Print edition for August 21, 2002

Obituaries for August 21, 2002: Amelia R. Advincula, 65, of Las Vegas died Sunday in Las Vegas. She was born July 28, 1937, in Manila, Philippines. A resident for eight years, she was a certified nursing assistant at Nathan Adelson Hospice.

Community briefs for August 21, 2002: Car owners can learn how to protect their cars at an Auto Theft Prevention Day from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. Saturday at the Boulevard mall, 3528 S. Maryland Parkway.

Palo Verde theater program cited: The program received the Outstanding School Program award at the yearly festival, which recognizes high school programs that promote high standards of quality in educational theater.

Funds aid UMC: The money will be used to purchase infant monitoring equipment, infant warmers and other necessary equipment.

Fed judge to rule on Aerotech suit: Jace Radke; A federal judge will decide whether to dismiss a lawsuit alleging Fourth Amendment violations by the Clark County Fire Department during an investigation of a model rocket plant that was destroyed by a chemical fire in October.

NLV eyes development changes: North Las Vegas may allow developers to build more homes on smaller lots, but if the city relaxes its zoning rules, developers will have to reciprocate with more parks and open spaces, city officials say.

State to negotiate with top bidder for Summit View: CARSON CITY -- Despite some complaints, the state is moving ahead with plans to negotiate a contract with a Georgia company to operate the Summit View juvenile detention center near North Las Vegas.

Rising tuition costs driving up state's prepaid program: Jennifer Knight; The rising cost of college is driving up the price of Nevada's prepaid tuition plan, state officials said Tuesday.

Firefighters have big boots to fill: Stephen Curran; In most ways, Ryan Anderson is like most other 9-year-olds.

VFW commander receives honor: Stephen P. Gibbs, commander of Post 1753 in Las Vegas, is one of only 87 post commanders worldwide selected to the All American Post Commander Distinguished Division. Criteria for this honor include outstanding achievement in membership growth and participation in VFW programs that benefit veterans and the community.

Officials emphasize safety on valley's school routes: By Emily Richmond; A dozen students from Rose Warren Elementary School in southwest Las Vegas were supposed to be giving a demonstration of the proper way for school children to navigate traffic Tuesday, complete with the watchful eyes of crossing guards, parents, administrators and police officers.

Trash course: Las Vegas artists celebrate their distinctive cultural roots: Kirk Baird; That is not a barroom-brawl enticing insult directed at the heavily tattooed frontman of punk-rock band The Vermin.

Savvy wine buys: '96 Lanzerac Cabernet Sauvignon: The wine was produced from newly planted, virus-free clones of cabernet sauvignon, and the tannins are quite soft. This wine will stand up to the gamiest meats, and is a wonderful match for cheese as well.

LV firm in online gambling pact: An i2corp subsidiary, Home Gambling Network, owns a patent that covers live remote gambling involving electronic fund transfers. The company recently relocated its headquarters from Las Vegas to California to more effectively recruit software development talent and take advantage of a California law that allows for live remote horse racing.

Young stars, old vets compete at Reno-Tahoe Open: AP; Past PGA winners Mark Brooks and Bob Tway and 1982 Masters champ Craig Stadler, who formerly lived at nearby Lake Tahoe, are among the other major winners who begin play Thursday at the fourth $3 million Reno-Tahoe Open.

US Airways, Continental trimming service: In Las Vegas

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Desert Passage bids aloha to Hawaiian-themed store: Elizabeth Foyt; The colorful store duplicates the spirit of the tropic state with fashion, food and home- decor items.

Coffee drinkers buzzed by decaf options: Max Jacobson; In recent years, an ever-widening selection of decaffeinated coffees and teas have spilled onto the market, beverages that retain much of their original bean or leaf flavor. This is due to better technology and to greater demand.

51s clinch division: Victoria Sun; Las Vegas' PCL playoff history

Amber Alert plans for Vegas may be expedited: Adrienne Packer; Because of a recent flurry of abductions across the country, Clark County Commissioner Erin Kenny on Tuesday asked to expedite plans to implement an Amber Alert system in the Las Vegas Valley.

Telecom operator cutting jobs: The layoffs will take place across the United States and Puerto Rico. They are scheduled to start next month and end by mid-November.

