Print edition for December 15, 2005

After 24 years, Las Vegas murderer has chance for parole: CARSON CITY -- After serving 24 years in prison for a murder he committed when he was 15 years old, Bennie Ficklin has gained clemency.

519823976.html: * Blue Diamond in Clark County: For the Blue Diamond Corp., which operated a plasterboard mill

Letter: Cheney contradicted his 1991 statements: "I think that the proposition of going to Baghdad is also fallacious. I think if we were going to remove Saddam Hussein, we would have had to go all the way to Baghdad, we would have to commit a lot of force because I do not believe he would wait in the Presidential Palace for us to arrive. I think we'd have had to hunt him down. And once we'd done that and we'd gotten rid of Saddam Hussein and his government, then we'd have to put another government in its place. ...

Editorial: Back to the drawing board: Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., chairman of the House Energy and Mineral and Resources Subcommittee, on Tuesday withdrew the mining proposal he authored with Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., chairman of the House Resources Committee, citing "hurdles" the measure would face in the Senate budget reconciliation process. The Senate's budget bill, passed in October, has no mining provisions.

Editorial: Getting out and about in Southern Nevada: A lot closer, actually. Hoping to lure Southern Nevadans who long for a little adventure close by, Boulder City officials have launched a campaign claiming their town is "A world away for a day."

Flashpoint for Dec. 15, 2005: It's hard enough when the other guys put you in a political jackpot. But when one of your own does, that really smarts. Just ask Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. The Democrats have been bellowing for months about the GOP scandals. But now the Jack Abramoff imbroglio has gone bipartisan and Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan says he will return $67,000 from Abramoff-related contributors. So what does Reid, who accepted a like amount of cash from similar sources, do now that his lieutenant has become an Indian giver? "This could be a real problem for Reid," a Senate Democratic staffer told ...

Take Five: The General: Too much is made of appearance. Way too many people focus on the outside, or style, and not what goes on inside a person, what he or she stands for, or substance.

Pig Snout not on the map: On a map of Nevada, you'll find Vinegar Peak, Jackass Flats and Skull Mountain.

519824105.html: kats@lasvegassun.com; on NBC's pole position as it pertains to Pamela Anderson

Letter: Democrats need new leadership: What are the Democrats going to run on in three years? There will be no George Bush to call names. I wish some of the lesser-known Democrats (potential leaders) would come up with something positive that the people could vote for.

McCarran's runways make Midway-like accident unlikely: When Southwest Airlines Flight 1248 slid off the end of a runway during a snowstorm at Chicago's Midway Airport last week, the fatal accident set off a flurry of safety questions nationwide.

Columnist John Katsilometes: On NBC's pole position as it pertains to Pamela Anderson: Why can't Pamela Anderson behave herself? And how was it that the producers of Monday's special "Elton John: The Red Piano" did not foresee a problem with pairing a scantily clad Anderson with a dancing pole?

Guards back patrolling the projects: By Timothy Pratt; Floricelis Robles got a scare one late night in October, and it wasn't Halloween.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: On the other side of Knight: Even though Las Vegas is more than halfway across the country from the Indiana prairie, you would be hard pressed to find a local resident who hasn't seen that lowlight of Knight's spectacular and controversial career as a legendary coach.

Letter: We are not the U.S. that was intended: On July 4, 1776, our country declared itself free. Ours was to be a country of freedom: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to peaceably assemble and, most importantly, freedom of religion. A fact evident in many things around us: In the Pledge of Allegiance, "... One nation, under God"; on our currency, "In God we trust."

States trying to avoid legal water war: Facing tough questions over how to equitably share a shrinking resource, representatives from Nevada and other Colorado River basin states on Wednesday rallied around the hope that they will be able to avoid legal warfare over water use.

Payday loan stores face checks, balances: Las Vegas Valley cities are stepping up efforts to limit the number of payday loan stores in their communities.

South Coast is in a hot spot: By Liz Benston; Ground zero in the looming battle between locals casino powerhouses Station Casinos and Boyd Gaming Corp. is about halfway between Green Valley Ranch Station Casino and the South Coast.

Sinatra tribute artist heading for N.Y.: Local Frank Sinatra tribute artist Gary Anthony is packing his fedora and headed for the Big Apple on the red-eye flight tonight to perform in an off-Broadway cabaret.

Columnist Jeff German: On the Lady Luck's lousy timing in showing 100-plus employees the door: It's never easy for a company to lay off workers.

Editorial: Bankruptcy law a boon for banks: For instance, there was nothing in the law to curtail predatory solicitation by credit card companies, despite the fact that it's their aggressive, unseemly marketing practices that encourage irresponsible spending.