Print edition for May 8, 2007

John Katsilometes catches up with a trash collector who has been given an offer he can't refuse: The driver for the trash collection company Republic Services Inc. has been named Driver of the Year among all large commercial drivers in the nation. The Environmental Industry Associations , whose membership includes solid waste companies that operate 136,000 garbage trucks across the nation, selected Williams from a group of 20 nominees. Williams is to accept the award today in Atlanta at WasteExpo 2007, the waste industry's largest annual trade show. The Driver of the Year award is considered the highest honor given to a vehicle operator in the trash collection industry, for which safety is paramount.

Q+A: Joe Grushecky: Jerry Fink, Las Vegas Sun; Who: Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers

Letter: Let's start dealing with the big issues: So to all of those who cannot live with the decision, it is now time to embrace and deal with it - it is not going to change no matter how many times you write in to the paper or how much complaining you do.

Where's the help promised for prostitutes, lawyer wants to know: By Timothy Pratt; On Sunday, April 22, Metro Police held a news conference at 3 a.m. to reveal the results of a two-year-old federal and local investigation into a prostitution ring.

Letter: Iacocca's commentary is right on the money: The national debt of $9 trillion doesn't seem to faze any of them. They are spending money like there is no tomorrow.

Virtual fun or real crashes: Abigail Goldman, Las Vegas Sun; It's Friday afternoon and Curtis Perry is driving 148 mph with one hand on the wheel when his car flips, rolls, rights itself and starts again, now faster - 150 mph and gaining.

Original member of Sha Na Na tells band impostors: Get a job: By J. Patrick Coolican; CARSON CITY - Nevada is home to a fake Eiffel Tower and a fake Egyptian pyramid, but when it comes to Sha Na Na Na Sha Na Na Na - hey, that's where the state is drawing a line.

Letter: A U.S. president must be able to face facts: That is a terrible statement about the way things are, that people who repudiate the foundation of modern biological science can be considered realistic candidates for the highest office in the land.

Tiger on a dirt bike: By Brian Hilderbrand; He wore an eye-catching pink and white uniform dotted with rhinestones - the perfect outfit for a Las Vegas celebration with 39,000 of his closest friends.

TAKE FIVE: 'JOY OF LIBERACE': Who: Karan and Michael Feder, authors of "Joy of Liberace"

FLASHPOINT for May 08, 2007: Ca nnibalism in politics can be fun to watch. Most often, it's Democratic Party folks who eat their own - a recent example was the leftist loonies destroying a local debate because it was going to be televised by the Fox demons. The Democrats in the blogosphere seem to delight in attacking their own. But now the tables may turn. A group of conservative Nevada types, led by blogger Eric Odom, is organizing a political action committee to oppose Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The twist is that it is kicking off its effort by urging Reid pal John Ensign ...

Editorial: Unthinkable cuts at UMC: Although it is common for public officials to suggest deep cuts or even elimination of essential or popular programs to provoke the public into accepting higher costs and the higher taxes that pay for them, administrators at UMC say they are not playing that game.

LOOKING IN ON: CARSON CITY: CARSON CITY - Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus says she's tired of the Gibbons administration proposing new spending without the money to pay for it.

Editorial: Iraqi family deserves help: Dallal Muhamed told her story to Las Vegas Sun reporter Timothy Pratt, whose article chronicling her past and current fears appeared Monday.

Veterans stranded, VA accused of not paying fare: Donny Fisher learned the hard way on Monday that the company that shuttles patients for free from one Veterans Affairs clinic to another in the Las Vegas Valley has abruptly quit, saying it is owed nearly $600,000 from the federal government.

Letter: America deserves stronger leadership: His list of nine qualities of a political leader reveal to the American people just how little we are experiencing from our own leaders in Washington. His "Nine C's" are curiosity, creative, communicate, character, courage, conviction, charisma, competent and common sense, and he gives examples of how leaders can display these qualities.

Rate hikes pique Titus' interest: By J. Patrick Coolican; CARSON CITY - Credit card companies' practice of ratcheting up customers' interest rates for seemingly unrelated financial mistakes - such as paying a utility or phone bill late - has recently caught the attention of consumer advocates, journalists and now state Sen. Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas.

LOOKING IN ON: SUBURBS: By Mike Trask; The nation's second-fastest growing city is still using some zoning laws established in the 1960s, when North Las Vegas had 20,000 residents and was largely rural.

Editorial: Facility comes up short: A story in Sunday's Las Vegas Sun reports that about $75,000 worth of radio and satellite equipment for a rooftop laboratory at the Cheyenne campus facility remains in storage, and that several high-definition televisions have not been installed because the cable and satellite hookups are inferior or nonexistent.

Letter: Congress duty-bound to end the Iraq war: I'm certain the answer would be: No, it's time for this commander to go. The same goes for the commander in chief. President Bush has had four years to show some discernible military results in support of his strategy. Unlike a commander in the field, there is no superior to relieve Bush of his command. We do have a form of government that has "checks and balances" on its three branches. Congress has a constitutional duty to tell Bush that his policy has failed and it is time to alter strategy.