Print edition for January 6, 2004

Radioactive waste shipments planned: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Shipments of plutonium-contaminated lab waste, now stored at the Nevada Test Site, will start going to New Mexico for the first time on Wednesday.

Sports briefs for January 6, 2004: The All-England Club today announced plans to construct the roof, which won't be in place until the 2009 tournament. The club also still needs planning permission from government officials in London.

City of Asylum role expected to be expanded: Sito Negron; Las Vegas plans to expand its role in helping writers flee persecution with the opening of an office of the International Network of Cities of Asylum, a development to be announced by Mayor Oscar Goodman tonight at his State of the City address.

Company serving Vegas home builders sold: Closely held Creative Touch Interiors, which has 200 employees, is based in San Diego, Atlanta-based Home Depot said today.

Terrible Herbst gas empire expands: Kevin Rademacher; The Terrible Herbst convenience store and gas station empire in Las Vegas is growing.

Cheney to visit LV for Porter fund-raiser: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Vice President Dick Cheney will help Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., raise money for his re-election campaign at a luncheon in Las Vegas next week.

Commissioner's lot purchase questioned: A group of Summerlin residents which opposes a hotel tower near the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is questioning Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates' purchase of a vacant housing lot in July.

Judge OKs settlement for Nevada consumers: El Paso Corp. admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement. Nevada Consumer Advocate Tim Hay said a larger settlement is being negotiated with Sempra Energy.

News briefs for Jan. 6, 2004: A 51-year-old California man died Monday after he was ejected from his car in an accident on Interstate 15 north of Craig Road that shut down the freeway for about four hours.

Day-care employee accused of sex abuse: Jen Lawson; A former employee of the Creative Beginnings day-care center is being held in Clark County Detention Center on charges of molesting as many as four boys and videotaping or photographing the encounters, according to a Metro Police report.

Education panel to take show on road: By Emily Richmond; The Legislative Committee on Education meets Wednesday, but don't go looking for it at the Sawyer State Office Building in Las Vegas or the Legislative Building in Carson City.

Galardi sues son over LV topless club: Jace Radke; Jack Galardi is suing his son, Michael Galardi, claiming that the younger man embezzled money and diverted dancers away from their co-owned strip club to help establish a posh new club.

Las Vegas employers weather flu season: Michelle Swafford; This year's flu season has been marked by worse symptoms than during previous outbreaks -- but local employers say it's not necessarily driving up absenteeism.

NLV's Buck to run for county seat: Kirsten Searer; Shari Buck, a two-term councilwoman from North Las Vegas, announced today she will challenge Mary Kincaid-Chauncey for her seat on the Clark County Commission.

Columnist Jeff German: Balancing privacy, security: But the biggest party of the year in Las Vegas went off without a hitch.

Gaming officials cite methods of gaining hotel lists: Jace Radke; Federal grand jury subpoenas, administrative subpoenas and national security letters were among the methods used by the FBI to obtain guest lists at Las Vegas hotels as part of security precautions for New Year's Eve, gaming officials said.

Gaming briefs for Jan. 6, 2004: The earlier start should produce an extra $15 million to $20 million in revenue to fund college scholarships, CEO Rebecca Paul told the Tennessee Education Lottery Corp. board.

Galardi's sentencing in San Diego delayed: The sentencing was scheduled for Monday in San Diego in connection with payments of illegal campaign contributions to public officials in an attempt to loosen strip club regulations in that city.

Family, friends mourn four who died in fire: Donations to the Madison Martin Memorial Fund can be made at any Wells Fargo Bank branch.

Pratte, Pulte strike deal on Nevada construction: Jennifer Shubinski; A Phoenix-based company with North Las Vegas operations has entered into a joint venture with Pulte Homes -- the nation's second-largest home builder -- to provide material and labor for all of Pulte's homes in Nevada and Arizona. Pulte builds under the Pulte and Del Webb brands.

For struggling rural county, Yucca route a tough call: CALIENTE -- On a slow Monday afternoon at the Knotty Pine Restaurant, co-owner Mel Robinson waits on two customers.

Molitor, Eckersley selected for Hall: Ronald Blum; NEW YORK -- Hitting star Paul Molitor and reliever Dennis Eckersley were elected to baseball's Hall of Fame today in their first year of eligibility.

Letter: Neighbors of new psychiatric center shouldn't worry: I have a 66-year-old sister who lives alone in another state. She is divorced and has two grown children. She had worked most of her life as a recreation director in institutions for the elderly, but she is now retired. Since her mid-twenties, my sister has suffered from a brain disease called schizophrenia, but I would no more call her a schizophrenic than I might call someone else a heart attack. People are more than their disease.

Scheduling these guys wasn't Occidental: Steve Guiremand; When UNLV released its 2003-04 basketball schedule last fall, many Rebels fans were left scratching their heads.

Holiday candleholders recalled: The manufacturer has announced the candleholders do not allow for the safe burning of a candle, posing a fire hazard to buyers.

Mother gets probation in death of 3-year-old son: Erica D. Johnson; The 18-year-old mother charged in the death of her 3-year-old son was sentenced to five years' probation on Monday after she worked out a deal with prosecutors.

Editorial: That's the 'Spirit': Our past missions have shown us a sterile planet but we have now landed in another area, one whose geography and geology will give us far more information. The next few months will be exciting as Spirit is joined by Opportunity, its sister rover that is scheduled for a Jan. 24 landing. Mars as the setting for tales of fiction has always been fascinating. As the setting for nonfiction, it is exhilarating.

