Print edition for March 13, 2002

Coach turned Gophers into tourney team: Steve Guiremand; Expectations weren't very high when 31-year-old Brenda Oldfield left Ball State to become the women's head basketball coach at the University of Minnesota last spring -- and for good reason.

Columnist Victoria Sun: Barkley, ex-jocks hit the links here: Victoria Sun; When Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Rollie Fingers was finished with baseball, he discovered that he missed competing.

State gets more bad money news: CARSON CITY -- The state earned $21.5 million from its general investment portfolio last year, nearly $10 million less than in 2000.

LV plant part of deal: Hardie officials in Las Vegas would not comment on the sale, but the Blue Diamond Road plant here is one of four the company owns in the United States. The local plant employs 127 people.

Letter: Ensign silent while Reid fights: Sen. Harry Reid continues his vigorous opposition to Yucca Mountain, which stands in stark contrast to Sen. John Ensign's mute acquiescence to President Bush's "big lie." Nevadans, take note which party is defending your interests.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Easter art is delicate problem: Improperly handled cooked eggs are every bit as dangerous as uncooked eggs. Gently wash the eggs before cooking. It's best to hard cook them no more than a few days before decorating, then refrigerate.

Columnist Dean Juipe: NCAA event too long and tedious: Dean Juipe; It's right there in Sportswriting 101: Never criticize the NCAA basketball tournament.

Analyst raises MGM MIRAGE, Harrah's estimates: "We continue to view 2002 as a recovery year in Las Vegas," Curtis wrote in a research note. "However, based on drive-in traffic counts from California, passenger counts at McCarran Airport, and our proprietary room rate survey, demand trends continue to recover ahead of expectations."

Community briefs for March 13, 2002: The Henderson Parks and Recreation Department will present "Feng Shui: What Are You Hanging on Your Walls?" 7-9 p.m. Thursday at Silver Springs Park, 1951 Silver Springs Parkway.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Spa unveiled in style at Aladdin: Elizabeth Foyt; Tucked away from the bustle of the Strip, the handsome center boasts a sizeable art collection, fine oriental rugs and exotic architectural design specific to the company's only U.S. spa. Present to help host the reception was Clive Warshaw, chairman of the board for Steiner Leisure Ltd., and co-founder in 1990 of the first Elemis spa in the Mayfair district of London who spoke of the company's spas in luxury properties and ocean liners around the world.

Two Metro officers awarded Medal of Honor: Keith Paul; Sheriff Jerry Keller on Tuesday presented two Metro Police officers with the department's second-highest commendation.

Editorial: New warning system for terrorist threats: Not only has the public been confused by this situation, but local law enforcement agencies also frequently are in the dark since they always haven't been told exactly what to keep an eye on. On Tuesday domestic security chief Tom Ridge unveiled a a new warning system that should give the public a better sense of what kind of risks we're facing.

Columnist Peter Benton: Clearwater course offers test in New Zealand: Peter Benton; While visiting New Zealand recently, I toured the new Clearwater Resort in Christchurch, site of this week's Buy.com Tour event.

Frohlich named AP All-American: Steve Guiremand; When she came over from Germany to play college basketball at UNLV four years ago, Linda Frohlich was unfamiliar with the term "All-American."

Lawmakers agree on casino tax hike, gaming expansion: Chris Sundheim; INDIANAPOLIS -- A final agreement on legislation to expand legalized gambling and raise casino taxes appears within reach as state lawmakers enter the last two days of the regular legislative session.

Nellis looks to keep its takeoff area safe: Mathis Winkler; On busy days, roaring fighter jets carrying bombs take off every few minutes from Nellis Air Force Base.

AP Women's All-America Team: Sue Bird, Connecticut, 5-9, senior, 13.7 ppg, 5.9 apg, 54 3-pointers, .929 ft pct.

Highlights of January win report on Nevada casinos: AP; -STATEWIDE: $766.3 million, down 14.8 percent.

Dettloff case to jury: Kim Smith; If Mitchell Dettloff were truly trying to avoid responsibility for a fatal car crash April 22, he would not have driven through the accident scene only moments later, his attorney told jurors during closing arguments Tuesday.

