Print edition for July 27, 2004

Sports briefs for July 27, 2004: The Charlotte Bobcats have signed Emeka Okafor, getting the No. 2 overall pick under contract before he leaves for Greece to play for the U.S. Olympic team.

Obituaries for July 27, 2004: Donna M. Brandt, 68, of Las Vegas died Sunday in a local hospital. She was born Jan. 1, 1936, in Chicago. A resident for 26 years, she was a homemaker.

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

Guards plan rally over prison staffing problems: CARSON CITY -- A union of correctional officers in the state prison system plans to rally at the state Capitol Monday to call attention to its complants that staffing levels are dangerously low, jeopardizing the safety of prisoners, guards and other prison employees.

Heat taking lower toll on county residents this year: Beth Slovic; The county appears on track to record far fewer heat-related deaths this year, according to the Clark County coroner's office.

Defense: Kiosk owner's killing done by others: By Matt Pordum; The attorney for a 20-year-old man accused of killing a 40-year-old jewelry kiosk owner told a Clark County jury that prosecutors might be able to prove his client was at the scene of the killing but the man who fired the fatal shots remains uncharged.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Earnhardt fired up about trying to run all 200 laps: Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he intends to race all 200 laps in Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway, but his team is planning for a repeat of this past weekend's race -- just in case.

Columnist Dean Juipe: They play it a little louder in the SEC: Dean Juipe; When representatives of the Mountain West Conference held their annual football media days last week at the plush Hyatt Regency Lake Las Vegas Resort, participants not only noticed but commented on the peaceful, serene setting.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Conley gets a jump on cleaning up sport: He's such a nice guy that if you asked Mike Conley to jump, he'd probably ask "how high?"

Pulte Homes' revenue soars: Jennifer Shubinski; Two of the nation's largest home builders, also large Las Vegas builders, announced their quarterly earnings Monday.

Columnist Jeff German: Striking a balance in Vegas: We have made the cover of Time as a one-dimensional party town, and our martini-guzzling mayor and our morality-challenged marketers are singing the magazine's praises.

Creer, retired Air Force general, real estate executive, dies at 92: William "Bill" Creer was a leader, whether commanding air raids over Europe during World War II, setting an air-speed record across the Atlantic in the 1950s or running one of Las Vegas' largest realty offices in the 1970s.

Sears opens concept store in Vegas: Jennifer Shubinski; Sears, Roebuck & Co. opened its Sears Grand concept Monday in the west Las Vegas Valley, the third such store in the country.

Gaming briefs for July 27, 2004: LEWISTON, Maine -- Retailers are preparing for long lines and strong sales when Maine begins sales of Powerball lottery ticket sales at noon Friday.

Five vendors on Fremont Street ordered to vacate: By Liz Benston; The management of the Fremont Street Experience outdoor mall in downtown Las Vegas has terminated the leases of five vendors as part of a move to "change the direction" of the mall.

Special session of Legislature is sought to cap property taxes: Kirsten Searer; Three Republican lawmakers have asked Gov. Kenny Guinn to call a special legislative session this year to implement a cap on property taxes.

Two petitions have necessary amount of voter signatures: CARSON CITY -- Two petitions -- one to repeal the $833.5 tax package and the other to bar government employees from serving in the Legislature -- have cleared their first hurdle, Secretary of State Dean Heller said today.

Some local seniors finding protection in owning guns: Lynn Doan; Some of the men arrive at the indoor shooting range in wheelchairs and others use walkers. A few are missing limbs lost in previous wars.

Aladdin investment depressed London Clubs second half: LONDON -- London Clubs Plc, the British owner of 11 casinos, Monday said second-half profit slid 95 percent after it lost money on an investment in a Las Vegas casino operator.

Earnings briefs for July 27, 2004: PLEASANTON, Calif. -- Safeway Inc., the No. 3 U.S. supermarket chain and owner of Vons stores in Las Vegas, said today second-quarter profit fell 3.6 percent after the company cut prices to win back customers lost during a 20-week strike in Southern California.

Disease test on hawk is positive: Heather Rawlyk; West Nile virus West nile virus is spread through the bite of infected mosquitoes, which acquire the virus by feeding on infected birds. The Health District recommends people take the following precautions to reduce their individual risk of being bitten by an infected mosquito.

Suit leads to evictions of apartment dwellers: Lynn Doan; The property owner of a Las Vegas apartment complex issued eviction notices to all of her residents Monday after some of them filed a lawsuit against her.

Nye commission resolves to support Yucca project: If approved, the Yucca Mountain project would send up to 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste through a 319-mile path in Nye and Lincoln counties before being placed inside the mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

Agent claims overuse led to Williams' exit: Life after Ricky Williams has begun much earlier for the Miami Dolphins than they anticipated, in large part because they overused him, his agent said Monday.

Rancho High's Kazor gets junior college job: "I don't have too many players right now," Kazor said by phone from Glen Ellyn, which is just outside of Chicago. "But I'm enthused. The school president said he'd give me everything I needed to succeed."

Way paved for loans to two homeowners: Dan Kulin; A misunderstanding by a bank instead of an unintentional roadblock from City Hall was the cause of at least one downtown Henderson resident's recent troubles getting a loan, a city official said.

Good till the last dunk: Nick Christensen; As five days of basketball overload wrapped up Monday night at Foothill High School, the two teams in the open division championship game at the Reebok Big Time tournament pretty much characterized the whole show.

Gates lauds Moore's film at Black Family Channel event: Suzanne Struglinski; BOSTON -- Clark County Commission Yvonne Atkinson Gates shared the spotlight with controversial filmmaker Michael Moore at a award reception Monday at the Democratic National Convention.

Regulators request more information on megadeal: The companies said in a joint statement that they intend to respond to the information request, which was not unexpected. MGM MIRAGE said the company still anticipates the transaction will be approved by the first quarter of 2005, the timeline originally stated when the companies announced the deal last month.

Kerry camp bringing out celebrities: Suzanne Struglinski; BOSTON -- The Kerry campaign is bringing out celebrities, senators and strategists to make sure the Nevada delegation knows how important the state is to the election.

AG: Regents violated law again: Cy Ryan and Christina Littlefield; CARSON CITY -- The state attorney general's office has accused the university regents of violating the open-meeting law again for refusing to provide a copy of a proposed employment contract with Jim Rogers as interim chancellor.

No charges filed in fatal cab crash: Heather Rawlyk; The Nevada Taxicab Authority and Metro Police are investigating a collision that killed a Missouri man and injured five others Sunday night at Valley View Boulevard and Viking Road.

Fire expected to spread: Firefighters gained no ground overnight on a 1,500-acre fire at Mount Charleston that started Monday afternoon, and fire officials expected to see the fire grow today.

Four LV firms sued over accessibility complaints: Alana Roberts; Nevadans for Equal Access, a nonprofit group that represents the interests of people with disabilities, has filed federal lawsuits against four Las Vegas businesses alleging they violated federal and state accessibility laws.

News briefs for July 27, 2004: Nellis Air Force Base is hosting the military's Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2004 through Aug. 6.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Origin of 'gossip' depends on source: So today we thought we'd use that flimsy tie-in to muse on the connection between politics and the coining of the word "gossip."

Locals get taste of a big event: Nick Christensen; Open Division Championship Spiece Indy Heat (IN) 86, Team Breakdown (FL) 68

Federal team to assess Carson City fire damage: CARSON CITY -- A federal team is due in Carson City on Wednesday to assess the damage of the 8,723-acre forest and range fire and to determine if the state will qualify for federal aid.

Clinton, Gore speeches energize Nevada delegates: Suzanne Struglinski; BOSTON -- It was a flashback Monday night for Democrats at their national convention as former President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore took the stage to call for one of their own party to return to the White House.

'Slots for Tots' slammed: Slots for Tots.

Anthem earnings increase 34 percent: INDIANAPOLIS -- Anthem Inc. today posted a 34 percent rise in second-quarter profit and raised its outlook for the year. The health insurance provider also said it will go to court to overturn the California insurance commissioner's rejection of its $16.4 billion merger with WellPoint Health Systems Inc.

