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Thursday, January 01, 2004 Quick and Dirty: a notebook of news and politics
Fresh perspective Filmmaker Lynn Zook's forthcoming documentary As We Knew It: The Story of Classic Las Vegas will gloss over the life of Bugsy Siegel. It will ignore Tony "The Ant" Spilotro and it will avoid the Rat Pack like the plague. Instead, Zook's film will highlight the lives of Delores Headman (one of the first female dealers on the Strip), Vasilli Sulich (founder of Nevada Dance Theatre), Betty Willis (designer of the "Fabulous Las Vegas" sign) and Earl White (an African-American lawyer who campaigned for civil rights in Las Vegas throughout the 1960s). According to Zook, As We Knew It will also feature the stories of "that guy who had to climb up the ladder at the test site to see why the bomb didn't go off" and "all sorts of everyday, average Las Vegans." "The goal," says Zook, "is to dispel the myths about gambling and gangsters that dominate the lore about Las Vegas. We want to tell the history of the city through the photos, movies, memories, journals and letters of the people that lived it." The project, which began as a video for Zook's parents' wedding anniversary, will be completed by 2005 and will ultimately consist of the primary documentary as well as three shorter features (Women and Minorities in Las Vegas, Lost Vegas and Appearing Nightly, a history of Vegas' lounges and showrooms as told by the entertainers who performed there). At this moment, Zook and her partner, Gardner Monks, are still gathering contributions for the film--everything from old photographs to memoirs to oral histories. If you have anything you think might enrich the story, Zook can be contacted at lynn@asweknewit.com. Anyone whose submissions are used will be credited in the completed project. Says Zook: "Las Vegas has a reputation for blowing up its history. Its citizenry, however, has gone to great lengths to preserve that history. Our intention is to get down as much as we can before it's too late."--NB
For the birds Apparently, Las Vegas' growth is taking a real toll on local birds. That's why you see so many of them standing at freeway offramps, begging for coins. Ba-dam-pshhh. But seriously, while habitat loss no doubt is a factor in local-bird distress in the Las Vegas Valley, impacts with autos are messing them up, too, says the Red Rock Audubon Society. "With the ever-increasing population in the Las Vegas Valley, there are more cars on the road and more ways for birds to get injured," says an article in the society's November/December newsletter. That means the Wild Wing Project is inundated with more requests to take in injured birds--which is what it has been doing for more than 20 years. "Bird rehabilitation costs a lot of money, and the Wild Wing Project is in desperate need for funds," says the article. The project, run by Lisa Ross, supplies food, medical supplies and facilities for hurt wild birds. It's also planning to build more structures, including ones in which birds of prey can exercise. Ross will give a presentation on her program--accompanied by "Max," the red-tailed hawk or perhaps an owl--at Red Rock Audubon's general meeting Jan. 21., 7 p.m., at the Nevada Power headquarters building, 6226 W. Sahara. Donations: Wild Wing Project, Inc., 4933 W. Craig Road #284, Las Vegas, V, 89130-2730.--HW
Heliport pass Whirling animosity toward a heliport site proposal has ceased for the time being out in the River Mountain Ranch Estates, as the Clark County Department of Aviation narrows its focus from 13 potentials to just three sites: near Jean, Sloan (preferred site) and in the El Dorado Valley near Boulder City. The new heliport is intended to accommodate tour operators who fly tourists over the Grand Canyon and reduce helicopter noise pollution in Las Vegas (Strip tours will still depart from Las Vegas. And tour operators will be under no obligation to relocate to the new heliport). One of the initial sites proposed was at Railroad Pass, a short skip from the River Mountains neighborhood. The homeowners association whipped up opposition. In the end, however, the county said that location "wasn't big enough," says Randy Walker, county aviation director. The site suitability assessment was released last week. A public workshop is planned for 6 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Clark County Government Center. The Clark County Commission is expected to act on the matter Feb. 3.--HW
Warm and safe Well, for what it's worth here in the land of homeless camp sweeps, folded emergency winter tents and overflowing shelters, there's a new report out that's supposed to help shelter operators deal sensitively with transgender people. "Most of you know how terrible the problem of unsafe shelter is," writes lawyer Lisa Motet of the Transgender Civil Rights Project in a memo to outreach providers. "Almost all shelters...require people to be housed with members of their birth sex (if they accept transgender people at all)." She says this is "terribly unsafe," especially for transgender women. Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, says most Americans don't realize how much discrimination transgender people endure. "Transgender people who lose their jobs because of discrimination, then lose their homes because they can no longer pay the rent or mortgage, are still likely to get a 'your kind is not welcome here' from an emergency shelter." The report, "Transitioning Our Shelters: A Guide to Making Homeless Shelters Safe for Transgender People," is intended to help shelters provide everyone with "a safe and warm place to stay," says Foreman. It was published by the National Coalition for the Homeless and can be downloaded at www.thetaskforce.org.--HW "It's been a challenge to get the city and the owners alike to view these properties as cultural and historic treasures," says Corrine Escobar, president of the Preservation Association of Clark County. But if there's enough of a public outcry, she says, it's possible to at least save specific features of such classic properties. "I remember when there was initially talk about dismantling Vegas Vic," she says, "but there was enough of a public response to that that they didn't take it down." Anyone wanna make some noise?--Andrew Kiraly |
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