Print edition for July 9, 2002

News briefs for July 9, 2002: A crew from the National Nuclear Security Administration's Nevada Operations Office began collecting soil samples on Monday from a site in New Mexico to test for radioactive and chemical contamination.

Another gym dandy: Victoria Sun; She was too young, too young to tumble and crawl around with the older kids.

Cox unveils branding initiative: Cox unveils branding initiative

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

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Speed eater dogs his competition: Move over Oscar Mayer and Pete Rose. There's a new top hot dog to contend with.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Scrappy Expos tantalize impartial fan: Dean Juipe; With the All-Star Game tonight in Milwaukee, every baseball fan is entitled to compile his or her midseason report. Here's mine:

Congress OKs nuclear waste in Nevada: Benjamin Grove; The vote came after more than four hours of debate on the Senate floor. Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and John Ensign, R-Nev., who had spent months lobbying their colleagues, made impassioned pleas that failed to sway enough senators to stop the dump.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Martha no steward of perfection: "I think everyone is guilty of something." Or, "I am unable to control the urge to play with hand puppets when I am bored." Maybe, "Lawyers give me hives."

Multicultural Summer Concert Series begins Tuesday: Boxtales Theater Company, a storytelling company from Santa Barbara, Calif., will present "Waters of the Earth: Multicultural Tales of the Sea" Wednesday and Friday at Charleston Heights Arts Center and at Reed Whipple Cultural Center.

Shirley a legend: Reeves adds voice to Stardust's 'Legendary Ladies of Rock 'n' Roll': And the Shirelles may have been the hottest.

Nuclear workers forced to move: The National Nuclear Security Administration plans to evacuate 450 employees from a North Las Vegas office complex after traces of a metal used in nuclear weapons was found in the complex.

Funding secured for state volunteers: The 35 percent increase in funding will go into four main service areas: public safety, education, human and environmental services.

Bursar selected top UNLV employee: Coomes has been with the university for 25 years, since she began her career in 1977 in an entry-level position. Coomes was promoted to her current post in 1990. She oversees the billing and collection of student tuition and fees.

Golf event raises $65,000: The proceeds will be used to support research and education on problem gambling.

Future of Arizona gaming rests with appeals court: David Kravets; SAN FRANCISCO -- The future of legalized gambling in Arizona is as uncertain as a roll of the dice.

Marijuana petition qualifies for ballot: CARSON CITY -- Nevadans will have a chance to vote this November whether to decriminalize possession by adults of small amounts of marijuana.

CCSN reaches out to help students in low-income areas: Jennifer Knight; Information

Community briefs for July 9, 2002: The eighth annual Boy Scout Golf Marathon will tee off Sept. 17 at Stallion Mountain Country Club, 5500 E. Flamingo Road. Up to 40 golfers can compete in the all-day event.

New hearing sought on Nevada Power: CARSON CITY -- State Consumer Advocate Tim Hay has asked for a re-hearing by the state Public Utilities Commission on its approval for Nevada Power Co. to issue $300 million in secured long-term debt.

Negotiations continue to reopen trauma center: Trauma patients continued to flow into Southern Nevada hospitals today as negotiations continued to reopen the University Medical Center's Level One Trauma Center.

Marine remains free awaiting new trial: A Marine convicted of sexually assaulting a Las Vegas woman using a date rape drug nearly three years ago remains free on his own recognizance as he awaits a new trial.

State charges DOE with illegal dumping: Nevada environmental officials have issued a violation notice to the Energy Department for sending containers of soil contaminated with both radiation and a chemical solvent from Kentucky to burial at the Nevada Test Site.

Grant to help curb Medicare mistakes: Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa said Monday the money will be used to recruit and train retired professional senior volunteers to help their peers in understanding the delivery of their health care through the Medicare system.

Editorial: Time's a wasting in Legislature: As the Sun's political reporter Erin Neff pointed out in a column Sunday, it would be difficult to recall a time of so many crises facing Nevada lawmakers. The trauma center at University Medical Center has closed because of the medical malpractice issue. There is an immediate budget shortfall of $250 million that could grow to $1 billion in a few years. Power bills are way up but confidence in a steady energy supply is way down. Education spending is low and, not coincidentally, so are standardized test scores. Legislation addressing the widespread problem of construction defects isn't working. Prescription ...

Letter: Nuclear energy bad from start: Don't forget that at this point in 1954 we were awash in nuclear waste. It was nine years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki and we were well aware of the horrific health problems inherent in using nuclear energy.

Obituaries for July 9, 2002: Edwin "Ned" Adamson, 80, of Las Vegas died Saturday in Las Vegas. He was born Jan. 3, 1922, in Salt Lake City. A resident for 47 years, he owned a law firm, was a founding member of Paradise Valley Country Club and past president of the Lions Club.

Letter: Put caps on awards for malpractice: O'Callaghan does not believe that insurance premiums figure into the closing of the UMC trauma center, but in reality the entire issue is the malpractice insurance premiums.

