Print edition for April 18, 2002

Business briefs for April 18, 2002: NEW YORK -- Saying companies spent less on its computer equipment and services, technology giant IBM Corp. reported a 31 percent drop in first-quarter earnings, in line with the reduced expectations it laid out last week in a rare earnings warning.

Metro's homeless team adds members: Keith Paul; Metro Police increased the number of HELP Team officers assigned to assist and police the homeless population, but some homeless advocates say the team's reputation was harmed during last month's sweep of a downtown encampment.

Wynn had talks with Binion: David Strow; Casino moguls Steve Wynn and Jack Binion have discussed a potential merger of their companies or other business combination, sources told the Las Vegas Sun Wednesday.

Binion's owner denies casino in financial straits: David Strow; Speculation that Binion's Horseshoe is in deep financial trouble has been rife in Las Vegas, particularly after the downtown casino lost a round in a $1.9 million battle with the Fremont Street Experience.

Little fish in big pond: Spencer Patterson; The cases in Boulder City High's gymnasium are filled with Class 2A and 3A championship trophies. But next month, the school will get the chance to do something quite rare -- topple the big boys.

Threat seen for Senior Rx plan: CARSON CITY -- Nevada's free insurance program providing prescription drugs to low-income senior citizens may be headed for financial trouble, Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley said.

Columnist Spencer Patterson: Meaningful games may be on horizon in baseball: Spencer Patterson; In the major leagues, teams play 30-40 spring training games to prepare for the 162 that count.

Durango Air Force JROTC marches off with championship: Dick Benoit; Durango High School's Air Force Junior ROTC unit marched off with the overall trophy, and Palo Verde High School freshman Dominique Lee became that school's first-ever Air Force JROTC winner during the Clark County School District's JROTC Drill and Color Guard Championships at Cashman Center Thursday.

Community briefs for April 18, 2002: SAFE House of Henderson, a domestic violence organization, presents "An Evening of Peace," an awards dinner and silent auction at 6 p.m. Saturday at Reflection Bay Golf Club at Lake Las Vegas Resort.

Letter: Let's hear it for our song: I am a native of Las Vegas, born and raised here for 78 years. When I went to the "Old Fifth Street" grammar school we always sang the song (but Colorado River replaced Truckee River).

Man sentenced in store arson: Troy Sampson, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James Mahan Monday for the Nov. 14, 2000, arson at the Golden Market, 1735 N. Nellis Blvd.

Letter: Nevada Power acted to keep the lights on: It is difficult to imagine what kind of business model the Sun editorial writer thinks Nevada Power is using.

Lawmaker sees credibility gap in disabled care: CARSON CITY -- The chairwoman of a legislative study committee on the disabled says a credibility gap exists between the testimony of government agencies and those in the handicapped community.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Another voice for Syria: Four years ago I was told by several Middle East Arabs that all the Hezbollah, or Party of God, wanted was for Israel to abandon the security zone it had created in Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak did exactly that two years later, and the Hezbollah pushed right on down to the border of Israel where today they fire more rockets and mortars into that country's farms and villages. So much for the promise of peace for land.

Judge boosts bail after seeing video of man with teen: Kim Smith; A Las Vegas judge, after watching a videotape prosecutors allege shows a man sexually assaulting a 14-year-old relative, increased the bail for the man accused of raping several women.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Laughter still proving to be the best medicine: Joe Delaney; George Burns made it to age 100 ... If it were not for a fall that forced him to cancel his Caesars Palace commitment, Burns might still be with us ... Bob Hope is still with us at age 98 ... Milton Berle took his final Friars Club bows a few weeks ago at 93 ... Jack Benny was 80 and Red Skelton, 84, when they left us in 1974 and 1997, respectively.

Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Program strives for tough love: Ruthe Deskin; Robert Jacobson of Las Vegas has a daughter, Saundra, affiliated with a remarkable program called Second Chance/STRIVE, whose purpose is to assist the unemployed and homeless in getting back on their feet and find jobs they can keep and succeed at.

Editorial: County hits home run, city whiffs: The city of Las Vegas, however, showed none of that leadership at its meeting on Wednesday. Mayor Oscar Goodman is quick to talk tough about Yucca Mountain. He says he will file a racketeering lawsuit against the Department of Energy. He says nuclear waste trucks crossing his border will be met by city marshals and that he will personally arrest the first driver. He calls DOE Secretary Spencer Abraham "a piece of garbage." Dozens of other mayors have gotten earfuls of his rhetoric. But what happened during the City Council meeting Wednesday, during the state's most perilous time of need? ...

Mothers of victim, killer share their grief in court: Kim Smith; As the two sobbing women took their turns on the witness stand to pour out their grief, 19-year-old Ricardo Macias stood in the jury box, his head bowed.

DeYoung sailing away with his solo career: Kirk Baird; When it comes to talking about his former bandmates in Styx, Dennis DeYoung is taking the high road.

Murder suspect receives bail but held on immigration charge: Kim Smith; A Las Vegas man accused of killing his wife in December 2000 has posted $350,000 bail, but he won't be getting out of jail anytime soon.

