Print edition for March 5, 2003

Tariffs help industry: But steel imports actually surged in 2002, prompting U.S. manufacturers and labor unions to worry about signals that the Bush administration might undermine, if not completely wipe out, the tariffs.

Some Centennial students will move to new campus: By Emily Richmond; A small but determined band of parents turned out Tuesday to try to sway the Clark County School Board's vote on attendance zones for middle and high schools, but most went home without winning the concessions they sought.

Highlights of Nevada tax increase plan: AP; -Total tax increases of nearly $1 billion over the next two fiscal years, plus an additional $74 million in increases from April through June.

School programs face cuts: By Emily Richmond; Sports, music programs, guidance counselors, gifted and talented programs and reading specialists all face being cut by the Clark County School District in light of a possible $75 million reduction in state funding.

Confusion over census question is addressed: By Timothy Pratt; Sitting in a Starbucks, Jose Bolanos stuck out his arm and pulled up his sleeve.

Panel hears alternatives to tax plan: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- The state will be forced to make drastic funding cuts if emergency taxes don't take effect April 1, the governor's staff told legislative taxation committee members Tuesday.

Movie ticket sales jump: Ken Ritter; More Americans than ever escaped fears of terrorism and talk of war by going to the movies last year, seeing an average of 5.7 films each and paying an average of $5.80 per ticket.

Columnist Jeff German: Some oily companies selling gas: That will get our attention.

Nuke industry makes pitch for expansion: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Nuclear industry officials and government regulators told Congress today that nuclear power should be expanded in the United States.

New Mervyn's opens: Grand openings for the store, as well as a Target store in the same complex, will be held Sunday.

Tribe set to purchase Grand Traverse Resort: Some area officials wonder whether the tribe will attempt to move its nearby Turtle Creek Casino operation into the Acme-based resort, while others say the band's sovereign-nation status provides it unfair competitive advantage in the region's tourism industry.

Housing analysts: 13 years worth of land left: Jennifer Shubinski; Las Vegas housing analysts told a group of home builders Tuesday that there is less than two decades worth of land left for residential development.

Bill calls for audit of university system: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins this morning asked fellow lawmakers to audit the University and Community College System of Nevada "in order to lay to rest any lingering doubts" about the system's finances.

Quilt artists lament rise in thefts: Jen Lawson; In a city with high-end boutiques, ritzy jewelry shops and luxury cars, it's hard to imagine that folksy quilts would be targets for thieves.

County health system report not encouraging: The Clark County Commission has received the first batch of reports and recommendations concerning the fiscally floundering county health system -- and hard decisions will have to be made, commissioners said Tuesday.

Reid on Alamo controversy: 'They are grasping for straws': By Ron Kantowski; In the manner of a prizefight between heavy punchers, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said today he is stunned that conflict of interest charges levied against the Nevada State Athletic Commission have continued into the later rounds.

Nichols' son pleads guilty in theft case: Josh Nichols pleaded guilty to one count of attempted theft from Jay's Market, a convenience store at 8835 S. Eastern Ave.

Bill fails on legislative authority: The state Senate failed by one vote Tuesday to override Doyle's veto of a bill that would have given lawmakers final approval of a gaming compact negotiated by the governor.

Tuesday's prep results: Boys Golf

2 women killed, 1 hurt in shooting: Jen Lawson; Two women are dead and another was wounded early today in a bizarre shooting incident that may have stemmed from a domestic dispute, Metro Police said today.

Insurance chief says medical law needs more time: CARSON CITY -- State Insurance Commissioner Alice Molasky-Arman said today it was a "media myth" that the present medical malpractice law was not working.

Good PPV sales help Ruiz to earn payday: HBO estimated Tuesday that at least 525,000 homes bought the bout, exceeding expectations and giving Ruiz and his handlers at least something to be happy about.

Community briefs for March 5, 2003: Facing potentially large budget cuts that could affect core programs and services, the Clark County School District is conducting a series of public input meetings, beginning tonight at Cimarron-Memorial High School.

News briefs for March 5, 2003: A Las Vegas man who tried to cross a street apparently against a red light and outside the crosswalk was struck and killed by a pickup truck Tuesday night, Metro Police said.

Legislative briefs for March 5, 2003: The cost of filing a civil suit and other documents in the county clerks' offices would be increased to provide more money for the court system and technology, under a bill unanimously approved by the Senate Tuesday.

Challenge delays beltway progress: A court challenge may delay Las Vegas Beltway construction in the southwest.

Obituaries for March 5, 2003: Dr. Tommy D. Armour Jr., 81, of Henderson died Sunday in Henderson. He was born Oct. 19, 1921, in New York City. A resident for 39 years, he retired after 35 years of being a surgeon, was a World War II Army Air Corps veteran, a member of Clark County Medical Society and was a team physician for the football and basketball teams at UNLV in the 1960s and '70s.

Lending activity on the rise: The Mortgage Bankers' Association of America's mortgage applications index rose 10.8 percent in the week ended Friday to 1265.4, the highest since October. The refinancing index jumped 10.4 percent to 6614, the highest since the week of Oct. 11 and close to the record of 6926.9.

Revived NAACP eager to get busy: By Timothy Pratt; Bouyed by what one 70-year-old member called "a group of young, committed activists that really care," the Las Vegas chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is ready for action after nearly two years in limbo.

Letter: Schools should have children read the Bible: While the news media and headline-seeking American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada concentrate on the potential of $70 million in lost federal funding, three courageous board members voted for the children in our schools.

LV delays vote on historic neighborhood: Judy Odierna; The decision to create the city of Las Vegas' first historic district will have to wait two weeks.

