Print edition for January 27, 2004

Travel companies honored in N.Y.: Also recognized was the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which won a gold award in public relations, a silver and a bronze in web marketing and a bronze in advertising.

'Healthier balance' sought: Emily Richmond and Jennifer Knight; In an acknowledgment of the growing problem of obesity in children and teens, Clark County School District officials said Monday they plan to set new limits on the contents of student stores and vending machines.

Aladdin bosses pleased despite $4.1 million loss: The Las Vegas Strip's Aladdin hotel-casino, in the midst of a U.S. Bankruptcy Court-approved sale, had a loss of $4.1 million in December, documents filed with the court said.

Business briefs for Jan. 27, 2004: HOUSTON -- Kinder Morgan Inc., which operates more than 35,000 miles of natural-gas and fuel pipelines in the U.S., said fourth-quarter profit rose 31 percent.

MGM MIRAGE buying track, slot firm for $490 million: By Liz Benston; MGM MIRAGE of Las Vegas said today it's buying troubled British dog track company Wembley plc for about $490 million, giving MGM a big slot operation in New England and further positioning the gaming giant to capitalize on the anticipated deregulation of gambling laws in the United Kingdom.

Columnist Jeff German: Murphy's defense in disarray: Surprise. There's unrest again within Sandy Murphy's high-powered, but ever-changing, defense team.

News briefs for Jan. 27, 2004: A three-vehicle accident on Interstate 15 near Desert Inn Road sent three people to the hospital and tied up traffic for more than three hours early Monday night.

Sandoval asks judge to move IGT case: Brendan Riley; CARSON CITY -- Nevada's attorney general moved Monday to dismiss a whistleblower's complaint that International Game Technology filed false state tax returns and could owe the state up to $30 million in back taxes.

Emergency plan keeping homeless out of the cold: By Timothy Pratt; John Sutton, 52, smoked a roll-your-own cigarette in the cold while standing in line outside the Catholic Charities St. Vincent campus Monday night about 6:20.

Goodman offers help to schools: By Emily Richmond; Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, who has lent his name to promote his favorite alcoholic beverage, may soon become a celebrity pitchman for a different cause -- the Clark County School District.

Two arrested in alleged theft from vending machine: Police said they chased down two men after a school district police officer saw them using a blow torch to take money out of a vending machine in East Las Vegas.

ACLU investigates complaint of discrimination by Neonopolis: Sito Negron; The American Civil Liberties Union is investigating a complaint against Neonopolis by a man who claims his plans to open a cabaret-style gay nightclub were scrubbed after he had spent months and more than $200,000 developing the project.

Official to urge moving heliport south: Dan Kulin; In an effort to push future Grand Canyon helicopter tour routes away from homes in southwest Henderson, Clark County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury said Monday he will ask his fellow commissioners to deny a recommendation to put a regional heliport in Sloan along Interstate 15.

Worm snarls computer traffic: MessageLabs Inc., which scans e-mail for viruses, said 1 in every 12 messages contained the worm, called "Mydoom" or "Novarg."

Columnist Ron Kantowski: NASCAR driver Waltrip makes his point about them: It was hard to tell what was louder at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Monday: The roar of the engines during the annual NASCAR Nextel Cup open test or the buzz created by the sanctioning body's decision to revamp its points system and method of determining a champion.

Sports briefs for January 27, 2004: Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis grabbed a 20-year-old fan by the neck and threw him to the ground after being taunted during the team's home loss Sunday to the Philadelphia Flyers, The Washington Post reported today.

Miller named to judicial selection panel: Miller replaces Homeland Security Director Jerry Bussell of Reno, who resigned from the judicial selection commission.

Cargill merges fertilizer business with IMC: Cargill merges fertilizer business with IMC

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Not everyone has tired of Tyson's act: Tyson, the former heavyweight champ and part-time Las Vegas resident who filed for bankruptcy in August, will play himself in director James Toback's "When Will I Be Loved?" starring Neve Campbell.

