City Cast Las Vegas

At the end of last year, the Aria closed its buffet and opened up a food hall in its place. And not long after Station Casinos famously (notoriously?) announced that their buffets would never return, their plans for Durango Station, opening this fall, came out — featuring Eat Your Heart Out, a buzzy new food hall… and no buffet.So why are food halls all the rage now, and is this the death knell of the iconic Vegas buffet? Today, co-host Vogue Robinson talks with food influencer Phil Tzeng, A.K.A. Las Vegas Fill, about the rise of food halls, the best ones to visit in Vegas, and where the Vegas buffet is headed.Are you team food hall or team buffet? Let us know on social media (we’re @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram), or leave us a voicemail at 702-514-0719.For more on what’s happening in Las Vegas (and it’s a lot), sign up for our brilliant daily newsletter: You’ll get a curated selection of the Valley’s best events, latest news, and sharpest observations. Sign up here!

Did someone say burlesque baking show?! Vegas entertainers Anaïs Thomassian, Melody Sweets, and Melissa King-Jules aka MsTickle bring us Sweets Spots TV. After performing on the Strip in Absinthe and other Vegas venues for over 7 years, these creators took their live show concept and made it work as a hilarious online series full of talking puppets, flying blueberry pies, and a very evil donut. Co-host Vogue Robinson talks to Melody and Melissa about making your creative dreams come true in Las Vegas.Be the first to see upcoming episodes of Sweets Spot TV by subscribing on Youtube at youtube.com/@sweetsspottv.Have you seen some cool content created in Vegas recently? Share it with us on social media @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram. You can also leave us a voicemail, song, or rant at 702-514-0719.Don’t miss out on all the essential Vegas information in our morning newsletter! Sign up here. 

For today’s roundup of the news, co-hosts Vogue Robinson and Dayvid Figler are joined by contributor Michael “MJ” Lyle, a reporter at the Nevada Current. First up: A recent video of CCSD police arresting several Black students and throwing one to the ground while shouting an expletive went viral — community organizations have since rallied. So what’s at the heart of this recurring tension, and what comes next? Then, the team discusses a GQ profile of Usher that dubs him the “new king of Las Vegas,” and dives into what a Las Vegas residency can do creatively for music artists. And last but not least: A Republican lawmaker wants to stop restaurants from automatically serving you a glass of water when you sit down — under these new rules, you’d only get water on request. So how much of this is sound environmental policy, and how much of it is, well… optics?What do you think about this water bill? Leave us a voicemail at 702-514-0719, or hit us up on Twitter and Instagram.For more commentary, events, and news from locals for locals, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here.

News reports and social media are awash with photos and videos of coyotes roaming the streets of Las Vegas — but why? Are we in the middle of a coyote population boom, is climate change driving them out of their natural habitat, or are we simply moving into the coyotes’ neighborhoods? Today, co-host Dayvid Figler sits down with UNLV wildlife ecologist Dr. David Choate, who explains why we’re seeing all these coyotes, and how much of a threat they pose to people and pets. Plus, he’s got tips on what to do if you run into one.Have you seen any coyote in Las Vegas? How do you think the city should handle them? Leave us a voicemail at 702-514-0719 or hit us up on Twitter or Instagram.Love what you’re hearing? Get even more Vegas news, events, and commentary when you sign up for our brilliant morning newsletter! You can do that right here.

The Vegas Loop is an underground tunnel system connecting the Las Vegas Convention Center halls and two properties on the north end of the Strip by Tesla rides. Elon Musk’s Boring Company got approval from the Clark County Commission in 2021 to expand the tunnels to connect downtown, the airport, and Allegiant Stadium. As construction plans move forward this year, is this private venture a solution to our public transportation issues? And can visitors look forward to this at next year’s Super Bowl? Transportation expert and CityNerd Ray Delahanty breaks down the hype.Share your thoughts about the Vegas Loop with us on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.Stay up to date on all hype-est Vegas projects by signing up for our morning newsletter here. 

Rents are crazy high, evictions are spiking, and now federal rent assistance is scaling back drastically. Today, co-host Dayvid Figler talks with Legal Aid Executive Director Barbara Buckley, who is predicting a “tsunami” of housing insecurity in Las Vegas in the next 60 days — Legal Aid has already seen the number of clients seeking housing advice at their free legal clinic nearly double recently. Barbara says Legal Aid has some “common sense” solutions they’re pushing at the 2023 legislative session, but, as former Speaker of the Assembly, she knows a showdown is likely in store.Are you seeing your rent go up? Are you a landlord trying to navigate the system? Leave us a voicemail at 702-514-0719, or a comment on Twitter or Instagram.For more on what’s going on in the Vegas Valley, from the latest news to the hottest events in town, you’ll want to sign up for our morning newsletter — get that here.

