Print edition for September 5, 2002

Development on small lots halted until rules in place: The North Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday approved a resolution that halts residential development on lots of less than 4,500 square feet until Feb. 4, when the city expects to have new guidelines in place for developing smaller properties.

Carstens, native of flooded town of St. Thomas, dies: Irene Carstens, the matriarch of a pioneering family that settled in Southern Nevada in the 19th century, has died. She was 88.

Letter: Driver education is what's lacking: I don't know, call me silly, but I don't have any trouble reading the signs on the beltway. Maybe the real problem is not the road, but the drivers on the road. I drive the beltway occasionally, and find that everyone, with the exception of myself, exceeds the speed limit by 15 to 20 mph.

Letter: Raise taxes to help children: Fortunately, Sun reporter Adrienne Packer is not a casual observer. In her well-written and in-depth article on Aug. 29, "Abused kids face bleak future with budget cuts," she points out that emotionally disturbed children will "go without counseling, treatment or medication due to drastic budget cuts in Nevada's child welfare system."

Bronze Stars awarded at Nellis: Dick Benoit; A diverse group of Nellis airmen returning from deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom have been honored with Bronze Stars for their meritorious service to the country.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Winky needs Wright moves for big payday: Dean Juipe; Winky Wright has a vested interest not only in his own fight Saturday night, but in one a week later in Las Vegas.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Baseball at its best: My attention has already turned to football. It will be tough for me to get deeply involved in baseball, with the exception of a few races, until the World Series opens later this fall. A hot series can pump me up for the opening of 2003 spring training. In between football games with nothing else to do, my leisure hours will allow time for much reading.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Friday's races at Del Mar: Friday's card

Washington coasts in primary: CARSON CITY -- Sen. Maurice Washington, R-Sparks, who has been the target of criticism for operation of a charter school he founded, rolled to an easy victory in the primary election, Northern Nevada results showed Wednesday.

De La Hoya counting days to big fight: Dean Juipe; Within the context of being enthused about his pending fight with Fernando Vargas, Oscar De La Hoya can, at times, sound a bit melancholy.

Tips for visitors: Because the Test Site is a restricted-access government reservation, visitors must apply well in advance for tours tailored to their individual interests and needs. Prospective visitors need to supply the following background information:

Primary candidates give support to O'Neil: By Timothy Pratt; Democrat Mark Budetich and Republican Barry Bilbray, losing candidates for Nevada's new congressional district in the primary election, announced their support Wednesday for Independent candidate Pete O'Neil in November's general election.

Obituaries for Sept. 5, 2002: Harold Normand Ahlman, 81, of Las Vegas died Monday in Las Vegas. He was born March 2, 1921, in Wausau, Wis. A resident for two years, he was a retired Air Force master sergeant and World War II and Korean War veteran.

Blast from the Past: Nevada Test Site proves a powerful tourist hot spot: By Kristen Peterson; "Ground zero for the explosion is right down the road, one mile," Nevada Test Site tour guide Bob Keller said over the bus PA system. "Can you see that pile of dirt? That's ground zero."

Project Sedan, 1962: This cratering explosion, with a yield of 104 kilotons, displaced 12 million tons of earth and formed a 1,280-foot-diameter by 320-foot-deep crater in the desert floor, releasing seismic energy equivalent to 4.75 on the Richter Scale.

Las Vegas council briefs for Sept. 5, 2002: The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday gave recently appointed City Manager Doug Selby a $26,856 raise and officially swore him into office.

Plans for Lamb interchange studied: By spring 2005 the intersection at Lamb Boulevard and Interstate 15 should have $21 million in improvements in place to handle traffic in North Las Vegas until 2023.

Editorial: Light rail: On the right track: The Regional Transportation Commission is studying a possible light-rail link between the two cities. So far, planners have envisioned a 10-mile rail system, costing about $60 million, that would allow commuters to move between Henderson and the South Strip Transfer Facility south of McCarran International Airport. The thought is that thousands of people who work on the Strip could leave their cars in Henderson, board a rail car and transfer to a bus. The rail's comparatively cheap cost of about $6 million per mile hinges on being able to use existing Union Pacific Railroad rights-of-way, rather than having to buy ...

Letter: Baseball players just crybabies, not real men: When will the primadonnas realize they are basically playing a child's game? The real man's game is football.

Community briefs for Sept. 5, 2002: University Medical Center is sponsoring a free prostate cancer seminar at 7 p.m. Monday at the Desert Willow Community Center, 2020 Horizon Ridge Road, Henderson.

