Latest news with #NADC
Eater
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Blue Martini Closes at Town Square After Nearly Two Decades of Wild Nights
For nearly two decades, Blue Martini has drawn tourists and locals alike to its second-story space at Town Square with DJ sets, hookah service, and buzzy happy hours — including open bar nights for women. On Sunday, July 20, the longtime nightlife staple closed its doors, with plans to reopen on the Las Vegas Strip in spring 2026. Las Vegas locals who turned 21 any time in the past 18 years likely have a story about a night out at Blue Martini — usually involving choking down a first taste of hookah, throwing down sugary shots from the banging happy hour, or running into years-forgotten friends while navigating the packed rooms. The bar was also known for its Noche Azules Thursdays, neo-soul Sundays, and various after-parties. The bar announced the closure in a farewell statement on Instagram, which reads, 'But this isn't goodbye. It's simply a thank you. For 18 amazing years & being part of our journey with an invitation to return and create new memories on the [next] chapter.' Neighboring Town Square bar Stoney's Rockin' Country will remain open through the end of 2025 before closing and relocating to a 19,000-square-foot bar at Sunset Station Hotel Casino in Henderson in 2026 Viral smash burger pop-up Not a Damn Chance lands at Resorts World Not a Damn Chance Viral burger sensation Not a Damn Chance, known for wagyu beef patties and beef tallow fries, has landed in Las Vegas as a temporary pop-up at Resorts World. The concept was created by pro skateboarder Neen Williams and chef Phillip Frankland Lee of Scratch Restaurants Group, the group behind the 2024 pop-up Sushi by Scratch Restaurants at the resort. The pop-up's signature NADC burger comes with a seared wagyu topped with grilled onions, melted American cheese, house-made secret sauce, pickles, and jalapeños on a toasted potato roll. The fries are loaded with cheese, pickles, and special sauce, while a Vegas-exclusive breakfast burger adds bacon and a fried egg to the mix. NADC is located in the Sun's Out Buns Out space, next to the Conrad lobby, and is open 24 hours a day. A sports bar lands in the Las Vegas Arts District A new sports bar is headed to the Arts District. From the team behind Horse Trailer Hideout comes the Stadium Sports Bar and Restaurant, opening August 1 between Able Baker Brewing and Horse Trailer Hideout. Inside, guests will find 23 televisions lining the walls and a menu featuring brioche bun hot dogs, nachos with poblano queso blanco, and $6 ice cream sundaes. With downtown Las Vegas experiencing explosive bar and restaurant growth in 2025, the Stadium stands out as a dedicated spot for game day viewing in the neighborhood. Eater Vegas All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Watchdog, senator want expenses against medical cannabis, other Nebraska ballot items disclosed
Deputy Solicitor General Zach Viglianco, left, gives an opening statement on the first day of the civil trial to determine the validity of the medical marijuana ballot measures at the Lancaster County Courthouse on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in Lincoln. (Kenneth Ferriera-Pool/Lincoln Journal Star) LINCOLN — A nonpartisan watchdog and a Lincoln state senator filed requests this week to learn more about private and state resources spent against 2024 ballot measures, namely medical cannabis. The first complaint came from executive director Gavin Geis of Common Cause Nebraska, a nonpartisan organization focused on government accountability. Geis filed a complaint Thursday with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission requesting an investigation into whether John Kuehn, a former state senator and a lead opponent to medical cannabis in the state, failed to disclose related legal expenses in his late 2024 challenge of the related ballot measures before and through the election. Kuehn filed an initial lawsuit in September on his own behalf seeking to declare the ballot measures 'legally insufficient and invalid.' The Lancaster County District Court sided with the ballot measure, and Kuehn is appealing to the Nebraska Supreme Court. After the election, Kuehn filed a second lawsuit seeking to invalidate the laws, citing federal preemption. Thirty-eight other states have approved medical cannabis and lawmakers continue work to help implement additional regulations. The NADC confirmed receipt of a complaint from Geis. Under state law, neither the NADC nor Geis can speak about the investigation further until its conclusion, or if Kuehn speaks out. A 2001 advisory NADC opinion said expenditures against a ballot measure not related to its qualification, passage or defeat, such as constitutionality, are not a campaign service. Geis said in a news release that 'Nebraskans deserve to know who's working to influence our elections,' whether that is Kuehn or someone on behalf of Kuehn. 'Allowing special interests or individuals to oppose ballot measures without disclosing their spending undermines our citizen initiative process,' Geis said. 