Desert Companion

Desert Companion Desert Companion examines and celebrates our city’s distinct culture and soul.

Where do we turn when disaster destroys places that were supposed to be sanctuaries?"People my age have grown up hearing...
01/24/2025

Where do we turn when disaster destroys places that were supposed to be sanctuaries?

"People my age have grown up hearing stories from our parents about the worlds of their childhoods, bountiful marshlands and majestic redwood forests and lush desert, worlds we can never experience because they’re already gone."

Read the story by Meg Bernhard: tinyurl.com/y582k7yb

This story was originally published in Feb. 2023.
Images via AP.

Rock writing, sacred to Indigenous Peoples and critical to understanding ancient cultures, is being slowly destroyed. As...
01/22/2025

Rock writing, sacred to Indigenous Peoples and critical to understanding ancient cultures, is being slowly destroyed. As urban development and outdoor activities such as off-roading and tourism affect natural areas throughout the Southwest, graffiti and trampling are becoming more commonplace at cultural sites. Panels that Douglas LaVan Martineau cataloged so meticulously and archaeologists have studied for so long have been damaged.

Will they still be here in a thousand more years, for others to learn from and connect with?

📖 Read the full story: tinyurl.com/wvmpharf

01/10/2025

Gia Coppola’s Showgirl elegizes an art form ... with varying degrees of authenticity

To an outsider, Gage Quinney’s chase might seem to have come full circle. Undrafted twice, overlooked often at camps and...
01/08/2025

To an outsider, Gage Quinney’s chase might seem to have come full circle. Undrafted twice, overlooked often at camps and tryouts as a youth player, he’s dug out from what once was a non-hockey environment, Southern Nevada, returned to his roots, and is within a step of the world’s best league. But Quinney yearns to be an NHL regular. His chase, recently derailed by illness and injury, continues.

🏒 Read more from Gary Dymski: tinyurl.com/2aa7njtk

📷 Submissions are open NOW for the 2025 Focus on Nevada photo contest! Enter for free through March 16 to be featured in...
01/07/2025

📷 Submissions are open NOW for the 2025 Focus on Nevada photo contest! Enter for free through March 16 to be featured in the May issue, local galleries and to win great prizes from . Find all the details and enter today at desertcompanion.com.


In 2011 at the old City Hall, then-Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman was holding court with reporters, laying out a grand vi...
01/03/2025

In 2011 at the old City Hall, then-Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman was holding court with reporters, laying out a grand vision.

A Las Vegas company had worked to assemble limited-term property rights from several small businesses in what’s now known as the Arts District. The intent was to tear them all down, making way for $10.5 billion in development. There would be casinos, hotels, restaurants, retail. And something Vegas hadn’t yet seen: an arena or stadium to hold a major league-level professional sports team.

In Goodman’s view, professional sports made sense here, not just for the dollars it could bring to the city, county, and state, but for something less tangible.

That would be no small feat in a city and county seen by many outsiders and locals alike as a place with no discernible identity.

➡️ Read more by Joe Schoenmann: tinyurl.com/2968yz7k
🎨 Rick Sealock for Nevada Public Radio

About 1,500 of the region’s 500,000 children must leave Southern Nevada each year, often multiple times, to receive medi...
12/27/2024

About 1,500 of the region’s 500,000 children must leave Southern Nevada each year, often multiple times, to receive medical care, leading to disastrous results. Beyond the physical danger it poses to medically fragile children, advocates argue, traveling outside Vegas to receive care has ripple effects on the broader well-being of families.

This fall, Intermountain Health took up the call. The nonprofit, which operates 33 hospitals around the West, including two freestanding pediatric ones in Utah, announced on October 22 that it would be breaking ground on a comprehensive, full-service children’s hospital next year, projected to open in 2030.

➡️ Read the details from Anne Davis: tinyurl.com/4hhp5k88

If humanity has gleaned any benefit from centuries of exploitative Western hegemony, it can be found on the plate. Take ...
12/22/2024

If humanity has gleaned any benefit from centuries of exploitative Western hegemony, it can be found on the plate. Take the humble banh mi, for example. France’s introduction of baguettes to Vietnam in the early 19th century resulted in a stellar example of sandwich-making. With wide varieties and nuanced flavors, there’s a banh mi for every palate. In Las Vegas’ strong Vietnamese food scene, you can find the version that’s for you.

🥖 We have three suggestions to get started: tinyurl.com/ynsnyav5

Sometimes the powers that be get it right. Through state legislation, municipal code, or some other public policy, they ...
12/19/2024

Sometimes the powers that be get it right. Through state legislation, municipal code, or some other public policy, they let benevolent intent guide them to make life easier for their constituents. At least as often, this good intent backfires. A recent example involves my favorite semilegal pastime: public food vending.

➡️ Read more from Brent Holmes: tinyurl.com/45b59657

"I’ve been nurturing an idea — a desire — over days, weeks, and months. During my evening drives through the city, out o...
12/19/2024

"I’ve been nurturing an idea — a desire — over days, weeks, and months. During my evening drives through the city, out of the corner of my eye, I see them in shopping centers and llanteras parking lots: little white or red canopies, griddle steam and grill smoke wafting into the ether, small crowds gathered around. The rapid proliferation of street-vended cuisine over the last two years finally hooked me. On a fall Friday, just before twilight, I set out to immerse myself in their fare."

