THIS WEEK IN MUSIC: Club Kaos Closes to Reorganize
Money losses means the party is over at the recently opened day club and nightclub Kaos in Vegas. Less than seven months after opening to great fanfare and celebrity performances like Cardi B, the venue closed its doors with no warning to employees who were handed their notices that they no longer had jobs. At least 100 employees are now unemployed, from cocktail waitresses and servers to security and hosts.
Effectively immediately, all of Kaos planned concerned were cancelled and ticket buyers were refunded their money. Kaos employees were given the choice to accept severance pay or they could choose to work on-call for 60 days or they could apply for a transfer to another position within the Palms organization if they met the job qualifications.
The closing is the latest in a long line of hotspots also experiencing financial woes. According to Red Rock Resorts (RRR) billionaire CEO Frank Fertitta III, “It doesn’t appear that the market has grown enough for the amount of supply,” Fertitta told investors Tuesday during Red Rock’s third quarter earnings call. “The cost of entertainment is excessively high, and we just made the decision to focus where the fish are.”
He also said the Las Vegas nightclub scene offers tough competition and the venue, which is 73,000-square-feet, would be better used in a different capacity.
Fertitta and his brother Lorenzo Fertitta have controlling interests in the Las Vegas casino that their father started and after extensive renovations that cost $679 million on top of the purchase price tag of $313 million for the Palms casino, many nightclub and casino experts wonder have stated this appears to be a setback for their empire.
For music lovers and club scene goers Kaos was something new to experience and people reveled in the dancing to the music of internationally known DJs such as Marshmello, Kaskade and Deadmau5.
The night club had agreed to pay $60 million for a two-year residency to DJ Marshmello but squashed it and announced soon after the that the club would be closing its doors. It has been a previously unheard-of amount for a DJ to earn for a contract of this kind.
Kaos originally hit the music scene stirring hype when it first opened featuring music artist J Balvin, G-Easy, as well as Cardi B who performed twice during the club’s lifetime. Travis Scott and Skrillex also performed a double billing during the April opening.
The music venue night club lists among top reasons for closing that patrons were keener to spend their time in the club rather than every going through the casino doors to gamble. Nightclub attendees “did not have spendable money, we didn’t see the crossover into the casino,” Fertitta said on the call. The money spent in the nightclub did not compensate for its expenditures and Fertitta said on the Tuesday call with investors that they believe the club likely drew patrons away from spending money at the resort.
But the Las Vegas music and nightclub market are notoriously fierce competition and the war between DJs and expensive bottle service and private tables at the best clubs is not for the faint of heart.
Henderson Police Officer Accused of Stalking and Tracking Ex-Girlfriend
A Henderson police office was placed on administrative leave after being arrested and booked on Tuesday for misdemeanor counts of stalking and harassment of his former girlfriend.
The officer, Stephen Bryan was accused in the victim statements that she felt stalked at work, in her home and that her privacy in the bedroom had been violated. Also included were witness accounts from her male acquaintances who said there were being watched by Bryan and digital evidence was also presented to Henderson Police.
In an affidavit that was released, the woman told police that Bryan, 41 needed to stop his behavior and his actions were causing her a great deal of emotional stress. In a police report, the victim told police that stress was unbearable and that her life was upset by the circumstances. Those statements and that of witness and the digital evidence led to Bryan’s arrest and his subsequent booking at the Henderson Dentention Center.
Bryan was released on his own recognizance and will appear for an arraignment that is scheduled for October 16. Administrative leave is enacted while the allegations are being investigated. Investigation into Bryan started earlier this year in June after the victim, who is also the mother of his child, contacted Henderson police to report that he was following her. According to the report on his arrest the child’s mother said Bryan knew all her activates and her whereabouts.
Initial investigations started in early when the mother of Bryan child reached out to police to make a complaint about his conduct. According to the arrest report the victim alleges Bryan would send text messages to her after seeing her out with male companions. She also alleged the police officer repeatedly drove by her home and stopped to spy into her windows. One acquaintance told her he witnessed Bryan in the act. That witness also recounted the incident to police.
Also, according to the arrest report, other of the victim’s friends also believed and told her they were being followed by the police officer and had encounters with him that did not seem coincidental.
In the report, police also allege it is likely Bryan was tracking the victim using an Apple account for which he likely had access. The victim also provided police with several messages from Bryan that appear to support her claims that he had access to information about her activities in her bedroom as well as photo messages from Bryan that were interpreted to mean he knows where her male friends live and that based on this the victim alleges that he was following the men to their residences.
Other incidents of Bryans alleged stalking and harassment include sending the victim a text message saying he knew that she had been stopped by police. This occurred in May only minutes after Nevada Highway Patrol had pulled the victim over.
