Print edition for December 10, 2004

Strip, state casinos stay hot: CARSON CITY -- Fueled by big baccarat and other table-game action, casinos along the Las Vegas Strip won $491.9 million in October, a 20.3 percent increase from a year ago and the highest monthly percentage gain since November of 1999.

Women's Top 25 Fared: AP; 2. Stanford (5-0) did not play. Next: vs. Pepperdine, Friday.

Women's Top 25 Basketball Schedule: AP; No. 11 Georgia vs. Augusta State, 7 p.m.

List of Walter Camp winners: AP; 2004-Matt Leinart, Southern California.

College Basketball Schedule: AP; Wake Forest at Temple, 7 p.m.

Pro bono services honored: Kirsten Searer; Clark County attorneys donated 9,797 hours of pro bono service this year through Clark County Legal Service's Pro Bono Project, compared to the 6,193 hours donated last year.

Letter: Adult stem cells are more effective: Adult stem cell research, on the other hand, has amazingly produced effective treatments for more than 40 diseases and afflictions, including heart disease, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, and many others!

UMC tower to let burn unit expand: Michelle Swafford; University Medical Center finally broke ground on a new patient tower that will include an expanded burn unit and additional private patient rooms.

Arizona board OKs Nevada water deal: The board of the Arizona Water Banking Authority on Thursday approved a deal that would bring Southern Nevada 1.25 million acre-feet of water over the next three decades in what officials here are calling a critical hedge against continued drought.

Coach says flaws can be fixed: Steve Guiremand; THE GAME: UNLV at Auburn.

Title fight underdog is coming on strong: THE PRINCIPALS: Vitali Klitschko (34-2, 33 KOs) vs. Danny Williams (32-3, 27 KOs).

Reid causes stir with talk show appearance: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Incoming Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid got a lesson in "lonely at the top" this week.

Obituaries for December 10, 2004: Dorothy Edna Barnes, 84, of North Las Vegas died Monday in Las Vegas. She was born Oct. 1, 1920, in Anoka, Minn. A resident for six years, she was a civil service executive secretary and a World War II Woman's Army Corps veteran.

Columnist Nick Christensen: Girls' basketball and the shrill of victory: Nick Christensen; "ACK! ACK! ACK! ACK! ACK!"

Letter: Family Court spurs lawyers to exploit families: A court that was supposed to be set up as "non-adversarial" instead is a feeding ground for divorce attorneys who routinely encourage one parent to destroy the other, rather than share parenting as Nevada law clearly states.

$2 million pledge for state college secured: Less than 24 hours before debating the future of Nevada State College on television Wednesday, Interim Chancellor Jim Rogers secured a $2 million pledge from a fellow businessman to make sure the college will survive.

'Amen Corner' set for Library Theatre: In Las Vegas the production is somewhat of a tradition, brought to the stage for several years by director Walter Mason, who incorporates uplifting gospel music and a talented cast who effectively portray the discord between black husbands, wives and children in the church.

Latin Chamber to run senior center: By Timothy Pratt; The Las Vegas Housing Authority has agreed to draw up a lease with the Latin Chamber of Commerce allowing the chamber to run a Hispanic senior center downtown.

Court rules in case of man held in contempt: CARSON CITY -- A person cited for contempt of court and sentenced to jail for failing to pay child support is not automatically entitled to an attorney at the court hearing, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

Dodgers add Kent's bat as a hedge: The Los Angeles Dodgers, striking one of the first and probably loudest blows at baseball's winter meetings, reached agreement with free-agent second baseman Jeff Kent on Thursday, signing the veteran and four-time All-Star to a two-year, $17 million contract.

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

Mother of shot girl often left kids alone, police say: Jen Lawson; The mother who allegedly failed to get medical care for her 15-month-old daughter after her 5-year-old son shot her while the children were home alone on Tuesday routinely left her five children unsupervised, Metro Police said, and child protective services had tried to intervene.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Coaches are the movers who make the game shake: WHAT: Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl.

Nellis won't get radio sytem that affects garage doors: Jace Radke; Nellis Air Force Base is not one of 125 bases nationwide getting a new radio system that uses frequencies that could inconvenience residents by jamming nearby garage-door openers, Capt. Maureen Schumann, a Nellis spokeswoman, said this morning.

School Board OKs $50,000 settlement in bus accident: By Emily Richmond; The Clark County School Board voted Thursday to approve a $50,000 settlement offer to a Las Vegas man critically injured when his car was struck by a school bus.

