Mike Trask

Story Archive

Square one for Henderson lobbyists: At all levels, city has new elected officials, and groups are out to get a jump on the fresh contacts; Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008; Terri Barber will have her hands full over the next three months.
North Las Vegas Housing Authority chief resigns: Friday, Nov. 21, 2008; North Las Vegas Housing Authority Chief Executive Don England resigned from his post today, North Las Vegas City Councilmen William Robinson and Robert Eliason said.
Henderson school’s dorm plans dashed: Friday, Nov. 21, 2008; Plans to convert Henderson International School classrooms into dorms for as many as 60 foreign students abruptly ended this week, to the relief of anxious neighborhood residents.
NLV senior center idea not flying: Councilwoman in mayoral bid presses notion despite declining tax revenue, new facility opening in 2010; Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008; North Las Vegas will soon have its third community center for residents of all ages but it doesn’t have any reserved for the exclusive use of its seniors. City Councilwoman Stephanie Smith wants to change that.
Traffic backups near Aliante Station won’t last long: Monday, Nov. 17, 2008; Inside Aliante Station, North Las Vegas’ newest casino, it was all smiles and free drinks during the grand opening celebration on Tuesday.
Preservation question still to be answered: Initial study on Upper Las Vegas Wash spurs another round of debate; Monday, Nov. 17, 2008; For 30 months preservationists have been waiting for the findings of a Utah State University study on the potential effects of developing the Upper Las Vegas Wash, a broad swath of archaeologically rich land that may determine how far Las Vegas and North Las Vegas grow into the desert.
At casino opening, being somebody is not without perks, or drawbacks: Friday, Nov. 14, 2008; Bob Borgersen couldn’t wait to check out the new casino in his neighborhood.
North Las Vegas eyes foreclosure solution: Federal crisis aid may pay for demolition at cost of moving people into homes; Friday, Nov. 14, 2008; North Las Vegas wants to spend about $7.6 million of foreclosure crisis aid money to buy and demolish a failed apartment complex, the only idea of its kind among the plans for the $54 million allocated to Southern Nevada.
Bureau of Land Management isn’t selling, so funding for parks tanks: Local governments request less, shift focus from new projects to renovations; Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2008; With the real estate market tanking, developers are no longer asking the government to put its land up for top-dollar auction. As a result, the stream of money for parks has turned to a trickle.
Dormitory plans rile neighbors: Henderson International tries to assuage concerns about rowdy teenagers; Friday, Nov. 7, 2008; A plan by Henderson International School to become a boarding school for 60 students — mostly from the Far East — is riling neighbors who don’t want to welcome more teenagers to their streets.
In barbershop, anxiety as results roll in: Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008; Darryl Jones, a tall, quiet 35-year-old barber, arrived at work Tuesday to find an Obama flier hanging on the front door of his shop. He had voted. For Barack Obama.
Plan for 30-story buildings moving slowly in Henderson: Monday, Nov. 3, 2008; The plan to build a massive mixed use project on the former gravel pit at Stephanie Street and Wigwam Parkway in Henderson still hasn’t received Planning Commission approval.
Retail strip edges out credit freeze: But competition for tenants is growing; Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008; The concrete buildings along Lake Mead Parkway would not be standing had this 73-acre project begun any later. There would be no Target store anchoring what will become a 100-store complex near Water Street in Henderson.
A piece of paper, a point of pride for this voter’s family: Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008; John Stephens II, who is black, cast his vote last week with a sense of purpose, history and pride, clutching a pink piece of paper that shows how far the nation has come. It goes back to 1926, when Stephens’ great-great-great aunt was forced to pay a $1.50 poll tax for the right to vote.
Minister to base his war on porn at local church: Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008; A minister who has achieved a degree of celebrity status for helping people addicted to pornography says he is moving his niche evangelical Christian effort to ground zero — Las Vegas.
Valley’s city governments feeling pinch: Tax revenue is down, cutbacks are likely; Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008; The largest suburban governments in the region — Henderson and North Las Vegas — are facing pressing budgetary concerns at a time when their residents are tightening their belts.
