Print edition for September 9, 2003

Court briefs for Sept. 9, 2003: The California man charged with killing a Boulder City hotel maid and dismembering her body was sent to a mental health facility Monday where he will undergo psychiatric treatment.

Donaldson says businesses improved: "More and more companies and their advisers seem to be channeling their energies into true compliance with the Act," Donaldson told the Senate Banking Committee in Washington today.

Police shoot, kill man after malt liquor theft: A man accused of stealing a bottle of Olde English 800 malt liquor from a Las Vegas convenience store was shot by two Metro Police officers after he allegedly lunged at them with a knife at Desert Breeze Park on Monday.

Parties, events set for attraction on Las Vegas Boulevard: Adventure Studios, Burbank, headed by Donald Bredberg, and Global Casino Marketing, Westlake Village, led by Larry Steinberg, have formed Elite Entertainment, which will market events at the attraction at Sunset Road and Las Vegas Boulevard South, recently renamed Sports Center Las Vegas.

Wendy's has high hopes for new Strip locations: By Liz Benston; One of the biggest names in fast food is opening its first two stores on the Las Vegas Strip -- joining an increasing number of low-rent dining options that stand in marked contrast to Las Vegas' burgeoning gourmet scene.

Columnist Jeff German: Galardi makes deal of a lifetime: On Monday the wealthy strip club mogul, charged in a 39-count federal corruption indictment, agreed to cooperate with the government. He pleaded guilty in San Diego to a single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a scheme to bribe three San Diego councilmen.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Wednesday's races at Del Mar: Wednesday's card

Online students at CCSN get visual surprise: Jennifer Knight; When Holliah Hove, 27, logged onto the website for an online English 101 course she was taking at the Community College of Southern Nevada this semester, she got a surprise.

Cost of health insurance continues to climb: Health care premiums for families in employer-sponsored plans soared 13.9 percent in 2003, the third year of double-digit growth and the biggest spike since 1990, a study says.

Fire damages work at LV Springs Preserve: The fire started in an elevator shaft, part of a pump station under construction at the preserve.

Sports news briefs for September 9, 2003: Ohio State star running back Maurice Clarett will be charged with lying about items that were stolen from him out of a car, a city attorney spokesman said today in Columbus.

Motorcycle officer injured in crash: Officer James Miranda was eastbound on Alexander Road about 10:30 a.m. when 42-year-old Richard Lohr, who was westbound on Alexander, turned his pickup truck south toward a construction site near Martin Luther King Boulevard and collided with Miranda, police said.

News briefs for Sept. 9, 2003: The city of Las Vegas is expected to break ground on about $2 million in improvements to Alexander Road with a ceremony Friday at the intersection of Alexander and Rancho. The project aims to place new pavement, curbs, gutters, sidewalks and streetlights, and storm drainage and sewer improvements, along Alexander between U.S.-95 and Rancho.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Rebels' blowout loss tarnishes earlier win: Dean Juipe; Rarely does a team play so poorly in one game that it clouds, if not negates, the positives that came out of another.

Mosley may quit 311 Boyz case: Erica D. Johnson; The judge scheduled to preside over the case of nine teenagers charged in a violent attack in a Summerlin neighborhood could step down from the case because of a potential conflict of interest. During a brief hearing on Monday District Judge Donald Mosley announced that he could possibly recuse himself from the case because he and one of the teens charged share the same attorney

Monday's prep results: Green Valley 233, Liberty 353 (at Legacy) Medalist: Nicole McGirr (GV) - Score not reported

Defense faces potent attack from Badgers: Steve Guiremand; UNLV defensive coordinator Mike Bradeson admits he won't be getting very much sleep this week.

Nevada reps will speak at Yucca status hearing: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Nevada's three House members will address the status of the Yucca Mountain Project at a House subcommittee hearing Thursday after being initially frozen out of the process.

Condemnation battle might hit Supreme Court: Cy Ryan and Jean Reid Norman; CARSON CITY -- The Pappas family plans to take its 10-year legal battle over 7,000 square feet now covered by the Fremont Street Experience garage to the U.S. Supreme Court after the state's high court rejected its appeal Monday.

Gaming briefs for Sept. 9, 2003: Cox Communications has signed an agreement with Mandalay Resort Group to offer digital on-demand television service, high-speed Internet service and wireless keyboard access at five of the company's resorts in Las Vegas.

