Southwest braces as Lake Mead water levels drop

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Once-teeming Lake Mead marinas are idle as a 14-year drought steadily drops water levels to historic lows. Officials from nearby Las Vegas are pushing conservation but also are drilling a new pipeline to keep drawing water from the lake.

Hundreds of miles away, farmers who receive water from the lake behind Hoover Dam are preparing for the worst.

The receding shoreline at one of the main reservoirs in the vast Colorado River water system is raising concerns about the future of a network serving a perennially parched region home to 40 million people and 4 million acres of farmland. Marina operators, water managers and farmers who for decades have chased every drop of water across the booming Southwest and part of Mexico are closely tracking the reservoir water level already at its lowest point since it was first filled in the 1930s.

"We just hope for snow and rain up in Colorado, so it'll come our way," said marina operator Steve Biggs, referring to precipitation in the Rockies that flows down the Colorado River to help fill the reservoir separating Nevada and Arizona.

By 2016, continued drought could trigger cuts in water deliveries to both states. While water authorities say they've been saving water for potential dry days, the prospect of the first cuts is already prompting action.

"I've downsized in the last couple of years, probably a good thing the way this water shortage is going," said farmer Dennis Bagnall, who has planted just 225 of the 1,500 acres that are typically green this time of year on his farm south of Phoenix. Last week, officials announced an $11 million pilot program involving the federal government and water agencies in Denver, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix to pay farmers, cities and industries to reduce river water use.

"We can certainly hope for better conditions than we've experienced in recent times, but we have to actively and continue to plan for the worst case," said Michael J. Lacey, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

This week, an update from the federal Bureau of Reclamation, the keeper of the Colorado River network's dams and reservoirs, will help set the course for water deliveries for the next two years. Administrators say they are confident they can meet current commitments next year.

Federal officials and water administrators in metro areas such as Las Vegas and Phoenix say they're committed to finding new ways to make every drop of river water count — from cloud seeding to pipelines to new reservoirs to desalination plants.

They point to agreements to leave surpluses unused in wet years, share pain in dry years and buy water designated for farms for city use.

But they're all watching Lake Mead, the biggest in a Colorado River basin that supplies water to California, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and part of Mexico. The states get annual allotments dating to the Colorado River Compact of 1922.

Over the years, the amount hasn't kept pace with a post-World War II development boom in the Southwest, and pressure has increased with drought gripping the region for almost 15 years.

The effect of increased demand and diminished supply is visible on Lake Mead's canyon walls. A white mineral band often compared with a bathtub ring marks the depleted water level.

The lake has dropped to 1,080 feet above sea level this year — down almost the width of a football field from a high of 1,225 feet in 1983.

A projected level of 1,075 feet in January 2016 would trigger cuts in water deliveries to Arizona and Nevada.

At 1,000 feet, drinking water intakes would go dry to Las Vegas, a city of 2 million residents and a destination for 40 million tourists per year that is almost completely dependent on the reservoir.

That has the Southern Nevada Water Authority spending more than $800 million to build a 20-foot-diameter pipe so it can keep getting water.

The region is also stressing water conservation, prohibiting grass lawns for new homes and fountains at businesses. Officials say the overall effort has reduced consumption 33 percent in recent years while the Las Vegas area added 400,000 residents.

But severely restricting water use for swimming pools or lawns in a city like Phoenix wouldn't make much difference, said Kathryn Sorensen, the city's Water Services Department director, because conservation efforts need to be applied across the western U.S. "The solution can't come just from municipal conservation; there isn't enough water there," she said

Mosquitoes in valley test positive for West Nile virus

LAS VEGAS -- Mosquitoes found in southern Nevada have tested positive for West Nile virus, according to the Southern Nevada Health District.

The health district says mosquitoes collected in five zip codes around the Las Vegas valley have tested positive. The zip codes are 89103, 89107, 89129, 89138, and 89149

At this point, no human cases of the virus have been reported in Clark County. Last year, nine people contracted the virus and two people died.

The health district says because the infected mosquitoes have been found in several areas around the valley, it is likely that the virus is present through southern Nevada. The district advises people to take precautions against mosquitoes, including using insect repellants and eliminating standing water, which mosquitoes use for breeding.

