Obama to attend LV gathering on Friday

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama will be in Las Vegas on Friday for a more intimate kind of campaign event than he's previously done in Nevada, according to his campaign.

The Illinois senator will attend a "house party" in western Las Vegas on Friday afternoon, hosted by some local supporters. It is open only to invitees, of which there will be only a couple hundred or so, rather than the large crowds that have attended Obama's previous public appearances in the state.

The hosts of the event are local couple Yvette and Damone Williams, who will open their home on Redwood Street, just off Rainbow Boulevard between Desert Inn Road and Sahara Avenue, to Obama and a group of potential Nevada Democratic caucus-goers.

The setting will allow Obama to "have a real conversation and dialogue with them, to engage with the issues in sort of a casual environment," campaign spokeswoman Liz Oxhorn said.

Prior to the 1 p.m. event, Obama will spend the morning in political meetings with Nevadans, she said.

It will be Obama's fourth trip to Nevada during the campaign. He was in Las Vegas in February and again in March, and swung through Reno and Las Vegas May 31-June 1.