According to the police report, in August, investigators contacted Bryan to discuss the allegations and afterward the victim received a phone call from the police officer which she took as a threat.
The victim called the police and they have concluded, that she was experience behavior that most people would also interpret as a threat and would feel afraid.
New Healthcare Insurance Marketplace for Nevada Residents
As of November 1 to December 15, Nevada state residents will for the first time be able to enroll in the state’s own online health insurance market place rather than plans from the Affordable Care Act on the federal exchange.
The Nevada Health Link provides health insurance to millions of people and is the first time it will be operating as a stat- based exchange instead of via the federal government’s healthcare.gov platform.
Insurance experts say the change of platforms is saving the state more than $4 million in the 2020 fiscal year and instead of spending the entire budget on leasing expensive space on the federal government platform, officials are not able to use that money to better promote Nevada Health Link. The state has wanted to make the changes citizens ability to enrollment plan since the ACA was first created, but it has long been perceived as a complicated process.
Leasing space from the healthcare.gov platform costs a great deal of money and other states have published reports that lower premiums are possible through state operated heathcare marketplaces. According to Nevada state officials, other state on both the east and west coast of the US have experienced lower premiums and drops in enrollment more than the healthcare.gov program. That newly found 4 million saved will be put to good use because they will no longer need be leasing the healthcare.gov platform. The cost of using the platform has increased year after year and has created a situation in which all of the state’s budget for this issue was used toward leasing rather than supporting the operation of the exchange. This mean the state wasn’t able to collect data on enrollment and conduct enrollment.
The healthcare.gov platform meant to be a simple strategy for the state to make universal healthcare accessible, however the leasing agreement to gain access to the healthcare.gov portals that would determine eligibility and assist with enrollment were becoming increasingly more expensive. Every year there was an increase in the costs to maintain the leasing agreement and this was sinking the ability to do anything more to improve the healthcare platform for users.
Part this challenge in resources also meant residents who were not insured where left unattended. There was no money left to advertise or market the healthcare plan to residents who may have been left on the sidelines and who believed they had no healthcare options. Recruiting uninsured people was becoming sidelined in the effort to maintain the site for those who were already using the exchange platform.
The advantages of using a state-based system are far reaching and extend to features like a longer enrollment period that they may consider in years to come and state resident’s ability to to purchase a plan for their dental health without being on a health plan already. The federal exchange to not make room for this possibility. The state carriers have more than 27 different plans among the three, and there are six dental carriers who give residents access to 17 different plans.
There are approximately 400,000 uninsured Nevadans and approximately 83,500 signed themselves up for the healthcare exchange in the last enrollment.
Foodie Fun for a Good Cause
Foodies and wine lovers alike attended the highly anticipated Annual Wine & Food Tasting Extravaganza at Nathan Adelson Hospice. Now in its twentieth year, what started as a modest fundraiser for their pediatric program has grown into a widely recognized event attended in a 10,000 square foot industrial space on Sahara Ave.
Guests enjoyed live music, a silent auction and delectable food from dozens of food stations set up by some of the region’s most recognized restaurants and food establishments. Some of them included Prime Steak & Stone Crab; Craft Kitchen; P.F. Chang’s; Joe’s Seafood; Zenaida’s Café; Tomo Noodles and Dumplings; as well as Crazy Pita and Johnson Brothers provided wine.
From tapas to Thai food, attendees have returned year after year to experience the hard word organizers from the Adelson Hospice who organize the event in different themes to keep it fresh and attractive, but still honoring the core reason behind the event. It is a worthy cause that is important to a great many people. The money raised from the extravaganza provides assistance to patients at the end of their life and their families who stand beside them during that difficult time. It is particularly challenging when the support is needed for child patients.
Adelson Hospice was founded and named after its namesake Nathan Adelson who was a beloved hospital administrator who died after a battle with stomach cancer. His family and close friends realized the pain management and during end of life and home care is a vital feature that was missing in the Southern Nevada region for patients. Now after almost 40 years, the hospice is a widely recognized nonprofit hospice that is dedicated to serving more than 350 patients every day.
Many of those patients are children and the food and wine event demonstrated the hospice’s commitment and dedication to providing their families with compassionate care and comfort at what is likely their most challenging time. The pediatric hospice program as well as the Families in Need Program offers a wealth of resources such as clothing, food, and help with utility services in the home. The service is of great value for patients who need immediate help.
“Regardless of their ability to pay, we will take care of a patient as long as they’re a resident in Southern Nevada,” said the development manager for Nathan Adelson Hospice Foundation, Stephanie Forbes. The hospice is dedicated to assisting families in the region and the proof is in their budget. “We gave to the community almost $2.2 million last year in uncompensated care,” Forbes said.
