258 episodes
City Cast Las Vegas City Cast
-
- News
-
-
4.9 • 76 Ratings
-
City Cast Las Vegas is a daily podcast and newsletter created by and for locals (and locals-at-heart) that’ll challenge the easy narratives about our city … and, okay, maybe confirm a few of them, too. Las Vegas is a city of reinvention, bursting at the seams as it welcomes newcomers into its various incarnations as a service-worker union town, a military town, a college town, and, most recently, a sports town.
There’s a four-mile street testifying to our entrepreneurial genius, not far from pockets of staggering inequality. Great wealth runs through our city, but how much of that actually stays in Vegas? We’re independent in spirit, but also ruled by orange traffic cones. Our 2.5 million residents anchor an ever-changing city of 42 million visitors.
Join us every morning for the messy, delightful, complicated conversations that Las Vegans are having: You’ll hear us ask hard questions about where we’ll get our water when Lake Mead runs out, and how we’ll keep housing affordable. We’ll argue over our favorite Chinatown bars, and share insider tips on the best tacos in town. City Cast Las Vegas will show you how loving a city means celebrating it and also holding it accountable, while having some fun along the way—because Las Vegans know how to have a good time.
-
We’re On Track to Get the Nation’s First High-Speed Rail
Every few weeks, it seems like we get a new headline telling us that the much-publicized high-speed rail line between Vegas and LA is getting one step closer to reality. Las Vegans are used to start-and-stop train promises that dangle and disappear. But this time (this time!) things might actually be different. Nevada Independent reporter Gabby Birenbaum tells co-host Dayvid Figler how the billionaire-backed Brightline West is in the field goal zone of approval, what few obstacles remain, and how this would impact our growing city.
What do YOU think the chances are of Brightline West being built by 2028? Let us know on social media — we’re @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.
Want some more Las Vegas news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
A Commercial Center Scandal, Punk Rock Bowling, and a New Pokémon Neighborhood
The Commercial Center debacle is the (erm) gift that just keeps giving: To celebrate the renaming of the adjacent Karen Ave. to Liberace Ave., the County helped organize a festival that ballooned to a party with 10,000 ticket holders when it was announced that legendary DJ Deadmau5 would be headlining. But the local artists who’ve worked to rebuild this“blighted” center weren’t exactly pleased with how the party turned out — and when Commissioner Tick Segerblom accidentally hit reply-all, calling the tenants “ungrateful miscreants,” the response reached a fever pitch. Today on our Friday news roundup, co-host Dayvid Figler, newsletter editor Scott Dickensheets, and special guest Kim Foster talk about Commish Tick’s apology on KNPR yesterday, the future of Commercial Center, and other fun stuff in the news: The arrival of Punk Rock Bowling, one of Las Vegas’ longest-running music festivals, and a whole neighborhood in Henderson whose streets are named after Pokémon.
If you could choose the street names in a new development, what would YOU name them after? Let us know by tagging us on social media (we’re @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram) or leaving us a text or a voicemail at 702-514-0719.
Did you love hearing from our brilliant newsletter editor, Scott Dickensheets? Get some more of that Dickensheetsian wit in our morning newsletter here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Is Las Vegas Vegan Friendly?
Vegan or plant-based eating has been picking up steam recently and by all accounts the trend is here to stay. Vegas has seen a rise in popular vegan restaurants while other establishments are adding vegan dishes to their menus. With her Vegas Vegan Culinary School & Eatery, Heather Heath is in the vanguard of a meat-free movement in a town better known for steakhouses and prime rib. But while the city’s getting veggier, it's still not an easy path. In today’s episode, Heath gives co-host Dayvid Figler a candid assessment of the vegan business and life.
What’s your favorite vegan spot in Vegas? Let us know on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram.
You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.
We’ve got endless food recommendations for you! Don’t miss out by subscribing to our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
What the A’s Deal Could Mean for the Vegas Economy
Well, it looks like the Oakland A’s are one step closer to getting public financing for a new stadium in Las Vegas. Yesterday, the Nevada Independent reported that the team and state officials had reached a “loose agreement” for a reduced public financing package. After all the drama over stadium sites, dubious polling, PR blitzes, and public financing demands… are we in the home stretch? And is bringing the A’s to Vegas really such a good thing for our city?
Today on City Cast Las Vegas, we’re bringing you a conversation co-host Dayvid Figler had last year with UNLV economist Bill Robinson. They discuss the economic upsides (and downsides) that major league sports franchises bring to cities, and whether baseball is right for us.
How do you feel about the A’s coming to Las Vegas? Let us know on social media — we’re @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. (We love your voicemails!)
For even more Las Vegas news, events, and commentary, get our brilliant newsletter in your inbox every morning at 6 a.m. — sign up here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Las Vegas’ Love Affair With Pickleball
The new racquet sport of pickleball has been sweeping the nation — here in Las Vegas, demand for the sport has risen so much that the City of Las Vegas recently received a $12 million grant to build 30 new pickleball courts. But it isn’t without controversy. Some homeowners near the new court sites are worried about noise levels, parking issues, and how their home values could fare. So what’s with the pickleball mania? And can the issues be resolved? Today on City Cast Las Vegas, lead producer Sonja Cho Swanson heads court-side to meet Southern Nevada Pickleball ambassador Patti Chess for her very first pickleball lesson, and a conversation about Las Vegas’ love affair with pickleball.
Let us know if you love pickle ball too! We’re on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram.
You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.
Want some more Las Vegas news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
How CCSD Became a Hotbed for School Choice
A showdown over school choice is brewing up in Carson City: Governor Lombardo is prepared to veto the entire state budget if the legislature doesn’t approve his ambitious plan to expand Nevada’s quasi school voucher program. Meanwhile, Clark County is ground zero for the impact of school choice legislation — the majority of the state’s voucher program recipients (administered through Opportunity Scholarships) live here in Southern Nevada, and most of them use the funds for religious private schools. And that’s just part of why they’re so controversial, Nevada Current reporter April Corbin Girnus tells co-host Dayvid Figler. So how did “school choice” become a darling of the right, and why are progressives worried it could gut public education? And most curiously of all, how did Dem-heavy Clark County become the epicenter for school choice debates in Nevada?
What’s your stance on Nevada’s Opportunity Scholarships? Leave us a voicemail or a text message at 702-514-0719. You can also find us on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Twitter and Instagram.
For more on what’s hot and happening in Las Vegas, make sure to sign up for our brilliant morning newsletter here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Customer Reviews
Great podcast for Las Vegans and non-Las Vegans alike
I don’t even live in Las Vegas but I follow and enjoy this podcast. It’s one of the best city-focused podcasts overall. Informative, balanced and relevant. The host and the podcast team seem to really care about their city, and it shows.
Makes Me Happy!
I enjoy this podcast because I trust the hosts and their guests. I learn new things every episode that challenge my beliefs and help me grow. Listening to the episode on police suicide in Nevada was humbling because it made me examine some of my biases. But there are fun ones too, like learning that Las Vegas readers are just like national readers!!!! 😂😂😂 You should listen!!!
Thank you
This podcast touches on so many things relevant to living/having a high quality of life here. Thank you for such dialogues about relevant subjects to me and my community.