Print edition for July 29, 2004

Cox brings character to Acoustic Routes: But Ronny Cox is also a singer/songwriter who's full of lies and perfect timing. When he's not singing, he's good for a laugh.

Righteous Daughter: Vocalist McKenna Medley, daughter of Bill, impresses at age 17: Spencer Patterson; The last time Medley headlined the Suncoast, her show opened with a short performance by Righteous Brother Bill Medley, who also happens to be her dad. "It's pretty fun when he does that," Medley said. "The audience is definitely really into it at that point, so it's a nice feeling going on after him." Medley returns to the Suncoast Showroom this weekend, for 7:30 p.m. performances Saturday and Sunday.

Reid delivers his anti-Yucca pitch: Suzanne Struglinski; BOSTON -- In a seven-minute speech to the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., gave the nation a prime-time pitch against Yucca Mountain.

Haege stunned by firing: Adam Candee; In arena football terms, the news of his firing blindsided former Gladiators coach Frank Haege right into the boards.

Free child care offered to Guard, Reserve members: Dick Benoit; A nonprofit organization dedicated to helping families find quality child care is working to provide such care free of charge to Reserve and National Guard members on rest-and-recuperation leave from Iraq.

Letter: On-site storage of nuclear waste not a sound solution: Disposal of high-level radioactive waste, including spent nuclear fuel from commercial power plants, in a suitable underground repository has been national policy since 1983. What makes it urgent is that the same law also said disposal was to begin in 1998. The Energy Department, which manages the disposal program, entered into contracts with nuclear utilities obligating the government to accept the waste in accordance with that schedule. In return, the utilities (and their ratepayers) began fee payments for the disposal, which they continue to pay to this day. The federal courts have found the government to be in partial breach ...

Trump loss widens on AC competition: ATLANTIC CITY -- Donald Trump's Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts Inc. on Wednesday said its second-quarter loss widened to $17.6 million because of more competition in Atlantic City.

Air Force tests reduce time for making kills: Jace Radke; In the opening stages of the Iraq war it took U.S. forces about 23 minutes to launch an attack against a building that intelligence had identified as a possible hiding spot of Saddam Hussein.

Editorial: Eliminate red tape: The Nevada Equal Rights Commission, which already investigates discrimination in the workplace, has a plan that would allow it to take from HUD the job of enforcing housing discrimination laws. A Nevadan no longer would have to send his complaint out of state -- it could be received here and, hopefully, addressed promptly. The commission is working with HUD to obtain a three-year agreement so that Nevada could receive funding to investigate these complaints, a partnership that exists in 48 other states. The Nevada Legislature would have to get involved, too, granting the commission the authority to respond to housing ...

Interim officers still assessing EOB's woes: By Timothy Pratt; Mary Twitty, the new interim executive director of the Economic Opportunity Board, spoke of getting "past the clouds and ... to the sunshine" after reporting to the troubled nonprofit organization's board for the first time Wednesday.

The hero: Dean Juipe; As always, Carlos Hernandez is 5-foot-6 and 140 pounds, or 130 when he's preparing for a fight.

Doughnut chain subject of SEC investigation: The company's shares fell as much as much as 12 percent. Krispy Kreme is "fully cooperating" with the informal inquiry, the Winston-Salem-based doughnut maker said in a statement.

Beating suspect could face murder charge if victim dies: Lynn Doan; A 20-year-old Las Vegas man who is accused of severely beating another man June 7 after he found him sleeping in his car could face murder charges because the victim remains in intensive care and may die, a deputy district attorney said.

Letter: 'Roadless Rule' aids environment: The conservative right wants to annihilate 40 years of environmental progress for the sake of corporate greed, by receiving reciprocal donations to the Republican National Committee.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Corrales says he's fully ready to face Freitas: Dean Juipe; Regardless of the outcome of his fight against Acelino Freitas, Diego Corrales won't find himself looking back and second guessing his preparation.

