Print edition for December 3, 2007

Editorial: What's bugging Lake Tahoe?: UNR biologists are studying aerator ants, which create intricate networks of tunnels and nests in the surrounding forest that pull water from rain and snow into the ground before it can run into the lake, dragging water-clouding soil and sediment with it.

UNION SPLIT OVER LEADER: By Tony Cook, J. Patrick Coolican; Union leaders commonly use the tactic against their foes.

Unions claim violations of cab drivers' 12-hour day: By Richard N. Velotta; Taxi industry regulators say they'll keep a close watch on driver trip sheets after two union representatives said some companies were allowing drivers to work more than 12 hours in violation of state law.

THE OPENING LINE: He's gone now, diabetes and pulmonary fibrosis having turned out to be a more formidable obstacle than 14 Greyhound buses or 11 Mack trucks lined up in a neat row between the ramps.

Downtown's Plaza fights for its name with upscale Strip resort: By Liz Benston; Owners of the famed Plaza Hotel in New York have run into a little problem opening a Las Vegas version of their Manhattan landmark. Las Vegas already has a Plaza Hotel, a downtown, down-market establishment that no one would mistake for the original.

Ron Kantowski considers what goes through the mind of a marathon runner: Only he never heard the roar of the crowd.

Letter: Cameras are no substitute for officers: There is also the issue of privacy of innocent people, even though some may say there is no privacy in public areas. The best way to fight to crime is still having officers on the streets. I always say there is no substitute for an actual officer on the street patrolling.

It's like voting, only a lot more complicated: J. Patrick Coolican and Michael J. Mishak; A group of four Democrats had gathered inside a tidy mobile home in Las Vegas last week to hear about something called a caucus.

Letter: Unqualified politicians making big decisions: (We use the word, abortion, of course, because "freedom of choice" sounds positive. We use the word war because we have thousands of our troops fighting and dying in Iraq who are wearing a uniform of the U.S. armed forces, while they are fighting against an enemy who wears no uniform or symbol that identifies him as either a civilian or an insurgent.)

LOOKING IN ON: CLARK COUNTY: Loyal readers will recall the Sun reported last week that Clark County District Attorney David Roger planned to meet with his deputies to discuss what's next with the Lacy Thomas case.

Editorial: Battling over immunity: The measure, designed to strengthen warrant requirements and court oversight of the federal government's domestic counterterrorism surveillance activity, is similar to legislation the House passed Nov. 15.

Sometimes both sides have winners: For every reaction, there is an equal and opposite reaction. That's a law of motion.

Letter: Nothing wrong with immigration process: Someone needs to explain to those seeking to be U.S. citizens that the road to citizenship is long and sometimes painful, but in the end it is worth it.

Editorial: Don't ask or tell: A series of stories by the New Jersey Star-Ledger in October quoted TSA employees who were fired after reporting such missteps as workers' failing to screen luggage for explosives before the luggage is loaded onto airplanes.

LOOKING IN ON: CITY HALL: The controversy over the 90 percent discount that the city of Las Vegas gave to an out-of-state affordable housing developer that did not have to compete for a 15.25-acre parcel of land worth $14.5 million comes as Clark County has two similar projects in the works.

FLASHPOINT for Dec 03, 2007: So Gov. Jim Gibbons is set to sit down today with Chancellor Jim Rogers to discuss the budget cuts. My guess is it goes something like this: Rogers - "You can't do this to us, Jim. It will kill us." Gibbons - "No new taxes." Rogers - "I didn't ask you to raise taxes, Jim. I asked you not to do this, maybe tap the Rainy Day Fund. You will set us back years." Gibbons - "No new taxes." Rogers - "For God's sake, Jim, is that all you can say? What about the future of the system?" Gibbons - ...

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