Daily Archives: November 1, 2021

Las Vegas, someone said, is a city built on hopes, dreams, and a little bit of crazy. And thats what played out Sunday in the Dodge//SRT NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Ron Capps lost the Funny Car lead and regained it as all three of his closest challengers lost in succession in the opening round of eliminations. Now he has to contend with wily two-time champion Cruz Pedregon, who won this 1,000th race in NHRA history.

And in Top Fuel, Steve Torrences vision of a fourth consecutive Top Fuel championship just got a little clearer. For the 12th time, his nemesis, Brittany Force, earned the No. 1 qualifying position but for the 11th time failed to convert that to a victory. Meanwhile, he claimed his 10 victory in 19 completed races and 50th overall.

Pro Stocks Dallas Glenn earned the shiny-black special-edition trophy, his third of the season, in his bid to beat out Top Fuel owner-driver Josh Hart for NHRA Rookie of the Year honors. He is still in the championship hunt, along with runner-up Erica Enders. She whittled down class all-time victories leader Greg Andersons points lead, for he lost in the first round for the first time this year.

Steve Johnson, for years the loveable underdog and sporadic winner in Pro Stock Motorcycle, recorded his second Countdown to the Championship triumph in his quest to recover the points lead he fumbled away earlier this month at Dallas.

In drag-racing parlance, what happens in Vegas spills over to Pomona. So the Camping World Drag Racing Series tour moves next door to California for the Nov. 11-14 Auto Club NHRA Finals, where the sanctioning body will ratchet up the drama by paying out one and a half times the traditional points.

Torrence has a 105-point advantage over Force in Top Fuel, and Capps has to fend off the same four Funny Car challengers (Hagan, Pedregon, JR Todd, and John Force) who all are within 155 points. Both Anderson and Enders are going for a fifth crown in Pro Stock, as is leader Matt Smith in the bike class.

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Ron Capps said hes just trying not to mess up as he pursues his second Funny Car title in five years. Im just trying to go up and show everybody how good [crew chiefs] Guido [Dean Antonelli] and John Medlen are. Fans are enjoying this, Im sure. Matt and I sure are. Weve got the best seats in the house.

Before eliminations, Hagan said, Its always tight. Every championship Ive been able to win, its come down to the last racesemifinals, finals. Weve got a great race car. Were going to give Capps a run for his money. Hes a good driver and a pretty good dude. But were coming after him.

Then after losing in the opening round Sunday, Hagan said, I dont know how you bounce back from that, but were going to give it a try . . . I mean, points and a half at Pomona. Its hard to put a really positive spin on that. I havent put a hole out [dropped a cylinder] at the step in I cant remember whenits been years. That was the cards we had here in Vegas. Thats going to be tough to get out of, two [straight] first-round losses. It just sucks. Well be better, though.

Both the one two weeks ago at Bristol, Tenn., and this one knocked him from the points lead. But hes just 58 points off Capps pace.

JR Todd, who had made an impressive surge to third place in the standings at Bristol two weeks ago, fell back to fourth with a first-round exit he called a surprise. Todd said, We got hurt a little in the points, but it will make Pomona very interesting. We made up a lot of ground in Bristol, and I was looking to do the same thing today. I know we are going to look at what happened and get ready for the last race of the season.

John Force is a longshot, with 155 points to make up, but mathematically still is in the hunt for his unprecedented 17th title. In a match-up between two wounded cars, Force lost to part-timer Chris Morel in Round 1. My car just quit, Force said with a thats-racin shrug.

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Although Steve Torrence blazed to his 10th victory of the season and joined an elite group of NHRA races as only the 14th in the sports 1,000-event history to earn 50 overall, he was humble.

Cruz and Steve Johnson, and Dallas Glenn, and I . . . were the guys who get to drive, but theres a lot of people behind us who dont get the recognition. This is for them, he said. Then, referring to the young crewman for Jim Head Racing who lost his life in a highway accident while driving that teams rig on the way to this race, Torrence said, This is for Dylan Cromwell and his family.

This is a pivotal moment in the championship right here. This gives us some breathing room, he said.

But Torrence still is looking over his shoulder. He said, Everybody is able to find everybody vulnerable at any given time. This thing is won and lost by thousandths of a second.

Shawn Langdon can attest to thathe dropped his opening-round race against Billy Torrence, Steves father, by one ten-thousandth (.0001) of a second.

Torrence expressed complete respect for everybody thats out here, fighting for this championship, especially runner-up Mike Salinas, who was making his third final-round appearance in the past four races. Salinas, he said, is doing a great job. Thats guy has really changed the game on his driving, and hes a definite contender. We need to capitalize on this.

Meanwhile, Brittany Force said after falling to Salinas in the semifinal round, Its really frustrating. This is so difficult. This was our shot to move on and get around him. I finally had a great light [reaction time at the starting line]. Ive been struggling, and I finally stepped it up there. And I feel like we cant catch a freakin break.

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Emboldened, perhaps, by regaining the Funny Car points lead in dramatic fashion Sunday after losing it Saturday during qualifying, veteran racer Ron Capps hinted at a major change for him in 2022.

After winning his semifinal round match against struggling but suddenly hopeful Robert Hight, Capps, unprompted, said, I cant wait to make my announcement in December. Ive got a lot of cool stuff going on.

Speculation has the NAPA Dodge driver and 2016 champion becoming the fourth to leave Don Schumacher Racing, maybe owning his own team. His hints have carried an element of mystery, for he also told Autoweek, Im very loyal. So thats just one of several teasers as the Camping World Drag Racing Series embarks on its Silly Season.

Maybe during the off-season hell join the three Top Fuel racersKrista Baldwin, Antron Brown, and Josh Hartwho will headline Wednesdays NHRA Breakfast at the SEMA Show and discuss NHRAs Next Generation of Team Owners.

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How much of a surprise will it be Nov. 8 when Dodge makes its announcement about two new high-performance initiatives with Direct Connection branding?

Tim Kuniskis, Dodge Brand CEO Stellantis, started the weekend hinting at Las Vegas that fans should watch for special paint schemes on Leah Pruetts dragster and Matt Hagans Funny Cars that are previewing a major upcoming Dodge brand announcement.

Pruett plugged that message all weekend: Debuting the Direct Connection livery this weekend . . . All of it, really, is just a prelude to what Dodge has in store for everybody on Nov. 8. Big announcement on two high-performance programs. So tune in to Dodge.com for that.

