Print edition for March 7, 2003

Caught in a Web: Future of online casinos debated: WEEKEND EDITION: March 9, 2003

Editorial: School Board must abide by the courts: Clark County School Board members Sheila Moulton, Denise Brodsky and Ruth Johnson were voting from personal conviction when, as a quorum at the Feb. 27 School Board meeting, they gave the board's approval to speakers at graduation ceremonies invoking God in benedictions and invocations. But the three board members were wrong to ignore the advice of school attorneys and the superintendent that, based on U.S. Supreme Court rulings, graduation benedictions that invoke God and are planned ahead of time amount to school sponsorship of prayer and are, therefore, unconstitutional.

Riding the current: David Brenner isn't afraid to take a chance.

Hero's honor bittersweet and 58 years late: Hunting military records?

Columnist Susan Snyder: We're one nation, under what?: Perhaps the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals simply needs a suggested substitute for the "under God" part of the Pledge of Allegiance, which according to the court's ruling is unconstitutional to recite in the public classrooms of nine western states.

St. Patrick's celebration showcases charity, patriotism: WEEKEND EDITION: March 8, 2003

Editorial: Tax critics must show their hand: Two years ago Gov. Kenny Guinn saw what many of his fellow Republicans were loath to see -- the need for new and higher taxes. From his vantage point at the Capitol in Carson City, he realized that funding for education, health care and other services was already below minimum standards when compared with national figures. He looked ahead to the 2003-2005 biennium and sensed the crisis to come if nothing was done. He appointed a task force that worked all of 2002 analyzing the state's vital programs and the tax structure supporting them.

Pincay breaks neck in Santa Anita accident: Pincay was hurt Saturday at Santa Anita Park and will spend the next eight weeks in a cast, his son said.

Seniors look to go out with 'W' against Aztecs: Steve Guiremand; NEXT UP

'Mr. V' ads boosting 'Net travel business for VEGAS.com: World-renowned chef Wolfgang Puck was caught in the act on film, stuffing his face with corn dogs.

Regulators, gaming industry wrestle with cashless slot issues: By Liz Benston; The casinos of the future will have many more "cashless" slot machines that can dispense paper vouchers instead of coins -- but that's just the beginning.

Banks' drive has game in high gear: UNLV senior point guard Marcus Banks began battling the moment he was born, three months premature and weighing 1 pound, 12 ounces, and the delivering doctor had somber news for Sabrina Banks.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Hunt added to rivalry with Arizona: Dean Juipe; Notes today, leading off with one that the participants were able to keep secret and out of print for 12 years -- or until now.

UNLV's Robinson sent home from hospital: Robinson, 67, is expected to spend at least a week at home recuperating and undergoing a rehabilitation program before returning to work at UNLV.

Advocate says Nevada Power still imprudent: Kevin Rademacher; Nevada's consumer advocate says the $81 million rate cut proposed by Nevada Power Co. is not enough and rates should be slashed by another $292 million.

Sheriff seeks definitive policy on car chases: By Timothy Pratt; Clark County Sheriff Bill Young will be announcing a new policy on car chases sometime before March 15, Officer Jose Montoya, a Metro Police spokesman, said today.

LV firm swings to a profit: Mandalay Resort Group, owner of casino resorts including Mandalay Bay and Luxor in Las Vegas, swung to a profit in the fourth quarter from a loss a year earlier as more gamblers visited its properties a year after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Maryland slot proposal draws mixed reaction: Tom Stuckey; ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Gov. Robert Ehrlich's latest slot machine proposal got mixed reaction in the General Assembly on Thursday, with some key leaders complaining they were given misleading information in private briefings with the governor and his staff.

Venetian unit awarded license for Internet gambling: By Liz Benston; A sister company of The Venetian casino resort in Las Vegas has been awarded an Internet gambling license from regulators in Alderney, one of the British Channel Islands and one of a few jurisdictions worldwide that has crafted regulations allowing for the lawful operation of Internet casinos.

Cleveland Clinic considers center in Las Vegas: Judy Odierna; The Cleveland Clinic is showing a growing interest in establishing an academic medical center in Las Vegas, with representatives from the clinic planning to visit Las Vegas next week.

Rebels' Moore vying for college's top honor: The Hogan Award selection committee will select 10 semifinalists on April 11 and name five finalists on April 25. The winner of the Hogan Award will be announced on May 9 and the presentation banquet will be held at Colonial Country Club on May 19, the Monday before the Bank of America Colonial.

