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Las Vegas Observation Wheels Will Battle for Business

Submitted by 8 News NOW
Wednesday, May 16th, 2012, 12:47pm

LAS VEGAS --  Two competing tourist attractions coming to the Las Vegas Strip might have some asking if the city is big enough for two giant observation wheels.

The Linq and Skyvue have both officially broken ground with construction already underway on The Linq, a Caesars Entertainment project. The $550 million project will be headlined by the 550-foot Las Vegas High Roller.

A few miles down the Strip, the 500-foot Skyvue Las Vegas hopes to give The Linq a run for its money. It's a battle of the big wheels and the jabs are flying in both directions.

"I don't think there's any question which project is up and underway and going to be successful," said Jan Jones, Caesars Entertainment.

"Ours is unobstructed, the other is three-quarters looking at buildings. I'm not concerned about it," Skyvue developer Howard Bulloch said.

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Judge Accepts Plea from Absent Defendant

Submitted by 8 News NOW
Tuesday, May 15th, 2012, 12:06pm
Judge Accepts Plea from Absent Defendant

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- A Nevada judge accepted a written not guilty plea and scheduled trial for an absent Gainesville, Fla., man facing a felony involuntary manslaughter charge in the one-punch death of a man during a Las Vegas Strip casino scuffle.

Judge Abbi Silver in Las Vegas let Benjamin Hawkins' attorney, Jack Buchanan, stand in for Hawkins during Tuesday's arraignment in Clark County District Court.

Buchanan says Hawkins has cooperated with authorities since the encounter that left John Massie dead last July 6.

Hawkins claims self-defense after Massie made a comment about "a black man in a yellow shirt" in a restroom at O'Shea's Las Vegas Casino.

Hawkins is black. Massie was white. He was from Roy, Utah.

Casino video shows the punch and Massie falling backward. He died of severe brain injuries.

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Mayweather Says Focus on Cotto This Saturday

Submitted by 8 News NOW
Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012, 10:53am

LAS VEGAS - Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Miguel Cotto arrived at MGM Grand Tuesday in preparation for their championship fight Saturday.

This is Mayweather's first fight since he was convicted of domestic violence in January. A judge allowed him to begin serving his 90-day jail sentence June 1 – after his fight with Cotto. Mayweather maintains his pending sentence isn't affecting his focus on this weekend's fight.

"My main thing is to focus on Miguel Cotto, things like that, you know," he said. "I take a negative and turn it into a positive. You got certain obstacles that are put in your way."

Even though he's stepping up in weight to face Cotto, Mayweather is a huge favorite.

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North Strip Businesses Bank on SLS Las Vegas' Arrival

Submitted by 8 News NOW
Tuesday, May 1st, 2012, 11:00pm

LAS VEGAS - Big projects planned for the north end of the Las Vegas Strip came to a screeching halt when the recession hit. Now, some north Strip businesses hope the opening of SLS Las Vegas, formerly the Sahara, will bring new business to the oldest part of Las Vegas Boulevard.

El Rancho Vegas was the first hotel on the Strip in 1941. It's now an empty lot. Across the street, a demolition has been underway since Ivana Trump's proposed high-rise condo failed to get off the ground. The land was also the longtime home to Foxy's Firehouse and later the Holy Cow!

The Sahara, which sits across the street from the former Holy Cow! site is now dark, but if all goes as planned, the north Strip could be back in the game.

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Money Secured and Plans Unveiled for Old Sahara

Submitted by Natalie Cullen, Online Editor
Tuesday, May 1st, 2012, 5:01pm

LAS VEGAS -- The north end of the Las Vegas Strip is a step closer to a major property starting construction. SLS Las Vegas has secured $300 million to renovate the property where the Sahara now stands.

The group still needs $115 million to start construction. The funding is expected to be secure in the next few months.

SLS Las Vegas unveiled a plastic model of what the property will look like Tuesday. The company doesn't plan to implode the old property but completely remodel it. They say there will be no similarities to the Sahara.

"It will not look at all like the old Sahara. All the embellishments are removed. It is contemporized and brought up to, I call it, market standard," President and Chief Operating Officer of SLS Las Vegas Robert Oseland said.

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O'Sheas Parking Garage Imploded

Submitted by 8 News NOW
Tuesday, May 1st, 2012, 3:19am

LAS VEGAS -- The parking garage of O'Sheas Casino was imploded early Tuesday morning to make way for a new Las Vegas project.

Portions of the Las Vegas Strip were closed to traffic to accommodate the early morning implosion.

The implosion of the seven-story parking garage took place at 2:30 a.m. The 23-year-old Irish-themed casino closed Monday. The casino's parent company is making way for the $500 million Linq Project, which will include shopping, dining and a giant observation wheel.

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O'Shea's Casino Closes, Parking Garage to be Imploded

Submitted by 8 News NOW
Monday, April 30th, 2012, 4:12pm

LAS VEGAS -- For the first time in 23 years, O'Sheas Casino will not be turning on their neon lights at sunset. The popular bar and casino known for beer pong and cheap drinks officially closed at noon.

But before they closed, hundreds of people packed into the casino one final time for a beer and poker games. But unfortunately, nothing could be done to save the casino from closing down for good.

"After 23 years of being here, it's a staple. I have a lot of friends that come here still. I've had a lot of people from around the world here and they all say O'Sheas is the place we have to go," said bartender Robert Callahan.

O'Sheas will be replaced by with the $500 million Linq Project. It will have retail shops, dining and an observation wheel. Told the Linq Project will employ about 1,500 people when it opens. They should be hiring for those jobs when it opens sometime late next year.

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