Print edition for September 14, 2001

LV businessman has tough trip home from N.Y.: Kevin Ferguson; Las Vegas businessman Jeff Jonas just wanted to do one thing Tuesday: Get back from New York to see his family.

County distributes gambling proceeds: The money disbursed Tuesday came from tip jars, a legal form of gambling that is taxed by a county gaming commission.

Board recommends approval of slot route: As part of the deal, Blake Sartini is resigning as Station's executive vice president and chief operating officer. He will remain on the board of directors and as a significant shareholder.

Local businessman turns into art advocate: Kimberley McGee; Art collector George Sturman has surrounded himself with beauty -- or at least his idea of beauty.

Henderson woman mourns loss of pilot: Keith Paul; Patty Jennings hopes to fly out of Las Vegas today, not because she is stranded here, but to comfort her sister back East whose husband was the co-pilot on a hijacked plane that crashed into the World Trade Center.

Las Vegas businesses open wallets for victims: A gift of a few dollars here, a free bus ride home to a stranded tourist there, a million dollars here, a million dollars there -- every little bit helps.

Poll: Older citizens feel safe from attack: Adrienne Packer; Older Americans feel safe from terrorist attacks. Residents younger than 20 are far less confident.

Companies work to lay data lines: Jim Krane; NEW YORK -- The carnage that devastated Manhattan's financial district also hobbled the lifeline of commerce that runs below its streets: a labyrinth of cables ferrying data in and out of the city.

Early arrival warning startles air passengers: McCarran International Airport's busiest airline geared up this morning to resume service -- and jarred its Las Vegas passengers with a security advisory telling them to arrive three hours early.

Thunderbirds resume practice: Both installations maintained a heightened security posture, along with military bases across the country. But the alert status was reduced one step below the highest level.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: NASCAR makes right call in postponing race: NASCAR on Thursday took the almost unprecedented -- and wholly appropriate -- action of postponing its Winston Cup race scheduled for Sunday at New Hampshire International Raceway because of the terrorist attacks Tuesday in New York and Washington.

Terror strikes prompt LV conference cancellations: The International Vision Expo West, a convention that was expected to draw 18,000 people to Las Vegas next week, has been canceled, organizers said.

Switch to rail travel doesn't pay for stranded air passengers: WENDOVER, Utah -- An early Thursday morning collision between an Amtrak passenger train and a freight train sparked fears that terrorist strikes were moving to the heartland of the United States.

Creditor wants court to stop payments to hotel's owners: Grace Leong; The largest creditor of Las Vegas' bankrupt Vacation Village asked a court Thursday to stop the hotel-casino from making what it called "unauthorized" payments to its owners and managing partners, the Heers family.

Big Australian airline grounded: "Unfortunately it (Ansett) couldn't be given away for a dollar," said Peter Hedge, the voluntary administrator from PricewaterhouseCoopers.

NCAA OKs waiver; Turner cleared to join Rebels: Steve Addy; Perhaps a new era of harmony has dawned between the UNLV men's basketball program and the NCAA.

State nursing home grades in need of improvement: CARSON CITY -- Only a handful of nursing homes in Nevada are providing satisfactory care and most of the other homes need to improve to meet federal standards, a new report says.

Warnings issued over donations to fake charities: As Las Vegas area residents express sympathy to the families of those victimized by Tuesday's terrorist attacks, others look to profit from the tragic events, state officials warn.

Columnist Jerry Fink: Pubs around Vegas are getting their Irish up: When did Irish pubs become hot?

Columnist Dean Juipe: Shutdown has to be accepted: Dean Juipe; By revised design, this will be a very slow weekend for America's sports fans.

American industrial production falls again: Optimism that the country will be able to mount a sustained recovery in the second half of this year had already been dealt a severe blow by this week's terrorist bombings, which brought a temporary halt to airline travel and jolted Americans' confidence about the future.

Vegas casinos face plunging room rates: David Strow; As the first weekend since Tuesday's terrorist attacks approaches, Las Vegas hotel-casinos are bracing for what could be a dramatic plunge in business.

Southwest resumes service in Las Vegas: McCarran International Airport's busiest commercial airline resumed service today -- and jarred its Las Vegas passengers with a security advisory telling them to arrive three hours early.

Observance of tragedy planned by casinos: David Strow; One of the Strip's largest casino operators will dim the outdoor lights at its Las Vegas casinos tonight, while a second was to halt operations on its casino floor for one minute at midday today.

Sales of Old Glory are not flagging: By Emily Richmond; When Glenna Garrison heard the news of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, she went to her Las Vegas home and pulled out the American flag she stored after the Fourth of July.

