Print edition for November 14, 2006

Election reminders everywhere: Michael J. Mishak; After the barrage of negative ads, phone calls and campaign mailers, most Nevadans are eager to kiss this political season goodbye.

Editorial: Regaining fragile ground: Environmentalists are hoping that the overwhelming wins by Democrats last week will result in a Congress that reverses the damage done by Republican-supported environmental policies.

Letter: Selfish tobacco fiends should stop whining: Like any addict, they will whine, obfuscate and rationalize their habit, even denying empirical evidence that smoking serves no useful purpose other than the declining health and death of its adherents. While factories and motor vehicles pollute, they are necessary for society; smoking is not.

Letter: Question 7 'no' voters deserve what they get: The illegal pot pushers were really sweating this one out, since it more than likely would have put them out of business. But, by saying no, voters should realize that they have actually voted for their business to continue "as is." Legal sales of this weed by the state would have replaced them with the same product at a fraction of what they are selling it for.

Web searches spin threads of hope: When her husband failed to come home in mid-October from a security job he said he had lined up in Florida, Tara Mulleneaux filed a missing persons report with Metro Police. But she knew she had to do more.

Summary Box: Big crowds expected at Pa. casino opening: AP; EXPECT DELAYS: About the only sure bet is that traffic will be heavy. Casino officials say they expect thousands to show up, and will turn away gamblers if the building reaches its 5,000 capacity.

LOOKING IN ON: GAMING: By Liz Benston; Shares of Harrah's Entertainment rose nearly 14 percent after news that two private equity firms sought to take the company private for $81 per share. More than a month later, Harrah's stock is still trading around $75 per share - well below the company's more recent counteroffer of $85 per share.

LOOKING IN ON: EDUCATION: By Emily Richmond; Two School Board members, incumbent Terri Janison and the newly elected Carolyn Edwards, say they want Clark County to have a stronger presence in Carson City during the upcoming legislative session.

Brian Greenspun on the overreaction to his election column: OK, OK, I give up. Almost.

Airport contractor lands McCarran chief: By Tony Cook; Airport boss Randy Walker's new job will likely keep him involved with the airport he has managed for nine years, working for a company that has received contracts at McCarran International Airport and that already is expected to bid on a new airport planned in the Ivanpah Valley.

Editorial: Right woman for the job: Chan, the first Chinese national to head a major U.N. agency, was Hong Kong's director of health during the initial outbreaks of avian flu, in 1997, and SARS, in 2003. She won plaudits for her handling of those health crises as she actively worked to inform the public, worked quickly to suppress the spread of the viruses and, according to the Washington Post, battled with officials in Beijing and urged them to be more forthcoming.

Letter: R-J's Frederick has problems with the truth: Sherman trying to explain journalism to Brian Greenspun or any of the Greenspuns is analogous to Tom DeLay explaining morality to the pope. He rails against the Las Vegas Sun for smearing Jon Porter and Jim Gibbons but produces no evidence to support his charges. It is Sherman who is the smearer. What a surprise!

John Katsilometes is No. 1 with a bullet with news of Ted Nugent's distinctive new guitar, designed by Ed Roman: So he asked Las Vegas guitar manufacturer Ed Roman to build a one-of-a-kind six-string electric that seems fairly pedestrian at first glance, but is in fact also home to a high-caliber derringer (exclamation point!).

Q+A: MATT HAIMOVITZ: What: Las Vegas Philharmonic's "Masterworks II" featuring guest conductor David Itkin and cellist Matt Haimovitz

Editorial: Growing old happily: According to a Las Vegas Sun story Monday by reporter Christina Littlefield, the UNLV Cannon Survey Center asked 2,626 Nevadans age 50 and older about their overall lifestyle habits and also about health care, transportation, economic concerns, crime and social networks.

Hawaii, Vegas form tight bond: Ron Kantowski, Jeff Haney and Brian Hilderbrand, Las Vegas Sun; Click here for a printable graphic.

Letter: Gibbons in debt to casino operators: With the financial support of the likes of Station Casinos, Sheldon Adelson of The Venetian and Terry Lanni of MGM/Mirage, how can one lose? Also, one can only wonder what kind of "favors" may be extended to the casino industry by the new governor, Jim Gibbons.

FLASHPOINT for Nov 14, 2006: No one has really focused on this yet but the fact that the new governor is from the dreaded North is going to become more apparent. Reno's Jim Gibbons has announced the core of his leadership team and they are all Northerners - Chief of Staff Mike Dayton used to work for Bill Raggio, Deputy Chief of Staff Dianne Cornwall used to be a Washoe County commissioner and Press Secretary Brent Boynton used to work for Reno TV. What's more, two of the new governor's top advisers, Scott Craigie and Jim Denton, are northerners, too. I guess we have to ...