"Rainy weather can be a pro and a con. It is a pro in that the wash channels that we have get a good flushing. They get irrigated out as that water goes to Lake Mead, so any standing water gets washed out. However, you also have swimming pools that may have been empty for a while that are now filled up with rain water that can breed mosquitoes." Vivek Raman with the health district said.

$4B Resorts World Vegas project crosses hurdle

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Malaysian conglomerate that hopes to build a $4 billion Asian-themed resort at the site of a long-stalled hotel construction project on the Las Vegas Strip crossed a major regulatory hurdle Wednesday.

Officials with the Nevada Gaming Control Board recommended a gaming license for Genting Berhad, the investment arm of Genting Group. The matter is scheduled for a second round of scrutiny May 22 before the Nevada Gaming Commission.

Officials with Genting, which operates casinos in the Asia, the United Kingdom, the Bahamas and New York, told regulators they plan to break ground this year on Resorts World Las Vegas. The project would incorporate 80 percent to 85 percent of the buildings in the partially built Echelon project and directly create about 8,500 jobs.

The initial phase is expected to include 3,000 hotel rooms, a large casino, a 4,000-seat theater with a rotating schedule of shows and a lush garden attraction. Company officials said they're also considering adding a 20th Century Fox theme park similar to one planned at a Genting property in Malaysia.

The project could breathe new life into the tired north end of the tourist corridor where several projects stalled during the recession. It comes as developers finish work on the SLS Las Vegas, a 1,600-room resort that's rising from the site of the shuttered Sahara hotel-casino and is scheduled to be open to the public over Labor Day weekend.

Genting executives said their company, Southeast Asia's largest casino operator, is ideally positioned to capitalize on a growing number of foreign tourists flocking to the Strip. A design aimed at making Asian customers feel at home calls for a shopping center that resembles a Chinese village and perhaps even a panda attraction, although company officials said Wednesday that scoring the animals is complicated.

Genting bought the property last year from Boyd Gaming at a cost of $350 million. Boyd had started building a $4.8 billion, six-hotel complex on the site of the former Stardust casino when the recession hit.

The Echelon's steel-and-concrete skeleton has stood dormant since 2008.

Why would anyone want to invest so much? Reno, Vegas and Nevada are slowing down a bit, what in our future indicates a great boost in our economy? I just don't see where all the money is coming from. I guess when you have FOUR BILLION to invest, you must know something.

More than 700 firefighters lose ground to raging Nevada wildfires

Hundreds have been evacuated from their homes as deadly mountain wildfires continue to rage through parched woodland in northern and southern Nevada this morning.

A 24-square-mile blaze has forced more than 500 people out of homes in Mount Charleston some 25 miles Northwest of Las Vegas while other fires have broken out near Reno and Kearn.

More than 750 firefighters, including 18 elite Hotshot crews, today lost more ground to the raging wildfire fire named Carpenter 1 which was sparked by lightning striking dried woodland on July 1. It comes just 24 hours after the funeral of 19 firefighters who lost their lives battling wildfires just 700 miles away near Yarnell, in Arizona on June 30.

Smoke from the blaze near Mount Charleston created a towering white cloud that stretched northeast, visible from downtown Las Vegas.

The Clark County Department of Air Quality issued a health advisory that officials said would remain in effect today through Sunday.

An influx of firefighters and equipment including bulldozers, seven helicopters, four air tankers and a DC-10 jet fire retardant bomber arrived in the area as other fast-moving fires were reported across the state.

A 27-square-mile fire has burned through the Pine Nut Mountains southwest of Reno while further South salt cedar trees have caught fire along the San Pedro River bed outside the remote community of Kearn.

Vegas Party Train .....

LAS VEGAS (AP) — As if a weekend in Las Vegas isn't wild enough for Southern Californians, a Nevada entrepreneur is about to add five more hours of party to either end.

After striking an agreement with Union Pacific Railroad last week, the Las Vegas Railway Express is one step closer to bringing to life the X Train, a luxurious "party train" complete with big screen TVs, recliners and two ultra lounges.

"The whole idea is when you get on a train, you feel like you're in Las Vegas," said Michael Barron, president and CEO of the $100 million venture that hopes to launch its maiden voyage on New Year's Eve 2013. "It's essentially a nightclub on wheels."

