Print edition for January 3, 2003

Letter: Big issue still our need for oil: There is no evidence that Iraq has nuclear capabilities, and they are cooperating with United Nations inspections, but Bush is pushing for war (oil).

Runnin' Rebels box: 3-Point Goals: 2-16 (Jennings 0-1, Kessenich 0-1, Collins 1-6, Woodall -3, Noll 0-2, Clevenger 0-2. Thrasher 0-1).

Editorial: Neighbors' bickering spills over: The Southern Nevada Water Authority does have underground reserves it can tap into for an emergency, but eventually stricter water conservation measures than we already employ here likely will have to be implemented. And while we can understand having to reduce water considerably due to natural disasters, such as the drought conditions we're now experiencing, the reality is that if Imperial Irrigation District officials had just agreed to be less wasteful, there wouldn't be a need to curtail our use of water by such a large amount. That's what makes this particular situation difficult to swallow -- this is actually ...

Plea agreement rejected in killing of two teens: Last week Eduvijes Pena was considering a plea agreement that would reduce the maximum penalty he faces from life without parole to 10 years in prison, his attorney Robert Draskovich said.

Gaming opponents sue Idaho tribes to overturn initiative: Chuck Oxley; BOISE, Idaho -- Opponents of gambling on Indian reservations have filed a lawsuit in the Idaho Supreme Court to overturn the Indian Gaming Initiative, which voters passed by a 16-point margin last November.

Editorial: An old wrong needs to be acknowledged: Until 1950 (the program lasted until 1964), 10 percent of their salaries were withheld, affecting up to 400,000 workers. The money went to a Mexican bank and the workers were supposed to receive it upon return. Most of them never did. Lawsuits have been filed, with one saying U.S. labor officials knew the bank wasn't distributing the money, but kept quiet, not wanting to disrupt the flow of workers. The U.S. government has been successful in relying on the statute of limitations and other technical defenses. We support a bill introduced in Congress that would require the federal government to ...

Letter: Inspections our best hope in Iraq crisis: His argument that Iraq might attack one of his neighbors is more plausible than the Bushies' nonsense about attacking the United States or being related to terrorism. Still, his retreat from official policy is also false.

Home Depot lowers earnings estimates: Harry R. Weber; ATLANTA -- Shares of Home Depot sank 12 percent today after the company lowered its earnings estimates for the fiscal year ending in February, citing sluggish holiday sales.

Death shocks Thomas family: After completing his mission to Puebla, Mexico, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1996, Las Vegan David Thomas decided to return there a year later to study and perform community service to help the poor.

Color set for classified ad sections: Beginning Tuesday, the newspapers will print a yellow background on some classified line ads. Private-party ads can have color added for $2 per day while commercial customers would pay an extra $25 per day for color, said Rebecca Bradner, classified advertising director for the newspapers. Color can be ordered when an ad is placed.

Where I Stand -- Guest columnist Jordan Butler: Tackling alcohol abuse: One method minors use to obtain alcohol is to go on a "beer run." Imagine three teenagers walking into a grocery store. They stroll over to the alcohol aisle. The teenagers grab a 12-pack in each hand. They run out the door with beer in hand. They jump into a car and drive away.

Tokyo leading push to bring casinos to Japan: Mari Yamaguchi; TOKYO -- It was a rare taste of Las Vegas in Tokyo, and for two days the casino crowds hosted by Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara pumped the handles of slot machines and bet feverishly on the roulette wheel.

Obituaries for Jan. 3, 2003: Frank Aguilera, 82, of Las Vegas died Tuesday in Las Vegas. He was born June 18, 1920, in El Paso, Texas. A resident for 15 years, he was a retired bakery checker and a Navy veteran.

Tribes donating $103,000 for addiction programs: Dale Wetzel; BISMARCK, N.D. -- North Dakota's Indian tribes are contributing $103,000 in casino profits to provide treatment for compulsive gamblers, the director of the state Mental Health Association said.

Rebels slip past lackluster foe: NEXT UP

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Cannery offers LV northern exposure: The $105 million Cannery -- which officially opened late last night -- was built to resemble an old brick warehouse, complete with a smokestack, and to "evoke memories of John Steinbeck's 'Cannery Row,' " according to the promotional material.

Should construction-defect laws be overhauled?: Steve Hill, president of Silver State Materials Corp., is chairman of the Coalition for Fairness in Construction. The coalition, composed of construction companies and those who rely on the industry for their business, is seeking changes to the state law governing construction defects.

Columnist Steve Guiremand: Rebels getting talent in JaJa: Steve Guiremand; TEMPE, Ariz. -- Ohio State running backs coach Tim Spencer was up in the bleachers at Sun Devil Stadium earlier this week watching as his star running back Maurice Clarett was mobbed by reporters on Fiesta Bowl Media Day.

Editorial: Stimulus package needs some work: On Tuesday President Bush will unveil his economic package, which is expected to include $300 billion in tax breaks over 10 years. The president's plan is expected to have three major components: the exclusion of a large part of an individual's dividend income from taxation, an increase in tax breaks for companies that make capital investments, and an acceleration of the tax cuts already scheduled to occur under the 10-year, $1.3 trillion legislation passed in 2001. But, according to The Washington Post, Bush is rejecting advice that he exclude the wealthiest Americans from the plan to speed up the personal ...

Death penalty fight brews in Manley case: Dan Kulin; Attorneys for a 17-year-old from Las Vegas accused of killing two men and wounding a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper during a crime spree in May are asking the judge to preclude a death sentence for their client.

On Display for Jan. 3, 2003: Joan Miro's collection of artwork for the 21st century is on display through Jan. 31 at Centaur Galleries at the Fashion Show mall. 737-1234.

Scene Selection -- Geoff Carter: DVD day has finally arrived: It's no longer a matter of why you should get a DVD player; it's a matter of when. The format exploded in 2002, with DVD players now in some 40 million American homes, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Columnist Adam Candee: Here are leftovers from the Christmas prep stocking: Adam Candee; Looking deep into the recesses of our Christmas prep sports stocking (don't we all have one of those?), it appears that a few leftovers are still hiding down at the bottom ...

Columnist Dean Juipe: Assorted predictions for 2003: Dean Juipe; Let's get right to it. It's a new year and I'm predicting:

Columnist Susan Snyder: Danger of smoking is a slow burn: The kid ahead of us in the grocery line joked with the cashier, pulled out his Nevada driver's license and plopped down $3.69 for a pack of cigarettes.

More restrictions likely to limit spread of neighborhood casinos: By Liz Benston; WEEKEND EDITION: Jan. 5, 2003

Dean of the Surf: Jan & Dean are synonymous with the feel-good days of early '60s rock 'n' roll, when the Southern California duo hit it big nationally by singing about surfing, cars and girls.

Blood drives scheduled: Tuesday:7 a.m. to 1 p.m., New-Com Inc., 412 E. Gowan Road, North Las Vegas; 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., First National Bank of Marin, 585 Pilot Road; 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Boyd Gaming Corp., 2950 S. Industrial Road.

UNLV outmanned IPFW: First Half: UNLV 41-24

So Noted: Blue Note Las Vegas branches out from its jazz roots: Spencer Patterson; The warning from the lips of rapper Ahmel might have seemed out of place to some coming as it did last month from the stage of the Blue Note, a club known worldwide for intimate jazz performances before seated audiences.

New chief wants look at court fines: CARSON CITY -- Deborah Agosti, who has worked her way up the judicial ladder during the past 20 years, will become chief justice of the Nevada Supreme Court on Monday.

Ariba up as bargain hunters drive stock up: AP; NEW YORK (Dow Jones/AP) - Shares of Ariba Inc. rebounded sharply Thursday, after losing ground earlier this week on news that the software company would restate some results. Analysts suggested that bargain-hunters were driving the stock up.

Columnist Benjamin Grove: War overshadows goals of new session: Benjamin Grove; Congress has much to do this year. Ambitious lawmakers intend to settle old budget battles, reform health care, and forge a compromise on new energy and environmental policy.

3 CCSN students nominated for USA Academic Team: Jennifer Knight; WEEKEND EDITION: Jan. 4, 2003

Parks director selected: Jeffrey Libby; A veteran California parks administrator will start Monday as director of Henderson Parks and Recreation Department.

Columnist Jerry Fink: A look at top spots to lounge around: After two years of writing about lounges, I have barely touched the surface of the rich field of this type of entertainment available in Las Vegas -- and it's free.

North Las Vegas City Council briefs for Jan. 3, 2003: A long-planned hospital will open in a year to 18 months on Tropical Parkway at Losee Road in North Las Vegas, a lawyer for the development company that owns the property said Thursday.

Columnist Spencer Patterson: Merger has online music fans scrambling: Spencer Patterson; That collective groan you might have heard last month was the sound of music buyers nationwide reacting to the news that CDNow has handed over its online operations to Internet giant Amazon.com.

10-year-old artist to march with MLK: WEEKEND EDITION: Jan. 4, 2003

Ralph Siraco's selections for Saturday's races at Santa Anita: Saturday's card

Columnist Erin Neff: Money takes back seat in Nevada's tax debate: Erin Neff; When the medical malpractice crisis called state lawmakers into an emergency session last year, they came with more than $1 million from the doctors and trial lawyers to help sway their decisions.

Columnist Jeff German: City Hall reneges on promise to taxpayers: If you're a regular reader of this space, you learned in Lesson No. 1 that the casinos always get what they want. Lesson No. 2 taught that elected officials have a right to break a promise to the public if breaking that promise benefits the casinos.

Columnist Barb Henderson: Time to get cookin' after holidays: Barb Henderson; The ol' magnificent Dutch oven just might be older than dirt because these fantastic cooking pots sure have been around forever.

Where I Stand -- Guest columnist Valerie Delgrosso: Redefining America: CONSERVATIVES BEWARE: America's youth are not going to vote your way. But liberals should be concerned also. They aren't going to vote your way either. If this year's Sun Youth Forum debate on America was any indication, the next generation of voters expects more from our government and the people who run it.

Gladiators looking for a few good men: Three weeks after discovering that his Arena Football League team would be moving from New Jersey to Las Vegas, coach Frank Haege drove into the Thomas & Mack Center parking lot early Tuesday for his first day on the job.

Editorial: Heed the chorus of criticism: Although the regulations for implementing it run 400 pages, the goal of the No Child Left Behind law signed by President Bush a year ago is simple: End the stark achievement gap that has existed for generations between students of different ethnic, racial and income groups. The clock on this federal program begins ticking Jan. 31, when states must submit plans for complying with the new regulations. The intent of the federal law is that by 2014 student scores on standardized tests will show that all elementary and secondary public schools are meeting proficiency levels -- with minority students and ...

Land-use changes in the works: WEEKEND EDITION: Jan. 5, 2003

Datebook for Jan. 3, 2002: The second "Gift of Lights" will run through Sunday, 5-10 p.m. today and Saturday, and 5-9 p.m. on Sunday at Sunset Park, 2601 E. Sunset Road. Admission is $10 per car. Partial proceeds benefit Clark County Parks and Recreation Scholarship Fund for Disadvantaged Children.

Community briefs for Jan. 3, 2003: Signups for the Challenger Little League, which provides an opportunity for children with disabilities to play noncompetitive baseball, are scheduled this month.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Band is a Diamond in the rough: At the first telltale rumble, J.B. grabs his mandolin, Eve and Sarah snap up their fiddles, and they run up the road to greet the riders with a song -- or two or three.

Las Vegas Area Fishing Report: Rainbow trout still plentiful in Lake Mead: Updated Jan. 3, 2003

Letter: When it comes to money, feds don't know best: When President Reagan lowered taxes, revenue grew 95 percent from 1980 to 1990. The problem was spending! This is despite Democratic leaders saying they would cut dollar for dollar (spending to tax cuts). Spending grew 135 percent during the same period. Military spending was only a small part of the spending increase. Almost all of the spending increase was on government social programs. Now it does not take a genius to see what the problem was.

Construction site yields remains older than 100: City Manager Kurt Fritsch said there's a chance the remains are not from a Paiute ancestor, but instead from a member of a different tribe passing through the area more than 100 years ago.