Former Sahara executive chef Anderson dies at 67: When The Beatles came to the Sahara hotel in 1964 and President Lyndon Johnson arrived a year later, the hotel's Executive Chef Donald Anderson was ready to prepare anything for them.

Editorial: Hunt for bin Laden requires the best: That's why we feel they should stay right where they are, for now. There should be no letup in hunting for bin Laden in Afghanistan until he is found or there is consensus among top U.S. defense officials that he escaped the country or is dead. The official U.S. policy right now is that too little is known to reach any conclusion about bin Laden's fate. We recall the words of President Bush in announcing the war on terror: "We will not waver, we will not tire, we will not falter and we will not fail." If there is even ...

Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Remember: 'This too shall pass': Ruthe Deskin; I thought of him as I read a recent newspaper. Some of the headlines and stories were concerned with the West Nile Virus, two sheriff's deputies who were shot and killed, scandals continuing to rock the Catholic Church, dozens killed as a boat capsized on a river in India; two Americans killed in an ambush in Indonesia, unemployment on the rise, a pending war with Iraq, AIDS devastating South Africa, deadly typhoons in Korea, landslides, monsoons and explosions adding to the chaos in Nepal, six men sentenced to death for rape in Pakistan; carnage on the highways continues as local ...

Hurricanes help dampen Southern Nevada: This week could mark the end of scorching summer temperatures this year in the Las Vegas Valley.

Rebels LB Seward has nose, mind for defense: Steve Guiremand; You might say that Adam Seward developed a football defensive mentality at an early age.

Doctors question report critical of state discipline: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Comments made by a watchdog group leader that the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners lets doctors "off the hook" for various offenses were not factual, several high-profile Nevada medical officials said.

National says financing package ready for judge: A financing package valued at $112 million will be presented to creditors and a Bankruptcy Court judge in a bid to rescue financially troubled National Airlines.

Las Vegas new-home sales rise in July: Jennifer Robison; New-home sales in the Las Vegas Valley rose dramatically in July when compared to data from the same month a year ago, according to statistics from the real estate research firm of SalesTraq.

Binion estate gets OK to sell house: District Judge Michael Cherry today gave Ted Binion's estate permission to sell his home four years after the gambling figure's slaying.

Strategist takes blame for bungled Bunker bid: Top political strategist Billy Vassiliadis blamed himself Wednesday for Richard Bunker's stunning Senate primary loss.

New rules would limit watercraft on lake: By Timothy Pratt; Personal watercraft users will have new rules to follow next spring if a ban on the one- and two-person craft is lifted, according to a draft version of rules issued by the National Park Service today.

Baptists mobilize against lottery: About 100 lottery opponents cheered as the trucks, normally used for humanitarian relief efforts, rolled out of the Tennessee Baptist Convention headquarters south of Nashville.

Politicians begin drive to Nov. 5 in earnest: Erin Neff; The day after the primary dawned not with an election hangover, but with renewed vigor for the 61 days remaining until the general election.

BC has easier road to 3A playoffs: Spencer Patterson; Boulder City

Grand jury to assist in homicide case: Kim Smith; Prosecutors seeking the death penalty for a Las Vegas man accused of killing his brother-in-law have enlisted the help of a grand jury in the hopes of revealing an accomplice or accomplices.

PCL Playoff box: Las Vegas - Edmonton: Time-- 3:12. Attendance-- 3,373. Umpires: HP-- Barnes; 1b-- Achwege; 2b -- Higgins; 3b-- Riley.

UNLV meet canceled: UNLV meet canceled

UNLV men's schedule: Tues., Oct. 29 7:30 p.m. FAN JAM&

Trailblazers get nod in exciting opener: Spencer Patterson; Sun Statewide Football Top 10

Driver in fatal crash wants out of plea agreement: Kim Smith; A Las Vegas woman serving five years' probation for a fatal auto accident says her plea agreement should be thrown out because she was on medication when she signed it.

City may buy park back from state: At the time, the sale of the 2,000-acre park called Tule Springs to the state seemed like a good deal, even at the going price of $1.

Builders lose bid in new defects ruling: Cy Ryan SUN; CARSON CITY -- State Insurance Commissioner Alice A. Molasky-Arman said today she has declined to form a quasi-state insurance association to help home builders, particularly in Southern Nevada, find construction defect insurance.

Rebels to play 6 tourney teams: Victoria Sun; Home games against Southern Cal, Stanford and Washington highlight the 2002-'03 UNLV men's basketball schedule released Wednesday.

Ensign hopes to give McCarran security more time: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., is trying a new strategy to give McCarran International Airport a few extra months to put new security measures in place.

