LAS VEGAS, Nev. (KTNV)— The Lucky Club Casino in North Las Vegas is being revamped and rebranded to become the nation's first Latino-themed casino.

The new casino will be called Ojos Locos Sports Cantina y Casino at Hotel Jefe.

The Las Vegas area is home to a large Latino community, and they are excited to be represented in a casino.

"Hopefully everyone will want to improve a little here and there and make things better and grow in a positive way. Give the community service we all deserve," said Ana Tare, manager of Hamburger Hut.

Tare explained that people in all walks of life, generation after generation have come through her doors. She hopes the casino will encourage other businesses to come into the area and serve its diverse community.

"I believe there is a positive impact for success for everyone in the community. For Blacks, whites and Hispanics. It does bring a lot of business as well when something improves the community like this. It should be something that profoundly benefits everyone. It has for us even though we’re a hole in the wall," says Tare.

The plan is to begin operations at the new casino by the end of 2022. This will be the second casino owned by Fifth Street Gaming. The company also owns the Silver Nugget Casino.

This story was originally reported by Bree Guy on ktnv.com.

It's getting more expensive to live in Las Vegas. Rent has jumped for tenants who live in Sin City's metro area.

Las Vegas area resident Lamesha Rowe said she doesn't know what she's going to do. The rent just increased for her North Las Vegas home near Gowan Road and Clayton Street.

"It went up $205, which is a big increase. I wasn't prepared for that," Rowe said.

Rowe said she has applied to be in a program to help people in her situation. Making matters worse, Rowe lost her childcare job during the pandemic. Even though she's working again, she's still playing catch up.

"Behind on rent. Still behind a little bit on utilities, water, gas, electric. But it's definitely, it's scary at this point. I'm just thinking like, 'what are we going to do next?'" Rowe said.

Rowe says she applied for assistance from a program offered in her area called the CARES Housing Assistance Program, or CHAP, to see if she can get some help.

But she isn't alone in this struggle. According to Rent.com, Las Vegas rental prices jumped nearly 30% last year. Keith Thomsen with Large Vision Property Management says some had it even worse.

"Some owners socked it to them. I mean, 33 percent, 40 percent raises in rents, which has created tremendous problems for these tenants," Thomsen said.

PRICED OUT

Thomsen says in some cases, tenants are being forced to find roommates.

"You're seeing more and more people move in with family and friends. You're seeing more and more families grouped together...our biggest thing that we're seeing now is people who do apply aren't making the three-times-the-rent standard," Thomsen said.

To make matters worse, Thomsen expects the rental market to heat up, as potential homebuyers face climbing home prices and interest rates.

"They will be coming back into the rental market, and I think those people will start driving up the rental prices again...I see that becoming a problem," Thomsen said. "We do not have enough houses or rentals in this city for the number of people who live here."

"I think by the end of this year, rents will start going back up again," he said.

ANY RELIEF?

So the real question is when can renters expect to finally see some relief? Some say that may not happen.

Rent.com says hot markets are remaining hot, so don't expect to see a decrease any time soon.

In fact, Rent.com data journalist Jon Leckie said he would be surprised if rents ever return to pre-pandemic levels, even if they level off some. Thomsen agrees.

"As more sports teams come here and as we grow into so many more avenues where we didn't have before, yeah, we're going to become the expensive city to live in," Thomsen said.

That's not very reassuring news for renters like Lamesha Rowe.

"I don't know what to do at this point. I don't know, because again, I'm behind, and I haven't really been able to set aside any savings," Rowe said.

WORK WITH LANDLORD

Rowe is working with her landlord and keeping him aware of her situation. She says other struggling renters should do the same.

"I've already let him know. Going into March, I'm trying to catch up," Rowe said.

But if she can't get help from CHAP, Rowe admits she might have to make a difficult decision.

"I'd have to leave the state. I have no family here. I'd have to go back to California, which is ridiculous," she said.

If you're struggling to pay your rent, the CARES Housing Assistance Program, or CHAP, may be able to help.

This story was originally published by Tricia Kean of KTNV in Las Vegas, Nevada.

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — President Joe Biden is expected in Las Vegas Saturday to attend a memorial service for former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who died last week from pancreatic cancer.

Organizers of the memorial service at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts confirmed the president is expected to attend.

Reid was Nevada's longest-serving senator. He and the president worked closely with each other for two decades in the Senate and for the eight years Biden was vice president in the Obama administration.

Biden previously issued a statement on Reid's passing in which he called the former senator one of "the all-time great Senate Majority Leaders in our history," "a dear friend," and "a giant of our history."

On January 12th, Senator Harry Reid will lie in state in the United States Capitol Rotunda.

It will be an honor to pay tribute to him in the Capitol next week.

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 3, 2022

Reid will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol next week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said.

This story was originally reported on ktnv.com.

LAS VEGAS — President Donald Trump's campaign has sued the state of Nevada over a new bill that expands mail-in voting in the state for the 2020 general elections.

Assembly Bill 4, which was signed into law on Monday during Nevada's special session, specifies that election officials will send all active registered voters a mail-in ballot if there is a statewide emergency or disaster directive.

The state's Republican Party believes Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak and the Democrat-led Legislature used the cover of the COVID-19 pandemic to introduce and pass AB4 in less than 72 hours and with little public notice, according to their press release.

The lawsuit was filed late Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in Nevada against Republican Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske.

Trump, who has voiced his opposition to expanded mail-in voting, has denounced the Nevada bill several times on Twitter this week.

The lawsuit asks a federal judge to stop the implementation of the bill, saying it "upends Nevada's election laws and requires massive changes in election procedures and processes, makes voter fraud and other ineligible voting inevitable."

Several studies have indicated mail-in voting does not lead to widespread voter fraud.

VIEW THE LAWSUIT

Additionally, the Republican Party voice concerned about several provisions of the bill that they claim could upend voting in the state.

• They say the newly enacted law not only requires election officials to accept and count ballots received after Election Day, but creates a loophole that allows votes to be cast after Election Day.
• They claim the law will guarantee most rural counties only one in-person polling place for early voting and on Election Day, while urban, counties may receive 35 or more early voting locations and over 100 Election Day polling places. Republicans say the bill treats rural voters differently than urban voters simply based on where they live.
• Republicans say the law also fails to provide uniform safeguards for processing and counting ballots and allows the county or city clerks to establish these procedures, which they say could lead to voters being treated differently depending on where they live.
• The party says the law allows county or city clerks to count ballots that are marked by voters who failed to comply with the signature-verification process, including situations where two ballots are folded together and sent in a single envelope — a loophole they claim invites fraud and ballot manipulation.

Cegavske did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While Trump has voiced his opposition to Nevada's new law, he said Tuesday that he supports mail-in voting systems like Florida's. The two states' mail-in systems function in similar ways with one distinction — Florida requires residents to request a mail-in ballot, while Nevada will automatically send ballots to registered voters. Trump himself has voted by mail several times.

Five states have regularly held their elections through the mail in recent years: California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Utah.

This story was originally published by Joyce Lupiani on KTNV in Las Vegas.