Print edition for June 23, 2004

Gaming briefs for June 23, 2004: Mandalay Resort Group has postponed its annual shareholders meeting in order to include for consideration the proposed merger agreement with MGM MIRAGE.

One dead, three hurt in crash on beltway: Heather Rawlyk; A 40-year-old Las Vegas man was killed and three others were seriously injured Tuesday night after the driver of a sport utility vehicle ran a red traffic light and collided with a pickup truck at the intersection of Town Center Drive and the Las Vegas Beltway.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Tryout camp a last chance for many: Dean Juipe; On the field were more than 100 baseball players, each in the uniform of his choice and all feeling just a little self-conscious.

Woman arrested in slaying of restaurant night manager: Jen Lawson; A 19-year-old woman who was fired from a Henderson Applebee's restaurant days before the night manager was stabbed and shot in August 2003 has been charged with his slaying.

Quilters warming up to Ronald McDonald House: As one of the 160 Binky Patrol chapters nationwide, the 15 Las Vegas quilters meet twice a month to create blankets for children born with HIV/AIDS, drug addiction or terminal illness and for children who are abused, orphaned or experiencing trauma.

Library board gives director vote of confidence: Board members congratulated Executive Director Daniel Walters for successfully coping with the Las Vegas Valley's rapidly growing population and the district's shrinking budget, and expressed their confidence that he would overcome future budgetary challenges.

Wolfson wins Ward 2 race: Sito Negron; Amid hooting, cheering and clapping, Steve Wolfson officially became the Las Vegas City Council's newest member at 8:50 p.m. Tuesday, when the count of Ward 2 votes was complete. His first act was to hug his wife, District Judge Jackie Glass, and his first words were for his family, who responded in turn.

College building costs up more than $25 million: The rising cost of steel and other construction materials is adding more than $25 million to the cost of proposed higher education buildings, forcing system officials to scale some facilities back and postpone building others.

CEO sees consolidation of airlines as industry changes: The airline industry is on course to consolidate and only two or three companies are likely to emerge, the top executive of one of the nation's major carriers said in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

June isn't too early to be handicapping: ATS: Stands for "against the spread," referring to a team's performance with regard to the point spread as opposed to straight-up wins and losses.

Thursday's horse racing entries: Post Time 10 a.m.

Widow of U-2 pilot Powers dies: Ed Koch and Mary Manning; Museum docents generally are quite knowledgeable as they take tour groups through historic exhibits.

Local group's focus: 'Build best stadium in the world': It would feature 100 luxury suites, 500 VIP seats behind home plate, 1,500 club seats on the field level and 5,000 in its mezzanine sections.

Nevada Power in $558 million deal for plant: Kevin Rademacher; Nevada Power Co. of Las Vegas said this morning it reached a $558 million deal to purchase and complete a partially built 1,200-megawatt power plant owned by Duke Energy of North Carolina.

Sports briefs for June 23, 2004: Henderson firefighter Scott Dakus was forced to withdraw today from the Insight Race Across America because of a knee problem.

Columnist Jeff Haney: Formula Won for the NFL: Make your own line and unlock Week 1 secrets: May 12 -- Understanding baseball's dime line May 19 -- Sabermetrics and the wagerer May 26 -- Betting the new ballparks June 2 -- Books rooting for the Lakers June 9 -- Casinos and the Super Bowl June 16-- The U.S. Open golf championship Today -- Week 1 in the NFL Next week -- Worst things about Vegas betting

News briefs for June 23, 2004: A 35-year-old Las Vegas man died Tuesday after he lost control of his car near the Spaghetti Bowl interchange and collided with a sport utility vehicle, the Nevada Highway Patrol said.

Barrett tries to end Jr. career with a bang: Adam Candee; Katy Barrett looked up Tuesday to see her past and her future right in front of her on the golf course.

Tax initiative supporters file appeal: Kirsten Searer; Supporters of an initiative to cap property taxes have filed an emergency appeal to put their measure on the ballot, even though they are 5,700 signatures short.

IPO demand strong: Salesforce.com rose $4.75 to $15.75 in New York Stock Exchange trading after the company sold 10 million shares at $11 each. Analysts said the issuance showed there's strong demand among investors for initial public offerings.

Stabile, longtime manager of Jerry Lewis, dies at 87: Stephen Curran; Joe Stabile, 87, a longtime manager and close friend of comedian Jerry Lewis, died June 19 at his home in Las Vegas after a four-year battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Judge keeps alive suit against Gazlay: By Matt Pordum; District Judge David Wall on Tuesday refused to dismiss alleged 311 Boyz gang leader Steven Gazlay's counterclaim that a civil suit filed by a man who says he was beaten by the gang is a "misuse" of the legal process.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Anniversary strikes a chord in LV: We don't. While the folks did drag us to Woodstock, we were too young to remember anything. (Of course, those who were there and who were older don't seem to remember much of it either ...)

