Author: thecompreport_y1s8a1

Major League Baseball is coming to the Las Vegas Strip. The Athletics are building a domed ballpark where the Tropicana used to stand, with opening planned for 2028. Here’s who owns the team, what the stadium costs, and how much of it taxpayers are covering.

Key Takeaways

• Owner: John Fisher is the A’s majority owner. In July 2026, Harbinger Sports, an Atlanta-based group with Mark Cuban as general partner and president, bought a minority stake ahead of the move.
• Cost: About $2 billion, according to the team, up from early estimates of $1.5 billion.
• Public money: Up to $380 million under the Nevada law passed in a June 2023 special session. The rest is private.

Who Owns the Team

The Fisher family has controlled the A’s since 2005. John Fisher, an heir to the Gap clothing fortune, moved the team out of Oakland after the 2024 season; it is playing temporarily in West Sacramento until Las Vegas is ready. In October 2024, Fisher pledged that his family would put $1 billion into the stadium.

New partners are joining. In July 2026, the A’s announced that Harbinger Sports bought a minority stake. Mark Cuban, former majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, is the group’s general partner and president; other principals include Falcons minority owner Rashaun Williams and former MLB chief financial officer Jonathan Mariner. The deal size wasn’t disclosed. Aramark, which won the ballpark’s 20-year food and drink contract in 2025, also made a financial investment in the team and stadium.

Who Pays for the Stadium

Source	Amount	How it works
Fisher family	$1 billion pledged	Equity from the owner
Construction loan	About $300 million	U.S. Bank and Goldman Sachs, per the team in 2024
State tax credits	Up to $180 million	Transferable tax credits issued by Nevada
Clark County bonds	About $120 million	Repaid from taxes generated inside a special district around the stadium
County infrastructure credit	$25 million	Covers roads and utilities tied to the project
Other investors and team money	The rest	Minority partners and team financing; the team covers cost overruns

Public money is capped at $380 million, and the state’s first-draft bill required the team to pay the first $100 million before public funds could flow. A public stadium authority, the Las Vegas Stadium Authority, owns the ballpark. The A’s sign a 30-year lease and the site is exempt from property tax during that time. Bally’s, which owns the Tropicana site with Gaming and Leisure Properties, is providing 9 of its 35 acres to the team and plans a separate resort next door.

Where Construction Stands

• Groundbreaking: June 23, 2025.
• Spending: About $400 million spent by spring 2026; the team says it’s on time and on budget.
• Progress: Lower levels done, upper decks rising, and roof trusses going up this summer.
• Opening: Target completion is February 2028, in time for opening day that season. The stadium will seat about 30,000 to 33,000.

The Debate

Supporters say a Strip ballpark adds 81 home dates a year, construction jobs and another reason to visit, paid for mostly with private money and taxes the stadium itself creates. Critics, including teachers’ union-backed Schools Over Stadiums, argued the money belonged elsewhere; the Nevada Supreme Court blocked their effort to put the funding to a public vote in 2024. The bigger question is whether the special tax district raises enough to repay the county bonds without touching the general fund.

What It Means for Las Vegas

For visitors, it’s another reason to come midweek in spring and summer, Vegas’s softer months. For locals, expect more traffic at Tropicana and the Strip on game nights, and more jobs in hospitality and security. For drivers like me, a ballpark at Tropicana means steady rides at the south end of the Strip.

Sources

• AP via WTOP: Mark Cuban’s group buys minority stake in the A’s
• Nevada Independent: Fisher pledges $1 billion
• Nevada Independent: Public financing capped at $380M
• Ballpark Digest: After $400M, ballpark on time and on budget
• New Las Vegas Stadium overview

For informational purposes only; not financial, investment or legal advice.

Tropical Storm Rachel gave Las Vegas its wettest day in a year, with flooded roads near the Strip and I-15 closed for a time. A lot of people asked me in the car whether all that rain helped Lake Mead. The short answer: barely. The lake rose about an inch.

Key Takeaways

• The storm added about 0.1 foot. The Bureau of Reclamation recorded Lake Mead at 1,037.6 feet on Oct. 8 and 1,037.7 feet on Oct. 10 and 11.
• The lake is only about 26% full and near the lowest level since it first filled in the 1930s.
• The bigger story is the fight over Colorado River water. Nevada sued the federal government in August over new rules that could cut Southern Nevada’s share by more than 70% in a worst case.

Why All That Rain Barely Helped

Almost all of Lake Mead’s water comes from the Colorado River, which starts as snow in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico, then flows through Lake Powell before it reaches Las Vegas. Rain on the Las Vegas Valley mostly runs into washes, the Las Vegas Wash and local streets. The lake gets only small inflows from places like the Virgin River.

