Print edition for March 15, 2001

Sun Prep Baseball Top 10: Teams ranked jointly by the Sun and Sparks Tribune.

Better dorms and gardens: UNLV students make the most of limited space: Kimberley McGee; Paul Luckenbill's UNLV dorm room is decorated in early junior year: Barrels of snack food double as shelving. An unmade bed is littered with schoolbooks, and posters hang on the cinder-block walls.

Getting the most out of that dorm room: Kimberley McGee; * A large area rug will soften the look and feel of a dorm-room floor and make the room more inviting for late-night pizza parties or cramming for tests.

With Bayno era over, coach moves on with no regrets: Steve Addy; SAN DIEGO -- The Bill Bayno era at UNLV is officially over, but he's not looking back in anger.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: No vacancy at the graveyard: Well, we buried another one Tuesday. The International Basketball League's Bandits became the 18th (as best as anybody can recall) Las Vegas minor league sports franchise to succumb to lack of interest/finances/a clue.

Man misses Megabucks jackpot by playing just two coins: The casino is in Northern Nevada on the Utah border.

Letter: Bill puts business over animals: This legislation would allow the current animal atrocities in circuses and other venues to continue unchallenged and would leave the door wide open for other animal horrors. As more and more of the public is made aware of animal cruelties, more and more of that same public isn't buying circus tickets. The answer to that problem -- get the law changed to allow the continued use of captive animals for entertainment with no interference from local community preferences (those who want no animals in circuses).

Auto racing schedules, results and driver standings: Feb. 18 - Daytona 500, Daytona Beach, Fla. (Michael Waltrip)

Fishing tournament starts today: Two current BASS world record holders -- Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., and Byron Velvick of Boulder City -- will be competing in the event, the third of four on the BASSMASTER Western Invitational Trail for the season. Anglers will be vying for a share of the $190,000 payout and points toward this summer's BASSMASTER Classic in New Orleans.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Again, Oscar is 'better than ever': Dean Juipe; The former Olympic gold medalist and former five-time world champion as a professional has never failed to come into a fight without claiming that he is newly improved and "better than ever."

Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Project could be burdensome: Ruthe Deskin; That could be an overall assessment of the proposals for developing the former Union Pacific property near downtown Las Vegas.

Wednesday's prep results: BASEBALL

Letter: Trim taxes, and government, too: If the Constitution of this nation were fully enforced, the federal government would be 20 percent its size and 20 percent its cost. There would be no huge federal expenditures for education, energy, welfare, medicine, foreign aid and a host of other unconstitutional programs. And debating about federal taxes wouldn't take place because so many levies, especially including the hated income tax, would have been abolished. The proper way to achieve lower taxes is through cuts in government programs. All Americans will benefit.

Andretti still competing for titles at 38: Mike Harris; One thing Michael Andretti has learned in 17 years of Champ car racing is that you never win enough races or championships.

Prep softball standings: CLASS 4A

Columnist Joe Delaney: Bandleader Boyer to celebrate Aussie style: Joe Delaney; Boyer and the Irish Show Band were known as the Big Eight in Ireland before landing in Las Vegas nearly three decades ago ... These past two years Boyer has been headlining a nostalgia tour, backed by one of Van Morrison's bands, playing Ireland, Great Britain and Australia.

Nicholson poised to derail Tua's championship plans: Dean Juipe; With the stench of Tua's putrid performance against champion Lennox Lewis still in the air, the IBF has seen fit to call for an eliminator to determine who it elevates to its No. 1 challenger. While it failed to attract all of its leading contenders -- Larry Donald and Wladimir Klitschko withdrew from consideration -- it has matched Tua with Nicholson for a March 23 fight at Texas Station.

Prep boys volleyball standings: CLASS 4A

Schrader can't erase image of Earnhardt: Jenna Fryer; There's nothing Ken Schrader can do to erase the image he has of seeing Dale Earnhardt dead in his car. But he can do something about how it affects him.

Prep boys golf standings: CLASS 4A

Champion Lazier ready to start over: Mike Harris; AVONDALE, Ariz. - With the green flag ready to wave on another Indy Racing League season, series champion Buddy Lazier knows it's time to stop talking and start driving.

This week's races: NASCAR

Prep baseball standings: CLASS 4A

UNLV notebook: Rebel baseball salvages tie vs. Japanese team: Hosei pitchers Satoru Fujji and Takayuki Yamamoto combined to strike out 12 Rebels batters in nine innings. Fujji fanned seven in 5 1/3 innings while Yamamoto set down five in 3 2/3 innings of relief.

Bodine making mark in two series: Keith Parsons; Todd Bodine no longer fills the role of a young, up-and-coming driver.

LV casino hit with Gaming Board complaint: The one-count complaint is a result of an undercover operation by two state auditors who visited the casino in December. Senior Auditor James Misback made a $5,000 deposit at the casino cage consisting of $4,000 in $20 bills and the other $1,000 in $100 bills.

