Print edition for April 28, 2003

Former cop indicted on drug charges: Erica D. Johnson; A former North Las Vegas police officer who pleaded guilty two years ago to coercion was indicted Friday on multiple drug charges.

Three who found fault with Yucca procedures reassigned: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The treatment of three members of a Yucca Mountain review team who were removed from their audit jobs after they found project flaws is part of an old and troubling trend, Yucca critics and observers said.

Agassi wins Clay Court title, becomes No. 1: Agassi, who will be 33 on Tuesday, rallied to beat 20-year-old Roddick 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday in the final of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston.

Officials oppose casino plan: But local government officials said the casino 50 miles northeast of San Francisco is in the wrong place. It's proposed by the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria and Stations Casinos Inc. of Las Vegas.

Sun's Grove wins major journalism award: Grove's coverage of the battle in Washington last year over the proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain won him a first prize in the contest's Washington correspondence category.

Horrocks' wife indicted in election case: Erica D. Johnson; The wife of a local bar owner was indicted Friday on charges that she helped her husband file fraudulent votes in the Assembly District 37 election.

Consensus on business tax plan is elusive: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Among the first of many possible changes to the proposed gross receipts tax on Nevada businesses could be an alteration of the name to sweeten public dialogue.

SARS hurting Chinese market targeted by Adelson, Wynn: The SARS virus is taking a whopping bite out of the tourism industry in the Chinese city of Macau, but the region's top gaming administrator and U.S.-based gaming analysts say the outbreak isn't a problem yet for Las Vegas companies building casinos there.

Official denies reports of casino land purchase: But Flatley -- who has been eyeing Las Vegas for years as the site for a potential resort -- is in "serious negotiations" to buy property in Las Vegas, said Jack Wishna, a Las Vegas-based dealmaker who is helping Flatley with the proposal.

Firm may make rival offer: Richard Alter, managing director of Financial Capital, which owns the Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, said the company wants to outbid a proposal by a Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. venture to turn the Aladdin into a Planet Hollywood casino and a Sheraton hotel, the newspaper reported.

Dawkins on the way back from .109: Nick Christensen; Gookie Dawkins knows all about averages.

Gladiators top Detroit: Adam Candee; Damon Mason lacked only the plaid flannel shirt and woolen hat.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Small crowd comes to watch, but Arena League is staying: Dean Juipe; Aided by this past weekend's NFL draft, it almost seemed like football season again.

Regents study higher pay for officials: Jennifer Knight; University officials began struggling last week with the question of how to attract -- and pay -- top-notch university administrators.

Probe of Marine could take weeks: Jace Radke; An investigation into whether a Las Vegas Marine reservist committed war crimes probably won't be completed for a number of weeks, according to a spokesman with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Let's talk twin spires, juleps to start Derby week: Ralph Siraco; It's Derby fever time.

Busch picks up win in the West: FONTANA, Calif. -- NASCAR team owner Jack Roush took a risk when he put 22-year-old Kurt Busch in a Winston Cup car at the end of the 2000 season after only one year in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

After last year's rough ride, 2003 River Run rolls along: LAUGHLIN -- At last year's Laughlin River Run, Sandra Hook of Vista, Calif., was staying at Harrah's Laughlin when shooting broke out in the casino and three outlaw bikers were killed.

Undrafted Thomas will try to catch on with Jets: Steve Guiremand; It was a little more than four years ago that Jason Thomas made headlines when he decided to transfer from USC to UNLV.

Obituaries for April 28, 2003: Angelo P. Anania, 53, of Las Vegas died Sunday in a local hospital. He was born Dec. 22, 1949, in Des Moines, Iowa. A resident for 15 years, he was a former restaurant worker.

News briefs for April 28, 2003: The last week of April began on a blustery note with winds between 20 mph and 30 mph today and cooler temperatures, a National Weather Service meteorologist said.

Nichols' ex-wife will reluctantly testify in Okla. bombing trial: Erica D. Johnson; A Clark County judge on Friday issued an order for the ex-wife of convicted Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols that will guarantee her testimony in his state court proceedings.

State eyes tax on Internet sales: He introduced Senate Bill 314 Friday to have the state Taxation Department to study how much tax the state could generate from Internet sales.

Company expanding to Vegas: The Oakhurst, Calif.-based company will open the office at 302 E. Carson St. today, during the Networld+Interop convention, said OptiGate spokeswoman Mary Luciano.

