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January 24 Friday January 30 Monday January 26 Tuesday January 27 Wednesday January 28 Thursday January 29 Saturday January 31
The evolution of UFC that began 25 years ago this month continues with a huge 2026 for Dana White and the combat sports universe.
14 WEEKLY Q&A Whitney Lehn Meltz creates transformative art for Omega Mart and Vegas’ theater scene.
26 NEWS Clark County’s homeless census this week will help determine funding for services for a rising population.
SUPERGUIDE
28 NIGHTLIFE DJ duo House of Wax goes all in on Vegas’ vinyl revival with curated playlists and deep cuts.
30 STAGE Stars clash in Majestic Repertory Theatre’s Showgirls: An Unauthorized Musical Parody
34 FOOD & DRINK Union Biscuit melds Southern U.S. and Korean flavors for breakfast and brunchtime perfection.
Rita Deanin Abbey Art Museum hosts a chamber music concert, 112 brings bangers and ballads to the Pearl and more this week.
COVER ART Photo by Christopher DeVargas ON
UFC president Dana White, center, gets between Floyd Mayweather Jr., left, and Conor McGregor during a July 2017 news conference one month before their iconic fight at T-Mobile Arena. (AP
Photo/Jae C. Hong)
THURSDAY
axs.com.
8 p.m., & 1/24, Encore Theater, ticketmaster.com
ticketmaster.com.
TERRY FATOR
6:30 p.m., South Point Showroom, ticketmaster.com.
The hidden gem Rita Deanin Abbey Art Museum’s first concert of 2026 brings Broadway to life with only instruments. Musicians who have performed in iconic productions in New York and at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts here in Las Vegas reimagine favorite compositions in the museum’s intimate, chamber music environment. Violin and viola player Robert Taylor and pianist Philip Fortenberry (recipient of the Ghostlight Award as Best Musician on Broadway) anchor this unique performance. 2 p.m., $95, Rita Deanin Abbey Art Museum, ritadeaninabbeymuseum.org.
–Brock Radke
DISTANT WORLDS: MUSIC FROM FINAL FANTASY 8 p.m., Reynolds Hall,thesmith center.com.
SONIA BARCELONA 7 p.m., Winchester Dondero Cultural Center, clarkcountynv.gov.
BOXING: MURATALLA VS. CRUZ 2:20 p.m., BleauLive Theater, ticketmaster.com.
UNLV MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. SAN DIEGO STATE 1 p.m., Thomas & Mack Center, unlvtickets.com.
NORMAN BROWN 8 p.m., Chrome Showroom, ticketmaster.com.
HENDERSON SILVER KNIGHTS VS. TUCSON ROADRUNNERS 6 p.m. (& 1/25, 5 p.m.), Lee’s Family Forum, axs.com.
KAZHA With Makers AD, Vendicion, Kung Fu Donut, Broke In Vegas, 7 p.m., the Gri n, dice.fm.
COCOA BROWN 7:30 & 9:30 p.m., Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club, ticketmaster.com.
STEVE AOKI 10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, taogroup.com.
THAT’S WHAT I LIKE: BRUNO MARS TRIBUTE EXPERIENCE 8 p.m., Veil Pavilion, silvertoncasino. com.
BANG OUT 11:50 p.m., Atomic Saloon, spiegelworld.com.
CHASE B 10:30 p.m., Hakkasan Nightclub, taogroup.com.
SUPERGUIDE
SUNDAY JAN 25
MONDAY JAN 26
MC DAVO & SABINO
7 p.m., Backstage Bar & Billiards, seetickets.us.
LAS VEGAS SINFONIETTA: FROM STORM TO CLARITY 3 p.m., Clark County Library Theater, lasvegas sinfonietta.com.
BO JOHNSON 7 p.m., Wiseguys, wise guyscomedy.com.
TESSLA 10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com.
SHADOWRED 10 p.m., On the Record, ontherecordlv.com.
112
Atlanta R&B outfit 112 is, by our estimation, the most underrated group of its genre during its era. Discovered by producers Tim & Bob and skyrocketing to success with Bad Boy Records, 112 di erentiated itself from other R&B groups or hip-hop-flavored acts by balancing a bevy of club bangers and sultry songs (“Peaches & Cream,” “Anywhere,” “Only You”) with memorable, well-crafted ballads (“Cupid,” “Funny Feelings,” “Someone to Hold”). Today’s version of 112 is a duo, not a foursome, with just Marvin “Slim” Scandrick and Mike Keith commanding the stage, and their Room 112 Tour (named for their 1998 album) lands at the Palms for a proper celebration of all those hits. With Total & Case, 8 p.m., $70-$502, Pearl Concert Theater, axs.com. –Brock Radke
MONDAYS DARK 8 p.m., the Space, mondaysdark.com.
EXHIBIT: THE NEON IN NATURE BY DARIUSTWIN Thru 4/6, Thu.-Mon. 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Nevada State Museum, lasvegasnvmuseum. org.
EXHIBIT: NEVADA, P.S. I LOVE YOU POSTCARD PROJECT Thru 2/25, Mon.-Fri. 1-5 p.m., Nevada Humanities Program Gallery, nevadahumanities.org.
EL TEMACH 7 p.m., House of Blues, ticketmaster.com.
Y.L. DOUGLAS & FRIENDS 7 p.m., Maxan Jazz, maxanjazz.com.
DJ FRANZEN 10:30 p.m., Hakkasan Nightclub, taogroup.com.
DJ G-SQUARED 10 p.m., On the Record, ontherecordlv.com.
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Theater and puppetry
Photograph by Christopher DeVargas
fuel Whitney Lehn Meltz ’s artistic whimsy at Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart
BY AMBER SAMPSON
It’s quiet, almost reverently so, as I look upon Whitney Lehn Meltz’s work. Deep in the heart of Dramcorp Headquarters, the self-proclaimed “artist of oddities” has created Them, a new exhibit for Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart. Custom glyphs crawl across the walls, strange and Lovecraftian. A chandelier of hands, each forming a secret ASL message, hangs above the ceiling. It’s the space of an entity, Meltz explains, one that’s in a sort of “stasis.”
At the center of the room, a hexagonal puzzle containing the entity begs to be solved, begs to be looked upon so it can begin its transformation once again.
“All of the hands on the entity are mine, and it is a sculpture of a creature that is in the act of remaking itself,” explains Meltz, Omega Mart’s exhibition art and scenic technician. “That was the main concept: How do you take a form that you have and how do you remake it? If you had the ability to remake it over and over again, why would you not take that opportunity of artistic expression to keep seeing what new thing you could make?”