New CFO named: Koslow, who was the company's corporate controller, replaces Gary Griffin. Griffin will provide transition assistance to Koslow through June 30, and will continue to serve in a part-time advisory capacity into next year, the company said.

State lights fire under Clark County recycling: CARSON CITY -- The state plans to spend about $100,000 to revitalize a lagging recycling effort in Southern Nevada.

Tuesday's prep results: BASEBALL

Casinos license website to sell rooms: Mandalay Resort Group and Park Place Entertainment Corp., which between them operate nine Las Vegas hotel-casinos, signed the agreement with Stephens Media Group, Little Rock, Ark., owner of LasVegas.com and the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Vegas gas prices edging up: AAA Nevada on Tuesday said the price statewide is up 8 cents a gallon to $1.34.

Company names COO: Smith was Boyd's executive vice president of operations. From the COO's position Smith will have responsibility for operations of all of Boyd's 12 casino properties around the country.

UNLV women finish ninth in Bruin Classic: UNLV women finish ninth in Bruin Classic

Lincoln County, Mesquite steam over water plans: Lincoln County and Mesquite-area officials clashed Tuesday over the county's water-for-cash plans, with both sides sticking to their established positions.

Savvy wine buys: Benzinger '98 Reserve Chardonnay: Available at Las Vegas Wine Company, $18.99.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: De Ferran shooting for fast start in the IRL series: As Gil de Ferran attempts to win his third consecutive open-wheel championship -- and first since Team Penske jumped from CART to the Indy Racing League -- he is somewhat comforted by the fact that the first four races of the season are at tracks on which he competed while in CART.

Letter: U.S. hypocrisy is the reason for Arab resentment: The truth, which is always hidden from the American public, is that the majority of the Arab masses are so distant from their rulers. For example, during the Gulf War, Americans only saw allied Arab armies and politicians siding with the U.S. against Saddam. But the reality on the streets of the Arab world was quite different.

Financial adviser hired: Kaplan will advise the company on "strategic transactions and projects, financing transactions and alternatives, internal financial analysis and investor relations," the company said.

Rebel recap: Lack of rebounds didn't cost Rebels: First half

Board: Officer's second shotgun blast too much: Keith Paul; A rookie Metro Police officer violated the department's deadly force policy when he fired a second blast from a shotgun at a suspect fleeing in a car earlier this year, Sheriff Jerry Keller told the Sun.

$12 million sought for school hires: By Emily Richmond; The facilities division of the Clark County School District says it needs to hire 106 additional workers in order to keep up with the demand for building new schools and will ask the School Board Thursday for $12.9 million in bond funds and tax revenues to pay for the new hires.

Ralph Siraco's Santa Anita selections: 1st Race -- Missionairess -- Flores astride Ellis trainee, draws inner post for sprint opener, should get good trip at this level. Bartley -- Draws alongside top pick, Desormeaux on Carava trainee, well spotted in this claimer. Value Play -- Gamblin Town

Racing is not only sport for Las Vegas native Brendan Gaughan: AP; A candidate for rookie of the year in the Craftsman Truck Series, Gaughan stands only 5-9 and weighs about 170 pounds - which makes his athletic background even more surprising.

Air pollution agency told to fix paperwork: The Environmental Protection Agency is directing the local air pollution control agency to clean up its record-keeping and quality-control procedures.

Rebels lose 2 games to Brigham Young: The Cougars jumped out to an early lead in the first game on a five-run third inning. The second game followed a similar script with BYU posting nine runs in the fourth inning.

Suncoast results help Coast cruise through LV slowdown: David Strow; The post-Sept. 11 slowdown might have put the pinch on most of Coast Hotels and Casinos Inc.'s Las Vegas properties, but it didn't slow continued growth in the Las Vegas casino operator's Suncoast hotel-casino.

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

Rebels find NIT success: Steve Addy; In case anyone has forgotten what the N in NIT stands for, the Rebels were back on a national tournament stage Tuesday night and extended their surprising season at least one more game.

