Print edition for January 21, 2004

Governor proposing state-owned casino: Sebelius' bill, which she plans to submit to legislators within two weeks, will set up a board to review proposals for state-owned casinos, said Matt All, her chief counsel.

Columnist Peter Benton: TPC Canyons cleans up at awards banquet: Peter Benton; It was not the Golden Globes or the Academy Awards, but to area professionals of the Las Vegas Chapter, Southwest Section of the PGA, it was definitely "their night."

Community briefs for Jan. 21, 2004: Local food charities will benefit from a networking event with Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Icehouse Lounge, 601 Main St.

Louisiana casino revenue flat: Alan Sayre; NEW ORLEANS -- Despite the addition of two new race track casinos over the past year, the amount of money state-licensed gambling halls won from players was largely flat in December from a year ago.

Lady Rebels face key MWC game against Rams: With every victory, the Lady Rebels are starting to gain acceptance as a bona fide Mountain West Conference championship contender, although it has probably been more slowly than surely.

Editorial: Unofficial kickoff to campaign: Last year the president devoted a sizable portion of his State of the Union address to making the case for the war against Iraq, and this year he defended his war policies, an area where the public generally gives him high marks. No weapons of mass destruction have been found yet -- despite Bush's claim in last year's speech that Iraq had them -- but the president said Tuesday the war still has been a success. He noted that coalition forces are on the offensive, battling the insurgency that's loyal to former dictator Saddam Hussein. "We are dealing with these ...

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Products' real test is at home: Watching the products evolve is as good as a course in consumer marketing. No matter how tempting, I no longer rush to buy the first version of any product. In spite of all the research that's done and all the testing by the experts, the real test is in the home.

Agreement reached on Oklahoma racino bill: Ron Jenkins; OKLAHOMA CITY -- An agreement to allow three horse -racing tracks in Oklahoma to install electronic gaming machines similar to those operated at tribal casinos was announced Tuesday by Gov. Brad Henry.

Honors given for driver safety: STOP DUI's Sandy Heverly, whose 14-year effort to lower the legal blood alcohol limit in Nevada to 0.08 succeeded in the 2003 Legislature, will receive the Dan Miller Award for Excellence at the annual awards luncheon Friday at Marie Callender's restaurant.

Smith pours in 31 points to propel Foothill to win: Nick Christensen; Two of Las Vegas' top boys' basketball teams came together for their final non-league tuneup Tuesday, and turned out an exciting game that displayed contrasting styles. Foothill defeated Palo Verde 68-62 after fending off a late run by the Panthers.

Letter: Smoking is a right to protect: Are we to become California, where our bars and casinos will ban smoking, close at 2 a.m. and where all guns are outlawed? The long tradition of libertarian Nevada may come to an end because of authoritarian people selling their overpriced homes in Los Angeles, moving here, and trying to create a People's Republic in Las Vegas.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Yasukawa relishes chance to race for Team Rahal: Team Rahal will field a car for second-year driver Roger Yasukawa in two Indy Racing League IndyCar Series races -- including the Indianapolis 500 -- this season, team owner Bobby Rahal announced Tuesday.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Caesars surprise: Peltyn's birthday party a stunner: Elizabeth Foyt; Themed "Black Tie Bingo," the high-spirited party, hosted by Roger's sons Michael and R.J. and his wife, Sandy, opened with gloved waiters pouring jeroboams of champagne.

Sports briefs for January 21, 2004: Fans raised $700,000 in two days for Zsolt Baumgartner, Hungary's first Formula One driver, after one of his sponsorship contracts fell through, jeopardizing his place on the Minardi team.

Per-capita lottery spending tallied: The calculations include spending on scratch tickets and Keno, but the vast majority of money went into video lottery terminals.

Obituaries for Jan. 21, 2004: Claude J. Brantley Jr., 81, of Las Vegas died Monday in a local hospice. He was born May 13, 1922, in Memphis, Tenn. A resident for four years, he was a city government investigator and a World War II Army veteran.

Letter: Many strategies needed to address nursing shortage: The shortage will become a profound problem as nurses age and retire from nursing -- the current average age of the practicing nurse in the United States is 48. Enrollment in nursing schools does not meet current needs and will not meet the replacement needs in the future.

