Print edition for January 15, 2001

Suspect robs change cart at Strip hotel-casino: Lisa Snedeker; LAS VEGAS - Las Vegas police are searching for a man who robbed a change cart worker at The Venetian resort Monday morning.

Columnist John Katsilometes: FHM takes trite look at Vegas: The cover shouts "24-KARAT GOLD! ALYSSA MILANO MADE FROM STUFF THAT DRIVES MEN CRAZY."

Shooter may have been upset over slot losses: John Porretto; BILOXI, Miss. -- Police are trying to determine what caused a gambler down on his luck to shoot three people before killing himself at a busy Gulf Coast casino.

Pitino backs off UNLV visit: Steve Addy; PROVO, Utah -- Rick Pitino says he isn't coming to Las Vegas this week after all.

Growth plans outlined: David Strow and Richard N. Velotta; The casino industry's growth plans remained the hot topic on Friday, the last day of the annual American Gaming Summit in Las Vegas.

Diggs, UNLV have score to settle against BYU: Steve Addy; PROVO, Utah -- The last time the Rebels played BYU at the Marriott Center, Trevor Diggs left it all on the court, including a river of tears.

Vertical limits: Off-road enthusiasts face natural and legal obstacles: Fasten your seat belt its going to be a bumpy ride.

Obituaries for January 15, 2001: Francis D. Boillotat, 89, of North Las Vegas died Tuesday in a local hospital. He was born Sept. 2, 1911, in Detroit. A resident for six years, he was a retired electrical engineer for an automotive company and a member of the Golden Gems Senior Group.

Outlaws cut active roster by 8 players: The Outlaws released running back Carlo Joseph, wide receiver Cedric Tillman, linebacker Troy Dumas and defensive tackle Bryant Shaw.

Dealers' union rejected at Monte Carlo: Two hundred ninety-four dealers voted against representation by the Transport Workers Union, with 98 voting in favor. The union was seeking to represent 409 dealers at the Monte Carlo.

County officials hoping for raise: Adrienne Packer; Clark County elected officials who haven't seen a pay raise in six years will receive a significant boost in July if the state Legislature approves a new salary compensation bill.

Prep wrestling standings: CLASS 4A

Community news for January 15, 2001: The Bureau of Land Managment is seeking nominations by Feb. 20 for candidates to fill a vacancy on its northeastern Great Basin resource advisory council.

Birth announcements for January 15, 2001: Dec. 30: A girl to Franszell and Clinton Soares; a boy to Ilene and Craig Linger. Dec. 31: A boy to Misty Bahde and Michael Tyler. Jan. 1: A boy to Marisa Gomez and Roul Lugo; a girl to Natalie and Jeffrey Southard. Jan. 2: A boy to Christine and Rusty Brown; a boy to Jackie and William Crawford. Jan. 3: A boy to Jasmine and Christopher Hornbeck. Jan. 4: A boy to Maria and Adolfo Saldivar; a girl to Denise and Clayton Johnson; a boy to Sherry Green and Joell Geaga. Jan. 5: A boy to Marnie and Davy ...

Nestle nears deal to buy Ralston Purina: NEW YORK -- Nestle SA, the Swiss food manufacturer whose products include the Friskies and Alpo pet food brands, is close to a deal to buy Ralston Purina Co., maker of Purina Dog Chow, for $10 billion in cash, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Prep girls soccer standings: CLASS 4A

Editorial: It's time to finally get it right: Last year Congress finally passed legislation to provide compensation to nuclear weapons plant workers, who often racked up large medical bills that the federal government for years had refused to pay since it wouldn't acknowledge that they were work-related. Still, the legislation had its shortcomings. Specifically, the new law effectively limited the eligibility of those Nevada Test Site workers who had come down with silicosis. So it is heartening that Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson is calling on Congress to change last year's law to include those who were left out last time, including those at the Nevada Test Site.

Guinn adds college funds: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn confirmed today he has included "some money" in his budget to start construction of the Nevada State College at Henderson.

Lease secures home for new library in northwest: Diana Sahagun; North Las Vegas residents in the growing northwest part of the city will soon have library services closer to home.

Letter: Baseless attacks on Ashcroft: Ashcroft has demonstrated leadership through chairing the National Association of Attorneys General, the National Governors' Association and the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution. His experience as a lawyer and public servant has prepared him for cleaning up the Justice Department and restoring America's confidence in the rule of law.

Land deadline nears for medical center: Jennifer Knight; Backers of a proposed university medical teaching center are quickly approaching a deadline to apply for a city-owned piece of land in downtown Las Vegas.

Vets home cracked; opening delayed: The $21 million veterans home in Boulder City is not everything it is cracked up to be -- or maybe it is.

Two King celebrations planned tonight: Gospel recording artist Helen Baylor will perform 7 tonight at the International Church of Las Vegas, 8100 Westcliff Drive.

