Daily Archives: June 6, 2021

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) Drive down the Las Vegas Strip or go to any casino in town this weekend and you will likely see crowds like we haven't seen since before the pandemic.

Friday begins the city's first weekend at 100% capacity.

SIMILAR: Fortress at full capacity for Friday Vegas Golden Knights's game

Pandemic-related restrictions were lifted across Clark County on June 1 and hotels, restaurants and other businesses are smoothly adjusting to their pre-pandemic ways.

"We've constantly been training and hiring staff, bringing staff that has been off for all this time back, to get restaurants open," said Stephen Thayer, vice president and general manager of the Strat hotel-casino.

The Strat is one of several casinos that have been at 100% capacity for a few weeks now, receiving the green light from the Nevada Gaming Control Board before the county's full reopening.

"It feels like Vegas used to at this point," he said. A feat that took almost a full year to accomplish.

"It's been an interesting journey through this year," said Thayer. "A lot of highs and certainly a lot of lows, but we're excited to be at this point."

On Friday, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority announced a massive fireworks show over the Las Vegas Strip for the Fourth of July, similar to the one that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to the valley for New Years Eve.

RELATED: Room rates boom ahead of epic Vegas Strip fireworks show

We won't be closing the Strip, so the Strip will be open, and when the fireworks show kicks off at 11 o'clock, you'll be able to see it from any place in the city, said LVCVA Vice President of Marketing and Sales Fletch Brunelle.

Thayer says the Strat couldn't be more delighted to be part of the celebration and it is already getting ready for the event.

We're following all the guidelines and making it as safe as possible for everybody and we think that Las Vegas, in general, is a very safe place to be, said Thayer.

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Las Vegas begins first weekend at 100% capacity since pandemic restrictions took effect - KTNV Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) Las Vegas and Nevada are now open for business without capacity limits or social distancing requirements but a pandemic problem persists and finding willing workers to apply for open positions remains a struggle.

For months, small and large businesses have reported the number of willing applicants for open jobs has been very low.

Las Vegas has seen a large increase in visitation in the past several months and that trend is expected to increase, according to economists.

"Now we have the challenge of getting new employees, we have plenty of positions open if people are looking for a great place to work. It's a great team to work for," said Adam Wiesberg, general manager of El Cortez Hotel & Casino in downtown Las Vegas.

RELATED: El Cortez hotel-casino in downtown Las Vegas turns pandemic pause into renovation opportunity

The El Cortez Hotel & Casino has several open jobs currently posted from apprentice bartenders to valet drivers.

"Our employees and our guests were so supportive of us getting through this together, we had our complaints and we had our issues, but the pride I have in the El Cortez team these employees, and we were fortunate enough to be able to keep pretty much all of our employees employed...now we have the challenge of getting new employees," said Wiesberg.

Part of the problem, business owners and recruiters say, is the enhanced unemployment benefit provided by the United States government.

Other experts say some are staying out of the workforce for childcare reasons, or out of concern for the pandemic which is still resulting in new cases, breakthrough cases, and even deaths.

There's also a very competitive labor market with companies trying to attract top talent.

Resorts World is set to open on June 24. The mega-resort needs to fill approximately 6,000 positions.

RELATED: More than 130K people have applied for Resorts World's 6K new jobs so far, hotel-casino says

On Wednesday, authorities revealed more than 130,000 people had applied.

Only 350 have been hired before and opening night is about three weeks away.

RELATED: SkinnyFATS raises hourly pay to $20 for open local positions

One company, SkinnyFATS, offered new employees $20 per hour, which is well above both Nevada's minimum wage and the federal minimum wage.

DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE | Joe Bartels digs deeper in the Daily Debrief:

Daily Debrief: El Cortez struggles to find workers

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Las Vegas businesses, now without COVID-19 restrictions, struggle to find willing workers - KTNV Las Vegas

If the Oakland As do not get their desired stadium at Howard Terminal, they may not consider that to be a major loss. Based on various quotes, they were impressed with what they saw on their excursion to Las Vegas.

According to team president Dave Kaval, the As feel that Las Vegas would be a viable option. In fact, Kaval said I dont think theres any reason to think this couldnt work regarding a move to Las Vegas. The team is even considering how to balance out of town fans and tourists amongst home fans and As faithful.

It had previously been felt that a team in Las Vegas would have to depend too much on tourists to be viable. However, that has been disproved by the success of the Golden Knights at the box office. While tourists and out of town fans will be a consideration, having another source of entertainment is something that the city would want.

With sports gambling having been legalized, and even embraced to a degree by Major League Baseball, it is seemingly a matter of time before a team ends up in Las Vegas. If the As do not move there, the city would seemingly be atop the list for an expansion team, whenever the league feels that they can move on from their ballpark concerns in Oakland and Tampa Bay.

