Print edition for May 14, 2001

Letter: Ignorance hurts case against DOE: It is great that Sen. Harry Reid occupies a key committee position to stop this, and I welcome his close cooperation with Sen. John Ensign to coordinate strategy in the Senate. Though fighting DOE corruption and credibility problems is a key aspect of Nevada's legal strategy, I believe we must recognize the DOE's role as a symptom of a much larger and more serious cause: the ignorance of the American people about Nevada's natural beauty. With only one national park and less designated wilderness than any Western state besides Utah, Nevada has done a poor job of marketing her natural ...

Rolling along: Sport of bocce gaining fans and understanding: The United States Bocce Federation, which sponsors more than 50 tournaments per year around the nation, held its U.S. National Championship in Las Vegas in March.

Benefit to help Media Partners: All proceeds will be donated to Media Partners for Pets. Tickets can be purchased at the door. Call 617-3323.

Letter: Everyone could cut back on driving time: We used to get by with a gasoline bill of $10 a week. That is now $15 a week and climbing. What can we do?

Trends for May 14, 2001: Lisa Ferguson; It's time for another round of contests.

Editorial: Get moving on patient protection: Shortly into his presidency, Bush signaled his support on many elements contained in a patient's bill of rights, but unfortunately added that he couldn't support legislation that would allow Americans the right to sue their HMOs in state courts. Despite strong support in Congress for a patient's bill of rights -- backing, by the way, that crosses party lines -- Bush's resistance has slowed the momentum that started developing for this bill late last year. Indeed, it was disappointing when one of the primary sponsors of last year's bill, Rep. Charlie Norwood, R-Ga., took his name off the bill this ...

Birth announcements for May 14, 2001: April 24: Christian to Courtney Brown and Micheal Ward.

Santa Fe Gaming, PDS get new names: Santa Fe Gaming Corp. is now known as Archon Corp., following shareholder approval Friday. Its over-the-counter ticker symbol changed from "SGMG" to "ARHN."

Earnings decline in first quarter: The company reported net income of $1.2 million, down from $2.4 million in the year-ago quarter. Net revenue declined 1.6 percent to $30.9 million, while cash flow fell 16 percent to $8.4 million.

Obituaries for May 14, 2001: Nona Cromer, 76, of Las Vegas died Friday in Las Vegas. She was born Feb. 26, 1925, in Manchuria. A resident for 20 years, she was a casino employee.

Gallagher promotes Caesars' expansion: David Strow; In his first shareholders meeting as chief executive of Park Place Entertainment Corp., Tom Gallagher on Friday pitched an ambitious, $500 million-plus expansion of Caesars Palace at his company's stockholders.

Hotel-casino to host bingo championship: Dion Entertainment Inc. of Surrey, British Columbia, said it expects more than 2,000 to participate in its "Bingo Magic" event, scheduled for Nov. 19-21. A minimum of $1 million will be awarded to the winner of the championship game, and a total of $1.25 million in cash and prizes will be awarded during the tournament. Dion has signed a multi-year contract to hold the event at the Venetian.

Single parent: Straight-A student deserves to go to camp: Her daughter is a straight-A student, but as a single mom, summer camp is beyond her budget.

Durango, Reno meet in rematch of 2000 brawl: Spencer Patterson; NIAA/U.S. Bank 4A State Tournaments

CCSN president candidates down to four: The committee has narrowed a field of 11 to Jack E. Daniels, president of Central College in the Houston Community College System; Shirley A. Reed, president of South Texas Community College; Ronald Remington, president of Great Basin College in Elko; and Mary S. Spangler, president of Los Angeles City College.

PCL box: Las Vegas-Sacramento: E--Piatt, Wilson. LOB--Sacramento 9, Las Vegas 8. HR--Byrnes (3), Ortiz (2), Abad (7). CS--Gilbert, Byrnes.

Gaughan, Kyle Busch find success over weekend: It proved to be a very successful weekend for a pair of homegrown racers as Brendan Gaughan and Kyle Busch picked up victories Saturday night.

Moody's downgrades utility: Moody's lowered Sierra Pacific's long-term credit ratings from Baa3 to Baa2.

Business briefs for May 14, 2001: RENO -- The former president and chief operating officer of Sierra Pacific Resources was named as general manager of a new public agency that will operate the Reno area's water system.

Billboard law leaves city, county with few options: Less than two weeks after Clark County commissioners rejected an ordinance written and backed by the billboard industry, the outdoor advertisers are pushing a bill in Carson City that would restrict the ability of local governments to remove the signs.

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

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Racing fan gets ride of his life: Forget about the drivers who posted qualifying speeds in excess of 225 mph for the Indianapolis 500. The guy who experienced the biggest thrill over the weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway went only about 160.

