Print edition for April 1, 2002

Man shot by police: Police said the man pointed a gun at the officers.

Lawmakers unconvinced on Yucca money: Erin Neff; Looking for ways to fund the fight against the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump, Gov. Kenny Guinn believes it will be easier to get a 21-member legislative committee to agree to spend money than convene a special session of the entire 63-member Legislature.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Schlossnagle says bright future ahead: Dean Juipe; The scouting reports must have been dreary.

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

Rebels' Frohlich starts against Team USA: UNLV senior forward Linda Frohlich started for the WBCA College All-Stars alongside Louisiana Tech's Ayana Walker, Stanford's Lindsey Yamasaki, Baylor's Sheila Lambert and South Carolina's Shaunzinski Gortman. In front of 4,100 fans the collegians were defeated by Team USA, 100-59.

Blind vendors target state: Grace Leong; The state agency that helps blind people operate vending businesses at public locations is being criticized by some of the blind vendors amid allegations of mismanagement of the program.

High court backs colleges in suits over tenure: CARSON CITY -- The University and Community College System of Nevada is immune from lawsuits over decisions of granting tenure to professors, the state Supreme Court has ruled.

Casino supplier's loss narrows: The loss in the quarter ended Dec. 31 narrowed to $10.2 million, or 80 cents a share, from $24.7 million, or $2.24, in the year-ago quarter. Sales rose to $31.3 million from $24.2 million, the Las Vegas-based company said in a statement.

News briefs for April 1, 2002: A 21-year-old Massachusetts man entered a plea agreement in connection with the August 2000 stabbing death of a 36-year-old man.

Downtown Las Vegas casino-hotel posts loss: A subsidiary of Majestic Star, a holding company of a Gary, Ind., riverboat, acquired three Fitzgeralds properties out of bankruptcy court in December for $149 million. The properties include the Fitzgeralds in downtown Las Vegas, as well as Fitzgeralds casinos in Tunica, Miss., and Black Hawk, Colo.

UNLV men defeat 30th-ranked Aztecs: The Rebels improved to 9-8 overall, including 8-3 at home, and 2-1 in Mountain West Conference play while the Aztecs dipped to 10-8 and 2-1. SDSU, which was competing without the league's top player, 22nd-ranked Oliver Maiberger, because of a viral infection, was the highest-ranked team to fall to UNLV since No. 18 Oklahoma State on Feb. 24, 2001.

Children's advocates say priests get unfair exemption: Stacy J. Willis; Nevada law has a loophole in its mandatory child-abuse reporting laws that favors Catholic priests, child advocates say.

MASH Village may have been doomed from start: By Timothy Pratt; The eight-year run of MASH Village -- the city's largest provider of shelter and other services to the homeless -- was troubled from the start, say those associated with the nonprofit agency.

Nevada Power weighs options: The plot thickens now that the state Public Utilities Commission has granted Nevada Power Co. slightly more than half of the money it was seeking for energy used last year.

Resorts win Internet litigation: U.S. District Judge Roger Hunt last week ordered a South Korean entity and several Internet casino operators to transfer their domain name "mandalaybaycasino.com" to Mandalay.

Nevada bank cashes in on its Wal-Mart association: Chris Jones; First National Bank of Nevada has grown from a two-branch operation in 1998 to its current 10 locations mostly due to its single owner and partnership with Wal-Mart.

Miner's request to leave power grid denied: The commission denied Toronto-based Barrick's application because Sierra Pacific owns an interest in the generating plant that Barrick contracted with to be its new supplier.

Massage parlors rub LV Council the wrong way: Diana Sahagun; Alarmed by the rapid increase in massage establishments in Las Vegas, the City Council will consider halting all new applications while it drafts new rules to keep the businesses from setting up in residential areas.

Edison Schools' first-year success will decide future: By Emily Richmond; Back in the good old days, as 11-year-old Donald Jacobson likes to think of them, students at Crestwood Elementary School in Las Vegas would have been outside playing at 3:30 p.m., not indoors working on a travel guide to the original 13 colonies. But since Crestwood was taken over by Edison Schools Inc. last fall, things have changed.

Casino publisher posts 2001 profit, looks at alternatives: The company posted a loss of $27,000, or 1 cent per share, in the year-ago quarter. Casino Journal said the profitable year was entirely the result of the sale of its trade shows and several trade magazines to GEM Communications in January 2001.

Investor explains bid for XO: He said he made the offer because the provider of high-speed telecommunications services can't afford to wait while bank lenders weigh a prior offer from XO's biggest shareholder, buyout firm Forstmann Little & Co., together with Telefonos de Mexico SA.

Adelson in 'Net gaming pact: David Strow; The parent company of the Las Vegas Strip's Venetian megaresort is mounting an effort to enter the world of Internet gambling.

Mesquite casinos named in federal complaint: A hearing on the charges is set for June 27.

Court to review reach of three-strikes sentencing laws: Anne Gearan; WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court said today it will use the cases of two petty thieves sentenced to at least 25 years in prison for shoplifting videotapes and stealing golf clubs to decide how far states can go in applying tough three-strikes-and-you're-out sentencing laws.

$30 million shopping center planned for the north Strip: Jennifer Robison; A $30 million retail project is planned for the Strip south of the Hilton Grand Vacations timeshare project, but the shopping center's success may hinge on whether resort projects in the area come to fruition.

