Rozita Lee, left, a community leader with the Filipino Town Cultural District Las Vegas, speaks at Boulevard Mall on October 9 during a community celebration to commemorate the new Filipino Town. At right are Philippine Senator Risa Hontiveros and Aurora “Amie” Belmonte, far right, the first-ever Philippine honorary consul to Southern Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus)
Las Vegas’ Filipino community marks milestones and strengthens the fabric of our city.
COVER ART Photo by Steve Marcus/photo illustration
14 WELLNESS
Fitness experts’ tips for maximizing workout recovery for maximum muscles.
26 NEWS
Nevada officials fight Trump’s executive order to overhaul states’ mail ballot systems.
30 SPORTS
Las Vegas Aces go into the new season both reloaded and stable around A’ja Wilson.
34 MUSIC
Music director Rei Hotoda wants to bring Las Vegas Philharmonic to the masses.
36 SCENE
The World Party Parade transports the Electric Daisy Carnival to the Strip.
38 FOOD & DRINK
Give mom options for her special day with our roundup of alternative brunches.
SUPERGUIDE
THURSDAY MAY 7
BARRY MANILOW
Thru 5/9, 7 p.m., Westgate International Theater, ticketmaster.com.
DAZZLING KILLMEN
With Rhododendron, 8 p.m., the Usual Place, dice.fm.
TIËSTO 10:30 p.m., LIV Nightclub, livnightclub.com.
MUSIC PARTY SPORTS FOOD COMEDY MISC ARTS
SATURDAY MAY 9
WITCHZ
LAS VEGAS ACES VS. PHOENIX MERCURY
12:30 p.m., T-Mobile Arena, axs.com.
LAS VEGAS
PHILHARMONIC: PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
7:30 p.m., Reynolds Hall, thesmithcenter.com.
ART FESTIVAL OF HENDERSON
9 a.m., & 5/10, Water Street District, cityofhenderson.com.
KATHLEEN MADIGAN
10 p.m., Palazzo Theatre, ticketmaster.com.
JAMES TAYLOR & HIS ALL-STAR BAND
8 p.m., & 5/10, the Chelsea, ticketmaster.com.
NORAH JONES
8 p.m., Venetian Theatre, ticketmaster.com.
RICK BRAUN
8 p.m., Chrome Showroom, ticketmaster.com.
HIGH WATAH
8 p.m., Pool at Sahara, ticketmaster.com.
RACHEL BAY JONES
7 p.m., Myron’s, thesmithcenter.com.
DEAD MEADOW
With Cory Shane, 8 p.m., Backstage Bar & Billiards, eventim.us.
7 p.m., the Wall at Area15, area15.com.
FUNK FREAKS 9 p.m., the Usual Place, theusualplace.vegas.
MARSHMELLO
11 a.m., Encore Beach Club, wynnsocial.com.
STEVE AOKI
11 a.m., Palm Tree Beach Club, taogroup.com.
DJ PAULY D 11 a.m., Tao Beach Dayclub, taogroup.com.
DAVID GUETTA
11 a.m., LIV Beach, livnightclub.com.
LIL WAYNE 10:30 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zoukgrouplv.com.
DIPLO 10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com.
DOM DOLLA 10:30 p.m., LIV Nightclub, livnightclub.com.
SUPERNOVA
With David Jordan, 10 p.m., Discopussy, tixr.com.
MIKE PHILLIPS Clark County’s 36th annual Jazz in the Park series once again brings worldclass talent to the Government Center Amphitheater for free shows. The five-concert series kicks off with saxophonist Mike Phillips, with performances by Marcus Miller, Jazz Funk Soul, Kayla Waters and Al Di Meola scheduled for later in May and June. Having played with legends like Michael Jackson, Prince and Stevie Wonder, Phillips is sure to bring electrifying energy to this local tradition. Spots in the amphitheater are first-come, first-served, so arrive early, and don’t forget your picnic blankets and low-back chairs. 5 p.m., free, Clark County Government Center Amphitheater, clarkcountynv.gov. –Shannon Miller
DYLAN SCOTT 8 p.m., Green Valley Ranch Backyard Amphitheater, ticketmaster.com. (Photo by Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP)
SUPERGUIDE
TERRIE RIMSON’S FIRST SUNDAY GOSPEL BRUNCH
3:30 p.m., the Space, thespacelv.com.
TWO FEET
7 p.m., House of Blues, ticketmaster.com.
DIVA BLEACH & LAKE DRIVE
8 p.m., the Griffin, dice.fm.
SPECTRUM & RADIANCE
6 p.m., Myron’s, thesmithcenter.com.
LUENELL
9:30 p.m., & 5/11, Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club, ticketmaster.com.
VICE
10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com.
JUSTIN CREDIBLE
11 a.m., Tao Beach Dayclub, taogroup.com.
CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
With Carlos Anthony, thru 5/17, 8 p.m., LA Comedy Club, bestvegascomedy.com.
THE MISS BEHAVE GAMESHOW
Before Miss Behave’s Mavericks captivated audiences with its raucous variety acts, sassy host and creator Amy Saunders brought us The Miss Behave Gameshow. The unscripted show launched at Bally’s in 2016, drawing on audience participation for a series of lightning rounds. It was charmingly cheap, campy and absurdly unhinged in the best way possible. It’s not a game show without a little misbehavior, and now, Saunders will revive it for one night only at Majestic Repertory Theatre—and tickets benefit the theater itself (support your local arts!). If you missed it during its first run, here’s your chance to experience something unruly and rare. 7 p.m., $52, Majestic Repertory Theatre, majesticrepertory.com. –Amber Sampson
EXHIBIT: EMPOWERED: WOMEN OF CLARK COUNTY Thru 5/25, daily 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Clark County Museum, clarkcountynv.gov/ museum.
UADA & MORTIIS
With Rome, Wraith Knight, 7 p.m., Bizarre Bar, dice.fm.
DJ BAMBOOZLE 10:30 p.m., Marquee Nightclub, taogroup.com.
Courtesy of L.A. Comedy Club
SUPERGUIDE
TUESDAY MAY 12 WEDNESDAY MAY 13
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS. ANAHEIM DUCKS Time TBD (if necessary), T-Mobile Arena, THE TROUBADOUR REVISITED FT. THE B-LISTERS 8 p.m., the Space, thespacelv.com.
K. CARUSO AND THE ELEGANT VAGABONDS 10 p.m., Sand Dollar Lounge, thesanddollarlv.com.
MIKEY FRANCIS 10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, taogroup.com.
DEORRO 11 a.m., Marquee Dayclub, taogroup.com.
SANTANA 7 p.m., & 5/14, House of Blues, ticketmaster.com.
BASSRUSH: RAY VOLPE & ADVENTURE CLUB 10:30 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zoukgrouplv.com.
MAU P 10:30 p.m., Encore Beach Club, wynnsocial.com.
ERIC FORBES 9 p.m., Ghostbar, palms.com.
CHRIS LORENZO 10:30 p.m., Marquee Nightclub, taogroup.com.
JOSH BAKER, KETTAMA & PROSPA With Cole Knight, 10:30 p.m., Liv Nightclub, livnightclub.com.
BY JESSIE O’BRIEN
Methods that boost healing and repair — where strength-building occurs
Recovery is part of exercise. It’s not just an “off day.” Taking the time to treat your muscles gives them the opportunity to strengthen and rebuild.
“Everybody wants to come in and lift heavy things and put them down, and we think that’s going to help us build lean muscle. It doesn’t,” says Raul Escareno, EOS Fitness district manager. “In reality, the recovery process is the part where we’re activating that muscle growth. So when you think about it, the more time we invest in recovery, the more time we’re investing
in our results.”
Interest in recovery has grown with the popularity of intense exercise, like CrossFit. Eric McCauley, EOS’ regional vice president of sales, says prioritizing repair is a necessity as people push their bodies to the edge.
