Print edition for March 27, 2002

Nebraska lottery retailer cashes in on Wyoming, Colorado border locale: Joe Ruff; KIMBALL, Neb. -- A sticker on the front door of Big Al's Mini-Mart reads: "Nebraska Lottery: Play Here."

Letter: Present facts about Yucca to Americans: My first thought was, "Why do Nevadans have to take New Hampshire's nuclear waste?"

Letter: Reid spoke truth about Bush: As for Bryant's statement that this is a partisan thing: Well, our governor, a Republican, plus our two Republican representatives in Washington, are also fighting Bush's decision. I don't know what false personal attack against the president Harry Reid made, but if telling the truth is attacking, so be it. Nevadans shouldn't be called unpatriotic because we don't want this deadly waste in our state.

Body is found in mobile home destroyed in fire: About two dozen Clark County firefighters battled a 6:30 a.m. blaze at what was supposed to be a vacant home in the 4600 block of Hildago Way near Mountain Vista Street and Desert Inn Road.

Community briefs for March 27, 2002: The Nevada Center for Ethics and Health Policy and the Sanford Center for Aging at the University of Nevada, Reno, are co-hosting an essay contest, "Reflections on Loss and Grief in Nevada Communities."

Passover brings hope for freedom: Stacy J. Willis; Passover, or Pesach, begins tonight at sundown and lasts eight days. The Jewish holiday commemorates the liberation of Israelites who were enslaved in Egypt more than 3,000 years ago.

Letter: Don't expect nuke dollars: New Mexico thought it had come to an agreement for benefits from the government in exchange for allowing the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant to be placed there.

Editorial: Bails or boutiques: Let patrons decide: So the city is responding by giving the bail bond businesses until January to get out of downtown. This, despite the fact that the jail is staying. We say the city has the right to pass and enforce building codes and appearance standards. But choosing which legitimate businesses are fit for downtown is best left to customers.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: As Seen on TV is dialed in: I'm with you. Remember those stick-on lights that could light up any dark corner? By the time the price of the batteries was included, the cost rose considerably. I waited awhile and found the lights locally for just a few bucks.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: No shortage of glamour, style at Oscar party: Elizabeth Foyt; Hosted by the Arthritis Foundation and sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the Sunday spectacular at Caesars Palace and Wolfgang Puck's Spago was elegantly planned to pamper guests. Waiting at the end of the red-carpet entrance were event co-chairs Roger and Sandy Peltyn and Lexy and Rand Capp, and with them were an army of white-gloved servers with champagne and hors d'oeuvres.

Obituaries for March 27, 2002: Robert G. Breininger Jr., 51, of Las Vegas died Sunday in a local hospital. He was born Dec. 29, 1950, in Pottsville, Pa. A resident for two years, he was a retired carpenter and Army veteran.

Editorial: Facts show need for state role: The Gaming Control Board formed a panel and concluded after hearings that a state program was a worthy goal. The panel also realized it did not have the expertise to gather data regarding prevalence. In September 1998, the Interim Finance Committee approved $150,000 for a professional study, which was begun in March 2000 by Gemini Research of Massachusetts.

Savvy wine buys: Etim '99 Old Vines Grenache: Available at Las Vegas Wine Company, $8.99.

Memorial services set for Gleghorn, civil rights activist: Friends of late Las Vegas civil rights activist Alfred Leland Gleghorn will have an opportunity to say goodbye to him Saturday -- a year and a day after he died.

68% support special session: Erin Neff; Southern Nevada residents overwhelmingly support funding last-ditch efforts to block Yucca Mountain from becoming the nation's nuclear waste repository, according to a poll commissioned by the Las Vegas Sun.

Lawmakers are split on senators' request: Erin Neff and Cy Ryan; Although Nevada's two U.S. senators and governor want to call a special session of the Legislature to add $10 million to the Yucca Mountain fight, state lawmakers are not convinced the funds would help.

Dually Blessed: Passover celebration begins tonight: Passover commemorates the flight from Egypt that delivered the Jewish people from the slavery and tyranny of the Pharaoh's rule. They fled in such haste there was no time to allow bread to rise. With the assistance of a few miracles, their exodus from oppression was made.

Officials say county up to tougher air standards: A federal court has opened the door to tighter air pollution control, a decision that could lead to more oversight of local air-quality programs and more dollars going to local clean-air efforts.