'Down Under' hasn't lost its thunder at new venue: Helen Holzer; The man shows

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Come home, Mr. Rogers: Not long ago, the people of southeastern Idaho got a taste of Roger's political views. In a television editorial (Rogers also owns a station in Pocatello), he called Gov. Dirk Kempthorne "the man in an empty suit." This really rattled the chains of the governor's defenders who claimed that Rogers' barrage was fired to help Democratic candidate Jerry Brady, who is also a communications entrepreneur in that area. However, this isn't the first time Kempthorne, a Republican and former U.S. senator, has been referred to as a nice man who hasn't accomplished much in that solid GOP state.

Letter: Senate should reject Yucca: But this dangerous plan will only encourage the industry to produce more high-level nuclear waste, (already Yucca Mountain alone will not contain all of the 109,000 metric tons of waste, so another foul plan to store 40,000 metric tons has been hatched to ship waste to yet another Native American reservation in Utah), plus this toxic material will still remain at every operating reactor site and cost American taxpayers $58 billion and counting (more than the combined expenses of the Panama Canal, Hoover Dam and the World Trade Center).

Editorial: Drugs as junk mail: A new low in sales: The New York Times reported Saturday that drug maker Eli Lilly sent a free month's worth of Prozac, the anti-depressant prescription, unsolicited to South Florida patients who had been treated for depression. Lilly likely obtained the list of patients from hospitals, physicians and drug stores, and this is exactly the kind of practice that makes people worry about how much of our personal information gets shared without our knowledge.

Series runs through July 26: "Waters of the Earth: Multicultural Tales of the Sea," 2 p.m. Wednesday at Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush Street; and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday at Reed Whipple Cultural Center, 821 Las Vegas Boulevard.

Local FBI to shift focus on terrorism: Jace Radke; The FBI is beefing up Nevada's Joint Terrorism Task Force by shifting agents from other areas, including violent crimes and drugs.

Trademark suit filed: MGM sued Roadmaster USA in U.S. District Court, alleging trademark dilution and infringement, unfair competition, deceptive trade practices and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage.

Sports news briefs for July 9, 2002: Ted Williams asked in his will to be cremated and have the ashes scattered over the Florida Keys, the lawyer for a daughter of the baseball great said today.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Wednesday: 1st Race -- PAM AND GAYLA -- Bug boy Krigger aboard Sadler trainee, draws good post for dash opener, Pam or Gayla or both for victory here? SIDESHOW CAPER -- P. Val on Sise trainee, needs to be prompt from blocks at rail post here, connections solid for success. Value Play -- SEGOVIA

Mack's ethics trial set Aug.15: Diana Sahagun; Las Vegas Councilman Michael Mack will go to trial Aug. 15 on misdemeanor charges that he knowingly violated the city's ethics code on five occasions.

Arizona, Nevada station sold: The Spanish-language media company, which already owns Las Vegas radio station KRRN-FM 105.1 and Las Vegas television station KINC Univision Channel 15, will begin operating KRCY-FM 92.7 by September. The radio station will serve parts of Arizona and Las Vegas.

Strip visionary McDonald dies: The man who inspired the all-you-can-eat buffet and brought the Beatles to Las Vegas died Saturday, better known by his deeds than his name.

Lawmakers seek input before special session: CARSON CITY -- Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, has scheduled another meeting of her committee to study malpractice insurance before the Nevada Legislature convenes in special session.

Health spending in Nevada below average: By Emily Richmond; When it comes to shelling out dough for personal health care, Nevada residents finished in the bottom five in the nation, a study being released today shows.

Penn reported to be interested in Hollywood: The talks come about four months after Hollywood said it was interested in a sale and weeks after its newest and most lucrative asset, a riverboat near Chicago, was hit with the prospect of higher gaming taxes in Illinois.

Lawmaker pushes for school vouchers: CARSON CITY -- Days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that public money could be used for private school tuition, a state legislator has asked for a bill to be drafted to allow use of school vouchers in Nevada.

Culinary leader optimistic in talks with Golden Gate: The Culinary Union and the Golden Gate were to return to the bargaining table this morning in a bid to resolve an eight-day strike downtown.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Fans see red but want green flags at end of races: It is obvious that NASCAR fans aren't the only ones perplexed by the sanctioning body's policy -- or lack thereof -- when it comes to displaying the red flag in late-race caution periods.

State AG to proceed with case vs. Walters: CARSON CITY -- The attorney general's office has served notice it will proceed with the original prosecution of Las Vegas gambler-businessman Billy Walters on money laundering charges that were brought more than four years ago.

National Airlines talking with new investors: Grace Leong; Las Vegas-based National Airlines said Monday it has $8.65 million in equity under its bankruptcy reorganization plan but hopes to secure additional equity to improve its chances of being approved for a $60 million federal loan guarantee.

Gaming magazine to close: The magazine, which released its last issue last week, will be discontinued.

U.S. halts hormone-therapy study: A large federal study of hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women was abruptly halted, researchers say, because the drugs caused a slight but significant increase in the risk of invasive breast cancer.

Valley tries to cool it as mercury hits 111: Lanette Fisher-Hertz; Even Las Vegans have their limits -- and with today's temperature expected to tie the 1943 National Weather Service record of 113 degrees, people were reaching theirs.

Senate opens Yucca debate: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Nevada's senators made an impassioned last-minute stand on the Senate floor today trying to stop the government from establishing a high-level nuclear waste dump 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.