The UNLV debate team is nationally ranked. It turns out the Rebels know how to hold their own in an argument. This week the university debate group is hosting two dozen area high school students to help them fine-tune their debate skills. We're joined by three of the UNLV debate team members to learn more about the art of debate, and how it's been shown to help kids, especially at-risk kids, to better perform in high school.

UNLV Boyd School of Law Professor Bret Birdsong will put theory into practice in his new role as senior lawyer at the Bureau of Land Management, giving advice to the Secretary of the Interior and members of the BLM. Birdsong says he won’t directly make policy, but in his role as a lawyer, he will directly influence it.

One glance at the Las Vegas Strip makes it clear that Southern Nevada is a center of creativity. New ideas, catchy phrases and eye-catching displays battle to attract attention. But the city also is a danger zone for thieves who hope to profit from that creativity by appropriating protected trademarks or concepts for their own use.

The federal government has been collecting an unprecedented amount of personal information from phone records and internet searches. Is that an invasion of privacy? Or is it a small price to pay for increased security?

Water fight • A return to the negotiating table with Nevada would likely leave Utah with a stronger hand; another option is court.

A decade ago about 80 to 85 percent of nightclub bartenders were men; today women represent about 60 percent of the club bartenders. Why have women moved in? The answer has to do with how Las Vegas has changed.

March 8 is International Women's Day - the perfect time to reflect on the progress women have made, and the challenges they face all over the world. Late last year, Hanna Rosin wrote the book, "The End of Men," but men still dominate politics and business. Sheryl Sandberg's new book challenges women to "Lean In" to their careers, because many young women hold themselves back at work. Do you think that's good advice? Or does it ignore the plight of most working women?

Robots on the open road. That could be the future for Nevada, which opened its roadways to driverless cars in 2011. Nevada also recently hosted the Consumer Electronic Show, where Toyota and Audi unvieled self-driving technology. So how far are we from the science-fiction fantasy of driverless cars? And how will it change how we drive in the future?

From candy canes to mulled wine, Christmas is a chance to indulge in certain taste traditions. You might prepare these holiday treats near the sparkly lights of your tree, or you might enjoy them under the neon lights of the Strip. We talked about holiday food traditions from cultures around the world, as celebrated right here in Las Vegas.