Print edition for March 19, 2002

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: After fender-bender in LV, Stewart crashes in S.C.: Tony Stewart was released from a Florence, S.C., hospital Monday after being held overnight for observation following an 11-car wreck in Sunday's Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 NASCAR Winston Cup race at Darlington Raceway.

Letter: 'Perfect storm' defense by utility is bankrupt: The company claims that it didn't sign long-term, less-expensive contracts because of deregulation uncertainties which left it wondering how many customers it would have.

Editorial: Pentagon needs a new kind of trigger: The Pentagon should take a lesson from Nevada. We had our own taste of government- issued credit card abuse a couple years ago, when state employees had run up $71,000 in bad debts. In response, the state government adopted new controls. All but $4,000 has since been collected and triggers are now in place. An employee 60 days in arrears gets a notice -- 30 more days and the card is suspended. Sounds like the Pentagon needs some new accounting triggers of its own.

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

Editorial: Better data on health saves lives: It's one thing to take down information to see if ex-workers have become ill. It's another thing to turn the data into something more meaningful, so that the information can help doctors treat patients now. The DOE program is getting an assist in this regard from researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. As the Sun's Jennifer Knight reported Monday, a computerized medical archiving project under way at UNLV could result in Nevada being the nation's warehouse for electronically stored medical records of DOE employees. A centralized, easy-to-access computer database would save crucial time so that doctors could make ...

UNLV men lose their first match at home: UNLV men lose their first match at home

Letter: Las Vegans get prison sentence: Believing in the almighty dollar and the conclusions drawn by Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham, Mr. Grafton sees Nevada as the solution to nuclear waste "scattered across the country."

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Tark Departure II brings unrest -- again: According to reports out of Fresno, Jerry Tarkanian's resignation as Bulldogs basketball coach last Friday left FSU with a house divided.

Letter: Don't change our state song: Why is it that everyone wants to reinvent the wheel? All our historic landmarks, in Henderson and Las Vegas, are being imploded, exploded, and otherwise torn down in the name of progress. The Henderson Chamber of Commerce was so embarrassed by the blue-collar history of Henderson that they chose to change our beloved "Industrial Days" to something called "Heritage Days." The next thing you know, someone is going to propose changing the name of Nevada. Sadly, a total disregard for this great state's rich history is becoming all too common.

Rebels tickets to go on sale Monday: Sideline tickets will be $125 for the six-game package while end zone seats are priced at $65. Tickets can only be obtained by calling 895-UNLV.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Call a special session: I can just see my father uttering those words to his sons and anyone else within earshot who hadn't grown up on the streets of this country and was not, therefore, seasoned to the ways of the world.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Walker stays on the move: The 14-going-on-15 Green Valley High School freshman runs varsity track and cross-country, plays soccer and also operates a service group she founded (by herself) when she was 12.

Ralph Siraco's Santa Anita selections: 1st Race -- Charming Copy - Flores atop Dominguez trainee for owner Golden Eagle Farm, draws good box for first two-furlong baby race of year, connections right. Lady Eddie - Gomez takes Duncan trainee, draws outside post for straight dash, no traffic concerns from clear box. Value Play -- Magic Smoke

'Miss Rhythm' looks back on her storied career: Information: 507-3980.

Return to coaching made easy by Rebels: Steve Addy; COLUMBIA, S.C. -- It sounded something like a season-ending tribute to his first UNLV team, but coach Charlie Spoonhour wasn't trying to hurry the Rebels into the off-season.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Frohlich fights rap as 'tweener: Dean Juipe; She's 22 years old, has a worldliness about her and is easily the best women's basketball player ever to come through UNLV.

Caving in: Life slows to a crawl for members of Southern Nevada Grotto: Squinting and surveying the fork in the road, he said aloud to himself, "OK. This is not looking good. Plan B."

False confession in rape gets Marine dishonorable discharge: Kim Smith; A false confession to help a fellow Marine who was convicted of sexual assault has earned Ryan Fulton five years at hard labor and a dishonorable discharge.

