Print edition for October 23, 2001

Nevada unemployment premiums unlikely to change: Mathis Winkler; Despite thousands of layoffs from resorts since Sept. 11, state officials are unlikely to increase the average unemployment insurance premium paid by employers next year.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Feelings in Zion smoldering: It is outraged because Delicate Arch, one of Utah's most prominent and well-known natural features, likely will carry permanent scars from the September 2000 fires that federal officials say photographer Michael Fatali lit in attempt to capture an image he envisioned.

Nov. 4 tourney to help women golfers: Registration will begin at 7 a.m. followed by an 8 a.m. shotgun start. A $125 entry fee per person includes golf, continental breakfast, lunch buffet and a tee gift. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Call 895-3901 for more information.

Tougher security precautions might be instituted for Yucca: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission may impose tougher security regulations at all licensed nuclear facilities, including rules applying to a proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain.

Immunization schedule for October 23, 2001: HENDERSON PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 129 W. Lake Mead Drive, Building A, Suite 10, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Suspension stands for NAACP chapter: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People suspended the Las Vegas chapter's charter in April after complaints about administrative inadequacies, questionable election procedures and infighting.

Community briefs for October 23, 2001: Clark County Parks and Recreation's Walnut Community Center will host its annual "Trunk or Treat Safe Halloween" event 2:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Joshua Villas Apartments, 3985 E. Cheyenne Ave.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Laws to fight terrorism: Certainly Tribe would find fault with the expansion of wiretap laws. In the Wall Street Journal, Tribe writes, "... some proposals, being overdue and entirely constitutional responses to technological change, must be enacted promptly. Existing provisions dealing with biological threats have not kept pace with bioterrorism and should be broadened. Cell phones have made wiretap warrants limited to particular phone lines obsolete; wiretap authority applying to a suspect personally, and regardless of the phone he uses, is sensible and constitutional. So, too, if search warrants suffice to seize non-voicemail messages, they should suffice to seize stored voicemail."

Editorial: Regulators go after gray market in drugs: Last week the Nevada Board of Pharmacy took action to close the loophole, which has created a gray market for drugs. Under the Board of Pharmacy's decision, which makes Nevada the first state in the nation to impose such restrictions, drug wholesalers won't be able to sell more than 10 percent of their inventory to other wholesalers, a curb the board believes will put a dent in the gray market. Nevada's action was warranted, but it can only go so far. Companies hurt by the regulation simply will pick up and move to other states where this remains legal. Ideally, ...

Vegas flights added to St. Louis, Oklahoma City: The Dallas-based airline has had one-stop service to those two cities from McCarran International Airport. Southwest previously has used Saturday-only nonstops as a test to determine if daily nonstop flights would be successful.

Letter: Boost economy with U.S. lottery: How about starting a national lottery? States would share the profits proportionally. The more tickets they sell, the bigger their cut. States not wishing to have a lottery can get money their own way. The feds could get their 10 percent off the top.

News briefs for October 23, 2001: An 18-year-old man booked into the Clark County jail Monday is accused of stabbing a 23-year-old man to death earlier in the day.

Pilots eager to get back into the sky: Marcum Endicott couldn't wait to jump into his Cessna single-engine, two-seat airplane Monday.

Teamsters woo school support staff workers: Terry Webster; Disgruntled support staff workers in the Clark County School District want to dissolve the union that represents them and reorganize under the Teamsters.

Obituaries for October 23, 2001: Janet L. Barcza, 62, of Las Vegas died Saturday in Las Vegas. She was born Oct. 1, 1939, in Robbinsdale, Minn. A resident for 22 years, she was a Metro Police records technician and a member of the Police Protection Association.

Use-of-force board clears Metro officer: The board's ruling came a month after a Clark County coroner's inquest jury unanimously ruled Officer Greg Damarin's Aug. 12 shooting of Tommy L. Gest on Sixth Street at Carson Avenue was justified.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Wednesday's races at Santa Anita: 1st Race -- Marq Of Zorro -- Training at Hollypark, draws good rail post for mile opener, Smith atop one of two O'Neill-trained 'hidden entries Take A Left -- British-bred ships in from training center, hustling Pedroza aboard Goodin trainee, once would run away from this level of competition. Value Play -- Larron

JAL moving to suspend Vegas-Tokyo flights: Japan Airlines is moving to suspend its three-year-old nonstop air service between Tokyo and Las Vegas -- a move that will inflict even more pain on the Las Vegas tourism and gambling industries.