Sun Athletes of the Week: Micah Schnurstein and April Keith: School: Basic

Editorial: Free speech rights upheld by high court: Kennedy noted that even contemporary movies based on great works of literature, such as Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," would run afoul of this law because minors are depicted as having sex. Government runs into trouble -- and infringes on the First Amendment -- when it seeks to regulate or ban ideas. But defense of free speech shouldn't be confused with defense of child pornography. Those laws dealing with actual, illegal acts of child pornography aren't affected by the court's decision and they should be aggressively enforced by prosecutors. What becomes indefensible, as Kennedy reasoned, are efforts to control thought: "The ...

Letter: Grieving family hurt by column: Since, as she said, this is a "delicate" matter, she should not have handled it "indelicately." I, too, am a writer, and would never dream of writing about something so sensitive and potentially damaging. Her column made me cry.

Catching Up With: Randy Creighton: Where he is now: Pepperdine

Columnist Dean Juipe: Unbeaten Calzaghe whales away in Wales: Dean Juipe; Boxing fans in the United States are reliant on television to provide a look at one of the sport's supposed stars, Joe Calzaghe.

False Start: Author, experts examine the 'starter marriage' trend: Lisa Ferguson; She was sure they'd be happy, that they'd be together forever. "I always thought I'd be married one time and that was it," Neal, now 28, says, "and I'm sad to say that didn't happen."

Arum: Floyd remains focused: Dean Juipe; A day after a Las Vegas attorney accused Floyd Mayweather Jr. of being involved in "hundreds" of incidents reported to the Metropolitan Police Department, promoter Bob Arum said he felt the fighter was focused and prepared for his Saturday bout with Jose Luis Castillo at the MGM Grand Garden.

Prep golf standings: CLASS 4A

Ralph Siraco's selections for Friday's races at Santa Anita: 1st Race -- RE ECHO - Part of Harrington-owned & trained coupled entry with Cintegrity, McCarron here, Espinoza there, double opener threat. DIVINE SPIRIT - Flores scales Baffert trainee, needs to be quick from the blocks from rail post in sprint claimer, respect connections. Value Play -- CRUISIN MAN

Weber's computer offers little help: Police also searched the Shady Acres trailer park on Main Street near Washington Avenue Wednesday looking for Weber but didn't find him. Weber lived at the trailer park, which his family at one time managed.

Cold, winds to continue: Cold temperatures and windy conditions are expected to continue through Friday as another storm system threatened to bring snow showers to Mount Charleston by the end of the week, the National Weather Service said.

City searches for new MASH operator: Diana Sahagun; The city of Las Vegas will look for a new operator to run MASH Village, which could result in more services being offered for the mentally ill homeless population.

City's search for new MASH operator: Diana Sahagun; The city of Las Vegas will look for a new operator to run MASH Village, which could result in more services being offered for the mentally ill homeless population.

Property of the WNBA: Steve Guiremand; WNBA salaries

$700 million should be spent on streets, consultant says: The City Council accepted the report unanimously.

Las Vegas council briefs for April 18, 2002: The council next month is expected to decide how to fill the shoes of outgoing City Manager Virginia Valentine.

Sun Softball Top 10: Sun Softball Top 10

Hispanics speak out during fed tour stop at Rancho High: By Emily Richmond; Education Secretary Rod Paige descended on North Las Vegas Wednesday to plug sweeping education reforms for minorities, and ended up getting an earful from students, parents and community leaders about some of the harsher realities of Las Vegas Valley life for Hispanics.

Former officer takes deal; kidnap charges dropped: Kim Smith; Moments before the woman he allegedly assaulted was to take the stand, former North Las Vegas police officer Williams Brooks entered a plea agreement with prosecutors Wednesday.

UNLV women drop to 18th in rankings: It marks the fifth straight week UNLV has placed in the nation's top 20, which breaks the school record of four set in 1997.

Guilty plea made in hacking: Christopher Scott Sandusky, 35, will be sentenced Aug. 2 and is facing up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 on each of three counts of unauthorized access to a protected computer.

Adult basketball sign-ups: Adult basketball sign-ups

Handed two life sentences, killer says he was framed: Kim Smith; A Las Vegas man convicted of using a box cutter to slit the throat of an elderly polio victim was sentenced to two no-parole life terms Wednesday, but not before accusing prosecutors of framing him.

Tax task force urged to 'tweak' state budget: Erin Neff; A panel studying the state's tax problems was told the crisis could be easily "tweaked" each year at budget time.

City to dress up wall around Bonanza Village neighborhood: Diana Sahagun; After fighting with the city of Las Vegas for more than three years over a $1.13 million security wall built around Bonanza Village, residents say they are satisfied with the council's decision to enhance the project.

Prep softball standings: CLASS 4A

Local news briefs for April 18, 2002: Metro Police are investigating the slaying of a man found shot to death in the back seat of a red Plymouth Breeze about 10:15 a.m. Wednesday.