Will Ford-entrenched Tony Stewart have an alliance with Dodge for his two-car Camping World Drag Racing Series team that showcases Pruett and Hagan? Partnerships with competing manufacturers is not unheard of. Team Penske races Chevrolets in the NTT IndyCar Series and Fords in the NASCAR Cup Series. Chip Ganassi Racing fields Hondas in open-wheel racing and Chevys in NASCAR.

Top Fuel -- Steve Torrence, 3.717 seconds, 329.50 mph def. Mike Salinas, 3.737 seconds, 314.24 mph.

Funny Car -- Cruz Pedregon, Dodge Charger, 4.257, 225.03 def. Ron Capps, Charger, 6.854, 80.86.

Pro Stock -- Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.660, 204.60 def. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.684, 203.74.

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.869, 195.11 def. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, Foul - Red Light.

Top Alcohol Dragster -- Rachel Meyer, 5.191, 281.01 def. Jackie Fricke, 5.260, 270.16.

Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Sean Bellemeur, Chevy Camaro, 5.535, 265.17 def. Brian Hough, Camaro, 5.973, 161.34.

Competition Eliminator -- Bruno Massel, Cobalt, 7.099, 182.92 def. Dean Carter, Dragster, 6.994, 167.43.

Super Stock -- Chris Hall, Chevy Camaro, 8.990, 150.46 def. Larry Zavala, Camaro, 9.899, 134.15.

Stock Eliminator -- Justin Lamb, Chevy Camaro, 9.918, 131.14 def. Todd Hoven, Dodge Coronet, 9.986, 130.59.

Super Comp -- Steve Williams, Dragster, 9.052, 184.57 def. Cody Webber, Dragster, 9.031, 177.65.

Super Gas -- Evan Kowalski, Chevy Corvette, 10.038, 154.17 def. Mike Ferderer, Pontiac Grand Am, 10.034, 161.83.

Super Street -- Nick Alejandre, Chevy Chevelle, 11.029, 139.17 def. Kenny Snow, Chevelle, 11.029, 142.19.

Pro Modified -- Lyle Barnett, Chevy Camaro, 5.814, 253.56 def. JR Gray, Camaro, 5.796, 248.66.

Factory Stock Showdown -- Aaron Stanfield, Chevy Camaro, 7.903, 173.49 def. Leah Pruett, Dodge Challenger, 7.944, 174.30.

Summit Super Pro -- Nick Smith, KLRC, 7.256, 182.50 def. Joseph Bagwell, 7.943, 170.95.

Summit Pro ET -- Dan Cassie, Mercury Capri, 9.460, 140.37 def. Brandon Schmall, Chevy Beretta, 9.530, 133.78.

Summit Sportsman -- Derrick Jackson, Chevy El Camino, 12.182, 105.82 def. Gary Hairfield, Chevy Corvette, 12.213, 108.44.

Summit ET Motorcycle -- Garreth Sheppeard, Suzuki Hayabusa, 8.221, 177.30 def. Erik Crosby, Kawasaki Ninja, 9.418, 139.40.

Final round-by-round results from the 21st Annual Dodge//SRT NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the 19th of 20 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL

ROUND ONE -- Alex Laughlin, 3.835, 290.69 def. Clay Millican, 3.913, 246.71; Billy Torrence, 3.738, 325.53 def. Shawn Langdon, 3.781, 312.21; Brittany Force, 3.670, 330.80 def. Troy Buff, 3.914, 299.60; Justin Ashley, 3.734, 326.71 def. Cameron Ferre, 9.456, 79.81; Mike Salinas, 3.726, 323.97 def. Doug Kalitta, 3.735, 323.43; Steve Torrence, 3.751, 325.61 def. Jim Maroney, 4.119, 227.38; Tripp Tatum, 3.711, 331.61 def. Josh Hart, 3.801, 323.19; Leah Pruett, 3.752, 318.32 def. Antron Brown, 4.967, 155.11;

QUARTERFINALS -- Ashley, 3.739, 328.94 def. Laughlin, 4.020, 233.60; Force, 3.745, 330.39 def. Pruett, Foul - Red Light; Salinas, 3.723, 330.63 def. B. Torrence, 3.741, 330.39; S. Torrence, 3.736, 328.62 def. Tatum, 6.679, 87.13;

SEMIFINALS -- S. Torrence, 3.688, 329.58 def. Ashley, 3.727, 331.69; Salinas, 3.703, 324.75 def. Force, 3.682, 330.39;

FINAL -- S. Torrence, 3.717, 329.50 def. Salinas, 3.737, 314.24.

FUNNY CAR

ROUND ONE -- Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.930, 327.27 def. Steven Densham, Ford Mustang, 4.043, 300.33; Alexis DeJoria, Toyota Camry, 3.925, 324.51 def. Jeff Diehl, Camry, 4.278, 220.80; Chris Morel, Dodge Charger, 5.749, 122.13 def. John Force, Camaro, 8.479, 73.28; Paul Lee, Charger, 3.921, 328.94 def. J.R. Todd, Camry, 4.960, 155.76; Chad Green, Mustang, 4.009, 321.12 def. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.087, 316.15; Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.950, 329.58 def. Bobby Bode, Mustang, 4.072, 310.84; Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.947, 295.08 def. Tony Jurado, Mustang, 4.032, 317.19; Ron Capps,

Charger, 3.915, 323.74 def. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.947, 330.72;

QUARTERFINALS -- Hight, 3.909, 330.63 def. Green, 3.981, 321.88; Tasca III, 3.945, 330.07 def. Lee, 4.246, 223.25; Capps, 3.884, 332.10 def. DeJoria, 3.998, 315.05; Pedregon, 3.903, 324.20 def. Morel, 4.193, 281.19;

SEMIFINALS -- Pedregon, 3.924, 325.92 def. Tasca III, 10.961, 81.12; Capps, 3.904, 326.87 def. Hight, 5.520, 130.85;

FINAL -- Pedregon, 4.257, 225.03 def. Capps, 6.854, 80.86.

PRO STOCK

ROUND ONE -- Deric Kramer, Chevy Camaro, 6.675, 203.09 def. Marty Robertson, Ford Mustang, Foul - Red Light; Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.697, 204.82 def. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, 6.751, 202.76; Kenny Delco, Camaro, 7.142, 154.19 def. Chris McGaha, Camaro, Broke; Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.690, 204.70 def. Richie Stevens, Camaro, 6.753, 203.98; Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.682, 204.57 def. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, Foul - Red Light; Cristian Cuadra, Mustang, 6.717, 202.67 def. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, Foul -

Red Light; Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.668, 204.45 def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.648, 205.85; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.689, 204.23 def. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.744, 202.09;

QUARTERFINALS -- M. McGaha, 6.707, 204.73 def. Cuadra, 6.740, 202.30; Enders, 6.695, 203.43 def. Hartford, 6.695, 204.70; Glenn, 6.679, 205.13 def. Delco, Foul - Red Light; Coughlin Jr., 6.665, 204.54 def. Kramer, 6.683, 203.06;

SEMIFINALS -- Glenn, 6.683, 204.98 def. M. McGaha, Foul - Red Light; Enders, 6.680, 203.61 def. Coughlin Jr., 6.913, 162.98;

FINAL -- Glenn, 6.660, 204.60 def. Enders, 6.684, 203.74.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

ROUND ONE -- Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.989, 189.55 def. Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, Foul - Red Light; Angie Smith, 6.955, 195.53 def. Scotty Pollacheck, 6.957, 194.58; Eddie Krawiec, Buell, 6.933, 196.16 def. Andrew Hines, Buell, 7.025, 193.65; Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.848, 197.86 def. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 7.030, 190.86; Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.874, 194.44 def. Charles Poskey, Suzuki, 7.155, 188.36; Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 6.952, 194.44 def. Ryan Oehler, 7.063, 191.24; Matt Smith, 6.825, 198.64 def. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.640, 152.04; Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.935, 193.02 def. Freddie Camarena, Suzuki, 7.085, 190.38;

QUARTERFINALS -- Sampey, 7.875, 123.77 def. Krawiec, Broke; Johnson, 6.867, 195.25 def. A. Smith, 6.991, 193.52; Stoffer, 6.870, 197.10 def. Savoie, 6.926, 189.76; M. Smith, 6.833, 198.90 def. Bostick, 8.774, 105.61;

SEMIFINALS -- Johnson, 6.877, 194.88 def. Sampey, 6.837, 197.13; Stoffer, 6.862, 197.33 def. M. Smith, 6.834, 198.90;

FINAL -- Johnson, 6.869, 195.11 def. Stoffer, Foul - Red Light.

Top Fuel

1, Steve Torrence, 2,694; 2. Brittany Force, 2,589; 3. Mike Salinas, 2,522; 4. Justin Ashley,2,506; 5. Billy Torrence, 2,411; 6. Leah Pruett, 2,343; 7. Clay Millican, 2,302; 8. Antron Brown, 2,285; 9. Shawn Langdon, 2,260; 10. Doug Kalitta, 2,211.

Funny Car

1. Ron Capps, 2,585; 2. Matt Hagan, 2,527; 3. Cruz Pedregon, 2,502; 4. J.R. Todd, 2,447; 5. John Force, 2,430; 6. Bob Tasca III, 2,417; 7. Robert Hight, 2,412; 8. Alexis DeJoria, 2,380; 9. Tim Wilkerson, 2,282; 10. Blake Alexander, 2,184.

Pro Stock

1. Greg Anderson, 2,565; 2. Erica Enders, 2,533; 3. Dallas Glenn, 2,456; 4. Kyle Koretsky, 2,379; 5. Troy Coughlin Jr., 2,345; 6. Aaron Stanfield, 2,335; 7. Chris McGaha, 2,312; 8. Mason McGaha, 2,297; 9. Matt Hartford, 2,269; 10. Deric Kramer, 2,231.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

1. Matt Smith, 2,536; 2. Steve Johnson, 2,516; 3. Angelle Sampey, 2,506; 4. Eddie Krawiec, 2,394; 5. Karen Stoffer, 2,347; 6. Scotty Pollacheck, 2,324; 7. Angie Smith, 2,277; 8. Joey Gladstone, 2,267; 9. Andrew Hines, 2,209; 10. Ryan Oehler, 2,181.

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Results, Updated NHRA Standings: No Shortage of Head-Turners On and Off the Track at Las Vegas - Autoweek

LAS VEGAS In the center of the sprawling Las Vegas Convention Center tens of thousands of people many in suits, others in T-shirts and jeans strode past each other next to a five-foot ice sculpture of a marijuana leaf. It was a human tidal wave, and the biggest mass of people many had seen in almost two years, as excited attendees chatted, browsed and networked.

Smokers, scientists and business people were all there to see the latest gear for marijuana cultivation, extraction and testing, along with dozens of different products like cannabis-infused chocolate, tea and body lotion.

As the business of pot has boomed to an estimated $92 billion in U.S. sales, so has the MJBizCon cannabis conference, the largest convention held in Las Vegas during the pandemic to date, with 27,000 attendees from Oct. 19 to 22 more than 85% of 2019s 31,523 attendees and over 1,200 exhibitors. If not for the pandemic, it would have set a new attendance record, said MJBiz CEO Chris Walsh.

Its also a major boost as the city stumbles back from economic devastation.

The entire pandemic has been the worst crisis its seen, worse than 1980s fires at the MGM Grand and Hilton, worse than previous recessions and the 9/11 terrorist attacks, said David Schwartz, a gaming historian and University of Nevada, Las Vegas professor.

At MJBizCon, people were ready to socialize. In terms of exhibitors and attendance, this is the first show that truly feels back to normal, besides the fact that people are wearing masks. It feels like any other show any other year, said Danica Tormohlen, editor at large at Society of Independent Show Organizers, a convention industry group. The exhibitors and attendees that Ive interviewed here are thrilled to be back, face to face, developing relationships.

Las Vegas Raiders fans pose ahead of the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Sept. 13 in Las Vegas.

The same day that the weed conference ended, the Electric Daisy Carnival electronic music festival returned after more than two years. The revelry has previously drawn 150,000 people, and hotel room rates soared over the weekend. The usually 30-minute drive from the Strip to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where the concert is held, took 90 minutes or more, according to local Uber drivers. Though, the events delay from May to October meant scorching summer weather was replaced by cool fall air.

Casino floors and buffets were flooded with tourists and business travelers. The scent of cigarettes permeated rooms (smoking is legal indoors). Las Vegas, which had been dead about a year, was roaring back with its busiest week since the pandemic started. People lined up for sold out Cirque du Soleil shows, slot machines whirled nonstop and crowds crammed onto the pedestrian bridges connecting the mega-hotels and casinos. Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani and DJ Tisto were all in town for performances.

Las Vegas and San Francisco are vastly different cities, but each has been a consistent draw for conventions and tourists. As the pandemic elongates and evolves, the differences in the two popular western destinations couldnt be more evident.

