Print edition for December 14, 2006

LOOKING IN ON: CARSON CITY: CARSON CITY - The experts who predict Nevada's economic future are divided over whether the new prohibitions on smoking in restaurants and other places - assuming they survive a court challenge - will mean less tax revenue for the state.

Democracy in action: By Timothy Pratt; PAHRUMP - The symbolism of the moment was unmistakable.

Letter: Marathon runners didn't all run fast: While stuck in traffic in my neighborhood on the Strip, I did a little math: The last athletes to finish the 26.2-mile race clocked in at over nine hours, for an average running speed of less than 3 mph. The average adult walks casually (not briskly) at a speed of 4 mph.

Downtown project still in bad shape: It's been a long time since news of the performance or future of Neonopolis has been anything you would want to put up in bright lights.

What does Pioneer have to gain by sponsoring the Las Vegas Bowl?: Who: BYU (10-2) vs. Oregon (7-5)

Editorial: School plan fails smell test: The North Las Vegas City Council will have the final say on whether to allow a school so close to the farm, and while that should be a no-brainer (think of students being downwind in May, as the temperature hovers around 100 degrees), the City Council has not always been so thoughtful.

Law enforcement officers learn fine art of making a forceful entry: By Abigail Goldman; At police raids, as in cocktail parties, your entrance is everything.

Editorial: Appalling beyond belief: In greeting participants who gathered in his office Tuesday, Ahmadinejad said that "humanity will achieve freedom" once Israel ceases to exist, adding that Western society had sought to dominate the Middle East through Holocaust propaganda.

FLASHPOINT for Dec 14, 2006: The real Ty Cobb was a phenomenally successful hitter. Any real baseball fan knows his lifetime average of .367 will never be matched. So when I saw that the baseball legend's namesake, a freshman assemblyman from Reno, has proposed a bill that would prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining state benefits, I wondered how the batsman would have reacted. Baseball player Cobb was a fierce competitor who never had a problem spiking opponents. His arrogance was backed up by his play, but he never won a Mr. Popularity contest among his peers. I wonder how the legislative Cobb will fare in ...

Ron Kantowski on how Goodman is getting revved up for inaugural Vegas Grand Prix: Martha & the Vandellas meet Oscar Goodman.

John Katsilometes gets Frank Gehry's succinct opinion of architecture in Las Vegas: By John Katsilometes; Both skills were displayed by groundbreaking architect Frank Gehry on Tuesday night at the Las Vegas Art Museum. I started our conversation with, "What about the architecture in Las Vegas ..."

Letter: Nova Town idea is not what we need: I am unable to believe that Melissa Henry wants to build what she thinks is an environmental "utopia" in Goodsprings. And how can Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental lawyer, choose the fundraiser for this insane project to rail on Bush's environmental policies?

LOOKING IN ON: CLARK COUNTY: Clark County and local labor unions lost their legal feud with the sole company supplying concrete for the Hoover Dam bypass bridge project this week.

Harrah's board considers options for its future: By Liz Benston; The proposal to take Harrah's Entertainment private - to free itself of hard-to-please shareholders and get cash-flush - no longer seems as slam-dunk certain as it once was.

Editorial: Pahrump comes to its senses: Michael Miraglia, who was appointed to the Pahrump Town Board in July to replace another member, had placed the proposed "Undocumented Foreign National Registration Ordinance" on the agenda. The proposed ordinance, had it passed, would have required all those from a foreign country who set foot in Pahrump to register at the town office if they lacked papers legally documenting their right to be in the United States.

Letter: Lawmakers need to look at health issues: But their arguments, in my humble opinion, are weak. When I hear or read that they have rights that are being taken away, I realize that they are not considering the rights of those they are criticizing.