Losers, Low-Lifes & Lines

"While the poor people sleepin'
With the shade on the light
While the poor people sleepin'
All the stars come out at night"
-- Steely Dan - Show Biz Kids (1973)

It's a local affiliate fundraising coup to snag a visit from the long-term NPR host of Weekend Edition Sunday on her pre-retirement goodbye tour... But there's also a chance that she'll go back to DC with one or more stories the local powers that be won't like.

Las Vegas pushed... So far.

A Good-Time Guy For Bad Times

Former mob lawyer Oscar Goodman, famous for his public appearances with scantily clad showgirls, has been mayor of Las Vegas since 1999. He discussed the city's past, present and future as it struggles through the second economic downturn of his term.

Part Politician, All Pitchman Audio Embed: Weekend Edition Sunday 11/14/10, Host: Liane Hansen.

Betting The (Unemployment) Line

At 15 percent, the city's unemployment rate is one of the nation's highest. And the Las Vegas job market has changed. Now employers are looking for computer skills -- something many workers lack. So the laid-off with low skills learn to adapt, or prepare to leave.

It's A Longshot Audio Embed: Weekend Edition Sunday 11/14/10, Reporter: Adam Burke, KNPR/Nevada Public Radio

The latest Las Vegas WTF: Even though many homeowners in the Las Vegas valley are underwater on their mortgages and there's a backlog of unsold existing homes, builders are rolling the dice and once again putting up new houses.

Mayor Goodman's son the doctor knows the term for growth that's out of control... In medicine, they call it cancer.