Print edition for October 16, 2002

Editorial: Don't give oil firms a break on pollution: The lawmakers want federal law changed so that MTBE is considered just as safe as another clean-air additive, ethanol. But as environmentalists have correctly pointed out, unlike MTBE, ethanol isn't known to pollute ground water. The environmentalists also note that oil companies had their choice of ethanol or MTBE, but decided to use MTBE. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., told Gannett News Service he opposes the House legislation: "Why should the taxpayers pay for this (cleanup)?" Besides, this is an issue of legal responsibility that is best left to juries and judges -- not to legislators who are doing the bidding ...

Columnist Muriel Stevens: The Show will go on at mall: Nordstrom has created what it calls a "fabulous fashion fete," to benefit Opportunity Village and Nevada Ballet Theatre. The store is expecting more than 2,000 guests on Oct. 29, in celebrating the opening of the first Las Vegas Nordstrom. The highlight of the evening will be the brilliant runway show staged in Fashion Show's Great Hall.

A look at Thursday night's Georgia Tech-Maryland game: AP; Kickoff - 7:45 p.m. EDT.

Stages of life: UNLV's Senior Adult Theatre Program continues to thrive: She had taken what seemed to be the necessary steps in an actor's life. The Chicago native graduated from De Paul University in her hometown, then headed to New York City for her "big career."

Anaheim at a glance: AP; - Population: 328,014, up 23.1 percent since 1990.

Thursday's horse racing entries: OAK TREE MEETING

Columnist Peter Benton: Fan support poor for Invensys Classic: Peter Benton; I am coming to the conclusion that we don't deserve to have the PGA Tour playing in our city.

Letter: Our own polls need watching: I hope he will lend his experience and expertise as a poll watcher in foreign lands to the home front in the upcoming elections and report on the dirty politics, negative ads and other shenanigans practiced nationwide in these United States of America.

Las Vegas offers a bevy of delis: Max Jacobson; Many shoppers find it hard to walk by the alluring displays without buying something, so we decided a closer look might be worthwhile.

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Letter: War, more than ever, is not the answer: Never mind the environmental costs of our not choosing ecological alternatives, let's look at the political and security issues. Using our military and diplomatic channels to secure the Middle East oil network for Big Oil is not only expensive but has sent a message to the world that we support dictatorial and repressive regimes: Iran previously and most recently Saudi Arabia and Egypt. We know clearly how much hatred existed for us from Iran before, but the current hatred from Saudi Arabia and Egypt is clearly dangerous.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Friendly Vegas celebs are to dine for: Unlike New York or Los Angeles, where celebrities are typically surrounded by an impenetrable shield of bodyguards, managers, agents, and various handlers and hangers-on, the famous folks move around here in a different way.

Letter: Smokers ignore rights of others: I found something impossible right here in Las Vegas -- trying to elude smokers. Granted, smokers have a right to suck on those cancer sticks. But it would be nice if smokers consider the right of nonsmokers to gasp for some decent air. Most of the smokers I have run in to are downright arrogant about their rights, and are not the least considerate about others.

Savvy wine buys: Zenato Pinot Grigio '01: Still, it has good fruit, and is nice when chilled with lighter fare, say, figs with prociutto, or a nice tomato and Bufala mozzarella cheese platter. It's the kind of wine that grows on you, though, and at these prices, a few bottles make sense.

Tuesday's prep results: BOYS TENNIS

Editorial: Nation of spectators with fries: Snacking taboos seem to have vanished completely. Schools are full of vending machines dispensing soda and chips. Confections of all manner are omnipresent. Only vestiges remain of the old "three balanced meals a day, dessert only at supper" lifestyle. Consumption of salty and fatty fast foods is now the norm. Concurrently, many of the activities now attractive to adults and children are sedentary. Recent studies have shown that up to 33 percent of the nation's children are overweight or on the verge of becoming overweight -- a percentage that's more than doubled since studies in the late 1970s. The figures ...

Ralph Siraco's selections for Thursday's races at Santa Anita: Thursday's card

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Foundation's mission: Help clients find fitting jobs: Elizabeth Foyt; The evening will include a special tribute to longtime community philanthropist Jewel Brooks as well as honors for Michael Maffie, president of Southwest Gas, who will receive the Civitas Laurel award.

