City Cast Las Vegas

Graduation season is upon us! We’re starting to see high schoolers and college grads descending on scenic spots around Las Vegas to take portraits — sometimes with elaborate additions to their stoles, gowns, and mortar board graduation caps. In fact, decorating grad caps is a fairly recent tradition that Dr. Sheila Bock, a folklorist at UNLV has been studying. She and co-host Dayvid Figler talk about why the messages on grad caps (even the silly SpongeBob ones) are so significant, why cultural expression is particularly important for some communities at commencement, and whether graduation regalia can go too far. They also get into the debate over AB73, a bill being discussed right now, which would allow high schoolers the same graduation garb permissions that university students in Nevada currently have.Have you worn special attire to a graduation ceremony, or know someone who has? Tell us how and why (or why you didn’t) by dropping us a line at 702-514-0719. You can leave us a voicemail or send us a text. And don’t forget that you can also follow us @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram.Last but certainly not least, make sure to sign up for our amazing newsletter. Written and curated by beloved local journalist Scott Dickensheets, it’s a daily dose of news, events, and delightful commentary in our inbox every morning at 6 a.m. Sign up here.

The A’s have just signed a binding agreement to purchase land for a new stadium near Tropicana and Dean Martin. Does that mean they’re really coming to town? And how do we feel about that? On today’s news roundup, co-hosts Vogue Robinson and Dayvid Figler sit down with lead producer Sonja Cho Swanson to talk about the Oakland-slash-Vegas A’s, a controversial HOA bill being debated in the legislature (and the problem with HOAs), and what happened when the Animal Foundation was called before the County Commission this Tuesday. Last but not least, we play the messages you sent us about human composting (surprise, not everyone agrees!). Pull up a chair and a bag of popcorn, friends — this week is all about the drama.How do you feel about the A’s coming to town? Leave us a voicemail or a text (702-514-0719), or tag us on social media — we’re @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram.Love what you’re hearing? Get even more of this Vegas-y goodness with news, events and commentary in our morning newsletter here.

Cooking with cannabis has moved beyond the college dorm weed brownie. Today on City Cast Las Vegas, co-host Vogue Robinson sits down with Veronica Marquez, AKA Chef Vee, a Cordon Bleu-trained private chef who creates cannabis-infused fine dining feasts for celebrity clients — we’re talking clams stuffed with cannabis aioli, scallops basted in cannabutter, and steaks with CBD-laced chimichurri sauce. Chef Vee shares hilarious stories from the world of high dining, gives home cooks some tips for infusing, and talks about how her meals are breaking down the stigma of who cannabis consumers really are.Do you have strong feelings about cannabis-infused cooking? Love it or hate it, we’d love to hear from — leave us a voicemail or a text message at 702-514-0719. Don’t forget, we’re also on social media and you can always tag us there, too! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram.For more Las Vegas news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here.

Artificial intelligence has arrived in Las Vegas, and it’s here to stay. Both Resorts World and the Cosmopolitan already use A.I. chatbots with friendly names like “Rose” and “Red” to answer guest queries about where to go and what to do. There’s even a laser-eyed robot bouncer on the Strip. But how will A.I. evolve, and will it take over our city’s legendary hospitality industry? Could A.I. make gambling even more addictive? Are the A.I.-enhanced robots going to replace us all? Geoff Carter, senior editor at the Las Vegas Weekly, asked those questions in a recent cover story that he discusses with co-host Dayvid Figler. Don’t miss the end of the episode, in which we pit Geoff’s Vegas cred against ChatGPT — the last question threw us all for a loop.Are you worried about A.I. in Las Vegas? Or excited about it? Let us know what you think by tagging us on social media (we’re @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram) or leaving us a voicemail or a text at 702-514-0719.Oh, and if you’re not signed up for our brilliant morning newsletter yet… whatcha waiting for? Get on the list for the best thing in your inbox every morning at 6 a.m. — sign up here.

The two most common legal options for funerals in Nevada (the traditional burial and cremation) are not the most environmentally friendly. That could change with a bill currently being debated in the Nevada Senate for a greener option: natural organic reduction, or human composting. Assemblyman Max Carter II tells lead producer Sonja Cho Swanson about the issues with current burial options, how natural organic reduction can help the environment, and what made him want to sponsor the bill.Would you want to be planted under a tree? Let us know your thoughts on natural organic reduction, or what kind of tree you'd want to become, at 702-514-0719. We’re on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram to join the conversation. Sign up for our morning newsletter here to stay engaged with all the latest community news, chatter, and hot takes. 

