Print edition for October 18, 2002

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Odds against Bernstein going out on top: Kenny Bernstein knows he has his work cut out if he is to end his brilliant career with one more NHRA championship.

Top 10 major metro areas hit hard over two years: New York, $17.6 billion in 2000, down 17 percent.

Obituaries for Oct. 18, 2002: Mario Balderas, 79, of Las Vegas died Sunday in a local hospital. He was born Sept. 29, 1923, in McAllen, Texas. A resident for 20 years, he was a retired owner of a TV repair store.

Las Vegas Area Fishing Report: Nevada Division of Wildlife (NDOW) creel census clerks report that boaters are having good success for stripers in the Vegas Bay area in the vicinity of Black and Sand Islands at Lake Mead.

Columnist Barb Henderson: Hunters go wild: It's Turkey Time for holidays: Barb Henderson; Holidays are fast approaching, a time to gobble up a traditional feast complete with turkey and all the trimmings.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Las Vegas keeping up with the Joneses: There are probably more faux Elvises and Michael Jacksons per square foot in this city than any other place on Earth.

Columnist Sal DeFilippo: Dolphins may get well fast: Sal DeFilippo; If I were the trainer for the Miami Dolphins, I'd show Jay Fiedler something before he gets surgery on his thumb, which he injured in the fourth quarter of Miami's fantastic come-from-behind win against Denver last Sunday.

Study: Tourism drop due to 9-11, economy: Will Lester; WASHINGTON -- The depressed economy and the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have contributed to a serious decline in travel and tourism in major American cities over the last two years, says a new study.

Columnist Steve Guiremand: Rebels fans show no class in booing QB: Steve Guiremand; A not-so-funny thing happened last Saturday afternoon at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Where I Stand -- Janie Greenspun Gale: Shelter tired of attacks: Peace in this valley has been nonexistent ever since the Animal Foundation, a non-profit spay/neuter clinic, entered into a contract with the city of Las Vegas in 1995 to become the city animal shelter.

Mississippi revenues up despite tropical storm: Barbara Powell; JACKSON, Miss. -- Mississippi casino gaming revenues for September enjoyed a healthy increase despite Tropical Storm Isidore, which shut down coast casinos for two days.

Third-party candidates vie for congressional seat: Erin Neff; Richard Wayne Odell

Gaming numbers mixed elsewhere: Adjusted gross receipts from the riverboat casinos in Illinois rose 1.13 percent for September to $145.1 million from $143.5 million the previous year, according to the Illinois Gaming Board.

Residents question police shooting of 16-year-old: Jen Lawson; A sign at the corner of Pecos Road and East Owens Avenue reads "Welcome to Friendly North Las Vegas."

Congress OKs Clark County land-use plan: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Congress stamped its final approval on a comprehensive land-use plan for Clark County during a frenzied night of legislative action Thursday.

Suns, Marion to meet Shaq-less Lakers at T&M: Adam Candee; Mercifully, there will be no showing of "Kazaam," but a repeat showing of "The Matrix" will be in order when the three-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers face the Phoenix Suns in an NBA preseason contest Saturday night at the Thomas and Mack Center.

West's apartment rents flat everywhere but California: Michael Liedtke; SAN FRANCISCO -- Summertime apartment rents remained stable in most major Western markets except California, where prices at the two ends of the state continued to shift in distinctly different directions, a new report says.

Officials question Test Site plan: Not one person spoke in favor of the Nevada Test Site becoming the nation's new nuclear bomb "pit" plant at a public hearing in North Las Vegas Thursday night.

Columnist Dean Juipe: How about San Juan and Havana?: Dean Juipe; There is a sense, if not a reality, that in the old days Major League Baseball teams existed, in part, to bond the big cities in a still-developing America.

Council to OK auction of 1,600 acres: Jeffrey Libby; After an 18-month delay, the Henderson City Council on Tuesday is expected to approve for auction roughly 1,600 federally owned acres in southwest Henderson. The expected vote would set into motion the largest land sale in the Las Vegas Valley since North Las Vegas auctioned 1,900 acres in May 2001.

Tax plan looking good to Guinn: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn said today he is looking "favorably" on the proposed recommendations of his tax task force, including imposing a gross receipts tax on business.

Builder files suit against LVCVA: PCL, which offered a base bid of $97.4 million for a two-story building just south of Desert Inn Road and a $15.6 million "alternate" bid for a structure with meeting rooms bridging Desert Inn Road, said the LVCVA didn't adequately compensate PCL for change orders that added about $17.1 million to the project's costs and didn't adequately extend the project completion date.

