(NECN) - A fire has broken out on the roof of the Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

The three-alarm blaze has sent plumes of black smoke into the air above the Las Vegas Strip.

Officials have evacuated the hotel, sending guests and employees to nearby hotels. Those sent to other hotels say the evacuation happened without any panic.

Traffic on the Strip is gridlocked as streets are blocked off around the resort.

The Monte Carlo has more than 3,000 guest rooms and opened in June of 1996.

There are no immediate reports of injuries.

(NECN) - Lawmakers and the White House have worked out an economic stimulus package. It will go straight to the House floor next week and then to the Senate. More information from the Associated Press:

WHITE HOUSE (AP) - President Bush is praising a bipartisan economic stimulus package that will give most tax filers refunds of $600 to $1,200. Some will get more if they have children.

The president says the deal "has the right set of policies and is the right size."

According to a Democratic survey, the rebates will go to 117

(NECN) - Volunteers are fanning out across Massachusetts for the 4th Annual Massachusetts College Goal Sunday. Catherine Nelson, co-chair of the project and the Assistant Director of Student Financial Services at Brandeis University, joins NECN's Karen Meyers. For more information about applying for financial aid for college, please visit the following sites:

www.masscollegegoalsunday.org www.collegegoalsundayct.org/

(NECN) - A resident of Hart County, Kentucky (who doesn't want his name revealed) says he made the discovery on a road in Priceville.

"I came to do a last day doe hunt and when I drove up, I saw something. Didn't know what it was. I thought it might be a black bear and realized it was a fire and couldn't tell. Pulled right up beside it and looked down...you could definitely tell it was a body. I backed out to keep other people from coming in...tampering with the scene...called the state police."

(NECN) - Police in Reno, Nevada have questioned a man in the disappearance of 19-year-old college student Brianna Denison, but say he's not a suspect in the case.

The man gave a ride home to Denison's friend the night she disappeared.

Denison was last seen early Sunday. Police say she was sleeping on a couch in a friend's house near an unlocked glass door after a night of partying.

Investigators suspect the woman was abducted.

Reporter Joe Harrington has the latest details from Reno, Nevada.

(NECN) - Tuesday marks the 35th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. In Washington, thousands marked the occasion by participating in the annual march for life protest. President Bush addressed the crowd.

Also in Washington, the National Organization for Women sponsored an abortion rights rally in front of the Supreme Court. Angus McQuilken, Vice President for Public Affairs at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, and Phil Moran, President of Pro-Life Legal Defense, join NECN's Chet Curtis.

MIAMI (AP) - Jose Padilla, once accused of plotting with al-Qaida to blow up a radioactive "dirty bomb," was sentenced Tuesday to 17 years and four months on terrorism conspiracy charges that don't mention those initial allegations.

The sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke marks another step in the extraordinary personal and legal odyssey for the 37-year-old Muslim convert, a U.S. citizen who was held for 3½ years as an enemy combatant after his 2002 arrest amid the "dirty bomb" allegations.

Cooke also imposed prison terms on two other men of Middle

(NECN) - City and state leaders gathered in Boston Monday to honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at an annual breakfast.

The life of Dr. King was also remembered at his alma mater - Boston University.

Boston University's Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore joins NECN's Chet Curtis.

(NECN) - About one hundred people gathered on the steps of the Supreme Court one day before the 35th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision which legalized abortion.

The protesters came from as far away as the Archdiocese of Chicago, to kneel and pray, in the hopes that the Supreme court will eventually prohibit abortion.

The Court issued its Roe v Wade opinion on January 22nd, 1973. A March for Life and other events are being planned in Washington and other cities. Abortion rights supporters are planning events in some cities as well.

(NECN) - The American Kennel Club is out with its updated list of the 10 most popular dog breeds in America. Animal expert Vicki Croke joins with more information.