As We See It

In brief: Another Arena Football League team, Millionaire Chess and more

Field of dreams

Here we go again. Las Vegas is hosting its third Arena Football League, the Outlaws, beginning in February 2015. The real question: Why? After all, our first attempt as the Sting from 1994-’95 drew only 5,700 fans a night, and the Gladiators from 2003-’07 drew 9,000 fans a night. Here’s hoping the third time’s a charm, and awarding the franchise to rocker Vince Neil could help bring in tourists—although with a venue still to be announced, things are already off to a shaky (third) start.

Loss leader

Talk about dreaming big. Entrepreneurs Amy Lee and Maurice Ashley are bringing a tournament called Millionaire Chess to Planet Hollywood in October, with the goal of raising the profile of the game. And here’s the thing you gotta admire: It’s a labor of love, not one intended as a money-making venture, despite the $1,000 entry fee. “If we lose only $200,000, we’ll be dancing in the streets,” says Ashley, a chess grandmaster. Here’s hoping Las Vegas embraces this against-the-grain concept. It can’t all be poker.

Glass houses

What’s next, sippy cups? This week, the Clark County Commission introduced a measure to ban carrying glass bottles or containers along the Las Vegas Strip from Russell Road to Sahara Avenue. It’s all about safety and reducing litter, commissioners say, but this bothers us on multiple fronts. Such a ban might hurt small businesses that sell much of their product in glass bottles, and it’s starting to seem like we’re “wimpifying” the Strip to the point where it might feel like Disneyland. No one wants that.

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Ken Miller

Ken Miller is the editor of Las Vegas Magazine, having previously served as associate editor at Las Vegas Weekly, assistant ...

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