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Las Vegas News

• September 18, 2020 15:42 Lightning Favored in Stanley Cup Finals: The Tampa Bay Lightning are -200 favorites over the Dallas Stars to win the NHL's Stanley Cup. Game 1 is Saturday in Edmonton and will be played without fans in attendance.

• September 18, 2020 12:57 Nevada Deleted from Three States' Quarantine Lists: Nevada is one of six states that have been removed from the COVID-19 travel advisories of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. For the first time since the end of June, travelers from Nevada will not have to quarantine for 14 days after they arrive in the Northeast. In addition to Nevada, Hawaii, California, Minnesota, Ohio, and Maryland have also been removed from the three advisories.

• September 18, 2020 10:11 Lucky Hawaiian Hits Two Jackpots at the Fremont: A Hawaiian woman named Louise, a familiar face at the Fremont, was playing a Buffalo Inferno slot around 8:30 Wednesday morning when she hit a jackpot of $789,062. While she was waiting for her payout, she started playing a nearby (unidentified) machine and hit a $5,000 jackpot. Now that's what we call some fortuitous fate for the Fremont frequenter.

• September 18, 2020 09:12 Police Cracking Down on Scooter Joyriding: Today's Question of the Day deals with a new trend here: People (mostly young) who don't need them are renting mobility scooters for joyriding, often recklessly, on Strip sidewalks -- for example, two people on one scooter or the driver texting while moving, scooters riding side by side, speeding (5.5 mph is the limit for scooters), even using them to commit crimes. Coincidentally, also this morning KVVU-TV, the local Fox station, did a story on the problem and reports that Metro police "will start increasing their enforcement surrounding scooters" and "companies are working with officers to stop young people from renting." In the meantime, it's definitely something to be aware of and watch out for.

• September 18, 2020 08:07 New Jersey Sports Bettors Hit Record Handle: Pent-up demand for sports betting? You bet. New Jersey sports bettors wagered a record $668 million in August, breaking the previous high of $614 million in Nevada in November 2019 and shattering the New Jersey record of $562 million that same month. In August, sports bettors finally had some events to sink their bankrolls into after the lockdown: professional baseball and the hockey and basketball playoffs.

• September 17, 2020 16:29 TNF Browns/Bengals: The Cleveland Browns are -5.5 favorites over the Cincinnati Bengals in tonight's Thursday Night Football game that opens the 2019 NFL season. The total is 44.5.

• September 17, 2020 13:32 U.S. Open Line: Dustin Johnson is the +850 favorite to win golf's U.S. Open. He's followed by Jon Rahm at +1000, Justin Thomas at +1400, and Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy, both at +1600. Tiger Woods is +5000.

• September 17, 2020 13:14 Vegas Bars To Open Sunday: Nevada's COVID-19 Mitigation and Management Task Force has voted unanimously to allow all bars, taverns, breweries, wineries, distilleries, etc. to open in Clark County. They will be allowed to open on 11:59 p.m. Sunday evening, Sept. 20. It's welcome news to bar owners and patrons after those that don't serve food have been closed for 10 weeks after reopening briefly in July.

• September 17, 2020 09:54 Vegas Ties Dry-Day Record: It was way way WAY back on April 20 (in coronavirus time) when Las Vegas received any measurable precipitation (two-tenths of an inch). Today 149 days later, we haven't seen any measurable rain since, which ties the 61-year record for dry days in a row (1959). With a 0%-10% chance of rain forecast for the next 10 days at least, a new record will be set every day for the foreseeable future.

• September 17, 2020 07:49 OYO and Tropicana Reopen: Yesterday, OYO Hotel-Casino reopened, six months minus one day after the shutdown in March and one year to the day after converting to OYO from Hooters. The casino, hotel rooms, and pool area are open, along with Hooters restaurant, open 11 a.m. to 6 a.m. and Splash Cantina opposite hours, 6 a.m. to 11 a.m.; the bars and lounge, Steak ’n Shake, Southside Eatery and of course the showroom remain closed. Today at 10 a.m., next door to OYO on the Strip, the Tropicana reopens. The usual social and sanitizing precautions are in place; the only food options are Starbucks and a limited menu from Trop & Go. The spa and pool are reopening, but valet isn't.

• September 16, 2020 14:05 Racing Machines in Kentucky: Oak Grove Racing, Gaming, & Hotel is scheduled to open on Friday. The $200 million resort will open with four restaurants, an event center, and an odd casino that offers betting on “historical racing machines.” Opponents claim the machines are video slots, which are illegal in Kentucky, but they’ve been cleared by the state. Still to come is a hotel, equestrian center, amphitheater, and RV park.

• September 16, 2020 10:31 Mad Dog Coll Documentary Debuts Tomorrow: Tomorrow evening, the Harlem International Film Festival will present the world premiere of the one-hour-long documentary film In the Footsteps of Mad Dog Coll, based on our book about the the infamous Roaring Twenties New York gangster. The virtual festival will make the film available starting on September 17 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time, with tickets priced at $7.99. You'll have 24 hours to start watching, then another 24 hours to finish the film.

• September 16, 2020 08:35 Don Ahern Fined Again for Trump Appearance: A month after being fined $250 for hosting an Evangelicals for Trump event at his Ahern Hotel (the former Lucky Dragon) and Las Vegas business-licensing officials and Metro police officers stormed the hotel to shut down the Mrs. Nevada beauty pageant for violating social-distancing rules, owner and local billionaire Don Ahern hosted a rally at his XTreme manufacturing facility in Henderson at which an estimated 5,500 people gathered for an appearance by Donald Trump. He now faces a fine of $3,000 imposed by the city of Henderson for ignoring warnings before the event and violating six COVID-19 emergency directives. Ahern said, “My goal was to continue the great American traditions of the right to assemble and to free speech."

• September 15, 2020 11:05 Phones Repaired: The Huntington Press lines are up again, and an hour ahead of schedule. Please give us a call if you tried earlier and couldn't get through.

• September 15, 2020 10:38 Smoke-Free Park MGM the Start of a Vegas Trend?: An article in today's Las Vegas Review-Journal suggests that, while Park MGM will be Las Vegas' first smoke-free casino, it won't be the last. Business reporters interviewed several analysts who make three points: 1) MGM Resorts can absorb any losses incurred by Park MGM becoming a non-smoking casino; 2) whether it's a "transformative trigger" for change up and down the Strip or a temporary measure, the long-term trend toward smokeless casinos, even in Las Vegas, is clear; and 3) what's not clear is how Park MGM will enforce the smoking ban, especially with its high rollers.

• September 15, 2020 09:07 Phones are Down: An area-wide outage has taken our phone service down, leaving us unable to accept or make calls from the office this morning. The phone company is on it and expects service to return by 12:00 pm PST. Please try back then or send an email to [email protected] for immediate service.

• September 15, 2020 08:18 Circa Seeking Dancing Dealers: Yesterday and today, Circa is holding a "casting call" to "audition" prospective employees for its Stadium Swim pool amphitheater. It's looking to hire 100 cocktail and food servers, bartenders, barbacks, assistants, lifeguards, pool hosts, and box-office cashiers. Tomorrow, Circa will interview "high-energy go-go dancers" to be casino dealers. Evidenced by the audition attire, bikinis and face coverings, no dealing experience is necessary; dancers hired will undergo a four- to six-week training program.

• September 14, 2020 18:30 MNF Titans/Broncos: In tonight's second Monday Night Football game, the Tennessee Titans are -3 favorites over the Denver Broncos. The total is 41.

• September 14, 2020 15:15 MNF Steelers/Giants: In the first of tonight's Monday Night Football double-header, the Pittsburgh Steelers are -6 favorites over the New York Giants. The total is 44.5.

• September 14, 2020 12:35 Four Seasons Opens September 25: HotelNewsResource.com reports that the Four Seasons Las Vegas will reopen on Friday September 25. It's the only information we could find about the 424-room hotel-within-a-hotel at the top of the Mandalay Bay tower, but we have no reason to doubt it. Assuming that Four Seasons does open, when Park MGM opens five days later, all MGM Resorts properties in Las Vegas will have returned from the shutdown. Caesars has yet to reopen Planet Hollywood, the Cromwell, and the Rio.

