Las Vegas Sun

Archive for May 22, 2003

Yucca workers uneasy criticizing program: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Yucca Mountain workers are not comfortable raising concerns about the project, a top Yucca auditor wrote to Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and John Ensign, R-Nev.; 11:23 a.m.

GOP seeks to take funds from states with medical pot laws: WASHINGTON -- House Republicans want to take away drug enforcement money from state and local police officers and give it to federal agents in states, including Nevada, that have legalized marijuana for medical use.; 11:22 a.m.

Montandon to have brain tumor removed: Dan Kulin; North Las Vegas Mayor Michael Montandon will have a golf ball-sized, non-cancerous brain tumor removed within the next few weeks.; 11:21 a.m.

Vons owner cutting prices, promotions: Jennifer Shubinski; Safeway Inc. will reduce prices while cutting back on promotions to boost sales and profits, the company's top officer told the International Council of Shopping Centers convention in Las Vegas.; 11:17 a.m.

Rhodes weighs legal challenge as Red Rock rules approved: Two years of legal wrangling came to a close at the Clark County Commission Wednesday, with the board voting to enact strong new restrictions on any development in and near the Red Rock Canyon National ...; 11:15 a.m.

Ensign forced to give Bush second list of judge picks: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The White House today received a new list of potential federal judge nominees from Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., after Bush administration officials rejected Ensign's first list of four candidates, a source told the ...; 11:15 a.m.

State gives least to Nevada schools: By Emily Richmond; When it comes to the percentage of education funding its public schools receive from the state, Nevada ranks last in the nation, according to a new report released Wednesday by the country's largest teachers' union.; 11:14 a.m.

Kincaid-Chauncey lawyer claims she was 'set up': Launce Rake and Steve Kanigher; Clark County Commission Chairwoman Mary Kincaid-Chauncey and her lawyer confirmed Wednesday that the longtime political leader is a target of an FBI probe into political corruption.; 11:14 a.m.

Kincaid-Chauncey probe allegedly includes trust fund: The federal public corruption investigation involving Clark County Commission Chairwoman Mary Kincaid-Chauncey allegedly involves a payment by a strip club owner put into a trust fund.; 11:14 a.m.

Mirage probe 'embarrassing' to company, chief executive: Liz Benston and Richard N. Velotta; The probe by the Nevada Attorney General's Office and by gaming regulators into The Mirage resort's failure to file thousands of required cash transaction reports -- an incident dubbed "most embarrassing" by MGM MIRAGE's chief ...; 11:13 a.m.

Terror warning doesn't deter travelers: Jason Straziuso; The federal government's latest security warning could spoil some people's travel plans this Memorial Day, but fears alone won't stop people like Paul Giller.; 11:13 a.m.

Former, present employees rally in LV against Wal-Mart: Christina Almeida; Dozens of past and present female Wal-Mart Stores employees donned "I'm anti-Wal-Mart" sashes and cardboard tiaras on Wednesday in Las Vegas to protest the corporation's employment practices and gain support for a pending lawsuit.; 11:13 a.m.

Columnist Linda Frolich: Salary cap creates new situation: Linda Frolich; It's back to business. The competitive spirit was at an all-time high. Girls were diving on the floor for every loose ball. Every time the ball is shot, people were pulling and pushing for the ...; 11:12 a.m.

Construction defects bill closer to passage: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- The acrimonious negotiations for construction defect legislation ended this morning with both sides agreeing that a new version of the bill is OK.; 11:09 a.m.

LV home prices keep rising: Larry Murphy, president of SalesTraq, reported this week that the median price for a new home was $201,960 in April, up from $189,017 in March. He said the median price of a resale home reached ...; 11:09 a.m.

Profs' workload might be audited: CARSON CITY -- A proposed audit of the performance of the University and Community College System of Nevada may include a look at whether the faculty is teaching enough classes.; 11:08 a.m.

Reunion of life: UMC trauma personnel meet with ex-patients: When the University Medical Center Trauma Center closed its doors last July in the wake of the medical malpractice crisis, Metro Police officer Enrique Hernandez told his wife, Leean, "I better not get shot today."; 11:07 a.m.

Fingers crossed as school budget approved: By Emily Richmond; Clark County School District officials said Wednesday they think they've glimpsed a light at the end of the long, dark tunnel that's been their proposed budget for the coming fiscal year.; 11:04 a.m.

5 acres set aside for arts center in downtown Las Vegas: Judy Odierna; The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday unanimously set aside 5 acres on the former Union Pacific Railroad yard downtown for a performing arts center.; 11:04 a.m.

Rundle pleads guilty to two murders: Erica D. Johnson; William Rundle, a former Las Vegas father of the year, avoided the death penalty by pleading guilty Wednesday to killing his wife and his mother, but prosecutors say much of the case will remain a ...; 11:04 a.m.

