Las Vegas news quiz 2015: Test your knowledge

By Ric Anderson

Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015 | 2 a.m.

Were you paying attention to news in Las Vegas during 2015? Test your knowledge in this news quiz developed by editors at the Sun. Answer key at bottom.

1. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced in March he would not seek another term. How many Senate terms will Reid have completed when he leaves office?

A. Five

B. Nine

C. Two

2. The year Reid began serving in the Senate, which of the following happened?

A. The Tom Cruise air combat movie “Top Gun” became a top box office draw.

B. The Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred.

C. The New York Mets won the World Series.

D. All of the above.

Extra credit: What year was it?

3. Kirk Kerkorian, who died in June at 98, built three resorts that, upon completion, were the largest ever constructed. What were they?

A. Caesars Palace, the Luxor and Mandalay Bay

B. The International (now Westgate Las Vegas), the original MGM Grand (now Bally’s) and the current MGM Grand

C. The Tropicana, Landmark and Planet Hollywood

4. Which of the following Las Vegas roads were the site of major street construction projects this fall?

A. Flamingo Road

B. Eastern Avenue

C. The Airport Connector

D. Pecos Road

E. Decatur Boulevard

F. Nellis Boulevard

G. Wasn’t every &$#@#! road under construction at the same time this year?

H: A, B, C, D, E, F

5. Jerry Tarkanian, who died in February, led UNLV to the Final Four how many times?

A. Twice

B. Four times

C. Once

6. The 2015 Nevada Legislature made history by approving a funding increase for public education. How much new money did lawmakers approve?

A. $100 million

B. $600 million

C. $1 billion

7. In a special session in December, state lawmakers approved a package of tax abatements, tax credits and infrastructure improvements for Faraday Futures to build a $1 billion car manufacturing plant in North Las Vegas. When Gov. Brian Sandoval signed the measures, it capped months of negotiations among leaders in North Las Vegas, the state and Faraday. How many jobs is the plant expected to create?

A. 1,200

B. 4,000

C. 12,000

8. Which of the following local media organizations was not sold in 2015?

A. Las Vegas Review-Journal

B. KSNV-TV

C. KLAS-TV

D. KTNV-TV

E. Greenspun Media Group, publisher of the Las Vegas Sun

9. Las Vegas sent a participant to the Puppy Bowl in 2015 — a 6-month-old mixed-breed who had been dropped off at the Nevada SPCA. The dog romped on a miniature football field with others nominated by shelters and rescue groups across the nation. What was his name?

A. Ace

B. Oscar Goodbone

C. Keno

10. In late January, Las Vegas got its first White Castle when the franchise opened a location at Casino Royale on the Strip. Which of the following did not happen after the opening?

A. Demand was such that customers waited as long as two hours in line to get in.

B. The restaurant shut down to restock and let employees catch their breath.

C. The lead actors in the film “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle,” showed up.

D. A&B

11. On Aug. 26, Euphoria Wellness became the first of what type of business to open in Las Vegas?

A. Flotation therapy clinic

B. Sensory deprivation therapy clinic

C. Medical marijuana dispensary

12. How many buildings were imploded in Las Vegas this year?

A. Two

B. Three

C. One

Extra credit: Name them

13. Which of the following statements did Republican Assemblywoman Michele Fiore make in 2015?

A. “If these young, hot little girls on campus have a firearm, I wonder how many men will want to assault them. The sexual assaults that are occurring would go down once these sexual predators get a bullet in the head.”

B. “I am not OK with Syrian refugees. I’m not OK with terrorists. I’m OK with putting them down, blacking them out, just put a piece of brass in their ocular cavity and end their miserable life. I’m good with that.”

C. To one of her Assembly colleagues during a floor session: “Sit your ass down and be quiet.”

D. In the aftermath of a debate over whether to stop flying the Confederate flag in the South Carolina capital, Fiore defended the flag and announced that she planned to install a horn on her vehicle that played “Dixie.”

