Print edition for September 15, 2006

Jeff Haney on values to be had by betting on heavy underdogs in NFL games as sports books overreact to the success favorites enjoyed last season: This is one of those weeks, Las Vegas handicapper Patrick Bartucci said.

Jon Ralston on Machiavellian politics in Nevada: Whatever line ever existed between right and wrong, good and evil - and I have written before about how tactics were much worse in previous centuries - has disappeared. It's not that nothing is sacred but that everything is fair game.

FLASHPOINT for Sep 15, 2006: Bob is opening his doors. Jim is thrilled. Everyone is invit- ed to watch. Yes, if you are doing nothing else Saturday - and I mean, nothing else - watch Bob Beers turn over the keys to his campaign office to his new best friend, Jim Gibbons. There will be a ribbon-cutting. And lots of pasted-on smiles. And scintillating quotes, too. What a photo op: Beers, the new chairman of the state GOP campaign, turning over the keys to his office at Alta and Decatur to the man he now wants to elect as governor after spending a year trying ...

Workers to file suit over unpaid overtime: By Timothy Pratt; Norma Angelica Uribe Diaz came to Las Vegas a year ago from Nayarit, Mexico, and made the switch from promoting lunch meats to house-painting.

Ron Kantowski visits Clark High School, where the football team has lost 34 consecutive games: "Have you seen Coach Willis?" the receptionist says to the person who has picked up the phone in the teachers' lounge. "Willis," she says again, sounding slightly perturbed. "W-I-L-L-I-S."

Letter: Economy looks bad for the working class: We hear out of the White House about the booming economy, but Mr. Krugman brought into focus the growing inequality between the haves and the have-nots. Instead of the irrelevant statistics and a lot of grand rhetoric used to support the image of the "Bush Boom," Mr. Krugman has brought the numbers into terms relating to the average worker struggling to make ends meet.

'Fear Factor' or great PR?: Is it a public relations gimmick worthy of other legendary Las Vegas publicity stunts: Knock a nude girl out of bed; the floating craps table; or Zsa Zsa's black eye?

Letter: Pipeline would speed deterioration of state: The impetus behind this project is to promote growth in Southern Nevada. Translation: more traffic, more overcrowded schools and irreversible damage to our environment. And that's not even the worst part about it. We may suffer from the negative impact of this pipeline for years after the water stops flowing.

Editorial: Just the facts on Iran: We say this because the House Intelligence Committee last month hurriedly released a report containing allegations about Iran's nuclear capabilities. The report was released by the committee's Republican members before it was reviewed by the full committee.

County last in urban areas for toddler vaccinations: By Marshall Allen; Nearly a third of Clark County's children between 19 months and 35 months old are not vaccinated at recommended levels - lower than any urban area in the nation, according to a report released Thursday by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Letter: Policies portend scientific regression: A ferocious assault is being advanced against basic science integrity in this country. Despite professing respect for "sound science," the Bush administration has continually supported quasi-science as part of its effort to advance a political and religious driven agenda.

Q+A: Greg Maddux: Rob Miech, Las Vegas Sun; Las Vegas native Greg Maddux did not want to admit it, but he pitches better in September games that matter. He has more concentration, and preparation and rest become higher priorities.

Editorial: Sold to highest bidder: According to a story by the Las Vegas Sun on Thursday, a $500,000 donation buys the right to place one's name on the school bookstore at campuses such as the new Virtual High School. A $250,000 check puts the donor's name on the media library.

Editorial: Nation's honor is at stake: On Thursday four Republicans joined Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee to pass a bill that Bush opposes, one that requires adherence to the Geneva Conventions in respect to the treatment of people detained as part of the war on terror.

A home on the range where developers can play: A large coalition of environmental groups is challenging legislation by Nevada's two U.S. senators that would create almost 550,000 acres of wilderness in White Pine County but allow private development on other federal land.