Based on Kavals comments, it would seem as though a franchise in the city would work. Las Vegas is certainly an intriguing destination and draw for the As, especially with their desire to build that new stadium with a slight increase of their hotel tax. The As are certainly sending a message to the Oakland City Council with these statements.

It is also worth wondering how much of these statements are posturing by the As front office and ownership. They had constructed the entire Rooted in Oakland campaign in response to the Raiders move to Las Vegas, and have been adamant about how much they want to remain in town. But money, and a new ballpark, talk loudly.

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The Oakland As have a good feeling about Las Vegas and the potential of the city. They are sending a message directly to the Oakland City Council.

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Oakland As: Dave Kaval says Las Vegas will absolutely work - White Cleat Beat

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Raiders Derek Carr (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The Las Vegas Raiders are going to look a lot different in the 2021 NFL season, and here is an updated look at the potential 53-man roster for Week 1.

The Las Vegas Raiders struggled down the stretch this past season, squandering a 6-3 start to finish with a 2-5 record. Based on that, the organization made some wholesale changes this offseason, and the hope is that the collection of talent that will work out this summer will round into a potential playoff team when all is said and done.

As we inch closer to the summer months, here is an updated 53-man roster projection:

Derek Carr will enter his eighth season as the starting quarterback for the Raiders franchise in 2021, and he owns nearly every passing record in team history. The problem is, Carr has never played in a single playoff game during that time, which is a product of not only some inconsistent play but inconsistent leadership within the organization.

Now in his fourth season with Jon Gruden, the stage is set for him to take this team to the next level, and he once again has an outstanding backup in Marcus Mariota. Overall, this is a solid position group for the Raiders and should be seen as a strength as we inch into the summer months.

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Las Vegas Raiders: Updated 2021 53-man roster projection heading into the summer - Just Blog Baby

LAS VEGAS He wore a silk shirt and kept a slight scent of cologne about him. He liked to talk. There was always someone to talk to, like the production assistant from Los Angeles who blew $1,200 on video poker. They all brought their stories to the 40-foot marble bar at the Rio hotel, and later to a less glamorous joint a few miles from the Strip.

It was a good life, and through the years, Bernard Sykes met Hollywood actresses and local characters, professional athletes including Mike Tyson, and first-time visitors to the United States. Sometimes, as customers swigged beers and sipped martinis, sharing the kind of intimacies told only to strangers, theyd slide a $100 bill across the counter as a tip.

Then, last spring, like a dust devil of bad luck, Sykes life shattered.

They let me go immediately, Sykes said, recalling the start of pandemic shutdowns that cost him his $14-an-hour job. Ive been out of work ever since.

A year and two months since the coronavirus paralyzed the nation and drove record unemployment including staggeringly high percentages among service industry employees, who make up more than a quarter of this citys workforce the U.S. is emerging from the aftershock of a pandemic crisis that dimmed blackjack tables and led to long lines at food banks.

In Las Vegas, where gambling revenue plummeted by nearly 45% last year and tens of thousands of the citys service industry employees remain out of work, casinos and restaurants returned to full capacity this week. It is, in a sense, a test of Americas ability to reclaim itself. But the contours of that comeback are not fully drawn, and many wonder whether they will return to the livelihoods they lost or be forced into another year of uncertainty.

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Las Vegas is betting on the gamblers and tourists returning. Will lost jobs come back? - The Columbian

Posted on: June 5, 2021, 11:23h.

Last updated on: June 6, 2021, 01:57h.

Las Vegas traffic came to a complete standstill on key roadways Friday evening. The congestion interfered with what is shaping up to be a busy weekend for gaming properties since casinos only recently began operating at full capacity.

Traffic on Interstate 15 came to a complete halt for over three hours for miles in both directions at Tropicana Avenue. Tropicana Avenue over I-15 also was clogged for multiple hours.

It began at about 5:30 pm. Traffic did not begin to flow again until about 9 pm.

But even then, motorists were encouraged to use alternate routes until traffic congestion lessened much later on Friday night.

Motorists were stuck in their cars with hot temperatures outside. On Friday, McCarran International Airport reported the temperature reached the prior June 4 record high of 109 degrees.

The reason for the traffic standstill was described in local media as police activity. Many police officers were seen in the area.

KTNV, a local television station, reported one man was apprehended by police at the highway. Initially, KTNV said the traffic tie-up was because of a man threatening to jump from a bridge. The report could not be confirmed by Casino.org.

The traffic tie-up comes just days after another major traffic holdup over Memorial Day weekend. The recent holiday weekend ended in Las Vegas with a jam on the freeway to Southern California.

