

City Cast Las Vegas
City Cast
City Cast Las Vegas is a daily podcast and newsletter created by and for locals (and locals-at-heart) that’ll challenge the easy narratives about our city … and, okay, maybe confirm a few of them, too. Las Vegas is a city of reinvention, bursting at the seams as it welcomes newcomers into its various incarnations as a service-worker union town, a military town, a college town, and, most recently, a sports town.There’s a four-mile street testifying to our entrepreneurial genius, not far from pockets of staggering inequality. Great wealth runs through our city, but how much of that actually stays in Vegas? We’re independent in spirit, but also ruled by orange traffic cones. Our 2.5 million residents anchor an ever-changing city of 42 million visitors.Join us every morning for the messy, delightful, complicated conversations that Las Vegans are having: You’ll hear us ask hard questions about where we’ll get our water when Lake Mead runs out, and how we’ll keep housing affordable. We’ll argue over our favorite Chinatown bars, and share insider tips on the best tacos in town. City Cast Las Vegas will show you how loving a city means celebrating it and also holding it accountable, while having some fun along the way—because Las Vegans know how to have a good time.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 3, 2024 • 24min
How Secure is Nevada’s Election System?
Just a couple weeks ago, the Nevada Supreme Court issued a non-decision with potentially huge implications for our elections — they declined to compel Washoe County to certify the results of a June primary recount. It gets a little wonky, but the big question coming out of this is: Does this give Nevada counties free rein to just… not certify any election results they don’t like? What does this all bode for November? Today, co-host Dayvid Figler sits down with Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar for a wide-ranging conversation about election security, the voter ID laws on the ballot this fall, and how we restore faith in our electoral system.Heads up: City Cast Las Vegas members get an extended version of this episode that discusses upcoming legislation, digitalization, translation, and AI in elections. Learn how to become a member at https://membership.citycast.fm/lasvegas Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas.Learn more about the sponsors of this September 3rd episode: Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCASTLooking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Aug 30, 2024 • 32min
School Lunch Showdown, Police Say No to the NFL, and MGM Charges for Human Help
Welcome to our Friday news roundup! After a turbulent week in Las Vegas as the Robert Telles murder trial came to a dramatic close on Wednesday, we are welcoming the three-day weekend with the stories you might have missed. Governor Joe Lombardo responds after Nevada Democrats called him out for vetoing a universal free school lunch measure last year as they bring the issue up again for the next legislative session (don’t miss April Corbin Girnus’s excellent op-ed skewering them both). The Las Vegas police union is pushing back against the NFL’s request to include officers in their new facial recognition policy. And lastly, MGM was exposed for charging $15 extra to book a room with a human over the phone. Co-hosts Dayvid Figler and Sarah Lohman are joined by City Cast Las Vegas executive producer Sonja Cho Swanson to discuss.Learn more about the sponsors of this August 30th episode: Black Mountain InstituteWant to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas.Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Aug 29, 2024 • 23min
Telles is Guilty of Murder. Now What?
One of our city’s most high-profile murder cases has finally come to a close: Almost two years to the day after journalist Jeff German was found stabbed to death outside his home, former Clark County public administrator Robert Telles has been found guilty of his murder. So how exactly did this case come to its conclusion, and what can we learn from its twists and turns? Executive producer Sonja Cho Swanson sits down with co-host Dayvid Figler, a longtime criminal defense attorney, to break it all down.Learn more about the sponsors of this August 29th episode: Black Mountain InstituteWant to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas.Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Aug 28, 2024 • 28min
Your Guide to September in Las Vegas
If you're new here, welcome! We’ve put together a starter pack for you, with episodes and articles to welcome you to the City Cast Las Vegas community.While some cities gear up for a cozy fall complete with scarves and sweaters, in Vegas, we like to call it our second spring. It’s finally time to start getting outside! From food festival hacks to sustainable shopping, in this episode you’ll hear all the tips and tricks you’ll need to make the most out of your September in Las Vegas. Co-hosts Sarah Lohman and Dayvid Figler are joined by writer Brent Holmes to parse through the month’s highlights as the temps slowly come down. If you agree with Brent that it’s “al fresco time,” don’t miss our previous episode about our favorite patio dining spots around town.Learn more about the sponsors of this August 28th episode: Black Mountain InstituteWant to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas.Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads atcitycast.fm/advertise.

