Print edition for February 19, 2003

Construction hits 16-year high: The Commerce Department said that work was started on 1.850 million units at a seasonally adjusted annual rate in January, up 0.2 percent from 1.847 million units in December.

Columnist Jeff German: Cowardly pranksters in capital: If you're going to act like fifth graders and pull off a practical joke at taxpayer expense, at least have the courage to lend your names to it.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Castroneves aims for 3 straight Indy 500 titles: Helio Castroneves, dressed in street clothes, walked largely unnoticed through the garage area at Daytona International Speedway before last Friday's IROC race, stopped only occasionally by another driver or a member of the racing community -- and rarely being asked to sign an autograph.

State wants control of work program: By Timothy Pratt; State and local officials charged with getting Nevadans back to work told members of a congressional committee visiting Las Vegas Tuesday that local control is the key to ensuring that help from the president's economic stimulus plan gets to people most in need.

Prep Schedule: TODAY

Artest paints with different strokes: In their daily cell phone talks, Ron Artest often tells little brother Danny, a nomadic power forward at the Community College of Southern Nevada, to do as he says, not as he does.

Casino equipment maker announces deal with IGT: The patents cover a broad range of bonusing methods for video slot machines.

Homeowners group limits are proposed: CARSON CITY -- The Senate Commerce and Labor Committee will conduct a hearing at 8 a.m. Thursday on a proposal to set up a commission for homeowners associations.

Town struggles with affordable housing: Dan Kulin; Terri Gates wanted to buy a home and raise her two children in the safe and familiar Boulder City she grew up in. But the closest place she could afford was a three-bedroom house on the other side of Railroad Pass in Henderson.

Woman falls, killed by bus: The double-length bus was about to make its 3 p.m. stop just south of Charleston when the 41-year-old Henderson woman fell in front of it and was dragged under, Metro Police Detective Doug Nutton said.

Louisiana casino win off slightly in January: Alan Sayre; Louisiana's state-licensed casinos won $162.4 million in January, down slightly from December, as the business showed the usual seasonal pattern leading up to the traditionally big months of March and April.

Green Valley spreads wealth in win over DP: Adam Candee; Tuesday's playoff scores

Medicaid still has obstetricians: CARSON CITY -- Despite assertions that obstetricians are pulling out of Las Vegas, Medicaid-qualified pregnant women are not having any trouble getting prenatal care, the state chief of Medicaid told lawmakers Tuesday.

Etienne waffles again -- says he will fight Tyson: Tim Dahlberg; MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- First Mike Tyson changed his mind. Now Clifford Etienne has changed his, too.

Death penalty changes sought: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Defense attorneys asked lawmakers Tuesday to modify procedures to make the sentencing phase of death penalty cases "more fair."

Icahn casinos hit with trademark infringement suit: Station, which said it owns the "Bounce Back" mark, wants an order to stop Arizona Charlie's from using the phrase and to delete all references to the trademark in its advertising.

Cut in drug testing concerns lawmakers: CARSON CITY -- A cut in the state budget to drug test prison inmates who are paroled to the streets has sparked concern of legislators worried about public safety.

Obituaries for Feb. 19, 2003: Sheldon D. Alquist Jr., 54, of Las Vegas died Monday in a local hospital. He was born Feb. 20, 1948, in Clay Center, Kan. A resident for four years, he was a schoolteacher and a Vietnam War Navy veteran.

Alleged thief robbed, police say: Mary Manning and Jen Lawson; A man who had just robbed a sandwich store apparently bragged about it to four younger men who promptly tied him up, beat him and robbed him of his loot, Metro Police said.

Community briefs for Feb. 19, 2003: The ALS Association Nevada Chapter, David Saxe Productions, The Venetian and H&H of Nevada will host the All-Star Las Vegas Show at 5 p.m. Saturday at The Venetian.

Weber defense hopes to discredit girl's testimony: Erica D. Johnson; Attorneys defending Timmy Weber hope testimony by a child psychiatrist will make jurors doubt claims of rape made by a 14-year-old girl whose mother and brother were killed in a brutal slaying.