Council braces for new attack on land deals, pay: Jeffrey Libby; Two long-standing disputes about development of city land and pay for elected officials go another round at Boulder City ballot boxes Sept. 3.

Mayweather: Oscar will win because of his trainer: Dean Juipe; There's no checking Floyd Mayweather Sr.'s ego at the door. It's sizable and it's with him at all times.

Tour of duty: Former Honor Guard soldier spent months cleaning Pentagon devastation: Stephen Curran; Standing in line to register at the Community College of Southern Nevada, Timothy Beaudry looks like any other student.

Apex, Red Rock plans set back: The Clark County planning staff, citing environmental concerns, have recommended rejection of a pair of development projects that would add more than 44,000 homes to the Las Vegas area.

Stripper ordinance might be changed: Adrienne Packer; Affected Clubs

Major expansion set for Sunrise hospital: HCA Inc.'s Sunrise Children's Hospital in Las Vegas will add more than 60 pediatric beds in a 3 1/2-year expansion project that is part of a $75 million capital improvement program.

Hispanic population struggles with growth: Ed Koch and Stephen Curran; The burgeoning Hispanic population is having a rough time in Southern Nevada, according to statistics released Tuesday by the Census Bureau.

Republican candidates raise taxing issues for state: Erin Neff; Democrats tried unsuccessfully for two years to recruit an official candidate to run against Gov. Kenny Guinn, but six Republicans willingly decided to take on their party's state leader.

Man, woman found shot to death in NLV: Police were called to 2000 block of Lawry Avenue at Comstock Drive about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and found a woman dead on the sidewalk and a man dead on the street by the curb near their rental car.

Closing arguments expected today in Mack ethics trial: Diana Sahagun; Las Vegas Councilman Michael Mack was expected to be absent from the afternoon session of today's council meeting as he awaited a verdict in his ethics trial.

Johnson wants to bring back magic to Rebels: Steve Guiremand; Earvin Johnson arrived at UNLV last season as perhaps the most highly touted prep recruit of the John Robinson era.

News briefs for August 21, 2002: A 50-year-old North Las Vegas man was in serious condition this morning after he was shot in the neck during an argument with his wife Tuesday, police said.

Expansion could result in losses: Belterra agreed to build the tower as part of a settlement agreement reached June 29 with the Indiana Gaming Commission following complaints that the casino arranged for prostitutes to entertain wealthy gamblers.

Bill would give workers suit option: CARSON CITY -- A bill is being prepared for the 2003 Legislature to give more clout to injured workers who feel they have not been treated fairly by worker compensation insurance companies.

High arsenic, tungsten levels found in Fallon: FALLON -- Unusually high levels of arsenic and tungsten were found in residents of this small agricultural and military town hit by an epidemic of childhood leukemia, federal scientists reported Tuesday.

Killer's case might go to Supreme Court: Kim Smith; Convicted killer John Butler a hasn't even been sentenced yet, but his case may soon be sent to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Equitable formula proposed for state indigent care: Erin Neff; A consultant told a legislative committee Tuesday that Nevada can come up with a formula to equalize distribution of funds for indigent care to hospitals.

Research offers hope for problem gamblers: By Liz Benston; Gambling and drinking problems don't necessarily get worse once symptoms emerge, a sign that problem gamblers may be able to recover more easily than previously thought, a new Harvard Medical School study shows.

County briefs for August 21, 2002: Fifty-four University Medical Center physicians have rescinded their resignations since the state Legislature passed a medical malpractice tort reform bill in special session last month, but Clark County commissioners are still dissatisfied.

Judge allows extension: Judge Redfield Baum of Phoenix on Tuesday authorized the bankrupt Las Vegas Strip property to halve the facility's commitment amount from $50 million to $25 million, retroactive to July 11. The amendment also reduces the unused availability fee payable to lenders from 1.5 percent to 1 percent per year.

PCL box: Las Vegas - Fresno: Time-- 2:20. Attendance-- 2,429. Umpires: HP-- Riley; 1b-- Horton; 3b-- Cortez.

Nevada sales tax down for second straight month: CARSON CITY -- Taxable sales, a key indicator of the health of the Nevada economy, fell in June, the second straight month of a decline compared to the previous year.

