Print edition for April 22, 2004

Rebels roll into MWC tournament: Adam Candee; Nice swings on the driving range. Now it's time to use them out on the course.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Bourbon Street sees staggering changes: Answer: Bourbon Street. Really.

Aztar profit drops 73%: By Liz Benston; Officials at the parent company of the Tropicana hotel-casino in Las Vegas said Wednesday they still won't decide whether to redevelop the property until the first quarter of next year -- and reported stronger quarterly numbers for the Las Vegas property.

Boxing schedule: At New York, Paulie Malignaggi, Brooklyn, vs. Rocky Martinez, Chicago, 10, junior welterweights.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Karen Stoffer only 7th woman to win pro event: Pro Stock Bike competitor Karen Stoffer made drag-racing news for the second time in two years Sunday when she became only the seventh woman in NHRA history to win a professional event.

Columnist Dean Juipe: It's Vitali's turn to defend the family tree: Dean Juipe; One down, one to go?

Sports briefs for April 22, 2004: San Diego mayor Dick Murphy offered a proposal Wednesday to settle a legal fight between the city and the NFL's Chargers.

Catching up with ... Cassie Koenig: Adam Candee; High school: Silverado ('03)

Centennial's Crisp sees no obstacles: Adam Candee; The girl who never wanted to be a pitcher is now just about the best one in the state.

Gaming briefs for April 22, 2004: RENO -- More people visited the Reno-Sparks area for the first time in 2003 than the year before and more of them flew in, according to a visitor profile.

UNLV hails its latest champion, but the news is relatively muted: Dean Juipe; UNLV boxing has won nine national championships in six years:

Heavy winds expected: As colder air pushes into the Las Vegas Valley from the Pacific Northwest, the National Weather Service said winds could blow between 20 mph to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph today.

Top soloists to join Youth Camerata Orchestra: By Kristen Peterson; Luis Grinhauz, concert master of the Montreal Symphony, has performed with the group.

Conservation League rates six legislators perfect: CARSON CITY -- Six state legislators, five of them from Clark County, achieved perfect scores in voting on environmental issues in the 2003 Legislature, the Nevada Conservation League said Wednesday.

Funds approved to battle abandoned-homes problem: Sito Negron; After years of wrestling with the problem of abandoned and neglected houses, the Las Vegas City Council approved a plan on Wednesday that will put $1.5 million into a revolving loan fund aimed at fixing some of those houses.

Powerful bipartisan group backs Perkins' fund-raiser: Kirsten Searer; Many of the state's most powerful people are supporting a fund-raiser for Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins this evening, but several said they don't view the event as a kickoff to the 2006 governor's race.

LV man arrested in child porn case: Jen Lawson; A 28-year-old Las Vegas man was arrested Tuesday on 11 counts of child pornography possession after Metro Police found he had swapped illegal images with others via the Internet.

Heliport plan OK'd: Dan Kulin; Plans for a commercial heliport in North Las Vegas were given the green light Wednesday when the city announced it withdrew its appeal of the city Planning Commission's November approval of the heliport.

Community briefs for April 22, 2004: An Earth Day cleanup sponsored by Forever Resorts and KWNR 95.5-FM will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Lake Mead.

Obituaries for April 22, 2004: Donald Eugene Adams Jr., 51, of Las Vegas died Monday in Las Vegas. He was born Jan. 14, 1953, in Portsmouth, Ohio. A resident for 43 years, he was a hotel bartender.

Schedule altered on Yucca questions: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department has adjusted its schedule on when it will submit answers to remaining technical questions about storing nuclear waste in Nevada to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, officials said Wednesday.

News briefs for April 22, 2004: North Las Vegas police and fire departments are getting new radios that will make it easier for them to talk to each other, and most other emergency agencies, thanks to a $1.2 million federal grant.

Reid to hold up committee action for NRC nominee: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., will block any business before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee until one of his aides gets a hearing to fill an open position on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Crisis center for mentally ill fails again to get state money: CARSON CITY -- WestCare, which runs a crisis triage center in Las Vegas that takes mentally ill people who otherwise would go to emergency rooms, has come up empty a second time in seeking additional funds from the state.

