News

22 Las Vegas headlines from 2022

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The Aces’ championship, Adele’s wild ride, skeletons in Lake Mead and more.

CES returns

Attendance at January’s CES tech show fell more than 75% compared to its previous in-person event in 2020, but it helped get the ball rolling for the return of conventions to Southern Nevada after nearly two years of COVID-cleared calendars. More than 40,000 people attended the event, and 2023 attendance is expected to rebound by 70%.

Goodbye, Harry Reid

A political pugilist who rose to the most powerful position a Nevadan has ever reached in government was honored January 12, when his body lay in state at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., two weeks after his death. Harry Reid served as Senate majority leader from 2007 to 2015 and helped usher President Barack Obama’s signature accomplishment—the Affordable Care Act—into law.

Raiders change coaches

Interim coach Rich Bisaccia righted the ship on a tumultuous season and guided Las Vegas to its first playoff season since 2016. The Raiders came within nine yards of forcing overtime on the road against the eventual AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the postseason, but Bisaccia was let go nonetheless and, on January 31, replaced with Josh McDaniels, a former New England Patriots offensive coordinator who was part of that staff for six Super Bowl titles.

Revolving door

Continuing what critics decry as a cycle of dysfunction and disruptive leadership, the Nevada Board of Regents parted ways with the top administrator in the state’s higher education system. Chancellor Melody Rose resigned April 1, taking a $610,000 buyout on the heels of an investigation into a hostile work environment complaint she filed the previous October. She was the system’s fifth chancellor since 2016.

Palms reborn

The last major casino-resort to reopen in the tourist corridor after the forced closures of 2020 finally came back to life on April 27. The Palms returned under the ownership of the San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority, making it the first Vegas resort owned and operated by a tribal company.

Draft party

The pandemic put it off for two years, but Las Vegas finally hosted arguably the second-biggest event on the NFL calendar—the NFL Draft—April 28-30. The Raiders traded their first two picks as part of a trade that brought All-Pro receiver Davante Adams to the team, so they didn’t make any selections on the first night of the three-day event. Next up for the NFL in Las Vegas: the Super Bowl in 2024.

Lake Mead’s mysteries

The ongoing drought in the West has pushed water levels in Lake Mead to historic lows … which has uncovered some gruesome history. In May, human remains were discovered in a barrel, an apparent victim of a gunshot wound several decades ago. And that was just the first of at least six such discoveries made over the next five months.

New onstage

Two Strip showrooms left empty during the 2020 pandemic closure came back to life with all-new, original Las Vegas production shows this year. Cirque du Soleil launched rowdy variety show Mad Apple in May in the New York-New York casino theater that was once home to the company’s long-running Zumanity. And in the fall, Wynn Las Vegas unveiled the visual spectacular Awakening in the renovated space where Le Rêve had been staged for more than 15 years.

Viruses, viruses, viruses

As soon as the state seemed to be returning to some degree of normalcy from two years of coronavirus regulations and precautions, the first case of monkeypox arrived in Nevada in June. Vaccines were made available quickly, and the spread was contained easily, with fewer than 320 cases in the state reported over five months, but now the respiratory infection RSV is on the rise, and health experts are bracing for a “triple-demic” of COVID, influenza and RSV as the calendar year flips.

Cold as ice

For the first time in franchise history, the Vegas Golden Knights failed to make the playoffs in 2022. The disappointing finish to an injury-riddled season led to the May 16 firing of coach Pete DeBoer, who had compiled a .650 regular-season winning percentage. On June 14, he was succeeded by Bruce Cassidy, who had served as head coach for the Boston Bruins the previous six seasons.

Abortion debate

On June 24, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had guaranteed Americans the right to an abortion, sending that decision back to the states. Because abortion rights are guaranteed by this state’s constitution, Nevada continues to protect women’s right to choose. As a result of other states banning the procedure, Nevada is expected to see a spike in so-called “abortion tourism.”

