Print edition for June 29, 2004

Southwest Gas defends rate hike request to PUC: Kevin Rademacher; Southwest Gas Corp. of Las Vegas made a 550-page filing with state regulators Monday in defense of an $18.9 million general rate increase request.

Advocates for blind rap Ensign plan: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Advocates for the blind are criticizing Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., for a legislative effort that they feel could hurt blind business owners trying to get federal contracts at military bases.

News briefs for June 29, 2004: A former teacher's aide who has been charged with sexually seducing a 14-year-old neighbor will wait two weeks to find out whether she will stand trial in the case.

Arberry pays fees, penalties to avoid his home being sold: Assemblyman Morse Arberry today avoided having his Bonanza Village home sold by Las Vegas by paying $1,340 in delinquent special improvement district fees and penalties, a city official said.

Sports briefs for June 29, 2004: Expressing pessimism after reviewing NBA owners' initial collective bargaining proposal, the director of the players' union said Monday the league could be heading toward a work stoppage at the conclusion of the 2004-05 season.

Settlement reached in Wynn suit: Round 2 in the nearly 10-year battle between casino giant Steve Wynn and New York publisher Lyle Stuart over allegedly libelous advertisements for a book about the gaming mogul is off.

Cox to offer HD recorders: Cox Communications Inc., the fourth-largest U.S. cable-television operator, said it will offer high-definition digital-video-recorder service to most of its customers by September to win new users and boost sales.

Charges filed after man hit by car in bar's parking lot: Kristopher Presley of Las Vegas was being held in the Clark County Detention Center on a charge of murder with a deadly weapon.

Nevadans to start seeing energy refunds: CARSON CITY -- Relief is on the way for natural gas and electric users in Southern Nevada. The state has received $16.4 million as the first installment of a $52 million antitrust settlement with El Paso Corp., says Tim Hay, director of the state Consumer Affairs Bureau.

Federal review cites 33 EOB violations: By Timothy Pratt; A federal agency told the embattled Economic Opportunity Board last week that the organization has committed 33 violations of federal rules tied to $12.2 million in federal funds.

County pitches heliport proposal: Stephen Curran; A 40-acre swath of land two miles south of Sloan could be the remedy for an industry that's long been the headache of many local residents, representatives of the Clark County Aviation Department said Monday evening.

Valley does a good dusting: Stephen Curran; A little more than a month after the federal Environmental Protection Agency approved Clark County's plan to control one level of dust, the agency announced that Nevada is ahead of schedule in meeting another, stricter standard.

Columnist Jeff German: Clinton is still a force for his party: Nevada Democrats were thinking about tomorrow when they watched former President Bill Clinton pick apart the Republicans during a 35-minute fund-raising speech at the Rio Sunday night.

Fireworks can drive canines crazy: Caitlin Hudgins; If dogs get scared when a car backfires, it's easy to imagine how frightened they must feel when they hear the multiple explosions of fireworks during Fourth of July celebrations.

Obituaries for June 29, 2004: Leonard Baurmash, 82, of Las Vegas died Friday in a local hospice. He was born Nov. 19, 1921, in New York City. A resident for two years, he was a retired nuclear engineer and World War II Army veteran.

Bail reduction at center of teacher's hearing in sex case: By Matt Pordum; Justice of the Peace Douglas Smith said this morning that he plans to look into why another justice of the peace lowered the bail Smith had set for a former University of Nevada Las Vegas basketball player accused of sexually assaulting two female students while serving as a substitute teacher at Grant Sawyer Middle School.

Taser use under review in wake of death: Jen Lawson; Sheriff Bill Young said Monday that he plans to order a careful examination into the incident that left a Las Vegas man dead after being stunned by a Metro Police officer's Taser gun.

Gaming briefs for June 29, 2004: SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- State regulators have ordered WinnaVegas Casino to raise its legal gambling age from 18 to 21 or face a possible suspension of its gaming compact.

Business briefs for June 29, 2004: SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple Computer Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs says the 2005 launch of the next Mac OS X operating system will have features "way ahead" of Microsoft Corp.'s next Windows release due out in 2006.

Truesdell awaits possible return to Planning Commission: Sito Negron; Ric Truesdell did not win election as the new Ward 2 councilman, but he may regain his seat on the Las Vegas Planning Commission.