As a result, advanced recovery technology is more accessible today, while traditional, simple methods remain tried and true. Escareno and McCauley discuss the benefits of different tools and techniques available at EOS gyms, and what you can do to support repair and healing at home.
Many athletes have endured a feeding trough full of ice as a staple of sports recovery since the ‘60s. But cold plunges have been around for millennia, and versions of cold therapy are seen cross-culturally. It’s Navajo tradition, for instance, to jump naked into the first snow (a snow bath) to build immunity and mentally prepare for the winter ahead.
Today, cold plunges are mainstream, partially due to its well-researched benefits. Decreased inflammation and reduced muscle soreness are the main advantages. But ice baths also increase immunity, and can potentially improve metabolic and mental health.
Escareno recommends cold plunges two to three times per week for exercise recovery.
STRETCHING
Good ol’ simple stretching remains one of the most effective recovery tools at our disposal at any skill level.
A cryochamber is an Antarctic version of a cold plunge. Cold plunge temps are around 50 to 39 degrees, while cryochambers are a chilly negative 2 or 3 degrees. The perk is speed.
“Under two and a half minutes, you get the same effect as you would in the cold plunge for 30 minutes, “ McCauley says.
At EOS, people use massage guns and compression sleeves while in the chamber. Together, Escareno says, “ it helps you improve circulation. … it’s going to release the lactic acid in your muscles and allow you to train harder and come back faster to another workout.”
Like cold plunges, Escareno recommends cryochambers two to three times per week.
Sitting in a sauna has well-researched cardiovascular benefits, supports muscle repair, prevents soreness, and offers neurological protection, McCauley says. When paired with cold therapies, they can provide an optimal way to recover.
McCauley says doing a few stretches in a sauna for five minutes or so can warm up the body before exercise and prevent injury as well.
With infrared saunas, your body starts sweating around 120 degrees, opposed to 150 or so in traditional saunas. The infrared heat penetrates the skin rather than heating the air, making the experience less sweltering. The infrared also targets deeper muscle tissue.
FOAM ROLLING
A foam roller is a cylinder massage tool that alleviates muscle soreness and tightness, improves circulation, and flexibility. Many people use foam rollers post-workout, but using them pre-exercise can prevent pulled muscles as well.
“I don’t think people realize that rolling out your muscles before and after, primarily before, helps get your body right,” McCauley says.
HYDRATION AND DIET
“Stretching helps with mobility. It also helps you with cardiovascular because you’re getting the body up and moving, and it can 100% help you with recovery, so that way you can ensure that the next day you’re not as sore,” Escareno says.
Hydration and nutritious food rebuild broken-down tissue. Protein, foods high in antioxidants like berries, and omega-3s will all supercharge repair.
“Ensuring that we’re actually feeding the muscles to help them recover is probably one of the most important and best things that you can do at your house,” Escareno says. “Just living the healthy lifestyle when you’re not in the gym is, by far, going to outweigh the recovery that you even do inside the gym.” Shutterstock/Photo Illustration
BY TYLER SCHNEIDER
With Filipino Town, the community marks another milestone in a long legacy in Las Vegas
In 2022, Filipino American journalist Walbert Castillo and several of his cousins made their first pilgrimage to the Philippines. Their grandmother, Marcelina Cebedo, had recently passed, and they felt the time had come to retrace her life story and uncover their own ancestral roots.
The group piled into planes, boats, barges and trucks to traverse Mindanao, the second largest of the more than 7,000 islands that comprise the Philippines. The most memorable leg of the journey brought them to a cemetery where their ancestors were buried.
“We were actively looking for their tombstones, and we found our great grandmother and great uncle, but our great grandfather was nowhere to be found,” Castillo recalls. “We lit a candle, said a prayer, and we were going to call it quits. But then—and
“Sinulog Queen” Maria Pacturan rehearses with Philippine folkloric dance ensemble Kalahi 2.0 before a parade and festival celebrating the first anniversary of the establishment of Filipino Town Las Vegas.
BELOW Filipino Town Las Vegas founders (from left) Philip Paleracio, Virgilio “Bing” Longakit, Ernie Buo, Jocelyn Borromeo and Ron Sumbang pose with dancers on January 31. (Photos
thing inside of me told me to dig.”
He found a bamboo stick nearby and started working his way through an entrenched top layer of soil.
“Lo and behold, he was there this whole time. All we needed to do was dig,” Castillo says. “It’s the craziest metaphor—the idea that our her itage isn’t always hidden, but has been there beneath us all along. It was a full circle moment.”
For Castillo, the trip was the antidote for the “cultural pride without cultural context” he experienced while growing up in suburban Chicago. His discovery marked a turning point that birthed Istorya, a Las Vegas-based Filipino pop-up restaurant that blends an authentic, multicourse culinary experience with an immersive presentation on the history behind each dish.
“We bring those layers forward with intention, so when people dine
understanding of the culture behind the food,” Castillo explains. Founded in 2023, Istorya is one of many cultural institutions that have found a home in Southern Nevada, where a thriving Filipino community of more than 200,000 has emerged as one of the largest in the U.S. This corner of the Filipino diaspora literally helped build Las Vegas—from providing some of the workers who constructed the Hoover Dam, to staffing its hotels and casinos and even offsetting a pressing nursing shortage in the 1990s.
This burgeoning population finally gained an official home when Clark County’s Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to establish the Filipino Town cultural district on April 15, 2025. Centered along Maryland Parkway between Flamingo Road and Desert Inn Road, the 1.2-mile corridor was selected for its proliferation of Filipino businesses—anchored by Asian grocery store Seafood City and the Boulevard Mall. One year later, the momentum hasn’t slowed as Filipino Town leaders chase visions of what it—and the community it celebrates—could ultimately grow into.
by Steve Marcus)
ON THE COVER Rocelyn Symonds from Kalahi 2.0
DEEP ROOTS
There were just five Filipino immigrants living in Clark County in 1920, according to U.S. Census data. Today, they represent the largest ethnic Asian group in Nevada.
If you’ve ever driven down Oquendo Road, you’ve already scratched the surface of this history. It’s named after Rudy Legaspi Oquendo, a Filipino immigrant who arrived in 1930 and went on to split his time working as a deputy sheriff by day and bartender by night.
Another pioneer, Rudy Crisostomo, left his own mark over the course of a decades-long career crafting designs for neon signage displayed at properties like Sands, Dunes, Circus Circus, Luxor, Whiskey Pete’s and Rio.
The 1990s saw Nevada try to overcome a dire shortage of healthcare workers by directly recruiting nurses from the Philippines, kicking off a new era in which more and more Filipinos left their home country—or their adopted home in California—in favor of the Valley’s lower cost of living, business-friendly tax policies and booming casino and healthcare industries.
“People who move from the Philippines often think of Vegas as a natural mainstay place where they see themselves living,” Castillo says. “As a result, that unwavering passion and spirit of hospitality that Filipinos are known for is very much present here.”
According to Census data, Nevada’s Filipino population has grown more than 300% since 2000—from 51,318 to an estimated 208,828 in 2024. This growth even led the State of Nevada to offer election information and DMV forms translated
directly into the predominant native Filipino language of Tagalog.
Ernie Buo, a Philippine-born civil engineer and Filipino Town Board vice president, watched his community multiply at a “continuous, constant pace” since he arrived in 2004.
“We went from only a handful of local Filipino organizations back then all the way up to 46 now—from groups representing different provinces of the Philippines to the Filipino Nurses Association and the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers,” Buo says.
Chef Dio Buan and Walbert Castillo, founder of Istorya, at Durango Social Club.
