Print edition for November 29, 2005

LV Bowl waits on BCS: UNR unexpectedly thrust itself into the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl picture by virtue of its 38-35 upset of 16th-ranked Fresno State on Saturday night, but will need some help from the Bowl Championship Series committee if the Wolfpack is to play its postseason game in Nevada.

Police labor pact goes to arbitration: J. Craig Anderson; Local officials involved in a dispute over future Metro Police pay will forego the kinder, gentler fact-finding process in favor of binding arbitration, to begin in early January.

Colorado River states bracing for cutbacks in water: Comments on potential drought-induced cuts to allocations of Colorado River water can be mailed before the close of business Wednesday:

Letter: Reconciling views on origins of man: The fact that half of all Americans say they "don't believe in evolution" indicates our churches have not adapted to the modern scientific environment. Science is by its nature agnostic; it only knows what can be verified. Religion is another way of knowing.

Letter: We must face the facts about administration: It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the harm the Bush administration has done to America, or that the policies championed by the vice president continue to erode the respect for our country that we once held.

Letter: Founding Fathers wouldn't be pleased: Nadia quotes John Adams, yet one sentence from the 1797 Treaty of Tripoli is not to surmount hundreds of other proofs that this nation began by acknowledging the God of the Bible and by having our laws founded upon His laws. John Adams also signed the treaty to end the war with Great Britain (1783), which included the statement, "In the name of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity." The 1848 treaty of Mexico opens with, "In the name of Almighty God." The Constitution is signed "in the year of our Lord," while all 50 state constitutions praise and acknowledge ...

Country music the heart and soul of pool cleaner: When J.R. Davenport isn't immersed in country music, he's busy with swimming pools.

Flashpoint for Nov. 29, 2005: Harry Reid has been called a lot of things, many of them without laughter attached. Lately, the epithets must be flying in GOP conclaves. But who would have guessed the Senate minority leader, never compared to Cicero, would get credit for "a re-education camp on public speaking." That's how Roll Call described how the Democrats, under Reid's stewardship, tried to present a unified voice. And that voice usually says, "America can do better." This all comes, Roll Call reports, from Reid and others talking to "message gurus" after the 2004 electoral disaster. And now Reid, once seen as too milquetoast ...

UNLV joins women's network: By Christina Littlefield; UNLV's Women's Research Institute has earned membership in a prestigious national network for women's studies that will enhance its own research efforts, director Joanne Goodwin said.

Letter: Nevada in need of tax reform: For several years Nevada voters grudgingly acknowledged the need for moderate increases in home and business property taxes, covering existing infrastructure and some growth. These same residents revolted when the politicians suddenly demanded outlandish property tax increases this year due to "growth" and won temporary relief through the state legislators. Now the politicians, who appear to be beholden to the developers of "Growth," must have some permanent restraints.

Editorial: Hospice draws effusive praise: The Nathan Adelson Hospice, which opened in 1978, was one of the first in the nation. Nathan Adelson, a philanthropist and administrator of Sunrise Hospital, died in 1977, and his son, Merv, along with family friend Irwin Molasky, founded the hospice in his honor.

Death row inmate to get hearing: CARSON CITY -- A man who has been on death row since 1981 for the rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl is going to get a hearing to determine whether he is mentally retarded and cannot be executed.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Why Tark is missing from Hall of Fame: Now that he has an alley (Tarkanian Way) and a slab of hardwood (Jerry Tarkanian Court) with his name on it, perhaps it's time to put former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian's monicker on something even more monumental.

Funds for colleges' buildings requested: UNLV and Community College of Southern Nevada officials plan to ask regents this week to approve $16.5 million in construction loans to help finish legislatively approved buildings.

Plasso, LV Marathon record holder, to appear: * Starting time: 6 a.m. Sunday

Cleft Advocate gets recognition: To make a donation or to receive more information about craniofacial abnormalities call Cleft Advocate at (702) 769-9264 or visit its Web site at cleftadvocate.org.

Tabish to seek parole for kidnapping charge: CARSON CITY -- Rick Tabish, who was convicted and then acquitted of the murder of gaming figure Ted Binion, goes before the Parole Board next month for his sentence on another offense.

Vegas Decembers warming up: Liz Benston and Richard N. Velotta; While hordes of tourists and convention-goers keep Strip properties at near-capacity the rest of the year, December -- still the slowest month for tourism in Las Vegas -- is a time for remodeling and regrouping.

Ex-deputy confronts vandalism suspect: Maybe it's the only way that the bizarre case of felled trees in an upscale Henderson neighborhood could end: A retired sheriff's deputy cracking the case with an assist from a golf club.

Snow blankets Sierra, coats northern Nevada roads: AP; Both Interstate 80 over Donner Summit and U.S. 50 over Echo Summit were open with no controls early Tuesday, 24 hours before they were all but shut down by slick roads and blinding snow that sent motorists skidding off the roads and into each other.

Jeff German: Final say on police pay rests with arbitrator: The cops say they're confident they're going to get the pay raises they want in the end.

Editorial: Pressure mounting on Iraq: Before the Pennsylvania Democrat's news conference on Nov. 17, President Bush had been keeping the lid on any pressure from Congress. Just two days earlier, a proposal by Senate Democrats to put a timetable on withdrawing troops had been defeated. An alternative by Senate Republicans passed 70-19, but said only that Iraq should be further along in self-governance by next year.

Snow headed for Sierra, snow and rain for western Nevada: AP; A winter storm warning went into effect for the mountains at 9 a.m. and within minutes, chains were mandatory on Interstate 80 over Donner Summit and on U.S. 50 over Echo Summit.

Editorial: Conservation data missing or lost: Developers could pay $550 for each acre they developed without having to obtain a special permit for every subdivision, shopping center, casino and other such projects. The fees paid for conservation efforts throughout the county.