Print edition for February 20, 2003

Legislative briefs for Feb. 20, 2003: Assemblyman David Goldwater, D-Las Vegas, has sponsored a corporate accountability measure providing penalties or increasing penalties for certain violations.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: LV Bowl gets lump of coal: Let's see, so far in its many incarnations the Las Vegas Bowl has featured the champions of the Big West and Mid-American conferences, a representative of the old Western Athletic Conference vs. an at-large opponent, and, more recently, the second choice from the Old WAC Minus Fresno State (aka the Mountain West Conference) against the Pac-10 team closest to .500 (actually, the fifth choice).

Indictment returned in traffic death: Michael Hickey, 29, is facing charges of DUI resulting in death, felony reckless driving and involuntary manslaughter in connection with the January hit-and-run accident that killed Justin Dale Kolisnek near Texas Station.

Editorial: UMC crisis is shared nationally: One might think that astounding deficits, layoffs, a resignation by the CEO and the creation of a task force would be highly unusual for a public hospital. Unfortunately, the events at UMC are not unique. Public hospitals all over the country are experiencing financial crises. At UMC, even with all the cost cutting, the county is expecting to lose another $15 million to $20 million in the next fiscal year, which begins in July. At its first meeting Tuesday, the task force spent more than three hours talking about the new reality at UMC since Sept. 11. Over time, the ...

Challenge to U.S. 95 widening still viable: Jace Radke; The Sierra Club's challenge to the Federal Highway Administration's $370 million U.S. 95 widening project is still on track because a federal judge dismissed a motion for summary judgment in the matter Wednesday.

News briefs for Feb. 20, 2003: The number of registered voters in Nevada rose by 3,292 in one month between January and February, Secretary of State Dean Heller said Wednesday.

Prep Schedule: TODAY

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Protest now, not later: Most notable among signs carried by war protesters are those personally attacking President George W. Bush. Despite these attacks, the president told reporters that, "Democracy is a beautiful thing" and then added, "people are allowed to express their opinion."

Chancellor warns against shortfall: Jennifer Knight; Getting a college education in Southern Nevada will be much more difficult and costly if the Legislature does not adequately fund higher education, Chancellor Jane Nichols said Wednesday.

Two infant drownings on same day under investigation: Two unrelated infant drownings are under investigation by Metro Police after a 10-month-old baby died Tuesday night.

Outback opens in casino: Outback opens in casino

Reid receives honor from U.S. PIRG: Reid was one of 30 in Congress who received the PIRG award as "Public Interest Champions."

Chaparral grad makes Army smile: Dick Benoit; Soldiers from Korea to Saudi Arabia and several states have brighter smiles thanks to the craftsmanship and pride of Sgt. Joseph Huitt.

Reagan defense official criticizes rush to war: A former Reagan administration Defense Department official told a Las Vegas audience Wednesday that he has no doubt the United States will be at war with Iraq within a month, and U.S. troops will be over there for years.

Analyst initiates coverage: The Harrah's rating reflects the belief that the gaming sector could take a hit with the outbreak of war with Iraq, Blaylock analyst Ray Neidl said.

West Virginia firm reaches agreement to sell Reno casino: The $2.95 million sale includes everything but the casino's gaming equipment, the company said in a news release.

Beltway leg could aid speedway traffic: Eric Leake; Info

DA blames killings on Weber's obsession: Erica D. Johnson; Jurors were scheduled to begin deliberating Timmy "T.J." Weber's fate this morning, after prosecutors told them Weber's obsession with his girlfriend's 14-year-old daughter triggered his crime spree.

Springing at the opportunity: Dean Juipe; New champions typically have the luxury of making their first defense against an opponent of their choosing. And such handpicked fights have a tendency to be short on drama.

Former CFO indicted: He is scheduled to appear in court today for a bail hearing and a trial date.

NLV renews D.C. lobbying contract with Bryan firm: The City Council on Wednesday voted 4-0 to renew the contract with Lionel, Sawyer and Collins, which is worth $10,000 a month, plus up to $5,000 a month for expenses.

Predator crash blamed on pilot error: Human error caused the crash of an unmanned Predator aircraft at a classified location in southwest Asia on Sept. 17, Air Force investigators have concluded.