GOP lawmakers, Guinn near deal on taxes: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Assembly Republicans met with Gov. Kenny Guinn on Wednesday to shore up their concerns about the state's deficit and the governor's call for a record tax increase.; 11:04 a.m.

Station shareholders OK stock compensation plan: By Liz Benston; Station Casinos Inc. shareholders voted Wednesday to extend the company's executive stock compensation plan for another 10 years, overriding criticism from the Culinary Union that the plan overwhelmingly benefits top executives and could significantly divert ...; 11:03 a.m.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Whitney paints the town red at Picasso: That is, Whitney Houston apparently still has a problem.; 11:03 a.m.

CCSN grows up fast ... like its coach: By Rob Miech; The casket lay there in the Oklahoma funeral parlor, but Tim Chambers needed to be convinced his father occupied it.; 10:02 a.m.

Stardust memories: Standing at the intersection of Tropicana Avenue and Rainbow Boulevard, you can still hear the engines roar.; 9:58 a.m.

Rebels cruise in MWC tournament opener: Kyle Ringo; ALBUQUERQUE -- Coach Jim Schlossnagle has privileges on the baseball diamond most of his counterparts in the Mountain West Conference don't.; 9:58 a.m.

UNLV's Oh in 21st: UNLV's Oh in 21st; 9:56 a.m.

UNLV investigating equipment room theft: "All we know is there was a break-in and it is under police investigation," UNLV senior associate athletic director Jerry Koloskie said. "No suspects are in custody. They're taking an inventory to determine exactly what ...; 9:55 a.m.

French missing Red Flag: The French are not being invited to Red Flag exercises next March at Nellis Air Force Base, but the Defense Department said today the snub is not retaliation for France not supporting the war in ...; 9:53 a.m.

County approves new power plant near Goodsprings: The Clark County Commission on Wednesday overruled the recommendations of county staff and approved a 500-megawatt power plant to be built near Goodsprings.; 9:52 a.m.

No more arrests expected in Mirage cash-handling probe: By Liz Benston; The Nevada Attorney General's Office is confining its probe into The Mirage resort's failure to file thousands of required cash transaction reports to Christopher Morishita, a former Mirage employee in charge of filing the reports ...; 9:51 a.m.

Ethics issue erupts in campaign: Roy Lenardson, campaign manager of Casinos No!, is questioning why the Think About It PAC has been reporting all its contributions and expenditures as "in kind."; 9:49 a.m.

Sports figures eye gaming firm: Also, Lew Katz, the owner of the New Jersey Nets, said he would not personally invest in the company, but the charitable foundation he works with might do so.; 9:49 a.m.

Mutual fund broker methods examined: "Our bottom line goal is to ensure that a potential mutual fund investor through an investment banking firm is aware of all the compensation or inducements that are being paid to the broker," Donaldson told ...; 9:47 a.m.

Jobless applications rise: States received 428,000 new applications for unemployment insurance in the week that ended Saturday, up from 421,000 in the prior week, the Labor Department said.; 9:47 a.m.

Experts question Chicago-owned casino proposal: Maura Kelly; CHICAGO -- Mayor Richard Daley wants Chicago to be the first city in the country to own a casino, an idea so novel that critics aren't sure how it would work.; 9:46 a.m.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Back injury sends Brandon Bernstein to sidelines: Brandon Bernstein will not have to undergo surgery to repair a crushed vertebra in his upper back, but he will be out of action for "several months," according to his father, drag-racing legend Kenny Bernstein.; 9:44 a.m.

Koloskie interested in taking over as AD: Steve Guiremand; Loyal soldier.; 9:38 a.m.

Legal battle ends for fired court official: Dan Kulin; An almost 10-year legal battle waged by a wrongly fired former North Las Vegas court administrator ended Wednesday, when the City Council approved a $702,500 settlement for the case that included key rulings by the ...; 9:32 a.m.

City OKs money for crisis center: Dan Kulin; The financial future of a downtown Las Vegas center for homeless services looks a little brighter after the North Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday approved $40,000 to help fund the center.; 9:31 a.m.

Metro might drop DARE program: Jen Lawson; The DARE program that preaches anti-drug messages to schoolchildren is one of several nonessential Metro Police-run programs that may be eliminated in order to save the department money, a Metro budget official said Wednesday.; 9:30 a.m.

News briefs for May 22, 2003: About 25 Nellis Air Force Base personnel are scheduled to soon deploy to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.; 9:28 a.m.

Community briefs for May 22, 2003: The Las Vegas Security Chiefs Association will be reinstating its scholarship program in June.; 9:27 a.m.

UNLV fallen hero remembered: Dick Benoit; A former member of the Army ROTC program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was honored posthumously during commencement ceremonies Saturday.; 9:26 a.m.

