Print edition for July 31, 2003

Homeowners bemoan rise in property taxes: How much do you owe?

Las Vegan's invention might have saved kids: By Emily Richmond; Robert Stauffer did not know the 2-year-old Las Vegas girl who died Tuesday after being left in a hot car, but the college student says he can't help but feel a personal connection to the tragedy.

Man pleads guilty in traffic rampage: Erica D. Johnson; A repeat DUI offender, who was more than three times over the legal blood-alcohol limit when he hit a bicycling father and son and killed the father, pleaded guilty this morning to felony DUI charges stemming from the crash.

Letter: Why not Tribble?: And Tribble has experience at UNLV, so he knows what he would be getting into. Carol Harter and Andy Fry have some explaining to do and I hope the media doesn't let them off the hook.

Letter: Those who work should reject liberals' agenda: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards was recently quoted as saying, "(President Bush) honors and respects only one thing, wealth. And he wants to make sure that those who have it, keep it." What he really meant was that Democrats have a core value to take wealth away. It is called "Income Redistribution." That is, those who choose to work must support those who choose not to. Those of you who have either worked hard to be able to retire here in Las Vegas, or who are working or operating your own business with the aspiration of "getting ahead," should ...

LVMS, IRL break off negotiations: Las Vegas Motor Speedway will not be the site of an Indy Racing League IndyCar Series race in 2004 because the two parties could not agree on a suitable date, LVMS general manager Chris Powell said Wednesday.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Utah isn't the only one bending the rules in Mountain West: Congratulations, Wayne Hogan. It appears you impressed most of the UNLV types you met while shaking hands on Monday and Tuesday, and so it would seem that you are the right man -- or at least the best man available -- for the athletic director's job.

Fight Schedule: At Sault Saint Marie, Mich., (Showtime), Ishe Smith, Las Vegas, vs. David Estrada, Miami, 10, welterweights.

PCB-tainted waste may be disposed of in Beatty landfill: Tons of PCB-contaminated military equipment from a U.S. base in Japan could be destined for the US Ecology Corp. landfill in Beatty, 110 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

GOP lawmakers tell court of possible tax stalemates: CARSON CITY -- Twenty-four Republican legislators told the Nevada Supreme Court Wednesday that additional legislative stalemates over tax incrases could occur in the future.

Insurance agent charged with seducing girl: Erica D. Johnson; A local insurance agent was indicted Tuesday for allegedly using a computer to seduce a 14-year-old Las Vegas girl.

'Bambi' hoaxer's friend may lose business license: The girlfriend of a man who said his company arranged paintball "hunts" of naked women faces the revocation of her Las Vegas city business license amid allegations she operates an unlicensed escort service.

Guest Columnist Linda Frohlich: Behind the scenes of life in the WNBA: When I was a little girl I always wanted to play professional basketball.

Ensign pushes restrictions on big cats: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Pet lions and tigers may be harder to come by as legislation stopping interstate shipping of these and other big cats moves through the Senate.

2-year-old girl drowns in family pool: Will Oremus; Her grandmother was in the bathroom. Her father was on the phone. So Hailey Corona, 2, ducked out of the house and into the back yard, according to family members.

Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Seniors not on cruise control: Ruthe Deskin; But if you haven't been there, done that, there is just no way to describe the indignities of old age.

Letter: Blame Harter: As a long time UNLV basketball and football fan, I have been sickened by the way the program has been managed (or not), and the fact that she has continued to receive raises and acclaim, while destroying the heart of each and every fan. I have no doubt that our football and especially our basketball program would be in far better straits without that baggage.

Editorial: Passing along costs of tax should be fair: But state consumer advocate Tim Hay is worried that there is nothing to ensure that the costs of the tax are distributed equitably among a utility's customers. For instance, the electric company could assess each of its customers the same amount, no matter how much electricity they use. The telephone, electric and gas companies -- all regulated by the state Public Utilities Commission -- haven't decided yet how they'll pass along the tax to customers. A spokesman for Southwest Gas said they'll look to the PUC for guidance.

MTR Gaming profits slip in second quarter: Gavin McCormick; CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- MTR Gaming Group reported today that second-quarter profits fell 10 percent from the same period last year despite a 24 percent increase in revenue.

