Monthly Archives: March 2022

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) There's an 80% chance parts of the Las Vegas valley will see rain and thundershowers on Monday afternoon, weather forecasters say.

It comes on the tails of a weekend where the valley saw record temperatures for March, with record high temperatures on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Wind will also be something to watch out for on Monday and Tuesday this week: A wind advisory was issued for 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday. Gusts from the south and southwest are expected to pick up from 15 mph at sunrise to 40 mph by late morning.

In the Spring Mountains, a winter weather advisory is posted for areas above 6,000 feet. Several inches of snow are possible.

Monday's temperatures will start in the upper 60s and low 70s. Highs will reach the mid-70s before the arrival of the storm system that will extend our chances of rain and thundershowers from late Monday afternoon through Monday evening.

Rain and thundershowers are expected to be widespread by 5 p.m. Monday, with likely impacts on the afternoon and evening commute.

Late Monday night and into Tuesday morning, another push of showers is possible. Low temperatures drop to the low 50s and southwest winds will blow in at 10 to 20 mph.

Tuesday, highs will be in the 70s with northwest winds from 10 to 25 mph in the afternoon accompanying a final push of scattered showers that could diminish Tuesday evening.

Starting Wednesday, meteorologists predict more quiet weather conditions will return to Southern Nevada. Highs will be in the upper 70s before climbing back into the low 80s Friday and through the weekend.

Throughout the week, nighttime low temperatures are expected to remain in the 50s.

WATCH the full forecast with 13 Action News meteorologists for up-to-the-moment updates on this developing storm system.

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There's an 80% chance of ran, thundershowers in Las Vegas Monday afternoon: What to know - KTNV 13 Action News Las Vegas

Different locales call for different strategies in the casino business.

When Macau was the buzzing international growth market as recently as 2019, most American casinos sold investors on their plans to expand in China.

But a couple of years of pandemic lockdowns, and uncertainty about gambling licenses amid a crackdown on corruption in the country's gaming sector, have splashed cold water on some of the hotter expectations in the region.

Take Wynn, for example.

Wynn Resorts (WYNN) - Get Wynn Resorts, Limited Reporthas two casinos in Macau, the Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace, that were the company's most profitable resorts. But both resorts lost money for the company in the final months of 2021.

Just three years ago, Macau accounted for 70% of Wynn's business.

While Wynn never abandoned Las Vegas, the company definitely put its hometown on the back burner while it focused its efforts abroad.

During the company's most recent earnings call, recently installed CEO Craig Billings gave some insight into the move.

Las Vegas as a gambling hub is different than any other city in America for numerous obvious reasons.

However, the city is also different than other gaming communities, according to Billings.

"Las Vegas is a very different market compared to regional markets. Potential operational deleveraging in an economic downturn is more extreme [in Vegas] as we saw in 2009, and the need for continuous and sizable reinvestment in order to stay relevant is high," Billings said of the city.

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Just how high?

Billings said Wynn is back to regular, pre-pandemic maintenance costs of between $75 million to $85 million a year.

Beyond core maintenance, Wynn is reconstructing the Le Reve theater at Wynn Las Vegas at a cost of about $120 million, about $30 million of which it spent through the end of 2021.

Wynn is also renovating the Wynn Las Vegas tower rooms with a total budget of $220 million, of which $120 million has been spent.

"I never want us to be in a position where in the midst of a downturn, we have to choose between our world class service and escrowing rent or between paying rent and investing in our property, Billings said, calling the company's service its "calling card."

Meanwhile, maintenance costs at the company's property in Boston are only $20 million, on a property that just opened in 2019.

Instead of using capital expenditures on maintenance in Boston, Wynn plans to spend between $200 million and $250 million to expand the property over 2023 and 2024.

In contrast, maintenance costs in Macau are expected to total between $60 million and $80 million in 2022.

Macau is in flux.

While the government has begun renewing casino licenses, Bloomberg reportsthat the local government is likely to demand new investment from companies like Wynn in order to keep operating there.

But that hasn't dimmed the company's hopes for a long, fruitful business in the region.

"As we have seen before, when Macau is more accessible, demand snaps right back. Long-term, I remain incredibly enthusiastic about the prospects for Macau," Billings said.

"Between the shift to higher-margin premium mass customers and to customers who have more motivations to visit than just gaming, the market is evolving, and we are prepared to adapt and grow our business as we embrace those changes,"

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Wynn Bets Big on the Las Vegas Strip (and Macau) - TheStreet

Shipfusionexpands West Coast footprint with a new 246,000 sqft temperature-controlled FDA registered eCommerce fulfillment warehouse in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Shipfusion opened its doors to clients this week, showcasingthe eCommerce company's 246,000 square foot fulfillment warehouse. Powered by Shipfusion's custom-built warehouse management software, the new facility has the capacity to ship over 75,000 eCommerce orders daily and includes 50,000 square feet of temperature-controlled storage for sensitive cargo. This expansion is part of Shipfusion's mission to grow its operations across the globe and continue its role as a leader in the eCommerce fulfillment industry.

"We are thrilled to be opening up in Las Vegas. This brand new facility extends our overall strategic fulfillment network and adds significant growth capacity on the West coast. Las Vegas is very well situated, with short transit times to the major population centers across the southwest," says Wojtek Gidzinski, Director of Sales. "This is a key part of our network expansion, and we are looking forward to welcoming many new and existing clients to Shipfusion Las Vegas."

The new Las Vegas warehouse space will include a handful of advanced upgrades, including:

"Our Las Vegas warehouse is an expansive quarter of a million square feet encompassing the latest version of our operations," says Jason Mandroc, Vice President of South West Operations. "We've done extensive planning to ensure that we are not only starting with the leading edge of all our tech but that we also have plenty of capacity to handle anything our clients can throw at us."

About Shipfusion: Shipfusion gives brands the best tools possible for building a successful eCommerce operation. Their fully managed and operated warehouses, expert inventory management, and powerful real-time technology lets businesses focus on fast growth without the stress.

'Shipfusion combines flexible, reliable fulfillment with powerful, real-time technology. With warehouses located across the US and Canada to support eCommerce businesses.'

SOURCE Shipfusion

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Shipfusion Opens Brand New State Of The Art Las Vegas Warehouse - PR Newswire

Las Vegas has already begun its comeback from the pandemic. Executives at both Caesars Entertainment (CZR) - Get Caesars Entertainment Inc Report and MGM Resorts International (MGM) - Get MGM Resorts International Report have said that booking trends have picked up, and anecdotal online evidence suggests a busy March Madness season at casinos both on The Strip and on Fremont St. downtown.

Nicknamed Sin City, Las Vegas has always been about excess. That might mean gambling, splurging on some of the world's finest food, or gorging at a buffet. The city offers every means of vice, including legal cannabis, every type of drink known to man, and, well, lots of things that aren't quite legal but are readily available.

In Las Vegas, you can get married at any hour of any day and follow that up with pretty much any celebration you want. It's a city of indulgence and it's the host to everything from the Consumer Electronics Show to World of Concrete (a construction industry trade show) to conventions and meetings for pretty much any industry imaginable.

When you visit Las Vegas you may not take a "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" attitude, but you're probably a little more indulgent than you are at home. Perhaps you order dessert or maybe you go to a show that's a tad R-rated. Being in Las Vegas tends to relax inhibitions.

That makes it a perfect city to host the AVN Awards, something that has not happened for the past two years due to the pandemic.

Image source: Daniel Kline.

Back in the early 1990s, the Consumer Electronics Show included a section devoted to adult videos. That made sense because VCRs were a key, if not the key, consumer electronic product. Eventually, the Adult Entertainment Expo split off and became its own show, which usually ran at the same time as CES.

"The presence of adult videos at CES seemed an obvious fit. As the home-video market took off, so did the porn industry," Variety reported.

"VHS and Betamax players were the hardware, and porn, their (hardcore) software. As VHS gained acceptance over Betamax, the legend of porn as a technological kingmaker solidified."

The AAE has morphed into the AVN show, named for Adult Video News, which once served as a sort of, well, Variety/Hollywood Reporter for the adult film industry. The event has not happened for the past two years as an in-person event.

