Print edition for May 29, 2003

Friday's horse racing entries: Post Time 7:05 p.m.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Friday's races: 2nd Race -- SUMMER LASS -- Flores atop one of two Mitchell-trained entries, draws good box for 7-furlong outing, Lass a Summer winner here? SMILIN SUSAN -- P. Val on the other Mitchell horse, needs crafty trip from rail post in claimer, might be an all-Mitchell quinella. Value Play -- ONRY WONWAY

News briefs for May 29, 2003: Las Vegas will host one of eight regional conferences to address emerging water problems in the West, Assistant Interior Secretary Bennett Raley said Wednesday.

Trash ignites at old hotel: Piles of trash at a vacant hotel in downtown Las Vegas and at a salvage yard in North Las Vegas caused two spectacular fires that sent flames and smoke spiraling skyward Wednesday.

Vegas flight schedule returning to normal: Japan Airlines, which offers nonstop flights three times a week from Tokyo to Las Vegas and one-stop flights three times a week on the return trip, will continue its normal schedule after two months of sporadic service cuts resulting from demand downturns related to fears about the war in Iraq and the outbreak of SARS.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Vegas is child's play for J. Lo, Affleck: VegasBeat has learned Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck hit Vegas over the Memorial Day weekend -- and they bought baby clothes.

Tribe breaks ground on $250 million casino: Erica Werner; MORONGO INDIAN RESERVATION, Calif. -- In the latest sign of the growing wealth and political might of California's Indian tribes, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians broke ground on a huge new casino complex Wednesday as Gov. Gray Davis and other top officials looked on.

Moncrief: 'I feel violated': Judy Odierna; Janet Moncrief has been called everything from a "drunk" to a "liar" in several mailers put out by incumbent Michael McDonald in the race for the Ward 1 seat on the Las Vegas City Council.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: LV firefighter to race in two national bike events: For the past four years, Las Vegas firefighter Andy Lewis has spent most of his free time educating children on fire safety, life-saving measures and drug prevention.

Anti-gambling group holds rally: A group called No Dice welcomed Tom Grey, the executive director of the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, to talk about the hazards of gambling.

Gaming executives face technology issues: Kevin Rademacher; As the supply of land along the Las Vegas Strip dries up, gaming operators must grow revenue by maximizing existing resources.

Business briefs for May 29, 2003: NEW YORK -- A former Merrill Lynch analyst who covered Tyco International was accused by securities regulators on Wednesday of issuing misleading research reports, disclosing nonpublic information and accepting gifts from the company's chief executive.

Fire ravages historic Moulin Rouge casino: Jace Radke and Jen Lawson; A fast-moving, three-alarm fire destroyed the historic Moulin Rouge this morning, leaving the city's first racially integrated casino a total loss.When firefighters arrived shortly after 1:15 a.m., they found heavy black smoke billowing out of the building and flames shooting as high as 50 feet into the air, fire department spokesman Tim Szymanski said.

Expansion measure advances: The latest, 93-page version of Senate Bill 553 would allow hundreds of video gaming devices at Oklahoma City's Remington Park and three other pari-mutuel tracks in the state.

Jury pay among bills OK'd by Guinn: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn signed 41 bills into law Wednesday, including one increasing the pay of jury member.

McDonald walks to get out the vote: Judy Odierna; Age: 38.

Fed official: Current trends bode ill for future recovery: Kevin Rademacher; The longer the national economy relies on low-interest home and automobile loans to pull it along, the riskier the future will get, Robert Parry, president of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, said Wednesday.

Legislative briefs for May 29, 2003: The Legislature on Wednesday completed action on a bill to require young children to be strapped into booster seats in cars.

Counties dispute new audit on Yucca: Officials from Nevada counties said they disagree with a new audit that questions how they spent $3.3 million of federal oversight funds for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository project.

Building a winner: Tempe Regional At Diablo Stadium Tempe, Ariz. All Times PDT Double Elimination

Conferences to iron out wrinkles: On Wednesday, the Assembly called for a conference on a key medical malpractice bill after an amendment altered Senate Bill 97.

Too few fights coming back to haunt Jantuah: Dean Juipe; For a man who owns victories over two of his division's better fighters, Kofi Jantuah remains surprisingly obscure.

