Print edition for July 16, 2001

Mack back in action after rest: Diana Sahagun; Las Vegas City Councilman Michael Mack's whereabouts were kept so secret that, for two weeks, even his constituents were left guessing.

Man shot during argument dies: Police responded at about 6:33 p.m. Friday to a call of shots fired at 124 E. Washington Ave., Sgt. Rocky Alby said.

Gaming people: Recent gaming industry appointments and promotions: Tim Donovan, director of security at the Monte Carlo hotel-casino, was elected president of the Las Vegas Security Chiefs Association.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Top riders jockey for meet titles: Ralph Siraco; A change of scenery to racing's summer spas will take place starting Wednesday when Del Mar opens its 43-day meeting down "Where the Turf Meets the Surf" in San Diego County.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Mosley needs to upgrade his opposition: Dean Juipe; Five years ago in a nationally televised fight from an Indian casino in Connecticut, Skip Kelp had Adrian Stone down twice within 10 rounds en route to taking a hotly contested decision win.

Development threat angers residents, environmentalists: A multinational home builder has staked a claim for more than 2,000 mountain acres near the Red Rock National Conservation Area, raising the hackles of local residents and environmentalists.

Obituaries for July 16, 2001: Ray Beliveau, 69, of Las Vegas died Saturday in a local hospice. He was born July 27, 1931, in Minneapolis. A resident for 41 years, he was a retired warehouse manager in the gaming industry and a Korean War Navy veteran.

Downtown furniture mart tax break in doubt: Diana Sahagun; The developers of a 57-acre downtown furniture mart who are asking the city of Las Vegas for a $115 million incentive to build their project may come away empty-handed.

NASCAR Winston Cup: 1. (6) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 267, $162,500.

PCL Box: Sacramento-Las Vegas: E -- Ellis. DP -- Las Vegas 2, Sacramento 8. LOB-- Sacramento 8, Las Vegas 5. 2B-- Wilson, Prieto, Barry. 3B -- Hinske. HR-- Hiatt 2. SB -- Byrnes, Ortiz, Hinske, Ellis, Hernandez. CS -- Encarnacion.

Local drivers finish strong: Drivers with ties to Las Vegas made their presence felt from Southern Nevada to Canada in racing action over the weekend.

Devey takes ride on the fast track: Victoria Sun; The 51s' bullpen struggled in a 7-3 loss to Sacramento Sunday night before an announced crowd of 2,747 at Cashman Field. Pedro Feliciano relieved Phil Devey in the sixth inning with runners on second and third. He allowed none of Devey's runners to score, but gave up three runs on no hits in the seventh inning. Chad Ricketts surrendered two runs in the ninth inning despite striking out six batters.

CART results: 1. (13) Michael Andretti, Honda Reynard, 95 laps, 83.375 mph.

Big conventions increase Vegas shows: Two organizations that have conducted trade shows in Las Vegas will change their meeting cycles and gather here more frequently.

No word on deadline: The "keep-well" payment from the Sommer Trust and London Clubs International is required because the Aladdin fell below cash flow targets in the quarter ending March 31. The payment was initially due May 31, but was extended several times by the Aladdin's bankers.

Company gets $1.7 million order: Mikohn said it will provide its "SuperLink" progressive slot jackpot system to Green Valley Ranch Station Casino, set to open in Henderson in December. The contract also includes interior slot signage and color LED electronic displays.

Prices decline, supplies rise across nation: The average price of gasoline, including all grades and taxes, was $1.51 Friday -- down 12.8 cents since June 22, according to the Lundberg Survey of about 8,000 gas stations nationwide.

Las Vegas hacking party seems filtered, Def Con attendees say: Kevin Ferguson; Not long ago, it was considered the underground party of computer hackers, where techies traded code and met their cyber chat room pals face to face.

Bellagio named fourth-best hotel in world: The $1.6 billion Bellagio was surpassed only by the Four Seasons Resort Bali and Jimbara Bay, the Ritz-Carlton Chicago and the Ritz-Carlton Naples (Fla.) in this year's rankings, set for release in this week's issue. The rankings are derived from surveys sent in by the readers of the magazine, which has a circulation of more than 1 million.

Toxin in drinking water of millions: Millions of Americans may be exposed to a potentially toxic rocket fuel booster that has been found in Las Vegas Valley drinking water, according to a study released today.

Letter: Call boxes would help motorists: In my experience, the usefulness of cell phones in road emergencies is overrated. For instance, digital service on our two new Sprint PCS phones is spotty in many areas of the Las Vegas Valley, and nonexistent once you leave the metropolitan area. Even if you are fortunate enough to be able to transmit a call, it is likely to be so broken up as to be unintelligible to anyone receiving it.

Driver of Greyhound bus that crashed dies: Keith Paul; The driver of a Greyhound bus that crashed through a guardrail outside of Las Vegas earlier this month died early Sunday.

Man fleeing police hit by car: Jeffrey Libby; A man fleeing a routine traffic stop on foot was struck by a vehicle Sunday night after he leaped a concrete divider on U.S. 95 and attempted to cross southbound traffic, the Nevada Highway Patrol said.

