Work to restore vandalized ancient rock art in the “Sistine Chapel” of Red Rock Canyon is finally getting under way. The art, left by American Indians thousands of years ago, was the target of graffiti vandals in November. Areas as large as 9 feet wide were covered with maroon spray paint, apparently for the shock value of the damage, police said. The Bureau of Land Management has worked with two non-profit groups that support the park — the Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association and the Friends of Red Rock Canyon — to hire an international expert to remove the graffiti and restore the art. Jannie Loubser arrived this week and is preparing to get to work on the project, a delicate task that he compared to plastic surgery.

The Los Angeles Times reports that apparel chain Metropark USA Inc. has filed for bankruptcy and is closing all 69 of its stores. Metropark has stores at the Fashion Show, Miracle Mile Shops, Town Square and Mandalay Place malls.

This weekend in Las Vegas could be titled The Battle of the Beauties and the Brawlers. Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner and 2010 Playmate of the ...

Four Masters Series dinners hosted by Bon Appetit editors were held at Caesars Palace with star Chefs Bradley Ogden, Guy Savoy and ...

A man who might have suffered a medical episode while driving was pronounced dead after his car ran into a block wall, Metro Police said.

Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley may have faced off in one of the least intimidating stare-down photos ever Friday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. After Pacquiao and Mosley both made weight for their WBO welterweight title fight, which will air via pay-per-view at 6 p.m. Saturday, the two approached each other for their pose and broke into laughter.

A wide-open field has become as much a staple of the Kentucky Derby as mint juleps and the bed of roses awarded to the winner recently. For the third straight year, no single horse will enter horse racing’s biggest competition as a commanding favorite.

Assemblyman Kelvin Atkinson was caught off guard Friday when new opposition developed to his bill to start a low-cost auto insurance program for people living below poverty level in Clark County.

They are not impressionists or impersonators. Do not refer to them as such.

They are “tribute artists,” and more than 20 of ’em are swiveling their way to the Fremont Street Experience for the Las Vegas preliminary round of the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest.

A total of 21 -- blackjack! -- Elvis artists are in competition. I am among those taking part, having just had my sky-blue, rhinestone-studded, scarf-draped one-piece returned from Tiffany Cleaners.

Wait. I’m a judge. I must know to read the fine print.

I’ll be joined on the panel by Gene Lubas, artistic director for Cirque du Soleil’s "Viva Elvis" at Aria; Sam Thompson, Elvis’ security chief at the time of the King’s death and the brother of Elvis’ girlfriend Linda Thompson; and Cynthia Pepper, who co-starred in “Kissin’ Cousins.”

The event is set for tonight and Saturday, from 8 p.m. to midnight on FSE’s 3rd Street Stage. The event is sanctioned by Elvis Presley Enterprises, the licensing body that lords over the King’s merchandise and image. The event is free, though VIP tickets are offered for $20.

At this writing, Elvis tribute artists have already begun milling around Fremont Street, sharing space with tourists wearing plastic beads and drinking beer from plastic footballs. The artists will stand for photo ops, sign autographs and maybe even swap recipes with these delighted fans. A good place to find the Elvis artists is at the Million Dollar Display attraction at Binion’s.

Or, maybe, at the bar.

Saturday, the photo op is 3 to 4 p.m. at Four Queens. Saturday morning, back at Binion’s, it’s bingo with Elvis. To quote any Elvis tribute artist, “B-1!”

The winner moves on to vie for the championship of the 2011 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest in Memphis on Aug. 10-16. Last year’s Las Vegas qualifier, Justin Shandor, went on to win the national contest. The Vegas preliminary round winner also receives $2,500 in prize money and a getaway vacation package to Graceland.

Along with the performances by the Elvis artists, special presentations will be splashed across the famed FSE canopy of lights, and a parade of those resembling Elvis starts the night’s competition. Judges will score (the contestants) on vocals (40 percent), appearance, stage presence and overall performance (20 percent each) to crown the faux King.

The acceptance of tribute artistry among those close to Elvis has evolved over the years. In an interview in January, Priscilla Presley said of such rampant tribute artistry, “I think it’s keeping his name alive. It’s a huge compliment. I have no problem with that. You know, I think the ones who go a little bit overboard and make more of a character out of him, I’m taken a little aback by.

“But we have tribute artists out there -- we don’t call them impressionists -- who do a wonderful job keeping his name alive and image alive. Some of them do very well.”

And after the weekend, one will be doing more well than the others. As we say, “Viva!”

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow "Kats With the Dish" at twitter.com/KatsWithTheDish.

Recent news from the NBA states the Kings are staying put for one more season in Sacramento instead of possibly moving the franchise to Anaheim. The news comes as a pleasant surprise to Las Vegas, which has been anxiously awaiting a professional team for the past decade. With the announcement, Sin City may have just hit the jackpot.

Showbiz stars and heavyweight VIPs have front-row seats for tomorrow’s showdown between Manny “The Pac-Man” Pacquiao and “Sugar” Shane Mosley ...

Metro Police said a woman was in extremely critical condition Friday evening after a pickup truck crashed into her car in the northwest valley.

From tea parties to T-bone steaks, Las Vegas restaurants have it covered for Mother’s Day. If you’re looking to share a nice meal with Mom, there are ...

MGM Resorts International today said it is closing one of two hotel towers at its Gold Strike casino in Jean and has laid off 64 employees there because of declining business. "Even though we're seeing a return in business in Las Vegas we're not seeing it in Jean," MGM Resorts spokesman Alan Feldman said.

Nevada Higher Education Chancellor Dan Klaich delivered a blunt assessment of the financial future of the state's eight colleges and universities Friday amid the ongoing budget debate in the state Legislature.

