Category Archives: Las Vegas

Training camp is on the horizon for the Las Vegas Raiders as its less than two weeks away from rookies reporting to camp, meaning the regular season is inching closer and closer! With that, we have a bunch of season preview questions to get to for this weeks mailbag, so lets get to it.

Q: Do you think Aidan OConnell or Gardner Minshew can lead the Raiders to the playoffs this year?

A: Regardless of who wins the quarterback competition this summer, I expect Las Vegas to finish in the seven- to nine-win range. So, if the team can get to the latter, they have a chance at making the playoffs with a little bit of help, but the odds arent in their favor. I will say this though, I think the Raiders chances are better if OConnell wins the job since he has more room for growth as a younger player. It just depends on how quickly he can hit the ground running, starting with winning the job in training camp.

Q: Does Anthony Brown have any chance of shocking the world and being QB1 this year? Seems to me like he had the best camp.

A: A chance? Sure. A good or even decent one? No.

Brown would have to take a giant leap forward in training camp and likely wont get any reps with the first team seeing as those will be split up between OConnell and Minshew. His best opportunity at becoming the starter is by beating out Carter Bradley for the QB3 job and then getting an opportunity to start if OConnell and Minshew get injured. If Brown were to play well in that situation, then the discussion of him being the long-term starter would be on the table.

Q: In your opinion, do the Raiders have a Top 10 NFL roster? If not, where is it?

A: I wouldnt put the roster in the Top 10 given the instability at quarterback and cornerback. To me, its closer to the 15 to 18 range, hence my skepticism about the team being a postseason contender.

The Raiders defensive line and receiving corps are definitely Top 10 units and Kolton Miller is a stud left tackle. But they do have question marks along the offensive line and at running back. Also, the only linebacker I have a good amount of confidence in is Robert Spillane, so I cant put Las Vegas in the upper third of the league heading into the season.

Q: Who do you think has the edge heading into camp to start opposite Jack Jones and do you think they still might bring in a vet to fill that spot?

A: Jakorian Bennett was reportedly getting the majority of the first-team reps during OTAs and minicamp, and a lot of his issues last season were mental which a year of experience can help fix. So, Bennett would be my pick to win that job in training camp.

Ill take this as my weekly pitch for the Raiders to sign a veteran cornerback! I certainly want the front office to bring someone in, but there hasnt been any news on that front. Maybe they sign someone right before camp like Marcus Peters did last year, but Peters had at least visited with the organization at this point a year ago.

In other words, its looking like Las Vegas will head into training camp with the corners it already has. Maybe the team gets a week or two into practice and the front office decides to be more aggressive, but I wouldnt hold my breath waiting for that to happen.

Q: Outside of CB, who is a player youd like to see added before the season starts?

A: I think the Raiders could use a backup option for John Jenkins in case something were to happen to Jenkins and they dont have another notable nose tackle on the roster. So, Linval Joseph could be a good option to fill that role.

Joseph is obviously passed his prime as hell turn 36 in October, but hed at least give them a veteran insurance policy to help stop the run if Jenkins were to go down. I could see the coaching staff letting the young defensive tackles battle it out during training camp and then adding Joseph, or someone else, to the practice squad right before the start of the regular season.

Q: What are your thoughts on Isaiah Pola-Mao? Whenever he got on the field, he seemed to make plays.

A: I wrote a film room piece on Pola-Mao about a month ago (see below) and Im excited to see what his role is on the team this season. As you mentioned, hes made a handful of plays in the few opportunities hes gotten so far and the coaching staff had some good things to say about him during the spring. I think Pola-Mao can be a good fit in Patrick Grahams system as a versatile safety, Id just like to see him improve as a run defender when playing in the box.

Q: If the NFL is so hellbent on having 18 games on the schedule, why dont the players ask for an expanded roster? Maybe 60 players instead of 53?

A: I think the players and NFLPA would push harder for an extra bye week and a higher salary cap before asking for expanded rosters. The extra bye means their bodies have more time to recover and more cap space allows them to make more money since the league will get more revenue from the TV contracts. Expanding rosters would negate the latter a bit because teams would have to pay more players.

With the 18-game schedule, I think most players are more concerned with the wear and tear on their bodies and being compensated for playing an extra game than they are about their teams depth. The best players are going to be on the field every week regardless of how big the roster is, so expanding the roster isnt going to do much for their concerns.

A: I definitely think Christian Wilkins will be a factor on third downs. Where the Giants were coming from is historically, Wilkins hasnt been a great or elite pass rusher, but he was much better last season. For example, Pro Football Focus had him logging a career-high 61 pressures last season which was nearly double his previous best of 33.

Also, Touchdown Wires Doug Farrar pulled a stat from Sports Info Solutions that Wilkins was tied with Chris Jones and DeForest Bucker for the second-most third-down pressures (27) from interior defensive linemen in 2023 trailing only Quinnen Williams. So, dont get worried about what the front office that signed Daniel Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract thinks!

A: Ill put it this way, I think Antonio Pierce would have gone full Mike Ditka and traded a boatload of draft picks for Jayden Daniels if it were up to him and Tom Telesco is notorious for never trading in the draft. Mark Davis might set the budget and Pierce will have influence, but the roster decisions are ultimately up to Telesco.

A: In the sense that there will be two tight ends with their hands in the ground more often than not, not necessarily because Brock Bowers can be used like a slot receiver. But I would expect to see 12 personnel as the base personnel package with Bowers, Micheal Mayer, Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers on the field, if thats what youre referring to.