Billboard ban challenged in high court: CARSON CITY -- An attorney for an outdoor advertising company urged the Nevada Supreme Court on Tuesday to invalidate a popular vote in Reno that bans future billboards.

New court filing fee OK'd: The new fee, approved by Clark County commissioners Tuesday, will be used to help cover the cost of free legal representation provided to domestic violence victims and abused children.

Juco standout gives commitment to UNLV: Steve Guiremand; UNLV basketball coach Charlie Spoonhour received a verbal commitment on Tuesday from a player who could be the heir apparent to Dalron Johnson.

UNR frat warned before death: Jennifer Knight; Just weeks before the drowning of fraternity pledge A.J. Refuerzo Santos, a University of Nevada, Reno official warned members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity to do away with traditions that do not advance the organization.

Former president: 'Help our son' by electing GOP: Erin Neff; Former President George Bush urged fellow Republicans to send Jon Porter to Congress to keep the GOP in control of the House of Representatives and "help our son."

Little change sought for council seats: Jeffrey Libby; Three Henderson City Council members running campaigns for re-election spoke in favor of the status quo Tuesday before voting on new wards for spring municipal elections.

Dispute causes Heller to ask for counsel change: CARSON CITY -- A senior state deputy attorney general who has advised the secretary of state's office for years on legal matters has been pulled off the job after being embroiled in an election law dispute.

Digital video to help nab Laughlin shooters: Kim Smith; Metro Police department should be getting the computer hardware necessary this week to turn videotapes taken during a deadly biker confrontation into digital images.

Officer may have shot man who killed wife: Jen Lawson; An off-duty police officer might have shot a man who had just killed his estranged wife as she was walking into church on Sunday.

Firm to sell Colorado casino: The sale price wasn't disclosed, and the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals.

Builder urges buyers to remain in lawsuit: Grace Leong; Las Vegas home-building giant Del Webb Nevada Communities, the defendant in a Sun City Summerlin construction defect lawsuit, is in the unusual situation of asking its home buyers to press ahead with the litigation.

LV firm reports quarterly loss: Revenue for the quarter fell 17 percent, from $4.5 million in 2001 to $3.7 million in 2002. The results represent the last full quarter of operations by Paul-Son prior to its Sept. 12 merger with French gaming equipment maker Etablissements Bourgogne et Grasset S.A.

Telemundo veteran joins MGM MIRAGE board: Hernandez owns and manages media holdings in Texas and most recently served as chairman of the board and CEO of Telemundo Group Inc., a Spanish language television and entertainment company that was recently sold to NBC.

Investment banker hired: The investment banker will explore strategic alternatives to increase the amount of capital available for finance and lease originations, including the sale of all or part of the company, partnering or merging with another business or seeking investors or financing partners.

Review of land exchanges may put deals on hold: WASHINGTON -- The Interior Department is planning a three-month review of all federal land exchanges across the West after a report sharply criticized its land-swap program.

Columnist Jeff German: Controlling the traffic controllers: Running into gridlock and construction projects everywhere you go in the valley 24 hours a day, even on weekends, causes headaches and raises blood pressure. It also leads to accidents and, in some cases, road rage.

Economic forecast cautious, but bright: CARSON CITY -- State employment officials predict the Nevada economy will pick up next year but warned there are still a lot of unknowns that could affect it such as the threat of war with Iraq or terrorist attacks.

FAA approves new chemical made by Las Vegas firm: The Halotron I extinguisher, manufactured by Amerex Corp., provides an environmentally acceptable substitution for halon 1211 that is low in ozone-depletion effect as well as global-warming effects, American Pacific said.

Reports confirm LV economy improving: The September index measures local economic activity in July compared to June. The index is calculated by UNLV's Center for Business and Economic Research.

News briefs for Oct. 16, 2002: Commercial Center business owners told Clark County commissioners Tuesday that a special tax to improve streets, sidewalks and the parking lot would be devastating to their strip mall shops.

Las Vegas woman plagued by case of usurped identity: Jen Lawson; Ayoung Las Vegas mother has a criminal record for prostitution and drugs, but she's never been arrested for those crimes.

Officials to draft drought plan for valley: A three-year dry spell on the Colorado River combined with a failure by Las Vegas Valley residents to conserve water has prompted local officials to consider drafting the first drought plan since the 1950s.

Events in the Sacramento area: AP; 10:30 a.m., SACRAMENTO - Common Cause of California releases study on tobacco industry contributions, 926 J Street, 2nd Floor Conference Room. Contact: Jim Knox, 916-443-1792.

Slain bookmaker's mom arrested on wagering charges: Erica D. Johnson; The elderly mother of a notorious Las Vegas bookmaker who was killed six years ago was arrested Monday on bookmaking charges.

Rebels move up to second in rankings: The Rebels, who began the season ranked 20th, finished fourth Tuesday after heavy rains and wet grounds forced the cancellation of the final round at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate in Birmingham, Ala.

Porter, Herrera have raised $3 million: Erin Neff; Dario Herrera and Jon Porter have raised a combined $3 million so far in their 3rd Congressional District race.

HMO chief accuses doctors of lying: Sierra Health Services Chairman Tony Marlon lashed out at local obstetricians who have complained about Medicaid health maintenance organizations, accusing them of spreading lies about the state-funded program.

Intel earnings frustrate investors: Striking a sour end note to a day when the stock market rallied, Intel Corp., the world's largest maker of computer chips, reported earnings Tuesday that sharply missed Wall Street expectations.

Company sues 'Net operator: Mandalay, which owns the Slots A Fun casino in Las Vegas, said Telnet Inc. and its owner Edward Gifford registered the domain name "slotsofun.com" in 1999, linked it to another domain name "luckyrollcasino.com," which was in turn linked to an online casino "Casino On Net."

Community briefs for Oct. 16, 2002: The Silver Springs Recreation Center, 1951 Silver Springs Parkway, Henderson, is hosting its second annual Spooktacular Yard Decorating Contest.

Henderson council briefs for Oct. 16, 2002: A lobbying effort by Henderson attorney John Marchiano on behalf of a Las Vegas developer helped convince Henderson property management staff to purchase a 5-acre parcel for more than twice the city's original appraisal.

AG candidates engage in TV battle: Erin Neff; Brian Sandoval

Nantkes eager for chance to show his skills: Steve Guiremand; Kurt Nantkes has spent most of the last two seasons at UNLV biding his time on the sidelines as Jason Thomas' backup at quarterback.

Obituaries for Oct. 16, 2002: Mary H. Adams, 59, of Las Vegas died Sunday in a local hospital. She was born April 4, 1943, in Chicago. A resident for 12 years, she was a homemaker.

Federal land deals are target of review: WASHINGTON -- The Interior Department has launched a three-month review of all federal land exchanges across the West after receiving a report that was sharply critical of the land-swap program. The program is designed in part to trade federal public lands to private owners in exchange for more environmentally sensitive property.

$1.5 billion A.C. resort shelved by MGM MIRAGE: By Liz Benston; MGM MIRAGE said today it will suspend work on its planned $1.5 billion casino resort at Renaissance Pointe in Atlantic City to free up cash for other opportunities, including upgrades in Las Vegas and expansion into new gambling markets.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Gorman's Abbate aims to be F1 driver: Now that Las Vegas has produced a NASCAR Winston Cup driver in Kurt Busch, can a home grown Formula One driver be far behind?

Test Site could house bomb 'pit' plant: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The Nevada Test Site likely ranks at No. 2 or No. 3 on a list of five sites proposed for the nation's new nuclear bomb "pit" plant, several watchdog activists said Tuesday.

Columnist Dean Juipe: World bored by regional World Series: Dean Juipe; It's a misnomer to begin with, but the World Series is a little less worldly this year.

Bishop Gorman girls claim Sunset golf title: Adam Candee; Sondia Gogue, Justina Yu, Katy Barrett and Mod Miranda paced Sunset Region girls golf throughout the season, so it seemed appropriate that the quartet battled it out for region tournament honors Tuesday at Stallion Mountain Country Club.

Arrests may not slow down trade in fake ID cards: By Timothy Pratt; Although 12 people were recently indicted on charges related to falsifying documents sold to undocumented immigrants, experts say the organization behind the crime will continue to ply its trade, following the laws of supply and demand.

Preliminary hearing set in death of Henderson child: Kim Smith; An Oct. 29 preliminary hearing has been scheduled for the parents charged with second-degree murder in the death of their 18-month-old daughter.