Print edition for April 16, 2003

Pay those who lost loved ones: When this mess in Iraq is over and the country is back on its feet again, Iraq should be made to compensate every American family that lost a loved one to the tune of $1 million, and half of that amount to wounded service people. The same for the British servicemen.

Editorial: Diversity in housing is a must: The individual success stories of people rising from the projects and becoming successful on their own were numerous. But that image could not prevail as housing projects across the country became dilapidated and high incidences of crime, drugs and gangs stigmatized nearly everyone living in them. In 1992 Congress committed itself to undoing what it had wrought and created the Congressional Commission on Severely Distressed Public Housing. Out of this commission came a program known as HOPE VI.

Van Loveren Papillon N/V Brut: Max Jacobson; The Van Loveren estate is located approximately 100 miles west of Capetown, in the world-class wine region known as the Western cape. The estate is known for an excellent range of white varietals such as chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, but it also produces dessert wines, and this delicious sparkling wine, a fruity wine with a delightful bouquet of peaches and apples. It is 35 percent sauvignon blanc, 75 percent French Colombard. Expect it to mature a bit for the next two to three years. It's delicious as an aperitif, and a fine value.

Minnesota juco star set to sign with UNLV: Steve Guiremand; Andy Hannan could have taken a recruiting trip to two-time defending Big Ten champion Wisconsin. Final Four participant Marquette called to see if he was interested.

Community news briefs for April 16, 2003: Silver Mesa Recreation Center, 4025 Allen Lane, North Las Vegas, will hold an Easter carnival from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday for children ages 3-10.

Obituaries for April 16, 2003: Chris Allen Adams, 47, of Las Vegas died Friday in Las Vegas. He was born Feb. 4, 1956, in Ohio. A resident for four years, he was a lithographer.

Renaming peak to honor slain soldier proving difficult: AP; Gov. Janet Napolitano says she wants to honor Army Pfc. Lori Piestewa, a Hopi from northeastern Arizona who was the first military servicewoman to die in the war. The plan would also settle complaints about Phoenix's Squaw Peak, a name many Indians find offensive.

Columnist Peter Benton: LVCC president wins his own Cup event: Peter Benton; I am certainly not inferring that last week's President's Cup Tournament at the Las Vegas Country Club was rigged, or that everyone laid down so that Dave Smith could be crowned men's overall champion.

Passing the Test: Let all who are hungry come in and eat, let all who are needy come and make Passover from the Haggadah, the book used at the Seder service at Passover.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Mark that special time with a tiara: The head that wears the crown could be yours. No kidding. Mikimoto Pearls has come up with a lovely idea designed specifically for brides on their wedding days, but it certainly applies to any woman who wants to mark a special occasion.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Master chefs show magic at fund-raising gala: Elizabeth Foyt; Celebrating its 13th year, Chefs for Kids is both a well-recognized community effort and a notable culinary event.

Where are the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction?: If Bush is so certain of their existence, why does he not tell Gen. Tommy Franks where they are and not rely on serendipity to run across them to make his point?

Concerning the right to speak out: And, while Owens writes that Americans cannot speak out against President Bush without being accused of aiding the enemy, it also seems to me that he just did that very thing.

Ex-regulators working for Internet gambling: Laurence Arnold; WASHINGTON -- For five years, they helped New Jersey enforce its laws on gambling at Atlantic City casinos.

Nevada policy on exit fees appealed: Kevin Rademacher; The state Bureau of Consumer Protection Tuesday filed a challenge of the Public Utilities Commission's decision to allow nine major electricity users to leave the Nevada Power Co. system without paying exit fees in most cases.

Cabbie website controversy diffused with password addition: A controversial Internet site that was a potential battleground for a First Amendment fight pitting taxi drivers against cab company owners has been removed from public display, satisfying members of the Taxicab Authority of Nevada who were worried that the site's coarse language would put Las Vegas in a bad light.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Presley (Lisa Marie) a hit in Las Vegas: To Whom It May Concern: Lisa Marie Presley is starting to follow in her famous father's footsteps when it comes to selling records.

Yourbet.com - Revenue improves: The firm is finally changing its financial direction, experts say. For the quarter ended Dec. 31, the company reported a loss of $1.4 million, equal to 2 cents a share, down from a loss of $5.5 million, or 28 cents in the comparable period a year ago.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: LVMS' Powell: Rumors about IRL race premature: Despite rumors and Internet reports to the contrary, Las Vegas Motor Speedway does not have an agreement to stage an Indy Racing League event in 2004, track general manager Chris Powell said.

