Print edition for April 25, 2002

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Danger on the tracks: Not that I have said all there is to say on the subject. On the contrary, there is so much more to say and do before we wake up the rest of America to this madness being perpetrated by the nuclear power companies and their accomplices in the Bush administration. But all that will have to wait for another day because right now we have to talk about train safety.

Lakers eager after layoff: EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- One week into the postseason, and the days have grown long and the media horde has grown large and, already weary of it all, Shaquille O'Neal needed to amuse himself Wednesday.

Casinos banned under bill: Congress approved the law with a 35-33 vote and 16 abstentions, the paper said.

Editorial: 'Takings' theory hits a roadblock: On Tuesday, two decades later, the matter finally was settled by the U.S. Supreme Court, which correctly determined that the government doesn't have to pay the landowners. The majority decision written by Justice John Paul Stevens acknowledges the constitutional right of compensation when government acquires private land for a public use, but he adds that this doesn't always apply when government enforces regulations that may temporarily limit the use of property. "Treating them all as ... takings would transform government regulation into a luxury few governments could afford," Stevens writes.

Vegas court reporters try dispelling myths: Grace Leong; Despite limited training opportunities and worries that advances in technology may make them obsolete, court reporters say they have a bright future in Nevada.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Top Fuel dragster Dixon intent on starting new streak: Larry Dixon heads to Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway this weekend intent on beginning a new streak in his Don Prudhomme-owned Miller Lite NHRA Top Fuel dragster.

Benefit eases financial strain of dog attack: Donations

Business briefs for April 25, 2002: Net income dropped to $5.5 million, or 5 cents a share, from $334.7 million, or $3.21, in the year-earlier period, the company said. Sales fell 23 percent to $809.4 million from $1.05 billion.

Fighting matches on television: Fighting matches on television

Columnist Paula Del Giudice: Drilling rejected in Arctic refuge: This was quite a week for conservationists. The victory in the Senate rejecting an amendment to allow oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was enormous.

Earnings up nearly 25 percent: Community Bank's loans and other assets also grew from $282 million on March 31, 2001, to $324 million at the end of this year's first quarter. Deposits increased from $260 million to $299 million during the same period.

Letter: World is full of immoral adults: Adults teaching kids to jaywalk? Where have you been hiding? I have seen adults tell kids to dump bags of fast food garbage in parking lots. I have seen them tell kids to leave shopping carts in the next parking spot as well as to push the cart that belongs to the store to their home with their purchases in it.

State employees sue over mold problems at worksite: Kim Smith; A second lawsuit has been filed against the state alleging officials moved too slowly to address mold problems in state-owned buildings on Charleston Boulevard.

News briefs for April 25, 2002: Martinez and another man, 19-year-old Julian Canno-Martinez, were found about 6 a.m. Monday on the shoulder of the road at Hammer Lane and Auto Street, near Lamb Boulevard and Interstate 15, Metro Police said.

Marriage may hurt chances for rape case to go to trial: Keith Paul; A North Las Vegas Police detective investigating a rape allegation against a former city councilman was relieved of duty Wednesday after he revealed he married the woman making the complaint.

Committee OKs Yucca site 41-6: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository cleared another hurdle today when the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the site on a 41-6 vote. The next step: a full House vote.

Vegas mortgage operator jailed: The state wants to seize assets of Ferradino so Interstate investors, who are owed some $2.09 million, can be paid back.

Columnist Spencer Patterson: Lounsbery looks to continue tradition at Meadows: Spencer Patterson; Talk about a tough act to follow.

Letter: Little publicity about medical insurance costs: There has been a lot of publicity concerning malpractice insurance and the utility rate increases, but somehow the Nevada State Insurance Commission continues to grant the premium increases for medical insurance and no one informs the policyholders of when the hearings are held. When the policyholders are not made aware, we can't voice our objections. Consequently the premium increases are granted.

Sun Prep Softball Top 10: Sun Prep Softball Top 10

Study says politics override science in review of Yucca: H. Josef Hebert; WASHINGTON -- A decision on Yucca Mountain as the nation's nuclear waste dump should be postponed until more is known about its geology and how man-made barriers will perform over thousands of years, an independent study of the proposed site says.

