Print edition for March 14, 2002

'Net gambling system selected; free-play prizes to be dropped: WagerWorks, has been the content and technology provider for MGM MIRAGE's online, fun-only prize site since its inception in March 2001.

Rural church to celebrate 100 years: Jeffrey Libby; TONOPAH -- In a former silver mining boomtown where today one of every three homes is boarded up, St. Patrick's Catholic Church on Sunday will proudly celebrate its 100th birthday.

Betting frenzy: Wagers big part of March Madness: Jace Radke; Howard Shaffer, in Las Vegas on business, is more than 2,000 miles from his Mansfield, Ohio, office. Still, his travels won't prevent him participating in the annual spring ritual that is March Madness.

Investment banker tapped as CFO: Hagerty, 41, was most recently CFO and chief operating officer of Akula Software Inc., a closely held software company based in Massachusetts, Park Place said.

Park Place donates to West Las Vegas economic center: David Strow; The Urban Chamber of Commerce found its first backer Wednesday in its efforts to build a business development center in impoverished West Las Vegas.

Nuke industry donated $30 million to lawmakers: Benjamin Grove; Nuclear industry companies gave nearly $30 million to congressional lawmakers in the last decade, according to a new public interest group report.

Winds whip hazardous dust into the air: Construction sites closed and Clark County air quality enforcement officers fanned out as winds of 50 mph whipped hazardous amounts of fine dust into the air throughout the Las Vegas Valley on Wednesday.

LV company buys online ticket, room selling operation: MRCGroup Research Institute, which has been in business in Las Vegas for six years, announced Wednesday that it acquired Studio 11 Productions. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Head of failed LV dot-com firm to show off exotic cars: Malcolm Hall; A new 20,000-square-foot showroom for exotic cars such as Aston Martin, Ferrari and Lamborghini has been announced for a May opening at the Showcase Mall next to the MGM Grand on the Las Vegas Strip, the brainchild of the man behind bankrupt Global Communications Inc. of Las Vegas.

Isle of Capri taking hit in LV, will sell Lady Luck: David Strow; Less than two years after its sale to Isle of Capri Casinos, downtown Las Vegas' Lady Luck hotel-casino is back on the sales block.

High court overturns ruling against Del Papa: The Nevada Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a former state investigator cannot go to trial with his defamation and wrongful termination lawsuit against Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa.

Atlantic City casino owner interested in buying Aladdin: David Strow; The former owner of Harveys Casino Resorts is interested in a deal to acquire the Las Vegas Strip's Aladdin hotel-casino out of bankruptcy, sources familiar with the matter told the Las Vegas Sun on Wednesday.

Tax panel seeks lottery data: Erin Neff; A panel studying which taxes may be imposed or increased to help make up for Nevada's budget shortfall asked Wednesday how a lottery might generate needed revenue.

Pair of point guards receive Sun's top honors: Spencer Patterson; For even the most casual follower of high school basketball, C.J. Watson's selection as the Sun's 2002 Boys State Player of the Year should come as no surprise.

Man shot to death outside restaurant: A man was standing outside a car talking with two men inside the car on Las Vegas Boulevard South at St. Louis Avenue. The men apparently started to argue and a gunshot was fired from inside the car at the man standing, killing him about 2:30 a.m. today, police said.

UNLV's Glaser had trouble playing waiting game: Steve Guiremand; For Petra Glaser, the waiting was the hardest part.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Memories of a special St. Paddy's Day in Ireland: Joe Delaney; I had forgotten ... There was a moment of stunned silence and I was reminded that St. Patrick's Day 1962 was still a strict religious holiday, very solemn, with pubs closed for the entire 24-hour period ... Public houses, inns and hotels were required by law to serve food and drink to residents, except from 12:01 a.m. to midnight on March 17.

Fire department plans new recruit screening: A fire official from outside Southern Nevada and a Clark County resident will join two county deputy or assistant fire chiefs in the interview process of applicants, Fire Chief Earl Greene said.