• September 14, 2020 09:28 WNBA Las Vegas Aces Top Seed in Playoffs: The Las Vegas Aces Women's National Basketball Association team secured the number-one seed in the 2020 playoffs with a hard-fought 86-84 win yesterday over the Seattle Storm. Both teams ended their regular seasons with 18-4 records, but the Aces beat the Storm in both meetings this year. The Aces and Storm now get to sit out the first two single-elimination rounds on September 15 and 17. The Aces will start the best-of-five semifinals on September 20. All the games are being played at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

• September 14, 2020 08:59 Circa Gets Out: So much for the giant overlay in the two Circa football contests. As we predicted, a rush of entries at the deadline took both contests over the breakeven point. Circa Million II needed 3,000 entries and drew 3,148; Circa Survivor needed 1,000 and drew 1,390. There's no overlay, but both contests pay out 100% of entry fees and the prize pools were increased accordingly.

• September 14, 2020 07:32 Park MGM To Be Smoke-Free: Rumors circulating for weeks have now been confirmed: MGM Resorts announced this morning that when Park MGM reopens, smoking will be prohibited. An MGM spokesperson told the Associated Press that MRI believes there's a lot of pent-up demand for a no-smoking casino in Las Vegas and that Park MGM has been "prepared for a smoke-free experience." Carpeting and wall coverings have been replaced “to make sure it’s a brand-new experience for the customers walking in that door.” As part of the non-smoking announcement, MRI revealed Park MGM's reopening date, Wednesday September 30.

• September 13, 2020 16:39 SNF Cowboys/Rams: The Los Angeles Rams are and Dallas Cowboys are pick ’em in tonight's Sunday Night Football game. The total is 52.

• September 13, 2020 11:01 U.S. Open Men's Final: Dominic Thiem is a -370 favorite over Alexander Zverev in today's U.S. Open tennis men's final. Both players are seeking their first Grand Slam championship.

• September 13, 2020 08:24 Raiders Play Their First Game as Las Vegas Pro Football Team: The Las Vegas Raiders take on the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, North Carolina, today in the regular-season opener for both teams. it's a significant moment in Las Vegas sports history, even if overshadowed by the pandemic and the fact that no fans will be watching the game at Bank of America Stadium. It's the culmination of the long and winding road the Raiders organization has taken to Las Vegas and Las Vegas has taken to legitimacy as a viable pro-sports city, especially in the eyes of the formerly gambling-allergic National Football League. The Raiders are -3 favorites over the Panthers.

• September 12, 2020 16:32 Waterson/Hill: Angela Hill and Michelle Waterston are pick ’em in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Khama Worthy is -125 over Ottman Azaitar.

• September 12, 2020 12:42 Las Vegas Home Prices Set Record, But Reno's Are through the Roof: Las Vegas home prices hit a new record in August for the median sale price of an existing house: $335,000. It was up $5,000 from the median price in July, itself a record. Meanwhile, in a monthly survey by RealtyHop, a website that caters to real-estate investors, Las Vegas placed 48th out of the nation's 100 largest cities with the least-affordable housing. Reno, however, ranked in the top 20 with the least affordable housing, just behind Denver and San Jose. RealtyHop found that Reno households with an annual income of $52,100 (the median for northern Nevada) needs to spend 47% of their earnings to afford it. The median price of an existing single-family house in Reno is now $439,900, up from $425,000 in January. In Las Vegas, a homeowner earning $53,129 a year needs to spends 34.3% of the income on housing. The federal government's threshold for affordable housing is 30% of income.

• September 12, 2020 10:34 Cowabunga Bay Named USA Today's Top Waterpark: Cowabunga Bay, the jumbo water park near the Galleria Mall in Henderson, has won a USA Today popularity contest for the U.S.' best water park. Readers selected Cowabunga from a list of 20 nominated water parks. The park has nine water slides, four surf and swim pools, the largest lazy river in Nevada, an kids play area with 10 little slides, heated swimming pools, and food and retail concessions.

