Print edition for July 30, 2002

Letter: We're not really Americans, we're United Statesians: He begins talking about misperceiving U.S. foreign policy, and he immediately drifts into Myth No. 1 by referring to America, instead of the USA. So, let's talk about the myths and realities of Safire's misperceptions, which are shared by Americans from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: You'll have to pay extra for selected UNLV games: Though it probably will take some heat for it, UNLV is starting to price its home football games in the manner of prizefights or rock concerts.

Dancing queen: Former movie, TV star Peggy Ryan still cutting the rug: "It's jump, slide, jump, slide, back-turn," the 77-year-old instructor said to a cluster of students standing behind her.

Settlement reached in gas pump blaze: Kim Smith; A partial settlement has been reached in a lawsuit filed by the parents of a 12-year-old girl badly burned while pumping gasoline three years ago.

Wednesday's horse racing entries: Post Time 10 a.m.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Times call for healthy perspective: The fact that 6 million women -- many of whom drive -- soon may stop hormone replacement therapy because of newly discovered risks of heart disease, stroke, blood clots and breast cancer.

Malcolm, Henderson's first librarian, dies: Lydia Smith Malcolm was Henderson's first librarian, five years before the city officially existed.

Editorial: Can't deny education any longer: The Clark County School District has been growing around 7 percent a year and, with 245,000 students, is now the sixth largest district in the country. It has been growing rapidly for the past 15 years but no Legislature to date has been willing to adjust state funding accordingly. That's why we find ourselves needing a sudden and sharp increase. The local school district's growth projections have been accurate and there is no reason to doubt its projection that enrollment will exceed 350,000 by the 2008-2009 school year. The time to act is now. First, we need to catch up, ...

Finalists being selected for new college's president: Jennifer Knight; A Nevada State College at Henderson search committee was expected to select a short list of one to three finalists for the position of college president today.

Community briefs for July 30, 2002: Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area offers hikes, walks and programs free of charge, but reservations are required. To make reservations or for more information, call 363-1922. Some upcoming programs:

The 'Beats' goes on again at The Venetian: "Beats of Passion," a successful international musical variety show that debuted at The Venetian last summer, has returned to the hotel's troubled showroom that has a reputation for grinding productions into confetti.

Noted bowler, motel owner Roles dies: Ralph Roles, a member of the Southern Nevada Bowling Hall of Fame and former owner of the Rummel Motel, died Saturday at his home in Henderson after struggling with Alzheimer's disease for two years. He was 82.

Scientists to report on ground water flow from Yucca: Members of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board are: Mark Abkowitz, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Vanderbilt University; Thure Cerling, geology and geophysics professor at the University of Utah; David Duquette, professor and head of the department of materials science and engineering at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York; and Ronald Latanision,professor of materials science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Editorial: No passing grade for testing company: Fortunately the testing snafu didn't involve seniors taking the test, a mistake that would have resulted in them being denied diplomas. Still, some members of the state Board of Education understandably are so upset by the company's mistake that they want to fire the company. All companies make mistakes, but an egregious error such as this one strikes at the very heart of Harcourt Education Measurement's credibility. The state Board of Education should investigate hiring another company to provide the tests.

Letter: Dips are there for good reason: Mr. Hansen writes: "If you drive anywhere else in the country, even those places where it rains regularly, they do not put in rain dips."

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Tough time for vacation: Taking a vacation, especially during the lazy days of summer, is as American as apple pie. It is a time-honored tradition that probably started when the school calendars and the harvest schedules matched up and Mom and Dad saw an opportunity to get away from the daily grind.

Clark County ready for bilingual elections: Clark County was added to the list because the 2000 Census Bureau shows that more than 5 percent of the population speaks Spanish only, which requires the county to provide language assistance under the Voting Rights Act amended in 1992.

Court briefs for July 30, 2002: Three Las Vegas men will be arraigned Aug. 13 on open murder charges in connection with the April deaths of two young men.

