Print edition for June 12, 2001

Two get 40 years to life in murders over tire rims: Angela Soo; Two people are dead, and two may go to prison for the rest of their lives. All for a set of tire rims.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Ex-Rebel football standout Jones dies at 36: The second-most prolific running back to ever carry the football at UNLV is dead.

Church musical director faces sex charges: Angela Soo; The musical director of Westminster Presbyterian Church was in court Monday to face charges of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old parishioner.

Children's services official resigns post: CARSON CITY -- Stephen Shaw, administrator of the state Division of Child and Family Services, has announced his resignation after 27 years in children services.

Residents learning rescue techniques: Rebecca Malone; Registration

Moore, top aide left without funding for pay: Jennifer Knight; A legislative glitch has left Founding President Richard Moore's position unfunded and will likely leave the Nevada State College at Henderson without a leader by the end of this month, higher education officials say.

LV April visitor count boosted by conventions: About 3.078 million people visited the city in April, a 1.1 percent increase over the 3.045 million recorded a year earlier, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported. Convention attendance, meanwhile, climbed 11.7 percent from 290,186 to 324,241 for the month.

Murphy defense investigator files appeal of citation: A defense investigator for convicted murderer Sandy Murphy is fighting a state citation for operating without a license.

Mom hails trooper's road to recovery: Jace Radke; The mother of Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Bobby Kintzel said her son is a fighter.

Lawyer: Dismiss case in Christmastime murder: Kim Smith; A defense attorney for a Las Vegas man charged with murder and 17 other crimes in the Christmastime slaying of his wife hopes to have the case dismissed based on inconsistencies in a video that is a key piece of evidence.P> Prosecutors maintain Vitaly Zakouto, 52, stalked his estranged wife for months before climbing into her father's kitchen window in the middle of the night Dec. 23 and shooting and stabbing her to death.

UNLV's Miller plans girls summer camps: The team camp is scheduled for June 23-26 at the Lied gym on UNLV's campus. The camp is open to high school girls' teams.

Henderson battery maker posts loss: The net loss was down considerably from the loss of $41.6 million, or $1.15 per share, reported in the year-ago quarter. Much of that loss was caused by a $30 million charge taken a year ago in connection with the settlement of a shareholder lawsuit; on an operating basis, Valence lost $14 million in the 2001 quarter, compared to an $11.2 million operating loss in the year-ago period.

51s lose another one-run game: Welcome to the road trip from hell for the Las Vegas 51s.

Police search for brother of woman accused in killing: Kim Smith; Two Metro Police homicide detectives spent three days in California last week, trying in vain to find the missing brother of a Las Vegas woman suspected of killing her mother and former husband.

Travelscape founder joins board of casino operator: Poster is the former chairman and chief executive of Las Vegas-based Travelscape.com, a company he founded in 1990 while attending college. Poster resigned from Travelscape in March, one year after the company was acquired for $95.5 million by Microsoft Corp.-controlled Expedia Inc.

Company founder sells some shares: According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, John Acres, who sold the company and is no longer affiliated with it, sold 8,000 shares of stock at $6.55 a share on May 21 on behalf of the John and JoAnn Acres 1989 Living Trust. A day later, he sold 8,000 shares on behalf of his minor children at $6.68 a share.

Askew asks county for retirement boost: Adrienne Packer; Outgoing Clark County Manager Dale Askew hopes the county will pay nearly $180,000 to purchase an additional three years toward his retirement package, a move that would earn him a more lucrative pension.

Rebels' Thomas named preseason All-Star: Thomas, a senior from Sacramento, Calif., led the Mountain West Conference in pass breakups in both of the last two seasons and has a UNLV-record 45 in his career. He also heads into the season tied for 10th at the school with seven career interceptions and boasts two career defensive touchdowns.

Police to eliminate response to home burglary alarms: Jeffrey Libby; Henderson police will no longer respond to home burglary alarms as of July 1 in an effort to free up police officers to respond more quickly to life-threatening crimes, Chief Mike Mayberry said Monday.

Business briefs for June 12, 2001: HELSINKI, Finland -- Citing a slowdown in the U.S. economy, the world's largest cell phone maker Nokia said today its earnings and revenue growth will be lower than expected in the current quarter.

Bill could cost city $1.5 million: Diana Sahagun; The city could be facing a $1.5 million budget shortfall in the upcoming fiscal year after lawmakers approved a bill that changes the way the state distributes revenue from taxes.

Unclaimed Big Game jackpot goes back to states: Geoff Mulvihill; TRENTON, N.J. -- A $23.7 million lottery prize went unclaimed because no one could produce the winning ticket within a one-year deadline, officials said Sunday.

Anzalone lawsuit move denied: District Judge James Mahan Monday refused to move Mike Anzalone's July 10 wrongful termination lawsuit to Reno.

Tenet to beat profit forecasts as patient load increases: Tenet, the second largest investor-owned healthcare service company in the United States, owns Lake Mead Hospital in North Las Vegas.

FTC delays Harrah's deal for buyout of Harveys: David Strow; Harrah's Entertainment Inc.'s $675 million buyout of Harveys Casino Resorts of Lake Tahoe has been temporarily delayed, as the Federal Trade Commission takes a closer look at the deal.

