The Howard Hughes Corporation

Not even conservationists are worried. For those with visions of a cool summer escape, a new water park in Las Vegas has seemed like a mirage in the seven years since Wet 'n Wild drained its last drop of water. Then, with relief in sight, this week's announcement of construction on an $18 million water park in the western valley immediately drew the ire of some water-conscious residents. How could the region sustain a labyrinth of slides and pools when homeowners can't even water their lawns without restrictions? SPB Partners, developers of Splash Canyon Waterpark, say it's a simple math equation: The 11-acre, fenced-in amusement zone is projected to consume about 9 million gallons of water a year - millions fewer than if a residential neighborhood or park inhabited the same space. Plus, the Southern Nevada Water Authority requires any treated water be connected to the sewer system, where it is recaptured and recycled, authority spokesman Scott Huntley said.

It's dry land now, but a water park is on tap. For seven years, valley residents have hankered for a big-league aquatics playground to replace the Wet 'n Wild water park on the Strip that entertained locals and tourists alike before closing in 2004. The dry spell is coming to an end. Splash Canyon, two years in the planning, is under construction on the west side of the Las Vegas Valley and targeted to open on Memorial Day. The $18 million water park, near Fort Apache and Warm Springs roads, is financed and will employ about 500 seasonal workers, the builder says.

From his newly purchased condo on the 23rd floor of the Ogden in downtown Las Vegas, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is overseeing a takeover of the surrounding area with a mix of capitalism and philanthropy.

The cylinder-shaped hotel tower housing the Casino Lisboa was what defined gambling for decades in this 17-square-mile former Portuguese colony parked on the shore of the South China Sea. Lacking amenities, flash and class, it lived in Las Vegas' shadow. But all that changed over the past decade after Las Vegas got a piece of the action. Steve Wynn built Wynn Macau across the street from Casino Lisboa. MGM Grand Macau moved in just down the block from Wynn. As Las Vegas companies began upping the ante, Casino Lisboa owner Stanley Ho knew he had to respond competitively. So he built a 58-story lotus-shaped tower - the tallest building in Macau.

Ethel M Chocolates has grown, but the flavors are true as ever . When billionaire candy tycoon Forrest Mars Sr. retired and moved to Henderson in the late 1970s, the man who invented M&Ms and the Mars bar wanted to make chocolates distinct from the ones that made him a fortune.

Vegas baby, Vegas! You hear it and instantly think the Strip, but our city has so much more to offer than glitz. Beyond the gambling, dining, shows and nightclubs, there's golf. Las Vegas and its surrounding areas are home to more than 50 golf courses, and if you're a local or planning a Las Vegas golf trip, you're in for a treat. Rates vary during peak and off-peak seasons, and with hot conditions during the summer months, you'll find bargain prices at many facilities. From private to public, championship to tradition, here's a look at some of the valley's courses:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The former estate of legendary actress Katharine Hepburn who died in 2003, is up for sale with a $28 million asking price.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 36 years later, the secret grand jury testimony of President Richard Nixon in the Watergate scandal was ordered released on Friday by a federal judge because of its significance in American history.

¶Las Vegas didn't became a world-class tourist destination overnight. It took decades to build that identity with the help of big dreamers who possessed the willpower, political savvy and financial capability to turn their visions into reality. Gaming mogul Steve Wynn, who ushered in the modern megaresort era when he opened the Mirage in 1989, quickly comes to mind. But for every realized dream, there have been dozens of bloated ideas that drifted away with the desert wind. Time will tell whether the latest batch of dreamers, those proposing new sports complexes across town, will become Southern Nevada's latest successful visionaries or join the following list of wannabes.

¶It wasn't long ago that hotels, high-rise condominiums and massive retail and office complexes sprang up in Southern Nevada seemingly faster than one could drive from one end of the valley to the other. Take that same drive today, though, and you'll likely see vestiges of the Great Recession: partially built structures with exposed foundations or steel beams ? or building wraps to hide the evidence ? that represent dreams put on hold. ¶ Many mothballed projects face an uncertain future, signs their owners either don't have the money to complete construction or don't think the economy has recovered sufficiently to make them viable. Some have also been mired in litigation. Here are prime examples:

Longtime Las Vegas television and radio newsman Fred Lewis-Nebot, who also had a successful public relations career, died Tuesday at age 79.

Phoenix Envy?. In the early 1980s, Phoenix suffered from insecurity. A dry insecurity, but insecurity nonetheless. At the time it was the size Las Vegas is today - population 2 million - but hadn't grown a big-city reputation to match. The national media, when they bothered to write about the booming Sunbelt city, contributed to the self-consciousness - mocking it for undisciplined sprawl, an unruly political scene, communities of seniors cruising about in golf carts or its downtown, which could take cannon fire after nightfall without casualty. I lived in Phoenix back then.

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Back when most shopping malls were built, cutting edge technology was color television and a mobile phone meant a land line with a really long cord.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - For Arthur Crowley, messy personal lives were good for business.

The idea was not sketched on a cocktail napkin, exactly.It was a wax paper wrapper for a sandwich that Jay Bloom used as his first easel for what is, today, the $25 million, 26,000-square-foot Mob Experience at the Tropicana.

"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" star Jane Russell, a stunning beauty whose eye-popping curves made her a screen siren for a generation of American troops at war, died on Monday at the age of 89.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" movie star Jane Russell, who became a controversial Hollywood sex symbol, died on Monday at the age of 89, her family said.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" movie star Jane Russell, who became a controversial Hollywood sex symbol, died on Monday at the age of 89, her family said.

Jane Russell, famed for eye-popping curves and stunning beauty that made her the screen siren of choice for a generation of American troops at war, has died aged 89, her family said.

Legendary screen siren and GI pin-up Jane Russell has died aged 89, the head of a child advocacy group she was involved with said, citing the actress's family.