Print edition for March 31, 2006

Jon Ralston deciphers the agenda of the newly formed Council for a Better Nevada spin-off group: Indeed, some of the members realized that intimidation and threats might not be the right approach, and its public agent, Maureen Peckman, even announced the insular, elitist group would reach out to new Superintendent Walt Rulffes and others. Hence, a new group was formed, the treacly-named Community Alliance for the Reform of Education (CARE, get it?).

John Katsilometes listens in as longtime local performer Tina Walsh talks of her quest to join the cast of 'Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular': Wednesday's announcement of the cast for "Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular" was absent one familiar name: Tina Walsh. Walsh recently told podcaster Steve Friess on "The Strip," a weekly interview program at www.thestrippodcast.com, that she auditioned for the production and fell just short of being cast in the role of Madame Giry.

EXCUSE THE INTERJECTION: RON KANTOWSKI'S TAKE: I think the first time I knew Opening Day was special was when one of my high school buddies "borrowed" his sister's car so we could check out the Cubs and Expos at Wrigley Field. It meant we had to ditch school, but it was the one time my mom agreed to write a note to the school nurse that said I was home sick with Ernie Banks flu.

Perez's show hits 'em where they eat: Their only familiarity with Latino culture, it seemed, was through cooking.

Jeff Haney on why, for bettors, the big story is the line movement in the LSU-UCLA matchup: For gamblers, the biggest story might be the equally surprising point-spread move in Saturday's game between UCLA and LSU.

Getting life organ-ized: She had her own radio show at 16, then played two years at a church in Rome, had a concert career and did several gigs at various U.S. churches before going to medical school.

Letter: Students getting the shaft in France: As a student at Brigham Young University and a Las Vegas resident who will be a future contributor to the worldwide economy, this new law seems outrageous to me and goes against everything I hope my future holds. If the French government feels this new law is the answer to the 25 percent unemployment rates for citizens under the age of 26, they are gravely mistaken. This will completely dissolve work relationships between employers and French youth.

Letter: Plan needed to phase out illegal immigration: The House is absolutely correct when it says the No. 1 way to control illegal immigration is to go after the employer. It must be hard when businesses must wean themselves from an illegal activity that they fostered over an extended time period in order to profit at the expense of all American citizens.

Editorial: Sharing burdens of growth: According to a story in Wednesday's Las Vegas Sun, those who live in Paradise Hills are unhappy about the district's proposal to build an elementary school at the northeast corner of Paradise Hills Drive and Greenway Road. Residents fear that a school will further erode the area's views and create traffic that will ruin their peace and quiet.

Editorial: Zeroing in on steroid use: That changed Thursday. With "Game of Shadows," authored by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters, hitting the newsstands this week, Selig had plenty to say.

Letter: Sports leagues shouldn't worry about Vegas: Fifty-plus years ago pro athletes did not make the kind of money that is made by today's athletes. Players who could affect the outcomes of games make millions of dollars a year - they are not going to put that in jeopardy for what a street-corner bookie could pay them.

Editorial: Some good news from Iraq: Carroll, a freelance writer for the Christian Science Monitor, and her translator were abducted as they traveled to an interview with a Sunni Arab official. The kidnappers immediately killed the translator, then held Carroll captive for three months. They demanded that all female detainees in Iraq be released by Feb. 26 or Carroll would be killed.

First of 'new wave' condos to open: Jennifer Shubinski; In the beginning, Laurance Hallier was really only looking for a cool place to live.

Chicken fight settled without a scratch: Early this month, Arts District artist Sydney Waithe was hot under the collar over a confrontation that occurred during First Friday, an event held the first Friday each month in which artists and vendors sell arts, food and crafts on the Arts District's blocked-off streets.

Lawyer: Statements illegal: In a taped conversation, Craig Titus told Metro Police that his assistant, 28-year-old Melissa James, died of a drug overdose. Then he said he and his wife, Kelly Ryan, panicked.

Hughes wasn't a wacko, or was he?: CARSON CITY - The late billionaire Howard Hughes, who once owned six casinos in Las Vegas, was known as a recluse, shunning any public contact in his declining years.

Arroyo, D.J. who brought Latin rhythms to Vegas, dies: By Timothy Pratt; When you're from one of those places like, say, Cali, Colombia; Ponce, Puerto Rico; or even parts of the Bronx, N.Y., the daily soundtrack is salsa. When you move to a place like Las Vegas, one thing you notice is that the music is gone.

Tom Gorman tells readers how to politely call him names if they have a difference of opinion: I wondered aloud how paying a fellow to help with yard work is contributing to the nation's burgeoning immigration problem and, I'm now told, the downfall of our Republic as we know it.