Print edition for January 31, 2002

Super Bowl Injury report: ST. LOUIS VS. NEW ENGLAND -- Rams: QUESTIONABLE: FS Richard Coady (ankle); T Orlando Pace (knee). PROBABLE: WR Az-Zahir Hakim (ankle); QB Kurt Warner (ribs); DT Jeff Zgonina (elbow). Patriots: PROBABLE: QB Tom Brady (ankle); T Matt Light (ankle).

UNLV men shut out again in Los Angeles: The Trojans improved to 3-0 on the young season by first winning two of three doubles matches for one team point. The Rebels' doubles team of Thomas Schneiter and Andreas Maurer upset 30th-ranked Daniel Langre and Damien Spizzo 8-5.

Falling rates hurt profits of small LV-area banks: Chris Jones; Several Nevada-based community banks reported mixed earnings this week.

Registrations being taken for kids league: Registrations being taken for kids league

Study: Yucca stigma will hit economy: Las Vegas' economy will be hobbled almost immediately if the federal government designates Yucca Mountain as the nation's nuclear waste repository, according to a study released Wednesday.

Still cold across Nevada, but better than Wednesday: AP; Ely and Eureka hit 13 below Thursday. But both towns had records of minus 25 the day before.

Prosecutors eye Tyson's past: Prosecutors expect to review evidence in two previous sexual assault cases involving boxer Mike Tyson before deciding whether to charge him in a couple of Las Vegas incidents, a top member of the district attorney's office said Wednesday.

Interest soars in power plan: Nevada Power Co.'s proposal to spread its $922 million rate increase over six years could cost Southern Nevadans as much as $285 million in interest payments, state Consumer Advocate Timothy Hay said.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Kyle Petty tops 170 mph in LV Speedway test: Kyle Petty on Wednesday posted the fastest qualifying lap among the 29 NASCAR Winston Cup drivers who have taken part in the first three days of testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Reilly: County has problem firing workers: Adrienne Packer; Government researchers dinged Clark County in a recent survey for keeping weak employees, but the criticism is hardly a revelation for top officials.

News briefs for January 31, 2002: A Las Vegas teen killed in a one-car accident Tuesday has been identified as 16-year-old Steven Sanchez.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Coming back for Moorer: Dean Juipe; While never being warmly received by the public, Michael Moorer was one of the finest fighters of the 1990s.

Metro Police sued over raid on home: According to the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, Metro officers in hooded masks and military attire broke into the home of Dennis K. Dillard Sr. on Nov. 30. They gave no reason for the intrusion, according to the suit.

Tax amnesty program to begin for businesses: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Tax Commission's amnesty program, which allows businesses to pay back taxes without interest or penalties, begins Friday.

Catching up with: Roonie Jones: High School: Las Vegas ('98)

RTC warns of drastic cuts in bus service: An administrator for the regional public bus system warned that if service cuts and fare hikes don't stem the flow of red ink, whole bus routes will have to be eliminated.

Letter: Nevada Power should pay: I only hope the Public Utilities Commission has the guts displayed by the Nevada Athletic Commission to stand up to Nevada Power and do the right thing for the people of our state. If Nevada Power can afford to pay its shareholders a dividend, they can afford to suck up the expenses incurred by their bad business decisions.

Columnist Spencer Patterson: C-M's Marshall verbally commits to Oregon State: Spencer Patterson; It appears yet another of Southern Nevada's top prep football products is set to become an Oregon State Beaver.

Kansas dog tracks pushing for slots: Carl Manning; KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- As Larry Seckington sees it, slot machines at the Woodlands would keep the pari-mutuel dog and horse tracks from going bust and give the state of Kansas a jolt of dollars.

Letter: Nurses are not shown respect they deserve: Having spent much time in hospitals under the care of efficient, hard-working nurses, I think it's a damned disgrace the way medical corporations treat their key employees -- those who have the most hands-on contact with the sick, injured and dying.

Community briefs for January 31, 2002: More than $325,000 in goods has been distributed to disadvantaged children in Southern Nevada by three organizations, one a charitable arm of country singer Garth Brooks.

George assumes role of gymkeeper at Golden Gloves: Dean Juipe; It's a few minutes before 11 a.m. and Joe George is nothing if not prompt.

VEGAS SPORTS ON TV-RADIO: VEGAS SPORTS ON TV-RADIO

Insurance firms defend use of credit reports: CARSON CITY -- Bad credit can mean higher insurance premiums for drivers and homeowners in Nevada.

