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L A S V E G A S W E E K LY

11.05.20

JABBAWOCKEEZ RELAUNCH SHOW INSIDE MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA Several Las Vegas Strip shows have made dramatic comebacks in recent weeks, and some are moving into different, larger venues to meet state safety guidelines. None are making a bigger leap to a bigger space than the Jabbawockeez, the masked dance troupe that has headlined on the Strip for a decade since winning the MTV competition series America’s Best Dance Crew. The crew’s Timeless show moves from its pre-pandemic home in a custom 350-seat theater at MGM Grand into the nearly 17,000-capacity Grand Garden Arena. It’s one of seven shows returning to MGM Resorts International properties November 6. Joe Larot, Kevin Brewer and Phi Nguyen—three original members of the group who have performed with the Jabbawockeez since its original limited engagement on the Strip— described a reimagined production spreading the group’s performance across a much larger stage and a few smaller satellite stages, with an audience of 250 safely distanced from each other in the arena’s bleacher seats. Timeless is scheduled for 7 p.m. performances Thursday through Monday plus 9:30 p.m. shows Friday through Sunday. MGM Resorts is also restarting Carrot Top’s comedy show and the Fantasy female revue at the Luxor Theater, along with The Australian Bee Gees Show and Thunder From Down Under at Excalibur. Ticket information for all seven shows can be found at mgmresorts. com. –Brock Radke

‘ATOMIC TUMBLEWEED’ STATUE ROLLS INTO DOWNTOWN

MGM RESORTS CONSIDERS CLOSING SOME CASINOS MIDWEEK

Immersive entertainment and art complex Area15, decked out for Halloween weekend activities on October 30 (Steve Marcus/Staff)

NEW YEAR’S EVE STRIP FIREWORKS CANCELED OVER VIRUS CONCERNS

MGM Resorts International is considering closing some of its Las Vegas Strip properties during the middle of the week, company officials said October 29. “We’re going through an exercise; we’re doing it now, about what do we keep open and what do we close,” MGM CEO Bill Hornbuckle said during a quarterly earnings call. Hornbuckle’s comments came after he was asked if MGM, which has 10 Strip resorts, would follow the lead of other Strip operators, like Wynn Resorts, which have limited hours at some properties due to soft demand amid the coronavirus pandemic. In September, midweek hotel occupancy in Las Vegas was 39%, a decrease of 47% from the same month in 2019, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Weekend occupancy was 66%, off 30% from September 2019. –Bryan Horwath

The fireworks display that typically lights up the Strip on New Year’s Eve has been canceled this year due to coronavirus safety concerns, tourism officials said on October 30. People can instead look forward to “some special things planned to welcome 2021,” Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said in a statement. He did not elaborate. Hill said the decision was made with safety in mind. “Las Vegas has always been a bucket list New Year’s Eve destination, and we are going to make sure that remains the case,” Hill said. “The safety and security of our guests and employees is our top priority, and with that in mind, we will not have a fireworks show on December 31.” -Bryan Horwath

1 THINGS THAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK

GROUND BROKEN ON MEDICAL SCHOOL Development on the new UNLV Medical School building officially began October 29, months ahead of schedule. The 135,000-squarefoot building will be built on nine acres at 625 Shadow Lane, and has a contracted completion date of early 2025.

On November 5, Las Vegas will unveil its newest piece of public art: a gleaming, futuristic sculpture called “Atomic Tumbleweed” by CSN art professor Wayne Littlejohn. A celebration of mid-century modern Las Vegas, the 5-foot-tall stainless steel creation resembles a solar system, or maybe just a single atom. Located at the corner of Third Street and Gass Avenue, “Atomic Tumbleweed” is part of the city’s $19.6 million Third Street Improvement project. This is Littlejohn’s third major public sculpture in Southern Nevada. The 15-foot tall “Spin Baby” (2019)— dedicated to the Rat Pack—stands at the intersection of Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin drives. And the 26-foottall “Dream Machine” (2017), which resembles a psychedelic mushroom cloud, presides over Siegfried and Roy Park. “I was excited to put something in the Downtown area, because I’ve watched it develop over a number of years,” Littlejohn said in a YouTube video created by the city. “I bring students down here all the time, and I wanted to be a part of where it’s going.” –C. Moon Reed

2 TWO DIE IN SMALL PLANE CRASH A twin-engine aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff October 29 in the southwest Valley, killing two people and igniting a fire that damaged a construction trailer. It’s unknown what caused the plane to go down.

11.05.20

L A S V E G A S W E E K LY

IN THIS ISSUE

10 16 18 24 28 32 36

Cover story: It’s time to heal this deeply divided nation 5-Minute Expert: Learning about semiprecious gemstones Home: Decorate your space with original artwork Nights: Drai’s worldfamous After Hours returns Scene: Hip thrift boutiques are on the rise Downtown

WEEK IN REVIEW WEEK AHEAD EV E N TS T O F O L L OW A N D N EWS YO U M I SS E D

Food & Drink: Expect the unexpected at Sparrow + Wolf’s brunch Sports: Who is most worthy of your college football title bet?

RAIDERS GRIND OUT A WIN The Las Vegas Raiders improved to 4-3 on the season with a 16-6 road victory November 1 in Cleveland. On a windy day that made completing passes difficult for both teams’ quarterbacks, the Raiders employed a ball control-style of offense, which produced a 15 minute, 26 second time of possession advantage for the Silver and Black. Las Vegas’ defense helped by holding a team that had averaged 28.6 points per game out of the end zone. The Raiders rushed for 208 yards on 45 carries and controlled the clock with scoring drives that chewed up 8:18, 8:54 and 8:47. As a result, the Browns’ offense had the ball for just six drives, the lowest number for any team in any NFL game in 30 years.

3 NV INFECTIONS TOP 100K The number of known coronavirus cases in Nevada topped 100,000 on October 31, and Gov. Steve Sisolak warned that “now is not the time to get complacent.” He urged residents to follow public health guidance, including wearing face coverings and practicing social distancing.

Las Vegas safety Lamarcus Joyner (29) delivers a hit on Cleveland wide receiver Jarvis Landry (80) to jar the ball loose and prevent a touchdown in the waning minutes of the Raiders’ 16-6 November 1 road win over the Browns. (Kirk Irwin/ Associated Press)

4 ALL BALLOTS WILL BE COUNTED The Nevada Supreme Court on November 3 upheld a judge’s decision to reject a bid by the Trump campaign and state Republicans to stop the count of mail-in ballots in Clark County, stating that it failed to show “sufficient likelihood of success to merit a stay or injunction.”

5 ACA ENROLLMENT OPEN Millions of Americans who have lost health insurance in an economy shaken by the coronavirus can sign up for taxpayer-subsidized coverage through December 15 at healthcare.gov. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says premiums are down slightly on average for 2021.

CORRECTION Last week’s cover illustration featured a gravestone with the name Jacob Blake on it. Though Blake was shot seven times by police, he survived. The Weekly regrets the error.

LV W H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

11.05.20

SOLID GROUND

Try these techniques to keep calm in uncertain times

11.05.20

BY LESLIE VENTURA

f feeling calm and focused comes as a struggle right now, you aren’t alone. The pandemic, politics, racial justice issues and West Coast wildfires are just a few reasons why you might be on edge, but getting your mood under control might be easier than you think. Healthline.com describes grounding as “a therapeutic technique that involves doing activities that ‘ground’ or electrically reconnect you to the earth.” Amber Nicole, a local Reiki practitioner and founder of online apothecary Dirtie Lil Hippie, says grounding helps with “becoming aware and present in the moment.” “When you are grounded, you can focus more,” she says. “You can think through situations more clearly because you are not clouded by all the constant noise and the inside narrative going on inside you and the outside narrative going on outside in the world.” Grounding is an alternative or holistic method for stabilizing one’s mood. Though the technique might be underresearched in a scientific setting, limited studies suggest it can help people cope with stress. Root chakra To understand grounding, we must first understand chakras, points in the body that play a role in ancient Indian traditions. The root chakra, which is involved in grounding, is located at the base of the spine. Bright red colors and crystals like jasper are associated with this chakra, which is associated with stability and security. “When we’re feeling stable, we’re feeling grounded, which makes us more confident in ourselves and more focused,” Nicole says. “When this chakra is in balance, you have energy, you feel stable. When it’s out of balance, you feel insecure and fearful, and you may feel low self-esteem.”

Grounding techniques Author Amy Leigh Mercree is an expert in holistic health, meditation, mindfulness and more, and has written a series of books on apple cider vinegar, essential oils, and most recently, a book on de-stressing titled 100 Days to Calm. Mercree, who self-identifies as a “medical intuitive,” suggests introducing oneself to grounding with the 5-4-3-2-1 technique. “If you’re feeling overwhelmed or out of sorts, close your eyes and count backwards from five,” Mercree says. “As you do that, bring your awareness down from your head to the center of your chest to your root chakra and then to your feet. It’s a quick way to bring you back into your body.” She adds that it’s a useful skill to employ when frazzled on a Zoom call, in a meeting or anytime you experience general anxiety. “A lot of people might find that challenging,” Mercree says, but, “It’s an important skill, and it lets you be more present in your reality—the things you do in your career or dayto-day life.” Breathing matters Breath work is another simple practice that can help an individual reengage with themselves and their environment. “Breathing is a really important way to begin to connect with

your body and to become more aware and more grounded in the moment,” Nicole says. “Look around you: What’s in your surroundings, in your immediate area? Take it all in.” “It’s a very stressful time,” Mercree acknowledges, and healthy coping mechanisms are vital. “The ways we can calm ourselves are critical. Two minutes of deep breathing has been shown to calm and help regulate the vagus nerve,” she says. “That can be a way to tap into our frazzled nervous system.” To balance the root chakra, Nicole recommends practicing “giving gratitude,” which she describes as being thankful for the people and good fortunes you have in your life right now. “Even though things may not be the best, there are still things you can be grateful for,” she says. “When we are grateful for these things, it helps us not scatter our thoughts and go into the more negative ones, which can unground you.” That, along with meditation, taking baths and having a morning routine can also help us stay grounded, Nicole says. “How we start our day really is a depiction of how we’ll be throughout our day.” Grounding through nutrition As an herbalist and energy practitioner, Nicole creates her own bath soaks and tea blends

LV W H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

(and makes custom blends with a consultation). She suggests making a bath soak with dandelion, oils like frankincense and myrrh, or earthy scents like cedar. Similarly, a tea infused with dandelion, root herbs like mallow and ginger, or the medicinal herb ashwagandha are helpful. In addition to teas, many foods can be grounding for the body, Mercree adds. “Nut butters are really helpful for us to feel present and grounded,” she says, because they’re nourishing and have good fats and proteins. Mercree suggests making a smoothie with a teaspoon or two of nut butter, raw cacao, maca root powder, frozen cherries and a nondairy milk of your choice. Cacao, Mercree says, has grounding qualities, and maca root is an adrenal adaptogen that may aid hormonal balance. Outdoor footing Grounding in our desert climate— whether we’re inside or outside— requires a certain mindfulness of keeping things in balance. “You’re in a really dry environment, so you don’t have the water element,” Mercree says. “You want to bring in earth and water elements, things to soothe all that fire and extreme heat energy,” she says, adding that a fountain, a humidifier or an essential oil diffuser can bring a cooling essence into the home environment. No matter what elements you bring into the home, however, “nothing takes the place of being able to go outside,” Mercree says. It could be something as simple as a 10-minute after-dinner walk, touching grass with your bare feet or stepping out onto the balcony to read a book before bed. Whatever the method, everyone should attempt to spend a few minutes outdoors every day. It’s easy to get caught up in our mind’s chatter and distractions, but grounding can help you “tackle your life a lot better,” Mercree says. Whether it’s breathing, meditation, exercise or giving back to your community, “anything that helps you slow down and feel present,” Mercree says, is a step toward a calmer and ultimately more grounded life.

LV W C OV E R S T O R Y

11.05.20

IT’S TIME TO HEAL A THIS S U N

E D I T O R I A L

mericans awoke Wednesday to a nation edging toward mayday distress. In cities across the country, several businesses had boarded up their windows and taken out insurance to protect their buildings from being damaged or destroyed amid civil unrest. Police departments remained on alert after mobilizing Tuesday to protect voters from intimidation after President Donald Trump dog-whistled to violent extremists to lurk at polls. Overnight came the chilling moment when Trump claimed he’d won the election, even though ballots had yet to be fully counted in Nevada and several other states. It was nothing less than a threat to circumvent democracy and take autocratic power: An American president was suggesting he would disregard valid votes cast in legal ways by eligible voters and short-circuit the electoral process. None of this happens in the United States. Or at least it didn’t until this year. Before, Americans were smugly self-assured that our nation was above things like this—that it was the stuff of banana republics, not the greatest country in the world.

It’s not normal. But in a nation crippled by division in its leadership and in its population, it’s becoming that way. And unless Americans do something about that division, it’s going to destroy us. It doesn’t matter who emerges as the president, Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden: Four more years of the dysfunction and stress we’re seeing now will tear the nation apart. Look at what it has already done. This is a nation that can’t pass a renewed pandemic relief package even with a staggering number of Americans out of work, businesses closing and the economy suffocating. It’s a country whose president routinely threatens not to provide federal funding to

LV W C OV E R S T O R Y

11.05.20

DEEPLY DIVIDED NATION

Election 2020

states led by his opposing party. America was once the country so unified that its citizens accepted rationing and grew millions of pounds of their own food during World War II to help the war effort. Now we fight over a public health measure like face masks as a political statement and watch while the coronavirus death count climbs past 230,000. This is beyond being in two separate political camps. Our partisan differences have metastasized into dueling suspicions, leaving each side viewing the other as an existential threat. We’ve built an entire splinter industry around right-wing propaganda and misinformation. Fox News and other extremist media organizations long ago discovered that there’s money to be made in tribalizing their audiences and throwing them red meat in the form of anger and fear. Now, when Trump applauds the thugs who menacingly surrounded a Biden campaign bus on the road in Texas, his supporters cheer. When he tells the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by,” makes racist statements and lies, his supporters react not with revulsion but by telling Americans who are justifiably appalled by his behavior that they suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome. When he makes his blatantly false claims that the election was rigged against him, they don’t question him but instead vilify bipartisan election officials and volunteers—who, remember, are their fellow Americans.

(AP Photos/Photo Illustration)

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Election 2020

When a political discussion between Americans can start with one discussing tax policy and another saying Democrats are part of an international pedophilia ring that kills children and drinks their blood, we’re in a very dangerous place. Keep in mind that a politician who loudly supports QAnon—the group responsible for the conspiracy theory involving progressives and pedophilia—won a congressional seat in Georgia on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Democrats appear to be deaf to the very real anxieties of the states derisively called “flyover,” and the Democrats’ traditional link to working-class Americans is weakened by their inability to deliver real change to parts of the country mired in decades-old problems. The middle class continues to shrink, Americans sicken and die, racial justice

is too far out of reach, the climate is in crisis, the world lacks American leadership and America’s dominant political parties are simply snarling at one another from their respective corners. Americans used to solve problems together; now we institutionalize and weaponize them as propaganda tools against one another as our nation’s president, content to represent only a minority of the population, chortles in the White House. Where our democracy once was the aspirational model of the world, other countries are now looking at us with pity and suspicion. In September, the Pew Research Center released the results of a 13-nation survey asking citizens of those countries their opinions of America. In several key nations—the U.K., France, Germany and Japan among them—the

image of the U.S. was at a historic low. Fewer than 50% of respondents in those nations had a favorable view of America. That’s just one measurement of many that show the same thing: Our global leadership role is deteriorating. In another indicator—a global democracy index that ranks 167 countries on such factors as pluralism, civil liberties and political culture—the U.S. lost its designation as a “full democracy” in 2017 when it was assigned “flawed democracy” status. Today, we’ve slid to No. 25 in the index. Regardless of who ends up in the White House, we’ve got to figure out a way to work together to solve these problems. The radicalization of the population cannot continue. We cannot lose our ability to be appalled at division and instead accept it as the new normal.

11.05.20

LV W C OV E R S T O R Y

Breaking down A person carries an upside-down flag as people march during election night in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Healing ‘Angels’ Discussing politics in today’s environment can seem like sticking your face in a fan. But there is a way to do it—and in fact, there’s an organized movement to get Americans talking across partisan lines. It started in 2016, when a small group calling itself the Better Angels (a term Abraham Lincoln used in his first inaugural address) got together in a barn to foster discussion between conservatives and progressives. The idea: Apply techniques used in marriage and group counseling to see if they could help break the ice. It worked, and four years later the exercise in the barn has grown into a nationwide network that encourages volunteers to use the group’s techniques to start their own discussions. Now known as Braver Angels, the organization offers online experiences, workshops, weekly online debates, a podcast and more, all aimed at de-escalating tensions and prompting a flow of discussion. For example, one exercise asks each group to list ways the other group stereotypes them, and why those views are incorrect. Republicans might say that although some racists identify with their party, not all Republicans are bigoted. Democrats might be stereotyped as being anti-capitalist, but admit some extremists identify with them. Once stereotypes are broken down, the process involves framing discussions in a way that avoids defensiveness and makes the conversation not seem like an argument to be won or lost. For more information, visit braverangels.org. –Ric Anderson

We can’t keep waking up to a nation that we couldn’t have imagined only a few years ago. In June, a group of more than 100 national polling experts, campaign leaders, former government officials and others met for a series of war-game plotting to identify potential problems with the 2020 election. Their conclusions read like a novel about a democracy’s dying days. The exercise envisioned a number of scenarios involving President Donald Trump and the extremist Republicans in his base refusing to accept the results of an election loss, flooding the courts with lawsuits, hijacking the Electoral College process and refusing to make a peaceful transfer of power. Many of these scenarios resulted in street-level violence—one led to Trump invoking the Insurrection Act and deploying soldiers to U.S. cities.

“We anticipate lawsuits, divergent media narratives, attempts to stop the counting of ballots and protests drawing people from both sides,” the report read. “The result is that the counting process would be disrupted, the election schedule would be derailed, and both Trump and Biden could go into January both claiming the presidency. Trump seems unlikely to concede regardless of the outcome; he’s already threatened not to respect the vote if he loses.” On Tuesday, developments the group had predicted started to play out. If we don’t want to keep waking up to this dystopian America, we have to start trying to bridge our gaps. The outcome of the election isn’t going to solve our problems. Only Americans can do that—from Congress to statehouses to city halls and finally to the neighborhood level.

NEVADA VOTER TURNOUT

Nevada’s voter turnout came in a hair under 70%, although participation varied widely among counties. According to Wednesday-morning figures from the Nevada Secretary of State’s office, 1,274,887 —or 70%—of the state’s 1,821,864 active registered voters had cast ballots on or before November 3 (with only mail ballots received on Election Day, those postmarked by that date and received by November 10, and provisional ballots still to be counted). Statewide, about 47% of participating voters had returned their mail ballots, while 43% chose in-person early voting. About 10% voted in person on Tuesday. Clark County’s 67.8% turnout closely mirrored the overall state rate, in line with the Las Vegas Valley’s standing as the state’s main population center and largest voter base. Likewise, Clark County followed the 47-43-10 voting method split. Almost all other counties surpassed Clark County in participation, however. The regions with the highest turnout were Elko and Douglas counties, each with 82.1% turnout. Humboldt County followed closely with 81%, then Churchill (79.9%), Lincoln (79.5%) and Storey (79.3%). Only Lyon County had a lower turnout than Clark County, and then only slightly, with 67.7% participation. In-person Election Day voting was most popular in Lincoln County, where 42.1% of the 2,405 total votes cast were at the polls on Tuesday. Lander County led for in-person early voting (60.7% of voters), while mailed and dropped-off ballots found the most traction in Douglas County (56.8% of voters). Percentage-wise (though not in raw totals, due to increased registration), this year’s voter participation fell short of 2016 in Clark County and statewide, with 75.3% and 76.8% turnouts, respectively. By party, Democrats represented 35.6% of votes cast statewide this year. Republicans cast 31.9% of votes, and all others, 22.4%. Donald Trump carried all of Nevada’s rural counties, but Joe Biden took Clark and Washoe, giving Biden a narrow lead as of Wednesday morning. –Hillary Davis

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HOW SMOOTHLY DID LOCAL VOTING RUN?

