Print edition for November 3, 2006

Surveillance tapes shed dim light on parking garage incident: Sam Skolnik and Jeff German; After all the fuss, the parking garage surveillance tapes released Thursday yielded little more than dark and sometimes blurry images - and no sightings of either Jim Gibbons or Chrissy Mazzeo.

Wranglers owner knows the game: Rob Miech, Las Vegas Sun; Tickets: $12.50-$36.50; lasvegaswranglers.com

Editorial: Environment takes a hit: A recent story by Reuters news service says that a public opinion poll by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, shows that only about 3 percent of voters said that the environment was their top issue.

Creative lenders can reach Hispanic home buyers: By Timothy Pratt; At 24, Reina Sanchez could be considered an overachiever: She finished law school in her native country of Mexico, she's a mother of a 2-year-old boy, and eight months ago she and her husband, Alvaro, bought their first home.

Letter: Bush one who owes apology, not Kerry: With the number of U.S. killed fast approaching 3,000, thousands wounded, and countless Iraqis dead or dying, it is President Bush who owes not only the troops, but also every American who has been touched by this criminally misguided war, an apology. What neocon can tell us - with a straight face - what the attainable objectives are in the abject turmoil that is Iraq today? My guess would be few, if any.

Letter: It's deja vu all over again: Yogi Berra said, "This is like deja vu all over again." Most appropriate. Gas prices declined from $2.42 to $2.04 per gallon in the 44 days before the 2004 election. Gas prices nationally have dropped 82 cents a gallon from Aug. 11 to Oct. 20, with a national average of $2.20 a gallon. Despite all the economic rhetoric about inventory, driving season, etc., 30 percent of Americans attribute the recent fall to politics.

Integrity issues dominate campaigns for secretary of state: Michael J. Mishak; With only a few days remaining before Election Day, the two candidates running for Nevada secretary of state are locked in a bitter media ad campaign focused more on their past than on their visions for the future.

Letter: This voter not impressed by video peekaboo: On Nov. 1, a Review-Journal editorial thanked Judge Herndon for ordering the release of copies of parking garage unverified video (so-called evidence) to three attorneys. The editorial said, " in fact there's no reason for the police to withhold this evidence from the public " The editorial cited "the voting public's right to know "

TAKE FIVE: FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR. VS. CARLOS BALDOMIR: Principals: Floyd Mayweather Jr. (36-0, 24 KOs) vs. Carlos Baldomir (43-9-6, 13 KOs)

Jeff Haney on the horse to beat at the Breeders' Cup Classic if you are putting money on the long shots: Bernardini, who drew the favorable No. 3 starting position in the 1 1/4-mile Classic, will certainly have the support of the betting public on horse racing's biggest day.

Rural county seeks alternatives to landfill: WASHINGTON - Traveling on his campaign bus in Northern Nevada earlier this year, Rep. Jim Gibbons pointed to a silver mine and lamented a lost opportunity.

L.A. poet part of local lineup: Kristen Peterson, Las Vegas Sun; Beau Sia grew up a Chinese-American "nerd" in Oklahoma City perusing the "very limited" poetry sections at B. Dalton and Waldenbooks.

Literary event fused with First Friday: By Kristen Peterson; What: "Rotating Heads"

Big names rally supporters in final days: By J. Patrick Coolican; Democrats want to run the country, but they still have trouble organizing political events. A rally for Democratic candidates on Thursday, starring former President Bill Clinton, started more than an hour late as party faithful had to wait listening to cheesy rock songs and speeches from a number of second-tier candidates.

Editorial: Profound lack of judgment: There he is in March 2005, at a formal occasion during a Caribbean cruise, smiling away along with many other people. Included in the group is the owner of a small Reno software company called eTreppid, a man whom Gibbons, a Republican congressman from Nevada since 1996, has helped secure federal defense contracts worth millions.

Jon Ralston tells us what is really on those Friday the 13th videotapes: 7:45 p.m. - A woman who appears to be Dina Titus appears in the garage. She is yelling at someone on her cell phone. The conversation is unprintable. Titus furtively looks around and then pulls a black wig out of her car trunk and puts it on.

FLASHPOINT for Nov 03, 2006: They are the pair of 15 percent solutions. They will solve the election puzzle come Tuesday. The first 15 percenters are the state's registered independents. Because it appears that Democrats and Republicans are voting in their usual, proportional numbers so far, the 15 percent of nonpartisan voters should determine close races - especially governor and two congressional contests. The other 15 percenters are those who live in rural Nevada. That helps explain why President Bush was there Thursday - to energize a base that often turns out heavily for GOP candidates. Bush also was there because he isn't so popular ...

Perfect resume, imperfect skills: J. Patrick Coolican and Steve Kanigher; Rep. Jim Gibbons had just won a fifth term in Congress and was considering whether to run for governor of Nevada in early 2005 when he was interviewed for the "NBC Nightly News." It was prized TV real estate, rare national exposure for the Reno Republican.