The 2023 Formula 1 racing event in Las Vegas has ignited a wave of discontent among residents, who claim that the planning and execution have led to disruptions and inconveniences.

From environmental concerns to traffic warnings and business regulations, the controversy has become a focal point of dissatisfaction. Residents have raised concerns about cutting down palm trees along the Strip, draining the Venice canals to accommodate staging, and removing iconic tourist attractions.

Warnings about potential traffic congestion, particularly around the airport and major roads, have residents anxious about the event’s impact on their daily lives. Moreover, the announcement of extra fees for taxis and rideshares during the event has fueled public frustration over potential financial burdens.

Visual barriers meant to prevent residents from watching the event from bridges have met resistance, with reports of people defacing or removing the barriers. Additionally, businesses are facing the threat of exorbitant fees if they even accidentally provide a view of the event or refuse to close for the day, prompting questions about the legality of such measures.

Some residents want to recall the politicians who brought the F1 event to Las Vegas. However, underlying concerns about the election process in Nevada have also emerged, with allegations of a lack of a legal chain of custody for ballots, restricted poll watching, and contested race certifications.

There is also hope that casinos seen as key players in the event and facing economic consequences might lead to a reckoning for corrupt political decisions.

For a couple of years now, I have been posting, generally to my detriment, about some of the odd stuff that happens to me as I have traveled around Nevada. This morning, I saw this on one of the Facebook groups I follow:

“This evening just after 9:30 p.m., my husband was coming from Carson to Dayton. Just out of Mound House, right about after where the speed limit increases to 55, he was in the left lane and almost hit a person who was standing in the road. He swerved into the right-hand lane to avoid hitting the person. He said that when he looked back in the rearview mirror the person was just standing there kind of hugging themself. He said the person was most likely female and had long dark brown hair. He did call it in right away and they were going to send someone out to check it out. I came through about 10-15 minutes before him and didn’t see anything. Kind of freaky. Just wondering if anyone else came through around that time and saw this person on the road?”

I am happy knowing I am not the only one to see high strangeness in the desert.

In the Sardinian community nestled among the rugged hills of Logan Hills, near Lake Tahoe, the Accabadòra, a spectral figure cloaked in darkness, moved between the low buildings of the neighborhood.

One door stood ajar as if inviting the spectral visitor inside.

A flickering candle stick, its gentle glare an intrusion on the hardened darkness, fought a futile battle against the pervasive gloom. The Accabadòra moved through the halls like a spirit, her presence a palpable disturbance in the air.

Each step seemed to send ripples through the very fabric of reality. The entrance was marked by a drop in temperature as if the very essence of the room recoiled from the woman’s presence.

She said nothing as she crossed the open room, stepped behind the marked door, and closed it after entering.

The room pulsed with the cold, artificial light of an LED, casting harsh, unnatural shadows on the walls. The low hum of machines filled the air, a dissonant symphony to the tense silence.

Reaching the bedside, she loomed over her ailing victim, a figure draped in shadows and menace. Her touch was a frigid caress against fevered skin, sending shivers cascading down the spine of the dying soul.

She recited arcane verses, ancient incantations that reverberated with a mournful resonance. The lullaby that slipped from her lips was a discordant dirge, a haunting melody that seemed to seep into the very bones of the room.

In her grip, she unveiled a wooden hammer, its head a cruel reflection in the moonlight. It seemed to drink in the feeble glow, casting an evil gleam.

She lifted the instrument above her head, and in that breathless moment, just before the hammer descended, the dying person’s voice broke the silence, a dry-throated whisper that pierced the stillness.

“Wait…”

Time seemed to stand still, the hammer frozen mid-air, the room enveloped in suffocating silence. The Accabadòra’s eyes widened in something akin to surprise, a flicker of recognition passing across her face.

The dying person’s gaze held steady, their voice improved, “There is more… to be said.”

Then, with ruthless precision, she brought it down, the impact a terrible sound of finality.

