Daily Archives: June 18, 2021

Christopher DeVargas

A man plays with his daughter at a splash pad at Mission Hills Park in Henderson, Monday June 14, 2021. An excessive heat wave warning has been issued for Las Vegas through Saturday June19th.

By Anita Snow, Associated Press

Friday, June 18, 2021 | 2 a.m.

PHOENIX Much of the American West has been blasted with sweltering heat this week as a high pressure dome combines with the worst drought in modern history to launch temperatures into the triple digits, toppling records even before the official start of summer.

Record daily highs were seen this week in parts of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming and Utah. Phoenix, which is baking in some of the U.S. Wests hottest weather, was forecast to hit 116 degrees today and Saturday.

Very dangerous record-breaking heat should continue today across the deserts with well above normal highs, the National Weather Service's Phoenix staff wrote on Facebook. A very good day to stay indoors.

WHY IS THE AMERICAN WEST SO HOT THIS WEEK?

The heat comes from a high pressure system over the West, a buckle in the jet stream winds that move across the U.S. and vast swaths of soil sucked dry by a historic drought, said Marvin Percha, a senior meteorologist for the agency in Phoenix.

He and other scientists say the heat wave is unusual because it arrived earlier and is staying longer than in most years.

June last year, things seemed pretty normal, noted Park Williams, a University of California, Los Angeles, climate and fire scientist. The record-breaking heat waves came in August and September.

But with such an early heat wave this year, this could be the tip of the iceberg, Williams said.

WHAT ROLES DO DROUGHT AND CLIMATE CHANGE PLAY?

A two-decade-long dry spell that some scientists refer to as a megadrought has sucked the moisture out of the soil through much of the Western United States. Researchers said in astudy published last yearin the journal Science that man-made climate change tied to the emission of greenhouse gases can be blamed for about half of the historic drought.

Scientists studying the dry period that began in 2000 looked at a nine-state area from Oregon and Wyoming down through California and New Mexico and found only one other that was slightly larger. That drought started in 1575, a decade after St. Augustine, Florida, was founded and before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in 1620.

The hot weather can be tied to the drought drying out the landscape. Normally, some of the suns heat evaporates moisture in the soil, but scientists say the Western soil is so dry that instead that energy makes the air even warmer.

When the soil is wet, heat waves aren't so bad," said Williams, who has calculated that soil in the western half of the nation is the driest it has been since 1895. But if it's dry, we are under extreme risk.

HOW DO RECENT WILDFIRES FIGURE INTO THIS?

Scientists say the wildfires that have erupted in recent days have been fed by the excessive heat across the region. Climate change contributes to the drought conditions and makes trees and shrubs more likely to catch fire.

At least 14 new wildfires broke out this week in Montana and Wyoming as the record heat sparked an early start to the fire season. Firefighters also battled blazes in Arizona and New Mexico.

From a fire potential standpoint, what is capable this year, it is certainly much more severe than weve seen in the past," U.S. Department of Agriculture fire meteorologist Gina Palma said in a climate briefing Thursday.

Palma said the drought-related fire risks were especially pronounced in higher elevations across much of the U.S. West, from the Rocky Mountains down into the Southwest and parts of California.

You will be seeing very extreme fire behavior, certainly conditions that we would not normally see in June, she said.

IS THIS THE NEW NORMAL?

A growing number of scientific studies are concluding that heat waves in some cases can be directly attributed to climate change, said Kristie L. Ebi, a professor at the Center for Health and the Global Environment at the University of Washington.

That means the U.S. West and the rest of the world can expect more extreme heat waves in the future unless officials move to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, Ebi and other scientists say.

Astudy last monthestimated the percent and number of heat deaths each year that can be attributed to human-caused climate change. It included about 200 U.S. cities and found more than 1,100 deaths a year from climate change-caused heat, representing about 35% of all heat deaths in the country.