Letter: Losing job not the worst thing: Well, I think it's obvious. They pledged that money immediately after the attack. They didn't start to lay off employees until they realized the impact the tragedy had seven to 10 days later. In their quick response to help New York City and Washington, D.C., I don't believe they realized what the ripple effect would be. Are they supposed to renege on that promise because business has slowed down and they had to lay off employees? I sent a check. Gee, should I put a stop payment on it since I got laid off?

Wednesday's horse racing entries: OAK TREE METTING

Goodman makes it clear: He's backing Berkley's bid: Diana Sahagun; Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, a Democrat, hopped off the fence Monday in the race for a U.S. House seat between City Council colleague Lynette Boggs McDonald and Democratic incumbent Shelley Berkley.

Charleston Underpass flooding may be over: Flooding in the Charleston Underpass may be a thing of the past.

VEGAS SPORTS ON TV-RADIO: VEGAS SPORTS ON TV-RADIO

Nevada Bell owner cutting jobs: San Antonio-based SBC, which sells local and long-distance phone service and high-speed Internet access, declined to say exactly how many jobs would be cut. However, a source pegged the cuts at between 6,000 and 7,000 -- roughly 3 percent of SBC's work force.

Coming events: The eighth annual Frederick Douglass Scholarship Fund gala will be held Thursday at the Venetian.

Veteran Southern Nevada newspaperman Vanett dies: Roy Vanett was the real-life version of the tough-as-nails newspaperman portrayed in old movies, complete with a lit cigarette hanging from the corner of his lip and his shirt sleeves rolled up as he banged out stories on a manual typewriter.

Columnist Kate Maddox: Leach party plans taking off: Kate Maddox; But the truth is, the promotion was Robin's idea. Leach, who essentially lives the adage "the more the merrier" in all aspects of his life(style), thought an audience filled with his Vegas pals would be the fun way to go for his Broadway stint. Besides, more friends in the crowd means more people to hit the clubs with after the curtain goes down, right? Well, that was his thinking.

Editorial: Graying work force is a worry: The GAO didn't just identify the problem, it also suggested ways to reverse the trend: There need to be better pay and benefits, better recruitment of younger people and an overhaul of outdated agency rules that can unnecessarily delay hiring and also overlook skilled areas that need to be filled. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, the ranking Republican on a subcommittee that has oversight of government management, plans to introduce legislation soon that will incorporate much of what the GAO has recommended. The terrorism we face today underscores the need to hire more employees, but Voinovich also notes that it isn't ...

Letter: Thank goodness Bush is in the White House: It is obvious this individual is still living in the past and is still pouting over the failed attempt by Al Gore to steal this past election. Thank goodness he did not succeed! If this Sept. 11 tragedy had occurred under his watch, he would probably lob a few cruise missiles (as his old boss did) into Afghanistan and say, "I fixed them!"

State health officials seek funds to fight bioterrorism: Nevada health officials on Monday told lawmakers that they need more money for infectious disease monitoring, training and laboratory equipment to better prepare for possible bioterrorism.

Jobless claims dip for first time since Sept. 11 attacks: CARSON CITY -- The surge of worker layoffs appears over, as new claims for unemployment dipped to 4,584 last week.

Savage gets new duties as state computer chief: CARSON CITY -- Terry Savage, director of the state Department of Information Technology, has been given new duties to coordinate the use of computers in state government, Gov. Kenny Guinn said today.

UNLV Calendar: Friday -- Men's Soccer at San Diego State, 4 p.m. Volleyball at Colorado State, 6 p.m. Women's Soccer at New Mexico, 7 p.m.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Rebel football owns dubious distinction: It's not very often when a team listed next-to-last in the football standings during Week 8 has outscored its collective opponents.

Chili feed still a go: CARSON CITY -- For 18 years while governor and senator, Richard Bryan hosted an annual free chili feed on Nevada Day.

Four candidates interviewing for new child-welfare post: Adrienne Packer; Four out-of-state candidates are interviewing with county and state officials this week for director of a new Clark County child-welfare system that will integrate state and local services by 2004.

