Print edition for November 8, 2002

Stand Down for Homeless set: Volunteers from the Southern Nevada Homeless Coalition, several companies and social service agencies will come together to provide a one-day respite for homeless individuals and to help participants to return to self-sufficiency.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Palms' Maloof far from aloof: A unique combination of Maloof's spending and his savvy has made the Palms a Las Vegas hot spot.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Flag edict a symbol of ignorance: The small one hanging framed in their living room is tattered on one corner and smudged with smoke residue. It was plucked from the World Trade Center wreckage last December by a group of valley police officers and volunteers for whom the Henderson couple arranged a weeklong humanitarian mission.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Decisions cut through smoke screen: Although ballot questions seeking to limit tobacco smoking were only advisory queries, advocates say they send a strong message to state lawmakers.

Saxe Solo: WEEKEND EDITION: Nov. 10, 2002

Taking stock in 'Shock': It's merely strange: "Shock" may be too strong a title for this unorthodox revue being showcased at the Riviera's Le Bistro Theatre.

Veterans' debate continues over use of Agent Orange in Vietnam: Vietnam veteran Ed Gobel, who suffers from several crippling ailments related to his exposure to the jungle defoliant Agent Orange, openly displays a disdain for what happened 35 years ago.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: R-J compounds error: Dear Warren:

Columnist Jon Ralston: Party could've been a contender: Oh, those are Republicans? My mistake.

County to honor savior of Las Vegas Wash in ceremony today: WEEKEND EDITION: Nov. 9, 2002

Editorial: Saddam now faces unified opposition: The Bush administration two months ago chose to tone down its rhetoric about going it alone against Iraq. Most Americans supported the president's firm stand against Saddam Hussein's weapons production and long-standing rebuff of United Nations' inspectors. Bush's unilateral tone, however, was damaging our relationships with key allies, including Germany, France and Russia. Bush advisedly decided on a more diplomatic course and arranged talks with the ambassadors representing the 15 nations of the U.N Security Council. The result was a diplomatic coup -- a unanimous Security Council resolution Friday that has the world standing behind what the United States has ...

Editorial: Ominous signs over tax policies: The numbers tell the story.

Different directions: Guinn, party may not be on same path for solving state deficit: Erin Neff; WEEKEND EDITION: Nov. 10, 2002

UNLV goes to Utah still in contention for bowl bid: AP; The Runnin' Rebels (4-5, 2-2 Mountain West) need to win two of their final three games to become eligible to play in a bowl game. The Utes (2-6, 0 (4)- are simply trying to avoid their first winless conference season since 1943, when they went 0-2 in the Big Seven.

Letter: GOP won't have anyone to blame: For the past two years all we've heard out of the administration and the GOP is "blame Clinton" and "blame the Democrats." Well, no more. Now they have to accept the responsibility for whatever happens -- good or bad. Shouldn't be too difficult for the "party of personal responsibility," eh?

Columnist Benjamin Grove: Democrats must look on the bright side: Benjamin Grove; Republicans now control the White House, House and Senate. If something goes awry -- the war, for example, or the economy -- there's only one place to point the finger, Democrats say.

Columnist Jeff German: County asleep as UMC bleeds: The county fire department will have a tough time getting the $4 million it needs for new trucks and equipment.

Letter: Democrats too frightened to fight for ideals: We have become so frightened by the right wing and the blood money that it provides that we're afraid to be the party we should be. No longer do we represent the people. No longer are we the party that protects the environment, looks out for the forgotten or rights the wrongs done to the common citizen.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: They served with honor: When I was a youngster, this day was called Armistice Day to honor the dead of World War I. We would all remain silent for one minute at 11 a.m. on this day because the guns of that "war to end all wars" went silent at that time on Nov. 11, 1918. Yes, the Western Front separating the Allies and the German forces went silent on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.

SCORE to help entrepreneurs: The $45 cost includes a 292-page reference manual and a workbook to help analyze business ideas.

Blood drives scheduled: Wednesday: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Valley High School, 2839 S. Burnham Ave.

Community briefs for Nov. 8, 2002: The Henderson Animal Shelter is hosting an open house with low-cost adoption fees from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the shelter, 390 Athens Ave.

