Print edition for December 2, 2005

Letter: Don't forget Israeli prime minister: In naming various women who were heads of their countries, Erbe left out one very important name: Golda Meir, who was prime minister of Israel.

World of change for education: By Emily Richmond; The future of public education in Clark County is now -- and it speaks Mandarin Chinese.

Wal-Mart delays designs on Henderson: With criticism growing over a proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter and Sam's Club near industrial plants that use and store hazardous chemicals in Henderson, the retail giant has placed its plans on hold.

Latest Sierra storm more wet than white: AP; While some road conditions were in place in the mountains, valley commuters were just dodging puddles on Friday.

Columnist Jon Ralston: On revising mining law, and complex campaign contributions: A federal potpourri, featuring a congressman's pain over helping the mining industry and money taken out of campaign coffers by two other Nevada members of the Gang of 535 ...

Columnist John Katsilometes: The nostalgic effort to save La Concha's famous lobby: In introducing Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman on Wednesday night, Richard Bryan, the former Nevada governor and U.S. senator, said he was summoned by Goodman because the mayor did not want to be upstaged.

Clark County doctors face disciplinary hearings: CARSON CITY -- Five physicians, two of them from Clark County, face disciplinary hearings before the state Board of Medical Examiners, which is meeting today in Las Vegas.

Columnist Tom Gorman: On the chilling experiences of Las Vegas residents whose first stop on the way to work is Fairbanks: Some folks complain about their commute. They wince at the thought of Summerlin Parkway, the 95 and the Spaghetti Bowl at rush hour.

Arts Notes: Griesgraber enters post-Starbucks period: Not wanting to be known simply as the "Starbucks Guy," artist Michael Griesgraber is swapping his "painted parodies" (noted masterpieces altered with a coffee cup and Starbucks logo) for three-dimensional wall hangings.

Readers Respond: Regarding Rob Miech's story about the last time Jerry Tarkanian paid for a meal in Las Vegas ("Tark still holding court," Nov. 25):

Editorial: Opposition gaining on Patriot Act: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Financial Services Roundtable and the National Association of Realtors have joined the American Civil Liberties Union in opposing the act that Congress hopes to renew before it expires Dec. 31.

Letter: No surprise what's at root of corruption: In all fairness, though, the same malaise occurred with the Democrats when they had control of Congress.

Editorial: Not exactly family fare: For parents, however, this glut isn't necessarily a great thing. First, many so-called "children's" movies are just awful, possessing no redeeming quality. Second, the movie rating system itself is vague and doesn't adequately tell adults if a movie contains violent or sexually suggestive scenes inappropriate for children.

Editorial: Flight security takes nosedive: The Transportation Security Administration, the federal agency charged with keeping flights safe, says the changes will enable passenger screeners to spend more time guarding against bigger threats, such as explosives. The agency says that one in every four carry-on bags contain scissors, and that confiscating them is not the best use of a screener's time.

Take Five: 4A State Football Championship: If experience counts for anything -- and it usually does in the fluid world of high school sports -- then the Las Vegas High football team should be an overwhelming favorite when it meets Hug in the 4A state championship game Saturday at Mackay Stadium in Reno.

Flashpoint for Dec. 2, 2005: Jon Ralson; Get ready. For the fingerpointing. For the recriminations. For the grandstanding. It is buried on Tuesday's Clark County Commission agenda, but it will be all over TV news that night and the lead story in the newspaper Wednesday. The airport audit is almost finished and will be presented to commissioners at the meeting. It won't be pretty, but it won't be much uglier than anyone expects, either. Accusations about an appraiser's coziness with developers. A land deal mistake not in the county's favor. Yes, we've heard it before, but there will be more of it. And what do politicians do ...

Fallen U.S. Troops: Marine Cpl. Joshua D. Snyder, 20, of Hampstead, Md., died wednesday of wounds sustained from small-arms fire while conducting operations against enemy forces in Fallujah, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2 Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejune, N.C.

Globe-trotting Sixtiesmania returns: What: Sixtiesmania When:8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. through Sunday Where:Sahara's Casbar Lounge Rating (out of five stars) ****

Columnist Jeff German: The obstacles in bringing a major league team to Vegas: The hype is back.

Coach Miller's 200th career victory is just a road trip away: Regina Miller will earn her 200th career victory as a head coach if the Lady Rebels can sweep through this weekend's Contra Costa Times Classic on the campus of the University of California in Berkeley.

Showroom: 'Pianist to the Presidents': Caesars Palace pianist David Osborne may be visiting the White House more often than Santa Claus.

Jerry's Lounge: Bluegrass band planting roots: The Pickadillos may have the corner on the bluegrass music market in Las Vegas.

Survey: Workers likely to bring sickness into office: Michelle Swafford; North Las Vegas resident Jeff Brown has missed only one day of work in 10 years, but he's been sick more often than that.

Columnist Jeff Haney: On overtime finish for football competition: By any measure, the inaugural "College Challenge" football handicapping contest sponsored by Leroy's sports books was a success.

Letter: President just spewing the same old story: If it's true that we are making such great strides in preparing the Iraqis to stand up to the insurgents, as the president claims, why have we not seen any significant number of our troops being withdrawn from the conflict?

Hearing planned on autopsy: The family of 3-month-old Genesis Acosta-Garcia, who died in the custody of the county, wants an autopsy done on the infant.