Obituaries for March 19, 2002: Robin Leslie Bailey, 42, of Las Vegas died Thursday in Las Vegas. She was born Sept. 18, 1902, in Northridge, Calif. A resident for 30 years, she was a manager.

Community briefs for March 19, 2002: Students in grades 4-12 are invited to enter a poetry contest sponsored by Creative Communication that offers $2,000 to the winning poets and $500 in grants to schools.

Expert from O.J. trial urges DNA use: Erin Neff; The nation's leading DNA law expert told a legislative panel Monday that Nevada should institute post-conviction DNA testing in cases in which defendants maintain their innocence.

Hotels appeal property tax values: CARSON CITY -- The state Board of Equalization said today it has received appeals from at least two Las Vegas hotels to reduce their property tax values.

ABC bowling tournament coming to LV in '09: The event, which is expected to bring more than 125,000 bowlers to the city over a six-month period, is expected to have a nongaming economic impact of more than $100 million on the city.

Hearing planned on Alta changes: Diana Sahagun; When Jerry and Lois Tarkanian moved into an affluent neighborhood off Alta Drive about 30 years ago, traffic congestion on the road was of little concern.

Sex issues, cover charge to cost Olympic Garden: David Strow; A prominent Las Vegas topless dancing club has agreed to pay a $25,000 fine to settle a three-count complaint brought by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

Business briefs for March 19, 2002: A federal judge ordered $4.62 million in restitution payments by Bryan Egan, the former president of Brycar Financial of Las Vegas, who was charged with bilking 550 investors out of millions of dollars in a Ponzi scheme.

NOS fined $2.5 million for misleading Fla. customers: Chris Jones; A Las Vegas telecommunications company, already fined by federal regulators, has now paid a $2.5 million fine to the state of Florida to settle charges that it misled consumers about the cost of its long-distance telephone services and failed to easily let its customers switch to another carrier.

Consumers speak out on Sprint request for rate hike: Malcolm Hall; Sprint Corp. claims one factor behind its push for $90 million per year in rate hikes in Southern Nevada is the growing tide of people dropping their traditional telephone lines in favor of cell phones and the Internet.

LV Slam wins: The teams play again at 7 tonight at UNLV's Cox Pavilion.

Residents seek casino: The residents point to a piece of land near the Massachusetts Turnpike, which runs through the town of 4,700 halfway between Springfield and Worcester.

Tiffany to leave hospital soon: Tiffany, R-Henderson, was moved out of the Critical Care Unit at Providence St. Joseph's Medical Center in Burbank, Calif., on Monday.

Domenici, Reid plan to fund alternatives to Yucca: Two U.S. senators on Monday said they plan to fund alternatives to burying nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain.

Man shot by SWAT officer: Keith Paul; A 22-year-old man was in critical condition this morning after a Metro Police SWAT officer shot him once in the leg while serving a search warrant at a North Las Vegas apartment Monday night.

Regulator wants Andersen banned: John P. McAlpin; TRENTON, N.J. -- New Jersey's attorney general has moved to bar Atlantic City casinos from doing business with troubled accounting giant Arthur Andersen, saying that the firm's recent federal indictment should disqualify it.

No immediate action planned by Nevada gaming regulators: David Strow; Nevada gaming regulators are examining the relationships Arthur Andersen has with the state's casinos, but no immediate action is planned here, the chairman of the state Gaming Control Board said Monday.

Polo Towers owners win suit: The Cloobecks' Polo Resorts Inc. had sued Orange County, Calif.-based Tricom Management Inc. in Orange County Superior Court in March 2000.

Outage affects Nevada deposits: The Charlotte, N.C.-based bank's computers stopped recording such deposits late Friday, said Bank of America spokesman Will Holford. The bank learned of the problem early Saturday and had corrected it by Sunday morning, he said.

