Weekend America

The Odds of Becoming President

In Las Vegas you can bet on almost anything--except who is going to win the next presidential election. It's illegal to bet on the presidential election anywhere in the United States, but that's not the case overseas. So, if you're wondering what the odds are that your favorite candidate will be in the White House in 2009, then Ben Eckstein is your man. He is the co-founder of the syndicated column "America's Line," which tracks the odds in politics, sports and entertainment. After watching Thursday's Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas, Eckstein shares his thoughts about the odds.

Sustainability

Las Vegas Now: Controlled Freedom?

Las Vegas, or Sin City as it's more affectionately known, has branded itself as a place of hedonistic, adult pleasure. Most people think of Las Vegas as the ultimate getaway - a place where everyone lets their hair down. You're free to gamble and you're free to have a drink anytime of the day or night. But is Vegas really the all out, anything goes, Sodom and Gomorrah everyone envisions? Weekend America sent reporter Nate DiMeo to find out.

Sustainability

Exploring Springs Preserve

Las Vegas is synonymous with overconsumption, so it might surprise you that one of the most sustainable places on Earth exists just outside its city limit. Springs Preserve is a cultural and historical attraction designed to commemorate Las Vegas' history and provide a vision for a sustainable future. The site of the Preserve is known as the birthplace of Las Vegas. It was once home to bubbling springs which served as a water source for Native Americans living in the area long ago. We talk with Marcel Parent, a director at the Preserve, about the importance of having a place like this so close to Las Vegas.

Sustainability

The Power of Water

You don't know the power of water until you have been caught in a flash flood. The Las Vegas Springs Preserve, but nothing beats the real thing. Weekend America host Desiree Cooper sits down with Bill Castle of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to talk about Las Vegas and flash floods. For ten years Castle was part of the search and rescue team for the city. He's plucked his fair share of victims from the raging waters of flash floods and talks to us about the power of water.

Sustainability

Nightlife by Day

Recently, Las Vegas casinos have begun to realize that all those tourists spending money for a night on the town are still in Las Vegas during the day. Thus, there are more and more options for nightlife to be had during the daytime. We sent Weekend America's John Moe down to Vegas for 12 hours-6 a.m. to 6 p.m.-to see if he could have a comprehensive night on the town during daylight hours only. John checked out reports of all night discos lasting past noon the next day, lavish pool parties with lascivious behavior and skimpy bathing suits, and even a few Vegas show options. He made it home safely and filed this report.

Sustainability

The Greening of Las Vegas

The Las Vegas strip can seem like the most excessive place on earth. It's where we go to consume. We can walk from Rome to Paris in a block. The fountains spew water hundreds of feet into the desert air. And the strip is about to outdo itself with its largest project ever - City Center. It's not only huge, it's a radical departure from the older, theme-based casinos like Cesar's Palace and Paris, Las Vegas. The seven and a half-billion dollar complex is the largest green building project in North America. It could "move the needle" on the availability of sustainable building materials, says Cindy Ortega of MGM Mirage, the company behind the project. While Nevada is fostering environmental projects like this through tax breaks, Las Vegas is also a sprawling behemoth in a desert facing one of its worst droughts in history. Reporter Michael May investigates the greening of Las Vegas.

Sustainability

Soda and Sobriety

Angela Westbrook lives in Metairie, La. On June 24, 1991, Westbrook realized she was an alcoholic, and she stopped drinking. Her sobriety was put to the test four months later when her young son became severely ill. He was hospitalized and she feared for his life. She also feared that this would cause her to start drinking again.She went to the hospital cafeteria, and there, she bought a Caffeine-Free Diet Pepsi. And another. And another. Westbrook kept drinking Caffeine-Free Diet Pepsi while her son was in the hospital - she says it kept her from drinking alcohol. And she continued to drink it - a lot of it - for the next two years. Now, 16 sober years later, she credits Caffeine-Free Diet Pepsi with keeping her on the wagon.

Sustainability

All You Can Eat

When most people think all-you-can-eat buffets, they instantly think of Las Vegas. The buffet was started in Vegas in the 1940s at the original El Rancho Vegas Hotel as a way to keep people on the premises during the wee hours. Weekend America host Bill Radke pulled up a seat at the Golden Nugget buffet to explore consumption (and maybe over consumption) on the plate. But Bill didn't go unprepared. Before he dug in he called up Jim Leff, co-founder of Chowhound.com, for a little advice on buffet-hitting strategy.

Is Home Depot Your Pusher?

Most homeowners do a little tinkering around the house, paint a wall or two. But some take it to a new level, obsessively remodeling their homes for years upon years and spending tens of thousands of dollars to do so. When does the urge to fix up your house become a mania? When does handiness become addiction? We explore the mind of the obsessive remodeler and how it relates to the rapid growth of hardware giant Home Depot.

Sustainability

Tough Transitions

What do we really need, other than food, water, clothing, shelter and oxygen? Last year, the Pew Foundation released findings from a poll where 91 percent of the respondents said they needed a car, 49 percent need a cell phone, and 5 percent need a flat-screen TV. Listener Cheryl Spahr lives in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and teaches a class at New Life Community, a transitional housing shelter, about needs and wants.

Good News, Bad News, No News

Good News, Bad News, No News

Our panel of non-experts review the week's events in a parlor game to gauge what kind of a week America's had. This week, from Las Vegas, we hear from writer, producer John Ridley from the floor of the Wynn Hotel and Casino; Hollywood writer Dana Gould, who's getting ready for his performance in the Comedy Festival at Caesar's Palace; and Nevada Senator Maggie Carlton, who's also a waitress at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino.

Sustainability

Downsizing and Driving

While some people are spending time collecting things, others are actually trying to downsize. High school counselor and listener Chris McNaught of Twin Falls, Idaho, heard the story of a woman who only owned 300 items. This past summer, he realized he has too much stuff - over 1,000 items at the time - and started getting rid of things. So far, he's culled his material possession to a little over 800. McNaught knows downsizing could turn into a lifelong process for him. For now he's happy that when he looks around his home everything he sees or uses has real meaning to him.

Sustainability

Where Does It All End?

Every year it seems that Vegas out does itself. Bigger hotels, better entertainment, more and more luxury. People often suggest that Las Vegas is a microcosm for America. It oozes opulence, but the other stuff is there too--poverty, crime, traffic. If Las Vegas is indeed representative of the rest of the country, then maybe where the city is headed is something we can all learn from. Weekend America reporter Krissy Clark visits Vegas and tries to determine where it will all end.

Sustainability

Viva Vegas Weddings

Weekends are the perfect time for weddings. But in Las Vegas you don't have to wait for the weekend to get hitched. You can go on down to Cupid's Chapel, The Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel, or any of the others and exchange vows 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When most people find out a couple has been married in Vegas they don't think the marriage will last very long-not always. So a few Weekend America listeners shared their Vegas wedding stories with us.