E. All of the above.

14. Which of the following anecdotes was included in accounts of Ralph Lamb’s life after the longtime Clark County sheriff died in July?

A. He arrested 74 Hells Angels, gave them haircuts and dismantled their motorcycles in the 1960s.

B. He grabbed mobster John Roselli by the tie and “slapped the cologne off of him,” in the words of a newsman who witnessed the occurrence.

C. He welcomed such notables as actor James Caan, musician Willie Nelson and casino mogul Steve Wynn to his ranch to take part in rodeo activities.

D. All of the above.

15. How long did Lamb serve as sheriff?

A. 17 years

B. Six years

C. 10 years

16. The Clark County School District announced in February it needed to build how many schools to alleviate overcrowding?

A. 10

B. 32

C. 47

17. Which of the following grocery stores were opened, closed or both in Southern Nevada this year?

A. Food4Less

B. Haggen

C. Fresh & Easy

D. Save-A-Lot

E. All of the above

18. How much did pop star Justin Bieber and DJ Martin Garrix get paid to appear at Omnia Nightclub at Caesars Palace during its opening weekend?

A. $50,000

B. $250,000

C. $500,000

19. The percentage of visitors who reported coming to Las Vegas primarily to gamble fell to what level last year?

A. 65

B. 43

C. 12

20. Which of the following Strip resorts changed hands this year?

A. SLS Las Vegas

B. Tropicana

C. Treasure Island

21. The so-called More Cops tax increase — which will raise the sales tax by 0.05 percent beginning in January and will generate $19 million in revenue per year — will allow local police departments to hire how many new officers immediately?

A. 50

B. 100

C. 150

22. Saying the number of weddings had plunged 47,000 over the past 10 years, Clark County officials raised the price of a marriage license by how much to raise funding for a new wedding tourism campaign?

A. $2

B. $14

C. $57

23. Besides White Castle, which of the following long-awaited franchises announced plans to enter the Las Vegas market?

A. Chick-fil-A

B. Ikea

C. Cracker Barrel

D. All of the above

24. The Clark County School District started the 2015-16 school year with approximately how many vacant teacher positions?

A. 50

B. 700

C. 4,000

Lightning round:

25. On May 2, boxers ____________ and _____________ squared off in a long-awaited bout that failed to live up to its hype as the “Fight of the Century.”

26. During a Democratic primary Oct. 13 at Wynn Las Vegas, ______________ received a huge applause line when he turned to Hillary Clinton and said: “Let me say something that may not be great politics. I think the secretary is right. And that is that the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails.”

27. On June 11, Gov. Brian Sandoval signed a bill provided $27 million in state funding to start the new School of _____________ at UNLV.

28. On June 7, a portion of Industrial Road that intersects Frank Sinatra Drive and Dean Martin Drive was named for _____________.

29. In July, Nevada education officials dumped contractor Measured Progress after its system failed to allow schools to conduct _______________.

30. Wynn Resorts stockholders voted in April to oust ____________ from the company’s board of directors.

31. A July 25 fire fueled largely by fake _____________ at the Cosmopolitan’s pool sent massive amounts of dense, black smoke into the air but resulted only in minor injuries.

32. Clark County Commissioner ________________ abruptly announced in August that he was stepping down, citing “family matters” that would leave him unable to serve his constituents. The commissioner was succeeded by former Assemblywoman _________________.

33. After operating for 85 years, making it one of downtown Las Vegas’ most venerable casinos, the _____________ closed Aug. 20.

34. Superstar entertainer ____________ announced in September that she was extending her Planet Hollywood residency by two years.

35. Work concluded on an $817 million project to provide an additional water pipeline between Lake Mead and Las Vegas. The tunnel was commonly known as the _____________.

36. After numerous regulatory fits and starts, and in the face of fierce opposition from taxi companies, ride-sharing companies ________ and _________ began operating in Southern Nevada.

