Print edition for August 19, 2002

Local sports calendar: Pro baseball: Fresno at Las Vegas 51s, 7:10 p.m., Cashman Field.

Forbes wins fight but loses title belt: Dean Juipe; Steve Forbes won a fight but lost a valuable possession Sunday night.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Arlington preview races bode well for Breeders': Ralph Siraco; If this year's World Thoroughbred Championship Breeders' Cup at Arlington Park is anything like that track's big three preview turf races, then they better load the film in the cameras -- and have back up, just in case.

Community news briefs for August 19, 2002: The Nevada Coalition Against Sexual Violence and Family and Child Treatment will host its annual fund-raiser at 6 p.m. Friday at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road.

Letter: Thompson made difference: Sandy's death is definitely a loss to our community. Sandy, I thank you a final time with all my heart and from the deepest depths of my soul. I will miss you so much.

Editorial: Safety is best when permanent: Add all of Las Vegas' peculiarities to the natural tendency of pedestrians to be preoccupied or careless, and you have a dangerous combination. Statistics bear that out -- in the last survey of all the states, in 1999, Clark County's numbers for pedestrian injuries and deaths topped the nation. Things are not improving. So far this year, 28 people in Las Vegas have been killed while trying to cross streets.

Letter: Outsider rips pot proponents: That said, I wish Nevada good luck in making this decision. The review of the material I have seen does not seem to show references to any of the following: When is a person considered legally impaired by marijuana? Alcohol has set levels. How will police test a driver considered under the influence? How will repeat offenders be dealt with? What about children and contact highs. What is the control over their exposure when selling marijuana in coffee shops? What is the acceptable length of time from when one uses marijuana until they can drive a public bus, fly a ...

Editorial: Voting early is good, but it can be risky: We favor the Early Voting program because in this busy world, where time is precious, it provides people with options and also cuts down on the lines for people who prefer the Election Day tradition. Nevertheless, we see a potential problem. There are two weeks between now and Aug. 30, time for news to come out that may cause you to wish you had your vote back. Granted, Early Voting has (thankfully) pretty much ended the last-minute hit pieces that could never be trusted anyway. But there is plenty of time remaining in the campaigns, time in which news may ...

Letter: A loss for Sun and community: Letter: A loss for Sun and community

Obituaries for August 19, 2002: Eleanor M. Foster, 84, of Henderson died Aug. 11 in a local hospital. She was born June 26, 1918, in Los Angeles. A resident for 66 years, she was a homemaker.

UNR may get new building in Vegas: CARSON CITY -- The University of Nevada, Reno is likely to get approval to establish a recruiting center and fund-raising office at a key location in Las Vegas, despite grumbling by some Clark County officials.

Births: Aug. 3: A girl to Michele and James Woodrow. Aug. 4: A girl to Maria Espenosa. Aug. 5: A boy to Keegan and Andres Rodriguez; a boy to Teresa and Russell James. Aug. 6: A boy to Andrea and Sam Kaufman. Aug. 7: A boy to Margaret and Gary Leiser. Aug. 8: A boy to Stacia and Patrick Dunning; a girl to Shelley and Royal Moulton; a girl to Ashley Litt and Bryceton Alexis. Aug. 9: A girl to Patricia and Christopher Price; a girl to Loretta and James Lisowski. Aug. 10: A boy to Melissa and Michael Ashworth; a ...

Early voting off to busy start in malls and markets: Early voting

Officers cleared in death of man: The jurors also ruled that the dead man, Roberto Arce, 31, not the officers, caused the death. It's a ruling that has only happened one other time -- also in a case where a man died while being restrained by police.

Hurdles remain, analysts say: In Business Las Vegas, a sister newspaper to the Las Vegas Sun, reported this week that analysts say a lack of middle-class and professional residents, an aging infrastructure and a scarcity of incentives promoting downtown development could all hamper the area's future.

Sorensen likely finished after another head injury: Steve Guiremand; Unless he can do a good job of convincing coach John Robinson otherwise, it appears UNLV starting defensive end Trevan Sorensen has taken his last snap as a Rebel.

D'ohlightful: The Simpsons' steadily approaches TV milestone: Kirk Baird; By Kirk Baird

Vegas workers decertify union: Fifty-five employees voted to drop the union, while 50 voted against decertification, the NLRB said. Voters included pulmonary and respiratory therapists, flight medics, radiologic and cardiovascular technicians, therapy assistants and ultrasound and nuclear medicine technicians.

News briefs for August 19, 2002: Metro Police detectives have arrested a Las Vegas man in a series of sexual assaults.

Letter: Insurance firms calling the shots: Of this fearsome foursome, only the insurance companies have resisted public comment. Smart players, aren't they?

Letter: Vouchers violate state constitution: Most non-religious private schools charge more than the taxpayer-funded subsidy. This means the poor, who can't currently afford tuition, will still not be able to send their children to non-religious private schools. Is this true choice? Voucher programs are nothing more than subsidies for the rich or the religious.

Two indicted in beating, torture of Las Vegas man: Kim Smith; A Las Vegas man acquitted of murder last year was indicted Thursday in connection with the beating and the torture of a victim with bug spray and rubbing alcohol.

