Click here to subscribe today or Login.
Sahara Hotel & Casino will close on Las Vegas strip
The Sahara Hotel & Casino, among a few Las Vegas Strip resorts left from the Rat Pack era, is closing nearly six decades after dealing its first hand.
Several other casinos from the earliest days of gambling in Sin City were remade into new megaresorts, but the Sahara’s owners don’t yet have a plan for the property.
Chief Executive Sam Nazarian, the Los Angeles nightclub impresario who purchased the Moroccan-themed casino in 2007 and vowed to restore its hipness, said in a statement that running the property was “no longer economically viable.”
He said the property will close May 16.
Norway rejects oil drilling
Norway on Friday rejected oil drilling in ecologically sensitive waters just above the Arctic circle, partly because of worries over a disaster like the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Environmentalists and local fishermen oppose such activities around the Lofoten and Vesteraalen islands off northern Norway, an important spawning ground for cod.
The center-left government decided not to allow an environmental impact assessment in the area, which would have been the first step in preparing for exploration.
Environment minister Erik Solheim said an analysis of the Deepwater Horizon blowout in the Gulf of Mexico last year influenced the decision.
Kia recalls Optima sedans
Kia Motors is recalling more than 70,000 Optima midsize sedans to fix transmission problems that can cause the cars to roll even while they’re in park.
The cars are from the 2006 through 2008 model years and were built from Sept. 29, 2005 to June 13, 2007.
In documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Kia said that on some of the cars, a transmission shifter cable was installed incorrectly and can become detached from the shifter. If the cable comes off, the car would stay in the last gear used even if the driver puts the transmission in park, the documents said.
Kia plans to start the recall this month and will notify owners by mail.
Owners who have questions can call Kia at (800) 333-4542.
Amazon rejects Illinois ties
Amazon.com has made good on its threat to cut ties with Illinois affiliates because of a new law requiring the online store to collect sales taxes.
Amazon notified its Illinois partners Friday that it will stop doing business with them on April 15.
Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation Thursday that requires online companies to collect sales taxes on Internet purchases if they have any affiliates based in Illinois. Affiliates are businesses that refer customers to Amazon and get paid commissions on purchases.
The sales tax always applied to Internet sales. But individuals — not online businesses — were responsible for paying it. Few people did.