Print edition for June 17, 2003

Job growth in proposed budget clarified: CARSON CITY -- The Guinn administration on Monday said there are 567 new state jobs in the state budget, not the 1,700 that some Republican lawmakers claim.

In desperate move, schools scrap program: By Emily Richmond; Sheila Siino is a teacher in search of a classroom.

Las Vegas wants to demolish buildings at MASH Village: When MASH Village opened in December 1995 at an initial cost of more than $6.8 million it was hailed as a potential national model for homeless shelters.

Health officials warn of mercury in fish: Nevada health and environmental officials are preparing a medical bulletin for Southern Nevada physicians to explain the dangers of eating fish that contain trace amounts of mercury, but they say there is no specific danger from eating those caught in Lake Mead.

Hearing on proposed changes to water rates is scheduled: The Clark County Commission, acting as the Las Vegas Valley Water District and the Kyle Canyon Water District, on Tuesday set the date for public hearings on the rates and service rules for Las Vegas and much of the unincorporated county, including Mount Charleston.

Soundstage, recording studio sought: The Las Vegas City Council will consider a plan Wednesday that would bring a major soundstage and television and recording studio to West Las Vegas.

Letter: Abandoned by Station Casinos: In view of the fact that the casinos under the Station Casinos umbrella are almost completely dependent on patronage by Las Vegans, it seems ignorant at best, and arrogant at worst, for Station Casinos executives to have failed to consider and appreciate the concerns of their former fellow chamber members and, by extension, the employees of those former fellow members.

Two arrested after car chase hits 80 mph in residential areas: The names of the suspects or the reason for the initial attempted stop by patrol officers at Wengert Avenue and Bruce Street about 10:15 p.m. were not immediately available.

Editorial: Whole park should bear Wright's name: Wright never did anything partway in his whole career. So in honoring him, why should we? Southern Nevada's history is secure because of his fastidious research and tireless work with local, national and international writers and filmmakers. Now let's make his legacy secure. The whole park should bear his name.

Tribe eyeing second casino in N.Y.: Carolyn Thompson; BUFFALO, N.Y. -- After successfully transforming the Niagara Falls Convention Center into a lively casino, the Seneca Indian Nation is eyeing the Buffalo Convention Center for a second gambling venture.

FBI crime report: U.S. rate down, Vegas up: Jen Lawson; While the nation as a whole saw a slight decrease, Las Vegas experienced a significant increase in major crime last year, the FBI reported Monday.

News briefs for June 17, 2003: Nevada received $17.9 million in federal money for homeland security projects as part of a grant program, officials announced Monday. Nevada applied for the money in May after Congress approved an $80 billion Iraqi war budget, which also included money for homeland security projects in states.

Vegas resale home prices jump 12% from May '02: The median price of a resale home in May was $163,500, a year-to-year increase of $17,500. The median price in May for new homes was $200,660, a year-to-year jump of $13,802, or 7.4 percent. The average price of a new home in May was $236,207, Home Builders Research Inc. reported.

Benefits extended for laid-off airline workers in Nevada: CARSON CITY -- Hundreds of Nevada airline and air travel industry workers, who lost their jobs because of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the war in Iraq, will be eligible for an additional 13 weeks of unemployment benefits.

Mayor shakes up housing board: In the late 1980s gangs terrorized the residents of the Las Vegas Housing Authority's dilapidated Gerson Park project. The only thing some residents feared or mistrusted more than the hoodlums were the police.

Harter wants AD search on fast pace: Steve Guiremand; UNLV's 15-person athletic director search committee met for the first time Monday afternoon in the Fred C. Albrecht Board Room at the Tam Alumni Center. And school president Carol C. Harter made one point to the group very clear.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Skinner, 0-for-217 in Winston Cup, loses job: Mike Skinner, driver of the Morgan-McClure Pontiac in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, was fired Monday after failing to qualify for Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway.

Sahara looking to evict NASCAR Cafe: Kevin Rademacher; Gordon Gaming Corp., parent company of the Sahara hotel-casino, is seeking to evict the NASCAR Cafe from the Strip property by Monday.

Gaming briefs for June 17, 2003: MASHANTUCKET, Conn. -- Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino reported Monday that they gave the state a combined $36 million from their net slot machine revenue from May.

Council at odds over chicken killing: A Las Vegas City Council Recommending Committee on Monday wasn't sure what to do with a proposed ordinance that would allow the slaughtering and processing of poultry in commercially zoned areas adjacent to residential neighborhoods.

Charges against parents sought: Erica D. Johnson; Less than a week after declining to press charges against a man whose child died after being left all day in a hot car, Clark County prosecutors will pursue charges in two cases in which children were left in their parents' cars but found unharmed, District Attorney David Roger said this morning.

Woman testifies: Suspect told her he dreamed of slayings: Erica D. Johnson; A Henderson woman on Monday testified that Glenford Budd told her he had dreamed of killing three people over drugs the day after three young men were slain in a downtown apartment complex.

Assault weapons play roles in recent shootings: Jen Lawson; When Metro Police ran across a terminally ill convicted killer who allegedly had said he wanted to shoot officers, he had just the weapon to carry out that kind of plan, police said.

Benefits board censures director: CARSON CITY -- After a six-hour closed personnel session spread over two days, the directors of the Nevada Public Employees Benefits Program agreed Monday not to discipline its executive director, Forrest "Woody" Thorne, for undisclosed alleged transgressions.

