Print edition for July 12, 2006

Highlights of May 2006 revenue report on Nevada casinos: AP; -STATEWIDE: $1.13 billion win, up 9 percent.

Editorial: New law flawed: According to a recent story by the Las Vegas Sun, the law, which the Nevada Legislature passed last year, was the basis for a recent state Environmental Commission ruling that barred Great Basin Mine Watch activists from protesting a state permit to close a gold mine in Elko County.

Jon Ralston waits impatiently for a candidate in a major race to focus on issues relevant to the public, rather than empty rhetoric and hyperbole: It's only a month before the primary and my patience already has evaporated. Perhaps this is a product of aging, but I have little ability this year to put up with the startling condescension that most candidates have for the media and the electorate. So many are selling such snake oil - and that is an insult to snake oil salesmen.

Letter: Both sides of story must always be heard: There always have been, and hopefully always will be, two sides to every story. The wise person wants to know both sides to make the right choices instead of making a rash decision. Look around you and see what a closed mind and stay-the-course policy has done to our country.

Editorial: Faith in the system: According to a recent story by the Las Vegas Sun, school officials shut down Brittany McComb's graduation speech June 15 when McComb, in explaining how her faith had aided in her successes, slipped into territory school officials had told her to avoid.

Letter: Smoking ban defies freedom of choice: The U.S. surgeon general's anti-smoking report on secondhand smoke is so flawed and hyped by special interests it loses all reason and logic. Illness and disease are caused by many things in a person's life.

Editorial: Meeting questions head on: He is giving interviews and even acknowledging that a federal review of the shootings would be helpful. During a Monday interview on "Face to Face With Jon Ralston," the Las Vegas Sun's TV news show that airs on Cox cable channel 19, Young said he would welcome an investigation by the FBI.

Letter: Earning potential starts with work ethic: After reading your editorial about the minimum wage, several thoughts occurred to me that may be helpful to some.

'Fire in the hole' command lops off mountaintop: The blast went a long way toward clearing the way for 15 lots that overlook a picturesque valley - lots that one day, Sanders officials say, will sell for $5 million apiece, not counting the cost of the custom homes that will be built on them.

Working well with others is his style: By J. Patrick Coolican; Dean Heller likes to talk about his customer service record, his reform of Nevada's voting system, his awards from the International Association of Commercial Administrators. (Yes, there is such a group, and they give out awards.)

'HORSE'-play mixes things up at Rio poker room: You wouldn't know it by the poker orgy that has broken out in the usually staid convention area at the Rio, but the World Series of Poker's championship event is still a couple of weeks away.

WORLD CUP Q+A, HERCULEZ GOMEZ: Zinedine Zidane left an indelible mark on the 2006 World Cup - and on his career - when he thrust his head into the chest of Italian defender Marco Materazzi during the championship match in Berlin on Sunday.

Radiators provide steam for the art: When Chelsea Nork and Dave VanZanten bought a chunk of land on Main Street, just south of Charleston Boulevard, they also bought the radiator business on it. They renovated half of the building, hung some art, brought in '50s-style dinette sets and turned it into a gallery space that is open only on First Fridays.

Reno's Wallace carries on family tradition: Rob Miech; The Beavers stood on the brink of elimination against North Carolina in the College World Series last month. Wallace casually zipped "Happy Birthday" to Vicki Wallace's seat in the stands at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb.