Print edition for February 24, 2004

Las Vegas stuck playing shorthanded on offense: Nick Christensen; Another day, another forward gone for the Las Vegas Wranglers.

Sports briefs for February 24, 2004: The case of several Brigham Young football players accused of violating the Mormon school's strict honor code at a party where sex and alcohol were involved could be resolved as soon as next week. The players were cleared of any criminal wrongdoing by police in Provo, Utah, but alcohol and premarital or extramarital sex are in violation of the honor code.

Sentencing of teenager in DUI case may lead to change in laws: Erica D. Johnson; A sentence handed down to a 16-year-old boy charged with killing his three friends in a drunken driving crash could help change laws that govern the treatment of juveniles who commit crimes in Nevada, court officials said Monday.

Agassi explains business strategy: Las Vegas tennis star Andre Agassi hasn't determined just how much star power he will bring to the downtown Las Vegas hotel-casino he has invested in.

In plan, LV taps into Lincoln County water: A federal bill being drafted in Washington would tie groundwater sources in Lincoln County to Clark County in a network of proposed pipelines.

Slot maker Aristocrat's stock jumps despite loss: SYDNEY, Australia -- Shares of Aristocrat Leisure Ltd., last year's worst performer on Australia's benchmark index, surged 20 percent today after the world's second biggest slot-machine maker more than doubled its cash flow and repaid its bank debt.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Dedication came a little late for Rebels: I guess it was the right thing to say when the cameras were rolling. But anybody who has followed Team Turmoil -- a k a the UNLV's men's basketball team -- probably got a big chuckle when several Rebels told Channel 8 they were dedicating the remainder of the season to their former coach Charlie Spoonhour.

Letter: Now wrong time for space travel: Moon missions and probes sent to Mars should only be undertaken when the government is fiscally sound, and preferably they should be underwritten through private enterprise.

Community briefs for Feb. 24, 2004: Southern Nevada Old-Time Contra Dancers and the Las Vegas Leisure Services Department will host the Old Time Barn Dance from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday at the Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St.

Immunization schedule for Feb. 24, 2004: NORTH LAS VEGAS PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 1820 E. Lake Mead Blvd., Suite F, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Fallon cancer cause remains unknown: CARSON CITY -- After two years of study, a panel of experts says it could not find the cause of the childhood cancer cluster in Fallon.

Guinn promises Bush support, won't campaign against Reid: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Gov. Kenny Guinn will continue to push for President Bush to return to the White House, but will not work to return Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., to Searchlight.

Albertsons responding to Wal-Mart with new brand: Jennifer Shubinski; Albertsons Inc., a big retailer in Las Vegas, plans to open low price "price impact" stores in multiple cities across the United States.

On rainy days it's a flood at Mexican consulate in LV: By Timothy Pratt; To get an idea of the Mexican worker's role in the local construction industry, go to that country's consulate downtown on a rainy day.

New unit will fly Predator: Jace Radke; A new unit combining elements of active duty military personnel with the National Guard and reserve forces in Nevada could be a glimpse of the future of the Air Force.

Witness pleads guilty in counterfeit case: Hans Walton was one of four men who acted as runners to cash the checks at the casino, prosecutors said.

Program aims to put young offenders back on right path: Jace Radke; Twenty-two teenage boys sat quietly on gymnasium bleachers earlier this month as Nevada Army Guard Lt. Todd Hine gave them two pieces of advice for surviving a three-day boot camp for juvenile offenders.

Letter: Nation must not forget Bush's role after 9-11: President Bush woke us up from a long sleep, helping us face reality. He made us realize there were groups and countries that would want to harm us and that they needed to be confronted. Bush took action to try to eliminate the negative forces that could harm us, or other countries, again.

Nevada sports book operator files plan for reorganization: The bankrupt operator of the state's largest sports book chain has filed a proposed disclosure statement and reorganization plan in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Reno.

LV gets brief respite from winter rain: Heather Rawlyk; Although the sun broke through the clouds today, a lot more rain is on the way for the Las Vegas Valley.

Consumer confidence tumbles: NEW YORK -- Consumer confidence in the U.S. economy fell the most this month since the start of the Iraq war as Americans became more gloomy about job prospects, a report by a private research group showed today.

Defense attorneys call teen's killing of man unintentional: Erica D. Johnson; Lawyers defending a 16-year-old boy charged with killing a middle-aged man in a home-invasion robbery said Monday that the stabbing was unintentional.

Las Vegas lifts gaming stocks: The power of the Las Vegas casino business is driving gaming industry stocks to near-record heights, industry experts said Monday.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Anderson boasts animal (free) magnetism: "Men in general run everything in fashion -- and for that matter entertainment -- and don't get the subtleties of who I am, or understand me," the actress told VegasBeat Monday. "It's always a fight! Sometimes I just give up and other times it's important enough for me to work through it.

Witness supports defense: The testimony by Heidi DeLuca, a business manager for Stewart, supports the key element of the defense -- that Stewart and broker Peter Bacanovic had a pre-existing plan to sell her 3,928 ImClone shares.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Accidents are inevitable: Rob Schlegel did. So did I, but I put it where I put most important matters of the day which means I was bound to forget about it, which I did. Fortunately, Rob jogged my memory.

