Print edition for January 27, 2003

Struggling Rebels hunting for first MWC win: Steve Guiremand; What: UNLV (11-5, 0-3) at New Mexico (7-9, 1-2)

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Winston Cup veteran Spencer feels like a rookie: NASCAR testing schedule at LVMS

Sports briefs for January 27, 2003: Former Major League player George Hendrick has dropped plans to manage the Class A Fort Wayne (Ind.) Wizards this summer, opting instead to take a position with the Las Vegas 51s, the Wizards said Sunday night.

Governor's budget faces overhaul: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn's $4.8 billion state budget may be in for some major changes judging from the reaction of legislators after their first glimpse of the two-year spending program.

Texas authorities arrest suspect: Metro Police had obtained a warrant for the arrest of Curtis Duncan, who used to live with the victim, Shalynn Hatter, 18, Metro Lt. Tom Monahan said this morning.

Dog dies saving family from attack: By Emily Richmond; A North Las Vegas woman says her family dog died protecting their toddler and infant daughters from an Akita-mixed breed that leapt through a window screen and into their home.

Race for minority vote intensifies in Congress: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., has helped lead the attack on Republicans in recent days as Democrats try to capitalize on what they consider GOP miscues on racial issues.

News briefs for Jan. 27, 2003: A coroner's inquest jury decided Friday that Metro Police Officer William Marks was justified in fatally shooting 44-year-old Gary Orozco on Dec. 26 when the suspect drove his car into the officer's cruiser, backed up and allegedly tried to run Marks over near Owens Avenue and Lamb Boulevard.

Non-Indian interests push for electronic gambling: Paul Queary; OLYMPIA, Wash. -- More than a thousand card dealers and other non-Indian gambling activists rallied last week in favor of a proposal to dramatically increase the number of electronic gambling machines in Washington.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Super Bowl looked all too typical: Dean Juipe; The drawback of a rout in a team-sport game is that the guys getting shellacked can't wave a white towel and surrender.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Sunday's races: Sunday's card

Walters' shopping center proposal faces debate: Meeting A community meeting on developer Billy Walters' proposal to build a shopping center on county land will be at 7 p.m. today at Sierra Vista High School Theater, 8100 W. Robindale Road.

Money line bets hurt sports books: A 50-ish woman took a look Sunday night at the long lines leading up to the Stardust's pay windows and widened her eyes at Bob Scucci, the manager of that race and sports book.

Grand jury indicts Rundle in death of missing mother: Erica D. Johnson; Nearly four months after arrest of William Rundle in connection with his wife's slaying, a grand jury has indicted him on murder charges in the alleged death of his 87-year-old mother.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Stars tackle NFL's anti-Vegas stance: "Who is the NFL trying to kid ... banning ads about Las Vegas from the Super Bowl?" Craig, the former star runner for the San Francisco 49ers, told VegasBeat at the Super Bowl XXXVII bash at the Riviera Sunday afternoon. "Professional football is all about the betting.

Marshal impersonator sentenced: Jace Radke; A Las Vegas man found guilty of charges stemming from impersonating a U.S. marshal has been sentenced to 27 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Philip Pro.

Birth announcements for Jan. 27, 2003: Jan. 12:

Letter: Record growth demands that residents pay up: Just because we have the distinction of being the fastest-growing state in the union doesn't give us bragging rights. Additionally, who benefited from such fast growth?

Editorial: Gains on land deals not worth the price: Mesquite City Manager Bryan Montgomery justifies the council's position, saying its members are simply trying to protect taxpayers' money. But we've heard this justification before in other states and have seen the consequences. Once the public is shut out of public business for any reason, a culture of secrecy begins forming and eventually it pervades other public decisions.

Editorial: Mediation called for in dispute: In the letter, ATC accuses the drivers of "disparaging" the company and accuses them of trying to cause the RTC to reject or reconsider the contract extension. The letter informs the three, who are leaders of a group of their colleagues formed to protest work and safety conditions, that the company is investigating to determine how deeply they and others may have been involved in activities related to the company's contract.

Kmart says it found evidence of mismanagement by ex-managers: Alexandra R. Moses; DETROIT -- One year after filing the largest retail bankruptcy, Kmart Corp. revealed Friday that a months-long internal review showed that some former managers violated their responsibilities to the company.

Buck, Robinson build campaign war chests: Dan Kulin; Preparing for a re-election push, North Las Vegas Councilwoman Shari Buck more than tripled her campaign war chest last year, ending 2002 with about $90,000 in her account, according to campaign finance reports.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Horse racing honors its own at Eclipse Awards: Ralph Siraco; And, the envelope please ...

