Jackson’s physician in limbo

The media hordes have abandoned their posts at Red Rock Country Club, the investigators have carted off their evidence and the television pundits have had their say.

Jury says lawmaker defamed opponent

A jury late Friday handed down a verdict and $50,000 in damages in favor of Danny Tarkanian in his long-running legal feud against State Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas.

Should taxpayers get the bill for political ambition?

It’s nothing new in the political arena. Politician ‘A’ serves in an elected position, sees an opportunity to advance to a more prestigious political position and announces a bid to seek it.

County firefighters have money to burn

Every elementary school in America has a bully. The bully regularly taunts and intimidates his classmates in order to get what he wants. Often, the bully’s teacher must display strong leadership and discipline in order to rein the bully in and teach him that the same rules apply to everyone.

The alternative universe of Government World

On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, your elected representatives on the Clark County Commission and the Las Vegas City Council probably will decide on contracts with their respective firefighter unions. In all likelihood, the deliberations will be in secret. No need for you to know why your elected officials think your firefighters need your money more than you do.

Draconian recipe for ‘food safety’

Balking at a “no amendments” provision, rural representatives in the House on Wednesday narrowly defeated a bill to empower the Food and Drug Administration to set new safety standards for growing and processing food, requiring sharply increased inspections.

Crackpot schemes failing left and right

Imagine you’re in the car business. You have a problem. Government mandates — aimed at “fuel efficiency” and lots of other high-sounding matters in which Congress is granted no power to meddle by the Constitution — require you to manufacture cars that are more expensive, yet lighter and thus less safe than the cars Americans already have.

The lies behind the alarmism

In a more sane American political environment, no one, least of all the Republican leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, could get away with accusing the other side of trying to kill old people.

OUTDOOR BRIEF

WILDLIFE SURVEY

OUT THERE

HIKES

‘Surreal Life’ outbreak spreads with new VH1 show

You won’t see this on CNN, but the world’s top scientists are quietly assembling, crossing political divides and international borders, to confront the greatest menace mankind has ever seen. They’ll enlist only the bravest volunteers, all experts in their chosen fields — think “Armageddon,” just less Michael Bay-ish — in a last-ditch attempt to save humanity. Their mission: Travel back in time to January 2003 and shut down “The Surreal Life” before it gets on the air.

DEAD MAN STANDING (STAND-UP COMEDIAN)

Often, when I interrupted his class, my seventh-grade math teacher asked if I was a comedian. Finally, I have a definitive answer for Mr. Byrnes.

Several gardening opportunities on calendar

Fall gardening, a plant giveaway and a chance to become a master gardener take center stage this week. Hope you can take advantage of these opportunities.

THE WATER COOLER

Here are a few things in news, entertainment and popular culture that we’ve been talking about lately.

‘NCAA Football ’10’ addictive but flawed

Two news stories are revolving around the release of “NCAA Football ’10” — neither of which has anything to do with the fact that the new game is pretty good but infuriatingly flawed.

Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park blends ghost town, fossil beds

Unique among the scores of ghost towns scattered across Nevada, old Berlin in Central Nevada remains the only former boomtown to receive protection as a state park. Created by the Nevada Legislature in 1957, Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park couples the 1890s ghost town with a nearby fossil bed of huge marine reptiles discovered in the 1920s.

One Step At a Time

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part of an occasional series of stories highlighting performers who played an interesting role in the history of entertainment in Las Vegas.

Show lineups a game of chance

I look at the lineup for The Mirage and yawn: Jay Leno, Ray Romano, Brad Garrett, Kevin James. Sometimes they really shake things up and team Romano with James instead of with Garrett.

COMING IN THIS WEEK’S BUSINESS PRESS

BUSTED BANKS: The economic slump may mean the end for some community banks. Some observers predict the area will have fewer small, independent banks, regardless of whether the economy rebounds or remains mired in a downturn.

High-rise plans go flat in Las Vegas

When spinmeisters hyped the “Manhattanization” of Las Vegas, grand plans were announced for about 75 high-rise towers that would deliver 47,500 luxury condominium units to a market saturated with single-family, stucco homes. But now, the fireworks have fizzled. As some analysts predicted, less than 25 percent of the proposed high-rise projects have been completed. The One Las Vegas high-rise condo project, above, has entered foreclosure. A real estate analyst said the high-rise condo craze was partly created by the “mystique” of being in Las Vegas.

Saving greenbacks by going green

Green, more than a color, is a catchall term used to describe an ecoconscious lifestyle, including everything from hybrid-fuel-powered cars to recycled consumer goods to solar electricity. The big-minded concept is to preserve the Earth’s natural resources by reducing waste and pollution through innovative design and improved efficiency. In development circles, green has gone from a boutique idea to a mandatory part of architecture and construction.

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