Print edition for March 27, 2003

Catching up with ... MIKE NANNINI: Where he is now: Iowa Cubs (Triple-A)

GOP outlines cuts in funding: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Flanked by two dozen of his colleagues, Assembly Minority Leader Lynn Hettrick proposed $400 million in budget cuts Wednesday as part of a "general philosophy," but not in a bill form the Legislature can consider.

Columnist Adam Candee: Gatorade gives North stars what they're thirsty for: Adam Candee; Reno-area athletes pulled a clean sweep of the Gatorade Player of the Year awards in basketball.

Analyst initiates coverage: Jordan has initiated a "strong buy" rating on Mandalay Resort Group, MGM MIRAGE and Argosy Gaming Co. and "accumulate" ratings on International Game Technology and Station Casinos Inc. Harrah's Entertainment Inc., Park Place Entertainment Corp., Aztar Corp. and Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. have "neutral" ratings.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial replica visits Henderson: By Timothy Pratt; The 9mm Tokerov was taken from a dead Vietnamese soldier by a U.S. Army sergeant who wound up being one of the more than 58,000 names on the wall.

Reid renews push for veterans bill: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- With the war 1 week old, Sen. Harry Reid is redoubling his effort to change what he considers an inequity in veterans benefits.

LV store development stalled: May spokeswoman Sharon Bateman said plans for the Las Vegas mall store are uncertain.

Regulators may seek $3.3 billion in refunds: H. Josef Hebert; WASHINGTON -- Federal energy regulators, cataloging widespread manipulation of Western markets, said Wednesday they probably will require about $3.3 billion in refunds, a third of what California says it's owed.

Tua has win, title shot in his plans: Dean Juipe; Compact, exceptionally strong and with an iron chin, David Tua has most of the assets it takes to become a heavyweight champion.

Shares tumble as CEO quits: The firm's shares fell as much as 19 percent this morning.

Gambling expansion may be delayed: Reflecting deep divisions in the looming debate over expanding legalized gambling in Pennsylvania, a House panel has voted 13-12 to endorse an 18-month moratorium on any such expansion.

Nevada taxable sales up 5.9% in January: CARSON CITY -- Taxable sales, an indicator of the Nevada economy, rose by 5.9 percent to $2.568 billion in January, the seventh straight monthly increase. But Gov. Kenny Guinn said today that the collections from these taxable sales are still lagging, causing the state continued budget problems.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Elite reap big benefits in NCAAs: It's a good thing -- or is it? -- that the NCAA tournament isn't run like NASCAR. If it were, Kentucky might have to spot Wisconsin 10 points tonight, or put a restrictor plate on its fastbreak.

Cut to affect LV flights: The airline will cut three round trips out of 27 flights a week to McCarran International Airport. Citing weakened demand due to the war in Iraq, the airline said for the month of April, it would cut its last flight of the day from Pittsburgh on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and its last flight of the day from Charlotte, N.C. on Saturdays, in addition to their respective return flights.

Mayor officially ends feud: Judy Odierna; Mayor Oscar Goodman officially endorsed Councilman Michael McDonald in an election flier being sent out to residents of the city's Ward 1.

Sex descrimination alleged against UNLV health center: Jennifer Knight; Students accused the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' student health center of sexual discrimination, claiming that a sex education class required of all students seeking contraception is more strictly applied to women than to men.

Purchase of mine revives Red Rock land-use battle: Las Vegas developer Jim Rhodes has purchased the gypsum mine outside the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, company officials said Wednesday while protesting an attempt to limit development in the area.

Agencies lending support to troops: Funds: Nevada Benefits, an insurance company, and Bank of America have set up a fund to purchase calling cards for military personnel serving in the Persian Gulf. Donations may be made to account number 004964908781 at any Bank of America branch.

FERC ruling may add weight to Nevada utilities' federal cases: Kevin Rademacher; The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's report outlining extensive manipulation of the Western power market may advance claims alleging manipulation filed by Nevada Power Co. of Las Vegas and its sister company Sierra Pacific Power of Reno.

