Print edition for March 1, 2004

Democrats are hoping Gallagher in the race: Kirsten Searer; People were starting to wonder if the Democratic Party could scrounge up someone to challenge freshman Rep. Jon Porter.

Growth panel to look at 209 potential members: Clark County staffers are sifting through 209 names of people proposed for the county's new growth management task force, and choosing 17 people is not going to be easy.

Speedway a long way from first race day: It's that time of the year again, when preparations have switched into high gear for the running of the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, the big NASCAR weekend that is expected to go off without a hitch at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Celebrities to help students in reading program this week: By Emily Richmond; Showgirls, a Super Bowl champion and Mayor Oscar Goodman will be guest stars at Clark County School District campuses this week as part of a statewide event to promote the importance of reading.

Bids high to check electrical boxes: Workers successfully checked the 220 boxes along the Strip between Russell Road and Sahara Avenue within a few weeks after a tourist from Kentucky was electrocuted in August, and workers continue to make headway on the county's parks, Pappa said.

Columnist Dean Juipe: NBC trying to nurture the Arena League: Dean Juipe; The Arena Football League may not mean much to the National Broadcasting Co., but NBC means a great deal to the AFL.

Obituaries for March 1, 2004: Edith Alessi, 66, of Las Vegas died Saturday in a local hospital. She was born Dec. 1, 1937, in Brooklyn, N.Y. A resident for two years, she was a homemaker.

Man in arson case sentenced: Jace Radke; In a closed federal court hearing on Feb. 20, one of the men alleged to have been responsible for the fire that destroyed the historic Moulin Rouge casino was sentenced to 51 months in prison and ordered to pay $5.6 million in restitution.

Coroner's inquest clears officer in death: Jen Lawson; A Clark County coroner's inquest jury deliberated for about 10 minutes Friday before deciding unanimously that a Henderson Police officer was justified in killing a man outside Fay Galloway Elementary School last month.

Woman in slaying case in custody: Aquilla Lee, 24, was taken into custody and interviewed by homicide detectives shortly after her arrest on misdemeanor warrants Saturday night, police said.

Side-by-side racing is still the show in a new world of NASCAR racing: NASCAR returns to Las Vegas this weekend for the seventh running of the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with new tires and a new aerodynamic package, a new way of determining its season champion and a new title sponsor for its premier division, the Nextel Cup Series.

Gladiators dispel VooDoo at home: Adam Candee; Two consecutive weeks of outstanding defense have led to two consecutive wins for the rejuvenated Las Vegas Gladiators.

Teen brothers charged in stabbing: The brothers allegedly attacked the younger boy on Feb. 25 in the 1600 block of North Pecos after two groups of juveniles exchanged words and gang signs.

Hunter putting best foot forward: Steve Guiremand; ALBUQUERQUE -- Demetrius Hunter's feet are hurting him again ... and bad.

SW Gas rating outlook cut: Kevin Rademacher; Moody's Investors Service has lowered the outlook on Southwest Gas Corp.'s debt rating from stable to negative, a move that is not immediately expected to affect the Las Vegas company's financing costs.

NASCAR Nextel Cup: Race week schedule: 2:30 p.m. -- World of Outlaws pit gate opens (LVMS dirt track)

Business briefs for March 1, 2004: ROSELAND, N.J. -- Chelsea Property Group Inc. swung to profitability in the fourth quarter, as revenue climbed 24 percent and the company shed a significant nonrecurring charge.

LV man surrenders after four-hour standoff with police: Police said the man, Aliconn Cole, 53, of Las Vegas, had a gun and possibly a woman in the home with him as negotiators worked to the standoff, which began around 10 p.m.

Message of optimism delivered in Las Vegas: "People are beginning to invest again," Palmisano said in a speech at the company's PartnerWorld conference. "We are more optimistic going into '04 than we have been."

Universal, HCA stock falls as competition heats up: Universal Health Services Inc., an owner of acute-care and psychiatric hospitals in Las Vegas and other cities, today said first-quarter earnings may fall 25 percent as more patients fail to pay bills and competitors take business. The company's shares slid as much as 18 percent.

Construction worker is rescued after fall at Bellagio: Firefighters this morning used a crane to lower an injured 31-year-old construction worker more than 300 feet to the ground from the roof of a tower being added to the Bellagio.

Moulin Rouge fire suspect must pay $5.6 million: Jace Radke; In a closed federal court hearing on Feb. 20, one of the men alleged to have been responsible for the fire that destroyed the historic Moulin Rouge was sentenced to 51 months in prison and ordered to pay $5.6 million in restitution.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Vegas celebrates Oscar -- and vice versa: "Remember, what happens at the Oscars stays at the Oscars," said Billy Crystal -- a reference to the controversial Vegas-centric ad campaign.

