Print edition for April 16, 2001

Letter: Officials' lying no big surprise: My advice to everybody disappointed with the actions of any elected officials is to not set your goals or expectations too high. Stay informed and vote for the people you believe will do the best job. But don't lose sight of the fact that candidates will do whatever it takes to get elected, some more then others. If they don't, their opponent will probably win the election.

Chasing history at Summerlin: Victoria Sun; Highlights from Doug Tewell's win in the Tradition:

Editorial: Coach is a voice of reason: Newell is every bit as influential in his sport as are the coaches who have lined up behind the National Collegiate Athletic Association in their wrongheaded attempt to ban college betting in Nevada. Newell won an NCAA men's basketball championship with the University of California, Berkeley, in 1959 and then followed up as the gold-medal winning coach in the 1960 Summer Olympics. He was also named national coach of the year.

Trends for April 16, 2001: Lisa Ferguson; Let's forget for a while that today is tax day. That this very minute Uncle Sam and his cronies at the IRS may be pilfering your bank account for their annual payment.

Letter: Nurse Week raises public awareness: I write to congratulate University Medical Center, Valley and Desert Springs hospitals for recognizing the current nursing shortage and helping us to do something about it. All three hospitals have agreed to participate in the Nevada Service Employees Union's Nurse Alliance "Stand For Patients" campaign by allowing the Nurse Alliance to place collection boxes in their hospitals.

Letter: Guinn's Rx plan wastes money: What happened to "Government of the People"? This is not a sovereignty -- we are sick and tired of partisan politics. This is not your private bankroll -- it's tobacco penance for the people!

Harter backs agent reform: Steve Addy; If the Rebels' basketball team gets in any more trouble with the NCAA, the program will be subject to the "death penalty."

Condominium fire causes minor damage, no injuries: Fire investigators are ruling today's fire on the city's west side (Washington and Decatur) accidental.

51s battered by Golden Spikes: The Golden Spikes (3-8), who hit just .202 during a disastrous 1-7 road trip through California to open the season, pounded out 10 more hits in a 7-2 victory over the 51s (4-7) on Sunday afternoon.

Prep Schedule: MONDAY

Dollar signs: Experts show how to avoid financial foibles: Where is the money going to come from to pay the tax bill? What about the mortgage and the car payment? What about electric bills, which continue to climb, seemingly on a monthly basis?

Columnist John Katsilometes: Retracing a Martin classic: Bellagio isn't the only place to enjoy Steve Martin's art in Las Vegas. A single piece -- a classic -- was tucked away in a bin at Borders Books Music & Cafe up on North Rainbow Boulevard last week.

Birth announcements for April 16, 2001: Treshun to La Shawn White.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Tewell steps up to take advantage: Dean Juipe; A year ago the Senior PGA Tour rolled into Las Vegas with its collective tongue dragging in fatigue.

Obituaries for April 16, 2001: Evelyn I. Cassady, 88, of Las Vegas died Friday in a local hospice. She was born Aug. 25, 1912, in Wisconsin. A resident for eight years, she was a homemaker.

Henderson offers free workshop on families: Course curriculum is designed to teach parents the importance of using clear rules and consistent supervision to balance their children's behavior with positive social development.

Rebels get clean bill of health: Steve Guiremand; John Robinson had several reasons to smile following UNLV's final spring football practice on Saturday afternoon at Rebel Park.

Man is arrested in gunfight with police: Jace Radke; A 56-year-old Henderson man was arrested late Saturday night on a charge of attempted murder of a police officer after an exchange of gunfire inside a home near the Eastern edge of Henderson.

Keller goes against review board: Keith Paul; In his first action on a Citizen Review Board recommendation, Sheriff Jerry Keller ruled against the board and cleared two officers of an excessive force complaint.

Decision could come next week on accused teen's plea bargain: Kim Smith; Sixteen-year-old Conan Pope next week is expected to announce whether he has cut a deal with prosecutors regarding the January 2000 shooting death of his father.

Measure would ease raising of insurance rates: CARSON CITY -- Insurance companies would be able to raise their rates by as much as 7 percent on auto and homeowners policies without prior approval of the state insurance commissioner, under a bill approved 15-5 by the Senate.