Utah State University’s Jack Schmidt told KSNV that storms like this help conditions but are only a temporary fix. Refilling the reservoirs depends on a big winter snowpack, and last winter’s was a record low. Colorado State University estimated in March that the Rockies snowpack was 38% of average. Schmidt called several strong wet years in a row a “tough bet.”

How Low Is It?

Lake Mead fell to 1,040.5 feet on Aug. 7, the lowest since 2022, and kept dropping. Combined storage in Lake Mead and Lake Powell is the lowest since Powell began filling in 1963, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. Lake Powell was about 22% full at the end of August.

The level matters for power as well as water. At about 1,035 feet, Reclamation expects Hoover Dam’s older turbines to risk serious damage. That’s less than three feet below where the lake sits now. Projections show Hoover’s generating capacity dropping sharply into 2027.

What It Means for Las Vegas

Your tap water is safe for now. The Southern Nevada Water Authority built a deeper “third straw” intake that can draw water even at very low lake levels, and the valley recycles most of the water used indoors. SNWA says Southern Nevada cut its Colorado River use by about 40% over 25 years while adding more than 800,000 residents. “Conservation has its limits,” SNWA general manager John Entsminger said.

The real risk is policy. Nevada’s share of the Colorado River is 300,000 acre-feet a year, the smallest of the Lower Basin states, and Southern Nevada used about 198,000 acre-feet in 2025. Under the federal record of decision Interior released in August, a worst-case shortage could cut Nevada by up to 213,556 acre-feet. That would leave the valley with less than 86,500 acre-feet a year. Nevada, the Colorado River Commission and SNWA were the first to sue, arguing Interior never studied the hit to Southern Nevada’s $180 billion economy.

What You Can Do

• Follow the watering schedule. Fall rules allow landscape watering three days a week, assigned by group.
• Check rebates. SNWA pays residents to replace grass with desert landscaping.
• Visiting? Lake Mead National Recreation Area is still open, but several boat launches have closed or moved. Check the National Park Service before you tow a boat out.

What to Watch Next

• The Bureau of Reclamation’s monthly 24-month study and what it projects for 2027
• This winter’s Rocky Mountain snowpack
• Nevada’s lawsuit against the Interior Department

Sources

• KSNV: Rachel drenches Southern Nevada but barely boosts Lake Mead (Oct. 12, 2026)
• Newsweek: Why Rachel barely touches Lake Mead’s water crisis (Oct. 13, 2026)
• Nevada Independent: Nevada sues Interior over Colorado River cuts (Aug. 2026)
• Pagosa Daily Post: Lake Mead hits record low (Aug. 2026)
• WaterVerge: Hoover Dam and the hydropower cliff (2026)
• FOX5: Rachel brings wettest day in a year

Elevations from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation as reported by the sources above. Satellite images: NASA Earth Observatory (public domain); other photos via Wikimedia Commons under the licenses shown.

Anyone who has driven home to Southern California on a Sunday afternoon knows the feeling: you leave the Strip in good time and then sit in traffic from Primm to the state line. For years, the answer has been a 200-mph train. Here is where that train really stands as of October 2026, and why I-15 in California is still so jammed.

Key Takeaways

• The train is late and more expensive. Brightline West now targets late 2029, after missing the goal of opening for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Its estimated cost has jumped from about $12 billion to about $21 billion.
• The next two months are critical. The company is waiting on a $6 billion federal loan and has until Nov. 2 to raise $400 million in equity, a deadline that has already been pushed back twice.
• Don’t count on more lanes in California. I-15 drops from three lanes to two after the state line. In September 2026, Caltrans said it “has shifted away from widening highways,” while Nevada is planning more lanes on its side.

The Train: What Brightline West Is Building

Brightline West is a 218-mile, all-electric line that runs mostly in the median of I-15. Trains would top out near 200 mph, and the trip would take about two hours and 10 minutes. Planned stations:

• Las Vegas: on Las Vegas Boulevard south of the Strip, across from the Las Vegas South Premium Outlets
• Victor Valley (Apple Valley) and Hesperia
• Rancho Cucamonga: where riders can transfer to Metrolink for Los Angeles

Note that the train does not go all the way to downtown L.A. Riders heading there will need to transfer to Metrolink at Rancho Cucamonga.

Where the Money Stands

The project has a $3 billion federal grant awarded in 2023 and about $3.5 billion in tax-exempt private activity bonds approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation. That is not enough to cover a price tag that the company’s January 2026 financial disclosure put at roughly $21 billion.

