Print edition for August 6, 2002

Homeless woman gets 3 years in killing: Kim Smith; A Las Vegas homeless woman was sentenced to three years in prison Monday for setting a fellow homeless person on fire in March, killing him.

Business briefs for August 6, 2002: GENEVA:

Death of former player leaves UNLV somber: Steve Guiremand; With fall football drills starting today, this is supposed to be a happy and optimistic time around UNLV's Lied Athletic Complex.

Promotion system improved: The screen is an upgraded version of smaller displays already in use at some casinos, the Las Vegas-based company said.

News briefs for August 6, 2002: Longtime Las Vegas Sun entertainment columnist Joe Delaney is in critical condition at Valley Hospital Medical Center after suffering a stroke at his home Saturday morning.

Union leaders push worker agenda in Vegas: Grace Leong; AFL-CIO President John Sweeney on Monday called for more legislation to protect workers at companies crippled by fraudulent accounting and criticized new trade legislation he says threatens U.S. workers.

Lawmakers refuse to raise tax: Members of the House Taxation Committee rejected, 17-3, a proposal to increase the tax rate on machines in larger casinos and decrease the rate on machines in businesses with five or fewer gambling machines.

NBC research center under construction at Venetian shops: The research center is scheduled to be open in November.

Young golfers to benefit from First Tee program: Victoria Sun; The Southern Nevada Junior Golf Association and the Southern Nevada Inner City Youth Golf Association merged to become The First Tee of Southern Nevada on Monday.

Training of security guards scrutinized: Jace Radke; In Las Vegas a security guard could have years of training to rely on -- or he might just be a glorified bouncer.

Athletes honored: Nine Rebel softball players earned the same honos. Seniors Melissa Inouye, Arica Painter and Nicole Truax, sophomores Carrie Bayless, Bridget Byrne, Kacey Ellis and Lisa Moses and freshmen Morgan Bostwick and Amber Campbell were named to the 42-member squad.

Residents say development threatens rural lifestyle: Diana Sahagun; Ten years ago when plans for the Mountain Spa Resort were first being considered in northwest Las Vegas, Sharon Linsenbardt found some comfort from a nearby sign offering homes starting at $500,000.

PurchasePro targeted in SEC probe: Las Vegas technology company PurchasePro clarified today that it is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission and said it is cooperating fully with the probe.

Police support pot initiative: The state's largest police organization today endorsed the marijuana initiative.

Fourteen-term assemblyman faces challenge: Erin Neff; Assembly Democrats widely control their house and usually face only token competition from the GOP.

Nevada loses tech jobs: In Business Las Vegas, a sister newspaper to the Las Vegas Sun, this week reported Nevada's high-tech workforce fell 2.3 percent in 2001 while technology employment nationwide rose 1 percent.

Drop in doctors' malpractice rates expected to take time: Medical malpractice insurers say it could take as long as two to 10 years for doctors' premiums to significantly drop despite recent passage of tort reform.

Critics say lap-dance law does not sit well: Adrienne Packer; Lawyers question whether Clark County's controversial week-old lap-dancing law, which continues to be popular on radio talk shows, would withstand scrutiny in court if it is challenged.

RTC's 3-year plan is ripped: The Southern Nevada arm of the Sierra Club released a study Monday that is sharply critical of new three-year transportation plans developed by the regional road and transit agency.

Results are disappointing as Venetian room rates weaken: By Liz Benston; The $1.5 billion Venetian Casino Resort on the Las Vegas Strip today reported lower earnings for the second quarter but said it is managing the high-end property more conservatively by controlling costs, booking its 3,036 hotel rooms with more convention-goers and becoming more selective about high-roller wagers.

Tort reform not seen as quick fix: Medical malpractice insurers say it could take as long as two to 10 years for doctors' premiums to significantly drop despite recent passage of tort reform.

Columnist Brian Hildrebrand: NASCAR needs to send Spencer to the bench: Brian Hildrebrand; INDIANAPOLIS -- Unless NASCAR president Mike Helton wants his Winston Cup Series to devolve into a 200-mile-per-hour version of professional wrestling, there should be one driver forced to watch Sunday's race at Watkins Glen International from the sidelines.

Ex-Las Vegas man accused of fraud: The Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking an injunction against Andrew Pope in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas outlasts Basic in 13: Spencer Patterson; State Legion

Peccole L.L. wins again in West Regional: Peccole, the Nevada state champions, plays the Northern California representative (Aptos, Calif.) tonight at 8 in the pool-play event. Peccole plays Southern California (West Anaheim) on Wednesday.

Personal watercraft enthusiasts may ask court to block ban: Owners of Jet Skis and other personal watercraft are planning to ask a court to block a ban on using their watercraft at Lake Mead after Sept. 15.

Immunization schedule for August 6, 2002: HENDERSON PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 129 W. Lake Mead Drive, Building A, Suite 10, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Piloting the S.S. confusion: Don't weep. I'll be back in this spot Aug. 19. (Now there's a reason to bawl.)

Community briefs for August 6, 2002: Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area offers hikes, walks and programs free of charge, but reservations are required. To make reservations or for more information, call 363-1922. Some upcoming programs:

Guided by angels: 'Honky Tonk' star Sachs fighting through cancer: The 44-year-old Reba McEntire tribute artist is back onstage at the Gold Coast Showroom after a brief battle with cancer last spring that left her with a new appreciation for life.

