Question of the Day - 20 January 2021

The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, otherwise known as the Mob Museum, was originally the brainchild of Oscar Goodman, the longtime Las Vegas criminal defense attorney who specialized in organized-crime-related clients and cases, then served three terms as the city's mayor.

In 2000, the federal government sold the former post office and federal courthouse, which was built in 1933 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, to the city of Las Vegas for $1, stipulating that the building be restored and used for a "cultural purpose."  

In 2002 as mayor, Goodman proposed a museum that would "tell the story of how Las Vegas got started" (never mind that Las Vegas got started between 40 and 100 years, depending on how you're counting, before gangsters arrived here).

Goodman said that he'd donate mob memorabilia from his personal collection, accumulated from when he defended the likes of Meyer Lansky, Nick Civella, Tony Spilotro, Philip Leonetti, Natale Richichi, and Charles Panarella, to name a few. 

Fast forward nearly 10 years. After a few fits and starts and some controversy, the renovation of the post office interior started.

All told, opening the museum cost $50 million, but open it did, on Valentine's Day 2012. Seven million came from grants, $8 million from city funds, and the remaining $35 million from bonds issued by the city’s redevelopment agency.

As for the controversy, some Italian-American groups raised objections to the way they feared their nationality would be portrayed, and the predictable jokes went around. Comic Lewis Black, making an appearance on "The Daily Show" in January 2012, cracked, "A mob museum? I thought Las Vegas already was a mob museum!" But law enforcement highly approved of and supported the idea. And today, the Mob Museum is one of Las Vegas' most cherished, popular, and unique attractions. 

And here's your link to the new poll on whether or not you'll get the vaccine when it's available to you.