Let it snow ... let it snow ... let it snow

It's going to take a lot of snow and rain to make up for all the drought conditions we have been experiencing over the past few months.

The good thing about snow this time of year is it won't stick around too long.

I guess I should have expected some this week since the girls state basketball tournament is going on up in Des Moines. The girl's tournament has a long-standing tradition of attracting snow to the state during the event.

The teams I feel sorry for are the state-qualified bowlers who have to wait two weeks to have their tournament. There should be a better backup plan for the bowlers than what is going on right now. Creston and several other area teams are having to practice for two weeks while waiting for the rescheduled finals. Not the best deal for all the kids and coaches.

Vegas

I had a chance to escape some of the snow last week with a quick trip to Las Vegas to attend a newspaper national board meeting.

Because of the snowstorm rerouting people, the planes were all loaded to the brim.

The main drag in Las Vegas (Las Vegas Blvd.) was closed down because of a run-and-gun shooting on the strip. The shooting made national news. The street was closed down for 15 hours in both directions, which made for an even bigger traffic jam than what usually goes on.

It looks like Las Vegas has made a pretty good comeback with the town jammed with people. The amount of police out after the shooting was tremendous. You couldn't walk 100 yards without seeing some kind of security.

The number of panhandlers out on the street is getting pretty outrageous. There were lots of folks dressed up as your favorite actor or cartoon character wanting you to take a picture for $5. And, there were all kinds of musicians and magicians all vying for your extra dollars on the strip. There is getting to be almost as much talent in the streets as there is in the casinos.