Two historic buildings join National Register: Stephen Curran; Two Southern Nevada buildings will join the ranks of historically significant locales after being named to the National Register of Historic Places, state Historic Preservation Officer Ron James said Monday.

Letter: Legalize prostitution: The answer to all of these so-called problems is to legalize prostitution in Clark County. This would put all of these strip joints and escort services out of business, and the hookers and pimps would disappear from the streets overnight.

Letter: Defend Israel's right to strike back at terrorism: It sickens me every time I read about the habitual slaughter of innocent Israeli women, children and civilians in general. It must be awful to live in conditions that make it a possible life-or-death choice just to ride a transit bus, go shopping, go to a sandwich shop or go anywhere in public.

School district hopes to convert marshmallow plant to service center: By Emily Richmond; The Clark County School Board will vote Thursday on whether to approve the $5.3 million purchase of the former Kidd marshmallow factory in Henderson, which would be converted into a regional service center.

Maryland gubernatorial candidate pushes slots: Tom Stuckey; ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- If Robert Ehrlich is elected governor and tries to carry out his plan to put slot machines at race tracks, the Republican gubernatorial candidate may have a hard time selling members of his party on the idea.

Where I Stand -- Guest columnist Christine Chairsell: Where students can excel: I MADE an interesting discovery in February while I was in Baton Rouge, La., as part of a team evaluating successful partnerships between K-12 and higher education. Although the work I did with my fellow education professionals was enlightening, my epiphany came while reading USA Today and sipping my morning cup of coffee.

Editorial: Ending 'dead zone' a bona fide expense: The Fremont Street Experience opened in December 1995 and Neonopolis opened three months ago. The city of Las Vegas has millions invested in these redevelopment projects -- $32 million alone in the Neonopolis parking garage. On Wednesday the City Council will debate one more expense -- $50,000 to create a natural flow of pedestrian traffic from underneath the Fremont Street Experience light-show canopy and across Fourth Street to Neonopolis. Lights and a stage for live entertainment are proposed to transform this intersection from a "dead zone" into a lively and natural walkway. Considering the millions of public dollars already invested, ...

51s play longball at Omaha: Clapinski's two-run homer in the eighth, his 11th of the season, gave the 51s a 4-3 lead against Omaha reliever Brad Voyles (1-2). Bell hit a solo shot, his 11th, in the ninth.

AutoNation honors go to LV salesman: Robert McDonald, the marketing manager for Desert Automotive Group in Las Vegas, was one of four recipients eligible to receive the award. Nationwide, AutoNation employs 31,000 associates.

Restoring Lovell Canyon will be up to nature -- and time: Nature and nurture will combine to help the U.S. Forest Service restore 4,300 acres burned during July's Lost Cabin Fire in the Spring Mountains, a report said.

Jury deliberates case of brothers' deadly fight: Kim Smith; Jurors who must decide if a Las Vegas man accidentally killed his brother or murdered him resumed deliberations this morning.

Wednesday's horse racing entries: Post Time 10 a.m.

Children's groups receive rich grants: The board's members approved grants to the Girl Scouts Frontier Council of Las Vegas and the Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows in Reno.

Station Casinos offers scholarships: Clark County high school students with a 3.0 GPA are invited to apply. Students must also include a 250-word essay about diversity in Southern Nevada.

Lawyers lose try for work on Yucca: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- A federal judge here has ruled in favor of the Energy Department in a dispute with an international law firm over Yucca Mountain legal work.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Chick had love affair with UNLV, Las Vegas: Fabled Los Angeles Lakers announcer Chick Hearn spent his last days at a Las Vegas fantasy basketball camp which was perhaps appropriate, given his fondness for this town and that game, said a Las Vegan who had the pleasure to know him.

Obituaries for August 6, 2002: Sylvia Barron, 74, of Las Vegas died Sunday in Las Vegas. She was born Sept. 29, 1927 in Hawaii. A resident for 18 years, she was a retired entertainer who performed at the Thunderbird hotel for several years, Lake Tahoe and Reno.

Code-share partners sought: Code-sharing enables airlines to sell tickets as though their route networks were one.

Editorial: This isn't a time to look away: Not only is it essential that we grasp the extent of the devastation, but we also need to remind ourselves of the callous disregard for life felt by so many Palestinians. On Sunday nearly 4,000 Palestinians in Gaza City celebrated the bus bombing, even handing out sweets to mark the occasion. The latest wave of terrorism is retaliation for Israel's killing of Salah Shehadeh, a Hamas militant responsible for orchestrating suicide bombings against Israel. And while 14 other Palestinians were killed along with Shehadeh in the Israeli's July 22 raid, their deaths were accidental, unlike the civilians purposely killed by ...

Columnist Dean Juipe: Strike talk isn't limited to baseball: Dean Juipe; The money is good, the season doesn't occupy the entire calendar, and yet the players are thinking of going on strike.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Wednesday's races at Del Mar: Wednesday's card

Letter: Do the right thing on highway: Rule number 1: If you are traveling in the fast lane (also known as the passing lane) on the freeway and a car approaches from behind going at a faster rate of speed -- you should move to the right and let them pass.

PCL box: Las Vegas - Omaha: WP--Gilfillan. T-2:41. A-2,566.

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