37. In his first season as UNLV head football coach, ____________ guided the team to two wins in its first five games — including a road victory over in-state rival UNR. However, the Rebels managed only one win the rest of the season.

38. Former NBA star ___________ was found unconscious at the Love Shack brothel near Pahrump after reportedly taking cocaine and herbal energy supplements.

39. After sitting empty for years, the mothballed ____________ resort was put up for sale in November for $650 million.

40. UFC underdog Holly Holm stopped ___________ on Nov. 18 in the second round with a vicious kick to the head.

41. As the namesake of this property was waging a staunchly conservative campaign for the presidency, the majority of workers at _________ voted to unionize.

••••••

ANSWER KEY

1. A, Reid will have completed five terms when he leaves office.

2. D, all of the above

Extra credit: 1986

3. B, Kirk Kerkorian built the International (now Westgate), the original MGM Grand (now Bally's) and the current MGM Grand.

4. H, Flamingo, Eastern, the Airport Connector, Pecos, Decatur and Nellis where each under construction in 2015. But if you answered G, you get a pass.

5. Tarkanian led UNLV to four appearances in the Final Four, and won the 1990 national championship.

6. B, The 2015 Nevada Legislature boosted state K-12 education funding by nearly 16 percent to $2.85 billion.

7. B, Faraday Future is expected to bring 4,000 jobs

8. E, GMG is owned by Las Vegas resident Brian Greenspun, whose parents, Hank and Barbara, founded the Sun in 1950.

9. C, Keno is the Las Vegas dog who participated in the 2015 Puppy Bowl

10. D, Customers waited two hours for White Castle when it opened on the Strip, and it briefly closed to restock supplies.

11. C, Euphoria Wellness, a medical marijuana dispensary, opened in late August.

12. B, two buildings were imploded this year in Las Vegas.

Extra credit: The Clarion and the Gramercy

13. E. Michele Fiore apologized for telling her Assembly colleagues to “sit your ass down and be quiet,” and clarified she was talking about terrorists and not refugees after saying, “I am not OK with Syrian refugees.”

14. D, all of the stories were used to describe longtime Sheriff Ralph Lamb

15. A, Lamb was sheriff for 17 years from 1961-78

16. B, the Clark County School District announced it would build 32 schools to alleviate overcrowding.

17. E, it was a busy year with multiple stores — Food4Less, Haggen, Fresh & Easy and Save-A-Lot — either opening or closing.

18. C, Justin Bieber and DJ Martin Garrix received $500,000 to appear at Omnia Nightclub at Caesars Palace.

19. C, 12 percent of visitors reported coming to Las Vegas primarily to gamble in 2015.

20. B, Penn National Gaming spent $360 million on the purchase. If you answered A, don’t beat yourself up. Starwood Resorts Worldwide struck a deal with SLS Las Vegas to take over one of the resort’s three hotel towers, and SLS founder Sam Nazarian sold his 10 percent ownership stake in the resort.

21. C, the new tax will help hire 150 more police officers. Metro will get the bulk of the revenue, but the North Las Vegas and Henderson police departments will receive some, as well. The increase will raise the tax to 8.15 percent.

22. B, the price of a marriage license increased by $14 to $77.

23. D, it was announced that Chick-fil-A, Ikea and Cracker Barrel will open franchises in Las Vegas.

24. B, the Clark County School District started the school year in August with 700 vacant teacher positions

25. Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao

26. Bernie Sanders

27. Medicine

28. Sammy Davis Jr.

29. Online standardized testing

30. Elaine Wynn

31. Palm Trees

32. Tom Collins abruptly stepped down from the Clark County Commission. He was replaced by Marilyn Kirkpatrick

33. Las Vegas Club

34. Britney Spears

35. Third straw

36. Uber and Lyft

37. Tony Sanchez

38. Lamar Odom

39. Fontainebleau

40. Ronda Rousey

41. Trump International Hotel

Editor’s note: This story has been revised. The original version contained an incorrect name for Westgate Las Vegas, and also contained an incorrect answer for question No. 3.