Print edition for July 14, 2004

Las Vegas firm named in wage suit: The lawsuit alleges that the company's latherers, who worked as many as 50 hours a week, didn't receive overtime pay and sometimes were making less than minimum wage. The allegations are the result of an investigation that ended in May 2003.

Obituaries for July 14, 2004: Ronald Abramczyk, 50, of Las Vegas and Mentor, Ohio, died Saturday in Las Vegas. He was born July 16, 1953, in Ohio. A resident of Las Vegas for two years, he was a welder for an electricity company.

Gaming briefs for July 14, 2004: MGM MIRAGE, the No. 3 U.S. casino company whose properties include MGM Grand and the Bellagio, plans to repurchase as many as 10 million shares of its stock.

Columnist Jeff Haney: Game of the year? How about 161 of 'em?: ACTION: Betting, a bet. HANG: To offer a betting line that gamblers can wager against. MIDDLE: A situation in which you bet both sides of a game and win both wagers, due to favorable line moves. Example: Bet on USC minus 18 points against Cal today. Let's say by the day of the game, Oct. 9, the line has moved to 21 points. Then, bet Cal plus 21. If USC wins by 19 or 20 points, you have hit a "middle." SIDE: One team or the other in a particular game, as opposed to the over / under. TOTAL: Another ...

WorldCom auditor: Fraud extends beyond upper echelons: Kevin Rademacher; Cynthia Cooper knows a lot about consequences.

Station Casinos profit jumps 41 percent: Station Casinos Inc.'s second-quarter net income rose about 41 percent from a year ago, helped by revenue growth in its Las Vegas operations.

Cleveland Clinic says no to Vegas: The renowned Cleveland Clinic, citing fears of spreading itself too thin, has rejected Mayor Oscar Goodman's pitch to build an academic medical center on the 61-acre vacant site in western downtown Las Vegas, Goodman said Tuesday night.

Marijuana, frivolous suits initiatives fail: Cy Ryan and Kirsten Searer; CARSON CITY -- Backers of two initiative petitions that failed to qualify for the ballot Tuesday said they planned to keep fighting to get the measures before voters.

Sports briefs for July 14, 2004: Andre Agassi won the 800th singles match of his career Tuesday night, beating Alex Bogomolov Jr. 6-3, 6-1 in the first round of the Merecedes-Benz Cup in Los Angeles.

Ex-judge may face criminal charges: CARSON CITY -- The state Commission on Judicial Discipline believes there is a potential for criminal charges to be filed against former Henderson pro tem judge Peter LaPorta on charges of improperly taking money from a client and failing to pay more than $8,000 in parking tickets.

Saint Louis prospect eyes UNLV: Steve Guiremand; The strange recruiting saga of East St. Louis (Ill.) High guard Tommie Liddell took another turn on Tuesday when Liddell told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he wants to re-sign with the Billikens during the early November signing period.

Casinos settle suit over credit reports: The suit alleged the jointly owned hotel-casinos failed to inform job applicants of their credit history rights.

Columnist Jeff German: Minimum wage boost is overdue: Galvez and her boyfriend, Alex Martinez, live with their children in a small two-bedroom apartment near Sahara Avenue and Lamb Boulevard. She earns $5.15 an hour -- minimum wage -- as a cashier at McDonald's, and he makes $10.50 an hour driving a delivery truck.

Nevada road travel as deadly as ever: Beth Slovic; Traveling Nevada's roads is shaping up to be almost as deadly this year as it was last year, according to a report Tuesday from the Nevada Department of Public Safety's Office of Traffic Safety.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Hard Rock always up for a fine time: The hotel is also turning up the heat by bringing in "Pieces (of A..)," an off-Broadway show where 12 attractive women deliver often bawdy, self-written monologues about the frustrations of life as, well, what the title says.

LV group set to hear by Aug. 19: Major League Baseball will supposedly render a decision on the relocation of the Montreal Expos by Aug. 19, at the end of the next quarterly owners meeting in Philadelphia.

