Print edition for June 30, 2006

Lake Las Vegas breathes easier; no explosives: The developer had sought a permit from the city on behalf of Donner Drilling & Blasting, a contractor that is clearing hillsides of rock to accommodate home construction. Donner wanted to store explosives nearby rather than truck them to the job site from elsewhere.

Sky-high condos to leave neighbors in shadows: Dan Kulin; The latest suburban high-rise proposal comes attached to plans for the Great Mall of Las Vegas - a long-discussed project from Triple Five, the developers behind Boca Park in Summerlin, the Mall of America in Minneapolis, and the largest mall in the world, the West Edmonton Mall in Canada.

District erases aid to help teachers find homes: By Emily Richmond; "We need bus drivers and food service workers more than we need to help a handful of teachers get home loans right now," said Clark County Schools Superintendent Walt Rulffes. "I want us to focus on raising teacher salaries so they can spend the money any way they want, instead of us telling them what they can do with it."

Camp helps military kids cope: And what they talked about, Jessica says, was everything but the war in Iraq. It was one way she lessened the psychological and emotional burden of dealing with her dad's deployment.

John Katsilometes on how the state Republican Party decided the media was not welcome at its 150th anniversary party in Reno: Going down, swinging, was the free press.

Letter: Roosevelt's words ring true in support of Bush: It reads in part: "... It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

Letter: Enough is enough; time to leave Iraq: What in God's name is it going to take to convince the American people that enough is enough? We have over 2,500 GIs dead, thousands seriously wounded and disabled, and God knows how many Iraqis are dead.

Jeff Haney tunes out the Stardust Line for the last time: Looking back, Boston described himself as a cross between a young, aspiring professional gambler and a "lost soul" who found some nourishment in a program devoted to sports betting.

The finer points of darts: When Phil Taylor first entered dart tournaments, upgrading the cutlery or bedsheets served as incentive. Advance another round, and maybe he could afford to take the family on a little holiday.

Letter: Another way to look at 'cut and run': Yes, I am an advocate of "cut and run." I'd like to see the United States drastically cut the number of young men and women killed and maimed in Iraq. I'd like to cut the billions of dollars of taxpayer dollars wasted there. And, I'd like to cut the crap I hear every day from the Bush apologists, super patriots and Fox News' army of right-wing spin doctors.

Editorial: Wildfires blazing in West: These courageous individuals already have been dispatched throughout the West in what National Interagency Fire Center officials told National Geographic magazine is expected to be one of the worst wildfire years on record. The 56,645 fires reported since January have scorched 3.6 million acres. That's more than three times the national average.

Editorial: High court humbles Bush: In lecturing The Times, and with some Republican members of Congress even threatening to bring charges against editors and reporters, Bush is furthering his argument that he should have virtually unlimited powers when it comes to prosecuting the war, whether here in this country or abroad.

Jon Ralston gauges the state political climate that by November looks to be too hot even for a survivor like Republican Sen. Sandra Tiffany to survive: Tiffany, a Republican, is a fearsome campaigner and committed fiscal conservative whose effectiveness has been vitiated over the years by her unmatched ability (please, no nominations of alternatives) to alienate colleagues and special interests. No one has ever written or spoken phrases such as "the beloved Sandra Tiffany" or "that wonderful Sandra Tiffany." Most of the appellations are unmentionable, although one post-session evaluator a few sessions back labeled her the "Queen of Mean."

Looking in on: suburbs: Lake Las Vegas, the luxury community in Henderson, will lose its distinction Saturday of having exclusive use of its 89011 ZIP code, and some residents aren't too happy about it.

looking in on: wimbledon: James Borg; Wimbledon continues to buzz over the Andre Agassi farewell show.

Editorial: Watch your language: But, according to a recent story by the Las Vegas Sun, such contracts are not always available, forcing some Spanish-speaking residents into signing paperwork in English. As a result, they may not always know exactly what kind of car deal they are getting - violating the spirit of the 2005 law, if not the letter of it.

Arts Notes: There isn't even a sketch for the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, but already there seems to be a clash between the architect and the state.