Print edition for December 19, 2001

Taxable sales up in October: CARSON CITY -- Restaurants and bars in Clark County took a big hit in October but car dealers were smiling.

Vegas hotel-casino sues gambling website operator: Mandalay sued to stop International E Gaming, a St. John's, Antigua-based company that registers domain names, its president Michael Donaghy and its client Peter Kretz from using the Excalibur trademark to offer online gaming.

Worst of economic downturn may be over: The New York-based Conference Board reported its Index of Leading Economic Indicators moved up a better-than-expected 0.5 percent last month to 109.7 following a revised 0.1 percent increase in October. Analysts had forecast a 0.3 percent gain.

Columnist Jeff Haney: Wayne Root issues $50,000 challenge: Wayne Root says he is fed up with high-profile TV football sportscasters who fancy themselves experts at picking winners against the point spread.

Holiday Prep Classic Silver Anniversary Team: National All-Stars

Purdue trying to work out kinks: Victoria Sun; Texas A&M vs. Ill.-Chicago, noon Miss. St. vs. Richmond, 2:30 p.m. Cincinnati vs. La.-Monroe, 5 p.m. Purdue vs. SW Mo., 7:30 p.m.

Outlook upbeat at new locals' resort: David Strow; A fireworks spectacular, Hollywood celebrities and thousands of locals welcomed the opening of Green Valley Ranch Station Casino Tuesday night, in what could be the Las Vegas area's last major grand opening celebration for the next three years.

Las Vegas' rising homeless ranks part of trend: The growing numbers of homeless people in Las Vegas are part of a national trend, a new study by the U.S. Conference of Mayors shows.

L.A. Indians say they don't want casino: Mark Sherman; LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles-area Indians seeking federal recognition as a tribe are caught in a controversy over gambling, even though they say they have no interest in starting a casino.

Classic event: Spencer Patterson; Greg Goorjian will always have a special place in his heart for Las Vegas' Holiday Prep Classic, and not just because he once scored 49 points in the tournament's championship game.

Traffic cops giving malls a close look: One operation will be traffic enforcement along Sahara Avenue between Las Vegas Boulevard South and Fort Apache Road. That arterial has four of the area's top 20 intersections for reported accidents in November, police said.

Shareholders approve $1.4 billion merger: More than 98 percent of shareholders at both companies voted in favor of the deal, the companies said in a joint statement.

News briefs for December 19, 2001: A man shot to death Monday night on Las Vegas Boulevard South was identified as 37-year-old Eddy R. Vigil.

New Year's numbers will dip, says LVCVA: A recent trend in travel -- the last-minute bookings of flights and hotel rooms -- appears to be playing itself out for the New Year's holiday in Las Vegas.

State won't interfere with plan for more slots: Whitehouse said he will not try to prevent the state Lottery Commission from ruling on the expansion proposals of Lincoln Greyhound Park and Newport Grand Jai Alai.

Panel: America West must get second opinion: America West Airlines, the second-busiest airline in Las Vegas, has been told to get a second opinion on a $445 million loan before a government panel will back the loan.

Vegas economy starting to mend: Ken Ritter; Southern Nevada is beginning to bounce back from recession and the effects of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a UNLV economist said Tuesday.

Rebels fill need on offensive line: Steve Guiremand; UNLV coach John Robinson filled one of his biggest recruiting needs on Tuesday when he received a verbal commitment from offensive tackle Keith Kincaid.

LV title firms accused of operating a monopoly: Grace Leong; Commerce Land Title Inc., a Carson City-based title insurance company, is accusing a consortium of Las Vegas title companies of using anti-competitive measures to block access to a property transaction database.

Job cuts detailed, announced: This was the first time GE detailed the extent of its cost-cutting efforts over the past year.

Miss America looking at Nevada site: John Curran; ATLANTIC CITY -- After 80 years here, the Miss America pageant says it will look for a new suitor unless it can get more money from the state to keep the event in Atlantic City.

