Print edition for April 30, 2002

State seeks dismissal of Nevada Power suit: The state Bureau of Consumer Protection is seeking dismissal of a Nevada Power Co. lawsuit that challenges a ruling made by state regulators in the rate case involving energy used last year.

Brotherly love: Victoria Sun; Las Vegas 51s third baseman Rick Bell picked up his older brother Mike at his hotel and drove him to Cashman Field before Monday night's PCL game.

Columnist Susan Snyder: More waste, courtesy of D.C.: "Most of their lemonade money is going to lawyers, (public relations) firms and media outlets outside the state," he wrote to me in a lengthy e-mail sent early Monday.

Staffing problems plague nursing homes: CARSON CITY -- Nursing homes in Nevada are understaffed, which leads to abuse and neglect of their senior citizen patients, a state commission was told Monday.

Weber indictment will be sought: Kim Smith; Prosecutors have scheduled time before a grand jury in the hopes of obtaining an indictment against double murder suspect Timmy J. Weber.

Court briefs for April 30, 2002: Dwayne Harris will have to serve at least three years before becoming eligible for parole, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Gary Booker.

Letter: U.S. kids have unhealthy diet: It is the conclusion of many that most American parents are almost heartless barbarians who knowingly and needlessly inflict avoidable harm on their own children.

Shuffle Master competitor disputes patent claims: Shuffle Master, which said it owns a patent for a machine that shuffles multiple decks of playing cards, sued to stop VendingData and its subsidiaries Casinovations Inc. and Casinovations Sales Inc. in U.S. District Court in March from selling the shufflers.

More arrests likely in Laughlin melee: Kim Smith; Metro homicide detectives expect more arrests will be made in Saturday's deadly melee at Harrah's in Laughlin, but say those arrests won't come soon.

PCL box: Las Vegas - Colorado: Time -- 5:00. Attendance -- 1,680. Umpires: HP-- Knight, 1b-- Drake, 3b-- Winters.

Services for firefighter are set: Kevin Sparks, 38, and his 26-year-old fiancee, Brandy Cherry-Thornhill, were riding motorcycles on U.S. 95 when an oncoming car drifted into their lane and struck and killed them 15 miles north of Searchlight about 1:45 p.m., the Nevada Highway Patrol said.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Near-fatal plane crash won't slow Jack Roush: Eight days after he nearly lost his life in a small airplane crash in Alabama, NASCAR team owner Jack Roush said he plans to continue flying his own aircraft "as soon as (the doctors) will let me."

Convention center to expand: The firm will extend its Congress Center convention area, adding to the property's 1.7 million square feet of meeting space, which includes the adjacent Sands Exposition and Convention Center.

High Desert Prison warden resigns: Howard Skolnik, a spokesman for the Corrections Department, said Monday that George Grigas, who has headed the prison since June 2000, did not explain his reasons for stepping down.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Lesson in France's pain: When considering that candidates from several political parties participated in the primary election, we must note that Le Pen received only 17 percent of the votes cast and Chirac was little better with 19.6 percent of the votes. This reflects what a fractured political system can foster and shows the strength of the existence of two major parties in the United States' system. Nevertheless, observers have recognized that the strength of the extreme right is much greater than believed prior to the vote.

Clinton applauds Yucca fight: Erin Neff; Bill Clinton said Monday if he were still the president of the United States, he would not approve Yucca Mountain as the nation's nuclear waste repository until unanswered scientific questions were solved.

Bus hijacker's plan 'rudimental': Keith Paul; PAHRUMP -- Students filed back into Pahrump Valley High School this morning a day after being sent home as a precaution after a 15-year-old student tried to implement his plan to blow up the school.

Life cut short for ballplayer who dreamed of turning pro: Spencer Patterson; It may have been five years since Sean Vann last played a full season of organized baseball, but the Chaparral High School graduate never gave up on his dream of playing professionally.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Cup rookie Johnson laid roots in LV: Several years ago, when Jimmie Johnson was still trying to make a name for himself in desert off-road and stadium racing in and around Las Vegas, a Chevrolet motor sports publicist named Carolyn Williams would constantly badger me about doing a column on Johnson, one of "her" drivers.

Bus drivers union reviews latest offer for new contract: Bus drivers for the regional Citizens Area Transit have received a "final contract offer," and their labor union leadership is now reviewing the package.