'If we want to ensure Nebraskans' voices are heard, we must enforce disclosure laws that show the public who stands against them.' Geis' complaint cites state law requiring an individual challenging the 'qualification, passage or defeat of a ballot question' over $250 to report such expense. Geis said that if lawsuits are not covered in this way under current disclosure laws, the Legislature should strengthen them. In 2021, the nonprofit Nebraska Families 4 Medical Cannabis filed a Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission complaint against Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner. He helped boot a medical cannabis constitutional amendment from the November 2020 election when the Nebraska Supreme Court agreed 5-2 with Wagner's attorney that the measure was too broad. The NADC complaint alleged that Wagner, as an elected official, needed to disclose any 'gift' over $100 he received to file and pursue the case on his annual disclosures. The NADC ultimately dismissed the complaint, finding that Wagner did not solicit the money and therefore was not a 'gift.' Wagner had said he didn't know who paid for the lawsuit in 2020, according to the Lincoln Journal Star. Kuehn, approached Thursday afternoon by a reporter, said it was the first he had heard of the complaint. He did not respond to multiple requests for comment, including on whether he or someone else funded the election-related challenge. As part of that first challenge — Kuehn v. Secretary of State Bob Evnen and the three sponsors of the ballot measure campaign — the Attorney General's Office joined Kuehn in seeking to invalidate the measures before the November election, alleging widespread fraud. Lancaster County District Judge Susan Strong rejected those arguments. More than 200,000 signatures were collected between the campaign's legalization and regulatory petitions. They passed with 71% voter approval and 67% voter approval, respectively. Kuehn's legal team included an attorney from Texas, and his team hired the services of an out-of-state cloud-based petition validation service, Signafide, to review the petitions. Artificial intelligence and manual labor were used in that process. State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln sent a Wednesday request to Attorney General Mike Hilgers 'in the interests of government transparency and legislative oversight.' 'As always conscious stewards of taxpayer funds and in light of the present fiscal situation, it is important for senators to appreciate the expenses your office has incurred in pursuing an aggressive politically charged litigation agenda under and within your sole discretion,' Conrad wrote in her two-page letter shared with the Nebraska Examiner. The state currently faces a projected budget deficit for the next two fiscal years of $457 million, as the Appropriations Committee has worked to whittle that down to $0. As of Thursday, when the baseline budget advanced 7-1, it was still $124 million short under state law. Two bills advanced Thursday would help build a positive $7 million, if passed. That's before the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board returns Friday afternoon, where many senators expect to be hit with an additional $100 million hole, at the least. Conrad narrowed her request to expenses regarding ballot measures last year, including: Staff time. Filing fees. News conferences. Administrative costs. Social media or other paid advertising. Mileage, travel, lodging or related expenses. Litigation expenses such as deposition costs, discovery expenses, expert consultation, outside counsel (or co-counsel, experts or outside attorneys needed to be hired to defend other state actors). She specifically asked for related costs to State ex rel. Brooks v. Evnen before the Nebraska Supreme Court in September (abortion), State ex rel. Collar v. Evnen before the Nebraska Supreme Court in September (school choice), Kuehn v. Evnen and others in Lancaster District Court and now the Nebraska Supreme Court through 2024 and into 2025 (medical cannabis) and Kuehn v. Gov. Jim Pillen and others in Lancaster County District Court (medical cannabis). The AG's Office hired a forensic document examiner from Colorado as a handwriting expert to review a handful of petition pages in the election-related case from Kuehn last year. Conrad also included the state's criminal case against Jacy Todd of York in Hall County District Court and Hall County County Court. Todd is a public notary who helped the medical cannabis campaign and is believed to be the first notary ever criminally charged in this manner. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing. Hall County District Judge Andrew Butler this week questioned the extent of resources being used to pursue 24 counts of 'official misconduct' against Todd, when looking at the current climate of the state and voice of its residents.' The Attorney General's Office did not respond to multiple requests for comment. It has traditionally not disclosed specific litigation costs. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
