Print edition for December 31, 2001

News briefs for December 31, 2001: Metro Police homicide detectives have arrested a Las Vegas man in connection with the murder of a 19-year-old man.

County continues work on Algiers deal: Adrienne Packer; A land-swap deal that could deliver a prime piece of Las Vegas Strip property to Algiers Hotel owner Larry Kifer is expected to be presented to Clark County commissioners in February, officials said.

Board advises on treatment of foreign nationals: CARSON CITY -- A statewide board that advises and trains prosecutors is reminding law enforcement officers in Nevada that they must follow certain rules in arresting or detaining foreign nationals.

Man killed in space-heater fire: Rebecca Malone; A space-heater fire took the life of a local man early Saturday in southeastern Las Vegas.

Editorial: Portrayal upsets the kingdom: As the New York Times reported a week ago, the Saudi Arabia kingdom's top officials are launching a media counter-offensive against what they view as an unfair portrayal of Saudi Arabia in the United States. Newspaper editorials and television commentators have noted that the kingdom for years has condoned terrorist activities by Saudis -- looking the other way as long as the bombings didn't occur in its own back yard. In response to criticism that the kingdom tolerated Islamic extremism, and helped foster the environment that led to Sept. 11, Prince Bandar bin Sultan recently had this to say to ...

Letter: 'Cheap' labor, huge injustice: You are absolutely correct! Just slapping a few food lords' hands with fines for blatant violation of immigration laws will not solve the problem of the despicable manipulation of desperate workers, who have already been exploited by the elites in their own country who push them into the arms of the exploiting elites in this country.

Fed funds available for park projects: About $750,000 in grants may be given statewide in 2002.

Birth announcements for December 31, 2001: Dec. 22:

City aids victims of brain trauma: The program, called Heading On, has about 40 participants on its roster. Its members meet the first Tuesday of every month to plan weekly outings. The group has provided victims of traumatic brain injury social opportunities within the group and in the community.

Blood drives scheduled: Friday: 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Army 6th Recruiting Brigade, 4539 N. 5th St.; 10 a.m.-3 p.m., MountainView Hospital, 3150 N. Tenaya Way; 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Stardust hotel.

Letter: Politicians offer hope in trying times: Nevada's own, the incredible Reid, as usual hit the nail on the head in describing as "laughable" the Republican so-called "stimulus" bill benefiting only the wealthy, and Daschle is also stopping the Republicans in their tracks in trying to eliminate the Democratic efforts to provide medical care and benefits to the unemployed.

Rural Nevada comes alive in teens' exhibit: For a second year, the Western Folklife Center in Elko gave teenagers an opportunity to document the people in their communities by handing them 35-millimeter cameras, tape recorders and guidance from experts.

Guest columnist Gabrielle Nickolette McGhie: Forum students debate topics from curfews to teen pregnancy: WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN discussed at a forum with a bunch of teenagers that would concern me? How about "Teen Topics."

Prep Schedule: WEDNESDAY

Consumer advocate, Nevada Power at odds over rate increase: CARSON CITY -- A Nevada Power Co. executive says the company may face insolvency if the state Public Utilities Commission doesn't give the company a favorable ruling on its $921 million rate hike request.

Yucca fight one of year's major local stories: Jean Reid Norman; The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 and the aftermath were undoubtedly the biggest news of the year, but they weren't the only stories of 2001.

UNLV able to save face with rally: Steve Addy; Don't bother with any hokey nicknames. The Rebels don't want to be labeled as the Comeback Kids or Rallyin' Rebels or anything like that.

Man who mutilated LV girl dies: Lawrence Singleton cheated a Las Vegas teenager out of her innocence in 1978 by kidnapping, raping her and cutting off her arms in one of the most high-profile crimes at the time.

Jinks keys another Lady Rebels win: Steve Guiremand; UNLV's Lady Rebels played their first game of the season in the Thomas & Mack Center on Sunday night. And nobody was happier about that than junior guard Constance Jinks.

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

Motor coach owners eye new resort: Jeffrey Libby; Potential neighbors of the state college in Henderson motored in from around the country this weekend, munching on complimentary lobster, crab cakes and beef Wellington as they pondered whether to plunk down as much as $130,000 to park their luxury motor coaches at Paradise Coach Resorts.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Year in review: 2001: Take pride as we look back on year: Dean Juipe; My colleague on the other side of the page is of the belief that we in Las Vegas just suffered through a lousy, miserable year when it comes to local sports and that we should be happy to see the calendar flipping over to 2002.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Late rally keeps Rebels on upswing: Dean Juipe; By the end of the comeback, the score was about where it was expected to be. It's just that it took a circuitous route to get there.