Guinn builds war chest, awaiting opponent: Erin Neff; With more than $2 million in the bank, Gov. Kenny Guinn's re-election campaign is ready for any serious comers.

Ridership downturn sparks debate on taxi permits: The Taxicab Authority voted to allow cab companies to use more vehicles during the New Year's holiday and for the Winter Consumer Electronics Show For Dec. 29, 30 and up to 8 p.m. Dec. 31, companies can add five cabs to their fleets, and 20 more on New Year's Eve until 6 a.m., New Year's Day. For CES, Jan. 7-11, companies will be allowed an additional 10 cabs each.

Columnist Peter Benton: Don't get hot over frost delays: Peter Benton; There have been more late openings than on-time openings at area golf courses recently because of frost delays. That is what we expect at this time of year.

Desert Passage in new litigation with tenants: The mall on the Las Vegas Strip seeks court approval to sell Manrico Cashmere's inventory and use the proceeds to offset its tenant's alleged unpaid utility and marketing bills, property taxes and late charges.

Fewer ghosts haunt Nevada Guard: CARSON CITY -- "Ghost Soldiers" are few and far between in the Nevada Army National Guard, officials say.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Valley awakens with new resort: Parking is a cinch at this beautiful new hotel. There are separate valet doors for the hotel and for the casino, which are connected but separate entities. Smartly dressed doormen and bellmen were waiting under the hotel's Porte Cochere to take my bag and briefcase and to answer questions. The door people and bellmen are an awesome team. There wasn't a question I asked that stumped them.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Unwrapping a few more good books: "Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen," by Lidia Maticchio Bastianich, Knopf, $35: A companion piece to the New York restaurateur/chef's new 52-part PBS series. I learn something new each time I view the lively Lidia. Her book is personal and informative. Such pasta, such tips.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Stars shine at opening for Stirling Club: Elizabeth Foyt; Hosted by developers Don and Jeffrey Soffer, the festivities lived up to every expectation, providing open access to the 80,000-square-foot club, including the spa, fitness center, nightclub, private dining rooms and more.

Holiday recipes make an early gift for diabetics: With the holidays upon us, what's a diabetic to do?

Lions club honors Wagner: Wagner founded Police Officers Riding 4 Kids, or P.O.R.K., in 1999 to help fund local children's organizations.

Growth cited for LV's traffic fatalities: Jace Radke; A combination of newcomers and tourists unfamiliar with the roads along with the valley's exploding growth have made Las Vegas roadways the fifth-deadliest in the nation, law enforcement officials said Tuesday.

Latin Chamber reviews mission: By Timothy Pratt; As the Latin Chamber of Commerce tallies votes in its annual elections today, the direction the 25-year-old Las Vegas organization will take in leading the nation's fastest-growing Hispanic community is uncertain.

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

UNLV Calendar: Women's basketball hosts Eastern Washington, 7:35 p.m.

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

Guinn's warchest could help GOP candidates: Erin Neff; With more than $2 million in the bank, Gov. Kenny Guinn's re-election campaign is ready for any serious comers.

Holiday Prep Classic players in the NBA: Greg Anthony, Rancho HS, 1984-85, Chicago Bulls

Topless club to replace fitness center: Adrienne Packer; Strip club owner Pete Eliades took seriously President Bush's plea for Americans to live their lives despite terrorist threats and war.

Man convicted in stabbing death in May: Mathis Winkler; Although a murder weapon was never found and no one witnessed the crime, a Clark County District Court jury on Tuesday convicted a man of second-degree murder for stabbing another man to death.

DMV cracks down on smog test cheats: Jace Radke; The cost of clean air

Judge rules against Metro: Keith Paul; A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit against Metro Police and an officer who killed an unarmed man, saying there is evidence the department had "inadequate training procedures."