Then, Tre Tucker would be the 12th man so to speak who still gets a decent amount of playing time as the change-of-pace receiver. If I had to guess, Id say Tucker and Mayer wouldnt be on the field together that much, subbing in and out for each other.

Thatll do it for this weeks mailbag. Thank you all for submitting questions and, as your weekly reminder, if youd like to have your questions answered in a future column, tweet them at me, @MHolder95, email them to SBPQuestions1@gmail.com or look for our weekly call for questions on the site. The latter will continue to publish on Thursdays.

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Mailbag: Can Aidan OConnell or Gardner Minshew lead Raiders to playoffs? - Silver And Black Pride

3 observations after Council, Aluma help Sixers win their opener in Las Vegas originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

With a clean slate in Las Vegas, the Sixers opened their second summer league of 2024 on a winning note.

Following a 1-2 stay in Salt Lake City, the Sixers notched a 94-81 victory Saturday night over the Pistons.

Ricky Council IV led them with a 24-point, six-rebound outing. No. 5 overall pick Ron Holland II recorded 15 points and seven rebounds for Detroit.

The Sixers second game in Vegas will be Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET vs. the Trail Blazers. Here are observations on their win Saturday:

The Sixers did not have the most encouraging start.

Council let a three-pointer fly on the teams first possession and air balled it. Jared McCain also came up well short on his first three-point attempt and missed an early contested layup. Detroit jumped out to a 9-2 lead.

Jeff Dowtin Jr. (18 points, eight assists, five rebounds) remained the Sixers main point guard, though McCain brought the ball forward a decent amount in the open floor. He got on the board with a slick left-to-right crossover and driving layup.

While it hasnt corresponded with incredible numbers, McCains displayed good attacking instincts and skills in transition during summer league. In the second quarter, he pushed the ball ahead, used a drag screen, and drained a pull-up three.

It will be intriguing to see what strides McCain can make this year as a movement shooter. The Sixers called an after-timeout play for him late in the second quarter, having the 20-year-old curl off of two down screens and receive a pass from Dowtin. McCains mid-range jumper went in and out, but the reps navigating around screens should absolutely be helpful for him.

Hes clearly capable of operating off on-ball screens, too. McCain made one of the nights best plays early in the third quarter when he ran a pick-and-roll with Adem Bona, quickly faked a pass, and kept on driving for a lefty layup.

McCain's jump shots still aren't dropping the way they usually do. He had 11 points on 4-for-14 shooting, six rebounds and two steals.

Bona (eight points, seven rebounds, five blocks) scored his first Vegas points on a put-back slam.

On the Sixers next possession, Bona set a solid pick for Dowtin followed by a Gortat screen sealing his man while also clearing out space for Dowtins driving bucket la Marcin Gortat.

Refining his pick-and-roll game will be a huge part of Bonas offensive development. Those sorts of sequences in which he reads the play as it unfolds will be an important aspect.

Bona has obvious room for improvement overall offensively. He had one rough turnover Saturday when he drove from the left side of the floor, pivoted back, and tossed a pass to no one. His sprint down the floor couldnt prevent a Daniss Jenkins dunk.

Defensively, Bona was again hungry to block anything he could and quite effective. Hes up to 14 rejections through four summer league outings.

As was the case in Salt Lake City, Council wasnt bashful about putting up threes.

He had an off night from long range, going 1 for 6 beyond the arc, but Council regularly slashed into the paint and looked to create fouls. He went 9 for 9 at the free throw line.

Against any competition, foul drawing appears to be one of the top skills in Councils game. For an NBA role player whose minutes likely wont be massive at all on most nights next season, its a nice way that he can contribute. And it also means that Councils value hinges a little less on whether his jumpers are falling.

Teams dont love to see players waste possessions in search of fouls, but its typically fair enough when Council plows into the lane and hopes to hear a whistle. He often gets what hes seeking.

Council threw down a few more dunks, too.

Keve Aluma continued to give the Sixers efficient, impressive production behind Bona. Sixers summer league head coach Matt Brase opened the fourth quarter with Bona and Aluma together in the frontcourt.

The 25-year-old Aluma posted 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting and eight rebounds. He closed the game out and was excellent in crunch time.

Shortly after sinking a three, Aluma pump faked and drove to the rim for an and-one layup. Great work by a player who spent last season in South Korea.

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3 observations after Council, Aluma help Sixers win their opener in Las Vegas - Yahoo Sports

Now, that most of the roster-building portion of the offseason is over, it is clear that the Las Vegas Raiders will have one of the most expensive wide receiver units in the NFL for the 2024 season.

A recent tweet by NFL analyst Warren Sharp shows that the Raiders are currently slated to spend $42.1 million at the wide-receiver position this season. It is on pace to be the sixth most expensive wide-receiver room in the league this season.

Here is Sharps complete list of what teams are spending on their wide receivers in 2024:

With Davante Adams being one of the highest paid receivers in the NFL and with No. 2 starter Jakobi Meyers signing a nice free-agent deal with Las Vegas last season, its no surprise the Raiders are one of the most highly invested teams at wide receiver.

This group is good, so you get what you pay for.

In other Raiders news:

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Silver Minings: Raiders have 1 of most expensive wide receiver rooms in NFL - Silver And Black Pride

When the Las Vegas Raiders and running back Josh Jacobs could not agree on contract terms, they essentially changed their approach to the running back position. After years of being a team with one standout running back that the offense was built around, the Raiders decided to lean on their running back group heading into next season.

The Raiders already had a running back on their roster who they believed could pace the offense next season: Zamir White. After White performed well down the stretch in Jacobs absence, he effectively solidified himself as the back who should have most of the carries next season, albeit with a significantly lighter workload than Jacobs.

The Raiders also had veteran running back Ameer Abdullah, who is a serviceable change of pace back and compliments Whites skill set well. Abdullah and White's strengths complement each other well.

However, even with those two already in the backfield, Raiders general manager Tom Telesco added even more talent to the running back room by signing veteran Alexander Mattison.

"[I run] downhill, fast and physical, that's my mindset, Mattison said. I just hope that I can be of value in pass protection, catching the ball out of the backfield, and definitely in the run game as well. So, yeah, I just like to try, and be as versatile as I can, be a smart player, and play downhill, fast, and physical."

Mattison played in 16 games last season. His third-highest rushing total of the season came against the Raiders.

Mattison hopes his versatility can help the Raiders offense specifically, his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.

"I think [catching the ball out of the backfield] is a big part of this offense," Mattison said. "I mean, you see where coach Gestys been before, Aaron Jones and [David] Montgomery, those guys and the system that they were in when he was there. Catching out the backfield is a big part of this offense, so being able to do that. Were all capable of doing in that in that room, so I just hope that I can be a part of that as well."

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What RB Alexander Mattison brings to the Las Vegas Raiders' offense - Sports Illustrated

A high-tech, $75 million driving range opened just north of the Las Vegas Strip barely two months ago, and it has already started laying off employees. Prior to opening, Atomic Golf hosted a hiring event to contract hundreds of staff members to work its more than 100 driving ranges, six full-service bars, kitchens, lounges, and event spaces. Now, the entertainment venue is administering layoffs that will impact up to half of its staffers.

When it opened in March, Atomic Golf was one of four new golf bars to open in Las Vegas. The 100,000-square-foot driving range offers golf play, sports-viewing, and food and drink. On May 24, Atomic Golf confirmed that the new venue is already conducting layoffs, according to 8 News Now. A Reddit user posted a photo of an email indicating that 250 positions were being eliminated. (Atomic Golf has not responded to Eater Vegass request for comment.) Staff at Atomic Golf only confirmed that a substantial number of staff had been laid off in May, 8 News Now reported.

The sprawling four-story driving range next to the Strat has a 212-yard range with technology that Atomic Golf says tracks playerss statistics. A digital Putting District uses projection mapping for its putting bays and a multi-use room called the Astrocade is covered in floor-to-ceiling displays for entertainment or watching sports.

Former Top of the World executive chef Robert Lomeli runs the kitchen, which serves bites like chicharron nachos with chorizo and queso blanco, a trio of pulled pork sliders with pickles, and crispy chicken sandwiches. The VIP lounge has fancier options with seafood towers, caviar service, and 18-ounce ribeye steak.

So far, Atomic Golfs other new golf complex peers have skirted layoff issues. Those new venues include the Tiger Woods-affiliated PopStroke course at Town Square, the bar and virtual J Bar & Golf Lounge in Chinatown, and the forthcoming adults-only mini Swingers Crazy Golf golf course. Eater will update this story as more information becomes available.

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One of Las Vegas's Four New Golf Bars Is Already Laying Off Workers - Eater Vegas

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It has now been over a year since Las Vegas Metro Police were called to a home to investigate a report of 8 to 10-foot tall aliens in the familys backyard.

The 911 call reporting the aliens in the backyard came shortly after a bright object was spotted in the sky by more than 20 people in eastern California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah.

Theyre like 8 foot, 9 feet, 10 foot, the 911 caller said. They look like aliens to us. Big eyes. They have big eyes. Like, I cant explain it, and big mouth. Theyre shiny eyes and theyre human. Theyre 100% not human.

The latest twist in this ongoing story now comes from veteran crime scene reconstruction analyst Scott Roder of Evidence Room Animation and Exhibits. Roder has testified in several high-profile court cases including the 2014 Oscar Pistorius murder trial.

Roder, who earlier this month reported that video that supposedly shows the aliens in the Las Vegas familys backyard hadnt been altered and was authentic, has offered even more insight into what appears on the video.

The crime scene expert claims that when breaking the video into 30 individual frames per second he can see a head with smoke around it in the top right corner of the video peering over the fence, which he believes involves some sort of cloaking device.

I applied the same principles that I would apply to any kind of homicide investigation, said Roder. At this particular time, with what weve seen here, is proof of a couple of things. That these entities are real. Theyre there. This is not fake. This is not a fraud.

Scott Roder also added a challenge to anyone who doubts his assertions, saying, I want to open this up, everything that weve done. Im opening it up for peer review, okay? Anybody out there with a degree in photography, anybody out there who is an expert qualified witness in video analysis like I am, anybody out there with a masters degree or higher in education in video analysis, video editing, photography, film development, computer animation and so on and so forth, bring it on.

The family in Las Vegas is not only still sticking to their story about the aliens in their backyard, and their claims that they saw a government SUV containing men in black circling in their Las Vegas neighborhood, they also say they have experienced paranormal events since their encounter with the aliens.