Ralph Siraco's Del Mar selections: 1st Race -- IMAGOLDSEEKER -- Draws good inside post for two-turn turf opener, Flores aboard Cerin trainee, backers to seek gold in winners circle. FREE RENT -- Baze aboard owner Dutton trainee, draws good box for grass claimer, victory pays the Rent. Value Play -- KIMMY'S KID

Fight schedule: At Oakland, Michael Grant, Norristown, Pa., vs. Terrance Lewis, Philadelphia, 10, heavyweights.

Editorial: Voting fraud must trigger quick action: Voter registration drives project positive images. We think of their role in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, for example. And we think of Nevada's historically low voter turnout -- only two states had a lower turnout than Nevada in the 2000 elections -- and see the need for them.

Request to ban TV cameras denied: By Matt Pordum; Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Nancy Oesterle on Wednesday denied a defense attorney's request to keep television cameras out of the courtroom during the appearances a 39-year-old convicted sex offender currently facing charges of sexually assaulting minors.

Obituaries for July 29, 2004: Emory D. Bishop, 64, of Las Vegas died Sunday in Las Vegas. He was born Dec. 18, 1939, in Clinton, S.C. A resident for nine years, he was a retired Army veteran.

Motorist pleads not guilty in death of 8-year-old bicyclist: By Matt Pordum; A woman accused of being under the influence of drugs when she drove her car into an 8-year-old bicyclist pleaded not guilty on Wednesday and was scheduled to stand trial on Jan. 18 before District Judge Joseph Bonaventure.

Five autos destroyed in southeast side arson spree: Arson investigators are trying to determine who burned five vehicles early this morning throughout Southeast Las Vegas. The vandalism spree tied up fire engine crews and kept Clark County Fire Department fire investigators scrambling from scene to scene to free up firefighters.

Rogers, Sandoval to talk about regents' violations: Interim Chancellor Jim Rogers says he is going to do everything possible to resolve the attorney general's latest allegation that the university Board of Regents violated the state's open-meeting law and to prevent future violations from happening.

Nevada education official steps down: By Emily Richmond; State Board of Education member John Hawk unexpectedly resigned Wednesday, just minutes after his colleagues gave final approval to a charter high school he co-founded with his wife.

Widening of U.S. 95 likely to be delayed: Jace Radke; A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals order is expected to delay the completion of the U.S. 95 widening project, but it won't stop the construction under way on the $370 million expansion.

Berkley casts vote for JFK: Suzanne Struglinski; BOSTON -- Nevada Rep. Shelley Berkley Wednesday night enthusiastically cast the state's votes at the Democratic National Convention for Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.

Sports briefs for July 29, 2004: More confidential material from the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case, including the last name of the woman who has accused Bryant of rape, was accidentally released to the public by the court on Wednesday through the Colorado State Judicial Branch Web site.

Taxable May sales grow as does state's economy: CARSON CITY -- Spurred by strong construction activity and car sales, Nevada's business sector posted its fifth straight month of double-digit taxable sales in May.

Borgata helps Boyd double profit in second quarter: By Liz Benston; Second-quarter profit at Boyd Gaming Corp. more than doubled from last year on the opening of the Borgata casino resort in Atlantic City in July 2003 and the May purchase of a Shreveport, Miss., casino from Harrah's Entertainment Inc., executives said Wednesday.

Gaming briefs for July 29, 2004: WEST GREENWICH, R.I. -- Gtech Holdings Corp., the world's biggest seller of computerized lottery systems, received a subpoena from the Securities and Exchange Commission for documents on the its Brazilian operations.

Dropped charges against woman scuttle extradition: Molly Ball; For five years, Nevada and federal authorities have been fighting to extradite a woman accused of abducting her 6-year-old son from a Las Vegas day-care center in 1988 and taking him to England.

High court may decide on petitions: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court could have the final say whether voters will, in November, decide two initiative petitions on raising the minimum wage and penalizing those who file frivolous lawsuits.

Caesars Entertainment completes $35 mil. purchase of land near Strip: By Liz Benston; Caesars Entertainment Inc. recently purchased about 7 acres of land behind its Bally's hotel-casino that it may use for future development.

