Print edition for August 18, 2003

Hearing coincides with homeland security exercise: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- The focus in Las Vegas this week is homeland security.

Environmental assessment set: The Bad River and St. Croix bands of the Lake Superior Chippewa proposed the casino just west of Interstate 90 near the city's wastewater treatment plant.

Editorial: Back to school -- with creative flair: Sun reporter Emily Richmond, reporting about the innovations, found students who couldn't wait for school to begin. For this we give the district's "bureaucrats" a lot of credit.

Young broadcasters tout Games: The announcements promote the Inner-City Games goal to provide after-school programming and the Clark County Reads Literacy program.

Tattoo parlor set for Las Vegas casino: The idea was crafted by Palms owner George Maloof, motorcross rider Carey Hart and Las Vegas nightclub promoter John Huntington.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Nonclub possesses star power: So the Boulder City resident has started a club that isn't a club for people who share his passion for gazing at stars.

Highs and lows: A top-to-bottom ranking of area roller coasters: Kirk Baird; At least, some of them.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: 'Stabilization' next step for 'Zumanity': As VegasBeat reported Friday, the audience's reaction after Thursday's opening-night show was generally unenthusiastic, to put it kindly.

Buses run to AC casinos again: John Curran; ATLANTIC CITY -- Buses ferrying New York City-area gamblers to and from casinos were back in business Friday, a day after the blackout canceled some service, stranding many people.

Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Sun Lite for August 18, 2003: Lisa Ferguson; At this time next week, school bells throughout the land will be clanging, marking the end of summer vacation and ushering students back to the books.

Falcons like their Chance: Steve Guiremand; MWC PREVIEWS

Sports news briefs for August 18, 2003: Carolina Panthers linebacker Mark Fields has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease and will miss the entire season, the team said Sunday.

Vegas hotel room tax collections at issue: In Business Las Vegas, a sister newspaper to the Las Vegas Sun, reported officials are trying to determine if Internet companies like Hotels.com that buy and re-sell thousands of room nights a year should be paying more taxes.

Tourist's death on Strip worries county: Mary Manning and Ed Koch; Clark County has neither the manpower nor the money to check the thousands of utility boxes similar to the one that apparently electrocuted a woman this weekend, a Public Works Department official said today.

Editorial: No denying this conflict of interest: Deane argues that she foresaw major problems with the Virginia company and acted in the best interests of the taxpayers. She was concerned, she told Sun reporter Launce Rake, with the ultimate cost of the new computer system. She also argued, inexplicably, that the new system would not provide the public with access to the office's real estate and other records through the Internet. Yet establishing Internet access for the public was one of the main benefits of the contract.

Letter: NDOT sorry for inconvenience during project: Prior to any future demolition, the department will make every effort to notify adjacent residents.

Jackson steps in to carry load in scrimmage: Steve Guiremand; Standing 5-foot-7 and weighing just 175 pounds, Erick Jackson sometimes gets confused for UNLV's other Smurfish tailback, 5-foot-6, 165-pound Dominique Dorsey.

Some regents want vote on student fees reconsidered: CARSON CITY -- UNLV won approval last week to raise student fees to finance the expansion of the Moyer Student Union and to construct a recreation center -- but some officials say that decision could be overturned.

LV's Schwikert has rough night: Although she posted a team-high score of 9.350 in the vault, Schwikert, a native Las Vegan and 2000 Olympian, failed to top 9.00 in the uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise during qualifying at the World Gymnastics Championships at the Arrowhead Pond Sunday night.

Las Vegas to consider creation of energy-efficient animal shelter: The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday will consider a contract with Clark County and North Las Vegas that will pave the way for turning the Animal Foundation of Nevada's shelter into a sprawling, energy-efficient regional animal center.

Nevada picked to assess higher education: Jennifer Knight; College students who think they got away from assessment tests when they graduated from high school should think again.

Immigrants in abusive homes often live in fear: By Timothy Pratt; For longer than Samantha wants to remember, she didn't want to go home because she would be hit. But the 30-year-old mother of three also couldn't go to the police because her husband said he would send her back to Mexico, which hadn't been her home since she was a teenager.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Another Las Vegan comes up short at PGA: Dean Juipe; The big crowd around the bowl-shaped 13th green gasped as Chad Campbell's incoming shot took a short hop over the edge of the flag-stick-protected cup and came to rest 2 feet past the hole. A moment later Campbell capitalized on the energized setting by sinking a birdie putt that moved him within a stroke of leader Shaun Micheel.