Clinton raises more than $100,000: The former first lady was here to speak Saturday night at an annual conference for International Profit Associates, a management consulting firm headed by longtime Clinton friend John Burgess, Clinton spokesman Joe Householder said.

Ralph Siraco's Santa Anita Park selections: 1st Race -- MASTER REPORT -- Draws good rail post for route opener, Krigger atop Abrams trainee, Master to Report home with diploma here? GONE DEE -- Baze aboard Puhich trainee, draws good inner box for two-turn maiden/claimer, graduation Gone for Dee? Value Play -- DONALD DAVID

House arrest of teen driver in fatal crash revoked: Erica D. Johnson; A Clark County prosecutor said he hopes the arrest Monday of a 16-year-old boy charged in the crash that killed three other teens will send a message to young people in the Las Vegas area who would consider drinking and driving.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Coach's tale isn't too convincing: Dean Juipe; As if computers hadn't already done enough to ruin college football, now they're having a negative effect on college basketball as well.

Okla. woman battles for $42.9 million win on slot machine: CARSON CITY -- An Oklahoma woman feels she's entitled to a $42.9 million payment after hitting a jackpot on a quarter machine at the Mandalay Bay Resort on the Las Vegas Strip.

Letter: 3.1 million jobs lost under Bush: At this writing, there are 8.7 million people in a work force of 146.7 million who are officially out of work.

Investors sue Las Vegas broker in fund scandal: Kevin Rademacher; Two investors have filed a class-action lawsuit seeking damages from Las Vegas resident Daniel G. Calugar and his firm, Security Brokerage Inc., who last month were accused by the Securities and Exchange Commission in an alleged $175 million mutual fund fraud scheme.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Curiously, writer lacks curiosity: Oser wrote a scathing review of a recent Elderhostel trip to Las Vegas in the Dec. 28 New York Times Travel section.

Former cop's battle with NLV nears end: Dan Kulin; North Las Vegas' legal ordeal with former police officer Joe Austin looks like it could be coming to an end.

Chicken slaughtering goes to council: Sito Negron; A controversy over whether to allow the slaughter of live chickens at Liborio Market has mellowed into a discussion about how many birds the grocery can have on-site each day.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: LSU-USC would be too close to call: The first question on every college football fan's mind Monday? "What was Britney Spears thinking when she decided to marry George from the Seinfeld show here over the weekend?"

Judge recovers from heart attack: Dan Kulin; North Las Vegas Municipal Judge Warren Van Landschoot had a heart attack and angioplasty surgery Sunday night, and on Monday the judge said he is feeling better than he has in a long time.

Obituaries for Jan. 6, 2004: Ruth Irene Basinger, 87, of Boulder City died Sunday in a local hospital. She was born Dec. 25, 1916, in Braddock, Pa. A resident for 24 years, she was a retired flower shop owner.

Factory orders suffer setback: The Commerce Department said today the weakness was concentrated in the communications sector, where orders plunged by 41.1 percent in November.

Logan seeks field boss; Shoemaker moves on: Nick Christensen; The Las Vegas 51s will have a new manager for the 2004 season, outgoing manager John Shoemaker confirmed.

Gaughan excited about his step up to Nextel Cup Series: Brendan Gaughan is not easily impressed.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: How to measure success: Times Square also had a great celebration and the crowd was estimated to be several hundred thousand people taking part in the nation's oldest major New Year's celebration.

Driver killed in crash on U.S. 95 near Durango: In an unusual twist, the Highway Patrol suspects the driver of the pickup truck had consumed alcohol and could face DUI charges in the accident for which he was not at fault, the NHP said, noting that will be up to the district attorney's office.

Editorial: Vicious dog laws need more teeth: State law and Clark County Animal Control rules, however, allow such a dog to be returned to its owner while awaiting results of a rabies test. If the dog does not have rabies, under the rules it could be freed to its owner unless it had seriously injured a person or had attacked other dogs numerous times. The woman whose poodle was killed suffered bites on the hands, according to a hospital report. The owner of the aggressive dog in this case, who voluntarily turned his dog over to Animal Control, says he will euthanize the animal after the test ...

Compromise still sought on Summerlin hotel: Opponents and planners of a new resort in Summerlin met for four hours Monday night in an effort to find a compromise design for the new Red Rock Station.

Immunization schedule for Jan. 6, 2004: HENDERSON PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 129 W. Lake Mead Drive, Building A, Suite 10, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Community briefs for Jan. 6, 2004: Anney Zee will present "Make Money Your Friend" at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday during the Money, Power, Love & Wellness Women's Expo at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Moyer Student Union. Admission is $15; $25 for a weekend pass for the expo, which will run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Spears takes attorney for the better: Or, 12:24 p.m., to be exact.

Letter: Military draft must be equitable: It has also been suggested that this could be a way to bring more people from the middle and upper classes into the military as a matter of national policy.

Icahn sells two casinos to his real estate firm: By Liz Benston; A real estate partnership controlled by casino owner Carl Icahn has agreed to purchase the two Arizona Charlie's casinos in Las Vegas from Icahn for a total of $125.9 million.

Woman claims jackpot; rival says she lost ticket: M.R. Kropko; CLEVELAND -- A South Euclid woman today turned in a valid winning ticket for the $162 million Mega Millions multistate lottery ticket that a Cleveland woman claims she lost outside the convenience store where it was sold.