Brian Eckhouse

Story Archive

Several cities seek stimulus money for museums: Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2009; Turn on “This Week with George Stephanopolous” or visit the National Press Club in Washington, and there’s Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky again questioning the use of potential stimulus dollars for “things like mob museums and water slides.”
Out of pain, a shot at gain: Homes that were sources of misfortune now hold opportunity; Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009; A large home auction this weekend unveils a sad tableau of our widening foreclosure market: Houses and condos of varying values, sizes and conditions scattered across the Las Vegas Valley and throughout the Silver State available for fractions of their worth. There’s the 5,700-square-foot estate home in a lush, gated Green Valley community that was once valued at $1.45 million that could potentially be had for about one-third that price.
What the stimulus plan would mean for Nevada: Billions for schools, transportation, health care, higher ed — and jobs; Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009; Washington’s promise of a massive stimulus package to help turn around the nation’s economy is paying dividends in Nevada. For the first time in a long time, Nevadans are expecting good economic news.
At shopping plazas, anchors aweigh: Most every plaza has an ‘anchor,’ or a large store that draws traffic to smaller ones nearby. Across the city, shopkeepers are feeling the drag of big closures; Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009; The Winterwood Pavilion at Nellis Boulevard and Sahara Avenue seemed to be doing just fine until, on Christmas Eve 2007, the Vons supermarket closed.
Since then, three stores to the right of the old Vons and four to the left have closed. For reasons ranging from marketing decisions to the recession, shopping center anchors are closing valleywide, leaving gaping retail holes and triggering a wave of commercial blight and stripping smaller businesses of their customers.
Got stimulus? We’ve got a project list: Mob museum, city halls make cut to get on list laden with road building and repair work; Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009; As debate over the size and scope of a federal stimulus bill intensifies in Washington, regional leaders could soon be engaged in a turf war for their piece of the pie.
Randall Walker, Clark County Director of Aviation: Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009; Since 1997, Randall Walker has directed McCarran International Airport through tremendous growth.
Cache of riches: Various valuables brought to Vegas: Liberace, for one, has had a hand in bringing valuables here; Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009; An 850-pound emerald that disappeared from a Southern California vault in September has been tracked down to a Las Vegas warehouse. And for us, this raises more questions than answers.
The latest trend: Leaving Las Vegas: Outbound U-Hauls, empty homes reveal transformation; Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009; In 2007, outbound U-Haul rentals just barely outpaced those arriving here, the company said. In 2008 the number of outbound rentals was 1 percent greater than that of those arriving. Clark County is now losing population, according to county officials — 10,000 from July 2007 to July 2008, based on the number of empty houses and apartments.
Courthouse still in a funk: Friday, Jan. 2, 2009; County maintenance officials thought they had solved a mystery that had long befuddled them and sickened some court employees: the source of a hideous stench in the Regional Justice Center.
Feds looking into high roller’s debt payments: $6.5 million might have come via fraud, officials say; Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008; Federal investigators are examining the source of money that a San Jose, Calif., businessman used to pay off gambling debts to Binion’s and Caesars Palace, law enforcement officials say.
Library, support group reach a tentative deal but part ways: Saturday, Dec. 27, 2008; The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District and its former nonprofit partner have agreed on a framework to end their 8-month-old court battle over the profits from book sales.
Little comfort or joy for many in recession: Lost job dashed California woman’s dream of a new start; Thursday, Dec. 25, 2008; Virginia Collins, 56, lost her job as a security guard in early November. Except for a one-night stint as a concert usher, she hasn’t been able to find another job.
Now out of work, painter says he wishes he spent more prudently: Thursday, Dec. 25, 2008; Joseph Flipse says he should have been better prepared for this new reality: life without a job.
DA says Fry’s executive was major debtor in Las Vegas: He gets ax, faces federal charges in kickback scheme; Thursday, Dec. 25, 2008; A vice president of Fry’s Electronics who is accused of swindling the company out of more than $65 million has long been on the radar of Clark County prosecutors.
Building continues but builders are gambling: In a recession, the trick is to meet limited demand without overbuilding; Friday, Dec. 12, 2008; In a kind of slow waltz with the deepening recession, homebuilders in the Las Vegas Valley are trying to measure how many new houses to construct — just enough to meet the trickle of demand, and not so many as to add to the inventory of unsold homes — and debt.
