Items

2021-06-16

Golden Knights vs Canadiens Game 2

I am a huge hockey fan and going to games was definitely something that I really missed during the pandemic. Once my family and I were fully vaccinated we were able to travel to Las Vegas and see playoff game. As a result of Covid-19, the NHL only had a 56 game season in 2021 and teams were placed in new divisions and the playoffs had some changes to its formatting, hence the weird matchup of Golden Knights/Canadiens in the Stanley Cup "Semifinals." The Golden Knights lost 3-0 but overall, it was still a really fun experience because I had never been to a Stanley Cup Playoff game before. There was still many Covid-19 restrictions in place during this time, but if I'm remembering correctly these restrictions were more prominent when I returned in December, especially at the arena.

2020-03-05

The Sounds of a Casino

Living in Las Vegas and working in a hotel and casino, I got used to a few things; the sounds of the slot machines and the (albeit unpleasant) aroma of cigarettes and cigars. After being brought back to work after the shutdown, what I immediately noticed was how much quieter the casino floor was with all of the restrictions in place. There was a limit to how many guests we could have in, and social distancing meant only every other machine could be used. While wearing a mask and having plexiglass in front of my station, I had to get used to projecting my voice so that guests could hear me while I was trying to help them. Even now, I still wear a mask and have to actively make an effort to be heard.

2022-03-20

Working in a Casino Post-Covid

Living in Las Vegas, it was quite noticeable when Covid hit. The city that always seemed to have something going on suddenly ground to a halt. Working at a casino, I noticed as our usual volume of guests and tourists started to lessen until we were shut down altogether. So, getting back to work after the shutdown was a bit of an adjustment. My workstation, usually with 6 of us working together now had half that amount. Hotel and casino floor capacity had to be kept low. I also remember the temperature checks that both guests and employees were required to do at the entrances. Enforcing the mask mandates with guests would also prove to be a hassle at times as some guests were more receptive than others. As travel restrictions and mask mandates started being lifted, it didn't take long for many of our regular guests to start showing up again. We recently started having live music performances at our property that guests had been inquiring about quite regularly beforehand. As of now, we're basically operating at full guest capacity again with a full casino floor and regular events. While there are still people wearing masks, myself included, there is a sense that the worst is behind us.

2020-01-22

Blinding Lights, The Song of 2020

If there is one song that defined the 2020 experience, it was Blinding Lights by the Weeknd. It was the most-streamed song of the year and achieved widespread commercial and critical success. Despite being released at the end of January before Covid had shut down North America, the imagery of empty Las Vegas streets and abandoned roads in the music video became an iconic part of lockdown life- the feeling of being alone and disoriented in a place that feels almost familiar. The frantic pace general insanity of the video was also a key part of this song's success as the world spiralled into the pandemic at a breakneck speed.

2021-10-14

When Silence took over Las Vegas

I live in a city bursting with lights, music, wonder, excitement, tourists, and opportunity – Las Vegas, known throughout the world for its casinos and world-class entertainment. Two of its most popular attractions are the Las Vegas Strip and the Fremont Street Experience. The Las Vegas Strip, an almost 5-mile section of Las Vegas Boulevard, is filled with an array of sparkling and neon lights showcasing casinos, hotels with thousands of rooms, restaurants, and entertainment venues -- always bustling with people. My absolute favorite sight and sound along this part of the drive is the spectacular Bellagio Fountains. As you continue on a couple of miles past The Strat, you are introduced to the sights, sounds, and smells of the Fremont Street Experience in historic downtown Las Vegas. Whether I am driving by or enjoying a night out, I love to hear the sounds of the Fremont Street Experience, where crowds of locals and tourists enjoy music along with its famous unique experiences. The Slotzilla Zipline zips laughing and screaming people above the noisy crowds looking up to see them glide under the world's largest digital display while presenting light and sound shows. It is a carnival-like atmosphere within a 6-block street party. Free bands play simultaneously on several stages along the street, while people sing and dance in the streets and have a good time. All ages find it perfect for date nights, parties, or hanging out. Then along came the dark shadow of COVID, shutting down Las Vegas, and the music stopped. The Fremont Street Experience became quiet. It was no longer a place where you could hear different kinds of music coming from multiple areas. No bands were playing your favorite dance songs or rock and roll. Fremont just became a regular street with noiseless empty hotels and restaurants. The stages were silent and bare, and the crowds' shouting, laughter, and singing disappeared. Fremont was quiet for the first time in its history. The excitement and joy were gone. It was no longer a fun place to go, and the silence felt eerie and hauntingly incongruent. Fremont, like much of Las Vegas, felt, looked, and sounded like a ghost town. Now, as we open back up to the public and the crowds return, I once again hear the laughter, the bustle of people, and live music when I drive past or show up. Fremont is back, and now there is only a memory of when the sound of silence was all that filled the air.