Political notebook: Democrats say Herrera campaign hurt efforts: Erin Neff; There was no such thing as a no-gloat zone for Nevada Republicans at Caesars Palace on Tuesday,

Parade highlights Veterans Day events: Veterans Day is celebrated Nov. 11 to observe the end of hostilities in World Wars I and II. Some of the major events today through Monday:

Holiday closings: SAFETY: Police and fire emergency services open as usual. Administrative offices closed.

Datebook for November 8, 2002: The Junior Mesquite Club of Las Vegas presents its 18th annual "A Frosty Holiday" craft auction at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Mesquite Clubhouse, 702 E. St. Louis Ave. Admission is $5, deducted from first purchase. Proceeds benefit Shade Tree Shelter. 243-9406.

Saturday's horse racing entries: Post Time 12:30 p.m.

Judge wants Perry to see handwriting on the wall: Kim Smith; District Judge Michael Douglas threatened to put sexual assault suspect Franklyn Perry into solitary confinement Thursday upon learning Perry has refused to give handwriting samples to investigators.

Las Vegas Area Fishing Report: Nov. 8, 2002

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Christian thrown to NASCAR's lions: AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Christian Fittipaldi knew he had to try his hand at NASCAR Winston Cup racing the moment he witnessed his first race in person last spring at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Las Vegas Collects II opens tonight: The works are part of Las Vegas Collects II, an exhibit opening tonight featuring the private collections of prominent local art collectors.

Las Vegans help boost Festival numbers: Nearly 22,000 Las Vegas-area residents made a pilgrimage to the cooler climes of Cedar City to see Shakespeare's plays at this summer's Utah Shakespearean Festival.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Simon off to smashing start at Hard Rock: The opening of Chef Kerry Simon's new restaurant, Simon Kitchen & Bar at the Hard Rock Hotel, was a kick. Lavish buffets featured most of the menu items. Simon has a lovely view of the pool and beach area from both the patio and dining room. The buffet tables faced both.

Columnist Jerry Fink: This duo started at the top: Where do you go after you start at the top of the world?

Killer wants out of deal: Kim Smith; A Las Vegas man who avoided the death penalty by pleading guilty to killing an elderly woman after a jury had already convicted him now wants to back out of his plea agreement.

Weather warning is issued for the region: Weather Service officials say a strong but relatively warm Pacific storm front is crossing the region. Significant snow accumulations are expected above 8,500 feet, while blustery winds and scattered light showers were expected for the desert areas, with a 40 percent chance of rain for Las Vegas.

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

Scene Selection -- Geoff Carter: Raimi well-suited for 'Spider-Man': Sam Raimi, director of the "Evil Dead" movies and last summer's record-breaking hit "Spider-Man," wears a suit and tie on the sets of his films. He does it out of respect for the profession, as a nod to Hitchcock and other greats who refused to show up to work looking like softball coaches.

Columnist Barb Henderson: Local program assists paralyzed veterans: Barb Henderson; In honor of Veterans Day, we'll begin with news about a successful sports and recreation program for Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA).

Stanbrough earns No. 1 seed at PWBA event: Stanbrough completed the 42-game preliminaries with a 212 average, a 14-10 match play record and a 9,324 pinfall.

Apple Store at Fashion Show has delicious appeal: Kirk Baird; One of the biggest knocks against Macintosh computers has always been the perceived lack of products -- both hardware and software -- and customer support.

LPGA Tour will make its return to Las Vegas in '03: One may be going out, one definitely is coming back.

Scientists say 10-year or longer drought possible: New research indicates the Southwest, which is in a fourth year of drought, could be in for a decade or more of dry weather, similar to a 10-year drought that parched the region in the 1950s.

Arizona voters approve gaming expansion: Michelle Rushlo; PHOENIX -- An initiative to expand Indian gambling in Arizona, increasing the number of slot machines allowed in Indian casinos and allowing them to offer house-banked blackjack, narrowly won voter approval in Tuesday's election.

City may ban street games: Jeffrey Libby; At sundown in a pastel Henderson subdivision, 8-year-old Kyle Divicino and 10-year-old Jordan Grill take turns being Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant, dribbling and pump-faking their way toward a portable basket that stands in the street.

Fallout from National failure extends beyond passengers: Grace Leong; McCarran International Airport's 120 restaurants and shops face declining sales because of the sudden shutdown of National Airlines, but the Las Vegas airport's concessionaires hope that JetBlue and other expanding airlines will ease their pain.