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Las Vegas Family's Alien Encounter Story Takes Another Twist - BroBible

The 2023 WNBA season crowned a wire-to-wire No. 1 team. The Las Vegas Aces entered the year as defending champions and maintained the top spot in the league standings and these power rankings the entire year pretty comfortably, even with a brief swoon in August.

Thus far, 2024 hasnt been the same story of dominance for Las Vegas. The Aces, despite beginning the season with four home games against opponents that failed to make last seasons playoffs, havent consistently looked the part of title favorites. Their defense is below league average, and even their wins against the Phoenix Mercury and the Los Angeles Sparks have been nervier than expected.

Perhaps that trend will change when Chelsea Gray returns to the lineup, but for now, the league is experiencing more parity relative to any point last season. Projected lottery teams are taking down title contenders. The battle for the top spot in these rankings was neck-and-neck, essentially coming down to one foul call in the final 10 seconds of an overtime game.

The promise of unpredictability on any given night and the threat of a real playoff race have helped deliver on the hype of the most anticipated WNBA season to date. Enjoy the unpredictability while it lasts.

Entering this season, McBrides 3-point percentage had dropped for three consecutive years with the Minnesota Lynx. It was fair to wonder whether the soon-to-be 32-year-old who consistently plays year-round (she was the Final Four MVP as she captured yet another EuroLeague title this offseason with Fenerbahe) was experiencing age-related slippage.

The start of this campaign has put those concerns to rest. Stats through five games are prone to some exaggeration, but McBride is averaging 17.2 points and a career-best 3.8 assists per game. Her effective field-goal percentage is a shocking 70.4 for context, her previous best over a full season is 52.6. The Lynx are scoring 40.6 points more per 100 possessions with her on the court en route to a 4-1 start. Perhaps her only blemish was a missed fadeaway at the buzzer against the Connecticut Sun that would have made that record 5-0.

How did McBride respond to that miss? She dropped 14 points and added 5 assists against the New York Liberty while defending Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and limiting her to 4 points on 2-of-8 shooting. The next day, on the second game of a back-to-back, McBride was perfect from the field for 37 minutes, making all nine of her field goals and five free throws while guarding All-Stars Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray. The magic wore off at the end of the game, but even then, one of her misses could have charitably been considered a turnover instead.

McBride has to be defended as if shes a five-alarm fire from long range. She ranks 13th for the most 3s in WNBA history, and cracking the top 10 is well within reach this season, even as she presumably cools from her 51.4 percent shooting clip.

Billings had spent the entirety of her pro career with the Atlanta Dream before her offseason departure. She chose to sign with the Sparks, her hometown team, but was ultimately the last cut in training camp.

Her absence from the WNBA didnt last too long as the Dallas Wings came calling once Natasha Howard and Jaelyn Brown went down on opening night, and Billings has been the missing piece for the Wings, in the words of coach Latricia Trammell. A career reserve, Billings entered the starting lineup for Dallas in her second game and averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Wings went 2-1 this week.

In a fun twist of fate, two of the games were against Atlanta and Los Angeles. Billings had 20 points and 10 rebounds against the Dream, a stat line she managed only once in six years in Atlanta. She individually bested her replacement Tina Charles on the night, but Dallas came up short in the final result.

Billings would not be denied in her second opportunity for revenge. Against the players whom she battled in training camp two weeks prior, Billings was dominant on the glass. In the second half, despite being on a back-to-back, she had three offensive rebounds of her own compared with zero for the Sparks. Her driving layup past Cameron Brink with 2 1/2 minutes to go gave the Wings a lead they would not relinquish. On the ensuing possession, she made two free throws and shushed the crowd the home fans she once had hoped to represent as she ran back down the floor.

A lot of emotions, she said. All I can say is patience is bitter, but the fruit is sweet.

When the Seattle Storm brought together four All-Stars during the offseason, the question became who would play alongside them. Victoria Vivians has won the job for now, but it might be only a matter of time until Jordan Horston supplants her, at least in the closing five. Horston, who is in her second season, still hasnt figured out how to score efficiently, but she does a little bit of everything else well, and thats arguably more important when playing alongside so much other scoring talent.

She boxes out bigger players and skies in for rebounds. Shes a smart passer, especially out of drives when shes already compromised the defense, and is always looking for her bigs inside. Horston is also an active defensive playmaker; her 9 total stocks (steals plus blocks) this week were eclipsed by only Napheesa Collier and Brink.

Horston makes winning plays. Over the past week, she ranked sixth in the league in plus-minus behind five members of the Lynx and Sun. Thats the kind of player the Storm will want on the court as they attempt to return to the playoffs.

With several years of professional experience in Turkey including a EuroLeague championship with Fenerbahe this past season the 26-year-old is only a rookie in the WNBA. Nevertheless, shes been asked to run the show for a team thats a potential contender and had significant personnel turnover. That isnt easy for any point guard, let alone one new to this style of play.

She runs our team well and has confidence and keeps us poised, teammate Arike Ogunbowale said.

Uzuns ball control so far has been remarkable. She ranks in the top sixth of the league in assist-to-turnover ratio, and in the past week, trails only Jackie Young among starting point guards. Facing the ball pressure of Natasha Cloud and Kahleah Copper in Phoenix, Uzun had 3 turnovers and then followed that up with 8 assists to no turnovers against Los Angeles. Its not as if Uzun is risk averse, as she demonstrated with an over-the-head pass to Teaira McCowan in the paint against the Sparks.

