Print edition for February 9, 2007

Hard Rock bets on a three-way deal: By Liz Benston; Hard Rock bets on a three-way deal

Editorial: Penalizing the sick: The cuts are part of an overall plan that Bush says would slash $101.5 billion from Medicaid and Medicare programs over the next five years. Although Democrats and some Republicans oppose the president's proposal, Bush has said he doesn't need congressional approval and can make some of the cuts through executive orders, The New York Times reported in a recent story.

Letter: Priests, not doctrine, to blame for scandals: No one has a "right" to be a Catholic priest and no one is forced to become one or take the vows required. Celibacy has served the church well, as the church is truly the "Bride of Christ," and the priest, as an alter Christus, or "other Christ," is married to the church.

John Katsilometes takes note of Ruvo center's groundbreaking: The stars of the project will be on hand, including architect Frank Gehry, Larry Ruvo, Dr. Zaven Khachaturian of the institute and Dan Van Epp, a regional president of Newland Communities, which is overseeing the Union Park project.

Letter: Cheney is the one who should be on trial: If your preferred reading list doesn't include lots of fantasy or right-wing propaganda, you can surmise that Cheney had Libby, and others, exposed former CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson's identity after her husband, Joseph Wilson, debunked the "intelligence report" the Bush administration used to dupe America into going to war in Iraq. Wasn't it bad enough that the vice president of the Dark Side conned the unwitting president with his mushroom cloud scenario? No.

LOOKING IN ON: THE SUBURBS: By Mike Trask; The gateway to Henderson that many envision becoming a second Strip took another small step forward this week.

Jeff Haney corrects outside media reports on Super Bowl wagering: Pointing this out might seem at first like nitpicking or a symptom of showoff syndrome - look at me, I'm a hipper-than-thou sports bettor.

FLASHPOINT for Feb 09, 2007: By Jon Ralston; What is going on with Kermitt Waters, the man govern- ment officials love to hate? He has assailed politicians of all stripes for their behavior, proposing initiatives to limit their power (on eminent domain) and even doing recorded messages attacking the Establishment. And now it turns out he may be negotiating with Clark County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury on eminent domain language? And Wednesday he was on a Southwest flight from Reno to Las Vegas yukking it up with Supreme Court Justice Bill Maupin - part of the court that gutted his PISTOL initiative? Is he going soft? By a happy ...

Police saw 'nothing' at house where girl, 7, died: By Sam Skolnik; A top Metro Police official said Thursday that the officers who responded to a domestic disturbance call last weekend at a house where a 7-year-old girl was later allegedly stabbed to death by her mother saw "absolutely nothing" that would have mandated they call Child Protective Services.

First Friday: Street festival or art event?: By Kristen Peterson; Debate about the direction of First Friday continues. Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, city staffers and a few gallery owners met privately last week in the city manager's office.

Betrayed by his body, LV historian keeps fading: He can still turn his head.

UNLV athlete gets a harsh reality check: By Rob Miech; What: UNLV vs. Cal State Fullerton

Editorial: Be open about injuries: As for the human cost in Iraq, the Pentagon's daily reports include the latest combat- and noncombat-related deaths among U.S. forces - a toll that now exceeds 3,110.

ANNA NICOLE SMITH (1967-2007): Anna Nicole Smith was posing outlandishly on the red carpet in front of the Hard Rock Hotel following a Las Vegas awards show in September 2004 when fellow Playboy alum Pamela Anderson passed by.

TAKE FIVE: MOSLEY VS. COLLAZO: By Jeff Haney; Principals: Shane Mosley (43-4, 1 NC, 37 KOs) vs. Luis Collazo (27-2, 13 KOs)

Editorial: Payday loan sharks: The companies - the Las Vegas Democrat will not say which ones - are taking advantage of a loophole that Buckley says she will try to close this year. The 2005 law came after a series of articles by the Las Vegas Sun detailed the problems of payday loan companies. The law limited the amount of interest a company could charge on a loan of one year or less. Six companies, she said, have rewritten their contracts to make them extend beyond one year and those contracts, which allow people to make weekly payments, can charge a whopping 900 percent ...

Letter: Nonviolent criminals can serve the nation: I envision a very wise and practical solution to the problem. Instead of sentencing young people for nonviolent "crimes" for possession of drugs, the judges should sentence the "perps" to three years in the U.S. military, which would include one tour in Afghanistan or Iraq.

In the end, both sides of labor dispute give a little: Michael Mishak and Marshall Allen; Nurses and technicians from the Service Employees International Union Local 1107 said they were fighting for patient care, not money, in their pitched labor dispute with the Valley Health System.

Jon Ralston has a message for Iowa and New Hampshire - our time is now: By Jon Ralston; Whine away about tradition, but you shall give way, like Tevye, to the inexorable supremacy of Nevada. As the presidential race continues to get distended, Nevada is where it all begins Feb. 21 and where it will be focused less than a year from now.

Letter: Elected officials' pay should be merit-based: We employ public servants and they have knowledge of what they are getting into with the promises made to be elected. As taxpayers, we do not know what benefits are now being paid or how much time is spent in an official capacity. Perhaps the old "Time and Motion studies" should be performed before taxpayers commit to a full-time employment.