(Photo by Christopher DeVargas)
Istorya (Courtesy/ Kelli Nguyen)
A SENSE OF PLACE
Although the Filipino Town designation became official last April, the dedication of a new sign recognizing the distinction came in a massive gathering at the Boulevard Mall on October 9, 2025. Dignitaries and politicians from the Philippines and other U.S. states joined locals in chanting “Mabuhay,” or “long live,” as they celebrated a unique moment for both countries.
It was a significant step forward, putting Las Vegas in a small group of major U.S. cities with an officially recognized Filipino district—join-
ing prominent enclaves in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. It’s the second official cultural district in Clark County, following Little Ethiopia’s 2023 designation.
Another major event came on April 11, when the Filipino Town Board held a marathon anniversary celebration in the Mission Center shopping plaza parking lot. According to Filipino Town Board secretary Corin Ramos, more than 2,000 visitors took part in the daylong festivities, which included a colorful parade, local Filipino food trucks and businesses and an entertainment slate made up of dozens of local Filipino musicians and performers. An
iconic jeepney, a public utility vehicle imported directly from the archipelago itself, was an especially popular draw.
Nearby, off Maryland Parkway, a mural inside Seafood City Supermarket reads: “Celebrating Filipino goodness.” Indeed, the business is much more than just shelves stocked with Filipino foods. For many, it serves up a daily dose of home, complete with Philippines-based chains Jollibee and Red Ribbon Bakeshop and doubling as polling place and the site of an annual Philippine Independence Day celebration each June.
The Boulevard Mall is another fixture that’s served as a central hub for Filipinos for de -
cades. Filipino-owned businesses now comprise an estimated 15% of its tenants.
Ronnie Abaldonado—a Las Vegas-based professional breakdancer known for winning season two of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew with Super Cr3w in 2008 and later claiming an Sports Emmy Award for his work as an NBC commentator at the 2024 Paris Olympics—remembers it as a centerpiece of Filipino youth culture in the ’90s.
“We used to take the bus to Boulevard Mall, which was a place where we would meet up and go and find other b-boys to battle,” he says. “It’s crazy to see what it looks like now.”
Ronnie Abaldonado (Photo by Wade Vandervort)
ABOVE LEFT Dancers with Kalahi 2.0, a Philippine folkloric dance ensemble, rehearse before a parade and festival celebrating the first anniversary of the establishment of Filipino Town Las Vegas at the Mission Center shopping center on April 11. (Steve Marcus/Staff)
CREATING A LEGACY
The idea that Filipinos predominantly work in healthcare or hospitality isn’t necessarily false, but it doesn’t quite paint the whole picture.
Las Vegas local and popular comedian Jo Koy may have put it best when he opened his 2020 special In His Elements filmed in the Philippine capital of Manila—by asking “have you ever met a Filipino?”
“If you’ve been to a hospital then the answer is yes,” Koy quipped. “Every nurse can sing, every nurse can dance, and there’s always one comedian in the emergency room.”
In one line, Koy—who launched his stand-up career
in a 1994 open mic night at Buzzy’s Cafe in Las Vegas— managed to reconcile that stereotype with another reality: Filipinos are natural artists.
In that same special, Koy tapped Abaldonado himself to showcase breakdancing—a sport in which Filipinos have carved their own unique legacy.
“When you dig deep into the national breaking scene, everyone looks at Vegas like we have the strongest youth because we have three major programs, and most of them are run by Filipinos,” Abaldonado says. “There’s something special about this town.”
For Abaldonado, who owns the local dance studio District Arts, those ties run deep. Referencing the dance crew
he started in the ’90s, Full Force—and how members of Full Force went on to join Supercr3w and Vegas Strip headliners the Jabbawockeez—he says Filipinos have actively been building culture since the beginning.
“When we travel and hear people say that Vegas has no culture, I’m like, ‘We are the culture,’” he says. “This tight-knit group, this circle that knew each other from the ’90s, we built this from nothing to something that’s global. We all kind of made it, and we’re still repping our city.”
Local Filipino American DJ Sam Maxion made a point to memorialize other Filipino contributions to hip-hop when he opened the DJ Museum in Filipino Town last year. Turntables used by Filipino legend DJ Qbert are prominently featured in its showroom, while an external mural accented with the colors of the nation’s flag beckons visitors inside.
Outside of music and dance, local Filipino painter Gig Depio says it took a bit longer for Filipino artists to gain acceptance in the city’s art circles, however.
“Back in 2012 and 2013, there was this unspoken rule where we weren’t really welcomed Downtown in the Arts Factory. At the time, it was just for the white guys—and maybe they thought it was too sophisticated for us,” Depio says. “So, I became the guinea pig, went down there and befriended everybody and proved to them that this was not the case. From there, everybody started drifting over.”
Filipino artists are now some of the most visible contributors
to the Valley’s blooming cityscape. Take Depio’s “Beyond the Meadows” mural-sized painting at the new Las Vegas Civic Center.
“The Filipino art scene and the Downtown art scene sort of became one, all thanks to a handful of people who just wanted to show that this is our community just as much as it is everybody else’s,” Depio says. “We became a force.”
LEFT Gig Depio (Photo by Shannon Miller) RIGHT ” Beyond the Meadows” by Gig Depio (Photo by Wade Vandervort)
ABOVE Exterior of The DJ Museum (Photo by Wade Vandervort)
“It’s not
about
being the first, but
about making sure
there’s
a pathway for others. Representation matters, and people have to see themselves in positions of power and success to know there’s a path for them. So, it’s
LEADING THE WAY
One defining characteristic of the Filipino population is that they tend to be highly educated. According to a 2025 Migration Policy Institute report, 53% of Filipino immigrants over the age of 25 reported attaining at least a bachelor’s degree in 2023—far above the U.S. born rate of 36%.
This is evident in the number of prominent Filipino leaders throughout Southern Nevada—a list that includes Clark County School District Superintendent Jhone Ebert
appreciated was, even if they didn’t have much, they always wanted to help others.”
Echoing the influx of Filipino-born nurses and doctors in the 1990s, Mosca helped usher Assembly Bill 472 through the legislature last year, bolstering an existing J-1 visa program that has brought teachers from the Philippines into Clark County schools since 2017. The bill helps foreign educators with less than a year remaining on their J-1 visas transition to H1-B visas to lengthen their stay and impact.
“The Philippines is the number one sending country for J-1 visa teachers in Nevada.
Kerns became the first Filipino American elected to Las Vegas Municipal Court in 1997, later establishing the Youth Offender Court program. Filipina judge Cheryl Moss—also a grandniece of Oquendo—followed in 2001, presiding over Nevada’s first Gambling Treatment Diversion Court before retiring in 2021. And in 2023, Filipina judge Mari Parladé was elected to the same position.
For Mosca, the significance of these achievements goes well beyond law and policy.
“It means to me, personally, that we’re finally seen. Growing up, I never had a Filipino teacher that looked like me, and
Nevada assemblywoman Erica Mosca speaks at a celebration commemorating the new Filipino Town.
(Photo by Steve Marcus)
TURNING THE PAGE
No one did more to bring Filipino Town to life than community stalwart Rozita Lee, 91, who moved to Southern Nevada from Hawaii in 1979. Her lifelong advocacy includes helping found the National Federation of Filipino American Associations in 1997 and serving on President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders from 2010 to 2014. Having successfully spearheaded the push to establish Filipino Town, Lee resigned as Filipino Town Board president last summer and turned her attention toward developing a new Filipino American Museum at the Boulevard Mall. After several months of hosting limited gatherings and fundraisers, it’s officially set to open to the public on June 12.
“I’ve always felt that a museum is important in any community, and we’ve never had one,” Lee says. “We’ve had small collections that people would bring to events, but I envisioned a museum telling the full story of our heritage through the modern day.”
