Print edition for June 11, 2003

Conklin imbues Vegas cuisine with home-grown flavor: Max Jacobson; Tall and tan and young and lovely, Luana Conklin lives on the outskirts of Pahrump, where she operates a boutique farm called Gardens of Cristiani. The next time you eat that salad, exotic soup, or interesting garnish in one of our top local restaurants, there's a good chance it was Luana who grew the micro greens, herbs, or unusual vegetables that make it distinctive.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Klitschko vs. Lewis has more appeal: Dean Juipe; No one wants to see an athlete get hurt and miss an opportunity to perform on a grand stage.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Claire Foundation fund-raiser a star-studded event: Elizabeth Foyt; A galaxy of stars and Las Vegas notables attended, among them David Griego with Brenda Haynes, Brad Friedmutter with Linda Fresh, Lara and Christian Kolberg, Jeff Hein, Lee Medick, Valerie Muerz, Marie Claire Armeni, Gary Ackerman, Lois and Chuck Backrach, Deana Campbell and Michael Politz.

Have no fear: Math can be a good friend: An orientation for the Fear of Math class will be held 7 p.m. Thursday and July 17 at UNLV's Paradise Campus, 851 E. Tropicana Ave. For more information, call 895-3394.

Las Vegas' Channel 2 honored: The program, "En Contacto," which provides information about the city to Hispanic viewers, was honored by the California and Nevada chapters of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors.

Letter: Patients should look in mirror: Webster's defines it as "the dereliction of professional duty, as by a physician or lawyer, through reprehensible ignorance or negligence or through criminal intent." Malpractice is not when the doctor has given the highest standard of care to the patient, and still injury or loss results.

Editorial: Unbending laws can be very unjust: There is no denying that Leonel Magana Sandoval, a native of Colombia, committed a serious crime in 1996. He sold a quantity of methamphetamine to an undercover police officer. There was a plea bargain and he received a suspended sentence and probation, which he completed successfully. The conviction came to the attention of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service) recently when Sandoval went there to renew his green card, which had expired after a decade. He was immediately incarcerated and a deportation hearing was scheduled for June 16.

Mayors proud of brownfield work: Mayor Oscar Goodman said Tuesday that Las Vegas is poised to become a national leader in the redevelopment of so-called "brownfields" -- land that is difficult to develop because of environmental contamination.

Letter: Lower standards not the answer: Of course, he was alluding to the pitiable attempt by the county's senior class to pass the math proficiency exam.

Savvy wine buys: Lindeman's Bin 45 '02 Cabernet Sauvignon: Available at Smith's, $8.99 ($6.99 with a Fresh Values card).

Lunde loving time at Olympia Fields: Adam Candee; The late-morning crowd groaned as Bill Lunde's putt whirled around the lip and spit out like a gumball, just as it cheered when he javelined a wedge near the hole minutes earlier.

Letter: Anti-tax fervor behind inaction: "For more than a decade now, a militant conservatism has forbidden every progressive impulse, and has tutored an anti-tax absolutism that teaches that no solution is worth its cost."

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

Columnist Muriel Stevens: A $27,000 gift that's really hot: The Cal Flame Sports Bar & Grill features three 9-inch, flat-panel monitors, retractable awnings, CD/DVD system, refrigerator, stainless steel sink, rotisserie, cocktail center, beverage tap and more. Dad won't have to miss a single inning while he's turning the steaks.

Lake Mead fire restrictions posted: The restrictions are effective immediately. No campfires are allowed outside of a developed recreation site. Portable stoves using gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel are allowed.

Editorial: Leopards are fine -- but not next door: The issue of exotic animals in residential areas arises periodically. We hope the County Commission remembers the experience of this woman's neighbors and approves an ordinance that would clarify what exotic animals are and aren't allowed in neighborhoods. Big cats, chimps, large reptiles -- they're wondrous animals but they clearly don't belong next door to people trying to live normal, urban lives.

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

Community briefs for June 11, 2003: The Henderson Parks and Recreation Department will host a girls chocolate party from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at Whitney Ranch Recreation Center, 1575 Galleria Drive.

Internet gaming bill OK'd: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved legislation aimed at halting Internet gambling by outlawing the payment methods used for wagering -- credit cards, checks and electronic money transfers.

LVCVA renews international marketing deals: The LVCVA board of directors on Tuesday approved four two-year contracts paying a total of about $1 million a year to Cellet Travel Services Ltd., London; Mangum Management GmbH, Munich; Okada Associates, Tokyo; and International Tourism Network, Seoul. Each company will receive amounts ranging from $127,500 a year to $364,000 a year.

Family's influence helps Marvel make rodeo finale: AT A GLANCE

Video games offered: The Columbia House Co. will make video games available to the approximately 11 million members of its DVD and music clubs. Initially, the games will only be available to people who buy DVDs from Columbia House, with music club members following in July.

Obituaries for June 11, 2003: Catherine Louise Benveniste, 53, of Las Vegas died Tuesday in Las Vegas. She was born Sept. 26, 1949, in California. A resident for 10 years, she was a loan coordinator for a mortgage banker.

Defendant in identity suit denies allegation: A Marnell lawsuit against Vavio Ortega in Clark County District Court alleges Ortega represented himself as Anthony Marnell II, or as Tony Marnell, owner of Marnell Corrao and former owner of the Rio hotel-casino, to obtain "credit and personal favors from individuals who otherwise would not provide ... credit or personal favors to Ortega."

Columnist Jeff German: What's next for battered McDonald?: McDonald still faces the challenge of staying out of the sights of federal prosecutors in the most publicized political corruption investigation in Southern Nevada in more than two decades.

