Print edition for September 4, 2007

Unexpectedly, blight intrudes on nature: Painter Ivan Fortushniak's rural landscapes are intense, lush and romantic. But there is something else: the smokestacks, natural disasters and airplanes that taint the traditional poetry of the landscapes.

TAKE FIVE: THE LENNON SISTERS: Lawrence Welk turned the Lennon Sisters into household names in 1955 - long before the Osmonds and the Jacksons - and on his television stage they sang for 14 seasons.

Letter: Fraud in Iraq does outrage Americans: When I read the statement in the editorial that said "Americans should be outraged by the sheer immensity of this scandal" I found it difficult to not scream out loud: We are outraged!

Editorial: A sluggish response: But an estimated 1.1 million U.S. children are exposed to lead paint found in older homes each year - a threat that still is greater than the potential for lead exposure from imported toys, pediatricians told USA Today in a story published Wednesday.

Letter: Stop whining about airplane noise: Since the letter writers do not seem to be getting the message, I will spell it out more succinctly:

Some 'upgrade': CSN files go missing: By Christina Littlefield; Several College of Southern Nevada professors returned to campus the week of Aug. 20 to find that their work, carefully stored in computer files, had disappeared, apparently lost in a shared computer server system that was inexplicably gone.

Too bright for Vegas? Clark County thinks on it: ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS MORRIS

Letter: United, Sierra Health committed to Nevadans: Like the nearly 3,000 local employees of Sierra Health Services and UnitedHealth Group, I was disappointed to read your editorial on the Nevada Insurance Division approving the merger between these two companies.

Sisters' line of rag dolls recalls the good-ol' days: With all the bells and whistles of today's dolls, clever action figures and dancing bears, a simple rag doll with yarn hair, knit stockings and a prairie outfit seems almost fictional, an embodiment of any maudlin country song referencing "the good-ol' days."

FLASHPOINT for Sep 4 , 2007: Those presidential candidates who pledged to walk a pick- et line will find out today that their promise isn't yet off the table, despite that MGM Mirage settlement. National Culinary Union leaders are scheduled today to announce a multimillion-dollar strike fund for a potential walkout if a Sept. 12 strike authorization vote is successful. The strikes could occur at a number of properties here and in Reno, which would put all those Democratic union-lovers to the test. There are 12,000 workers in Las Vegas who could be affected and 1,000 in Reno at the Grand Sierra. So those Democratic hopefuls ...

UPON FURTHER REVIEW: Midnight Mayhem is open to any licensed driver with proof of insurance and a street-legal car, truck or motorcycle. Minors must present a signed parent consent form, available by calling 632-8213.