Print edition for November 18, 2003

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Adults become focus of a kids' game: When I was in high school, the coaches used to remind the football players that it was not a matter of winning and losing, but how they played the game. That little pearl of wisdom usually was preceded by another 49-0 crushing defeat to our bitter rival, Disco Tech. But in that I'm more old school than William & Mary, I believed it. And still do.

Neighbors rise up over proposed high rise near Strip: Oscar Nunez, owner of several Las Vegas condominiums, has worked with Chicago-based developer Diversified Real Estate Concepts to build the high-rise residential building at Koval Lane and Albert Avenue. However, residents of another, existing high-rise a half-mile away have objected to the project on grounds that it would add too much traffic to the area and ruin their views of the Strip.

Loss means film session for K.C.: The Kansas City Chiefs awoke to a cold, rainy Monday morning that perfectly captured their mood.

Raggio urges better information on transferring students: By Emily Richmond; The Clark County School District received a scolding Monday from state Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno, who said parents weren't given enough information about the potential benefits of transferring their children from a failing school to a more successful campus.

Closing arguments wrap up Desert Inn homeowners' suit: Erica D. Johnson; An attorney representing homeowners in Desert Inn Estates said Monday that his clients' rights were "intentionally ignored" when Steve Wynn bought out portions of the community and neighboring golf course to make way for his new megaresort.

Verdict is all Cheyenne: Nick Christensen; On Friday in downtown Las Vegas, Cheyenne won in the people's court.

Obituaries for Nov. 18, 2003: Linda Almanzan, 61, of North Las Vegas died Sunday in a local hospital. She was born Sept. 16, 1942, in Los Angeles. A resident for seven years, she was a homemaker.

Lawsuit settled with family of man who died in jail incident: Jace Radke; A federal lawsuit filed by the family of a French citizen who died in the Clark County Detention Center after a violent struggle with guards almost three years ago has been settled.

515879188.html: Travis Kvapil, the 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, wasn't unemployed for very long.

Tax petition leader rejects suggestion to change wording: CARSON CITY -- Secretary of State Dean Heller has suggested that the group trying to repeal the $836 million tax increase amend its referendum petition so that it is not found to be invalid.

Council to examine work of top officials: Dan Kulin; The Boulder City Council is scheduled to meet Monday for closed-door meetings to evaluate the city clerk and the city attorney.

Letter: Military service is not required: I did not know that serving in the military was a prerequisite to being a good and honorable American. I have the greatest regard for veterans who served in any capacity. My greatest regret in life is that I cannot say that I am a veteran. I wanted very much to serve, but the military did not see fit to take me, though I tried.

Nevada could get $65 million in new transportation spending bill: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Nevada stands to gain about $65 million for transportation programs in 2004 based on an agreement reached by lawmakers Monday, and the bulk of the money would go to projects in Southern Nevada.

Ralph Siraco's Hollywood Park selections: 1st Race -- EXPLOITATION -- Part of Bob & Beverly Lewis-owned coupled entry with NIFTY LADY, Fogelsonger/Baffert here, Espinoza/Lukas there, twice diploma threat. RINGS AND THINGS -- Draws good rail post for route maiden opener, Smith scales Biancone trainee, ships over from Santa Anita for graudation try. Value Play -- CHASENTHEBLUESAWAY

Letter: Bush cannot justify tax cuts: Of course, the Republican definition of "unnecessary use" is anything that benefits those who are elderly, poor or sick. There is an adverse connection between President Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy and cuts in Medicare (a co-payment is a cut in benefits) and other programs for the poor and elderly.

Editorial: End the doublespeak: Jerbic defended Mack's enigmatic "disclosure," saying that nothing more was required under state law than to reveal the existence of a relationship. But members of the Nevada Ethics Commission last week ruled that Mack should have been more specific, that he should have elaborated on his relationship with Eric Goodman. But then, in a 4-1 vote, the commission ruled Mack did not break the state's disclosure laws.

Profit jumps 22 percent: The nation's largest home improvement store chain said today it earned $1.15 billion, or 50 cents a share, for the three months ending Nov. 2, compared to a profit of $940 million, or 40 cents a share, for the same period a year ago.

