Editorials

Southern Nevada needs a new stadium in close proximity to the Strip. Such a project would provide a major economic boost, allowing the region to attract new special events while giving existing ones room to grow. Open-air Sam Boyd Stadium is too old and too far from the resort corridor — and too vulnerable to the elements — to appeal to touring acts and some sporting events.

In December 2011, the Rock ’n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon/Half-Marathon was contested at night, on the Strip, for the first time. And it did not go well, to put it mildly. Such events are entirely about logistics — having everything in place to ensure as little difficulty as possible for 35,000-plus runners, as well as spectators and residents inconvenienced by street closures.

For more than a decade, environmentalists have lobbied for Gold Butte to be designated a national conservation area. That push got a big shove last week when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., introduced legislation to fulfill conservationists’ goal.

The wounds from the County Commission’s political battles over University Medical Center are so infected, not even the hospital’s brilliant trauma unit staff could heal them.

AARP brings its Life@50+ convention to Las Vegas today through Saturday. Participants will find an abundance of personal, financial and health care advice to better prepare them for the financial challenges of retirement — especially if the economic downturn has changed their plans.

There’s a reason residents don’t pull their hoses to the street, turn on their faucets en masse and let water run into storm drains for days on end: They can’t afford it. The more they use, the steeper the bill. It’s a powerful incentive to conserve.

State lawmakers are rightly worried about the effect of tax increases on a fragile economy. Families and businesses are still hurting, more than four years after the hardest blows of the Great Recession. Every dollar matters.

Even on an elementary school playground, it’s bad form to call a do-over. High school students who blow their final exams don’t get to retake them.

Every Memorial Day we see heartfelt tributes to our troops and veterans. They’re worthy of year-round thanks, especially with so many current service members coming home from multiple combat tours.

Southern Nevada’s economy has taken a beating over the past five years, so just about any news related to job creation is good news. To that end, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development Board last week approved tax abatements that are expected to create about 330 jobs around the state.