LETTERS: Stadium-school combo a better idea

To the editor:

Lynn Clayton makes a passionate and convincing argument in a letter to the editor that the city of Las Vegas needs to address the overcrowding of public schools before it considers funding a new soccer stadium (“Build schools, not soccer stadiums,” Sept. 18 Review-Journal). Nonetheless, the appeal for a partially publicly funded soccer stadium is not without merit.

Las Vegas is a city on the cutting edge of many entertainment and technological platforms. Why not be on the cutting edge of public education as well? Why not add to our notoriety as a city of sin with additional appeal as a city of progressive education?

My proposal is to combine both campaigns, building a new stadium that includes public school space under the same roof. Why not construct a stadium with a corner designated as a public high school? Such a combined project might be appealing to a greater number of taxpayers, and it might even pass muster when it comes to taking a City Council vote.

A Las Vegas stadium/high school would be a first and could be a national model for other cities to consider. High school students could observe the business side of sports and even intern in sports medicine, entertainment, public relations, finance and other stadium-related interests — without leaving the building.

Professional soccer players might even be encouraged to “adopt” individual classes. Athletes as mentors would be a positive for both students and athletes. Moreover, when the stadium is not being used for its intended purpose, it could be used for high school gym classes or for high school competitive events. There are many more positive outcomes for such an endeavor.

We all appreciate situations that conclude with a win-win for all involved parties. This is one such project.

I hope that those in power would give this proposal some serious thought.

RICHARD I. BERMAN

HENDERSON

Will they come?

To the editor:

Regarding the downtown soccer stadium proposal, isn’t there a saying about the cart and the horse, and which should come first? Does anyone think a Major League Soccer franchise is coming to Las Vegas? “If you build it, they will come” only happens in the movies — Kevin Costner movies.

“Field of Dreams” might have been in theaters too long ago for level-headed people to get the point. Football, soccer and other athletic events can co-exist on the UNLV campus in a domed, 45,000-seat stadium, with the support of UNLV, Justin Findlay and The Cordish Cos. all working together. Time is running out.

And Lois Tarkanian deserves thanks for representing the people, unlike some of the other Las Vegas City Council members. She always does her homework for the taxpayers.

FRANK NAILS

LAS VEGAS

One species, many parents

To the editor:

Gary Strabala writes in his letter to the editor that “scientists today say that all humans descended from one original couple” (“Biblical good works,” Sept. 16 Review-Journal).

Actually, as biologist and atheist Richard Dawkins explains in his book, “The Magic of Reality,” “There never was a first person — because every person had to have parents, and those parents had to be people too! Every creature ever born belonged to the same species as its parents (with perhaps a very small number of exceptions).”

More than 100,000 years ago, our ancestors Homo erectus through gradual changes became Homo sapiens — us. But the changes were so gradual that “there never was a Homo erectus who suddenly gave birth to a Homo sapiens baby.”

GRANT COUCH

NORTH LAS VEGAS