Official: Tax hike wouldn't reduce value of license: By Liz Benston; The expected auction of a casino license in Illinois will still attract a great deal of interest from the casino industry nationwide even if a proposed gaming tax increase in that state goes into effect, a government staffer said.

Henderson man jailed in Arizona: Henderson Police had been searching for Daniel Myrick since last week. He was arrested Tuesday in Prescott, Ariz., by the Prescott Police Department and is awaiting extradition to Nevada.

Nevada last in smallpox vaccinations: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Nevada is last on a list of states ranked by the number of emergency workers who have been immunized for smallpox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Man arrested after deadly traffic rampage: A man who police say has a history of drunken driving killed a man and left a trail of damage through Las Vegas Tuesday afternoon, Metro Police said.

More than 250 bills fall victims to first deadline: CARSON CITY -- Schoolteachers are not going to get the right to strike, pro-life advocates won't have their own vehicle license plates and state legislators won't be able to draw both salary and a state pension.

Sting prompts search for LV child sex victims: Police in three states are investigating whether a British man arrested in Mesa, Ariz., may have molested children in Las Vegas and San Francisco.

County working on rules to fight disease outbreaks: About Legionnaire's Disease

Boulder City news briefs for April 16, 2003: The Boulder City Council is expected to vote next week on whether to let a nonprofit group build and operate a radio-controlled model aircraft field on 3.4 acres of city-owned property near the city landfill.

Vehicle sales, profit increase: Ford earned $896 million, or 45 cents a share, in the January-March period, compared with a loss of $1.1 billion, or 61 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Revenue rose to $41 billion from $39.6 billion as vehicle sales rose 3 percent.

MGM MIRAGE profit slips on casino weakness: By Liz Benston; First-quarter profit fell at MGM MIRAGE, in part due to lower casino revenue as the company failed to win as much from gamblers at the tables than expected. Still, the company today reported gains in non-gambling revenue as customers spent more money on food, shopping and entertainment.

County cuts child-care center rating program, but helps public defender: The Clark County Commission voted Tuesday to cut a program that rated child-care centers, instead directing those resources toward the understaffed public defender's office and the child-care licensing program.

Hospital operator's shares drop on earnings warning: Shares of HCA dropped 20 percent to a new 52-week low of $28.90 Tuesday on the news.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Golfers on the LPGA Tour enjoy spoils of their sport: Dean Juipe; The course is in beautiful shape and the players are like a traveling fashion show, arrayed in sparkling colors and form-fitting clothes.

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

Rapid growth continues to shape 'city of destiny': By Ed Koch; A schedule of upcoming events celebrating the 50th anniversary of Henderson:

Henderson Council news briefs for April 16, 2003: While handbill laws in neighboring jurisdictions have caused a stir in the past, Henderson is set to go without handbill regulations for several months.

Palace Station slot ambassador arrested, sued: Sun Staff; Scott Redd, a distant relative of gaming equipment pioneer and casino owner Si Redd, was terminated after an investigation and audit conducted by Palace Station and the Nevada Gaming Control Board revealed Redd had allegedly processed up to 100 improper fill transactions each month between May 2002 and January 2003, the lawsuit said.

Henderson makes primary results official; no changes: The Henderson elections for two council seats and a municipal judge position ended in the primary. The judge's race had only two candidates, while in the council elections, both victors received more than 50 percent of the vote, which meant they were automatically declared the winners.

Legislative news briefs for April 16, 2003: A bill expanding to all counties the prohibition for minors to ride in the back of a pickup truck was approved by the Senate Transportation Committee Tuesday.

Pupo pitches Rebels to nonconference win: Giovanni Pupo (3-0) earned the win for the Rebels (29-11). He threw six innings, giving up one run on three hits with five strikeouts.

GV Ranch Casino executive resigns to join Aladdin bidder: Kevin Rademacher; Michael Mecca has resigned as general manager of Green Valley Ranch Station Casino in Henderson to run the proposed Planet Hollywood Casino at what is now the bankrupt Aladdin Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

Subsidies for tenants in trailer parks not properly allocated: CARSON CITY -- The state Manufactured Housing Division violated its own rules in allocating rent subsidy money to people who live in trailer parks, a legislative audit said Tuesday.

Beavers hold off 51s in Ore.: The 51s were being shut out through six innings, but they plated a run in the seventh against starting and winning pitcher Carlton Loewer (3-0) and an unearned run in the ninth against reliever Cliff Bartosh, who earned his first save.