Rural officials say negotiate on Yucca: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Officials in rural Nevada counties are increasingly eager for the state to drop its costly lawsuits against Yucca Mountain and to negotiate for benefits, representatives from Nye, Lincoln and Esmeralda counties said today.

Shareholders sue over PDS buyout deal: Grace Leong; Two shareholders of PDS Gaming Corp. sued to block a nearly $98 million plan by its three top executives to buy out the Las Vegas gaming company, alleging they are trying to acquire the company at "an unfair price, under unfair terms, through improper means, and with inadequate disclosure."

Dentists may face hikes in malpractice insurance: State Insurance Commissioner Alice Molasky-Arman said Thursday a group of five companies that covers about 100 dentists in Nevada for malpractice has applied to raise rates by 15 percent effective July 1.

Dueling plans: Delays cited on local proposal for gypsum mine development: Rally planned

Arkansas panel approves video measure: James Jefferson; LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- A plea to help Hot Springs helped move legislation to allow the state's two racetracks to expand wagering on video games from a Senate committee to the floor of the chamber.

Letter: We must not abandon God: The First Amendment clearly states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This means, for example, that Congress cannot pass a law making Catholicism or Protestantism as the nation's official religion.

Columnist Benjamin Grove: Reid-Ensign alliance weathers partisanship: Benjamin Grove; In what is proving to be a bitterly divided new Congress on many issues, that's a reasonable question.

Editorial: State audits would aid schools funding: Perhaps the audits are necessary. Legislators have often balked at increases for the districts, citing skepticism toward the districts' own audits. We're confident that state audits will at last open the eyes of some doubters in the Legislature and remove a major obstacle to increased education funding. Additionally, Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins is proposing an audit of higher education. Bring that on too. Impartial, state-funded audits might be just what are needed for appropriate education dollars to start flowing.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Expanded menu warrants a visit to Tre's: Tre restaurant in Summerlin was abuzz with the news that "Mama Egi" was in the kitchen when I lunched there on Friday. Egidiana, the wife of Sirio Maccioni, founder of the famed Le Cirque and Osteria del Circo restaurants in New York and Las Vegas, is the matriarch of the Maccioni family.

Columnist Erin Neff: Lawmakers would rather dip into rainy day fund: Erin Neff; But it has been drizzling in Nevada budget circles since the 1981 tax shift, and the cumulative effect is more like a 22-year flood.

Indictment returned in alleged extortion of Dion's husband: Erica D. Johnson; A California couple accused of trying to extort Celine Dion's husband out of millions of dollars have been formally indicted on extortion charges.

Performing Arts: School concert

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Smell of rain and war: Other than the rain, there isn't much to celebrate in Israel. The bombing of a bus in Haifa resulted in the deaths of 15 people and the wounding of several dozen more. Most of the dead were high school teenagers and, according to the Jerusalem Post, at least 33 victims were still hospitalized late Wednesday night. Also reported among the dead was Avigail Leitner, a 14-year-old U.S. citizen. The suicide bomber, a member of Hamas, is reported to have been carrying a letter praising the 9-11 bombers.

Obituaries for March 7, 2003: Stanley Gordon Brewer, 71, of Las Vegas died Tuesday in Las Vegas. He was born Nov. 8, 1931, in Indianapolis. A resident for 10 years, he was a retired owner of Duffy's Tavern.

Prep Soccer 4A All-Stars: 4A Girls Soccer All-State Teams

Columnist Susan Snyder: Doing some comparison shopping: More amazing than a $2.09 gallon of gasoline is what a $2.09 gallon of gasoline does to people.

Columnist Barb Henderson: Commission sets seasons for big game hunting: Barb Henderson; Nevada hunters who draw a big game hunting tag during the random computerized tag draw system in June will be given the opportunity to hunt.

Columnist Spencer Patterson: For ibiza owner, cancellation costs more than 50 Cent: Spencer Patterson; John Teichman never figured 50 Cent would cost him 14 grand.

Seminars planned for aspiring firefighters: Those interested in applying can get information on the process at five upcoming seminars:

Just for Show: Stars stick to the script as ShoWest wraps: Kirk Baird; Female Star of the Year: Diane Lane.

Titus has second thoughts about confession bill: CARSON CITY -- Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, is backing away from her bill that aimed to force Roman Catholic priests to reveal the identity of people who confess that they abused a child.

Builders, lawyers are at odds over defect legislation: CARSON CITY -- Contractors and trial lawyers agreed Thursday that builders should have the opportunity to fix any construction defects in a home before a lawsuit is filed.

