Print edition for May 10, 2001

Storey County admits meeting violation: CARSON CITY -- The Storey County Commission agrees it violated Nevada's open meeting law when it convened without notice at a truck stop in Sparks and later made a decision to repair a bridge.

March visitor volume up; deal approved with Yahoo.com: The agency responsible for marketing the city said convention attendance climbed 33.6 percent to 500,815, with the increase attributed to four new conventions that weren't in Las Vegas a year ago.

Garcia says low pay keeps teachers away: Terry Webster; In its quest to get 1,500 to 2,000 new teachers for the upcoming school year, the Clark County School District has hired approximately 200 so far, Superintendent Carlos Garcia said Wednesday.

Suits allege construction defects: The largest residential complex involved in the new litigation is Durango Canyon, a 544-unit apartment complex on Durango Drive in southwest Las Vegas. The lawsuit was filed by the property's owner, Olen Residential Realty Corp.

Catching up with: Crissy Buck: High School: Green Valley

DOE faces unresolved Yucca issues: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Four critical issues under study at Yucca Mountain remain unresolved as the Energy Department this year finalizes plans to recommend the site as the nation's nuclear waste dump.

Sun Top 10 Baseball Poll: Records through Tuesday

Las Vegas news briefs for May 10, 2001: The Las Vegas Valley broke the 60-year-old record high temperature Wednesday when the official thermometer at McCarran International Airport hit 100 degrees.

Mexican government cancels plans for Las Vegas consulate: By Timothy Pratt; The Mexican government has canceled plans to open a consulate in Las Vegas, even as the U.S. Census Bureau released a report showing that Mexicans are fueling the Hispanic population boom here and across the nation.

New allegations of misconduct by jurors arise in Binion case: Sandy Murphy's defense team is trying to interview two jurors in the Ted Binion murder trial about new allegations of misconduct on their part.

Luxury hotelier posts healthy earnings increase: Net income equaled 45 cents per diluted share, up from 38 cents in the year-ago period. Total revenues increased 9 percent to $78.8 million, while cash flow was $31 million, compared to just $5.5 million a year ago.

NCAA betting ban is dealt a setback: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- A bill that outlaws betting on college sports in Nevada took another hit Wednesday, a cheerful Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said.

County to press charges against principal: Jace Radke; Clark County prosecutors have decided to pursue charges against the principal accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl before he is extradited to Indiana to face federal charges stemming from her abduction.

NLV site goes for $47 million: Master-planned community to be developed: By Launce Rake; The going price for almost 2,000 acres of empty desert in the Las Vegas Valley?

State's Hispanic population triples in 10 years: By Timothy Pratt; If recent census numbers are any indication, Nevada has become a more attractive state for Hispanics.

Investor Gabelli agitating again at Southwest Gas: On the eve of today's Southwest Gas Corp. shareholder meeting in Las Vegas, investor Mario Gabelli has revealed that a group he leads has increased its stake in the natural gas utility and is eyeing representation on the company's board.

Durango squeaks past C-M: Spencer Patterson; Down to its final strike and facing a six-run deficit, Cimarron-Memorial nearly did the unthinkable in round one of the 4A Sunset Region Baseball Tournament Wednesday.

O'Donnell says Nevada must stop hysteria over nuke dump: CARSON CITY -- State Sen. Bill O'Donnell says Nevadans must "stop this hysteria" surrounding the proposed nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain.

Vasser 7th fastest second straight day: "As a team we're making some gains," Vasser said, "Tony (Stewart, Vasser's teammate) and I were doing different things. We were certainly getting some directions as you could see from Tony's speed. I think we're getting there. Hopefully we'll do even better tomorrow."

New 'Class 5A' division proposed: Spencer Patterson; In an effort to meet growing budget reduction demands, Clark County athletic director Larry McKay has proposed a plan that would drastically alter the way Nevada determines its high school state champions.

Contractor ask for foreclosure: Quality Mechanical Contractors said it performed work on Teuscher Chocolates, a store at the Regent, but its demands for payment from the Regent and Teuscher have not been met. It is seeking the foreclosure sale of the Regent to satisfy a mechanics lien it filed against the property in October. Quality did not specify how much it was owed, saying only that the amount was in excess of $10 million.

Palo Verde boys earn state golf berth: Leah Robinson; Palo Verde's boys golf team will taste state competition for the first time, while Bonanza's Dana Wade will return to seek the individual state title after both finished with top honors at Wednesday's 4A Sunset Regional Tournament.

New NLV casino passes hurdle: Millenium Gaming has proposed the project on 28 acres on the southwest corner of Craig and Losee Roads.

Northwest leg of LV Beltway to aid development boom: For the last couple of years, Clark County residents on the south and west sides of the Las Vegas Valley have gotten a new road to carry them around the urban core.

EPA rules will force agencies to keep pollution from water: New federal rules effective Oct. 1 will force Nevada agencies to keep more chemicals from polluting water in the Las Vegas Wash and Lake Mead, the state's top environmental official said Wednesday.

Driver killed as sports car rear-ended by truck on U.S. 95: The accident happened at 4:50 p.m. in the northbound lanes of U.S. 95 at Eastern Avenue.

