In Las Vegas, it is pretty much completely dark by 5 PM for three months of the year. Once the sun goes down, even temperatures that are in the 60′s start to drop like a rock. Wouldn’t it make sense to give our visitors (especially since most of you sleep in and don’t need the crack of dawn to occur at 6 AM) an extra hour of light and warmth to enjoy strolling The Strip and perhaps enjoying some outdoor drinking or dining? And think about the summer. The sun starts to come up not long after 4 AM in June and July. Tell me why that is necessary?

Think about jet lag which would be reduced. Those of you coming from the East (a significant portion of our visitors) would feel much less jet lag. We all know that moving one or two time zones isn’t bad. But for some reason, bouncing three time zones (or more) really starts to screw with your body

For those who still see no merit in putting us on Mountain Time, here’s a fact: Las Vegas sits EAST of Boise, ID. Boise is in… Mountain Time.

For our Northern Nevada (Reno/Tahoe/Carson City) readers, don’t fret. You are west of Los Angeles and should absolutely stay on Pacific Time. Drawing the line would be simple: Use the Oregon/Idaho boarder and draw a line straight south to create the time zone divide in Nevada.

Ted Newkirk
CEO/Manging Editor
AccessVegas.com

Comments on this topic? We want your opinion! Leave it below. Comments, questions or Vegas suggestions on other topics? Email us at AccessVegas@AccessVegas.com

Side Note: Let me note that our Nevada gaming control board does break down statistics from The Strip and downtown separately. Downtown slots ARE looser.

A couple of years ago the Golden Nugget opened another tower and despite the poor economy, they have had little problem filling it. Then The Plaza completely made-over their place and seem to be doing quite well.

So… the owners of the Golden Gate — ironically just across the street from The Plaza — then recently announced that they were building an additional 5 story addition on what is now their parking lot. At first I thought that was a pretty modest addition to a hotel that is doing very well via their sexy dealer party pit — which we have dubbed the boobie pit — until the next shoe dropped:

The owners of the Golden Gate announced that they are buying Fitgerald’s, which ironically has the tallest tower downtown. The owner of the Fitz died recently after a long illness and the Golden Gate people have stepped in to buy it. Of interest to some: They are going to take their second-floor casino area and theme it Vintage Vegas complete with old school slot machines that actually take coins. No word on any changes to their Vue bar in that area that overlooks Fremont Street, but we hope they don’t screw it up too much.

BTW, I will not confirm or deny that I was throwing beads off of that balcony a couple of years ago on Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday!

The new Fitzgerald’s oowners also plan a hotel renovation from top to bottom including rooms.

We do know this for sure: They don’t have continuing rights to the name Fitgerald’s, so they are going to have to rename it within 6 months. Interestingly enough, This is the same boat the Las Vegas Hilton is in since their contract as a Hilton Hotel isn’t being renewed.

Finally, we have news on the Lady Luck. It shuttered years ago and yet I’m still asked about it on a regular basis by my readers. Work to re-open it is just about to commence, but with some major changes. Guess what? They aren’t going to have rights to the Lady Luck name (familiar theme here), and are changing the name of the property to The Downtown Grand. Since the MGM Grand is always simply called MGM, I’m assuming that this hotel will end up just being called The Grand by locals and visitors alike.

Also, they are gutting it down to and including plumbing and electrical and are rebuilding the property as an upscale property. What will be interesting to see here is if admittedly mid-market downtown can support three somewhat upscale hotels in the Nugget, Plaza, and Grand. One of the reasons The Strip fell flat on its face during the recession was that too many really expensive properties were built and there wasn’t enough upscale visitor demand.

Have any thoughts or comments? Use the comment box below!

We just returned from the brand new Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville casino at the Flamingo Las Vegas and the results are very impressive. Parrotheads (Jimmy Buffett fans) will enjoy it as will anyone who wishes they could sail away to a tropical island for a relaxing respite.

).

The centerpiece is the 5 O’Clock Somewhere bar (named after the country hit duet Jimmy Buffett sang with Alan Jackson) with ironically for Las Vegas does not feature video video poker (possibly the first casino bar in Las Vegas that doesn’t).

At 6 PM on a Monday night, the bar was full and while Monday Night Football and baseball playoffs certainly played a part, most people were actually just enjoying drinking and talking and having a good time just inches from the Las Vegas Strip in a stress-free atmosphere.

