Print edition for March 24, 2006

Jeff Haney recounts an earlier game between Sweet 16 opponents with a Vegas handicapper: "You maybe could have foreseen a rematch five weeks later - in the NIT," said Las Vegas sports handicapper Patrick Bartucci, who is picking George Mason to win again today and cover the two-point spread.

TAKE FIVE: AL UNSER JR.: Unser, a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 and a Henderson resident, announced this week that he would come out of retirement and compete in this year's Indy 500. If he qualifies, it will be Unser's 18th start at the Brickyard.

Letter: Compassion for a fellow animal lover: Because I'm an animal lover and I've had cancer, I know that Long, a sick and unemployed mother of two, does not need the stress of having to pay an outrageous fine, which she can't afford, for something no one can prove she did! The Health District needs to get a big dose of compassion!

Editorial: Selling out on privacy: On Thursday the Government Accountability Office released a report that says the Health and Human Services Department is not taking adequate measures to protect the medical and financial information gathered from Americans enrolled in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Suitcases won't be extra baggage much longer: As a tourist, you've probably faced this frustration before: The hotel check-out time is noon and your flight doesn't leave until 6 p.m. How do you a kill a few hours while you're schlepping suitcases around?

Letter: Gay activists share label of intolerance: Homosexual activism has been attacking any institution (including religious ones) that simply objects to the homosexual lifestyle. The Boy Scouts of America and the Massachusetts Catholic Charities are just two examples.

Feds back down on insurance assistance: CARSON CITY With an estimated 1 in 6 Nevadans without health insurance, the 2005 Legislature and Gov. Kenny Guinn agreed to significantly expand coverage for low-income residents.

Editorial: A dangerous combination: Last month, a year later, there were 779 minors charged with gun-related offenses - a 76 percent increase.

Jon Ralston on how Bob Beers will make himself heard in this race: Beers' campaign this week is touting a new Web ad that looks more to be a commercial for Tax and Spending Control for Nevada, the initiative he laid the groundwork for in Carson City. It depicts a special interest celebratory party in honor of Gibbons opposing TASC and at the end tells us what the spot is all about: "Stop the Madness. Bob Beers. The only interest group he's fighting for is Nevada."

Audit may answer questions: By Emily Richmond; Clark County educators are expecting vindication. Their critics in the Nevada Legislature are hoping for fresh ammunition. Either way, both sides say an unprecedented audit of the School District that began this week will help bridge a gap between facts and public perception.

Tom Gorman on an upcoming local symphony performance that is really one for the ages: But for reasons she has difficulty recalling today because of the passage of time, Maya left New Orleans for Las Vegas favoring classical music.

State looking into Briton's missing organs: David Kihara; The Nevada attorney general's office is now investigating the funeral home that allegedly lost Boorman's organs after it embalmed him.

ARTS NOTES Symphony of prayer for the living and the dead: Kristen Peterson; The society's annual spring concert is Sunday at UNLV's Artemus Ham Hall. It will present two requiems: Mozart's uncompleted Requiem and a Requiem done in 2001 by contemporary composer John Leavitt.

Yucca Johnny targets youngsters' hearts, minds: A federal government Web site hosted by an animated "Yucca Johnny" suggests that the waste must be stored somewhere. And for Yucca Johnny's druthers, that "somewhere" is about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, where the federal government wants to store 80,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste deep inside Yucca Mountain.

John Katsilometes relates a travel log that takes one frequent flier to such tourist destinations as Cedar Rapids and Sioux Falls: Other missives have been shipped from Portsmouth, N.H., and Rapid City, S.D.

Editorial: In need of sensitivity training: According to a Cox News Service story, the documents include such publications as the Defense Department's telephone directory, which until four years ago was sold openly in government bookstores. It has since been marked "For Official Use Only" and deemed too sensitive for the public's eyes.

EXCUSE THE INTERJECTION WHEN SUN COLUMNISTS COLLIDE: Should the World Baseball Classic become a regular event?

Letter: Impeachment would give America credibility: I recently watched Harpers Magazine's "Bush Impeachment Forum" on C-SPAN. It originally aired March 2. Among the panelists was John Dean, who has written the book "Worse Than Watergate." Also on the panel was Rep. John Conyers, who has proposed House Resolution 635. The committee formed through this resolution would have subpoena power to investigate criminal wrongdoings.