John Grogan: Reformed reporter wrote ‘Marley & Me’: Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008; John Grogan became part of American pop culture with his first book, “Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog.” A movie version arrives in theaters this Christmas.
In Boulder City, two officials arouse ire from new sources: Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008; Small-town politics in Boulder City get stranger by the day. The latest town gossip involves allegations against the city clerk and a city councilwoman. Neither allegation will result in charges.
Californians' work for Obama is here: Their own state in the bag, they trek east, brave cold to boost campaign; Friday, Oct. 17, 2008; Las Vegas has gone Hollywood for Barack Obama — or perhaps it’s more correct to say Hollywood has gone Las Vegas.
Aging Boulder City Hospital dares to dream of progress during downturn: Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008; Tom Maher wanders around the 67-bed Boulder City Hospital, some of its tile floors unchanged since 1973.
Still hoping for peace on Earth: North Las Vegas Franciscans dedicated to abolishing nuclear weapons; Friday, Oct. 10, 2008; On a side street in one of the bleakest neighborhoods in the Las Vegas Valley, a small residential lot is distinguished by three old barracks from Nellis Air Force Base.
They’re cutting back, but they're having fun: Visitors determined to have a good time don’t want to hear financial news; Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008; Jim Erbes came to Las Vegas because of the economy, not despite it. He cut his vacation with his wife and son from $5,000 worth of airfare and resort stays to a 310-mile drive from Scottsdale and two days at the Excalibur for $63 each.
For hikers in Henderson, park will offer happy trails: Monday, Oct. 6, 2008; When you’re a desert city with a 20-acre lake, there must be something you can do with it.
How times have changed: Now shopping center is news: North Las Vegas OKs $110 million plaza; Monday, Oct. 6, 2008; The approval of a shopping center wouldn’t have been too newsworthy back in the heyday of growth in Southern Nevada when strip malls seemed to be sprouting on every thoroughfare.
One in a city of 215,000 and still struggling: Independent bookseller has monopoly in North Las Vegas, but not enough customers; Friday, Oct. 3, 2008; The phone rings at Bestseller Books in North Las Vegas, where used paperbacks are stacked to the 12-foot ceiling.
Bad driving proven, NLV camera-ready: Data in hand, city renews push for stoplight tool; Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008; North Las Vegas has installed sensors to track how many vehicles blow red lights at two of the busiest intersections in the city: Martin Luther King Boulevard and Cheyenne Avenue, and Camino Al Norte and Craig Road.
Mike Little, the accidental environmentalist: Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008; Mike Little is an alchemist, entrepreneur, developer and accidental environmentalist who has been pushing plans for a trash-to-energy plant in Boulder City. Boulder City has been listening carefully, although it has not made any commitments.
When Mocha Joes opens, it won’t have to look far for advertising: Sunday, Sept. 28, 2008; For the past 10 years Mike Hopper has run Sin City Mad Men, a marketing and advertising company. He’s given many clients advice on interior design and getting attention.
Casino's plans on hold: Economy forces Silver Nugget to delay its contribution to North Las Vegas redevelopment; Friday, Sept. 26, 2008; Walk outside the front door of the 45-year-old Silver Nugget in North Las Vegas and there’s nothing to see — unless you’re looking for the future.
Pit in Henderson may sprout towers: Friday, Sept. 19, 2008; Over the years two plans have been floated for the vacant land on the northwest corner of Stephanie Street and Wigwam Parkway in Henderson.
What price desolation?: Rachel residents consider raising $900 to continue fight against development; Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008; The residents of Rachel lost the first round in their fight to keep a private prison out of their community of fewer than 100 people. Now, they might not be able to afford to fight the second round.
Deal likely for Fiesta worker housing: Developer says it could become model for valley; Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008; The Henderson City Council will review plans today for what a developer is calling a workforce housing project near Fiesta Henderson.
Six questions for North Las Vegas City Councilman William Robinson: Monday, Sept. 15, 2008; William Robinson has served on the North Las Vegas City Council for 26 years, a time in which the city’s population rose from 40,000 to more than 230,000.
Library branches out to mall, going where the foot traffic is: Monday, Sept. 15, 2008; The store in the Galleria at Sunset in Henderson, the one that sells toys just outside of Mervyns, will cease as a retail operation next year.
In market for sports collectibles, economic desperation is conspicuous: Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008; Rob Vandorick, 37, stays young by dealing in baseball cards. For more than two decades, he has lorded over glass cases holding little pieces of cardboard that capture the imagination of the young and old alike.
75-year-old hotel is light-years from Vegas: Friday, Sept. 12, 2008; This is as close as you’re going to get to old America in a place with barely a century of history.
New help coming for some in dire straits: North Las Vegas to offer workshop aimed at residents; Friday, Sept. 12, 2008; Some of the fliers circulating in North Las Vegas this week invite residents to the city’s annual hot-air balloon festival, BalloonaPalooza.
Still hankering for a real downtown: Are Henderson, North Las Vegas barking up the wrong tree?; Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008; The two largest suburban governments in the region, Henderson and North Las Vegas, have big plans to revitalize, gentrify and redevelop their aging downtowns.
The deal: Near jobs, but lots of neighbors: Developer argues project would serve casino workers; Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2008; One of Henderson’s largest private employers has sold land adjacent to one of its big properties — the Fiesta Henderson — to a developer who wants to build apartments for casino employees who would then be able to walk to work.
The home they love, for now: Jobs be damned, say residents who prize freedom, stars and sunsets; Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008; The people here love to drink booze, shoot guns and ride dirt bikes. They can do them all simultaneously without risking arrest as they come and go from the A’Le’Inn, the only bar and the lone business within 50 miles of this desert outpost.
Lawmaker onboard with bypass plan: Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008; A Boulder City Republican has requested a bill draft that would allow a private entity to construct and operate a toll road from Railroad Pass to the Hoover Dam.
The lobster gauge: Want to know how rich a neighborood is? See if the nearest grocery store has a lobster tank; Friday, Sept. 5, 2008; There are a couple of ways to determine the wealth of a neighborhood.
Neighborhood called Serene fights threat to its peace, quiet: Monday, Sept. 1, 2008; Serene Country Estates is one unique neighborhood in Southern Nevada. It sits hidden in a rural preservation district, surrounded by Interstate 215, Eastern Avenue and St. Rose Parkway.
Abuzz with casino anticipation: Sun City Aliante retirees look forward to addition to their community; Monday, Aug. 25, 2008; The Sun City Aliante clubhouse is like a never-ending summer camp for the retired.
Vegas hardly a bachelor’s paradise, man finds: Friday, Aug. 22, 2008; Peter Reilly can’t seem to meet the right woman, he says. He’s not alone. Single men outnumber single women in Las Vegas by 30,000, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics.
Lake Mead: Waldenesque no more?: More cell towers may be on horizon; Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008; At the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, after you pay the five-buck entrance fee and drive down Lakeshore Drive with its panoramic views of the man-made masterpiece, the cell phone coverage gets spotty.
Boulder City’s trash is one man’s treasure: Entrepreneur seeking council’s blessing to turn garbage into energy, money; Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008; Entrepreneur Mike Little has been trying to get his hands on Boulder City’s trash for eight months.
900 — at once — had words for council: Friday, Aug. 8, 2008; At North Las Vegas City Hall, where a dozen people typically show up for a City Council meeting, no one saw this coming.
A commute measured in calories and savings: On daily rides, cycling devotee feels plenty of burn, but no pain at the pump; Thursday, July 31, 2008; Jeff Olin works on some of the best cars money can buy, but gets to work every day on his bike, 10 miles each way.
Condo plans left in the dust: Unfinished project’s eight homeowners hear apartments might be next; Wednesday, July 30, 2008; Chris Adams was excited to be one of the first occupants of a midrise condominium complex along Centennial Parkway in North Las Vegas. It made the perfect bachelor pad, with its modern architecture, apple red exterior and view of the mountains.