The Wings have placed a great deal of faith in Uzun by waiving Veronica Burton, trading Crystal Dangerfield and not re-signing Odyssey Sims. The point guard role is all hers, and shes validating their belief thus far.

Cameron Brink versus Angel Reese. The rookie bigs played each other twice as college sophomores, when Reese was at Maryland and Brink at Stanford, but they havent met since each developed into an All-American. They both have impressed already as WNBA starters, with Brink leading the league in blocks per game and Reese in offensive rebounds. When the Sparks and the Sky face off, these two will have to guard each other, resulting in what could be the best direct rookie showdown of the season.

(Photo of Aja Wilson, Jackie Young and Kiah Stokes: Jeff Bottari / NBAE via Getty Images)

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WNBA power rankings: Have the Las Vegas Aces stumbled from No. 1? - The New York Times

Late one recent evening at the California Hotel and Casino, in downtown Las Vegas, a few miles north of the Strip, I tried my luck at a slot machine for the very first time. Fifteen minutes later, I was down by twenty bucks or sothirty if you count the exorbitant A.T.M. fee Id been determined to win backand feeling defeated. No matter; it was time for a vastly surer bet, the real reason I was here. Every night, from 11P.M. to 6 A.M., the hotels twenty-four-hour restaurant, the Market Street Caf, serves one of Vegass most iconic dishes. Minutes after Id been seated at the counter, next to an eighty-seven-year-old woman in oversized sunglasses, a server presented me with a large bowl of Hawaii-style oxtail soup, a glistening, fragrant broth brimming with carrots, celery, and hunks of oxtail bone, from which supple shreds of purple meat loosened easily. It came with a scoop of rice and a hefty pinch of pounded ginger and fresh cilantro. Had I been sickwith a head cold or a longing for Hawaii, or bothI imagine it would have cured me.

If an oxtail soup from Hawaii seems an unlikely thing to eat in Las Vegas, you have a lot to learn about both places, as I did, and still do. Census data from 2020 showed that Clark County, Nevada, which includes Las Vegas, was the U.S. county with the largest population of native Hawaiians outside of Hawaii, a statistic that tells only part of the story. The word Hawaiian typically applies to the islands Indigenous population, descendants of the Polynesians who first settled Hawaii, between 1000 and 1200 A.D., and who were nearly eradicated by the arrival of Europeans, in the late eighteenth century. Other people born and raised on the islandsmany of them the descendants of migrant laborers from Japan, Korea, China, the Philippines, Portugal, and Puerto Rico, who came to work on sugarcane and pineapple plantationsare known as kamaaina (residents), Hawaii people, or locals. The last of these terms applies even in Vegas, where there are so many Hawaii people that theyve given the city an affectionate nickname: the Ninth Island.

The California Hotelthe Cal, to regularshas played a central role in the Hawaii-to-Vegas pipeline. Opened in 1975 by Sam Boyd, an Oklahoma-born entrepreneur, it was the first property in what would become Boyd Gaming, one of the largest casino-management corporations in the country. According to William Boyd, Sams son, who wrote the foreword for a book about the hotel from 2008, the Cal was named for its original intended audience, gamblers from California. But, a year in, we were struggling, William wrote. One day [my dad] said to me, You know, were going to need a niche market here and thats going to be Hawaii.

After living and working in Honolulu for several years, Sam Boyd had developed an affinity for the islands and their people, whom he found to be industrious and who seemed to love gambling, which has always been illegal there. The Cal lured guests from Hawaii with promotions that included discounted airfare, free rooms, and credits for meals at a restaurant called Aloha Specialties, which is still part of the hotel today. The answer to where you vacation when you live in paradise was, apparently, Las Vegas. Gamblers from Hawaii were unlike anything the Vegas market had experienced, according to one of the 2008 books authors, Dennis M.Ogawa, a professor emeritus of American studies at the University of Hawaii at Mnoa. Not only did they spend much more money per day than the average tourist, Ogawa writes, but theyd also arrive in groups, laden with luggage they had filled with gifts for the staff: fresh pineapples, Maui onions, Kona coffee, and boxes of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts.

When I arrived at the Cal on asunny Monday afternoon, a down-on-his-luck man, slumped in a tree bed on the sidewalk outside, looked up at me with a grin and said, Aloha. The Cal, and downtown Vegas more broadly, has seen more glamorous days, but, inside, a wholesome sense of nostalgia hung in the air, along with the scent of cigarette smoke. The carpeted floor of the casino was patterned with enormous hibiscus flowers; outside the Ohana conference room, I met a man wearing a midnight-blue T-shirt printed with the word SPAM in the brands signature yellow fonta show of support, he explained, for Spams parent company, Hormel Foods, which had helped to rehabilitate Maui after the devastating wildfires in 2023. I thought maybe you were a Spam fanatic, I said. The man, whose name was Gene, laughed and said, Well, isnt everyone from Hawaii a Spam fanatic?

Gene was at the Cal for the sort of event that has become commonplace there over the years: a reunion for a high school in Hawaii, in this case Hilo High, class of 1955. (The Maui High class of 53 was meeting on the same dates.) Spam was introduced to the islands when Gene was a child. Originally served to G.I.s stationed there during the Second World War, it became a staple of the local diet, incorporated into everything from musubiHawaiis version of onigirito saimin, a dashi-based noodle soup. In general, the Cals clientele seemed to skew elderly; at check-in, the young woman behind the front desk greeted guests in line ahead of me as Auntie and Uncle.

