Print edition for February 15, 2001

Buckley points out Nevada drug plan's flaws: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The fledgling, foundering Nevada plan to provide affordable prescription drugs to seniors is a good example of why state plans aren't working and drugs should be covered under Medicare, Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley told Congress today.

UNLV women play host to Air Force: First, they entertain Air Force (3-18, 0-8) tonight at 7:35. The Rebels ran to a 31-point victory over the Falcons in their first meeting this season in Colorado Springs, Colo., and have won eight straight in the series. The game is part of the national Take a Kid To the Game promotion, and all children will be admitted free with a paying adult.

FBI probe of French citizen's death begins: Keith Paul; The FBI has begun an investigation into the death of a French citizen who died during a struggle with Clark County jail guards, according to a letter sent to Metro Police by the FBI.

Woodbury victim of carjacking: Adrienne Packer; A violent carjacking that left Clark County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury shaken but not injured Wednesday morning might have been part of a California car theft ring, the commissioner said.

Casino operator posts loss: Biloxi, Miss.-based Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. reported a net loss of $3 million, or 10 cents per share, for the quarter ending Jan. 28. That compares to net income of $4.9 million, or 19 cents per share, for the year-ago quarter.

Louisiana casino lays off 75: BOSSIER CITY, La. -- The Isle of Capri has cut its Bossier City work force by 5 percent, eliminating about 75 jobs as poor weather, a weak economy and strong competition have bitten into the customer base.

Canada-Mexico corridor architects seek comments: Architects of a broad plan to build a route linking commercial highway traffic from Mexico, through the United States and on to Canada will appear in Las Vegas tonight for a public information meeting.

Phone call criticizing a juror ruled a crank: Deputy District Attorney Bruce Nelson said the district attorney's office received a call Wednesday from a man claiming to be a doctor with valuable information for the prosecutors.

Baseball: Rebels score sweep of Lewis & Clark State: Defending NAIA national champion Lewis & Clark State falls to 2-2 on the season, and UNLV improves to 4-4.

ACLU vows to fight decision keeping anonymous fliers illegal: Adrienne Packer; Despite protests from civil rights leaders, a U.S. District Court judge ruled Wednesday that anonymous fliers like the one that sunk Clark County Commissioner Lance Malone last year are unconstitutional.

Jury begins weighing Jessica Williams case: Kim Smith; The jury's choices

LV company wins labor dispute, posts higher profit: The Culinary claimed in July it had accepted a contract offer at the Santa Fe after years of unsuccessful negotiations. Santa Fe Gaming Corp. of Las Vegas, the owner of the property at the time, denied any contract existed between the parties.

CCSN chief poised for new job in Oregon: Jennifer Knight; A final hurdle in Robert Silverman's bid for president at a community college in Oregon was cleared Wednesday night.

Swimming: Rebel men fourth, women sixth in MWC: UNLV kicked off the men's side of competition with a win in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:19.59. Piotr Krzyskow, Michael Short, Jacint Simon and Garrett Wood made up the first place Rebel team. Their winning time of 1:19.59 is a school and MWC record and is the fourth-fastest time in the nation.

Shareholder to buy assets of bankrupt LV gaming firm: Grace Leong; The trustee for bankrupt Spintek Gaming Technologies Inc. of Las Vegas has agreed to sell the bankruptcy estate's gaming assets to its largest creditor for more than $1 million.

NASCAR Truck Florida Dodge Dealers 250 Lineup: At Daytona International Speedway

Teenage smoking measure attacked: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Teens who illegally purchase cigarettes by using a fake ID face detention by store clerks, fines and mandatory anti-smoking classes under a proposed Assembly bill.

Tighter radiation limits urged: Nevada's senators, governor and a dozen consumer and environmental groups are urging President Bush to keep stricter limits on radiation exposure at a proposed high-level nuclear repository at Yucca Mountain.

Boys recovering from wreck that killed mom: Keith Paul; In an instant Ariksyn Paulin went from a rambunctious 7-year-old who loved playing with Pokemon toys and talked a lot to a scared little boy who can say no more about an accident Tuesday night other than his mother was killed.

Girls basketball all-star teams: First Team: Nikki Hitchens, Sil; Jayme Connors, Sil; Taylor Cohen, GV; Keisha Stevenson, VT; Erika Twesme, GV; Elizabeth Marshall, Chap; MVP: Hitchens.

Columnist Spencer Patterson: Cimarron wrestlers are in the cross hairs: Spencer Patterson; No sooner had Cimarron-Memorial claimed its second straight 4A state wrestling title last year than thoughts turned to the Spartans' chances for a three-peat in 2001.

Page to open yet another new chapter: Dean Juipe; Long layoffs are nothing new to James Page.

