Print edition for October 8, 2006

How would Jesus vote?: By Christina Littlefield; In 2004 Las Vegas insurance salesman Michael Alires was a hard-core, "I love Clinton" Democrat. Then he discovered Jesus.

Analysis: Ban is more politics than poker: Liz Benston; In Las Vegas, home to poker pros and businesses that cater to the offshore operators of Web casinos, players had grown complacent with their view that poker is a game of skill that isn't subject to U.S. gambling laws that address games of luck. Others say online poker is legal - or that if it isn't explicitly legal, it's not made illegal under the federal Wire Act, which was a law designed to outlaw Mafia-run sports betting telephone operations that predate the Internet.

Former state treasurer Seale tied to contracts: Jeff German and Steve Kanigher; An Atlanta management investment firm with close ties to former Nevada Treasurer Bob Seale over the past eight years has received competitive contracts to oversee a significant portion of the state's $3.5 billion investment portfolio, records show.

Hal Rothman proposes a super regional water authority composed of members from rural Nevada and Clark County to best represent the interests of all sides: A process is under way, beneath the radar of most of the public. For almost 20 years, a gradual shift has been ongoing: Water that was historically used for agriculture and ranching is increasingly going to Western cities.

Letter: Suggestions for teen violence on the money: First and most important on my mind is the letter written by Ricky Kendall headlined, "Suggestions to curb gang violence in schools." I wish I could somehow congratulate him on his way of thinking, even if his methods are not accepted in their entirety or at all, but the main thing is that we should all agree that some actions should be taken to solve the problem of gang violence and discipline by some young people.

Editorial: It took a village to kill this child: He was a ward of the state. His foster mother was arrested Thursday by Metro Police, accused of murder.

Letter: Iraq war did not create terrorism: Currently, it makes no difference whether we were right or wrong to go into Iraq - we are now there. The enemy is worldwide Islamic terrorism, and its center today is Iraq. If we were to leave Iraq, would al-Qaida and other groups allied with it stop their attacks on Americans? You would be wrong to think so!

Doctor is in, for a price: Las Vegas Sun reporter Marshall Allen wrote last week about a patient who woke up feeling lousy. He called his primary care doctor at 9 a.m. and was being treated before noon.

Letter: Democrats not to blame for Bush's failures: Why is it that the Republicans want to blame everything that has happened in the last six years on the Democrats when the Republicans are the party that is in power? The Democrats didn't start the war with Iraq - Bush did!

Jon Ralston, upon reading a 160-page report on deals made between Bill Walters and Las Vegas, has to wonder ...: I have referred to developer/gambler Bill Walters as the eighth councilman. And after reading this 160-page report on deals he made with the city, I owe him an apology. That was an insult.

INSIDE THE CAMPAIGN: Michael J. Mishak; Jill Derby and Dean Heller both talk tough on national issues.

GOP exec quits over e-mail on 'invasion': J. Patrick Coolican and Timothy Pratt; A Nevada Republican Party official resigned Thursday amid a Hispanic Republican backlash on the heels of an embarrassing e-mail sent out by the party.

Letter: Nevada short on doctors of all kinds: Earlier last week a report from the American Academy of Family Physicians revealed that there aren't enough family doctors in Nevada. The shortage of primary physicians and specialists is one of the major reasons why our state ranks so poorly in terms of death from diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Editorial: Did Congress do anything?: The bill deals only with a fence, and not the comprehensive solution that President Bush and many Democrats in the House and Senate have been wanting the Republican leadership to produce.

FLASHPOINT for Oct 08, 2006: What goes around comes around in politics and life. Before the turn of the millennium, Rick Rizzolo was trying to block Sig Rogich from erecting a topless bar on Industrial Road where his old ad company offices resided. So he got some help from his pal on the council, Michael McDonald. And then, out of the blue, a church sprang up nearby, thus preventing Rogich from having a strip joint there. That is, until it became clear the club was set up by Rizzolo's sister. Now, fast forward and Rizzolo is trying to sell the Crazy Horse Too. And suddenly ...

Jack Sheehan on making the 'weird and wonderful' Las Vegas his home: My kids didn't have a choice about living in Las Vegas. The place of their birth was merely the hand that fate dealt them, and thus they don't yet have a grip on how weird and wonderful our city is in the context of all cities in the world.

Jeff Simpson on Harrah's Entertainment buyout offer and the draw of online poker: My best guess - and this is pure speculation - is that Harrah's Chief Executive Gary Loveman is much more upbeat than Wall Street and investors have been about the potential of major development plans in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.