Today's print edition

News

Health care decisions should be the peoples’: PAGE 1; By Brian Greenspun; How’s this for timing? Here was Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, ready to unveil his long-awaited Senate health care bill — a bill that, while it has drawn the usual complaints from the usual suspects, hasn’t been dismissed as unworkable or unreasonable. And then, unexpected, was an announcement about detection of breast cancer that suddenly overshadowed the entire health care debate.

The pull of a drug, a push to the brink: PAGE 1; By J. Patrick Coolican; According to a 2002 report commissioned by the Legislature, there are some 90,000 Nevadans with gambling problems. And Tony McDew is one of them. A few lucky days at the casino got him to believe that gambling was a way to supplement his income.

Harry Reid’s hopes hitched to health care reform bill: PAGE 1; By Lisa Mascaro; You would have thought they were rock stars, not graying politicians, the way Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his top lieutenants were welcomed at a Senate reception the day after Reid’s health care bill was introduced.

Was there an ulterior motive in parking the stripper-mobile?: PAGE 2; By Joe Schoenmann; Did the owners of Déjà Vu and Little Darlings all-nude clubs really stop running the stripper-mobile up and down Las Vegas Boulevard because “they want to be good citizens,” as their lawyer said? He did say that. But there’s more to it. On Sept. 29, Déjà Vu management applied for an adult cabaret license and a tavern license.

Art of the spin, unemployment-rate style: PAGE 2; By David McGrath Schwartz; No sooner were the latest unemployment numbers released Friday morning than politicians offered their takes, illustrating that no fact will go un-spun this campaign season.Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid ideclared the drop in statewide unemployment from 13.3 percent to 13 percent a “positive development.” Gov. Jim Gibbons, however, had a different, more somber, take.

The skinny on the health care reform bills in each chamber of Congress: PAGE 3; By Lisa Mascaro; What started as five health care bills — three in the House, two in the Senate — are now two. Here are some highlights of the House bill, which passed on Nov. 7, and the Senate bill, which was introduced for debate Saturday. The Senate bill faces many amendments during the upcoming weeks of debate.

In workplaces, even here, help can be hard to come by: PAGE 8; By Richard N. Velotta; If a co-worker has a few too many drinks during an after-work get-together, it’s common for a colleague to take his car keys away. Maybe the colleague or a supervisor will keep an eye on him for other telltale signs of alcohol abuse. But that isn’t the way it usually works with a gambling addict, panelists said at the National Center for Responsible Gaming’s conference on gambling and addiction last week at Mandalay Bay.

How the nation is faring according to the Brookings Institution: PAGE 10; Alan Berube, Karen Dynan and Ted Gayer of the Brookings Institution; The economy’s expansion last quarter, for the first time in more than a year, has prompted much speculation that the recession is over. This turning point, however, simply marks an end to the decline in activity. In this second “How We’re Doing” index, The Brookings Institution examines the forces that stand in the way of a strong rebound.

Just where will Palin’s path be taking her?: PAGE 4; Chris Urago, Las Vegas; Sarah Palin appears to be heading down a career path that will lead nearer to the “political liaisons, secret meetings, unethical deeds and downright illegal acts” she writes about in “Going Rogue" as she parallels Juneau, Alaska, and Washington, D.C.

Responsibility best addresses abortion problem: PAGE 4; Margaret Neubauer, Las Vegas; If more men took responsibility for their actions regarding sex, perhaps there would be fewer abortions. However, in this country, they are excused with such terms as “boys will be boys,” or that it’s cool to have sex with as many women as one chooses.

At this point, Palin should no longer be an issue: PAGE 4; Dave Mesker, Las Vegas; The Las Vegas Sun editorial on Thursday, “GOP and Palinpaloozza: Former vice presidential nominee starts book tour amid divisions in ranks,” could have been written about President Barack Obama or any high-profile person in America.

What might result from a national airing of Ensign’s dirty laundry: PAGE 4; By Jon Ralston; Mark down 8:35 p.m. PT Monday: That’s when the plug will be pulled on John Ensign’s grand delusion, the moment, as the Wachowski brothers might appreciate, that the Matrix is revealed and the grotesque reality becomes unavoidable.

Public health care looks like a bargain: PAGE 4; Janice Herr, Las Vegas; Why is new health care reform legislation figured over 10 years? We keep hearing how it’s a “$1 trillion bill,” as if that’s the cost for one year. We actually pay out $2.5 trillion each year on health care, or $25 trillion over 10 years.

New Year’s extravaganza: PAGE 4; Let’s face it: The New Year’s fireworks display that rang in 2009 was a bust. The fireworks, unlike in past years, were shot from a much lower elevation instead of from the resorts’ rooftops on the Strip. High-rise resorts obstructed the view for those who were on the Strip to see what usually is a knockout display.

Driven to distraction: PAGE 4; After gaining international attention and a mention in a Jay Leno monologue, the stripper-mobile, which stopped operating after a short-lived run on the Strip, is back in the news. As Joe Schoenmann reported in Thursday’s Las Vegas Sun, the owner of the truck says he is working with someone interested in leasing it. That is a shame.

Privacy breach at UMC: PAGE 4; Rumors circulated last summer that information about accident victims was being leaked from University Medical Center to lawyers who specialize in filing personal-injury lawsuits. Hospital officials knew of the rumors but did not pursue them after a cursory investigation. “I thought it was a nonissue,” Kathy Silver, UMC’s chief executive, told Las Vegas Sun reporter Marshall Allen for a story that ran Friday.

9 hours, 9 minutes ago

1 day, 7 hours ago

1 day, 11 hours ago

2 days, 4 hours ago

2 days, 5 hours ago

2 days, 5 hours ago

2 days, 6 hours ago

Live chat: Tuesday, noon PST; Chat with Krista Creelman; Problem Gambling Center executive director Krista Creelman will answer questions about gambling addiction from Las Vegas Sun readers from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. ... Submit question