Print edition for July 21, 2004

Obituaries for July 21, 2004: Juanita C. Andrews, 85, of Las Vegas died Tuesday in Las Vegas. An owner-operator of a building business, she was born May 30, 1919, in Las Vegas.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Hooters hosts debut of My Hope Chest charity: Elizabeth Foyt; The new local nonprofit organization has a mission to help uninsured and underprivileged breast cancer survivors acquire the much-needed breast reconstruction after a mastectomy.

Editorial: Clear Channel or bust?: Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is concerned about Clear Channel, as is Councilman Gary Reese. The mayor warned the committee before it gave tentative approval to a new contract that there is no backup plan if Clear Channel defaults again. And Reese asked, "If Clear Channel does not come through ... what's going to happen to our centennial celebration?" The committee is scheduled to make a final decision about Clear Channel Aug. 9. In our view, the committee should give serious thought to what most communities do for their celebrations, which is to work through the chamber of commerce in ...

Viva Amigos: Mercado builds successful business from nothing with help from friends: Ken Miller; While he prefers to keep some specifics of his past private, this much he would reveal: At an early age he gave up his dreams of college to support his siblings, and when he moved to Las Vegas, he had $5 in his pocket.

Letter: People get the government they deserve: There is an important line between Jon's cynicism and a realistic understanding of the political process. Of course politicians are signing on to the 6 percent cap for self-serving reasons. The smarter ones among them understand full well that property taxes are the iceberg to their Titanic.

Editorial: Time story is 'best free publicity'?: This city's success, including that of businesses not directly tied to casinos, is inextricably linked to the vitality of the gaming industry. And, to borrow a phrase, what's good for the gaming industry is good for Las Vegas. Nevertheless, the constant emphasis on sex and partying is causing many local residents -- especially for parents with children -- to wonder if, as a community, we have gone too far. One recent flashpoint was the opposition by hundreds of Las Vegans to the increasingly racy billboards in Las Vegas that advertise strip joints, after-hours clubs and casinos, a development that they ...

Community briefs for July 21, 2004: Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, a division of Kaplan Inc., will hold a law school edge seminar from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday in the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Boyd Law School, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway.

Letter: Teachers should be paid more: It is a fact that in the American culture, teachers are regarded with the lowest of esteem and value. Some media sources highlight the negative aspects of the teaching profession and continually wail about the few poorly equipped for the job. In America a professional baseball player can make more money with three at bats in a game than a young, new and highly talented teacher can make in a year. I don't believe there is another country that equals America's low regard for its teachers. While America may spend more money on education than any other in the world, ...

Lyon mosquitoes carrying virus: Mosquitoes collected from Lyon County in Northern Nevada have tested positive for the West Nile virus, the Nevada Agriculture Department said Tuesday.

Two teams worth a look in over/under play: HIGH-ROLLER: A gambler who routinely bets large amounts of money.

Some LV city departments eliminate petty cash funds: Several Las Vegas city departments have discontinued petty cash funds and others have tightened rules regarding such money in the wake of petty cash theft in the planning department that went undetected for four years, the Las Vegas Audit Oversight Committee was told Tuesday.

Low riders: Pocket bike enthusiasts find home in a parking lot: Lynn Doan; The winner was No. 16, a 34-year-old man whizzing past a makeshift finish line in an abandoned parking lot on a red motorbike no taller than his thighs, his knees bent close to either side of his shoulders.

Columnist Jeff German: Where does Sandy get all the cash?: This week we learned the big spenders for the defense have come under investigation for giving money to a key prosecution witness, Steven Kurt Gratzer.

New tax bills likely to upset Southern Nevada homeowners: An increase in property values may have some homeowners seeing red this week when they receive their tax bills in the mail.

The ball game: Adam Candee; These ain't your great-grandpa's gutties.

Woman accused of trying to blackmail Dion's husband jailed: By Matt Pordum; A Korean woman accused of trying to blackmail the husband of Celine Dion was ordered jailed without bail Tuesday.

Swingers club owner files civil-rights suit: Jace Radke; The owner of a Las Vegas swingers club has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Clark County after the club was cited for operating an adult theater without a license.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Burgeoning youth league pops into football scene: Dean Juipe; Eight years ago Ray Henricksen wasn't satisfied with his son's progress and involvement in Pop Warner football. "If you don't like it, start your own league," he was allegedly told at the time.

Group trying to repeal $833 million tax hike claims sufficient signatures: Kirsten Searer and Cy Ryan; Supporters of a referendum to repeal the $833.5 million tax increase say they have turned in more than 68,000 signatures to put the issue on the November ballot.

7-year-old girl found unharmed: The girl left her home in the 7500 block of Dry Creek Avenue near Buffalo and Vegas drives about 5 a.m., police said. Her 5-year-old sister went with her but returned home and told their father what had happened. The 7-year-old girl was found about 8:30 a.m. at a neighbor's house, police said.

Candidate: School Board violated open-meeting law: By Emily Richmond; Attorney Richard Segerblom has filed a complaint alleging that the Clark County School Board, for which he is a candidate, violated the state's open-meeting law during a closed-session performance evaluation of Superintendent Carlos Garcia.

Ralph Siraco's Del Mar selections: 1st Race -- TOTAL WAGER -- In good post for short sprint opener, Solis scales Mullins entry, Wager freshman colt graduation is Total effort here. RILEY'S LIFE -- Espinoza on La Croix trainee, draws good box for maiden/claiming dash, Life of Riley's pleasure is diploma here. Value Play -- PRISON CAPER

Police crack down on illegal lane use: Stephen Curran; North Las Vegas Police are cracking down on drivers who illegally use a specially designated bus lane to save a few minutes on their commutes, a spokesman for the department said Tuesday.

Tech giant benefits from Microsoft settlement: For the three months ended June 30, Sun earned $795 million, or 24 cents per share, compared with a loss of $1.04 billion, or 32 cents per share, in the same period last year. Sales rose 4.3 percent to $3.11 billion from $2.98 billion last year.

Extent of voter fraud in county unknown: Kirsten Searer; With aggressive voter-registration drives swamping the Clark County Election Department and officials seeing an increase in fraudulent voter registration, authorities say it's unclear where and how to prosecute those involved.

Assessor fears revolt over property taxes: The Clark County assessor warned Tuesday of a taxpayers' rebellion unless local governments and citizens successfully pressure the Nevada Legislature to put a cap on property taxes.

Robbers of cab driver sought: The driver had picked up the two men near The Orleans hotel-casino at Arville Street and Tropicana Avenue about 2 a.m. The men put luggage in the trunk and asked the driver to take them to Jones Boulevard and Edna Avenue on the west side.

Military bill includes funds for armory: Lynn Doan; The Nevada Army National Guard would receive $12.8 million to build a new armory in Henderson for the state's new weapons of mass destruction team if Senate passes a military bill in the fall.

Regent may have violated agreement with remarks: A university regent's public remarks may have violated the settlement agreement the Board of Regents signed with demoted CCSN lobbyist John Cummings, Cummings and two regents said Wednesday.

Columnist Adam Candee: 84-year-old still has ace up his sleeve: Adam Candee; Rocco Pronk consistently shoots below his age. At 84, that is no small feat.

City Council members pledge to fix zoning issues: Dan Kulin; Unintended consequence is rearing its ugly head in downtown Henderson.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: A little sense would help to a degree: Thanks to the Sun's new e-mail filtering system, I don't get as many wedding proposals from Russian girls as I used to. On Tuesday, for instance, the only offer I received through cyberspace came from a gentleman who said I could get "a genuine college degree in two weeks."

Three trucks crash on interstate: The crashes occurred near a rest stop in Cima, Calif., police said.

Letter: Oil drives Bush's foreign policy: After pondering it for awhile it suddenly struck me. No oil.

Lance Armstrong, other cancer survivors to ride bikes on Strip: Lance Armstrong and 19 other bike riders should soon race down part of Las Vegas Boulevard.

A cast of thousands tips off the big week: Nick Christensen; Las Vegas is a city of divergent thinking, so it's really not much of a surprise that the peak of basketball season in Southern Nevada is late July.

Columnist Jeff Haney: Belly up to the bar for advice: Meet Spago's 'resident handicapper': June 30 -- Worst things about Vegas betting. July 7 -- Future books for the World Series. July 14 -- Games of the year in football. Today -- Over/unders on wins in NFL season. Next week -- Oddsmakers gear up for football season.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Champ Cars will test at track Aug. 18: Southern Nevada racing fans will have an opportunity to get a preview of the Sept. 25 Champ Car World Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when the 750-horsepower Champ Cars hold an open test at the 1.5-mile superspeedway on Aug. 18.

New funding plan on tap for triage center: The Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition could authorize on Thursday a new funding formula for the embattled WestCare Community Triage Center, which serves mentally disabled and drug- and alcohol-addicted people.

Judge won't dismiss suit against drug companies: CARSON CITY -- A district judge in Reno has refused to dismiss a suit by the state that alleges several drug manufacturers jacked up the price of prescription drugs sold to the Medicaid program and consumers, Attorney General Brian Sandoval said Tuesday.

