Print edition for February 13, 2002

Expert: Mexico close to gambling OK: David Strow; The government of Mexico, after decades of flirting with legalized gambling, appears poised to approve casino gaming at some point this year, a former U.S. ambassador to that country said Tuesday.

Officials debate Internet gaming: Leaf through any of the popular magazines directed at casino players and you'll find ads -- dozens of them -- promoting Internet casinos.

United facing strike threat: Deanna Bellandi; CHICAGO -- United Airlines mechanics rejected a contract offer that would have given them industry-leading pay, setting up a possible strike starting in a week at the nation's No. 2 carrier.

Bush mulls Yucca dump: Benjamin Grove and Erin Neff; WASHINGTON -- Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham briefed President Bush on Tuesday about why a nuclear waste dump should be built at Yucca Mountain, despite widespread opposition within Nevada.

Consumer advocate's criticism sparks heated response from Nevada Power: Nevada Power Co. accused the state's consumer advocate of spreading half-truths about its request for an electricity rate hike.

RTC seeks tax increases: For transportation planners statewide and locally, this is a time of enormous challenges -- mostly about money.

Lake Mead water level to hit 30-year low: Lake Mead is expected to drop to its lowest point in 30 years, a result of dry conditions and increasing demand for water, the federal Bureau of Reclamation reported this week.

Tasty gruel: Spencer Patterson; So you're thinking about checking out this weekend's 4A state meet at Las Vegas High, but you're not sure what you'll be watching? Here are some wrestling basics that should shed some light on the mat happenings.

Prep playoff schedules, results: 4A SUNRISE REGION TOURNAMENT

Man wounded in shooting dies: Gheorghe Bogdan was at a private party at the Kitchen Cafe on Flamingo Road near Decatur Boulevard last month when a fight began outside, according to Metro Lt. Tom Monahan. He said that at some point a gunshot was fired.

Parents: Firm rented unsafe vehicle: Pablo and Blanca Romero allege that Shaun H. Deal knew the left rear tire on his truck was in disrepair but allowed Tony Hernandez-Banos to rent a mobile air-compressor and haul it Sept. 4.

Berkley opens debate on NCAA bill: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., fired an opening salvo today as lawmakers in Congress renewed their debate over whether to ban bets placed on college sports.

Teamsters urge rejection of contract: The union, which already represents 1,200 Republic Services disposal workers, said the company's recycling workers suffer from substandard wages, no health and pension plan and unsafe working conditions.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: New shoes afoot at Neiman's: Zanotti designs are gorgeous and original. His shoes come in various heel heights. All of the heels are slim and sexy. My favorite was adorned with a small bunch of perfectly balanced glass grapes. Others had swaths of crystal adorning the sides. All were beautiful. These shoes are available in NM's shoe salon on the second level. (Soon, the salon will move to the first floor.)

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Mardi Gras Gala benefits St. Rose Dominican: Elizabeth Foyt; A tradition for 45 years, the elegant evening remains Southern Nevada's most enduring fund-raiser and well illustrates the depth of support and appreciation enjoyed by the medical center. St. Rose is the only nonprofit, non-tax supported, religiously affiliated hospital in our region.

Letter: Hospital acts in own interest: And now Sunrise has testified to the Legislature asking that the UMC Quick Cares be put out of business. Not only does Sunrise not want a competing children's hospital to cut into their profits, now they want to eliminate the competing Quick Cares.

Obituaries for February 13, 2002: Federico C. Abad, 57, of North Las Vegas died Tuesday in a local hospice. He was born Oct. 23, 1944, in Manila, Philippines. A resident for 3 1/2 years, he was a retired airport baggage handler.

Letter: Little achieved for homeless: Where are the appeals for volunteers and donations of food, merchandise and money by regional politicians? Where are the increases in mental health outreach teams? Where are the promised state mental health system increases?

Editorial: Merging shouldn't be taboo: Still, it is encouraging to see both mayors talk about consolidation, an idea that unfortunately has fallen on disfavor among many politicians who are unwilling to cede power. Montandon himself says he would be willing to step aside as mayor if consolidation meant improved services. North Las Vegas Councilwoman Shari Buck has a decidedly different view. Montandon is entitled to his own opinion about his job, Buck said, "but I'm not willing to abdicate my responsibility to serve the citizens of North Las Vegas to someone else." But Buck is missing the point. If the citizens of North Las Vegas ...

