Print edition for July 29, 2003

Missing report stalls Rundle sentencing: District Judge Michael Cherry postponed sending Rundle to prison for two life terms after noting in a packed courtroom that the state Parole and Probation Department had not finished its pre-sentencing investigation (PSI). Family members had come to see the sentencing, but none was scheduled to speak.

Meet Mesquite: City 80 miles north emerging as entertainment destination: It was 8 p.m. on a Saturday night. The Cactus Bar lounge at the Eureka, one of four major casinos in town, was beginning to stir.

Former Vegas exec to run Carson City's newest casino: CARSON CITY -- Carson City's newest casino, the Fandango, will open by Friday and it will be run by a former Las Vegas gaming executive.

Ethics panel rejects Miller's complaint against Moncrief: The Nevada Commission on Ethics has thrown out a complaint against Las Vegas City Councilwoman Janet Moncrief, saying the commission has no jurisdiction over someone's actions prior to taking office.

Editorial: 100 years of Hope -- and entertainment: That was the Bob Hope service members knew, the man surrounded by stars who could entertain you nonstop. Even hard-bitten sergeants who were never seen laughing couldn't resist his one-liners and stage antics.

Editorial: House bill is bad for Head Start: Second, the House on Friday rejected an amendment proposed by Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev. She wanted to increase the $6.8 billion Head Start reauthorization bill by $50 million. The increase would have been shared by states whose populations are rapidly expanding. Nevada would have realized an extra million dollars above the $21 million it received last year. This is money the state badly needs, as only one in four eligible Nevada children can now attend Head Start because of funding limitations. Berkley's bill would have helped ensure that states such as Nevada are not penalized for their growth.

Mesquite's big four casinos: The 550-seat showroom features nationally known headliners Friday and Saturday nights. Outdoor pools surrounded by private bungalows, a full-service beauty salon, a spa featuring a complete range of massages and other therapies and a championship golf course are among the highlights at The CasaBlanca.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Estefan bringing more heat to Vegas: So why, exactly, is Gloria Estefan coming to Las Vegas?

Advisory panel says growth should figure into water policies: Will Oremus; The Southern Nevada Water Authority should urge its member agencies to "pay attention" to population growth issues as they look for solutions to the region's water shortage, an advisory committee of Las Vegas Valley residents concluded on Monday.

Strip club 'criminal conspiracy' alleged: A longtime Las Vegas topless dance club owner has filed a response to a fraud lawsuit against him and has filed his own counterclaim against partners in the venture.

Aladdin posts $4.9 million loss: Aladdin Gaming LLC, which operates the Strip hotel, said in its monthly operating report that the company took in $19.4 million in revenue and had $21.7 million in expenses for the month for a loss of $2.3 million.

NLV library offers puppet show: The puppet performance will be presented by the Coyote Puppet Theatre group.

Letter: Ignorance of HIV/AIDS deadly as disease itself: Ridiculous as his statement is, more alarming is the ignorance behind it, which, I fear, is not limited to the assemblyman himself. The fact is, according to the Centers for Disease Control, although African-Americans represent 12 percent of the U.S. population, in 2001 they accounted for 49 percent of new HIV infections. Further, since its outbreak in the early 1980s, HIV/AIDS has carried with it the misnomer of being a gay man's disease.

Wednesday's horse racing entries: Post Time 2 p.m.

Resort plans to leave Nevada Power system: In an application filed last week with the state Public Utilities Commission, the Strip hotel-casino asked for permission to buy power from Sempra Energy Solutions. The resort's peak load is estimated at about 32 megawatts, and it has requested permission to leave Jan. 1 for a minimum of three years.

News briefs for July 29, 2003: Ten-year-old Brianna Michelle Garcia just wanted to return home to celebrate her upcoming birthday. She never got the chance.

Gaming briefs for July 29, 2003: ATA Airlines, formerly American Trans Air, disclosed financial problems but also said it will expand its service to Las Vegas from Indianapolis and Chicago's Midway Airport.

51s looking at possible Henderson stadium sites: Dan Kulin; The president and general manager of the Las Vegas 51s minor league baseball team on Monday picked two privately owned properties in Henderson as the best potential sites for a new ballpark, but said the other five or six sites identified by city officials as possible stadium locations aren't entirely out of the running.

Murray's watchful eye helping 51s youngsters: Nick Christensen; When Calvin Murray talks about prospects, he knows he's not talking about himself.

Martinez goes off on strike zone cameras: MLB Snapshot

Mom has cool idea for troops in Iraq: Jace Radke; On the web

Girl, 2, who was left in car is in critical condition: Mary Manning and Jen Lawson; A 2-year-old girl was in critical condition at University Medical Center after paramedics rescued her from a car without air conditioning about 5:30 p.m. Monday in northwest Las Vegas, Metro Police said.

Letter: Re-open shelters for homeless: When some service providers dismiss shelter from the record heat as "warehousing," they are doing a disservice. Now that the rainy season is upon us, the homeless who used have safe overnight shelter will be exposed to the elements.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: If Hogan wants to escape, UNLV could be the place: My guess is that Wayne Hogan is going to be UNLV's next athletic director, for two good reasons.