Controversy continues over county's billboard ordinance: Through two years of wrangling, billboard industry advocates and anti-billboard activists fought a war over changes to the sign laws in Clark County.

Johnson aims to kick-start Desert Pines: Spencer Patterson; SCHEDULE

News briefs for Sept. 5, 2002: For the sixth time in the last six weeks, the Nevada Supreme Court has ruled that District Judge Donald Mosley was wrong when he conducted a criminal hearing with the defendant not being present.

La. again helping Indians with casino idea: Guy Coates; BATON ROUGE, La. -- Gov. Mike Foster has asked the Interior Department for guidance on whether DeSoto Parish is a suitable home for the Jena Band of Choctaws, stymied in at least four efforts to build a casino in Mississippi and Louisiana.

Man who confessed in church to killing wife rejects deal: Kim Smith; A Las Vegas man who walked into church and confessed he killed his wife has decided he doesn't want to enter a plea agreement after all.

LV firm sued over alleged fraud: Jeffrey Libby; The Federal Trade Commission announced today a lawsuit filed against Pioneer First, a national telemarketing firm that allegedly used deceptive trade practices to bilk consumers out of at least $2.7 million while operating out of Las Vegas Valley offices last year.

Some health aides to see insurance hikes: CARSON CITY -- National Union Fire Insurance Co. has received permission to boost medical professional rates by 50 percent immediately to nurses, home health aides and others employed by home health care agencies.

Animal Foundation plans second site: Diana Sahagun; Despite a tumultuous year that included the demotion of its president, the Animal Foundation is moving forward with plans to build a second campus that would include a veterinary school.

Tougher Yucca rules requested: Seven environmental and public interest groups suing the federal government over ground water radiation standards for a proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository asked the court on Wednesday to strengthen a rule on how to measure contamination from the dump.

Las Vegas couple charged with fraud in marketing scheme: Donald and Sue Ann Mikrut are named in the indictment and are alleged to have used their company, American Business Publications Inc., as a base for a scheme to entice customers to join multilevel marketing companies that sold health-care products or purported to teach people how to get out of debt.

Hard Rock hosts beach volleyball: The event, which features the top eight men's and women's volleyball teams from the 2002 Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) tour, is experimenting with a single-elimination format this year. The winning teams will split $30,000, making this event the richest paying tournament on the 2002 AVP tour.

51s blow lead in Game 1: Victoria Sun; Mayor, Logan explore stadium in Memphis

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Top Fuel title may be decided again in LV: For the second year in a row, the fall NHRA national event at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway could prove to be pivotal in deciding the Top Fuel championship.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: More unreal sports from SI: Sidd Finch, meet Simonya Popova.

Vegas attorney sues for right to use trade names: Herbert Michel Jr., who runs the law firms, filed a U.S. District Court lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Nevada Supreme Court rule 199, which prohibits the use of trade names by for-profit lawyers and law firms but allows them for non-profits.

Vegas lender names new CFO: Alderfer will report to Lance Bradford, who had been CFO. Bradford remains as Vestin Group's president and CFO of subsidiary Vestin Mortgage.

Clark High evacuated; 23 students treated: Jace Radke and Keith Paul; Clark High School was evacuated this morning and at least 23 students complained of minor respiratory problems from some type of odor, fire officials said.

Casino developer seeks time: Douglas County recently approved gaming overlay district rules that require resort hotel operators to ensure adequate and affordable housing is available for employees. The Villa Resort in the Northern Nevada community is the first project subject to the requirement.

Performance of Hispanic candidates 'disappointing': Erin Neff and Timothy Pratt; The 2002 elections were hyped as the first in which Hispanic candidates could finally make major inroads into the largely white political establishment.

Vegas casino hotel tries blocking pizza fliers: The defendants include Flamingo Pizza Inc., Sicilian Pizza, Traditional Pizza, Bad Boy, Capri Pizza & Restaurant, Euro Pizza, Vegas Pizza, Magura Restaurant, Cafe Verdi and Cafe Verdi West.

Teacher held on sex charges involving student: Keith Paul; A 32-year-old high school teacher accused of having sex with a student more than two years ago admitted to having an "inappropriate" relationship with the girl, according to Metro Police.

Satre announces he'll step down as Harrah's chief executive: By Liz Benston; Harrah's Entertainment Inc. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Phil Satre will relinquish his CEO post to Harrah's President and Chief Operating Officer Gary Loveman, effective Jan. 1, the Las Vegas-based casino empire announced Wednesday.