Print edition for July 2, 2002

Forest fire shuts down casinos in South Dakota: Joe Kafka; DEADWOOD, S.D. -- Closed casinos, deserted streets and the lingering smell of smoke turned this historic gold-rush community into a ghost town for a little more than two days.

Revamped La. casino opens with new name: Alan Sayre; With competition for Texas gamblers on the increase in the northwestern Louisiana gambling market, Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. on Monday unveiled a $25 million overhaul to its riverboat casino complex in Bossier City.

Regulators accept Emerald settlement: Nicole Ziegler Dizon; CHICAGO -- The Illinois Gaming Board voted Monday to end its 1 1/2-year fight over a proposed casino in Rosemont, accepting a settlement from Emerald Casino Inc. that would put the state's 10th casino license up for grabs.

Cheney energy papers may have Yucca policy answers: Nevada lawmakers have voiced concern that a White House task force led by Cheney met privately last year with nuclear industry officials -- but sought little input from Yucca critics -- as they developed a national energy policy. Those meetings may have led Bush to abandon a promise to allow "sound science" guide his decision about the planned high-level nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain, Reid said.

Cigarette, casino taxes proposed in new bills: CARSON CITY -- Taxes on casinos and cigarettes would be raised and daylight-saving time would be abolished in Nevada under bills being requested by state legislators.

Obituaries for July 2, 2002: Mildred Bubnis, 85, of Las Vegas died Saturday in Las Vegas. She was born Sept. 25, 1916, in Baltimore. A resident for 41 years, she was a homemaker and a member of the Polish-American Club.

Rebels add OL recruit: Steve Guiremand; Lack of depth on the offensive line was one of UNLV's potential weaknesses heading into the 2002 football season.

Bush environmental policies criticized: Ed Koch and Mary Manning; Nevadans may detect signs over the Fourth of July holiday that their favorite wilderness spots are disappearing or will be ruined by Bush administration environmental policies, an environmental group said today.

Turmoil hits media and entertainment giant: "I hear, I see the predators prowling, the advisers putting together break-up plans," Messier said. "My most earnest hope is that the board of directors, as well as the various authorities concerned, don't wreck this achievement."

New heat index is established: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released the improved mean heat index in May for weather forecasters to use as a tool for increasing awareness of heat waves and issuing precautions for this summer.

Sometimes, winning isn't everything: Victoria Sun; Since pounding Calgary by 11 runs on opening day at Cashman Field in April, the Las Vegas 51s have had a stronghold on the Pacific Coast League's South Division.

Vegas sports on TV/Radio: Tuesday

Union mechanics reject latest contract offer: Southwest's 1,300 mechanics, represented by the Teamsters union, voted 98 percent against the airline's last offer a month ago.

Bill would make regents appointees: Jennifer Knight; A bill proposed by Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, would amend Nevada's Constitution and make the Board of Regents an appointed body rather than an elected one.

Trauma cases to shift to nearest hospital: Local health care professionals concede that the planned closure of University Medical Center's trauma unit Wednesday morning will lead to loss of life for at least some future patients seriously injured by weapons or traffic accidents.

State leaders scramble to find solution: Erin Neff; Gov. Kenny Guinn will call a special session of the Legislature within a few weeks to address the medical malpractice crisis regardless of whether the different parties can reach consensus.

Union strikes Golden Gate; owner seeks talks: The owner of the Golden Gate, whose property is the first Las Vegas hotel hit with a strike since 1998, said Monday he wants to meet with the Culinary Union to resolve the downtown labor dispute.

Wiesner services scheduled: Wiesner, a prominent Republican Party member and owner of the Big Dog's Hospitality Group restaurant/casinos, died Tuesday at a hospital in Seattle, where he was undergoing treatment for leukemia. He was 63.

Michigan senator goes anti-Yucca: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Nevada senators have picked up another ally in their fight against Yucca Mountain -- Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.

Racing at Speedway's Bullring on Wednesday: The first 600 fans in the front gate and 100 in the Stockyard will receive a patriotic T-shirt. In addition, the first 100 fans in the front gate will receive a cooler cup courtesy of KFBT-TV.

Letter: Firsthand look at drug costs: Regarding the price quoted for the drug Prilosec, of $1,684 for a year's supply:

Death penalty sought in killing: Glenn Mundo, 29, has been charged with open murder, along with sexual assault, robbery, burglary and grand larceny auto in connection with the June 2001 death of Virginia Peart.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Explosive celebration lies in wait: We lived in a small Indiana town that in the 1960s was divided by race and railroad tracks. Some 40 years earlier it had been one of the Midwest's hotbeds for the Ku Klux Klan. The issues and riots clutching the nation that decade also clutched our town.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Big job left for states: The decision, written by Justice John Paul Stevens, flows from Atkins v. Virginia. The petitioner, Daryl Renard Atkins, according to the New York Times, "was convicted of abduction, armed robbery and capital murder and sentenced to death. At approximately midnight on Aug. 16, 1996, Atkins and William Jones, armed with a semiautomatic handgun, abducted Eric Nesbitt, robbed him of the money on his person, drove him to an automated teller machine in his pickup truck, where cameras recorded their withdrawal of additional cash, then took him to an isolated location where he was shot eight times and killed ...

Residents oppose power project: A power plant proposed near Goodsprings -- and hotly opposed by some Goodsprings residents -- could get a hearing Wednesday.

Wednesday's horse racing entries: Post Time 1:15 p.m.

