Print edition for February 27, 2002

Station exec named president: Marrandino was the president of Station Casinos Inc.'s East division, which includes Sunset Station, Boulder Station, Green Valley Ranch and Fiesta Henderson. Marrandino also previously served as general manager of the Rio hotel-casino.

Supplier buys rest of MDI stake: Shares of Scientific Games finished at $9.38 on the Nasdaq Stock Market, up 25 cents, or 2.7 percent.

Politician, banker could run new college: Jennifer Knight; State university officials are wooing political and business leaders to finish building the yet-to-open Nevada State College at Henderson while they look for a permanent president.

LV air traffic off 9.7%: Southwest Airlines, the largest carrier in Las Vegas, said its passenger count was down 4.6 percent in January to 828,000. America West was down 20.6 percent, United was down 24.4 percent and Delta was down 5.5 percent. American, which acquired TWA during the year, was up 28.2 percent.

World of Outlaws schedule: World of Outlaws schedule

Study will look for ways to protect water supply: A new study by the Southern Nevada Water Authority and other agencies will try to find a way to remove potentially dangerous chemicals that get into water supplies from daily household waste water.

Girls soccer All-Stars chosen by coaches: Joining that quartet on the all-Southern Nevada squad are Bishop Gorman's Tschana Breslin and Danielle Ghaffari; Bonanza's Elana Graham; Green Valley's Emily Eskin; Foothill's Emilee Tschanz; Silverado's Abbey Mathis; Centennial's Nikki Prine; Palo Verde's Layla Lambert and Jessica Scott; and Chaparral's Courtney Sobrero, Katherine Soder and Jessicas Torres.

Rebels sign recruit from Rhode Island: Ryan Heise (6-3, 250), a defensive lineman and long snapper from Naval Academy Prep School in Providence, R.I., signed with the Rebels and will enroll in the fall semester.

B.C. council hires lobbyists in D.C.: City Manager John Sullard said the firm "had more than paid for itself" in 2001 by gaining the ear and the dollars of the federal government on three issues: the proposed Hoover Dam bypass, an aging city sewage system and the city's lone public swimming pool.

Dockside bill clears Ind. House: Chris Sundheim; INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana House voted Tuesday to expand legalized gambling by relaxing the rules governing riverboat casinos and allowing pull-tab machines at horse racing tracks and some off-track betting parlors.

Girls prep soccer All-Star teams: All-Sunset Region: Olson; Prine; Danielle Davis, Cent; Amy O'Harrow, Bon; Jessica Destito, Cim; Scott; Lambert; Ghaffari; Breslin; Katherine Burton, Gor; Gwen Burgess, Dur; Brittany Barge, Dur; Lee; Graham.

Scholarship program solvent through 2010: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn's Millennium Scholarship program should be able to meet all of its obligations through 2010, but the program's future beyond that is uncertain, state Treasurer Brian Krolicki says.

State probing health insurance provider: Chris Jones; The Nevada Division of Insurance is investigating a series of consumer complaints against a bankrupt heath insurance provider that allegedly defrauded its policyholders.

Malpractice bill for 2003 proposed: The state's medical malpractice crisis headed for the 2003 Legislature Tuesday, when the first bill to address the issue was proposed.

NASCAR appearances during race week: Wednesday

Rebels' MWC tourney seed in limbo: Steve Addy; Maybe the Mountain West should abandon its traditional seeding method and draw teams from a hat for next week's conference tournament.

Surf tour makes a stop: Victoria Sun; Even if he was never given a $60,000 check, even if no one had ever heard about his 66-foot ride, even if none of the major television networks replayed the incredible footage, Mike Parsons would have done it anyway.

Columnist Victoria Sun: UNLV program prepares students for golf careers: Victoria Sun; If you are a high school student who aspires to work in the golf industry and you want to attend college close to home, UNLV may be the place to get your career started.

Columnist Rusty Wallace: Ready for fast times at LMVS: Rusty Wallace; It seems like I always feel good about my car when I'm coming to Las Vegas to race, and this year is no different.

Curb your enthusiasm: Steve Guiremand; As gala grand openings go, this was a first class dud.

