Print edition for June 26, 2001

City mulls proposals for downtown land: Diana Sahagun; Four would-be developers of 61 prime acres downtown spent four hours Monday presenting their ideas to the Las Vegas City Council.

XO Nevada to buy out 2 minority owners: XO sells phone and Internet services to businesses.

Las Vegas theme park to operate under new name: The All-American SportPark at Las Vegas Boulevard and Sunset Road is now the Sports Center and Ted Lee, chairman of its new parent company, Urban Land Co. of Nevada, said the opening of the batting facility is the first step in retooling the park.

EPA official launches probe of Yucca radiation standards: The Environmental Protection Agency's ombudsman opened a preliminary probe Monday into radiation exposure standards for a proposed repository at Yucca Mountain.

Politicians court union: Erin Neff; Politicians listened to the Teamsters' talk of unity Monday as a message of bipartisanship, despite the union's clear Democratic leanings.

City allots $28.8 mil. for parks: Diana Sahagun; Both the mature and fast-growing areas of Las Vegas will reap the benefits of additional parks and a community center being built this fiscal year, which begins July 1.

51s belt seven homers in win: Third baseman Phil Hiatt, who led the PCL in home runs in 2000 as a member of the Sky Sox, and center fielder Chris Prieto both hit two homers for the 51s and red-hot Angel Pena hit a grand slam, his fifth homer in eight games since being demoted by the Dodgers to Las Vegas.

News briefs for June 26, 2001: A man who escaped a Henderson Police pursuit last week is being sought in the killing of an 84-year-old woman in her eastern Las Vegas home.

Deals made in youth jail incident: Kim Smith; Two of the 13 teenagers who allegedly tried to escape from the Summit View Youth Correctional Center earlier this month have agreed to enter plea bargains and be sentenced as adults.

LV homebuilder posts strong earnings increase: The company reported net income of $39.5 million, or $1.07 per share, for the quarter, compared to $27.7 million, or 68 cents per share, in the year-ago period. The quarter exceeded analyst expectations by 11 cents per share. Revenues rose 18 percent to $1.07 billion.

Las Vegas gas prices dropping: Gasoline prices in Las Vegas have plummeted 12 cents a gallon in the past month, according to a survey by the California State Automobile Association.

Big expansion in St. Louis project announced: In plans filed with the Missouri Gaming Commission, Ameristar said it now plans to operate two vessels at its St. Charles casino. The vessels will encompass 115,000 square feet of casino space, 3,700 slot machines and 104 table games; Ameristar's original plans called for a total of 70,000 square feet of casino space, 2,400 slot machines and 60 table games. Restaurant and entertainment space will be increased dramatically as well, Ameristar said.

Community briefs for June 26, 2001: United Blood Services, 6930 W. Charleston Blvd., will conduct blood drives at these locations:

Immunization schedule for June 26, 2001: NORTH LAS VEGAS PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 1820 E. Lake Mead Blvd., Suite F, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Where I Stand--Mike O'Callaghan: Story of a happy warrior: I RECEIVED A 12-PAGE LETTER from longtime public servant and Army veteran Al Ramirez, who recently underwent diagnosis and surgery at our local VA Ambulatory Care Center and then the Federal Hospital at Nellis AFB. Ramirez, a department head in state government for six years during the 1970s, is a trained and practicing educator.

Letter: Patients' rights is a misnomer: Everyone except the tort profession will be saddled with new obligations and restrictions. An inalienable right is a stand-alone principle nondependent on government action. Human rights that are dependent on government action are obligations.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: No date change in the works for LVMS race: Despite speculation to the contrary, Las Vegas Motor Speedway will continue to hold its NASCAR Winston Cup race on the first Sunday of March.

Homeless given deadline to move: A final chapter in the Tent City saga will be written Friday with the removal of the remaining homeless camped near railroad tracks, but the story, officials agree, is far from over.