Firm settles in debit-card case: No terms were disclosed. Visa USA Inc, the world's largest credit-card issuer and a co-defendant, did not settle. Retailers sued Visa and MasterCard for forcing them to accept higher-fee debit cards that require signatures as a condition of taking the two companies' credit cards.

Wallace still can't get to Victory Lane: FONTANA, Calif. -- Rusty Wallace's winless streak stretched to 72 races but the veteran Winston Cup driver wasn't dissatisfied with his run Sunday in the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway.

Increases approved for mental health: CARSON CITY -- A $28.5 million increase in spending for mental health care in Southern Nevada was approved today by a Senate-Assembly budget subcommittee, including starting a mobile crisis unit to handle emergency room patients.

Song announces flight between Orlando, LV: Song announces flight between Orlando, LV

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: For good mental health, keep reading: Ever rent "Notting Hill" and pretend what life would be like if it were you who had a chance meeting with Julia Roberts, then started to go out with her, instead of Hugh Grant?

Birth announcements for April 28, 2003: April 11:

State building woes prompt legal concerns: CARSON CITY -- Tiles falling off the outside of the Sawyer State Office Building in Las Vegas pose a danger to employees and the general public, a legislative budget committee was told Friday. It was the same warning that state lawmakers had been given on Jan. 21.

New financing for buildings proposed: CARSON CITY -- The state spends more than $22.6 million a year in leasing private office space for its agencies scattered throughout Nevada.

Letter: Woods should stop pontificating: First, there are some people who do like war and are assertive as long as they're not the ones "in the trenches." Second, support for our service men and women does not equate to support for the policy decision to go to war. Our military people are only an instrument of policy. Though they're the ones who sacrifice, they're not the ones who decide whether or not to go to war.

Guinn signs measure on election reform: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn signed a bill Friday to allow the state to accept $5 million from the federal government to start complying with the new national voters act.

Guest columnists Jim Gibbons and Jon Porter: Bill provides energy, protects environment: Jim Gibbons and Jon Porter; Republicans Jim Gibbons and Jon Porter are two of Nevada's three members in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Chowning seeks fireworks controls: CARSON CITY -- Assemblywoman Vonne Chowning, D-North Las Vegas, says she can't enjoy the Fourth of July anymore.

Service set for dancer Atkins: Atkins, whose birth name was Charles Atkinson, died April 19 in Las Vegas of pancreatic cancer. He was 89 and a Las Vegas resident of 28 years.

Letter: It's a shame that smokers have no conscience: I really don't give a hoot about smokers being inconvenienced!

Longtime Strip hotel worker Bader dies at 72: He was 72.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Working out water rights the fair way: The man driving a huge John Deere on an alfalfa field on the Moapa Paiute Band Indian Reservation plowed perfectly straight diagonal channels, backing to the start of each row with seeming ease. He climbed down from his cab to talk and hadn't even broken a sweat.

Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Sun Lite for April 28, 2003: Lisa Ferguson; Feeling lucky? Let's hope so: There are a slew of wacky contests out there just waiting to be won. To land the prizes, some require a bit of talent;

Editorial: Senator has forsaken a right to leadership: Santorum continued in this vein for some time, piling one insensitive remark onto another. Santorum has the right to speak his mind and people have a right to be offended. We join with those who are saying his remarks were so offensive that he has forsaken the right to hang on to his leadership position within the Republican Party. He is chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, the No. 3 position. If Santorum does not step down willingly, the Republican Party should force him to do so. The Republicans realized the message they would be sending if they kept Sen. ...

Review: D.M.C.'s visit enlivens Beastie Boys' benefit: Spencer Patterson; The Beastie Boys headlined the first "Jam Master Jay Benefit" Friday night, but an unannounced visit by one of the men famous for rapping over the slain DJ's turntable rhythms helped make the event a success.

Editorial: One design doesn't fit all schools: Because of the high incidences of criminal activity in the area of the school, as affirmed by Metro Police records, parents and students pleaded with the School Board last week for changes to the building's design. Booker is soon to be rebuilt, using money from a bond issue approved by voters in 1998. A task force of area residents and school officials recommended a departure from the school district's normal template for elementary school designs. The parents and students asked the board to adopt the recommendation.

Screen Savers: Superheroes making profitable leap from comic books to movies: Kirk Baird; That's the combined box-office take of the 10 highest-grossing comic-book movies.

McDonald camp files election complaints: Judy Odierna; Allegations of deception, illegal mailings and under-reporting of expenditures have been filed with the secretary of state's office against two challengers to incumbent Michael McDonald in the city's Ward 1 council race.