Obituaries for Feb. 20, 2003: Albert S. Alimboyoguen, 74, of North Las Vegas died Tuesday in a local hospital. He was born Sept. 14, 1928, in Kauai, Hawaii. A resident for nine years, he was a retired pipefitter for an oil refinery, an Army veteran and a volunteer with Telephone Pioneers.

Catching up with ... TREMMELL DARDEN: Where he is now: Niagara

Letter: Tax won't drive businesses out of the state: Gov. Kenny Guinn's proposed business revenue tax will not make Nevada unfriendly to companies. Forty-six other states have such taxes, and those states all have operating businesses.

Lawmakers want proof education funds going to kids: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- The Assembly Education Committee will soon hold hearings on a bill to conduct a performance audit of the Clark County School District.

Gibson's visit to capital affects State of City: Gibson said earlier this week that his speech could be drastically different depending on what he heard from legislators during his visit to the state capital on Wednesday.

Columnist Adam Candee: One man's look at area's top basketball players: Adam Candee; Random musings on the busy Nevada prep scene...

Palo Verde gets rolling thanks to 3-pointers: Adam Candee; Wednesday's playoff scores

City keeps eye on legislation: Deputy City Manager Betsy Fretwell told the council about a bill that would eliminate the loophole on how council members abstain from voting. The bill clarifies the effect of an abstention by a council member, and the necessary quorum and number of votes necessary to take action on a matter.

Las Vegas' funding of Metro increases: Judy Odierna; Las Vegas will pay at least $630,000 more for police protection beginning July 1.

Final Sun Boys Hoops Top 10: Final Sun Boys Hoops Top 10

Sun Prep Athletes of the Week: Houston Power and Kim Fox: School: Durango

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Ex-Top Fuel champ Scelzi happy with Funny Car: Gary Scelzi may be 10th in Funny Car points but he is on cloud nine after his first race with Don Schumacher Racing in the Oakley Time Bomb Dodge Stratus Funny Car.

Editorial: There's a new bully on the block: Chirac: This week Chirac showed that he is quite adept at bullying when it comes to Eastern European nations. Chirac scolded them for having the gall to side with U.S.-British willingness to use military force to oust Saddam Hussein from power. Germany and France, meanwhile, are trying to head off an invasion of Iraq. Chirac went as far as to say that the 13 Eastern European nations' defiance of France endangered their chances to gain admittance to the European Union -- entry that is critical for the survival of some of their struggling economies. "It is not really responsible behavior," he ...

Letter: Don't pile tax on top of tax: Prior to the windfall, thousands of our high school graduates attended our colleges.

Lawsuits may be combined: District Judge Kathy Hardcastle postponed a scheduled hearing on a lawsuit filed by the estate of the late Arvis Forrest against businessman William Rick.

January airline traffic beats 2001 level: Airport officials said 2.81 million people used McCarran in January compared with 2.51 million in January 2002, an 11.8 percent increase. That total also beats the 2.79 million that used the airport in January 2001.

Douglas lighting up MWC foes: Steve Guiremand; Utah coach Rick Majerus compares him to former Notre Dame and NBA star Austin Carr.

The Rio altering servers' positions: By Liz Benston; Harrah's Entertainment Inc. expects to convert its cocktail waitress jobs at the Rio resort to entertainment positions requiring the servers to sing and dance as they serve customers.

Feds, police raid adult club: Jace Radke and Jeff German; Agents from the FBI, DEA, IRS and Metro Police raided the Crazy Horse Too topless club this morning as part of an ongoing federal investigation into allegations of hidden ownership by organized crime and other illegal activity at the club.

Thousands of wildland firefighters to search for shuttle debris: AP; With the Western fire season still a few months away, "everything's pretty much down time," said Bull Shoe, a firefighter from the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana. The opportunity to search for fallen shuttle pieces is a chance to "do something different," he said.

Former DEA agent pleads guilty: Jace Radke; A former Drug Enforcement Administration agent has pleaded guilty to 15 counts of solicitation of a minor to engage in sex in exchange for the possibility of serving less time in prison.

Las Vegas insurer reports strong growth: The insurer said it now expects to earn $1.75 to $1.80 a share in 2003, above its earlier estimate of $1.60 to $1.65 a share.

Rebels compete at MWC Championships: UNLV set a new MWC and school record in the men's 200-yard medley relay as Jonathan Hugo, Patrick Adams, Michael Day and Bjorn Eriksson stopped the watch in 1:28.85.

Governor confronts perpetrator of gag bill: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Assemblyman Ron Knecht was called to the office of former principal and current Gov. Kenny Guinn Wednesday afternoon after Knecht admitted he was behind an anonymous bill draft request poking fun at the chief executive.

Gladiators sign former Grand Rapids player: Riley played in two games for Grand Rapids and caught eight passes for 72 yards and one touchdown. Riley spent his first three years in the AFL with the Milwaukee Mustangs, where he was named second-team All-Arena in 2000. That season, Riley caught 96 passes for 1,349 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Survey: Voters want more reforms: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- A majority of Nevada voters favor additional reforms to the state's medical malpractice laws, according to a survey released today by a doctors' group.

Federal rules change will aid foreign travelers to Las Vegas: Jace Radke and Benjamin Grove; A change in federal rules will soon make it more convenient for some international tourists to include Las Vegas in their travel plans.

Registered voters numbers rise: A total of 883,946 voters were on the rolls as of Saturday, with Republicans still holding the lead over Democrats 367,441 to 360,246.

Woman gets 2nd chance with kidney from Nevada: A kidney from a man who died in Southern Nevada made it through this week's East Coast snowstorm to save the life of a Hartford, Conn., woman, officials said.

Rebels' Deacon two shots back in Hawaii: Deacon's 69 was just two strokes behind first-round leader Mark Warman of San Diego State and led the Rebels to an even-par round good for ninth place on the 19-team leaderboard.

Las Vegas OKs funds for homeless center: Judy Odierna; After pledging to contribute an additional $80,000 to keep the Crisis Intervention Center for the homeless open, several Las Vegas City Council members chided the governments of Henderson and North Las Vegas for not anteing up.

Las Vegas casinos ponder war marketing strategies: By Liz Benston; As U.S. military officials devise strategies in the event of a war with Iraq, company chiefs in the nation's top tourism market are crafting strategies of their own to try and keep gamblers coming to Las Vegas instead of camping out in front of their living room televisions.

LV wants to buy downtown county building: Judy Odierna; Las Vegas wants to buy a downtown building from Clark County so the city can turn around and sell it to a private developer who would convert it into a nightclub and dining venue.

Rain gone as quickly as it hit: A predawn storm washed across the Las Vegas Valley today and dropped snow on Mount Charleston but caused few reported problems.

County adopts major reform of land policies: Land Use Planning The land-use planning process changes adopted by the Clark County Commission Wednesday include:

Columnist Dean Juipe: Jones isn't amused with Ruiz's cartoon series: Dean Juipe; In a three-sequence poster recently drawn by World Boxing Association heavyweight champion John Ruiz, Roy Jones Jr. is portrayed in declining physical condition. In the opening frame Jones looks fine, but by the second frame he's a little worse for wear and by the third frame he's completely beat up.

Homeless arrest sparks controversy: By Timothy Pratt; Gary Norris just wanted to spread his faith. But the 61-year-old homeless man Wednesday found himself facing a city judge for holding up a sign last month that read "The Lord is my shepherd."

Ensign gives legislators an opposing view to Reid speech: CARSON CITY -- A day after Democratic Sen. Harry Reid addressed state lawmakers, Republican Sen. John Ensign's speech Wednesday underscored the two men's opposing views on medical malpractice issues and federal funding for education.

Pay raises for sheriffs, DAs gain support: CARSON CITY -- When Bill Young moved up from deputy chief to become Clark County sheriff, he took a $46,000 pay cut.

Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Gottschalk left behind noble legacy: Ruthe Deskin; We think of them as "the salt of the earth."

Senate committee takes up anti-terrorism measure: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- A Senate committee dabbled with its first anti-terrorism bill Wednesday amid concerns that the measure treads too hard on First Amendment rights.

Lost pets may be trekking across northern Nevada: AP; RENO, Nev.- Smokey and Red probably don't know it, but they've become much sought-after celebrities during a five-month trek across northern Nevada.

Don't Fret: Aspiring musicians prove it's never too late to learn an instrument: Spencer Patterson; "They moved in 2001, and they gave me their piano," Schaefer, a 32-year-old Las Vegas resident, said. "That was impetus for me to start playing again. I played for two years as a kid, but as a little girl you don't want to be inside practicing. I've always regretted giving it up."

Senator questions moving prison's death chamber: CARSON CITY -- A state senator suggested Wednesday it might be a waste of $250,000 to relocate the state's death chamber.