Tourists can't get from Southern California to Las Vegas by rail alone, and Barron's company isn't the first to try and fix that. The much-talked-about XpressWest project proposes a high-speed train connecting Sin City to the region from which it draws 25 percent of its tourists.

But it's a multi-billion-dollar proposal that would require setting new tracks, and it's often panned as a "train to nowhere" because the first phase would start in relatively obscure Victorville, about 100 miles outside of Los Angeles.

The X Train proposal calls for an Amtrak crew aboard a 576-passenger train that runs at standard speeds on traditional tracks.

It would start in Fullerton, Calif. — already home to an Amtrak station and part of Southern California's Metrolink commuter train network — and end in downtown Las Vegas.

World’s highest paid athlete has taxpayers paying his rent

By Ryan Lovelace 

The world’s richest athlete is undefeated boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather.


He made $85 million last year from fights against Victor Ortiz and Miguel Cotto.


Mayweather, nicknamed “Money,” is currently serving a three-month jail sentence in a room one-third the size of a boxing ring in Las Vegas, Nev.

Sour Economy Has Nevada Looking For New Jackpot

by CARRIE KAHN

The site of the demolished Frontier casino sits vacant on the Las Vegas Strip in December. Construction of a new hotel and casino, the Las Vegas Plaza, has been delayed until economic conditions improve.

It's noon on the Las Vegas Strip, and the barker outside O'Shea's Casino is hard at work.

"Twenty-four-hour happy hour, 24-hour $5 blackjack and 24-hour beer pong action going on right here today," he says. Dressed in a lime green tuxedo, he's doing his best to get tourists to come in.

Despite the recession, nearly 39 million visitors came to the city last year, the second-highest number in Las Vegas history. The problem is those tourists don't have as much money as they once did.

One tourist, Genina Jackson, says that after a decade since her last visit, she notices the difference. "Ten years ago, people dressed up a little more," she says. "I see a lot of jeans and flip-flops."

Jackson had stopped along the Strip in front of the huge fountains at Caesars Palace to take a picture with her friend Melissa. They are in from Atlanta celebrating Melissa's birthday.

"The casino is not as crowded. You can get to any table. Before, 10 years ago, you couldn't get to a table," Jackson says.

New casinos being built in Ohio to save our economy. There is also a rumor that the state is trying to buy the Titanic, and is investing heavily  in the manufacture and sale of propeller driven airplanes. Rumor has it also that the governor has been in negotiations with the city of New York in regards to purchasing the Brooklyn Bridge.

WOW!!!!!!!

I don't know how many watched it, I started watching the Indy Car race from Las Vegas today. Not to far into the race there was a horrendous wreck, cars flying everywhere, cars on fire, debris flying everywhere, fifteen cars were involved. There was an hour or so delay, I had to leave to pick Marilyn up, got home in time to hear that one driver was killed. The race was go be cancelled. The remaining drivers would do five laps, in a tribute to Dan Wheldon, the popular, two-time Indy 500 winner.

All of the remaining crews, owners and spectators stood silently, heads bowed, as the cars slowly rounded the track. Amazing grace was playing in the background. I must admit, I teared up, it was about as emotional a sports related moment that I can remember.

I don't know how the drivers did it with tears in their eyes.

Years ago I was an avid fan and spent a  lot of time at the old Funks Speedway in Dayton, Ohio. That was the days of open wheels, leather crash helmets, not too many precautions. I saw a popular local driver, "Grandpappy" Booker, killed in a wreck, on the back stretch in site of all, his car flipped and there wasn't much doubt about the outcome. I was there for another fatal wreck, he was a popular driver, not sure of his name, so won't mention one, that could be wrong. There were often deaths in those days, they were just a part of the  sport.

"LAS VEGAS -- Dan Wheldon, who moved to the United States from his native England with hopes of winning the Indianapolis 500 and went on to prevail at his sport's most famed race twice, died Sunday after a massive, fiery wreck at the Las Vegas Indy 300.



He was 33.


Wheldon, who won the Indy 500 for the second time this May, won 16 times in his IndyCar career and was the series champion in 2005. He was airlifted from the Las Vegas track at 1:19 p.m. local time Sunday and taken to a nearby hospital, becoming the first IndyCar driver to die on the track since rookie Paul Dana was killed in practice on the morning of race day at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2006.


