Print edition for December 17, 2001

Correction: The Sun corrects its errors. If you find a mistake, call 385-3111 to report it.

Experts: Resorts must address safety: Resort marketing departments have a new mission now that the events of Sept. 11 have brought terrorism and tourism closer together.

2001 National Finals Rodeo final results: At Thomas and Mack Center

Prep schedule: TUESDAY

Park Place, Cox in pact for in-room Internet access, entertainment: Cox Business Services Hospitality Network, which provides interactive TV in more than 110,000 hotel rooms nationwide, approved the deal involving Park Place properties in Nevada, New Jersey, Mississippi and Indiana.

PDS to settle claim against former Regent: David Strow; PDS Gaming Corp. has agreed to a payment of more than $19 million to settle its claims against the former owner of the JW Marriott Las Vegas, formerly known as the Regent Las Vegas.

UNLV's rally instills some much-needed confidence: Steve Addy; For the first time all season, the Rebels showed measurable progress Saturday. Now they must prove it didn't have an expiration date.

Anchor, IGT win OK for merger: IGT's buyout of Las Vegas-based Anchor, first announced July 9, was delayed in late August when the FTC asked for more information about the the deal. The move indefinitely extended the deal's "waiting period," which is mandated under federal anti-trust law, and raised some speculation that the FTC had anti-trust concerns.

Expansion project at City Hall gets temporary go-ahead: Jeffrey Libby; Planned construction for a $39.5 million expansion of Henderson City Hall is still on track after a ruling Friday in federal court on a disputed construction contract.

Ohl rides away to title: Victoria Sun; Here are the winners after Sunday's season-ending National Finals Rodeo performance:

Montana St. will honor Johnson's scholarship: Spencer Patterson; His basketball future may be uncertain, but Martrel Johnson can still bank on a full athletic scholarship to college.

Tips for traveling: Tips for traveling

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Southern California's racing circuit to take holiday hiatus: Ralph Siraco; The horseplayer holiday shopping season officially starts today, soon after they post the "Official" sign on the tote board following the final race at Hollywood Park, marking the end of the fall meeting at the Inglewood, Calif., oval.

NFR notebook: Myers turns steer wrestling crown into a family affair: Victoria Sun; With his father, Butch, sitting in the stands of the Thomas & Mack Center, and his brother, Cash, standing nearby on the arena floor, Rope Myers lived up to his family name Sunday afternoon.

LV firms sued over sale of anthrax detection kits: David Strow; The Illinois Attorney General's office has filed fraud lawsuits against two Las Vegas companies, claiming they've been marketing bogus anthrax detection devices over the Internet.

Perkins takes last race of year at LVMS: Jenna Thompson of Wildomar, Calif., defeated first-timer Kyle Glenn of Kingman, Ariz., for junior 8-9 honors. Travis Cherry of Bakersfield, Calif., defeated Matthew Fischle of Twin Peaks, Calif., for the 10-12 title.

VEGAS SPORTS ON TV-RADIO: VEGAS SPORTS ON TV-RADIO

USA Networks unit sold to French media giant: Elaine Ganley; PARIS -- Vivendi Universal is buying the entertainment assets of USA Networks Inc. in a $10.3 billion deal to improve distribution of the French media giant's music and movies in the United States.

Columnist Dean Juipe: UNLV fans try to resist temptation: Dean Juipe; It was a harmless reference, yet a startling one.

Many go hungry as food supplies run low: Stacy J. Willis; They are the "new needy."

Cerina moments: Local actress shows her stuff in 'Teen Movie': Kirk Baird; It's tempting to call Cerina Vincent's performance in "Not Another Teen Movie" her "bust-out" role.

Editorial: Don't shed tears over pullout: The Stratosphere was one of four entities -- the city of Las Vegas, the Fremont Street Experience and Boyd Gaming Corp. were the other three -- that agreed to chip in $250,000 apiece to help finance preliminary studies on the monorail. While $250,000 is no small piece of change, the Regional Transportation Commission still is confident the loss of the funds won't delay a monorail project in the downtown area. Even if the loss of funding would be a problem, that would be a preferable alternative to caving in to pressure from Stratosphere executives.