City, school district battle over land parcel: Mathis Winkler; The largest vacant lot in North Las Vegas' redevelopment area has become a battleground for city and Clark County School District officials, who have different visions for the parcel.

Lawsuits filed for candidate penalties: CARSON CITY -- Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa is suing 18 political candidates -- six from Clark County -- who either failed to file campaign reports or submitted them late.

Ralph Siraco's Santa Anita selections: 1st Race -- Able Cielo -- Training at Hollypark, P. Val on Schiewe trainee, draws good post for mile opener. Fairstead -- Bug boy Trujillo aboard Gonzalez trainee, draws good box for maiden-claimer, has Fair-and-stead-y shot for diploma. Value Play -- True Tyrant

Leader of Yucca board stymied by DOE: PAHRUMP -- The chairman of a board reviewing the Energy Department's work at Yucca Mountain threatened to cut short a meeting Wednesday with DOE experts, saying the agency consistently failed to provide evidence supporting the site's suitability as a nuclear waste repository.

Fouls not curbing Amundson's animation: Steve Addy; WHAT: DePaul (8-11) at UNLV (10-7)

Jurors told murder victim made sexual advances: Kim Smith; Attorneys for an Arizona man charged with murder told jurors Wednesday the victim in the case made an unwanted sexual advance toward their client, and he fought back.

Obituaries for January 31, 2002: Dolores Caldwell, 64, of Las Vegas died Jan. 23 in Las Vegas. She was born May 4, 1937, in Chicago. A resident for seven years, she was a retired customs inspector.

Tennis results: UNLV-Southern Cal: Wednesday at Los Angeles

Taxicab chief weighs repeal of tips ruling: State Taxicab Authority Administrator John Plunkett plans to ask his five-member board next month to consider repealing a hotly debated regulation barring cabbies from accepting tips from local businesses.

Sun Athletes of the week: Allan Smith and Elizabeth Bitle: School: Basic

Las Vegas area fishing report: Action slows at Lake Mead: Other than a few striped bass that have come out of the Boulder Basin during the past week, there has been very little recent fishing success at Lake Mead.

Contest addresses Yucca controversy: For one thing, nuclear waste will still be stored at Yucca Mountain if Nevada is unable to derail a proposal that seems to be on a fast track to acceptance by Congress.

Thunderbirds get a new leader: Dick Benoit; The Air Force Thunderbirds have a new leader following a recent change of command ceremony at Nellis Air Force Base.

Letter: GAO about to blow lid off scam: He should have added that Congress, like paid-off cops, looked the other way during the robbery. The cops were Republicans in particular and Democrats in general.

Atlantic City casinos cash in on Super Bowl: John Curran; ATLANTIC CITY -- At Showboat Casino Hotel, 900 high-rollers will gather in a ballroom equipped with big-screen TVs, team-colored balloons and a buffet packed with shrimp, chicken wings and Italian sausage.

Mayor spotlights small-town image in State of City: Jace Radke; Boulder City Mayor Bob Ferraro closed his State of the City address Wednesday in true small-town America fashion.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Las Vegas torchbearer fired up: After dealing with Mike Tyson for the past 10 days, I think we all could use a feel-good story to cleanse our collective palate.

Rebels' Brandon Bair to play in Hula Bowl: Steve Guiremand; UNLV offensive lineman Brandon Bair, who prepped at Basic High School, has been selected to play in Saturday's Hula Bowl college all-star game in Maui, Hawaii.

Victim of rape wonders why suspect is free: Kim Smith; The 34-year-old mother of three said that when she was raped in August 1999, she asked herself "Why?"

Columnist Joe Delaney: It's all in the family for the Coast Resorts team: Joe Delaney; Jackie Gaughan also owned the Royal Inn on Convention Center Drive in the late 1960s and 1970s ... Son Michael learned the business with his father ... His father's good friend, a miner named Guy Empey, had a motel on the corner where Barbary Coast now stands ... Hilton Hotels had acquired the Flamingo and the International, now the Las Vegas Hilton.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Problem prisoners in Cuba: I'm convinced that the people being held as captives at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba are receiving good treatment. A few hours after he returned from visiting the holding facility in Cuba, I was on the phone with Nevada Congressman Jim Gibbons. Gibbons, a combat veteran of Vietnam and Desert Storm, told me that he had walked down the middle of the holding area. "The prisoners have showers, good medical care, good food and the opportunity to practice their religion." Gibbons added that they also have one additional ethnic meal a day. "Actually, their living conditions are more comfortable ...