As word began to spread that his injuries were fatal, those at the track could not control their tears. Television cameras captured Ashley Judd, the wife of IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti, dabbing at her eyes shortly before the official word came.


The remainder of the race was canceled. Drivers solemnly returned to the track for a five-lap tribute to Wheldon, almost all of them hiding their eyes behind dark sunglasses after being told their colleague was gone. As Roger Penske met with his team trackside and other drivers simply hugged those around them, IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard made the announcement of Wheldon's death.


"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family today," Bernard said.


When drivers returned to the track, Wheldon's No. 77 was the only one on the towering scoreboard. Franchitti sobbed uncontrollably as he got back into his car for the tribute laps. Over speakers at the track, the song "Danny Boy" blared, followed by "Amazing Grace" as hundreds of crew workers from each team stood solemnly.

"WOW, it really got to me."

High Justice

LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas prosecutor who handled recent drug cases involving Paris Hilton and pop singer Bruno Mars has resigned following his arrest in a crack cocaine case.


Clark County District Attorney David Roger tells The Associated Press he accepted David Schubert's resignation Friday.

A telephone call to Schubert went unanswered. His lawyer, William Terry, didn't immediately respond to a message.

The 47-year-old Schubert was arrested March 19 after Las Vegas police reported watching him in a white BMW sedan buy $40 worth of rock cocaine in a neighborhood east of the Las Vegas Strip.

Schubert was a 10-year veteran prosecutor and liaison for the last two years to a federal drug task force.

He's free pending a May 19 court date on felony conspiracy and cocaine possession charges.

HR-HR III - TinC News Article

I have published this before, it is a TinC Article I had on my spoof site. A few wanted it to be published again.

The Hip Replacement Hip Replacement Company of Las Vegas, Nevada recently announced that they are considering opening a new subsidiary company that would be located in Fallon, Nevada, that would offer hip replacements for those who had unsuccessful hip replacements that were not successful.


In 1940 at Johns Hopkins hospital, Dr. Austin T. Moore (1899-1963), an American surgeon, reported and performed the first metallic hip replacement surgery. The original prosthesis he designed was a proximal femoral replacement, with a large fixed head, made of the Cobalt-Chrome alloy Vitallium.

Most of these replacements have been successful, but a few have failed and required additional hip replacement surgery.

Now, we are finding that a large number of the hip replacement hip replacement surgeries have been unsuccessful for the same problems encountered with the second replacement.

The third level replacement prosthesis is in development, and will replace the replacement after more testing is performed. HRHRIII is looking for volunteers to test the new unit.

If you have had a hip replacement that was replaced, please get in touch with HRHRIII in Fallon, at 1-800-GOODHIP.

Crossroaders

I  am not sure who wrote this article, most of which I agree with. I knew a number of "crossroaders," travelled with a few of them to learn how to protect a game, they were a breed all to themselves. Names like Blondy Johnson, Buster Smoot, the Preacher, the Cowboy, and my favorite, Wesley J. West.  There were two brothers who lived in San Jose, California. Had their own airplane. They would get something lined up in Vegas, fly in, do their "thing" and fly back home, Blondy was my first. He slide an 11 on me early one morning when I was training at the Nevada Club. He was wearing bib overalls and looked like a farmer.

He rented the NICE house he lived in, leased his car, owned nothing. Was an excellent golfer and pool player, when he wanted to, hustled and made BIG money at both, as well as poker.

The origin of the term crossroader was this. They would hit a casino, do their thing, whatever it was, and then meet out of town afterwards, "at the crossroads." They were a rare breed.

I was driving with Wesley and a few of them one time, from Elko to Reno. Stopped in Battle Mountain to get something to eat. Wesley noted a new dealer on a table, could not resist. We ended up leaving there with the aid of tear gas pens, which Wesley happened to have a few of. Never did eat. I forget the next town, but went into a carry out type grocery store. They stole lunch meat, bread, cheese, chips, pop, etc. They were probably carrying about ten thousand or more between them, but they would rather steal it than buy it, they just kept in practice.

Crossroaders were some of  the most intelligent people I have ever met, and a unique breed. One, I heard, ended up getting shot, in Vegas.

