The final truss along the roof of the Raiders' Las Vegas stadium "has been placed," as general contractors Mortenson Construction and McCarthy Building Cos. "wedged in the final truss" Thursday afternoon, according to Richard Velotta of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. The Raiders have scheduled an "invitation-only topping out ceremony Monday morning at which dignitaries will sign a steel beam that will connect the last roof truss to the stadium frame and watch it hoisted into place" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 8/2).
FLYING THE FRIENDLY SKIES: With reports swirling that the Raiders have agreed to a stadium naming-rights deal with Allegiant Airlines, Gemini Sports Group President Rob Yowell said that getting such a deal done a year ahead of their first game "would be a win" for both the team and airline. He said that a deal would "remove the pressure of making the largest deal tied to stadium sponsorship ... and Allegiant would receive immediate publicity whenever the stadium is mentioned." Aviation expert Mike Boyd said that an Allegiant naming-rights deal "makes sense, even though the airline has a reputation for being thrifty" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 8/1).