Officers shoot woman armed with knife: Keith Paul; A 28-year-old woman stood in front of a Christmas-decorated Las Vegas house Tuesday night holding a knife as her sister apparently begged her not to hurt herself.

Fans out early for 'Lord of the Rings': Jace Radke; When Dave Eagle heard that the first film in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy would premiere with midnight shows he vowed to be among the first to see the fantasy epic.

Doctor, nurses honored for heroism on flights: The rescues aboard different flights on the same day are said to be the first such in-flight dual rescues in airline history.

Singer avoids jail after fight with his wife at hotel: Mathis Winkler; The lead singer of the alternative rock band Stone Temple Pilots today has been given a chance to undergo private counseling after getting into a fight with his wife at the Hard Rock hotel.

Community briefs for December 19, 2001: The Bureau of Land Management has extended until Jan. 15 the comment period on the Draft Nevada Test and Training Range Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement.

Review: 'Fellowship's' originality rings true: Geoff Carter; The filming locations all in New Zealand are breathtakingly beautiful. The visual effects are as crisply kinetic as the actors standing in front of them. The script, by director Jackson with Frances Walsh and Philppa Boyens, scans as well as its source material; if you had an unlimited budget and a theater as big as Everest, you could adapt it to the stage.

Graduates of Drug Court see new life outside prison: Mathis Winkler; By the time Rebecca Gutierrez was arrested for manufacturing methamphetamine in February 2000, taking the drug had become as normal as drinking a cup of coffee in the morning.

Letter: Nuke transport is terror threat: The DOE has failed, after a 14-year study and spending $8 billion to prove, scientifically, that Yucca Mountain is suitable or that its geology will protect the environment. What is the answer to 289 deficiencies in the DOE scientific data and the General Accounting Office, ACNW-NRC-8-13-2001 report and the finding of deficiencies in peer review studies? Read paragraph one and change the rules!

Editorial: Nevada is pursuing fairness: The DOE contends that it simply is using new technologies to design the best repository possible, but that is a disingenuous argument. What really has happened over time is that the DOE has discovered that there are a host of geologic problems with Yucca Mountain -- and the department is just trying to find a way to "engineer" around them.

Obituaries for December 19, 2001: James E. Allison, 77, of Las Vegas died Thursday in Las Vegas. A superintendent for a petroleum company, he was born Feb. 2, 1924, in Sacramento.

Columnist Jon Ralston: Serving up some holiday food for thought: Specifically, Wynn gave to the Republican National Committee, showing he remains a Bushie after being a Clintonite for a time in the '90s (OK, it didn't last long). So perhaps this is a harbinger of things to come from Wynn Resorts in Campaign '02 -- I'm sure Gov. Kenny Guinn could use some money.

On the homefront: In-laws combine talents for book on Northern Nevada: Writer Carolyn Dufurrena and her mother-in-law, photographer Linda Dufurrena, did not have to go far to find inspirational words and photographs for a book. They looked at the world around them and produced "Fifty Miles From Home: Riding the Long Circle on a Nevada Family Ranch" (University of Nevada Press, $34.95).

Letter: End sanctions against the people of Iraq: Yet, according to United Nations figures and other humanitarian agencies, as many as 5,000 children under 5 years of age die every month as a result of the sanctions. More than 11 years after the invasion of Kuwait, we are still at war: a war that continues today in the form of sanctions on the Iraqi people.

Holiday Prep Basketball Classic schedule: THURSDAY

Columnist Steve Addy: Rebels better off this season: Steve Addy; Considering the calamitous events of the last three months, it would be bad form to overdramatize the indignities suffered by UNLV's basketball program in the past year.

Tuesday's prep results: BOYS BASKETBALL

Nevada No. 1 in job creation in United States: The Western Blue Chip Economic Forecast from the Bank One Economic Outlook Center at Arizona State University also said that only three Western states today rank in the nation's top 10 fastest-growing economies.