DOE plans to submit Yucca license bid by December: Energy Department officials told the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board Tuesday they still plan by December to submit the final licensing application for a Yucca Mountain repository.

Appeals court approves trial in suit against insurance company: CARSON CITY -- A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that a Las Vegas lawyer injured in a barroom fight in which he was an innocent bystander should have a jury trial to show he was entitled to disability coverage from his insurance company.

Letter: Smoking is subtle chemical weapon: I, too, believe that smoking is a chemical weapon of mass destruction. It's just a slower way to the punch.

French Connection: Verges' varied past leads to successful Vegas enterprise: Ken Miller; Just ask Agathe and Gregoire Verge, who both grew up around some of the finest wines in the world, but neither of whom ever imagined their careers and lives would someday revolve around the stuff.

Pilot error caused T-Bird crash: Jace Radke; Air Force officials said this morning that the September crash of a Thunderbird F-16 during an air show in Idaho was the result of pilot error.

Bid for asylum moves forward: CARSON CITY -- A Las Vegas man who fled with his family from Iran for fear he would be jailed or executed for his opposition to the government won a federal court decision today in his bid for asylum.

GE exec explains effects of globalization on United States: Jennifer Shubinski; The chief executive of General Electric Co. gave a pep talk to the home building industry Tuesday, promoted growth at his company and encouraged executives to think about change and the affect globalization has on business.

Council expands eminent domain to homes: Dan Kulin; The Henderson City Council on Tuesday approved a plan to expand eminent domain powers to homes in the city's downtown despite sharp criticism from some residents. But the real battle could come in the next two months as the council considers zoning changes for parts of downtown.

Plane crash cuts short lives of young couple: When Jamie Levine brought her new boyfriend to her grandmother's Henderson home a year ago, Marianne Schwartz was instantly convinced he would be the man with whom her granddaughter would spend the rest of her life.

School Board lauds Garcia's performance: By Emily Richmond; Citing improving graduation rates and student performance on the high school proficiency exam, the Clark County School Board gave Superintendent Carlos Garcia a vote of confidence Tuesday, extended his contract by two years to June 2008 and increased his pay.

Warrant issued in murder case: Police found Alexander Franchey, 38, dead with his wrists and ankles bound in a room at the Knotty Pine Hotel, 1900 Las Vegas Blvd. North on March 29, 2002. Anyone with information on Allen's whereabouts is asked to call North Las Vegas Police at 633-9111 or Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.

Ritz-Carlton restaurant earns Four-Diamond award: A Mediterranean restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas Resort in Henderson has been named to AAA's Four-Diamond List.

Claiborne leaves legacy of independence: Las Vegas attorney Harry E. Claiborne was as fiercely independent as the state of Nevada.

IRS promotes credit for low-income Nevadans: Kevin Rademacher; The Internal Revenue Service gave low-income Nevada residents more than $238 million in Earned Income Tax Credits last year.

Housing construction at 20-year high: WASHINGTON -- Residential construction activity picked up in December, helping to make all of 2003 the best year for home builders in a quarter-century and underscoring the critical role the sector played in the economy's resurgence.

Castaways losses continue, turnaround projected: By Liz Benston; The owner of the Castaways hotel-casino lost $1.6 million in December and is projected to lose another $1.3 million in January, according to a filing this week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Federal funding unlikely for train: CARSON CITY -- The proposed high-speed train between Las Vegas and Anaheim, Calif., is not likely to receive federal funds, a legislative committee was told Tuesday.

Illinois official pleased with interest in casino license: CHICAGO -- The Illinois Gaming Board's chairwoman on Tuesday said she was pleased the state received bids from seven companies vying for the state's unused 10th casino license, now held by the bankrupt Emerald Casino.

Boyd Gaming buying Harrah's casino in Shreveport: Harrah's Entertainment Inc. of Las Vegas, the second-largest U.S. casino company, said Tuesday it will sell its hotel and casino in Shreveport, La., to Boyd Gaming Corp. of Las Vegas for $190 million to avoid overexposure in Shreveport.