MWC men's golf rankings: SUNRIVER, Ore. -- Scores after Monday's first round of the Mountain West Conference Championship Tournament played on the par-72, 7,188-yard Crosswater Course at Sunriver Resort: Team Scores 1 UNLV

Vegas resort sues over canceled conference: Medical, which Bellagio said agreed on Aug. 29, 1999 to book 791 room nights at a rate of $125 a night, was accused in Clark County District Court Friday of defaulting on an agreement to pay "100 percent of anticipated room revenues" if it cancelled within 179 days prior to the start of the conference on Dec. 12.

Argenbright security screening firm departing U.S. airports in disgrace: Justin Bachman; ATLANTA -- Argenbright Security Inc., once the nation's largest passenger screening company, is making an airport departure of its own. And many people will be glad to see it go.

National Horse Show may still trot into Las Vegas: Las Vegas Events' bid to lure the National Horse Show to the Thomas & Mack Center next fall has failed, but show officials are still talking with local planners about staging the show there next year.

Mikohn fires Andersen, notes several disputes: Mikohn Gaming Corp. of Las Vegas said it dismissed Arthur Andersen LLP as its independent auditor Monday, but it didn't say exactly why or name a replacement.

Gibbons refuses to disqualify Binion judge: Following a brief hearing Gibbons said Nevada law prevented Rick Tabish, one of Binion's convicted killers, from seeking the removal of District Judge Joseph Bonaventure after the trial.

New Jersey couple claims share of Big Game jackpot: Jeff Linkous; TRENTON, N.J. -- A husband and wife claimed a $58.9 million share of the Big Game lottery jackpot today, a day after state lottery officials debunked a claim to the prize by some nursing home employees in an office pool.

Water waste could lead to higher rates, fines: Water tips Watering restriction begin for most of Clark County on Wednesday and last through Sept. 30. For North Las Vegas residents, watering between 11 a.m. and 7p.m. is prohibited. Watering between noon and 7 p.m. is prohibited in Las Vegas, Henderson and unincorporated Clark County.

Letter: Reporting hasn't been balanced: And out of several hundred violated children, how about the millions of youth who have not been attacked by the priests? I would challenge the news media to cover this story as well as write a probable cause of similar problems in our public schools, other similar-sized religious organizations and other groups serving children. Sure, let's get rid of the rotten apples, but how do you think the good apples feel with the one-sided feeding frenzy that has already impacted not only the Catholic religion but also a great nonprofit such as Catholic Charities, which does a tremendous job.

Two Amargosa TB patients return to normal activities: CARSON CITY -- The state Health Division says two people who contracted active tuberculosis in the farming community of Amargosa Valley are out of isolation and have returned to their normal activities.

Two men to plead guilty in killing of mother, 21: Kim Smith; Two of the three men charged in connection with last year's fatal shooting of a Henderson mother have said they will enter a plea agreement.

Carlin receives low interest fed loan for senior center: AP; Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., said the rural development loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is repayable at 5 percent interest over 30 years.

Lecturer on Holocaust and tolerance, Klein dies at 81: As a teenage Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany, Kurt Klein worked three jobs a day -- dishwasher, cigar store clerk and printer's assistant -- to raise money so he could send for his parents to join him in the United States.

LV HMO's earnings rise: Las Vegas-based Sierra reported earnings of $7.4 million, 25 cents a share, on revenue of $348.6 million, compared with last year's first quarter earnings of $3.5 million, 13 cents a share, on revenue of $303.2 million for the period ended March 31.

July hearing will focus on construction defect insurance: Jennifer Robison; The state's Division of Insurance has scheduled a hearing to discuss what local builders are calling a construction insurance crisis, but builders' representatives say they're concerned because the hearing isn't scheduled until July 1.

Priest out on bail after sex charges: Keith Paul; A Henderson Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing five teenage boys under the guise of religious penance appeared in Henderson Justice Court this morning, silent and without his religious garb.

Editorial: Senate bill should be left intact: A major victory for the environment was won in the Senate, which rejected drilling for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- a prime feature of the House bill. The victory was tempered, though, by the Senate's failure to incorporate stricter automobile fuel efficiency standards into its bill. Such is politics. Members of Congress answer to the folks back home, certainly, but clout is also wielded by interests such as unions and General Motors Corp.

