Print edition for December 17, 2006

Landowners stand in way of 'the gorilla': Sun Staff; Although he's not talking about it, Oscar Nunez is literally in a position to write the next chapter of Las Vegas Strip lore.

Letter: Law should be written to serve everyone: Question 5, the overreaching, vague, broad smoking ban should be completely thrown out by the courts or at the least be rewritten to allow an exemption for the bars and taverns. If this bad law were rewritten, both the smoking and nonsmoking public could be served.

Q+A: Bobby Siller: By Liz Benston; Bobby Siller, one of the casino industry's most outspoken regulators, retires at the end of the month as one of three members of the state Gaming Control Board. The Chicago native and Air Force veteran was appointed to the board in January 1999 after a 25-year career with the FBI. He supervised investigations involving organized crime, white-collar crime and terrorism, and became chief of the FBI's Las Vegas office - the first African American to hold the job. Regulators investigate and approve people to operate casinos, make sure games are fair and keep out bad influences. They also encourage industry ...

FLASHPOINT for Dec 17, 2006: 'Tis the season ... for off-the-wall or just plain stupid ideas. Look what has happened this holiday season - and we have two weeks left! Gov.-elect Jim Gibbons has everyone and his brother on his so-called transition team - a seemingly pointless exercise in pandering. The Community College of Southern Nevada burnishes its credentials by offering a class consisting of Mayor Oscar Goodman pouring gin into a martini glass - that ought to help the system's reputation! And state Sen. Bob Beers says the way to combat violence in schools is to cause the potential for more violence in schools ...

Editorial: Meddling with research: According to a Thursday story by The Washington Post, USGS scientists are concerned that their reports would be altered or censored from public view if their findings conflict with established Bush administration policies.

Jeff Simpson shares Michael Gaughan with the happy cowboys at South Point: I had lunch with Gaughan at the South Point Cafe while the National Finals Rodeo was in town, and it was apparent how many people genuinely like him.

Editorial: Visions of a wider war: The vision - a war that overtly transcends the boundaries of Iraq and pulls in other Middle Eastern countries - was provided by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. In Riyadh, the Saudi capital, Cheney listened as the king said that his government would be forced to funnel money for weapons and other military supplies to Iraq's minority Sunni population if the United States pulled out of Iraq.

Jack Sheehan on how one man's tremendous courage can be an inspiration to us during this season when we reflect on our blessings and look to the future: "You have an aggressive malignant pelvic tumor," the doctor at UCLA told Vince Schettler after examining his biopsy back in 1993.

Jon Ralston tips his hat to Gov. Kenny Guinn for standing his ground for the good of Nevada: Now, as he prepares to leave office after two terms, Kenny Guinn's gubernatorial record is under a microscope that finds the 2003 tax increase prominent and everything else blurry. But years from now, when the valedictories are forgotten and the view becomes telescopic, yet magnified by history, the Guinn record, especially the tax increase, will appear remarkable - for what he tried to do, for what he did and for what his tenure truly represented.

Letter: Guinn deserves many thanks for service: Although tax increases are never popular, it was necessary to fill a huge fiscal void in our state. As more people move to Las Vegas, the need for quality services will continue to grow. As an educator - I am a professor at the Community College of Southern Nevada - I certainly do not enjoy telling my students each semester that Nevada ranks poorly in many of the areas that impact them the most.

Letter: Question 5 a good start to clearing the air: Tragically, there are many prevailing attitudes that "if people don't want to be exposed to breathing cigarette smoke, they should not patronize establishments that allow smoking," which is patently false (Curtiss Davis' Dec. 13 letter to the editor) .

More doctors tend to vanity, not illness: By Marshall Allen; Dr. Mira Mogler spent seven years in medical school to become a pediatrician and has treated children with infectious diseases, respiratory distress and severe allergic reactions.

Letter: What's the big deal about the pig farm?: I'm sure when Mr. Combs chose the location he is in, he never thought the North Las Vegas community would build as close to him as it has done. When I lived in North Las Vegas, just 5 miles from the pig farm, while the smells were not always pleasant, I did enjoy them nonetheless, knowing Mr. Combs was out there doing something good and productive with the leftovers from the buffets.

John Katsilometes on how illusionist Steve Wyrick continues to work his magic on theater-nightclub at Desert Passage mall: Several opening dates have been mentioned by ticket brokers and by Wyrick himself, only to be pushed back as construction has moved forward on the intricate yet expansive project. Today Wyrick says it will be early January before he is ready to open at Desert Passage .

Editorial: O.K. Corral Elementary?: This past week Beers told KLAS Channel 8 that he is proposing a bill that would allow qualified schoolteachers and staff to carry guns.

Salsa: It's hot: Timothy Pratt, Las Vegas Sun; Noel Roque, hands waving, was touching all the bases: sex, commerce, "Dancing With the Stars," poor barrios in Puerto Rico and la clave - the beat.

Tax break could save green for home buyers who go green: A state lawmaker who pushed legislation that gave tax breaks to developers who build environmentally sensitive commercial buildings wants similar incentives for the housing industry.