Within the first room, the family of the ailing person remained gathered in hushed voices, their faces etched with worry.

“What do you think she’s doing in there, Mama?” whispered the youngest, wide-eyed and trembling.

Her gaze fixed on the closed door, her expression a mixture of trepidation and reverence.

“Hush now, child. The Accabadòra does what she must, in her way.”

“But why, Mama? Why does she have to use that hammer?” The boy’s voice quivered.

“It’s tradition, mio caro,” the father interjected. “She carries the weight of a solemn duty, guiding those who have reached their journey’s end.”

The eldest, his voice filled with awe, ventured a question.

“Is it true that she is a spirit, Mama? An ancient force that walks among us?”

“Some say so, figlio mio,” his mother’s eyes never left the figure in the doorway. “Some say she is an echo of ages past, bound to fulfill her grim task.”

The youngest, still trembling, asked the question that weighed heavy on them all, “Is she a force for good, Mama? Or is there something darker beneath it all?”

No answer.

“Mama, do you think she enjoys it?” he finally asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

His mother turned to him, her eyes filling with tears, “It’s not for us to say, Caro. The Accabadòra carries a burden we can’t truly comprehend.”

The father added, “She’s bound by something older than us, something ancient and powerful. Her actions are part of a greater design.”

As the conversation continued, a sudden draft swept through the room, extinguishing the flickering candle. In the darkness, the family’s breath hung in the air, suspended as if time held its breath.

Then, from the shadows emerged the Accabadòra, her form seeming to materialize from the very fabric of the night. Her eyes gleamed with an otherworldly intensity, her face inscrutable.

“You speak of me, yet you know not the depths of my purpose,” she said with an authority that sent shivers down their spines.

The eldest gathered his courage and asked, “Who are you, truly? Are you a harbinger of mercy, or something more sinister?”

The Accabadòra’s gaze met his, and at that moment, it felt as if the very cosmos trembled.

“I am a keeper of balance, a guardian of thresholds. The judgments I render are not for mortal minds to fathom.”

With the enigmatic pronouncement, she turned and vanished into the desert night.

Once outside the residence and quietly moving through the allies between buildings to her waiting car, she pulled the mask from her face and smiled with joy, having succeeded again at one more murder.

It is a known fact that trouble follows me, so it is nice to find the boot on the other foot for a change.

At Home Depot to purchase some flagstone, as I pushed the orange hand cart to the front and the registers, a man, about 25, came running out of one of the side aisles with several tool kits in plastic carriers.

He tripped over the hand cart I was pushing, slamming face-first into the cement floor. At first, I rushed to help him but quickly discovered he was running from two employees because he was stealing the kits.

He got up, ran past the registers, and out the doors. Empty-handed.

So, notch up one for the good guys, even if it was by accident.

Allegations have surfaced against Chief Deputy Special Public Defender Ashley Sisolak and colleagues, including accusations of an anti-police atmosphere within the Clark County special public defender’s office.

The claims include hostile behavior, high turnover, and an environment allegedly intolerant towards law enforcement. Former and current employees paint a picture of a chaotic and hostile work environment, marked by divisive incidents and a culture perceived as anti-law enforcement.

The allegations include instances of employees displaying anti-police sentiments openly, contributing to a divisive atmosphere.

A retired California police detective filed a complaint citing incidents such as the display of a “Fuck The Police” sign in Ashley Sisolak’s office, adding that Sisolak took part in at least one anti-law enforcement activity. The complaint further alleges that a pro-police mug brought by the retired detective triggered a series of retaliatory actions, including an employee wearing a “Blue Lives Murder” shirt and derogatory comments in group chat messages.

Clark County spokesperson Erik Pappa denied a records request for documents related to HR complaints made against the office. State law does not exempt personnel records from release under the Nevada Public Records Act.

SEIU Local 1107, the union representing some county employees, has filed a grievance, asserting violations of the union contract and the county’s zero-tolerance policy against discrimination.

