Print edition for August 8, 2006

Caucus reformers face naked politics: WASHINGTON - It drives them nuts - the prospect that strippers and gamblers, coffee shop waiters and blackjack dealers could play a central role in choosing the next Democratic nominee for president.

Falling through a loophole: For a brief time in 2004, Kenyan acrobat Robert Nzovi soared high in Las Vegas, thinking he had made it to the big time.

Editorial: Learning hoops, and values: Between 80 and 150 children are attending this summer, and there are plans to attract between 150 and 400 next summer. The program is funded entirely through private donations. The volunteer coaches include Greg Goorjian and H Waldman, each former high school and UNLV star players.

Editorial: Being safe is not a 'failure': "In order to fully recognize the benefits that nuclear power offers, a solution must be found to the problem of disposal of used nuclear fuel," J. Barnie Beasley Jr. told committee members. He is president of Southern Nuclear Operating Co., which operates nuclear power plants in Georgia and Alabama.

(Imagined) Q+A: Ricky Bobby of 'Talladega Nights': Last week NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver Dave Blaney took one look at the new 20-degree banking at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and pronounced it ready to rumble.

Letter: Teachers coping as best as they can: Maybe the School District can buy high-dosage Prozac in bulk at a discount and pass it out in lieu of the pitiful, insulting 3 percent raise, recently proposed by the Nevada Board of Education, which probably won't be approved, anyway.

Letter: Mensa's diversity difficult to top: Like a university, Mensa has selective admission requirements. Like alumni, members have shared experiences and enjoy the fellowship and support of community - as much or as little as they desire. At $52 a year, it's a little cheaper than an Ivy League degree. This makes the membership far more diverse than Harvard's - a veritable human Wikipedia.

Voter excitement missing: CARSON CITY - Although candidates are spending millions of dollars to attract voters and to try to capture their party nominations, voter turnout in the Aug. 15 primary election is expected to be only about 20 percent.

Letter: Consumers hold answers to energy crisis: As Mr. Kilp suggests, the recipe for our economic and world political survival is: conservation, alternative fuels and supply. Just be aware that all of these avenues will only delay higher energy costs and help us become less dependent on the fanatics. They will not lower the price of energy!

John Katsilometes talks to the real Daniel 'Rudy' Ruettiger about his plans for an energy drink and the upcoming Rudy inspirational awards: The actual Rudy - Henderson's own Rudy Ruettiger - thinks so. His inspirational story about playing football as a walk-on for Notre Dame was brought to the big screen as "Rudy" in 1993. Since then Ruettiger has become a one-man corporation. He performs up to 70 speaking engagements a year (at a rate of $20,000 per gig) and, in his latest endeavor, is marketing a new Rudy-fied energy drink called Rudy Revolution.

FLASHPOINT for Aug 08, 2006: There's not much left to say about those gubernatorial debates that hasn't been said by reporters, columnists and bloggers. But there was one priceless section on the Democratic side that showed two contenders desperate to conceal their squirming. Dina Titus and Jim Gibson were asked about raising gaming taxes, and neither could jump fast enough to suck up to gaming. We don't need new taxes because there's a surplus. Maybe we can look at it in the future. Everything is on the table. The bigger casinos make more money than the little casinos. Gaming is an important part of the ...

Letter: Voters aren't the ignorant ones: I am disgusted that my mailbox is full of fliers containing attacks and no policy stands. I have taken to TiVoing all my favorite TV shows because I can't stand all the nasty political ads. If I didn't go to the polls early, I would be so turned off by the campaigns that I may not vote at all.

Editorial: Welfare changes shortsighted: The new rules, which go into effect in October, are designed to move people off public assistance and into the worforce . Critics say the changes undermine the original intentions of the Welfare Reform Act, a 1996 law that decentralized the federal entitlement program. States now receive a lump sum from the federal government to fund welfare as each state sees fit for its residents.

Campaign coffee klatch: A dozen candidates for four voters: Saturday morning on the campaign stump starts under the electric bingo board at El Dorado Estates senior mobile home park, where almost a dozen state and local political hopefuls arrive at 8:30 with cards, T-shirts, pins, pens and promises to deliver.

Monday at the main event of the World Series of Poker: AP; BIG NEWS: Former Hollywood talent agent Jamie Gold gobbled up chips Monday, wiping out two players in the space of an hour and amassing a dominant stack of about 13 million in chips. Gold, who has represented stars such as Jimmy Fallon and Lucy Liu, expressed surprise when someone with pocket 10s called his pocket aces. "The only hand 10s can beat are nines or eights. ... or a bluff," Gold said. "It makes no sense to me. But what do I know?" Gold said he's playing for his father, who has Lou Gehrig's disease.