State OKs remainder of insurance hike: CARSON CITY -- The State Farm Fire and Casualty Company is raising its homeowner and renter insurance rates again.

Rebels standing up to test: Adam Candee; STILLWATER, Okla. -- Somehow, college golf's hydra grew another head Wednesday.

State taxable sales increase: CARSON CITY -- Spurred by building supplies and car sales, Nevada merchants in March reported $3 billion in sales, an increase of 6 percent from the same month a year ago.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Indy needs NASCAR converts: By Ron Kantowski; The wallpaper on the computer terminal on which I am writing this column shows one of my boyhood favorite racing drivers, the late Swede Savage, posing in his car after qualifying for the grim 1973 Indianapolis 500.

N. Vegas casino moves ahead: Dan Kulin and Kevin Rademacher; Coast Casinos Inc.'s plan for a new casino-hotel in North Las Vegas is making its way through the city approval process.

Assembly panels OK tax plans: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- A series of whirlwind votes in the Assembly on Wednesday set the stage for a final showdown between the Assembly and the Senate on a budget and tax plan that will result in roughly $900 million in new revenue.

Moratorium plan dropped: By voice vote, the Senate adopted an amendment to Assembly Bill 518, which initially called for a prohibition on additional limousines while a study is conducted on whether an allocation system should be put into effect.

Bill would require state certification of gambling counselors: Senate Bill 351 adds gambling addiction certification to the state Board of Examiners for Drug and Alcohol Abuse Counselors. Certification fees will fund the addition of two gambling experts to the board.

Nevada won't join West air-cleanup plan: Launce Rake and Mary Manning; A federally mandated effort to reduce haze hanging over national parks such as the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce Canyon could bring cleaner skies to Nevada.

Golden Gloves continues run at the Orleans: Dean Juipe; The crowd counts have been low for the early rounds but are expected to build as the national Golden Gloves Championships continue their six-night run at the Orleans Arena.

Senators vow to pressure reluctant Yucca critics: Nevada's senators and a "60 Minutes" film crew got an earful of complaints about research at the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear dump site Wednesday but they want to hear more, from two people who refused to show up at their hearing.

State paving crew left in limbo: By Emily Richmond; For nearly three hours after the Moulin Rouge blaze began, a state paving crew working on Bonanza Road inched toward the burning landmark.

Fires have damaged several historic buildings in LV: Several historic Las Vegas buildings that were either in the process of being renovated or were otherwise being preserved have met fiery demises.

Guest columnist -- Ryan Keeney: Fight is still in us: On Tuesday after we left the course we wanted a quick dinner. We just wanted to get back because we were all so tired. So we went to Quizno's, our favorite spot, got that real quick and went back right into a meeting. It was mostly optimistic, I'd say.

Home builder's suit dismissed: Clark County District Judge David Wall ruled that a statement and list on Safe Homes Nevada's website concerning construction defects falls within the state's fair reporting privilege. Wall also rejected what D.R. Horton's attorney called the builder's Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation, or SLAPP, suit.

Expert: Casinos need to improve online security: By Liz Benston; Las Vegas casinos are considered among the most physically secure environments around -- but are far behind in terms of creating computerized security systems that can withstand cyber-attacks from disgruntled customers, corporate spies, ideological opponents and even terrorists, a security expert says.

Blaze is latest chapter in hotel's storied history: By Ed Koch; The Moulin Rouge has been everything from an icon to an eyesore -- and its roller-coaster ride through history may not yet be over.

Nevada to get least per capita from federal aid program: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Nevada will receive the least amount of federal money per capita from the aid program that was included in the tax cut legislation signed by President Bush on Wednesday. That's mostly because the state has a relatively small Medicaid population, officials said.

National Gold Gloves results: At New Orleans Arena 112 pounds

Moncrief: No fear in campaign: Judy Odierna; Age: 43.

Sports briefs for May 29, 2003: UNLV freshman golfer Sunny Oh was named honorable mention All-American by the National Golf Coaches Association, the organization announced Wednesday.

109 day ties heat record for May: Although it is only May, record triple-digit heat scorched the Las Vegas Valley and other places in the Southwest Wednesday, tying records for the month.