• September 12, 2020 10:01 U.S. Open Women's Final : Naomi Osaka is a -200 favorite over Victoria Azarenka in today's U.S. Open tennis women's final. Both are seeking their third Grand Slam title.

• September 12, 2020 08:18 Nevada COVID Rates Finally Worth Reporting: We follow the progress of coronavirus cases closely on a daily basis, but haven't written about them for a long time, since there was nothing good to report. Until now. Statewide, a total of 2,094 new positive test results was reported for the week ending yesterday, down 60% from the more than 5,000 cases reported for the week ending on August 14. In addition, the number of deaths attributed to the illness was down nearly 50%, from 125 to 64 month over month. And the number of hospitalizations has declined nearly 60% since hitting a high on July 31. But the best news of all is that the positivity rate, closely watched by health officials and considered the critical metric, dropped by .07% from Thursday to Friday, the heftiest one-day decline in three months (when it went down .1% on June 15).

• September 11, 2020 12:58 Las Vegas Blvd. Closures throughout September: Las Vegas Blvd. will be closed from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sun.-Thurs. for the next three weeks between St. Louis and Bob Stupak avenues, as work continues on the gateway arches to downtown. Though the Boulevard will be closed for only one long block from the south to the north ends of the Strat property, if you're traveling between the Strip and downtown, you will be delayed and detoured. Downtown's new gateway consists of a pair of 80-foot tall decorative and illuminated arches that cross over the Boulevard with a sign hanging from the top reading “City of Las Vegas.” It's being built by YESCO for $6.5 million; the sign company is installing wiring, finish sheet metal, and the sign itself overnight, requiring the road closures.

• September 11, 2020 11:18 Contest Weekend: If you want to play one of the pay contests, you have only a couple days till the deadlines. There are hardly any free contests this year, but a few are running. Get the details on both the pay and free options in our football contest listings.

• September 11, 2020 10:14 Reno Bars Can, Vegas Bars Can't: At their weekly Thursday meeting, the state’s COVID-19 Mitigation and Management Task Force ruled that bars, including taprooms and breweries, in Washoe and Nye counties will be allowed to reopen as early as next week. However, citing ongoing elevated cases of coronavirus and a high positivity rate (11.2%), the task force disallowed Clark County bars from reopening. The bars in Elko County (12.6% positivity rate) in northwestern Nevada are also not allowed to reopen yet.

• September 11, 2020 07:55 Park MGM To Reopen in October: A statement issued by MGM Resorts announcing the reopening of MGM's Empire City casino in Yonkers, New York, on September 21 also indicated that Park MGM would reopen "within the next 30-45 days." That means it could open as early as October 9 and as late as the 24th, if the announcement holds true. When Park MGM opens, the Four Seasons at Mandalay Bay will be MRI's only domestic property that remains closed.

• September 10, 2020 16:47 TNF Chiefs/Texans: The Kansas City Chiefs are -9.5 favorites over the Houston Texans in tonight's Thursday Night Football game that opens the 2019 NFL season. The total is 53.5.

• September 10, 2020 13:20 Spring Broadcasters Convention Postponed Till Fall: One of the largest conventions of the year in Las Vegas, the National Association of Broadcasters, has been postponed. Its annual scheduled in April has been moved back to October 9-13, due to uncertainty about the recovery from the pandemic.

• September 10, 2020 10:35 Football Enthusiasm Low, Betting Enthusiasm High: According to a new survey by the American Gaming Association, enthusiasm for the NFL football season that starts tomorrow (Texans vs. Chiefs, 5:20 p.m. PT) is somewhat subdued: 42% of American adults claim they're less excited about this season than last, citing "increased political activism around the league (36%), absence of fans in stadiums (19%), and inability to gather with friends to watch games (17%)" as the main factors contributing to their reduced interest. However, the survey estimates that 33.2 million adults will bet on NFL games this year, with at least 20% (6.6 million people) placing their bets at legal sports books, up from 18% last year; 34% (11.3 million) will place a bet through legal and illegal online platforms, up from 29%; 18% (6 million) will wager with a bookie, either in person or via a mobile platform, up from 12%; 26% (8.6 million) will bet casually through pools, fantasy contests, and squares, down from 31%; and 50% (16.6 million) will bet casually with friends, family, or coworkers, down from 53%.

