Print edition for July 23, 2003

Computer company's revenue drops: Computer company's revenue drops

Bush nominates Navy officer for NRC seat: Bush intends to designate Grossenbacher as the Commission's chairman, a position held by Nils Diaz since April after former chairman Richard Meserve left to head the Carnegie Institution in Washington. Meserve had been chairman since 1999.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Big Time lives up to its name: Dean Juipe; This city has it all: an abundance of hotel rooms, 24-hour drinking and gambling, sultry diversions.

City officials, 51s to discuss move: Dan Kulin; Officials for the Las Vegas 51s minor league baseball team are expected to meet with Henderson city officials on Monday to discuss the possibility of moving the team to Henderson.

Legal challenges shift toward prevention: Jace Radke and Cy Ryan; Unresolved legal actions in connection with the Nevada Supreme Court's July 10th decision to allow the Legislature to approve a tax package with only a majority vote to fund public schools instead of the constitutionally mandated two-thirds majority vote:

JP eyes Supreme Court: Agosti will run in 2004 after serving a six-year term. She became chief justice in January 2003.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Hornish still trying to decide where to drive: As his self-imposed deadline nears for making a decision regarding his racing future, two-time Indy Racing League champion Sam Hornish Jr. admittedly is agonizing over whether to stick with open-wheel racing or make a move to stock cars.

Ethics complaint filed against Moncrief: Mary Manning and Ed Koch; Yet another complaint about the newest member of the Las Vegas City Council apparently has been filed with state officials.

Budget won't fund much of what schools wanted: By Emily Richmond; When Nevada's 17 school district superintendents descended on Carson City in January, they hoped to convince lawmakers to back a record $879 million in education spending increases.

Station Casinos to begin paying quarterly dividend: By Liz Benston; Second quarter profits at Station Casinos Inc. more than doubled as the locals' casino operator avoided much of the tourism slump that has hurt the Strip and its Green Valley Ranch Station casino in Henderson saw strong gains.

Columnist Jeff German: Lawmakers leave us holding bag: The record $836 million tax increase passed late Monday was obviously a product of weary lawmakers who just wanted to stop fighting each other and go home after the longest and least productive session in state history.

Thursday's horse racing entries: Post Time 10 a.m.

Coronado's Kale faces tale of the tape: Adam Candee; Someone scratched the CD in the middle of Mike Kale's grand number.

UNLV home city advantage not what it was: Steve Guiremand; Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery was busy making his way though the muggy triple-digit heat outside of Durango High School on Tuesday afternoon when he was quizzed by a reporter.

Sports briefs: Lifeguards searching waters southeast of Los Angeles said they believe an 18-year-old Southern California football recruit has drowned.

Nevada retailers post big increase in sales: CARSON CITY -- Propelled by strong gains in sales of big-ticket items like home furniture and cars, taxable sales in Nevada in May jumped 7.8 percent -- the biggest percentage increase of the year.

Gaming briefs for July 23, 2003: CHICAGO -- Attorneys for the bankrupt Emerald Casino argued Tuesday that Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan opposed at the last minute a plan allowing shareholders to recover their initial investment if the casino license was sold.

Guinn: Tax structure will present funding problems: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn said he was glad to sign a record tax increase Tuesday because it allows school districts -- particularly Clark County -- to hire teachers.

Riviera drops poison pill: By Liz Benston; A few months after rejecting an investor's buyout offer for the Riviera casino in Las Vegas, the property's parent company, Riviera Holdings Corp., says it is now better positioned to accept a takeover bid.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Breaking news: More breaking news in LV: Beginning Sept. 22, sister stations KFBT Channel 6 (Cox cable channel 33) and KVWB Channel 12 (Cox cable channel 21) will air daily hourlong newscasts. KFBT will broadcast its news show at 7 p.m. and KVWB will air its newscast at 10 p.m. The first half-hour of both broadcasts will be devoted to local news.

New well planned to help residents of Kyle Canyon: Afsha Bawany; The Las Vegas Valley Water District expects to have a new well pumping water for Kyle Canyon next month, and residents such as Becky Grismanauskas say it's about time.

Ex-pastor pleads guilty: William Robert Hough, who worked at the West Valley Counseling Center in Las Vegas, pleaded guilty to one count of felony abuse of a client before District Judge Michael Cherry.

Company to be liquidated: Mego Financial Corp., doing business as Leisure Industries Corp. of America, operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, plans to sell the company's Las Vegas assets and eight properties in six other states to companies that would continue to operate them as time shares.

Tax increase package targets smokers, drinkers: Malia Spencer; The inclusion of the so-called sin taxes in the $836 million tax plan approved by lawmakers Monday enraged some Southern Nevadans while others cheered the taxes.

Armored truck guard describes gunfight: Erica D. Johnson; When armored truck guard Charles Fichter pulled up to the Desert Inn in June 1999 for a routine delivery, two men in ski masks were lying in wait, prepared to ambush him with assault rifles.

Two arrested after children left in cars: Will Oremus and Jen Lawson; Two women were arrested on child endangerment charges Tuesday after an 11-month-old girl was left in a car while her mother shopped at the Fashion Show mall and a 6-year-old girl was left in a car on Third Street while her aunt attended a hearing at the Clark County Courthouse.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Thursday's races at Del Mar: Thursday's card

Car rental tax to help fund culinary school, arts center: People who rent cars in Clark County could soon help pay for a training center for would-be hotel employees and a performing arts center downtown.

Gibbons gets FEC letter asking him to file candidacy: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON-- The Federal Election Commission sent a letter to Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., last month saying he needs to declare candidacy for federal office by Thurdsay.

Guinn signs various bills: In addition to the tax increase and the state schools budget, Gov. Kenny Guinn signed several bills Tuesday that were passed by the second special session. They included:

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Navy captain Brookman honored, Vegas-style: Elizabeth Foyt; Brookman, who has just returned from serving with the Marine Expeditionary Forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom, was saluted for serving his third tour with the Marines by Rep. Shelley Berkley, joined by Sonia Joya of U.S. Sen. John Ensign's office and Lanae Freeborn Tunnell representing Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt.

Work to begin on highway interchange: CARSON CITY -- Work is expected to begin in late September or early October on a new interchange for Interstate 515/U.S. 95 at Lake Mead Drive in Henderson, the state Transportation Department announced Tuesday.

Claim vs. Hillary Clinton dismissed: Jace Radke; A U.S. District Court judge has dismissed claims of defamation against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in connection with a federal lawsuit filed by Gennifer Flowers. The order was filed Monday in Las Vegas by Judge Philip Pro.

Public can be paged or e-mailed with county alerts: The free service, called Direct Connect, offers residents the ability to sign up for not only emergency news, but also information about other county matters and events.

New York festival adds music in return to Las Vegas: Kirk Baird; The festival was so well received, in fact, executive director Stuart Alson opted to expand its scope to include music.

Columnist Peter Benton: LVI greens fees come with perks: Peter Benton; Our Las Vegas Invitational, which will be celebrating its 21st anniversary this year, is scheduled for Oct. 8-12, and is offering both businesses and individuals the opportunity to "Play with the Pros."

Editorial: No thought given to the future: The first reaction was largely in empathy with the state's school districts, whose critical duties of hiring teachers and planning programs for the fall were suspended indefinitely when the Legislature could not agree on a spending plan. By finally passing a tax plan, seven weeks late, the Legislature has enabled school districts to resume planning. The schools might now open on time, but it will take months for the districts to fully recover from the interruption.

Gibbons pushes geothermal use: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Proponents of geothermal energy projects in Nevada and other states could find it easier to lease public lands for geothermal use under a House bill introduced last week.

NRC releases revised plan for Yucca licensing: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Tuesday issued its final plan for the review of the Energy Department's anticipated license application for the Yucca Mountain high-level nuclear waste repository.

