Print edition for June 5, 2006

John Katsilometes gives paws for celebration at the annual 'Best in Show' event at the Orleans Arena, where 61 dogs were offered for adoption: By John Katsilometes; The fourth annual "Best In Show" canine appreciation event, during which dozens of shelter dogs from Lied Animal Shelter were put up for adoption, was held Sunday afternoon at the Orleans Arena. A total of 61 canines were offered for adoption, and the audience was estimated at around 2,000, both all-time highs for the event, "Best In Show" chairwoman Dale Wynn said during the program.

Jack Sheehan explains why his name will not be found on any ballot for public office: "When are you going to run for office?" he asked.

Chancellor in defense of health proposal: Rogers has been a major proponent of expanding the Nevada School of Medicine and creating a health science center in Las Vegas to improve patient care in the city.

Students not sticking heads in the sand: By Emily Richmond; But contrary to Ahmed's contentions, they decided what was going on in his country's Darfur region met the U.N.'s litmus test.

Gibson, Titus back driver's licenses: Timothy Pratt and J. Patrick Coolican; Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson supports giving drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants and state Sen. Dina Titus, Democratic candidates for governor, would back giving driver's licenses to immigrants enrolled in programs that may come out of the current congressional debate.

Letter: Illegal immigration is a crime, period: The Senate version is so monumentally flawed and for the most part such a digression from the will of the American people, one can only hope the House conferees stand their ground. The House version is probably too harsh in some respects, but it recognizes how angry most citizens are about this issue. That is something that seems to have escaped the majority of senators. Immigration is not bad, illegal immigration is. Most citizens believe that and are not extremists for thinking so.

Editorial: Cultivating grass roots: During his visit to Las Vegas last week, Dean told the Las Vegas Sun that his strategy is to bolster the Democratic Party at the grass-roots level by hiring field workers to go to communities in red, i.e. Republican-won, areas such as Utah and Mississippi and rural parts of Nevada.

Letter: Water Authority's plan too costly: As taxpayers, it is your right and duty to ask your elected officials (senators, congressmen, assemblymen and county commissioners) a few important questions.

New crusade for UNLV, CCSN funding starts: Christina Littlefield; Their institutions are woefully underfunded. But this time, the Board of Regents may be listening.

Letter: Siege of Fallujah was nothing to celebrate: The "American contractors" who were killed in Fallujah were mercenaries hired by private companies. Ten percent of our forces in Iraq, including those at Abu Ghraib, are corporate warriors. As such they are not answerable to military justice or the laws of Iraq. They are something other than civilians.

Where do tourists from Vegas go?: By Brendan Buhler; Everyone knows that Las Vegas is a popular destination for people around the world. But where do we go when we're looking for some time away? We did some digging, and here's what we found.

Editorial: Berkley's bill has merit: Her plan, encompassed in a bill she will soon introduce, would lead to the day when 20 percent of the nation's power comes from renewable sources. If hydropower, which is not always reliable but produces 7 percent of the nation's energy, is discounted, renewable sources provide only 2 percent of the nation's energy today.

Two phantoms haunt Venetian: By Jerry Fink; What: "Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular"

In search of Hispanic vote: Timothy Pratt and J. Patrick Coolican; Gubernatorial candidate Jim Gibson's Democratic primary campaign is gaining strong support from Nevada Hispanics, whose political involvement, driven largely by federal immigration reform, is expected to spike on election day.

Castillo gains, everyone loses: Saturday night's scheduled third fight between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo could have been saved, and it would have been a routine procedure.

Jeff Haney on the latest head-to-head betting contest: Fezzik (one name only, please), an all-around "advantage player" who specializes in sports betting, and Nick Bogdanovich, former sports book director at several major casinos, have each agreed to put up $25,000 of their own money to compete.

Tougher standards set for valedictorians: By Emily Richmond; That's rather short for commencement remarks. But maybe not when you consider how busy the podium will be that day.

Editorial: Ghastly risk for patients: AP spent three months investigating how tissue from a donated body gets to the operating room. The news service reported that most tissue transplants "involve reputable companies and do a lot of good." Reporters Marilynn Marchione and Seth Borenstein found, however, that "When things go wrong, the consequences are horrific."

THE OPENING LINE: It's time to throw our hats into the Arena Bowl again. Or, given that last year's game was less than an attendance success, at it.