Earnings up for LV company: Net income for the quarter was $386,000, or 10 cents per share, compared to net income of $177,000, or 5 cents per share, for the year-ago quarter. Revenues rose 11 percent to $12.5 million.

Spoonhour seeking old-style defensive grit: Steve Addy; When Charlie Spoonhour says he wants his team to defend like the old-time Rebels of Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony, he is not merely name-dropping or pandering to disaffected UNLV fans.

Riviera hit hard by slowdown, loss widens: Riviera reported a loss of $2.5 million, or 71 cents per share, compared to a loss of $2.36 million, or 61 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Cash flow, however, increased 5 percent to $7.4 million, and revenues rose 3 percent to $51 million.

Columnist Dean Juipe: UNLV band taking its hits, too: Dean Juipe; Openly apologetic for his team's repetitive failures this season, UNLV football coach John Robinson gazed at the audience before him and asked if there were any questions.

NHRA stars to sign autographs Thursday: The autograph session, which is free to the public, will take place from 8-9:30 p.m., and will kick off the inaugural ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals weekend, which runs Thursday through Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Way cleared for Wynn's Le Reve: Jace Radke; One of the Desert Inn's towers was brought down by booming explosions this morning, closing a chapter in the life of the historic property that is being transformed into Steve Wynn's new megaresort.

Agassi, Graf tie the knot in Las Vegas: It was shortly past 10:30 Monday morning when Andre Agassi burst into the offices of Andre Agassi Enterprises.

Candidates to succeed Sheriff Keller abound: Erin Neff and Keith Paul; Jerry Keller's surprise announcement Monday that he will not seek re-election has opened the floodgates to potential candidates at the same time it crystalized Keller's tenure.

Monday's prep results: BOYS SOCCER

Forti named acting police chief in NLV: Forti, 46, has been with the city's police department since May 1980. He will replace Chief Joey Tillmon, who is retiring. City officials will conduct a nationwide search to find a permanent replacement in the near future.

Freshman Seward becoming a sweet surprise on 'D': Steve Guiremand; Amy Seward walked into the banquet room at Big Dog's Cafe, as she normally does on Monday afternoon for John Robinson's weekly Rebel football booster luncheon, when she heard two very unexpected words.

F-18 crashes 20 miles west of Nevada Test Site: The pilot ejected safely and an HH-60 Pavehawk helicopter from the Nellis 66th Rescue Squadron picked up the pilot shortly after the 10:10 a.m. accident.

State pharmacy board targets 'gray market': By Emily Richmond; In an effort to block drugs intended for nursing homes from reaching the retail market, the Nevada Board of Pharmacy voted last week to limit pharmaceutical wholesalers from selling more than 10 percent of their inventory to other wholesalers.

House members return as promised: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers today vowed to barrel ahead, even though the six House and Senate office buildings where lawmakers and staffers do most of their work remained closed today for continued environmental testing in the wake of anthrax mailings.

Tougher standards for county managers outlined: Adrienne Packer; More stringent performance standards for Clark County department heads are expected to curb managerial improprieties such as those outlined in an audit of the county's public defender's office.

Deadline nears for deal on 1,900-acre project: Mathis Winkler; Developers say a proposed master-planned community on 1,900 acres in North Las Vegas might be jeopardized if an agreement regarding plans for the project cannot be reached with city officials within the next two weeks.

City seeks home for paralyzed vets: Diana Sahagun; Las Vegas officials, in an effort to edge out the competition, are attempting to find a new home for a nonprofit group that has set its sights on a historic U.S. Post Office.

Battle beginning over promising Macau market: David Strow; MGM MIRAGE, the company that controls more than half of Las Vegas' high-end gambling business, has formally entered the race to acquire a gaming license in one of the Pacific Rim's most potentially lucrative markets: the Chinese port city of Macau.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Eighth of an inch costs Earnhardt crew chief: Tony Eury Sr., the Winston Cup crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr., was fined $25,000 by NASCAR for a rule violation following Earnhardt's victory in Sunday's EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Opportunities emerge worldwide for expansion of casino gambling: David Strow; Macau is far from the only international opportunity being considered by Las Vegas casino operators. From the United Kingdom to Japan, potential opportunities are opening up across the world for the spread of legalized gaming.