Editorial: Nevada's Yucca view gets big lift: A majority vote is needed in the Senate to sustain Guinn's veto, meaning 51 senators must line up with Nevada's point of view. This means Nevada's senators, Majority Whip Harry Reid, a Democrat, and John Ensign, a Republican, have a big job ahead. It's a coup for the senators to have enlisted the aid of two such well-placed Washington insiders as Podesta and Duberstein.

Diplomat watched growth of world terrorism threat: Jace Radke; Robert Oakley, U.S. ambassador to Pakistan from 1988 to 1991, witnessed changes in the Middle East that he believes eventually contributed to the Sept. 11 attacks.

UNLV opens outdoor season on Friday: Seventeen teams make up the field with 10 schools represented. The Rebels will compete against teams from Boise State, Northern Arizona, Mt. San Antonio College, Golden West College, Utah Valley State College, Southern Utah, Idaho State and Tufts in the women's competition.

Obituaries for March 14, 2002: William Acker Sr., 72, of Las Vegas died Monday in Las Vegas. He was born April 24, 1929, in Fayetteville, N.C. A resident for 15 years, he was a manager for a catering company and Korean War Army veteran.

Nevada hoping to attract consulates of other nations: Mathis Winkler; Tourists Top 10 countries bringing tourists to Las Vegas by plane in 2000:

Letter: Homelessness often by choice: You need to get out of your cozy office and visit the areas of our cities that are being adversely impacted by the homeless. I own an industrial building at the corner of Owens and A Street. The problems caused by the homeless in that area are such that it is becoming increasingly difficult to operate a business.

State makes deal with fired prison employee: CARSON CITY -- The state has decided to pay a $60,000 settlement for a former prison employee rather than go to trial on her complaint of sexual harassment.

Guardsman's training pays off in airport emergency: Dick Benoit; Spec. Michael Wilson of the Nevada Army National Guard put his military training to use recently to save a child from possible brain damage.

Weather plays tricks on ballplayers: Youth league baseball players, expecting to be the boys of the recent summer-like weather, instead played Wednesday in chilly winds that included gusts of more than 50 mph.

Horse racing fans graying and fewer, but betting more: Lori Hinnant; EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The betting rooms are still smoky, floors scattered with shreds of losing tickets, air filled with a mix of curses and hoarse cheers.

Letter: Nevada Power has self to blame for huge losses: The magnitude of this error demands that it be corrected. If the Public Utilities Commission denies the rate increase, Nevada Power will file for bankruptcy. Under court supervision those aberrant power contracts can be renegotiated. Looking at wholesale electricity costs before the price spike and afterwards, a reasonable settlement price should become apparent.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: MWC takes step forward with bids: Having straddled the fence between mid-major and power conference since inception (as well as during its previous incarnation as the crux of the Western Athletic Conference), the Mountain West Conference took a huge step toward legitimacy when three of its members received NCAA Tournament bids.

Honer came through in clutch for Douglas: Spencer Patterson; Four seconds. That's all that remained in Andrea Honer's basketball career, unless her Douglas Tigers could find a way to rally from three points down in last month's 4A state championship against Centennial.

Market killer's appeal rejected: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court Wednesday upheld Zane Floyd's four first-degree murder convictions and death sentence.

Community briefs for March 14, 2002: Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada is looking for community members to serve on the board of directors or help at the office and at various events.

New NLV community moves forward: Mathis Winkler; North Las Vegas planning commissioners Wednesday cleared the way for the construction of the first 611 homes in a master-planned community on 1,900 acres at the northern end of town.

Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Jury's out on this summons: Ruthe Deskin; There have been several times in my younger days when I answered a jury summons. Once the court officials learned I was employed by a newspaper it was an automatic, "Thanks, but no thanks."

Columnist Dean Juipe: Happy Campas to meet Santos: Dean Juipe; Rarely is a fighter with 79 professional wins an underdog, but such is the case Saturday at Bally's as Yory Boy Campas takes on Daniel Santos with the World Boxing Organization's 154-pound title at stake.

Rebels ready to take act on the road: Steve Addy; The Rebels intend to be more than short-term participants in the NIT, so they knew they'd have to hit the road sooner or later. It turned out to be sooner.