Las Vegass tourism recovery has outpaced San Franciscos sluggish comeback, and some Bay Area events have moved to Sin City. Vaccines are mandated at Moscone Center and in restaurants and gyms, limiting the size of crowds. Though Nevada mandates indoor masks, superseding local orders, many conference attendees and gamblers had them drooped under their chins or wore nothing at all, with little enforcement. Nevada conventions have the option of requiring vaccinations for all attendees, who can then remove their masks. MJBizCon did not have a vaccine mandate.

The laxer rules have meant fuller hotels and bigger crowds compared to San Francisco. Las Vegas September hotel occupancy was 73%, compared to less than 47% last September and 88.3% occupancy in September 2019. San Francisco hotel occupancy was only 40% this past September.

Producer Scott Storch plays keyboard at a booth for Whiff, his vape company, during MJBizCon at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Oct. 21

Tourism recovery is critical for both cities, and health restrictions in San Francisco mean smaller events. Marquee conventions like Salesforces Dreamforce shrunk dramatically from 171,000 people to around 1,000 in-person attendees in September (with many more virtually attending), and the event mostly shunned the inside of Moscone Center in favor of outdoor gatherings. Hospitality is the biggest industry in San Francisco, and 65,000 jobs were lost last year.

For all its progress, there are still challenges in Las Vegas. Visitor volume was 2.9 million people in September, down 2.1% from the prior month, up 72.2% from September 2020, but still 15.5% less than 2019, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the regions tourism bureau.

We knew August and September numbers were going to be a bit weaker. We were dealing with the delta variant, said Jeremy Aguero, a principal analyst with Applied Analysis, a Las Vegas research firm.

Its tremendous based on where we are a year ago, said Aguero, who expects the year to end stronger than it began.

But Vegas service industries are still feeling widespread pain. At Las Vegass Culinary Union Local 226, 35% or 21,000 of its 60,000 members are still out of work, with some restaurants and buffets still closed or with reduced hours. But in San Francisco, around 70% of Unite Here Local 2s more than 14,000 hotel and culinary workers are still unemployed. Workers rallied in both Las Vegas and San Francisco on Thursday calling for workers to be part of the recovery.

Alegria Ledda (right) takes a photo of her and Maryjane Bair (left) as they document their attendance at the California Dental Association convention at Moscone South in San Francisco this past September.

Vegas is very successful right now. Thats what we want, said Geoconda Argello-Kline, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union. We want to be good partners with the gaming industry.

Ted Egan, San Franciscos chief economist, is hopeful tourism will improve as cases remain low in the Bay Area, which is lagging other cities in the West Coast as well.

Were still in an economy where the whole economy hinges on virus path, he said. Im more worried about offices than I am about tourism because of remote work.

I dont see any reason why people will never go to conventions, he said.

With fully vaccinated international travelers allowed to enter the U.S. on Nov. 8, theres hope that all cities will see an upswing in tourism this winter, but also fears of a new surge.

MJBizCon CEO and founder Chris Walsh poses for a portrait on the convention floor during MJBizCon in Las Vegas.

The rebound in Vegas comes at some direct expense to the Bay Area. Prior to the pandemic, Oracle announced its OpenWorld conference would depart San Francisco for Las Vegas, though it has yet to happen, and the Fancy Food Show recently made the same move. The biggest consumer electronics show in the world isnt in Silicon Valley, its CES in Las Vegas, long the citys biggest show and returning in January.

And then theres the gleaming, black, $1.9 billion Allegiant Arena, built near the south edge of the Strip and home to the once-Oakland Raiders, which opened its season there in September. (Vaccinations are required for fans who are 12 or older.) Its a reminder of how Vegas outmuscled the Bay Area with $750 million in subsidies paid with a 0.88% hotel room tax increase, after Oakland refused to give any breaks to keep the team. Raider Nation signs are installed at the nearby Luxor and Mandalay Bay hotels.

Aguero, who is the newly appointed Las Vegas Raiders chief operations and analytics officer, sees no animosity between Nevada and California.

Attendees congregate outside the Las Vegas Convention Center during MJBizCon in Las Vegas.

Businesses and people are moving out of California, he said. Theyre welcome and thats been a critical part of our prosperity.

There may be more departures coming. The Oakland As are considering an exit to Las Vegas as the team struggles to get a waterfront ballpark deal in Oakland.

Brian Yost, chief operating officer of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which owns the convention center, touts the areas 150,000 hotel rooms within a 15-minute drive McCarran Airport. Some rooms can be booked for under $60 in advance, a value proposition, especially compared to San Francisco and New York.

Las Vegass average daily hotel rate was $155.80 in September, higher than September 2019s $137.11, but cheaper than San Franciscos average daily rate of $185 this month.

Before the pandemic, San Franciscos Moscone Center underwent a $551 million expansion. Thats dwarfed by Las Vegass $980 million West Hall expansion, which brought the convention center to 4.6 million square feet, larger than Moscone.

Another 45 Las Vegas conventions are scheduled for 2022.

Ian Kobe, creative director and head of product development at HBI International, demonstrates ConeXpress, a machine that emulates a human packing a cone, at the HBI International booth during MJBizCon at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

It was very quiet and somewhat sad here for many months, Yost said. Its coming back very nicely.

Theres another California import: Elon Musks Boring Company has drilled underground tunnels across 1.7 miles under the Convention Center with three stops, with transportation provided by Musks other company, Tesla, which recently moved its headquarters from Palo Alto to Austin. The underground route cuts a 45-minute walk down to a two-minute drive.

Boring Company won approval on Oct. 20 from Clark County to build tunnels under the Strip, spanning 15 miles and 51 stops, in hopes of relieving rising congestion, though further permits are required.

But Yost didnt see any particular rivalry with San Francisco, nor does Egan, San Franciscos chief economist.

Conventions relocate to Vegas for various reasons, including outgrowing previous spaces, requiring different dates, or desire for a different environment, Yost said.

Having a Las Vegas convention is a way to benefit from nearby California attendees without paying California prices.

Were very close to California. Its our biggest contingent, people from California that are at the show, said Walsh, the CEO of MJBiz. California is extremely important to the cannabis industry now. However, there are still lots of problems. There are lots of issues with the regulations and how theyre being administered in the cannabis industry.

MJBiz is also holding the Emerald Conference in February in San Diego, a cannabis science event that it acquired last year. The event has been held in San Diego, which is a biotech hub, for years. For now, San Francisco and New York are too expensive for MJBiz to consider shows, given venue and hotel prices, Walsh said.

California conference attendees included three members of Anresco Labs, a family-owned San Francisco testing company in the Bayview, which had its first booth at MJBizCon this year.