Letter: Narrowing gap between classes: Something needs to be done.

Girl testifies relative raped her: Erica D. Johnson; A relative of the Las Vegas man who is charged with 13 sex crimes told a District Court jury Friday that he raped her when she was 14 years old.

Obituaries for Jan. 27, 2003: Madalaine Calovini, 59, of Las Vegas died Friday in a local hospital. She was born July 23, 1943, in Homestead, Pa. A resident for 30 years, she was an adult development director for the Girl Scouts of Frontier Council.

Kmart Corp. files plan of reorganization: Alexandra R. Moses; DETROIT -- Kmart Corp. filed its reorganization plan in federal bankruptcy court on Friday, saying that a large portion of the cash to fund its turnaround will come primarily from two investors.

Removal of remedial classes at universities eyed: Jennifer Knight; Regents Mark Alden and Doug Hill are asking the board to explore a plan later this week to move all remedial-level classes to the community colleges by fall 2004.

Nevada jobless rate up: CARSON CITY -- Unemployment in Nevada in December rose to 5 percent, up from 4.6 percent the previous month -- and an estimated 50,100 people were out of work during the holiday season. But the 5 percent rate is still below the national rate of 6 percent and the 6.6 percent rate in California.

Nevada November sales up: The state Taxation Department on Friday said taxable sales reached $2.6 billion, with restaurants, bars and clothing stores showing the biggest gain. The 2.8 percent increase was the second-biggest percentage gain since October 2001, but was below the 7.5 percent jump reported last September.

Brothels may be asked to pitch in more revenues: Erin Neff; Cigarettes and booze are already on the table, but some lawmakers are looking at an original sin tax.

Analyst lowers rating: Klatzkin also lowered 2003 earnings per share estimates to $1.13 from $1.17 per share and cash flow estimates to $291 million from $297 million to account for a weaker economy than expected.

Monorail car model unveiled: The existing monorail trains, which operated between the MGM Grand and Bally's hotel -casinos and were formerly used by the Walt Disney Co. at its theme parks, were retired Sunday night and taken off line. The existing cars are being taken out of service to accommodate construction of the new system.

Fire damages abandoned building: The fire started in the north end of the boarded-up building along Boulder Highway near Sahara Avenue just before midnight, officials said. The fire spread and damaged the building, but did not destroy it. A damage estimate hasn't been determined, Clark County Fire Department spokesman Bob Leinbach said this morning.

Big game means small sales: Las Vegas Valley residents interested in sales had plenty of help from store clerks after the Super Bowl kickoff Sunday, when mall traffic became super slow.

Document backs allegation: Investor and casino mogul Kirk Kerkorian, who owned 14 percent of Chrysler, and other investors are using the document to support their case that they wouldn't have backed the transaction had they known Daimler-Benz would control the combined company. Daimler-Benz and Chrysler publicly called the transaction a "merger of equals."

Executive to receive award: Wynn, the president and chief executive officer of Wynn Resorts Ltd., is building the $2.4 billion Le Reve hotel-casino project on the Las Vegas Strip. He will receive the award at a lunch at the Century Plaza Hotel & Spa in Los Angeles today.

Political newcomer to run for council: Jeffrey Libby; A political neophyte who says he was spurned by a four-term incumbent Henderson city councilman has decided to challenge him in the spring municipal election.

Enterprise pigeon loft torn down: Jace Radke; From his Enterprise Township back yard, Roy Morris watched approvingly this weekend as the home of more than 1,000 unwanted neighbors tumbled down next door.

Wallflowers cope with changing landscape: Spencer Patterson; Intentionally autobiographical or not, Jakob Dylan sure sounded like a man singing about himself and his band, the Wallflowers, during the opening number of Friday night's show at House of Blues at Mandalay Bay.

Country legend gives it to 'em Strait at Mandalay Bay: Leah Robinson; It takes a big star to captivate an arena-sized crowd without the help of fireworks, dancing girls or fancy backdrops. George Strait is that kind of star.

Sun Lite for Jan. 27, 2003: We here at Sun Lite are always up for a celebration, no matter how trivial the occasion. In our book, any day that ends in the letter Y is a fine day for a party.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Torment in crime's aftermath: Certainly, residents across Nevada and the country were aghast at news that a 19-year-old man and his teenage sister went on a stabbing rampage before dawn Wednesday, killing a 3-year-old Mesquite girl and paralyzing her 10-year-old sister.