Official: Oversight needed for a public power firm: CARSON CITY -- While favoring a public takeover of Nevada Power Co., state Consumer Advocate Tim Hay said today his office must retain authority over a government-owed electric company to protect customers from skyrocketing rates in the future.

Albright leaves NLV for Water Authority: Albright, 43, will be director of resources at the Water Authority, where he will supervise a staff of 48 full-time employees and oversee research and monitoring of environmental issues in the Colorado River, Las Vegas Wash and groundwater. He will also be involved in negotiations for additional water resources, he said.

United posts loss of $889 mil.: The parent company of ailing United Airlines reported an $889 million third-quarter loss today, its second-biggest quarterly deficit ever, reflecting the continued bleak environment for U.S. carriers.

Power takeover splits water board: Sharp rhetoric -- and a split among board members -- punctuated a Southern Nevada Water Authority meeting Thursday.

News briefs for Oct. 18, 2002: Although the blood crisis in Southern Nevada has been downgraded from an emergency to a critical appeal, United Blood Services plans to continue collecting supplies on Saturday and Sunday.

It comes to pass for UNLV: Steve Guiremand; NEXT UP

Two plead no contest in killing at wake: Kim Smith; Two of the five men charged in connection with the fatal drive-by shooting of a North Las Vegas woman at a wake have pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit murder.

School kids repay their Aussie guides with LV trip: By Emily Richmond; A bus driver and a tour guide from Australia are enjoying a free trip to Las Vegas this week, an unusual gift from the group of Clark County middle schoolers they showed around in their own country this summer.

Plan would extend rail line to Washington casino: The city and the tribe are talking about extending the city's new 1.6-mile streetcar line about one-quarter mile east to Portland Avenue.

TelePacific celebrates anniversary: The privately held TelePacific is based in Los Angeles and serves businesses in California and Nevada. TelePacific said its 20-person Las Vegas office provides customized voice, data and Internet systems.

Herrera relies on intelligence, drive: Erin Neff; Dario Herrera cuts through a swath of senior citizens with small talk and smiles, the way most 29-year-old men might work a hot night club.

Young, Oaks trade verbal punches in sheriff debate: Erin Neff; The accusations flew between Metro Police Deputy Chief Bill Young and Metro Capt. Randy Oaks during a televised debate Thursday.

Firm posts higher earnings: The increase in net income, which rose from a net loss of $668,000 for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2001 to $1.9 million this year, also improved due to reductions in depreciation and net interest expense as more assets became fully depreciated and the company reduced borrowings and its interest rate, the company said.

Experts mixed on early-voting success: By Timothy Pratt; As early voting begins Saturday, opinion is divided on what effect it may have on turnout, how it influences campaigns and who it benefits.

Porter emphasizes experience in office: Erin Neff; Jon Porter

Religious network helping families in darkest hour: By Timothy Pratt; Piedad Summers, a single mother of four, decided it was time to leave Long Beach, Calif., when her landlord sold the house where she lived and the new owner raised the rent from $550 to $850 a month.

Columnist Jeff German: Is Vegas safe from terrorists?: The deadly nightclub bombing on Indonesia's resort island of Bali should hit close to home for us, even though it occurred halfway around the world and on the other side of the equator.

Thousands more jobs to be cut: Chairman and CEO Leo F. Mullin told company employees Thursday that he hoped many of the job reductions, which will include management, could come through voluntary-leave, early retirement and severance programs. If there are not enough volunteers for these programs, the company will lay off workers.

Heller, Del Papa tangle over donations to Hunt: CARSON CITY -- In a memo released Thursday, Secretary of State Dean Heller suggests that Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa pressured one of her deputies to change a legal opinion to favor a political candidate Del Papa supports.

Terror insurance bill in limbo: But time ran out as the Senate left Washington on Thursday to do last-minute campaigning before the Nov. 5 election. House lawmakers departed a day earlier.

Health officials tracking bad meat: Erica D. Johnson; Clark County Health District officials are surveying meat distributors valleywide, trying to find out which companies received some of the bacteria-tainted meat recently recalled from a Pennsylvania company.

Ex-Rebel Richardson makes Globetrotters: Richardson, a 6-6, 190-pound forward averaged 9.1 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game for UNLV as a senior in 2001-02. He finished the season second on the team in rebounding, third in blocked shots (17), third in steals (43) and fourth in scoring. He led the Mountain West Conference in field goal percentage at .565.