LV area fifth on car-theft list: Las Vegas ranks among the top five cities in the nation for car thefts during 2002.

Goodman gets apology, retraction from book publisher: Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman accepted an apology and a retraction Tuesday from the publisher of "Positively Fifth Street," a best-selling book that contains a passage suggesting he was involved in the murder of a federal judge.

Horse racing finishing last in Oklahoma gaming: Tim Talley; NORMAN, Okla. -- Champion stallion Bully Bullion snorted and gnawed on the bit of his custom-made bridle as the quarter horse paced on the soft wood shavings that covered the floor of his stall at the Belle Mere Farm west of Norman.

Sprint to wind down Web-hosting business: Amy Shafer; KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Sprint Corp. announced Tuesday that it will eliminate its Web-hosting business, resulting in the loss of about 500 jobs at the telecommunications giant.

Family sues Metro Police: Jace Radke; The Metro Police Department is facing a federal civil rights lawsuit because a former officer allegedly pulled his gun on a 13-year-old skateboarder and chased him into his home, starting a chain of events that led to the arrest of the boy and his parents.

Ex-USC quarterback volunteers on Rebels' staff: Steve Guiremand; Want to win an easy bet? Try this sports trivia question next time.

Assembly Democrats offer new tax proposal: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- After a day of little movement in the tax debate, the Legislature could see action today with a new tax offer that Assembly leaders hope to vote on today.

Metro answers 911 calls faster: Jen Lawson; The line beeped, and 31-year-old Cecilia Artil tapped a key on her keyboard at the Metro Police communications center to take the call.

Woman gets 30 days for violating probation: Erica D. Johnson; A Henderson woman who pleaded guilty to talking on a cell phone and causing a collision that killed two people will spend a month in jail after she violated her probation by working out at a gym.

Criminal probe of mortgage giant launched: Matthew Barakat; ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Federal prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation of Freddie Mac, two days after the mortgage-market giant shook up its top leadership because of accounting problems.

State's Kids Count improvement slight: This year is no different.

News briefs for June 11, 2003: Metro Police officers on Tuesday found a car belonging to a 48-year-old man whose dismembered torso and limbs were found in two suitcases over the weekend, Lt. Tom Monahan said.

Longtime LV minister, civic leader Tudor dies at 94: The Rev. Glenn Tudor, longtime pastor of First Christian Church and a Las Vegas resident of 47 years, died Friday at 94.

Gaming briefs for June 11, 2003: ALBANY, N.Y. -- Angered by the anti-smoking law that takes effect this summer, a coalition of bar and restaurant owners planned a second round of protests by unplugging their lottery machines to deprive the state of lottery sales.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Book this: Clinton hot; Potter hotter: But the results are in for a different contest, and the former first lady, current senator from New York and fledgling author has come in second -- right behind Harry Potter.

LV tech firm in deal with IBM: Under the agreement, IBM will assist in development efforts to make SRD's NORA security analysis software and SI Warehouse data warehousing software compatible with the IBM platform. The software should be IBM-ready by the end of the year.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Sober Unser contends for IRL title after Texas win: When Al Unser Jr. won his first Indy Racing League event, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2000, he dedicated the victory to his daughter, Cody, who had been stricken a year earlier with a paralyzing disease.

Sports briefs for June 11, 2003: Former Fresno State athletic department administrators failed to sufficiently report violations that primarily involved men's basketball players, according to an NCAA enforcement staff-issued letter.

State seizes Vegas lending company: Kevin Rademacher; The state today took possession of Global Express Capital Mortgage.

Agbayani trying to work way up: Nick Christensen; Benny Agbayani's baseball career has gone from one extreme to another. He was the left fielder for the pennant-winning 2000 New York Mets, but now finds himself far from the spotlight filling the designated hitter's role for the Kansas City Royals' Triple-A affiliate in Omaha.

Court asked to overturn $9 million malpractice award: CARSON CITY -- An attorney for a Fallon doctor Tuesday asked the Nevada Supreme Court to overturn a $9 million medical malpractice judgment awarded a woman who will have to take intravenous nutrition for the rest of her life.

Report puts Edison's expansion in doubt: By Emily Richmond; Clark County School District officials are expected to recommend Thursday the School Board put off any plans to expand its contract with Edison Schools Inc.

Private company tries to claim more of Sandy Valley's water: Vidler Water Co., Nevada's largest private water company, is trying to get more water from Sandy Valley, 30 miles southwest of Las Vegas, as it fights in court a previous state decision to reduce a similar claim.

Clark County, Boulder City certify elections: County commissioners on Tuesday certified the results of the June 3 election, in which voters rejected the library's $50.6 million bond issue, the lone issue before voters in unincorporated Clark County, by 62 percent to 38 percent. Turnout for the election countywide was about 18 percent, or about 63,000 voters.

Dream denied: Hard-working immigrant's plans end on streets at hands of teens: By Timothy Pratt; Donations

Telemarketer registry system bill is signed: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn signed 70 bills Tuesday including measures to stop calls from telemarketers and to combat terrorism.

Henderson, NLV handle own calls: Jen Lawson; While the Metro Police communications center works to improve its handling of 911 calls from Las Vegas and unincorporated areas of Clark County, North Las Vegas and Henderson officials say their 911 centers are doing fine on their own.

LV Housing Authority funds, contracts questioned: Dan Kulin; A federal review of 16 Las Vegas Housing Authority contracts from January 1999 through June 2002 calls into question $158,705 in spending, including a public relations contract given to former Clark County Commissioner Dario Herrera.

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