Print edition for June 10, 2003

Guinn signs construction bill: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn signed 73 bills Monday, including two that are expected to have major effects on property owners, home buyers and contractors in the booming construction market of Southern Nevada.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Gaughan's redesigned truck better than ever: For several months after Brendan Gaughan won his second consecutive NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway last fall, his victorious truck -- dubbed "Lone Star" -- sat beneath a protective cover in a corner of the Orleans Racing shop near the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Lower math passing grade may hand seniors diplomas: By Emily Richmond; As many as 1,000 Clark County high school seniors may wind up with diplomas instead of certificates of attendance thanks to a last-minute effort by lawmakers to lower the passing grade on the mathematics section of the statewide proficiency exam, district officials said today.

Tax consultant charged in stealing from lawyer: Erica D. Johnson; A tax consultant was indicted last week on charges that he stole more than $670,000 in federal income tax money from personal injury attorney Glen Lerner.

51s announcer Langer to get his shot at 'bigs': He was too associated with the Triple-A Phoenix Firebirds in 1998 to get a job with the expansion Diamondbacks. When a position opened up with the Phillies, they went with a hometown hero instead. And on weekends, he appears on the Dodgers' pregame show, but only to talk about the happenings at the Triple-A level.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Wednesday's races at Hollywood Park: Wednesday's card

Reno casinos looking to river to deliver tourists: Scott Sonner; RENO -- It was heresy not long ago for a Reno casino owner to encourage gamblers to pry themselves away from the slot machines and enjoy the great outdoors.

Gang activity suspected in slaying: Jen Lawson and Timothy Pratt; A 48-year-old man was beaten, shot and left for dead as he walked home with groceries Sunday morning near North Rancho and Vegas drives in an apparently unprovoked attack, Metro Police said.

Letter: City drives stake into the homeless: This is the final blow to the human political pawns: the homeless. Mayor Goodman and the compliant City Council have led a 20-month campaign to reduce homeless services in Ward 5. This was done while publicly stating that homelessness and the homeless were a priority.

Familiar faces back in coaching: Nearly 18 months to the day after stunning the NBA by resigning as coach of the New York Knicks, Jeff Van Gundy accepted an offer to coach the Houston Rockets on Monday.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Princeton grads taken by fake Diamond: Princeton University alums range from Jimmy Stewart to Bill Bradley, Aaron Burr to Carl Icahn, Woodrow Wilson to F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jeff Bezos to Donald Rumsfeld.

Fed chief warns of energy crunch: H. Josef Hebert; WASHINGTON -- An acute shortage of natural gas is causing a growing concern that consumers may see heating prices soar next winter and that higher energy costs could thwart economic recovery.

New power crunch foreseen: An acute shortage of natural gas is increasing concerns that consumers may see heating prices soar next winter and that higher energy costs could thwart economic recovery, lawmakers were told today.

Journeyman Hermansen gives leadership to 51s: Nick Christensen; Surgery is never good news for an athlete, but at least 51s outfielder Chad Hermansen had some good news the day he had his last winter.

Anthony seeks chairman's job on regents board: Jennifer Knight; Just days after the chairman's position on the Board of Regents opened, Regent Stavros Anthony has emerged as the front-runner for the post, despite his short tenure on the board, regents said.

Sports briefs for June 10, 2003: Spectacular Bid, a steel gray colt whose drive to win the Triple Crown in 1979 was derailed by an injury caused by a safety pin on the day of the Belmont Stakes, died at 27.

Letter: Compensating for more taxes: Liberals will not understand this any more than they understand what they do when they give people who do not pay federal income tax a "refund" from those of us who do pay income tax. Liberals want to tax "the rich." which apparently means anyone who is not at the poverty level. At this rate there will soon be more of us getting a "refund" from the rich.

Several new state laws affect motorists, vehicle registration: CARSON CITY -- Nevada's drunken driving law will be stiffened, more children will be required to be strapped in safety seats in vehicles and passengers in taxicabs will have to buckle up.

Police suspect gang activity in slaying of North Las Vegan: Jen Lawson and Timothy Pratt; Metro homicide detectives are investigating an apparently unprovoked attack on a 48-year-old man near North Rancho and Vegas drives as he walked home with groceries Sunday morning.

Ohio gambling expansion stays alive: John McCarthy; COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Gov. Bob Taft, who opposes casino gambling in Ohio, keeps giving the Legislature reasons to ask voters to put electronic slot machines at racetracks, Senate President Doug White says.

Program aims to increase minority homeownership: Kevin Rademacher; Freddie Mac, the second-largest buyer of U.S. mortgages, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development committed on Monday to a $100 million program to increase minority homeownership in Southern Nevada.

News briefs for June 10, 2003: Metro Police have released the names of the four officers involved in a shooting Thursday at the Capri Motel on Fremont Street.

Columnist Jeff German: Problem gamblers will remain: But that doesn't ease the disappointment of watching those lawmakers, for the second legislative session in a row, turn their backs on the thousands of people who have fallen prey to the state's chief industry.

Letter: Seat-belt law has tragic effect: While I'm not excusing the culpability of the "overworked" father, had he had the option to put the child in the front seat with him, this tragic event would never have happened.

Tax consultant indicted in theft case: Erica D. Johnson; A tax consultant was indicted last week on charges that he stole more than $670,000 in federal income tax money from Glen Lerner, the personal injury attorney known for his frequent television commercials in which he refers to himself as "the heavy hitter."

Letter: School district would rather dumb down test: My parents put me on the regents path and made me attend summer school if I brought home a final grade below 75. From reading the recent letters to the editor, it seems that my parents were somewhat tougher on me academically than what seems to be the norm here.

