Print edition for February 3, 2003

Parties begin with Legislature back in town: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Legislature is in town -- let the parties and receptions begin.

Nevada system of taxes called worst: CARSON CITY -- Nevada's tax system is "regressive and dysfunctional" and is ranked dead last among the states, a national magazine says.

Woman dies in shooting: Jen Lawson; Metro Police detectives were investigating a shooting this morning that left a 37-year-old woman dead and two men injured in a parking lot at Maryland Parkway and Sahara Avenue.

Fight over stabbing victim's burial goes to judge: Jen Lawson; A probate judge will hear arguments Friday as to where 3-year-old homicide victim Kristyanna Cowan should be laid to rest, according to court documents.

Four bank branches in Las Vegas stores to close: Vons has 23 stores in the Las Vegas area, but only four have had the Safeway banks. Three banks at 820 S. Rampart Blvd., 625 Stephanie Street and 2511 Anthem Village have closed and a fourth at 1155 E. Twain Ave. is preparing to close.

Nevada tax system worst in U.S.: Cy Rya; CARSON CITY -- Nevada's tax system is "regressive and dysfunctional" and is ranked dead last among the states, a national magazine says.

Remedial classes may be dropped at universities: Regent Mark Alden said that having students in remedial classes at the universities was an unnecessary cost for the state.

Judge finds no help for Tabish in FBI's probe: Jace Radke; A federal judge has ruled that the FBI does not need to turn over an investigation allegedly tied to the murder of Ted Binion.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Cowin harbors no ill will toward his old team: Andrew Cowin has every reason to feel resentful as he readies for the 2003 NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series season opener this weekend in Pomona, Calif.

Moviegoers reaffirm support for space program: The dangers of manned space travel became horrifyingly real Saturday morning. But many of those watching an IMAX movie about space exploration came away saying the risks are worth it.

Loss of shuttle affects Vegas company: A Las Vegas contractor to NASA's space shuttle program and the aerospace and automotive industries saw its stock fall today as investors anticipated its sales and profit would decline because of Saturday's Columbia disaster.

Park Place legal officer resigns: DeLury was most recently responsible for Park Place's regulatory compliance and legal operations. Previously, he was general counsel for the company's casino resorts in New Jersey, Mississippi, Indiana, Louisiana and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Nova Scotia.

Man finds success after homeless life in Las Vegas: New York-trained chef James Rhodes got a job early this month as a sous chef-in-training at the Excalibur.

Local sports calendar: Men's college basketball: Colorado State at UNLV, 7:30 p.m.

Sloppiness leads to Gladiators' demise: Adam Candee; LOS ANGELES -- For all the minute complexities of Arena Football, Frank Haege continually harps on its one defining point of simplicity: The team that turns the ball over less will win.

Federal agency files labor complaint against Binion's: Grace Leong; The National Labor Relations Board filed an unfair labor practices complaint Friday on behalf of the Culinary Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165 against downtown Las Vegas' Binion's Horseshoe hotel-casino.

Money no comfort for bird owner: In a month or so, Jill Duncan will receive from the federal government checks of $1,785 for her destroyed poultry and $400 for the lumber and other materials of her aviary that was taken down Saturday.

News briefs for Feb. 3, 2003: Metro Police homicide detectives are investigating the stabbing death of a 45-year-old Las Vegas resident found in an apartment Sunday afternoon.

LV shuttle supplier's stock falls on news: American Pacific Corp. of Las Vegas, Boeing Co., Alliant Techsystems Inc. and other companies that supply NASA face revenue losses as the space shuttle fleet remains grounded and some work on the International Space Station is postponed.

Vegas utility drops 'poison pill': Ken Kenny, assistant treasurer of Southwest Gas, Southern Nevada's dominant natural gas utility, said "poison pill" provisions have a negative aspect under new corporate governance rules. A "poison pill" is a tactic used by a takeover target to make it less attractive to the acquiring company.

Plans for commercial shuttle program at Test Site on hold: Plans to develop a space shuttle program at the Nevada Test Site have been grounded after the shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas on Saturday.

Wind wipes out UNLV's match: With gusts reaching more than 50 mph, UNLV head coach Kevin Cory announced in the morning that the match would not be played. A makeup date may be announced at a later time.

2003 Legislature begins today in Carson City: CARSON CITY -- An election dispute that was to be settled Tuesday in the 72nd session of the Nevada Legislature, which opens today, has been dropped.

Editorial: Mourning the loss of astronauts: John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, on Sunday explained why our nation should bear the financial costs and risks associated with space travel. Glenn, appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," said part of the reason for our country's greatness was its exploration and quest for knowledge. "People found that exciting, to learn the new things first and to put them to work," he said. "That's what has led our nation, in that tiny little time capsule in history, to exceed the whole world. ... And these people gave their lives, pursuant to that, just as much as ...

Panel to seek UMC answers: Hospital's mission Clark County's citizens task force on University Medical Center will look at ways to stop the hospital's hemorrhaging of red ink. One focus will be on changing the basic mission statement of the hospital, which now requires:

Trial delayed for elderly man: Charles Walker, 84, was scheduled to go to trial last week in Henderson Municipal Court on misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and obstructing a police officer.

Slow start played big part in defeat: Adam Candee; First Quarter: LA 14, Las Vegas 7

Astronaut's mom: Son did not die in vain: Audrey McCool of Las Vegas, whose son William died in Saturday's space shuttle explosion, is urging Americans not to give up the dream of space travel.

Man dies while at Petty driving school: Brad Mark, general manager of the RPDE, said late Sunday that "an elderly gentleman died while driving a racecar" but could not dislose any other details. The incident occurred at about 2:30 p.m. on the 1.5-mile superspeedway.

Bush budget includes $591 million for Yucca: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- President Bush today asked Congress for $591 million budget for the Yucca Mountain project for the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. That's about the same amount Bush requested for the current fiscal year.

Power firm in deal to cut debt: Sierra Pacific Resources, owner of Nevada Power Co. of Las Vegas, today said it will exchange 30 percent of its convertible securities for stock to cut the company's debt by $105 million.

Fiscal reality about to hit colleges, universities: Jennifer Knight; Although higher education officials have issued hopeful words about the legislative session that begins today, the reality is that $72 million in funding for their programs was left out of a downsized budget.

Culinary election rescheduled: Local 54 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees (HERE) union agreed last week to hold the election by March 27, according to a settlement it reached with the U.S. Department of Labor. The union, which did not admit to any wrongdoing, has more than 15,000 members who primarily work in the Atlantic City casino industry.

Campaign filings announced: One other candidate has filed a challenge to Provost for the District 2 bench: Douglas Hedger.

Gill bowls 'em over at Boulder: Leah Robinson; Sitting for four hours on a rear-numbing plastic seat has never been so good.

Arena League standings: Central

Truth or Barris? TV pioneer's life targeted in 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind': Kirk Baird; "It couldn't be any better if we tried," Barris, 73, said in a recent phone interview from his home in New York. "Maybe the review in Portland could have been slightly better the three stars could have been three and a half. But I have no complaints because, to me, it was an impossible dream that the picture was ever made."

Columnist Ralph Siraco: They're off: Season under way in earnest: Ralph Siraco; With the Eclipse Awards for 2002 distributed and a month already in the books, horse racing is starting to gear up again.

Letter: 'Speaking softly' is overrated in perilous times: First, a favorite adage of Theodore Roosevelt was "Speak softly and carry a big stick," not "walk softly."

Las Vegas Marathon results: Men

Immunization schedule for Feb. 3, 2003: NORTH LAS VEGAS PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 1820 E. Lake Mead Blvd., Suite F, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Rebels opt to return to basics: Steve Guiremand; NEXT UP

African Children's Choir to perform: The choir is a group of nearly 25 African children, ages 5 through 12, who are selected from especially needy children in West and East Africa.

Bronfenbrenner, Huyck run to tough victories in wind: The first-timer won it, the mail man from Canada had difficulty with the sand, and the overall conditions of the 37th Las Vegas International Marathon on Sunday eventually proved comical to Linda Huyck.

Guesss when Mojave Max will awaken at Red Rock Canyon: Every spring Mojave Desert reptiles, including desert tortoises, respond to warmer weather and more daylight by emerging from their winter's sleep.

Birth announcements for Feb. 3, 2003: Jan. 10:

Editorial: This program offers a ticket to success: With so much to commend a transitional program, the state is planning, along with a nonprofit agency, Community Rehabilitation Services, to build a center in Las Vegas where inmates may go after release. Sex offenders and those convicted of violent crimes will not be eligible. But hundreds of other inmates who served time for lesser crimes will find the counseling, job training and other services they need to start over. The program, scheduled to begin this fall, is long overdue.

UNLV downs Cal in baseball: UNLV (2-1) captured the third game of the series behind the pitching of junior David Seccombe and a disastrous fifth inning for the Cal pitching staff. Seccombe went five innings with two hits, one run, two walks and eight strikeouts.

Obituaries for Feb. 3, 2003: Charlie Cooper, 80, of Las Vegas died Friday in Las Vegas. A resident for 52 years, he was born in Somerset, La.

Wederquist to play for UNLV; Silverado High hires Thornhill: Adam Candee; Some will call it a coup, some will label it an inside job and others will just say it's about time.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Counties see crash courses: At a December meeting for Nevada sheriffs and police chiefs, DeMeo learned that the county for which he had just been named the top public safety official saw a 240-percent increase in the number of traffic fatalities last year -- not the decrease extolled during 2002 campaign speeches.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Dion's perfume pitch is heaven-scent: That is because virtually every top beauty editor from every major fashion magazine was in town. And they were all wearing Celine Dion's new perfume.

Inquest clears officer in killing: Erica D. Johnson; Metro Police Officer Bill Guesman was doing his duty and defending himself when he killed an alleged bank robber on New Year's Eve, a coroner's inquest jury determined Friday.

Letter: Nice ideas, but no solutions: One thing he said rather bothered me -- that Iraq could send a crate of biological chemicals and raise havoc and kill many of us. How does he plan to stop this from happening?

Sun Lite for Feb. 3, 2003: Love is in the air, what with Valentine's Day approaching.

Slot maker announces European distribution deal: Cyberview has thousands of terminals installed in legal gaming establishments across Europe. The terminals look similar to slot machines but are connected online to a central server, allowing players to download games from a library of offerings and gamble using a smart card. The mix of games can also be changed and updated from the central server.

Federal agencies steer money to homeless: By Timothy Pratt; The federal government is shifting its focus in combatting homelessness, according to a funding announcement.

Senator wants change in energy assistance: CARSON CITY -- More than 15,000 low-income families in Nevada received help in paying air-conditioning or heating bills last fiscal year.