Tobacco merger cleared by FTC: The deal now requires approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission and RJR shareholders. The new company would rank second in U.S. cigarette market share after Marlboro maker Philip Morris USA. The combined companies would make one of every three cigarettes in the United States with brands such as Camel, Winston, Salem and Kool.

Columnist Adam Candee: Area players didn't fare well trying to master Shinnecock: Adam Candee; The U.S. Open frustrated the world's best golfers for four days with Teflon greens and trademark thieving rough. The track at Shinnecock Hills proved an especially tough challenge for those with ties to Las Vegas, with high honors going to former UNLV golfer Skip Kendall.

Competing interests emerge: Prospects for the sale of the country club just east of the Las Vegas Hilton emerged Monday, when developer Steve Wynn offered about $40 million for the course and the golfing rights.

Obituaries for June 23, 2004: Roger D. Allred, 81, of Las Vegas died Tuesday in a local care center. He was born Aug. 24, 1922, in Ephraim, Utah. A resident for 41 years, he was a retired plumber.

Point man still positive: As Major League Baseball's decision on the fate of the Montreal Expos draws near, Mike Shapiro has developed a curious feeling.

Uniforms back on school agenda: By Emily Richmond; The debate over whether Clark County School District campuses should be allowed to establish mandatory uniform policies is headed for another round.

Comdex postponed: Comdex postponed

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Ex-WoO champ set for Infiniti Pro Series debut: Former World of Outlaws driver P.J. Chesson isn't letting a testing crash last week at The Milwaukee Mile negatively impact his confidence as he prepares for his Indy Racing League Infiniti Pro Series debut at Kansas Speedway.

Porter cites challenges facing Iraq government: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- After spending three days in Baghdad, Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., said he thinks the new Iraq government will be able to manage the country after the U.S. handover next week but noted the new government will have major challenges to overcome.

Ensign to hold up TSA confirmation: The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee was to hold a confirmation hearing today for Stone. Though Ensign does not sit on the committee, he can still hold up the nomination through the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, where he does have a seat, or on the Senate floor, his spokesman said.

Flood control channel cost expected to rise: Stephen Curran; Higher-than-expected materials costs are expected to push up the price tag on a planned flood control channel in the Las Vegas Valley by an estimated $1.5 million, the general manager of the Regional Flood Control District said Tuesday.

Nonprofit group faces allegations over funds: By Timothy Pratt; Nevada Partners Inc., a nonprofit group charged with helping people find work, is facing allegations that it entered into more than $270,000 worth of contracts without clearance from the Southern Nevada Workforce Investment Board -- the source of the funds.

Columnist Jeff German: Wolfson's cash made difference: In a short five-week race with a crowded field of 12 candidates, Steve Wolfson raised the most money, spent the most money and won the most votes.

Rising cost of homes concerns growth task force: Discussion of sprawling development, decaying urban neighborhoods and a diminishing stock of affordable housing for Southern Nevada's families dominated Tuesday's meeting of the Clark County Growth Task Force.

Columnist Peter Benton: Longtime teacher puts emphasis on tempo: Peter Benton; Many years ago -- in fact so long ago that you could count the courses in this town on two hands -- Jerry Belt of the Las Vegas Municipal layout was the undisputed guru of teaching professionals.

Task force takes pass on trauma call: Dan Kulin; To the chagrin of some Clark County Health Board members, a task force on Tuesday decided not to make a recommendation on whether two area hospitals should be allowed to open trauma centers.

Gaming executives continue to sell shares: Since April, Station Casinos President Lorenzo Fertitta has sold about 590,000 shares, including shares held in trust. Fertitta announced plans in April to sell up to 1,350,000 shares.

Editorial: Gauging Wolfson's win: In taking a look at the numbers, it was disappointing that only 6,084 people -- just 17 percent of Ward 2's registered voters -- actually cast a ballot. For that matter, of this small amount, it's interesting to note that more than three-quarters of these voters cast their ballots for someone other than Wolfson, so he hardly emerges with a mandate. But then again there were 12 candidates in the crowded field, making it tough for anyone to have come away with a convincing win in this race, a situation made more difficult by the truncated period of time that ...

