Las Vegas Sun

Archive for April 30, 2003

News briefs for April 30, 2003: A maintenance worker found a man dead about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in an apartment in the 700 block of Carson Avenue in downtown Las Vegas, an apparent victim of a homicide, Metro Police said.; 11:20 a.m.

Hong Kong-LV flights scrapped: The airline said last month that it had temporarily scrapped its twice-a-week round trips to and from Hong Kong in April in response to reduced demand resulting from the war in Iraq and the outbreak ...; 11:19 a.m.

Lawn-watering restrictions to take effect on Thursday: In North Las Vegas watering will be prohibited from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; 11:13 a.m.

Sun City-Summerlin vows to keep fountains running: Although Las Vegas water agencies have been asking businesses to cut back the use of ornamental fountains because of extreme drought, Sun City-Summerlin will keep the water flowing.; 11:13 a.m.

Increase in water rates urged: Water rates for about a million consumers in Las Vegas and unincorporated parts of Clark County could soon be going up by as much as 30 percent or more under recommendations passed by a citizens ...; 11:12 a.m.

Shearing to retire from state high court: CARSON CITY -- Justice Miriam Shearing, the first woman elected to the Nevada Supreme Court, said today she would not run for re-election next year.; 11:12 a.m.

Detroit agent says LV knew of threat: DETROIT -- The leader of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force in Detroit said he visited Las Vegas four weeks before the start of a trial of four men accused of acting as a sleeper ...; 11:11 a.m.

Citibank chief says he'll support gross receipts tax: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- The president of Citibank in Nevada wrote to Gov. Kenny Guinn on Tuesday to pledge support for the gross receipts tax, provided his bank can be a part of discussions on proposed ...; 11:11 a.m.

War distraction cuts into Station Casinos' revenue: By Liz Benston; Station Casinos Inc. today reported a decline in first-quarter revenue as business was temporarily disrupted by the war in Iraq. But profits were up as business rebounded as the conflict ended, the company said.; 11:11 a.m.

Colleges see budget OK as victory: Jennifer Knight and Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- University officials are viewing Tuesday's tentative budget approval as a victory for college students in Nevada.; 11:05 a.m.

Tech industry focusing on customers, justifying costs: Kevin Rademacher; Amid a weak economy, customers are running the show.; 11:04 a.m.

Tech convention attendance drops 10,000 from 2002: Kevin Rademacher; Barring a last-minute rush, the NetWorld+Interop technology convention in Las Vegas this week will fall well short of the 40,000 attendees at last year's event.; 11:03 a.m.

Columnist Jeff German: All's well at senior apartments: It happened this week as the writer of this space looked into the plight of Judith Lance, an 87-year-old Army veteran and former entertainer who faced eviction from her Carefree Spring Valley apartment.; 11:02 a.m.

Ensign, Boxer fighting options proposal: WASHINGTON -- Sens. John Ensign and Barbara Boxer said they will offer a bill that would delay for three years a requirement that companies list stock options as an expense.; 11:01 a.m.

Red Rock flap prompts call for ethics revival: Ed Koch and Launce Rake; Two Clark County commissioners are calling for the revival of the Ethics Task Force in the wake of a controversy over conflict claims affecting a proposed development near Red Rock Canyon.; 11:00 a.m.

Rampage on Rainbow leads to 11 wrecks, three injuries: Dan Kulin; The 19-year-old man who wrecked 11 vehicles while pinballing down Rainbow Boulevard in stolen vehicles said he had just stopped taking medication for mental illness, was on PCP and talking to Jesus, police said.; 11:00 a.m.

Coffin defends proposal to allow meetings in Las Vegas: CARSON CITY -- Some Carson City officials fear Las Vegas is trying to steal the state capital through a proposed constitutional amendment.; 10:52 a.m.

Bill paves way for Metro bond issues: Senate Bill 334, which passed the Assembly 41-0 with Ron Knecht, R-Carson City, absent, allows Metro to seek approval from its local governing bodies to put an issue on the ballot. Legislative approval is required ...; 10:52 a.m.

Santa Fe Station under investigation: The state's Regulation 6A rules apply to all Nevada casinos and are similar to federal rules requiring casinos in other states to track cash transactions that could become vehicles for laundering money.; 10:43 a.m.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Arnaz not having a ball with biopic: Take, for example, longtime Boulder City resident Desi Arnaz Jr. -- the offspring of probably the most famous entertainment couple of the 20th century, Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball.; 10:42 a.m.

