s stewardship. Alongside a committee of student volunteers, she curates lineups, books venues and shapes the series’ tone, which often embraces fun and inviting themes.
As an MFA student, Wright says these readings are integral to staying connected
The evening is framed by UNLV professor Jessica Teague, whose brief talk will examine the Beat Generation’s commitment to poetry as both performance and resistance. That ethos also finds a contemporary corollary in the night’s musical accompaniment. Local jazz musicians Uli Geissendoerfer and Julian Tanaka will improvise on piano, saxophone and clarinet, with the
LITERARY BEAT
UNLV’s long-running reading series
Neon Lit brings writers to the mic to deliver poetry, fiction and nonfiction with a bit of jazz
occasional punctuation of bongos.
Closing the program is Bruce Isaacson, Clark County’s first poet laureate, whose featured set offers a more established counterpoint to the emerging voices that precede him.
Neon’s Lit’s overall objective is both simple and expansive: To create spaces where writers and listeners can encounter not just what local literature is, but what it is evolving into.
ABOVE
Left to right: Hüseyin S. Arıkan, Taylor Wright, JM Huck BELOW
Left to right: Uli Geissendoerfer, Julian Tanaka
Photos courtesy/Mauricio Ortiz Zaragoza
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Amador
Cocina Fina charts a new, unrestrained course
Arrachera on hot stone at Amador Cocina Fina
(Photos by Christopher DeVargas)
BY JIM BEGLEY
A little background on Oscar Amador: The Spanish chef has been one of the Valley’s most highly regarded talents over the past decade. After beginning his career in Barcelona, he first arrived in Vegas to work in Le Cirque’s esteemed kitchen before opening the Boqueria Street food truck with longtime friend Roberto Liendo. Boqueria was the harbinger of Chinatown’s acclaimed EDO Gastro Tapas & Wine, which now houses Amador’s recently opened Amador Cocina Fina.
Amador, Liendo and wine impresario Joe Mikulich opened EDO to great success and followed it with Anima by EDO at the Gramercy— which garnered the chef a pair of James Beard nominations—and La Loba in Seattle. But even with these venues, the limitlessly talented Amador wanted to break boundaries even further, focusing on more intimate, chef-driven experiences.
Amador Cocina Fina unleashes an unfettered Oscar Amador upon the local culinary scene and we’re better for it. Each of his local restaurants has been an amalgam of culinary influences and this is no different. Whereas EDO was Spanish with Asian influences as a nod to the neighborhood, and Anima is a Spanish-Italian hybrid, Amador is more Spanish-Mexican with global infusions throughout.
There are three ways to experi-
ence Amador: a la carte, regular tasting menu ($89) and the Sin Pedir Permiso high-end tasting menu ($135). The latter is the newest option and truly showcases what Amador—the chef and the restaurant—are really about: dining without limitations.
On a recent visit, its culinary explorations included a Brazilian pão de queijo, chewy, cassava-based cheese bread with a crisp crust laden with sturgeon caviar; Spanish toast with even more caviar; a savory rabbit rillette macaron; and a smoked beet tartare garnished with wasabi greens. For adventurous diners, this is the way to go.
But a la carte will not disappoint if you’re looking for a more casual experience. The chile relleno ($18) is the brethren of Anima’s popular eggplant parmesan, each being a deconstructed modern take on a classic. But the resistance offered by the relleno at Amador subtly and superbly differentiates it. Cheesy and chewy, it’s a destination dish. And never pass on the dry-aged fish ceviche ($24) as the aging program is a hallmark here.
An interesting twist to the dining experience is the collection of housemade salsas at each table. No matter how nicely you ask—and I’ve asked nicely!—Amador refuses to provide direction when to use which salsa. Instead, he wants diners choosing their own adventures. My suggestions? The wasabi-laden verde for lighter dishes and seafood, and the crunchy, peanuty cacahuete for everything else. (I actually eat the latter by itself; it’s so addictive.)
