Print edition for April 3, 2002

Mas Des Aveylans '00 Syrah: Available at Marche Bacchus, $12.99.

Community briefs for April 3, 2002: Harmon Medical Center, 150 E. Harmon Ave., will hold its free Spring Health Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Coffee options brewing in Las Vegas: Max Jacobson; Jitters Gourmet Coffee, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Seattle's Best Coffee and the ubiquitous Starbucks are among those providing the action locally, with such new companies as It's A Grind, headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., trying to edge in.

Letter: Public utility would serve citizens' needs: Now it seems Nevada Power must choose between bankruptcy and an appeal through District Court. The appeal would presumably be based on the premise that the utility did not make imprudent decisions and requires the additional money to continue providing power, thus preventing power blackouts.

Some requests to be ignored as city tightens budget: Diana Sahagun; Last year's consolidated tax shift has continued to chip away at revenues in Las Vegas, leaving the city with a bare-bones budget forecast for the upcoming fiscal year.

Editorial: Nevada shouldn't let up now: Nevada's congressional delegation and state leaders want to counter the years of deceptive lobbying in which the industry has falsely claimed that the transportation and burial of nuclear waste was safe. So Nevada's current U.S. senators, Reid and John Ensign, asked Gov. Kenny Guinn to call a special session of the Legislature to allocate $10 million for television advertising and a grass-roots campaign. The media blitz would seek to generate public opposition to the Yucca Mountain project in order to increase the pressure on senators from states through which the waste would travel on its way to Nevada.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Montblanc more than just pens: A recent catalog showed many more new items, including wonderful things for women. Until now, most Montblanc pens were not sized for females.

To air is human: Despite steady growth, KNPR still belongs to the community: Kirk Baird; Offering a mixture of classical music and National Public Radio (NPR) programming news shows "All Things Considered," "Marketwatch" as well as the popular "Car Talk" and "Prairie Home Companion," among others for more than 22 years KNPR has survived in a town were high culture is often swept away by the desert wind.

County briefs for April 3, 2002: In an attempt to strip controversy from McCarran International Airport land swaps, Clark County commissioners agreed Tuesday to hire a real estate consulting service to assist with the process.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: It's a wrap for Las Vegas Philharmonic's soiree series: Elizabeth Foyt; Perfectly staged in the lush grounds of the Gales' hacienda-styled home, the evening featured classical guitarist Ricardo Cobo. With Cobo was violinist De Ann Letourneau, concertmaster for the philharmonic and adjunct faculty member at Community College of Southern Nevada, as well as the sensual tango dancers Sandor and Parissa.

Editorial: Monorail must not ignore downtown: Happily, the controversy has now died down and the downtown connection appears to have gained general acceptance. A public hearing last week drew only a few people and they seemed agreeable to some short-term setbacks in exchange for the long-term gain. The gain, of course, will be in the numbers of Strip tourists who will find it fun and convenient to visit downtown while they are here. It is inconceivable to us that a monorail could be built that would leave out downtown. We hope the planning for a downtown leg can now move full steam ahead.

Obituaries for April 3, 2002: Dorothy Carman, 77, of Las Vegas died Thursday in Las Vegas. She was born July 16, 1924, in the Bronx, N.Y. A resident for 20 years, she was a baker for New York City public schools.

Indie film festival kicks off at Brenden Theatres: The festival runs through April 10.

Poll by GOP raises Herrera ethics issues: The survey, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies in mid-March, showed the first double-digit lead for Republican state Sen. Jon Porter in his bid for Nevada's 3rd Congressional District.

Museum intrigues kids in school program: By Emily Richmond; David Martinez of North Las Vegas knew what he liked -- the painting of a green man with a violin, dancing.

Letter: Use tax cut for drug benefit: His bill would postpone the tax cut for the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans who don't need it, and use this money for a prescription drug benefit, which is much needed.

Letter: Don't rob us of magical moments: How fortunate we are that Mr. Moore was born at a time that killing unborn children was not as prevalent as today. If his mother had killed him to "spare him future problems" because of his deformed left foot, we would have missed many magical moments.

Demand for power-bill help rises: CARSON CITY -- As electric and natural gas bills rise, so has the number of residents seeking state help paying their utility bills.