Letter: Keep nuke waste where it is now: One obvious reason for the undue hurry is that if any answer shows the extreme dangers involved, the whole program will have to be scuttled. The supporters want to avoid such a chance. Once it is dumped we cannot undo it.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Old Rebels don't pack them in anymore: If former UNLV basketball players had a dime for every time their alma mater or this city called upon/used them since their Rebels playing days, they'd have a couple of bucks, at least.

Letter: Corporate greed, insider trading run rampant: There was a definite "follow the leader," "they got away with it, why can't we?" state of mind.

NLV will consider anti-Yucca measure: If the North Las Vegas City Council approves a resolution Wednesday opposing a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, the city will join 10 others on the record rejecting the dump.

Correction: The Sun corrects its errors. If you find a mistake, call 385-3111 to report it.

College is official with state funding: Jennifer Knight; After two years of facing financial challenges, the Nevada State College at Henderson reached a milestone Monday by officially becoming a state institution.

Nineteen honored as Carnegie Heroes: AP; -Roger Alan Scalf, 38, a firefighter from Texas City, Texas, braved frigid waters and a strong current in the Gulf of Mexico to rescue a man who had lost consciousness. He swam 150 feet back to shore with the man in tow on Feb. 23, 2001.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Senators duel rather than compromise: Dean Juipe; Picture the introductions as if they were fighters, ready to come out after taking a bow and the sounding of the bell.

Community briefs for July 2, 2002: The Las Vegas Running Team will present its Fourth of July Blast, a 5k run and one-mile walk at 7 a.m. Thursday at Bunker Family Park, Alexander Road and Tenaya Way.

Editorial: Crisis now threatens the public: The insurance increases that doctors are experiencing truly do amount to a crisis for them. But a shutdown of the trauma center in this urban area of a million-plus people could be life-threatening. Action leading to a shutdown could be more easily justified if every last public-policy initiative had been tried and had failed. That point has not yet been reached. The county plan approved Thursday allows the hospital administrator to increase the money doctors receive and limits their financial liability in any lawsuit. This plan deserves a chance until the Legislature crafts a long-term solution. And the governor is ...

PCL box: Las Vegas - New Orleans: Time -- 2:48. Attendance -- 1,855. Umpires: HP-- Higgins, 1b-- Riley, 3b-- Horton.

Sold glory: The marketing of patriotism seems limitless as July 4 nears: Kirk Baird; From the looks of many mail-order catalog offerings, so is the rest of the nation.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Wednesday's races at Hollywood Park: Wednesday's card

Editorial: A super mistake to gut Superfund: President Bush only seems too happy to let the Superfund wither away. The New York Times reported Monday that the Bush administration has targeted 33 toxic waste sites in 18 states for reductions in funding. That means the cleanup will stop at some of the worst sites in the nation, including work at a manufacturing plant in New Jersey that once made Agent Orange.

New students must get hepatitis immunization: Stephen Curran; Las Vegas mother Cathy Barris has one more thing to do before her 5-year-old daughter can enter kindergarten.

Key court decision issued for gaming industry: By Liz Benston; A lawsuit against more than 60 casinos, slot machine manufacturers and cruise lines alleging that slot operators misrepresented the odds of winning has been denied class-action status, delivering a major victory to a casino industry long worried by the threat of such a billion-dollar, far-reaching suit.

News briefs for July 2, 2002: Three days after a contentious transit strike ended, a full complement of buses was rolling through the Las Vegas Valley on Monday.

Remodeled casino to open: Including $170 million spent by previous owner Station Casinos Inc., the total construction cost of the project will be about $360 million.

Analyst upgrades Argosy stock: The Indiana Legislature last week approved a plan to raise taxes and allow dockside gambling. Operators may choose between a flat 22.5 percent tax, up from 20 percent, or may pay a higher, graduated rate if they dock their boats.

Organized crime loses its foothold: Editor's note: This is the third of a three-part series on the FBI's last major assault on organized crime in Las Vegas.

Trooper describes death of carjacked motorist: Kim Smith; At first, Trooper Guy Davis thinks the noise he is hearing is a broken fan belt -- the result of the collision he just witnessed between a white Lincoln Town Car and the Honda he had pulled over just moments before.

Insurance chief lukewarm to builders on issue of defects: Grace Leong and Cy Ryan; Nevada home building industry officials complained Monday about a liability insurance crisis stemming from a flood of construction defect lawsuits -- a crisis they say mirrors that faced by Nevada doctors losing malpractice insurance.

Brown death leads to rage at meeting: Diana Sahagun; Brown services

Herbst Gaming Inc. opens fifth property: The Las Vegas-based company has opened Terrible's Searchlight Casino on U.S. 95, the main highway through town and an alternative route between Las Vegas and the Phoenix metropolitan area.

County eyes move to make utilities public: Adrienne Packer; Advocates of publicly owned utilities claim Southern Nevada homeowners' average electric bills could plummet if Clark County pursues a proposal to create its own power company.

Union labor on school jobs urged: By Emily Richmond; Union leaders say they know how to save the Clark County School District time and money on school construction projects: Require contractors to hire union workers for all job sites.

Purchase agreement for Four Queens collapses: By Liz Benston; An agreement to sell the Four Queens Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas to a local poker bar operator fell through last week due to a potential strike of Culinary Union workers against downtown hotels.

Informant feels pressure as mob target: Life hasn't been easy for John Branco in the aftermath of his service as an FBI informant in "Operation Thin Crust."