(John Locher/AP Photo)

Voting in Clark County hit a quick snag early on Election Day before evening out, leading to a lawsuit from Republicans and an extension of hours for some Clark County polling sites. Poll books—laptops that voters use to check in at polling locations—had issues functioning and delayed some sites’ abilities to permit voting early Tuesday. The Nevada Republican Party successfully sued to keep 30 locations open until 8 p.m., an hour longer than normal. Also, per Nevada election policy, anyone in line by 7 p.m. is permitted to vote no matter how long it takes. That meant voting went on at some sites until after 9 p.m., resulting in the Silver State becoming the last in the contiguous U.S. to begin reporting results on election night. Otherwise, there were no real issues, according to Wayne Thorley, Nevada’s deputy secretary of state for elections. “Some of the stuff we were monitoring as far as potential voter intimidation or civil unrest outside polling

Election 2020

locations, none of that materialized,” Thorley said. Complaints that did come in from voters were of the normal Election Day variety, he said, such as partisan disagreements over electioneering. Since all Nevadans were given the option this year of casting their ballots by mail or voting early in person, actual Election Day turnout was low—84,454 in Clark County— far fewer than the number of mail ballots in at press time (413,300) or early votes (378,612) cast in the county. Though the technical issue caused long lines at some polling locations early on, some typically busy sites, like the Galleria at Sunset, did not have long waits around noon on Election Day. Voters on Twitter were sharing photos of sites without lines at all, encouraging voters to turn up there. Voters in Nevada can cast their ballot at any county polling location. “Overall, [Election Day] turnout was very low, which I think led to us having such a smooth day,” Thorley said. –John Sadler

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A SNAPSHOT OF

RESULTS PRESIDENT Democratic nominee Joe Biden maintained a razor-thin lead on Wednesday morning, with 7,647 more votes than president Donald Trump. The Nevada Secretary of State’s office tweeted after midnight on Tuesday that further results would not come until Thursday, in order to give local election officials time to conduct the count. As of Wednesday, all in-person early votes, in-person Election Day votes and mail ballots through November 2 had been counted, leaving only mail ballots received on Election Day, provisional ballots and any mail ballots received by November 10 to count. That number is hard to estimate, according to the office’s tweet, due to the amount of mail ballots sent out this cycle. Mail ballots are more likely to break for Democrats, but the Trump campaign still saw Nevada in play at press time.

CONGRESS Incumbents Rep. Dina Titus, a Democrat who represents much of Las Vegas proper, and Rep. Mark Amodei, a Republican who represents Reno and Northern Nevada, cruised to reelection easily in their districts. For the state’s 3rd and 4th Congressional Districts, the results were still up in the air Wednesday morning. Incumbent Reps. Susie Lee and Steven Horsford, both Democrats, maintained leads of 1.5% and 2.4%, respectively, against Republican challengers Dan Rodimer and Jim Marchant. Republicans went into the election targeting the two races as possible pickup opportunities.

As the sun rose on Wednesday, November 4, Democrats in many of the Silver State’s major races held leads, but with an unknown number of votes still uncounted, most remained uncalled. Here’s where some of those races sat at press time.

STATE LEGISLATURE Republicans had set their sights on overcoming their super-minority status in the Assembly and expanding their Senate caucus, while Democrats were hoping to entrench a supermajority in both chambers of the legislature, which would effectively render any Republican opposition moot. In the Assembly, three Democratic incumbents—Shea Backus, Connie Munk and Skip Daly— trailed their Republican opponents Wednesday morning. In the Senate, Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro was trailing challenger April Becker by less than a percentage point, while the Henderson-area seat currently held by termed-out Democratic Sen. Joyce Woodhouse was leaning to Republican Carrie Buck by 1.73%. Democrats will retain control of both chambers, though their majority could shrink, depending on further results.

BALLOT QUESTIONS Voters decisively favored most of the ballot questions this cycle, with four of the five seemingly set up for easy passage. Ballot Question 2, which would remove language in the state constitution barring gay marriage, sat at 61.5% yes votes to 38.5% no votes Wednesday. Almost 60% of voters voted in favor Ballot Question 3, which would revamp the State Board of Pardons Commissioners, while almost 63% backed Ballot Question 4, which would add a voting bill of rights to the state constitution. Around 56% of voters had backed Ballot Question 6, which would require electricity providers in Nevada to provide 50% of their product by renewable sources by 2030. Voters were more split, however, on Ballot Question 1, which would rework the state Board of Regents by essentially bringing it under the purview of the State Legislature. Around 48.% of voters had backed the measure, while some 51.5% of voters voted no. With a gap of 31,751 on Wednesday morning, the result could change depending on the remaining vote count. –John Sadler

5-MINUTE EXPERT

11.05.20

ROCK STARS Dig into the colorful realm of semiprecious stones BY C. MOON REED

iamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but they needn’t be one’s only friend. That lump of colorless carbon is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to nature’s jewel box. Semiprecious stones come in all colors and varieties and are often cheaper than the better-known options. “A gem doesn’t have to be rare to be beautiful,” says graduate gemologist, gem enthusiast and native Las Vegan Heidi Sarno Straus. Her love affair with gemstones began at age 5, when she received a ring with a piece of glass set like a diamond. She’d wear it everywhere. Straus says that you can make a similar high-impact statement with a big cocktail ring featuring a semiprecious stone. “It doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg,” Straus says. “You can be glamorous without getting crazy.”

What makes gemstones so interesting? Legend has it that certain gemstones carry special powers, granting strength, passion or health to those who possess them. Whether or not that’s actually true we can’t say, but we’d like to believe. “I always feel physically better when I’m wearing gemstones than when I’m not,” Straus says. “Who knows?” There are also scientific reasons why gemstones are awesome. Each type of stone looks the way it does—reflective, colorful, iridescent, for example—because of

complicated geology, chemistry and precise conditions that allowed them to form, often over thousands or even billions of years. For example, some samples of the bright-green August birthstone peridot are up to 4.5 billion years old and arrived on Earth as part of meteorites, according to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). For the fullest appreciation of a pendant necklace, take the time to research its stone’s formation. If nothing else, you’ll have a unique response to future compliments.

Meet these semiprecious gemstones

Moonstone. One of the most common minerals on earth, this stone is composed of feldspar and gets its magical sheen from microscopic layers that scatter light.

Alexandrite. Found in Russia, this gemstone changes between red and blue, depending on the light source.

Aquamarine. A brilliant, watery blue stone composed of the mineral beryl. (Emeralds are, too.)

Citrine. This popular yellow quartz gets its color from trace amounts of iron.

Morganite. A salmon-colored stone from the emerald and aquamarine family of beryl stones. It’s named after financier J.P. Morgan.

Opal. Thanks to silica inside the stone, these unique gems can flash with every color imaginable.

Rose Quartz. A translucent pink gem, often carved into small sculptures or objects.

Glossary ■ Carat. The weight of a stone. One carat (0.2 grams) weighs the same as a paper clip, according to the GIA. ■ Clarity. A way to describe the quality of the stone and how many blemishes it contains. ■ Cut. A natural stone can be cut into many different shapes, such as beads, tablets, inlays and cabochons. ■ Matrix. The rock that surrounds the gem. Can appear to be the “veins” in a gem, as in turquoise. ■ Mohs hardness. The hardness or durability of a mineral is rated from 1-10 on this scale, with the hardest stone (diamonds) rating a 10 and the softest (talc) a 1. It’s named for geologist Friedrich Mohs.

Why are gemstones cut in a certain way? Cut turquoise is generally flat and rounded, like a vanilla wafer. On the other hand, a garnet is cut into facets. Why do jewelers shape the stones so differently? Science! Gemstones are minerals that grow in the earth with a specific crystalline structure according to their chemical composition. A stone must be cut according to its own structure. The goal when cutting gemstones is enhancing the color. “It’s all about the light that goes into and out of the stone,” Straus says. “Stones are cut to maximize crystalline structure to give you that pop of color.”

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5-MINUTE EXPERT

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Birthstones JAN

FEB

garnet

amethyst

MAR aquamarine

APR

MAY

diamond

emerald

bloodstone

JUN pearl

JUL ruby

AUG peridot

alexandrite

spinel

moonstone

sardonyx

SEP sapphire

OCT

NOV

DEC

opal

topaz

turquoise

tourmaline

citrine

tanzanite

zircon

Mood rings Mood rings became super trendy in the 1970s. These clever rings include a heat-sensitive ingredient, such as liquid crystal or color-changing paper, and are finished with a glass or stone. The result is fun, kind of like a wearable thermometer.

Howlite. Sometimes billed as “white turquoise,” this chalk-colored mineral is porous enough to be dyed other colors.

Jade. Ancient philosopher Confucius said this green gem represents heaven.

Labradorite. Like the moonstone, a labradorite is a feldspar. The stone is known for its luminous blues, greens, oranges and yellows.

Tanzanite. This intense blue stone was discovered in 1967 and named by Tiffany & Co. jewelers.

Tourmaline. This mineral crystallizes into three-sided prisms and is available in all colors. Check out watermelon tourmalines (pink and green) for summer fun.

Turquoise. Ever wondered why turquoise is associated with the Southwest? Large deposits of this blue-green stone ribbon through Arizona, California, New Mexico and, yes, Nevada.

Zircon. This billionsyears-old mineral—not to be mistaken for the synthetic gemstone cubic zirconia—is mainly used to make otherwise clear things opaque.

Think global, mine local Locally produced doesn’t just apply to farmers markets. In addition to boring stuff like gypsum and limestone, the Nevada mining industry also produces a variety of fascinating gemstones. “Some of the finest black opal in the world is mined in the Virgin Valley area in the northwest corner of the state,” Ph.D. gemologist Hobart M. King wrote in the Geology.com article “Nevada Gemstone Mining.” The opal formed after a volcano erupted millions of years ago. In fact, it’s the official state gemstone! And you can’t find natural deposits of it anywhere else in the U.S. Additionally, our state has the most turquoise mines in the U.S., according to travelnevada.com.