Editorial: State-run lottery is a bad bet: Sheer numbers are superficially impressive. Rhode Island, population 1.05 million, grossed $864 million in the year 2000 from lottery sales. Other states posted impressive numbers as well, but a closer look reveals that lotteries provide considerably less than 3 percent of a state's budget. For Rhode Island to gross that much, the expenditure per person in 2000 worked out to $823.16. Studies show, however, that revenue is not generated that evenly, that, in fact, the majority of revenue is provided by people who spend well above the per capita figure. And over and over studies show that those most apt ...

Obituaries for March 13, 2002: Irene Louise Andrews, 78, of Las Vegas died Friday in a local hospital. She was born March 19, 1923, in Iowa. A resident for 28 years, she was a Clark County School District computer technician and a member of the Women's Retired Officers Club and various RV clubs.

Fun features for film food: Max Jacobson; Kids never change, but the products they favor are constantly being challenged.

Green Day: St. Patrick's Day, traditional festivities in tow, arrives Sunday: There's a wee bit of Irish in all of us on St. Patrick's Day; if not by birth, then just for the sheer spirit of the well-celebrated occasion. This Irishness, or "Green Fever," as the European Press Network calls it, sweeps the country every March 17.

Purchase tourney tickets through UNLV: The 12th-seeded Lady Rebels (23-7) will take on fifth-seeded Minnesota (21-7) in Game 1 of the sub-regional on Saturday at 2 p.m. (PST) at Carmichael Auditorium on the University of North Carolina campus. Fourth-seeded North Carolina (24-8) will meet 13th-seeded Harvard (22-5) in Game 2, about 30 minutes following the first contest.

Letter: Our wilderness needs protection: Mr. Freeman calls Friends of Nevada Wilderness a "radical environmental" group. By what standard are these people radical for wanting to protect our city's backyard wilderness areas? I think most Nevadans want to see more wilderness protection, not less.

Men's National Invitation Tournament results, schedule: Opening Round

LVCVA insurance rates could double in 2002: The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's property insurance premium is expected to soar by as much as 100 percent in August, in part because the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have tightened the insurance market.

Heavyweight GOP lobbyist joins Nevada team: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Nevada lawmakers have enlisted GOP heavyweight lobbyist Ken Duberstein to help them drum up opposition in Congress to the Yucca Mountain project.

News briefs for March 13, 2002: David Sarnowski, chief of the criminal division in the state attorney general's office, has been named executive director of the Nevada Judicial Discipline Commission.

Lawsuit filed against priest, diocese: Kim Smith; The parents of six young men who claim they were molested by a Henderson priest have filed a lawsuit against the priest and the Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas.

Calendar quirk behind 15% decline in state gaming win: Cy Ryan and David Strow; Nevada casinos suffered the worst single-month downturn in gaming win in nearly 20 years in January, the state reported today. Experts blame a quirk in the calendar for the sharp decline, though gaming win has suffered since the tourism slowdown caused by the September terrorism.

Guinn funds doctors' insurance: In an effort to stem a growing health-care crisis, Gov. Kenny Guinn today unveiled a plan to provide medical malpractice insurance to doctors in Nevada.

Internet betting ban bill closer to a vote: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Legislation that bans Internet gambling -- with minor exceptions -- cleared an important hurdle Tuesday, but still faces a tough road to final passage.

PUC chief expects challenge to rate hike ruling: Chairman Donald Soderberg of the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada said he expects the commission's pending decision in the $922 million Nevada Power Co. case to be challenged in court, regardless of the outcome.

NIT box score: Arizona State-UNLV: Percentages: FG .447, FT .840, 3P .167.

LV may test Israeli-made fleet of fuel cell buses: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Nevada's senators today said Las Vegas may soon host a small test fleet of the nation's first fuel cell buses.

Reid to make case against Yucca before real estate execs: Reid, the second-highest ranking Democrat in the U.S. Senate, is leading Nevada's fight in Washington against storing the nation's nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain.

Awaiting spring: Valley enjoys lull between cold and heat: Mathis Winkler; Warming up to the weather?

Housing authority faces HUD audit: Adrienne Packer; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development officials said Tuesday they plan to audit how the Las Vegas Housing Authority awards contracts following questions about the authority's high-profile public relations contract.

State senator bows out of race: Erin Neff; State Sen. Mark James' sudden decision Tuesday to drop his re-election bid has shaken his own party and sparked Democrats to try to win his seat.