Probe of alleged BIA conflict sought: Don Thompson; SACRAMENTO -- A Virginia congressman on Monday asked the Justice and Interior departments and Congress' General Accounting Office to investigate what he called "shocking" alleged conflicts of interest by the Sacramento-based regional office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Yankees infuriate some fans, captivate others: Dean Juipe; The imperialistic owner plays right into the team's Evil Empire reputation. They couldn't be a better fit.

Ralph Siraco's Wednesday Santa Anita Park selections: Wednesday's races

Editorial: Collective bargaining not at fault: We cannot go along, however, with those top management officials at the county who are saying privately that collective bargaining is the culprit and that it should be discontinued. Collective bargaining was granted to local-government employees 35 years ago by the Nevada Legislature. It's an efficient process that gives workers, through their union representatives, a say in the conditions of their employment. The alternative would be for the county to dictate the terms, with workers taking them or leaving them. In our view, this would create worker dissatisfaction and lead to an even greater lessening of service to the taxpayers.

Celebrities plus fashion equals MAGIC: Kirk Baird; It's a simple equation.

Goodman issues warning to Neonopolis operators: Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has sent a letter to the operators of the struggling Neonopolis entertainment mall notifying the facility it is in "contractual default" with its partner, the city.

Hospital opening set: The HCA Inc.-owned hospital passed the Nevada State Health Division's assessment and has only minor things to repair after the Nevada Department of Public Safety's assessment, hospital spokeswoman Annette Kinsman said Monday.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Kenseth: New spoilers, tires will help at LVMS: Next weekend's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will give the NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers their first true taste of how the shorter rear spoiler and new Goodyear tire will affect the racing this season.

Family blames officer for man's death: Jen Lawson; The wife and mother of the 26-year-old North Las Vegas man who died a day after being shocked with a Metro Police officer's Taser gun are blaming the officer for the man's death.

Senate bill would limit damages in OB/GYN lawsuits: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- A pending Senate bill limits how much money patients could receive from lawsuits against their obstetricians and gynecologists and how long they would have to file a lawsuit.

Double their fun: Steve Guiremand; UNLV forward Odartey Blankson had just been informed by a reporter that he had broken the Mountain West Conference single-season record for double-doubles with his 16th of the year in Monday night's 95-80 victory against Wyoming at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Editorial: Ego that won't quit: It's clear that four years ago Nader helped hand the election to Bush by siphoning votes away from Democrat Al Gore. In Florida alone, which Bush won by only 537 votes out of about 6 million cast, Nader received 97,488 votes. If just 10 percent of those liberal-leaning Nader supporters in Florida had gone for Gore instead, Bush would have lost the state's 25 electoral votes, costing him the general election.

Medicare prescription scam revealed: Sandoval warns consumers to be "wary of people misrepresenting themselves as Medicare officials, going from door-to-door or by telephone selling 'Medicare approved' discount cards."

Columnist Jeff German: You just can't fight City Hall: They spoke out against it at the Las Vegas Planning Commission last month, gathered petitions signed by 356 residents, registered their concerns directly with their city councilman and sent a small group of homeowners to last Thursday's council meeting in protest.

State losing prison operator: CARSON CITY -- The private company that has operated the women's prison in North Las Vegas since its opening is pulling out because it is losing money, company officials said.

Culinary launches new attack against Aladdin buyer: The letter is part of the Culinary's organizing campaign, which has been resisted by the current Aladdin owner and is aimed at pressuring Earl's group.

Smith, Falcons hunger for title: Adam Candee; Jamaal Smith's head is crammed with sound advice from some pretty reliable sources on how to be a point guard.

Legislator stalls vote on bill: No vote was taken on the casino gambling proposal Monday, which marked the beginning of the second week of debate on the issue.

Obituaries for Feb. 24, 2004: Wolfgang Behnke, 66, of Las Vegas died Sunday in a local hospital. He was born Sept. 11, 1937, in Berlin. A resident for 35 years, he was a retired architect.

Racing subsidy hike defeated: Supporters of the increased subsidies said the move would raise purses at the state's two pari-mutuel tracks and bolster the industry statewide. The increase also was expected to lessen the push for pull-tab machines, which are similar to slots, at horse racing venues.

News briefs for Feb. 24, 2004: The Civil Air Patrol added aircraft and crews from Northern Nevada this morning to the search for a plane missing since Feb. 16.

Good Samaritan saves woman during fatal accident on I-15: Preliminary investigations show that a woman driving a rented white Jeep Liberty with California plates veered into the left shoulder as she drove toward Las Vegas, about 6 a.m., Wolff said.

Letter: Main goal should be teachers' pay: Elevate the teachers' pay scale to estimable heights, similar to that of doctors and lawyers, and the professional role of our children's educators will no longer be a mere pretense.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Left in a fog with big brother: This is not a shameless bid for expensive gifts or greetings (however, don't let that stop whatever inspiration tells you to do).