Letter: Clinton on his worst lying day better than Bush: Bush will probably never worry about the things Smith mentioned in the cartoon because they all affect the common man, not his millionaire cronies in the aerospace, defense and oil businesses. A "Star Wars" missile defense system was a piece of crap when Reagan wanted it and it hasn't any more chance of working today than it did in the '80s. But Bush will send billions down a rat hole for the aerospace hawks trying to prove that it might.

LV man pleads guilty in scam: Egan, who is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 5, entered into a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's office in which he agreed to pay an unspecified fine and surrender his illegally earned profits.

Conflicts at LV local highlighted by Hoffa foes: David Strow; If the Teamsters' international convention were an election, James P. Hoffa would have been re-elected to a five-year term as head of one of America's most powerful unions Monday.

Court briefs for June 26, 2001: A Las Vegas teen accused of shooting a man to death through a door two and a half years ago entered a plea agreement Monday.

Letter: Finding new ways to gouge visitors: Since I've been a regular visitor to your city for the past 45 years, I'm writing to congratulate you on the innovative ways you've come up with to further gouge the tourists who come to you with their money.

PCL box: Las Vegas-Colorado Springs: E--Huskey. DP--Las Vegas 3, Colorado Springs 1. LOB--Las Vegas 8, Colorado Springs 4. 2B--Hiatt, Pena, K. Johnson, Aven, Cotton, Brumbaugh 2, Peoples, Uribe, Bell. HR--K. Johnson (6), Prieto 2 (8, 9), Hiatt 2 (17, 18), Aven (5), Pena (5). S--K. Johnson, Averette. SB--Brumbaugh.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Vacation habits are a real trip: I'm on vacaaation, and you're not.

Deal to save sensitive Nevada land finalized: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Interior Secretary Gale Norton today signed a document that will protect $27 million worth of sensitive lands in Nevada, including 13 parcels in Clark County.

Former Gator looking to regain his bite: Steve Guiremand; It's another homecoming this week for former Green Valley baseball star Chad Hermansen.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Wednesday's races at Hollywood Park: 1st Race -- Negri -- Speedster draws good post for sprint opener, hustling Pedroza aboard Glatt trainee, first target of day. Argolid -- Hard knocking gelding competitive at this level, Valdivia atop Marquez trainee, always puts in his run. Value Play -- Willy The Pooh

Ethics complaint filed over site for auto dealership: Diana Sahagun; A complaint filed with the Las Vegas Ethics Review Board Monday alleges that Councilmen Michael Mack and Larry Brown attempted to broker a deal between a businessman and a northwest land owner.

Kambala might get a look from Knicks: Steve Addy; For the next step in his basketball career, Kaspars Kambala has assumed a New York state of mind.

Editorial: Genetic tests offer potential for abuse: It's simply not right to prevent someone from getting a job or receiving insurance based on genetic tests. Besides, these tests aren't infallible and often only provide the odds of acquiring a disease -- they don't always offer certainty. Congress and the president should work together to pass tough legislation that forecloses the possibility of using genetic tests in ways that clearly are discriminatory.

County to auction valuable Strip parcel in July: Adrienne Packer; A special Clark County Commission meeting called Monday to guarantee a July auction date for a Las Vegas Strip parcel satisfied a major campaign contributor who represents a company that wants the site.

Columnist Kate Maddox: Episode at Ra burns Deep Dish: Kate Maddox; Sean "Puffy" Combs' reach apparently stretches as far as the Strip. This weekend P. Diddy reportedly wanted to go clubbing with a rather large posse of pals in tow, so his people called some people and those people called their people and soon Puffy and his people were grooving at Ra, the nightclub at Luxor.

Schools pesticide plan in works: By Emily Richmond; A pilot program to provide extra training for people who apply pesticides at Clark County schools is being readied.

Obituaries for June 26, 2001: Mary Adamovich, 84, of Las Vegas died Thursday in Las Vegas. She was born June 25, 1916, in Edwardsville, Pa. A resident for 33 years, she was a homemaker.