Elected officials aren't responsive to homeless: If only we had had the same response from elected officials in Las Vegas after the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition held its summit meeting on Sept. 13, 2001. One hundred citizens participated, with the goal of developing comprehensive programs to help the homeless address their core problems.

Wednesday's horse racing entries: Post Time 12:30 p.m.

Nevadans want to hear about private meetings: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Nevada officials want to know what the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is trying to hide behind the closed doors of its technical review of Yucca Mountain information.

Consumer price index holds steady: Consumer price index holds steady

Death penalty possible in killing of woman: Erica D. Johnson; Opening arguments were expected to begin this morning in the trial of a man facing a possible execution if convicted of killing a 20-year-old woman.

Funds for mentally ill center rejected: CARSON CITY -- The Legislative Interim Finance Committee today rejected a request from WestCare for $194,000 to run a community triage center in Clark County that provides emergency care for mentally ill patients.

Gaming briefs for Nov. 18, 2003: Dolores Owens, executive vice president of Middle East and European Marketing for MGM MIRAGE, died Monday. She was 74.

MASH site considered for veterans' housing: By Timothy Pratt; A downtown plot of land that was once the site of temporary housing for homeless families should be used to house homeless veterans, the Las Vegas City Council's real estate committee said Monday.

Vegas company joins with Bird in casino bid: Coast becomes the manager of Orange County Development LLC, a group whose members include former NBA star Larry Bird. A French Lick native, Bird has led a push to introduce gambling to the area to improve the fortunes of the faded resort town.

Acquisition deadline extended: A special committee of the company's board of directors consisting of its independent directors and the management group continue to negotiate toward a definitive agreement, the Las Vegas company said today.

Henderson cop charged with DUI, hit-and-run: Jen Lawson; A Henderson Police sergeant is on paid leave for allegedly leaving the scene of a crash while drunk and threatening the Nevada Highway Patrol trooper who arrested him.

Tech giant to sell music online: Microsoft's MSN online service is working on an online music download service that will start next year, Lisa Gurry, group product manager for MSN, said in a statement.

Lieberman plans visit to Las Vegas: The lunch reception, hosted by former Sen. Richard Bryan, former Mayor Jan Laverty Jones and Hal and Dee Ober, will be at noon at a location disclosed only to those who purchase guest tickets ranging from $1,000 to a maximum contribution of $2,000.

DOT team seeks input on project: Heather Rawlyk; Two more open houses are scheduled 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. this week; Wednesday at the Rafael Rivera Community Center, 2900 Stewart Ave.; and Thursday Paradise Community Center, 4775 McLeod Drive.

cdXpo keynote address sparsely attended: When Bill Gates gave the keynote address at Comdex Sunday night, hundreds of people filed into an overflow ballroom in the Aladdin hotel-casino to watch a closed-circuit television broadcast of the speech because there wasn't enough room in the cavernous 7,000-seat Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts to accommodate everyone who wanted to see and hear the Microsoft chairman.

Energy bill includes $580 million for Yucca Mountain: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- The energy and water spending bill expected to be approved by the House today includes a $580 million budget for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste storage project and almost $200 million for other projects in Nevada.

Even slimmed down, Comdex still champion of tech shows: Kevin Rademacher; By 11 a.m. on Monday, John Kleweis was losing his voice.

Hunter: Calf injury is healed, set to practice: After extensive attention from trainer Dave Tomchek, UNLV senior shooting guard Demetrius Hunter proclaimed Monday that his right calf is fine and that he planned to go full-bore in practice today.

LV real estate boom continues: Jennifer Shubinski; Sales of new and existing homes in the Las Vegas area fell by 1,077 from September to October, but are still on track to shatter records for the year.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Odd coupling: Dion in McDonald's camp: Celine Dion is going to McDonald's, the one at 2650 W. Sahara Ave. She will not be behind the counter, but she will be providing service.

Auditor says Arberry, Williams received preferential treatment: Sito Negron; Assemblymen Wendell Williams and Morse Arberry violated city policies at their Las Vegas Neighborhood Services jobs and Williams' boss gave him preferential treatment, according to a city auditor's report released Monday.

Nextel agrees to sponsor Las Vegas monorail station: AP; The deal, which will be made public Tuesday, also involves putting the Nextel brand on one of the light rail system's nine trains, said Mark Schweitzer, senior vice president of marketing at Nextel in Reston, Va.