Teenage brothers charged in stabbing of boy: The brothers allegedly attacked the younger boy on Feb. 25 in the 1600 block of North Pecos after two groups of juveniles exchanged words and gang signs.

Airport steps up to alleviate long lines: Dan Kulin; McCarran International Airport had additional staff helping travelers prepare to go through security checkpoints over the last few days in what appears to have been a successful attempt to limit long lines as one of the city's largest conventions wrapped up.

LV firm refinancing debt: The notes were sold in a private transaction. The company also completed the redemption of a remaining $52.3 million in senior subordinated notes.

Guest Columnist Brendan Gaughan: It will be great to be home, but demands will be plentiful: As excited as I am about coming home to Las Vegas to race in the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, I also realize that this week is going to be like Daytona Speedweeks is for every other driver -- it's going to be crazy.

Sports briefs for March 1, 2004: The fifth game will mean teams from the conferences outside the original BCS agreement -- the Mountain West, Western Athletic, Sun Belt, Mid-American and Conference USA -- will have greater opportunities to play for big money.

American Nevada positioning itself for substantial growth: Jennifer Shubinski; American Nevada Company, developer of master-planned communities Green Valley, Green Valley Ranch and Aliante, said it plans to aggressively expand throughout the Las Vegas Valley and hired the former chief executive of a big Henderson developer to assist with its growth.

Four Mount Charleston skiers swept up by avalanches: Three Mount Charleston residents were in the back country just beyond the resort Tuesday at noon when the first avalanche hit, Craig Baldwin, base operations manager for the resort, said.

News briefs for March 1, 2004: Harrah's on the Strip was robbed at gunpoint early Saturday morning by two men wearing "Gilligan" style fishing hats, Metro Police said.

Editorial: Eye growth from every perspective: To better understand what would happen if a no-growth or slow-growth policy were adopted, the authority commissioned a report from Hobbs, Ong and Associates, a consulting company that specializes in analyzing public policies. The report was delivered to the water authority last week and it raised fears that we have previously expressed. The report examined what would happen if local governments adopted aggressive, moderate or even mild growth-management policies. In all nine of the scenarios the report studied, the valley would suffer, the report concluded.

Gaming briefs for March 1, 2004: RENO -- In a move spurred by the spread of California Indian casinos, property values for two of Reno's largest hotel-casinos have been slashed another $34 million.

Magliarditi stymies Fresno, records shutout: Nick Christensen; A busy week and exhausting weekend for the Las Vegas Wranglers concluded Sunday with goalie Marc Magliarditi earning the first shutout in franchise history. The game against the last-place Fresno Falcons appeared headed to overtime scoreless, but defenseman Deryk Engelland's shot through traffic with 21.9 seconds remaining nudged off the Wranglers' Blaine Bablitz and found the back of the net.

Community briefs for March 1, 2004: Author Fern Schumer Chapman will discuss her book, "Motherland: Beyond the Holocaust, A Daughter's Journey to Reclaim the Past," at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Temple Beth Sholom, 10700 Havenwood Lane.

Monopoly, Battleship lottery games planned: The West Greenwich-based GTECH today announced a three-year licensing agreement with Hasbro Inc., a toy company based in Pawtucket that owns rights to the Monopoly and Battleship brands.

Centennial turns attention toward No. 4: Adam Candee; RENO -- The victory that earned a third consecutive 4A state title for the Centennial girls' basketball team possessed all the beauty and grace of a slobbering St. Bernard diving into a freshly cracked can of Alpo.

Ann-Margret shows grace, fire: Ann-Margret will be 63 on April 28.

Religious leaders debate the meaning of 'Passion': Rev. Bill Kenny; Rabbi Felipe Goodman is the rabbi at Temple Beth Sholom in Las Vegas.

Legend of Pavarotti carries the night at Caesars: Marilyn LaRocque; The performance, appropriately held at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, drew a near-capacity crowd in the 4,100-seat venue.

Slot stocks up on Okla. success: Shares of gambling-machine makers rose Friday after the Oklahoma Legislature passed a measure to allow three horse-racing tracks to operate the same electronic betting games being played at the state's Indian casinos, and assured the legality of the tribal-operated games.

Skier caught in avalanche: Two witnesses were able to rescue the unidentified skier right away, Victoria Shaffer, Spring Mountain Recreation Area spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service said.

Birth announcements for March 1, 2004: Feb. 16:

Palo Verde's quick start secured title: Adam Candee; RENO -- They scramble to give each other credit, a mutual admiration society born of work ethic and respect.

Letter: Marijuana should be legalized: The availability of marijuana to teenagers is staggering. The reason: prohibition. Prohibition has led to the unregulated sale of cannabis, allowing anyone of any age to purchase to their heart's content. This is in direct contrast to alcohol and tobacco, which are legal and therefore have age restrictions. It is easier for a person under 21 to get cannabis than it is to get alcohol.

