Print edition for December 28, 2001

Down happy to rejoin Yanks: Victoria Sun; The fate of a major league baseball coach is almost always linked to the fate of the team's manager.

News briefs for December 28, 2001: A man found dead in his Las Vegas apartment Thursday was identified as 19-year-old Robert James Lashley.

Plenty of good movies to be had in 2001: Geoff Carter; Ten-best lists are fast becoming so much noise. Every movie critic in America has one -- and when you consider how many Dopes on Film there are, flying their freak flags in print, television and Internet, that's no small number of laundry lists. With a website, a sliding-grade scale and a willingness to alienate your friends, you can have a list, too.

First Boulder City football coach, airport exec Miles dies: Jace Radke; Hard work was something that Gordon Miles enjoyed, whether it was coaching football at Boulder City High School or running Clark County airports.

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.

Security guard who let pair pass at McCarran checkpoint is fired: Keith Paul; The Argenbright Security guard who didn't notice two people bypass a security checkpoint at McCarran International Airport, prompting the evacuation of a terminal Christmas Day, was fired, company officials said Thursday.

Former kidnap suspect loses bid for new trial: Burgess, 64, had claimed in his Aug. 6 motion that prosecutors were unable to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Program chief has been there and done that: In-patient addicts at the local Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Program have to go some distance to put one over on their director, Maj. Romolo Giudice.

Nevada Power executive Rigazio dies at 47: At a recent meeting of the board of directors of the Las Vegas Salvation Army, members agreed to pay tribute to one of their colleagues for his seven years of service.

Nevada leads growth for 15th straight year: By Timothy Pratt; For the 15th consecutive year, Nevada led the nation in growth and topped a population milestone, a U.S. Census Bureau report released today says.

Obituaries for December 28, 2001: Henrietta Banks, 55, of Las Vegas died Monday in a local hospital. She was born Dec. 3, 1946, in Riverside, Calif. A resident for 38 years, she was a homemaker.

Crowe masterful in 'Beautiful Mind': Max Jacobson; Genius is a pitifully overused word in modern times. But its true nature, while elusive, usually relates to people who see the universe in ways that no one before them has, and whose observations change ordinary people's lives in profound ways.

'02 could be downtown LV turning point: Diana Sahagun; The loathsome years of decay and blight in downtown Las Vegas appear to be fading as the city braces for a new round of development next year that could redefine the city's core.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Car boasts artificial intelligence: A couple of IBM researchers have invented an electronic in-car system that keeps drivers awake by talking to them.

Banks a lot: First 6 games

Banks making rapid gains: Steve Addy; Next up

Ralph Siraco's selections for Saturday's races at Santa Anita: 1st Race -- Gyrfalcon -- British-bred draws good post for downhill opener, Desormeaux on this Frankel-trained horse for owner Juddmonte Farms, need we say more? Dream Weekend -- Pincay climbs on Gallagher trainee, draws good spot as well, should be rolling at the end. Value Play -- Revenescent

Oregon man pleads guilty in fraud: Todd A. Surgeon sold investors shares of common stock in Americana Corp., which claimed to be a leisure equipment and spa distribution company.

Doughnut shop opens at Venetian: The 3,500-square-foot store, located in the Grand Canal Shoppes food court, is owned by businessman Lincoln Spoor, who holds the southern Nevada franchise. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. is based in Winston-Salem, N.C.

LV fans say photo could settle Bonds ball dispute: Victoria Sun; All Las Vegans Greg Richard and Chuck Cameron wanted was to enjoy a good baseball game at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco.

Lottery operator sued: Mike Moeller was hired by Gtech Corp. in 1997 for a $6,000-a-month consulting job. At the time, Moeller was the boyfriend of Nora Linares, who was executive director of the Texas Lottery Commission.

State loses another skirmish in fight against Yucca dump: CARSON CITY -- The state has suffered a second setback this month in its legal fight to stop the designation of Yucca Mountain as the nation's high-level nuclear waste repository.

Columnist Sal DeFilippo: Owens makes statement without opening mouth: Sal DeFilippo; San Francisco star wide receiver Terrell Owens can certainly make a statement without speaking.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Hey Rudy, we already did our part: Dean Juipe; As I watched and listened to Rudy Giuliani giving an impassioned farewell address as New York City mayor Thursday, a particular portion of his message hit home.

President of NHP union relieved of police duties: Ed Koch and Cy Ryan; The president of the Nevada Highway Patrolman's union has been relieved of law enforcement duties pending an internal investigation into misconduct allegations.

Travails with Charlie: Steve Guiremand; Reviewing Cavagnaro's reign

Restart of air service on hold: A spokesman for Las Vegas-based National Airlines said the company remains restricted from flying the route because its planes are too large under current government rules.

Passenger counts down 17.9%: The airport serving Las Vegas reported 2.55 million passengers in November, down 17.9 percent from the 3.11 million that used the airport in November 2000. All of the top five scheduled carriers had downturns for the month and only four of 19 domestic airlines had improvements over their November 2000 performances.