Two school officials get pay hikes: By Emily Richmond; Clark County Schools Superintendent Carlos Garcia has approved substantial raises for the deputy superintendent of instruction and a senior attorney, a move he said was intended to bring "parity" to the pay scale for the district's top administrators.

Minnesota lawmakers have Yucca concerns: Dan Kulin; After meeting Monday with Nevada lawmakers about plans to turn Yucca Mountain into a nuclear waste dump, one Minnesota state senator said maybe her state should hold onto its nuclear waste until a safer way of transporting and storing it is found.

Prosecutor's opening statement: Stewart had tip no one else had: Erin McClam; NEW YORK -- Domestic doyenne Martha Stewart lied and committed "serious federal crimes" by selling off nearly 4,000 shares of stock based on a tip no one else had, a federal prosecutor charged today.

E-mail scam makes use of Patriot Act: Are you licking your wounds from sending a sizeable money order to the "Dutch Lottery" to collect a phony jackpot or from giving your account information to another scam artist who supposedly was going to update your eBay account?

Trial in husband's killing wraps up: Erica D. Johnson; The fate of a sister and brother charged in a murder-for-hire scheme could go to a jury today.

UNLV rally comes up short: Steve Guiremand; FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Colorado State coach Dale Layer called it one of the most bizarre games he had ever seen.

Ex-Goodman aide gets probation: District Judge Lee Gates sentenced William Cassidy, 52, to three to 15 years in prison on one count of first-degree arson and one to three years in prison on one count of attempted battery constituting domestic violence.

Editorial: Act on food labeling: We hope Congress reconsiders, and soon. It's outrageous that American consumers cannot know where their food comes from. In November, green onions from Mexico caused a hepatitis A outbreak in Pennsylvania that killed three people and sickened hundreds. In December, a Holstein from Canada was found to have had mad cow disease -- after it was slaughtered and its meat had entered the food supply. Most Americans, as a recent poll showed, would prefer knowing where their food originated. Many would prefer food of American origin, knowing that it was raised or grown under the auspices of the U.S. Agriculture ...

13-year-old girl charged in stabbing: Jen Lawson; Metro Police arrested a 13-year-old girl for attempted murder after she allegedly stabbed a 14-year-old girl at the Badlands Golf Course Friday night.

Columnist Susan Snyder: A teacher with a lot of class: "You hear all these (negative) things about public schools, but I've actually had very good experiences with a lot of my teachers," said Wonpu, a University of Nevada, Las Vegas freshman.

Housing suit is reinstated: CARSON CITY -- A federal appeals court Monday reinstated a lawsuit by a group of disabled citizens against a Las Vegas housing developer on grounds the homes did not accommodate the handicapped.

Woman sentenced for child sex: District Judge Joseph Bonaventure on Monday told 32-year-old Marjorie Denee Escareno she was "evil" and sentenced her to two concurrent life sentences for sexually assaulting two children.

Toy store deal approved: "FAO Schwarz is more than just a toy store," said David E. Shaw, chairman of the New York investment firm D.E. Shaw & Co. Inc., adding that the Manhattan landmark carried "a great deal of meaning to millions of children and former children."

Mall owner's profit increases: Net income climbed to $99.4 million, or 46 cents a share, from $74.2 million, or 38 cents, a year earlier, a company statement said. Revenue for the real estate investment trust, including sales from joint ventures, increased 17 percent to $475.6 million.

Court upholds murder conviction: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court on Monday upheld the first-degree murder conviction of a Las Vegas man who claimed there was no independent evidence to find him guilty of a drive-by shooting.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Instilling wrong values: Everywhere you turn, the political dialogue in this country always seems to come down to those two misused and abused words: family values. Outside of the political context those words have real meaning to the real people who populate this great country. We care about about them and we want to instill them in our children and theirs so that the kind and quality of country that we were left by our forbears will be available to those who come after us.