Political Notebook: Goodman signs reminders of coming election: Erin Neff; The signs popping up around town certainly aren't for name recognition or to keep other notables out of the race.

New Year's show a streak of misfortune for Ricky and Co.: What: Ricky & the Redstreaks New Year's Eve Party.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: 'Sopranos' serving Italian to go: After that, HBO Films will start to churn out theatrical releases based on their smash hit television show.

Heller's probe of election claim still unresolved: CARSON CITY -- Secretary of State Dean Heller's investigation into allegations that attorney general candidate John Hunt violated campaign laws remains unfinished after more than three months.

Lobbyists eye funding slice for Nevada: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Nevada, Clark County and the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson are paying their lobbyists in Congress more than $1 million this year.

Priest's guilty plea opens door for civil lawsuits: Erica D. Johnson; The five boys who accused their Henderson priest of sexually and physically abusing them are one step closer to a civil lawsuit that seeks hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.

Man jailed in stabbing of woman: Jace Radke; A man who allegedly stabbed a 24-year-old woman in front of the Stratosphere was arrested this morning after a more than five-hour-long standoff with police.

Building pace picking up: Spending increased 0.3 percent to $843.2 billion after rising a revised 1 percent in October, the Commerce Department said today. The November figure was the highest since May.

Mortgage rates fall again: The average interest rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to 5.85 percent for the week ending today, down from 5.93 percent in the previous week, Freddie Mac said Thursday in its weekly nationwide survey of mortgage rates.

Injured officer offers thanks: Dan Kulin; A 27-year-old Metro officer shot six times in early December thanked the community for its support and prayers and said he hopes to be back at work in seven months.

Cannery opens doors to the past: By Liz Benston; Thursday night's opening of the Cannery in North Las Vegas didn't feature any pro basketball players, pop singers or movie stars.

Body of homeless man found: By Timothy Pratt; A man was found dead under a bridge Thursday morning, prompting people who work with the homeless to repeat recent warnings that the coming cold months will bring more casualties among those who live on the streets of the Las Vegas Valley.

N.C. gambling probe leads to raids, arrests: "Operation Happy New Year" was spearheaded by the Randolph County Sheriff's Office, with the assistance of the Asheboro and Randleman police departments. Officers simultaneously served 15 search warrants Tuesday.

News briefs for Jan. 3, 2003: A $1.9 million grant will help pay for 334 housing units for low- to moderate-income families in Clark County, officials said Thursday.

AC casino take fell in December: The monthly decline was the worst in nine years, the paper said. The casinos won $314.2 million in December, a $33.6 million decline from last year, the paper said. Harrah's Entertainment Inc.'s Harrah's casino was the only property to report higher revenue, helped by a new hotel tower opened earlier this year.

Exotic dancers remain at odds with city: Judy Odierna; A meeting with city officials Thursday failed to resolve the American Civil Liberties Union's objections to Las Vegas' proposed new requirements for exotic dancers and the dispute may have to be settled by the courts, officials said.

Columnist Jeff German: Going out on a limb in 2003: While most predictions in this space have been unreliable in previous years, some actually have defied the odds and come true.

Democratic lawmakers criticized for vote: CARSON CITY -- Although they were highly critical of a conservative national legislative organization, two Democratic state senators have voted several times for the state to pay dues to belong to it, a check of records shows.

North Las Vegas welcomes restaurants, meeting space: By Liz Benston; A themed casino is nothing new for Las Vegas, Henderson and the Strip. But in the city of North Las Vegas, the Cannery joins a mere handful of bigger casino-hotels offering an array of restaurants and bars in one building.

School district official faces DUI felony charge: Jace Radke; A regional director for the Clark County School District who formerly headed up the district's police force is facing a charge of felony driving under the influence of alcohol in a head-on collision.

Study says education reforms may hurt students: By Emily Richmond; As schools in Nevada and the rest of the nation move toward more demanding exams to determine whether teachers, students and schools are rewarded or penalized, a new study claims such high-stakes testing may actually hinder academic achievement.