For decades, movies have been made about Las Vegas, or they’ve used Las Vegas as something of a main character. Casino, Leaving Las Vegas, The Hangover, Swingers …and the list goes on. When those movies are made, crews often spend a few days here but do most of the filming and editing in California studios. For years, there’s been a push to change that, to get more of that production work in Nevada. Jobs in film production pay relatively higher wage and they don’t all require a four-year degree.

Las Vegas community members will have the opportunity to see their artwork displayed on the Exosphere — the viral outer shell of the Sphere that has gained worldwide attention over the last year for its repertoire of designs, including advertisements for movies, grinning emojis, giant basketballs and more.

Local students will get their chance to see art they create displayed on the Sphere later this year. Sphere Entertainment Co. on Thursday announced the start of the first-of-its-kind Sphere XO Student Design Challenge. More than 100,000 Clark County School District and UNLV students will be invited to submit their work for the contest, which will begin this month. The winners will get their work displayed on the venue’s exosphere, and the company will donate $10,000 to their school’s art program.

As wind roars and trees bloom, officials say pollen levels in the Las Vegas Valley are the highest they’ve been in years. UNLV Pollen Monitoring Program Lab Supervisor Asma Tahir says mulberry pollen levels are “extremely high,” with pine and grass pollen levels following closely behind. Tahir says last year’s colder and longer winter delayed the spring season, which could be partially to blame for the high pollen count.

Clark County students can now enter for the chance to see their art on the Sphere this summer. On Thursday, Sphere Entertainment Co. announced the inaugural Sphere XO Student Design Challenge, which will give select Clark County students the chance to see their artwork on the Exosphere. The challenge is a collaboration between the Sphere, Clark County School District, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, according to organizers.

The Sphere in Las Vegas announced it will launch a new student challenge with the prize of featuring artwork on the Exosphere. The inaugural Sphere XO Student Design Challenge is described as a collaboration between the venue and Clark County School District and UNLV. More than 100,000 Clark County-based students will be able to create art for the Exosphere, according to Sphere Entertainment.

The Chickasaw Nation is forming a private capital investment firm in Dallas. The firm, Pennington Creek Capital, will be led by Dallas-based Hicks Equity Partner managing director Curt Crofford. It’s the Native American tribe’s second public investment in private equity after it launched Good Springs Capital out of New York in July 2023.

Sphere Entertainment Co. today announced the inaugural Sphere XO Student Design Challenge – a first-of-its-kind partnership with the greater Las Vegas community that, for the very first time, gives select members of the general public the opportunity to see their art featured on the Exosphere. The Sphere XO Student Design Challenge is a collaboration between Sphere and the Clark County School District (CCSD) and University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) that will provide more than 100,000 Clark County-based students with an unprecedented opportunity to create art for the Exosphere.

Desi-Rae Young had 18 points, 10 rebounds and six steals to lead No. 21 UNLV to its third consecutive Mountain West Championship, defeating San Diego State 66-49 on Wednesday night. Top-seeded UNLV becomes the first Mountain West team to win both the regular season and tournament championships three years in a row.