Top negotiator: U.S. must 'stay the course' in Iraq: A Middle Eastern negotiator who has spent more than 12 years dealing with Arab, Israeli and Palestinian leaders under two U.S. presidents said it will be five to 10 years before the United States can leave Iraq.

Declining revenue may force cuts in Millennium program: CARSON CITY -- The Millennium Scholarship program, which helps students attend Nevada universities and community colleges, might have to be tightened because of declining revenues, state Treasurer Brian Krolicki said Wednesday.

Change in rules to ease privatization of streets: Sito Negron; The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday approved an ordinance change that makes it easier for residents of existing neighborhoods to turn public streets into private ones, a move promoted by some residents of the Scotch 80s who want to gate their community.

Public hearings set on Yucca rail system: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department has added public meetings in Las Vegas and Reno on the Energy Department's plan to build a new rail line in Caliente and extended the public comment period by a week.

LV woman's son a combat medic: Dick Benoit; The son of a Las Vegas woman is changing lives in at least one town in Iraq for the better, according to Army officials.

Regents to decide on chancellor post at May 7 meeting: By Emily Richmond; The Board of Regents is slated to decide May 7 whether television station owner Jim Rogers will be interim chancellor of the University and Community College System of Nevada.

Bank gets first water waiver: Sito Negron; The owner of the fountain that started the Las Vegas City Council's mini-revolt against the ban on water features sought and received the first waiver to allow a fountain in Las Vegas.

Council to tackle tax, traffic issues: Dan Kulin; Changing the way taxes are divvied up among local governments and putting special cameras designed to catch red-light runners at several intersections are among the top priorities the North Las Vegas City Council decided Wednesday to focus on during the coming 2005 state legislative session.

Prudential agents across U.S. vote to unionize: TRENTON, N.J. -- Nearly 1,000 Prudential Financial Inc. agents across the country are now members of a white-collar union following a vote tallied Tuesday.

Study cites wage gap between the sexes in Nevada: Molly Ball; Women in Nevada earn only 77 cents for each dollar men earn, and minority women earn even less, according to a report released Tuesday by a national women's group.

Declining revenue may force Millennium cuts: CARSON CITY -- The Millennium Scholarship program, which helps students attend Nevada universities and community colleges, might have to be tightened because of declining revenues, state Treasurer Brian Krolicki said Wednesday.

Troupe settles with EEOC: The Montreal-based company also agreed to appoint someone to train employees on U.S. discrimination laws, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which negotiated the settlement on behalf of gymnast Matthew Cusick. Cirque du Soleil has 2,700 employees worldwide.

Official: Mercury worries overblown: A Clark County School District official in charge of science in the schools said there is no need for a "knee-jerk" reaction to change curriculum on how mercury safety is taught locally.

Killer who hit trooper gets life sentence: Jace Radke and Christina Littlefield; Three years to the day after he was struck by a fleeing killer going 95 mph, former Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Robert "Bobby" Kintzel, 33, limped to the witness stand with the help of a bailiff to deliver a message.

Business briefs for April 22, 2004: FORT WORTH, Texas -- AMR Corp., parent of American Airlines, narrowed its first-quarter loss to $166 million as the world's largest carrier cut costs and passenger traffic rose.

District promotes kindergarten plan: By Emily Richmond; Clark County School District officials expect their new tuition-based full-day kindergarten program to yield political -- as well as academic -- benefits.

FBI looking into fatal shooting by Metro Police: Jace Radke; The FBI is looking into a Metro Police officer's killing of a man who was surrendering to authorities following a standoff in Spring Valley in February 2003.

Tax group won't back referendum: Kirsten Searer; Despite its dislike for the $833 million tax increase passed last year by the state Legislature, the fiscally conservative Nevada Taxpayers Association announced this week that its board will not support several referendums that would cut or eliminate the new taxes.

Las Vegas hospital owner's results slip: NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- HCA Inc., the biggest U.S. hospital operator, today said first-quarter profit fell 26 percent as emergency rooms treated more uninsured patients who didn't pay bills and people postponed expensive elective procedures.