Vegas sports on TV/Radio: Thursday

TRAC unveils cars, deal with SMI tracks: The Team Racing Auto Circuit moved a step closer to reality Wednesday, announcing a deal with five tracks to hold races next year and unveiling prototypes of three cars.

Charity game Thursday at Silverdo High School: The game features players from Basic, Coronado, Foothill, Green Valley and Silverado high schools against a Henderson personalities team. The personalities include Freddie Banks, Quinten Dailey, Jon Denton, Kevin Janison and Dave McCann.

Catching up with: JON SLACK: Where he is now: Texas Tech

Remodeling launched: The project, which will take four to five months, will give the Decatur Boulevard property a "Victorian San Francisco" appearance, with new carpet, paint, ceiling tiles and wall coverings.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Friday's races at Hollywood Park: 1st Race -- GIFTED ATHLETE - Hustling Espinoza atop Peterson trainee, draws good box in six-horse opening route, Gifted enough Athlete to win here? MEGA GIFT - Draws alongside top pick, Berrio tabbed by trainer Seglin here, Mega Gift for backers is a Gifted quinella. Value Play -- MINER'S MUSIC

Wednesday's prep results: BOYS GOLF

Judge allows photo lineup in beating trial: Kim Smith; A Clark County judge Wednesday ruled there is nothing wrong with the photos Metro Police homicide detectives showed witnesses in a brutal fatal beating.

Cox targets AOL with LV 'Net test: Cox Communications Inc. of Las Vegas is finding that once customers get a taste of zipping through Internet pages quickly, they're prime candidates for even more speed.

UNLV men host MWC tennis meet; women go to Provo: An automatic bid to the 64-team NCAA championship field is on the line for the six league teams. Regular-season co-champion San Diego State (15-8 overall and 4-1 in MWC), whose only league loss came at the hands of the Rebels, is the top seed. Co-champ BYU (13-8/4-1) is the No. 2 seed, New Mexico (15-8/3-2) is third, Utah (14-10/2-3) is fourth, UNLV (9-11/2-3) is fifth and Air Force (14-9/0-5) is seeded sixth.

Sewage discharge permits upheld: A Nevada state board has upheld sewage discharge permits for Las Vegas, Henderson and the Clark County Sanitation District.

Letter: Nuke waste is all about politics: New York has 31 House members and two senators. Nevada is about to get its third House seat in November. It's about power politics, plain and simple. We had this rammed down our throat from the beginning and there might be little to be done about it.

Democrats on lookout for others to run for governor: Erin Neff; Matthew Dushoff doesn't consider himself arrogant and isn't apologizing to Democrats for his surprise decision to run for governor.

Activists' plan would raise tax revenue by 52 percent: CARSON CITY -- A plan to increase state tax revenue by 52 percent by hitting business and wealthy investors has been outlined by a social activist group that admits it will have a tough time selling its proposal to the 2003 Legislature.

Restaurant owner shoots, kills man after robbery: A restaurant owner who shot a thief and would-be carjacker to death Wednesday probably will not face charges, Metro Police Lt. Tom Monahan said.

Dye-ing to make state: Spencer Patterson; Anyone planning on checking out this year's 4A state softball tournament shouldn't be surprised to run into a woman sporting bright purple hair.

Show leaving Dallas for Mandalay: A spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority confirmed that the show, an exhibition of promotional products from pens, pencils and keychains to elaborate visual displays, will be at Mandalay Bay Jan. 13-17 for the first year of a three-year run in Las Vegas.

Tribe wants to know who's proposing casino in its name: Judy Lin; PITTSBURGH -- Rumors in a small Pennsylvania coal town abound: A Canadian Indian tribe wants to replace block after block of empty storefronts with a casino, restaurants and shops.

Aladdin sees big jump in cash flow for March: David Strow; The Aladdin's financial performance improved drastically in March, in line with the recovery trend being reported up and down the Las Vegas Strip.

EOB changes policies at drug center: By Timothy Pratt; In response to conflict of interest and bias allegations, the Economic Opportunity Board, a nonprofit community development agency, changed the inpatient intake policy at its drug treatment center Wednesday.

Mature -- and raring to go: Dean Juipe; Kevin Kelley is certain he's new and improved.