Funds sought to promote math for girls: By Emily Richmond; Clark County School District officials will seek $850,000 in federal funds to encourage more girls to enroll in math and science classes and raise the test scores of those who do.

Columnist Victoria Sun: Summer league hopes to fill niche: Victoria Sun; For years Fred Gallegos was frustrated because he felt he didn't have enough options when it came to competing against other golfers and playing different courses.

Public can comment on paratransit plans: About a dozen people turned out to a meeting of the Regional Transportation Commission to express their concern with a proposal to reduce service or charge more for bus service for disabled people.

Senior Rx waiting list grows: CARSON CITY -- A waiting list has grown to more than 600 senior citizens who want to enroll in the state's low-cost prescription drug insurance program for the elderly.

Police say man videotaped sex assaults on women, teen: Kim Smith; Bail was set at $410,000 this morning for a 37-year-old Las Vegas man charged with repeatedly raping two prostitutes and a 14-year-old girl and videotaping the acts.

News briefs for April 3, 2002: Metro Police's fugitive unit Monday arrested a man wanted by several other police agencies and who had assumed the identity of another person.

Herrera misses debate with Porter: Erin Neff; Billed as The Great Debate, the first showdown between the leading candidates for Nevada's new congressional district, turned out to be a big disappointment thanks to a no-show by Democrat Dario Herrera.

Rural Northern Mississippi transformed by gambling: Woody Baird; TUNICA, Miss. -- Ten years ago, if outsiders even gave it a thought at all, they knew this rural stretch of Northern Mississippi only for the blues and its reputation as one of the nation's most chronically depressed places.

Man accused in shooting of girl, 8, takes plea bargain: Kim Smith; The last of three men accused of shooting an 8-year-old girl in December has entered a plea agreement.

Firefighters douse hot spots: Two or three small flareups occurred behind Sam Boyd Stadium at the east end of Russell Road, Leinbach said.

Fire destroys Lotus awaiting auction: Keith Paul; The carburetor in a 1978 Lotus sparked a fire in the Imperial Palace parking garage Tuesday morning that destroyed the car and damaged a nearby Rolls-Royce and a Porsche.

Campus paper criticized for lampoon edition: Jennifer Knight; The misspelled headline read, "Alter Boy Chooses Favorite Molester."

Man sought in sexual assault: He is described as Hispanic, in his 40s, 5 feet 3 inches tall and about 165 pounds. He is balding with brown hair and speaks with a Spanish accent, police said.

Slots to feature Martindale: Mikohn Gaming Corp. plans to unveil its "Wink's Survey of America" game featuring Martindale as a master of ceremonies at the Global Gaming Expo in the fall. The company is telling investors the game will then be presented to regulators and is expected to be distributed in first quarter 2003. It hasn't been determined where games will be available.

Power line upgrade proceeding; FERC mediating dispute: Malcolm Hall; The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada on Friday gave a conditional go ahead for construction of power lines to connect three new power plants to the Southern Nevada electric grid about 25 miles northeast of Las Vegas at the Apex Industrial Park.

Ralph Siraco's Santa Anita selections: 1st Race -- Timely Toss - Part of Dutton co-owned & Dutton-trained coupled entry with Flyindownbaylaurel, Enriquez here, Desormeaux there, double dash threat. Fresh And Sassy - P. Val on Machowsky trainee, draws good post for short two-furlong maiden run, Fresh, Sassy And ready? Value Play -- My Amore

Yucca funding debate bogs down: Adrienne Packer; Territorial politics crept into the state's fight against the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository as Clark County commissioners Tuesday withheld a decision to contribute an additional $3 million to fund the campaign against the dump.

Judge tells Aladdin to work with its creditors: David Strow; A federal bankruptcy judge said Tuesday he was willing to let attorneys for the Aladdin hotel-casino proceed with their plans to find a buyer for the bankrupt Strip property.

More money sought for jail projects: Adrienne Packer; Clark County Manager Thom Reilly delivered grim news to commissioners Tuesday when he requested $30 million to cover budget overruns at the Regional Justice Center and Detention Center expansion.