Bush picks Jones for court spot: By Senate tradition, Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., had submitted a list of four potential nominees to the White House to fill a spot on the federal bench that will open later this year. But Bush rejected the first list, which included the name of Leif Reid, a lawyer and the son of Senate Minority Whip Harry Reid, D-Nev. Bush has blamed Democratic leaders for unfairly blocking a vote on two controversial judge nominees.

Ruling may let Paiutes rejoin tribe: Jace Radke; A ruling by a tribal appeals court could clear the way for 14 disenrolled members of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe to rejoin the tribe after being kicked out in 1999.

Gaming briefs for June 10, 2003: Boyd Gaming Corp. of Las Vegas will be a sponsor at the first annual Great American Motorcycle Experience, a motorcycle event that will feature dirt bikes, "supercross" racers, custom bikes and cruisers.

New teachers wait for word on bonuses: By Emily Richmond; The Clark County School District has been getting calls from teachers who have been offered jobs for the fall, saying if the Legislature doesn't fund their $2,000 signing bonus they won't be coming.

Raggio works to sway Senate holdouts: Erin Neff and Cy Ryan; CARSON CITY -- The Senate was set to return to its special session at noon today with an $860 million tax package hanging on decisions by Sen. Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, and Sen. Maggie Carlton, D-Las Vegas.

Allegiant Air consolidates headquarters in Vegas: Eventually about 45 employees will make the move to Las Vegas, with 20 operations and maintenance employees making the move in September and about 25 on aircraft crew bases moving to Las Vegas later in the year.

McDonald appears in corruption probe: Jeff German and Jace Radke; Las Vegas Councilman Michael McDonald appeared this morning before a federal grand jury that is investigating possible political corruption tied to topless clubs.

Business briefs for June 10, 2003: Anthony Marnell II, the owner of Las Vegas general contracting firm Marnell Corrao Associates Inc., sued Friday in Clark County District Court to stop a Las Vegas man from stealing his name and identity.

MLB snapshot: MLB snapshot

Awareness emphasized for 'drowning season': Jen Lawson; Constant adult supervision is the answer to preventing child drownings. Many of the victims were last seen inside the home in an area that was considered safe. The Clark County Safe Kids Coalition recommends the following:

Editorial: GOP tries cheap shot on budget: Gov. Kenny Guinn showed mercy Saturday night when he gave the legislators a two-day reprieve from the stalling and negotiations over taxes that have occupied them for the past month. He also set an open-ended deadline for reaching agreement, although he and the legislators know the potential for financial crisis if agreement isn't reached by June 30. That's the end of the fiscal year, the last day of the current spending plan. Without a new one in place by July 1, many state services could begin slowing or halting altogether.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Lifting the burden off kids' backs: An Associated Press report published Monday says a study shows children could suffer long-term back problems from walking to school with poorly fitting backpacks loaded with books.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: A little hard to believe: In a classic World War II movie, a prisoner of war, confined for over nine months, was delighted to hear that his wife gave birth to "their" baby. In her letter, she told him that he "wouldn't believe it, but ...' " Desperate to cling to something good and without regard for simple mathematics and the incredulousness of his fellow captives, he stated over and over again, "I believe it, I believe it," the whole time rejoicing in such uplifting news.

Sullard critiqued by old council: Dan Kulin; Boulder City Manager John Sullard will meet with a new City Council for a goal-setting session in three months, and then again three months after that for a formal job review, the council unanimously decided Monday.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Harter insists next AD be an outsider: Dean Juipe; School presidents are no different than any other executive or person in a position of authority: They have their detractors.

Judgment reinstated against Herbst Inc.: CARSON CITY -- A federal appeals court Monday reinstated a $1 million judgment against Terrible Herbst Inc. in a dispute over a cleanup of pollution beneath a gas station in Las Vegas.

Community briefs for June 10, 2003: Opportunity Village will host the All-American Barbecue from noon to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at its campus, 6300 W. Oakey Blvd., to show support for U.S. military and their families.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Eight teams works best in cozy MWC: If the whole idea behind this Mountain West Conference expansion talk is to make itself more attractive to the Bowl Championship Series, there's no need to form a committee or go any further -- unless, say, Southern Cal and UCLA are interested in seceding from the Pac-10.

Show of Force: History of Las Vegas law enforcement displayed at Charleston Heights: In one, a 1930s-era Las Vegas Police Department officer rests his foot on the running board of a speeder's car. His Indian motorcycle is parked nearby.

Editorial: And in our schools ...: The Sun's Emily Richmond reported Sunday that 263 of the 1,300 teachers who left the district last year did so after their first year. Also startling: 50 percent of the district's teachers -- compared with 12 percent nationally -- have five or fewer years of experience.

Program under way to change mercury switches in cars: Through Monday the motorist road assistance company is sponsoring a project to replace mercury switches with nonpolluting, ball-bearing switches at three Las Vegas locations. The cost is free.

Wednesday's horse racing entries: Post Time 1:20 p.m.

Montandon leaves hospital after brain tumor is removed: It's not clear when Montandon will return to work, she said.

Obituaries for June 10, 2003: Mildred Victoria Craden, 85, of Las Vegas died June 1 in Las Vegas. Born Oct. 31, 1917, in Buffalo, N.Y., she was a homemaker.

'Captain' Jeter gains elite status: Timetable of the Yankees' captains

New high schools graduate their first senior classes: By Emily Richmond; When Amy Green found out two years ago she was being reassigned from Silverado High School to the new Coronado campus, she was angry and unhappy. But she was also determined to enjoy her junior and senior years.

Congressional delegation hits road: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Nevada lawmakers and their staff aides have taken 67 expenses-paid trips valued at $175,181 in the last three years as guests of trade groups and lobbyists. Their destinations for fact-finding trips, seminars and speaking engagements included Hawaii, Florida, New Orleans, Taiwan, India and Ireland.