Springsteen concert showcases 'The Rising': Spencer Patterson; On his 1999-2000 U.S. concert tour Bruce Springsteen gave his fans exactly what they wanted: a lovefest.

Aristocrat buying Midwest distributor: Aristocrat Leisure Ltd. of Sydney, Australia, said today its U.S. subsidiary is buying Hanson Distributing Co. of Bloomington, Minn.

Comdex: Terrorism resulted in $52.4 million loss: Commerce and Industry Insurance Co. sued Key3Media Group Inc., Los Angeles, in the Supreme Court of New York July 1 for declaratory relief over the company's event cancellation policy covering the 2001 Comdex event.

Ex-Rebel Chris Riley finishes surprising 3rd: Alan Robinson; CHASKA, Minn. -- Rich Beem winning the PGA Championship was remarkable enough. Chris Riley finishing third was almost as unlikely.

PCL box: Las Vegas - Fresno: Time -- 2:16. Attendance -- 2,099.

Medical school restructuring will phase out private firms: RENO -- The clinics at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, which collect more than $35 million a year for treatment of patients, are being brought under tighter controls by the Board of Regents.

Letter: Her compassion clearly evident: Letter: Her compassion clearly evident

Fatal crashes prompt plan to build median barrier on U.S. 95: Agency officials reversed a decision late Friday, calling for the barrier after a fatal crash on Thursday that claimed the lives of Spring Crothers, 23, and her son, Austin, 4.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Beem slips away from his past: Dean Juipe; For those who only saw him from a distance, Rich Beem always came across as a nice guy.

Strike could help 51s but ...: Spencer Patterson; A Major League Baseball work stoppage looms as a potentially devastating event for owners, players and fans alike in the weeks to come.

Letter: Raising wages is sneaky way to raise taxes: Raising wages is a sneaky, underhanded way to raise taxes and make the employer pay more in FICA taxes. This will result in fewer jobs, not more. Here's a concept: Why doesn't the wage earner get a raise on his/her own merits? Of course, the government couldn't control the wage earner then.

Cimarron gains Legion title game: Cimarron-Memorial left-hander Paul Schmidt knew early on in the Spartans' American Legion Western Regional semifinal Sunday night that he wouldn't be able to rely on his curveball.

Summerlin residents aim to block Wal-Mart: Jeffrey Libby; For the last half-decade as homes went up all around it, an 18-acre lot on Sahara Avenue and Hualapai Way remained empty and dusty, providing a convenient backdrop for the occasional lone car for sale, herds of political signs, and in midsummer, sheds hawking fireworks.

Vegas-based manufacturer reports loss for quarter: Revenue also declined from the second quarter 2001 to this year, from $4.7 million in 2001 to $2.6 million in 2002.

Generation gap: Some older users find idea of children at the senior center unacceptable: Jeffrey Libby; In the cool of Lois Payne's three-car garage, a small group of seniors has staked out a haven against change. They come weekdays to paint tigers slipping through green waters, saguaro-studded landscapes and beach scenes hazy with whitecaps.

Man on trial after serving time for killing: Kim Smith; A Clark County jury will decide the fate this week of a 35-year-old Pahrump man who has admitted and already served prison time for the crime.

LV accountant disciplined by SEC: Kurt Saliger, an auditor for Gas and Oil Technologies Inc. from July 2001 through late 2001, was accused of issuing false reports that claimed the company's financial statements for the year ended Dec. 31, 2000, and for the period ended June 30, 2001, were in compliance with accounting and auditing standards.

Water board preparing to bid on utility: Steve Kanigher and Launce Rake; The Southern Nevada Water Authority is scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to give general manager Pat Mulroy authority to make an offer to purchase Nevada Power Co. from Sierra Pacific Resources.

Second-quarter loss reported: For the second quarter, the Las Vegas-based company reported a 17 percent decline in revenues from the same period a year-ago and a loss from continuing operations of $76,460, compared to a loss of $57,905 in the year-ago second quarter. Casino Journal Publishing sold Poker Digest magazine to Shulman Media LLC on June 28 for $302,719.

Pioneer owner reports revenue decline: The cash flow measure EBITDA, earnings before interest, taxes, appreciation, rents and corporate expenses, was $13.8 million, compared to $5.1 million from the year-ago quarter.

Harter pushes UNLV as research facility: RENO -- In five to seven years UNLV wants to be rated among the nation's top research universities while maintaining its No. 1 goal of teaching students.

Firm bringing high-tech operation, jobs to Vegas: Nevada economic development officials hope a decision by a small California high-tech company to relocate to Las Vegas will result in similar companies joining it.

Plan for mentally ill is questioned: By Emily Richmond; A proposal by Gov. Kenny Guinn to put $15 million in unused prison funds toward a new psychiatric hospital in Southern Nevada would be a small drop in a deep bucket, mental health professionals say.

Recipe for smog soup: Mix sun, smoke, dust and car emissions: This summer hasn't offered any relief from heat, haze or drought, as Sunday's skies showed.

Senecas, Pataki sign pact for casinos: Ben Dobbin; NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. -- Honeymooners, get ready to roll the dice.

Colleges' domestic partner benefits still stalled: Jennifer Knight; When Maggie Tolan came to work for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1996, she took up a cause that she thought would have resulted in something by now.