Print edition for April 24, 2002

New vets home comes under fire: Jace Radke; The long-delayed Southern Nevada Veterans Nursing Home in Boulder City is scheduled to open in July, but some are wondering if the facility will meet veterans' needs.

Business briefs for April 24, 2002: SEATTLE -- The old-economy standbys of cutting prices and offering freebies have been paying off for Internet retailer Amazon.com.

51s charge into PCL division lead with another win: Steve Addy; The 51s have charged to the front of the 16-team Pacific Coast League, and their performance Tuesday night was especially befitting their new status.

Not your average Joe: Steve Guiremand; Joe Haro had the fourth-highest season rushing total in UNLV history when he gained 1,107 yards and scored 10 touchdowns last year.

Wells Fargo economist upbeat on Vegas economic prospects: Chris Jones; The Southern Nevada economy has all but recovered from last year's troubles and is poised to grow in the coming months, one of the nation's top economists said Tuesday.

AC Tropicana begins expansion: John Curran; ATLANTIC CITY -- With jackhammers, backhoes and cranes, Tropicana Casino & Resort has begun construction on a controversial $225 million expansion that will add a parking garage, a retail village and a 502-room hotel tower to the casino hotel.

Independents nominate record number: CARSON CITY -- A rancher from Mineral County will run for governor on the Independent American Party ticket in the November election.

New racing series rolls into LV: Copyright 2002 Las Vegas Sun

Car seat alarm inventors make finals in contest: By Emily Richmond; Three Hyde Park Middle School students who designed an infant car seat alarm have been named finalists in a National Science Foundation competition and will travel to Disney World to vie for the grand prize.

Editorial: Too late to stop road work: The Sierra Club makes a number of good points that could yet be incorporated into this project and similar projects in the future. It suggests landscaping to mitigate pollution and it recommends close monitoring of the air quality along the widened portion of the highway. It says the Federal Highway Administration could make air filters available to schools, businesses and homes along the route. And it suggests that local officials should even consider moving schools that are close enough to highways to be affected by their pollution. In a bigger picture, it suggests cleaner fuels and more governmental emphasis on ...

City settles on site for police substation: Diana Sahagun; For dozens of Metro Police officers reporting to work downtown, the day begins with a two-block walk from their cars to the substation.

Resolution author unhappy with medical errors report: CARSON CITY -- Assemblywoman Ellen Koivisto, D-Las Vegas, author of a resolution calling for a study of medical errors in Nevada hospitals, says she can't support the recommendations of a subcommittee that wants to create a statewide registry of the errors.

Columnist Victoria Sun: Ruling helps clear up cart policy for disabled: Victoria Sun; It was always the rule.

Editorial: Why are the French so shocked anyway?: Despite their dismay over the election results, the French shouldn't be too shocked that Le Pen received 17 percent of the vote, not at a time when Arab immigrant-bashing and anti-Semitism has increased markedly in France and in other European nations. In the past several months there have been 400 incidents of harassment or attacks against Jews in France, according to reports kept by the Anti-Defamation League. To provide an inkling of what's going on, consider a recent three-day period: On April 2 an arsonist burned a pavilion near a Jewish cemetery and then, on April 4, a synagogue in ...

Columnist Peter Benton: Biz Women, Red Rock atop SNGA standings: Peter Benton; Although the race in the Women's Southern Nevada Golf Association team competition is becoming more competitive, the Las Vegas Business Women's team still retains the overall Blue League lead with 46 1/2 points.

Letter: A compelling reason to donate: As a 30-year resident of Las Vegas, I find it astounding that anyone who lives in this state could ever believe that storing nuclear waste here is a good thing. Former Gov. Robert List must either be senile or brainwashed to believe that it will bring prosperity to our state. Or he must badly need the big bucks they're paying him to parrot this line.

Letter: Clinton's Mideast efforts stymied: Their incessant attacks on him had to have been a major distraction during his administration. Here was a president of the United States in which the rest of the world had the utmost respect for while this right-wing cabal began attacking him even before he became president.

