Print edition for April 2, 2002

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: A short trip around town: A mutual friend tells me that the owner of the building is moving slowly or not at all to finish the necessary construction work. How about getting with it, fella. There are large numbers of Las Vegans waiting for the doors to open.

Letter: Zero tolerance not the answer: The zero tolerance law requires that entire families be evicted from public housing if anyone, even a guest, uses drugs. The youthful indiscretions of a rebellious teenager could result in homelessness for an entire family.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Spinning a yarn about famous doll: Think they're sniping at each other?

Editorial: Time will tell with Edison: A year ago, the Clark County School Board approved a $30 million contract with Edison to manage six elementary schools and one middle school. The approval was preceded by heated debates and many opponents remain vocal, questioning why we would put the educational futures of our children into the hands of people seeking to make a profit, people who configure curriculum and teaching methods uniformly throughout the nation. It's a good question and one that needs a documented answer. Edison classroom instruction is an hour longer than at regular public schools, teachers have been specially trained in the needs of ...

Muscled out: Camaro owners lament sports car's demise: But to Bob Ishibashi, it's a family car.

Letter: Ensign, Reid should deliver on Yucca Mountain: The numbers are fairly simple. Reid needs to persuade 36 fellow Democrats, which he has done in the past. Ensign needs to sway 15 fellow Republicans. Reid can deliver his share of the vote, and Ensign needs to come through. I feel like some of the stuff I've read in the paper is counterproductive political face-saving.

'Di Palma Forum' to tackle death penalty, cloning: Celebrity panelists will discuss the death penalty and human cloning on "The Di Palma Forum at UNLV," airing at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on KLVX Channel 10 (PBS).

Editorial: Shelter is closing; opportunity knocks: The MASH Village era provided the Las Vegas Valley with an invaluable lesson -- there needs to be leadership that will survive changes in political administrations. There is an opportunity now to begin again the task of building a comprehensive program. This time, local governments might want to appoint a homeless coordinator. The person in this position would have the challenging task of inspiring cooperation among all homeless shelters and agencies that work in this field. With MASH, other organizations built up resentment because at first this new kid on the block received funding that dwarfed their budgets. Now that ...

Community briefs for April 2, 2002: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking volunteers from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge to plant trees.

Monday's prep results: BASEBALL

Veterans center damage probed: Jace Radke; Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., was expected today to call for a full-service veterans hospital after learning of structural damage at the Addeliar D. Guy III Ambulatory Care Clinic.

Obituaries for April 2, 2002: Truman A. Barstow, 84, of Las Vegas died Saturday in Las Vegas. He was born Aug. 19, 1917, in Torrington, Conn. A resident for four years, he was a retired Navy captain, World War II veteran and a member of the Masons.

FAA to test new routes for planes: Passenger planes above Las Vegas will soon start flying new routes.

Court briefs for April 2, 2002: The parents of a 16-year-old boy killed in a traffic accident have sued the driver of the vehicle he was in and the driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash.

Inquest to probe officers in man's homicide: Keith Paul; Three Metro Police officers face a coroner's inquest after a medical examiner ruled the February death of a 46-year-old man who died in a struggle with them was a homicide.

Nuke lobby funds will be hard to match: Erin Neff; Faced with fighting an industry that put $25 million into lobbying efforts the last time Yucca Mountain issues came to Congress, Nevada leaders are finding it difficult to raise the money to stop the proposed nuclear waste dump.

Casino operator sues Internet operators: The defendants, in a U.S. District Court lawsuit, were accused of registering and linking the domain names "mgmclubcasino.com," "northamericassportsbook.com," "mickcasino.com" and "gamblerspalacecasino.com" to their online casino.

Letter: Trail users have chance to act: Now, the people who use those trails have an opportunity to stop a move to block a key portion of that trail leading to Red Rock Canyon. But they have to attend a meeting at Mountain Crest Service Center on April 15.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Summit would boost men's team: Wake up Washington, West Virginia, Oregon State, and any other State, Tech, and/or A&M still looking for a basketball coach.

Project to open without bowling center: Diana Sahagun; Moviegoers checking out the grand opening of Neonopolis in exactly 30 days could catch the big "Spider-man" flick or "Star Wars: Episode II" in downtown Las Vegas.

One power rate will fit all residents: New residential electricity rates that took effect Monday for the coming year will result in smaller increases for consumers who use the most energy but higher rates for those who use the least.

It's no joke: Valentine quits as city manager: Diana Sahagun; She helped lead the city of Las Vegas into a new millennium and had promised to continue until the end of the mayor's first term, but City Manager Virginia Valentine has decided to leave government to devote more time to her family.

Ralph Siraco's Santa Anita selections: 1st Race -- Souvenir Crown - Nakatani atop Lynch trainee for owner Golden Eagle Farm, trainer gets a shot with top stable, should be ready to roll. Vermont's Finest - Hustling Pedroza on Mayberry trainee, connections are good with babies, Finest for a short two-furlong dash? Value Play -- Bartok's Belle

PR exec found to have concealed assets: Malcolm Hall; Denny Weddle, a longtime Las Vegas public relations executive who filed for bankruptcy in March 2000, has appealed a court judgment that found he concealed assets from creditors.

