News

The funniest names in the biz are regular visitors in Vegas.

Lots of laughs: A look inside the Las Vegas comedy boom

Jun 13, 2013 (midnight)

There is more comedy being performed in Las Vegas today—at any and every level—than in any other time during the city’s history. From new clubs to resident headliners and touring names, comedy is booming here. The wealth of options is great for fans, but for the comedians plying their trade around town, competition is heating up.

More top stories
Latest

Blog: The Kats Report

KWTD: ‘Naughty Mommy’ is ready to rock the Riv

June 18, 2013 (2:00 a.m.)

By John Katsilometes

Maria Walsh has never headlined in Vegas before, but won a national contest to earn her right to the Riviera stage.
Where I Stand: Principles are worth the time, cost it takes to wage the fight

June 18, 2013

By Brian Greenspun

Where’s my lawyer? It turns out that my dear friend Larry Ruvo and I share the same lawyer. Normally, that wouldn’t cause a problem because one thing we learn in law school — yes, I did that a lifetime ago — is to multitask.
Here’s why hundreds of wannabe murderers are roaming our streets

June 18, 2013

By J. Patrick Coolican

Since 2010, the worst types of violent crimes, including homicides and assaults with weapons, have been on the decline here. Buried within the data, however, is a troubling fact.
Sportsmanship makes for special bond on Reno track

June 18, 2013

By Guy Clifton, Reno Gazette-Journal

Winning isn't everything, but it sure does feel good. You might not find Jack Rovetti's win in a heat of the 100-meter dash at the final middle school track meet of the season in any record books.
Were philanthropist’s good deeds financed by his bad deeds?

June 18, 2013

By Natasha Singer, New York Times News Service

The morning after a catastrophic earthquake leveled buildings and killed thousands of people in Haiti in 2010, an Internet marketing millionaire from St. George, Utah, named Jeremy Johnson decided to cancel all his business meetings and arrange his own ad hoc aid mission. But what Johnson had to give — and it was quite a bit — may have come from consumers who got taken. The Federal Trade Commission says Johnson was “the mastermind” behind one of the largest and most intricate online marketing frauds ever perpetrated in the United States.
Sin City? Blog says the title rightfully belongs to St. Louis, not Las Vegas

June 18, 2013

By Ed Komenda

Las Vegas newbies often call this neon paradise by its clichéd nickname. But how does Sin City stack up against debauchery in other major cities?
Blog: Talking Points

NBA Finals in Vegas: Heat victory tonight could mean big business to sports books

June 18, 2013 (2:00 a.m.)

By Case Keefer

Tonight marks the closest equivalent to Groundhog Day for local sports books. If the Miami Heat win to extend the NBA Finals to a Game 7, brightness in the form of money gets one last hurrah. Dim the lights around betting windows, though, if they lose.
On tap for LV council: Olympic Garden rooftop pool, new retail near Mob Museum and energy codes

June 18, 2013

By Conor Shine

A months-long debate about how to balance business development with sustainability could come to an end Wednesday when the Las Vegas City Council considers a bill that would loosen energy efficiency standards for older buildings.

Festivalgoers listen to electronic dance music at the Circuit Grounds stage during the final night of the Electric Daisy Carnival at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, June 10, 2012.

EDMbiz: More than shop talk, the coolest panels and why you should go: June 18, 2013; By Andrea Domanick; EDMbiz is back! The second annual electronic dance music conference is returning to the Cosmopolitan June 18-20, part of Insomniac’s EDC Week series of events leading up to Electric Daisy Carnival this weekend at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Careless smoking cited in house fire that displaces family of 8: June 18, 2013; By Brian Nordli; A family of eight was displaced from their home on Tuesday after the house caught fire from a carelessly discarded cigarette.

Yerington land swap bill getting more love in Senate than House: June 18, 2013; By Karoun Demirjian; Back in February, the Nevada delegation agreed that the best way to get the Lyon County land swap legislation through Congress was to have the House of Representatives act on it first.