Where autos repossessed in this recession wind up: A growing inventory of vehicles awaits auction on the edge of town; Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008; Scenes of the recession have sprung up throughout the Las Vegas Valley, with closed storefronts and repossessed homes with their browning lawns.
Longer lines, slimmer hopes: State workers’ search for openings as tough as clients’ search for jobs; Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008; From his second-floor cubicle, Steve Settembre can hear the din of nervous chatter, shuffling feet and the occasional sob downstairs.
These are the sounds of the unemployed.
Numbers tell the story: 900 jobs, 76,400 unemployed: Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008; A line of 100 people snaked around the public jobs office in Las Vegas before it opened at 8 a.m. on Monday. It happened again Tuesday. Wednesday, too.
Airport indicators show economy’s soft: Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008; Walking through McCarran International Airport, you can’t shake a sense that it’s a little quieter these days. That’s true even on Fridays, when during healthy times inbound traffic is famously heavy. If you want to peer through one of McCarran’s many windows into the economy, just spend some time at Havana Honeys, a cigar shop near the front of the second-floor esplanade.
A hip homage to history: New wave of retro aficionados has helped revitalize old neighborhoods; Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008; Flora D’Alessio sits on the hearth of the enormous rock fireplace, astonished.
Once a waitress, now just waiting: No promising options for electrician; Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008; Two profiles in an occasional series of stories devoted to people caught in Nevada’s recession.
In crisis, small banks spot opportunity: Prudence, local relationships are paying off for many; Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008; James York, chief executive of the Bank of North Las Vegas, first heard community banks could be endangered almost two decades ago. Now, the fear has returned.
Struggling to hang on: As businesses in shopping centers close, decreased foot traffic threatens the survivors; Monday, Nov. 24, 2008; Without close inspection, you could chalk up the receding monthly sales at the Maui Wowi smoothie shop to cooling temperatures. But slumping sales began in April. You could argue that fewer people today can afford a $4 or $6 smoothie. But Maui Wowi also sells 99-cent coffee.
Clean up foreclosed home, or city will: And owner will pay Las Vegas — or face fines of $500 a day; Monday, Nov. 17, 2008; As a growing number of cities across the country are aggressively forcing owners of foreclosed and abandoned properties to clean them up, Las Vegas is going after them with the help of a three-year-old ordinance that, until recently, wasn’t much needed.
Defense of poor will improve, or so it is hoped: Advocates worry standards set by court aren’t enough; Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008; Lawyers who defend Nevada’s poor will have to meet certain performance standards beginning April 1, the state Supreme Court decreed last month.
HUD orders more disclosure by lenders: Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008; Lenders and mortgage brokers must now issue consumers a "Good Faith Estimate" form that "clearly discloses" loan terms and closing costs, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today.
As recession lingers, garage sales boom: People throughout the valley are selling their stuff just to pay the bills; Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2008; The neighborhood garage sale — those weekend traditions to clean out the garage and make some extra money for the holidays — have now become economic necessities for a growing number of families.
Builder agrees to help pay to replace Kitec fittings: Sunday, Nov. 9, 2008; Pulte Homes, one of the Southern Nevada’s largest developers, has agreed to pay $23.6 million to help replace pipes in thousands of homes because the pipes are vulnerable to ruptures.
Democrats topple Republicans in Carson City: Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008; State Democrats fulfilled both of their goals: securing a veto-proof majority in the Assembly and gaining control of the state Senate.
Democrats take control of county commission: Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008; The Democrats now have complete control of the county commission, as their incumbents held serve and newcomers Steve Sisolak and Larry Brown grabbed the two remaining seats.
Breeden beats Heck by small margin: Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008; Political upstart Shirley Breeden survived a late run by incumbent state Sen. Joe Heck, R-Henderson, to unseat him. She won by just 801 votes.
Pickering takes slight lead in Supreme Court race: Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008; With 40 percent of precincts reporting, including some in Clark County, Kris Pickering has a slight lead over Deborah Schumacher in the race for the state Supreme Court seat being vacated by outgoing Justice William Maupin. Pickering has 42 percent to Schumacher’s 39.2 percent, with the rest not voting for either candidate.
