As Las Vegas is a city of excess, we thought we'd shine a light on some of the projects that we've thrown some extra effort into. From breaking news — the great snow of 2008 and the fire at the Monte Carlo — to annual events — New Year's Eve and the Computer Electronics Show — some events scream for added attention. Check out the interactive graphics that go with our flight delay calculator, and water and narcotics projects; our look at the history of Las Vegas; blowout coverage of both high school and UNLV sports; and more.
- 20/20 Vision
- December 27, 2009
- Some among us are looking far beyond 2010. With the start of a new decade, it’s a good time to imagine what we might be, how we might look, in 10 years.
- • Special Section
- 2009: A Look Back
- January 1, 2010
- For Las Vegas, the end of the 2000s has been the equivalent of the housekeeper walking into a Strip hotel suite midmorning, cranking some Christian rock, and then Tasing the bedridden guest who is nursing a bad hangover.
- • Special Section
- CityCenter: The Definitive Guide
- From dining options to exclusive 360-degree views of hotel rooms, our guide provides every detail about MGM Mirage's newest property.
- • Jim Murren interview | Construction Timelapse | Videos | Photos | Complete coverage
- Bottoming Out: Gambling Addiction in Las Vegas
- The Las Vegas Sun explored problem gambling three ways — through the experiences of an addict, by examining what happens inside the brain of an addict and by considering the role of slot machine designs in feeding gambling addictions.
- • Video: Tony's Story | Virtual Slot Machine | Recovery Meetings | Recovery Information | Expert's Chat Transcript | Complete coverage
- Life in the Limelight: Wayne Newton
- John Katsilometes is going to tell a story. Well, he's going to tell a number of them. And they're all about Mr. Las Vegas — Wayne Newton.
- • Video | More Videos | Photos | Reader Q&A | Readers' Memories | Complete coverage
- Nevada Renewable Energy Map
- Energy is second only to water when it comes to concerns about Nevada's future. Check out our detailed look at where renewable-energy sources are — or could be — located in the state.
- • Full map and graphics
- 2009 World Series of Poker
- Despite the economic downturn that World Series of Poker officials figured would decrease registration numbers in 2009, the tournament enjoyed another record-setting year. And winner Joe Cada had a record-setting year of his own.
- • Final Table Preview Video | Reader Q&A with Jeff Shulman | Complete coverage
- Funny Face: Carrot Top’s stage act a mask of contradictions
- Las Vegas Sun reporter John Katsilometes sat down with Carrot Top before his show to discuss life, comedy, and body image.
- • Video | Interactive Dressing Room | Cover Shoot Video | Photos | Complete coverage
- UFC 100
- Celebrating it's 100th major event, UFC sold out the Mandalay Bay Events Center for a ticket that featured the main event of Brock Lesnar against Frank Mir, which ended 1:48 into the second round thanks to Lesnar's pummeling of Mir.
- • Photos | Preview videos | Post-fight videos | Interactive timeline | Complete coverage
- CineVegas 2009
- The 11th Annual CineVegas Film Festival took place June 10 to 15 at the Brenden Theatres at the Palms. The 2009 edition showcased independent features, documentaries and shorts in a wide variety of genres as well as events honoring several film greats.
- • Photos | Videos | Complete coverage
- Construction Deaths
- The Sun's investigation of construction deaths on the Las Vegas Strip and the failures of government, management and labor unions to protect workers resulted in congressional hearings and worker-safety reforms that brought an end to the fatalities.
- • Photos | Videos | Complete coverage
- 2009 National Signing Day
- February 4, 2009
- More than a dozen of the Valley's top seniors signed letters of intent to play Division I football on Signing Day and will continue their careers all the way across the United States, from Hawaii to Annapolis, MD.
- • Podcast | Photo Galleries | Videos | All High School sports coverage
- CES 2009
- January 7-11, 2009
- The world's largest consumer technology trade show hit Vegas with 27,000 exhibitors showcasing their latest, greatest and upcoming gadgets. The show suffered a 20 percent drop in attendance from the 2008 version, in large part because of the ailing economy.