Henderson land deal stripped from war bill: The provision, which Nevada senators had quietly slipped into the $78.5 billion war bill, required the BLM to produce a report about its intentions for about 980 acres of land that the Lake Las Vegas resort developers have long been trying to obtain. The land was originally part of a land swap talks between developer Transcontinental Corp. and the BLM, the federal agency that manages much of Nevada's public land.

Violations found in probe of LV lender: Kevin Rademacher; Vestin Mortgage Co. and Del Mar Mortgage Co., both controlled by real estate financier Michael Shustek, have been accused by the state Financial Institutions Division of misconduct in dealings with developer Howard Bulloch.

Senate passes measure detailing public administrator qualifications: The bill requires public administrators in Clark and Washoe counties to have a college degree in accounting, finance, business or public administration; have graduated from law school; or have at least three years of full-time work experience in the field of wills, trusts, estate, probate law or creditors' claims.

Closing arguments heard in slaying trial: Erica D. Johnson; Attorneys prosecuting Vitaly Zakouto detailed for jurors the recipe for disaster they say culminated in the slaying of the man's estranged wife two years ago.

Las Vegas news briefs April 16, 2003: A 22-year-old man was shot and killed about 11 p.m. Tuesday in an apartment in the 2200 block of North Rancho Drive, Metro Police said.

Reid speaks to Nellis troops: Jace Radke; Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., told a group of about 100 Nellis Air Force Base personnel Tuesday that he considers North Korea to be a greater threat to the United States than Iraq was.

History of Henderson: By Sun Staff; 1932 - Jericho Heights, which also is known as Pittman -- bounded by what today is Sunset Road to the North, Moser Street to the East, Merlayne Street to the South and Ward Drive to the West -- becomes Midway City. The Duck Creek School District, Henderson's first, is formed on March 28.

Reid amasses $2.1 million war chest: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., has nearly five times the campaign money as possible challenger Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., according to first-quarter reports filed Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission.

Governor not giving up on gambling proposal: Governor not giving up on gambling proposal

Consumer prices rise modestly: The increase reported for March in the Consumer Price Index, the government's most closely watched inflation barometer, was half the size of the 0.6 percent jump registered in February, the Labor Department reported today.

Columnist Jeff German: Red Rock deal raises ethics issue: As she stood with other protesters outside the courthouse Tuesday, Lisa Mayo-DeRiso carried a sign that read, "Political Manipulation vs. Democratic Process."

Assembly approves schools' $71 million supplemental fund: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- The Assembly approved supplemental funding for local schools Tuesday, knowing that the $71 million contained in the bill may change in the coming weeks.

Assembly allows schools to open libraries to public: CARSON CITY -- Local school boards could decide whether to allow public access of school libraries, under a bill that passed the Assembly on Tuesday.

Thursday's LPGA tee times: First tee

Judge: It's too soon for Rhodes' suit on James: Launce Rake and
Erica D. Johnson; A district judge on Tuesday denied a local developer's request to prevent a Clark County commissioner from acting on an ordinance to restrict development near Red Rock Canyon.

Raggio raps prison official, then food funding is restored: CARSON CITY -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, delivered a severe dressing down to state prison officials Tuesday but then voted to restore $750,000 to their budget to cover additional costs costs of inmate food.

Sorenstam: new poster girl for Tour: A provocative 1978 poster of Jan Stephenson lying in a bathtub of golf balls led to a $125,000 layout offer from Playboy magazine, which she politely declined.

Army general: War will be a long campaign: Dan Kulin; The United States' war against terrorism is "a marathon, not a sprint," which started in Afghanistan, moved to Iraq and will continue until terrorists are no longer capable of carrying out an attack similar to Sept. 11, a top Army general said Tuesday.

Some notable figures in Henderson's history: SELMA BARTLETT - A banker for 55 years, 48 in Henderson, she once told the Las Vegas Sun that because she had no children she had always looked upon Henderson as her child. First at Nevada State Bank, later at First Interstate Bank and now as a senior vice president at BankWest, Bartlett has helped finance hundreds of millions of dollars of Henderson's growth. She also is a trustee for the Nevada State College at Henderson.

Bill allows Metro to seek own bond sale: Senate Bill 334, sponsored by Warren Hardy, R-Henderson, allows Metro Police to seek a bond measure without first getting legislative approval. Metro Lt. Stan Olsen said Metro will still have to go to Metro's Fiscal Affairs Committee, the Las Vegas City Council, the Clark County Commission and the Debt Management Committee before any measure is placed before voters.