Ralph Siraco's Santa Anita selections: 1st Race -- Cat In The Country - Hustling Pedroza on Stute-trained baby, draws good post for the 2-fulong dash, right connections for early success. Monday Thru Friday - Part of Golden Eagle Farm-owned & Dominguez-trained coupled entry with Grand Coolee, Flores here, Valdivia there, covers week. Value Play -- What About Quin

PUC OKs general power rate cut: Malcolm Hall; The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada approved a 3 percent decrease in general residential electricity rates this morning while consumers waited anxiously for a decision later this week on a huge rate increase request related to electricity used last year.

On guard: Homeless learn valuable skill: Wesley Arrowood earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of South Carolina, served as a Marine in the Gulf War and had worked as a nightclub manager in his native Atlanta.

LV tech firm posts big loss: The Las Vegas-based e-commerce company reported a loss of $71.3 million, or 98 cents per share, for the quarter ended Dec. 31. This compared to a loss of $36.8 million, or 55 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Revenues fell 93 percent to $2.4 million.

Federal subpoena issued: The March 12 subpoena seeks all records relating to contacts between gaming board personnel, Las Vegas-based MGM MIRAGE and Emerald Casino, which was denied in its attempt to transfer a casino license from a defunct Illinois casino to the Rosemont site in part because of allegations of mob ties to Emerald.

Mack to challenge criminal nature of bad ethics: Diana Sahagun; In a bid to save Las Vegas Councilman Michael Mack's political future, his attorney plans to challenge a city ordinance that allows public officials to be criminally prosecuted for violating the ethics code.

LV hotel adding meeting space: Jackson-Shaw Co., Dallas, expects to complete its $2.5 million Southwest Event Center in September. The center, which will have video-conferencing equipment, Internet access, a catering kitchen, a 1,800-square-foot reception area and an outdoor patio, will be adjacent to the 320-room Hampton Inn Tropicana Hotel, which opened in 1999.

Columnist Peter Benton: Seminar on golf's mental techniques set: Peter Benton; I do not think there is a golfer who, at some stage of his round, has not experienced doubt about a shot they are about to play or possibly lost a little confidence because of lack of focus or concentration.

Subpoena issued: The March 12 subpoena seeks all records relating to contacts between gaming board personnel, Las Vegas-based MGM MIRAGE and Emerald Casino, which was denied in its attempt to transfer a casino license from a defunct Illinois casino to the Rosemont site.

Herrera works to free $3 million of county money to fight dump: Adrienne Packer; Clark County Commission chairman Dario Herrera said Tuesday he wants to give $3 million of county money to help fund the state's fight against transporting nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain.

U.S., Nevada gas prices are heading higher: Chris Jones; Gasoline prices in the United States are expected to rise by as much as 15 cents per gallon in the coming weeks, but a government expert said the average price Americans pay to refuel their automobiles should remain well below the inflated levels of early last year.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Matchmaker seeks players for pro teams: Dean Juipe; At a glance, it looked suspicious.

Analyst hikes estimates on eight gaming companies: Ader boosted his estimate on MGM MIRAGE from 29 cents to 34 cents per share; for Park Place, from 7 cents to 9 cents per share; and for Harrah's, from 48 cents to 52 cents per share. Still, he urged investors to use caution in investing in gaming stocks, citing the substantial run-up in gaming stock prices over the last several months.

Rebels suffer their 16th loss of season: Rebel starter David Seccombe picked up the loss and moved to 1-1 on the season. He pitched three innings, giving up five runs on six hits with three strikeouts. Four other pitchers threw effectively to finish the game, but the damage had already been done.

Two regents want serious debate on state college: Jennifer Knight; A new effort is under way to kill the Nevada State College at Henderson or at least question its existence, two members of the Board of Regents said Tuesday.

County officials question bidding process: Adrienne Packer; With their largest-ever project over-budget and late, Clark County officials said they will use the Regional Justice Center as an example to show state legislators that bidding laws should be changed.

Mandalay Bay convention bookings set for opening: The Mandalay Bay Convention Center, a part of the Mandalay Resort Group's flagship 3,700-room property, has booked a corporate meeting of Symbol Technologies, a Holtsville, N.Y.-based bar-code company, as its first event Jan. 2-9.

Case points to multi-generational abuse problem: Kim Smith; When her stepdaughter was murdered a few years ago and she was asked to raise the children, Linda readily agreed.