The lone craps table is right inside a set of front doors a la O’ Sheas, which should provide some great energy into the evening. A very busy roulette table sat with a similar configuration in front of an entrance.

Video poker is the same garbage payouts as the rest of the entire property. Typical Strip payouts (and what is typical of what you’ll find in local bars in town as well. Me, I primary play video poker at Vue Bar in Fitzgerald’s Las Vegas downtown (full-pay bonus poker, 8/5 with multiple progressives although the new Golden Gate ownership will most likely wreck that). Very few video machines at Margaritaville Casino Las Vegas as they are after the tourist gambler.

Selected blackjack tables are 3-2 (full-pay, traditional rules… you have to ask which ones are which) which is getting harder and harder to find in any of the “party” casino areas on The Strip. I didn’t press further about other rules. When I play blackjack, I either play at the $5 tables in the Golden Gate “boobie” pit downtown with the sexy dealers or (if playing seriously) at Palace Station (double-deck, hand-held, 3-2… plus since no mid-shuffle entry you can time your bathroom breaks right and miss a LOT of hands while enjoying the comped libations you get while playing).

The entire Margaritaville Casino was seeing brisk business for early on a Monday night. It really does feel like you are in another property altogether and actually the main Flamingo casino felt old and tired by comparison. The low ceilings really create that intimate atmosphere that studies have shown people like when gambling.

Cocktail waitress outfits are (for the most part) string bikini tops. Very, very nice. No, we were not rude enough to sneak a photo. We live in Las Vegas. We’ve see girls in next-to-nothing (both casino employees and visitors walking The Strip) all the time. But especially if you are from a cold-weather climate or visiting Las Vegas during our “cold” (for us) winter months, this place is a great respite. I can see visiting on a regular basis just for a drink at the bar and soaking up the tropics.

They must have really rammed customer service into the heads of employees. You couldn’t walk past one without them saying hello and that extends into the gift shop. Hint: Check out the “other” Margaritaville T-Shirt shop near the check in desk. Currently if you spend $20 or more, you can get a free margarita. Considering what a margarita will cost you at a place like The Flamingo, this is a great deal.

Overall Impression? Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Jimmy Buffett is going to have no problem keeping his fleet of aircraft fueled up off his cut of this thing. Between the success of both the Toby Keith pit and bar and Margaritaville, I’d expect to see more musically branded gaming areas. Michael Jacksonville, anyone? What musical group or performer would you like to see have their own Las Vegas casino area? Comment on that or anything about this story in the comment box below.

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I live in Florida, my brothers live in Indiana and my sister lives in Alabama. This year we stayed at my sister’s home in Alabama and spent our time and money in Biloxi, Ms. and had a wonderful time.

We will miss Las Vegas some, but we won’t miss your politics.

Thanks for listening,

Mary Anne

Ted Responds:

First, I’d suggest you read the Politics section of my blog post So You Want To Move To Las Vegas, Is It Right For You? and you’ll find out that Nevada isn’t exactly a state that bleeds blue. You might be surprised.

Gaming (and not just here in Las Vegas but all  over the US including areas you mentioned) gave significant support to Harry Reid (D-NV, US Senate Majority Leader) because they felt that the power he has would protect the industry from federal regulation and legislation that might not be gaming-friendly. His opponent Sharon Angle has never been a gaming proponent.

Ironically enough, Reid helped to assure that Angle’s top primary opponent Sue Lowden lost so he could face Angle. Lowden is a former casino owner, charismatic (which Reid isn’t), and a moderate Republican. Virtually every pundit believes that she would have been a slam-dunk. The Tea Party won the primary but lost the big battle in the race.

If supporting the gaming companies who are with you politically are important, here’s the breakdown:

• Jim Murren (MGM Resorts including CityCenter, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, Circus Circus, Monte Carlo and New York-New York) is a life-long Republican who endorsed Harry Reid. An asterisk here as Reid made calls to bankers when a partially-completed CityCenter was on the verge bankruptcy and a halt in construction and used his influence to keep the money flowing. Murren’s company did work very hard to get Reid re-elected.
• Gary Loveman (Caesars Entertainment including Caesars, Planet Hollywood, Paris, Bally’s, Bill’s, Flamingo, Harrah’s, Imperial Palace, Rio) gave the vast majority of his 2010 political contributions to Democrats (impacted by the support of Reid). Loveman’s 2008 political donations were split much more evenly.
• Steve Wynn (Wynn/Encore) voted for Obama but is traditionally a Republican and has been an extremely harsh critic of the President (garnering national news).
• Sheldon Adleson (Venetian/Palazzo) has been an unwavering staunch conservative Republican.

