Print edition for November 9, 2006

Music with a homey touch: By Kristen Peterson; Jeri and Rick Crawford moved into a sprawling house in March with giant windows and references to the design style of Frank Lloyd Wright.

A more stirred political mix: J. Patrick Coolican, Las Vegas Sun; After the 2002 election, there was no question who the winners and losers were and where things stood.

Harry Reid: Hometown boy makes good: By Ed Koch; SEARCHLIGHT - They're still talking about that day 12 years ago when Harry Reid, the local boy who became a member of the United States Senate, addressed the student body of the town's elementary school that bears his name.

Police question Mazzeo's friend investigation story: Jeff German and Sam Skolnik; Metro Police interviewed a central figure last week in the alleged assault case involving Governor-elect Jim Gibbons.

Editorial: Voters motivated by Iraq: Bush announced the long overdue resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and said he was looking forward to hearing recommendations "on a way forward" by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group. He also said he would actively seek to find common ground with Democrats.

Ron Kantowski on the return to the Glory Days of championship basketball as UNLV brings back the legends of its program: More than 30 former Rebels huffed and puffed and one of them, Warren Rosegreen, nearly brought the house down - as well as the rims - with two tomahawk dunks that would have done Jay Silverheels proud. Those were the highlights of the first semiofficial UNLV Legends Alumni Game held before the Rebels' semiofficial season opener against Dixie State College on the night Greg Anthony's jersey was retired.

Letter: Accent not a reason to not vote for Titus: Stewart ignores the fact that Titus is a longtime resident, UNLV political science professor, state Senate minority leader and has her personal life together. This "foreign accent" attitude coming from a voter in Nevada, where the majority of people won't or can't pronounce the Spanish name of their state, Nevada or Yucca Valley properly, is a joke.

Dancing his way to power, Reid begins in jig time: WASHINGTON - Every night in the days leading up to the election, Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid flipped to the calendar on his BlackBerry and counted down another day. When an aide asked him Tuesday evening how it looked, he replied: "Pensive."

Letter: Conservative pundits just don't get it: Shortly after the announcement of the House takeover, CNN's Anderson Cooper asked James Carville a question. When Bill Bennett attempted to interrupt Carville's response, Carville turned to Bennett and said something to the effect: Pardon me for speaking while you're interrupting me, I haven't interrupted you all night.

FLASHPOINT for Nov 09, 2006: So the big news for Nevada is Sen. Harry Reid's likely ascension to majority leader and Sen. John Ensign's elevation to head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Reid's position makes him even more powerful and Ensign's, should he succeed, will set himself up for leadership someday. Dean Heller and Jon Porter will not have much relevance in the minority. But what about Rep. Shelley Berkley? She was re-elected to her fifth term and finally is in the majority. What does that mean for the state? She surely will head a subcommittee. But the money question is whether she will ...

Brian Greenspun on Tuesday's victories amid a judicial warning: That collective sigh of relief was not only expressed by the winners in Tuesday's elections but I would also think by the losers. And certainly by the voters. At least this long, ugly, wearing, tearing and assaulting 2006 campaign is over.

LOOKING IN ON: MOTOR SPORTS: Alex Haase has a big test Monday, but you won't find him with his nose buried in a book this weekend.

Anti-smoking measure poses tough decision for bar owners: By Marshall Allen, Liz Benston; 1975 Smoking is prohibited in public elevators, libraries and rooms during public meetings (but separate smoking areas can be provided).

Editorial: Bad plan gets worse: The penalty - an increase of 7 percent on their annual premiums - applies to those seniors who, in addition to being eligible to enroll last spring in Medicare Part D, were not at the time covered by any other insurance plan.

John Katsilometes on some of the plans Boggs McDonald may entertain for future: Sounding remarkably upbeat even in the face of a 28-point loss to Susan Brager in Tuesday's Clark County Commission F race, Boggs McDonald said Wednesday that she is keeping all of her options open once she vacates her seat on the board in January. "It's hard to say what will happen, you know?" Boggs McDonald said during a phone interview. "I have a couple of siblings in corporate America who might want to help their sis out."

Letter: Keep track of what Porter does for us: In the House, where most of its 435 members are lawyers, Jon Porter can't seem to cope with the wheeling and dealing, the trading of votes for favors, and the bonding with others to provide for their people, which is the normal activity there.