MJBizCon senior vice president of events and sales Jess Tyler makes her way around the convention during MJBizCon in Las Vegas.

Anresco Labs initially tested food and expanded into cannabis and hemp testing about six years ago, said Zach Eisenberg, its vice president, whose grandfather founded the company in 1943. Its doubled its staff from about 35 to 80 employees, with growth mostly in the cannabis division.

Eisenberg felt safe at MJBizCon and planned to attend another Las Vegas conference the following week.

Ive been pretty good about wearing my mask and Im ... vaccinated, so I feel comfortable with it. I wouldnt feel comfortable sending my father, whos 76, Eisenberg said. The cannabis industry is a relationship-based industry, and not being able to attend events, not getting to see your customers, understanding the products theyre working on it definitely limited us.

Ive been surprised that weve actually had some really good conversations and met some people here, though it remains to be seen if itll lead to new business, he said.

Although Las Vegas recovery is still nascent and many coronavirus uncertainties remain, MJBizCon is ready to come back to Vegas, with its next show booked for Nov. 15 to 18, 2022.

Roland Li is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf

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As S.F. lags, Las Vegas tourism roars back, with help from weed and the Raiders - San Francisco Chronicle

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Las Vegas community clinic offers all types of COVID-19 vaccines and boosters - FOX5 Las Vegas

Information has finally surfaced regarding plans and scheduling for the return of the Palms, which is one of only a handful of Las Vegas resorts that havent reopened after last years pandemic shutdown.

The delay in opening has been due in part to the new owners, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, going through the licensing process. Thats expected to be completed by the end of the year, opening the door to open the doors as early as January.

The resort will reopen as the Palms, though the name might change after that. The sports book will be upgraded and most of the food-court vendors will remain. The Kaos nightclub will stay closed while the tribe considers what will occupy that space. Paid parking is definitely not in the vision, which is focused on turning the property into a locals Strip casino.

New food court: Circus Circus has opened a new food court located in a space that used to be part of the buffet. The food court has a Pick Up Stix, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Einstein Bros. Bagels and a Dairy Queen. The buffet is now open on weekends only.

Nickel line: The SuperBook at Westgate Las Vegas is dealing a 5-cent line on World Series games. The lower spread between prices on each team to win lowers the house edge, similar to betting $105 to win $100, as opposed to the usual $110/$100, in football.

Tyson statue: A 10-foot statue of former heavyweight champion and long-time Las Vegas resident Mike Tyson has been positioned outside the Mulberry Street Pizzeria at Resorts World. Tyson is the second boxer to be thusly honored, joining the statue of Joe Louis thats stood in the Caesars Palace sports book for decades.

Question: What happened to the Anthony Curtis interview on CBS Mornings about buffets? I watched on the date stated in this column and it didnt run.

Answer: No, it got pushed back as often happens with features that arent time sensitive. A new air date hasnt been announced.

For more information about current Las Vegas shows, buffets, coupons, and good deals, go to LasVegasAdvisor.com.

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Las Vegas Advisor: Reopening of Palms resort expected early next year - Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Steve Marcus

Tractor-trailers head south on Interstate 15 near Blue Diamond Road Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. Truck drivers in Las Vegas and nationally are being stretched as demand for goods outweighs thesupply.

By Arleigh Rodgers (contact)

Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021 | 2 a.m.

Peppermill Las Vegas is one of the resort corridors noted late-night hangouts.

But if you show up craving an order of the restaurants onion rings, you will likely be out of luck. And during some early morning hours, you wont be able to place an order at all.

Executive chef Nicholas Orth is piecing together his menu despite not knowing what supplies will be at his disposal because of the current global supply chain challenges. Basic inventory like glass cups, soup spoons, embroidered napkins or paper cups as well as food items like onion rings are taking months longer to arrive than industry workers would normally expect. Even when commodities are delivered, the brand or look of a sub item may be different than what was ordered, often resulting in higher prices for businesses.

The global supply chain is a route that links manufacturing to transportation and logistics, or the moving of goods to customers.

Delays and shortages throughout the supply chain brought on by the pandemic are affecting nearly all produced or manufactured items, including those necessary to local restaurants like Peppermill.

Orth said his menu was constantly being reimagined, including only having onion rings available as a hamburger topper and not an appetizer or side dish. The shortage also means the restaurant cannot offer its traditional Thanksgiving dinner, he said, because items are either too expensive or not available.

Atop this, staffing issues have compelled the restaurant to shrink its 24-hour dining services to 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. ThursdaySundays, and 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. MondayWednesday, a drastic change Orth said has resulted in an approximate $80,000 to $90,000 loss in sales per week.

Both kitchen and wait staffs have dwindled since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020 not a new issue but certainly pressing, Orth said.

If we can solve (the labor issues), I think a lot of our problems will disappear slowly, Orth said. But without people to work, theres nothing anybody can do.

Sometimes, the answer to filling a request from a customer for an unavailable item, like a cup for a to-go coffee, simply must be no, said Jason Lapin, president and chief operating officer of Blau Associates, which owns several Las Vegas restaurants including Honey Salt and Buddy Vs Ristorante.

Were scrappy and entrepreneurial, Lapin said. We make it happen. But, yeah, theres definitely times when you just dont have the supply you need to accomplish something.

Lapin is also a consultant for major brands and hotels, where timelines for ordering new equipment are stretched to account for now-familiar delays in shipping and delivery. Resort companies on the Strip are likely also facing challenges but declined or didnt respond to a request to participate in this story.

Shoppers might have noticed emptier shelves at grocery stores and other retailers or stalled delivery dates. Meanwhile restaurants and other local businesses await needed supplies to operate as close to normal as possible. This reality is the result of clogged ports like those in Los Angeles or Long Beach, Calif., where dock workers are working around the clock to ease the bottleneck of cargo ships lined up offshore and where truck companies and distribution centers are low on staff to shift these goods forward.

The primary problem is consumer demand has outpaced recovery on the economys production side, said Mark Vinter, senior economist at Wells Fargo. And as consumer spending ramps up near the holiday season, the additional worker and item shortage makes for a foreboding combination.

Most of our policymakers in Washington believe that if you stimulate demand, supply will follow, and in a lot of the policies that we implemented, they did a very good job of stimulating demand, Vinter said. They put money in peoples pockets, but we made it pretty difficult for folks to get back to work right away, and so that made the situation a little bit worse.

On the supply side, sparse labor has also adversely affected Las Vegas trucking company Desert Eagle Transportation, whose drivers work 14 hour-a-day shifts and are capped at 70 hours per week.