On average each year, Phoenix has 23 climate-triggered heat deaths, Los Angeles has 21 and Tucson has 13, the study said.

Climate change is harming us now, Ebi said. Its a future problem, but its also a current problem.

___

Associated Press Science Writer Seth Borenstein contributed from Washington.

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What's behind the heat wave in the American West? - Las Vegas Sun

In a recent piece by Bleacher Report, the Raiders offensive line was seen as the biggest red flag, but is that really the case heading into 2021?

It has been a crazy offseason for the Las Vegas Raiders, who have revamped their roster once again with the hope of making the playoffs. While some stars return, like Josh Jacobs, Darren Waller, and Derek Carr on offense, Maxx Crosby, Trayvon Mullen, and Cory Littleton on defense, there are many new faces.

Heading into the offseason, the offensive line was supposed to be set, but that was before they traded away Rodney Hudson, Trent Brown, and Gabe Jackson. That left the team with plenty of holes up front, but they have filled them the best they could, including first-round pick Alex Leatherwood, and the combination of Nick Martin and Andre James at center.

Recently, the talented Kristopher Knox put together a list of one red flag for each NFL team, and for the Silver and Black, it was the offensive line. Sure, the Raiders have some changes up front along the offensive line and have to replace an elite player in Rodney Hudson, but the other side of the ball should have Raider Nation worrying.

In the piece, Knox explains that the Raiders did improve in the pass rush, which is an accurate statement. They added Malcolm Koonce and Yannick Ngakoue, bolstering a position group that already includes Crosby, Clelin Ferrell, and Carl Nassib.

However, the interior of the defensive line has plenty of question marks, the linebacker group needs to take another step forward, and the secondary has issues as well. Gus Bradley has been known to work wonders with the defensive backfield, but outside of the likes of Mullen, Casey Hayward, and Karl Joseph, who has actually shown they belong at the NFL level.

Trevon Moehrig is an exciting prospect, and Johnathan Abram has potential, but there are more question marks in the defensive backfield than any other place on this roster.

Overall, I like the Raiders moves on defense, but the fact remains that the biggest red flags are on that side of the ball. Did they do enough at cornerback? Only time will tell, but if the Raiders are to finally get to the playoffs, the defense must improve in a big way.

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Is the offensive line the Las Vegas Raiders biggest red flag? - Just Blog Baby

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Las Vegas area in excessive heat warning through Saturday - FOX5 Las Vegas

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Residents urged to avoid illegal fireworks, file reports online - Las Vegas Review-Journal

Refuge For Women, which opened in November 2015, is celebrating a five year milestone of serving the Las Vegas community. The national faith-based organization provides a residential healing and recovery program for survivors of trafficking and sexual exploitation to receive safe housing, counseling, life and work skills development. The non-profit is hosting the ceremonious occasion, on June 29 at The Crossing Church at 7p.m., to share graduation successes, debut upcoming services and recognize key stakeholders for Refuge For Women. Inspirational music will be also performed by a combined church partner band of The Crossing Church and ChurchLV.

When: June 29, 2021

Time: 5:30pm. Ribbon Cutting with Henderson Mayor, Debra March

Program begins at 7pm

Place: The Crossing Church, 7950 Windmill Lane, Las Vegas 89113

With multiple locations across the U.S., Refuge for Women offers up to twelve months of safe housing, at no charge to the resident, with around the clock care as residents progress through evidence-based, trauma-informed programming.

Our vision is that every woman who is sexually exploited will have the hope, support, and tools needed to pursue her dreams and live a life of freedom, says Refuge for Women Executive Director, Robin Smith. We are pleased to share inspiring graduation stories and celebrate their successes back as they completed their education, entered back into the community or who have reunited with their families.

Refuge For Women also recently launched its new Wall of Hope mural, created by Brandy and Erika of BE Creative, for its Hope Builders program. These monthly supporters help to restore hope into the lives of sexually exploited women. To become a hope builder, visit http://www.rfwlasvegas.org/donate.