Ted Newkirk
CEO, Managing Editor
AccessVegas.com

Comments on this topic? We want your opinion! Leave it below. Comments, questions or Vegas suggestions on other topics? Email us at AccessVegas@AccessVegas.com

Like the Imperial Palace? Bummer for you. No, they are not blowing it up. But it will get a completely new look, new casino area, new name, and open up to create a passage between Carnival Court and Linq.

O’Sheas is going bye-bye. Kind-of. The present O’Sheas location will be turned into part of Project Linq (which we assume means more Strip-front dining and roof-top nightlife which has become so popular). O’Sheas itself will be integrated into the “new” Imperial Palace (which has no announced name yet). This actually makes sense. If you’ve been coming to town for a while, you’ll remember that (what is now) Rockhouse — the seperate area of the IP fronting The Strip – was once a bar and casino area. This would be a very sensible spot for the O’Sheas relocation.

The winners and losers? Obviously too early to tell. Ceasars Entertainment (CET) is noting that the prime demographic Linq is reaching out to are 21-46 year olds. The average age of the Las Vegas visitor is 49 and even CET noted that only 52% of Las Vegas visitors will fall into this category over the next few years. The Riviera is banking hard on the over-50 set and if they can hang on during their bankruptcy, they may benefit from some of the migration. As most likely downtown will. If the “new” O’Sheas is too “uppity” then they’ll see the migration of their customers to Casino Royale (who would be well-served to knock out part of their front wall to create an open-to-The-Strip atmosphere, and immediatly figure out where they can put beer pong).

My concern? Visitors tend to not walk away from The Strip. It is almost like a phobia. It is one thing to walk into a hotel, but down a side area between two hotels that takes you “off” The Strip? Will the lure of looking at the High Roller be enough to get them walking that direction? Or is part of the “bet” on this project a hope that CET will get the taxpayer support (read: special sales tax) needed to build an arena on the rest of the land they own back there? We all know that sports/event arenas do wonders for nearby restaurants, bars, and retail. I’m surprised that no one has asked about how important of a cog this is to the CET plans.

Ted Newkirk
Publisher
AccessVegas.com

I’m Not Much Of A Casino Person, Can I Still Enjoy Living There? – This question came in a few weeks ago on the Living In Las Vegas podcast, and is a good one. It isn’t so much whether you are a casino person or not, but what kind of person you are? If you dislike setting foot inside casinos (probably not many of you among our readers, but we know that some of you may pass this page link on to others who are simply looking to relocate west), probably not the right place for you. Want to go to a movie? It will most likely be in a casino. Want to go bowling? Ditto. The gaming properties in the Las Vegas suburbs really are the local activity hubs.

Live And Let Live – If you are the kind of person who is up at 4:30 AM to do yoga, take a long bike ride, and commute to work in a hybrid with your organic lunch in a reusable bag, more power to you. Knock yourself out. BUT… keep in mind that your next door neighbor may very well work swing shift at a resort property, get off work at 3 AM, stop by the local bar for a French Dip sandwich and fries, have a couple pops of booze and a beer with his meal, then mow down a some cigarettes while he runs $20 through the bartop video poker machine before arriving home just about the time you come back from your bike ride. Which is perfectly acceptable and normal here. So if something like that is going to bother you, Las Vegas probably isn’t for you.

Sin City – If you do business nationwide (or worldwide), measure any possible side effects of being located here. West of the Rockies, Las Vegas is simply seen as another Western city. But many in other parts of the U.S. still have this notion that if you locate to (or are located in) Las Vegas, you must be crooked!

