Print edition for December 19, 2006

LOOKING IN ON: CLARK COUNTY: Clark County Aviation Director Randy Walker is mum on whether he'll stay or take a private sector job even as the county prepares to offer him a salary boost to keep him in his current post.

Letter: Schools need help from legislators: Last November, Nevadans mandated that the Legislature fund education first. It's now up to the Legislature to take that directive and make it have meaning.

John Katsilometes on Pure no longer being the place to celebrate the upcoming birthday of Miss USA, Tara Conner, who turns 21: A former Miss Kentucky, Conner's erratic behavior has been widely reported by celebrity sniffs in New York. On Monday the New York Daily News reported that Conner was spotted drinking martinis at the Algonquin Hotel's Blue Bar there, and that she was overheard discussing her birthday party at Pure. The paper also made note of Conner's eviction Saturday from her room at Trump Place (no small feat, given that Donald Trump owns the Miss USA Pageant) and recent displays of frivolity.

Editorial: NBA shows its immaturity: Yes, indeed, a number of professional basketball players grabbed, tackled and punched each other because the Knicks thought the Nuggets violated an unwritten sports rule: Don't rub it in when you have a big lead.

Faithful see Mary's image in watermark: Of all places for the Virgin Mary to appear, here she is in Las Vegas, half hidden behind a scrub brush at the edge of a red rock yard.

Sale could cut Harrah's plans short: By Liz Benston; With word that the board of directors at Harrah's Entertainment will accept a private buyout offer at $90 per share, observers say the company has reached a crossroads and may sacrifice long-term prospects in favor of short-term gains.

Editorial: Open the bidding: As County Manager Virginia Valentine said in a Las Vegas Sun story Saturday by reporter Tony Cook, "I don't necessarily want the cheapest heart surgeon I can find."

Letter: Carter has it right in his new book: As Carter has pointed out, this discussion has been off the table for years due to the bitter attacks on authors with the courage to raise the subject. Our one-sided foreign policy favoring Israel has gotten to the point where it has had adverse consequences on the security of Israel as well as the U.S. It has lead to Iran acquiring more influence in the region and diminished the influence of the U.S. and Israel.

Editorial: Learning the hard way: The "What happens here, stays here," slogan is the hallmark of one of the nation's most recognized and successful marketing campaigns. The "What happens here" campaign drew attention from late-night talk-show hosts and was used on knockoffs everywhere. And it was in pursuing one of those marketing knockoffs that an LVCVA official made a backroom deal that has cost the taxpayer-supported tourism agency nearly a million dollars.

Republic to refund overflow charges: By Tony Cook; Hoping to end a dispute that Las Vegas Valley property managers felt smelled as bad as the garbage it involved, the major local trash company agreed Monday to refund more than $300,000 in questionable big-container overflow charges.

Immigration officials put couples to the test: By Timothy Pratt; Quick: If you're married, where did you and your spouse go on your third date?

Letter: Let's give tax credits for driving hybrids: Here is another idea similar to this tax break that could help everyone in the Las Vegas Valley. Perhaps statewide, but surely in Clark County, we should consider offering state tax incentives for energy-efficient cars based on both their gasoline consumption and emissions.