Print edition for March 3, 2007

Dropping back into school: By Emily Richmond; Dustin Edwards straightens up from his teenage slouch and for a moment, there's a spark in his eyes. So maybe this time he gets it.

CONVENTION CRASHING: INTERNATIONAL UFO CONGRESS: It's because of the vortex that Cynthia T. Crawford sculpts clay aliens. That and the portal.

Bogden likely will testify about his dismissal: Sam Skolnik; Chances are growing that Daniel Bogden, the recently ousted U.S. attorney for Nevada, will testify before Congress next week .

Letter: Gore/Obama would be a dream ticket: Al Gore running for president, in his now gained grandeur and glory, would be an inspiration to the people. And would it not, and justifiably so, be payback to the Clintons for their little, if any support, for him in the 2000 primary?

FLASHPOINT for Mar 04, 2007: Does it seem like you just voted, that the election didn't end too long ago? I understand. But what is truly amazing is that early voting starts again in two weeks! Yes, it's election season again - actually almost the end of election season, and most of you probably didn't know it had begun. There are two competitive races for Las Vegas City Council - for incumbent Lois Tarkanian's seat and Lawrence Weekly's vacated seat. The balloting that begins March 17 actually could decide who wins those seats - but only if one candidate gets 50 percent plus one vote, ...

Editorial: Homeless population booming: Based on surveys conducted two years ago, the Housing and Urban Development Department reported Tuesday that its calculations show there are 754,000 people either living on the streets, in shelters or in transitional housing.

Letter: Public servants earn their paychecks: Every firefighter in the Las Vegas Valley works a minimum of 2,912 hours each year (excluding vacation and sick time) - 56 hours a week for 52 weeks - just for their base pay. That's 50 percent more hours than others. Fire and police personnel are on duty 24/7. Add holiday pay, but not the holiday off.

Macau follows Vegas' lead: By Liz Benston; Gaming regulators in the Chinese enclave of Macau, which is overtaking Las Vegas as the world's hottest gambling destination, want to distance their casinos from mob influence, just as Las Vegas did decades ago.

Surfing across the USA: Stefan Hunt and Jonathan Durant emerged from Lake Mead and shook like penguins on the Las Vegas Marina dock.

Letter: World owes atheists debt of gratitude: Atheism is not rare; high intelligence is. That people prefer to be led and followed by those who think as they do is no great revelation. But the world is not better because Muslims will follow only Muslims, Hindus only Hindus, Christians only Christians. This parochialism is what underpins most of the war and strife on this planet.

Students to benefit from Johann's largesse: Ken Johann was so moved by the support students have shown for UNLV's basketball team lately, he's returning the gesture.

Editorial: War and power: The privately funded commission was formed by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. Since 1975, the year of its founding, the center has formed nine other such commissions, including one in 2001 headed by former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. That commission recommended reforms in the wake of the disputed 2000 presidential election, and many of its recommendations were incorporated into the 2002 Help America Vote Act.

Editorial: Church-state separation: The case involves the separation of church and state, a line that can be fuzzy on its best day, especially under the Bush administration. The Supreme Court has heard arguments in a case filed by the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation. The group of agnostics and atheists support the strictest interpretation of church-state separation and opposes President Bush's 2001 establishment of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.