Aristocrat fires back at IGT: "This is yet another example of an attempt by IGT to use the legal system with a frivolous lawsuit to prevent a competitor from coming to market with new and innovative products," Aristocrat President Mark Newburg said in a statement. "(The lawsuit) is a detriment to operators in our industry and is an insult to the concept of open competition and free enterprise, with the best products and services to be determined only by the acceptability in the marketplace."

New York-New York casino visitors create a shrine to fallen firefighters: Michael Weissenstein; The T-shirts flutter in the breeze beneath the neon and the fake New York skyline, their messages in black marker beside dozens of fire department insignias.

Casino workers hard hit after tourism slowdown: Lisa Snedeker; Lucy Cedeno hasn't worked since Sept. 23.

States oppose delay in antitrust case: The states said today in court papers that the remedies phase of the case should be held in March as the judge has ordered. The company proposed delaying it until July or August.

Trends for December 31, 2001: Lisa Ferguson; Only a few hours before it's time to break out the bubbly and celebrate the new year (assuming, of course, that you won't be doing the driving afterward).

Las Vegas remains adult-oriented town during holiday: Rebecca Malone; First night First Night International officials say they welcome inquiries from citizens in all cities on how to establish family-style New Year's Eve celebrations. The organization, based in Boston, can be reached at 617-357-0065. Information is also available on the Internet at www.firstnightintl.org.

Key creditor objects to National plan: Unsecured creditors for Las Vegas-based National Airlines have overwhelmingly voted to approve the bankrupt air carrier's reorganization plan, but six creditors are objecting, attorneys said Friday.

Former congressman released from hospital: No further details were released about the health of 63-year-old Bilbray, a native Las Vegan and attorney who collapsed Friday morning during a court hearing and was taken to the hospital in northwest Las Vegas.

County revives outdoor ad issue: On Dec. 5 the Clark County Commission passed what was supposed to be the ultimate word on billboards.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Year in review: 2001: LV sports needed a mulligan: How bad was 2001 on the local sports scene?

Anchor buyout complete: The merger closed as scheduled Sunday, said Anchor spokesman Howard Stutz. Anchor stock traded for the last time on the Nasdaq last Friday; as of Sunday, all Anchor shares were converted into rights to acquire IGT stock on a one-for-one basis.

Breaking resolutions an American tradition: By Emily Richmond; Wayne Brown, a smoldering cigarette between his fingers, stared at the television screen in his Las Vegas living room as the final seconds of 1992 ticked away in New York City's Times Square.

Wall Street's 'dismal' year finally ends: Lisa Singhania; NEW YORK -- The year 2001 was one of great contrasts for Wall Street. Stocks alternately plunged on waves of heavy selling and surged higher, showing the resiliency that has attracted millions of investors over the past decade.

Nolan pushing disaster readiness: Erin Neff; As thousands of revelers ring in the new year tonight, one politician will have a nervous eye on the activities.

Laughlin casino operator posts loss: The company posted net income in the year-ago quarter of $5.3 million. Revenues fell 59 percent to $12 million, while cash flow declined 16 percent to $4.67 million.

Bank tries forcing LV firm into Chapter 7: Grace Leong; Wells Fargo Bank and another creditor of Las Vegas developer Saxton Inc., which say they are owed a total of $712,559, are trying to force Saxton into bankruptcy.

Harrah's sued over Players' tax bill: The state agency filed suit Dec. 26, stating that Players Lake Charles Inc. owed the taxes and interest from July 1995-December 1996. Players failed to pay taxes on costs connected to repair and construction of an "entertainment island," the lawsuit says.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Point Given, Tiznow excelled in 2001: Ralph Siraco; Let's take a thumbnail look at the year in racing, bypassing the politics of the business and reflecting instead on the top human and equine accomplishments.

Cop beat handcuffed man at casino: Keith Paul; A Metro Police officer repeatedly punched a handcuffed man inside a downtown hotel-casino, breaking a vertebra in the man's neck as the incident was captured on the hotel's security cameras.

Box Score: Old Dominion-UNLV: Percentages: FG .462, FT .500, 3P .474.

Jevon Banks helps save day for Rebels: Victoria Sun; After watching his team scratch and claw its way to another comeback victory, UNLV coach Charlie Spoonhour remarked that he felt like he was in the movie "Groundhog Day," in which the main character is forced to relive each day the same way.

Sprint seeks hefty rate hike: Malcolm Hall; Citing serious financial problems and promising another jolt to rate-weary utility customers, Sprint has asked state regulators for a rate hike for its Las Vegas-area customers totaling nearly $90 million per year.

Obituaries for December 31, 2001: Jerry Bartley, 46, of Las Vegas died Thursday in Las Vegas. He was born March 24, 1955, in Pasadena, Calif. A resident for 12 years, he was a truck driver.

De La Hoya vs. Vargas set for Mandalay Bay: De La Hoya is the World Boxing Council junior middleweight champion and Vargas holds the World Boxing Association championship at the same weight, 154 pounds.