Foe of helmet law continues fight: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- A lawmaker is hoping residents can force a vote today on a controversial bill to repeal the state's motorcycle helmet law for those 21 and over.

Dust, smoke blend to cloud valley vista: A mix of dust and smoke has enveloped the Las Vegas Valley in a dense haze that could continue throughout the week, experts said.

Taxpayers consider kinder IRS as filing deadline looms: As the minutes tick down to tonight's midnight deadline for filing taxes, those paying them can rest easy knowing that if something goes wrong, they can deal with a kinder, gentler Internal Revenue Service.

Bill designed to improve direction of libraries: Adrienne Packer; A proposed bill designed to give consolidated library districts and debt management commissions clearer direction as bond questions are prepared is working its way through the state Legislature.

Man kills ex-wife, then himself in store shooting: Jace Radke; A 65-year-old man walked into a grocery store Sunday night, killed his ex-wife behind the deli counter, then shot himself to death.

Vegas lands three more technology shows: ESPWorld (Enterprise Solution Providers) Conference and Expo, slated for June 24-27, 2002, will target people involved in the tech sectors of application service providers, communication network building and business-to-business e-commerce.

B of A, Citigroup hurt by loan losses, stock market woes: New bank merger

LV firm sued over California Indian casino: Klai-Juba Architects Ltd., which said it agreed in 1999 to provide structural, mechanical and electrical engineering services; and design and construction documents for the Indian casino, sued Anchor Pala Development LLC, alleging it breached a contract when it refused to file a request for mediation to settle a dispute over payments allegedly owed to the architect.

PCL Box: Las Vegas-Omaha: E--Gil. DP--Las Vegas 1. LOB--Las Vegas 7, Omaha 4. 2B--Prieto, B. Johnson 2, Wilson. HR--Mota (2), Nunnally (1), Hubbard (2). S--K. Johnson. SB--Hubbard. CS--Ortiz.

Formula One San Marino Grand Prix results: At The Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit

Baseball: Hall pitches Rebels to win over San Diego St.: UNLV improved to 16-23 overall (7-11 in the Mountain West Conference) while SDSU falls to 23-16 and 12-6.

Economic optimism declines: The National Association of Home Builders' housing market index declined to 56 this month from a revised 58 in March and 57 in February. A reading above 50 signals a majority of builders are positive about market conditions.

UMC might cancel ambulance contracts: By Emily Richmond; The University Medical Center board of trustees is considering terminating two contracts with American Medical Response and Southwest ambulance services -- one to provide transport for critical care patients and a second that allows the companies to "rent" UMC nurses to ride with the units.

Next step in councilwoman's ethics case days away: Diana Sahagun; The Las Vegas Ethics Commission will determine Thursday if there is enough evidence to proceed with a full hearing into a complaint filed against City Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald.

Opponents of gay rights bill await outcome of hearing: Kris Hill; Opponents of a bill that would extend a handful of marriage rights to unmarried couples will find out today if their efforts to kill the bill in committee were successful.

Binion gets $465 million for casino in forced sale: ALTON, Ill. -- Argosy Gaming Co. said today it agreed to buy the Empress Casino and Hotel in Joliet from Jack Binion's Horseshoe Gaming Holding Corp. for $465 million.

Pacific Coast League standings: Saturday's Games

Business down at Reno airport: Total passenger counts fell 15.2 percent below February 2000. Passenger traffic for the year is off 12.1 percent.

Softball: UNLV settles for split with New Mexico: The Rebels will travel to San Diego State for a doubleheader on Saturday. Game time is 1 p.m. UNLV returns home May 4 with a doubleheader against New Mexico at noon at the Rebel Diamond.

Death penalty backers in Senate concede they can't stop ban: CARSON CITY -- Senate supporters of the death penalty concede that they don't have enough votes to block a bill imposing a two-year moratorium on executions.

Legislative briefs for April 16, 2001: Children would not be permitted to ride in the back of pickups under a measure the Assembly passed Friday.

LV-area tour operators in stalemate over air routes: The Federal Aviation Administration has replied to a lawsuit aimed at blocking a series of new air tour routes over the Grand Canyon, creating a stalemate that has placed tour operators in a financial holding pattern.

Man killed; girl injured: North Las Vegas Police found Erick Bass, 28, shot in the head and slumped over the steering wheel of a Cadillac in a parking lot at 2504 West St., near Martin Luther King Boulevard and Carey Avenue, about 12:30 a.m.

Postal Service busy today, too: In addition to the IRS, another federal agency -- the U.S. Postal Service -- will be busy today.

Spring break tournament puts Wolves back in pack: Spencer Patterson; One week ago, the Basic Wolves were a baseball team in need of a vacation.

Las Vegas news briefs for April 16, 2001: A 33-year-old Las Vegas woman was killed early Sunday morning when the car she was driving struck a signal light pole and a utility pole.

XFL playoffs: Saturday

Madonna to bring act to Las Vegas: Kirk Baird; The Material Girl is coming to Las Vegas.

Playboy.com partnering with pari-mutuel wagering site: Penn National will be responsible for the day-to-day operations and overhead, including hardware and software, management and customer support. Playboy will provide marketing, branding, design and content, said a statement issued by Playboy.com, which is a subsidiary of Playboy Enterprises.

Hall of Fame: Four individuals, team set for induction: Induction activities will be held June 22 beginning with a golf tournament at Dragon Ridge Country Club. The induction ceremonies will be held at the Cox Pavilion, with cocktails at 6:30 p.m. and dinner at 7:30 p.m. Call 386-7200 for tickets.

North Las Vegas call center unaffected so far: The web-based grocer began operating a 280,000-square-foot building in the Northport Business Center near the North Las Vegas airport in mid-January, spokeswoman Amy Nobile said.

Defense attacks theory in Rudin's cause of death: Kim Smith; Margaret Rudin's defense attorneys didn't waste any time this morning attacking the state's theory of how Ronald Rudin died. Their first witness told jurors that the remains found at Nelson's Landing were not burned there.

Sierra Pacific shares down just moderately on dividend suspension: Shares of Sierra Pacific Resources Inc. were falling moderately today in the first Wall Street session since the company announced it was suspending payment of a 25-cent quarterly dividend scheduled May 1.

Gaming people: Richard Waters is vice president of casino marketing at the Aladdin.

Moody's says credit upgrade possible for company: Under review are Coast's B3 senior subordinated debt rating, its Ba3 senior secured revolving credit facility rating, its B1 senior implied rating and B2 issuer rating. All these ratings are considered speculative or "junk bond" ratings.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Baffert brings potent double shot into Derby: Ralph Siraco; Spring break has come to an end and -- at least for the horse set -- so have the finals for the spring classics.

Court: NLV can hike Pardee's water rate: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court has ruled that North Las Vegas can raise the water rates of Pardee Construction Co. of Nevada, which purchased 1,080 acres in 1988 for a planned development of 8,500 homes.

Aladdin's Desert Passage mall in more disputes with tenants: Tresor, which said it had "legitimate defenses" to the alleged obligation to pay rents, said it was "commercially frustrated" in its attempt to operate its business at the Desert Passage mall because Aladdin Bazaar failed to fulfill representations it allegedly made to Tresor to bring in the "quantity and quality of customer traffic" to the mall.

Bill seeks anti-smoking pledge from holders of scholarships: CARSON CITY -- The Senate has given preliminary approval to a bill that would require those who receive Millennium Scholarships to attend college in Nevada to sign a pledge to refrain from smoking while they receive the scholarship money.

Business people: William McBeath, president of the Mirage, was elected chairman of the board of Las Vegas Events. Steve Greathouse of Mandalay Resort Group is vice chairman and David Smith, formerly of First Security Bank of Nevada, is secretary-treasurer. Also, Beth Gayler is marketing director and Mary Anne Beaman is programming director.

Tribe ready to supply power: Public meetings on environmental impacts from building a natural gas-fired power plant on the Moapa River Indian Reservation, about 45 miles northeast of Las Vegas, have been scheduled. They are: