Print edition for January 2, 2004

Letter: Energy bill is bad for environment: January 3 - 4, 2004

Columnist Susan Snyder: Atoning for assorted '03 miscues: WEEKEND EDITION

Reno, Tahoe New Year relatively uneventful: AP; Authorities in Reno think the threat of snow may have discouraged some troublemakers and kept drunks off the road. The snow held off until well into the new year.

Editorial: Opposition to hospital unfounded: January 3 - 4, 2004

Letter: Monorail relies on expansion: January 3 - 4, 2004

Critical year for Yucca: Suzanne Struglinski; WEEKEND EDITION

Vegas woman looking forward to a 'field trip' down under: Heather Rawlyk; WEEKEND EDITION January 3 - 4, 2004

Building fresh opportunities: Heather Rawlyk; WEEKEND EDITION

Editorial: No time to give up: January 3 - 4, 2004

Where I Stand -- Emily Powers: Teens ready for America: WEEKEND EDITION

Letter: It's not too late to stop nuclear dump at Yucca: January 3 - 4, 2004

VegasBeat -- Columnist Timothy McDarrah: Sammy show doesn't shop Vegas: WEEKEND EDITION

Metallica can't be counted out at The Joint: Spencer Patterson; When: Wednesday.

Obituaries for January 2, 2004: Robin R. Allred, 47, of North Las Vegas died Tuesday in North Las Vegas. He was born Oct. 24, 1956, in Salt Lake City. A resident for 32 years, he was a network engineer for a computer gaming company.

Performing Arts for January 2, 2004: Brass Roots

Datebook for January 2, 2004: A variety of activities are planned for downtown Las Vegas for this month's First Friday activities today. For a full list of activities and addresses, contact the First Friday hotline at 384-0092 or go online to www.whirlygiglasvegas.org.

Sports briefs for January 2, 2004: A van carrying members of the Our Savior New American School boys' basketball team from Centereach, N.Y., flipped on a North Carolina highway late Wednesday, leaving one student dead and injuried eight others.

Opportunity Village forced to consolidate: A fiercely competitive market in the second-hand store industry has pushed Opportunity Village to close all but one of its thrift stores in the Las Vegas Valley to save costs.

H Street will close on Monday: Crews are working on an $11.6 million Owens Avenue to Vegas Drive improvement project.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Trojans expose the absurdity of college football: Dean Juipe; Bob Stoops is an otherwise smart man who has done a great job coaching the Oklahoma Sooners to a 12-1 record and into Sunday's Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Stars amid the fireworks on New Year's Eve: New Year's Eve is often referred to as amateur night, when infrequent partiers use the turning of the calendar as a reason to go out and get lit up.

Letter: Preserving post office appreciated: As a newcomer to this area in 1948, three things impressed me -- the bright lights of Fremont Street, the policy of never closing the casinos, and the beautiful building on 3rd Street where my folks picked up their mail (Box No. 387).

Las Vegas resorts enjoy safe, profitable holiday: For Las Vegas resorts, the New Year's holiday couldn't have been better and most agreed the unprecedented security mobilized in response to a threat of terrorism was worthwhile.

Policeman stable after accident: Officer Norm Halliday was taken to University Medical Center with "non-life threatening" injuries, Henderson Police spokesman Keith Paul said.

Strong manufacturing reported: The new figure was the highest since December 1983 in a sector that was one of the hardest hit in the economic downturn. The reading was significantly higher than the 61 forecast by analysts.

Fishing report: Boat fishermen finding success: Boaters are still finding fairly good action for striped bass in Las Vegas Bay while shore fishing is continuing to decline in Lake Mead's Boulder Basin, according to the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

Letter: Carter should be nominated to challenge Bush: The American people must do something to stop George W. Bush from gaining a second term of office. Only by regaining the White House will this country have a chance to reverse the forces that this current president and his administration have set in motion. If he were to gain a second term, these forces might never be reversed -- a frightening idea.

Editorial: Impartiality is essential for board: Back in February, members of Nevada's congressional delegation asked that Bush demand Corradini's resignation. In 2002, in testimony to Congress before he became a member of the board, Corradini spoke positively about the Yucca Mountain project, saying the stalemate over approving it was unacceptable and that opposition was because of political reasons. But, as Nevadans can attest, the opposite has been true. The Yucca Mountain project has been driven forward by politics while safety concerns about burying man's deadliest waste have been left by the roadside. After he became a member of the board in 2002, Corradini co-wrote an opinion ...

Crews make short work of revelers' mess: Sito Negron; Las Vegas is nothing if not efficient.

Ralph Siraco's Santa Anita Park selections: 1st Race -- CLEARLY DEFINED -- Draws good post for mile maiden/claimer, Smith scales West trainee, graduation Clearly Defined? PROSPECTOR'S DREAM -- Steiner atop Canani trainee, needs crafty trip from outer draw in two-turn Cal-bred outing, Dream diploma trip? Value Play -- PORT HUENEME

He's Golden: Nievera's heritage, sense of showmanship lead to gig at Golden Nugget: When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, through Feb. 29.

Utilities reach settlement on power plant: Kevin Rademacher; Nevada Power Co. has reached a tentative settlement in a dispute with the owners of a new power plant being constructed north of Las Vegas.

Columnist Jerry Fink: Ten reasons why night life thrives in Vegas: The top 10 list of night spots in Las Vegas has been announced by Zagat Survey, one of the nation's leading publications that rates restaurants and nightclubs around the world.

Miller focused on winning last two non-league games: It's a new year, and the Lady Rebels' players are ready for a new challenge.

Community news briefs for January 2, 2004: The North Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with its Business Resource Center, will present its "How to Really Start a Business" seminar from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday at the Chamber offices, 2290 McDaniel St.

Comic Rita Rudner wins Sun contest: Rudner, the comic headliner at New York-New York, was in fifth place heading into the final weekend of Sal's Celebrity Selectors pro football prognosticating contest.

Boy says dad rescued him from fatal fire: Heather Rawlyk and Ed Koch; A 7-year-old Las Vegas boy, who survived a pre-dawn New Year's Day fire that killed his parents, younger brother and best friend, credits the heroic efforts of his father for saving his life.

The Lighter Side: WEEKEND EDITION

Columnist Lisa Ferguson: New year brings new look to comedy landscape: Lisa Ferguson; The new year brings with it some big changes for the local comedy-club scene. A pair of venues depart; another comedy-driven show opens; and Las Vegas' remaining clubs work to ensure the laughter continues.

Terror threat fades but police make record arrests: In the dawn of the new year, the specter of a terrorist attack at "America's Party" on the Las Vegas Strip faded, but police noted there had been a sharp increase in the number of arrests compared with the previous year.

Wrongful death suit settled out of court: Gary Thompson, whose wife was vice president and associate editor at the Sun, and an attorney for the defendants in the suit said the settlement included a confidentiality agreement that prohibited them from disclosing anything in the agreement.

Audit finds bias by county recorder's office: An internal audit of Clark County Recorder Fran Deane's office has found that the office gave title companies preferential treatment, a pattern that county officials believe is a violation of state law.

McLachlan's 'Solace' masterpiece of tranquility: Spencer Patterson; The first time I heard Sarah McLachlan's angelic voice, my brain did an involuntary double-take.

Columnist Barb Henderson: Las Vegas snowfall provides fresh kind of outdoor fun: Barb Henderson; The winter of 2003 will be remembered for those of us who live in Las Vegas because Tuesday arrived with a great surprise.

Government moves to ban abusive tax shelter: The two agencies declared the shelter a "listed transaction," meaning that taxpayers, both individuals and companies, must disclose their use of the shelter to the IRS and that promoters, like accounting firms and lawyers, must keep lists of such taxpayers.

Just 15 transfers sought from failing schools: By Emily Richmond; Few families offered transfers out of Clark County's low-achieving schools have taken advantage of the offer, Clark County School District officials say.

Should city employees serve as lawmakers?: Sito Negron; The Las Vegas City Council is to consider two options regarding public employees who are lawmakers at its first meeting of 2004 Wednesday.

Editorial: 'Lighted crosswalks' could be lifesavers: In the meantime, we support keeping all crosswalk lines freshly painted. Too many crosswalks in the Las Vegas Valley are faded, which puts pedestrians at increased risk. Signs warning of crosswalks should be in place and, ideally, street lights and reflectors should keep crosswalks well illuminated at night. We also support a nationwide trend that goes beyond even these measures.

Woman killed in accident: About 6:30 a.m., a 47-year-old woman was killed when she crashed her car into a utility pole on Smoke Ranch Road at Rancho Drive in North Las Vegas, police said.

County set to adopt ethics rules: Clark County government could have a new ethics policy in place by Tuesday.

Where I Stand -- Jarvis Graham: Stressing family values: AS I WALKED into the room where our group met, I noticed a certain diversity that I knew would create an effective discussion. I sat down, looked through my notes, took a deep breath and eagerly awaited the start of our day.

State receives OK to spend money on nuke hearings: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- After waiting more than seven months for a decision, Nevada officials have been told the state can spend a $2.5 million congressional allocation on participation in the upcoming Nuclear Regulatory Commission hearings regarding licensing of the Yucca Mountain project.

Gaming news briefs for January 2, 2004: SPARKS -- There was no New Year's revelry for people at Duke's Casino in downtown Sparks.

On Display for January 2, 2004: Painter Polanco will display his works in "The Flying Days" until Jan. 28 at Art @ the Funk House, 1228 S. Casino Center. A reception will be held from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. today at the gallery. Admission is free. 678-6278.

Highways, ski areas shut down: Tom Gardner; RENO -- A potent winter storm swept into the Sierra Nevada just hours into the new year, shutting down the main highways linking Northern California and Nevada and giving ski areas more weather than they could handle.

Las Vegas saw a year of loss: Several prominent members of the Las Vegas Valley passed away in 2003.

Stanford coach pays penalty for ref incident: That Morris, who had team highs in assists and blocked shots last season, now possesses a lethal shooting touch should send shivers through the Mountain West.

Teen's blood alcohol level was 0.19: Erica D. Johnson and Emily Richmond; A Henderson teen charged with involuntary manslaughter, driving under the influence and reckless driving in a car crash that killed three people in his car had a blood alcohol level of 0.19 -- more than nine times the legal limit for drivers under age 21, prosecutors said this morning.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Austin's time has not passed: With three hours left in 2003, Jan Morrison stood before nearly 90 people gathered in Austin's Main Street Shops and hoped.

Tax bill was top local business story in '03: Gaming and nongaming businesses alike plowed ahead with a flurry of construction projects and expansions and went on hiring sprees, pushing the Southern Nevada economy back into a booming state as local unemployment dipped to a 34-month low of 4.5 percent in November.

New live entertainment tax kicks in: Jennifer Knight; Immediately after Las Vegans rang in the New Year, nightclubs, strip clubs and other venues began ringing up charges for a new tax.

New Year's Eve traffic accident claims one: Shari Lynne Simmons was pronounced dead at University Medical Center shortly after the crash, police said.