Obituaries for Sept. 9, 2003: Kenneth Anderson, 77, of Las Vegas died Saturday in a local hospital. He was born March 25, 1926, in Las Vegas. A lifelong resident, he was a retired transportation supervisor and an Army veteran.

Galardi pleads guilty, cooperating with feds: Steve Kanigher and Jace Radke; SAN DIEGO -- Strip club owner Michael Galardi pleaded guilty Monday to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and has agreed to testify for prosecutors in connection with an alleged scheme to pay three San Diego councilmen for political favors.

GOP prepares state for Bush campaign: Sito Negron; The Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign rolled into town Monday on a wave of big-name Nevada politicians, unveiling a leadership team aimed at again securing the state for the GOP presidential candidate.

Man fired from Yucca project files lawsuit: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Fired Yucca Mountain project contractor James Mattimoe sued Morgan, Lewis and Bockius, alleging the Washington law firm made false statements about his work on the Energy Department project that not only resulted in his termination but will affect the rest of his career.

State high court rejects Vegas woman's appeal: CARSON CITY -- An appeal from a Las Vegas woman convicted of killing her mother and cramming the body into a trash barrel was rejected Monday by the Nevada Supreme Court.

UNLV's Nantkes had trouble getting the ball to Johnson: Editor's note: The key matchup of each UNLV football game will be previewed in the Las Vegas Sun this season and followed up after the game by an examination of how it turned out.

Teachers pack class for test: By Emily Richmond; Two years ago, when the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, offered a free workshop to help teachers prepare for a state licensing exam, 10 people showed up.

North Las Vegas Tenet hospital remains for sale: Michelle Swafford; Analysts are speculating on which health care company will buy Lake Mead Hospital and two medical office buildings in North Las Vegas -- and one says the hospital is likely to remain open if it's not sold.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: 'Gilligan' reunion recipe lacks Ginger: As we recently reported, Tina Louise has finally agreed to appear on a "Gilligan's Island" slot machine and will appear at next week's G2E Global Gaming Expo to promote the one-armed bandit.

Player who died had thrown party: Dan Kulin; The Boulder City High School football player who died suddenly last week had thrown a party in the hours preceding his death, neighbors said.

Prep Schedule: Girls' Volleyball

Slot makers to debut themed machines: Alliance expects to unveil "Wayne's World" alongside several other games based on the Saturday Night Live television improv show, including "Operaman."

No suspects arrested in string of weekend killings: There were still no suspects in custody late Monday in connection with any of the five homicides that occurred in four separate shootings during the weekend, Metro Police Homicide Lt. Tom Monahan said.

Two die, seven injured in auto crash: Libertad Mendez, 39, and Consuelo Gonzalez, 43, both of Las Vegas, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Algae prompts concerns at Lake Mead: A blue-green algae that can be toxic in high concentrations has been discovered at low levels in the Las Vegas Wash and the Overton Arm of Lake Mead, officials said.

LV's Cortez chosen as ref: Dean Juipe; As the third man in the ring, a boxing referee plays a critical role. He can not only influence a fight's direction, he can, in some instances, determine its outcome.

Military extends duty for guard, reserve: Pauline Jelinek; WASHINGTON -- U.S. National Guard and reservists are having their tours of duty extended to 12 months, defense officials said today, as U.S. commitments to Iraq, the global war on terror and other missions around the world have stretched U.S. forces.

Strip gaming win increases nearly 7 percent in July: CARSON CITY -- Casinos along the Las Vegas Strip won $397.6 million from players in July, a healthy 6.9 percent increase and the second straight month of higher gross revenue.

Identity theft victims unaware of damage: Jen Lawson; To lessen the risk of becoming a victim of identity theft:

Teen indicted in gang probe pulled from football roster: The same athletics ban will apply to any other Clark County School District students indicted as part of the 311 Boyz police investigation, Garcia said.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Kyle Busch to race Saturday night at LVMS: Kyle Busch will prepare for his next NASCAR Busch Series start, Sept. 20 at Dover International Speedway, by racing in the Super Late Models and Legends Cars divisions Saturday night at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Three firms reduce support of chamber in tax dispute: Executives of each of the companies said the firms will retain their chamber memberships, but will reduce additional support that was provided in the past. They cited differences over the chamber's opposition to a broad-based business tax such as the gross receipts tax that was proposed by Gov. Kenny Guinn.