Three of those 14 hours are allocated for loading and unloading at warehouses, said Svetoslav Vitkov, a truck driver at Desert Eagle.

But with fewer employees forklifting deliveries on and off the truck, Vitkov said he had waited five to six hours rather than three to finish his work at the warehouses. Fewer truck drivers to handle this increase in demand only exacerbates the issues.

Since there are not enough people working, were busier, Vitkov said. We have so many loads, and we can only do so much.

Direct solutions, whether on the consumption or distribution side, are unclear and likely will persist past the holidays, experts say.

The two California ports are working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, according to the White House, which laid out a plan Oct. 13 to alleviate the bottleneck, or constraint, and ease consumers Christmas concerns.

Logistics company Stord on Monday will open a 177,000-square-foot warehouse in Las Vegas, something that could provide some relief for goods being shipped inland out of the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports because of the citys proximity to California, said Stord CEO Sean Henry. This is Stords second warehouse in Nevada the other is in Reno and it will employ over 100 people, he said.

Theres not much space in Los Angeles anymore, and its not economically efficient to store and move your inventory through that market, Henry said. Las Vegas is an amazing alternative for those who are seeing more shippers come to the Las Vegas market because of its proximity to the Pacific corridor.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Oct. 17 that the complications could extend into 2022 and that passing an infrastructure plan in Congress would moderate these problems best.

There are $17 billion in the presidents infrastructure plan for ports alone, and we need to deal with these long-term issues that have made us vulnerable to these kinds of bottlenecks when there are demand fluctuations, shocks and disruptions like the ones that have been caused by the pandemic, he said on CNNs State of the Union.

Vinter, however, said he did not think the federal government could make notable improvements to the congestion.

A lot of the rhetoric that we hear out of the federal government is typically just designed to make it look like theyre doing something, he said. Unfortunately, this is a global problem. And the global economy shut down, and it has reopened in a very staggered way. We are so interdependent upon one another for parts and materials that its just very hard to restart the economy and have everything go perfectly well.

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How Las Vegas restaurants, other sectors are navigating the supply chain hurdles - Las Vegas Sun

NFL Sunday on Halloween was a veritable house of horrors for bettors as Las Vegas sportsbooks won big to snap a rare three-week losing streak.

It was our best Sunday of the year, Westgate SuperBook vice president Jay Kornegay said.

BetMGM reported close to a multimillion-dollar win and Caesars Sportsbook and Station Casinos also had winning days.

I figured we would have a big bounceback after losing three weeks in a row and it did happen, MGM Resorts director of trading Jeff Stoneback said. It didnt make up for the last three weeks. But it washed out one of those weeks.

Underdogs went 8-5 ATS with seven outright wins. The New York Jets and New Orleans Saints were, by far, the biggest winners for the books.

The Jets upset the Bengals 34-31 as 11-point underdogs and +425 on the money line. New Orleans (+4) knocked off the Buccaneers, 36-27.

Jets eliminate Survivor entries

Cincinnati was the most popular play of the day at the books, accounting for more than 90 percent of the tickets on the game. The Bengals also were the most popular selection in the Circa Survivor contest, where 871 $1,000 entries were eliminated.

The Jets trailed 31-20 midway through the fourth quarter before rallying for the biggest outright upset of the season behind backup quarterback Mike White, who made his first career start a memorable one for himself and the books and a painful one for Bengals bettors.

White threw for 405 yards and three touchdowns and caught a 2-point conversion pass on the go-ahead score. One play after White hit Ty Johnson with a 19-yard TD pass to make it 31-26, Shaq Lawson intercepted Joe Burrow to set up Whites winning 13-yard TD pass to Tyler Kroft with 3:45 left.

New Yorks other win was an Oct. 3 upset of the Titans that also knocked out hundreds of Survivor entries.

The Jets are doing their part to help out the bookmakers, Kornegay said. Were still waiting on the Jaguars, Texans and Lions.

Bad beat for Rams backers

Houston dealt a brutal bad beat to Rams bettors. Los Angeles, which closed as a 16-point favorite, led 38-0 midway through the fourth quarter when the Texans inexplicably exploded for 22 consecutive points for the dreaded backdoor cover in a 38-22 loss.

After scoring a TD with 8:08 left to make it 38-7, Houston forced a three-and-out, then made it 38-14 on Davis Mills 45-yard TD pass to Brandin Cooks.

The Texans recovered an onside kick and cut the deficit to 38-20 on Mills 9-yard TD pass to Brevin Jordan. Rams backers could still cash their tickets if LA stopped Houstons two-point conversion attempt, but Mills ran it in for two points and turned those tickets into trash.

Luck not a Brady

Tampa Bay bettors had to like their chances when Saints QB Jameis Winston was knocked out of a 7-7 tie game in the first half with a knee injury and replaced by Trevor Siemian.

But Tom Brady promptly lost a fumble and threw an interception as New Orleans took a 23-7 lead. Brady rallied the Bucs with three second-half TD passes before Tampa Bay got the ball back down two with 1:41 left. But rather than direct yet another winning drive, Brady threw a pick six.

I expected him to lead them downfield for the winning score, Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. Thats a bad loss for the Bucs with the way the Rams and Packers are playing right now.

Also notching outright upsets were the Panthers (+2, 19-13 over Falcons), Titans (+3, 34-31 over Colts in overtime), Steelers (+5, 15-10 over Browns), Patriots (+4, 27-24 over Chargers) and Cowboys (+4, 20-16 over Vikings), who improved to 7-0 ATS.

Buffalo bailout

The Bills (-14) bailed out bettors with a miracle cover in their 26-11 win over the Dolphins. Leading 20-11, Buffalo picked off a pass by Tua Tagovailoa and returned it to the Miami 11 with 2:21 to go.

On third-and-6 at the 7, Josh Allen ran it in for the TD and cover with 1:07 left.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.

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Las Vegas sportsbooks win big, end three-week losing streak - Las Vegas Review-Journal

Given our dependence on tourists coming here to eat, drink, gamble and party, Las Vegas economy has long been prone to extreme ups and downs.

But across the valley, in the land of stick-and-stucco with red-tile roofs, Las Vegas housing market has shown it can be just as volatile.

Southern Nevada home prices have been on a stomach-churning ride over the past two decades: The market floors it, hits the brakes and repeats.

It has accelerated yet again over the past year with rapid sales and record prices, thanks largely to cheap borrowing costs that have let buyers stretch their budgets. Las Vegas is not alone home prices have shot higher across the country as well.