Park Place to pay fine for currency violations: By Liz Benston; Park Place Entertainment Corp. has agreed to pay a fine of $75,000 to settle a complaint by the state Gaming Control Board that employees deliberately avoided filing required financial information with the federal government to ...; 10:42 a.m.

Ultimate detour: Tim Chambers coaxed the bus driver to steer the rig an hour south, down Route 139, to physically show his baseball players what had been only a vague image of their ultimate goal.; 10:04 a.m.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Robinson isn't pleased with softball: Dean Juipe; Notes today, leading off with one pertaining to UNLV softball coach Shan McDonald that could be interpreted as either a vote of confidence or, conversely, as a warning.; 10:04 a.m.

Basic grad Latham joins Japanese team: Latham, 29, was designated for assignment by the Yankees on April 21 after going 2-for-2 with three runs scored in his first season with New York. He was guaranteed $400,000 by the Yankees, and Kyodo ...; 10:01 a.m.

UNLV pitcher given Mountain West award: Making her first start since suffering a broken nose two weeks ago, Kerrigan threw a four-hit shutout against league-leading San Diego State, snapping the Aztecs' 13-game winning streak and perfect conference record. The victory was ...; 10:00 a.m.

Southwest reports lower income for first quarter: Kevin Rademacher; Southwest Gas Corp. of Las Vegas on Tuesday announced first-quarter net income of $25.5 million, or 76 cents per share, missing wall Street estimates by 35 cents and making good on warnings of lower earnings ...; 9:55 a.m.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Robby Gordon, Andretti on same page for Indy 500: Robby Gordon and Michael Andretti set aside their differences long before Andretti hired Gordon last week to drive for injured Dario Franchitti in next month's Indianapolis 500.; 9:54 a.m.

Mother of molested teen wants prison time for priest: Erica D. Johnson; The mother of a teen molested by a Henderson priest took to the steps of the Clark County Courthouse on Tuesday in an effort to ensure that the priest, since defrocked, is sentenced to jail.; 9:54 a.m.

Greenspan optimistic: Greenspan said he continued to believe that the centerpiece of President Bush's tax plan, eliminating the double-taxation of stock dividends, would have long-term advantages for the economy.; 9:53 a.m.

Hospital operator discloses $1.5 billion share buyback plan: "We believe the repurchase of our stock at current price levels represents an excellent investment opportunity," said Jack Bovender Jr., HCA's chairman and chief executive.; 9:52 a.m.

Attendance figures don't tell the true story at Mack: Adam Candee; Gladiators' home attendance figures; 9:52 a.m.

Killer's apology doesn't impress slain dancer's dad: Erica D. Johnson; A Las Vegas father whose daughter was killed and buried in an Arizona desert five years ago received a letter of apology from his daughter's killer on Tuesday.; 9:50 a.m.

Rebels men using MWC event to prepare for NCAA title run: Moore to represent U.S. in Puerto Rico; 9:50 a.m.

Dotson gets four life terms in Bair killing: District Judge Michael Cherry handed down the sentence after jurors last week determined Dotson, 44, should spend the rest of his life in prison for a single count of first-degree murder in the death of ...; 9:49 a.m.

Columnist Peter Benton: Amateur tour plans debut in Las Vegas: Peter Benton; The American Amateur Golf Tour, now beginning its 18th season, is the oldest and largest amateur tour, playing in six different regions in more than 40 cities across the country. This year they will debut ...; 9:48 a.m.

Court clerk faces retraining after error over bail: Jen Lawson; Henderson officials are retraining a court clerk whom they said allowed a man accused of raping and torturing a woman to be released from jail after posting $2,300.; 9:47 a.m.

Prep Schedule: TODAY; 9:46 a.m.

Tuesday's prep results: Softball; 9:45 a.m.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Thursday's races at Hollywood Park: Thursday's card; 9:45 a.m.

Obituaries for April 30, 2003: Richard Banks, 82, of Las Vegas died Monday in a local hospital. He was born April 7, 1921, in Arkansas. A resident for 50 years, he was a casino porter.; 9:43 a.m.

Bill would to resolve tax dispute: The legislation, a compromise between lawmakers and casino operators, got unanimous approval from the House Ways and Means Committee and easily passed the House, 94-3, on Tuesday.; 9:34 a.m.