Changes for auto smog testing proposed: Clark County and Regional Transportation Commission officials want drivers to make fewer trips to get their cars tested for smog, but to pay more each time.

IGT stock tumbles on downgrade: David Strow; Shares of International Game Technology tumbled as much as 8 percent this morning after an analyst downgraded the stock and a racetrack slots bill died in Kentucky.

Dodgers off the air in Las Vegas: Victoria Sun; Short of driving roughly 300 miles to Dodger Stadium or cruising past the Nevada state line to listen to Vin Scully, Ross Porter and Rick Monday call Los Angeles Dodgers games on the radio, Southern Nevada Dodgers fans will have every reason to feel blue this season.

W.Va. operator posts loss: MTR Gaming Group Inc. of Chester, W.Va., reported a loss of $644,000, or 2 cents per share. In the year-ago period, the company reported net income of $2.4 million, or 9 cents per share.

Slam triumphs: Slam triumphs

Legends ready to race on The Strip: Two of drag racing's living legends will take center stage this weekend when the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series returns to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the third annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals.

FDIC OKs bank merger: John Gaynor, president of Bank of Nevada, said the deal must still be approved by stockholders of both banks during their scheduled April 17 meetings. He expects such approval, however, and said the deal should be finalized around May 1.

Ex-Nye official pleads guilty to lesser charges: Robert Dyer, 60, faces a maximum possible sentence of 15 years in prison when Senior Clark County District Judge Joseph Pavlikowski sentences him June 14.

Rebel women to host UNLV Desert Classic: Cal State Dominguez Hills, San Diego State and Southern Utah will field teams along with the Rebels at the two-day meet. UNLV has competed in three consecutive home hosted invitationals and will look to finish strong in its final home meet of the season.

Kimbrough has eye on the gold: Dean Juipe; USA Boxing is looking for some big hitters to alleviate America's gold-medal drought, and Verquan Kimbrough would like to oblige.

Henderson firm succumbs to post-Sept. 11 slowdown: Certified Airline Passenger Services, a Henderson company devastated by new government policies ordered after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, is giving up on its two-year-old passenger check-in and baggage delivery business and is liquidating the company.

Tuesday's prep results: BASEBALL

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

Stratosphere cash flow up: David Strow; The Stratosphere's new 1,000-room hotel tower led to a 5 percent increase in revenues for the quarter ended Dec. 31, despite a downturn at the Las Vegas Strip property caused by Sept. 11.

Steakhouse chain to be sold: The company, which operates a chain of casual-dining restaurants, said it entered a non-binding letter of intent to sell its common stock for $20.50 a share. The offer is a 3.6 percent premium to Lone Star's 30-day average stock trading price of $19.78 a share.

Academic honors: UNLV soccer: UNLV women soccer players named to the Academic All-Mountain West Team:

Insurers scrutinize owners of dangerous dogs: Chris Jones; Insurers are paying more attention to the nation's dog owners, some of whom could find themselves without homeowners' insurance coverage if they own dangerous dogs, an industry executive said Tuesday.

Veterans clinic to close for structural repairs: Jace Radke; Cracked concrete around supports and pillars greets Gilbert Rivero when he visits the Addeliar D. Guy III Ambulatory Care Clinic to get his prescription filled for his ailing knee.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Tony Stewart won't make return visit to Indy 500: It now looks as if Robby Gordon will be the only driver who will attempt to compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and the NASCAR Winston Cup Coca-Cola 600 on May 26.

Columnist Dean Juipe: U.S. needs to see some Olympic gold: Dean Juipe; Yes, Americans are sore losers when it comes to Olympic boxing. If the U.S. can't beat 'em, it's not inclined to join 'em.

Columnist Peter Benton: LVCC holds annual men's member guest: Peter Benton; Beautiful weather and a course in pristine shape greeted a large field of golfers who gathered at the Las Vegas Country Club last week for their annual Men's Member Guest Tournament.

'Eastern Beltway' is rerouted to the scrap pile: Tuesday morning, the Nevada Department of Transportation was recommending studying a proposal to build an "Eastern Beltway," extending the Las Vegas Beltway through communities in the eastern Las Vegas Valley.