It began with a feud between Mayor Oscar Goodman and President Barack Obama and ended with the Raiders relocating to Las Vegas. 

In between: A mass shooting mystery, Steve Wynn’s shocking downfall, a Prince Harry scandal, an obscenity-laced blowup between Wynn and George Clooney, Celine’s twin triumphs and a crushing loss, Donald Trump’s swipe at a gaming giant, a golden hockey season and Lady Gaga hits it out of the Park.

The 2010’s were a decade like no other.

Feuds hit the headlines on a regular basis. A fuming Mayor Oscar Goodman demanded an apology from Obama in 2011 after the president made what were perceived as anti-Las Vegas statements twice in two years. Obama’s remarks came as the tourism industry was struggling with a severe recession. 

Wynn and his arch-rival Sheldon Adelson traded insults for years, with Adelson once proclaiming Wynn’s time “has come and gone.”  He added that he told Wynn at the opening of the Mirage in 1989, “I said, ‘you do a good job...maybe you could work for me.’ I think he got a little insulted.” They mended fences but it didn’t last. 

Wynn and Clooney’s bad blood, first reported by this reporter, erupted during a dinner at a Wynn restaurant. The name-calling got pretty nasty, with Wynn accusing the actor of drinking 16 shots of tequila that day. But nothing inflamed Wynn more than a deeply personal battle with his ex-wife, Elaine Wynn, who ended up in the power position when her husband was forced to resign from Wynn Resorts in 2018 amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

The decade saw nightclubs continue their record revenue run. Visitation numbers soared to new heights. Star chefs sizzled, expanding their brands here. The $450 million Smith Center for the Performing Arts added another jewel to the crown of the entertainment capital of the world.

Ambitious production shows never found their footing: Among them, “Viva Elvis” (Aria at CityCenter), “Steve Wynn’s Showstoppers” and “Phantom--the Las Vegas Spectacular.”“Jubilee!” closed in 2016, after setting the standard as icons of old Vegas revues since 1981 at Bally’s. 

Garth Brooks packed ‘em in at Wynn Las Vegas but ended his five-year deal with two years to go to reignite his career with a comeback.

Tragedy struck October 1, 2017, when Stephen Paddock, a high-stakes gambler, fired an assortment of weapons into a crowd watching the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip across the street from Mandalay Bay. He killed 58 people and wounded 413, with the ensuing panic bringing the injury total to 869. Wild speculation ensued when he left no motive or manifesto was found for what turned into the worst mass murder by a solo gunman in U.S. history.  An FBI report, released in January 2019, suggested Paddock was inspired in part by his father’s reputation as a bank robber who was once on the FBI’s most wanted list.

Prince Harry got his first taste of the legendary nightlife scene in  Las Vegas in November, 2011 during a break in his helicopter training in Arizona. After a 300-mile motorcycle ride from Scottsdale, he partied at Tryst, the short-lived nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas. He must have had a royal time because he returned in August 2012 and got so intoxicated he was videotaped playing buck-naked billiards in a suite at Steve Wynn’s Encore hotel. 

After years of infertility struggles, Celine Dion gave birth to twin sons Nelson and Eddy on October 23, 2010 through in-vitro fertization. Six years later, her husband and architect of her career died in early 2016 when his throat cancer returned. A beloved figure, Rene Angelil was 73.

Trump took a dig at MGM Resorts on the day the massive CityCenter project opened, Dec. 16, 2009. He faxed a copy of my column to me at the Review-Journal and, writing on the margins, he predicted it would become “the biggest bust in real estate history.” Turns out he was counter-punching MGM Resorts boss Jim Murren, who had taken a shot at Trump Tower in a story by local free-lancer Steve Friess.

Openings: The Cosmopolitan opened Dec. 15, 2010. It marked the Las Vegas debut of star chef Jose Andres, who opened three restaurants there, upscale by Jose Andres, Jaleo and China Poblano. In 2014, he opened Bazaar Meats and Ku Noodle at the SLS (which returned to his original name of Sahara in 2019). Ku Noodle was shuttered in 2016

The SLS floundered and returned to its storied Sahara roots in 2019 under new owner Alex Meruelo, owner of the NHL Arizona Coyotes.

Steve Wynn and British socialite Andrea Hissom were married April 30, 2011, the day after the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine MIddleton in London’s Westminster Abbey. Film star Clint Eastwood was the best man and Garth Brooks sang his hit “Friends in Low Places.”

Most unlikely sightings: Stephen Hawking, British theoretical scientist and cosmologist (the study of the origins, structure and space-time relationships with the universe), was spotted at Tao, the Venetian hotspot where semi-naked women in bathtubs are stationed at the entrance. Runnerup: Tim Tebow, the devout Christian who starred as quarterback at the University of Florida, was known for writing the Bible verse, John 3:16, in eye black under his eyes. During one of his first trips to Las Vegas, he unknowingly booked a room at the Hard Rock Hotel, which happened to be hosting a porn convention that week.

