Print edition for December 18, 2005

Letter: Nunnely was a coach to respect: I remember when Ickey Woods was in my Philosophy 102 class, Reasoning and Critical Thinking, along with several other football players. Sometimes students would move their gazes from the front to the door. I would look, too, and see coach's face looking in!

Letter: Reasons for staying in Afghanistan: Osama bin Laden was linked directly to the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. President Bush declared a war on terror, and on bin Laden. Our government has been hunting him down for years, and so naturally the president and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld have not provided any details on the operations or progress reports.

Columnist Jeff Simpson: On South Coast -- Poised to take its place among the valley's top locals casinos: One of the great things about the casino business is that there's more than one way to be spectacularly successful. Kirk Kerkorian and Steve Wynn created profitable companies that operate giant Las Vegas resorts, but each have gone about generating most of their casino billions on the Strip.

Columnist Jeff German: On noise expected over planned flight path: When you talk to Las Vegas City Councilman Steve Wolfson, you have no doubt where he stands on the proposal to create a new airport flight path over the heavily populated communities of Summerlin and The Lakes.

Letter: Power needs to be turned over to Iraq: We had every right to go into Afghanistan, and had we only done that, we would be killing many of these same terrorists, in the open, away from innocent children, women and elderly citizens.

ID theft 'passports' coming: CARSON CITY -- Identity theft victims will get some help come Jan. 1.

Flashpoint for Dec. 18, 2005: A lot has been written - I plead guilty - about Harry Ensign. But if anyone thinks Nevada's two senators are simpatico on key partisan issues, check out their statements on last week's Patriot Act vote. Harry Reid: "(It) still does not contain enough checks on the expanded powers granted to the government by the Patriot Act. " John Ensign: "I remain a supporter of the Patriot Act, and feel it gives law enforcement important tools to keep Americans safe from terrorists." Considering the fundamental philosophical divide here and on other issues, and considering how emotional all these post-9/11 issues ...

Columnist Jon Ralston: On how difficult it will be for Beers' political opponents to take him to TASC on his tax restraint message: Bob Beers is on message.

Letter: Revamping mining law a complex issue: Looking at Rep. Gibbons' record with regard to our public lands, I think we'll see a similar version of this bill next year. Allying himself with Rep. Richard Pombo, a California Republican, isn't the first time Rep. Gibbons has reached across the state line for assistance on a controversial bill.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: On how Bocelli and Lake Las Vegas made for a magical night: It was cold under the Las Vegas stars. But our hearts were warmed by the music of a master.

Editorial: Celebrity war on pay radio: The singer-songwriter who provided an anti-establishment musical score for a generation of Baby Boomers has a contract with XM Satellite Radio to host a weekly radio show starting in March. Dylan will select the music, give commentary, banter with guests and answer listener e-mail on the hourlong show that will air on the XM station that features "deep album cuts."

Life on the valley's streets is increasingly a fatal proposition: By Timothy Pratt; North of a railroad crossing. A Dumpster behind Rite-Aid. Inside a drainage pipe.

Editorial: Spying on Americans at home: The confidential 400-page document, obtained by NBC News and featured in a Washington Post story on Thursday, lists a small gathering at a Florida Quaker Meeting House as being among more than 1,500 "suspicious incidents" the Defense Department logged in the United States during the past 10 months.

Editorial: Pulling together for our schools: It is encouraging that someone of Ackerman's caliber is being sought by the School District's search team and by business leaders. But, as the Sun's Emily Richmond reported, the union that represents administrators in the School District has criticized the Council for a Better Nevada's involvement in the process, contending that it is an inappropriate level of interference. But it is misguided to hold such a narrow view.

An eccentric's struggle for truth: Molly Ball; Several years ago, he abandoned that quest, but the desire to get to the bottom of official secrets never left him.

Columnist John Katsilometes: Taking on a world-famous (or at least Vegas-famous) gift shop: I first wandered into Bonanza, the world's largest gift shop, four years ago. It was at the urging of one-time Las Vegas Sun film critic Geoff Carter, a similarly twisted Earth inhabitant, after I mentioned that I needed some knickknack Christmas gifts for my family in Idaho.

Columnist Hal Rothman: Explaining how runaway growth will keep demand high for workers in Las Vegas Valley: Hal Rothman; A developer friend of mine was trying to hire a general contractor for a project. He talked to the man in September, and they agreed in principle to a price for his services.

Metro claims courhouse: As many attorneys, judges and others to slowly settle into the Regional Justice Center, the fate of the old Clark County Courthouse remains up in the air.