In the years after labor leader Cesar Chavez joined a historic Las Vegas picket line shortly before he died, he became the namesake of an east valley park and a ceremonial road. Not only was he the subject of annual celebrations thrown in his honor, the Nevada Legislature in 2009 passed a law requiring the governor to proclaim Cesar Chavez Day every March 31. Supporters of that tradition were left reeling this week by a New York Times investigation that uncovered accusations that Chavez was a sexual predator who abused children and fellow labor icon Dolores Huerta.

Several Cesar Chavez Day celebrations in San Francisco, Texas, and Arizona have been canceled following allegations that the late Latino civil and labor rights leader abused young women and minors.

Six years ago on March 17, Nevada’s casino floors went dark as then-Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered all nonessential businesses to close, a move that delivered an immediate shock to Las Vegas and a tourism-dependent economy that would be battered for weeks.

By the late 1770s, people had been commemorating the anniversary of St. Patrick’s death – reputedly on March 17, 461 – for over a thousand years. Irish immigrants brought the tradition with them when they moved to North America, and officers in the Continental Army regularly used the holiday to bring glimmers of cheer to their cold and gloomy camps.

After resolving a legal case in Nevada and serving years in a Virginia prison, the operative is working for a congressional candidate.

When the Eastside Cannery debuted in summer 2008, hundreds of people waited outside to get in Las Vegas’ newest hotel-casino on opening night. Some waited a few hours to explore the $250 million project on Boulder Highway.