Descend into the Havana underworld with author, mob history expert Scott Deitche at the Mob Museum Saturday, Aug. 9, 1 p.m.
This August, Havana becomes the focus of special programming at The Mob Museum, The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement. On Saturday, August 9 at 1 p.m., author and noted Mob expert Scott Deitche will present “The Havana Underworld: Mafia Influence from Tampa to Cuba.” He will sign his books, “Cigar City Mafia: A Complete History of the Tampa Underworld,” “Balls: The True Life of Eddie Trascher, Gentleman Gangster” and “The Silent Don: The World of Santo Trafficante, Jr.,” after the presentation.
Deitche’s presentation at the Museum follows “Hot Havana Nights,” a vibrant celebration of Cuban music, entertainment, cuisine and culture, which takes place Thursday, August 7 from 6 to 10 p.m. Hot Havana Nights is presented in collaboration with the Cuban Heritage Foundation and the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce and recreates a world when the Mob ruled Havana.
Havana was the first Vegas. Lavish casinos and exciting nightclubs transformed the tropical city into a top tourist destination, and a haven for the Mafia. From Lucky Luciano to Meyer Lansky, and Mob families from Pittsburgh to Chicago, the American underworld was deeply entrenched in pre-Castro Cuba. But few crime figures loomed as
large as Santo Trafficante, Jr., boss of the Tampa Mob. Deitche’s talk will examine the Mafia in Cuba through the influence of the Tampa Mob, from their early forays into Havana in the 1930s, to Trafficante’s reign over the casinos and beyond, to the Mafia-CIA plots to assassinate Fidel Castro.
In addition to authoring books, Deitche has written dozens of articles on organized crime for local and national magazines and newspapers. He has been featured on The Discovery Channel, The History Channel, A&E,
C-SPAN and both national and local news and radio shows.
To make reservations, visit The Mob Museum’s website. For more
information, please call (702) 229-2734.
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Tom Fazio to design golf course at new Las Vegas luxury community Tom Fazio will design a new 18-hole golf course that will form part of a new luxury community in Las Vegas, Nevada.
A joint venture from The Howard Hughes Corporation and Discovery Land Company, work on the new master planned community is set to begin in mid-2015.
The 555-acre site is located in the Summerlin master planned community to the west of the city of Las Vegas. The area is home to TPC Summerlin and TPC Las Vegas, which both feature courses designed by Bobby Weed.
The new Fazio-designed course will also feature a brand new clubhouse including a state-of-the-art fitness facility and spa.
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18 Las Vegas neighborhoods get grants for community improvement The Las Vegas City Council unanimously approved $55,000 in Neighborhood Partners Fund grants for 18 projects that will improve the community.
The recipients are neighborhood associations registered with the city of Las Vegas. The residents in the neighborhood associations will provide more than $163,570 in matching labor and donations to improve their neighborhoods.
Since 1998, the city has funded 290 neighborhood projects. These projects have generated close to $2.5 million worth of matching volunteer labor or donations for a total impact of more than $3.5 million to city communities.
The 18 projects approved this year improve communities and bring residents together including:
—McNeil Neighborhood Association: Neighborhood Designation Signage
—Quail Estates West: Audio-visual and Security Equipment
—Admiral’s Point II HOA: HOA Security System
—Aventura HOA: Safety and Lighting Improvement Project
—John W. Bonner Elementary School PTA: Bonner Safety in Schools
—La Mancha Homeowners Association: Signage Renewal, Beautification
—Crossroads I HOA: Community Improvements: Carport Lighting,
BBQ/Picnic Area and Benches
—Huntridge Neighborhood Association: Clean and Green, Unify/Beautify
—Stupak Neighborhood Council: Neighborhood Council/ Police Athletic
League Youth Adventure Club
—Western-Highland Business Association: Communication Project
—Quail Ridge Drive HOA: Enhancing Community Spirit
—Cultural Corridor Coalition: Cultural Corridor Awareness Campaign
—Northwest Area Residents Association (NARA): Community Garden
—The Greens HOA: Security Camera Upgrade, Lighting Enhancement
—Willowdale Estates HOA: Willowdale Annual Security Event
—Eagle Creek Heights: Park Equipment Renovation
—Four Winds HOA: Park Renovation Phase 3: Security, Lighting Update
—Whisper Creek Owners’ Association: Entrance Landscaping
The Neighborhood Partners Fund matches up to $5,000 for projects to improve the quality of life in registered Las Vegas neighborhoods. The program serves as incentive for residents to become involved in their neighborhoods and address issues of concern (i.e., traffic, neighborhood preservation, crime). Residents match the grants through
volunteer labor and other types of donations.
The city of Las Vegas promotes, develops and supports safe, healthy neighborhoods through partnerships, education and compliance.
Residents can register their neighborhoods with the by calling 229-6681 or visiting the city’s website to learn more.
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Las Vegas police defy federal immigration policy
In a major win for immigration advocates, the Las Vegas Metro Police Department is joining a swell of major cities refusing to comply with requests from federal officials to detain undocumented immigrants for longer than their jail terms.
“This change has nothing to do with me taking a stand on the immigration issue,” Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie said in a statement, according to NBC News. “It has more to do with a situation we’ve found ourselves in and this is the best thing to do until the feds figure it out.”
Las Vegas is the latest major city to defy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, just one week after Los Angeles became the largest city in the country to challenge the practice.
Under a federal “Secured Communities” program, local law enforcement are asked to share any information on undocumented immigrants, including fingerprints, with federal officials. They’re are also asked to hold potentially deportable immigrants until federal agents arrive to take the inmates into custody. However, a growing number of
municipalities are refusing to comply with federal agents after local police complained that the practice is deterring immigrant communities from reporting crimes out of fear of being flagged for deportation.
A district court decision in Oregon this past April paved the way for more local agencies to push back on the practice after a federal judge ruled that a woman’s constitutional rights were violated when she was held by immigration officials beyond her release date. The court ruled that counties could be liable for damages if they detain someone solely because of their immigration status.
In Las Vegas, either a judge must now decide whether there is “probable cause” to detain a person for longer than their initial jail term, or police must obtain a warrant from the judge’s chambers in order to comply with the ICE request.
“The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department continues to work with our federal law enforcement partners and will continue to provide professional service to the Las Vegas community regardless of their immigration status in United States,” Gillespie said in a statement.
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