About Refuge For Women:

Refugefor Womenis a non-profit, faith based organization providing specialized long-term carefor womenwho have escaped human trafficking or sexual exploitation. With multiple locations across the U.S.,Refugefor Womenoffers up to twelve months of safe housing, at no charge to the resident, with around the clock care as residents progress through evidence-based, trauma-informed programming. For more information, visit the website at http://www.RefugeforWomen.org/.

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Refuge for Women Las Vegas Celebrates 5 Years in Vegas and Hosts Ceremonious Program and Ribbon Cutting With Henderson Mayor, Debra March, at the...

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In its effort to bring casinos to Texas, Las Vegas Sands the gaming empire started by the late Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson hired an army of lobbyists and spent millions more on TV ads, all after an election season in which Adelsons largesse was key in helping the states Republicans remain in power.

But the gargantuan undertaking ultimately did not make it far at the Capitol, with Sands legislation failing to make it to the floor of either chamber and not even receiving a committee hearing in the Senate.

The legislation which required voter approval would have brought a monumental expansion of gambling to Texas, which has some of the most restrictive gaming laws in the country. The centerpiece of the Las Vegas Sands proposal was to build destination resorts with casino gambling in the states four biggest metropolitan areas.

The company had insisted it was committed to Texas for the long term. But people involved in the effort point to at least a few factors that stood in the way of more progress in their debut session.

There was the difficulty breaking through in a session dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, the winter weather crisis and Republican leaders contentious priorities, which are now leading to at least one special session. There was Lt. Gov. Dan Patricks perceived opposition to expanding gambling that made Senate progress a tall order. And there was the relatively late filing of the Sands-supported legislation, giving lawmakers less time than usual to digest what would be a hugely consequential change to the Texas economy.

While Sands took pains to clarify that casinos would not be a fiscal cure-all for Texas, some supporters of the proposal said they were nonetheless hampered when the states budget projections turned out better than expected, decreasing curiosity in new revenue streams.

Something this big and complex takes time, and were only up here five months of every two years, said Rep. John Kuempel, R-Seguin, who carried the Sands-backed bill in the House. These things take time.

Las Vegas Sands ended up spending as much as $6.3 million on lobbying at the Capitol, according to state records, plus what the company pegged as at least $2 million on a statewide ad campaign. It is likely that the companys total spending topped $10 million, given the number of weeks that the company stayed on the air in the states most expensive media markets.

It was easily the biggest campaign to expand gambling in Texas that the state has seen in a long time.

As session wound down and it became clear that Sands House bill would not advance, Sands issued a statement in which it claimed it made great strides this session and promised to continue to build community support across the state to ultimately turn this vision into a reality. Sure enough, the company continued airing TV ads promoting its plan in the weeks after the proposals fate had crystallized.

One Republican lawmaker who sits on the House committee where the bill died had a less optimistic outlook.

It fell really flat, Rep. Matt Shaheen of Plano said of Sands overall push this past session. It just didnt go anywhere. It was a bad investment on Sands behalf, and I think any future investments will continue to be a bad investment.

Sands first started catching the attention of Capitol observers late last year when its lobbyist registrations with the Texas Ethics Commission began to swell and included some of the biggest names in Austin influence circles. For example, the company hired Gavin Massingill, then the chief of staff to outgoing House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, to lead its lobbying in Austin.

Even before the legislation had been filed, the company made its intentions clear.

We view Texas as a worldwide destination and one of the top potential markets in the entire world, said Andy Abboud, Sands senior vice president of government relations, during a December conference hosted by the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association. Texas is considered the biggest plum still waiting to be out there in the history of hospitality and gaming.

Months earlier, Adelson had taken an outsized interest in Texas politics, joining with his wife, Miriam, to distinguish themselves as top contributors to House Republicans successful fight to preserve their majority. In September, the couple gave $4.5 million to a Texas account affiliated with the Republican State Leadership Committee, the chief national GOP group involved in state legislative races.