Crackup: Scott Lewis is chiropractor by day, comic hypnotist by night: When: 7 p.m. Mondays.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Ozzy harried over Venetian talk: The Osbourne family's publicist called VegasBeat the other day to say they had changed plans and were not going to stay at The Venetian this week as part of the production of their MTV reality show, "The Osbournes."

Reid: Who's paying for Bush's trips?: Reid, D-Nev., suspects Bush of spending "millions and millions of dollars" on the trips.

Community briefs for Oct. 18, 2002: Madame Tussaud's Las Vegas will open a new exhibit Monday that features multimedia, interactive displays of presidents from George Washington to George W. Bush and celebrities from Princess Diana to John Wayne.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: R-J can't get it right: Dear Warren,

Defense motions denied in Perry's child porn case: Kim Smith; Despite a defense attorney's suggestion that Franklyn Perry has been falsely accused of a non-existent crime, the 62-year-old Las Vegas resident will be going to trial on multiple sexual assault crimes next month.

Letter: Ashcroft steps way out of line: And yet, even though the citizens of Oregon have voted twice to support Death with Dignity laws, he has stepped in to unilaterally overturn them. He decided single-handedly that his one vote counts more than their 1.3 million. Now a federal judge has stepped in and told him that he is out of line.

Columnist Jon Ralston: Desperation down the stretch: The most obvious panic move came from congressional hopeful Dario Herrera, who has fallen behind by double digits (at least three polls last week put the race there). Herrera announced at a news conference that he would only run positive ads for the rest of the campaign and that he had asked the state party folks to suspend their attack spots on Jon Porter. This came against the backdrop of Herrera unveiling a commercial featuring him walking with Mayor Oscar Goodman, who is seen lecturing Herrera (no endorsement, just a lecture) that he should be positive.

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

Letter: Bush thinks war is a video game: It is interesting that the president is continuing to run off to political fund-raisers, while he has failed to visit the VA hospitals and national cemeteries to view the carnage of war.

Datebook for October 18, 2002: Las Vegas' Cultural Affairs Division will hold auditions for roles in "Snoopy" at noon Saturday at the Reed Whipple Cultural Center, 821 N. Las Vegas Blvd. Admission is free. 229-6553.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Moovement is a political parade: The CowParade hits the Las Vegas Valley this weekend, so we're taking a look at the cow theory of government -- Nevada style.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Facility is ready for wine time: State of the art hardly describes Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada's extraordinary new facility at 8400 S. Jones. It is no exaggeration to describe this warehouse and educational center as extraordinary.

CIA will soon buy into the lie about Saddam: The Bush lies and the Dick Gephardt-led congressional cave-in have kept the post-Sept. 11 country supportive of the Bush war and have deflected attention from the bad economy and the inability of the government to do anything about the threat of terrorism at home.

Columnist Jerry Fink: Seeking a cure, Flutterby spreads her wings: As a clown, Pamela Whitner has enriched the lives of thousands of children during a career that has spanned 25 years.

Students reaching out to crime-plagued area: Erica D. Johnson; Making a Difference

2,000 make housing waiting list: By Timothy Pratt; Many endured persistent busy signals, but 2,000 low-income Las Vegas residents got through on the phone to the Las Vegas Housing Authority last week to get on a waiting list for government-subsidized housing.

Editorial: Sun's choices in the Senate: State Sen. Maggie Carlton, a Democrat running in District 2, has been a consistent voice for Southern Nevadans on a wide range of issues, whether she's advocating for better consumer protections or improvements in local schools. The Sun endorses Maggie Carlton. In District 5, Republican Sandra Tiffany is facing a tough opponent in John Hawk, a Democrat who is a respected member of the state Board of Education. But Tiffany has more experience and is the better candidate -- and she's shown as a state assemblywoman that she will take on her own party's leadership. The Sun endorses Sandra Tiffany.

Columnist Adam Candee: NIAA's weight-loss program helps keep wrestlers healthy: Adam Candee; TONIGHT'S PREP FOOTBALL GAMES

Columnist Jeff German: Del Papa stars in sideshow to AG race: Secretary of State Dean Heller and his chief legal adviser, Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa, are at war over an investigation Heller is conducting into Hunt's campaign contributions.