Parents protesting planned transfer of popular principal: By Emily Richmond; Transferring principals from one campus to another may be standard procedure in the Clark County School District -- but don't expect that to sway the families of a North Las Vegas elementary magnet school, who are furious after being told they'll lose their beloved principal.

Early blaze fans flames of fear for wildfire season: Jace Radke and Mary Manning; With 600 firefighters working to contain a 2,590-acre blaze 35 miles southwest of Denver, fire season already is off to an early start and experts fear the worst for the West.

New McCarran security: McCarran spokeswoman Hilarie Grey said that effective April 22, Wackenhut Security, a subsidiary of Wackenhut Corp., Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., has been contracted for security screening at the airport.

Testing system said to be more precise: By Emily Richmond; As debate heats up nationwide over the value of standardized testing for improving education, Clark County School District officials say they are switching to a new system that will more accurately track students as they progress from grade to grade.

Men's golf team on top in MWC tournament: The Aztecs' Mark Warman was the first-round individual leader, shooting a 68 on the par-72 Crosswater Course at Sunriver Resort. UNLV senior Clark Corbett was just three shots behind Warman and was tied for third after a one-under 71.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Skating judge acts as if she's guilty: Dean Juipe; She wouldn't be a good poker player.

Nevada's Butler named WAC baseball player of the week: AP; Butler, a freshman from Yelm, Wash., hit. 529 with a slugging percentage of 1.176 and scored six runs in four games last week for the Wolf Pack.

Workers protest hiring practices at school sites: By Emily Richmond; A giant inflatable rat smirked at the passer-by from its perch on a flatbed truck outside the Clark County School District offices on Flamingo Road yesterday, accompanied by a small band of disgruntled construction workers claiming unfair hiring practices on new school building sites.

Not leaving Las Vegas: Travel Channel explains fascination, popularity of Vegas-themed programs: By Kristen Peterson; Backstage at The Rio's Samba Theatre Chelsea Thompson, a dancer in the topless review "Showgirls," was talking on camera about the lofty headdress she wears in the production. Decked in pink ostrich feathers and heavy stage makeup, she told of life as a Las Vegas showgirl.

MGM MIRAGE exec opens restaurant consulting firm: The consulting firm, which has offices in Las Vegas and New York, specializes in strategic planning, menu development, human resource management, financial analysis and information technology services.

Community activist, dentist Truesdale dies at 39: Whether it was filling cavities or filling a void in community services for distressed women and needy children, LeAnn Truesdale met her challenges with enthusiasm and passion.

Letter: Decisions of Colin Powell questioned: First, Powell did serve honorably in Vietnam -- something for which he and many other Americans deserve our respect. Nonetheless, the remainder of his career was spent almost exclusively as a Department of Defense bureaucrat and protege of Casper Weinberger -- a relationship which gave him an inside track on promotion.

'Vegas 777' handcrew gains regional status: Jace Radke; Fire wars Television viewers will get a chance to experience the awesome power of wildland fires, thanks to the science program "NOVA."

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

Editorial: Stop making excuses for duplicitous Arafat: The only question now is whether Arab states and European nations, which had expressed outrage over Arafat's detention, will come forward with the same level of condemnation of Arafat when, after he leaves Ramallah, the inevitable terrorist attacks will occur. Maybe Arafat will undergo a miraculous conversion, but it is impossible to be optimistic about him being the champion of peace in light of his long string of broken promises to end Palestinian terrorism.

Aladdin gets more time for sales plan: Aladdin attorney William Noall told U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Jones Monday that "several interested parties" are looking at the 2,567-room resort. Owners hope to sell the property, rather than develop a reorganization plan.

Telecom giant WorldCom in shakeup as woes mount: John Porretto; CLINTON, Miss. -- Bernard J. Ebbers, who built WorldCom Inc. into a global telecommunications giant but then saw its fortunes and stock price crumble amid fierce industry competition and questions about the company's finances, has resigned as chief executive and president.

Community briefs for April 30, 2002: Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area has a busy schedule of hikes and other educational programs planned this week for Southern Nevadans of all ages.

Obituaries for April 30, 2002: Adolph Amelkin, 79, of Las Vegas died Saturday in a local hospice. He was born Nov. 15, 1922, in Brooklyn, N.Y. A resident for 10 years, he was a retired plumber and a World War II Coast Guard veteran.