2010

Friday, June 11, 2010 | 9:57 a.m.

Big stories

Bank and Credit Union Woes – Silver State Schools Credit Union, the state’s largest, said it was looking for a cash infusion from a private insurer to help it survive the recession. Financial institutions were hit hard by the recession in Southern Nevada, with failures including 1st National Bank of Nevada, Silver State Bank, Community Bank of Nevada,Community One Credit Union, Cumorah Credit Union and Ensign Federal Credit Union. Big out-of-state banks with local branches that failed included Washington Mutual and Colonial Bank.

Monorail Bankruptcy – The long-feared bankruptcy of the monorail was filed Jan. 13 and a bond insurer said its exposure in the case for principal and interest totaled $1.1 billion.

Fountainbleau Auction – Investor Carl Icahn picked up the stalled resort for $150 million and one analyst said it could sit mothballed for five years until the gaming market improves.

Notable Q&As

Dominic Gentile, a leader in the Italian-American community, was asked about concerns that the new Mob Museum could perpetuate stereotypes about Italians.

“Everybody doesn’t know that the gangster is a miniscule percentage of the Italian community. But the difference is the gangster with an Italian surname has been celebrated in the movies and in books and perpetuated and blown way out of proportion to the point where it still happens to me – they learn I am an Italian-American and I am from Chicago, they want to talk about Al Capone. Al Capone died before I was born. That stereotype is out there,’’ Gentile said.

“Even if it’s true that the mob built Las Vegas, which it is not true, that doesn’t mean you should give some young kid who is going to walk in there something that is being glorified. It shouldn’t be glorified,’’ Gentile said.

40 Under 40: Where are they now?

Corey Harrison: Class of 2010

Harrison was a member of our most recent 40 Under 40 class, earning that distinction this past March. He is partner and general manager of Gold and Silver Pawn in downtown Las Vegas.

He became a nationally recognized face as a direct result of the hit TV reality series “Pawn Stars,” which airs on the History Channel. There, he is affectionately known as “Big Hoss.”

The show has garnered successful Nielsen ratings, peaking at 5.1 million viewers for the original episodes broadcast on March 1, 2010. The show’s popularity has earned a renewal for a third season and led to a substantial pickup in the pawn shop’s business, with its average customer visitation rate rising from 70 a day to 1,000, and a $400,000 expansion that will increase the store’s space by more than 60 percent.

Season three starts this month.