Print edition for July 7, 2003

Elko official says spotted-frog pact could be cattle-friendly: AP; ELKO, Nev.- Elko County officials seeking a conservation agreement to head off another endangered species listing say responsible livestock grazing is compatible with protecting a troubled frog.

Stricter noise regs could affect biggest speed boats at Tahoe: AP; RENO, Nev.- Regional regulators at Lake Tahoe are considering new noise restrictions that could impact the biggest, loudest speed boats.

Birth announcements for July 7, 2003: June 23:

On open date during tour, Korn hands it to Palms: Spencer Patterson; Korn drummer David Silveria has spent many a night partying at the Palms' Rain in the Desert nightclub.

Community briefs for July 7, 2003: The city of Henderson presents its Spring Break performance at 7 p.m. Saturday poolside at the Whitney Ranch Recreation Center, 1575 Galleria Drive.

Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Sun Lite for July 7, 2003: Lisa Ferguson; So you thought Independence Day was the only cause for celebration in July. Turns out this month is jam-packed with homages to myriad food stuff and technological advances, among others.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Taking a course on the road: But we got a flat tire on the highway last week instead, which led to the purchase of three new tires. We were not happy. And we never made it to Panaca.

Mac trudges on after latest lineup change: Spencer Patterson; More than perhaps any other band, Fleetwood Mac has turned changing its lineup into an art form.

Air Force gathering data to protect troops: Jace Radke; During his five months in the Middle East serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Air Force Master Sgt. Fred Suedbeck wasn't assigned to ferret out terrorists or to maintain the aircraft dropping bombs on key Iraqi targets.

Gaming briefs for July 7, 2003: PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas -- Kerzner International Ltd., the owner of the Atlantis casino resort in the Bahamas, plans to restate three years of results for one of its units because of changes to its accounting.

Tour helicopter makes emergency landing on way to Grand Canyon: A Sundance Helicopters tour aircraft with seven people on board made an emergency landing Saturday after developing mechanical problems about 15 minutes outside Las Vegas, National Park Service officials said. No one was seriously hurt.

Nevada losing ground in effort to feed kids during summer: Afsha Bawany; Nevada is one of the top states in the nation in feeding students during the summer, but it's losing ground, a recent study says.

Columnist Dean Juipe: New course puts putters on alert: Dean Juipe; Bleak and tattered remnants from a previous "can't miss" idea dot the landscape.

Report boosts stock price: The world's biggest software maker may consider paying its shareholders a dividend of more than $10 billion to reduce its $46 billion in cash, the Financial Times reported, citing a person close to the discussions.

Letter: Gibbons-Reid race would hurt: Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, and freshman legislators John Ensign and Jon Porter, though well-meaning, simply do not have the pull, the juice, to have much of an impact in Congress.

State AFL-CIO, schools join Supreme Court suit: CARSON CITY -- State employees, union workers, the school districts of Clark and Washoe counties and the university system have joined Gov. Kenny Guinn in asking the Nevada Supreme Court to force the Legislature to act on a tax package.

Letter: Nevada may lose $2 million to other states: Instead of investing $150,000 in state money to secure $2 million in federal funds, Nevada taxpayers may see up to $2 million of their federal taxes sent to other states and the loss of seven programs that address education, environmental conservation, public safety, human services, service learning, and homeland security.

Fireworks-filled holiday leaves many pets parted from owners: Will Oremus; The lost dogs room at Lied Animal Shelter on Sunday was packed with pit bulls, shepherds and retrievers, refugees from a fusillade of Fourth of July fireworks.

System aims to ensure data about homeless is accurate: By Timothy Pratt; Ongoing debates about how many homeless people there are in the Las Vegas Valley, where they sleep and where services for them should be located may soon become a thing of the past, people who work in social services say.

Borgata banks on coinless slots: John Curran; ATLANTIC CITY -- It's so quiet, it's eerie.

Editorial: City versus free speech is hopeless: Seeking to create an area downtown exclusively devoted to entertainment -- laser light shows, gambling, striptease joints -- the city appropriated a portion of Fremont Street in 1995 and provided the private Fremont Street Limited Liability Corp. with millions in public money to develop it. The city promptly passed ordinances redefiningthat portion of the public street as private and restricting the behavior of people using it -- no solicitation, no handbilling, no demonstrating, no political speech aimed at passersby. People were free to privately enjoy the new attractions but were not free to gather signatures on petitions, distribute literature, or ...

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: KTNV going with good sport Futrell: The news department at Las Vegas ABC affiliate KTNV Channel 13 has two of the more prominent strengths in the local TV market in popular bow-tied weather forecaster Nate Tannebaum and longtime sports director Ron Futrell.

Officer shoots suspected carjacker: Damien W. Morton, 22, of Denver died about 9:40 a.m. Sunday, according to the Clark County Coroner's Office.

Tax, budget deal falls apart: Launce Rake and Cy Ryan; A vote on Nevada's tax and budget future, and the continued operation of the state's public schools, is off, ranking lawmakers said Sunday night.

Outsourcing Nevada tax returns to Ariz. bank questioned: CARSON CITY -- Tax payments from Nevada interests are now being processed through an Arizona firm instead of in Nevada -- and the state Taxation Department is fielding calls from state residents seeking an explanation.

