Print edition for September 19, 2001

Hundreds of casino workers laid off: David Strow; Park Place Entertainment Corp. has begun laying off employees at two of its Las Vegas hotel-casinos, as the Strip's casino industry waits for a return to normalcy after last week's terrorist attacks on the East Coast.

Rebel women finish last in inaugural event: The tournament was the first in school history for the newly formed women's team.

Rebel coach almost leapt to Wildcats: Steve Guiremand; Rob Boras knew he'd be coaching on the sidelines at Arizona Stadium on Saturday night. But for a while last winter, he just didn't know which side.

Greece is the word: Greek Food Festival returns to St. John's: Eventually, the festival settled at the Sahara Space Center, where after years of successful fund-raisers the dream of building a new complex came true. Every member of St. John's, regardless of age, contributed endless hours to preparing the foods, orchestrating the entertainment and contributing whatever they could to make the vision of a church and social hall large enough for the fast-growing Greek community come true.

LV moves ahead with museum plan: Diana Sahagun; The city of Las Vegas plans to send an application to the federal government this week, asking for ownership of the historic downtown federal courthouse and post office, which it wants to turn into a museum.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: All 11 teams expected for F1 U.S. Grand Prix: The second annual SAP United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will take place as scheduled on Sept. 30 and both IMS president Tony George and Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone expect all 11 teams to compete with their regular drivers.

Governor seeks cuts in budget: CARSON CITY -- In view of the shaky economy, Gov. Kenny Guinn has directed his budget staff to look for ways to curtail state spending this fiscal year.

Reid seeks delay of Yucca hearings: Benjamin Grove and Mary Manning; Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., on Tuesday urged Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham to delay two Yucca Mountain hearings scheduled in rural Nevada for Monday, in the wake of terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

Columnist Jeff Haney: NFL analyst faces challenging weekend: On his website last week, pro football handicapper Tobin Hensgen ran a poll asking whether the NFL should cancel its Week 2 games in light of the terrorist attacks on the U.S.

U.S. companies recovering from computer attack: The virus-like program spreads rapidly through many ways to infect computers running Microsoft's Windows operating system.

Freshly dug hole found in Binion's back yard: Three years after his death, Ted Binion's $55 million estate remains the target of treasure hunters.

Horseshoe to complete ADA modifications by July: Grace Leong; Binion's Horseshoe Club, which was ordered by a federal judge in 1998 to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, has agreed to complete modifications to the downtown Las Vegas hotel-casino by next July, said Las Vegas advocacy group Nevadans for Equal Access.

Emergency equipment protected: But the FBI later warned that the information has not been evaluated and may not represent a credible threat.

EPA official won't weigh in on radiation: The EPA, by law, is responsible for setting exposure standards, which must be met by the Energy Department.

County briefs for September 19, 2001: McCarran International Airport officials received permission Tuesday to move forward with a $60 million bond issue, despite financial uncertainty at the airport due to last week's terrorist attacks.

Attack briefs for September 19, 2001: Members of the Clark County urban search and rescue team are preparing for deployment to New York next week to aid in recovery efforts at the World Trade Center.

Las Vegas concrete, quarry operation sold for $24 million: The deal includes two quarries with total annual sales of 2.7 million tons, five pre-mix concrete plants and nearly 200 concrete and aggregate trucks, said a statement from Sydney, Australia-based CSR.

'I think about him every day': By Brian Hilderbrand; Alex Tagliani can't get the image out of his mind.

Internet travel sellers hit hard: Shares of Internet travel retailers like Expedia Inc., the parent company of Las Vegas-based Travelscape.com, fell sharply Monday and Tuesday along with many travel-related stocks.

Columnist Jon Ralston: Guinn must deal with worsening economy: EXACTLY TWO WEEKS AGO Gov. Kenny Guinn told state Budget Director Perry Comeaux that they needed to sit down to talk about declining revenues.The governor, who loves to pore over figures and more figures, was worried. "Revenues were not up to projections," Guinn remembered thinking, and he and Comeaux needed to begin "looking at where we were going."

Community briefs for September 19, 2001: Adults and children can learn a lot about animals and plantlife in the Southern Nevada desert during hikes and walks offered at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Some upcoming programs:

Fire station gets reprieve, may open six months early: Jeffrey Libby; A southwest Henderson fire station that appeared doomed by a failed public safety tax this spring may open six months early, in January 2002.

Woman testifies in mental health case: Kim Smith; A part-time Las Vegas resident who claims a counselor treating her for multiple personality disorder sexually assaulted her was expected to face an intense cross-examination today.

Meeting set to counteract backlash: Stacy J. Willis; Gov. Kenny Guinn will meet with Nevada's religious leaders and law enforcement officials Thursday to discuss hate-crime prevention efforts in the aftermath of last week's terrorist attacks.

Columnist Victoria Sun: Local golf courses lose revenue after attacks: Victoria Sun; As occupancy rates at local hotels continue to plummet, so too does business at many area golf courses.

