Print edition for January 10, 2006

Editorial: Breaking the cycle of blight: But as the Las Vegas Sun reported Monday, 14 months after the city purchased the homes and several months after Barrick sold its Sixth Street property to Tamares Las Vegas Partners, the modest houses sit vacant and boarded up, creating what residents say is an environment that attracts crime and people who are homeless.

Editorial: Shades of Michael Brown: Brown, of course, was the Bush crony heading the Federal Emergency Management Agency at the time Hurricane Katrina hit. His almost total lack of experience in this field contributed heavily to the federal government's inept response.

Editorial: Gaps in armor and planning: The failure is a result of war planners in the Bush administration who grossly miscalculated the length and manner of resistance that U.S. troops would encounter, and who advocated going to war before civilian manufacturers had the contracts, designs and tooled-up machinery necessary for mass production of the type of armor necessary for urban combat.

Letter: Be careful when addressing big issues: If this were really the issue, some letters would press for:

Letter: Nevada lawmakers need to join forces: Porter should cease the wool pulling and work now with Reid and Sen. John Ensign and all other members of Congress to get Nevada/Las Vegas to the top of the funding list for anti-terror spending. This is more important than getting any of their rear ends re-elected in any future election.

Letter: Enough from the evangelical fanatics: Pat Robertson and others of his following speak only for themselves. Shame on them for assuming that only they know the mind and will of God.

Letter: Chanos was out of line in attacking Buckley: The attorney general's relentless, atrocious verbal attacks toward the assemblywoman were arrogant, truculent and condescending, as he questioned her political and legal skills toward the adoption of the bill and made absurd comments that "the bill was fatally flawed" and that "she has perpetrated a cruel hoax on the senior population." Repeatedly, her level of competency was challenged.

Letter: This nonsmoker won't be returning: Smoke in the casinos and even smoke in waiting areas outside of theaters is very irritating to nonsmokers, primarily due to poor ventilation. While casino visitors expect to be able to smoke, nonsmokers should not be made to feel ill (as I was) while passing by casino areas or waiting to enter shows.

LVI talks to new sponsors: After Michelin pulled its sponsorship of the local PGA Tour stop, tournament officials have been referring to the 2006 event as the "Las Vegas Invitational" -- the moniker it has carried for 17 of its 23 years.

O'Connor happy to be back on ice: After being sidelined by two concussions during the first half of the season, right wing Sean O'Connor returned to the Wranglers over the weekend and made immediate contributions in two victories.

After 34 years, a familiar face leaves the Strip: By Liz Benston; It's been a bad few years for Monopoly names in Las Vegas. First Park Place Entertainment Corp. changed its name to the more marketable Caesars Entertainment, only to be swallowed by Harrah's Entertainment in 2005. Then the Boardwalk closed its doors at noon Monday to make way for a $5 billion-plus resort, hotel and condominium complex called Project CityCenter.

Flashpoint for Jan. 10, 2006: You can't judge a party by its web site. Or at least you shouldn't. But even many Republicans would agree that the state GOP's Internet portal has been pretty pathetic. Until now. The new, improved GOP web site -- nevadagop.org -- is comprehensive and interactive -- and it has some neat colors, too, not to mention a picture of Sen. John Ensign (although his face does seem a bit stretched, Reed Richards-like). The site has plenty of national and local political news and finally is as good as another site that has been up and running with many of these ...

Columnist Jeff German: Shedding light on the fate of the Sapphire topless club: From the day the Sapphire topless club opened its doors in December 2002, its two main investors have had trouble agreeing on anything.

Q+A: Cheryln Townsend: Molly Ball; Clark County got a new director of the Juvenile Justice Services Department last week as Cheryln Townsend took the reins. Townsend, 54, previously headed the equivalent department in Maricopa County, Ariz., which includes Phoenix.

Judicial committee to study jury pool diversity: A judicial committee is being formed in response to articles written by the Sun suggesting that Clark County's jury pools lack diversity.

Columnist John Katsilometes: How Mel Larson was taken by surprise with induction into Las Vegas Walk of Stars: Dozens of friends and loved ones of Mel Larson managed to keep a significant secret from the Las Vegas pioneer until noon Monday: That he will be honored on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars.

Power firms planning $5 billion project joining north, south: Kevin Rademacher; Less than three years ago, Nevada's two largest electric utilities were warning of possible bankruptcy.

Improved authority in schools is proposed: By Emily Richmond; The Clark County School Board is interviewing six candidates for the position of district superindente, with a salary of at least $290,000. A final selection could be made as early as Thursday.

Little Theatre won't be barred from having plays with nudity: J. Craig Anderson; The Las Vegas Little Theatre will wrap up auditions tonight for a play that features nude scenes, and the actors in those scenes will remain unwrapped.

New Arizona homes worry Boulder City: The prospect of 20,000 homes about 28 miles from Hoover Dam in Arizona and another 88,000 homes farther south has Boulder City preparing for an onslaught of traffic through the quiet community.