Riverboat boosts profit for Fitzgeralds owner: By Liz Benston; Majestic Star Casino LLC, which owns Fitzgeralds Casino & Hotel in downtown Las Vegas, reported a third quarter increase in earnings driven by a move to permanently dock its flagship Indiana riverboat casino and the launch of a new parking garage there.

World Bank chief reminds CEOs of social responsibility: Dave Carpenter; CHICAGO -- The president of the World Bank urged a high-powered assemblage of U.S. and European corporate leaders Thursday to show more social responsibility as they expand global dealings in an increasingly impoverished world.

Columnist Steve Guiremand: Costa defends RB coach: Steve Guiremand; UNLV fullback Steve Costa made an interesting observation this week.

Analyst downgrades shares: "With more than 12,000 tour-and-travel (and independent tourist) oriented rooms in the mid/value market, we believe Mandalay in particular is feeling this pricing pressure," analyst Marc Falcone noted.

LV-Chicago service planned: Spirit Airlines, which already offers daily service between Las Vegas and Detroit, will offer red-eye service between O'Hare and McCarran International airports beginning Dec. 19.

Hammond's guitar pushes upstart Strokes: Spencer Patterson; The Strokes are about to find out.

Rock of Ages: Spencer Patterson; He knows that where most casual listeners are concerned, it's vocalist Steven Tyler, guitarist Joe Perry and "the other guys."

Drivers can surf for license history on DMV's new Internet page: Nevada motorists have another reason to go to the Internet before getting behind the wheel.

Casino appoints key managers: Mullin formerly served as president and chief operating officer at Trump Marina and has also held senior management positions at Trump Taj Mahal, Trump Castle and Harrah's Hotel Casino in Atlantic City.

Police open substation in area plagued by gangs: Jen Lawson; More than 15 gang-related killings happened near Martin Luther King and Lake Mead boulevards in the past two years, and now Metro Police are hoping a new substation will make the area safer.

Reports of flulike cases on the rise: Ed Koch and Mary Manning; The flu season has just kicked off, yet already there have been 154 cases of "influenzalike" illnesses reported in Clark County.

Ex-leader sees gang pipeline to Vegas: Jen Lawson; Robert Sanchez doesn't look like a former gang member.

Analysts optimistic about Boyd Gaming: "The stable ratings outlook also anticipates that Boyd will use its free cash flow to maintain its current credit profile, and that continued (cash flow) improvement and lower capital expenditure requirements will further strengthen Boyd's ability to deal with near and long-term challenges," Moody's ratings analysts said.

Rebels looking to turn the tide vs. bigger Utes: Steve Guiremand; NEXT UP

Columnist Jeff German: Red flags go up on meter ads: Local governments, unwilling to manage their affairs through normal revenue-generating methods such as taxes, are looking to private business to bail themselves out of their fiscal troubles.

Raggio, Hettrick keep their top legislative posts: CARSON CITY -- A threatened revolt by some Clark County legislators to take over the Republican leadership in the Senate and the Assembly has failed to materialize.

Court rules for newspaper review: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court ruled Thursday that newspaper reviews of restaurants are generally exempt from defamation suits because they are merely opinions and the business is considered a public accommodation.

Dry outlook: Colorado expert warns of water woes: Awater expert visiting Las Vegas from the high and dry city of Denver brought with him a vision of what well could be our region's water future.

Multi-property cards planned: The two companies are the last major gaming empires in Las Vegas that don't yet have so-called "linked" cards that can rack up rewards across multiple casinos. Boyd and Coast casinos now issue non-transferable cards that only be used at single properties.

Election had mixed results for Hispanics: By Timothy Pratt; For Hispanics, Nevada's fastest-growing minority group, Tuesday's elections doled out a lot of bitter and a bit of sweet.

Cinderella story ends for Jaguars: Leah Robinson and Adam Candee; TONIGHT'S PREP FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Another Tarkanian has CCSN runnin' and gunnin': It's a good thing most of the players won't be sporting Afros and favor maxi-shorts over the hot pants that were popular 25 years ago. Otherwise, local fans attending this weekend's CCSN Coyote Tip-Off Classic at UNLV's South Gym might feel that they had stepped into a time warp.