Attendees have the benefit of knowing their money is going to good cause while enjoying the epicurean delights in a top event space on the Las Vegas Strip. Because of its growing popularity, the event has moved to the Industrial and people can expect to experience a wide variety of wines, social interaction and gourmet food.
“Our first priority is to our patients and their families and making sure that no patient ends the journey of life alone, afraid or in pain,” Forbes says.
Blue Bunny Ice Cream Leaps into Henderson
Blue Bunny ice cream maker is hopping into Henderson, Nevada to buy a manufacturing plant, leading to its position as the second largest ice cream maker in the country. The plant will be the Iowa-based Wells Enterprises fifth facility in order to accommodate its growing production of their frozen dairy treats. The deal that expands their production into the region occurred after purchasing a Las Vegas suburban plant from Unilever.
This purchase is the second the privately-held family-owned business has made in the past four months. It is expected to assist the company in the press for greater capacity in their western region markets. The newly purchased plant makes the Le Mars, Iowa company a serious contender to overtake Unilever as the largest United States ice cream maker. The recently purchased plants on the East Cost in New Jersey and New York in April of this year from Fieldbrook, another ice cream maker, have contributed to their ascent.
The East Coast deal and the newly minted one in Henderson has propelled them ahead of Nestle. In Henderson, “the facility provides and even larger platform for growth, while positioning us to better serve our customers,” Chief Operating Officer Mike Wells said in a statement.
Wells declined to divulge the cost of the Unilever plant in Henderson, but the sale will be finalized at the end of September of this year. The plant is in good condition and the existing employees count 250 who are looking forward to continue their work of making ice cream, Wells said.
Currently Blue Bunny ice cream is distributed in every state and they produce more than 200 million gallons of their product each year. This includes the Bomb Pop as well as Wells producing private label ice and packages for other companies. Located in the metropolitan area of Sioux City, Iowa, in a town called Le Mars, the Wells company is the largest family owned privately ice cream manufacturer founded and functioning in the US, employing approximately 4,000 people throughout the country.
The Wells Enterprise owned brand is now a household name that consumers know as well as Unilever’s most famous ice cream products, Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers and Good Humor. Blue Bunny has leaped ahead of Nestle, which owns Haagan-Dazs and Edy’s. These two ice cream producer giants have long held the place of honor in the shopping carts and home freezers of millions consumers around the country. But since the Blue Bunny label picked up speed in 2006, it has become a just as impressive in brand recognition its ice cream competition.
“Wells intends to have the industry-leading infrastructure and best practices to become the leader in quality, innovation, food safety and operational effectiveness in the ice cream category,” Wells said in their public relations statement. Their West Coast expansion will allow them to save time and money on shipping and delivery and create greater demand for their products. Their proximity to this customer base will also protect the integrity of their brand as ice cream has the tendency to expand and contract during transport from higher to lower elevations. Henderson’s elevation sits only approximately 600 feet more above the elevation of the Le Mars production plant which is likely another good feature of its acquisition.
Arts Institute in Las Vegas Fights to Remain Open After Financial Woes
As part of a mass closing of 44 schools across the country the Art Institute of Las Vegas in Henderson has been in danger of closure since early in this year. The holding company Dreams Center Education has entered federal receivership for lack of revenue. A tax seizure notice was pasted to the front door of the school that is part of a national education chain known for providing arts and culinary education to thousands of students across the country at different campus.
The Las Vegas school is one of the last remaining open in the beleaguered system, but much of the administrative and teaching staff has been gutted due to the Dream Center parent company financial woes that have officials as far away as Washington, DC pointing fingers about who is at fault and how it happened.
Dream Center is a Los Angeles nonprofit that purchased Argosy University and the Art Institute chain two years ealier, but found that after the deal was signed and the school delivered into their hands that the deal may have been conducted in bad faith. Education Management Corp, the previous operators of the Art Institute chain had been in financial trouble years before and knowledge observers have state that it was not a surprise to them that Dream Center was also poorly managed and did not have enough financial resources to support the chain of schools.
Now questions are swirling about who is responsible for the rapid closures across the country and how it happened as students and parents for the Las Vegas campus are wondering what is next and how they can transfer to other school, remain in classes, or in some cases secure a refund for their tuition.
Teachers and professors in a bid to keep the school open petitioned to purchase it and in July a judge in the US District Court in Ohio approved the sale. Now they are lobbying Nevada state officials to keep the school open after a recommendation by state officials to close the school because it does not meet accreditation and licensing standards for the state.
The Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation’s Commission on Post-secondary Education will make a decision on Wednesday morning in Carson City, Nevada and both students are teachers are anxious for a positive outcome and hope they will be given a chance to gather enough support to in the community to renew their license in order to operate and be recognized as an accredited institution.