Sunday's matchup: UNLV (2-3) at Auburn (6-2): Steve Guiremand; Sunday's matchup: UNLV (2-3) at Auburn (6-2)

Homebuilder to redevelop land near Strip: Jennifer Shubinski; Homebuilder DR Horton purchased 33 acres of land just east of the Las Vegas Strip for $86.5 million, or more than $2.6 million an acre, and some industry experts say the property may be developed into a dense mixed urban village with a casino component.

Ralph Siraco's Hollywood Park selections: 1st Race -- SHE'S A FREEBIE -- Training at Santa Anita, Gomez aboard Carava trainee, draws outside box for short sprint opener. RIGHT DIRECTION -- Bug boy Kaenel on Mullins trainee here, has inner post for claiming dash, adds blinkers for this. Value Play -- SUSPICIOUS CAPER

Vegas-based Shuffle Master reports record performance: Shuffle Master Inc., riding a wave of international growth fueled by key acquisitions, reported record fourth-quarter and 2004 fiscal year results Thursday.

Goodman warms up to pitch city to owners: Dan Kulin; While this weekend's Major League Baseball meetings in Anaheim, Calif., will probably be dominated by talk of steroids and big player moves, Las Vegas' mayor hopes to grab some attention Saturday, as he works to fulfill his guarantee to make Las Vegas a major-league city.

Blood drives: Tuesday: 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Boulder City High School, 1101 Fifth Ave.; 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Kindred Hospital, 5110 W. Sahara Ave.

Homebuilder, TV show go to extreme to make over home: The family also is getting free utilities, free housekeeping and the payment of all of the applicable taxes for the rest of their lives -- as long as they own the home -- says KB Home, which built the 3,200-square-foot, two-story house.

Cherokee Casino Resort celebrating grand opening: Clayton Bellamy; CATOOSA, Okla. -- An Elvis impersonator in a red, frilly jumpsuit walks out of the Wild Potato Buffet. A Frank Sinatra sound-alike in a pinstripe suit and a fedora sings about Route 66.

Rural counties face loss of options for gasoline: David Kihara; Representatives from the petroleum and automobile industries met with state officials Thursday with a plan to overturn recent changes in state regulations that allow some rural counties to purchase gasoline from neighboring states.

Bush picks Bodman for energy secretary: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- President Bush nominated Sam Bodman today as the new energy secretary.

Los Lobos' 'Kiko' shows band's true merit: Spencer Patterson; You've got to wonder if the members of Los Lobos have ever regretted covering Ritchie Valens' 1959 Latin rock hit "La Bamba."

The GIFT: Ed O'Bannon will finally land on the UNLV campus sometime next year when the former collegiate basketball player of the year begins completing work on his bachelor's degree.

Carrier to bid $100 million for ATA's assets: Southwest will submit its bid to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Indianapolis to acquire six Chicago Midway Airport gates leased by ATA, which sought Chapter 11 protection on Oct. 26. Adding the six gates raises Southwest's capacity by 32 percent, the airline said in a statement distributed by PR Newswire.

Man sentenced to die for slayings: By Matt Pordum; After jurors sentenced 46-year-old Avetis Archanian to death and started to file out of the courtroom, the daughter of one of the women he killed stood up and said quietly, "Thank you. Thank you."

Tribes band together to build hotel near Capitol: Brian Melley; SACRAMENTO -- As sage smoke wafted across a muddy vacant lot near the state Capitol, three Indian tribes blessed the ground Thursday where they plan to build a 15-story hotel in an unusual partnership that spreads casino profits far from their reservations.

Business briefs for December 10, 2004: Privately held Cox Enterprises Inc. of Atlanta completed the acquisition of 189,685,302 shares of Cox Communications Inc. and successfully took the company private following the close of trading on Wednesday.

Columnist Barb Henderson: A year of outdoors memories nears its end: Barb Henderson; As I reflect back on this year, I quickly recall some exciting and adventuresome times hunting, fishing and enjoying the shooting sports.

Deadline set for online job applications at new resort: Arte Nathan, senior vice president and chief human resource officer at Wynn Las Vegas, said the company wants to receive applications now so managers can begin interviewing applicants in early January.

Westphal can ride his Waves to USC: Southern California's future is right up Pacific Coast Highway, and he happens to be a legacy, too.

Team ropers set arena record with second round win at NFR: Team ropers Clay Tryan of Billings, Mont., and Michael Jones of Stephenville, Texas, barely missed the arena record Wednesday en route to winning Round 6 at the 46th Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

Fishing report: Good fall fishing for trout, stripers despite the chill: The action for stripers continues to be good in the Las Vegas Wash area where boaters are catching the fish with live shad. Shore fishing has been fair in the Boulder Basin for those fishing in the vicinity of the fishing dock.

