Your Daily Guide

🔒 Government Shutdown: What’s In It For Nevada?

Funding legislation failed to pass Congress, prompting the federal government to say, “Sorry, we’re closed.” Some essential services will remain active, possibly with delayed payments for employees. Las Vegas has one of the busiest airports in the country and while air traffic controllers and TSA agents will remain in place, their resources could be stretched thin, causing delays. Federally managed parks like Red Rock and Lake Mead are expected to still be accessible, but visitors centers and gated parking areas could be closed. [Nevada Independent]

• Senator Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV) broke ranks with her party and voted in favor of the Republicans’ continuing resolution in an attempt to fund the government. [KSNV]

⚖️ Nevada’s Top Federal Prosecutor Disqualified

A federal judge disqualified Sigal Chattah from taking cases in her position as “acting” or “interim” U.S. Attorney for Nevada. The designations sidestepped formal approvals for the job while rewarding the Republican Party fixture and Trump loyalist, who had plans to investigate election cases. [New York Times]

📚 School Zone Dangers Double

We’re less than two months into a new school year and at least 74 children have been hit by cars walking to and from school. That’s double the same period last year — which sounds insane. In response, police are stepping up enforcement in school zones. [KVVU]

🍽️ New Restaurant Replaced By the Old One

It’s hard to keep track of all the restaurants that open and close in Las Vegas, but this is an unexpected switcheroo: Less than two years after Leoncito ended Hearthstone’s 10-year run at Red Rock Resort, the Mexican restaurant is closing and being replaced by — surprise — Hearthstone. (I can taste those wood-fired pizzas already 🍕😋) Let’s enjoy a rare moment of casino executives willing to do the right thing and backtrack on a decision. [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

• Meanwhile, Starbucks is closing eight locations in the Las Vegas Valley. Is your favorite on the list? [KLAS]
• But really, we’re all just craving a great restaurant value these days, right? [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]

Is there a way to make the magical combination of tacos and tequila even better? Just add a game of chance named lotería 👀

"It's Mexican Bingo,” according to Javier Anaya, chef and owner of Pinches Tacos. “It’s always been part of our culture — the stories, the memories, it’s a family pastime.”

The origins of lotería trace back to Europe, but it became the quintessential Mexican game when Spaniards brought it across the Atlantic. While Bingo is played with numbered cards, lotería is more colorful, with illustrations drawn from a deck of cards in hopes of matching the patterns on tablas in front of players.

Part of the fun is using offbeat items like pennies or pinto beans as markers. “Back in the day, all the kids in our apartment complex would play for a bag of chips,” Anaya remembers.

As Pinches Tacos celebrates 10 years at the Gramercy this month, the restaurant has introduced monthly lotería nights to foster a greater connection with customers. Anaya even likes to play MC, noting that traditionally, the games are led with stories and humor.

The spirited competition pairs well with the food. Anaya prefers the term “family tacos” to “street tacos” when describing the menu. “It’s about the quality of meat my mom cooked with and the quality of tomatoes my mom used,” he says. “It's a different palate. We really do focus on the authenticity of the food.”

Highlights include the best-selling Gringo Taco — shredded beef or chicken with mozzarella and chipotle cream in a fried tortilla — and the Blood Orange Margarita, blending tequila with fruit puree instead of syrup.

Sounds pretty good, right? Well, you’re in luck.

But why stop there? Las Vegas has more ways to play lotería in the weeks ahead:

• Millennial Lotería at 7 p.m. Thursdays at Lucky Day on Fremont Street
• The Just One Project: Lotería Night at the Dolores Huerta Resource Center in North Las Vegas, 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Oct. 10
• Lotería at the Library at the Enterprise Library, 3-5 p.m. on Oct. 25