Print edition for February 12, 2003

New computer speeds emergency response: Eric Leake; In an emergency, seconds may be the difference between life and death. Those are seconds Henderson Police hope to spare with a new computer-aided dispatch system.

Community briefs for Feb. 12, 2003: Davida Noyek Handler will demonstrate how the Similar Interest Group can help with genealogy research at the Jewish Genealogy Society of Southern Nevada's meeting at 1 p.m. Sunday in the multi-purpose room of the Sahara West Library, 9600 W. Sahara Ave. Noyek .

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Crowd toasts Molaskys for longtime support of hospice: Elizabeth Foyt; Elaine and Steve Wynn, dear friends of the Molaskys and fellow supporters of the hospice, took a special interest in the planning of the evening, working closely with co-chairs Teresa and Lorenzo Fertitta, Beth and Bill Weinberger and NM General Manager Terri Monsour.

Savvy wine buys: Castle Rock Sonoma Valley Pinot Noir '00: This wine is produced from grapes grown in small quantities, and the juice spends up to 14 months in French oak barrels. The result is an elegant, nicely structured wine with balanced tannins, complex layers of fruit and spice, and a velvety smooth finish. The wine is shot through with notes of cinnamon, cherry and vanilla, and should last a good five years at its peak.

Obituaries for Feb. 12, 2003: Jose Roberto Aguirre, 33, of Las Vegas died Tuesday in Las Vegas. He was born May 15, 1969, in San Salvador, El Salvador. A resident for 27 years, he was a restaurant captain.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Love can come at any cost: Of course, there's all kinds of love.

Chicken-killing has some critics crying foul plan: Judy Odierna; A new market in eastern Las Vegas hopes to be the first grocery store in the city to kill and cut up poultry on site.

California tribes offer funds in exchange for more slots: Don Thompson; SACRAMENTO -- Twenty-one of the 94 California Indian tribes that have or want casinos formed a coalition Tuesday, and said they are willing to help fix the state's budget crisis in exchange for more slot machines.

Playoff picture remains unclear: Adam Candee; The final week of the regular season is upon us, and not much is settled on the boys basketball scene. Here is a look at the picture heading into tonight's and Friday's games:

Sun Microsystems chief offers futuristic vision: Scott McNealy says he likes the idea of embedding a microchip beneath the skin of the family pet to make sure it could be tracked and located with sophisticated telecommunications technology if it ever got lost.

CEO resigning: The company Tuesday offered no explanation for Wise's decision to retire at 57, nor did he comment beyond his prepared statements.

Book depository threatens lawsuit over bidding rights: By Emily Richmond; A Texas book depository claims it has been unfairly shut out of bidding for the lucrative business of delivering textbooks to Nevada's schools -- particularly in Clark County, where the annual bill for new volumes topped $16 million in 2002.

Vegas tourism flat in 2002: Visitor volume to Las Vegas in 2002 was flat compared with the previous year and off by 2.2 percent from the last full year before the terrorist attacks, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said.

Congress hears insurance woes from ex-LV doctor: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- A former Las Vegas obstetrician who fled to Maine to escape skyrocketing malpractice insurance rates told Congress that a federal cap on malpractice lawsuits would help curb a nationwide crisis.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Tapia needs a new view of his life: Dean Juipe; Years ago I bumped into Johnny Tapia at a boxing card being held at Bally's on the Strip. He wasn't fighting that night but he was there, just hanging around.

Barrick Gold ousts CEO due to disappointing results: TORONTO -- Barrick Gold Corp., one of the world's leading gold producers, fired chief executive Randall Oliphant today because of disappointing results and replaced him with Gregory Wilkins.

Runnin' Rebels box: 3-Point Goals: 8-13 (Lewis 7-9, Banks 1-3, Hunter 0-1).

Another appeal made in death of six teens: Erica D. Johnson; The conviction of a Las Vegas woman serving a 48-year prison sentence for having drugs in her system when she ran over a group of teenagers with her van, killing six, must be overturned, her lawyer says.

Gaughan company pitches project for Nebraska: Harlan Braaten, president and chief operating officer of Coast, represented the company at this week's hearing.

