Raiders stadium seems in sight

A still from a video presented by the Oakland Raiders during a Las Vegas Stadium Authority board meeting at the Clark County Government Center in Las Vegas on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Throughout the Las Vegas Stadium development process, there have been big leaps in progress — the approval of Senate Bill 1, November’s ceremonial groundbreaking, the completion of a Community Benefits Plan.

Then, there are days when the Las Vegas Stadium Authority board takes baby steps that bring full-fledged construction closer, but not by much.

Thursday was one of those days.

Board members cruised through a lengthy agenda, but had little to show for it in the end, except that everything still appears to be on track for completion of a final stadium development agreement in February.

The board tabled action on selecting a chairman for the Benefits Oversight Committee, took a closer look at the UNLV Joint-Use Agreement that won’t be finalized until Jan. 19 and added a page to a Non-Relocation Agreement that designed to give the Raiders an out to the 30-year stadium lease they’d sign.

On track toward development

After the meeting, Stadium Authority Chairman Steve Hill and Raiders President Marc Badain each said they were satisfied that they had made progress toward the end goal of signing a development agreement to get into the construction phase.

In his report to the board, Badain said work was nearly complete on 100,000 square feet of temporary construction office space, that the relocation of an underground drainage channel was well underway and that the blasting of rock to excavate the inner bowl of the stadium would continue through February.

Board members were hoping to select a chair for the Benefits Oversight Committee, created with December’s completion of a Community Benefits Plan. The authority received 17 nominations for seven committee positions and will choose the chair.

Board member Tommy White said he wanted Sean Stewart, executive director of the Nevada Contractors Association, to chair it, while board member Ken Evans has expressed an interest in leading the committee.

Action tabled

The board agreed to table action — the board meets again in a special meeting Jan. 25 — since some of them haven’t met Stewart.

The other six committee members will be selected by the governor, the State Senate majority leader, the State Assembly speaker with three chosen by the Raiders.

Board members combed over the UNLV Joint-Use Agreement, which is important to the authority because it would serve as arbitrator for any scheduling issues that arise between UNLV and the Raiders.

Senate Bill 1 states that the Raiders and the NFL have priority on scheduling the stadium and UNLV has the right to schedule two non-conference football games per year in the stadium and will have rights to the Labor Day holiday weekend. The NFL season normally starts after Labor Day.

Stadium access

The Joint-Use Agreement also spells out the Rebel football team’s access to the stadium, including clubs and boxes, and outlines a revenue stream for advertising and concessions once standard pass-through expenses are calculated.

The Board of Regents’ approval of the agreement next week is a key step toward finalizing the stadium development agreement. Hill said getting UNLV into the stadium has always been one of the key goals in getting the stadium built because it erases the need to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a smaller on-campus open-air stadium.

Hill acknowledged that addressing scheduling issues was one area the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee may have fallen short on when making stadium recommendations toward the drafting of Senate Bill 1.

The authority also reviewed a proposed new page to the Raiders Non-Relocation Agreement that gives the team an out if any state, county or authority entity imposes a “targeted tax” on the team or stadium during the term of the lease.

A targeted tax is defined as any new tax that is directed or effectively directed at the team, the stadium, spectators, players or team officials or the NFL and its teams and spectators.

The new section of the agreement effectively enables the Raiders to legally break its lease at the stadium if a targeted tax is imposed.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.

 

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Final development agreement for Las Vegas Raiders stadium seems in sight

A still from a video presented by the Oakland Raiders during a Las Vegas Stadium Authority board meeting at the Clark County Government Center in Las Vegas on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Throughout the Las Vegas Stadium development process, there have been big leaps in progress — the approval of Senate Bill 1, November’s ceremonial groundbreaking, the completion of a Community Benefits Plan.

Then, there are days when the Las Vegas Stadium Authority board takes baby steps that bring full-fledged construction closer, but not by much.

Thursday was one of those days.

Board members cruised through a lengthy agenda, but had little to show for it in the end, except that everything still appears to be on track for completion of a final stadium development agreement in February.

The board tabled action on selecting a chairman for the Benefits Oversight Committee, took a closer look at the UNLV Joint-Use Agreement that won’t be finalized until Jan. 19 and added a page to a Non-Relocation Agreement that designed to give the Raiders an out to the 30-year stadium lease they’d sign.

On track toward development

After the meeting, Stadium Authority Chairman Steve Hill and Raiders President Marc Badain each said they were satisfied that they had made progress toward the end goal of signing a development agreement to get into the construction phase.

In his report to the board, Badain said work was nearly complete on 100,000 square feet of temporary construction office space, that the relocation of an underground drainage channel was well underway and that the blasting of rock to excavate the inner bowl of the stadium would continue through February.

Board members were hoping to select a chair for the Benefits Oversight Committee, created with December’s completion of a Community Benefits Plan. The authority received 17 nominations for seven committee positions and will choose the chair.

Board member Tommy White said he wanted Sean Stewart, executive director of the Nevada Contractors Association, to chair it, while board member Ken Evans has expressed an interest in leading the committee.

Action tabled

The board agreed to table action — the board meets again in a special meeting Jan. 25 — since some of them haven’t met Stewart.

The other six committee members will be selected by the governor, the State Senate majority leader, the State Assembly speaker with three chosen by the Raiders.

Board members combed over the UNLV Joint-Use Agreement, which is important to the authority because it would serve as arbitrator for any scheduling issues that arise between UNLV and the Raiders.

Senate Bill 1 states that the Raiders and the NFL have priority on scheduling the stadium and UNLV has the right to schedule two non-conference football games per year in the stadium and will have rights to the Labor Day holiday weekend. The NFL season normally starts after Labor Day.

Stadium access

The Joint-Use Agreement also spells out the Rebel football team’s access to the stadium, including clubs and boxes, and outlines a revenue stream for advertising and concessions once standard pass-through expenses are calculated.

The Board of Regents’ approval of the agreement next week is a key step toward finalizing the stadium development agreement. Hill said getting UNLV into the stadium has always been one of the key goals in getting the stadium built because it erases the need to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a smaller on-campus open-air stadium.

Hill acknowledged that addressing scheduling issues was one area the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee may have fallen short on when making stadium recommendations toward the drafting of Senate Bill 1.

The authority also reviewed a proposed new page to the Raiders Non-Relocation Agreement that gives the team an out if any state, county or authority entity imposes a “targeted tax” on the team or stadium during the term of the lease.

A targeted tax is defined as any new tax that is directed or effectively directed at the team, the stadium, spectators, players or team officials or the NFL and its teams and spectators.

The new section of the agreement effectively enables the Raiders to legally break its lease at the stadium if a targeted tax is imposed.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.

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FCC Chairman Ajit Pai cancels Las Vegas event appearance after getting death threats

After a meeting voting to end net neutrality, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai answers a question from a reporter, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai canceled his appearance at a consumer trade show in Las Vegas next week after receiving death threats, according to reports.

An FCC spokesman told Reuters that Pai would not attend the Consumer Electronics Show without giving a reason. The spokesman added the agency does not comment on security concerns.

Pai has been targeted by death threats on social media after his agency approved to strip Obama-era net neutrality rules.

“He and his family have been subject to vicious and direct attacks and threats and any decision he makes regarding his own travel is fine with me,” Gary Shapiro, CES President and CEO, told Digital Trends.

Multiple security agencies were investigating the threats, sources told Reuters.

In December, the FCC’s meeting to vote on net neutrality was halted because of a bomb threat.

The FCC released the full text of its Restoring Internet Freedom order on Thursday.

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Professor who blamed ‘Trumpism’ for Las Vegas massacre resigns

A far-left Drexel University professor — known for making inflammatory remarks on social media — is resigning from his teaching job, blaming a right-wing “internet mob” for alleged “harassment.”

George Ciccariello-Maher, an associate professor of politics and global studies at the Philadelphia school, will be leaving next year, he said in a statement Thursday.

He blamed “right-wing, white supremacist media outlets and internet mobs” that allegedly harassed him for nearly a year.

“Staying at Drexel in the eye of this storm has become detrimental to my own writing, speaking and organizing,” he wrote.

The professor had drawn attention for a series of inflammatory remarks. Most recently, he was placed on administrative leave after he blamed the Oct. 1 Las Vegas massacre of 58 people on the “narrative of white victimization” and “Trumpism.”

Some guy gave up his first class seat for a uniformed soldier. People are thanking him. I’m trying not to vomit or yell about Mosul.

— George Ciccariello (@ciccmaher) March 26, 2017

In another instance, Ciccariello-Maher in March said he wanted to “vomit or yell” after seeing an airline passenger giving up a first-class seat to a U.S. military service member. On Christmas Eve last year, he said that all he wanted for the holidays was a “white genocide.”

The constant controversy created a backlash for the university, prompting an inquiry into the professor’s behavior after donors started reconsidering their partnership with the institution.

The university’s provost reportedly wrote to Ciccariello-Maher that "at least two potential significant donors to the university have withheld previously promised donations” while a number of prospective students reversed their decisions to attend Drexel.

In the resignation announcement, Ciccariello-Maher said that “we are at war” and accused conservatives of “targeting campuses with thinly veiled provocations disguised as free speech.”