Even though CES returned this year (albeit in a very muted form with diminished attendance) its unofficial companion held a virtual show in 2022. That will change this year as the show returns with an in-person event January 4-7, 2023, (during CES) at the new Resorts World casino/hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

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The show will consist of multiple events. the AVN expo, the GayVN Awards, and the 40th annual AVN Awards Show. Featuring more than 500 exhibitors, as well as thousands of adult stars and content creators, the event will showcase "the latest innovations and newest developments across the adult entertainment spectrum."

It's all about a return to normal. Conventions and events drive a lot of business in Las Vegas in a number of ways. CES and, to a lesser extent, AVN get a lot of media coverage, which drives more people to Sin City.

Caesars Entertainment Chief Operating Officer Anthony Carano even opened the company's fourth-quarter earnings call by talking about the events business.

"Despite an increase in Covid-19 cases in late December and into January, we remain encouraged by booking trends into 2022 and beyond," he said.

"While group attrition remains elevated, we began to see conventions return to Las Vegas in the back half of '21, and the segment represented approximately 10% of occupied room nights, a dramatic improvement versus the first half of '21. In Q4 '21, we booked a record $160 million of new business in the group segment company-wide."

MGM Resorts Chief Executive Bill Hornbuckle talked about events/group business in his company's Q4 earnings call, highlighting what a major driver it is.

"January, which typically relies more heavily on group business in Las Vegas, saw significant headwinds driven by groups mostly looking to postpone until later in the year.Cancellations, while elevated, were mostly concentrated in a very short term with limited impact beyond March," he said. "CES in January was the most visible event this year with attendance down approximately 70%..

He sees the problem correcting itself relatively quickly.

"Cancellations are declining, and group lead volumes are normalizing. Forward hotel book has been stable over the past few weeks and are once again starting to outpace 2019 levels," he said.

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Las Vegas Strip Welcomes Back Event That Put the Sin in Sin City - TheStreet

The Eagles' Hotel California Tour keeps trucking across North America, and you can win a pair of tickets to their May 28 show at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena.

One lucky winner will receive two tickets to the rock icons' final North American show of 2022, a two-night stay at the MGM hotel and two round-trip flights to Las Vegas.

The current Eagles touring lineup consists of co-founderDon Henleyand long-time bandmatesJoe WalshandTimothy B. Schmit, along with country starVince Gill.

The band resumed its Hotel California Tour on Feb. 21 in Savannah, Ga., treating the sold-out crowd to a nearly-30-song set thatincluded all ofHotel California as well as an additional greatest hits set featuring "Take It Easy," "One of These Nights," "Take It to the Limit," "Tequila Sunrise" and over a dozen other songs.

Tickets go on sale on April 1. A full list of Hotel California tour dates can be found at the Eagles' website.

Enter above for your chance to win!

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Win Tickets to See the Eagles Live in Las Vegas - Ultimate Classic Rock

by: Nathan Tannenbaum, 8NewsNow Traffic Anchor

Posted: Mar 28, 2022 / 08:58 AM PDT

Updated: Mar 28, 2022 / 08:59 AM PDT

Its what we all go through every day. And Im not talking about the big road projects.

Technically, of course, its not true that every single intersection is a construction zone, but I want to acknowledge what we all say every day: it sure seems like the whole valley is a construction zone.

Like, if I didnt tell you that the intersection in the video with this story is from Jones and Vegas Drive, would you be able to tell? No big deal here or at most of the dozens and dozens and dozens of other grin-and-bear-it intersections. Just life in the concrete and asphalt jungle we call Las Vegas.

As long as I was in the area, though, I thought Id show you the rubble left behind by the fire here just over a month ago that destroyed a meat market and shut down the mexican restaurant next door.

That 2-alarm no injury fire was February 24. It completely closed Jones at Vegas drive. Now its just another construction zone.

Buckle up, drive carefully and, please put down that phone. If theres something driving you crazy, email me: traffic8@8newsnow.com.

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Whats Driving You Crazy? Is all of Las Vegas one giant construction zone? - KLAS - 8 News Now

During a recent concert, Keith Urban paid tribute to Adele, performing a cover of her hit Easy on Me, which spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

I would like to make a special dedication tonight, to somebody I just absolutely adore as a performer, as a songwriter, a trailblazer, Keith told the crowd. Im looking forward to seeing her when the time comes.