Adelson also closed out the election season by giving $500,000 to Gov. Greg Abbott, registering as the governors second-largest donor during the second half of 2020. And once it became clear after the election that Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, was poised to be the next leader of the Texas House, Adelson cut a check to him for $25,000.

Those would end up being some of the last political contributions of Adelsons life. On Jan. 12, the first day of the legislative session, Las Vegas Sands announced he had died, citing complications from non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Abbott swiftly commemorated Adelson in a statement calling him a remarkable American whose legendary business savvy and determination helped him rise from humble beginnings to a titan of his trade.

The death of Adelson plus the news of Texas smaller-than-expected budget shortfall around the same time left some wondering if Sands was losing momentum in the state before it could even unveil its legislation. But the company kept adding lobbyists in Austin, and in a statement shortly after Adelsons death, Abboud said the company was looking forward to working with lawmakers this session.

With Sands Texas ambitions becoming more widely known, the states top leaders started fielding questions about it. In interviews during the opening weeks of session, the new speaker, Phelan, warned Sands against relying on the argument that casinos would boost state revenue advice that the company was already taking to heart in its public comments about Texas.

Otherwise, Phelan expressed openness to the concept, noting he represents a district along the border with Louisiana, where casino gambling is legal.

All my constituents gamble, Phelan said at the time. Its not a big deal to me.

Abbott also kept an open mind publicly, despite saying in 2015 that he wholeheartedly supported the gaming restrictions in Texas. Asked in a February interview about the Sands effort, Abbott said he wanted to hear from lawmakers about how their constituents felt about casinos.

Las Vegas Sands hired several former Abbott staffers for its lobby team, such as ex-senior adviser John Colyandro. But in a twist, one of the groups that has been fighting casinos in Texas, the Chickasaw Nation which runs casinos near the Texas border in Oklahoma had brought onboard Daniel Hodge, Abbotts first chief of staff as governor and a longtime loyal aide, as a lobbyist.

In any case, Patrick would end up having the most consequential comments about Sands plans. In a Feb. 9 interview with Lubbock radio host Chad Hasty, Patrick threw cold water on the push, saying he has never been in favor of expanding gambling and that the Senate is nowhere close to having the votes for it. The issue, he predicted, would not see the light of day this session.

Sands was undeterred.

If [state leaders] told us to skip town, we would, Abboud said during a reporter briefing two days after Patricks comments. But they havent, so were here.

On March 9 three days before the bill-filing deadline Sands legislation was finally filed. It was being carried by Kuempel in the House and by Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, in the Senate. Alvarado is the chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus.

In the House, the legislation ended up attracting a bipartisan group of four joint authors: Reps. Toni Rose, D-Dallas; Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth; Joe Moody, D-El Paso; and Sam Harless, R-Houston. They were notable gets for Sands Rose is the first vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, Geren is a veteran member who previously chaired the powerful Administration Committee and Moody is serving his second term as speaker pro tem.

But with Patricks position seemingly clear in the Senate, additional support there was sparse. Only two senators signed up as co-authors, and they were both Democrats Sens. Juan Chuy Hinojosa of McAllen and Beverly Powell of Burleson which was not promising in a chamber where Republicans hold a supermajority and can solely control which bills make it to the floor.

The scale of Sands operation at the Capitol came into full focus by the end of March. By then, there were 74 lobbyists representing Las Vegas Sands, according to TEC records. The total value of their contracts ranged from $3.1 million to $6.3 million.

As the legislation was awaiting committee hearings that month, Miriam Adelson visited Austin and met separately with Abbott and Patrick. Both of their offices characterized the meetings as ones between friends that had little, if anything, to do with legislative business. Abbotts office said Adelson and the governor spoke about her husbands legacy and Israel.