Sunrise to add trauma services: Molly Ball; Sunrise Hospital is gearing up to start accepting trauma patients in the coming month, putting it on the path to be the Las Vegas Valley's second full-service center for people who have been seriously injured, according to a spokesperson.

Columnist Spencer Patterson: Killers drummer shocked at snaring Grammy noms: Spencer Patterson; Vannucci still sounded shocked.

Rubeli announces plan to retire as chairman, CEO: President and Chief Financial Officer Robert Haddock will replace Rubeli, effective March 1. Phoenix-based Aztar, which owns the Tropicana resort in Las Vegas, hasn't yet named a replacement for Haddock.

Candidate debate planned in Moncrief recall move: Dan Kulin; A potential challenger in the coming recall election of Las Vegas Councilwoman Janet Moncrief turned in nominating petitions Thursday needed to get on the ballot, and the candidates are apparently set to square off in a debate next week.

Firm approved to find chancellor: University regents will rely on the consulting firm Jan Greenwood and Associates to help them recruit and screen possible candidates to fill the system's chancellor position when Interim Chancellor Jim Rogers steps out of the role next summer.

Columnist Jeff German: Season of weirdness is upon us: This is the time of the year, with the holidays approaching, when we see more than our usual share of strange stories in the news.

Two tribes have chance to build casinos in New York market: The casino could help the tribe achieve financial security for generations, said William Gollnick, the Oneida Nation's general manager of operations. The tribe wants to develop the casino about 100 miles northwest of New York City, tapping a market of about 10 million potential gamblers, he said.

Columnist Sal DeFilippo: Cowdudes put a four-letter finish on Seattle: Sal DeFilippo; About five minutes before the kickoff of Monday night's game between Dallas and Seattle, my phone rings.

State labor commissioner named: CARSON CITY -- Michael Tanchek, who has been deputy labor commissioner for three years, today was named state labor commissioner.

Court rules in sealed records case: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court ruled Thursday that District Judge Donald Mosley erred when he ordered the unsealing of a prior criminal record of Sam D. Walker in Las Vegas who was facing drug trafficking charges.

Perkins unveils ethics plan: Kirsten Searer; The clamor for a statewide reform of ethics laws continued Thursday with Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins introducing his own slate of proposed improvements.

Preps: Thursday's results: Foothill 75, Vo-Tech 67: FTHL: Kevin Kreier 20 pts, Bobby Watkins 13 pts. SNVT: Kevin Crockrum 23 pts, Melvin Stewart 16 pts, Quinton Mason 16 pts.

Sports briefs for December 10, 2004: The Los Angeles Lakers are the most valuable NBA franchise for the third consecutive year, with a 14 percent jump to $510 million, Forbes magazine said.

Attorney general's debut as prosecutor nets one conviction: A second man accused of being a partner in the business was acquitted.

Long-sought suspect in securities fraud arrested at airport: Authorities said Stephen Primak had been hiding in Panama to avoid eight felony counts of securities fraud, and one count each of sale of an unregistered security, transacting business as an unlicensed broker and theft. Francis Arenas, the state Securities Division's chief of enforcement, said Primak is accused of scamming eight investors of $113,000 in a 1999 stock purchase scene involving his firm, Casino Development Association. He could be charged with additional offenses because his victims were 65 or older. The oldest was a 92-year-old man, Arenas said.

Library districts duel over undeveloped land: Two library systems in Southern Nevada are locked in a battle over boundaries.

News briefs for December 10, 2004: A Las Vegas man was in critical condition at University Medical Center this morning after he was struck by a car as he crossed Flamingo Road just east of Lindell Road late Thursday night.

Community briefs for December 10, 2004: The 10th annual Victim Memorial Tree dedication, "A Decade of Memories," will begin 11 a.m. Saturday at Sunset Park.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Real cowboys show Vegas true range: WEEKEND EDITION

Many items still available for Holiday Auction: Seven shopping days remain before the deadline for bidding on items in the Las Vegas Sun Holiday Auction passes, which means there is still plenty of time to pick up a dandy stocking stuffer or two.

Insanity defense under fire from victim's mother: By Matt Pordum; Michael Kane's killing of a 23-year-old acquaintance resulted in Kane's commitment to the state mental asylum Thursday, a move that has the mother of Kane's victim committed to changing the law that put him there.

Columnist Lisa Ferguson: White catches comedy craze by the 'Collar': Lisa Ferguson; Ron White is navigating that tightrope as best he can -- most importantly, without spilling a drop of aged scotch from the trademark glass he clutches onstage.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Cookbook a who's who of great Vegas chefs: The food shots are exquisite. Dempsey has captured the essence of each chef with penetrating photos that look beyond the kitchens the chefs command. These sexy chefs would make a super calendar.