City Hall addition move-in set Sept. 6: Dan Kulin; Henderson city employees are now expected to begin moving into the new $41.8 million City Hall addition on Sept. 6 instead of this month as previously thought, the city's construction manager said Tuesday.

Letter: Quality of life, low taxes are lure: Did liberals like Ralston just happen to miss the recent news that thousands of people a month continue to move into Nevada? Or that Nevada is still the fastest-growing state? Or that Clark is the fastest-growing county? That Henderson and North Las Vegas are two of the three fastest-growing cities? That Nevada housing starts are No. 1 in the country? That we rate No. 1, or close to it, in every ranking of the best states to do business in?

Community briefs for July 23, 2003: The U.S. Amateur Ballroom Dancers Association along with University of Nevada, Las Vegas DanceSport will hold their July dance from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday at Dance Elegance, 1201 Arville St.

Tribe overcomes history, neighbors to win casino: Andrew Kramer; FLORENCE, Ore. -- Francis Somday stood in slacks and a tie, his loafers brushing the dry grass and sandy soil on a hill where a Siuslaw Indian village bustled more than a century ago.

Letter: Effort to protect taxpayers led to long impasse: Ah yes, the best ideas of man and beast do in reality often go astray. I am sure that in the early 1990s and as recently as 1996, the good people of this state who voted in favor of the two-thirds law genuinely felt they were protecting the taxpayer. In truth, given the times and the same circumstances, I probably would have voted for it myself, for on the surface it seems so logical.

SEC head: Fraud is lessening: Scott Lindlaw; WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration says it has helped net more than 250 white-collar crime convictions, deterred fraud in boardrooms and restored investor confidence in the year since President Bush established a panel to combat corporate corruption.

Body was in yard for months: Jen Lawson; The body found buried in a back yard Monday in the historic John S. Park neighborhood could have been there for more than three months, an autopsy performed Tuesday showed.

Obituaries for July 23, 2003: Robert Anderson Sr., 49, of Las Vegas died Friday in Las Vegas. He was born July 16, 1954, in California. A resident for 30 years, he was a carpenter.

'Net giant's loss narrows: For the April-June quarter, Seattle-based Amazon.com said Tuesday it lost $43 million, or 11 cents a share, compared to $94 million, or 25 cents a share for the same period a year ago. Quarterly revenue was $1.1 billion, up 37 percent.

Pizza Hut killer eligible for parole: Larry Darnell Bailey, 39, was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday with parole possible after five years in the beating death of 20-year-old Pizza Hut manager Rennie "Sean" Wells on April 21, 1995.

Letter: Parties, lobbyists are too dominant: Observing the fiasco in Carson City, and the divisions in Washington, one can only hope that the present stranglehold of the two-party system (and/or control by lobbyists) can somehow be broken.

Government shrinking financial aid: Jennifer Knight; Hundreds of college students in Nevada will likely see their federal financial aid grants shrink or disappear entirely under a new set of formulas being considered by the government, according to a new report.

'Nevada Variations' wins Axiem honor: The program received the Copper Axiem award in the regional category of radio writing. It also received the Silver Axiem in the documentary category.

Female makes the Big Time: Charde Houston made history Tuesday when she became the first female to compete in the adidas Big Time prep basketball tournament, a summer staple in Las Vegas since 1995.

No clear winners emerge: Erin Neff; The 2003 Legislature will go down in history for passing the largest tax increase in state history, and the consensus after six months of bickering is that no clear winners emerged.

LV may get more funds for security: Suzanne Struglinski; An amendment to the Homeland Security spending bill, introduced Tuesday by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., could be included today if the Senate completes the bill.

Tax system still has holes, critics say: Erin Neff; Just a day after the state's biggest tax increase in history, some are saying the biggest loss this legislative year was in the opportunity to fix the tax system.

News briefs for July 23, 2003: A 3-year-old boy and his grandmother remained in critical condition late Tuesday at University Medical Center after an apartment fire started by children playing with a lighter.

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