- • Blog | Photo Galleries | Videos
- New Year's Eve 2008
- December 31, 2008 - January 1, 2009
- A New Year's Eve crowd of about 290,000 visitors packed Las Vegas into the early morning, ushering in a new year and saying goodbye to the past 12 months. LasVegasSun.com had all the area festivities covered, including the Strip and downtown, and throughout the valley.
- • Photo Galleries | Videos | Community photos | Community videos
- 2008 Snowstorm
- December 17, 2008
- A rare snowstorm blanketed the Las Vegas Valley, delaying flights, causing widespread fender-benders and canceling events. As much as 8 inches of snow fell in parts of the valley, causing Clark County School District officials to announce a snow day — the first for the county since 1979.
- • Photo Galleries | Videos | Community photos | Community videos
- Thomas & Mack 25th Anniversary
- November 21, 2008
- In conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the Thomas & Mack Center's opening on Nov. 21, 1983, the Sun is celebrating the building's colorful history with a top 25 countdown of the biggest events held inside the arena located on UNLV's campus.
- • Video | Photos | All UNLV sports coverage
- Monte Carlo Fire
- January 25, 2008
- The wispy column of smoke rising from the roof of the gleaming-white Monte Carlo hotel triggered an anxiety rush across Las Vegas that winter morning. As the smoke thickened, old-timers harked back to other hotel fires, including the one in 1980 that killed 87 people and injured 700 others at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino.
- • Videos | Photo Galleries
- A Gamble in the Sand: The History of Las Vegas
- The history of Las Vegas is the ultimate American rags-to-riches story, filled with unusual heroes and foes. This 103-year-old saga follows the city through its incredible ups and downs, and highlights how and where some of the U.S.'s most monumental moments occurred. The largest American city founded in the 20th century took shape as a railroad watering hole before turning into the "Gateway to the Hoover Dam." From there the town was known by its seedy mob label as "Sin City," before finally transforming into the corporately-financed adult playground called the "Entertainment Capital of the World."
- • Timeline | Casino Map | Videos | Events & Issues | Personalities
- For Want of Water: Quenching Las Vegas' Thirst
- Las Vegas was first settled for its springs, springs that made it an oasis in the desert. Although those springs have decades since run dry, water is still the most import resource to Las Vegas and the dry Southwest. With expected changes in climate and no change in future water usage, Lake Mead could run dry by 2021.
- • Interactive: Residential Water Use
- O.J. Simpson Trial
- According to O.J. Simpson, all he wanted to do on the night of Sept. 13, 2007, was retrieve sports memorabilia that was rightfully his. But a jury believed Simpson and a group of six other men forcibly entered sports memorabilia collector Bruce Fromong's hotel room at Palace Station and robbed him at gunpoint on Sept. 13. Simpson was sentenced to 33 years in prison, nine before the chance of parole.
- • Timeline | Photo Galleries | Complete OJ archive
- Painful Painkillers
- A Sun investigation reveals a confounding crisis — Nevadans consume about twice the national average per capita of prescription narcotics. Painkillers play a vital role in medicine, but experts struggle to explain why so many are consumed in Nevada. Theories abound, but one thing is sure: As the rate of painkiller use climbs, so too does abuse. And Clark County's overdose deaths from prescription narcotics now outnumber those from street drugs.
- • Interactive graphic | How We Did It | Videos
- Flight Delay Calculator
- More than one in every five flights arriving at McCarran International Airport in 207 was late, with the average delay being 49 minutes. Departures mirrored that record, with nearly one in every four flights arriving at its destination behind schedule, by an average of 47 minutes. Use our calculator to see how likely it is that your upcoming flight fits in one of those two categories.
- • Related story
- 2008 Sun Youth Forum
- In 1955, Las Vegas Sun founder Hank Greenspun approached his newspaper's staff with a concept to gather students and have them debate topics that interested them. More than 50 years later, Greenspun's mission is still going strong. Many former participants have gone on to be community leaders, including Sen. Harry Reid and Rep. Shelley Berkley.
- • In Their Own Voices | Scholarship Recipients | Media Finalists | 2007 Forum
