Print edition for July 6, 2004

Tax hike plays role in forming new Legislature: Kirsten Searer; He certainly hasn't the time or resources to ponder a run for office.

Airport to leave federal screeners on the job: Jace Radke; McCarran International Airport officials plan to leave federal security officers at passenger checkpoints, despite a plan by the federal government that would allow the airport to use private security companies to do the job.

Holiday visitors up from last year: Holiday visitors up from last year

Man mistakes NLV officers for prowler, fires shots: Jen Lawson; Shotgun pellets whizzed above the heads of two North Las Vegas Police officers who were called to the home of a fellow officer on a prowler report this morning, police said.

New council member to start work at fast pace: Sito Negron; Wednesday's scheduled swearing-in of new council member Steve Wolfson will kick off what is expected to be one of the busiest council meetings so far this year.

Legislature to experience major turnover: Kirsten Searer; Josh Griffin's baby was three weeks old last year when Griffin left for his first term in the state Legislature.

Lender expands to Nevada: Northland will originate commercial loans in Las Vegas that will use a local lead bank and syndicate the balance to Midwestern institutions. The office, which will be run by Kenneth Merkey, also will offer investment banking services for commercial clients, including refinancing and merger-and-acquisition services.

For some, summer is time to serve through religion: Fifty-nine-year-old Melvin Stringer is not your typical missionary.

Controller Augustine does not intend to resign: CARSON CITY -- State Controller Kathy Augustine said again today she would not resign over allegations that she misused her office, with employees working on her last re-election.

Owner of car arrested in hit and run: Caitlin Hudgins; A man who reported his car stolen after a hit-and-run accident Friday morning was later charged with injuring a mother and her two children with the car at Main Street and Owens Avenue.

Country club board rejects Wynn offer: By Liz Benston; The Las Vegas Country Club board of directors last week passed on an offer by Steve Wynn to buy the golf club after Wynn increased his bid by about $13 million.

Nevadans split on Edwards by party: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Sen. John Kerry's selection of Sen. John Edwards as his running mate today will be an added bonus to the campaign, Nevada supporters say.

Firefighters have their busiest day of the year: Firefighters across the drought-stricken Las Vegas Valley spent the July 4th holiday dousing 17 percent more fires this year than in 2003, making it the busiest day of the year for local fire departments.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Foundation puts wheels in motion: It wasn't a car, but a wheelchair. And the 85-year-old Las Vegas widow received it absolutely free from the Nevada chapter of the Wheelchair Foundation. The chapter is bankrolled by Don Williams, co-owner of the car collection, and run by his brother John Williams, the chapter's executive director.

Indians send Ludwick to Buffalo: The Cleveland Indians activated outfielder Ryan Ludwick of Las Vegas and catcher Josh Bard from the disabled list Monday and optioned them to Triple-A Buffalo.

California company plans move: Pacer Stacktrain is based in Concord, Calif., and manages a fleet of stackable railroad containers. The company is in discussions to purchase 20 acres owned by the city of Henderson in a commercial development at Whitney Mesa, said Bob Cooper, Henderson economic development director.

Summer a popular time for missionary, service work: Mexico

Letter: All believe in God eventually: My father was an atheist most of his adult life. Because of this I was denied an important part in my Catholic religion. I had to learn all about it from a very patient priest when I was in my early 20s. One day I visited my father at his apartment, and to my shock he was watching a preacher program. He had finally found a belief in someone besides himself and the financial world he so idolized. From that day and to the end of his life, he worshiped with those TV preachers.

Editorial: Overcharges should not be tolerated: Reporting about the overcharges in a story last week, the New York Times said 31 percent of the transactions examined were flawed. In just one month, the newspaper reported, investigators uncovered $41.1 million in overcharges. Hospitals such as University Medical Center in Las Vegas, which has been losing millions of dollars over the past few years largely because of the growth in uninsured and indigent patients, are affected by these practices by the drug companies. A UMC spokeswoman said the hospital has no way of knowing how much it may have been overcharged, because the prices it pays for drugs ...

Union representing state employees expanding coverage: CARSON CITY -- A union that represents 3,350 state government workers hopes to increase its membership roll by expanding its representation of local government employees.

Letter: Kerry should be denied sacrament: Mr. Poupard would have us believe that President Bush is responsible for trying to force Catholics to vote for him. Nothing is further from the truth.

Fire at Imperial Palace hotel causes $500,000 in damage: Beth Slovic; An overheated part in an escalator caused a fire that did an estimated $500,000 in damage at the Imperial Palace on the Las Vegas Strip at the start of the July 4th weekend.

Sewage spill prompts warning to visitors to Desert Breeze Park: Clark County officials warned anyone who visited Desert Breeze Park for July Fourth festivities that they may need to scrub themselves and their clothes after raw sewage spilled into the parking lot.

Obituaries for July 6, 2004: Ann Bockert, 71, of Las Vegas died Sunday in a local hospital. She was born Dec. 25, 1932, in Toledo, Ohio. A resident for nine years, she was a retired secretary for a manufacturing firm.

Education petition qualifies: CARSON CITY -- The proposed constitutional amendment to raise Nevada's support of public schools to the national average qualified today for a place on the November ballot.

Birth announcements for July 6, 2004: June 22:

Sports briefs for July 6, 2004: Dominik Hasek, a six-time winner of the Vezina Trophy as the National Hockey League's best goaltender, signed a multiyear contract with the Ottawa Senators, the team said.

11 indicted after long drug probe: Jace Radke; Federal indictments unsealed Friday charge 11 men with various drug crimes in connection with a six-month joint investigation conducted by the FBI and local police agencies.

LaPorta fined, barred from holding judge job: CARSON CITY -- The state Commission on Judicial Discipline has levied a $10,000 fine against Peter LaPorta, a former Henderson pro tem judge, and said he is barred from ever holding a judicial office in Nevada.

Pennsylvania governor signs historic gambling bill: BENSALEM, Pa. -- The lengthy push for slot machines ended Monday when Gov. Ed Rendell signed a bill allowing Pennsylvania to have up to 61,000 slot machines -- a deal that could make the state the nation's third-largest gambling market behind Nevada and California.

Editorial: Conservation pays: Success, in part, was due to a conservation inspector on the district's payroll, who checked schools after hours to guard against any unnecessary power use. This year the inspector will have help. The Clark County School Board, as part of an overall expansion of the district's conservation program, authorized four more inspectors. We agree with the district's energy manager, Dale Scott, who said, "Imagine the savings we're going to see with a full staff. It's going to make a tremendous difference."

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Waltrip ready to put feet to the asphalt: NASCAR Nextel Cup veteran Michael Waltrip will be racing twice in Las Vegas next season.

Journalism school steers new direction: By Christina Littlefield; He's not even done unpacking yet, but the recently appointed director of the Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies at UNLV is already a big fan of his new digs.

Simon & Garfunkel's time capsule arrives a bit late: Thirty minutes late.

Wembley gaming deal canceled: Toby Anderson; Starwood Capital Group LLC and casino operator Kerzner International Ltd. abandoned plans Monday to buy Wembley Plc, a U.K. owner of dog tracks, for $536 million because of the "political environment" surrounding Lincoln Park, a Rhode Island race track that generates 90 percent of Wembley's earnings.

Tumbling troupe not taken to the mat by theft: Lynn Doan; The West Bend Dance and Tumbling Troupe of Wisconsin will always remember Las Vegas as the city where its trailer was stolen.

Gaming briefs for July 6, 2004: MGM MIRAGE announced a new credit-card reward program today that will allow card holders to redeem points at the company's casino resorts.

Local woman ready for battle with 'Nevada Ramble': Joe Pacheo; One state.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Krzyzewski finds himself in honored company: Dean Juipe; However informal, Mike Krzyzewski Appreciation Day made Durham, N.C., a euphoric place to be Monday. Rejecting an offer to take over the Los Angeles Lakers, Krzyzewski announced he would remain at Duke University -- much to the unrestrained delight of every Blue Devils fan.

State looks into new testing firm for schools: Following a string of mishaps and mistakes by Harcourt, the Nevada Department of Education began soliciting bids in May.

Letter: Iraq invasion was miscalculation from the start: The Iraqi people don't want us in their country and as bad as Saddam was, many of them would prefer him to what is going on now. Maybe it is necessary for the U.S. to maintain a belligerent presence in order to save face and keep the country from being torn apart now that we have made a mess of it. But this only serves to vindicate those who warned against the invasion and have opposed it every step of the way.

Sergeant's ex-wife indicted in hit plan: Florela McCorkle, 38, also known as Florela Virginia Martinez, faces charges of solicitation to commit murder and attempted murder with use of a deadly weapon on a police officer amid allegations that she tried to have her ex-husband, Sgt. Richard McCorkle, killed.

News briefs for July 6, 2004: A Clark County grand jury Friday indicted a 32-year-old man on charges of killing a woman by crashing his truck into her as she retrieved something from her parked car.

Australian casino deal advances: The board of Sydney-based Tab and former chief executive Warren Wilson resigned Monday. Tabcorp appointed five people to the empty board, the Melbourne-based company said in a statement to the stock exchange.