Beyond the hotel, I found a vibrant, multigenerational world of Hawaii people. In the decades after the casino opened, the appeal of Vegas grew as not only a place to vacation but also a place to live. In 1992, the Hawaii-born playwright Edward Sakamoto published a play called Aloha Las Vegas, about a widower named Wally who is weighing a move from Honolulu. An old friend named Harry, who has already relocated, urges him to do the same. Aeh, its a mass exodus to Vegas, Harry says, in Hawaii pidgin. Lodda people in Hawaii house-rich and cash-poor. Thirty years later, the line holds up. When I asked Jennifer Vergara, a forty-two-year-old transplant from Honolulu, why so many Hawaii people of her generation had left home, she replied matter-of-factly: Gentrification. Developers. Inflation. In Honolulu, most of her friendsschoolteachers, policemenwere struggling, and in many cases living with their parents, even after having kids of their own. Better jobs and plentiful real estate beckoned, oasis-like, from the Mojave; in Vegas, Vergara and her husband, who have two kids, are employed as nurses and own a three-bedroom home.

Perhaps nothing so clearly reflects this ongoing exodus as the citys landscape of restaurants. It would be easy to define the food in Vegas by the offerings at its lavish casinos and hotels, many of them pandering to the tastes of high-rolling tourists, all caviar and king crab and Wagyu. But, off the Strip, there are hundreds of humbler, family-run, counter-service establishments, a strip-mall ecosystem reminiscent of greater Los Angeles. From the airport, I drove to a restaurant called 2 Scoops of Aloha, which shares a shopping plaza with two insurance offices, an acne clinic, and an iPhone repair store. There, I ordered whats known in Hawaii as a plate lunch. Born of the hearty appetites of plantation laborers, a plate lunch usually includes two scoops of rice and one of macaroni salad, plus meat or fish. I opted for fried chicken two waysone portion smothered in a garlicky gravy, the other slicked in a sweet-spicy Korean-style glazeand a side of poi, a Polynesian dish of boiled taro, pounded into a viscous paste.

The meal illustrated the fusion inherent in the islands cuisine, a collision of cultures that dont cohere so much as happily coexist. Johnathan Wright, a restaurant reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal who was raised in Honolulu, defined the cuisine as whatever I grew up eating: galbi (Korean short ribs), Cantonese roast duck, manapuas (Hawaiis take on baos), Spam. Jeremy Cho, a Korean American professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who was born in Hawaii, told me that hed been surprised by the citys abundance of Hawaii-style Korean food, distinct from the Korean food youd encounter in L.A. or Fort Lee, New Jersey. In Vegas, as in his home state, it was easy to find a plate lunch featuring whats known in Hawaii as meat jun, a pancake made of egg-battered beef.

More than one kamaaina described food as closing the gap between the tropics and the desert. Poke Express, that tastes like home, Vergara said, of a takeout place she frequents. Alysa Andrade, an organizer of Pure Aloha, one of Vegass Hawaii-themed festivals, founded in 2004, described a boom in restaurants serving island food, as well as other businesses targeting locals: pool detailing, tribal-tattoo artists, Hawaiian-language classes. When I go back home, I want to come back here, Andrade told me over a slice of guava cake and chunks of pineapple sprinkled in powdered li hing mui (pickled and dried plum), at Straight Up Cafe, whose menu promises killah grinds, pidgin for great food. I like Vegas. I feel like everyones doing the same thing back home. Theyre just still in the same place where I left them twenty years ago.

Excerpt from:

The Decades-Long Romance of Las Vegas and Hawaii - The New Yorker

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A man suspected by police as the driver of a deadly hit-and-run crash had also previously been accused of robbery and kidnapping, according to police.

Manuel Mendoza Jr. was arrested on May 23, over a month after a crash that left Robert Bager dead, police said.

On April 20, police received reports that a crash involving a pedestrian had occurred near North Main Street and Foremaster Avenue. Calls to police stated that the pedestrian appeared dead and that the driver of the car involved had left the scene, according to a police report.

When the first officer arrived at the scene he started to render aid and performed CPR on the pedestrian. Once a medical team arrived they determined that the pedestrian later identified as Robert Bager was beyond resuscitation, the police report stated.

Detectives at the scene later determined that Bager had been crossing Main Street, south of Foremaster Avenue from east to west outside of a marked or implied crosswalk before the crash.

Surveillance video along with witness reports in the area described seeing a white Chrysler Sebring convertible traveling at a high rate of speed southbound on Main Street and turning onto Owens Avenue, according to the report.

On May 1, police received information that Mendoza was suspected in the hit-and-run and was also listed in a robbery case in which he had been arrested. Detectives noted that the vehicle Mendoza used during the alleged robbery was the white Chrysler Sebring vehicle. The vehicle also had a suspended registration and was registered to an owner in Los Angeles, California, police stated.

Detectives also learned that the National Insurance Crime Bureau was investigating the vehicle following reports of a suspicious car fire and stated it was completely burned. Detectives also learned the vehicle had been towed one day after the crash at the request of the Henderson Police Department. Pictures taken by the tow service showed contact damage to the front right portion of the vehicle, according to police.

Henderson police also stated that 911 calls reported smoke near Athens Avenue and North Orleans Street on April 21 shortly before 1:30 a.m., according to the police report.