Editorial: Consistency is the key: In its first two years Edison weathered harsh criticisms, as test scores did not improve and the company experienced financial problems nationally. Although we had originally opposed any privatization of the public schools, we nevertheless at that point urged patience, sensing that perhaps a couple of years were needed to make an impression. The latest standardized test scores from the six elementary schools, compared with district schools having the same demographic makeup, show that we may have been right. The schools were on par with district schools in reading, language and science -- an achievement in itself. But in math ...

Letter: Don't tolerate hateful agenda: That a grown man such as Mr. Dane considers himself so self-important and righteous is quite humorous. Instead of calling Mayor Goodman, let's ring up Mr. Dane and let him know we won't tolerate his hateful, ignorant, self-serving agenda.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Issues are more than kids' play: A 6-year-old battle over whether to close the town's historic elementary school and move its 13 pupils to the building now shared by 40 middle and high school students erupts for the third time March 10.

Lady Rebels' target: Win out: A carnival-type atmosphere permeated Cox Pavilion following the Lady Rebels' 84-48 victory against Air Force Saturday night, as fans stayed around even longer than usual to mingle with the UNLV players and bid seniors InFini Robinson and Padra Strong farewell following their last regular-season home games.

Phair is woman of the hour: Spencer Patterson; Much as I dislike Liz Phair's latest, self-titled album, I won't knock the woman for following her heart.

Workers ratify contract: The contract covers 70,000 workers, a majority of them employed by Albertsons Inc., Kroger Co. -- which operates Ralphs stores -- and Safeway Inc., which operates Vons and Pavilions. It requires employees to pay for health benefits for the first time and includes two one-time bonuses for hours already worked. The contract offers no raises.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Players kept busy with expo, contests, big races: Ralph Siraco; Horseplayers were treated to a wide array of racing delicacies recently. There was the Horseplayers EXPO at the Paris Las Vegas, a record payoff in the Magna Pick Five wager, a carryover in the Pick Six pool at Santa Anita and an extension to the popular weekday handicapping contests at Coast Casinos race books giving local race players a chance at $2,000 per day for free.

Good Time Charlie: Daniels includes stop in Vegas on his expansive tour: It's the setting he likes quiet, restful, far away from the turmoil of such places as Las Vegas, where he will be performing at The Orleans Thursday through Sunday.

Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Sun Lite for March 1, 2004: Lisa Ferguson; We've all had them: ideas for inventions big and small that could potentially change the face of humankind as we know it oh, yeah, and make us billionaires in the process.

Letter: State must make better effort to retain nurses: While it is important that we maintain funding for nursing education, it is difficult to justify increased state spending on nursing programs given current budgetary burdens. When you consider that one-third of all new nurses will leave hospital nursing within three years of graduating from nursing school, it would be fiscally irresponsible for our Legislature to continually throw money into nursing education, without addressing nurse retention.

Rain puts a rut in valley roadways: By Timothy Pratt; Recent rains may seem like good news for a place in its fifth year of drought, but talk to those who work or drive on Las Vegas Valley roads and you may get a different point of view.

Nevada fails abused kids, feds say: CARSON CITY -- The state system that oversees abused and neglected children is fragmented and fails to respond properly to some instances of mistreatment of the youngsters, federal inspectors say.

Inmates on mission along Interstate 15: Sito Negron; BAKER, Calif. -- Herberto Medina has tried to save lives on Interstate 15 between Las Vegas and Southern California since October. Along the way, he says, he's saved himself.

Fire department makes strides in attracting blacks: By Timothy Pratt; The number of black men who passed a written test considered the first step to becoming Las Vegas firefighters increased in the past two years, city records show.

AG: State employees shouldn't be lawmakers: Kirsten Searer and Cy Ryan; Attorney General Brian Sandoval issued an opinion today that state employees should not serve in the Legislature, a ruling that could force six lawmakers out of their positions.

Gates still tops Forbes' list of billionaires: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates remains perched atop Forbes' annual list of billionaires for the 10th straight year, but investor Warren Buffett is nipping at his heels. Gates' net worth is now estimated at $46.6 billion, still less than half the $100 billion it peaked at in 1998, but up about 13 percent from the $40.7 billion Forbes attributed to him in 2003.

LV-financed track denied license: ALBANY, N.Y. -- The state Racing and Wagering Board on Friday refused to renew the operating license for the Vernon Downs harness track in central New York.

Quotes on attorney general opinion limiting legislative service: AP; Since the state's legislators are "essentially volunteers" because of the low pay, "we don't have any business wasting what talent is available. God knows they (the Legislature) need all the help they can get." - Ted Jelen, University of Nevada, Las Vegas political science professor.

High court avoids slot dispute: Laurie Asseo; The U.S. Supreme Court today rejected a Bush administration effort to limit the types of gambling offered by Indian tribes that aren't authorized to operate casino-style games such as slot machines.