This article covers the recent occurrences in Las Vegas. Majorly, I will focus on the earthquake that currently hit the city and the governor’s tax plan. However, some other minor happenings will also be touched on lightly. The content covered is as discussed by Rick Velotta, Howard Stutz, and Jeff Scheld in an interview with the Nevada week in review host Steve Sebelius.

Earthquake rocks Las Vegas

An Earthquake of magnitude 4.8 struck one of the rural areas of the Southern part of Nevada on Friday 22nd May 2015. The earthquake was so intense that it shook buildings that were as far as 100 miles away. The quake resulted to the shutting down of Las Vegas interchange, which is a busy section of the city.The bridge is designed to withstand a considerable amount of shock. Hence, no major damages were experienced. When the quake occurred, most of the travelers were going down to sin city for the long awaited Memorial Day weekend. Las Vegas is the top summer season destination. The earthquake struck at around 11:47 in the morning and approximately 24 miles to the southwest of Caliente. The Nevada Highway Patrol reported that there were damages to one of the state’s ramps, located near downtown Las Vegas. The entire ramp from U.S 95 to Interstate 15 was closed as the engineers examined the bridge joint that seemed to shift. The ramp came into operation at around 5 p.m. the same day. Because of earthquake prevalence in Las Vegas, protective measures have been initiated to enlighten the pupils in schools about the safety measures to consider in the case of an earthquake occurrence. 250,000 vehicles pass through this bridge per day.

Governor Brian Sandoval’s proposed tax package

The legislative committees that deal with money have already passed the budget totaling to approximately $7.4 billion for the next two years Budget. Sadova is anticipating raising $262 million a year, which will be used to fund his $7.4 Billion budget. Sandova’s proposal has three pillars; business license fees, modified business taxes and the commerce tax based on industry type and revenue. The bill is expected to generate approximately $ 8000 million by the end of the budget cycle. Administrative officials have applauded the bill saying that it will capture the revenue that employers have escaped as a result of lack of employees in the state.

Mobile gaming accidentally banned

A bill in Congress that would ban Internet gambling would negatively affect Nevada’s booming mobile industry. The bill purposes to end forms of online betting with the major proponent being the transmission of gambling information across state lines. If passed, the bill will terminate several forms of online betting, including the famous poker in Nevada. Besides the ban imposed on mobile sports wagering, the bill will also ban off-site Internet services that use the private visual network, which many Casinos use. . Looking the matter in both political and economic perspectives, casino companies, and lottery providers view internet gaming as a way of generating new revenue streams.

Uber maneuvers in Carson City

Senate committee has passed a bill to allow the ride-sharing company to do its operations in Nevada. The bill has set guidelines for smartphones applications that will be used in when offering transportation services. According to the bill, Companies will be required to register annually with the Public Utilities Commission. The drivers are opposed to the bill on the ground that it will jeopardize full-time job as well as compromise public safety.

References

Nevada Week in Review. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.vegaspbs.org/nwr/