The Nevada State College will hold its eighth spring commencement ceremony in Henderson on Saturday.

A murder trial has been set for next month for a suspected drug dealer accused of fatally shooting a Las Vegas man and injuring his girlfriend in January in Las Vegas.

What started as a casual conversation among frustrated local Hispanic activists has blossomed into a national movement. "We need to be better voters," Tequila Party president DeeDee Garcia Blase wrote.

Las Vegas’ No. 1 power couple, hotel mogul Steve Wynn and his bride, the former Andrea Hissom, held hands and then kissed tenderly on the lips. ...

A pre-coroner’s inquest meeting will be held next week, the first under new rules established by Clark County that allow families of someone shot and killed by law enforcement to have an ombudsman present early in the process.

The state Consumer Protection Bureau is warning that NV Energy would be able to ask for yet another rate increase for customers’ energy efficiency under a bill being considered by the Nevada Legislature.

A former volunteer for Republican Sharron Angle's effort to unseat Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid last year in Nevada says he has written a tell-all political guide on why the tea party favorite's campaign failed.

CARSON CITY – The budget committees of the Assembly and Senate have decided to end the state's annual $611,000 grant to counties for the detection and treatment of tuberculosis.

A homeless woman accused of attempted murder and arson for setting a fire in March to the Valley View Hospital emergency room will be arraigned next week in Clark County District Court.

A small brush fire sent smoke into the air this afternoon in Henderson, but the fire didn't appear to threaten any structures.

As the public arena battle has raged between Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International, Texas entrepreneur Chris Milam has quietly been assembling the building blocks for his own project on the Strip.

Sources confirm that Milam has signed the minor league baseball 51s to a contract, which would have them move from Cashman Field to a spectacular site behind Mandalay Bay. I have posted a rendering of the proposed complex at right – it would include a ballpark, a stadium and an arena.

The so-called Las Vegas National Sports Center ultimately is designed to house a major league soccer franchise and, if the stars align, an NBA team, too. This may sound like pie in the sky – and anyone who has lived here for awhile has heard this before – but Milam seems as determined and deliberative as anyone before him.

The Legislature is expected to be involved soon, helping Milam pass a measure that would allow him to create a taxing district on the land, which he is negotiating to buy from banks. This could all happen as soon as next week. Considering the project's proximity to one of its properties, I can't imagine the MGM folks will be too upset with this one.

I have also posted at right an economic impact statement Milam commissioned from local economist John Restrepo. It shows some fairly impressive numbers, including the creation of 2,710 jobs. You can hear lawmakers crowing about that number during a session in which they haven’t had much to crow about.

Could this be one step closer to a pro sports franchise? Let’s hope so.

When it's Nevada's turn to host one of these, we hope to see a more star-studded stage.

Sebastian Maniscalco, a style correspondent for The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and a performer on Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show, ...

The JetMan's flight has been canceled. Swiss daredevil Yves Rossy said he scrapped his plan to fly over the Grand Canyon in a jet-propelled wing suit Friday morning because he didn't have enough time to train.

A flight from Miami to San Francisco made an emergency landing at McCarran International Airport on Friday morning after a pilot reported smoke in the cockpit.

An Alabama company is buying the assets of bankrupt Las Vegas telecommunications company CommPartners Holding Corp. for $2 million.

A heated exchange between a graduate teaching fellow and a member of the Nevada Board of Regents over proposed budget cuts kicked off today's special meeting of the 13-member panel.

Fire damaged a home this morning in West Las Vegas, causing about $40,000 in damage, authorities said.

32nd Annual San Gennaro Feast -- 05/06/11 at Silverton Casino Lodge

Pete Rose Autograph Signing -- 05/06/11 at The Mirage Hotel and Casino

Ditch Fridays opener with Hugh Hefner -- 05/06/11 at Palms Pool & Bungalows

Marc Kahre Honor Day -- 05/06/11 at Marc A. Kahre

A Brighter Day Family Services To Hold Open House -- 05/06/11 at 2349 Renaissance Dr., Ste. A,

Chinese Laundry New Retail Store Grand Opening -- 05/06/11 at Planet Hollywood

Cinco de Mayo Weekend at Bally's -- 05/06/11 at Bally's Las Vegas

Ninth Annual Special Olympics Nevada School Game -- 05/06/11 at Cheyenne High School

Youth Group Yard Sale -- 05/06/11 at 4509 Palm Mesa Drive

Elks Helldorado/ Sahara Coins Treasure Hunt for Gold -- 05/06/11 at Sahara Coins & Extraordinary Collectibles

Get a cold drink and head for the pool this afternoon. Sunny skies and temperatures climbing into the upper 90s are closing out the work week in the Las Vegas Valley.

Republicans in the House of Representatives have continued their ridiculous “investigation” into the Obama administration’s decision to end the foolish plans to dump nuclear waste at Nevada’s Yucca Mountain.

The America I knew is gone.

There is no doubt we are in dire fiscal straits.

I would like to comment on all of the people who are asking President Barack Obama to release the pictures of Osama bin Laden’s death.

President Barack Obama did in 800-plus days what George W. Bush could not do in just less than eight years — have Osama bin Laden killed.

It’s midmorning and John Astarita, sitting in his usual cubicle in the Wynn Las Vegas race and sports book, is several pages deep in the Daily Racing Form, the newsprint bible for horse bettors. Atop that is a stack of computer printouts developed by University of Chicago-trained mathematicians, priced at $30 a pop and tracking the careers of some of the horses racing today. It’s days before the Kentucky Derby, the Super Bowl of horse racing, yet the Wynn sports book has plenty of vacant seats.