Lapis Lazuli. Royal blue rock used in Renaissance-era paintings.

Rockhounding in Nevada If you’re feeling adventurous, you can hunt down your own gemstones and minerals right here in Nevada. According to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which controls much of the land in rural Nevada, “Rockhounding is the collection of reasonable amounts of mineral specimens, rocks, semiprecious gems, petrified wood and invertebrate fossils.” The activity is generally allowed on public lands, but check with blm.gov/basic/ rockhounding for more info. If you’d rather a more guided activity, tour the Otteson Brothers Turquoise Mine (ottesonbrothersturquoise.com/mine-tours, $150-$300). The tour even includes a turquoise dig. Or, if you prefer, stay home and watch the Amazon Prime show about the family-owned business, Turquoise Fever.

Source: Gemological Institute of America (gia.edu)

Budget-friendly beauty You don’t have to break the bank to own a piece of nature’s majesty. “There are so many reasonably priced colored gemstones,” Straus says. She advises folks to look to the color wheel for inspiration. For example, if you like yellow and blue together, a piece of jewelry with citrine and aquamarine would be stunning. Straus says that the rich purple-blue of tanzanite (found only in Tanzania) takes her into an emotional state.

Garnet. A family of minerals that come in many different colors. Red is the most common.

L A S V E G A S W E E K LY

11.05.20

FOLLOW YOUR HEART

Holly Lay custom hand-tufted rugs hollylay.com (Courtesy)

How best to decorate your home with original art—on a budget

BY C. MOON REED

ure, you could hit the nearest big-box store and fill your walls with cheap reproductions. But why do that when a collection of original art is within reach? And it is within reach, no matter your budget. “There’s nothing more exciting than living with a work of art in your home,” says Las Vegas-based art adviser Heather Harmon. “That can bring you a lot of joy. It can be very stimulating; it can give you something to talk about.” More than just decoration, Harmon says, your art collection acts as an autobiographical narrative of your taste. “What you choose to collect is … an extension of your life story. The works of art that you gravitate to speak to your personal ideology.” If don’t possess a degree in art history, that might sound intimidating. But at its core, collecting art is about simply following your heart. “If you see something you like, buy it,” says Las Vegas artist and art handler JW Caldwell. “There’s no wrong reason to buy a piece of art. If you think it will match your couch nicely, that’s a valid reason to buy a piece of art. If your friend needs money to get out of jail, that’s a valid reason to buy a piece.”

Sush Machida “J&B” (2019) acrylic on wood panels (Sush Machida/Courtesy MCQ Fine Art)

Where to Start

The triangle Harmon began collecting art by purHarmon suggests chasing work from local college students. following these three She advises attending student shows at rules to build your “triUNLV, CSN and Nevada State College. angle of art collecting.” “I still think it’s one of the best ways She says the first rule is to start collecting,” Harmon says. “It’s most important. a great way to support local artists 1 Buy something you and see what artists are making in love and that you’ll Las Vegas.” love to live with. The advantage of looking at 2 Find something that’s university-level art is that it’s “aca great representation of cessible and open to all. … You an artist’s work. can go into the studios; you can 3 Try to make a good see the exhibitions,” Harmon financial decision; find says. “The amazing thing works that will hold about it is that it’s generally their value. at a price point that’s affordable. You’re not going into a gallery; you don’t have to break the bank. And you’re also helping an artist in a time when they need it most.”

Five tips

Establish your goals. Art consultant and gallerist Michele C. Quinn of MCQ Fine Art advises first thinking about what you want to collect and why. She says that it could just be one piece or a whole collection.

Get in the spirit. “The most exciting time to work with a collector is [when] someone is really excited about the process and really wants to learn,” Quinn says. With so many resources available, you can start learning now.

Discover your personal style. Even if you have the money to work with a professional art adviser, you’ll still need to develop your own taste. Quinn, for example, takes into consideration collectors’ backgrounds and affinities to help them find what they’re looking for at their own price points. Develop your style by looking at art.

Follow the feeling. Ultimately, Quinn says, there’s no formula for good art, but you’ll know it when you see it because it’ll “kick you in the gut” and you’ll think, “God, that’s good.”

But don’t be ruled by emotion. While a gut feeling is important, Quinn says clients can sometimes get overly emotional about a piece of work and then make poor financial decisions. Take a moment to step back and really think about whether a piece of art fits your goals—and your budget.

New sources Caldwell says one of the best new places to find (and even buy) art by emerging artists is on social media. “Jump on Instagram, find an artist that you like and then find the people that they like,” Caldwell says. “I’ve found so many artists [whose work] I really love, and I purchase work from them directly through Instagram [or their websites].” Caldwell has experienced the social media art scene from both sides. During the pandemic lockdown, he’d draw at home, then post the finished products on Instagram (@ThisIsRidiculous13). “I started selling them real cheap, because I had nothing better to do,” Caldwell says. With regular business on hold, he ended up paying rent by selling postcard-size drawings for $25 a pop. Caldwell also suggests looking to local tattoo artists for original work. In addition to tattooing, many such artists make other work on the side. “Dang” by JW Caldwell (Courtesy)

While art appreciation is inherently subjective, there are two general schools of thought when it comes to collecting: finance and passion. Ideally, you’ll satisfy both impulses. For beginners, most experts suggest following your heart. “I’ve installed artwork in mansions that I have deinstalled four days later so that they could go to auction. As soon as the market value went up, they immediately turned it around,” Caldwell says. “But you should always buy things that you like. Nobody wants to get stuck with a painting they think is ugly just because it’s worth a lot of money.”

Jess Vanessa etsy.com/shop/JessVanessaa (Courtesy)

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More hints ■ Collect as a family or a friend group. Have conversations. ■ When you travel, visit a museum. Nothing compares to seeing art in person. ■ Stay up-to-date on the art scene by attending local shows and following art news. ■ The most economical way to get into art collecting is to buy numbered prints, limited editions or duplicates by an artist. This is not to be confused by that Monet poster you can find at the local big-box store. ■ If you can’t afford to buy a lot of art at once, it’s OK to save up and buy one really worthy piece a year. ■ Remember, if you buy original art by local, working artists, you’re not just beautifying your home, you’re also supporting your community. You’re helping fund more art.

Justin Favela “Aluminio/Hoja III” (2020) color screen print on aluminum foil mounted to Rives BFK (Courtesy Test Site Projects)

Look, look, look Artists and art advisers will tell you, the only way to develop your eye is to look at lots of art, ideally in person. “My biggest piece of advice for a collector starting to collect is looking,” Harmon says. “The more you look, and the more you read, the more you get to define what it is that you like.”

Your wallet versus your heart

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BINGE THIS WEEK PODCAST

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman The third season of David Letterman’s Netflix interview show features Lizzo, Robert Downey Jr., Kim Kardashian West and a must-watch, wide-ranging chat with Dave Chappelle. Netflix.

DAILY MEDITATION PODCAST

THE GOOP LAB

The benefits of meditation are many, and there’s solid scientific evidence to back it up. The practice, which has been around for thousands of years, can help bring a sense of calm, peace and balance, according to the Mayo Clinic’s website. Curious but don’t know where to start? Check out the Daily Meditation Podcast, hosted by Mary Meckley. Ten minutes of guided meditation might just be the intro you need, and in these stressful times, every little bit helps. Apple Podcasts. –Genevie Durano

Gwyneth Paltrow might deserve eye rolls for selling vagina-scented candles and suggesting women steam their nether regions, but the actress and CEO of the Goop lifestyle brand is onto something with her 2020 The Goop Lab Netflix series, which dives into holistic and new age-y wellness topics like energy work, cold water exposure therapy and psychedelics. Whether you’re on Team Gwyneth or not, the Goop Lab’s thoughtful look at the opportunities and limitations of alternative medicine are worth a look. Netflix. –Leslie Ventura

EXHIBIT

DREAMS AND PAREIDOLIAS The Winchester-Dondero Cultural Center’s gallery reopens with a show featuring work by Rigoberto Cardenas. The 50-plus pieces by the self-taught artist and poet cover a range of subjects, styles and media, including gesso, pen & ink and even ketchup and barbecue sauce. It’s the first exhibition for Cardenas, who says his art is inspired by dreams and imagination. “I like to put a lot of color and lines [in my work]. I invite people to explore [them].” November 3-December 15. Opening reception November 5, 3 p.m., by appointment only (702-455-7340). –C. Moon Reed

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Pet Shop Boys’ Behaviour The fourth album from the influential techno-pop duo observes its 30th birthday this month. With its elegiac lyrics and guest appearances by the Balanescu Quartet and Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, it holds up beautifully.

