Facility Notes

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said Thursday that the city "is negotiating" with Boise-based developer Larry Leasure to build a 7,000-10,000-seat arena, which "would be the site" for hockey games, concerts and other special events (Diana Sahagan, LAS VEGAS SUN, 7/20).

RED ALL ABOUT IT: Records the Vikings submitted to a MN state board last week state that the team put $162,906 into lobbying the MN state legislature for new $400-500M stadium over the last three months, "on top of the $87,031 spent from January to March." The MN Legislature "considered but never voted on a plan to set up a task force "to figure out ways to finance" a $400-500M stadium "that would be shared" with the Univ. of MN (AP, 7/21). In a Q&A with the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE's Kevin Seifert, Vikings Owner Red McCombs said of the team's desire for a new stadium, despite the Metrodome lease, which expires in 2011, "I don't see the lease being an issue at all, because there won't be a Vikings team in the Metrodome in 2011. They can't survive there and I don't have any other ways to say it" (STAR TRIBUNE, 7/22).

NOTES: LA Sen. Ken Hollis (R-Metairie), who is "involved in the effort to keep" the Saints in New Orleans, said Friday that lawmakers "should have the right to approve any new lease agreement" with the team. But LA Gov. Mike Foster Chief of Staff Stephen Perry said that "a new pact will not be submitted to the Legislature" (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 7/21)....ABC "MNF" Exec Producer Fred Gaudelli said that "neither ABC nor the NFL dictated rules about references" to Invesco Field @ Mile High. Gaudelli: "When we come on the air, we're going to use the formal name, Invesco Field at Mile. As the game and the season go on, it probably will informally be called Mile High" (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 7/23).