Boyd mum on Oakland casino report: The plan would mark the first tribal opportunity for Coast but would not be a first for Boyd. Coast, the second largest operator of Las Vegas locals casinos behind Station Casinos Inc., has also pursued gaming deals in other states such as Indiana and Nebraska.

Profit steady for Vegas garbage company: Net income rose to $60.9 million, or 39 cents a share, from $60.4 million, or 37 cents, a year earlier, Fort Lauderdale-based Republic said in a statement. The earnings matched the mean estimate of 11 analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial.

Higher profit reported by Vegas mall owners: Simon Property Group Inc., the world's largest owner of shopping malls and owner of the Forum Shops at Caesars in Las Vegas, Wednesday said second-quarter earnings rose 19 percent because of higher rents and acquisitions.

Elevated radiation levels at mine in Yerington cause for concern: Molly Ball; Many in Yerington had suspected the soil at the contaminated old mine site in Lyon County might be radioactive. They knew there was uranium in the groundwater and in some residents' wells.

LV contractor is a force behind the scenes at DNC: Volumes have been written about Nevada's place in the political arena at this year's Democratic National Convention in Boston.

Friday's horse racing entries: Post Time 4 p.m.

Volunteers for ballot questions sought: CARSON CITY -- Secretary of State Dean Heller says he urgently needs volunteers to write arguments for and against the questions that appear on the November election ballot.

Major pain at Triple-A: Nick Christensen; As Major League Baseball closes in on selecting a permanent home for the Montreal Expos, three Triple-A baseball franchises sit, watch, and wait to see if their futures are in another city.

News briefs for July 29, 2004: Smoke and dust that enveloped the Strip and parts of the Las Vegas Valley late Tuesday evening had no significant effect on air quality, according to Clark County meteorologists.

Jury deliberates fate of Limongello slaying suspect: By Matt Pordum; After two full days of testimony in the murder trial of a 20-year-old man, a Clark County jury today was expected to decided if Aaron Daniels is guilty of killing a man or of simply being a witness to a killing planned and carried out by others who have gone uncharged.

Police seek man in attempted robbery of NLV doctor's office: The man walked into the Aydhe Rojas medical office in the 1800 block of Civic Center Drive around 3:50 p.m. and told employees he had a gun and was going to rob the office, according to Officer Tim Bedwell, a North Las Vegas Police spokesman.

Driving power goes a long way in this one: Adam Candee; Matt Kodama...68-68 -- 136 Chad Fosburg...68-70 -- 138 Kenny Ebalo...70-69 -- 139 Michael Karlberg...71-69 -- 140 Bryan Schlosser...74-71 -- 145 Brady Exber...73-73 -- 146 Paul Johnson...72-74 -- 146 Matt Kinsinger...73-73 -- 146 Frack Acker...73-73 -- 146 Joe Sawaia...73-73 -- 146

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Reports of 'Yellow Submarine' torpedoed: Few things are certain, but sources confirm that Cirque du Soleil will produce the show, and that despite a Reuters report that was picked up worldwide, the new show will not be a Cirque interpretation of "Yellow Submarine," the psychedelic-era Beatles movie.

Planners vote to change sign regulations: Dan Kulin; Boulder City may be banning new billboards and making free speech free.

Pharmacy benefit manager under investigation: Express Scripts is a pharmacy benefit manager that fills mail-order prescriptions for health plans. It said it is cooperating with Nevada and the 19 other states.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: A show of Force has the old champion back on top: By John Force's standards, 2003 was on off year.

Four teens injured while performing auto stunt: Lynn Doan; Four Las Vegas teens under the influence of alcohol were injured in a car accident Wednesday after the driver attempted to perform a stunt and lost control of the car, Metro Police said.

Cox second-quarter profit falls 47 percent: Cox Communications Inc., the fourth-largest U.S. cable-television operator, today said second-quarter profit fell 47 percent as gains from selling its stake in Sprint Corp. declined.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: There's a catch in this year's batting race: Here it is, the last week of July, and Ivan Rodriguez is leading the American League with a .353 batting average.