Near the burned car police noted a Nevada license plate was located but belonged to a 2001 BMW. Detectives then determined the vehicle was driven to the location and concluded the cause of the fire to be arson, according to the report.

The Nevada license plate found at the scene of the fire indicated that the vehicle had been hit on April 20 at 11:33 p.m. and again at 11:41 p.m. that same night, according to police. It was then determined by investigators that the damage to the Chrysler was consistent with the hit-and-run collision, according to the police report. Detectives concluded that the Chrysler was likely burned in an attempt to destroy and conceal evidence of its involvement, police stated in the report.

A DMV records search on Mendoza also showed a traffic citation on Jan. 12 for displaying a bogus vehicle registration/plate/title/ and owner proof of insurance required. Mendozas criminal history also showed robbery, burglary, and kidnapping charges, according to the police report.

Police also located an outstanding warrant for his arrest for failing to appear in a no-proof of insurance citation, according to the police report. Detectives also learned that Mendoza was released on his robbery charges and was issued a stay-out-of-trouble order by the courts and scheduled to appear in court on May 23. Police conducted a follow-up investigation at his home that day and placed him under arrest.

Following his arrest, Mendoza told police on the night of the hit-and-run crash he had been headed to meet friends at the Circus-Cirus casino. On his way there he told police A person appeared in front of his vehicle, police stated. Mendoza then told police he could not specify what part of his vehicle hit the person but indicated that the collision was loud and he knew he hit something, according to the report. Mendoza then told police he became terrified and began to panic. Mendoza then denied any involvement with the Chrysler being set on fire or knowledge of it and instead told police he left the keys in the vehicle, unlocked, the police report stated.

According to police, Mendoza Jr. faces the following charges.

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Las Vegas police: Man accused in deadly hit-and-run crash previously accused of robbery, kidnapping - KLAS - 8 News Now

I met Young Park and his wife, Angela Tang, at a sushi counter. Snapping photos and sunburned from the beach, they seemed like many other touristsuntil I overheard Park swapping dining recs with the local to my left. Jajangmyeon at On Dong Chinese Restaurant, he said. Twice-cooked pork at Wu Wei Chong Qing Cuisine. Id just researched both places for HONOLULU Magazines April food feature. Not only was Park on the money, he was onto places most locals dont know about. First, you eat the pork mixed in with noodles, he was saying, hunkered over and inhaling as if Wu Weis barbecued pork were in front of him. Next, you put it over rice. Thats the way to eat it.

We kept in touch. I learned that Park, a banking attorney based in Las Vegas, helped open Ohana Pacific Bank on Kapiolani Boulevard in the late 1990s. His family has run the Los Angeles K-town institution Soot Bull Jeep since the 1980s, one of the few Korean barbecue spots still using charcoal grills. In the last seven years, Park says, he and Tang have been to Honolulu 15 times, staying a month at a time and eating out every meal. They do the same in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Xian (Tangs hometown in China) and Tokyo. These are also their favorite food cities, along with Miami, Busan in South Korea and Osaka, Japan.

What does a regular visitor who loves eating so muchobsessively, at every level from sushi omakase to noodleslove to eat most in Honolulu? Before I could ask, Park offered his Top 15 dishes. So here they are.

Photo: Melissa Chang

The Iberico pork (medium rare and only prepared by chef Masa Gushiken) is flavorful and juicy with zero gaminess, and the house-made Maui onion sauce, paprika pure and mushrooms pair optimally with it. The octopus, cooked to a perfect medium rare, is easily one of the best Ive ever tasted anywhere. Potato slices and chimichurri sauce take the dish to the next level.

346 Lewers St., (808) 772-4533,@elcielo_hawaii

SEE ALSO:Hawaiis Best New Restaurants of 2023

What the best jajangmyeon black soybean noodle dishes used to taste like in L.A. K-town in the 80s and 90s, down to the kim chee and raw onions and daikon pickles on the side (but better here because its locally sourced).

1499 S. King St., (808) 947-9444

Photo: Thomas Obungen

As a SoCal In-N-Out Double-Double guy, I am not a fan of smash burgers. But chef Robert Urquidi from Ethels Grill said this was his favorite, and I am now a huge fan. The meat quality is so good you can eat the patty on its own. And its really smashed so that the edges are thin and crispy. Comes only with American cheese, a special house sauce with a hint of wasabi (damn good) and a slightly sweet potato bun made for exactly this burger structure. You can order to go and eat it 30 minutes later and it will taste absolutely fine. You cannot do that with a Double-Double from In-N-Out.

1110 Nuuanu Ave., @thedaleyburger

SEE ALSO:You May Want to Eat at Chinatowns New Burger Bar Daley

Photo: Melissa Chang

The fact that this weekend-only dish was enjoyed by sultans in the 1500s just makes it more special. The poached local eggs with the familys mint yogurt sauce, Turkish sweet peppers, pine nuts and house-made sourdough bread are amazing.

1108 Auahi St., (808) 772-4440,istanbulhawaii.com,@istanbulhawaii

SEE ALSO:Istanbul Adds Mediterranean Brunch Fare to Weekends in Kakaako

Photo: Angela Tang

The regular hamburger steak, not the Japanese one with ponzu and grated daikon. Comes with a scoop of rice and simple salad with house-made parsley-Dijon dressing.Get it with extra dark brown gravyUrquidi adds small pieces of cabbage for texture and to balance the richness of the hamburger steak. Its the same idea as Jewish corned beef and cabbage and its brilliant. The hamburger steak itself is juicy with crisp edges and great flavor. Served out of a styrofoam box but great even like this.

