Print edition for January 15, 2006

Letter: Evolution isn't the only intelligent theory: It's taken "scientists" thousands of years to notice the existence of mere bacteria. Scientists have a heck of a time figuring out what's right under their noses. But they're darned sure intelligence had nothing to do with anything they see, except their own theories. Hilarious!

Letter: This land is our land -- even Alaska: The U.S. government purchased Alaska from Russia, and U.S. citizens paid for it. We all own one share of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. A vast majority of the shareholders live in the lower 48 states.

Editorial: New funding plan has merit: For Jim Rogers, chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, and for university and college officials in Southern Nevada, this system is partially responsible for perennial funding shortages. Rogers wants universities and colleges to keep more of the funding generated on their campuses.

Columnist Tom Gorman: On viewing road bullies as social misfits: The worst thing about living here is the high proportion of moronic drivers.

Editorial: Toxic chemicals at the North Pole: According to a recent Los Angeles Times story, a study by a team of scientists from Canada, Norway, Denmark and the United States shows polybrominated diphenyls, or PBDEs, are among hundreds of chemical compounds carried to Arctic regions by wind and ocean currents. Flame retardants are commonly used in manufacturing furniture, carpet padding, plastics and electronics -- primarily in North America.

Who is George Chanos? -- The Deal: Even in a city where stratospheric profits on land deals are as common as neon, the seven-figure score that Nevada Attorney General George Chanos may soon realize on a piece of downtown property raises eyebrows.

Vegas dog tale has a happy ending: Although his movie career to date has been limited to bit parts, Sumo the acting dog starred in a real-life adventure that had a happy ending Friday when he was safely reunited with his Las Vegas owner after a week-long disappearance.

Sun makes key additions to staff: Five new senior-level editors have joined the Las Vegas Sun, Michael J. Kelley, managing editor, announced today.

Letter: GOPs fiscal epiphany too little, too late: Earmarks are unopposed, last-minute pork barrel projects inserted into other proposed federal legislation. They represent only the first course of a bacon and eggs orgy that has been ongoing since the Republicans have taken control of the Congress and the White House.

Flashpoint for Jan. 15, 2006: If Diana Ross were here, she might ask the supreme question: Baby, baby, where did our governor go? Kenny Guinn was there during the 2005 fight over that prescription drug bill, jousting with Barbara Buckley until he finally relented and signed it. Now that the Pharmacy Board, dissing the attorney general, is moving forward, what does the governor think? Sayeth a spokesman: "He thought the Pharmacy Board did a good job of deliberating the issue, and that (the AG) wrote a good opinion. He thinks the Pharmacy Board took it upon themselves to take bold action to say, 'We can ...

Columnist John Katsilometes: Wondering if Vegas as Broadway West is a concept that can become a reality in Sin City: A story in the upcoming issue of Newsweek magazine, and posted today on newsweek.com by Las Vegas freelance journalist Steve Friess (host of interview show The Strip at podcasts.lvrocks.com), casts doubt on whether our city can fulfill the dreams of such resort moguls as Steve Wynn to become Broadway West.

Columnist Jon Ralston: On why we might not reap a windfall: How does a local government turn down a risk-free chance to collect more than half a billion dollars in taxes? We are about to find out if there is any good reason -- legal or political.

Editorial: Nevada law sets an example: During a special session last June, the Nevada Legislature passed a law authorizing the pharmacy board to certify some Canadian pharmacies as eligible to fill prescriptions for Nevada residents. A stipulation for the pharmacies was that they ship only those drugs that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Letter: Smarter alternatives to prevent abortions: Abortion is always a tragedy. But what should the alternative be? Turning every fertile woman into a ward of the state? That is what happens when the state takes away from a woman the right to make fundamental decisions about her own destiny. If she cannot choose abortion, as long as she could become unwillingly pregnant through rape or failed birth control, the state controls her life.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Why it's time to tune out Pat: And so the cultural war continues. But what a curious turn it has taken.

Backers, foes sound off on Alito: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Liberal and conservative groups outdid themselves last week clamoring for media attention in the battle over Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. Groups on both sides blasted e-mails to reporters hourly during the hearings, and activists thronged the sidewalks outside the Hart Senate Office Building to welcome him during his three days of testimony.

Columnist Jeff Simpson: Shedding some Light on strip club's Strip connections: By Jeff Simpson; Nevada's Gaming Control Board is investigating the activities in Las Vegas casino resort nightclubs -- including Light at Bellagio, one of the Strip's top two resorts.

Columnist Jeff German: Admiring Rep. Berkley's effort to keep the FAA flying right, but wonders where her wingman is: She has a tendency to shoot from the lip, but when it comes to fighting for the little guy, there may be no one better in Nevada's congressional delegation than Rep. Shelley Berkley.

Columnist Jack Sheehan: On the gradual disappearance of the statuesque icons, symbols of Vegas: Last October, for the 15th time, I interviewed the champion of our annual PGA Tour event for the crowd surrounding the 18th green at the Tournament Players Club at Summerlin. This past year it happened to be a 41-year-old rookie from Texas named Wes Short Jr.

Columnist Hal Rothman: Bemoaning the remaining void left by the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King: Hal Rothman; There has never been another American leader like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. No individual has ever generated a revolution of such great proportion in so many ways.

MLK will be the subject of oratory competition: By Emily Richmond; If you're looking for a way to commemorate today's federal holiday, the International House of Blues Foundation may have the answer.