“Students’ lives– everything is at stake,” according to William Turbay of entity Save A.I., and the teacher who has fought to keep the school open. Turbay also said he hopes to gain the approval of the commission to keep it open.
But for now, the Las Vegas art school is operating with a skeleton staff of teachers who are deeply committed to teaching and who have been working without pay in order to educate the students who are registered to learn their artistic crafts.
The Golden Knights Get New Ice
The Golden Knights ice hockey team will be gliding onto new ice in a sparkling new arena in downtown Henderson come July 2020.
Demolition of the Henderson Convention Center started on Tuesday morning after Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Englelland took a ceremonial shot at a piece of glass of to in order to celebrate the occasion. For now the site is called Vegas Golden Knights at Henderson. Meanwhile, the old venue will still remain intact for team practice, but the new facility is set to hold youth hockey programs that will encourage everyone using the Summerlin facility to participate in a space that is closer and convenient for more community members.
“It’s a great opportunity for families not to have to make the trek out to Summerlin and gives them something in their backyard,” Engelland said. “It’s going to help grow the area, the community.”
Many you who were using the former venue were from the Henderson region, approximately 30 perecent according to estimate by the Golden Knights, and they believe the numbers would be far greater if youth did not need to make the long commute across the valley.
There were children who never had the chance to play because the journey to Summerlin was likely to complicated, President Kerry Bubolz said.
The new hockey facility will spread across the same 3.2 acres on the southwest corner of Water Street and Atlantic Ave, next to the Henderson City Hall where the conventions center now stands. It’s demolition and new construction is estimated to cost $25 million.
“The City’s partnership with the iconic Vegas Golden Knights will be a catalyst for business investment and social activity in Henderson’s burgeoning downtown area,” said Mayor Debra March. The existing fan base for the team is huge in Henderson, and being a part of the community will help to involve residents in the sport of hockey.
According to plans, the building will include two National Hockey League-sized rinks, a restaurant that overlooks the ice and the facility will host watch parties and organize player and executive appearances to bring bigger audiences. As part of community outreach, there are also plans to encourage players to participate in development camps and exhibitions for rookies, Bubolz said.
“Water Street’s kind of been struggling for many, many years,” Mayor March and they believe the new facility construction and events will restore downtown Henderson.
These plans dovetail with Henderson officials undertakings to transform the region into a venue that is widely known for its professional sport. The National Football League’s Raiders also are in the midst of building an indoor practice facility in Henderson near the Henderson Executive Airport. The campus will cost $75 million and include a artificial turf football field, office buildnng and three outdoor grass playing fields. The facility will the the headquarters for the Raider’s operations after they move next year from California.
“Sports is at home in Henderson, Nevada, and we are welcoming them,” March said.
Plans in Henderson are just the start of what is in store for the Golden Knights to fever to reach into Southern Nevada. According to Bubolz said they will “start to look beyond the valley to see what’s next.”
Affordable Housing For Artists
Officials from Artspace recently visited Little Rock and North Little Rock to tour the area and meet with artists, entrepreneurs, and city leaders to determine whether the area could be a good candidate for a new development project. The city has long recognized that there is a need for housing and work spaces for local artists. “The arts are a huge economic boon for a city; the creativity and the cachet that they give a town is incredible,” says North Little Rock communications director Nathan Hamilton. However, some express doubts about any promised art havens following the failure of the Kramer School, which was opened in 1997 as a live-work environment for low-income artists and eventually sold to a private firm in 2015.
Artspace staff assured skeptics that thorough research has been conducted on similar projects that have been carried out in the past. The organization relies on a combination of public and private funding that includes private loans, donations, and tax credits in order to get its projects off the ground. Before undertaking any development, the organization conducts a feasibility study and an arts market study to determine learn more about the city and its local artists’ needs. The team from Artspace toured the area along with 11 city officials and held a focus group with about 20 people as part of its initial assessment of region.
There was a significant amount of interest in the project from the community. Artists expressed that although they earn most of their income from other sources, there was still a need for affordable housing. “You can be a professional and still need lower-income housing,” says Mariah Hatta, who creates ceramic art in her spare time. Art supplies, materials, instruments, and rehearsal spaces all cost money, and many artists must fund their artistic endeavors out of their own pocket. Another local artist also noted that it was important to have family-friendly housing as the area is very “family-oriented”.
Artspace Projects will announce the findings of its preliminary feasibility study in September. Any development project will take between three to five years to complete once ground has been broken. However, the organization’s interest in North Little Rock is a promising first step for local artists in the community who are in need of affordable housing and work spaces that will allow them to continue with their craft.