City Cast Las Vegas

A billion-dollar lawsuit over a failed satellite city northeast of Las Vegas, which is led by a Lombardo campaign advisor, is headed to trial, and if developers win, it could fundamentally change the way the state regulates water rights. Then, a data center developer near Boulder City found a way around the city's public approval process by pivoting to federal land, which could open the door for m...

Las Vegas has built one of the fastest-growing sports scenes in the country. The Golden Knights arrived in 2017, the Aces followed, then the Raiders came to town and the Athletics are on their way. Now, as Summer League returns to Las Vegas, the NBA is eyeing the valley for one of two expansion franchises, alongside Seattle. But is the city actually ready for the NBA? News 3 Sports Director Bryan...

Las Vegas has gotten in on national protests over the years, but it seems grassroots movements often have trouble gaining enough traction to garner attention for their cause in Southern Nevada. So why is that? Is Las Vegas dissuading massive protests? To answer that question, we sit down with journalist Naoka Foreman and criminal defense attorney Dayvid Figler to dig into the guardrails created in...

The Supreme Court has been busy, and Nevada is feeling the effects. From rulings on transgender athletes to broader constitutional questions, host Jesse Merrick sits down with Nevada Current Deputy Editor April Corbin Girnus and Creative Producer Jacob Solis to break down what the court's latest decisions actually mean for the Silver State. Then, Nevada's November ballot is shaping up to be one of...

The Historic Westside has one of the most significant cultural legacies in Las Vegas, but decades of inconsistent development have left the neighborhood lagging behind while attention and investment flowed elsewhere. That may finally be changing. Host Jesse Merrick sits down with Las Vegas City Councilwoman Shondra Summers-Armstrong to dig into what officials are doing to revitalize the area, what...

See if your Las Vegas knowledge serves you well! In the first-ever Your City Could Be Better trivia episode, City Cast CEO David Plotz goes head to head with journalist and historian Alexandra Petri to see who knows more about U.S. history, geography, and celebrities ahead of the country’s semiquincentennial. Sean McPherson, trivia wiz and City Cast Twin Cities host, leads four riveting rounds of...

Thanks to local authorities, a potential mass shooting was stopped over the weekend at a locals casino in Henderson. The City Cast crew dives into the measures local authorities are taking to protect us from potential threats. Plus, Yvette Fernandez of NPR's Mountain West News Bureau helps us understand how officials across the Mountain West are banding together to improve extreme heat response pr...

Looking to beat the heat or catch some fireworks? The City Cast Las Vegas team has you covered, with not only the best nearby road trips that’ll get you out of the blistering sun, but the best ways to take advantage of some Independence Day deals. Plus, we cover all the best experiences, meals and hidden gems that’ll make the most of July, from burgers to Michelin dining to hiking to outdoor theat...

Nellis Air Force Base – long a fixture at the north end of the Las Vegas Valley – updated its online name this week … kind of. The shift has drawn strong reactions from locals, but as the Pentagon has pushed hard for a “warrior” rebrand, how much does the change matter? Plus, the team digs into the fallout for Las Vegas flyers after Spirit Airlines’ abrupt closure, and the many snubs (and deserved...

Station Casinos is celebrating 50 years of serving locals, and we're marking the occasion by revisiting one of our favorite conversations. Sarah Lohman sits down with Dayvid Figler and Heather Collins of @raisedinvegas to break down the best local casinos in the valley — from Durango to Green Valley Ranch — plus the best deals, free perks, and a tip that could score you a room upgrade for just twe...

Just how good are the sidewalks in Las Vegas? The state of a city’s sidewalks can be a good indicator of how healthy that city is — and pedestrian safety is just the beginning. In Denver, voters approved a new fee a few years ago to fund much-needed sidewalk repairs, and after a lot of back-and-forth, those repairs are finally underway. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Denver podcast...

A Las Vegas youth pastor accused of murdering his wife on a Utah hiking trail nearly 20 years ago died in custody before his case reached trial. Executive producer Layla Muhammad fills in for host Jesse Merrick, joined by Nevada Current deputy editor April Corbin Girnus and creative producer Jacob Solis. They cover that stunning development, Nevada's billion-dollar public lands maintenance backlog...

