The Daily Rundown - April 13, 2026
🛫 Harry Reid International Airport is offering an option to make flying more convenient for passengers with the help of the Transportation Security Administration. TSA is providing real-time security checkpoint wait times for standard and TSA PreCheck lines directly on the LAS website.
Federal officials have not resolved DHS funding negotiations. That stalemate has caused hundreds of TSA employees to quit and hours-long wait times at airport security checkpoints. LAS says the times can fluctuate by the minute, and travelers should still check in with the airline they are flying with for the latest updates.
🐾 The national nonprofit Best Friends Animal Society has awarded a local animal society a grant to help save kittens from being born on Las Vegas’ streets. The nonprofit awarded the Rachael Ray Save Them All grant to the Heaven Can Wait Animal Society. The grant’s total amount is $20,000 and goes to support The Purrvention Project.
That project’s goal is to spay, neuter and vaccinate cats from specific ZIP codes that have seen community cat populations climbing and available services diminishing.
According to a press release, Best Friends Animal Society both administers the grant and funds a portion of proceeds from each sale of Rachael Ray’s pet food company.
🎤 Riding down the Las Vegas Strip in a pink low-rider with two showgirls at his side, Bruno Mars was declared the “new king of Las Vegas" on Friday.
The city honored Mars, who has become one of Sin City's iconic performers, with a parade and naming a street “Bruno Mars Drive." Officials declared Friday “Bruno Mars Day” for Mars, who is kicking off his global Romantic Tour in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium. “It’s such a privilege, and I want to thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for giving me this today," Mars said to a large crowd on the Las Vegas Strip.
Mars joins a select few who have a Las Vegas street in their name — Elvis and Rat Pack singers Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. Bill Hornbuckle, CEO and president of MGM Resorts International, said Mars has shown he has the “legacy and legs” to perform in Las Vegas years from now.
The singer has played on Las Vegas stages for more than 15 years, with over 140 shows during his residency between 2016 and 2025. Two years ago, he opened The Pinky Ring, a cocktail lounge and nightclub at the Bellagio. Find the full story and images from the parade here.
🚗 The American Automobile Association says April is National Car Care Month. And with summer just around the corner, AAA says now is a great time to get your car ready for the warmer weather. It says extreme heat may shorten a battery’s service life and make it more prone to breakdowns.
According to a press release, the association came to the rescue of stranded motorists more than 30 million times last year. The company says many of those drivers could have avoided those calls for service with proper vehicle maintenance.
📚 Black Mountain Institute recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. The literary institute has been a staple in the Las Vegas community, and a vital resource for writers and creative scholars at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
But the Rogers Foundation, the institute's main financial backer, said last summer it would discontinue its support for BMI as of June 2026. That's endangered the future of the BMI as it's celebrating its past.
Scott Dickensheets, a cultural critic and Desert Companion editor-at-large, said Las Vegas' perceived lack of an overall literary scene was among the original hurdles BMI had to face. Early on, when BMI planned to produce a conference focused on Hunter Thompson, author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the author's estate laughed it off. Hear the full story by State of Nevada's Heidi Kyser and Charlize Smith here.
Part of these stories are taken from KNPR's daily newscast segment. To hear more daily updates like these, tune in to 88.9 KNPR FM.