Mother, boyfriend arrested in alleged child abuse: Metro Police arrested a mother and charged her boyfriend with the murder of her 3-year-old son Wednesday in what one investigator described as one of the worst cases of child abuse seen in Clark County.

Ishe Smith believes his time has arrived: Dean Juipe; Their records are similar and so are their backgrounds, yet Ishe Smith feels he has the upper hand on David Estrada and will be looking to prove it tonight in a televised fight on the Showtime cable network.

Goodman reviews unpublished bio manuscript: A book about Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, previously hyped as an unauthorized biography, is not.

Tribe to buy LV gaming firm: By Liz Benston; The Morongo Band of Mission Indians in Riverside County, Calif., has agreed to acquire a Las Vegas casino developer and assume assets as diverse as a Delaware slot machine operation and a deal to develop a casino for another tribe in Michigan.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Borgata already hall of fame resort: The resort has already made national headlines.

Let it ride: Patrons part of the show during bikini bull riding at Gilley's: It was barely past midnight. The black mechanical bull, stuffed with padding, was waiting in the corral near the dance floor.

Program targets teen motorists: Afsha Bawany; Karen Murphy's son, Matt, is taking his driver's test next month on his 16th birthday. He wants to begin driving to Boulder City High School with the rest of his friends.

Prove it all night: Brendan Gaughan has heard the trash talk from other competitors in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Friday's races at Del Mar: 1st Race -- SMOKEVILLE -- Solis scales owner Hollendorfer trainee, draws well for route opener, ready to Smoke foes? SURFIRE -- Argentine-bred draws good rail post for two-turn claimer, Valenzuela aboard Monteleone trainee for Las Vegan owner Schiappa, Surfire short trip. Value Play -- CHAMPAGNE DAY

Art community fears loss of two of its stars: Jennifer Knight; Libby Lumpkin, the UNLV assistant art professor who some say brought life to the local art scene, is leaving Las Vegas -- and many believe her husband, David Hickey, resident MacArthur genius, isn't far behind.

USNS Bob Hope honors namesake: Dick Benoit; The Military Sealift Command's USNS Bob Hope (T-AKR 300) honored its late namesake by doing what Bob Hope would have wanted -- supporting the troops. USNS Bob Hope has been deployed for the past 81 days in the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During the ship's three main missions within the Fifth Fleet area of responsibility, USNS Bob Hope transported nearly 38,912 tons of combat gear.

LV could benefit from Homeland Security change: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- A Senate panel Wednesday approved a change to Homeland Security funding calculations that could benefit Las Vegas and other cities with high tourist populations.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Anderson, Black combine for Pro Stock success: The dream season continues for NHRA Pro Stock driver Greg Anderson and his team owner, Ken Black of Las Vegas.

Berkley hopes Mideast trip will help educate: Rep. Shelley Berkley said that she will leave for a tour of the Middle East on Saturday with the twin goals of educating fellow Congress members about the region and furthering peace in a part of the world plagued by upheaval.

Friday's horse racing entries: Post Time 4 p.m.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Thoughts before vacation: The first thing is that the long, hot Las Vegas summer is more than half over and I am still hard at work. But that will end, at least for a short while, because of the second thing. And that is that Las Vegas Sun readers, as they have been for over 50 years, will have the unique benefit and pleasure of being able to read in this place the thoughts and wisdom of a wide variety of community business, social and political leaders.

Tribe seeks federal jurisdiction: Chief Gilbert Blue and others involved in the Catawba's proposal made the point Wednesday.

Community briefs for July 31, 2003: The Hispanic Museum of Nevada invites all youth ages 12-16 to the Institute of Culture day camp from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday at the Cambridge Recreation Center, 3930 Cambridge St.

Sports briefs: Owen Hambrook was named Wednesday the men's tennis interim head coach and women's coach Kevin Cory had the title of interim director of tennis added to his role.

Doctors should not have trouble finding insurance: CARSON CITY -- A company that insures 58 doctors for medical malpractice is pulling out of Nevada, but these physicians should not have too much trouble finding other coverage, state officials said.

Marquez eyes featherweight dominance: Dean Juipe; Six months after winning his first world championship, Juan Manuel Marquez will look to add another when he faces fellow champion Derrick Gainer in a unification fight at 126 pounds.

Court briefs for July 31, 2003: The Las Vegas man who faced charges stemming from a June 2000 Bellagio robbery that netted about $175,000 pleaded guilty Wednesday to a single count of robbery in the case.