Obituaries for September 14, 2001: Dorothy Marie Arnold, 80, of Las Vegas died Tuesday in Las Vegas. She was born Dec. 7, 1920, in Worcester, Mass. A resident for three years, she was a secretary for a printing company and a volunteer at Holly Hock Adult Day Care Center.

Nev. lawmakers ready to assault world's terrorism: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Nevada's lawmakers in Congress agree that America must prepare for a sustained war against terrorism that could include ground troops.

Corporations step in to help with donations of cash, goods, services: Terrorist attacks in New York and Washington have prompted major corporations, small businesses, religious and sports groups to honor the victims and to donate millions to aid victims' families and relief efforts.

Two School District regions altering parent conferences: Terry Webster; Two of the Clark County School District's five regions will not be offering parent-teacher conferences during regular instructional hours this year.

More interested in joining Army: Mathis Winkler; In more than six years as a recruiter for the U.S. Army, Sgt. 1st Class Ken Reineke has never seen as many people interested in serving their country as he has since Tuesday's terrorist attacks.

Religious leaders to unite Sunday: Stacy J. Willis; Muslim Mujahid Ramadan got a courtesy call from a Metro Police officer Thursday asking him if he was OK.

Rumors, fears mark nation's capital: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- I got to my downtown office about 9:20 a.m. Tuesday. I didn't know two commercial jets had slammed into the World Trade Center a half-hour earlier -- a newspaper reporter behind on the news.

LV man set for hard task: Las Vegan Jerry Meardy last was in New York 18 years ago, where he took in a ballgame at Yankee Stadium and visited the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Bellagio chef MacPherson cooks up a fine celebration: How does a talented Strip chef spend his vacation? If you're Bellagio Executive Chef Grant MacPherson you fly to Bali to cook a grand meal at the posh Legian hotel, "A quiet haven at the sea," for the hotel's fifth anniversary celebration.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Resolve to move on: WE HAVE WITNESSED a time of national disaster. We have joined in a time of national mourning. It is time to move ahead.

Marion holds camp at Foothill High School: The cost is $75 for one session or $125 for both with a portion of the proceeds to benefit the Henderson Boys and Girls Clubs. Each participant will receive a T-shirt, mixed tape, other gifts and a photo/auto- graph session with Marion. Call 565-0726 for information.

Power outage hits 5,000: Sonya Headen, Nevada Power spokeswoman, said a fuse bank failed at a substation, causing customers near Craig and Ann roads to lose power at about 7:18 a.m. today.

Letter: Fox should take care of his own people: While in Washington, D.C., he said the United States had to legalize the illegal Mexicans here so they can get jobs. We are going into a recession and have so many people out of work. Why should we fix it for illegals to take the jobs? Not all illegal Mexicans here now are good guys.

Editorial: UNLV must change strategy to advance: Part of the problem at UNLV, as we have previously stated, is that the university must respect academic freedom if it wishes to become a better research institution. The university continues to face a lawsuit from former assistant biology professor Marcella McClure, who landed a $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, but alleged she was denied tenure because she was judged by different standards than others.

Officials check out electric auto during energy fair: Jeffrey Libby; The Lido electric vehicle looks like a miniature antique car and drives like a musclebound golf cart.

Letter: Capital gains? Not under Bush: You can buy a master's degree in business administration and even a position in the National Guard, but really high IQs come only to a few. Remember the 10,000 level on Dow Jones during Bill Clinton's administration? Remember the balanced budget? Remember the surplus?

Columnist Susan Snyder: CowParade is udderly fascinating: I never saw a purple cow.

Nolan making bid for Senate: CARSON CITY -- Four-term Assemblyman Dennis Nolan, R-Las Vegas, is going to try to move over to the Senate to replace fellow Republican Bill O'Donnell, who is not seeking re-election.

Letter: Get facts on Clinton straight: In her letter, this lady tried to blast President Bush. She made a statement referring to the attempted impeachment of Bill Clinton. Attempted?

Several performers cancel Las Vegas shows: Either because of travel problems or out of consideration for the gravity of the terrorists' attack in New York City and Washington, D.C., a number of entertainers have canceled or postponed performances in Las Vegas.

Sharing the Taste of Vegas: Food bank can benefit from gourmet festival: Angela Soo; By Angela Soo

Editorial: Turning tables on terrorists: Optimism abounds that the United States will have an easier time putting together a coalition of allies to eliminate the enemy than was the case during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Even if that coalition falls through, we can be guaranteed that our country will make as its top priority the pursuit of the terrorists and those who harbored and otherwise supported them.

Community news briefs for September 14, 2001: The Invensys Classic golf tournament, Oct. 10-14, is looking for volunteers to serve as hosts, scorers and gallery security. The 19th annual PGA tournament benefits several local charities.