Seward has made strides en route to record book: Steve Guiremand; Sometime during the first half of Saturday's game against Colorado State, Adam Seward will likely move past Randy Black into first place on UNLV's career tackle chart.

News briefs for Nov. 18, 2003: A 43-year-old man who escaped from the High Desert State Prison near Indian Springs may be hiding in Las Vegas, authorities said.

Lawmaker discloses he received sick leave: Mary Manning and Ed Koch; State Sen. Ray Rawson disclosed Monday that he had inadvertently been put on sick leave from the Community College of Southern Nevada during the 1999 Legislature while undergoing treatments for cancer and has repaid the money.

Schools to appeal 'watch list' designation: By Emily Richmond; The Clark County School District has been tentatively identified as failing to show overall "adequate yearly progress" as demanded by the federal No Child Left Behind Act and is appealing the designation to the state Education Department.

Sports briefs for November 18, 2003: The series would be a homecoming showcase for Yankees outfielder outfielder Hideki Matsui, who won three Most Valuable Player awards with the Yomiuri Giants.

Nichols sits in on regents' meeting: Jennifer Knight; University system Chancellor Jane Nichols was the only one of 10 people named in a Board of Regents investigation who was granted special permission to sit in Monday's closed meeting regarding the investigation.

Leavitt, son doing well after transplant: Nevada Supreme Court Justice Myron Leavitt and his son Jim Leavitt were recovering Monday night after the son donated a kidney to his father at a Las Vegas hospital.

Vegas lures a different pigeon: The race, which finishes on a strip of desert owned by the airport in a rural residential area near Blue Diamond Road and Arville Street, pays the first-place bird about $50,000.

Officers named for Wish group: David L. Cacci was re-elected president of the Southern Nevada chapter. His responsibilities will include supervision of all operations and personnel and will be an ex-officio member of all communities.

Unions continue their attack on home builders: A trio of unions and their allies who have blamed the home-building industry for new water restrictions are planning another protest, this one during the Clark County Commission zoning meeting.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: A kinder, gentler Rush?: Depending upon whether you are a fan or not, the reaction to the news earlier this year that Rush Limbaugh was addicted to pain killers was either a time of celebration or concern. Celebration by those who consider Rush a loudmouth who has tapped into a gold mine of discontented people; and concern for those whose every breath is taken in the hopes that Rush's great and simplistic wisdom will imbue them with same kind of moral and political superiority that has made Rush the darling of the right.

Another grant considered for old post office: The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday will discuss -- and undoubtedly accept -- a $250,000 federal grant that will bring to nearly $1.6 million a pool of funds to turn the old downtown post office into a museum.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Digest some truth this Thanksgiving: National American Indian Heritage Month was half over when the 60th National Congress of American Indians convened in Albuquerque on Sunday.

Community briefs for Nov. 18, 2003: The Veterans Affairs Department is accepting applications from public and nonprofit groups to provide up to 1,500 new transitional housing beds to help veterans recover from homelessness.

State may get $65 million for transportation: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Nevada stands to gain about $65 million for transportation programs in 2004 based on an agreement reached by lawmakers Monday, and the bulk of the money would go to projects in Southern Nevada.

Immunization schedule for Nov. 18, 2003: HENDERSON PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 129 W. Lake Mead Drive, Building A, Suite 10, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Editorial: Mixed bag on national energy plan: Despite the positives, there are negatives in the bill, which Congress may vote on as early as Wednesday. There are no requirements that auto manufacturers increase the fuel efficiency of their fleets. That means our gas-guzzling nation will increase its dependence on foreign oil. It also is discouraging that the legislation provides incentives to nuclear power, which produces deadly, high-level nuclear waste -- 77,000 tons of which President Bush and Congress want sent to Southern Nevada's Yucca Mountain. The financial incentives to build new nuclear power plants are being proposed even though Yucca Mountain still hasn't been licensed. There is ...

No more cuts expected in state health plan: CARSON CITY -- The state health insurance plan, which covers an estimated 55,000 state workers, their dependents and retirees, isn't going to make any more "drastic cuts" in benefits for 18 months, its administrator said Monday.