Print edition for December 18, 2001

Master-planned community's approval nears: Mathis Winkler; Developers of a proposed master-planned community on 1,900 acres at the northern end of the city are likely to receive the go-ahead within three weeks.

Wednesday's horse racing entries: Post Time 9:30 a.m.

LV firm reacts to suit: The Illinois Attorney General's office said Monday it filed fraud lawsuits against Gateway Distributors Ltd. and its subsidiary, TRSG Corp., which conducts business as the Right Solution from Las Vegas.

What's in a word?: Rebecca Malone; At age 17 Brian Cappalletto was considered a Scrabble prodigy after he finished fifth in the American National Scrabble Championship.

Nuclear industry studies role in Yucca suit: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The nuclear industry may intervene in a lawsuit filed Monday by Nevada officials against the Energy Department.

Nevada no longer No. 1 in smoking: By Emily Richmond; Congratulations, Nevada -- Kentucky has displaced the Silver State for the dubious honor of having the highest percentage of adult smokers in the nation, according to a new study.

Milwaukee-Vegas flights added: The new service, which will run between March 2 and May 31, will add to the small Milwaukee-based carrier's existing daily Milwaukee flight and extend a twice-a-week flight to four times a week.

Court briefs for December 18, 2001: A Clark County grand jury has indicted a Las Vegas yard sale operator in the slaying of his neighbor during a Thanksgiving Day argument.

Awards program unveiled: Seven awards will be presented each year at the center's annual scientific conference in Las Vegas. Categories will include awards for journal articles, neuroscience research, social and behavioral research, public health research and public policy research, as well as awards for early career and distinguished career contributions.

Harrah's awards charter deal: A Harrah's spokesman said Allegiant will fly casino customers on charter flights between Laughlin and several other locations around the country where it has casinos. Flights will begin in mid-January.

Feds want flight rights divested: Antitrust prosecutors at the Justice Department strongly recommended the rejection of the deal unless there were divestitures of the rights to at least 126 London-U.S. flights each week.

News briefs for December 18, 2001: David Earl Reed, 61, will now face a murder charge before District Judge Joseph T. Bonaventure and will be arraigned Jan. 3.

Rebels' Holden leaving program: Steve Addy; Jamal Holden's brief tenure with the Rebels is already over.

Letter: Nuclear PR drive launched: Plus, there is that aggravating little problem of where to put all that deadly, poisonous used fuel for the next 250,000 years. It seems a lot of people think we should just sacrifice the state of Nevada -- but what about Las Vegas? Maybe those guys from Enron who got out with all their fortunes intact after screwing their employees, the state of California and the rest of the country, could just buy Las Vegas and dig the city up and move it someplace else. You could put the nuclear waste in the hole that was left, and then I ...

Police say lawmaker's brutality accusation has no merit: Keith Paul; A Metro Police internal investigation ruled the accusations by a state lawmaker that officers beat a man in September are baseless, police officials told the Sun Monday.

High court rejects lawsuit in killings at LV restaurant: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court has ruled that the survivors of a 21-year-old employee who was stabbed to death during a robbery at a Las Vegas steak house could not sue the restaurant.

Man slain on street: The slain man was walking in the 1500 block of Las Vegas Boulevard South near Wyoming Avenue about 7:30 p.m. Monday, police said.

DMV cracking down on bad-check writers: CARSON CITY -- Nevada motorists who have written bad checks to the state Department of Motor Vehicles will no longer be able to register their vehicles.

LV firm in gambling, sex industry deal: Chris Almida, president of i2corp.,com, Las Vegas, said the deal will produce a revenue stream for his company. The license agreement was signed with Broadcasting Concepts LLC, Nevis, West Indies, which operates a live adult chat video system with more than 40,000 paying subscribers.

Columnist Kate Maddox: 'Phantom' doused as 'Storm' reigns: Kate Maddox; The multimillion-dollar Mandalay Bay production was rumored to be closing in the next six weeks, according to cast members, to make room for Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera." But one insider said the deal "just fell through" after weeks of "back-and-forth contract negotiations." Another source said "Phantom" didn't get the green light because of the costly business of closing one show and immediately opening another.

Racial remark at CCSN prompts $1.5 million suit: Jennifer Knight; A state lawmaker's wife is using a racial discrimination lawsuit against the Community College of Southern Nevada in a move some say is designed to pursue a political cause that died in the Legislature this year.

Timeshare owners file suit: George Reed, Grace Simmons, Jacklyn Spillar and William Vance, on behalf of about 11,500 Jockey Club members, accused the defendants of mismanaging the association when they charged late fees in excess of the 10 percent interest authorized by the association's bylaws.

New law forces cancellation of county board meetings: Adrienne Packer; A new state law requiring a majority affirmative vote played a role in Clark County administrators' decision to cancel six December board meetings that involve commissioners.

Rebels hope Jones can fill Kevin Thomas' shoes: Steve Guiremand; UNLV will fill one of its biggest recruiting needs when the signing period for mid-year junior college football prospects begins on Wednesday.

Supreme Court's caseload still high: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court, which handled 2,008 cases in the last fiscal year, apparently has one of the biggest caseloads in the nation.

New Orleans university cashing in on fears of gambling expansion in Mississippi: Jack Elliott Jr; JACKSON, Miss. -- Nearly 10 years after the first dockside casino opened in Mississippi, the Magnolia State continues to struggle with its image as the third largest gambling Mecca in the country.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: NIAA made wrong call on physicals: It appears the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association picked the wrong year to make athletic physical examinations optional.

