Print edition for April 1, 2004

Panel creates model for CCSN chief: A search firm now knows what kind of person it should find to be the new president of the Community College of Southern Nevada.

Rotor blade separation caused crash of medical helicopter: A 16-monthlong investigation of the crash of a Mercy Air Services helicopter that killed three found that the main rotor blades separated in flight.

Boulder City recall causes new quarrel: Dan Kulin; Boulder City's looming recall election continues to spark divisions around the city, this time between City Attorney Dave Olsen and the city police officers' association, and a formal complaint about it was sent to state officials this week.

Official admits to objectional e-mail: SUN CAPITAL BUREAU

New push made for law on kids left in vehicles: Jen Lawson; With the weather warming up again, efforts are under way to try to keep more children from being left in hot vehicles this summer.

News briefs for April 1, 2004: Metro Police on Monday arrested three people in connection with at least 22 armed robberies of bars in Las Vegas dating back to September.

Editorial: No longer overlooked: Miller has been impressive since she came to UNLV in 1998. Her teams have won 119 games with just 61 losses. The Lady Rebels haven't received the same kind of attention -- and great turnout for home games -- that successful women's basketball programs get elsewhere. But maybe their accomplishments this year will result in Miller and her team finally getting their due -- and the kind of local support they deserve.

Lineups in flux for LV: Nick Christensen; With the Las Vegas 51s' season opener a week away, the buzzword around Cashman Field this season may be 'flexibility.'

Letter: Democrat has good explanation for donation: I spent a few minutes online to find political contributions Tom and Mary Gallagher have made in the 2000, 2002, and 2004 election cycles. Through the end of 2003, they have contributed $29,000 to Democratic candidates and causes. Adding their recently reported donation of $4,000 to John Kerry's campaign brings the Democratic total to $33,000.

Treasures' license hangs on prostitution charges: Heather Rawlyk; Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman's son, Ross Goodman, is the defense lawyer for three of the four women who could cost the controversial strip club Treasures its city tavern license if any of them are convicted of prostitution.

EOB sees exodus of key officials before feds arrive: By Timothy Pratt; Only days before two federal inquiries into problems at the Economic Opportunity Board, five of the agency's administrative employees and two board members have been laid off or resigned -- including Mike Husted, the agency's highest ranking employee, and George Cotton, human resources director.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Worsham opts for Chevy: Del Worsham, who leads the NHRA Funny Car points standings after victories in the past two national events, is trading in his Pontiac Firebird for a brand-new Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

Catching up with...: Where he is now: Graceland University.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Penn's attention centered on hearing: Now ear this.

Women's families seek peace: Erica D. Johnson; Family members of the two women Alfonso "Slinkey" Blake gunned down in a desert area in Las Vegas say they hope his death sentence will bring some closure to a year filled with heartache.

Ex-officer sentenced in assaults: A former Metro Police officer who District Judge Donald Mosley said was "guilty as hell" of sexually assaulting a Henderson teen was sentenced to probation Wednesday in connection with the assaults.

Fool Pool: Ambition, talent set many Vegas 'fools' apart: Entertainer Sonny King was born April 1.

Puncher or punching bag?: Dean Juipe; A year removed from a stunning loss, Wladimir Klitschko goes into his April 10 fight with Lamon Brewster as something of an unknown quantity.

11th-hour deal provides anesthetists with insurance: Michelle Swafford and Cy Ryan; Four anesthesia providers can continue practicing medicine at Lake Mead Hospital in North Las Vegas after state officials helped them find a new malpractice insurer Wednesday, just as their old policy was set to expire.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Friday's races at Santa Anita: 1st Race -- PREEMPTOR -- Draws good middle post for 2-furlong drag race, Boag aboard one-of-two Dutton-trained "hidden entry", jockey knows how to win these dashes. TELLMEITSNOTSO -- Bug boy Bisono atop the "other" Dutton trainee, draws well for Cal-bred maiden special weight dash, connections are best with babies. Value Play -- QUICK LAD

Prospect of Vegas luring Expos improving: An out-of-town group is working seriously behind the scenes to buy the Montreal Expos and move them to Las Vegas.

Gorman golfer works to get back on course: Nick Christensen; A pensive smile is the first thing you notice about Bishop Gorman senior Jonathan Harris. The scar is the second.

Columnist Dean Juipe: 'Unknown' looks to take De La Hoya by Sturm: Dean Juipe; Fighting exclusively in Germany and facing no one a U.S. boxing fan would recognize, Felix Sturm has built a 20-0 record by utilizing such natural attributes as quickness and speed.

Correction for April 1, 2004: Former District Judge Jeffrey Sobel was reprimanded for using "judicial coercion" to get Thompson Yazzie, who was charged with involuntary manslaughter, to take a plea bargain. According to the court decision, Sobel told Yazzie he had been a defense lawyer for 22 years and had seen many offenders regret that they had not taken the negotiated plea bargain deal.

Condo high-rise is proposed for downtown Las Vegas: Sito Negron; Call Sam Cherry the new apostle of downtown.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Lady Rebels not only ones to benefit: From the moment the Lady Rebels enthusiastically accepted a bid to play in it, UNLV coach Regina Miller talked ad nauseam and infinitum about how a nice run in the Women's National Invitation Tournament would benefit a young team such as hers.