Ozone season kicks off with pollution alert: For more information about ozone, call the Department of Air Quality Management at 455-3878. You also can visit the department's website (www.accessclarkcounty.com/air(underscore)quality) to find out more about local air quality issues.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Yerington's Brinkley aims for bright lights: Dean Juipe; Jesse Brinkley is familiar with career obstacles.

Boxing schedule: At Ledyard, Conn., (ESPN2), Kassim Ouma, West Palm Beach, Fla., vs. Angel Hernandez, Chicago, 12, for Ouma's USBA junior middleweight title; Gary Balletto vs. Frank Houghtaling, Albany, N.Y., 10, lightweights.

Henderson plant laying off 85 workers: The Henderson Kerr-McGee chemical plant will lay off 85 of its 130 employees by the end of next month.

CCSN soaking up atmosphere in Grand Junction: A look at how CCSN has fared at the Junior College World Series: Saturday Seminole (Fla.) 7, CCSN 6

Firm wins battle with Trump: A three-person arbitration panel on Wednesday ruled that the real-estate mogul must sell his stake in the landmark skyscraper to Conseco for $15.6 million, according to documents obtained by Dow Jones Newswires.

Illinois governor eyeing casino license: Christopher Wills; SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- State government should be able to buy an unused gambling license and run its own casino, if only to drive up bids from private companies interested in the license, Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Wednesday.

Ex-CAT driver sentenced in assault on bus: Erica D. Johnson; A former Citizens Area Transit bus driver was sentenced to prison Wednesday in connection with the molestation of a mentally handicapped passenger, but a local attorney claims other disabled passengers are still at risk for abuse on city buses.

Valley High grad named one of ROTC's best in nation: Dick Benoit; German Carvallo Jr., Valley High School class of 1999, was one of 250 Army ROTC cadets nationwide selected to receive the 2003 George C. Marshall ROTC Award and attend a national security seminar at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: A look at textbooks: "Imagine a version of American history in which George Washington makes only a fleeting appearance and is never described as our first president. Or in which the foundings of the Sierra Club and the National Organization for Women are considered noteworthy events, but the first gathering of the U.S. Congress is not ..."

Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Camp has fruitful history: Ruthe Deskin; It didn't take too much persuasion, as the Sun publisher had fond memories of attending camp when he was a youngster.

Community briefs for May 29, 2003: Henderson and Metro Police will be holding an auto theft prevention day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Fiesta Henderson.

Sunrise nurse gets regional honors: Kopka received the award for her design and creation of the Sunrise Operations Center, a centralized location that controls and monitors all hospital entry/admission points and exit/discharge points to evaluate the status of all hospital beds.

Dodgers' Roberts to join 51s tonight for a two-game stint: Nick Christensen; Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Dave Roberts will start tonight and Friday for the 51s on a rehabilitation assignment.

Letter: Tax raisers will pay the price on election day: You can be sure that I -- and many thousands of fiscal conservatives like me -- will generously reward those legislators who fought to keep any tax increase low. And we will vote out any legislator who fought to increase taxes on hard-working Nevadans. I will personally pledge to contribute time and money to defeat every single legislator who tried to raise my taxes.

Editorial: Tax money off limits for mailers: While we support the ballot question, we also think Roger's opinion was correct. What's surprising is that government officials continue to ignore what are long-standing, clear-cut prohibitions on electioneering.

Letter: Yucca driven by politics, payoffs: Nuclear power is essential to produce 20 percent of the electricity we use, but in the future it should be supplanted by solar, wind, biomass, geothermal and clean-coal technology.

Obituaries for May 29, 2003: William Boyd Ballard, 84, of Henderson died Sunday in Henderson. He was born Nov. 17, 1918, in Utah. A resident for 13 years, he was a retired book binder, a World War II Army Air Corps veteran and member of the American Legion.

Editorial: Upgrade system for ensuring clean waters: This news, reported Tuesday by the New York Times, is alarming because the computer system is the nation's chief method of enforcing rules set by the Clean Water Act. The inspector general said expired permits cannot be detected, new permits cannot be processed on time, new categories of pollution cannot be programmed and that tens of thousands of new pollution sources have not been entered into the system's database.