Columnist Paula Del Giudice: La Paz offers range of activities: The excellent fishing, water sports and laid-back atmosphere of a Mexico vacation may seem out of reach for those of us who live in the U.S.

City to improve access for disabled: Minor work will be done at more than 10 facilities in Boulder City to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to a settlement between the city and the Justice Department.

Editorial: Park-funding policy is a shot in the arm: The 1999 initiative finally came to fruition this month when the county started razing a grocery store at Twain Avenue and Cambridge Street to make way for a 9-acre park. Commissioners Myrna Williams and Dario Herrera, whose districts take in some of the aging parts of the valley, helped broker the deal to purchase the Twain property for $5 million from developer Irwin Molasky.

Review: The Strokes make it brief: Kirk Baird; Ah, so this is it.

Waiting game pays off: Spencer Patterson; When his Desert Pines football and basketball teams combined to win just one league game during their inaugural 1999-2000 school year, few would have faulted Derek Brown for moping.

Little E raring to go: Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been on a surreal roller-coaster ride since he started his NASCAR Winston Cup Series career two years ago.

Gang associate arrested: Mu Can Lin, 42, was charged with extortionate extension of credit and held in lieu of $100,000 bail before appearing in Norwich Superior Court Tuesday.

Editorial: No license for illegal residents: Undocumented immigrants are here in vast numbers and they are here to stay. States can passively ignore them and put public safety at risk or they can accept that they're here and begin treating them as citizens. So the argument goes. Utah has bought into it. The California Legislature has bought into it, although Gov. Gray Davis has not yet signed a bill into law.

Stretching limits: Yoga fans find fitness on the floor: The 27-year-old Las Vegas resident was living in Salt Lake City at the time. Her mother had Hodgkin's disease, a form of cancer, and took up yoga as a means of relieving the stress brought about by her terminal illness.

Sun Girls Hoops Top 10: Sun Girls Hoops Top 10

Prep girls soccer standings: CLASS 4A

Sun Boys Hoops Top 10: Sun Boys Hoops Top 10

Rebels try to buck 'Super' history: Steve Addy; The last time UNLV played basketball on Super Bowl Sunday, the Rebels were only 90 miles from the big game.

Hard Rock dismisses auditor: In a filing Wednesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Hard Rock said the company's management recommended the change in auditing firms, and its board ratified the decision.

Nevada would be hit hard by drop in highway funds: WASHINGTON -- Scores of road projects across the nation and tens of thousands of construction-related jobs are in jeopardy because of a projected $9.1 billion drop in federal highway aid next year.

Prep wrestling standings: CLASS 4A

Prep boys basketball standings: CLASS 4A

Prep girls basketball standings: CLASS 4A

UNLV's Robinson never reached 'big one': Steve Guiremand; John Robinson has accomplished just about everything a football coach can accomplish.

Fourth quarter loss widens as travel declines: The loss widened to $60.9 million, or $1.81 a share, from $41.7 million, or $1.24, in the year-earlier quarter, the company said in a statement. Sales fell 30 percent to $399.9 million from $573 million. The results included $29.9 million as part of U.S. government aid to airlines after the attacks.

LV health care company reports gains: Revenue from continuing operations for the fourth quarter were $339 million, an increase of nearly 13 percent over the $300 million reported in the same period last year.

Columnist Sal DeFilippo: Burton makes foes disappear: Sal DeFilippo; Master magician Lance Burton knows what it feels like to be an NFL quarterback. Well, OK, maybe not exactly. During his twice-nightly show at the Monte Carlo, he doesn't read zone blitzes, manage a game clock or take vicious hits from 300-pound guys. That is, unless he has changed his show dramatically since the last time I've seen it.

Business briefs for January 31, 2002: ATLANTA -- Beazer Homes USA Inc. agreed to acquire home builder Crossmann Communities Inc. in a cash-and-stock transaction the companies valued at about $603 million, including the assumption of debt.

MGM MIRAGE results reflect Vegas economic rebound: David Strow; MGM MIRAGE today reported a big decline in earnings for the last quarter of 2001 -- but still came in well ahead of Wall Street's expectations for a quarter in the shadow of Sept. 11.

Elway tells of 'Super' times during LV visit: Victoria Sun; The first three times quarterback John Elway led the Denver Broncos to the Super Bowl, he returned home heavy hearted and empty-handed.