Lawmakers urged to make baby-reminder devices mandatory: Eric Leake; Because babies left in car seats cannot speak for themselves, Sandy Blake-Toles invented a device to speak for them.

Scene Selection -- Geoff Carter: Catch the animated 'Osbournes' on DVD: At this point there are only four first-run sitcoms on television that are consistently funny. The bad news for the major networks is that three of them, "Sealab 2021," "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" and "The Brak Show" appear only on Cartoon Network, and the fourth, "The Osbournes," is on MTV. And to add insult to injury, all four shows are cast entirely with cartoons.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Douglas gets grip on charity tourney: Hollywood megastar Michael Douglas is no exception.

Datebook for March 7, 2003: Las Vegas Art District will showcase local artists, unique shops and street entertainment from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. the first Friday of each month at Main St. and Charleston Blvd. Admission is free. 678-6278.

Legislative briefs for March 7, 2003: Gov. Kenny Guinn submitted several bills to the Assembly on Thursday to move money into the state's general fund and pay some big bills.

Community briefs for March 7, 2003: The first of several public meetings on possible changes to Henderson's Comprehensive Plan will be held Monday night at the Henderson Convention Center.

Columnist Jon Ralston: Oblivious to the war drums: President Bush all but told the world (again) last week. Gov. Kenny Guinn has been trying to tell the Gang of 63 the consequences for months. But legislators have somehow turned a deaf ear to the war drums and, in some cases gleefully, have decided that cutting critical programs is better than passing an insurance policy against an almost-certain budget downturn.

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

Poof! Amazing Johnathan makes good taste disappear: Who: The Amazing Johnathan.

Insurance rate hike proposed: For the company's 8,453 customers in Clark County, the bodily injury-property damage coverage would rise 1.7 percent; uninsured motorist would go up 4.8 percent; medical coverage would rise 1.8 percent; and collision would jump 3 percent. Comprehensive coverage would decrease 1.6 percent.

Firm commits to LV showroom: The Greensboro News & Record reported that Lane Home Furnishings said it will lease a 20,000-square-foot showroom in the World Market Center, which will hold its groundbreaking later this month. Construction on its 1.3- million-square-foot first phase will start shortly after that, with its first market being held sometime in 2004 or early 2005.

Timet hoping to eliminate discharge to wastewater ponds: If experiments to recover industrial wastewater prove successful, Titanium Metals Corp. could quit discharging water containing chemicals to the open ponds near its plant within two years.

Company founder retires: On Stage was formed 20 years ago with the creation of the "Legends in Concert" show, a performance now running at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas and featuring singers who impersonate Elvis, James Brown and Liza Minnelli, among others.

Columnist Jerry Fink: Joey Bistro & Bar puts the 'whole package' to good use: The view at night of the Strip from the Joey Bistro & Bar on the ninth floor of the Carriage House is spectacular -- and romantic.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Party prompts Tre pruning: On Feb. 21 the restaurant started a late-night weekend event called "000 at Tre" -- triple zero being the highest grade of Beluga caviar.

Letter: Irony abounds in prayer issue: Is it all right that we have trust in God as long as we don't express it? God must be as confused as some of us are.

Reputed Binion heroin supplier booted from Drug Court: Erica D. Johnson; The man who said he was the late casino figure Ted Binion's heroin supplier was kicked out of the Drug Court program Thursday because he failed to comply with its requirements.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Disservice to readers: While you are not completely wrong, your take on the governor's proposed amusement and transaction tax is just plain goofy. That's the danger inherent in most "men of the people" who profess to speak for the little guy and wind up speaking mostly for themselves.

Letter: Tax shortfall becomes matter of life, death: Those who argue that new taxes are not needed and that services should be further reduced, need to read the transcript of the Feb. 17 joint Assembly-Senate budget hearing. Population growth has overwhelmed emergency hospital services and the most critical mental health programs in all of the state's rapidly growing counties. The outcomes include even more suicides (we are now ranked second in the country per capita in this category), unconscionable waiting periods in emergency rooms and mental health facilities, and an acute shortage of hospital beds and clinicians.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Owner Stewart hopes he got point across: In Tony Stewart's first season as a World of Outlaws car owner, he won the series championship with driver Danny Lasoski.

Arena League: American Conference

Letter: Don't force beliefs on others: In addition to prayer in schools, Apache advocates that public school children be taught mathematics and reading by forcing them to read the Bible for their lessons. Would Apache censor out the sex and violence portions or would he allow students to read the unexpurgated version?