But Southern Nevada home values skyrocketed faster in the past than they have now and at a much faster pace than the national average. After the economy crashed a decade or so ago, home prices here also sank faster than the U.S overall.

Lately, our frenzy has looked largely the same as other cities, marked by tight inventory, multiple offers and sellers firmly in control as people try to buy a place amid historically low interest rates.

Southern Nevada house prices were up 23.8 percent year over year in August, compared with a 19.8 percent jump nationally, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller index released this week.

In August 2020, house prices locally were up 4.7 percent from the year before, while nationally they had climbed 5.8 percent, the index shows.

During the mid-2000s, Las Vegas was ground zero for Americas real estate bubble as lenders issued mortgages to practically anyone. Builders developed waves of subdivisions in the valley, investors drew up plans for numerous condo towers, and house-flipping was an easy moneymaker.

Overall, Las Vegas house prices in September 2004 had shot up by 53 percent from a year earlier. Nationally, annual price growth reached 14.5 percent in September 2005, according to the Case-Shiller index.

When the bubble burst and the economy did a faceplant, few areas were hit as hard as Southern Nevada. Job losses soared, property values plunged, construction largely ground to a halt, and the valley was littered with abandoned, partially built projects.

Many people throughout the valley also lost their homes to foreclosure, enabling a widespread squatter problem.

By late 2008, Las Vegas house prices had dropped by nearly 33 percent from a year earlier. Nationally, the price drop was at its worst in early 2009, at almost 13 percent.

The Las Vegas market surged again in 2013 as bargain-hunting investors bought cheap homes in bulk to turn into rentals. Given the severity of the crash here, there was no shortage of supply and prices accelerated yet again, albeit this time out of the gutter.

By summer 2013, Las Vegas home prices had climbed by 29 percent from a year earlier, compared with a 10 percent jump nationally at the time, according to Case-Shiller.

Housing is a cyclical industry, prone to ups and downs, but Las Vegas market has been more volatile than most. It has a transient population and always seems to draw out-of-state investors, and there is still plenty of land left for construction.

Plus, at its essence, buying real estate can be a type of gambling: Youre betting a property will go up in value and, at some point, you can cash in.

Some win big, and some get wiped out. Whats more Vegas than that?

Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342. Follow @eli_segall on Twitter.

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Las Vegas home prices have skyrocketed more than once - Las Vegas Review-Journal

A packed house at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday was able to revel in the drama of the final day of qualifying for the Dodge//SRT NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil as championship contenders jockeyed for position in each of NHRA's four professional categories.

By the end of the day, Brittany Force, Alexis DeJoria, Greg Anderson and Matt Smith had emerged as the low qualifiers and on the eve of Halloween, each was treated to a bright yellow Camping World NHRA Series low qualifier hat.

Force locked down her 12th No. 1 qualifying spot of the season and picked up a few markers on points leader Steve Torrence. She swept the maximum 17 qualifying points available nine for low e.t. of all three qualifying sessions and eight for the No 1 spot while Torrence earned just nine, but his lead remains at more than three rounds.

Force already had the No. 1 spot in hand with her Friday 3.693 but rocketed to a 3.668 in the final session. Her Monster Energy team also picked up three bonus points in Q2 when her 3.712 was the quickest of the round and matched by Justin Ashley, but her 331.36-mph speed got the nod over his 330.15.

We had a really successful qualifying, she said. We had three great runs and our last session going into race day tomorrow was our best run, so this whole team has boosted confidence. We're in the hunt for this championship and we're in a great spot. We got that No. 1, we picked up a ton of bonus points and excited to get here tomorrow and get started.

This team is incredible. I've worked with a bunch of different crew chiefs, a bunch of different guys, and this group is unique on their own. Every team I've worked with them has been supportive and has had my back but this guy's weird just this tight-knit team.

Behind Force and Torrence (3.710) in the top eight are Ashley (3.712), Mike Salinas (3.715), Billy Torrence (3.715), Clay Millican (3.723), Josh Hart (3.745), and Antron Brown (3.748

An impressive 13 cars qualified quicker than 3.8 seconds with two more under 3.90. Troy Buff bumped his way into the show in Nevadan Bill Millers dragster on the last pass, his 3.91 booting Brandon Welchs 3.94 from the field.

DeJoria and the Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota team remained in the No. 1 spot they earned with their Friday 3.896, and the Del Worsham-led team followed with passes of 3.96 and 3.91 to solidify their tune-up for eliminations.

John Force qualified No. 2 with his Friday 3.902 but backed it up with a final pass of 3.908 while J.R. Todd stepped up to a 3.905 in Q2 to make for a tightly bunched head of the field. Behind them in the top eight are Hagan (3.905), Robert Hight (3.910, Bob Tasca III (3.916), Cruz Pedregon (3.918), and Ron Capps (3.926).

The Funny Car points lead changed hands in the final session as Hagan moved around Capps. Capps entered the event with a one-point lead and expanded his lead over Hagan from one point to three in Q2 by going second-quickest of the round, but Hagan had the best run of Q3 for three points and qualified fourth to Capps No. 8, earning him five points to Capps three. Hagans margin entering Sunday is just two points.

After struggling with their combination on their two passes, Hight and the Auto Club team made it into the field on their final pass, going from No. 17 to the top half with a clutch 3.910.

An impressive 10 cars qualified in the three-second zone with four more in the 4.0s. Jeff the Surfer Diehl ended up on the bump spot with a 4.11.

There was not a lot of shuffling in the Pro Stock field on Saturday but there was one significant move that could easily impact the ongoing championship battle. Incoming points leader Greg Anderson took over the top spot from teammate Kyle Koretsky with a 6.65 in his HendrickCars.com Camaro. The good news is that Anderson was able to add three qualifying bonus points to his score and he locked up his 11th low qualifier award this season and the 117th of his career.

On the flip side, Anderson will have a round one match against Elite Motorsports driver Troy Coughlin Jr. ,who intentionally shut off early on reach of his three qualifying runs in order to catch Anderson early.

Imagine that, said Anderson, who has been known to employ a similar qualifying strategy. I know what he [Coughlin] is capable of; hes fast and capable of cutting a great light. I say this all the time but in Pro Stock, anyone can beat anyone at a given time so this should be a good race. Were not even at Pomona yet and thew pressure is through the roof.

Our goal coming into this race was to extend the lead and so far weve done that, said Anderson. We cant control what other teams do. I leave if for everyone else to figure out what they can do. Ive got a tough customer in the first round but theyre all tough customers. Id rather be in my position than anyone elses but no lead is big enough. It could go away tomorrow. My goal is to go out and try to win and so far this weekend were looking good.