On Memorial Day, motorists heading back to Los Angeles and other Southern California destinations on Interstate 15 from Las Vegas casinos saw traffic jams as long as 26 miles, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Drivers and passengers were also stuck in cars in scorching temperatures during the holiday. The thermometer in Las Vegas hit 100 degrees on Memorial Day, which was the first triple-digit reading since last October.

Starting on June 1, Clark County casinos were once again allowed to operate at 100 percent capacity. The milestone came after over a year of either shuttering of casinos or requiring them to operate at lower capacity as a way to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Only some hotel-casinos in Las Vegas were given permission by regulators in May to operate at full gaming floor capacity.In May, most Las Vegas gaming properties were operating at 80 percent capacity.

The number of visitors heading to Las Vegas has been on the rise in recent months. In March, more than 2.2 million visitors made their way to the Las Vegas Valley, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. That was an increase of almost 46 percent over Februarys visitor volume of 1.5 million.

Las Vegas was one of the top travel destinations for Memorial Day weekend, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

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Las Vegas Traffic Nightmare Ushers in Busy Casino Weekend - Casino.Org News

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$108K table game jackpot hits on guys weekend in Tahoe - Las Vegas Review-Journal

A new 15,000-square-foot Vegas modern mansion outside of Las Vegas hit the market earlier this week for $28 million, making it the most expensive listing in the metro area.

Located in Henderson, Nevada, southeast of the city, the residence could also be the most expensive residence sold in the area if it closes for anywhere near its asking price, according to records from the Multiple Listing Service.

A new record for the most expensive condo in the state was set earlier this week, when a 12,940-square-foot penthouse near the Las Vegas Strip sold for $16.25 million, records show.

Sin City has seen an influx of new buyers since the Covid-19 pandemic started pushing people to smaller, more affordable cities, The Wall Street Journal reported in April. Prices there were up close to 13% in April compared to same time last year, according to Las Vegas Realtorss most recent data.

This superlative new listing, known as Vegas Modern 001, boasts numerous over-the-top amenities, including a great room with retractable walls, water on three sides and views the Vegas Strip and the Red Rock Mountains, a sky bar and lounge, an office casita, seven fire features, 200 solar panels and a smart-home system that integrates security, sound and energy management.

Its one of the most beautiful and cutting-edge properties to ever come to market, said listing agent Kristen Routh Silberman of Synergy Sothebys International Realty. Its a showcase for the way people are going to be living in the future.

The home has space for up to seven bedrooms, including a primary suite with a private patio, and there are nine bathrooms, according to the listing. Theres also a separate suite accessed by a glass bridge, a chefs kitchen with Wolf and Sub-Zero touchscreen appliances, a full catering kitchen, a glass wine cellar, native plantings and a garage with room for up to 11 cars.

Vegas modern is the design philosophy of Blue Heron, the local architecture firm that created the show home, Tyler Jones, the founder and owner of the firm, said during a virtual tour of the property.

Its all about capturing the energy of our city, where we were born, he explained. Its meant to connect with people about the current modern lifestyle for Las Vegas.

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The Most Expensive Listing in Greater Las Vegas Is This Futuristic Spec Home With an 11-Car Garage - Mansion Global

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) UPDATE: The Excessive Heat Warning has been extended by the National Weather Service for Southern Nevada until 9 p.m. Saturday.

ORIGINAL STORYTriple-digit heat settles in this week with highs approaching record values by Wednesday, prompting an Excessive Heat Warning for portions of Southern Nevada for the second half of the week.

The potentially dangerous heat starts Wednesday when highs in Las Vegas climb to 105, which is 10 above the seasonal average.

RELATED: Memorial Day marks first official 100-degree day in Las Vegas for 2021

The Excessive Heat Warning begins Wednesday at 11 a.m. and extends until Friday at 9 p.m. Thursday's high in Las Vegas is expected to land near 106, just 1 shy of the standing daily high temperature set back in 2016. Heat holds Friday with a forecast high of 105.

Highs ranging from 104 to 111 are expected for the same time frame in Pahrump, Mesquite, Lake Mead, Laughlin, and Bullhead City. Furnace Creek in Death Valley will land near 118.

Extreme heat increases the potential for heat-related illnesses, especially for those working outside or those who are heat-sensitive and without access to air conditioning and proper hydration.

RELATED: Cooling stations open during period of Excessive Heat Warning

Rescheduling outdoor activities or strenuous exercise to the early morning or evening is recommended during this hot stretch. If staying indoors isn't possible, drink plenty of water, take regular breaks in the shade, and wear light-colored and loose-fitting clothing when working outside.