FBI joins search for alleged killer of woman, son: Weber, 28, was put on the FBI's wanted list on Wednesday.

Lawyer: FBI leads may justify new Binion probe: A defense lawyer Wednesday urged District Attorney Stewart Bell to reopen the Ted Binion murder investigation because of new evidence disclosed in a 1999 FBI wiretap affidavit.

Priest's attorney condemns civil suit: Kim Smith; An attorney for a Henderson priest accused of sexually abusing six young parishioners believes none of the young men deserve to benefit from a civil lawsuit filed against the priest last month.

The real McCoy: Victoria Sun; At a glance

Casino hotel planned for Silver Slipper site: David Strow; Just days after signing a deal with Donald Trump, New Frontier owner Phil Ruffin is closing in on a joint venture to build a $750 million to $800 million casino resort project just north of the New Frontier.

Charity game tonight at Silverado H.S.: The game features players from Basic, Coronado, Foothill, Green Valley and Silverado high schools against a Henderson personalities team. The personalities include Freddie Banks, Quinten Dailey, Jon Denton, Kevin Janison and Dave McCann.

MWC Women's golf: 293 305 284 -- 882

Fraud, porn indictments returned: Jace Radke; A Las Vegas man has been indicted for allegedly running a series of schemes of unauthorized withdrawals from victims' bank accounts and defrauding financial institutions of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Gaming board rejects offer: Rosemont Mayor Donald Stephens told the Chicago Tribune that the board's decision was unlawful and unworkable. He said it would hit a legal roadblock because the village has a contract with the Emerald to land a new casino.

Sun Athletes of the Week: Jeff Jacobson, Rob Martinez and Renee DiPuccio: School: Durango

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Oscar never says what's on his mind: I dialed into a boxing news conference Wednesday -- and a "Seinfeld" rerun broke out.

Resurgent Las Vegas tries on PCL first place for size: Steve Addy; 51S TO DATE

Columnist Dean Juipe: Kiwanuka aims to put name back in mix: Dean Juipe; It's never too late to salvage your career, as Joseph Kiwanuka will attempt to do Saturday in Anaheim, Calif.

Lawyer sworn in after winning bar exam battle: Jennifer Knight; After two years of battling the very system he wanted to join, Jason Cook finally won the only case that mattered to him -- his fight to be admitted as a member of the State Bar of Nevada.

Editorial: Bond issue is one option for homeless: California Gov. Gray Davis showed leadership Monday in presiding over a four-hour "Governor's Summit on Homelessness" at which he signed legislation that will place the bond issue on the November ballot. Attending the summit were builders, real estate agents, housing advocates and local government officials. While a few skeptics criticized the summit as a political stunt, one fact is indisputable: In California, residents now have a chance to vote on a plan that lays out a solid framework for responding to the homeless issue.

Prep standing: Baseball

Prep standings: Softball

Obituaries for April 25, 2002: Raymond Lee Allen, 70, of Las Vegas died Tuesday in Las Vegas. He was born Aug. 4, 1931, in Iowa. A resident for 17 years, he was a retired NASA engine supervisor, a Korean War and Vietnam War Air Force veteran, a member of the Air Force Sergeants Association and the Moose.

Nellis Range officer receives Air Combat Command award: Dick Benoit; Air Combat Command has picked a range manager from Nellis Air Force Base as its Range Professional of the Year for the fifth straight year. This year it's Maj. Bob Vomela, a special projects officer for the 98th Range Wing.

Columnist Ruthe Deskin: An ode to a very good doctor: Ruthe Deskin; "Doc" Romeo loves kids. He has been a role model and mentor to thousands of youngsters, including a dozen of his own.

Community briefs for April 25, 2002: The city of Henderson will host its annual Arbor Day celebration at 10:30 a.m. Friday in front of the Henderson Convention Center, 200 Water St., featuring Deputy Drip, Ronald McDonald, Woodsy the Owl, and McGruff the Crime Dog.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Little brings 'The Presidents' to Paris Las Vegas: Joe Delaney; "The Presidents," a two-act, five-actor production, was conceived by Little and written by Ron Nessen and Loren Paul Caplin ... Nessen was Gerald Ford's press secretary and a former NBC News correspondent ... Caplin is a playwright and screenwriter ... Bill Castellano is the director.