Prep Schedule: Boys Basketball

Wetter weather is still expected: A trace of rain was recorded at McCarran International Airport on Tuesday and another 0.05 of an inch had trickled into the gauge by 7 a.m. today, but the main event is still to come, weather forecasters said.

New penalty sought for man convicted in rape, killing: CARSON CITY -- A man who kidnapped, raped and murdered a 20-year-old woman in Las Vegas in 1986 should have his conviction overturned or at least have his death sentence reconsidered, a federal public defender told the Nevada Supreme Court on Tuesday.

Editorial: NATO owes Turkey its full support: Turkey, a little larger than Texas and straddling southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia, is a predominantly Muslim country with a secular and democratic government. It joined NATO as a European member in 1952. It has always fulfilled a pivotal role in NATO's mission, defending a full third of the organization's land border during the Cold War and involving itself fully in agreements and pacts designed to promote peace and security in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Turkey, which has more people in its armed forces than any other alliance member except the United States, stood firm against Soviet ...

Letter: Downtown plans destined to fail: Our mayor is spending millions to revitalize a downtown that has never been a traditional downtown with office buildings, department stores, cultural facilities, hotels, restaurants, government buildings, etc., surrounded by factories and warehouses. In traditional cities the latter have been renovated into housing for young (typically childless) and older employees and retirees wishing to be near their place of work and/or the cultural attractions.

Call him Trey-Lew: Steve Guiremand; SAN DIEGO -- After sitting out the 2001-2002 season to rehab a major knee injury, UNLV senior guard Jermaine Lewis knew it would probably take a little time to regain his outside shooting touch.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Maddux shows he can still bring the heat: When I spoke to him at the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame dinner Friday night, I asked him to do me a favor: stop beating my beloved New York Mets.

C'mon, get happy: Specials abound at Las Vegas pubs: Max Jacobson; There was a time when many local watering holes served complimentary appetizers during happy hour, but with a few exceptions those days are gone. Blame the economy or perhaps the times. True, Las Vegas Club downtown still puts out a happy-hour spread at Casey's Bar during "Monday Night Football" and will again next season God willing, according to hotel Executive Chef Heinz Lauer.

Letter: Commissioners deserve thanks for reversing vote: Had that erroneous vote not been reversed, it would have violated master planning, would have doomed future airport buying of nearby industrial land, and would have led to more than 300 unit residences directly under the roar of the jet-flight paths. Who would have bought these units? And upon buying, how many would have fled due to noise? And how many would have sued the developer and the county for allowing this to exist in the first place?

Lawmakers take first look at tax proposals: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Lawmakers who took their first crack at Gov. Kenny Guinn's proposed budget Tuesday quickly realized there were more questions than answers.

Jury deliberates fate of Harmon: Jace Radke; As soon as today, a federal jury could decide the fate of Harley L. Harmon, a former state assemblyman accused of mail fraud in connection with a multimillion-dollar mortgage scandal.

News briefs for Feb. 12, 2003: The jury that found a Pennsylvania woman guilty of killing a tourist in her hotel room has decided that the woman will spend the rest of her life in prison.

Extradition near for pair sought in girls' stabbing: Jen Lawson; An extradition hearing in Utah is scheduled Thursday for the teenage siblings charged with stabbing two girls in Mesquite.

Lawmaker says administrative costs hurt Senior Rx: CARS0N CITY -- The state's low-cost prescription program could cover more senior citizens if its administrative costs weren't four to six times what they should be, state lawmakers said Tuesday.

Panel suggests fraud unit may be axed: CARSON CITY -- An insurance fraud unit in the state attorney general's office is costing almost $1 million a year but has recovered only $126,915 in the first six months of this fiscal year.

Bail bond company can get forfeited money returned: CARSON CITY -- A Las Vegas bail bond company has won a victory in the state Supreme Court allowing it to recover bail it posted for a suspect who did not appear in court as scheduled.

Columnist Peter Benton: Champions Tour targeting its fans: Peter Benton; Apart from ever-increasing greens fees, there's very little going on in our area right now. So here's an update on the struggling, trying-hard-to-do-better Champions Tour (formerly the PGA Senior Tour).