• September 10, 2020 09:40 Sports Betting Bonanza: As a result of the pandemic-caused season interruptions and restarts, for the first time ever all four major sports are playing games today, including the opening of the NFL season. There’s also a college football game, a PGA tournament, U.S. Open tennis, WNBA, soccer, NASCAR, and probably a ping pong tournament somewhere. And it’s Thursday! The books should be jamming with all the action, not to mention the rush of deadline football-contest sign-ups.

• September 10, 2020 07:32 LINQ Opens: The LINQ's 2,250-room hotel opens today, two months after the LINQ casino opened on June 12. Stays will be limited to weekends, at least at first. That leaves the Cromwell, Planet Hollywood, and Rio as the three Caesars Entertainment hotel-casinos that remain completely shuttered.

• September 09, 2020 13:08 NFR Moves to Dallas: The National Finals Rodeo will take place this December as scheduled, but not in Las Vegas. Instead, NFR is moving temporarily to the brand new Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, home of the Texas Rangers baseball team. The PRCA’s contract to host NFR in Las Vegas runs through 2024.and it's likely that it will be extended through 2025 due to this relocation this year. But it doesn't help this year; losing the rodeo is another major blow to the Vegas 2020 economy. But holding the event without fans was going to cost the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association too much money (a major portion of ticket sales go toward the prize pool).

• September 09, 2020 10:24 Station Casinos Puts Reno Properties on the Market: Station Casinos has listed for sale the last two pieces of real estate it owns in Reno: an 89-acre vacant lot near the junction of Virginia Street and Mt. Rose Highway in south Reno and eight acres near the Reno-Sparks Convention Center where, in 2005, Station announced a plan to build a $500 million 900-room hotel-casino. Though the company looks to be raising capital in an effort to stem the coronavirus impact on its balance sheet, Station also has a nearly 20-year history of fits and starts concerning its Reno real estate portfolio.

• September 09, 2020 07:42 Monorail Files for Bankruptcy: The Las Vegas Monorail Company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, part of the grand plan to be taken over by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. The 3.9-mile electric transit system, which cost upwards of $650 million to launch in 1995, fetched $24.26 million from the LVCVA. The monorail shut down in mid-March and hasn't reopened, and it's unclear what the LVCVA plans to do with it. It could keep it mothballed, start it up again (with strict capital limits placed on the use of taxpayer money), or tear it down. Our prediction: It will be torn down. The LVCVA wanted to control the non-compete clause built into the Monorail's operating agreement, given that it's put its weight behind the Boring Company's underground people mover. In addition, Bombardier, the company that built the rolling stock, has discontinued the cars, so the system will be obsolete in no more than 8-10 years.

• September 08, 2020 10:06 Shootings Pool Not Cool: A bar in Long Island, New York, is under investigation for offering betting squares on the number of shootings there would be in New York City and Chicago over the Labor Day weekend. This one probably won’t go well for the bar. Even though bars in New York aren’t licensed to conduct gambling, the authorities often look the other way, but they aren’t likely to do that on this one.

• September 08, 2020 09:57 Heat Records Set All Over the Place: The results are in and the heat wave over the weekend broke a doozy of a record. The high on Sunday was the hottest temperature ever recorded in September: 114 degrees, a full four degrees hotter than the previous record of 110 set in 1955. The day before, Saturday's high hit 112 degrees, breaking the record for the day of 109 set in 1977. Sunday also shattered records around southern California; the high of 125 in Death Valley was six degrees hotter than ever before (119 in 2017). Yesterday's high was "only" 106, two degrees below the record set in 1955. A brief cold front is moving through the area; the high today is expected to squeak into the 80s and tomorrow and Thursday will be similarly cool before the thermometer starts to climb back up to triple digits over the weekend.

• September 08, 2020 07:47 I-15 Backed Up More Than 20 Miles Monday Afternoon: In a traffic jam reminiscent of pre-shutdown Vegas, motorists returning to southern California after the long holiday weekend caused a 22-mile stop-and-go situation from the agricultural checkpoint just inside the California state line all the way back to just south of the city. The worst of it was at 1:30 p.m.; it had shrunk to around 14 miles around 5:30 and eight miles by 7:30. The Nevada Highway Patrol aggressively went after people trying to skirt the traffic by driving on the shoulder; one shoulder driver hit a tow truck on the shoulder.

• September 07, 2020 17:22 BYU/Navy Line: In tonight’s unofficial start of the college football season, BYU is a -1.5 favorite over Navy. The total is 48.5. Note: this line was posted with the game in progress.

• September 07, 2020 11:48 Labor Day: It’s not a typical Labor Day with specials and promos prevalent, but the expected visitor boost appears to have materialized. Large crowds have been reported both downtown and on the Strip. The downside is concern that the bigger crowds might lead to a spike in positive COVID-19 tests, which has been the case after long weekends earlier this year. City officials continue to hammer home the need to enforce and follow safety protocols.

• September 07, 2020 10:21 Mirage-TI Tram Back in Action: The first Strip tram has begun operations since shutting down six months ago. The short hop between the Mirage and Treasure Island is running again, though with somewhat reduced hours (noon to 9 p.m. Sun.-Thurs, till midnight Fri. and Saturday). All the other track transportation systems on the Strip -- between Bellagio and Park MGM, which remains closed; Excalibur to MBay; and the Monorail) remain closed.

• September 07, 2020 08:14 Seven-Card Straight Flush Takes Down a Half-Mil: On Saturday night, a Pai Gow Poker player from Connecticut was dealt a seven-card straight-flush (the 4-10 of diamonds with one wild card) at Paris to win $552,282. The player said that the winnings will be invested in a retirement account.

• September 06, 2020 13:29 Usher's Residency Will Be at Full Capacity: Las Vegas Review-Journal entertainment columnist John Katsilometes reports that the 12-date residency by Usher announced yesterday will fill the Colosseum at Caesars. Tickets for all 4,300 seats in the theater will be sold starting Thursday, an indication (or at least wishful thinking) that Caesars is optimistic about hosting closely packed crowds in 10 months (the residency starts on July 16). Kats also notes in today's column that the Reba and Brooks and Dunn residency is selling tickets for December and Sting's residency is still scheduled to start in January. He comments, "Both residencies, right now, seem ambitious, considering there is no time line for ticketed shows to reopen."

• September 06, 2020 10:20 Allegiant Stadium Will Not Accept Cash Money: Allegiant Stadium will be the first venue in American pro-sports history that will not accept cash as a form of payment at any stadium-controlled location, including parking and within the stadium. When fans are allowed inside (as of now, starting sometime next year), they will have to pay for merchandise, food and beverage, and services with debit and credit cards or mobile wallets, such Google, Apple, and Samsung Pay. Numerous kiosks around the stadium will be available for fans to exchange cash for prepaid cards. Cutting out cash, it's believed, will increase the speed of service and cut down on waiting times in line.

• September 06, 2020 09:51 VGK Favored in Conference Finals: The Vegas Golden Knights are -260 favorites over the Dallas Stars in the NHL Conference finals. The Golden Knights are also the +140 favorites among the remaining four teams to win the Stanley Cup. Check out our "Knights on Ice" blog for background and game-by-game summaries.

• September 06, 2020 07:53 Southwest Adds a Route to Palm Springs: Southwest Airlines has announced nonstop flights from McCarran to Palm Springs, which will launch before the end of the year, based on approval from the Federal Aviation Authority. The direct flight will be a relief for commuters. Currently, the 180-mile trip, which will take approximately 30 minutes gate to gate, now requires at least three hours (with a 40-minute layover in Phoenix) and can take up to 13 hours (with a seven-hour layover in Dallas). Southwest has also announced nonstop flights to Miami, which pending approval will also begin by the end of the year.