Higgins: 'I've lived in a frying pan the last 10 years': WEEKEND EDITION: Oct. 20, 2002

Letter: 'Protectors of marriage' are hypocritical: We all must live together on this earth, and tolerance of other people's way of life is how we make it work. Not long ago we saw just how ugly hateful fundamentalism can be, and the fact that Question 2 appears on the ballot at all shows just how little the "protectors of marriage" have learned in the aftermath. How dare they tell me how to live and whom to love and then attempt to make it public policy.

Columnist Susan Snyder: A question of who is higher power: How on earth did it escalate this far?

Vegas Son Rise: WEEKEND EDITION: Oct. 20, 2002

Editorial: Sheriff, DA candidates endorsed: The voting public is fortunate to have four good choices in the races for Clark County district attorney and sheriff. The nonpartisan sheriff's race features Deputy Chief Bill Young and Capt. Randy Oaks, who seek to replace retiring Sheriff Jerry Keller. In the race for district attorney, the Democratic candidate, Assistant District Attorney Mike Davidson, and the Republican candidate, Chief Deputy District Attorney David Roger, are seeking to replace District Attorney Stewart Bell, who is a candidate for District Court judge.

Mulroy: Power bid 'borne out of necessity': WEEKEND EDITION: Oct. 20, 2002

Scene Selection -- Geoff Carter: 'Jessica Stein' is smart, funny: The DVD keepcase of "Kissing Jessica Stein" (Fox Home Entertainment, $29.98) advertises the film as some sort of "Sex and the City" knockoff. Star Jennifer Westfeldt is sitting in a leggy pose, and a tagline promises "A funny, smart, fresh look at sex and the single girl."

Thursday's prep results: BOYS SOCCER

On Display for October 18, 2002: "America Marches Ahead," paintings by Norman Rockwell of the first 75 years of the 20th century, through Oct. 31 at Centaur Art Galleries on the main level of Fashion Show mall. 737-1234.

Saturday's horse racing entries: OAK TREE MEETING

Columnist Benjamin Grove: Sniper is the winner on all fronts except one: Benjamin Grove; It's usually not worth battling traffic. The District has just about everything residents could want, except: stadium-seating movie theaters, cheap grocery stores and a Home Depot.

Political notebook: Rumors fly after one public poll is withheld: Erin Neff; Each campaign struggles in the days leading up to an election to find out how they're actually doing.

Mom with child in full body cast is grateful for car seat: WEEKEND EDITION: Oct. 19, 2002

Editorial: Our endorsements in Assembly races: As a schoolteacher, Lisa Cano's work ethic has served her students well. The Democratic candidate for District 21 would bring that same drive to Carson City, where she would stand up for education, health care, transportation and other services. Her opponent, Republican Walter Andonov, has excellent credentials, but we find Cano's views more closely paralleling the needs of Southern Nevadans. The Sun endorses Lisa Cano. The District 22 incumbent, Republican David Brown, distinguished himself in the 2001 Legislature as conscientious and a quick learner who made valuable contributions in his freshman term. His opponent, Democrat Caren Levenson, is bright and ...

Editorial: Recommendations on ballot questions: There are a number of controversial ballot questions in this year's general election. Today the Sun offers its recommendations on the initiatives dealing with marriage, marijuana legalization, money for roads, and the power company. Later this week the Sun will provide its views on the other ballot questions.

Future is at stake in two programs for students: The popular Public Broadcasting System cartoon aardvark Arthur is leading a statewide effort to get every Nevada third grade student a library card.

Judge refuses to release 'Springfield Sam' from jail: Kim Smith; The defense attorney for an 84-year-old reputed mob member accused of shooting up an auto dealership was unable to get his client released on his own recognizance Thursday.

AG's office against Question 9: CARSON CITY -- A person who smoked marijuana and then contracted cancer could sue the state if voters approve Question 9, the state attorney general's office said Thursday.

Performing Arts for October 18, 2002: Song

Columnist Erin Neff: Nevada newsmakers include many wacky characters: Erin Neff; While most voters heading to the polls for the next two weeks look for serious candidates who will be careful stewards of Nevada's government, there is no shortage of the kind of candidates -- who if elected -- would be prime-time newsmakers.

Letter: Las Vegas trip too expensive: I can give you a very good reason why that's the case. I am from Michigan, and the price of airline tickets is so outrageous anymore that it is just not feasible to visit there as often. Even the charters have increased their prices.

Six-month sentence given in fraud case: Jace Radke; A former trustee in Hawaii's Kamehameha schools trust was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Las Vegas to six months in prison.