Nevadans: Barge plan could hurt Yucca support: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Nevada officials say the proposal to use barges as part of a massive effort to transport the nation's nuclear waste to Nevada could make it tougher for lawmakers in Congress to support the Yucca Mountain project.

AG gets campaign money question: Las Vegas resident Robert Rose asked the secretary of state's office whether McDonald properly used campaign funds to pay legal fees stemming from an ethics case and criminal investigation last year.

Residents urged to avoid use of emergency rooms: If it's not an emergency, don't use the emergency room or call for an ambulance.

Evaluator stands by housing contract choice: Adrienne Packer; An evaluator who graded proposals for the Las Vegas Housing Authority's highly publicized public relations contract said Monday he picked who he thought was best for the job. Sidney Whitlow, the housing authority's director of technical services, struggled to remember why he ranked Tribeca Media higher than more established public relations firms despite the company's lack of experience.

BC vets home nears move-in: CARSON CITY -- An inspection by the state fire marshal at the long-delayed veterans nursing home in Boulder City is set for Monday, and patients will start being accepted by late June, the state Public Works Board was told Monday.

Nevada legal battle over teen's wedding made moot by birthday: AP; The bride, SierraDawn Kirkpatrick, turned 16 in December.

Bank offers $500,000 to settle LV lawsuit alleging discrimination: Grace Leong; Bank of America has offered to pay $500,000 to settle a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former Las Vegas branch manager who said she was called "excess baggage" by her boss and fired at age 59 because of her age and gender.

Reno-based company forms lottery division: Three Anchor subsidiaries -- AWI, VLC and United Tote -- will be placed within the new division. The division's president will be Christer Roman, who managed the companies prior to the IGT takeover.

First checks for extended jobless benefits mailed: CARSON CITY -- The first checks for extended unemployment benefits were mailed Monday to a handful of Nevadans who exhausted their 26 weeks of jobless checks.

Families of six teens sue state: Kim Smith; The families of six teenagers killed two years ago today while picking up trash in the median of Interstate 15 are suing the driver who struck them, the Nevada Department of Transportation and the Nevada Highway Patrol.

Company seeks agency for minority advertising: The Las Vegas-based casino resort company said it is looking for a firm to provide conceptualization, media planning and media placement for "multicultural mediums."

Reid asks NRC about casks: Reid sent a letter to NRC Chairman Richard Meserve on Monday seeking more information about the design and testing of nuclear waste containers. Under a federal proposal, 77,000 tons of nuclear waste would be shipped in the containers to Nevada's Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, for permanent burial.

Stretched limos' safety at issue: The limousine industry and government regulators have stepped up efforts to identify stretched vehicles that are unsafe.

County planners oppose power plants: Clark County planners, citing air quality, water and noise issues, are asking commissioners to deny zoning requests to build two new power plants, one in the northern, the other in the southern part of the county.

News briefs for March 19, 2002: A 21-year-old woman was arrested Monday in connection with the beating death of her 7-month-old daughter, Metro Police said.

Fed at crossroads with interest rate policy: Jeannine Aversa; WASHINGTON -- As the country bounces back from a recession, the Federal Reserve's next mission will be to prepare Americans enjoying the lowest interest rates seen in a generation for the possibility that rates will go higher this year, economists said.

Casino robbery suspect charged in jail fight: Kim Smith; A Henderson man facing seven charges in a series of casino heists now faces a battery charge.

LV firm sues over acquisition: Citadel, which agreed in October 1999 to acquire 36 Broadcasting Partners' radio stations in 11 states for $190 million, sued the company and media merchant bank Veronis, Suhler & Associates Inc. in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas last week.

County moving ahead with plan for gun range: Adrienne Packer; Clark County has yet to secure about 2,900 acres from the federal government, but park planners are preparing to pull the trigger on a $20 million shooting range in the northwest.

Public can comment on BLM projects: Mathis Winkler; Bureau of Land Management officials are seeking public comment on a list of proposed land acquisitions, capital improvement projects and park and trail projects totaling $117.5 million.