Residents urged to protect pets from summer sun: Heather Rawlyk; Gina Knowlson pulled into the Petsmart parking lot of the Best in the West shopping center on Rainbow Boulevard with her 2-year-old golden retriever Betsy on a Saturday afternoon with plans to purchase a few summer necessities for her four-legged friend.

Two wildfires burn in southern Utah, LV area: Two wildfires continued to threaten southern parts of Nevada and Utah Monday.

Regents OK building priority list: University regents grudgingly passed a construction priority list Monday to send to the 2005 Legislature that included a controversial $9 million request for a Nevada State College liberal arts building.

Questions raised over WellPoint-Anthem merger: Gary Gentile; LOS ANGELES -- California's insurance commissioner grilled executives from Anthem Inc. and WellPoint Health Networks Inc. last week, saying plans to create the nation's largest health maintenance organization appear to benefit executives and stockholders over patients.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Suncoast, Orleans put spin on opening: Two 60-foot inflatable Spider-Men can now be seen crawling from the Suncoast and Orleans as part of the promotional blitz for the Tobey Maguire flick "Spider-Man 2," which opens in Las Vegas, and nationwide, Wednesday.

Trade group adds, loses members: The new members include Intralot S.A. of Athens, Greece, Kare Technology of Moscow, Nick Farley & Associates of Ohio, NRT Technology Corp. of Toronto, Revive Partners LLC of Las Vegas, SCG-Link Corp. of Edmonton, Alberta, and Video Gaming Technologies Inc. of South Carolina.

State board: Decision on Summerlin meetings ill-advised: Members of a state board that oversees homeowners associations say the Summerlin North Community Association's new restriction on attendance at some meetings is ill-advised because it creates suspicions the association has something to hide.

Rare trees are an easy target: Beth Slovic; A unique species of tree that is native to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area is being mistaken for firewood and chopped down by visitors who don't know any better, botanists at the park said.

State ranks high with high school grads: By Emily Richmond; For once, Nevada rates better than the national average.

Mayor takes stock in LV development: Sito Negron; Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman gave yet another speech about downtown Las Vegas on Monday, but this time he was talking to the Wall Street money-men and investors who with the stroke of a pen can move hundreds of millions of dollars into downtown development.

High school students make Test Site cleanup easy for kids: Caitlin Hudgins; Elementary school children often look up to the "big kids" who attend high schools, so when the Energy Department's Office of Environmental Management was looking for a way to teach children about cleaning up the Nevada Test Site, it turned to students of the Advanced Technologies Academy.

Arena league owner isn't sure city is ready for MLB: Adam Candee; Jim Ferraro moved his Arena Football League franchise from New Jersey to Las Vegas in December 2002, gambling that he could buck the city's history of rejecting even the most noble of sporting franchises.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Mohini meets bikini at women's gym trials: One of the stars of the pseudo women's gymnastics Olympic Trials at the Arrowhead Pond this weekend is the offspring of a mother from Russia and a father from India who was thought to be about eight years past her gym prime.

Mother pleads not-guilty in death of diabetic girl: By Matt Pordum; The mother of a diabetic 11-year-old who died on Feb. 9 because her insulin levels were too low pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder before District Judge Sally Loehrer on Monday.

Real History: Documentarian focuses on Las Vegas' social growth: And the female pilot who became vice president of Bonanza Airlines in the 1950s and was mistaken for a secretary when she attended an all-male meeting of airline executives.

Community briefs for June 29, 2004: Joe Brezny, executive director of the Nevada Senate Caucus, and Erin Russell, executive director of the Nevada Assembly Caucus, will discuss the funtion of the caucuses at the Nevada Republican Men's Club meeting at 11:30 a.m. Monday at Ellis Island Casino, 4178 Koval Lane.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: NASCAR mulls change to ensure green-flag finish: There is speculation that NASCAR will -- once again -- changes its rules sometime in the coming weeks to ensure that its Nextel Cup Series races end under the green flag.

Judge hears motion in bribery trial: Jace Radke; A U.S. magistrate is considering whether to allow tape recorded conversations about throwing a boxing match into a sports bribery trial.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Unsettled Mike Tyson has an untrustworthy side to him: Dean Juipe; Newspaper editors should make a pact: No more overplaying Mike Tyson stories, especially those that proclaim Tyson is going to do this or that.