Columnist Peter Benson: Finchem honored for service on PGA Tour: Peter Benson; Tim Finchem, whose five-year term as PGA Tour Commissioner has featured a marked acceleration in golf's growth, received the 2002 PGA of America Distinguished Service Award during last week's PGA Championship.

Ex-UNLV star Riley guns for PGA's Reno-Tahoe Open: AP; Riley, Charles Howell III and rookie Pat Perez - each with more than $1 million in winnings this year - are among the rising stars mixing it up at Reno this week with such PGA Tour veterans as Mark O'Meara, Corey Pavin and Lee Janzen.

Columnist Victoria Sun: PGA champ Beem to play in LV event: Victoria Sun; It's only August, but some of golf's finest already have committed to play in the Invensys Classic Oct. 7-13.

UMC CFO: Sept. 11 added to debt of $9 million: Adrienne Packer; The debt incurred by Clark County's University Medical Center for the fiscal year ending in July climbed to $9 million due to Southern Nevada's economic struggles, hospital officials said Tuesday.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Wisconsin gets jump on Rebels: Dean Juipe; If you've looked ahead through the TV guide in an attempt to plot your weekend, you're already aware of a Friday night college football game between Wisconsin and Fresno State.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: LV's Carpentier seeks repeat of '96 Montreal win: One of the highlights of Patrick Carpentier's racing career came in 1996 -- the year before his rookie season in CART -- when the Quebec native won a Toyota Atlantic race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

AOL buying out partner: AOL Time Warner owns about 72.4 percent of the partnership, and AT&T owns the rest.

Continental planning reductions: Kristen Hays; HOUSTON -- From reducing plastic knife use in coach to grounding planes, Continental Airlines is undertaking a series of sharp financial steps to combat the slump the airline industry has suffered since the Sept. 11 attacks.

Report: Rape suspect stopped, then released: Keith Paul; A Metro Police sergeant stopped a man matching the description of a serial rapist after seeing the man late Saturday talking to a young woman near the area of the other assaults, but let him go after questioning him.

California girl is safe with family in Nevada: Martin Griffith; Issuing an Amber Alert

Editorial: It's an emergency; erect barriers now: But all was not reassuring. The department said work would begin in about four months. When questioned by the Sun about the length of time needed to correct such a dangerous stretch of road, the answer came back: Four to six weeks to design the rails and resolve drainage issues, three weeks to advertise for a contractor, at least a month to prepare and deliver a "notice to proceed" order to the contractor ... That's all well and fine under normal circumstances, but we say this project should proceed under its true circumstance -- as an emergency. With lives at ...

Thursday's horse racing entries: Post Time 2 p.m.

Editorial: Beef up security at DOE sites: Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., who opposes Bush's decision, believes that security at Energy Department facilities hasn't been given the kind of attention it deserves, a situation that he says stretches back to the Clinton administration and the first President Bush. According to Markey, between 1992 and 2001 the Energy Department reduced its security forces from 7,091 employees to 4,262. Close to home, security personnel at the Nevada Test Site was cut from 276 to 113. Sure, overall operations at the Nevada Test Site were scaled back significantly following the nuclear testing ban in early 1990s, but that doesn't mean that ...

Correction: The Sun regrets the error.

Letter: Hawkish White House puts Iraq ahead of citizens: I would like for the leadership of this nation to start paying attention to what this country is asking for. One thing is for sure. We don't need another conflict or police action as in Afghanistan. What is not needed is for the leadership (the White House and Capitol Hill) to send our service people to Iraq to get killed and wounded to satisfy a 10-year-old legacy.

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

Letter: Disclosure laws unconstitutional: Your editorial seemed to overlook a really serious contention. That being that the disclosure laws in question are unconstitutional. I realize that in post-9/11 America, most people aren't as concerned with silly things like constitutions as they are with hunting down terrorists at all costs. However, the fact remains that laws repugnant to the state or federal constitution are null and void. It doesn't matter what the law is for or what the intent is.

Letter: Date of primary leads to apathy: Candidates from the same party with presumably similar political ideologies are all trying to target the voters from their parties for an endless seven to eight months. Candidates who do not have a primary put their campaigns on idle during this time waiting for the endless primary to be over. As a voter, and also as the director of government relations for the Nevada State Education Association, I am busy sorting out which candidate is from which party and consciously thinking, "OK, that candidate won't be on the ballot until November."