Editorial: Fuel standard hike is at a crossroads: Current standards mandate that a manufacturer's annual fleet of passenger cars must average 27.5 miles per gallon, while the fleet of minivans, pickups and sport utility vehicles must average 20.7 miles per gallon. But in light of the renewed calls for independence from foreign oil that followed the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Democratic Sens. Fritz Hollings of South Carolina and John Kerry of Massachusetts are picking up where Bryan left off. Hollings and Kerry have introduced legislation that seeks to narrow the differences between cars and light trucks, combining the two standards so that there would be a total fleet ...

Under where: Lingerie sales, fashions go mainstream: Kirk Baird; "Back when I had my last girlfriend ... there was a stigma to buying lingerie, that you had an ...," the 31-year-old paused for a moment. "That you had ulterior motives."

Letter: Nevadans need to speak up on nuke waste: The mood in the area remains skeptical of the outcome, and I have heard younger people with families talk of moving away, fearing what might lie ahead. Many of us may not have given up on a possible reversal of this misguided effort to sacrifice our area to the needs of the nuclear power industry and the callous attitude of people elsewhere, who have calculated that regardless of what happens at the Yucca Mountain site, that they would be a safe distance away.

LV's Busch striving for consistency: The following procedures are used to set the 43-car field for the Daytona 500:

Columnist Dean Juipe: New team has look of bad joke: Dean Juipe; After years of close calls, we in Las Vegas can finally say we have seen the absolute height of absurdity.

Columnist Jeff Haney: Bettors back Earnhardt Jr. in Daytona 500: The sentimental favorite in Sunday's Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is also commanding plenty of interest at the betting windows.

Florida Dodge Dealers 250 lineup: 1. (1) Ted Musgrave, Dodge, 187.215 mph.

In search of the perfect Las Vegas hot dog: Max Jacobson; The 75-cent hot dog at Gray's Papaya in Manhattan might not exist here, but we have several winning choices:

Savvy wine buys: Vieilles Vignes '99 Chablis: Available at Las Vegas Wine Company, $20.99.

Western ousted by Cimarron: Spencer Patterson; It's official: there will be no repeat state champion in boys basketball.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Gaughan has 'hell of a drafting truck' for Friday: DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Brendan Gaughan knew he had a great truck for Friday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway, but he wasn't sure how it would do in qualifying.

Home prices up 9 percent: In the Las Vegas Valley, the median existing home price rose 9 percent in 2001 to $149,100, compared to a 5 percent rise in 2000.

Surplus funds keep city solvent during crisis: Mathis Winkler; North Las Vegas seems to have avoided a financial hit in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, and City Council members gave some of the credit to outgoing Finance Director Vytas Vaitkus during a mid-year budget review Tuesday.

Community briefs for February 13, 2002: Vo-Tech offers training in a variety of vocational programs, including computer animation, television Production, electronics, cosmetology and culinary arts.

Title-holder opposes plan for Miss America slots: John Curran; ATLANTIC CITY -- She's not getting enough bookings, she hates the idea of a Miss America slot machine and her parents have been treated rudely by Miss America officials.

Subcritical experiment set at NTS: The underground experiment -- Vito -- is scheduled noon Thursday.

Columnist Peter Benton: World Golf event has stellar field: Peter Benton; South Africans Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, along with the 2000 champion, Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland, are among the international players who have committed to the World Golf Championships Accenture Match Play Championships.

Cop charged with sex assault: Keith Paul; A Metro Police officer was charged Tuesday with sexual assaulting a teenage girl in Henderson several times in recent years.

Tribe wants casinos seized: The Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians told the Michigan Gaming Control Board that it should name a conservator to run the Greektown, MGM Grand and MotorCity casinos.

Company to sell MP21 system: MP21 provides real-time player tracking on table games using artificial intelligence high-speed image processing to determine player ratings and provide security. The VisionCore system recognizes chips, bills and cards to ensure accurate accounting and player tracking.