MUSIC

OUR PICKS FOR THE WEEK AHEAD

SUPERMARKET SWEEP Three teams play for cash prizes in a fake supermarket. They answer product-related questions, then don colorful sweatshirts and charge through the aisles, loading up on high-cost items. This formula worked for the early 1990s-era Supermarket Sweep game show, now streaming on Netflix, and the ABC remake keeps it intact. Sure, they’ve raised the cash prizes, upped the production value (better sweatshirts!) and wisely tapped Saturday Night Live’s boundlessly energetic Leslie Jones to host, but it’s the same goofy, good fun. ABC, 8 p.m. Sunday. –Geoff Carter

GUNN-TRUSCINSKI DUO: SOUNDKEEPER Since 2000, North Carolinian Cory Rayborn has been expertly documenting the American psychedelic scene on his home-based Three Lobed Recordings imprint, serving up treats from the likes of Bardo Pond, Jack Rose, Tom Carter and MV & EE. Fittingly, Three Lobed has kicked off a 20th anniversary album series—set to feature releases from Sonic Youth, Six Organs of Admittance and more—with the fourth LP from one of its core artists, Gunn-Truscinski Duo. And the blissful Soundkeeper stands among the label’s very best. A decade into their recording partnership, guitarist Steve Gunn and drummer John Truscinski hypnotically work as one, soaking each droning, folk-rooted instrumental in mystery, melody and anticipation for the next leg of the journey. Threelobed.bandcamp.com. –Spencer Patterson

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RETURN OF A LEGEND (Nick Coletsos/Special to the Weekly)

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Fresh off some big TV exposure, Drai’s After Hours reopens BY BROCK RADKE

ne of the cornerstones of Las Vegas Strip nightlife reopened in time for Halloween weekend, when Drai’s After Hours at the Cromwell came back to life as Drai’s Lounge at the early hour of 10 p.m. on Friday, October 30. Obviously, many things have changed since the basement-level club last hosted party people in March, and Drai’s and the Cromwell have been through a lot since the pandemic struck. The boutique hotel and casino became the last resort on Las Vegas Boulevard to reopen, on October 29, and it shifted gears to become the only adultsonly property on the Strip. (Children are allowed to dine with their families at Giada, but that’s it.) “I think it’s a great idea. The Cromwell is such a small hotel, why not do it?” says Dustin Drai, vice president of entertainment at Drai’s Beachclub, Nightclub and After Hours. “This is just an extra thing to make [the property] more attractive to adults who want to come to Vegas and have a great time.” Dustin, the son of the club’s owner and Vegas nightlife legend Victor Drai, participated in the other significant development from the summer shutdown—an impressive TV takeover for the Drai’s brand. The second season of MTV’s Double Shot at Love reality show, starring Jersey Shore buddies Pauly D and Vinny Guadagnino, filmed mostly at the nearby Linq hotel and at Drai’s last year. The show aired from June through October, spotlighting Pauly’s DJ residency at the rooftop dayclub and giving Dustin Drai some screen time, too. “It was a lot of fun,” the latter says of his TV debut. “My first thought was, you’d see me walking in the background a little. But then we got into filming, and they were like, we

Love Island (CBS/Courtesy)

need you eight hours a day for this day and this day. I just went with the flow and enjoyed it actually, and we were ecstatic with the final product.” Popular reality dating show Love Island, which aired on CBS in August and September, also filmed at Drai’s. The Vegas property and Caesars Entertainment executives teamed with that show’s producers to quickly set up a production bubble at the shuttered Cromwell. The temporary set reconfigured the rooftop club with a dorm-style bedroom built on the dancefloor. There’s still no timetable established for the reopening of the Drai’s Beachclub & Nightclub at the top of the Cromwell, but the opening of Drai’s Lounge offers the brand an opportunity to capitalize on all that summer TV exposure. “At least we were able to keep the

Drai’s name alive during the shutdown,” Dustin says. “Drai’s Lounge is going to be a great feeling because the After Hours space was built for this type of concept. It’s smaller and more intimate. It’s going to feel how it felt when it first opened 27 years ago.” The venue is open from 10 p.m. until late Friday (or early Saturday) through Sunday with DJs, bottle service, craft cocktails and new food options. Like other dayclubs and nightclubs that have reopened under capacity restrictions with loungelike operations, Drai’s will be following safety protocols including 6 feet of distance between tables and a six-person limit for groups. Dancing is not happening at dance clubs these days. “They’re different. They’re not the rah-rah, flashing lights, DJs

and artists nightclubs everyone is used to,” says Dustin, who has visited other venues like Marquee and XS in recent weeks. “It was cool to be back at XS standing there looking around that beautiful venue, because it reminded me when my dad first opened XS. Back then, the DJ was in the back corner, and funny enough, where the DJ played then is where the DJ is now. “A lot of these venues spend a lot of money to make it extremely beautiful, and people lose that because they’re coming to see Tiësto or the Chainsmokers or whoever, and that’s their night,” Dustin continues. “[Now] they’re opening their vision, and it’s like, wow, this room is gorgeous; this place is amazing. And [people are] really experiencing the vibe of the room. It’s exciting to get back to that.”

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WORD UP Muralist and designer Type by Cone is taking over Downtown, letter by letter BY C. MOON REED

ander around Downtown, and you’re likely to discover one of Type by Cone’s bright, typographic murals. Inside the new Golden Fog Coffee shop on Casino Center Boulevard, a perky, pink-and-yellow mural by the designer (real name Conor FatheAazam) reads, “Today’s smile is proudly sponsored by Golden Fog Coffee.” Outside Main Street restaurant Casa Don Juan, another of his murals features a Frida Kahlo quote painted in beautiful lettering and accented with starbursts. There are additional murals inside Real Results Fitness, on the Zappos campus, at the soon-to-open Arts District taproom SerVehZah and beyond. Fathe-Aazam has been making murals to support Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, and he’s in the planning stages for other Downtown works. “I’ve always been a huge, huge fan of letters and the way that they can be manipulated to show any form of emotion,” Fathe-Aazam says. “Visual communication is very exciting to me.” Fathe-Aazam says most of his designs begin as “doodles and sketches on any piece of paper that I can find.” He takes a photo of the drawing with his iPad and finalizes the idea on his tablet. Then he transfers the image to

(All photos courtesy Conor Fathe-Aazam & Lauren Kiley)

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TYPE BY CONE YouTube: bit.ly/37QPYMm Instagram: @TypeByCone typebycone.com

the final surface, such as a wall if it’s a mural. “From there, it would be brushes, lots of painters tape [and] projectors,” Fathe-Aazam says. “There’s a whole bunch of things that you can get your hands dirty with, for sure.” Even though he grew up in South Africa, Fathe-Aazam always had family ties to Southern Nevada, even spending time here as a kid. In 2016, the graphic designer moved to Las Vegas, starting out as a cabana host at the Linq before working as an art director for Zappos. Fathe-Aazam credits the creative environment at Zappos for helping him hone his craft in letter building and illustration. For the past several months,

Fathe-Aazam has been working full time as an independent designer and illustrator. As such, he just launched a YouTube channel (under the name TypeByCone), on which he will teach viewers about murals, logo design, digital illustration and more. The first episode chronicles his process for the Golden Fog mural and includes a trip to Home Depot for paint, a pit stop at Tacotarian for lunch and a time-lapse video of him painting the mural. Fathe-Aazam is upbeat and friendly; the video is energizing. Inspired by the “really rad photographers” around him, Fathe-Aazam bought a camera. “Having it on hand, it was really fun to just document

what I was doing,” the designer says of the origins of his YouTube channel. He says that in art, he would sometimes “flounder” his way through until he figured it out. He decided it would be cool to share his process and his hard-earned knowledge with others. “It’s definitely an educational platform,” Fathe-Aazam says, “so that people can learn from the mistakes I’ve made and maybe make it easier [on them].” FatheAazam plans to release a new video

every Monday. It might seem random, but sneakers are among the planned topics for the artist’s YouTube channel. The “self-professed sneaker addict” once dreamed of a career in designing the shoes. Instead he paints them, and his commissions range from about $600 to $1,000. “[There’s an] urge that all of us have to create,” Fathe-Aazam says. “As soon as I got my hands on a pair of white leather sneakers I had to paint on them.”

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11.05.20

BOUTIQUE ROW Downtown’s Commerce Street welcomes a wave of locally owned thrift shops BY LESLIE VENTURA

street in Downtown Las Vegas is becoming a new destination for thrift shoppers, and it’s easy to see why. Despite the small-business instability created by the COVID-19 pandemic, a wave of retail options has landed on Commerce Street, bringing additional vintage and modern wares to the area. Taylor Rice, 24, launched the vintage thrift store Alt Rebel 702 over the summer, and it quickly became one of the most-talked-about stores in the area. “Any chance I got, I would drive to [San Francisco’s] Haight-Ashbury and go to all the vintage shops, thrift shops,” says Rice, who attended college in the Bay Area. “That’s where I drew a lot of inspiration for this store.” Having traveled to other cities with memorable thrift shops, Rice noticed Las Vegas didn’t feature that same one-of-a-kind experience. “It would always disappoint me, going to stores like this in New York and LA and not having something at home,” she says. “I was like, if no one else is going to do it, I’ll do it myself.” The walls of Alt Rebel are covered with local artwork—a giant mural at the entrance by local artist Dray and another mural by Pretty Done across the interior of the fitting rooms. There’s also art for sale inside the boutique, helping provide a community-focused vibe. Rice, who has no background in retail, says

she researches everything from labels to price points before something goes on sale. “Everything in regard to this business was completely foreign to me,” Rice says. “It’s coming together more and more.” Unlike many thrift stores in bigger cities, Alt Rebel 702 strives to keep prices affordable. “I know when people are thrifting, they’re trying to find a deal, so that’s how we’ve been pricing things. So far it’s been working for us.” Alt Rebel buys and sells everything from vintage band tees to dad hats, button-ups, dresses, jeans, like-new athleisure wear and more. “I love seeing people light up when they find a piece that’s super unique and fits their style,” Rice says. Another store, the Good Wolf Lifestyle Co, which sells modern and vintage wares, just celebrated its one-year anniversary on Commerce. Like Rice, owners Sean and Lisa Blanchard say they were tired of waiting for a similar store to open, so they decided to start one themselves. “To this day we have people who say, ‘I didn’t know there was anything to do on Commerce,’” Sean says. “We have something for everyone. We want to give people a reason to come back, and I feel like that’s what we’ve been able to do.” And while the pandemic could have derailed their business, Sean says it actually gave the owners “a minute to come up for air.

