Those of us accustomed to driving wherever we need to go may be reluctant to do the public transportation thing.

I was quite impressed by a recent presentation from Jacob Snow, general manager of the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC), on the many initiatives currently underway to make southern Nevada’s public transportation system more convenient, attractive and accessible.

Club Ride is one of the tools they’re using. As its name implies, it encourages commuters to use alternative transportation like carpools, the bus or bicycling.

And if you’ve hesitated stepping foot on a CAT bus, watch for the new ACE bus which looks totally different and makes just a few stops on the Strip and in downtown, reducing the amount of time it takes to get from point A to point B.

Those of you interested in learning the ABC’s of all things RTC, should plan to attend the RTC Transportation Fair this weekend, May 10-11, 2008. RTC representatives will be on hand at the Boulevard Mall from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday to provide details of public transportation in your neighborhood and around the valley.

The following weekend, the RTC Transportation Fair will be at the Galleria at Sunset Mall during the same times.

What’s unique about the Shared Equity Program is that it doesn’t require these new commercial property owners to make down payments or guarantee loans.

To further expand the development of the Shared Equity Program, Stable Development recently hired Michael Young and Ryan Gould as team members. Young and Gould will manage and raise awareness of the Shared Equity Program throughout the Las Vegas Valley and nationwide.

The latest example of Stable Development’s Shared Equity Program is Corporate Center at the Curve, next to the I-215 beltway at Sunset Road where a few dozen business owners have signed 10-year occupancy agreements in exchange for a portion of ownership in one of the eight Corporate Center at the Curve buildings.

And for you locals, it’s a good site to send your out-of-state friends to.

At BestofVegas.com you’ll find everything you need to book your entire Las Vegas vacation. From hotels to entertainment to local attractions, BestofVegas.com has taken the nonsense out of browsing dozens of different sites and put everything in one place. A simple concept and an exceptionally easy way to manage every detail of your Vegas vacation.

Check out:
Vegas shows
Vegas tours
Vegas hotels
Las Vegas travel deals

It’s billed as the best of the best whether you’re looking for luxury or great deals. It includes bargain deals on travel, tours, hotels, restaurants, shows and nightlife. It looks to us like they’ve considered and addressed every possible Las Vegas activity. And for your star stalkers — we know you’re out there — BestofVegas.com will even tell you where you’re most likely to find a celebrity.

CSN’s fifth annual Science & Technology Expo will feature displays, interactive exhibits, student demonstrations and laboratory tours to showcase high-demand careers, and high-tech education and training programs.

The Expo is a free of charge scientific extravaganza that’s open to the public — a high-impact, inquiry-based education experience for more than 2,000 Clark County School District students, their teachers and the Las Vegas community.

CSN partners with many businesses and industries, professional societies, universities and other government agencies to bring new developments in science and state-of-the-art technology to the public. Exhibitors and presenters stimulate curiosity, inform and teach through engaging hands-on activities and experiments, interactive demonstrations, simulations and crowd-pleasing presentations.

We received tickets to see Toni Braxton in “Revealed” at the Flamingo Hilton on the Las Vegas Strip. The tickets were a generous birthday gift from a friend. Thank you!

We ended up at the front table, right next to the center stairs leading to the stage. Toni used this runway part of the stage quite a bit to interact with the audience, the thing she did best during the 90 minute show.

So, when she was pausing for photo opportunities with the audience mid-way in her show, I seized the moment and offered my lap for her to take a load off. She sat down for just a few seconds, long enough for the nearby photographer to snap five photos which they tried selling to me for $28 each.

As noteworthy as it is to have Toni Braxton sit in your lap (I’m wearing the same pants today), the most impressive moment of the night for me was when she sat down at the piano and played and sang. She’s a real musician!

Having said that, I can’t say I’d recommend her show to my friends. We were treated to more talking than singing, and more skimpy Vegas showmanship than quality entertainment. In fact, I take issue with her wardrobe person’s philosophy that less is more. Her best costume was a long white, elegant dress (I think it’s the one she wore at the Grammy’s many years ago; at least it reminded me of it).

ACA International is the professional organization for The Association of Credit and Collection Professionals.

“We have met the stringent requirements set forth by ACA International to become one of 280 worldwide members of the Asset Buyers Division,” said Rick Bennett, president of PlusFour, Inc.

The members of the Asset Buyers Division include buyers, sellers and brokers engaged in the buying or selling of accounts receivable. Each member is required to abide by ACA International’s Code of Ethics. “PlusFour, Inc. is honored to be a part of this select group of professionals,” said Bennett.

