🌱 Police Thwarting Strip Crime + The Flamingo Turns 75

Good day, people of Las Vegas! It's me again, Nicole Fallon-Peek, your host of the Las Vegas Daily.

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First, today's weather:

Partly sunny and cool. High: 52 Low: 34.

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Here are the top stories in Las Vegas today:

1. A little more than a year ago on the Las Vegas Strip, a string of violent crimes brought unwanted headlines to a tourist corridor emerging from an unprecedented economic shutdown. Despite police efforts, sporadic acts of violence on the Strip have persisted through 2021 as millions of visitors returned. Police responded to the crime wave by carrying out Operation Persistent Pressure, using a heavy officer presence on the Strip to combat a rise in aggravated assaults. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
2. From Bugsy Siegel to Donny and Marie, the Flamingo has seen a lot in its 75 years on the Strip. On Dec. 26, 1946, mobster Siegel opened the Flamingo after taking over construction of the property when original developer Billy Wilkerson ran out of money. Siegel named the property after his girlfriend Virginia Hill — whose nickname was "The Flamingo" because of her red hair and long legs — and it ushered in the era of Vegas glamour, gambling, and gangsters. (KNPR)
3. An 89-year-old man was charged with serial sex abuse of minors in Las Vegas and Reno. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
4. A Las Vegas woman is getting prison time in for participating a college admissions scandal. (News3LV)
5. Carson Avenue will close during the day in downtown Las Vegas for road work through Jan. 8. (FOX5 Las Vegas)

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Today in Las Vegas:

• Take An Interactive Tour Of The Ultimate Smart Home (9:00 PM)
• No More Lonely Holidays: Presented by IRL x No More Lonely Friends - Picnic (12:00 PM and 7:00 PM)
• Virtual Reality - West Las Vegas Library (1:00 PM)
• A Jazzy Holiday Concert with Nik at Nite (1:00 PM)
• FREE Professional Photos with Santa (2:00 PM)
• Let's Code! Make a Retro Video Game - Rainbow Library (2:00 PM)
• Jessica Fichot's Holiday Around the World (2:00 PM)
• Geek-OUT MXED - West Las Vegas Library (3:00 PM)
• Las Vegas Classical Guitar Ensemble Holiday Concert (3:00 PM)
• The 4th Annual Christmas Bar Crawl - Las Vegas (4:00 PM)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Saturday. I'll see you around!

— Nicole Fallon-Peek

About me: Nicole Fallon-Peek is a journalist and copywriter with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She has served as a freelance reporter, managing editor, copy editor, and editorial director for a variety of B2B news outlets. She currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.