Unions to rally on two issues: Culinary Workers Union Local 226, which is escalating its campaign to win representation at the Aladdin and the American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, which is seeking support against President Bush's efforts to privatize some government offices, plan a joint rally at 5 p.m.

Station, partner looking for backup Indian casino site: ROHNERT PARK, Calif. -- After meeting stiff community resistance to its new casino and hotel plans, a tribe is considering backup sites near Rohnert Park, according to city officials.

Letter: Harrah's CEO omitted tax facts: He gives various information, but only enough to produce a smoke-screen effect. He tells us that the hotel, casino and resort industry has a 4 percent profit margin, but he doesn't tell us if that is that is in Nevada, in the United States or worldwide. It's a good bet that he doesn't want us to know what it is in Nevada.

Four-day weeks work in suburbs: Dan Kulin; Twenty years ago Henderson city officials were faced with a dilemma: The city's union employees were owed a 5 percent pay raise but there wasn't enough money in the budget.

U.S. 95 work won't be kept secret: The Nevada Department of Transportation is changing its policy and will inform people who live near the U.S. 95 widening project when demolition is imminent.

Birth announcements for August 18, 2003: Aug. 6:

No protests expected on contract: Protests that generally accompany Animal Foundation of Nevada matters before government bodies are not expected for Wednesday's Las Vegas City Council decision on a contract for the organization's regional shelter, an outspoken critic of the foundation says.

Scholarship rules up to lawmakers: CARSON CITY -- Relying on the advice of their attorney, the Board of Regents last week declined to change the policy that allows undocumented aliens to qualify for Millennium Scholarships.

Romano: 51s' 'yo-yo' man: Nick Christensen; Jason Romano knows I-15 very well.

Mortgage lender closes, leaves borrowers in limbo: SAN FRANCISCO -- Mid-sized lender Capitol Commerce Mortgage abruptly closed Friday, stranding hundreds of prospective borrowers who had been counting on the firm to finance home purchases and refinancings at low rates that are no longer available.

Two wounded in shooting that ends in fiery auto crash: One man was in critical condition and another was in serious condition at University Medical Center after a shooting that ended with a fiery crash at Cheyenne Avenue and Lamb Boulevard Sunday night, Metro Police said.

Girl killed in fire identified: The fire occurred at about 3:30 a.m. when the bedroom of the girl's northeast Las Vegas home was engulfed in flames and smoke.

News briefs for August 18, 2003: A 6-year-old girl drowned in the swimming pool at the Flamingo hotel Friday night.

Residents to get notice on U.S. 95 work: The Nevada Department of Transportation is changing its policy and will inform people who live near the U.S. 95 widening project when demolition is imminent.

Fed appeals court won't hear Fremont Street Experience case: Las Vegas filed the appeal in July. Mayor Oscar Goodman said when the final ruling is made the issue will come down to whether the Fremont Street Experience is a public entity or a private entity.

Obituaries for August 18, 2003: Ada Marie Cunningham, 75, of Las Vegas died Thursday in Las Vegas. She was born Sept. 21, 1927, in Westby, Mont. A resident for 48 years, she was a secretary for the Clark County School District.

MDA gives out achievement honor: Smith, 52, of Boulder City was selected for the honor because of her history of advocacy.

Recorder will not manage computer program: The Clark County recorder, at her own request, will no longer be the manager of a program to computerize the office's millions of documents.

Retailer in pact with RealNetworks: The deal, which unites traditional sales with the fledgling Internet business of digital music, boosts competition among companies racing to distinguish themselves in the market for legally downloading songs and albums over the Internet.

Chain's profit jumps 28%: The Wilkesboro, N.C.-based company reported a profit of $597 million for the quarter ended Aug. 1, a 27.8 percent increase over the same period a year ago when its the profit was $467 million.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Stevens takes wild ride at Arlington: Ralph Siraco; While filming the movie "Seabiscuit," jockey Gary Stevens would keep the interest in his day job by scooting off to the racetrack when his schedule permitted. After all, Stevens knew he would return to the saddle full time after shooting the flick.