Audit calls for better control over construction changes: CARSON CITY -- The state Transportation Department could save $1 million a year by tightening controls over change orders on its highway construction projects, an executive audit says.

Las Vegas company included in sale: The deal will bolster the U.S. operations of CRH's Oldcastle Materials subsidiary.

Letter: Homeless need long-term plan: Municipalities have a role to play in ameliorating the problem of homelessness. In the short term, food, shelter and basic necessities should be provided judiciously. Through charities and local, state and federal governments, the American people are second to none in leading a hand of support to the needy.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer selling shares: The offering is expected to close on March 18, the company said in a statement. MGM has granted the underwriters, led by Goldman Sachs Group, an over-allotment option to purchase 1.58 million shares for $26.1 million.

Sun All-State Basketball: Girls: ANDREA HONER, PG, Douglas, 5-9, Sr.

State title was only goal left for Watson: Spencer Patterson; For C.J. Watson, the 2001-2002 prep basketball season was never a quest to prove he was Nevada's top player.

Hitting the bottle: Las Vegas businessman turning wine into fine art: Nothing dresses up a fine bottle of wine like a miniature reproduction of a work of art by someone such as local artist Loppo Martinez, whose paintings have sold for as much as $85,000.

Coyotes ready to whistle against Dixie: Victoria Sun; The Community College of Southern Nevada baseball team will get a good indicator of how it measures up when it hosts No. 2-ranked Dixie Junior College for doubleheaders Friday and Saturday afternoon.

State's school districts unite to lobby for cash: By Emily Richmond; Facing tight budgets, officials from school districts across the state were meeting today in Reno to discuss a unified lobbying effort in preparation for next year's legislative session.

Editorial: State engineer right to delay water grant: Ricci's caution is commendable because no one can say for sure what impact there would be from drawing that much water. There is no scientific justification for taking a chance of that magnitude. Environmentalists worry about the effect on the springs and lakes in the area and the wildlife that depend on them. Ricci is concerned about how such a draw would impact other holders of water rights. He decided that for at least the next five years, studies should be conducted that would provide a sound scientific basis for a decision one way or the other.

Court briefs for March 14, 2002: A Las Vegas man who pleaded guilty to beating his girlfriend's daughter to death will not be allowed to pull out of his plea agreement.

Cegavske to run for state Senate: CARSON CITY -- Assemblywoman Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas, says she had always planned to run for the state Senate whenever incumbent Mark James would down.

Ralph Siraco's Santa Anita selections: 1st Race -- The Heebster -- Desormeaux aboard Hess trainee, draws outer post in small field of mile opener, jockey-trainer team are always dangerous. Evening Meeting -- Flores atop Baffert trainee for owner Golden Eagle Farm, draws good spot in Cal--bred allowance, another dangerous jockey-trainer duo. Value Play -- Cantaloupe

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: IHRA Pro Stock champ joins Nickens' NHRA team: Nickens Brothers Racing has hired 2001 IHRA Pro Stock champion Gene Wilson to drive the Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T in the NHRA Pro Stock category beginning at this weekend's Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.

Officer who lost sight in eye happy with shooter's sentence: Kim Smith; Darnell Harris, convicted in January of shooting a Metro Police officer in the face after a robbery, was sentenced Wednesday to a minimum of 47 years in prison.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Debating Social Security: Remember, it was an issue in 1996 during the White House election battles. That's when economist Dean Baker said the privatization aspects of the plan had some elements of a "shell game." The Christian Science Monitor reported that "Mr. Baker, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal think tank in Washington, sees privatization as 'faddish, ill-considered,' and 'perhaps the most serious threat to date' to the Social Security system. 'It would place individuals' retirement savings at considerable risk, force the creation of huge government bureaucracies, and leech Social Security assets out of the system and into the coffers ...

Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Changes in climate affect bird populations: Paula DelGiudice; The fact that global warming, also known as climate change, is real and under way can no longer be explained away as hysteria or fear mongering by radical, left-wing environmentalists.

News briefs for March 14, 2002: A North Las Vegas man accused of setting off a homemade bomb near a parked Metro Police car in Overton last summer has been indicted.