LETTER: It’s hot in Las Vegas

Bob Valentine Las Vegas October 1, 2026 - 9:00 pm A lifelong Las Vegas resident, Bob Valentine, responded to a Friday missive from fellow resident Tom Gibson with a letter dated October 1, 2026, at 9:00 p.m., reflecting on the city’s climate and its impact on public health. Valentine recalled Gibson’s recollection of working as a carpenter in the late 1970s, which prompted his own memories of childhood spent outdoors from early morning until dusk without sunscreen, protective clothing, or scheduled shade breaks. He noted that the heat index has fluctuated slightly from year to year but remains cyclical, a pattern Gibson summed up by calling it “summer in Vegas.” He described how residents once drank water from any available hose and would stop at their own or a friend’s home for a quick peanut‑butter or bologna sandwich before “disconnected again.” Valentine characterized life for kids in the 1950s as good. Turning to the present, Valentine pointed out that the tally of alleged heat‑related deaths lasting at 260 in 2026 is misleading because the figure also encompasses fatalities linked to substance abuse, homelessness, and malfunctioning air‑conditioning systems. He observed that evaporative coolers, frequently referred to as swamp coolers, were standard among middle‑class Vegans from the city’s founding through the late 1950s, functioning adequately despite low humidity. Because of the sheer increase in population, Valentine warned that heat‑related deaths are likely to rise. He stressed that fairness and accuracy in reporting such deaths are essential to determine the true number of people affected and to understand the underlying causes.