Print edition for September 30, 2002

Prep Schedule: MONDAY

Obituaries for Sept. 30, 2002: Edward W. Cook, 27, died Sept. 20 in a local hospital. He was born Dec. 26, 1974, in California. A resident for 12 years, he was a restaurant manager.

Birth announcements for Sept. 30, 2002: Sept. 7:

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: With help, Goodman is raisin the bar: Fiorello LaGuardia famously read the comics on the radio during a New York City newspaper strike, but it is hard to imagine he'd sign a six-figure deal with a gin maker.

Letter: President fails to make his case: The FBI, CIA and foreign intelligence have found no substance to rumors of Iraqi involvement, yet the un-elected insists we must attack another country in a preemptive strike.

Unions gear up for fight over school district workers: By Emily Richmond; The fight to represent the Clark County School District's support employees will begin heating up this week as the two competing unions complete their plans for a membership vote.

Review: Santana in vintage form at the Palms: Spencer Patterson; For the first 40 minutes of Sunday night's Santana concert at Rain in the Desert at the Palms, you would have been hard-pressed to identify guitar great Carlos Santana as the show's featured attraction.

Editorial: A citizens council is welcome addition: The citizens were motivated by the string of killings over the past 18 months that have plagued parts of the city. The most recent killing, that of a 9-year-old girl who died while shielding an infant from gunfire, inspired people to band together and form the council, which will represent the community before government officials, oversee watch groups and coordinate citizen patrols. This partnership with the police department is commendable and we wish the council success. The deaths of so many young lives is a tragedy and it's heartening to see the community respond in such a positive manner.

Lovely Parting Gift? Game Show Network devotee decries move to digital cable: Kirk Baird; It was supposed to detail why millions tune into the network each day to reacquaint themselves with contestants and B-list celebrities wearing tacky jackets, ascots and scarves, and sporting sideburns as thick as rugs from three decades ago.

Immunization schedule for Sept. 30, 2002: HENDERSON PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 129 W. Lake Mead Blvd., Building A, Suite 10, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Trends for Sept. 30, 2002: Lisa Ferguson; Ah, it's finally fall: the changing of the leaves; the crispness of the air at least in some parts of the country, if not Las Vegas.

Review: 'The Pav' well received at its Henderson opening: Marilyn LaRocque; Klieg lights pierced the sky on opening night at Henderson Pavilion at Liberty Pointe, an appropriate launch for this impressive, pace-setting outdoor entertainment venue.

Letter: Governor should reinstate Sias at veterans home: For more than three weeks Jon Sias has waited for someone to have the necessary courage to reverse the egregious decision that forced Sias out. Gov. Guinn should replace that decision with one that will reinstate Sias to the directorship of the new Nevada Veterans Nursing Home.

Editorial: Delay OK in light of priorities: University officials promised a sustained lobbying effort and delivered on that promise. The Public Works Board met again last week and this time three Southern Nevada members pushed hard for the building to be funded immediately as a top priority. It was the job of UNLV to push for this project and their arguments are sound. According to the Biotechnology Industry Organization, revenues in this field went from $8 billion in 1992 to $27.6 billion in 2001, and today there are nearly 1,500 biotechnology companies in the United States. The industry develops new drugs and vaccines, medical diagnostic tests, pesticides ...

Children's advocate to get Thompson award: The 10th annual Children's Advocacy Sandy Thompson Award of Exellence will be given in January, when the Children's Advocacy Alliance releases Nevada's Report Card on Children.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Breeders preps to begin in earnest at Santa Anita: Ralph Siraco; Vacation time is over. Put away the No. 5 suntan lotion from Del Mar. Close the umbrella from the Saratoga monsoons. And shovel down the last deep fried Snickers bar from the Los Angeles County Fair at Fairplex Park in Pomona.

City may give state money from parking tickets: The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday will consider sending nearly $1 million to the state to end a dispute over money collected from an old ordinance that gave taxpayers a break on parking fines.

UNLV must slow down Threadgill, Wolf Pack: Steve Guiremand; NEXT UP

Consumer advocate warns of electric-rate hike: Nevada's consumer advocate is warning that Nevada Power Co.'s escalating cost deficits will spell higher electricity rates for Las Vegas consumers.

Not forgotten: Las Vegas old-timers remember the past: There was a time when Las Vegas royalty paid homage to their queen, socialite Toni Clark.

