Print edition for May 21, 2002

Budget squeezed by efforts to remain clean and green: Jeffrey Libby; The enthusiastic greening of Boulder City is unique in the state, Mayor Bob Ferraro says.

Tax hike backed to help homeless: By Timothy Pratt; The Homelessness Task Force voted Monday to support a one-cent property tax increase that would go into a trust fund for helping end homelessness in Southern Nevada.

New driver's license unveiled: The new licenses will make motoring safer in Nevada, Guinn said in Las Vegas.

County approves lean budget: Adrienne Packer; The task of juggling a sluggish economy with increasing growth resulted in the leanest budget adopted by Clark County commissioners in more than a decade.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: 'Young guns' dominate Winston all-star race: If Ricky Rudd had a problem with the way the media was jumping on NASCAR's "young guns" bandwagon, he must have been cringing during the final segment of Saturday night's The Winston all-star race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Planning Commission to consider garages: The planning board will conduct a public hearing at 7 p.m. Wednesday at North Las Vegas City Hall on the proposal.

Winds close U.S. 95 for six hours: The Nevada Department of Transportation and Boulder City Police stopped traffic along U.S. 95 from Searchlight to Railroad Pass about 3 p.m., a police dispatcher said.

BLM director visits Red Rock: From the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center to a proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, Bureau of Land Management National Director Kathleen Clarke said she is determined to bring local residents into decisions affecting public lands.

Letter: Landers ignores the naked truth: What? Has Ann Landers been in outer space the last 20 years? Doesn't she know that when a group of naked teenagers gets together they usually find something to do other than play checkers? Even if the children maintain decorum and refrain from all physical urges they may have, what is the parent chaperone going to be doing? Hmmm, making sketches, videotaping, just visiting the room to check on the girls? In this case, Ann Landers should have kept her advice.

Letter: U.N. biased against Israel: Not only is the U.N. biased, but there has been no evidence that supports what they are seeking to be true! They have evidence of the Palestinian suicide bombings, and yet haven't looked into those, so why should they look into unsupported allegations against Israel?

Letter: Neighborhoods want to protect quality of life: In "The Book of Business Wisdom," Mr. Icahn states, "I enjoy collecting money. Obviously, I've got more money than I am going to spend and more material comforts than I need. But I love winning." For Mr. Icahn, the real "thrill ride" is the process of tormenting the residents of a decent, historic housing development adjacent to the Strip in order to get what he wants.

Women's group offers scholarship: The scholarship award consists of $500 per semester, for four years, as long as the student maintains a 3.0 grade point average. The award is available to any student of a parent who is a permanent resident of Southern Nevada, and who has been actively and is presently employed in the construction industry for a minimum of five years, and who can exhibit evidence of financial need.

Community briefs for May 21, 2002: The Ilocano American Association of Nevada will hold its annual Filipiniana Affair dinner-ball at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Palace Station to promote the Philippine culture.

Education could nip dog bites: Dog bite incidents are on the decline in Nevada, but children under age 9 are most vulnerable, a fact that greatly concerns a Nevada task force that announced the findings of its three-year study Monday.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Our charming mayor: "Las Vegas."

Editorial: Timing of CAT strike a low blow: This symbiotic relationship between riders and the RTC came to a sudden and surprising crawl Monday at 3 a.m., the moment that the system's first-ever drivers' strike began. As commuters and others began gathering at their bus stops as the sun rose, fewer than 40 buses were still rolling. Normally, 250 or more buses would have been plying their routes. All over the Las Vegas Valley, people were left wondering how they were going to get to work or make their doctors' appointments.

Editorial: Undermining state's fight against Yucca: GOP activists aren't doing any favors for Gov. Kenny Guinn, Sen. John Ensign and Rep. Jim Gibbons, all Republicans who have done their best to stop a nuclear waste dump. Nevada Republican elected officials, meanwhile, are upset with Democrats, who not only have scored partisan political points by singling out Republican national leaders' support for Yucca Mountain, but who also have criticized Nevada congressional candidates Jon Porter and Lynette Boggs McDonald for cozying up to these same high-profile politicians. But Democrats are only stating the obvious when they note that it was President George Bush, a Republican, and GOP House ...

PCL box: Las Vegas - Omaha: Time -- 2:52. Attendance -- 1,874. Umpires: HP-- Pasch, 1b-- Armendariz, 3b-- Aschwege.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Wednesday's races at Hollywood Park: Wednesday's card

Wednesday's horse racing entries: Post Time 1:15 p.m.

Silver State Soccer sign-ups: Silver State Soccer sign-ups

Columnist Susan Snyder: Living with a No. 34 ranking: Although, it is a wonder that a Kansas research firm's annual ranking of states' livability could name Louisiana the nation's least-livable. It has New Orleans, after all. And New Orleans doesn't stink.

B-movie festival invades Sammy Davis Jr. Plaza: Kirk Baird; A movie's examination of the nuclear-arms fear gripping the United States, as seen through the eyes of an alien sent to Earth on a peace mission.

List of Nevada candidates to file by Monday deadline: AP; U.S. HOUSE 1

Culinary leader says proposal 'falls short': Culinary Union leaders were cool Monday to a new five-year contract proposal by two major Strip operators but did not reject it with a looming June 1 strike deadline.

Business amnesty program starting slowly: CARSON CITY -- The amnesty program to encourage Nevada businesses to pay their back taxes without penalty or interest has yet to catch fire.

DA considers offer of deal to priest: Kim Smith; The parents of five men who claim they were sexually abused by a Henderson priest when they were teens planned to meet with prosecutors this afternoon, and one of the topics was to be the potential for a plea agreement.

Failed venture files racketeering claims against Desert Passage: Kass Bah Las Vegas LLC countersued Desert Passage and international real estate giant TrizecHahn in Clark County District Court on Thursday in response to their lawsuit in November accusing Kass Bah of failing to pay rents and failing to pay Desert Passage for the costs of discharging numerous liens filed against the restaurant and nightclub.

Kenny, Neal file on last day for top spots: Erin Neff; For days it seemed as though this year's election cycle would be predictable since few surprises occurred during the first 10 days of the filing period.

Five gaming industry execs leave Andersen for competitor: Former Andersen executives Tom Roche, Steve Comer, Larry Krause and Terry Melia will be based in Las Vegas with Deloitte and Wade McKnight will be based in Memphis, Tenn.

Fitzgeralds removing downtown LV landmark: Chris Jones; A renovation project at Fitzgeralds hotel-casino will result in the removal of a landmark icon in downtown Las Vegas.

Travel seller going public: Orbitz, which says it is the third largest online travel site behind Travelocity and Expedia after less than a year on the Web, filed with government regulators Monday to sell $125 million in stock.

Business briefs for May 21, 2002: BOISE, Idaho -- Albertson's Inc. said today it had profit of 55 cents to 58 cents a share in the first quarter ended May 2.

Thousands of bus riders adjusting to strike: Usually, Frank Downarich can get to a destination in North Las Vegas in 90 minutes by taking two CAT buses from his neighborhood 13 miles away.

Crime scene analysts talk about how it was in the 'old days': Keith Paul; Long before the hit television show "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" made Metro Police's crime scene analysts and their high-tech gadgets famous, some of their training came from the back of detective magazines.

Taylor says offer 'good step, but falls short': Culinary Union leaders were cool Monday to a new five-year contract proposal by two major Strip operators but did not reject it with a looming June 1 strike deadline.

CEO touts values of Wal-Mart: Grace Leong; The chief executive of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, says the Enron scandal is reinforcing the validity of old-fashioned business practices practiced by Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton.

Nevada Power executives fired: Nevada Power Co. President Mark Ruelle and three vice presidents were out of jobs Monday, less than two months after the Las Vegas utility suffered a major defeat in a high profile rate case.

Couple say satellite dishes near home spoiling the view: Jeffrey Libby; Linda and Marv Schrick keep a spotless kitchen in a trophy house, but out the window over the kitchen sink are five archaic satellite dishes that spoil the view.

Ex-NTSB official seeks Yucca vote delay: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The Senate should not vote on Yucca Mountain until nuclear waste shipping containers are tested further, the former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board said today.

Many routes still without service: A strike by drivers of the regional bus system rolled into its second day this morning, with pickets vowing to march until the operating company caves on wage, benefits and holiday issues.

Merrill paying $100 million for misleading investors: Michael Gormley; ALBANY, N.Y. -- Merrill Lynch & Co. agreed to pay $100 million to settle allegations that the firm's analysts misled investors with their stock ratings so the company could win lucrative investment banking fees.

County emergency director retires: Andrews will continue his role as the president of the International Association of Emergency Managers and do consulting work for Prescott, Ariz. Andrews said he hopes to curtail his workload and leave more time for his golf game.

More traveling over Memorial Day: Jonathan D. Salant; WASHINGTON -- More Americans will travel this Memorial Day weekend than last year's, but fewer will fly, AAA said.

Voters could see double on primary ballot: Erin Neff; Assemblyman David Parks likes to make reference to his last name on his signs with pictures of trees and grass. On Monday an opponent chose to reference his entire name.

Boggs McDonald supporters rally as she files for House: Erin Neff; Las Vegas Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald officially filed for Congress on Monday, with boisterous supporters rallying behind her in an effort to pump up her campaign.

Allen having deep thoughts: Victoria Sun; Las Vegas 51s right fielder Luke Allen was hitting .303 before Monday night's game against the Omaha Royals.

News briefs for May 21, 2002: A Las Vegas man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of a convenience store clerk who died four months after being struck in the head during a robbery.

Obituaries for May 21, 2002: Marian R. Bailey, 76, of Las Vegas died Saturday in a local hospice. She was born Feb. 7, 1926, in Brooklyn, N.Y. A resident for 18 years, she was a retired government secretary and a member of the Eastern Star and Jeptha's Daughters.

Candidate filings: Congress

Women's soccer team to get kicks in Europe: Steve Guiremand; It worked for the Lady Rebels' basketball team. Why not soccer?

Bongiovanni eager to get back in race: Kim Smith; When former District Judge Gerard Bongiovanni was acquitted on bribery and wire fraud counts nearly four years ago, he vowed he would never run for office again.

Evidence 'overwhelming': Kim Smith; The evidence showing that Elder Zacarias-Lopez shot Moris Almendarez-Morataya to death last July is simply "overwhelming" prosecutors told jurors Monday.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Stations parks its F-1 betting: It's the biggest race on the Formula One calendar but you won't be able to wager on the outcome of this weekend's Grand Prix of Monaco in Las Vegas.

Tarkanian-Forbuss race expected to be tough: Jennifer Knight; Lois Tarkanian, wife of former University of Nevada, Las Vegas basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, will run for a spot on the Board of Regents against Robert Forbuss, a Las Vegas businessman with deep political ties.

Few races will draw much attention: Erin Neff; The year 2002 was supposed to be a major election cycle, with all three congressional seats, the state's six constitutional offices, judicial benches and legislative districts on the ballot.

LV volleyball team to defend its national title in Dallas: Steve Addy; A defending champion, an eager aspirant and a former champion will represent Las Vegas this weekend in the USA Adult Volleyball Championships in Dallas.

Voters reject casino gambling: Saturday's vote to gauge local sentiment on the issue was 3,057 against casinos and 767 to allow them.

Keno lottery game planned: The start date announced Monday is a few days earlier than the initial June 1 target. The number of participating businesses is nearly double the amount the lottery had approved in March.

Tribal casino measure advances in Arizona: Scott Thomsen; PHOENIX -- Supporters of a plan to renew Indian casino operations for more than two decades fought off hostile amendments in the House on Monday and prepared the bill for a deciding vote.