Print edition for June 10, 2007

Jack Sheehan on why, perhaps in spite of its boom in popularity, the World Series of Poker is one of the most endearing events in Las Vegas: Butchers, bakers, candlestick makers, homemakers, meter maids, past-their-prime athletes and former stockbrokers burned out on reading the ticker have found their way to Las Vegas. They've all come to chase the elusive dream of winning a wheelbarrow full of cash and to gain a slice of immortality in the world of high-action gambling.

Springing back to life: By Phoebe Sweet; The gentle splash of water flowing over desert rock can be heard again at Las Vegas Springs, now a man-made homage to what was once a natural desert oasis.

The WEEK IN REVIEW: WASHINGTON D.C.: WASHINGTON - Congressional Democrats got a glimpse of a restive electorate last week when a new Washington Post poll showed their approval rating has tanked an additional 10 percentage points over the past month, in no small part because of their inability to turn the course of the war in Iraq.

Jeff Simpson on why a new resort positioned in the space formerly occupied by the Thunderbird should make money this time: Fontainebleau Resorts announced it had lined up more than $4 billion in financing, most of which will be used to build the $2.9 billion Fontaine-bleau Las Vegas.

Editorial: Where mediocrity is king: The issues at the top of the list included public schools, which have been woefully underfunded for decades and are failing too many of our children, and state roads and highways that are unsafe and gridlocked, not only creating a nightmare for residents but also imperiling our tourist-based economy.

Jon Ralston is appalled by the audacity displayed in the wake of the 2007 Legislature by Gov. Jim Gibbons, who must be living in a fantasy world: The governor can propose record spending and no cuts. But he can, basking in the post-legislative glow of Gibbonsworld, boast that his signature accomplishment is that he made "government live within its means."

Brian Greenspun highlights how we can elevate our state: It came to me as I toured the Las Vegas Springs Preserve the other night. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Springs Preserve, the best I can tell you is that you must see it to believe it.

Letter: Thousands dying in an unnecessary war: As I write this letter the fate has been sealed on many more service people who will be killed in the upcoming weeks in that bloodbath called: Bring democracy to people fighting a religious civil war. Is it possible the troops who are in Iraq still believe they're fighting terrorists and not fighting for the oil of Iraq?

Letter: Praise Gibbons for keeping campaign promise: First, he did make that promise, and it must have been what the voters wanted to hear because he was elected.

Letter: Math exam an unfair standard for diploma: With the original concept of requiring students to pass a minimum proficiency mathematics exam to receive a high school diploma in the 1980s, I was 100 percent behind the requirement. Students do have a need for basic mathematical knowledge to survive in our highly technical society. But unfortunately what was originally conceived and the current permutation of the concept has made this exit exam a travesty for the future of Nevada children.

Power shift looms, to lobbyists' glee: Joe Schoenmann, Las Vegas Sun; CARSON CITY - In the halls of the Legislative Building, a triumvirate of lobbyists worked their cell phones like Wall Street trade r s, taking ideas, relaying them to legislators or aides to the governor, then getting speed-dialing back to their cells or rushing into cloistered rooms to broker deals.

FLASHPOINT for Jun 10, 2007: I have conducted post-session surveys of legislators and lobbyists for nearly two decades and I have never seen a landslide like the one for 2007's best legislator. It's not just that her colleagues and the lobbying corps believe overwhelmingly that Speaker Barbara Buckley is the best - it's that there is no contest. "You could probably re phrase the first question to ask who is the second-best legislator since Barbara Buckley is clearly the best," wrote one respondent. And that about the Democratic speaker from a business lobbyist! Another wrote that it was "not even a question." Her agenda, her ...

Question for Rogers: Where are donors?: One major reason regents hired university system Chancellor Jim Rogers in 2005 was to tap the media mogul's influence with lawmakers and business leaders.

Winners, losers stand out after the legislative session: By J. Patrick Coolican; "I'm not sure we couldn't have done the whole thing in a really long conference call," one lobbyist said, looking back at the 2007 Legislature.

Trouble coming to a boil among university leaders: Like a restless volcano, tensions between university system Chancellor Jim Rogers and the elected Board of Regents are stirring and may vent a lot of steam this month.