Your Daily Guide

🔌 Boulder City Battles Over Data Center

Boulder City officials are eager to cash in on a data center, but residents and business owners say not in our backyard desert. Opponents are worried about the environmental impact, water usage, and effect on energy rates if the facility comes to Eldorado Valley. A vote in November will settle it. [KSNV]

• City Cast Las Vegas has more to say about data centers in Southern Nevada — the pros, cons, and why regulations are being outpaced by development. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]

🗳️ Record Cash in Governor’s Race

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford brought in nearly $1.5 million over three months in his quest to be governor. That’s a record for a non-incumbent Nevada gubernatorial candidate this early in the campaign cycle. The Democrat’s total is closing in on $3 million, but his Republican rival, Gov. Joe Lombardo, has $15 million when including PAC money. [Las Vegas Sun]

🎰 A Casino Tradition Returns

Skimming is such an ingrained part of Vegas casino gangster lore, there’s even an exhibit about it at the Mob Museum. According to police, three employees at Binions tried to bring it back, pocketing nearly $300,000 in cash from cafe registers while accounting for it with unauthorized discounts that customers never received. [KLAS]

💥 Pickup Truck Drives Into a Casino

It happened at Main Street Station. There were no injuries. And no parking fees. (We think.) Police believe the driver wasn't under the influence. [KVVU]

We’re exactly one week away from Home + History Las Vegas, a series of tours and events by the Nevada Preservation Foundation that celebrate and promote the need to protect everyday history within our community.

“O ur mission is to preserve and revitalize historic buildings, neighborhoods, and cultural landscapes across Nevada,” says Dr. Paige Figanbaum, the nonprofit’s executive director. “And how we do that is through education and outreach.”

It’s also a lot of fun. The four-day festival kicks off on April 15 with a Bootleggers in the Garden reception inside a 1930s Tudor style home. The party takes inspiration from the wild days of the Prohibition era with live jazz, cocktails, and bites from local chefs James Trees and Tood Harrington.

Another new event this year: 1984: Revenge of the Yuppies, a sunset soirée at the Spanish Oaks Tennis Club, modeled after the preppy spirit of the “greed is good” decade.

But there’s something for every Vegas history buff. Take a bus tour that showcases places of worship with timeless architecture, a bike ride past old motels on Fremont Street and Lawyer’s Row, or a cocktail crawl through the Water Street District. In an annual tradition that dates back to the start, a home tour invites participants to step inside seven older, historic houses and learn about not only the properties, but the surrounding neighborhoods.

“People are really surprised how closely connected these historic neighborhoods are,” Figanbaum says. “You can be at John S. Park and drive 10 minutes to Beverly Green.”

Maybe you live in a home that might qualify as historic? Preservation 101 is the lunch for you. “Sometimes people get a little intimidated when thinking about what it takes for preservation and just having the conversation of ‘What is a historic designation?’ and ‘What does that mean when I'm living in an older home?’ We're able to answer all of those questions.”

The festival effectively kicks off the year for the Nevada Preservation Foundation, which continues to offer monthly programming and an interactive app that can be used anytime. Take a walking tour of historic Woodlawn Cemetery or a drive to see more of the great midcentury modern architecture that's throughout Southern Nevada.

• Dr. Figanbaum shares more insight with City Cast Las Vegas with discussions about the fate of vintage motels, Henderson’s hidden history, and the secret legacy of the Boulevard Mall. Think of these episodes as just a preview of what Home + History Las Vegas is all about. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]