Aug 27, 2024 • 21min
The Secret to Making Friends in Las Vegas
Have you ever felt lonely living in Las Vegas? In a recent study of moving and living trends, we were ranked as the 2nd loneliest city in the United States. And just last year, the U.S. Surgeon General called loneliness a public health epidemic, with 1 in 3 Americans feeling lonely every week. No one is immune to feeling lonely — as it becomes a bigger problem across the country, we tackle just one way to combat that isolation: making friends! That can sound like a daunting task, especially for adults. So today on City Cast Las Vegas, the founder of Black Girl Mixer and “friend concierge” Kailah Orr tells co-host Sarah Lohman the secret to making friends in Las Vegas and its surprising health benefits.Have you ever reserved a parking spot for First Friday? Let us know!Learn more about the sponsors of this August 27th episode: Black Mountain InstituteWant to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas.Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Aug 26, 2024 • 21min
Does Vegas Need Universal School Lunch?
As the national debate over free school meals for all students heats up, Nevada Democrats are also putting pressure on Governor Joe Lombardo. The governor vetoed a universal school lunch measure last year, but assembly members have recently submitted a bill draft request to get it back on the agenda in time for next year’s legislative session. Governor Lombardo shot back saying despite his veto, there is still a path for free food for students in need. To break down the issue at its core, we are revisiting a conversation with food justice advocate Kim Foster. She tells co-host Dayvid Figler about the impact free school meals have on Las Vegas families and the pitfalls of our current system for providing food in schools.Learn more about the sponsors of this August 26th episode: Black Mountain InstituteWant to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas.Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Aug 23, 2024 • 35min
The Venetian Goes Union, Curbing Slumlords, and the Best Vegas Sunsets
Completing their infinity stone glove of the Strip, Culinary 226 has announced a tentative union contract with the Venetian and the Palazzo, the last two major casino holdouts on the Strip. So what now? Co-hosts Sarah Lohman and Dayvid Figler are joined by Nevada Current journalist Michael MJ Lyle to discuss. Next up, the team talks about slumlords and a new County proposal that could hold them more accountable, and wraps up with the not-so-surprising “study” that Las Vegas has the 19th-best sunsets in the world. (And correction: it’s actually a well-known fact that our sunsets are first-best.)Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas.Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Aug 22, 2024 • 21min
Is the Vegas Buffet Alive and Well After All?
Dozens of Las Vegas buffets became casualties of the pandemic, but those that remain have found ways to adapt and thrive — even in this era of the rise of food halls. Eater Las Vegas editor Janna Karel spent a week recently eating at every buffet on the Strip, and she joins City Cast Las Vegas co-host Dayvid Figler to talk about the best, worst, and weirdest buffets she tried, and the future of the city’s buffet scene.Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas.Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Aug 21, 2024 • 21min
New Water Cuts Are Here. Is Vegas Okay?
On Thursday, the federal government came out with its annual Colorado River water cuts: To maintain levels at Lake Mead and Lake Powell, Arizona will lose 18% of its allocation, California will lose 7%, Nevada will lose 7%, and Mexico will lose 5%. We’re on a water diet, y’all! But how will this affect Las Vegas? Why are the headlines so confusing, and how worried should we actually be? Co-host Dayvid Figler gets the real deal from environmental reporter Daniel Rothberg.Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas.Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Aug 20, 2024 • 20min
What Happened to Our 24-Hour City?
If any town deserves the moniker of “City Who Never Sleeps,” it’s clearly Las Vegas — city of entertainers, graveyard shift workers, and all the industries that cater to them. But are we losing our 24/7 edge? Co-host Dayvid Figler brings back a conversation with longtime local Brent Holmes about the 24-hour venues we’ve lost, the ones we still have, and why nightlife is the best life.Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas.Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.