Print edition for April 10, 2003

War, SARS reduce air traffic: The Washington-based Air Transport Association said Wednesday that for the week ended April 6, systemwide traffic on the nation's airlines was down 17.4 percent compared with the same period a year ago. By contrast, traffic at McCarran was down 2 percent from the previous year.

Automakers in fuel venture: The partnership between General Motors, the world's largest automaker, and BMW will focus on creating standards for storing liquid hydrogen, setting specifications for suppliers, and sharing technical data to cut costs related to using the fuel, the companies said in a statement. The alliance doesn't include financial links and the companies said they'll ask fuel suppliers and rival automakers to work with them.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Victory puts Anderson on right track: Greg Anderson's Pro Stock victory in Sunday's NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway certainly provided an emotional high for local team owner Ken Black.

Internet giant posts a profit: The Internet bellwether earned $46.7 million, or 8 cents per share, for the three months ending in March. That contrasted with a loss of $53.6 million, or 9 cents per share, at the same time last year.

McKay leaving prep post: Adam Candee; Larry McKay, one of the most influential figures in Nevada prep athletics, will retire as athletics director for Clark County School District after the school year, the Sun learned Wednesday.

Expect tougher schedule for next season: Steve Guiremand; UNLV director of basketball operations Dave Rice says he's still a few weeks away from putting the finishing touches on the 2003-04 basketball schedule. But barring any last minute surprises, it has all the makings of being the toughest schedule of the Charlie Spoonhour Era.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: LV might have Madonna in its palms: It's Madonna -- and she might soon strike a surprise pose at a Las Vegas club near you.

Nevada justices back widow's benefits in industrial accident: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court has ruled that the widow of a man who fell to his death on a construction job in 1998 was entitled to industrial insurance benefits, even though her husband was drunk at the time of the accident.

Firm, creditors reach deal: Key3Media Group Inc., Los Angeles, announced today that it has reached agreement with unsecured creditors to support its reorganization plan after filing for bankruptcy protection in February.

Company names new president: Yee, now president and chief executive officer of Casino Windsor In Ontario, Canada, replaces Anthony Santo. Santo, formerly president of the company's Flamingo resort, replaced Paul Pusateri, who resigned in 2000. Santo will now oversee operations of a dozen Park Place resorts as senior vice president of the company's Western and Mid-South regions.

Tourism industry seeks fed help to reverse fortunes: Jonathan D. Salant; WASHINGTON -- The travel industry wants a bigger tax break for business meals and government money to promote tourism, citing fallout from the struggling economy, terrorism fears, the Iraq war and the mysterious flu-like illness spreading through Asia.

Slot maker acquires company: Terms weren't disclosed.

UNLV Army ROTC cadet receives national recognition: Dick Benoit; University of Nevada, Las Vegas Army ROTC Cadet Christopher Coles will join outstanding cadets from universities around the country to meet with senior government officials at a National Security Seminar to be conducted April 15-18 in Lexington, Va.

Families await return of local Marines injured in Baghdad: Shortly before dawn today, wounded Marine Sgt. Michael Dunn phoned his Las Vegas home from a hospital in Iraq to tell his family he loved them, but wanted to return to the war front.

Binion's pulls poker contest from website: By Liz Benston; Binion's Horseshoe on Wednesday pulled from its website a contest to enter the casino's World Series of Poker over concerns that it could run afoul of a state law prohibiting lotteries.

Letter: Recorder's office needs support to work properly: To begin with, no matter who is in charge of the recorder's office, sufficient budget/staffing is essential to do the job. If the clerk were to take over the recorder's duties, wouldn't she have to delegate someone to be in charge, as in the Commission Division, Marriage License Division, Marriage Commissioner, etc.? Given the population growth, generating an ever increasing recorded document volume, wouldn't the workload continue to grow?

Kelley: Just give me a chance: Dean Juipe; Aside from being 35, Kevin Kelley has lost to Naseem Hamed and Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera has beaten them both. Consequently, few beyond Kelley himself are giving him a chance Saturday night when he faces Barrera at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Columnist Linda Frolich: Time for the next step: Linda Frolich; The 2003 women's college basketball season is over, yet many players are beginning to wonder about continuing their careers. What will be the next step for a senior who wants to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a professional athlete?

Sun Baseball Top 10: | Team| Record| Last week|Note|

Sun Softball Top 10: Teams ranked jointly by the Sun and Sparks Tribune. Records through Tuesday.

Park Place announces executive promotions: Yee, president and chief executive officer of Casino Windsor In Ontario, Canada, replaces Anthony Santo. Santo, formerly president of the company's Flamingo resort, replaced Paul Pusateri.