Boutique Row: The Good Wolf Lifestyle Co., Off the Threads and Alt Rebel (Wade Vandervort/Staff)

11.05.20

Alt Rebel owner Taylor Rice, inside her boutique with her dog Charlie (Wade Vandervort/Staff)

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It was five months of nonstop—we never closed,” Sean says. “So it was like, OK, let’s knock off the things on our list we’ve put on the back burner,” like creating a stronger website. “Those things helped us to extend our reach to people who might want to shop us from afar.” The married couple met years ago while working for another retail store and have since turned the Good Wolf into their collective passion and vision. “We’re lucky to have each other in life and in business,” Sean says. Another thrift shop on Commerce’s “boutique row,” Off the Threads, actually opened early in 2019, but owner Linda Ruiz has been renovating her space for most of 2020. “I started selling on Depop and realized Vegas didn’t really have vintage stores, so I was like, OK, I want to make a cool one with vintage clothing [that] could also be modernized—a fun place to be creative,” Ruiz says. Ruiz also began offering alterations as an homage to her grandmother, who worked in the fashion industry. “If people want a custom jacket made, we’ll make it from scratch,” Ruiz says. Though Off the Threads is relatively new, Ruiz’s client list is full of big names. She has worked as a seamstress for Dua Lipa during the Billboard Awards, paired with the Cosmopolitan and the Venetian for photo shoots and worked on set for brands like Wrangler. Ruiz says she hopes to have her space reopened by the end of the year, though she acknowledges permitting issues could delay that. In the meantime, Off the Threads is operating online and as a popup business, with one event scheduled for November 21 at Alt Rebel next door. Teaming up with a competitor might sound counterintuitive, but for the shop owners on Commerce, it’s part of creating a community. “You get to experience art, amazing restaurants and breweries, and find something to do in between,” Sean Blanchard says. “It could be us, it could be our neighbors. We know everyone is looking for something fun to do that’s unique.” And it’s still evolving. Look for more new businesses to hit the area soon, including a furniture store called Authentik, from Eat chef and owner Natalie Young.

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11.05.20

BRUNCH I BOUNTY

Unexpected treasures await at Sparrow + Wolf ’s midday Sunday meal

BY GENEVIE DURANO

t’s hard to go wrong with brunch. You know what to expect—egg dishes, French toast, pancakes. But can the most pleasurable meal of the week upend your expectations? At Sparrow & Wolf, it sure can. Chef Brian Howard’s Chinatown spot, which bills itself as a neighborhood cookery, is known for inventive dishes that draw inspiration from the chef’s background, from his hometown of Detroit to his stints at spots like Comme Ça at the Cosmopolitan. A dish at Sparrow & Wolf proffers flavors you’d never

expect, sometimes with ingredients you might not be familiar with. Sparrow’s brunch is a more casual affair than its dinner service, but no it’s less interesting. Some of the starter items can be found on the dinner menu, like the exceptional Pâté en Croûte ($12), served with pickled onion, mandarin mustard and grilled sourdough. The house charcuterie board ($22) is a tested crowd-pleaser, so begin with that for the table. The brunch menu, which draws on global culinary influences, should appeal to any palate. For those not looking to stray far from an egg-centric brunch concept, the Japanese Rolled Omelette ($14) should not be missed. It might be the most delicate omelet you’ll ever taste, served with

SPARROW + WOLF 4480 Spring Mountain Road #100, 702-790-2147. Brunch served Sundays, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

($13). Soak up all that chili garlic oil with more bread. Another standout protein selection is the Japanese Tsukune chicken sausage ($8), served with soft-scrambled farm egg and jaew sauce, an addictive umami combination you might not expect so early in the day. And when was the last time you had hamachi crudo ($10) for brunch? Sparrow’s is refreshing and light, served with cold-pressed pineapple, habanero, fresh lychee and yuzu. The most surprising thing on the menu is undoubtedly the duck confit cinnamon roll ($16), which comes in a crock perfect for spooning. The frosting’s made with duck fat, tender shreds of meat are nestled in the cinnamon roll, and the concoction’s topped with a yuzu apricot chutney. If it sounds over-the-top decadent, it is—the perfect union of sweet and savory. It’s filling, so it’s best to order it at the beginning of your meal, or share it with several companions. Of course, brunch isn’t brunch without adult beverages, and Sparrow features bottomless bubbles ($28, with a 90-minute limit) with

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Pancakes (Sabin Orr/Courtesy)

your choice of cold-pressed juices. The cocktail program also begs for attention, particularly the Bloody Hanako-San ($13)—Haku Vodka, housemade bloody and a togarashi-spiced rim—and the Dude Abides ($12), with vodka, coconut milk and whipped coffee foam. Sparrow + Wolf also has a rotating roster of musicians during brunch, a nice touch for a city that has sorely missed its live entertainers in 2020. The tunes pair nicely with a meal that’s delightful in so many ways.

Brunch at Sparrow + Wolf (Sabin Orr/Courtesy)

dashi crème fraîche, soy and scallion ginger. The corned beef hash with fried egg ($9) is a familiar classic, but this one features an elevated presentation. Pair it with the sourdough bread, and you can’t go wrong. Speaking of sourdough, the pancakes ($15)— purportedly made from a 500-year-old starter(!)—is anything but traditional. Sparrow’s version, with pistachio butter, strawberries and bourbon barrel maple syrup, has the hearty bite of fermented dough but lends itself to a sweet and tender mouthful. Other items on the menu take on a more unconventional twist. Steak and eggs comes in the form of wood-fired Creekstone Farms sirloin, sunny-side up quail eggs and chili garlic crunch

Pâté en Croûte (Sabin Orr/Courtesy)

LV W F O O D & D R I N K

11.05.20

The X Pot’s Wagyu Feast with A5 Miyazaki Gyu beef (Courtesy/The X Pot)

X FACTOR

Venetian’s new hot pot spot offers a multisensory experience BY GENEVIE DURANO

ne of the many things we’ve all missed during this pandemic is communal dining, since there are few things as pleasurable as sharing a meal with friends and family. Hot pot dining, which has its origins in China, centers around a steaming pot of broth, into which you—and everyone at your table—dip meats and vegetables and cook them to your liking. It’s less a meal than an experience, one with a very Eastern sensibility. But in recent years, it has caught on in the West, too, and its most recent entry is the X Pot, located in the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian.

The X Pot is a collaboration between restaurant group Xiang Tian Xia and Chubby Cattle, which brought the hot pot concept to Chinatown in 2016. With pandemic restrictions in mind, there are now individual pots for each diner (though there are also family-sharing options). There are six soup bases from which to choose—most popularly chicken, lobster and the special spicy pot. Once you select your base (which is constantly refilled by a server or special robots that scoot around the room), it’s a matter of choosing what you want to put in the pot. You can go a la carte and choose from a vast

selection of meats selection of seafood THE X POT Grand Canal Shoppes including Prime and A5 wagyu from at Venetian, 866-888-9768. Angus Ribeye ($38), Miyazaki Gyu, a top Monday, Wednesday, wagyu short rib purveyor of wagyu Thursday, 5:30-11 p.m.; Friday, 5 p.m.-12:30 a.m.; Saturday, cubes ($26 for 3.5 produced from Japnoon-4 p.m., 5 p.m.-12:30 a.m.; ounces), Kurobota anese black cattle, Sunday, noon-4 p.m., 5-11 p.m. pork belly ($16); known for snowspecialties like flake-like marbling crispy bean curd and tenderness. rolls ($9) and seaweed knots ($9); And don’t worry if you’re not sure how and seafood options like tiger shrimp long to cook each item; your server ($23 for six pieces) and live lobster will guide you through the process. (market price). Beyond the food, there’s even The menu is vast, so if you’re new more to experience at the X Pot, with to the concept, consider opting for high-definition 360-degree projecthe Chef’s Tasting Menu ($148 per tions, live performances, thematic person)—a multicourse gastronomic soundscapes and an interactive light journey that lets you sample the best show presented throughout the evethe X Pot has to offer, including a ning. It’s truly a meal for all the senses.

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OUT OF THE BOX Guerrilla Pizza brings a taste of Detroit to Vegas BY LESLIE VENTURA

GUERRILLA PIZZA 1675 S. Industrial Road, 702-384-8987. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.midnight; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 a.m.

Guerrilla pies from Robby Cunningham (inset) (Christopher DeVargas/Staff)

t was only one year ago that Robby Cunningham started slinging Detroit-style pizza out of his home for free. Now, he’s the head chef and owner of Guerrilla Pizza company, where he’s been selling out nearly every night since opening inside the Hard Hat Lounge on October 1. Born and raised in Michigan, Cunningham launched Free Pizza DTLV in April 2019 after perfecting his Detroit-style pizza recipe in his home kitchen. “I started messing around with a recipe a friend sent me,” Cunningham tells the Weekly. “It did not come out the first time—it was terrible. I made another one—total trash. But I understood where I wanted to go, and then I nailed it. [My friend] was like, ‘Dude, you need to sell this,’ and I was like, I’ve got a better idea than that, I’m going to give them away for free.’” Using the Instagram handle @FreePizzaDTLV, Cunningham’s pizza project was such a hit with the local community that he wrote a business plan and began pitching investors. But just as he was gearing up to make his pizza business profitable, the pandemic hit, and life took a drastic turn. “2020 was the worst year of my life,” Cunningham says. He left his job as a bartender to pursue his pizza dream, only to end up out of work with no unemployment support. “I was pretty convinced that the pizza was a curse,” he says. But then, in the summer, he got a call. The kitchen at the Hard Hat Lounge was available—he just needed money for new equipment. Cunningham put out a call on Instagram to raise funds, and soon Guerrilla Pizza was born. On the menu: personal-size Detroit pan pizzas, poutine tots and chicken wings, plus several vegan options for plant-based eaters. And the pizza? It’s pretty perfect—think thick, bready dough that’s soft and fluffy on the inside, with crispy, chewy edges covered in golden-brown cheese. Unlike a typical New York slice, these are generous with the sauce, which is robust and well-seasoned to complement your favorite toppings. Cunningham has big dreams for Guerrilla Pizza, like bringing back the free pizza program, partnering with local charities and expanding to other cities. But for now, he’ll focus on bringing the best of Detroit to Vegas, inside the Hard Hat Lounge.

LV W S P O R T S

11.05.20

BIG THREE Analyzing college football’s championship race (from a betting perspective) BY CASE KEEFER

his year’s college football season is unprecedented, and not only for its shortened and mostly crowdless nature. It might also be the most top-heavy championship picture since the 1998 advent of the Bowl Championship Series (which evolved into the current College Football Playoff), with three teams looming large compared with the other 127 Football Bowl Subdivision programs. This year, it’s Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State … and then everybody else. Depending on the sportsbook, future betting odds have those three teams between a combined 80% and 90% probability to win the title. As the nation’s final teams get into action—with the Pac-12 starting play on November 7—here’s a look at each of those big three contenders, along with places to find value in the futures market at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.