The gap is supposed to be filled by a $6 billion low-interest federal loan. Brightline applied in October 2025 and originally expected an answer by early 2026. According to The Bond Buyer, the company now expects the federal Build America Bureau to finish its due diligence in October 2026, followed by a 90-day review. Separately, Brightline West must raise $400 million in equity by Nov. 2. That money was first promised by March 31, then by Sept. 10. Bondholders have agreed to five amended deals to keep the project moving, and its 12% bonds were trading around 61.5 cents on the dollar in late August.

The company says construction contracts are signed and the remaining budget is about $20.9 billion. In Las Vegas, a parking garage near the station site was nearly finished this spring, but station construction had not started as of March. The project is owned by Fortress Investment Group, which also owns Brightline’s Florida line. That line is going through a financial restructuring.

Why I-15 Jams Up in California

1. Three lanes become two. Southbound I-15 has three lanes through Nevada. After the state line, it narrows to two lanes for most of the roughly 113 miles to Barstow. “The issues lie when you cross into California and the lanes squeeze down,” NDOT spokesman Tony Illia told KSNV.

2. Everyone leaves on Sunday. Most Southern Californians drive in on Friday and drive home on Sunday, so the busiest traffic hits the narrowest stretch at once. About 11 million Las Vegas visitors use the corridor every year, and holiday backups have stretched 18 miles.

3. The third lane never fully arrived. In December 2021, California promised a third southbound lane near the state line. What drivers got was a one-mile transition lane and a part-time shoulder lane that opens on Sundays and Mondays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Caltrans says it saves 30 to 40 minutes on regular Sundays and Mondays. In September 2026, Caltrans District 8 said it is not pursuing more widening and “has shifted away from widening highways.”

4. Trucks, grades and weather. I-15 is also a major freight route, and trucks slow down on the long climbs at Mountain Pass and the Cajon Pass. Crashes and winter snow on the Cajon Pass can shut down the whole route because there is no good alternative.

5. Construction in the Inland Empire. Closer to L.A., San Bernardino County is building toll express lanes on about 11 miles of I-15 from near the Riverside County line to Foothill Boulevard. The $390 million project is expected to finish in July 2028, and lane shifts in the meantime slow traffic through Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana.

What Nevada Is Doing

NDOT has proposed a 15-year plan for I-15 from the state line toward Las Vegas. It includes added lanes, new interchanges at Primm and Sloan, and more truck parking at weigh stations. Public comments closed Sept. 30. Las Vegas has pushed for years for California to widen its side. The city once estimated that congestion on the drive costs the region about $3 billion a year in lost visits and late deliveries.

The Driver’s Tips

• Leave before 10 a.m. or after 8 p.m. on Sunday. Midday Sunday is the worst time to drive.
• Stay until Monday if you can. Sunday hotel rates are often the cheapest of the week, and the drive is much better. Check The Comp Board for midweek deals.
• Fly instead. Southwest, Spirit and Frontier run many short flights from LAX, Burbank, Ontario and Long Beach. You can compare prices on our Book a Trip page.
• Check Caltrans QuickMap or NDOT’s traffic map before you leave Primm.

What to Watch Next

• Whether the $6 billion federal loan moves forward this fall
• Whether Brightline West meets the Nov. 2 equity deadline or gets another extension
• Whether station construction finally begins in Las Vegas

Sources

• The Bond Buyer: Bondholders grant more time as loan timeline extended (Sept. 2026)
• Planetizen: Brightline West’s future may rely on $6 billion federal loan (Sept. 2026)
• FOX5: Brightline West still waiting on federal loan (March 2026)
• FOX5: Project now on track for late 2029 (Jan. 2026)
• Brightline West overview
• KSNV: NDOT proposes I-15 expansion; Caltrans not widening (Sept. 2026)
• Caltrans: I-15 Pilot Project at the CA-NV line
• 8 News Now: I-15 widening has an unclear completion date
• KSNV: Anything happening to ease I-15 backups?
• I-15 Corridor Express Lanes contract

For informational purposes only; not financial or investment advice. Photos via Wikimedia Commons under the licenses shown.

Every fall, the Las Vegas Strip turns into a Formula 1 racetrack for one weekend. Getting it ready takes months of lane closures around Koval, Sands, Harmon and Flamingo. Here’s who owns the race, who pays for it, what it brings in, and whether that trade-off is worth it.