Police probe threats against owners of French eateries: Jace Radke and Mary Manning; Metro Police are investigating a threat made against one of Las Vegas' oldest French restaurants, and the owners of two others say they also have received a number of threatening messages since France's opposition to the war in Iraq.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Gainer hopes win proves he's a late bloomer: Dean Juipe; Derrick Gainer is a world champion, yet hardly a household name. He has a visibility, if not a credibility, problem.

Columnist Adam Candee: Cimarron-Memorial fires football coach: Adam Candee; Coaching high school football in Southern Nevada these days apparently comes with the job stability of Anna Kournikova's victory party planner.

Catching up with ... JORDAN AUTEN: Where she is now: San Francisco

Centennial chemistry lesson: Adam Candee; For a bunch of funny two-letter combinations on a confusing chart of rows and columns, chemistry sure finds its way into quite a few corners of the sports world.

Sun Prep Athletes of the Week: Brian Fuller and Theresa Liedlich: BRIAN FULLER

Columnist Ron Kantowksi: KU: Another brick in the NCAA wall: Ron Kantowksi; After watching his team come up short in Monday's NCAA championship game against Syracuse, it should be clear there are three things that Kansas coach Roy Williams, to use the PG version of his postgame comments, doesn't "give a flip" about:

Malpractice bill clears committee: CARSON CITY -- A scaled-down medical malpractice bill that doesn't satisfy either side cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee today on a 4-3 vote.

Vegas to get a boost from Song: Jitters over the Iraqi war and the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome disease are continuing to hurt the nation's airlines, but Las Vegas is continuing to hold its own and will now be served by Delta Air Lines' new low-fare carrier Song Airlines.

Moncrief victory baffles political experts: Judy Odierna; The day after a political unknown won more votes than Las Vegas Councilman Michael McDonald, forcing him into the June 3 general election, political insiders were scratching their heads over the numbers.

Baking firm's credit reviewed because of pressure on profits: KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Interstate Bakeries Corp., the maker of Hostess Twinkies and Wonder bread and operator of a new plant in Henderson, may have its credit rating cut to junk by Standard & Poor's because of falling sales and profit.

Panel OKs amended anti-terrorism bill: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- An Assembly panel unanimously passed an amended version of an anti-terrorism bill this morning after narrowing the definitions of terrorism to assuage civil liberty concerns.

Travel agents allege airline collusion in demise of commissions: David Kravets; SAN FRANCISCO -- Dozens of travel agents filed a lawsuit against major air carriers on Wednesday accusing them of violating antitrust laws by colluding to eliminate commissions on ticket sales.

Editorial: Reassess watercraft's impact on Lake Mead: The Bluewater Network, the San Francisco-based group whose lawsuit resulted in a ban on personal watercraft at all national parks except Lake Mead, raises some good points, however. It notes the drop in lake level -- 75 feet -- and says contaminants may not be so efficiently diluted as the drought continues. It also notes a National Academy of Sciences study raising an alarm about the effects, over time, of constant infusion of relatively small amounts of pollution into bodies of water. The park service should be open to Bluewater's criticisms, and do further studies to ensure that our drinking ...

Sore Bubba Crosby delivers in a pinch for 51s: Being relegated to a pinch-hitter's role the past two days because of a sore left shoulder hasn't cooled off 51s outfielder Bubba Crosby.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Helping hand at home: With those words, Charles Dickens created a masterpiece called "A Tale of Two Cities." It has been a best seller and a literary obligation ever since.

Different track but Lynch still wants win in LV: IF YOU GO

Ferraro needs to show sound finances: Dan Kulin; A day after running second in the Boulder City primary, incumbent Mayor Bob Ferraro said he believes he can still beat challenger Bill Smith in the general election by convincing voters that the city's finances are sound.

News briefs for April 10, 2003: Metro Police have arrested 45-year-old Kenneth Friedman in connection with a series of sex-related crimes, but detectives are asking the public's help in locating other victims in a two-month crime spree.

Kyle Busch set for Busch debut: Kyle Busch of Las Vegas will make his NASCAR Busch Series debut May 24 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., in a Chevrolet that already has won two races this season.

RTC to hear protest over French buses: Last month the Regional Transportation Commission's Older Americans with Disabilities Advisory Committee asked the agency to dump its contract for $10 million in high-tech buses from a French company.

Prep Schedule: TODAY

Letter: Take a lesson from the bears: I can best illustrate the reasons why this must be done by using an environmentalist perspective of the unrestrained, well-intended handouts of food offered by the tourist to the bears in Yellowstone. This practice was common for years and the result was destructive to the bears, crippling their self-reliant instinctive interaction with their environment.

PCL box: Las Vegas vs. Edmonton: Attendance--1,661. Time--3:02. Umpires: HP--Kelley; 1B--Dowdy; 3B--Bullock.

Mississippi casinos balk at proposed security measures: Matt Volz; JACKSON, Miss. -- Casino operators are trying to steer federal homeland security regulations in the works for waterways and seaports so the measures won't hurt business.

