Las Vegas Sun

November 21, 2009

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Print edition for December 21, 2001

Gators take bite out of Ky. team
Spencer Patterson
With its single-elimination format, it's safe to say the Holiday Prep Classic provides a pressure-packed environment for all 80 teams entered in the field.
Columnist San DeFilippo: It took only 24 hours for a shift in Policy
San DeFilippo
I'm a little skeptical, or at least suspicious, of what happened in Cleveland on Monday.
Auction to benefit LV children's charities
It will be held at Sam's Town hotel-casino at 6 p.m. Doors will open at 5 p.m.
Soul-searching Rebels defeat rival Wolf Pack
Steve Addy
Little by little, step by deliberate step, the Rebels are learning about themselves and filing the dossiers for future use.
Two get prison in killing of teen
Mathis Winkler
District Judge John McGroarty on Thursday sentenced two teenagers to prison for their involvement in the gang-related murder of a 16-year-old girl in January.
Where I Stand -- Heather Chang: A chance to be heard
POTPOURRI: An assortment, a hodgepodge, a mixture of miscellany. By a more common definition, potpourri is a collection of varied flowers, spices and herbs gathered into one place where they can let their scent radiate as their distinctive aroma permeates the air.
Schmidt inks Lazzaro to drive in IRL series
Sam Schmidt Motorsports is moving forward with plans to compete in the 2001 Indy Racing League season.
Options to be listed on Chicago exchange
Las Vegas-based Alliance Gaming's business covers several areas, including slot machine manufacturing, casino operations and slot route operations. The company's stock is traded on the Nasdaq exchange.
Contract negotiations heating up
Labor and management involved in negotiations over a new drivers' contract for the region's bus service are ratcheting up language in preparation for the resumption of talks next month.
Guinn seeks support against Yucca
CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn called on governors in nine states where nuclear power plants are located to join him in opposing Yucca Mountain as a burial site for high-level radioactive waste.
CAT cuts likely, strike possible
The Regional Transportation Commission is considering service cuts throughout the Las Vegas Valley in response to dwindling ridership and tax subsidies, agency officials said Thursday.
New Tutus
Kimberley McGee
When 14-year-old ballet dancer Ashley Naughton smooths her new, sparkling snowflake costume over her lithe body and fluffs the stiff, white tutu around her waist, she smiles.
Goodwill, PTA pair up to help families in need
Daniela Mohor
Last year kindergarten teacher Nancy Heimark was nervous when she offered coupons for local Goodwill thrift stores to families she thought needed a little extra help.
Rebel review: Early run paved way
Steve Addy
Recapping UNLV's 87-75 win over Nevada-Reno on Thursday night:
$5.8 million jail project helps keep up with growth
The 400-prisoner capacity dormitory, a result of a partnership between federal law enforcement agencies and the city, was dedicated to corrections officers Thursday night.
Holiday closings
SAFETY: Police and fire emergency services as usual. Offices closed.
Homes taken from flood hazard list
Latest Federal Emergency Management Agency Flood Insurance Rate Map revisions indicate that about 192 homes in Las Vegas are no longer designated within a 100-year special flood hazard area.
Las Vegans' ornaments decorate White House
Kimberley McGee
Glittering white ornaments in the shape of barns, buildings and homes adorn an 18-foot-tall Christmas tree in the Blue Room of the White House this year.
AC aims to give minor league hockey a boost
John Curran
ATLANTIC CITY -- Minor league basketball flopped here. Minor league baseball is struggling. Now, a minor league hockey team is rolling the dice.
Student leads drive against dissections
Terry Webster
Dissection just doesn't cut it for Laurie Wolff.
Letter: Fed regulations must protect us from cheats
There are 12 Enron subsidiaries affected by the bankruptcy, as well as over 25,000 workers worldwide. On the New York Stock Exchange, the stocks closed at 26 cents that Friday from a year-ago price of $85 per share.
Columnist Sandy Thompson: Teen who overcame odds gets special gift
Sandy Thompson
Stephen Hughes believed. He believed in himself. He believed in God. But what happened to him was more than he could have hoped for.
Columnist Kate Maddox: Touring takes a toll on Newton
Kate Maddox
Before taking off on another U.S.O. tour to parts unknown, Wayne Newton made sure to get a lot of rest. Last month the singer reportedly fell ill due to exhaustion and dehydration following a whirlwind U.S.O.-concert marathon. Newton told friends that he was so wiped out by the seven-day, 14-show tour, he needed to be treated intravenously for weakness and fatigue. Insiders say Newton recuperated at his Hawaiian retreat and has been monitored closely by doctors since his return to Vegas.
Stratosphere gets another chance
Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman on Thursday called Richard Brown, chief operating officer at the Stratosphere. Goodman urged Brown to reconsider this week's decision to end the hotel's support for the monorail by pulling back money targeted for the project.