Forfeits bounce Durango from tourney: Spencer Patterson; The Durango boys basketball team's 24-hour roller coaster ride ended with a crash on Wednesday, when the Trailblazers learned for certain they would not participate in this year's postseason.

Foothill's Perry propels Falcons in Sunrise opener: Spencer Patterson; The play wasn't supposed to come his way, but when Foothill's Harvey Perry got the ball with time winding down Wednesday, the freshman knew exactly what to do with it.

NASCAR Daytona Qualifying Race Lineups: At Daytona International Speedway

Power plant building urged by Herrera: Clark County government should make an effort to promote the quick construction of power plants in the region, County Commission Chairman Dario Herrera said Wednesday.

Internet casino planned: PlayboySportsBook.com will be launched in partnership with Ladbrokes, one of Britain's largest bookmakers and an operator of online gambling operations. The book will have safeguards to prevent bets from being taken from the United States, Playboy said.

Local news briefs for February 15, 2001: The $45,000 bronze statue of a little boy stolen from a Henderson intersection was found Wednesday on the loading dock of Opportunity Village in Henderson.

Deregulation suit to be dropped: Officials with Sierra Pacific Resources Inc. said Wednesday they would drop the suit, fulfilling an agreement reached in a settlement allowing the company to increase rates to cover skyrocketing purchased power and fuel costs.

Two marijuana proposals joined: CARSON CITY -- Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, says she's going to combine her bill to reduce the penalty on possession of marijuana with the initiative petition to allow distribution of marijuana for medical purposes.

Legislative briefs for February 15, 2001: With lines at the Department of Motor Vehicles still long enough to make most residents dread a simple visit, Assemblyman Wendell Williams wants to put more of the agency's services on the Internet.

Corrections: Corrections

Development giants American Nevada, Del Webb team up to bid on BLM land: Two of the largest residential developers in the Las Vegas area will join forces to bid on and develop a big chunk of Bureau of Land Management acreage in North Las Vegas.

Nurses at two hospitals can seek union representation: Calling it an "unprecedented agreement in health care," the California Nurses Association has entered into a contract with the parent company of the two local St. Rose hospitals that increases the opportunity for union representation.

Nevada casino profits reported to be down: Highlights

Tax hike to build libraries reaches Henderson ballot: Jeffrey Libby; With three libraries to serve a population of 170,000, the Henderson District Public Libraries says it can't adequately serve residents.

More tests urged for Fallon: Brendan Riley; CARSON CITY -- Lawmakers who held three days of hearings into 11 recent cases of childhood leukemia linked to Fallon will push for more medical and environmental tests to pinpoint a cause.

New library bond request planned: Adrienne Packer; Clark County library administrators are rethinking their $73.9 million bond proposal and subsequent plan to build six facilities after their presentations last week received a cool response from elected officials.

Poll shows mixed results for Nolen: Diana Sahagun; A poll released Tuesday shows former Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Nolen with a slight name recognition lead over his opponent for Ward 5, Las Vegas City Councilman Lawrence Weekly.

IBL expansion lifts struggling league: Victoria Sun; Following the absorption of five franchises from the defunct CBA, the IBL now boasts 11 teams. They are:

Dream and drive: DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Kurt Busch climbed from his racecar and strolled through the garage area at Daytona International Speedway, looking every bit like a kid on Christmas morning.

UNLV's block brigade: UNLV's block brigade

Robinson agrees to new deal: Steve Guiremand; UNLV head football coach John Robinson said today that he has agreed in principle to a new five-year contract that will keep him at the school until the age of 70.

Legislator eyes pair of reforms in state education: CARSON CITY -- Bills to erode the class-size reduction program in the primary grades of public schools and to strip the state Board of Education of its power to name the superintendent of public instruction were introduced Wednesday by Sen. Maurice Washington, R-Sparks.

Daytona 500 notebook: Ford teams blast aero disadvantage: DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Ford teams continued to be up in arms about what they perceived to be an aerodynamic disadvantage going into today's Twin 125 qualifying races for Sunday's Daytona 500.

UNLV has put opponents on chopping 'blocks': Steve Addy; It's small consolation, but in their season full of rejection, at least the Rebels are dishing out some of their own.

Assembly measure would allow for increases in taxes: Erin Neff; Taxes could go up if Assembly Bill 137 passes and if voters agree to increase the statutory limitations on the state's tax levy.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Time to tell Rick: 'Take it or leave it': Am I the only one who thinks it's about time UNLV takes the fiddle out of Rick Pitino's hands?

Editorial: These kids need help from state: As the Sun's Steve Kanigher reported Tuesday, Guinn's budget to the Legislature is recommending the elimination of paid college interns, who aid the medical staff. The children's families worry that the staffing reduction will make it difficult for the clinics to continue offering group sessions -- which the interns assist in -- that teach children how to interact with others. The savings to the clinic's budget would be sizable -- more than $800,000 in the nearly $13 million, two-year budget -- but the cuts would be shortsighted.