Obituaries for July 30, 2002: Ray Wilson Bennett, 75, of Las Vegas died Sunday in a local hospital. He was born Jan. 6, 1927, in Portland, Ore. A resident for five years, he was a retired driver for a vending company, a World War II Navy veteran, a member of American Legion Post 76 and a courier for the law firm of Kolesar & Leatham Chtd.

Judge: Tuscany dispute will move to Carson City court: Jeffrey Libby; A civil court dispute between two majority owners of a Henderson redevelopment project will be argued in Carson City, Clark County District Court Judge Ron Parraguirre ruled Monday.

TV pitchman 'Happy Harry' Haneman dies: Harry "Happy Harry" Haneman, a longtime Las Vegas businessman and colorful local television pitchman known for the catch phrase "I make everrrrybody happy!" died Sunday at his Las Vegas home. His age was not released.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Wednesday's races at Del Mar: Wednesday's card

Columnist Dean Juipe: Please, we don't need AFL team: Dean Juipe; Guilty of having too much free time, twice over the weekend I switched the TV to Arena Football League playoff games.

State Senate approves $350,000 cap on damages: CARSON CITY -- The state Senate today unanimously approved a key section of the medical malpractice bill to impose a cap of $350,000 on damages to a victim for his or her pain or suffering.

Burglars hit Porter's business office again: Erin Neff; Burglars broke into the business offices of Republican congressional candidate Jon Porter early this morning, marking the second break-in at the offices in a month.

Dockside gambling OK'd for seven Indiana riverboats: INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Gaming Commission gave approval Monday for seven riverboat casinos to offer dockside gambling starting Thursday.

Casino fined $2.26 million over allegations of prostitution: INDIANAPOLIS -- An Ohio River casino must pay a $2.26 million fine and close for more than two days over allegations it entertained guests with prostitutes and money for gambling during a golf outing last year.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Gaughan: Others may be tinkering with my car: Brendan Gaughan isn't the paranoid type, but the Las Vegas driver hasn't ruled out sabotage as the cause of problems he encountered in a pair of races earlier this month.

Vegas casino supplier loses $5.8 million: Second quarter revenues were $25.9 million, compared with $27.2 million in the 2001 quarter.

Man who said he heard call by terrorists passes lie test: Results of an independent lie detector test taken by Michael Hamdan, the man who said he intercepted a terrorist threat to Las Vegas on his cell phone, indicate he was telling the truth, he said.

Feds work feverishly on Yucca project: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department plans to "jump start" plans for transporting high-level nuclear waste to Nevada in order to open Yucca Mountain by 2010, the project's top administrator said today.

'S-curve' may put squeeze on rural residents: Diana Sahagun; In the 1980s, when the northwest part of Las Vegas was nothing but a sea of dirt and brush, Michelle Ware scooped up 2 1/2 acres for her future retirement.

Massive fraud alleged at bankrupt Nevada company: In Business Las Vegas, a sister newspaper to the Las Vegas Sun, reported the court-appointed trustee for AgriBioTech creditors has filed two lawsuits against former AgriBioTech managers, accountants and lawyers in hopes of recovering funds for those allegedly defrauded.

Ferrell-Edmonson to coach UNLV track: Ferrell-Edmonson comes to Las Vegas from California State University Dominguez Hills where she has been serving as the director of community relations.

Deal offers no guarantees on reduced rates for doctors: CARSON CITY -- While there appears to be general agreement on a bill to solve the medical malpractice crisis in Clark County, there is no guarantee that insurance rates for doctors in Las Vegas will be reduced.

Shares jump on credit deal: The loans replace a $2 billion credit line that would have expired in August 2003, the company said in a statement. Sprint, the main local phone company in Las Vegas, has no plans to draw against the new, unsecured bank line.

Gold fluctuates against stocks: Gold prices have mirrored changes in the stock market in recent months on speculation that demand for gold would strengthen or wane depending upon the performance of equities. Declines in stocks helped boost gold to a 2 1/2-year high in early June.

News briefs for July 30, 2002: One man was killed and another wounded in a suspected gang-related shooting just after midnight this morning at an apartment complex.

