Print edition for August 27, 2006

John Katsilometes talks with Jeff Beacher about 'bartainment' project: On Tuesday the larger-than-life multimedia kingpin (how's that for a handle?) opens Beacher's Rockhouse Bar at the Imperial Palace with a street festival that will celebrate Paris Hilton's new CD, conveniently titled "Paris." The party begins at 7 p.m. and will include a proclamation from Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman (to be read by Beacher) making Tuesday "Paris Hilton Day." Emcee Peter Giovine and Tiny Kiss will be joined by Beacher's usual collection of misfits, oddballs and possible felons.

It's a myth, now park it: By Marshall Allen; You hear the whispers as soon as you come to town: Valets can make six figures - just for parking cars.

Brian Greenspun answers a critic and suggests the R-J should look at its own contributions: I have tried to understand what it is about the president of Stephens Media - that's the media arm of the Stephens family, which, arguably, is among the top two or three wealthiest families in Arkansas, a state that includes the Waltons of Wal-Mart fame - that makes him so obnoxious and so wrong. But, alas, I just don't get it.

Who will the happiest mayor help?: Dan Kulin; Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman apparently loves being the center of political speculation - not only about his own possible candidacy, but also whether he might play a major role in other candidates' campaigns.

Who owes whom is supreme theme: Sam Skolnik; Late last year, former District Judge Don Chairez was approached separately by prominent Las Vegas lawyers Laura FitzSimmons and Kermitt Waters. Their pitch: We want you to run for Justice Nancy Becker's Supreme Court seat. She needs to go.

Differences clear, but who wins?: The differences between challenger Tessa Hafen and two-term incumbent Rep. Jon Porter in Nevada's 3rd Congressional District are easy to see, political watchers say, but what is not so clear is who will win.

The magic of neon: Magician Steve Wyrick has something very pronounced stretching across the red wall of his living room. It dwarfs his fireplace and drives up his electric bill.

Signs of old times: By Kristen Peterson; The gold-and-green sign promised "air-conditioning," "TV" and a "vacancy" to weary travelers arriving on lower Fremont Street during the post-war heyday of the auto courts. Today the tattered and rusted Lucky Motel sign rests atop a trailer at Casino Lighting & Sign company, awaiting restoration.

Jack Sheehan remembers the days of the bent noses and pinstripe suits and how they really weren't good times: I was on a first date with a young woman, sharing chicken fingers, when my companion gently nudged me in the ribs. She had a concerned look on her face.

School-choice debate takes bus ride to Carson City: By Emily Richmond; The Clark County School District expects the 2007 Legislature to debate school choice, and in a pre-emptive move will ask lawmakers to share the transportation costs of such a program.

Letter: Muslims can stand to meet Americans, too: Americans are a tolerant people. Religious freedom is guaranteed here. With an occasional descent into religious intolerance (murder of LDS founder Joseph Smith, numerous arson incidents on Catholic parishes in the early Republic), we "live and let live."

Body parts broker crossed the country plying flesh and bone: AP; But nothing stopped Philip Joe Guyett Jr. from moving steadily eastward, mining gold from the lucrative body parts trade. Federal officials shut down this flesh-and-bone prospector in Raleigh, N.C., earlier this month, saying his products posed a danger to public health.

Letter: Colleges fail because students aren't ready: The students being admitted to the system are simply not ready for college-level work. How does anyone expect that throwing more money at the colleges will change that? The problem that needs to be fixed occurs before the student is admitted. Nevada's Millennium Scholarship program allows virtually any Nevada high school graduate who can breathe to be admitted to the university system.

Letter: Water needs best met by looking to the west: Pat Mulroy, from the Southern Nevada Water Authority, claims it's necessary to build a 250-mile long pipeline and related infrastructure at a proposed cost of $2 billion to secure the future of Las Vegas. The Schell Creek Range and the Snake Range don't receive enough snowfall to justify spending billions of dollars in revenue to secure growth for Southern Nevada.

Editorial: Science departs for Singapore: Brilliant American scientists who are fed up with political opposition to federal funding for stem cell research are quietly slipping away to the authoritarian city-state. Singapore may be known for caning criminals and strict laws that once included a chewing gum ban, but it also has built a reputation for liberal acceptance of human embryo stem cell research.

FLASHPOINT for Aug 27, 2006: The Democrats are upset. Again. Seems they want to make an issue out of a perceived insult that Rep. Jim Gibbons gave to educators. It's an outrage, I tell you. Gibbons explained his reason for doing only three debates during an interview last week on "NewsOne at Nine" by saying about opponent Dina Titus, a UNLV professor: "Maybe she's just a professor and here all the time, but I have to work 2,500 miles away." That's an insult to all Nevada educators, the Democrats cried. And the party even managed to get the head of the teachers union, which coincidentally ...

Jon Ralston examines the price tag that's attached to an improved educational system in Nevada: Sounds like a pretty expensive price tag to me.

Hal Rothman on how America is being divided by financial status: The sign advertised courts for rent, leagues for kids and adults, and space for parties. A schedule offered a weekend volleyball tournament, advertising club teams from around the region. As my son and I entered, the sound of squeaking sneakers, dribbling basketballs and excited young voices was music to my ears. It brought back memories of my own youth, of the endless games that dominated my afternoons and summers.

Commentary: Flawed magazine rankings give false impressions of Nevada's universities: Twenty-five percent of the ranking score is based on reputation alone, which is nonquantifiable, arbitrary and by definition favors those who are already at the top. Universities that are growing and have new programs, such as UNR and UNLV, are ignored.

Editorial: Ballot question a mirage: The backers of the People's Initiative to Stop the Taking of Our Land purport to be concerned about protecting property owners from having their land seized by the government and handed over to a private developer.

Letter: Charity does not require a return gift: Most of these attractive gifts go in the trash. Most of our donations must be spent on printing and mailing them. I am now more likely to contribute to an organization that doesn't include a "gift."

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