2021-08-01

Get Vaccinated

"A Las Vegas father who contracted COVID-19 while on vacation texted his finance from the hospital, "I should have gotten the damn vaccine" This sad story came across my social media feed, I took a screenshot and then found an article which I attached to this item for the full story.

2021-02-04

Exotic Birds Rescued During the Pandemic

As a parrot owner myself, this story is near and dear to my heart. Amid the national news headlines of dog and cat adoptions sweeping the nation during the pandemic, the opposite is true for our feathered friends. Parrots require a great deal of time, care, money, and space. Most birds easily outlive dogs and cats, and the larger ones often outlive their owners. Parrots can be loud, demanding and messy. They don't respect that you are in a zoom meeting with the CEO or that your neighbor's baby is asleep in the apartment on the other side of the wall. With people working from home, losing income, and/or being hospitalized or passing away from COVID-19, many parrots have been surrendered to rescues.

2020-11-07

The Year We Were Quarantined

I've lived in Las Vegas for almost my entire life, and this picture is extremely shocking to me because of how barren it is. Las Vegas is known for the Strip, and both tourists and locals know that this place is always hustling and bustling. There's always flashing lights, traffic, and tons of people everywhere, so seeing this place looking like a ghost town is unbelievable.

2020-11-07

COVID Took Over My Life

This photo screenshot is from a clip of the LAs Vegas Strip taken on March 30th of 2020, by Michael Quine. When this photo was first released on social media, I could feel my heart sink. This is the photo that made me realize how serious COVID was getting. My city. The city that never sleeps. Being silent. Out of the seven years that I’ve lived in Las Vegas, this was the first time where I had seen a street completely empty. When I look at this photo today, it reminds me of the day all of our lives changed, but I also think of how this is now considered the norm. Everyone wears masks and hand sanitizers every way you look.

2020-11-07

Coronavirus in Las Vegas

Covid-19 has affected everyone in the world, and the city of Las Vegas is not an exception. Las Vegas is considered to be a major tourism spot yet no one is here. Coronavirus did not just impact tourists, but locals as well. Seeing our city empty and looking like a ghost town is sad and it feels like our sparkle is gone. Although they are being empty because it is for our good to remain distant from others during these harsh times, it is still terrible to see our city empty and eerie. When we think of Las Vegas we think about the huge crowds at the strip, the casinos filled with people gambling or watching shows. Now the city that never sleeps is now an empty place that does not look like the city we know and love. Fichtel, C. (2020, April 22). Las Vegas workers push back after mayor's call to reopen casinos and hotels. Retrieved November 07, 2020, from https://news.yahoo.com/las-vegas-workers-push-back-022132572.html?guccounter=1

2020-11-06

Closed for Business

On the Las Vegas Strip, this image could normally be captured at the oddly specific time of never. Downtown Las Vegas normally is teeming with life, creepy people dressed in raggedy, unwashed costumes, bachelor and bachelorette parties gone and going wrong and overall people having a wonderful time. As the Covid-19 outbreak was beginning to hit its crescendo, everything in the state of Nevada was shutdown, making all in person operations cease to prevent the spread of this disease. This lead a town based around its overall tourism and wild nightlife in disarray, many people lost jobs and businesses struggled, leading some to never open again. The image here, to me, is something sad, T-Mobile Arena is a very nostalgic place for me, it is the place where I was able to see one of my favorite bands for the first time, and when me and my brother decided to drive the strip in the midst of isolation we had to stop and take the picture. T-Mobile Arena was an extremely lively place that always had live music and sporting events, as heartbreaking as it was to see it dormant, it had to be closed, the spread of Covid-19 had to be prevented. In my opinion, Governor Sisolak handled the crisis well, despite how painful it was for many citizens, I know we as a city will recover and the city will live once again.

Side by side comparison of three different fashionable face masks.

2020-02-28

Don't take it(fashion) away from me!

I chose this piece of media because this shows the intertwining of the government's edict to wear masks and fashion. This made me realize two things- first was that even in a pandemic like this, people still do want to improvise and try to earn money and secondly, beauty and fashion is what makes life worth living, as even in such a tumultuous time such as now, we find a way to overcome and make the world a brighter place;people will always find a way to put fashion and style in everything even in such a dangerous time as this. We see people even taking advantage of this new business venture, as when I was strolling around in Caesar's Palace, I saw a store selling Covid-19 related fashion clothes such as those in the picture above. This seems to be a compromise of the people and the government- "ok, we'll wear masks, but don't take it(the fashion) away from me!".

2020-03-19

The Las Vegas strip

What it does means to me is that our bright and beautiful city which was active was dead, it was a ghost town. It showed that at that time the Governor Steve Sisolak needed to make a very difficult decision and shut down our country in order to protect the Nevadans. But it came at a risk of shutting down our economy many Nevadans have been hurt recently, When it came to the federal government barely anything has been done. There are still millions of Americans who are struggling to put food on the table for their children and Congress can't put politics aside for the betterment of the American people. I was one of the lucky ones and I have been negatively affected so I don't know how it must of felt for the Americans who are struggling but I know it must be painful.

2020-03-18

Las Vegas Quarantine

The photo is when Las Vegas went into lockdown for COVID-19 in March 2020. This photo has much significance considering this was the first time in my life I witnessed Las Vegas actually shutdown all the casinos (which it’s infamously known for). This also shows how the government took action by having a quarantine/ shutdown of nonessential businesses. Being that casinos are the main source of income for many residents of Las Vegas, the virus undoubtedly affected locals daily lives, as well as billions of lives globally.

2020-10-20

Coronavirus, Las Vegas, Archives and Me

This video I took while riding near the strip really reminded me of the impact coronavirus has and is having on the Las Vegas community. This impact has been huge on Las Vegas being that it is coined “the city that never sleeps” and has a large population. This video to me shows the importance of community involvement. Despite the strip hotels being vacant the lights remained on with a message of love instead of off making the hotels completely dark. This video involves the decision of the government to “enforce” quarantine and isolation laws which involved many recreational activities and places to be shut down and stopped.

2020-10-20

Sunshine [DUPLICATE]

These lyrics are from the song “Sunshine” by rapper Young Dolph. This song was released near the beginning of the coronavirus era in April. During this time, I was longing for these difficult times to come to an end, despite them just beginning. I wondered when the sunshine would come back, when all the anxiety and grief would be replaced with relief and glee. The sunshine I had been longing for didn’t come as soon as I expected, but that doesn’t mean I’m giving up hope just yet.

2020-09-06

Family Outing Gone Wrong

This picture was taken at Seven Magic Mountains in Las Vegas, Nevada. You would think that this tourist attraction would have a sign informing the people to wear their masks. However, the location lacks enforcement of CDC guidelines which demonstrates how the government hasn’t put their foot down. This issue made it an uncomfortable family outing due to the fact that the majority of the people there didn’t have a mask nor complied with social distancing rules.

2020-10-20

The Empty Strip

This picture was taken while my family and I were driving on the empty strip. It was such an eerie feeling that there was no people on the streets and barely any cars. All of the signs said something along the lines of stay safe, we’ll be back soon. In the picture you can see that the sign says “Stay safe and we’ll get through this together”. All the casinos were closed because the government had to take leadership and try to prevent the spread of corona.

2020-10-20

Life with Corona

school assignment

2020-10-20T20:17

The effect of a Pandemic

The photo I chose for this assignment is a picture of an empty hockey arena. Covid-19 really effected not only my decision to play hockey this year but the hockey season in general. Due to underlying conditions, in June I decided it was a smart decision to not continue playing junior hockey this year. The decision to not play junior hockey this year, has led me to start my academic career at UNLV. Not only did Covid-19 effect my decision to continue to play hockey, it also effected all junior hockey season around the world, most leagues are not starting their season until January and some aren’t even playing at all.

2020-06-02

COVOD19

This is a video I recorded from my balcony across the street from UNLV’s campus. This media is pretty significant to me. My 7 year old sister was in town and we were in the peak of quarantine. Majority of the city was still closed and riots had just begun. My sister being oblivious to everything going on the only thing she understood is we can’t go outside. One night we were sitting in my living room and my sister goes out on the balcony. She calls me out there and all I hear is loud chants down Maryland parkway and the street I resided on. Nothing violent was happening just a ton of people chanting. All of a sudden a brigade of police officers comes racing down our street and streets surrounding to box in this crowd of people. Big trucks with armed and guarded men screeching for people to “back up!” My sister kept asking why the police were here and who was in trouble. I didn’t really know how to answer because “ I don’t know” and “no ones in trouble” wouldn’t really explain what was going on. That was the truth though. Nothing had happened. A group of people were peacefully exercising their American rights and getting in trouble for it. I didn’t know why the police had arrived. No trouble had been caused. It seemed like everyone was in trouble but I wasn’t sure why and I definitely didn’t know how to break that down to a kid. Once I pulled my phone out to record she seem to draw her own conclusion from the situation. She ran up to my boyfriend and said “the police are outside being mean to people.” I knew then if my incredibly sheltered 7 year old sister could watch a scenario unfold and draw that conclusion without any media persuasion or even family persuasion that the adults who say otherwise blatantly choose to ignore.. and say otherwise.

2020-08

Give Me Liberty, Or Give Me Discounts

The lone student riding the scooter through the desolate campus represents most students this school year attending UNLV, including me. On June 24, 2020 Governor Sisolak issued a mask mandate that would affect all Nevadans until and was to be followed until notified otherwise. Many of my classes that I was supposed to be in person have been transferred online. As a student, I find it interesting how businesses and organizations must comply with these mandates or they will be heavily fined. I also find it interesting, that UNLV does not lower the attendance cost during a year where almost all classes are solely online. Are these protections from this virus worth sacrificing our liberties pertaining to our education?

2020-10-20

Mask Mandate

In this picture, we see a gym employee wearing a mask and cleaning their equipment. I like to go to my local 24 Hour Fitness and you are required to wear a mask which is an example of government action. This is all due to the mandatory face covering policy that was announced by Governor Sisolak caring for the health of the public. This is extremely important and meaningful to me because I know this extra protection is for me and others when going outside or going to the gym.

2020-03-18

The Las Vegas Strip Shuts Down

I remember the first day the strip closed I ran into a guy at the gas statio who had to clear out the treasure island casino. He told me it was a very eerie feeling. This was March 17th or 18th I believe. This is importtant to me becuase of what it represents. For example, Nevada had an unemployemnt rate of nearly 25% due to the shutdown. This not only hurt 25% of the population, but all of the surrounding businesses as well that rely on the strip to bring in customers. *Photograph of the Las Vegas Strip taken by CBS local news

2020-04-07

There's Still Hope

The picture was taken April 7, 2020, about a month into quarantine in Las Vegas, Nevada. This was a time when the only human interaction you would get is at grocery store when you were scrambling to get supplies for your home not knowing if you or a loved one could be the next victim of this pandemic. My household and I were scared, not knowing what to do besides stay quarantined in our home and not try to get tired of each other. We decided we wanted to change up our routine of just staying in the house, and drive down to get a view of the strip to see how it looked with no people. We drove by the electrified city with usually hundreds of people walking the streets partying, to only see the streets empty and all the buildings lights shut off. However, as we drove by the casinos and hotels by Aria Casino, there were two buildings with lights lit up in the shape of a heart. This showed me, despite all the trouble and heartache this pandemic has brought, there was still hope in our city. That one day we will overcome this pandemic together, and in the mean time we just need appreciate what we have, show our loved ones that we love them, and quarantine to help preserve the lives of others. The hearts gave me a sign of hope, that my family and I were not in this alone. *A picture taken by me driving down the strip.

2020-10-18

A life we never thought of

Since everything with the corona virus has happened everything in the world has changed. We now have to wear masks everywhere we go and oftentimes not go out due to the virus, our classes are now online causing no socialization between the students. For once in my 13 years of school I hardly know any of my fellow classmates. I have twin little sisters who mean the absolute world to me and my family. My 12 year old sister has diabetes and as soon as everything went into lockdown my mom wouldn't allow my twin sisters to go out. Her immune system is very poor and she gets sick very easy and very fast. They didn't leave the house for months and my mom hardly let me leave as well, even when things slowly started to open back up. After months of doing nothing and being stuck inside I finally took them out just to the grocery store for our 15 minutes of things we needed to gather. Finally we went to Michaels to look at all of the upcoming holiday decorations and crafts that we could get, so I had to snap a picture of our big moment. * I took the picture

2020-03-26

Emptiness & Unknown By Alexandria Bucy

I created this powem after a video I took during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. The Las Vegas Strip was desolate of travelers from all over the country. This was something our city hasn't seen in years- possibly since September 11, 2001? Even then, I am not sure it was as silent as it was that night. I based a couple of the lines on the soft breeze in the background of the video I shot. *Poem, and I created it myself

2020-09-05T22:48:00

A Very Long Lonely Saturday Night

The photo I presented captures two major events that affects my personal experience. First, the presence of human beings is not seen on a lovely Saturday night reveals how the government has implemented safety precautions of the use of masks and social distancing that involves quarantining in your home. This is a method the government is utilizing to substaint the coronavirus until a vaccine has been released to the public. This photo also captures something very significant to our atmosphere and that is the lack of air pollution. For those who are unaware of what air pollution is, air pollution is many different substances in the atmosphere that are harmful/dangerous to the health of humans and other living beings.This is significant because my health including all people who live in my community are not being poisoned from the air. Although the coronavirus has negatively affected my personal experience, I believe that the required safety precaution and lack of air pollution is for our good until we figure out a solution to the problem.

2020-03-30T19:47

Virus Problems

This photo showcases the strip being empty and the casinos' vacancy. The governor shutdown the city to make sure the spread of the virus was limited. The residents were to be in their house the only time you could leave is with a mask. Visitors were prevented from coming to the strip and the region was quiet for a while.

2020-05-16

Boss Gave a Private Prom

This was when I worked at a cafe throughout the pandemic, and at the time I worked there with my boyfriend. The cafe was located on the edge of a lake, with lots of other nice resteraunts surrounding it along with wedding and party venues. Our boss felt bad that the pandemic took away basically everything from us, so she decided to do something really kind for us, which was throw us our own private prom. The room was very large and reserved for the two of us, and there were really great decorations, lights, and food. We had access to the side of the lake next to the water and the entire room was only open for us. It was one of the kindest gestures anybody has ever done for us, and it was one of the best moments that I had throughout the pandemic.

2020-10-14

Las Vegas Lockdown - March 29

These two photos were taken on the strip at the beginning of lockdown in Las Vegas. Both photos show the government in action as they were taken during lockdown when the strip basically shut down. These photos show empty streets and billboards telling everyone to stay home and stay safe. The billboards provided a sort of unity within the city since it encouraged everyone to “be kind from a distance” and were small reminders that we were all in this together.

2020-06-12

A Vegas-ish 40th Quarantine Style Birthday

At the start of 2020, my group of college friends planned a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate a dear friend's 40th birthday. As we all live in different areas of the country, it was clear by the start of April that the trip would not be happening due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After 20 years of friendship, we couldn't let a milestone like this pass us by. We decided to throw her an over the top Zoom birthday party. I put together party packs, complete with colorful wigs, dessert plates, confetti and cocktail stirrers, and sent to each party guest. The birthday girl's package had strict instructions directing her to wait to open right before the start of the party. Together, the guests made a photo slideshow that included the top 40 things that we love about our friend and read it to the guest of honor during the party. We also decided to make a cocktail together and brought our own desserts and candles so that we could sing to her. The group coordinated with her husband to make sure that she had the cocktail supplies and a dessert to join in the fun. It certainly wasn't what she had imagined for her 40th birthday. But it was unique, thoughtful, a lot of fun, and definitely a memory to last a life time.

2020-04-07

Viva Las Vegas! CANCELLED

Contra Costa County COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders were announced on March 13, 2020. As is typical for me, my calendar was full of various activities in the summer months. I love summer! And, as a teacher, I have more freedom during the summer months to travel and to spend times with loved ones. One of the upcoming events I was most looking forward to was a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate one of my best friend from college's 40th birthday. Somewhere between college and now, life began to move at warp speed and we don't get as much time together as we would like. So, for many reasons, this was a major trip for us all. In early April, it was clear that the trip would no longer happen. We all received a text from the birthday girl letting us know the trip was officially cancelled. While I am sad, it is definitely the right decision. I am hopeful that 2021 will give us the opportunity to reschedule! It is hard to imagine that it could possibly be an entire year before we can all comfortably travel and be together once again.

05/08/2020

KNPR Paper

Short paper on the State of Nevada program on 88.9fm *Original text in "Crreator" and "Contributor:" I wrote the paper on the state of Nevada KNPR hosted by Joe Schoenmann.

2020-05-17

State of Nevada

#unlv #psc100 #mlphelps

05/03/2020

Governor Sisolak's response to Mayor Goodman's CNN interview

A summary on Governor Sisolak's response to Mayor Goodman's CNN interview #unlv #psc100 #mlphelps

2020-05-11

Questioning the leadership in Las Vegas and the economic future of it.

Governer Sisolak response to Mayor Goodman's statement about reopening the city of Las Vegas.

05/09/2020

Las Vegas: COVID-19 Control Group

It is a recap/review of Las Vegas City's reaction to the pandemic. #KNPR #StateofNevada #unlv #mlphelps #psc100

05/16/2020

Clark County Responds To Mayor Comments And Concerns About Reopening KNPR

How to reopen the Las Vegas Strip

2020-04-25

knpr's state of nevada

this is one of many online assignments i had to do after classes moved to remote instruction *i am personally responsible for the creation of the document * https://knpr.org/knpr/2020-04/governor-says-resorts-worried-mayors-comments-will-hurt-vegas host joe schoemann guest gov steve sisolak * a radio broadcast summarized in a word document

2020-05-05

John L. Smith On Rallies To Reopen The Economy

Protests calling to reopen the economy in Nevada, and across the country, have grown more animated as the coronavirus pandemic wears on.

2020-05-08

KNPR Paper

In this KNPR episode, Andre Carrier discusses ways on how to bring up the economy in the face of the pandemic.

0220-05-08

KNPR "State of Nevada" Summary

A student's paper discussing a KNPR segment on how the pandemic may affect water usage in Nevada.

2020-05-09

KNPR Extra Credit Submission

A student's paper discussing a KNPR program on the topic of reopening Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada in the midst of the pandemic.

2020-05-06

KNPR Summary

In this summary, it discusses what might happen after the economy reopens back up during this pandemic. Like, what regulations will be taken, and how different things might possibly end up being after reopening. I wrote the summary, however, Joe Shoenmann and Congressman Amodei spoke during the broadcast.

2020-05-09

KNPR Article Paper

A summary of gov't officials and their response to COVID-19 *Me for UNLV *Homework Assignment

2020-04-06

"Student Tuition at Nevada Universities Change Due To Covid-19"

This resource related to the pandemic because it talks about how higher educational institutions in the state of Nevada are dealing with the virus of Covid-19. Stating how things are changing and how it is affecting their students as well as faculty. *Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Thom Reilly *Audio source from knpr.org

2020-03-09

Explore the Archives