Letter: Court waited to avoid split ruling on pledge issue: Where I disagree with Mr. Lipman, however, is his concern that the Supreme Court sidestepped the issue of constitutionally of the phrase. Only eight justices heard the case -- Justice Antonin Scalia removed himself -- meaning the issue of constitutionally could have split 4-4. An evenly split decision reverts back to the opinion of the last ruling, in this case the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Since that decision only has effect in the 9th Circuit, the phrase would have been unconstitutional in that part of the country and constitutional in the rest.

Editorial: Funding for Yucca in question: The Bush White House would love to speed up the process in which it hopes to bury 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste in Nevada, and the administration's Republican supporters in Congress may be all too happy to oblige the administration with any plan that solidifies funding for Yucca Mountain. For that matter, the nuclear dump's supporters want to get the project's application approved by federal regulators as quickly as possible before it's too late -- more information keeps accumulating as to why it's improbable that the site could safely contain the radioactive waste. In addition, the dump's backers don't ...

One-stop center will provide help to homeless, poor: By Timothy Pratt; Plans to open a one-stop center downtown with services for the homeless, veterans and poor people were announced today by Dan Goulet, director of the United Way of Southern Nevada.

Letter: Keep religion out of politics: It also follows that religious institutions should be taxed as any other person or business. That would be a fair balancing of the scales of justice.

Letter: Garcia's vehicle is extravagant: Apparently his former vehicle, also a Ford Explorer, just couldn't make it to those construction sites, even though it will now be used by a facilities supervisor, who, I imagine, probably makes a lot more visits to job sites than Mr. Garcia does.

Peace reigns in Spring Mountains: Off-roaders, environmental enthusiasts and officials all agree that no more new trails will be coming to the Spring Mountains any time soon.

Afghans keep U.S. hospital busy: Lynn Doan; Four seriously injured Afghan civilians were treated at the U.S.-run Combat Support Hospital in Bagram, Afghanistan, for every one seriously injured U.S. or coalition soldier, according to the only American pharmacist in Afghanistan during the first six months of last year.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Community gets big boost from Black Tie Gala: Elizabeth Foyt; Presented by The Food & Beverage Directors Association of Nevada and led by president Dave Williamson, the evening began with a reception where honorees Jim Rogers, interim chancellor of the University and Community College System of Nevada, and Executive Chef Christopher Johns of The Orleans were greeted by attending members and friends.

Senate candidate defends residency in new district: Kirsten Searer; State Senate candidate Todd Allen testified Tuesday that he spends an average of three or four nights a week in his apartment in an older area of Senate District 11, where he is running for office.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Aeroflot rushin' for passengers: There is a new approach in service that includes menu choices for business and first class. Food is available from an a la carte menu and is cooked onboard. A bonus program is being offered in the United States with a new range of benefits "that have been designed with our best customers in mind," as the company states.

Community briefs for June 23, 2004: The Clark County Health District, joined by several community organizations, will offer free, oral HIV testing for National HIV Testing Day between noon and 4 p.m. Saturday at the Rafael Rivera Community Center, 2900 Stewart Ave.

Berkley introducs bill to redirect nuke funds: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- The Nuclear Waste Fund should be used to keep nuclear waste at nuclear power plants, not to continue to study or move waste to Yucca Mountain, according to Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev.

Judge recuses self from case on petition-gathering harassment: By Matt Pordum; District Judge Kenneth Cory recused himself Tuesday from determining whether the Community College of Southern Nevada's West Charleston Campus violated his order to stop harassing and restricting the rights of Nevadans For Sound Government as the group gathers petitions to get two referendums on the Nov. 2 ballot.

Titus discusses nuclear symbolism: The image of a mushroom cloud bursting into the air after a nuclear blast came to symbolize the atomic age in the last half of the 20th century, but nowhere more so than in Las Vegas.

R.I. casino plan advances; governor critical of deal: Michael Mello; PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Voters would get to decide whether the state's first casino should be built in West Warwick, under bills approved Tuesday by House and Senate committees.

Medicaid case backlog won't be cleared soon: Nevada Medicaid officials said Tuesday that a plan to have cleared a backlog of more than 170,000 unpaid claims by July 1 now appears unlikely.

Tuition breaks proposed to attract rural lawyers: CARSON CITY -- An interim legislative committee Tuesday recommended tuition breaks be given to students at the Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas if they agree to practice law in rural areas.

Justices question IAP's case against full disclosure: CARSON CITY -- Nevada Supreme Court justices expressed doubts Tuesday about an argument by Independent American Party members, who say political candidates do not have to disclose their assets in state-required financial disclosure statements.

Supreme Court hears appeal in condemnation: CARSON CITY -- An attorney for a Henderson housing development Tuesday told the Nevada Supreme Court that a District Court jury shortchanged his client millions of dollars when property was condemned for Interstate 215.