Joe Gallo Sunglasses

Joe Gallo’s ‘Crazy’ celebrity status

Though Joseph Gallo was only in his early 40s when he was gunned down, his status in American popular culture…


Jim Ferguson mugshot

The first mobster in Las Vegas: Part 3

Last of three parts On June 20, 1929, Jim Ferguson, the king of the Las Vegas bootleggers, took the stand…


Jim Ferguson mugshot

The first mobster in Las Vegas: Part 2

Second of three parts The year 1928 initially looked good from Jim Ferguson’s standpoint. The “King of the Tenderloin” in…


Jim Ferguson mugshot

The first mobster in Las Vegas: Part 1

First of three parts In the 1920s and ’30s, the U.S. government considered him a “menace to society.” Nevada law…


Mexican cartels prey on migrants from Central America

Each year, hundreds of thousands of migrants who enter Mexico from three Central American countries are at risk of rape,…


‘A shiny mark of incorruptibility’

Good stories usually have five key elements: a likable protagonist who selflessly rises to the occasion; a malevolent antagonist seeking…