The Palms celebrated its 10th anniversary on November 15, 2011. One of the hotel’s most famous guests, Michael Jackson, stayed in the Hugh Hefner villa for two months (late 2007, early 2008)  before I got wind of his hideout and let the cat out of the bag. When he and his children left, hotel officials noticed that Jackson had strategically placed tape over the nude paintings in the villa.

Studio 54 closed at the MGM Grand on Jan. 8, 2012. If you were a Prince fan, there was no place you’d rather be than at 54 on New’s Year’s Eve 1999 and Jan. 2, 2000. In a dream scenario for Studio 54 and the MGM Grand, Prince had his people nail down those dates. And, of course, he rattled the rafters when he sang his hit “Party Like It’s 1999.” Mike Milner, 54’s manager, recalled seeing “thousands of people waiting who couldn’t get in.”

Muhammad Ali, who fought in Las Vegas seven times, made his last personal appearance here Feb. 18, 2012 when he was the honored guest at the 15th annual Keep Memory Alive Foundation Power of Love charity gala at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. During his visit, he dined at the Golden Steer. When executive chef Sergio Mendena went to The Champ’s table, Ali didn’t talk but he paid the Mendena the ultimate compliment by kissing his spoon after having the chicken soup. He died June 3, 2016

Sometimes gag gifts say a lot about a family’s collective sense of humor. Take Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt and their brood. In 2015, Jolie and two of their children did some shopping at Bonanza souvenirs. Their haul of gifts included a dozen “freeloader” forks that telescope out an extra two feet. Nothing says fun-loving family like telescopic forks. Previous stops by Jolie and Pitt included the purchase of a 100-ounce beer cup.

Deaths: Comedy giants Jerry Lewis, Don Rickles and the comedy team of Marty Allen and Steve Rossi, celebrity writer Robin Leach and Indy style driver Dan Wheldon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, former Las Vegas casino executive Felix Rappaport, and former Las Vegas sheriff Ralph Lamb.

Short honeymoon: Irish singer Sinead O’Connor married Barry Herridge, a therapist, in December 2011 while riding in a pink Cadillac at the Little White Wedding Chapel’s drive-through. A couple weeks later she announced the marriage was over. She wrote: Within 3 hours of the ceremony being over the marriage was kyboshed by the behaviour of certain people in my husband’s life. And also by a bit of a wild ride I took us on looking for a bit of a smoke of weed for my wedding night as I don’t drink. My husband was enormously wounded and very badly effected by that experience and also by the attitude of those close to him toward our marriage. It became apparent to me that if he were to stay with me he would be losing too much to bear.”

Mystery death: On November 27, 2012, Las Vegas dealmaker Jack Wishna was found dead in his Bentley, which he had purchased from Wayne Newton, at his home in Henderson. The death was ruled a suicide from carbon monoxide poisoning. He was credited with bringing Newton back to Las Vegas after his career stalled. He claimed he convinced Michael Jackson to return to the U.S. from self-exile in Ireland to launch a comeback in Las Vegas. Wishna was also instrumental in Donald Trump’s decision to  build his first residential tower in Las Vegas. To get Trump’s attention, he hired a helicopter and a photographer to capture a panoramic view of the Strip from the site where Wishna thought Trump should build. Some of Wishna’s friends speculated privately that deals gone sour sent Wishna into depression.

Television departures:  Gary Waddell, Paula Francis, Rikki Cheese, Jessica Moore (to WCBS in New York), Alicia Jacobs and Lorraine Blanco Moss (who pursued a career as a chef in Las Vegas).
In November 2013, a Houston man with roots in India rode a 9,000-pound Asian elephant up to the main entrance of the Bellagio. I can’t say much more because I was threatened with a lawsuit because of the backlash in his home country to the over-the-top wedding costs. The Bellagio required that he agree to special insurance in the event the elephant’s weight damaged the driveway.

T-Mobile Arena opened April 6, 2016. It became the home of the Vegas Golden Knights, who reached the Stanley Cup finals in the 2017-2018 season as an expansion team.

Mistaken identity: After speaking on the Raiders’ behalf and emphasizing what a new stadium would mean if big-time soccer came to Las Vegas, David Beckham walked past an eye-patched Las Vegas columnist and offered a thumbs-up following his pitch to the Southern Nevada Infrastructure Committee. With all the Raiders fans on hand, looking like escapees from the “Black Hole,” Beckham may have confused the pirate guy for a team mascot or a Raiders’ superfan.