Print edition for February 3, 2007

FLASHPOINT for Feb 03, 2007: Like most Nevadans, I don't think much about Yucca Moun- tain anymore. After 20 years, I am inured to the ridiculously repetitive rhetoric. But I remember thinking when I started covering politics in 1986 that the dump was supposed to be built by 1998 - and that seemed pretty close. Now it seems pretty far away. And last week a DOE deputy secretary told reporters the opening date now has been pushed back to 2017. That's nearly two decades after the first date, and the bureaucrat said 2017 might be optimistic. The deputy secretary, Clay Sell, also said he believes ...

Editorial: Keep 'em flying: Under the FAA proposal announced Tuesday, one member of the flight crew still would have to be younger than 60.

Editorial: Mission not accomplished: According to a story by the Associated Press, Iraq Study Group members told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the task of creating a police force and a judicial system in the virtually lawless Iraqi nation was wrongly placed in the hands of the State Department and a cadre of private contractors who "did not have the expertise or the manpower to get the job done."

Letter: It's now up to Europe to stop Bush's tyranny: Four years later, public indifference and the failure of the Democratic Party to stand up against the current administration has only fueled the march on the Middle East. But America doesn't seem to notice. The real battle is on the football field and Sunday is the granddaddy of 'em all - the Super Bowl!

Letter: Arrogant president ignores people's will: The best-selling author Molly Ivins, who died this past week, said in mid-January: "We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders."

Letter: Things to consider about ethanol: Will the total cost of adding ethanol to gasoline prove to be prohibitive? Maybe not, if we are not concerned about the ultimate cost of gas and various food products.

Editorial: Removing scientific oversight: According to a story by The New York Times on Tuesday, the executive order that Bush issued last week requires every federal agency to have a regulatory policy office that is run by a political appointee. This appointee will oversee the development of rules and regulatory guidance documents - duties that previously were performed by scientific experts and civil servants.

TAKE FIVE: ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP 67: By Jeff Haney; Main event: Anderson Silva vs. Travis Lutter, UFC middleweight championship, 5 rounds

Q+A: Tom Vilsack: By Michael Mishak; Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack knows he's not one of his party's rock stars.

Teen boozing reflects on parents: By Emily Richmond; Teen boozing reflects on parents

'Rock solid,' not rock stars: By J. Patrick Coolican; Tom Vilsack might be carrying the red football in a couple years, might be sending our boys into battle, but right now he's hungry, and he's hoping for a doughnut.