Print edition for June 1, 2007

Editorial: A borderline proposal: Of particular concern is 90,000 acres of scrub forest along the Rio Grande outside of Alamo, Texas, that environmentalists say took decades to acquire and preserve. The area provides crucial habitat and access to the region's sole source of water for about 500 species of birds, desert tortoises and other reptiles and wildcats - including the ocelot and jaguarundi, which are endangered species, The New York Times has reported.

Building in the boondocks: By Liz Benston; Even as skyrocketing construction costs and booming land prices have spelled doom for resort projects in town, a second-generation casino builder is breaking ground on his own $700 million casino - with the help of the Strip's biggest casino company.

Letter: Cashman Thursdays are overindulgent: Usually there is a small group of people at Cashman Field on Thursday nights who are rowdy, rude and obnoxious, spoiling the game for everyone. They yell obscenities, throw beer and heckle the players relentlessly. All the while the ushers in every aisle and security are completely oblivious to the disruptions.

Late deal on roads fails to connect: By J. Patrick Coolican; CARSON CITY - No, it wasn't the Army-McCarthy hearings, but there was a little drama if only because the story kept changing every hour, much as it has all session.

Jon Ralston on the power the governor - even Gibbons - wields in Nevada: People in the Legislative Building can ridicule the governor - and they have and they do - for his inexperience and gaffes. But Jim Gibbons unquestionably has controlled the dynamic of the end-of-session's major maneuvers and framed the debate his way. This will be hard to fathom for many and difficult to accept for some, but Gibbons has led during these final weeks - although where that will lead two years from now is a different question.

Metro Police know who you are - or they will eventually: Click here for a printable graphic.

Obama digging in: By J. Patrick Coolican; CARSON CITY - When the crowds stop cheering, and all the books have been sold and signed, and the squeals of young women go silent, Barack Obama will have to get down in the mud of electoral politics.

In the end, Carpenter heeded call of South: Richard Carpenter's resignation Thursday as president of the Community College of Southern Nevada left university system regents disappointed and searching for lessons they can take from the experience.

Letter: Halverson not fit to sit behind bench: Halverson seems to have different rules for herself concerning the legal system in regard to the fixed-rent apartment she lived in until 1995 in San Francisco and then moved her sister into to circumvent the system when she moved to Las Vegas. The landlords raised the rent in 2000, and she sued them. She lost in court against the landlords, and after losing several appeals was ordered by a judge to reimburse the landlords for their legal costs. After two years, she still hasn't paid a penny.

Editorial: Whose interest in mind?: Assembly Bill 478 is a housekeeping bill to close loopholes in the 2005 law that prohibits lenders from charging triple-digit interest rates and suing people who default on loans for three times the amount they borrowed.

Editorial: One giant step back: In a 5-4 ruling that placed conservative justices on the side of employers and the panel's more liberal members on the side of workers, the court ruled that Lilly Ledbetter, the only female supervisor at an Alabama tire plant, did not file her lawsuit in time under the requirements of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Ledbetter had sued Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., claiming that after 19 years on the job she was still earning $6,000 a year less than the lowest-paid man doing the same work.

Letter: Grateful for courageous anti-war activists: As a veteran of the U.S. Army, I want to thank all of the activists who have done so much to thwart attempts at nuclear proliferation at the Nevada Test Site, the buildup of the military-industrial complex, and to protest the illegal and immoral war in Iraq.

Hurricane Bar owner decides it's time to put up the shutters: The Hurricane Bar is having a blowing away party Sunday.

Ron Kantowski on how Henderson's Richie Hearn managed to hitch a ride at the Indianapolis 500 and get his racing career...: By Ron Kantowski; In 1991 I was standing under the big tree inside turn 1 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when Michael Andretti passed Rick Mears with a few laps remaining in the Indy 500 - only to have Mears pass him back on the next lap.

Jeff Haney uses individuals' stats from the first third of the season to project who will be the winners and losers at the betting window come October: The Las Vegas Hilton sports book offered a wide selection of over/unders on individual player statistics, including a sheet they called "regular season mosts" by any player.

Lofty retail goals waning: Two years ago Holsum Lofts on Charleston Boulevard was fat with galleries and boutique shops - a nice air-conditioned space to purchase the kind of trinkets, artwork and home decor that you wouldn't find in a Strip mall. There was even a cafe with a delicious menu so you could make an afternoon of it.

Three artists featured on the Fremont canvas: By Kristen Peterson; People are sometimes shocked to learn that Las Vegas delved into high art in 1986 and that a small, contemporary art collective brought prominent New York artist Jenny Holzer to town to create a temporary public art project on the Strip.

FLASHPOINT for Jun 01, 2007: Timing is everything in politics, and it is almost never coincidental. Take what happened in the race for Nevada on Thursday as Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama caused a minor sensation in Northern Nevada. Obama made appearances in Carson City and Reno and surely gobbled up time on local TV stations and in headlines today. Meanwhile, coincidentally, Hillary Clinton's Nevada campaign chose Thursday to send out two news releases designed to garner attention - and perhaps wrest the spotlight from Obama. One touted the opening of a Northern Nevada office and the other announced an endorsement from Clark County Commissioner ...