Print edition for March 27, 2007

John Katsilometes catches up with Lamar Marchese, who is about to sign off with Nevada Public Radio and prepares to see the real Luxor: The outgoing president and general manager of Nevada Public Radio is packed and has all but signed off from his duties at the institution he helped launch in 1980. Flo Rogers takes over as station GM on Sunday (which staffers joke is appropriate, as it is April Fool's Day). Marchese and his wife, Pat, who has retired from her position as director of the Clark Country Parks and Recreation Department, plan to travel to Egypt as soon as they can organize the adventure. "Today is her first day of actual unemployment," Marchese said Monday afternoon with a chuckle. "The next ...

Wal-Mart charitable giving in Nevada at $2.5 Million: AP; Wal-Mart Stores Inc. increased its U.S. charitable giving 10 percent last year to $272.9 million, the world's largest retailer said Tuesday, likely defending its position as the country's largest corporate donor of cash.

New Orleans send-off for a jazz lover in Las Vegas: Jerry Fink, Las Vegas Sun; Jazz musicians often pay tribute to fellow musicians when they die.

Senators keep business from getting personal: WASHINGTON - From the outside, the nonaggression pact between Nevada's two senators seems to be firmly in place - they continue to work together on Nevada issues and they meet on most Thursday mornings for breakfast with Nevadans visiting the Capitol.

Talking out of school, taking calls on the tube: By Emily Richmond; The Clark County School Board's chambers can hold up to 140 people. The average meeting draws about half that.

Letter: Democrats' Iraq bill shows plenty of patience: The bill just passed by Democrats in the House calls for our combat troops to leave in September 2008, not September 2007. Definitely not a cut-and-run strategy. I think they are being more than patient, especially with the lack of progress by the Bush administration after four long years.

FLASHPOINT for Mar 27, 2007: Thoughts on a presidential candidate invasion: I wasn't at either the Culinary rally or the health care forum (I watched it on LV One), but here's what I picked up: Hillary Clinton was the best prepared of any candidate to address the Culinary and impressed some nonfans. I didn't think she was as good at the forum, but others did. The biggest surprise of the weekend was how poorly prepared Barack Obama was . Who comes to a health care forum without any substantive ideas? Obama has charisma to burn but his lack of preparation was evident. John Edwards did ...

Editorial: Make it a primary offense: That's because motorists cannot be pulled over simply for failing to use seat belts or failing to make certain that passengers use them. They must be stopped for some other reason first. Senate Bill 42, submitted to the Legislature by the Nevada Sheriffs and Chiefs Association, would make the failure to use a seat belt reason enough for a police officer to stop someone. The legislation also calls for a fine of up to $25 but would not add points to the motorist's license.

Editorial: Give bus riders seat belts: It took another tragedy for this fact to once again come into public focus. Seven people were ejected and killed March 2 when a bus carrying an Ohio college baseball team plunged off an overpass in Atlanta.

Letter: Reading First is making progress: With all the talk about the Reading First program, one simple but important message has gotten lost along the way. As Education Secretary Margaret Spellings has told Congress, "More students are being taught to read."

Sands loses second suit against Sun, columnist: An amended defamation lawsuit filed by the Las Vegas Sands Corp. against the Las Vegas Sun and Business Editor Jeff Simpson was dismissed Monday by District Judge Michelle Leavitt, who also rejected the initial lawsuit in November.

Highlights of school empowerment plans: AP; SPENDING: The governor's plan takes $60 million from a teacher-incentive program to give extra money for the empowerment schools. The Democratic plan keeps those teacher incentives in place, and allows schools to use their existing resources.

Letter: What makes Giuliani a hero?: If he is being called a hero for what he did after Sept. 11, then he owes his hero status to Osama bin Laden.

Bulging NLV's fix-it list for hopefuls: By Mike Trask; Being the second-fastest growing city in the country speaks for itself.

Editorial: Insurers fail to deliver: A story by The New York Times on Monday says that 8 million Americans pay for long-term care policies, but thousands of them say that insurers are refusing to pay when claims are made. Through interviews and information from depositions in lawsuits against major insurers of long-term care, the Times revealed cases in which aging Americans faced long delays, perhaps intentionally tangled bureaucracies and repeated denials of claims.

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe: Who in Ward 5 will go?: It's tough to say whose job is more difficult in the Las Vegas City Council Ward 5 race - the candidates struggling to distinguish themselves in a field of 10, or voters trying to sift through the crowded slate to make their choice.