Homeless to be counted: By Timothy Pratt; Groundwork will be laid this week for the Las Vegas Valley's first census of the homeless in four years, but one of the obstacles private and public experts will have to overcome will be how to pay for it.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Simon's praise for Keown is unchained: So Las Vegas Academy grad Michael Keown, 19, was as relaxed as one can reasonably be when he recently sang in front of "American Idol" meanie Simon Cowell.

News briefs for Jan. 21, 2004: A 32-year-old Las Vegas man died today after he rolled his car on Cliff Shadows Parkway at Gilmore Avenue, Metro Police said.

Galardi's Jaguars expected to reopen soon: Jaguars, the 25,000-square- foot topless club, could open as soon as this afternoon but almost certainly by the weekend, representatives of the new operators and Clark County officials said Tuesday.

Nevada lawmakers agree: Patriot Act needs review: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- The applause told part of the story during the State of the Union speech on Monday: When President Bush said portions of the Patriot Act are due to expire next year, Democrats applauded. When the president called on Congress to renew them, Republicans cheered.

Killer coldly addresses parents of victim: Erica D. Johnson; A Las Vegas man who narrowly avoided a potential death penalty took lack of remorse to a new level Tuesday as he addressed the parents of a man he killed in a violent crime spree that spanned two states.

Fraud probe expands: Fraud probe expands

Ex-Top Rank figure had checkered past: Oklahoma Department of Labor commissioner Brenda Reneau Wynn didn't mince words Tuesday when asked about fellow longtime Sooner State resident Sean Gibbons.

Kids will walk for diabetes: The students and their parents are raising money to support the American Diabetes Association to find a cure for diabetes and support diabetic patients.

U.S. high court asked to consider Nevada tax decision: Republican lawmakers are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a State Supreme Court decision that gave the Legislature permission last year to pass tax increases without a state constitutionally approved two-thirds vote.

LVMS general manager giddy over changes: After listening to NASCAR chairman Brian France and president Mike Helton spell out the specifics of the new scoring system that will determine the Nextel Cup Series champion, Las Vegas Motor Speedway general manager Chris Powell had only one complaint.

Pimping claims could be raised at trial: Erica D. Johnson; Jurors in the upcoming trial of a local R&B singer charged in a double homicide could hear details linking the accused killer to other crimes, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Lender's profit declines: Net income dropped to $842 million, or 93 cents a share, from $941 million, or $1, a year earlier, the Seattle-based company said.

State off the hook if monorail bonds not paid: CARSON CITY -- Officials of the Strip monorail system said Tuesday that the state would not be liable to pick up the tab if the system fails to pay off its $650 million in revenue bonds.

Day-care officials stay positive after recent events: Jen Lawson; Metro Police said it is apparently just a coincidence that two high-profile cases this month have been connected to the Creative Beginnings day-care center in northeast Las Vegas.

Gazlay's attorney stepping down: Defense attorney James "Bucky" Buchanan said he would likely step down from 19-year-old Steven Gazlay's case because Gazlay's family can no longer afford his services.

Fed worker arrested on porn charge: Harry James Sutter, 50, was arrested at a post office by members of the U.S. Marshal-led Nevada Fugitive Investigative Strike Team.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Top Rank staff tries to go about its business: Dean Juipe; Pick whatever natural-disaster imagery you like -- an earthquake, a cyclone or a hurricane will do -- and picture it having swept through the Top Rank offices while ostensibly leaving the building physically intact. Now imagine the caution the employees would be using as they return to work and resume their daily tasks.

CSI Foundation offers scholarships: Applicants must have completed a minimum of 1 year toward a 2-year degree or 2 years toward a 4-year degree to qualify.

Air Force releases details of crash of Thunderbirds' jet: Jace Radke; Air Force officials were expected this morning to release details of the investigation into the September crash of an F-16 during the performance of the Thunderbirds at an air show in Idaho.

Fouls hold back Rebels' center: Steve Guiremand; For UNLV senior center J.K. Edwards, it wasn't a bad day's work.

Metro officers kept busy probing two nearby killings overnight: Jen Lawson; The shooting of an apartment security guard and the stabbing of an elderly man, allegedly at the hands of his son, kept Metro Police homicide investigators busy Tuesday night.

Jury selection resumes: One by one, New Yorkers from all walks of life have been taking a seat across from Stewart and answering questions from lawyers trying to decide which 12 will decide her case.