Bush blocks mechanics' strike
Bush signed an executive order creating a three-member emergency board responsible for studying the contract dispute between United Airlines and its mechanics and making a settlement recommendation.
Regents demand accountability from state college
Jennifer Knight
Members on the state's Board of Regents say they have been left in the dark about fund-raising and student enrollment at the new Nevada State College, and they are seeking a monthly progress report.
Generation gap closing: Teens helping seniors to safety-proof homes
Rebecca Malone
For information on the home safety program:
Harveys integrated into slot club
Harveys Lake Tahoe was added to the system, as were two Council Bluffs, Iowa, casinos: Bluffs Run Casino and Harrah's Council Bluffs. About 674,000 new players were added to the Total Rewards database, which now contains more than 25 million player names.
Community news briefs for December 21, 2001
Entrance and lake-use passes for the Lake Mead National Recreation Area are available for 2002.
Columnist Susan Snyder: Small-town editor has last laugh
Woe to the writer who shows a community itself.
Anti-gambling activists collecting signatures
They also have plans to lobby against any move by the Legislature to expand Lottery games as a way to ease the state's budget crunch when lawmakers meet in a special session early next year.
Homeless camps frustrate mayor
Diana Sahagun
Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman hopes that a group of service providers can help him solve the problem of men and women living on the streets of downtown, only a few yards from a homeless shelter.
Columnist Joe Delaney: Orlando has knack for ringing in the season
Joe Delaney
Tony Orlando, hosting his onstage Christmas Party this weekend in The Orleans Showroom, has few peers when it comes to involving the entire audience in his performance ... Every show is really a high-energy party ... He has achieved most of those dreams of show-business success that he had as a child up on the roof of his parent's apartment house on the west side of Manhattan.
Letter: Spending spree is not the answer
In a nation where money problems are a leading factor in divorce and more people declare personal bankruptcy each year than graduate from college, it's clear there's no heroism in spending beyond one's means.
Police release name of woman shot by officer
Officer Lawrence Gibson, 30, shot Anna Gavigan, 28, once in the stomach after, police say, the woman turned on Gibson and another officer in a house in the 3800 block of Birchview Court near Tenaya Way and Twain Avenue.
Slump to keep more Nevadans at home
AAA spokeswoman Lisa Foster said a slumping economy and the higher jobless rate will keep about 35,000 more people at home this year than last year. About 83 percent of those that are traveling will go by car, up from the 74 percent reported a year ago.
Columnist Kate Maddox: 'Real World' comes of age in Vegas
Kate Maddox
The seven strangers will be selected from a pool of more than 40,000 wannabes, according to one MTV insider. However, since Season 12 of the reality program will be filmed, for the most part, in and around the Palms, MTV will reportedly have to pick only those who have already celebrated their 21st birthdays.
Bettin' on Bennett
By Jerry Fink
Tony Bennett's heart is so big that even if he left it in San Francisco, it would still touch the rest of the world.
Request to limit investigation of LV hypnotist denied
Grace Leong
A Clark County District judge denied on Thursday a request by Las Vegas hypnotist Marshall Sylver, the target of a criminal investigation, to stop state investigators from contacting his customers and using what he calls "improper government investigation techniques."
USC's Holt back home in Las Vegas
Steve Guiremand
USC linebackers coach Nick Holt shouldn't have any trouble finding the Rebel Park practice field when the Trojans hold their first Las Vegas Bowl workout here tonight.
Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: People up north should remember there is only one Nevada
Since we have had to count every vote to determine the membership of the Legislature, and Clark County has rapidly increased in population, the voices from the North have become louder when calling for cooperation. Until recently, rural and Northern Nevada, despite a dwindling number of legislators, have been able to control legislation because of seniority and committee leadership positions. This strength is also disappearing and will continue to fade during the 2003 and 2005 sessions.
'Ultimate Variety' offers bit of everything
Joe Delaney
Producer Will Roya -- juggler, magician and comedian -- put together an all-new production, "V -- The Ultimate Variety Show," in a matter of days when magician David Darkstone made a sudden exit from the New Frontier.
Quiet Carrey can't wake 'Majestic'
Geoff Carter
Jim Carrey has had, to date, two brilliant dramatic moments -- both of them in "The Truman Show," his non-comedic role. The first comes as he realizes that everything around him is artificial; his expression is equal parts terror, wonder and fascination, and he doesn't say a word. Later, as he tries to escape the television studio that has become his prison, he weeps as he pounds his fists at the walls -- but director Peter Weir opted to play the scene just with the musical score.
