Print edition for April 2, 2007

Jeff Haney on why the Florida Gators should win and will most likely cover the spread in the NCAA national championship game: Florida is favored by 5 points against Ohio State, a fellow No. 1 seed, in most Las Vegas sports books - even though the Gators were favored by only 3 points against No. 2 seed UCLA on Saturday.

FLASHPOINT for Apr 02, 2007: Jon Ralston ralston@vegas.com; Are we living in our own version of "The Wizard of Oz?" And in this iteration, where does the Yellow Brick Road lead? We have our Dorothy - first lady Dawn Gibbons - the good-hearted but slightly lost ingenue who may have more savvy than we think. Or at least enough to set up a consulting company and rake in money from her husband's political activities. And then we have one person auditioning to play the roles of the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion - Gov. Jim Gibbons. He seems to be displaying all the requisite characteristics so far. ...

Family Court makes pitch for a few more judges: Sam Skolnik; The need for more Clark County Family Court judges couldn't be clearer, the court's presiding judge says.

LOOKING IN ON: TOURISM: When NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon in a spacecraft dubbed the Eagle, television pictures were broadcast to millions of people watching on Earth.

Editorial: Lending advice or money?: Recent stories by The New York Times and Business Week magazine report that an increasing number of higher education institutions are farming out routine financial aid queries to loan companies that, quite frankly, have a lot to gain. One company, Nelnet, has contracts with at least 10 universities to answer student financial aid questions and made more than $68 million from student loans last year, the Times reports.

Letter: Congress has more pressing matters at hand: I disagree. Congress has more important things to do. There are 535 people in Congress representing more than 300 million people. Although the death of Pat Tillman was tragic, a tremendous amount of time and resources have been expended in military and Pentagon investigations about his "friendly-fire" death, and people have been disciplined. Enough! Let's put it to bed.

John Katsilometes on how George Wallace aligned the stars to coerce one big star to perform at Flamingo Las Vegas: "April Fools! Sly Stone showed up!" Wallace said with a loud laugh on Sunday, which was not just April Fools' Day but a day after Wallace beat the odds by booking the latest version of Sly and The Family Stone for a performance at the Flamingo Las Vegas Showroom. The one-out performance followed Wallace's usual 10 p.m. (or in this case, 10:30 p.m.) stand-up act at before a packed house of about 500.

Education power struggle: Governor or state board: By Emily Richmond; For the past two years, state Board of Education members have loudly complained that there are too many committees, commissions and councils muddling oversight of the K-12 system - and that more responsibility should be shifted back to them.

Editorial: Endangering a law: According to The New York Times, proposed changes to how the Fish and Wildlife Service administers the Endangered Species Act have been under consideration and revision since June. In addition to limiting federal wildlife agents' powers, the proposal would allow states to enforce some of the Endangered Species Act's protections.

Letter: City, county planners always catching up: The noise has substantially increased (more flights) over the past few years. I chalk it up to Las Vegas Valley and Strip growth. In addition, we also get the tour helicopter inbound noise - it sounds like a sound segment from "MASH" some days.

Ron Kantowski rushes in on a pair of tournaments few would confuse with athletics - foosball and air hockey: But a trip Saturday to the Riviera convinced me I'm getting a little closer.

LOOKING IN ON: ENTERTAINMENT: Jerry Fink, Las Vegas Sun; Canadian crooner Matt Dusk gained national recognition in 2004 when he starred in the realty TV series "The Casino," which was taped at the Golden Nugget and aired on the Fox Network.

Neonopolis may get a new boss: Las Vegas has begun discussions about turning over the troubled Neonopolis project downtown to the group responsible for bringing the Fashion Show mall, a local developer says.

Uneasy partnership: By Liz Benston; When is a person's character so questionable that he can tarnish an entire industry? And how much control can a Nevada regulator exert over someone who lives and works outside the state?

Editorial: Healing a system: Bush shook hands with soldiers and held their infant children, the Associated Press reported. He also vowed to "fix the problem" that allowed shoddy conditions, such as moldy walls and vermin infestation, to occur at Walter Reed's outpatient facility, and promised to untangle the bureaucratic web that allowed medical records - and even patients - to be lost or unaccounted for.

Letter: Don't forget, people are the government: Mr. Bilello states that if people choose to not wear seat belts and kill themselves, that's their right. That would be fine if they did die, but many don't. Many people don't die.