A breeze develops by the end of the week as the ridge of high-pressure shifts further east, allowing temperatures to slowly fall back to the low 100s this weekend and upper 90s by the start of next week. Dry and mostly sunny conditions are expected for at least the next 7 days.

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Excessive heat warning in effect for the Las Vegas area extended through Saturday - KTNV Las Vegas

In a well-timed opening in line with vaccine rollouts and the lifting of many social restrictions, a new cannabis dispensary and superstore is about to debut near the beaches of Orange County, California. This -- second of its kind -- superstore from Planet 13 Holdings (OTC:PLNH.F)will be a smaller version -- with a beachy vibe -- of its Vegas location, whichtakes you on an experience set in the tone of what you would expect from the Las Vegas Strip: a sensory activated LED floor, 3D projection visuals, and interactive laser art.

Planet 13 is a vertically integrated cannabis company based in Nevada, with award-winning cultivation, production, and dispensary operations in Las Vegas, where its current superstore is also about to be expanded to 112,000 square feet. (For comparison, the average Costco is 145,000 square feet.)

Imagine walking into a store almost the size of a Costco warehouse, but designed to grab your attention and entertain you while offering its products and providing educational information focused on the cannabis industry. It's through this strategy that the Las Vegas Planet 13 store has seen sales double since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Image source: Getty Images.

Planet 13 is now looking to expand toward the beaches of Orange County, California. The new superstore has a planned opening set for July. Though the location won't be quite as large as the Las Vegas store, the planned 55,000 square foot space in Orange County will resemble something of a cannabis mini-mall.

Inside the store, customers will be greeted with an entertainment and visualization mecca, complete with California beach vibes, waterfalls, digital screen displays, games, and activities, and eventually a smoking lounge. In addition to space for accompanying stores, the superstore will also house a 16,500 square foot dispensary, which will contain a Mexican-inspired restaurant. Construction on the new Orange County store is happening simultaneously with the Vegas expansion, as the company ramps up for the country's upcoming post-pandemic reopenings and minimized restrictions.

But the mere existence of the physical stores is not all that Planet 13 has going for it. The company offers curbside pickup, delivery, and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Customers can also place orders online, as you would with any other typical retailer, through user-friendly website navigation. And the website is complete with a very helpful chat service for immediate customer assistance.

The growth and expansion for Planet 13 comes at a time when the company has strong winds at its back -- in the form of solid sales momentum. Its 2020 year-end results showed a fantastic uptick as well as a tremendous first-quarter jump in 2021. The company ended the year with revenue of $70.5 million, a year-over-year increase of 10%. Unfortunately, most of that was offset by higher cost of goods and total expenses, leading to a 50% drop in income from operations and a per share loss of $0.05 for 2020, or basically flat on a year-over-year basis.

For the first quarter of this year, the company is starting to gain better traction, with revenue increasing 42% year over year to $23.8 million for the quarter. This puts the company on pace to beat out 2020 full-year revenue. Gross profit was also up, and net income per share came in at a breakeven, compared to a loss of $0.01 last year for the first quarter. Revenue continues to move in the right direction for the second quarter, after a record-breaking day on April 20 -- the unofficial marijuana holiday -- resulting in over half a million dollars in sales in one day. The company also finished out the month of April with a single-month record of $10.7 million.

Behind growing revenue and enthusiasm for the cannabis industry in the U.S., Planet 13's stock price has been inching upward, but is currently hovering around 20% off of its 52-week high, with a 12-month price target of $7.18. With the current price quickly approaching that target, if we see second-quarter numbers come in with additional growth in revenue, and the company can keep expenses at bay, I wouldn't be surprised to see price targets raised in the near future.

The new Orange County superstore is set to open in July, and with COVID-19 restrictions easing significantly, it could potentially lead to a monstrous second half for Planet 13. Retail stores require foot traffic, and with Las Vegas welcoming an average of 42 million people annually over the past 5 years, not including COVID-stricken 2020, cannabis enthusiasts would have a tough time avoiding a 112,000 square foot superstore. Not to be outdone, the Orange County visitors association proudly boasts that a record 50 million visitors came to its county in 2018, where they spent over $13 billion. With many travelers having a summer beach vacation, or possibly a Vegas trip on their minds, the strategy to hone in on massive crowds in a few strategic locations could make the second half of 2021 very exciting for Planet 13. Now might be a good time for investors to beat those crowds and add Planet 13 to their portfolio.

This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the official recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium advisory service. Were motley! Questioning an investing thesis -- even one of our own -- helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer.

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This Las Vegas Cannabis Company Has the Beaches of Orange County on Its Mind - The Motley Fool