Politics – U.S. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) has been in the national spotlight significantly. That along with Las Vegas’s “liberal” approach to morals leads many to believe that Nevada must be a politically progressive bastion. Um, not exactly. Nevada is very libertarian (with a small letter “l”, I’m not talking about a bunch of Ron Paul voters). Nevada’s junior U.S. Senate seat has been in conservative Republican hands for over a decade. Both of Nevada’s past two governors (current and previous) are fiscally conservative Republicans. 2/3 of our state’s U.S. congressional delegation is in GOP hands.

Democrats hold the edge of registered voters in this state and both the Nevada State House and Assembly are controlled by Democrats. Hence, I’m not suggesting this is the most red of red states. But even with the voter edge, Rory Reid (Harry’s son, also a Democrat) was soundly defeated in his run for governor this past election cycle. If you want a super-blue state, you need to keep going until you hit a state that borders the Pacific Ocean. Some of the most unhappy people I know living here are strong progressives as the state doesn’t seem to have the will to increase taxes to fund things like education, transportation and social services.

Three Other Cities To Look At – If interested in Las Vegas, let me suggest three other cities to check out:

• Phoenix – If you are a big-city person, the Phoenix area has it all. Major league sports teams, light rail, arts and culture, acclaimed institutes of higher learning, and a real sense of community. Or, pretty much everything we don’t have in Las Vegas! Just brace for the heat as summers are 3-4 degrees hotter than Las Vegas and summer humidity generally higher.
• Reno – If moving to Nevada for the tax benefits but you are more of a Northern California type of person and like a more medium-size town atmosphere (while still enjoying a major airport and college sports), Reno could be your cup of tea. It does not have the Sin City image of Las Vegas and lost that “Divorce Capital” moniker decades ago. Expect plenty of Nevada sunshine, four actual seasons, and brisk winters.
• Albuquerque – If you took Las Vegas, shrank the population just a bit, made it a few degrees cooler year-round, and removed all the casinos, you’d pretty much end up with Albuquerque. Like Reno, it has a major airport and college sports teams. Like Phoenix, a strong sense of community plus serious arts and culture plus their Rail Runner train for day trips to Santa Fe. And the Mountain Time Zone makes it a bit easier to do business with the east coast.

Me? I’m closing in on 20 years here in Las Vegas, and you couldn’t pry me out of here. But I’ve also known far too many people who relocated here from a traditional culture-rich area and ended up hating it. Do your homework first.

If you’ve made the move or are contemplating it, feel free to comment below.

Ted Newkirk
Publisher
AccessVegas.com

OOOPS (on my part). The actual announcement was that come May 16, 2011 the hotel would be shuttered.

This simply made no sense. Other similar properties were holding their own and reinvesting despite the economy. For The Sahara to hold on through the worst of the recession and then simply shut just as things were picking up signaled a big JDLR in my book. (JDLR is a Las Vegas term used mainly by casino surveillance and stands for Just Doesn’t Look Right).

Let’s look at examples of The Sahara’s direct competitors and others in the mid-level hotel market:

* The Stratosphere – This hotel (known as Vegas World when I moved to town) just spent $20 million dollars in upgrades. Both to the casino and to the rooms. Their upgraded rooms are going for more money and we hear are quite popular. While people note that The Sahara is isolated (a possible reason for it struggling), The Strat is even more isolated.

* Palace Station – What? Ted… that is a local’s casino. Yes it is. I agree. It happens to by MY local’s casino (I can see the Palace hotel tower — and also the Strat Tower — from my front yard). But when I cruise the parking garage at Palace, you know what I see? License plates from California, Arizona, Oregon, New Mexico, and beyond. These very people exit the I-15 and instead of turning east toward The Sahara, they turn west towards Palace Station.

The entire Station casino chain has recently hired 1000 people, some of which to boost the staff at Palace. Another Sahara competitor upgrading, not cutting.

Side Note: You can tell quite about about a hotel’s occupancy and clientele simply by observing their parking garage.

* The Riviera – They have re-opened their buffet, opened the new Queen Victoria British Pub, and are re-doing their gaming tables.

* Circus Circus – Did not close anything down even during the worst of times and in fact have added Rock ‘n Ritas bar/restaurant. They still the worst buffet in town (you have that hospital food taste in your mouth after eating there). But at least they kept it open!

* The Plaza – Not in close proximity but a direct competitor in terms of class of property. The Plaza is in the middle of a top-to-bottom upgrade including all newly remodeled rooms.