Local sports calendar: FRIDAY

Columnist Dean Juipe: Fighter apt to get hit with fine: Dean Juipe; Impoverished as the State of Nevada allegedly is, someone from the governor's office should begin preparing a thank-you card for Fernando Vargas.

Wal-Mart faulted for LV anti-union tactics: Grace Leong; Wal-Mart Stores Inc. violated labor laws in its fight against a national union organizing drive originating at 14 Las Vegas stores, a federal official has ruled.

San Diego deals Rebel men 3-0 loss: The Toreros, perennial soccer powers on the West Coast, extended their win streak against the Rebels to five games.

News briefs for Sept. 30, 2002: Las Vegas officials scheduled a final meeting at 5:30 p.m. today for residents living near Circle Park near downtown Las Vegas.

Higher-priced meters planned in city garages: The city of Las Vegas may raise the top price for metered parking by 50 percent, as part of a plan to install meters in its new garages.

Bracelets honor victims of 9-11 terrorist attacks: Erica D. Johnson; More than a year after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Sue Jaszkowski, of Las Vegas, remembers Nicholas Rossomando, a New York firefighter who perished in the World Trade Center, even though the two never met.

Suit will proceed against state Ethics Commission: By Timothy Pratt; A lawsuit challenging the state Ethics Commission will proceed despite its unanimous ruling against an Assembly candidate over a flier she said was libelous, according to the ACLU.

Gators on verge of U.S. record: Adam Candee; Nick Garritano may be a relative newcomer to the Green Valley girls golf program, but the Gators coach knows plenty about the team's 128-match winning streak.

Missing-persons case now homicide probe: The couple were last seen at their home near Tropicana Avenue and Buffalo Drive on Aug. 17 and were later reported missing by a family member, Metro Police said.

Rebel men take third in Georgia: Mitch Carlson (71-74-68--213), a freshman from Durango High School, carded the best score of his young career with a four-under 68 at The Farm Golf Club.

UNLV's Janus loses in singles final: A pair of University of San Diego netters met in the flight 2 finals. Lauren Perl defeated Lauren Kazarian 6-2, 1-6, 6-3. Flight 3 saw Oklahoma State's Zana Masnic defeat teammate Erin Pauchnik 6-4, 6-3.

Bidders sought for women's prison: CARSON CITY -- Since it opened in 1997, the Southern Nevada Women's Prison has been run by Corrections Corp. of America.

West Coast ports to remain shut: Justin Pritchard; SAN FRANCISCO -- Hundreds of millions of dollars of cargo sat idle off the West Coast today as port workers were ordered off their jobs for a second time in a labor dispute that could cost the nation an estimated $1 billion a day.

Riverboats short of officers: At the Gaming Commission's meeting Friday in St. Charles County, executive director Kevin Mullally said riverboat casinos are short several dozen patrol officers, severely limiting the ability to prevent and cover crimes.

Cold air is on its way; some rain possible: Weather forecasters expect a blast of cooler air to move through Southern Nevada late Tuesday through Wednesday, dropping temperatures up to 20 degrees below normal and bringing a chance of real rain to the Las Vegas Valley.

Rivals fight special treatment for National: In separate letters to Randy Walker, director of the Clark County's Department of Aviation, Southwest and America West airlines say they would be forced to subsidize National if the Las Vegas-based airline is allowed to defer payments on leases and fees.

Texas machines cleared: On Tuesday GameTech said the Nevada Gaming Control Board was investigating the possible misuse of electronic bingo units by a GameTech software developer who died in an apparent suicide. The Control Board cleared the company's portable units, while the fixed-base units in Nevada remain out of service.

Personal spending slows: Personal spending slows

Walker boosts D. Pines when it counts: Adam Candee; The ink about Desert Pines usually dries around the names of RB Cornell Johnson and QB Marcel Johnson, and rightfully so. Wideout Kawon Walker, though, deserves a big hunk of credit for the Jaguars' 33-12 win at Cheyenne for his Play-of-the-Year candidate catch and run for a gamebreaking touchdown.

Law school new center of attention at UNLV: "At different times of the day the students of many disciplines are walking around and surrounding the law school, and that's how it should be because the law is at the heart of our culture," Kennedy said in his address to a crowd of about 500 at the dedication ceremony.