Print edition for December 9, 2002

Writer Weaver dies in LV at 90: A bedtime tale told to author John D. Weaver led to a literary project that changed the course of history.

Obituaries for December 9, 2002: Mary Elaine Eugene, 93, of Las Vegas died Saturday in a local hospital. She was born May 2, 1909, of Gas Point, Calif. A resident for 25 years, she was a homemaker.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Toccet seeking match race with Baffert's Vindication: Ralph Siraco; The essence of horse racing traces back to a simple basic. "My horse can beat your horse."

Rebels playing waiting game on Amundson, hurt thumb: Steve Guiremand; MADISON, Wis. -- Louis Amundson is getting closer to returning to the lineup for the UNLV Rebels. But just how close is still anybody's guess.

Letter: How many remembered Pearl Harbor?: RICHARD E. LAW

A closer look at the legacy of Rankin-Bass: Kirk Baird; For more than 20 years the Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass partnership produced some of TV's best-loved holiday specials. Below are some of the duo's more famous Christmas shows, all available on DVD or video cassette, rated on a Rudolph scale of one to five:

Letter: U.S. approach is unproductive: Therefore, it is necessary to provide good and effective diplomacy with this huge, well-populated and powerful country. So far, our public relations with North Korea have been very strained, and unsatisfactory.

Editorial: City should look gift horse in mouth: This is because the city, amazingly, has no policy on either giving or receiving gifts. On Dec. 18, however, the City Council will discuss a gift policy proposed by Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald. She wants all gifts to the city exceeding $25,000 to be voted upon by the City Council. She's hit the target. Now, take three zeros off that figure and she'll have a bull's-eye.

Daring jewelry store robbery described: Jen Lawson; A brazen robber used a million-dollar necklace as a weapon during a heist at the jewelry store at the Four Seasons Hotel this month.

Magazine report critical of Indian gaming industry: Only half of Indian tribes have casinos, the magazine said. Thirty-nine of the 290 Indian casinos accounted for $8.4 billion, or 66 percent, of $12.7 billion in revenue last year, Time said. States with relatively high Indian populations, including Montana, Nevada, North and South Dakota, and Oklahoma, received less than 3 percent of casino proceeds.

Senator calls for subsidies for state doctors: RENO -- The state Board of Medical Examiners has built up a $3.35 million surplus and wants to give the estimated 5,000 Nevada doctors a $1 million dividend.

Immunization schedule for December 9, 2002: HENDERSON PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 129 W. Lake Mead Drive, Building A, Suite 10, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

$25 million suit against Metro goes to trial: Jace Radke; A $25 million civil rights lawsuit filed by the mother of a man shot and killed by Metro Police in 1999 is scheduled to go to trial today in federal court.

Entertainer builds following on casino buses: John Curran; ATLANTIC CITY -- There are no disappearing rabbits, magic wands or colored handkerchiefs in Charlie Prose's act. But make no mistake: He's a magician.

NLV may challenge some points in fired cop's compensation: Judy Odierna; North Las Vegas officials say they will follow an arbitrator's ruling to pay a former police officer almost $1 million in back pay and benefits, but are considering challenging some of the fees awarded.

Most influential men named: Eighteen men were named to the list Friday, joining 64 others named in 2000 and 2001.

Auction benefits reading project: GLVAR will be auctioning off framed posters created by local children who participated in the Fair Housing Poster Contest.

Union ratifies contract extension: The 6,000 employees are represented by the Transport Workers Union.

Speakers selected for casino conference: Biondi, senior managing director of WaterView Advisors LLC and a board member of Harrah's Entertainment Inc. in Las Vegas, served as chairman and chief executive of Universal Studios, Viacom Inc. and Coca-Cola Television.

That's my sister, mister: Cow Town, Bodacious and V61 -- who was only ridden twice, by John Quintana, and who graced the cover of Time magazine about 30 years ago -- all wrote notorious rodeo chapters in their careers as steam-snortin' bulls.

Valley residents seek out the perfect Christmas tree: The University of Nevada, Reno, Cooperative Extension Service offers safety tips on how to keep a Christmas tree:

Expanded Family Court to be completed after New Year's: Erica D. Johnson; The new year will mark the completion of several construction and remodeling projects at the 7-year-old Family Court building, court officials said.

UCLA gets invite: Steve Guiremand; The Las Vegas Bowl on Sunday morning found out again just how valuable its tie-in with the Pac-10 Conference is.

Alabama tribe struggles for federal recognition: Garry Mitchell; MOBILE, Ala. -- Chief Wilford "Longhair" Taylor promises to fight until death for federal recognition of the MOWA Choctaw tribe in southwest Alabama, a struggle supported by Indian experts but not some Creek and Choctaw tribes in the South.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Billboard shindig a passable success: It is so hard sometimes to get a good mix of people to come to your party.

Key state agency gets good, bad marks in survey: CARSON CITY -- Private contractors think the state Public Works Board is doing a good job, but state agencies for which the board oversees construction projects are less impressed, and one elected official thinks the board is failing.