Meltz has first-hand experience with transformation. Before crafting these immersive exhibits for Meow Wolf, the artist spent years in entertainment and theater, designing sets and building puppets for Vegas Theatre Company, Majestic Repertory Theatre and Cirque du Soleil. They also recently co-founded the Loose Thread Puppet Cult, which hosted its first adult puppet slam at the Fallout Fringe Festival last year. Each project, each role, has been its own evolution of artistry.
The Weekly caught up with Meltz to dig into how all these worlds collide.
What’s the personal story behind Them?
I’m non-binary, and being trans non-binary is an important part of my identity as an artist. So when making a piece of art that was going to be for a pretty big public audience, I wanted to capture that in a way that was representative of my personal feelings about it. That’s one of the beautiful things about the gender spectrum—each person’s place on it is so individual.
It started with my want to create a shrine of sorts, especially to the idea of creativity and creation. How do you make art that shapes the
world? And how do you make yourself? Because I think that my experience with gender, while being an artist, is very tied up in those two things together. I see it as another form of artistic expression of what my gender is and how I present it. So I wanted to try and capture that.
You’ve worked on so many different theater and entertainment projects. Does your work here at Omega Mart feel like a big departure from those?
I would say that it’s not any different, and in some ways, I’d say that it’s so radically different. In entertainment,
there is such a fleeting nature to the things that you make. You make them, some people see them, and then it goes away forever. But turning attention towards building something that is permanent in a way that not only has to be permanent but has to be incredibly durable. ... There is not an art piece that goes into this building that isn’t wildly over-engineered, because guests are really enthusiastic to test its limits. Everything might contain a secret. You’ve got to try all of it. But when you’re trying all of it, it means that there are things that just can’t be dainty and delicate. That’s wildly different from theater, where you can put a wall up with a hope and a prayer for about two weeks and say “Don’t touch it!” [laughs].
As a puppet master yourself, do you have a favorite film or theater production that showcases the art form well?
I’m gonna tell you honestly that I have a love-hate relationship with Little Shop of Horrors. I think that it is such a seminal piece of music theater, and everyone knows it as the show with the big plant puppet. I love, love, love Little Shop. I grew up watching it. I’d go see community theater productions of it, and I’d eat it up. And then I designed and built a couple of puppets for it in grad school. And that … was a pretty humbling experience. But I can’t knock it as being the thing that started me down the path of, you know? Puppets are pretty neat [laughs.]
But I think the thing that
cemented puppetry for me ... is my mentor. He also had a big passion for puppets, and he decided to put together a class where we built from scratch and we costumed, and we put tiny little wigs on, and we also built all of the props and scenery for a marionette rendition of Cinderella. That was a weird, weird piece of theater.
I’m imagining a lot.
Like, French Rococo Cinderella. And it made me go: Oh, you can just decide that something should be puppets.
Are more puppet slams planned for the future?
We’re applying for the Puppet Slam Network Grant again, which is the funding that allowed us to put up four shows last year. …We want to spend the first half of the year offering opportunities for how to develop a short piece of puppet theater. Here’s how to build a puppet. Here’s some open mics where you can come practice playing with the puppet. We’re looking at some puppet karaoke nights, which are very much inspired by LV Puppets. We want to make sure that the pool of people who are performing in slams and coming to slams is growing, because it’s a niche art form that we want more people to engage with. We want to provide the opportunities to make sure people feel welcomed into the space to come do so.
Read the rest of this interview at lasvegasweekly.com.
Dana White looks back on 25 years as UFC president and ahead to a new golden period in 2026
QUARTER CENTURY OF
Alexander Volkanovski
Conor McGregor
Photos on this page by Wade Vandervort
COMBAT
BY CASE KEEFER
Almost exactly 25 years ago, in January 2001, Dana White was part of the group headed by Station Casinos owners Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta that purchased the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for $2 million and brought it to Las Vegas.
The tribulations and brushes with bankruptcy that followed for the next three years in the then all-but-completely-banned mixed martial arts organization are well-documented. There’s a lore about that period leading up to the rst season of UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter reality show in 2005, indicating the company was always eventually going to pull through because of White’s passion for the sport.
But that might be an over-simpli cation, especially when it comes to the onset.
White now says he can remember “exactly” what he was doing 25 years ago because of how overwhelmed he felt after helping convince his reunited Bishop Gorman High pals to make the UFC purchase.
UFC 324 January 24, 2 p.m., main card 6 p.m., $351+. T-Mobile Arena, axs.com. TV: Paramount+.
correct goals. He famously outlined the identity they envisioned UFC developing in a 44-second segment of the broadcast.
“My rst ever interview was on the show there,” White says. “I got some f**king hair and I’m saying, ‘Listen, we want to put on the biggest events in the world. We want to bring the best ghters to the UFC and make the sport fan friendly.’ Everything that I said, we’ve done.”
The latest part of that evolution starts on Saturday, January 24, with UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena. The card is the rst after an uncharacteristic ve-week dark period for the promotion, a break that helped ramp up anticipation for the debut of the UFC’s new broadcast rights deal with CBS and Paramount.
It’s the fourth major television deal for the UFC under White’s watch, but feels like the biggest one yet—and not just because of the $7.7 billion Paramount is paying over seven years.
For several weeks after it became nal, the UFC CEO and president was tucked into a corner of the Station o ces, cramming information and trying to determine how to put on a ght card immediately scheduled for February 23, 2001, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
“Lorenzo and I knew less than zero—about production, about television and putting on an event,” White says. “You want to talk about learning on the job? We had to dive in and start educating ourselves and guring all this stu out.”
Looking back, White doesn’t know if he got much right in time for UFC 30, but he is con dent that he and the Fertittas quickly zeroed in on the
The new agreement also brings an end to the UFC’s long-standing pay-per-view business model, as all its ght cards will now be available free to subscribers of Paramount+, which has plans starting at $8.99 per month or $89.99 per year.
“Twenty- ve years ago, (UFC) wasn’t even allowed on pay-per-view,” White says. “Think about that. Our goal was to get on TV and, here we are in ’26, with an NFL-type deal. That was our dream, our goal, our plan. So here we are.”
Twenty- ve years isn’t the only milestone White reaches this year in his UFC journey. July 2026 will mark 10 years since the Fertittas agreed to sell the UFC to WME-IMG, now known as Endeavor, for $4 billion.
