Pro sports dream fuels possible bid
Former sports and news TV anchor Ron Futrell says he is weighing a move into politics to continue the city's push to get a major league sports team.
"I'd love to see a sports team downtown Las Vegas, and that's not unreasonable," he said Thursday during an interview at the Trump International Hotel after Donald Trump endorsed Mitt Romney for president.
Futrell said he's interested in representing Ward 2 on the Las Vegas City Council, a spot that opened recently when Steve Wolfson was appointed Clark County's new district attorney.
The status of the seat vacated by Wolfson will be decided by the City Council when it meets Feb. 15 to determine whether to hold a special election or make an appointment.
Futrell, 55, was a sports anchor at ABC affiliate KTNV-TV, Channel 13, from 1984 to 2003, when he moved to morning news anchor. He has been a 20-year resident of Ward 2, which covers parts of Summerlin, Peccole Ranch, Queensridge and The Lakes.
Landing a pro sports team "is right in my wheelhouse," he said. "It wouldn't be the only main issue I would focus on, but it certainly would be one of the issues. Oscar (former Mayor Oscar Goodman) did a great job of laying that base."
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Kenny Kerr, a local drag queen pioneer who headlined in Las Vegas for two decades, was jailed here late last month on a charge of writing a bad check, Vegas Confidential has confirmed. Kerr, 59, had just arrived in Las Vegas when he was arrested. Unable to pay the $650 in bail, he spent three days in the Clark County Detention Center, from Jan. 21-24. At the height of his popularity, Kerr, a Barbra Streisand impersonator, opened for many top Las Vegas headliners, from Diana Ross to Joan Rivers, before struggling with financial problems. ...
Get-well wishes to longtime R-J society columnist Dorothy Huffey, who tells me she's back home recovering from a health scare. Over three decades, she has had more party invites than Spuds MacKenzie. ...
Philadelphia Phillies sparkplug Shane Victorino was in Hawaii shooting a "Hawaii Five-O" episode and hosting the first Shane Victorino Foundation Charity Golf Classic. Victorino lives in Las Vegas during the offseason. ...
They had me at "Oh, the stories we could tell." That's the opening line in an invitation to the 30th anniversary party for Piero's Italian Cuisine. The celebration is being held Feb. 27. ...
SIGHTINGS
Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, inviting rapper MC Hammer into a private dining room Thursday night at Lavo (Palazzo), where Gingrich and his wife were dining with a group. ... "Dancing With the Stars" pro Cheryl Burke, hosting a Tao A Go Go dance contest on Thursday at The Venetian nightclub. Heidi Riego won the $10,000 first prize. Also at the club: Olympic skating star Apolo Anton Ohno. ... "The Price is Right" host Drew Carey, at Marquee (Cosmopolitan) on Thursday with Kathy Kinney, who played Mimi on "The Drew Carey Show." ... Actress Jaime Pressly and boyfriend Hamzi Hijazi, having lunch at Simon at Palms Place on Friday.
THE PUNCH LINE
"It's a great day for Mitt Romney. He was endorsed by Donald Trump. Unfortunately it was a split decision. The thing on Trump's head endorsed Gingrich." -- Craig Ferguson
Norm Clarke can be reached at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com. Follow Norm on Twitter @Norm_Clarke.