Fitch affirms company debt ratings: Fitch affirmed a "BB-plus" rating on the company's senior debt and a "BB-minus" rating on its senior subordinated debt. Fitch also assigned a "BB-minus" rating to a recent $300 million of 9.375 percent senior subordinated notes; Mandalay plans to use proceeds to pay down bank debt. These ratings are considered "junk bond" status.

Nine area schools praised in study: Terry Webster; Nine Clark County schools are praised in a national study that spotlights high-achieving schools with low income or high minority student populations.

Calls increasing to problem gambling center: Since its inception in 1996, the helpline has received a steadily rising number of calls, reaching an all-time high of 5,052 in 2000. Officials expect another record in 2001.

Trends for December 17, 2001: Lisa Ferguson; Now that the hype surrounding the flick "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" has settled down to a steady simmer, the folks at AAA Travel (an offshoot of what was formerly known as the American Automobile Association) are trying to stir things up again and they're aiming directly at your kids.

Park Place in pact for in-room entertainment, Internet access: Cox Business Services Hospitality Network, which provides interactive TV in more than 110,000 hotel rooms nationwide, approved the deal involving Park Place properties in Nevada, New Jersey, Mississippi and Indiana.

Speedway Charities helps Camp Fund: Last summer the Camp Fund paid for 725 disadvantaged children to go to camp. All money contributed to the Camp Fund goes to the children; the Las Vegas Sun pays all administrative costs.

News briefs for December 17, 2001: A 17-year-old Las Vegan died Saturday after being hit by a car Friday night while he was walking near Lake Mead and Nellis boulevards.

Obituaries for December 17, 2001: Barbara Ann Bailey-Spinner, 52, of Las Vegas died Saturday in a local hospital. She was born Jan. 21, 1949, in Kansas City, Kan. A resident for 11 years, she was a computer consultant for an Internet services company.

Longtime worker takes over Elko youth facility: CARSON CITY -- An 18-year employee of the Nevada Youth Training Center in Elko has been appointed its superintendent.

Blood drives: Wednesday: 8 a.m.-1 p.m., IT Corportion/Bechtel, 2621 Losee Road No. 1 3050; 11 a.m.-7 p.m., MGM Grand.

Letter: Growing tired of term 'Christmas': Also, I'm sure that these people grow tiresome of the constant barrage of "holiday gift giving ideas," Christmas music, and everyone asking, "Are you ready for Christmas?" Perhaps Ms. Thompson should broaden her horizons.

Bilingual voting will alter local politics: By Timothy Pratt; Political analysts say changes recently announced by the Clark County Election Department to allow Spanish-speaking voters to cast ballots in their native language will transform local politics -- but exactly how much depends on whom you ask.

$61 million targets Nevada crime: "This $61 million demonstrates our solid commitment to Nevada's significant local efforts," Attorney General John Ashcroft said.

Birth announcements for December 17, 2001: Dec. 11:

Prosecutor chastised but court upholds conviction: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court plans to impose sanctions against a Clark County prosecutor for improper remarks made during a murder trial, but it still upheld the conviction of Charles L. Randolph, sentenced to death for killing a bartender.

Letter: Symbols help bring God back to our country: I have long been worried that America's youth have very little understanding of the world's great literature because we are afraid to mention biblical teachings in the public place. Little by little, as we remove religious symbols from public places, we have undermined importance of something our forefathers thought was so important: religious freedom.

Pardons Board won't wipe out cop's conviction: CARSON CITY -- The state Pardons Board has refused to erase a domestic violence conviction against a Reno Police officer, but the board voted to reduce the sentences of four killers from Clark County.

Guns are still showing up at airport: Jace Radke; Bringing a gun to an airport was a bad idea before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but now it's just crazy, Clark County Aviation Director Randy Walker said.

Donaldson talk show debuts in Vegas today: Donaldson eventually became one of the most distinguished reporters on network television, noted for his persistent style and his forceful questioning of some of the world's most powerful figures.

Carnival takeover offer rejected: Carnival had offered 3.2 billion pounds ($4.6 billion) in cash and stock for P&O.

Biotech giant buying Immunex for $16 billion: The deal announced today would give Amgen of Thousand Oaks control of Seattle-based Immunex's rheumatoid arthritis drug, Enbrel.

Assembly speaker not sure PUC will protect ratepayers: CARSON CITY -- Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, says he's still not confident that the state Public Service Commission will protect the residential customers in a Nevada Power Co. request to raise rates by $921 million.