Teacher shortage

The Clark County School District started the school year August 8 down about 1,400 teachers, or about twice the size of its gap to start the pandemic-socked 2020-21 year. Continual teacher separations last year—retirements and other resignations—have added up to roughly 2,300, according to a Las Vegas Sun analysis of personnel reports. CCSD has taken steps to recruit, retain and plug holes, including upping the minimum pay for teachers by $7,000 to about $50,000 a year and increasing day rates for substitutes working in high-poverty schools.

Water cuts

Most Nevadans won’t feel it thanks to water conservation, reuse and the state not using its full allocation of water, but in August, the feds ordered a cut in the amount of Colorado River water the state could use in 2023. It was the second year in a row Nevada’s allocation was cut.

Out with the old …

Station Casinos shuttered Texas Station and Fiesta Henderson when the pandemic closed businesses in March 2020, and they would never open again. Work began in September to demolish the properties, and shortly after, the company celebrated the topping-off of its new Durango Station, slated to open in late 2023. Station also submitted plans to build a property in the Inspirada area, just south of Henderson Executive Airport, perhaps to open as soon as March 2025.

Champs!

The Las Vegas Aces brought the first major professional sports championship to Southern Nevada on September 18, when they capped off a league-best regular season with an WNBA Finals victory against the Connecticut Sun. Aces players won league awards for MVP (A’ja Wilson), Defensive Player of the Year (Wilson), Most Improved Player (Jackie Young), Finals MVP (Chelsea Gray), Coach of the Year (Becky Hammon) and All-WNBA First Team (Wilson, Kelsey Plum).

Journalist murdered

Jeff German, an investigative reporter who worked for more than two decades at the Las Vegas Sun and for the past 12 years with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, was killed outside his home on September 4. Former Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles was arrested and charged in German’s murder. Telles lost his bid for reelection in June’s primary, and German had published the results of an investigation into allegations that Telles was contributing to a hostile work environment and was involved in an inappropriate relationship with a staffer.

Strip violence

A terrifying scene unfolded on the Strip on October 6, when performers dressed as showgirls were attacked in broad daylight with a 12-inch kitchen knife. Two people were killed and six others wounded. Yoni Barrios, 32, was arrested and charged with murder.

Winded

When We Were Young, the sold-out, first-year throwback pop-punk and emo festival, got off to a rough start when it had to cancel its opening day on October 22 due to the threat of high winds. When the grounds opened on Day 2, around 60,000 people filed through the gates.

Rejecting extremism

What was expected by many political observers to be a red wave in November’s midterm elections wound up more like a red ripple, and while Republican candidates made gains in statewide races in Nevada by winning races for governor, lieutenant governor and controller, the most extreme candidates on the ballot—Michele Fiore (treasurer), Sigal Chattah (attorney general), Jim Marchant (secretary of state) and Adam Laxalt (U.S. Senate)—were all defeated.

Adele, at last

Fans arrived in Las Vegas only to discover that Adele had canceled the January 20 opening of her residency show with just 24 hours notice. The powerhouse singer made an emotional appeal to fans, apologizing for the late notice but vowing to get it right later in the year. Ten months later, on November 18, Weekends With Adele made its debut at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

Dolphin habitat closes

Three dolphins died within a matter of months at the Siegfried & Roy Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage, prompting the resort to announce its closure. According to November 22 reports, a memo sent to employees outlined a plan to “wind down and, eventually, permanently close” the dolphin and big cat attraction. On December 19, Hard Rock International closed on its purchase of the Mirage from MGM Resorts for nearly $1.1 billion. The new owners are planning to replace that and other attractions, including the iconic volcano, when they begin to build a new Hard Rock Hotel with a guitar-shaped tower sometime in 2024.

Protected land

President Joe Biden on November 30 said he intends to designate Avi Kwa Ame, also known as Spirit Mountain, as a national monument. Efforts toward national monument designation for the area accelerated in recent months, driven by opponents of a proposed wind farm. The area about 80 miles south of Las Vegas is biologically diverse and rich with Native American cultural significance.

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