Henderson clerk gets 8 percent raise: Dan Kulin; The Henderson City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved an 8 percent raise for City Clerk Monica Simmons, pushing her salary to about $127,769 a year.

Game shifts to Dec. 24: Steve Guiremand; Nobody will accuse Tina Kunzer-Murphy of being Scrooge anymore.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Tyson tests the powers of reason: Dean Juipe; The many sides, if not faces, of Mike Tyson have been on display for the past couple of weeks and it challenges the imagination to think the ship he commands is fully operational.

Legislative briefs for Feb. 19, 2003: The Assembly Judiciary Committee on Tuesday introduced a bill to reinstate a plea of innocent by reason of insanity, which the Legislature abolished in 2001.

Nevada facing $50 million deficit by June: CARSON CITY -- The state government will be $50.5 million in the hole by June 30 unless the Legislature passes some early taxes and taps $100 million from the state's "rainy day" fund, a key official said Tuesday.

Local guard unit deployed: "He's leaving," she told a reporter Tuesday night before her dad was asked a question -- a statement that summed up in the simplest terms what deployment means to the families of military personnel.

Mississippi commission faces shortage of agents: Timothy R. Brown; JACKSON, Miss. -- The Mississippi Gaming Commission is suffering through a shortage of agents charged with halting illegal gambling and regulating the state's $3 billion casino industry, officials say.

Child abuser wants to work with kids: Jen Lawson; A Las Vegas man who authorities say has a history of abusing children wants to be an ice cream man.

Center for the homeless runs afoul of zoning rules: Judy Odierna; The operator of a transitional living facility for the homeless near Martin Luther King and Lake Mead boulevards is fighting to stay open after being cited by Las Vegas for not having the proper zoning or licensing.

Stolen painting anonymously returned: The painting, "Golf Landscape," was anonymously returned to the mall Tuesday.

Columnist Peter Benton: PGA must tag slow players with strokes: Peter Benton; I read where the PGA Tour Policy Board has changed its policy on slow play -- which really doesn't mean a thing, until it starts penalizing players by adding a stroke or two to their score.

Reid calls Guinn's tax plan 'courageous': Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Sen. Harry Reid told the Legislature Tuesday night that Gov. Kenny Guinn was "courageous" for proposing a $1 billion tax plan to reduce the state's deficit.

Golf courses oppose drought plan: Meeting The board of the Southern Nevada Water Authority will meet to discuss the proposed drought plan at 9 a.m. Thursday at the offices of the Las Vegas Valley Water District, 1001 S. Valley View Blvd. The plan passed unanimously last month, but a violation of the state's open meeting law forced the issue to be considered again.

Builder buys competitor: Nielsen Dillingham Builders was the builder for Las Vegas Hilton's Star Trek: The Experience and its Space Quest Casino. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Warm weather hurts Southwest results: Kevin Rademacher; Southwest Gas Corp. of Las Vegas announced fourth-quarter net income of $37.8 million, or $1.13 per share, exceeding Wall Street expectations by 6 cents a share despite warm winter weather that has resulted in lower natural gas usage.

Two pedestrians hit in separate accidents; one dies: About 10 p.m. a man running across Tropicana Avenue midblock, west of the intersection with Mountain Vista Drive, was hit by a white Cadillac. A brown "Honda-style" car then drove over the man, police said.

Knecht author of bill draft renaming Nevada 'East California': Erin Neff; "I didn't ask that anybody draft it, and as (Assembly Minority Leader) Lynn Hettrick said, it didn't cost anything," Knecht, R-Carson City, told the Sun when confronted about the bill draft request this morning.

Suspect arrested in beating, robbery of woman, 98: The victim was tied up and beaten in her home Friday morning, and about $2,000 and some belongings were stolen, Lt. Ted Snodgrass of Metro's robbery section said.

