Sam Skolnik

Recent Stories (view all stories)

Two views of city government, one party: Candidates for Vegas council have distinct resumes, agendas; Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2008; Though they are both Republicans, two very different candidates have emerged in the race to replace Larry Brown, the Las Vegas councilman whose long stint representing Ward 4 could end in a few months.
Signs are dim, but is Vegas’ future?: Experts admit we’re in a deep downturn, but each envisions a rebound — eventually; Sunday, Aug. 3, 2008; For those of us who thought we lived in Boomtown U.S.A., the dramatic downshift in the economy has been unsettling at the least, jarring for many. On Friday, Boyd Gaming paused work on Echelon — eight floors above the ground — until it can figure out how to pay for its $4.8 billion hotel-gaming complex on the Strip. Just that fast, 800 construction workers were sent scrambling for other jobs.
Vegas paper drops sections, not jobs: R-J’s move to cut costs follows price hike; Tuesday, July 29, 2008; Having just raised the newsstand price for weekday and Saturday editions by 50 percent, the Las Vegas Review-Journal announced Monday it has eliminated sections of the paper as a cost-cutting measure.
Affordable housing didn't stand a chance: Neighbors' opposition, city's process helped doom Vegas apartment project; Friday, July 25, 2008; At its simplest, it was a David vs. Goliath story about a band of scrappy Ward 1 neighborhood activists who came together to fight a former U.S. senator and his client’s proposed affordable housing project — and won.
Las Vegas putting slumlords on notice: Friday, July 25, 2008; The Las Vegas City Council is trying to deliver a message to slumlords and owners of abandoned property: We will no longer tolerate you.
Local downturn a hiccup or augur of a bleak future?: THE ISSUES: Forecasts for air travel, school enrollment growth and gaming companies might mark the end of Clark County’s boom time.; Sunday, July 20, 2008; For more than a decade, Las Vegas has been the envy of the nation in at least one regard: its explosive growth. Year after year, the region’s economy marched in step with fast-rising gaming revenue. And the population advanced at the same pace. As last year drew to a close, officials announced that Clark County had topped the 2 million mark — 620,000 people had arrived since 2000. It’s a story Nevadans have grown accustomed to hearing. And its repeated tellings have fed the belief that such growth would never end, that Las Vegas was immune from the economic pressures that affect the rest of the country. We may need to think again.
Vegas’ new disaster czar dwells on the bad — for us: Wednesday, July 16, 2008; On any given day, her job might require her to track alerts about possible earthquakes, rampaging fires or flash floods to hit the area. She might be on the lookout for warnings of medical epidemics or even terrorist threats.
Vegas nears uneasy alliance: Council mulls grant for former member’s senior housing, retail project; Wednesday, July 16, 2008; The Las Vegas City Council is poised to hand $10 million to former Councilman Michael McDonald for a low-income senior housing project, acknowledging his checkered past will cause some to question the deal.
Trust overcomes fear: Neighborhood crime subsides as police, mainly Hispanic residents build bridges; Thursday, July 10, 2008; Vianney Hernandez initially regretted her decision to become the manager of the Pine Village Apartments four years ago. The large complex at the corner of Arville Street and Silver Dollar Avenue is in the area known as Pennwood-Arville. In 2004, the neighborhood was filled with drug dealing and prostitution, and suffered more than its fair share of shootings and stabbings.
Mayor says Vegas hurt more than other cities by gas prices: Monday, July 7, 2008; Although mayors across the country for months have been paying lip service to concerns about the fast-rising cost of gas and its effect on their constituents, most are not really all that concerned, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said at his July 3 news conference.