Print edition for May 19, 2007

District Court judges ask for backup, get half a loaf: CARSON CITY - District Court judges in Clark County, who lean on the state parole and probation division for advice on how harshly to sentence individuals convicted of misdemeanors, have been hoping the stretched-thin division would get more state money to do the job.

UNLV speeds diversity by making key hires: UNLV President David Ashley is chasing an elusive goal: diversity at the highest ranks of campus administration.

Letter: What exactly does Gates' job entail now?: A few months ago the commander in chief - President Bush - appointed Robert Gates from Texas to replace Donald Rumsfeld as defense secretary.

Editorial: Going hungry in America: A story by The Washington Post on Wednesday reports that McGovern and three other House members are trying to live for one week on $21 worth of food - the average amount of federal assistance given to food stamp recipients.

LOOKING IN ON: CLARK COUNTY: By Tony Cook; When Clark County commissioners discussed Republic Services' proposed surcharge this week, the signs did not look good for ratepayers.

CORRECTIONS: Metro spokesman Bill Cassell's name was misspelled in a story on the Luxor bombing in Friday's paper.

All they can do is dance, dance: By Emily Richmond; As he hops from foot to foot ever more quickly, 13-year-old John Mackin's cheeks turn ruddy and his glasses slip slightly down his nose. But his gaze never leaves the video screen in front of him.

Editorial: Bridging the gap: And this increasing racial difference is playing out between Americans older than 60 and those who are younger.

Letter: More research needed to find cause for cancer: An important piece of legislation before Congress, the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act, (BCERA, Senate Bill 579/ House Resolution 1157) would provide strategic research around breast cancer and the environment. For eight years the National Breast Cancer Coalition has worked tirelessly for its passage. NBCC is especially grateful to Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, one of the lead sponsors of the bill from the beginning. This year he has committed to use his status as majority leader to enact BCERA into law. In the House, two of the 221 co-sponsors include Nevada Reps. Shelley Berkley and Jon Porter.

Letter: If the killers have to suffer, then so be it: For God's sakes, they're being executed for having committed acts against the public so as to have been adjudicated to be eliminated from civilized society! If they suffer during the procedure, good. Remember, they are being executed.

Highlights of tax breaks under existing 'green' law: AP; -MGM MIRAGE CITYCENTER: $240.7 million in property tax, $100 million in sales tax

Ref steps into new arena: By Jeff Haney; An iconic figure in the annals of boxing, Richard Steele acknowledges he was initially skeptical about venturing into the realm of mixed martial arts.

LOOKING IN ON: LAS VEGAS 51s: Las Vegas Stars' announced attendance in their inaugural season of 1983, when Clark County's population was 535,000

FLASHPOINT for May 19, 2007: It's not often that pro-nuclear dump forces come to Nevada to tout their case. But that will happen Tuesday at the South Point when a workshop will be held on transporting waste to Yucca Mountain. Most of the speakers on the agenda appear to be folks who think bringing the waste here poses no problem. The state will have its own transportation consultant to talk about the awful things that can happen to those casks carrying the waste. But the anti-dump forces will be in the minority at this forum, which doesn't happen too often here . Maybe if some ...

Editorial: Fear or indifference?: But it is even more difficult to watch the surveillance video of Leonard Sims' brutal beating and see five people standing nearby watching, yet doing nothing.