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Gaughan likes his chances in Friday's truck race: DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Brendan Gaughan of Las Vegas likes his chances in Friday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway -- but not because of his qualifying effort on Tuesday.

Stock decline refuels Nevada Power debate: Internet chat lines buzzed with speculation about the future of Nevada Power Co. after the stock price of parent Sierra Pacific Resources Inc. fell 17 percent Tuesday to historic lows.

Borgata CEO: Resort will grow A.C. market: John Curran; TRENTON, N.J. -- The first new hotel-casino in Atlantic City in 13 years will ultimately mean business for other casinos, too, even if they lose gamblers and employees to it in the short term, its chief executive predicted Tuesday.

Lawmakers want more compliance with license plate law: CARSON CITY -- There are few things that irk Las Vegas residents more than people who move here to work but don't get Nevada license plates for their vehicles, Assemblywoman Vonne Chowning, D-North Las Vegas, said.

ID debate: Mexican consular cards at center of argument over national security: By Timothy Pratt; Gerardo Garcia had no idea he was stepping into a national controversy when he borrowed a pen to fill out a form at the Mexican consulate in downtown Las Vegas.

Rebels' zone 'D' in first half paid off: the numbers; First Half: UNLV 43-27

Henderson to Las Vegas rail transit project considered: The region's chief transportation agency could take a first step Thursday toward tens of millions of federal dollars for a commuter rail system in southern Las Vegas.

Vasser off to quick start in Busch car: DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Jimmy Vasser is making the transition from open-wheel cars to full-bodied stock cars look downright easy.

Columnist Jeff German: Taxpayers can't afford this luxury: But your state lawmakers are considering spending more taxpayer dollars to help accused killers defend themselves in court.

Porter bill offers job-seeking money: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Labor Secretary Elaine Chao hailed a bill introduced by Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., that would give $3,000 in job-searching money to unemployed workers.

Agassi whips Chang at Siebel Open: Agassi whips Chang at Siebel Open

Area's Oregon State recruits shocked at coach's departure: Adam Candee; Not a month ago, Dennis Erickson arrived in Las Vegas with the intent of sealing commitments to Oregon State from Jeff Vanorsow and two more local prep football prospects.

18-year-old testifies in Weber trial: Erica D. Johnson; Eighteen-year-old Chris Gautier told jurors on Tuesday how he rescued his younger sister after she had been raped allegedly by the man charged with killing the other two members of their family.

Holiday Inn changes name: Hotel General Manager Ike Karaer says the 150-room Clarion has upgraded room amenities, top-line hotel features, a good location close to the Strip and very competitive prices. Clarion hotels are franchised by lodging giant Choice Hotels International.

Aztar board member dies: The company said Rosow, of San Antonio, had served on Aztar's board since 1989 and was chairman of its audit committee.

Federal board conditionally approves loan: The federal Air Transportation Stabilization Board (ATSB) praised US Airways' management for taking "a disciplined approach to executing its restructuring plan and reacting to changing economic conditions in the airline industry" and said it stood ready to guarantee $900 million in loans for US Airways when and if it emerges from bankruptcy.

Editorial: Teenagers and cars: Time for new rules: The group recommends that teenagers receive at least 30 hours of formal driver's education before getting a learner's permit. Providing the cost would not be prohibitive, this idea is attractive. Driving is viewed by many young teens as fun and freedom. They need experienced instructors to tell them also about safety, the rules of the road, responsibility, courtesy, inclement-weather techniques and other facts that will save their lives and the lives of others. The group also recommends more parental involvement and supports lowering the legal blood-alcohol limit to 0.08. The Legislature should assign a high priority to their recommendations.

Letter: Marathon is a winner for Vegas: I know of at least one young woman who came to Las Vegas from Fort Smith, Ark., to run. She has run in Boston, Chicago and now in Las Vegas. If even half of the runners were from out of state (or country) that would mean greater business for our hotels, theaters, restaurants and maybe more, who would be hosting the remaining 4,000, plus their friends and families!