Ric Anderson

Story Archive

Downtown’s D-finitive personality: Derek Stevens moving full speed ahead
Monday, Dec. 18, 2017
Walk into the D on any given night, and odds are good that you’ll find Derek Stevens there. He’ll be the big guy at the Long Bar, possibly buying a drink for a new acquaintance and likely wearing a jacket designed to make it impossible for you to miss him. It may be a color you’d normally see on a muscle car, or maybe two-tone, or maybe with lapels as wide as the mouth of a martini glass. Stevens and his brother Greg own the D, as well as the Golden Gate, the Downtown Events Center and the property that once was home to ...
Why technology, not new roads, could ease congestion
Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017
As the Las Vegas Valley grows and traffic becomes more congested, the answer is to use technology to ease it, as opposed to laying down more roads ...
Trump's jabs at trade deals show lack of understanding, Brookings scholar says
Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017
As an expert on trade agreements and the global economy, Dany Bahar can see the value in the Trump administration’s push to renegotiate trade pacts ...
Will Trump crack down on legal marijuana? Brookings expert weighs in
Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017
When the Brookings Institution’s John Hudak visited Las Vegas in March, he said it was too early to tell whether the Trump administration would try to snuff out the legal marijuana industry. So have things changed since then? That was the Sun’s lead question to ...
Q+A: Brookings analyst says economic outlook ‘pretty bleak’ under Trump
Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017
"The dynamism of the U.S. economy has always been heavily predicated on attracting the best and brightest from overseas, and the message the administration is sending is ...
Energy, climate expert says there's reason for optimism — despite Trump
Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017
The answer to climate change and energy is complicated, Samantha Gross says, and lies somewhere deep between the extremes. One size doesn’t fit all because ...
Mecum to offer 1,000 cars for first auction in Las Vegas
Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017
A company that has staged several successful motorcycle auctions in Las Vegas will be back next month with its first sale for car collectors in the valley. Mecum Auctions announced that its event, scheduled for ...
Renewable energy critical for national security, panelists say
Friday, Oct. 13, 2017
In a war zone, solar panels or wind turbines might not sound like critical needs. But when Marine Lt. Gen. Richard C. Zilmer was fighting in Iraq in 2006, he realized that renewable energy sources were a life-and-death priority. ...
Moniz: U.S. needs ‘consent-based process’ for nuclear waste storage
Friday, Oct. 13, 2017
A consent-based process is needed when it comes to disposing of the country’s spent nuclear fuel, says former Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz. Moniz, who served under the Obama administration and was part of ...
Quigley: Las Vegas poised to become leader in transportation innovation
Friday, Oct. 13, 2017
When Audi went looking for a city where it could test technology allowing its cars to communicate with street lights, it took one call to get the test started in Las Vegas.
Launching in Los Angeles would have required ...
‘It was just mass, mass blood everywhere’: Survivors recount Las Vegas attack
Monday, Oct. 2, 2017
As survivors filtered away from the site of Sunday evening’s mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, they described a scene of horror and heroism — people crumpling to the ground after being shot, running in terror, some ...
Q+A: How do Americans feel about taxes? Author's take may surprise you
Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017
Vanessa Williamson has asked a lot of Americans about how they feel about taxes, and she says they initially respond like kids who are asked how they feel about vegetables. “They say, ‘Oh, Americans hate taxes,’” said the Brookings Institution fellow. But get beyond the reflexive response, and ...
Q+A: Brookings scholar discusses Trump, Russia and the truth
Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017
Can the U.S. survive disinformation campaigns that are being used to fuel distrust and division between Americans? Jonathan Rauch, a fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, will take on that question during ...
Have a comment about light rail? Driverless cars? RTC would like to hear it
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
The Regional Transportation Commission is asking local residents for their input in developing a long-term plan to improve mass transit in Southern Nevada. Kicking off what ...
Las Vegas immigration activist: 'We're going to keep pushing forward'
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
As President Donald Trump weighs the fate of DACA, Las Vegas immigration activist Erika Castro is among hundreds of thousands of Dreamers who face an uncertain future. But she's not backing down in protecting immigrant families. "We're not going to lie here and take it, we need to ..."
Analysis: So, is Las Vegas a sanctuary city or not?
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ appearance in Las Vegas this morning yielded no clarity on whether the federal government would continue to classify Las Vegas as a ...
Teachers union leader discusses ESAs, improving at-risk schools and more
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Ruben Murillo, president of the Nevada State Education Association, described the 2017 Nevada legislative session as a triumph for the state's public schools. Days after the session ended ...