Columnist Susan Snyder: A holiday reminder for the jolly one
Dear Santa Claus,
Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: No room for Christians
Nevertheless, like millions of Christians, I'll be thinking about Bethlehem this Tuesday night. Today it is a different town than it was in 1988. Even then, Father George Abou Khazem predicted that within three decades there would be no Christians left in the town where Christ was born. Also at that time Christians were being kept from selling their property to other Christians. I wrote about this problem, but didn't give it much more thought until two years ago, when visiting Nazareth.
Local troops sent to East Coast
The 152nd Security Forces Squadron have protected aircraft and military installations most recently in Ecuador, Egypt and Turkey. The squadron specializes in small unit combat tactics, air base defense and urban warfare.
Mattel hit with $23 million judgment in car accident
Mathis Winkler
A Clark County District Court jury Thursday ordered the toymaker Mattel to pay a California man more than $23 million for a car accident that left him blind and paralyzed.
NFL players deny rape claim in LV lawsuit
Mathis Winkler
A Washington state woman filed a lawsuit Thursday accusing three NFL players and a former player of drugging and raping her during a trip to Las Vegas in May 2000.
Obituaries for December 21, 2001
Oscar Barnett aka Mel Gaynor, 74, of Las Vegas died Monday in a local hospice. He was born Oct. 29, 1927, in Hubli, India. A resident for four years, he was a retired entertainer who sang on cruise ships and in London.
Columnist Jerry Fink: Rocker claims ownership of career
Tommy Rocker isn't your normal lounge entertainer, out there pitching his talents to bar owners all over town, hoping to get a gig here and there.
Nellis launches plan to improve housing
The announcement was made this morning at the base's old Nellis Terrace units, which will be demolished to make way for new housing units that base officials say will be well maintained, safe and affordable under privatization.
Columnist Jeff German: Lawyer's request smacks of arrogance
The justices recently gave the Harvard University law professor permission to argue Sandy Murphy's appeal next year in Carson City.
Soul Asylum celebrates a musical milestone
Kirk Baird
It was nearly 20 years ago when Rolling Stone proclaimed Soul Asylum "a young foursome with the makings of an Eighties punk rock Who," and Village Voice called the punk rock-turned-alt-rockers "the best live band in the country."
Columnist Muriel Stevens: Plenty of options for final meal of 2001
What's your pleasure on New Year's Eve? Dinner and dancing? A quiet dinner for two? A late-night splurge? Whatever you desire, you can find it in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve, including brilliant firework displays.
Date book
"Gift of Lights," a drive-through holiday lights event sponsored by Goodwill of Southern Nevada, is on display from 5-10 p.m. nightly, through Jan. 1 at Sunset Park. Admission is $10 per vehicle. Call 597-1107.
Columnist Dean Juipe: Rebels did what they had to do
Dean Juipe
Every basketball team that controls its own schedule allows itself the luxury of the occasional easy game, where the outcome doesn't seem to be in question and the streamlined goal is to play hard and take something positive out of it.
Barrier waives fees to attend his school
Barrier, who formerly charged $3,500 per year for admission to his school, has operated the facility for five years. His weekly pro wrestling TV show can be seen five times a week on two Las Vegas cable outlets. Call 385-2675 for more information.
Centennial whips Denver school, set to face big test
Leah Robinson
After trouncing the Denver area's George Washington 77-25 Thursday, the Centennial Bulldogs will face a more formidable out-of-town threat today as the Lady Wolves Holiday Girls Basketball Tournament continues.
Builder hit with defect verdict
Colorado Bay alleged defects including leaking roofs and windows and electrical problems in some 156 condominiums built by Durable Homes in Laughlin. The condominiums are at El Mirage Way and Needles Highway.
Editorial: More than just Tyson is at issue
It is encouraging to see federal prosecutors crack down on a company that allegedly was part of a scheme to enrich themselves with a cheap source of labor. Usually it is the immigrants themselves who are targeted by INS, but no one, including large corporations, should be allowed to flout immigration law. Immigration officials also should be looking at other meat packing plants to see if they're complying with the law. But violations of immigration law are only part of the story. At the same time, the Bush administration should take just as tough a stand when it comes to ...
Big customers may drop Nevada Power
Malcolm Hall
Coast Resorts Inc., Station Casinos Inc. and the Sahara hotel-casino have sent letters of intent to the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada indicating they may buy electricity from providers other than Nevada Power Co.
Saturday's horse racing entries
Post Time 9:30 a.m.
After slow start, Cincinnati puts things into high gear
Victoria Sun
Bob Huggins had seen enough.
Police say more 'tricks' fall prey to roll
Keith Paul
Mark Jones thought he was getting lucky in Las Vegas. Eye contact with a woman in the MGM Grand quickly turned to a conversation that ended up in his hotel room.
Casino industry launching weekly Vegas TV show
The NRA is trying to debut the half-hour Sunday afternoon show in the first week of February, said Jan Jones, senior vice president of communications and government affairs for Harrah's Entertainment Inc. Jones will be one of two anchors for the show.