Judge rules against liens for Medicaid: District Court Judge Ron Parraguirre ruled Monday morning to bar the state from putting liens on the homes of Medicaid recipients and ordered all existing liens removed, saying that the state violated a federal statute barring states from placing liens on homes until both husband and wife have died.

Profits improve for big Vegas developer: The real estate investment trust's second-quarter profit, or funds from operations, was $73.7 million, or 78 cents a share. That's compared to a profit of $67.9 million, or 90 cents a share, in the same quarter a year ago.

RB Dorsey back in school: Steve Guiremand; 2002 Preseason All-Mountain West

Analyst raises rating to 'strong buy': Schmitt raised his 2002 revenue and cash flow estimates on the company from $5 billion and $1.125 billion to $5.012 billion and $1.175 billion, respectively.

Shifting flight routes rattle southwest valley: Neighbors in a largely rural area of the southwest Las Vegas Valley are dealing with an unwelcome guest: the noise of large passenger jets flying above them.

51s lose to Sounds: Las Vegas led 1-0 after David Ross' RBI single in the fourth, but Nashville tied it in the ninth when Reed Secrist's pinch-hit double knocked in Armando Rodriguez. In the 10th, the Sounds won it on Mendy Lopez's bloop single to right, scoring Adrian Brown.

Views changed on operators: Bear, Stearns & Co. analyst Jason Ader raised his rating on Argosy Gaming Co. from "attractive" to "buy."

Las Vegas loses two flights in Vanguard shutdown: KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Vanguard Airlines suspended operations today, saying it would lay off nearly all its employees and file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Casino operator reports loss for second quarter: Quarterly net revenues were $37.2 million for Riviera Las Vegas, down $5.6 million or 13.1 percent from the year-ago quarter, as the property continued to suffer from the 2001 travel slowdown caused by the recession and terrorism.

Joint Chiefs chairman to visit Nellis: Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers will observe the Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2002 operations, which combine live, virtual and simulated forces to test technologies officials hope will further improve military performance.

Center eases transition for area's new teachers: By Emily Richmond; Adam Patai admits it -- he's a little nervous about his first day at Mojave High School in North Las Vegas.

Lawyers, doctors dispute bill: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn and Nevada's other leading state lawmakers wore smiles when they announced a bipartisan bill to address rising medical malpractice insurance rates Monday, but ensuing testimony from lawyers and doctors proved that no one was doing cartwheels over the proposal.

New code helps suppliers: The Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees antitrust law, requested the guidelines. The committee is probing complaints by Masimo Corp., Retractable Technologies Inc. and other small hospital-supply makers that purchasers are colluding with rivals such as Becton, Dickinson & Co., the No. 1 maker of syringes for diabetics, to siphon off business.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Gaughan suspects his truck was sabotaged -- twice: Brendan Gaughan isn't the paranoid type, but the Las Vegas driver hasn't ruled out sabotage as the cause of problems he encountered in a pair of races earlier this month.

Rebels picked 4th in poll: Steve Guiremand; CORONADO ISLAND, Calif. --- If preseason polls are any indication, it should be quite a race in the Mountain West Conference this year.

Stock market decline shakes consumers: Adam Geller; NEW YORK -- Consumer confidence fell sharply in July, to its lowest level in five months, undermined by a steep decline in stock prices and worries about jobs, a private research group reported today.

Ryan Claridge expected to miss 12 weeks: Steve Guiremand; CORONADO ISLAND, Calif. --- Linebacker Ryan Claridge was supposed to be joining buddy Jason Thomas in representing UNLV at today's Mountain West Conference Media Day festivities at the Coronado Island Marriott Hotel near San Diego.

Wynn to hit road to stump for planned stock offering: Wynn's Wynn Resorts is proceeding despite a tough IPO market, weakened by declines in the stock market since Wynn unveiled the stock sale plan June 17, the Journal said. Wynn hopes to raise $355 million to $408 million with the IPO, along with $350 million in second mortgage notes.

Agency: Relief from mine dust on the way: Jeffrey Libby; The owner of an abandoned manganese mine east of Henderson is on track to have blowing dust controlled by October, a county air pollution control agency says.