A "crossroader" is a highly skilled professional gambling cheat that uses one or more techniques to gain an unfair advantage (or flat-out steal) in a game of chance. The term probably originated in the Old West and was used to describe a cheater that frequented saloons that were usually located at the crossroads of small towns. A crossroader would spend many hours learning a specific skill, such as card manipulation or dice switching, so he could fleece suckers in the many private games that flourished in the latter third of the nineteenth century and the first third of the twentieth.


The skills a crossroader needed were passed along from cheater to would be cheater and techniques were refined over the years. With the involvement of America in WWII, many crossroaders enlisted, so they could have the opportunity to fleece the thousands of GI’s that wanted a momentary diversion from the monotony and the horrors of war. The number of gambling supply factories that specialized in the manufacturing of marked card and loaded dice increased dramatically in the war years and all of them did a booming business. Famed magician and gambling expert John Scarne recognized this and gave demonstrations to members of our armed forces, in an effort to educate our GI’s in the methods of cheaters.

Since the end of the war coincided with growth of legalized gambling in Nevada, it was only natural that some crossroaders decided to call Reno or Las Vegas their new home. Other crossroaders wore out their welcome in illegal gambling Mecca’s such as Steubenville Ohio, Hot Springs Arkansas and Galveston Texas. Some of them became "bustout dealers" that were hired by the casinos to "enhance" the house percentage. Others worked in gangs that took full advantage of the fact that there was no "eye in the sky." Understand that even catwalks weren’t invented for many years, so if someone made a move when the bosses were looking the other way, who was going to see it? Some were dealers that either worked with an "agent" (partner in crime) and did things like deal seconds or overpay bets to them or they wore "subs" (a hidden pocket in the pants or apron) and stole as many silver dollars and five-dollar checks they thought they could get away with. Sometimes they would pass off their subs to their agent by meeting them in the restroom and passing it under the stalls.

Eventually the "wild west" settled down a bit, due primarily to the advent of surveillance. Another factor is that the federal government eventually cracked down on the companies that manufactured crooked dice and cards, forcing the few remaining manufacturers underground. It has been said that the era of the crossroader has, in all but a few cases, has come to an end. Perhaps, but I had a known dice slider get a shot on a game that I was sitting box on because surveillance contended the die tumbled, when I knew it actually slid. A friend of mine caught two BJ players mucking cards in on a game. I caught some flea doing the $27 for $3 switch on my game and we later found out that he had used that move for many years without being caught. I was working on a crew where one of the dealers was caught handing off a stack of green to his agent. I was working in a joint that caught a dealer changing into a disguise in the parking lot. Apparently she had been stealing red and silver for months from her BJ game and then changing into a disguise, so she could become her alter ego and cash out on her breaks. I have worked in at least three casinos that fired a BJ dealer for tipping their hole card to a George.

All of this makes me wonder how far removed the industry really is from the "wild west" days. If I have been exposed to this much in my career (and much more) can you imagine how much more was going on? It has been suggested and I tend to agree, the era of the highly skilled crossroader has all but disappeared but a few are probably still out there and there will always be a supply of people with larcenous intentions.

Only in Las Vegas ....

Something the general public probably does not know.

Las Vegas churches accept gambling chips during their services in their collection plates. It probably originated with Wilbur Clark, who owned the Desert Inn, and was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, and attended regularly on Sunday. The Pastor there at the time was James Street, who had lived in Nevada all his life, and was a good friend of Wilbur Clark.

A fact most don't know, there are more churches in Las Vegas than there are casinos. Reno has the same statistical balance, and Harold's Club often mentioned that in their world-wide advertising campaign in the 40's and 50's.

Not surprisingly, some worshipers at Sunday Services will put casino chips, rather than cash, when the basket is passed. The churches accept them with the same philosophy that the casinos use, a chip does not have the same monetary value as actual money, so people are prone to donate more, in chips, than actual money.

Since they get chips from many different casinos, the Clark County Ministerial Association has devised a method to collect the offerings.

A nearby Franciscan Monastery, located on Mt. Charleston, every Monday, collects all of the chips from the various churches, takes them to the Monastery, where they sort them, and then take them to the casino of origin, and cash them in. The money is then electronically transferred to each church.

This service is performed by the Chip Monks.