To curate the space, Lee turned to influential local Filipino fashion designer David Tupaz, who sourced some of his own personal artifacts as a starting point. He then compiled the museum’s inaugural Ifugao Collection, centered around an indigenous group from the northern Philippines known for their exemplary weaving and woodcarving techniques and for hand crafting the ancient mountainside Banaue Rice Terraces—a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s often dubbed the “Eighth Wonder of the World.”
Supporting Lee as the museum’s vice president is Carl Magno, a resident since 2006
and veteran media executive best known for founding the Las Vegas-based FilAmTV Network in 2021. From its physical headquarters in the Boulevard Mall, the network helps bridge the gap between Las Vegas’ Filipino population and their friends and relatives in the Philippines.
“We wanted to capture the Filipino diaspora to America, and share the stories about how they came here, the challenges they faced and their advice to those who would come here in the future,” Magno says.
Meanwhile, Buo says the Filipino Town Board is keeping an eye out for opportunities to build an educational center dedicated to local Filipino youth.
“We want a place where we can teach the Filipino language to the younger generations, so kids who do not speak Tagalog can get a feel for our culture,” Buo says. “We can also teach them traditions—from recreational activities we used to do when we were younger and even Filipino-specific board games.”
At Istorya, which completed
its residency at Durango Social Club on April 29, the plan is to up the ante even further in its next chapter. As Istorya’s resident storyteller, Las Vegas native and Filipina UNLV scholar Ava Cariño works tirelessly to ensure each moment resonates.
She remembers a powerful interaction in which a Muslim Filipino woman told her she never expected to see her culture on display beyond “museum glass.” Another memorable meal shared between a Filipino woman and her white husband “resulted in an open discussion of memories that were unlocked from her past, and the husband being introduced to a new flavor palette.”
“Through this format, you’re able to have deeper, more intimate conversations about place making, diasporic identities and those macro and micro levels that go beyond just eating the food,” Cariño says. “I truly love every second of it.”
Speaking to the Weekly in the Filipino American Museum lobby, between sips of Philippine-grown coffee, Lee echoes Cariño’s optimism.
“The manifestation of everything that’s happened—Filipino Town and the museum—it’s God’s project,” Lee says. “I’m just so ecstatic that we’re here, and this is only the start. We still have much to do, but we’re so fortunate.”
Jab Buhay and his son Sebastian, 2, wave flags of the Philippines during a community celebration at Boulevard Mall to commemorate the new Filipino Town, October 9, 2025. (Photo by Steve Marcus)
Filipino American Museum (Photo by Steve Marcus)
IN THE NEWS
SHARING A WISH Gabrie Ann Nakhle, center, is surprised by a dance performance by her friends during a Make-A-Wish Nevada ceremony at Cure 4 The Kids Foundation on April 29. Nakhle, diagnosed with leukemia in mid-2025, used her wish to create a pediatric nursing scholarship at the Roseman University College of Nursing. Read the full story at lasvegassun.com.
(Steve Marcus/Staff)
SPIRIT AIRLINES CEASES OPERATIONS
TOURISM Spirit Airlines took its last flight on May 2, ending 34 years of bare-bones fares that made budget travel accessible to millions of Americans.
Once valued at roughly $5.5 billion, Spirit collapsed under the weight of two bankruptcy filings in as many years, mounting debt and a devastating blow from jet fuel prices that more than doubled after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran sent
global crude prices soaring past $100 a barrel.
“This is tremendously disappointing and not the outcome any of us wanted,” CEO Dave Davis said in a statement. Spirit had lost more than $2.5 billion since the start of 2020.
The airline had served 16 direct markets out of Las Vegas — all of which are covered by at least one other carrier at Harry Reid International
Airport, according to the airport. Spirit Airlines said it will automatically process refunds for any flights booked on a credit or debit card. Travelers who booked through third-party travel agencies should direct refund requests to those agents. Anyone else who got their reservation through vouchers, credit or points will have to wait and see through Spirit’s bankruptcy process. –Las Vegas Sun staff
Hard Rock places final beam on Guitar Hotel
The Hard Rock Las Vegas celebrated a topping off ceremony on May 1, placing the final beam on the developing resort’s Guitar Hotel tower. Hard Rock International executives, Seminole Tribal Council, Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom, Penta Building Group and McCarthy Building Companies were present for the “intimate” ceremony—a milestone since the property began construction in the summer of 2024. In a statement, Jim Allen, CEO of Seminole Gaming and Chairman of Hard Rock International, called the project “the most significant transformation the Strip has seen in two decades.” According to a news release, the property will feature more than 3,700 hotel rooms, 175,000 square feet of gaming space and 200,000 square feet of meeting space, set to open in late 2027. –Shannon Miller
“Today’s decision gives states permission to use partisan gerrymandering as a license to silence Black voters and voters of color. It threatens to erase fair districts across the nation and entrench power in the hands of the few. Politicians should not choose their voters. Voters should choose their politicians. That is the foundation of a democracy, and today’s ruling puts that foundation at risk.”
–U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., in response to the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling that Louisiana’s creation of a second majority-minority congressional district in 2024 was not warranted by the Voting Rights Act
DINING
LAS VEGAS TO HOST 2026 MICHELIN GUIDE SOUTHWEST CEREMONY
The Michelin Guide has selected Las Vegas to host its inaugural Southwest Ceremony on August 26 at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. The announcement marks a return for the prestigious, restaurant-ranking publication, which has been absent in the city since 2009. “We look forward to welcoming the region’s top talent at the upcoming Michelin Guide Southwest Guide ceremony and hope to see the innovators who have helped shape Las Vegas’ reputation as a global dining destination recognized on stage this August,” said Steve Hill, CEO and President of Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. –Staff
THE STRIP
EXPERIENCE AND TRAVEL TO THE BEAUTIFUL ISLANDS
Enjoy a Polynesian dance performance.
Windmill Library
Friday, May 8 • 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
West Charleston Library
Saturday, May 9 • 3 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Whitney Library
Saturday, May 9 • 7 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.
AGE GROUP: ADULTS
“LIKE FRIENDS, LIKE FOES: JAPANESE NEVADANS DURING WWII” – AUTHOR VISIT & BOOK SIGNING
Andrew B. Russell will discuss his book, which covers the struggle of Japanese Americans in the Silver State.
Clark County Library
Saturday, May 9 • 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
AGE GROUP: TEENS & ADULTS
PAST SELF IN CONCERT: DARKWAVE, SHOEGAZE, K-GOTH
Immerse yourself in the band’s signature K-Goth sound, which blends Korean and English lyrics with darkwave melodies.
East Las Vegas Library
Saturday, May 16 • 7 p.m.
AGE GROUP: TEENS, ADULTS & SENIORS
Celebrating ASIAN AMERICAN, NATIVE HAWAIIAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH
ASIAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL INFORMATION SESSION
Learn about available resources, including a culturally sensitive food bank, SNAP assistance, health care assistance, and clinics.
Spring Valley Library
Wednesday, May 13 & 27
2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
AGE GROUP: ADULTS
LEARN TAI CHI AND QIGONG: DISCOVER THE ART OF MOVING MEDITATION
Cultivate balance, inner peace, and flowing energy.
Windmill Library
Friday, May 15 • 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
AGE GROUP: ADULTS
ISAMU NOGUCHI LANTERNS
Little ones will discover the magic of light and design in this playful storytime inspired by the Japanese American artist.
Whitney Library
Thursday, May 21 • 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
AGE GROUP: TODDLERS & PRESCHOOLERS
TEEN THURSDAY: FLOWER BOOKMARK
Create your own unique lotus flower bookmark!
East Las Vegas Library
Thursday, May 21 • 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
AGE GROUP: TEENS
MISSION: MAHJONG!
Enjoy an afternoon of the traditional game with other enthusiasts. All levels welcome.