Private meeting replaces joint session on budget: CARSON CITY -- A meeting scheduled between Senate and Assembly committees on the estimated $4.8 billion state budget for the coming two years was canceled late Wednesday.; 9:23 a.m.

Legislative briefs for May 22, 2003: Gov. Kenny Guinn on Wednesday signed a measure prohibiting the execution of the mentally retarded.; 9:22 a.m.

Company to raise malpractice rates: CARSON CITY -- Medical malpractice insurance costs are going up an average of 16.7 percent statewide for hundreds of physicians insured by The Doctors' Company. State Insurance Commissioner Alice Molasky said Wednesday that her office ...; 9:21 a.m.

Senate approves raises for county officials: CARSON CITY -- A plan to give all county elective officials except county commissioners a pay raise in July was approved by the Senate Wednesday on a voice vote.; 9:20 a.m.

Fight schedule: Tonight; 9:08 a.m.

Editorial: Right not to delay ethics task force: The recommendations of a 1999 task force were adopted but the intervening years have revealed loopholes and enforcement issues. The new task force has the important task of tightening the regulations and adding some teeth. ...; 9:08 a.m.

Obituaries for May 22, 2003: Sandra Turner Albano, 62, of Las Vegas died Tuesday in Las Vegas. She was born Dec. 29, 1940, in St. Louis. A resident for 37 years, she was a supervisor for the Culinary Union.; 9:07 a.m.

Las Vegas officials to receive pay raises: Judy Odierna; Three Las Vegas officials got salary increases on Wednesday, despite the city's tight finances.; 9:06 a.m.

Nuclear power groups give $5.8 million to candidates: Political action committees for nuclear utilities gave more than $5.8 million to the House and Senate in the 2002 election cycle, according to a report released this week by Public Citizen. About $3.8 million of ...; 9:06 a.m.

Letter: Alerts are a smokescreen: I can see it all, they are frothing at the mouth at the idea of just once going to red.; 9:05 a.m.

An unsettled old score motivates De La Hoya: Dean Juipe; One step closer to the end of his career, Oscar De La Hoya acts as if he's counting the days until he leaves boxing behind.; 9:05 a.m.

Letter: Some in GOP forget Gospels: Apparently, the Republicans cannot see the effects beyond the Beltway. They apparently do not understand that if you have lost your job in a company where the executives walk away with millions of dollars, that ...; 9:05 a.m.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Hopkins to meet Toney a few classes up: Dean Juipe; What was once a curiosity is now an accepted matchmaking practice. Bernard Hopkins is going to do a Roy Jones Jr. and jump a few weight classes in order to fight James Toney in August.; 9:04 a.m.

Letter: Wrong to blame all of the nation's woes on Bush: Mills and many others with her mindset sure do give President Bush amazing powers. He steals the election and gets away with it along with the Supreme Court which, unless you totally have your head ...; 9:04 a.m.

Columnist praises Bush's handling of terrorist threats: As the United States braces for a possible terrorist attack, columnist and political analyst Charles Krauthammer said he is optimistic for Middle East peace despite the recent spate of suicide bombings there.; 9:03 a.m.

Bush rejects Ensign's suggestions for judge: Bush administration officials apparently were not impressed with the first four names Ensign sent to the White House earlier this month.; 9:02 a.m.

Editorial: Why was Las Vegas bypassed?: Yet when the list was announced May 14, cities such as Tampa, Pittsburgh, Denver, Honolulu, Long Beach, Houston and Dallas were there, but not Las Vegas. Also on the list to share in a $500 ...; 9:01 a.m.

Airport project concerns residents: Southeast Las Vegas residents said Wednesday they are worried about noise and fumes from a proposed third terminal at McCarran International Airport that would push Russell Road north.; 9:00 a.m.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Friday's races at Hollywood Park: Friday's card; 8:57 a.m.

Friday's horse racing entries: Post Time 7:05 p.m.; 8:54 a.m.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Creating a new nation: Also before our attack on Iraq, we had learned that rebuilding institutions and businesses in Afghanistan was a bigger job than anticipated. According to reports coming out of that country, we have destroyed the Taliban ...; 8:20 a.m.

Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Political sagas are nothing new: Ruthe Deskin; Sometimes it's greed. Sometimes it's stupidity. Sometimes a combination of both. But always it is devastating to a career and disappointing to constituents.; 8:20 a.m.

ACMAs not whistling Dixie at Mandalay Bay: Spencer Patterson; The rap world can keep its East Coast-West Coast rivalries. It appears country music will be busy with an Oklahoma-Texas border skirmish for a while.; 8:20 a.m.

Night & Day: Images conflict as Las Vegas sees shift in entertainment identity: One is hedonistic, seeking to gratify the sensual desires of adults only: gambling, drinking, sexually oriented shows and businesses.; 8:20 a.m.

Winners of the Academy of Country Music Awards: AP; Entertainer: Toby Keith.; 7:01 a.m.

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