Ernie's locals' casino transforms into Wildfire: David Strow; The $11 million Wildfire Casino -- officially the last new casino to open in the Las Vegas Valley in 2001 -- opened to the public Thursday night.

Bilbray treated after collapse: Bilbray was attending a hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in downtown Las Vegas when he collapsed shortly after 10 a.m. Bilbray appeared to be unconscious for a short time, but then appeared to regain consciousness.

Saturday's horse racing entries: Post Time 12:30 p.m.

Gamblers treatment program set to begin: Compulsive gambling

Las Vegas company issues $5 million in notes: The bonds carry an interest rate of 6 percent and mature in December 2003. Bondholders may convert the shares to stock at a price of $4.64 per share, or the company may redeem the shares for stock at a 10 percent discount to the current market price. The bonds must be redeemed starting in June 2002 at a rate of $300,000 per month.

Stock hits 52-week high: IGT closed Thursday at $71.03, up $1.77, a 2.6 percent gain on the day. This followed a 2.9 percent gain on Wednesday. The slotmaker's previous 52-week high was $69.50.

Bust strikes Vegas builders: David Strow; After years of almost frenzied building activity, the cycle of casino construction has -- for the moment -- reached a low point in Las Vegas.

Editorial: Giuliani shows why accolades are fitting: Bin Laden's sickening remarks were juxtaposed Thursday by the uplifting farewell address of New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, whose term ends Dec. 31. Giuliani chose to give his remarks at St. Paul's Chapel, standing on an altar just one block from ground zero of the terrorist attacks. "You know, our enemies insanely commit suicide to serve some irrational purpose, and they think that we're afraid," Giuliani said. "But the reality is that we're just a few blocks from a site in which hundreds and hundreds of men and women freely, by choice, gave up their lives, first, to protect the ...

Vouchers available for spay/neuter program: Rebecca Malone; Vouchers for spaying or neutering of pets can be obtained at:

County, city may settle on northwest land soon: Clark County commissioners and Las Vegas City Council members are poised to discuss and possibly pass a hotly debated agreement that would govern the development of the Las Vegas Valley's northwest.

Letter: Thank smaller government for vulnerability: Clinton and Congress downsized the government by reducing appropriations to the federal agencies. This reduced the deficit spending of the Reagan-Bush years and eventually achieved a balanced budget -- even a surplus. This is something to cheer about, but let's look at the other side of smaller government.

Letter: How are Fonda, Walker different?: Some want to try John Walker Lindh, the American caught with the Taliban, for treason; some want to try him for aiding terrorists. While he was there with the Taliban, one American was killed by enemy gunfire.

Holiday closings: SAFETY: Police and fire emergency services as usual. Administrative offices closed.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Name-calling for 2002: The soft-spoken legislator from South Dakota has earned the reputation of being both reasonable and low-key during press interviews. Many times reporters have found it necessary to ask him to repeat an answer because he couldn't be heard. However, time and again he has demonstrated that his calm exterior isn't a sign of weakness. Daschle's knowledge and legislative ability have gained him the respect of his Democratic colleagues and the grudging respect of most Republican members of Congress.

Letter: Enron situation averted crisis: Reagan's deregulation of the savings and loan industry led to the unleashing of the greed mongers to put one of the nation's important financial institutions into the tank. This in turn caused a major drain on the U.S. Treasury. It was not coincidental that Charlie Keating and the rest of the S&L mob were big contributors to Republican politicians. They knew on what side of the bread to spread the butter.

News to Him: Kirk Baird; When it came to popular music in the early to mid-'80s, new-wave bands tended to garner most of the attention.

Letter: Bush should set Walker free -- at ground zero: My resolution for this coming New Year is to forgive all my enemies foreign and domestic.

A special blessing set at Lake Mead: Rebecca Malone; Lake Mead will be blessed in January by a local church to ensure the quality and abundance of water for the Las Vegas Valley throughout the next year.

$3.5 million given locally to Sept. 11 fund: The local Red Cross said that in addition to local money going to the Liberty Disaster Fund of the national chapter of the American Red Cross, another $175,000 from Southern Nevadans was designated to help displaced Las Vegas workers.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Bennett has spent long career being himself: Joe Delaney; Tony Bennett, seeing the old year out and the new year in at Paris Las Vegas, was the late Frank Sinatra's favorite singer ... Sinatra even contributed an audio introduction that Bennett, a quiet, modest person, used as an offstage announcement in the mid-1980s ... Bennett, as a performer, has been a model of consistent excellence in all media for better than 50 years.

Editorial: Internet gaming still is a bad bet: It was a mistake for the City Council to consider a partnership before and we've seen nothing in the past year that would change our mind. It's still a bad idea that should be rejected by the City Council. For starters, Internet gambling has been found to be illegal in the United States under the federal Wire Act. That interpretation of the law is being challenged in federal courts, but it still is the law. Supporters of a partnership also claim that in any agreement, the city would not be liable if there were any lawsuits filed against the Internet ...