Enterprise Library
Sunday, May 24
1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
AGE GROUP: ADULTS
SPOTLIGHT POETRY PRESENTS: ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER POETRY SHOWCASE
A showcase featuring poets from across the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, offering work that explores heritage, migration, and belonging.
West Charleston Library Saturday, May 30 • 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
AGE GROUP: ADULTS
LEARN KOREAN: JOIN US TO LEARN KOREAN WITH A NATIVE SPEAKER!
Do you love K-dramas and K-pop? Learn a new language in a stress-free environment!
Spring Valley Library
Sunday, May 31 • 3 p.m. – 4 p.m.
AGE GROUP: KIDS, TWEENS, TEENS & ADULTS
MADAMA BUTTERFLY: THE OPERA IN CONCERT
The International Opera Institute will perform Puccini’s opera featuring voices from the Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Opera, and New York’s Chautauqua Opera Company.
Whitney Library
Sunday, May 31 • 6 p.m. – 8:10 p.m.
AGE GROUP: ADULTS
Nevada officials challenge Trump’s recent executive order on mail ballots ahead of June 9 primary
BY TYLER SCHNEIDER
On June 2, a federal judge in Massachusetts will hear arguments over whether President Donald Trump’s latest executive order on mail ballots is unconstitutional. The litigation comes just one week before Nevada holds its June 9 primary elections.
Signed by Trump on March 31, the order, titled “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections,” seeks to overhaul Americans’ ability to vote by mail by creating federal citizenship lists to determine voter eligibility and directing the U.S. Postal Service to withhold mail ballots from those not on the list. It also threatens election officials with criminal prosecution
CISCO AGUILAR
PRESIDENT TRUMP
AARON FORD
public ally in the effort. And while both officials say they’re confident the order shouldn’t impact the June 9 primary, they are less certain on the November midterms.
“You cannot truly change the rules in the middle of the game. That would be detrimental to the overall process,” Aguilar tells the Weekly . “I believe the courts would understand the circumstances and facts around the primary election, so I think Nevadans can be confident that the election is going to run as it has in the past.”
With the state’s mail ballot process for absentee voters already underway as of April 24, Aguilar notes that many Nevadans—especially military members serving overseas—have already begun the voting process. He believes this reduces the likelihood of a last-minute disruption to the primary, due to the legal challenges that would inevitably pop up.
Ford—a candidate in the June 9 Democratic gubernatorial primary—shares a similar view, noting that he’s more focused on ensuring the executive order doesn’t influence the November midterms. It’s why the coalition opted to file an April 24 motion for summary judgment—a legal strategy in which one party asks the court to permanently block an order without trial—rather than the temporary pause that’s more frequently granted via a preliminary injunction.
Ford says the coalition believes it’s an open and closed case.
“This is an overstep of constitutional authority, and we think the [summary judgment] strategy is sufficient for us to be able to preserve the elections,” Ford tells the Weekly.
The court has set a May 7 deadline for the Trump administration to file its response to the summary judgment ahead of a June 2 hearing. Ford says Trump’s team has also submitted a motion to transfer the case from the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts to Washington D.C., which the coalition has formally opposed.
Aguilar—a Democrat who will automatically advance to the November general election in his reelection bid—believes that federal
oversight is unnecessary in a state where he says 86% of voters have cast a mail ballot at least once since 2022, including 45% in 2024. He also points to what he calls an efficient process, citing the MIT Election Data and Science Lab’s April release of its 2024 Elections Performance Index, which ranked Nevada’s election administration process second behind only Minnesota—up from 13th in 2020.
Should the courts rule in favor of the executive order, both Ford and Aguilar warn the consequences for Nevada voters could be significant— particularly for rural voters who typically live much further from their nearest polling place.
As one of just eight universal mail ballot states, Nevada automatically sends ballots to every active registered voter, meaning Trump’s proposed USPS list could potentially impact every active voter in the state.
elections run well and that they are not influenced by a single individual. Nor does a single individual have the ability to put their thumb on the scale to change the outcome of elections, because that’s basically called a dictator.”
Ford calls the executive order “the quintessential example of presidential overreach.”
“The branches of government have legal separations for this exact purpose—to ensure that our country continues to operate in the democratic fashion that it was contemplated and not subjected to the whims of the executive branch,” he says.
“The fact that Nye County and Douglas County—some of our reddest counties—have some of the highest mail ballot participation makes us think this is not just a party issue,” Aguilar says. “This is about ensuring Nevadans have access to the ballot box, no matter where they live or how they choose to participate.”
Aguilar says the potential criminal prosecution of election workers could set a dangerous precedent, but he remains confident this won’t come to pass, either.
“They’re trying to get local election officials to bend to their will. ... But it’s hard to get a criminal charge,” Aguilar says. “The fact that they don’t understand is that election officials live in their communities, and they’re not going to be intimidated by a guy sitting in Washington D.C. when they have accountability and responsibility to their neighbors.
“The Constitution clearly states in plain language that states have the responsibility to run their own elections,” Aguilar says. “It’s part of the security system to ensure that
Every Democratic member of Nevada’s Congressional delegation has publicly opposed the order, with Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen co-sponsoring Senate legislation that would block it from taking effect. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo hasn’t directly weighed in on the executive order itself, but he vetoed a Nevada Legislature bill last year that would have expanded the number of ballot drop boxes statewide.
In an email, Lombardo’s communications director Drew Galang told the Weekly, “Governor Lombardo believes elections should be run by the states but supports common sense reforms to Nevada law that strengthen the integrity of our elections. He led the effort to put voter ID on the ballot and has called for ending universal mail ballots, believing only registered qualified military, or voters who request a mail ballot, should get mail ballots.”
Trump’s executive order isn’t the only threat to voting rights heading into November. On April 29, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 to significantly narrow the Voting Rights Act in a Louisiana redistricting case—a decision critics say will make it harder to challenge racially discriminatory congressional maps ahead of the November election.
This summer, the Supreme Court is expected to issue another ruling on whether states can count mail ballots that arrive after election day, which could potentially impact Nevada and the 13 other states that currently allow the practice.
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BALANCED
Las Vegas Aces center
A’ja Wilson (22) grabs a rebound over Indiana Fever guard Aerial Powers (23) during a WNBA basketball playoff semifinals series on September 23, 2025 in Las Vegas. AP Photo/John Locher,
BALANCED
BY CASE KEEFER
A’ja Wilson is coming off one of the best stretches in WNBA history, having led the Las Vegas Aces to a third title in four years and winning a fourth career Most Valuable Player award last season.
Relying primarily on the 29-year-old Wilson and asking everyone else on the Aces’ roster to play complementary roles is a proven championship formula. But it’s not the plan the Aces will carry into their title-defense season when it opens at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday May 9 in a championship rematch against the Phoenix Mercury.
“On certain nights, one person is going to have it going and we’ll let it roll,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “It’s going to be someone different every night.”
Las Vegas has the pieces to try a more egalitarian approach largely because it was able to maintain roster continuity despite an unprecedented level of possible player movement this offseason.
A prolonged labor dispute between the players and owners that threatened a strike ended right before the WNBA preseason and effectively made all the league’s veterans free agents.
But neither Wilson nor her pair of longterm standout running mates, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray, gave any consideration to leaving the Aces.
“I’m thankful to be able to be a part of a franchise that people want to be a part of,” Wilson said. “People want to make history. People want to be a part of this legendary run that we’ve been on since I’ve been drafted in this league. I’m thankful that we do have our core back.”
The Aces return their top eight scorers by points per game including last year’s sixth-woman star Jewell Loyd, trade-deadline acquired dynamo NaLyssa Smith and Wilson twin-tower option Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, who missed all but two games with injury in 2025.
Their biggest loss is reserve wing Aaliyah Nye, whom the Toronto Tempo selected in the WNBA expansion draft after a promising rookie season.
