Print edition for March 1, 2007

John Katsilometes notes that a goodbye missive, especially when sent by the county, is not always priceless: The going-away letter drafted by outgoing County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates, which was postmarked Feb. 22 and written on Clark County letterhead, cost $20,525.20 to deliver and was sent to 48,950 addresses in District D. Those figures were provided by county spokesman Dan Kulin, who said such correspondence is not rare among commissioners - especially in Atkinson Gates' case, as she has averaged one community outreach letter per year in her 14 years on the commission. Kulin also said that funding for the letter came from the county's general fund. (Sun columnist Jon Ralston has posted the letter in its ...

If I told you two candidates running for office this spring lived on my street, would you believe me ...: By Jon Ralston; If I told you two candidates running for office this spring lived on my street, would you believe me? And would you think that is good? And should I have to disqualify myself from covering their races? It's true. Figure the odds. Actually, they don't live on my street. They live on Ralston Drive. I feel a conflict of interest coming on here. And how does this look - one of them is running against Oscar Goodman? Even my friend, the mayor, though, can't believe I'd put Beatrice Turner, the hectoring gadfly, up to seeking his job. But a Ralston ...

Editorial: Stamping out increases: The Postal Regulatory Commission has proposed issuing a universal stamp that would lock in the rate of mailing a first-class letter at whatever price the postal consumer paid. Even if first-class postage rates go higher, consumers still could use the so-called "forever stamps" they purchased at a lower rate.

Ron Kantowski on how the cold and wind affected the other Becker's performance: It was so cold and blustery that M. Freeze - as in Mister - was given a bye to the quarterfinals.

Editorial: 'Surge' leaves training behind: The brigade did not engage in a final exercise at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin in Southern California, as is customary for Iraq-bound units. But this was understandable, as this brigade's mission is to respond to orders on short notice.

U.S. attorney leaves office with no word on successor: Sam Skolnik; U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden's last day in office came and went Wednesday with no word from the Justice Department about who will replace him.

Letter: Gibbons going in wrong direction on energy: The story was about an alliance among five Western governors, but not ours, to arrest scientifically proven greenhouse gas emissions causing global warming - primarily attributable to fossil fuels - by developing cleaner burning renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and geothermal power and other sources which, by the way, are abundant in Nevada.

Brookings wants to elevate '08 political debate: WASHINGTON - As Americans grow weary of the war in Iraq and worry about their own problems with health care and a changing economy, voters are telling pollsters they're more interested than ever in the 2008 presidential election. One Washington think tank hopes to capture that interest by elevating the national debate.

Lawmakers consider escalating fines for minors caught smoking: CARSON CITY - If Nevada is serious about discouraging minors from smoking, it's time to start punishing the young puffers, not just those who sell them tobacco products, some state senators say.

Editorial: Let's get moving - now: Lawmakers must avoid falling into the trap of previous sessions - pushing off tough choices to a future Legislature - and confront the reality that public schools have been woefully unsupported by the state in the last few decades. The schools haven't had the money to keep up with the state's astronomical growth, and the natural consequence is seen today in indicators such as high student-to-teacher ratios and low achievement marks.

Letter: National ID card takes freedom away: Mr. Witcher's stance on privacy in this "computer and video-camera world" is naive. This is the sort of thinking that popularizes bumper sticker logic such as, "If you've done nothing wrong, then what have you got to hide?" Can he not see that a national ID card will tag and trace us all like cattle? When this government changes its mind as to what is wrong on a routine basis, I have plenty to hide.

More flexible trash pickups are sought: Proposed changes in Las Vegas' trash collection procedures would give commercial users more flexibility in determining how frequently their garbage is picked up.

A tall tale in Nevada: Rudy Giuliani is doomed!: J. Patrick Coolican, Las Vegas Sun; Rudy Giuliani is having a fundraiser at a real estate developer's house, and the former chairwoman of the Republican Party will be there. It's a simple story, and a clean one, but somehow, just a few hours before, it was a seedy tale.

Letter: Why does governor ignore Nevadans?: Gov. Jim Gibbons, by not agreeing to join five Western governors' fight to reduce carbon emissions, is ignoring a large portion of his constituents represented by the state's four mayors who have signed the Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement.

House to vote on how workers are allowed to unionize: By Lisa Mascaro; WASHINGTON - A Las Vegas single mom's efforts to form a union at her place of employment has become Exhibit A in the Democrats' efforts today to rewrite labor law.

No smoking, wink, wink: Two men sitting at the bar at Screwballs sports bar and restaurant on Wednesday afternoon berated the anti-smoking law passed by voters in November.

Letter: Which is the harder story to believe?: These people also believe that He was able to heal blindness and spinal cord injuries without any medical intervention. Unfortunately, his repeated claims that he was the Son of the Creator of the Universe ended up getting Him tortured to death. But He came back to life three days later and ascended bodily from the ground through Earth's atmosphere without any visible means of propulsion. More recently, He has been telepathically helping running backs make touchdowns and personally advising our president as to what He should do next.