Las Vegas Metro Still Removing Vendors At Famous Welcome Sign

Last week, a photographer from Hungary was giving a citation after she accepted a tip from a person she took a photo for, fox5vegas reported. The trained photographer has worked at the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign for over 10 years. And says she never charges people nor asks them for tips for taking their photo. Still, as soon as she accepted money from a tourist, a county representative appeared and gave her a citation.

The photographer also told fox5vegas that she was warned about the next time she was caught. And that it would result in a citation as well as an arrest. The photographer has never had a problem taking photos at the Las Vegas sign until recently. And said it's not illegal to accept tips there.

Metro told fox5vegas that the ordinance has been in place for a long time. They have just started enforcing it recently. And while the photographer that was interviewed believes it's only illegal if you charge someone, that doesn't seem to be the case. Fox5vegas reported that Metro said it's illegal to do it "for a fee". Whether that fee is compensation or gratuity doesn't seem to matter.

Metro also removed food vendors who were on site at the Las Vegas sign. The ordinance prohibiting vendors from being there states that there can't be sales of food, beverages or merchandise within 1500 feet of the sign (fox5vegas.com). And there is a physical sign on the property that reads "Vendors are not licensed to conduct business at this location".

And while that sign might be a little confusing, Metro handing out citations is pretty straight forward.

-Wendy Rush, 96.3KKLZ

A list of the most expensive states for childcare just came out. And where Nevada ranked is shocking. Even for those of us who already know how expensive childcare is in our state.

The list was put together by Help Advisor. They compared the average numbers of both states as well as major cities in the United States. According to the study, families in the U.S. are spending an average of 27% of their household income on childcare. That is only 1% lower than the amount that Forbes advises should go toward families mortgages!

And while Nevada did land in the top five for the most expensive states for childcare, Las Vegas did not make the top five in Help Advisor's breakdown of major cities. Those spots went to places with much higher costs of living. Including San Francisco, at $510.11 per week. Seattle, at $453.65 per week. Philadelphia, at $427.41 per week. New York, at $414.64 per week. And Boston, at $412.96 per week.

However, a study done by tootris.com did name Las Vegas as the most expensive city in Nevada for the cost of childcare in 2023. They broke down the costs based upon the age of the child. Every parent who has had to put their kid in childcare knows an infant costs more than an older child. In fact, most places I've used will charge extra until the child is potty-trained, regardless of age. Which makes sense. As it takes more work to change diapers and clean up accidents. Tootris reported that the average infant childcare cost in Las Vegas is $1,365!

Some of our neighboring states that fall at or below that amount include Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Which costs a weekly average of $307.82, $271.63 and $270.76, respectively. For the study, Help Advisor used information released in May of 2023 by the U.S. Census Bureau.

And when it comes to the most expensive states in the country for childcare, here's the study's top 10.

-Wendy Rush, 96.3 KKLZ

One of two states in the Pacific Northwest to land in the top 10. The second coming in at number five. Oregon's average childcare costs came in at $378.21 per week. And they didn't have a major city on the top 10 list that bumped up their average.

Chicago's cost of living undoubtedly contributed to the overall average of childcare costs in Illinois. The Windy City was number seven on Help Advisor's list of most expensive cities for childcare. The state average came in at number nine with a cost of $379.37 per week.

Living on the east coast isn't cheap, as well all know. Boston was number five on Help Advisor's list of cities with most expensive childcare costs. The state average came in at $385.10 per week.

With no major city in the top 10 driving up the state average, Virginia still landed on the list. Which means a consistent high across the state for childcare costs. The state came in at $392.70 per week average.

Another state that has high childcare average across the state. No major city in Denver came in on the list of most expensive cities. Still, the state's average is $392.77 per week.

Washington state also came in high on the list. The cost of living there isn't that high in some of the cities, but others, like Seattle, definitely increased the state's average. They came in at $408.67 per week for childcare costs.

Everything seems to be more expensive in Hawaii. So it wasn't a surprise that the Aloha state landed in the top 10 for childcare costs. At number 4, they average $413.13 per week per child.

This one might not be surprising. Considering how high the cost of living is in the area. D.C. came in at $427.90 per week in average childcare costs.

Coming in at the second most expensive for weekly childcare is New Jersey. The average cost their is $442.19. That is per week, per child.

I know. I was shocked too. Nevada came in at the very top for average weekly childcare costs. At $493.46 per week.

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