Editorial: Beef up security at nuke plants: The New York Times reported Monday that, based on information collected by the California-based Committee to Bridge the Gap, these mock terrorist attacks involve just three intruders and one insider at the plant. In contrast, the Sept. 11 terrorist hijackings involved 19 terrorists who operated in four disciplined teams. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's regulations require a minimum of five guards at the nuclear power plants, a figure that the commission believes is enough to overwhelm attackers. The NRC believes that the threat of an attack involving a larger number of people is "not credible." But Sept. 11 obviously has turned ...

Vaccine supply closely monitored: By Emily Richmond; A nationwide shortage of a children's vaccine has Clark County health officials seeking to ensure that the youngest and most vulnerable patients are innoculated.

Las Vegas apartment rents staying level despite slow economy: Grace Leong; Many Las Vegas-area apartment management companies are managing to keep rental rates stable amid a softening economy and higher vacancy rates.

$22.4 million awarded victim in store robbery: Kim Smith; A Clark County jury awarded the brain-damaged victim of a robbery $22.4 million Monday, finding her teenage attackers held the bulk of the responsibility for her injury.

County may see big hike in jail rent: Adrienne Packer; Beginning in April, Clark County could be paying more than $500,000 in monthly rent to keep inmates in the city jail while the county's chronically delayed detention center is under construction.

Civil rights legend Lewis visits Las Vegas: Erin Neff; The eyes of 200 youngsters were fixed attentively Monday afternoon as a "living legend" of the civil rights movement locked their gaze at Booker Elementary School.

Business briefs for December 18, 2001: A Las Vegas company will supply motor homes to house law enforcement officers from around the world at the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City and the surrounding area of Northern Utah.

Vegas firm in sex industry, gambling deal: Chris Almida, president of i2corp.com, Las Vegas, said the deal will produce revenue for his company, Home Gambling Network, an i2corp.com subsidiary.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Holidays: Girth of a nation: Wahoo! Break out the Nut Goodies!

Violent crimes rise in valley: Violent crime rose slightly in Southern Nevada's three largest cities in just about every category during the first six months of the year, according to numbers compiled by the FBI and released Monday.

Disc sampling: Music choices bountiful this holiday season: Randy Martin; Also kicking up a lot of dust are a pair of female artists Deana Carter and Suzy Bogguss known for their commercial country work on Nashville labels, artists who have gone indie and come up so much the better.

Community briefs for December 18, 2001: The law firm of Crockett & Myers is sponsoring its fourth annual Home for the Holidays 6 p.m. Friday through noon Jan. 1.

Editorial: Video isn't playing well in Arab nations: As NBC News' Andrea Mitchell reported Friday, the video was broadcast in Cairo on Thursday, but the next night the Egyptian government-owned television network didn't mention the tape at all in its newscast. Newspapers in Egypt downplayed the story or didn't even bother to print it. The Middle East Broadcasting network, owned by Saudis, broadcast the video throughout the region, but nearly all the analysis was critical. Saudi newspapers never mentioned the Saudi who bin Laden was talking to on the video. Saudi officials also didn't denounce bin Laden after the tape was released, NBC reported.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Needed: Action by DOJ: While some of the attorney general's answers were confusing, others were rather amusing. His department now refuses to allow the FBI to use recent gun purchase records for the purpose of backtracking possible buys by suspected terrorists. The New York Times commented, "In light of the attorney general's dismissal of any sensitivity to civil liberties issues when it comes to the war on terrorism, it was dismaying this week to see how quickly his own department became hypersensitive when the issue turned to the privacy rights of gun owners. Reversing the department's previous reading of the law, Mr. Ashcroft has ...

More concerns raised over Yucca ground water: A Nevada consultant has raised new doubts regarding how fast deep ground water is moving beneath Yucca Mountain, the only site proposed to house 77,000 tons of the nation's high-level nuclear waste.

Latest plan for coaster could hurt other neighborhood: Diana Sahagun; The Stratosphere's latest proposal for a thrill ride at the hotel, although favoring nearby residents who oppose the ride, could negatively affect another group of neighbors.

Letter: Where's proof that Yucca is safety threat?: Your editorial position on the Yucca Mountain repository is well known to your readers within Nevada and to some of us who follow the project from afar. But some of the opinions given can really stretch credibility.

Northwest land dispute moves toward resolution: The classic American dream: Buy property and build a home for the family.

Hawaii governor supports gambling on ships: Bruce Dunford; HONOLULU -- Gambling should be allowed on interisland cruise ships in Hawaii, as long as it only takes place outside the three-mile limit, Gov. Ben Cayetano said Monday.

Park attendance may not rebound for years: Mike Schneider; ORLANDO, Fla. -- If history is any indication, it may take at least two years before attendance at Disney's Florida and California theme parks returns to pre-Sept. 11 levels.

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

UNLV ready to settle in at home: Steve Guiremand; After disposing of the University of San Francisco, 71-63, on Saturday night, Regina Miller's UNLV Lady Rebels spent most of Sunday checking out the sights in the Bay Area before flying home.

Obituaries for December 18, 2001: Louis S. Akison, 58, of Las Vegas died Saturday in a local hospital. He was born June 2, 1943, in Hobbs, N.M. A resident for 43 years, he was a laborer.