Print edition for January 29, 2002

Obituaries for January 29, 2002: Elizabeth J. Bondurant, 81, of Henderson died Sunday in Las Vegas. She was born Feb. 19, 1920, in Downer, Minn. A resident for 57 years, she was a retired metallurgist for a titanium producer and a lifetime member of the Henderson Women's Bowling Association.

Community briefs for January 29, 2002: Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area offers hikes and walks free of charge, but reservations are required for all programs, which begin at the Visitors Center.

UNLV 2002 softball schedule: UNLV 2002 softball schedule

Columnist Kate Maddox: VIPs struggle to see Light: Kate Maddox; Rope after red velvet rope blocked this table and that VIP area -- one party-goer said the place was a jumble of "keep off, reserved and don't even think about it" table and booth restrictions.

Storm leaves legacy of icy roads, bitter cold: AP; Interstate-80 was open both east of Reno and west over Donner Summit. Otherwise, chains or snow tires were required everywhere else in western Nevada and the Sierra.

A close call: Making friends at work has pluses and minuses: Kirk Baird; When it comes to interoffice dating, the warning signs are very clear: "Don't get your honey where you make all your money."

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: 'Mr. Aviation' at Nellis: Cannon not only served the Silver State in Washington for 24 years, he was also the political and financial key to the local base becoming our nation's Air Warfare Center and home of the Thunderbirds. Not only is he an honorary Thunderbird, but he also flew almost every modern fighting aircraft developed and built during the past 65 years.

Award-winning owner of printing firm, Smith, dies: Randall D. "Randy" Smith, president of a local commercial printing shop and a past recipient of the Bill Bennett Employer of the Year Award, died Thursday in an accident involving an all-terrain vehicle. He was 39.

Hart, culinary critic, Jewish community leader, dies: Las Vegas chefs would invite local socialite Sylvia Hart to their restaurants to impress her with their finest dishes.

Letter: Talking peace, thinking war: There is absolutely no reason to attack Iraq or Iran at the present time. The fact we do not like them very much is no reason, and they have not attacked us, nor is there any evidence they intend to. So the only reason I can discern for these poll results is Americans are perfectly willing to eschew peace as long as the enemy is a Third World country without a modern air force that can't fight back against attacks from 10,000 feet in the air, and just as long as there are no body bags coming back.

Libraries respond to changing city: The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District has a new mission statement that promotes more diverse materials, including more foreign language books and collections.

Editorial: Defense of secrecy a losing bet: Cheney contends that if he is ordered to release the names, future vice presidents would be unable to have a conversation in confidence with anyone because of the possibility that what was talked about ultimately would have to be disclosed to Congress. But Cheney is muddying the waters, as has been pointed out by David Walker, the head of the GAO. The fact is that a governmental task force has to abide by federal open meeting laws, which would include the release of the names of those people who met with the group. "It's about his capacity as chairman of ...

Columnist Susan Snyder: Stress at work is all mine: Yeah, there's a news flash.

Letter: Taliban prisoners won't want to ever go home: Of course we must treat them kindly. Kindly such as our men received from Japan and Germany and of late Somalia. We can't put them to work as Japan and Germany did in our coal mines or industry -- that would not be fair treatment. It would probably throw Americans out of work when many are now out of work due to Osama bin Laden.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Sadler, Gordon post fastest times in LVMS tests: Elliott Sadler was the fastest car in qualifying trim and Jeff Gordon was fastest in race trim during the first day of NASCAR Winston Cup testing Monday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Binion's to appeal Fremont ruling: Grace Leong; Binion's Horseshoe hotel-casino, which was ordered by a state judge Monday to provide $1.9 million of its assets by Feb. 11 as security for membership fees allegedly owed to the Fremont Street Experience LLC, said it plans to appeal the decision to the Nevada Supreme Court.

Foes sue to block gambling expansion: The legislation allows for the addition of up to six Indian-owned casinos in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls region and in the Catskill Mountains north of New York City. It also allows video lottery terminals at horse racing tracks across the state and permits New York to join multistate lotteries.

Nevada delegation awaits Bush's word on local issues: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- President Bush huddled with Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., and about a dozen other lawmakers Monday at the White House, urging them to reform Medicare despite the political pressures of an election year.

Reilly: Problems are already being addressed: Mathis Winkler; Capital management: C+

Southern Nevada braces for snow: An unusually large, cold Pacific storm was expected to bring 1 to 2 inches of snow, chilling winds and possibly icy conditions to Southern Nevada today, National Weather Service forecasters say.

Judge denies request for casino boat to operate: The attempt to use a temporary injunction as a way to get around complying with zoning laws could not be supported legally, Circuit Court Judge John Breeden Jr. ruled Monday.

Home builder reports 40 percent rise in profits: Fourth-quarter profit from operations was $119.5 million, compared with net income of $85.6 million a year earlier, said company spokesman James Zeumer. Pulte became the No. 1 U.S. home builder with the $1.7 billion purchase in July of Del Webb Corp. Fourth-quarter revenue rose 44 percent to $2 billion, the company said.

Monday's prep result: GIRLS BASKETBALL

Airport confiscating fewer banned items: Jace Radke; Permitted items

Internet becomes political battleground: Erin Neff; Looking for Clark County Commissioner Dario Herrera's views on his upcoming congressional campaign, and want to look at the web?

Speed reading: Dale Earnhardt went into last year's Daytona 500 intent on teaching rookie driver Kurt Busch a lesson, according to a soon-to-be-published book that chronicles the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season from the viewpoint of Busch and his Roush Racing teammates.