But the Aces reloaded their depth too, most notably signing explosive scorer Chennedy Carter in free agency. Carter averaged 17.5 points per game with the Chicago Sky in 2024, her last season in the WNBA.
No one has ever doubted her ability to be a difference-maker in the WNBA, but several behavioral issues—most notoriously a cheap shot on Caitlin Clark that landed an indefinite suspension—helped lead to a one-year exile from the league.
“I got better every day just having to eat, sleep, wake up and think about basketball, being isolated in a sense,” Carter said of her
time with the Wuhan Shengfan last season. “It really helped me take my game to the next level when that was all I had to focus on was basketball. Everything was taken care of. I wasn’t worried about anything. The noise was in the states. I was focused on me. I was grinding. I grew, and I’m back.”
A conversation with Hammon where the coach empowered and challenged her is what sold Carter on making her comeback with the Aces, which signed her to a one-year deal at the new league minimum $277,500 salary.
If Carter can avoid the controversies and locker-room clashes that have marred her three previous WNBA stops, her value should far exceed the contract. Hammon says all signs point positively so far, describing Carter in training camp as, “great, very responsive.”
“I’m excited to have her,” Gray said. “I played against her even when she was in college with (team USA). It’s nice to have her on this side and now I’m just like, ‘You go beat them.’ It’s cool. It’s a luxury. She belongs in the W, so I’m glad she’s here.”
One of the best games of Carter’s career came on July 16, 2024, against the Aces when she outdueled Wilson with 34 points on 14for-24 shooting to lead the Sky to an upset at Michelob Ultra Arena.
Both Wilson and Gray have alluded to the performance throughout training camp. But Carter is not the only former antagonist to join the team as Las Vegas bolstered its front court by adding Australian forward Stephanie Talbot, who finished last season with the rival New York Liberty.
“A player that I’ve tried to get multiple times,” Hammon said with a laugh. “This time, she just said yes to me. She’s just been really solid. I think she’s a nice balancing piece for some of the other weapons that we have out there. She’s a player that doesn’t need the ball in order to impact the game. Those pieces that fit with our other big pieces are really important. I expect big things from her.”
Wilson missed a portion of training camp and the preseason with illness, inadvertently allowing the rest of the team to get comfortable with the idea of not overtaxing her with a disproportionate share of the load.
Wilson will remain the go-to piece, but this year’s Aces could be as well-rounded as they’ve been in years.
“I’m blessed and I’m lucky that we’re all here,” Wilson said.
by
Photo
Christopher DeVargas
Get to know Rei Hotoda , the Las Vegas Philharmonic’s new musical director
ei Hotoda is radiant and wholesomely giddy. We’re settled upstairs in the grand lobby of Reynolds Hall, a place that’ll soon serve as her orchestral stage. On May 9, the acclaimed pianist and newly appointed music director designate of the Las Vegas Philharmonic Pictures at an Exhibition, giving symphony fans a sample of the
“This is going to be a spectacular season,” says Hotoda. “I can’t even wait to get started. I feel like a kid in a candy store.”
As do we. The Las Vegas Philharmonic’s inaugural 2026-2027 season under Hotoda is a confident statement. Its bold contemporary works, set alongside classics, remind you why you fell in love with live music in the first place. Some of the highlights include: The magical, cinematic symphonies of Studio (September 12-13); an (October 17); and , that centuries-old, choral triumph chronicling the story of
Hotoda has spent more than two decades wielding the baton, leading the Fresno Philharmonic and guest conducting for the symphony orchestras of Chicago, Dallas, San Diego, Hawaii, Winnipeg and even Las Vegas before her appointment. But the city
“It’s the musicians of the Las Vegas Philharmonic. They are very special. They can play a symphony set with Nas. They’re so versatile,” Hotoda says. “The heart of the orchestra is what drew me here. It’s the people in the orchestra, and then, of course, this community, it’s so
Born in Tokyo and raised in Chicago, Hotoda’s entire upbringing revolved around symphony music. Her father, a visual artist, would blast it while he worked; and her mother lived it as a vocalist and music teacher.
“The first opera that I heard Porgy and Bess by Gershwin. Those kinds of things influenced me,” she says.
“I went to blues clubs in Chicago, heard all kinds of pop artists, so I thought everyone grew up like that. … I was just completely immersed in the arts my whole life. It felt like one of my limbs.”
But after obtaining her doctorate degree in Piano Performance at the University of Southern California, Hotoda realized performing wasn’t enough.
“88 keys wasn’t enough sound for me. I needed 88 musicians to create music,” she says. “I found that conducting was like learning a new instrument for me.”
But with every new instrument comes new challenges. For Hotoda, that was convincing a roomful of seasoned musicians to let her lead. Winning them over means stepping off the podium and onto the stage. Oftentimes, Hotoda will play piano with her musicians, building a mutual trust through music itself.
During her tenure, she also aims to earn the trust of the audience—especially those who might have never experienced a symphony orchestra before or who’ve been put off by its perceived stuffiness. Today, Hotoda is as likely to have Billie Eilish or the British pop star Raye on her Apple Music as she is to have Chopin’s Ballades Symphonies exist in just about everything.
“I think that there’s a stigma, like [with] classical music there’s the stage and there’s this formality. I really like to break that barrier. I think it’s really important for the audiences to know that this is their music, this is their symphony. The Las Vegas Philharmonic is your orchestra,” she says. “Some of the music might be challenging to you, but there’s always this language of music that’s constantly connecting to people.”
Jazz lovers, rejoice! You may know about The Dispensary Lounge, Maxan Jazz and Vic’s, and now, there’s yet another place to see live jazz in the Valley this summer.
Sunset Station has announced its lineup of contemporary jazz musicians who will play in a six-show series running through October. Attendees can enjoy a night of music under the stars at the casino’s Side Lawn.
The series kicks off on May 16 with Billboard-charting artist Jarez, who served as the longtime manager and touring saxophonist for the Grammy-winning rapper Coolio. With sophistication, soul and streetwise cool, Jarez has redefined smooth and contemporary jazz by blending futuristic grooves with emotional depth.
On June 20, Adrian Crutchfield takes the stage. The Kenny G-inspired saxophonist performed and recorded with Prince and New Power Generation, making it onto the 2017 Grammy-nominated album Hit n Run Phase Two . Having also performed with Lionel Richie, Bette Midler and CeeLo Green, Crutchfield is sure to bring a star-power performance.
On July 18, breakout artist Patrick Lamb performs, and let’s hope he plays his newest single “Tailgate.” Also a saxophonist, Lamb has shared a stage with Smokey Robinson and Diane Schuur and has had three Top 5 Billboard hits.
The series continues on August 15 with Nicholas Cole, September 19 with an artist to be announced, and October 17 with Blake Aaron. Performances begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 plus fees and available at stationcasinoslive.com or ticketmaster.com.
–Shannon Miller
Jarez (Courtesy/ Britton Hacke)
Party Parade brings Electric Daisy Carnival to the Strip
BY GEOFF CARTER
Celebrating its 30th year, the Electric Daisy Carnival returns to Las Vegas Motor Speedway May 15-17 with a starry lineup spanning generations of electronic dance music. EDC stalwarts like Tiësto, Zedd and Kaskade are joined by au courant names like Fisher, Peggy Gou and Subtronics, and bucket-list artists like the Prodigy, Above & Beyond and Underworld. Plus, y’know, the massive stages, the fairground rides, and thousands upon thousands of scantily dressed friends you haven’t met yet, anointed in feathers, glitter and body paint. The only way EDC could be any better is if its colorful spectacle, its captivating madness, were to somehow escape the oval of the Speedway and take to the streets of our fair city. Like, say, in the form of a parade.