Kids pick up some KOINS with the trash: By Kristen Peterson

Columnist Joe Delaney: Luft, Rickles are a dynamic duo at Stardust: Joe Delaney; The first time we reviewed Lorna Luft was in the late 1970s or early 1980s in the Sands Copa Room ... I wrote that she had an excellent voice but that her onstage persona was less than impressive ... The Luft that headlined twice, just before the Desert Inn Crystal Room closed last year, was most impressive in every respect; a concert-quality performing artist.

Sports books idled by terrorist attacks: David Strow; With the sports world paralyzed through at least this weekend, Las Vegas sports books find themselves almost completely devoid of business during what is usually their busiest time of year.

City fills schedule with artistic offerings: Kimberley McGee; SCHEDULE

Court rejects appeal: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal of William M. Smith, sentenced to 25 years in prison in the October 1996 traffic death of a couple near Boulder City.

LaFong show offers 'a tour de force' at Bourbon Street: Joe Delaney; Michele LaFong's "I Love LaFong" is a 70-minute one-woman comedic melange, combining impressions, stand-up comedy and ventriloquism, in the box-like mini-theatre at Bourbon Street. Ventro-comedy with a series of dummy sidekicks is her long suit, correctly placed as the 30-minute show closer.

Dark weekend: Chris Sheridan; For now, the sports debate is over. The distractions and diversions provided by football, baseball, golf or hockey just didn't fit it with the serious mood of the country.

Columnist Kate Maddox: Stars facing difficult decisions: Kate Maddox; In the wake of Tuesday's tragedy many Las Vegas performers had to reconsider performing. Most stars wondered whether the show should, or even could, go on.

UNLV golf team ranked 13th: UNLV golf team ranked 13th

Friday's football schedule: Durango at Eldorado, 7 p.m.

Two UNLV women get national rankings: Junior Paulina Janus of Warsaw, Poland, is ranked a career-high No. 41 after closing last season at No. 67. Sophomore Agnieszka Abram, also from Warsaw, is ranked No. 80.

Rebel players not surprised at football game postponement: Steve Guiremand; All UNLV athletic events have been cancelled through Sunday, including:

Columnist Spencer Patterson: Prep sports to carry on with schedule: Spencer Patterson; All games 7 p.m. unless noted

Local stadium security issues to be reviewed: Steve Addy; The director of Sam Boyd Stadium said he'll review security measures at UNLV football games and other stadium events to ease any fan discomfort resulting from terrorist attacks upon the nation.

Acerbic Mustaine explains Megadeth's metal issues: Kirk Baird; So, what's Dennis Miller doing in a metal band?

Bagpipes at UNLV play tribute to terrorists' victims: Jennifer Knight; Edgar St. John heard the bagpipes as Canadian reinforcements arrived to bolster U.S. troops during the Korean War. He heard them again during a tour of duty in Vietnam. Today, he was to play the bagpipes during a ceremony to mourn the loss of thousands of Americans in terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C, Tuesday.

Local officials, homeless gather at daylong summit: By Timothy Pratt; Friction between Clark County and the city of Las Vegas over the homeless issue flared at the beginning of Thursday's daylong "summit" to discuss solutions.

Nevada Ballet Theatre gears up for park performance: In 1717 King George I asked baroque composer George Frideric Handel to write festive music for an extravagant river excursion the king was hosting on the Thames.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Rising above sadness: "DO YOU THINK we will ever be happy again?"

Editorial: Strengthen nursing home rules: Hours after the Times article was published, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said the proposals had been rejected. We hope that is the case, because nursing home regulations must be strengthened, not weakened. It is unthinkable that the administration would put into action some of the proposals exposed by the Times.

Greenwood relives harrowing moments of Gulf War: On Jan. 16, 1991, America attacked Iraq and the Gulf War began.

Datebook: The Latino Festival, featuring games, prizes, entertainment and family fun, will be from 5-8 p.m. today at the Rafael Rivera Community Center, 2900 E. Stewart Ave. Call 229-4600.

Home sales may be hurt: WASHINGTON -- Mortgage rates around the country declined this week with rates on 30-year mortgages dropping to the lowest level in more than two years.

Casino sues over cancelled Laughlin air service: Harrah's Laughlin casino-hotel, which said it engaged Sun West International LLC to fly its guests from various airports nationwide to Laughlin starting January, sued Sun West and its managers, Diana Bradley and James Lewis, in Clark County District Court.

State probes pinball machine: SLED spokeswoman Katheryn Richardson said the agency was unaware of the Jungle Rock machine at a Spartanburg Texaco, but would investigate.