Letter: Let's cut ties with OPEC and buy Mexican oil: Since the Bush administration has recently granted many more benefits to our friends south of the border it should be no problem at all. Mexico is extremely rich in oil, and their president, Vincente Fox, should be happy to trade with our country and to sell us oil at very decent prices in return for our favors to his people.

Columnist Dean Juipe: 51s, Whiten part ways after fling: Dean Juipe; Notes today and Mark Whiten is up first.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Boys and Girls Clubs' benefit party goes tropical: Elizabeth Foyt; Planned as a special night to welcome singer Bertie Higgins and his lively musicians to Las Vegas and their two-weekend run at Bahama Breeze, the party was made magical when Higgins and his group appeared onstage in their trademark pirate garb to sing their celebrated hits "Key Largo," "Just Another Day in Paradise" and other rousing favorites.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Heavy price to pay for proms: With prom time close at hand I'd be willing to wager that having the right gown and the right tuxedo is the key to a cool evening for any young couple.

Community briefs for April 24, 2002: Celebrity-themed chefs' aprons will be auctioned beginning with a cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the Rio's Pavilion Ballroom.

Obituaries for April 24, 2002: Louis Avery, 41, of Las Vegas died Sunday in a local hospital. He was born March 22, 1961, in Farmington, N.M. A lifelong resident, he was a carpenter and a member of the Carpenters Union.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Schmidt expects to have second car in Indy 500: Sam Schmidt plans to double his chances of winning the May 26 Indianapolis 500 by fielding a second car for veteran driver Mark Dismore.

PCL box: Las Vegas - Tacoma: A--1,872. Time--2:19. Umpires: HP--Brandt, 1B--Spieler, 3B--Burr.

Savvy wine buys: Guigal '98 Cotes du Rhone Rouge: Available at Marche Bacchus, $11.99.

Former referee Lane recuperating in N.Y.: Lane continues to increase his vocabulary and is on the verge of walking without assistance, Washoe County District Attorney Dick Gammick said Tuesday.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Thursday's races at Hollywood Park: Thursday's card

Tuesday's prep results: Centennial 6, Cheyenne 2: Julius Rivera went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run s and Rob Arata was 3-for-4 in the Bulldogs' victory.

UNLV women remain fourth in MWC tourney: The Rebels shot 303 on Tuesday, trimming two strokes off Monday's first-round 305, their previous best.

Cutbacks forced in prison-guard training: CARSON CITY -- Formal training of the newest class of state prison guards has been cut short to save money spent on overtime to run the academy.

Court briefs for April 24, 2002: A 21-year-old Las Vegas man was sentenced to five to 15 years in prison Tuesday in connection with a fatal stabbing three years ago.

News briefs for April 24, 2002: A man found dead inside a car Tuesday in the 2400 block of Sunrise Avenue was identified as 31-year-old Jose J. Hernandez of Las Vegas.

Boulder City briefs for April 24, 2002: A museum that has found its niche in the history market, but has been cramped for space, should soon have a new home to consolidate its holdings.

Credit restrictions cut LV manufactured home sales: Chris Jones; Manufactured home sales in Southern Nevada have tumbled in recent years, thanks in part to credit restrictions that have prevented many would-be buyers from receiving loans.

Transportation, Yucca hearings will coincide: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The House Transportation Committee has scheduled a Thursday hearing on transporting nuclear waste that gives Nevada leaders a chance to press their arguments against a Yucca Mountain repository. But the testimony will most likely fall on deaf ears.

Venetian posts increase in cash flow for quarter: David Strow; The parent company of The Venetian reported increased cash flow this morning, making The Venetian only the third Las Vegas Strip-area resort so far to report better earnings for the first quarter of 2002.

Costs of gaming stock options figured: David Strow; Gaming companies could see their earnings cut by a notable margin if officials begin requiring companies to expense stock options, a gaming analyst says.

Aztar stock off despite strong earnings: Aztar Corp. of Phoenix today reported net income of $13.8 million, or 35 cents per share, up from net income of $11.4 million, or 28 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter. Aztar beat analyst expectations for the quarter by 5 cents per share.