Sports betting IPO to fund expansion: LONDON -- Betonsports Plc, an Internet sports gambling service, and its owners raised 54.6 million pounds ($101 million) in an initial public offering to help finance expansion in South America and Asia.

Bank of America profit rises 41 percent on Fleet purchase: Bank of America Corp., the third-biggest U.S. bank, said second-quarter profit rose 41 percent, boosted by the purchase of FleetBoston Financial Corp. and an increase in consumer lending.

$8 million approved for outdoor plaza in Henderson: By Liz Benston; The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's board of directors Tuesday unanimously approved an $8 million grant to Henderson to develop an outdoor plaza adjacent to City Hall and the Henderson Convention Center.

Senate panel optimistic, but Ensign still plans to hold up TSA nomination: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- A Senate committee seemed optimistic Tuesday that former Navy Rear Adm. David Stone would will be confirmed to head the Transportation Security Administration, but Sen. John Ensign still plans to hold up his nomination.

Letter: Polarization of politics is sad: Last week my wife and I were out to dinner and we couldn't help but overhear the people at the next table talking to the busboy about the election. They asked him how he was leaning and he said he hadn't made a decision yet. At that the woman said, "It's un-American to be a Democrat."

Casino merger approved by boards: By Liz Benston; The deal is expected to be announced Thursday morning.

Alaska official criticizes closure of Kansas casino: Libby Quaid; WASHINGTON -- A powerful ally of the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma spoke out Tuesday against the closure of its Kansas casino by state authorities.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Obscure foe says he can beat Tyson: Dean Juipe; Credit Danny Williams for picking up on the obvious.

Editorial: Hawk a dove on conflicts: What disturbs us is that the board even considered Hawk's proposal. Hawk went to his own board when the Clark County School Board rejected his proposal for academic reasons. The conflict of interest was so obvious that the state board should never have even put Hawk's proposal on the agenda.

Collision sends car crashing into tree; water valve sheared: When a man driving a maroon Dodge Dynasty apparently tried to turn left from the northbound lanes and failed to stop, his car collided with a silver Ford Taurus that was moving in a southbound lane. The Dynasty then spun onto the sidewalk and sheared off a water valve, finally ending up wrapped around a palm tree.

Weather service issues flood watch for southern parts of Clark County: A flood watch has been issued for southern Clark County and the Lake Mead National Recreation area through 9 tonight, the National Weather Service in Las Vegas said early today.

Chicago organization asks Guinn to stay execution: CARSON CITY -- A Chicago organization called Citizens Alert is asking Gov. Kenny Guinn to cancel the execution of Terry Dennis. Dennis is scheduled to die July 22 for strangling a woman in a Reno motel.

Legislative panel backs change to open-meeting law: State lawmakers backed two proposed bills on Tuesday that will give more rights to people who become the subjects of personnel inquiry.

Funds for psych patients to run out: Dan Kulin; The state emergency funds paying for the care of psychiatric patients moved out of local emergency rooms in recent days is expected to run out Thursday, and state officials said Tuesday they still weren't sure where additional money will come from.

Columnist Adam Candee: UNLV's Sadekar gets roughed up and enriched in the big time: Adam Candee; Seema Sadekar knows the long drives all too well -- both the Annika Sorenstam type and the traveling shower ring salesman in an old Datsun kind.

Death of infant detailed: By Matt Pordum; A Las Vegas mother of three accused of murdering her 2-month-old son in May heard testimony against her during a preliminary hearing in Las Vegas Justice Court on Tuesday.

Another honor for Brimmer: Steve Guiremand; The preseason accolades continue to roll in for UNLV senior safety Jamaal Brimmer.

Gallagher's coffers mostly filled with out-of-state donations: Kirsten Searer; The bulk of the individual donors giving to Democratic congressional candidate Tom Gallagher are from out of state, campaign finance reports filed Tuesday show.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: A hot gym in July turns out to be cool: After witnessing the first game of the Reebok Vegas Summer League Stars of Tomorrow NBA-backed hoopfest at Cox Pavilion Tuesday night, I can only say one thing with any certainty:

Thursday's horse racing entries: Post Time 1:20 p.m.