Gaming board official resigns amid controversy: Rafael Gutierrez resigned a couple of weeks after allegations arose that he had worked for two gambling machine suppliers and failed to disclose the ties to the Richardson administration.; 9:34 a.m.

Atlantic City Tropicana unveils 'Cash Contraption': John Curran; ATLANTIC CITY -- Rube Goldberg lives -- in spirit anyway.; 9:33 a.m.

Berkley seeks new Yucca probe: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., has asked for a federal probe of reports that three Yucca Mountain audit workers were reassigned to different duties after they documented flaws in project procedures.; 9:20 a.m.

Students match a previous science award: By Emily Richmond; It's official -- call it a dynasty.; 9:20 a.m.

Authorities search for cause of fire at Pahrump casino: Jace Radke; Fire officials and investigators continue to sift through the remains of a Pahrump casino after a Tuesday morning fire destroyed the popular locals spot.; 9:19 a.m.

Veterans, lawmakers say don't privatize vets home: CARSON CITY -- Military veterans told a Senate-Assembly budget subcommittee Tuesday that the state should continue to operate the Veterans Nursing Home in Boulder City rather than turning it over to a private company.; 9:13 a.m.

Hearing planned on Blue Diamond options: Assemblyman Mark Manendo, D-Las Vegas, has scheduled a Las Vegas hearing May 10 on a bill that would limit development options on Blue Diamond Hill.; 9:11 a.m.

Committee told tax will scare off sole proprietors: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Avon may not come calling if sole proprietors are included in the state's business license tax, a representative of direct sellers told lawmakers Tuesday.; 9:11 a.m.

Nevada's Amber Alert bill goes to governor: CARSON CITY -- The Senate has sent to Gov. Kenny Guinn a bill to allow the creation of a statewide Amber Alert system to help law enforcement find children who have been abducted.; 9:05 a.m.

Letter: Move to Iraq for freedom: My democratic voice hasn't been heard in this country since the Supreme Court ruled it irrelevant in Bush vs. Gore or since the president himself dismissed my anti-war voice as nothing more than a focus ...; 8:50 a.m.

Letter: Woods detractors tired of losing arguments: I'd match his patriotism, intelligence and worldliness with any of his detractors, any day.; 8:49 a.m.

Editorial: Wright strengthened our grasp of history: Journalists, students working on homework papers, authors, movie script writers -- anyone who needed information about Las Vegas' past -- turned to Wright. "For anybody coming to town to do a documentary, a book or ...; 8:49 a.m.

Editorial: 'Fair' is key in new plan for canyon: Jim Rhodes, a Las Vegas home developer who specializes in large tracts with high density, now owns the mine. He says he paid $54 million for it last month. His intense lobbying against a proposed ...; 8:48 a.m.

Student journalists honored: Stephanie Espinoza was named the best student journalist in the contest, which attracted 440 entries from 23 public and private schools throughout Clark County. The awards were to be presented today at the Clark County ...; 8:46 a.m.

Community briefs for April 30, 2003: Bishop Gorman High School and the Alumni Association will hold its ninth annual Wine Tasting and Silent Auction from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday at the Las Vegas Hilton.; 8:44 a.m.

Savvy wine buys: Albet I Noya Lignum '99: This wine is a blend of Cabernet (22 percent), Carignan (39 percent) and Garnacha (39 percent), a rich, lush wine with deep flavor. Drink now, or let it deepen for two or three years, at ...; 8:32 a.m.

Ripples from SARS scare felt in Las Vegas restaurants: Max Jacobson; At two of the largest Asian malls on Spring Mountain Road, the Center at Spring Mountain and the sprawling Chinatown Plaza Mall, there is business as usual, though not without major ripples.; 8:31 a.m.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Actor Bernsen gives boost to Earth Week activities: Elizabeth Foyt; Bernsen, appearing at an afternoon reception at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, is an ardent conservationist and environmental advocate. His speech to museum members and associates of Ducks Unlimited, the Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, ...; 8:30 a.m.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Spade's a winning hand at NM: Spade will autograph bottles of her Classic Pearls fragrance and visit with customers in celebration of the new products. This limited-edition spring beauty collection is a lighter version of her signature white floral scent.; 8:30 a.m.

Time to Vent: Convention gives ventriloquists a chance to converse: Bushy eyebrows, liver spots and baldness aside, his charm exceeds his curmudgeonly ways.; 8:29 a.m.

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