Don't expect a classic vs. little-known foe: Steve Addy; WHAT: Florida International (10-16) at UNLV (13-8)

Gibbons says don't place blame for 9-11: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., had a mixed reaction to the announcement this week that a joint panel of lawmakers from the House and Senate intelligence committees will investigate the U.S. intelligence system's handling of terrorism during the last 16 years.

Apex lawsuit dismissed: A District Court judge has agreed to dismiss a lawsuit filed by developers of the Apex Industrial Park against the Las Vegas Valley Water District.

Legislators debate curbing governor's emergency powers: CARSON CITY -- In a major public health emergency, such as a terrorist attack, the governor would be given extraordinary powers under a proposed law.

Rebels' Orris MWC Pitcher of the Week: Orris, a right-handed hurler from Brea, Calif., earned wins in both of her starts last week. She one-hit St. Mary's and defeated Massachusetts in the ASU Fiesta Bowl tournament.

Vegas gas prices increasing: Prices in Reno rose 3 cents to $1.27 over last month and Carson City saw a drop of 1 cent to $1.28. Despite the hikes, AAA said the state is seeing the lowest gas prices in three years with the trend likely to continue throughout the first quarter, followed by a late-spring increase that will be less extreme than in past years.

Columnist Victoria Sun: UNLV women's team taking small steps: Victoria Sun; It wasn't an ideal debut.

Expert on water to get DRI award: Wolman, noted for his study of how surface waters influence the shape of the Earth's landforms, will receive the eight-ounce silver medallion and $10,000 prize from SBC Nevada Bell on March 18 at the Desert Research Institute's Las Vegas campus, 755 E. Flamingo Road. He also will deliver a lecture.

Groundbreaking Foxwoods casino turns 10: Diane Scarponi; MASHANTUCKET, Conn. -- When Foxwoods Resort Casino opened 10 years ago this week, casino managers thought they might close the gambling hall for a few hours in the middle of the night, when the rest of eastern Connecticut was fast asleep.

Public hearing set on residential plan: Jeffrey Libby; A controversial plan to build a 632-acre residential development in the southern foothills of Henderson, including two sprawling apartment complexes on what many consider the city's most beautiful real estate, will be the subject of a public hearing Thursday.

Death of man, 62, a homicide: Keith Paul; Metro Police are investigating whether anyone should face charges in a 62-year-old man's death last November, investigators said.

LV ends year down 2.3 percent: December's 2.57 million visitors, a 6.2 percent decline from the 2.74 million reported in December 2000, brought the total for the year to 35 million, down 2.3 percent from the 35.8 million that visited Las Vegas the previous year.

LVCVA extends stadium lease: The current contract for the Las Vegas 51s AAA baseball team was set to expire at the end of this year. The term of the contract was extended to coincide with the length of the 51s' player development agreement with its major league parent team, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Family sues over lost body: According to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in District Court, LaMar McDonald died at Valley Hospital July 4 after an angiogram and other procedures.

Witness: Suspect talked about murder for hire: Keith Paul; John Brian Ray, arrested last week in the slaying of his brother-in-law, allegedly told two people he was going to do the killing for insurance money and even said how he was going to spend his cut, according to a police affidavit.

New charges fly in LV labor battle: Grace Leong; More than 100 union supporters joined the United Food and Commercial Workers Union in a rally Tuesday at Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s Sam's Club store at 7175 W. Spring Mountain Road against an alleged campaign by the giant retailer to block its Las Vegas workers' right to vote on union representation.

Up and coming: Odyssey sails into improved scores: By Emily Richmond; When the Odyssey Charter School of Las Vegas wound up on a state list of low-performing schools last year for posting low numbers on a basic skills exam, administrators struggled to explain the reasons.

Claims against doctors rise in county: Medical malpractice cases in Clark County more than doubled over the past six years, with plaintiffs winning more than $21 million in jury awards last year, court records show.

UNLV tenure system in question: Jennifer Knight; A tenured professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas who for nearly a decade has fought to get his job back after twice being fired won a jury verdict Tuesday in a case that raises questions about the university's tenure system.

Feds moving on Calif. casino: Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs announced last month that the decision had been made to place the parcel in trust for the United Auburn Indian Community. But the agency took a second look at this decision at the request of gambling opponent Rep. John Doolittle, R-Calif.