In today’s roundup of the news, co-host Dayvid Figler is joined by lead producer Sonja Cho Swanson and newsletter editor Scott Dickensheets and we’re covering a lot of ground: First up, what the departure of the last Mirage dolphins means for Las Vegas and our particular brand of spectacle (and why keeping cetaceans in the Mojave miiiiight have been not such a great idea after all). Next, we get into the troubling report that Nevada is a childcare “desert,” with one of the lowest rates of access to childcare in the nation. So what’s a state to do — and could “bring your baby to work” programs like the state treasurer’s office is trying out actually work? Last, we’re trying oh-so-very-hard to NOT get our hopes up with reports that a high speed rail line is one step closer to fruition… but what exactly does that mean? Look, we’ve heard it all before, we’re kinda jaded! And to round things things out, we talk about our plans for the three-day holiday weekend — from Pokemon Go at Sunset Park to the Great Backyard Bird Count, all taking place this weekend.How are you figuring out childcare in Las Vegas? Are you holding out hope that we’ll get a SoCal to Vegas high-speed train? Let us know! Give us a ring at 702-514-0719 or leave us a comment on Twitter and Instagram (we’re @CityCastVegas on both).For more fun Vegas events and observations from the ever-brilliant Scott Dickensheets, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here — sign up now, thank us later. And have a great three-day holiday weekend, y’all! We’ll be back on Tuesday.

Nevada lawmakers in DC say they’re on board with President Biden’s new Junk Fee Prevention Act, announced last week, with one exception: The resort fees charged by “our world-class casinos and hotels,” which they say are up front and transparent. But resort fees can double or even triple the nightly cost of a hotel room here in Vegas — and if you’ve heard from any tourists lately, they’re not happy about it. Today, co-host Dayvid Figler talks with longtime casino industry observer Scott Roeben, better known as the author behind Vital Vegas. They talk about how the internet spurred a surge in resort fees, and why Scott has some serious reservations about how their rise could affect our city — for locals and tourists alike.What do you think — are resort fees outta control, or do our hotels need them? Leave us a voicemail or a text at 702-514-0719, or comment on social media: We’re @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram.For more on the latest in Las Vegas, sign up for our brilliant morning newsletter, arriving in your inbox every day at 6 a.m. Nothing like the smell of fresh-baked pixels from the one and only Scott Dickensheets!

Cheyenne Kyle is a classically-trained chef with Strip credentials, a master gardener, and an entrepreneur. But when the pandemic hit, like so many others in our hospitality-centric city, she lost two jobs in one day — helping others find food during that tough time, she says, kept her going. So joining the Obodo Collective, a Black women-led nonprofit, in starting a farm in the historic Westside was a natural next step for her. Today on City Cast Las Vegas, co-host Vogue Robinson chats with Cheyenne about the impact of a farm in a historically underfunded community with limited grocery options.The next gardening class at the Obodo Farm will take place on Sunday, February 26th.Are you gardening this spring? Tag us and @theobodocollective in your pics! We’re @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.

If you’re out here trying to be single and mingle in Las Vegas, we feel for you — it’s not easy, anywhere. But is it extra-hard in our city? After all, we’re a big little town of 2.5 million locals and 42 million visitors every year, and tourists tend to clog up the dating apps. Or is the problem that we’re actually a small town, and you see the same faces everywhere? Today, lead producer Sonja Cho Swanson, producer Layla Muhammad, and contributor Michael “MJ” Lyle discuss the ups and downs of dating in Vegas, our strategies for avoiding tourists and serial killers, and the best places to take first dates when you’re looking for love in Las Vegas.Last but not least, for an extra dash of inspiration, the rest of the CCLV team chimes in with their Vegas love stories — because newsletter editor Scott Dickensheets, and co-hosts Dayvid Figler and Vogue Robinson all met their life partners IRL right here in Las Vegas!Did you meet your partner in Las Vegas? Agree or disagree that dating sucks here? Leave us a voicemail or a text message at 702-514-0719, or leave a comment on social media: We’re @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram.For even more Las Vegas news, events, and fun commentary, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here. It’s the best thing in your inbox at 6 a.m., we promise.