Print edition for March 26, 2002

Labor Dept. sues over union's failed Nevada investment: The Labor Department on Friday sued Trust Fund Advisors and its parent, Union Labor Life Insurance Co., in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C.

Nevada jobless rate down: CARSON CITY -- Unemployment dipped to a five-month low in Nevada in February at 6.1 percent as state officials are hoping for an upturn in the economy, the state reported today.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Who'll lead the way?: I don't know how many campaign slogans over the years have extolled various candidates with catchy words and flowery phrases designed to capture the attention and the vote of the electorate, but I would think that in almost every case the word leader was among them. Proven leadership, the ability to lead, a leader for our time -- you name the slogan and I can find a candidate who used those words as a stepping stone toward election.

Columnist Susan Snyder: More than money lost in this fight: I drove to Bellagio for an interview Wednesday afternoon and was stopped at the parking garage entrance by a pleasant-looking man in a dress shirt, tie and name tag. He politely asked me to pop the car's hatch so he could check inside.

Metro seeks $319 million budget: The budget includes 75 additional officers to the nearly 1,950-officer force. The budget is $25 million more than last year's, but Keller said he needs more officers to handle the area's increasing population.

Letter: System eliminates mental health aid for homeless: In 1992 Gov. Bob Miller slashed the mental health budget and dumped hundreds of mentally ill wretches onto chance. Politicians knee-jerk to cripple the state mental health system Arthur Anderson-like when the fiscal whim hits them, whatever party they belong to. Neither they nor the public have the savvy to trace the havoc their knife-play creates.

Fresh approach: Public faced with multitude of causes, cures for bad breath: Don't rely on friend for that information. Friends rarely will inform you if your breath has the aroma of a sewer; they simply keep a safe distance. The only hint that there may be something rotten in Denmark might be when the eyes of the person next to you begin to water.

Obituaries for March 26, 2002: Edward A. Abdallah, 78, died Saturday in a local care center. He was born July 15, 1923, in Connellsville, Pa. A resident for 13 years, he was a retired aerospace instruction book writer, World War II Army veteran, member of Disabled American Veterans and National Rifle Association.

Letter: Will seniors ever learn the truth?: 1. I am against a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.

Washoe sets recycling pace: District Health officer Barbara Hunt said 2001 figures show Washoe County at 29 percent. More than 261,000 tons were recycled last year, she said.

Judge backs rehiring of prof: District Judge Mark Gibbons said Monday that he agrees with a jury that in February decided that UNLV administrators acted in bad faith when they fired Richard Sutton. The jury also ruled that the university should hire him back.

Ralph Siraco's Santa Anita selections: 1st Race -- Global Finance - Pedroza's first call for owner/trainer Dutton, filly draws good post for short straight two-furlong opener, solid connections for this. Feed For Speed - Rollin's first call for trainer Machowsky, also draws good box for dash, Feed may have a need For Speed. Value Play -- Maruka

Editorial: Homeless issue needs leadership: But the city has had three years now -- ever since Goodman's election -- to learn the consequences of that policy. Forcing homeless people out of one area pushes them into another, meaning Goodman's futile and callous "move 'em out" policy repeats itself over and over. The mayor's long-term solution, to label homelessness a regional problem and persuade all Southern Nevada governments to pool their resources, neglects the need for the city to offer a plan now. There is nothing any city can do to make homelessness go away, which is what Goodman seems to be counting on. The best ...

Suicides reach record number in Clark County: Stacy J. Willis; The Clark County coroner's office recorded 292 suicides last year, the largest number in county history and 10 more than in 2000.

Missouri's 'riverboats' lure gamblers to moats: Scott Charton; BOONVILLE, Mo. -- When a gambling "riverboat" rests in a manmade moat instead of rolling on a river, there are special challenges -- such as controlling algae in the standing water.

Trial starts for man accused of killing wife while she was on 911: Kim Smith; Jury selection was to start this afternoon in the case of an 81-year-old Sandy Valley man accused of shooting his wife to death in September.

Metro Police accident settlements top $100,000: Keith Paul; Metro Police's fiscal oversight board Monday approved more than $100,000 in payouts to settle three officer-involved accidents and in a separate move extended financial support for an additional six months for officers called to military duty.

Immunization schedule for March 26, 2002: NORTH LAS VEGAS PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 1820 E. Lake Mead Blvd., Suite F, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Agreement finalized on Tyson-Lewis fight: AP; Tyson adviser Shelly Finkel confirmed that an agreement had been reached and that both fighters were signed and committed to the match. Showtime cable network spokeswoman Marina Capurro also confirmed the fight was on.

Workers laid off in wake of 9/11 helped by $1.3 million: The United Way of Southern Nevada funneled $1.3 million through 30 local nonprofit organizations since Sept. 11 to help laid-off workers, according to a financial report released today.

Welfare, Medicaid recipients increase: The state Welfare Division reported Monday there were 32,821 people receiving public assistance, up 6.5 percent from January. The caseload is 79 percent higher than in February 2001.

Editorial: Timely reforms are antidote to scandals: For now, the clout enjoyed by corporations and wealthy individuals with their six-figure checks will be more subdued in Washington. Under the bill, the hay rides of "soft money" to national political parties will end. Because these unlimited soft contributions provided millions, and because the parties had wide discretion on how to spend the money, the limits on contributions to individual candidates were all but negated. The reform allows direct contributions to campaigns to double, from $1,000 to $2,000, and allows single contributions of up to $10,000 to state and local political parties. This reduces the influence of any single ...