Wal-Mart developer seeks delay: Representatives of a developer planning a controversial Wal-Mart Supercenter on airport land near Eastern Avenue and Russell Road, scheduled for discussion at the Clark County Commission's zoning meeting July 21, will ask the commission to delay the issue.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Young Unser unsure if he'll stay in Infiniti Pro Series: Coming off a third-place finish in his Indy Racing League Menards Infiniti Pro Series debut, Al Unser is busy preparing for Saturday's IPS race at Nashville Superspeedway.

Testing service botched scores teachers' exams: Mistakes in the scoring of an examination that Nevada and 17 other states use in licensing teachers caused more than 4,000 people who should have passed it to fail instead, the Educational Testing Service said Monday. The errors may have prevented many from getting full-time jobs as teachers in the last year.

Colleagues: Man had threatened guard: By Matt Pordum; A 22-year-old alleged gang member charged with murdering a security guard at a Las Vegas Housing Authority complex on Jan. 20 had previously threatened the guard according to testimony on Tuesday from other guards who had worked at the complex.

Woman dies after being hit by pickup: Ellen M. Winouski, 41, of New Jersey had crossed the eastbound lanes of Flamingo and then was struck by a black Ford F150 pickup and thrown 40 feet. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Rhodes won't stand trial until ruling made on appeal: By Matt Pordum; Former North Las Vegas Councilman John Rhodes will not stand trial for a 1997 charge alleging insurance fraud until the Nevada Supreme Court has made a decision on his appeal of a 2003 conviction on similar charges of insurance fraud.

Bomb scare closes Strip for two hours: Heather Rawlyk; A portion of the Strip was closed in both directions for about two hours Tuesday afternoon after a man filling a roadside magazine rack came across a suspicious device, initially thought to be a bomb and later dismissed as broken radio of some sort.

Henderson cops trial to go forward: Jace Radke; A federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit, which alleges Henderson Police officers used excessive force while arresting an 84-year-old man, will go to trial.

Editorial: Anti-crime tactic must be reasonable: We admire citizens who, in lawful ways, work to make their communities safer and more attractive. In our view, DAM is providing a public service not just for those who work and live downtown, but also for those who enjoy patronizing the downtown attractions -- or would if they felt safe. The City Council's vision for downtown includes a performing arts center, an academic medical center and far greater shopping and housing opportunities -- all complemented with beautiful landscaping, inviting streets and open spaces for social activities.

Retail sales tumble: The decline reflected a drop in spending at automobile dealerships and department stores and followed a revised 1.4 percent increase in May, the Commerce Department said today in Washington. Economists had forecast a 0.8 percent decline.

Letter: Bad intelligence Democrats' fault: Well, what contributions were made over the years to erode the CIA's intelligence gathering efforts? I say look to former Rep. and Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J. Torricelli led congressional efforts in the mid-1990s that handcuffed the CIA's abilities to recruit spies. This restriction, a key policy among many Clinton administration policies, forbade the CIA from recruiting known terrorists and other criminals, rendering the CIA bereft of all intelligence gathering capabilities.

Land buy OK'd for prison: CARSON CITY -- The state Board of Finance on Tuesday took another step toward making the Casa Grande, a halfway house in Las Vegas for prison inmates who are close to release, a reality.

Examiners OK ethics request: CARSON CITY -- A request by the state Ethics Commission for an emergency allocation of $53,113 to establish a Las Vegas office was approved Tuesday by the state Board of Examiners.

Woman accused of leaving children in car is released: Bixler said because Tina Taylor, who is charged with two counts of child endangerment, had no criminal record whatsoever and had been a resident of Las Vegas for nine years, he was "not going to hold her in custody."

Low-cost airlines cut fares to fill seats: David Koenig; DALLAS -- A fresh round of airfare cuts are great for travelers but pose a continuing problem for older airlines that can't make money at such low prices, analysts say.