ALABAMA National championship odds: +150 Record: 6-0 straight-up, 4-2 against the spread Average margin of victory: 25.1 points per game Heisman candidate: QB Mac Jones (+150). Many expected the Crimson Tide to regress following the loss of record-setting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, but there’s a strong argument to be made that Jones is now heading the best offense in school history. Jones leads college football with 12.4 yards per passing attempt, despite having played one of the nation’s stronger schedules so far. Toughest remaining game: vs. Auburn, November 28. The line on this game coming into the season was Alabama -13.5, but with Auburn having underwhelmed despite a 4-2 record, it’s now trending closer to three touchdowns. The Crimson Tide will still need to be careful in a rivalry game that has produced some wonky results over the years, but it’s difficult to imagine the Tigers’ offense keeping up. Why they’ll win it all: It’s Alabama. The Crimson Tide get the best players every year and have future NFL stars at every position, especially on offense, where wide receiver DeVonta Smith and running back Najee Harris join Jones to create an unstoppable triumvirate at the skill positions. No matter who it plays, barring an injury to Jones, Alabama will be favored in every game going forward. Why they won’t: The defense might be the worst of coach Nick Saban’s 14-year tenure. Alabama is young on that side of the ball, and the pandemic might have prevented it from getting up to speed. The Crimson Tide are currently 71st in the nation in allowing 5.3 yards per play, a far cry from their usual spot near the top of the list.

11.05.20

CLEMSON

OHIO STATE

National championship odds: +250 Record: 7-0 straight-up, 2-5 against the spread Average margin of victory: 30.5 points per game Heisman candidate: QB Trevor Lawrence (+200). The Clemson QB was the favorite until he tested positive for coronavirus and missed Clemson’s 3428 victory over Boston College. The junior, who’s considered one of the top NFL prospects of the past several years, released a statement saying his symptoms were mild, but he also won’t be eligible for a November 7 game against Notre Dame. Toughest remaining game: At Notre Dame, November 7. Without Lawrence, this will be awfully tricky. Clemson is only a 5.5-point favorite, as Notre Dame has smothered opponents with a suffocating defense. Freshman quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei is a blue-chip recruit who played well in his debut, but going on the road against a team as strong as Notre Dame is a bigger challenge. Why they’ll win it all: Lawrence has already proven he can beat both Alabama and Ohio State. When he was a true freshman, Lawrence led Clemson to a 44-16 blowout win over Alabama in the national championship. Then, last year, Clemson rallied to beat Ohio State 29-23 in the semifinals with a lot of the same supporting cast it has this season. Why they won’t: The Tigers have looked more human than the Crimson Tide and Buckeyes when they weren’t playing The Citadel or Georgia Tech. Even with Lawrence behind center, they had relatively close games with Virginia (41-23) and Syracuse (47-21), which is somewhat alarming.

National championship odds: +150 Record: 2-0 straight-up, 2-0 against the spread Average margin of victory: 24 points per game Heisman candidate: QB Justin Fields (+150). A more explosive runner than Lawrence and certainly Jones, Fields brings the dual-threat style that voters have favored in recent years. That might make him the most joyful player in the nation to watch. So far, in a three-year college career, he has scored 66 total touchdowns—51 passing, 15 rushing—and thrown only three interceptions. Toughest remaining game: vs. Michigan, December 12. In other words, there isn’t a toughest remaining game. Ohio State defeated Penn State 38-25 as 10.5-point favorites in its second contest to get past the hardest part of its schedule. The Buckeyes were an 11.5-point favorite against Michigan in game of the year lines coming into the season, but with the latter having already suffered an upset loss to Michigan State, it would now be several points higher. Why they’ll win it all: The Buckeyes have the clearest path. The only Big Ten team with a real chance to challenge them, Wisconsin, would only await in the conference championship game and currently isn’t playing due to a coronavirus outbreak. Ohio State is also the nation's No. 1 team by several sets of advanced metrics, including Bill Connelly’s SP+ ratings. Why they won’t: Coaching inexperience. That’s no knock on second-year man Ryan Day; he can outwit almost anyone in the nation. But Alabama’s Nick Saban and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney have proven to be on another level. There’s an inherent advantage to having a multiple-time national championship coach on the sidelines that Ohio State can’t match.

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Josh Jacobs (28)

■ LAST WEEK: RAIDERS 16, BROWNS 6 So much for the Raiders not being able to handle bad-weather games. Las Vegas proved that reputation wrong by strong-arming Cleveland in a mix of rain, snow and sleet, with gusts up to 50 miles per hour blowing in off of Lake Erie. Running back Josh Jacobs ran for 128 yards on 31 carries in his best game of the season, and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow scored the game’s only touchdown on a 4-yard reception from Derek Carr.

RAIDERS (AP/Photo Illustrations)

Report

WHO’S THE BET? Alabama is the best team in the nation and should stand alone as the favorite to win its 18th title—and sixth under Saban—but there’s neither value nor fun in such a short price. For a gamble, consider Florida at 40-to-1 (though it is a 4.5-point underdog to Georgia on November 7); the Gators have shown they have the offense to compete with anyone and should get better defensively. And if you want to get crazy, try Washington at 500-to-1. The Huskies at least have a great chance to win the Pac-12 and get into the playoff field.

ANYONE ELSE? Oklahoma (80-to-1) has slid into the No. 4 playoff spot in each of the past two years and is again favored to win the Big 12. But having already suffered two losses, the Sooners might be all but eliminated. Odds-wise, Notre Dame (25-to1) is the next choice, but that would require beating Clemson twice—once in the regular season and again in the ACC Championship Game. The winner between the annual rivalry game between Georgia (30-to-1) and Florida (40-to-1) on November 7 will still be alive despite one loss, especially if no team goes undefeated in the Pac-12. There’s debate over who should be favored in the Pac-12 between Oregon (60-to-1), USC (80-to-1), Utah (100-to-1) and Washington (500-to-1). And if a non-Power Five conference team was ever to make the playoff, it would probably be this year. Both Cincinnati (50-to-1) and BYU (80-to-1) are steamrolling opponents to give themselves an argument.

■ THIS WEEK: RAIDERS (4-3) AT CHARGERS (2-5) When: Sunday, November 8, 1 p.m. Where: SoFi Stadium TV: Fox (Channel 5) Radio: 920-AM, 92.3-FM Betting line: Chargers -1.5, over/under: 53 Opponent: Led by Rookie of the Year favorite Justin Herbert at quarterback, the Chargers have played much better than their record indicates; they’ve just found ways to blow games nearly every week. The latest collapse came when they squandered a 21-point third-quarter lead last week at Denver, when the Broncos scored on the final play from the 1-yard line—following a Chargers pass interference penalty—to win 31-30. Injuries: Right tackle Trent Brown missed his fifth game last week after a reported pregame freak IV accident injected air into his veins, forcing him to be rushed to the hospital. His replacement, left tackle Sam Young, then left the Browns game with a recurring knee injury. The Raiders will hope for their returns against the Chargers, along with left guard Richie Incognito (Achilles), cornerback Damon Arnette (thumb) and wide receiver Bryan Edwards (foot). Initially feared lost for an extended period of time after being helped off the field in Cleveland, defensive tackle Maurice Hurst could be back sooner than expected after coach Jon Gruden said the injury was diagnosed only as an ankle sprain. –Case Keefer

VEGAS INC BUSINESS

11.05.20

Even during pandemic, robust housing market presents opportunities

BY BRYAN HORWATH n nearly 30 years in the business, Sean Hulsey has rarely seen a mortgage industry as opportunistic for would-be homeowners and those looking to refinance. “Even though we’re in this pandemic, it’s a great market right now,” said Hulsey, head of Wells Fargo’s retail mortgage operations in Las Vegas. “The last time we had opportunities like this in the mortgage market, it would probably be about 2003. This is probably the second-largest market I’ve worked in, and I’ve been in the business since 1991.” Last month, the average rate for a 30-year fixedrate mortgage dropped to 2.8%, according to a Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. survey. That’s well under where rates were a year ago—around 3.75%—and the lowest rate seen since Freddie Mac began conducting surveys nearly 50 years ago. MarketWatch reports that mortgage rates have dropped to record lows at least eight times since the outset of the pandemic. Mortgage rates are influenced by a number of factors, but Jon Gedde, chair of the Nevada Mortgage Lenders Association, said there’s one main culprit this time. “It’s COVID-19 and the uncertainty in the market,” Gedde said. “It really is that simple in this case. In general, market uncertainty leads people to more secure investments. Mortgage-backed securities, specifically the bonds backed by the U.S. government like Freddie Mac, are incredibly safe securities. When more people buy them, demand goes up, so the price of the bonds goes up and the return on the bonds goes down. That drives interest rates down.” With housing inventory low right now in Southern Nevada—the Las Vegas Realtors trade organi-

zation recently called the area’s inventory “well below” the six-month level needed to have a balanced market—it’s a seller’s market. In August, the price of an existing home in Southern Nevada was just over $337,000, an all-time record for the region. “Mortgage rates have hit another record low due to declining inflationary pressures, putting many home buyers in the buying mood,” Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, told MarketWatch. It’s not only those looking to buy a first home or move up to a better home who are taking advantage

of the historic rates. Many are looking into refinancing options, Hulsey said. “We’re seeing a lot of consumers taking maybe 25 years remaining on what was originally a 30-year mortgage, dropping that down to a 20-year or 15year term, and they’re taking advantage of these rates,” Hulsey said. “They might be paying more on their principal payment each month, but they’re able to pay their home off much faster. A lot of folks are gearing up for retirement this way.” That future for many Nevadans includes enduring the economic hardships brought on by the coronavirus, with the jobless rate higher than 20% at the peak of the pandemic. Some put their mortgages into forbearance, which means they’re not obligated to make payments for a certain period of time due to a financial hardship. Those looking into securing a new mortgage or refinancing would have to exit the forbearance in order to lock in a new deal, Hulsey said. Gedde said he doesn’t see many similarities between the Great Recession, when housing prices plummeted because of foreclosures brought on by the crisis, and this economic downturn. “There’s really no comparison, because the market is completely different,” Gedde said. “The primary driver of valuation during the lead-up to the financial crisis was incredibly easy access to financing. A person could state what their income and assets were. That led to a lot of people speculating. We don’t have the same set of criteria now. The credit market is where it should be, and has actually tightened up a bit.”