Analysts: U.S. economy will post 'slow, steady' growth
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
The U.S. economy will continue to post steady growth well into 2018, said two analysts this morning in Las Vegas. But how robustly the economy grows will hinge partly on a major wild card: Whether ...
Gearhead heaven: Las Vegas motorcycle auction offers 600-plus bikes
Friday, June 2, 2017
Motorcycle enthusiasts can have their pick of more than 600 bikes from as far back as the early 1900s beginning today at the Mecum Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction. Among the rare machines that will go on the block are dirt bikes owned by the late actor Steve McQueen, a sidecar-equipped 1937 Harley Davidson and ...
Frustration and fear: What it's like to live near a Las Vegas squatter house
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Squatter homes speckle the Las Vegas Valley like a rash, but few stick out as badly as this one. It’s a white rancher in an older neighborhood, surrounded by properties with such features as water gardens, yard sculptures, mature shade trees and lush expanses of grass. The ranch home's grass, by contrast, has been scalped and scorched to a dark khaki color and ...
Is Las Vegas building a new bubble? Analyst gives his take
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Don’t worry, Las Vegas isn’t racing toward another economic cliff. So said analyst Jeremy Aguero this morning to business, community and government leaders at ...
Architect bucks norm, calls Las Vegas a global pioneer in design
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Las Vegas has taken a beating from the architecture establishment over the years, with critics characterizing the city’s resorts and casinos as a carnival of flash-over-substance designs — derivative, tacky and disposable. ...
Las Vegas an architectural wasteland? No way, says author of new book
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Las Vegas has taken a beating from the architecture establishment over the years, with critics characterizing the city’s resorts and casinos as a carnival of ...
U.S.-Cuba ties could be boon for Las Vegas
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Las Vegas and Cuba are linked in history by gambling and organized crime, and for a while it seemed possible they could reconnect in an entirely above-board way. ...
Q+A: Expert not expecting Trump to crack down on legal marijuana
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Supporters of Nevada’s marijuana industry have been watching Jeff Sessions with wary, worried eyes. An expert from the Brookings Institution says that although Sessions has ...
Q+A: Activist discusses poll supporting tighter laws on trapping
Friday, March 10, 2017
Ten years ago, Trish Swain was walking with a fellow member of the Sierra Club when her friend mentioned that her dog had recently become caught in a trap designed to catch fur-bearing animals. Not long after ...
Amped up: 10 reasons Nevada should mandate more solar energy
Thursday, March 9, 2017
On Wednesday, Nevada lawmakers got an extensive look at a bold proposal to require utility companies in the state to draw 80 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2050. During a hearing, there were so many supporters, in fact, that some had to be cut short ...
Bill takes aim at notarios — fake lawyers who target immigrants
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
She was not an attorney, but she presented herself as one to immigrants who came to her seeking a way to stay in the U.S. legally. Her common approach was to ...
As squatting problem grows in Las Vegas, lawmaker offers solution
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
For authorities, removing squatters isn’t as easy as telling them to get out. In many cases, people living in homes without authorization present officers with fake leases that ...
Former U.S. commander: Changing conditions key to battling Islamic State
Retired general to lecture tonight at UNLV about America’s ‘New 100 Years War’
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
The leading factor behind the rise of the Islamic State and other Salafi Jihadi terrorist organizations isn’t religious radicalism, retired four-star Marine Gen. John Allen contends. It’s desperation and hopelessness — the kind so profound that …
From watchdog to turtle: Democrats pounding Heller on Mnuchin
Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017
Sen. Dean Heller may have snatched a defeat from the jaws of victory in his handling of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s confirmation. Heller got off to a strong start, pressing the former CEO of mortgage lender OneWest Bank about ...
Solutions to big societal issues could be shaped by local leaders
Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017
To prepare students to face more complex challenges, UNLV's Urban Leadership Program offers coursework to strengthen leadership skills and includes a requirement for students to establish and participate in a group civic engagement project ...
Raiders haven’t given up on Las Vegas, state official says
Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017
The Oakland Raiders haven’t given up on Las Vegas, despite announcements this week that Sheldon Adelson and Goldman Sachs had abandoned a project to build a stadium for the team, the head of the state’s economic development organization said today. “They are confident they can secure the funding necessary to ...