Daytona IROC Lineup: At Daytona International Speedway

Prep girls bowling standings: CLASS 4A

Prep girls basketball standings: CLASS 4A

All Mine: Trek to Eldorado Canyon is a trip back in time: Jeffrey Libby; They have since 1861, when the mine opened and deserters from the Civil War arrived by horseback or wagon train looking for less-complicated work. If the newspaper stories are correct, they still found a fair amount of gun violence. The feuds weren't about blood and politics, but the money coming out of the hills still caused the trouble.

Sun Boys Basketball Top 10: Teams ranked jointly by the Sun and Sparks Tribune.

Letter: Switch school bus exhaust just like the big rigs do: The mechanics say they have done much to cure this problem. They have mentioned all kinds of cures except the one to correct all. You must do like all big rigs by putting that exhaust pipe vertically into the air and above the bus roof. If our school district tries this, you should smell no odors from exhaust, or at the least very little.

Letter: County liable for kids' deaths: His comment seems a bit puzzling. Who does he think pays for these judgments? Taxpayers! Is he not a taxpayer, too?

Busch NAPA Auto Parts 300 qualifying: 1. (87) Joe Nemechek, Pontiac, 186.966 mph.

Sun Girls Basketball Top 10: Teams ranked jointly by the Sun and the Sparks Tribune.

Winter prep playoff schedule, results: Boys Basketball

Early Las Vegas gay activist, nightclub owner Jacques dies: Jace Radke; When Marge Jacques arrived in Las Vegas in 1957, she found a city with a mostly inhospitable attitude toward its gay community, but that didn't stop her from running openly gay-owned businesses.

Columnist Ruther Deskin: 'Hannibal' can't match real news: Ruther Deskin; A young friend just finished reading the novel "Hannibal" by Thomas Harris. It is the continuing story of Hannibal Lechter, who terrified audiences in the movie "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Hannibal."

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: China fears free thought: THE PERSECUTION of Falun Gong sect members in the People's Republic of China has drawn the attention of people around the world. Just a short distance away in Taiwan the Republic of China government shows no fear of the sect and allows members the freedom to practice their beliefs. The instability of the Marxist government in Beijing is best demonstrated by its open fear of anything or belief it can't control. This fear was even more evident when the Red government threatened the planned Falun Gong gathering in Hong Kong.

Sun Athletes of the Week: Chris Gifford and Ashli Kimenker: Male Athlete of the Week: CHRIS GIFFORD

Catching up with: Kate Oiness: High School: Green Valley ('98)

Columnist Dean Juipe: Texas Station card will help cash-hungry UNLV program: Dean Juipe; The program just marked its second birthday and there isn't much doubt that the UNLV club boxing team has been an artistic success.

Editorial: Weak-kneed agency shows its true colors: State officials are right to note that the NRC's hunt for an office here shows a bias in favor of building the repository -- a taint that truly independent regulators would not possess. For that matter, the NRC's reputation as weak-kneed regulator of the nuclear power industry is buttressed by this premature search. The NRC's actions to date show that it cannot be trusted with the critical task of licensing a repository to hold man's deadliest waste, a job that mandates objectivity, which that agency lacks.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Friday's races at Santa Anita: 1st Race -- Princess Lauren - Enriquez sits Warren trainee, must overcome outside post at the mile opener, should be square price. Video Voo Doo - Ships across town for this, Jauregui on Jory trainee, should get a good trip from middle box. Value Play -- For The Love

Letter: Saving energy is a team effort: Second, while driving at night in the Las Vegas Valley, I have noticed numerous porch lights that burn all night long (plus people forgetting to turn them off during the day, which would help conserve many kilowatt hours).

Obituaries for February 15, 2001: Nellie Irene Aghas, 57, of Las Vegas died Monday in Las Vegas. She was born Aug. 3, 1943, in Oklahoma. A resident for 41 years, she was a homemaker.

Community news briefs for February 15, 2001: "Making Ends Meet and Dreams Come True" is the class being offered 6-7 p.m Wednesday at the Consumer Credit Counseling Service, 3650 S. Decatur Blvd., Suite 32.

Son of Las Vegan provides medical services in Korea: Dick Benoit; Army Specialist Michael Plummer, the son of Janet Vallone of Las Vegas, recently participated in Exercise Foal Eagle 2000, a massive military exercise teaming U.S. troops with more than 500,000 Republic of Korea forces.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Pondering history of 'Riverdance': Joe Delaney; "Riverdance," in the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts through Sunday, never would have happened in the way that it did without Michael Flatley. And there never would have been a "Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance," in its third year at New York-New York, if Flatley had not been fired the night before "Riverdance" was about to start its second London run.