Print edition for January 20, 2004

Cardinals bow out of Maddux chase; Cubs still front-runner: As another team bowed out of the Greg Maddux sweepstakes, a national publication pondered whether agent Scott Boras' waiting tactics help or hinder his clients.

Tennessee residents give lottery a warm welcome: Amber McDowell; BRENTWOOD, Tenn. -- More than a year after Tennessee voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum to remove a constitutional ban on lotteries, the first scratch-off tickets were sold across the state.

Metro curtails use of Tasers in officer training: Jace Radke; Metro Police officers will no longer be shot with Tasers as part of the training for using the nonlethal weapon.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Benson returns to the Busch Series in a Dodge: Veteran driver Johnny Benson, who lost his ride in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series at the end of last season, will drive the No. 1 Phoenix Racing Dodge this season in the NASCAR Busch Series.

State homeland security panel to review plans: Jace Radke; The Nevada Homeland Security Commission is scheduled to meet Thursday to review the state's security plan before it is submitted to the federal government.

'Disney' brings upgraded performance to Orleans: "I love kids," Forsyth, a native of Manitoba, Canada, said. "That's what's so great about this job the kids watching, and they are so ecstatic."

Elder Bush asks home builders to help Afghans: Former President George Bush praised the National Association of Home Builders in Las Vegas Monday for helping millions of Americans to realize their dream of owning their own home.

Local Democratic supporters encouraged: Dan Kulin; Las Vegas supporters of the Democratic presidential hopefuls who took the top three spots in the Iowa caucus Monday said they were happy with and encouraged by their candidates' showing, and are looking forward to Nevada's Feb. 14 caucus, which they said should be an important test for the candidates.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Rodman won't hoop it up against Rattlers: Provided he doesn't fall off a Harley, which is what happened the last time he was in town, Dennis Rodman may still return to the basketball court in Las Vegas this week.

Casino hit with lawsuit in gangs battle: Erica Johnson; A lawsuit filed last week in District Court claims an Arizona couple suffered emotional distress and physical harm when they witnessed a gun battle between rival motorcycle gangs at a Laughlin casino.

Gorman gets impressive win vs. San Diego: Nick Christensen; Bishop Gorman got its last tough test of the 2004 boys' basketkball season Monday, and rode a 15-5 third quarter run to victory against University of San Diego High School at the Nevada Sports Network Classic at Gorman High School.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: LVMS wants Spears to rev up race fans: The pop princess is performing March 6 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Editorial: Sometimes it takes a two-by-four: The company with the most citations is land developer Triple Five, which has had fines issued for seven different fountains. Triple Five's Boca Park Shopping Center, at Charleston and Rampart boulevards, alone has been fined four times for a total of $1,280. Triple Five, whose international headquarters is in Edmonton, Canada, claims the overlapping set of water restrictions by a variety of government entities is confusing, saying that it's trying to make sense of the issue. What nonsense. Not many other companies in the valley are having a similar problem.

Community briefs for Jan. 20, 2004: The Palms hotel will host a bone marrow/blood drive for 8-year-old Chrissy Nelson, a local cancer victim, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in the Key West Room.

Columnist Susan Snyder: For locals, Strip isn't last resort: Whoop-de-do.

Syndication City: NATPE a showcase for shows seeking audiences: Kirk Baird; A children's program with a genie who sings and tells stories.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Gephardt ran with dignity: A very wise man once told me and every young political aspirant within earshot that polls are a gauge only of that day's headline. Make a new headline, create a new poll.

Nuclear waste board memberresigns: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- University of California professor Paul Craig resigned from the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Thursday, saying he needed to resume other work that his time commitment to the board would not allow.

Editorial: Now, on with the job: An agreement has been struck among Clark County and the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson and Boulder City to hire a regional homeless coordinator. The agreement, worked out in the homeless committee of the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition, is nearly certain to receive final approval Thursday during a meeting of the full coalition. The new coordinator, Paula Haynes-Green, has already been selected from among 70 candidates following a national search. She will report to Darryl Martin, director of the Clark County Department of Social Service. The county and cities have agreed to proportionally fund the cost ...

Letter: Kids must know mercury dangers: I find it hard to believe that anyone of his age has not been warned about it. Young children should be taught in school about such things, so that they would be aware of the consequences.

Columnist Dean Juipe: After closer examination, Rebels have their flaws: Dean Juipe; It takes a few games to match the names with the faces and get a feel for what the team really has to offer. It takes awhile to strip away the public-relations facade.

Circuit City to sell credit-card business: The upcoming sale "further simplifies the investment picture for Circuit City shareholders and allows us to focus our attention on the needed improvements in our retail business," said W. Alan McCollough, the company's chief executive officer, in a statement.

Obituaries for Jan. 20, 2004: Maria Magdalena Delgado, 28, of Las Vegas died Sunday in Las Vegas. She was born Nov. 20, 1975, in Los Angeles. A resident for eight years, she worked in collections at Sunterra.

Letter: Former foster youths are being helped efficiently: The bill was passed by the 2001 Legislature. It authorized county recorders to charge additional fees for various services and to deposit those additional fees with the state treasurer for credit to an account to assist persons formerly in foster care. By May 2002 the fund had grown to about $600,000. In July 2002, I discussed a plan to distribute the money with the administrator of the Division of Child and Family Services.

Jury selection set in obstruction trial: With the temperature below freezing, dozens of reporters were on hand to watch as Stewart, founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., stepped out of a black town car, waived to onlookers and strode up the steps of the courthouse without making a statement. Those on the sidewalk included Stewart supporters, who staged a small protest over her indictment.