Gaming briefs for Jan. 27, 2004: NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The state Senate on Monday voted unanimously and without debate to confirm Gov. Phil Bredesen's appointees to the Tennessee Education Lottery Corp. board of directors, but the appointments may run into trouble in the House.

County to shoulder more of Metro budget: Metro's financial oversight committee, comprised of city council members and county commissioners, approved the new funding formula Monday.

Clarification: Clarification

Letter: War on terrorism has been effective: Let us not forget that for eight years prior to George Bush taking office, terrorist groups around the world had time to recruit, grow, plot and carry out their plans for holy war. Goodness knows they didn't get much in the way of opposition from America between the years 1992 and 2000. Oh, except for a destroyed aspirin factory ...

Two boys arrested after stolen car crashes: Shortly before 8 a.m., a trooper saw a car with Texas plates going about 40 mph on U.S. 95 at College Drive and became suspicious, Wolff said. The trooper ran a check on the plates and discovered the car had been reported stolen in Henderson.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Kyle Petty refutes rumor that he's set to retire: NASCAR Nextel Cup star Kyle Petty isn't quite ready to hang up his driving suit.

Letter: Math proficiency exam sets up students to fail: No teacher should engage in cheating. But the state of Nevada shouldn't be involved in cheating our high school students out of passing their math proficiency test either. It cheats hundreds of students out of receiving their high school diploma every year because it requires that algebra and geometry problems be given on the math proficiency test. Algebra and geometry are not required classes in Nevada to graduate. If they are not required by the state school curriculum to graduate, why then are they on the math proficiency test? The test should consist of the minimum requirements to graduate. Why ...

Editorial: Mistakes we simply can't afford: Goodman went on to tell Blitzer that the state had to return $600,000 to the federal government in homeland security funding because it hadn't been spent, money that he says the city "dearly needs." That's a serious claim by the mayor, but it's not holding up well under scrutiny. When a Sun reporter asked state homeland security officials about Goodman's statement, they said they had no knowledge of any money being returned. So what gives? A little background is in order. Goodman met with Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., while he was in Washington, and Gibbons' staff says that the congressman ...

Letter: U.S. should stand up to Israel: Since 1967 the United States has lacked the moral courage to stand up to Israel regarding its illegal settlement policy and "land grab." Zionism is a just cause that is being hijacked by an expansionist policy that will lead to its ruin as demographics will make Jews a minority in their own land.

Councilwomen given key posts: The Southern Nevada council members were appointed by National League of Cities President Charles Lyons, an Arlington, Mass., selectman, during his annual appointment process.

Public defender clears $125,403 as he retires: Public Defender Marcus Cooper is getting a $125,403 check for retiring from his county job.

LV still on mend after all-star break: Nick Christensen; A week off is usually a good thing for an injury-plagued team that needs to catch its breath. Las Vegas Wranglers coach Glen Gulutzan had hoped his team would be healthy by now.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Rams won this horrendous game by default: Dean Juipe; If anyone from Texas Christian University was watching UNLV's Monday night basketball game at Colorado State, he undoubtedly was plagued by conflicting thoughts.

Facing Reality: Latest TV trend may not be a trend after all: Kirk Baird; Not according to the ratings.

Obituaries for Jan. 27, 2004: Myrtle F. Baxter, 91, of Las Vegas died Sunday in Las Vegas. She was born June 12, 1912, in Trenton, Utah. A resident for 12 years, she was a homemaker.

Community briefs for Jan. 27, 2004: Central Christian Church will host The Good Sense Budget Course, a seminar from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the church, 1001 New Beginnings Drive, Henderson.

Housing studied for mentally ill: CARSON CITY -- A legislative committee agreed Monday to seek more housing and services for the mentally ill in Nevada.

Drivers hope hard work pays dividends: This week's NASCAR test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is crucial for the Nextel Cup teams as they try to get a handle on the new Goodyear tire and changes to the cars' bodies and rear spoilers.

Immunization schedule for Jan. 27, 2004: EAST LAS VEGAS PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 560 N. Nellis Blvd., Suite E12, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.