Ethics fine of Beers waived: CARSON CITY -- Assemblyman Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, says the decision by the state Ethics Commission to waive his $5,000 fine "is a good deal and I'm pleased."

Dodgers stakes: Leaving Las Vegas: NEXT UP

Petition targets animal shelter: Dan Kulin; A family whose dog was accidentally killed at the Lied Animal Shelter is petitioning the city to revoke the contract with the group that runs the shelter.

LV firm sues its ex-attorney: McCrea, who allegedly participated in a Mikohn board-approved stock purchase plan that allowed its eligible directors and executives to buy up to 20,000 shares of restricted Mikohn stock, was accused of defaulting on payments of a $113,740 promissory note that became due on Oct. 29, 2002.

Mom takes pride for her son, coalition troops to the streets: Jen Lawson; Cars passing through the intersection of Maryland Parkway and Windmill Lane were honking incessantly Wednesday, but it wasn't because of a traffic jam.

Close race expected between Provost, Hedger: Dan Kulin; Age: 42.

AFL-CIO demands Sprint replace its independent auditor: Amy Shafer; KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The AFL-CIO on Wednesday asked Sprint Corp. to appoint a new independent auditor, claiming Ernst & Young compromised its independence by selling questionable tax shelter advice to Sprint's top two executives.

UNLV women return to top 25 rankings: UNLV (11-3), which went 3-0 over the weekend, moved to No. 24 after tumbling to 33rd last week. The men's program and no singles or doubles players were ranked this week.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Capps wary of Force in LV Funny Car competition: John Force had first-round losses in two of the season's first three NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series events and is an uncharacteristic 12th in the Funny Car points standings heading into next weekend's NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Rally draws more than 2,000 to Summerlin: A rally marked by wind-whipped American flags, red-white-and-blue garb and community goodwill drew more than 2,000 people Wednesday night to demonstrate support for U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf.

Hettrick tax plan: Revenue

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: New advertisements are a slice of life: The tops of pizza boxes are the next great commercial platform.

Pizza vendors overcome war concerns for LV expo: While his colleagues were busy trading addresses and developing business contacts Wednesday at this week's International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, Vartan Megerdichian's mind was thousands of miles away in Baghdad.

Locals' operator introduces new jackpot promotion: The "Jumbo Jackpot Boarding Pass Bonus" allows players to win a random bonus jackpot of up to $150,000, which is paid immediately in cash even if the customer does not have a winning combination on the machine.

Suspect in slaying of two women hires attorney: Blake, 33, waived his right to a speedy preliminary hearing before Justice of the Peace Douglas Smith. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 22.

Boom to protect Parker Dam: The boom, about 500 feet away from the dam, is designed to prevent boaters from moving into the dam's security zone, bureau spokesman Bob Walsh said.

Sun Prep Athletes of the Week: Wes Johnson and Kim Adams: School: Silverado

Comdex producer pays LVCVA: Key3Media Group Inc., Los Angeles, received Bankruptcy Court approval for a $30 million financing package from Thomas Weisel Capital Partners, a banking affiliate of the investment firm Thomas Weisel Partners LLC, San Francisco.

Child care centers oppose tougher city rules: Judy Odierna; Child care professionals say it's "bad timing" for Las Vegas to push new rules that would force them to raise rates for parents.

Bulldogs still have bite: Adam Candee; Centennial coach Cyndi Castro said her Bulldogs softball team is not yet at the lofty levels set by last year's 4A state runners-up.

Prep Schedule: TODAY

Gaming operator's profit falls: The company said it expects full-year operating profit of 14.5 million pounds ($22.9 million).

Man indicted in robbery string: Erica D. Johnson; A California man was indicted Wednesday on charges stemming from a string of drugstore robberies in Clark County, and prosecutors believe he could have robbed dozens more.

