Print edition for February 18, 2002

Guilty plea made in bonds scheme: Jace Radke; A Las Vegas man who gained national attention in 1998 by making an unsubstantiated bid to buy the NFL's Minnesota Vikings will be sentenced in May for leading a conspiracy to sell historic railroad bonds.

LV's Busch winds up 4th: DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Kurt Busch had a Daytona 500 victory in his sights with 30 laps remaining in the race and then he seemed destined for a 15th-place finish.

Letter: Stop raiding Social Security: We seniors who have financially contributed to Social Security for many years can tell them how to keep it from going broke: Stop raiding the surplus. That is the logical way, and something not done in Washington, D.C.

Longtime Salvation Army spokesman Dodge dies at 70: Longtime Clark County Salvation Army spokesman Sumner Dodge had distinctive public and private sides -- and from both views a good man could be seen.

14 attorneys apply for bench: The applicants include Las Vegas Municipal Judges Michelle Leavitt, 36, and Jessie Walsh, 43, and Justice of the Peace Jennifer Togliatti, 34.

NLV will consider plan for more parks: Mathis Winkler; The North Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday will discuss a strategic plan to boost parks space and recreational opportunities for residents.

Trends for February 18, 2002: Lisa Ferguson; This little nugget comes courtesy of the "Goofy Stuff Left Over From Valentine's Day" file. We figured the celebrity-addicted among you would gobble it up, along with whatever's left of the heart-shaped candy.

Lawmakers, lobbyists gear for a long battle: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Lobbyists and lawmakers on both sides of the Yucca Mountain issue already are looking ahead to the showdown in Congress.

Community briefs for February 18, 2002: The Salvation Army is holding a food drive through Saturday with the help of Savers Thrift Stores.

LV Internet company adds fun website: Terms were not disclosed.

Letter: Interstate trash welcomes visitor: A week later, sure enough, the same sight awaited us as we traveled along the same path. This time, to our amusement, we noticed three men picking the same trash along the freeway. I congratulate them and wish them luck, since it will take those three men years to do the job.

Letter: Superintendent doesn't merit passing grade: A) He was Clark County's fifth or sixth choice to fill his position a few years back, and when chosen was from the "leftover pool"!

Daytona 500 results: 1. (19) Ward Burton, Dodge, 200, $1,383,017.

Company raises $6 million in private stock sale: The company sold 9.23 million shares of stock at 65 cents per share -- a 17 percent discount to its current market price -- to institutional investors, as well as 1.38 million warrants to buy stock at $1 per share.

Legislature has few options in 2003: Erin Neff; If the Nevada Legislature were in session right now, the 64 lawmakers could have a say in the Yucca Mountain fight.

Residents rush to become citizens: By Timothy Pratt; Jose R. Villaverde-Obejas recalled a saying last week from his homeland, Cuba: "A penny is just one cent by itself, but if you add 99 more, it's a dollar."

Prep playoff schedule, results: Boys Basketball

Softball: UNLV extends winning string to four games: The Rebels (7-5) got solid performances from every hitter in the lineup. Seven players collected at least one hit, most of which came in UNLV's five-run third inning.

Laughlin operator posts loss: Archon Corp. of Las Vegas reported a loss of $1.8 million, or 28 cents per share, for the first quarter of its fiscal year. This compares to net income of $89.3 million, or $13.06 per share, in the year-ago period.

Rebels beat Colorado to win own tourney: The Rebels (2-2) won their spring invitational for the seventh straight year by rallying past the surging Buffaloes (3-1) 4-3 in windy and cool conditions.

Birth announcements for February 18, 2002: Feb. 11:

Obituaries for February 18, 2002: Patricia Binegar, 64, of Boulder City died Saturday in Boulder City. She was born Oct. 22, 1937, in Peoria, Ill. A resident for seven years, she was a homemaker.

Daytona 500 notebook: Earnhardt Jr. limps home 29th: DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Most drivers would not consider it a good day to blow two tires, slide through the infield grass at 160 mph without brakes and get caught up in an 18-car pileup.

Rebel baseball swept by Fullerton: Victoria Sun; FULLERTON, Calif. -- UNLV baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle had a different view for the Rebels' third game against 16th-ranked Cal State Fullerton.

Editorial: Prevailing wage must be strong: We agree with the justices, who ruled that Nevada's law is subject to a broader application than the federal law whose wording refers to workers "directly upon" a construction site. Our law's language refers to those employed "at the site" of the work covered by the contract. The case that prompted the ruling had to do with three state highway construction projects in Northern Nevada. Granite Construction Co. sought the decision in 1999 because it disagreed with truckers hauling material away from the sites, who were arguing they were entitled to prevailing wage even though much of their work was ...

Las Vegas repeats as wrestling champs: Spencer Patterson; Joe LaRocco might have had the best seat in the house for Saturday night's 4A State Wrestling Championships, but it was the last place the Las Vegas High coach wanted to be.

Former world champ Griffin wins mismatch at the Stardust: Dean Juipe; Years from now if fate allows, George Klinesmith can tell his grandchildren about the night he fought a former world champion in a main event of a boxing card in Las Vegas.

Burton snags win: DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The 44th running of the Daytona 500 long will be remembered more for who lost the race -- and how -- as opposed to who won.

Guinn backs fast tracking for Henderson interchange: CARSON CITY -- Clark County officials have gained a sympathetic ear from Gov. Kenny Guinn to speed up construction of the planned interchange of the Las Vegas Beltway and U.S. 95, which is being called the Henderson Spaghetti Bowl.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Kentucky Derby field looks tough to get a handle on: Ralph Siraco; Interest in the Kentucky Derby shifted into a higher gear over the weekend, and while there are still 11 weeks to go, this year's "Run for the Roses" is as wide open a contest as there has been in many a year.

Airline security in hands of feds: CHANTILLY, Va. -- Airline passengers had their airport routines sharply altered after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and now the way they're protected has changed as well.

Man dies while being subdued by officers: Patrol officers and Clark County Fire Department and AMR paramedics arriving at the 4700 block of East Washington Avenue were met by a man who was described as enraged and who had destroyed the interior of his house, police said.

Guinn: Truckers need to pay more for highway use: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn says out-of-state truckers don't pay their fair share of taxes to help expand and make repairs on Nevada roads and streets, and they're costing the state $100 million a year.

Debate to focus on 'reasonable expectations': The key words in last week's choice of Yucca Mountain as a high-level nuclear waste repository -- uttered by both Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and President Bush -- were that the selection was "based on sound scientific principles."

Child support battle puts Kerkorian in spotlight: Gary Gentile; LOS ANGELES -- As an amateur boxer in the late 1930s, he was known as "Rifle Right" Kerkorian, but apparently lacked the frame or the killer instinct to turn pro.

Loss narrows for AC company: Trump Hotels, led by developer Donald Trump, said its loss narrowed to $10.2 million, or 46 cents a share, from $24.9 million, or $1.13 a share a year earlier. Revenue rose 5.2 percent to $294 million, the Atlantic City-based company said.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Media bores its Olympic audience: Dean Juipe; They're vultures, lying in wait for the first hint of inappropriateness or controversy.

Land swap could expand Red Rock border: A land swap involving the Howard Hughes Corp., the Bureau of Land Management and Clark County could expand the border of the Red Rock conservation area and provide a public park in the Las Vegas Valley.

Justice Department sues Vegas medical company: Matrix, a distributor of a medical device called PRO ElecDT-2 that treats muscle pain and has about 2,500 customers nationwide, was accused by the government of repeatedly failing to maintain records for its packaging and labelling methods, and of failing to properly handle complaints, investigate product failures and train its employees.

Ready Mix sale linked to suit: Grace Leong; Meadow Valley Corp. of Phoenix, a big highway contractor in Las Vegas, said a planned $12 million sale of its subsidiary Ready Mix Inc. to RMI Enterprises LLC may result in dismissal of a lawsuit filed by disgruntled Meadow Valley shareholders.

UNLV faces fifth game in 10 days: Steve Addy; WHAT: UNLV (14-9, 5-5 MWC) at Colorado State (10-14, 1-8)

News briefs for February 18, 2002: Metro Police detectives arrested Stephen James Micciche, 28, Friday on charges of first-degree kidnapping, lewdness with a minor under 14 years old, open and gross lewdness and solicitation of a minor to engage in infamous crimes against nature, all felonies.

Finances improve for LV's Ameristar: The company, an operator of casinos in Iowa, Missouri, Mississippi and Nevada, reported net income of $9.2 million, or 40 cents per share. This compares to a net loss of $5.7 million, or 28 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter.

Hostess to open plant in Henderson: Jennifer Robison; Interstate Brands Corp., the parent company of Hostess Bakery and the nation's largest wholesale baker, will open its first bakery in Nevada by the end of the year.

Marching back: ROTC makes a comeback on UNLV campus: Jennifer Knight; Tom Welch, 18, comes from two generations of soldiers, so his future in the military was just a question of when.

Yucca strategy: Sue, stall: Erin Neff; Now that President Bush has approved a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain, Nevada officials plan to stuff the courts with lawsuits, tying up the issue for as long as possible.

Population growth shifts ward boundaries: Diana Sahagun; Las Vegas officials, who went through redistricting barely two years ago when two council seats were added, were expecting a routine shift in boundaries this year.

Isle reports loss at LV Lady Luck: The Biloxi, Miss., casino operator reported net income of $5.6 million, or 19 cents per share, for the quarter. This compared to a loss of $3 million, or 10 cents per share, in the year-ago period.

PacifiCare stock falls on legal troubles: SANTA ANA, Calif. -- PacifiCare Health Systems Inc. reported a fourth-quarter loss because the biggest operator of Medicare health plans had restructuring expenses and battled rising health-care costs.

Herbst improves Jackpot, reports gains: A Herbst Gaming Inc. executive says revenues are exceeding expectations for the company, more than a year after its $45 million acquisition of Jackpot Enterprises.

Nurses leaving hospitals, union says: By Emily Richmond; Long hours, risky patient loads and understaffing are driving Nevada's nurses from hospital jobs in record numbers, according to a new union survey being released today.

Insurer had limited Nevada presence: Chris Jones; The failure of a Pennsylvania malpractice insurer is expected to have little effect on any unpaid claims it may have in Nevada.

Gaming legend Sachs dies at 76: Allan David "Al" Sachs, whose meteoric rise from dealer to casino owner and whose abrupt fall in 1984 amid innuendo served only to add to the mystique of his gambling legend, died late Sunday in Henderson. He was 76.

Undocumented workers have right to earn prevailing wages: By Timothy Pratt; In a landmark decision for Nevada, undocumented immigrant workers who are hired on public works projects have the right to be paid prevailing wages, the state labor commissioner ruled last week.