In early April, Las Vegas Sands announced it was making donations to a number of community groups in the state to help with the recovery from Winter Storm Uri. The company did not say how much it was giving, but it provided a list of beneficiaries that included Texas Baptist Men. The Baptist church firmly opposes gambling and is often a major opponent of expanding it at the state level.

On April 9, word finally arrived that the House bill was getting a hearing the following Wednesday in the State Affairs Committee.

Las Vegas Sands was not done with its all-in approach to the session, though. Hours before the bill came up at the hearing, the company announced it was launching a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign to build public support for its legislation. The companys TV and radio ads, which ran under the banner of the new Texas Destination Resort Alliance, emphasized how much tourism money Texas was losing to neighboring states billions that could be staying here.

The hearing went predictably, as casino supporters pitched its economic development potential, stressed the higher standard of quality that would come with the destination resort model and sought to proactively address concerns about societal ills. Shaheen had the hardest questions, and opposition also came from the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission and the Kickapoo Tribe, which is allowed to operate a casino in Eagle Pass as one of Texas three federally recognized tribes.

The legislation was left pending in the committee after the hearing and was never brought back up for a vote before the May 10 deadline for committees to advance such proposals.

The chair of the committee, Rep. Chris Paddie, R-Marshall, said he viewed the hearing as an opportunity to start the discussion but believes a lot of education still needs to be done on the issue. He pointed to concerns about social problems, and he said he wanted constituents in his East Texas district to better understand that what Sands is pitching is way different from the casinos they frequent in Louisiana.

Even if I had wanted to go ahead and vote it out of committee, Paddie said of Sands legislation, I think we all recognized it wasnt ultimately gonna get there, and so it didnt make any sense to force the issue.

My personal view is that this is ultimately gonna happen, Paddie added. I dont know whether it is going to take two sessions, three sessions, whatever it takes.

In an interview after session, Shaheen said he remained concerned with negative social consequences of casinos such as gambling addiction and sex trafficking. He was unfazed by plans that casino operators like Las Vegas Sands have implemented to address such problems, saying such programs are an acknowledgment by them that those are real issues that really do exist.

While Shaheen said he is always happy to listen to those he disagrees with, it is highly, highly unlikely he would support the proposal next session.

A Republican on the committee who supported the legislation, Harless, said he thought from the get-go it was gonna be a multi-session effort. He expressed hope that next session, the legislation will be ready sooner than it was this session, when it landed with just days to spare before the bill-filing deadline.

I think it needs to get started earlier, and it will, Harless said. I think it will make it to the floor next session, no question.

Still, Harless added, I definitely think its gonna be in our hands to get it out of the House first.

Las Vegas Sands Senate legislation never got a hearing in that chambers State Affairs Committee, which is chaired by Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola. Hughes did not respond to a message seeking comment for this story.

Whether Patrick, the Senates presiding officer, can be moved remains to be seen. His office did not respond to a request for comment for this story, but some casino supporters believe he is not as dug in against it as some would believe.

I dont think he had an appetite for it this session, Alvarado said. I think he feels like eventually its coming to Texas, but it wasnt gonna happen this session.

While Sands was unsuccessful this time around, another high-profile albeit more targeted approach to expand gambling in Texas met the same fate. In early February, some of the states biggest professional sports teams launched the Sports Betting Alliance to let voters decide on legalizing sports wagering in Texas. The Sands bills that were filed later included sports betting, but the alliance chose to take it on as a standalone cause.

The alliances bills followed an identical trajectory as the ones backed by Sands, getting a committee hearing in the House but never one in the Senate.

Like the supporters of the Sands campaign, the alliance believes its cause was drowned out by all the bigger debates at the Capitol this session.

A large factor was the bandwidth of issues that the legislature needed to address during this unique legislative session i.e. COVID-19 and Winter Storm Uri, an alliance spokesperson, Cara Gustafson, said in a statement. We knew it would be a challenging time to raise the issue, but we wanted to start the conversation.