Foreign flavor: Victoria Sun; One e-mail and a recommendation from a friend was enough to convince Gyorgyi Zsiros to leave her home in Budapest, Hungary, and move to Las Vegas to join the UNLV women's tennis team.

Wall Street banker joins Le Reve effort: Through an assistant, resort developer Steve Wynn said Tuesday that Ron Kramer had been hired by Wynn Resorts, and would join the company in April. Wynn declined comment on what Kramer's role would be with Wynn Resorts, saying this would be announced later.

Durango suffers first loss: Spencer Patterson; Through their first 13 games, the Durango Trailblazers had managed to stay unbeaten despite limited contributions from their ace, senior right-hander Jeff Jacobsen.

Clark County drug rehab clinic to close: By Timothy Pratt; After 31 years and more than 1,600 addicts treated for heroin and prescription drug addictions, Clark County's drug rehabilitation clinic will close by the end of June, county health officials said this week.

Judge orders ADA modifications: Disabled Rights Action Committee member Tamara Thompson, who is a wheelchair user, sued the hotel-casino in U.S. District Court, alleging guests with disabilities don't have a choice of sleeping accommodations and bathroom facilities that are accessible to the disabled. Thompson also said the counters at the Strat-o-Java expresso bar, restrooms, telephone booths and restaurants weren't ADA-compliant.

Eight casinos file appeals on property values: CARSON CITY -- Eight major casinos in Southern Nevada, whose net income ranged from $35.4 million to a loss of $3.1 million, have filed appeals with the state Board of Equalization to reduce their property values.

Donors help keep Henderson state college afloat: Jennifer Knight; Green Valley Ranch Station Casino and a handful of Henderson power brokers topped the list of donors who helped feed the Nevada State College at Henderson's withering budget this year after the Legislature passed it over for startup funding, donor records show.

Tennis notebook: UNLV men beaten by No. 18 Auburn: Auburn began the day by sweeping three doubles matches for one team point. In singles play, though, UNLV stormed out of the gates in search of the major upset. Rebel Aviram Salomon was the first to finish as he downed 82nd-ranked Andrew Colombo at the third position, 7-6, 6-2, to even the team score at one.

Tuesday's prep results: BASEBALL

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Fittipaldi tests well at Sebring in prep for Long Beach: Christian Fittipaldi had to delay his 2002 NASCAR Busch Series debut last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway so he could take part in a two-day test for his Newman/Haas Racing CART team at Sebring International Raceway. It proved to be a wise choice for the Brazilian, who was among the fastest of the drivers who tested on the 1.65-mile road course in preparation for the April 14 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Suit dropped, company says: The lawsuit was filed in Connecticut federal court in July 2001 by TransAct Technologies Inc. of Wallingford, Conn. TransAct, a manufacturer of printers for point-of-sale, gaming and lottery applications, had been seeking a declaration that its products did not infringe on a Coinless patent.

Children's families settle for $110,000: Kim Smith; One week after filing a lawsuit against the state of Nevada, the families of six children killed while picking up trash on Interstate 15 have settled a lawsuit with the driver of the vehicle and her insurance carrier.

Business briefs for March 27, 2002: CHICAGO -- Andersen is parting ways with its chief executive but not the legal and business woes that threaten the 89-year-old accounting company's existence.

Oilman investing in Nevada energy farms: By Launce Rake; The power of desert wind frequently whips dust across the mountains and valleys of Southern Nevada. Within two years the wind could also be turning on the lights and appliances for electricity users in the region.

News briefs for March 27, 2002: A woman trying to cross Boulder Highway near the Jokers Wild casino Tuesday night was struck and killed by a car.

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

Police mug shots are going digital: Keith Paul; The Clark County jail will give up film in favor of digital cameras for mug shots, a move that will save Metro Police money and save time for detectives conducting investigations.

AG's office still waits for Williams' fine: CARSON CITY -- Assemblyman Wendell Williams, D-Las Vegas, has failed to make good on his pledge to pay a $3,800 penalty for failing to file or filing late his campaign expenses and contribution reports in the last election.

Guinn expects more budget cuts: CARSON CITY -- With the possibility that the state could fall short $210 million this biennium, Gov. Kenny Guinn is looking for more places to cut or put off programs.

Casino operators dispute China corruption story: David Strow; Over the last several years, the largest nation in the world -- the People's Republic of China -- has become an increasingly important international market for Las Vegas gambling resorts.