Print edition for July 18, 2001

Silverado student to attend program: Emily Montoya, 16, was named the Emerson Scholar from Nevada by Emerson Electric Co., who is sponsoring the camp. The company provides for 54 students to attend the program in lower Michigan. Montoya is a harp player and has received superior solo and ensemble ratings from 1998 to 2001.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Baker boys in festive mood: Elizabeth Foyt; The enchantment of the Utah Shakespearean Festival is a powerful magnet for many Las Vegas residents who enjoy the escape to the cool and shady vistas of Cedar City and the plays presented through Sept. l. Certainly enjoying the full Festival experience are Colby and Chad Baker, both of Las Vegas.

Community briefs at July 18, 2001: Richard Romley, an Arizona attorney who lost both his legs in the Vietnam War, will be awarded Disabled American Veterans Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year for 2001 at the 80th National Convention of the DAV and Auxiliary at the end of July.

No bid made on BLM park land: The property at Spring Mountain Road and Durango Drive could not be used for recreation, according to conditions set by the Bureau of Land Management, which owned the parcel.

Local musician earns fellowship: Megan Sesma, 22, is a harpist and attended Las Vegas Academy High School before being accepted to the Eastman School of Music in New York. She is one of 84 musicians selected from a worldwide audition, that includes participants from 10 countries and 60 cities throughout the United States.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Venetian gets into the spirit: There's a new player at the Canal Shoppes at the Venetian, one who doesn't sing or dance. This mysterious, yet friendly, Sporatto (spirit) is a reincarnation of a Venetian medieval ghostly, but good, spirit who only shows up when needed.

Thursday's horse racing entries: Post Time 2 p.m.

Pataki denies Indian casino deal close: ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York Gov. George Pataki said Tuesday talks are continuing between his administration and Mohawk Indians over bringing casino gambling to the Catskills, but he denied that an agreement is imminent.

Getting booted: Las Vegas about to follow UNLV's lead in immobilizing cars of parking ticket scofflaws: Erica Johnson; LaTasha Joshua of Las Vegas still owes $180 in parking tickets despite a $70 payment a few days ago.

Deal allows projects to be completed: Grace Leong; Saxton Inc. of Las Vegas, which was accused by the Nevada State Contractors' Board of operating as an unlicensed contractor, has agreed to assign work on five projects to a general contractor as part of a compromise with the board.

Mississippi county rejects Indian casino: It was the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians' second attempt to build a casino in Mississippi in less than a month.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Hornish likely to make racing history at age 22: Sam Hornish Jr. is poised to become the youngest national champion in the history of American open-wheel racing.

Editorial: You can't dress up this mess: The administration's spin doctors went to great lengths to ensure that their message was conveyed, which is that Bush isn't beholden to big energy producers. For instance, at Cheney's town hall meeting in Monroe, Pa., a huge banner not only was green (the environmental movement's color of choice), but it also displayed prominently the words "conservation" and "efficiency" to make a none-too-subtle point.

High school students learn about roles of government: Rebecca Malone; The Nevada state government was transformed last month as teenage boys took control and ran their own cities.

Local student in advertisement: The Western High School student, Jacob Hicks, was selected from more than 9,000 applicants to receive $7,500 for college and starred in Milk Mustache ad that appeared in USA Today on June 22 and will be in future issues of Sports Illustrated and ESPN Magazine.

Letter: Mideast coverage is balanced: Regarding the Arab minority in Israel, it's not easy to be a minority in any country. But one issue is clear: The death of Arab children is caused by Arab parents encouraging them to be at the very forefront of conflict. Why would anyone risk his or her child's life? Have you ever seen any Jewish children throwing stones?

Survey ranks Las Vegas eateries: Survey says ... Picasso at Bellagio.

Editorial: Graham a bulwark for First Amendment: Graham's success in building a media empire was noteworthy, but her lasting contribution is that she understood the First Amendment's vital role in preserving a democracy -- and the duty to protect it.

Columnist Dean Juipe: A&E show puts boxing in its place: Dean Juipe; The cable network A&E makes a habit of presenting interesting investigative pieces and Sunday it turns its attention to professional boxing in a two-hour show that implies there is no honor among thieves.