• September 05, 2020 16:56 UFC Overeem/Sakai: Alistair Overeem is a -180 favorite over Augusto Sakai in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Alonzo Menifield is -155 over Ovince Saint Preux.

• September 05, 2020 12:51 Usher Announces Residency: Usher, the eight-time Grammy Award winner, songwriter, dancer, actor, and businessman, announced on "Good Morning America" yesterday that he'll launch a residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace starting on July 16, 2021. He'll play eight dates in July (16, 17, 21, 23, 24, 28, 30, and 31), three in December (28, 29, 31) and one on New Year's Day 2022. The shows in the 4,300-seat theater will be a departure for Usher, who usually plays arenas. Tickets will go on sale to the public Thursday (Sept. 10) at 10 a.m. PT; prices haven't been revealed. It's the first new residency announced since the shutdown; here's hoping it happens.

• September 05, 2020 10:49 Kentucky Derby Odds: The current odds for the Kentucky Derby make Tiz the Law the favorite at 5-8, followed by Honor A.P. at 5-1 and Authentic at 8-1. The long shot is Winning Impression at 100-1. Due to the pandemic schedule shuffling, for the first time, this is the second race in the Triple Crown series.

• September 05, 2020 10:44 TI Sports Book Opens: After a major remodel, the Treasure Island big new sports book has been relocated and expanded and is now open. The old book was small and sedate, tucked away in a corner of the casino, while the new book is five times the size and centrally located. Note that the Treasure Island sports betting app hasn't returned after being discontinued when the casinos closed in March. If you have any money in a TI app account, it's recommended that you withdraw it all.

• September 05, 2020 07:24 Circa Sports Migrates South: Circa Sports will expand beyond downtown for the first time next year when it opens a satellite sports book at Tuscany. It looks like Tuscany will not only rebrand its existing sports book into a Circa book, but will also move it to a different location; it's expected to open by March 2021. It will be Circa's fourth location after the D, Golden Gate, and Circa itself. Circa Sports also has a sports betting app available to anyone located in Nevada.

• September 04, 2020 17:31 Golden Knights/Canucks Game 7 Line: The Vegas Golden Knights are -220 favorites over the Vancouver Canucks in tonight’s deciding Game 7 of their second-round series of the NHL playoffs. The goal total is 6.

• September 04, 2020 10:25 Letty's Opens in Old El Sombrero: A new Mexican restaurant opened yesterday in the building at 807 S. Main Street that hosted the El Sombrero for more than 50 years. Letty's is owned and operated by local chef Leticia Mitchell, who also has a Leticia’s Cocina at Fiesta Henderson (currently closed) and has had two other restaurants in the city over the years. Letty's isn't a full sit-down restaurant. Instead, it's fast-casual for three meals, serving Mexican oatmeal, chilaquiles, and huevos rancheros for breakfast and street corn, tacos, tortas, and enchiladas for lunch and dinner. It's open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, till 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

• September 04, 2020 07:26 Wynn Buffet Shuts Down: The Wynn announced yesterday that it will close its buffet until further notice after dinner on Monday. According to a spokesperson, the decision was based on negative feedback from patrons about the reimagined buffet experience (which was more like a sit-down restaurant than a traditional buffet). That leaves just two buffets in Las Vegas, at the Cosmopolitan and South Point. The Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace was supposed to open last month, but that's been postponed indefinitely.

• September 03, 2020 15:49 Bars No, Counters Yes: Nevada’s COVID-19 Mitigation and Management Task Force announced today that the Las Vegas bar restrictions will remain in place for at least one more week. Restrictions on restaurant counter tops, however, will be rescinded as of September 9, so you'll be allowed to sit at sushi bars, diners, and other restaurants with seating at bars that don’t have gambling machines. The delay until next Wednesday on the counter top ruling means that restrictions on all bar seating will remain in place through the Labor Day weekend.