Lawyers cite reasons for dismissal: Kim Smith; The attorneys for a Las Vegas man accused of causing an accident that killed three people believe there are more than half a dozen reasons the charges against him should be dismissed.

Letter: Growth abounds, sapping valley's energy supply: Now we're fed the line that "it got hot." Nevada Power didn't suspect that might happen in July? ... in the desert? The real culprit is runaway growth. We already know our streets and highways designed for future population can't handle the current population's traffic.

Friend testifies in trial of woman accused of slaying her mother: Kim Smith; After years of hearing Brookey West complain incessantly about her mother, Natalie Hanke had a crystal-clear mental image of her.

Local teachers receive lesson in agriculture: Rebecca Malone; Growing a garden, or even crops, in the middle of the desert may seem a little out of place to some, but a group of Clark County teachers not only says it can be done, but it also plans to show its students how.

Editorial: Battle will brew over the money: The influence of Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., is the principal reason for the significant decrease. Now that Democrats control the Senate, Reid is chairman of the subcommittee that has spending oversight of the Yucca Mountain Project. While Reid is also the No. 2 man in the Democratic Senate leadership, maintaining the reduced funding for the Yucca Mountain Project will not be easy, considering that so many states have nuclear power and want the waste shipped to Nevada. Indeed, there is a concerted push to loosen congressional oversight of the spending on the Yucca Mountain Project.

Letter: A silent weather warning will do: I go nuts because I can't hear what they're saying. Then my wife asks me why they have to have that stupid noise when she can't hear it anyway, but can plainly see the warning. Remember, she's deaf, not blind.

Host with the most: Former Las Vegan making millionaires at Disney World: Lisa Ferguson; Joseph Bauer didn't need to phone a friend, ask an audience or narrow his choices by half to help him decide whether to accept a job offer earlier this year.

Trends for July 16, 2001: Lisa Ferguson; Lights out

Birth announcements for July 16, 2001: June 25:

Chihuly's work on display -- and for sale -- at Bellagio: Kimberley McGee; From the delicate glass flowers installed in the ceiling of Bellagio's lobby, a relationship has blossomed.

Columnist John Katsilometes: Revealing the cold, hard truth: Idon't know how or when it started, exactly. The memory is indistinct, frosted over like the inside of the giant frozen-snack freezer at Vons.

Camping can make a difference: "I don't have the opportunity or flexibility to do a lot of things for him as I did when he was the only child," the mother writes in asking for help to send him to camp.

Business people: Recent appointments and promotions: At Nevada State Bank, Gary Garcia is vice president-real estate loan officer and Doug Reimer is vice president-trust officer.

Excess of volunteers delays research on perchlorate: Publicity surrounding a study on human volunteers to test the effects of perchlorate on the thyroid has delayed the start of the research.

Formula One: 1. (2) Mika Hakkinen, Finland, McLaren-Mercedes, 60 laps, 1 hour, 25 minutes, 33.770 seconds, 134.40 mph.

Community briefs for July 16, 2001: Cultural Academic Student Exchange Inc. is looking for Host Families to open their homes to high school exchange students (ages 15-18) from another country. Call (800) 458-8336 for more information.

Police justified in slaying of suspect: Keith Paul; A Clark County Coroner's inquest jury needed less than 20 minutes Friday to rule the June 2 shooting of a murder suspect by two Metro Police officers was justified.

Harrah's claims Station violated slot club patents: David Strow; Harrah's Entertainment Inc. hauled Station Casinos Inc. into Las Vegas federal court Friday, claiming Station is violating three Harrah's patents with its popular "Boarding Pass" slot club card.

Computer experts warn about holes in software: Kevin Ferguson; One of the most self-destructive things companies can do in terms of leaving their data bases vulnerable to hackers is failing to educate their employees about software security holes, a computer security expert said at a Las Vegas conference.

Utility seeking general rate increase: Southwest Gas Corp. announced Friday that it is seeking a general rate increase of 7.7 percent in Southern Nevada and 8 percent in Northern Nevada, which would raise annual revenues by $29.4 million. The general rate increase would raise the average Southern Nevadan's bill to $46.48 a month.

Mall sues to enforce judgment: Grand Canal Mall sued Frank's Steaks' guarantor, Steaks of New York Inc. in Clark County District Court, alleging it breached a lease agreement when it failed to make tenant improvements and operate a steak restaurant in the upstairs food court area of the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian resort-casino.

Veterans nursing home builder continues work despite deadline: CARSON CITY -- A Las Vegas contractor hired to build the $19.3 million Veterans Nursing Home in Boulder City is continuing the job, despite a state ultimatum to complete the work two weeks ago or be terminated.

Jet fuel dismissed as leukemia cause: Nevada health officials and the Navy said last week they have not discovered any environmental link between 14 cases of childhood leukemias in Fallon, 60 miles east of Reno, and jet fuel used at the neighboring naval air station.

Energy pact could avert outages: Nevada Power wants to change the way it forecasts peak electricity demand, a move company officials say will help avoid forced power cuts.