Print edition for March 14, 2007

Audit sought on funds for college savings plan: State authorities are being asked to investigate possible irregularities in the $2.5 billion College Savings Plan of Nevada.

Letter: Privatization is not working: I would direct Mr. Nusbaum to Paul Krugman's March 7 column, "Behind the photo ops." Mr. Nusbaum, can you explain why the same Veterans Affairs system was a shining example of government-run health care in the Clinton years, when money was not the sole object and the system was given adequate funding to operate in an efficient and compassionate manner. Then along comes "Mr. Privatization" himself, George Bush, fresh from botching up another government agency, FEMA, and so today we have the Walter Reed mess.

Editorial: Stop stonewalling, governor: The fund was created in secret and was publicly disclosed only after Las Vegas Sun columnist Jon Ralston e-mailed the Gibbons camp on March 2, asking how the governor could afford to hire two prominent lawyers.

Krugers relate lessons of the past: By Rob Miech; UNLV basketball coach Lon Kruger remembers plenty from the 1994 NCAA tournament, when he steered Florida to the Final Four in Charlotte, N.C.

Editorial: An Army of one?: A Government Accountability Office report in January detailed that the Army has a looming shortage of new officers and a current shortage of midlevel officers, majors and lieutenant colonels. The lack of midlevel officers - the Army is short about 3,000 and will be so through at least 2013 - is especially troubling because those officers are the key commanders in battle.

Judge refuses mistrial after she converses with jury: Sam Skolnik; A conversation between a District Court judge and a deliberating jury, away from the presence of the attorneys in the case, caused a motion for a mistrial Monday that was refused by the judge.

Letter: Political leadership lacking since 9/11: We have political leadership from both sides that have abandoned their oath and obligation to protect us and seek only to gain political advantage over one another at our expense. The only thing standing between 9/11 and the next domestic attack is time. The terrorists are coming! The terrorists are coming!

Joshi, companion claim no pay: The couple running Neonopolis contend they are not making any money off the troubled retail center, which sits on a prime corner in downtown Las Vegas.

Jon Ralston on Gibbons' low poll numbers in a new survey: In the first gauge of the governor's popularity since he assumed the office, the results are nothing short of devastating for Gibbons, indicating that his unrivaled series of embarrassments (covered by most of the media) have taken their toll.

Casinos see the green in going green: By Liz Benston; Folks who set the standards for environmentally friendly buildings probably didn't envision the day when Las Vegas casinos would go "green."

THE ELEVATOR: A special NCAA tournament edition of who's going to the penthouse in local sports - and who's getting the shaft:

Beating the messenger: J. Patrick Coolican and Michael J. Mishak; Click here for a printable graphic.

Jeff Haney on why veteran players place the recent National Heads-Up Poker Championship in its own class: "Heads-up play is in its own category altogether," said Paul Wasicka, the 26-year-old Las Vegan who outlasted 63 other entrants to win the $500,000 top prize March 4 at Caesars Palace. "I consider it a different game, almost like the way Omaha is different from hold 'em.

State asks: Why was Bogden dismissed?: WASHINGTON - Disclosures on Tuesday of the White House's deep involvement in the firing of eight U.S. attorneys failed to answer a question of interest to Nevada: Why the state's top prosecutor, Daniel Bogden, was among those pushed aside.

Letter: Executions should not be pain-free: When I think about the terror, the torture, rape and other horrors perpetrated by some of these criminals, especially upon children and women, I say the needle is too easy.

FLASHPOINT for Mar 14, 2007: There are tough decisions in politics. And then there are not-so-tough decisions. Consider which category the endorsements announced this week by the Henderson Chamber of Commerce fit into. Two longtime incumbents on the City Council are auditioning for a race to succeed Mayor Jim Gibson. So you think the Henderson Chamber will do anything but endorse both of them, considering one likely will be mayor after Gibson leaves? In the other council race, an open seat, Rep. Shelley Berkley staffer Gerri Schroeder has all the money and all the endorsements. She will win, so why not go with the winner? ...

Letter: 'Pandora's Box' was opened four years ago: In a CNN poll taken in December, 54 percent believed in an exit over the next year. A Los Angeles Times poll taken in January found that 66 percent believed neither side was winning, 65 percent believe Iraq has become a civil war and only 26 percent of respondents agreed America should stay "as long as it takes." A CBS poll in January found that less than one in four approve of Bush's Iraq policy.

Editorial: Creating a Goliath?: According to a story by the Las Vegas Sun on Tuesday, a merger between UnitedHealth and Nevada's largest insurance provider would also result in the national company acquiring 56 percent of the combined HMO and preferred provider organization market share in the Las Vegas Valley.