Air traffic at McCarran International Airport has slowed by over 60%
 
Air traffic at McCarran International Airport has slowed by over 60%

After a traffic controller tested positive for coronavirus, the control tower at McCarran International Airport was closed, forcing the Las Vegas airport to rely on a backup system with limited capacity, Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Michael Quine/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Las Vegas morning update for Monday, August 21st
 
Las Vegas morning update for Monday, August 21st

1. Entertainer Jerry Lewis died Sunday at the age of 91. Lewis performed alongside Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin among others and was the national chairman for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The Lewis family confirmed that Jerry died in his Las Vegas home.

2. A geographical shift on Earth’s magnetic poles has prompted the FAA to redesignate two runways at McCarran International Airport. It might not seem like a big deal on the surface, but pilots and air traffic control rely on navigational aids based on magnetic headings. The FAA re-evaluates shifts every five years.

3. Cloud cover in the Las Vegas valley could block today’s view of the solar eclipse. Cloud coverage will range from 75 to 95 percent through the valley. The eclipse is expected to peak just before 10:30 a.m. today, with the moon covering just over 70 percent of the sun.

McCarran ATC tower comes down, Time-Lapse
 
McCarran ATC tower comes down, Time-Lapse

McCarran International Airport’s air traffic control tower, which opened in 1983, is taken down after new tower opens. (Michael Quine/Las Vegas Review-Journal)