Letter: Rep. Porter is not a strong entry: In post position No. 1 is Sen. Harry Reid, a hard-working, very influential Democratic senator. Post position No. 2 is a scratch, as Republican Sen. John Ensign is not running this year, but he also works hard for our state and works well with Sen. Reid on matters that affect Nevada.

Spoon Jr. gets call to join Missouri: Steve Guiremand; Jay Spoonhour has a new job.

Letter: Flaw apparent in Social Security: In February Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan testified before the House Budget Committee and warned that changing demographics threaten to burst the Medicare and Social Security bubble: "In 2008 -- just four years from now -- the first cohort of the baby-boom generation will reach 62, the earliest age at which Social Security retirement benefits may be claimed and the age at which about half of prospective beneficiaries choose to retire; in 2011, these individuals will reach 65 and will thus be eligible for Medicare. This dramatic demographic change is certain to place enormous demands on our nation's resources -- demands ...

Editorial: Protecting our seniors: Guardianship is supposed to protect senior citizens when they no longer can make decisions on their own. But if there aren't adequate safeguards, unscrupulous characters can take advantage of these legal proceedings, resulting in senior citizens being swindled out of their money and assets. All it takes for someone to be placed under a guardian's care is for a Family Court judge to agree with the recommendations of one doctor or a government agency. And, despite how far-reaching such a decision can be, it can also happen quickly: If there aren't any objections from the senior citizen or his relatives, ...

Disenrolled Paiutes hope for reinstatement order: Jace Radke; Fourteen disenrolled members of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe are waiting for an order that will determine if they will be let back into the tribe after being kicked out in 1999.

Metro Police committee approves funds for management consultant: Stephen Curran; The Metro Police Fiscal Affairs Committee on Monday set aside $144,000 from the department's general fund for a Las Vegas consulting firm hired to teach leadership skills to mid-level officers.

Letter: Membership in militia is not required for guns: I did not disregard any part of the Second Amendment, as he suggested. Our Founding Fathers made sure that a militia could not be eliminated by Congress. They also made sure that people could "keep and bear arms." Nowhere in the Second Amendment (or any other place in the Constitution) does it state that a person must be a member of a militia in order to "keep and bear arms."

Think globally, experts tell New Jersey tourism interests: John Curran; ASBURY PARK, N.J. -- With 127 miles of shoreline, hundreds of hotels and more amusement rides than you can shake Dad's wallet at, the New Jersey shore is already a big attraction.

Editorial: A winner, a worker: His six victories belong at or near the top of any list of the greatest achievements ever in sports, team or individual. At the core of Armstrong's success, something for all of us to remember, is his dedication to hard work. Two years ago, a writer for the New Yorker magazine asked him about his daily commitment to a severe training regimen, about whether such unfailing discipline was necessary. "Depends whether you want to win. I do," Armstrong replied.

D.C. slots foes win round in signature challenge: Derrill Holly; WASHINGTON -- Opponents of a ballot initiative designed to allow development of a casino in the nation's capital drew a partial victory Monday. Regulators who will decide whether the measure should be on the Nov. 2 general election ballot ruled that petition circulators had to personally observe all of the signatures they gathered.

Immunization schedule for July 27, 2004: NORTH LAS VEGAS PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 1820 E. Lake Mead Blvd., Suite F, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Reality in Vegas is unrealistic: I figured everything that could be said had been said or written in the barrage of local and national media commentary that followed Linda Ronstadt's ejection from the Aladdin July 17.

Community briefs for July 27, 2004: The Rev. Gus Guppenberger of Glenmary Home Missioners will speak Saturday and Sunday during Masses at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Laughlin about missionary work in Appalachia, the South and Southwest.

Rehearsing for Success: Educational festival pairs students with top musicians: He becomes ecstatic when talking about students performing and learning alongside professional musicians. But ask him what the festival, held at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada, does for the community and he's over the edge.

Zmed puts on dancing shoes for Hilton contest: Maybe you remember him as officer Vince Romano in the TV series "T.J. Hooker" (1982-'85).

Parents urged to apply for school bus service: Those who are eligible for bus service and submit an application prior to or on July 30 will receive bus service information through the mail. Bus service information includes pickup location and time, bus route number and more.