Immunization schedule for December 28, 2001: HENDERSON PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 129 W. Lake Mead Drive, Building A, Suite 10, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Honky Tonk Angels gearing up for new year at Gold Coast: Joe Delaney; "Honky Tonk Angels," a true entertainment bargain and a consistent winner for the Gold Coast with its greatly improved showroom with a new configuration, was in a Country-Christmas mode when we caught it.

Guest columnist Garrett Weir: Sept. 11 felt by students: I FELT VERY PRIVILEGED to be able to spend a day at the Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum. The Youth Forum has a long history of bringing together some of Nevada's most prominent leaders and creating an environment in which they interact with local high school students by moderating discussion groups.

Son of man who died in jail files suit: Mathis Winkler; The son of a man who died while in custody at the Henderson jail filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court Thursday.

Party Central: Lisa Ferguson; Sit at home on the couch, or brave the chilly night air and surround yourself with hundreds of thousands of strangers wearing funny hats.

Beauty runs much more than skin deep: Rebecca Malone; Some might think that two women who between them have battled breast cancer, lung cancer, polio, domestic abuse and a run-in with a car might be ready give up on the world.

The wisdom of their years: Retired teachers fill the gap: Terry Webster; At 300 mph, the fighter-bomber shudders like an earthquake; its engines scream as it plunges. Enemy fire sprays bullets past the cockpit and at the last minute the plane releases a bomb to destroy its target, then safely rises back above the clouds.

Lee rocks way into Hall of Fame: The Orleans is going to celebrate the new year with dynamite.

City could acquire downtown post office: Diana Sahagun; The historic downtown post office could be in the hands of the city of Las Vegas by next month, at least temporarily.

Editorial: Watershed year for the U.S.: One of the unintended consequences of the terrorism was that it actually brought our nation together in a way that hasn't been seen in decades. Admittedly, Americans were united during the Gulf War a decade ago, but it wasn't the same. On Sept. 11 a faraway foreign country wasn't invaded, as was the case with Kuwait. This time innocent American civilians were killed on American soil -- and the televised images of the plane crashes and implosion of the World Trade Center were played repeatedly for a stunned nation. The impact on the nation's psyche is immeasurable, but it is ...

Community briefs for December 28, 2001: First Aid and CPR classes will be offered at several community schools through January.

Letter: Obesity isn't taken seriously: Then, on Dec. 13, U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher announced that a hundred times that many Americans die each year of diseases caused or aggravated by obesity, a self-inflicted, totally preventable tragedy. More than 61 percent of adults and 14 percent of children are affected. He estimated the annual cost to our nation at $117 billion.

O'Hara revisits beautiful performance: Geoff Carter; "You feel like you're inside the film, as opposed to just observing it," says Paige O'Hara, the voice of Belle in Walt Disney Pictures' "Beauty and the Beast," playing at Luxor's IMAX Theater from New Year's Day through May 20. "It's the same film in terms of heart, but visually it's a whole new experience."

Columnist Susan Snyder: Getting a leg up on new year: She was looking at a photograph of professional dancer, who was standing in a position that makes some people jealous and others wince. The woman's leg was, for all practical purposes, parallel to her body and pointing straight to the heavens.

Columnist Jon Ralston: Political predictions for 2002: So as we approach 2002, an election year with all the constitutional officers, a new congressional district, two-thirds of the Legislature and two open Southern Nevada law enforcement jobs on the ballot, here is one man's shaky forecast (all rights reserved, subject to adjustment as conditions change):

Vegas sports on TV/Radio: Vegas sports on TV/Radio

Interstate 15 maintenance faces a long, difficult road: For visitors and residents of Las Vegas Valley, Interstate 15 is more than a road. It's a lifeline.

Woman not charged in shooting death: Keith Paul; A woman was not charged Thursday after shooting a man to death in her home during an incident that Metro Police say may have been motivated by domestic violence toward her.

Police to beef up presence on Strip New Year's Eve: Jace Radke; Those planning on ringing in the New Year on the Las Vegas Strip can count on seeing pyrotechnics, partiers and plenty of police.

Flu season has slow start, but threat is not over yet: By Emily Richmond; The flu season appears to be off to a slow start both nationwide and in the Las Vegas Valley, but health officials warn the number of cases could make a drastic jump in the coming months.

Business briefs for December 28, 2001: PHILADELPHIA -- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Allstate Insurance Co. Thursday after 15 months of trying to settle accusations that the insurer had discriminated against its agents.

Station's Reserve rebranded as Fiesta: David Strow; The Reserve's transformation into Fiesta Henderson will be complete this weekend -- and owner Station Casinos Inc. will discover whether a brand that draws well in North Las Vegas will find success elsewhere in the Valley.

Power companies look at green energy: Malcolm Hall; Nevada Power Co. of Las Vegas and sister company Sierra Pacific Power of Reno have received proposals for more than 4,000 megawatts of "green energy" from companies that produce renewable power.