He added: “In the face of aggression from the racist Right and impending global catastrophe, we must defend our universities, our students, and ourselves by defending the most vulnerable among us and by making our campuses unsafe spaces for white supremacists.”

Drexel previously defended the professor’s right to free speech, but stressed that his views did not reflect those of the institution.

Lukas Mikelionis is a reporter for FoxNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @LukasMikelionis.

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Coroner: All Las Vegas victims died from gunshot wounds

Las Vegas shooting survivors: We’re in the dark 03:50

(CNN)All 58 people who were killed in the Las Vegas shooting died from gunshot wounds, according to Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg.

Their deaths were ruled homicides. The findings from the coroner’s office reveal that none of the victims died from other types of injuries while trying to escape the scene. Many of the victims died from shots to the head and chest, according to a list of causes of death published by CNN affiliate KVVU.

The death of the gunman, Stephen Craig Paddock, was ruled a suicide. He shot himself in the mouth, according to Fudenberg.

More than two months have passed since the October 1 massacre at a country music festival, and authorities are still struggling to determine why the gunman fired on a packed crowd of concertgoers.

Since the massacre, more than 450 people have filed lawsuits related to the shooting, against MGM, Mandalay Corp., Live Nation Entertainment, Slide Fire Solutions — the maker of the bump stock device the gunman used — and Paddock’s estate, among others.

Paddock died without a will, and his assets have been estimated to be worth $5 million, CNN affiliate KSNV reported. His brother has said the money should be given to the victims, but nothing can be done until a court decides who will manage his assets.

CNN’s Artemis Moshtaghian and Nicole Chavez contributed to this report.

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Compassion fatigue? Donations following Las Vegas massacre lag behind other victims funds

A row of crosses was among the impromptu memorials set up in Las Vegas to honor those killed during the mass shooting on Oct. 1. (Gregory Bull / AP)

She’s jumpy, sitting outside the Starbucks on a bright morning in an upscale Las Vegas neighborhood. People walk by, and she watches most of them closely. A helicopter flying toward the Las Vegas Strip causes her to jerk her head upward. She stops talking.

“Helicopters are a trigger,” Christine Caria said.

The 49-year-old Las Vegas resident said she is living with post-traumatic stress disorder, torn leg ligaments and a wrenched back after being trampled amid the mass shooting on Oct. 1. Stephen Paddock, stationed on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, fired on an open-air concert attended by about 22,000 people that night, killing 58 and injuring hundreds of others.

Caria is one of thousands who likely won’t be eligible for funds collected by the Las Vegas Victims Fund.

Scott Nielsen, chairman of the Las Vegas Victims Fund Committee, said the size of the victim pool, coupled with the amount raised, about $16 million, will make it difficult for everyone to get what is needed.

“When we had our town hall meetings and listened to the survivors, they told us very touching stories and heartfelt stories about not being able to go back to what they were doing before,” Nielsen said. “It’s cost them jobs, their apartments, relationships, and the problem is trying to financially help those people because there are so many of them.”

After past tragedies, such as the 2012 movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colo., the process of distributing monetary gifts to victims has been open to criticism. The Las Vegas shooting presents a unique problem: a massive victim pool with contributions coming in far below donations made for attacks such as those in Boston and Orlando, Fla.

The Las Vegas Victims Fund Committee on Friday is expected to finalize the criteria for those who will qualify for cash disbursements — with critics asking for a delay to see whether more money can be raised to get more victims covered.

Nielsen noted a separate fund formed largely by the casino industry — the Vegas Strong Fund — has about $13 million in donations, and a yet-to-be-determined portion of that amount eventually will end up in the Las Vegas Victims Fund.

Jennifer Holub, a 38-year-old from Utah who said she was at the concert, said she suffers from severe PTSD. Her physical injuries include a dislocated shoulder, rib and thumb, and she is going to a chiropractor. Her trauma therapist is an hour’s drive away and, as a small business owner, those sessions aren’t covered by insurance. She also said more money needs to be raised to help everyone without getting into “a competition of injuries.”

“We all have different relationships, different support systems, different insurance coverages,” she said. “You can say you can see someone’s gunshot wound, but you can’t see my nightmares. All Las Vegas victims matter, and everyone deserves some help.”

You can say you can see someone’s gunshot wound, but you can’t see my nightmares. All Las Vegas victims matter, and everyone deserves some help. — Jennifer Holub

Ken Feinberg, an expert on disaster funds and a consultant to the Las Vegas fund, said that’s not possible.

“PTSD is a very legitimate injury, but there’s not enough money,” said Feinberg, who oversaw fund disbursement after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando and the Boston Marathon bombing.