Columnist Victoria Sun: Lady Rebels face tough slate: Victoria Sun; Texas, Stanford and UCLA are on the schedule.

America West latest airline to post second-quarter loss: America West Airlines, the No. 2 carrier serving McCarran International Airport and the nation's eighth largest airline, today reported a second-quarter loss of $20.3 million.

Albertson's to close 165 stores nationwide: Supermarket giant Albertson's Inc. said it plans to close 165 underperforming stores in 25 states. However, the company declined to say this morning if Southern Nevada's 28 grocery stores or 38 stand-alone Sav-on drug stores would be affected.

News briefs for July 18, 2001: The Clark County Republican Party elected Steve Wark as its new chairman Tuesday evening.

Columnist Peter Benton: Tiger will have his hands full in Open: Peter Benton; Tiger Woods is the prohibitive favorite for this week's British Open which is to be played over the demanding 6,892-yard, par-71 Royal Lytham and St. Annes course in England.

Castaldi forms media agency: Castaldi, who has worked in the local media since 1974, helped launch the newscast of KVVU-TV Channel 5, the Las Vegas Fox affiliate, in fall 1998, and served as the channel's news director for two years before resigning in August.

Fountain Plaza project killed after 2 1/2 years: Jeffrey Libby; Developer Phyllis Thompson stood at the top of the steps outside Henderson City Hall. Her cheeks streaked with tears, she smoked a cigarette and stared across Water Street toward Sunrise Mountain as her attorney answered reporters' questions.

Louisiana critics rip Harrah's for New Orleans job cuts: Alan Sayre; NEW ORLEANS -- About four months after getting a major tax break from the state to stay open, Harrah's New Orleans Casino on Tuesday cut 148 jobs, saying the reductions were needed to match the demand of its customers.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Thursday's races at Del Mar: 1st Race -- Tower Full - Draws good spot for seaside opener, hustling Pedroza atop Mullins trainee, should be in the mix throughout. Tru Gait - Draws outside box for the sprint, Smith scales Josephson trainee, rider aspires to make quick impression on seaside crowd. Value Play -- Wolf Bay

Community briefs for July 18, 2001: The Nevada Association For the Handicapped is seeking volunteers for their seventh annual "Playhouse" event, a fund-raiser featuring dinner, entertainment, dancing and a silent auction of children's playhouses.

Henderson OKs pharmacy school funds: Jeffrey Libby; The Henderson Redevelopment Agency approved on Tuesday $250,000 in rent money to the Nevada College of Pharmacy in exchange for an agreement from the college to move downtown.

City shows slight visitor increase in May: Las Vegas hosted 3.07 million visitors in May, up 0.7 percent from May 2000, the LVCVA said. That growth rate is in line with the 0.8 percent visitor growth rate Las Vegas has posted over the first five months of 2001. Room nights occupied rose 0.2 percent to 3.4 million.

Obituaries for July 18, 2001: Charles R. Barr, 52, of Las Vegas died July 4 in a local hospital. A security officer for GSI Security for six years and a member of the North American Hunting Club, he was born March 12, 1949, in San Diego.

Homeowners file class-action suit against Del Webb: Grace Leong; A group of Sun City Summerlin residents filed a class-action lawsuit Tuesday asking Las Vegas builder Del Webb Communities Inc. to replumb about 6,500 single-family homes with corroding underground pipes they claim were improperly installed.

Columnist Jeff Haney: College football in full swing at Imperial Palace: College football bettors at the Imperial Palace do like UNLV to win more than 6 1/2 games this season. The most dramatic line moves this week at the Strip resort, though, involved a couple of Pac-10 powers and an ACC stalwart.

Russian software developer arrested in Vegas: A Russian software developer was arrested by FBI agents in Las Vegas this week one day after he publicly pointed out copyright protection weaknesses in electronic book programs produced by the nation's largest software companies.

Letter: Bush drug plan insult to seniors: I saw on television where an expert from college said that Bush stands for helping out the rich man, and does special favors and gives lavish gifts to the rich people.

Uninsured workers cost county millions: By Emily Richmond; Clark County taxpayers pay twice when the county hires contractors who don't provide health care insurance for people who work on public projects, a spokesman for the state carpenter's union told the public hospital's board Tuesday.

