Print edition for January 19, 2001

UNLV-New Mexico women's box score: UNLV (11-6)

LVMS could be shut out of CART race: FONTANA, Calif. -- Las Vegas Motor Speedway's window of opportunity for landing a CART race in 2002 may be closing.

Agency rejects Southern California Edison's plan to sell stake in electric plant: Brian Melley; SAN FRANCISCO -- California's energy regulatory body voted Thursday to block debt-ridden Southern California Edison from selling its stake in a Nevada power generating plant and said it would likely block future proposed divestitures.

Nevada backers of train are down, not out: Benjamin Grove; The winners

Valley may face gasoline shortage: Diana Sahagun; The Las Vegas Valley could be experiencing gasoline shortages as early as this weekend if California continues to cut electricity to the CalNev Pipeline, Southern Nevada's main supplier of gas and jet fuel.

Buckley hopes Guinn includes funds for assisted-living project: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn is keeping a tight lid on what's in his $3.74 billion budget, but Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, is hoping he includes $6 million for building an affordable senior citizen housing project in Clark County.

Sagging revenue hinders Guinn's budget: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn unveils his $3.74 billion budget Monday, but there are already warning signs that there may not be enough tax revenue to pay for all of his programs.

Casino denies report alleging financial woes: A report in the Jan. 3 issue of the Las Vegas Tribune, citing unnamed sources, said that Binion's had failed to make a rental payment to its landowner in more than a year, and owed more than $1 million. The article stated that other Horseshoe landlords and the Fremont Street Experience had also not received payments from Binion's, "indicating that the casino may be experiencing cash flow problems."

Panel targets racial profiling: Jace Radke; Racial profiling is the target of community leaders who met Thursday night to outline a strategy to end the alleged practices at area police departments.

Mecca of learning: Stacy J. Willis; They are standing on the construction site talking about God, about science, about children.

EPA threatens huge fines over Freon: Adrienne Packer; Federal officials investigating whether Clark County employees mishandled refrigerant said Thursday the county could face a maximum fine of $25,000 a day for a two-year period if it's found in violation of federal laws.

Bankruptcies for January 19, 2001: Stuart B. Miller, also known as Star Appraisal, 5409 Dillweed Court, filed for Chapter 7, listing assets of $148,900 and liabilities of $250,393.

Troubled investments will cost Harrah's $259 million: David Strow; Harrah's Entertainment Inc. of Las Vegas warned investors Thursday that the bankruptcies of National Airlines and its New Orleans casino would result in the company taking a loss of roughly $160 million for the quarter ending Dec. 31.

Nevada official also wants sale blocked: In May, Nevada Power announced it was selling its 14 percent stake of the Mohave Generating Station near Laughlin. The deal, which has yet to close, was the first in a series of power plant sales the company planned as a government condition of Nevada Power's merger with Sierra Pacific Resources Inc. of Reno.

Beyond Emeril: Food Network turns into cash cow: Seth Sutel; NEW YORK -- When the Food Network started out in 1993, cooking shows weren't considered hot TV fare, and chefs weren't celebrities. Studious cooks watched Julia Child and the Galloping Gourmet truss chickens, but cooking as entertainment had not yet arrived.

Timing of complaint questioned: Erin Neff; An ethics complaint filed Thursday against four Las Vegas City Council members alleges they granted a special favor to political consultant Sig Rogich when they approved a tavern license over staff recommendations.

LV casino company to miss profit estimates: The company said it expects to earn 2 cents per share before extraordinary charges for the quarter ending Dec. 31; analysts had expected 4 cents per share.

Federal officials will give updates on nation's MIAs: MIA briefing

Accused cop resigns; charges still possible: Keith Paul; A Metro Police narcotics detective relieved of duty after officials found he had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old boy quit the department effective today.

Southwest boosting dividend, splitting stock: DALLAS -- Southwest Airlines Co., which has seen its share price almost double in the past year, said it will split its stock 3 for 2 on Feb. 15 and increase its quarterly cash dividend almost 23 percent.

Obituaries for January 19, 2001: Tiffany Averill, 67, of Las Vegas died Monday in Las Vegas. She was born Aug. 19, 1933, in Philadelphia. A resident for 23 years, she was a homemaker.

Seventeen Las Vegas-area contractors disciplined: The above-listed companies could not be reached for comment on the state board's allegations.

