Print edition for April 23, 2007

John Katsilometes bumps into George Maloof, who was laying low and browsing the gift shop before the grand opening of his Pearl Theater: He is the hotel owner.

Editorial: Clean energy on parade: A large solar energy project at Nellis Air Force Base that made news in Nevada a month ago made news in USA Today last week. "Air Force embraces solar power," the newspaper's headline read.

A snapshot of downtown's future, if dominoes fall right: The dreamed-of change to the city's skyline on and around Union Park is in the early stages and even its most ardent advocates acknowledge that it's a gamble. But then, what in Las Vegas isn't?

Connecting with hyphenated heritage: By Timothy Pratt; Jessie Moorehead never knows what box to check off on applications.

Police test his faith: By Sam Skolnik; Metro isn't the only police force that won't let its officers wear beards.

Letter: Bush does no justice to American history: The brave courageous men who declared independence from a despotic king more than two and a quarter centuries ago went on to win a decisive war and then write the great foundational document of our country. Knaves who practiced treachery in those days were done in, as it was said, sometimes by their own stupidity.

Letter: No constitutional right was denied Imus: Mr. Imus wasn't silenced by Congress or any branch of the government. He was tried and convicted by the court of public opinion. This is the same public that patronizes the sponsors of his show. Imus was fired for his racist, sexist comments, just like any other employee would be in a similar situation. Hopefully, we wouldn't allow our children to talk that way in the home either. These are just two examples of where the First Amendment right to free speech does not apply.

LOOKING IN ON: CLARK COUNTY: Freshman Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani raised eyebrows when she suggested during a recent meeting that the county planning commission be eliminated.

Now wear this: Some schools tighten up, some lighten up: By Emily Richmond; Zina Wangila woke up Friday morning, pulled on a pair of her favorite jeans and headed off to class at Mojave High School. By 11 a.m. she was on her way back home, having violated the school's dress code.

Letter: Many conservatives blind to truth in Iraq: They dismiss as leftist propaganda those reports on CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC, as well as in The New York Times and the Washington Post. In the conservative cocoon they have placed themselves in, the war is winnable if only we resolve to fight on, and those who want to set a time line after four years of futile fighting are traitors, and cut and runners, and want to wave the white flag.

Editorial: Thanks for the ticket: The officer may have saved your life, if not that day, then at some point in the future.

Jeff Haney scouts out the sports books with the best lines for those wishing to wager on baseball: A dime line ranks among the most favorable forms of sports wagering from a bettor's perspective, as it forces the casino to work on a thinner profit margin.

Editorial: Examining executives' pay: In response to outrage about exorbitant compensation received by some chief executives, the House has approved legislation that would let shareholders of publicly held companies cast advisory votes on executive pay packages.

Letter: School District will get what it pays for: Science, math, technology and other college majors are not going to endure four years of challenging curriculum to settle for a Clark County School District starting salary of $30,000. For example, beginning chemists, mathematicians, engineers and other college-trained professionals easily make three times as much in industry without dealing with the hassles of teaching in public schools.

Ron Kantowski on why Las Vegas should forget the NBA and build a new arena for special events: Of course, it's possible this sudden about face by The Association, as the hipsters at ESPN like to call it, is more complicated than that. But I doubt it.

FLASHPOINT for Apr 23, 2007: People have very strong feelings about John McCain, who was in town last week . There are many who will never vote for the Arizona senator for president because of his loyalty to the Bush administration on the surge in Iraq. McCain knows that goes against the country's grain and yet he persists - some might conclude he really believes it because the position is so politically perilous. So it should come as no surprise that McCain's verbiage while he was here on the subject of Yucca Mountain was analogous to what he is doing on Iraq. McCain essentially said: ...