“You’re talking about thousands of people,” he said. “Do you know how long it would take to process claims where the allegation is PTSD? It would tie up the fund in knots in terms of speed and efficiency.”

Under the current protocols, the highest level of payment would go to death claims, victims who suffered permanent brain damage or paralysis and those who require continuous home medical assistance.

The second category would be those who were admitted to a hospital within the first 48 hours and spent more than one night in a hospital between Oct. 1 and Jan. 31, 2018.

By comparison, the One Orlando fund, did allow people who were in the nightclub to make a claim even if they didn’t suffer a physical injury requiring treatment. However, that category was the lowest priority behind those who died, were severely injured or required hospitalization.

Last year’s shooting in Orlando, where 49 people were killed and nearly 60 injured, resulted in $27 million in cash disbursements. More than $17 million was distributed to families of those who died. Those who spent time in a hospital were given between $65,000 and $300,000. Of the people in the lowest category — those who were present at the nightclub but weren’t hospitalized — 186 each got $25,000.

The fund for the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 eclipsed $80 million. In that blast, three people were killed and hundreds were injured, including many who lost limbs. The Arrowhead United Way’s fund for the San Bernardino shooting that left 14 dead and 24 injured had $2.4 million to distribute to victims of the 2015 attack.

In San Bernardino, families of those who died were eligible for about $140,000 and the 24 injured were eligible for $5,000 plus $1,000 for each night spent in the hospital. For the 37 present during the shooting, each was eligible for $2,993.

Several fundraising experts said the Las Vegas collection may trail other donation efforts for several reasons, including “compassion fatigue,” the ongoing mystery surrounding the shooter’s motive and the timing of the massacre.

Sandy Rees, who has 20 years of experience fundraising and runs Get Fully Funded from its headquarters in Tennessee, said that in recent months, people also gave money to help victims of the hurricanes that hit Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. There also were fires that swept through Northern California and a mass shooting at a church in Texas.

“Compassion fatigue is a real thing. There have been so many things that happened this year,” Rees said. “But it does get overwhelming, and I think people start to tune out.”

She also said that with 22,000 concertgoers, 58 dead and more than 500 wounded, the numbers in Las Vegas obscure the individual tragedies. Donors, she said, respond to personal stories.

“Fundraising is an emotional act. We do it with our heart and reinforce it with our head. You have to tell a story about one person or one family and why that matters,” Rees said. “You talk about large numbers in need, people are more likely to glaze over and tune out.”

Larry C. Johnson, a Boise, Idaho-based fundraising consultant who runs the Eight Principles, said he thinks the Las Vegas shooting remains shrouded in mystery and has allowed conspiracy theories to bloom — something that makes giving less attractive to donors.

“Yes, it’s clear people died and were injured, but there is not clarity of resolution,” Johnson said. “The hurricane happens, and you see rebuilding. In Vegas, there is a sense of still waiting.”

The Las Vegas Victims Fund will keep taking donations through at least Jan. 31 — and possibly beyond — but fundraising experts agree that the bulk of giving occurs in the first six weeks after a tragedy.

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Las Vegas Community Healing Garden To Host Holiday Event

LAS VEGAS, NV – Wednesday’s city council meeting tabbed the Outside Las Vegas Foundation with maintaining the Las Vegas Community Healing Garden. Soon after, the foundation announced its first community event at the downtown garden.

Outside Las Vegas will hold a tree lighting ceremony at the garden on Saturday, Dec. 9. The Holiday in the Garden will start at 4 p.m. and last until 6 p.m. Midway through the ceremony Las Vegas entertainment icons Siegfried and Roy will ceremonially light the trees inside the garden.

Fifty-eight trees have been planted at the garden in memory of the 58 lives that were lost. Those trees surround a single oak tree donated to the garden by Siegfried and Roy.

"It is an honor to manage and care for this sacred community outdoor memorial," OLVF Volunteer Director Jessica Anderson said in a press release. "With the partnership of the City of Las Vegas and LV Healing Garden Committee, we are able to provide a service to a special outdoor place where people can find healing and experience fellowship within their community."

Saturday’s Holiday in the Garden will showcase the area as a gathering place for members of the Las Vegas community following the tragedy. The garden was built in three days following the shooting with the help of donations from people and businesses around the valley. Holiday music and hot chocolate will accompany the ceremony, which is free of charge.

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The garden is located in Downtown Las Vegas at 1015 S Casino Center Blvd.

Image: A mural honoring 58 victims adorns a building at the Las Vegas Community Healing Garden, Monday, Oct. 16, 2017, in Las Vegas. The garden was built as a memorial for the victims of the recent mass shooting in Las Vegas. (John Locher/Associated Press)

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