An Invitation

By: Judy Polumbaum/The View
 
If you grew up in Las Vegas and stayed, or left and later returned, no doubt you quickly can come up with a list of attributes that fuel your fondness for this city, and just as quickly can make another list of what bugs you about the place. You may be disgruntled, or pleased, or both, about how your hometown has changed.
 
If you came here as a mature adult and stayed, you presumably like this city, but you may have forgotten why. Characteristics that strike the visitor as marvelous tend to fade once you’ve settled in – not the obvious tourist attractions, but subtle properties like the quality of the light, the expanse of the sky, the rust-rippled mountains standing at attention, the desert’s vast spectrum of amber, indigo and tawny hues. Nevertheless, you also have your lists of pros and cons.
 

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Visiting in-laws for the holidays a bit over a year ago, my first time in Las Vegas, I was smitten. I’d recently relinquished my longtime (tenured!) teaching post to work on books and other projects, so I was free to relocate.
 
I’m still at the marveling newcomer stage, telling myself I should never take these natural wonders for granted. I’m also impressed with the cultural and intellectual life of the region, including the fabulous public library system. Although I’m sure it will happen eventually, I’m in no rush to find fault.
 
Meanwhile, Las Vegas has earned nationwide admiration for its strength and resilience since the tragic shootings of October 1st. Las Vegas also earned more dubious national attention from a blockbuster report in the New Yorker magazine about elderly people being kidnapped and held hostage by private guardians. It’s a scandal that could not have been made up.
 
Readers of this publication of course know of guardianship fraud because The Vegas Voice was first to break the story and pursued it relentlessly for three years, leading to prosecution of offenders and prompting state legislative reforms. This little magazine was just another cool thing about Las Vegas.
 
I had to meet the individuals responsible for this intrepid journalism, and was honored when publisher Dan invited me to dig into additional issues that might interest this readership, be they high crimes or misdemeanors, undisclosed or underestimated problems - even neglected good news.
 
We have a few topics in mind, but to do this well, we need your help. What matters to you that isn’t getting reported? What bothers or worries or alarms you?
 
Have you had or heard of experiences that suggest larger patterns of impropriety? Do you know of unsung achievements, or perhaps of amazing people of excessive humility who deserve some attention?
By this point in my life, I can claim to know something about journalism – I have practiced and taught it for half a century in a career trajectory that went from rookie newspaper reporter to university professor. Yet the real world, the world of actual facts that good journalism strives to reveal, constantly surprises me.
 
So send tips and suggestions. Just bear in mind that this isn’t a public relations service; rather, it’s a quest for genuinely worthwhile leads. Submit ideas by email to: dan@thevegasvoice.net. or by regular mail to The Vegas Voice, 2880 Bicentennial Parkway, Suite 100-244, Henderson, Nevada 89044.