Business briefs for July 21, 2004: SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Sun Microsystems Inc. reported a fiscal fourth-quarter profit Tuesday as the struggling server and software maker saw sales jump for the first time in three years and benefited from its settlement with Microsoft Corp.

MGM MIRAGE profit skyrockets: MGM MIRAGE reported its second straight record quarter today, nearly doubling earnings over the same period a year ago and easily beating analysts' estimates.

News briefs for July 21, 2004: A 61-year-old woman was killed this morning on State Route 160, about 22 miles north of Las Vegas.

Harrah's reports record profit in second quarter: By Liz Benston; Strong growth at the company's Nevada properties and increased gambler use of the company's Total Rewards slot club card helped boost second-quarter profit at Harrah's Entertainment Inc. to record levels, executives said today.

Thursday's horse racing entries: Post Time 2 p.m.

County revamps rules on land deals: The Clark County Commission on Tuesday enacted sweeping changes to the way it handles leases, swaps and sales of county-owned land in an effort to avoid incidents like the one that led to the ongoing debate over the lease for a big-box Wal-Mart near McCarran International Airport.

Officials find more evidence of West Nile virus in Nevada: AP; The announcement follows a report Monday that a dead crow found in Carson City also tested positive, in what officials said was the first hard evidence of the virus in the state. No cases of the virus involving people have been detected yet.

Report compares casino proposals: Chris T. Nguyen; LOS ANGELES -- A gambling initiative would provide millions of dollars less for local governments and also less money to the state than the new compacts Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed with five tribes, according to a state report released Tuesday.

Gaming briefs for July 21, 2004: NEW ORLEANS -- Gamblers lost $2.1 billion at Louisiana's state-licensed casinos during the state's last fiscal year, an increase of about 5 percent fueled by growth at the downtown New Orleans casino and at slot-machine casinos at race tracks.

Sports briefs for July 21, 2004: Three former UNLV standouts and a longtime Rebels head coach have been voted into the school's Hall of Fame.

Man charged in house sitter's death: Jen Lawson; Michael Paul Fierro is accused of beating 31-year-old Enrique Martinez-Salas with a toilet tank lid and stabbing him, according to the arrest warrant.

New concept store opens in Vegas on Monday: The Las Vegas Sears Grand store is the third such store nationwide to open, company officials said. The store will open Monday and will celebrate its grand opening July 31 with events and prizes.

Herbst expanding with Midwest riverboat deal: A Las Vegas gaming company that built Nevada's largest slot route from its roots as an oil company and convenience store operator announced Tuesday it's expanding its casino holdings out of state with the purchase of three riverboats.

Judge orders petitions placed on ballot: CARSON CITY -- A District Court judge Tuesday ordered the secretary of state to put initiative petitions to raise the minimum wage and stop frivolous lawsuits on the November ballot saying it was "better for the people of the state to vote."

Results improve for Riviera, Hard Rock in second quarter: Revenue advanced 9.2 percent to $52.8 million in part due to strong growth in gambling market-wide in Las Vegas, the company said.

Valley facing extreme summer heat: The thermometer hit 109 degrees, tying the hottest day of the year so far on July 13. The average temperature for July 20 is 104 degrees, the weather service said.

LV Boulevard condos planned: Alex Edelstein, managing partner of Gemstone Development, said it is too early to say exactly how many residential condos will be on the site, but did say it will be a substantial number. There are also preliminary discussions for retail and other commercial uses for the 50-acre site that the group has dubbed the Silverado project, he said.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Goulet has genuine passion for Stern: It just might be vintage Vegas entertainer Robert Goulet.

Kerry television ad airing only in Nevada, Ohio: "We think Nevada and Ohio are the two states that voted for (President) Bush that we think we have the best chance of winning this year," said Charlie Eaton, the Nevada State Field Organizer for the MoveOn political action committee.

NRC may delay its evaluation of Yucca: Suzanne Struglinski; ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission may have to delay its evaluation of the Yucca Mountain project license application, Commissioner Edward McGaffigan said today.

Wall of sound judgment: Since the day it opened in the fall of 1996, Las Vegas Motor Speedway's 1.5-mile oval has received rave reviews from drivers for being smooth, wide and extremely "racy."

Correction: The Sun corrects its errors. If you find a mistake, call 385-3111 to report it.

Thurston tries to rediscover faded promise: Nick Christensen; Joe Thurston's season could pretty much be summed up by one play Tuesday -- a pinch-hit line drive hit hard to left field that, if it was about a foot higher, would have been an RBI single.