CDC gets LV ricin sample: "They (CDC) got it yesterday and will test it," Clark County Health District spokeswoman Jennifer Sizemore said. "We are expecting results in 24 to 48 hours."

Miss America pageant, AC kiss and make up: John Curran; ATLANTIC CITY -- There she is. And there she'll stay -- for now.

Editorial: Cut UMC's budget, but not its heart: Tuesday, the County Commission heard reports from two private auditing firms as well as its own auditors, who have been examining UMC's finances over the past several months. The combined message is that UMC and its patients and employees are in for big changes. Medical and administrative staff will be cut. The notion by many that UMC is a "free" hospital will be dispelled. The Quick Care centers will likely have fewer doctors and registered nurses, and may even be jettisoned from UMC entirely. Patients in long-term care could be culled significantly. Bill collection will become much more aggressive.

UMC could lose more money under new law: CARSON CITY -- Clark County officials are worried that the already financially strapped county hospital could get even less federal money under a proposed new funding formula for indigent care.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Chambers, CCSN coaches are at fault: Dean Juipe; Whatever chance the men's and women's basketball programs at the Community College of Southern Nevada had of prospering were cut short, if not eliminated, by administrative oversights.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Vasser: New CART rules add excitement: Jimmy Vasser had the opportunity to put his Champ Car through its paces in the season-opening race on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., and he believes CART's new rules package will provide for more exciting racing this season.

Editorial: Use tests to help, not hinder, schools: But this year students were given the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, as opposed to the Terra Nova exam used in previous years. A new test usually generates lower scores, as schools have not had a chance to develop a curriculum to match it. More importantly, however, the scores of all students were evaluated in determining a school's status. In the past, the scores of special education students were evaluated separately. Also included were math scores of students in the English Language Learners program, regardless of how long they had been in the district, and the reading, writing and science ...

Savvy wine buys: Falesco Vitiano '01: But Umbrian wines offer fine value for the dollar, and this value red is made by one of Italy's giants, Falesco, which produces more than 2 million bottles of this wine alone per year.

New rail system outlined for lawmakers: CARSON CITY -- Construction on a proposed light rail system from Henderson to the Strip would not begin until 2008 at the earliest, Regional Transportation Commission General Manager Jacob Snow said Tuesday.

Gibbons calls for boosting retirement age of airline pilots: Gibbons said members of the AARP, as well as aging pilots, some of whom Gibbons knows personally, have urged him to lead an effort to raise the age limit. Gibbons said hundreds of the nation's most experienced pilots were being forced off the job by "blatant age discrimination."

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Fab Four doesn't mimic controversy: Make that, Tuesday.

Letter: Linking Saddam with al-Qaida: Iraq and 9-11 are about as linked as Madonna and Mother Theresa. But our administration would say otherwise.

Dueling in the desert: Mel North and his cousin Pat swaggered like swashbucklers when they first dueled each other with rusty fishing poles in the back yard of North's family home on the west side of Chicago in 1935.

Manarite sentenced to at least two years: Erica D. Johnson; An 84-year-old reputed mobster charged with shooting up a Las Vegas car dealership will spend the next two years in prison, despite his declining health.

Reid's website receives honor: The Congress Online Project awarded a "gold mouse award" to Reid and Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Tom Carper, D-Del.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Mardi Gras event blooms for St. Rose Dominican: Elizabeth Foyt; The first of many elegant affairs at Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas, the evening was jointly chaired by Kitty and Ron Boeddeker with Joni and Howard Mann.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Shopping via TV is tall order: I started to watch the Home Shopping Network (HSN) when culinary superstar Wolfgang Puck debuted his first sets of pots and pans.

The Velma Chronicles: Character adds smarts, sensibility to 'Scooby-Doo' production: But Jinkies! Take Randi Rosenholtz's phone call and suddenly you're talking to Velma Dinkley, the reliable know-it-all handy with a Latin dictionary, abreast of Egyptian history and able to distinguish Tibetan artifacts from their Chinese counterparts.

Nevada sending 130 more troops overseas: Jace Radke; As many as 130 soldiers stationed in Nevada have been ordered to duty from Nellis Air Force Base and a Henderson National Guard unit.

Sick-leave policy changed for seven county positions: The Clark County Commission, with no fanfare and little discussion, stripped seven elected county positions Tuesday of a potentially lucrative sick-leave policy.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Thursday's races at Santa Anita: Thursday's card

City may delete prostitution law: Dan Kulin; The Henderson City Council may get rid of the city's ban on prostitution later this month.

Centennial lineup to remain intact: Adam Candee; Reach a hand into the talent pool at a high school of more than 4,000 students in Las Vegas' fastest-growing area and you cannot avoid pulling up athletic talent.

Local delis offer taste of Europe: Max Jacobson; In the next few weeks we'll visit a variety of these places, representing different parts of the world.

Legislators want answers on tribal deal: The Senate put off a vote late Monday to override Gov. Jim Doyle's veto amid Democratic complaints that Republicans were stalling because they didn't have enough support to prevail.

Letter: Board's prayer ruling is unfair: Our Constitution clearly states that we should abide by the rule of separation of church and state. The board members refused to listen to sound advice by legal authorities and thus put in jeopardy our children's education. Their remarks have the odor of religious bigotry and that is indecent and unfair. I guess they do not know that we are a multi-ethnic society of various beliefs.

Robinson improves after heart surgery: Steve Guiremand; UNLV athletic director and head football coach John Robinson could be headed home from the hospital as soon as today but most likely Thursday, according to his wife, Linda.