Letter: Special session needed for crisis: I guess this means that the Legislature can be called into special session when something really important happens and a change is needed. This sounds good to me.

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

Community briefs for March 26, 2002: The presentation "Politics, the Economy, and the Presidency," will be given by a panel of national experts in politics and economics at 7:30 tonight at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas as part of the Barrick Lecture Series.

County suicides reach record: Stacy J. Willis; The Clark County coroner's office recorded 292 suicides last year, the largest number in county history and 10 more than in 2000.

Wind, rain plague UNLV teams in Texas events: Meanwhile, the UNLV women's golf team had similar problems as the Rebels had their worst round of the year at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational in Austin.

Columnist Dean Juipe: New duties but Logan perseveres: Dean Juipe; Opportunity has knocked, yet Don Logan isn't answering the door.

City to keep up homeless pressure: Timothy Pratt and Diana Sahagun; A day after the city and Metro Police cleared out a 175-member homeless camp downtown, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said Monday he hoped the ongoing pressure on the homeless population would either compel them to seek services or drive them out of the city.

Poll says Americans are evenly divided on Yucca issue: Benjamin Grove; Yucca poll

Gateway testifies: Gateway executive Anthony Fama, a witness for the nine states asking for strong penalties against Microsoft for antitrust violations, said Microsoft's "Market Development Program," billed as voluntary, is used to keep computer manufacturers in line.

PUC chief calls for power rate cut: The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada on Wednesday will consider a proposal by its chairman to decrease Nevada Power Co.'s "general" residential electricity rates by 3 percent or $42.2 million.

Building a schedule takes patience, luck: Steve Guiremand; Season tickets for the 2002 football season went on sale at UNLV this week.

Not many tickets left for Dodgers-D'backs: Tickets for the 7 p.m. game at Cashman Field can be purchased at the Cashman Field box office or by calling Ticketmaster at 474-4000. Gates will open at 5 p.m.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Spencer doesn't take kindly to Busch's payback bump: It took nearly five months, but Kurt Busch on Sunday finally made good on a promise he made to himself during last year's NASCAR Winston Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway.

Monday's prep results: BASEBALL

Congressman entangled in Harrah's controversy: Michael Mello; PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The stakes keep rising in the fight over expanded gambling, which has cost one state employee his job, infected two political races and threatens a town's casino dreams.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: ABA 2000 on the fast track to failure: Anybody who doesn't think ABA 2000, which is to blame for creating the Las Vegas Slam and forcing it upon local fans during mid-season, is on life support need only check the small print on the bottom of Saturday night's Slam-Phoenix Eclipse box score.

Permanent hotel-casinos planned under pact: The casinos also will forgive $150 million in debt the city owes them. MGM MIRAGE of Las Vegas owns one of the casinos. Mandalay Resort Group of Las Vegas is a partner in another. The third is controlled by Michigan investors.

Environmental groups form anti-Yucca lobby: A coalition of 16 environmental activist organizations sent letters today to U.S. senators outlining problems with the proposed dump reported by the General Accounting Office.

Stock upgraded to 'buy': Analyst Jason Ader of Bear Stearns bumped Las Vegas-based Boyd from "attractive" to "buy," and raised his target price for the stock from $11 to $16. Ader raised his 2002 earnings estimate from 78 cents to $1.06 per share, and his 2002 cash flow estimate from $254 million to $279 million.

Housing board postpones its decision on Brown's job: Adrienne Packer; A politically charged controversy over a high-priced public relations contract was picked apart behind closed doors Monday when Las Vegas Housing Authority board members met to discuss the future of the executive director.

City wants bail bondsmen to leave downtown: Jeffrey Libby; Downtown Henderson's two bail bond businesses are being threatened with a forced exit as part of the city's redevelopment plan.

Billionaire seeks stake in XO: RESTON, Va. -- Billionaire financial and Las Vegas casino owner Carl C. Icahn has proposed buying 50 percent of XO Communications Inc. for $500 million, the Wall Street Journal reported today, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter.

Earnings fall in fourth quarter: The Las Vegas-based gaming equipment and financing company reported net income of $52,000, or 1 cent per share, down from net income of $146,000, or 4 cents per share. Revenues fell 21 percent to $7.58 million.

Vegas lands four days of chuckwagon races: Organizers of a growing Western sport with thousands of Canadian followers hope a championship event in downtown Las Vegas next fall will be a springboard to developing a U.S. following.

Investment banker out: Carter held the job since December 2000 and reported to McLelland, president of Banc of America Securities. The Charlotte-based bank's chief executive officer, Kenneth Lewis, is pushing to sell more lucrative investment banking services to traditional borrowers.

Trauma volunteers who render emotional first aid are in demand: Stacy J. Willis; When Diana Martin found her ex-boyfriend dead in his Las Vegas house last year, she had the expected reaction: complete shock.

Home Depot backs out of shopping center deal: Home Depot, which has nine Las Vegas-area stores and four in the Reno-Carson City area, planned to build a 116,000-square-foot Westland Fair store with a garden center.

Britain to loosen gaming regulations: David Strow; The British government today unveiled plans for a liberalization of gambling regulations, a move likely to bring glitzy, Las Vegas-style casinos to British seaside resorts.

Nation's rebound continues: Hope Yen; NEW YORK -- Consumer confidence surged in March to its highest level in seven months, bolstered by growing optimism about the economy and the job market.