Editorial: UMC is at a critical crossroad: Public and private auditors are studying every aspect of UMC's operation -- its Medicaid reimbursements, its contracts, its hiring practices, everything. The reason is to prepare for a major question: What should be the role of UMC? In past crises, this question may have been asked but with nowhere near the implications it now carries. Reilly and the County Commission are planning to put everything on the table and re-create the public hospital. The only constant, they promise, will be the quality of care and the commitment to the area's indigent population.

Letter: Tribute failed to show both sides: Apparently, Mr. O'Callaghan believed that the public needed to be informed or reminded of positive attributes that he believed Mr. Engelstad possessed. Mr. O'Callaghan apparently also believed that it was unnecessary to inform or remind his audience of controversial aspects of Mr. Engelstad's life. If so, that was a disservice to his readers who deserved a balanced analysis that incorporated the negative as well as the positive acts demonstrated by Mr. Engelstad.

McQueen reigns supreme: Adam Candee; Few tonics exist for the pain of losing in the playoffs, no matter what the sport. The Desert Pines football team knows that too well today.

Trends for December 9, 2002: Lisa Ferguson; Lisa Ferguson's Trends column appears Mondays in the Sun. Reach her at lmsferguson@yahoo.com.

Berkley eyes probe of Yucca worker's charges: Berkley requested the probe after the Sun on Friday reported that the international law firm Morgan Lewis & Bockius, which was hired by the Energy Department to investigate a Yucca manager who was raising concerns about the project, had long-standing ties to the pro-Yucca nuclear industry.

Sentencing postponed for man charged in death of Sun exec: Erica D. Johnson; Sentencing was postponed in the case of the local man charged with causing the accident that killed Sun Vice President and Associate Editor Sandy Thompson.

Def Leppard still rocking: Spencer Patterson; When: Sunday.

Lowe receives wedding gift: A memorable weekend that started with 19-year-old bareback rider Will Lowe marrying Tiffani Burton at the Treasure Island wedding chapel Saturday afternoon culminated in history Sunday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Las Vegas news briefs for December 9, 2002: Metro Police are investigating a two-car crash on Industrial Road north of Harmon Avenue that left one man dead on Saturday.

Births for December 9, 2002: Nov. 24:

Prep Schedule: TODAY

Shustek, agency tangle on regulatory order: Grace Leong; Las Vegas commercial real estate financier Michael Shustek and Nevada regulators are fighting over whether one of Shustek's companies needs to be licensed as a mortgage company.

Airport expects to meet security deadline: Jace Radke; Eighteen months from now McCarran International Airport may have the elite method of explosives detection in place -- a conveyor belt system that runs baggage through electronic screening in a room behind the ticketing area.

Downtown casinos sold: By Liz Benston; Jackie Gaughan today announced plans to sell four casinos in downtown Las Vegas to a startup company for $82 million -- a deal that marks the near-exit of a downtown gaming pioneer whose family's stamp on the city spans three generations.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Discrepancy on transfers is intolerable: Dean Juipe; Lacking clout as a whole, collegiate athletes are subject to the whims of the stuffy and shameless NCAA, which frequently penalizes those it can bully while taking a more condescending approach to its privileged buddies.

Local sports calendar: Men's basketball: CCSN at Riverside, Calif., tournament.

NFR Scoreboard: Third round-1, Will Lowe, Vernon, Texas, 91 points on Big Stone's Chester Dip'n Bandit, $13,923. 2, Jason Jeter, Fort Worth, Texas, 89, $11,003. 3, Cody Jessee, John Day, Ore., 87, $8,309. 4, Jared Lavergne, Ville Platte, La., 86, $5,839. 5 (tie), Pete Hawkins, Weatherford, Texas, and Mark Gomes, Nickerson, Kan., 84, $2,919.

Indelible images: Kirk Baird; When it comes to Christmas traditions, there are the usual icons: pine trees, festive ornaments, decorative lights, creamy egg nog and the ever-popular fruitcake.

UCLA coach reportedly will be fired today: "It's 110 percent that Toledo is gone," said an anonymous source quoted by the Press-Telegram.

Martin 21st, Las Vegan Wilson 25th at Q-School: Dean Wilson of Las Vegas was tied for 25th with a total of 351. Other Southern Nevadans competing are Bob May (356), Eric Meeks (364) and Edward Fryatt (368). The top 35 players and ties after Monday earn their cards for the 2003 season. List, 10D.

Drought a key concern during governors' meeting: Erin Neff; Most politicians are spending the bulk of their time trying to fix deficits and worrying about Iraq, but several Western governors ended a two-day meeting in Clark County on Friday with an eye toward the weather.

New Orleans-themed chain coming to Vegas: Las Vegas resident Michael Berkovitz has contracted to open the restaurants, the first of which is expected to debut within the next six months, said Jeff Percey, director of franchise development for the Houston chain.