Houses in Las Vegas (Shutterstock)

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VEGAS INC BUSINESS

11.05.20 experiential learning to inspire students to dream big and fulfill their true potential.

VegasInc Giving Notes Jamie Thalgott, a shareholder at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, was appointed to the board of directors of Thalgott the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Foundation. As part of her three-year term, Thalgott will assist the board with fundraising, events, volunteer work and fiduciary responsibilities. Cure 4 The Kids Foundation announced an educational partnership to help pediatric cancer patients advance their educational progress while receiving lifesaving treatments. The Andre Agassi Foundation For Education Learning Center, located in the same building as Cure 4 The Kids, will provide patients with

direct access to a licensed Clark County School District teacher. CCSD educator Jennifer Morris and a teacher’s aide will work throughout the school year to assist patients before and after clinic appointments. Funding from the Agassi Foundation will cover the Learning Center’s buildout, operating costs, supplies, educational software and equipment and more. Credit One Bank presented Communities in Schools of Nevada with a donation of $3,790 during its eighth annual Fill the Bus event. Credit One employees also donated school supplies. With a sponsorship from NV Energy, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada added six new electric pedal-assist bikes to the RTC Bike Share program, which is available to Southern Nevada residents for

their recreational and transportation needs. In collaboration for a greener, more sustainable future, NV Energy stepped in to help expand the fleet. To benefit Southern Nevada’s entertainment industry, HopeLink of Southern Nevada has introduced Jammin’ 4 Hope, a livestream concert and telethon set for November 8 from Backstage Bar & Billiards and the Fremont Country Club. The event, which culminates the end of HopeWeek2020, will feature local and national entertainers, community partners and a silent auction. To learn more, visit link2hope.org. Bass Pro Shop and Get Outdoors Nevada donated rescue supplies to help save lives at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The donation marks the beginning of its partnership aimed at keeping national parks clean, educating youths and saving lives.

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Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada announced new members to its board of directors, including Maria Marinch, chief communications officer, Clark County School District; Daryl Alterwitz, lawyer, Alterwitz Katz; Malcolm Morgan, vice president/district manager, US Bank; and Rick Arpin, managing partner, Las Vegas KPMG. The board is responsible for providing executive counsel, fund development and supporting JA’s in-school programs, which focus on entrepreneurship, personal financial literacy and workforce readiness using

Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada is inviting the public to learn about VMSN Connect With Compassion during its first virtual Hands Together party November 15. Hosted by Jeff Civillico, the former Strip headliner known for his show Comedy in Action, the hourlong event will include entertainment by Civillico and a live auction, Fund-A-Need. As a nonprofit health organization, VMSN provides care and support at no cost to these patients. The Mayor’s Fund for Las Vegas LIFE, a vehicle for corporate and philanthropic partners to support innovative programs that improve quality of life for Las Vegas residents, with a special focus on vulnerable populations, received a $10,000 grant from the Kroger Co., parent company of Smith’s Food and Drug. The grant will be used to provide gift cards to individuals and families facing economic hardships as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and those who may be at risk of experiencing homelessness.

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HOROSCOPES

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 5 BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Poet Charles Baudelaire championed the privilege and luxury of changing one’s mind, to always keep evolving beyond one’s previous beliefs and attitudes, though it may make one seem inconsistent. Be at peace with the prospect of outgrowing rules, strategies and approaches that have outlived their usefulness. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Horoscopes are love letters to you that celebrate your beauty and strength, even as they discern what’s lacking in your life and what confusions might be undermining you. In the coming weeks, adopt this approach with your own close relationships. Your allies are in need of your praise and your rectifications. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): When Charles de Gaulle was 15, he wrote “General de Gaulle,” a short story in which he envisioned himself as a general in the French army. Thirty-five years later, his imaginary tale came true in World War II. Have fun as you visualize in great detail a successful role you will play months or even years from now. CANCER (June 21-July 22): In 1903, archaeologists digging in a cave in Cheddar Gorge, England, found the fossilized remains of “Cheddar Man,” a person who had lived there 9,000 years earlier. In 1997, DNA tests revealed that a teacher named Adrian Targett, who was living a half-mile from the cave, was a direct descendant of Cheddar Man. Connections with your ancestors are worthy of your meditations. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): According to the film Amadeus, composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri disliked and undermined each other. But they collaborated on a cantata that was performed by a singer they both admired. It’s time to dissolve a misunderstanding in your own world. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to ask for help and seek support. Resources that have been inaccessible before may be more available now. You will be able to capitalize on the luck and skill of allies who have benefited from your favors in the past. Ask them to lend their influence in your behalf.

2020 KING FEATURES SYNDICATE ACROSS 1 Workforce 6 Swallowed up 14 Beautiful 20 Popular type option 21 Wedlock 22 Idolize 23 Organ knob imparting a striking sound 25 Napoli’s country 26 Quarterback Manning 27 Boundless 28 Suffix with 12-Down 30 Jungle lairs 31 Age, as cheese 33 Hidden way out in a haunted house 36 Orlando locale 40 Singer Reba 42 Ratio of a stock share’s return to its price 45 Shell games 50 Persona 51 Studio stand 52 Hold in check 55 Animation frames 56 Neophytes 58 Blackish wood 60 Pisa’s river 61 Actor Wilson 62 Illinois town west of Chicago 64 Worker finishing furniture 68 Savage sort 70 Deeply felt 71 Popularity boost after appearing on satirist Stephen’s old show 73 Iris’ layer 74 Is in debt 75 Fallback strategy 76 Singer Mariah

78 UPS deliveries: Abbr. 82 Did a 180 84 Willy Wonka creator Dahl 86 Capital of Egypt 87 Kagan of the Supreme Court 88 At a snail’s pace 91 Quark or pion 95 The Newlywed Game host Bob 96 PC program tool for automating batches of invitations, say 100 Actress Irene 102 Streamlined, in brief 103 Africa’s Amin 104 “Canvas” for a tattoo 106 Artificial cave 111 Zoned (out) 113 Like people heeding seven key words in this puzzle 117 Mongol invaders 118 Brazilian rain forest region 119 Make — for oneself 120 Lace-receiving hole 121 Crescentlike objects 122 Plays spiritedly DOWN 1 Defensive tackle Warren 2 Willow or oak 3 Ethereal 4 Almanac item 5 Drinking water additive 6 Long dashes 7 Innocent 8 Reaction to an awful pun

9 Big vases 10 Enumerate 11 Chubby 12 Inflated sense of self 13 Portray 14 First coat of paint 15 Like many a sr. citizen 16 Sidestep 17 Old-style messager 18 Pop singer Lopez 19 Brewer’s fungus 24 Snarky 29 Lanka lead-in 32 Lousy review 33 Vendors 34 Finale 35 Final, e.g. 36 Savings acct. protector 37 Tart pie fruit 38 Track shape 39 Road semis 40 Fail to catch 41 Passing mark 43 Wilson actress Laura 44 Basketballer Ming 46 Shipping box 47 Hitter Hank 48 Negative 49 Sleep sound 52 Backdraft director Howard 53 Salad green 54 Biggest city in Australia 56 Nudniks 57 Turtle in a Dr. Seuss title 59 Belfry dweller 61 Small bill 62 Hiatus 63 Homer’s H 64 Win a point

65 Sauna wrap 66 Tylenol rival 67 Peer Gynt dramatist 68 Sloppy Joe holder 69 Hug 72 Defective 73 Pakistani language 76 Walking stick 77 ’80s sitcom 78 “Qué —?” 79 Brick-baking oven 80 Totally understand, informally 81 Plants seeds 83 Absorbed 85 OPEC liquid 86 Big hack attack 88 Sty dweller 89 Mystery writer Deighton 90 Sudden forward thrust 92 In the thick of 93 Cardinal, e.g. 94 Clan-related 96 Sticky stuff 97 Reimburse 98 Hopping mad 99 Like ultra-lite food 100 Failed to 101 Remove, as a 105-Down 104 Medium, e.g. 105 Shoelace problem 107 “How awful!” 108 Cardinals, e.g. 109 Office fill-in 110 Corrida calls 112 Sooner than 114 Big bush bird 115 Flying Solo 116 — -been

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the 1970s, an Englishman named Stephen Pile founded the Not Terribly Good Club. He eventually published The Book of Heroic Failures. Unfortunately, it sold so many copies that he got expelled from his own club. He had become too successful! The odds are good that you’ll find interesting success in an area of your life where you have previously been just average. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “At every crossroad, be prepared to bump into wonder,” wrote poet James Broughton. That’s stirring advice for you to keep in mind. Heed this, as well: “At every turning point, be ready to stumble into an opportunity disguised as a problem.” SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The rants of quirky, kooky actor Gary Busey sometimes make good sense. Here’s one for you to consider: “It’s good for everyone to understand that they are to love their enemies, simply because your enemies show you things about yourself you need to change. So in actuality, enemies are friends in reverse.” CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Jazz musician John Coltrane described one of his life goals as follows: “There are forces out here that bring suffering to others and misery to the world. But I want to be the opposite force. I want to be the force which is truly for good.” Consider adopting that goal during the next few weeks. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Geir Helgemo is a champion in the card game of bridge. But in 2019, he was suspended from the World Bridge Federation because he tested positive for taking testosterone supplements. There’s no need for you to cheat to seek an even greater advantage. In fact, righteous integrity will enhance your intelligence. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “I might really have gone round the bend,” confessed Botswana author Bessie Head. “I mean, people who get visions and see a gigantic light descend on them from the sky can’t be all there, but if so, I feel mighty happy. If one is happy and cracked it’s much better than being unhappy and sane.” Your state of mind in the coming weeks will not be as extreme, but it will have resemblances to her dreamy cheerfulness. Your “craziness” will generate useful insights.

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