Albert E. "Al" Cahlan was one of the most influential newspapermen in Las Vegas history. Born in Reno in 1899, he earned an engineering degree from the University of Nevada and taught math at Las Vegas High School. In 1922, E.M. Steninger, the longtime owner of the Elko Free Press, hired Cahlan, a friend of his son, as editor and business manager. Cahlan remained in Elko three years until one of his passions got the better of him. A sports fanatic, Cahlan accused a basketball referee of bias and ended up facing a libel judgment, prompting Steninger to fire him.