And like Sands, the Sports Betting Alliance is vowing not to go anywhere, with its sights already set on the next session.

110% committed, Gustafson said.

Disclosure: The Texas Taxpayers and Research Association has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Las Vegas Sands went all in on legalizing casinos in Texas. Here's why the multimillion-dollar effort did not make it far this session. - The Texas...

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA DECEMBER 17: Quarterback Derek Carr #4 of the Las Vegas Raiders leads his team onto the field during the NFL game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium on December 17, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Chargers defeated the Raiders in overtime 30-27. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Derek Carr made it known he wants to be a member of the Raiders franchise for life but is the franchise all-in on him?

For the last seven seasons, Derek Carr has been the starting quarterback for the Raiders franchise, and there has certainly been a fair share of ups and downs. His record as the starter has been atrocious, but all of that does not fall on his shoulders, as he has played on some very bad teams.

Between so many head coaches, coordinators, teammates, and bad defenses, Carr has been given a tough hand on plenty of occasions. When there has been consistency, he has thrived, like he did in 2016, and like he has since Jon Gruden returned to the organization.

Still, many feel it is time for the franchise to move on from him, something that he has been staunchly against. In fact, on Tuesday, Carr stated he would likely retire before playing for another franchise, showing that he is all-in when it comes to the Raiders.

However, are the Raiders all in on him?

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Are the Las Vegas Raiders all-in on quarterback Derek Carr? - Just Blog Baby

Three people have been arrested in the theft of more than $140,000 in cash, jewelry and valuables from a hotel room near the Las Vegas Strip, according to Las Vegas police records.

Prince Bracy, 37, of North Las Vegas, Asha Harrison-Graddy, 29, of Las Vegas, and Eudeasha Thomasgray, 33, were each booked at the Clark County Detention Center Sunday on suspicion of grand larceny more than $100,000 and residential burglary. Arrest reports for each indicate their arrests stem from a Friday burglary at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, 4555 Paradise Road.

Police said in the arrest reports that a trio of tourists checked in at the property June 9. One in the trio decided to go out in Las Vegas on his own to go have fun while the other two went to play golf. When the tourists who went to play golf returned to their hotel room, they found all their valuables stolen.

A police and Virgins security investigation found that the tourist who went out on the town to go have fun ultimately met a woman named Asha at the Harbor Island apartment complex on East Harmon Avenue. The two got a hotel room at a hotel on Harmon Avenue and the man then gave the woman his room key for his room at the Virgin with instructions to go into his hotel room to retrieve his wallet with $2,000 cash inside.

Asha returned with the wallet and said there was no cash, police said in Harrison-Graddys arrest report.

Police said as they interviewed the man about his wallet, Harrison-Graddy sent the man a text. Police then tracked Harrison-Graddy down at the hotel room on Harmon. Police said she told them she went to the hotel room at the Virgin with Bracy and Thomasgray, and that Bracy and Thomasgray grabbed several items. Taken from the room was $40,000 cash, three high-end watches that included a Rolex, a Hublot and Audemars Piguet, a Louis Vuitton backpack, nine beaded crystal bracelets, car keys, a bank bag and a pair of Air Jordan shoes.

Bracy and Thomasgray were arrested as they walked on Paradise Road. Bracy said Harrison-Graddy told them to take the items so it wasnt stealing, police said.

Prince was wearing one of the watches that was missing and had several hundred dollars in his pocket that he got from the room, police said. Prince was also wearing the Air Jordan shoes.

Police obtained a search warrant for the hotel room on Harmon. Police recovered the stolen items including the bank bag, but the arrest report did not specify whether the $40,000 cash was also recovered.

Bracy, Harrison-Graddy and Thomasgray are each scheduled to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court Wednesday for a status check.

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.

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Trio accused of six-figure theft from Las Vegas hotel room - Las Vegas Review-Journal