Print edition for December 26, 2006

Letter: Constitution, not the Quran, is the issue: Here is an elected official, Goode, who is supposed to know the U.S. Constitution and abide by its laws, saying negative things about another official exercising his constitutional rights as an American citizen. I wonder if this congressman, who is against someone reading a different religious book, knows anything about our Constitution at all.

Editorial: A new day for energy: The Republican-controlled Congress almost exclusively embraced - for now and the long term - the traditional energy industries that deal in oil, coal, natural gas and nuclear power. It is true that the country is dependent upon these industries, but it is also true that this dependence should not go on forever.

Making City Council full-time has many supporters but no champion: Mark Hansel, Las Vegas Sun; On most afternoons, Las Vegans can easily find Las Vegas Councilman Gary Reese to talk city business.

Letter: Voters sent Bush a clear message: The message was so unmistakable that it got through even to the notoriously dense president.

Rose helped modernize state justice system: Sam Skolnik; Retiring Nevada Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Rose has had many accomplishments during 18 years on the bench - and few of them, interestingly, are related directly to individual court decisions he has been involved with or opinions he has written.

Editorial: Cutting waste, making money: A Habitat for Humanity chapter in North Carolina, however, has found a better way. A recent story in the Raleigh News & Observer described how the chapter's members have created a demolition business that costs just half of a traditional demolition, results in far fewer tons of debris, earns a tax credit for the homeowner and raises funds for its real mission of building homes for low-income workers.

Editorial: Stop stigmatizing veterans: The diagnosis, the news service reported, is often a misdiagnosis.

John Katsilometes, who is in Boise, Idaho, for the holidays, collects the many gifts and moments that made Las Vegas fabulous in 2006: Given that this is a time for reflection (and genuflection, for many) I gaze nostalgically at the year that was 2006.

Jeff Haney chronicles the betting world in 2006, from disappearing gamblers to the closing of the Stardust: By Jeff Haney; Professional gambler Alan Boston was physically attacked on the Strip in January by two assailants wielding a heavy object while he was on his way to participate in a sports handicapping contest. The name of the contest was "Beat Boston."

Letter: Iraq is over, so bring the troops home: Hatred of the U.S. forces grows every day as Iraqi civilians are killed by the hundreds. A surge of American power would only serve to delay the obvious and create more anti-American sentiment.

White House dream gone with Bayh: By Michael Mishak; He lost a campaign for mayor of North Las Vegas last year, but Andres Ramirez still dreamed of reaching the White House by 2009.

MOMENTS 2006: This year, I had the chance to shoot more fights than I usually do and became increasingly conflicted about the sport. In the past I had been relatively ambivalent about boxing and mixed martial arts events. As I shot more, I realized the "guy" in me enjoyed the testosterone-fueled spectacle of two fighters standing toe-to-toe and duking it out like I had imagined doing to the schoolyard bully 30 years ago. But when I stepped back and took another look, the sport seemed barbaric and not too far removed from gladiatorial contests in the Roman Colosseum, albeit with a little ...