Amador just opened in late 2025 but you can feel the staff and kitchen growing more comfortable. Over four visits, the experience has become better each and every time ... and it was pretty spectacular on the first visit. With the Michelin Guide returning to Las Vegas this year, one would hope they set their sights upon Amador. Because even though it’s a newcomer, it’s as worthy of recognition as any other restaurant right now.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: BRASERIA BY EDO FINDS ELEGANCE IN THE OVERLAP
BY GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ
3400 S. Jones Blvd. #11A, 702-268-7318, amadorcocinafina.com. Wednesday-Monday, 4-9:30 p.m.
BRASERIA BY EDO
Geologically speaking, France and Spain have been leaning into each other for centuries like two old lovers pressed together on the map. At Braseria, EDO Hospitality Group’s latest, long-anticipated endeavor, that proximity is rendered edible, a deliberate, indulgent union of flavor, technique and culinary bravado. Making its debut in February at The Collective on Paradise, this luxe eatery feels self-assured, even a touch audacious. The menu, conceived by executive chefs Tayden Poha-Ellamar and Roberto Higuera, the menu reads like a like a cross-border dialogue, France whispering decadence and Spain replying with fire.
3900 Paradise Road #Z, 702-6411345, braseri abyedo.com. MondaySaturday, 4:30-11 p.m.
The cocktails impress. The Low Ride Er ($16) refracts the classic sidecar through passionfruit and Pisco; it’s bright and punchy, almost hedonistic. Hooked on a Feeling ($16) leans aromatic and playful, while the Negative Ghost Rider $12), a non-alcoholic spicy marg, switches things up with a healthy dose of habanero water.
The food is where things become particularly incredible. Hamachi crudo ($24), a must order, is enriched with a buttery foie gras mousse and sauce l’orange. You’ll gawk over the tableside presentation of hand-cut beef tartare ($39). Carted inches from your seat, a suited server gently torches a split slab of bone marrow until it slides out and atop an awaiting circle of beef and egg yolk. It’s then mixed with additional fixings and plated with triangles of cocoa bread. Escargot ($21), reimagined with salchichón and puff pastry, nods toward comfort without abandoning its lineage.
But the star of the show, the must-try dish is undoubtedly the whole Dover sole ($88). Glossed in a yuzu-brown butter, and served with fresh lemon, capers and tiny croutons, this dish tastes like class and solace, bite after bite.
As EDO steadily continues to strengthen its reputation for developing some of the most exciting and daring cuisine in the city, Braseria feels like a natural escalation, sharper, richer and more self-possessed.
AMADOR COCINA FINA
Courtesy
Hokkaido scallop sashimi
BACKSTORY
LAS VEGAS WEEKLY SWEET SUCCESS COVER PHOTO SHOOT | HENDERSON | MARCH 19, 2026
The Henderson Fire Department received a call on a Thursday evening of a fire alarm at an office building. Firefighters arrived and found a small fire on the third floor, caused by a water heater that had overheated and burned up. Fortunately, the sprinkler system stopped it from spreading and triggering other sprinklers in the building—which could have been very bad, considering that the cover photo shoot for this issue of Las Vegas Weekly was taking place there at the same time. Firefighters were surprised to find an immaculate, massive cake replica of T-Mobile Arena, celebrating the venue’s 10th anniversary, lit from above as though it had descended from the heavens. Of course, we shared it to say thanks for saving the day. –Em Jurbala
Photo by Christopher DeVargas
THE WIN! F RE
VIEWING PARTY
APRIL 9 - 12
Tee off into the ultimate golf tournament viewing party on our massive screens. Indulge in traditional fare at genuine tournament prices, sip on refreshing cocktails, soak up the poolside vibes, and revel in all the excitement of golf’s finest event. Swing by and join us for a celebration you won’t want to miss!
APRIL 10 | 8PM
Tee up in style and flaunt your best golf outfit while we toast to golf’s biggest weekend with specialty fairway‑inspired cocktails.