Enders, who needs to make up 81 points in order to win her fifth Pro Stock championship, will start from the No. 5 qualifying spot and will have a match against Bo Butner, who is also racing for the Elite team. Enders and Butner also raced last month in St. Louis with Enders getting the win.

The rest of the qualifying order includes Koretsky, who logged a 6.664 in his Lucas Oil Camaro for the No. 2 spot and rookie of the year contender Dallas Glenn, who is third with a 6.677. Koretsky will race Cristian Cuadra while Glenn races team Elites Aaron Stanfield.

The top spot also changed hands in Pro Stock Motorcycle where reigning champion Matt Smith rode his Denso Buell to a 6.839 at over 198 mph to steal the top spot from championship rival Steve Johnson, who had earlier run 6.848 on his Suzuki.

We came out first pass on Friday and was No. 2 and made some tweaks for today and it was better, said Smith. The air [corrected altitude] is over 4,200 feet but it worked. We picked up everywhere on the last run and the Denso/Lucas Oil Bike went to the pole.

Ive been in this situation last four years, chasing a championship and we got it done in two of the last three years. To me, the pressure is off. I figure I just need to go win this race and extend this points lead even more.

The other championship contender, Angelle Sampey, also improved to a 6.857 to take the No. 3 spot aboard her Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki.

Smith will race Michael Phillips in Sundays opening round while Johnson is paired with Charles Poskey and Sampey is scheduled to race Ryan Oehler.

The other intriguing match up of the opening round will featured Vance & Hines teammates Eddie Krawiec and Andrew Hines, who qualified No. 6 and No. 11 respectively.

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Force, DeJoria, Anderson, and Smith roll aces with top qualifying spots in Las Vegas - NHRA.com

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Las Vegas nonprofit hosting sale to benefit homeless cats medical care Nov. 7 - FOX5 Las Vegas

By Nicholas Goldberg

Monday, Nov. 1, 2021 | 2 a.m.

Days before the global climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, the Biden administration released a series of reports from the departments of Defense, Treasury and Homeland Security laying out what the world ought to expect in the years ahead as its atmosphere warms and changes.

Food shortages. Heightened competition for minerals, resources and access to water. Internal strife in developing countries; conflict between nations; collapsed economies and a threat to the financial stability of the United States. The displacement of tens of millions of people, leading to mass migrations.

This is cataclysmic, dystopian stuff. Like Dune! Like Game of Thrones! And it is not far, far away in some distant, unhappy future that none of us will live to see. In fact, there have been 18 climate disaster events already this year that have cost more than $1 billion each. Climate-related migration has already begun. The past 10 years were the hottest in recorded history.

The first stage of the crisis is here. Yet people dont seem too terribly concerned. More than three decades after the perils of climate change became well known to the public, and now even as nearly 200 nations gather in Glasgow to plot a last-gasp response, the issue is, frankly, not really top of mind for most of us.

Not that people dont care at all. They just dont care in rational proportion to the enormity of the problem. They compartmentalize it or ignore it. They feel impotent to respond. Theyre inured.

Even as I type these words, they feel finger-waggy, hysterical, familiar as if Im pacing on a street corner with an end of the world is nigh sandwich board while normal people walk delicately around me.

But really, nothing else matters this much.

In todays United States, the obstacles to action come not just from fanatical anti-science ideologues (like, say, Republican Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, who once sought to disprove climate change by brandishing a snowball on the floor of the Senate), and not just fromoil and gas executives with Snidely Whiplash mustaches determined to protect their profits at any cost. The problem, at this point, is with all of us who go blithely about our business, pretending life is normal.

United Nations Secretary-General Antnio Guterres has stated flatly that the world was racing toward the threshold of catastrophe and facing a code-red for humanity.

Can we just brush aside such assertions as misinformation or hyperbole from liberal crybabies and scaredy-cat climate nerds? Not when were hearing it from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, from U.N. leaders, from the worlds top scientists and now from the Pentagon, the intelligence agencies, the National Security Council and others.

This summer we got our most dire warning yet from the IPCC: Expect more raging storms, devastating heat waves, harrowing floods, out-of-control fires, severe droughts and other extreme events unprecedented in the observational record, the report said. It is no longer possible to reverse some of the effects of climate change or to stop their intensification over the next three decades.

That was front page news for a day or two. Then it went away.

The Biden administration, bless its dear little heart, says that now, things are going to be different. The largely unfulfilled promises of Rio, Kyoto, Copenhagen and Paris are behind us. Were now placing climate concerns at the center of the American policy agenda. President Joe Biden has said his goal is to achieve a dramatic 50% to 52% reduction in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2030.

I have no doubt hes sincere. And I certainly hope he succeeds.

But last I read, the administration cant even get the Democrats, much less the fossil fuel-addicted Republicans, behind its climate agenda. Sure, Donald climate change is a hoax Trump has been sent packing for the moment. But Sen.Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. who sometimes seems more powerful than the president and congressional leaders combined is doing what he can on behalf of his coal-industry compadres at home to obstruct key portions of Bidens anti-emissions agenda. (On Wednesday, the administration was still fighting valiantly to keep hundreds of billions of dollars for climate programs in its spending bill.)

Besides, the Democrats could lose control of the House or Senate in 2022 or, two years later, the White House.

Im sorry to go on like this, but the simple fact is that the United States, China and much of the developed world have so far failed to respond to this crisis adequately.

The voluntary pledges to reduce carbon emissions made in Paris in 2015 by nearly 200 countries havent been met.

Some countries have recently beefed up their pledges but even their newly proposed emissions cuts would provide only about one-seventh of whats needed in the next10 years to hold global warming to 1.5degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, the apparently illusory ideal goal of the 2015 Paris accord.

As for the pledge to provide $100 billion a year by 2020 to help developing nations address climate change, well, the advanced economies are falling well behind on that too.

My point, however, is not that all is lost. On the contrary, I want to add my voice to those clamoring for a more serious and sober response.

According to a recent Pew Research Center study, 72% of people in 17 advanced economies say theyre concerned climate change will harm them during their lives, and 80% say theyre willing to change how they live and work to help reduce its effects. Thats a start.

Sharp, meaningful cuts in emissions beginning right now could still make an enormous difference in what lies ahead.

Can we do that? Can we sacrifice today to protect humanitys future? Im not sure.

But perhaps Glasgow can be where it begins.

Nicholas Goldberg is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times.

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Can we rise to the challenge of climate change? - Las Vegas Sun