Rebels roll to 16-2 win over Southern Utah: UNLV hit three home runs in the opening inning and jumped out to an 10-0 lead before the Thunderbirds scored.

Industry reacts to Sprint's rate hike: Four telecommunications companies, including one that competes with dominant local telephone provider Sprint Corp., have filed testimony with Nevada regulators commenting on Sprint's proposed $90 million rate increase.

Feds seize Culinary local in N.J.: Amy Westfeldt; NEWARK, N.J. -- A judge appointed a monitor to run a union of hotel and restaurant employees Wednesday after prosecutors charged the local had long been linked to organized crime.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Foreign legion outnumbers UNLV locals: That UNLV has come to feature/depend on foreign-born athletes, especially within its non-revenue sports, is hardly news -- a 1998 story in the Sun listed 43 foreign-born athletes on its various rosters, compared to 45 today. But it should raise the question (again) of whether that's the right recruiting approach.

Las Vegas 'Boo Ga Loo' Halloween parade proposed: If a Reno promoter is allowed to put on a Halloween parade on the Las Vegas Strip, he may have to do it under the glare of the morning sun.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Force achieves 100-win goal; now it's kids' time: The euphoria that John Force experienced Sunday following his 100th career NHRA victory had given way to introspection by Wednesday afternoon.

Prep volleyball standings: CLASS 4A

Ex-airport workers accept plea bargains: Jace Radke; The last of 21 former McCarran International Airport employees nabbed in a January security sweep pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court to misdemeanor charges of using counterfeit Social Security cards.

More NTS survivors to receive compensation: A National Nuclear Security Administration official handling claims for former Nevada Test Site workers and their families said he has no idea how many new claims will result from changes to work-related illness compensation.

Local sports calendar: THURSDAY

Columnist Paula Del Guidice: Deadline nears for big game license: The Nevada Division of Wildlife would like to remind hunters that the application deadline for Nevada big game hunts is rapidly approaching. Applications must be received either through an authorized mail service or entered online by 5 p.m. April 22. Any applications received after the 5 p.m. deadline will not be included in the computer drawings.

Wednesday's prep results: Palo Verde 203, Bonanza 210

Sun Baseball Top 10: Sun Baseball Top 10

Goodman eyes Utah meeting in Yucca fight: Diana Sahagun and Mary Manning; Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman could take the city's fight against Yucca Mountain to Salt Lake City, hoping to persuade officials there to side with the state of Nevada.

DNA mixup found, rape cases dropped: Kim Smith; Charges have been dismissed against a Las Vegas man accused of sexual assault after it was discovered that clerical errors occurred in Metro Police's forensic lab.

Obituaries for April 18, 2002: Juan Jose Galarraga Basurto, 63, of Las Vegas died Tuesday in a local hospice. He was born May 2, 1938, in Andoain, Spain. A resident for one year, he was a retired Merchant Marine.

Prep baseball standings: CLASS 4A

Water clean-up working: Southern California and Southern Nevada officials are optimistic that an industrial system will remove large amounts of perchlorate entering Lake Mead, the drinking water source for Nevada, California and Arizona.

Vegas, Nevada unemployment declines as economy picks up: The state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation today reported 59,900 Nevadans were jobless in March, a reduction of 6,200 from February. The 5.8 percent compares to 6.1 percent in February.

Firm completes Australia sale: Park Place sold half of its equity stake in Jupiters Ltd. back to the company, and sold the remainder of its shares to a group of institutional investors. Jupiters owns two Australian casinos managed by Park Place. Park Place will continue to manage these casinos despite the Jupiters sale.

Security chief ties detective to method of lounge holdup: Kim Smith; A Metro Police detective charged with robbery may have learned his technique on the job, a grand jury was told.

Arizona Senate backs public vote on gambling: Already passed by the House, the measure, a resolution that would go on the November ballot, now returns for consideration of a change made by the Senate.

Local briefs for April 18, 2002: Metro Police are investigating the slaying of a man found shot to death in the back seat of a red Plymouth Breeze about 10:15 a.m. Wednesday.

Republicans delay governor's casino plan: On a 4-4 vote, the committee refused to designate the bill (SB1001) proper for consideration by the full Senate even though staff attorneys said it is constitutional. Without a majority, the bill failed.

Southwest only airline to earn profit: David Koenig; DALLAS -- Southwest Airlines, the No. 1 carrier of gamblers to Las Vegas, said today it managed to remain the only profitable major carrier after last year's recession and terrorist attacks.

New public defender expands role of office: Adrienne Packer; Candidates who scrambled for the high-paying Clark County public defender's position last year cited the low volume of cases taken to trial and vowed to improve the office's track record.

Congress opens Yucca Mountain debate: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON --Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham told a congressional panel today that his department could begin shipping nuclear waste to Nevada by 2010 if Congress approves the Yucca Mountain repository based on "overwhelming scientific evidence."

Court rejects plea of casino vendor: CARSON CITY -- In a 4-3 decision, the Nevada Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to grant another exemption to the rule that civil suits must be brought to trial within five years or they will be dismissed.