Ashley Sisolak, daughter of former Governor Steve Sisolak, was hired in 2016 when her father chaired the Clark County Commission. State law prohibits top government officials from employing relatives at agencies they head.

The former Governor denied involvement in his daughter’s hiring.

The office, responsible for handling murder cases and felonies carrying life sentences, has witnessed a high turnover rate, with approximately 22 of its 40 employees leaving since 2016. The recent allegations contribute to concerns about workplace culture and its impact on staff well-being.

Assistant Special Public Defender Jordan Savage, named in the complaint, announced his retirement, citing the conduct of others under review and the resulting divisiveness as factors influencing his decision.

The county’s response to similar allegations has been under scrutiny, with past investigations revealing oversight failures in different county departments.

Complaints filed by employees, such as those from the retired detective and former legal assistant Karen Meyer, highlight concerns about workplace harassment and its effects on mental health. The Nevada Equal Rights Commission and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have received complaints from the retired detective.

How I See My Mental Health and the Mental Health of Others: We live in a bubble each, our reality, that we casually crash into other bubbles that others live in. In these collisions, bits are transferred and visa-versa until we can no longer tell our effervescence from someone else’s. Only when we rest, sleep, or are alone does our bubble regenerate and repair itself for the coming of the next battle. Still, most can never repair the tears in their bubble, unable to escape the illusions trapped inside it, making it hard to recognize their truth from someone else’s. Furthermore, our lives stream through time on a rubberband that, in the hands of the unseen friend, is twisted and turned to and fro, sometimes touching and transferring non-linear fragments that conflict with our bubble’s operation, timeline, and repair. Emotional discord results and the world views us as subnormal and defective. But I say it is a gift to be used, to look upon others, see their struggles, pain, and helplessness, and provide comfort that others will never understand. Only the damaged can cure the disrepaired, if only it is their bubble, and only for a moment.

Always searching for tidbits on Virginia City, this popped up on the news wire, and it looked like fun to write about as a vague footnote in the Comstock town’s lengthy history.

Henry Hill, who, in the wake of Martin Scorsese’s mob drama Goodfellas, had another life beyond the silver screen. Based on the book “Wiseguy” by Nicholas Pileggi, the movie was released on Monday, September 17, 1990.

When Hill’s mob days ended in 1980, the film shows Hill’s character, played by Ray Liotta, entering the Witness Protection Program. After seven years, the federal agency forced Hill to leave the program following a Seattle drug arrest.

Separating from his first wife Karen in 1989, he entered into an affair with Sherry Anders, culminating in a marriage in Virginia City while still legally married. Post-divorce from Karen and Sherry, Hill wed Kelly Alor and then became engaged to Lisa Caserta, whom he remained with until his 2012 demise.

Embracing the moniker Martin Lewis, Hill entered the culinary arena.

“The Wiseguy Cookbook” emerged, blending family recipes and anecdotes. Radio and TV appearances, including The Howard Stern Show and 60 Minutes, showcase Hill’s insights into mob life and Scorsese’s films.

Henry Hill’s tumultuous journey concluded with his Tuesday, June 12, 2012, death at 69. Complications from long-term heart disease, intensified by chronic smoking, lead to a peaceful passing.

In a surprising shift from traditional conservation narratives, and what many, including myself, have been saying for years, Tahoe Fund, an environmental group dedicated to preserving Lake Tahoe’s ecosystem, is recommending tree thinning, a strategy they believe is crucial for saving forests not only in the Tahoe Basin but also across the entire western region.

Tahoe Fund challenges the conventional perception of environmentalists as ‘tree huggers.’ The group argues that the high density of trees in forests is causing more harm than good, leading to widespread forest degradation. There is an emphasis on the need for a paradigm shift in thinking about forest conservation.

Bowing to the pressure of environmentalists and groups like the Sierra Club, the U.S. Forest Service’s fire prevention policy in the 1900s allowed underbrush to accumulate, creating excess fuel in the forests, leading to more severe crown fires instead of naturally clearing the landscape.