TV station sets goal of $1 million: When officials of a local television station launched a telethon last week for victims of the terrorist attacks, they expected to raise a couple of hundred thousand dollars from Las Vegans.

Inline hockey: Event starts Thursday at the Crystal Palace: This year's tournament offers competition for adult teams in four men's divisions, two women's divisions and a Masters 30-and-over division. Fifty-two teams and more than 600 players will participate in the 120-game event.

America West called close to bankruptcy: Las Vegas-based National Airlines announced a ticket sale today designed to stimulate air travel.

Touring psychiatrist may free up beds in local ERs: CARSON CITY -- A psychiatrist touring hospitals could free up emergency room space by determining which patients could be released or sent to a state facility, a state mental health official said Tuesday.

Test Site proposed as anti-terrorism training school: Benjamin Grove and Mary Manning; The Nevada Test Site -- once a Cold War proving ground for nuclear weapons -- should be developed as a next-generation training camp in the nation's "new war" on terrorism, Nevada's House lawmakers said.

Man, 29, admits to killings of mom, stepdad: Keith Paul; A 29-year-old man told police he killed his mother and stepfather in June, then lived in their Henderson home with the bodies for several weeks before traveling around the country using their money, according to court records.

Obituaries for September 19, 2001: Phyllis A. Allen, 67, of Las Vegas died Sunday in Las Vegas. She was born June 2, 1934, in Chicago. A resident for five years, she was a retired United Airlines reservation agent for 32 years and a teacher's aide.

Resident input sought on library: The Henderson Public Library District will hold a meeting with Galati Architects from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. in the Bristol Room of the Anthem Center on 2450 Hampton Road.

Texas hotelier joins Regent bidding: David Strow; A prominent operator of upscale hotels has emerged as one of the bidders for the bankrupt Regent Las Vegas hotel-casino.

Columnist Peter Benton: McNamara-Manz team wins LVCC event: Peter Benton; The end of summer Member-Member golf tournament played at the Las Vegas Country Club was a best ball of partners plus alternate nines on the first day of play, with the second being best ball along with combined low net.

Preservation district delayed: Jeffrey Libby; Objections by landowners have prompted the Henderson City Council to place on hold a proposed rural preservation district that would limit development on 2,980 acres in the city.

County skeptical of northwest plan: Adrienne Packer; A controversial new annexation law being tested by Las Vegas was met Tuesday with heavy skepticism from Clark County commissioners, who are reluctant to surrender undeveloped land or authority over zoning.

August gambling win increased slightly: The 14 riverboats won $147.2 million, up from $144 million in July, while Harrah's New Orleans Casino won $22.1 million, an increase from $21.3 million the previous month, state police reported Tuesday.

Vegas wedding industry shaken by cancellations after terrorist strikes: Ken Ritter; The attacks that toppled the World Trade Center and damaged the Pentagon last week also rattled the Las Vegas wedding industry, leaving some marriage planners stranded at the altar.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Break gives Rebels chance to regroup: Dean Juipe; When last we left the UNLV football team it was 0-2 and arguably in the process of reeling toward a discouraging year.

News briefs for September 19, 2001: A public meeting will be held Thursday to review initial design work for the extension of the Las Vegas Beltway from Cheyenne Avenue to El Capitan Way.

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

Religious fervor joining church, state across land: Stacy J. Willis; John Mejia prayed under his high school's American flag this morning -- as did thousands of other students across the nation.

Editorial: Religious zealotry, U.S. style: Had Falwell stopped there, his comments likely would have resonated with a great many Americans. But then he went on to say that the American Civil Liberties Union has got to "take a lot of blame for this." Falwell was on a roll. Before he was done, he had also blamed the terrorist attacks on gays and lesbians, abortion rights activists, feminists and the federal court system. "I point the finger in their face and say, 'you helped this happen,' " Falwell said on the program. Robertson said he agreed.

Letter: President doing a good job: He has brought the world together in this time of crisis, and it makes us all proud to be an American. Keep up the good work, Mr. President, and God bless all those workers in New York searching for any signs of life. Each morning we wake and feel so helpless that we are not there.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Fashions take center stage at ballet luncheon: Elizabeth Foyt; The fashions of the fall and holiday seasons ahead were elegantly presented by Saks Fifth Avenue and Nevada Ballet Theatre as they jointly introduced the St. John Fall Collection 2001. Susie Perrine, in real estate by profession and ballet devotee, chaired the exclusive luncheon showing, arranging for the use of an extraordinary estate at Spanish Trail as the setting.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Be prepared for travel troubles: When I first watched the news on the morning of Sept. 11 it didn't register that what I was watching was real. Not until the second hijacked plane took out the second World Trade Center tower did the enormity of the tragedy that was unfolding sink in.

Letter: Cameras would improve security: Unfortunately, our leaders still put individual liberties above the safety and security of the public. We need to recognize that most crime is committed over and over by a small minority of the population.

Letter: We can no longer afford to be kept in the dark: So, what happened? How could terrorists on the FBI's most wanted list infiltrate our borders over a year ago, live in our country, attend flying school and remain undetected?