Print edition for June 16, 2006

Letter: Many ways to prove Medicaid eligibility: The article stated that people applying for Medicaid "must show their birth certificates or U.S. passports" to be eligible. In fact, numerous other documents are acceptable to establish a person's citizenship and identity. Among them: driver's licenses, military records, life and health insurance records, hospital records, doctor records, federal and state census records, and Certificates of Indian Blood and other tribal documents.

Editorial: On the trail of old files: According to a recent story in the Salt Lake Tribune, FBI officials in March contacted University of Utah professor Tim Chambless and asked to see his Anderson documents. Many of the papers are the same ones Chambless used in writing his dissertation during the 1980s.

FLASHPOINT for June 16, 2006: The reaction to that Los Angeles Times series continues to ripple through the community. I spoke to the Clark County Bar Association on Thursday and none of the lawyers there seemed willing to protest that the newspaper was wrong in pointing out the heresy that juice affects judicial decisions. Does that happen in other cities, too? Sure, a few lawyers told me. Will this help lead to a reform of how we choose our judges here? I sensed folks there on the receiving end of the legalized extortion were all for that happening. But what puzzled them is why the ...

Letter: Officials look out for gaming, not public: As a physician, I feel very strongly that smoking is harmful to the health of a society. This is not conjecture; this is fact. And yet, that which benefits the few comes at the detriment of the many. The gaming, hotel and restaurant industry would suffer financially if smoking was banned in areas where the public congregates.

Recorder's office crew not saying too much: Go to the end of the hallway that leads to the Clark County recorder's office and there she is, Frances Deane - hunched and half-smiling - frozen and mounted in a framed head shot next to a window decal promising, "Celebrate the Customer."

Editorial: War needs honest debate: On Tuesday Bush spent six hours in Baghdad, meeting with Iraq Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and his Cabinet and also with U.S. troops. It was a dramatic trip undertaken with no advance notice. It featured the president flying by daylight over dangerous Baghdad neighborhoods in an armed and heavily escorted helicopter, whose flight path was additionally protected by U.S. ground forces.

John Katsilometes on how bringing Miss America back for a second date in Vegas is proving to be a tough proposition: The site of the 2007 pageant to crown Miss America remains a mystery , but we do know that Las Vegas Events has dropped its attempt to be the pageant's title sponsor, LVE President Pat Christenson confirmed Thursday. For months, Christenson had been negotiating with the Miss America Organization to bring the pageant back to Las Vegas, where it enjoyed an action-packed week of pageantry in January.

TAKE FIVE: Jimmy Vasser: But Vasser, a 10-year resident of Las Vegas, admitted it hasn't been easy stepping out of the cockpit of the 750-horsepower race car that had been his "office" for the past 15 years. He established a Champ Car World Series record by making 211 consecutive starts, and he won 10 races and the 1996 championship.

Arts District has a forum to vent: But when Las Vegas Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian asked them Wednesday whether they believed that the city has failed to make progress in the Arts District, everyone fell silent.

Medicaid to expand for pregnant women: By July 1, hundreds more women are expected to qualify for expanded Medicaid prenatal care thanks to the program's eligibility standards being broadened, said Mike Willden, director of the state Health and Human Services Department.

Q+A: HERCULEZ GOMEZ: As the World Cup heated up this week, Herculez Gomez cooled down in an ice tub after a training session with the Los Angeles Galaxy. When Germany scored late to beat Poland, he yelled and the rest of the players in the locker room exploded.

Official quits over vets' home dispute: Dan O'Brien, manager of the board, resigned Thursday after meeting with Gov. Kenny Guinn, one day after a panel of arbitrators found that the board and its architects were responsible for the problems and delays in construction of the 188-bed home.

Growing community watches Brazil defend title: By Timothy Pratt; Inside, a compatriot told her that Brazilian Novelties, across town on West Charleston Boulevard, had more offerings from her homeland.

Editorial: 'Staggering' is appropriate word: The proposal to open a dangerous nuclear waste dump 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas has generated millions of complex documents, and it is vital to the state's future that it be defeated in the courts.

Better late than never: By Emily Richmond; Carmella Wood was 16 when she dropped out of high school to help support her family, eventually finding work in an airplane factory during World War II.

Jon Ralston on the latest polls and Titus' brushback e-mail: My guess is the last choice is the best because the turnout between the slugs/ignoramuses who start early voting on July 29 and those who wait until Election Day (Aug. 15) is so difficult to predict. Gibson surely has made progress, and he wants to show his TV spots are improving his name recognition. His campaign also implied that the numbers were the reason for an earlier Titus missive, "an unprovoked e-mail attacking the Gibson campaign ."

Letter: Road construction in Vegas is poorly timed: If my name was Bruce Woodbury I would ask that my name be removed from the "beltway." As I go from Aliante Parkway to Durango Drive and back each day, why are the lights timed such that I just get up to speed and then have to stop again?