Las Vegas 51s tickets go on sale Saturday: Tickets can be purchased at the Las Vegas 51s ticket office at Cashman Field or at any TicketMaster location. The 51s ticket office will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. People wishing to purchase tickets by phone can call TicketMaster at 474-4000.

Wrangler first title sponsor for the NFR: The NFR is held annually at the Thomas & Mack Center in December.

January second-deadliest month in LV history: Latest charge places slayings at 20: Keith Paul; An investigation into the January death of a young girl ended with her stepmother being charged with murder, raising the number of slayings for the first month of the year to 20 -- the second-highest single-month total in Las Vegas Valley history.

Basic baseball is the one to watch: Spencer Patterson; A year ago, all eyes were on the Henderson area as the 2000 prep baseball season opened. Little of that attention, however, was focused on the Basic Wolves.

Convictions reversed in asbestos case involving LV Landmark casino: The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Wednesday reversed the convictions of two men found guilty of violating the federal Clean Air Act in the removal of asbestos from the Landmark hotel-casino in Las Vegas before its demolition.

Victims of Crime Program to receive $871,000: Persons qualified to receive the funding include any crime victim in Nevada, a dependent of the victim or any person acting legally on behalf of the victim. For more information, call: 486-2740.

Letter: Column is lone voice in support of 'notch babies': I am a notch victim and also my late husband; both of us were born in 1924.

Louisiana Senate OKs tax cut: The Senate voted 23-15 Wednesday for the measure, which also dedicates at least $50 million to pay raises for teachers and university professors. The governor got three votes more than he needed.

Company wins incentive for new Henderson plant: Poly-West Inc., a subsidiary of Poly-America Inc. of Grand Prairie, Texas, plans to open a 375,000-square-foot plant on Conestoga Way in Henderson in early 2002. The plant will initially employ 99 people, but that should increase to 500 within seven years, the company told state officials.

Committee hears support of LV-area shooting range: CARSON CITY -- Creating a $15 million regional shooting range in Clark County would help preserve the environment and benefit the Las Vegas tourist economy, witnesses told the Assembly Ways and Means Committee Wednesday.

All abuzz: As weather warms up, killer bees increase activity throughout valley: Africanized bees are buzzing in the Las Vegas Valley.

Panel backs women's health program: CARSON CITY -- A bill that would create a $6 million program to treat breast and cervical cancer in women without insurance or with low incomes was unanimously approved Wednesday by the Assembly Committee on Health and Human Services.

Columnist Steve Addy: Where are the fans?: Steve Addy; Greetings from sunny San Diego -- So, tell me, where's the tournament?

Betting bill to coincide with NCAA tourney: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Rep. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., plans to introduce a bill Tuesday that would ban betting on college sports in Nevada casinos.

Editorial: Census count stiffs Henderson residents: City demographer Scott Woodbury is reviewing the possibility of challenging the raw numbers. An appeal would be a long shot, but the fact remains that the Census Bureau should have adjusted its numbers here, and elsewhere in the nation, to get an accurate count. Federal funds for key programs, such as school lunch subsidies and housing aid, are tied to these figures, meaning an undercount will end up hurting those who can least afford it.

Child welfare bill called landmark legislation: Sandy Thompson; A bill to overhaul the child welfare system provides "the largest infusion of resources ever to aid abused and neglected children" in Nevada, according to Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas.

Tech woes reflected in Vegas show cancelation: Kevin Ferguson; The shake-out in the U.S. technology industry is spreading to the trade show industry with cancelation of a Las Vegas exposition that was set for next week.

U.S. 95 bridge studied for seismic risk: University of Nevada scientists will test the risk that an earthquake could knock down a 32-year-old section of U.S. 95, state officials said.

National media revisiting case of Binion murder: NBC's "Dateline" news magazine is airing its long-awaited broadcast Friday on the most high-profile murder case in Las Vegas history

Effort to expand Oregon lottery boosted by addiction report: Brad Cain; SALEM, Ore. -- The Oregon Lottery's move to add slot machine-style games to its video poker terminals got a political boost with the release of a report showing a drop in problem gambling in Oregon.

Mistrial request considered: Attorneys, defendant huddle with judge: Kim Smith; A mistrial in the Margaret Rudin trial appeared possible this morning.

Legislative briefs for March 15, 2001: CARSON CITY -- The Assembly voted unanimously Wednesday to amend the state Constitution's provisions barring "idiots" from voting and erroneously giving the Legislature the power to elect U.S. senators.

Sprint, Nevada Bell, called merger targets: BellSouth Corp., which sells local phone service in the southeastern United States, is in talks to buy Sprint Corp., the No. 3 U.S. long-distance company, the Washington Post reported, citing unidentified sources.

Obituaries for March 15, 2001: Julia Morgan Bolla, 3, of Las Vegas died Tuesday in a local hospital. She was born Sept. 3, 1997, in Las Vegas. A lifelong resident, she was a triplet to Amara and Kali.