High school students may get break on science test: CARSON CITY -- High school students should keep an eye on Thursday's special session of the Nevada Legislature because it could affect their graduation.

Tax cut adds to Nevada budget worries: CARSON CITY -- The federal tax cut is delighting many taxpayers, but it's doing little to relieve Nevada's financial headache.

Friend on trial in shooting: Two accused in robbery of apartment complex manager: Kim Smith; Paulo Cornejo was shot to death in September 1999 by the apartment complex manager he just robbed. On Monday, his alleged accomplice went on trial for Cornejo's murder.

Las Vegas employers fire back at 'Book of Shame' publishers: Grace Leong; Three Las Vegas employers listed in a "Nevada Book of Shame" published by labor and religious activists are firing back, calling the book a waste of money and a questionable union organizing tool.

Reapportionment deal nears: CARSON CITY -- Senate and Assembly leaders reportedly are nearing an agreement on a Congressional and legislative reapportionment plan, an issue that was deadlocked in the regular session of the Legislature that ended last week.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Wednesday's races at Hollywood Park: 1st Race -- Music Daze -- Training at Anita, draws good middle post for full field in route opener, adds blinkers for this. Dr. One -- Living legend Pincay atop Lloyd trainee, also draws well, may be just what the Dr. ordered for One graduation. Value Play -- Ritmo De Luci

Study links air pollution to heart attacks: By Emily Richmond; Clark County residents who smoke, are obese or have heart disease or diabetes could face a greater risk of suffering a heart attack on days when air pollution levels are high, according to a Boston physician whose study was released Monday by the American Heart Association.

Obituaries for June 12, 2001: Beverly Jean Bess, 58, of Las Vegas died Saturday in a local hospital. She was born Aug. 12, 1942, in Montebello, Calif. A resident for seven years, she was a retired aerospace technician.

News briefs for June 12, 2001: A 39-year-old man accused of killing a homeless Las Vegas woman last month was arrested Friday night in California.

Nesby wants to spin magic with Wizards: Victoria Sun; Whether Michael Jordan will swap his designer suits in favor of an NBA uniform next season is a question not even his players can answer.

Columnist Dean Juipe: State should put an end to WBA hi-jinks: Dean Juipe; Come July 1, the Nevada State Athletic Commission will be empowered to investigate boxing's various sanctioning bodies.

Editorial: Displaying evil until last breath: Not only was McVeigh a monster, he also was a coward. Without any warning, McVeigh set off an explosion in 1995 at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City that took the lives of 168 innocent people, including 19 children. Regarding the children, two months ago McVeigh would only say that they were "collateral damage." McVeigh had been angered by the federal government's actions at Waco and Ruby Ridge. But only a deluded or an evil man would kill innocent people in response.

NLV Police honor officers: Detective Michael Rodrigues and investigator Alberto Ramos were given the medal of valor at a Thursday ceremony for their bravery in apprehending a group of narcotic suspects who opened fire on the officers on Oct. 28, 1998.

PCL box: Las Vegas-Memphis: E--Andrews. LOB--Las Vegas 3, Memphis 5. 2B--Cookson, Lucca. HR--Cookson (3), Polcovich (2). S--Benes. SB--Prieto. CS--Barry, Hiatt, Cookson, Gil, Branson, Clapp.

Wednesday's horse racing entries: Post Time 1:10 p.m.

Letter: D-Day takes on a new meaning: JAMES J. POUPARD

Letter: Accountability sorely lacking in Henderson: The reason for the measure's defeat, however, is obvious to the majority that has now twice voted no.

Columnist Kate Maddox: Tunney gazing longingly at Sunset: Kate Maddox; Rumor has it John Tunney, owner of Olio! at the MGM Grand, might make a purchase in Hollywood. Tunney, the ponytailed New Yorker whose Vegas restaurant has become a hangout for scenesters, has reportedly been looking to buy the space formerly occupied by Wolfgang Puck's Spago.

Where I Stand--Brian Greenspun: Charity amid magic: As a young man just breaking into the newspaper business, I learned some very valuable lessons, complete with rules. One of the most important rules was never take a picture with a beautiful woman or an animal. I have tried, without much success, to heed those wise words, which has resulted in people remembering everything about the picture except for the fact that I was in it!

Telethon raises more than $608,000: "I want to thank everyone who donated their time and money to make this year's telethon such a great success," Diana Bennett, chairman of the UMC Foundation, said. "These generous gifts will benefit the children of this community for years to come."

Columnist Susan Snyder: A Disney upheaval in brief: Minnie Mouse has scabies?

Review: Atlantis: The Lost Empire -- Sunken treasure rises: Geoff Carter; Starring: The voice talents of Michael J. Fox, Claudia Christian, Don Novello, Cree Summer, Leonard Nimoy and James Garner.

Editorial: Askew had steadying presence as manager: Askew wasn't flashy, but one of the essential requirements for the job is a steadying presence, which Askew possessed. Thom Reilly, a former county administrator, is the frontrunner to succeed Askew. Whether it's Reilly or not, it is hoped that the commissioners don't ensnare the next county manager into their political games, which makes a tough job even tougher.

Letter: Wide range of opinion on dump: KENT WELTER Corvallis, Ore.

Immunization schedule for June 12, 2001: NORTH LAS VEGAS PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 1820 E. Lake Mead, Suite F, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.