Review: No Doubt top of the hop: There was a moment during Saturday night's sold-out show by No Doubt at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel, as lead vocalist Gwen Stefani gripped the microphone and slalomed her way through "Sunday Morning," when the 90-minute experience could be summed up in three words:

Their Own Private Iowa: Iowa Cafe fast becoming a haven for all types of artists: Kimberley McGee; With slumped shoulders, activities director Renee Christy replied that she had already sold out of copies for the weekend night.

Bulldogs take their bite on diamond: Spencer Patterson; Barely a blip on the radar screen when the 2002 prep baseball season opened, the Centennial Bulldogs are suddenly Southern Nevada's hottest team with league play just one week away.

Editorial: Let's help state fight Yucca plan: If 51 senators vote yes on Yucca, it could be all over. Thanks primarily to Sen. Harry Reid, Nevada has a cadre of support, but it will take another 15 or 20 senators voting with him to nail down a sure victory. A bankroll of about $10 million would enable the state to inform people in key states, through advertising, of the dangers associated with nuclear waste rolling or floating through their towns. Maybe people think it's just a truck or two for awhile or maybe they don't think about it at all. That's why they need to be told ...

Bake sale will help with benefit: The race benefits the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. For more information, call Lana Garman at 256-1797.

Trends for April 1, 2002: Lisa Ferguson; We here at Trends trust you've taken part in your fair share of tomfoolery today, seeing as how it's April Fools' Day and all.

UNLV engineering students win awards: Tim Ploeger, an electrical engineering major, and Kwame Coleman and Kyle Kisebach, both mechanical engineering majors, all tied for first place honors.

The drive home won't be a drag for tipsy race fans: The Las Vegas Motor Speedway has partnered with Designated Drivers Inc. to provide safe rides home for those who ask during the races Thursday through Sunday.

Letter: Public housing ruling is absurd: The decision to follow a zero-tolerance approach toward drugs aligns well with the recent statements made about the student fighting drug testing in Oklahoma. Only bullies pick on the elderly and children. Only bigots use epithets like "druggie" and I was shocked to read that a member of the Supreme Court used the term in the student drug-testing case.

Gorman's Watson selected to Parade All-American team: Spencer Patterson; A dream-like senior year got even better for Bishop Gorman's C.J. Watson on Sunday, with the revelation that the star basketball player had earned a spot on Parade Magazine's prestigious High School All-American Team.

Convicted killer, 82, will get 40-year prison sentence: Kim Smith; An 82-year-old Sandy Valley man will be sentenced to 40 years in prison next month after being convicted Friday in the death of his 80-year-old wife.

Rebels sweep Lobos: Victoria Sun; Prior to facing New Mexico, the UNLV baseball team was starving for offense.

Former North Las Vegas Mayor Cleland dies at 81: C.R. "Bud" Cleland, former North Las Vegas mayor and councilman who was a controversial figure during his terms, has died. He was 81.

Man suspected in killing of brother-in-law faces trial: Kim Smith; A Las Vegas man accused of killing his brother-in-law in January will be arraigned later this month on an open murder charge.

Prep schedule: MONDAY

Letter: Homeless tactic deserves praise: Why isn't anyone writing stories about the fact that North Las Vegas, Henderson and Clark County have no shelter space? Why is it that the only shelter space is located in a neighborhood that has a good percentage of families at or below the poverty line? I see (North Las Vegas Councilwoman) Stephanie Smith, (County Commissioner) Erin Kenny and others standing on their soap boxes being critical of Mayor Goodman's plan, but what if the homeless were camped on their sidewalk, near their homes or using their sidewalks for a bathroom. I think they would be singing a different tune. ...

Wal-Mart now world's largest company: Wal-Mart, No. 2 on the list a year ago, traded places with oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp. in the rankings compiled on the basis of companies' annual revenue figures.

Immunization schedule for April 1, 2002: NORTH LAS VEGAS PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 1820 E. Lake Mead Blvd., Suite F, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Obituaries for April 1, 2002: Sonia Bernstein, 82, of Las Vegas died Saturday in Henderson. She was born Feb. 19, 1920, in New York City. A resident for 31 years, she was a retail sales manager.

Rebels spring into action on backup field: Steve Guiremand; UNLV head coach John Robinson said he wants his squad to focus on fundamentals and details when spring football practice begins on Tuesday afternnoon.

Editorial: Downtown housing is just the ticket: The city-assisted, 320-unit Campaige Place opened in 2000 and has consistently experienced an occupancy rate of about 90 percent. The success of this apartment complex showed the way, and we hope City Center Apartments will inspire more downtown housing. With the Neonopolis urban entertainment center on the verge of opening, and with more retail outlets downtown, people now have an incentive to work there. Housing will give them an opportunity to live there. The combination sounds like the surest way to move toward the goal that Mayor Oscar Goodman has been working toward for the past three years -- an ...

Wetlands blaze a sign of very dry winter: The first wildfire of the year, burning more than 200 acres in the Las Vegas Wash Friday and Saturday, left fire officials worried that this will be a long, hot season.

Letter: Lifetime tenure of justices is a supreme error: The internal politics behind rulings by the high court are skewed by the personal philosophies and experience of the judges, which are indirectly and sometimes not at all related to the Constitution.

Birth announcements for April 1, 2002: Feb. 12:

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Santa Anita looking for a few good horses: Ralph Siraco; Over the last decade, there has been no Kentucky Derby prep race more productive than the Santa Anita Derby.