MWC moving forward somehow: Steve Guiremand; Commissioner Craig Thompson looked remarkably relaxed and refreshed before issuing his state of the Mountain West Conference speech for the media Monday afternoon at the JW Marriott Hotel.

Prosecutors say evidence links man to heists: Erica D. Johnson; Prosecutors on Monday laid out for jurors the "mountain of circumstantial evidence" they say links Pedro Duarte to a casino heist in which two armored truck guards were shot.

One interpretation of tax law causing a stir: Erin Neff and Cy Ryan; One tax commissioner's interpretation of a section of the new tax law has created a slight firestorm of rumor in the gaming and business communities.

Appeals court rules state court has jurisdiction in Indian water dispute: CARSON CITY -- A federal appeals court ruled Monday that the state district court in Pershing County has jurisdiction over a case in which an Indian tribe arrested a state water commissioner on tribal land.

Legislature to court: Don't overturn two-thirds ruling: CARSON CITY -- The Legislature urged the Nevada Supreme Court Monday to put an end to attempts by 24 GOP lawmakers to overturn the ruling that a two-thirds vote was not necessary for new or increased taxes to fund education.

Utilities can pass tax hike to customers: Erin Neff; Legislators crowed about how the record tax increase they passed July 21 protected the "little guy." But a largely unnoticed provision of the tax bill is expected to mean higher electric, phone, gas, cable and trash bills for all Nevadans.

Police: Grandson told others of slaying: Jen Lawson and Malia Spencer; Authorities had believed that 81-year-old Frank Campos died Friday night of natural causes. But the next day Campos' grandson told a friend and relatives that he had smothered Campos, according to the police records.

Resident sues over condo project: A resident opposed to a planned condominium development has sued Clark County, the proposed developer and the county commissioner who cast the deciding vote on the issue earlier this month.

Metro will pay dead Frenchman's father $500,000: Jen Lawson; The Metro Police fiscal oversight committee agreed Monday to pay $500,000 to settle a federal lawsuit filed by the father of a French citizen who died in the Clark County Detention Center after a violent struggle with guards two years ago.

Casino yields a windfall: Computers for entire tribe: Susan Montoya Bryan; SANDIA PUEBLO, N.M. -- Dayle Denetdeel's big brown eyes were fixed on the glowing blue screen and shiny silver and black plastic.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Fit, healthy old-timers on nice run: Dean Juipe; Of course you've noticed it. Who hasn't?

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Fence will save lives: With President George W. Bush's renewed efforts to not only present a road map to peace but encourage the parties to follow it, the attention of the world -- to the extent that it can be pried away from Iraq, Iran, Al Queda and others -- is refocusing on Israel and the Palestinians.

Tentative deal reached: "We have found common ground on a possible agreement on the parameters," Canadian trade ministry spokesman Sebastien Theberge told reporters. He declined to give any details.

Obituaries for July 29, 2003: Noreen Campagno, 40, of Las Vegas died July 17 in Las Vegas. She was born June 13, 1963, in New York. A resident for 10 years, she was a homemaker.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Wednesday's Del Mar races: Wednesday's card

LV had sought $500,000 for post office: The city of Las Vegas asked two of Nevada's congressional representatives for $500,000 to refurbish the historic downtown post office and turn it into a museum, but garnered just one-sixth that amount.

Residents hear new plan for widening Blue Diamond Road: About three dozen residents of the southern Las Vegas Valley came out Monday to see the latest plans for a new interchange on Interstate 15 and no one complained about the changes to the road.

Museum details Mesquite's history: The Mesquite Heritage Museum and Art Center officially opened in June.

State seeks charges against businessman: CARSON CITY -- State Labor Commissioner Terry Johnson wants criminal charges filed against an Incline Village businessman who allegedly skipped out on paying wages to his workers.

Sprint posts small net profit, exceeds expectations: KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Despite a 3 percent fall in revenue, phone giant Sprint Corp. posted a second-quarter profit of $7 million Monday and said it's cutting its capital spending budget in Las Vegas and other markets.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Eldorado grad to make Truck Series debut Saturday: Casey Kingsland is hoping to add his name to the growing list of drivers from Las Vegas who are finding success on NASCAR's national stage.

Problem gambling antitrust lawsuit settled: By Liz Benston; The U.S. Department of Justice has reached a settlement with the National Council on Problem Gambling Inc., the nation's largest provider of educational materials and other resources to help compulsive gamblers, that is expected to resolve an antitrust lawsuit filed last month against the nonprofit group.

Columnist Jeff German: Cassidy says Binion murdered: Lawyers for the two convicted defendants, Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish, contended Binion, a known heroin abuser, died of a drug overdose in 1998. Prosecutors charged that Binion was forced to ingest heroin and Xanax and then was suffocated.

Columnist Susan Snyder: 'Experience' the thrill of shopping: I spent no less than 20 minutes strolling up and down the "health and beauty" aisles of our neighborhood supermarket searching for them.

Immunization schedule for July 29, 2003: The Clark County Health District has four public health centers and 15 satellite clinics open each week in Southern Nevada. A $15 administration fee will be assessed per visit. These clinics will be open through Aug. 3.