Editorial: Yucca ode: 'Someway, somehow...': That opportunity passed. Another opportunity arose in 1987, however, when Congress ganged up on Nevada and declared Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, the ideal final resting place for waste that will still be deadly in the year 10,000. Now that a single site had been chosen for a suitability study -- albeit against strong opposition from Nevadans -- the Energy Department's first order of business should have been explaining to the nation how high-level nuclear waste from the Northeast and all other parts of the country was going to be delivered to a site in the Southwest. ...

Guinn to back GOP candidate: CARSON CITY -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., will continue to "have a strong working relationship" with Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn, despite Guinn's intention to endorse Reid's GOP challenger in next year's election.

Business briefs for July 31, 2003: The first-ever Diversity Employment Expo, featuring recruitment officers from several expanding Southern Nevada companies and government offices, is scheduled Friday afternoon at the MGM Grand Conference Center.

Lots of lightning, but little rain falls: Plenty of lightning and thunder came, but little rain fell in the Las Vegas Valley Wednesday night as summer storms continued marching across the Southwest. A flash flood watch issued Wednesday afternoon for Southern Nevada and northwestern Arizona was lifted 4 a.m. today.

Southwest Gas delivers a positive earnings surprise: Kevin Rademacher; Las Vegas-based Southwest Gas Corp. on Wednesday cited typically hot summer weather as the culprit behind a $4.1 million, or 12 cents a share, second-quarter loss.

Letter: Solving problems requires honesty: There are many organizations interested in protecting the public. They must use every possible means to publicize the dire circumstances that we face regarding Social Security, Medicare, prescription drug prices, insurance and a host of other categories that affect our lives. These are ongoing situations that are far from being resolved by a quick fix.

Fire chief wins Lovejoy Award: The award will be presented at 6 p.m. on Aug. 6 at Bally's during the Daughters' Annual Achievement Award Program. The Lovejoy Award has been presented since 1950 and past recipients include the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Coretta Scott King and state Sen. Joe Neal.

Type O blood is needed: "We need both O-positive and O-negative donors to respond," said Steve Chitren, associate executive director of United Blood Services.

LV may get new air route from Washington: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport could benefit from one of six new round-trip flights proposed for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington D.C.

Female prisoner pregnant; officer placed on leave: CARSON CITY -- The state has stepped up its monitoring of the privately run Southern Nevada Women's Correctional Center in North Las Vegas after a female inmate became pregnant, apparently through sex with a correctional officer.

Letter: Big potato: The small potatoes reference may work with Idaho, but is way off the mark when talking about Montana.

June hotel occupancy up in Reno area: They also paid a little more. The Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority said visitors paid an average of $59.41 a night, up 77 cents from last June, when there was no bowling tournament.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Heat is on Utah after Rone tragedy: Dean Juipe; Utah's lack of regulation and its handling of professional boxing is a disgrace, a former director of the state's boxing commission said this week.

Obituaries for July 31, 2003: Charles E. Andrus, 56, of Las Vegas died Monday in Las Vegas. He was born Sept. 19, 1946, in Ohio. A resident for 15 years, he was a parts man in the automotive industry, a member of the Southern Nevada Train Club and Amigos Scuba Diving Club.

Ward hitting the ball hard since demotion: Nick Christensen; Daryle Ward is hitting the ball well in Triple-A.

Officer kills suspect in teen's shooting: Jen Lawson and Malia Spencer; A man was killed by a Metro Police officer Wednesday several hours after allegedly shooting a 16-year-old boy in the hand at a south Las Vegas apartment complex.

Goodman reviews unpublished biography manuscript: A book about Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, previously hyped as an unauthorized biography, is not.

Murphy trying to get bail set at $300,000: Jace Radke; Sandy Murphy is seeking bail while she waits to be tried for a second time in connection with the death of downtown casino figure Ted Binion.

Boyd to begin paying a quarterly dividend: By Liz Benston; Shares of Boyd Gaming Corp. fell at least 9 percent in trading this morning despite news Wednesday that the company would initiate a cash dividend payment to shareholders and that early returns on its luxury Borgata casino in Atlantic City were stronger than expected.

News briefs for July 31, 2003: Henderson and Metro police have arrested three men they believe are responsible for at least five stolen vehicles and several burglaries.