➡️ Read on to see what writer Brent Holmes found cooking around Las Vegas, and where to get it: tinyurl.com/2s3d8dy7

This year, as in previous years, you might be wondering what to give to your family and friends. Worries begone, because...
12/16/2024

This year, as in previous years, you might be wondering what to give to your family and friends. Worries begone, because you’re bound to find something within this thoughtfully curated guide to gifts made in Nevada. You’ll impress even the most discerning kid, friend, family member, or special someone.

🛍️ Find the all-ages and -occasions roundup of Nevada-crafted gift ideas right here: tinyurl.com/3y9fr4u7

The showgirl maintains such an enduring association with Las Vegas that, while there are no longer any classic showgirl ...
12/14/2024

The showgirl maintains such an enduring association with Las Vegas that, while there are no longer any classic showgirl productions running at any Vegas hotel-casinos, creators who represent the city onscreen almost invariably still include them.

That lack of understanding might initially seem to be what drives director Gia Coppola’s new film, The Last Showgirl, but Coppola and screenwriter Kate Gersten offer a more grounded — if still sometimes overly simplistic — perspective on the showgirl’s place in modern Las Vegas.

📽️ Read the review from Josh Bell: tinyurl.com/2s6kzjpr

Nearly 1.5 million Nevadans voted in the 2024 general election, and more than half (at least 730,000) cast a ballot supp...
12/10/2024

Nearly 1.5 million Nevadans voted in the 2024 general election, and more than half (at least 730,000) cast a ballot supporting President-elect Donald Trump, giving Republicans their first win in a presidential race in Nevada in 20 years. At the same time, a proposed abortion rights amendment passed its initial vote, and down-ballot Democrats largely held onto their seats in Congress and the state legislature.

It’s something that voters here historically have loved to do. Why?
➡️ Paul Boger answers the question: tinyurl.com/4mhecutd

Chris Andrews passes a pen across the table. Thanking his late uncle and mentor Jack Franzi, he repeats the legendary od...
12/08/2024

Chris Andrews passes a pen across the table. Thanking his late uncle and mentor Jack Franzi, he repeats the legendary oddsmaker’s advice.

“Always have a pen on you,” Andrews says. “You never know when someone wants to make a bet.”

He’s no stranger to taking bets. He’s director of the sports book at South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa, author of three books on sports betting, and a pioneer in the industry.

During the 2016 presidential election, Andrews and fellow bookmaker Jimmy Vaccaro constructed a parlay card to allow South Point players to bet on electoral votes in 17 states. While the Nevada Gaming Control Board called it “technically okay,” he says, they also “seriously frowned upon it” telling him they would prefer he not do it. He didn’t.

➡️ Read more by Aleza Freeman: tinyurl.com/mpr5ecva
🎨 Ryan Vellinga · Nevada Public Radio

Searching for your next great meal in Las Vegas? Look no further: It would be tempting to call this the year of the Japa...
12/06/2024

Searching for your next great meal in Las Vegas? Look no further: It would be tempting to call this the year of the Japanese-influenced winner, but a deeper dive into this year’s restaurant awards reveals something else at play: a conversation between tradition and innovation. Read the full list now in Desert Companion at knpr.org.

The dreaded holiday gift list. So easy to draw up all the names; so hard to match them with something they might not hav...
12/04/2024

The dreaded holiday gift list. So easy to draw up all the names; so hard to match them with something they might not have that they also didn’t know they’d want. Which, obviously, is new books from Nevada authors. So, we did the tough part — our gift to you.

📚️ See more: tinyurl.com/yn4netmb

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The Focus on Nevada showcase is now installed at Green Valley Library! Make sure to check out the fabulous gallery of winners from this summer’s photo contest. ✨ @hendersonlibraries #nevada #lasvegas #henderson

❤️ Thank you to the HUNDREDS of you who came to the 2024 Focus on Nevada photo showcase! If you missed the event and reveal, find the June issue of @desertcompanion now at local libraries, Mothership coffee or subscribe today at knpr.org.

We had such an amazing time at @vegasunstripped! Can’t wait for next year, and shout out to everyone who grabbed the latest issue of the magazine! 😋

We’re so excited about this collaboration with @vegaspbs! If you missed any episodes of Outdoor Nevada with @connorfields11 or our guides, find them now at desertcompanion.com! 🥾 🪨 🌸

🎵 Love and marriage, love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage 🎵 Pick up a copy of the news Desert Companion today, or read the stories now on desertcompanion.com! 💕 #lasvegas #vegas #nevada #love #valentinesday #vegaswedding #vegasbaby

"A familiar sensation of relief welled within me: Rain, finally. I felt the urge to dart outside like I used to as a kid, when I’d play hide and seek under dripping leaves." Hear or read the full essay: tinyurl.com/4c93h38u

ENTER NOW! There's less than a month left to submit your photos for the 2023 Focus on Nevada photo contest. You can win up to $4,000 in prizes from B&C Camera, and get published in the June issue of Desert Companion! 📷 ↪️ knpr.org/photocontest

Set your shutter speed, because we've opened submissions for this year’s Focus on Nevada photo contest! With prizing totaling more than $4,000 thanks to B&C Camera, it’s a fun way to upgrade your photo gear. Plus, winners will be published in this June’s Desert Companion! 📷 ✨ Submit your photos today! knpr.org/photocontest

Every Voice: Race, Protest, and Power in Las Vegas

Today's #TwoForTuesday 2fer, Adam Throgmorton and Shawn Bicker of Modelworksajt, have the coolest job. Read about them at goo.gl/e9z2dW

Groups moving from location to location. Having a great time - enjoying the music! Galleria at Sunset #dcpubcrawl

Give the gift of Desert Companion this holiday! Visit www.desertcompanion.com for subscription information.

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