Firm to repay investors whose funds were used without permission: CARSON CITY -- A consent agreement with a Las Vegas financial firm has resulted in nine Nevada investors receiving more than $2 million in restitution, Secretary of State Dean Heller said Tuesday.

Casinos fail to meet some residency goals: As part of their development agreements with the city, the Greektown, MGM Grand Detroit and MotorCity casinos pledged to meet certain goals while hiring construction workers, buying goods and services and staffing their casinos.

A full plate: Zagat Survey' namesake explores Las Vegas dining scene: Lisa Ferguson; A culinary junkie's dream is Tim Zagat's reality.

Sandwiches offer reminder of Cuba: Max Jacobson; A popular variant called the media noche, literally "middle of the night" in Spanish, is the same sandwich on a heavier, sweeter Cuban egg bread similar to a Jewish challah. Most of the time you find Cuban sandwiches with mustard and dill-pickle slices as well, although these are optional. Some chefs even substitute mayo for mustard.

Pair go on trial in attempted killing of inmate: Kim Smith; A death-row inmate who killed four people and another inmate serving life for armed casino robberies are on trial on charges of attempted murder relating to a jail incident in which an inmate was thrown from a second-floor balcony.

Tupperware to sell in SuperTargets: Sherri Day; NEW YORK -- Tupperware, the storage and serving container company that has sought to expand its business beyond the traditional party, has entered into its first agreement with a national retail chain.

Canadian sports bars sued: WWF said it had revenue of $99.3 million from television rights and licensing in the fourth quarter ended April 30.

Suit: Dog was killed without reason: Erica Johnson; A lawsuit filed in Justice Court on Tuesday says a cocker spaniel was euthanized for no justifiable reason.

Physician in West case says mother was in poor health: Kim Smith; A family physician called by the defense in the Brookey West case Tuesday testified he believes her mother suffered from severe lung disease.

Letter: Narrow-minded people resist second language: Since our schools no longer teach Latin, students are going to college unprepared to deal with any of the sciences. Learning Spanish will give the students some understanding of root words. It will most certainly give them a bigger market in sales and service if they stay in the Southwest. It will give them access to that big world they face after leaving home.

New senior VP named: Chilton will replace Executive Vice President Bob McMonigle in that role. McMonigle is remaining with the company, and will focus on corporate relations and special projects.

Harrah's earnings rise, but Rio still disappoints: David Strow; Harrah's Entertainment Inc. today reported a 22.5 percent increase in earnings for the quarter ending June 30 -- but said continued disappointing results at the Rio helped keep that growth from being even higher.

UNLV notebook: Lady Rebels hire assistant coaches: They join Miller and assistant coach Staci Schulz in completing the team's staff for the upcoming season. Schulz was promoted to a recruiting coach while the new hires fill vacancies left by former assistants Kristin Cole and Brenda Pantoja, both of whom left to pursue other coaching opportunities.

FBI case suspect faces new charges: A Las Vegas man who has been indicted in a high-profile FBI secrets-for-sale scandal now is charged in a $10 million stock securities scheme.

PCL box: Oklahoma-Las Vegas: DP--Oklahoma 2. LOB--Oklahoma 6, Las Vegas 3. 2B--Demetral, Aven. 3B--Barry. HR--Prieto (14). SB--Porter. CS--Barry.

Yucca training to cost county $1 bil.: If a high-level nuclear waste dump is built at Yucca Mountain, Clark County would have to spend more than $1 billion to train emergency crews to respond to a possible accident, a new report says.

High court: Bills passed after deadline were legal: CARSON CITY -- The law is the law, unless a Supreme Court ruling allows the governor to void his signature on it by signing a version more to his liking.

Kiefer sends 51s into sole possession of first place: Steve Addy; Chris Prieto's leadoff homer in the first inning was all the scoring the 51s needed to snap a two-game losing streak Tuesday at Cashman Field behind the pitching of Mark Kiefer. Las Vegas added two runs in the second on Keith Johnson's RBI triple and Geronimo Gil's sacrifice fly. Oklahoma never got a runner past second base.

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