L.A. may have invented the drive-thru, but Vegas took it to new heights. Whether it's drive-thru weddings, drive-thru betting or drive-thru weed, we've made drive-thrus more than just a food experience. But do all these drive-thrus come at a cost? To dive into that, we're revisiting a conversation Dayvid Figler had with Sarah Lohman and Sonja Cho Swanson, where the three debate the pros and cons o...

The Strip has a lot to offer. After all, more than 38 million people come to Las Vegas every year, so the city is doing a lot of things right. But with tourism slowing down in recent years, it could likely use a refresh. So with that in mind, City Cast Las Vegas host Jesse Merrick, Executive Producer Layla Muhammad and Newsletter Editor Rob Kachelriess offer up their thoughts on what amenities, re...

Are we witnessing the early stages of an insurance crisis making its way to Nevada? With wildfire-related home insurance cancellations and denials on the rise across Clark County, even state regulators are having trouble explaining why. Plus, after a months-long workplace dispute between two Las Vegas city workers ended in a fatal shooting, many are wondering how HR let it get this far. Finally, t...

Summer in Las Vegas hits different. And those temps aren't dropping anytime soon. In fact, Las Vegas is one of the fastest-warming cities in the country. So what are Southern Nevada officials actually doing about it, and is it enough? Jesse Merrick sits down with Nevada Current reporter MJ Lyle and local artist Justin Favela to go beyond the obvious advice and dig into the real conversation around...

Switch wants to expand its data center campus in the southwest valley, and we dig into whether chasing AI infrastructure is good or bad for southern Nevada. Las Vegas just landed its first James Beard Best Chef award in 15 years, so what does Sarah Thompson's win say about the city's food scene? Plus, after the "Wizard of Oz" pulled in $400 million, the Sphere just announced "Rocky Horror Picture...

The World Cup is here, but Las Vegas isn't one of the 11 host cities. At first glance that might seem like a missed opportunity, but the more you look at what FIFA actually demands from it's host cities, the more it looks like Vegas lucked out, by missing out on the World Cup. Jesse Merrick sits down with Creative Producer Jacob Solis to break down why Allegiant Stadium was never going to work for...

The unions who backed Nevada's controversial film tax credit bill just tried to punish the lawmakers who killed it, and voters pushed back. Jesse Merrick breaks down what it means alongside Executive Producer Layla Muhammad and Creative Producer Rob Kachelreiss, plus the trio weighs in on Lisa Vanderpump's splashy Strip hotel debut and a surprising new study that flips everything we thought we kne...

America is gearing up for a milestone birthday this July 4th with 250 years of history to celebrate. But where — and when — does Nevada fit into the picture? Newsletter Editor Rob Kachelriess joins host Jesse Merrick to look at what our region of the country was up to when the Declaration of Independence was signed, how (and why) Nevada joined the United States, and the best Independence Day celeb...

Do you know how many parks Las Vegas has? Residents of Salt Lake County have wondered about their parks for years — that is, until City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta set out to catalog them all. Over the course of two years, she visited all 511 parks in the county, seeking to record their amenities (e.g., bathrooms, playgrounds), write helpful summaries, and track down the people in charge. The...

Nevada's primary election results are in. Host Jesse Merrick breaks down the surprises and results alongside Creative Producer Jacob Solis and contributor Dayvid Figler, plus the trio digs into a big shake-up in the Water Street District and, in a members-only bonus segment, picks apart the LVCVA's latest investment in the Vegas Loop. Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or...

We are now in the thick of peak hot dog season (which is a real thing, we swear!), and what better way to celebrate that than finding the best hot dogs in all of Las Vegas? We’ve got sausages, franks, buns and most important of all: The final word on whether a hot dog counts as a sandwich. Today on City Cast Las Vegas, we revisit a conversation between Dayvid Figler and food writer Brent Holmes to...

Dark money is flooding Nevada's elections, but voters might never know who's really behind the ads saturating their screens. Host Jesse Merrick talks with Eric Neugeboren, politics and data reporter for The Nevada Independent, about the millions in untraceable campaign spending in the primary election and why transparency laws are working against voters who want to follow the money. Want to get in...

Why are Las Vegas car insurance rates among the highest in the country? Today we revisit a conversation contributor Dayvid Figler had with injury attorney Justin Randall, who breaks down the perfect storm of factors driving up premiums: from our transient population and chaotic driving culture to skyrocketing medical bills and expensive car technology. They also discuss practical steps drivers can...