Ecstasy tests still questioned in deaths of six teens along I-15: Kim Smith; Jurors will learn that blood tests show Jessica Williams had marijuana in her system when a van she was driving ran off the road, killing six teenagers.

Coroner awaits autopsy in jail death of French citizen: Keith Paul; Metro Police officials are waiting on an autopsy on a French national whose death after a violent struggle with Clark County jail guards earlier this month made international news.

Technology briefs for January 15, 2001: It was not until the recent holiday shopping season that Lego Systems Inc. rolled out the Lego & Steven Spielberg MovieMaker Set, a $180 kit meant to turn children into makers of short digital films featuring Lego characters and props. But online, where Lego fandom rages, such films are nothing new.

Trends for January 15, 2001: Lisa Ferguson; Back in time

Teen guilty in couple's killing: Kim Smith; After just an hour of deliberations, a Clark County jury Friday convicted the second of two Las Vegas teens charged with murdering an elderly couple known for selling candy to neighborhood children.

Vegas poised to cash in on growth of minority travel: Las Vegas is the top resort destination for American Asians and Hispanics and the No. 2 place to go for blacks, a new travel industry report says.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Affirmed provided great rivalry for fans: Ralph Siraco; The one thing that makes sports so great is rivalries.

DA to be called by defense in Rudin murder: Kim Smith; Clark County District Attorney Stewart Bell is going to be called as a defense witness during Margaret Rudin's murder trial.

LV television stations in litigation over weatherman: KVBC Channel 3, which said Tannenbaum was hired on Sep. 1, 1997, and resigned on Dec. 13, 2000, sought an injunction in Clark County District Court to stop him from appearing on Channel 13 or any other television or radio station within a 60-mile radius of the Las Vegas market or for a one-year period after Dec. 13.

Education, Internet likely subjects for lawmakers: Erin Neff; If a luncheon speech Friday by two of Las Vegas' state assemblymen is any indication, the 2001 Legislature will struggle over education and an Internet tax.

Rebels Thomas reinjures right foot: Steve Guiremand; UNLV quarterback Jason Thomas will have his sore right foot placed in a cast later this week after an MRI revealed the Rebels' star was starting to develop a stress fracture in his second metatarsal bone.

Henderson mayor dispels rumors: Jeffrey Libby; Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson said Friday he will not run for the new 3rd Congressional District seat in 2002.

Rio fined: CARSON CITY -- For the second time in 16 months, Harrah's Entertainment Inc.'s Rio hotel-casino has agreed to pay a fine for violating state accounting regulations.

Local news briefs for January 15, 2001: North Las Vegas Police continue to investigate the homicide of a man found shot in the head Friday morning near Carey Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard.

Columnist Dean Juipe: UNLV, coach flustered right now: Dean Juipe; If you're a member of the UNLV men's basketball team, the world must seem as if it's spinning a little too fast.

Teen fiddler group promised spot in Bush Inauguration Parade, then left high and dry: Jeffrey Libby; They had dreams of floating down Constitution Avenue bundled in hats and gloves, playing old-time American fiddle tunes like "Cabbage Down" and "Mississippi Sawyer" in the inaugural parade for President-elect George W. Bush.

Letter: Goodman pulls the wool over Ralston's eyes: He wants a professional team of any kind housed in his Oscar Goodman edifice -- damn the cost to the taxpayer to enshrine them and him. He once held out for a basketball team simply because he played it. Now he says he will spend his time and our money trying to outshine the other politicians here on Yucca Mountain. Make no mistake about it, he is a professional actor in a class with P.T. Barnum, and what you see may not be what you get.

County pushing 'flexibility' law: Adrienne Packer; Clark County can't offer low-income senior citizens redevelopment grants, it needs a court order to remove graffiti from private property and it can't donate excess land to non-profit groups.

Nevada report card questions quality of life: Kris Hill; Children in Nevada feel pretty safe in school, a new report says, but the state could improve the quality of life of its youngsters.

Letter: Rate cuts better than advertising: Or, is it just setting us up for more and bigger rate hikes? And remember folks, we aren't even into deregulation yet. But we can always strive to follow the California model. Now that was a great success story!

Two standout running backs headed for Rebels: Steve Guiremand; UNLV went a long way to shore up its thin running back corps over the weekend with verbal commitments from two highly regarded recruits.

Engelstad vowed to pull arena funding if controversial Indian name dropped: Dale Wetzel; BISMARCK, N.D. -- Casino owner Ralph Engelstad, who is building an $85 million hockey arena for the University of North Dakota, said in a blunt letter to the school's president that he would abandon the project if UND dropped its "Fighting Sioux" nickname.

Low-income senior housing plan proposed: Diana Sahagun; Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley will ask Gov. Kenny Guinn during the Legislative session to set aside $6 million of his budget to help fund the first phase of a state-of-the-art senior housing project in the Las Vegas Valley.