Reporters’ Notebook

WITH ONE WEEK TO GO, MANY OF YOU are still scrambling to find that perfect Valentine's gift, and the Center for Biological Diversity is here to help.

According to a news release, the environmental group with a field office in Las Vegas is distributing a line of "free, edgy (and) fun" endangered species condoms meant to highlight the impact of human overpopulation on threatened species and their habitats.

You can relax, though. The condoms merely feature images of endangered animals; they aren't made out of endangered animals. That would be in poor taste.

HENRY BREAN

WHEN THE LOT IS FULL at the Clark County School District headquarters on West Sahara Avenue, visitors are directed to a parking ramp behind the building. All the spaces on the ramp are marked "reserved."

JAMES HAUG

DURING A HEARING ON SCHOOL FINANCES with state lawmakers, Clark County School District Superintendent Walt Rulffes showed he might not be ready for "American Idol."

Instead of singing, Rulffes gave a spoken word rendition of the pop hit "We Just Disagree" when he said, "There are no bad guys, there are no good guys. There's just you and me, and we just disagree."

Rulffes twice said he got the lyrics from a "poem," but the verse was first recorded by Dave Mason and later covered by country star Billy Dean.

JAMES HAUG

WE NOW KNOW THE IDENTITY of Markus the prostidude's second customer ever at the Shady Lady Ranch brothel in Nye County. She was an undercover reporter named Mandy Stadtmiller.

A full account, complete with photographs, was in Tuesday's New York Post.

Long story short, Stadtmiller paid Markus $500 for a two-hour session, showered naked with the guy, surreptitiously interviewed and photographed him, but they never had sex.

It happens all the time: Journalists drop in from out of state, spend a few days in Nevada, and completely miss the point.

HENRY BREAN