Fourth-quarter loss at oil giant totals $2.5 billion: The loss, which translated into $2.36 per share, stemmed from $3 billion in charges the company absorbed to reflect a sharp drop in natural gas and oil prices, as well as the costs from the October marriage of Chevron and Texaco.

IBM names new CEO: The succession takes effect March 1. Gerstner will remain chairman through the end of 2002.

Illinois attorney general against deal: Tammy Webber; CHICAGO -- Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan, a Republican candidate for governor, said Monday that the state Gaming Board should not be negotiating the sale of a casino license in suburban Rosemont.

News briefs for January 29, 2002: Robert A. Anderson Jr. has been hired as the Community College of Southern Nevada's vice president for student services.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Letterman at Indy: Now that's a Classic: Part of the reason I subscribed to satellite TV was ESPN Classic -- I just can't get enough of grainy footage and dated graphics. Unfortunately, there's more Stuart Scott than Curt Gowdy on Classic, as most of the programming seems to have originated in the 1990s.

Jury to decide penalty for convicted killer: Kim Smith; Jurors were expected to begin hearing evidence this afternoon that will help them decide if the man they convicted Monday in a brutal slaying deserves a chance at walking out of prison one day.

National plan moves forward after deal with lessor: A late-night settlement between National Airlines and one of its aircraft lessors Sunday paves the way for a Bankruptcy Court judge to consider the airline's reorganization plan today.

LV operation part of Merck spinoff: WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. -- Merck & Co., the second-largest U.S. drugmaker, plans to sell part of its Merck-Medco pharmacy business to the public in the first half to focus on pharmaceutical operations.

Nevada promotes its rugged side: AP; The Nevada Commission on Tourism is betting more than $3 million that there are people who would just as soon climb a rock face or surf a sand dune as toss dice.

Short-sellers likely pounded in run-up of Station stock: David Strow; Jan. 16 was a day to bring smiles to the faces of long-suffering Station Casinos Inc. investors, as the Las Vegas company's stock soared after a prominent analyst turned bullish on the stock.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Marathon belongs on the Strip: Dean Juipe; Al Boka usually stays in close contact, periodically providing updates on his favorite topic.

Tyson not so live on Larry King's TV show: The embattled heavyweight boxer postponed a scheduled appearance on the "Larry King Live" show on CNN Monday shortly before he was to appear. King told viewers that Tyson's handlers did not want him to go on camera with the hearing imminent and that Tyson would appear on his show at a later date.

County's new jail suffers another delay: Jace Radke and Ed Koch; Clark County's often-delayed detention center has suffered another setback that could cost the county hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Park Place sees gradual rebound for LV resorts: David Strow; Gambling giant Park Place Entertainment Corp. of Las Vegas today posted a loss of $16 million in the fourth quarter of 2001, as cash flow plunged at the company's Strip casinos after Sept. 11.

MGM MIRAGE entangled in Chicago casino debate: David Strow; The political and legal stakes in MGM MIRAGE's drive to enter the Chicago-area gaming market have gone up immensely over the last week.

Letter: Recruit, train needed nurses: As stated in the article, we are steadily growing and so is our need for more professionals in the health care field to run these new facilities. There are five new hospitals under construction across the valley and a sixth one under consideration for construction.

Study: County performance average: Mathis Winkler; Capital management: C+

Two openings to be filled on bench: Kim Smith; Lawyers with dreams of one day wearing the robe have now two opportunities.

Neal accuses Nevada Power of conspiracy with Enron: By Steve Kanigher; State Sen. Joe Neal accused Nevada Power Co. of "getting in bed" with fallen Enron in an attempt by the Houston-based energy giant to manipulate what Southern Nevadans pay for electricity.

Mulroy: Teamwork will keep water flowing: State and regional governments from across the West must do more to cooperate and save water, the head of Southern Nevada's water system said Monday.

Flights added to Colorado, Utah: The Phoenix-based carrier's America West Express partner will provide one daily round-trip flight to both markets using 50-seat regional jets.

Gordon's success breeds love for LVMS: It took only three hours last spring for Las Vegas Motor Speedway to move to the top of Jeff Gordon's list of favorite tracks.

Habitual-criminal status sought for Johnson: Kim Smith; A Clark County prosecutor intends to ask a judge to declare Donell Johnson a habitual criminal in the wake of the 27-year-old's conviction Monday in a robbery of the casino at Treasure Island.

Report reveals battered women not being helped: Keith Paul; Two out of every five court-issued protective orders in Clark Couny last year -- most sought by women trying to escape domestic violence -- were not presented to the assailants.

Station profit declines, but beats expectations: David Strow; Station Casinos Inc. posted a significant decline in earnings for the fourth quarter ending Dec. 31, but was still able to come in well ahead of analyst expectations.

Terrorism, bankruptcy contribute to writeoffs at Desert Passage mall: Jennifer Robison; Toronto-based TrizecHahn Corp. announced today that it adjusted downward the value of several company properties, including the developer's massive Desert Passage shopping center at the Aladdin resort on the Las Vegas Strip.

Little change made in campaign finances: CARSON CITY -- A nonprofit coalition that tracks political contributions says it has made little progress in changing laws to limit big money's influence in the Nevada Legislature.

Canine experts not sure why dogs attack: Jace Radke; Source: Dr. Rolan Tripp of the Colorado State University Veterinary School, and Dr. Leslie Cooper of the University California, Davis Veterinary School.

Youth detention center set for state takeover: CARSON CITY -- Summit View, the troubled youth detention center in Las Vegas, will be closed at the end of the week with the final eight boys being transferred out.