3 charged with enslaving disabled Ohio mom, child: June 18, 2013; By Kantele Franko and Thomas J. Sheeran, Associated Press; A mentally disabled woman charged with shoplifting a candy bar asked to be jailed because three people "had been mean to her" — then went on to tell authorities about her time spent in unfathomably cruel servitude, along with her young daughter, at the hands of three people, authorities said Tuesday.

Wake-up call: Starbucks to post calorie counts: June 18, 2013; By Candice Choi, Associated Press; Starbucks has a new way to wake up its customers: showing the calories in its drinks.

Criss Angel leaps across two separate steel beams five stories high inside Fashion Show Mall on the Las Vegas Strip, Saturday, June 15, 2013.

Criss Angel survives 'the most dangerous and frightening thing I’ve ever done in my life': June 18, 2013; By Robin Leach; For 10 nail-biting minutes, several thousand people stood in total silence and watched magician Criss Angel inch his way, blindfolded, across two steel beams swaying 50 feet in the air. The "Mindfreak" star, who is shooting a new series of one-hour specials for Spike TV, was in full view of the audience members, who stopped shopping at the Fashion Show mall on the Strip.

The musical "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert."

'Priscilla' and 500 drag queen costumes bus across the desert for nine-week run at the Venetian: June 18, 2013; By Robin Leach; The journey on Interstate 15 across the desert from Los Angeles to Las Vegas for the "Priscilla" musical touring company is as incredible an undertaking as the Australian outback drag-queen scripted adventure itself. The big, glitzy, colorful theatrical production complete with an on-stage cutaway bus takes nine trucks to transport — two of which are just for the wardrobe costumes and hair pieces! Cast and crew arrived Monday, and Tuesday morning, “Priscilla School” opened to teach hired Las Vegas locals how best to help the cast fast-change in and out of the myriad of outrageous outfits. "Priscilla Queen of the ...

Strip Scribbles: MGM to open its walls on the Strip so tourists can see into the casino; Reviv hangover spa opens next month: June 18, 2013; By Robin Leach; The front façade from the famous gold lion to the north end by M&M’s World is coming down.

Experience wins out over price in selection of jails' food vendor: June 18, 2013; By Conor Shine; Competition and controversy were on the menu Tuesday when Clark County commissioners awarded a lucrative contract to provide meals at two of its jails to a more experienced – but more expensive – company.

In partisan vote, House opts for new abortion limits: June 18, 2013; By Karoun Demirjian; The House of Representatives voted Tuesday to ban abortions after 20 weeks, with the Nevada delegation split down the party line.

Metro officer is relieved of duty after pleading guilty in drug case: June 18, 2013; By Brian Nordli; A Metro Police traffic officer was relieved of duty on Tuesday after pleading guilty to two felony counts for misleading doctors to receive multiple prescriptions for painkillers.

Margins tax advocates going after voters 17 months ahead of election: June 18, 2013; By Andrew Doughman; The campaign to pass a 2 percent business tax on the 2014 ballot begins in earnest on Wednesday. Supporters of the ballot measure will launch a website to roll out the campaign about 17 months before the Nov. 4, 2014, election, said political strategist Dan Hart, who is leading the Education Initiative campaign to pass the tax.

Metro drops maligned radio system, inks deal for new one: June 18, 2013; By Riley Snyder; Metro Police is officially cutting ties with its controversial radio system after signing a replacement $26.3 million deal with Motorola Solutions announced last week.

Plan to ease green requirements for buildings spurs colorful debate: June 18, 2013; By Conor Shine; A debate over just how energy efficient buildings in Las Vegas should be has people on both sides of the issue seeing green.

Budget office: Immigration bill would not add to federal deficit: June 18, 2013; By Karoun Demirjian; The Congressional Budget Office determined late Tuesday that the Senate’s immigration bill will not add to the federal deficit in the short or the long term, enervating one of the most powerful arguments against passing immigration reform and giving Democrats something to crow about.