Community briefs for June 17, 2003: Nevada Magazine, the official travel and tourism publication for the state, is accepting orders for personalized 2004 Nevada historical calendars.

Iowa counties schedule votes on floating casinos: David Pitt; EMMETSBURG, Iowa -- Dreams of riverboat casinos and a quick infusion of gambling money into the local economy are swirling in the heads of economic developers in at least five northern Iowa counties.

Consumer costs flat for May: Jeannine Aversa; WASHINGTON -- Consumer prices were flat in May as falling costs for energy products and clothing offset rising prices for medical care and lodging. Industrial production, meanwhile, posted its first increase since February.

Ex-Rite Aid CEO agrees to eight-year prison sentence: Mark Scolforo; HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Former Rite Aid Corp. chief executive Martin L. Grass told a judge today he has agreed to plead guilty to two counts of conspiracy in a deal that calls for an eight-year prison sentence.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: What about Bob? He's off to Branson: Singing impressionist Bob Anderson relies solely on his talent.

Fired Harrah's bartender presses case: By Liz Benston; A woman who was fired from her bartending job at Harrah's Reno for refusing to wear makeup has appealed her case in federal court.

Letter: Plates should not promote rodeo: I thought we were the Silver State.

Sports briefs for June 17, 2003: The Rebel football radio broadcast team will welcome two new voices this fall.

MLB snapshot: MLB snapshot

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

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

Letter: U.S. presence in Iraq failing in transition: Despite the country's abundant supplies of petroleum, Iraqis now confront long lines at gas pumps; so much for efforts to install a free market at the point of U.S. bayonets. Even as their nation is ravaged by looting and other forms of armed violence, some Iraqis are being required to turn in personal firearms to occupation authorities. Others face the prospect of having their firearms forcibly confiscated.

Retailer reports loss: Contributing to the loss was a drop in performance in the company's finance operation, and the company said it is exploring "all viable options for that operation."

Obituaries for June 17, 2003: Philip Baker, 65, of Boulder City died Saturday in a local care center. He was born Aug. 18, 1937, in Quincy, Mass. A resident for 20 years, he was a retired air conditioning and sheet metal worker.

Automaker to cut more jobs: The cuts will come through attrition, not layoffs, spokesman David Barnas said He declined to specify how many jobs were being eliminated, but noted the Chrysler Group had 94,056 white-collar employees at the end of the first quarter. Two percent of that would be about 1,880 jobs.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Some thinking Nevadans: Carlton has been a supporter of broadening the state's tax base for the good of education and other needed services. Her vote against a form of this tax came as a surprise. Asked why she voted against a business tax, she sent the following reply:

Consultant apologizes for online attacks: Dan Kulin; A paid political consultant who helped Boulder City Mayor Bob Ferraro win re-election is apologizing for Internet mudslinging between him and supporters of mayoral challenger Bill Smith that included post-election personal attacks.

Man could face death penalty in slaying of UNLV student: Jen Lawson; A 21-year-old man could face the death penalty if convicted of killing a 24-year-old UNLV student found dead in her off-campus apartment Friday, according to police and court records.

Inmate escapes from prison camp: Steven Hall, 43, serving a 12 to 48-month sentence for possession of stolen property, was reported missing from the camp at 6:30 a.m. He is described as a white male, weighing 195 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. He has a tattoo of a spider web on his right thumb.

Golden Nugget opens business center: The center is open from Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

SCORE leaders: PRO CARS AND TRUCKS

Trial begins for man in ex-girlfriend's death: Chief Deputy District Attorney Ed Kane told jurors Christopher Duncan was seen carrying what looked like a body toward a trash bin near Fourth Street and Charleston Boulevard.

Box scores have evolved with the game: From fantasy to reality.

Takin' it off the streets: Schedule

Anti-tax author Schiff hit with injunction: Jace Radke; A 75-year-old Las Vegas man allegedly running a tax scam that has cost the government an estimated $56 million has been prohibited from selling his book, "The Federal Mafia."

Editorial: No reason for chaos to persist: This fall, with the nightmare that's been thrust upon them, administrators will truly have performed a miracle if schools open and every course has a qualified teacher. The nightmare was created by legislators who dithered away the regular session of the 2003 Legislature and two weeks of a special session without agreeing on a tax plan. The Clark County School District had anticipated hiring 1,600 teachers this summer, most of them before July 1. Because the money for paying teachers comes from the state, everything is now stalled. A majority of the teachers come from outside of Nevada and depend ...

Columnist Susan Snyder: It's folly to sugarcoat junk issues: A poll presented at a Harvard School of Public Health meeting last week says 62 percent of us want restaurants to be required to list calorie and other nutrition information on menus, but 59 percent oppose taxing junk food.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Schlossnagle remembers pro-Huskers crowd at World Series: Although Jim Schlossnagle has yet to schedule Little Bighorn State, at least the UNLV baseball coach can appreciate the predicament Gen. George Custer got himself into.

Thurston working toward return to L.A.: Nick Christensen; Las Vegas shortstop Joe Thurston didn't play in the 51s' 7-3 win against the Tacoma Rainiers Monday, but chances are good he didn't mind.

Tungsten levels high in some rural Nevada towns: The findings appear to eliminate tungsten as a suspected cause of a cluster of childhood leukemia cases in and around rural Fallon, 80 miles southeast of Reno, state Epidmediologist Randall Todd said.