Print edition for August 18, 2007

Editorial: No butts about it: A story by the Las Vegas Sun last week reports that the Southern Nevada Health District will no longer issue dual permits that allowed some businesses to operate as non smoking restaurants during the day and as non food-serving bars where smoking is permitted at night.

Letter: Anti-smoking law is the law. Get it?: Do they ignore them and light up in restaurants, stores, public buildings and some beaches? Or do they obey them? And if they obey them, why do they obey them there and not here?

FLASHPOINT for Aug 18, 2007: What happens in Elko hasn't stayed in Elko since those wild-eyed comments candidate Jim Gibbons made a couple of years ago. But Nevada's new center of the political universe is getting plenty of attention again, thanks to the parade of presidential contenders traipsing through . And not just Republicans (Mitt Romney) but Democrats (Barack Obama)! And now a tale of a presidential campaign staffer who lives in Elko working in a brothel and wanted on felony charges is getting national play after Bill Richardson fired the man. The Elko Democratic Party is standing by its man, defending the staffer in ...

Letter: In the end, we won't have Iraq as a friend: Iraq is now dominated by members of a Shiite government who are closely allied with their Shiite brothers in Iran. The Sunnis, who m we have deposed , despise America and support the insurgency. Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi army and 2 million residents of Sadr City want America out of Iraq.

Letter: Money Mexico wants has good uses here: Some of our fearless politicians agree with Mexico, because we're the best customer the drug lords of Mexico have. That statement is so true.

Wrong impression, wrong invitation: J. Patrick Coolican, Las Vegas Sun; The worst part about clerical errors is that they always seem to come at the most inopportune times. Recently, when Congress was investigating whether the White House had fired U.S. attorneys to protect its Republican friends and punish Democratic enemies, millions of White House e - mails went missing. Sundry clerical errors were blamed when $9 billion in American cash disappeared in Iraq.

Tackle with a woman's touch: Ron Kantowski, Photos by Leila Navidi; Click here for a printable graphic.

Editorial: West's influence waning?: Several news outlets reported Edwards' decision on Wednesday. And it was just the sort of action that, as an Aug. 10 Las Vegas Sun editorial predicted, was bound to happen as a result of what has become a free-for-all on the part of states that are scrambling to be among the first to conduct presidential primaries.

NLV pushes too hard as it tries to pull itself up: Mike Trask and Emily Richmond; NLV pushes too hard as it tries to pull itself up

Rogers' allies send a message as they leave him unfettered: The more some university system regents try to handcuff Chancellor Jim Rogers, the more he continues to solidify his position of authority with the board majority. On Friday, Rogers stared down one of the regents to make his point.

Editorial: Goodbye, Scooter: As Rizzuto would recount, Stengel told him, "Look, kid, this game's not for you. You're too small. The only way you can make a living is by getting a shoeshine box."

Downtown casinos feel heat as Culinary opens talks: Michael J. Mishak; Let's get ready to rumble.

Health sciences gets 'superstar': By Christina Littlefield; RENO - Chancellor Jim Rogers' pet project, the health science system, has been transferred in to the hands of a new handler, with regents approving a $415,000 contract for an executive vice chancellor of health sciences.