Episodes

  • Can Legal Cannabis Deliver on Its Promise to Fund Education?

    Can Legal Cannabis Deliver on Its Promise to Fund Education?
    Jan 15 2025
    Our first dispensaries opened in Las Vegas 10 years ago — advocates for cannabis legalization had promised a tax revenue jackpot, earmarked for education, that would save our schools. But that windfall never really happened, and since 2021, cannabis revenue has actually dropped and flatlined. Today, co-host Dayvid Figler talks with Riana Durrett, director of the Cannabis Policy Institute at UNLV, and asks: What happened? And is 2025 the year cannabis finally makes money? Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    23 mins
  • Has Las Vegas Become a Bad Deal For Gamblers?

    Has Las Vegas Become a Bad Deal For Gamblers?
    Jan 14 2025
    Over the last decade, Las Vegas casinos have been quietly shifting gambling odds to be more in their favor. From analytics that target the worst players to introducing new games like triple zero roulette, gambling here might not have the value it once did. How will this affect Las Vegas’s reputation and should we be sympathizing with casinos? Co-host Dayvid Figler sits down with industry watcher Scott Roeben, AKA Vital Vegas, to discuss. Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    22 mins
  • What Trump's Presidency Means for Las Vegas

    What Trump's Presidency Means for Las Vegas
    Jan 13 2025
    Next Monday, Donald Trump will be sworn in as our 47th president. So what does this mean for Las Vegas? Co-host Dayvid Figler sits down with the Nevada Independent’s Washington correspondent Gabby Birenbaum, who helps us forecast how a Trump administration will impact our grocery prices, the solar industry, homelessness, and high-speed rail right here in Southern Nevada. If you enjoyed the interview with Juve MD's Dr. Andrea Dempsey, learn more here. Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    33 mins
  • How L.A. Fires Impact Vegas, Amazon Workers on Medicaid, and a 40-Year-Old Strip Attraction Closes

    How L.A. Fires Impact Vegas, Amazon Workers on Medicaid, and a 40-Year-Old Strip Attraction Closes
    Jan 10 2025
    We kick off this week’s Friday news roundup with a recap of City Cast Las Vegas’s collaboration with ProPublica: An investigation into the so-called Tesla Tunnels that Elon Musk’s Boring Company is building under Las Vegas, and how little oversight they’ve received. But there’s even more to discuss this week: Co-hosts Sarah Lohman and Dayvid Figler are joined by Nevada Current deputy editor April Corbin Girnus, who discusses her article about the list of Nevada companies with the most employees on Medicaid, and why so many of them are in Southern Nevada. Next, the team tackles the impacts of the L.A. fires on Las Vegas — of note, yesterday, the City of Las Vegas asked residents to reconsider heavy driving, since the fires have impacted the main pipeline bringing gas to Las Vegas from California. And lastly, a beloved tourist attraction closes after 40 years — can we convince Dayvid to try indoor skydiving before it shutters for good? Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    29 mins
  • The Must-Try New Vegas Restaurants of 2025

    The Must-Try New Vegas Restaurants of 2025
    Jan 9 2025
    Finally, some new food for the new year! There’s always too much to try in Vegas, so let us do the work for you and whittle it down to your best options. Co-host Sarah Lohman talks to local food critic John Curtas of EatingLV.com about the most anticipated Las Vegas restaurant openings in 2025 on and off the Strip, big chefs to watch in the area, trends we’re ready to leave behind, and co-host Davyid Figler’s fixation on caviar. Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    22 mins
  • Exclusive: The Tesla Tunnel Expansion, Investigated

    Exclusive: The Tesla Tunnel Expansion, Investigated
    Jan 8 2025
    City Cast's new investigation, co-published with ProPublica, reveals new details about the so-called "Tesla tunnels" running under our city: When Elon Musk’s Boring Company came to Las Vegas in 2019, its tunneling projects in other cities had already fizzled out after environmental reviews and public outcry. But here, with the backing of the powerful Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the Boring Co. won a bid to build the Vegas Loop, a tunnel system for ferrying convention-goers around in underground Teslas — and it’s since won approval from local government entities for 68 miles of tunnels. City Cast Las Vegas co-host Dayvid Figler and journalist Daniel Rothberg co-authored a new investigation for ProPublica about how the Boring Co. has advanced a sprawling transit system with little public oversight and input, despite the fines and environmental incidents it’s racked up since the project began. City Cast Las Vegas co-host Sarah Lohman interviews Dayvid and Daniel in today’s episode. Make sure to read the investigation in full here. ProPublica and City Cast Las Vegas made multiple attempts to reach the Boring Company for comment on this investigation, but have received no response as of the publication date. Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    32 mins
  • How Historic Water Street Became Henderson’s Hottest Neighborhood

    How Historic Water Street Became Henderson’s Hottest Neighborhood
    Jan 7 2025
    Water Street in Henderson isn’t usually the first place to come to mind when planning a hot night around town, but that’s slowly changing. Co-host Dayvid Figler discusses the evolution of Water Street with co-host Sarah Lohman, who recently led the City Cast Las Vegas team through the redeveloped neighborhood. She takes us through the street’s history and emerging new venues, and helps us identify the vibe. Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    23 mins
  • Can the Legislature Actually Get Bills Passed This Year?

    Can the Legislature Actually Get Bills Passed This Year?
    Jan 6 2025
    Nevada’s citizen legislators are getting ready for a new session in February. How will their decisions impact Las Vegas? And will they be able to work with the governor after a contentious election cycle? Co-host Dayvid Figler talks to Nevada Independent reporter Tabitha Mueller about what’s up ahead for the 2025 season of the Nevada Legislature, which bills and legislators to watch, and how our inner politics could play out during this session. Read more from Tabitha Mueller and the Nevada Independent here. Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    24 mins