Activists move to block D.C. proposal: Derrill Holly; WASHINGTON -- Community activists called on a District of Columbia judge Monday to block efforts to place a gambling initiative on the November ballot.

Tribe suing governor over gaming compacts: SAN DIEGO -- A California Indian tribe that owns a Harrah's casino near San Diego sued Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, seeking to block agreements with rival casino-operating tribes that eliminate a ceiling on how many slot machines they can run.

Letter: Kerry's Vietnam accusations show his true colors: On the other hand, President Bush announced the criminal prosecution of soldiers who mistreated prisoners under their control and condemned those who violated the law.

Ralph Siraco's Hollywood Park selections: 1st Race -- CHARLIE'S GOOD GIRL -- Draws good rail post for route opener, Pedroza on Carava trainee, Charile's Girl in Good spot to win. LADY CONTINENTAL -- New arrival Moran atop Mullins trainee, draws alongside top pick for two-turn claimer, Lady in good position to take the Girl here? Value Play -- ICE IT HONEY

Letter: Moore slanders Bush, hurts U.S.: I read where one person, after seeing the film, said, "This allowed me to make up my mind and vote for Kerry." How utterly sad. To let a left-wing propagandist like Michael Moore sway an American's thought is unbelievable.

Four awarded scholarships in the arts: Sarah Snodgrass of Las Vegas received the award for visual art, Timothy Woods of Sparks for music, Karen Reynolds of Reno for dance and Amanda Hallstein of Gardnerville for theater. The four were chosen from 20 applicants who plan to further their studies in the arts.

Vegas' stock on the rise?: Mike Shapiro agreed Monday with a recent Rocky Mountain News assertion that Las Vegas should not be taken lightly in the relocation of the Montreal Expos.

Judge strikes down pact: Michael Gormley; ALBANY, N.Y. -- The agreement between the state and the Oneida Indian Nation that allowed the billion-dollar Turning Stone Casino to be built a decade ago was ruled invalid Monday by a judge.

Judge dismisses part of strip club suit against cops: Jace Radke; A federal judge has dismissed part of a lawsuit filed by topless-club owner Rick Rizzolo against Metro Police alleging that officers conducted an illegal search of his Crazy Horse Too club on Oct. 4, 2001.

Immunization schedule for June 29, 2004: HENDERSON PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 129 W. Lake Mead Drive, Building A, Suite 10, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Editorial: Political gamesmanship: On Thursday, Democratic candidate Todd Allen was removed from the Senate District 11 ballot by Judge Nancy Saitta. Allen, who actually lives out of the district in Summerlin, rented an apartment in April within District 11. Power to the apartment, however, was never turned on until May 14, the deadline for filing for office. Nevertheless, Allen claimed he'd been living there, apart from his family and with no power, since early April.

'Fahrenheit' meeting puts more heat on president: Lynn Doan; Residents who crammed into seven rooms at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to hear film director Michael Moore talk about his controversial movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" Monday night came to one conclusion: President Bush needs to go.

United's unions fear more cuts after federal aid failure: Dave Carpenter; CHICAGO -- Employees at United Airlines are bracing for the prospect of new concessions after the failure of the carrier's nearly two-year quest for federal assistance.

Letter: Pledge phrase proves divisive: I wonder, if the pledge had the words "under Allah" instead, would Mr. Harrell be offended?

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

Dogs featured in publicity stunt: John Curran; ATLANTIC CITY -- Some gamblers just don't know how to play their cards.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Activists suffering burnout: Whoa, Dude, look at my shoes. They're really funny.

Interim president of college OK'd: Regents appointed Patricia K. Miltenberger as the interim leader of Nevada State College at the recommendation of Interim Chancellor Jim Rogers and approved the contract for new University of Nevada, Reno head basketball coach Mark Fox.

Editorial: Long road ahead for sovereignty: The hopeful view is that the new government will grow strong in a democratic manner, allowing the U.S. to begin gradually reducing its forces in Iraq, which today number about 140,000. And it's hoped the Iraqi people, including the Sunnis, the Shias and the Kurds, will learn for themselves how to live in peace with each other, as opposed to having a bloody orderliness imposed upon them. A free Iraq, able to trade with the world and open itself to modernity, could one day lead the whole Arab world toward peaceful accommodation with Western countries.