City Cast Las Vegas

Vegas restaurant icon Lotus of Siam put Thai food in our city on the national map — one food critic called it the “bestThai food in North America,” and chef Saipin Chutima has won a James Beard award (which is basically the Grammys of food). When Lotus announced their third location at Red Rock Casino, opening next week, locals rejoiced. The Thai food love doesn’t stop there: We’ve got incredible Thai food in town, and lots of it. But (and look, we’re not complaining)… why?Today, Vogue sits down with Mark Padoongpatt, Director of Asian and Asian American studies at UNLV, and subject of a recent Taste the Nation episode, to get the deets on how the Cold War brought Thai food to America, when Thai food took off in Vegas, and why one of the most popular menu items — pad Thai — was actually invented by the Thai government in the 1930s.What’s your favorite Thai restaurant in town? On a scale of 1 to 5, what’s your spice level? Let us know in a text or a voicemail (we’re at 702-514-0719), or a tweet @CityCastVegas.For even more tasty Vegas news, you’ll want to sign up for our morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter! Dooooo it now!

Sure, we tell folks that we’re “from Las Vegas” when we’re traveling… but how many of us are actually from the city itself? The majority of the Valley lives in either one of the adjacent municipalities (like Henderson and North Las Vegas), or in unincorporated Clark County. So how did we get this weird patchwork of townships and jurisdictions, and how did it set up the city and the county for their many tensions today? Why do celebrities get the “Key to the Strip” and not the “Key to the City,” and how were mobsters involved in keeping the Strip (a Vegas icon!) out of the City of Las Vegas?Today, Dayvid chats with UNLV history professor Michael Green about the last century of Las Vegas (and Clark County) history, and how a city-county showdown brought us to this utterly unique arrangement.Do you have a story like Dr. Green’s, about a time you observed a clash between jurisdictions in the Valley? Or had to explain to out-of-towners why you don’t actually live in Las Vegas? Tell us about it! Leave us a voicemail or a text message at 702-514-0719. Don’t forget, you can also find us on Twitter! Follow us @CityCastVegas.Want even more Vegas news and whip-smart commentary? Make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter!

With Las Vegas’ close proximity to Lake Mead, it is no surprise that the Valley has put some serious thought into addressing the 170 foot bathtub ring that indicates the lake’s decline over the past 20 years. One of the unique steps the Las Vegas Valley Water District and Southern Nevada Water Authority have taken is the use of water investigators — or water cops — to monitor residential water waste around the city. Many of us have probably seen the blue and white patrol car circling our neighborhoods or seen the job parodied on television, but what does a water cop’s day actually look like? Host Dayvid Figler and producer Layla Muhammad hop in the car with outreach and media manager Bronson Mack to see how water cop Cameron Donnarumma does his job.Be sure to check out SNWA’s winter watering schedule, that starts November 1st, at SNWA.com.Have you run into a water cop before? Tell us about your experience by leaving us a message or a text at 702-514-0719 or on Twitter @CityCastVegas.For even more Vegas news, events, and happenings, make sure to sign up for our brilliant morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter!

Happy Halloween! Las Vegas is a fairly young city, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have some (literal) skeletons in our closet, especially on our boulevard of debauchery. Are some of the ghosts of Vegas’ past sticking around to continue the party? Today, host Vogue Robinson talks with Tandi Hornsby, a tour guide from Vegas Ghosts, about the real life stories behind the most haunted properties on the Las Vegas Strip.Where have you seen or felt ghosts in Las Vegas? Tell us your spectral tales by leaving us a voicemail or a text at 702-514-0719. We’re also on Twitter! Follow us @CityCastVegas.Want more Vegas news? Make sure to sign up for our amazing morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter! 

The weather may be cooling down but the news just keeps coming in hot! In this week’s Friday news roundup, lead producer Sonja Cho Swanson tells us how a local pawn shop takes a stand against Kanye West’s anti-semitic remarks, producer Layla Muhammad and host Dayvid Figler explain how Trump supporters are looking for fraud in Nevada’s election process through record requests, and we all debate some fun food news!Do you have strong feelings about the McRib or the cronut? (Or, ya know, election denialism?) Let us know by leaving us a voicemail or a text message at 702-514-0719, or shoot us a tweet @CityCastVegas.Want more Vegas news? Make sure to sign up for our DELIGHT of a morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter. Sign up now, thank us later.