* The Tropicana – Just concluding a $100 million upgrade. Incredible. The rooms are nice, the new marble and carpet in the hotel makes you feel like you are in a swanky place, the South Beach theme has been needed in Las Vegas for a long time, and one look at the new Nikki Beach and Cafe had us swooning.

In the meantime that all of the above happened, The Sahara has closed two hotel towers, closed their buffet, and severely limited both their food offerings and hours of food outlet service. (Side Note: This was a boon to local pizza companies as late-night, drunk-and-hungry hotel guests called out for pizza delivery). No wonder people were staying at Palace Station instead of on The Strip at The Sahara: Palace has numerous, nice quality, reasonably priced food options including a 24 hour cafe.

So exactly what the hell was going on with this closure? I set out to find out.

The Saturday night after the announcement, I took the arduous 2 mile drive from my front door to The Sahara. The place was mostly full and very lively (partially thanks to Spring Break and March Madness) I listened to employees talk among themselves. I listened to what appeared to be former employees who had come down (after hearing the announcement) talk with their former co-workers. I talked to employees.

I found out something interesting. I assumed that they would have it in for current Sahara owner Sam Nazarian. The ones I talked to didn’t. They instead cited the terrible management that Nazarian put in place. Not a management vs. employee beef but simply how badly the place had been run.

For the uninitiated, Nazarian is a nightclub mogul from Los Angeles who bought The Sahara 2007 with plans to completely refurbish it into a trendy, upscale property. The economic downturn put his plans on hold.

Now it all started to come together and the closing (from his standpoint) made sense:

1. He needed to clean house with the management team. Yes, they could be replaced. But if they were previously people involved in his nightclub group or that he otherwise has present business relationships with (outside of The Sahara), that can get sticky.

2. He needed to clean house regarding Sahara employees. The majority of Sahara employees are legacy employees with long tenure earning top union wages. And they are older. Las Vegas values youth and looks when hiring. If Nazarian kept the hotel open, he’d have to keep these employees which don’t fit in with his trendy vision of what he wants to do with the property. So, now he’ll get to hire fresh, young faces at significantly lower wages. (Don’t shoot the messanger here. If that bothers you, leave a comment below).

3. Summer is pending. For Las Vegas hotels, this means they have to charge some of the lowest hotel rates but pay obnoxiously high electric bills to cover the air conditioning. The prospects of making a decent profit over the next few months wasn’t promising. The heat also cuts down on the number of people staying at Strat, Riv, or Circus who will attempt the trek to The Sahara. And yes… people make the walk When the weather is not too hot or cold, you regularly see people on the sidewalk headed toward The Sahara. Remember, hotels here look a lot closer than they really are!

Hence, Nazarian pulled the plug.

Final late-breaking note: Local gossip monger Robin Leach (yes, the “Rich and Famous” guy) has teased that “The modern makeover of a legendary Strip hotel is back on the drawing board” and the executive who was holding it up had returned to Hollywood.

We looked at the scenario involving every legendary local property. They were all either remodeled (Trop and similar) or highly unlikely to see any work because of the financial condition of parent companies (Circus, Imperial Palace). Only one property is in position to go through this: The Sahara.

Plus, the makeover is being teased as a very unique concept. Which reads “trendy” and upscale. Fitting Nazarian’s original vision.

Additionally, an executive who had come in and has now returned to Hollywood fits the bill of someone associated with Nazarian. Hotel executives usually don’t otherwise come in from (nor depart to) Hollywood. Perhaps things would be different if Nazarian had hired someone from Las Vegas who knew how to run a casino. (Ed Deline comes to mind).

If the above turns out to be more than conjecture, I’m going to campaign hard that the new project retains the historic Sahara name. You can reposition a property while maintaining the name. The Tropicana did. Real Las Vegas casino people were hired to remodel and run the place. Let’s hope they indeed do the same with The Sahara. People from out-of-state who “think” they know Vegas often end up falling flat on their faces here. When it comes to the gaming and resort business, Las Vegas is its own separate beast and has very little in common with the hospitality industry in general.

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1. Las Vegas, 2. Modesto (CA), 3. Detriot, 4. Ft. Myers (FL), and 5. Los Angeles.

I bring that up because people wonder about the long-term viability of this area. But few wonder about he long-term viability of Los Angeles. Ft. Myers isn’t going to dry up and blow away either. (No question that Detroit has had issues that pre-dated the current recession).