$100,000 bail set in crash that killed 2: Kim Smith; A $100,000 bail has been set for an Illinois woman accused of causing a crash that killed a Sandy Valley couple last weekend.

Shareholders sue over sale of LV broadcasting giant: Grace Leong; A day after Citadel Communications Corp. of Las Vegas announced an agreement to be acquired by New York investment firm Forstmann Little & Co. for $2 billion, two Citadel shareholders filed class action lawsuits against Citadel and five board members in hopes of getting the highest possible price for their stock.

Microsoft profit in line with forecasts: Capitalizing on strong sales growth for its Windows 2000 desktop operating system at the end of the year, Microsoft on Thursday reported quarterly earnings that met Wall Street's scaled-back expectations.

Judge says county must pay doctors in DUI case: Kim Smith; The doctors who are expected to testify at the trial of a man accused of causing an accident that killed one woman and paralyzed another will be paid for by taxpayers.

Local news briefs for January 19, 2001: A man shot to death Tuesday in a southeast Las Vegas home was identified as 31-year-old Marc Lohr.

Suit filed over LV casino's trademark: In a U.S. District Court lawsuit, Mirage sued Baltic Consultants Ltd. and Travill Consultants, alleging they ignored Mirage's repeated demands to stop using Mirage Resorts' Treasure Island trademark and to return the domain name "www.wwwtreasureislandlasvegas.com" by Oct. 9.

Home Depot says business is weakening: ATLANTA -- Stifled by weak prices and a slowing economy, Home Depot Inc. warned today that its fourth-quarter earnings will fall short of expectations on flat sales.

Retailer bankrupt, Nevada stores remain open: The Myrtle Beach, S.C.-based home furnishings chain said 38 of its 122 stores nationwide will be closed.

Good keeping cool on sidelines: Steve Addy; Say this much for Max Good -- at least he isn't taking out his stress on the referees.

UNLV could get funds for nuke research: UNLV is poised to receive millions in research funds if it becomes a core institution in the search for a way to reduce deadly radioactive wastes, scientists said Thursday.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Next team expects a 'new' Pitino: Dean Juipe; Whatever team hires Rick Pitino as its next head coach is expecting a changed man.

Lobos upend Lady Rebels: The Lady Rebels (11-4, 1-2) led by as many as 15 late in the first half before the Lobos (11-6, 2-1) got hot, scoring 11 unanswered points over the last 3:29.

Editorial: Lowest bids often aren't good enough: While government should strive to get the best price for contracted services, even then there are limits. At the same time the qualifications of the contractor -- including whether the company complies with labor laws -- also should be weighed. Only responsible firms that abide by labor laws should be awarded potentially lucrative government contracts.

Senate aides to help with cancer probe: Cancer experts from across the country have joined forces to investigate 11 cases of childhood leukemia in Fallon, and Sen. Harry Reid is sending in top congressional staff members to aid state officials.

Several hundred Nevadans to attend ceremonies: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- In 1985 and 1989 when he was chairman of the Republican Party, gaming lobbyist Frank Fahrenkopf spent the inaugural evening with the president's entourage, traveling from ball to ball.

Letter: U.N. treaties bad for America: On Oct. 18 the Senate ratified, in similarly stealthy fashion, a package of 34 treaties, including the U.N. Convention to Combat Decertification, through which the U.N. may claim the power to regulate the use of both private and public lands in this country.

Matter of pride: Dean Juipe; Arriving early and casually accommodating any and all interview requests, Diego Corrales, like everyone else at Studio 54 inside the MGM Grand, turned to hear the roar and see the commotion as Floyd Mayweather Jr. entered the room.

Letter: Democrats can stop crying now about election: Now that the count is in, Bush adds 6 votes to his total, not the hundreds and hundreds for Gore that all of the collectivist cry-babies have been saying would be found. Even the Doonesbury cartoons saying that Gore was forging ahead and would have won have mysteriously disappeared in mid-story.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Tracy fine-tunes approach in title quest: FONTANA, Calif. -- In his first three years with Team Kool Green, Paul Tracy has proved he can run up front and, when doing so, win races.

The story of V: Steve Bornfeld; Who: Vanessa Williams.

Rebels hoping to snare some coveted Jackrabbits: Steve Guiremand; UNLV coach John Robinson and recruiting coordinator Joe Hubbard spent Thursday doing what a lot of football coaches are doing these days.

