Print edition for October 15, 2006

Letter: Discipline needed to curb violence: When I was a boy (in the '20s and '30s), there was no youth violence. It was not because we didn't have guns. We had access to many other dangerous weapons. Almost every boy had a slingshot and a pocket knife. We also had bows and arrows (with sharp points, not rubber cups), BB guns, baseball bats and golf clubs. Some of them, such as slingshots and pocket knives, were often taken to school but never used there to hurt others. Why not? Because we knew better.

Life's a gamble: R. Marsh Starks, Las Vegas Sun; - At the Intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street -

FLASHPOINT for Oct 15, 2006: In the 3rd Congressional District, the candidates are hav- ing the debate everyone wanted to hear: Who has the most tainted money? The Republicans leaped to attach Tessa Hafen to the Harry Reid land deal story. Hafen should immediately return the $10,000 Reid gave her because of the questions raised about the senator's land transaction, the Republicans cried. Presumed guilty - an elemental political law. Hafen turned around and demanded Rep. Jon Porter return all of Tom DeLay's tainted money. Hafen would have loved to call on Porter to return Rep. Bob Ney's money after the Ohio congressman pleaded guilty ...

Health care gamble: By Marshall Allen; About 40 retired cops are swigging beers in the upstairs room of Big Dog's, a tavern that smells of cigars.

When Vegas hotels upgrade ... Florals, beige tones yield to whites, grays: Liz Benston; They were known for their whimsical themes, floral bedspreads, garish wallpaper and big, wooden furniture.

When Vegas hotels upgrade ... New operators must make call on future: By Liz Benston; The iconic property was a marketing milestone but only marginally profitable - breaking even on expensive rock acts and cashing in as much on top-shelf alcohol as on slot machines. Strip casinos with bigger pockets adopted the strategy for themselves and are now spending millions on swank nightclubs and other late-night venues to capture an audience the Hard Rock previously had to itself.

Editorial: Shelley Berkley has served us well, and should be trusted to continue: On foreign policy, she has been something of a hawk. She believes the nation shouldn't immediately leave Iraq, as some Democrats do, but she does say there is a need for a new direction. On domestic issues, she has been tireless in trying to secure more benefits for veterans and improving homeland security.

3rd District race considered a 'toss-up' by Beltway expert: Nevada's 3rd Congressional District race is shaping up to be more competitive than originally thought.

Exit polling at center of state, national debate: Sam Skolnik; For years, pollsters across the country have hovered outside election-day polling places, peppering voters with questions like, "Who did you vote for?" and "What issues are most important to you?"

Questions 8, 10, 11 could hit taxpayers in wallets: Question 8 on next month's ballot offers Nevadans a chance to save some money when they trade in used vehicles, with this catch: If voters don't approve the tax cut, some effectively will be hit with a tax increase.

Hal Rothman on how Las Vegas has remained one step ahead of the competition in the entertainment game: Las Vegas has been hip before. A moment of illusory sophistication accompanied the city's modern birth. Las Vegas entertainment began as center stage, with Jimmy Durante opening the Flamingo in 1946, Frank Sinatra's arrival at the Sands in 1952, and the interracial Moulin Rouge's brief moment at the pinnacle of afterhours cool in 1955. It peaked in the early 1960s with the Rat Pack and Louis Prima.

John Katsilometes takes in a fine show by Liza Minnelli, whose ride down memory lane started on the Strip: The audience at the Luxor Theatre on Friday laughed with Minnelli as she continued, "We were staying out at a ranch ... the place is probably a shopping mall now, and I snuck out and got into a station wagon and started driving it! I light a cigarette, I'm 13, I'm smoking and I'm driving down the Strip and I think I'm hot you-know-what."

Letter: Congress misses the bigger issue: The last time the Republicans had this kind of control was during the Roaring '20s, and in October of 1929 they gave us the Great Depression.

Letter: Online gambling bill strikes at a hobby: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist introduced the ban as a rider on a port security bill, one which he knew it would be difficult to vote against. He also introduced the bill at the 11th hour, when Congress was tired and people wanted to go home for their election campaigning. He obviously had a personal agenda - he knew he would have had a hard time passing the legislation on its own merit.

On the Internet, sexy Melissa could be a Crook: Kevin Murphy thought he was exchanging e-mails with a slender brunette named Melissa.

Jon Ralston on the conspicuous timing of two controversial land deals that inspire public suspicion of Vegas politicians: Harry Reid already got his - and he made hundreds of thousands of dollars thanks to the actions of his old friend, Jay Brown, and the Clark County Commission. Bill Walters isn't going to get his - at least not this time - after the attorney general, joining a loud chorus, said it was terrible for taxpayers.

Editorial: Hafen, Berkley, Derby are right choices for Nevada: Porter initially voted for the measure, but that didn't last long. The Republican leadership, which feared that the Democrats would get political credit for sponsoring the measure, leaned on Porter to switch his vote. Porter, a few minutes later, meekly went along and changed his vote.

Far right targets Justice Becker: Candidates for the Nevada Supreme Court, like those for other offices throughout the state, could not officially enter the race until last May.

Editorial: Jill Derby has the backbone the state needs in its Representatives: For starters, Derby, a fourth-generation Nevadan who grew up on a ranch, has deep ties to rural Nevada. She understands the concerns of the residents of the expansive district that covers most of Nevada. Derby is fiscally conservative, criticizing the Republicans for running up huge deficits and foolishly passing off this debt to future generations.

Jeff Simpson on the importance of employment diversity in the casino industry: I talked with Loveman before Thursday's diversity breakfast at a joint meeting of the Urban, Latin and Asian chambers of commerce at the MGM Grand. When I asked him why his company didn't publicly release the numbers, Loveman said that the company does disclose its diversity numbers for employment, construction spending and purchasing, but only to state regulators.