Hospitals backing new state medical insurer: CARSON CITY -- A new private company to write medical malpractice insurance to ease the crisis facing some Southern Nevada doctors should be ready to sell policies by May 1, a legislative committee was told Tuesday.

Cash flow drops in quarter: Hard Rock Hotel Inc. reported cash flow of $7.9 million, down from $8.4 million in the year-ago quarter. As Hard Rock is privately held, cash flow is a closely followed indicator of its financial performance.

Religions mostly mum on dump: Stacy J. Willis; Local politicians have taken the fight to Washington. Celebrities are lending their names to the battle. Even the everyday Joe has been asked to pony up in the fight against bringing the nation's nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain.

Company added to S&P SmallCap index: The Las Vegas gaming equipment company will be added to the index at the close of trading today. It will replace Visual Networks Inc., a Maryland-based software systems company.

Senator: More ER doctors quitting: Cy Ryan and Mary Manning; Thirty-one Clark County doctors have resigned from working in emergency rooms because they cannot afford medical malpractice insurance, a state lawmaker said Tuesday.

LV air traffic down 7 percent: Airport officials also said that for the first quarter of 2002, traffic was down 8.3 percent to 8.3 million passengers compared with the same period a year earlier.

Vegas company eyes London's Millennium Dome: The newspaper did not cite sources, but said the company was looking at creating a version of Caesars Palace within the dome, located on the banks of the Thames River. The dome, built to celebrate the coming of the new millennium, closed on Dec. 31, 2000, and officials are searching for a company interested in signing a 999-year lease on it.

Doing the math: Teachers' convention addresses federal standards, technology: By Emily Richmond; Those in the overflow crowd at the Sands Expo Center Tuesday likely counted their change a little more carefully than usual conventioneers -- and they probably knew more about statistics than even the most seasoned bookmaker.

Crash leads to capture of man after car, foot chase in northwest: Jace Radke; Daniel Martinez was evidently determined to get away from Metro Police Tuesday.

Ethics panel violates state open-meeting law: CARSON CITY -- The state attorney general's office says a subcommittee of the Nevada Commission on Ethics violated the open-meeting law when it discussed the waiver or reduction of fines for public officials in private.

Company's trading suspended: The SEC said trading would be suspended through May 3 pending a May 7 hearing for Investment Technology Inc., 4520 Cimarron Road. But the company's president and chief executive officer said the matter could be resolved sooner.

Owner donates wheelchairs: The foundation is working with the North Dakota Association for the Disabled to provide free wheelchairs to people in the state who need them, said former Gov. Ed Schafer, who is heading the foundation's state chapter.

Sierra Pacific stock falls on new woes: Nevada Power Co. parent Sierra Pacific Resources announced Tuesday that it's suspending payment of its quarterly stock dividend because of its shaky financial situation.

Cash flow, net income up for quarter: The Las Vegas-based riverboat casino operator posted net income of $15.4 million, or 57 cents per share, up 295 percent over the year-ago quarter. Analysts had expected to the company to earn 52 cents per share.

Small town, feds fight over fate of feral pigs: Adrienne Packer; An intruder has invaded the tiny desert community of Bunkerville.

Gambling foes sue over multistate lottery plan: The state Lottery Division has announced plans to join with eight other states starting May 17 in the "Mega Millions" game. It would be a successor to the popular "Big Game," which recently created a stir with a $331 million jackpot on April 16.

Former rivals' union could help odds for maglev train: A new alliance between one-time rivals will boost chances for a "maglev" train between Southern California and Southern Nevada, advocates for the high-tech train said Tuesday.

List says Vegas ought to get maglev train as reward for Yucca: MINDEN -- Former Gov. Bob List said today the federal government ought to select Las Vegas as the site to build a maglev train as one reward for Yucca Mountain being designated as a nuclear waste dump.

Glenn: Math, science underappreciated: By Emily Richmond; If famed astronaut and former U.S. Sen. John Glenn had his way, teachers would earn at least as much as their classmates from college, students wouldn't have to rely on property taxes for funding and a high school diploma would mean the same thing in Seattle as in Miami.