Lack of wind prevented more boats from burning: Dan Kulin; Five boats were sent to the bottom of Lake Mead and another was left charred, warped and on the brink of sinking. Three more boats were badly damaged by heat and smoke, and dozens were left dirtied by soot with bits of charred wood or Fiberglas bobbing around their waterlines.

Editorial: Bad credit not a risk for drivers: Our question, however, mirrors questions that surfaced this week in the Nevada Legislature during a hearing on Assembly Bill 194. This bill would make it illegal for car insurance companies to consider a person's credit information in determining his insurance rate. Legislators asked why credit is relevant. Assemblyman Kelvin Atkinson, D-North Las Vegas, said, "There is no correlation between credit and driving records." Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley worried about the car insurance rates of all the people who were laid off after Sept. 11. "They are just as good a driver before they got laid off as after," Buckley said.

Thursday's prep results: Baseball

Letter: Self-absorbed society turns its back on schools: My 10-year-old daughter went with me to the meeting. Although I had told her my job might be eliminated next year, it didn't sink in until she listened to all the teachers, parents and students defending their programs such as music, gifted and talented education, art, counseling, library and sports. Afterward she asked me if it meant she wouldn't have those programs next year. When I told her, yes, it did, she said, "I have $2, would that help?"

Bill calls for three casinos, slots at tracks: Steve LeBlanc; BOSTON -- Massachusetts would welcome three new resort casinos and license slot machines at the state's four racetracks under a bill filed Thursday by a member of Senate President Robert Travaglini's leadership team.

Riviera files copyright infringement suit: A suit filed in U.S. District Court in Nevada by Riviera Operating Corp. Inc. took a detour through U.S. Bankruptcy Court, which had to determine whether claims detailed in the suit preceded the bankruptcy filing.

Dogged by losing record, Gladiators ready to go to the vet: Adam Candee; NEXT UP

Columnist Jeff German: Rizzolo comes out swinging vs. FBI: But he also had the look of a man who knows he's facing an opponent with the ability to deliver a knockout in the later rounds.

Quartet's 'traveling pajama party' hits Las Vegas: When: 8 p.m. Saturday.

Las Vegas Area Fishing Report: Weather takes toll on anglers: Nevada Division of Wildlife (NDOW) creel census clerks saw a decline in anglers from the previous week.

News briefs for March 7, 2003: Two motorcyclists driving on State Route 159 near the town of Blue Diamond, about 15 miles southwest of Las Vegas, discovered the remains of a human body near the highway.

Double-murder suspect met victims at club: Jen Lawson; Murder suspect Alfonso "Slinkey" Blake met the shooting victims at the Olympic Garden Topless Cabaret, where he was known as a big tipper, according to employees.

Columnist Jeff German: Gamers have new shot at bet ban bill: Industry lobbyists in Washington expect Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to reintroduce his betting bill within the next two weeks to grab media attention during the NCAA's national basketball tournament, which gets under way on March 18.

'Rock X-Posed' running at The Rio: Gracing the walls are such legends as B.B. King by photographer Ken Settle, Elvis Presley, Mick Jagger and Tina Turner. The exhibit runs through March 23.

Rural officials seek deal, not a fight on Yucca: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Officials in rural Nevada counties are increasingly eager for the state to drop its costly lawsuits against Yucca Mountain and to negotiate for benefits, representatives from Nye, Lincoln and Esmeralda counties said today.

Schools sued over refusal to ban prayers: Jace Radke; A. The decision to include an invocation and/or benediction at a high school graduation exercise must be voluntarily agreed on by a majority of the high school graduating senior class, with the advice and counsel of the school principal.

Nevada prepares for emergency drills: Jace Radke; Nevada's state and local emergency management officials will help the military determine if it is ready to respond to a catastrophic emergency that overwhelms all other resources.

DUI bill clears Assembly hurdle: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- A measure to lower the threshold of the driving under the influence law cleared an Assembly committee this morning, marking the seventh time the bill has been tried in the Legislature.

Business leaders oppose governor's tax plan: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Business leaders and tax advocates told two legislative committees Thursday that they do not support Gov. Kenny Guinn's plan to raise $77 million in emergency taxes.

Garcia seeks $879 million hike for schools: CARSON CITY -- Clark County School Superintendent Carlos Garcia pitched a proposal to increase school funding by $879 million over two years to a Senate-Assembly budget subcommittee this morning but was told by its chairman that the state doesn't have the money.

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