The World Party Parade, coming to the north Strip on May 14 at 6 p.m., is a gift to the city
that’s made EDC an institution, says Insomniac CEO Pasquale Rotella via an email statement. “While it’s happening during EDC Week, this is a standalone event designed to be accessible to the entire community, including those who won’t be attending the festival,” says the EDC impresario. “Making it open in this way allows more people to experience the energy, positivity and connection that this culture is all about.”
Running a circuitous route, from
the Festival Grounds at Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara south to Resorts World and back again, the World Party Parade promises to bring more than 30 art cars, hundreds of performers (including the “Gneon Gnomes,” a group of tartan-and-checkers-garbed dancers who “run on neon lights and rhythm”), and “moving renegade sound systems,” transforming the north Strip into a feast of LED light and syncopated bass.
All ages are welcome, and the
organizers stress that P.L.U.R. will be “strictly enforced.” That’s an acronym for “peace, love, unity and respect,” on the off chance you’re too old or too young ever to have attended a rave event. There’s a first time for everything, and if you’ve never attended EDC—only seen the rave kids out in the wilds, moving in packs—Rotella is excited for you to finally get a taste of what the festival serves every year.
“It’s always exciting to bring something new to life, but the World Party Parade feels deeply personal,” he says. “It’s unlike anything we’ve done before, and the idea of bringing people together to celebrate dance music culture right on the Las Vegas Strip through a music parade is something we’ve dreamed about ... We want to share this powerful culture with everyone, especially those experiencing it for the first time. There’s something truly transformative about it, and we believe it’s therapeutic, something that can genuinely benefit people when it becomes part of their lives.”
photo by Wade Vandervort /
Switch up traditional Mother’s Day brunch at these Las Vegas gems
Moms like steak just as much as dads, and you’ll get bonus points this year if you add a Fashion Show shopping trip to this brunch extravaganza. The Mother’s Day meal at Galpão Gaucho ($77) includes 18 unlimited rodizio grill selections carved tableside until you’re full, plus seafood options, a 45-item salad bar, a great wine list and desserts from Tres Leches cake to Brazilian Pudim. This is an eatery for sharing, and Mom probably would love you to round up the fam and celebrate together. Fashion Show, galpaogauchousa.com. –Brock Radke
Who has two thumbs (presumably) and wants to order their mom a half-liter stein glass full of German Electric Lemonade? You do, that’s who. Skip the Strip and go Bavarian with the special a la carte menu at Hofbräuhaus, including cream of asparagus soup, baked Brie with summer greens and Cumberland sauce, breaded chicken with grilled asparagus and lemon Hollandaise, and warm, house-made crêpes filled with fresh strawberries and vanilla ice cream. Prost to Mom! 4510 Paradise Road, hofbrauhauslasvegas.com. –BR
Cool it down Downtown in sophisticated Symphony Park with a Mother’s Day performance from the acclaimed Las Vegas Academy Jazz program and a special brunch menu served from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Macadamia-crusted French toast has Boursin cream cheese-filled brioche topped with wild berry white chocolate mousse, and the asparagus and artichoke heart frittata is accented with roasted red pepper crème fraiche and applewood smoked bacon. 355 Promenade Place, vicslasvegas.com. –BR
BONUS PICK: BOUQUETS & BUBBLES AT LEGACY CLUB
Food doesn’t have to be the main thing. At Circa’s dashing 60th-floor Legacy Club, the space transforms into a garden escape to host an afternoon (noon-3 p.m.) of endless pours of Lallier Champagne, a bouquet bar presented by Lulu’s Blooms, and a permanent, custom-fitted jewelry station from Luxe Linx. Tickets are $50. Circa, circalasvegas.com.
The Durango Resort’s coastal-inspired Mexican restaurant just brought back its Saturday Carnival Brunch, which adds Mexican and Brazilian music, a live drummer and tribal dancers to a stellar food and drink experience. That means you can celebrate Mother’s Day early and party tropical, but if you stick to Sunday, you can still enjoy Mijo menu standouts like huevos rancheros, churro French toast, sizzling fajitas, birria torta and $25 bottomless mimosas, micheladas and Aperol spritzes. Durango, mijomexican.com. –BR
Variety is the spice of life, and Mott 32’s endless dim sum brunch ($68) is perfect for giving mom options. Here, the typical Chinese teatime snack is elevated to a full-blown feast, complete with traditional dumplings and bao buns made in house, vegetables (May we recommend the snow pea tips?), appetizers, wok-fired proteins and noodles and seafood dishes like smoked black cod. If you really want to spoil her, don’t sleep on the Peking duck add-on ($138) or beverage upgrades. The procession of dishes creates a feeling of abundance—and don’t you owe that to your mom? Palazzo, mott32.com. –Shannon Miller
Black
Brunch dishes at Mijo Modern Mexican (Photos courtesy of Joe Janet\photo illustration)
truffle shumai at Mott 32 (Photo courtesy of Artur Begel/photo illustration)
HOUSING
LAS VEGAS CHIPS AWAY AT HOUSING SHORTAGE WITH NEW SENIOR UNITS
BY KATIE ANN MCCARVER
Mary McCarthy left California a decade ago, priced out of a state she could no longer afford. She settled into an apartment complex in Henderson—a comfortable enough life until last year, when the community dropped its 55-plus age restriction and rents climbed beyond her reach.
A friend mentioned a new senior affordable housing development called Heirloom at Rome in the northwest valley. McCarthy toured it and moved in by the next month.
“I said this, ‘I really, really believe I’ve come home,’ ” said McCarthy, who cited how the team at the complex, its vibe and friendliness all seemed like a perfect fit. “So this is my home.”
Heirloom at Rome is the latest affordable housing community by Heirloom at Ovation, the affordable housing affiliate of Las Vegas-based Ovation.
Jess Molasky, chief operation officer at Ovation, said the need for communities like Heirloom at Rome is great, particularly for people earning between 30% and 60% of the area median income (about $20,000 to $40,000).
He estimated rent rates ranged from just under $1,000 to $1,300 for those making less than 60% of the area median income.
The complex contains a fitness room and movement studio, movie room and game lounge, a business center, a doctor’s office, a pool and wraparound services, Molasky said. Coordinated Living of Southern Nevada provides food pantry delivery, hiking outings, bingo and other activities, he said.
The property also offers dozens of tiny homes, each less than 400 square feet, that have their own amenities.
Heirloom at Rome owes much of its completion to dollars from Clark County’s Community Housing Fund and the Nevada Housing Division’s Home Means Nevada initiative, Molasky said. It was built on land formerly owned by the Bureau of Land Management granted to Las Vegas with a deed restriction indicating only affordable housing could be built on it.
builds the thing, and it really is a benefit for the community’s economic situation.”
Las Vegas City Councilwoman Nancy Brune, who is also chair of the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority, said Ovation pulled from multiple sources of government funding, including the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, to make the project happen.
The city is still about 70,000 units short of affordable housing, Brune said.
“Every little bit helps,” she said. “I think everybody’s working as hard as they can to add more units to our portfolio.”
Heirloom at Rome sits in Ward 6, which Brune represents.
Brune emphasized that affordable housing projects are not the concrete high rises or brick buildings of historic public housing projects but look and feel like market-rate apartments with amenities, common areas and—in the case of Heirloom at Rome’s tiny homes—individual patios.
“We believe that good quality design does not have to be expensive,” Molasky said. “And I think we’re proving that you can … make these things really beautiful for not a lot more dollars.”
Seniors ages 55 and above on a fixed income are one of the most vulnerable populations, Molasky said.
“We really want good teachers—but if we want good teachers, they have to have a place to live,” he said. “And we really want good medical providers—but if we want good medical providers, they need a place to live. ... Everything comes back to housing. And so we need to build the type of housing that other people need.”
McCarthy, 75, has lived off her retirement savings since 2009. She said she wanted to spend her later years somewhere beautiful and comfortable—the kind of life she’d spent decades working toward.
