Local
News flash: NHL won’t play in street
A headline in today’s “Review-Journal” said what local hockey fans have been thinking for years: “Las Vegas needs arena for NHL to take root.” We at LasVegasWeekly.com couldn’t agree more. Earlier attempts to coax the league to have a team attempt to play on a low-traffic area on I-215 late at night were futile, and probably didn’t go over well with the bigwigs in the league who would decide whether Las Vegas will eventually get a franchise here. However, if a team needs a big building to play where nothing else ever goes on, perhaps the league should look to Carson City for a franchise.
National
Immigration bill stalls in Senate
A compromise to overhaul the nation's immigration laws collapsed last night when senators from both parties refused to move to a final vote, handing Democratic leaders and President Bush a setback on a major domestic priority. Still, Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada was holding out hope that the Senate could resurrect the measure within weeks. "There's no reason to be upset. I think that we have to look toward passing this bill." Reid said. "It's something that needs to be done." Then Reid repeated the quote in Spanish and the entire Senate went to Taco Bell to pose for a photo op.
International
U2 star raps G-8 leaders
The Group of 8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, is working toward a close, and world leaders reaffirmed their pledge of $60 billion, made in 2005, to counter HIV and other illnesses in Africa. But according to “The New York Times,” U2 frontman Bono said little progress has been made. "I am exasperated," Bono said. "I think it is deliberately the language of obfuscation. It is deliberately misleading." G-8 leaders were allegedly stunned to learn that the tiny nation of Obfuscation has its own language, and quickly moved to invite them and change the name to G-9. No word on whether U2 will play there during its next world tour, but it seems likely. In other news from the gathering, President Bush missed several meetings this morning -- including the one on aid to Africa -- after falling ill with a mild stomach ailment. Bono later had this to say to the president about his absence: “With or without you, with or without you, I can’t live, with or without you.”
Sports
Baseball draft televised – no, really, it was
Major League Baseball’s amateur draft was televised for the first time on Thursday as ESPN2 gave four hours of coverage to the event, which was five hours too much for our liking. Unlike football and basketball, every baseball prospect spends some time in the minor leagues honing his skills. So why watch the draft? Because it’s ESPN, and we do what they say. Next week, the network is televising the amateur player draft of teams for kickball in Mr. Anderson’s fourth-grade class at James K. Polk Elementary in Hoboken, N.J. This is the year that kid with the tape on his glasses is expected to go in the ninth round, so stay tuned, fans. And don’t forget to grab Elvin in your fantasy kickball league at ESPN.com, while you are at it.