It’s another moment commonly cited as a major success story for White, considering he received a $360
Amanda Nunes
Brock Lesnar
Photos on this page by AP Photo/John Locher
million payout as part of the deal in addition to a new contract to keep his job, but there’s a more complicated truth.
“I wasn’t very happy when we sold,” White says. “Everyone’s like, ‘What about the money?’ I had money. It didn’t change my life that much. I had everything I ever f**king wanted but all I wanted was to be in business with the Fertittas. They’re the greatest to this day, and the best people to be business partners with, to be friends with.”
White was despondent when Lorenzo Fertitta, who
ran the day-to-day operations of the UFC hand-in-hand with him while Frank Fertitta III was consulted on major decisions, first mentioned selling. It took a series of hard conversations for White to accept that not only Lorenzo Fertitta wanted out, but that White would need to remain with the company.
White did get one concession as part of the talks—a say on the buyer. Despite talking to at least three other suitors and drawing at least one larger offer, White told the Fertittas that Endeavor head Ari Emanu-
el was the clear choice.
“I wasn’t too f**king happy about staying at the time but now, what else would I have done?” White says. “I’m really happy that it worked out. I told the (Fertittas) at the time, ‘Don’t f**king stick me with some of these guys.’
There were two guys I was comfortable with, and Ari was one of them. I ended up with Ari, and it’s been perfect.”
The price tag paid by Emanuel and his partner at the time, Patrick Whitesell, was questioned, but now looks like a bargain on the broad-
cast-rights contracts alone. The UFC just completed a five-year, $1.5 billion deal with ESPN negotiated by Emmanuel before securing the Paramount windfall.
White says no one other than Emanuel could have navigated the landscape better.
“I will give this to Lorenzo now, that they did the right thing and sold at the right time,” White says. “In hindsight, the timing was literally perfect. Lorenzo absolutely nailed it.”
The staggering terms of the Paramount partnership popped eyeballs with the UFC
Referee Marc Goddard stands between Colby Covington, left, and Kamaru Usman during their title fight at UFC 245 at T-Mobile Arena on December 14, 2019. (Photo by Wade Vandervort)
Twenty-five years ago, (UFC) wasn’t even allowed on pay-per-view. Think about that. Our goal was to get on TV and, here we are in ’26, with an NFL-type deal. That was our dream, our goal, our plan. So here we are.”
–Dana White, CEO and president, UFC
not currently in a domestic boom period. Nearly eight years have passed since the sport’s most popular fighter of all time, Conor McGregor, and arguably best fighter of all-time, Khabib Nurmagomedov, squared off to spur a record 2.4 million pay-per-view buys at UFC 229 at T-Mobile Arena.
It’s been even longer since the only other superstar on McGregor’s level, Ronda Rousey, fought to draw pay-per-view buys well into seven figures.
But White has long promised global takeover, and mixed martial arts continues to explode in popularity worldwide. The company’s biggest stars at the moment are spread all over the map with the likes of Spanish lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, Brazilian light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, Russian welterweight champion Islam Makhachev and Australian bantamweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Former heavyweight champion Jon Jones relinquished his
title in 2025 for a short-lived retirement to bring about the first time since 2004 that the UFC has no male American belt-holders.
That could change at UFC 324 with Colorado native and veteran fighter Justin Gaethje facing off for the interim lightweight title while Topuria takes a leave, but to many, the bigger draw is his opponent—brash Brit Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett.
White is unconcerned with questions about the UFC’s current star power, in America or elsewhere, and describes it all as cyclical.
“You want to talk about growth in America—how about getting rid of the pay-perview barrier?” White says. “On ESPN, you had to pay for ESPN+, and you had to pay for the pay-per-view. So now, what it costs for one pay-per-view, you get everything UFC for the entire year. Just think about what that could do.”
Paramount is giving the UFC a renewed push that could also
pay dividends.
White attended the Dallas Cowboys’ traditional Thanksgiving home game, annually one of the most-watched sporting events of the year, to announce the UFC 324 card on the field live on CBS at halftime. Women’s strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern and former featherweight top contender Brian Ortega meanwhile made a cameo on CBS’ broadcast of the Golden Globes.
“You’re going to start to see us popping up in more places in entertainment and stuff like that,” White says. “Paramount and CBS are so fired up about being in business with us, which is what I love. People talk about the money, but I never look at the money or any of that s**t. We’re going to end up with money no matter where we end up. I look at how enthusiastic the Paramount and CBS people are to have the UFC.”
The UFC will stage 43 events annually on Paramount+ between 13 major numbered cards
From left, Frank Fertitta III, Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta at UFC 71 on May 26, 2007 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
Alex Pereira is announced as the winner over Jamahal Hill after their title fight at UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena on April 13, 2024. (Photo by Steve Marcus)
and 30 Fight Nights. The Ultimate Fighter and Dana White’s Contender Series will also shift from ESPN+ to Paramount+ with the new deal.
Paramount is additionally the broadcast partner for Zuffa Boxing, which White will launch after nearly 20 years of contemplating a move into the combat sport he grew up loving. (See sidebar on page 21.)
Much of the UFC’s back catalogue is already available on Paramount+, stretching as far as the event before White and the Fertittas took over—UFC 29 on December 16, 2000 in Tokyo, Japan.
A young Chuck Liddell opened the card with a win over Jeff Monson before then light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz submitted Yuki Kondo in the main event. The Liddell vs. Ortiz rivalry became the first of many to define White’s time running the UFC.
Ortiz again headlined when White and the Fertittas took over operations for UFC 30 at Trump Taj Mahal, where White struck up a long-lasting friendship with the current President of the United States.
White credits Donald Trump as the only person of influence who would stand behind the
UFC back then. The relationship will pay off this year with an event that White says will surpass cards like UFC 229, the celebratory UFC 100 in 2009 and UFC 306 in 2024 at Sphere that had a $20 million production budget as the biggest in promotional history.
On June 14, the UFC will stage an event on the White House’s South Lawn after accepting an invitation from Trump.
White is already being inundated with fighters begging for a spot on the card (space will be limited with multiple title fights promised) and ticket requests (sales will not be open to the public). UFC and White House staff have completed the logistical planning, but White and his team won’t start on the matchmaking until three days after UFC 324.
The start of the Paramount era is a landmark moment for the company and deserves his full attention.