• September 03, 2020 12:54 Henderson Takes a 90-Day Breather on New Short-Term Rentals: The Henderson City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to take a vacation from granting licenses for short-term vacation rentals in the city limits. Responding to numerous complaints from residents about excessive noise, traffic, trash, and strangers, Henderson is reconsidering its regulations for vacation rentals in its jurisdiction. Existing rentals are grandfathered, but no new applications will be approved for at least 90 days. Coincidentally, LVA.com is currently conducting a poll on short-term home-shares, such as Airbnb and VRBO. Click and vote!

• September 03, 2020 10:16 Consecutive 100-Degree Days Fall Just Short of Record: Tuesday's high of 98 degrees ended a 61-day streak of triple-digit temperatures, falling five days short of the record of 66 days, set in 1944. Wednesday was back above 100 and another heat wave is on the way, with temperatures of up to 110 through Labor Day weekend.

• September 03, 2020 08:09 Area15 To Debut on September 17: Area15, the epic new-age art, entertainment, retail, dining, and event space right off I-15 in a big black building, will open two weeks from today, September 17. The entire complex won't be accessible and we don't know which parts will (we understand that 40,000 of the 200,000 total square feet will open), but it'll be the first time the public will be allowed inside since the installation was announced in 2018. You can read a description of Area15 in a QoD we ran about it this time last year.

• September 02, 2020 12:49 Virgin Unveils Its Food and Beverage Program: Virgin Hotels Las Vegas (formerly the Hard Rock), which is scheduled to open in November, has announced its complete lineup of restaurants and bars. The big names are Todd English's Olives, late of Bellagio (it was replaced a couple years ago by Spago); Nobu and MB Steak (two returnees from the Hard Rock); and Night + Market, a Thai street food restaurant with five locations in the L.A. area. Money, Baby! will be the sports bar with an outdoor patio overlooking the pool area. Casa Calavera is the Mexican eatery, while Pizza Forte will serve everything from slices to Italian entrees. Kitchen at Commons looks like a fancy 24/7 coffee shop, while Funny Library will be the coffee bar. Afters Ice Cream will be familiar to southern Californias (with 28 locations). Kassi Beach Club will be a Continental restaurant and an ultra-lounge at the pool and the other announced bar is the ultra-British Shag Room.

• September 02, 2020 10:04 Veterans Day Parade Canceled: The 25th annual Veterans Day parade, supposed to take place downtown on November 11, has been called off. The parade has been a major event in Las Vegas since 1995 and is now considered the largest Veterans Day parade west of the Mississippi. The 2019 parade featured more than 5,000 marchers, with thousands more lining the sidewalks. But that's impossible this year.

• September 02, 2020 07:39 Trump Plaza to Bite the Boardwalk: After a couple year’s delay, work has begun on the demolition of Trump Plaza. The property has been fenced off and preparations are being made for an implosion expected to take place early next year. The building, owned by Carl Icahn, has been shuttered since 2014.

• September 01, 2020 16:29 LVCVA To Acquire the Monorail: It's been rumored for a month or so and the buildup to today's vote by the board of directors of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority was believed to be a foregone conclusion. And it was: The LVCVA will buy out the Monorail for a price not to exceed $24.26 million. It's a complicated deal that involves the Monorail declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy and going to auction. We'll fill in the details as they become available.

• September 01, 2020 10:38 Labor Day Weekend: Vegas Rises as Other Destinations Drop: According to a report by travel-planning app TripIt, Las Vegas is Americans' number-one destination for the Labor Day holiday weekend. TripIt's data show that Sin City has the most round-trip flights originating in the U.S. of any city in North America, outpacing Orlando, Cancun, and other popular destinations, such as Denver and Chicago, which placed first and second last year. Chicago, Hawaii, and New York, among others, have travel restrictions in place, mandating quarantines for visitors from a long list of coronavirus hotspots. Las Vegas doesn't. In addition, room rates reflect the demand; a survey by the Las Vegas Review-Journal indicates that they're up around 100% compared to a weekend in mid-August, with rooms at Caesars and the Wynn coming in at $499.