Confident, or in denial? NLV mayor says Faraday plant 'will be built'
Friday, Jan. 27, 2017
After watching a stylized video about Faraday Future during his State of the City address, North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee made a joke at the expense of Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen. It went something like this: Congratulations on that new Chick-fil-A, Andy. Hafen didn’t crack back — or if he did, it wasn’t loud enough to make it to the back of the room — but he easily could have by ...
Analyst: Las Vegas businesses should make Plan B for possible trade wars
Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017
Las Vegas business operators and investors have reason to be optimistic about the local economy as President Donald Trump begins carrying out his economic plan. But they also would be wise to watch Trump carefully on trade matters and should start making a contingency plan to deal with ...
Q+A: Gun background checks, minimum-wage increase among Dems' priorities
Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017
If Nevada Senate Majority Leader Aaron Ford and his Democratic Party colleagues have their way, the upcoming legislative session will end with an increase in the state’s gun background checks ...
Union leader on future of schools under DeVos: 'Thank God I live in Nevada'
Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017
For teachers union boss Ruben Murillo, it’s been a week of cautious optimism and profound dismay. The dismay came as Murillo watched ...
Students find help, inspiration through program in Clark County
Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017
Students who receive services come to CIS on their own or through referrals from staff or their peers. The program operates in 44 schools in the Clark County School District and another 15 elsewhere in Nevada, providing aid to students facing an array of challenges — some are homeless, some struggle with poverty, some have dysfunctional home environments, some are pregnant or are teenage parents, some have multiple siblings in a single-parent home and need someone to make sure they come to school. ...
Murder rate, public transportation, mental illness among city's top challenges in '17
Friday, Jan. 13, 2017
The city of Las Vegas faces a different set of challenges today than it did when Mayor Carolyn Goodman gave her first State of the City address six years ago. To name a few ...
Q+A: Legislator aims to reduce suicides, boost employment among Nevada veterans
Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017
Chris Edwards was a Navy commander before he became a member of the Nevada Assembly, and he’s become a leading voice on veterans issues in the Legislature since being elected in 2014. Going into his third regular session, Edwards said he hoped to address the problem of suicide among veterans by ...
Larry Flynt vs. the Donald: Publisher talks civil liberties in the age of Trump
Monday, Jan. 2, 2017
Although Hustler publisher Larry Flynt failed to keep Donald Trump out of the White House, Flynt said he’d be watching the president-elect closely, especially for any attempt to restrict First Amendment freedoms. “If he wants a fight, I’m ready,” Flynt said ...
Q+A: ADL leader says that as Trump surged, so did hate crimes
Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016
Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO and director of the Anti-Defamation League, says a surge in hate crimes since the 2016 election has led to the ADL being inundated with phone calls, emails and in-person visits about verbal harassment, vandalism and physical assaults, including ...
Self-driving cars merge into the conversation at RTC's public meeting
Friday, Dec. 9, 2016
When the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada developed its last long-range transportation plan five years ago, self-driving cars weren't a major consideration ...
Reid: Trump 'not as bad as I thought,' but nation still fearful of him
Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016
In an NPR interview and in guest commentary published in the New York Times, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid reiterated that President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory had made Americans fearful and warned ...
Air Force One: Was Trump renegotiating contract or punishing Boeing?
Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016
To his supporters, President-elect Donald Trump’s Twitter suggestion to cancel the order for the new Air Force One was a sign that ...
Urban Chamber honors business, community leaders with annual Green Tie Awards
Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016
A Las Vegas small-business owner took a turn in the spotlight today with Clark County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly and McCarran International Airport’s busiest commercial air carrier during the Urban Chamber of Commerce’s annual Green Tie Awards ...
Police, victim advocates call for expanded background checks on gun purchases
Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016
Travis Spitler was barred by law from buying a gun, but he easily found a way around the restriction. Spitler connected with a private seller and lied about his background, which included ...
Instant analysis: Trump’s doom-and-gloom economy doesn’t match Las Vegas reality
Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016
Leave it to Donald Trump to describe the economy as a disaster while appearing in a state where jobs just exceeded their pre-recession peak, unemployment has plunged in the last eight years and we’re ...
Clinton or Trump? CNN asks Steve Wynn, but he deflects
Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016
CNN viewers who were hoping to find out which way Steve Wynn is leaning in the presidential election came away without an answer today. During a short live interview with Wolf Blitzer, Wynn expressed support for Republican Senate candidate Joe Heck but ...
Jesse Jackson: Here's what will make Trump-Clinton III a must-see debate
Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016
When Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton met in St. Louis for their second debate, the Rev. Jesse Jackson was hoping the nominees would address ...