Print edition for March 17, 2003

Birth announcements for March 17, 2003: Feb. 27:

Obituaries for March 17, 2003: Alfred Budde, 84, of Las Vegas died Saturday in Las Vegas. A high school athletic director, he was born March 6, 1919, in Illinois.

Nevada makes NIT field; faces Bobby Knight at Texas Tech: AP; Five other conferences - the Atlantic 10, Atlantic Coast, Conference USA, Big Ten and Mountain West - all had three teams chosen for the tournament, which gets under way Monday night and concludes with the championship game at Madison Square Garden on April 3.

UNR's Johnson says NIT game about toughness: AP; "I guess the bottom line for me is you always want to emphasize to the kids they should play with toughness. What better measuring stick?" Johnson said.

Our Green Heaven: Color is ubiquitous and not just on St. Patrick's Day: Kirk Baird; But it is popular.

Murder defendant says killing was accidental: Erica D. Johnson; A convicted felon who had been begging last year in downtown Las Vegas told jurors Friday that he is charged with murder for an accidental killing.

Self-help guru Dr. Phil fills show with life sentences: Kirk Baird; I'm from Texas. Dallas, specifically.

High court upholds marriage of teenager: The court, in a 4-3 decision Friday, affirmed the ruling of District Judge Robert Gaston, who permitted SierraDawn Kirkpatrick to marry Sauren Crow.

Sun Lite for March 17, 2003: Here's a bit o' news sure to make bankers and postal workers among others whose jobs come to a screeching halt in honor of all sorts of obscure holidays dance a jig: The push is on to make St. Patrick's Day a national holiday.

Immunization schedule for March 17, 2003: NORTH LAS VEGAS PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 1820 E. Lake Mead Blvd., Suite F, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Regents may offer tuition to Columbia pilot's family: Jennifer Knight; The children and widow of the pilot of the space shuttle Columbia may soon be eligible for a free college education in Nevada.

For a night, Ozzy, Kiss belong to clubs: Spencer Patterson; Mystique. In the world of heavy metal, having it can be the difference between runaway success and anonymity.

Vets' nursing home proposed for Northern Nevada: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn has included $50,000 in the budget to study the need for a veterans nursing home in Northern Nevada, and state officials are looking at the Carson-Tahoe Hospital as a possible location.

Bill would duplicate degrees at CCSN, state college: Jennifer Knight; The Community College of Southern Nevada is getting a legislative push to offer the same four-year degrees that the struggling Nevada State College at Henderson already offers.

Letter: Words similar to bin Laden's: In his column, O'Callaghan criticizes former President Carter for saying that war's weapons must distinguish between combatant and noncombatants. Like bin Laden, O'Callghan justified killing the wife, the child, the cab driver, the Imam of the mosque, etc., because they all, directly or indirectly, serve or help that potential "terrorist" or combatant to exist, so kill them all. Well, if you are correct, Mr. O'Callaghan, does that mean bin Laden's reasoning was correct, too? Your statement is a disgrace to objective journalism and human ethics.

Executives look at ways to restore corporate integrity: Paul Nowell; CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Summoned by retired Bank of America Corp. chairman Hugh McColl, about 120 executives spent the weekend brainstorming on how to restore public confidence in corporate America.

Casino operator, regulators negotiating to settle charges: "There are discussions, but there is no settlement at this point," said Hillary Crain, chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board. "I think they are a lot further along than they were even two weeks ago."

Lady Rebels earn spot in WNIT against Oregon State: UNLV fifth-year women's basketball coach Regina Miller gathered her players at her house Sunday for a few hours of billiards, music and team bonding.

Bankruptcy protection sought: Spiegel, which has had more than $727 million in losses in the past two years, sells clothes and home furnishings through catalogs, 560 specialty retail and outlet stores and Internet sites. Sales fell 20 percent through the first eight weeks this year and the company had losses of $139.9 million in the first nine months of 2002 and $587.5 million in 2001.

Rain pushes back NHRA event until July: Sunday morning's rain showers forced NHRA officials to reschedule the inaugural GM Performance NHRA Sports Compact Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

NLV Police may have talked to Smart: About 1 p.m. Tuesday, North Las Vegas Police got a call about a group of people loitering outside a Burger King on Craig Road near Interstate 15, a police spokesman said.

Rebels to play Hawaii in NIT: Steve Guiremand; March Madness officially became March Sadness for the UNLV Rebels shortly after 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Would you pay $62,500 to see Celine?: The Saturday night event at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix featured one stunner after another, all prompted by auctioneer Leach. The topper: Four Celine Dion tickets went for a cool quarter of a million dollars.

Rebel Classic hit by rain storm: After a morning weather delay, two matches were in progress when showers returned in the afternoon. After a near-two-hour delay, the matches were canceled.

'Do Not Call' plan divides political parties: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Support for funding a plan to prevent unwanted telemarketing calls is splitting along party lines.

Prep Schedule: TODAY

Candles burn for peace at downtown Las Vegas vigil: More than 75 Las Vegas area residents lit candles, sang and spoke out for peace Sunday night at the George Federal Building.

Vew MRI discussed: A few years ago, when Dr. Ronald Walsworth began research on light beams and a cloud of atoms in a Harvard University laboratory, he had no idea it would lead to a cheaper, walk-in MRI.

Nevada Power accused of speculating in crisis: CARSON CITY -- In a few weeks Nevada Power will begin presenting its case that it is entitled to an electricity rate increase of $741 million in Clark County -- but the utility is still battling to recover millions of dollars from a previous application.

