Print edition for August 6, 2006

Letter: Republicans' joke wasn't very funny: Letter: Republicans' joke wasn't very funny

Editorial: Taxed by school shopping: Laws in the 15 states that offer parents a small financial respite just before school starts vary as to the types of goods included as back-to-school supplies. The laws also set maximum amounts for the purchases that are exempt from sales tax. But Nevada has no such law at all.

Commentary: Peggy Maze Johnson urges Nevada to follow the path tread by Seattle and avoid using nuclear power: In 1975 I lived in Seattle and was invited by the City Council there to serve on a committee to look at the city's energy needs for the next 15 years. The impetus for the study was to determine whether Seattle should participate in the proposed nuclear plants by Washington Public Power and Supply System (WPPSS).

Hal Rothman uses campaign contributions to see how the state might look under Governor Gibbons: For the last decade, we have assumed that Las Vegas Sun columnist Jon Ralston has correctly described our gubernatorial elections as "anointments." He has argued that we don't really elect our leaders; instead, a backroom cabal of powerful interests that run the state choose for us and seed the process with so much money - which translates into TV commercials, the only way most of us can tell the candidates apart - that the result is foreordained.

Jon Ralston takes a live look and a television perspective on how the candidates for governor fared: By Jon Ralston; That's not to say frontrunners Jim Gibbons and Dina Titus won. But neither committed the kind of substantive or performance mistake that might have seriously hurt them.

FLASHPOINT for August 06, 2006: There may be no precedent for what is occurring in this election as two unknown candidates are about to buy their way into the general election. Those contenders, Jerry Airola and Barbara Lee Woollen, may win their races not based on superior qualifications but for one reason: They have a lot of money. Airola has been inundating the airwaves for weeks touting his bona fides for sheriff: bona fides that have been shredded in media reports. Woollen has been prattling on about illegal immigration, an issue totally unrelated to the job she is running for: lieutenant governor. I wonder if ...

Is it really a 'ZIP' code?: That's a problem because it is difficult for the Postal Service and the mailing public to identify whether the agency meets its most basic mission - delivering mail on time. And it is difficult for lawmakers, the Postal Rate Commission and other watchdogs to hold postal managers accountable, according to a new report by the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress.

An emerging force: According to a recent story by the Las Vegas Sun, figures from the Clark County Election Department show that one in seven registered voters is Hispanic - a 10 percent increase over 2004. Sun reporter Timothy Pratt found that the number of Clark County voters with Hispanic surnames has risen to 86,963 this year, up from 78,620 in 2004. Given that the overall number of registered voters has declined, the increase in Hispanic voters represents a 14 percent jump.

LOOKING IN ON: HIGHER EDUCATION: Christina Littlefield; Nevada's two new university presidents locked themselves in a conference room last Friday while their boss and a bunch of others went fishing off Sonora Island in British Columbia.

John Katsilometes drums up support for a couple of pieces of Irv Kluger's musical past: Fighting to keep the Vegas Valley Drive house she and Irv made home for more than 40 years, Phyllis Kluger has turned to eBay to sell the antique Chinese cymbal Kluger used up until his final performance at Pogo's Tavern, where for 20 years he led an all-star jam session every Friday from 8 p.m. to midnight. Also up for bid is a snare drum signed by Buddy Rich.

The doctor is inn: Imagine coming to Las Vegas for a fun-filled weekend and coming down with a stomachache or spraining an ankle dodging one of those crazy cabdrivers on the Strip.

Gibbons way ahead of curve on spending: By J. Patrick Coolican; Rep. Jim Gibbons has spent $2.38 million on his campaign for governor since Jan. 1, according to his campaign treasurer. The sum demonstrates an astounding fundraising ability while raising some Republican eyebrows about where the money is going.

Regents say they want to hear about problems before media: If anything comes of all the audits and investigations under way at UNLV, it may be that the regents will demand better communication from university presidents from now on.

Moving violation: Marshall Allen, Las Vegas Sun; The moving guy's baggy pants dropped to his knees and Mary Scheirmeyer had a dilemma.

Jeff Simpson says it would be a mistake to ignore Wynn Resorts as a player in Japan: Las Vegas operators Harrah's Entertainment, Venetian parent Las Vegas Sands and MGM Mirage are the most frequently mentioned as operators who are anxious to tap the market.

What's that smell? Unkept promises from garbage firm: By Tony Cook; The deals looked questionable when signed years ago.Now, contract extensions that Clark County gave to the local trash company, Republic Services, look - and smell - even worse.