Community briefs for April 10, 2003: The 15th annual Joe Williams Music Scholarship fund-raiser will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday in the main showroom of The Orleans.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Friday's races at Santa Anita: Friday's card -- first post 3 p.m.

Lawmakers, college officials plan nursing students increase: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- University, hospital and Assembly leadership representatives this morning proposed increasing enrollment of nursing students to address the state's nursing shortage.

Hilton Hotels chief receives slight raise: BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Hilton Hotels Corp., the third-largest U.S. hotel company, paid Chief Executive Stephen Bollenbach $2.22 million in salary and bonus last year as the company's shares rose 16 percent.

Guinn promises passage of tax on business: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn looked out on a sea of red-shirted union workers in front of the Legislative Building and promised that lawmakers would not end this year's work in the state capital without approving a broad-based business tax.

Nellis kids miss parents overseas: Jace Radke; While Staff Sgt. Scott Frye is working in Iraq to keep HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopters flying, his 5-year-old son Ryan is missing his tag team partner.

Seniors may not need exam to graduate: By Emily Richmond; The Assembly Education Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to turn the statewide high school proficiency exam into a chance for extra credit, instead of a requirement for graduation, making it it easier for seniors to earn diplomas.

Gaming measure for time shares defeated: CARSON CITY -- A bill to allow time-share developments on the Las Vegas Strip to expand into a full-sized casinos died in the Senate Judiciary Committee today.

Vegas ranked as second most dangerous city for homeless: By Timothy Pratt; A study released today by the nation's oldest and largest homeless advocacy group ranked Las Vegas as the second most dangerous city nationwide for homeless people.

Obituaries for April 10, 2003: Mae Eunice Abdoulah, 66, of Las Vegas died Sunday in Cleveland. She was born Nov. 15, 1936, in Regina, Saskatchewan. A resident for 11 years, she was a CMA for the Red Cross.

Theme-based attractions touted for Indian casinos: Lynn Ducey; PHOENIX -- Adding water parks, gas stations and miniature golf courses near Indian casinos can lengthen stays and generate more money for tribes, officials said at a national Indian gambling conference Wednesday.

Alleged terrorists sought to attack Las Vegas: Alleged terrorists on trial in Detroit talked of destroying Las Vegas, the "city of Satan," according to testimony Wednesday.

Conviction in two killings upheld: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court Wednesday upheld the first-degree murder conviction of Jason Taylor, who was found guilty of killing two people in a dispute over a set of tire rims in Las Vegas.

Judge rejects request to back out of guilty plea: Erica D. Johnson; A man who pleaded guilty to killing a Henderson teen five years ago lost his battle Wednesday to back out of his plea agreement.

Reduced number of regents advances: Jennifer Knight; The Assembly Education Committee cleared the way for some substantial changes to higher education Wednesday by voting to reduce the size of the Board of Regents, stop the release of student information without prior permission and ease the path for the Community College of Southern Nevada to grant four-year degrees.

Officer fires, misses suspect: The officer, responding to a call of a fight with gunfire, found a Ford Explorer with three men inside. The men fled on foot with the officer in pursuit, Metro Homicide Lt. Tom Monahan said.

Legislative briefs for April 10, 2003: The Assembly unanimously approved a bill Wednesday that would allow the Clark County School District to replace 10 old schools using money from the district's capital funds.

Man found guilty in slaying of elderly Las Vegas woman: Erica D. Johnson; Jurors in District Court returned a guilty verdict Wednesday in the capital murder trial of a man charged in the killing of an elderly Las Vegas woman nearly four years ago.

Editorial: A cure for addiction to brands: Senate Bill 387, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Dina Titus, affects prescriptions that doctors write for brand-name drugs. If a government agency is paying for the drug, the bill would mandate that pharmacists substitute the least expensive generic drug available. The bill makes it clear that the substitute must contain the identical active ingredient and that the recipient be informed of the substitution. This could save the state millions, as the average cost of a brand-name drug is almost four times higher than that of a generic drug.

Defeat of racial-profiling bill criticized: CARSON CITY -- The defeat of a racial profiling bill by the Senate Government Affairs Committee was criticized Wednesday by the president of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, who said it could lead to the possibility of violence between police and minorities.

Panel kills Nevada time-share gambling bill: AP; Judiciary Committee members discussed various amendments that could have tightened SB104, by Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas. But finally, on a motion to approve the bill, it got only three favorable votes.

Bill OK'd to extend usage of children's car-seats: CARSON CITY -- A bill requiring more children to be placed in safety restraints in cars and toughening the penalty for failing to do so has passed the Senate.

Panel approves tougher Millennium Scholarship rules: CARSON CITY -- Future students would have to achieve higher standards to qualify for and keep the $10,000 Millennium Scholarship under a bill approved Wednesday by a Senate committee.