Editorial: Recycling in region is a joke: For the nearly 100 who did attend, though, they shared some common-sense ideas about ways to improve the region's recycling rate, one of the nation's worst. One obvious problem is that the current program run by Republic Services of Southern Nevada is limited. For instance, as the Sun's Steve Kanigher reported Tuesday, there aren't many incentives for businesses to participate. And while the program includes residential homes, it doesn't cover most multi-family dwellings, which is a lost opportunity since nearly 4 out of 10 Clark County residents live in apartments, condominiums or townhouses.

Obituary: Typewriter shop owner Price dies: Ken Price believed that, even in this high-tech, computer-dominated age, the dependable, old-fashioned typewriter would never die.

Local ROTC cadets take part in Race for the Cure: Dick Benoit; Thirty UNLV and Community College of Southern Nevada ROTC cadets took part in the Race for the Cure Saturday, which began and finished at the Galleria at Sunset mall in Henderson.

DOE leader eyes Test Site changes: A plan introduced by a leader in the U.S. Energy Department would increase security at the Nevada Test Site and other field offices and focus on conducting smaller, more sophisticated experiments.

Actor Steve Martin brings art to Vegas gallery: Martin's collection includes 28 modern and contemporary paintings and drawings, and include artwork from Georges Seurat and Pablo Picasso. Also included in the collection are paintings by actors Martin Mull and Eric Fischl. The display will include two paintings from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, previously donated to the museum by Martin.

Valley grad Hernandez has dream come true with berth: Victoria Sun; Throughout high school, Alex Hernandez watched the 64-team NCAA Tournament on TV, longing to be part of college basketball's premier event.

Legislators readying anti-nuke waste measure: CARSON CITY -- Legislation to bar the transportation of high-level nuclear waste to within 10 miles of any city or town in Nevada is ready to be introduced today in the state Senate.

Las Vegas news briefs for March 15, 2001: Valentina Dimitia was left in the care of Nathaniel Holley, 48, who was baby-sitting the child for the child's mother, Valentina Durkin.

Goodman pitches Grizzlies plan to gamers: NRA President Bill Bible confirmed that Goodman discussed the Grizzlies with the NRA board, and said the organization's members "took it under advisement." He declined further comment.

No. 1 seed Stanford aims to avoid another upset: Steve Addy; SAN DIEGO -- We'll find out today if top-ranked Stanford has really learned its lesson.

Plans for monorail stretch across LV Valley: Adrienne Packer; With the Las Vegas Valley's first significant monorail system securely on track, politicians are talking seriously about building park-and-ride stations and stretching the network into neighborhood communities.

Casino, Vegas stocks generally decline with market: David Strow; Wrong tables published

Report: Wynn flexed muscle-- McCain said to be upset by call about NCAA bill: Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chief sponsor of an NCAA bill to ban betting on college sports, decided to push the legislation after receiving a heated telephone call from casino executive Steve Wynn, a congressional watchdog group claims in a new report.

Cougars on a mission: Steve Addy; SAN DIEGO -- BYU won't enter the NCAA West Regional tonight begging for Cincinnati's respect.

Local control of tobacco laws debated: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Tobacco lobbyists aren't alone in their opposition to a measure that would give local governments the right to pass more stringent tobacco laws than those currently being enforced by the state.

Court briefs for March 15, 2001: Two Las Vegas teenagers were sentenced to life in prison Wednesday in connection with the March 2000 shooting death of a 25-year-old local resident.

Where I stand--Mike O'Callaghan: Hellbent on destruction: IT WAS President Dwight D. Eisenhower who signed the law protecting what we call the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Why have so many Republican power brokers representing Big Energy been determined over the years to rip away the protection provided by that popular two-term GOP president? Money. Big Money and Big Energy have provided the champagne to inebriate their expensive campaigns. Of course, some Democrats from oil- and gas-producing states have also been at the cork popping, but they have always been in the minority in that party.

Community briefs for March 15, 2001: The Jewish Genealogy Society of Southern Nevada will meet 1 p.m. Sunday in the multipurpose room of the Sahara West Library, 9600 W. Sahara Ave.

Garcia sounds alarm on funds: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Clark County School Superintendent Carlos Garcia told lawmakers Wednesday there is no more time to wait for answers on education funding.

Several Las Vegans among UNR honorees: Several Las Vegans among UNR honorees

Casino contractors plead case to panel: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Contractors told a Senate panel this morning they are still reeling from millions of dollars of unpaid work they conducted at big casinos because they felt they were unable to leave the at-risk construction projects.

Nevada gov behind pipeline project: "The more supply that you can put in the ground, the better you can hold down the price," Guinn said Wednesday.

NLV group sets candidates' event: The event is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the North Las Vegas Lions Club, 2934 Van Der Meer St. Dinner with Bryan

Nevada lawmaker trying for position as OSHA leader: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Assemblyman Dennis Nolan, R-Las Vegas, is in the nation's capital today to interview for a job as the nation's top occupational safety officer.