Print edition for May 18, 2007

Vegas: Past, present and future: By Kristen Peterson; But silent, stoic and majestic, "Monument to Simulacrum" anchors the southeast corner of Centennial Plaza.This will be its job for the next 100 years.

Letter: Respect guns and right to own them: The tragic events of the recent past, including those at Virginia Tech, could have been anywhere else and had the same result. Predators - that's who these killers are - go where the prey is least likely to fight back. People who own guns tend to be more familiar with the law, more law-abiding and, from a personal stand point, less likely to actually use a weapon than people think.

No at-bats, but plenty of fans: Mike Trask, Las Vegas Sun; Thirty-eight games into the Las Vegas 51s' season, Octavio Martinez still hasn't gotten an at-bat.

Nevadan's page turners stay ahead of the news: Who: Dale Brown, author of "Strike Force"

Vegas bends, tries to rescue Neonopolis: Mark Hansel, Las Vegas Sun; The Las Vegas City Council could be repeating a practice with a Neonopolis business that it says contributed to its reluctant decision to give a permanent liquor license to Crazy Horse Too.

Letter: Armed forces deserve all of our gratitude: The ground actions of the Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq were carried out in exemplary fashion . In Serbia, where the carrier strike groups were required to fly 700 miles to their targets, requiring aerial refueling, they flew more than 1,000 sorties day after day. Present actions in Iraq in a civil war environment are also outstanding under most difficult conditions.

He didn't bomb anyone: By Timothy Pratt; Omar Rueda Denvers was eating lunch Saturday when his cell phone rang.

Jon Ralston offers reasons for calling a special session: My answer: There should be.

Jeff Haney explains why Street Sense, Hard Spun are expected to run away with the second leg of the Triple Crown: By Jeff Haney; Hard Spun was installed as a 5-2 second choice in the morning line behind Street Sense, who was made a 7-5 favorite and will probably go off closer to even money, according to handicapper John Kelly.

Editorial: Warning signs, potholes: His proposal rests on a plan to take future room tax revenue meant for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and that may be both unconstitutional and costly to the state.

Editorial: When trust is critical: But as the Sun's Timothy Pratt reported Wednesday, the police investigation into the pipe bomb death of immigrant Willebaldo Dorante Antonio in the Luxor parking garage may have unwittingly shattered that trust with the Hispanic community. That's because federal agents also working the case detained three people at Dorante's home who were in the country illegally but had nothing to do with the crime.

Letter: Don't blame Metro for arrests: So let's see, the police investigate a killing of an illegal immigrant by other illegal immigrants. During their interviews they find more illegal immigrants. So the police and federal agents do what is mandated by law. They detain and arrest those who have broken the law.

Gibbons loses senators' backing: By Jeff German; After expressing initial support, Nevada Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign have backed away from a plan by Gov. Jim Gibbons to obtain federal funding for a central intelligence gathering hub in Carson City .

LOOKING IN ON: GAMING: By Liz Benston; The Assembly, feeling heat from Wynn Las Vegas dealers, passed a bill that would effectively derail Steve Wynn's policy that rank-and-file dealers share their tips with their immediate supervisors.

CCSN chief doing the Texas two-step: By Christina Littlefield; The search committee that unanimously recommended Richard Carpenter for the presidency at the Community College of Southern Nevada in 2004 had two major qualms: They thought Carpenter was too long-winded. And they were worried he wouldn't stay long at the helm, given that he had been at his previous job only two years.

Caucuses are foreign affairs to Hispanics: By Timothy Pratt; Hernando Amaya trots out the memories as if they were some bizarre "greatest hits" of what happens when you mix guns and bombs with presidential elections.

FLASHPOINT for May 18, 2007: The School District regularly sends blast e-mails to various media types and others announcing items of interest about the organization. But rarely do you see one such as the missive that went out Thursday about my former colleague, Kevin Janison, the weatherman turned author. Indeed, Janison has penned a children's book called - I am not kidding - "Deputy Dorkface." The district promotes Janison's book, touts his weatherman national award and, oh yes, mentions his wife's job: She is a School District trustee. And Mr. Janison is doing a book reading at a local school and is getting publicity from ...

Editorial: Staying whose course?: Retired Marine Gen. John Sheehan and retired Army Gen. Jack Keane both declined the White House's offer to take command of U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In a story by The Washington Post in April, Sheehan said the "very fundamental issue" with the Bush administration's war policy is "they don't know where the hell they are going."