Investigators finish probe at site of mammoth blaze: Afsha Bawany; After a few hours on the job Monday, Clark County's arson detection dog, Wren, pointed investigators to evidence of flammable material in the rubble of the apartment complex that burned last week at Boulder Highway and Russell Road.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: MWC showing helps boost its BCS case: At least the Mountain West Conference football teams gave Dr. Bernie Machen a leg to stand on.

Letter: Less fortunate deserve our help: The Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition established the Southern Nevada Homeless Task Force about a year and a half ago. This subcommittee is scheduled to meet again on Sept. 24 -- four months after its last meeting. The task force does not treat homelessness as a priority, despite the lack of emergency shelters and beds in general.

UNLV star gains experience at Pan Am Games: Nick Christensen; Do you know your volleyball lingo?

Letter: GOP motivated only by profit: In a current U.S. Supreme Court case, however, the Department of Justice has filed a friend-of-the-court brief recommending that a California clean-air regulation for the Los Angeles metropolitan area be overturned.

Maddux on the verge of historical feat: By Rob Miech; MLB snap shot

Letter: Clinton achieved goals in Kosovo; Bush fails in Iraq: Clinton rallied NATO countries into a coalition, which ended in total victory in Kosovo. The former president of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic, is in jail and on trial, and there is relative peace and stability there, with only a small skirmish now and then.

Letter: NYSE chief paid for not doing job: He has been chief executive officer since 1995 and oversaw the lack of regulations that destroyed the security of many Americans. To pay him the reported compensation for not doing his job is ludicrous.

Immunization schedule for Sept. 9, 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.

Highlights of July 2003 revenue report on Nevada casinos: AP; -STATEWIDE: $825.5 million win, up 2.6 percent.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: The matters of the day: The first one is a column written by my good and longtime friend, John Moran Jr. John's guest column came in but we just ran out of days to run it. The good news is that he is used to my mistakes -- this one had something to do with the number of invitations to write divided by the number of days available to publish. The bad news is that I have to try to do in two paragraphs or so what John did in an entire column.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Patriotism is coming into focus: It happened inside my car, however, so additional traffic tie-ups were avoided.

Centennial slogan may do it 'Our Way': Sito Negron; Seeking a slogan that would embody the spirit of Las Vegas as it celebrates 100 years, members of the Centennial Executive Committee turned to a standard, but they'll have to wait until the next meeting to do it their way.

Tennessee hires lottery director from Georgia: Jim Patterson; NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee lottery officials lured away the chief of the Georgia lottery Monday, asking her to do what she's done twice before in her career -- build a state's games from the ground up.

Letter: Stop trying to change Nevada: As a born-and-bred Las Vegan I resent the people who have moved here and tried to turn Las Vegas into California East. I am tired of paying for those who move here and want someone else to pay their way.

Letter: Elderly drivers should be tested: Oblivious to the sounding horn and my screeching brakes, she then decided to make the left turn after all. I followed her into the parking lot and when she parked her vehicle, I approached her. She very calmly told me that she had not seen me and proceeded to tell me that she has been driving since she was 16. It was obvious that she did not realize what her dangerous driving could have resulted in.

Universal waiting to see if GE really brings good things: Gary Gentile; LOS ANGELES -- It was only 18 months ago that Vivendi Universal Chairman Jean-Marie Messier charmed a gathering of Universal Studios executives with his vision of transforming the company into a global media powerhouse.

Attorneys oppose Maine casino proposal: Clarke Canfield; PORTLAND, Maine -- The Maine Prosecutors Association came out Monday against a referendum on a $650 million casino in southern Maine.

Letter: Homosexuality met with fear: I find it interesting that this language is printed, when there is scientific proof to the contrary. Our fellow African-Americans, in the past and present, have had to tolerate such ignorant statements about their race, but I know the Sun would not print that.

Editorial: Put insurers under the microscope: The GAO determined that patient access to doctors had been curtailed somewhat by the medical malpractice crisis, including in Nevada, but the study also determined that physicians had exaggerated its impact. The GAO made random calls to 30 OB/GYN practices in Clark County and found that 28 were still accepting new patients. And of the 11 surgeons who purportedly had ended their practices due to the crisis, the GAO said four of them were still working. The Clark County Medical Society and the Nevada State Medical Association dispute the specific findings about the number of physicians still here, saying that ...