Las Vegas

After weeks of open auditions around the country, judges Howard Stern, Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel are in Las Vegas to narrow their current talent pool from over 100 to 48. Right off the bat, the judges gather the contestants in the Palazzo Hotel lobby and announce they have already sorted them into groups: the judges' favorites, the standbys and those who are definitely advancing to the next round. The judges' favorites will perform in Las Vegas for a chance to advance to the next stage.

Las Vegas! 181 dancers will be winnowed down to 20 over eight rounds in four days. Judges will be Lil C, Debbie Allen, Adam Shankman, Tyce Diorio, Mary Murphy, and Nigel Lythgoe. First up they're all doing solos and they could be cut immediately if their solo doesn't pass muster. Hampton "Exorcist" Williams is up first and he's moving Shankman to tears within the first 20 seconds, Tyce within the first 30. I think he's a safe bet to go forward.   After the first ten solos, Nigel calls them back up for the first cut - girls we've not met before named Jennifer and Brianna.

Twelve people from cash-poor Baltimore City go to Las Vegas, while Baltimore County, with much more to offer, sends just one ("Officials head to Vegas to drum up business," May 27). Is there something rotten in Denmark here? Another joke on the taxpayers of Baltimore City. F. Cordell

"America's Got Talent" is three weeks into their nationwide search for the next million dollar act and the show has decided to hit up St. Louis. A puppeteer named Tom Bonham is first up. His act is underwhelming to say the least. He really just moves some puppets around on a table. It almost seems like new judge Howard Stern is going to give him a “yes” because he feels sorry for him. “He's been working his whole life,” says Howard. But he gives him a “no” along with Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel, and Tom does not make it to the next round in Las Vegas.

It's not hard, after visiting National Harbor, to see what the fuss is all about. The sprawling, gleaming development along the Potomac River in Prince George's County boasts expensive stores, a half-dozen hotels, highway access and convention traffic — a combination that has sold many on the idea that it could become Maryland's most lucrative casino location. "On the East Coast, this would be the best site," said County Executive Rushern Baker, who adds that he is otherwise no fan of casino gambling.

Since the weekend, Las Vegas has served as a sort of glitzy Maryland West -- with government and business leaders from the state attending the Global Retail Real Estate Convention in droves. With galas and events at casinos, the annual four-day conference of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), which ended Wednesday, serves as the ultimate business-government networking event with more than 20,000 in attendance. Mayors and various county executives have been attending for years (former Mayor O'Malley's delegation spent $80,000 on the trip in 2002, for instance)

A headstone for Chubby of "Our Gang" is front page news in The Sun while a $2 billion bank loss only makes page 16 ("Morgan's $2 billion loss stuns Wall Street," May 11). Banks return about two tenths of 1 percent in interest on deposits, while charging 4 percent to 8 percent interest on money they lend. Instead of encouraging deposits with higher interest rates, they put the difference into a gambling pool and wager on things like credit default swaps. JP Morgan has amassed over $200 billion to gamble with.

I have been watching the congressional hearings on the waste, fraud and abuses of public servants in the General Service Administration who spent more than $800,000 on a "conference" trip to Las Vegas. And according to the Inspector General's Office that was just the tip of the iceberg. The really frustrating aspect of this is twofold. First, this occurred in 2010 and was discovered soon after. The exact time is difficult to ascertain from the hearings since there is so much double-talk, but the Inspector General began an investigation.

It has been a tough news cycle for taxpayers. Not only did we get a real-time look on April 17 at what we donate to the government, we also are getting a harrowing look at how the government spends it. The General Services Administration, often referred to as the government's personal shopper, blew $822,000 flying 300 of its employees to Las Vegas for a four-day bonding experience that included a clown, a mind-reader and $7,000 worth of...