DevCorp, a boutique financial services company which provides construction financing for small to mid-sized commercial construction companies, has announced a new Contract Financing Program to help companies participate in large-scale construction projects, like CityCenter.

Through the Contract Financing Program with DevCorp, contractors get the working capital and financial tools they need for large-scale construction contracts. The program provides access to contract financing, providing local contractors cash flow for payroll, operating overhead, inventory, equipment and other business purposes.

The program is available to any contractor on any project and companies with large-scale construction projects such as Perini Building Company and MGM MIRAGE are referring contractors to the program.

This, from the company’s announcement:

The Findlay Automotive Group held a fund raising event this past weekend to assist UNLV basketball legend Glen Gondrezick with medical costs associated with his pending heart transplant.

The fund raising event was held March 28 and 29, 2008 at all Findlay locations in the Las Vegas area. Findlay had pledged to donate $100 for every vehicle purchased at Findlay dealerships on those two days.

Findlay’s Chief Financial Officer, Tyler Corder, announced today that the dealerships sold 249 vehicles during the two day event. As a result, Findlay is donating $24,900 to the Gondo Medical Fund.

The fifth annual Spring in the Desert plant sale and lecture series — presented by the CSN Desert Garden Center and University of Nevada Cooperative Extension — will be held at the CSN Desert Garden Center at 6221 West Charleston Blvd. from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, 2008.

Guest lecturers and topics include:

• Norm Schilling, president of the Schilling Horticulture Group will speak on “Five Most Important Principles for Gardening in Las Vegas”


• Leslie Doyle, gardener, author and desert tomato expert will speak on “Growing Tomatoes”


• Sean Goodchild, biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will speak on “Gardening for Wildlife”


• Daniel Secinaro, Lead Gardener for the Springs Preserve will speak on “Native Plants for the Mojave”

"With our year purchase the size that it is, this makes Village Seafood Buffet one of the largest buyers in the world," says William Becker, vice president of food and beverage for the Rio.

Gondrezick, known to Rebel fans as “Gondo,” has been a radio analyst for the UNLV men's basketball games for 15 years. Gondrezick also played in the NBA for six seasons.

He suffers from congenital heart disease and will miss this year’s NCAA tournament as he is at UCLA Medical Center awaiting a heart transplant.

The fundraising event, announced today by Findlay Automotive Group’s Chief Financial Officer, Tyler Corder, will be held on Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29 at all Findlay locations in the Las Vegas area.

Findlay will donate $100 for every vehicle purchased at Findlay dealerships on those two days. “We hope to raise more than $20,000 for Gondo during the event,” said Corder.

Here are a few of the activities available:

CSN Coyote Baseball games — great for families and entire little league teams; March 14 at 4 p.m. at Morse Stadium (CSN Henderson Campus) or March 15 at noon

Lunch at Russell’s Restaurant — students manage the restaurant, from top to bottom; Monday through Thursday from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the CSN Cheyenne Campus; call 651-4701

Shows at The Planetarium — Friday, March 21 at 6 and 7:30 p.m. or Saturday, March 22 at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. at the CSN Cheyenne Campus; call 651-4759

Desert Garden Center — learn about native plants and gardening techniques; Monday, Wednesday and Friday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the CSN Henderson Campus; call 651-5050

Well . . . Dr. Azimi, Las Vegas’ downtown general and cosmetic dentist, has reserved the dental chair for one lucky person for a total dental makeover.

For the first time, Dr. Azimi has agreed to donate a smile makeover to a worthy candidate.

“We’re looking for someone who lives or works in downtown Las Vegas, is a real asset to their employer or community, and would like to have a brand new smile,” said Dr. Azimi. “What we’re looking for is someone who is outstanding in every way and may have a few crooked teeth they’d like fixed.”

For details, visit Dr. Azimi’s newsroom.

The event, which serves as a fund raiser for CSN, UNLV and Nevada State College students with financial hardships, seeks tax deductible contributions and provides attendees with the opportunity of hearing from keynote speakers Dean John Valery White of the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Dean M. Christopher Brown, II, of UNLV’s College of Education.

Last year’s Black History Breakfast was also held at The Venetian and generated $9,000 in contributions to the shared scholarship fund. The Las Vegas–Clark County Urban League has held the scholarship funds in reserve awaiting announcement of scholarship recipients at this year’s event.

Street Teens a 501 (c)(3) corporation, founded by Rosario and David Mereaux is a volunteer based, non-profit organization dedicated to assisting homeless, abandoned, and at risk youth, ages 12-21 in the Las Vegas Valley. Street Teens provides basic necessities in a safe and compassionate environment, including access to educational, health care and employment resource services through the drop-in center and in collaboration with community partners.

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