She doesn’t drive, but her new home puts her within easy reach of the bus, giving her the independence to handle her own errands: grocery runs, doctor’s appointments, the rhythms of everyday life on her own terms.
STAFF
“There’s a lot of dollars and a lot of energy that go into one of these properties, but ... the right way to think about it is community investment,” Molasky said. “Because everyone turns around and takes those dollars and pays their workers and buys materials and
“We still are people—just maybe slower people,” she said. “I do use a cane. I do have a walker, but again, we still have active minds. So retirement doesn’t mean quitting. It means keep going, but just maybe in a whole different concept of life now. So it’s a beautiful thing to be here.”
VEGAS INC
Heirloom Ovation
(Coutesy Photo by Ronda Churchill for The Warren Group PR)
VEGAS INC NOTES
Serving Our Communities
Foundation committed $1.7 million to the Garden Foundation, a nonprofit serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The investment is the force behind the organization’s acquisition of a 5-acre campus in southwest Las Vegas, where it operates disability day programs.
PT’s Taverns opened a PT’s Gold in the Cadence master-planned community in Henderson at 903 E. Lake Mead Parkway. The tavern operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center’s Cardiovascular Intensive Care and Cardiac Care nursing units earned this year’s HCA Healthcare Unit of Distinction Award, an annual program recognizing exemplary nursing units across HCA Healthcare’s national network of more than 100,000 nurses.
Toastmasters International, a worldwide nonprofit educational organization, recognized Credit One Bank with the Corporate Recognition Award for its investment in employee engagement and the future of its organization.
SilverSummit Healthplan appointed DuAne Young to the role of vice president of government affairs. He has more than 16 years of experience in state government, policy leadership and health care administration. Most recently, Young served as lead director of state government affairs for the Mountain West region at CVS Health, where he led strategic engagement efforts across multiple states.
THIRD Street Arts & Media
Incubator announced a recent $250,000 leadership gift from an anonymous founding donor, part of THIRD Street’s early leadership giving community, the Founders Society, in honor of Levi Fackrell, the founder and former artistic director of Cockroach Theatre, now known as Vegas Theatre Company
The gift, which marks the beginning of an annual commitment, will help support performance, education and collaborative programming at THIRD Street as the organization builds a multivenue arts and media campus.
Boomer’s Sportsbook opened its ninth location at The Pass Casino, 140 S. Water St., Henderson.
City Cast Las Vegas announced Jesse Merrick as full-time podcast host. Merrick is an Emmy-winning sports anchor and reporter of more than a decade. He spent six years with NBC Las Vegas (KSNV) after working at television stations in Alabama and Colorado. He’s the founder of the Silver & Black Sports Network. City Cast Las Vegas also welcomed a rotating lineup of contributors including Dayvid Figler, April Corbin Girnus, Michael “MJ” Lyle, Justin Favela and Brent Holmes
The Abbi Agency hired Jennifer Davies as vice president of strategic communications. She brings more than a decade of leadership experience in public-sector communications, most recently serving as strategic communications manager for the City of Las Vegas, where she managed integrated communications strategies across more than 20 departments.
The Henderson Chamber of Commerce connects entrepreneurs, leaders, and industry experts across Southern Nevada, fostering meaningful relationships that spark collaboration, innovation, and growth.
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HELP WANTED
Avatar Foods Inc. is currently hiring for multiple positions of Food Production Supervisor. Job Title: Food Production Supervisor. Job Duties: Oversee food assembly, processing, and packaging; coordinate the activities of production workers; address defects and ensure machinery functions properly; manage employee schedules; ensure compliance with safety and sanitation regulations. Requirements: High School Diploma and 24 months as a supervisor. Location: 1301 S Boulder HWY Henderson, NV 89015. How to Apply: Submit your resume via email to Diego Silva at diego@avatarnaturalfoods.com or by mail to Diego Silva at 1301 S Boulder HWY, Suite 130, Henderson, NV 89015.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Astronomers don’t spend every night glued to the stars. On overcast nights, they dig into past measurements and rework existing data. You are in a comparable phase. Looking farther out won’t provide anything essential right now. The guidance you need is folded into what you’ve previously seen and felt; it is waiting for you to understand it on a deeper level.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): When lightning hits sand, it melts material to form branching glass tubes deep underground. Similar phenomena will soon occur in your life. Sudden insights will leave permanent traces in your psyche, rewiring your internal circuitry. These inspiring disruptions will create new channels for energy to flow, enhancing your receptivity to clues from life that you previously missed.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Consider death not as a physical conclusion, but as a metaphor for discarding the outmoded. What “best deaths” could you generate in the coming weeks? Use your imagination to dream up scenarios in which you purge parts of your life that no longer serve your vital yearnings. Visualize the fresh potency this will liberate. (Note: You are not in physical danger.)
CANCER (June 21-July 22): What part of you is too tame? Perhaps your voice edits itself before speaking. Can you inspire it to be wilder and freer— not reckless, but more honest and experimental? Try regular excursions with your wild side every two weeks. Follow its lead as it chooses what to explore. This may ultimately teach your tamed self that it is safe to let primal wisdom steer you.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In quantum physics, “entangled” particles share a connected state regardless of distance. I predict different parts of your life will interweave in similar ways. Moves you make in one area will produce mysterious effects in others. Adjusting a morning routine may boost creativity; healing an old alliance could unlock professional opportunities. Everything is more intermingled than it appears.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Your power word is “stretch.” Speak it daily and place it where you can see it. Live out this word in three ways: lengthen or expand without snapping; unfurl your body to its full reach to boost circulation; and take on challenging tasks that push you beyond your previous beliefs. Move past what you thought you could do by amplifying your abilities.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Four oracles for you: 1. You possess keys to doors not yet built; keep them safe. 2. You are ready to dream up titles for stories your life hasn’t lived yet; write them down. 3. You are receiving glimpses of a future you cannot yet reach; remember them. 4. You have everything required to grow a faith grounded in evidence rather than vague hope.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Editors at the Library of Alexandria did more than copy manuscripts; they refined texts to make them definitively reliable. In the coming weeks, make similar adjustments to your own life story. How might your memories need to be corrected? I invite you to revise the tales you tell yourself, making your personal mythology more accurate and liberating.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Light slows down when moving through media like water. The universe’s maximum speed only applies in a vacuum. If you are frustrated by incremental progress, remember you aren’t in a vacuum. Your intelligence is traveling through complex real-world situations. Be grateful for the slowdowns; learn all you can about how they are currently educating and transforming your brilliance.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Cryptographer Claude Shannon kept his office filled with juggling equipment and mechanical toys to inspire his breakthroughs. For him, recreation and innovation happened simultaneously. Try a similar approach by blending “serious work” with “just messing around.” Be alert for key insights that emerge from experimentation. Your diversions won’t be distractions; they are pathways toward your purpose.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) : Master calligrapher Yukimi Annand teaches that beautiful letters emerge from a relaxed, centered body rather than arduous effort. Trying to force an outcome produces rigid, lifeless art. Whatever you are striving to accomplish, refrain from grueling, laborious exertion. Align your whole being so that graceful outcomes flow naturally from your own soulful coherence.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The placebo effect is getting stronger, making it harder for some drug trials to prove that medications outperform sugar pills. We are getting better at healing ourselves through belief. Your own placebo response is exceptionally strong right now. In the coming weeks, use it deliberately. Be daring and exuberant in your efforts to heal yourself.
A MOTHER’S DAY EVENT
Celebrate Mother’s Day with a cozy and delightfully pampering rooftop afternoon made for the incredible ladies in your life. Sip endless sparkling mimosas, enjoy live DJ music, and explore charming activations like dainty permanent jewelry and a mini bouquet station.
