Print edition for October 4, 2007

Editorial: Sky-high fares: The report released Wednesday by the Government Accountability Office, which is the investigative arm of Congress, says that although the 53,000 premium-class tickets purchased by employees of six federal agencies last year represented fewer than 1 percent of all flights used by federal workers, those flights, nonetheless, accounted for 7 percent of the money spent on all air travel.

'Bronx Tale' depicts struggle between working man, Mafia: By Jerry Fink; "A Bronx Tale" is semi-autobiographical.

Gibbons should stand up to lenders, push them to help homeowners, FHA official says: One of the invited participants at today's closed-door housing summit to be hosted by Gov. Jim Gibbons in Las Vegas said he hopes the governor takes advantage of available solutions that could help some Nevada homeowners avoid foreclosure.

LOOKING IN ON: MOTOR SPORTS: Rod Fuller is in the fight of his professional racing life going into this weekend's NHRA national event in Richmond, Va., and the pressure is beginning to show.

Editorial: 'Blackie' Evans: 1935-2007: From there, however, he quickly took leadership positions in the local steelworkers union, and went on to run the Nevada AFL-CIO for 21 years before retiring in 1999. Evans died Friday at the age of 71. Services are at 3 p.m. Friday at Palm Mortuary, 7600 Eastern Ave.

Drama unfolds between Vegas, Broadway: By Jerry Fink; There's too much drama off stage for Trent Othick, a Las Vegas film producer who is making his Broadway debut.

Letter: Immigration raids good for taxpayers: The fact is that raids, arrests and deportation of illegals will improve conditions for Americans who pay taxes.

Two countries will collide in ring: Who: Manny Pacquiao (44-3-2, 34 KOs) vs. Marco Antonio Barrera (63-5, 42 KOs), super featherweights, 12 scheduled rounds

Letter: Lawmakers should undo Bush's wrong: His veto of this bill is a callous act that will hurt patients, parents and all those who provide care to sick and injured children. I plead with those in Congress to live up to the Bible passage from Amos 5:24 and let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream by overriding this president's ill-advised and arrogant veto.

Sharing water is key to Richardson's plan: Michael J. Mishak; Seizing on a hot-button issue in the desert state of Nevada, Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson is calling for a national summit on water to address needs in the parched West.

Maher laughs first, last and in Las Vegas: By J. Patrick Coolican; Yes, Bill Maher offers incisive commentary on politics and national affairs and religion, but ask him about his daily reading and here's the response:

FLASHPOINT for Oct 04, 2007: Finally, the case against Iowa's and New Hampshire's pres- idential choice hegemony is made in the paper of record. On Wednesday, New York Times columnist David Leonhardt wondered just how representative the two early states are of America. Sure, they offer intimate settings and all their citizens think they are pundits. But Leonhardt pointed out that although health care is a huge national issue, it's not as important in those states because they have so many oldsters on Medicare. There also are few immigrants, no real housing crisis and not too many growth-related issues in either state - you know, ...

Editorial: Drive-through immigration: "This is something that's not going to go away," Las Vegas immigration attorney Peter Ashman told reporter Timothy Pratt in Monday's Las Vegas Sun.

Letter: Virtual schools help motivated students: Robert Bencivenga; The reach of a virtual school is limited only by the desire of the student. When I was a teacher for Virtual High School several years ago, a Clark County School District student who had to temporarily move to India with her father, who was a college professor, did not want to lose her standing with the Clark County School District.

Letter: Civilian deaths unfortunate outcome of war: The reporter actually said the Blackwater mercenaries might have shot first , without making inquiry.

Vegas museum to make its move on 40 million tourists: By Kristen Peterson; Somewhere between the white wine and lobster-crab appetizer, Jim Zeiter announced to gala guests that the Las Vegas Art Museum is moving.

Poker tournament winners get time to pay Uncle Sam: By Liz Benston; Imagine that you've just won $100,000 in a poker tournament. But before you can pocket the cash, the casino swoops in to collect $25,000 to pay Uncle Sam.

Jack Sheehan blasts 'parachute journalists' who lob grenades after a brief visit to Vegas: Over the past few weeks I've been at various times irked, provoked and occasionally even angered by all the grenades lobbed at Las Vegas by the The New York Times and The Arizona Republic.

Letter: Kids learn better than ever, online: America is about options. Options on where to live, what to drive and , most important to parents, how to educate our children. The option that has been the most effective for my family is the Nevada Virtual Academy. When their brick s -and-mortar school was not challenging enough, I was torn between keeping them where they were or teaching them at home myself. Fortunately, I heard about another option.