Key Takeaways

• Formula 1’s owner, Liberty Media, runs the Las Vegas Grand Prix itself. Most F1 races use a local promoter, but in Vegas F1 bought 39 acres off the Strip for about $240 million and built its own pit and paddock.
• On May 19, 2026, the Clark County Commission voted unanimously to make the race an annual event through 2037. This year’s race weekend is Nov. 19–21.
• Organizers say the race brought in about $1.5 billion in 2023 and $934 million in 2024. The county’s own accounting of the first race showed a small net loss for county government, and some economists question the headline numbers.

How the Money Works

F1 is the promoter. At most Grand Prix, a local promoter pays F1 a hosting fee and keeps the ticket money. In Las Vegas, Liberty Media cut out the middleman. It bought the land on Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane, built the permanent pit building, and keeps the ticket, hospitality and sponsorship revenue. Before the first race, F1 told investors it expected to spend at least $500 million in total on the land and circuit. Caesars, MGM Resorts and Wynn signed on as partners.

Public money is involved too. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which is funded by hotel room taxes, paid $6.5 million a year for 2023 through 2025. In August 2025 it approved $10 million a year for the 2026 and 2027 races, covering marketing plus Strip employee transportation and tickets.

The paving fight. In June 2023, F1 asked Clark County to cover $40 million of an $80 million road project for the circuit. Commissioners voted 4–3 only to open negotiations. F1 later dropped the bill “as a show of good faith,” according to Casino.org.

The county’s own math. For the 2023 race, Clark County reported collecting about $3.8 million in taxes against $4.4 million in staff time, a net loss of roughly $463,000. Then-chairman Tick Segerblom said, “At the end of the day, it was a net loss.”

The Race Route

The 3.8-mile, 17-turn circuit starts at the paddock at Harmon and Koval, runs north up Koval Lane, wraps around the Sphere, heads west on Sands Avenue, then turns south for a roughly 1.2-mile blast down Las Vegas Boulevard past the Venetian, Caesars Palace and Bellagio before turning east on Harmon. Flamingo Road crosses the circuit twice, which is why Flamingo traffic gets squeezed for weeks. For live closure updates, check transportation.f1lasvegasgp.com or text F1LV to 31996.

Is 3 Months of Construction Worth One Weekend?

The case for it: Applied Analysis, the firm hired to measure the race, put its economic impact at about $1.5 billion in 2023 and $934 million in 2024. That includes $77 million and $45 million in state and local taxes. Attendance topped 300,000 both years, and the race airs to tens of millions of viewers worldwide during what used to be one of the slowest weeks of the year.

The case against it: Prep now starts in September. Track installation and removal now spans about 17 weeks, and lane closures hit Koval, Sands, Harmon and Flamingo along the way. Small businesses near the circuit sued the county and F1 over lost access, a case F1 later settled. Berry College economist Frank Stephenson argued that hotel gains on race weekend were mostly offset by weaker nights earlier in the week. The 2024 numbers also fell sharply from 2023, with average spending per F1 visitor dropping from about $4,100 to about $2,400.

The driver’s view: From behind the wheel, race season means detours, closed turns and longer trips for weeks, followed by one of the busiest and best-paying weekends of the year. Locals carry most of the inconvenience; casinos and F1 collect most of the upside.

The Clark County Leaders Who Approved It

The race runs on county roads, so the Clark County Commission signs off on it. On May 19, 2026, the commission voted unanimously, after about two minutes of discussion, to keep the race on the Strip every year through 2037. Chairman Michael Naft said, “The Grand Prix needs to condense the timeline,” and pushed for a shorter construction window. The current commission:

District	Commissioner	Role
A	Michael Naft	Chair
B	Marilyn Kirkpatrick
C	April Becker
D	William McCurdy II	Vice Chair
E	Tick Segerblom
F	Justin Jones
G	Jim Gibson

Want to weigh in on road closures? Clark County Commission meetings are public, and each commissioner’s office takes calls from constituents.

What to Watch Next

• Whether F1 delivers on Naft’s call to shorten the setup and teardown window.
• Official economic impact numbers for the 2025 and 2026 races.
• How much LVCVA room-tax money goes to the race after the current deal ends in 2027.

Sources

• LVSportsBiz: Commission approves F1 through 2037
• Casino.org: Clark County green-flags F1 until 2037
• FOX5: 2026 road prep and race dates
• News 3: Grand Prix seeks $40M from Clark County (2023)
• Casino.org: Clark County says it lost $500K on the first race
• Covers: LVCVA’s $20M sponsorship deal
• KTNV: 2024 economic impact
• Casino.org: Economist questions the impact numbers
• Crash.net: F1’s $500M Vegas investment
• CBS Sports: Guide to the Strip circuit
• Clark County Commission members

For informational purposes only; not financial, investment or legal advice. Map is a simplified schematic; check official closure maps before driving.