“The way I look at it is, the slate is clear,” White says. “So, 2025 was our best year ever and that means nothing to me. Now we’re going in with a new partner, and we have to prove ourselves all over again and deliver for Paramount.”
Ronda Rousey limbers up before her fight with Sara McMann at UFC 170 on February 22, 2014 at Mandalay Bay. (Sun file)
UFC 306 at Sphere on September 14, 2024, the first sports event at the Las Vegas venue. (Photo by Wade Vandervort)
A NEW FIGHT
Dana White and UFC make a “couple-year play” by launching Zu a Boxing
BY CASE KEEFER
Dana White has maintained a love-hate relationship with boxing for most of his adult life, and credits exploiting that dichotomy as one of his secrets to success with the UFC.
For 25 years, he’s tried to marry everything he loves about boxing in mixed martial arts while concurrently tearing down the sport’s aws. Now the UFC CEO and president gets to apply that strategy to the sweet science itself
as White debuts as a full-time boxing promoter.
Zu a Boxing will hold its rst event at the UFC’s Meta Apex facility on January 23, the night before UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena. The card will stream live on Paramount+.
“I’ve talked a lot of smack over the years on the sport and now I’m getting the opportunity to come in and put my hands on it and try to x it,” White says.
The rst main event will pair undefeated 24-year-old Irish prospect
Callum Walsh, whom White has advised for the last several years, against 30-year-old Mexican former title challenger Carlos Ocampo in a junior middleweight bout. It’s representative of the type of ghts White and his team will target with Zu a Boxing, at least initially. White technically premiered in boxing in November when he put on Terence Crawford’s upset win over Saul “Canelo” Alvarez at Allegiant Stadium in conjunction with Turki Alalshikh, adviser to Saudi
by
ZUFFA BOXING 01
January 23, 6 p.m. Meta Apex, limited tickets at onlocationexp. com. TV: Paramount+.
Photo
Christopher DeVargas
Arabia’s royal court.
But he said a fight of that magnitude was a one-off for now, a necessary partnership to help Alalshikh realize his vision of packing a stadium with arguably the two biggest names in boxing squaring off.
Alalshikh has more or less bought the sport of boxing in recent years, paying astronomical sums to stage the highest-profile fights and bringing most of them to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
But White says that business model can only sustain for so long. Boxing needs to develop the next generation of stars for the blockbuster fights of the future, and that’s where he hopes Zuffa Boxing comes in.
“This is a couple-year play for me,” White says. “I’m going to dial in the production, start going after the best up-and-coming fighters in the world, build them up and then, in the next couple years, build some big fights that (Alalshikh) can use in his promotion.”
White has gotten a lot of criticism from boxing’s more established promoters like Oscar De La Hoya, Bob Arum and Eddie Hearn. The old guard is particularly troubled by White and his team’s push to amend the Muhammad Ali Act, which has
protected boxers’ financial and safety rights for nearly 30 years.
White is pushing the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, which would allow Zuffa Boxing to implement its own title belts and rankings—identical to how the UFC operates.
Critics say the amendment will lead to fighters earning less money while Zuffa argues the opposite, that it will provide better pay—especially early in boxers’ careers—and increased opportunities.
“I’m working on not (responding),” the typically contentious White says of the chatter from his adversaries. “I’ll let my work in ’26 speak for itself.”
One of the most attractive amenities White can offer to members of the growing Zuffa Boxing roster is access to the local UFC Performance Institute, a world-class training facility, and its next-door annexes at Apex.
Zuffa Boxing’s first card will double as the grand reopening of the Apex, which underwent a $40 million renovation last year.
The UFC initially developed the venue next to its headquarters as a production facility for its Fight Pass streaming product, but pivoted to using it as a live-event space when the COVID-19 pandemic struck right
as it was being finished.
Apex’s original form had obvious limitations, however, with a capacity of 300 people and no food and beverage licenses. The renovated version will be able to hold up to 1,200 people—though it’s currently scaled for 500 people for boxing events—and comes equipped with commercial bathrooms and concession stands.
“We didn’t even have a box office before,” UFC chief content officer Craig Borsari says during a recent tour of the facility. “This was never meant to be an event center, so we needed to catch up.”
Apex will be the immediate home to Zuffa Boxing, but White promises some surprises in the future including one that has “a lot to do,” with Las Vegas and, “bringing boxing back to this city.”
He welcomes challenges from the likes of De La Hoya and Hearn but wants to fight for his own vision of the future of boxing.
“I’m not going out there beating my chest like I’m the savior of the sport or any of that s**t, but I have a plan,” White said. “I have an idea, and we’ll see by the end of ’26 how it plays out.”
Terence Crawford, left, punches Canelo Alvarez during their super middleweight championship match at Allegiant Stadium on September 13, 2025. (AP Photo/David Becker)
IN THE NEWS
EDUCATION
CLARK COUNTY SPECIALTY COURTS, CSN PARTNER TO OPEN NEW PATHS FOR YOUNG ADULT OFFENDERS
A new partnership between the 8th Judicial District Court and the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) will help young adults in a pair of Clark County’s specialty court programs rebuild their lives—and strengthen community safety through education.
The agreement will give up to 50 participants ages 18 to 25 in the Transitional Age Program (TAP) and the Opportunity for Probation and Enforcement in Nevada (OPEN) specialty courts access to college courses, job training and General Educational Development programs at CSN. By linking education with rehabilitation, officials hope to reduce recidivism and create lasting pathways to stability.
“As a community college, it is CSN’s mission to educate and
BY THE NUMBERS
train the workforce for Southern Nevada, whether they come straight from high school, enroll during their adult lives, or in this case, come to us as participants in a rehabilitation program,” James McCoy, CSN’s executive vice president of academic affairs, said in a statement.
The 8th Judicial District Court has several specialty court programs targeting nonviolent offenders with substance or mental health issues. The specialty courts were created based on a “treatment court model” that encourages the offering of support systems to offenders, reducing drug-related crimes and providing life skills or educational training.
The 8th District’s first speciality court—the Adult Drug Court—
was established in 1992 as one of the first of its kind in the nation.
The district’s specialty courts have since expanded to include TAP, OPEN and Mental Health Court, among others.
The OPEN specialty court offers an intensive behavioral treatment program for men age 18 to 24 who have been incarcerated, aiming to reintegrate them into their communities and connect them with resources, according to the 8th Judicial District Court.
TAP is a specialty court associated with the Adult Drug Court that works with “transitional age” men and women ages 18 to 25 who are dependent on drugs or alcohol. It helps address and treat participants’ substance abuse issues and assists them in gaining skills
that will help with community reintegration.
Under the partnership, CSN will help the offenders enter a certificate, short-term degree or associate’s degree program, where they’ll receive tailored guidance from experts throughout the process to help them complete their educational goals.
Participants without a high school diploma will also be able to earn their GED diploma through CSN’s Division of Workforce and Economic Development. All participants will attend classes in-person at CSN.
Jerry Wiese, chief judge of the 8th Judicial District Court, described the partnership as the first of its kind in Southern Nevada. –Grace Da Rocha
The year Brightline West expects its high-speed rail project to be completed. Originally, the company estimated the 218-mile rail line between Las Vegas and Southern California would be completed by 2028 in time for the Los Angeles Olympics.
SHINING STARS
Young cheerleaders perform Downtown during the 44th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade on January 19.
(Photo by Wade Vandervort)
LA FULL COUNT
Clark County homeless census tracks changes as numbers rise
BY TYLER SCHNEIDER
as Vegas-based grant writer Patrick Frase has volunteered to help Clark County conduct its last three Point-In-Time (PIT) counts—a tally of the number of people experiencing homelessness in a community on a single night that’s mandated every two years by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He’s set to participate in the next one on January 29.
The count, which last occurred here in 2024, is a key determinant in how much federal funding community organizations will get, as well as a measurement of the needs of homeless individuals in any given area. Frase—who also took part in five PIT counts in Bakersfield before moving to the Las Vegas Valley—didn’t even need to see the data from the last count to know that Clark County’s homeless population is rapidly rising.
“The thing that’s changed the most is seeing more and more homeless people out there,” he says, reflecting on 2024 results that saw Clark County’s homeless population hit a new 10-year high of 7,906, or a 20% increase
from 2023. “A sadder thing that I saw was a lot of women and children, or men with their dogs on the streets. It’s very humbling, because I know it could just as easily be me.”
The Southern Nevada Continuum of Care (CoC)—which coordinates the count and organizations that provide homeless services in the Valley—did not conduct a count in 2025, citing a need for more time to recruit and train volunteers. Later this month, Frase will join roughly 200 volunteers when the January 29 count kicks off at 4 a.m. They’ll be broken up into teams of four or five and tasked with interviewing as many homeless people as possible in a specific area.
They’ll record basic demographic data and note how many are living in shelters or transitional housing, versus out on the streets. In 2024, 47% of the 7,906 individuals counted were sheltered in some capacity, while 53% were not. Youth homelessness increased an alarming 79%, and the largest share of respondents were between the ages of 35 and 44.
WHAT’S CHANGED?
It remains to be seen if these trends persist through 2026, but Clark County Social Services director Jamie Sorenson says he’s interested in seeing if local camping ban ordinances from Clark County and the City of North Las Vegas impact the data.
Effective last February, the Clark County ban made it a misdemeanor for people to camp, lay down, sleep or store personal property in public spaces. The City of North Las Vegas also implemented a similar policy last year, while Las Vegas and Henderson passed their own versions in 2019 and 2023, respectively.
Critics say the laws effectively criminalize homelessness, and the Ninth Circuit agreed with them via a 2019 ruling in Martin v. City of Boise, where the court ruled that cities couldn’t enforce such ordinances. However, the Supreme Court reversed that in 2024, declaring that the Eighth Amendment’s "cruel and unusual punishment" clause does not prohibit enforcement of such laws.
Sorenson is unsure if the upcoming PIT count will “draw
Renderings of Campus for Hope give an early look at what state and local officials say will combat a rising homeless population in Southern Nevada. (Courtesy)
any correlation” to the bans, but adds that other factors, like a dire shortage of affordable housing, rising rent prices and food insecurity, may also play a role in what they find.
The count is a federal prerequisite to unlock about $25 million for homeless relief efforts throughout Southern Nevada. Sorenson says the county itself stands to gain $6.7 million, while the remaining $18.4 million would be disbursed “directly to community agencies.”
The nature of this funding also changed in November, when President Trump’s HUD shifted its focus away from prioritizing providing unsheltered residents with stable, long-term housing options in favor of transitional programs tied to employment and substance abuse treatment. Experts say more than 170,000 homeless people are at risk of losing their housing. More than 2,700 Nevadans living with disabilities live in CoC-funded supportive housing.
It’s a shift that Frase, as a grant writer, cannot endorse.
“When you see a woman and her children on the streets, she just may have nowhere else to go and rely on federal money to get by,” Frase says. “But with what’s going on with the administration, that could be reduced or even truncated at any time because of our president’s belief that they’re all mentally ill. It’s scary, but I can only do my part with the PIT and hope the federal funding comes back.”
BUILDING THE SAFETY NET
Once homeless and living in the underground tunnels near the Strip from 2013 until he entered long-term addiction treatment in 2018, Robert Banghart has since become a key local advocate for the homeless as vice president of community integration for the nonprofit Shine A Light Foundation.
Shine A Light hasn’t accepted any direct federal funding to this point, though Banghart
says they know they “have to at some point and have explored it.” They’re primarily reliant on a combination of private donations—from which 92 cents of every dollar goes directly to their 304 active clients—and a handful of local grants and contracts with entities like the Eighth Judicial District’s specialty court programs.
This funding bolsters their flagship IPATH program—or Instant Placement with Access to Treatment and Housing—which helps clients navigate addiction treatment and find temporary housing solutions. The nonprofit’s headquarters also features full-time counseling and legal services, access to supplies ranging from clothing and toiletries to Narcan and fentanyl test strips and additional wraparound services like in-house Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Banghart’s team meticulously tracks their progress and follows up for 18 months or longer to see what works and what doesn’t, adjusting individual plans as needed. And while that model works well, they couldn’t possibly address the needs of the Valley’s entire homeless community on their own.
The PIT count is one way to shed light on unmet needs and areas for improvement, but Banghart has reason to doubt its accuracy. He estimates that Southern Nevada’s true homeless population is more than double what the last PIT count found—or
more than 15,000 people—with 1,200 to 1,500 living underground on any given night.
“The truth is, there is no real safety net for the homeless here,” he says. “There are a lot of silos and separate pieces—with some groups working together over here, and others over there—but that’s not a net. The net is when we all come together and fully collaborate.”
LOOKING AHEAD
Banghart sees some relief on the horizon in Campus for Hope, a new 22-acre, 900-bed comprehensive homeless services campus currently under construction at Charleston and Jones boulevards. Officials expect work to be completed by 2028.
CEO Kim Jefferies was tapped to lead the effort after previously holding the same role at San Antonio’s Haven for Hope campus. Since it opened in 2010, she says 92% of clients who found housing through the program were still housed a year later, while 87% were after ten years.
Funding for the Campus for Hope is outlined in a bill that passed in the 2023 Legislature and allocated $100 million to a matching fund for development, to be matched by Las Vegas resorts. The legislation provides that the state will provide matching funds of $15 million per year if participating local governments match that $15 million per year, for a total of $30 million for annual operations.
Jefferies and Banghart both believe in the model of coalescing homeless resources together in a single area.
“The goal is to get at the underlying cause of their homelessness and give them the time and space to work on it so that they don’t have to return,” Jefferies says. “Whether it’s help with substance use, behavioral health, housing, going back to school or finding apprenticeships and careers, those are all things they’ll have available to them.”
While San Antonio and Las Vegas have similar metro populations, Jefferies also points out some stark differences. For one, she says the affordable housing crisis goes far “deeper” in the Valley, while Las Vegas’ homeless population also skews younger and includes a higher percentage of unsheltered individuals and families. On top of that, she says the nonprofit system here is “more fragmented” and “probably about a decade behind” San Antonio.
“In San Antonio, the average length of stay on campus was four months, but we expect that to be closer to nine months here for those reasons,” Jefferies says. “We have to continue to build out that housing continuum before we open to make sure we have places to place people so they don’t languish on campus.”
Jefferies agrees that the PIT process “is never a perfect count,” but notes that it serves as an important starting point for developing the campus and recruiting partners.
“When you throw something this large in the middle of the system, it forces you to see gaps more easily and coordinate in new ways,” she says. “Campus for Hope is going to bring a lot of beds and add capacity that doesn’t exist at this scale, but there’s also a lot of great work already happening here. We’re excited to become a part of it.”
DJ duo House of Wax goes all in on Vegas’ vinyl revival
BY TYLER SCHNEIDER
Las Vegas natives Angelo Robledo and Ruben Jackson had already spent several years carving out respective roles in the local DJ scene when Oddfellows booked them for a fatefully impromptu vinyl-only Halloween set in 2024. They’d only met once before, when Jackson was tapped to fill in when Robledo was out of town that summer, but their chemistry was undeniable.
Bonding over deep cuts in disco, funk, R&B, soul and house, the pair reprised the collaboration every other month through March 2025, at which point they launched a monthly residency they named House of Wax—both a nod to the 1953 Vincent Price classic and DJ slang for vinyl records.
Cultivating this vinyl fleet is half the battle. Robledo’s collection is approaching 3,000, while Jackson—who laughs at his own lack of organization—lost count long ago. They frequent local shops like Zia Records, Moondog Records, Record City and 11th Street Records, but add that their rarest finds have come while visiting places like Philadelphia and New York.
“Most of the records I buy are ones I didn’t even know about before I walked into the store,” Jackson says.
“It’s all part of this cycle where I love discovering and performing new music, which only keeps the rabbit hole going.”
HOUSE OF WAX
January 22, 8
They’ve since expanded to other venues like Pachi-Pachi, Sand Dollar Lounge, Todo Bien and Dustland Bar—the site of their most recent January 16 show, where they grooved through Luther Vandross’ “Never Too Much,” “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” by McFadden & Whitehead, and deeper cuts like Bessie Banks’ 1976 disco soul gem, “Don’t You Worry Baby The Best Is Yet To Come.”
January 30, 9 p.m., free until 10 p.m., Pachi-Pachi, ilovepachipachi. com Instagram. com/houseof waxlv
One thing that sets them apart is their format. Rather than indulging in more typical alternating hourlong sets, the duo has found its own rhythm in trading off every 10 to 15 minutes throughout the night, which Robledo says, “adds a slightly different flavor to the mix.”
Another key is their dense combined vinyl catalog—numbered in the thousands—which offers them the flexibility to curate performances to match the distinct feel of a particular venue. At Dustland, they’ll spin slower funk, soul and R&B tracks from the late ’70s, while other spaces require faster-paced disco and house jams.
While vinyl record sales have been steadily surging since the early 2000s, all-vinyl DJ nights remain relatively rare in Vegas. Both Robledo and Jackson started incorporating vinyl into their solo sets after the pandemic, but roughly 90% of their sets are now analog-only.
“We kind of locked in and got into it right before the rush,” Jackson says of an emerging local vinyl scene. “At this point, I’ve just grown way more comfortable with my records than I am with my flash drive, so I’ve really leaned into it.”
Robledo—whose passion for the format was ignited when he studied abroad in Dublin—has also come to see himself as a “vinyl DJ” now. For both, that identity comes with a sense of duty to find and share the vast number of records that have somehow still evaded online streaming platforms.
“As the world gets more digital and AI continues to grow bigger, more and more people seem to be rejecting all of that by seeking an authentic vinyl experience,” Robledo says. “I think there’s just a greater recognition that physical media is kind of where the true skill and passion lies.”
House of Wax co-founders Ruben Jackson, left, and Angelo Robledo spin at a vinyl party.
(Photo by Wade Vandervort)
Las Vegas camp gets the musical treatment in Majestic Repertory Theatre’s Showgirls parody
GLITTER, GUTS AND GLORY
Elaine Hayhurst performs as Nomi Malone during a dress rehearsal of Showgirls: An Unauthorized Musical Parody.
(Photo by Wade Vandervort)
BY GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ
When Showgirls debuted in theaters in 1995, dripping in rhinestones and provocation, it was swiftly crowned one of the most reviled films of its era. Critics sharpened their knives while audiences clutched their pearls. But beneath the glare of its neon vulgarity and brazen sexuality, Paul Verhoeven’s erotic drama was laying the groundwork for a cult classic that would take decades to be properly, if begrudgingly, adored.
The film follows Nomi Malone, a starry eyed drifter with a dancer’s body and a survivor’s instinct. As Las Vegas threatens to swallow her whole, Malone must claw her way toward the top of its fame-hungry food chain. Her ascent is ruthless, loyalty is expendable, and morality is optional. Standing firmly in her way is Cristal Connors, the reigning queen of the Strip’s showgirl hierarchy. She’s a cocaine-fueled glamzilla who ruled the stage long before Nomi’s arrival and has no intention of surrendering her crown without a little blood on the sequins.
the film’s legacy. The Downtown production resurrects the movie’s most infamous moments—doggy chow, “Versayce,” the iconically bad swimming pool sex scene— and filters them through Majestic’s signature satirical bite. This is Showgirls keenly aware, a satire that understands its source material deeply enough to revel in its absurdity while honoring its strange, ferocious power.
With book, lyrics and direction by Troy Heard, and musical compositions by James E. Edwards, the production is anchored by two commanding performances. Elaine Hayhurst steps into the leotard as Nomi Malone, while Kady Heard embodies Cristal Connors with venomous poise.
To give audiences a taste of the spectacle, the duo joined us for an in-character interview, because with Showgirls, anything less would feel dishonest, darlin’.
you never know when you’ve crossed the wrong person in order to get where you want to go.
Nomi: Wow. I think being comfortable is a very dangerous place to be … resting on your laurels.
Cristal: Resting on talent.
So, when you see someone like Nomi coming up behind you, do you feel threatened or is it more entertaining to watch?
Cristal: Entertaining to watch, never threatened, especially not by someone like that. Have you seen her piqué turn? She’s all pelvic thrust.
Nomi, Cristal says that there’s a way things are done in this town. What advice are you taking from her?
Nomi: Well, I don’t take any advice from her because she’s over the hill. She’s on her way out, just grasping at straws to hold on as best as she can without tripping and falling.
The film’s audacity, once dismissed as tasteless excess, now reads like intention. The omnipresent flesh becomes desensitizing by design, stripping the audience of voyeuristic comfort and exposing the brutality of performance, ambition and showbiz. It is gaudy, exploitative and uncomfortably honest. And, most surprisingly, it is very funny.
Enter Showgirls: An Unauthorized Musical Parody, Majestic Repertory Theatre’s glitter-bombed love letter to
Nomi, you’re new to town. What’s the first thing the city has taught you? And what’s it taken from you so far?
Nomi: Well, immediately, the city took everything from me, like my f**king suitcase. So, I think I should just take whatever I can get, take everything I want. Seems like that’s what you have to do in Vegas.
And Cristal, you’re already on top in the showgirl world. What’s more dangerous in Vegas, being hungry like Nomi or being comfortable like you?
Cristal: I would say being hungry like Nomi, because
In Vegas, is talent enough, or does survival require a darker side of you?
Cristal: You have to have both. You have to have talent, and you have to … I don’t know what I can say in a way that you can print, but you have to scratch some backs to get your way to the top. That’s Vegas. That’s how it’s always been.
Nomi: I would agree with that. You need that drive and that fight and some friends along the way.
Cristal: Don’t forget the talent.
Do you think that the stage is a place of freedom?
Nomi: I do. I feel most myself when I’m on stage.
Cristal: I’ve never known anything else, so I don’t feel very free. It’s just a part of who I am … it’s the golden handcuffs, so they call it.
Kady Heard performs as Cristal Conners during a dress rehearsal at Majestic Repertory Theatre. (Photo by Wade Vandervort)
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Union Biscuit’s Chicken & Pie
(Photo by Wade Vandervort)
Breakfast spot Union Biscuit does just about everything right
BY GEOFF CARTER
The rst items on Union Biscuit’s menu are, ttingly, biscuits. Scratch-made buttermilk biscuits, to be exact, perfectly golden up top and pillowy inside, available with a choice of spreads ranging from honey butter to blueberry jam to pepper jelly. They’re very nearly a meal in themselves at $4 a pop, and they’re most de nitely a meal when smothered in sausage or mushroom gravy with smoked paprika and chives ($9.25).
You might be tempted to assume that Union Biscuit is a specialty operation; you know, one biscuit to rule them all. (And it does, Gandalf; it does.) But this breakfast and brunch spot, with its melding of Southern U.S. and Korean avors, excels at nearly everything.
That means the biscuit sandwiches—classic egg and cheddar ($7.75); Nashville fried chicken with coleslaw, pimento cheese and housemade pickles ($14.50); the Breakfast Club with Cajun chicken sausage, eggs, cheddar, bacon, avocado and blackened ranch ($14) and many more—are among the best you’ll nd. But don’t let that dissuade you from investigating the “Not Biscuit” section of the menu. It’s replete with sweet, savory and spicy treasures.
I have sworn my lifelong devotion to Chicken & Pie ($16.50)—two sweet potato pancakes covered in maple bacon butter and served alongside a generous wedge of Nashville fried chicken. However, I usually swap the bird for spicy Korean-style fried chicken—also available on a biscuit sandwich with kimchi slaw—and I swear that combo has improved my life in measurable ways. My girl says the same about the French toast-style biscuits ($14) with cinnamon, candied walnuts and fresh whipped cream.
We split a $5 side of cheesy grits, a bowl of sunshine yellow gold, which a couple of Louisiana natives dining at the next table declared authentically Southern. (Union Biscuit imports their grits from South Carolina, just so you know.) And while we’ve yet to try the chicken fried chicken breakfast with gravy, eggs, hash browns and a biscuit ($17) or the Marsh Hen Mills heirloom stoneground grits with spicy gochujang roasted pork, kimchi apple slaw and a sunny side egg ($16.50), there are many weekends ahead to indulge myself.
Union Biscuit is the rst restaurant from Vegas locals Kyung and Honey Lee, and hopefully not the last. It’s high-value; the seating and ordering are quick and e cient; vegans and gluten-free diners are seen and loved. And if you want to spread the good word among friends and family, a to-go box of six biscuits and two spreads is a reasonable $22. Try it. Try everything they’ve got.
LILLI
RESIDENCY HELPS CHEF TYLER VORCE SET ROOTS IN LAS VEGAS
For a young chef, Tyler Vorce already has taken a unique journey through the culinary world. He grew up in Maine, started working in restaurants at the age of 14, went to Johnson & Wales University and started cooking his way through New York, and eventually landed at Thomas Keller’s Napa Valley landmark The French Laundry.
Now the journey brings Vorce to Las Vegas, where he admits he “had pretty much zero connections.” His wife was born and raised here, and his one friend from culinary school that works locally (at Esther’s Kitchen) introduced him to Dan Krohmer, who had just opened the innovative and versatile Durango Social Club last summer.
“I was just looking to get back in the kitchen. I wanted to start something on the weekends just to get to cook for people again,” Vorce says.
His pop-up residency, Lilli, was born at DSC just before Thanksgiving, a seven-course tasting menu influenced by his experiences with fine French and Mediterranean dining. The residency was quickly extended through February, and now it’s open-ended.
“It’s been incredible getting to cook and Las Vegas but also be a part of the community,” he says. “Dan built such an incredible restaurant with Other Mama, and then being able to walk into the Durango Social Club space and have people come in who love Dan and want to check it out, it’s exciting to get to know this scene and be a part of it.”
–Brock
Radke
Vorce’s greatest influence is ingredients, so his menu is changing often based on what’s available. “That’s also been a great learning experience, getting to know di erent vendors out here,” he says. “I’ve been able to work with the same duck farmer I worked with for years at The French Laundry. It’s all about being able to serve a menu with really honest ingredients.”
LILLI Saturdays & Sundays, 7 p.m., $125 seven-course tasting menu. Durango Social Club, 3655 S. Durango Drive #29, lilli.vegas this Vorce’s greatest influence is ingredients, so
41 The Red Badge of Courage novelist 46 U.S. poet laureate of the 1990s
51 Pretend to be 52 Cries of pain 53 Angelic circle 54 Santa -- (hot winds)
55 “All I Wanna Do” singer 58 Pimples
59 “-- you glad
“The lady -protest ...”
Nelly Furtado hit that it would be apt for 10 people in this puzzle to sing?
115 Frightful giant 116 City in Utah
117 Sofia Coppola, to Nicolas Cage 118 “Dedicated to the -- Love”
Observed
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Goodies 122 S-shaped molding
1 Gyro bread
2 On -- with (similar to)
12 Wall St.’s “500” index 13 Concealed 14 Have as a boss 15 Superman & Lois network
16 Radar relative 17 Love, in Italy
18 Al who hit 43 homers in 1953 24 Add- -- (extras)
Raison d’--
Witty Bombeck
Certain debate side
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“Conversely,” in texts
Entertainers Caron and Uggams
Part of mph
Stuff in bales
BY ROB BREZSNY
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Master astrologer Steven Forrest says your riskiest strategy is constantly seeking safety. Your chief assignment is to cultivate courage by exploring unknown territory. To rouse essential magic, you must face your fears with brave boldness. The coming months are an ideal time for you to celebrate this adventurous approach to life.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You are an ambassador between the material and spiritual realms. You are here to prove that the flesh is holy and the senses are portals to the divine. Luxuriating in earthy delights is a radical, sacred stance. Treat your body as a cathedral and sensual enjoyments as sacraments.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Everything meant for you is trying to find its way, but it cannot deliver the goods if you are in constant motion. The boons circling you require a stable landing spot to take root. Set aside whatever feeds your restlessness and tune into the quiet signal of your own center. The moment you embody receptivity, your bounties will start arriving.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): You are what you do with your feelings, creating sanctuaries from the raw material of your sensitivity. Emotional depth is not passive vulnerability; it is a superpower. In the coming weeks, convert your internal floodwaters into resources that protect, hold and feed your world.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Infuse ordinary actions with the same care you would bring to a story or song. Even washing dishes is eligible for beauty treatment. You have an underutilized talent for teasing glory from mundane situations. Start small: Make your next grocery list a poem.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Some Indigenous cultures practice “potlatch” ceremonies, where prestige is gained by generously bestowing riches on others. This logic suggests the purpose of having resources is to make prosperity possible for the whole community. I invite you to make this your specialty in the coming months. Assume your own thriving depends entirely on the flourishing of those around you.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Poet Rumi wrote of a “treasure in ruins,” suggesting what we seek is often hidden where we would rather not look. You may have been exploring exciting locations while shunning the mundane ones that actually hold your answers. Investigate the neglected, ignored or boring places. A golden discovery likely awaits in some unfinished business or a situation you currently feel an aversion to.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Intensity is your superpower, but not everything deserves the full force of your passions. The question is not whether to feel deeply, but whether to act on every feeling as if it were a sacred revelation. Some emotions are merely weather patterns passing through, not permanent truths. Hold these moments loosely and release them easily during the coming days.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Upgrading your sense of togetherness is now possible. If you dare to dismantle outmoded myths and inherited instincts regarding love and friendship, you will discover new dimensions of intimacy. These shifts could inspire your approach to deep connection for months to come.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You are in a “chiaroscuro” phase where strong contrasts between light and dark enhance your sense of depth. As your joys grow bright, your doubts may appear darker, but this is an opportunity rather than a problem. Use these contrasts to study what you truly care about. Let your shadows teach you how to fully appreciate the illumination.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): As a “spy from the future,” you smuggle innovative ideas into a present that isn’t always ready. Your alienation is crucial; you see patterns others miss. Honor your need to tinker with impossibilities and imagine alternatives to what everyone else considers inevitable.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Your unconscious mind is extra communicative. Pay attention to dream imagery, lingering songs and random thoughts. Your deep psyche is bypassing logic to reveal ripe secrets. Be receptive to these memories and coincidences; they are invitations to truths you have been missing.
LASTING RESULTS. REAL CHANGE.
BACKSTORY
GOLDEN
GATE’S 120TH BIRTHDAY | JANUARY 15, 2026 “Suppose you’re thinkin’ about a plate o’ shrimp,” says Tracey Walter in Alex Cox’s 1984 punk-rock sci-fi classic Repo Man. “Suddenly, someone will say ‘plate’ or ‘shrimp’ or ‘plate o’ shrimp’ outta the blue, no explanation. No point lookin’ for one, either.” Indeed true, especially when one is confronted with the crustacean bounty that is the Golden Gate’s shrimp cocktail, a Las Vegas classic introduced by the hotel’s managing partner Italo Ghelfi in 1959 at the egalitarian price of 50 cents. These tulip glasses o’ shrimp were served during the hotel’s 120th birthday party on January 15 (it opened as the Hotel Nevada on or near January 13, 1906, making it the city’s oldest). The Golden Gate stopped serving the shrimp cocktail in 2017, but thanks to the great lattice o’ coincidences that lays on top o’ everything, you can get it at Circa’s Saginaw’s Deli, just across Fremont, for $12. –Geoff Carter
Photo by Steve Marcus
Make a splash at an unforgettable Big Game watch party where the electric poolside atmosphere doesn’t stop. Boasting a 143 FT screen that towers over six pools, creating a dynamic backdrop against the Vegas skyline. Watch the game from the comfort of a private cabana, stadium booth, or daybed. Opt-in to relax in a temperature-controlled pool while watching an eye-catching pyrotechnics display.