Immunization schedule for Jan. 20, 2004: RAVENHOLT PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 625 Shadow Lane, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

NASCAR alters scoring system: CONCORD, N.C. -- In a bid to add excitement and put more emphasis on winning, NASCAR changed its scoring system today by setting up a showdown for the Nextel Cup championship over the season's last 10 races.

Sports briefs for January 20, 2004: Deaths of Indonesian fighters -- five in an 18-month period -- prompted the World Boxing Council to impose a six-month ban in December 2001 on Indonesians fighting in WBC-sanctioned bouts outside the country.

Reports say Cingular offers to buy competitor: The offer was submitted to AT&T Wireless' board of directors over the weekend, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Letter: Watch Fridays for bad news: In Bush's case, the gutting of the Clean Water Act was announced on a Friday, as were the proposals to open Alaskan wilderness areas to oil exploration, allow coal-fired power plants to expand without installing anti-pollution controls, and the cancellation of some wetlands protection policies.

Boomtown in the making?: The rural hamlet of Indian Springs has gone through booms and busts over the last 150 years or so, sometimes literally: It was once home to hundreds of workers employed at the Nevada Test Site for above-ground atomic bomb tests.

County OKs liquor licenses for senior Galardi: Clark County approved limited liquor licenses for two strip clubs now owned by Jack Galardi, the father of the man expected to plead guilty to federal corruption charges.

Boy, 16, held after crash of stolen truck: Dan Kulin; A 16-year-old crashed an allegedly stolen pickup truck Monday night after a man jumped into its bed to try to get the teen to stop, police said.

Columnist Jeff German: Is Las Vegas ready to hit a homer?: I'm willing to bet the majority of Las Vegans are longing to have the kind of good old-fashioned family entertainment that a Major League Baseball team brings to a growing metropolitan area like ours.

Automaker advertising at Vegas Strip attraction: Rouse is working with ClearChannel Spectacolor (a joint venture between Spectacolor Communications Inc. and ClearChannel Outdoor, a subsidiary of ClearChannel Communications Inc.) to market companies at the mall's multi-media venues, including the 10-story "cloud" in front of the mall, full-motion outdoors LED screens, and "The Great Hall" inside the mall, which features live events and video screens.

Upgrade will allow school police to hear 911 calls: By Emily Richmond; Clark County School Police may soon be able to listen in on 911 calls made from campus phones, thanks to a $15 million upgrade of the district's telecommunications system.

Local Dean supporters say they're not disappointed: Dan Kulin; Las Vegas supporters of the Democratic presidential hopefuls who took the top three spots in the Iowa caucus Monday said they were happy with and encouraged by their candidates' showing, and are looking forward to Nevada's Feb. 14 caucus, which they said should be an important test for the candidates.

Gaming briefs for Jan. 20, 2004: Seven gaming companies have submitted applications to build and operate Illinois' 10th casino, a riverboat, in the suburbs south of Chicago.

Former U.S. Judge Claiborne dies at 86: Ed Koch and Jeff German; Harry Claiborne, an impeached federal judge who returned to prominence as a defense attorney and refused to allow bitterness over his downfall to cloud his colorful life and career, died Monday. He was 86.

Woman says she was snatched in parking lot: Officer Enrique Hernandez said a man apparently was hiding inside the woman's van parked outside Creative Beginnings day care at 5245 W. Bonanza Road.

Strip battle may be headed to court: Clark County and a longtime property owner on the Strip could soon go to court to settle a dispute that has simmered for nearly a decade.

Boy, 9, rescued after fall between buildings: Dan Kulin; A 9-year-old boy accused of breaking into a Las Vegas elementary school with three friends broke his arm and hurt his foot when he fell 20 feet from the school roof into a space between two school buildings, school police said.

Firm opening second Las Vegas dealership: The new dealership will employ about 75 people. The 19,465-square-foot dealership is on 9 acres of land. Total investment in the building and land was almost $10 million, company officials said.

NLV's Lake Mead hospital sold: A Franklin, Tenn., health care company said today it agreed to buy Lake Mead Hospital Medical Center in North Las Vegas.

More hazardous waste may be shipped to Nevada: CARSON CITY -- More hazardous waste from other states may be rolling into Nevada for burial at the dump in Beatty under a proposed regulation by the state Division of Environmental Protection.

Extra fuel surcharge canceled: American, the world's largest carrier, had called the increase, put in place on Thursday, a "surcharge" and said it was part of an effort to offset rising fuel costs, which are the industry's second-biggest expense. The increase was in addition to the major airlines' existing $20 roundtrip surcharge.

Banks report higher profit: Citigroup Inc., the world's largest financial company, Wells Fargo & Co., U.S. Bancorp and Bank One Corp. today said fourth-quarter profit rose on higher fees from credit cards and money management and a decline in loan losses.

Nuclear waste official resigns: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- University of California professor Paul Craig resigned from the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board last week, saying he wanted more time to work on other projects but also wanted to leave the "enormously stressful" situation.

Vegas apartment market strengthens: Jennifer Shubinski; The Las Vegas apartment market appears to be recovering -- despite the large number of new units constructed last year -- as exceptional job growth locally and increasing land prices will boost apartment demand, industry experts said Monday.

Las Vegas to rule on second Galardi license: Sito Negron; The Las Vegas City Council will consider its second disciplinary action involving a Michael Galardi liquor license Wednesday, when it is to rule on a complaint filed against the Blue Heaven Bar on East Charleston Boulevard.

News briefs for Jan. 20, 2004: A 40-year-old North Las Vegas man died after he was shot execution-style Sunday night in an apartment at 3417 E. Cheyenne Ave., North Las Vegas police said.

7-Eleven celebrates King holiday: 7-Eleven celebrates King holiday

Experts forecast rosy picture for U.S. home builders: Three housing industry economists on Monday projected a brisk pace for home building in the United States in 2004 after a banner year for sales last year.