New figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau show Nevada had the highest divorce rate of any state in the nation last year with 14.2 percent of the population having been through a divorce. Read the rest of this entry »
Nevada has the second highest rate of uninsured children in the country — more than 100,000 boys and girls. Yet despite the availability of public health programs to cover kids, only half of those who qualify enroll say state health officials.
VIDEO: Nevada Second Worst for Uninsured Children
Doctor Tamina McMillan with Nevada Health Centers speaks her patient’s language, literally and figuratively. Like the population she serves, McMillan grew up without regular access to health care. Now from the other side of the exam table, she recognizes the challenges faced by the uninsured.
Keeping pace with January (at least it is not getting worse – could we be at a bottom?), the number of passengers passing through McCarran International airport slipped 15.2% behind the same month last year. That equates to a little over 500,000 fewer people arriving and departing from the airport. For the year, McCarran is pacing about 1 million fewer folks than the first two months of 2008.
Las Vegas makes the Top 10 list of the unhappiest cities in the United States, that according to a report by Businessweek.com.
The economic downturn could lead to higher rates of crime, divorce, alcohol and drug abuse, depression and suicide. In part, Las Vegas ranked in 7th place due to its suicide rate. Mike Murphy, coroner for Clark County, told Businessweek.com that he has noticed an increase in economy-related suicides. He also said a lot of people come to Las Vegas looking to start over and then things don’t work out. Click here to read the full story.
Just ten years ago, Las Vegas was the fastest growing city in the country with thousands of people flocking to the valley every month. Now the fortunes have changed and homes, apartments and storefronts are empty.
Las Vegas topped a list of America’s Emptiest Cities by Forbes Magazine, but some in Las Vegas say the designation is not accurate at all.
To read the full story, click here. Read the rest of this entry »
A new survey shows Las Vegas is the most and least favorite city to work in and live. The survey was commissioned by human resource managers who wanted to know what cities were most liked and disliked by Americans when it comes to working and living. Las Vegas hit both lists. It was the fourth for best cities and the 7th for worst cities. New York city was also on both lists.
Traffic in and out of McCarran International Airport fell yet again in November. In the largest percentage drop this year, the number of passengers fell by over 125,000, or 14.7 percent fewer than November of 2007. U.S. Airways again was the hardest hit seeing passengers fall by 31.4 percent. McCarran’s most prolific carrier, Southwest, took the second largest hit with numbers dropping by 10 percent.
Finally, a good number to report here on Vital Stats. As you already know from the last time you were at the pump, gas prices are falling even faster than gaming revenue! In Las Vegas, gas fell 52 cents just in the past month alone and is $1.30 cheaper than this time last year according to the American Automobile Association. They also reported that as of December 9th, gas prices had fallen for 82 days in a row.Lets hope that cheap gas will have some simulating effect in getting people on the road for a vacation to Las Vegas. If you want to see the best deals on gas in your area, head on over to the LasVegasNOW Gas Tracker … we even have a version you can use on your cell phone.
But the real story is how gaming revenue fell off a cliff in October. For Clark County as a whole, gaming revenue was down 25.3% from October of 2007. That is a fall from just over $1 billion last year to $757 million this year – a staggering fall.Other numbers released in the October Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority report are just as grim. Total airline passengers are down 12.8%, hotel occupancy levels are down 8.5%, average room rate down 14.3%, auto traffic down 6.3%. Does anyone see light at the end of the tunnel?
According to the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, “Nevada’s unemployment rate rose again for the sixth consecutive month, hitting 7.6 percent in October, which is the highest it’s been since May 1985. The state’s rate has exceeded the national average every month since mid-2007. The national rate was 6.5 percent in October.”
This is up from 7.2 percent in September and 2.5 percent higher than October of 2007. Job losses fell across a broad base of the economy including housing, commercial development and consumer spending. The entire press release follows after the break. Read the rest of this entry »