232 Kalihi St., (808) 847-6467, @ethelsgrill_kalihi

Screenshot courtesy of @brickfiretavern

Red tomato sauce, shaved parmesan and the house focaccia are perfect paired with the three good-sized meatballs of this appetizer. The mix of local beef and pork delivers a fantastic texturenot too hard and not too soft. Great flavor and juicy. Get it with the Caesar salad, and you will be in heaven.

3447 Waialae Ave., (808) 379-2430, brickfiretavern.com, @brickfiretavern

Photo: Angela Tang

The fresh fish plates here are great, but you can find them at many places. The shrimp quesadillas, though, are bomb. Even by L.A. Mexican food standards, this dish is very good: The shrimps are jumbo and generously portioned, and a thin layer of refried beans gives the quesadilla a rich, creamy texture.

Multiple locations, paiafishmarket.com, @paiafishmarket

Photo: Angela Tang

Honestly, all the dishes Ive had here are damn good. But Ive not eaten a better French toast anywhere else on this planet. It has a slight crisp outside (the cinnamon toast crunch), a soft and airy inside, and it is not doughy or bready at all. Flavor and texture are Michelin-star worthy.

418 Kuulei Road, (808) 260-1732, overeasyhi.com, @overeasyhi

Photo: Angela Tang

A simple dish thats executed perfectly. Just the right rice-to-broth ratio. Generous portions of oxtail meat. Made with customer satisfaction in mind and not profits.

740 Kapahulu Ave., (808) 738-1038, @aburiya_ibushi

Photo: Angela Tang

True Okinawa dishes and so rare. Taco and not tako! Served in a hot stone pot (Korean dol sol bibimbap style) with white rice, Mexican taco-seasoned ground beef, cheese, lettuce, chunky salsa (Pace Picante style and not pico de gallo) and a raw egg yolk that gets scrambled in front of you until fully mixed and then spread against the hot stone bowl so the rice can cook to a crisp. The gyoza pizza is paper thin and tastes like a smashed gyoza with cheese. Super tasty and unique.

2700 S. King St., (808) 951-0510, naru-honolulu.com, @izakaya.naru

Photo: Angela Tang

Made with love, this is a recipe from a lovely Japanese couple with three daughters who started this to-go spot. Their beef and spicy chicken bowls are probably the best on the island, but the tonjiru pork miso soup is next level. Served piping hot (like McDonalds hot coffee back in the days before they got sued) with generous chunks of potatoes, carrots, onions and tofu.

45-726 Kamehameha Hwy, (808) 234-0818, gotzgrindz.com, @gotzgrindz_gotzkitchen

SEE ALSO:Hidden Gem: Gotz Grindz Musubis in Kneohe

Photo: Angela Tang

This is the final item that is served as part of the chicken-focused omakase yakitori. Dont get me wrong, the yakitori is very good, but there are plenty of similar or better caliber. Its the nabe that is truly next level. Motsu (beef intestines), cabbage and chives are piled high when the hot pot is brought to the table and set on a live flame. They melt into a lip-smacking broth that is rich in collagen. This is liquid gold, and I think it may cure depression!

1215 Center St., (808) 739-5702, @yakitoriando

SEE ALSO:Hawaiis Senior Yakitori Master Has Opened His Own Restaurant

Photo: Angela Tang

Easily the best high-end sushi spot on Oahu and for quality and freshness of ingredients, among the best in New York City, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Majority of the seafood is sourced from Japan or Hawaii. The sushi is traditional but with flair that is not pretentious. No courses taste alike. Pieces are perfectly seasoned, with no need for additional shoyu or wasabi. The ambiance suits the level of sushi that is served. Seats eight people max in a minimalist setting that is clean, cozy and warm. You get to interact directly with chef Hiroshi Tsuji, who is professional and friendly but not overly talkative. $150 for 16 courses of sushi, hot dishes and creative mixed dishesand BYOB (for now)is an incredible bargain.

436 Piikoi St., (808) 853-7097, sushigyoshin.com, @sushi_gyoshin

Young Park with his favorite twice-cooked pork. Photo: Angela Tang

I like to call this cozy shop the God of Noodles. The twice-cooked pork is a dish from the heavens that I have yet to grow tired of despite having enjoyed way too many days at a time. The pork is light and crispy with a good chew, but not tough at all. Great seasoning includes five spice and is milder than Wu Weis other dishes. Better than anything Ive had in China (my wife is from Xian) and a must-try for noodle lovers.

1738 S. King St., (808) 741-2297, @wuweicuisine

SEE ALSO:At Wu Wei Chong Qing Cuisine, a World of Street Food Noodles

Photo: Angela Tang

It is described as a sweet bun filled with kaya, pandan whipped cream and roasted peanuts. But its much more. Chris Sy, Breadshops owner and head baker, is a mad scientist. To create this as a to-go item is crazyit should be served as a special dessert at somewhere upscale, with a price in the range of $21 and not $7.50. The bun, while fantastic, is not the super star; the pandan whipped cream is. Words cant describe it, except holy sheez. Fridays only, order in advance online, pick up at 2 p.m. sharp, eat right away.

3408 Waialae Ave., exploretock.com/breadshop, @breadshophnl

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Top 15 Picks of a Las Vegas Man Who Eats Out in Honolulu 180 Times a Year - HONOLULU Magazine