Las Vegas operators pitch St. Louis casino proposals: Three Las Vegas-based casino operators looking to build a new St. Louis-area casino are in Missouri today, taking state officials on tours of their planned casino sites.

Christensen details campaign expenses: Kirsten Searer; Assemblyman Chad Christensen on Wednesday called accusations that he used $18,000 in campaign funds to set up a personal business "a pathetic joke."

School Board OKs $58 million building program: By Emily Richmond; The Clark County School Board voted unanimously Wednesday to move ahead with plans for $58.47 million in new construction projects, including $4.9 million for a school police command center and nearly $18 million to build headquarters for the district's television station, KLVX Channel 10.

Official: Prison has health care problem: CARSON CITY -- The medical care of inmates at the state women's prison in North Las Vegas is not up to par, the head of medicine for the state Department of Corrections said Wednesday.

Gaming news briefs for April 1, 2004: The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced that nine airlines have been selected to provide additional service to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, but Las Vegas wasn't among the destinations winning new flights.

Master sergeant holds key post in Northern Command: Dick Benoit; An Eldorado High School graduate serves in a key position with the U.S. Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Nevada regulators target mortgage, insurance offenders: CARSON CITY -- In its stepped-up enforcement program, the state has levied a $10,000 fine against a mortgage loan company for unlicensed activity and running misleading advertising.

Sports briefs for April 1, 2004: The Las Vegas Wranglers' offensive slump continued Wednesday, but they clinched the second seed in ECHL Pacific Division despite a 2-1 overtime loss at San Diego.

Los Alamos nuclear program will be moved to Test Site: A key Energy Department nuclear weapons program will begin a move from New Mexico's Los Alamos National Laboratory to the Nevada Test Site in September, the National Nuclear Security Administration said Wednesday.

Some of Christensen's expenses: "I'm more of the Walgreens corner store guy," he said.

Business news briefs for April 1, 2004: The state Public Utilities Commission on Wednesday approved a deal between The Rio hotel-casino and Nevada Power Co.

Tribes, Schwarzenegger still negotiating agreement: Tom Chorneau; SACRAMENTO -- Tribal leaders negotiated privately Wednesday with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger over a proposal to give the state a share of gambling profit in exchange for the administration's support of casino expansions.

Governor rejects bill on pull-tab bingo tickets: David Royse; TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Gov. Jeb Bush on Wednesday vetoed a measure that would have allowed charities, churches and veteran groups to sell instant pull-tab bingo tickets, rejecting the measure as an expansion of gambling.

Murder conviction of Rudin is upheld: CARSON CITY -- In a 4-2 decision, the Nevada Supreme Court today upheld the conviction of Margaret Rudin, who was found guilty in the murder of her husband, a prominent Las Vegas real-estate executive.

Roadside memorials subject of series of state hearings: Stephanie Fair dabbed her tears with a tissue Wednesday as she recounted how she places flowers at a small white cross at the intersection of Interstates 15 and 215, where her companion of 11 years lost his life in a car accident.

Obituaries for April 1, 2004: Melvin C. Bowles, 82, of Las Vegas died Tuesday in Las Vegas. He was born May 14, 1921, in Jewel City, Kan. A resident for 40 years, he was a retired mining specialist and a World War II veteran.

Students to test global knowledge: One hundred students from around the state -- including 49 from Southern Nevada -- will test their knowledge of geography Friday in the National Geographic Bee at Greenspun Junior High School.

Letter: Teachers merit more respect: Until our CCSD administrators and School Board begin treating teachers equally to our administrative colleagues (ie. salary and benefit packages, an open door for input and exchange of ideas, etc.), teachers will continue to prematurely exit the classroom at a rate far faster than they are able to be replaced.

Challengers to Boggs McDonald emerge: Just one day after Gov. Kenny Guinn named Lynette Boggs McDonald to the Clark County Commission, the Las Vegas councilwoman faces some potential challengers in the fall election.

Community news briefs for April 1, 2004: The 11th annual Pet Day will be held from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Friday at Warren-Walker Lower School, 2150 Windmill Parkway, Henderson.

Editorial: A built-in conflict of interest: Even though her appointment to the County Commission led Boggs McDonald to resign from Station's board, she is not free of a conflict. She cannot escape the public perception that she will remain partial to neighborhood casinos. We believe that she must now abstain on all votes and discussion involving Station Casinos, as well as on all votes and discussions about neighborhood casinos in general. This is a serious drawback to serving on the County Commission, as neighborhood casinos are always a lightning rod for residents.

Boxing schedule: At London, (Showtime), Michael Jennings, England, vs. Brett James, England, 12, welterweights.

Court downplays skills of cheaters: CARSON CITY -- Cheating casinos by crimping or marking cards and spotting cards with exceptional eyesight are not special skills that allow an increased prison term to be imposed on a person, an appeals court ruled Wednesday.

Shields sweep state's awards: Adam Candee; Team / Record

Park out to disprove his critics: Two and a half years after suffering a severe head injury in a crash during a NASCAR Busch Series race, Steve Park still is trying to prove that he can drive at NASCAR's highest level, the Nextel Cup Series.

Laughlin hosts terrorism drill: Jace Radke; Emergency officials in Clark County and Mohave County, Ariz., teamed up today for a drill simulating a terrorist attack in Laughlin.