Print edition for February 13, 2007

Partnership plans housing for casino workers: By Liz Benston; Partnership plans housing for casino workers

Museum on the move: The glowing dioramas, quiet hallways and fossils at the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society are a bit staid compared to the flurry of activity taking place behind the scenes.

John Katsilometes on the air miles logged by the Smith Center's designers in search of inspiration: The voyaging troupe included Smith Center design architect David M. Schwarz and theater designer Joshua Dachs, along with board members Myron Martin, Don Snyder, Richard Plaster and Wyatt DeFreitas. In early January the crew visited 15 venues in five days, including Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Paris Opera House and Teatro La Fenice in Venice. And last Tuesday and Wednesday they toured European-styled venues in Mexico City, Guanajuato and Queretaro.

Editorial: Keep law's original intent: The form is called a Declaration of Homestead, and it can be filed by any homeowner for a nominal fee. It doesn't protect against all debts - mortgage and child-support payments, and taxes, are among its exceptions.

Letter: When have we won? Depends who 'we' are: If the war in Iraq is prolonged, and we send even more troops, and our aggression with Iran is escalated by the miserably unbelievable "intelligence" that our executive branch is bombing us with in the obedient media, then "we" means Halliburton, the big oil companies and the defense industry, and "we" have won.

Letter: Meaning of an honest day's work lost on Rove: While being totally incensed by Mr. Rove's remark, I am quite proud of Congresswoman Berkley for her comments. After all, is not our great nation built upon the concept of freedom to choose one's vocation or profession? What has happened to the concept of giving an honest day's work for an honest day's wages?

Letter: Smoking is the least of our troops' worries: Yes, I agree that smoking is very bad for anyone's health. All those who smoke should try to stop this addiction. However, I think the lesson learned by our young people from these pictures on TV will not be that it's OK to light up a cigarette while under fire, but how much this ill-begotten war has cost our nation and see that we never get into a situation like this ever again.

Red roses blacken image: Amanda Hagen, certified florist, sits cross-legged in a flower shop on Sahara Avenue, facing the enemy.

Please be my Anti-Valentine: Todd Goldman, the dry-witted Romeo of pop art and T-shirts, will again be celebrating anti-Valentine's Day with an exhibit at Entertainment Galleries.

Old Yucca firm joins new review: WASHINGTON - To conduct an independent review of the troubled nuclear waste dump, the Energy Department has hired a firm whose staff and board include past Yucca Mountain officials.

FLASHPOINT for Feb 13, 2007: Listen carefully, but if you hear it, don't talk about it louder than a whisper. We wouldn't want the quiet buzz to become a legislative proposal. You can hear it: The gaming tax whispers. All of these needs - transportation, education, child welfare, health care. And yet no one wants to pay for any of it, least of all Gov. Jim Gibbons or the courageous members of the Gang of 63. So you will hear the gadflies start to buzz louder - in letters to the editor, e-mails to lawmakers, rants to public bodies. The gamers are raking in the ...

Editorial: A gift by any other name: The rules, adopted in January, are designed to curtail the power of lobbyists who had grown accustomed to trying to influence lawmakers' votes through lavish gifts, meals and entertainment. But, according to a story by The New York Times on Sunday, members of Congress have devised a way to continue playing while the lobbyists pick up the tab.

LOOKING IN ON: CITY HALL: The developer that has been attempting to attract a grocery store to West Las Vegas for more than a year is out of the picture, at least officially.

Community is torn apart by a court case involving a Second Baptist Church's pastor: By Timothy Pratt; As you hit the streets after a service on any given Sunday morning on a certain patch of the West Side, chances are good that the person walking next to you will be speaking with a Louisiana lilt while the thick, sweet smoke of ribs from American Bar-B-Q on D Street fills your lungs.

Editorial: Starting at the top: A story in Monday's Las Vegas Sun by Emily Richmond reported that of the 320 principals in the Clark County School District, 75 have retired since 2004. The district has about 75 more who are closing in on retirement.

Letter: Keep an open mind on who can serve: Not all incarcerated people are of the ilk he bemoans. As a minority, I know personally of many men released from prison who served valiantly in the military. I remember in World War II that many people imprisoned on minor charges were released to join the military and the war effort.