Print edition for August 5, 2007

Context deflates manager's salary: We're going to start off with a quiz, but to make it simpler, we'll make it multiple choice.

Letter: Making the case for finesse, not brutality: While not offering complete protection, headgear would reduce the impact of a head blow and also help reduce the number of head shots since a killer knockout would be less likely.

Editorial: Overtime is out of control: Even though this is an almost inconceivable amount to pay for work above and beyond regular hours, there is little being done about it, especially in Las Vegas and North Las Vegas.

LOOKING IN ON: TOURISM: Frequent-flier programs, those plans that drive us to be loyal to one airline or another, are staples of the industry that pretty much work the same way: Fly with us regularly and we'll give you a free trip someday.

Jeff Simpson explains why you should be reading In Business Las Vegas: The subject may be worthwhile to you, too, if you are a business owner or executive, or a professional, or want to know what is going on in the valley's dynamic business community.

Editorial: Fixes long overdue: A Federal Highway Administration report released at the end of 2006 shows that more than 77,796 of the nearly 600,000 bridges across the nation were "structurally deficient" - a term that doesn't necessarily mean a bridge is in danger of falling down. Structurally deficient also includes spans that need significant maintenance, are marked for replacement or carry weight restrictions.

Reid has plan to leave coal in the dust: By Lisa Mascaro, Phoebe Sweet; In the week since Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he would do everything he could to block three proposed coal-fired power plants in Nevada, this much can be said:

Elders deepen tragedy of state's suicide rate: Marshall Allen and Alex Richards; The suicide rate among elderly Nevadans is nearly three times the national average, according to a Sun analysis of government mortality figures - a statistic that raises more speculation and questions than answers.

LOOKING IN ON: CITY HALL: There are times when you wonder, either downtown Las Vegas is getting friendlier, or maybe a weight is lifted simply by the fact that you no longer have to walk under the electrified canopy of the Fremont Street Experience to find life.

Developer thinks outside the wooden box: By Phoebe Sweet; Strong enough to withstand a hurricane. Sturdy enough to last through a wildfire. And energy efficient enough to cut your electric bill by 80 percent.

Jon Ralston on why Nevada politicians have a different outlook on ethics than regular folks: "It is hereby declared to be the public policy of this State that:

A Moment Captured: Tiffany Brown; Mitchell Taylor, 11, left, and Moriah Dubowsky, 9, practice walking on balls at the second annual Sandou Circus Camp.

Jack Sheehan tells how he and the youngsters in his charge were entertained at a basketball game in the Thomas & Mack that exceeded his expectations: The occasion was a full-on scrimmage between contending members of the U.S. Olympic basketball team, and for once I had wisely acquired my tickets the first day they became available , more than a month before. We weren't front row, but we weren't in Bob Uecker's seats either. From our center-court location we were close enough to spit and hit the court, and all three kids let me know I'd done good.

Growing partisanship frays key relationship: J. Patrick Coolican, Las Vegas Sun; ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS MORRIS

Editorial: UNLV earns high praise: Delaney researched graduate-level writing programs at colleges and universities across the country. Christina Littlefield, the Las Vegas Sun's higher education reporter, wrote in a story for Thursday's paper that Delaney had not given any thought to UNLV's programs before beginning his research.

FLASHPOINT for Aug 05, 2007: Gov. Jim Gibbons has a gift. For irony, that is. He told the Lahanton Valley Times last week that he had no regrets since taking offi ce. Really? He doesnt regret misleading the public about that secret-swearing in, saying it was for a seamless transition to swear in a terrorism czar (who proved to be a disaster) and then showing it really was a political ploy to oust an appointee of the previous governor? He doesnt regret not studying up on empowerment so he knew what it was when he proposed it? He didnt regret doing Gondolier Numero Uno Sheldon ...

Harry Reid on putting America's best interests into focus: The attacks our country suffered on Sept. 11, 2001, were a tragic reminder of the grave challenges and growing threats we face every day.

Letter: Mistrust of religious factions not surprising: How extraordinary is our thinking. Here we have religious factions that have been at each other's throats for ... 1,500 years? And we underestimated this? Yet Americans are supposed to trust the "intelligence" that runs this war?

WEEK IN REVIEW: WASHINGTON, D.C.: WASHINGTON - The same way a Las Vegas casino can play tricks on your sense of time as faux daylight and nightfall course through a nice meal, so too can Washington dupe you into thinking the 2008 election is happening in 2007.