Men steal ATM machine: Using a two-wheeled dolly, the men loaded the Hibernia Bank ATM from a corridor that leads into the second floor lobby area about 1 a.m. Monday. The 5-foot tall ATM was hauled into the parking lot and shoved into the minivan, according to police.

Columnist Dean Juipe: SI will owe Battier an apology: Dean Juipe; I have never had any contact with Shane Battier and might never have reason to meet him. Our paths may simply never cross.

County takes on air quality: Gov. Kenny Guinn has appointed the Clark County Commission as the sole air-quality agency for Southern Nevada, a move that significantly increases the responsibility the board has over land-use issues, transportation and industrial development in the region.

Police name officer, man he shot to death: Officer James Tetzlaff killed 55-year-old Bernardo A. Caberto after the man attacked him with a knife during a traffic stop, police said.

Editorial: Oil drilling vote offers us lessons: First, a key element to Florida's success was the near unanimity of that state's residents, including support from coastal businesses that argued oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico could wreak havoc with tourism. Here in Nevada, elected officials have had a tough time getting casinos on board in the fight against a nuclear waste dump. But in a promising sign, as the Sun reported Friday, casino executives now are acknowledging that a dump could harm Nevada's tourism industry and are poised to wield their clout with Congress on this issue.

Correction: The Sun corrects its errors. If you find a mistake, call 385-3111 to report it.

Nevada gets $2 million for low-income housing: Rebecca Malone; The Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded Nevada nearly $2 million in federal housing grants to provide affordable rental housing for low-income families.

LVCVA faces new challenge in marketing Vegas: Researchers with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority are paying as much attention to the front pages of the nation's newspapers as they are to capacity projections, occupancy rates and gaming win.

Lessors looking to protect interest in National Airlines: A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in Las Vegas may determine today whether a group of aircraft lessors will have any say in the operation of National Airlines.

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

Feud in the hills: Paradise, Mission residents resist development: Jeffrey Libby; Shawn Lampman, a developer who has made a name for himself representing a quiet group of investors in developments around the Las Vegas Valley, has set his sights on rural Henderson.

Lakes loses Louisiana casino contract: Alan Sayre; The Grand Casino Coushatta, a popular Indian reservation casino near the Texas border at Kinder, La., will be run in the future by the Coushatta Tribe.

Hospital proposed at former casino site: Angela Soo; A new hospital is planned for Craig Ranch Golf Course property in North Las Vegas, the site where neighbors successfully fought against construction of a Station Casinos hotel three months ago.

Profit rises for Las Vegas grocery operator: Kroger earned $303.4 million, or 36 cents a share, in the quarter ended May 26, up from $100.1 million, or 12 cents share, a year ago. Sales increased 5 percent to $15.1 billion from last year's $14.3 billion.

Ghermezians bring strength, stir to downtown: Alternately described as flamboyant and publicity shy, the Ghermezian family can cause an entire metropolis to stir merely by announcing a potential development in that city.

SCORE standings: TROPHY-TRUCK (Unlimited Production Trucks) -- 1. Dave Ashley/Dan Smith, Riverside, Calif., Ford F-150, 125; 2. Tim and Ed Herbst, Las Vegas, Ford F-150, 112; 3. Brian Collins, Las Vegas, Chevrolet C-1500, 89; 4. Mark Post, Laguna Hills, Calif., Ford F-150, 69; 5. Jim Baldwin, Irvine, Calif., Ford F-150, 54; 6. Robby Gordon, Orange, Calif., Ford F-150, 51.

Lost weekend: More than money gets left behind after trips to Vegas: Kimberley McGee; What do the more than 37 million tourists who fly in and out of McCarran International Airport leave behind?

Financial turnaround prompts cancellation of slot route deal: David Strow; Alliance Gaming Corp. of Las Vegas on Monday called off the sale of its Nevada slot route operations, saying the deal no longer made financial sense.