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Accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, Urban launched into the intimate ballad, ending by singing, We love you Adele, oh yes we do.

Urban shared his performance on his official social media pages, captioning a video of his performance by saying, Her writing, heart and soul is needed right now more than ever. For me, this hymn is divinely timed. Thank you for being so raw Adele. We love you!

Earlier this year, Urban added a slate of shows to his Keith Urban Live Las Vegas residency at the The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, after Adele postponed her own Weekends With Adele residency at the venue, just one day before it was set to begin Jan. 21. Adeles residency had been set to run through April 16.

Hi, listen Im so sorry but my show aint ready, Adele told fans in a video clip on Jan. 20. We tried absolutely everything that we can to put it together in time and for it to be good enough for you but weve been absolutely destroyed by delivery delays and COVID. Half my crew, half my team are down with COVID they still are.

Urbans upcoming shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace are set for March 30, April 1-2, and May 27-29.

While Adeles solo version of Easy on Me topped Billboards Hot 100, she also previously teamed with another country crooner, Chris Stapleton, for a duet version of the track.

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Keith Urban Covers Adele in Las Vegas, Says Hes Looking Forward to Her Concert When the Time Comes - Billboard

Student had claimed sex assault 2 years later

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) Prosecutors have dropped all charges against a former behavioral therapist who was accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old client who has autism.

Amy Villarreal, 30, said the allegations, which included taking the student off school property and raping him on two occasions, were false.

Villarreal worked at Crescent Academy, which describes itself online as a community-based behavioral treatment program for individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

When North Las Vegas police interviewed Villarreal last year, she told detectives she remembered the student but denied having any inappropriate conduct with him, police said at the time.

Prosecutors dropped all charges last week.

It really does ruin peoples lives, Villarreal said Tuesday. I honestly didnt think it was real.

Police arrested Villarreal in September, charging her with four sex-related felonies. At the time of her arrest, police suggested there may be more victims due to the circumstances of working with a vulnerable population.

According to a police report, Villarreal was accused of driving the teenager to a park, removing his clothing and sexually assaulting him twice.

When he mentioned what that client had said, I was confused and I was shocked and I didnt really know how to feel, Villarreal said.

Villarreals attorney, Warren Geller, said there was no other evidence other than the students account. The teenager said both alleged incidents happened in August 2019. Villarreal left Crescent Academy that month, she said.

Villarreal said she had maintained her innocence since before her arrest. Geller showed the 8 News Now I-Team of video of a detective interrogating Villarreal about the allegations.

Now, theres no question in my mind that that happened. Im being honest. No question in my mind that something did happen, the detective tells Villarreal. How bad it was? How many times it was?

Villarreal responds, saying nothing happened. Minutes later, the detectives claimed to have video of Villarreal and the client in her car.

Is there any reason why we would have video of you and [the student] in your car? the detective asks.

No, she replied.

There was no reason because according to Geller, that video did not exist.

Geller showed the I-Team Villareals timecards and Crescent Academys record of which provider the teenager worked with for all of 2019. Villarreal and the teenager overlapped on two days in August but were not assigned to each other.

There are only two dates in August 2019 when she was in the facility and the accuser was at the facility. Just two days, Geller said.

Records showed the pair worked together on three days in all of 2019, adding teachers could not leave the facility with students. A teacher driving with a student off-campus would not go unnoticed, Geller said.

I just thought it didnt make sense, because there was no way I would be able to take him out, Villarreal said.

As for her next steps, Villarreal said she is working as a personal trainer.

It ruined my career. It was hard finding a job, she said. It was something I really enjoyed, and it was a passion of mine. I was really good at it and I was happy doing what I did.

It is unlikely Villarreal could sue the police department due to qualified immunity. The department did not have a comment Tuesday.

The Clark County District Attorneys Office, which prosecutes cases from the police department, did not respond to a request for comment.

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I-Team: Charges dropped against former North Las Vegas teacher accused of sexually assaulting teen - KLAS - 8 News Now