Guest Columnist -- John B. Alexander: Blame our Iraq military woes on Rumsfeld: WEEKEND EDITION

Columnist Jerry Fink: 375 club giving locals the 411 on entertainment: In its heyday it was always a classy joint on Harmon Avenue, west of Paradise Road, that provided fine dining at the Pegasus and comfortable rooms and a place for meetings. There was a bar to have a quiet drink -- but entertainment was all but nonexistent.

Letter: Impeachment of Augustine was political farce: December 11 - 12, 2004

Doubt surrounds Parton: Spencer Patterson; Questions have been raised about whether country music legend Dolly Parton actually sang all of her songs Tuesday night at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

Editorial: Get answers about delays: Randy Walker, director of McCarran, says that part of the reason for the delays in October can be traced to bad weather, a major convention here and two visits to Las Vegas by President Bush. But Walker also points to other aggravating factors that contribute to delays throughout the year, such as a severe limitation on the airspace available for an increasing number of flights and the lack of a system by the Federal Aviation Administration for prioritizing takeoffs. The net result, according to Walker, is that flights stack up in Las Vegas since the FAA doesn't make sure that ...

White a Diamond in the rough: By Jerry Fink; Jay White is a 24-karat Diamond.

Letter: Base property tax on age of home: December 11 - 12, 2004

Performing Arts for December 10, 2004: Orchestra

Guests give voice to Philharmonic holiday performance: For Christmas music touted as glorious and ambitious, Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Hodie" often gets passed up in performances for the more-familiar "Messiah" and traditional standards.

UNLV's donor base hampered by its young age: WEEKEND EDITION

Australia Mix: By Jerry Fink; The "Aussie Angels" (that's "Ozzie" in Australia) are heating up the Las Vegas Hilton. Eight sexy dancers (some of them topless) have come up from Down Under to give American blokes a sampling of what their female counterparts are experiencing down the boulevard at the Excalibur.

Broadbent 'Extreme' episode airs Sunday: The Broadbent family -- which includes Patricia and dauthters Hydeia, Shaina and Patricia -- were selected by ABC to take part in the project, which converted their 1,200-square-foot house into a 3,300-square-foot house. The family and the network's efforts were featured in the Sun's Accent section on Oct. 29.

Columnit Jeff German: Teamwork bad news for drug traffickers: WEEKEND EDITION

Old theater getting a second wind: David Kihara; WEEKEND EDITION

License officials probe melee at Mandalay Bay: Stephen Curran; The Clark County Department of Business Licensing has launched an inquiry into Thursday morning's melee at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, an agency official said.

Editorial: Troops deserve better: Soldiers, Marines and their commanders on the ground in Iraq had been complaining about this severe shortage of armored vehicles since at least April, when it became clear that enemy fighters were committed to a sustained insurgency. Roadside bombs and rocket-propelled grenades take a terrible toll on troops riding in lightly armored Humvees and trucks.

State OKs United Way deal that cuts EOB child care funds: By Timothy Pratt; The state has approved a contract that would take away $17 million a year in child care grants from the Economic Opportunity Board, cutting the budget of the Las Vegas Valley's largest nonprofit organization by at least a third.

Game of Trance: Kirk Baird; WEEKEND EDITION

Earlier trials sought for two women: By Matt Pordum; Trial dates were set on Thursday for two high profile cases against local women, and in each case there are lawyers involved who say the trials should be starting sooner.

Columnist Jerry Fink: Vegas a networking hot spot: Owner Nathan Drage has visions of creating the Las Vegas Television Network, a national network of television stations that would air programs generated in Las Vegas.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Saving the Earth: WEEKEND EDITION

Family slowly adjusting to life without cherished daughter: Eric Leake; WEEKEND EDITION

Still standing, Heffron headlines at Monte Carlo: Kirk Baird; Long before John Heffron took the title of "Last Comic Standing," controversy surrounded the second season of the reality series.

Gaming's hazy issue: David Kihara and Liz Benston; WEEKEND EDITION

Editorial: Water pact enables just 'some' relief: December 11 - 12, 2004

Datebook for December 10, 2004: The District at Green Valley Ranch and the Chabad of Green Valley will host the first traditional Jewish menorah lighting ceremony in Henderson at 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the District. Admission is free. 617-0770.

Editorial: A major league city: December 11 - 12, 2004

On Display for December 10, 2004: Entertainment Galleries at the Venetian will host "Marcel Salinas: Paintings and Drawings from the Personal Collection of the Artist," from today to Jan. 2 at 3377 Las Vegas Blvd. South. An artist's reception will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at the gallery. Admission is free. 866-6813.