Editorial: Homeless initiative might work locally: Housing First leaves behind the tried and failed approach of shelters. It immediately provides homeless individuals with affordable housing and the help they need to become independent. For those whose chronic homelessness is related to mental illness or other debilitating circumstances, extra attention is provided. Cities take advantage of new federal grants and rally support from local businesses and community organizations. Mangano has issued a challenge -- he wants 100 of the country's largest cities to contact his office and get on board with the program within a year. We hope Mayor Oscar Goodman makes the call and considers the ...

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Saxe bags top talent for ALS benefit: The evening's coordinator, David Saxe, the producer of "V -- The Ultimate Variety Show" at The Venetian, lost his father in 2002 to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: New Ritz-Carlton puts on a show at Lake Las Vegas: Elizabeth Foyt; Architecturally inspired by the sunny waterside towns of Europe, the property was opened in courtyard ceremonies with praised-filled comments by Lake Las Vegas developer Ron Boeddeker and Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson, who chairs the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board. The select crowd, many of them personally greeted by Kitty Boeddeker, included residents of the emerging Lake Las Vegas community and their families.

New textbooks available for review by concerned citizens: By Emily Richmond; Potential additions to the bookshelves of Clark County's schools will be available for public review today, as educators consider new textbooks on everything from elementary reading skills to fashion merchandising.

Letter: Bush making all wrong moves: We are being treated like dumb sheep waiting to be shorn. Common sense says his ideas for reviving the economy are absurd. Corporations don't use tax savings to expand factories and create jobs in a depression when people don't have money to buy their goods and services. They park their money in a safe haven until times are better.

Around valley, dim sum can truly 'touch the heart': Max Jacobson; Either way, it is a delightful and different way to have a late breakfast or a leisurely lunch, and while Las Vegas might not have the variety of a San Francisco, New York or Los Angeles in terms of dim sum choices, there are few other American cities Las Vegas takes a back seat to in this style of eating.

Citizens task force tackles long-term UMC solutions: A Clark County's citizens task force met Tuesday to discuss the mission of the region's largest hospital, but in the end the conversation was mostly about money.

Editorial: Keep focus on issues with merit: With the people of Nevada needing the serious attention of their legislators every minute of the four-month session, there is no time and certainly no money (bill drafts cost an average of $500) for preparing a bill that would change the state's name to East California. Humor has its place, but not when time is of the essence and many under-served Nevadans are suffering. In addition to changing the state's name, the bill wants George Harrison's "Taxman" as the state song and RINO as the state animal. RINO is an acronym for "Republican in name only" and it's a slight ...

LV City Council panel approves landscape law: The committee, made up of Councilmen Lawrence Weekly and Michael Mack, recommended that the City Council approve the bill sponsored by Councilman Michael McDonald.

Clay-ground: Jaffe's distinctive work on display at UNLV gallery: The functional sculptures, celebrating the organic whimsy of Ugli fruit, gourds, morning glories and the like, were nabbed by collectors. Jaffe, barely into his 30s, was placed into a mold.

Prudential Financial sold: Wachovia, the fifth-biggest U.S. bank, and Prudential will combine their retail brokerage and clearing businesses to create a new firm based in Richmond, Va., and run by Wachovia Securities Chief Executive Officer Daniel Ludeman. Wachovia, which will own 62 percent of the new firm, said it will cut 1,750 jobs and close 131 offices by 2005 to save $220 million annually. No cash will change hands.

Savvy wine buys: Santa Rita Merlot '00: Chile's warm, dry climate is ideal for merlot, and the labor force in that country works for considerably less than those in Europe or California, which means great bang for the buck. This is a soft, accessible wine with gentle tannins and gobs of dark fruit. It's a deep ruby color, and it tastes faintly of plums and spice, a wonderful wine for game, red meat or cheese.

Letter: BLM should purchase land at Red Rock: On the surface this appears to be a step in the right direction, especially given the 8,400 homes that a previous developer was proposing. However, the overlay begs the question of whether development should take place at all.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Seven is lucky at Galleria: Galleria shoppers have been collecting Galleria Cash Dollars since Dec. 10 by saving and redeeming their Galleria receipts. For every dollar spent they received a Galleria Cash Dollar, which can be used to bid for prizes at the auction.