| IN THE OUTDOORS: Ice-fishing trip comes up empty
It was nearly 10:30 p.m. when I pulled out of the small mountain community of Panguitch, Utah, and followed my brother, Chris, heading the last 20 miles or so to Panguitch Lake. In his truck rode the "Holy Ladle," a prize Chris wasn't planning on giving up, though seven of us were prepared to take it away. We were on our way to the annual ice-fishing event held every President's Day weekend. Participants come from as far away as Tucson, Ariz., but most are from the Las Vegas area. The event includes a day of prefishing on Saturday -- actually it's more like three hours or so -- and finishes with a tournament on Monday morning. That, too, lasts about three hours. Sandwiched in between are nonstop card games. .
Most NATO members want U.S., Britain, Canada to do heavy lifting
The ongoing Afghan war against al-Qaida and the Taliban now provides a second, more demanding test case that demonstrates how much the alliance's capabilities and solidarity have withered. In Afghanistan, NATO is failing. Nominally, all 26 alliance members contribute to the war effort, with some 43,000 total troops deployed. But stripping away the forces provided by the United States, Britain and Canada, the alliance has fielded barely 20,000 soldiers this to pacify a country 50 percent larger than Iraq. Many national contingents, Germany's being the most prominent, operate under restrictions that make them unusable except in areas where relative security exists. EUROPE LACKS TROOPS, POLITICAL WILL U.S. officials call for the allies to do more more troops with fewer strings attached. But Europe lacks trained soldiers, adequate stores of equipment and, above all, political will.
JEFF WOLF: NASCAR deserves slap for decision at Fontana
When a driver runs afoul of NASCAR's laws, he is summoned to its rolling traffic court parked in the infield where one-sided justice often is handed down. When Casey Mears arrives at Las Vegas Motor Speedway today for Sprint Cup qualifying and practice, he should order NASCAR officials to his hauler and give them a dose of their judicial medicine. Mears could have been killed or seriously injured after NASCAR allowed racing to resume Sunday at the rain-plagued event in Fontana, Calif. On the 22nd lap, Mears drove over water on the track and slid into the outside guardwall before his car was turned on its side when hit by another driver, whose car burst into flames. Fortunately, neither driver was injured. .
That $500,000 rambler
It shouldn't come as news to anyone that home prices in the Seattle region have soared. Theo Eicher, founding director of the University of Washington's Economic Policy Research Center, offers a thoughtful analysis of how zoning laws and other land-use regulations have driven home prices up by an estimated $200,000. Illuminating, but nothing that ought to spur changes in at least one key land-use regulation, the state's Growth Management Act. Residents in the Puget Sound region are getting a tremendous return on their investment. Restrictions on development have preserved the character and environmental appeal of our area. Policies sometimes work at cross-purposes. Yes, state and local growth-management laws restrict where homes can be built, affecting supply that contributes to rising prices.
MONTE CARLO FIRE FORCES OUT THOUSANDS Strip resort remains closed ...
Flames and smoke rise from the Monte Carlo late Friday morning. The blaze sent burning debris raining onto the ground below and forced the evacuation of guests and staff.
Photo by John Gurzinski.
Charles Anderson, right, rubs his face as he waits with his mother-in-law, Ethel Daniels, second from left, and her sister, Naomi Williams, at the MGM Grand Garden on Friday.
Photo by John Locher.
A Clark County firefighter sprays a hot spot on the southern side of the Monte Carlo.
Photo by Jeff Scheid.
Emergency vehicles from multiple departments line the Strip outside the Monte Carlo on Friday. Las Vegas Boulevard was closed to traffic between Tropicana and Harmon avenues.
Photo by Jeremy Lyverse/Review-Journal.
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