Casino to pay $300,000 fine: By Richard N. Velotta; The Hard Rock hotel-casino in Las Vegas agreed Wednesday to pay a $300,000 fine -- the maximum permitted by law -- to settle a state Gaming Control Board complaint over its edgy advertising campaigns.

County OKs halfway house: A new halfway house for Nevada prisoners on parole or probation won approval from Clark County on Wednesday over the objections of some neighboring property owners.

IGT net improves on growth in slot sales: Reno-based International Game Technology, the nation's largest manufacturer of slot machines, today reported record results for its fiscal second quarter and announced two major contracts with Las Vegas companies.

Meeting set to discuss roof rats: The 6 p.m. meeting was scheduled as a result of a vote Wednesday by the Las Vegas City Council to bring together the health district, residents, the city's Neighborhood Services department and exterminators to address the problem that is prevalent in the posh Scotch 80s and McNeil Estates near Interstate 15 and Charleston Boulevard.

Henderson teen shot dead in apartment: Heather Rawlyk and Jen Lawson; A Henderson boy was shot and killed on his 14th birthday by a friend in an apartment Wednesday morning, police said.

Lower rates proposed: United Services Automobile Association, which writes polices for 36,000 vehicles, is proposing a 3.5 percent decrease to be effective Aug. 31.

Sign of the times: County passes law banning new billboards: A sweeping ban on new billboards in unincorporated Clark County will go into effect next month, the latest product in more than three years of battle between the billboard industry and county government.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Quite a fish story: The one and only time I went fishing as an adult was about 20 years ago on the San Juan River in the Four Corners area of New Mexico. I was invited by a friend who was on the city council of the town in which we lived, who said he had to get out of the office because the phone wouldn't stop ringing. This was before cell phones.

Technology giants snuggle up to broadcasters at LV convention: Kevin Rademacher; High-tech companies Microsoft Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co. and IBM Corp. are no strangers to the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Problems could lead to closure of Sky-Vue: Sito Negron; The owners of Sky-Vue Mobile Park haven't fixed longstanding health and safety risks at the park and are being fined for dumping raw sewage in trenches behind another trailer park they own, city and county officials said Wednesday.

Caesars profit soars: By Liz Benston; Profit at Caesars Entertainment Inc. rose 93 percent in the first quarter as the company, along with its major casino competitors reporting earnings this week, benefited from the improving U.S. economy and stronger business trends in Las Vegas.

LV firm agrees to managers' buyout: The $98 million proposal was announced in February 2003, and the company's board of directors and a special committee of the board have unanimously approved the plan.

Editorial: Straight talk on the war: Pentagon officials could try to temporarily shift funds from other areas of the Defense Department budget to Iraq to erase the shortfall, but this would be nothing more than smoke-and-mirrors accounting that would avoid the hard choices that must be made. On Wednesday a White House spokesman said Bush might reconsider seeking additional spending before the end of the year, but the statement fell far short of a commitment to push for more money. The continued refusal by President Bush to acknowledge the true costs of the Iraq war is drawing intensified criticism from Democrats and even Republicans.

True Blues: Organization aiming to rejuvenate local blues scene: Spencer Patterson; Interested in joining the Southern Nevada Blues Association? Here's the scoop on signing up for the nonprofit organization.

Letter: Bush shouldn't impose beliefs: President Bush, however, was not appointed to office to impose his religious beliefs throughout the planet by force of arms.

Letter: Gasoline prices in perspective: Wouldn't it be nice if our utility bills only went up that little each year?

Editorial: Guinn made right call: Last month the City Council refused to vote on the hospital's site development plan, which had been approved by the Las Vegas Planning Commission. A majority of council members prejudged the state, saying it would do whatever it wanted regardless of the council's vote. After the city's cop-out, the governor's spokesman, Greg Bortolin, said, "We, of course, were looking for some direction from the City Council, and that didn't happen."

Citizens advisory positions open: Their public meetings are held twice a month at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays at Mt. Crest Neighborhood Services Center, 4701 N. Durango Drive.

Letter: Carelessness on Nevada's roads must be punished: We were deeply shocked when informed by Metro Police that the teenager would be cited/charged with "failure to stop at a stop sign." This misdemeanor traffic violation amounts to a legalized killing. Where is the responsibility beyond the proverbial slap on the wrist?