Jeff Burton hopes to excel again in LV race Sunday: Jeff Burton learned this week of one of the advantages of winning the Daytona 500.

Columnist Jeff Haney: Las Vegas-style sports betting holds its ground: Aseries of recent unrelated events seems to illustrate that Las Vegas is holding its own against the offshore wagering industry -- a force that some doomsayers have predicted will make Nevada sports betting all but irrelevant.

Stories being told: Festival gives valley kids outlet for expression: By Emily Richmond; The Bristlecone Storytelling Festival continues at 6 p.m.:

Utah ready to officially join fight against nuke dump: Erin Neff; The eyes of the world just left Utah, but Nevada officials are hoping Congress takes notice of an anti-Yucca Mountain resolution moving through that state's Legislature.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Defending WoO champ back at LVMS Thursday: Danny Lasoski returns to the dirt track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Thursday night in the same position he left it last November -- on top of the Pennzoil World of Outlaws points standings.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Debut proves Slam won't make it here: Dean Juipe; Henceforth, I'm treating the Las Vegas Slam as if it does not exist and I'm doing it because of you.

Lady Rebels look for strong finish down the homestretch: Steve Guiremand; The UNLV Lady Rebels are 13-0 at home this season. And that would seem to bode well for the next two weeks when Regina Miller's squad first plays host to BYU and Utah and then the Mountain West Conference tournament next week.

Former Station exec buying PT's Pubs chain: David Strow; Blake Sartini, a former top executive with Station Casinos Inc., is buying the Las Vegas Valley's largest chain of video poker bars.

National puts last touches on reorganization plan: National Airlines, close to having a bankruptcy reorganization plan approved by a federal judge, was delayed one more time Tuesday.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Cocktail reception, dinner welcome Holmeses to valley: Elizabeth Foyt; Holmes, professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery for UCLA School of Medicine, had not visited our city for more than 20 years, and found the changes simply astonishing. With Roger, he played golf at Shadow Creek Golf Course and pursued a lively discussion of our community's business climate.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Spring is time for home issues: When a leaky pipe under my sink broke recently, it not only caused a mess in my kitchen, but water seeped through the wall and caused quite a bit of damage and mess in the living room.

Chancellor says students resigned to tuition hikes: Jennifer Knight; Student feedback on proposed college tuition increases of 16.4 percent over the next two years has been largely negative, but students seem resigned to paying more for their educations, Chancellor Jane Nichols says.

Ill. board continues talks on Rosemont: Nicole Ziegler Dizon; CHICAGO -- Neither federal investigations nor political promises are going to stop the Illinois Gaming Board from considering all options in a legal fight over a proposed casino in Rosemont, board administrator Philip Parenti said Tuesday.

Business briefs for February 27, 2002: RENO -- County commissioners have denied the world's largest producer of cat litter permission to mine and process clay on the outskirts of town, a move applauded by environmentalists and an Indian tribe.

Editorial: Needed: Money, not magic: At CCSN, Moore was the quintessential '90s man, one who thought out of the box and moved forward with new ideas, many of which were praiseworthy. After he became president of the Nevada State Concept at Henderson, serious questions arose about just how those CCSN enrollment figures shot up so fast. Moore's explanations satisfied the regents, who kept him on as president. But in his new position, Moore did not have a box to think out of. No staff. No campus. No real budget. Just Richard Moore, his reputation being assailed, banging around the county pleading for money. With the ...

Obituaries for February 27, 2002: Ed Baker, 81, of Henderson died Monday in a local hospital. He was born May 26, 1920, in Saskatchewan. A resident for 12 years, he was a retired automotive assembler and World War II Air Force veteran.

Court briefs for February 27, 2002: After a jury deliberated nearly five days, U.S. Magistrate Lawrence Leavitt declared a mistrial Tuesday in the lawsuit brought by a former Nellis Air Force Base airman who was severely burned when a box of countermeasure flares exploded in his face eight years ago.

Letter: Wilderness bill needed to protect Nevada's beauty: We enjoy a vast amount of public land as well, yet we have some of the least protected land in the country. The fact that President Bush has chosen Nevada as a site for the country's nuclear waste dump further illustrates this point. The impression must be that Nevada is just an empty expanse of nothingness. This could not be further from the truth.

Transportation to Red Rock offered: The organization will provide round-trip transportation to Red Rock for students from 20 area schools, including 12 at-risk schools with children from disadvantaged areas.

Letter: Immigrants must learn English: I for one am really getting tired of this topic. Yes, the Spanish-speaking people do have just as much right to be here in America as anyone else. That is if they're here legally.

Longtime Nevadan Broadbent dies at 98: For more than 45 years Hope Broadbent co-owned and operated Steptoe Drug in Ely, the oldest licensed pharmacy in the state, now owned by her nephew, Art Olsen.

Churchill Downs, other Ky. tracks want slots: Mark R. Chellgren; FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Kentucky's horse tracks would stop competing with other forms of gambling and start cashing in under a bill introduced Tuesday that would put slot machines alongside the betting windows.

Medicare worries intensify: HCA asked a U.S. District Judge to delay depositions from its executives, signaling concern it may face higher costs, the WSJ said. The company said it asked to delay the depositions to discover if its executives may face charges, the WSJ said.

Letter: Nevada targeted from the start: I do, however, realize that our government has spent millions of our tax dollars to study this repository. In my opinion, this never has been a study site. It has been a construction site since the 1980s.

Lawyer: Judge did nothing wrong: Kim Smith; A defense attorney who urged a client to help District Judge Donald Mosley in a bitter custody battle -- despite the fact that the client was to be sentenced by Mosley -- told the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline Tuesday neither she nor the judge did anything wrong.

Editorial: Stubborn refusal to open up records: The Bush administration suggests there is a separation of powers issue, and that Congress shouldn't meddle with the presidency. But the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, notes that Cheney was the head of a task force that advocated policy changes and, therefore, the task force's work can't be protected by executive privilege. Besides, the GAO correctly reasons, Congress previously has had access to White House operations, including records of presidential task forces.

Review: Guitarist Stern comfortable with customized sound: What jazz guitarist Mike Stern does is so unique he came up with his own way to describe it -- "Bop 'n' Roll."

Community briefs for February 27, 2002: Las Vegas Councilman Lawrence Weekly will host a series of neighborhood meetings in several areas of Ward 5 to give residents an opportunity to discuss issues affecting their communities.

Shopping promotion supported: The AAA program offers a book with discounts and special offers at stores at the Boulevard Mall, Desert Passage, Fashion Outlets Las Vegas in Primm, Fashion Show, Galleria at Sunset and the Showcase Mall.

Residents not wild over having a cougar next door: Mary K. Miller has been described as a compassionate woman who would help any hurt animal.

Assisted-living home for seniors proposed for valley: Mathis Winkler; Until recently 89-year-old Mary Golding didn't need help around the house.

KBA Construction pledges over $10,000: Company officials said voluntary employee payroll deductions and matching company pledges will bring the total annual contribution to $11,447.

DA sticks with one suspect in brick killing: Ed Koch and Kim Smith; A Clark County prosecutor today defended the decision to focus on one suspect in the slaying of a man with a brick, even though a grand jury was told by eyewitnesses that others participated.

School zoning goes quickly: By Emily Richmond; The Clark County School Board has approved attendance zones for six new elementary schools and one new middle school for the 2002-2003 school year.

Original Studio 54 figure eyeing Maxim: Ian Schrager is placing a bet on the gambling business, telling the Wall Street Journal he has put down a deposit to buy the shuttered Maxim casino-hotel in Las Vegas.

Ensign absent from Washington scene: Benjamin Grove; After the congressional recess last week came and went without an official Ensign appearance in the state, the Republican's absence -- including on a day in which two Cabinet officials visited -- has people wondering where he has been.

School District probes actions of teacher's aide: The incident allegedly happened about two weeks ago at Twin Lakes Elementary School, 3300 Riverside Drive, near Vegas and Rancho drives, School District spokeswoman Mary Stanley-Larsen said.

News briefs for February 27, 2002: A 24-year-old Las Vegas man died this morning after his car crashed into the back of a street sweeper on Tropicana Avenue near Harrison Drive.