Editorial: Flags and hearts at half-staff: Pokorney was a field artillery officer with the 10th Marine Regiment, a unit that has distinguished itself in combat ever since forming in 1914. He was in the 1st Battalion, whose motto is "First in the World." Tonopah residents would agree on the appropriateness of the motto as it applies to Pokorney, who earned a college degree in military science before going on active duty with the Marines. As he interviewed residents this week, Sun reporter Jace Radke heard one story after the other attesting to Pokorney's good character and engaging personality. Former Nye County Sheriff Wade Lieseke and his ...

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Welcoming a new day: It took a large part of yesterday, a great big dose of tomorrow and some incredibly talented people of today to make it happen, but Celine Dion's opening night at Caesars Palace brought with it a bold new day of entertainment that may be some very good news for Las Vegas.

Order of Wings: Bellagio ushers in spring with butterfly exhibit: Could this be why the new stars at Bellagio refuse to entertain guests during prime hours or give interviews? Perhaps they're just recklessly indifferent. Time is not on their side. The lucky ones could last 10 days. Replacements arrive weekly.

Law enforcement objects to bill restoring felons' voting rights: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Law enforcement representatives said Wednesday they had 20 pages of objections to a bill that would restore the right to vote for 44,000 felons.

Obituaries for March 27, 2003: Alice Joy Andert, 68, of Las Vegas died Monday in Las Vegas. She was born Aug. 1, 1934, in Edina, Minn. A resident for 36 years, she was a retired registered nurse.

Wednesday's prep results: Baseball

Family Court manual will be dedicated to late Sun executive: Erica D. Johnson; The late Las Vegas Sun associate editor Sandy Thompson knew all about Family Court proceedings in Las Vegas.

Gorman grad assigned to naval hospital deployed to Kuwait: Dick Benoit; Navy Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Ginn, Bishop Gorman High School class of 1985, recently deployed with about 300 medical staff to Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Help needed sending items to troops: Also sought are storage units to store goods.

Spend money at home first: I can, however, empathize with their thinking. We are now about to spend $100 billion or more invading Iraq, and who knows how many tens of billions to rebuild what we destroy in Iraq. Then add $15 billion to $30 billion for the use of Turkish air bases.

Bill cutting regents will get more study: Jennifer Knight; An Assembly bill that would reduce the size of the state Board of Regents and require universities to stop releasing student information to private companies was sent back to committee for more work Wednesday.

Fight Schedule: Tonight

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

Columnist Dean Juipe: Hopkins still looking for the 'big' fight: Dean Juipe; Push the right buttons and Bernard Hopkins invariably comes out swinging.

Letter: No consideration for residents: No, I'm not watching the military action in the Middle East on television. I'm sitting on my patio near Blue Diamond Road and Interstate 15. Airliner after airliner passes a few thousand feet overhead, depriving me and my neighbors of peace and quiet, the reason we moved out here.

Editorial: Time to build a new Rancho High School: Building a new school for Rancho students would not add to the burden that Nevada taxpayers already face as the Legislature wrestles with a $700 million deficit and proposals for new and higher taxes. Assembly Bill 396, which was passed Monday by the Assembly Education Committee, would allow the Clark County School District to use money already approved by voters. The money would come from a bond issue passed in 1998, primarily for building new schools as opposed to replacing existing schools. A pilot program approved earlier by the Legislature, however, approved $90 million to replace five schools. Four have ...

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

Committee delays action on hospital pushed by comedian: CARSON CITY -- Despite a ringing endorsement by entertainer Jerry Lewis on Wednesday, a bill that would allow a new specialty spine-pain hospital to be built in his hometown of Las Vegas stalled in the Senate Committee on Human Resources.

Letter: Children will always die during wars: However, my mourning started more than 50 years ago when, during wartime, cities were bombed and burned without much thought about how many toddlers and youth lost their lives or were maimed. And no one was called to task for it.