U.S. judge denies DOE request for Yucca water: CARSON CITY -- A federal judge handed Nevada an apparent win over the Department of Energy in the fight over water for Yucca Mountain.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Spoonhour may walk away: Dean Juipe; Thus far, it's only a whisper, cloaked in innuendo and limited to off-the-record conversation among those on the periphery of the UNLV basketball team.

Gladiators stumble at home: Adam Candee; If timing is everything in life, someone needs to find a new watch for the Las Vegas Gladiators. A pair of sticky gloves and a mild sedative would not hurt either.

Study shows high risk of smoking starting in college: Jennifer Knight; Most University of Nevada, Las Vegas, students who smoke began after they started college, according to Clark County Health District study released today.

Historical projects receive state grants: The commission Friday allocated $2.1 million in grants to 25 buildings statewide. The largest amount, $200,000, went to the White Pine Historical Railroad Foundation, followed by $180,000 for the Oats Park School in Churchill County.

News briefs for March 17, 2003: Three people died in fatal crashes over the weekend.

Test Site equipment sales cost taxpayers: The Nevada Test Site in the past 10 years shortchanged taxpayers by millions of dollars when it sold off surplus equipment, according to a new federal audit.

Herbst posts strong gain in cash flow: The company said it earned $5.2 million in 2002 compared to a net loss of $12 million in 2001.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Colorado State proved it was Ram-tough: First, they stole the tournament site. Then they stole the tournament championship.

Letter: Red Rock plan is unthinkable: It is totally beyond my understanding how Clark County commissioners could condone building one home on that gypsum mine property. Why destroy a beautiful scenic area in order for some high rollers to impress the rest of us of their disregard for the beauty of Red Rock?

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Kentucky Derby favorites come to forefront: Ralph Siraco; The road to the Kentucky Derby wound through Florida, California and New York over the weekend. Now, with just seven weeks before America's most famous horse race, the only certainty about this year's run for the roses is that the starting gate should be at maximum capacity.

UNLV completes sweep of MWC foe Falcons: Jake Vose (4-3) earned the win for the Rebels (16-7, 3-0 MWC). He threw seven innings, giving up three runs on eight hits with nine strikeouts.

Reid says U.S. may gain allies by waiting: "Can't we wait a little while to see if we can get some of our allies to go along with us? That's what I say," Reid said during an interview on CNN.

Officer involved in recent shooting shot, killed suspect six months ago: Jen Lawson; The Metro Police officer who shot and wounded a robbery suspect last week at an apartment complex is the same officer who killed a suspected car thief six months ago in the parking lot of the Nevada Palace.

Navajo lawsuit could block river deal: The Navajo Nation has asked a federal judge to block the Interior Department from allocating any uncommitted water from the Colorado River, a move that could mean less water for Las Vegas.

Binion's settles federal labor case: Grace Leong; Settling charges that it violated federal labor laws, Binion's Horseshoe hotel-casino has signed a collective bargaining agreement it reached with unions last July, attorneys for the National Labor Relations Board, Culinary Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165 said Friday.

Letter: Revolution in U.S. not such a radical idea: While G.W. Bush tries to police the whole world, he ignores our problems. Our gasoline prices have gone out of sight, our stock market is trashed, insurance is unobtainable for about half of the population, our streets are overrun with homeless people, there is pollution, and the water shortage is out of control.

F-15 Eagle crashes near Nellis Air Force Base: The only occupant, the pilot, safely ejected from the aircraft, authorities said. Air Force officials will investigate the accident. More details about the crash were not available this morning.

Bill would give state a bigger tax share: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio today proposed a property tax shift that local governments have been fearing for months.

Rio opens Irish pub today: The Tilted Kilt will offer pool, darts, a selection of beers as well as a full menu featuring Drunken Clams and Sloppy Jane's. The decor will be eclectic and include Celtic artifacts as well as memorabilia from pop culture, said owner and local restauranteur Mark DiMartino. "Tilted Kilt Girls" will wear kilts as they serve drinks.

County, union workers near pact: Launce Rake and Ed Koch; Clark County and the union local representing county rank-and-file employees have reached a tentative agreement, a county source confirmed this weekend.

Board members retire: Following disappointing earnings last year, the Las Vegas-based company has laid off staff and restructured the company to boost performance.

After-school programs face severe cuts by feds: By Emily Richmond; Thousands of Clark County children may be turned away from after-school enrichment programs next year because of deep cuts in federal funds, a possibility one educator called "an outrageous mistake."

Editorial: Drilling in refuge should be prohibited: The nation's wildlife refuge system celebrated its 100th birthday on Friday. We would like to think that many of the senators read a few articles about the founding of the system by President Theodore Roosevelt. The refuges were created to safeguard particularly beautiful ecological wonders from the everyday environmental dangers of the industrial age. Norton says she sees the ANWR as "an area of flat, white nothingness," but she is obviously blind to the real value of this open space that is home to polar bears, grizzly bears, wolves, muskoxen, arctic foxes and a hundred other species of wildlife.

Editorial: It appears water deal will work: The reason why the surplus water was being shut off was the lack of conservation in California that coincided with a severe three-year drought in the Colorado River's Upper Basin. If this tentative deal holds up, it could take until the end of the year before federal officials sign off on releasing surplus water. Even then, there's no guarantee that the extra water will be released if the drought continues to worsen. For that matter, as Sun reporter Launce Rake noted last week, the tentative plan requires both California and Nevada to wean themselves from surplus water.

Aliante development opens: Aliante development opens

Spokane service to be offered: The company said the service would be offered on America West Express, operated by Mesa Airlines, on twin-engine Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-700 planes that hold 64 passengers in two classes. The airline said its daily flights would leave Spokane daily at 7:50 p.m., arriving in Las Vegas at 10 p.m., with the return flight leaving Las Vegas at 11:55 p.m., arriving at 2 a.m. the next day.