Internet firm plans hi-tech campus for downtown LV: Diana Sahagun; A year-old company, 21st Century Financial Systems Inc., is planning to build a high-tech campus on 10 acres in downtown Las Vegas for a headquarters, according to a proposed agreement with the city.

Rich lifestyle key to evidence in Strip robberies: Kim Smith; Jose Vigoa likes to pay in cash. In fact, prosecutors allege, he likes to pay with $100 bills.

Sun Athletes of the Week: Eric Newman and Renee DiPuccio: School: Palo Verde

Merger set for big hotel owners: FelCor is the largest owner of Embassy Suites, Crowne Plaza, Doubletree and Holiday Inn hotels, while Meristar is a big owner of Hilton and Sheraton hotels.

Union set to rally against privatizing school staff jobs: Terry Webster; A rally aimed at warding off talks of privatizing support staff jobs in the Clark County School District is being staged prior to today's School Board meeting.

Local attorney added twist to bidding war: For Mike McKee, it was his biggest sale ever.

Nevada Bell parent on track to enter Vegas: Kevin Ferguson; An investigation into SBC Communications Inc.'s failure to provide accurate information to regulators about its long-distance service in Oklahoma shouldn't block SBC -- parent of Nevada Bell -- from entering the Las Vegas market and expanding its services in Nevada, an official said Wednesday.

Homeless horror: Councilman launches drive to disperse 'Tent City': Diana Sahagun; Just one block away from Maya Angelou Street, named after the famed black poet who writes of civil rights and hope, lies an area filled with homeless people in a community known as "Tent City."

Amador firing stands up; judge names new counsel: Kim Smith; Michael Amador tried to prevent the inevitable Wednesday by filing a motion to withdraw from the Margaret Rudin murder case. It didn't work. He still got fired.

Man deemed incompetent in case where trooper injured: More psychiatric evaluation expected: Kim Smith; A Clark County grand jury is scheduled to meet today to hear evidence against the man accused of running over a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper, but it probably won't deliberate until a later date because the man has been deemed incompetent.

Sun Top 10 Softball Poll: Records through Tuesday

Shelter terms to be offered today: The terms will be defined in background materials that are provided to the public, news media and City Council in preparation for next Wednesday's City Council meeting.

Williams Communications acquired by L.A. firm: Platinum is combining its subsidiary, Sunrise, Fla.-based Milgo Solutions, with Williams. The two merging divisions have been re-branded under a new name: Nextira.

Henderson casino left out of PT's deal: Profit up for PDS: When a small Las Vegas gaming company acquires the PT's Pub chain of video poker bars later this year, the deal won't include a 15,000-square-foot Henderson casino.

Hawaii works to boost convention business by discouraging protests: Jean Christensen; HONOLULU -- When they opened the $350 million Hawaii Convention Center in 1998, state officials hoped to attract a bigger-spending brand of tourist -- the convention-goer -- to blunt the devastating effects of the Asian financial crisis on the islands' tourism industry.

Obituaries for May 10, 2001: Pauline Gorley Beach, 93, of Las Vegas died Sunday in a local care center. She was born Aug. 17, 1907, in Arkansas. A resident for 11 years, she was a housewife.

Donate to camp fund: His wife says the couple have a son and a daughter they would like to send, but they need help.

2001 spring prep playoff schedule, results: BASEBALL

Letter: Zero tolerance isn't working: The Netherlands has successfully reduced overall drug use by replacing marijuana prohibition with regulation. Dutch rates of drug use are significantly lower than U.S. rates in every category. Separating the hard and soft drug markets and establishing age controls for marijuana have proven more effective than zero tolerance.

Legislative briefs for May 10, 2001: The day after lengthy debate nearly took the measure from the legislative plate, the Assembly, by a 37-5 margin, approved a special license tag commemorating the Las Vegas centennial.

Letter: MASH shelter needs new management: In the past five years that they have been running the Las Vegas shelter, why haven't the funds been raised?

Las Vegas soldier decorated during missile duty in Korean: Dick Benoit; Army Staff Sgt. David Jordan, the son of Donald and Cora Jordan of Las Vegas, has been decorated with the Army Commendation Medal.

Editorial: Nevada has more than enough plates: Some of the proceeds from these plates go to good causes -- for instance, the Lake Tahoe plate supports the restoration of the threatened lake -- but the specialized plate frenzy has gotten out of hand. For starters, the issue is an unnecessary distraction for legislators, who should spend their time on more pressing issues. And as Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, a Henderson police officer, has noted, their growth has made it more difficult for law enforcement agencies to accurately identify the plates. While some other states have more specialty plates than Nevada, their proliferation here should end. This is ...

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Las Vegas: A bad influence?: While shooting the curl on the remote control last weekend, I happened onto a "Saturday Night Live" skit in which a scantily clad hostess, appearing in a fictional lounge in Henderson, Nev., (at least give SNL props for checking out the surrounding area), was making balloon animals for kids. She used various parts of her anatomy to hold the balloons in place so she could tie the knots.

Tax push draws little interest: Jeffrey Libby; The campaign fliers and the "Yes on 1" bag clips set out on tables went mostly untouched Wednesday.

Increased smog-test fee would fund air-quality program: CARSON CITY -- Southern Nevada motorists will likely face a $6 increase this summer in smog-check fees to finance an air-quality program.

Drawn by John: Lennon's whimsical art on display in Las Vegas: John Lennon's first best friend was not a musician, at least not an accomplished or even interested one.

Texas lawsuit may hurt Speedway's CART negotiations: Despite comments from both sides to the contrary, it appears as if talks between Championship Auto Racing Teams and Las Vegas Motor Speedway to bring a CART race to Las Vegas have stalled.

Fight schedule: Tonight

Community briefs for May 10, 2001: The Summerlin Children's Forum fifth annual Evening of Excellence Dinner will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Regent Las Vegas, 221 North Rampart Blvd.

Tougher open meeting law urged: Siobhan McDonough; CARSON CITY -- Nevada's open meeting law needs tightening to ensure public officials can't circumvent the law by meeting in groups that make up less than a quorum, a lawmaker told a Senate panel Wednesday.

PCL Box: Tucson-Las Vegas: E -- Cintron, Moeller, Sosa, Branson. DP -- Tucson 1, Las Vegas 2. LOB-- Tucson 6, Las Vegas 4. 2B-- Cust, Johnson. HR-- Cintron, Ryan, Cust, Prieto, Beltre, Hiatt, Gil. SB -- Gilbert, Hiatt.

Editorial: Bill aims to protect children: The legislation does grant some exemptions to the ban, such as children who sell or deliver newspapers. In addition, a child who opens a lemonade stand on her driveway would be able to engage in the free enterprise system. Acknowledging that children who live on ranches or farms in rural Nevada sometimes work for their parents, family businesses would be exempt as well. For that matter, minors still would be allowed to sell goods for nonprofit organizations and schools as long as they weren't getting paid. This would ensure that fund-raising drives to benefit schools -- such as candy sales ...

Ralph Siraco's selections for Friday's races at Hollywood Park: 1st Race -- Negri - Pedroza back on Glatt trainee, should be the on pace here, good post to pose the target in this. Kelly's Reward - Another speedster who draws the outside box on sprint opener, hustling bug boy Jaime atop, could be long gone in this. Value Play -- My Apollo

Assembly to vote on abandoned baby bill: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- An Assembly panel struggled Wednesday with how a woman can safely abandoned her newborn baby, but determined that any saved infant lives were worth proceeding with a bill.

LV animal hospital receives national award: Animal Kingdom, 1325 Vegas Valley Drive, has been a member of the AAHA since 1976 and has undergone regular evaluations by the organization to ensure compliance with the association's standards in 12 areas of practice, from surgery to diagnostic imaging.

Coyotes remain in hunt for title: Victoria Sun; One of the mottoes of the CCSN baseball team is, "If you have any doubt, just get out."

Report: Nurse shortage hurts patient care--Problem in Nevada one of the worst in nation: By Emily Richmond; Nurses in Nevada say understaffing is compromising patient care, according to a union-commissioned report scheduled to be released today.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Hopkins: Trinidad will prevail in bout vs. Joppy: Dean Juipe; Bernard Hopkins admits he won't be an impartial observer.

Thomas' surgery called 'minor': Steve Guiremand; Like any good college quarterback, Jason Thomas was busy studying videotape on Wednesday. But Thomas wasn't breaking down his throwing mechanics or the defensive tendencies of a future UNLV football foe.

Friday's horse racing entries: Post Time 7:15 p.m.

Where I stand--Brian Greenspun: Looking past labels: Give me an Alka Seltzer because this whole thing is giving me a stomachache. I refer, of course, to the newest definition of independence in these United States of America, which has turned the word on its head and the concept of individualism back to a time where it didn't exist.

Beltre has a blast in debut with Las Vegas: Victoria Sun; In his first at bat with the Las Vegas 51s, Adrian Beltre blasted a 2-2 pitch over the left-field fence for a solo home run, his first of the year.

Licensing of LASIK centers proposed: CARSON CITY -- An Assembly committee Wednesday approved a proposal requiring licensing and bonding of unregulated centers that conduct a popular laser eye surgery.

$9,000 award goes to Clark senior: Applicants were judged on their academic performance and commitment to excellence. For more information, call (212) 662-6224.

Dentists protesting relaxing of rules: Siobhan McDonough; CARSON CITY -- Dentists, hygienists and patients picketed outside the Legislature Wednesday against a bill that would allow dentists licensed in other states to practice in Nevada for two years on a temporary license.

Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Reading is still a vital 'R': Ruthe Deskin; "I can't read."

Indy 500 speeds: Indy 500 speeds

Resort group calls for broad-based tax program: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Resort Association says it continues to support a broad-based tax plan to meet the growing needs of the state.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Big names needed to support 'Phantom': Joe Delaney; If "Phantom of the Opera" is booked into Las Vegas at the end of the year as reported, the marquee had better list star names in the two lead roles ... Las Vegans and visitors will not support road companies at premium prices ... "Storm," which is still negotiating some rough seas, would have benefitted with a marquee name to go with the show's title.