Rhodes' opponent hammers at indictment as election nears: Diana Sahagun; When North Las Vegas City Council candidate Robert Eliason began his campaign earlier this year, he pledged to stay out of his main opponent's legal troubles involving allegations of insurance fraud.

Teachers begin protests to urge school funding: Terry Webster; With about three weeks remaining in the legislative session, Clark County School District educators are turning up the heat on lawmakers.

Henderson teen honored for volunteer work: Holly Walker, 14, of Henderson, was named one of America's top 10 youth volunteers for 2001 in a ceremony in Washington, D.C., at the International Trade Center.

2001 spring preps playoff schedule, results: BASEBALL

Murphy's lawyers seek 30-day appeal extension: Sandy Murphy's defense team plans to ask the Nevada Supreme Court for a 30-day extension to file her appeal brief, her lawyer said this morning.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Monarchos should be tuned up for Preakness: Ralph Siraco; Now that the Kentucky Derby is a week removed, it is time to take a closer look at what we have for a 2001 Triple Crown hope.

Indianapolis 500 starting lineup: At Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Grand grad: UNLV student perseveres 23 years to earn degrees in English, French: Jennifer Knight; Whenever there's a graduation ceremony, the word perseverance is generally woven into somebody's commencement speech. But in the case of Florence Guenier, the word fits.

State argues against Yucca water: The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco was scheduled to hear oral arguments in a case brought by the Energy Department against Nevada after the state engineer denied rights to use 725 acre-feet of ground water to build and operate a repository for commercial spent reactor fuel and defense nuclear wastes.

College growth not included in proposed budget: CARSON CITY -- Class sizes at UNLV and the Community College of Southern Nevada could grow, and more part-time instructors may be teaching, under the proposed budget, university officials say.

Guinn supports plan to tax firms from out of state: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn says he supports a newly unveiled tax plan that would affect out-of-state corporations that have no employees in Nevada -- if it's constitutional.

Action against veterinarian delayed: A District Court judge has upheld a ruling by the Nevada State Board of Veterinary Medicine that a local veterinarian was incompetent and grossly negligent while treating a dog that later died.

Indiana girl's dad vows to clear name: Kim Smith; The father of an 11-year-old kidnapping and sexual assault victim left for his Indiana home Saturday vowing that his name will be cleared of allegations that the girl also had been abused by family members.

News briefs for May 14, 2001: A Las Vegas man was arrested Sunday in connection with a hit-and-run accident that killed a 30-year-old pedestrian.

Following another loss, Las Vegas could receive some pitching help: Look no further than pitching.

Columnist Sam Schmidt: Confidence soars after making field: Sam Schmidt; We should have made the show Saturday but it was just dumb luck (an accident) that set us back late Friday.

Letter: Today's kids have it too easy: I write this letter to protest the outrageous conditions at a local high school, forcing students to take an SAT test, without air conditioning. How traumatic, poor babies, to suffer so. The school superintendent should try and make this insult right, by allowing the students to retake the test in proper air conditioned facilities, and the affair should be catered by Wolfgang Puck, to ensure the students are comfortable.

Venetian art called both education, entertainment: The Guggenheim Museum and the Venetian resort are betting that Las Vegas and its millions of visitors are ready for the cultural experience that a major art gallery delivers.

2001 prep softball all-star teams: First Team: Lindsey Webb, LV; Jenn Bowen, Bas; Roxanne Ritchie, FH; Allison Dunn, GV; Crystal Alspaugh, Eld; Brieanna Kinard, LV; Brittany Lorenzen, Bas; Marisa Marconi, Bas; Sonia Randolph, Sil; Megan McPherson, Sil; Most Valuable Player: Randolph; Most Valuable Pitcher: Alspaugh; Coach of the Year: Chuck Pope, Sil.

Vegas gypsum plant to be sold: James Hardie officials declined comment on the status of the Las Vegas mine and plant. But in 1999, James Hardie officials said the operations in the Blue Diamond area employed 150 people and made 700 million square feet of wallboard per year.

Silverado, Durango players named MVPs: Eldorado's Crystal Alspaugh and Centennial's Shannon Crisp were named Sunrise and Sunset pitchers of the year after helping their squads to division titles and appearances in this week's 4A State Tournament, which begins Wednesday at West Flamingo Park.

Rudin might seek new lawyer to handle appeal: Kim Smith; Margaret Rudin might fire her new attorney.

DMV delays: Agency still grappling with Genesis system: Schoolteacher Vincent Vespe used his lunch break to replace a lost driver's license by going to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety office in Henderson.