The fund utilized Lidar mapping and AI to identify approximately 300 trees per acre in the Tahoe Basin, well beyond the recommended 25 trees per acre for a healthy forest. To address this, Tahoe Trust is collaborating with public agencies like CAL FIRE, the Nevada Division of Forestry, and the U.S. Forest Service to develop a comprehensive strategy for targeted tree thinning.

The emphasis is on “targeted scientific thinning to reduce the number of trees in the forest.”

The goal is to preserve large, mature trees while removing smaller ones. Additionally, reintroducing controlled burns, inspired by the successful cultural burning practices of the Washoe Tribe, is part of the strategy.

The effectiveness of forest treatment became evident during the Caldor Fire. Treated areas where thinning had occurred allowed firefighters better control over the flames, showcasing the potential positive impact of Tahoe Fund’s unconventional approach to forest management.

Tahoe Fund’s advocacy for tree thinning challenges preconceived notions, highlighting the complexity of environmental conservation and the need for innovative solutions to address evolving ecological challenges.

A state audit has exposed significant deficiencies in the financial transparency and adherence to contract requirements by the company managing the Northern Nevada State Veterans Home.

The findings, presented during a meeting of the state’s Executive Branch Audit Committee, have raised concerns, particularly in light of the veterans home facing numerous health violations. The audit revealed that Avalon, the management company overseeing the veterans home, had not been forthcoming about its finances, violating specific contract stipulations.

Financial reports submitted to state officials lacked detailed information, preventing independent verification of the home’s financial status by the Nevada Department of Veterans Services (NDVS). Furthermore, the management company failed to provide excess cash to NDVS until August, four years into the contract, violating contractual obligations.

Avalon, which has managed the veterans home’s finances since 2019, expressed surprise at the state’s lack of access to financial details and pledged cooperation with state requests.

The Northern Nevada State Veterans Home has faced heightened scrutiny since its opening in 2019, with numerous health violations. In April 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued 37 health citations to the home, significantly exceeding national and state averages.

The home received a subpar two out of five-star rating from CMS due to deficiencies in quality of life, infection control, and pharmacy service, a far cry from the five-star rating envisioned in the contract with Avalon.

The audit recommends changes to the agreement between the state and Avalon, including procedures for independent verification of financial situations, linking contract fees to specific services, and revising the calculation of reserved funds. Also recommended are increased oversight and presentation of financial statements on a fiscal year basis.

Avalon officials expressed willingness to provide more financial details and a desire to extend the contract when it expires next year. Despite the audit’s revelations, Department of Veterans Affairs officials cannot provide details on how to terminate the contract with contract Avalon.

Piper’s Opera House will echo with laughter as comedian and actor Erica Rhodes steps into the spotlight at 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 18.

Ticket options range from Advance Tickets at $20 to VIP Day of Show Stage Tickets at $42. The latter provides the luxury of booth seats at the front, accompanied by bottle service of wine or champagne (alcohol not included in the price). A $4 ticket fee applies to all tickets.

Rhodes, known for appearing on ABC’s Modern Family, HBO’s Veep, and Fox’s New Girl, will bring her distinct brand of humor to the stage. Her stand-up TV credits include NBC’s Bring the Funny and Last Call with Carson Daly, among others. Her wit and comedic prowess have garnered recognition at esteemed festivals like the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal.

Rhodes’ versatile voice talent extends to the hit Netflix animation series A Tale Dark and Grimm, where she embodies the scene-stealing character “Dotty.”

Beyond her screen presence, Rhodes has achieved critical acclaim with her comedy album “Sad Lemon,” which went to number one on the iTunes comedy charts. Additionally, her one-hour comedy special “La Vie en Rhodes” is now available on Amazon Prime, showcasing her sharp comedic style.

Joining Rhodes on stage will be a cadre of local comedians, collectively ensuring an unforgettable night of laughter and entertainment. Due to the nature of the content, shows may contain material unsuitable for anyone under 18.