Slow ride
A state audit revealed this week that Las Vegas taxi drivers overcharged passengers an estimated $15 million on rides to and from the airport in 2012. Auditors found long-hauling in almost 23 percent of driver trip sheets reviewed, and wrote, “More needs to be done, including the use of preventative measures.” Like what, exactly? A Rutgers Business School paper suggests a complicated GPS tracking system that calculates average driving distance between major landmarks (e.g., McCarran and the Bellagio) and detects outliers to find fraud, but there’s an easier option: Post a sign in all Vegas taxis with approximate fares from Strip casinos to the airport and let passengers police their own rides. —Sarah Feldberg
Hall of ... something
Former Lt. Gov. Sue Wagner and former Sen. Bernice Mathews were just inducted into the Nevada Senate Hall of Fame. We’re thrilled for them. Really, we are. But who knew we had a Senate Hall of Fame? We’re aware of the sexy ones for burlesque and boxing, but according to Google, Nevada also has halls of fame for the Interscholastic Activities Association and buckaroos. If even Nevada residents have no idea these halls exist, they might want to think about adding an asterisk after “fame.” —Erin Ryan
Ponying up
Why nurse a ’92 Ford Crown Victoria ($1,500) when you could be big pimpin’ in a brand-new Lamborghini ($550,000)? Dubai police already have a flagship Lambo leading their fleet, and now they’re getting a Ferrari worth almost $250,000. After that, they’re thinking of turning a bunch of badass Camaros into the standard ride for Dubai cops. This all sounds so Vegas, we’re pissed we didn’t think of it first. One-upping a major city in the sixth richest country in the world (we’re No. 7) is going to be spendy … If Sheldon Adelson won’t supply Metro with a few dozen neon Bugattis, then we think Shania Twain should donate a herd of stallions instead. That’s horsepower, bitches! —Erin Ryan
Backward logic
We always thought the goal of criminals was to break out of correctional facilities. Five not-too-bright individuals were arrested last week after breaking into the Women’s Conservation Camp in Silver Springs, Nevada. Some of them barricaded themselves into an old housing unit at the correctional facility, but all of them were arrested within two hours and booked into Lyon County Jail. Waste of resources, we say. Wouldn’t it have been easier to just keep them barricaded? —Ken Miller
Previous Discussion: