Print edition for May 6, 2002

Homeless people swept from downtown camps: By Timothy Pratt; Las Vegas city marshals swept 50 to 75 homeless men and women from two camps in the downtown area on Saturday morning, the third such sweep in two months.

Sales tax targeted as smog, traffic solution: Exactly one month after county officials proposed changes to the smog check program, a Clark County commissioner said Friday the county instead will rely on an increase in the sales tax for money to reduce gridlock and clean the air.

Gold prices rise: Gold has climbed 12 percent this year, boosted partly by increased demand from investors in Japan after the country imposed insurance limits on bank deposits. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index had its sixth losing week in seven and the dollar Friday had its biggest drop since January, luring other investors to gold.

Businesses celebrate Tourism Week: Among the participants are the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo put a banner on top of its building at 2420 E. Sunset Rd. The bank is located near McCarran International Airport, so the banner will be visible to people on arriving flights.

Venetian wins U.N. complaint against Internet operator: The United Nation's World Intellectual Property Organization Arbitration and Mediation Center (WIPO), in a decision issued May 1, ordered the defendants to transfer their domain names "carsands.com" and "thesands.com" to Las Vegas Sands because it found the name is "confusingly similar" to the Sands trademark and was "registered and used in bad faith."

LV operations to consolidate: The decision by bankruptcy-court Judge Mary Walrath allows ANC to merge its chains in four cities and is expected to save the company about $4.5 million a year, the paper said. The judge also prohibited ANC's largest competitors from contesting future consolidations, it said.

Nevada Power parent: Credit shaky: Nevada Power Co's. ability to enter into future power contracts could be further diminished if a sister company doesn't get the money it seeks for energy used last year.

Competing Yucca Mountain ads to air in Utah: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- As the House of Representatives prepares to vote on Yucca Mountain Wednesday, a second battle on the airwaves is set to erupt -- this time in Utah -- over the controversial nuclear waste project.

Wireless information service announced: Customers using web-enabled cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) will be able to access the websites of the Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mirage, Treasure Island, New York-New York and Golden Nugget Las Vegas. The service will allow wireless device users to book hotel rooms, make reservations at restaurants, and get information about the resorts' offerings.

Kenny seen as major challenge for Republicans: Adrienne Packer; Republican candidates angling for the Clark County Commission District F seat vow to represent all Southern Nevada residents and not only cater to special interest groups.

Technology speeds plans for Internet gambling: The company developing MGM MIRAGE's off-shore Internet gambling site plans to demonstrate to regulators how it will be able to verify a player's identification, age and location in an effort to press ahead in the development of cybercasinos.

Licensing dispute going to arbitration: Dow Jones News reported that Las Vegas Sands' claim against Greate Bay Casino Corp. would be arbitrated by a three-member board. Each company will select and pay for one arbitrator, while a third will be selected by a Delaware bankruptcy judge. Las Vegas Sands is the holding company of the Venetian hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

A State of Being: Author, photographer present rare glimpses of Nevada: The landscape casts a rhythmic spell in the Great Basin. You can feel it driving Highway 50 across Nevada. Grinding up a steep grade to the summit. Seeing a broad valley, and more mountains, one range after another, like waves to the horizon. Then coasting down the other side and out across the wide expanse.

Robbery suspect refuses 911 call: Keith Paul; Michelle Billesbach and Gene Washington's luck ran out at the gaming tables and again when they tried to get money for the ride home from Las Vegas to California, Metro Police said.

Candidates file for office: Republican assembly candidates showed their party loyalty by filing together in Las Vegas as U.S. Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., filed in Carson City for what is expected to be an unopposed re-election campaign.

Birth announcements for May 6, 2002: April 19:

Nursing home official denies widespread abuse: CARSON CITY -- A representative of Nevada's nursing homes challenged statements suggesting there is widespread neglect and abuse among patients in Las Vegas.

Letter: Desert deserves better than club's mentality: Let's consider her statement: "We give back a lot more than we take." Regardless of what one gives back, you can't restore the naturalness of an area spoiled by a new road through plant and wildlife habitat.

Sidney, famed director of Hollywood musicals, dies: Asked what he most wanted to be remembered for in the film industry, Oscar-winning director George Sidney told the Sun earlier this year, "I made pictures that people enjoyed."

PCL box: Las Vegas - Iowa: Time -- 2:41. Attendance -- 4,873. Umpires: HP-- Jost, 1b-- Rea, 3b-- Katzenmeier.

Columnist Jimmy Vasser: Expectations high for Brickyard: Jimmy Vasser; It's the month of May and it's the biggest race in the world -- the Indy 500. Obviously, you are excited and there's a lot of anticipation, but there's a lot of work to be done, too.

Longtime educator sees school with his name before he dies: Jace Radke; As he talked Saturday about the new elementary school that bears his name, longtime Clark County educator Steve Cozine smiled.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Expanded bowls boost the MWC: There was more good news for the Mountain West Conference and its under appreciated football programs over the weekend when it was learned the MWC third- and fourth-place teams are locked into the Plastic Margarine Bowl and Humorous Tie Bowl, respectively.

Editorial: Appoint, not elect, the county recorder: Her absence, though, raises a question about the best way to provide management for the office that takes in about 3,000 documents a day for filing and which is vital to the smooth functioning of county government. Vandever is an elected official and as such she is accountable to the voters for the way in which the office is managed. But her absence has created a management vacuum that is not easily filled, given that she does not report to the county manager. A filing backlog is building and employee morale is dropping.

Trial begins in mutilation death: Kim Smith; At first Kirstin Lobato said she killed and mutilated Duran Bailey in self-defense. Now the 19-year-old Panaca resident says she wasn't even in Las Vegas when Bailey died.

Springer throws well in 51s loss: Victoria Sun; When Barry Bonds hit his 73rd and final homer of last season off knuckleballer Dennis Springer at Pac Bell Park, Springer earned his place in baseball history, so to speak.

News briefs for May 6, 2002: The name of a Metro Police officer who shot and killed a gunman last week was released this morning.

Obituaries for May 6, 2002: Fred B. Andersen, 66, of Las Vegas died Tuesday in Las Vegas. He was born April 7, 1935, in Hjoerrng, Denmark. A resident for 36 years, he was a retired heating and air conditioning mechanic.

ALS help given: Resources will be provided to those affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and their family members. For more information, call 822-6920.

Unser off to fast start at Indy: Unser posted the third fastest lap of opening day at 226.885 mph in the Corteco/Bryant Dallara/Chevrolet owned by Kelley Racing. The winner of the 1992 and 1994 500 is driving for the Kelley team for the first time at the 2 1/2-mile oval. Unser recorded his quickest lap on the 33rd of his 34 laps.

Vegas tech convention looking at security in cyberspace: Networld+Interop, a six-day conference and exhibition of products that use the Internet, began Sunday with a series of panels and seminars. Sessions will be conducted through Friday. A trade show with about 400 exhibitors begins Tuesday and runs through Thursday.

Local sports calendar: Pro baseball: Iowa Cubs at Las Vegas 51s, 7:10 p.m., Cashman Field.

Regional prep playoff schedule: Baseball

Nearby business joins opposition to thrill ride: Diana Sahagun; A long-standing business next to the Stratosphere has joined the fray over the casino's proposed thrill ride, saying the casino has refused to release traffic and noise studies that would show how the ride would affect the area.

Something new in baseball playoffs: Spencer Patterson; In more ways than one, this year's Class 4A regional baseball playoffs will have a brand new look.

Hoover bypass costs escalating: The cost for building a new highway over the Colorado River near Hoover Dam is going up.

Immunization schedule for May 6, 2002: NORTH LAS VEGAS PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 1820 E. Lake Mead Blvd., Suite F, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

1,000-room addition back on track at Venetian: David Strow; The Venetian is apparently moving forward again with a $200 million expansion plan, as part of a $1.33 billion refinancing of its debt.

Long wait continues for Holocaust claims: Jace Radke; Information

Threat of strike looms on Strip: The Culinary Union and casino industry head into a new round of contract negotiations this week in a tension-filled environment created by talk of a possible strike at the end of the month.

Kansas House approves gambling expansion: John Milburn; TOPEKA, Kan. -- On the day horses were running for the roses, the House voted to expand legalized gambling at the state's pari-mutuel racetracks.

Trends for May 6, 2002: Lisa Ferguson; Time to give it up for Mommy dearest your cash, that is and buy her something really swell for Mother's Day. (For all you slackers out there, that would be Sunday.)

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Baffert again finds success at the Derby: Ralph Siraco; Trainer Bob Baffert took that famous walk at Churchill Downs on Saturday. The one that starts from the backside barn area and stretches through the first turn and into the grandstand that leads to the paddock. That walk, in view of a good portion of the mass of humanity that attends the Kentucky Derby, is the walk every trainer in America wants to take on the first Saturday in May each year.

Court briefs for May 6, 2002: A man who may have suffered minor injuries while confined in the Clark County Detention Center cannot sue for mental or emotional injury, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Letter: Short on water, not on growth: Those of us who have lived here for 30 and 40 years are being required to bear the burden of growth through higher water rates. Then again, maybe I should appreciate all of the growth. After all, it has given me more traffic, more congestion, more pollution, more crime, crowded schools and higher taxes. Let's not stop until we have sucked up the last drop of water and can no longer breathe the air.

Editorial: Expenses are not footnotes: Greenspan says that stock options lavished on corporate executives should be accounted for as business expenses that are fully disclosed to investors in the earnings-per-share and overall performance reports. Congress had the chance in 1994 to add this stipulation to rules enforced by federal accounting regulators but voted against a bill to require it. Based on calculations made by the Federal Reserve, Fortune 500 companies would have had their annual profit margins decline from 12 percent to 9.4 percent if stock options had been counted from 1995 to 2000.

Power company asks judge to proceed with its lawsuit: CARSON CITY --Nevada Power Co. has asked District Judge Bill Maddox to proceed with a hearing to determine if the Las Vegas utility has been shortchanged by the state Public Utilities Commission in its $922 million rate increase request.

Hope for the future: Neonopolis opens with few tenants: Jace Radke; Most of this weekend's visitors to the still largely empty Neonopolis were optimistic about what the downtown mall could become.

Vegas-style casinos under consideration in Mexico: Celeste Tarricone; MEXICO CITY -- The options are few for anyone who wants to gamble in Mexico. They can go to the horse races or buy a lottery ticket -- or enter the shady world of illicit dog fights and underground poker parlors. That may soon change.