Holiday revelry sparks blazes: Legal and illegal fireworks played a role in several fires that damaged several homes across the Las Vegas Valley during the three-day Fourth of July weekend, fire officials said. Thirteen adults and four children were displaced from their homes.

Baja desert races may be legendary, but this course will be the real deal: 2nd Annual SCORE Henderson's Terrible 250

College classrooms mostly dark on Fridays: Jennifer Knight; With budget concerns bearing down on universities and colleges, higher education officials in Nevada want to make better use of classroom space by reintroducing a forgotten day of the week into their schedules -- Friday.

News briefs for July 7, 2003: A pedestrian trying to cross Flamingo Road west of Escondido Street was struck and killed Thursday night, Metro Police said.

Confidence of U.S. chief executives grows: The New York-based Conference Board's business confidence index rose to 60 in the April-June months. That compares with a first-quarter reading of 53, which was the lowest since the final three months of 2001. Chief executives were more optimistic about current economic conditions and the outlook for the economy.

Amodei, Care call for dismissal of suit: CARSON CITY -- Sens. Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, and Terry Care, D-Las Vegas, were the first legislators to respond to a lawsuit filed by Gov. Kenny Guinn against the Legislature.

Nevada insurer reports profit: That's an improvement from the $1.3 million loss reported in the same 2002 quarter.

Seven hit at downtown crosswalk: Jen Lawson; A hit-and-run driver plowed into seven pedestrians in a crosswalk at Casino Center Drive and Fremont Street Sunday night, seriously injuring two, Metro Police said.

Teachers say two-thirds vote requirement is unconstitutional: CARSON CITY -- Nevada's schoolteacher unions said today that the two-thirds vote required to pass taxes is unconstitutional because it violates the "one man one vote" concept.

Ebsen, who played Jed Clampett, Barnaby Jones, many others, dies: Bob Thomas; LOS ANGELES -- Buddy Ebsen, the loose-limbed dancer turned Hollywood actor who achieved stardom and riches in the television series "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Barnaby Jones," has died, a hospital official said Monday. He was 95.

Motorist in NLV shot, killed: Jen Lawson; A 19-year-old motorist was shot in the head and killed early this morning as he drove near Cheyenne Avenue and Civic Center Drive in North Las Vegas, police said.

Holiday weekend a busy one: Traffic and pedestrians clogged the Strip Friday. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority had projected 275,000 people would visit the city over the Independence Day weekend, a 2.6 percent increase over the 268,000 who traveled to Las Vegas for that holiday last year. LVCVA senior research analyst John Piet said today that it was too early to determine whether the projection was reached, but several hotels reported being at capacity. The reason for the increase over last year, Piet said, is that this year the migrating holiday fell on a Friday -- resulting in a true three-day weekend allowing ...

Officer involved in shooting ID'd: Johnson is a member of the K-9 unit, Metro spokeswoman Carla Alston said.

Lower DUI limit not likely to affect caseload: Erica D. Johnson; Prosecutors say a new law lowering Nevada's legal drinking limit might make people think twice about driving drunk, but they say the law probably won't affect their already busy caseload.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: From coast to coast, a firecracker weekend: Ralph Siraco; Now that the more than 250,000 visitors have come, conquered and left Las Vegas, reflections of some noteworthy performances at the country's racetracks during the Fourth of July holiday weekend. All in full view at Las Vegas race books throughout the holiday programs.

Area council honors new Eagle Scouts: Andrew Warren Aurich, 17, of Henderson; Nicholas Francesco Baker, 18, of Las Vegas; Matthew Robert Buxton, 16, of Las Vegas; Andrew Sheldon Chang, 16, of Henderson; Scott Charles Christensen, 15, of Las Vegas; Jeremy Keith Davis, 13, of Henderson; Craig Ryan Gimbel, 18, of Henderson; Paxton Michael Gray, 16, of Las Vegas; Drew Clark McDonald, 17, of Henderson; Joshua Paul Medina, 17, of Las Vegas; Micah Nash, 16, of Henderson; Jonathon Daewoo Neilan, 14, of Las Vegas; Shad E. Olenslager, 18, of Las Vegas; James Christian Owens, 17, of Henderson; Miles Coda Peshlakai, 18, of Las Vegas; Tyler Seth Radmall, ...

Longtime Las Vegas journalist, publicist Odessky dies: Dick Odessky witnessed the first traffic light installed on the Las Vegas Strip, where Convention Center Drive intersects Las Vegas Boulevard South.

Editorial: Signs of recovery for ailing hospital: The hospital had a $1.4 million operating deficit in May, but it was the fourth straight month that this deficit has declined. Last week the Sun reported that if current trends continue, the hospital should break even by the end of December. While we're glad to see the situation improving at UMC, it shouldn't obscure the reality that many people are forced to use the county hospital and its satellite clinics because not enough employers in Southern Nevada provide health insurance for their employees. That means the taxpayer ends up paying the tab. Sure, the county should continue to shoulder ...

Obituaries for July 7, 2003: Gertrude E. Albers, 84, of Las Vegas died Thursday in a local hospital. She was born June 24, 1919, in Milwaukee. A resident for 25 years, she was a homemaker.