Editorial: Projects do create headaches: Guinn talked about his frustration this week regarding the lack of progress in the school construction projects, noting that it has been 22 months since the money was allocated by the Legislature. These aren't the only state public works projects bedeviling Guinn, though. There have been a number of big-ticket items that have been delayed or have come in over budget. For instance, UNLV's Lied Library opened a year behind schedule. In addition, there were $5.6 million in claims filed against the contractor and the state regarding the library, which cost $53 million, but there was no money to pay ...

Where I Stand 1978 -- Hank Greenspun: Making peace is all business: Before this newspaper can get involved in history-making events like sending its publisher to bring feuding parties together in the interests of world peace and tranquility, it must make certain the trip is justified in dollars and sense.

Barbara Greenspun remembers 1978: Peace advice still fits today: I shall never forget the trips to Israel with Hank as he shuffled back and forth between high-ranking officials in Israel and Egypt in search of peace.

News of the Day: 1978: Story: The world's first test-tube baby-- a 5-pound, 12-ounce girl -- was born Tuesday in "excellent" health to Mrs. Lesley Brown, marking a milestone in the science of human development.

Joe Delaney remembers 1978: Carlin at the Aladdin: Joe Delaney remembers 1978: Carlin at the Aladdin

Gymnastics: National meet being held in Las Vegas: The meet times are 8 a.m.-10:15 p.m. today and Saturday and 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Sunday.

Performing arts: Skits, sketches

Letter: Stars lose name game: If a better logo exists than the "Dodgers" script, I would like to see it.

Solid comedy in Alexander on display this week at Improv: Joe Delaney; Harrah's Improv Comedy Club is offering 70 solid minutes of more laughs per minute than we have shared anywhere in many months. The lineup changes weekly. Through Sunday it's Max Alexander as the headliner, comparative newcomer Mike Loftus in the middle and Brian Dunkleman as opener/emcee.

Columnist Kate Maddox: Las Vegas is in 'Jeopardy': Kate Maddox; Alex Trebek has gathered an impressive celebrity posse and will tape a couple of weeks' worth of shows in Vegas this week.

Auction brings in $1,300 for Shade Tree: A check for $1,300 will be presented to the Shade Tree Shelter.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: A Silver State hero: ---

On Display: "The Roots of My Soul," jazz-inspired paintings by artist Gene Redden, are on display Monday through March 17 at the West Las Vegas Arts Center's Community Art Gallery, 947 W. Lake Mead Blvd. Call 229-4800.

Tennis: UNLV men defeated by No. 12 Pepperdine: UNLV earned its only point at No. 3 singles where unranked Danny Erez upset 77th-ranked Chase Exon 3-6, 6-4, 7-5. The Rebels conclude their road trip by taking on 13th-ranked USC today.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Trip to Aqua proves mouth-watering: Dining at Michael Mina's Aqua restaurant at Bellagio is always a joy, yet I'd never dined at the original in San Francisco. Since the opening here of the Bay Area's acclaimed seafood restaurant, I'd yearned to experience Aqua, San Francisco.

Letter: Sun sports 2nd to none: I look forward every day to your creative and informative writing.

Baseball: Rebels to meet public Saturday: The event will include a free lunch and beverages, a free ticket to the home opener against Washington State on Feb. 2, and an opportunity to have a picture taken with the team.

Communities will test new tool to aid emergency personnel: Colleen Long; DENVER - Software developed in part because of the Columbine High School shootings to allow emergency personnel to take a virtual survey of a building's layout will be tested across the West.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Platters among nostalgia acts making rounds: Joe Delaney; First there were ghost bands, representing the top swing and dance bands of the 1930s and 1940s ... The leaders were all deceased or retired ... The Glenn Miller orchestra still tours ... There is a Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey orchestra ... There was an Artie Shaw orchestra for some time ... Les Brown died recently at age 88 ... Brown and his orchestra played the Stardust in the fall of last year.

Letter: Give Good a chance: To those fans wanting a big-name coach, I say we have been down that road, and it was not good.

Little Feat takes musical Americana to the masses: Kirk Baird; What: Little Feat.

Letter: Bring back the Babe: A family of four or five must shell out $100 or more to go to a ballgame to satisfy the outrageous salary demands of these prima donnas.