News briefs for Nov. 8, 2002: North Las Vegas Police are investigating the shooting death of a 25-year-old man found lying on a sidewalk in the 3500 block of Mercury Street.

That's Amore: Deane Martin has been in town for a year, as one of UNLV basketball coach Charlie Spoonhour's assistants, and he is now nonchalant about showing his driver's license, to prove his name, to curious new acquaintances.

CAT hopes to fund cross-town express: Las Vegas Valley bus users are likely to face the third major service reduction in January, but regional transportation officials said today that there is some good news for the riders.

Columnist Sal DeFilippo: Raiders playing trivial football, in pursuit of MNF turnaround: Sal DeFilippo; Here's a question that could stump a lot of folks.

Lawmakers seek own plans for taxes: CARSON CITY -- A week before the election, Sen. Terry Care, D-Las Vegas, submitted a request for a bill to raise taxes to meet a projected deficit in state government.

Huntridge Theatre set to be Vandalized: Spencer Patterson; Who: The Vandals with Tsunami Bomb and Audio Karate.

ULI honors Vegas development: "The Summerlin success story is one of the most compelling in the country," said Wayne Ratkovich, chairman of the ULI Awards For Excellence jury. "Neighborhoods, recreational amenities, shopping centers, natural open areas, schools and other community facilities in Summerlin are layered and integrated to create a total living environment."

Soft-spoken Wicks ready to make run at state title: Adam Candee; A slight giggle here, a pick at the fingers there, and it quickly becomes obvious that the spotlight is not Natasha Wicks' preferred location.

Obituaries for Nov. 8, 2002: Bette J. Barquist, 80, of Henderson and Las Vegas died Tuesday in Las Vegas. She was born Feb. 26, 1922, in Colfax, Iowa. A Southern Nevada resident for 60 years, she retired as a secretary/bookkeeper for Barquist Sheet Metal, a company she and her husband operated on Industrial Road for 34 years.

Mayor, ACLU duel over meter ads: Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, a noted attorney, disagrees with the opinion of the Nevada chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union that the city cannot moderate what kind of ads appear on parking meters.

Letter: If you can't stand the smell ...: Now everyone is in an uproar because the thing smells. Well, what do pigs do if they don't smell?

Letter: Campaigns' winners, losers: Lieutenant governor candidate Erin Kenny couldn't cut the mustard in her attempt to get a right-hand seat at the captain's table.

Bridging the gap: Seniors keeping sharp with regular card play: Erica D. Johnson; It's difficult to maintain complete silence in a room of more than 550 people.

Editorial: National's departure will hurt: In a sluggish national economy, visitors will think twice about coming to Las Vegas if airline fares rise significantly. The loss of National also means there will be fewer direct flights here, an inconvenience that also is a drawback for potential visitors. National's competitors say they will pick up some of the flights National once had, but they certainly won't come close to filling the void created by National's absence.

Letter: Memorial for Wellstone reflected beliefs: One is that it was organized by the Wellstone family, and they had the right to conduct it any way they saw fit. The fact they saw fit to cheer and promote all that Sen. Wellstone believed in (including electing more Democrats, especially liberal ones) is not relevant, and anybody who didn't like it was free to walk out or push the mute button.

Columnist Spencer Patterson: A sprinkle of Cheese is grate -- er, great: Spencer Patterson; For Las Vegas' younger residents and visitors, the words "lounge singer" generally evoke a quick, simple response: cheesy.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Dion in the driver's seat with Chrysler: Celine Dion is not one of them.

Editorial: Double-duty meters are double trouble: The City Council this week approved a contract giving an advertising agency the right to attach three-sided placards to the poles just underneath the meters -- at about the eye level of pre-teen children. The agency vows it will sell the space only to reputable businesses, and has mentioned restaurants, attorneys, cell-phone companies and hotels. These potential advertisers, the agency states, have expressed horror at the thought of their ads appearing next to a porno pole a few feet away, and so the agency will not accept ads for strip clubs, escort services and other adult businesses.

Performing Arts for November 8, 2002: 'Screwtape'

On Display for November 8, 2002: Opening today is "From Where I Stand," watercolors by Dottie Burton that runs through Jan. 4 at the Winchester Community Center, 3130 S. McLeod Drive. 455-7340.