Letter: Beware Edwards' flip-flop on nuke waste dump: Then there is the love fest going on over John Kerry's choice of John Edwards as his running mate, and how, in the hands of Kerry and Edwards, Yucca Mountain will be defeated. This is what readers learn from Sun columnist Brian Greenspun.

Tribes testify against 'reservation shopping': Erica Werner; WASHINGTON -- Two California Indian tribe leaders told federal lawmakers Tuesday that tribes shouldn't try to build casinos away from their reservations, arguing that the controversial practice jeopardizes the future of tribal gambling.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Southern Nevada gives big boost to festival: Elizabeth Foyt; On Friday many Southern Nevada residents were present in Cedar City, Utah, for the festival's 10th annual gala. Themed as a 1930s garden party, the event drew current and past members of the board of governors, along with Nevada benefactors Judge Gil and Edythe Katz Yarchever, Don Brown, Dr. Joe and Karen Soderberg, mortgage banker Spencer Judd with wife Jill, and Doug Baker of the Community College of Southern Nevada's theater department.

Court rules disabled may sue over rodeo seating: CARSON CITY -- A federal appeals court Tuesday ruled that an organization of disabled people in Las Vegas can sue over alleged discrimination during the National Finals Rodeo held at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Guinn appoints longtime deputy to state forester's post: CARSON CITY -- Pete Anderson, who has been deputy state forester for more than three years, has been named state forester-firewarden by Gov. Kenny Guinn.

Former supervisor at Indian Springs prison enters plea: By Matt Pordum; A former supervisor at the minimum security prison camp near Indian Springs who is accused of taking bribes to arrange conjugal visits for an inmate entered a plea agreement on Tuesday that could result in probation.

Judge to decide value of property owned by family: By Matt Pordum; A family that had its property taken away by Las Vegas 11 years ago will find out on Friday whether it will be allowed to use testimony from multiple appraisers -- a ruling that could mean a difference of millions of dollars.

Quarter-billion dollar cement plant set for Clark County: Jennifer Shubinski; A cement company announced plans Tuesday to build a $250 million, 1.5-million-ton a year cement plant in Clark County on the Moapa Indian reservation northeast of Las Vegas.

Council backs plans for animal shelter: Dan Kulin; Part of Boulder City may go to the dogs.

Contracts approved for police, firefighters: The police and firefighters unions are still negotiating their new contracts, acting City Manager Vicki Mayes said.

Shaq doings reverberate at windows: Shaquille O'Neal's possible move from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Miami Heat has caused some tremors in National Basketball Association future books in Las Vegas.

Monorail finally ready: Stephen Curran; On Tuesday afternoon, with the Las Vegas Monorail less than 24 hours away from a highly orchestrated premiere, the last-minute finishing touches were at times as complex as installing a high-tech music system in the trains and other times as simple as changing a lightbulb.

Harrah's looking at Caesars: By Liz Benston; Harrah's Entertainment Inc. is discussing a potential purchase of Caesars Entertainment Inc. in a Las Vegas-driven megadeal that today drew mixed reactions from Wall Street.

8-month-old girl dies in apartment blaze: Jen Lawson and Stephen Curran; Her father and neighbors tried to rescue her, but an 8-month-old girl died this morning in an east Las Vegas apartment fire that investigators believe started in her bedroom, fire officials said.

Nevadans split on same-sex marriage ban vote: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Nevada's senators agree that marriage should only be between a man and a woman, but voted differently today on the effort to amend the U.S. Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage.

Musician Gromko dies at 80: From the Sands Copa Room to the halls of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to the Las Vegas Civic Symphony and many cultural stops in between, William Gromko made sweet music.

Movement to give dead vets respect gains momentum: Jace Radke; Vietnam veteran Dave Anson is continuing his work to ensure that homeless and abandoned veterans are buried with the ceremony and respect they deserve, but now he is getting a lot more help.

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