Every year, the Mental Health Institute releases a report on the state of mental health in America. One of the measures looks at the incidence of youth mental illness compared to the availability of quality mental healthcare. And for the last five years, through 2022, Nevada has ranked dead last in youth mental health. Just earlier this month, a U.S. Department of Justice report indicated that Nevada likely broke federal law for putting too many children with behavioral issues into residential care instead of community care (a less intense “middle space” that advocates say is lacking in Nevada).To help us understand why the problem is so bad, Dayvid sits down with Dr. Michelle Paul, a longtime Las Vegan and Executive Director of UNLV’s Practice, a community mental health clinic that just opened a youth-focused satellite clinic last week. They get into the mental health crisis our youth are facing (pre- and post-pandemic), why mental health treatment is increasingly inaccessible, and what policies need to change for it all to get better.What’s your take on the state of mental health care in Nevada? Do you have a story to share? Leave us a voicemail or a text message at 702-514-0719, or find us on the blue bird app @CityCastVegas.Then, do your inbox the biggest favor ever, and make sure to sign up for our brilliant morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter!

On Saturday, high winds brought in roiling dust clouds, grounded hundreds of flights, and forced the organizers of the nostalgia-driven pop-punk festival When We Were Young to cancel their first day. Thousands of forlorn fans wandered the Strip (a few even got tattoos of broken hearts)… until something kinda extraordinary happened. Over the course of a few hours, community members rallied and found spaces for dozens of the cancelled acts to perform, from a barbecue joint to dive bars to downtown casinos. The shows were nearly all free to fans (who’d gotten a full ticket refund), and also brought a windfall to downtown small businesses.Today on the show, Vogue, Dayvid and Layla sit down to talk about what this quick-thinking pivot says about both Las Vegas entertainment culture, and the culture of emo and pop-punk music.Did you get re-routed during WWWY Fest? How did Saturday’s high winds affect your weekend? Let us know by leaving us a text message or voicemail at 702-514-0719, or tweet at us! We’re @CityCastVegas.For even more interesting stuff going on around town, you’re gonna want to sign up for our amazing morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter! Don’t let your inbox miss out.

The November election is right around the corner and if there is any indication of that, it’s the political ads that find their way onto every screen or into our mailboxes — barely regulated, never-ending, irritating as hell. At the only gubernatorial debate we will see this cycle, the Nevada Independent dedicated a whole section to the misinformation in Sisolak and Lombardo attack ads. And they aren't the only candidates from Nevada who were caught spreading lies, misquotes, or exaggerations. Here to guide us through this wilderness of innuendo and manipulation is Review-Journal politics and government editor Steve Sebelius, who talks to host Vogue Robinson about the worn out tactics used in political ads. And get to a crucial question: What is the actual purpose of the political ad?What’s the best/worst political ad you’ve seen this election cycle? Leave us a voicemail or send us a text at 702-514-0719. You can also find us on Twitter @CityCastVegas.Want more Vegas news? Make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter! 

Just when you thought Nevada was swinging blue, we swung right back into the murky middle. All eyes are on Nevada in this year’s elections, where 75% of our house seats are up for grabs, and we have what might be the most hotly-contested Senate race in the country. So — whence all this purple?? Why do we have so many independent voters, and are we witnessing the demise of the Harry Reid Democratic machine?Today, Dayvid chats it up with Jon Ralston, CEO of the Nevada Independent, and one of our favorite Silver State pundits(hey, he used the P-word first). They get into all of the shifting party power dynamics in Nevada, and why Jon thinks there are no certain wins in this year’s race — but make sure to listen to the end for his “canary in the coal mine,” carnage-for-the-Dems-if-they-lose candidate.Want more Vegas news? Make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter! Do you have questions about the election as November approaches? Call or text us at 702-514-0719. You can also find us on Twitter @CityCastVegas 

What did the open hand say to the Nevada State Athletic Commission? SLAP. And then they all unanimously agreed to make it a sport in Nevada! In this week’s news roundup, host Vogue Robinson contemplates auditioning for slap fighting, lead producer Sonja Cho Swanson updates us on a new parking garage downtown that brings on some nostalgia for the days of free parking everywhere, and newsletter editor Scott Dickensheets teases some events from the Las Vegas Book Festival happening this Saturday downtown!Go see Scott IRL at The Las Vegas Book Festival at The Historic Fifth Street School this Saturday. He’ll be in the Empowered Tent at 3:30pm talking about the Las Vegas Writes anthologies. More information here. If you haven’t already, sign up to get his morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter!Are you going to audition to be Las Vegas’ next slap fighting champion? Tell us your thoughts at 702-514-0719 or follow us on Twitter @CityCastVegas.