Print edition for November 16, 2005

LV mental facility for defendants a priority: CARSON CITY -- Constructing a mental health center in Las Vegas for criminal defendants to receive treatment may be a top building priority in the 2007 Legislature.

Renewal sought for terrorism insurance: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Gaming and construction industry officials are anxiously eyeing the calendar as time runs out for Congress to renew a federal terrorism insurance plan that would protect them in the event of a catastrophic attack.

Letter: Plan not perfect, but U.S. must continue on: Because he may have supported President Roosevelt in his plans to respond to the attack on Pearl Harbor, may I offer these comments. Consider the number of war dead from the attack on Pearl Harbor: twice as many died when the Twin Towers fell. Pearl Harbor was an attack of a military target; the 9/11 attacks were not.

'Hoopla' over a Pulitzer winner: What: "Las Vegas Philharmonic Concert II: Fantastic Philharmonic -- Themes and Variations"

Letter: Ordinary people are heroes, too: On Jan. 19, 2003, millions of ordinary people in this country and around the world marched in protest of the Iraq war. It was unique in history because the war had not yet started. Although the protest failed to stop the invasion, this event of historic note symbolized not just the marchers themselves but also the many people of conscience who were whistle-blowers or who would resign their government posts in protest.

Youth Forum experience was a help to LV attorney: -- Jim Crockett, Dec. 26, 1965

Dam spotlights issue of premature babies: Dam spotlights issue of premature babies

A journey worth making: The last part of the Wranglers' grueling eight-game, 12-day road trip last season covered 13,600 miles (all times local).

For Frautschi, career is better late than never: Most music prodigies begin to perform publicly at an early age. With Jennifer Frautschi, it's a little different.

Equal Rights Commission to hear housing complaints: By Timothy Pratt; The state agency charged with responding to discrimination in the workplace has started handling certain housing discrimination complaints, an official from that agency said.

Long delays seen for pipeline plan: If the Bureau of Land Management approves the right of way for the $2 billion project, opponents could appeal first to an Interior Department review board and then to federal courts.

State to help pay Medicare drug premiums for low-income seniors: CARSON CITY -- About 9,000 low-income elderly Nevadans are going to get some help paying their monthly premiums in the Medicare prescription drug program.

Editorial: Errors have families seeing red: The Las Vegas Sun reported Monday that poor bookkeeping, program mismanagement and failure on the part of some employees to understand new guidelines for a federal rental assistance program resulted in a $1.5 million deficit and left at least 40 families without the help they had been promised. And other families may stop receiving help paying their rent in early 2006 if the agency can't offset the debt.

Columnist Tom Gorman: The lack of affordable housing in an affluent city: We can build billion-dollar resorts to drive our economy, and now we're on a tear to build high-rise condos so rich people can buy second and third homes. And good for them.

Beginning to gather moss?: 10 changes in Rolling Stones song titles to reflect the fact that their Friday appearance at the MGM Grand comes in their fifth decade of performing:

Columnist Jeff Haney: How poker player and inventor Henry Orenstein's miniature cameras made the card game a growing spectator sport: When Henry Orenstein first envisioned a miniature camera that could be installed in a poker table to show a player's hidden, or "hole," cards to the audience, televised poker games were little more than a novelty act.

Cities seeking more clout: Nevada's largest cities should urge the Legislature to give local governments more power to regulate payday-loan companies, according to a North Las Vegas staff recommendation.

Columnist Jon Ralston: Hearing is just a red herring: This is mostly not about what happened in 1999, when Bill Walters was able to change the terms of a 50-year lease agreement granted a few years earlier and obtain the land from the Las Vegas City Council for $894,000 where he built the Royal Links golf course.

Letter: Sun should further explore man's origins: I would think that if an editorial board of a major newspaper such as yours comes out with a specific, unequivocal stance in support of a serious issue such as evolution vs. intelligent design you would also give a respectful discussion of the facts that led you to such a decision.

Editorial: Headache brewing for drug program: The problem is that instead of simply offering drug coverage as if it were any other type of Medicare benefit, President Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress decided in 2003 to let insurance companies, with big subsidies from the federal government, administer the benefit to seniors instead.

Rising star hopes to shine at festival: Ryan Hamilton was not the class clown.

Porn star 'Kid Vegas' flees the scene in Beatty: Molly Ball; Warning: The following article contains material that may be unsuitable for children.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: The Elevator: Who's headed toward the penthouse on the local sports scene -- and who's getting the shaft:

Editorial: Let nature reclaim canyon: The canyon is about a four-hour's drive due west of Las Vegas, and for years it was a popular destination for owners of four-wheel drive vehicles. With the advent of strict air-pollution laws limiting recreational off-roading in Southern Nevada because of all the dust it creates, Surprise Canyon became popular with local enthusiasts, too.