Copening defeats incumbent Beers: Senate goes to; Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008; Allison Copening has ousted incumbent State Sen. Bob Beers, a Republican, enabling the Democrats to wrest control of that body from the Republicans. With 100 percent of the vote in, Copening won with 53.2 percent of the vote to Beers' 46.8 percent.
Titus declares victory over Porter: Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008; Dina Titus declared victory tonight as she continues to lead Rep. Jon Porter, R-Boulder City, in the race for the 3rd Congressional district and appears to have ousted the incumbent congressman. With 71.6 percent of precincts reporting, Titus is leading 47.6 percent to 42.1 percent. Porter has conceded and congratulated Titus.
Heller holds on to lead over Derby: Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008; Rep. Dean Heller, R-Carson City, is holding off a challenge from Democrat Jill Derby, a former member of the Nevada Board of Regents. With an unknown percentage of precincts reporting, the incumbent leads 51.2 percent to 42 percent.
Election Day: It all comes down to this: Several races still close as campaigning draws to an end; Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008; An election season that launched almost two years ago concludes today -- we presume -- as America decides which presidential nominee will succeed George W. Bush on Jan. 20. Polls in the Silver State are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Obama calls audible, backs college football playoff: Monday, Nov. 3, 2008
Six questions for Jon Wardlaw: Assistant planning manager and chief demographer, Clark County; Monday, Nov. 3, 2008; Jon Wardlaw, Clark County’s assistant planning manager and chief demographer, has watched closely as the brakes have been applied to staggering growth across the valley.
When a recession hits home: Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008; Las Vegas is in a big hurt.
There’s still money to lend: But to get it, buyers of businesses and homes must have good credit, equity; Monday, Oct. 27, 2008; Despite all the talk about the frozen credit market, big-ticket loans are available across the Las Vegas Valley — for those who can meet the more stringent terms.
Political rivals agree on helping tenants in foreclosed homes: Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008; There’s at least one issue state Sen. Bob Beers and his Democratic challenger, Allison Copening, agree on: helping renters who are victims of negligent landlords.
Feds offer assistance on mortgages -- if lenders cooperate: Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008; Starting today, existing homeowners at risk for foreclosure – but could afford a new loan – can seek federal assistance to help pay off their mortgages.
Federal money might help ﬁll valley’s empty houses: Cities, Clark County could buy, resell foreclosed homes in blighted neighborhoods; Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2008; Nevada housing officials are plotting this week how to spend $72 million in federal funding to resuscitate neighborhoods blighted by foreclosures.
Slur surprises audience at staid economic forum: Friday, Sept. 26, 2008; Yes, truckers are known for colorful language. But they usually don’t use it when addressing staid business leaders at an otherwise tame conference.
Price dips have bright side: Buyers, many who waited for homes they could afford, are emerging; Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008; Home prices have plummeted so low some real estate agents suspect a bottom has been hit in the lowest-priced housing sector.
Less a Democratic voting bloc than ever: What Sen. Joe Lieberman’s visit to Temple Beth Sholom tells us about changes in the Jewish constituency.; Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008; Rabbi Felipe Goodman looked on Monday as Sen. Joe Lieberman, a onetime Democrat turned independent, spoke to his congregation on behalf of Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
Goodman, who has presided over Temple Beth Sholom for the past decade, has never seen his congregation more polarized.
Candidate untried but intrepid: Shirley Breeden responded to Democratic Party’s overtures to run against Joe Heck; Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008; Political candidates have often had an “ah-ha” moment — a moment of outrage or insight — that prompted them to run for election.
Assembly race poses new test for conservative: Jon Ozark beat moderate in primary in Green Valley, faces ‘independent’ Democrat; Monday, Sept. 15, 2008; Political upstarts Jon Ozark and Ellen Spiegel — neither of whom appear locked on a tight leash by their parties — are facing off in Assembly District 21 for what should be one of the more competitive battles this fall.
Anti-Heck ads mislead voters: Mailers accuse Republican of opposing cervical cancer screening coverage; Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008; Nevada Democrats have spent tens of thousands of dollars on a series of attack mail pieces aimed at state Sen. Joe Heck, intensifying a battle to control the upper chamber of the Legislature currently held by Republicans.
Community organizers strike back at Palin: Palin’s convention remark riles community leaders; Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008; Grass-roots activists have seized on Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s assertion last week that Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama was less prepared for higher office than her.