Print edition for December 20, 2006

FOR LOVE OF THE GAME: Sam Morris, Las Vegas Sun; Bonanza wrestlers Stuart Montenegro, Court Oswald and Daniel Wosik listen as coach Tod Weaver goes over video of Wosik's last match at the 2006 Las Vegas Holiday Classic wrestling meet.

Loan store request approved despite ordinance: By Mike Trask; Earlier this year, Henderson officials, fearing a proliferation of payday loan stores, passed an ordinance requiring the businesses to be at least 1,000 feet from each other and 200 feet from residential neighborhoods.

LOOKING IN ON: CITY HALL: Metro Officer Laurie Bisch's announcement that she would seek the Las Vegas City Council seat currently held by Lois Tarkanian set off a chain reaction of political activity.

Tom Smigel: 1945-2006: Tom Smigel was a longtime scientist at the Nevada Agriculture Department, where he was regarded as the state's leading authority on creepy, crawly things and the diseases they could carry.

Trump your way riches: By J. Patrick Coolican; East of where Trump International is rising, past several Wal-Marts and adult bookstores and concrete slabs of apartments, sits Sam's Town.

Jeff Haney on a new book about gambling in Las Vegas that ultimately folds because of its use of fictitious names: When Howard Schwartz, the esteemed proprietor of the Gambler's Book Shop on South 11th Street, showed me an advance copy of "The Smart Money" earlier this year, he predicted the book would leave some readers frustrated and confused.

Smoking ban's effect hazy: By Marshall Allen; RENO - Two off-duty bartenders - a smoker and a nonsmoker - are throwing back drinks at the Breakaway tavern downtown, and there's something unusual about the place.

Letter: Let's give thanks to Donald Rumsfeld: From Afghanistan to Iraq, from North Korea to any point imaginable, Mr. Rumsfeld was not only effective but also excelled in doing the job of defending America. I, for one, will thank God for this man and set forth his actions as both honorable as well as most well thought out.

Letter: Some fans support 'truth in music' bill: My wife, Carol, and I represent just two of the many avid fans of pre-Beatles-era doo-wop music residing here in Las Vegas who clamor for shows featuring the "real" performers of our music. Just because we live in a town where you can't throw a rock without hitting an Elvis impersonator doesn't mean we are prepared to settle for fakes and pretenders when we come out to see the pioneers of R&B and old-time rock 'n' roll.

Editorial: Transporting toxic cargo: Transportation Secretary Mary Peters has proposed that railroads should use routes that are the farthest from residences and cities for shipping chlorine, anhydrous ammonia and other poisonous gases and hazardous loads. Peters' plan was announced Friday, shortly after Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff outlined his recommendations for improving railway security, the Associated Press reports.

Letter: Giving guns to teachers is not the answer: First, there are practical issues such as school liability and gun security, not to mention that there are some teachers who, for many reasons, should not have guns. Second, the psychological message of gun-toting teachers to their students is that school is not a safe place to learn and that teachers are cops.

Editorial: Revising an old law: According to a recent story by the Las Vegas Sun, just how those reforms should read is where miners and environmentalists begin to part ways.

Editorial: Gridlock, the great equalizer: Many states have toll roads that work fairly well for providing express transportation over both short and long distances. The toll is based upon how far motorists travel on the thoroughfare. On these common, often state-built toll roads, all lanes are open to all drivers.