What do Ft. Myers and Las Vegas have in common that will bode well for the long run? Sunny weather, a low cost of living, and no state taxes. IE, the very things that retirees who their pensions and not in need of a vibrant jobs market.

According to a recent Review-Journal editorial:

…studies debunk the idea that senior citizens are a drain on government services. On the contrary, their median income is higher than the national average. Although 12.6 percent of the country’s population is at least age 65, only 11.3 percent of the state’s residents are that old.

“Our population is getting older,” Mr. Aguero said. “Seniors will choose where to retire and bring a huge amount of capital with them.

“Somebody is going to get the benefit. If it is not us, it will be somebody else.” Read Complete Editorial: Strategic thinking – A suggestion to help the economy grow

The story also noted that $80 million a year is spent to advertise Las Vegas as a great place to visit. None is spent attracting retirees by showing that it is a great place to live. With ample, inexpensive housing and a low cost of living, perhaps someone needs to look into that.

Your comments are encouraged:

Because of the glut of rooms which have opened in our soft economy, this may be one of the more economical years to come and experience it! Even this close to the date, our travel partners at I4Vegas Discount Las Vegas Reservations are showing hotels like Sahara, Flamingo, and Hooters at around $200 a night. (Honestly, there is nothing wrong with staying at Hooters. All the rooms were entirely refurbished when it became Hooters, and you are directly across the street from the porte-cochere of the MGM Grand).

Fireworks will be shot off the tops of 8 hotels but heed our important notes and tips:

• The fireworks will be concentrated on the middle and south end of The Strip (Venetian to Tropicana). The Stratosphere will be involved (and seeing them go off that tower is probably the most impressive). BUT… no hotel between the Strat and Venetian are involved. 
• The center strip gets crowded. WAY too crowded for my tastes (and I like a crowd). The farther south you walk, the more the crowds will thin out. Down by Trop and MGM you will have all the elbow room need without sacrificing a good view of the show as you look stright up The Strip. 
• Porta-Potties are generously stationed in various locations. Take a note of them when you see them so you can get back to them. Why? The hotels will NOT allow you in without a room key on this night only. 
• Drinking: Is allowed! Various vendors have beer for sale, and you are allowed to bring whatever you want as long as it isn’t glass. If you are doing BYOB, look for a store that sells beer in plastic bottles before you head down. Also, some brands of hard liquor are available by the pint in plastic. Some people take a gallon water jug and make their own concoction and bring it along. 
• The Cops: Except to enforce the no bottles rule, break up fights, and get the overly-drunk off the street, they are unbelievably cool. They are generally stationed every 100 feet or so in groups of four. If they are not taking care of something, they will usually be happy to pose for a photo of even take one for you. If you are a cute girl, they might even let you pose for a photo on one of their motorcycles! Take a minute to thank them for the work they are doing. You are having fun, but virtually every Metro (Las Vegas police) officer is on duty during this 24 hour stretch. They sacrifice family and holiday vacation to make this night special for you. 
• Happy Mardi Gras… Almost. Beads (and what girls will do for them) are no longer limited to New Orleans. You can do an online search and buy a mess of them (enough for your entire group) for $40.00 or less. The police don’t sweat it unless a particular woman starts go on too much and want too much attention and gets the crowd out of control. 
• Parking: Hotels will generally NOT let you park in their lots (this night only) unless you are a guest. If driving (either because you are a local, or you are staying off-strip), get down to The Strip by 6 PM. First try some of the street behind the Flaming/Imperial Palace area. If no dice, get down Koval to the area around Tropicana and start checking out all the side streets in that area. Also, an empty just east of Koval on Tropicana usually is selling parking. If you are having trouble finding a street spot, just pay up and be on your way. 
• If you can’t attend, you can still watch live streaming at no cost. For many years now, KLAS TV has streamed their live coverage on their site 8newsnow.com Do keep in mind the time difference! Those of you outside our time zone and watch the boring ball drop from New York and if that does not put you to sleep, stay up and ring our new year with us (and see what a REAL new year’s eve celebration looks like)!

Note: This post has been updated with the following recent video.

Las Vegas New Years Eve 2011/2012
“America’s Party” Announcement and Details: