Latest news with #FlamingoHotel
The Star
28-04-2025
- The Star
No water, so they opted for a mini break
Reason to escape: A popular hotel in Tanjung Bungah was crowded with Penangites who flocked to hotels to avoid dealing with water cuts at home. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star GEORGE TOWN: Many people here opted for staycations and short getaways to escape the multi-day water cut that began on Friday. Hotels in Penang, particularly along the northern coast, which relies on water from the Teluk Bahang dam, were bustling with locals looking to unwind. Some even introduced 'no- water' packages. Engineer Nur Liyana Mazlan, 37, was seen enjoying pool time with her husband and two daughters at a hotel in Tanjung Bungah. 'We live in Bayan Lepas. Our apartment block has rooftop tanks but we did not want to take any chances. 'We knew Tanjung Bungah is unaffected, so we thought it would make for a great weekend getaway,' she said, adding that they were pleased the hotel offered a no-water package. Oi Hui Sin, 39, was spotted enjoying the hotel's buffet breakfast with her extended family of seven, who had taken a family suite. 'We cannot travel far with our eight-month-old son, so a hotel on the island was the best option,' she said yesterday. Ooi said she lives in Sungai Ara here while her parents' home is on the mainland. 'It was a last-minute thing. Just before the water cut, we decided on this holiday after seeing the promotional packages,' said the engineer. Ooi said they would have checked out later yesterday as her son has school today. 'We stored some water at home but didn't have to worry much because we were away,' she explained. Ooi said many of her colleagues also chose local hotel stays or travelled out of state for the weekend. 'The roads are quieter as well. This has been a wonderful mini-break close to home,' she added. Flamingo Hotel by the Beach general manager Ong Hai Leong said he was surprised by the influx of Penangites checking-in over the weekend. 'We had an occupancy rate of more than 90%, which is not common for a typical weekend. 'There were many last-minute bookings,' he said. Royale Chulan Penang general manager Dennis Lee said the weekend saw a significant rise in bookings, driven by various promotions, with nearly full occupancy. Travel agent David Chee was overwhelmed with work as the number of trips he organised to Haadyai in Thailand and Genting Highlands surged by more than 300%. 'We've had seven vans to Haadyai, along with two buses and five vans to Genting Highlands every day since last Thursday,' he said. Chee added that the past two weeks had been hectic, managing customers and handling enquiries. This unusual situation unfolded as Penang faced a water cut affecting around 1.4 million people. The scheduled disruption was due to major repairs and upgrades to the state's water grid, particularly a main pipeline that supplies treated water from Sungai Muda, at the northern border of Seberang Prai, to 80% of the state. Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow announced that all repairs had been completed as of 1.48pm yesterday. He said water supply was being restored gradually, although it could take until later today for residents living in the outskirts of the water grid to have running taps. This is because trapped air needs to be released before the water can flow again.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nymphia Wind Calls Joining 'RuPaul's Drag Race Live! 'a 'Full Circle Moment': 'Kinda Crazy' (Exclusive Video)' '
Nymphia WInd has performed on some pretty big stages, including the RuPaul's Drag Race finale (which she won) and for Taiwan's prime minister. But the season 16 champion of RuPaul's Drag Race could barely contain her excitement when joining the RuPaul's Drag Race Live! Vegas revue, and PEOPLE has an exclusive clip capturing the moment below: Nymphia is greeted with open arms outside the Flamingo Hotel by longtime Drag Race Live! performer Derrick Barry. "I'm so excited I'm finally here," Nymphia says before doing a twirl on the Strip underneath all the flashing lights. Her excitement turns to dismay when she learns the dressing rooms are up a long flight of stairs. "Every day we're going to go up these stairs," Derrick tells Nymphia during the backstage tour. Related: RuPaul's Drag Race Live! Celebrates 1000th Vegas Show, Creators Say It's 'More Important Now Than Ever' (Exclusive) "What do you mean? This is a workout!" Nymphia bemoans. "I can't make it! Can I move my dressing room downstairs?" "No," Derrick responds. "There are no dressing rooms downstairs." "But I'm a winner," Nymphia says to deaf ears. Nymphia isn't the only winner who has participated in the Drag Race Live!, which recently celebrated its 1000th performance. Previous winners in the Live! cast include season 10's Aquaria, 11's Yvie Oddly, season 12's Jaida Essence Hall, All Stars 6 winner Kylie Sonique Love, and Drag Race UK Season 2 winner Lawrence Chaney. Nymphia's castmates include Barry, Chaney, Bosco, Kennedy Davenport and fan favorite Latrice Royale. Nymphia shared with PEOPLE the special significance of the show. Related: Drag Race Star Who Wore Viral Banana Outfit to Emmys Reveals Kim Kardashian Inspired Look (Exclusive) "RuPaul's Drag Race Live was the first Vegas show I ever saw, before I even auditioned for Drag Race," Nymphia tells PEOPLE. "To grace the Flamingo stage as the reigning winner of Season 16 is such a full circle moment. Performing in Vegas is unlike anywhere else and I was so excited to hit the stage with my sisters every night. Tune in to RuPaul's Drag Race Live Untucked to watch the banana queen make her way into Sin City!" Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. All of their behind-the-scenes drama, battles and secrets from RuPaul's Drag Race Live! will be chronicled on RuPaul's Drag Race Live Untucked, which premieres April 16 worldwide on WOW Presents Plus. Watch a trailer for the upcoming season below: Fans can catch the actual show in real life at The Flamingo in Las Vegas. Read the original article on People
CBS News
27-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
West Sacramento renovating two former hotels, purchasing one next door for new emergency homeless housing
WEST SACRAMENTO -- Two former hotels along West Capitol Avenue near Poplar Avenue are under construction as city leaders work to create one consolidated site for its homeless emergency housing program. In addition, the West Sacramento City Council last week unanimously approved the $2.5 million purchase of a third hotel next door at 1841 West Capitol Ave. to add to the existing site. The city hopes the first round of construction for the first two former hotels will be complete by this summer, while leaders work to finalize a contract for the purchase of the third over the next few weeks. "The alternative would be that these individuals would be out on the street. We have an opportunity now to have these individuals housed so that we can focus on them getting the supportive services that they need," said Raul Huerta, housing manager for the city's economic development and housing department. A little fewer than 300 people are homeless in West Sacramento and about 100 stay in the city's emergency hotel housing each night, which is full capacity. "It's a lot more cost-effective to operate sites that are adjacent to each other because we do pay for security, case management, all those wraparound services," Huerta said. Two hotels are actively operating as homeless emergency housing about a mile down West Capitol Avenue near Capitol Bowl and Sutter Health Park. Those are the former Flamingo Hotel and Rodeway Inn, set to close by the start of the new year. "Those sites will eventually shut down. They were never meant to be long-term uses for that purpose," Huerta said. "Once these new sites are available and completed, we will start making that transition. It's going to be a slow transition to make sure we can coordinate all those relocations." The Rodeway Inn will eventually be knocked down and redeveloped into affordable housing with an estimated 114 units. It is one of the initial steps kicking off the city's Grand Gateway Master Plan Development, a project that re-imagines this stretch of West Capitol Avenue down to the Tower Bridge and Sutter Health Park. "This has been planned for many, many years and it's just now we are actually getting a jump start on it," Huerta said. New housing, shops and restaurants will eventually pop up near the ballpark that will be the temporary new home of the formerly Oakland Athletics through their 2027 season. The city plans to start relocating the homeless staying at the former Rodeway and Flamingo hotels this fall. "Being able to get somebody stabilized, really the first piece of that is stabilizing their housing," said Taylor Nelson of the West Sacramento Police Department. Nelson is the division manager for the department's community outreach and support program, on the ground daily reaching out to the city's unhoused. Their role is to not only let those living in encampments know that the city must enforce a no-camping ban, but also to work diligently to connect them to the services they need. "Developing rapport is a core function of what my team does. It might be that we go out and talk with somebody ten times before they are in a position that they are ready to start engaging with services," Nelson said. Nelson said the new site will only house West Sacramento's homeless. "The vast majority of the referrals for people living in these programs are coming through our encampment outreach — people that our team is encountering day after day at homeless encampments within the city of West Sacramento," Nelson said. Still, the new consolidated emergency housing site will promote a low-to-no-barrier model, allowing pets and people in active drug addiction to obtain services. "There are absolutely rules that participants must follow to be in this program but we are meeting people where they are at," Nelson said. "That might mean we have somebody that is using and they have a case manager that's working with them to get to the point where they are ready to engage with substance abuse treatment." The goal is to offer a secure site that not only offers a roof over the heads of the homeless but a helping hand to get them back on their feet and into society once again. At full capacity, the site will be able to house about 125 people.