The dams built along the Colorado River some hundred years ago paved the way for Western cities to boom. Las Vegas wouldn’t exist without Lake Mead, our nation’s largest reservoir. But these dams came with a cost: environmental impact, cultural loss, and fraught political battles.So as Western states stare down a deadline for figuring out our Colorado River allocation, we gotta ask: Was the creation of Lake Mead… a mistake?Today, co-host Dayvid Figler sits down with UNLV hydrology professor David Kreamer to talk about the mistakes we made when damming the river first started, the salty agricultural mayhem the dam created downriver, and what needs to change if we’re going to keep Lake Mead, after all.We’re on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.Want some more Las Vegas news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here. 

It’s one of the more hotly-debated legislative items this session: Nevada is one of just five states without a lottery. We already have gambling, so what’s the big deal? In today’s news roundup, co-hosts Vogue Robinson and Dayvid Figler along with newsletter editor Scott Dickensheets break it all down, and debate the pros and cons of a lottery in our state. They also discuss the MSG Sphere’s upcoming launch (and what they’d actually want to see in the sphere). And last but not least, we ask why Vegas was recently ranked the country’s sixth-best city for weed, below Buffalo, NY and Baltimore, MD (yes, the concentration of Taco Bells was a metric in this highly-scientific ranking).Are you excited enough for the MSG Sphere to score a $200+ ticket? Tell us your thoughts on the newest addition to our skyline on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719 and let us know if you’d vote yes or no to the lottery in Nevada.Don’t forget to sign up here for our morning newsletter to stay up to date and engaged with your wittiest neighbor Scott! 

Many of the foods we think of as quintessentially Filipino (chicken adobo, lumpia, and pancit) are actually the result of centuries of colonization and cultural influence from Spain, China, Malaysia, and even the U.S. So what exactly makes Filipino food… Filipino? That’s the question driving Walbert Castillo, creator of the brand-new Filipino pop-up series Istorya — along with chef Catherine Carlucci and a team that includes culinary historians and cultural advisors, Istorya is peeling back the layers of history. Their first meal in the series, which is popping up on April 25th, explores pre-colonial Filipino ingredients and techniques, which includes tuna, ube, activated coconut charcoal, and a very special “dinosauregg”-shaped block of salt. And, as Walbert tells lead producer Sonja Cho Swanson, it turns out that Las Vegas is the perfect ground zero for this Filipino food movement.We’re on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.Want some more Las Vegas news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here. 

Many Vegas natives wouldn’t think gardening in our climate makes a lot of sense, but as our spring weather finally evens out and we spend more time outside, you may be glad to hear that gardening is possible for us! As our city grows and apartment living gets more common, our co-host Vogue Robinson asks Cheyenne Kyle, master gardener at the Obodo Collective, how to start a spring patio garden for any small space. From planting a watermelon in a bag to transitioning your garden for the summer, Cheyenne has all the Vegas planting tips you need to keep your plants alive.Let us know what else is on your mind this spring on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.Want some more Las Vegas news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here. 

When Jordan Clark saw an e-bike in the lobby of his hotel a few years ago, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to ride it. At 330lbs, he wasn’t doing much cycling. One ride later, and he was hooked. Today, Jordan is 245lbs and now owns several e-bike stores in the Valley — and he’s not just an enthusiast, he’s an evangelist. As Jordan points out, people with limited mobility like the elderly and infirm can tackle rides that they wouldn’t have otherwise. But not everyone is happy about e-bikes and how fast they can go. Today on City Cast Las Vegas, Jordan and co-host Vogue Robinson chat about how e-bikes can offer accessible cycling, the debates around e-bike regulation, and where to hit the trails around Las Vegas.Are you an e-bike enthusiast? Adamantly opposed to their presence on the trails? Let us know what you think: Tag us on social media (@CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram) or leave us a text or a voicemail at 702-514-0719.Want more Las Vegas goings-on-about-town? Then make sure to sign up for our amazing morning newsletter here!