MGM MIRAGE unveils multi-casino players card: David Strow; Joining its competitors on the Las Vegas Strip, MGM MIRAGE announced this morning it has launched a multi-property players card that will eventually link eight of the company's properties.

Reeling stock prices could spell doom for Nevada Power's future: Wall Street analysts issued harsh warnings for shareholders of Sierra Pacific Resources of Reno after the stock of the Nevada Power Co. parent fell to record lows.

Letter: Environment prelude to power: Back in the 1930s and '40s similar political parties then prevalent proudly called themselves Socalists and Fascists as they took over the power in Germany and Italy. The enviros' aim is the same as their predecessors: government control over the private sector of our nation. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is probably a duck. I find it very scary.

2002 Las Vegas 51s' schedule: 2002 Las Vegas 51s' schedule

Columnist Dean Juipe: Voy, Steward are amateurs' guiding hands: Dean Juipe; The purpose of amateur boxing in this country isn't to provide a steady stream of athletes for the pros, or, for that matter, even to win international acclaim. Rather, it is, as USA Boxing president Dr. Robert Voy says, to "learn self-reliance and defensive skills while instilling the value of good citizenship."

Remote smog tests to be done in traffic: Thousands of area drivers will get a free smog check on their cars this week, courtesy of the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles.

UL opens LV office: John Lechowicz, a safety engineer with UL for more than 20 years, is managing the one-person office, becoming the first permanently assigned UL employee in Southern Nevada.

Union protests at Vegas timeshare job: More than 50 union supporters protested Friday at the Cancun, which will be one of Las Vegas' largest timeshares, with 917 suites, said Dan O'Shea, local 1977's senior organizer and business representative.

Local group urged for MASH operation: By Timothy Pratt; The city of Las Vegas should seek a local organization that is already working with the homeless to take over MASH Village when its present backers leave in October, a broad-based group of agencies that work with the homeless said Monday.

UNLV baseball KOs Sun Devils: Reliever Ben Scheinbaum (2-0) earned the win for UNLV, giving up one run on one hit in two innings. Starter David Seccombe pitched five innings, but left the game with a 5-4 deficit. He gave up four earned runs on seven hits with six strikeouts.

Governor works on doctors' insurance extension: By Emily Richmond; Gov. Kenny Guinn said Monday he has reached a verbal agreement with the largest insurer of Nevada's physicians to extend coverage through the end of the month, allowing doctors to practice until the state's medical malpractice insurance plan kicks in April 15.

Injury claims hiking firms' costs: Chris Jones; Nevada's workers' compensation insurance advisor has issued a recommendation that could lead to increases in insurance premiums paid by Nevada businesses.

National Golf discloses terms of merger with American Golf: SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- National Golf Properties Inc. on Monday disclosed terms of a previously announced merger with its primary tenant, American Golf Corp., and said it has extended a forbearance agreement with certain lenders for another month.

Trainer Steward takes on key role in amateur boxing: Dean Juipe; It didn't require any prodding to get Emanuel Steward to accept the challenge of becoming the National Director of Coaching for USA Boxing.

Books reap success from low-scoring game: Victoria Sun; Before the NCAA men's basketball tournament started, the odds on Indiana to win the national championship at the Imperial Palace were 100-1.

News briefs for April 2, 2002: A Henderson teenager was killed Monday afternoon when he drove a jeep off a 50-foot drop and into a culvert.

Increase in traffic doesn't help visitation: The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which monitors visitor traffic to Laughlin, said visits fell to 358,652 from 383,993 in January 2001.

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

LV properties in timeshare deal: Both companies have Las Vegas properties.

IRS reminds gamblers to report winnings: Gambling income includes winnings from lotteries, raffles, horse and dog races and casinos, as well as the fair market value of prizes such as cars, houses, trips or other noncash prizes.

Businesses unite in wilderness coalition: Environmentalists have signed up more than 100 companies to support their effort to increase the amount of federally protected "wilderness" areas in Clark County.

Contractor reports loss: The Phoenix-based heavy construction contractor, which does a lot of business in Las Vegas, said its revenue was $40.6 million in the fourth quarter, up from $35.2 million from the fourth quarter of 2000. For the fourth quarter of 2000, the loss was $1.8 million, or 51 cents per share.

Jackpot climbs: Players line up as Megabucks hits $17 mil.: The Megabucks jackpot climbed above $17 million on Monday as players stepped up to drop dollars into their favorite machines throughout Las Vegas.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Cup drivers complain about Texas Speedway: Since its opening in 1997, Texas Motor Speedway has been at the center of controversy on more than one occasion.

Move to recall Guinn filed: CARSON CITY -- Carlo Poliak, a perennial candidate for public office, will need to gather the signatures of 88,223 registered voters in the next 90 days in order to force a recall election for Gov. Kenny Guinn.