Box Score: UNR-UNLV
Percentages: FG .469, FT .529, 3P .375.
Boards approve Anchor, IGT deal
CARSON CITY -- The merger of slot machine maker International Gaming Technology of Reno and Anchor Gaming of Las Vegas moved a step closer to completion Thursday.
Regulators, casinos fight over salon rules
CARSON CITY -- State gaming regulators and the big Las Vegas Strip casinos battled again Thursday over how rich a customer must be for admission to proposed "International Gaming Salons," which allow high-rollers to gamble in private.
Editorial: Drug Court at work for Nevada inmates
Not everyone who has started the program has completed it, and those who have broken laws or violated the terms of their release are sent back to prison. But overall this is an excellent initiative in two ways: there is a cost savings -- it takes $20,000 to oversee one inmate in prison vs. the $1,500 cost of the Drug Court program -- and those in the program receive the kind of rehabilitation and counseling that currently isn't offered in state prison. The key is to make sure that inmates get back on the right track when they leave prison ...
Letter: GOP can't keep its hands off Social Security
Of course, Bush has not weighed in as yet, but you can rest assured he doesn't want it to come up a year before he is up for re-election, so he will probably twist some arms to get it done next year. This should make for some interesting times coming up.
Fifty-four years of memories remain as Vegas repair shop closes
Chris Jones
On a construction-ravaged street near the shadows of Cheetah's topless lounge, Steve Stiver sat in the office of his small auto repair shop Thursday afternoon.
Pedestrian struck in 3-car accident
Jace Radke
Metro Police say a woman who hit two cars, a pedestrian, and then drove into drainage ditch, was driving impaired, but they don't know by what.
Holiday Prep Classic scores, schedule
Green Valley Main Gym
Holiday Prep Classic Notebook: Local teams fare well on opening day
Spencer Patterson
Looking at Thursday's results, area basketball fans might not have guessed it has been 16 years since Southern Nevada produced its last Holiday Prep Classic champion.
GAO: Yucca would 'not be practical'
The Energy Department should indefinitely postpone construction of a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, the General Accounting Office said in a report today.
Garciaparra to help at next week's camp
Former UNLV assistant coach and current New York Yankee hitting instructor Rick Down and Minnesota Twins pitcher Jack Cressend will also be at the camp.
Rebels' Zoll to transfer; UNLV adds two players
Steve Guiremand
UNLV announced that it has added two players during the early signing period which began Wednesday, but John Robinson's Rebels also lost a key offensive line returnee.
Vegas home closings decline
Jennifer Robison
The Las Vegas Valley's new home sales are set to surpass last year's record-breaking tally, but local new home closings plummeted in November, a new report showed Thursday.
Letter: Send nuke waste to Washington
If people like him feel so strongly that there is no danger to us here, I strongly feel that the waste should be buried in Washington, D.C., along with the waste that lives there.
VEGAS WEEKEND SPORTS ON TV-RADIO
VEGAS WEEKEND SPORTS ON TV-RADIO
Thursday's prep results
BOYS BASKETBALL
LV firm bankrupt
The moves are part of a plan that will result in the sale of both companies to an investment group, said a Nations Flooring spokeswoman.
Kingston Trio member at home in the valley
George Grove always looks forward to when the Kingston Trio performs in Las Vegas, as the group does this weekend at Suncoast.
Editorial: Phone deregulation has been a headache
A story on last Sunday's CBS news program, "60 Minutes," brought home the pitfalls of telephone deregulation: Customers have been sent bills after they've terminated their service; customers get charged for services they've never ordered; and television commercials mislead the public into thinking they can get low rates, only to find out later that the fine print prevents those savings from materializing.
Editorial: Making security a priority
The holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year for airline travel, so people are even more concerned about security this weekend. For that matter, Mineta's lack of gumption about airport security fell far short of the kind of commitment that the federal government should be providing in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 suicide hijackings that killed more than 3,000 people. Fortunately for Mineta -- and the Bush administration -- the man nominated by the president to be the undersecretary of transportation for security, John Magaw, has a no-nonsense, take-charge attitude when it comes to airline ...
Columnist Jon Ralston: Merry Christmas to all ...
The party was hung by an anointment, yet Chairman Care,
'A fantastic start:' Ensign gains notice as Senate freshman
Benjamin Grove
WASHINGTON -- Former Republican National Committee Chairman Frank Fahrenkopf was in an exclusive GOP strategy session in the U.S. Capitol this summer when then-Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., pulled out a cardboard poster.
Reid, Ensign form strange bond
Benjamin Grove
WASHINGTON -- On a November morning, former enemies Harry Reid and John Ensign are seated side-by-side in a television studio in the U.S. Capitol, taping interviews with one station after another.

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